Marketscan Latest News

Definition of valuable business data 'is rapidly changing'

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The definition of what is valuable business data is beginning to evolve, a new study suggests.

According to a survey conducted by employment firm Manpower, increased levels of transparency and advancements in technology has changed what is considered to be valuable data.

In its recent World of Work Trends white paper, Manpower said rapidly changing technology and greater global arbitrage is increasing the choice of where, when and how organisations perform their work.

More unsubstantiated business data has also increased the importance of verification, validation and certification.

The study also found that customers' operating and purchasing behaviours are becoming more global and sophisticated, which increases the complexity of their relationships and the "specificity of their demands".

Because consumers have access to more information and experts, along with lower cost channels, the pressure on companies to deliver value is on the increase.

Recent figures released by IT recruitment firm Resource on Demand show that companies are increasingly making use of Software-as-a-Service applications to conduct their operations.

Posted by Julie Knight, Managing Director – General Marketing, Industry News

'SEO helps capture email leads'

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The top marketing trend for 2010 is to use search engine optimisation (SEO) to capture email leads, an expert has said.

Joel Book, director of eMarketing Education at ExactTarget, said this year, marketers need to invest in digital media that optimises customer engagement, and one of the most effective is search.

Writing in the Marketing Profs online blog, he suggested that marketers should consider using pay-per-click or paid search in conjunction with SEO to attract prospects.

Companies can also make use of natural search results to attract visitors to their websites or landing pages.

"To maximise search return on investment, test various keywords and phrases with paid search to determine which drive the most traffic," Mr Book suggested.

"Then, incorporate those keywords and phrases into your website and blog content. The result will be higher rankings for your site in search results."

Dina Paglia, client development manager at independent marketing translation firm Acclaro, recently suggested that marketers should target email leads on a global scale.

SaaS for mailings lists could grow in demand, research suggests

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The use of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) for organising mailings may be on the rise, new research suggests.

According to figures released by IT recruitment firm Resource on Demand, enquiries for salesforce and SaaS specialists increased by 233 per cent during the first month of the year.

Rolf von Roessing, international vice-president for ISACA, the global non-profit association of IT security, audit and governance professionals, said the figures highlight the increasing popularity of cloud computing.

"The financial and organisational benefits of switching to cloud-based storage and systems are clearly driving this surge in demand," he said.

"It's important, however, that in the rush to embrace the obvious benefits of the cloud, businesses do not overlook the security implications of extending their IT resource into what is, to all intents and purposes, a virtual environment."

Mr von Roessing added that managers should take the time to review their security systems and resources in order to make sure their business data is well protected against online threats.

Posted by Matthew Collins, Technical Director – IT Data Cleaning, Hygiene, Analytics, Databases

Marketers advised to target email leads globally

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A marketing expert has highlighted the importance of targeting email leads on a global scale.

Dina Paglia, client development manager at independent marketing translation firm Acclaro, said that before they go global, companies should make sure they assess the cultural relevance of campaigns and their appropriateness for the target market.

She also highlighted the importance of enlisting the help of qualified translation and localisation teams that can help marketers gain a deeper understanding of the markets they are trying to target.

"Build in the time to explore and collect ideas, conduct multiple copy reviews and perform due diligence," Ms Paglia commented on the Marketing Profs blog.

"Consider that your internal team will have to provide the firm and its linguists with a detailed transcreation brief and collaborate with them during the process."

Marketers were also urged to adjust the type of imagery they use in their marketing copy depending on the local market they are targeting.

According to Barbara Bix, head of marketing intelligence firm BB Marketing Plus, companies have better access than ever before to essential business data with which to complement their campaign strategies.

Posted by Julie Knight, Managing Director – General Marketing, Industry News

Small firms use social media to capture email leads

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Small companies are using social media platforms to capture email leads, a new report reveals.

According to the Small Business Success Index, the proportion of small businesses that used social media techniques increased from 12 per cent in 2008 to 24 per cent in 2009.

Three-quarters of small firms said they have a company page on a social networking site, while 61 per cent use social networking platforms to identify and attract new customers to their consumer lists.

Nearly half (45 per cent) of firms said they expect social media to be profitable within the next 12 months.

The survey found, however, that small companies have encounters hurdles in their adoption of social media. Half of respondents said it takes more time than expected, while 17 per cent said social media leaves their brands open to public scrutiny.

Connie Steele, director of Network Solutions, said: "Social media can be the best friend for small business owners who constantly seek new ways to attract new customers and retain the ones they have at a relatively low cost."

Posted by Suzanne Stock – Communications Director, HR, Online Advertising, General Marketing

Catalogues help secure email leads, report suggests

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Offline direct mail campaigns can help to secure email leads, a new survey suggests.

According to the Royal Mail Home Shopping Tracker 2009, almost half (45 per cent) of consumers said they look at print catalogues before making an online purchase - an eight per cent increase compared to 2008.

Posted catalogues in particular were found to inform 37 per cent of online purchases - an increase of 11 per cent from 2008.

The survey also found that 83 per cent of UK consumers research products and services through a catalogue or on the internet before making a purchase.

Anthony Miller, head of media development at Royal Mail, said: "Catalogues and the internet offer a powerful combination of information, showing the importance of using the two channels together in the marketing mix."

Writing in MarketingProfs, Dan Forootan, president of StreamSend, recently urged marketers to enlist cross-channel social marketing techniques in their quest to target email leads and prospects.

Posted by Julie Knight, Managing Director – General Marketing, Industry News

Firms look to CRM to organise mailing lists in 2010

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

A new survey suggests that many firms will be looking to customer relationship management (CRM) systems to organise their mailing lists this year.

According to the Gartner Executive Programmes 2010 CIO Agenda survey, CRM remains high on the 2010 business agenda, while attracting and retaining new customers and email leads ranks in the top five priorities.

The report also reveals that companies will look to social media platforms to conduct their customer service management.

Kimberly Collins, managing vice-president at Gartner, said marketing firms will need to automate operational processes and learn how to leverage technology to measure areas previously left unmeasured.

"Marketing resource management will become a top priority for marketing organisations and enterprise marketing management will take on new meaning as a vehicle for strategic planning, collaboration and measurement," she said.

Gartner predicted that by the end of 2010, over 80 per cent of market growth in social applications will be centred on a business use case for improving external customer relationships.

Posted by Suzanne Stock – Communications Director, HR, Online Advertising, General Marketing

Business data 'is more accessible to firms'

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Business data and market intelligence is becoming increasingly accessible to firms, an expert has said.

Barbara Bix, managing principal of market intelligence firm BB Marketing Plus, said that due to improvements in technology and wider access to the web, there are more ways than ever before to gather crucial data to enhance effective campaign strategies designed to capture email leads.

"Even bootstrap/small companies can cost-effectively access and process market information," Ms Bix commented on the Marketing Profs blog.

She pointed out that marketers can make use of inexpensive, easy-to-use sources of market information such as search engine analytics, specialised blogs and off-the-shelf customer relationship management and sales enablement systems to rake in data.

Marketers could also make use of cross-platform solutions to help them determine what is successful and then replicate that success.

Nathan McDonald, managing partner at digital conversion agency We are Social, recently highlighted the benefits of social media when it comes to gathering essential business data.

Posted by Daryl Jay, Business Development Director – Sales, Industry News, General Marketing

'Technology can help marketers replenish mailing lists'

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Marketers have been urged to implement technology in their marketing campaigns as they seek to replenish their mailing lists and recover from the economic downturn.

Kevin Dendy, commercial director at the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), said technology is an "absolute must" for companies looking to achieve solid growth in 2010.

"Technology is the way that every part of direct marketing is going to move forward," he said.

"The business of technology - it's amazing what you can do now that you couldn't do ten years ago."

Mr Dendy pointed out that those who do not embrace new technologies will not move with the times and benefit from the multiple advantages they present. He stressed that marketers must fully integrate technologies in order to evolve.

A recent study conducted by the DMA found that TV advertising in conjunction with traditional direct response media such as direct mail, print and online adverting can significantly maximise campaign results.

Posted by Daryl Jay, Business Development Director – Sales, Industry News, General Marketing

Social media 'helps business data collection'

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

An expert has highlighted the growing trend of marketers using social media platforms to gather crucial business data.

Nathan McDonald, managing partner at digital conversion agency We are Social, said firms are increasingly realising the value of communicating in real time with their customers, stakeholders and clients.

He explained that communications and marketing teams, along with customer service teams are adapting to the social media landscape and realising that they need to understand these platforms at the very least.

Marketers were urged to make sure that their social media strategies are conducted in the same tone of voice deployed for their direct marketing, PR and advertising.

"It's very important to align your social media activity with the rest of your marketing activity and not just Twitter, because it is just one part of a wider social media marketing strategy," Mr McDonald said.

According to Twitter, tweets on the microblogging platform increased by 1,400 per cent last year to 35 million per day.

Posted by Suzanne Stock – Communications Director, HR, Online Advertising, General Marketing