According to a recent e-Marketer report, more than six out of 10 CMOs and senior marketing professionals surveyed in the US said that digital tactics (including mobile, video, e-mail etc.) accounted for more than one-quarter of their agency marketing, according to a July 2008 study by Zoomerang for Sapient.  

Respondents also said digital marketing was growing in importance. Nearly one-half (45%) of those polled had either switched agencies or planned to switch during the next 12 months to gain access to more digital expertise. Almost eight out of 10 said that agencies' interactive and digital aptitude was important or very important.  

What is digital marketing and what does it mean for marketers? 

According to Wikipedia, digital marketing is defined as the practice of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. By doing so, marketers realize the following benefits: 

Brand-advantage – typically in the past, marketing and any digital initiatives were handled separately or were non-existent. With the use of digital technology, marketing professionals have an opportunity to enhance messaging and bring cohesiveness to their brand. 

Larger reach – digital initiatives allow marketers to expand their campaigns beyond one single effort leveraging several channels to optimize budget dollars and reach. 

Personalization – with digital initiatives, messages are highly targeted and specific allowing marketers to not only track how many people saw their message but also specific information about each user. 

As marketers, digital tactics allow for many opportunities that can be tracked measured and refined. To learn more about digital marketing and tactics, consider accessing the following resources: 

• The McKinsey Quarterly – Digital Marketing
• NetImperative – Digital Marketing News and Events
• MarketingProfs Digital Marketing Mixer

Best

Denice MacDonald

The release of Apple’s iPhone revolutionized mobile phone technology and web browsing with its ease of use. One of the most talked-about features of the iPhone has been its ability to use Safari to browse the “real” Internet.  

However, until recently, this idea has proven to be less than rewarding because the larger pixels used by most web sites designed to display information on a full screen did not translate well to the iPhone’s different shape and size.  

Because of that, the iPhone’s ability to see and access data and pictures on most web sites was plagued by problems and content which was hard to read and interact with - until now. 

We’re beginning to see the arrival of web sites formatted specifically to fit the iPhone’s small screen and unique configuration. In addition, we’re seeing techniques developed that make iPhone compatible web sites capable of visually displaying and selling products, over secure satellite connections, and accessed by mobile phones from anywhere in the world.

Those interested in learning how to develop compatible iPhone microsites will find a full tutorial section here that includes:

1. Great examples of optimization, design and usability.
2. Steps to ensure your visitors a great mobile experience.
3. Examples, news and articles.
4. Downloadable samples of how to create content for iPhone’s MobileSafari browser.
5. Resources and links to code and source files.
6. Information on how enhancing your website will bring better experiences to your iPhone customers and increase sales. 

Resources

• Microsite Mobile
• iPhone Microsite Tutorials

Best

Denice MacDonald

Before Web 2.0, organizations would take old brochure copy, poor graphics, a couple of cheesy widgets and off they go to build a web site in bad html code. With today’s user expectations, web sites have to be a bit more sophisticated, offering the best-of-breed in user experience and delivery.

To truly build a great web site presence, compete on a level playing field and convert customers, organizations must do a bit of homework before developing their web site.

Review competitors – in order to compete, organizations need to see how they fare against the competition. A comprehensive competitor’s analysis will allow the organization to provide a similar interactive experience when vying for customers to their products or services.

Know your audience – most web sites try to cater to a broad-base audience using a ‘hit or miss’ approach. With today’s web savvy user, web sites need to address exactly who their customers are. In most cases, audiences are looking to be entertained, informed or persuaded - but knowing specific industry focus, generational disposition and online behavior will go a long way in getting your audience to engage, drill down and act.

Create relevant content – with the growth of social communities, blogs and rich video media, content can be served up in many formats. Key to the use of these great Web 2.0 applications is providing relevant content to users.  Similar to ‘knowing your audience’, organizations must segment content based upon visitor types.

Enhance the experience – the visitor experience relates to ease of use, access to relevant content and tools that will help engage, connect and convert customers. Reviewing appropriate navigation, Flash or graphics, web tools or gadgets as well as call-to-action scenarios will enhance the experience and have the visitor coming back for more.

Integrate online and offline strategies – successful organizations have realized that integrating online and offline marketing strategies is the best way to tap into a large customer base and get customers to spend more. Moreover, when an integrated strategic plan is executed for online and offline simultaneously, customers get a single, unified message from the organization that reflects a cohesive brand.

Best

Denice MacDonald 

Recent video metrics are showing that visitors or users of YouTube are no longer geeks, nerds or techno’s.  In fact, recent statistics are showing that YouTube video downloads are being viewed by varying demographics, including an older crowd and business professionals. 

How can you tell who's watching your videos? YouTube now offers a free tool (YouTube Insight) that enables anyone with a YouTube account to view detailed statistics about the videos that they upload.  

For example, uploaders can see how often their videos are viewed in different geographic regions, as well as how popular they are relative to all videos in that market over a given period of time.

You can also delve deeper into the lifecycle of your videos, like how long it takes for a video to become popular, and what happens to video views as popularity peaks.  For now, you can find currently available metrics by clicking under the "About this Video" button under My account > Videos, Favorites, Playlists > Manage my Videos.

YouTube Resources:

Businesses are now realizing the potential of social networking sites like YouTube in using digital formats to engage prospects and customers and elevate recruitment efforts. 

Learn more at these links below. 

• How to get yourself on YouTube, for business or pleasure
• Cisco pumps out some emerging tech products: YouTube for business 
• View YouTube Video: Cisco: The Business Solutions Provider
• YouTube Example Recruitment Video - Recruiting at Aerotek

If you are looking for the technology to put your video on the web, the variety of choices can be staggering.  That’s because as web video has flourished, so have the number of companies providing the tools to deliver video across the Internet. Large media companies and individual video bloggers can now choose from among multiple firms when looking for a web video product. Many of the technology providers are quite similar and anyone in the market for a web video platform should 'test the waters' and try out the ones that seem like the best fit.  

Web video technology services can be divided into the following categories:

CONTENT MANAGEMENT: The process of ingesting content, moving it around, converting to different files and organizing video properly before it goes online.

PROGRAMMING AND PUBLISHING: The presentation of the video on the web site, including the player and the playlists.

DISTRIBUTION: Delivering the video across the web, to either the main site or to distribution channels and portals.

MONETIZATION: Making money off the video, by integrating advertising or offering video on a download or pay-per-view basis.

REPORTING: Providing analysis and reports on number of views, length of views and other similar data. 

Check out these vendors and resources: 

Dragonfly (world-class multi-media content delivery network)

Kickapps (great for online communities or any type of 'sharing' portal)

Maven (online video advertising)

Magnify (good for both b2c and b2b)

Podcasting complements blogging:

Podcasting is not only user generated content, but user generated content in its most intimate and persuasive forms, it is the sound of your voice, the sound of your music or your captured video. In most cases, podcasting is affordable/free and podcasts are always portable.  Moreover, podcasting is a 'literal voice that complements the virtual voice of blogging" according to Steve Dembo, Teach42: "Why Podcast While You Already Have a Blog?"

If you have something to share – a message, information, or commentary, start with a good podcasting program that can help you create the podcasts you envision. Podcasting software can help you create professional sounding podcasts and facilitates publication to your blog, your web site or a podcast directory. This is more than what audio editing software alone can do; audio editing programs generally do not support tag and feed creation.

Where to start:

I recently completed a podcast software review for a client and found that Podcast Station was the best solution for voicecasting AND professional sounding interviews.  Since the Podcasts are meant to be shared, the publishing wizards help with tag and RSS feed creation. BUT, if you're looking for 'free' open source software supported by Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, and GNU/Linux, consider Audacity - recently named in PCWorld's 'The 100 Best Products of 2008'.

Ahhh...try it out here:

Lastly, Podcast Alley is the podcast lovers portal. Featuring the best Podcast Directory and the Top 10 podcasts, as voted on by the listeners.

Bob Pearson, of Dell, recently presented insight into Dell's learning relative to the web - and in my opinion, they are spot-on with their findings. I've taken the liberty of condensing the learning below.

What Dell's Learned so far?

1. The online world is undergoing the most significant transformation so far. 
2. The # of conversations is exploding. 
3. Customers want to speak with us in their first language. 
4. New countries are formed every day that are not being treated with the full respect that their nation's population deserves. 
5. Watch out for content pushers. 
6. You new home page is really cool .... but do you know where it is? Today's home page is a Google search Results page.  The Traffic that matters is not about you!
7. If you build it they will not necessarily come!
8. Less than 1% of a personal time online will be spent online purchasing.

What has Dell's Key Learnings & Action been with all of this?

1. The most important thing you can do is help customers w/ their technology problems.
2. Blogging is global ... blogging is multi-lingual ... blogging is by community of passion ... blogging is not "one blog". 
3. Would you rather do a focuses group with 10 people or listen to 100,00 people debate ideas for a few months and ask them questions throughout the process? 
4. Customers are partners and partners join together to make a difference. 
5. Communities are more powerful than individuals, Communities want to help each other improve.
6. The online experience at work should be similar to the online experience at home. 
7. Join your customer's communities and become part of the solution.
8. You can be easy to see, and should be easy to converse to.
9. If you are dealing with an issue be truthful, transparent and diligent in updating your customers.
10. Your customers are people not lines of business.  One customer or Employee --> Many communities.
11. Measurement requires thinking outside the box.  Don't try to fit old thinking to the new environment.

 Citation Link: Search Marketing Gurus

Online video is more than MySpace and ads – it’s a lot more.

With traditional television ads, there is very little social interaction or measurable engagement. With online video, however, you can easily optimize for social networks, blogs and widgets, and also take advantage of the ability for people to share and comment on the videos or otherwise spread them virally. Social media technologies enable you to dramatically stretch your advertising budget, as you're empowering your audience to help spread your message and your brand to their friends and networks. And thanks to the cost efficiency of online video, you can also create several versions of videos that appeal to a wide range of demographics.  

Here are a few guaranteed approaches using video within your marketing mix:

Recruiting:  Get others to acknowledge the organization and its great culture.

Product Launches:  Nothings better than a customer using your product and endorsing it.

Blogs: Get an authentic ‘take’ on any subject matter with social interaction and feedback.

Trade Shows: Customers love to see employees they work with but never get to really ‘face’.  Run a customer service video with an engaging theme.

Newsletters:  Up the ante on interaction by providing a couple of :15 second spots offering a personal take on the subject matter.

Web: Repurpose any or all of the above to your online web presence, banner ad, custom pages or e-mail communications.

Ahh….great white paper on 2008 trends by MarketingProfs 

Based on the perspectives shared by executives and marketing managers across a broad range of industries, sectors, companies and marketplace situations, the report found a continuing escalation of the focus on "new media" – tactics enabled by and based on Internet technology – and a somewhat less pronounced emphasis on many traditional tactics. 

Of particular interest, e-mail marketing is still high on everyone's list – followed by trade show activity and online video! See how you, your clients and your organization fare in the war on B2B Marketing.

MProfs_B2B_2008.pdf (177.22 kb)

Time for some agility. 

This is a great ramp up of what changes are occurring in 2008 – specifically the author provides insight into how marketing and advertising agencies will need to be agile in responding to fast-paced change and the digital demands of their clients.  Although this article is directed more purely to the ‘ad agency model’ – there’s a bit of credence for marketing communications as well.

Read Article

Ten Key Online Predictions for 2008

eMarketer has issued predictions for 2008 in key online areas, including those related advertising, videos, social networks, e-commerce and entertainment, saying online advertising will ride out potential economic storms in the US - and YouTube will decide political elections.

The 10 predictions for 2008 according to eMarketer:

1. Online ads remain resilient.
2. Video surge slows.
3. Social-network advertising hits $1.6 billion.
4. Networking goes beyond MySpace and Facebook.
5. YouTube decides the election.
6. Beijing Olympics pumps up ad spending.
7. Buy online, pick up in-store becomes expected feature.
8. Movie downloading hits the mainstream.
9. Music marketers roll out new business models.
10. Dynamic ads heighten gaming revenue potential.

Social Network Usage

Social networking will remain a key online activity, with 44% of US consumers using social networking at least once a month in 2008. While MySpace and Facebook will continue to dominate the market, changes are taking place that will extend social networking activities beyond a single destination site.

Profiles will eventually become portable, meaning consumers need only create one and be able to use it in many places on the web. Widgets that today work with only one social-network site will be designed on an open platform, extending their reach.

Activities such as online shopping, searching and even sending email will be enhanced with social-networking features.  Moreover, much of the social networking strategy can also be applied to B2B applications with intranet scenarios.

For the top social networking sites thru November, click here.

I’ll be off most of next week so I’m sending my weekly blog piece ahead.  I found the most incredible research paper on online advertising and emerging new media – link below.

Bottomline, information is the key hurdle to closing the gap relative to online advertising and emerging new media.

Of the hurdles mentioned within the brief, nearly 40% cited insufficient knowledge and 33% stated not having enough time to evaluate them. According to the study, Agencies did not score well in meeting advertiser information needs for "educating and exposing clients to new/emerging media".

Education is the opportunity as well as a great door opener to get other business – wrapped within the total marketing mix (for agencies: educate thru blog, agency white paper/case studies, boxed lunch seminar etc.).

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving.

Research Brief