Audience segmentation and testing is important to direct marketers, who must reach their prospects with the most targeted, relevant messages possible to ensure the most ROI.

Marketers can reach more than just Facebook friends or Twitter followers with real-time messaging now that search engines index the latest updates from social media sites.

Business-to-business marketers are ahead of the curve when it comes to segmentation. After all, b-to-b marketing revolves around targeting specific groups of customers looking for particular solutions to problems.

Nonprofits support direct mail efforts with e-mail, social and other channels.

Direct marketers know they can use variable data printing to create highly personalized marketing pieces. Our experts discuss the best ways to segment and measure these VDP efforts to optimize your ROI.

Referring to today's average smartphone as a "phone" is a bit of a misnomer. Most of us have a level of computing power at our fingertips that far exceeds what the most powerful PC offered just a decade ago.

Sir Speedy and PIP use Vertis' technology for dimensional mailings; Rosetta uses augmented reality to make it snow; VistaPrint uses social media to promote sweepstakes

Virtual Premise looks for a lead-gen lift, Follet Software offers a free trial, Century Novelty reworks pay-per-click.

IHG's Sagan talks about how the hotel chain balances relevance with privacy in its segmentation strategy

Ted Schweitzer, VP of e-commerce at parent LQ Management, discusses how La Quinta Inns and Suites tested mobile banner ads as part of a multichannel campaign and increased sales

Omniture is a data company that works with hundreds of technology vendors, including ExactTarget and Silverpop to help combine data with digital channels. It recently partnered with ComScore to help media planners have better audience measurement tools. DMNews chats with Matt Langie, senior director of product marketing at Omniture, about data integration, behavioral targeting legislation and the new partnership

Consumers interact differently with copy on the Web than they do with traditional marketing media. Transferring copy from a printed brochure online is not a recipe for success. Web copy must embrace online consumer behavior and be relevant to the audience's needs. Three senior creatives share tips on how to optimize online copy.