Mobile Version / Subscribe / Back Issues / About Us / Contact Us / Advertise

Thanks for choosing DMNews.com! Sign up for your FREE account now and join the thousands of other marketing professionals who rely on us for all the latest industry news and innovative ideas for direct and digital strategy. Simply fill out the fields below.

Keep me logged in Forgot your password?

Please wait...

Please wait...

Plug-ins: b-to-b marketing

Managing your data so that it works for you takes work — especially in the data-driven b-to-b marketing world.
 

Plug-ins: audience development

Whether you call it circulation marketing, audience development or relationship marketing, the need is the same — to build leads and maximize ROI.
 

Plug-ins: DRTV

DRTV no longer exists in a vacuum. The advent and wide usage of social media has seen to that — which means it's more important than ever for direct response TV marketers to integrate social media into their strategies. Our expert columnists weigh in.
 

Plug-ins: email marketing

Email marketing is no longer a one-to-many communications strategy. Our experts offer up their best advice to help marketers take advantage of consumer expectations.
 

Plug-ins: social Marketing

Our expert columnists this month offer practical advice regarding the most effective ways to use social media to foster greater loyalty among customers, including strategies around providing meaningful content for maximum engagement; how to use data collected to improve targeting in a way that is integrated with other marketing efforts; and how to measure and track social marketing efforts.
 

Plug-ins: search marketing

Despite the still-shaky economy, marketers continue to increase their investments in search engine marketing, according to several reports. Two of our Plug-ins experts this month provide their best advice on how to look at navigating the retargeting landscape. Our third expert provides best practices for maximizing search in holiday marketing campaigns in the e-commerce arena.
 

Plug-ins: printing & production

The printing and production sector has undergone major transformation in a digitally dominated market, and many marketers can now use the dual impact of print media and technology to communicate marketing messages to customers. At the same time, there has been a recalibration of expectations for improved sales and greater return on investment.
 

Plug-ins: lead generation

Generating qualified, sales-ready leads is often a primary objective for b-to-b direct marketers. The good news is that direct marketing, if done right, is one of the most effective ways to generate, nurture and qualify leads.
 

Plug-ins: email

Email marketing enables marketers to deliver custom messages directly to an in-box that many consumers check multiple times a day. Best of all, consumers have opted into most email databases, meaning they've already expressed interest in receiving communications from that brand.
 

Plug-ins: CRM

With the advent of social CRM, companies can now track and monitor customer behavior to inform segmentation and customization of marketing messages.
 

Plug-ins: analytics

Brands need to gain the most from their sales and marketing investments, and now more than ever, proving return on investment is the minimum price of entry to unlocking budget. The most surefire way to gain valuable insight into what's working and why is through marketing analytics, the practice of measuring and managing marketing performance to drive maximum ROI.
 

Making contact with display ad campaigns

Russell Glass, CEO, Bizo

If only you had a crystal ball that showed you where your target audience was traveling online, and what it already knew about your company, products and brand.
 

Four steps to follow when choosing a list

Craig Conard, president of Sudden Impact Marketing

You can only go to the well so many times.
 

Effective tips for b-to-b social media plans

Chris Chariton, VP of supplier marketing and marketing services, GlobalSpec

Most b-to-b marketers continue to be challenged with finding the very best direct and digital marketing strategy — one that is effective and appeals to the right constituents within organizations — while not breaking the bank on the marketing budget.
 

Capitalize on all areas of mobile marketing

Diarmuid Mallon, senior product marketing manager, Sybase 365

Mobile has the potential to amplify any marketing channel while at the same time connecting everything, from TV to print to online. Most marketers have not been taking full advantage of the fourth screen, and as a result are leaving money on the table.
 

Improve speed of the mobile experience

Anshu Agarwal, VP of marketing, Keynote Systems

Speed is integral to improving the mobile user experience. People count on fast, reliable information delivered to their mobile devices, but Web browsing and SMS-based services are vulnerable to delays caused by the platform's limited bandwidth.
 

From location-centric to customer-centric

Lara Albert, senior director of global marketing, Globys

The power of the mobile device for marketers has been validated as an incredibly effective vehicle to deliver personal, highly relevant messages, especially when those messages are delivered based on context, such as a person's location. However, that information alone does not tell us what a potential customer might want or which message is most likely to resonate with them.
 

Is your product or service right for DRTV?

Timothy Hawthorne, chairman and executive creative director, Hawthorne Direct

If the latest crop of infomercials and short-form direct response television commercials is any indication, this method of advertising can be used for just about any type of product or service.
 

Tactics to enhance your DRTV investment

Dan Zifkin, CEO and president, Zephyr Media Group

Direct response television is effective in generating immediate revenue results and helping build brand awareness. Every company is focused on the bottom line. Nielsen ratings — at their best — are an inexact science, while DRTV is measurable.
 

Gain the most ROI from phone campaigns

Kevin Sandhu, cofounder, VP of product management, Sales Portal

Maximizing ROI can be more of an art form than an exact science. There are two simple ways to increase the ROI of a direct marketing campaign: decrease the cost per order (CPO) or increase the revenue per order.
 

Direct mail unmatched in marketer toolkit

John Schulte, president, National Mail Order Association

Direct mail doesn't work, direct mail is too expensive, and now direct mail is obsolete — I've heard this type of rhetoric for years. It's a true "if I had a dollar" type comment...and it seems especially prevalent in the last few years.
 

Tactics to ensure your direct mail is opened

Nancy Harhut, chief creative officer, Wilde Agency

As direct marketers, we've been warned. Much research has shown we have three seconds to convince our target to open our mailing. If we don't hook people then, we've lost them.
 

Keep direct mail short, simple and personal

David Wilson, president, Wilson RMS

Direct mailers all know about the relative importance of factors that contribute to direct mail success and above all, the value of constant testing to maximize return on investment.
 

Tips and tenets for driving social strategy

Kevin French, GM, Brand Digital

A few short years ago, social media was new and marketers were cautious about the medium.
 

Set clear objectives for social success

Dan Dodson, CEO, Mastermind

Social media marketing can produce significant return on investment when it is done well, but many companies jump into it without setting clear objectives.
 

Put your social advocates to work for you

Michelle de Haaff, CMO, Attensity

While the concept of word-of-mouth marketing has been around for ages, the Web and social media have taken it a step further.
 

Analytics' role in today's creative agency

Ira Helf, director of analytics, JWT North America

According to global intelligence firm IDC, "In 2010, 1.2 zettabytes of digital information will be created." A zettabyte is one trillion gigabytes! More than ever, we are surrounded by data.
 

Avoid new database vendor problems

David Bernard

After selecting a new marketing database vendor, marketers can become complacent. After all, if the marketer just spent considerable effort putting vendors under a microscope, the last thing they want is to be hands on afterward.
 

Leverage data to grow customer loyalty

, Sandra Zoratti

Have you ever received a promotion from a company for a product you've already purchased from them? If so, you're not alone.
 

Five tips for high-quality Web experiences

Matthew Poepsel, VP of performance strategies, Gomez

Five tips for e-commerce marketers who want to attract and retain customers, as well as maximize conversions, by providing fast, reliable Web experiences that meet consumers' stringent expectations.
 

Hyper-flighting: a micro-strategy in 4 steps

Daina Middleton, CEO, Performics

Direct marketers can generate cost savings, sales volume and more by using micro-strategies to get more granular with media buys.
 

Learn to wield the power of evangelism

Deb Kennedy, CEO and founder, Channel Neutral Marketing

If you're an e-commerce marketer who wants to capitalize on this highly influential group, consider these tips.
 

Three ingredients make a good mobile mix

Mike Kust, CMO, Carlson Marketing Worldwide

There are three components to successful integration of mobile marketing into the overall marketing mix.
 

Integrated marketing in seven easy steps

Anthony Stagg, Senior database strategy manager, Rauxa

Integrated marketing requires realignment throughout a marketing organization, and a systematic shift in strategies from a product orientation to a customer focus.
 

Five ways to power marketing integration

Bob Egner, VP, global marketing, EPiServer

Integrated marketing is a strategy, and implementing it is not a one-time task to cross off your list. In addition to the high-level activities of describing vision and brand essence, the marketing mix and customer communication points require special attention.