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E-Mail Marketing Surviving Social Media ‘Threat’

Social media is undoubtedly useful for business-to-business (B2B) marketing, with websites such as Facebook and Twitter revolutionising the way that certain advertising methods are undertaken. Despite the rapid rise of social media, e-mail marketing is continuing to prove an effective medium through which small, medium and large size enterprises can advertise their brands.

A recent study carried out by Epsilon that examined no less than 7 billion e-mail messages highlighted the value of e-mail marketing in B2B communications. According to Epsilon, open rates pertaining to e-mail campaigns reached 23.3 per cent by April this year – a success rate of almost one quarter.

Click-through rates, which are critical to B2B lead generation, were also relatively high at 5.9 per cent. Click-to-conversion rates – the holy grail of e-mail – rose by 26.5 per cent from the same period in 2010. As such, it could be argued that, despite the phenomenal rise of social media, e-mail marketing is very much holding its own when it comes to B2B lead generation.

Marketing opportunities in the commercial sphere need not be limited to e-mail, of course, but the web’s most convenient and traditional form of communication should not be overlooked in place of new media. E-mail marketing has a proven track record in delivering results and it is unlikely the medium will suffer a major dip in the near future; indeed, current trends suggest e-mail marketing is set to increase this year and next.

According to the 2011 Digital Marketing Survey, which was undertaken by the Society of Digital Agencies, 70 per cent of marketers intend to increase investment in niche e-mail marketing throughout 2011. At the beginning of the year, a survey carried out by BtoB Magazine found that a massive 63 per cent of marketers hoped to increase spending on direct e-mail campaigns for the next 12 months and beyond.

E-mail is especially useful as marketers can track B2B lead generation using relatively simple methods and technologies. It is also the case that B2B e-mail marketing requires very little cost compared to other forms of advertising.

Although once considered a threat to e-mail, social media is proving to be a useful area in which marketers can promote a brand – but not one that is blind to all other forms of advertising; indeed, social media and e-mail can be utilised in combination to produce strong results for businesses. Ultimately, e-mail marketing is surviving the social media ‘threat’.…

Selling Products and Services Through Article Distribution

Every business owner is looking for the next big secret. Article distribution services would like to share a very valuable secret with you today: article marketing automation. They’re offering the ability to plan your article marketing strategy up to three years in advance in some cases.

Discovering the newest technique people are whispering about in the marketing world before it is widespread is a huge advantage. The secret to selling with article distribution is simple: offer potential customers relevant, valuable information so they will want to continue on to your web site for more.

With article distribution, being an expert in your topic will draw in more readers, and those readers are all potential customers. Having as many articles as possible published with links back to your site will help you increase your readership, which will lead to an increase in sales. Offering up your knowledge to niche consumers means you gain their trust before they even click over to your site to browse your products or services.

Relevant Information

The most vital part of a successful article marketing campaign is information. The articles you write are providing a service to potential customers, instead of making a sale right away you are using your expertise to educate the customer and let them know you’re trustworthy. Every consumer feels more confident in making a purchase from someone who really knows about what they’re selling.

The content you write also allows you to share your voice as well as any enthusiasm and passion you may have for your area of business. Many consumers love knowing that they’re making a purchase from someone who really cares, and the content you create can do a lot to share with them that you do care.

Quality is key when you’re creating your content. Readers are much more likely to click over to your website if they believe that you can provide the solution to their problem.

Marketing with article distribution can be a challenge for some business owners who have experience in marketing because sometimes a shift in thinking is required. The important thing is to concentrate and focus on information instead of selling.

If there is too much specific information about a certain product, consumers will feel like you are just trying to make a sale instead of providing an answer to their question. With your articles, your focus should be demonstrating to consumers that you know your topic like the back of your hand.

Article Distribution

After quality content, the number of articles you submit is a huge part of marketing online. By writing as many articles as possible in your niche, you increase the number of times searching consumers will find you. The more topics you explore, the more you increase your chances of being perceived as an expert in your field. The more sites you are published on, the more likely readers are to find your articles and end up at your website.

Submitting …

Lead Nurturing – Marketing Automation For Small Companies – Perception Can Change

There is a misconception about lead nurturing and marketing automation software tools that it is only for big organizations who have lots of leads to process and a million customers. The real fact is different: lead nurturing is applicable and beneficial to small size businesses, as it is to the big size companies. In the past CRM software solution was also considered expensive investment, only large companies could afford it but the situation have changed, even the smaller and mid size companies have Salesforce and Sugar CRM accounts.

Let us understand the overall process with the help of an example: a local corporate travel service business which provide traveling service, car rental and ticketing to the organizations. The first thing they would consider is to generate a database of prospects and leads form promotional events such as online inquiries off their website or competitions and so on. As in many other businesses, companies have a need to approach them, here lead nurturing technology can be of great help. The important aspect here is to be in front of the organizations when they think about travel service and build a lead nurturing program which will reach out to the companies with messages, updates, and other important content to stay fresh in their memories.

I would like to share an experience with you: I have been receiving email messages from a newly opened business service. I scanned the introductory email for the first time but never took it seriously or explore it further. They followed up with food festivals, discount schemes and other special offers but I didn’t open those. After few weeks a potential client was visiting our office-at that moment that hospitality chain came to my mind. I searched for it in my inbox and browsed through lots of information they have provided. Here, I had a thought in my mind that if this business had a lead nurturing system in place it would have benefited them before i had a chance to look at other options.

It is not at all expensive or complicated to set up a lead nurturing program as it is believed to be. As Salesforce opened the doors for several small and mid size companies with their CRM, we can hope to see lead nurturing and marketing automation taking a similar path.…

Marketing Automation For The Savvy Business Person

Marketing automation is a top notch strategy for the company that is out to improve on its business strategies or increase its market presence. This kind of automation has been around for years and ought to be part and parcel of any company’s marketing campaign. This will ensure that the business in not only at the forefront of the industry, but also that numerous consumers are reached using this particular plan.

In order for the marketing campaign to be a resounding success, there are several things that have got to be taken into consideration. First and foremost, the data that is being sent out has got to be understood by the individual. As such, it should be simplified and straight forward enough so as not to bog the client down with unnecessary information while getting the product or service information across to them.

In order for the information to be considered effective, it has got to be both solid and pertinent to the client in question. As an example, the consumer should have access to the products selling points as opposed to just general information on the pros and cons of the goods or services.

Even though all the content that the customer is being bombarded with might be relevant, it is imperative that the company avoid email fatigue. This is counter productive for both the client and the company in question, but is unfortunately more widely practiced by new and old companies alike. In such situations, the client is bombarded with unnecessary information which works against what the company is trying to achieve because in most instances, the information is sent straight to the spam folder. This can be avoided by sending out emails that are both relevant and to the point. When this is combined with effective conversational marketing, it gives the client the confidence that the information is relevant and can be used to make an informed decision on the products they are about to spend money on.

In as much as marketing automation with an emphasis on conversational marketing makes sense for the modern organization, it has got to be functional in order for the expected results to be achieved. This in turn enables the company to increase and decrease its potential market with ease. Functional marketing could make or break a company and before it is undertaken; the target market should be thoroughly researched in order to make the marketing campaign as impact as possible.

Conversational marketing is an achievable feat regardless of the size of the establishment but as with all other forms of direct or indirect marketing adequate research has got to be done. This is what will ensure that the marketing campaign is a resounding success for all those concerned.

Marketing automation is for the company that is out to reach a wider target audience with a minimum amount of effort for the concerned party.

In conclusion, the savvy business person should look into different …

Article Marketing – 5 Strategies For Maximum Traffic Results!

In the past, article marketing has been used for two things, links and traffic. Distributing articles can get you lots of links pointing in to your web pages, all with great keyword rich anchor text. Lots of links improve your search engine rankings and bring you visitors.

In the past, you could get away with just distributing your articles to lots of article sites, and in doing so your sites would rank well, but now, these directory style links carry a lot less ranking juice. However they do carry some and it is therefore still worth your time to distribute articles for indexing and rankings.

Lots of people start article marketing campaigns, but soon get frustrated that all the effort and time they spend writing is not rewarded with floods of traffic or ranking boosts. So what can be done to ensure the time you put into writing your articles is actually time well spent? Here are 5 tips for boosting your article marketing results.

1. Article Research

How many times do you just sit and write an article off the top of your head and submit it without considering what keywords your targeting, or look to see which articles are proving most popular with readers in your niche? Often I’d guess! If you want a ton of people to see your article, get ideas from articles that are already proving popular in the leading article sites.

2. Article Titles

Always consider your article title very carefully. Going back to the first tip, look to see what titles are proving popular and write similar ones. Secondly try and target your main keyword phrase at the start of the title, and if you can squeeze a second one in after it.

3. Bio Boxes

Make sure you give the reader a compelling reason to click on the link in your bio box. Offer more ‘secrets’ or something for ‘free’.

4. Mass Distribution

If you are going to the time and effort of writing your own articles, make sure you get the most from them by using a distribution service to automate the process of submitting them to all the leading directories and ezines.

5. Blog Networks

Why stop at article directories? Join a blog network and post your article to member blogs, you can quickly get lots of one way targeted links from member blogs that will definitely boost your search engine rankings!

The greater your distribution, the more links you will get from your articles.…

The Publishing Model For Marketing

Publishers use the editorial model. Simply put, publishers are constantly acquiring and thinking about content. The story is their lifeblood. What about your company? Have you struggled recently to get out your latest e-mail blast, scrambled to pull together the material for the webinar you’re hosting in three weeks?

Publishers produce a product every month, every two weeks, often every day. Think of your hometown newspaper, for example. Publishers think of more than just events – they have a continuous process in place to keep important information flowing.

How can you get your message out using the publishing model? You can use a message map – a guide for our structured and targeted communications.

First, you capture the attention of your prospect with relevant and appetizing information.

Second, after you have their attention, you educate them.

Third, you engage them by fulfilling their needs.

And that’s the most important part – fulfilling their needs with the solutions offered by your products and services. You give customers what they really want and, in the process, you’ve educated and enlightened them.

Good messages must be delivered with speed to your customer. Businesses don’t have the luxury of waiting three months to create and deliver content. In today’s speedy world, your message needs to stand out and be sent as soon as it’s needed. Marketing automation, a sales tool that tracks data and allows your marketers to hold meaningful “conversations” with your customers, can help you manage that process.

What if you don’t get your message right in the first place? Publishers don’t worry about that. As they learn more information, the story evolves. You can do the same with your own marketing efforts. Your story may evolve to the point that it’s published in a foreign language – after all you do want to reach a global market.

Publishers also work with templates to solve communication challenges. If your website is fed by a content management system, you’re already doing this. The website becomes the template for the information that’s fed into the management system. In that way, businesses are able to produce and change their messages in a dynamic and often proactive way.

The publishing model may seem radical to businesses that hand out product brochures, contact potential customers through phone banks or send out an occasional e-mail.

But think about how technology has changed our lives and where we’re headed. The world is hungry for instant information and if your business can provide relevant and targeted content, it will be miles ahead of competitors who are still knocking on doors.…