Marketing Software.

TMI: Too Much Information

A few weeks ago, we posted a series about predictions in the marketing industry for 2014. The insights came from industry blogs and people calling themselves (or introduced as) experts in the field. Yesterday, I found an interesting flip side to those posts: The results of a comprehensive survey by StrongView of marketing leaders’ actual plans for 2014 (and the accompanying infographic).

Do You Accept this Challenge?

Over the past few weeks, we’ve posted a survey of past (and current) predictions about the future of the marketing industry. Along with those predictions of trends in the industry, many of the sources I surveyed also pointed out what they think the big challenges of 2014 will be. Whether or not they end up being 100% accurate, it’s helpful to at least consider how your company will handle the complex realities that arise as technology advances.

Artificial Intelligence

How smart can computers get? Most of us already have smartphones we use for a thousand small tasks that used to take a lot longer to accomplish: check out library books, find the cheapest gas station by your office, Google an authoritative-sounding statistic to use in the heat of an argument. One day we’ll just leave it to the iPhone to cut the grass, babysit the kids, and serve the perfect martini. (What will I do with my weekends then?)

What’s Your Thanksgiving Game Plan?

By “game plan,” I don’t mean your strategy to catch all the best football games, even when they’re on at the same time. I don’t mean your kitchen maneuvers to successfully cook a turkey and 10 side dishes with just one oven, and I don’t mean your proven system to avoid talking to your creepy uncle who pops up at Thanksgiving dinner every year (although all of these strategies are necessary – and impressive, I’m sure). Family All Together At Christmas Dinner
The “game plan” I’m talking about is your strategy for marketing during the holidays, since Thanksgiving is the official kickoff. No matter what you’re selling, you’re missing a great chance at your own demographic of merry shoppers if you don’t have a campaign structured around the holiday season.

What’s in a Name? 15 Criteria for Naming a Brand or Product

What makes a good brand or product name? We’ll show you a very valuable framework for naming, including 3 categories and 15 individual criteria in the 3 categories. By choosing a good brand name, a company positions itself for greater success. A good name is a prerequisite to all marketing activity.

Why Marketing Automation Should Be a Part of Your 2014 Marketing Budget

If you are looking to make your marketing spends more efficient and effective in 2014, it is critical to have a multi-channel marketing automation technology solution. Marketing management must build a case for having this solution by understanding the CEO or CFO’s perspective, and position it in language that will have the most impact for them. A smart technology vendor should be happy to help marketing management make a case by showing how the solution has made a difference for existing customers and how they will leverage this experience to make a positive impact on the bottom line.

The One Key Skill Great Marketers Have

Marketers come from a wide variety of backgrounds. But there’s one common unifying skill that separates the best marketers from the rest of the pack. Ultimately, geat marketers see the trends and adjust their efforts accordingly while maintaining an approach rooted in fundamental marketing theory.

Distributed Marketing & Analyzing Ad Spend Trends

Marketing Charts recently produced data analyzing where ad spend is going in a number of mediums. The headline of “Global Ad Spend Outlook Worsens for Most Media” is an accurate headline, but doesn’t tell the full story. From a distributed marketing perspective, there’s opportunity as the multichannel, digital component of the advertising pie continues to […]

The Role of Distributed Marketing in Building Brand Awareness

CMO.com recently featured an article about why CMO’s are not good at selling the concept of brand awareness. On the surface, this seems almost incomprehensible to me, as it is a basic fundamental truth of marketing that brand awareness is the first step to inducing purchase. However, this notion makes sense in the context of […]