The continuing growth of integrated marketing in 2013
With JUMP coming up in New York on January 30, 2013, we're very interested in what is happening in the world of integrated marketing.
We're tired of companies working in independent silos and not having the conversations that can save them time and money, as well as create a better customer experience and help grow their business.
Six content marketing trends to watch this year
The importance of Content Marketing across business sectors and organizations of all sizes continues to grow year over year.
When we surveyed marketers in October in association with Outbrain we found 90% of respondents believing that it will become more important over the next 12 months.
Here are six content marketing trends to watch in the next 12 months...
Why you can't ignore programmatic marketing
When it comes to innovation, a corporate leader needs to be judicious.
After all, if you adopt every emerging trend in digital media, you’ll find your company brutally pulled in every direction, like Justin Beiber dropped into a crowd of crazed thirteen-year-old girls.
But when it comes to the trends of data utilization and personalized media, now is not the time to be cautious.
If you ignore these trends, I have a Blockbuster store I'd like to sell you. If not, read on.
10 job titles to avoid in 2013
It's the New Year, that means that career goals are top of mind. Many employees are looking to move up or move out.
Freelancers and consultants are looking to ensure that 2013 is more prosperous than 2012.
When it comes to moving one's career forward, job titles often matter.
Even if we'd like to believe that they matter less and less each passing year, your ability to succeed may be based, in some part, on what goes under your name on your business card.
Cheggers gets wrists slapped by ASA for promo tweets
In the latest high-profile case of Twitter celebrities getting their wrists slapped by the ASA, Keith Chegwin has been sent to the virtual naughty step for not disclosing a promoted tweet he posted some time ago.
The tweet in question, posted at an unspecified time last year (and now deleted), suggested to Chegwin's followers that they might like to visit a certain gambling website which he was the face of.
I won't mention their names here, as I'm sure they're getting plenty of SEO value from the coverage they're already getting.
Either way though, by posting his tweet without using an ASA-approved hashtag such as #ad or #spon, Cheggers broke one of the ASA's golden rules.
What can retailers do to improve online delivery?
On Sunday, The Independent published an investigation into the great 'online delivery scandal' which looked at the 'hundreds of thousands' of people who received less than satisfactory service in the run up to Christmas.
It was accompanied by an editorial which uses the findings to disparage online retail.
As an advocate of ecommerce, my gut reaction is to object to this, but it's clear that 'the last mile' is an issue for retailers, and for consumer confidence in online retail.
So what can retailers do to combat these problems? I asked several ecommerce experts for their views...
Six retailers that used product videos to improve conversion rates
Product videos are a great way to improve conversion rates online as they reassure the customer by helping them make an informed purchase decision.
One of the main problem with ecommerce is that you can’t hold the product in your hands before you buy it, which is why offering free returns is such a great selling point.
But video is also a great way to limit the impact of returns, as it gives customers a full view 360 degree of the product.
We've previously blogged best practice tips for ecommerce product videos, and recently looked at the rise of video in 2013.
With this in mind, here’s a round up of some stats showing how product videos have improved conversion rates for six online retailers...
How ASOS, Sky and Schuh use live chat to personalise online shopping
Live chat is still a relatively new customer service channel, though it’s proving to be an increasingly popular method of communicating with brands.
Stats from BoldChat show that more than 65% of US online shoppers have used live chat, up from 50.4% in 2009.
The figure is slightly lower in the UK but still growing at 53%, up from 41% in 2011.
The same research shows that 31% of respondents would be more likely to purchase after a live chat, however this stat should be treated with a decent amount of scepticism, as it’s difficult for people to accurately predict their future purchase behaviour.
Are SEO keywords 'hiding' in site search data?
You need effective keywords to launch a successful search engine optimising campaign, and your site search data can provide a treasure trove of search terms that your customers already use.
If you’re only using web search terms for your search marketing efforts, you’re missing out on a great opportunity to strengthen your keyword list.
Mine site search data for keywords in order to boost the success of your campaigns.
Embarrassing predictions: a foray into mobile and tablet optimisation: part one
In our line of work, putting your intuition on the line is the norm.
Predictions, albeit with some measure of a hypothesis, are what we do, and we often get them wrong.
When we look back at some of the predictions made in the technology space in the last 150 odd years, we realise some of our predictions are not so embarrassing.
