A common buzzword, but what's involved in practice?

I recall that years ago, customers and prospects were often categorised in a simpler way than today. For example, they were simply assigned as a 'warm/hot prospect’ due to a recent contact or purchase,  ranked by a geo-demographic coding to living in a particular postcode, or simply having an affiliation to the product. 

Today (and for some time) we talk about the 360 degree customer view, but what does this mean in practice? We like the infographic since it suggests what we should aim for, it showcases resources, technology and data. 

As we all know, it’s more sophisticated and can be more complicated but worth the effort. Companies have access to new technology, sophisticated systems which can integrate data and access to more customer insight through ‘big data’. It’s focusing on the customer experience and realizing…

How European marketers are applying data-driven marketing

Value/Importance: ★★★ Recommended link: Data-Driven Marketing Survey 2013 Europe and Infographic on key findings We are alerting you to the new report by Teradata, who partnered with The Technical University of Munich and the University of Applied management,  to survey over 1000 Senior Marketeers across 19 European countries to find out their biggest challenges, how to address them and adoption of technologies. Findings delved into the use of technology into today's multi-channel environment, tools to improve ROI and performance and acquiring budget. Sound familiar? ".. the tough economic climate is putting marketers under severe pressure to directly increase the revenue of the overall business and to justify their success by applying strict return on investment (ROI) measures" The findings will be of interest to Marketers who are in similar positions and being asked…

Defining budget and timescales for video production

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Whether you're joining the video revolution for the very first time, or thinking about your next online video project, one thing will be paramount to ensuring its success: preparation.

Like any other marketing strategy, setting clear goals for video production is an essential part of your preparation. Clearly defined goals will stop you from wasting time and money, and ensure your video delivers an effective message to your target audience.

It's all very well deciding you want to increase the use of online video in your marketing strategy, but skipping the vital step of setting realistic goals will limit the success of your project.

As Benjamin Franklin famously said: by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.

Setting Your Goals

Goal setting is a powerful process to help keep you focused.…

AdID to replace ad tracking through third-party cookies?

Importance: [rating=5] Potentially… Recommended link: USA Today Article: Google may ditch ‘cookies’ as online ad tracker This is an interesting one to watch for in 2014… USA Today has spoken to "a source at Google who says that the company is developing a technology called AdID which could replace the third-party cookie for Ad targeting and tracking across Ad networks such as Google Display Network / AdWords Remarketing. USA Today is the only original source for this disclosure. The source said: “The AdID would be transmitted to advertisers and ad networks that have agreed to basic guidelines, giving consumers more privacy and control over how they browse the Web”. Google apparently plans to consult with privacy and industry groups and it seems this leak to USA Today is the first part of this. The paper is short on technical…

Assessing how the latest technology trends can support the sales process

Mobile, social, Cloud and Big Data are converging, with the sales department seemingly sat directly on the nexus point. Not only are these mega-trends impacting sales behaviours, but also sales technologies. Mobile, social, Big Data and Cloud are influencing the entire sales force automation (SFA) ecosystem, from sales opportunity management (contact management, sales forecasting, lead distribution, etc), sales effectiveness (prospect qualification, proposals/contracts, order management, etc) and sales performance management (objectives/quota management, territory management, etc). With such widespread influence, sales teams that harness these forces have the potential to significantly improve their business results. 'The trends help the sales leaders address the perennial issue of how to make salespeople more productive, while the next generation of sales tools also mean you can have deeper insight about your customers – know which ones to call, be able to qualify leads better, be able to enter…

A summary of SEO approaches for 2014

Last Friday saw the latest installment in the bi-annually free SEO conference, BrightonSEO. Lots of ideas and content were discussed - far too many to cover in one post - but I thought it was worth putting together a short list of the top 5 cost-effective SEO snippets raised by the speakers.

1. Data for low cost link building

Link building is not just about hiring an agency, producing lots of inane content, or posting back-links from forums. Data is a key instrument in your link baiting toolbox (and it needn't mean big budgets). Use data to find a niche interest, tell a story, back it up with data, and create news. Readily available source suggestions: Surveys - ask a question and use the results to create content Analytics - spot a trend of interest and write about it Freedom of…

Approaches to shape your Content Marketing in 2014

1,700 of the great and the good of the content marketing world gathered in Cleveland, Ohio last week to make the case for content marketing. These are the main insights I took from the event.

This year the CMW 2013 agenda focused on justify content marketing and proving content marketing effectiveness in both B2C and B2B markets.

In between the Godfather of Content Marketing, Joe Pulizzi, hosting the event, and the incomparable William Shatner with his surprisingly relevant closing address on storytelling, were sandwiched almost every major player in the content marketing firmament.

1. A definition of content marketing

Joe Pulizzi launched his new book ‘Epic Content Marketing’ at CMW 2013 and as well as being an excellent must-read for ALL marketers he managed to finally pose…

A great video can change the world

A combination of the right stories, the right visuals and the right music can be powerful enough to bring the masses on board with a cause. This is a great tool for marketers who are using video every day to win their audiences over. However, video technology is now in the hands of the many, rather than the few, and the underdog has a fighting chance which can cause BIG damage to existing brands as the first example shows. The balance of power has shifted and the big brands need to be wary… their best weapon can quite easily become their biggest enemy.

Here are five great examples of videos that have been made to bring about some kind of social change – from simply highlighting an injustice, to big calls to action for a specific cause.

1. Abercrombie & Fitch Gets a Brand Readjustment #FitchTheHomeless

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Mastering 'actionable data' in your organisation

'Actionable Marketing Advice' is our 'mantra' at Smart Insights, since we are passionate about helping our colleagues to develop their businesses and personal skills, to get results from integrated digital marketing.

We believe that using insight from research, analytics and transactional systems can play a big part in improving results, if  the right Systems, Processes and People are in place to  source and integrate data, understand it and apply it effectively.

This Infographic from Monetate highlights 4 key points to 'mastering actionable data', along with highlighting the obstacles which may be familiar:

1. Compile all of your stats. Perhaps 'Stat's is the wrong word, as it should be 'Insight' as we are not producing Averages or Normal Deviation charts. As the Infographic points out its collecting data available within the company and more to create a 'portrait of your customers'.2. Appoint a Data…

A review of usability best practice for UK Universities

I worked in Higher Education for 14 years, so I found Wedcredible's Education Report 2013 extremely interesting, since their survey benchmarked the websites of 10 UK universities to assess their online user experience. With changes over the past few years, with higher UK fees and more demand on universities and FE Colleges to provide a positive experience for home and overseas prospective and current students, from the first and every ongoing touchpoint - it's increasingly important to engage and provide a good experience throughout the customer lifecycle (from enquirer - applicant - student and beyond to alumni). Students or at least their parents are paying customers with 'set expectations' and the HE market is very competitive multi-nationally and domestically, as the government changed regulations and opened up HE provision to more providers such as FE colleges.…