The report found that ‘Marketing ROI’ had jumped to become the most important trend for marketing executives. Social media had been high last year, but now focus was all around measuring the activity, building retention and loyalty.

Even though marketers understand the idea that social has to be part of their overall strategy, many are sick of hearing about it. Social media has become one of the most important buzzwords, but it has also become one of the most annoying, with nearly 30% of executives tired of it. Twitter, specifically, has got on the nerves of nearly 15%, and socal networking was in the top three trends marketers were most tired of hearing about.

All this said, social spending will increase. A survey of Marketing Executives indicated social tactics were most likely to increase in 2010.

So dispite a move towards measuring ROI, Social is still viewed high on strategy.

Our view is simple, you need to measure everything you do and constantly review what has taken place, ROI is vital to any business. Gone are the days of a ‘Hit & Hope’ stragegy, it’s all about being targeted, personalised and and the ability to measure in fine details.

1

Its all about the data.

Think about all the information that could be collected about your target market. And think about how much could be collected over a period of time. That kind of information is worth its weight in gold, don’t you think? To be able to see the habits of your audience, pre-determine their decisions based on historical data…it’s all a gold mine at your fingertips. Marketing automation software allows this data collection and analysis and it’s obvious how important this information is for your future marketing campaigns. Why shoot in the dark for leads when you don’t have to?

2

Build and manage multi-channel campaigns.

Your audience resides in a vast universe. And not all of your prospects will respond to a message sent via a single channel. Imagine resting your marketing campaign on a banner ad. Okay, so the banner ad is on several highly visible sites that your audience frequents. And the banner ad is actually pretty cool and you’ve received great feedback when you’ve tested it. But not everyone clicks on banner ads. And many people may turn a blind eye to them after cruising the internet for too long. Multi-channel campaigns allow you to send a consistent marketing message across several channels. Email. Direct mail. Text messages. Larger campaigns that seemed unmanageable with your current manpower are within your grasp when you implement automated marketing software.

3

Get to know your audience. Give them what they want.

You can make it easy for your prospects to find the information they need by having a clear call to action and the ability to follow through. Landing pages, personalised URLs…when your call to action is combined with an offer, your prospects are induced to move, heading to the automated responses that you have set into place. And in fact, as they move forward and receive those automatic responses, your sales team is in the wings, waiting to work the warm and hot leads.

4

How good are your leads?

Not every lead is equal. Some people are ready to buy. Some need more time and information. Some are just looky-loos. And you don’t have the time or resources to waste on the leads that aren’t ready. So one of the best things about automated marketing software is the lead scoring capability, informing your sales team who is cold and who is hot!

5

Measure. Measure. Measure.

If you throw a marketing campaign out there you want to know what parts of it were a hit and what parts were a miss. Did the email message fall flat? Was the text message the best received? The more you can analyse, the better, because it will enable you to design and implement further campaigns that are even more successful.

So if you think you are ready for automation. Get in touch with us now. Our SafeKeepa solution could automate many of your marketing activities and cost you less money, plus our unique managed approach means you have as little or as much involvement as you like.

Here’s some tips on how to develop effective marketing campaigns using multiple channels:

1. Focus on the end goal – reaching your target market. You can’t be all things to all people. Nor do you want to be! So stay on target and keep focused on the people who matter.

2. Work closely with your sales department – You want to make sure that the sales end is aligned with the marketing department so that everyone is aware of what is going on and what everyone can anticipate with the upcoming marketing campaign. Plus, your sales people may have some really good ideas on how to get to your target market or how to position your message.

3. Bring the customer service department up to speed on your multi-channel marketing efforts. – The customer service experience should be just as consistent for the target market as any other interaction with your company. So it’s vital that the customer service department be kept in the loop.

4. Don’t shy away from new technology. – Sure, some things may seem like a flash in the pan. But don’t let fear or ignorance of the latest and greatest in technology scare you away from possible marketing channels. Learn about the technology, or work with someone who knows it and then make the decision what to use (or not to use) to get your marketing messages out to your target market.

5. Don’t discount direct mail. – Many consumers are influenced by direct mail pieces and while it’s easy to concentrate on more modern technology such as social networking via the internet, direct mail shouldn’t be tossed by the wayside. Direct mail is often less “in your face” than other mediums and consumers prefer the chance to look over, read the piece and have time to take the message in.

6. Develop measurement standards before you implement your campaign. – You won’t know how effective parts of your campaign were unless you have measurement standards in place. But you can’t decide how to actually measure results after the fact. You need to have the plan set and the metrics created before campaign implementation.

7. Test your campaign on a smaller scale. – You’ve got lofty goals. And it’s easy to get excited and rush to get the word out to consumers. But you want to make sure that the message is personalised and sent to the correct people, through the correct channel and at the correct time. To do this, you test and then use those measurement standards to evaluate the effectiveness of your campaign. This is your chance to tweak and make adjustments before you go gung-ho and release your big campaign.

8. Brainstorm on how you can launch an effective campaign that integrates both online and offline efforts. – Your prospects and current customers can be found through many channels and you want to reach them through both, if possible. As long as you keep that message consistent, and personalised to your audience, you’re on the right track!

Got some tips of your own? Share them with us below…

The cool thing about all the new technology out there is that it allows us to reach more prospects and customers. It makes the means of reaching those people more efficient. And it allows us to customise those messages in order to make the experience more personal for each prospect/customer. The trick is to balance out the message so that it isn’t all about pushing sales and marketing a product or service. It’s important to remember to provide information and encourage social interaction with the consumer.

Remember the days of blasting faxes to random, countless fax machines in offices near and far? Or shipping catalogues to every household within certain postcodes? Multi-channel marketing wiped out those shotgun marketing techniques and became responsible for the implementation of more strategic campaigns. And we’ve been able to get more personalised with our messages and transform our interaction with prospects and customers due to the advances in both phone and internet technologies.

Mobile marketing using today’s mobile phone technology entails sending messages to the target market on their phones. Originally, messages were sent to mobiles as text only. However, the bulk of newer phones with colour screens have the ability to receive multimedia messages. These messages can include text, audio and video elements. There are also games developed for phones and some companies have leveraged this capability into an advergaming strategy – furthering their brand through sponsorship or promotional messages.

Websites have evolved from merely stagnant promotional and informational tools. They are interactive and engaging. Many companies choose to have a blog that incorporates the latest news and a behind-the-scenes look, along with inviting comments from readers. They offer downloads, trial versions of products, sneak peeks and discounts. There are contests and giveaways. Then, moving away from the company site, there are discussion forums on which to network with prospects, micro-blogging platforms such as Twitter. When you start to think of all the avenues in which you can interact with prospects, develop personalised messages and implement engaging marketing campaigns, the possibilities are endless as technology grows!

Regardless of the technology and how new and exciting it is, effective multi-channel marketing boils down to the basics: you’ve got to send relevant messages to your target market that helps to build both your brand and that customer relationship. You want customers for the long haul. And usually, that means combining old and new technology and coming up with a workable mix while serving the needs of the “right” people – your prospects and current customers.

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One convenience is that you provide faster access to information – both internally and externally. With integrated multi-channel marketing platforms, you have all the information at your sales force’s fingertips. A sales person can pull up information ranging from what channel a prospect received a marketing message through, what that marketing message was and any special offers or discounts made via that marketing message and whether the prospect has yet acted upon the message.

For the marketing department, a multi-channel marketing campaign with clear measurement metrics can provide immediate feedback on the success of a campaign. They can see if certain messages are falling flat or if certain channels are less well-received. And having access to this information is imperative when managing the current campaign and designing the next one.

Externally, but using effective multi-channel marketing, you are providing your prospects and customers various ways to obtain information and purchase your services and products. Consumers like information and they don’t like to jump through hoops in order to get it. By making information easily accessible, you are providing your target market with an enjoyable experience, an important aspect of a successful campaign.

Another convenience is opening up channels to allow multiple points of purchase. Again, it’s all about making things easy on the consumer. Some want to be able to just visit a website and, with a few clicks of the mouse, place their order and wait for the products to be delivered. Other consumers may want to pick up the phone and talk to a live person, get questions answered and then place an order.  You want to make it as convenient as possible for prospects and customers to get their hands on what you’re selling.

If you have a store-front, what conveniences do you provide your customers? Do you have a website? Can orders be placed from that site? Can customers call in and place orders for pick-up or delivery? It’s easy to sit back and assume that everything is currently in “working order.” But you want to take a step back and think with the mind of a consumer. A busy consumer who has a lot of choices and will typically chose what’s most convenient time and again.

The more integrated your multi-channel marketing program for your business, the more convenience you are providing your prospects and customers. From sending marketing messages across multiple channels to allowing different options to make purchases to offering a personalised experience – it’s all about brainstorming up how you can provide the most convenient experience to your target market.

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Multi-channel marketing is all about using various methods (channels) to get your marketing message to the people who matter the most – your target market. It involves the integration of websites, phone, email, texting, print and other available channels to market relevant messages. It’s all about sending the right people the right message using the right channel. By failing to maximize your opportunities using multi-channel marketing, you shoot yourself in the foot and lose out…losing future customers and future profits.

One of the key elements behind multi-channel marketing is consistency in your branding. Using various ways to get your marketing message across to your prospects is pointless if that message isn’t consistent. In fact, if you muddy the marketing waters with different messages to your target market using various channels, you will in fact turn off your prospects.

While it’s easy to get caught up in the marketing game and think only of the message and reaching that target market, there are other points to consider. You have to make it easy for those prospects to contact you. You have to make it effortless to do business with your company. If your prospects experience any speed bumps along the way you are bound to lose them. Think about it – perhaps you perform all your research of companies you want to deal with online without batting an eyelash. But not everyone is so trusting of or at ease with the internet. Those people want to talk with a warm body. They’d rather make a phone call and speak with someone directly to get all their questions answered. In this case, if your marketing messages lack a phone number for your prospects to call, you’ve just lost potential profits.

This is where personalisation comes into play. By personalising your marketing messages to the recipients across the various marketing channels, you are increasing your odds of success. It doesn’t take in-depth market research to understand that a mobile text campaign targeted at senior citizens may fall flat on its face. But a well-crafted direct mail piece might be a home run! Demographics are key to a successful multiple channel marketing strategy. You want your message to be heard, to be understood…but you need it to be received by the targeted group of people via the correct method in order for it to work.

Multi-Channel Marketing is all about a seamless, almost effortless (for the target market) process. Getting your message to your prospects using various channels and keeping those messages and your branding consistent and understandable. And making it easy for your prospects to contact you to inquire further or step up and make a purchase of your products or goods. Remember, “convenience” means different things to different people. A sound multi-channel marketing strategy will keep this in mind and be able to deliver that convenience to a receptive target market.