CRM Retargeting: The Shiny New Advertising Tactic?

What if banner ads could become as targeted and relevant as emails?

One of the emerging trends in online advertising promises to make this possible.

Rather than targeting an audience based on various characteristics, CRM retargeting allows you to target segments of your CRM database with online ads. [Read more…]

Cookie Deletion and Measurement: What you Need to Know

Cookie Crumbs in the LibrarySome days it seems online marketing revolves around cookies, those small text files stored in your browser that may be automatically deleted by browsers or routinely deleted by individuals.

Cookies are used (among other things) for measuring performance, targeting advertising and personalizing sites. But how reliable are cookies and more importantly, how does that impact our data and decisions?

As a way to identify an individual, third party cookies are unreliable. However, most advertising applications for cookies assume they are used to identify a person consistently over time. [Read more…]

Optimizing Digital B2B Marketing Campaigns

Plans are carefully laid. The creative is impactful. The content is compelling. The media surrounds your audience. Search, social and email are integrated in support of the overarching program. But the results are not there.

Your plan is the result of your passion. When someone says it isn’t performing, it is nearly a personal affront, but it shouldn’t be. Doing something that doesn’t work is learning. Continuing to do something that doesn’t work is lunacy.

Let’s skip past setting goals and establishing your metrics. If you are still struggling with this, there are numerous good articles available. When should you optimize your campaign? When are you certain that making a change is better than waiting it out? [Read more…]

Online Media Needs Innovation, Not a TV Standard

This is my opinion about the recent IAB, ANA and 4A’s principles for online measurement. If you don’t like rants, or think the advertising associations can do no wrong, stop reading and go back to Lycos. Otherwise, read on and share your reactions in the comments below.

The IAB, ANA and 4A’s recently outlined five measurement principles as part of Making Measurement Make Sense. The objectives, outlined below, are admirable:

  • Define transparent, standardized and consistent metrics and measurement systems to simplify the planning, buying and selling of digital media in a cross-platform environment.
  • Drive industry consensus around a solution.
  • Establish a governance model to support ongoing standards development, manage change and ensure compliance.

The problem is, as someone that has spent the last ten years (gulp) in this industry, the principles and their intended impact are mostly nonsense. [Read more…]

Is Anyone Left to Click Your Ad?

Cat and Mouse

Who is Clicking Your Ad?

In 2007, 68% percent of internet users did not click banner ads in a given month. In 2009, that number increased to 84%, and only 8% of internet users represented 85% of all clicks. These results are from ComScore research.

Now Collective Media released new research showing 99% of internet users do not click ads. If your marketing plan is dependent on a click, your audience is getting smaller. A lot smaller.

Two things are particularly notable about this trend for marketers. [Read more…]

Online is 77% Less Impactful than Newspaper

This could be called a rant. And it briefly draws on basic economic theory. So unless you like rants based on forgotten college coursework, use the navigation or category links above to find another post. Otherwise, read on, and please share your thoughts below or with me on Twitter.

According to eMarketer’s Ad Dollars Still Not Following Online and Mobile Usage, on hour spent online drives 77% fewer advertising dollars than an hour spent with newspapers. Digital media proponents have been misled, believing somehow that time spent and budget should equalize. In reality, time and spend should never have been compared. Saying Online is 77% Less Impactful than Newspaper (like in this title) is just as accurate, and despite how ludicrous that statement may seem, is likely even more accurate than comparing time and budget.

[Read more…]

LinkedIn is the New B2B Media Powerhouse

LinkedIn announced 100 million members (with a great infographic) earlier this week and look to be on track for an IPO in the second quarter. The company is profitable, growing, and for the moment, on top of business social media networking. For B2B marketers, LinkedIn cannot be ignored.

Does LinkedIn have a defensible advantage as a B2B media player as they go into an IPO? Will the advertisers driving marketing revenue (approximately one-third of LinkedIn’s revenue) see results and continue investing?

Across multiple clients, LinkedIn has consistently performed well. One thing that has stood out is the engagement of LinkedIn traffic. Whether measuring page views per visit, time on site, or registration rate, LinkedIn has delivered above average results every time.

Here are five reasons I believe LinkedIn has performed well, and what it means for LinkedIn’s future as a B2B media powerhouse. [Read more…]

Facebook Is Bigger than the Numbers

Facebook is set to pass Yahoo in 2011, capturing 21.6% of all US online display dollars, according to eMarketer. The number is impressive on its own, particularly since only two years ago, Facebook had developed a huge audience but still had almost no revenue to show for it.

However, 21.6% doesn’t tell the whole story. Facebook is even more important to marketers. Display ad revenue doesn’t capture the investment in community management, pages, content, even advertising in apps.

As a platform, an ecosystem and a media property, Facebook is now second only to Google in its importance to media and marketing.