From the category archives:

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What Will Social, Local and Mobile Integration Really Look Like? And What Are We Calling It?

SIGMA CEO, Kenyon Blunt, recently published his predictions for 2012 Marketing Trends. Included in those ten trends was this idea of “SoLoMo” or “Mocial” Marketing. Social, Local and Mobile marketing all mashed up into one concept. If executed properly, the combination of social media, localized marketing and mobile messaging can be incredibly powerful for marketers. A prime example, as noted by Kenyon in his article, is that of stealing away customers who are waiting in line to make a purchase, by hitting them at the right time with the right offer.

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How does one analyze the success of their marketing? [INFOGRAPHIC]

How does one intelligently analyze the success of their marketing programs? Here’s an interesting infographic from Marketo that breaks down some facts and figures about marketing you might find interesting. A few things that stood out to me were:
87% of senior marketers don’t feel they are confident in their ability to impact the sales forecast of their programs. This might suggest a deeper dive into some campaign and customer data to better understand it and use it for future campaigns.
20% of Lead Generation Marketers do not employ any tracking in their marketing programs for measurement. Putting tracking in place and collecting the right campaign and prospect/customer data is not as scary as one might think.

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Top Ten Marketing Trends for 2012

I recently gave a presentation to an MBA class at the Simon School of the University of Rochester. I told the students that this was the most exciting time in my lifetime as a marketer. And I wasn’t just blowing hot air — I really believe it. If you look at my top marketing trends for 2011, several have changed significantly and this is exactly why marketing is so much fun; there’s a lot happening and it’s keeping us on our toes.

So here’s what I see in store for 2012:

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4 Mantras for B2B Marketing Success in 2012

I have been reading several B2B experts’ predictions for 2012 marketing trends. Based upon the work we have done for our B2B clients at SIGMA in 2011, I have narrowed in on what could be the top 5 B2B marketing mantras for 2012. Repeat after me:

Mantra #1. Marketing and sales WILL be getting their act together — or else.

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Ebenezer and the Three Spirits of Customer Intelligence.

From an unloved, hardscrabble upbringing in a remote boarding school, Ebenezer the web analyst was forced to grow up isolated and self-reliant, inventing metrics imagined only with the light of a pitiful candle before finally being rescued by a loving sister.

Then, bursting with promise under Master Marketer Fezziwig’s apprenticeship, Ebenezer blossoms into a man of business. He works tirelessly for the understanding and advancement of his customers, only to succumb to greed and the singularity of his online purpose.

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11 Ways That Cloud Computing Will Help Marketers.

When I was given a recent Harvard Business Review article entitled “What Every CEO Needs to Know About the Cloud,” I was expecting to hear some of the same hoopla that’s been going around for a year or so about cloud computing. What I wasn’t expecting was to be gripped by the enormity of the change. After reading and research, I’ve listed 11 ways that cloud computing will affect marketing; I’m sure I’ve missed some, so let me know what you think.

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Email Best Practices – Creative Design Top 10 List

The SIGMA task force who explored email best practices also spent some time on creative email design and the need-to-know information surrounding effective campaign creative. Email creative design is subjective; however, there are certain rules that if followed will more than likely improve the overall success of your campaign. Here are 10 rules to follow when designing email creative:

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4 (Plus) Steps in a Complete Database Marketing Assessment

As the remainder of 2011 winds down, we have been pulling together some popular reading on a variety of topics. Marketing assessments continue to be an area of interest, and in particular, database marketing assessments. Start with the basics and then take a look at data management, targeting and analytics, campaign management, messaging and even the technology behind them.

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To You and Yours from Us and Ours.

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SIGMA’s Maximum Gobble Campaign Yields Maximum Turkey!

The Emergency Food Cupboard in Rochester, NY, had a goal to fill and deliver at least 60 Thanksgiving dinner baskets this year to families who are struggling financially.  We decided we would bring this challenge to the SIGMA staff through a “Maximum Gobble” campaign.
Staff were provided with brown paper grocery bags with a list of [...]

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