Matthew Kates

Making digital and traditional marketing work together

Even though it is impossible to have a conversation today with a CMO or other marketing leader that doesn’t address digital strategies and tactics, it is easy to forget that the term “digital marketing” did not even exist 10-15 years ago.

In the rush to drive likes and tweets, pins and favorites, ratings and reviews, marketers often overlook traditional tactics, which are still an effective way to motivate desired behaviors among consumers.

And as the land grab to gain digital mindshare continues to pick up steam, it is becoming ever more important to differentiate your brand by offering compelling solutions to consumers across all channels -- both digital and traditional.

Using analytics to boost your social ROI

Recent surveys suggest that 80% of marketers worldwide plan to use social media data to enhance their overall marketing efforts. However, more than 40% of marketers cite lack of analytics capabilities as a factor that prevents them from effectively collecting social media data.

This presents a significant challenge that needs to be overcome in order for marketers to tailor social communications in ways that encourage meaningful engagement.

Social lessons from the traditional loyalty program playbook

Anyone who tells you a tweet is worth a specific amount of money is wrong. One source will tell you a tweet is worth 1/10th of a cent and another will tell you it's worth $5. A Facebook Like, meanwhile, is valued from $8 to $137.84. With figures varying so wildly it's easy to see this can't be a reliable measurement because the number is inevitably based on opinion.

When you consider this premise, it’s not surprising that many brands aren’t getting the engagement they had hoped to see from social. According to ExactTarget, 51 percent of fans say they rarely or never visit a company’s page after “liking” them. And 71 percent of fans say they have become more selective about “liking” companies on Facebook.