Blog

1 day ago Should companies embrace SMS texting for customer service?

A small but growing number of companies are encouraging customers to pick up their phones the next time they need assistance. But to send an SMS text, not to make a phone call.

3 days ago 10 superior digital marketing stats we’ve seen this week

Welcome to your weekly roundup of stats. 

It's slightly retail-heavy this week, but don’t worry, there’s lots more good stuff on travel, search and mobile ads to enjoy. Oh, and don't forget there's always our Internet Statistics Compendium, for the real die-hard digital stats fans out there.

Let's hop to it.

3 days ago The most joyful digital news stories from the last week

It's been a horrible week.

But that doesn't mean we shouldn't round up the most joyous stories in tech. Here's your lot (plenty of gems in this edition)...

3 days ago Five examples of brands that succeed with word-of-mouth marketing

If you have a positive experience with a brand, you might mention it to a friend or family member. 

With 92% of consumers now trusting a recommendation from friends and family more than any other form of marketing – chances are they might then check it out for themselves.

3 days ago Why marketers are failing to track 87% of their content shares

Although most brands confine their analysis of social sharing to share buttons and email newsletter tracking, our latest experiment shows that 87% of all shares are made through copy-and-paste direct from the address bar.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been an easy way to track this data, until now.

4 days ago An introduction to customer research (a 3,000-word guide)

Whether you work in marketing, sales, product or even finance, getting out to speak with your customers is invaluable.

Regardless of if you work in a multinational FMCG company, the financial sector, a not-for-profit or a start-up, the customer is the most important stakeholder in every decision your business makes, so talking to a few of them seems like a pretty smart idea.

4 days ago Five companies using robots and AI to make a difference

We’re constantly hearing about the downsides of artificial intelligence. 

According to PwC, 30% of UK jobs are potentially under threat from breakthroughs in AI, while 38% of US jobs have a ‘high risk’ of being entirely wiped out by 2030.

5 days ago Are marketers underestimating the fraud threat to influencer marketing?

Ad fraud is a multi-billion dollar a year problem and according to one estimate, by 2025, the digital ad market could be the second largest revenue source for organized crime behind drug trafficking.

Ad fraud comes in numerous forms. There's click fraud, for example, which for years has been a thorn in the side of marketers using pay-per-click advertising channels.

5 days ago B2B marketing automation software is underused and symptomatic of the industry

Marketing automation correlates with marketing success in B2B, but too few companies are getting the most from their chosen software.

This is symptomatic of B2B marketing right now, with lots of great tech available but not enough skills to make the most of it.

5 days ago Lessons in brand building from Deliciously Ella

There aren’t many people that have created an entire business on the back of a blog, but Ella Mills (aka Deliciously Ella) has done just that.

With four books, three London-based delis, and a range of food products – Deliciously Ella is now a fully-fledged brand in its own right.

5 days ago Focus on GDPR, but ignore e-Privacy at your peril

With so much noise surrounding the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the equally impactful e-Privacy regulation seems to have been forgotten about.

It might only be a draft regulation at the moment, but it is due to be enacted in May 2018. So, what is this regulation and why do marketers need to pay careful heed to its contents? 

6 days ago How to get the most out of audience data in programmatic

One of the great advantages of programmatic is access to audience data.

On top of the first-party data a business might hold, there is an enormous supply of third-party data that can be added to enhance targeting. Despite this, a CIM report this year found that 50% of all marketing is deemed ‘irrelevant’ by the audience it reaches.