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Big data can mean big trouble if used with the wrong intent

We’re quite literally swimming in a sea of data. We have the ability to collect it from every consumer touch point we choose, whether it’s website activity, cookies, socialgraph information, direct marketing database, in-store or using other third party tools.

There is no shortage of data, but what does your business do with it all? Is your brand using big data to enrich people’s lives? Or is it just used for more “accurate” ad targeting? 

It probably depends on how your business is structured and where you sit, or how you employ your agencies. Do you consider the entire consumer journey, and understand how your product and services enhance the lives of existing customers?

Or are you only concerned and targeted on achieving high advertising click-through rates and low cost per clicks? 

There is a balance to be struck, and one of the biggest challenges facing brands and agencies today is to ensure they really do have the right intentions at heart. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of using all the insights derived from the various data sources to construct “relevant” marketing messages to interrupt people with the aim of persuading them to buy stuff.

This interruption, even if deemed relevant by the business, maybe unwelcome to the consumer and could tarnish your brand.

Read on, if you feel you, as a marketer, may be falling into such a trap. 

Google: marketing is more than AdWords and SEO

Google display ads dominate Boston South Station

I’ve been working in digital marketing for over a dozen years. Sometimes, though, when talking to others in digital marketing you would think that traditional marketing channels, such as print, billboards, radio, TV, direct mail, etc., are now worthless

Some say they don’t produce immediate leads or sales and the ROI from multi-channel marketing is difficult to measure. 

Five ways to fix your marketing department’s writers block

Can an entire marketing department get writer’s block? If it can happen to great novelists, then it can happen to you and your team.

At this point, many of us are familiar with the content marketing deluge. It’s increasingly difficult to generate an audience for blogs, tweets, and Facebook posts.

You can be the most creative and compelling writer, but if you’re not consistently churning out authentic content, your thought leadership presence will be zilch. 

The dos and don’ts of social marketing during the holiday season

In the rush to attract customers during the busy Christmas period social media is an important tool for amplifying marketing messages and engaging with potential consumers.

A new report from Accenture shows that there were predictable spikes in social activity during the holiday period and also examines the types of posts that proved to be most successful in terms of engaging fans on Facebook.

Asking consumers to participate in contests proved to be the most successful tactic for encouraging dialogue, while discount-related posts proved to be a flop.

This may come as something of a surprise, as previous surveys have suggested that the lure of discounts and offers is one of the main reasons that people engage with brands through social.

Online sporting goods industry set to reach $1 billion in Australia

Australia’s online sporting and physical recreation goods industry is expected to hit a huge $1.04 billion by 2018, thanks in large part to a changing retail landscape and an ageing population. 

A new IBISWorld report has forecasted that online stores selling goods such as bicycles, camping equipment, exercise and fitness tools (excluding apparel) will see revenue increase by an annualised 6.3% over the next five years. 

And one of the reasons for this expected rise in revenue is Australia’s ageing population, who are focusing more on health and fitness after retirement. 

How William Hill uses Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

The UK’s online gambling sector was worth more than £2bn in 2012 and bookies have been quick to adapt to the digital world to make sure they are maximising their market share.

For example, most of the major bookmakers have smartphone apps and Paddy Power has come up with some excellent viral ads to help raise its profile.

It’s an industry we’ve touched on previously, with stats showing the Irish betting shop is the top performing brand on social networks while Coral proved to have the most user-friendly website.

And with this in mind, I thought it would be interesting to take a closer look at how William Hill uses the four main social networks.

Five good and four bad examples of brands using Twitter

Twitter is a brilliant tool for communicating with consumers and when used effectively can be a great way of building customer loyalty.

In recent weeks I’ve come across a number of brands that have excellent Twitter strategies and several that I thought were less impressive.

This could be because they were dull, unimaginative or simply weren’t living up to their potential.

So to shine some light on the differences between those brands getting it right and those that perhaps aren’t, here are five good and four bad examples of brands using Twitter…

Five examples of how to drive consumer loyalty via mobile

Loyalty schemes are big business. You only have to look at Tesco’s Clubcard, Boots Advantage and Nectar points to see how effective they are at drawing consumers in and creating brand loyalty on the high street.

But looking around the globe traditional loyalty models are being taken on by the mobile revolution. Brands using their mobile channel to target engaged consumers and deliver smarter, personalised deals are giving traditional routes a run for their money.

Fiddling about with coupons and cut-out offers at the till will soon be a thing of the past. Brands that have harnessed marketing to mobile, enhanced by mobile payment solutions, will smooth the way when it comes to redeeming offers at the point of paying.

Seven tips for charities using Twitter

In recent weeks we’ve blogged about how different charities are making use of Pinterest and Facebook, with the aim of highlighting the different ways that non-profits are taking on social.

One of the main challenges I noted was that it can be tricky for charities to come up with interesting content, especially if they are dealing with difficult or sensitive causes.

With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to look at how non-profit organisations can get started on Twitter and use it to raise awareness or funds.

This not meant to be a comprehensive list for defining a social media strategy, but rather a set of tips and talking points to help those that just starting out on Twitter or are looking to improve their social marketing…

Baidu: the opportunity for European businesses

The value of online transactions in China reached $190 billion in 2012 and the country is predicted to overtake the US as the world’s largest ecommerce market at some point this year.

So it’s no surprise that European businesses are eager to try and break into the marketplace.

As with any ecommerce market, search is a vital source of building brand awareness and attracting traffic in China. This means you have to optimise your site for Baidu which has around 83% market share.

Baidu recently signed a deal with CharmClick that gives the company exclusive rights as a resale agent in Europe, which subsequently partnered with Net Media Planet for Baidu ad sales in the UK and Ireland.

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