Matt Sunshine, on June 8, 2012
I know sometimes you probably just want to stop the conversation and say something like, "Excuse me, but I don't understand a word you are saying." But you don't because, these days, people don't ask questions. They nod and say "okay," and then change the subject... and talk about things they do know. This seems to be the situation with digital. Most people reading this did not grow up speaking digital, and while some did take digital as a second language, they still speak it with an accent.
Kimberly Peek, on May 31, 2012
You know that feeling you have on your child’s birthday… that feeling you get when you are in a panic, trying to understand the instructions that will help you assemble The Perfect Gift? That Perfect Gift that came in 100 pieces? The one your child is no longer patiently waiting to play with? You know that feeling you get when you want to throw the box against the wall and crumble up the instructions because nothing makes sense? I think that is sometimes how we approach digital and social capabilities.
Kim Alexandre, on May 25, 2012
Notice how I didn't title this post, "Learning Digital is a Piece of Cake?" Understanding digital and all the facets of this complex media can be intimidating. There are new terms and new definitions to live by, there's new technology to create and deliver messages and best of all, there seems to be something new to learn everyday! You can even find the word, "Facebook," in the children's Scholastic Dictionary! Digital is everywhere.
You can find cakes in a number of places, too. When baking a cake, you have many ingredients… eggs, flour, oil, sugar and more. How much you use of each ingredient is crucial to the success of your cake. Also, what dish you bake it in, and the time and temperature you bake it at, can also make or break your cake. Take it from me, I've messed up my fair share of cakes!
Just like baking a cake, learning digital can take time, but if you commit to learning the 'what,' of digital and 'why' marketers need to know about it, you will be seen as an invaluable resource to those still learning about digital themselves. The difference is, unlike baking where there is only one way to reach success, there are lots of ways you can help use digital to achieve marketing goals.
The Center for Sales Strategy has developed an online course, a series of videos based on our popular Digital What & Why primer used in the Digital Sales Accelerator workshop. Take this quick online course to build on what you already know—or take the time to learn new things! Either way, the Digital What & Why is a tool you can use.
Kim Willoughby is a Senior Consultant at The Center for Sales Strategy.
Guest Contributor, on May 16, 2012
When Boston Scientific CIO Rich Adduci attended the first iPad reveal two years ago, he instantly knew the device would be a game changer for sales and marketing teams. He described the moment watching Steve Jobs walk onto the stage like a light bulb going off in his head.
Guest Contributor, on May 11, 2012
Cold calling can be an inefficient use of a sales person’s time and talent. As a manager, I want sales people spending the majority of their time on activities that are directly tied to revenue. It’s important for our sales people to be in front of clients and prospects helping to address business challenges—which is why we at Cox Media Group Louisville recently launched an inbound marketing effort, led by our blog LouisvilleEdge.com. We believe it’s the perfect next step to elevate ourselves from our competition. It gives us the ability to provide real-time information on topics that are important to our clients. Here are six reasons that we thought an inbound marketing campaign was the right investment for us.
Alina McComas, on April 5, 2012
If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound? Most of us have heard that saying before and it is that same premise that is creating a lot of buzz with respect to online display advertising this month. A recent comScore study found that roughly a third of online ads that are served are not viewed, and that those ads with a higher CPM do not necessarily mean that they are viewed more often. That study has a lot of people talking about served ads vs. viewed ads and the value of ads above-the-fold or below-the-fold.
The comScore study addresses some of the Making Marketing Make Sense (3MS) principles, specifically surrounding how display ads are served. The 3MSinitiative, a project developed by the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), the ANA (Association of National Advertisers), and the 4A’s (American Association of Advertising Agencies), lays a framework for better digital measurement solutions in an effort to improve cross-platform comparisons. The first measurement 3MS outlined is shifting from a served impression standard to a viewed impression standard.
Kimberly Peek, on March 12, 2012
Marketers love digital because it’s measurable, but there seems to be a lot of unwarranted hype about the importance of the click-through-rate (CTR). While the CTR is one form of measurement, research tells us focusing solely on the CTR is an expensive mistake. Here’s why:
Alina McComas, on March 8, 2012
When you look at emerging trends in the digital space right now, location-based marketing is rarely missing from the conversation. The discussion surrounding the effectiveness of local advertising, the power of social media and the growth of mobile add color to the conversation.
Alina McComas, on February 16, 2012
Have you ever found yourself trying to explain the difference between Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn? How about trying to articulate the draw of a FourSquare, Instagram or newer site like Pinterest? Better yet, how about the reasons why you would want to be actively engaged with multiple social media sites?
Kim Alexandre, on January 24, 2012
There’s been a lot of talk over the last few weeks on the growth of revenue derived from apps; whether it is the adoption of subscription based apps or the in-app purchases consumers have become comfortable making. So comfortable that some say in-app purchases (a.k.a. clicking ‘buy’ in a gaming app) could reach over $4 billion in 2012- double that of 2011!
