Spencer Kollas says, “Earlier this month, I attended the Email Experience Council’s (EEC) conference. Much of the discussion sparked during and after the event surrounded whether email engagement is used by internet service providers (ISPs) to determine inbox placement. The brunt of the conversation has been inspired by a particularly controversial panel discussion that included four ISP employees (from AOL, Comcast, Gmail and Outlook) discussing this very issue.  One attendee, Dela Quist, CEO of AlchemyWorx, took away the idea that engagement (email opens and clicks) is entirely meaningless... [...]

Katie Oakes says, “In a recent webinar, two of our strategic experts discussed some of the most important “behaviors of the successful” that they’ve observed among today’s leading marketers. The presentation covered the future of the marketing landscape, offering tips and recommendations for brands looking to improve their marketing programs. Their 7 key points were: Cross-channel marketing will finally start to mature Marketers will become more customer-centric Contextual messages will get the TLC they deserve Personalization will be the top priority“. What’s next? Cross-channel... [...]

Suzanne Blackburn says, “I’ll admit it. There was a time, recently, when I had no idea what “deliverability” meant in the context of marketing. Deliverability? It sounds important, maybe a little boring if we’re being honest, but is it? Then I met Spencer Kollas, Experian Marketing Services’ resident deliverability expert, and global Vice President of Deliverability Services, who explained it to me like this: With more than 188 billion emails sent every day, millions of messages are filtered, blocked and never arrive at their intended destination. This costs organizations millions... [...]

Katie Oakes says, “Marketers: personalization is our duty Customers willingly give brands a lot of information. Some brands collect names, birthdays, message preferences and location in addition to contact information like email address, phone number and physical address. Brands that connect through Facebook and other social media accounts gain access to even more information – a person’s likes, friends/followers, age, demographics and more. Why are so many consumers willing to share this information? In a recent webinar, Ed Kowalski, Senior Director of Strategic Services at Experian... [...]

Amanda Brief says, “This season, seven of the top 10 transaction days occurred between the day before Thanksgiving and two days after Cyber Monday. The remaining top days were all in December. This is a change from last year, in which two of the top days occurred in early November. The Sunday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday had the third highest number of transactions, but was 13th in volume sent. As Cyber Monday sales seem to start earlier each year, there may be opportunity to mail more on that particular Sunday“. #HolidayHotSheet: Top email transaction days in 2014 ‘Experian... [...]

Briana Mulherin says, “Each week, we will provide you with real time insights and trends for the 2014 holiday season: how consumers are shopping, what they are searching for and how marketing campaigns can be optimized to maximize rewards for both consumers and brands. Sign up to receive the weekly #HolidayHotSheet in your inbox and stay tuned to the blog for highlights and additional holiday coverage. The biggest shopping days of the year – Black Friday and Cyber Monday – just passed us by and they did not disappoint! Cyber Monday was, as expected, the busiest online shopping day... [...]

Jon Myers says, “It’s well established that most consumers spend a huge amount of time considering an online purchase before parting with their money. Many will consult up to 10 different sources, across a variety of devices over a period of between 20 and 30 days. In fact, according to Google, more than 65% of its revenue comes from purchases that involve multiple touch points and 47% of revenue comes from purchases that span across several days”. Cross-channel advertising: The customer comes first ‘Econsultancy’ Blog  [...]

Brenna Solop says, “Ding ding ding! Let’s get back to the main event! Yesterday we featured six tight rounds of pugilistic pummeling between two worthy contenders: words and images. Digital marketing requires both for impact, but which should you use in each situation? They’re back in the ring for rounds 7-12 below, and if you missed yesterday’s entry, read up on rounds 1-6. ROUND 7 – Personalization System text: If you want “dynamic” copy – adapted to each email recipient – go with system text. Names, account numbers and personalized messages can all be formatted by HTML/CSS... [...]

Jim Kelley says, “Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the main event! In the blue corner, weighing in at 26 letters and hundreds of symbols, is “The Phonetic Phrenzy,” SYSTEM TEXT! And in the red corner, weighing in at 1000 words – a.k.a. a picture’s worth – is the “The Visual Vortex,” IMAGES! Words and images. Let’s face it, digital marketing couldn’t exist without them, but we need to be wise about how we apply each. Sometimes the design calls for an image – and images are not just pictures. Images often contain vital information, such as a logo, which is as much a visual... [...]

Denice Surjan says, “It’s the time of year when many are finalizing roadmaps for the next year’s programs. If more cross-channel marketing programs are a part of your plan, it’s important to understand the challenges that lie ahead in order to be prepared to overcome them and achieve the success you’re after. In The 2014 Digital Marketer Report, 38 percent of marketers from around the globe named their organization’s structure as a top barrier to cross-channel success. It was second only to their company’s current technology (39 percent). We decided to dive deeper to get more... [...]