Measurable Marketing

Stick With Your Lead Scoring System

Mon, 10 Aug 09 07:00:00 UT

One of the largest advantages in integrating a marketing automation platform into your company is the ability to create a rich lead scoring system. In theory (and in practice), this is a huge step. In the past, scoring leads involved:

• Outsourcing qualification to a telemarketing firm
• Painstaking manual labor on a contact by contact basis
• Costly custom database solutions
• Scoring? Just send me the contact info!

Now, marketing and sales can develop co-dynamic scoring measuring both a prospect’s explicit information (derived from forms, event attendance lists, etc.) with their implicit data (pages visited, email click-throughs, etc.). However, implementing a lead scoring system is only the beginning of the process.

Mind the Gap: Narrowing the Chasm between Marketing and Sales

Mon, 03 Aug 09 07:00:00 UT

Marketing is undergoing a seismic shift in how business is being conducted. You could call it an inflection point. Marketers are beginning to be recognized as pivotal players in their organization. Some innovative marketing organizations are even beginning to be viewed as profit-centers vs. cost-centers. Marketing Automation is helping change that perspective.

Marketo recently hosted a Webinar called Can Marketing Help Sales Sell? that investigates the collaboration between Marketing and Sales departments. Clearly, the MA industry has come a long way in the past five years.

Subject Lines: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Wed, 15 Jul 09 07:00:00 UT

Email blast subject lines can often times become an afterthought. You’ve worked hard on all the other components of your email campaign, including compelling copy, well thought-out graphics and list and then a subject line is thrown together at the last minute and the email is blasted.

Like a personalized party invitation, the subject line sets the mood of your email. I think that the subject line is one of the most important components of an email campaign. The subject line determines whether the recipient will open the email, delete it, ignore it or mark it as spam.

Shedding Some Light: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Mon, 13 Jul 09 07:00:00 UT

Let's discuss basic SEO and the positive behaviors that it has encouraged throughout the online community. After we've taken some time understanding the concept I would enjoy reading what you thought, or if you had an entirely different take on SEO.

Virtual highways are here to stay.

It puts a smile on my face when I think about the simplicity of Search Engine Optimization(SEO). To give some context let's treat the internet as if it were a highway. This highway has a foundation, pavement, lines, signs, and other connecting highways. To improve the SEO for any one website we need to follow a set of rules laid out by Google. These rules direct us, the marketers, on how to build effective highways and educate us on the necessary tasks involved to maintaining these highways. The foundation is built with basic tagging, keywords, and descriptions that are relevant to the content provide within our websites. This is a positive push that gently nudges people to drive within the lines.

“It’s Gonna Be Like Buttah” Part II of II – Facing the Brutal Facts About Adopting New Technology

Wed, 01 Jul 09 07:00:00 UT

At Rubicon, we develop open partnerships where we help our clients reach their business goals. We work with clients who understand the value that we bring as an extension of their team. I actually had a new prospective client say this just the other day, and I quote: “I don’t want a “YES” team. I want a partner who is going to be honest and tell me when I am doing something the wrong way, and help me do it the right way”. (sniff)Oh, yes, we want to work with you!

“It’s Gonna Be Like Buttah” Part I of II -My Observations On Adopting New Technology

Mon, 29 Jun 09 07:00:00 UT

I spent many years in the software industry, working with both consumer and enterprise software. I got to observe the challenges of the adoption of software in the enterprise. In another job I helped roll out a new financial system in a creative agency. In my last position I led the attempt to install a Learning Management system in a construction company, and I helped develop and train on an application that was to be used by every employee in the same company. I learned a lot from these experiences. Adopting a new software application can be a challenge, especially for those with limited technical training. Further, understanding what the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) will be and what kind of team needs to be in place for success is often outside the knowledge base of those making the buying decisions.

The Evolution of B2B Sales and Marketing Tools

Tue, 16 Jun 09 07:00:00 UT

I started my career as a Marketing intern about seven years ago and remember the days of server based CRM solutions, overly- complex applications to track web analytics and most importantly batch and blast email marketing tools that didn’t communicate back to Sales and Marketing. Even though these technologies are still around, the adoption of B2B Marketers using integration solutions has significantly increased, especially for the smaller SMB and Corporate spaces.

Mastering the Art of Marketing Automation: Mastering All the Tools

Thu, 11 Jun 09 07:00:00 UT

As a young web application developer, I believed that I could accomplish anything using nothing but pure brain power, determination and a simple text editor. For years, this was true. Using only a minimal toolset, if you gave me a specification, I could give you the software you wanted. Over the years business requirements have changed, specifications have gotten more complicated and turnaround times have gotten shorter. I've come to realize that choosing the proper tools for each project is crucial to success, especially in a competitive marketplace. Historically, however, there have not been many tools built to suit the needs of marketing.

Vacuum-Packed Data Storage to Action-Packed

Mon, 08 Jun 09 07:00:00 UT

No business exists in a vacuum –nor should data. Data seems impermeable yet is vulnerable if left hermetically sealed off from the real world. According to Marketing Sherpa, contact data degrades at a rate of 2.1% per month. This degradation rate of 12% every six months means a database of 10,000 prospects today will have lost contact information for 1,200 of those prospects by January 2010. A languishing database of prospects translates to lost marketing dollars. What organization would accept a 12% loss in revenue without taking action, or allow their marketing department to operate at 88% of production capacity? By passively ignoring your database of sales prospects you are actively crippling your automated marketing campaign.

Perfecting Lead Nurturing: Treating the C-level like Toddlers

Mon, 01 Jun 09 07:00:00 UT

While I thoroughly enjoy my job, my true love is spending time with my family. Being the father of a toddler, I’m focused on nurturing him to bolster his development, and, hopefully, ensure his contributions to creating a better society as he grows. In doing so, I’ve noticed the parallelism that exists between the time I spend with my son and the nurturing campaigns that Rubicon develops on behalf of our clients.