| This
is The Marion Group’s Newsletter to business people
such as you who are looking for ways to grow your business.
We hope to share with you, new ideas and marketing opportunities
to achieve your business goals quickly and economically,
in print and multimedia, and on the web. |
Top
Trends for 2007
Do your
marketing plans match up? |
 |
 |
Marketing Rules!
1. Rising
Influence of CMOs
Marketing’s critical presence in organizations has given way to more
respected and influential chief marketing officers. These
emerging “third-generation CMOs” are viewed
to have a much higher level of accountability among the
other executives.
|
|
 |
It's
All About You. 2.
Web 2.0 Explodes
As
Web 2.0 applications become more popular among users,
marketers will be taking advantage of new methods to
connect with customers and increase their loyalty. Web
2.0 applications with growing appeal include user-generated
videos, blogs, wikis and social networking. |
|
 |
From
Local to Global3.
Global expansion
B-to-B
expansion in global markets such as China, India, and the
Middle East will continue to grow. China and India have often
been called the “epicenter of a massive
economic and demographic shift” as companies are flocking
towards these global commerce forces. Even small companies
once considered only local can go global. |
|
 |
Video is Everywhere 4.
Boom in online video ads
As
the rave for online videos continues, marketers will take
advantage of online video ads and increase spending for
this segment by 89% over this year to $775 million. Google’s
acquisition of YouTube this past October is another indication
of this market’s potential. |
|
 |
Measure success
down to the $econd. 5.
Measuring engagement
Advertisers
have been pushing online advertising as the only medium
able to achieve true user engagement. By
targeting specific audiences, you can communicate your message
and customers will experience the brand the way they want
to. This allows you improved ways to measure
the effectiveness of your marketing dollars.
Commonly used metrics for online video ads include length
of time spent watching, number of stops, pauses and restarts,
and interactivity (entering information into a request field). |
|
 |
Let the Professionals
Do It! 6.
More sophisticated search
Continuing
to lead online ad spending this year is search. Keyword
bidding has become more competitive, making it more difficult
to be relevant. Many marketers are still trying to handle
internet marketing accounts on their own but some have realized
they are better off leaving it to a search marketing agency. |
|
 |
Leads Lead. 7. Need for leads
The top
marketing goals for this year are acquiring new customers
and driving sales. Lead generation tools
including a mixture of new techniques and traditional approaches
will be the methods of choice. E-mail, blogs and Web
analytics products are the favorite lead generation tools
for 65% of B-to-B marketers. |
|
 |
Place Your
Ads Where Your
Customers Are 8.
Behavioral targeting hits the spot
Even more targeted and relevant messages will be delivered
online as marketers are learning more through research and
new tracking technologies. Behavioral targeting has become
very valuable for the travel industry as users can be segmented
into distinct groups based on online actions. |
|
| |
 |
People are Talking
Face-to-Face Again. 9.
Trade shows make a comeback
| Marion in the spotlight ... |
 |
| The
popular trend for the OTC is incorporating a conference
area into your booth. Marion has
been working with some different ideas to accommodate
the growing needs of our clients. Featured here is
a double-deck design where sales representatives can
provide prospective clients with refreshments and a
quieter meeting area. |
In the
past year or two, trade shows have been making a comeback
since their decline after 9/11. Although web advertising
is gaining popularity, a growing demand for more face-to-face
dialogue will keep the medium popular. Corporate
buyers also want to see the faces behind the brands, and
trade shows offer the most efficient way to compare companies.
|
|
 |
Opt-in ...
the Only Way
to E-mail! 10.
E-mail still going strong
One thing
we know about e-mail – it delivers. E-mail
and telephone are classified as the least expensive and
most expensive advertising mediums with fairly equal response
rates. The impact of e-mail has been shown to be increasing
and this year more marketers will implement the testing
of opt-in registration forms and the use of mobile marketing. |
