The value of human interaction in business is as important as ever today.

Marketers need to incorporate PR, advertising, traditional and direct marketing into their multi-channel campaigns if they want to be consumer-centric. It is important to produce different types of campaigns and allow many ways to exchange ideas. The cookie-cutter model of marketing is out – what works for one consumer/client may not work for another. Consumer behavior changes and as marketers, we have to adjust and adapt to their needs (or as Michael Scott from The Office would say “Adapt, react, re-adapt, act”).

To remain fully engaged in the customer experience marketers must be present in the entire process – from the beginning to POP (point-of-purchase) or POS (point-of-sale). Here are a few tips to stay current:

1. Follow the consumer along their purchasing journey – build trust and cultivate deeper relationships between marketers and consumers.
2. Position your business as industry experts – be relevant and appeal to different types of consumers (not just the computer or social media savvy).
3. Enhance the experience – consumers expect to be engaged through rich, interactive media but they don’t want to be bombarded with heavy content.
4. Be available and flexible to answer questions or reply to comments – customer service will continue to be one of the most important aspects of your business.

I’ve said it before, but consumer power will continue to grow. Customers can provide your business some really exciting and unique ideas to help your business grow. Loyal customers want to help the brands they buy/love to keep them alive.

The most important thing we can do as marketers is listen to our customers. After all, the best marketers are the best listeners.

With the Super Bowl only days away, the internet is buzzing with speculation surrounding this year’s Super Bowl commercials. This time of year is always exciting for both sports fans and advertisers as the big game promises drama on the field and new ads between timeouts. Marketers are turning to social media to help generate buzz and keep consumers engaged in campaigns long after the big game ends.

According to Advertising Age (AdAge), “Super Bowl advertisers are tapping social media to extend their buy like never before.” (Social Bowl)

Audi has used social media and other Web 2.0 platforms, such as blogs, to build a sense of anticipation for their quirky Super Bowl spot. The hype has already built a sense of anticipation amongst the keen web connoisseur and interested car buyers.  Once the peculiar ad airs, AdAge reports that Audi has created a Twitter hashtag  allowing viewers to follow discussion about the commercial on the social platform. With advertisers spending around $3 million for a time slot, campaign managers are wisely using the new marketing tool to get the most bang for their buck.

It will be interesting to see how long the buzz carries with these types of social campaigns. We at LoSasso will be paying close attention to the ad spots during Sunday’s game to see how the social media integration plays out — but in the meantime, check out our favorite ads from last year’s crop of Super Bowl commercials.

Most superheroes come with supernatural powers acquired in scientific accidents. But when it comes to Batman, his flair for heroics often starts with his tool belt. Much like Batman, us search engine marketing mortals depend on tools for success.  With so many marketing concepts under one job description, efficiency is always the goal, but not always the result. With that in mind, I’m always on the lookout for helpful software and programs to increase the effectiveness and productivity of my campaigns. Note Anywhere, a plug-in for Google Chrome, is a creative tool that meets these goals.

Notes for Marketing

The air of mystery surrounding the SEO industry makes meticulous attention to detail imperative. Website optimization is a practice in continued evolution and organization, which makes Note Anywhere an incredibly valuable tool.  The plugin allows the Chrome user to place a digital sticky note on a webpage for future reference.  These notes can be used for fun (like leaving a reminder on BestBuy.com to check sale prices) or for business and SEO purposes.  Below are some ways to use Note Anywhere to become a super hero SEO.

Link Building – Leave a trail of notes on directories, blogs and news sites reminding your future self the status of your link request. No more sheepish, apologetic emails after asking for the same link twice.

History –Keep track of your competitor’s SEO strength by recording a few key stats like indexed pages, SEOmoz’s Domain Authority and Page Authority. The inherent value of monitoring your competitors is complemented by the organization and tidiness of Note Anywhere.

Note Taking – This program provides a convenient way to keep your notes next to articles, blog posts or web series. Pull the important points and archive the URL to visit later. You can review the main points of the post in an instant.

Next Generation

LanceHub, the development team for Note Anywhere has big plans for future editions of the extension. Users will be able to share notes amongst peers, resize the notes, and sync notes with other computers.  If there’s one thing that makes digital marketers happier than a new tool, it’s a new tool that facilitates conversation.

Let us know how you’re using Note Anywhere in the comment section below!

2009 wasn’t a good year for businesses but thankfully 2010 is looking up, but to make the most of it, you need to be creative, innovative, and above all, adaptive. The tools of sales and marketing continue to evolve and companies that are changing their marketing strategies with these trends are reaping rewards. Online marketing and digital media can be highly effective ways to engage a larger audience on a lower budget.

For advertising agencies, this adjustment requires that they reinvent themselves. They need to retool their staff, add different core competencies and recognize that they need to provide a different type of service and value to help their clients succeed. They need to take an active role in helping clients understand the opportunities and navigate the changes in the marketing landscape. There is more opportunity than ever for agencies to include metrics and measurement to show that their work is producing results.

Many clients are shifting budgets away from larger advertising firms that are having a hard time changing their business model. They are engaging smaller and more specialized firms or even in-house talent to help create online media and marketing that is in step with today’s trends and technologies. They are taking a more grass-roots approach to connecting with customers through social media and other electronic marketing outlets, taking advantage of the Internet’s constant connectedness and unparalleled opportunities for personalization.

The CMO Council, who’s 5,000 member base accounts for $150 billion in annual marketing expenditures, conducted a survey of about 600 members for its seminal report: “The State Of Marketing: Outlook, Intentions and Investments for 2010.”  In the 46 question survey the council found that:  46 percent of the respondents are investing in digital demand generation and online relationship building, 38 percent are exploring alternative media and new routes to market, and 62 percent will be crunching customer data to improve segmentation and targeting.  Most of this will be undertaken by specialist firms, in-house talent and outsourced service providers.

“Globalization of markets and new channels of digital engagement are causing senior corporate marketers to seek new internal skills and capabilities, and re-direct spend towards more inventive and localized go-to-market programs,” notes Donovan Neale-May, executive director of the CMO Council. “The transformation of marketing organizations, practices and functions is well underway. This is being driven by the need to engage at an individual level, create more content relevance, and leverage a new world of crowd-sourcing Internet communities, omnipresent connectivity, and pervasive mobile device ownership.”

When it is all said and done, the future of marketing lies with those who are willing to not only accept, but embrace change.  It is those who can bring fresh and innovative marketing tactics to the table, allowing for a more personalized and relevant connection with consumers that will ultimately succeed in this new era of marketing.

Click here to read more details on the report and download the PDF summary.

In 2009, online marketing is just about the only area of budget growth for most marketers. But how much of that money will be wasted? Scott LoSasso, President of Chicago interactive agency LoSasso Advertising, discusses why some marketers misstep as they venture further into this brave new world of interactive marketing.