Why Marketing Technology and Advertising Technology Need to Sing the Same Tune

"That’s why combining data-driven advertising and marketing is a big deal. It’s also why ad technology and marketing technology departments shouldn’t be singing a different tune—but working closer together in harmony."

This is from a piece out today on AdWeek entitled Why Now Is the Time for Advertising and Marketing Technologies to Converge. Written by Kevin Akeroyd, GM & SVP at Oracle Marketing Cloud, the article lays out some of the benefits of ad tech and mar tech love connection, as it were including the all-important unifying marketing and advertising data to deliver personalized content and ads across all digital channels.

But as Akeroyd points out, the most important long-term benefit is fixing the fragmented experience that consumers experience every day.

As to how to go about aligning ad tech and mar tech, Akeroyd lays out three methods.

1. Connect Online and Offline Interactions to One Customer. Connect interactions to individual consumers across all devices and channels and achieve a higher level of personalization.
2. Bridge Anonymous and Known Marketing. Connect all proprietary and third-party data to increase relevance and target more efficiently with a laser focus.
3. Adapt with Behavior-Based Orchestration. Empower the consumer to dictate their own path rather than force them in the rigid paths of your personas.

Across All Digital Channels

The importance of delivering personalized content across all digital channels cannot be overstated. That's why we created the Modern Marketing Essentials Guide to Cross-Channel Marketing. Download it today to start creating the most cohesive, valuable, and frictionless customer experience possible.

Tips on Growing a PPC Marketing Consulting Business

When thinking about starting your own business there are many things that you need to consider and choosing online tools are often one of the last things to consider. However, I have learned over the years that software that contains the latest “bells and whistles” will not make you a better marketer. In fact, in many instances, success is based on fundamental principles of Strategy, Execution, Analysis, Storytelling and most importantly Expectations. In this post, I will talk about some of the important tools, methodologies and overall client management needed to grow a successful consulting business.

Harness Past Client Experiences

Leveraging past client experiences is a huge advantage when starting your own company. This is especially true during the on-boarding process where the client would be inclined to feel more comfortable with someone who is already familiar with their particular industry. Not only would it be easier for Strategy, but also for Storytelling and ongoing Optimization.

The Power of Referrals

One of the biggest influences in starting your own business is not a big advertising budget, but testimonials and referrals from past clients or colleagues. Prospected clients will trust “word of mouth” over any form of advertising. A good referral is like gold in your pocket. The key to this continued success however, is frankly keeping up the good work.

Transparency is King

If there is one thing I have learned over the years, clients are often weary of hiring a new agencies/consultants because they have been burned in the past by lackluster agencies. These bad experiences range from (1) “too good to be true” expectations (2) Inaccurate Ad dollar allocation (3) Poor reporting and analysis. If you want to be successful, I would recommend the following:

• The client owns their advertising platforms (No Agency client catch-all account)
• Avoid Agency Markups. (Don’t try and make extra money, it will burn you eventually)
• Be Honest about “Wins” and “Losses” (Don’t hide the losers to make yourself look better)

Build the Perfect PPC Marketing Toolbox

There are many weapons of choice in PPC Marketing, but try and stay focused not only on budget but also what you need to on-board and keep a client happy. Here are some 3rd party companies that I highly recommend in order to stay competitive and keep your clients happy.

• PPC Reporting Software
  • Back in the early days, reporting on PPC Performance was like “pulling your hair out”. You spent more time trying to get the data into excel than actually working on improving the clients campaigns. My #1 choice for reporting is Acquisio. Their platform collects all the crucial data from your campaigns, then helps you quickly and easily analyze it so that you can act and react in the most effective and practical ways. Read more about the Acquisio Report Center

• The PPC Competitive Advantage
  • As one of my most important tools to acquire new clients, SpyFu has allowed me to research new industries as well as identify new strategies that the client didn’t even know were possible. Competitive Analysis plays a significant role in the development of not only PPC Strategies, but also:
    • Seasonality Trends of competitors
    • Monthly Budgets
    • Keyword Expansion
    • Emerging Competitors
    • SEO Rank improvements

• Extended Online Presence
  • Yes, I know “it’s a no brainer” especially in 2015, but you need to have visibility in order to “fish where the fish are” beyond just a company website. Here are some of the most obvious platforms where visibility is a must:
    • Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Blog/RSS, Press Releases, Business Directories, Industry Directories

•  Building Your Brand
  • One of the easiest ways to build your brand is using one of the mostly widely used and oldest form of digital communication. Email. You may have forgotten, but Emails are a strong branding tool that cannot be forgotten. However, Email Signature Services like “WiseStamp.com” can push your branding to the next level.
    • “Our passion is to bridge this gap by building a strong platform with a variety of Email Apps that on one hand lets users make a better use of their daily emails – adding a whole new level of functionality and interaction – and on the other hand enables publishers (social services and brands) to distribute their content and engage users in one of the biggest online markets – email.”

In Conclusion

When it comes to starting your own PPC Marketing Consulting Business, it’s important to leverage your strengths, learn from past client experiences and above all else be transparent. Remember that keeping your clients happy often leads to more referrals. Consider yourself a startup and find ways to drive visibility to your brand without breaking the bank.

Google Adds Site URL In Knowledge Graph Box

Google has added a hyperlink to the brand's web site in the knowledge graph box. The post Google Adds Site URL In Knowledge Graph Box appeared first on Search Engine Land.

Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

9 Questions to Ask When Selecting an Email Agency

Here are nine questions to consider as you search for an email agency that can raise the bar on your current messaging program and meet the all the needs of your business.

The Modern-Day Publisher’s Dilemma: Where To Focus With So Many Available Platforms

As publishers face the challenges of a cross-device world, they need to embrace emerging technologies and remember to look toward actual human teams for solutions, says columnist Hagai Tal.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Aarrrrr, Ahoy Matey! Pirate’s Booty Campaign Celebrates International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Pirate Brands gets into the spirit of the occasion, offering parents activities and encouraging pretend pirate play as it seeks to build its brand.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

Irish Eyes Aren’t Smiling at Facebook’s Real-Name Policy

eBay Updates Mobile Apps for Simplified Buying and Selling

Various Advantages of Going Solar

The sun is undoubtedly the richest source of energy available to our planet. He was feeding our planet since the dawn of time. However, with the recent development of solar technology, it became possible for us to use solar energy to produce electricity. Previously, it was available only for scientific laboratories and commercial organizations, but with the falling costs of solar systems, has become a reality for domestic users as well.

Go Green with Solar Power

You may already be aware that most sources of power generation with natural resources such as fossil fuels, gas, nuclear fuel etc. These natural resources are available in limited quantities on earth. You can contribute to the conservation of scarce natural resources if they are based on solar energy. Contrary to conventional power generation resources, solar energy does not pollute the environment because it has almost no waste.

Save and Earn money with solar energy

Growing need for energy has also been the source of constant escalating electricity prices. However, you can remain indifferent to these regular increases in the cost of electricity using solar energy. After installing solar systems once, you can generate your own solar power at almost no cost. This means that you continue to save on their electricity bills by using solar energy.

Also, if you became fully independent in their own power, you may provide additional energy to the grid. In several cities in the United States, you can earn money directly if power is supplied to the network. It certainly will be happy to see your electric meter spins backwards when you are feeding the grid.

Earn incentives and tax credits

Most state governments in the country to promote and help people who want to use solar energy. This allows you to make correct tax credits when you decide to buy solar systems to be installed in their facilities. In fact, these tax credits reduce the total cost of solar systems which makes them much more affordable for you.

In many states, you can also earn incentives to install solar systems for you. You should apply to claim these incentives. The incentive amount you get depends on the total power of solar installations and the effects used to. For example, between a home user, a non-profit organization and a commercial organization, the three would be eligible for different amounts of incentives despite the help of solar energy systems with the same power.

Woman completes solar-powered bike ride across US

Last week 34-year-old Marissa Muller completed a solo, cross country bicycle ride in 80 days. Her custom bike was powered in part by solar energy, and the impetus for her trip was to show Americans the possibilities of solar power. NewsHour’s Saskia de Melker has the story.