Marketing Technology 5

Marketing Technology Stories you might have missed

MT5 – #17

Stories this week: blog comment platforms, Millennials read!, social sign-on, email and video content marketing

1. Blog Technology: Livefyre vs. Disqus

[link] Pimping my own stuff here. This post covers two popular comment platforms for blogging.

My Take: They’re certainly quite similar with a slight nod towards Livefyre for its ability to loop others into the conversation. Disqus has a update coming up and I’ll wait to see what that’s about before considering a switch to Livefyre.

2. Most Millennials’ Store Choices Influenced by Print Media

[link] Direct mail (92%) and newspapers (91%) are the media most Millennials say affect their store choices, ahead of digital channels such as visiting a store website using a computer (84%) or receiving emails from retailers (78%).

My Take: The report goes on to say that indeed Millennials are more likely than Gen-X to be influenced by digital advertising – no surprise there. Yet I was surprised by the impact of more traditional marketing channels.

3. Social Sign-On Could Be a Boon for retailers

[link] Making it easy for customers is just good sense, plus the additional social graph information will become useful in the future.

My Take: As mentioned in a previous weekly 5 (last weeks), there are new regulations coming online, especially in Europe on managing privacy. Push vendors to explain these regulations and how they help you stay in compliance with the law.

Increases in email and social media budgets

4. Email Top Channel for Increased 2012 Marketing Spend

[PDF] Email marketing (60%) is the program most cited by business leaders for a 2012 increase in spending.

My Take: When an email marketing firm tells you email marketing spending will increase, you have to be a bit suspicious, but for the moment let’s assume this data is valid. In any case, it passes my “eyeball test.” I expect further increases in email marketing and social media.

5. Content Marketing: Videos attract 300% more traffic and nurture leads

[link] Case study of a B2B company having great overall results when using video content marketing.

“Sometimes it’s easier for people to digest a complex concept by watching a two-to-three-minute video versus trying to read an eight-page whitepaper.”

My Take: The quote above is correct, but you still need a long-form of thought leadership statement, whitepaper or other, that provides the foundation for your content marketing. Use the concept as the center piece and consider what content should be developed to tell your story.

BONUS: THE STATE OF THE MEDIA Q3 2011

You can download the report free behind a registration form here.