online

One of the biggest questions companies ask themselves before investing in online social marketing revolves around the challenge of evaluating the return on investment (ROI). In general companies have few benchmarks as compared with traditional media to measure the success of these campaigns.

Nevertheless, it is possible to quantify them. Starbucks got one million clients in only one day thanks to a campaign launched in social circles. Read the complete engagement study in PDF here.

Recently, a new study (PDF) was published by Syncapse whose objective was to evaluate the commercial impact of clicking on the Facebook "Like" button. The conclusion is that on average those users that are fans of a company in the most popular social network spend an additional $71.84 on products for which they are fans compared to those who are not fans.

A historic turn of events for the print publishing business was reached recently as sales of the iPad version of Wired Magazine beat the print estimates of 80,000 copies.

Several sources confirm that 79,000 copies of the digital version of the magazine have already been sold. Both the print and the iPad versions cost $4.99.

Yes, this is the right magazine for the demographic but the mobility of the tablet device such as the iPad and coming mobile technologies such as the new iPhone 4G should now be clearly seen as the next step for the print industry.

Marketers are expanding their focus to include more ways to digitally and directly reach consumers, so their vendors must follow suit. It’s just smart business.

Nearly every major email service provider has announced social media integration plans in one form or another, and most have selected a mobile partner or are building messaging into their platforms.

In general, and in particular for direct marketers, mobile continues to represent tremendous opportunity. As we’ve seen with these acquisitions, the appetite for social and digital media technologies is growing.

We regularly make the point that marketers should have a multichannel strategy – one that includes email, online, mobile and social media. The more opportunities you have to reach a customer, the more opportunities you have to engage with them.

By Emilio Castellanos

To charge or not to charge for access to proprietary content online is an old idea based on a new media paradigm. The paywall has been highly debated, tested, embraced and forfeited over and over again but media companies are not asking the right question.

The bigger issue with monetization is that media companies have failed to react to the changes that have taken place in the ecosystem and still insist in serving controlled content online as gatekeepers. Media companies need to be asking questions about structure, portability, business focus and models to become more flexible, accommodate user preferences, identify emerging trends and then avidly follow them.

From MC Marketing Charts, Read original article here

More than 70% of US print publishers in a recent survey say that mobile is receiving more attention at their publication this year than last, though only about one-third believe they have a well-developed plan for attacking and conquering the mobile market, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC), which conducted the research.

The study, “Going Mobile: How Publishers Are Preparing for the Burgeoning Digital Market,” (pdf) found that most publishers are already focusing on the mobile market or planning to do so soon in an attempt to expand their brands, reach new audiences and generate additional revenue.

By Jordan Crook, Mobile Marketer

NEW YORK -- Despite the overall decline in marketing budgets nationwide, companies are allocating their marketing dollars to mobile.

This was the topic of conversation at the Mobile Marketing Association's Mobile Marketing Forum in the Grand Hyatt Hotel where Peter Johnson, vice president of market intelligence and strategy, MMA, led a panel discussion titled "Marketing Industry Research: 2009." "Our main purpose is to create a model of who we are as an industry so when we make decisions we can tell clients, ‘if you do this or that, I know what will make a difference for you and consumers," Mr. Johnson said.

Google recently released Fast Flip - http://fastflip.googlelabs.com/: a categorized collection of screenshots from print and online that allegedly allows "faster" news browsing. It is a promising experiment. Google now needs to include more publishers and level the playing field to showcase quality content. Once there are enough players users should be able to customize views, topics and sources.

Basic features include a "magazine style rack" homepage layout that lets users browse "as quickly as flipping through a magazine"; top stories and topic tabs generated by most read, most emailed and most popular partner attributes; voting and recommending to friends; personalization of relevant topics with your Google account login; and available apps for iPhone and Android.

By Clay Dillow, from Fast Company
Read the full article: click here

By Adam Broitman
Read the full article here

So much can change in a year. We have a new president, I have a new company, and the notion that a brand's main digital presence is its website is just about dead.

One year ago, I penned an article for iMedia Connection called "Learn to syndicate your brand identity." (In terms of marketing innovation, it feels like five years ago.) In this article, I explored the notion of the distributed web, which I defined as "a consistent brand presence across various social channels." I received a lot of inquiries about the article, as the concept was still new to many marketing executives. Upon reexamination of this article, my mind travelled back in time. Not too long ago, Barack Obama's presidential campaign schooled marketers about integrated marketing in the 21st century -- and the marketing world will never be the same.

Expect significant growth in this sector, eMarketer says - Published July 2, 2009 on AdWeek

NEW YORK.- The U.S. Hispanic Internet population is young, vibrant and growing -- in numbers, broadband connections and time spent online.

In 2009, there are nearly 23 million Hispanics online, about 51 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population, according to eMarketer estimates. Hispanics make up about 12.3 percent of the U.S. Internet population in 2009, and will increase to 13.9 percent in 2013.

Like its offline counterpart, this group of Internet users is young -- 63 percent are under age 35 -- and mobile. Some 81 percent of Hispanics own a mobile phone, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, and for 25 percent of these adults, their mobile device is their primary phone. Hispanics use more phone features, including Internet access, at higher rates than other mobile subscribers.

New Mintel report shows online Hispanics adopting new Internet technologies fastest

March 25, 2009

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As Internet technology spins ahead, US Hispanics are clamoring to stay on top of the latest and greatest in online communication. A new report from market research firm Mintel shows that online Hispanic adults are quickly surpassing other demographic groups in acquiring new online communication skills.

By Joseph de Avila

Retailers eager to attract holiday shoppers are expanding their digital efforts to reach them this season.

Read the original article from the WSJ here.

Stores like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are using more text-message alerts to spread the news about sales. Online retailers like Buy.com Inc. are sending out daily messages on Twitter, a blogging site that uses short messages, to advertise the latest holiday specials. The Gap Inc., Target Corp., Sears Holdings Corp. and Amazon.com Inc. are pushing new mobile programs this year, too.