2012 Cross Media Marketing Webinar Series

Join JFM Concepts and VDP Web for the 2012 Webinar Series "Tools for Successful Cross Media Marketing."

In its 5th year, the popular JFM Cross Media Marketing Webinar Series is the industry standard in bleeding edge information and business strategies that can be practically implemented to show immediate results for service providers and practitioners. Discover the best professional training available anywhere, for free, all with no travel required. Register here.

Sessions

2012 Cross Media Marketing Outlook

Join James Michelson and John Fager of JFM Concepts on this comprehensive analysis of the 2012 Cross Media Marketing Outlook for both marketing service providers and internal marketers. Discover lessons learned in 2011, the trends for the upcoming year, and benchmarks you can use to develop your own strategies for 2012.

January 17, 2012 1:00 Eastern & January 19, 2012 4:00 Eastern

Cross Media Marketing 101 for 2012

Learn the ropes of cross media with this informative webinar that details what cross media marketing is and ways you can enhance current efforts without breaking the bank.

March 6, 2012 1:00 Eastern & March 8, 2012 4:00 Eastern

How To Bid Cross Media & Effective Sales Strategies

Join James Michelson, Principal of VDP Web to discuss effective pricing strategies for cross media. Learn how to up-charge and price jobs without the dreaded "scope creep" and maintain a positive cash flow while showing value to your clients.

May 8, 2012 4:00 Eastern & May 10, 2012 1:00 Eastern

More Effective Self Promo's

Our valued clients have had great success with creating self-promos and marketing cross media services. Check out the do's and dont's with James and learn why self-promotion is the way into your client's budgets.

July 17, 2012 1:00 Eastern & July 19, 2012 4:00 Eastern

Cross Media Holiday Marketing 2012

Now is the time to think seriously about holiday marketing! Join JFM Concepts to discover how holiday cross media marketing can provide sales leads and good will even without an offer or sales call to action. Learn how cross channel communications with mail, email, social media, and landing pages can turn an expense into a revenue generating activity. Your customers, clients, and prospects will love it!

October 2, 2012 1:00 Eastern & October 9, 2012 1:00 Eastern

2013 Cross Media Marketing Outlook

Join James Michelson and John Fager of JFM Concepts on this comprehensive analysis of the 2013 Cross Media Marketing Outlook for both marketing service providers and internal marketers. Discover lessons learned in 2012, the trends for the upcoming year, and benchmarks you can use to develop your own strategies for 2013.

December 18, 2012 1:00 Eastern & January 8, 2013 4:00 Eastern & January 10, 2013 1:00 Eastern

Register here.

Rockefeller Sponsors Do Not Track Legislation

Senator Jay Rockefeller, a West Virginia Democrat, has sponsored Do Not Track legislation that would mandate opt-outs for web and mobile behavioral tracking.

The Do Not Track Online Act of 2011 would require the Federal Trade Commission to create requirementss for a Do Not Track process. The FTC would also be responsible for penalizing companies that violate the opt-out preferences consumers'. According to the bill, collection of consumer information “necessary to provide a service requested by the individual” would still be allowed.

The proposal would also allow the states to prosecute companies that violate consumers' preferences. Fines could reach $16,000 per day with total penalties up to $15 million.

"Prepare your Mercedes-Benz for winter travel" ?

I had begun to believe, after a few less than completely tragic emails, that Mercedes-Benz had finally started to get their act together when it came to direct marketing.  It appears that this is not the case.  An email entitled “Prepare your Mercedes-Benz for winter travel” arrived last night.

 

It is late February, Mardi Gras preps are in full swing, the sun is shining, its 65 degrees, and the first bulbs are sprouting.  It may still be winter in the far North, but even in Indianapolis, Chicago, and International Falls it is far too late in the season to prepare for anything.  Winter is here and almost gone.  In fact, in most parts of the country, people are knee deep into spring.  Even Punxsutawney Phil is calling for an early end to the cold.

So why on earth would anyone send an email that encourages drivers to “prepare” for winter?  This pitch may have been ok in November or December, but it is downright lame at the end of February.  If I were under pressure to shill snow tires in the spring, I may have tried a better subject line.  “It not too late to be worried about more winter weather” or “End of season snow tire precautions” would be a little less ridiculous.  Every touch that direct marketers make needs to be relevant and timely.  This solicitation was neither.  There was also a pitch for a “genuine plug & play entertainment solution” that is buried deep in the content that had very little do with the rest of the message.

On a positive note, Mercedes-Benz did include a link to two of the four offers presented in the email.  In this regard they only failed by half, a marked improvement.  If you make an offer, make sure there is a way to take the next step.  Don’t make customers search the web for the ability to buy.  They most likely will not.

New Cross Media Book from Schooner Press

Schooner Press is proud to announce the publication of Cross Media Marketing 101, The Concise Guide to Surviving in the C-Suite by James D Michelson.

Cross Media Marketing 101 is the perfect guide for executives and managers looking to be sure that they have considered the major challenges facing them as traditional marketing methods are eclipsed and even supplanted by new channels.  Taking a completely agnostic approach to the marketing mix, the author offers practical insight into the changing marketing world and how marketing leaders can beat the odds. Order now at https://www.createspace.com/3537914

“This book is a must read for any marketing leader looking to be sure they have a thorough grasp on the current marketing landscape.” Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler

About the Author
James Michelson is an internationally recognized thought leader on all aspects of cross media. He has extensive international experience in the development of advanced cross media and one to one (1:1) marketing campaigns in a variety of verticals. James has developed and executed industry recognized cross media marketing strategies for such firms as Caterpillar, Marriott, Hartford Insurance, California Closets, and many more. Visit his personal site at http://www.jmichelson.com for more information.

Cross Media Audit - Brought to you by VDP Web

Learn right from the experts. Increase your revenue.

Start the new year off right with a cross media audit from the experts at JFM Concepts, makers of the industry leading VDP Web integrated marketing platform. The audit is a critical planning and operational tool for small to medium sized businesses or business units of large firms. Without support from other departments, including IT, marketers can discover how their current efforts are part of the overall cross media marketing mix and how those channels can work better together to expand reach without increasing budget.

To discuss the options available, please call Josh at 800-735-2578 or submit the opt in form on http://www.audit.vdpconcepts.com for more information

From the Corner Office – “What’s coming for 2011 & VDP Web?”

2011 promises to bring continuing change at a pace that shows no sign of slowing.  The economic and political landscape continues to be remade and uncertainty abounds.  Political considerations include corporate and personal tax insecurity, “Do Not Track” legislation on the web and a floundering Postal Service struggling with relevancy. A new Congress suddenly bent with the most populist agenda in recent memory is about to convene.  How will marketers react?

Here is how we see the coming year.  There will be continuing pressure on justifying the value of print and traditional media channels while at the same time a vague call for change and more social media.  The trend for firms of all sizes to hoard cash and maintain a war chest for contingencies will continue while the tax and inflationary issues sort themselves out.  At the same time, industry consolidation will increase as investors pressure firms to show growth despite the environment and that war chest of cash starts burning holes in pockets.

VDP Web will continue to focus on the providing the best platform to handle any direction the market takes.  Whatever the next big thing is, regardless of what it is, VDP Web is built on a unique provider model to adapt.  In 2010 the buzz was all about QR Codes and if I knew what the 2011 and 2012 buzz would be I would be sitting on a beach in Maui rather than contemplating the first winter snow. 

Our basic principles remain unaltered.  VDP Web will add features that provide value and ease of use across multiple channels.  We have added powerful and elegantly simple tools for the inline production of QR Codes, JQuery and JavaScript for powerful  variable pages and “if-then” functionality, and much more.  Whatever comes, we’re ready.

The entire team at JFM is looking forward to working with you, your teams, your clients and your stakeholders in 2011 and beyond.

Best Wishes – James Michelson

VDP Web & Social Media – JavaScript and JQuery

By Eleanor Heins

The marketer’s challenge is to be able to distribute information across multiple channels as widely as possible with minimal effort.  A natural next step would be the ability to add social media functionality to landing pages.  We now offer the ability to “like” and “publish” landing pages and “retweet” the link for your friends to receive the offer. 

This can potentially expand your distribution methods many times over.   Allowing people to send an offer through their own channels will cost less for you, and grow your list exponentially with no direct effort on your part.

For a sample of this in action, look for this ability on our holiday mailing, coming soon.  Not on the mail list?  Click here.

How is it done?  JavaScript, JQuery and HTML

I’ve heard of Javascript. What is it again?
Definition: JavaScript and is an object oriented scripting language that emphasizes interaction between JavaScript and HTML. It simplifies the creation of animations, communications to server requests, document transversing and event handling. JQuery is the most popular JavaScript library used.

Great. What does that mean?
Implementing JavaScript/JQuery takes a rudimentary knowledge of html and a few conditional statements, such as “if-then” statements. This method allows users to create conditional questions and display variable content with the same functionality used to make a slick accordion menu or an image slideshow. With Javascript/JQuery, it is very easy to show/hide different sets of content based on information in the data file. In this manner one can custom tailor the content on the landing page for each prospect by changing text, images, movies, and even surveys. The options are endless.

Why not just use a form to create the conditions?
VDP Web decided to open our platform up to Javascript/JQuery because it gives us a single solution for nearly limitless functions. Conditional questions, variable content, animations and visual effects are all possible, keeping the control of scope in our clients hands. Complicated rules based forms can be limited in scope and can require quite a bit of extra training for an end result that is centered around a single function and does not make use of anyone’s existing skill set. We also knew that a large portion of our clients already had staff in house that either knew enough JavaScript to work with the system or were in the position to learn. JavaScript and its many reference libraries such as JQuery are either already known – or really, really easily learned – by pretty much every web designer out there. 

It was time to put the creativity back into the functionality instead of relying on a form that tells you what you can and can’t do with your landing page.

Enhanced QR Code Generation Available in VDP Web

JFM Concepts has just announced additional QR Code functionality to further enhance its industry leading VDP Web® cross media marketing suite.  The creation and implementation of QR Codes, with a seamless integration into reporting, allows immediate and easy coordination of Personalized URLs (PURLs), SMS-Text, Unique 800#s, static landing pages and more.  A complete integration of response mechanisms avoids data silos and fragmented work environments that isolate data and complicate coordination.

 

According to John Fager, JFM Concepts’s Chief Technology Officer, “The new print-ready QR Code functionality in VDP Web allows one-click generation of an infinite number of QR images that are automatically tied into reporting without the need for an additional platform.  The export database is formatted for easy implementation to any print driver.”

 

Since 2004, JFM Concepts (http://www.jfmconcepts.com) has developed and executed national cross media marketing strategies for direct clients, traditional agencies and commercial printers. Campaigns include broadcast and print media, direct mail, SMS-text, email, PURLs (personal URLs) and variable data landing pages with surveys and opt-ins.

Cross Media Automation – Not for the Faint of Heart

By Joshua Driver

Recently, I was on the phone with a valued client and we discussed the latest automated technologies for cross media integration.  There are numerous platforms that can execute messages across various channels, automatically, but who is really doing this right?

With the economy and buyer behavior being as predictable as Lindsey Lohan’s rehab calendar, marketers are looking for ways to automate targeted messages over direct mail, email, social media, and more.  This can help reduce long term internal resources, but there is a significant upfront investment: You have to prep your data, beef up your content and implement a manageable segmentation and rules strategy.

A male colleague of mine received a postcard that proudly proclaimed, “For Women Only.”  The piece was urging him to try out the latest in feminine products.  There is no short cut for keeping your data clean and accurate, for targeting appropriate prospects and for creating good content.  If your content and data isn’t up to a certain level, automation will not benefit your organization.  If you send blatantly inappropriate messages, it will damage an existing relationship.

Data has a shelf-life.  Things change.  People change.  Often what our internal database tells us about a customer may not be entirely accurate.  It takes a savvy marketer to deliver the right message at the right time.  Marketing automation can certainly increase productivity and returns, but with challenges involving technical knowhow, data accuracy and content relevance, it falls short of being truly effective for most organizations.

Much like goal setting, you must set initiatives for the short, medium and long term.  It is imperative that you are continuously reviewing the data, and how your technology is segmenting this.  Take the time to gather survey responses and reevaluate future campaigns.  Be prepared for content changes and rule revisions throughout the year.

Take Away:
Before you jump on the automated marketing technology band wagon, be sure to evaluate the premium cost of not only the solution but also the heavy internal lifting that will be required to get your strategy, data, content and touch point rules in place.

New Study Shows Direct Mail beats Email

Here is the meat from from an recent article in Targeted Marketing that proves something we have konw all along.

"In a very recent study titled Finding the Right Channel Combination: What Drives Channel Choice, ICOM, a division of Epsilon Targeting, surveyed over 2500 U.S. and 2200 Canadian households, specifically targeting consumers in the 18-34 year-old demographic. The study found that these consumers overwhelmingly prefered—by two to three times—to learn about marketing offers via postal mail and newspapers, rather than online sources such as social media sites

Examples among merchandisers include 62 percent of this age group prefering personal care product offers coming in the mail while only 22 percent prefer online. Food products? 66 percent want the offline approach versus 23 percent for online offers. Over-the-counter medicine? 53 percent versus 21 percent."

For years the United States Postal service has reported that online sales were significantly higher when combined with direct mail and this study helps confirm that fact.  Remember the mail moment:
 
  
Such online giants as Google and Zappos advertise via direct mail, and if they need traditional marketing channels to drive traffic, chances are you do too.  Remember to drive all your marketign channels to a landing page to start a two way conversation and collect data.  Purls on the direct marketing peice will help improve repsonse rates and assure the prospect sees the correct content.