As a function of our partnership with email marketing solutions provider ExactTarget, we’ve been in attendance at the 2010 Partner Summit.

Panel Discussion at ExactTarget Partner Summit 2010

I was only able to attend day two, as I was finishing up some critical work in the office on the first day. But day two had some outstanding sessions and a lot of opportunities to meet and talk with some of the smartest people around.

The highlight for me was the “Best Practices in Building a Professional Service Practice” discussion panel, which featured bright minds like Scott Rhodes of Razorfish and Chris Thornton of Definition 6 among others. The discussion touched on many of the pains and struggles we’re dealing with in growing a small company into an enterprise-level agency.

Morgan Stewart, Director of Research and Strategy at ExactTarget, also gave a great talk about the strengths and weaknesses of various digital communication platforms, either alone or in concert. He presented some good research highlights to illustrate his points.

At the risk of getting a crick in my neck from patting my own back, his session was all old hat to me. It seems like we read the same research and articles. But for many of their smaller business partners I’m sure there was some revelatory information.

As with any conference, it’s not all talking heads and poster sessions. It’s also about some good networking parties, and ExactTarget definitely scored high marks. The day one evening event (which I was able to attend) was a swanky affair at Andretti Autosport. Great food, open bar, and open access to actual race cars. I even introduced myself to Michael Andretti. Great stuff.

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If you are like many Americans, 2009 was rough year. Numerous industries cut back staff to bare-bones operations and, even less fortunate, some businesses locked their doors permanently. The banking industry is in flux, the automobile industry is still in a deep void, and the hospitality industry could use a break. Every industry was effected by the collapse of the financial markets and most industries aren’t projecting significant growth for a couple years. Yikes!

A study release from Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC shows that they are anticipating a rebound in Q1 for digital marketers. 46 % of respondents to their survey said they will be adding staff in Q1 of 2010; only 26% will remain on a hiring freeze, which is down from 45% in Q4 2009.

“All of our major indicators are showing significant improvement… As far as hiring goes, digital and direct marketers are back on a growth trajectory.”

- Jerry Bernhart, principal of Bernhart Associates Executive Search, LLC.

If you are a marketer or product specialist still searching for gainful employment, I would encourage you to switch your thinking to a digital mindset. This industry can be intimidating, but in my opinion it is the industry with the best growth potential and promise. Specifically, look to e-mail marketing service providers: ExtactTarget, Responsys, Contant Contact, etc.

These companies aren’t going to hire Joe-Blow-Marketing-Guy-to-Fill-the-Void because this industry is demanding top talent. With so many people out of a job in 2009, they have their pick of the litter. 2010 is your chance to grab the reins and get comfortable in the digital space because the old rules of submitting your resume and waiting for a e-mail or phone call no longer exist.

See the example of Hire Me, Headblade, when Eric Romer took an unconventional approach to landing a job on the West Coast with HeadBlade, Inc. When Eric found out about an opening as the Marketing Manager for HeadBlade, Inc., he not only submitted a resume, but he took his credentials social: Facebook, Twitter and Blog. 24 hours after getting these sites up and running Eric received an interview from HeadBlade, which ultimately led to HeadBlade hiring him.

It is not essential for everyone to go above and beyond like Eric did for the HeadBlade position, but it doesn’t hurt when trying to get noticed. Times are still tough and it is estimated things will remain tough for awhile. Luckily for enterprising individuals there is a way to land a job in a down time. It is up to you if you want that to be today.

Twitter Job Pages:

The Media is Hirin‘

Talent Zoo Jobs

Marketing Jobs

CareerBuilder for Job Seekers

Monster Careers

Bernhart Associates

Now go get ‘em.

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In a study released by the Participatory Marketing Network and Pace University’s Lubin School of Business’ IDM Lab they found that Generation-Y likes social networks, but still prefers e-mail and text-messaging to communicate.

The study evaluated time spent and the communication preferences of Gen-Y consumers using e-mail, social networks,  texting, visiting (non-social-net) websites, talking on the phone, reading a magazine and watching television. Most notably, 26% of people surveyed said they wouldn’t give up e-mail or text-messaging if they could only use one of the above tools for one week. And only 9% said they wouldn’t be able to give up social networks for a week.

Chart About Generation Y's Preferences

I don’t think it is any surprise that Gen-Yer’s need their e-mail and texts (an average of 740+ sent each month), but what is interesting is when you go further in the study. The research found that the average Gen-Yer spends 33 hours a month on social networks compared to 31 hours on their e-mail. I think this highlights that social networks aren’t competing so much against communication tools as they are competing with media consumption, which means that brands need the content to compete.

Why should marketers care? Why not just plug your online budget into e-mail campaigns and mobile promos?

The study actually evaluated the interest Gen-Y has with mobile marketing promos and the interest is rather low. 59% of people studied had no interest in receiving mobile promotions.

Generation Y Interest in Mobile Promotions

Marketers get so caught up in the buzzwords of the day: Twitter, E-mail, Facebook, Corporate Blog, etc. And they think we need to be on there; we need to be doing this; but what marketers really need to do is evaluate their consumer. Go where they are and use what they are using.

If your product or service is geared to Generation-Y, then I would propose a broad mix for your online strategy. Each product and service strategy will be different because of what they offer, so I am not going to propose a specific mixture. But, mark my words, marketers that find a balance in online presence and a concrete content strategy will reap the rewards of this generation.

There was a great article over at Media Post called “Social Media and Just-In-Time Monetization” based on an interaction at OMMA Global.

Mat Zucker of OgilvyOne was lamenting his clients’ reluctance/inability to sweep into action when breaking news or events spur conversation about them online. He used as his example MTV’s lack of immediate response to the Kanye West incident at the Video Music Awards.

His proposed solution was a social media “SWAT team” charged with swinging into action to respond to such events, and turn them into potential money-making opportunities.

Most large companies are afraid of immediate, targeted response to breaking events involving their brand.

Marketing efforts are coordinated and planned for months or years with ad agencies and PR firms, who aren’t equipped to handle “rapid response.”

How does a company address the ongoing, immediate conversations happening about them in the digital space? The solution seems obvious to people like Zucker–and to us at Raidious: employ a team of content producers adept at all the social media platforms to respond to such events in the company’s voice.

The internet is not a media buy; at its most basic level it is a means of communication between two people. As companies are increasingly aware, they are vastly outgunned by the masses. If 100,000 people tweet about your brand, or three million people view and comment on a YouTube video criticizing your company, they can do untold damage to your marketing efforts and the money you’ve spent on them.

The alternative is to engage in the conversation and leverage these types of events into customer service opportunities and reputation management.

Ultimately, this parlays into monetization: you are talking directly with customers (and potential customers) while the topic of your brand is fresh in their minds. They see you as engaged and responsive, and are more likely to begin or continue to patronize your brand and services.

This opportunity is fleeting; the “news cycle” is very, very short. MTV waited a month to wade into the conversation–presumably so they and their strategists could come to an agreement on the response–and by then it was too late.

Rather than jumping on the loose ball and recovering the fumble, they watched from the sidelines and missed a potential game-winning touchdown opportunity.

The ability to be agile with your message its platforms, and to employ rapid response when customers are voluntarily engaged with your brand, are the keys to grabbing the pigskin and hustling it into the monetization end zone.

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In the past, there were basically two approaches to marketing services: earned media (PR) and paid media (advertising). More recently we’ve seen the rise of owned media.

What’s the difference? It’s mostly about Control.

Earned media: Getting someone else to provide content about you on a media platform they own and control. Also known as Public Relations.

Paid Media: Paying someone to include your message alongside their content, on media they own and control. Also known as Advertising.

Owned Media: Providing your own content on media platforms you own and control.

Raidious deals only with owned media – we help you provide the content for the media platforms you own and control – email, blogs, social media, web video, mobile devices, and more.

UPDATE: Recently found this article from Forrester Research, apparently they’ve been looking into this. Good information.

Monday and Tuesday of this week I had the opportunity to attend the Online Marketing, Media and Advertising global conference (presented by MediaPost) in New York City, a decidedly easy trip from our Brooklyn office.

In addition to attending a number of informative and insightful sessions with industry leaders, the conference was also a great chance to network with other digital marketing professionals.

I brought along the handy Flip Mino HD camera (which sparked as much conversation as did anything else) and did a few impromptu interviews with some of the folks I met. Among the people kind enough to talk on camera were:

• Ginny Musante, Trade Marketing, Entertainment & Devices, Microsoft Advertising
• Gary Klein, Founder/CEO, G. Klein & Associates
• Jennifer Osbon, Founder/CEO, Megaplayer
• Frederick Backman, Director, Media Development, FreeMedia Solutions

Their experiences ran the gamut from entrenched players with long histories to fresh-faced start-ups. Enjoy a small taste of a get-together of some of the sharpest marketing minds from all over the world.

Their goals were varied, but everyone I talked with was acutely aware of the expanding role of the two-way conversation in digital marketing.

(I want to) learn more about how to expand the conversation and turn digital outreach into lead generation that’s meaningful not only for our customers but also beneficial for our team in terms of sales.

– Ginny Musante, Microsoft Advertising

We’ve noticed a plethora of social media consultants popping up all over the web, and we love it. We think most marketers could use a little help with their social media.

So – what’s so different about Raidious? We’re not just consultants. We help you do the thinking and planning, but we also do the work. We make the content that makes digital marketing work.

Knowing what to do, and actually having the resources to do it are two completely different problems. We can help you with both.

We wouldn’t call ourselves a social media “agency” – we’re a digital content services company. Those services include social network monitoring, moderation, and content writing services for your social network platforms – not just social network marketing consultation. Plus, we are uniquely structured and staffed to handle all of your other digital content, like email marketing, blogging, mobile device marketing and web video. None of this stuff works without content, and we think it all works best when it’s working together. We make the content that makes digital marketing work.

We use media producers, reporters, editors and online journalists to actually execute your digital marketing strategy from a content perspective – we’re not focused on the platform itself, we’re focused on actually executing informed, well-planned and well-integrated content driven marketing with online media in a way that supports, extends and activates your other marketing efforts.

We’re a content company. We’re in the digital content production business. Digital content is all we do. It’s more than just consulting, planning and strategy – we make the content that makes digital marketing work.

You want to use social media to move the needle for your business?

Great! Do it.

We can help with both the thinking part, and the doing part.

Call us now at 317-203-9807 or email us at info@raidious.com.

After spending several years focused on consistently creating digital programs for marketing efforts in media, on the client side, at a web design firm, and at an ad agency – all with some success, and a lot of lessons learned – it became clear that a totally new approach was required to serve the needs of marketers in the digital space.

Marketers have been investing heavily for years in digital media, like websites, microsites, Facebook pages, Twitter programs, email marketing platforms, mobile device programs, and other online initiatives. In the past, all the focus has been on implementing the technology, with no real plan or  operational methodology to support these platforms on an on-going basis.

Content, and the skilled human involvement needed to produce it, is the biggest obstacle to success in digital marketing. Whether it’s email, blogging, social media, mobile device marketing, or web video, none of it works without content, and ongoing management, monitoring, moderation, and optimization. Yet, there were no companies offering the kinds of services marketers need to activate their online efforts in an easy or effective way. And so, we set about building a content company.

A Totally Different Approach

Raidious was created to do one thing – create digital content for marketers. We take a fully integrated planning approach to developing content for email marketing, blogging, social media management, monitoring, and moderation, mobile device marketing, and web video – and we structured and staffed our company to execute the plan in an easy, affordable and agile way.

To build a company that could actually serve the content needs of modern marketing, we had to completely rethink how marketing services is approached – particularly in regards to staffing, and the way digital marketing has been attacked in the past operationally.

Staffing

We have no programmers, developers, or QA people on staff. We’re not solving a technology problem.

We have no creative directors, art directors, or media buyers on staff. We’re not solving an advertising problem.

We’ve staffed our company with experienced journalists – writers, editors, producers, reporters and digital marketing strategists.

Operations

Operationally, we’re structured much like a broadcast news operation, and we attack the content problem the same way a news team attacks a story.

The difference is, instead of our stories being about Sports, City and State, National News, or Health . . . our stories are about your brand, and designed to impact your marketing goals.

Purpose-Built

We are structured by design to proactively create content based on your marketing objectives. Agencies, web design firms, digital agencies and PR firms aren’t really staffed or structured for this. That’s not a bad thing, they’re just designed to serve different needs.

They’re set up to solve a different set of problems, like how to make an ad or how to build a website or how to get you press.

We’re staffed and structured to create and manage the content that drives your digital initiatives, delivers on your marketing goals, and consistently shows measurable ROI. We plan, manage, monitor, and moderate your brand’s presence online, and we create the content that drives it all.

We make the content that makes digital marketing work.

Call us. 317-203-9807  Email us. info@raidious.com

Connect with us.