LinkedIn enables Regressive Tracking

LinkedIn enables Regressive Tracking for advertisers
I have been using LinkedIn since it was launched two years ago and I have been very happy about their service. What I personally like about this service, is their ability to have implemented a bulletproof privacy policy that protects the different profiles in the network, at the same time as it is available for searches – while the profiles are kept anonymous.

It recently came to my knowledge that they are now allowing advertisers who advertise on their network, to position their messages more accurately, using Regressive Tracking methodologies.

So what does this mean

LinkedIn is using real profile data to position commercial messages in their network. They combine system variable data that is generic for all visitors with information like:

• Geographical location (based in IP or language of your browser)
• Browser type (Firefox, Opera, Safari or MS Explorer)
• Time
• etc..

With specific profile data such as:

• Current salary
• Number of connections on your profile
• Past and Current Job function
• Company Size
• Endorsements
• Etc..

Marketers and advertisers! This means that now you are able to target your messages more accurate based on not just technographical, demographical and sociographical data – but also related to personal data and probably most important – social-network-data based on number of connections and endorsements.

Thank you LinkedIn for bringing data-driven analytics to the surface of advertising. For a long time I hav been looking forward to see solutions that moves beyond the statistics of a single click.

I wonder what advertisement you display on my profile in LinkedIn?

Complete customer experience failure

The newly Norwegian launched financial portals fail to deliver any marketing or customer experience what so ever…

Today, two of the Norwegian history's largest financial portal launched their on-line appearance. Yes, you read correct, the TWO portals are launching at the same time – and name. The two different sites are N24 and NA24. The two sites are respectively competing for the same target audience, so I actually expected to find some clever minds behind the launches, so I would be target for an unique customer experience.

I had been following the race for this launch in Norwegian media press and I must admit that I was looking forward to the launch, especially after the different launch sites had been explaining in media that they where looking to use alternative methods for promoting and attracting readers (-maybe also keeping readers).

A blueprint for failure on experience marketing

….So, the sites launched. On-line advertising was all over media-Norway. Similar articles in both portals…….

Funny enough, it seems that both their editors and marketing agencies hasn't realized that they have launched an on-line portal but a weekly financial newspaper. Both portal sites have focused all their effort on advertising to bring people on to the sites, then an average content site is displayed – overcharged with advertising – like any other on-line magazine or newspaper.

The Internet is the perfect media for building long lasting customer relationships by leveraging user specific content and interests. Like me for instance, prefer to subscribe to a newsletter or a content feed to stay updated – instead of visiting the site itself every time. It is a part of what the Internet experience gives me and when two financial portals launch in the year 2006, I just expect more than a traditional advertising campaign.

Keeping loyal readers or just shopping for "Banner and Googledance" visitors

Now that I have read some of their content and believe I am familiar with their sites, I ask myself – am I suppose to add these sites to my bookmark lists of sites I visit every morning for my daily news-feed or just visit them every time I see a banner that reminds me that they are around?

Unfortunately it will be the last alternative, as I already have about 10 sources for my daily news and as a rational customer, time is a constraint, so it won't have the time. But, by enabling these sites with tools for building up customer loyalty and "sticky-readers" I believe they could have captured a lot of the Norwegian financial readers. At lest the ability to sign-up for a newsletter with my personal preferences for regular updates.

This is not rocket science, but i felt like stop breathing when mediaedge:cia (a supposedly professional marketing agency) made a statement in their newsletter that N24 would benefit their name ahead of NA24.

- Does Del benefit ahead of Dell?
- Does Gogle benefit ahead of Google?

It's the customer relationship that will build a brand – Not the name!

Jesse Sandqvist on Multichannel Marketing

Last week Jesse Sandqvist, COO of Responsewave, was interviewed by Chris Lake at e-consultancy. Jesse has expert experience with customer intelligence from Deloitte Consulting and Hewlett Packard.

Jesse touches some very essential elements of any multichannel marketing strategy and is amusement reading for experienced marketers.

I recommend the interview to every body who are planning or are executing a multichannel marketing strategy.

The interview is available at e-consultancy >>

Word of Mouth: the best known Marketing Secret off all times?

Everyone knows about it, but hardly anyone does it well. It's time to change your approach to word-of-mouth marketing
I see too many organizations rushing into Word of Mouth marketing without a strategy for collecting and maintaining new referrals. Word of Mouth (or viral / Referral Marketing) gains a lot of attention in the market these days, but there is only a few campaigns that really grow a company's database and generate revenues. 9 out of 10 Word of Mouth strategies fail because organizations are not capable of identifying their brand evangelists and treating them differently.

The Word of Mouth process from identifying customer evangelists, achieving reach and rewarding evangelists for recommendation success.

It's possible – I reached 12 % of a country's population in just 4 weeks
We recently did a Word of Mouth campaign for one of our clients that reached 12 % of a country's population, where 4.5 % are member in their loyalty club. Imagine, almost 5 % of a country's population as member in your loyalty club! This was a mainstream commercial focused campaign, with no special interest to early-stage or innovator customer segments.Now what did we do correct in order to achieve this tremendous reach and sign-up? The answer is simple. We had a made a strategy some months before we launched the campaign, where we pre-targeted the influencers among social networks. With these identified and motivated the Word of Mouth processes can start, giving you the viral growth you are looking for.

If you are in the process of planning or are running a Word of Mouth or Viral Marketing initiative, then you need to focus on what actually drives the users and reward in these driving values. This does not necessarily have to be free products or vouchers, but also ability to receive exclusive product offers, promotions or just simply a better serice agreement if you are providing a service.

Remember, its all in your customers mind!