Research, Measurement & Database Marketing

SUMMARY: Social media and user generated content are the newest -- but not the only -- ways to engage customers and get their opinions. Online surveys are still an effective way to pinpoint what your customers want from your site -- and what they want improved.

Read how a jewelry marketer used a simple online survey to uncover ways to expand services, improve the website, and increase sales as much as 4.5% in some categories. Includes creative samples of the entire survey. read the complete case study

SUMMARY: Ideally, prices should be set to maximize revenue. But if demand for a product changes, prices also have to change to reach total efficiency. How do you know if you’re setting the best price possible?

See how a major league baseball team tested dynamic pricing for tickets to home games. They sold 20% more tickets in sections where the dynamic pricing was offered -- but the program hasn’t been a grand slam. Find out how they managed challenges, set prices and sold more tickets. read the complete article

SUMMARY: "Advertising on blogs or social networks" was rated the most accurately measured (32%), and was also rated the least effective (16%). More than 90% of companies believe that social media is the most effective in accomplishing brand building goal, followed closely by goals for attracting website visitors. view the complete research record

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SUMMARY: With budgets under pressure, management may expect marketers to be more accountable for their campaigns. But don’t fret -- establishing a process to provide greater accountability for your marketing efforts can give you the metrics you need, when you need them, and help you improve your campaigns.

We dove into the topic of marketing accountability with a senior director of marketing operations from Wal-Mart. She shared the four biggest challenges to establishing a culture of accountability in your marketing department, and offered advice for overcoming those challenges. read the complete article

By Anne Holland, Content Director

Search pay per click (PPC) URLs are fairly short because of the nature of the beast. You are not given much room to type in a long URL.

So, the hot search PPC testing tactic is specific wording and capitalizations. Example: Should your text ad say www.ClickHere.com, or will you get better response with www.ClickHERE.com, or perhaps www.ClickHereFREE.com?

As all experienced search marketers know, organic search results get the lion's share of... read the complete blog post