tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24612510218192707042024-03-21T09:18:41.929-04:00The Digital RaindanceA blog website focused on best practices in digital and social media marketing and new technology platforms that drive lead generation and conversion.TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.comBlogger186125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-19899435822972317982023-04-09T11:02:00.002-04:002023-04-09T11:02:37.842-04:00A Member of the "Porthole Posse"<p></p><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvzUqCLKUcANJRWg-2NOTFRSw00cmFv9deAy0c4QlalasaVFGV_nSp6oOjHNH-hjsO_C6OesObMOd9ke5HWTtTyhZuZydtI3fylbaimXSCPqCUD205CgTmHP1aKxaH0-uGGRLTgwcqPnpwz_B8hK91vHTxW4yfPrdHOoK73LsGrl08Sunzeh8rVWJCQ/s503/Luggage%20Tag%20Blue.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="503" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKvzUqCLKUcANJRWg-2NOTFRSw00cmFv9deAy0c4QlalasaVFGV_nSp6oOjHNH-hjsO_C6OesObMOd9ke5HWTtTyhZuZydtI3fylbaimXSCPqCUD205CgTmHP1aKxaH0-uGGRLTgwcqPnpwz_B8hK91vHTxW4yfPrdHOoK73LsGrl08Sunzeh8rVWJCQ/s320/Luggage%20Tag%20Blue.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>More than 24% of Americans have enjoyed a <b><a href="https://amzn.to/3KoSxXn">cruise ship vacation</a></b> and many make a cruise getaway a family reunion, friends escape, like-minded social, business and hobby groups. Regardless of the reason, group members like to identify as being part of a "sailing team". One of the easiest ways to accomplish that is to have the same promotional luggage tags accompany the identifier tags on everyone's luggage. Here's a bold, sassy way of proudly showing your group is sailing together as a member of the "Porthole Posse". You can purchase an <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1443188080/porthole-posse-luggage-tag?click_key=bb8348f86f3e9598e91cde992e902b22845c06b8%3A1443188080&click_sum=311ffa90&ref=shop_home_active_2"><b>all white</b></a> tag or a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1443199298/porthole-posse-luggage-tag-dark-blue?click_key=125e4e232c5711f312b7cf833be93c8610ac3ff0%3A1443199298&click_sum=0ed79eb2&ref=shop_home_active_1"><b>blue tag</b></a> with the appearance of your "business card" tucked in.</div><p></p></blockquote>TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-59681630622733211462023-03-25T11:52:00.003-04:002023-04-09T10:13:56.768-04:00Work Like A Pro With The Makita Cordless Impact Driver<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXWao05RhMjFy3JI-w4D0paZ3hACRWpWDr8AtoiJmzO0-PquB70s0zGkKYgvlKbK3lA1zzLssvQQDLRFyk-2MJanujOV7u7Qho6PDZcWkhOVdcSwBquCO8zbT0Te3JKwKFbh_mBfsG72KK6NGuA_whEWa7i4FdLZ165SLdaGJdfSZFx_OuEgsgWy9Cg/s3263/20230325_100152.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3263" data-original-width="2532" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXWao05RhMjFy3JI-w4D0paZ3hACRWpWDr8AtoiJmzO0-PquB70s0zGkKYgvlKbK3lA1zzLssvQQDLRFyk-2MJanujOV7u7Qho6PDZcWkhOVdcSwBquCO8zbT0Te3JKwKFbh_mBfsG72KK6NGuA_whEWa7i4FdLZ165SLdaGJdfSZFx_OuEgsgWy9Cg/s320/20230325_100152.jpg" width="248" /></a>When I recently took on a major home project to renovate our outdoor kitchen, there was one tool that proved to be invaluable in my work. It was the <b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Kq7ecX">Makita XDT131 18V LXT Cordless Impact Driver.</a> </b>With many tasks such as metal reframing and fastening, wood bolt drilling and fastening for the pergola and pilot hole, and fastening of Hardie board to the structure, having the Makita driver really made the job a more pleasant experience. The kit comes with its tool bag and two batteries so I was never delayed, as there was always one battery charging. Its versatile size was also great for those hard-to-reach places and awkward angles. I'm not a professional handyman but having the Makita cordless driver really gave me the confidence that I had completed the project like a pro.</div><br /> <p></p>
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-76798033312424931482023-03-24T13:45:00.002-04:002023-04-09T10:20:23.696-04:00The Sweetness of Easter<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnFccuix1JkgDxcHU-o_A0om1sl0aH_N6Zk5f9YboIlJKCB67orI88hrizS5VbM0N2cEcjxY9CcD0T8NgpQA0W8MrITZcKoYV5fjA9WTybYkykKZa6AU-vPTeKbicFO0O7glJXZdAvHgERH_zRRp9e4xvx0RJSBR885jTvK9PC68dorhcMV-Z8hLPuw/s538/Easter%20Bunny.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="452" data-original-width="538" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpnFccuix1JkgDxcHU-o_A0om1sl0aH_N6Zk5f9YboIlJKCB67orI88hrizS5VbM0N2cEcjxY9CcD0T8NgpQA0W8MrITZcKoYV5fjA9WTybYkykKZa6AU-vPTeKbicFO0O7glJXZdAvHgERH_zRRp9e4xvx0RJSBR885jTvK9PC68dorhcMV-Z8hLPuw/s320/Easter%20Bunny.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>While Easter represents the resurrection of Jesus Christ for Christians around the world, the Holiday is also eagerly anticipated every year by children and "adult children" for its secular traditions like the Easter Bunny, Easter egg hunts,<br /> and candy consumption.<p></p><p>The Easter Bunny tradition is believed to have arrived in America in the 1700s through German immigrants who settled in Pennsylvania. Their children made nests for Hares to lay their colored eggs. Eventually, the custom spread across the country and Easter morning deliveries expanded to include chocolate and other types of candy and gifts, while decorated baskets replaced nests.</p><p>Somewhere along the line adults started hiding these Easter eggs to create fun Easter egg hunts. In modern-day egg hunts, hollow, <b><a href="https://amzn.to/3Kf5enK">colored plastic eggs</a></b> are often stuffed with candy, or in some cases, currency and coins. In fact, after Halloween, Easter is the second best candy-selling Holiday in the country. And according to the National Confectioners Association, more than 16 billion <b><a href="https://amzn.to/3GtCXIR">jelly beans</a> </b>are made in the U.S. each year for Easter.</p><p> </p>TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-53517389072784331002017-07-04T13:11:00.002-04:002017-07-04T13:11:32.416-04:00Program Your Social Marketing On Facebook With Dynamic AdsFor many Americans celebrating the <a href="http://gr.pn/2tdHTMW"><b>July 4th Holiday</b></a> means a day off work, plans to get out and enjoy the summer day with family and friends with tasty grill treats and refreshing beverages. The change of pace also gives many an opportunity to get caught up on social media platforms and online content browsing. Smart digital rainmakers know this too and that's why most leverage July 4th sales promotions with week-long social campaigns on platforms like Facebook to drive more website traffic and generate new leads. With more than 2 billion monthly active users, Facebook provides brands with sophisticated targeting options, segmented by geography, gender, age and personal interests. But beyond broader conquesting activities, brands can fine tune their targeting efforts on Facebook using its Custom Audiences feature. That means you can target those who are already your customers with an email match process and a profile of potential new customers that share similar traits or "lookalike" audiences.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEm3jJ9K1R4l__eumtbFqb99tnwf6IQAPqf2Ea-ZQBU-J9CKWpH18meXTJIk2QUU8u3A4U6jtg1GmKYKHEM5M4auz_Nh2GbPqK_JYOgooYquuh90poYX8t2oga9pn6qDZ3nnvhxJbNWal/s1600/FB+Dynamic+Ad.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="800" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEm3jJ9K1R4l__eumtbFqb99tnwf6IQAPqf2Ea-ZQBU-J9CKWpH18meXTJIk2QUU8u3A4U6jtg1GmKYKHEM5M4auz_Nh2GbPqK_JYOgooYquuh90poYX8t2oga9pn6qDZ3nnvhxJbNWal/s400/FB+Dynamic+Ad.png" width="400" /></a><b><a href="http://bit.ly/2umghDQ">Automotive retailers</a></b> are big Holiday marketers and July 4th usually represents a seasonality opportunity so they use the Holiday lead-in period to connect with their customers or those that have visited their sites on a social platform like Facebook. They typically use a variety of link ads or carousel ads with either <b>Learn More, Compare Prices</b> or <b>Shop Now</b> call to action buttons to test creative performance. By adding a Facebook pixel to its site, the <a href="https://northam.motorstv.com/"><b>digital marketer</b></a> can then track the campaign and, more importantly, programatically optimize it to keep serving up relevant messages that lead to more qualified traffic and efficient ad spend.<br />
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Many retailers indicate utilizing a social marketing strategy like this one reduces its cost per lead by as much as 60 percent, while in some cases tripling reach and increasing promotional period traffic by as much as 20 to 30 percent. More qualified traffic at a lower cost is a recipe for lead spikes that generate incremental sales. TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-79304480688843173242017-07-03T23:01:00.000-04:002017-07-04T10:48:28.573-04:00Shorten The Digital Prospect Funnel With More Qualified Traffic<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXIzeD2_2gfJ-ExdNbkf3cq1mCq0vu5Bi8KXMMxRewqwmj3eciSR7uV_qV48KhhE0Z2NH3auVvxKDTlIrmc4q3YkQJ-P8BGUhBtjDrvHsmprgLjteLH1f7aaP4p5ok0Urhzlww_f9o56l/s1600/funnel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="212" data-original-width="238" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHXIzeD2_2gfJ-ExdNbkf3cq1mCq0vu5Bi8KXMMxRewqwmj3eciSR7uV_qV48KhhE0Z2NH3auVvxKDTlIrmc4q3YkQJ-P8BGUhBtjDrvHsmprgLjteLH1f7aaP4p5ok0Urhzlww_f9o56l/s320/funnel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digital Rainmakers can leverage low cost tactics<br />
to identify high value prospects</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There are many ways to get prospects into your digital marketing funnel, but one often overlooked method is using email deployments to drive traffic to your digital storefront. Not only can you track the effectiveness of your email content and creative with open and click through metrics, but more importantly, you can begin to encourage your prospect to move from an awareness state to a consideration stage using retargeting display as a strategic, tiered messaging strategy.<br />
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In the <a href="http://bit.ly/2tMJ4V1" target="_blank"><b>automotive</b></a> retail segment, that display strategy could be customized to the prospects behavior on your site. If the conquesting email campaign prompted the prospect to browse multiple vehicles of one particular brand or vehicle category, site cookies would enable your ad network provider to serve up display banners that tease that manufacturer's monthly new car incentive offers. The customer's path to purchase then narrows if they click through and navigate to a specific vehicle details page at a selected store on your site.<br />
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Now, you have the information you need to retarget, serving up the most relevant specific vehicle inventory the prospect has already demonstrated to be most interested in. At this decision point in the process, you must make it as easy as possible for the prospect to take that critical step by either completing a lead form online, providing contact details in a chat session or directly calling the campaign tracked phone number on your page. As a marketer, you've won a critical battle by officially producing a lead for your Internet sales representative to follow up to set up the final list of choices for the customer to review online, then come into the store for an onsite inspection and test drive.<br />
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In today's digital rich content world, with a fully transactional e-storefront, your customer could very well have completed all the documentation needed to put his or her final signature on the sales contract once the onsite visual inspection and test drive is completed. And it didn't take weeks of non-efficient digital impressions to close the sale. Instead, you were able to identify a quality prospect at a modest cost per lead using a highly-efficient email marketing tactic. <br />
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-66569435348579133132016-05-05T17:33:00.002-04:002016-05-06T10:29:32.858-04:00Hyper Personalization Wins With Millennials<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisppbOmhnzZik8KwFG4s3fEz0MZ8P1qrhlYgbtn81xnHqwuAgSgoA7IAYskTYEpMg8lq4x_oujVYkTapBo9eTA9NwXOGxuAJ1wqoiu7t95fOPle05ALu_6lyI3dO-ceZ5gb84H9ivGuCef/s1600/Millennial+Travel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisppbOmhnzZik8KwFG4s3fEz0MZ8P1qrhlYgbtn81xnHqwuAgSgoA7IAYskTYEpMg8lq4x_oujVYkTapBo9eTA9NwXOGxuAJ1wqoiu7t95fOPle05ALu_6lyI3dO-ceZ5gb84H9ivGuCef/s320/Millennial+Travel.jpg" width="320" /></a>Family trips really change when you travel with Millennials, the generation that prefers unique venues, exploring local culture and the outdoors when they visit a destination. For this demographic which already accounts for 40% of travel booked online, the future will be all about hyper-personalization. Travel & leisure brands that invest in this type of personalized technology will win this customer segment. Travel brands rainmakers will sync user profiles in its databases with online search histories, travel habits and destination or accommodation reviews. Highly personalized targeting platforms can help travel providers really get to know their customers so they can speak directly to each person on an individual basis and be proactive in ensuring each traveler has a unique and memorable vacation. These platforms will also allow travelers the opportunity to customize their trips on-demand and chat with a concierge or local expert through a mobile app. This is just one way Millennials are changing the face of travel and its many industry extensions.<br />
<br />TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-50009498800140692015-07-28T16:15:00.000-04:002015-07-28T16:15:04.032-04:00No Aisle Recall At The Drive-In GroceriesA soon to be tenant in a Sunnyvale, California strip mall named Amazon.com has asked the city’s zoning department for approval on a retail use where users would pre-order groceries online then select a 15-minute to 2-hour pick up time horizon. According to the applicant, the customer either can drive into a designated pick-up area with parking stalls, where the purchased items will be delivered to their cars, or they can arrive on foot or bicycle and pick up their items in the store.<br />
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Yes, this is the same Seattle-based ecommerce giant where many Americans purchase everything from toasters to cars.<br />
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Imagine that. It used to be all about bricks and mortar retail businesses going digital to expand its markets and facilitate transactions for its customers. Have we gone full circle? Has ecommerce become so strong that it now can create and sustain bricks and mortar businesses? Apparently, Amazon thinks so. Capitalizing on its understanding of the on-the-go American consumer, with little time to waste, it believes it can leverage its brand equity and the consumer’s need for speed to deliver an online groceries order product.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UJKQzwehuRauhRRB_FAonhvX6J8VLUF92tr9A5VAt2Z-0sBchvxyq4c-oWYOE-jO0VCIQP57hfLgkh_tAVG12cWrn3YAXi7jra-smIKvhz7vpVyNTEILYZnu5K4l7dvnRgp3lFQusN6t/s1600/20131130_WBD001_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UJKQzwehuRauhRRB_FAonhvX6J8VLUF92tr9A5VAt2Z-0sBchvxyq4c-oWYOE-jO0VCIQP57hfLgkh_tAVG12cWrn3YAXi7jra-smIKvhz7vpVyNTEILYZnu5K4l7dvnRgp3lFQusN6t/s320/20131130_WBD001_2.jpg" width="320" /></a>Would you buy fruits and vegetables without holding them in your hand or gently squeezing those soft spots? I’m sure they’ll offer an opportunity for returns and/or alternative selections once you arrive on site and have an opportunity to inspect what you’ve purchased. Nevertheless, for all of the success and equity this brand enjoys, the groceries business does seem like somewhat of a hard nut to crack.<br />
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TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-73589886381615441832015-07-27T16:22:00.003-04:002023-04-09T10:24:06.193-04:00Apples, Galaxys and Razor Currency<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsV4r9Cs-XfipczIOpOQ4RErE9_xZkrHyoIT0QSFUFlRltySA71gFWZPuBb9dJAZXnaiq3ErVVcZO6Tp0xhT8zjzPjHv1bv7CBSCYQum_R_NaEs53bmAscvMhpTC0p87kc9Etea0Xb7nc/s1600/CellPhoneMoney.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHsV4r9Cs-XfipczIOpOQ4RErE9_xZkrHyoIT0QSFUFlRltySA71gFWZPuBb9dJAZXnaiq3ErVVcZO6Tp0xhT8zjzPjHv1bv7CBSCYQum_R_NaEs53bmAscvMhpTC0p87kc9Etea0Xb7nc/s200/CellPhoneMoney.jpg" width="196" /></a>Once just the hassle-free electronic payment arm of eBay, PayPal is now a publicly-held, standalone company traded on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange. Its top business strategy is to become the uncontested leader in the mobile commerce space.<br />
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With great brand recognition, it already has a huge head start. It’s also transforming to mobile in an environment where consumers are hungry to be able to use their mobile phones to complete retail transactions, not having to worry about having cash or credit card in hand.<br />
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That’s especially true of the Millennials and younger generation of consumers who don’t have the same online security fears as their generation predecessors. And to make it more enticing to all consumers, PayPal is expanding its one-click purchasing feature, called One Touch, to make payment processing faster and thus more attractive.<br />
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But that’s not the only way it plans to capture the mobile commerce space. With retailers looking for ways to engage shoppers who are already in their store, PayPal wants consumers flip open their phones, not wallets, to pay for their purchased merchandise at the register.<br />
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In-store mobile payments can make in-store shopping even more attractive, if the experience is user friendly, reliable and fast. So if trends continue, you’ll soon be able to leave your Washingtons, Lincolns and Jeffersons at home, in favor of your <a href="https://amzn.to/3nWmzui">Apples</a>, <a href="https://amzn.to/3zLPELE">Galaxys</a> and Razors.<br />
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TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-83363935977786288042015-07-20T18:05:00.002-04:002015-07-20T18:05:23.484-04:00Pay At The Car Dashboard<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9p6QVLhZD35nWExNR0RxRlydv3KdXev71tKDUNznSSGIwRVU2tgP1xc-NjkWYB2tvmboTUX-rMbp3AmD2TbtB0j1cHKrYQyyHIf7TIb0AU1IAHU2dcYs36oNQZjkiuXEyfLwf90lwdmv/s1600/Connected+Cars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn9p6QVLhZD35nWExNR0RxRlydv3KdXev71tKDUNznSSGIwRVU2tgP1xc-NjkWYB2tvmboTUX-rMbp3AmD2TbtB0j1cHKrYQyyHIf7TIb0AU1IAHU2dcYs36oNQZjkiuXEyfLwf90lwdmv/s1600/Connected+Cars.jpg" /></a>Imagine ordering your family’s fast food at the drive-thru lane and
actually paying the bill before you pull up to the window to get your bags of
food. Or how about paying for the parking meter before you even get out of your
car? <o:p></o:p></div>
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These are just some of the applications that “connected vehicle
commerce” will enable you to do. Visa is testing a service that will bring
mobile payment capability into your car. Why? As a payment servicer, Visa has
the potential of unlocking a whole new platform to entice more customers to use
their payment service networks. And since Visa gets paid by transaction,
imagine how many more pay days it will have.<o:p></o:p></div>
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While Visa is focusing on making sure the system will be a secure form
of payment, as security issues are a huge factor for consumers, the service will
potentially be used at various retail facilities, including all of those fuel
stops at gasoline stations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This new car commerce technology has the potential of streamlining
certain retail transactions. Just think about what it could have done to ease
that long entrance line at the “Drive-In Movies” or help improve transaction
times at today’s Sonic drive-in fast food restaurants.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p>TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-7704085992246406922015-07-16T17:17:00.002-04:002015-07-16T17:17:57.754-04:00Mobile Site Health Is Conversion CriticalAs Web browsing continues to move to the smartphone, digital marketers will need to make changes in the capabilities of its brand websites to make it easier for consumers to make purchases from their mobile phones. Failure to address this will likely produce falling click-through rates (CTR) and rising cost per clicks (CPCs), according to a recent research report published by Adobe Systems. <br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGYCjv9TrS3Zp30pIDS9TA4vy1vImIZP6OhRcwwxumiefBOs_XSERosvBcb-Jh5FcSpjwX05xU9nT2lpiiVUqvfoPAYC7_x1gndOkYkVkieacyMsTasMPwpRQvSAVNfJr9ft6DVSUVkaK/s1600/Mobile+Search.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyGYCjv9TrS3Zp30pIDS9TA4vy1vImIZP6OhRcwwxumiefBOs_XSERosvBcb-Jh5FcSpjwX05xU9nT2lpiiVUqvfoPAYC7_x1gndOkYkVkieacyMsTasMPwpRQvSAVNfJr9ft6DVSUVkaK/s320/Mobile+Search.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Today, a greater portion of Google's search ad business depends on mobile clicks. In the second quarter of 2015, the <b><a href="http://www.cmo.com/adobe-digital-index.html" target="_blank">Adobe Digital Index (ADI)</a></b> estimates the worth of a mobile click at 37% less compared with a desktop click, an improvement of 7 percent from the first quarter of 2015.<br />
<br />
Brands that did not address mobile Web strategies after Google said it would update its algorithm in late April lost 10 percent of organic mobile traffic, compared with the prior year according to the report. <br />
<br />
The challenge for Digital rainmakers becomes earning the revenue per visit from mobile that they get from desktop visits. If mobile sites are not optimized, in 18 months when the industry is expected to see more mobile visits from smartphones than desktops, retailers stand to suffer because of lower online sales conversion rates. <br />
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TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-63658248480571675902015-07-15T16:46:00.004-04:002023-04-09T10:26:20.916-04:00Let Smartphone Cool Off And Enjoy Ride<span style="font-family: inherit;">One of the best ways to avoid the temptation to text while
you drive is to let your smartphone literally cool off. Today’s smartphones
are powerhouses constantly running smart apps and processing unlimited amounts
of data and just like our cars, they need cooling to avoid dangerous
overheating. Overheating can result in lower battery life, slow processing
speeds and can eventually lead to damaging your smartphone. </span><br />
<o:p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></o:p><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Chevrolet engineers have developed a solution, currently
available on the 2016 Impala and <a href="https://amzn.to/3KItksy">Malibu</a> that will help cool smartphones while
they’re charging in a wireless charging bin. The new system, known as the Active Phone Cooling, features a
ventilation process directed towards the wireless charging bin, using the car’s
HVAC system to cool the smartphone. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y8hw8iflRqFb-nTDpJ-qSUZ9I0rDLPRFfeyJi8Nt1xUxDeg7TbkkpZzEpwxqxjXha98N-fe6InSuwgSqtJ8W2kA9O_Y6hVUt94nfUoMOIvCwQ7ZqF0Cws-n-rYC83_pWf_mgW194ugUn/s1600/Wireless+Bin.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5y8hw8iflRqFb-nTDpJ-qSUZ9I0rDLPRFfeyJi8Nt1xUxDeg7TbkkpZzEpwxqxjXha98N-fe6InSuwgSqtJ8W2kA9O_Y6hVUt94nfUoMOIvCwQ7ZqF0Cws-n-rYC83_pWf_mgW194ugUn/s320/Wireless+Bin.png" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">The Active Phone Cooling system will also
debut on the 2016 Volt and Cruze models. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">So now drivers have a perfectly logical, efficient and
product protecting rationale to do just one thing when they get in their cars –
drive.</span>TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-32048911797148388592015-07-15T08:49:00.000-04:002015-07-15T08:49:11.602-04:00Cross A Boundary, Get A TextWhile savvy marketers have been using geotargeted strategies for years, they might be surprised about the many ways they can fine tune and better pinpoint marketing efforts with “goefencing” tactics.<br />
<br />
Geofencing adds an interesting weapon to the digital marketer’s arsenal, capable of making a serious impact on competitors in a local market tug of war for customers. The tool lets digital marketers identify prospects’ locations, using GPS or RFID to tailor customized texts and emails. A marketer can track its prospects’ location either by the use of a downloaded, branded app on the smartphone or via software that is capable of identifying location based on the customers’ visit to the brand’s website.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRnTD1qr6TdeDHdX_1UGDmx6Zc5y5lpJD5FVNPde9PG7RLfONghYRumhdOyft-KKbxyR_rxvLcIlkyig3F5oelRJAV9UwQvJSSCQqRP4GN9PIRpBHzGl7QDCPusfUEIQ_wlvh364jfCLG/s1600/Geofencing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRnTD1qr6TdeDHdX_1UGDmx6Zc5y5lpJD5FVNPde9PG7RLfONghYRumhdOyft-KKbxyR_rxvLcIlkyig3F5oelRJAV9UwQvJSSCQqRP4GN9PIRpBHzGl7QDCPusfUEIQ_wlvh364jfCLG/s320/Geofencing.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Geofencing helps retailers create virtual targeting boundaries</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A marketer can also deploy an unlimited number of tactical executions using geofencing. It could deploy a defensive strategy to ward off competitors’ attempts to siphon off their existing customers or it can use the strategy to conquest new prospects.<br />
<br />
For example, a local retailer who is using a geofencing platform, like <b><a href="http://cloudengage.com/case-studies/retailing/" target="_blank">Cloud Engage</a></b>, can draw a virtual fence around a competitors’ location so that each time a user crosses the virtual boundary he or she can be served up an incentive promotional text aimed at steering the prospect to the marketing retailer’s establishment instead.<br />
<br />
Not only can the marketer trigger a text when the prospect enters the virtual fence, but he or she can also customize the message based on a weekly or daily merchandising offer and/or a specific demographic, such as seniors visiting the website or using the app who have been identified as living in a retirement community area.<br />
<br />
After several years of mobile check-ins, geofencing appears to be taking location-based marketing to the next level.<br />
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TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-67807384625750702462015-07-13T17:24:00.002-04:002015-07-13T17:24:28.530-04:00Live Moment Social Media Experiences<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0.2in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">As brands look for more and more ways to ace consumer engagement, luxury brands too must find innovative ways to provide digital extensions to their onsite events. Swiss watchmaker <b><a href="https://shop-us.tagheuer.com/en/?&mkwid=sPxyFJPsi_dc&pcrid=76612972752&pmt=e&pkw=tag%20heuer&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=tag%20heuer&utm_campaign=TAG%20Heuer_Toronto_Core" target="_blank">Tag Heuer </a></b>recently used the latest live-streaming technology to stage a live digital ‘in-the-moment’ social media experience for its luxury clientele who couldn’t attend its live event in Paris. Tag Heuer hosted a tennis match outside its store on the Champs-Élysées, pitting brand ambassadors Maria Sharapova and Nei Nishikori against each other in a lighthearted game. By streaming the event on the mobile app Periscope, Tag Heuer ensured that consumers around the world would have real-time access to the event as it unfolded.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheikdjOguwwETSQQU8JLudk0JPRdS7usnE-SOFROckLxzpt98GhNjOu7gtKRBLWH12ZeVwKbiLkrHYzT5sg7aIB-innK43AFMhxKuOlJZXHHNMcBcPcob_VAl9kRU_WlqT2khE5_F2LqJE/s1600/tag-heuer-tennis-1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheikdjOguwwETSQQU8JLudk0JPRdS7usnE-SOFROckLxzpt98GhNjOu7gtKRBLWH12ZeVwKbiLkrHYzT5sg7aIB-innK43AFMhxKuOlJZXHHNMcBcPcob_VAl9kRU_WlqT2khE5_F2LqJE/s200/tag-heuer-tennis-1.png" width="200" /></a><br />
The match was part of Tag Heuer’s “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” campaign which highlighted the achievements of professional individuals with stressful careers. Both Ms. Sharapova and Mr. Nishikori are global tennis sensations who have won many tournaments and frequently face intense competitive situations.<br />
<br />
The informal tennis match was staged on the street in front of the Tag Heuer store on the Champs-Élysées, a highly trafficked tourist destination in Paris, where many luxury brands have storefronts. The location attracted a large crowd, which Tag Heuer amplified by leveraging social media. The brand posted regularly about the match on Twitter, sharing pictures and links to the Periscope app live feed.<br />
<br />
Tag Heuer concluded the integrated offline/online experience by sharing images of the two players on its Facebook page, giving consumers the opportunity to engage on a variety of social media platforms. The Swiss watchmaker’s “Don’t Crash Under Pressure” video, which featured celebrities and highlighted accomplishments of the brand, achieved viral results in the five weeks post release earlier this summer.<br />
<br />
But this initiative wasn’t just about impressions, as the brand was able to effectively grow its customer database and hence its pool of potential new leads.<br />
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TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-81052214477463660222015-07-10T11:59:00.000-04:002015-07-10T11:59:02.438-04:00Why Call Tracking Matters
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2BAQ4i1_Wz7HrrmfalkQlNY76tWBU_dxDwGpeHpx-eB8OhnSX4KYy0XgkHXmdvlwZG0-Tv2-TREuyUHF1wZ2MVM8PBbIV9TB0M8kzFBR87Qmz8Q-MwZ7Qs0nH5PrSeRE-_yOelOgKnvB/s1600/Tracking-social-media-leads-with-call-tracking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj2BAQ4i1_Wz7HrrmfalkQlNY76tWBU_dxDwGpeHpx-eB8OhnSX4KYy0XgkHXmdvlwZG0-Tv2-TREuyUHF1wZ2MVM8PBbIV9TB0M8kzFBR87Qmz8Q-MwZ7Qs0nH5PrSeRE-_yOelOgKnvB/s200/Tracking-social-media-leads-with-call-tracking.jpg" width="197" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">In today’s digital age there is no shortage of ways for
prospective car buyers to connect with automotive retailers. Consumers can complete
a short online form to receive more detailed information on a car or establish
a dialog with the retailer site’s chat function. These are great communication
starters, but the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>tried and true act of making a phone call is
still considered the most valuable path to eventual conversion. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And we live in a mobile obsessed society, where
making a phone call is as easy as pressing a number on a screen. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That’s why call tracking should still be a very important
part of a retailer’s metric toolbox. Here are some key stats to consider to
highlight the importance of tracking calls from your digital marketing
campaigns:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
• <strong>There are more than 2 billion smartphones globally<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>• Google studies have found that nearly half of mobile
consumers searching on their smartphones are more likely to explore other
brands when they can’t call a business directly from their search results.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• Click-to-call usage
on mobile devices has increased exponentially in recent years, and call
tracking analytics companies now drive more than 40 million calls per month in
the United States from Google AdWords.<o:p></o:p></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>
</strong></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>• 71% of most
advertisers search engine conversions occur on phone calls.<o:p></o:p></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">
Tracking phone calls is important for every retail business,
but it is especially important for businesses involved in high investment
purchases such as car or home purchases. Integrated Pay-Per-Click type mobile
ads as part of your digital marketing campaign allows you to track every one of
your phone conversions and have the ability to listen to any calls on a 24/7
basis.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-3180462547336745742015-07-09T08:00:00.000-04:002015-07-09T09:13:16.433-04:00Can You Turn On The Digital Stream?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9crvQBQDr3e1mwId2M-nVUTzYYOb0a9st0lLChHbGCBju8JdXPCYiJC5WEJZP24uulXO__wIjbRseFi20XYRoG8HVxc0xZmERNVzcBJjC-Ldy8jsOOc1_UUkatubBmnKSpGUciOlgpuwh/s1600/film-streaming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9crvQBQDr3e1mwId2M-nVUTzYYOb0a9st0lLChHbGCBju8JdXPCYiJC5WEJZP24uulXO__wIjbRseFi20XYRoG8HVxc0xZmERNVzcBJjC-Ldy8jsOOc1_UUkatubBmnKSpGUciOlgpuwh/s320/film-streaming.jpg" width="320" /></a>It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the act of watching “TV” is undergoing a major transformation. Just five years ago, live TV viewing in the traditional sense from a living or bedroom was how most people consumed TV content. But that was five years ago. Today, we live in a new video ecosystem, where online video and live TV co-exist amongst traditional cable offerings, apps, and digital streaming of live TV. In fact, a new GfK MRI study indicates that 28% of all “TV viewing” is now done via digital streaming.<br />
<br />
GfK MRI reports that accessing subscription or free online platforms using a personal computer or mobile device accounts for 16% of time spent with TV content. Streaming via a connected TV set accounts for another 9% and using other devices, including game consoles, covers another 3%.<br />
<br />
The study, which is part of GfK MRI's "The Future of TV" series, pretty much dispels that digital streaming is a trend. More so, it has become an integral way a growing number of viewers consume “TV” content.<br />
<br />
That’s significant for both traditional and digital rainmakers. The new video ecosystem makes it more challenging for marketers to deliver brand messages in the right format and context. They must learn to adapt to a whole new population of TV viewers because while time-honored TV experiences are still the viewing preference of many, social, mobile viewing and second-screen activities continue to transform the TV viewing experience. And that makes for terrific message personalization and targeting opportunities. <br />
<br />
Just imagine what a local food marketer can do when they realize a geotargeted user has logged onto their online movie streaming app and have posted to their social accounts that they’re “extremely hungry” for a great snack. A sharp creative executive might even serve up a digital message that read “it only takes 5 minutes to get your favorite gelato before you press play on that great movie.”TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-55049981915204976642015-07-08T15:59:00.004-04:002015-07-08T15:59:36.874-04:00Share Smart Content To Reap LeadsYou’ve just delivered a fantastic presentation at an industry or major business conference and by the level of questions and attendees who wanted to speak to you after the session, you realized that your content was very appealing. Sure, conference organizers will share it with delegates, but why not consider sharing to a much broader interest-segmented business audience online. The exposure just may, not only broaden your positioning as a thought leader in your space, but also contribute to measurable demand generation for your product, service or expertise. <br /><br />Presentation and document sharing sites like <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/featured/category/automotive"><b>SlideShare</b></a> are often overlooked as a viable way for B2B marketers to share industry leading insights and thought leadership which could help to tip the balance for potential long or short sales cycle customers researching online. <br /><br />Your SlideShare homepage can actually act as an additional website, where users can read details about your firm, products and services and download content you’ve shared. Slide presentations can be embedded within your own company website for visitors to consume on your own site and there are a range of social platform 'sharing buttons' to let others know about your great content. <br /><br />You can tag your presentations, reports or Infographics with keywords to make them easy to find by others and add a short description of the content. You can upload an audio file if you’d like to narrate your presentation.<br /><br />Last, but certainly not least, you can get statistics showing views, downloads and other real-time data to see just how fruitful your sharing experience was.<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi436NWCZISTn2xQVA5KisCZkc4n1SE0Sts0Wen0CtAUcdnDykDmdFsWBp_fWOj8uNehCmsB2qPQdGWW901mOIIQ3MEf0eUKUD9CnFIJnA3AFLF_TLXuqQchDTgUGt-ZBGbXc8J5gLO0D0z/s1600/SlideShare.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi436NWCZISTn2xQVA5KisCZkc4n1SE0Sts0Wen0CtAUcdnDykDmdFsWBp_fWOj8uNehCmsB2qPQdGWW901mOIIQ3MEf0eUKUD9CnFIJnA3AFLF_TLXuqQchDTgUGt-ZBGbXc8J5gLO0D0z/s320/SlideShare.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-48692323952995550622015-07-07T13:50:00.000-04:002015-07-07T13:50:07.897-04:00Make Customer Acquisition Summer Fun<span style="font-family: inherit;">The summer months of July and August are usually difficult for customer outreach because of vacations. As a savvy digital marketer, you should be using this time to grow your customer database as you head into the Fall and Holiday Season. Here are some ways you could fire up acquisition activities and make it Summer fun:</span><div>
<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leverage the Summer season with fun online contests and referral programs. Running clever contests on your social media assets can be a great way to have content shared and generate net new email subscribers. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">If your brand has a mobile app, request an email address as part of registration or even as a push notification once you see activity from a user on the app. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Facebook Custom Audiences can be a good way to find valuable customer "look-alikes". Drive clicks to an email registration page, so you can immediately start generating ROI on your paid media investment through the lower CPM email channel. </span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: inherit;">Make sure your website has an email gate on the homepage and even on special sale pages to collect email addresses. But always offer customers a way to access exclusive content without forcing them to sign up, as those who don’t want email will only unsubscribe from your lists.</span></li>
</ul>
<br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODTa4mFV3o2Pr1igj5BM-5UTyZt4Y1CWUmm3oRWimfkf7haetyAJb1wvXgSrm4Y0KkSXOBtcAmHJXTR2UQHzEQWQfjGaSYLBsuJHrN1HWuJoxExK_F2trOckMHe8_duHBSYb1j0a9MlAB/s1600/geofencing1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiODTa4mFV3o2Pr1igj5BM-5UTyZt4Y1CWUmm3oRWimfkf7haetyAJb1wvXgSrm4Y0KkSXOBtcAmHJXTR2UQHzEQWQfjGaSYLBsuJHrN1HWuJoxExK_F2trOckMHe8_duHBSYb1j0a9MlAB/s200/geofencing1.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Use GeoFencing In Your Brand's App To Drive Signups</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Finally, if your brand hosts special events or has brick and mortar locations, leverage "geofencing" with your app or in-store signage to drive a special offer for email sign-up. For example, if a potential customer enters one of your stores and is using your app, push a message asking for email registration in exchange for an offer that can be redeemed on that visit. <br /><br />You can also use store signage to get a store visitor to send an SMS text message to opt in to email. If you this tactic, provide an offer that can be redeemed that day and immediately start generating a measurable return on the effort.</span></div>
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-90591388166219026632015-07-06T18:11:00.001-04:002015-07-06T18:11:14.421-04:00Video Content- King For Businesses Too!<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The rising popularity of online video as a preferred medium for receiving key content is not a trend lost among B2B executives. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">More than 80 percent of senior executives have watched more online video in 2015 than they
did last year and 75 percent of executives are watching business-related videos
on a weekly basis according to a recent <b>Brainshark</b> business survey. One of the key pieces of feedback in the survey was that more than </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">59 percent of executives would rather watch a video than read an
article.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That's not surprising because today’s technology has made the creation and delivery of video easier than ever, allowing more companies to create compelling content at lower costs with higher ROI. Combine that with the rapid popularity of social media sharing and the universal use of mobile devices, and it’s clear why more businesses are leveraging video to increase brand awareness<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">and attract new customers. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So all B2B marketers should take note and understand how they can increase their effectiveness in online lead generation by incorporating video content as a top digital marketing strategy. Your video content will generally fall into four classifications:</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfH7_gt9zM5ORWTicJ3AxVr3Hm7tFINGbUO7wctCQJwIGAhjoo8yCK6Vo9XgPu-bh-8pqF280AS1UV9-JsQJL2YelEo1y2bsoXV22zoyCDoSEw9GMsId2EzoBUp3FSF6NoBIWHiHeUi-Jm/s1600/video-reel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfH7_gt9zM5ORWTicJ3AxVr3Hm7tFINGbUO7wctCQJwIGAhjoo8yCK6Vo9XgPu-bh-8pqF280AS1UV9-JsQJL2YelEo1y2bsoXV22zoyCDoSEw9GMsId2EzoBUp3FSF6NoBIWHiHeUi-Jm/s320/video-reel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Online Video Content Gaining Popularity Among Executives</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">• <b>Videos providing a general overview of your business and its
offerings<o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>• Videos focusing on specific products, services and recent updates</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>• Product-focused videos with messaging geared toward specific </b></span><b style="font-family: Calibri;">verticals and markets for targeted campaigns</b><br />
<b style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b>• Product demonstrations</b></span><br />
<br />TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-19947227895761298732015-07-02T10:38:00.001-04:002015-07-02T10:38:31.159-04:00Facebook-Inbound Marketing For B2Bers<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">Social media and inbound marketing are increasingly important assets for businesses to get found by and engage with potential buyers on the web. Think about the way you find information about products and services – are you watching TV ads? Or are you going to a search engine or a friend? People have gotten better and better at ignoring marketing messages with DVRs, caller ID, and spam filters, and instead go to Google and social networks for answers to their questions. The key for you and your business is: will your brand be there to answer them. </span><span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">Facebook is not just a community for non-profits, clubs or groups or irrelevant for marketers – even for you B2B folks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<span style="font-size: 14.6666669845581px;">Facebook is a tool for connecting people and marketers have an opportunity to use the platform to expand their online footprint and engage with customers directly. Of course measurement is key to the use of any social media tool and below is a brief list of metrics that can help you assess the performance of your Facebook assets for business.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">Here are a few
of the metrics to consider:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">1)
Reach: </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Total number of fans, group
members, and/or friends. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">2) Engagement: </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">Level of engagement and number of conversations with
potential and current customers and fans. Facebook’s built-in analytics,
Insights, lets you track valuable metrics such as page views, wall posts,
discussion threads, and photo views. Check out the Insights for your page by
visiting your page and clicking on “View Insights” in the left-hand navigation.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default" style="margin-bottom: .9pt;">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">3)
Facebook Grade: </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The overall marketing
effectiveness of your profile or page. Visit http://Facebook.Grader.com to
grade your profile or page for free. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="Default">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">4) Impact on Sales Funnel: </span></b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">The number of visitors from Facebook to your website
that convert into leads and customers. Use a marketing analytics program to
track the impact on your sales funnel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Tracking these metrics over time can help you measure the
ROI of using Facebook and be smarter about how to use Facebook as an ongoing
part of your inbound marketing strategy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6d1_NAttrwJH_iwTHR7UEF6-be8t_e9-UOQZtM2tmzv6og0CkCn6t_sNcAQEzYBIwIdwSjAkvfPFTaUyn18iU5HulhLNFKPg_bMwb-cx9xhqA39ypI55lJOdE4UOpkaSVTHkfISvFVFz3/s1600/Facebook+Analytics.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6d1_NAttrwJH_iwTHR7UEF6-be8t_e9-UOQZtM2tmzv6og0CkCn6t_sNcAQEzYBIwIdwSjAkvfPFTaUyn18iU5HulhLNFKPg_bMwb-cx9xhqA39ypI55lJOdE4UOpkaSVTHkfISvFVFz3/s400/Facebook+Analytics.PNG" width="400" /></a></div>
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TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-52023821837503170312015-07-01T13:20:00.000-04:002015-07-01T13:20:17.230-04:00Loyalty Goes Social in Travel<div>
The travel industry has begun to effectively leverage the many facets of Social Media and its applications to their core business. In many cases, social media has completely changed the way travel brands are rewarding consumers for their loyalty. For example, Jet Blue’s <a href="http://apps.facebook.com/jbgoplaces/?ref=ts">Go Places app</a>, rewards customers for checking-in at Jet Blue Terminals using <a href="http://www.facebook.com/places">Facebook Places</a>. Customers unlock official badges and reward points for real rewards. Tripadvisor recognizes its most loyal reviewers and community members by featuring them in its <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/TAOffer-a_wid.TopReviewersLander">Tripadvisor’s star reviewers</a> and their reviews / forum posts. </div>
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-19825216170805302702014-11-18T17:04:00.000-05:002014-11-18T17:04:20.231-05:00Turkey Stuffing and Shopping
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEaU1LYa-krQSmWkY5UFUHsR4JY7bGhbGOa9Dvjrai3_F8iFV6kx6LruCjN5p8XT1qW5RybYqBtlID0Rl4qB1NDQMjzGpETAdojwAje8oTbRoaC4lY3Wbd826727WR4SA-Q8yxHt9VHhy/s1600/Thanks+phones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidEaU1LYa-krQSmWkY5UFUHsR4JY7bGhbGOa9Dvjrai3_F8iFV6kx6LruCjN5p8XT1qW5RybYqBtlID0Rl4qB1NDQMjzGpETAdojwAje8oTbRoaC4lY3Wbd826727WR4SA-Q8yxHt9VHhy/s1600/Thanks+phones.jpg" height="264" width="320" /></a><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you see
family members tapping away at their smartphones or tablets during Thanksgiving
dinner, they could possibly be sneaking in their first holiday purchases. Mobile
will account for 31 percent of online sales on Turkey Day, compared to 21
percent in 2013, according to an Adobe holidays shopping forecast recently
released. That represents nearly a 48 percent year-over-year increase, and they
build on 2014's biggest digital marketing trend. Smartphones and tablets will
account for $1.6 billion in sales on Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber
Monday combined, according to the Adobe forecast report, which predicted that
those three days would generate approximately $6.5 billion in sales across
mobile devices and desktops. Adobe processed and presented its data in its
third annual Holiday Retail Report, which uses predictive analytics. The software
giant looked at more than a trillion visits on 4,500 retail websites from the
past six years—as well as 20 billion visits from last month—to arrive at its
findings.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In addition,
here are a few more of Adobe's stats that should interest not only marketers
but shoppers too.</span> </span><br />
<ul>
<li>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Online prices will hit rock bottom on Thanksgiving, lower than during any other 24-hour period in the holiday season. The average discount will be 24 percent.<o:p></o:p></span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sales in November and December are expected to account for roughly 27 percent of the total U.S. annual online sales.</span></span></li>
<li><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There will be five times as many out-of-stock messages on Cyber Monday compared to previous years.</span></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">According to Adobe's survey of more than 400 U.S. consumers, 25 percent of them will consult social media before buying gift, while 40 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds are likely to use social networks for gift ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></o:p></span></li>
</ul>
<br />TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-14516966099589311412014-04-10T12:29:00.006-04:002023-04-09T10:33:04.443-04:00Best Practices in E-Commerce
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdoVyG3NzSDjiscMdLrFJadrcLffUpjDbZizQDfu8UQ8WlqgYfHKCEQYWxKoEcURKcNphJwBQOVia_1r5EwoDKUCpGNi9z9NxQZIcUnzacaR_1GiZiBAQ5Ztt8XDcPdt0ZD5mU8Igx6z6/s1600/nDure_Logo_WB+(1).jpg" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="154" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqdoVyG3NzSDjiscMdLrFJadrcLffUpjDbZizQDfu8UQ8WlqgYfHKCEQYWxKoEcURKcNphJwBQOVia_1r5EwoDKUCpGNi9z9NxQZIcUnzacaR_1GiZiBAQ5Ztt8XDcPdt0ZD5mU8Igx6z6/s1600/nDure_Logo_WB+(1).jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.TheTravelCapsule.etsy.com">www.TheTravelCapsule.etsy.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the past several years, e-commerce has transformed how people buy
and sell. The Internet provides a fast and easy way for people to purchase
things without having to visit an actual bricks and mortar store. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><a href="https://thetravelcapsule.etsy.com/" target="_blank">online store</a></b> can reach customers anywhere in the world. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, online shopping has become so popular
that many vendors sell only online with no physical location. E-commerce also
facilitates the purchase of digital media with instant downloadable delivery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today's top e-commerce site builders take all
of these factors into account. Online businesses are also quickly evolving to adjust
in times of economic hardship by offering steeper discounts, flat-rate
shipping, loyalty programs, and other perks. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many e-commerce site builders make it easy to
run promotions and keep your customers happy. So if you’re thinking about
opening an online store, keep these three things in mind: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Storage Space<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some e-commerce site builders put a cap on your sales, so choose a
platform that offers you the inventory space and bandwidth to fit your needs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Safety Protocols</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Choose a platform that offers fraud protection and Secure Socket Layer
(SSL) encryption. This is for the protection of you and your customers. SSL
technology makes it possible to send online payments securely and is a must-have
on all e-commerce sites.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Site Design</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Your e-commerce solution should have a user-friendly interface. The
functions of each tool should be clear and it should be easy to select your
desired options. Remember the needs of your customers. Imagine that you're
shopping your own online store. Well-designed menus, filters, and sorting
options will minimize the amount of time it takes to find a product and
purchase it. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-67192621677370953442014-02-18T23:26:00.000-05:002014-02-18T23:29:00.303-05:00Making Customers Brand Ambassadors<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPTZ7xgmK7f78PCn9mBiog4AAsy1d5H1KNO3CvJZrUwz220TmZ1hFilI2fshAnmP520zdnBiUUVTIn5soIknqDRTqKGh4NqxNJNPvJlv7N6P6ehKfVqL_SjlpEPinWc_v4uIcnt7cTLex/s1600/lumalive_shirts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYPTZ7xgmK7f78PCn9mBiog4AAsy1d5H1KNO3CvJZrUwz220TmZ1hFilI2fshAnmP520zdnBiUUVTIn5soIknqDRTqKGh4NqxNJNPvJlv7N6P6ehKfVqL_SjlpEPinWc_v4uIcnt7cTLex/s1600/lumalive_shirts.jpg" height="259" width="320" /></a>The spirits giant Pernod Ricard is beta-testing a social network for bar tenders and introducing an Absolute-branded website which shows videos on how to make as many as 3,500 cocktails. Those are the moves you'd expect from an industry leader efficiently leveraging the digital marketing space. However, it's their breakout, creative drive to develop the "world's first Internet-enabled t-shirt" that has intrigued many marketers. The project, developed in partnership with wearable tech makers<strong><a href="http://mashable.com/2012/08/08/internet-connected-t-shirt/" target="_blank"> Switch</a></strong>, is testing a washable, digital t-shirt in 20 markets in the coming months that lets wearers display personalized and animated messages in real-time. The t-shirt OS 2.0 initiative builds on a campaign the brand ran in 2012, which was billed as the “world’s first Internet-enabled t-shirt”. Interesting move by Pernod Ricard. Imagine converting your customers into brand ambassador "walkers".<br />
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<br />TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-71816338790742584032014-01-30T11:05:00.000-05:002014-01-30T11:05:45.597-05:00Earned User Content = Marketing Ammo<a href="http://socialmediatoday.com/sites/socialmediatoday.com/files/imagepicker/78335/2_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="User generated content is word of mouth king for marketers" border="0" src="http://socialmediatoday.com/sites/socialmediatoday.com/files/imagepicker/78335/2_2.jpg" height="169" title="User generated content is word of mouth king for marketers" width="200" /></a><br />
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Rainmakers know that great content is a key component to any digital marketing initiative, but when that content is user generated, its value multiplies. The travel sector is by nature a social segment as people always want to tell others what a great time they had visiting a destination or how their expectations were not met by the experience. Sites like Tripadvisor understand the value of earned media in the form of reviews so they support a campaign to recognize its most loyal reviewers and community members. The initiative showcases <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.com/TAOffer-a_wid.TopReviewersLander">Tripadvisor’s star reviewers</a> and their reviews. Great way to engage users and build credible content. Can't wait to read about all the Super Bowl experiences in New Jersey and New York City!TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2461251021819270704.post-13612012937424945022013-02-05T15:34:00.000-05:002013-02-05T15:34:36.491-05:00My TV - Anywhere, Anytime<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBukRr0cHK8HncSAbtNhncLtP9RSnjeV2xhT1wOme6TSKfpIJkB2jrPU-O083JsngCF8LNlVnf9et0jwNypjxjHc9JSdr__qRYmDj5Lk2eOlRyePnFB2fqvuoq5KcwPF9Cf0AzDERoSoZ/s1600/tablet+tv.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMBukRr0cHK8HncSAbtNhncLtP9RSnjeV2xhT1wOme6TSKfpIJkB2jrPU-O083JsngCF8LNlVnf9et0jwNypjxjHc9JSdr__qRYmDj5Lk2eOlRyePnFB2fqvuoq5KcwPF9Cf0AzDERoSoZ/s1600/tablet+tv.png" title="Tablet TV viewing will exceed 58 billion hours by 2017" /></a>This past Holiday Season the tablet proved to be the consumer electronic gift of choice positioning itself as a more promising marketing and e-commerce platform than the smartphone. In a new research report <strong><a href="http://tdgresearch.com/research-reports/tablet-diffusion-and-its-impact-on-video-use-forecasts-and-recommendations/" target="_blank">TDG</a></strong> boldly predicts that by 2017 U.S. tablet owners will view 58 billion hours of video on tablets, well beyond the 38 billion hours of total video viewed in 2011 online and via set top boxes connected to TVs. While the 58 billion hours still pales by comparison to the 520 billion hours viewed via TV, this trend points to an interesting possibility. Can you imagine the targeting if consumers adopted their tablets as their personal TV channel? Tablets could revolutionize personalization and portability and change the TV viewing experience, which for decades has been tied to a room. True portability untethers TV from a place and from the communal experience and imagine the added services that a Rainmaker who controls the pipe could create with a little imagination and a lot of targetable information?TheDigitalRaindancehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02334089863503248175noreply@blogger.com1