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Although roughly 3 in 4 SMBs use email marketing tactics such as organic list growth and web-based sign-up forms to generate leads, just 41% include a sign-up form on their Facebook fan pages, according to a survey released in February 2012 by GetResponse. And while a majority optimize their newsletters with clear, recognizable, branded from field names and addresses, less than half include social sharing icons in their newsletters.
SMBs appear to be behind the curve in this regard: according to a survey released in February 2012 by Econsultancy, in partnership with the Email Experience Council of the DMA, 69% of US organizations are including social sharing icons in their emails, while a further 13% have a plan in place to do so.

Segmentation Also Not Widespread

Data from GetResponse’s “The State of Email Marketing in SMBs” indicates that only 42% of the SMBs surveyed segment their lists based on either subscriber personal data or subscriber actions, such as opens and clicks. List hygiene is poor, too: just 38% report removing inactive contacts, and only 36% try to re-engage them through re-activation campaigns. SMBs also seem to be ignoring the risks posed by bad addresses: only 53% use mailing systems that automatically process soft and hard bounces and take appropriate actions to the addresses.

Legal Compliance Better, Though

72% of respondents indicate that they use a confirmed opt-in email model, and 71% provide unsubscribe links in their emails. Overall, the marketers surveyed cited an average deliverability rate of about 97%, with the vast majority reporting no problems with delivery to most major client inboxes.

Largest SMBs Not as Socially Integrated

SMBs with more than 500 employees tended to report higher adoption of various list building and sign-up form optimization strategies, such as using sign-up forms to grow lists, collecting contacts offline using paper sign-up forms, and telling subscribers specifically what they will receive. However, these larger companies were far less likely than companies with 11-250 employees to run a Facebook page with a newsletter sign-up form (57% vs. 82%), indicating that they may be underestimating the power of social media integration. Similarly, they were less likely than companies with 11-250 employees or 251-500 employees to use social sharing icons.

Other Findings:

• Most SMBs have adopted measures such as regular mailings (70%), personalization (58%), compelling subject line (68%), and stats analysis (61%).
• 69% of respondents indicated that they have a complaint ratio below 0.2%.

For more on email and social integration, visit MarketingVox.

About the Data: The GetResponse data was collected from November 14-28, 2011 from approximately 600 respondents classified in 4 groups based on the business unit size.

B2B Marketers Struggle With Compelling Content

41% of B2B marketers say that producing the kind of content that engages prospects and customers is their biggest content marketing challenge, representing a 14% increase from 36% of respondents in 2010, according to [download page] a December 2011 study by MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute. Data from “B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends” indicates that respondents are also grappling with two challenges that go hand in hand: producing enough content (20%), and having the budget to produce enough content (18%). A lack of buy-in from higher-ups in the company (12%), producing a variety of content (7%), and having the budget to license content (1%) are primary challenges to relatively fewer B2B marketers.

Budgets Are a Challenge, But Spending to Increase

Although 1 in 5 B2B marketers cite having sufficient content marketing budgets as their primary challenge, data from the study indicates that content marketing spending is on the rise. Although roughly 26% of marketers’ total budgets are allocated to content marketing efforts this year, the same as in 2010, this year 60% of respondents indicate they will increase spending on content marketing in 2012, compared to just 3% that say they will decrease their spending levels.

The average amount of budget spent on content marketing appears to vary significantly by company size, with a negative correlation between size and budget share. For example, companies with fewer than 10 employees spend 34% of their budgets on content marketing, whereas companies with more than 1000 employees allocate 20% of their budgets.

Meanwhile, outsourcing also appears to be on the rise: whereas in 2010 only 55% of marketers used outsourcing in some capacity, this year that proportion has risen to 62%. When seeking out the right vendors to support content marketing, marketers use a variety of resources, with the biggest increase from last year seen in the use of consultants (32% vs. 27%) and the biggest decrease found in the use of trade shows as a venue to find support (20% vs. 26%).

Brand Awareness, Customer Acquisition Lead All Goals

Brand awareness and customer acquisition are content marketers’ top goals, cited by 68% of survey respondents. Lead generation (66%) and customer retention/loyalty (61%) follow closely, with website traffic (56%), engagement (55%), and thought leadership (55%) also goals for a majority of marketers. Almost half cite sales as a goal, while just 39% report using content marketing for lead management/nurturing.

Content marketing goals appear to be fairly unrelated to overall digital marketing goals: according to a November report from Webmarketing 123, lead generation (46.4%) is by far the most important objective of digital programs for B2B marketers, outstripping sales generation (22.2%), brand awareness development (15.3%), and site traffic generation (11.1%).

Web Traffic Top Success Indicator

Although web traffic is not a top goal among content marketers, it is the leading indicator of success, cited by 58% of respondents. Sales lead quality (49%) follows, while direct sales, sales lead quantity, qualitative feedback from customers, and SEO ranking are measurement criteria to roughly 4 in 10. The least popular indicator of success is inbound links, cited by 30% of marketers.

According to the November Webmarketing123 study, the vast majority (73.9%) of B2B digital marketers use web traffic as a measurement of campaign success, ahead of lead generation (69.2%) website click-through rate (64.7%), and sales (62.5%).

Mobile Marketers Most Interested in Apps, Barcodes

Mobile apps (43%) and mobile barcodes (41%) rank highest as mobile marketing strategies companies would be interested in deploying in the next 12 months, according to [pdf] a December 2011 survey from AT&T. Data from the survey indicates that banner ads (40%) follow closely as a potential strategy, with mobile web (35%) and SMS messages (34%) not far behind and digital signage (17%) appearing the least desired.

According to a November 2011 study from the e-tailing group, sponsored by Bronto, SMS marketing tactics are far less likely to be used by marketers than other mobile capabilities such as mobile commerce sites and mobile applications. Just 14% of marketers currently collect SMS opt-in from customers in all channels, while only 7% text to send out marketing messages, and 6% text to send out transactional support messages such as confirmations and order status. Between one-quarter and one-third of respondents plan to employ these capabilities in the next 12 months.

By contrast, 29% of respondents said they currently use a mobile commerce site, with a further 42% planning to employ one in the next year. 19% reported currently employing a mobile application, with 27% more planning use in the next year.

Mobile Programs To Increase

88% of respondents to the AT&T survey expect their mobile marketing program to increase in the next 12 months, while 52% reporting use of mobile marketing as part of their overall marketing strategy. Of those who do not currently have a mobile marketing strategy, more than half plan to implement one in 2012. Meanwhile, of those who do use a strategy, 51% say they are still trialing mobile marketing, while 46% say it is an integral aspect of select marketing initiatives.

Consumer Demand Will Determine Barcode Adoption

87% of marketers say that consumer demand is an important or very important criterion for them to increase their use of mobile barcodes, followed closely by the proportion who cite cost structure (84%) and security (83%). Perhaps marketers should look to mothers first for demand: according to a November 2011 joint study between BabyCenter and comScore, just 4% of mothers say they would not use a QR code, compared to 19% of the general population.

Overall, two-thirds of marketers responding to the AT&T survey agree that mobile barcodes will drive innovation in mobile marketing in the next year. 44% of respondents believe barcodes can help brands engage with customers, while one-third believe they can increase awareness of products and services.

Facebook has officially started rolling out its new Timeline feature that will enable users to show off the most important moments of their lives on their profile page.

The new feature, which was unveiled in early September, will first be introduced in New Zealand before it is rolled out to other countries, the company revealed on its Facebook blog today.

Facebook said Timeline would keep important life events on profile pages while less-important posts would drop off .

"Now you can share photos of what you did last weekend, and updates about how you feel today," the company said in a previous blog post.

"But since the focus is on the most recent things you posted, more important stuff slips off the page. The photos of your graduation get replaced by updates about what you had for breakfast."

The new feature will allow users to choose which life events, such as birthdays or weddings, are permanently illustrated on their profile.

Timeline raised privacy concerns in its development stage, after it was revealed it would be visible on the Timeline when you "unfriended" certain people, social media website Mashable reports.

Facebook said this was a glitch that had since been corrected.

Story: www.ninemsn.com.au

US President Barack Obama has launched an initiative to develop new manufacturing jobs, in a move that will see more than 500 million dollars invested in advanced technologies.

The initiative will team up government, companies and universities and aims to speed the development of a new generation of American-made high-technology products.

The program will leverage existing federal funds and future deferral departmental budgets to invest in domestic manufacturing capabilities deemed critical to US national security.

View the original article here

A new cutting-edge technology that detects and diagnoses breast cancer has become available in the US.

Breast-Specific Gamma Imaging (BSGI) can detect lesions that are so small, they don’t show up on a traditional mammogram, providing early detection and treatment.

BSGI requires the patient to be injected with a low-dose radioactive tracer. That tracer is absorbed into cancerous cells, which then light up on the image.

A mammogram detects about 85 percent of breast cancers in women, and doctors say BSGI could be more reliable in uncovering cancers that we wouldn’t see any other way.

The technology is also useful both for newly diagnosed patients and high-risk women who carry the breast-cancer gene BRCA.

View the original article here

Pokies technology that allows players to choose whether or not to curb their spending is the best way to stop problem gambling, Victoria says.

Gaming ministers from around the country will meet in Canberra on Friday to discuss federal Labor’s plans to crack down on pokies, based on an agreement it made with independent MP Andrew Wilkie last year which helped it form a minority government.

One idea on the table is the introduction of a mandatory pre-commitment scheme, which would require patrons to nominate their maximum losses before they started gambling.

But Victorian Gaming Minister Michael O’Brien said that approach infringed on peoples individual rights.

He argued optional pre-commitment technology on every poker machine in the state, combined with the removal of ATMs from gaming venues from July 1 next year, made Victoria’s anti-gambling package tougher than the commonwealth’s.

‘We think we have a far more effective integrated package that will work, whereas the Wilkie deal is basically born of a quick political fix,’ Mr O’Brien told ABC Radio.

He vowed Victoria would not sign up to any reform plan today if it included mandatory pre-commitment technology.

Federal Families and Community Services Minister Jenny Macklin said she was pleased that at least there was consensus that pre-commitment technology was a useful tool.

‘That’s an important first step,’ she said.

But Victoria’s plan to keep the system purely voluntary wouldn’t be enough to stop problem gambling, Ms Macklin said.

That’s because even if someone uses the technology in the first instance, they can just take their pre-commitment card out of the machine and play on once they’ve reached their limit.

‘It’s not actually going to help the problem gambler,’ the minister said.

‘It’s like saying to people, ‘The seat belt is in your car but you don’t have to use it’.’

Ms Macklin said there were a number of anti-gambling strategies on the agenda for Friday’s meeting, such as pokies display warnings, club ATM restrictions and online betting.

‘We understand how important it is to act on a number of fronts,’ she said, adding there was still time for detailed consultations with the states on the issue.

The government has vowed to have the legislation ready by mid-next year, with Ms Macklin ‘hopeful’ all premiers and chief ministers will support it.

Labor will need the votes of key independents to have the draft laws passed in parliament, but Tony Windsor has already flagged his opposition to the scheme.

Ms Macklin said the government would keep talking with the crossbenchers and stressed how important it was to act on problem gambling.

View the original article here

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At Google one of our key philosophies is to take risks and to experiment. To that end, in July 2009 we announced the ability to find property for sale or rent directly on Google Maps. This is one of the “search options” next to the search box on Google Maps, and is currently available in the US, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Japan.

In part due to low usage, the proliferation of excellent property-search tools on real estate websites, and the infrastructure challenge posed by the impending retirement of the Google Base API (used by listing providers to submit listings), we’ve decided to discontinue the real estate feature within Google Maps on February 10, 2011.

We’ve learned a lot and been excited to see real estate companies use Google Maps in innovative ways to help people find places to live, such as Coldwell Banker’s use of Google Maps and YouTube, or Realtor.com’s Android app that lets you draw a shape on a map to find all properties you’re interested in.

Yet we recognize that there might be better, more effective ways to help people find local real estate information than the current feature makes possible. We’ll continue to explore this area, but in the meantime, Google offers other options to home-seekers: you can still access other information in Maps such as local businesses, directions and transit times, as well as aerial and Street View imagery to explore where you might want to move, and also use Google search results to find helpful real estate information and websites.

Real estate companies can also continue to use tools from Google to help connect with buyers and renters who use the Internet to research properties. For example, companies can use the Google Maps API to embed customized maps that are useful to potential clients right on their own web pages. Our Google for real estate professionals site contains various methods for generating leads and improving real estate business operations.

Posted by Brian McClendon, VP, Google Earth and Maps

Swatting down recent rumors that it’s launching an e-mail killer, Facebook today unveiled a new messaging system that will envelope e-mail, instant messages, Facebook messages and SMS.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg launched what he calls a "modern messaging system" to handle the convergence of different kinds of messages and bring them together under one social umbrella. The system, which has been in the works for about 15 months, is designed to save all messages for five years, meaning users will have a history of their communications.

Although people will now be able to have a facebook.com e-mail address, Andrew Bosworth, a software engineer at Facebook, noted that the new system will work with other e-mail systems, such as Gmail and Yahoo mail.

"People should share however they want to share," said Bosworth. "If you want to send me an e-mail and I want to get it in a text message, that should work."

At this point, the messaging system — code-named Titan — will not include voice chat. Zuckerberg said that should be coming down the road, but offered no timeline.

More than four billion messages are sent every day on Facebook, with the vast majority of the messages between two people, according to Zuckerberg. And about 350 million people use Facebook to message their friends and family members.

He said he started thinking about those numbers after talking with a group of high school students who told him that they rarely use e-mail. It’s too slow, they told him. "I was kind of boggled by this," Zuckerberg said. "I remember having a similar conversation with my parents about why e-mail was good and regular mail was slow…. At Facebook, we’re all so used to using e-mail. It’s interesting to see that all kinds of folks don’t see it that way."

So Facebook decided to create a new messaging system that would include e-mail, expand on the concept and tie in other means of communication as well. "It’s not e-mail," said Zuckerberg. "It handles email, in addition to Facebook messages, and IM and SMS. People are going to be able to have facebook.com email addresses but this won’t be the primary way people use this system."

For the last three or four days, the Internet has been abuzz with speculation that Facebook was getting ready to launch an e-mail killer. Zuckerberg kicked off today’s news event by saying that’s not the case.

"There was a lot of press leading up to this saying this is an e-mail killer," he added. "This is not an e-mail killer. It’s a messaging system that has e-mail as one part of it. I don’t expect people to wake up tomorrow and say, ‘I’m going to shut down my Yahoo account or my Gmail account.’ We expect that more people will IM and more people will message just because it’s simpler and easier and it’s more fun and valuable to use."