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Second Screen Marketing on Dose of Digital

2nd-screen-mediaTablets are poised to change everything about how we consume media. The living room experience is now distributed across devices ranging from laptops to smartphones to gaming consoles. TV now has to share our attention with email, text messages, and even other video content.

Devices like the iPad and the Nexus 7 are making TV personal, actionable, and merging broadcast media with search. My guest post on WPP’s Dose of Digital outlines how the “second screens” we all use will change the way TV is watched and how marketers communicate with audiences.

Read the post: Second Screen Marketing on Dose of Digital

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Excited About The Content Strategy Buzz!

Content StrategistThe last few months have had the web (to be precise, the geeky community that design, develops and writes for the web) buzzing about Content Strategy. This new function of web development and marketing is the flavor du jour for savvy agencies and web shops. Like the Social Media Specialist before it, this new position is a requirement for success for digital projects! Or is it?I’m typically very skeptical about trends that come so quickly and offer a silver bullet for every problem. The position of, or at least the practice of Content Strategist is one of these cases.

From a practical stand-point, the Content Strategist role is not a new skillset, it’s a focused role of an editor, writer, or information architect. The short version of this job role would be to look at a website’s content and structure to be sure that it is addressing the needs of it’s audience, niche audiences, the needs of the client and has a place in the market that is relevant and competitive.

Unlike other iterations of buzzword bingo positions, recognizing the need for a key team member to manage the content for large website projects is a huge benefit.

The itch that this team member will scratch is channeling the entire editorial effort of the project to several focused goals. While writers are dealing with specific pieces of the puzzle, and editors how the puzzle is held together, The Content Strategist will be looking at the picture the puzzle makes and where each piece will lay.

Anatomy Of An eMail

Anatomy of an emaileMails have been part of the marketer’s arsenal since the first websites sprouted from the digital protozoa. They lack the flair of social media, the metrics of websites, or the sizzle of YouTube. They are still a very valuable resource and a great way to engage an audience.

I’ve put together an basic outline of what makes for a strong marketing email. This is a good primer for anyone who is getting started in emarketing or if you’re starting to see the trend back towards the use of emails and email newsletters.

Anatomy of an email CLICK TO ENLARGE

 

Mobile Response With Zoove

ZOOVE quick response is an alternative to qr codes with a simpler call to action for end usersI really like QR Codes. I think they’re quick, easy and reliable ways to enable mobile call-to-actions. I also like that it’s an open and license-free standard. This is all great stuff-provided that you have a smartphone (or QR Code software for a non smartphone).

What do you do if you want to have someone respond “on-the-go” who doesn’t have a smartphone? Enter Zoove. Zoove is service that makes short-code call-to-action easy. Their service allows your customers (or users) to send an SMS text that is between 2 and 12 characters prefaced by “**” and get an automated response containing a URL, coupon, mobile application, video, etc,.

What does Zoove really give you? I’m exposed to a very wide variety of customer types and use cases in my professional career. There are a lot of instances where QR Codes just are not a good fit for a particular audience. In those cases, Zoove offers a very low barrier to entry and a very nice way to introduce new markets to immediate response options like real-time coupons, instant discounts and providing video or other easy-to-understand product information. With 72% of the U.S. cell phone market texting, there is a huge opportunity for utilizing the solution that Zoove is offering with short-code messaging.

What could go wrong? Zoove, and other short-code solutions, do have a barrier to entry for end-users: Giving up their cell phone numbers. Unlike QR Codes which do not require that users share any information, texting a brand, gives the perception for the user that they are giving up their private cell phone number. The perception is a big factor. Despite the fact that responsible marketers like Zoove, provide controls for users, users are not very keen on making their personal information available to marketers.

Take aways: QR Codes are still a great way to reach mobile users–especially with smart phone sales taking a market majority in the US. If you are marketing to an audience who is not likely to own a device that can make use of a quick response code, Zoove, as well as services like JagTag and SnapTag are a very good alternative with excellent offerings for advertisers and marketers.

About Cullmann

Chris Cullmann is a Creative Director and Online Strategist. He works for Ogilvy CommonHealth Interactive Marketing, a digital agency dedicated to healthcare marketing. His professional and personal portfolio includes interactive websites, viral and social media, and online education applications. His portfolio and observations about the design and marketing industry can be found at www.cullmanndesign.com

The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or those who I am professionally connected.

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