Posted by Rachel Whitten: Manager, Online Marketing Strategy
On August 22nd, n-tara interactive was privileged to have several clients and other marketing professionals join us for a seminar entitled Reach, Engage and Measure: Building Successful Customer Relationships.
Thomas Eorgan, SVP, Marketing, delivered the first presentation, nSight Segmentation: Paint a Complete Picture of Your Customers and Prospects. Thomas discussed how n-tara interactive’s segmentation methodology, nSight Segmentation, differs from traditional segmentation studies in that it examines three dimensions – needs, attitudes and behaviors – and cross-tabulates the data to reveal factors that motivate audiences to make purchase decisions, as well as the best messaging and media to reach the target audiences. Not only does an nSight Segmentation Study predict revenue driving behaviors, but it uncovers opportunity gaps between importance and satisfaction among segments with common needs. Thomas backed up his claims with a case study of an nSight Segmentation Study we performed for Bristol Motor Speedway – which was appropriate since the seminar was held on the morning of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Food City 250 at nearby BMS. You can learn more about nSight Segmentation and take a fun little ‘quiz’ at www.nSightSegmentation.com.
Next on the agenda was Bob Markham, EVP, Strategy, talking about Engagement: Marketing’s New Imperative. Bob explained what engagement is and why it’s important. As one example of engagement, Bob showed the very entertaining YouTube video of the Diet Coke & Mentos Experiments. It’s a great example of customers engaging with brands, although it’s probably not the way the Diet Coke and Mentos intended. Nevertheless, the reach has been incredible with hundreds of thousands of viewers.
As an element in the engagement process, Bob went on to explain search engine optimization and dispelled five myths about SEO. He discussed selection and measurement of KPIs (key performance indicators) and techniques to improve a site’s search engine rankings. Then he elaborated on the four stages of engagement: involvement, interaction, influence and intimacy, and the metrics used to measure each step. For a copy of the SEO myths and an overview of the stages of engagement, please download this pdf.
Last on the agenda was Neil Owen, EVP, Strategic Solutions. Neil’s presentation was entitled Web Analytics and Measurement: Making Sense of the Data. To begin, Neil summed up the challenges of web analytics with a very appropriate quote from Albert Einstein that is worth repeating - “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” That statement couldn’t be more true about the topic at hand.
Neil discussed factors that influence web site traffic, like SEO and SEM, site structure, design, copy, meta data, titles, links, etc. He then explained Forrester’s Three Step Process for Establishing Website Performance Metrics: 1. clarify site business goals, 2. identify critical tactics, 3. choose indicative metrics; and he reviewed key questions that should be asked during each step.
At the end of Neil’s presentation the floor was open for a lively discussion. All in all, the morning was very informative and a great opportunity for networking. Those in attendance offered positive feedback.
We hope to hold another presentation in the spring. If you would like to be added to our invitation list, please email us.