E-mail Marketing Will SOAR!

Quick note, Brand Republic reported that according to research firm Forrester, the United States will spend a record $2B by 2014 on e-mail marketing. This is an 11% increase a year, wow. Other interesting facts that Brand Republic listed: 

• Spending on ad-sponsored newsletters will also double in the next five years, Forrester said.
• In five years, the average consumer will receive more than 9,000 email marketing messages a year.
• However by 2014, Forrester estimates that direct sellers will waste $144 million on emails that never reach their target.

I am a tad bit confused with why companies are continuing to market through e-mail. From a consumer, we DO NOT open them. I get on a daily basis about maybe 20 e-mails from different clothing stores, services and random offers. To be perfectly honest, I might open one if that. In my opinion, with so much emphasis on Twitter and other social mediums, they should focus more of their money on these rather than e-mail.

New York’s 360i Creates First Social Media Handbook

New York’s 360i has created the first Social Media Playbook. This handbook includes sections like, “Training to Win”, “The Arenas”, and “Preventing & Managing Social Marketing Fumbles”. 

I took a quick look through the handbook and thought 360i really covered all the bases on Social Media Marketing. The most informative chapter definitely was “Keeping Score. How To Know How You Measure Up”. In my opinion, measuring the effectiveness of Social Media is very challenging. However, in the 2009 Social Marketing Playbook 360i addresses all aspects of keeping a scoreboard, including the most important message that each “scorecard” will be unique to your  brand’s objectives. Overall, this handbook was very interesting and not a challenging read. 

If you are interested in learning more about how and why 360i created this Social Media Handbook, read Brandweek’s interview with Sarah Hofstetter’s VP of Emerging Media and Client Strategy.

Is that really you on Twitter?

Twitter has finally figured out what Facebook and MySpace took forever to notice, that people make fake accounts. 

The site will now feature “verified accounts”, which will show that a user has been verified with Twitter and that he or she is the actual person or organization they are stating to be. This is an important step in both their customer service and well-being. Unfortunately Twitter has already had one lawsuit regarding fake Tweet posts, from St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, however this will save them from the many more to come. When dealing with celebrities or very well known organizations that use your product or site, this is a VERY important feature to have. 

 

PRSA Gives 7 Tips For Your Resume

PRSA’s Caittrin O’Sullivan, public relations coordinator for iCIMS lists out 7 tips for your resume.

• Use key words often and at the top of your resume. This will help HR look exactly for the candidate that possess such characteristics. 
• KEEP IT SIMPLE. This is very important for students who want to make their resume stand out. O’Sullivan writes, “Don’t use graphics, logos or pictures. Also, don’t try to get fancy with text boxes, headers or footers.”
• If you are attaching a resume use Word as your format. 
• Always put your e-mail addresses. 
• Be careful and read the directions. Make sure there are NO typos in your resume. 
• Cover letters are always up in the air. If you are wondering what they are looking for in a cover letter whether it be very formal, very specific or right to the point just ask! 

It is always important whether you are  a student or professional to continue updating your resume as you go. One mistake I have made is not updating my resume WHILE I am either interning, working etc. I then try to “fix it up” after I have finished and forget some of the valuable things I accomplished. For my next endeavor I am definitely going to keep a notebook at hand and throughout continue writing things that I should be placing on my resume.