Filed under WC2007

An integrated Strategy for Online Marketing: Email & Search

Chris Baggot knows,
that for most people, money is hard to come by. So when a company wants
us to spend it on its products, there are certain things we want from
them in return. First, we want good–personalized–customer service.
Whether it’s now (when we buy), or later (when we need something), we
demand it.

Getting customers to spend hard-earned dollars on your products is
tricky. It takes a mixture of persistence and finesse. And in this new
climate, for the first time in years, the little guy’s personal service
is heavy competition against the big guy’s purchasing power.

With the playing field leveled, how does the big guy who offers 90,672 door locks compete with the guys who will still show you how to use the red nozzle straw on your WD-40? How does the big guy engage the customer by delivering personal attention the way the little guy in your neighborhood does?

Chris says there are two basic aspects of successful relationship
marketing–beginning a relationship and maintaining that relationship to
the mutual benefit of both the organization and its constituents.

And he should know. He’s been helping his clients do that for several years. He founded Exact Target, a company ASPnews
calls “one of the world’s 25 leading service providers for the ASP,
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Web Services, Service-Oriented
Architecture (SOA) and Utility Computing industries.” To build and
maintain customer relationships it’s important to know the difference
between the customers you’ve had for a long time and the ones that
happened to stop in on the way to little league practice. Then engage
those customers–and keep them engaged–by personalizing information to
each of them in a way that reminds them who you are and what you can do
for them.

But how do you do that? Chris knows, and he has written the book on it–literally– Email Marketing by the Numbers. Why Marketing by the Numbers?
Throwing your money at a campaign that may or may not turn potential
customers into loyal buyers doesn’t get you very far. But measurable
ROI based on measurable conversion rates of your marketing campaign
does. And Chris will tell you it’s so easy anyone can do it.

Chris has taken time out from building his next success, Compendium Software, to speak on Day Two of Web Content 2007 at An integrated Strategy for Online Marketing: Email & Search. It’s part of the Tools and Technology track. These are some tools you’re gonna want to use, so don’t miss it.

The Blogzilla Report: Fact, Fiction, Fear: the monster of the Internet explored 

What’s in a name?  Everything. A rose does not smell as sweet if
it’s called a dirty sock. It just doesn’t. And according to David
Esrati, the word blog is a misnomer.  It’s the great misunderstood monster in the room, and he’s here to alleviate your fears of it.

Look, David was a member of a US Army Special Forces team.
If he can be dropped in the middle of a desert with nothing but a sharp
stick and a 110-pound backpack full of rocks and survive, rest assured
he’s not afraid to say what he thinks. And he thinks using blog tools
to manage your web content is the only way to build an effective
community of users (sometimes also known as people who buy things).

David also owns his own ad agency, The Next Wave, and like he says, his Special Ops training has
given him the problem solving skills to solve any problem you may have
with advertising. So it makes sense that he started his own company
from scratch. Along with offering ad services, his company teaches
hands-on  seminars called Websitetology, which teaches you how to build an effective web site—it’s not blogging, but websitetology does use a blogging tool.

Confused?  That’s okay.  His plan is to make Google
your new best friend. The key is getting content to the web fast, and
if you are still using a tired old static web site, you are falling
behind. David can help you get caught up, and he never gets lost. So he
can lead you through the murkiness to the clear way to build a
community of loyal customers who want what you have, and will keep
coming back for more.

So stop wasting money buying keywords (that’s so Web 1.0), and start producing valuable content for your customers using David’s advice.
 
You can hear him speak on Day One at Web Content 2007; Tools and Technologies track. Who couldn’t use a best friend like Google?

Content really is king at the Web Content 2007 Conference. Just take a look at the courtly procession of keynote speakers.

On Day One, you’ll have the opportunity to hear the crown-head of content, Ann Rockley of The Rockley Group, give her best advice on Using Web Content To Build the Customer Relationship.
It’s no secret that giving your customers personalized attention keeps
them happy and increases referrals. But how do you do that on the Web?
By organizing and controlling content to develop a reciprocal
relationship. It’s like any relationship. You know they love you
because they keep coming back. They know you love them because you give
them things that want and need. Tim O’Reilly (Mr. Web 2.0 himself) just made that point rather plainly at last month’s Web 2.0 Expo.
“It’s about network effects and (building) services that get better the
more people use them.” But you need lots of content control, i.e.,
content management to do that. Don’t worry. Ann will tell you how.

For lunch on Day One how about a radical change—not from the baked
chicken, but from the typical lunchtime speaker? You’ll hear the
rebellion in Howard Tullman’s voice when he delivers his topic, Managing Radical Change in Turbulent Times.
But we hate change! Don’t let that stop you or you might get trapped in
what Howard calls this “time of radical obsolescence.” That should
scare you enough to stay for dessert and another glass of tea while
Howard tells you exactly how to manage all this change so you stay off
the list of 21 Biggest Technology Flops.

On Day Two enter the unconventional realm of Jason Fried’s (37 Signals) discussion on web-based collaboration. TIME Magazine called 37 Signals one of the Net’s rising stars. Using
software as a service is becoming a popular way to “buy” software your
organization needs without spending lots of up-front cash or paying for
upgrades. But did you know it’s also a hot way to manage projects?
Everyone on the team can log on and see what’s happing, what they are
supposed to be doing, and what was due yesterday. Don’t miss Jason’s
discussion, Unconventional Collaboration.

And don’t even think about leaving the conference early and missing Salim Ismail. He’s from Yahoo! So you are gonna want to hear what he has to say about—well anything really—but his closing keynote is about How Web 2.0 is changing the way we manage content on the web. He should know, he heads up Brickhouse. Yahoo!’s program for rapid product development. If you don’t believe us, check out his bio. Everyone
knows about Web 2.0, but not everyone knows what Salim knows. And he’s
happy to tell us all about how he sees the future of content on the web.

Plan to stay in Chicago for a few days
after Web Content 2007 or arrive early and spend the weekend trying to
see the more than 2000 special events planned while you are in town.
Chicago is famous for blues and jazz, baseball and hotdogs, deep-dish
pizza, modern architecture, and fireworks. It’s downright American. So
enjoy your summer and spend some time seeing something besides the glow
of your MacBook Pro Intel Core 2 Duo Notebook.

To help you map out all that fun, log on to metromix.com, the Chicago Tribune’s internet
entertainment guide. There you can search more than 9000 restaurants
and 4000 bars and clubs—not to mention theaters, museums, music venues
and festivals. Or if that seems a bit overwhelming, search by category
and date to trim your options down to more like 1056 things to do while
you are in town. Or how about if we just tell you some of the stuff
that pops up.

First, about those fireworks. Look out your window toward the lake
every Wednesday at 9:30pm and Saturday at 10:15pm and you’ll see an
explosive display set off from Navy Pier just past the 150-foot-high Ferris wheel.
Fireworks only last about 10 minutes, but they’re free. And if you head
over to the Pier you can enjoy every kind of food and drink imaginable,
ride that Ferris wheel, visit the Children’s Museum, or see a play at
the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. From
there, miles of the Lake Michigan shoreline are waiting for you to
walk, jog, bike, or just frolic. The beach is clean and not too crowded
on a weekday. Bike rentals are available.

If you land in town the weekend before Web Content 2007, the Cubs
are playing at Wrigley Field on both afternoons. Check out the roster,
schedule, and ticket availability at the official Cubs web site. Also good to visit weekends or any time is the Lincoln Park Zoo.
It’s not just for kids. It’s free (lot parking is 12 bucks, but you
won’t have a car anyway), and it’s near the shoreline. This zoo has
paths leading through several outdoor exhibits and into the protection
of barns, a reptile house, and a lion house in case it rains.

We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the shopping in downtown Chicago. It’s er . . . magnificent.
More than a mile of the finest designer and specialty shop line the
streets just blocks from the conference venue. Shopping is so big here,
four themed seasonal festivals are built around it. While you are in
town Gardens of the Magnificent Mile gives you a chance to explore dramatic gardens and displays that flow along the shopping paradise.

If that all sounds a bit too nice, there’s always Body Slices at the Museum of Science and Industry,
an exhibit of “anatomical selections prepared in the 1930’s and 40’s as
teaching tools for medical students.” Combine that with CSI: The Experience also at the Museum, and you are set for some freaky fun. Other museums in the city, such as the Field Museum of Natural History and the John G Shedd Aquarium (both on the same grounds), are loaded with special exhibits, including the highly recommended Lizards and Komodo Dragon exhibit at the Shedd.

But maybe you just want to enjoy a show after the conference winds down. The Blue Man Group is always in town at the Briar Street Theater. There is also a Movies in the Parks film series. Event dates aren’t public yet, so bookmark the Chicago Parks District to see what’s going on the week you are in town. Buddy Guy’s Legends ,
the most famous blues bar in the country is in Chicago and just a cab’s
ride away. Legend’s is the sort of place Mick Jagger and John Mayer have
been known to drop in for a late-night session. The area around the
place is admittedly “gritty.” But if you don’t mind, they won’t mind
your khaki pants. Blues are presented seven nights a week. Grown ups
only please.

And near by the conference is the Grant Park Sprit of Music (and Dance) Festival, the nations only free outdoor classical music series. It continues for 11 weeks at Millennium Park.
So if you can’t seem to fit it in on this visit, you can always come
back. No smoking allowed in the music pavilion, but you are encouraged
to bring a picnic.

And did we forget to mention Jerry Springer, Chicago’s own? Check out Jerry Springer, the Opera at Bailiwick Arts Center. Oh, and opera, and the arts, and . . .just log on and find out for yourself.