Rancho Santa Margarita, CA (Vocus) September 2, 2010

To deliver the ultimate online auctions and free classified ads site, Main Street Fair is going directly to the source and asking eBay sellers to tell their stories on the Main Street Fair blog. Those who want to participate should send their tales and any diagrams, screen shots, photos or charts to media(at)mainstreetfair(dot)com.

“We want to know what sellers need and want to make their experience the best it can be,” said Lisa Porter, CEO, Main Street Fair. “We are always on the lookout for new means of doing things better.”

Main Street Fair, the site that is gaining popularity in the online auctions world as an alternative to eBay, strives to support sellers in ways that extend beyond a mere “thank you.”

First, Main Street Fair offers plenty of programs to help its sellers. “Press for Press” is one such program, offering book authors the chance to get free marketing. To make the Press for Press program a success, Main Street Fair has contracted with Porter Public Relations to write a monthly press release about books culled from listings on the Main Street Fair site. It also posts blogs written by authors on its site, with hyperlinks to the actual book listing, making for an easy purchase.

Main Street Fair also offers a great two-way rating system, and bulk uploading capabilities, and writes blogs about its seller’s products.

“Our goal is to help sellers sell and buyers have a pleasant and easy purchasing experience,” said Porter. “If someone is looking for an alternative to eBay, we want it to be Main Street Fair. We vow to continue working diligently to gain the respect and support of online sellers by giving them what they need to make money and keep their profits.”

Second, the site donates a percentage of its revenue from online auction listing fees to the school of the seller’s choice. While the auction fees are some of the lowest, over time, schools can earn significant sums from sellers located throughout the world.

“We are concerned about America’s schools and want to give back,” said Porter, who is a single mom and sat on the School Site Council at her daughter’s elementary school. “Sellers choose what school gets our donation. It is our way of elevating fundraising for schools to a new level where they can earn money 24/7.”

Main Street Fair is reaching out to its audience for new ways to make this the perfect online auctions and free classified ads platform. By offering eBay sellers a chance to talk about their experiences, its management team hopes to gain insight as to what works and what doesn’t, and according to Porter, the people that buy and sell know best.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/ebayalternative/prweb4452224.htm

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) September 2, 2010

FORA.tv, the Web’s top site for videos about the people, issues, and ideas changing the world, today announced the introduction of FORA.tv Plus membership. This new offering provides ad-free video watching, unlimited downloads to video programs, and HQ streaming for a monthly or annual fee.

FORA.tv Plus memberships are available for $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. The new membership level includes:

No Ads. FORA.tv Plus members enjoy the FORA.tv site without seeing third-party display or in-video advertisements.

HQ Viewing. FORA.tv Plus members have the option to watch videos streamed at a higher-resolution bit-rate (768 kilobits).

Downloads. FORA.tv Plus members can save programs to their hard-drives for on-demand watching when away from an Internet connection. In most cases there are video and audio versions available.

Discounts. FORA.tv Plus members who subscribe on an annual basis may receive special discounts for select conferences offered as FORA.tv Premium Events.

FORA.tv (+) Onscreen Icon. FORA.tv Plus members receive a (+) icon beside their username on the FORA.tv site.

All FORA.tv Basic Membership benefits. FORA.tv Plus members also enjoy the benefits of posting comments to programs, saving video programs to your personal FORA.tv library, our newsletters, and unlimited access to the web’s largest collection of smart videos.

For more information on FORA.tv Plus, visit: http://fora.tv/plus

Today’s announcement follows the highly successful launch of FORA.tv Premium Events, which make available pay-per-view programming from major conferences and events including the Wired Business Conference, HSM World Innovation Forum, NYPL Live, Chautauqua Institute, the Commonwealth Club, and many others.

About FORA.tv

FORA.tv is the leading site for intelligent video programs on the people, issues, and ideas changing the world. The company is a pioneer in paid membership services and pay-per-view programming from top conferences, universities, and public forums. FORA.tv has partnered with more than 160 organizations from the Aspen Institute to Georgetown University to Wired to the Economist, helping these organizations reach passionate, engaged audiences. Named a Top 50 Web Site by TIME, a Top Education Site by The Telegraph, the company has also been covered by Fast Company, The Boston Globe, and many others. FORA.tv is funded by a select group of investors led by William R. Hearst III and is based in San Francisco. FORA.tv can be found at http://fora.tv or on Facebook and Twitter.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:

Contact Anni Hechtner, 415-599-4618, anni(at)fora(dot)tv

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/09/prweb4458254.htm

Austin, TX (PRWEB) September 2, 2010

PubCon, the premier search and social media conference and expo, has announced that noted author and New York Times technology columnist David Pogue will present a keynote address during PubCon Las Vegas 2010 at the the Las Vegas Convention Center on November 8 – 11, 2010.

Pogue, who has written The Times’s popular State of the Art column for the past decade, will offer his unique and insightful take on the latest social media initiatives to PubCon Las Vegas 2010 attendees.

“Having the New York Times’s David Pogue at PubCon Las Vegas 2010 to present a keynote speech will be a great opportunity for all our attendees to learn new approaches to new media success,” said PubCon founder and WebmasterWorld Inc. chief executive Brett Tabke.

“We’re excited to present one of the world’s leading voices on technology and social media as a PubCon keynote speaker, and we’re sure David Pogue’s insights will help make this the biggest and most epic PubCon ever in sunny Las Vegas,” added Tabke.

Pogue, who has been The Times’s personal-technology columnist since November 2000, is a natural fit for PubCon, with his more than 1.3 million followers on Twitter and a fresh and energetic take on social media trends certain to both educate and inspire PubCon Las Vegas 2010 attendees.

Pogue, who also writes the popular Times Pogue’s Posts blog, has appeared as a technology expert on television and radio, including CBS News Sunday Morning, Martha Stewart, and NPR’s “Morning Edition,” and in 2004 his appearances about Google and the troubles spam presents won a 2004 Business Emmy award.

Pogue is the author of numerous popular technology books including The World According to Twitter, the Missing Manual series of books, and a novel, Hard Drive, a Times “notable book of the year,” and has more than 3 million books in print.

Pogue, a summa cum laude Yale University graduate who has been profiled on the CBS television shows 60 Minutes and 48 Hours, incorporated Pogue Press in 2000, and has earned numerous industry accolades.

PubCon Las Vegas 2010 is happy to have Pogue as a keynote speaker to share some of the innovative and thought-provoking approaches to online marketing and media relations that he has written about at The Times.

Attendees are in for a rare treat as David Pogue brings his unique vision to the PubCon Las Vegas 2010 conference on November 8 – 11, 2010.

Register now to hear Pogue and other leading social media innovators deliver new and insightful keynote speeches at PubCon Las Vegas 2010, including a very special powerhouse keynote panel featuring Copyblogger founder Brian Clark, FutureWorks principal and self-described “digital sociologist” Brian Solis, New Marketing Labs president Chris Brogan, social media firm UnMarketing president Scott Stratten, and Sevans Strategy founder Sarah Evans.

Take advantage of special early-bird conference pass pricing available for a limited time, and come and see The Times’s Pogue and other top keynote speakers at PubCon Las Vegas 2010.

PubCon registration and more information is available at www.pubcon.com]

About PubCon

PubCon is a multi-track educational conference hosted by WebmasterWorld. PubCon events are for thought leaders and professionals Internet marketing, social media, search marketing and advertising to gather and to share best practices in the design, development, promotion and marketing of their Internet businesses and brands.

For more information about the conference, contact Brett Tabke at 512-231-8107 or brett at webmasterworld.com.

In the U.K., contact Neil Marshall at 512-231-8107 ext 106 or engine at webmasterworld.com.

For more details about sponsorship and exhibition opportunities, contact Strategic Marketing Director Joseph Morin at 512-231-8107 ext 104 or joe at webmasterworld.com.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/09/prweb4456964.htm

Philadelphia, PA (PRWEB) September 2, 2010

Ad Factory (www.adfactory.com) launched version 2.0 of their creative services marketplace on Tuesday in an effort to further support digital agencies. The new marketplace provides agencies with on-demand access to freelance design professionals. An alternative to traditional outsourcing, agencies no longer need to find a freelancer in the eleventh hour to meet a creative deadline. Part crowdsourcing and part production workflow application, Ad Factory makes it easy for agencies and online advertisers to tap in to the talents of hundreds of creative experts and put their ideas to work in just a few clicks.

“As former agency guys ourselves, we are very familiar with the double-edged sword that is outsourcing. In this day and age, agencies need immediate access to talented creative professionals and an online application to manage the process of outsourcing that work. Our research over the past six months in talking with dozens of agencies confirms this. We look forward to serving our clients and providing high quality work in a timely manner,” said David Herscott, co-founder of Ad Factory.

Ad Factory’s creative community does the hard work of writing eye-catching ad copy and producing custom creative. Clients simply need to fill out a form at adfactory.com to get the process started. Within hours clients will receive many options to choose from, and buy only the ads they like.

Herscott went on to say: “when it comes to developing creative it’s time to start considering a slightly different model than crowdsourcing – crowdsourcing isn’t working for the design community or the advertiser. We believe in ‘expertsourcing.’ Expertsourcing is about developing highly skilled and focused communities around solving a problem, in this case we are connecting talented creative professionals with ad agencies that need their help.”

About Ad Factory

Ad Factory provides ad agencies and online advertisers with an alternative to traditional outsourcing. Part crowdsourcing and part production workflow application, Ad Factory makes it easy for agencies and advertisers to tap in to the talents of hundreds of creative experts and put their ideas to work in just a few clicks

Contact:

David Herscott, Managing Partner

david(at)adfactory(dot)com

(888) 470-1771

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/09/prweb4451304.htm

Hopkinton, MA (PRWEB) September 1, 2010

A new Video Email Marketing Trends survey of over 200 interactive marketing professionals reveals that most marketers believe that video based email marketing is “the wave of the future” while less than 5 percent “don’t think it works”. Online video is already being used by 50 percent of respondents and an additional 24 percent are considering using video in their email marketing campaigns. Surprisingly however, 35 percent of marketers said their email service provider did not offer a video marketing solution and 44 percent did not know if their ESP offered a video marketing solution. In general marketers were very optimistic about performance of video based email, as 73 percent believe that video increases email click thru rates and that consumers are more likely to purchase after viewing an email campaign that incorporates video. Only 4 percent of marketers surveyed indicated they did not believe that video email marketing works.

The survey was conducted by ExactTarget and Flimp Media together with Web Video Marketing Council in June 2010. The study queried over 200 interactive marketing professionals that “have marketing oversight responsibilities in their role” to gain insights into current marketing practices and perceptions regarding video based email marketing. Results were first reported in a live webinar in August 2010 entitled Driving Clicks and Conversions with Email + Video conducted by the Web Video Marketing Council, Flimp Media and ExactTarget. The survey results and 2010 Video Email Marketing Trends Report are available for download here: http://www.flimp.net/2010_video_email_marketing_trends_survey.php

Speaking about the survey, Paul Ritter, Director of Strategic Programs for the Web Video Marketing Council commented: “We knew that there was strong interest among marketers in video based email marketing, but were surprised by the current adoption levels at around 50 percent and the overwhelming sentiment that video email increases click thru rates and purchases. This is definitely a strong online marketing trend to watch.”

The survey also asked marketers what they think are the most effective ways to deploy video with email and what they believe are the primary barriers to using video with email marketing. Most marketers agreed that linking from a video image in the email message to a video landing page was the most effective while using animated and video GIF’s were cited by the fewest number of marketers as the most effective video email application. To learn about these results, download the 2010 Video Email Marketing Trends Report here: http://www.flimp.net/2010_video_email_marketing_trends_survey.php

Wayne Wall, CEO of Flimp Media, which develops video marketing and analytics technology, said “Marketers realize that video drives much higher email engagement and response rates and that it is getting harder to differentiate email marketing with static content. In contrast, 79 percent of marketers surveyed said their email service provider does not offer a video marketing solution or they weren’t aware if they did. Seems like a pretty big growth opportunity for ExactTarget and other ESP’s that isn’t being addressed.”

Download the 2010 Video Email Marketing Survey Data and Industry trends Report

Access the survey results and download the 2010 Video Email Trends Report from this link: http://www.flimp.net/2010_video_email_marketing_trends_survey.php

About Flimp Media

Flimp Media® provides video marketing and communications software and creative video production services to a diverse and rapidly expanding collection of clients. Their proprietary FLIMP software allows marketers to create, distribute and track interactive video brochures and video landing pages without any programming or design skills. The Flimp platform is integrated with more than thirty email service providers, as well as Google Analytics, and allows marketers to track viewer behavior by individual email address. For more information, please visit www.flimp.net and www.flimpagency.com.

About ExactTarget

ExactTarget is a leading global provider of on-demand email marketing and interactive marketing solutions. The company’s software as a service technology provides organizations a single platform to connect with customers via triggered and transactional email, integrated text messaging, landing pages and social media. ExactTarget’s software powers permission-based multi-channel communications for thousands of organizations around the world including Expedia.com, Fairfax Digital, Best Buy, CareerBuilder.com, Gannett Co., Inc., The Home Depot and WellPoint, Inc. For more information please visit www.exacttarget.com

About the Web Video Marketing Council

The Web Video Marketing Council (WVMC) is a professional association established to provide

timely, relevant information about video marketing topics and technologies to professional marketers and communicators through its website, newsletter, reports and webinars. For more information please visit our website, www.webvideomarketing.org .

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/09/prweb4448394.htm

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 1, 2010

MediaMind, the leading independent provider of digital solutions has announced dates for Digital Experience Day, an annual global event series that will focus on intelligent advertising for online advertisers. The first event will kick off in London on September 7, 2010 and will be followed by events in Madrid, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Tokyo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Paris and Germany.

Digital Experience Day will bring together top leading industry experts and executives who will show how advertisers can gain more as barriers between data, messages, technology and media dissipates. Special guest speakers will share industry perspectives and provide smarter solutions to achieve more successful online campaigns. Attendees will also get a preview of the newest version of MediaMind’s platform, MediaMind v2.0, which will be unveiled with new capabilities for media and creative optimization.

Digital Experience Day (DED) 2010 dates include:

September 7, 2010 – London, UK

September 15, 2010 – Madrid, Spain

September 23, 2010 – New York, US

September 29, 2010 – Chicago, US

October 06, 2010 – San Francisco, US

October 12, 2010 – Tokyo, Japan

October 19, 2010 – Shanghai, China

October 21, 2010 – Singapore

October 27, 2010 – Sydney, Australia

November 10, 2010 Hamburg, Germany

November 17, 2010 Paris, France

Click here for registration and more information on Digital Experience Day.

About MediaMind

MediaMind is a global provider of digital advertising solutions that optimize the use of media, creative and data for enhanced performance. Our unique platform incorporates display ad serving, search, rich media, video, dynamic ads, mobile and emerging media; providing marketers with a cross-channel view of ad campaigns. Our leading Eyeblaster Rich Media and Video capabilities service the most innovative and inspiring global digital campaigns.

The company is committed to publisher-neutrality to assure the broadest range of media choices for its customers. MediaMind is certified and complies with the three IAB measurement guidelines: ad serving, video and rich media.

Headquartered in New York, MediaMind has over 35 representation offices across all major markets worldwide. In 2009, MediaMind delivered campaigns for over 7,000 brands, serving approximately 3,350 agencies across over 5,150 global web publishers in 55 countries worldwide. Learn more at: http://www.mediamind.com.

North America Media Contact:

Alice Suh

MediaMind

T: 646.723.1922

M: 347.414.4660

alice(dot)suh(at)mediamind(dot)com

International Media Contact:

Lianne Schneider

MediaMind

T: 972.9.776.0889

M: 972.523.776844

lianne(dot)schneider(at)mediamind(dot)com

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2010/09/prweb4451624.htm

New York, NY (PRWEB) September 1, 2010

KSL Media (www.kslmedia.com]) one of the largest independent media management companies, announces the hiring of Steven Kaufman as Executive Vice President, Integrated Media. In this role he is responsible for the development of KSL clients’ communication goals and objectives which enables KSL’s advertisers to acquire and retain their best customers in a most efficient manner. Steven will also oversee KSL’s media offerings and maintaining best in class digital and customer acquisition tools. He joins the KSL management team helping to guide the direction of the company in the exploration of new media alternatives.

Kaufman began his career as a list broker and transitioned to an agency role at Wunderman Cato Johnson planning direct marketing campaigns for clients including the United States Postal Service and the US Army. Following his time at Wunderman, Steven joined Ammirati Puris Lintas where we worked on the UPS and Compaq accounts. It was at Ammirati in 1996 when Steven first began working in digital media. His experience includes telecom, financial services, travel, packaged goods, technology, subscription marketing and more.

“We are excited to bring a distinguished executive into our company,” stated KSL President David Sklaver. “Steven has the extensive management experience that will immediately impact our clients’ proficiency across all media platforms. With his tremendous breadth of knowledge, Steven will contribute to KSL’s aggressive growth goals.”

Steven was a founding board member of 212, the New York City interactive ad club. He has spoken at numerous industry events including Search Engine Strategies, OMMA and iMedia.

Steven is married and lives in Marlboro, NJ, with his wife and 10-year-old twins.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: http://www.prweb.com/releases/prwebKSL-Media-Hires/Steven-Kaufman/prweb4452214.htm

10 Rules for Selecting the Right Telemarketing Company

In order to be a successful marketer in the DRTV industry, a retailer has to have a strong and effective relationship with its telemarketing service provider (or providers). However, individuals who have worked on the “client side” know how competitive that telemarketing service companies can be.

When I began in the DRTV industry back in the 1980s, I often went to the Mecca city for the “in-bound industry”–Omaha, Neb. While in Omaha, it was normal to shuttle between the major companies in the industry that offered services. I met with the owner of one such company, and asked him why we should use more of his services. He stated, “You know, we are better at dealing with problems that arise than anyone in the industry.” I then went across town to meet with one of his competitors to ask the same question, telling the company sales manager what his competitor had said. “Well, we are better because we don’t have problems,” he replied, “and the other guy is probably good at solving problems because he is so used to having them.”

The telemarketing service industry that has developed to support DRTV is very much like the wireless service industry that I worked in during the early 1990s. Like wireless, there were a limited number of larger companies that dominated market share in the early years of DRTV. Over time, many other service organizations have entered the picture, creating fierce competition and making choices for the service consumer more difficult.

I am often asked what retailers should look for in choosing a telemarketing vendor. There are so many options out there today–”brick and mortar” type mega call centers, home-based operations, offshore operations, IVR-based technology companies and smaller “boutique” high-sales-conversion-oriented facilities. In addition, each of these categories is at least five to 10 companies deep, so you not only need to choose your type of “partner,” but determine which one gives you the best chance to succeed.

All of these types of service companies provide useful options. However, what works best for each DRTV retailer is really based on what they are looking for in an operating relationship. But how do you cut through the myriad of choices, and how do you best manage the relationship with the companies you choose?

For one thing, you have to do your homework before choosing the right one. Many people gravitate to a big name or the new technology of the moment, but that’s not always the best choice. You need to establish a list of criteria that fit your needs, and then evaluate your choices accordingly.

Here, then, are 10 rules that I believe that DRTV retailers should use when selecting a telemarketing partner, along with ways to maximize their relationship:

Marry your offer and price point with the proper company. Some companies are better at different types of offer categories (such as hard offers, soft offers, continuity, installments, lead generation) and price points (the $19.95 “sweet spot,” mid-range prices points similar to $49.95, or $100 and up). Reputable companies should tell you what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Match your media budget to the capabilities of the telemarketer. Smaller facilities may not be able to handle the call volumes generated by your larger, national media placements, so if your budgets grow, they may not be able to grow with you.

Check their references with people you trust. Companies will always give you their preferred reference list, but it is important to find people you know and trust who have used them before for the real story, and these references may not be on that list.

Make sure that their reporting information can meet your needs. The level of information you receive on order capture and non-order capture is essential, as is the timing of that information. If you can’t get usable data on a timely basis, you can’t manage your business properly.

Make sure that you have the ability to listen in on live and recorded calls. Listening to calls is essential, especially during the early testing of shows and spots. That is why industry experts have recommended that campaigns that utilize IVR technology should first test with live operators to get feedback on their shows, spots and related offers.

Make sure that the telemarketer understands the importance of their contact with your customer. It is important that the service company understands that they are the first contact with your customer, so they should always be aware of what you are trying to achieve in customer relationships. That is also why it’s so important to periodically monitor calls as a campaign continues.

Tell them how you want to measure their conversion rates, not how they measure them. Order conversion rates can be computed in different ways by companies, but if you are dealing with multiple telemarketing centers, you need everyone on the same page–so set standards that are important to you and have all of your service providers use the same metrics.

Set specific performance standards and conversion rates that you want them to meet on a weekly basis. As a retailer, I find this is essential in maximizing call center performance. It is important to set realistic metric goals for your service provider so they know what’s expected of them. This is also very useful when using multiple telemarketers on a campaign–they will always work harder to achieve their optimum level if their market share for the account is at stake.

Micro-manage the scripting process. The most successful companies in the industry have always been very involved in telemarketing script development, constantly tweaking and adjusting wording, sequencing offers and reacting to changes in order conversion metrics. The good telemarketing companies don’t mind this. This is like working with a doctor–you are always your best advocate when you take charge of the process.

Don’t assume that your sales manager is as good as his or her agents. This is a controversial comment to make, but it’s always the “elephant in the room” when considering telemarketing resources. Many firms have knowledgeable sales account managers who know the business; but their agents in the field don’t always have the same capabilities. Accountability must start at the top of these organizations, but it needs to be managed downwards to achieve your objectives.

As our DRTV business continues to evolve and media formats and ways to place orders increase with new technology, it is important to remember that many of our key targeted demographic groups will continue to use their phones as their primary order option. Making the right decisions on whom we choose to partner with and how we maximize our telemarketing relationships will remain one of our keys to success.

Richard Scheiner is COO at International Commercial Television Inc. in Wayne, Pa. Contact Scheiner at (484) 598-2310 or at scheiner@ictvonline.com.

Nothing Lasts Forever…Thank Goodness

This has been a challenging year at best. A bullish media market drove up rates, while a lingering economic downturn depressed consumer confidence and as a result, their willingness to respond to DRTV offers. Here’s the good news. The 2011 television Upfront market was extremely strong. That means there will be less pressure from high-rate general advertisers on the Scatter market, where DRTV resides.

Furthermore, DRTV response rates are on the rise. Despite the summer’s news reports of sinking consumer confidence, we’ve seen an across-the-board improvement in DRTV response rates, a pure impulse purchase and one of the truest measures of consumer confidence. Improved consumer response, coupled with a stable media market, has enabled more campaigns to achieve profitable scale.

What Have We Learned?
As 2010 moves into 2011, the DRTV industry will continue to improve. How long it will take consumer willingness to purchase $10, $14.99 and $19.99 items to trickle up to more expensive infomercial offers remains open ended. However, we expect that the improvements in the media market and in consumer confidence that are now boosting short-form DRTV will begin to have a sustained and positive impact on long form later in the fall.

What new insights can we carry forward from the trials of the past year? The first is that neither good nor bad times will last forever. Our industry is affected by powerful and dynamic economic and social trends. To think that we can affect or beat these forces is fool-hearted at best. We need to be nimble enough to take advantage of opportunities when they arise, and intelligent enough to adjust our exposure to constant social and economic change.

We also need to constantly protect and add value to the “As Seen on TV” retail franchise, which has become the dominant revenue channel of our industry. Scott Boilen of Allstar Marketing raised a pressing concern as a panelist during an industry conference in May. Boilen said that the biggest risk we faced was the pretenders that take advantage of the hard-earned As Seen on TV retail space, with products that have never been seen on TV in a meaningful way.

As these DRTV wannabees sit unsold on store shelves, retailers are going to lose confidence in the next wave of deserving products. As an industry, we need to embrace a more reliable method to monitor and report on DRTV campaign activity than we currently settle for.

Don’t be impatient and settle for mediocrity. Over the past year, some of the smartest and most successful DRTV marketers in the world have compromised their standards on campaigns delivering ROIs below historic norms. They justified their decisions based on high media rates and poor consumer response. Some said that DRTV would never again be a profitable stand-alone channel. Over the past year, a media earnings ratio of 1.3 became the new 2.5.

Fortunately, the media market has grown more stable and consumer confidence is on the rise. Scalable, profitable campaigns are starting to take off. Just keep in mind, nothing lasts forever…be patient, nimble and track everything that you do and the DRTV industry will prosper when times allow.

Dick Wechsler is CEO of Irvington, N.Y.-based Lockard & Wechsler Direct, and chairman of Electronic Retailer’s Magazine Advisory Board. Contact Wechsler at rwechsler@lwdirect.com.

Social Media Marketing: Keeping Your ROI in Check

Is it possible to quantify the true value of social media marketing (SMM)? Advertising and marketing firms across the globe are scrambling to answer this million-dollar question. Yet without knowing the answer to this question, we continue to see companies invest tens of thousands of dollars in social media campaigns, apparently throwing caution to the wind.

Marketing spent on social networking sites in 2009 reached $2.4 billion, according to a report by Mintel. The social media revolution is relentless in its expansion. Most businesses fighting for survival in today’s economy refuse to be left behind–even if they don’t understand how SMM efforts conducted by a hired firm actually affected their return on investment (ROI). Pack mentality is driving the market and may actually be its greatest proponent.

If only radio, television and online marketing firms had it this easy. Wouldn’t they all love it; forget audience analysis…forget cost per lead (CPL)…forget proving to clients that any and all marketing efforts are worth the investment. It’s as if the phenomenon of social media took off too quickly for people to question its validity. Yet, we all know that effective networking–whether through social media or other means–generally leads to business growth. So the value must be there, but how will we ever monetize it? In short, through technology.

Putting the “Buzz” in Social Media Marketing
Most will say revenue growth through SMM is difficult to track; the rest will say it’s impossible. Do not be deceived. Without an industry-accepted formula to calculate social media, here’s what you need to know: Social media firms know the buzzwords. They will “strategize, engage, listen and influence online consumers,” while encouraging others to “connect with, trust and recommend” your brand.

Through them, you will gain “direct contact with consumers,” “real-time customer feedback,” “reach untapped markets,” “gather valuable customer data,” “achieve branding recognition” at its best, and even “gain influence over consumers.” The buzzwords continue. Your chosen firm will report to you on the number of new “backlinks,” “friends,” “followers,” “likes,” “online articles,” “blogs,” “bookmarks,” “newsletter opt-ins,” “comment sentiment,” etc. Yet, they can’t tell you how any of this actually affects bottom-line revenue. Business growth spawns from innovation and it seems the horses (social media firms) left the cart (your business) in the dust before anyone knew the race had started.

So forget all that. What can we really track with even the most basic, often free, technology? How about increased web traffic, number of new leads, leads converted to sales and overall revenue growth achieved through SMM efforts? It seems a simple request. If your social media firm is unable to deliver these fundamental figures and if its business model is obscure like most, then you’ll never truly understand objective ROI when it comes to marketing through social media.

However, there is a solution. Find a firm that grows as you grow: a firm whose interests are your own. I’m, of course, referring to revenue sharing, which is simply a way to grow a business in a manner outside existing portals. Can your firm offer a concrete social media CPL prior to campaign launch? Not likely. They’ll need a new business model for that.

Also, lead generation is imperative. People who “like” your Twitter business page are not leads. Their “like” does not give you their e-mail address or phone number. Social media sites are merely a collection of consumers versus a purchased list of leads falling within your target demographic. The social media leads are useless if not given specific instructions designed to get them to hand over lead information to you and you only. Micro-sites now enter the equation.

Find a firm that’s willing and technically able to set up a top-notch micro-site. As they drive traffic to this site (at no out-of-pocket cost to you), let them climb the social media mountain with you rather than for you. Then just sit back and monitor online traffic, new leads, conversions and revenue growth. This is how results get achieved. This is how technological innovation has finally caught up with the wild brute we call the social media revolution.

Ed Elliott is chief financial officer at Media Worldwide Partners in Long Beach, Calif. Contact Elliott at (562) 439-3900, or via e-mail at eelliott@ mediapartnersworldwide.com.