Nov 19

Digital Visionaries Discuss Digital Evolution

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Behavioral Targeting, Database Marketing, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

Monday night, in the heart of New York City, a panel of digital marketing experts weighed in on the biggest trends of 2009 and contemplated what the future may hold for the online marketing landscape. This was the third annual Digital Evolution panel presented by 212, New York’s Interactive Advertising Club. The panel featured experts from DIGITAS, the Digital Broadcasting Group, Circ.us, Quattro Wireless and Datran Media. Masha Geller, managing partner of Wednesday Marketing Group, moderated the lively debate.

Everything, from the rise of data-driven ad targeting and social media, to episodic online video, mobile, and apps, were discussed in the context of significantly changing media consumption habits. With many companies still scrambling to embrace these new tools as a way to deliver their marketing messages to customers, the panel reviewed some important strategies marketers must employ to keep from falling behind in the ever-changing digital landscape. Audience discovery was a crucial part of this discussion.

One of the most innovative digital trends seen in 2009, according to Datran Media’s Chief Revenue Officer Sean O’Neal, are the new methods marketers have to leverage data for better audience targeting and measurement. Advancements in behavioral technology have given marketers the tools they need to truly understand their audience beyond simple Web browsing statistics, like site visits and time spent on a site. Transactional, behavioral and search data can be blended to better define and discover your customer. What’s more, the opportunity to leverage offline data like retail transaction history and household-level demographics has created the most effective form of addressable media. Being able to reach a targeted audience rather than investing in the mass distribution of your message will drive better results by precision and cost-savings.

So what’s on the horizon for digital marketers? Sean O’Neal believes there will be a major convergence of devices leading to new media channels. New technology will essentially combine the PC and the television, creating a whole new channel opportunity for marketers. Consumers will use a single device to access media, read email and chat with friends and family. Devices like AppleTV are already making this a reality. With the level of data available to marekters, they will be able to hone their messages to their customers at the height of the consumer’s media engagement.

The next 12-24 months are very exciting for anyone in the digital space. But not just for us marketers, consumers will truly benefit by the way we will be able to deliver messages to them.

Nov 11

IAB Releases Guidelines for Email Monetization

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Industry Research, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

More than 500 years after Gutenberg unveiled the printing press and helped spread the written word by establishing a new medium for freely distributing information, the Internet has quickly put the future of print in jeopardy. As print readership and circulation levels continue to decrease, and ad pages dwindle, publishers have learned to embrace the Web for content distribution. However, despite the rapid increase in online readership, publishers continue to struggle with effective ways to monetize their online content.

Selling ad space in email newsletters is proving to be the bright spot of the acquisition market — especially in the media/news industry. The Magazine Publishers of America stated that in the first quarter of 2008, email was a central driver behind 70 million unique consumer visits to online magazine sites.

To provide a comprehensive resource for publishers and marketers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of Email Monetization Strategies, the next step in the IAB’s ongoing efforts to establish a solid foundation of guidance and tools for the email marketplace. It provides publishers, agencies and marketers with recommendations and best practices for the successful execution of email marketing campaigns.

The recommendations outlined in this document offer best practices and advice for:
Advertisers
o Leveraging email newsletters to reach a valuable audience
o Using the email channel to test offers and promotions
o Driving sales and site registration through stand alone email advertising
o Criteria for choosing a email publisher
o Emerging trend of video in email campaigns

Publishers
o Revenue opportunities through sponsorship and ad units in email newsletters
o Pricing models for email monetization
o Inventory management
o Data collection
o Developing a video email campaign

“The email channel offers a unique opportunity to reach consumers with relevant, differentiated and personalized content and messaging,” said Sherrill Mane, SVP, Industry Services, IAB. “Email Monetization Strategies provides an in-depth assessment and guide to maximizing the success of email marketing.”

“Email is one of the most effective direct and brand marketing mediums,” said Sean O’Neal, Chief Revenue Officer, Datran Media, and co-chair of the IAB’s Email Committee. “These best practices provide the latest information and strategies to marketers and publishers so that they can maximize their email communications with their customers.”

Oct 29

Five Monetization Opportunities to Consider in 2010

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

This week publishers converged in New York City for DPAC 4. During the full day event, attendees heard from media moguls addressing the future of digital content and the advertising economy. As more and more readers rely on the Web to consume content, digital publishers have a great opportunity to monetize their media. During the DPAC4 opening breakfast, Sean O’Neal, Chief Revenue Officer for Datran Media and Christy Tanner, VP of Marketing and Editor-in-Chief of TV Guide.com will engaged the audience in an animated discussion around how to best monetize audiences in today’s marketplace and far beyond. Here are the five key takeaways they provided the audience.

1.Know Your Audience:
Leverage behavioral, demographic & transactional data to define your audience & create new monetization opportunities.

2.Invest in Advanced Advertising Technologies:
Enabling targeted buys featuring rich media is key.

3.Email is Targeted & Effective:
Mobile growth & new technologies (i.e. email video delivery) will enable email marketers to become even more effective.

4.Email is Targeted & Effective:
Mobile growth & new technologies (i.e. email video delivery) will enable email marketers to become even more effective.

5.Use the Power of Video:
Video’s engagement metrics can help maximize your impact with your audience and your advertisers.

If you would like to learn more about any of these topics, contact us and check out some interesting articles on the topic in our thought leadership library.

Jul 09

Online & Email Newsletters Jump 475%

By Michael Goldberg Datran Events, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Industry Research, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

The number of online and email newsletters jumped from 1,053 to 6,055 over the last five years, an increase of 475%.
Meanwhile, print-only newsletters decreased 43% from 7,395 to 4,180, and those in both print and electronic formats remained about the same (4,859 vs. 4,949), according to Mediafinder.com and reported by Marketing Vox.

With consumers continuing to abandon print in favor of digital publications, it has never been a better time to explore monetization opportunities. Now, more than ever, your online inventory is extremely valuable.

Join Datran Media and publishing executives from Fox Digital Media and Examiner.com for a complimentary webinar: Generating Value from your Online Ad Inventory Part II: How Publishers Can Survive & Thrive in an Ad Recession.
In part 2 of this ongoing webinar series, Datran Media will again address digital monetization techniques with other publishers and advertisers.

Join us to hear directly from publishing experts facing the same unique challenges and learn how they are reaching targeted consumer segments and maximizing their monetization efforts. The 50-minute panel will close with a 10 minute Q&A opportunity. Register today and discover the secrets to media monetization.

You Will Learn to:

•Leverage email in your monetization efforts
•Use audience targeting to increase value
•Utilize co-reg offers
•Integrate social media
•Employ the use of integrated placements

Tuesday, July 28
2:30 PM EST / 11:30 AM PST
Duration: 60 Minutes

Register now

Mar 23

Extra! Extra! Newspapers Turn to Digital for Survival

By Michael Goldberg Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

There’s really no breaking news here. Traditional newspapers are in a world of hurt these days, and it is something that started way before the economic downturn. Online media including Web sites, blogs, and social media have all but rendered the print newspaper irrelevant. However, this doesn’t mean the content is insignificant, it just means the form it’s in is no longer applicable in the modern world; at least for people with super fast Internet connections and smart phones – a number that is growing every day. Why worry about ink smudges on your fingers when you can read everything with a quick click of your finger?

Several newspapers have been unable to rely on an online counterpart and have unfortunately witnessed their demise after decades and sometimes centuries in print. This is happening at such an alarming rate that it is today’s featured story on CNN.com (another example of getting your news online). In the article, Paul Gillin, a social media consultant, said such losses are to be expected for an industry that has failed to adapt to the influx of online publishing tools and social networking sites.

Speaking of online publishing, one of the biggest opportunities newspaper publishers can leverage in the digital world is email. This increasingly popular marketing channel offers an enormous number of benefits not available in print and allows advertisers to pick put a very fine segment of the audience and target them precisely. Datran Media’s chief revenue officer Sean O’Neal discusses this topic with two publishers who understand how to leverage digital media. Both New York Magazine and MediaNews Group discuss their daily challenges with DM News, a must read for any publisher.

Jan 09

Display Ads Do the Job

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Industry Research, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

Display ads are effective, albeit a little different than we may have thought. comScore recently released results of a study that shows online ads actually function like a branding campaign, not just a direct response initiative. According to the report, readers were 46 percent more likely to visit an advertiser’s site within four weeks of seeing its ad online than they were if they did not view an ad. The percentage of site visits is higher the closer it is to the date of ad viewing. What’s more, the study shows it becomes 38 percent more likely that a Web surfer will search for an advertiser’s name with a search engine like Google within four weeks of a seeing an online.
ad.

I will be honest, I do not click on every ad I see when I am visiting a Web site. I do however take note of these ads, the same way I do when I am flipping through a newspaper or magazine, and this report makes me wonder how many times I must have visited a site because of an ad. Marketers need to understand the branding implications that display ads can have in addition to the ability to track those that do in fact take action on it. I believe what is most important is making sure that these ads are being seen by the right people. It is important to understand who your target audience is and where they go on the Web and then, and only then, will you be successful, by driving clicks or generating brand awareness as we now see.

Dec 17

Missed the Webinar? View it Online

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Datran Events, Executive Insight, Industry Research, Online Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

Earlier this week, Datran Media joined eHarmony, Mountain Sports Media and New York Magazine for an engaging dialogue focused on monetizing online media. While publishers have witnessed a greater number of their readers abandoning print for online, many still struggle with ways to generate value from their online media. This 55-minute webinar provided some great insights from some of the Web’s top online publishers. Each speaker explained strategies they use to generate meaningful revenue from their online media. If you are interested in monetizing your online media, this is a must watch. Click here to launch the full audio presentation.

Dec 11

Take the Survey and Enter to Win an iTunes Gift Card

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Affiliate Marketing, Behavioral Targeting, CRM, Database Marketing, Datran Events, Datran News, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Industry Research, List Management, Online Marketing, Performance Marketing, Publishers No Comments »

Each year, Datran Media conducts a marketing survey to capture insights from marketers around the globe. This year, Datran Media is asking you to address your toughest challenges in this increasingly difficult economy. Let us know what campaign strategies and marketing channels you will use to prosper in 2009 and beyond.

Sharing your viewpoints and concerns through a structured survey allows you to voice your opinion to the entire industry. Last year’s survey reached thousands of marketing professionals, and the results garnered media and analyst coverage across the U.S. and abroad. This year should be no different, as experts count on your personal insights to illuminate the state of our industry.

In exchange for your time, Datran Media will select 25 lucky winners at random to send a $25 iTunes Gift card. The survey will take only 2-3 minutes to complete and will be open until January 11. Thank you in advance for your time!

Click Here to take survey

Dec 08

I Want My Content Free!

By Michael Goldberg Advertisers, Datran Events, Email Marketing, Executive Insight, Industry Research, Publishers Comments Off

Monetizing online content has been a hot topic lately. As print revenues decrease and online readership increases, publishers are left trying to figure out how to create meaningful value from their online assets. According to the Magazine Publishers of America, the number of unique visitors to consumer magazine Web sites for Q1 2008 averaged out around 70.7 million unique users per month, a new record.

In the new era of going green and our continuing McDonaldization of information – where we crave and devour content in an instant with little patience, it would seem a no-brainer to charge for this content. However, many publishers are scared that charging a fee for access to online content will keep readers away. They may be right. According to research published in Advertising Age, consumers would not be willing to pay for an ad-free version of a site. “At the lower price of $29.99 a year, or less than $3 a month, only another 1.9% of consumers said they would be very likely to pay…”

So, despite consumers’ reluctance to view advertising, they have no intention of paying for your content. That leaves publishers between a rock and hard place. What publishers need to do is start treating their online properties the same way they treat their print editions, as a billboard with prime advertising space. Datran Media’s SVP of Strategic Accounts, Dave Hendricks, pens a great article about this in today’s MediaPost Email Insider.

The fact is, readers did not stop purchasing newspapers and magazines because they featured ads and it has not slowed down online’s growth. But publishers will have to be smart at how they monetize online content and there are so many options that can be done smartly with little harm to the reader. In fact, unlike print ads, online ads can be targeted to a reader’s interest and actually have meaning to someone browsing a site. If you are interested in learning more about this topic, check out the following complimentary webinar next Monday.

Nov 24

Webinar Will Show Publishers How to Monetize Media

By Michael Goldberg Datran Events, Email Marketing, Publishers Comments Off

With audiences continuing to move online and competition to reach precise consumer segments fiercer than ever, what can publishers do to maximize their online monetization opportunities? Moreover, what should you do to not get left behind? During this informative webinar, Michael Silberman of New York Magazine (NYMag.com), Grant Hosford of eHarmony and Ben Rifkin of SKI Magazine will discuss their ideas and strategies for turning digital content into meaningful revenue. Datran Media’s Executive Vice President of Operations Dave Hendricks will moderate the 50 minute panel and close with a 10 minute Q&A opportunity.

Join experts from eHarmony, New York Magazine, Mountain Sports Media and Datran Media, for a complimentary webinar about unlocking revenue from your online content – even in the current economy.

Generating Value from your Online Ad Inventory:
How Publishers Can Survive & Thrive in an Ad Recession

Monday, December 15
2 PM EST / 11 AM PST
Duration: 60 Minutes

Register Today

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