Highlighted Marketing Stories:
Twitter Outsources Ad Model Development (BrandWeek) – The revenue model of social networks has long been in question but Twitter appears to be letting outside firms take first crack at figuring it out. Additionally, Twitter may soon rethink whether the service should be free for business users.
Its founders and backers have said the company isn’t interested in traditional banner placements on the service. It has plans to begin charging brands using the service for extra features.
Will current users of social networks really respond to ads?
Marketers Weave Web of Loyalty (DM News) – Despite the economic downturn, some retailers continue to make investments in the online side of the business. As the story explains investing in methods that build loyalty cannot only payoff now but may be even bigger when things recover.
A smooth shopping experience that keeps them coming back and encourages them to recommend the site to others is the goal. These efforts run the gamut from site optimization to bells and whistles such as product recommendations, video product descriptions, live chat and customer reviews.
Should struggling retailers also consider such spending methods even as revenue and profits are falling?
What Do Hiring Managers Seek in Candidates When Looking to Fill a CRM Position? (DM News) – We never seem to find many stories that are about marketing careers but this one does to have some useful insight for those seeking CRM industry jobs.
Ultimately, hiring managers want to ensure candidates can connect data and customers. Realizing that there is more to a data record than just name, address and e-mail is important. After all, customers are the ones spending the money, so theirs are the only opinions that matter.
Do many of these factors apply to other marketing positions?
Internet Regulator Mulls Cybersquatting Block (USA Today) – Cybersquatting has been a menace for many trademark holders (including KnowThis.com!) for many years. And as the number of domain naming options increases it is bound to get worse. But now there may be some relief on the way.
So a central database, dubbed an IP Clearinghouse, would unify those rules. And someone’s attempt to register a trademark under a new suffix would be automatically blocked, until the applicant could prove that its use is legitimate.
Does this place the small business owner, with little understanding of trademark law, at a disadvantage?