eLink Media & Current Market Conditions

With the current financial markets being what they are and the headlines being dominated by news of foreclosures on peoples' homes, increasing unemployment numbers and layoffs, and likelihood that the recession will not end anytime soon eLink Media continues to buck the trend. We are growing! More clients, expanded campaigns, and the knowledge that we provide a value to our clients that very few in the market do: ROI

eLink Media on the Lookout...

At eLink Media, we're always on the lookout to not only discover what will work better for our clients and campaigns, but get feedback on what is currently in the marketplace. Take a look at this example of inefficiency in action:

http://themodulator.org/archives/003382.html

Results are freaking killing it!

We've already launched a couple of new campaigns on an initial test basis and we've gotten back in the preliminary results. The short of it? We're crushing the expectations!

eLink Media Loves the U.K.!!!

It has been our good fortune to work with some amazing brands, advertisers, and agencies across the pond in the United Kingdom. While their style, accents, and preference for warm beer sometimes baffles us, they have proven to be great partners and very smart business people. We appreciate the opportunity to work with them well into the future, and who knows?....eLink Media U.K.?

Distribution

eLink Media strives to give our clients the best possible results and service. One thing that we stress to our advertisers and agency clients is distribution. Multiple channels of distribution for online marketing offers is absolutely king. Relying on one channel for traffic is very difficult, so to optimize campaigns and maximize traffic we advise the most distribution possible.

Accountability & eLink Media

We at eLink are always trying to maintain accountability for client's campaigns. In this market, now more than ever accountability to the client, the campaign, and to each other is more important than ever. Understanding long-term growth projections and campaign strategies is one thing. But the small pieces, the daily reminders, the step-by-step movements are sometimes overlooked.

That all gives us something to think about today....

Timing & Missed Timing (eLink Media's take)

Watching the NBA finals over the course of the last week or so has given us a chance to put some things in perspective. Taking risks is what advertising is all about, whether it's eLink Media's full suite of solutions, conducting a Direct Response campaign as a new advertiser, or for agencies that have been in the game forever, missed timing and events beyond your control can also make life interesting....

Take for example the current Nike (LeBron & Kobe puppet) campaign. This is a television campaign to coincide a shoe release, that Nike (and their agencies) invested tens of millions of dollars in, banking on the all desired Kobe vs. LeBron NBA finals matchup. Only guess what happened....the Kobe vs. LeBron matchup itself never materialized. So here is Nike, holding millions of dollars worth of ad time to feature a caricature of a player who was sitting at home watching the games on television, instead of being on television.

This is a reminder to all advertisers, whether they are agencies or not....nothing works according to plan. Changes (sometimes bad) happen. The question isn't "who's to blame for this?" The right question is "how do we move forward from here?"

Do you want the fortune cookie or the fortune?

eLink Media provides exceptional ability to understand client goals with their campaigns, because as most of us in the online marketing and media space know, those client goals tend to change quite a bit.

The difference between a mediocre campaign and a successful campaign still relies on the basics of any business model and the offer to the general public:

1) Does your product/service provide a value to the consumer?

2) Are you able to innovate (even if it's just a slight tweak) your product/service to keep yourself and your marketing ideas fresh?

3) Do you believe in your product/service or is this just a job?

We value our clients input and feedback and expect their high demands? Why? Because we have those same demands on ourselves. I think the best answer we can ask any advertiser or client that has not worked with us is this: "Has your current marketing agency "wow"ed you lately? If not, let's talk about what your future entails."

eLink Media's Advice for New Advertisers....

At eLink Media, we are always trying to educate and advise current clients and new advertisers that email marketing is both a skill and an art. Understanding some basic principles will help shape and define campaign principles. Once those are established, the idea of staring up at the ceiling and wondering "What is a consumer going to buy?" go by the wayside....

1) Find the Human Connection. Whether you're pitching a new skin cream or a theme park pass, remember that your creative is being viewed by a real person. Real people make decisions to buy or perform the desired call to action. Connect with them in a way they can relate. If it's a pet offer you are distributing, everyone can relate to the moment when Molly the Dog has an accident. Bringing the human connection in could be the moment that acquires a new customer versus a missed opportunity.

2) Pick the Right Person. Understanding your demographic or your identified target demographic is key. The days of "this product/service is perfect for everyone in the world!" are gone. Starting off with a target sample will give you enough data to know if you were right, or completely off the mark.

3) Be Consistent! At eLink Media, we preach to our clients that part of our service is providing consistency in an inconsistent market. Just because a test campaign yielded less than stellar results, does not mean that you didn't gain a ROI. Understanding your offer and it's reaction to the marketplace is valuable information to know whether you hit the nail on the head, or swung and missed entirely with your idea. Being consistent and testing multiple options give advertisers the opportunity to connect and re-connect with both cold customers coming back or new customers entirely. Stay on point, and you'll more than likely get to your destination.

Understanding eMail Marketing Strategy...

Strategy is just that...strategic.

Strategic marketing no matter what the distribution path is just that. Where we spend the most time educating clients and advertisers on what is successful or not comes in the fact that versus display, email marketing needs to be tracked for conversions over the course of 60-90 days minimum and may not be successful on the first few drops. To be able to optimize different ISPs and different data segments is key, as is the honest and direct feeback from the clients themselves. Has anyone else had this kind of learning curve explained to them or by them?

eLink Media and the GM fallout...

What does the bankruptcy filing of General Motors mean to eLink Media and companies like eLink Media? Just like the rest of the market, it impresses upon us one of the core value adds that we bring to our clients....flexibility. With the deepening recession and the difficulty of Online Advertising Networks to be able to sustain performance or provide bad performance metrics because of bloated, non-efficient business practices (like GM), eLink has enough nimbleness and flexibility to be able to adapt to different business climates. Understanding the market and being able to navigate through it to deliver top-tier service is rare and we are in a much more stable position than most to proudly say we can deliver on expectations. Our hope is that more business, whether large or small, understand the value in being able to work in multiple arenas, break through new barriers, and forge ahead in difficult times.

eLink Media Market Comment

"It's likely the least sexy tool in your marketing arsenal, but it could be the one that delivers real results." That's how a major publication launches into a report on e-mail marketing, saying it has emerged as a cost-effective "recession darling" for direct marketers who are hungry for results.

"It's become the rock star of direct marketing in a lot of these retail organizations because it's the most cost-effective and most trackable."

A study by Shop.org found that 30 percent of retailers are spending less than originally planned on their Web businesses overall, and 24 percent are spending more. But only 4 percent of retailers say budget cuts will affect e-mail marketing.

Scott Silverman, executive director of Shop.org, said e-mail is "not sexy, but it delivers results, and it's focusing on existing customers. It's not about sending more e-mail; it's about more-targeted and more-relevant e-mail."

Spending on e-mail has been on the rise, experts say, because optimizing e-mail lists and upgrading to new technologies can be accomplished quickly and offers a solid return on investment.

"Dollars go into the e-mail channel [and companies] know that in four to 12 weeks they'll see a return." seems to be the general consensus.