In this week’s roundup, we’ve shifted our focus from wellness to the trends that will dominate marketing in 2017 and beyond.

From balancing the paradox of “planning to be agile”, to the new era of email marketing, here are our favorite headlines from the week.

 

How To Balance Long Term Planning And Marketing Agility

 

The Takeaway: Authors Andrew Birmingham and Sean Campbell say it best in the first few paragraphs of this article:
“Success in marketing today involves achieving the best balance between long term planning and strategic vision, and agile interactive planning and execution.”

But Birmingham and Campbell don’t just leave us with that; instead, they give us five guidelines for how to achieve this balance. Ultimately, they say, it starts with aligning marketing to larger business objectives, breaking down silos between departments, and adjusting how you think about your long-term marketing plans. For the other two guidelines, you’ll have to read their full article.

 

The Stone Age Of Email Marketing Stops Here: Customize Your Content Using Triggers

 

The Takeaway: With roots in the world of direct mail, we’re not too shy to point out that often when something doesn’t work the way it used to, people tend to dismiss it as outdated or obsolete – a trend we’re now beginning to see in email marketing. But that doesn’t mean that email is on its way out. Instead, much like direct mail, the way email marketing is used and executed must be shifted to fit the changing habits of internet users. Enter marketing automation, which relies more heavily on behaviors rather than demographic segmentation.

Instead of personalizing emails based on consumer demographics, think of email marketing as “an extension of the browsing experience,” drawing from the actions your prospects/customers take on your website. Does someone add a product to their cart but not convert? Send them an email with a coupon code. Does someone download an ebook from your B2B website? Follow up with an email offering a second, more in-depth ebook or related resource. Simply put, think about what a specific behavior means, then get figure out how you can use email to push your audience to take the next step.

 

Direct Mail Campaign Failed? Here’s How to Turn it into a Win

 

The Takeaway: The lessons from this article aren’t limited to direct mail marketing, but can be applied to failures in other areas of your professional and personal life. We’re digging it because it fits really well with our #WednesdayWisdom post this week…

 

Reminder: Never lose your enthusiasm. #WednesdayWisdom pic.twitter.com/VSrt98Ynd6

— Extend Your Reach (@eyreach) February 8, 2017

 

To turn your failures into successes, it’s critical to understand why failure makes us feel the way we do – then to take that understanding and reframe our failure as an opportunity for learning. Like author Mike Ryan suggests, avoid letting despair (or defensiveness) prevent you from clearly seeing where you went wrong. Your next campaign will thank you for it!

 

What articles did you find particularly interesting or relevant? Let us know by commenting below or on Facebook or Twitter!

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