Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Conversion Conference Reinforces DM Principles



I am reflecting on the Conversion Conference held in Chicago at the end of June, where I had to chance to moderate and attend sessions with both eMetrics and Conversion Conference.  There was a lot of interesting material at both conferences, particularly the incorporation of psychological principles, 'The Lizard Brain" into web site design.  Tim Ash, President and CEO of SiteTuners and Amy Africa, CEO of Eight by Eight, both mentioned these principles and the fact that consumers make decisions on a sub-conscious level about a web site almost as soon as they see it.  So we have to keep the web site simple and non-threatening as a result.

A particular trend I noticed in most of the talks was the incorporation of direct marketing principles throughout web design to increase conversion.  There was continued talk about A/B testing, having a good offer and using time deadline or some sense of urgency to increase response.  Some tried and true principles for direct response such as the 'free offer' still work online.  I wondered how many of the participants at the conference realized they were utilizing direct response techniques?  One presentation event suggested that we view Facebook friends as a 'list' and I have long said the real advantage of Facebook friends is to get further contact information to nurture the relationship.

In our courses in our Interactive Marketing program we require a Direct Marketing course as it is the basis of so much that is done on the internet.  We also included a chapter on Direct Marketing principles in our Internet Marketing textbook.

What other examples can you think of where direct response is used  in Internet Marketing?  Can we have a true Conversion Conference that incorporates all channels?  Let me know your thoughts.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Learn How to Hire our NIU Huskie Interactive Marketing Graduates

I received this information from our Career Services folks.  We work closely with career services to place our Interactive graduates.  If you sign in to career services and create an account, you can then look at the Interactive Marketing Resume book and post jobs.


"We thank you for including Northern Illinois University (NIU) as part of your employment strategy by posting your positions in Huskies Get Hired and/or participating in the NIU Career Fairs. Please review the following information for the upcoming recruiting season.

1. Registration for the Fall All-Majors Internship and Job Fairs opens July 1 
http://www.niu.edu/careerservices

2. NIU Career Services Value Package Career Fair Sponsorships include

  • Career fair registration fees
  • Premium location near the candidates' entrance at our career fairs
  • Your company logo and link on NIU Career Services' web site
  • An advertisement promoting your company's participation in the career fairs in The Northern Star, NIU's student newspaper, both fall and spring semesters
  • Dedicated shelf space in the Career Resource Center for your recruitment materials
  • http://www.niu.edu/CareerServices/jobfairs/packages.shtml for more information
3. Fall 2012 NIU Football Sponsorship Career Fair package deal

  • See your company name on the jumbo videotron scoreboard at 4 NIU home football games (home of the 2011 MAC Champions)
  • Includes 2 tickets to one of the home games
  • Over 20,000 NIU students, parents and alumni will see that your company recruits at the NIU Career Fair(s)
  • NIU is the proud winner of the 2011 Mid America Conference Football Championship, 2012 GoDaddy.com Bowl, and currently holds the NCAA longest winning streak of 9 wins. http://www.niuhuskies.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/niu-fb-year-in-review.html
  • This package is an add-on to the regular Internship and Job Fair registrations for $200.00.
To register for the fall 2012 fairs, become an NIU Career Services Value Package Sponsor, reserve interview space, review additional branding opportunities, or discuss your campus recruiting goals, visit our home page:http://www.niu.edu/careerservices or call             815-753-8346      . The NIU Career Services Employer Relations team is looking forward to another great year in partnership with you and your company."