Driving Forward > Digital Marketing Blog

NEDMA Annual Conference 2019 Recap (Part 1)

written by Jessica O'Brien May 21, 2019

NEDMA Annual Conference

The smell of coffee, the whispers of eager attendees, the brimming electricity of all the potential knowledge about to be shared from luminaries and marketing experts. This is what welcomed attendees the morning of the New England Direct Marketing Association (NEDMA) 2019 Annual Conference.

Exhibitors lined the sides and back of Bentley’s main hall in LaCava Center, while attendees filled tables, greeting coworkers and fellow marketers with smiles and warm salutations. Despite its annual tradition, every NEDMA conference manages to feel unique, packed with new opportunities to discover the latest trends and innovations within marketing.

Overdrive was honored to once again sponsor this conference, as well as have our CEO, Harry J. Gold, present his session, the “5 Pillars of Ecommerce” to attendees.

If you missed this event, don’t worry – we have you covered with this two-part post. From advances in AR to innovations in online marketing, we’ve outlined highlights and insights from the day below.

 

Check Out the 5 Pillars to Ecommerce Deck and Webinar

Discover how to drive success in ecommerce by watching the presentation and downloading the deck.

Harry J. Gold presents the “5 Pillars of Ecommerce” at NEDMA’s Annual Conference

 

Keynote: 5 Ways AI is Changing Marketing Today

Christopher S. Penn, Co-Founder and Chief Innovator, Trust Insights, In


How do you prepare your company for reaping the benefits of AI? Overwhelmingly, CMOs report caring about proving the value of marketing. AI is faster than other marketing tools, certainly, but the data collection from AI does a company no good if processes aren’t in place to make use of these learnings.

In his keynote address, Trust Insights’ Co-Founder and Chief Innovator, Christopher Penn, illuminated marketers on the seven-step process to effectively taking advantage of machine learning in marketing and preparing for a future dominated by automation.

Essentially it boils down to this, if your job is automated, it’s in danger of being replaced by machines. There will be two positions in a world run by AI, those who manage the machines, and those who are managed by the machines.

In many ways, the future is already here. Which is why we’ve put together a comprehensive view of the current AI marketing landscape in our “AI Marketing Map” PDF with live links. Interested in learning more about AI in marketing? Check out the video for the Keynote and transcript on the Trust Insights website.

https://twitter.com/AlecStern/status/1128738471621877760

 

The 5 Pillars of Ecommerce

Harry J. Gold, CEO, Overdrive Interactive

 

Simple fixes and best practices. That’s the foundation of Harry J. Gold’s session on how to successfully drive ROI in ecommerce. Of course, the pillars of ecommerce or any marketing endeavor are going to vary depending on the company you speak with.

However, there is a reason Overdrive swears by these 5 pillars, as we genuinely believe these are the tactics and channels that successful ecommerce companies get right:

  1. SEO
  2. SEM
  3. PLAs
  4. Retargeting/Custom Audiences
  5. Social Advertising

The intersection of these pillars is where scalability and reliability live. Ready to discover the secret sauce to having a huge competitive advantage in ecommerce? Watch Harry J. Gold’s session and download the deck and become a better marketer today. 

“What’s In It For Me – Direct Mail Discoveries” – a Panel Discussion

Panelists: Chuck La Tournous; Vice President, Marketing @ American National, Nicole Morreale, Digital Strategy Director @ FARM, Karen Rice Gardiner; Consultant and Former General Manager of Marketing; Smithsonian Institution

Moderator: Cory Funk, National Account Executive, Japs-Olson Company

 

When you think of direct mail, you think of something tangible, the feel of glossy or matte paper beneath your fingertips. A brightly printed die-cut informational piece nestled between the bills and invites that usually crowd your mailbox. This is a digital world, and some feel direct mail is a callback to a different time, where marketing dinosaurs roamed the earth. This opinion couldn’t be more wrong. In reality, direct mail is a more personal way of communicating that gives your brand a stronger voice than digital only.

Combining direct mail with digital increases your chance of success in marketing efforts. Having a physical piece of paper in your hand and reading from that is psychologically proven to create a better recall than reading from a screen. The number one job of an envelope is to get the consumer to open it. So if you haven’t considered a combination offline/online strategy in order to get your message across, now be the time to consider it.

From Blank Page to Killer Creative

Alexandra MacAaron, Creative Director & Queen B, B Direct Marketing Communications

Of all the sessions of the day, this one was the most geared toward audience participation.

The audience was presented with different client briefs and three concepts that were offered to the individual clients as possible solutions to their marketing quandary. Attendees then voted on the concepts and were told why or why not their choice was selected.

This session stressed the importance of pushing past just having creative ideas, instead, marketers need to:

  • Be outrageous and bold in your concepts – don’t show clients ideas they could have come up on their own
  • It’s okay to steal ideas, but don’t steal from the same table as your client is sitting at
  • Be edgy and give good creative a chance

 

Leveraging the Latest Data Techniques to Drive Measurable Results for B2B Marketers

Ted McNulty, Vice President Sales, AdDaptive Intelligence

A constant theme throughout the day was how offline can help complement or supplement digital efforts in order to create a holistic marketing campaign that drives ROI, conversions, and high-quality leads.

The pressure to deliver quality leads to sales is increasing for B2B marketers. It seems fairly obvious, but looking at something that already exists in a new way, while also leveraging the latest techniques can create a more effective marketing program.

In this case, we’re talking about data on-boarding – the concept of taking a direct mail list and matching that with the digital campaign. Now you can use offline data for digital efforts that drive better B2B leads more effectively. Attendees in this session came away with the knowledge of how to leverage offline information like customer files and make profiles that could be used to create look-a-like audiences in the digital world.

“How to Push Outside the Envelope – Literally” – a Panel Discussion

Panelists: Kerry Hannify, Director of Quality & Operational Initiatives, Data-Mail, Inc.;
Mariah Hunt, President, Hunt Direct
Ruth Sterling, Marketing Manager, Amherst Label

Moderator: Brook Spaulding, Market Development Manager, Senior Account Manager, W+D North America, Inc.

Even though many see direct mail as outdated, there is a strong emotional connection that comes with a physical envelope that shows a level of attention and care that you don’t get via email.

When a consumer gets a well-crafted, carefully personalized piece of direct mail they think, “wow this business actually cares about me.” Emotional reactions like that are rare in a digital world where consumers are bombarded with dozens of emails a day. Direct mail gives you the ability to target all the senses that digital can’t, like smell and touch. Engaging all five senses can create an emotional attachment.

All of this can be true when it comes to sales as well. Direct mail can turn a cold call into a warm call. Sending someone a personal postcard before a sales call can be the difference between making it easy for sales and having no one pick up.

At the end of the day, digital is king – but direct mail can create opportunities to reach your target audience in ways that digital falls short.

 

Crafting a Video Strategy

Mo Effron, VP, Strategy & Interactive, MK3 Creative

 

The possibilities for video content today are endless.. When it comes to video strategy, the most important question is, “how can I use video most effectively and affordably?”

Whether you’re looking to create a B2B explainer video or showcase a product for launch, part of what you want to be thinking about when formulating a video strategy is what belongs where. Then, there are all the places the video can be deployed.

Before you create any video, you need an activation brief. This brief should include the following:

  • What do you want to happen
  • Who is the target audience
  • What’s your important message
  • Why should they believe you
  • What’s your call to action.

Social video needs to be very short. Use social as a way to drive people to the longer video. Ask yourself, what are some of the teaser assets we should be using in social media?

Ready for more marketing insights and learnings for the day? Stay tuned for the recap of the second part of the day, coming soon.

Want to kick your marketing efforts into high gear? Browse our website to see our range of digital marketing services.

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