Master Marketers - Interview with Annmarie Hanlon

This is the 1st. of a series of interviews that I'm going to publish with leading Marketers.


I hope that you enjoy the series... please pass on to your friends and colleagues if you do!


Today's guest is Annmarie Hanlon, to whom - Many Thanks!!!

Annmarie Hanlon is a professionally qualified Marketing Consultant and the Managing Director of Evonomie® an online & offline marketing consultancy that helps companies grow market share.

The author of Quick Win Marketing and Quick Win Digital Marketing, books and iPhone Apps, Annmarie completed a BA in French and Linguistics at the University of London in 1987 and the Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma in 1991 for which she won the Worship Company of Marketors Award. In 1997 she gained a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Leicester, followed by the Chartered Institute of Marketing's Professional eMarketing Award in 2003.

A Chartered Marketer, Annmarie is currently researching the practical application of social media for businesses.

  

Question 1:  We hear a lot today about Social Media. How can companies get the balance right between this aspect of Digital Marketing and other areas such as: SEM, SEO, Online PR, Online Advertising, e-mail Marketing etc.

With 30 million people in the UK actively using Facebook every month, social media can no longer be ignored. Companies need to understand their customers, target markets and product offers and essentially what they want to achieve. When the objectives are clear, the most appropriate balance between different elements of social media can be both agreed and integrated.

Question 2:  How do you see Mobile Technologies and Mobile Marketing approaches develop in the future?

Your mobile phone is always less than an arm's length away. Whether it's in a handbag, jacket or on your desk, the future is mobile, the technology is improving and the numbers of smart phone users grows daily.

The challenges with mobile are:

• improving access to fast Internet connections
• better design that's easier to see clearly on iPhones and
• security solutions that remove the need to constantly log in.

The opportunities are to encourage mobile users to better engage and give more reasons to permit contact.

Companies selling online should consider app development and enable customers and potential customers to buy on demand.

Question 3:  How can companies make sure that their involvement in Digital Marketing creates real returns?

Marketing metrics, both digital and traditional, has been the subject of many debates. It is easier to measure a return when a company has set clear objectives and knows what it wants to achieve.

Question 4:  What practical steps can marketers take to improve their Digital Marketing skills?

Professional qualifications are a good place to start. CIM/CAM have developed two excellent courses; the Diploma in Digital Marketing and the Diploma in Managing Digital Media. The pre-cursor to these courses was the CIM’s Professional Award in eMarketing which I took back in 2003. These courses are rigorous and useful - I know at first hand as I’m one of the Digital Marketing tutors for Oxford College of Marketing! 

Question 5:  Finally, what advice would you give organisations who may actually feel a little bit lost and left behind in the new Digital Marketing world?

The Social Media Balance Sheet™ was designed to help companies get started in digital marketing. It is a simple tool that takes a snapshot of competitors' activities. This helps companies see how social media is being used, whether it is working and provides a clear image of what is happening in their market sector. When completed, companies can see what works, what doesn't and how to move forward.

Social Media Balance Sheet™ see http://www.smartinsights.com/blog/online-pr-social-media/competitor-benchmarking-the-social-media-balance-sheet/

Alternatively read the book or download the iPhone App ‘Quick Win Digital Marketing’ which answers 100 digital marketing questions from ‘Where do we start with digital marketing?’ to ‘How do we prevent brand damage is our employees use social networking sites?’


Recommended Resources:

Annmarie Hanlon on LinkedIn http://uk.linkedin.com/in/annmariehanlon

Latest digital marketing news http://news.evonomie.net/

B2B marketing blog http://www.business2businessmarketing.blogspot.com/

Social Media Balance Sheet™ http://www.smartinsights.com/blog/online-pr-social-media/competitor-benchmarking-the-social-media-balance-sheet/

Quick Win Digital Marketing publisher’s site http://www.oaktreepress.eu/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=42&category_id=10&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=2