If your marketing email has a 40% open rate, then 60% of your subscribers never see it. And that doesn’t include the people who haven’t signed up for your emails. That’s why it’s critical to consistently and clearly convey your message across all channels. In this episode, I sit down with Mariel Bacci, senior ecommerce strategy lead at BVAccel, to talk about the importance of symmetrical marketing and how it relates to the happiness quotient – and even how Snoop Dogg plays a role in all of this. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Symmetrical marketing and why you need it 

• How to start planning a successful symmetrical marketing campaign 

• The makings of a good landing page 

• How user-generated content (UGC) empowers your symmetrical marketing campaigns 

• Why thinking “mobile separate” may be better than “mobile first” 

For more information on BVAccel, contact Mariel or visit them online: 

[email protected] | http://www.BVAccel.com | @BVAccel 

Be sure to follow Greg @WhatsGregDoing

If a millennial eats at a restaurant but doesn’t post a picture of it on Instagram, did it happen? Millennials have started to redefine many consumer culture trends. While some people stereotype them as entitled, lazy, and unsocial, that couldn’t be further from the truth. If you want to know what millennials are all about and how to reach them, this episode is for you! In this episode, I sit down with millennial marketing expert Jeff Fromm. This guy knows millennials, and today, he gives us the real dirt on what they’re are all about. In this episode, we discuss: 

• The No. 1 missed opportunity for retailers when it comes to millennials. 

• Why loyalty programs often fail and what you should do to secure millennial loyalty. 

• How marketing to millennials is like running a marathon. 

[email protected] | http://www.MillennialMarketing.com | www.Barkleyus.com | On Twitter @BarkleyUS | @JeffFromm | @MillennialMktg And be sure to follow Greg Zakowicz @WhatsGregDoing

If you search online for a pair of boots, those boots will follow you around the internet for weeks. But is this really what compels consumers to buy? The way people seek out and receive information has changed, which has drastically shifted the consumer’s path to purchase. No one knows this better than today’s guest, John Andrews. As the founder of Walmart’s ElevenMom’s program, John noticed the early changes in how consumers receive and digest information, and recognized the power that influencer marketing wields. 

In this episode, John and I discuss: 

• How the consumer journey has changed 

• Why retailers are so reluctant to move away from deep discounting 

• How simplicity and customer service can create brand advocates 

• Amazon, legacy brick-and-mortars, and how retailers can survive. 

• The channels consumers engage with the most. 

• Amazon vs. Walmart: Where’s it heading? 

For more information: [email protected] | www.PrevailingPath.com | @PrevailingPath | @Katadhin

When it comes to email, consumers expect personalized, engaging content. But what does that look like? Today, we have the technology to deliver personalized emails based on time, device and even the location of the user. As marketers, knowing how to use real-time contextual marketing to create a more robust email marketing strategy is critical. I spoke with Justin Foster, co-founder of Liveclicker, about how real-time contextual marketing can empower your personalization efforts and drive consumer engagement. We'll discuss: 

• Real-time contextual marketing in email 

• How it plays into a broader personalization story 

• The differences between real-time personalization and dynamic content 

• The challenges marketers face with email personalization 

• How video can be part of your email and contextual marketing initiatives 

• The 80/20 rule of personalization and its role in your engagement strategy

For more information: [email protected] | http://www.LiveClicker.com | @LiveClicker

SEO is an ingredient, not a recipe. For some marketers, it’s not traditionally been part of their day-to-day. But with the evolution of consumer expectations, mobile dominance and the rise of voice search, there is a growing overlap between overall marketing strategy and SEO practices. I spoke with Randy Kohl, Director of Content & Digital Strategy at Gorilla Group, about how SEO is changing from a conceptual level, and how it relates to a broader content strategy from the marketing department. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• The pivotal forces driving changes in SEO today. 

• How content plays a role in SEO strategy. 

• Planning for micro-moments and how it impacts SEO strategy. 

• The evolution of voice search and its impact on SEO. 

• How ad-blocking software plays into the mix. 

For more information on Gorilla Group, contact Randy or visit them online: [email protected] | www.GorillaGroup.com | @GorillaCommerce 

Be sure to connect with Greg on Twitter @WhatsGregDoing

For many retailers, managing an in-house digital team can be challenging. An effective manager must continually motivate employees, provide productive feedback and encourage professional development, all while holding the team accountable for both individual and company-wide goals. In this episode, I sat down with Ryan Dobrin, Director of Marketing at Sylvane.com. Among other things, to discuss how his digital marketing team is structured, the importance of maintaining your company culture, and how he balances organizational and individual growth and goals with day-to-day responsibilities. In this episode, we discus: 

• How much “cultural fit” plays into hiring new team members 

• Ways to empower individuals to take on more ownership 

• The biggest challenge for online retailers today 

• Handling professional development within a smaller team 

• What Celine Dion has to do with interviewing 

For more Information: [email protected] | http://www.Sylvane.com 

* Follow Greg @WhatsGregDoing

Consumers want and expect relevance in their email marketing, and retailers know this. While segmentation exists, it’s all too common that the execution is lacking. So where’s the disconnect? It could be due to a variety of factors, from the lack of internal resources to the wrong segmentation strategy. But we know that achievable opportunities are out there, regardless of the size of your marketing department. I spoke to Brett Robbins, Head of Business Development at Custora, about how retailers can use data to create a unique and differentiated customer experience. 

In this episode, we discuss: 

• Email sensitivity modeling 

• Farketing – what is it and how does it impact your email program? 

• The KPI most advanced retailers are using today 

• Two things that can help you build customer loyalty 

• The best way to increase your early repeat rate 

• Using segmentation in social advertising 

For more information: [email protected] | http://www.Custora.com 

** Follow Greg @WhatsGregDoing

The ecommerce and retail landscape is changing, which brings up a lot of questions for commerce marketers. In this episode of The Commerce Marketer Podcast, I talk to three of them and get their opinions on the state of retail today and what’s in store for the future. Check out our industry rapid-fire mashup of their responses and predictions. We discuss: 

• The biggest challenge for online retailers today. 

• Whether brick-and-mortar will survive. 

• What social media means for retail. 

• The most effective email marketing strategy they’ve implemented. 

• Where Amazon will be in five years. Will it be more or less dominant? Why? 

Connect with today’s guests on Twitter: Darren Baldwin - @EcommDarren David Taitelbaum - @David_Taite Colby Saenz - @ColbySaenz 

Be sure to follow Greg Zakowicz on Twitter @WhatsGregDoing