Video good for e-marketing

B2B marketers are finding that using video in e-mail can help deliver their messages to audiences more effectively, as long as they follow a few simple rules, reports B to B Online.

Felix Serna, senior director-global e-marketing at Sun Microsystems, says the content must be relevant. Video clips can provide technical product information, discuss technology issues or feature executives talking about business issues.

The content must also be user friendly. "You don't want to send a video player in an e-mail, but you can make it look like there is a video player embedded." And for audiences that might be bandwidth-challenged, offer the choice to view the video via streaming or downloading, adds Serna.

As a growing number of people spend more time online, the need for accurate and effective digital marketing is assuming an increasingly important role in the marketing strategy of companies, reports The Hindu.

Suresh Reddy, co-founder and chairman of Ybrant Technologies, says: "In the context of digital marketing and media utilisation, outsourcing makes scalable and affordable solutions possible." He believes outsourcing benefits any organisation by improving the level of support offered to end-users, improved focus on core business, reduced operating costs and improved system reliability, among others.

According to him, the key difference between traditional and digital media is that digital marketing is traceable. "One can track the behaviour of the consumer through technology, which also drives all aspects of a digital marketing campaign."

A report by the Miami Herald says US postage rates will increase on Monday, including the price of stamps rising to 41 cents for a first-class letter, which "is going to push us to do a lot more e-billing,'' says Brophy-Pijuan, a Miramar resident, who works at her brother's customs brokerage in Miami.

Charles Guy, former director of the Postal Service's Office of Economic and Strategic Planning, says: ''The postal service has a history of doing this, just raising rates.'' He says this trend will continue unless they pay postal workers less, or they cut back on the number of employees. Neither will happen until management has an incentive to tackle the problem, he said.

Earlier this month the USPS reported a $925 million net loss during the second quarter of its fiscal year. It also reported a 0.6% decrease in mail volume and a $1.6 billion increase in expenses.