The Email Marketing and Social Media Integration Report also identified the most effective channels. Emails that could be shared on Twitter returned a 10.2 CTR, while Facebook returned a 9.1% response rate. It’s worth adding the social sharing links to your arsenal as most small to mid-sized business marketers do not. A mere 18.7% link campaigns to their Twitter accounts, while only 13.5% include links to other social media networks.

Consider the benefits of word-of-mouth marketing and make it easy for your customers and prospects to share your message among their friends and networks.

There are methods to creating a great business name. A certain amount of creativity is also needed to arrive at something truly memorable. It’s good to sit down and capture every idea, because you never know what you may be able to build from or what will inspire you. You can look through books and go online for ideas. But keep in mind your brand and the person that is buying your product or service. What type of image do you want to project? Are you trying to convey trust, adventure, comfort, experience, convenience or other qualities? What will resonate most with your customers? Keeping that in mind, here are some good guidelines to follow when creating a name that will stick. While you’re name likely won’t reflect all of these criteria, I find these are useful to stay true to brand.

1) It’s easy to remember, easy to spell and easy to pronounce. Crate & Barrel and Target are much more memorable and easier to spell on a Google search than Ligne Roset Boutique.

2) It doesn’t require an explanation of its meaning. The pharmaceutical companies may prefer vagueness, but names like Syrgis and Sirtris could also be the latest Toyota car model. Sometimes if you get too clever, people just don’t get it and give up.

3) It describes your business. Lush could be a cosmetics boutique or a wine bar. Would you know that AimClear was an SEO Internet marketing firm? Your name will appear on signage, online and in advertising, so it’s a good idea to use that valuable space to remind people what it is that you sell.

4) It describes the benefit. What does the consumer get out of this relationship? Comfort Inn.  Bliss MedSpa. Or my all-time favorite, ToyJoy.

5) It describes your unique difference in the marketplace. What is the spark that will be noticed by your customers? Look at your competition and determine your top three strengths that set you apart. Perhaps it’s service, cost, prestige, trust, skill, quality or a unique experience. Can you translate these into your name? Meridian Plastic Surgery Center conveys reaching one’s pinnacle in health and vigor, an excellent quality when looking for a surgeon.

6) It isn’t limited it by geography. Think big! If your business expands, you won’t want a name that limits you to a certain area or that implies you only serve a certain region. Also, if you’re planning to expand in a multilingual area, make sure your name translates well into other languages and doesn’t have any negative connotations.

One of my favorite metaphors comes from a poem by Ted Kooser, a past U.S. poet laureate. I first heard a reading from his book “Local Wonders” at the memorial service of one of my close friends, Lori Daves Edel. Kooser writes:

“Life is a long walk forward through the crowded cars of a passenger train, the bright world racing past beyond the windows, people on either side of the aisle, strangers whose stories we never learn, dear friends whose names we long remember and passing acquaintances whose names and faces we take in like a breath and soon breathe away. There’s a windy, perilous passage between each car and the next, and we steady ourselves and push across the iron couplers clenched beneath our feet. Because we are fearful and unsteady crossing through wind and noise, we more keenly feel the train rock under our legs, feel the steel rails give just a little under the weight, as if the rails were tightly stretched wire and there were nothing but air beneath them.

So many cars, so many passages. For you, there may be the dangerous passage of puberty, the wind hot and wild in your hair, followed by marriage, during which for a while you walk lightly under an infinite blue sky, then the rushing warm air of the birth of your first child. And then so soon, it seems, a door slams shut behind you, and you find yourself out in the cold where you learn that the first of your parents has died.

But the next car is warm and bright, and you take a deep breath and unbutton your coat and wipe your glasses. People on either side, so generous with their friendship, turn up their faces to you, and you warm your hands in theirs. Some of them stand and grip your shoulders in their strong fingers, and you gladly accept their embraces, though you may not know them well. How young you feel in their arms.

And so it goes, car after car, passage to passage. As you make your way forward, the roadbed seems to grow more irregular under the wheels as you walk along. ‘Poor workmanship,’ you think, and to steady yourself, you put your hands on people’s shoulders. So much of the world, colorful as flying leaves, clatters past beyond the windows while you try to be attentive to those you move among, maybe stopping to help someone up from their seat, maybe pausing to tell a stranger about something you saw in one of the cars through which you passed. Was it just yesterday or the day before? Could it have been a week ago, a month ago, perhaps a year?

The locomotive is up ahead somewhere, and you hope to have a minute’s talk with the engineer, just a minute to ask a few questions of him. You’re pretty sure he’ll be wearing a striped cap and have his red bandana around his neck, badges of his authority, and he’ll have his elbow crooked on the sill of the open window. How impassively he will be gazing at the passing world, as if he’s seen it all before. He knows just where the tracks will take us as they narrow and narrow and narrow ahead to the point where they seem to join.

But there are still so many cars ahead, and the next and the next and the next clatter to clatter to clatter. And we close the door against the wind and find a new year, a club car brightly lit, fresh flowers in vases on the tables, green meadows beyond the windows and lots of people who together — stranger, acquaintance and friend — turn toward you and, smiling broadly, lift their glasses.”

Reprinted from Local Wonders: Seasons in the Bohemian Alps, University of Nebraska Press, 2003.

While some consumers are willing to pay a premium for green products because they place a priority on good health or leaving a small ecological footprint, the majority of green buyers are still motivated mainly by saving money. Green spending is on the rise and is quickly becoming mainstream, despite the economy. According to the Shelton Group’s Eco Pulse 2009 Report, 60% of American consumers  say they are seeking out green products. But they are also confused about what is green. And who can blame them, when everywhere you turn you see the words “organic,” “eco-friendly” and “energy efficient” slapped onto products from fluorescents to fluoride.

That’s just the start. Your all-natural, custom koozies are also competing with “recyclable,” “renewable” and “locally grown” alternatives. But while people may realize that it’s important to reduce their energy consumption and be kinder to the environment, this isn’t the driving force behind most green purchasing decisions. It still usually comes down to what’s in it for me. And that is cost and personal health.

This is evident, too, in types of green purchases. According to the Eco Pulse Report, the #1 product category that people are searching for in greener products is home cleaning at 75%. This is followed by food & beverage at 65%, personal care at 55%, appliances at 47%, home improvement at 46% and automobiles at 32%. Knowing that mainstream consumers are interested in saving money, creating a healthier lifestyle and value convenience over the environment, it would be wise to market these products not simply as “eco-friendly” but as economical and healthy. These are the benefits that answer the question…’What’s in it for me?’ Of course, if you’re targeting the more engaged, green-minded individuals it’s worth addressing the additional environmental benefits that will appeal to them as well. But know your market, and know the benefits that will drive them to you. It’s all about them.

We all seem to be more value-conscious these days. But as advertisers we can’t just stick the word “value” onto our products and promotions. We need to define what that value actually is for the consumer. Is it more bubbles for the same price? Quality workmanship that you can rely on for years of stability? More time to be able to spend doing what you love? Knowing the true benefits of your product requires knowing your consumers and what they deem as value. For some it may be price, but others may make purchasing decisions based on convenience, comfort, prestige, compassion or simply brand recognition and the consistent expectation it brings with it. No matter how cheap the Jiffy brand becomes, it will never be the best value in my eyes because of the additives it contains. But then, I’m not their market. The brand I choose can charge more and still deliver a great value if the quality is high.  A healthier snack — now with more nuts! That’s great value.

The rise in smartphones is also driving more email use. With easier access to email, 43% of Blackberry users and 42% of iPhone users say they’re using email more often over the past six months, compared to fewer than 3% who are using email less often.

My inbox has become a cluttered mess, so apart from personal and client messages, the only sales messages that draw my attention are from my favorite brands or those with an interesting subject line. To keep your email program effective, you should to take full advantage of the information you have collected on your customers which allows you to personalize messages and keep them relevant. Whether it’s personal data you collect online, including profile pages and preferences, or customer history from transactions, it’s important to create messages that reflect your customers’ interests and needs. Rather than sending a mass email offering 25% off shipping, try sending your customers special promotions based on their previous purchases. Better yet, if a person tends to order frequently, send your email just prior to when he typically places an order. Do certain people on your list love to travel? Tie that back in to your sales approach. By anticipating customer needs based on previous interactions and personalizing the message to their unique preferences, you can stand apart from the inbox clutter.

I love writing. Each word is carefully chosen like a jewel that radiates its own special meaning. But the spoken word carries its own effect.  Whether it’s a comforting word, a lengthy pause, or a curse at the opportune time, your words can speak volumes. Sometimes it’s knowing when not to speak, but more often it’s about being capable and competent. I think a healthy respect for language comes when there is also true enjoyment in the experience. Rather than work, it becomes play. It’s no longer a hurdle, but a window that opens up to other adventures. Here are a few thoughts on how to appreciate the pure pleasure of words:

1) Read for pure enjoyment. Whether it’s about traveling though Ireland or baking a souffle, pick up a book and escape. Read online and offline and stay curious.

2) Journal. It can be your random thoughts, your nightly dreams or your observations. Just make sure it’s not your to-do list.

3) Do a crossword puzzle. Challenge your mind and enjoy the subtle variances in the meaning of words.

4) Think before you speak. We’ve all found ourselves in trouble for saying things we wished we had not. While our words may not be written, they can still carry weight.

The past year also saw social media come into its own. Facebook grew from 100 million users in August 2008 to 350 million just one year later. Its fastest growing demographic was the 40+ crowd. Although Twitter’s growth has slowed somewhat, it is still growing by seven million new users each month.

Certainly not all status updates are newsworthy, but as information and ideas flow across the web it has altered the way we spend our time over a cup of coffee each day. Search has evolved alongside the rise of social media, with real-time Twitter newsfeeds now flowing into search results on Google and Bing. Facebook fan page updates are soon to follow on both search providers as well. Google’s introduction of their Social Search option reflects a growing appreciation of the influence of social networks. Referrals and online customer reviews make an enormous impact on purchasing decisions. For businesses, these real-time newsfeeds offer a real opportunity to respond with timely, useful content that can be picked up and shared across the Internet. This is nothing new, really. It’s just the technology that’s changed and given our words and opinions greater traction.

I purchased my first iPhone this past year and, apparently, I’m not an early adopter. The iPhone has already sold more than 57 million units worldwide, the fastest uptake in the history of technology. As smartphones become faster and less expensive, they will continue to change the marketing landscape. According to the Mobile Marketing Association, the total U.S. dollars spent on mobile marketing will grow from $1.7 billion this year to $2.16 billion in 2010. While smartphones are still a small niche, mobile is giving advertisers unique ways to reach their audience, with geo-targeting and an open platform to develop branded applications. Who doesn’t love their handy level or restaurant reviews?

With so many options for reaching out and touching someone, the art will be integrating digital media with traditional media. Consumers are blurring the boundaries of their media consumption patterns, accessing the web over their mobile devices, viewing TV online, and reading newspapers and magazine in both print and digital formats. With good planning and consistency of message, you can maximize your marketing efforts across every medium for the greatest outcomes in 2010.

Ultimately, your goal is to generate sales or modify behavior, so be sure to include a specific call to action in your marketing materials — tell your customers what you want them to do. Help them take that next step. Call now. Click-it or ticket. Go online and register today!

Don’t forget the free gift. You’ll increase your response rate by offering an incentive, such as a free gift, an upgrade or a chance to win. Keep in mind your audience so you’re offering something of real value for their response. Be sure to include a deadline as well, or advise of a price increase in the coming weeks as added incentive.

Take names, among other things. Whether they visit you online or in person, capture as much information as possible without alienating your visitors so you can continue the conversation. You can stay top of mind in far less expensive and more personalized ways once they have made the initial contact and shared some background information with you. This is also extrememly useful for tracking your best referral sources, a benefit for future ad planning.

Be obvious. If your call to action encourages shoppers to visit your webpage, be sure to include the URL (preferably a special landing page for easier tracking). It sounds obvious, but often the contact information is hidden and becomes a hurdle for your customers. Make it clear and easy to respond with a visible website, a toll-free number or a map that accompanies your address.

The best marketing draws on the strength of your brand, so be sure to remain consistent in all of your messages and stay true to the identity and expectations your brand creates. Nike wants you to just do it and feel like a winner….I imagine their direct marketing does as well.