On Saturday July 14, 2012, the Indianapolis Zoo closed its doors to the public and prepared for an Orange invasion.  It was the second year that ET Nation hosted its Annual Company Picnic at the Zoo, and what a success it was! 

This event is a wonderful opportunity for our employees to bring their families, friends, and loved ones and enjoy each other’s company outside of the office.  What better way to celebrate being Orange than to gather together and see some of the world’s most exotic animals?

This year employees and their families were able to enjoy exclusive events and activities such as:

• Unlimited rides on the train, carousel, and family coaster
• Prizes and drawings
• Free face paintings
• Free caricature drawings
• Dog show
• VIP photos
• Free dinner

Do you want to be a part of company that grants you and your family VIP access to the city’s best attractions? Then visit our Careers Site and start your Orange career today!

Eileen Toomey

Slingshot Intern, Human Resources

1. ExactImpact Aids the Homeless in Q2 ExactImpact is an employee-run volunteer group that organizes service initiatives and volunteer opportunities that allow our employees to give back and spread "Orange" to their communities. The group hosts more than a dozen scheduled volunteer events throughout the year, each based on a predetermined theme for the quarter. This past quarter ExactImpact focused on helping the homeless by participating...
2. New Employees Become Officially Orange! In an effort to help new employees better acclimate into the ExactTarget “Orange” culture, HR’s Talent Management and Organizational Development (TMOD) team recently transformed its new employee orientation strategy. Christened “Officially Orange: New Employee Onboarding”, the program features a refreshed, global-centric curriculum and updated branding that’s sure to help employees live and breathe our “Orange” culture from day one...
3. Employee Spotlight: Crista Carpenter Employee Name: Crista Carpenter Employee Department: Sales Development Employee Job Title: Lead Generation Orange since: 2012 How does Orange culture manifest itself on your team? I became “Orange” at the very beginning of 2012, along with the largest NEO class the company had introduced at that time. Orange culture became obvious from my first day sitting in “Officially Orange:...
4. Who Wants to be Gold When You Can be “Orange”? There’s been a lot of talk about gold, silver and bronze this summer. While we love the Olympics, too, our employees take greater pride in another color -- orange. That’s because “Orange” is more than a color to us. It’s our commitment to clients, our brand, and our culture. No wonder “Orange” is the driving force behind our participation...
5. Employee Spotlight: Jake Rouse Employee Name: Jake Rouse Employee department: Marketing—Partnerships Employee Job Title: Regional Alliances Manager—Central Region Orange since: 2012 We’ve all been there -- coping with the angst and jitters that accompany starting a new job. Yet, in my first two months on the Regional Alliances Team, I have seen our “Orange” culture manifest so often that it’s quieted my new-job...

We remember the first man on the moon: blog.twitter.com/2012/08/rememb… Our video tribute: youtu.be/1XjF7WHWehg
— Twitter (@twitter) August 31, 2012

1. Tweets rev up as RNC kicks off The Republican National Convention officially began yesterday but the big ticket activities kicked off today. First order of business: formally selecting @MittRomney as the Republican nominee for President. Tweets related to #GOP2012 during today’s roll call peaked at 1,448 per minute at 5:44p ET — the first large spike in conversation of the convention.But #GOP2012 tweeters were just getting warmed...
2. #Hindsight2010: Ten Most Powerful Tweets What makes a Tweet powerful? Every day, we are inspired by people using Twitter in unexpected ways to make the world a better place. Powerful Tweets have impact, relevance and resonance. In just 140 characters, you can change the game, make a difference in someone’s life, offer perspective, or bring aid to people in need. In this installment of #Hindsight2010,...
3. RNC Night Two: Paul Ryan takes the stage Tonight delegates from across the country gathered in the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the second night of speeches at the Republican National Convention. The headliner was Rep. Paul Ryan, who was officially nominated to become the Vice Presidential nominee. Ryan excited the crowd and got people talking on Twitter... In fact, Tweets about the #GOP2012 convention topped two million...
4. #OnlyOnTwitter: Curiosity We often say “You never know where Twitter will take you,” but here’s one that (almost) defies imagination. Last night, we saw that NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (@NASAJPL) was live-tweeting the journey to Mars. As Curiosity, the car-sized rover, made its descent onto the Red Planet, the #JPL team shared Twitter updates directly from the command center. And that stream...
5. #OnlyOnTwitter: The road to gold We’ve been keeping an eye on the data to see which #Olympics moments have really inspired conversation on Twitter, and sharing that along the way. Yesterday, the peak of conversation came when Gabby Douglas earned herself the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal, with 38,000 Tweets per minute related to the event. The Phelps-Lochte showdown was another huge moment, with 25,000...

After pouring through reports, charts, graphs and tons of data in our Subscribers, Fans and Followers research series that surveys more than 1,500 consumers, I have concluded that people leave (Unlike, Unfollow, Unsubscribe) because:

1. You are boring
2. They don't care
3. You talk too much

Seriously -- relationships are relationships. When talking to consumers via any channel, we need to be considerate of their time and what is relevant to them. More than 90% of consumers unsubscribe, “unlike” or stop following brands because of too frequent, irrelevant or boring communications.

Similar to the Facebook findings, "too frequent e-mails" is the top reason why consumers unsubscribe from opt-in e-mails. Following that is the complaint that the content became repetitive or boring over time. Brands should take this note to heart and be sure to vary content from e-mail to e-mail.

Here are a few key findings from the studies:

91% of consumers have unsubscribed from opt-in marketing e-mails.
44% people unlike a brand on Facebook because they post too frequently and 43% unlike a brand because their wall became too cluttered with posts.
71% of consumers report being more selective about “liking” a company on Facebook than they were last year.
51% of consumers expect that a “like” will result in marketing communications from brands, while 40% do not believe it should result in marketing communications.

With 95% of U.S. online consumers using e-mail (and 93% of U.S. online consumers being subscribers to at least one opt-in e-mail per day), the e-mail findings are particularly important for marketers hoping to remain in good standing with their audiences via e-mail. But Facebook and Twitter are relevant as well, as 65% of U.S. online consumers are currently active on the platform (to the point of obsession, sometimes), and 9% of U.S. online consumers are active tweeters.

Final Thoughts:

1. Relevancy is paramount, whether in Email or on Facebook
2. Consider the individual and how they are bombarded with messages from all channels
3. Keep things interesting and fresh!

Key SFF Studies I think you'll dig and are full of great social stats are 'The Meaning of Like' & Facebook X-Factors

1. A 2012 Content Marketing “Orange Award” Finalist As our loyal blog readers know, we have a thing for ORANGE around these parts.  It's not just part of our brand at ExactTarget, it's also representative of our culture.  So we take it as an extremely good omen that our SUBSCRIBERS, FANS & FOLLOWERS Research Series (SFF) has just been nominated as one of 10 finalists for Content...
2. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Recap: Interactive Marketing in the Post-PC Era Each Thursday at 11 a.m. EST, marketers from around the world join the ExactTarget user community on Twitter for a conversation about trends and campaign ideas across the interactive marketing industry.  We call the virtual coffee chat the Nexus Café.   For a recent #NexusCafe chat we asked Jeff Rohrs, VP of marketing and leader of the research team...
3. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Interactive Marketing in the Post-PC Era The ExactTarget team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag in your favorite Twitter application and...
4. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Effective Email Design The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday and every Thursday from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the hashtag and be sure and add the hashtag to your tweet...
5. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Recap: Brand Presence on Pinterest Each Thursday at 11am EDT, marketers from around the world join the ExactTarget Nexus partner ecosystem on Twitter for a conversation about trends and campaign ideas across the interactive marketing industry.  We call the virtual coffee chat the Nexus Café.   Our guest for a recent #NexusCafe chat was Charles Nicholls, Founder and Chief strategy officer at shopping cart recovery company SeeWhy....

Employee department: Marketing—Partnerships

Employee Job Title: Regional Alliances Manager—Central Region

Orange since: 2012

We’ve all been there -- coping with the angst and jitters that accompany starting a new job. Yet, in my first two months on the Regional Alliances Team, I have seen our “Orange” culture manifest so often that it’s quieted my new-job butterflies completely.

I quickly learned the word “team” takes on a whole new meaning in this company. People aren’t just happy to help, but are more than willing to go out of their way to assure you have everything you need to be successful. Even after my formal training was complete, I saw the “Orange” culture displayed through my teammates’ willingness to:

·         Sit in on calls with me

·         Answer my questions quickly

·         Provide me with detailed insight into information about our competition

·         Give me beneficial feedback

·         Help me get accustomed to fast-paced and complex nature of our technology partners

Suffice it to say that few companies believe in their culture so much that each and every person lives by its Core Values. However, ExactTarget’s employees have truly allowed me to hit the ground running and add value not only in my day to day role, but also as a well-rounded professional.  

1. Employee Spotlight: Jonathan Gandolf Employee Name: Jonathan Gandolf Employee Department: Thought Leadership/ Global Marketing Programs Employee Job Title: Catapult Rotational Associate Orange Since: 2011 How does Orange Culture manifest itself on your team? Everybody at ExactTarget knows we work in a fast-paced environment. I learned this first-hand last summer as a Slingshot intern when I worked on the Outbound Marketing Team. Being surrounded...
2. Employee Spotlight: Crista Carpenter Employee Name: Crista Carpenter Employee Department: Sales Development Employee Job Title: Lead Generation Orange since: 2012 How does Orange culture manifest itself on your team? I became “Orange” at the very beginning of 2012, along with the largest NEO class the company had introduced at that time. Orange culture became obvious from my first day sitting in “Officially Orange:...
3. New Employees Become Officially Orange! In an effort to help new employees better acclimate into the ExactTarget “Orange” culture, HR’s Talent Management and Organizational Development (TMOD) team recently transformed its new employee orientation strategy. Christened “Officially Orange: New Employee Onboarding”, the program features a refreshed, global-centric curriculum and updated branding that’s sure to help employees live and breathe our “Orange” culture from day one...
4. What it Means to Be Orange!   What is “Orange,” you ask?  It’s more than our culture—it’s our corporate way of life.  Built around relationships, Orange is how we interact with each other, our clients, and our community as a whole.  Orange is innovation, energy, enthusiasm, and commitment to client success at its finest.  It is a palpable passion for team, company, and client growth. ...
5. Employee Spotlight: Bo Dietrick Employee Name: Bo Dietrick Employee Department:  HR/Global Sales Operation Employee Job Title:  Catapult Rotational Associate Orange Since: 2011 How does Orange Culture manifest itself on your team? Orange Culture is the way in which ExactTarget employees live out our core values. This means: Treating people well Being easy to do business with Staying true to permission Making clients look...

The Gov looking over his speech on his iPad. twitter.com/dgjackson/stat…

— Mitt's Body Man (@dgjackson) August 31, 2012

PHOTO: @mittromney enters the building #gop2012 #romneyryan2012 #tcot twitter.com/ZacMoffatt/sta…

— Zac Moffatt (@ZacMoffatt) August 31, 2012

Waiting to go onstage. Wow. This is such an amazing moment for our family. And America twitter.com/tromney/status…

— Tagg Romney (@tromney) August 31, 2012

Someone should tell Marco Rubio he's standing on my foot right now.

— Invisible Obama (@InvisibleObama) August 31, 2012

1. Tweets rev up as RNC kicks off The Republican National Convention officially began yesterday but the big ticket activities kicked off today. First order of business: formally selecting @MittRomney as the Republican nominee for President. Tweets related to #GOP2012 during today’s roll call peaked at 1,448 per minute at 5:44p ET — the first large spike in conversation of the convention.But #GOP2012 tweeters were just getting warmed...
2. RNC Night Two: Paul Ryan takes the stage Tonight delegates from across the country gathered in the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the second night of speeches at the Republican National Convention. The headliner was Rep. Paul Ryan, who was officially nominated to become the Vice Presidential nominee. Ryan excited the crowd and got people talking on Twitter... In fact, Tweets about the #GOP2012 convention topped two million...
3. Tweets from Tampa Here in Tampa at the 2012 Republican National Convention, hashtags are the new political slogan:At the RNC, @twitter is giving out these #GOP2012 buttons twitter.com/lheron/status/…— Liz Heron (@lheron) August 27, 2012While the speeches will be at the podium this week, the conversation will be on Twitter: we’ve already seen more Tweets about this week’s confab than we saw during the...
4. Talking Twitter at the #GOP2012 Convention #2 While we’re here in Tampa, we’ve been talking to journalists, candidates, political pundits and more about the way Twitter has affected the election and their work. Now we’re talking with @BretBaier, Anchor of FOX News Channel’s Special Report.  Bret will host a special Twitter Town Hall tonight along with @THEHermanCainfollowing the airing of @specialreport. To participate in the conversation, tweet your...
5. #OnlyOnTwitter: The road to gold We’ve been keeping an eye on the data to see which #Olympics moments have really inspired conversation on Twitter, and sharing that along the way. Yesterday, the peak of conversation came when Gabby Douglas earned herself the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal, with 38,000 Tweets per minute related to the event. The Phelps-Lochte showdown was another huge moment, with 25,000...

1. Twitter, TV and You Twitter is transforming the way we watch TV. Reading and writing Tweets has become the new water cooler, helping us connect in real-time around our favorite shows, competitions and events. On Twitter, you get closer to the characters and shows you love, as stars, writers, directors, news anchors and more live-tweet from behind the scenes.And now things are getting even...
2. Tweets from Tampa Here in Tampa at the 2012 Republican National Convention, hashtags are the new political slogan:At the RNC, @twitter is giving out these #GOP2012 buttons twitter.com/lheron/status/…— Liz Heron (@lheron) August 27, 2012While the speeches will be at the podium this week, the conversation will be on Twitter: we’ve already seen more Tweets about this week’s confab than we saw during the...
3. Tune into a Hashtag Tuning into a hashtag on Twitter is a handy way to dig into any interest, topic or timely conversation. Following live events like the Women's World Cup (happening this week with the championship finals on Sunday) through its associated hashtag #WWC brings you to a stream of energetic Tweets from fans and athletes, as well as instant news and media...
4. Tweets in your media, media in your Tweets On a sunny September Sunday inside a non-descript trailer in downtown Los Angeles, media evolved.There—in the shadow of the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards, next to an outdoor stage where Justin Bieber would soon perform—web developers and TV producers were working together, leaning into laptop screens and NTSC monitors, bringing the real-time conversation around the VMAs to life on live...
5. A four million Tweet convention: That’s a wrap for #GOP2012 It’s the final night of the #GOP2012 convention and it was a blockbuster ending in terms of the conversation on Twitter. Tonight, the total number of Tweets sent about the Republican National Convention hit four million soon after the end of Governor Romney’s speech — nearly doubling the total count before today.And while most people joining the conversation on Twitter...

1. U.S. Midterm Elections 2010 Tomorrow the balance of power in both houses of Congress is up for grabs, as is control of more than half of the nation's gubernatorial seats. Many of the races are still too close to call, and debates are raging about how the 2010 midterm elections will change the country. This is also the first election day you'll be able...
2. A new barometer for the election One glance at the numbers, and it’s easy to see why pundits are already calling 2012 “the Twitter election.” More Tweets are sent every two days today than had ever been sent prior to Election Day 2008 — and Election Day 2008’s Tweet volume represents only about six minutes of Tweets today.All this explosive growth in conversation has fueled Twitter...
3. The road to Super Tuesday in Tweets Since the beginning of the 2012 election season, many of you have turned to Twitter for breaking news about the latest GOP primary results, participating in the debates and first-person accounts of virtually everything happening on the campaign trail.Your Tweets have also mirrored the rise and fall of various GOP prospects’ campaigns heading into Super Tuesday. Check out this graph...
4. Talking Twitter at the #GOP2012 Convention #2 While we’re here in Tampa, we’ve been talking to journalists, candidates, political pundits and more about the way Twitter has affected the election and their work. Now we’re talking with @BretBaier, Anchor of FOX News Channel’s Special Report.  Bret will host a special Twitter Town Hall tonight along with @THEHermanCainfollowing the airing of @specialreport. To participate in the conversation, tweet your...
5. End of the #Veepstakes News of presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s (@MittRomney) selection of Paul Ryan (@PaulRyanVP) as his running mate spread quickly on Twitter. The conversation peaked at 3,749 Tweets per minute at 9:29 am EDT this morning as Ryan took the stage at a rally in Norfolk, Virginia:Speculation about Ryan’s selection began building shortly after 11 pm EDT with word from Romney’s Communications...

Ya voy rumbo a Miami. @premiostumundo Que tengan bien día!
— Lorenzo Mendez (@LorenzoOBLimon) August 28, 2012

LosAmoATodos!!! Y nos vemos este jueves en PremiosTuMundo!!! Muchas gracias por todo el apoyo!!
— Jencarlos - Oficial (@jencarlosmusic) August 28, 2012

#What? Nos vemos el Jueves en @premiostumundo feliz semana!!!!
— ximena duque (@ximenaduque) August 27, 2012

1. Your ticket to the Billboard Music Awards What do you have in common with Usher, Carrie Underwood, and Maroon 5? You can experience the excitement of the Billboard Music Awards on Sunday night live on ABC 8pm ET / 7pm CT (8pm PT). Okay, we can’t promise that you’ll literally rub elbows with Alicia Keys, but following the show on Twitter can make you feel like you’re...
2. Música en Miami Thursday night, Telemundo is bringing you one of the hottest parties of the year: the Latin Billboard Awards, celebrating the best in Latin music. Whether you’re a fan of pop, tropical, Mexican, or rhythm music, be sure to tune in to watch the performances, cheer the winners and (of course) see what everyone’s wearing. From the minute the red carpet...
3. Premios Juventud’s super-show This year, the superhero-themed Premios Juventud (Youth Awards) show on Univision will join forces with Twitter. With Twitter as their superpower, fans will be able to have their voices heard through their Tweets.Premios Juventud is a show powered entirely by fans, who vote for the nominees and winners. This year, for the first time, viewers get to determine who will...
4. Discover music on Twitter It might not surprise you to know that music is consistently among the most popular topics on Twitter. From interacting with your favorite artists to finding out about new songs, concerts and news, Twitter brings you closer to everything you love about music. You can experience the biggest moments in music like the GRAMMY Awards together with other fans around...
5. Stars come out on Twitter for awards fun MTV Movie AwardsSunday, June 3rd at 9pm ET / 8pm CT / 9pm PT on MTVWhen you watch an awards show, you’re bound to hear “Of course, I’d like to thank my fans!” — and on Sunday night, those words will have new meaning, powered by a Tweet.The MTV Movie Awards is offering its first-ever live social voting category for...

I just returned from the Social Media Insider Summit in Tahoe and had the opportunity to get to know, I mean REALLY know more ExactTarget customers. Every time I attend an event, I learn more about how to make our products better and how to help our customers become more successful. Here are a few of the reasons I love our customers:

1. Love to Learn. By and large, the digital and interactive marketers I meet are juggling a lot, learning new stuff and always thinking of ways to make their jobs more enjoyable. We produce a lot of great data at ExactTarget through our Subscribers, Fans and Followers series, and they eat it up -- often quoting some of our reports.

2. They are Geeks. You can't live in a world of data, conversions, clicks, HTML, Javascript, data extensions, AMPScript and Facebook APIs without a love for all things geeky.

3. Love to have fun. The work we do isn't easy, so when its time to let loose -- they do. I saw digital marketers riding ATVs, horseback riding and partying it up into the wee hours of the night.

4. They Get It. Digital marketing is moving rapidly and everyone knows that we work in a highly connected and integrated world with data flowing across platforms at the speed of light. While some of our customers are still doing a lot of things manually (control issues anyone?) -- almost everyone I talk to knows that "real-time" is critical and they are looking for ways to either a.) improve automation or b.) begin implementing ways to use data to improve campaigns.

So, from one geek to another -- I sincerely do love our customers. And thank you Rebekah King, Sr. Marketing Manager at Kelly Blue Book for letting me share this picture of you from our ATV ride at the Social Media Insider Summit in Tahoe!

1. Video: Adobe & ExactTarget with Acceleration Watch how Adobe and ExactTarget integrate, and with the help of Acceleration come together to create a partnership that benefits customers such as Celebrity Cruises and Room&Board. "When clients are using the adobe digital marketing suite together with ExactTarget’s Interactive Marketing Hub.  What they are able to do is better identify a right target audience to engage with for...
2. ExactTarget Sponsors Bazaarvoice Summit 2012   What is Bazaarvoice Social Summit? The Social Summit is a two day conference, April 11th-13th, filled with social strategists and executives from top brands.  These leaders will share trends and strategies for using social data in a customer-centric world.  Join ExactTarget in listening to: Top thought leader Keynotes Interactive session tracks Emerging Bazaarvoice initiatives and strategies   Summit Party  Thursday, 6:30...
3. MMA Forum: ExactTarget’s MobileConnect is Here I'm at the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) annual forum in New York and couldn't be more excited to share that our new mobile software ExactTarget MobileConnect is here. Talking to mobile industry veterans, top brands and agencies about our newproduct is simply amazing. ExactTarget MobileConnect is a mobile messaging solution that helps marketers to create, target, send and track...
4. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Brand Presence on Pinterest   The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and...
5. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Holiday Retail Segmentation Tips The ExactTarget team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag in your favorite Twitter application and be sure and add...

Ryan: "College graduates shouldn't have to live out their 20s in their childhood bedrooms staring up at fading Obama posters..."

— S.E. Cupp (@secupp) August 30, 2012

Ryan: "I said, I hope it’s not a deal-breaker Mitt, but my playlist starts with AC/DC, and ends with Zeppelin."

— Zeke Miller (@ZekeJMiller) August 30, 2012

Rousing end: ``Let's give this effort everything we have.Let'ssee this through all the way.Let's get this done.'' #GOP2012

— Jonathan D. Salant (@JDSalant) August 30, 2012

Best part of listening to Condi is you can hear the nervous tremor in her voice and yet she is completely fluent at the same time.

— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) August 30, 2012

Rice's cadence and sentence structure are decidedly from the '50s-'70s era of speechwriting, and thus stand out in this bumper sticker room.

— James Ledbetter (@ledbetreuters) August 30, 2012

One of Condi Rice's teleprompters. Note: it ain't on. #gop2012 twitter.com/Phil_Mattingly…

— Phil Mattingly (@Phil_Mattingly) August 30, 2012

1. Tweets rev up as RNC kicks off The Republican National Convention officially began yesterday but the big ticket activities kicked off today. First order of business: formally selecting @MittRomney as the Republican nominee for President. Tweets related to #GOP2012 during today’s roll call peaked at 1,448 per minute at 5:44p ET — the first large spike in conversation of the convention.But #GOP2012 tweeters were just getting warmed...
2. A four million Tweet convention: That’s a wrap for #GOP2012 It’s the final night of the #GOP2012 convention and it was a blockbuster ending in terms of the conversation on Twitter. Tonight, the total number of Tweets sent about the Republican National Convention hit four million soon after the end of Governor Romney’s speech — nearly doubling the total count before today.And while most people joining the conversation on Twitter...
3. Tweets from Tampa Here in Tampa at the 2012 Republican National Convention, hashtags are the new political slogan:At the RNC, @twitter is giving out these #GOP2012 buttons twitter.com/lheron/status/…— Liz Heron (@lheron) August 27, 2012While the speeches will be at the podium this week, the conversation will be on Twitter: we’ve already seen more Tweets about this week’s confab than we saw during the...
4. Follow the State of the Union on Twitter “He shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”–The Constitution of the United States, Article II, Section 3Every year, the President of the United States delivers a kind of “status update” and his proposals for new initiatives to a...
5. Talking Twitter at the #GOP2012 Convention #2 While we’re here in Tampa, we’ve been talking to journalists, candidates, political pundits and more about the way Twitter has affected the election and their work. Now we’re talking with @BretBaier, Anchor of FOX News Channel’s Special Report.  Bret will host a special Twitter Town Hall tonight along with @THEHermanCainfollowing the airing of @specialreport. To participate in the conversation, tweet your...

Looking for the best parties at Dreamforce?  Then don't miss your chance to sign up for DETOUR- The Marketing Mixer of Dreamfoce!

Four Seasons — 757 Market Street San Francisco
September 20, 2012 7:00 pm

DETOUR takes you off the beaten path to an urban experience with a Dreamforce twist.

You’ll rub shoulders with top dogs in marketing and sales, all while enjoying decadent food, refreshing cocktails and the music of acclaimed live act, Eric Hutchinson.

Don't miss your chance to get on the guest list! Sign up to attend!

Don’t miss this opportunity to attend Dreamforce—in style!  ENTER NOW to win the Ultimate Dreamforce Experience giveaway, including: iPad (or $500 Best Buy Gift card), $100 Starbucks Gift Card, $1,000 American Express Gift Card, Guaranteed pass to attend the ExactTarget Party at Dreamforce 2012, Limo Ride to the ExactTarget Party.

Find out more about ExactTarget’s Presence at Dreamforce 2012 and sign up to win the Dreamforce Ultimate Experience Sweepstakes!

1. Sweepstakes: Ultimate Dreamforce Experience   Are you ready for another epic Dreamforce event? Coated in orange, ExactTarget Silver sponsor booth (#1514) will be a destination for attendees to learn about cross channel interactive marketing best practices. This year we are excited to offer the ultimate Dreamforce experience giveaway!  We will be announcing the winner by Sept 17th. Don’t miss this opportunity to attend...
2. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Integrations and Applications with ExactTarget The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and add the hashtag to your...
3. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Brand Presence on Pinterest   The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and...
4. ExactTarget Sponsors Bazaarvoice Summit 2012   What is Bazaarvoice Social Summit? The Social Summit is a two day conference, April 11th-13th, filled with social strategists and executives from top brands.  These leaders will share trends and strategies for using social data in a customer-centric world.  Join ExactTarget in listening to: Top thought leader Keynotes Interactive session tracks Emerging Bazaarvoice initiatives and strategies   Summit Party  Thursday, 6:30...
5. ExactTarget Slingshots and Catapults Visit IN Governor On the morning of July 20, 2012, thirty Slingshot interns and Catapult associates made their way from ExactTarget headquarters to the State Building for a private meeting with the Governor of Indiana, Mitch Daniels.  Committed to retaining the best collegiate talent in Indiana, ExactTarget maintains a close relationship with the Governor and the state government.  Daniels is currently finishing his...

"How can I justify the campaigns we are running?"

Here are 3 tips and techniques you can use to start measuring and reporting on the impact of your Facebook marketing today:

1. Engagement. Engagement reporting is available in SocialEngage and provides managers with insight into how your brand is engaging on a full-scale or individual level with customers on Facebook pages. Engagement metrics are a great way to test content and messaging with your customers in real-time, build relationships and measure loyalty.

2. Reach and Influence: Pulse gadgets in the Interactive Marketing Hub show your fan growth in real-time so you can immediately see the impact of your Facebook marketing efforts and even cross-channel marketing efforts like adding "Like" buttons in your emails. SocialEnage Reach and Influence reports can be run to share with managers and directors who are looking for measurable results from your Facebook marketing efforts.

3. List Growth. The best way to measure the impact of your social media marketing programs is to capture email addresses through a lead form on Facebook. Customers using SocialEngage and ExactTarget email together are seeing a 20% increase in subscribers through list growth campaigns.

This graph shows how one customer was able to show true ROI from his Facebook marketing campaign, by simply capturing email addresses via Facebook and providing a special incentive for customers who purchased. This is something you could easily do today with ExactTarget Email, SocialPages and SocialEngage.

To learn more, check out the SocialPages and SocialEngage data sheets.

1. Client Success Story: Portland Trail Blazers Look to Boost Ticket Sales by Connecting Social … Every home game, thousands of fans arrive at Rose Garden Arena to cheer on the Portland Trail Blazers. But don’t forget about the fans taking to Twitter and Facebook to support the team. With over 80,000 Twitter followers and 386,000 Facebook fans, the Trail Blazers turned to ExactTarget to keep fans engaged, informed, excited and to get them out to...
2. SocialEngage Feature Highlight: Export Messages You may have already noticed this new feature in SocialEngage reports recently, but if not allow me to introduce you to our Export Messages Report! Now you can easily run a report to export all messages in a given date range from your Inbox, Queued, Sent and Closed folders.  The report will include key information for each message like...
3. MMA Forum: ExactTarget’s MobileConnect is Here I'm at the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) annual forum in New York and couldn't be more excited to share that our new mobile software ExactTarget MobileConnect is here. Talking to mobile industry veterans, top brands and agencies about our newproduct is simply amazing. ExactTarget MobileConnect is a mobile messaging solution that helps marketers to create, target, send and track...
4. What is marketing automation and why is it important? Marketing automation is term that is gaining momentum whether you are a B2B or a B2C marketer.  But what does it mean and what impact will have on your email and cross-channel marketing efforts?  Marketing Automation is using a technology platform that enables you to build content assets such as landing pages, emails, Facebook tabs, web events, etc. and...
5. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Recap: Leveraging Marketing Automation for Engagement Each Thursday at 11am EDT, marketers from around the world join the ExactTarget Nexus partner ecosystem on Twitter for a conversation about trends and campaign ideas across the interactive marketing industry.  We call the virtual coffee chat the Nexus Café. Our guest for a recent #NexusCafe chat was Brian Shelton, eCommerce & Special Projects Manager at Gilchrist & Soames....

Inspiration

Join industry thought leaders and fellow marketers as we explore our conference theme, INSPIRE THE FUTURE! When great minds come together to discuss the latest in digital marketing, inspiration is sure to follow. Trust me, you won’t want to miss the inspirational keynotes and events we’ve lined up.

Education

From the email basics to cross-channel strategy, we’ll cover it all. Powerful research and compelling client examples will give you the practical know-how to apply emerging trends and technologies to your interactive marketing, no matter your size, industry, or customer focus—whether B2B or B2C.

Entertainment

All business and no play? That’s just not our style! We’ll wrap up this one-of-a-kind event with a networking reception and live music for your enjoyment.

FREE Marketing Assessment

Plus, for the first time, we’re offering attendees a FREE marketing assessment with their Connections UK registration! This exclusive assessment will help you evaluate your marketing program based on four key dimensions (4D): strategy, technology, operations, and interactions. Don’t miss out! Register now to:

·       Receive personalized results at the conference.

·       Identify business opportunities in each of the four dimensions.

·       Attend our 4D session to hear how other businesses are achieving success.

No matter who you are, you’ll find something that speaks to you at Connections 2012 UK. So, register today and prepare to be inspired!

Amanda

REGISTER NOW >>

1. Be the First to Register for Connections 2012! Fellow marketers, I’m thrilled to announce that registration for Connections 2012 is now open! Check out all the details at www.Connections2012.com. This year’s conference is shaping up to be bigger and better than ever before. If you haven’t heard the buzz yet, here are the top 5 reasons to attend: 1) Inspire the Future This year, we're challenging YOU...
2. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview AND Recap: Inspiration Each Thursday at 11 a.m. EDT, marketers from around the world join the ExactTarget user community on Twitter for a conversation about trends and campaign ideas across the interactive marketing industry.  We call the virtual coffee chat the Nexus Café. ExactTarget’s theme for 2012 is Inspiration. We seek to inspire our clients and the industry with our products, customer...
3. Get Ready for the Connections Partner Hub It’s hard to pick just one favorite part of Connections—ExactTarget’s annual user conference. But this year, the Partner Hub tops my list. We have a superb lineup of companies sponsoring Connections 2012—and I can’t think of a better opportunity for attendees to learn about our ExactTarget partners.  Hosted on the first floor of the JW Marriott, the Partner Hub...
4. Four Dead-Easy Ways to Build Relationships with Influencers This week I presented the Digital Down Under, our Australian 'Subscribers, Fans, and Followers' research at Bazaarvoice's Interactive Marketing Conference in Sydney & Melbourne. The 'Ignite' conference is designed to give Bazaarvoice customers an opportunity to network with other people in the online social industry, hear from Bazaarvoice subject matter experts and to focus on best practices around Facebook and...
5. Top 4 at the MMA Forum: Event Preview I've been telling my friends that I'm headed to the MMA Forum in New York City in early June and they ask me about my karate skills. No, not that MMA. Yes, this is a tired old joke for those not the mobile space, but we all know I'm referring to the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) annual forum. It'll...

• Attensity
• Crimson Hexagon
• Dataminr
• DataSift
• ExactTarget
• Gnip
• HootSuite
• Mass Relevance
• Radian6
• SocialFlow
• Sprinklr
• Topsy

1. It’s Business Time Twitter has long been a home for all kinds of businesses. Whether it’s a neighborhood ice cream shop (@humphryslocombe), a favorite store (@lululemon) or a socially responsible shoe company (@TOMSshoes), people have gotten special offers, great customer support and valuable information by following businesses on Twitter.Today we’re launching a revamped version of business.twitter.com – a site that provides the basics...
2. One Million Registered Twitter Apps Application developers play a fundamental role in helping people get the best out of Twitter. As an ecosystem, we’ve just crossed one million registered applications, built by more than 750,000 developers around the world. This is up from 150,000 apps just a year ago.  A new app is registered every 1.5 seconds, fueling a spike in ecosystem growth in the...
3. Promoted Promotions When we launched Promoted Tweets back in April, we said that we would be doing lots of experimenting and iterating, as is typical with everything else at Twitter. Since then, we’ve done and learned a lot – such as adding Promoted Trends to our suite of Promoted Products and making those products available to an ever-widening audience of users and...
4. Hello World Although our services extend beyond the Web, Twitter ranks as one of the most popular sites on the Internet. Over the years, we've resisted introducing a traditional Web advertising model because we wanted to optimize for value before profit. The open exchange of information creates opportunities for individuals, organizations, and businesses alike. We recognized value in this exchange and planned...
5. More Than Dabbling Every day millions of people use Twitter to create, share and discover information, and as we grow, analytics becomes an increasingly crucial part of improving our service.Up until about a year ago, we used an online database called Dabble DB to track and share information about our projects internally. While we've since moved that project management tool in-house, we maintain...

”Officially Orange” reflects the energy that exists within ExactTarget’s walls. Even before attending Officially Orange, new employees receive a welcome email that includes information about ExactTarget, insight into what they’ll experience during their first week, and a fun guide to downtown Indianapolis. On the first day of Officially Orange, employees are greeted by the TMOD team and receive a variety of branded “schwag” to help them “Orangify” their desks!  Over the next few days, they learn about the company’s history, processes, systems, and cross-channel products.

“My favorite part of Officially Orange is getting to know all of our new employees. I enjoy learning where they came from and why they chose ExactTarget. I also love providing a fun atmosphere and giving new employees the tools they need to hit the ground running.”

Angela Kinnett, Global Talent Development Consultant

Want to join a company that’s committed to giving you a bright “Orange” welcome?  Apply now and become “Officially Orange!”

1. Employee Spotlight: Crista Carpenter Employee Name: Crista Carpenter Employee Department: Sales Development Employee Job Title: Lead Generation Orange since: 2012 How does Orange culture manifest itself on your team? I became “Orange” at the very beginning of 2012, along with the largest NEO class the company had introduced at that time. Orange culture became obvious from my first day sitting in “Officially Orange:...
2. Employee Spotlight: Jonathan Gandolf Employee Name: Jonathan Gandolf Employee Department: Thought Leadership/ Global Marketing Programs Employee Job Title: Catapult Rotational Associate Orange Since: 2011 How does Orange Culture manifest itself on your team? Everybody at ExactTarget knows we work in a fast-paced environment. I learned this first-hand last summer as a Slingshot intern when I worked on the Outbound Marketing Team. Being surrounded...
3. Employee Spotlight: Jake Rouse Employee Name: Jake Rouse Employee department: Marketing—Partnerships Employee Job Title: Regional Alliances Manager—Central Region Orange since: 2012 We’ve all been there -- coping with the angst and jitters that accompany starting a new job. Yet, in my first two months on the Regional Alliances Team, I have seen our “Orange” culture manifest so often that it’s quieted my new-job...
4. Employee Spotlight: Bo Dietrick Employee Name: Bo Dietrick Employee Department:  HR/Global Sales Operation Employee Job Title:  Catapult Rotational Associate Orange Since: 2011 How does Orange Culture manifest itself on your team? Orange Culture is the way in which ExactTarget employees live out our core values. This means: Treating people well Being easy to do business with Staying true to permission Making clients look...
5. Hiring Orange to Support West-Coast High-Profile Clients Friends and professional contacts often ask me why I chose to join ExactTarget after 7 years with my previous employer.  There are numerous reasons, but the one that stands out the most is the incredible opportunities ExactTarget offers its employees. And it all starts with recruiting – finding the right candidates for the right interactive marketing positions. Every person...

Not bad not bad. Ran 11.17sec into a -1.7m/s wind. BOOM! Ready for Para's!

— Oscar Pistorius (@OscarPistorius) August 19, 2012

Prosthitists these days thinking they can just take your foot off and leave you stranded.. #foundawaytoslowmedown twitter.com/aleginfaith/st…

— Jarryd Wallace (@aleginfaith) November 1, 2011

The #USParalympic women's #wcbasketball team doesn't travel light... But we have fun:) twitter.com/alananichols21…

— Alana Nichols (@alananichols21) August 23, 2012

The moment you've all been waiting for...my @jumpman23 2012 #Paralympic Games spikes inspired by the AJXXlockerz.com/s/235636164

— April Holmes (@aprilholmes) August 17, 2012

Check out my girl @aprilholmes and @usparalympics as the head to @paralympic Games in London. #USA

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) August 9, 2012

100 times better to look out my window at night and see the olympic stadium lighting up the sky rather than just the boring old stars!!

— McKenzie Coan (@McKenzie_Coan) August 28, 2012

Two days in the village and it already feels like home. My room may be tiny but I am surrounded by the most amazing athletes. Nothing better

— Josh George (@jsgeorge) August 28, 2012

1. Olympic (and Twitter) records On the closing day of the 2012 Summer Olympics, we’re looking back at all of the memorable moments of the London Games: the wins, the losses, the drama, and above all, the Tweets. No matter the sport, Twitter was your front row seat for all the action.We saw more than 150 million Tweets about the Olympics over the past 16...
2. Spotlight on Olympic stories When it comes to events that capture the world’s attention, the Olympic Games have long been the gold standard — and never more so than right now, when Twitter is on hand for every competition. Even today, heading into the Opening Ceremony, we’re already seeing more Tweets about the Olympics in a single day than we did during the entire...
3. #OnlyOnTwitter: Unforgettable music moments After so much (well-deserved) focus on the incredible feats — and notable Tweets — of Olympic athletes recently, we wanted to switch gears and shine a light on some of the best musical moments to come out of the London games.The theme of last Sunday night’s Closing Ceremony was a “symphony of British music”, and music ruled the night on...
4. Celebrating Olympic accomplishments The past few days have been full of captivating, historic Olympics moments. As records are shattered and dreams achieved, the world has turned to Twitter to come together in celebration. Last night, we saw the biggest spike of the day in Olympics-related conversation during the US prime-time broadcast of Michael Phelps winning the 4x200 freestyle relay, which earned him a...
5. #OnlyOnTwitter: The road to gold We’ve been keeping an eye on the data to see which #Olympics moments have really inspired conversation on Twitter, and sharing that along the way. Yesterday, the peak of conversation came when Gabby Douglas earned herself the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal, with 38,000 Tweets per minute related to the event. The Phelps-Lochte showdown was another huge moment, with 25,000...

The Gov backstage watching @anndromney speak at the convention. twitter.com/dgjackson/stat…

— Mitt's Body Man (@dgjackson) August 29, 2012

I believe we have been paralyzed with our desire to be loved.

— Gov. Chris Christie (@christiekeynote) August 29, 2012

Tonight we choose respect over love. We are not afraid. We are taking our country back.

— Gov. Chris Christie (@christiekeynote) August 29, 2012

Santorum's speech: all hands, no Mitt!

— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) August 29, 2012

1. A four million Tweet convention: That’s a wrap for #GOP2012 It’s the final night of the #GOP2012 convention and it was a blockbuster ending in terms of the conversation on Twitter. Tonight, the total number of Tweets sent about the Republican National Convention hit four million soon after the end of Governor Romney’s speech — nearly doubling the total count before today.And while most people joining the conversation on Twitter...
2. RNC Night Two: Paul Ryan takes the stage Tonight delegates from across the country gathered in the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the second night of speeches at the Republican National Convention. The headliner was Rep. Paul Ryan, who was officially nominated to become the Vice Presidential nominee. Ryan excited the crowd and got people talking on Twitter... In fact, Tweets about the #GOP2012 convention topped two million...
3. Tweets from Tampa Here in Tampa at the 2012 Republican National Convention, hashtags are the new political slogan:At the RNC, @twitter is giving out these #GOP2012 buttons twitter.com/lheron/status/…— Liz Heron (@lheron) August 27, 2012While the speeches will be at the podium this week, the conversation will be on Twitter: we’ve already seen more Tweets about this week’s confab than we saw during the...
4. #OnlyOnTwitter: The road to gold We’ve been keeping an eye on the data to see which #Olympics moments have really inspired conversation on Twitter, and sharing that along the way. Yesterday, the peak of conversation came when Gabby Douglas earned herself the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal, with 38,000 Tweets per minute related to the event. The Phelps-Lochte showdown was another huge moment, with 25,000...
5. Post-Bowl Twitter analysis The results are in: People love to share the experience of watching the Super Bowl with millions of other viewers from around the world. Whether it’s cheering for your team, commenting on the halftime show or discussing the ads, it seems you have a lot to say about this annual tradition—and you’re using Twitter to say it.Here’s a fun fact:...

1. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Loyalty and Rewards Programs Go Social! The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and add the...
2. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Integrations and Applications with ExactTarget The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and add the hashtag to your...
3. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Holiday Retail Segmentation Tips The ExactTarget team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag in your favorite Twitter application and be sure and add...
4. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Brand Presence on Pinterest   The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and...
5. #NexusCafe Twitter Chat Preview: Maximizing the Impact of Your Facebook Brand Timeline The ExactTarget Nexus team invites you to participate in our #NexusCafe Twitter chat this Thursday  and every Thursday from 11am-12pm ET, where we discuss emerging topics and trends from across the interactive marketing world. The virtual coffee chat is hosted directly on Twitter, hosted by @ETNexus. Follow the #NexusCafe hashtag and be sure and add the hashtag to your...

At the RNC, @twitter is giving out these #GOP2012 buttons twitter.com/lheron/status/…

— Liz Heron (@lheron) August 27, 2012

The view from backstage at @gopconvention, looking out at the @tbtimesforum #gop2012: twitpic.com/aoe03x

— John Boehner (@johnboehner) August 27, 2012

1. RNC Night Two: Paul Ryan takes the stage Tonight delegates from across the country gathered in the Tampa Bay Times Forum for the second night of speeches at the Republican National Convention. The headliner was Rep. Paul Ryan, who was officially nominated to become the Vice Presidential nominee. Ryan excited the crowd and got people talking on Twitter... In fact, Tweets about the #GOP2012 convention topped two million...
2. A four million Tweet convention: That’s a wrap for #GOP2012 It’s the final night of the #GOP2012 convention and it was a blockbuster ending in terms of the conversation on Twitter. Tonight, the total number of Tweets sent about the Republican National Convention hit four million soon after the end of Governor Romney’s speech — nearly doubling the total count before today.And while most people joining the conversation on Twitter...
3. Tweets rev up as RNC kicks off The Republican National Convention officially began yesterday but the big ticket activities kicked off today. First order of business: formally selecting @MittRomney as the Republican nominee for President. Tweets related to #GOP2012 during today’s roll call peaked at 1,448 per minute at 5:44p ET — the first large spike in conversation of the convention.But #GOP2012 tweeters were just getting warmed...
4. Talking Twitter at the #GOP2012 Convention #2 While we’re here in Tampa, we’ve been talking to journalists, candidates, political pundits and more about the way Twitter has affected the election and their work. Now we’re talking with @BretBaier, Anchor of FOX News Channel’s Special Report.  Bret will host a special Twitter Town Hall tonight along with @THEHermanCainfollowing the airing of @specialreport. To participate in the conversation, tweet your...
5. Talking Twitter at the #GOP2012 Convention While we’re here in Tampa, we’ve been talking to journalists, candidates, political pundits and others about the way Twitter has influenced the election and their work. Today, we’re talking with Ben Smith, Editor-in-Chief of BuzzFeed.com. @BuzzFeedBen and his team are among the most-followed political reporters on Twitter. Their groundbreaking approach to Twitter for election coverage is as worthy of buzz...