Gmail rolled out a new feature called Priority Inbox which automatically prioritizes incoming e-mails into categories that reflect each message’s importance/relevance to the receiver. In short, Gmail automatically organizes your inbox into three main categories:

1. Important
2. Starred
3. Everything else

This is a fabulous feature that allows you to skip the unwanted e-newsletters and go straight to the e-mails that matter to you. It’s great for users, but can it present new challenges for e-mail marketers?

Based on Google’s description, Priority Inbox studies a user’s behavior such as how frequently they open and/or respond to messages from a given sender, how often they read messages that contain a certain keyword, if a message comes from a person they chat with and whether or not the message is addressed solely to the user or if looks like it was sent to a mass mailing list.

The idea is simple. If your intended recipient is not opening and reading your e-mails, you won’t be prioritized. Since it is very likely that other e-mail programs, such as Microsoft Outlook, will soon adopt this feature, it is important for B2B marketers to create e-mail campaigns with relevant content that will make readers want to open their e-mails and interact with them.

Do you think Priority Inbox will have an impact on e-mails used as lead generation tools?

Hard to imagine isn’t it? What would we do without Facebook? Hmm, let me think about that for a few milliseconds…

Oh, I know, how about talk to someone! Meet a friend for coffee. Try visiting a neighbor you’ve been meaning to meet. What about an act of kindness like taking some homemade cookies to a local fire station or maybe even plan some quality time with your family. Or even better, put down that phone, refrain from texting, tweeting or even chatting on Facebook and intentionally connect face-to-face with someone.

Impossible you say? Not according to Facebook. Wednesday, August 25 is the National Facebook Fast. Facebook is encouraging everyone to do just that—connect face-to-face.

What does this have to do with B2B communications? It’s a new idea called ‘Personal Touch.’ Okay, so the idea might not be new, but when was the last time you took the time to reach out and connect with your clients in a new and personal way?

Not sure what you can do. Be creative and have fun with it. Still not sure? Then call Canyon, we’ve got plenty of great ideas for you to reach out to your current clients and prospects you’ve been trying to reach.

So don’t forget, no Facebook on August 25, 2010—call a friend or Canyon instead…480-775-8880. We would even love to meet for lunch.

The funny part about this is that you use Facebook to invite people to this. I guess we can’t live without it after all.

Any of my fellow Canyonites will tell you, probably in an annoyed or animated way, that I’m a cell phone junkie. My iPhone has become such a permanent fixture in my life that I spend more money on bedazzling IT than myself.

Being the phone junkie that I am, I love to know what’s new and exciting in mobile technology. Normally I feel fairly ahead of the curve on mobile phone-related news, so imagine my surprise when I experienced my very own mobile phone first—an advertisement delivered via text to my phone.

Text- or SMS-based marketing campaigns are something our industry has been implementing for awhile. But, I’ve never been on the receiving end of an ad via SMS before. I have to tell you—I was super annoyed. It felt intrusive to me. It also made me wonder if SMS marketing campaigns will ever truly take off in B2B, or even B2C space.

However, there have been some successful national text-based ad campaigns and, I did some research and found that many mobile marketing companies make this point:

97% of recipients who receive an ad via text are going to view it within twenty minutes.

Can any other marketing vehicle do that? Certainly not print. Maybe e-mail marketing…but 97% within 20 minutes? That is quite a stat.

I’m sure there is a right fit for an SMS-based marketing campaign, but I haven’t experienced it yet. What do you think of this marketing tactic? Have you ever experienced a SMS ad?

‘I love my cell phone so much it was almost included in my Canyon bio picture.’

Everyday, marketers must come up with creative ways to target a certain market/customer, but how sure can you be that someone will even look at your information with all the junk mail out there?

Canyon Communications recently implemented a creative way for prospects to access information. Have you heard of USB laser pens? They are a great way to get people to access information. Rather than skimming a sell sheet or folder with materials, a USB laser pen forces people to insert a thumb drive to access your files. And, it’s easily accessible. No more searching through paperwork and folders to find information.

A USB laser pen can be used as:

• A pen
• A thumb drive
• A laser pointer for presentations

Interestingly enough, after we used these USB pens for a client, I received information from a company marketing its services. I expected to receive a folder with a sell sheet, brochure or a CD, but instead, I received a USB laser pointer pen! The accompanying note instructed me to look at the ‘media pen’ for more information. On the pen, the company incorporated a flash presentation on its service offerings. They forced me to insert the thumb drive to access the information.

Did their strategy work? Yes, it did and I will remember this company because they got my attention.