In order to get the best return on your marketing plans, it is essential to leverage an ongoing conversation with your customers. Email campaigns are one way of doing this, but the advent of social media has changed the way that marketers use email to connect with online customers.

Many social app developers have been busy creating email components designed to gather potential prospects, but these leads can be dubious and time wasting. Some companies are getting the marketing mix right, though, and iContact is a good example of how to use social media and email marketing to get onto a high growth trajectory. The company uses precise targeting and analytics in their email marketing software to meet customer demands, and they have recently launched a free version of their email marketing/social marketing software in the US and UK.

The Korean Tourism Organization (KTO) has devised marketing plans to promote tourism on Jeju island. The plans involve making the island more accessible to foreign tourists, and interestingly they even incorporate elements of Eastern philosophy in their execution.

The well preserved and naturally beautiful environment of Jeju island is its top selling point for tourism, and has been gaining popularity with the rise of eco tourism around the world. The KTO is gearing their marketing and tour information packages to focus on the UNESCO Natural Heritage sites located on Jeju. They are also sponsoring TV programs which will showcase the natural beauty of the island internationally. The KTO has developed tour packages for foreigners and has been promoting these to tour groups, travel agencies and journalists. Their latest marketing effort is to garner votes for Jeju in the New7Wonders of Nature online competition.

Local tourism authorities in Central Florida are hoping that Visit Orlando's latest marketing plans will be successful in attracting more tourists during the off season. They estimate that the marketing campaign could save up to 3,000 hotel jobs and generate over $500 million for the local economy.

The new three year plan will begin this January and feature two different strategies for boosting tourism to Orlando during the slow season. The first strategy involves a shift in the promotion of Orlando during the peak summer months to focus more advertising in the spring and fall seasons. Because these periods are during the school year, the drop in hotel occupancy rates is significant. The second strategy involves putting more focus on business development and large event promotion during the fall through spring period.