Content Marketing

• Most Topular Stories

• Write Less, Say More: The Power of Brevity | Lifehacker

  Content Marketing Today

  TheNewsBrothers

  11 May 2012 | 10:39 am

  When it comes to great writing, less is more. But even if you’re familiar with the mantra to “omit needless words,” tightening your writing is harder that it looks. Which words should you omit? How can you write more clearly? Danny Rubin, a national news consultant and former television news reporter, demonstrates—with examples—the power of brevity. There is a common misconception when it comes to writing that is professional in nature that a person must write in a verbose manner to come across as intelligent. I am sorry. Let me do that again. People often make a mistake…

• How to be a World-Changing Writer

  Copyblogger

  Pace Smith and Sonia Simone

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  As a copywriter, you know that words have power. You know words can influence, inform, and inspire. They can persuade your fellow humans to do some amazing things (or to do the wrong things, but we won’t go there today). What you may not realize is that your words can change the world. Here’s something else that’s really cool that you might not have realized … The keys to world-changing writing are also the keys to damn good copywriting. But as you know, good writing doesn’t happen all by itself. So let’s talk about what it takes to be damned good ……

• 6 Great Conferences to Attend Before the End of 2012

  Convince and Convert Blog: Social Media Strategy and Social Media Consulting

  Amy Schmittauer

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Amy Schmittauer is the Founder & Face of Savvy Sexy Social. She is a “social media frenzy” working in social relations consulting, blogging, and, of course, vlogging about life on her YouTube channel. Connect with her on Twitter. If there’s anything I’ve learned throughout this crazy ride of working in digital marketing, it’s that reading all the blog posts ever written, staying up-to-date on all the latest news, and watching all the how-to YouTube videos you can find is still not enough. There’s no doubt that all the information you need to learn about…

• Keynote: Three Future Trends of Social Business (Slides)

  Web Strategy by Jeremiah

  jeremiah_owyang

  16 May 2012 | 10:33 am

  I’m presenting here at Webcom in Montreal, sharing the State and Future of Social BUsiness. In fact, I think the Cluetrain as we know it, while right for many years, needs modification to represent how the social web is changing. I took the first three theses of the mainfesto and translated it to represent how I see advertising integrating with social as well as optimization and Social Performance software. The three trends that I see impacting the social business space include (but are not limited to): Trend 1: Corporate Websites Reborn. I asset that corporate websites as we know them…

• Four Common Content Strategy Requests Demystified

  Eat Media

  Ian Alexander

  19 Mar 2012 | 4:01 pm

  Four common requests we receive 1. “We need a Content Strategy” When clients make this statement they are usually looking for a magical report that will make all things right in their domain and on their domain. The problem is, there is no said “righteous report” to be had — just work. Deeply linked, cross-practice work. Copy on newsletters lead to forms, forms lead to databases, databases lead to CMSs, CMSs lead to content types & metadata and copywriting… Something as simple as new copy can trigger the need for new UX/IA with and entirely different…

• 

  The Content Marketing Revolution

• An Essential Resource for Building and Managing an Online Community [NEW BOOK]

  Joe Pulizzi

  14 May 2012 | 7:49 pm

  I have always believed that a focus on truly unique and incredibly relevant content, shared in the right channels with the right customers and prospects, was the core to most corporate content marketing strategies. I’ve never focused (as much as I have needed to) on how important building and managing an online community is to an overall content marketing strategy. Two events have opened my eyes to the idea that online communities can take your content marketing and put it on steroids. First, I spoke with Todd Wheatland, VP of Thought Leadership for Kelly Services. Todd showed me how…

• 10 Ways to Optimize Your Enewsletter Landing Page

  Joe Pulizzi

  9 May 2012 | 9:19 pm

  I had the pleasure of presenting at the Enewsletter World workshop this week with Jeanne Jennings and Ryan Dorhn (two amazing, first-class media experts). In one of our breakout sessions, Jeanne broke down 10 specific ways to optimize an enewsletter landing page. In our new social media world, email assets are more important than ever before. As content marketers, it is critical that we develop our audiences and build our channels, with a primary emphasis on email in conjunction with social channels like Facebook and Twitter. Why? Theoretically (and legally) the customer names that sign up to…

• 3 Ways to Extract Brand Stories from Inside the Company

  Joe Pulizzi

  30 Apr 2012 | 2:43 pm

  You’ve done it.  You’ve developed why you need the content, created and vetted the buyer personas, and  identified the buying stages where this essential content will have impact on the business.  As you start to dig into your content marketing channel and workflow strategy, you realize that you simply don’t have enough brand stories to meet the demands of the content marketing initiative. In many content marketing programs, the core brand stories have to deal with transforming an employee’s, customer’s or stakeholder’s passion and expertise into one or…

• 6 Amazing Retail Content Marketing Examples

  Joe Pulizzi

  26 Apr 2012 | 1:18 pm

  In doing some research for a retail-oriented content marketing workshop, I learned one thing: retail content marketing case studies and examples are hard to find.  That said, I was able to find a number of print and digital content marketing examples that impressed me.  Here are six of them. …and, if you have some you’d like to share, please add them to the comments below. Lifetime Fitness – Experience Life Experience Life is the lifestyle print and online magazine developed by Lifetime Fitness, the billion dollar health and fitness company with over 100 centers around the…

• Optimizing Social, Search and Content: A Q&A with Lee Odden

  Joe Pulizzi

  18 Apr 2012 | 8:18 am

  I’ve had the distinct pleasure of knowing Lee Odden for more than four years now.  I first started following his blog back in 2007/2008 when we launched the Junta42 Top Content Marketing blogs.  During the 11 times we released the top content marketing blogs from around the world, Lee’s blog ranked #1 three times.  Quite an accomplishment and a testament to Lee’s expertise around content marketing. Better yet, I’ve had the opportunity to run into Lee at dozens of events around the country (Lee will also be speaking at Content Marketing World).  He is truly one of…

• 

  Online Marketing Blog

• Interview: The Future of Cloud Marketing Software with Vocus CMO Jason Jue

  BLarson

  16 May 2012 | 6:50 am

  At TopRank Online Marketing, we are fortunate to provide consulting to quite a few innovative B2B companies that serve other marketers. A great example of that is PRWeb and parent company, Vocus, both long standing clients. In late 2011 Vocus welcomed Jason Jue as Chief Marketing Officer. As Vocus & PRWeb’s Account Manager at TopRank, I was keenly interested in getting to know Jason better and learning his plans for the future – and what better way than through an interview for all readers of Online Marketing Blog to see? In this interview Jason talks about the undeniable…

• Channel Your Internal Marketing Warrior: 4 Tips for Strengthening Your Marketing Plan

  Ashley Zeckman

  15 May 2012 | 5:25 am

  Release Your Internal Marketing Warrior In March of this year I made a decision: I wanted to get healthier.  The problem I have always faced is that I didn’t see the point of exercise, just for the sake of exercise.  Treadmills and stationary bicycles never did much for me, but I was looking for a way to regain some focus and start down a healthier path. About a month ago I spoke with my good friend Ali who had recently started a training program to become a yoga instructor.  She convinced me to attend a class with her and I even though I’ve done yoga before, this was an entirely new…

• 5 Ways to Optimize the Business Value of Attending Conferences

  Lee Odden

  14 May 2012 | 11:37 am

  Are you optimizing your conference experience? TopRank receives a lot of value from having me speak at conferences but you don’t have to be a speaker to realize a positive return from events. Small, large online or offline, there are numerous ways to optimize and maximize your return on conference involvment both in the short and long term. If your company is considering whether to send you to events because of uncertain return or benefits, show them the following list. In fact, if I were running a conference, I’d make sure these tips are shared with attendees, sponsors and…

• Online Marketing News: Take Action on Social Data, LinkedIn Gets the Scoop, Google Reigns Supreme, Google & Big Data for SEO

  Ashley Zeckman

  11 May 2012 | 5:35 am

  Actionable Social Analytics This recent infographic by awareness takes a dive into social analytics.  In an era where virtually every brand is online, it is essential that action is being taken off of the data we are collecting from social networks.  This infographic provides not only some of the Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that your company should be tracking, but how to calculate these numbers as well.  Examples of the KPI’s your company should be tracking: Brand Awareness & Reputation Marketing Program Effectiveness Lead Generation Effectiveness Use LinkedIn to Get Juicy…

• Holistic Optimization Across the Sales Cycle: Optimize Speaking Events May & June

  Lee Odden

  10 May 2012 | 10:08 am

  When you have a business that relies on attracting new business online the sheer volume of options can be confusing. Should offline advertising efforts transfer to online? Maybe email marketing? What about SEO or the hot topic, social media? So much focus is placed on tactics and channels, that a lot of misplaced digital marketing budget gets wasted or spent inefficiently. To bring some clarity to the myriad online marketing options available, I think it’s worth marketers taking a holistic approach that starts with an essential understanding of goals and customers. Who are your best…

• 

  Copyblogger

• What Does it Take to Write a Billion-Dollar Marketing Story?

  Amy Harrison

  16 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  In 1984, two artists used a simple process to create a story that captivated an audience for years and generated billions of dollars in revenue. That same process is being used today by a master copywriter to attract hundreds of thousands of paying subscribers. With companies creating millions of web pages of content marketing, finding an untold story or a new angle can feel like an impossible task. Especially when you want to avoid creating a story so unique nobody understands it … or wants to pay for it. So how do you create a story that cuts through the noise and strikes at the heart…

• How to be a World-Changing Writer

  Pace Smith and Sonia Simone

  15 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  As a copywriter, you know that words have power. You know words can influence, inform, and inspire. They can persuade your fellow humans to do some amazing things (or to do the wrong things, but we won’t go there today). What you may not realize is that your words can change the world. Here’s something else that’s really cool that you might not have realized … The keys to world-changing writing are also the keys to damn good copywriting. But as you know, good writing doesn’t happen all by itself. So let’s talk about what it takes to be damned good ……

• WordPress Hosting That Means Business

  Brian Clark

  14 May 2012 | 10:00 am

  Did you know Copyblogger Media has a WordPress hosting division? Many people don’t, because it’s been a bit under-the-radar. The whole thing started with our frustration with web hosting in general. Specifically, the fact that a lot of “WordPress hosting” amounts to generic one-click installation of the CMS on a standardly-configured box — which simply doesn’t cut it for optimal performance and security. So, last year we decided to manage our high-traffic network of content and product sites ourselves. We did this by bringing into the family a team of people who themselves…

• The Truth About Making Money While You Sleep

  Jonathan Morrow

  14 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Want to hear about the day in the life of a so-called “successful entrepreneur?” Yesterday, I stayed in bed until about 2 PM. I watched the last few episodes of Mad Men. Around sunset, I took a leisurely stroll down the beach. When I got back, I hung out with a friend for a couple of hours, ate dinner, and went to bed. In other words … I goofed off. And while I was goofing off, my business generated a pretty decent chunk of revenue. You want to know the coolest part? I did absolutely nothing to “earn” it. I didn’t check my email. I didn’t talk to…

• 7 Instructive Content Marketing Links

  Robert Bruce

  12 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  This week on The Lede … Are Content Publishers Waking Up from Their App Dreams Nightmares? An Email Marketing Autoresponder Schedule that Sells 3 Quick Tips To Conquering Your Fear of Public Speaking Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?” Why “Freemium” Fails for Startups: 3 Business Lessons from the Band New Order 5 Basic SEO Truths We Can Learn from Star Wars Peter Shankman on the Value of an Audience If you want to grab more useful links (than the seven we highlight here) every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter. Are Content Publishers Waking Up from Their App Dreams…

• 

  Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

• 5 Pinterest Pinning Tips: Don’t Be a Pinhead

  Patsi Krakoff

  11 May 2012 | 6:01 am

  Don’t Be a Pinterest Pinhead 5 etiquette tips for pinning on the world’s favorite social pinboard It’s true that Pinterest is fun—designed to be a simple, beautiful way to pin all your favorite ideas, products and places on the Web—but it’s also true that it’s powerful. With a registered user base that includes over 10 million and grows every day, Pinterest represents great potential for influence. That’s why, to avoid serious copyright infringement or even just the simply bad manners that are possible on this popular social pinboard, it’s vitally important to practice good…

• Pinterest: 3 Reasons To Take Note

  Patsi Krakoff

  25 Apr 2012 | 7:09 am

  Even if you’ve never been on Pinterest, you’ve probably heard of it—this hot social network is drawing attention everywhere, from newspapers and magazines to television and political campaigns. Since beginning just a few years ago, it has become the fastest website in history to hit 10 million visitors a month—buoyed to success by loyal fans who spend hours on the network each day. So what’s all the fuss about? What is this latest social craze? Why does it matter? 1.  Pinterest Is Visual Bookmarking. To put it in a nutshell, Pinterest is a super simple way to visually bookmark what…

• Content Marketing: Stories are Key

  Patsi Krakoff

  11 Apr 2012 | 6:42 am

  If you want your content marketing messages to be remembered, you must engage the emotional memories of your readers. Memory formation happens in two ways: 1.  You say or do something that makes an emotional connection. 2.  Something happens that closely resembles a previously established emotional connection. What results is a neural network of associations that get triggered by a hot-button stimulus. Everything we retain in memory is because it’s gained an emotional place in our brain. At some point, something was important enough because it was emotional. That’s what…

• 5 Uses for Your Business Blog

  Patsi Krakoff

  28 Mar 2012 | 6:43 am

  Maintaining a business blog is time-consuming. However, if you have clear objectives in mind, the effort very well could be worth your while. As you establish your blog, define your goals to determine whether to keep it alive. Below are five common uses for feeding regular content into a business blog. (photo courtesy digitalart) 1.  Raw Sales For retailers and service providers, the most obvious reason to host a business blog is to peddle products or services. You want to show what you have to offer, and a blog is a great way to advertise deals to engaged customers who are clearly in the…

• Online Persuasion: Seeing Through the Eyes of Customers

  Patsi Krakoff

  21 Mar 2012 | 8:37 am

  There’s an important shift in content marketing tactics that affects professionals who want to get found, get known and get clients online. And that shift means a different mindset. Not too long ago I came across a great blog post. There was a picture of a pair of glasses lying on a bench with this caption: Don’t you wish you could see through your customers’ glasses? What if you could live in their shoes for a day? Or, track their brains as they go online to your website? What makes them click? What makes them take action? Here’s where you should start thinking…

• 

  Influential Marketing

• Yahoo's CEO And The Modern Believability Crisis

  Rohit

  15 May 2012 | 6:02 pm

  I don't actually have a degree in Irish Poetry. I share this because recently at a few events I may have mistakenly mentioned that I did. See, I studied English literature at Emory University in the late 90s. While there, I took exactly two elective classes specifically on Irish literature and as most people who study that field already know - Emory has one of the best collections of Irish literature and poetry in the world. So I did focus on Irish Poetry, but the degree that I earned in 1997 was a BA in English Literature.  Why am I telling you all this?  Well, you can hardly blame me for…

• Why I Don't Want You To Buy Likeonomics (And This Isn't A Marketing Trick)

  Rohit

  6 May 2012 | 10:36 am

  A few days ago I got the first shipment of my new book Likeonomics to my house. Right now the book is sitting in front of me and I really want to ask each of you to go out and buy it - but I can't. In fact, it really helps me if you DO NOT buy it yet - and the reason why explains a lot about the nature of timing, business, and what is broken with the publishing industry itself. Book sales, like movie sales, are reported on a weekly basis through a reporting system called called Bookscan. The Bookscan number is a key factor in helping to determine which books make "the lists" (NY Times…

• 5 Marketing Lessons From Uber (The World's Best Travel App)

  Rohit

  3 May 2012 | 11:28 pm

  Several weeks ago I was standing on a street corner in New York. (This is not the sentence I thought I'd start this post with, but go with me ...) After unsuccessfully trying to hail a cab, I decided to try out an app I had heard about called Uber. I had heard it was useful for those kinds of situations. From the moment of signup - a process which took way less time than I expected, to the actual act of immediately booking a car and heading happily on my way to LaGuardia Airport just 15 minutes later - the experience transformed my NY trip. Experience itself is getting lots of great media…

• Greensurfing - The Rise Of Voluntary Social Media Jealousy

  Rohit

  1 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  The idea that Facebook causes jealousy isn't new.  A study back in 2009 essentially demonstrated that romantic relationships were often suffering from jealousy induced by Facebook.  The same study is still being referenced today. Unfortunately, there are a few signs that this is becoming a much bigger trend than something driven by the insecurity of dating. For the first time in human history, there is a place where any of us can go to be surrounded by only good news. Despite the troubles in the world, or your personal struggles - Facebook offers a nearly pain free bubble. Every status…

• The Ultimate Business Question: Are We Having Fun?

  Rohit

  23 Apr 2012 | 11:53 am

  This weekend I found myself glued to a two hour piece of promotional television that I usually avoid desperately. The FOX network was having a special recap of their 25th Anniversary of producing entertainment programming. Amidst the 120 minute recap of over 140,000 hours of programming hosted by Ryan Seacrest (of course!) - there were a few moments when they brought actors of long running programs back into the studio and interviewed them. In some cases, they created a "cast reunion" to bring actors back together (like the casts of In Living Color or Married with Children) while in others…

• 

  Web Ink Now

• Risk

  David Meerman Scott

  15 May 2012 | 9:52 am

  "Don't do that, it's too risky." In business, people spend a great deal of time and money evaluating risk. It's one of those things they teach in MBA school. But are we looking at risk in the right way? According to the American Bar Association, there were 1,143,358 resident and active attorneys in the United States in 2007 (the most recent data I could quickly find). That's over a million people, many of them advising businesses on what to avoid because it is risky. They lawyers say things like: "Don't let people blog and tweet because they may say something that gets the company in…

• Content marketing in highly regulated industries

  David Meerman Scott

  8 May 2012 | 1:26 pm

  On the global speaking circuit, I frequently get pushback from audience members who work in highly regulated industries. They claim, erroneously, that laws like HIPAA and regulations like those from the SEC and the FDA forbid them from creating valuable content on the Web or engaging in social media. Nonsense! This is just a fear-based excuse perpetuated by lawyers in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, and financial services industries who want to avoid risk at all cost. Ignoring the data The fear is particularly shortsighted when considering the data on how people make decisions related to…

• Acura uses Twitter to hashtag spam hundreds

  David Meerman Scott

  6 May 2012 | 6:12 pm

  UPDATE - May 9, 2012 - Alison from @Acura_Insider commented (the 22nd comment down). Please be sure to read her explanation about what happened as you consider this story. +++++++++++++++++++++++ This afternoon, Renee tweeted me from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival because she knows I am a big live music fan. I tweeted her back using the #JazzFest2012 hashtag. Which resulted in a tweet from @Acura_Insider "Acura's official Twitter account. Get the inside scoop & other Acura news. On duty: Alison w/ Acura PR." This linked to a PURL that offered me a VIP experience at Jazzfest. (In…

• Google News now offers real time breaking coverage pages

  David Meerman Scott

  5 May 2012 | 8:54 am

  Today when I checked out the Google News headlines as I do several times a day, I noticed a new feature. Now, for each breaking story covered, there is a button called See realtime coverage. Clicking the button brings you to the latest news. This is a cool development. As I've said for several years now the most significant development on the Web is the rise of real-time. Social media are tools. Real-Time is a mindset. As I write this, a breaking business story this morning is about Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson and the inaccurate educational information found in his biography. Clicking over to…

• Public relations is not the same as media relations

  David Meerman Scott

  3 May 2012 | 11:19 am

  Back in the day, the only way to easily communicate with your public was to use mainstream media and analysts as your mouthpieces. So the public relations department and the agencies they employed spent a great deal of effort convincing editors, reporters and analysts that your company was one worth talking up. Prior to the Web, there wasn't an efficient way for organizations to communicate directly to the public. What's the role of public relations in the new world of the web? There has been an explosion of channels that organizations can reach their audience directly with valuable online…

• 

  Straight Talk with Nigel Hollis

• Smart use of social media

  14 May 2012 | 9:44 am

  A recent story made me think that some marketers might finally be getting the right idea about how to use social media to build brands. The story in the New York Times, documents how McDonald’s enlisted the help of “mommy bloggers” to help shape its image.  One of the keys to social media is that people like to share. Give them a good enough reason to do so, and they will promote your brand. The McDonald’s story is interesting, because it documents how an attempt to buy its way into the top trends on Twitter’s home page went wrong, while its mommy blogger program was…

• Sonic branding or noise pollution?

  9 May 2012 | 10:53 am

  We just bought a new Cuisinart kettle. It looks good and boils water just fine. But when the water boils, the kettle insists on making a beeping noise. It’s really annoying. Our Bosch washing machine does the same thing. It beeps at you insistently to tell you the wash cycle has finished. A story on Marketplace got me wondering, would I be any happier with these machines if they played me a signature tune?  Let me get straight to the point. It is my opinion that machines need to be like those proverbial but non-existent children: they should be seen and not heard. I am pretty sure that…

• How does social media affect brand equity?

  8 May 2012 | 3:58 am

  Once again, my colleague Dave Barrowcliff, has posed an interesting question on Millward Brown’s Greenhouse, our internal social network. He asked: Social media affects brand equity because…?  It is a good question. After digesting the various replies, I thought it would be worth sharing my thoughts here. I think that a strong presence in personal conversations, whether in person, on the phone, through e-mail, in social media or via customer feedback in online forums, has two important influences on brand equity: one specific and one general.  The first, and most direct…

• Burberry succeeds where Aquascutum fails

  2 May 2012 | 10:10 am

  As I am sure you are well aware, Burberry has gone from strength to strength in recent years. The brand’s stores show up everywhere, not least in emerging markets like China.  In common with Burberry, Aquascutum was founded in the 19th Century and renowned for its coats. But far from finding success - and much to the annoyance of one of my readers, Ralf Ritter - it has ended up in administration. In response to my earlier post, “Are brand relationships like human relationships,” Ralf commented that for him, Burberry could not be a substitute to Aquascutum, and then he pointed me to…

• Are brand relationships like human relationships?

  30 Apr 2012 | 11:54 am

  I am hearing a lot these days about brand relationships being like human relationships. Maybe it is just me, but I don’t feel that my relationship with brands is the same as the one I have with my fellow humans. I might feel genuine affection for one or two brands, but most are simply familiar solutions to a specific need. Here are some of my thoughts on the topic but I would love to hear yours. Initially, I thought my concern about anthropomorphizing brands was to do with the intermittent nature of our relationship with many brands. In reality, there are few brands that we think about or…

• 

  Conversation Agent

• Most Marketers Still Not Making Data-Driven Decisions Surveys Find

  Valeria Maltoni

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  How do large corporate marketers collect and use data? Are practices in marketing measurement and ROI changing? How about the integration of digital and traditional marketing? Has the excitement around big data brought about a shift in how marketers conduct their business? These are some of the topics for investigation in a recent study conducted by Columbia Business School’s Center on Global Brand Leadership and the New York American Marketing Association (NYAMA). The short answer: there is still a big gap between where organizations would like to be and where they actually are in…

• Answering Common Inquiries About Content

  Valeria Maltoni

  15 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  Three kinds of inquiries I receive regularly: write about us give us your content allow us to post Many of you find the contact form for consulting work. In that case, I'm happy to provide a quote and scope of work. If that's not what you're after, the quickest way to find out what is accepted for review and publication is by following the link to -- submit your question on the top menu. In all cases, the best outcomes come when the ask is appropriate. Note the term "pro" is part of the word. Making the ask Don't know how to ask? Here's how to write an email that stands out for your review.

• Why Experience is Key to Customer Loyalty

  Valeria Maltoni

  14 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  Whenever I travel, I'm reminded of the many amazing opportunities that come from being able to reach many parts of the world relatively easily. Let's face it, things can go wrong with the weather and with technology. It is how an airline -- or any company, for that matter -- handles customer fairness that will make a big difference to its bottom line. Will they have to discount fares more deeply so people will do business with them again next time? There is plenty of room left for improving customer experience in the travel industry -- airlines, hotels, car services, even airports, with a few…

• Business Lessons I Learned from my Mother

  Valeria Maltoni

  13 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  My mother was Miss Romagna. Her name is Anna Laura. I wanted to have her purple blue eyes and ready smile. She has the welcoming spirit of a woman always ahead of the times and comfortable in her own skin. In addition to being a mother of three (all girls), she has had multiple careers -- accounting, sales, public office, geriatric care, and beautician; some overlapping for years. Mother really gets communications -- the listening part especially -- the organization of work, along with the care of the individual.  Whether she negotiated credit rates or the recovery of the elderly, she made…

• Fair Pay, Participation Value, and The Intention Economy

  Valeria Maltoni

  12 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Do you know the pay scale for your industry? I'm not talking about the job wanted ads -- those may mislead you and take you down the generic path. You're not generic, you have specific skills, and you should be able to calculate market value. Just like with salary, where you don't have a cut and dry answer, interaction and involvement are not exactly the same thing. Community participation has highs and lows, and they may not follow the touted 1% route. How active are people online? Has it changed in the last couple of years? Marketers can optimize campaigns and programs only so far. Without…

• 

  Social Media Darwinism

• There is NO Passive Marketing with Social!

  Paul Dunay

  16 May 2012 | 2:00 pm

  Traditionally, marketers think of outcomes like they think of the weather – you sit back and see what happens.  Suffering from the lack of true and authentic knowledge of their audiences, or any provision for real-time data or analytics, they are consigned to a passive role: spend money and hope it creates the intended outcome. Well “hope” isn’t a strategy. Not so with Social Media.  With Social, there is no passive tense.  Social media allows the marketer to jump into the fray and to CREATE outcomes instead of being a victim. Take for instance the example of TV.  In the…

• The Emotion found in Social Data

  Paul Dunay

  9 May 2012 | 2:00 pm

  Let’s be clear.  Most people who write on social media outlets don’t do so just for the sake of doing it.  Some might, but the vast majority of people who share content, post comments, or offer sentiments and opinions online do so because they are in what Andrew Jeavons of Survey Analytics calls “the point of emotion.”  In other words, they are emotionally invested in the product, service or experience about which they are opining. As Jeavons points out, most feedback is conducted via traditional methods that suffer from huge structural deficits. Surveys – break-down for four…

• CMOs: Shedding light on marketing performance

  Paul Dunay

  18 Apr 2012 | 10:19 am

  Businesses use enterprise data and metrics to manage business performance and drive efficiencies across the organization. But when it comes to marketing, there has always been a bit of the “black box” effect. Marketing is the one major budget item that traditionally has been the hardest to understand and measure from a traditional business performance standpoint. Quarterly and annual reviews provide some idea of how the money is being spent, and frequency, reach, target rating points, media impressions and clip counting are among the longstanding measures of marketing…

• NASCAR appeals to more than just Sports Fans!

  Paul Dunay

  4 Apr 2012 | 11:34 am

  As fans of the movie Talladega Nights would know, stock car racing in the United States has its origins in bootlegging during Prohibition, when drivers ran bootleg whiskey made primarily in the Appalachian region of the United States. Bootleggers needed to distribute their illicit products, and they typically used small, fast vehicles to better evade the police. Many of the drivers would modify their cars for speed and handling, as well as increased cargo capacity, and some of them came to love the fast-paced driving down twisty mountain roads. The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 largely dried…

• More B2B Marketing on Mad Marketing TV — The After Party

  Paul Dunay

  7 Mar 2012 | 9:00 am

  After last weeks show, guest host Jeff Ogden and B2B marketing expert, Paul Dunay discuss: - Marketing at a small company versus a larger company - Buyer personas and the importance of knowing your buyers - Approaches for creating engaging content - How writing a book can help generate awareness and build reputation MadMarketingTV is sponsored by Act-On Software: Marketing Automation for the Fortune 5 Million. Visit http://actonsoftware.com to learn more. Related posts: Changes in B2B Marketing — Mad Marketing TV Ep 13 Join guest host Jeff Ogden and special guest Paul... Related posts…

• 

  Post-Advertising

• The Phuture of Pharmaceutical Advertising

  Adam Uhrynowski

  16 May 2012 | 9:25 am

  Think of the last pharmaceutical commercial you saw. It probably involved scenes of nature: people doing normal things like sitting in bathtubs on a hilltop and walking on the beach. But what was the name of the drug it was advertising? You can’t remember, can you? That’s because 99 percent of the pharma commercials created are exactly the same, and they all blend into a soft-focus, elevator-music-tinged, generic pile of boredom. This unending cycle of mediocrity can be prevented. I’ll take a look at a typical pharma commercial and then give it a makeover, as well as give you tips for…

• The UFC’s Knockout Content-Marketing Punch

  Jon Thomas

  14 May 2012 | 4:31 pm

  The year was 1993. I was sitting in my middle-school homeroom class when a friend revealed that he had brought in a VHS of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). We had watched plenty of martial arts movies—my favorite being Jean-Claude Van Damme’s Bloodsport—in which martial artists of various disciplines from around the world gathered in one place to find out which martial art was supreme. Finally, someone wanted to play this story out in real life. I borrowed the tape and watched it when I got home. I was captivated. Fast-forward to today and the UFC is one of the fastest-growing…

• Post-Advertising Survival Guide, Vol. 1: Nudge Marketing

  Jim Boulton

  14 May 2012 | 8:56 am

  There’s a lot of talk at the moment about nudge marketing, a theory based on behavioral economics. It describes the power of “choice architecture,” the art of arranging seemingly equivalent options so that more people will make one particular choice. This proposition is especially potent for the social web, which Obama’s election team harnessed so well in the campaign to win the White House and which was imitated by the UK’s Tory party in the 2010 election. This eBook will show how nudge marketing can be applied practically to the social web and how an audience can be moved…

• Have Conversations Left Blogging?

  Jon Thomas

  9 May 2012 | 1:14 pm

  Since the advent of the Internet, blogs have provided the masses with a way to publish content. By the early 2000s, brands were catching on to the benefits of blogging, and those who embraced this new type of content marketing were seen as being ahead of the social-media curve. Not only did blogs help businesses rank better for SEO, they also permitted customers and brands to have meaningful dialogue. In early 2006, noted tech gurus Robert Scoble and Shel Israel wrote about the power of blogs to “humanize communication, bringing companies and their constituencies together in a way that…

• Ten Brands Doing Post-Advertising Right: Spring Edition

  Jon Thomas

  2 May 2012 | 10:10 am

  Every once in a while, the editorial team at Post-Advertising is so impressed by a brand’s work that we share it with each other. Just the fact that we enjoyed the content so much that we were compelled to share it with the rest of our team proves that it’s worthy of a post-advertising nod. But since we’ve focused this blog on topics that educate our readers, we’ve spent less time sharing the great work we’ve found with all of you. Last September we decided to feature 10 brands that impressed us with their content marketing and brand storytelling efforts. But as we see more brands…

• 

  Conversation Marketing from Portent, Inc: Internet Marketing with a Twist of Lemon

• Wanted: Enterprise Search Gods

  Marianne Sweeny

  15 May 2012 | 12:30 pm

  Lately, I’ve been feeling like a grade schooler punished along with the rest of the class for one student’s bad behavior. With Google’s Pandas, Penguins and other pandemonium-producing updates yet to come, we’re all Bart Simpson being forced to write on the SEO chalkboard, “I will not outsource link building to third-world countries that spam blogs.” Sheesh! It’s times like that that my mind turns to flights of fancy… If I could make Google do whatever I wanted… Well, I can and so can you — just not for the whole Web. We can control…

• Google Penguin for non-SEOs

  Ian Lurie

  14 May 2012 | 11:43 pm

  They were cute until Google got to 'em If I say ‘Google Penguin’ to an SEO pro, they shudder. In the SEO world, Google’s Penguin update is the nastiest, scariest update since, I dunno, Florida? Here’s an explainer for all the marketers who are wondering what the hell just happened to their traffic: What’s an update? The engineers at Google constantly tune their search software to provide (hopefully) more accurate results. Most of these tune-ups are pretty small, and go unnoticed by anyone except us hardcore search geeks. They’re like thunderstorms: You…

• SEO & UX – Working together to make your site better

  Josh Patrice

  10 May 2012 | 2:57 pm

  A few years ago I stepped into a role as an information architect and user experience designer at a Portland ad agency. Coming from a background in search marketing, this was quite a bit of a change for me. The first thing I noticed was that SEO & UX should really be a more integrated system in the designing of a site. The second thing I noticed was that SEO really gets a bad rap from the UX and design community. This was really an invaluable experience for me, as I was able to look at both my former job and my current job in a different light. I got to be removed from my instincts as an…

• How to hire an SEO company, 2012 edition

  Ian Lurie

  9 May 2012 | 6:34 pm

  I’ve written other posts about hiring SEO firms: How to hire good ones. How to hire bad ones. But an update’s in order: Questionnaire for an SEO agency Start each agency you interview with 10 points. Add or subtract as indicated. Ask yourself: How did this firm get in touch with you? They cold-called or e-mailed you. No. -1 They answered your ad. Sorry, but good SEOs don’t spend their days scouring the internet want ads. Ads are good for comic relief, not smart hiring. -5 You found them. Good. That’s a good start. +1 Can you give me some references? No. Well, duh.

• How to Use Hootsuite and Twitter Lists to Engage Your Audience

  Jack Martin

  8 May 2012 | 11:41 am

  I remember when I got my first Twitter follower. I was a bright-eyed web surfer with a bushy tail (since birth). @getfree_ebooks3 followed me, and our relationship blossomed. She was beautiful. I would tell her about what I was eating for lunch and other important Twitter issues, and she would suggest nice pieces of malware for my computer to download. I eventually discovered that @getfree_ebooks3 was a spam bot. It was heartbreaking. I realized the truth about Twitter. At that moment, I realized that the best way to create quality relationships on Twitter is to seek out the people in your…

• 

  Marketing Interactions

• Robotic Email Campaigns Miss the Point

  ArdathAlbee

  16 May 2012 | 9:33 am

  In addition to learning that lead generation is the top marketing priority for tech marketers, IDC's 2012 Tech Marketing Barometer Study asked them about their perceived effectiveness at lead nurturing. In reponse to the 22% who said they use regular nurturing touches geared to buying stages that include more than email and web-based multi-step campaigns, Kathleen Schaub, VP-research, CMO Advisory Service at IDC, said: “I don't believe this, or people don't understand what nurturing means,” Schaub said. “I talk to a lot of our clients and people in the industry, and I…

• Can B2B Marketers Become Content Whisperers?

  ArdathAlbee

  13 May 2012 | 4:30 pm

  One of the mandates bandied about lately is that B2B marketers need to become listeners. They should set up listening posts and they must listen first, before launching marketing programs. You're told listening is a requisite for establishing 2-way dialogue and sustaining relationships across the buying process. If you've "listened" to all of this, then you know that listening informs (or should) how marketers respond to prospects' online behavior. Anyone who's married or in a relationship can relate to "listening." Trust me, I've been married to a…

• Content Strategy Must Reach Beyond Marketing

  ArdathAlbee

  6 May 2012 | 5:50 pm

  Arguably, content strategy is most often thought of as a marketing application. That's a great start, but it doesn't do the practice justice. In fact, that view tends to cause siloed efforts and limit the potential of content strategy. Content is a part of everything a business does in regards to communicating with prospects, customers, and the industries their offerings serve. Content is anything that says something about your company, brand, expertise, or point of view that forms an impression, including: email video articles white papers blog posts blog comments conversations…

• B2B Content Strategy Should Never Be a Wallflower

  ArdathAlbee

  2 May 2012 | 2:30 pm

  A B2B content marketing strategy should never be contained in a silo. First of all, to be literal, a silo is a dugout, cave or shelter for grain. Secondly, it denotes walls and barriers that keep its contents apart from everything else. A B2B content marketing strategy must lead somewhere. It should be based on a continuum that matches the needs of prospects and customers wherever they may be in the experience at any time. The issue I see often, is that content marketing is an add-on to everything else that marketers have on their plates. It's viewed as a campaign, a project or a…

• Designing Calls to Action for B2B Marketing Content

  ArdathAlbee

  26 Apr 2012 | 5:27 pm

  During my keynote at the B2B Content 2 Conversion conference on Tuesday, one of the questions the audience asked was about a slide I used when discussing how to create a content flow. To sum it up, I suggested that each "touch" should be based on three components: The question your content will answer for a persona. The answer to the question that becomes the content asset. A call to action (CTA) I was asked to elaborate on what I meant by a call to action. The normal response to the "call to action" mandate is inserting a "have a sales rep call me" or some other…

• 

  Brian Solis

• The Fallacy of Information Overload

  Brian Solis

  15 May 2012 | 8:50 am

  Some of you know me through my work in studying how social media and disruptive technology impact business and culture. Others have worked with me in translating insights into action and change within the enterprise.  Every now and then, I share another side of myself that evokes the aspiring social scientist in me as I explore how all of this is affecting us as individuals and human beings. Not a day goes by when I’m not asked about whether or not the social media bubble will finally burst. Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Foursquare, Pinterest, this all has to be too much right? More…

• Music, Film, TV: How social media changed the entertainment experience

  Brian Solis

  10 May 2012 | 9:56 am

  Social media is more than a digital water cooler for TV and movies. The global conversation that takes place around events and the experiences people share based on what they watch teaches us about consumer preferences. More importantly, their activity influences behavior. Behavior counts for everything. Studying it is just the beginning of course. In order to understand and eventually steer behavior, we must translate activity into insights and in turn, translate insights into actionable strategies and programs. The Hollywood Reporter recently published an exclusive poll about social media…

• The future of TV is more than social, it’s a multi-screen experience that needs design

  Brian Solis

  7 May 2012 | 1:19 pm

  The future of television is much more than social; much in the same way that the future of media is too, more than social. Social is a fabric; it connects the individual nodes that make up the human network. But, social however, is not a means to an end. And, as such, the same is true about the working theories driving Social TV. Understanding the role social plays in how viewers connect with programs and other people is essential to defining the future of television. Over the years, I’ve written much about my vision for the long overdue convergence of not only web and TV, but also how the…

• The Path from a Social Brand to a Social Business

  Brian Solis

  2 May 2012 | 11:17 am

  I’ve been a long-time supporter of MediaTemple’s (MT)Residence program along with Gary Vaynerchuk, Neil Patel, and many others whom I respect. I wanted to share my “7 questions to answer to become a social business” with you here.. Social Media is pervasive and is becoming the new normal in corporate marketing. Brands who get this right are starting to build their own media networks rich with customer connections numbering in the millions. Right now, Coca-Cola has over 34 million fans on Facebook, but they’re hardly alone. Disney follows just behind with 29 million…

• Do Customers Really Matter to Your Business? Prove it.

  Brian Solis

  30 Apr 2012 | 10:21 am

  Frank Eliason and I have known each other for many years. We’ve shared the stage on many occasions, he’s made an appearance on Revolution, and most importantly, I’m proud to call him a personal friend. Frank has championed the adaption and transformation of customer service during his time at Comcast and at CITI. Never one to shy away from sharing his opinions, he’s certainly bullish on where service needs to be as a function and a philosophy versus where it is today. In fact, he’s gone so far as to call out social media customer service as being a…

• 

  nick burcher

• Copenhagen Orchestra flashmob on the Metro by Copenhagen Phil and Radio Klassisk

  10 May 2012 | 3:27 am

  Flash mobs can still make people smile, but nowadays they need to be executed in a quirky / original way in order to resonate. The Copenhagen Phil orchestra recently showed how flash mobs can still work, carrying out a flash mob performance on the Copenhagen Metro to promote both themselves and Danish classic music radio station Radio Klassisk.   Copenhagen Metro orchestra flash mob by the Copenhagen Phil This year the Copenhagen Phil orchestra played Grieg's Peer Gynt for commuters on their way home - looks more pleasant than travelling on the London underground at peak time! NB. The…

• IKEA creates Banksy style graffiti in Milan

  1 May 2012 | 3:23 am

  IKEA has been tagging it's own ads with Banksy style graffiti in Milan as part of the IKEA 'People bring Design to Life' current campaign.  Stencilled art in the style that Banksy made famous was created and dogs, ballerinas, children and more were added as 'graffiti' to both IKEA posters and Milan subway walls, steps and turnstiles. IKEA Banksy graffiti in Milan IKEA Banksy graffiti in Milan - ballerina This is an interesting way of drawing attention to posters and malking them more conversation worthy.  An accompanying video (in Italian) showing how the IKEA Banksy graffiti was…

• Prometheus, Channel 4 and Twitter live ad integration [screenshots]

  30 Apr 2012 | 3:39 am

  During the penultimate episode of Homelands last night (in the UK), Channel 4 partnered with 20th Century Fox to show the latest epic trailer for forthcoming Ridley Scott film Prometheus and then featured related live tweets during a following ad break. In the first break in Homelands the following (scary?) 3 minute Prometheus trailer took over the whole ad break: This ended with a Channel 4 announcer requesting that viewers tweet about Prometheus and the Prometheus trailer using the hashtag #areyouseeingthis - with the chance for the best tweets to be featured in the next ad break: Channel 4…

• Will.i.am live tweeting from the studio on The Voice UK [images] #thevoiceuk

  28 Apr 2012 | 3:09 pm

  Will.i.am is one of the judges / mentors on the latest reality series to hit the UK, 'The Voice.'  In tonight's show Will.i.am was introducing his acts, commenting on all the performances - and live tweeting too! Will.i.am tweeting on The Voice UK Will.i.am tweeting on The Voice UK (2) Will.i.am tweeted about being proud of his acts but also revealed how he was bringing the show to life through his use of social media:   Cool stuff, I hope he's allowed to do more of this next week! Related posts Like this post?  Then subscribe to regular updates from this blog -   click…

• BMW April Fools Day 2012 ad - BMW Driverless Running Coach [images]

  31 Mar 2012 | 6:02 pm

  BMW have a long history of running a BMW April Fools advert and April Fools Day 2012 is no exception with ads running in today's UK broadsheet newspapers under the headline 'turn your car into a coach': BMW April Fools 2012 ad in UK newspapers  The 2012 BMW April Fools ad features the 'BMW driverless Running Coach' (!) BMW April Fools 2012 - Driverless Running Coach BMW April Fools 2012 Driverless Running Coach dashboard BMW state: 'As an official sponsor of London 2012, BMW has been inspired to develop a new technology helping customers to boost their fitness in the run up to the Games.

• 

  The Toad Stool by Alan Wolk

• The Assault Continues: Four New Consumer-Centric Video Technologies

  14 May 2012 | 4:09 pm

  It wasn’t too hard to predict that once every permutation of text-based social media had been explored, would-be entrepreneurs would shift their attention to video. And while “social TV” has become an all-purpose buzzword these days, this spring has seen a couple of notable consumer-centric introductionsFirst off are the competing social video services Viddy and SocialCam. Both of which take the cute-puppy-video meme to the next level. While users are encouraged to upload their own video and share it with their Facebook friends, the primary use of both sites seems to be sharing new cute…

• Introducing the KIT Social Program Guide

  16 Apr 2012 | 12:17 pm

  I don't usually talk about my own work on here, but this is something I am particularly proud of: after months of hard work and preparation, working with a team that spanned from San Francisco to Milan, it's here: the KIT Social Program Guide or SPG.Here's a 2 minute demo - if you're at NAB this week, you can get a hands-on trialWhat Is An SPG?  It's a Social Program Guide-  a white label product that lays social functionality on top of a pay-TV provider's EPG so that viewers can see what their friends are up to and then act on that information... by actually changing the channel or…

• The Five Things You'll Be Hearing About At NAB This Week

  15 Apr 2012 | 11:44 pm

   While NAB is due to start in about 12 hours, I wanted to do a quick rundown of the sorts of things we expect to be seeing there:1. Social TV Apps: The Pets.com of 2012. Lots of VC money being thrown at any and every permutation of "social TV," 99% of them suffer from two big problems: they don't interact with each other and they don't interact with the TV set.  Anyone who solves those problems will be drawing huge crowds.2. Ahhhhh! Netflix!!!: The astounding success of their streaming service caught everyone (including Reed Hastings) by surprise as it flew in the face of three…

• Lack of Pinterest?

  9 Apr 2012 | 9:10 am

  I've been prepping for a minor home renovation project and thus spending more time than usual on sites selling everything from appliances to furniture. These are sites that seem to be ground zero for Pinterest, yet few of them have added the little "PinIt" button up there with the Facebook "like" and Twitter buttons.These are major retailers too, not some mom and pop shop.It surprised me because I have found Pinterest to be an excellent organization tool - it's very easy to go back to the page, look at actual pictures of all the refrigerators I pinned (with prices and dimensions) and make a…

• The Nielsen Myth

  27 Mar 2012 | 9:21 am

  This originally ran on Digiday and was picked up by IPTV News. Co-authored with KIT COO Alex BlumTV is a hugely successful $60 billion industry. It’s also built on a jury-rigged measurement system that’s a bit of a joke and needs to be replaced for the potential of the modern media world to be fully realized.Nielsen ratings have admittedly come a long way from handwritten diaries, but they’ve still become antiquated as our viewing experience shifts from broadcast television to over-the-top services like Netflix and Hulu. This sea change of Internet meshing with TV presents a golden…

• 

  Servant of Chaos

• Networking 101: Getting Out and About for Business

  Gavin Heaton

  16 May 2012 | 5:57 am

  No matter where you are on the career ladder – starting out, consolidating or even retiring and soaking up the sun – the process of networking is vital. But when I say “networking” I don’t mean meeting and greeting and handing out dozens of business cards – these days a great deal of networking and information gathering can take place online (after all it is called “social” media). The nice thing about this, is that you can get a sense of someone’s skills and experience via LinkedIn, understand their thought process and expertise by reading their blog and even see what they…

• Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week

  Gavin Heaton

  14 May 2012 | 7:17 pm

  This week there seems to be plenty of talk about disruption … about what it means and what the implications are. And while this feels true, disruption has always been the natural state in the creative industries (including advertising). It’s just that the waves of disruption now overlap and seem to hit us from all directions. Some of these articles may help you navigate this chaotic world. Stories can have a powerful transformative effect on people and on brands – but many still fail to see the link with social media. Meghan Biro explains why brand humanization is not a social media…

• Five Must-Read Posts from Last Week

  Gavin Heaton

  6 May 2012 | 5:40 pm

  Each week, as I click links, follow trails and read through my ever burgeoning list of RSS feed, I leave tabs open in my browser. That often means that I will have 60-70 tabs open at one time – which also means that my browser is slow to load each morning. In an ideal world I read, cull and move on – with only the best tabs left still open at the end of the week. It is from this list that I draw my five must-read posts. Here are a few that I just can’t seem to close: In my mind there is no doubt that Search and all its variants is under pressure. We are slowly but surely coming back to…

• The Real Value in Conferences is the People

  Gavin Heaton

  3 May 2012 | 8:04 am

  I just got back from a fantastic couple of days at Terrapin’s Internet Show conference. It confirmed for me how powerful in-person events can be – papering over the cracks of our fragmented online connections, interactions and identities. More than once I was introduced to a person who had previously seemed more real in 140 characters than the flesh and blood person standing in front of me. And more than once did I laugh and revel in the light of a witty observation or wry comment.   There was also plenty of great food for thought. Rob Campbell was challenging and thought provoking.

• Vibewires fastBREAK Featuring Dan Ilic

  Gavin Heaton

  3 May 2012 | 1:50 am

  On the last Friday of every month, Vibewire in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum, hosts #fastBREAK – a breakfast event featuring young innovators and creatives. This is not just a chance for people to “pitch” to the assembled audience of curious business people, artists and entrepreneurs – it goes a step deeper – challenging the speakers to share something deeper – to share a sense of purpose. Last Friday, with the umbrella theme of “Rage”, five speakers again assembled to engage and entertain the audience. On the bill was well-known comedian and performer, Dan Ilic.

• 

  www.vanksen.com

• Facebook fan profiling

  Justine Puccio

  11 May 2012 | 2:36 am

  http://theunintelligentblog.blogspot.fr Today many advertisers are on social media just for the sake of it. During the Digital Paris exhibition, Mediaprism communicated the results of its Facebook study for which they surveyed 36 million people aged of at least 18 years olds during the 2011-2012 period: Users “like” at least one brand Users “like” from 2 to 5 brands on average On fan out of two is ready to share brand information 70 % of the fans expect engagement from a brand Regarding these figures, we can think the following: 1.    People’s first motivation for being on…

• I pin, you pin, Vanksen pins !

  Jennifer Manez

  26 Mar 2012 | 9:42 am

  You’ve probably heard about it, you might even have tried it, but what is Pinterest exactly? Launched in 2010, this social network (While some might think “What? Another one?” others will be happy to spend even more time “getting social”) is based on a very simple principle: pin photos and videos that we like on different boards and share them with our friends. Time to update your web vocabulary! From now on people pin! After liking and tweeting, it’s all about pinning and repining, the question now is how are you going to make the most of each social network. Pinterest is also…

• 2012 Trending Topics

  Vicky Balnave

  10 Feb 2012 | 2:44 am

  SOLOMO, ATAWADAC, Social graph, connected TV, Fluid Life, Real-Time, Gamification, Mobile Marketing, Magnetic Content, Programmatic Media Buying, Techno Reality, … We could have invented new acronyms and neologisms to “shine” during trendy networking parties. We could have followed the example of our friends (and competitors) with another post about the latest trends with efficient “paraphrasing” to make us sound like we’re original. We could have forced ourselves to recycle 12 (to match perfectly with the year ahead of us) of the trends that seem to be reappearing every year for…

• PlayStation get their Facebook fans moving for the launch of the PS Vita

  Jennifer Manez

  25 Nov 2011 | 4:24 am

  PlayStation has launched an exclusive campaign for its 350 000 fans on Facebook in France. A very special campaign as the brand will be giving away the brand new PS Vita two months before its official release in Europe and in the United States to a lucky winner that will be picked out and will have to go over to Paris to collect his precious gift. This campaign is part of a global social strategy. PlayStation has put a lot of energy in social media in France for the past two years with the objective of offering what any fan expects from a brand on Facebook : live news, special offers and…

• Urban Lights: Remy Martin VSOP limited edition

  Sophie Kantjas

  14 Oct 2011 | 2:29 am

  New York hits it rock’n’roll style , L.A throws down the red carpet, Moscow brings the bling on, Tokyo becomes bright and flashy, Singapore keeps it sharp and smart…and Bangkok is on full power…it’s midnight, cities are coming to life ! Inspired by the night and the city life, Remy Martin has realized an immersive experience that makes the internet user feel as if he was in a real night club. Dance floor, VIP lounge, bartender and of course, the bouncer waiting for you at the door… There is only one way to get in the club: you have to know the password! Without the latter,…

• 

  Content Marketing Today

• Write Less, Say More: The Power of Brevity | Lifehacker

  TheNewsBrothers

  11 May 2012 | 10:39 am

  When it comes to great writing, less is more. But even if you’re familiar with the mantra to “omit needless words,” tightening your writing is harder that it looks. Which words should you omit? How can you write more clearly? Danny Rubin, a national news consultant and former television news reporter, demonstrates—with examples—the power of brevity. There is a common misconception when it comes to writing that is professional in nature that a person must write in a verbose manner to come across as intelligent. I am sorry. Let me do that again. People often make a mistake…

• Why Business Executives Fear Social Media Marketing | Social Media Today

  TheNewsBrothers

  11 May 2012 | 9:49 am

  Written by Chris Horton. This post was born out of a fascinating and revealing conversation our CEO recently had with a business executive of a prominent Minneapolis-area car dealership who absolutely refused to entertain the idea of social media marketing in general, and Twitter in particular. A marketing director, she was convinced that her fairly expensive ad spend on a local radio station was all their brand needed to reach its target demographic, 18 to 45 year-old men. Incredulous, our fearless leader tried to explain that such a group was one of the sweet-spots for social media/Twitter…

• How to Attract an Audience by Integrating Content, Social, and Search | Copyblogger

  TheNewsBrothers

  11 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Written by Robert Bruce. Google’s been pissing people off lately. Panda, Penguin, Parakeet (okay, I made that last one up), who knows what’s next … Then there are the social networking evangelists whose entire fortunes are deep in Zuckerberg’s asset.And finally, the faithful content producers, who labor slowly and quietly to build their businesses one thousand words at a time.It can all seem a bit much to keep up with. SEO isn’t bad. Social networking sites aren’t evil. Content marketing isn’t impossible. But it can feel like it sometimes.To clear some of this confusion and…

• When Your Products Rock, Don’t Diminish Them with a Mediocre eNewsletter

  Newt Barrett

  9 May 2012 | 11:07 am

  Dragon Dictate and Dragon Naturally Speaking Deliver Awesome Results for Users. Their eNewsletter. Not So Much. In perhaps the ultimate  irony, I am using Dragon Dictate from Nuance to write this blog post which criticizes their eNewsletters.  I use Dragon Dictate to compose 80 to 90% of everything that I write from blog posts to book content.   So, it does pain me a bit to brand their eNewsletter as mediocre. Oddly, even though their eNewsletter is a major missed content marketing opportunity, Nuance has a tremendous amount of content available. As an example, they have a wonderful…

• Jennifer Sheahan: Cracking the Facebook Code | Social Media Today

  TheNewsBrothers

  8 May 2012 | 2:24 pm

  In every generation, there are game-changing advancements that redefine business. From the automobile and television, to the VCR and Internet, the evolution of technology drives our consumptive habits. Today, there are arguably fewer more engrossing, time-consuming habits than that of the world’s current phenomenon, Facebook.While more than 900 million people worldwide have active accounts, few businesses take full advantage of this enormous marketplace. For most, this is not due to a lack of desire—it stems from a lack of knowledge. When industry stalwarts such as Anthony Robbins and…

• 

  Hard Knox Life

• The Value of Wearing Two Hats

  Dave Knox

  7 May 2012 | 1:14 pm

  Every day in business, I wear two hats (metaphorically of course).  The first hat is in the agency world as the Chief Marketing Officer at Rockfish.  The second hat is in the start-up investor world, both as the co-founder of The Brandery and as a partner at Brand Ventures.  While these two professions have more differences than similarities, I know I am better at both jobs because of the other. On the agency side, each day is spent uncovering the marketing and business pain points of our clients.  These pain points create opportunities which start up companies can capitalize on by…

• Customer Service worth talking about

  Dave Knox

  25 Mar 2012 | 4:51 pm

  Sometimes you come across a brand experience that was just so amazing, you have to tell people about.  For me, that experience came this weekend from an unlikely place – a baby monitor manufacturer. One of my tasks on my to do list was to set up our two newly purchased baby monitors at the house.  Being the geek that I am, we had purchased cameras from WiFi Baby that would be viewable on the iPhone, iPad and Android.  Initial set-up was a breeze but I ended up running into some pretty technical problems with the dynamic IP’s on the cameras.   After wasting a few hours trying…

• Klout’s version of March Madness

  Dave Knox

  20 Mar 2012 | 7:01 am

  Last week I got a fun invitation from the crew over at Klout asking me to participate in Agency Insanity, their version of March Madness.  Instead of college hoops though, this bracket is a match-up of marketers from different agencies.  In Agency Insanity, marketers compete head-to-head in a bracket on who has more influence. The bracket has 6 rounds of competition and people are seeded based on their Klout Scores. Klout gets credit for some solid B2B marketing on this one for sure.  Agencies are a key target audience for them and what better way to get their attention than to throw a…

• Brands As API [presentation]

  Dave Knox

  15 Mar 2012 | 1:39 pm

  One of our key partners for both Rockfish and The Brandery is Miami University’s Interactive Media Studies Program.   They are really teaching the next generation of business leaders to combine business and technology in their approach to brand building.  Along those very lines, the program recently presented ”Brand As API”, a conceptual framework for understanding new opportunities in branding. This model was unveiled at SXSW Interactive in March 2012 and the presentation is embedded below. Brand As API – SXSW 2012 Presentation View more presentations from…

• Putting “Media” Back Into “Social Media”

  Dave Knox

  5 Mar 2012 | 1:21 pm

  I recently had the opportunity to provide a guest post for GraphEffect, a startup that I’m honored to be an adviser for.  You can read the post on their Edges & Nodes blog or take a read below: When the tech industry tried to come up with a new term to describe Friendster, MySpace and other social networking platforms, “social media” emerged as the industry standard.  However, the term has always been a bit of a contradiction, at least for the marketing and advertising industry.  In the traditional definition of media, marketers have always “bought” media in the form of…

• 

  Web Strategy by Jeremiah

• Keynote: Three Future Trends of Social Business (Slides)

  jeremiah_owyang

  16 May 2012 | 10:33 am

  I’m presenting here at Webcom in Montreal, sharing the State and Future of Social BUsiness. In fact, I think the Cluetrain as we know it, while right for many years, needs modification to represent how the social web is changing. I took the first three theses of the mainfesto and translated it to represent how I see advertising integrating with social as well as optimization and Social Performance software. The three trends that I see impacting the social business space include (but are not limited to): Trend 1: Corporate Websites Reborn. I asset that corporate websites as we know them…

• Video: Scaling your Social Business

  jeremiah_owyang

  13 May 2012 | 8:34 pm

  A few days before the hectic 2012 SXSW storm (my analysis here), The Dachis Group hosted the Social Business Summit (catch one in your city) with some of the world’s top brands to discuss social business.   Kicking off the day, I shared Altimeter’s research on how advanced companies are scaling their programs –and avoiding programs that will slow them down.  A few key points we iterated: Being prepared in advanced with: the proper policies, teams, roles, and education programs. These are the foundation needed to build a Center of Excellence. Advanced corporations have…

• People on the Move in the Social Business Industry, May 11, 2012

  jeremiah_owyang

  11 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Both the submissions on this job announcement board, as well as available social media positions at corporations continue to pour in. In this continued digest of job changes, I like to salute those that continue to join the industry in roles focused on social media, see the archives, which I’ve been tracking since Q4, 2007. People on the Move in the Social Business Industry: Although I’m a few months behind this, first of all, congrats to Mia Dand (twitter, linkedin) is Director, Global Social Media at Symantec, focused on building and leading social media strategy for…

• A New Category Defined: Social Performance Software

  jeremiah_owyang

  4 May 2012 | 8:32 am

  A new software category has emerged to bring performance marketing to social channels. After interviewing over 10 software companies and 10 agencies, a new trend has emerged that will change the social business landscape. What is this trend? The marketing performance techniques to refine TV, Radio, SEO and other marketing mediums are now moving to the social space.   Read my definitive post on Mashable to learn how this impacts not only brands, but also Facebook and my long term predictions on how this will play out. Market Needs Companies are struggling to scale to keep up with all the…

• Podcast: Why The Term “Social Media Agency of Record” Will Dissolve

  jeremiah_owyang

  30 Apr 2012 | 9:08 pm

  I’m honored to be a guest on Mitch Joel‘s famed podcast, Six Pixels of Separation, to discuss my latest post that’s caught the Industry’s attention how Social Media Agencies are Turning to Ads. Mitch invited me on the podcast to discuss this further. One of the assertions I make is the term “Social Media Agency of Record” (aka SMaoR) will eventually go by the wayside, as those pure play agencies are starting to move into advertising (starting with social ads), digital, interactive, and more. My take? We’ll just have a broader focus as social becomes…

• 

  Drew's Marketing Minute

• Are you falling behind when it comes to mobile?

  Drew McLellan

  13 May 2012 | 2:04 pm

  I think it is fascinating in a “I don’t get it” sort of way.  We all know that mobile is where digital is headed.  We’ve all repeated the “by 2015, the #1 way we will access the internet is through our smart phones” and yet… it seems like most people are lollygagging along when it comes to getting onto the mobile train. Is your website mobile optimized?  Are you learning more about mobile ads?  Are you thinking about how you’re going to accept mobile payments? Or do you look like this infographic? Browse more infographics.   You might…

• Going viral = out of your control

  Drew McLellan

  8 May 2012 | 7:38 am

  It seems like one of the goals I hear more and more is… “and we want it to go viral.”  I translate that to mean — we want a lot of people to see it. But rarely when someone says they want something to go viral, do they really understand the implications of that.  The biggest one is — the minute it begins to go viral, it begins to take on a life of its own and it is beyond your control. Let me give you a very tangible example.  My daughter and several of her college friends decided that they wanted to jump into the Sh*t People Say meme that was started in…

• 9 Keys to Wicked Awesome Landing Pages

  Drew McLellan

  5 May 2012 | 12:21 pm

  Note from Drew:  Every once in awhile I like to open up the blog to a guest with a depth of expertise that I think you’ll benefit from.  Here’s Jason Well’s take on landing pages. A few weeks ago I spoke at SES New York about mobile PPC and SEO. I touched briefly on mobile landing pages. After the presentation one of the attendees walked up to me and said, “thanks for covering mobile landing pages, but most people still need help on their standard landing pages.” He was right. Especially in the B2B world, ‘regular’ landing pages are still critical. While keeping in…

• What can you learn from a small town?

  Drew McLellan

  30 Apr 2012 | 6:20 am

  Turns out, quite a bit. The whole concept of having a marketplace is blurry today.  It used to be — you sold stuff to your neighbors because they were the only ones close enough to buy from you. But today the world is one “global small town” where all your customers can talk directly to each other and every one of them can buy from you or from the guy on the other side of the planet. In their book Small Town Rules (click to buy it on Amazon*) authors Becky McCray and Barry Moltz take a look at what works in a small town and help us understand how those same rules apply to us,…

• What is the next step?

  Drew McLellan

  25 Apr 2012 | 6:31 am

  That’s the question you should ask yourself as you create any marketing piece.  ”What is the next step I want the prospect to take?” Whether it’s a Facebook fan page, an enewsletter, a TV spot or a blimp with your logo on it — you have earned their momentary attention.  What are you going to do with it?  Where do you want to take the conversation/connection from here? Do you want to give them the opportunity to contact you? Do you want them to share your content? Do you want them to ask you a question? Do you want them to laugh so hard that they have to tell…

• 

  Seth's Blog

• Digital analogs are no longer sufficient

  Seth Godin

  16 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  The parking meter was rebooting. I guess we're supposed to walk to the other end of the garage and find one that's working. We're seeing digital awareness coming to just about everything. In this case, it was the parking meter near the library. Of course, it's not really a parking meter, it's a centralized fee collection system that saves the town a lot of money. It's easier to collect from, certainly, it doesn't waste the time of meter readers (who get alerted as to what spaces aren't paid for, as opposed to checking them all) plus it doesn't let a new parker enjoy a few minutes of the last…

• Hard work on the right things

  Seth Godin

  15 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  I don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters. It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring the rest. Both parts are difficult, particularly when you are surrounded by people who insist on fretting about and working on the stuff that makes no…

• Worldliness

  Seth Godin

  14 May 2012 | 4:41 am

  Intelligence is the combination of knowing a lot about a little while you also know a little about a lot. Deep domain understanding helps you create analyses. Your ability to understand how a particular system (no matter how small) works allows you apply a confident analysis to new systems you encounter. Once you know everything there is to know about nuclear physics, soccer or the praying mantis, it makes it easier to understand new systems. At the same time, it's impossible to be smart without also being aware of the wider world. That's because it's the random interactions and the…

• The reason the customer is always right...

  Seth Godin

  14 May 2012 | 4:08 am

  If you insist that they are wrong, they stop being your customer* (if given half a chance). People spend their time and attention and money in places that make them feel valued. *There's nothing wrong with asking customers who are wrong to leave. Just be sure you do it on purpose.

• Dedicating the merit

  Seth Godin

  13 May 2012 | 4:02 am

  For an author, one of the nicest parts of the traditional book is the dedication page. The dedication is far more than an acknowledgement to someone who helped you write the book, it's a permanent signpost, a capstone to the work of a year or more. Even if the person you've dedicated the book to can't read it, the writer benefits from the knowledge that a connection was made and that a memory was preserved. Here's the thing: you can dedicate just about anything. A project, a meeting, a tweet. You don't have to tell anyone but yourself. This blog post, like all the posts before it, has a…

• 

  Greg Verdino's Marketing Blog

• The Road to the Future is Paved with Gold (AmEx Cards)

  Greg Verdino

  16 May 2012 | 10:28 am

  For at least a few years, American Express has been leading its category in marketing innovation. OPEN Forum turned the card you carry into a robust social system membership. Members Project was social before social was hot. By putting the reigns in cardmembers' hands this program redefined corporate giving and, I'd argue, provided the blueprint for later entrants like Chase Community Giving. While many other issuers still rely on tactical promotions to bump-up fan counts, AmEx is forging deep partnerships with social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare and inventing new ways to…

• Five For Friday: May 11, 2012

  Greg Verdino

  11 May 2012 | 8:47 am

  What’s keeping you from moving forward? According to Forrester, it might be confusion, politics and the shock of the new. Get past that and you’re faced with a world of opportunity — to reinvent pieces of your business that haven’t traditionally been considered “marketing”, to rethink your approach to audiences and new markets, and to get creative in involving your customers in all sorts of innovation. This week’s Five For Friday is all about making change happen. Here are The Five for the week ending May 11th: How to Cure Social Media Paralysis CMOs and Marketing VPs agree that…

• Five For Friday: May 4, 2012

  Greg Verdino

  4 May 2012 | 7:53 am

  This year, April showers aren't just bringing us May flowers. They've also brought us our first May edition of Five for Friday -- or Cinco para Viernes if I remember any of our high school Spanish. This week, we're talking about social, social and more social. What it means for entertainment and media companies. Why you may not want to get too attached to Facebook. How Google might be botching it (again). And some practical advice and provocative questions for marketers still struggling to get social right. Enjoy this week's Five for Friday. And then get out there and enjoy Cinco de Mayo.

• Five For Friday: April 27, 2012

  Greg Verdino

  27 Apr 2012 | 6:50 am

  In this week's Five for Friday, let's take a look at social media from the perspectives of a member of traditional media's old guard, a B2B marketer, a media futurist, and a media buyer. Plus we'll look at an interesting take on why companies should focus less on what's next and do a better job of handling what's now. Put it all together, and you've got "marketing through the looking glass" -- everything looks kinda familiar but nothing is quite what it seems. Here are some of my favorite reads and interesting ideas for the week ending April 27th, 2012. Inside the AP’s Social Strategy Great…

• Chirpify Disrupts The Music Business All Over Again

  Greg Verdino

  24 Apr 2012 | 10:44 am

  My client Chirpify is having a damn good day, today. The company, which "turns tweets into transactions" by letting any organization or individual link their Twitter and PayPal accounts to conduct super simple social commerce in 140-characters or less, just closed a $1.3 million Series A round. If that's not enough, they're also rolling out a new solution that allows entertainment companies and independent artists to use Chirpify to offer digital downloads of songs and electronic tickets straight over Twitter too. So now labels and artists can come up with all sorts of creative ways to…

• 

  Lies, damned lies and statistics

• The importance of the ‘visual web’ – some stats

  Dirk Singer

  8 May 2012 | 5:19 pm

    Recently, Read Write Web’s Richard McManus penned a series of articles around ‘The Visual Web’, “meaning that images and video are becoming an increasingly important part of what we consume online.” I couldn’t agree more.  Speaking personally, Instagram started replacing Twitter as my social network of choice about a year ago.    More to the point, there is now a wealth of statistics to underpin what Richard is talking about.  This is specially when you consider that many of the biggest social media stories of the past year – Tumblr,…

• Stats that show why you need a mobile first approach now

  Dirk Singer

  2 May 2012 | 3:54 pm

    The other week someone asked me what an agency such as Rabbit (where I work) should be focusing on going forward. My reply, was previously organisations have been talking about a digital first approach.   In other words, concentrate on online channels and content 1st, which then filters into the offline world.   However now the priority has to be mobile first,  you cater in the 1st instance for people who may be consuming your content via their smartphones. Sounds obvious enough, but some recent stats demonstrate the need to move from theory to practice: In February 2012,…

• If Instagram will be like YouTube, which photo-network will be like Vimeo? Tadaa is one possibility

  Dirk Singer

  29 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pm

  In the wake of Facebook’s $1billion Instagram buy earlier in the month, one comparison that did the rounds is that Instagram will be to Facebook like YouTube is to Google.  A stand-alone (ish) network, that is the clear leader in what it does (so for YouTube online video, for Instagram mobile photography). However, while YouTube may be the 800lb gorilla of video sharing, a few networks have managed to carve out their own roles – on positioning as opposed to numbers.   Vimeo for example, is a fraction the size of YouTube, but a lot of creative industry professionals prefer it…

• How technology has changed childhood – ten stats

  Dirk Singer

  26 Apr 2012 | 3:30 pm

    Over the past eighteen months Internet security company AVG (disclosure – Rabbit client) has been carrying out research to see how technology has changed childhood, beyond recognition from someone who grew up twenty or thirty years ago. With five waves looking at kids from birth across eleven countries, the end result is a fairly extensive piece of research.   Ten key stats are as follows: 1 – 81% of children under two currently have some kind of digital dossier or footprint, with images of them posted online. In the US that rises to 92% 2 – Though the average…

• Less than half of European airports have customer focused social channels

  Dirk Singer

  26 Apr 2012 | 11:34 am

  Anyone who knows a bit about what we do at Rabbit (where I work), will know that a lot of it is in the aviation sector.   As a result, I was interested to see this infographic that Shashank Nigham of SimpliFlying shared the other day. Accompanying a report by the Airports Council International (the airport trade body ), it shows that 77% of travellers pass through European airports that are active on social media.   So far so good, but actually once you delve into the report a little bit further you find that European airports are less progressive than you might first think. First of all,…

• 

  Find and Convert » Find and Convert Blog OptimizeThis

• Pinterest Marketing Tips Unleash Your Pinterest Social Media Power

  Michelle Berdeal

  7 May 2012 | 12:30 am

  Pinterest Marketing Tips to Build and Grow Your Social Media Network Pinterest has taken the social media landscape by storm, making it one of the most popular and fastest growing social networking sites in 2012. In fact, a recent study reported that Pinterest is the number 3 social network in the U.S. Companies can use Pinterest for marketing in many ways to build their community, brand awareness and make emotional connections with consumers. The one thing I love most about Pinterest is that it provides SEO value for all brands by driving traffic and links back to their digital assets. In…

• Email Marketing Better Results for Corporate Marketers

  Patrick Carver, Guest Blogger

  30 Apr 2012 | 12:30 am

  Why Email Marketing is So Important To Your Brand Corporate marketers know how important it is to develop a lasting reputation for their company.  Buying decisions are increasingly being based on trust and personal recommendations and, influenced less by traditional advertising. Email marketing is a necessary ingredient in all marketer’s brand strategy. In order to capitalize on this, you need to develop a solid content marketing strategy. Being the ‘go-to’ source for great content and smart analysis on topics within your industry is like the gift that keeps on giving.  If your…

• Integrated Marketing Why Brands Need to Master It

  Bernie Borges

  16 Apr 2012 | 12:30 am

  Brands Must Embrace Integrated Marketing Today’s marketers have the daunting challenge of executing integrated marketing campaigns across multiple media channels. Marketing executives are under intense pressure to reach their audience across offline and online channels, while measuring the contribution of each channel to leads or sales results. Marketing executives have more choices than ever to reach their target audience including offline channels such as print, television, radio and events, and online choices include owned web assets, social media and mobile. How does a marketer develop…

• Inbound Marketing Reflecting On The Last 10 Years

  Bernie Borges

  2 Apr 2012 | 1:00 am

  Lessons Learned in 10 Years of Inbound Marketing As Find and Convert celebrates its 10th anniversary this month, I reflect on the lessons we’ve learned of inbound marketing. The phrase “inbound marketing” isn’t 10 years old. But, the concept is at least that old. Here’s a look at the last 10 years in under 1000 words. SEO Still Rules Although the SEO (search engine optimization) landscape has certainly evolved quite a bit over the past 10 years, getting found in organic search listings is still the most desirable outcome for most businesses seeking to have inbound marketing success.

• SEO Outsourcing is an Oxymoron

  Bernie Borges

  26 Mar 2012 | 1:00 am

  don’t expect to Outsource SEO As we approach our 10th anniversary (April 1st) as an Internet marketing agency, I’m reflecting on how SEO (search engine optimization) has evolved during the past ten years. Getting found by prospective buyers in a Google search is vitally important to most businesses, therefore SEO is still the primary goal of most of our clients. Of course, our SEO goal for our clients is getting found in search engines and converting visitors into viable sales opportunities. The idea of “SEO outsourcing” is an oxymoron! Some will argue that I’m splitting hairs…

• 

  Eat Media

• We Can’t Produce A Great Design Without One Another

  Ian Alexander

  30 Apr 2012 | 4:11 pm

  Creativity is not an instant-on process. But the real-world scenario is – creatives are paid to create – sometimes under very short/stressful conditions. Providing clients comps early in a project can be a tremendous asset but transparency does not always equal clarity. Behind the scenes access to drafts and early comps can and will backfire if the process is not explained properly and a ‘creativity relationship’ is not established. The late Hillman Curtis nails it here: I start each project with the assumption that everyone involved is creative. I really believe this.

• Rushkoff talks about Branding as Non Fiction

  Ian Alexander

  6 Apr 2012 | 11:37 am

  It will be companies that figure out how to communicate the non-fiction story of a company, so it’s going to look a lot more like a communications company than a creative branding agency. Doug Rushkoff (Co.Create) * See Doug Rushkoff speak at Rhizome 4.14.2012

• Four Common Content Strategy Requests Demystified

  Ian Alexander

  19 Mar 2012 | 4:01 pm

  Four common requests we receive 1. “We need a Content Strategy” When clients make this statement they are usually looking for a magical report that will make all things right in their domain and on their domain. The problem is, there is no said “righteous report” to be had — just work. Deeply linked, cross-practice work. Copy on newsletters lead to forms, forms lead to databases, databases lead to CMSs, CMSs lead to content types & metadata and copywriting… Something as simple as new copy can trigger the need for new UX/IA with and entirely different…

• Introducing Tunedon.es — Music for web professionals to _____to

  Ian Alexander

  2 Mar 2012 | 8:19 pm

  Tunedon.es is a music discovery site focused on linking music to web design activities. Why web design and not every kind of activity you ask – we’re not sure, it just feels right – for now. The last few years we’ve seen an explosion in music discovery sites. Pandora, Last.fm, Ex.fm, Grooveshark, Spotify, Rdio, thesixtyone and many others. Most of those services operate on the premise of channels and you selecting a band which leads you to some other bands like those bands and genres like those genres and comments tacked on for good measure. I’ve found some great…

• Steve Jobs Insult Response

  Ian Alexander

  29 Feb 2012 | 12:12 pm

• 

  Direct Marketing Observations

• How Do We Get Duped By SEO [Infographic]

  marc meyer

  14 May 2012 | 10:54 am

  It all starts with a title. The better the title, the stickier the title, the more likely you’ll suck us in.

• How Digital is Changing the Consumer Experience

  marc meyer

  2 May 2012 | 4:02 pm

  Let me give you a few real world examples that happen every day.  You’re at a stop light for all of 30 seconds and you start to get antsy because the light hasn’t changed.  You are going to make a right on red and there is someone in front of you who does not turn right away, and you lay on the horn.  You’re in line at the store waiting to check out and it’s taking forever.  Forever being about 3-4 minutes. Why are we so impatient? Maybe these examples will help. You’re surfing the web and a page doesn’t load quick enough so you try another website.  You want to buy a product…

• Social Media and The Olympics

  marc meyer

  20 Apr 2012 | 3:44 pm

  Two things for you to check out. First check out the infographic below and second, check out this link: http://hub.olympic.org/

• A Need to Redefine Brand Lift

  marc meyer

  13 Apr 2012 | 8:22 am

  According to a recent survey published by eMarketer, four in five North American brand marketers considered brand lift to be the most important metric for evaluating the success of their online branding efforts.  But is brand lift the right metric at all?  Vizu which partnered with DIGIDAY on the survey defines brand lift as the following: Brand Lift is defined as the percentage increase in the primary marketing objective of a brand advertising campaign But does that definition correlate to digital correctly?  Should it?  Marketers consider it to be the one worthy metric.  Given its pure…

• On Social Media Tools, Noise, and Experience

  marc meyer

  12 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am

  I was driving through the Florida Everglades last week when I thought, “How in the hell does someone survive and get around out here in this vast expanse of nothingness?”  Which made me immediately draw a relation to the water that surrounds the glades being the internet so to speak, and the wispy reeds of sea grass or whatever the hell it is, being your customers or users of the internet.  I then thought, “There’s a lot of noise out there now, was it, or is it now because of social media?  Did social media create the noise?”  Is social responsible for this?

• 

  HubSpot's Inbound Internet Marketing Blog

• 7 Enlightening Infographics About Email Deliverability

  Corey Eridon

  16 May 2012 | 10:55 am

  I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It doesn't matter how great your email marketing is if nobody can see it. And getting hundreds of thousands of eyes on your amazing email marketing campaigns begins with email deliverability. There's actually quite a lot to take into account to ensure your emails actually get delivered to a recipient's inbox. Your list has to be healthy (if you're curious what makes up a healthy email list, take this 5-question test we developed); you need to develop and maintain a high Sender Score; you need to segment your email list like a pro; and the list goes…

• 20 Clues Your Marketing Stinks, Straight From the Horse's Mouth

  Corey Eridon

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  If there's one thing that makes our toes tingle (other than inbound marketing, of course), it's seeing examples of marketing done right. Great marketing makes us excited to be working in a trailblazing industry where other marketers are doing seriously innovative things to make marketing people actually like. But to get so excited about awesome marketing means there's another end of the spectrum. A dark side where email spammers, poor segmenters, and keyword stuffers live trying to pass off their activities as marketing. Those guys give legitimate marketers a bad name, and the worst part of…

• Twitter Launches Weekly Email Digest to Aid Content Discovery

  Pamela Vaughan

  15 May 2012 | 3:30 pm

  Looks like Twitter is putting its January acquisition of social news startup Summify to good use! Yesterday, the official Twitter blog announced that it will start sending users a weekly email digest featuring relevant tweets and stories shared by the people they're connected with on Twitter. This just several days after news of Twitter's "acqui-hire" of personalized email marketing service RestEngine. Similar to the updated design of the Twitter Discover tab we covered earlier this month, the summary highlights which of the users you're connected to on Twitter shared the featured stories and…

• 10 Simply Awesome Examples of Email Marketing

  Corey Eridon

  15 May 2012 | 10:48 am

  As the Boston Globe highlighted eloquently on our behalf to announce today's launch of HubSpot's new email tools, email marketing is not dead! But over the years, some less than savory email marketing behaviors by brands -- whether they knew better or not -- have soured many recipients to the email messages filling up their inboxes. On the other hand, it has also made consumers jump for joy when they actually do get an email that is helpful, interesting, or innovative. And that's the kind of email marketing we like to celebrate! We've written about fantastic ecommerce retargeting campaigns,…

• Why List Segmentation Matters in Email Marketing

  Pamela Vaughan

  15 May 2012 | 7:50 am

  By now, most marketers understand the importance of email to their overall marketing strategy and recognize that it's not dying in the wake of other emerging marketing tactics like social media. But while most marketers realize that email is here to stay, unfortunately, that doesn't exactly mean certain email marketing best practices have caught on. Segmentation is one such best practices. Segmenting your communications can improve your email marketing campaigns by leaps and bounds (read on -- we have the data to prove it!). Luckily, marketers are at least starting to realize the importance…

• 

  MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog

• Should Your Marketing Message Require Reading Between the Lines?

  Matthew Grant

  16 May 2012 | 12:28 pm

  Years ago, the political philosopher Leo Strauss wrote an essay entitled, “Persecution and the Art of Writing,” in which he advocated reading some philosophers “between the lines.” For a host of reasons, the philosopher felt that the truth he had to speak could only be spoken surreptitiously or “by means of brief indication.” Of course, one can run into a lot of trouble scholastically when arguing that a philosopher meant to say something other than what he explicitly stated. I mean, how are you supposed to prove that? Strauss insists that a “between…

• Learn These Four Classic Approaches to Marketing Campaigns

  Guest Blogger

  16 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  A guest blog post by Geoff Livingston and Gini Dietrich. A classic marketing strategy mistake is to select tools because they are new or talked about frequently in the media. Fascinated with the latest tool, marketing rounds (what we like to call your team) forget to select media and methods to achieve an objective. Measurable objectives, however, often require selecting a primary approach towards the customer, after which tools are selected based on budget, time, and other resources. There are four common approaches to marketing campaigns today. Direct Community Interaction With…

• Four Tips for Breaking Out of Your Slump Just Like Albert Pujols Did

  Guest Blogger

  15 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  A guest blog post by Maranda Gibson of AccuConference. Former St. Louis Cardinals powerhouse first baseman Albert Pujols traded the Midwest for the West Coast when he accepted a record-breaking deal from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His start for the Angels was highly anticipated, so many people were shocked that Pujols had done more striking out than anything else since the beginning of the season. That’s right. A lot of money was invested in a man who could hit a home run off any pitcher in either league, but all he had managed to do lately was strike out—until May 6,…

• What the Evolution of Marketing Automation Looks Like [Infographic]

  Guest Blogger

  14 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  A guest post by Irv Shapiro of Ifbyphone. The term “marketing automation” often conjures up images of people waiting on hold or receiving out-of-office responses. However, smart business owners know that marketing automation equals measured results. The term “marketing automation” includes lead management, Web analytics, email marketing, voice-based measurement, inbound marketing, and social media. And marketing automation contains a wealth of opportunities for businesses to… Measure ROI and lead quality Streamline the leads-to-sales process Enhance user interaction…

• Content Management for Marketers: What’s the Difference Between Open Source and Cloud Platforms?

  Guest Blogger

  11 May 2012 | 12:49 pm

  A guest post by Roland Benedetti of Nuxeo. Ten years ago, if you asked a group of marketing professionals which content management systems (CMS) they encountered most often, you would probably get a few blank stares. Nowadays, however, everyone knows what a content management system is because marketers use them nearly every day to create content, edit websites, and manage projects. But is there only one type of CMS? Do they all operate the same? Which type is best for which function? One of the biggest differences in CMS solutions is what is called open source vs. cloud-based solutions. Do…

• 

  Occam's Razor by Avinash Kaushik

• Excellent Analytics Tips #20: Measuring Digital "Brand Strength"

  Avinash Kaushik

  14 May 2012 | 5:05 am

  A lot of digital analytics focuses on direct response (conversions, leads, etc.). But there is an additional valuable, and sexy, focus of our marketing we don't give enough analytical love: Branding! It is sad that we spend so little time on brand analysis, primarily because 1. there is such little accountability to brand marketing and 2. it is such a strategic part of any business. So let's fix that problem in this blog post. Let's become BFFs with a lovely hidden gem that helps you leverage one of the largest source of data on the planet to understand the strength of your…

• You Are What You Measure, So Choose Your KPIs (Incentives) Wisely!

  Avinash Kaushik

  23 Apr 2012 | 4:54 am

   Yes, data is important. Helps make marketing better. Makes for smart organizations. Blah, blah, blah. You know the drill: Measure. Find insights. Take action. (Or die trying.) Ascend to corporate heaven. While there is a great deal of appreciation for the power of metrics/data, I've come to realize that Sr. Leaders don't quite appreciate the deep, and often corrosive, consequences of choosing metric x over metric y as a key performance indicator (KPI). [Sidebar] A key performance indicator is a metric that helps you understand actual performance against preset business objectives.

• Multi-Channel Attribution: Definitions, Models and a Reality Check

  Avinash Kaushik

  2 Apr 2012 | 4:47 am

  A wise person said: "To guarantee success, spend 95% of your time defining the problem and 5% of the time solving it." I believe deeply in that quote. In my life I spend an extraordinary amount of time understanding the problem and attempting to define it clearly. As if by magic, I find that it is then much easier to find the optimal solution (or realize none exists!). Multi-Channel Attribution is a red hot topic in our industry, and yet it is so poorly understood. I'm convinced that the resulting problems (confusion, FUD, angst, daily prayers, and wasted budget) are due to the…

• A Big Data Imperative: Driving Big Action

  Avinash Kaushik

  12 Mar 2012 | 4:15 am

  Is there anything in the analytics space that is so full of promise and hype and sexiness and possible awesomeness than "big data?" I don't think so. So what is big data really? No one quite knows. As I interpret it, big data is the collection of massive databases of structured and unstructured data. The data sources include traditional (now considered puny) sources like corporate ERP/CRM systems and non-traditional (massive) sources like every technical ping from every human or mechanical sensor, all web behavior by everyone across the entire Internet, increasingly digital…

• The Biggest Mistake Web Analysts Make… And How To Avoid It!

  Avinash Kaushik

  20 Feb 2012 | 4:19 am

  The single biggest mistake web analysts make is working without purpose. We work very hard. We torture SiteCatalyst. We send out a lot of data. Then we resend it again and again. And yet our work results in very little impact on the business in terms of action taken by company leaders. Why this sad state? Almost always we dive into the ocean of data first. Sadder still, we don't ask questions later. We never ask questions. No questions. No tie to what's important. No impact from the data. Result? Our work lacks purpose. It is that simple. My normal recommendation to address this…

• 

  Social Squared

• The Boring Tax

  Jess Sloss

  16 May 2012 | 12:25 pm

  We the people are the media. At the very least we’re the media that’s most valuable to businesses. The referral from a friend, positive word of mouth, the “this band is so AWESOME you have to listen to it” kind of media. No amount of money is guaranteed to win us over. Not even $10 Million dollars (erghhmn GM) To activate “we the media”, your organization has to be built to do so. Built to be interesting, to create Social Objects worthy of our time, of our “share” capital. Threadless, Pebble, Amanda Palmer, these “businesses’ have…

• Visualizing 7 Billion People

  Jess Sloss

  31 Oct 2011 | 6:18 pm

  From 1 billion to 7 billion in two hundred years.

• Police iPhone App brings Facial, Iris and fingerprint recognition to the streets

  Jess Sloss

  13 Jul 2011 | 2:25 pm

  Look out criminals, that sexy bad boy style of yours may be your down fall, the police have an app for….umm … capturing that. I take wary pleasure in introducing you to MORRIS. Near Instant Biometric Identification, there’s an app for that Touted as Smarter and safer, First in the world and significant, MORRIS is an iPhone app that brings multiple biometric identification options to a police officers pocket. Officers will have access to Facial, Iris and Fingerprint recognition tools that tie in with multiple Department of Justice information sources. They claim to have…

• No Need to Take the Stairs – An Emergency Evacuation Elevator like you’ve never seen

  Jess Sloss

  7 Jul 2011 | 6:38 pm

  I want one, in my house.

• Man Accidentally Live Tweets Osama Bin Laden’s Death

  Jess Sloss

  2 May 2011 | 1:37 am

  @reallyvirtual inadvertently live tweeted history. Live Tweets of US Raid and Osama Bin Laden’s Death As the world gets used to the idea that Osama Bin Laden is dead, we’re also getting used to the way such news travels. @reallyvirtual, an “An IT consultant taking a break from the rat-race by hiding in the mountains with his laptops” inadvertently live tweeted the US raid on Bin Laden. I’ve captured some for eternity below, but feel free to connect with @reallyvirtual for more on the story. Via @reallyvirtual in Abbottabad, Pakistan

• 

  Connect the Docs

• Content Marketing Showcase Series # 5 My Starbucks Idea

  10 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  Content Marketing Showcase Series # 5 My Starbucks Idea   Name: My Starbucks Idea Name:  My Starbucks Idea Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, based in SeattleWashington. They have come up with a community site named ‘My Starbucks Idea’ where anybody can come and share ideas. The ideas are split into three, Product ideas, Experience ideas and Involvement ideas.   Type of Content: Community site Why is this cool content marketing?  1. The power of crowd sourcing: ‘My Starbucks Idea’ is a smart way of crowd sourcing ideas. Not…

• Content Marketing Tools Series #6 Pinterest

  2 May 2012 | 9:30 am

  Content Marketing Tools Series #6 Pinterest     About Pinterest About Pinterest Pinterest is a pinboard-style social photo sharing website that allows users to create and manage theme-based image collections such as events, interests, hobbies and more. Users can browse other pinboards for inspiration,’re-pin' images to their own collections and or 'like' photos.   Here are 2 interesting features that make Pinterest unique 1. User friendly: Pinterest site is so user friendly and easy to use.  2. In-bound links:  Pinterest has a good amount of in-bound…

• Content Marketing Showcase Series # 4 Red Bulletin

  20 Apr 2012 | 9:30 am

  Content Marketing Showcase Series # 4 Red Bulletin Name: Red Bull’s ‘Red Bulletin’ Magazine for iPad Name: Red Bull’s ‘Red Bulletin’ Magazine for iPad Description The Red Bulletin is a one of the biggest global magazines published each month in English, German and Polish. It covers the very latest news from the world of Red Bull. This lifestyle mag focusses on sport, people, art and culture. The Red Bulletin app gives access to Red Bulletin’s international issue which is a unique treasury of the best stories of all the print editions enriched…

• Content Marketing Tools Series #5 visual.ly

  10 Apr 2012 | 9:30 am

  About visual About visual.ly Visual.ly is The world's largest community for sharing infographics and data visualizations. Data visualization is nothing but any graphic that displays and explains information, whether that be data or words. Infographics are data visualizations that present complex information quickly and clearly, be it maps, signs, and charts.   Here are interesting 4 features that make visual.ly unique 1. Visualization made easy: Until now it was not easy to create data visualizations. But with visual.ly one can create professional quality designs with data. You no longer…

• Content Marketing Showcase Series # 3 The Eloqua Blog Tree

  6 Apr 2012 | 10:30 am

  Name: Eloqua Name:  Eloqua Eloqua helps clients accelerate revenue growth with powerful insight to inform marketing and sales decisions today that drive revenue tomorrow. Eloqua automates the science of marketing – campaign execution, testing, measurement, prospect profiling, and lead nurturing – allowing marketers to acquire customers.     Type of Content: Infographic Type of Content: Infographic Why is this cool content marketing?  1. InfographicThe Eloqua Blog Tree depicts the infographic concept at its finest. The   Blog Tree reveals the…

• 

  SEO Copywriting

• Which should it be: Pinterest or Google+?

  Laura

  15 May 2012 | 4:25 am

  Pinterest or Google+? Both of these social networks have broken up the Twitter/Facebook monopoly. In the last year, Google+ has gained 100 million active followers and Pinterest has expanded rapidly to become the 3rd most popular social network. Not surprisingly, marketers have taken notice. Making Google+ and/or Pinterest part of your social media strategy is a smart move. Based on their early performances, these social networks will be an integral part of an effective social strategy from here on out. Choosing one or the other isn’t necessary – but it’s a smart move if you want more…

• So how well does your copywriting convert?

  Laura

  14 May 2012 | 4:24 am

  Greetings! In today’s SEO copywriting video, Heather discusses how watching informercials can help you be a better copywriter, and greatly improve your conversions. Specifically, Heather demonstrates how informercials can inform your writing with structure, clear calls to action, and benefit statements that scream value to the prospect. Heather admits that she’s actually addicted to informercials because of what they show you about the process of building excitement and getting people really pumped about buying a product, and showing that product’s value so well. In fact, she’s…

• How to make your search listings sizzle

  Heather

  10 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  So, what do you think is your first opportunity for conversion? Chances are, you said something like, “When a reader visits my site,” or “When someone sees my landing page.” But if we’re talking SEO, your first opportunity for conversion may surprise you… It’s the search engine results page (SERP). This makes perfect sense. Good SEO is more than helping the page rise in the search results. It’s getting folks to click the listing in the first place. And that’s where the creative work comes in. Your Title and meta description is more than…

• SEO content marketing roundup, week ending May 9th

  Laura

  9 May 2012 | 8:47 am

  Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes: This week’s latest and greatest Web writing news is about adaptation, whether it’s to changes in content, SEO/search or social media marketing. Google’s string of 52+ updates keep SEO & search pro’s dancing, content marketers take a hard look at their websites, and social media marketers respond to all the new developments in their field with a plethora of how-to’s. So let’s turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes, shall we? Enjoy this week’s picks! Content Marketing In part two of her series on the “annual website cleanup,” Lyena Solomon details 2nd…

• On SEO copywriting & disruptive innovation: Susan O’Neil

  Laura

  8 May 2012 | 11:23 am

  We are delighted to feature this guest post by Susan O’Neil of Website Publicity, who you may recognize as one of “The women who made SEO great.” Here, Susan briefly  summarizes what she and her Website Publicity business do to help her clients stay one step ahead of the competition, with “disruptive innovation.” Since a company loses its edge if it doesn’t keep innovating, my team and I are always pondering and preparing for the “next big thing” coming our clients’ way in terms of digital marketing opportunities and challenges. To that end, I recently…

• 

  Tippingpoint Labs

• Picture Perfect Partnerships

  Rebecca Garnick Ast

  10 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  This video is only half the story. Great content can lead to new revenue streams and high visibility. Great content on its own can work, but even brilliant brands are leaving opportunities on the table. Glowing snowboarder Sometimes I stumble across an artistic video that is mesmerizing and I cannot stop watching it. I find myself thinking of ways to integrate the content with brands in order to extend the story and build a brandscape. Click here to view the embedded video. Make sure participants act like partners That’s a talented snowboarder in the French Alps wearing an…

• Examining the Hooks of James Beard Rising Star Chef Nominees

  Josh Cole

  8 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  Nominee Danny Bowien of Mission Chinese Read more about the importance of a hook for talent here. The James Beard Awards were given out yesterday. Congrats to all the nominees and winners, especially to Rising Star Chef winner Christina Tosi. We often guide talented content creators toward discovering their natural hook. It needs to be simple yet definitive. “Oh that’s the guy who blends everything. Including the iPhone.” “That’s the guy who does six-course meals in the subway and other crazy places.” James Beard Rising Star Chefs Since we work with a lot…

• The Importance of a Hook

  Josh Cole

  7 May 2012 | 7:00 am

  One of the hardest things for content creators to do themselves is figure out what makes them unique in the marketplace. When you are full of creative ambitions, it is hard to focus on one key value that you can express in a memorable hook. Perhaps the hardest part is letting go of some of the things you like to do and focus on what you truly are best at. Someone like Rachael Ray can do all kinds of amazing, practical things with food. But it took a special vision to say, “I help people make dinner in 30 minutes or less.” It is focus like this that helps build an audience. Once…

• 3 Valuable Audience Segments Inspired by James Beard Award Nominees

  Josh Cole

  3 May 2012 | 7:30 am

  Online marketing starts with knowing your audience. But we often get so caught up in defining our larger audience that we miss opportunities to approach pre-defined, niche audiences that match up nicely with a brand. This coming week, the culinary world will receive it’s newest James Beard Award winners. For those of you who don’t know, these awards mark the highest level of achievement in the culinary arts and media in North America. The nominees read as a list of who’s who in the industry, including some we’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past year, like…

• Who are the people that power your brand?

  Drew Davis

  2 May 2012 | 3:58 pm

  Image from Lori Danelle on Instagram of her Paper Cut art How Uncommon Goods could power their brand I got my catalog from Uncommon Goods in the mail this week. They sell “unique and creative gifts.” (Or that’s what they told me they sell anyway.) The catalog opened immediately to the profile of an artist named Lori Danelle. Lori is a paper cut artist and “maker of things.” And Lori is talented. What they say they do In the catalog’s introductory letter from Casey McCarthy (the company’s CTO) he says: …We’ve stayed true to what brought me…

• 

  Brain Traffic Blog

• Doogie Howser, C.S.

  Lee Thomas

  10 May 2012 | 2:45 pm

  Content strategy is a pretty young field. As a result, it gets carded in bars and has trouble renting a car. Occasionally, content strategy looks so young it has to work hard to convince people it deserves to be taken seriously. Too young to know what he's doing? Image courtesy of sharetv.org Youthful as it may appear, content strategy is descended from a very established family tree with some very old roots. Among content strategy’s respected ancestors: the art of rhetoric. I know it’s an election year, but bear with me Over the years, the word “rhetoric” has…

• When You Know Your Content Is Bad

  Tenessa Gemelke

  3 May 2012 | 12:37 pm

  Time and again, we meet people who hang their heads in shame, remorsefully confiding, “I don’t even want you to look at our website.” It’s usually whispered like a guilty confession, as if this one delinquent person is solely responsible for letting down the entire Internet. Whether you’re in a decision-making position or not, it can be difficult to figure out how to use your powers for good to defeat bad content. Fear not! If you’ve been quietly suffering the knowledge—nay, the CERTAINTY—that your content stinks, here are a few ways to take…

• Should You Complement Your Intranet With Knowledge From Employees?

  Meghan Casey

  26 Apr 2012 | 3:18 pm

  Employee intranets have traditionally been owned and managed by technology, communications, or human resources. Today, there’s a trend toward employee intranets being owned by teams responsible for internal knowledge sharing or knowledge management. That makes a lot of sense, but it also can cause confusion. Words like “knowledge,” “knowledge sharing,” and “content” mean different things to different people. Often, the problem is that people are trying to draw a line between knowledge and content. That conversation goes everywhere, and then,…

• Auditing Big Sites Doesn’t Have to Be Taxing

  Christine Anameier

  19 Apr 2012 | 2:25 pm

  Now that U.S. tax day has come and gone, we can focus our attention on big audits. Oh wait, not that kind of audit. We’re talking about a qualitative content assessment—the process of analyzing the quality and effectiveness of your website content. This kind of audit can help you make a business case for just about any web project. (And it has nothing to do with the IRS.) At Brain Traffic, people often ask how we audit big websites—really big websites (anything from 20,000 to millions of pages). Truth be told, auditing these colossal sites is no small feat, but it can be…

• Show Me the Content Strategy!

  Julie Vollenweider

  12 Apr 2012 | 11:51 am

  Hi, Brain Traffic. Before we continue, can you send me an example content strategy? It’s quite common for me to hear this question during preliminary conversations for project work. Despite being a regular request, it’s not an easy one to answer, for three main reasons: Differences in vocabulary (how you define certain terms) Specifics unique to your needs and project Key drivers for why you want to see a sample With content strategy, there's no "one-size-fits-all" approach. Although this is a complex question to address, it’s not impossible. Here’s how…

• 

  Convince and Convert Blog: Social Media Strategy and Social Media Consulting

• 6 Great Conferences to Attend Before the End of 2012

  Amy Schmittauer

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Amy Schmittauer is the Founder & Face of Savvy Sexy Social. She is a “social media frenzy” working in social relations consulting, blogging, and, of course, vlogging about life on her YouTube channel. Connect with her on Twitter. If there’s anything I’ve learned throughout this crazy ride of working in digital marketing, it’s that reading all the blog posts ever written, staying up-to-date on all the latest news, and watching all the how-to YouTube videos you can find is still not enough. There’s no doubt that all the information you need to learn about…

• 6 Reasons to Make Your Big Idea Small

  Jay Baer

  12 May 2012 | 3:20 pm

  Brad Van Orden is the most interesting man in the world. It’s not the Dos Equis guy, it’s Brad. Sheena Navigates the Market in Nebaj, Guatemala A former product engineer for WL Gore & Associates, Brad is an expert telemark skier, mountain biker, mechanic, cook, humorist, and explorer. I got to know Brad and his wife Sheena when I lived in Flagstaff, AZ (where they’re from). I met Brad and helped him with some Web strategy when he took an interest in sustainable energy (as a hobby) and taught himself C++ and a bunch of other programming languages to build a company called…

• Social Pros 15 – Marcus Sheridan, The Sales Lion

  Jay Baer

  10 May 2012 | 11:05 am

  This is Episode 15 of the Social Pros Podcast : Real People Doing Real Work in Social Media. This episode features Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion. Read on for insights from Marcus, and our Social Media Stat of the Week (this week: email opens on smartphones and tablets have grown by 82% in the last year). Listen Now Click the play button to listen here: Download the audio file: http://socialpros.podbean.com/mf/web/ic763t/SocialProsEpisode15.mp3 The RSS feed is: http://feeds.feedburner.com/socialprospodcast Find us on iTunes:…

• The Rise of the T-Shaped Agency Model

  Daniel Lemin

  9 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Daniel Lemin is Strategy & Analytics Lead at Convince & Convert. He also runs the consulting firm Social Studio where he provides analytics, PR and integrated marketing strategy to his clients. Agency owners, take note: your traditional team structure – the one that divides your agency into “digital”, “account management” and “creative,” among others – may be restraining capacity to innovate and expand your client capabilities. We work with a lot of agencies and have come to recognize the challenges that leaders are facing in…

• The Five Reasons Why Most Facebook Brand Pages Aren’t True Communities

  Jessica Malnik

  8 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Jessica Malnik is a PR/marketing coordinator, social media specialist, videographer and an avid blogger. Visit her blog for social media, technology, public relations and marketing ramblings. What are the defining characteristics of a community? It’s a topic I’ve been pondering more and more lately. Is it about geography, common interests, socio-economic similarities, or similar viewpoints? The list goes on and on. To get to this point, it becomes necessary to define what a community is. According to dictionary.com, a community is…

• 

  PR 20/20 Blog

• Content Marketing and the Path to Purchase

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Last week, I read an article by Mitch Joel (@mitchjoel), Welcome to “Less Is More” Marketing, in which he argues that marketers may want to spend less time focused on content, and more time focused on simplifying the buying process. Marketers v. Consumers A recent study from the Corporate Executive Board (CEB) was a driving force behind this recommendation. Based on surveys of 7,000 consumers and interviews with 200 marketers, the CEB found a major disconnect in the marketing-sales process. Marketers are focused on driving brand engagement and relationships. Consumers simply want…

• One Super-Simple Tip to Make Your Press Releases Rock

  15 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  Recently, Arik Hanson (@arikhanson) questioned whether corporate America is killing our PR writers because of the prolific use of jargon, gobbledygook, buzzwords, and other meaningless text. Too often, organizations rely on the way things “should be” in press releases and other company news. They write for the media, vendors, executives and board members. They lean on overused phrases and canned quotes because they are easy and expected, and won’t ruffle any feathers. Hanson calls for PR pros to use “a more human voice. A more conversational voice. Write like you…

• Inbound Industry Report: May 14, 2012

  14 May 2012 | 2:50 pm

  Top marketing news, articles and tips from the second week of May 2012. SEO Do you think visitors view your website domain as trustworthy? A study by Stanford and Microsoft researchers (PDF download) shows that domains are becoming a major influencer in consumer click behavior, also known as "domain bias." Marketers are feeling the repercussions, as it becomes more difficult for lesser-known domains to battle big brands in search results. To remedy this, Roger Dooley (@rogerdooley) offers a few tips to build your domain as a brand: If you have a well-known domain, boost it further by adding…

• Blogging + PR = Love

  10 May 2012 | 12:18 pm

  In his article, Public Relations is not the Same as Media Relations, David Meerman Scott (@dmscott) explains how organizations no longer need to rely on mainstream media to tell their stories. He says: “Many PR professionals still operate as if their only conduit is mainstream media ... [However] In this new world, smart PR pros realize they have a tremendous opportunity if they can effectively communicate directly with the public. They are transforming themselves into content creators.” At PR 20/20, we think David is right on the money. By marrying blogging and traditional PR,…

• Wicked Simple Google Analytics Tip to Improve Your Content Strategy

  9 May 2012 | 12:27 pm

  Growing up, I loved The More You Know PSAs from NBC. They always featured my favorite television stars telling me how I could improve my life, and the world around me. I am only slightly exaggerating when I say they made me into the man I am today. I believe it was either Scott Bakula or Tony Danza who once said that I should always look for opportunities to give back to my community. Being one to never disappoint my idols, I would like to offer my own The More You Know to the marketing community: “Sure, metrics like top pages viewed, keyword search volume and social media shares can…

• 

  Keysplash Creative

• 30-Minute Social Media Marketing Free Bonus Chapter Second Edition

  Susan Gunelius

  1 May 2012 | 10:21 am

  Want to get a free 30-day social media marketing jumpstart plan? That’s exactly what’s included in the exclusive bonus chapter from my book, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, and an updated second edition is now available. The free chapter (which is not in the book) includes daily tasks so you can get your social media presence up and running effectively and start moving toward reaching your goals in one month. Just click the link (or the image) to read the free bonus chapter of 30-Minute Social Media Marketing right now. If you have a copy of 30-Minute Social Media Marketing,…

• The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn Now Available

  Susan Gunelius

  30 Apr 2012 | 9:22 pm

  Last month, my ninth book was published — The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn — and it’s now available through all online and offline booksellers. While this book is intended for LinkedIn beginners, it includes far more information about using LinkedIn as part of a career and business growth plan than typical “beginner” books offer. For example, you’ll learn how to establish a powerful LinkedIn presence, attract a following, promote yourself, your business, or your brand, and reach your goals. I’m a marketer, so even the books that I write…

• What’s So Great About Social TV?

  Susan Gunelius

  21 Apr 2012 | 11:02 am

  Social TV is the hot topic in marketing circles this days, and there is a good reason for all the hype. Social TV is the next step in the evolution of broadcast and online marketing. First, what is social TV? In simplest terms, social TV is the marriage of television and digital communications. Research shows that more and more people watch TV while simultaneously using their mobile devices. TV becomes social when people publish updates and discuss a program on Twitter, Facebook, and other social sites as they’re watching that program on television. For example, have you watched…

• 5 Lessons “The Hunger Games” Teaches Marketers

  Susan Gunelius

  21 Mar 2012 | 9:13 am

  Recently, I wrote an article for Forbes about the five lessons marketers can learn from The Hunger Games. At first glance, The Hunger Games is simply a young adult fiction novel, but when you look deeper, the story offers a wide variety of lessons that readers can apply to their own lives — including marketers! These lessons aren’t groundbreaking or earth-shattering, but they are easy to forget in our busy day-to-day lives, particularly for marketers who are constantly required to put numbers before customers. In a world of data analysis paralysis, marketers sometimes need to be…

• KeySplash Creative CEO Susan Gunelius Wins Best Blog Award at 2011 Stevie Awards for Women in Business

  Susan Gunelius

  14 Nov 2011 | 7:56 pm

  On Friday evening, November 11, 2011, I attended the 8th annual Stevie Awards for Women in Business where I received the award for Best Blog for WomenOnBusiness.com. This is a blog I began in 2007 as a place to give women in business a place to demonstrate their thought leadership and share their expertise related to all business topics. I was thrilled to accept the award on behalf of the volunteer contributors who help make the site the authoritative online community that it is. The full press release is here. The Stevie Awards for Women in Business recognize and honor women around the world…

• 

  Social Media Explorer

• Introducing The Rebel’s Guide To Email Marketing

  Jason Falls

  16 May 2012 | 12:20 pm

  If you joined DJ Waldow and me today for our 22-minute webinar on five secrets to email marketing, you learned that one of the secrets was that he and I have written a book. I’m proud to tell all of you that The Rebel’s Guide To Email Marketing is now available for pre-order on Amazon and will be in your local book stores late this summer. This is my second book (thanks to all of you who have supported No Bullshit Social Media: The All-Business, No-Hype Guide To Social Media Marketing) but DJ’s first. And if you know both me and DJ, you know he’s truly the subject…

• Social Media Sucks for Businesses and Here’s Why

  Adam Helweh

  16 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Let’s just get straight to the point… social media sucks. Plain and simple. For years it’s been “business as usual” and then suddenly everyone is bouncing around words like “social”, “engage”, “community” and all kinds of other blather. Some of the biggest companies in the world such as Ford, Starbucks, Dell, American Express and many others have fallen for the trap. I’m here to warn you before you do anything stupid. Social media sucks and here’s a few reasons why … Social media shifts the limelight from…

• Choosing and Weaving Social Within a Multichannel Marketing Program

  Jason Falls

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Editor’s Note: Today’s post is of the guest variety and offered up by my friends Gini Dietrich and Geoff Livingston. Their new book, Marketing in the Round, is out and available. They are smart. It is good. Pay attention. The world of marketing in small and large businesses is a siloed one. Companies have ad campaigns, PR plans, social media strategies, and websites built independently and bolted together in a haphazard manner. It’s surprising how rarely these disciplines work together to achieve corporate objectives like establishing a second vertical for a product, or…

• The Irony Of Measuring Marketing Now

  Jason Falls

  14 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  I once provided counsel for a company that had little confidence in social media marketing. It begrudgingly decided it would hire a consultant, go through some strategic exercises and probably prove that social media was bullshit and it would be better off sticking with its traditional guns. The brand’s insistence with my work, as is with most clients I’ve dealt with, was that we measure everything as infinitely as possible. Skeptics are like that. They want to know how many clicks, how many re-tweets, how many milliseconds the time-on-site number increases each month, even if…

• How To Engage In Online Forums For Your Brand

  Jason Falls

  11 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Editor’s Note: In light of our recent affirmation that forums and message boards are a bountiful home for consumer interaction and engagement around brands and products, I thought it appropriate to invite some solid expertise here to help advise us on how to proceed in exploring online forums for marketing purposes. Today’s guest post is by the person I regard as the foremost expert on managing online forums in the U.S., if not the world, Patrick O’Keefe. I regularly find myself in the position of having to defend online forums, without actually wanting to be put into that…

• 

  Content is Currency

• How to Write a Landing Page that Really Sells

  Jon Wuebben

  10 May 2012 | 9:56 am

  When we talk about creating compelling web content, it’s easy to get stuck with a focus on blog posts, SEO articles and main page content. But the term ‘content’ covers lots of other things, too – including landing pages. Whether these are ‘squeeze’ pages designed to get the visitor to submit their details, or a page that outlines a specific feature for a certain web query, landing pages are often the bread and butter of web promotion. So how come no one really talks about them? Well, we’re putting a stop to that. Let’s take a look at some top…

• Are You a Content Writer? Here are a Few Tips on Working with Graphic Designers

  Jon Wuebben

  1 May 2012 | 4:49 pm

  As a copywriter, chances are you are working with a hired graphic designer on a daily basis. It is important that you build a solid and smart relationship with your graphic designer. The reason why this is important is that not one, but two creative minds come together to produce a quality and effective piece of work. Communication and teamwork is imperative to get the best results. Graphic designers are your eyes and you are their words. To produce a seamless and a complimented piece, follow some of these suggestions: Meetings: Depending on the project, set meetings that accommodate the…

• Ten Ways Content Marketing Can Help Your Website Grow

  Jon Wuebben

  30 Apr 2012 | 3:03 pm

  Google is releasing another update to their algorithm shortly and according to Matt Cutts, a senior Google engineer, it is all about high quality websites. Google are actively targeting sites with what they class as spam links and for a website to grow and evolve into a viable internet business today, content marketing is now undoubtedly the best way forward. Below, I underline ten ways content marketing can help your website grow 1. Content Creation – The creation of unique, quality content in itself has some very positive benefits for a website. Google is now more focused than ever as a…

• 5 Questions to Ask Before Publishing Your Blog Posts as an eBook on Amazon

  Jon Wuebben

  28 Apr 2012 | 6:27 pm

  The five-year growth of eBook sales on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, et al has been staggering. Popularized in 2007 with the release of the Amazon Kindle eReader device, eBooks now account for more than 20% of all book sales by some estimates and more than that at some publishers. One of the reasons is the relative ease of getting one’s book distributed into a major store, like Amazon.com. Another factor is the shear volume of written content available, often in the form of accumulated blog posts. If you are one of those companies or individuals who have been diligently posting…

• How to De-Jargonize Your Web Content

  Jon Wuebben

  27 Apr 2012 | 3:37 pm

  Why You Should De-Jargonize – Avoiding Corporate Jargon with Content Industry jargon and corporate gobbledygook are the not-so-silent killers of company websites and blogs. Everybody in the world seems to know this … except, seemingly, people responsible for publishing content. If you want people to read your content and more importantly relate to it and act on it, you must speak their language, not yours. Jargon has an extremely negative impact on how content is received: Jargon obscures your message. Jargon makes your company seem aloof and unapproachable. It follows, then, that…

• 

  TheContentWrangler.com

• Hey, Book Publishers! Evolve or Get Out of the Way

  scottabel

  15 May 2012 | 3:44 pm

  Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler Book publishers are an endangered species. That’s right. The producers of textbooks, romance novels, and cookbooks aren’t long for this world. Their likely extinction is both predictable and preventable. Even if they put up a good fight, it’s unlikely they’ll survive in their current form for one reason: They are slow to evolve. Case in point: Just over two years ago, while book publishers were busy conducting business as usual, an outsider invaded the industry and reshaped it in the publishers’ image. The invading force was…

• Detecting Expensive Inefficiencies: The Case For Optimizing Content Production Processes

  scottabel

  7 May 2012 | 9:17 pm

  Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler I’ve got a challenge for you. Take a look at the way you create, manage and deliver content. No, really. Take a close look. Conduct a systematic, fair, scientific survey of your content production lifecycle. Get professional help if you need to. Look at each and every step in your process and ask yourself, “Is this the best we can do, or is it just the way we’ve been doing it for so long that we believe it is the correct — and only — way to work?” What I’m certain you will find is that your organization utilizes an…

• Are You A Failed Writer If You Haven’t Spent 10,000 Hours Writing?

  scottabel

  7 May 2012 | 2:40 pm

  Yuvi Zalkow is a self-described “writer, storyteller, novelist, shame-ridden schmo, and maker of online presentations about [his] failures (and occasional successes) as a writer”. This video is one such presentation. In it, Zalkow discusses an idea from Malcolm Gladwell, author of the book “Outliers” (a book that Zalkow admits he has never read), about success. Gladwell says that in order to master your art, you have to spend 10,000 hours practicing it. I’m not sure 10,000 hours is the definitive number, but there is, generally speaking, something to be said for…

• Re-Thinking In-Line Linking: DITA Devotees Take Note!

  scottabel

  3 May 2012 | 4:17 pm

  by Mark Baker The question of whether links on a web page should be inline in the text or relegated to one of the margins is not a new one. It deserves re-examination because the increasing popularity of the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) introduces a technical bias into the question. Managing inline linking in reusable content in DITA is complex, which makes it expensive, which makes it rare. It is commonly considered a DITA best practice to avoid inline links in favor of links created by external reltables, which means that the links are listed at the bottom of the page.

• [Infographic] Changes In Technical Communication Staffing And Budget

  scottabel

  26 Apr 2012 | 8:46 pm

  Money, it’s a hot topic these days, given the economic situation in which we find ourselves. This infographic takes a look at the state of technical communication budgets and staffing levels today. How does your situation compare?

• 

  Rex Hammock's RexBlog.com

• GM to Facebook: Your ads don’t work (but our content marketing does)

  Rex Hammock

  15 May 2012 | 9:04 pm

  The Wall Street Journal is reporting, in a three-person bylined story, that GM plans to stop advertising on Facebook after its senior marketing executives decided “that paid ads on the site have little impact on consumers’ car purchases.” However, while the company won’t pay for advertising on the site, they plan on continuing their content marketing activities on Facebook. Here are the bullet points: GM paid $10 million to Facebook for advertising during the past year. GM paid agencies and others (companies other than Facebook) $30 million for the creation of content…

• See you tomorrow at Techville

  Rex Hammock

  14 May 2012 | 3:47 pm

  I’m looking forward tomorrow to participating in the day-long event hosted by the Nashville Technology Council, Techville. I’ll be sharing a panel with MusicSynk’s John Pisciotta on the impact of digital media on two of Nashville’s more visible industries: music and publishing. As there are new ways that digital media and the networked marketplace change music and publishing every day, we may likely limit our remarks to those changes that occur during the next 24 hours. The key reason to attend events like this in your hometown and region, is to meet others who are…

• The only thing that can save Yahoo is a ham radio that talks with the year 1999

  Rex Hammock

  13 May 2012 | 11:07 pm

  [Note: This post includes spoilers related to a 12-year old movie you'll probably never see, if you haven't already.] With each new backwards somersault in the never-ending dive of Yahoo! into the abyss, I keep remembering the first movie I can recall that included an internet startup’s business success in the story line. It was the Dennis Quaid film that came out in the year 2000, Frequency. It was a, hmm, science fiction, time travel, alternative history, kind of movie that revolved around the easily believable premise that Quaid’s son, as an adult in the year 2000, could use…

• RexBlog Re-run – A company is too large when its CEO can’t explain how it makes money

  Rex Hammock

  12 May 2012 | 5:34 pm

  In March, 2009, I wrote a blog post that collected some of my thoughts in reaction to the economic collapse we had just experienced (and are still feeling). In light of the news this week that the much-admired and rarely-wrong CEO of JPMorgan is not immune from the laws of nature and market-places, I thought back to a section of what I wrote that day: The whole “bigger is always better” thing has now been exposed as a nice theory, but a failed reality. Why? Because all the algorithms and information technology and most brilliant programming in the world can’t overcome the bugs of…

• I’d rather have lots of next small things than one next big thing

  Rex Hammock

  8 May 2012 | 10:03 am

  A 2006 article I wrote about Jason Fried on why bigger isn't better. See note, links at the bottom of post. [Note: The following post is intended for people who actually read what it says, not for those who don't read it, but feel the need to react to what they think it says.] Obviously, I love internet-enabled technology and startups and am overly (obsessively?) fascinated by how the internet is changing our lives, jobs, relationships, culture and well, I could keep going. I’ve chronicled a lot of that fascination and interest on this blog for the past 12 years. However, there are…

• 

  Savvy B2B Marketing - Latest Blog Entries

• The Savvy Sisters Get Personal with Monica Magnetti

  16 May 2012 | 12:13 pm

  This week, the Savvy Sisters had the pleasure of joining Monica Magnetti on her Voice America show Brand Your Fire: Get What You Want.  Monica is a veritable cyclone of energy, enthusiasm, and joy. We couldn't have been more pleased when we received her invitation to chat about not just the business side of our Savvy Sisters relationship, but the "softer," more personal side. In this interview we got to share the story behind the launch of the Savvy B2B Marketing blog as well as  some inside scoop on just what it has meant to each of us to be a part of this very…

• Savvy Toolkit - List Making as a Tool of Thought Leadership eBook

  15 May 2012 | 2:07 am

  One of the smartest marketers I know, Steve Gershik recently said “ The key component to thought leadership is really the leadership part.  Anybody can have a smart thought and share it with a group but its how do you propagate those thoughts out into the rest of the world. How do you take those good ideas and evangelize them that really differentiates a good content marketer from a world class content marketer.” But how does one hone their thought leadership skills?  This eBook on List Making as a Thought Leadership lays out a practice that marketers can use to…

• Savvy Week in Review: May 11

  11 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  We've read lots of terrific posts over the past week. Here's a roundup of our favorites to get you through the weekend. Enjoy! Outperform in B2B Sales by Understanding the Social Business Sales Funnel by @csrollyson via @B2Community Why sales needs to participate in the online social sphere and how to get started. Managing Large Teams of Writers Under Short Deadlines by @globalcopywrite via @Junta42 Our pal Sarah Mitchell offers words of wisdom from the trenches. Common Landing Page Mistakes via @MktgExperiments Are you making these simple, but seriously detrimental copy mistakes? You…

• B2B Marketers: Are You Delivering a B2C-Worthy Buying Experience?

  10 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  We all know that self-educated buyers are holding sales reps at arm’s length until they’re quite far along the path to purchase. The fact that buyers are now in control causes no end of frustration in B2B organizations. But there’s no sense wringing your hands and trying to reassume control. The key is to focus on the experience your prospective buyers have of your organization as they narrow down their solution options. B2B Buyers are Consumers Too B2B marketers need to remember first and foremost that prospective buyers are people and consumers. That means the trends that…

• Savvy Toolkit - Demand Metrics Editorial Calendar Template

  8 May 2012 | 1:53 pm

  The Savvy Sisters are big advocates of using an editorial calendar.  We have shared our template a number of times on this blog.  Demand Metrics has given us permission to share theirs also.  You can download their version here.   I like the Demand Metrics version to keep track of collateral distribution externally.  Ours was developed to keep track of a multi-person blog (like ours) but the Demand Metrics one I am using with a client who is submitting articles for publication in various trade publications.  Check it out! If you like what you see, Demand Metrics…

• 

  Social Signal: Latest Blog Posts

• Why we love ScreenFlow: screen capture for the Mac

  Rob Cottingham

  14 May 2012 | 7:02 pm

  If you spend any time teaching people about online tools, or documenting them, or pitching them, chances are you've thought about screen capture software. And last week, a post on the Web of Change email list asked for recommendations on just that topic.I weighed in on the side of Telestream's ScreenFlow, and I'm sharing it here in case you're looking for something for your next computer or Internet tutorial:I have a two-year torrid love affair with ScreenFlow (although Darren Barefoot has actually proposed to marry it, so consider me trumped). It's Mac-only, but if you're in the Apple…

• A bookmarklet to hide the Drupal 7 administration toolbar

  Rob Cottingham

  11 May 2012 | 6:54 pm

  The (barely-tested) bookmarklet: Drag this link to your browser's bookmarks bar: Hide toolbar | Restore toolbar I love the administration toolbar that comes with Drupal 7, the one that puts the admin menu within easy reach at all times. It's one of the most convenient developments in my online life. But there are times when it's really inconvenient – like when you I want to show an unpublished page the way an ordinary mortal will see it when they visit. There's a shortcut bar underneath it, which you can hide or show at will... but that toolbar stays there, come hell or high water, as…

• Social Speech Podcast, Episode 7: Chris Brogan

  Rob Cottingham

  4 May 2012 | 3:46 am

  For several years now, Chris Brogan's blog has been a must-read for anyone who wants to use social media productively. Add his thriving practice as a speaker, the fact that he co-founded PodCamp, and his New York Times bestseller Trust Agents (cowritten with Julien Smith) along with two other books (Google+ for Business: How Google's Social Network Changes Everything and Social Media 101)......and his now-legendary 2009 presentation at New Media Atlanta, where he brought an angry backchannel into the open and won it over......and you have a shoo-in for the social speech hall of fame — not…

• Social Speech Podcast, Episode 6: Mitch Joel

  Rob Cottingham

  23 Apr 2012 | 7:17 pm

  Mitch Joel has a lot to share with the world - including some brilliant insights and expertise on marketing, communications and community - so it's now wonder he's found so many ways to do it. He has a long-standing blog, a podcast that just passed the 300-episode milestone, a book... and a well-deserved reputation as one of the best keynote speakers around.In our conversation, Mitch talks about what matters the most to him about social media and speaking, and the sheer miracle of being able to press "publish" on a blog post and share your knowledge with the world. "These are such early days,…

• Social Speech Podcast, Episode 5: Ian Griffin

  Rob Cottingham

  16 Apr 2012 | 1:40 pm

  With this episode, we flip the mic (metaphorically) and talk with someone who's a lot more used to writing speeches than delivering them. That's not to say Ian Griffin isn't at home behind a lectern; he's an accomplished speaker and a skilled communicator.If you're in the tech industry, you've probably heard his words; Ian has worked in executive communications at Cisco, Hewlett Packard and Sun Microsystems. He's also incredibly generous with his time and expertise, as many Silicon Valley communicators who've attended one of his presentations can tell you. In this interview, he asks why we…

• 

  Article Writing & Marketing Insights - EzineArticles Blog

• How to Monitor Your Recent Article Activity

  Penny, Managing Editor

  16 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  EzineArticles Quick Tips Where can you go to easily monitor your articles’ progression through the editorial review process? How can you quickly preview and edit your latest drafts with ease? You can with the Recent Article Activity section of your My.EzineArticles.com member interface! Check out how to easily monitor your Recent Article Activity in this video to save you time and give you peace of mind. Downloadable Versions:                The Recent Article Activity section can be found on the Home page of…

• From My Desk to Yours – 36th Edition

  Penny, Managing Editor

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  WHERE DO YOU DRAFT YOUR ARTICLES? By: Penny, EzineArticles Managing Editor Welcome back, or simply welcome, to From My Desk to Yours. In this series, we address common Expert Author obstacles and provide stellar success strategies, tips to getting your article approved, updates to the Editorial Guidelines, and more. Your feedback and suggestions are important to our growth and innovation and are the defining aspect of the EzineArticles platform. This brings us to our topic today: The Body of the Submit New Article form on the new My.EzineArticles.com member interface. We have studied data,…

• Accelerate Your Focus with an Article Outline

  Penny, Managing Editor

  14 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  How to Create an Article Outline Writing without an outline is like flying in an airplane without the frame. You’re not going to get very far and you’ll definitely encounter more than your standard fare of resistance. The concept of flying is a great example of an idea, vision, and ambition that underwent planning, designing, testing, and more to become a wild success: the airplane. It wasn’t accidental or incidental – it was intentionally done. The same is true for article writing. Great articles have a plan, a reader-oriented design, and are tested with proofreading…

• Top Punctuation Howlers – The Exclamation Point!

  Penny, Managing Editor

  11 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Spelling, Misused Words, and Punctuation – Oh My! Next to more glamorous errors, like spelling mistakes and misused words, punctuation is often overlooked. Without punctuation, communication would be one long string of incoherent thoughts and ideas. So come along with us as we kick off a new series with the excitable and occasionally overbearing exclamation point. Many will use the exclamation point (a.k.a. the exclamation mark) excessively and overdramatically. In these cases, readers question the author’s credibility as well as whether they can actually trust the author’s…

• Expert Author Showcase: Cheryl Cran

  Penny, Managing Editor

  10 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Meet EzineArticles’ Expert Author Cheryl Cran in Today’s Showcase As a leadership expert and keynote speaker, Expert Author Cheryl Cran believes the future is about collaboration, innovation, and leading change. Lending support and encouraging leaders to grow, Cheryl provides strategies, solutions, and more to deliver results and increase productivity. For over 18 years (as long as she has conducted her consulting practice), Cheryl has written articles. After joining the EzineArticles Expert Author community in 2007, Cheryl amplified her exposure and credibility. “My clients…

• 

  Pybop: Exceptional Web Content for Exceptional Businesses

• Should Your Web Content Strategist Have Experience in Your Industry?

  Shelly Bowen

  11 May 2012 | 10:31 am

  At Pybop, we’ve worked with a wide range of B-B and B-C industries -- from education and nonprofit to consumer goods and services. We’ve also been so fortunate to work on many different kinds of projects. But lately, I’ve had many people ask about specific industry experience, and I started to wonder ...

• Shelly Bowen to Speak on Content Strategy at Interactive Day

  Shelly Bowen

  4 May 2012 | 2:17 pm

  Great news — my content strategy presentation was just picked up by the San Diego Ad Club’s Interactive Day conference, to be held in San Diego, California, June 15, 2012. Interactive Day is San Diego’s “leading one-day digital conference, featuring industry thought leaders from Amazon, comScore, Mashable, Pandora, SEOmoz, Google, ... continue reading Shelly Bowen to Speak on Content Strategy at Interactive Day

• Lifecycle of Recycled Content: Illustration

  Shelly Bowen

  16 Apr 2012 | 7:34 pm

  Are you ready to get your hands dirty on generating some new content ideas from old assets? Check out my recent article published by the Content Marketing Institute, 5 Great Starting Points for a Content Recycling Program.  It’s sparking some good conversations, if you haven’t seen it yet! What ways are ... continue reading Lifecycle of Recycled Content: Illustration

• Information Architecture or Content Architecture: What’s the Difference?

  Shelly Bowen

  3 Apr 2012 | 12:43 pm

  Although the terms "content architecture" and "information architecture" seem interchangeable, and in fact, there are often overlapping principles and responsibilities, they do different things. And you need both. Here are my definitions of content architecture and information architecture, and how content strategy fits in.

• Repurpose Web Content Like a Fashionista

  Carol S. Valdez

  28 Mar 2012 | 6:36 pm

  Just like every person has their own style of dress, every organization has its own content style. Repurposing content can make your company look like its shiny and new, without the department store prices.

• 

  Straight North Internet Marketing Blog

• How to Build a Social Media Marketing Team

  Brad Shorr

  15 May 2012 | 6:03 am

  Effective social media marketing requires a lot of time and a wide variety of skills. If you’ve been wondering how to put together a team, here are some ideas to help you put the right people in the right places. Big Picture: Social Media Tasks One way to think about social media marketing is to divide it up into two basic functions: Leadership Execution Leadership tasks include things like – Defining goals Building internal consensus Leading and managing personnel Coordinating outsourced relationships Developing marketing strategies and content ideas Managing projects Analyzing…

• Why Corporate Website Content Is So Dull

  Shanna Mallon

  8 May 2012 | 5:00 am

  Don't Let This Be Your Customer 7 Reasons Business Websites Lose Readers—and Business through Content You don’t have to look at many corporate websites to see the one thing they all have in common: they’re boring. In fact, if you can stay awake reading a typical corporate website, you probably have insomnia. Why is this? Is it the subject matter? Everyone knows it’s easier to make celebrities or current events interesting than it is to talk about corrugated carton packaging solutions or rotary lift parts. So when an industry isn’t already popular to the public, does it have to…

• Why SEO Matters, No Matter How Brilliant You Think Your Content Is

  Brad Shorr

  2 May 2012 | 6:23 am

  Brad Is Getting Upset A Pro-SEO Rant If anybody tells you that SEO is a shell game and great content naturally gets found in search, do not listen. These people are wrong, dead wrong, and dangerously wrong if you want to be rewarded for the great content you are producing. Basically, this school of that says that great content “naturally” rises to the top (top of what?) and therefore writers do not need to soil their hands with “manipulative” SEO techniques such as inserting keywords in text and acquiring inbound links. Great content speaks for itself, and that’s…

• To Log In or Not to Log In – That Is the Blog Question

  Shanna Mallon

  26 Apr 2012 | 6:24 am

  Another Blog Puzzle When it comes to blogging, it doesn’t matter if you’re a Bolingbrook dentist or the maker of steel rolled rings, you’ve probably wondered the same thing: What can I do to bring in more comments? Getting users to participate in a discussion on your blog is more than just a sign of success; it’s a sign of community—the very thing that drives return visits, increased traffic, customer loyalty and a continually expanding sense of your brand. So what can you do? For many small to mid-sized businesses, the answer they end up turning to is a third-party comment…

• Straight North around the Web, 3

  Straight North

  25 Apr 2012 | 9:24 am

  Links to Juicy Straight North Posts around the Web On Ragan.com, 4 Ways to Organize Your Twitter Stream On B2B Bloggers, 10 Ways to Put Old Blog Posts to Good Use On Content Equals Money, Generate Leads by Digitizing Printed Sales Collateral like a Pro On Techipedia, Web Lead Tracking Explained: How to Get High Quality Leads with the Internet On The Content Marketeer, How Visual and Content Mistakes Are Killing Your Company Website On Digital Brand Marketing, Why Blogs Matter More than Ever for SEO On Carol Roth, Is Your Ego Crushing Your Internet Marketing Effectiveness? On We Blog Better,…

• 

  Jeff Korhan

• Want to Be Luckier, Smarter, and Happier? Connect the Dots

  Jeff Korhan

  13 May 2012 | 5:55 am

  What could happen if you made a commitment to reconnecting with just a few of your former prospects or customers every day? If your experience is anything like mine, you will get luckier, smarter, and happier. I’ve recently been building a daily habit of reaching out to at least 3 prospects or customers – all randomly chosen. What I’m discovering is simple. When you start connecting (or reconnecting) the dots of your relationships, the past, present, and future magically merge together into one productive ecosystem.  And it is one that readily gets everything in your…

• Say Hi in 15 Languages

  Jeff Korhan

  7 May 2012 | 10:52 pm

  Once in a while a mobile app comes along that really delivers, and that is the reason for this recomendation about SayHi – a remarkably accurate translation app that I recently discovered. Having studied several different dialects of the Spanish language as a green industry professional, I can attest that SayHi does an excellent job of translating Spanish into traditional Castilian (textbook) Spanish. In other words, for the majority of Spanish speakers the translations with SayHi are spot on. I shared this app with my colleague in Quebec, who in turn shared it with her friends. The…

• Auspicious Occasions

  Jeff Korhan

  6 May 2012 | 8:42 pm

  When you celebrate any occasion you feed it, giving it your full attention - and thereby capturing its most essential value. This weekend I attended the commencement ceremony for the 2012 Class of Indiana University, of which my daughter is a proud member. The commencement speaker, IU alumnus, and honorary doctorate recipient was Booker T. Jones, a four time Grammy winner and founder of the soul band Booker T and the MG’s, which recorded a hit while Booker T was still in high school. Despite his commercially successful track record as a young musician, Booker T made the decision to…

• The Crowded Bar Test

  Jeff Korhan

  3 May 2012 | 8:37 pm

  The crowded bar test is a simple method for determining the best words or phrasing to communicate an essential message – especially in distracting environments or circumstances where attention spans are short, which of course is most of the time in our fast-paced business environment. Memorable is More Important Than Meaning Whether you are launching a new venture or repositioning your business for changing market conditions, you may be wondering how to choose the right domain name for your new website. Believe it or not, the meaning attributed to your domain is less relevant than it…

• Specific Solutions are Better

  Jeff Korhan

  26 Apr 2012 | 9:50 pm

  Has your company lost business to one whose solutions are inferior to yours? We have all experienced this frustration, and the truth is it is our own fault. The only reason anyone settles for a lesser solution is because they are not aware of what is better. When this happens, the problem is usually the result of your failed marketing efforts. Everyone wants the best, or at least better. Your job is to ensure your success by clearly and consistently communicating those qualities that differentiate your offerings from those that appear to be similar. And that means focusing on specifics that…

• 

  Sparksheet

• Return on Influence: The Rise of the Citizen Influencer

  Mark Schaefer

  15 May 2012 | 10:35 am

  I have become a number. And if you are even slightly active on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, you have become a number too, at least in the eyes of a new breed of influence marketers. Our numbers are being compiled, sorted, sliced, diced, priced, dissected, combined, and filleted in ways that help companies sell more of their stuff. If you are fortunate enough to have a number that is high, it might earn you a free gaming system, movie tickets, clothes, sports equipment, a vacation to Las Vegas or Europe. If your number is low, you will receive nothing. By the…

• Marketing Lessons From Marvel’s The Avengers

  Sophie Woodrooffe

  11 May 2012 | 11:02 am

  Five years, $100 million in global marketing and Samuel L. Jackson. That’s what it took for Marvel’sThe Avengersto earn over $700 million its opening weekend – a box office record. For perspective, second place goes to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, which earned $483 million its opening weekend in 2011. And while 3-D admission price markups help account for The Avengers’ massive margin, it doesn’t tell the whole story. That story begins five years ago with the release of Iron Man, the first of The Avengers’ superheroes to star in a feature film. Of the six…

• Branding Good: Q&A with GOOD Editor Ann Friedman

  Dan Levy

  9 May 2012 | 11:08 am

  Where is the boundary between “mission-driven journalism,” as GOOD prides itself in doing, and social activism, which is something journalists have traditionally stayed away from? Is that boundary obsolete? Having a mission isn’t the same thing as having an agenda on an activist front. Most magazines have had mission statements that they strive to fill and for us that’s definitely true. When GOOD was founded in 2006 they sought to occupy a media space between social justice do-gooder media, the mainstream media and cool-hunting or hip kids media. GOOD is a creative and social…

• Brand USA Launches International Tourism Campaign

  Sophie Woodrooffe

  8 May 2012 | 9:47 am

  For the first time ever, the United States of America is going whole hog on its international branding strategy, releasing a series of ad campaigns in Canada, Japan and the U.K. to promote tourism. The campaign, launched May 1, will soon be extending to Brazil and South Korea. Since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the tourism industry has been in decline, with some calling it a “lost decade.” Roger J. Dow, President and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, wrote in an opinion piece for the Wall Street Journal that market share for long-haul travel has fallen from 17 percent to 12 percent. One…

• Going Local: The Real Winners in China’s Online Space

  Joel Backaler

  7 May 2012 | 9:47 am

  A Starbucks in Lao Ximen, Shanghai. Image by bitslice cipher, via Flickr. History suggests that foreign brands lack the local understanding to effectively target Chinese consumers online. Companies like Google, eBay and Groupon all entered the Chinese market hoping to translate their success from the U.S., only to ultimately meet with failure in the Middle Kingdom. Rather than try to introduce Chinese citizens to online services from the West, successful multinationals like Starbucks, Diageo and IKEA have all worked within the existing frameworks of China’s online space to engage potential…

• 

  Content Mastery Guide

• Where Do You Blog?

  Linda Dessau

  8 May 2012 | 9:18 am

  With mobile idea catchers and connections everywhere, you never know where you're going to come up with your next blog post. But where will you settle down to finish it and go through the other steps to writing an article? I first explored the topic of the creative environment in a 2005 article about how creative artists can connect with their surroundings, which then became a chapter of my book, Ten Ways to Thrive as a Creative Artist.  In the article, I discuss several factors, including how you can use "deliberate decorating" to inspire your creativity and how too much…

• Get Bossy with Your Blog: Five Ways to Boost Your Blogging Confidence

  Linda Dessau

  22 Apr 2012 | 6:58 pm

  In a recent newsletter, publishing and strategy consultant Janet Goldstein wrote about the concept of getting "lovingly bossy" with your book. Janet has given me her permission to share some of the article here, and explore how we can apply it to business blogging as well. Janet writes: So many writers and experts I work with (myself included) feel intimidated by their work. But you're the boss. We can get our ideas and writing to work (and we can get the help we need if we have the clarity and the bossy-ness to move forward). If the book and ideas aren't coming, you…

• Getting to Know Your Clients - Just One of the Benefits of Blogging [Infographic]

  Linda Dessau

  2 Apr 2012 | 2:01 pm

  In their comprehensive and well-researched infographic (shared with permission), UK-based company Content+ share that 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads.  It makes sense when you consider the alternative, as I shared in a previous post about why to write an article, not an ad. Ads can feel intrusive and come at us on their timeline, not ours. Information, on the other hand, is something we actively seek out.  Making it easier to get to know your prospective clients is just one of the many benefits of blogging. I've been…

• Is Your Blog a Ghost Town?

  Linda Dessau

  19 Mar 2012 | 6:25 pm

  Did you know that a 2010 IBM research study revealed that about 80 percent of corporate bloggers never post more than five entries? (Here's the gigaom story, via Joe Pulizzi.) The Internet is littered with these abandoned blogs. If you have one on your site, it could damage your reputation and scare away potential clients who may think that you stopped blogging because: You're no longer in business You don't have any information worth sharing You don't care about your business or your clients You start things and don’t finish them  None of that is true, but how…

• Why Your Business Blog Needs to be More Than a Diary

  Linda Dessau

  12 Mar 2012 | 8:07 am

  As your business grows (and grows up), it can be inspiring to look back at a chronicle of what you've accomplished and how far you've come. Having that record is one of the benefits of blogging, and a reason to continue dating your posts. But when business blogs are completely filled with announcements and personal musings from the business owner, that's a missed opportunity to connect with your prospective clients. Sure, your family, clients and other supporters will always be thrilled to hear of your latest successes, accomplishments and lessons learned, but what about someone…

• 

  SchneiderB.com

• Book Review: The New Rules Of Marketing & PR

  Brendan Schneider

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  Let me start out by saying that I’m a huge fan of David Meerman Scott’s work! I’ve read Marketing Lessons from the Grateful Dead: What Every Business Can Learn from the Most Iconic Band in History and read his blog, Web Ink Now, on a regular basis. I’ve also read a number of books from The New Rules Of Social Media Series (which Meerman Scott is the editor) and I can highly recommend them all: Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and More) That Engage Customers…

• Weekend Update – May12

  Brendan Schneider

  12 May 2012 | 2:00 am

  Happy Edudemic.com Saturday! Listed below are links to interesting things that I found on Edudemic.com. I encourage you to check them out for yourself. Blog Post: 20 Free and Fun Ways To Curate Web Content - Do you suffer from info overload? Is your RSS reader bursting at the seams? Have your bookmarks gone bonkers? Like that alliteration? Me neither. Anyway, we are all slammed with information every time we go online. What’s the best way to organize it all into at least some reasonable manner? Teachers, students, and admins alike don’t have the time to properly visit every site…

• 6 iPad Apps iLove

  Brendan Schneider

  10 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  It’s been almost two years since I wrote about my struggles with whether or not I should purchase the iPad. Last August, my wife surprised me on my birthday with an iPad2. I know she was only being thoughtful but I can’t help but think that she was also tired of my whining about whether I should buy an iPad. After the first week I got my iPad I wondered how I ever lived without one. I use it constantly and can’t remember life before it. There are a number of Apps that I use everyday and I wanted to share with you 6 iPad Apps iLove. 1. Nozbe I’ve written many times…

• Weekend Update – May05

  Brendan Schneider

  5 May 2012 | 2:30 am

  Happy AISAP Roundtable Saturday! Earlier this week I had a chance to present at two Association of Independent School Admission Professionals (AISAP) Roundtables in Florida at The Benjamin School and Independent Day School with Rick Newberry, President at Enrollment Catalyst, and Maddie Senkosky, Community Manager at edSocialMedia.  Listed below are links to a few of my favorite posts from Rick, Maddie, and AISAP. Blog Post: Don’t Do It Just Because We’ve Always Done It That Way - With the end of the school year rapidly approaching, now is a great time to take a moment to reflect on…

• Focus On The Real Purpose Of Social Media

  Brendan Schneider

  1 May 2012 | 1:00 am

  Social media is about many things: engagement, story-telling, and relationships to name a few. Recently I was reminded of the “real” purpose of social media – connection. This past weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate a family event by getting together with family and friends – some of which I hadn’t seen in quite some time. At one point during the event I stopped and surveyed the room and wondered why we didn’t get together like this more often – our busy schedules, kids, and work all combine to make us focus on what is immediate rather than…

• 

  OpenView Blog

• B2B Social Media Assessment: How Do Your Efforts Stack Up?

  Amanda Maksymiw

  16 May 2012 | 1:23 pm

  B2B Social Media Matters More and more B2B companies are recognizing the power of social media in terms of building community, increasing thought leadership, and generating leads. With over 800 million active users on Facebook, more than 300 million tweets sent daily, and one hour of video uploaded to YouTube every minute, it’s easy to get carried away and let everything just pass you by. The truth is, B2B companies can’t afford to overlook a solid social media strategy (which is why we have assembled a group of biggest and brightest minds in social media including Jay Baer, Tim…

• Don’t Be Haunted By “IP” Mistakes

  George Roberts

  16 May 2012 | 1:08 pm

  As a Boston-based venture capital firm that invests growth capital in expansion-stage software companies, OpenView works hard to determine whether a company that we are looking to invest in has intellectual property or “IP.” All things being equal, OpenView would invest in a company that has IP before it would invest in a company that doesn’t. That is why I wanted to share this WSJ article I found in their “Small Business” section written by Antone Johnson titled 5 ‘IP’ Mistakes Start-ups Should Avoid. You might find Johnson’s five mistakes…

• Brand Influence: Is Your Company Maximizing the Return on Its Efforts?

  Brandon Hickie

  15 May 2012 | 1:01 pm

  Image provided by: ArticlesBase.com Over the last 4 weeks, I have written a series of posts on how to measure an individual’s online influence and provided tips to improve your return on investment in the Blogging, Tweeting and LinkedIn influence channels. This week, I will shift my focus to online brand influence. Earlier today, OpenView released the second of its 2-part series of reports on online influence in the Venture Capital space. The latest report ranks the top 10 most influential venture capital firms online and provides some highlights of the tactics that these firms are using…

• 4 Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Content Factory

  Kevin Cain

  15 May 2012 | 7:52 am

  If I asked you to close your eyes and imagine a content factory, what would you envision? Most of us associate factories with images of busy assembly lines filled with high-tech machinery. We might think about the people, parts, and processes that it takes to create a product like the laptop I’m writing this article on or the smart phone you might be using to read it. Put the word content in front of factory, however, and people often get a little confused. It’s not that they don’t understand what one is (a little explanation goes a long way), but rather that they can’t always…

• The Best Email Prospecting Tactics

  Ori Yankelev

  14 May 2012 | 3:50 pm

  While many people criticize email as tool for sales prospecting it still remains one of the most effective and commonly used forms of communication for both business and personal use. A study done by the Radicati Group estimates that in 2012 there will be about 2.7 billion active email accounts world-wide, 25% of which are corporate accounts. A more recent Pew Research survey found that 91% of adult internet users in the U.S. send or read email. The topic of sales prospecting emails is widely discussed in the sales and marketing blogosphere, and I agree with most of the other contributors…

• 

  SamuraiWriter.com/blog

• “What is an Ethernet Fabric?” Educational Marketing on Video

  Mark McClure

  7 May 2012 | 9:04 am

  Stephen Foskett, self-styled ‘Pack Rat‘, is an interesting example of a niche marketing consultant putting social media and video to work. I’m following him on twitter, @sfoskett, and learned there of his recent video session on, “What is an Ethernet Fabric?” Intrigued by the title, I started to watch and discovered how powerful the use of video can be to help build trust and authority in a target market. In Stephen’s case this is the ‘storage space.’ Even if you don’t have time to view all 51 minutes, just the first ten alone will give…

• Your Asia-Pacific B2B Content Marketing Team – ‘The Writers Shop’

  Mark McClure

  5 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am

  Here’s a slideshare.net presentation worth checking out if you’re a technology marketing professional based in the Asia-Pacific region. Andrea Edwards, the Managing Director of Singapore-registered digital communications agency, SAJE, has put together a strategy and a team to address many of the major content marketing needs of businesses in Asia. (Disclosure: I’m hono(u)red to be a part of her team. Thanks to Twitter for bring her business to my attention!) SAJE and The Writers Shop View more PowerPoint from Andrea Edwards @ SAJE Some slides I find particularly interesting…

• You Want To Read Our Customer Success Stories? Then Start Jumping…

  Mark McClure

  19 Feb 2012 | 10:37 pm

  This could be fictional. Then again… It took months to get ideal customers in a target market to sign up for a customer referral program, but at long last the project began to make measurable progress. Writers were hired, customer interviews completed and the arduous job of review and sign off among multiple parties was finished in record time. Everyone from the CEO to the Marketing Interns was excited that real customers were telling their stories, and with your products as center stage. Here are big dollops of credibility and social proof that no amount of data sheets and brochures…

• 

  ideaLaunch

• What in the World is a Social Signal?

  WriterAccess

  9 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Unless a person is deep in search engine optimization work the concept of social signals and their use is probably lost on something to do with saying the right things in professional meetings and events. However, in reality social signals are now becoming an important tool in improving website traffic and search ranking. Background Two of the big search engines, Yahoo and Google, recently disclosed that they were reconfiguring how they determine search engine rankings. Social signal measurement is to be used going forward. This metric involves the interplay of social media sites such as…

• How Can LinkedIn Build Your Business?

  WriterAccess

  30 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Social media networks offer essential tools in building brand awareness for your business. A Facebook page or Twitter account can offer a company exposure to countless potential customers outside its natural geographic boundaries. These are not the only social media networks a company should be using for marketing purposes. If your company is not taking advantage of LinkedIn, it is ignoring a powerful marketing tool in the social media realm. LinkedIn has emerged as the leading business social network with more than 100 million members worldwide. A company that joins LinkedIn and creates a…

• SEO Patents – Can They Do That?

  WriterAccess

  27 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm

  While surfing the Web the other day, I stumbled across a recent article from the Newswire section of the “Sacramento Bee” announcing that BrightEdge, a search engine optimization (SEO) platform company, had just been awarded a patent for one of its SEO processes. The patent covered a unique process that measures a company’s share of “voice” in its particular industry across multiple types of media, including social media, blogs, mobile content, and video sharing. Reading this, my first thought was, “Can they patent an SEO process?” Two other questions quickly…

• Social Words Can Come Back to Bite

  WriterAccess

  20 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am

  Most of us have heard of an instance where a divorce case party got nabbed for indiscretions on his or her Facebook page. However, from a marketing perspective, one might not see an immediate concern to watch what is written on a social media site since it is all business. “How could someone get in trouble for writing about business,” would be the natural reaction. However, while social media resources and tools continue to be cheap, easy ways to access large amounts of people quickly for any kind of brand messaging, these sites are also becoming valuable tools for investigations as well.

• 5 Ways to Ensure That Your Facebook Business Page Doesn’t Suck

  Byron White

  19 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm

  Do you ever feel like everybody you know is on Facebook? It’s not just your imagination. December 2011 reports show that Facebook has more than 845 million active monthly users, and nearly 60 percent of them log in daily. That means your Facebook business page has a chance to reach almost 850 million users each month. Do you have feel the pressure yet? Don’t let yourself get too worried; creating and maintaining an impressive Facebook business page is not as difficult as you might think. There are hundreds of different ways to make your business page rock, but we’ve decided…

• 

  Tiny Business, Mighty Profits

• Beware Of This Odd Cause Of Poor Customer Service

  russ@russhenneberry.com (Russ Henneberry)

  15 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  You want to do good.  You really do! But sometimes you don’t.  It happens to all of us.  We take on a project that doesn’t turn out well for whatever reason. One of the most common and stressful causes of poor customer service is being too busy.  Slammed.  “In the weeds” as we used to call it when I waited tables in college. You simply can’t give the client the attention they need.  It’s not possible because you have too many irons in the fire. But here is what’s strange… You can have the same problem if you aren’t busy enough. The…

• How Tiny Businesses Fail (Even when they make a boatload of money)

  russ@russhenneberry.com (Russ Henneberry)

  9 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  There is a second way a business will fail.  And it is, perhaps, a more tragic way. Even if you are swimming in cash — in fact — especially if you are swimming in cash, read on.  You’re not out of the woods yet. Don’t kid yourself.  There IS more to life than money. When your business begins to “take off” financially, is when this second type of business failure begins to rear its ugly head. Here is the danger:  at about the same time you start lighting your cigar with $100 bills you realize that you have created a monster. Begging For Your Cube Back…

• Don’t Let This Happen To You: Business Owner’s Income Gets Deleted By Google

  russ@russhenneberry.com (Russ Henneberry)

  3 May 2012 | 11:03 am

  No question… Google is a powerhouse. It virtually holds a monopoly on search engine traffic in the U.S. But search engines aren’t the only game in town. This is a sad story. And it happens every time time Google updates the way it ranks websites. On April 24th, Google introduced what it calls the “Penguin Update.”  This update targeted people building spammy websites with less than reputable SEO practices. A few days after the update a business owner submitted a scathing entry to Google’s Webmaster Forum: “…you have effectively shut me down and put…

• If Your Website Can’t Do These 5 Things, It’s Outdated

  russ@russhenneberry.com (Russ Henneberry)

  1 May 2012 | 3:21 pm

  Have you ever seen someone walking around with 80′s hair?  It’s tough to break the news to them that times have passed them by. If you take a quick spin around the web, you won’t have to go far to find businesses that are living in the past. And, contrary to an 80′s hairdo, an outdated website is a serious matter.  It’s a financial matter. Why are 99% of the best Internet marketers on the earth using WordPress? This video will show you why. I shot this video about a year ago as a sales tool to educate website design prospects.  You will get the chance to see…

• How To Keep Your Marketing Communications Out Of The Crap Pile

  russ@russhenneberry.com (Russ Henneberry)

  4 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am

  We live in an era of soundbites, 140-character status updates and headlines. Rapid fire.  Like a game of Asteroids we blast through the crap to find the nuggets of information we want or need. If you don’t want your communications to be separated into the crap pile, understand the difference between these two statements: Keep Your Marketing Communications Out Of The Crap Pile -AND- How To Keep Your Marketing Communications Out Of The Crap Pile The first stands on it’s own.  It’s a simple statement.  I read it and I move on.  “Ok, I’ll keep my marketing…

• 

  The Content Lab

• What Kind of Content Is King?

  15 May 2012 | 3:20 pm

  Content. Connection. Engagement. Authenticity. Mobile. Facebook. These were the words I heard most during the first day of Internet Week New York 2012. They were uttered during panels and presentations, and in conversations near the Brightbox stations where you could charge your phone for free in a glowing box that locked and unlocked with the swipe of your credit card. There was actually a point in the day when I’d heard these words so often that they started to lose their meaning. So I mumbled them to myself in the back row of panels in the hopes that doing so would anchor the words to…

• How Traditional Publishers Are Going Digital – and Why Brands Need to Watch Closely

  14 May 2012 | 6:39 pm

  You might expect a panel of veteran journalists to amount to an hour-long mope-fest bemoaning the good old days of bustling newsrooms. Not at Internet Week. Instead, the pixel-stained wretches at The Newstand 2.0: Connecting Publishers and Readers in the Digital Age panel mused excitedly about how traditional publishers and innovative aggregators have embraced tablet and mobile apps to reinvent the news industry. For brands –- particularly those that understand the growing need to act like a publisher –- following how newspapers and magazines approach digital couldn’t be more important.

• Social TV: 5 Things to Know Before You Turn On

  10 May 2012 | 1:46 pm

  The recurring theme for the day at Advertising Age’s first Social Engagement/Social TV Conference: second-screen experiences are no longer optional. The conference was focused mostly on the implications of social media and second-screen experiences for broadcasters and the brands that advertise with them, but the takeaways apply to any brand interested in content-driven marketing (which should be ALL brands). In fact, Kay Madati, Facebook’s head of Entertainment & Media, encouraged brands to develop a social programming strategy in a similar fashion to how they do so for broadcast.

• The Video Cafeteria Is Closed

  9 May 2012 | 9:42 am

  Can you imagine a day when people subscribed to a magazine called TV Guide? And there was a time when people actually bought into a concept called “must-see TV.”   For 60 years, programmers served up video content cafeteria style, with a predefined line-up of shows dumped onto your plate as you shuffled through the serving line. Remember the phrase “what’s on TV tonight”? Of course, cable reshuffled video content into 100 different playlists, hoping one of them would appeal to each viewer. But you still felt like you were surfing through a cesspool of reruns and…

• YouTube Prepares for War

  7 May 2012 | 12:06 pm

  YouTube’s Brandcast event was glitzy and star-studded, basically on par with the TV network upfronts I used to attend in my entertainment days. YouTube is an interesting animal. It has achieved massive scale, but brands and entertainment studios have largely used it as an ancillary distribution platform to support traditional and other digital efforts, rather than as a core destination or community in its own right. It will be interesting to see how much ongoing engaging, high-quality content can truly be secured on YouTube (both organically and through paid promotion) versus the content…

• 

  The Outbrain Blog

• Outbrain is Proud To Be ‘Made in New York’

  Juan Martinez

  15 May 2012 | 3:53 pm

  Outbrain is proud to be one of more than 600 New York City startups, investors and co-working spaces named in the Made in New York Digital Map, which reveals the office locations of tech start-ups and the industry’s more than 1000 job opportunities. The map was conceived by Internet Week New York in conjunction with the Mayor’s Office and was revealed this morning during day two of Internet Week. More than 320 companies boast more than 1,000 open positions. Right here in your backyard. Click here for ours! According to Crain’s New York, “The Made in New York map is the latest…

• The Atlantic Doesn’t Fret Over SEO and Neither Should You

  Juan Martinez

  14 May 2012 | 8:42 am

  SEO’s stranglehold over content production is loosening a bit each day. On May 10, two editors of The Atlantic’s digital operation renounced the notion that quality journalism needs to be SEO-friendly. “Truly [our writers] are not really thinking about SEO anymore,” Scott Havens, senior vice president of finance and digital operations at The Atlantic Media Company told Mashable. “Now it’s about how we can spin a story so that it goes viral.” Havens said 40% of The Atlantic’s traffic comes from social media, which has forced the publisher to figure out how to capitalize…

• Macy’s Leads The Charge (This Week In Content Marketing)

  Juan Martinez

  10 May 2012 | 11:31 am

  Macy’s is in the process of a $400 million renovation of its flagship Herald Square location. Behind the scenes, the company is also developing a content marketing strategy that is likely to put it on par with some of the industry’s best brands. Find out what Jennifer Kasper, Macy’s group vice president for digital media and multicultural marketing, has to say about the brand’s strategy, and learn about the best and worst content strategies from some of the industry’s top thought leaders. Content Marketing with Macy’s Jennifer Kasper — Kapost Miracle on 34th Street, The…

• An Airline Tragedy, A Killer Swan and A Murderous Nurse (30 Minutes with Outbrain)

  Juan Martinez

  9 May 2012 | 1:01 pm

  30 Minutes with Outbrain is a regular feature of The Blog in which an Outbrain staffer or guest contributor chronicles his/her navigation of our company widget for a half-hour. For the inaugural 30 Minutes with Outbrain blog post, I’ll start my journey on CNN.com where I will click on the most interesting article I can find. I’ll read the article, summarize the content and share my experience reading the content. Then I will click on the most intriguing Outbrain suggested link and repeat the process until my 30 minutes end. Start your content discovery engines! Article #1 I typically…

• Content Marketing: The $20 Billion Online Branding Opportunity (Guest Post on Forbes.com)

  Juan Martinez

  8 May 2012 | 9:12 am

  Be honest with me for a second: You don’t actually remember the best display ad you saw last night, do you? Do you even feel enough of an attachment to display ads to rank them? I don’t think so. But every once in a while a 60-second spot will hit you in the gut and make you feel something powerful. Last night, I got a little verklempt watching this doozy: The reason we get attached to commercials is because they tell a story. We’re able to align ourselves with experiences and emotions — two things display ads are incapable of depicting. For some reason, however, digital advertisers…

• 

  @TMGmedia

• The Death of the Social Media Guy

  Andrew Hanelly

  9 May 2012 | 5:53 am

  There was a time long ago when dinosaurs ruled the earth and organizations considered it acceptable to have one person who “got” social media on staff.This person would be on call to show people how use Twitter, set up a Facebook brand page, and ultimately, be responsible for single-handedly carrying out a “social media strategy” with elbow grease as the exclusive item in his budget.Meanwhile, his peers managing email, direct marketing, or even the company vending machine got more resources and of course, more appreciation from their colleagues.“Social media is…

• How Social Media Favors the Underdog

  Brittany Siminitz

  7 May 2012 | 10:18 am

  You’ve seen this before: a prominent clothing store knocks off an independent designer’s creation, and the community around that designer cries foul.That’s precisely what happened with jewelry designer Wendy Brandes, who found her popular “Swear Rings” the target of a cheap knock-off.This one hit a little closer to home since I’ve become acquainted with the designer; so it was really quite an experience to see the power of social media take control of the situation.It started with Wendy’s Sunday blog post, after the discovery of Topshop’s eerily similar rings. Not long after,…

• 4 Tips on How Businesses Can Be Better Communicators

  Daniel Ford

  7 May 2012 | 7:58 am

  While humanity has come a long way from the grunts and hand motions that turned into fire and food, how much of our potential for personal and professional interaction have we really tapped into?I asked my Twitter followers and Facebook friends whether they thought people today were better or worse communicators compared to past generations. The replies were mixed, but there was an underlying feeling from everyone that despite the advanced digital and telephonic tools at our disposal, our communication skills were headed in the wrong direction.That conversation got me thinking about how…

• 9 Minimalist Advertisements That Get Right to the Point

  Rebecca Loveridge

  2 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  A picture is worth a thousand words. I’m in marketing, and I can’t believe I just typed those ridiculously cliché words. But it’s a golden rule, especially when it comes to advertising campaigns.Here’s another one: Less is more.Minimalist advertising—told through simple but brilliant imagery—more effectively tells a story than any crummy cliché, catchy tag line or crazy logo ever could.Here are some particularly smart minimalist advertising campaigns that have caught my attention lately:McDonalds touts its newest offering—free WiFi—by shaping its famous skinny fries in a…

• Have You Heard About This New “Mobile” Thing?

  Brock Fanning

  30 Apr 2012 | 7:10 am

  If you haven’t heard about this new “mobile” thing, here’s the general idea…The thing about mobile is, mobile has been mobile for mobile mobile, with mobile and mobile leaving mobile with almost no mobile mobile!  Ironically, mobile is mobile, mobile, mobile, and completely mobile, both because of mobile’s mobile mobile, and because of mobile’s large mobile of mobile.1  With mobile, mobile is simultaneously mobile, mobile, and mobile mobile mobile mobile mobile mobile!  And mobile too!…Still not convinced??  Maybe you need to watch Luke Wroblewski’s keynote…

• 

  Brad Capone

• Some Do’s and Don’ts of Social Updating

  admin

  13 May 2012 | 7:30 pm

  DO be informative. Cone’s Consumer New Media Study found that people expect value-adds, not just entertainment, when following brands. Discounts help, but think bigger: 46% of survey respondents want more than offers; they want tips, tricks, or product info. Consider sharing how-to articles or videos—info your users can actually use! In turn, ask them to share their [...]

• What Can Internet Video Marketers Learn From Pizza?

  admin

  10 May 2012 | 7:30 pm

    Connections Come First Internet video has long been used to promote products and services, but how often do you use Internet video to build a connection? In fact how often do you use Internet video to build a connection with one individual? I don’t mean a collective ‘one’, I mean a real, singular member [...]

• The Anchor of Any Good SEO strategy

  admin

  6 May 2012 | 7:30 pm

  By Brendan Cournoyer Let’s face it: search engine optimization has a lot of moving parts. But while keeping a handle on the all-important (and ever-changing) world of SEO is an endless challenge for content marketers, there are still plenty of simple steps you can take to increase page value in search. One of the simplest and most overlooked [...]

• 5 Ways To Prevent Marking Your Email As Spam

  admin

  1 May 2012 | 10:35 am

  There’s the legal definition of spam—as outlined in CAN-SPAM—and then there’s the real-world definition used by many of your subscribers: any piece of email I’d rather not receive. Even recipients who went to your website, signed up for your newsletter and confirmed their subscription might hit the spam button over an irrelevant message. To help [...]

• Maximizing Your Brand Presence on Google+

  admin

  5 Feb 2012 | 6:30 pm

  Recently, Google+ granted companies the ability to launch brand pages. Its stated goal in doing so was to help users build relationships with any company they “care about.” As Google’s SVP-Engineering Vic Gundotra describes it, “behind every page (or storefront, or four-door sedan) is a passionate group of individuals, and we think you should able to connect [...]

• 

  George Passwater

• 3 Things to Remember for Surviving Google Penguin

  George

  12 May 2012 | 7:19 am

  Another cute animal, another load of site owners running for their lives – yes, Google penguin is upon us. Through a client, I heard someone they knew had a problem. Their SEO person quit via email. Why? Google penguin. Wow! That tells me they were one of the many that were trying to “game” the system and use keyword stuffing and/or low-quality content as part of their content marketing strategy. Now it doesn’t need to be that way. To survive the latest Google update, just remember a few things: Write for people first The latest Google penguin update did a few things: -      …

• 3 Reasons Why Landing Pages Are Important

  George

  20 Apr 2012 | 1:34 pm

  Do you want to improve your lead generation efforts? Would you like a full pipeline of qualified leads? Sure you would! The problem is many companies spend most of their budgets on things that drive massive amounts of traffic to their sites, like PPC ads, social media and email marketing. This is great, but what happens with visitors click on an ad or link in an email? If they land on the company homepage, you’ve already failed. With so much investment in traffic, many forget the second part of lead generation – conversions. That’s where landing pages come in. They help convert…

• Improve Your Content Marketing Like a Championship NFL Football Team

  George

  3 Feb 2012 | 2:57 pm

  I love all kinds of sports, but now is NFL football time in the US and although my team isn’t in the running, I’m looking forward to watching the big game. While I was watching the playoff games and yelling at the screen, I realized something: championship football is just like content marketing. How? Content marketing is a lot like a championship sporting event – you still have competitors and need to find the right formula that gives you an edge over your opponent. Once that mix is in place, you have what you need to bring home the trophy and more fuel for your content fire. For every…

• Success in the New Year: Plan Out Your Change Or Don’t Get Off the Couch

  George

  19 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am

  Change. We’re entering a New Year and most of what you hear is about is…change. People always make resolutions to do things different in their personal and professional lives. Some want to lose weight, get a better job or even start dating – whatever floats your boat. Now of those who say they’re going to change, more than half will lose steam and quit before three months is up. Why? Is it because they don’t have the determination? They don’t have the time or energy? Sometimes these are factors of them throwing in the towel, but I see a larger reason. They don’t’ sit down and…

• 

  Maastary B2B Marketing Blog

• Will Pull Marketing Drive a Sales Revolution?

  Thomas Sadtler

  11 May 2012 | 4:49 pm

   A thought provoking post from Maastary's newest team member, Steve Fink.  With significant changes occuring in technology buyer's behavior and purchase processes due to widespread use of the Internet and social media, what will the impact be on the sales organization and partner relationships? A recent NYT story caught our attention, highlighting the shift from vendor push to consumer pull channels sales mechanics.  Their quote from Land Rover says it all: “In 2000, people, on average, made 7.5 visits to a [Land Rover] dealer before placing an order. In 2010, that…

• Have you upgraded to Marketing Mix 2.0 yet?

  Ray Wright

  1 May 2012 | 1:20 am

  Every savvy business owner knows about the "marketing mix" but is yours up-to-date? Are you operating with Marketing Mix 2.0 yet? Traditionally the marketing mix, also known as the 4 Ps of marketing, consisted of  Product, Price, Place (distribution) and Promotion. The confluence of the Internet, smart phones and social media is fundamentally redefining:- what customers buy; the way they determine value; where, how and from whom they buy; and who gets to influence them and how. Marketing Mix 2.0 is not about espousing other 2.0 technologies (e.g.  Web 2.0), although…

• 5 Keys to Managing Information in Your Network

  Thomas Sadtler

  23 Apr 2012 | 3:06 pm

  As Bill Gates says, “How you gather, manage, and use information will determine whether you win or lose.* ” Reid Hoffman, the founder of LinkedIn, in his new book the start-up of YOU points out that your personal network provides an important vehicle for creating and managing information. Here are 5 key points from chapter 7. Network intelligence is what you get when you tap into other people's brains. Your network is a vital source of intelligence because people offer private observations and impressions that would never appear in a more formal source, such as the Wall Street…

• Social Media for B2B Marketing – Where Are The Customers Hiding?

  Ray Wright

  18 Apr 2012 | 9:15 pm

  A Guest Post from Roger Walton of TSJ Consulting There are many reasons for B2B technology companies to include social media in their marketing mix. In my area of focus, the tech sector, about a quarter of buyers are regular users of Facebook, LinkedIn and/or Twitter (IDC). Many B2B companies that are active in social media report that they generate leads from it – including over 60% of those on LinkedIn (Hubspot). Meanwhile, the case is growing even stronger as search engines such as Google increase the weight given to social media activity in determining their rankings.  But the…

• Is Your Marketing Mix Competitive With Your Peers?

  Thomas Sadtler

  12 Apr 2012 | 7:13 pm

   How have your marketing priorities changed over the last five years? Are you doing more  or less direct mail, more or less email? How about trade shows and events? A 2012 B2B Marketers Budget Allocations and Trends study by ITSMA found interesting shifts in marketing priorities over the last year and over the past five years. Before biasing you with the results of the study, test yourself by ranking your top 10 priorities from the following list.   Rank  Marketing Priorities   Measuring marketing's impact on the business    Account based or barget account…

• 

  Content Marketing Blog

• 5 Reasons Why Corporate Blogs Should Always Have an Author Byline

  Dechay Watts

  7 May 2012 | 11:13 am

  We recently spoke with Andrew Boer with Movable Media on Google's "Author Rank" and the pros and cons of posting blog content from the “neutral” corporate voice vs. individual authors. It was such an interesting conversation that we asked him to share his perspective in a blog post for us.  Here are his reasons why posts from individuals can benefit everyone. What do you think? By Andrew Boer As readers, we are well accustomed to companies speaking to us as if they are a person.  As marketers, an anonymous “Team” as a byline is also convenient, because we can…

• Top Content Marketing Stories from LinkedIn This Week

  Dechay Watts

  4 May 2012 | 2:35 pm

  Have you explored LinkedIn lately? As we discussed in a recent blog post on LinkedIn Features, it’s a great resource for networking, but it’s also full of interesting people sharing top news on niche markets. Here are three different content marketing stories we found this week: You’re Thinking about Content Marketing as an Add-on, You’ve Got It all WrongDo you think of content marketing as a shiny, flashy, fun object?  Hear the perspective of Amanda Maksymiw from OpenView Venture Partners on why content marketing is not an add on to other…

• Facebook Making Another Change to Business Pages on April 26

  Debbie Williams

  24 Apr 2012 | 12:45 pm

  As many businesses, especially small businesses, are still trying to catch up and adapt to the new Facebook Timeline features, Facebook recently announced that more changes are coming for business pages. Facebook will be changing the size and location of your profile picture/avatar. It’s minor, but if If you have a tightly integrated design between your profile picture and your cover photo, you should definitely be aware of this change.  Same holds true if you’re a business with multiple brand pages or an agency handling social media marketing for dozens of companies with…

• Are you Using These 6 LinkedIn Business Profile features?

  Debbie Williams

  13 Apr 2012 | 5:24 pm

  LinkedIn is focused on a niche...professionals. No matter your industry, people come to LinkedIn for one reason- networking and making connections for business purposes.  But, chances are you aren’t using your  LinkedIn business profile to its full potential. We recently realized we weren’t! We’re kind of embarrassed about it, but we’re not afraid to admit our mistakes and share what we learned from them. We recently read a few articles with some great stats about LinkedIn that caught our attention. According to a recent study by HubSpot, LinkedIn proved…

• How Much are Companies Spending on Content Marketing?

  Dechay Watts

  9 Apr 2012 | 12:10 pm

  As content marketing continues to gain in popularity, more business owners are dedicating part of the marketing budget to the creation, distribution and monitoring of custom content. According to the Custom Content Council, in 2012, 68% of CMO’s will be increasing their budget for content marketing.  Smaller companies with less than 10 employees are spending about 34% of the company budget in content marketing, approximately $56,000 annually.  Companies with over 1000 employees are spending about 26% of the company budget in content marketing, approximately $1M annually. The…

• 

  Content Marketing for Technology

• The curse of the familiar

  Anne Janzer

  1 May 2012 | 2:50 pm

  Sometimes the greatest value I can offer a client is a fresh, outside perspective. For example, I worked with a client recently that was making a major proposal to a customer. As I talked with them, several things became clear: They were so familiar with their unique value that they assumed everyone knew it. As a result, they never articulated it directly in the proposal. They were so deeply involved in the details of how they could help the customer, they didn’t see the high-level strategic value they brought. In other words, their familiarity with business details kept them from…

• Freelance horror stories: The consulting contract

  Anne Janzer

  16 Apr 2012 | 4:30 pm

  Whenever you get a group of freelancers together, one subject sure to come up is the unreasonable, unusual or plain crazy requests from potential clients.  Sometimes it feels like companies are putting up hurdles for freelancers to clear. Here are 6 contractual ‘hurdles’ I’ve been asked to clear in the course of my freelance career: (Disclaimer: These requests typically come from the legal department rather than the people I work with. I love my clients. Also, the larger the company, the more hurdles you may have to clear.) Make the company a beneficiary on my personal…

• Messaging part 2: The messaging review

  Anne Janzer

  30 Mar 2012 | 4:14 pm

  In my last post (There’s always time for messaging) I talked about a few strategies for selling the ‘messaging’ part of a content marketing project. It’s important to nail down key messaging before writing website content, white papers or other content. How do you conduct a review of the messaging, particularly if it’s something that you had to champion in the first place? I doubt that there’s one correct answer – but here are a few strategies that may be useful. The ‘creative brief’ strategy For smaller or contained content projects, you can…

• There’s always time for messaging

  Anne Janzer

  15 Mar 2012 | 12:58 pm

  Sometimes when I face a complex project, I tell the client that I’d like to create a ‘messaging map’ or messaging document to get their approval on key messages before I proceed. I often get the response “We don’t have time for that” or “Just work with what you see on our web page, the messaging is implied.” That’s kind of like a ship’s captain saying “We don’t have time to chart a course, just start sailing and we’ll figure it out as we go.” You just might end up on the rocks. Adding a ‘messaging’…

• Marketing in an age of transparency

  Anne Janzer

  23 Feb 2012 | 11:49 am

    by  motoyen  I got a phone call on the office phone the other day – the caller ID flashed an unfamiliar number. Before the third ring, I had done a search on the phone number, discovered it was a junk call, and decided not to answer. In the time it takes to answer (or not answer) the phone, I had learned enough about that company to tell me that I didn’t even want to talk to them. This is just one tiny example. We live in an era of instant transparency. With very little effort, people can find information about your company or your product and decide whether…

• 

  B2Bbloggers.com

• 25 Awesome Twitter Tips

  Shanna Mallon

  10 May 2012 | 6:21 am

  Last week Shanna Mallon of Straight North, a leader among Chicago Web design agencies, shared 25 Awesome B2B Blogging Tips. This week she takes on Twitter. Enjoy, Jeremy. For many B2Bs, Twitter is a mystery. Sure, it makes sense for restaurants and retail shops, but where is the value for makers of safety hand gloves or fire resistant clothing? When you primarily market to businesses, is Twitter really a valuable asset? The truth is, Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool for B2Bs—at least when it’s done right. All it takes is a little creativity. Here are 25 ideas to help you get the…

• Top Four Ways to Convert Social Networkers into Customers

  Tej Shah

  7 May 2012 | 7:59 am

  So you have thousands of followers on Twitter, hundreds of Facebook “Likes,” and millions of views on your YouTube channel. What’s the secret to turning all your social networkers into cash-buying customers you ask? What’s the magic pill you ask? It’s easy. You just have to understand one thing. Nobody cares about your product. So says Jeanne Walters, who is on the board of the Social Media Club of Chicago, has sage advice for businesses looking to capitalize on social media marketing efforts. She says wrap the fancy, shiny new tech toys in old-school marketing techniques which…

• 25 Awesome B2B Blogging Tips

  Shanna Mallon

  2 May 2012 | 7:58 am

  Why are so many B2B businesses, from the providers of a credit card processing service to the makers of GPS for vehicle tracking, blogging today? Because they recognize the potential power blogging represents—when done right, blogging gives B2B companies a way to generate greater interest, leads, orders, brand awareness and brand loyalty. How? Below, here are 25 quick ideas for making your B2B blog succeed! Overall Guidelines Know your audience: In order to reach your readers, you need to know who they are. Do research on your target audience, either on your own or with the help of an…

• Are You Ready for B2B Mobile Marketing?

  Brad Shorr

  23 Apr 2012 | 7:22 am

  Mobile computing is not only a challenge for consumer brands. B2B buyer behavior is changing thanks to the proliferation of smart phones and tablets, which means B2B marketers have a lot more to think about. If you have any doubts about the trend, consider this data from the Cisco® Visual Networking Index: Global mobile data traffic grew 2.3-fold in 2011. In 2011, the number of mobile-connected tablets tripled to 34 million. By the end of 2012, the number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the number of people on earth. Two-thirds of the world’s mobile data traffic will be video by…

• B2B Social Media FAQ: How Much Should We Budget?

  Brad Shorr

  16 Apr 2012 | 5:46 am

  A question we get repeatedly from B2Bs that are new to social media marketing is, how much should we budget? There is obviously no single answer, but this post will lay out ideas and guidelines to help you assess what social spend is right for your business. Minimum Budgeting Requirements With social media, a large portion of the cost is time.  Setting up a presence on all of the popular social networks – Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ — requires minimal fees, if any. However, to build a community, several activities must be done on a regular basis: Community building.

• 

  Home Business Infopreneur Resources

• Outsource to a Virtual Assistant and Still Have Control

  Michelle Poole

  12 May 2012 | 5:11 am

  Michelle Poole set up her Virtual Personal Aid business after many years experience and now offers virtual office services to help companies grow and increase their revenue. Personal Aid to Executive Assistant now Virtual Assistant. She has been kind enough to give us some insight on her virtual assistant business in the UK to help Internet Infopreneurs and online marketers. Related posts: Methods To Outsource An Offline Business Just what exactly I would want to do is to... Before You Outsource Read This In the not so distant past outsourcing the more "trivial"... Should You Outsource or…

• Web Design Tips to Improve Your Business Traffic

  Michael Reiss

  11 May 2012 | 12:56 pm

  Anymore it is a necessity to have a website to start a business or to improve an existing business. After all, most people will use Google these days to find a business in their local area before they use the yellow pages. The yellow pages will eventually be obsolete. Michael Reiss has written this post giving you a few web design tips to help search engines find your business website. Related posts: Increase Business Traffic with Social Media Using social media to grab more traffic for your small... Tips On How To Avoid Design Web Mistakes A website is a collection of web pages that are... 3…

• My Move West to Minnesota

  konagirl

  11 May 2012 | 9:57 am

   Powered by Max Banner Ads Sorry I haven’t been around for a while, but I am no longer in New York. I just moved to Minnesota and am not completely settled in yet. My office and big PCs are not yet set up. I have been getting some work done from my laptop, but won’t be [...] No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

• Steps to Affiliate Marketing Know How

  Anthony Harley

  2 Apr 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Lots of people want to become Affiliate Marketers because they have been fed the hype that it is such an easy thing to do to make money online. While it is indeed something that can be quite lucrative, there are still thousands that fail simply because they don't know what they are doing. There is a bit of a learning curve that goes along with affiliate marketing and it does take time and work to get found by your buyers. Related posts: Niche Research Guidelines: Approaches To Write Efficiently For Effective Affiliate Marketing Any writer can make articles in a matter of moments.... Niche…

• Outsourcing Bookkeeping Services Before Tax Time

  Mckayla E. Supernault

  1 Apr 2012 | 11:50 am

  If you have had a difficult time getting your taxes together to file this year for your online marketing revenue, you may want to consider outsourcing all of your bookkeeping needs to someone else so that you don't have to worry about it next year. Related posts: Consider Outsourcing to Save Yourself Some Time Many people get started in Internet Marketing because they believe... Why Outsourcing Is Worth A Try When it comes to running a business, even if it... Understand Why Businesses Must Try Outsourcing Right Now Do you find yourself working twice as tough in your... Related posts brought…

• 

  Your Heart's Content

• Project Spotlight: Boston City Guide

  Lauren Kamath

  10 May 2012 | 12:48 pm

  Tradeshows are one of the most cost effective face-to-face marketing methods. But in addition to setting up an eye-catching booth and sending a fleet of your most charismatic sales reps to schmooze attendees, organizations need to ensure their marketing...(read more)

• Increase Email Open Rates With 4 Tantalizing Subject Lines

  Lauren Kamath

  25 Jan 2012 | 2:54 pm

  Email subject lines can make or break your email campaign. Write a compelling subject line, and recipients will take the action you want by opening your email. Write a dud, and your email quickly gets moved from Inbox to Trash folder. All that stands...(read more)

• Project Spotlight: Sponsored Social Media Contests for Dansko

  Lauren Kamath

  6 Jan 2012 | 3:02 pm

  Social media contests are a powerful tool in content marketing. They're a fun way to encourage user-generated content, gather leads, engage customers and get people talking about your products and services. Recently, our client Dansko wanted to harness...(read more)

• 5 High-Tech Content Marketing Trends for 2012

  Lauren Meade Kamath

  23 Dec 2011 | 10:36 am

  Roughly 9 in 10 organizations rely on content marketing to connect with consumers, according to a survey by the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs . Marketing with content clearly has become mainstream, and it's evolving in increasingly sophisticated...(read more)

• 3 Corporate Blog Best Practices

  Lauren Meade Kamath

  14 Oct 2011 | 2:08 pm

  Corporate blogs are a great way to build a relationship with consumers, communicate your organization's values and rank higher in the search engines. As with any content marketing initiative, there are "best practices" to ensure your organization gets...(read more)

• 

  Content Insights

• Let’s Get Meta

  15 May 2012 | 10:38 am

  During recent interviews for Phase 2 of our Content & Credibility Study, we have been asking people what web content they find credible and why. As part of that process, I have observed many people’s opinions of search results listings and what makes a result click-worthy. It’s made me think about the importance of a certain content element – the meta description. During our testing, I’ve seen just how important this information is in the decision-making process as users scan search results. What Is a Meta Description? The all-important search results listing, or…

• If Your Content Isn't Memorable, Does It Exist?

  10 May 2012 | 11:00 pm

  Years ago, I attended a lecture at UNC-Chapel Hill where the featured speaker was Noble Prize winner, James D. Watson. He told the story of how a textbook and a chance encounter led him to a historic scientific discovery.   I remember the date of his discovery well. It was February 27, 1953 and he was very close to solving a long-standing scientific riddle. An error in his nucleic acid textbook had him running in circles to place hydrogen atoms in the right order. Then, by sheer luck, a visiting professor from Caltech pointed out to Watson the textbook he was reading was wrong, and…

• Why Should I Care About Content Strategy?

  30 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm

  If you work in interactive, you might think content strategy isn't your job. Have you ever thought about any questions like these? How often should you Tweet? What is our message? Would a video tell our story more effectively? For our redesign, what content should we keep and what content should we delete? What voice is best and what tone is appropriate when? Which CMS is best for our needs? Who is going to update our content and when?  If so, then I have to break this to you. Content strategy is part of your job. What to do? Read Content Strategy at Work: Real-world Stories to…

• Revving Up Company Culture + Brand Voice

  20 Apr 2012 | 9:07 am

  Recently, I reviewed the article “Highway to Health” about Ford's experimentation with addressing the very different needs of their older and younger customers. So, I was eager to read the New York Times article “As Young Lose Interest in Cars, G.M. Turns to MTV for Help” that discusses similar concerns at General Motors (G.M.) for Chevrolet. Here's the essence of the article and what it means for content. What I Liked The article startled me with statistics like these: In 2008, only 46.3 percent of potential drivers 19 years old and younger in the U.S. had…

• What My MINI Taught Me About Architecture

  18 Apr 2012 | 10:59 am

  I recently had the distinct pleasure of becoming a MINI Cooper owner.  (That's me looking happy.) The delightful experience of picking out and getting to know my MINI got me thinking about content architecture in a new way. Architecture connects content strategy and content management. Because architecture isn't visible and might seem dry, it sometimes gets short shrift. Getting the MINI reminded me why architecture deserves more of our attention. 1. Architecture Balances Consistency + Flexibility You recognize a MINI when you see it. The MINI Cooper size and shape, for example,…

• 

  Jontus Media

• Bernie J Mitchell Talks Social Media and Meet-Ups

  Jon

  15 May 2012 | 1:09 pm

  Social media has changed the landscape of networking and events. This week’s podcast is an interview with British “conversation architect” and self-titled “purveyor of community” Bernie J. Mitchell. Bernie, who started out in catering, now runs events and ‘un-conferences’ and Meet Ups. He also ran the London TEDx in TED Global Week 2011. In the show, Bernie talks about the possibilities for attendees to connect and communicate through social media both in the run up to and after an event. Click the player to listen now: Other listening options: Click…

• Facebook is Bad for Business

  Jon

  8 May 2012 | 4:17 pm

  Be very careful of Facebook. It can be a real time suck and, what’s worse, it can really mess up your marketing. What? A blog post warning you against the dangers of Facebook ? You bet! So here’s why you should be careful of Planet Facebook. Don’t Jump Off the Cliff If you Google “small business marketing strategy” it won’t be long before you find yourself on a blog advising you to explore how Facebook can benefit your business. And chances are that this advice will be so convincing you’ll go out and start a page to compliment your business site, your…

• Why WordPress is the Perfect Platform for Your Business

  Jon

  6 May 2012 | 2:53 pm

  If you’re looking for your first website to market your business online, you can’t go wrong with WordPress. We’re massive fans of the open source blogging platform, although nowadays we really think of it as a full-functioning CMS. But don’t just take our word for it. This week I talk to Dustin Hartzler, WordPress developer and host of the Your WordPress Engineer podcast. Click the player to listen now: Other listening options: Click here to download the mp3 Click here to subscribe in iTunes Click here for the show archive Click here for the show’s RSS feed

• Why Outsource Your Company Website

  Jon

  3 May 2012 | 9:01 am

  Let’s face it. It’s only geeks like us who enjoy digging around a content management system like WordPress, adding links, optimizing a page for search engines and creating custom widgets. We don’t mind updating plugins or tweaking a bit of custom code to add drop capitals to blog posts and help increase the readibility of your site. Chances are that you loathe or fear fidding with your WordPress if you run a bricks and mortar business, a consulting business or just about any other kind of business that doesn’t involve the web. So here’s what you should do. Hand…

• What if I Don’t Want a Website?

  Jon

  29 Apr 2012 | 3:30 pm

  Now I’m a firm believer in content marketing. Blogs, podcasts, ebooks, digital training products, you name it; I think they’re important ways of generating leads and building a business. There are, of course, small businesses out there that don’t want to embrace content marketing. Or don’t really need it. If you don’t really want to bother with blogging, aren’t ready to see what social media can do for you, you might want to think about what you can do with a couple of web pages and an email sign-up form. Click the player to listen now: Other listening…

• 

  Cohen On Content

• Phil Cohen Rant 05_01_2012

  cohenoncontent

  1 May 2012 | 1:51 pm

  What’s the Best Media Player? Really? Click “>> Read more” or “>> Leave Comment” below to leave comments.

• Ron Bowers – Frank Mayer – #CETW

  cohenoncontent

  18 Apr 2012 | 3:04 pm

  Ron Bowers – Frank Mayer – showcases DMV in a Box. Click “>> Read more” or “>> Leave Comment” below to leave comments.

• Kash Johal – wireless display signage systems – #CETW

  cohenoncontent

  17 Apr 2012 | 1:13 pm

  Kash Johal discusses cloud-based digital signage using Google TV. Click “>> Read more” or “>> Leave Comment” below to leave comments.

• 

  Industrial Marketing Today

• Industrial Companies shouldn’t Replace Email Marketing with Social Media

  Achinta Mitra

  15 May 2012 | 10:03 am

  Right off the bat let me say that this post is not about email marketing versus social media. However, I’ve had conversations with manufacturers and industrial companies where I am asked if email marketing is still relevant and effective since all the talk these days is about social media. Yes, social media generates all the buzz but discarding email marketing, a tried and true workhorse would be a mistake and here is why. In a March 2012 online survey of US marketing professionals, trade publication Chief Marketer found that the most popular tool in digital campaigns, according to 78% of…

• Industrial Content Marketing with Purpose

  Achinta Mitra

  7 May 2012 | 9:40 am

  In my last post, I talked about using content to convert website traffic into leads and customers. In this post, I want to continue with a similar theme and talk about why your content marketing must have a purpose. With the abundance of content available on the Internet these days, it is difficult to rise above the noise and get noticed. Manufacturers and industrial companies cannot be content with just publishing content, their content marketing needs to drive the sales process. Telling owners and C-level executives at these companies that inbound marketing with content takes time to…

• You’ve Got Traffic. Now What?

  Achinta Mitra

  1 May 2012 | 9:40 am

  You’ve done all the hard work of optimizing (SEO) your industrial website and now you have a steady stream of traffic to your site. Congratulations! Sorry to rain on your parade but that is only half the equation. The other half is all about converting that traffic into leads and customers. I find there is a strong but mistaken belief among industrial companies that somehow their site visitors will interrupt their online activities and pick up the phone to call their sales people. Even though this behavior is contrary to how they themselves interact online, they expect their target audience…

• Content Marketing for Engineers

  Achinta Mitra

  23 Apr 2012 | 8:22 am

  I’ll go out on a limb and state that content marketing for engineers is different. Yes, I do get it that the lines between work and personal lives have blurred thanks to today’s hyper-connected world where everybody is always “On.” And I agree that at the end of the day, marketing to engineers is still all about communicating with people. Call it P2P (People-to-People) marketing if you will. However, to engage with engineers and address their needs (WIIFM), your marketing content needs to have a different flavor of storytelling. It is not just about facts and figures, engineers…

• Industrial Marketing Company Celebrates 25 Years in Business

  Achinta Mitra

  14 Apr 2012 | 9:22 am

  April 2012 marks a milestone for my industrial marketing company Tiecas, Inc. We are celebrating 25 years in business! It has been an incredible journey so far. Come along with me as I take a trip down memory lane… I remember registering my DBA as “Tiecas Type & Graphics” on April 14, 1987 with the Harris County Clerk’s Office in Houston, Texas. I had read an article in Inc. Magazine about a coming revolution called “desktop publishing.” That was the impetus for me to quit my management job with an oil country tubular goods (OCTG) manufacturer and take the plunge into starting…

• 

  Content-ment

• Online Content Readability Tests: Content Strategists Beware

  Clinton Forry

  12 May 2012 | 6:49 pm

  Old-fashioned readability scores and indices don't account for some of the most critical elements of online content presentation. Avoid using them as the only measure of the true readability of online content.  The story of a story"Go Dogs. Go!" I love this book. Well, a version of this book. (The small one.)Several popular children's books from publisher Random House are available in two physical formats: the standard hardcover book and the board book. Each format has its pros and cons.Hardcover book. More, thinner pages for more content. But, thinner pages tear easier.Board book.

• Don't Just COPE. Call The COPS On Your Content.

  Clinton Forry

  25 Mar 2012 | 10:17 am

  Content devices, platforms, and delivery are becoming more complex. Our approach to these changes must retain a strong editorial approach in addition to advances in technology. OR ELSE.A recent, delightful A List Apart article by the super-smart Sara Wachter-Boettcher, "Future-Ready Content," brought back some memories for me. A few days later, Brad Frost's article there, "For a Future Friendly Web," did the same.I remember hearing about something exciting back in 2009 or so. It was clear, simple, and full of hope. It had the answers. A silver bullet.The concept was simple: Create Once,…

• Content Strategy and the Birth of the Cool (or Fabulous Business Blog)

  Clinton Forry

  11 Jan 2012 | 6:45 am

  Should you go forth and publish content before launch? Not to fill up the buckets on the site, but to determine the viability of newly-established editorial calendars and workflows? PERHAPS.Birth of the CoolMany of us have been lucky enough to witness the birth of something new. Like babies. Or cool. As in Miles Davis’ classic album “Birth of the Cool.” Or even, perhaps, a company blog.Blogs, like babies and classic jazz albums, are each special in their own way. Unlike most babies or classic jazz albums, blogs ushered in a revolution in online publishing. Waves of that revolution are…

• Busy Content Strategist Is Busy

  Clinton Forry

  8 Dec 2011 | 8:26 pm

  It's been a busy couple of months. To say the least. In the meantime:The fantastic Kristina Mausser asked me to write a post for the Follow the UX Leader blog. I was honored. So, I wrote a post about content strategy and managed to make it partly about whiskey. Go figure. I titled it "An Intoxicating Tale of Content Strategy."Contentmanagement.com republished my "7 Steps to Keep Your Content from Sending You to Prison" post on their blog. Again, I was honored.The Minneapolis/Saint Paul Content Strategy Meetup group invited me to speak about curation and content strategy at their November…

• Keywords, Work-arounds, And Souring The User Experience

  Clinton Forry

  28 Sep 2011 | 9:00 am

  Campaigns and other short-term online efforts can easily spoil online navigation and the user experience. Dismissing familiar cues to cut corners will leave people confused and ultimately unsatisfied. Consider campaigns early in the creation of a content strategy and you'll preserve the online user experience. User experience and the supermarketI fancy milk on my morning cereal. I don’t have a cow, so I go to the store to purchase it. I like it when that process is easy. It was, for the longest time.Ever since I was a kid, I understood the mysterious code of the milk cap:Blue cap = 2%Yellow…

• 

  Content Mastery Guide

• Where Do You Blog?

  Linda Dessau

  8 May 2012 | 9:18 am

  With mobile idea catchers and connections everywhere, you never know where you're going to come up with your next blog post. But where will you settle down to finish it and go through the other steps to writing an article? I first explored the topic of the creative environment in a 2005 article about how creative artists can connect with their surroundings, which then became a chapter of my book, Ten Ways to Thrive as a Creative Artist.  In the article, I discuss several factors, including how you can use "deliberate decorating" to inspire your creativity and how too much…

• Get Bossy with Your Blog: Five Ways to Boost Your Blogging Confidence

  Linda Dessau

  22 Apr 2012 | 6:58 pm

  In a recent newsletter, publishing and strategy consultant Janet Goldstein wrote about the concept of getting "lovingly bossy" with your book. Janet has given me her permission to share some of the article here, and explore how we can apply it to business blogging as well. Janet writes: So many writers and experts I work with (myself included) feel intimidated by their work. But you're the boss. We can get our ideas and writing to work (and we can get the help we need if we have the clarity and the bossy-ness to move forward). If the book and ideas aren't coming, you can…

• Getting to Know Your Clients - Just One of the Benefits of Blogging [Infographic]

  Linda Dessau

  2 Apr 2012 | 2:01 pm

  In their comprehensive and well-researched infographic (shared with permission), UK-based company Content+ share that 70% of consumers prefer getting to know a company via articles rather than ads.  It makes sense when you consider the alternative, as I shared in a previous post about why to write an article, not an ad. Ads can feel intrusive and come at us on their timeline, not ours. Information, on the other hand, is something we actively seek out.  Making it easier to get to know your prospective clients is just one of the many benefits of blogging. I've been tweeting about some…

• Is Your Blog a Ghost Town?

  Linda Dessau

  19 Mar 2012 | 6:25 pm

  Did you know that a 2010 IBM research study revealed that about 80 percent of corporate bloggers never post more than five entries? (Here's the gigaom story, via Joe Pulizzi.) The Internet is littered with these abandoned blogs. If you have one on your site, it could damage your reputation and scare away potential clients who may think that you stopped blogging because: You're no longer in business You don't have any information worth sharing You don't care about your business or your clients You start things and don’t finish them  None of that is true, but how do you…

• Why Your Business Blog Needs to be More Than a Diary

  Linda Dessau

  12 Mar 2012 | 8:07 am

  As your business grows (and grows up), it can be inspiring to look back at a chronicle of what you've accomplished and how far you've come. Having that record is one of the benefits of blogging, and a reason to continue dating your posts. But when business blogs are completely filled with announcements and personal musings from the business owner, that's a missed opportunity to connect with your prospective clients. Sure, your family, clients and other supporters will always be thrilled to hear of your latest successes, accomplishments and lessons learned, but what about…

• 

  ContentLEAD

• Google Analytics to offer small business marketing measurement webinars

  Katherine Griwert

  16 May 2012 | 2:35 pm

  Google is offering a free webinar for business owners to educate them on using Google Analytics measurements to make smarter (and more results-driven) marketing decisions.

• Email marketing helping restaurants win local diners

  Joe Meloni

  15 May 2012 | 3:52 pm

  A report from the National Restaurant Association and LivingSocial points to email and social media marketing as effective channels for SMBs on the web.

• Integrating different channels can help small business SEO

  Joe Meloni

  15 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  A report from Chief Marketer suggests that social sharing and blog content marketing are becoming popular SEO strategies for small businesses.

• SMBs targeting moms need to be on the web, that’s where moms are

  Joe Meloni

  14 May 2012 | 1:07 pm

  A report from Nielsen suggests that mothers are increasingly likely to maintain active web presences.

• Website content help hotels stand out from the pack

  Joe Meloni

  14 May 2012 | 8:34 am

  In an interview with eMarketer, a leader of the hospitality marketing industry said recent changes to Google's algorithm can help small businesses that create original website content compete.

• 

  Shift Digital

• How to Answer Twitter Questions Like the Pros Do

  Samantha Collier

  16 May 2012 | 3:51 am

  One of the best ways businesses can use Twitter for client acquisition and brand development is by answering questions people ask relating to their service and/or product.  It’s also a great way to grow your online community, and meet fellow colleagues in your industry. The concept is simple.  All you have to do is set up keyword searches via software such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck.  For example, if you sell lawnmowers, set up a keyword search for the words “lawnmower” and “question”. That way, every time someone posts a tweet with the…

• How to Enable Google Authorship Information with Better Author Bio Plugin

  "Captain" Kirk

  15 May 2012 | 3:00 am

  Better Author Bio is a wonderful plugin used by many WordPress sites to enable additional author information as well as links to the author’s social media profiles. With the advent of Google+, Google has begun encorporating Google+ Profile information within SERP (Search Engine Results Page) for both Google Web Search & Google News.  The best part is that you can choose where you want to show your profile. You can also add links of your Blog, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn and Facebook profiles on the biography if you wish too. There are two methods in order to get your mug shot in…

• Which One Wins? Boardroom Meetings vs. Google Hangout

  Justin Brackett

  14 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Are virtual office meetings better than the real thing? The Boardroom My professional life began in the nonprofit world.  Like many other businesses, our days began with the whole team sitting around the boardroom table to discuss ongoing and new projects, issues, events and anything else that was of importance. From time to time we would even read a book together and talk about it in those meetings. In other words, this was our team time, and it turned out to be one of my favorite times of the day. Most of the time, our entire team was within 20 feet of each other. Accordingly, we got to…

• Test Drive of Google Drive

  "Captain" Kirk

  11 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  The Shift Digital Team has been using Google Drive for about a week now and so far we’re loving it! For those of you who are not familiar with Google Drive, it is the optional replacement for what was Google Docs. One of the key features of Google Drive is that, like dropbox, it has as desktop app that creates a folder on your computer and allows you to two-way sync all of the files and folders between your computer and your Google Drive account. Some of the awesome features of Google Drive (and of the original Google Docs) are: You can view by list or by Grid Image previews of…

• How To Create Your Way to Your Dream Job

  Brittany Botti

  11 May 2012 | 6:16 am

  It’s no secret that we are in a tough job market right now. Recent college graduates or those with little experience in their desired career field are going up against seemingly insurmountable odds in their job hunt. You often get to a point where you wonder what else you can possibly do or where else you can look for employment. Here is one idea: Create content to get the attention of an employer and land your dream job. Many businesses rely on content that is produced consistently to keep their website afloat in search engine results, and to keep their social media campaigns vibrant. 13%…

• 

  The Phelps Group Blog

• Involving Your Specialists Early Can Avoid Disaster Later

  Shari Lesser - Public Relations Specialist

  1 May 2012 | 11:45 am

  To the Team Leaders and Managers working to provide only the best for your clients:Due to the expansion and technical intricacies of marcom disciplines, you, the generalist, can be more important than ever.  That’s because true leadership comes from being able to see the big picture.  On the other hand, more than ever, your success depends on the talent, experience and support of your specialists.The marketing ecology has become so complicated that it is increasingly more dangerous for an account person to answer technical questions without consulting with the appropriate agency…

• Engaging Narrative Advertising

  Shari Lesser - Public Relations Specialist

  2 Apr 2012 | 12:31 pm

  As an IMC enthusiast, I like connecting with experts in our field.  This month it is with great pleasure that we welcome the work of Professor Joseph E. Phelps, Chairman of the Department of Advertising and Public Relations at The University of Alabama.   Professor Phelps collaborated with Dr. Lu Zheng, University of Florida, to author the intellectually stimulating article blog post below.I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Joseph Phelps by video conferencing with his class over the past few years.  I believe we both enjoy confusing people by having two IMC guys…

• The Phelpstars are born

  Kristen Thomas - Public Relations Specialist

  16 Feb 2012 | 2:50 pm

    IMC pioneers The Phelps Group embarks on yet another new frontier…well new for the agency, that is. The Phelps Group team of athletes, the Phelpstars, is playing in the World Adult Kickball Association (WAKA) Winter 2012 kickball league. This is the agency’s first kickball team in its 30-year history, and we just completed game two in the CA Dogtown division. So far the experience has been, at the same time, daunting and exhilarating, dotted with moments of fiasco and triumph. The first two games were losses but the lessons and opportunities we’ve encountered are not lost on…

• A Piece of Santa Monica’s Story – The Wall

  Kristen Thomas - Public Relations Specialist

  21 Nov 2011 | 4:06 pm

  Santa Monica has a rich and colorful history, and we are proud to be part of it! “Images of America SANTA MONICA 1950-2010” — by Louise B. Gabriel, the presidentand founder of the Santa Monica History Museum — chronicles the city’s post-World War II era as both a resort community and as a bustling, vibrant city. The book features more than 200 photographs of the dynamic people, businesses, events, attractions, and celebrities that have shaped Santa Monica into the world-renowned city of today. And among them is The Phelps Group’s The Wall, where our work in progress is posted for…

• Panasonic “kicks off” new Toughpad

  Kristen Thomas - Public Relations Specialist

  15 Nov 2011 | 12:51 pm

  Team Leader Monica Peixoto poses with the new Panasonic Toughpad™.On Nov. 7, Panasonic Solutions Company launched the much-anticipated Android™-poweredPanasonic Toughpad™ family, the fearless new business tablets that go where no tablets have gone before. More than 400 people — customers, press and Panasonic employees from USA, Canada, Latin American and Japan — attended the launch event at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas. Members of The Phelps Group were there, as well, enjoying the festivities that included an open invitation to score a goal against Kevin Hartman, goalkeeper of…

• 

  HarrisonAmy

• The silent gossip that kills your business. Are you at risk?

  harrisonamy

  9 May 2012 | 10:37 am

  I was recently thinking about people telling their business story through their web copy when I came across an article tweeted by the lovely Mr. Ian Aspin about how many people had speculated about the Apple Logo and its origins. People started a story that it was about a brilliant mathematician Alan Turing who committed suicide with a cyanide laced apple. When pressed, apparently Steve Jobs would simply smile enigmatically, leaving people to assume that the legend they had created was true. And didn’t it add an air of mystery? The things we never see or know are always the ones which…

• Samantha Brick Is Hated For Her Lazy Writing, Not Her Looks.

  harrisonamy

  5 Apr 2012 | 10:13 am

  For anyone unfamiliar with the story, recently Samantha Brick, who self-titles herself as a journalist and writer, came under the wrath of the internet when she wrote a piece for the Daily Mail titled: “Why women hate me for being beautiful.” Since its release Samantha has faced vitriolic criticism from people who have found her self-absorbed, arrogant and generally repulsive. But here’s the thing. Samantha now believes the criticism of her proves that she is right. That people hate her because of her good looks. That’s not true. They hate her because of how she writes. What’s more,…

• 5 Ways To Simple, Fast Lede Lines

  harrisonamy

  17 Feb 2012 | 4:16 pm

  Alright – first of all I apologise for this video. I did some editing. Only, the software I use has “fade” as the default setting on all transitions. This I did not know. As a result, some of the transitions overlap. In fact I’ll be honest and say that with some of them, it has a bizarre dreamlike feel. Not unlike finding Patrick Duffy in the shower after a whole series of Dallas… But let’s plough on regardless. In this Q and A video episode, Romy wrote in to ask: My one and only major problem is lede lines, lots of time i’m unable to get idea about …

• The Death Of The USP (And What Is Replacing It)

  harrisonamy

  13 Feb 2012 | 5:51 am

  Just off the coast of Cancun, Mexico sunk deep beneath the water sits a man, perfectly still, watching television with a plate of burger and fries on his knee. Sculpted from coral-friendly pH-neutral marine concrete, the idea of underwater sculptures that encourage habitation and growth of corals and marine life is certainly unique. Unsurprisingly, the sculptor Jascon deCaires Taylor has attracted a lot of attention and success from his “unique selling point” Except that his unique selling point isn’t really unique, it’s simply a combination of less unique  things including:…

• How To Ask For Testimonials

  harrisonamy

  3 Feb 2012 | 4:12 am

  What’s one of the best ways to prove to new people you are a credible expert? Endorsements from other. Which is what we’re looking at in this Q and A video – this time with natural light and with me getting off my behind to stand up and answer it. This week’s question was from Kate (I call her Liz  in the video – I was confused, it doesn’t take a lot) who asked: I’d love to learn how to ask for testimonials ~ Kate (not Liz) So this is what I cover in the video below. Remember, to get a simple but specific testimonial which paints a compelling story…

• 

  Brafton

• Facebook study shows brand-related posts drive the most social marketing engagement

  Katherine Griwert

  16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Facebook recently released insights from an internal study to help marketers understand which Page posts generate the most engagement on its network. Based on four weeks' worth of surveillance of 23 brand Pages representing six industries, the social giant advises that businesses share content about their brands. According to the report, "topics related to the brand" are among the posts most likely to generate shares, Likes and comments. But what topics are "related to the brand?" Facebook broke down social content into three categories: Messages about services (ie: announcements of a new…

• Lessons in quality content marketing from recent search updates

  Jacquelyn Giardina

  16 May 2012 | 8:49 am

  There have been a lot of changes to Google search in the past few weeks, and businesses can use these insights to think about how to improve SEO. Of course, content marketing for search optimization should be focused on the user above all. Brafton has a separate blog post exploring how content for users is key to succeeding in the post-Panda and post-Penguin Google search zoo. But it's worthwhile to take a look at other updates as a reminder of how Google is working to provide quality results to users. The changes should inspire reflection on your content marketing to make sure you're working…

• Study: Content marketing influences electronics and retail shoppers with smartphones at point of purchase

  Joe Meloni

  15 May 2012 | 3:33 pm

  A report from Nielsen suggests that electronics shops and department stores are the locations where consumers are most likely to turn to their smartphones for online shopping. For marketers, this demonstrates the value of web content marketing for products in these verticals. Seventy-three percent of respondents said that they turn to their smartphones for information on electronics they plan to purchase while in stores. An additional 43 percent said the same for department stores. Other locations consumers consult the web from include office supply stores, specialty clothing stores and…

• Consumers favor Facebook for now, but survey says social marketing must include emerging platforms

  Joe Meloni

  15 May 2012 | 2:45 pm

  The rapidly evolving nature of the internet has changed the way most consumers view the future of their favorite websites. According to a poll from the Associated Press and CNBC, 51 percent of Americans have favorable view of Facebook, but 46 percent believe it will become obsolete as new social networks come along. This should remind marketers of the value in creating cross-platform social marketing campaigns to keep up with the shifting social landscape. Given the company's ongoing situation with its imminent IPO, consumers' expectation that the network will fade could be troubling for…

• Product reviews influence consumer purchase decisions

  Joe Meloni

  15 May 2012 | 1:30 pm

  A report from AYTM Market Research found that product reviews are increasingly popular among consumers shopping on the web. More than 82 percent of respondents have been directly influenced by a review on a website, and 24.6 percent say reviews "often" impact their purchase decisions. When it comes to generating or cultivating reviews, marketers can opt for different methods. In general, the review as website content is most likely to suit B2C companies or resellers in the B2B sector. Including reviews as part of a content marketing strategy is one approach. This can help businesses improve…

• 

  Content Gyan: Content Writing, Content Strategy and Content Marketing Blog

• Content writing is not just an e-mail or a web page

  Amrit

  15 May 2012 | 9:31 am

  As a content writer I don't appreciate when clients want to pay according to individual words. Content writing is not a product – you cannot sell it like vegetables. It's a value. When I'm writing content for you I'm using all the experience and knowledge that I have gained all these years and I am encapsulating everything into that hour that I'm spending on your work.

• How to optimize your headlines for search engines as well as your readers

  Amrit

  12 May 2012 | 12:48 pm

  With SEO plug-ins and add-ons you can easily create amusing and interesting headlines for your visitors without having to worry about neglecting keywords and losing your search engine rankings. You just need to make sure that your page or blog post headline is different (for your readers) and your page or blog post title is different (for search engines).

• How to bring conversation back to blogging

  Amrit

  11 May 2012 | 9:01 am

  Blogging is not just about publishing content, it is also about active engagement. Due to its commenting system people come to your blog, read your blog posts and if they want, they can share their thoughts in your commenting section. This is called conversation. Gradually social networking websites like Twitter and Facebook are taking away your blogging conversations. What can you do to bring conversation back to blogging?

• Surviving the Google Penguin update with quality content

  Amrit

  10 May 2012 | 10:50 am

  Effective content writing can certainly help you cope better with events like the recent Google Penguin update. Due to this update many websites have lost their search engine rankings for some or all their keywords. Focus on quality content and let your readers decide what sort of traffic you get.

• A list of my favorite digital tools these days

  Amrit

  9 May 2012 | 2:52 am

  While managing and conducting my content writing business I need to organize my time as well as information efficiently. Although I firmly believe that efficiency and productivity do not depend much on the tools, but it definitely becomes easier when you use some really good quality tools to manage day-to-day affairs. My most favorite tools that I use these days are listed in this blog post.

• 

  Content for Biz Blog

• 4 Ways Google Authorship Magnifies Your Expertise

  Mary Klest

  14 May 2012 | 7:55 pm

  by Mary Klest If you or someone in your company is a subject matter expert (SME) with an ability to...

• Social Media Lessons from Mom

  Joanne Costin

  12 May 2012 | 3:40 pm

  My Mom’s not on social media yet, but she’s made a lot of friends in real life.  She...

• The Best Content Writing Positions Your Company as a Solution Provider

  Joanne Costin

  9 May 2012 | 11:09 pm

  “We’re not selling boxes, we’re selling solutions for the food service business,” said a marketing...

• Savoring Content at NRA Show in Chicago

  Mary Klest

  7 May 2012 | 5:06 pm

  Nearly two thousand food service manufacturers, restaurant and hospitality product brands from more...

• Notable Content Ideas This Week

  Mary Klest

  4 May 2012 | 3:54 pm

  From content innovators across the web this week, here are some notable content ideas to...

• 

  Content Marketing For Entrepreneurs

• How To Add & Sell Your Products (And Services) On Pinterest

  Lisa Angelettie

  3 May 2012 | 8:43 pm

  Learn How To Easily Monetize Your Pinterest Page With Your Products, Books or Services In Under 60 Seconds…Pinterest has been steadily climbing in popularity on the web and is now the 3rd largest social media site on the web (right behind Twitter and Facebook). That’s pretty impressive for a new kid on the block.Now there’s another cool thing you can do on Pinterest, and that’s add your books, products, etc. with a cute little price banner across your image. Here’s how you do it in 60 seconds…1. Identify The Items That You Want To Promote On…

• #1 Tip To Increase Your Optin Email Subscriber List

  Lisa Angelettie

  29 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am

  How To Add More Optin Email Subscribers To Your List Using This One Super Simple Strategy…It’s amazing how we entrepreneurs can fret over a million things when it comes to building our businesses. Did we pick the right name? Will people like what we write? What will we say during our next speaking engagement? How do we find a good virtual assistant. The list is endless. But the major issue that comes up over and over when I talk to entrepreneurs is the one we all know and love — “How can I get more people on my list?”.I hear you loud and clear! And guess what, I…

• How Much Time Should I Spend Creating Web Content?

  Lisa Angelettie

  27 Apr 2012 | 12:56 am

  Content Marketing Question Of The Week: Time ManagementQuestion I am relatively new to content marketing and wanted to know how much time I should dedicate to this strategy considering I have so many other things to do in my business.Answer I often say this when I work with clients but it is very important that you understand that content marketing at this point on the web is not only crucial but it’s mandatory. Without a foundation of content in your business, you are bound to fail. The web is fueled by content. Fresh content. So it’s important that you treat content marketing…

• Keyword Research: SEMRush Review & Tutorial

  Lisa Angelettie

  23 Apr 2012 | 12:26 pm

  How To Use SEMRush To Conduct Keyword ResearchAt the foundation of every piece of carefully written content on the web is research. To be more precise, keyword research. If you are a member of my training program Articology or if you’ve followed me for a while via my newsletter, you know that I talk about keyword research quite a bit and actually offer it as a premium service in my business. It’s just that important. I do it everyday.In previous trainings, I have talked about how to conduct keyword research using free tools as well as Wordtracker and Market Samurai, but today I…

• 10 Tax Deductions That You Don’t Know About [Infographic]

  Lisa Angelettie

  18 Apr 2012 | 9:19 am

  It’s that time of year again — tax time! It’s more important than ever in today’s challenging economic climate to claim every deduction that you legally can. Every penny counts. That’s why I thought I’d show you this cool infographic by TurboTax that shows you the top 10 tax deductions that you can take this year and you probably didn’t even know it! by TurboTax Income Tax Software

• 

  Content Strategy Hub

• Why You Should Ignore Social Media. Kind of…

  Eugene

  9 May 2012 | 9:45 am

  Everyone is pushing the idea that you absolutely must have a social media presence. I almost agree. Let me explain… You are going to have an online presence whether you create one or not. Restaurants, for example, are going to have reviews on sites like Yelp. Some loyal customers might even create a Facebook fan page....Why You Should Ignore Social Media. Kind of… is a post from: Content Strategy Hub

• The Real Secret to Optimizing Your Content

  Eugene

  1 May 2012 | 6:38 am

  I told myself that I wasn’t going to write about any Google updates because countless blogs already cover the topic every time a tiny change to the algorithm is made. However, I received an email several days ago which made my blood boil a bit. So I had to write this. Yet Another Update… Before...The Real Secret to Optimizing Your Content is a post from: Content Strategy Hub

• 5 Interesting Marketing Related Infographics Found on Pinterest

  Eugene

  19 Apr 2012 | 6:53 am

  Infographics are popping up left and right about every topic imaginable. As I mentioned in a previous post, images are more important than ever. So it only makes sense that visual representations of information are going to be popular and effective. Especially when you consider that some estimates place 65% of the population as visual learners. So...5 Interesting Marketing Related Infographics Found on Pinterest is a post from: Content Strategy Hub

• Prioritizing Tasks: A Simple Method for Efficient Business Growth

  Eugene

  13 Apr 2012 | 6:51 am

  Prioritizing tasks is absolutely essential for marketing, or any aspect of business really. There will always be a shiny new object staring you in the face. And even without new tasks popping up out of the blue, there is already plenty enough on you plate. There can be so many different directions you can go that...Prioritizing Tasks: A Simple Method for Efficient Business Growth is a post from: Content Strategy Hub

• Three Reasons Images Are More Important Than Ever

  Eugene

  5 Apr 2012 | 11:38 am

  At this point it is pretty clear that content marketing involves more than just text – there’s video and images as well. And I like to take the stance that content marketing also includes things like the design because design and colors affect how people perceive information. Content marketing is all about relaying information. That being...Three Reasons Images Are More Important Than Ever is a post from: Content Strategy Hub

• 

  Ron's Copy-e-Writing Blog

• Is Freedom While Freelancing All You Want?

  Ron C

  16 May 2012 | 6:48 am

  I have been writing as a “freelancer” for the last half decade. Not so long as my peers (I am talking about the likes of Lori Widmer and Anne Wayman) do, I guess. But one thing I can tell you, as much as I like the freedom offered in my freelancing career (just read an article by Kari Jenkins), I still feel the need to socialize with and dominate over my fellow men! Too much freedom can lead to loneliness. Do I really want to sit by the fireplace and read a book in the evening? If I am 65 years old, I might want to, because of my arthritis problem. But if I am a hot-blooded 25 years old…

• What Is The New Style Of Blog Writing?

  Ron C

  14 May 2012 | 7:19 am

  If you want to improve your writing, where do you look for inspiration? I mean, would you use Shakespeare as your guide? Or Hemingway? Or other famous authors? I hope not. Because writing for the Net is different. The new style of blog writing is based upon … The answer may surprise you. It’s not writing for a newspaper or a magazine, or journal writing, or creating novels, or academic writing. It’s copywriting. Weird, eh? What Joe Sugerman can teach bloggers Joe Sugerman is one of the copywriting greats. He’s what Mohammed Ali is for boxing . Here is what he taught, and how it can be…

• 15 Things You Should Know About The Online Marketing Consumers

  Ron C

  11 May 2012 | 4:28 am

  In a Scarborough research study, here’s are some interesting features about the US digital savvy consumers. If you are into internet marketing, you might as well it a read. You will definitely have some “owl-eye” moments. Around 6% of all American adults are digitally savvy. What does digitally savvy means? Simple! You are digitally savvy when you are using MP3 players while commuting to your office by train. You are digitally savvy when you pay your internet bill online. If you are in Austin, you are among people who love the online world. Austin ranks first in the top-ten list of most…

• Which Is Better – Short Blog Post or Long Blog Post?

  Ron C

  9 May 2012 | 1:49 am

  No, I am not going to give a fixed number of words to write. Very honestly speaking, it totally defeats the purpose of a blog. When you write a blog, you are blabbering, you are lecturing, you are shouting and you are whispering. You see, you really cannot fix your blog posts within a word range. If you say you are going to blabber within 500 words, it really doesn’t make sense. For a blog is all about expressing your opinion. You may express yourself within 10 words in a micro blog. You may also need over a thousand words to bring home a single point. It depends actually! If you are…

• 10 Essential WordPress Plugins Every Blogger Should Install Today

  Ron C

  8 May 2012 | 11:02 pm

  When it comes to plugins, we have lots of options. It’s one of the great things about using wordpress. But with over 19,200 wordpress plugins to choose from, how do pick and install the best ones for your blog? I use less than 30 plugins on InboundPro and in this post I’m going to share with you 10 of the most essential plugins you should add to your collection today. …added to that, I’m also going to share with you 7 of my favorite plugins that I’m currently using, that you can add, too. The Essentials (10) 1. XML Sitemaps This plugin will generate a special XML sitemap which will…

• 

  Content Marketing Specialist - Words That Begin With You - Newton, NC

• I’m Still Not Good at Facebook

  Justin P Lambert

  9 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Image via CrunchBase A few weeks ago I read this solid article on The Content Strategist called “Connecting, Not Selling, on Facebook.” I read it, then re-read it… then read it again. There’s nothing wrong with the article at all, believe me.  It’s just that, for as long as I’ve been marketing my own business using social media, and as long as I’ve been working with my clients to do the same, I’ve struggled with Facebook as this huge unanswered question: How do I SELL to nine hundred million people who have come together to goof off?

• Instant Expert Podcast – Introduction

  Justin P Lambert

  4 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  Here’s the first in a series of podcasts based on my Special Report, Instant Expert: How to Write the Book on the Subject of Your Choice and Make a Killing at It! This series covers the basics of the Instant Expert formula in quick, bite-size chunks that I hope you can enjoy and learn from.  Please, share your opinions in the comments section below and/or on iTunes, where I also encourage you to subscribe to future episodes as well! Enjoy! Instant Expert Introduction Related articles Spruce Up Your Copy Podcasts – Step 2: Plan Ahead (justinplambert.net) Spruce Up Your Copy…

• Are You Scared of Mobile? Really?

  Justin P Lambert

  2 May 2012 | 9:00 am

  A 1st generation Apple iPad. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) I read an article by Newt Barrett of ContentMarketingToday.com about the effect of mobile devices on content marketing. Go ahead and read the whole article, it’s really good.  But then, click back over here because it sparked some thoughts. “For those of us who been around computing since the early days of PCs, the consumer move to mobile devices and away from desktop and even laptop computers is astonishing–and maybe a little terrifying.” This quote appears just a few lines in, and when I first read it, I was shaking…

• As a Content Marketer, Are You Mulder or Scully?

  Justin P Lambert

  30 Apr 2012 | 6:20 am

  Courtesy of Fox (the TV station, not Mulder...) OK, I’m about to reveal the true level of my geekdom.  And, if you’re interested in improving your content marketing chops, you’re coming with me. I’m a huge fan of The X-Files.  It’s one of the few TV shows I fell in love with from the pilot episode and the rest of the world actually did too.  Thanks to the magic of Netflix Instant Watch, I’ve been binging on re-watching the series for the last several months, and it’s still great. The show evolved over the years it was on the air, but for the seven…

• Blogging in Obscurity

  Justin P Lambert

  13 Apr 2012 | 4:32 pm

  Courtesy of h.koppdelaney (flickr)   You wake up in the middle of the night, and you need to pee. It’s 2:47 AM and you’re in your own bed, in the bedroom of your own place, so this is a walk you’ve taken a thousand times before.  As a result, you do what any logical, big-brained Homo Sapiens will do under the circumstances. You get up and start walking to the bathroom. In the pitch black dark of a sleeping house. And guess what happens? Sure enough, you stub your toe on the corner of the bedroom door jam.  And there’s that two-second pause between when you know…

• 

  B2B Digital Marketing

• Why Your Content Sucks!

  Eric Wittlake

  15 May 2012 | 12:02 am

  If it doesn’t benefit us, entertain us, educate us, solve our problems or advance our causes, we don’t want it. If we find something better, we switch.Today, our mantra is “What’s in it for me?”All too often, the answer is “Not much.”We are flooded with content. This blog post will be one of millions published today. Blog posts and other content are clamoring for attention with louder promotions and catchier headlines in an attempt to cut through the content clutter. Yes, headlines like Why Your Content Sucks.But shouting catchier headlines louder and…

• 10 Things You Need to Know About B2B Mobile Marketing

  Eric Wittlake

  10 May 2012 | 1:50 am

  You see them everywhere, crossing streets, in meetings, at lunch and even driving. Busy professionals focused on their smartphone, nearly oblivious to everything else around them.These are the same business decision makers and influencers your B2B marketing is targeting. But chances are they aren’t looking at your site, email or content on their smartphone.Last week nearly 50 marketers joined #B2Bchat on Twitter to discuss the state of mobile marketing. In short, everyone believes mobile should be a priority, most are seeing a significant portion of traffic from mobile devices, yet many…

• Social Media’s Missing Ingredient

  Eric Wittlake

  8 May 2012 | 12:13 am

  View original on PinterestYou are ready for social media. You have staff, tools and resources. You have a clear strategy, well-defined goals and an execution plan. You have executive support.But how long will it last? How long will you have the resources and support you need?Your social media program needs time. The old-fashioned time that is measured on a calendar, not in staff hours. It needs months, quarters or even years.At today’s pace of business, time is a luxury few business initiatives are afforded.With daily reporting, weekly results reviews and quarterly budget evaluations,…

• B2B Lead Generation vs B2B Advertising: What You Need to Know

  Eric Wittlake

  3 May 2012 | 2:09 am

  Among paid media and advertising tactics, lead generation programs are a key source of leads for B2B marketers, especially in the enterprise technology space. Tell a B2B publisher that you are interested in lead generation and the majority will point to some form of white paper syndication program they offer.For the sake of this post, lead generation programs refer to publisher programs that promote your content and capture registration. These are contacts or inquiries, not sales leads, but in keeping with the terminology publishers use, we will refer to this as lead generation here.In…

• 10 Ways to Kickstart Your Inbound Marketing Program

  Eric Wittlake

  1 May 2012 | 4:00 am

  You are creating great content and your website delivers a great experience with a strong conversion rate. Your initial inbound marketing results are promising, but you need more.Inbound marketing represents a major investment for B2B marketers. Not only do you still need to create content to capture leads, nurture prospects and support sales, you need to create sharable and discoverable content also and then patiently wait before you see the return on this new investment.Traditional B2B marketers face a challenge. You have a proven marketing formula that includes investments in acquiring new…

• 

  One Spoon At A Time

• The YouTube Advertizer’s Playbook

  Paul Wolfe

  10 May 2012 | 4:15 pm

  YouTube just published the ‘YouTube Advertizer’s Playbook’ – which is a 120 page eBook that gives a broad overview of the process of generating traffic with videos and specifically YouTube. If you’ve already got the YouTube Creator’s Playbook, consider this book as a supplement to it. Although it’s much more of an overview than the [...]

• Content Marketing With Video Tip 15 – Leveraging Other People’s Videos Part 2

  Paul Wolfe

  1 May 2012 | 3:31 am

  In my opinion video is a must-have tool in the content marketing toolbox.  It’s not just my opinion though, check out this post from Pat Flynn: If I Had To Start Over…This Is What I’d Do Differently or this one from Marcus Sheridan (The Sales Lion): The Most Important Small Business Video Marketing Tip You’ll [...]

• The Hero In Question (On Video) – Guest Post by Jason Fonceca

  Paul Wolfe

  26 Apr 2012 | 11:31 am

  Paul’s Note – I’ve been sat on this guest post from Jason Fonceca for nearly two months now for many reasons.  Jason has been really cool about it and not hassled me (yet) – and I’ve finally made the time to get round and publish it! So – only six weeks later than I planned…..over [...]

• Content Marketing With Video Tip 14 – Leveraging Other People’s Videos Part 1

  Paul Wolfe

  23 Apr 2012 | 4:24 am

  If you are doing content marketing for your business (whether online or offline) video is becoming a crucial tool in your playbook.  If you’re lucky none of your competitors are using videos in their promotional strategies.  But if you do have competitors using video, you can leverage their videos in your content marketing!  This mini [...]

• Content Marketing With Video Tip 13 – The Call To Action Part 3

  Paul Wolfe

  17 Apr 2012 | 4:14 am

  Video can be a great tool in the content marketer’s toolbox.  And in the last two tips on Calls To Action we’ve looked at the importance of the Call To Action, where you should place it in your video, and three elements of an effective call to action. Now in a previous Content Marketing With [...]

• 

  Right Mix Marketing Blog

• The Truth About Pinterest Repinning Etiquette (Too Funny)

  Tom

  16 May 2012 | 1:44 pm

  As I mentioned in earlier posts, Pinterest can be extremely addictive. The platform has millions of hard-core pinners using the platform – adding to their collections, discovering new pins, and connecting with like-minded Pinterest users. I’ll admit that I’m one of them and I curate a popular “Pinterest Articles and Tips” board (as a collaborative effort), in addition to several other boards. One of the unique things about Pinterest is that it encourages “Repins”. You can take pins from other people’s Pinterest boards and add them to your own.

• Why I’m no longer monogamous with you, my dear (blog)

  Tom

  11 May 2012 | 12:50 pm

  I have a confession to make to you. My dear blog. I’ve been cheating on you. Yes, I’ve now written several guest posts on other blogs. I’ve even had writing relationships with Copyblogger, Problogger, Firepole Marketing, DeniseWakeman.com, Basic Blog Tips, Social Buzz Club and some others we can talk about another time.. Sorry.  I’m really sorry. But there’s more. I’ve started commenting on other blogs. I’ve even flirted with other blogs by sharing their content in Social Media. Yes, Facebook, Twitter, Google Plus and even Pinterest. I’m…

• Authors, Speakers and Thought Leader Wannabe’s: Build Your Platform BEFORE You Need It!

  Tom

  1 May 2012 | 5:11 pm

  If you’ve got plans to be an author, a speaker or a thought leader, listen up! You may be doing things backwards… LINEAR – The typical process 1) Build up expertise 2) Write a book or decide to begin speaking 3) Start to build an audience (your platform) PARALLEL PATH – A better process 1) Build up expertise 2) a) Start building your platform (as soon as you read this post) 2) b) Start writing your book or ramping up your speaking (in parallel to 2)a)) What’s a Platform? A platform is any mechanism by which you can regularly connect with an audience. It often…

• Three common Blogging #Fails and what to do about them

  Tom

  26 Apr 2012 | 7:24 pm

  I work with a lot of clients on their business blogs. I also read a lot of blog posts, do a fair share of writing myself, and regularly teach a blog writing workshop. What I’ve discovered in my time blogging is that there are some very common areas that people get wrong or just plain ignore. Sometimes this is intentional – they don’t want to be bothered about one aspect or another. In other cases, they may not be aware that they’re skimping in an important area. So, let’s talk about these three “Blogging #fails” (hashtag for emphasis!). 1) Visuals Too…

• The 8 Facebook Fan Page Design & Custom Tab Apps you’ve been looking for

  Tom

  26 Apr 2012 | 11:20 am

  Facebook is the Darling Facebook is the social media and soon-to-be stock market darling. While other social media platforms have gotten a lot of buzz, Facebook has captured serious attention from brands, marketers, app developers and investors because there’s a lot of money being made on the platform – and people expect this to continue. The platform requires some effort (and investment) Of course, Facebook requires work. Not only do companies need to develop and promote their Fan Pages, but Facebook’s ever-evolving technical specs require repeated attention and occasional…

• 

  BlueGlass

• Mastering Google Product Feeds and Product Listing Ads – Part 4

  Pamela Lund

  15 May 2012 | 2:27 pm

  In part one of this series we covered setting up Google product feeds. In part two we covered setting up Product Listing Ads in AdWords. In part three we covered properly tracking product search performance. In this post we will cover optimizing product feeds, product listing ads, and product extensions. Optimizing Product Search One of the great things about Google’s Product Listing Ads is that there is less to optimize than with traditional AdWords ads. You don’t have to choose specific keywords or even write ads; you just have to set up your feed properly, choose good images,…

• 6 Steps for Writing Content Your Audience Wants to Read

  Matthew Branson

  10 May 2012 | 12:58 pm

  Great content rests on a solid foundation, which includes writing style, research, and plenty of editing. The differences in sharability and engagement between normal content and the kind that explodes virally are huge, but the differences in how the content is created can be subtle. Is your content not receiving enough engagement or retaining an audience, despite brilliant ideas and promotions? Maybe your writing is to blame. How can you tailor your writing to improve engagement and keep your audience coming back? Below we’ll examine the elements that comprise the foundation of…

• The Right Way to Use Social Media for Outreach

  Kelsey Libert

  9 May 2012 | 8:00 am

  Social media cuts down walls and increases your ability to become a relationship-building all star. But, social media shouldn’t be used to actually send a pitch (and if you can send a pitch in 140 characters, more power to you!) or for one-time communication. Rather, social media should be used to help get your foot in the door and get to know a contact on a more personal level. From there, you can use social media to manage and maintain relationships with your outreach contacts. While there are now countless social networks to choose from, Twitter and LinkedIn remain two of the best…

• SEOpen House at BlueGlass

  Chris Winfield

  8 May 2012 | 1:35 am

  When you think of Tampa, chances are you don’t think “strong SEO community.” We want to change that.  It’s about time we rounded up the local online marketing talent for a great time, so we’ll be hosting our first SEOpen House at our Tampa office on May 30 from 6pm – 9 pm. In addition to the BlueGlass team, we’re opening our doors to the first 50 people to register. The only requirement? You have to be passionate about online marketing. And here’s the best part… it’s FREE to attend! Here’s the Plan Icebreaker…

• 13 Ways to Revive a Content Promotion Campaign

  Ryan Sammy

  2 May 2012 | 6:00 am

  Unfortunately, not every content promotion you attempt will go as well as you expected. The good news is most content promotion fails are salvageable if you can pinpoint what went wrong and then take the necessary steps. Ask yourself these questions to help determine how you can save your promotion: Did you start your promotion during a holiday week or was there a huge news event that day? Did you submit to the right social sites? Was your content factually accurate? Just because your content marketing campaign is struggling, you don’t need to give up and move on to something…

• 

  Content Marketing Blog

• Why Content Marketing is The Future of Marketing?

  Adarsh Thampy

  29 Apr 2012 | 12:03 pm

  “Content marketing is the only marketing left”- Seth Godin. Now, I know some of you might love Seth and some might hate him. I don’t really belong to the cult following Seth has, but most of his ideas makes sense. As a marketer, you need to be open to ideas. Listen to what others are saying and adapt what works well for your particular business or client. The problem is, what works and what doesn’t? There is no easy answer to this question. Unless you test it out, you’ll never know which works in your case. Coming back to our topic, I really do believe that the future of…

• How Not To Do Link Building For SEO?

  Adarsh Thampy

  19 Apr 2012 | 9:25 am

  If you are doing SEO, then link building is something which you cannot avoid. And, even if you are 100% whitehat, you must admit that in reality 100% whitehat SEO is possible only in an ideal world. Google says that any kind of link manipulation is not white hat. So let me ask you, which campaign can you run in SEO for increasing rankings without at least manipulating anchor texts? Now, the word “manipulation” maybe a bit too strong. But in general it refers to any activity you do to influence your search engine rankings. So in effect almost all SEO’s including the ones who tell…

• The 2 Skills That You Need To Become a Great Content Marketing Consultant

  Adarsh Thampy

  9 Apr 2012 | 4:30 am

  A lot of people go into the consultation business. I have been in the consultation business for the past 4+ years and I can very confidently say that it’s no walk in the park. I have consulted for small to medium businesses right from search engine optimization, web usability to content marketing strategies. Lately my focus is largely on content marketing and I want to share with you one very important aspect of being a content marketing/ inbound marketing consultant. The 2 skills you need to be a great content marketing consultant are Art of Convincing Ability to compromise  Yep, you need…

• How Law Firms Can Use Social Media To Gain More Business?

  Adarsh Thampy

  30 Mar 2012 | 6:59 am

  This is a guest post by Helen Laird. Law firms and solicitors often don’t use Social media, or if they do use it, they probably don’t make the most of it. According to an audit, released late last year by LexisNexis Martindale Hubbell, few law firms are actually making regular, meaningful use of their social media accounts. The reluctance to embrace Social media, when so many companies are doing so, could be down to various reasons: A perception that Social media means Twitter or Facebook and meaningless status updates about holidays or parties Concerns over ethics and confidentiality…

• Should Your Business Start Embracing Social Media?

  Adarsh Thampy

  25 Mar 2012 | 6:53 am

  For most businesses, social media is a fad. There are a lot of people who claim to be social media experts and constantly recommend that it’s high time businesses start getting on the social media bandwagon. If you don’t, it seems the competition is going to get ahead of you and soon you’ll be out of business. Funny as it may seem, most of the time these social media experts come very close to being right. Is Social Media A Fad? Social media is a fad, in a sense that there is no real way to immediately quantify the ROI when your business engages with social media. It does not mean…

• 

  The Integrated Marketing Blog from D Custom

• The “Dirty Work” of interactive video

  Jessica Fritsche

  15 May 2012 | 5:00 pm

  A new show called “Dirty Work” is capitalizing on the high number of viewers who watch shows while using their tablet or mobile devices. How? They’re making the devices part of the overall experience by letting users opt-in to additional content delivered while watching the show. The masterminds behind the show, Fourth Wall Studios, have done multiple creative, interactive marketing campaigns around Microsoft’s popular video game Halo, Steven Spielberg’s “The Beast,” and Nine Inch Nail’s “Year Zero,” giving participants a deeper connection with the content and making them…

• Mobile multitasking is a content opportunity

  Jessica Fritsche

  8 May 2012 | 11:49 am

  Mobile devices are becoming commonplace companions, especially in the living room. A recent Nielsen survey shows that tablet use while watching television is on the rise—47% of tablet users ages 13 and up visit a social networking site while watching a television program (and 45% are being social during commercials), while 27% look up information related to advertising during the program. A whopping 61% of users check their email while watching a program. If people aren’t willing to set their devices down and focus on just one thing at a time, what does that mean for content? Multitasking…

• We won a Telly!

  Jessica Fritsche

  7 May 2012 | 9:43 am

  We are pleased to announce that D Custom won a bronze Telly for our portfolio overview in a brand new category in the 2012 competition—use of animation in an online commercial. We are so proud of our team! Check out our winning video right here:

• Friday Five: Tim’s big win

  Jessica Fritsche

  4 May 2012 | 2:43 pm

  We have a little bit of our own exciting news to share—Tim Rogers, the editor of D Magazine (the eponymous publication of our parent company, D Magazine Partners), was presented with a coveted National Magazine Award last night for his piece on the hacker Anonymous. It’s one of the highest honors a writer can receive, and we’re very proud of him. It’s great to be associated with the art of winning content creation. Check out the article behind Tim’s win, plus news on LinkedIn’s purchase of SlideShare, Facebook Offers free for businesses, Citibank’s new branded LinkedIn group,…

• Smart(water) social video

  Jessica Fritsche

  3 May 2012 | 2:35 pm

  Videos are one of the hottest content commodities of 2012, and they’re gaining steam in content marketing strategies every day. But what about video makes it more than just a shiny new format? The social aspects of video take a passive audience and make them active—now instead of just consuming video, they can share it, talk about it, rate it, and more. Internet users have embraced it quickly; the social video user base has grown to 15 million users in only two years, with 8 out of 10 users forecast to watch social video frequently in 2012. A recent infographic from ViralTracker, an…

• 

  engage.synecoretech.com

• Social Mobile Consumers Want it All and They Want it Now

  Chris Horton

  15 May 2012 | 5:31 pm

  The shocking pace of US smartphone adaptation has quickened two prevailing social mobile trends: 1) a heightened demand for instant information, and 2) an increasing dependence on user-generated content (UGC) for consumer purchase decision. The first trend is highlighted in a recent study conducted between March and April 2012 by The Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, which found that the spread of internet-connected smartphones is changing people’s communications with others and their relationships with information. Specifically, smartphone users’…

• 1 Simple Tip to Pick the Right Social Media Channel for Your Business

  Chris Horton

  14 May 2012 | 3:28 pm

  In today’s hyper-paced business atmosphere, executives and marketers alike are often way too overwhelmed with day-to-day chaos to spend too much time pondering social media strategy. For those of you ready to hoist your laptop out the window, here’s a simple tip to help you pick the right social media channel without having to miss your son’s T-ball game: Don’t reinvent the wheel. More specifically, follow what other social media marketers are doing to find success, and emulate it. Social Media Explorer’s 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report is an…

• Google, Facebook and Mobile Flush Groupon Down the Toilet

  Chris Horton

  11 May 2012 | 5:27 pm

  Online daily deal provider Groupon, once the darling of Wall Street, has had its share of woes in recent months. Its stock is down over 50% from November's IPO price, thanks in part to a pending SEC investigation of the company’s Q4 2011 earnings restatement (actual net revenue was significantly lower when refunds to consumers for unused deals were factored in). In addition, merchants are beginning to pull back from Groupon, surveying their options in an increasingly crowded geo-local marketing landscape that includes the likes of Yelp, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Living Social and…

• Why Business Executives Fear Social Media Marketing

  Chris Horton

  10 May 2012 | 3:03 pm

  This post was born out of a fascinating and revealing conversation our CEO recently had with a business executive of a prominent Minneapolis-area car dealership who absolutely refused to entertain the idea of social media marketing in general, and Twitter in particular. A marketing director, she was convinced that her fairly expensive ad spend on a local radio station was all their brand needed to reach its target demographic, 18 to 45 year-old men. Incredulous, our fearless leader tried to explain that such a group was one of the sweet-spots for social media/Twitter marketing (in fact, 70%…

• 3 Trends Driving the Future of Online Commerce

  Chris Horton

  9 May 2012 | 9:23 am

  With the rise of social and mobile, more people are going online to purchase goods and services than ever before. Marketers and business owners should be thinking about three trends in particular that are shaping the future of online commerce: social sharing, live online chat, and mobile commerce. SOCIAL SHARING In today’s online marketplace, social sharing is having an increasingly profound effect on our purchase behavior. A recent study by Social Labs found that 62% of all online shoppers have read product-related comments from friends on Facebook; 75% of these shoppers have ended up…

• 

  Legal Internet Marketing Blog

• Is Advertising on Facebook Worth it for Your Business?

  16 May 2012 | 2:56 pm

  Social media marketing is a continually shifting field due to continual changes in demographics and policies from social media sites, which can make many businesses, including law firms, nervous about their current or future plans in these avenues. Over the last few months, many have become skeptical of whether or not promoting their business on Facebook is worth it. However, despite worries, advertising and marketing via Facebook is still valuable for your career as an attorney, you just have to find the right plan. Major Companies and Facebook Advertising On May 15, General Motors announced…

• Is Your Business Guilty of a "Flinchworthy" Social Media Presence?

  10 May 2012 | 1:16 pm

  Let’s get one thing straight before we jump in: Having a flinchworthy social media presence is absolutely not a good thing. It is true that infamy gets attention, but that does not necessarily lead to conversions. The trick is to have a praiseworthy social media presence. This takes a lot of work and does not happen overnight, but it is as much about not falling into flinchworthy territory as it is about focusing on best practices. If you find the line between praiseworthy and flinchworthy territory a bit blurry, these social media don’ts inspired by a Hubspot article, should help it…

• Who Says Web Designers Can't Have All the Fun? SLS Consulting is 2012 Website Winner of Two 18th Annual Communicator Awards

  8 May 2012 | 5:12 pm

  It is with great enthusiasm that SLS Consulting announces winning not one, but two 2012 Website Winner 18th Annual Communicator Awards: one for Excellence in the Corporate Communications category and one for Distinction in the Law and Legal Services category. The Communicator Awards is a leading international creative awards program that makes honoring creative distinction among professionals in the communication industry its priority. SLS Consulting has won the website design and development award for excellence for its work on and creation of the legal website for Nebraska personal injury…

• Social Sharing, Business Leads, and the Zero Moment of Truth

  30 Apr 2012 | 12:03 pm

  Convincing consumers to trust your company and its services takes time, effort, and a strong marketing strategy. However, the continual evolution of the Internet and the way that consumers view and research law firms online has radically altered the way that legal services are marketed to consumers. Consumers today often perform extensive research on lawyers and law firms before they ever make a call. This occurrence of trust in the online age has been called the “Zero Moment of Truth” by Google and has a direct impact on how attorneys market their services and how their sites are ranked…

• Law Firms and the Wonderful World of Tweets: How to Improve Your Interactions on Twitter

  19 Apr 2012 | 1:00 pm

  Of the many social media networks available, Twitter is extremely unique, allowing individuals, businesses, organizations, and media outlets of all kinds to express themselves and let their voice be heard in 140 characters or less. Twitter is ever-increasing in popularity and can certainly be a valuable marketing tool for all businesses, big or small. As a law firm, increasing your visibility on the Internet is vital in order to reach potential clients and make an impact on your colleagues, and as such, improving your interaction on this viable social networking platform is essential to…

• 

  Nischala’s Space, Thoughts, Expressions…

• The Indian Social Media Blogs I Follow…

  Nischala

  16 May 2012 | 5:09 am

  I’ve been in the blogosphere for several years now. However, I’ve not really followed the Indian Social Media blogs till a few months back. And today as I look back, a few Indian Social Media blogs stand out and have become my personal favorites: In this blog, I have listed the Indian Social Media Blogs I LOVE to read: BlogWorks @ http://blogworks.in/blog/ BY Rajesh Lalwani Digital Inspiration @ http://www.labnol.org/ BY Amit Aggarwal ARKarthick.com – Awesomeness @ http://arkarthick.com/ BY A K Karthick LightHouse Insights @ http://lighthouseinsights.in/ BY Prasant and Vinaya…

• The Mommy Blogs I LOVE to read!

  Nischala

  12 May 2012 | 6:08 pm

  On the occasion of Mother’s Day, I’m dedicating a post to all the Mommy blogs I love to read. And I know that there are zillions of them in the blogosphere.. But these are personal favorites.. These mommies write regularly These mommies write from the heart There mommies touch your heart! And every time I visit their blogs I learn, laugh, feel like someone understands me or come back wiser! Listing them below in random order: First Steps by Sree Empty House, Full Mind by Sharon Greenthal My Little World by Kalpana Because I said So by Dawn Meehan Dooce.com by Heather Armstrong ParentHacks…

• The 6 Must Haves for a Working Mother

  Nischala

  10 May 2012 | 11:09 pm

  The decision to get back to work after becoming a mother is a personal choice. For some women, the decision if out of free-will, to some out of necessity, to some due to lack of choice and to some out of choice. What I’ve realized based on my own personal experiences and interactions with other mothers are that most working mothers do go through phases in their life when they need to strive extra-hard just to find a balance between their personal and professional priorities. And what clearly sets apart those who somehow manage to make it all work are: 1) Desire to Work This tops the list.

• Nischala’s Blog-o-Rendezvous with Dr. SMITHA RADHAKRISHNAN

  Nischala

  7 May 2012 | 11:09 pm

  About Smitha Dr. Smitha Radhakrishnan is a sociologist, and dancer, and a mom. Her professional work in and out of the classroom focuses on questions of gender, globalization, nationalism and development. Her newly published book, Appropriately Indian: Gender and Culture in a New Transnational Class (Duke University Press, 2011) examines the culture of Indian IT professionals in urban India, Silicon Valley, and South Africa. She is currently in India conducting research for a new project on educational programs aimed at microfinance borrowers. In her previous research, Smitha has studied…

• 22 Ways to Create Compelling Content

  Nischala

  3 May 2012 | 11:09 pm

  Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.

• 

  OpenView Blog » Kevin Cain

• 4 Reasons Why Your Company Needs a Content Factory

  Kevin Cain

  15 May 2012 | 7:52 am

  If I asked you to close your eyes and imagine a content factory, what would you envision? Most of us associate factories with images of busy assembly lines filled with high-tech machinery. We might think about the people, parts, and processes that it takes to create a product like the laptop I’m writing this article on or the smart phone you might be using to read it. Put the word content in front of factory, however, and people often get a little confused. It’s not that they don’t understand what one is (a little explanation goes a long way), but rather that they can’t always…

• Content Marketing Lessons I Learned By Not Reading Fifty Shades of Grey

  Kevin Cain

  8 May 2012 | 4:18 pm

  Image Provided by Vintage Books I recently read The Elements of Content Strategy by Erin Kissane, a useful guide for anyone interested in learning some content marketing lessons or simply how to create good content. No sooner had I finished then I came across a clever Saturday Night Live spoof about a far more successful book that’s apparently taken the world by storm. I’m talking about E. L. James’ wildly popular Fifty Shades of Grey, a novel that has been widely criticized as being little more than “mommy porn” and yet is a New York Times bestseller that has captivated the…

• Agile Development Practices: How Anyone Can Boost Productivity With Scrum

  Kevin Cain

  30 Apr 2012 | 11:23 am

  Ever heard of Scrum…or even agile development practices for that matter? If you’re a content marketing professional like me, a doctor or a firefighter, a teacher or an accountant, the answer is probably no. That’s because scrum isn’t a word you’re going to hear at cocktail parties (not fun ones anyway) unless you’re a software engineer or a rugby player. And, while I wouldn’t suggest dropping the scrum-bomb in casual conversation, this is one five-letter word you should not only add to your vocabulary, but also incorporate into your work. Very simply put, scrum is a series…

• Kick-ass Content: Simple Tips for Writing a Press Release

  Kevin Cain

  23 Apr 2012 | 7:33 pm

  Did you know that every month more than a million people turn to Google to find out what a press release is? I’m guessing if you’re reading my content marketing blog, you’re not among them. Still, knowing what they are and knowing how to write them are two different things. That’s why this week, I’m continuing my kick-ass content series (see my past posts on case studies, reports, and business blogs), by sharing my tips for writing a press release. A press release (a.k.a. a news or media release) is an important promotional tool and a fundamental component of any content marketing…

• Going the Distance: Content Marketing Lessons from the Boston Marathon

  Kevin Cain

  16 Apr 2012 | 10:41 am

  image provided by: Stew Milne / AP Photo The Boston Marathon is the oldest, and arguably the most celebrated, annual marathon in the world. Its grueling 26.2-mile route from Hopkinton to Boston’s Back Bay attracts more than 20,000 runners each year and literally hundreds of thousands of spectators. Whether you’re running in the race today or on the sidelines like I am, the 116th Boston Marathon can be used as an analogy for some valuable lessons. Applied correctly, they will help you to be successful in content marketing, business, and life in general. Lesson 1: Preparation Matters…

• 

  Content Equals Money

• Let’s Get Emotional: Conversion Writing and the Client’s Heartstrings

  Laura

  16 May 2012 | 12:13 pm

  One of the most beautiful things about writing in general is how it has been used over the centuries to express human desires and emotion.  “What light through yonder window breaks?” asked Shakespeare.“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”  Francis Scott Key encapsulated the soul of America by calling it the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Sun Tzu taught us about war through the movement of poetry. The writing that most of us remember has pulled at our heartstrings in one way or another.  Shakespeare made us swoon, Francis Scott Key made us patriotic (assuming…

• Write To Your Leads, Not To Your Co-Workers

  Andrew

  16 May 2012 | 9:05 am

  Today I’d like to go over optimizing your long-term content marketing and web crawler engagement strategies, resulting in building satisfactory conversion writing ratios by taking advantage of search optimization strategies, statistically optimized keyword management and landing page behavior research. Wait, what? Wouldn’t it have been easier if I just said “I want to help you make your blog better?” Sometimes we don’t realize when we’re speaking a different language to others because we’re so used to the terminology and conventions of our field. It’s easy for a business…

• Lessons From a Content Marketing Powerhouse: Intuit

  Renee

  16 May 2012 | 5:17 am

  You’re probably familiar with Intuit as a company that provides excellent solutions for your personal finance, small business, and tax software needs. But the real question here is whether or not you’re familiar with Intuit as a company who leads by example when it comes to great content marketing. If you’re looking for some ideas for your content strategy, pay close attention. Intuit is knocking it out of the park. Web site My first stop was Intuit’s web site where I expected to get a little bit of background info and find some links that would direct me to social…

• There’s No Crying in….Small Business

  Amie

  15 May 2012 | 2:30 pm

  Image credit: A League of Their Own: Louis Goldman I absolutely *heart* Tom Hanks. And who didn’t adore that movie! One of those rare ensemble casts that were so balanced you forgot that Madonna, Rosie O’Donnell and others were in it. Instead, it was just a pure masterpiece. Of course, this is about A League of Their Own. This movie holds a special place in my heart for a lot of reasons. In 1991 when the movie was being filmed my parents were freshly divorced and I was shipped off to spend the summer with relatives in Southern Indiana. Many parts of the movie were filmed in the…

• Compelling Copy: Be Unique, but Don’t Get Crazy

  Laura

  15 May 2012 | 12:13 pm

  At Content Equals Money, we’re absolutely concerned with the business of blogging for business.  Conversion writing is our game, and money’s in the name.  It’s important to not only fill your website and social media with informative and engaging copy, it’s important that the copy helps your bottom line! To this end, we’re wizards at making this happen.  Of course, you can’t wave your magic wand and put the right words in the right places to get the customer to open their wallet; if you could, no doubt that companies would be putting up ads for…

• 

  Velocity Partners

• B2B Marketing Masters: B2B social media for better or worse

  Ryan Skinner

  16 May 2012 | 7:05 am

  Listen in to some surprising thoughts on services like Klout and LinkedIn, in this social media segment of the B2B Marketing Masters video interview with John Watton. Social media has washed over the B2B world in a way reminiscent of Ghandi’s quote: “First they ignore you, then they ridicule you, then they fight you, and then you win.” Social media has more or less won in B2B, but people are still scratching their heads: “Now what?” In this interview, John Watton shares his rich experience implementing social media tactics in marketing efforts – what seems…

• Buyer personas in B2B content marketing: a round-up of resources

  Doug Kessler

  15 May 2012 | 8:54 am

  It took us a while to come around to calling target audiences ‘buyer personas’ but we’ve grudgingly stepped on to the jargon train. After all, a buyer persona is much more than a simple target audience description — done right, each one should be a rich profile that captures the most important dimensions of a given target audience sector. The result is a powerful guide for writers, designers and content strategists. As a writer, I rely on a clear buyer persona to give me a specific image of the person I’m writing for. And building a buyer persona development…

• How to use Prezi for B2B content marketing

  Doug Kessler

  14 May 2012 | 11:35 am

  Prezi is the cloud-based presentation software that’s like Powerpoint on LSD. Its ‘zoomable user interface’ (ZUI?) with swoopy transitions and infinite drill-downs make it a sexy alternative to boring old slides. Why should you put Prezi in your B2B content marketing toolbox? Here’s why: • It’s great for telling linear stories – allowing you to take the viewer by the hand and lead them through your tale. • It’s still got novelty appeal – not many people use it so it’s a fresh way to engage an audience. • It’s pretty rich – you can…

• B2B Marketing Masters: How do you make content stand out in a busy market? [VIDEO]

  Ryan Skinner

  10 May 2012 | 5:38 am

  Perhaps the richest vein of juicy sound clips from the B2B Masters interview with John Watton came in this segment on content. When John Watton of Expedia Affiliate Network and Stan get on the topic of content (and what makes the difference between forgettable content and memorable content), opinions really start to fly. And why? Because it’s clearly something they care about, and something that matters. Amongst the little gems from the chat: The world is littered with B2B data sheets and white papers that are just so dull…Marketers need to remember that humans are going to read…

• How to build a B2B content marketing team

  Doug Kessler

  9 May 2012 | 6:57 am

    The perfect B2B Content Marketing Team Great B2B content marketing is teamwork. But it’s rare to have all the necessary talents in one person, so you need to put together a multi-disciplinary project team. The team may stay together for the long haul (which would be great) or assemble, disperse and reassemble for each new project or piece like Arnie Schwarzenegger in The Terminator (and every other movie he’s done). But to make your content marketing initiatives a success, somebody needs to be wearing these hats. The roles may not each live in a dedicated body — they…

• 

  Video Maker Tips

• How to Make a Video

  GoAnimate

  16 May 2012 | 2:55 am

  So you want to make a video.  That’s great!  Video is huge these days and with GoAnimate, video making is easier than ever.  Let’s take a look at how it works! Tutorial: Quick Video Maker Quick Video Makers are perfect for getting started quickly. Choose a background, choose some characters, type or record your dialogue and press play.  GoAnimate will automatically generates an awesome video for you. Here is work it works. Tutorial: Full Video Maker Full Video Makers give you total creative control with simple drag & drop tools. You sit in the director’s chair and…

• How To Use AdWords For Video

  GoAnimate

  15 May 2012 | 1:21 pm

  Google advertising has long been an effective option for small- to medium-sized businesses that want campaigns targeted at an audience demographic at a low cost. AdWords for video, the latest addition to Google’s advertising suite, takes advantage of the fastest growing marketing tool — video. AdWords for video enables you to precisely target your audience, and you only pay when viewers choose to watch your video. To get started, make sure you have a video advertisement already uploaded to YouTube. If you don’t, here are some handy instructions on how to make a great…

• What is GoAnimate?

  GoAnimate

  10 May 2012 | 12:44 pm

  Transcript This video is also available on our YouTube channel – How To Make An Animated Video. You want to make a video, that’s great. Video is huge these days. You’re jazzing up the content on your website, indulging your inner movie director, or sending a sonnet to someone you love. It’s all good, at first, until you realize you don’t have camera or know any actors, let alone anyone who would work for free. You’re kind of busy and money sure isn’t a strong suit. You also just don’t know how. You’re reaching for the stars but…

• 6 Ways to Make Your Sales Videos Sexy

  GoAnimate

  7 May 2012 | 2:07 pm

  Let’s face it, people hate when they are being sold something. For example, what happens when you’re browsing the web and start watching a video that not only fails to engage you, but screams “aggressive salesman!” at you? You click the back button or close out the window (whichever gets you away quicker). But what happens when you stumble upon a video that rivets you, is alluring, engaging … seductive even? You stay and watch to the end. You might even watch it again or forward it to your friends or social network. If you’re a business, you should know…

• Quick Video Maker Tutorial

  GoAnimate

  7 May 2012 | 12:26 pm

    Transcript Hi. This is Nicolas, and welcome to this video tutorial about GoAnimate’s Quick Video Makers. In this tutorial, we will go through the video creation process in our Quick Video Makers and detail the different elements composing the interface. I’ll use the Space Odyssey Quick Video Maker to demonstrate how it works. Simply click on Make a Short Video to get started. In our Quick Video Makers, the whole creation process happens on one screen in a succession of steps. The first step gives you an overview of the specific Quick Video Maker you selected. Click Next.