Marketing

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  • Squatters Seize, Control Brand Names On Pinterest

    MarketingVox News & Trends
    16 May 2012 | 9:48 am
    Pinterest squatters are snatching up brand identities, the way that cybersquatters grabbed names like Madonna.com and Lufthansa.com. Whether or not a major brand has any interest in Pinterest, it behooves them to protect their identities with a Pinterest usernames. Pinterest is the social image bookmarking site that lets users "pin" their favorite images from around [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/E7UjszEDxOw" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Google Updates/Re-Launches "Our Mobile Planet" Consumer Data Source

    MarketingVox News & Trends
    16 May 2012 | 10:46 am
    Google yesterday, along with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), announced an update/relaunch of "Our Mobile Planet," the mobile consumer data resource that provides free access to powerful data across 40 countries in 22 languages. "Understanding the mobile consumer is absolutely critical for marketers, and 'Our Mobile Planet puts an invaluable resource in their hands," said [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/txstWXm5fuI" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Our Brains Make Facebook Worth $90 Billion

    Neuromarketing
    Roger Dooley
    10 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    Those of us involved in social media know that people love to talk about themselves. They seemingly enjoy sharing the trivial, the personal, and occasionally the weird, details of their lives. Sometimes they overshare – as a longtime online community builder, I’ve found that “poster’s remorse” is common – people post something too personal and [...]   CommentsThis reminds me of Dale Carnegie's principles, and the number ... by SamuelI've always been curious as to why people answer questions at ... by JamesNoting though that all individuals are a…

  • Colsubsidio Book Exchange

    advertising/design goodness - advertising and design blog
    Freddy
    11 Apr 2012 | 4:32 am
    “Come with a story and leave with another.” Agency: Lowe/SSP3, Bogota, Colombia Creative Chairman: Jose Miguel Sokoloff Creative Director: Gustavo Marioni, Carlos Camacho Art Director: Andres Lancheros, Guillermo Siachoque, Sebastian Pelaez Copywriter: Mario Lagos

  • Branding 101 – What is a Logo?

    The Instar Group
    admin
    7 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    In our previous Branding 101 posts, we discussed the Brand Name and the Brand Tagline. In this post, we’ll discuss the third and final piece in building your corporate identity, the brand’s Logo. A brand’s name is what the company or product is called. The tagline is a phrase or statement that says a little more about the brand than what the name can. The logo is the visual representation of these two and brings them all together. There are 3 primary types of logos. 1. Text Only – A logo can be visually represented simply as text. This can be done with a readily…
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    MarketingVox News & Trends

  • Google Updates/Re-Launches "Our Mobile Planet" Consumer Data Source

    16 May 2012 | 10:46 am
    Google yesterday, along with the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA), announced an update/relaunch of "Our Mobile Planet," the mobile consumer data resource that provides free access to powerful data across 40 countries in 22 languages. "Understanding the mobile consumer is absolutely critical for marketers, and 'Our Mobile Planet puts an invaluable resource in their hands," said [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/txstWXm5fuI" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Freemium Creates "Happy To Pay" Customers for Video, Radio, Services

    16 May 2012 | 10:29 am
    Pandora lets you try it out. So does Audible.com for audiobooks, Norton for security, the New York Times with its 10 articles per month paywall. This is "freemium," aimed at tempting paid subscribers with free content, and it works. A new study conducted by iYogi Insights, the research division of the on-demand remote tech support [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/U614NguT9tc" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Squatters Seize, Control Brand Names On Pinterest

    16 May 2012 | 9:48 am
    Pinterest squatters are snatching up brand identities, the way that cybersquatters grabbed names like Madonna.com and Lufthansa.com. Whether or not a major brand has any interest in Pinterest, it behooves them to protect their identities with a Pinterest usernames. Pinterest is the social image bookmarking site that lets users "pin" their favorite images from around [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/E7UjszEDxOw" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Top News: GM Quits Facebook | Agencies After Accenture, Deloitte | Ebook Suit Forward | Mobile Shoppers Like Text

    16 May 2012 | 9:10 am
    Ad Technology: What the Evolution of Marketing Automation Looks Like [Infographic] Agency News: Agencies Going After Accenture, Deloitte IT Business Strategies: Demand for digital marketing freelancers soars: trends Campaigns of Note: AAMCO Launches 50th Anniversary Campaign Demographics: Study: Not All Digital Moms Are Created Equal Ebooks: Judge Allows Class-Action Lawsuit on E-Book Pricing to Go Ahead Mobile Computing: Mobile Phone Shoppers Show Growing Preference for Text [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/hpJwzBY4Ycs" height="1"…
 
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    Neuromarketing

  • Finally: 2012 Super Bowl Ad Neuro-Rankings

    Roger Dooley
    15 May 2012 | 10:04 am
    Every year, we look forward to how the Super Bowl ads stacked up from a neuromarketing standpoint, courtesy of Sands Research. It’s taken a little longer this year, but the results are in! Pepsi Dominates One company, Pepsi, swept the top two spots this year. Their “Kings Court” and “Pepsi Max Checkout” ranked #1 and [...]   CommentsWhich one is the “Brotherhood of Man” ad? I thought that ... by RezwanThe precision of determining an actual emotion (vs. magnitude ... by Roger DooleyI wonder if they have the ability to differentiate between ... by A.

  • Our Brains Make Facebook Worth $90 Billion

    Roger Dooley
    10 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    Those of us involved in social media know that people love to talk about themselves. They seemingly enjoy sharing the trivial, the personal, and occasionally the weird, details of their lives. Sometimes they overshare – as a longtime online community builder, I’ve found that “poster’s remorse” is common – people post something too personal and [...]   CommentsThis reminds me of Dale Carnegie's principles, and the number ... by SamuelI've always been curious as to why people answer questions at ... by JamesNoting though that all individuals are a…

  • Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?”

    Roger Dooley
    9 May 2012 | 6:38 am
    Do web searchers pay attention to the domain where the link in the search results leads them? A few years ago, I would have said “no.” For years, I’ve operated or advised websites that ranked at or near the top for various brand names, and found many users assumed the site WAS that brand. Even [...]   Comments[...] in No TimeBuild Trust With Your Domain NameThis week, one ... by Red Paper Clip » Build Trust With Your Domain Name » Red Paper Clip[...] on http://www.neurosciencemarketing.com Share ... by Does Your Domain Say “Trust Me?” « Things I grab,…

  • When Encouragement Can Hurt Your Child

    Roger Dooley
    2 May 2012 | 6:54 am
    Here’s another rare foray into neuro-parenting. In How to Praise Your Child, I described research that showed telling your child he/she is smart could actually backfire and have negative effects on performance. It turns out there’s another kind of encouragement that can hurt performance rather than improve it. Group vs. Individual New research published in [...]   CommentsI agree. I believe praising the effort is the better thing to ... by frivWhat's really going in a situation like this? Could telling a ... by SamuelI have found comparing a child's progress to other groups…

  • Neuromarketing Proof? UCLA Brain Scans Predict Ad Success

    Roger Dooley
    27 Apr 2012 | 6:55 am
    For years neuromarketing firms have been selling their services to help advertisers optimize TV commercials, product packaging, and other media. While these companies all claim success in helping their clients boost sales, there’s been little in the way of published academic research that demonstrates measuring consumer brain activity can reliably predict subsequent behavior. A new [...]   CommentsAmazing how little we really know about how our brains work. I ... by Samuel[...] [3] ... by Open science « Isabellemitchell's BlogRoger, exactly my point: It all depends on the…
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    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…
 
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    Culture-Buzz

  • 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,…
 
 
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    AdPulp

  • THE INTERNET HAS A REPUTATION PROBLEM

    David Burn
    15 May 2012 | 5:49 pm
    We’re both in the brand identity game. So, let’s put our heads together on this. The Internet needs an identity refresh. Please understand that this is #probono work, since there is no real client and no one to bill. We all own the Internet, right? It’s a community garden and thus our undertaking to improve it is a just cause. Plus, our investment of free labor in the future of the Internet’s brand will be noted by a Wikipedia editor. I won’t bore you by presenting the brief for the reinvented Internet brand, but I know you need a strategy statement of some kind.

  • 10 Easy Steps You Can Take Today To Achieve Social Media Stardom And Make Buckets of Money

    David Burn
    12 May 2012 | 5:36 pm
    If you’ve been paying attention these past few years, you know by now that the world is most definitely your oyster. Thanks to the game changing power of the Internet, you can disrupt markets, wear a sarong to work and never answer to a clueless boss again. Sure, it may sound too good to be true. But trust me when I say that doubt will get you nowhere. On the other hand, the more you believe in yourself, the more others will believe in you. So without further ado, here are TEN THINGS YOU MUST DO TODAY to UNLEASH THE POWER OF YOUR NETWORK and INSURE YOUR LONG TERM PROSPERITY… 10. Put…

  • When You Replace Bad Habits, You Make Room For Better Ones

    David Burn
    11 May 2012 | 11:59 am
    My recent post where I discussed kicking my blogging habit lacked clarity. Ergo, I’ve got some explaining to do. I thought this line from the post would carry weight: “By blogging I refer to the light- to medium-weight updates that often refer to a primary source.” But it didn’t. I also thought this line would also make things clear: “To be clear, I’m not walking away from AdPulp, I’m changing my daily routine.” But it didn’t. If I simply followed the example set by other well read bloggers, I would have written a post titled, “Blogging Is…

  • I Like Your Jacket. And I “Like” Your Jacket.

    Dan Goldgeier
    9 May 2012 | 11:19 am
    Here’s an interesting use of Facebook in the retail space. A Brazilian retailer lets you see exactly how many people “like” a particular item of clothing. According to Springwise, C&A’s new “Fashion Like” initiative uses special hooks on the racks in its bricks-and-mortar store to display Facebook “likes” in real time, giving in-store shoppers a clear indication of each item’s online popularity. Now, here’s my question to all you AdPulp fashion lovers: If many people like a piece of clothing, would you be more inclined or less inclined to…

  • Next Week In Portland, Share Your Vision For The Web

    David Burn
    9 May 2012 | 11:01 am
    WebVisions is on next week in Portland. I know you’re busy making commercials and stuff, but why not push back from the machine for a day or two? Entering its 12th year, the conference kicks off with studio tours, parties and networking events on Tuesday, followed by one day of workshops and two full day of sessions, panels and keynotes. This year’s keynotes will be delivered by Baratunde Thurston of The Onion, the authors of Make It So, Nathan Shedroff and Chris Noessel, and Laura Fitton of Hub Spot. Some of the other presentations that I will likely want to cover include:…
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    Social Media Darwinism

  • 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…

  • Changes in B2B Marketing — Mad Marketing TV Ep 13

    Paul Dunay
    29 Feb 2012 | 9:00 am
    Join guest host Jeff Ogden and special guest Paul Dunay, CMO of Networked Insights and author of Facebook Marketing for Dummies, as they discuss: Recent changes in B2B marketing Influencer strategies and why they’re important Facebook’s IPO and what it means for marketers New social media tools for B2B marketers Social data and what it means to B2B marketers Join Jeff and Paul as they discuss how Paul has made the shift from working within a large company doing B2B marketing, to thriving in a start up environment where he’s focusing on social, amongst other things. Paul delves into the…
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    JasonKeath.com

  • Is it possible to remove hatred from politics?

    Jason Keath
    10 May 2012 | 9:36 am
    “Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” — Winston Churchill You may or may not know that I am against the amendment to ban gay marriage in the state of North Carolina, my home state. But I am also against the ugliness, insults and divisiveness that originates from both sides of issues like these. It is misplaced passion and unchecked anger. Neither of which do well to solve America’s deep bench of problems. I have fallen victim to this misplaced passion and…

  • Every Person Has A Story, Epic Chick-fil-a Video

    Jason Keath
    13 Apr 2012 | 11:40 am

  • Who uses the word “chalice”?

    Jason Keath
    12 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am

  • Forget the Easy Button, TNT Creates An ‘Add Live Action Drama Button’

    Jason Keath
    11 Apr 2012 | 3:01 pm

  • A 9 year old boy who built an elaborate cardboard arcade

    Jason Keath
    10 Apr 2012 | 9:22 am
    UPDATE: Caine’s Scholarship fund has already raised $111,000. His original goal was set at $25,000. A 9 year old boy who built an elaborate cardboard arcade in his dad’s used auto parts store is about to have the best day of his life. Give this kid a woodshop class and watch out. Help Caine’s Scholarship Fund: CainesArcade.com Caines Arcade – YouTube. Hat tip @simonjcole
 
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    I Believe in Advertising | ONLY SELECTED ADVERTISING | Advertising Blog & Community

  • The Village Newspaper: Parking Douche

    Filippo
    16 May 2012 | 10:51 am
    Parking Douche: a way to stop wrong parking in your area through geo-location, IP targeting and FB shares “Douche parking” is a huge problem in cities in Russia. Online city newspaper The Village (www.the-village.ru) has decided to stop it using digital media. The Village has created a free app that allows to take pictures of wrongly parked cars, recognize car number plates, the car model and color. The data is streamed live to banner ads that are targeted through IP addresses to locations where these cars were parked. These banners appear as pop-ups on web-sites, interrupting you while…

  • PMU: Millionnaires’ Renovations

    Filippo
    16 May 2012 | 10:48 am
    Advertising Agency: Publicis Conseil, Paris, France Chief Creative Officer: Olivier Altmann Art Director: Benoit Blumberger Copywriter: Bangaly Fofana

  • Volkswagen Touareg: Clean 4×4

    Filippo
    16 May 2012 | 9:44 am
    “Touareg. Looks you’ll want to look after.” Advertising Agency: DDB, London, United Kingdom Executive Creative Director: Jeremy Craigen Creative Director: Jeremy Craigen Art Director: Nikki Lindman, Toby Brewer Copywriter: Nikki Lindman, Toby Brewer Designer: Pete Mould Typographer: Pete Mould Photographer: Sue Parkhill Art Buyer: Daniel Moorey Client Marketing Director: Rod McLeod Client Account Director: Agency Board Account Director: Paul Billingsley Agency Account Director: Jaimie Jennings Planner: Clare Dowen Marketing Manager: Silke Anderson

  • Citroën: Deejay Range

    Filippo
    16 May 2012 | 9:44 am
    Advertising Agency: Euro RSCG, Milan, Italy Creative Director: Erick Loi, Dario Villa Art Director: Erick Loi Copywriter: Dario Villa Director: Danxzen (Daniele Zennaro) Dop: Max Gatti Production Company: K48

  • Azonzo Travel: Australia Map, Cuba Map

    Filippo
    16 May 2012 | 4:41 am
    “From tourist to traveller.” Advertising Agency: Young & Rubicam, Milan, Italy Executive Creative Director: Vicky Gitto Deputy Creative Director: Cristian Comand Art Director: Cristian Comand Copywriter: Matteo Lazzarini Illustrators: Stefano Torresani, Cristian Comand Post production: Post Atomic Client Service Director: Francesca Baroni
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    advertising/design goodness - advertising and design blog

  • CJFE

    Freddy
    8 May 2012 | 8:45 am
    Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Agency: Juniper Park, Toronto, Canada Executive Creative Directors: Alan Madill, Terry Drummond, Barry Quinn Art Director: Mike Schonberger Copywriter: Matt Hubbard Print Producers: Mark Prole, Toby Sime Illustrators: Ryan Teixeira, Nabil Elsaddi, Mike Schonberger

  • MASP Art School

    Freddy
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:31 am
    Agency: DDB, Brazil Creative Directors: Sergio Valente, Marco Versolato, Wilson Mateos, Luciano Lincoln Art Director: Leonardo Rotundo Copywriter: Fred Sekkel Illustrators: Marcos Falcão, 6B Estúdio Photographer: Ricardo Barcellos

  • Claro

    Freddy
    24 Apr 2012 | 4:54 am
    “One letter is all it takes. Don’t text and drive” Agency: Ogilvy, Sao Paulo, Brazil Chief Creative Officer: Anselmo Ramos Creative Directors: Claudio Lima, Andre Kirkelis Copywriter: Hugo Veiga Art Director: Diego Machado Illustrators: Diego Machado, Fullframe Filmes

  • Colsubsidio Book Exchange

    Freddy
    11 Apr 2012 | 4:32 am
    “Come with a story and leave with another.” Agency: Lowe/SSP3, Bogota, Colombia Creative Chairman: Jose Miguel Sokoloff Creative Director: Gustavo Marioni, Carlos Camacho Art Director: Andres Lancheros, Guillermo Siachoque, Sebastian Pelaez Copywriter: Mario Lagos

  • McDonalds Billboard

    Freddy
    10 Apr 2012 | 5:43 am
    Agency: Cossette Vancouver Creative Director: Rob Sweetman, Bryan Collins Art Director: Addie Gillespie, Mia Thomsett Copywriter: Addie Gillespie, Mia Thomsett Producer: April Haffenden
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    Bill Taylor on HarvardBusiness.org

  • Your Company's "Obituary" Can Shape Its Future

    Bill Taylor
    15 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
    If you've spent any amount of time in executive retreats or leadership off-sites, you've probably been asked to participate in a familiar evaluation of your career and impact. "Take twenty minutes," a facilitator will say, "and write your professional obituary. What legacy did you leave? What contribution did you make? What might colleagues remember about you?" At one level, it's a strange (and slightly morbid) exercise. At another level, it serves a worthwhile purpose — encouraging leaders to see themselves the way their colleagues see them, to evaluate their long-term impact from the…

  • To Win Big, It Helps to Be a Little "Nuts"

    Bill Taylor
    18 Apr 2012 | 1:33 pm
    Here's a simple question for all you students of business success and stock-market returns: What has been the best-performing stock in the United States since the "Black Monday" crash of 1987? If you said Apple or Microsoft or Walmart or Berkshire Hathaway, you'd get credit for a reasonable answer. But you'd be wrong. The best-performing stock in the United States over the last 25 years is a company that most of you, I'd be willing to guess, have never heard of — a company called Fastenal, based in the quiet town of Winona, Minnesota (population: 28,000), located on the banks of the…

  • It's Not What You Sell, It's What You Believe

    Bill Taylor
    4 Apr 2012 | 8:14 am
    Adam Lashinsky's new book Inside Apple offers lots of intriguing material about Steve Jobs and the strategic choices, design principles, and business tactics that created the most valuable company on earth. But for all of Lashinsky's behind-the-scenes material about Apple's legendary leader, it was a public story about Apple's new leader, CEO Tim Cook, that captured my attention — and offered a powerful insight for leaders everywhere looking to create value in their organizations. The story goes back to January 21, 2009, during Cook's inaugural conference call with investors after Jobs…

  • On Valentine's Day, an Ode to Leadership and Love

    Bill Taylor
    14 Feb 2012 | 8:18 am
    Here it is Valentine's Day, nine days after my beloved New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI, and there are two things about the game I still can't shake. One is my general sense of euphoria, especially since I made the case in a pretty high-profile forum for why "Eli Manning Is a Better Leader than Tom Brady." That was two days before Super Bowl Sunday — phew! The second thing that sticks with me is the speech that Tom Coughlin, the gruff disciplinarian who coaches the Giants, made the night before the game. It was an unapologetically emotional…

  • Are You Learning as Fast as the World Is Changing?

    Bill Taylor
    26 Jan 2012 | 11:00 am
    Tom Kelly, general manager of IDEO, the world-renowned design firm, likes to quote French novelist Marcel Proust, who famously said, "The real act of discovery consists not in finding new lands but in seeing with new eyes." What goes for novelists goes for leaders searching to craft a novel strategy for their company, a new product for their customers, or a better way to organize their employees. In a world that never stops changing, great leaders never stop learning. Today, the challenge for leaders at every level is no longer just to out-hustle, out-muscle, and out-maneuver the competition.
 
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    12 Most

  • 12 Most Entertaining Sports Personalities By Brian Vickery

    Brian Vickery
    16 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    By Brian Vickery I love sports, and I appreciate when personalities sometimes transcend the sport. Here are 12 personalities that I’ve enjoyed over the years. 1. Lou Piniella (honorable mention to Billy Martin) I spent four years in Seattle, so I got to experience a little of Lou Piniella firsthand. This former player and baseball [...]

  • 12 Most Caliente Wines from South America By Eileen Gross

    Eileen Gross
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    By Eileen Gross     Caliente: translation ‘hot’; as in hot-sellers. Thanks to the popularity and our current love affair with Malbec it has opened us up to other tremendous wine values from South America. Here is a list of some wines I’ve tried with budget friendly pricing! 1. Catena Malbec Argentina | $15 Found on many [...]

  • 12 Most Unfortunate Reasons Your Blog Doesn’t Get Link Love By Stan Faryna

    Stan Faryna
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    By Stan Faryna Every blogger needs link love, even the A-listers. Your relevance in search results depends on it. So does your relevance in your blogging circles. How else are people going to notice you? Beyond Triberr and paid advertising, the best way to get your blog noticed is to be curated or mentioned by others. [...]

  • 12 Most Beautiful and Useful Social Media Infographics By Anita Hovey

    Anita Hovey
    15 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    By Anita Hovey One of the most useful trends of the past year is the growth of the infograph: a graphic visual representation of information, data or knowledge (Wikipedia). A well planned infograph can pack a whollop of information into an easily digestible format. The best ones are not only informative, but creative works of [...]

  • 12 Most Must-Have Free Online Productivity Tools for Small Business By Doug Rice

    Doug Rice
    15 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    By Doug Rice The world of web 2.0 has opened up the floodgates of resources for small business people. The playing field has truly been leveled. It used to be that larger businesses had the upper hand, because they could afford to shell out money for expensive customer relations, project management, knowledge development, and data [...]
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    Scott Anthony

  • The Secrets to Clay Christensen's Success

    Scott Anthony
    15 May 2012 | 10:28 am
    This week marks the release of Clayton Christensen's highly-anticipated book, How Will You Measure Your Life (with co-authors James Allworth and Karen Dillon). The book expands on Christensen's McKinsey-award-winning HBR article, drawing life lessons from the models that form the basis of his business-oriented writing. I first heard the germs of those ideas in late 2000. At the time I was one of Christensen's students at HBS. Like all professors, Christensen used his final class lecture to share broader observations and reflections. The speech resonated with me, so while serving as his lead…

  • In Praise of Irrational Innovators

    Scott Anthony
    4 May 2012 | 10:42 am
    I love my three young children immensely. So it's hard for me to be fully rational about them. Of course they are the smartest, the best looking, and the most athletic. I'm not alone — all parents are irrational. We lose sleep worrying about things we can't control and take pride in ridiculously small achievements we had nothing to do with. A similar type of irrationality affects innovators. Talk to an entrepreneur or a scientist about the idea they are working on — it's just like talking to a parent of young children. They feel unduly proud when their team does something without…

  • Go Innovate on the Periphery

    Scott Anthony
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:43 am
    One of the challenges facing market leaders is that transformational trends are only obvious when it's too late. Typically, transformation starts in seemingly disconnected industries, or as innocent offerings targeting completely different customer segments. To spot these trends early, companies need to heed the advice of Wharton Professor George Day and long-time thought leader (and current Innosight Board member) Richard Foster by heading to the periphery. First, start with peripheral customers. MIT Professor Eric von Hippel has long advocated spending time with what he calls lead users.

  • The Four Worst Innovation Assassins

    Scott Anthony
    18 Apr 2012 | 11:08 am
    Is there a corporate leader who doesn't extol the virtues of innovation these days? Yet if innovation is so important, why do so many companies have so much trouble with it? The reflexive response is that it is a human capital problem — that is, that most people just don't have what it takes to successfully innovate. I reject that view. Academic research in fact shows that almost anyone can become a competent innovator (with sufficient practice). I've seen countless examples of ordinary individuals displaying the creativity, ingenuity, and perseverance of the world's great innovators.

  • The Dangers of the Minimal Viable Product

    Scott Anthony
    9 Apr 2012 | 12:33 pm
    A movement originating from the United States' West Coast has sought to transform the creation of new businesses from an art to a science. The intellectual leader of the movement is Steve Blank, a serial entrepreneur who now teaches at Stanford and the University of California at Berkeley. One of Blank's disciples, Eric Ries, turned his wildly popular Startup Lessons Learned blog into The Lean Startup, one of 2011's best business books. I'm a huge fan of this work and suggest that all innovators study the movement closely. One area that deserves particular attention is the notion of the…
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    Creating Consumer Evangelists - By Alex L. Goldfayn

  • How Marketing Affects Stock Price

    Alex Goldfayn
    14 May 2012 | 6:46 pm
    The Evangelist Marketing Minute is a weekly thinking launch point that is always short enough to read in about 60 seconds. It covers technology marketing, branding, positioning, language, and public relations. Your email address is never shared, with anybody, for any reason. This Week’s Launching Point: Consider these stock prices: Apple in 2000: $23 | Today: $566 Amazon in 2000: $30 | Today: $228 Microsoft in 2000: $58 | Today: $31 Netflix in July 2011: $295 | Today: $77 What lesson do these numbers teach? That consumer excitement — which we create through excellent marketing…

  • Why Microsoft Is Being Left in The Dust

    Alex Goldfayn
    11 May 2012 | 5:14 pm
    My new Mashable column was posted this morning. It begins this way: There are now a number of companies — Apple, Google,Amazon, and others — that have Microsoft in their rear-view mirrors, disappearing quickly on the horizon in a cloud of dust. That kick of dust in the company’s face is being emitted by Apple’s iPhone and iPad, Amazon’s Kindle, and Google’s search and cloud domination. Microsoft’s own wild lunges into various technology segments are also contributing considerably to it being left behind. Take the company’s recent partnership with Barnes & Noble,…

  • Start A Lot

    Alex Goldfayn
    7 May 2012 | 9:31 am
    Starting is often the biggest hurdle in getting things done. Once you start writing the email, you usually finish it. Once you begin to exercise, you’ll complete it. Similarly, once you start making calls you’re not eager to make, or start on the work task that you’ve been avoiding, you’ll likely finish it. At least, the chances are much higher than if you hadn’t started doing the work. When you start, you create forward inertia. When you start, you take down the hurdle. When you start a lot, you conquer procrastination. So, start early, and often. Start a lot.

  • Be The Disruptor

    Alex Goldfayn
    5 May 2012 | 5:07 pm
    AT&T’s CEO, Randall Stephenson, had this to say this week: “You lie awake at night worrying about what is that which will disrupt your business model. Apple iMessage is a classic example. If you’re using iMessage, you’re not using one of our messaging services, right? That’s disruptive to our messaging revenue stream.” This is the classic defensive posture of a leader who is not thinking big. He is waiting for the next big thing to go wrong. iMessage is causing problems, but the next thing could be worse. What could be next? He lays awake at night anticipating disaster.

  • What New Learning Will You Implement Today?

    Alex Goldfayn
    3 May 2012 | 8:38 am
    My friend Aviv Shahar brought this fascinating lesson to my attention: the magic number for implementing new learning is 24 hours. If it gets beyond that, normal life begins to get in the way. So…When you read an article you find helpful, hear a good speaker, watch a valuable TED video, or come across some material that you can use for improvement, ask yourself: What can I do today to begin implementing this?  You don’t have to execute the entire plan, or apply the entire practice — but do begin it. Disrupt your routine for five minutes — or 20 — and start the…
 
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    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…
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    idaconcpts

  • iPhone Apps for American League Eastern Division Baseball Fans

    Martin Monroe
    16 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    The American League’s Eastern Division may be the most difficult one in all of professional baseball. With the deepest pockets this side of the Mississippi, the Yankees and Red Sox alone assure players and fans alike that this division is no walk in the park. The Blue Jays are usually competitive as now are the Rays. The Orioles have finally come of age and are giving them all a run for their astronomical salaries. It’s not only expensive to watch every game in person, but with everyone’s busy schedule it is darn near impossible. Make sure to download your favorite team’s iPhone app.

  • How to Use the Mail Merge Feature in Word

    Damian Davila
    14 May 2012 | 6:55 pm
    The Microsoft Mail Merge feature and I have a love-hate relationship. About twelve years ago, while I was employed as an intern for a consular service, I was asked to draft a letter that was to be mailed to five hundred people. I was given a list of addresses on a sheet of paper and asked to print the letters and envelopes after drafting them in a Word document and send them on their way. I was given two days to complete this task along with the excessive amount of other work I was to keep up on simultaneously. I spent hours typing out each address and copying and pasting the content of the…

  • Data is the New Oil

    Damian Davila
    13 May 2012 | 3:38 am
    Ranging from Facebook to Google to Zynga, thousands of companies are building sustainable businesses on the aggregation of personal data. Data mining has been likened by the World Economic to a “new type of raw material … on par with capital and labor.”  One might said to oil. The Rush for Data The main problem with data aggregation is that malicious developers are not only accessing your information, but they are also able to access your personal identifiable information (PII). Tech snoops that are trolling the Internet and social media are gathering enough information to get a…

  • Ecommerce Retailers: To Pay Per Click or Not to Pay Per Click

    Guest Blogger
    12 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    Marketing your ecommerce store can be difficult. Since you’re selling things online, it’s best to market yourself online. One of the most common forms of online marketing that ecommerce merchants use is pay per click (PPC) advertising. PPC, however, can be a financial investment, and it can be an investment that doesn’t always pay off significantly. Why? PPC requires a lot of analysis and effort before it makes you any sort of profit. If you’re deciding whether PPC is right for you, keep reading. Two reasons you might want to use PPC 1. Traffic to your store is low – If your social…

  • Apple vs Microsoft: Tablet Market Clash between iPad and Windows 8

    Guest Blogger
    11 May 2012 | 3:19 am
    Besides Google Android, the tablet king Apple iPad is about to get a taut rival in Windows 8. A row of Windows 8-based tablets are to enter to the scene later this 2012. Microsoft has already previewed its ARM compatible Windows 8 and a dedicated app store called the Windows Store for it. Most analysts think that Windows 8 and Windows Store will haul up crucial threat to iOS and its App Store. Maybe, Google’s Android might not have overcome Apple iPad in number of products sold. But the open source firmware enjoys a clear edge over iPad in escalating popularity. But when it comes to Windows…
 
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    Social Business Advisor: Social CRM and Enterprise 2.0

  • Free Webinar: Common Collaboration Problems with the CIO of Pabst Brewing Company

    Jacob Morgan
    15 May 2012 | 2:28 am
    This Wednesday the 16th at 10am PST Ben Haines, the CIO of Pabst Brewing Company will be joining me on a webinar to discuss some of the common collaboration problems that organizations face today.  We’re going to try to have a casual discussion around what obstacles organizations are running up against and how they are overcoming these obstacles.  The event is being powered by Cisco which is allowing us to host the event on their platform. Here are the details taken from the event site: Collaboration is not new. In fact, we have collaborated for thousands of years. However,…

  • What Would Happen if Your Organization Didn’t Invest in Collaboration?

    Jacob Morgan
    10 May 2012 | 1:40 pm
    I (and many others) have spent a great deal of time talking about why organizations should invest their resources in collaboration tools and strategies.  But let’s assume for a moment that you didn’t.  How long do you realistically see your organization going on without making this investment; 1 year, 2 years, 3 years?  Do you really see your organization waiting this long? At this point I have probably worked with, spoken with, and researched hundreds of companies and it’s rare to come across an organization that nothing in place when it comes to collaboration.  At the…

  • Implementing Enterprise 2.0 at IBM

    Jacob Morgan
    8 May 2012 | 3:06 am
    I had the opportunity to have several in-depth conversations with John Rooney (CIO of Technical Strategy) and Ethan McCarty (Senior Manager, Digital and Social Strategy) of IBM.  The conversations resulted in our recently released case study on Implementing Enterprise 2.0 at IBM.  Here is an overview of that case study. With over 420,000 employees in over 70 countries, IBM is one of the largest and most recognized companies in the world today.  A company of this size needs to be able to coordinate and collaborate, share business processes, and respond to market demands. In order to make…

  • The Twelve Principles of Collaboration

    Jacob Morgan
    3 May 2012 | 12:41 pm
    1.  Individual benefit is just as important as the overall corporate benefit (if not more important) Don’t focus on the overall corporate value and benefit when communicating collaboration to employees.  Employees care about how this will impact them on an individual basis.  How will this make their jobs and lives easier? 2.  Strategy before technology Before rushing to pick that shiny new collaboration platform focus on developing a strategy which will help you understand the “why” before the “how.”  This is crucial for the success of any…

  • New Study: Only 10 Percent of Employees are Engaged

    Jacob Morgan
    1 May 2012 | 1:52 pm
    I don’t like reading things like this, I really don’t.  But today I came across a report released by Modern Survey which found that we have a lot of work to do around engaging our employees.  Modern Survey isn’t the first firm to report low engagement numbers, Gallup and Blessing White (along with others) have all found low engagement rates within our organizations.  The questions, approaches, methodology, and data that all of these firms get is different but the trend and overall findings remains the same.  I don’t think we realize how crucial employee engagement…
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    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…
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    AgencySpy

  • Grey Absorbs More G2 Work

    Kiran Aditham
    16 May 2012 | 7:37 am
    Ok, here we go, sources familiar with the matter confirm that following the Eli Lilly account hullabaloo, Grey has soaked in another piece business in the form of Reliant, which we’ve been told was  originally a conjoined operation within the Grey/G2. From what we’ve been told by sources familiar with the matter,” We had a shared relationship with Grey on the Reliant business, which has been service[d] out of the San Francisco Grey office.” From what we’ve been told, it was the Reliant direct marketing business that was at hand. You might asscociate Reliant with…

  • The U…of Phoenix, That Is, Taps Arnold

    Kiran Aditham
    16 May 2012 | 6:40 am
    After three months or so of reviewing, the University of Phoenix, which is an accredited college institution mind you, has tapped Arnold Worldwide as its new agency of record. If you remember, the Apollo Group-owned school previously worked with Pereira & O’Dell for nearly three years. Arnold’s Boston headquarters will oversee the work for University of Phoenix, which is set to debut this fall. In a statement, Arnold Boston president Pam Hamlin says, “Adult education is a fast-growing market and University of Phoenix is the largest in the category. We’re incredibly…

  • Pergo Gives a Floor Durability Test Courtesy of Battlebots

    Bob Marshall
    16 May 2012 | 6:23 am
    Believe it or not, 2012 marks a decade since Comedy Central canceled their robot fighting show, BattleBots. The show had it all, from destruction to hilarity to scantily-clad “correspondents” to cameos from Bill Nye the Science Guy. If you’re anything like me, and you consider these attributes the recipe for televised greatness, you were devastated when BattleBots went off the air. So, understand that I’m a little biased when I call the above spot for Atlanta-based agency Fitzgerald+Co a wonderfully creative way to demonstrate the durability of Pergo floors. Not only…

  • Here’s Basically All You Need to Know About Last Night’s CLIOs

    Kiran Aditham
    16 May 2012 | 5:25 am
    Somehow, yours truly was able to hit up three events last night (yeah, we know, it’s a hard knock life, but I’m getting old), the last being the CLIO Awards, which once again took place at the American Museum of Natural History way the hell uptown and under dreary skies in NYC. Regardless of the gloom, we felt rather uplifted from MC/plastic surgery advocate Joan Rivers and her self-deprecating humor. Despite what seemed to be laryngitis, the comedienne rallied on and made the requisite Kardashian jokes, showed off her starring spot in a BF Goodrich ad from the 1800′s and…

  • Wednesday Morning Stir

    Kiran Aditham
    16 May 2012 | 4:40 am
    -The IAB has decided to establish an educational standard for digital media sales. link -NYC/Czech Republic production company Savage has signed directing team Honest for US and global representation. -Bacardi wants to adhere to “corporate responsibility,” will give back for greater good. link -Facebook flexes its guns, increases IPO size. link -Hoffman Lewis promotes a “new/expanded/classic” Prius (above). -Lee Hirsch, director of the new doc Bully, signed with Moxie Pictures for his first-ever commercial representation.   New Career Opportunities Daily: The…
 
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    Superhype

  • Smart data: business lessons from the Battle of Midway

    ddeal
    6 May 2012 | 9:25 am
    I’ll take smart data over big dataanytime. Smart data is all about interpreting data to make a wise decision, whether you’re trying to understand your customers or attempting to outsmart your competition. Seventy years ago, the U.S. Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy gave the world a dramatic demonstration of smart data in action during the Battle of Midway. The decisive and important naval victory for the United States still teaches lessons today about making wise choices with information. As recounted in the recently published book Inferno: The World at War, 1939-1945, by Max Hastings,…

  • Major League Baseball shows trust on Twitter

    ddeal
    5 May 2012 | 12:03 pm
    Major League Baseball trusts its Twitter fans. When Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer George Brett joined Twitter, the @MLB Twitter account posted this tweet: If you’re not a Major League Baseball fan and don’t follow its rich history, the reference to “pine tar above the knuckles” is meaningless and perhaps confusing. But Major League Baseball trusts its fans to get the inside joke without needing to explain it. The 2 million baseball fans who follow MLB understand inherently that MLB is referring to the controversial 1983 “Pine Tar Game,” when Brett slugged a crucial…

  • Photobomb your brand

    ddeal
    4 May 2012 | 6:45 am
    Have you photobombed your brand lately? At the recently conducted Social Media Strategies Summit in Chicago, social media superstars Ramon De Leon, the marketing mind of a six-store Domino’s Pizza franchise in Chicago, and Jessica Gioglio of Dunkin’ Donuts both showed how and why you should photobomb – or share your brand visually in unexpected places. Their approaches are tailor made for marketing in the age of Pinterest. For instance, recently Gioglio and the Dunkin’ Donuts Chicago social media team spent a day snapping images of the iconic Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cup…

  • And a child shall lead them

    ddeal
    29 Apr 2012 | 5:07 pm
    If I were an executive creator director, I would require everyone on my team to spend a day with children in a learning environment. Pre-teens are your future bosses and customers, and they’re already influencing purchasing decisions made in the home. Understanding how they learn and how they interact with technology can open your eyes and make you better at what you do. On April 26, a classroom of fourth graders showed me how their creative growth comes from “finding flow” (or immersing yourself in activities that make you lose sense of time), collaborating with others, and…

  • Coachella and the future of social TV

    ddeal
    22 Apr 2012 | 12:56 am
    I experienced the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival from my living room along with tens of thousands of others around the world who tweeted, blogged, and otherwise hustled content about the annual music festival as artists ranging from Bon Iver to the resurrected Tupac Shakur lit up the California desert. My experience and others like mine suggest that social TV really means the social screen. And consumer participation in social TV can mean a lot more than TV viewers taking interactive pools and responding to trivia contests. Rather, advertisers should pay closer attention to our…
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    CenterNetworks

  • Shark Tank Recap – April 27

    Allen
    27 Apr 2012 | 8:00 pm
    Below is a recap of the April 27, 2012 episode of the ABC show Shark Tank. If you are unfamiliar with Shark Tank, the concept is simple – entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of investors and the investors have to provide at least the amount the entrepreneur is seeking for a deal to be completed. Tonight Barbara Corcoran was replaced by QVC product creator Lori Greiner. Other sharks include: Mark Cuban, Kevin O’Leary, Damond John and Robert Herjavec. Don’t forget to check out our previous Shark Tank recaps. Pitch #1 – Duality Cosmetics First up into the Shark Tank was…

  • Does Product Design Always Matter?

    Allen
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:20 pm
    While I don’t own many Apple products, I know the feeling that they give me when I use them. I like my Android tablet but for some reason the iPod Touch just seems to give me a better feeling when I use it. For years I’ve called it the, “white headphones effect”. There are lots of brands that provide the same feeling while you are using them. Another great example is Whole Foods. Here in Austin there is another healthy supermarket, Central Market. Both stores are excellent but, for me, there is just a better feeling walking around Whole Foods than there is when inside…

  • Web Jobs – April 23

    Allen
    23 Apr 2012 | 7:46 am
    Check out some of the latest web technology and business jobs posted for April 23, 2012 on the CenterNetworks Job Board. Subscribe to the CN Jobs feed and get all of the latest Web industry jobs delivered directly to you. Featured Jobs: Chief Operating Officer at Indochino Apparel Director of Software Engineering at Bloom Health Software Designer at Viddler More Jobs: Senior Web Software Engineer at Kareo Front End Developer at Soli Senior Software Engineer at OkCupid Labs Software Engineer at Causes Employers – Join other top companies on the CN Job Board. Post your jobs today –…

  • Why I’m Using Facebook More Often

    Allen
    20 Apr 2012 | 6:52 pm
    I’ve never been a heavy Facebook user — I’ve had an account for a very long time but I mainly used it to share posts from CN and to “friend” people who request that I friend them. Over the years I’ve changed my personal settings to be able to see the different types of ads that are displayed. Up until this month I’ve never had a profile picture and have appeared as women and men of all different ages. Whenever I take a look at the main feed on Facebook, it’s mostly content imported from Twitter. I’ve written about this before and wish that…

  • Tumblr is Invisible to the News, As These Charts Show. Why?

    Dan Lewis
    18 Apr 2012 | 5:52 pm
    This post written by Dan Lewis – he wants you to learn something new every day. The news is behind the times. Look at the bottom graph of the top picture. Relative to Twitter, there’s been virtually no news pickup of Tumblr.  It’s a flat blue line.  On the other hand, search volume shows that Tumblr’s been a “thing,” relative to Twitter, for almost two years. The news is two years behind. The second picture is Tumblr v. Instagram.  Outside of the sale, Tumblr’s been crushing Instagram on search volume — steeper slope and everything.  And yet, until the sale, both…
 
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    Technosailor.com

  • Crazy Christians and Bad Spam and Mailing List Management

    Aaron
    27 Apr 2012 | 4:24 pm
    I somehow got added to a mailing list recently unsolicited. It’s called Christian Report and I refuse to link to them. It is an arrogant, self-serving site that is plagued by guilt. There is therefore now no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus. -Romans 8:1 What is seriously tragic about this site (aside from the content) is that I was added to this mailing list unknown. For God knows what reason. I mean, I’m used to getting spam and all, but at least a mailinglist has an unsubscribe, right? I am a user of Other Inbox, which has this neat “Unsubscribe”…

  • Tech: We Need to Start Being Feminists. Stat!

    Aaron
    26 Apr 2012 | 2:42 pm
      Used under Creative Commons. Photo by Jay Morrison. This. That extends this I wrote about a few weeks ago. This is pissing me the hell off! All that. It all needs to stop. How are some of the brightest minds on the internet not seeing the harm in how we collectively perceive women, women in tech, women in our industry? How is it funny to send nude photos of women to a prospective boss and get hired as a result? How is it humorous to make jokes about “gangbang interviews” in a professional presentation? How is this okay? In the context of discussion around this…

  • David Simon on Debate and Journalism

    Aaron
    26 Apr 2012 | 12:05 pm
    It’s why I used to love a healthy newsroom, which I have described as a magical place where everyone disagrees with everything all of the time.  Arguments make the work better; when people stop arguing, or at least arguing intelligently, absent the usual half-assed, rhetorical cheating, the work invariably suffers. (Source: davidsimon.com)

  • Scantily Clad Women are for the Bedroom, not the Showroom Floor.

    Aaron
    9 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm
    I love women. I love scantily clad women. I think the majority of men, and of course some women, would agree with me. Sexual attraction is inherently part of the human experience and part of the instinctual core that makes up who we are. The same goes for women with men. However, this is not okay. *This* is a glimpse inside Ad:Tech San Francisco. Maybe not all of Ad:Tech. Maybe not even most of Ad:Tech. But it’s certainly a representation of how at least a few people decided to capture it. And this is not directed toward the photographers, at least one of whom I am personally acquainted…

  • Twitter as a Protocol

    Aaron
    1 Mar 2012 | 2:06 pm
    Image from Shawn Campbell. Used under Creative Commons Yesterday, I had lunch with a guy who was picking my brain about various topics. One of the conversations we ended up having was about the longevity of Twitter as a company. It hearkens back to conversations I had years ago when Twitter was barely making it as a service. It was down seemingly half the time, a problem they have long since solved. In those days of 2007 and 2008, Twitter was just beginning it’s conquest of communication mediums. It was nowhere near as big, influential or necessary as it is today. It was getting there…
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    Brand New

  • Full-Court Press

    Armin
    16 May 2012 | 5:42 am
    Established in 1994 (originally as Internet Wire), Marketwire provides "global press release distribution, industry-leading social media monitoring and analytics, and a fully integrated marketing communications platform for content creation, optimization, distribution and measurement." Many of the press releases we quote on Brand New come from Marketwire, as it serves more than 12,000 clients through 20 offices around the world. This week Marketwire introduced a new identity. No design credit given. Update: Identity was done by Toronto, ON-based Compass360 in collaboration with the creative…

  • Raising the Bars

    Armin
    15 May 2012 | 6:24 am
    Established in 2007, NYSE Euronext is the holding company of some of the most important and influential securities exchanges in the world, including the doubly eponymous New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and Euronext, trading equities, futures, options, fixed-income, and exchange-traded products. With 2,993 employees and 8,000 listed issues NYSE Euronext represents "one-third of the world's equities trading and the most liquidity of any global exchange group." Yesterday, NYSE Euronext introduced a new identity designed by Interbrand. The new icon — an abstract representation of the globe…

  • Printers for Award Books & Sponsors for Conference

    Armin
    14 May 2012 | 1:35 pm
    As the image above implies, we are actively looking for partners for three of the bigger projects this year at UnderConsideration: 1 & 2) An offset printer who would be interested in producing, in full or in part, either one or both of the FPO Awards and Brand New Awards books — 256 pages each approximately, 4/4. And 3) Companies with a product or service that would like to sponsor the 2012 Brand New Conference this September in New York — Presenting, Event, and After-Party sponsorships available starting at $3,000. Contact me to inquire about the perks, benefits, and other…

  • Tu, Me, and Everyone We Know

    Armin
    14 May 2012 | 5:45 am
    As part of Telefonica — one of the world's largest providers of broadband and telecommunications services, with main operations in Spain — Telefonica Digital is a global business division of its parent company with the mission to "seize the opportunities within the digital world and deliver new growth for Telefonica." Last week Telefonica Digital introduced TU — Spanish for "You" — a " new umbrella brand for its direct to consumer services" and has launched its first product, TU Me, a free global communications mobile app, that puts all calls, texts, shared photos,…

  • Friday Likes 02

    Armin
    11 May 2012 | 6:48 am
    A tasty edition that includes pretzels, beer (again), and lettering. Sigmund's Pretzels You can almost taste the salt and rub shoulders with Woody Allen in this identity by Triboro for New York pretzel maker, Sigmund's. [More / Scroll down at the link] Dockside Brewing Co. A micro brewery started by three Landor colleagues and designed at their Cincinnati office, Dockside's cans feature abstract-ish tiles of goodness that tell the story of each flavor. [More] Rob Clarke One of my favorite pieces of lettering to come out of the 2011 Brand New Awards, the logo by and for logo executioner, Rob…
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    adverbox

  • Samsung Memory

    axelk
    9 May 2012 | 7:02 am

  • LEGO Builders of Sound

    Lorenz Langgartner
    3 May 2012 | 1:56 am
    Brief: Create excitement for LEGO Star Wars around the premiere of Star Wars Episode 1 in 3D. Idea: We also brought LEGO to a new dimension: By turning LEGO into music – with a gigantic street organ consisting of 20,000 LEGO Star Wars bricks. These were arranged in such a way that they played the Star Wars theme tune when the crank was turned – while at the same time showcasing the sets we wanted to promote, integrated into four fascinating Star Wars worlds (Hoth, Tatooine, Endor and the Death Star). Around the time of the premiere, the organ was displayed in cinemas and at special events…

  • Ford Seleccion: USED CARS THAT SMELL NEW

    albertobassat
    2 May 2012 | 1:48 am
    Ford Selección the brand of used car of Ford wanted to bring back the same excitement to their used that the new one have. The idea was easy, add them Smell New, not just an advert but the full sensation of be the first one that uses that car. Advertising Agency: BASSAT OGILVY MADRID, Agency website: http://bassat-ogilvy.es Creative Director:Alvar Suñol Art Director:Alberto Espeja Copywriter:Gonzalo Urbez Additional credits: Published: Abril, 2012

  • Paint with a Tweet

    stephenrouse
    1 May 2012 | 1:34 pm
    Every medium has its master. Molson M commissioned celebrated international artist Kustaa Saksi to create a mural in his signature modern psychedelic, radiant style that will unfold with every tweet to #MolsonM_Art. The mural will come to life on a giant scale on a large wall in Toronto. The ultimate goal: a beautiful artwork that will include up to 20,000 Twitter handles for the public to enjoy, and a matching $1 donation for each tweet, up to $20,000 to the Canadian Art Foundation for the advancement of art in Canada. Title: Paint with a Tweet Client: Molson M Molson M Brand Team: VP,…

  • Writer

    Michel Parra
    26 Apr 2012 | 7:46 am
    Sometimes in a restaurant it’s possible to find much more than just food… Title: “Writer” Agency: TBWA Madrid Client: McDonald’s Director: Hugo Menduiña Executive Creative Directors: Juan Sánchez y Guillermo Ginés Creative Director: Vicente Rodríguez Art Director: Fran López Account Director: Luis Domínguez Agency Producer: Mariluz Chamizo Production Company: Agosto Producer: Inés Segura Postproduction Supervisor: Daniela Borges Postproduction Imasblue Music: Lucas Suárez Time: Spot 90″
 
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    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…
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    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…
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    Branding Strategy Insider

  • Measuring Advertising Effectiveness

    Derrick Daye, The Blake Project
    14 May 2012 | 11:10 pm
    Show me the Money! This memorable line from the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire might just as well be coming from today’s CEO’s and CFO’s: a growing and vocal demand for accountability from the Marketing function. Big Data Coming – For Better or Worse Everywhere you go these days, you hear about “big data:” the coming golden age where all problems will be solved by crunching massive amounts of data from the web and every other imaginable source. You would think that the CMO’s ability to, indeed, show them the money, would never be better. But according to a recent IBM study, “From…

  • Brand Marketers Must Create Wow Moments

    Derrick Daye, The Blake Project
    13 May 2012 | 11:10 pm
    The brain remembers the emotional components of an experience better than any other aspect. —John Medina When Steve Jobs passed away on October 5, 2011, the world didn’t just lose one of its great visionaries, but it also lost an astonishing corporate storyteller. His presentations, “Steve-notes” as they were fondly called, had all the elements of a Broadway production, including a cast, drama, heroes, villains, and props. Most brand marketers use presentations to deliver information, often dryly. Steve Jobs gave presentations that informed, educated, and entertained. The most…

  • Brand Marketing's New Currency

    Derrick Daye, The Blake Project
    12 May 2012 | 11:10 pm
    In the late 1980s and early 1990s, neuroscientists at the University of Parma discovered mirror neurons in our premotor cortex that fire when we perform an action and also when we observe others performing the same action. For example, the neurons that fire when we grasp a cup also fire when we see others grasp a cup. By mirroring the activities of others in this way, mirror neurons endow us with a built-in leaning toward empathy, social interaction and altruism. We don’t always behave well in social settings, but because we are predisposed to social engagement, the rocketing rise of social…

  • Brand Strategy: Repositioning Commodities

    Jack Trout
    10 May 2012 | 11:10 pm
    Even producers in the commodity world of meats and produce have found ways to reposition themselves and thus create a unique selling proposition. Their successful strategies can be summed up in five ways. 1. Identify. Ordinary bananas became better bananas when a small Chiquita label was added to the fruit. Dole did the same for pineapple with the Dole label, as did the lettuce people by putting each head into a clear Foxy lettuce package. Of course, you then have to communicate why people should look for these labels. 2. Personify. The Green Giant character became the difference in a…

  • Brand Strategy For Startups

    Thomson Dawson, The Blake Project
    9 May 2012 | 11:10 pm
    A startup business faces many difficult challenges getting off the ground. For many early stage CEO’s assessing their priorities, product development and the seed money to grow are their primary concerns. Few if any are thinking much about brand building–mainly because they believe it to be sophisticated marketing they simply can’t afford. For startup CEOs, brand building needs to be as important to early success as product development and raising money. You can have the most innovative, groundbreaking product ever conceived, but if you can’t create a strong foundation for…
 
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    PRNewser

  • Nasdaq OMX Launches Media Intelligence

    Tonya Garcia
    16 May 2012 | 8:37 am
    Nasdaq OMX Corporate Solutions has launched Media Intelligence, a software-as-a-service platform for media monitoring and analysis. The platform also allows users to contact consumers and social media followers directly. Media Intelligence brings Critical Mention’s broadcast monitoring capabilities into the fold. Monitoring and other data for tens of thousands of online, news, and broadcast outlets as well as three million social media sources are now available. Nasdaq OMX acquired London-based SaaS provider Glide Technologies in October. Since then Nasdaq has pumped up that offering as…

  • GM’s Decision Not to Advertise On Facebook Not Such a Big Deal After All

    Tonya Garcia
    16 May 2012 | 8:18 am
    Everyone is buzzing about the news that General Motors has pulled its $10 million in advertising from Facebook. The reason cited is the advertising is having “little impact on car purchases.” We’ve never noticed any GM advertising and, when taking into account that GM is the third largest advertiser in the U.S. ($1.8 billion) behind P&G and AT&T, it’s not that big of a spending cut for them. With $872 million in quarterly advertising revenue, its not too critical for Facebook either, though of course, the company would want to hang on to an advertiser. In the…

  • Business4Better Conference Coming in 2013

    Tonya Garcia
    16 May 2012 | 7:12 am
    UBM, parent company for PR Newswire, has partnered with the city of Anaheim, C.A. and other local organizations for the Business4Better Conference, an event focused on best practices, tools, and networking for corporate social responsibility programs. The conference will take place May 1 and May 2, 2013. Click here to learn more. New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  • Affect Announces Internship Winner

    Tonya Garcia
    16 May 2012 | 6:54 am
    Affect has announced the winner of this year’s New York Intern Project: Katey Kimpel, a senior at the University of Akron. She’ll receive $5,000, a $2,500 housing stipend, and a three-month internship in New York. Click here to check out her entry. She received 1,205 out of 15,953 votes cast for the program. Congrats to Katey! New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

  • Roll Call: Levick, Siegel + Gale, Cannes, and more

    Tonya Garcia
    16 May 2012 | 6:45 am
    Levick Strategic Communications has hired Jack Deschauer to serve as VP of the corporate practice. He previously worked with Pratt & Whitney, an aircraft engine manufacturer, in its efforts to end funding for the the Joint Strike Fighter program. He’s also worked on media relations in the Chandra Levy case, the Jayson Williams trial, and other notable situations. Siegel + Gale co-founder Alan Siegel is leaving the firm after 43 years, according to Adweek. He plans to continue his work with nonprofits, medicine, education, and related areas. Among his next projects will be the new…
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    Small Business Marketing Blog from Duct Tape Marketing

  • 5 Reasons Why Landing Pages Are a Must

    John Jantsch
    16 May 2012 | 7:25 am
    Online marketers have used the term “landing page” for many years to describe a sales tactic focused on getting people to take one, specific action. Today, landing pages have simply become a required element in the marketing toolbox for every imaginable business, including local brick and mortar types. Example of a personalized lead capture landing page A landing page is just the page people land on because an ad or email directed them to that specific page as opposed to your site’s homepage. Effective landing pages make it very clear what a visitor is going to get from a page and how…

  • 13 Questions That Will Lead You To Your Perfect Marketing Strategy

    John Jantsch
    15 May 2012 | 7:54 am
    Plenty of startups try to determine the perfect business model to take to market only to find that the market doesn’t need, want or understand what they are presenting. The fact is most books or courses on business models take this into consideration by suggesting trial and error scenarios and market hypothesizes prior to launch. Any business model, or plan for that matter, is little more than a guess and I believe that your best chance for getting that guess right is to build your business model based on a marketing strategy. This assumes the role a fully developed marketing strategy…

  • 5 Non Spammy Ways To Get a Blogger’s Attention

    John Jantsch
    14 May 2012 | 7:28 am
    Everyone, from PR firms to individuals with a product to sell, pitches bloggers these days. Getting coverage or exposure for your business by way of a number of highly read blogs should be a foundational element of your PR approach. So, I thought I would share of few of my thoughts on the most effective ways to get a blogger’s attention and stand out in a way that gives your pitch a far better chance of garnering coverage. Sadly, it would much easier to write a post on what not to do, but I like to stay on the positive side here. Whether your goal is to land a guest post, get a review of…

  • Weekend Favs May Twelve

    John Jantsch
    12 May 2012 | 7:39 am
    My weekend blog post routine includes posting links to a handful of tools or great content I ran across during the week. I don’t go into depth about the finds, but encourage you check them out if they sound interesting. The photo in the post is a favorite for the week from Flickr or one that I took out there on the road. New Duct Tape Marketing t-shirt design via Hugh MacLeod Gapingvoid Good stuff I found this week: Ming.ly – A personal relationship manager that aggregates your contacts from Gmail, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter into a searchable merged address book that allows…

  • Engaging Your Macro Metric As a True Measure of Success

    John Jantsch
    11 May 2012 | 7:59 am
    Business owners and marketers are told to measure and quantify everything. The problem is this practice alone can lead to false assumptions and a fixation on things that simply don’t matter that much. lollipolluza via FlickrAre website visits, Facebook Likes, newsletter signups or even revenue the true measure of success for your business? Perhaps, but how so? When we simply create a list of what we might call key performance indicators without the proper focus with which to weight them, it all simply becomes an exercise in collecting. It’s a lot like having a bunch of puzzle pieces…
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    GoMediaZine

  • Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 3 – Ask A Pro

    William Beachy
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Ask A Pro at the 2012 WMC Fest This year’s WMC Fest will feature an “Ask A Pro” table where students, young designers and freelancers can have their design industry questions answered. The table will feature a number of local creative leaders that have years of experience and insights to share with you. So, bring your portfolios, bring your questions and most importantly – bring your passion! What: Ask A Pro: Portfolio Review and Industry Insights Where: Saigon Plaza, 5400 Detroit Ave., Cleveland, Ohio 44102 When: Saturday and Sunday June 9th & 10th Time: Noon – 2pm. *Only 2…

  • The music of Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 3

    Simon H.
    14 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Weapons of Mass Creation Fest: J-25 Ladies and gentlemen, Weapons of Mass Creation Fest 3 is less than a month away! This means that the frequency of Fest-related content published here will slowly but surely increase in the next couple weeks. We’ll be introducing the speakers, designers and bands that will be part of this exciting adventure. Music, music, and more music! Today, we want to share with you a solid preview of the bands you’ll be able to hear this year. Like last year, Jeff contacted the bands that will be playing to put together a sampler album. It’s available…

  • Textile Republic interview

    Heather Mariano
    11 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    We recently had a chance to talk with one of our clients, Textile Republic, about their business and their experience with web design. We thought you might like to read their responses… Tell us about the history of Textile Republic and how it was started? The concept came about from Kim’s merchandise development experience. She kept running into a lack of unique and bold fabrics. Most lines had become stale and more corporate in style. Brian recommended a platform for inviting textile designers to join a community to connect the textile designers to the merchandise. The new…

  • The old and new project

    Simon H.
    9 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    A little bit of background What’s Old and New? Old & New is a collaborative design project based on Biblical passages. The project was created and is curated by Jim LePage and Troy Deshano. — From the Old and New about page That’s the quickest way to present Old and New. If we read more in details, here’s what we found: About Old & New provides a platform for contemporary graphic artists to exhibit works themed on Biblical stories and passages. It also aims to introduce a new online audience to Biblical art, attempting to replace popular, yet sometimes low-quality,…

  • Go Media Flickr pool showcase… and it’s already April 2012!

    Simon H.
    2 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    April 2012? Already? Yep, it’s already April 2012. And the end of the month with that. You probably noticed that we didn’t get a Flickr pool showcase in March. Which leads me to ask you, the readers, a few questions about the showcases. Should we keep the showcases? When I see the always positive response we get, I’m tempted to answer yes even before asking. But I’d rather check, you know. Should we transform their format/frequency? Basically, instead of posting a rather long post every month, should we post a smaller selection every two weeks? Kind of like a visual…
 
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    Digital Influence Mapping Project

  • The Quality of the Conversation on Facebook Matters

    John Bell
    14 May 2012 | 10:51 am
    Last September Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse, used data to reveal that “Engagement on the Facebook walls of leading brands is down 22%.” He plotted engagement metrics on the top 300 brand pages. His hypothesis is that brands are not delivering long term value in favor of quick bumps from overuse of coupons and offers. More recently the Facebook Timeline innovations seemed to improve overall engagement. According to Simply Measured, the change brought a 14% Increase in Fan Engagement. The format and the much industry-discussed launch called for lots more pictures and video…

  • The Quality of the Conversation on Facebook Matters

    John Bell
    14 May 2012 | 10:50 am
    Last September Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse, used data to reveal that “Engagement on the Facebook walls of leading brands is down 22%.” He plotted engagement metrics on the top 300 brand pages. His hypothesis is that brands are not delivering long term value in favor of quick bumps from overuse of coupons and offers. More recently the Facebook Timeline innovations seemed to improve overall engagement. According to Simply Measured, the change brought a 14% Increase in Fan Engagement. The format and the much industry-discussed launch called for lots more pictures and video…

  • Just-in-time or Too-little-too-late in Social in Mexico? - The Agency Side

    John Bell
    9 May 2012 | 2:35 am
    Agencies have their own too-soon and too-late conundrum. Almost all marketing and communications firms are paid to deliver business results today. Maybe, maybe they are working towards a 2-3 year horizon on a brand project. Too few are independently investing in the future but rather look to client initiatives and projects to justify a new solution in mobile, community marketing, employee advocacy or any of the other innovations that stand to radically change how we market. The rapid growth of new behaviors like those in Mexico will not likely change, meaning, we are all ‘settling in’ for…

  • Will you be Just-in-time or Too-little-too-late in Social in Mexico?

    John Bell
    7 May 2012 | 2:27 am
    Marketers around the world are trying to figure out when to divert resources to use social media behaviors and technology in their marketing, communications and customer service. Too early and the best conceived plans on Facebook or customer communities will not produce enough results to survive the next budget season. Too late and an organization can find itself chasing after consumer behavior and losing reputation, if not business, to competitors.  We have big multinational clients who are deploying Facebook community management as quickly as possible in 50+ markets. Many of these…

  • The Importance of Professional Conversations at WOMMA

    John Bell
    25 Apr 2012 | 2:51 am
    In this past Sunday Review in the NYTimes, Shelly Turkle from M.I.T. offers a compelling case that our adopted digital behaviors may be satisfying our compulsion for 'always-on' connectivity while at the same time robbing us from the benefits of true conversation.  This rings true to me. The effort needed to engage in a typical conversation is greater than that needed to constantly be referring back to email and IM. And the payout, the value to us as human beings of that conversation, is also greater, or, at the very least, is a critical value in and of itself.  The value…
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    The AdHole

  • Flying Horse Energy Drink Discovers Perpetual Motion Machine

    Jason Fox
    8 May 2012 | 9:04 am
    I love this commercial for two reasons. First, it’s just plain good: A good, on-brand idea that’s well executed. Second, it demonstrates the complex thinking skills of its creators, whose though processes had to go from basic energy to how energy is generated to how generators work to what causes things to what things act like magnets and repel each other. I’m always a fan of that kind of reasoning. Also, it has a kitty.Later,Fox

  • Doing the Right Thing

    Jason Fox
    1 May 2012 | 3:04 pm
    For most of us, I’d wager not a day goes by that we don’t look around and mutter to ourselves, “What is wrong with this world?” The answer is frighteningly simple: moral relativism. As clear distinctions between what is good and what is bad have been eroded in the names of political correctness and open-mindedness and so-called fairness, society has faltered. Wait, that sounds like it’s merely stubbed its toe. Society has fallen. When nothing is really right or wrong, is this outcome surprising? The video embedded below is a trailer of sorts for a six-part series…

  • Miller Lite Perfects the Imperfect Pour

    Jason Fox
    27 Apr 2012 | 8:27 am
    So. Miller Lite has upped the beer can tech war ante with its new “punch top” can. A can with a little indentation on top that you can easily knock out to vent air as your pour, chug or, well, I guess that’s about all you do with it. But I’ve come not to praise or mock this quantum leap past frost brewing and specially lined cans. I’ve come to ask just what the heck is going on at the 25-second mark, which I’ve captured in the freeze frame below: Don't click "play." It's a still. Trust me.The can is being held as if it’s being raised to one’s…

  • JWT Spurns Neil Diamond for New “Brand America” Spot

    Jason Fox
    24 Apr 2012 | 8:17 am
    According to Agency Spy, JWT (that’s the hipster name for J. Walter Thompson) won the federal Corporation for Travel Promotion account nine months ago. I’m guessing this resultant campaign took seven months of red tape finagling and two months of insane production. The end product is both what you’d expect – a montage of scenes across the fruited plains – and some of what you don’t – a majority of shots are from little-seen parts of the country. At least parts little seen by the cool folks on the coasts. For that, I applaud it. Besides, I doubt some…

  • TNT Gets Its Button Pushed

    Jason Fox
    17 Apr 2012 | 1:27 pm
    The British arm of the TNT proves that the best way to show you know drama is to manufacture said drama. On demand, no less. Later,Fox
 
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    Brains On Fire Blog

  • Stories vs. Slogans

    amy
    16 May 2012 | 10:55 am
    <em>Stories live forever. Slogans live until the ad agency gets tired of them. Stories are real. Slogans are made up. Stories pull you in. Slogans push out a message. Stories are deep. Slogans are shallow. Stories are personal. Slogans are impersonal. Stories are passed on by word of mouth. Slogans are forced on us by ads. Stories are part of who we are. After all, you don’t share slogans about your grandfather, how your parents met or even how you were treated at a restaurant. Brains on Fire Book, page 32 The proof is in the pudding story…

  • Is All of That ‘Noise’ a Bad Thing?

    Eric Dodds
    15 May 2012 | 9:37 am
    How many times have you heard talk about the dreaded ‘noise’? The other day a friend of mine lamented about how digital camera prices have dropped to a point where ‘everyone’ is calling themselves a ‘professional photographer’ and its creating so much ‘noise’ in the industry. But it seems to be everywhere – from startups releasing a product, to companies exploring social media, to ‘content strategy,’ to hundreds of people applying for the same job opening. Everyone seems to be asking, “how in the world are we going to…

  • Nostalgia, Mad Men and Emotions

    Robbin
    14 May 2012 | 8:32 am
    Yours truly at a Brains on Fire Mad Men Christmas party a few years back. I’ve never gotten caught up watching the show, Mad Men. But the other day someone showed me a short clip that got stuck in my heart for many reasons. Take a minute and watch it. Don’t you love that? The definition of nostalgia as a pain of or ache is wonderful. Even happy memories can create that tug. Since we’re in the word of mouth marketing business, we think a lot about the role of emotions in igniting conversation. We know that brands and organizations that evoke strong emotions and storytelling…

  • The End User is Not the Only User

    Eric Dodds
    10 May 2012 | 8:38 am
    I am not a product designer. I’m not even a designer. But I noticed something recently that made me think hard about the process of developing products and experiences. My wife and I were eating at a burrito chain where one of the new Coca-Cola “Freestyle” drink machines was installed (1). I’m not a soda drinker, so I didn’t experience it for myself, but I could tell that other restaurant patrons were really enjoying the futuristic interface and the impossibly broad number of drink choices available from one machine. (I read later that the number of available…

  • Hello (and some photos) From Chicago

    Robbin
    9 May 2012 | 7:50 am
    We’re at the WIT. Love the little brilliant details in this hotel, like birds quietly chirping in the halls. I’m in Chicago this week at Womma‘s womm-u with Cordell and Geno. And I’m so glad we all came. Honestly, I wish everyone from Brains on Fire could attend. Yesterday’s keynote speaker Steve Knox is shiny brilliant (he spoke at the FIRE session two years ago and was a huge hit). Every time I get the chance to be in Steve’s company, I take it. And every time I hear him speak, I learn something new. Here are just a couple of things that stuck in my mind:…
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    Where's My Jetpack?

  • Dinner with Barack

    8 May 2012 | 9:16 am
    Not dinner with the President. Not dinner with Obama. Nope. Just Barack. Your buddy, up against a brick wall like so many promising young bands and hopeful comedians. Barack. You and Barack. Dinner. That will be special. I have no doubt that the skillful and shrewd tacticians of the Obama campaign are totally in touch with their audience (See that Google + icon?) and they will most likely outwit the Romney camp this November, but I wish they could reign in the coolness just a touch. We're talking about the leader of the most powerful country on earth - not Justin Bieber. What will you and…

  • The Dream of Solar Power - 1958

    27 Apr 2012 | 10:04 am
    From Plan59. The caption on this illustration read: "The furnace is 93,000,000 miles away." So, yeah. Keep dreaming.

  • Was McDonald's Involved?

    26 Apr 2012 | 11:37 am
    This video is blowing up on YouTube right now, in which an actress does a great job lampooning the way in which black women have been portrayed by fast food chains, particularly McDonald's. While I want to believe this is just one woman creating a nice resume piece that will likely land her more roles, something makes me cautious that it was that innocent. That something is the Big Mac featured in the final third of the four minute and twenty second video. It's perfect. It looks styled. And we've all seen the "what they advertise, what you get" photographs. I did one years ago for Wendy's…

  • The Gambler

    30 Mar 2012 | 1:18 pm

  • The New Awful: Internet Explorer

    16 Mar 2012 | 9:32 am
    Every once in a while, an ad as bad as this will bring me out of my blogging coma to post it so you all can cringe with me. Here, Internet Explorer attempts to be funny, ironic and self-deprecating - and fails.How can you miss with the always hilarious go-to: guy getting tackled from offscreen! How about cats! Everyone loves cats! CUPCAKES? HELP! WE SUCK AND WE KNOW IT!  The creators of this are so sure that it sucks, they have disabled comments on the video over at YouTube. Making matters worse, a companion website, TheBrowswerYouLovedToHate.com attempts to upsell the clued-in hipness…
 
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    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…
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    Remarkablogger

  • How To Be An Olympian Blogger

    Michael Martine
    1 May 2012 | 10:19 am
    This is a guest post by Andrew Rondeau. Image by Rev Stan Unless you’ve been walking around in ear-muffs and dark glasses for the past few months, you’ll have noticed that a new excitement is gripping the UK. Everywhere you turn, red, white and blue merchandise is creeping in to supermarket shelves, and people are discussing what tickets they have managed to get hold of, and organising time off work. Finally, after much discussion and planning, the Olympics 2012 are coming to the UK! Although it’s interesting stuff, we ought not to let ourselves get distracted from regular activities…

  • How to Recognize a Spammy Guest Post Request (and what to do about it)

    Michael Martine
    2 Apr 2012 | 6:27 pm
    Image from BigStock Photo Once your site has enough traffic, you will receive automated guest blogging requests. These are sent out automatically by software programs, which scan sites looking for contact forms and which automatically fill them out and submit the message. By the time you reach this point, you’ll also be getting real guest post requests from actual people, so at first it may be tricky to tell the difference between the two. What we’re going to do here is take a look at a typical spam guest posting request and point out the features that make it spammy so you can…

  • 3 Tips for Creating the Perfect Infographic (Ironically not an Infographic)

    Michael Martine
    21 Mar 2012 | 4:38 pm
    Not a real infographic! Image by BigStock Photo If you were to hold the edge of your hand across your throat, just under your chin, that would be the “here” I’ve had it up to with the infographic craze. I know I’m not alone. But I’m not here to rant… I’m here to help. Because people just freaking love the damn things and if you want to get in on the action, it’s easier than ever. It’s also easy to create stupid, lame infographics. There is a very good reason for displaying information in a visual format: because it conveys understanding…

  • 12 Sneaky Business Blogging Tricks to Dominate Your Market

    Michael Martine
    13 Mar 2012 | 4:33 pm
    Image by BigStock Photo Warning: I’m gonna get a little “sneaky” in this post. I don’t subscribe to the notion that it’s not enough for me to succeed, my “enemies” must also fail. And I do believe in showing mutual respect and taking the high road when dealing with people. But I’m also playing to win, to dominate the market. I plan on remaining number one for the search term “blog consultant” for a long time. How about you? Want to dominate your market? Not all of the tips below are “sneaky” but a few of them definitely…

  • Screencasting: Editing, Pacing and Effects

    Michael Martine
    8 Mar 2012 | 3:34 pm
    Time for the next installment in my “Screencast Like a Pro” series. Between client work and then getting deathly ill, I haven’t kept up with this series as planned and a couple weeks slipped by, but here we are now, so let’s dive in. By the time you’re done reading this, you’ll have a good understanding of how and why to edit your screencast in certain ways. You’ll discover tricks to control the perceived speed of presentation in your screencast (pacing) and how to jazz it up for visual interest and continuity (effects). Editing, Pacing and Effects…
 
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    Churbuck.com

  • Yo ho ho and a bottle of ….iPad

    David Churbuck
    10 May 2012 | 8:46 am
    I once “taught” myself celestial navigation. I borrowed a sextant, studied the excellent and concise six-page how-to penned by the late William F. Buckley in his account of a trans-Atlantic passage, Airborne, and took it all aboard an aging 60-foot plywood catamaran I was silly enough to agree to skipper from Falmouth to Florida in the fall of 1980. What most navigators spend years learning I tried to master over the course of a weekend and on Loop Beach in Cotuit. The crew on that voyage were all recruited from a classified ad in the Boston Globe and had no idea what was going on…

  • Eels face poaching threat

    David Churbuck
    7 May 2012 | 9:36 am
    Eels face poaching threat | CapeCodOnline.com. There haven’t been many eels around in a long time. The Asian market for baby eels — or elvers — is probably to blame, what with prices up around $2,000 a pound and plenty of poachers willing to risk the law to cash in on the action. Cotuit was infested with eels in the 60sthrough the 70s. A kid couldn’t fish off the Town Dock without hooking into one. My grandmother was a big fan but I never developed a taste until I experienced broiled eel in sushi form — unagi/unago – and have even tried to duplicate the…

  • Adam “MCA” Rauch 1964-2012

    David Churbuck
    4 May 2012 | 2:14 pm
    In memory of the man and the band that gave me one of the best final-500-meter-sprint-to-the-finish-in-glory ergometer songs, one that has always been, and always will remain in that playlist simply called “Erg:” Click here to view the embedded video.

  • The Redmond Kiss of Death

    David Churbuck
    3 May 2012 | 8:15 am

  • And they’re off …. Worst Rowing Start Ever

    David Churbuck
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:12 am
    There’s a reason they call them “the Bumps….” Click here to view the embedded video. What’s with the demented squirrel? Some background from the man who wrote THE goddamn Book of Rowing: The “Torpids” or “Bumps” are a traditional rowing contest conducted on the River Isis (part of the Thames) in England every Spring. Because the Isis is too narrow to permit side-by-side starts, the crew start about a length and a half apart, with the coxswains (the little people who steer the boats) holding onto ropes secured to the river bank. Everyone…
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    Ries' Pieces

  • Visual Hammers speak to consumers

    Laura
    10 May 2012 | 2:12 pm
       A visual hammer is so effective because it says something about your brand. The “lime” that says Corona is the authentic Mexican beer. The “contour bottle” that says Coca-Cola is the original cola. The “cowboy” that says Marlboro is the masculine cigarette.    A company makes a major mistake when it develops a verbal strategy without considering what visual hammer might help hammer that idea into consumers' minds.     In the year 2010, General Motors spent $1.1 billion advertising its Chevrolet brand. The verbal strategy? "Chevrolet runs deep."    But how do you…

  • Audi's Visual Hammer. An opportunity missed.

    Laura
    18 Apr 2012 | 1:26 pm
                    In 1986, CBS broadcast a 60 Minutes segment about Audi entitled "Out of Control." The show chronicled the tendency of the Audi 5000 model to suffer from "unintended acceleration."                 (Three years later, the culprit was discovered. “The major cause," according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "appears to have been drivers unknowingly stepping on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.")                 Consumers, however, blamed the car instead of the driver. Audi sales in the American market…

  • NEW BOOK: Visual Hammer

    Laura
    12 Mar 2012 | 10:38 am
        Forty years ago, Advertising Age published a series of articles by my father, Al Ries, and Jack Trout titled "The Positioning Era Cometh."     Nine years later, McGraw-Hill published their book "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind." In the years that followed, "positioning" became one of the most talked-about concepts in the marketing community. In its 75th anniversary edition, Advertising Age selected positioning as one of its 75 “top ad moments.”     But as revolutionary as positioning was, it had a weakness. Invariably, positioning strategy was expressed verbally. You…

  • Super Bowl of Advertising - 2012

    Laura
    6 Feb 2012 | 1:37 pm
    While the gridiron battle between the New York Giants and the New England Patriots was close, the advertising battle on the tube was not. The Super Bowl battle for commercial success might better be described as a mixture of the old classics, the new stuff, the overly sexy and the over the top. Here is my brief recap on the best/worst ads of the night. The Old Classics The Super Bowl isn’t for also-rans. The big game is best served by big brands that are category leaders and that support the game year after year with consistent themes. Coca-Cola The three polar bear ads delivered. The ads…

  • Tim Tebow, the brand

    Laura
    16 Dec 2011 | 12:07 pm
    Tim Tebow is the hottest story in sports. While the Green Bay Packers are charging ahead with an undefeated record, everybody is talking about the Mile High Messiah and Tebowing. How did this happen? What can you learn from it? The Keys to Tebow’s brand success: 1. Be Different. While there is nothing new about the collision of faith and football, Tim Tebow went out of his way to show PDF – public displays of faith. He also lives the life of a church going goodie-goodie. No alcohol, no smoking, no drugs, no sex (he is staying celibate til marriage.) His outspoken and open faith made him…
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    Ryan Stephens Marketing

  • 7 Things You Should’ve Learned in School

    Ryan Stephens
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:20 pm
    Tweet Photo Credit: Kevin Dooley via Compfight 53% of Recent College Grads Are Jobless or Underemployed reports the Atlantic. FIFTY-THREE PERCENT!? I genuinely wish I could say I was surprised. But it’s about as surprising as the promiscuous girl’s relapse less than a month after she returns from church camp. … “college for all” is the wrong mantra. We need to be talking about “skills for all” instead. The article is primarily talking about more tangible skills like writing code or administering an IV, but being successful goes beyond those things as…

  • Playing the Game

    Ryan Stephens
    24 Apr 2012 | 9:04 pm
    TweetWe all know the type. Most of you have worked with and/or for at least a couple in your career. Most of them excel at fooling the boss into thinking they’re working hard and some even have the audacity to explain to you that “they know how to play the game.” Your first inclination is to call them out or tattle. Most of you will refrain from this approach knowing full well it won’t do you any good and in most instances make you seem like a whiny baby. (Note: You *are* a whiny baby!) Here’s the dirty little secret about these “game players.”…

  • The Most Important YouTube Metric Isn’t What You Think

    Ryan Stephens
    14 Apr 2012 | 7:02 am
    TweetRarely is the most important metric the one on the surface. Your Facebook likes don’t mean much. Neither do your Twitter followers. You already know how I feel about impressions. They’re an incomplete business metric, at best. Views are NOT your most important YouTube Metric. One million views don’t mean anything if those people are clicking to start watching your video and closing the window after 20 seconds of boredom and/or frustration. But if views are not the most important metric, what is? Let’s take that journey. First find the “show video…

  • Is Ryan Stephens Online Home Careers a Scam?

    Ryan Stephens
    7 Apr 2012 | 9:54 pm
    TweetIn short, yes. But I’m not that Ryan Stephens. Judging by my recent traffic, someone with my namesake is pedaling some “work from home and make millions of dollars” nonsense. Stop wasting your time. I assure you that it’s a scam. Here’s the rub. If you’re one of those people looking to get rich quick exerting minimal effort and working in your pajamas then you landed on the wrong blog. I’m not rich and neither is the clown trying to convince to throw away $97 dollars. I have news for you. If it sounds too good to be true… IT IS! Look I get…

  • Stop Stealing Dreams Review

    Ryan Stephens
    31 Mar 2012 | 11:07 am
    TweetIn order to efficiently jam as much testable data into a generation of kids, we push to make those children compliant, competitive zombies. Every teacher, every student, every administrator, and every parent should read this manifesto. Seth Godin’s Stop Stealing Dreams is free and quick to consume. You really have no excuse. I’m tired of seeing smart talented people thousands of dollars in debt while they mindlessly drone around in a cubicle doing a job they’re not passionate about. Seth’s manifesto gets at the heart of the problem. The industrial revolution is…
 
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    brandflakesforbreakfast

  • your life reincarnated by a computer program

    Domitron
    16 May 2012 | 7:10 am
    Crap, so you've died. Now what? Well luckily for you it's the year 2052 and your conscious can be reincarnated. Getting your life back is as easy as buying an app with advertisements and licensing fees gala.

  • stamps celebrating british fashion

    Domitron
    16 May 2012 | 7:05 am
    Johnson Banks, an agency in London, have designed a set of postage stamps to celebrate the last 60 years of British fashion. To capture these pieces in an interesting way the studio worked closely with a highly respected fashion photographer, his assistants, stylists, and hair and wig artists.

  • anti-theft moldy lunch bags

    Domitron
    16 May 2012 | 7:02 am
    Ah ha! That'll show those pesky lunch thieves a lesson. Fool your office lunch thief into thinking your lunch has gone moldy with these sandwich bags that have green splotches printed on them. They're reusable, recyclable, and available at the.

  • how to spot an instagram junkie (infographic)

    Domitron
    16 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Hello Instagram junkie. You know who you are. You're constantly on your beautiful smart phone in awkward poses, bruised up, sweating, and so stressed from your adventures in Instagram world that by the end of the day you look like you've been mulled by a bear. Yes, this infographic is for you. Via.

  • junk food patches

    a_blodder
    15 May 2012 | 7:10 am
    Danone Corpus Light created a spoof ad featuring Junk Food patches to help people stick to their diet.Step 1: Place on Patch. Step 2: drink a Danone Corpus Light. That simple.I'll take the super-size combo sticker please. (Who wants to bet this is an actual product in say, the net 10 years?)
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    RefreshWeb

  • Publishers’ Apps Are DOA: Why Publishers Don’t Like Apps

    John Rasco
    7 May 2012 | 3:24 pm
    If, like me, you’ve got old school media experience, this article from TechnologyReview.com explains the false start and abrupt stop we’ve seen in mobile apps for print publications. It’s very simple: users expect interactivity from digital pubs, and it’s a lot harder than they thought. Why Publishers Don’t Like Apps The future of media on mobile devices isn’t with applications but with the Web. MONDAY, MAY 7, 2012    BY JASON PONTIN  

  • Review Site Secrets – Don’t Get Started Without Them!

    Sara Rasco
    12 Mar 2012 | 5:03 pm
    Everyone knows reviews are a big deal for businesses, whether they’re huge online retailers or the little restaurant down the street. Whether you love them or hate them, they’re something marketers have to deal with from time to time. I don’t think I’ve ever met with a client who wasn’t at least a little wary of being open to reviews from any and every customer they’ve ever had. They have lots of questions about the process, and there are some common issues that they might encounter. I’ll give you some of the most important things nobody tells you…

  • Lots of Facebook News for B2B Marketers

    John Rasco
    7 Mar 2012 | 5:40 pm
    Just when you thought you were through with your company Facebook page…the Social Media Examiner reports 7 big new changes you need to know. At least the designers will be happy to have some more real estate: the Profile picture can now be up to 850 pixels wide. No more parade of little pictures! Take time to check out all the new toys, but be sure to read thoroughly…Facebook both gives and takes away. For example, they will not allow a call to action in your Profile photo. But they will now let you pin a picture to the top for up to a week.

  • B2B Afraid, B2B Very Afraid?

    John Rasco
    1 Feb 2012 | 12:12 pm
    Despite what you might read, the rosy depictions of B2B tightly integrating social media marketing simply aren’t true. Penton Marketing Services just did a study of 5000 B2B marketers, and this statistic popped out: 81% of B2B Marketers find online marketing moderately to extremely challenging Read more: http://budurl.com/B2BMarketers Well, who wouldn’t be challenged? There’s SEO and PPC. There’s managing the Twitterverse, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+, blogging, plus monitoring your competitors and their key employees on all of the above. And on all the industry blogs…

  • Welcome New Energy In The Market

    John Rasco
    28 Jan 2012 | 7:21 pm
    In the world of B2B marketing, the fourth quarter is like a wind-up toy slowly coming to a halt. The third quarter is when marketers are busy, priming the sales pipeline. If the deal’s not done by Thanksgiving, it’s probably not happening…unless your client suddenly needs to empty out their 2011 budget. There’s plenty of discussion about 2012 budgets in Q4, but it’s a rare company that can commit to start spending in January. So, it was a pleasant surprise this past week to be super busy working on proposals and projects. I think some consistently positive…
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    Flooring The Consumer

  • Tips for Connecting With Customers

    14 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Do you have time-tested tips for connecting with customers? I'd love to hear about them. Here are some I gathered while at Surfaces: Connecting With Customers: 4 Tips Based on Surfaces Highlights Thanks for reading! Best, C.B.

  • The Shoe Lovers' Retail Experience: DSW

    7 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Are you familiar with DSW, also known as Designer Show Warehouse? It is 100% focused on shoe lovers. In the following article, I explore the DSW shoe lover retail experience: DSW: a Retail Experience for Shoe Lovers I'd love to hear your thoughts on DSW and the article. Thanks for reading! Best, C.B.

  • Schmitt on Happiness and the Customer Experience

    30 Apr 2012 | 9:19 am
    If you are as intrigued as I am with the notion of 'happy customers', you'll enjoy this interview with Columbia Business School professor and customer experience expert Bernd Schmitt: Happiness and Customer Experience: Interview with Bernd Schmitt [If you are in NYC on 5/2/12, you can learn more by attending the One Happy Book Launch Columbia Business School Alumni Club of New York event.] Best, C.B.

  • Zappos Online: Powered by Customers!

    2 Apr 2012 | 2:36 pm
    My latest blog article explores Zappos Online. There, too, customers are at the forefront! I invite you to read and share your comments. Zappos' Online Retail Experience: Powered By Customers Thanks!  Best, C.B.

  • How To Articulate Customer Expectations: Sandy Smith

    19 Mar 2012 | 8:00 am
    If you feel strongly about delivering a Starbucks-like experience, you will enjoy Sandy Smith's breakdown of seven customer expectations. They will get you thinking and anticipating how to delight customers. Simple click on the link to read the article: Getting More Customers By Articulating Expectations: Sandy Smith Thanks for reading! Best, C.B.
 
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    Search Engine Watch - Latest

  • Life After Google Penguin – Going Beyond the Name

    David Harry
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Don't try too hard to look for dates and names of updates. Rather, look more to the effects as Google’s algorithm evolves so you can adapt accordingly. What really matters is that Google is looking harder at link spam now, so you should be too.

  • 7 Time-Saving Google Analytics Custom Reports

    Eric Siu
    16 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    The right Custom Reports can be incredible time savers. Instead of spending time digging around for important metrics, you can find what you need separated neatly into columns for some analysis that will lead to some actionable insight.

  • Piwik Open Source Analytics: A Primer

    Thom Craver
    16 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    With a focus on privacy and keeping data safe, Piwik is a web analytics package that aims to be a free software alternative to Google Analytics. Here are some of Piwik’s features and how it compares to other top-billing analytics packages.

  • Make Second Tier Search Engines Part of Your Lead Generation Strategy

    Justin Freid
    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Google and Bing can only get you so far. If you work in an extremely competitive industry you may find yourself paying anywhere from $30 to $50+ per click. Working with second tier engine/networks can provide an abundance of traffic at a low cost.

  • Social Media Ad Spending Forecast to Hit $9.8 Billion by 2016

    ClickZ
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Social media advertising revenues in the U.S. will grow from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $9.8 billion in 2016, according to BIA/Kelsey’s U.S. Local Media Forecast (2011-2016). The leap would represent a compound annual growth rate of 21 percent.
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    Being Peter Kim

  • Sharing "Social Business By Design" #SBBD

    Peter Kim
    1 May 2012 | 7:01 am
    Today is the official publication date of Social Business By Design. It's been a whirlwind three-year journey from the original blog post that introduced the world to "social business" to a full book describing how to make strategy and tactics succeed. If you're starting on your social business journey, this book will provide you with a roadmap explaining the whys and hows. Last week, Dion explained why we wrote the book and outlined its key features. If you're a seasoned social business practitioner, you'll find value in the frameworks, outlines, and visual thinking. As one early…
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    TrishaLyn

  • 3 Tips to Effectively Use Instagram in Brand Marketing

    Trish
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
    More and more major players in various retail industries have begun using this free picture-sharing platform to broaden their consumer base. Just like other major social venues, Instagram can be a seriously helpful tool for branding your business and ultimately increasing sales. However, like all newer social avenues out there, business owners often wonder how to use this application in the most effective way possible. Seeking reputation management is one of the best and most hassle-free ways to ensure a quality online, social presence in general, and something to seriously consider. But for…

  • Advantages and Disadvantages of Having Your Own Photograph as Gravatar

    Trish
    23 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
    Guest Post by Bashir Jutt. Gravatar are the images that serve as your mask all over the Internet in general, and blogosphere to be more precise.  However, while we see people paying a lot more attention to their Facebook profiles, they are quite careless towards Gravatar, which is equally (if not more) important than your social profiles. And while people will gladly put their own photographs at their FB page, they are often reluctant to use their own photographs in their Gravatar. Remember that the Gravatar will be accompanying everything you write on blogs including your posts, comments,…

  • Tips for a Great Product Review

    Trish
    13 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
    What’s the most important way that most people find out about which new products to buy, and which to avoid? Whether it’s groceries, clothes, or beauty products, the opinion of respected friends and colleagues is a big factor. It’s how sites Amazon have increased conversions, turning browsers into buyers.  Beyond asking your friends for their advice, the second best source sometimes is an impartial product review. Product review is an ability to express or share one’s opinion about the product, whether it is good or bad. The essential questions that need to be answered to…

  • Understanding What “Deep Link” Means And How To Get More For Your Site

    Trish
    6 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
    Guest Post by Sam Mauzy. Deep links lead clients to specific pages that they are looking for without having through the entire content. They are quick links to various areas of interest in your web page. To understand how to use these links for your benefit, you need to take some time to consider their advantages. Increases relevancy of the website By using chosen keywords as your anchor text, you enable users to directly access the relevant pages without bouncing around in your main page. It’s easier to rank the pages with the anchor text instead of the whole page. This makes your web page…

  • 3 Essentials to Effective Internet Marketing

    Trish
    30 Mar 2012 | 10:00 am
    Internet marketing is the new gold rush in the commercial world. And it’s not just big businesses that are whole-heartedly embracing online avenues, small businesses and even single-person entrepreneurs and freelancers now view the Internet as the de facto method for sales growth, exposure, and blog allegiance. Here are a few ground rules for responsible and effective Internet marketing: Use affiliate marketing smartly. Don’t litter your blog with hundreds of affiliate links and then get shocked when your readers are turned off. Pick and choose your affiliates carefully, as you…
 
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    AdWeek: AdFreak

  • The 20 Most-Viral Ads of 2012 (So Far)

    16 May 2012 | 12:23 pm
    It's only the middle of May, but already we've had some runaway viral hits in advertising this year. Unruly Media, which runs the global Viral Video Chart, has just released a list of the most-shared ads of 2012 (so far). We've posted the top 20 below. It's a varied group of spots—with dancing and singing, cursing and fainting, running and good old-fashioned pitching. President Obama even makes an appearance. Check out the full list after the jump. And don't resist the urge to share. Finnair Snobby ad people largely despise flash mobs and/or spontaneous dancing as a…

  • Man Proposes to Woman via Audio Ad on Pandora

    16 May 2012 | 10:04 am
    Nerdy couples are awesome. They do nerdy things for each other that cause both of them to squeal in delight. Recently this phenomenon has extended all the way up to nerdy marriage proposals. We've seen the infographic proposal, the crowdsourced Photoshop meme proposal and the web banner-ad proposal. Now, a man with an apparent appreciation for radio commercials has proposed via Pandora ad—with the audio professionally recorded by a voice actress. The guy offers a play by play over on his Tumblr. He writes: "She heard her name, and then heard it again, and she started picking up…

  • Google Shows You Where an Email Goes After You Hit Send

    16 May 2012 | 8:48 am
    Google takes us backstage with The Story of Send, which explains what happens when you send an email. It's kind of like they're asking themselves why they're so awesome, and then answering that question, but it's still a clever way of both congratulating their renewable-energy efforts and explaining the inner workings of something people do every day without necessarily understanding the mechanics of it. I also think they're getting sick of all the remaining jokes about tubes, so they're trying to nip that mess in the bud once and for all. Either way, it's evidence…

  • Guinness Turns a Submarine Into a Branded Underwater Bar

    16 May 2012 | 8:23 am
    What shall we do with the drunken sailor? Sign him up for a tour of duty on the Guinness submarine! The vessel comes complete with a "deep-sea bar" and Austin Powers pop-art interior design with lots of rubber discs simulating bubbles. This is no dive bar! The groovy environs were built by architects at London's Jump Studios, working from concepts by Evelyne Gridelet, who won a "Sea Experience" competition celebrating the brand's 250th anniversary. Guinness's promotional line, "Alive inside," was the contest's theme, and it thankfully held true…

  • Keep Your Kitten or Puppy From Becoming the Town Whore

    31 Dec 1969 | 6:00 pm
    With their fluffiness, big trusting eyes and adorable attempts to learn how to operate their oversized paws, kittens and puppies are the essence of the word squee. But take that fluffy kitty or puppy and multiply it by six. Now, you need to provide a load of living creatures with veterinary care, food and water, love and attention, space—and let's not even talk about the number of litter boxes or walks in the park necessary to corral the byproducts of six adorable poop machines. The solution, for many, is a pit stop at the local overcrowded animal shelter—or worse, alongside a…
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    Marketing Pilgrim - Internet News and Opinion

  • CNBC Details How Americans Really Feel About Facebook

    Cynthia Boris
    16 May 2012 | 1:36 pm
    How do you really feel about Facebook? Do you trust it? Would you give it your money? Is it fun? Is it safe? These are just a few of the questions asked in a recent AP-CNBC poll and the answers they got. . . well. . . they weren’t exactly surprising. But hey, we love data here so let’s take a look! Who is on Facebook? Facebook is a keeper for most of the US. 56% of all Americans have a Facebook page. 3 in 10 use it everyday with younger users visiting more often. Those who don’t have a page, 35% say they have no interest or they have better things to do with their time. 22%…

  • Twitter’s New Email Digest Makes Top Content More Visible

    Cynthia Boris
    16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm
    Twitter used to be one of my favorite web destinations but in recent months I’ve nearly walked away from it thanks to the overwhelming overflow of information. It’s what happens with social media, you start following a few people you really enjoy then you add the obligatory follows and work follows and brand follows and soon it’s too much to handle. I only follow 126 people and I get a new tweet every minute. What about the people who follow 300 accounts? Keeping up is impossible. (Cue the trumpeters) Announcing the new Twitter Email Digest! The digest is broken into two…

  • IAB Launches Digital Media Sales Certification Program

    Frank Reed
    16 May 2012 | 10:01 am
    Ever have a bad experience with a sales person in the interactive space? That question is kind of like asking if you have ever felt the urge to breath first thing in the morning. I come from the sales side of the ISP and SEO industry as part of my interactive background. In my time, I did OK. In that time I also saw MANY who did not do OK and wondered what they said in an interview to get hired. That’s the way it is with most sales positions which is why turnover is so high and ‘opportunities’ are more than most other job segments. Part of the trouble is the learning curve…

  • Study Says Social Media Ad Spend (US) Will Hit Almost $10B by 2016

    Frank Reed
    16 May 2012 | 9:31 am
    In a shocking development, a research company has chosen this particular week, of all weeks, to post their forecast for what is in store for social media ad spending in the US over the next several years. Do you think it was just dumb luck that it coincides with Facebook’s IPO ? Hey, who can blame BIA/Kelsey for jumping on the train that is the Facebook IPO Express? Here is the picture version of this predicted US social media spend through 2016. Let’s consider the whole Facebook IPO thingy in light of these numbers. In 2011, Facebook did somewhere in the neighborhood of $3…

  • OK, So GM Pulls $10M in Facebook Ads, So What?

    Frank Reed
    16 May 2012 | 1:42 am
    Could this Facebook IPO be over with already so we can get back to our regularly scheduled programming? Please?! Every Tom, Dick and pundit is putting in their heavily discounted two cents (it’s like there was a Groupon for pre-IPO Facebook hype and speculation and everyone appears to have bought it) and it is getting pretty silly. The latest chicken little concern is the pulling of Facebook ads, to the tune of $10 million, by General Motors. Here is the tweet from the Wall Street Journal’s Dennis Berman that set all of this in motion. In the world of “no good tweet goes…
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    BrandSTOKE

  • Time for Swiss watches to strengthen their brand?

    Kirk
    9 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    Luxury watches tell more about the wearer than about the time of day. And the best watches, as everyone knows, are made in Switzerland. Just like Scotch whiskey, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Bordeaux wine, “Swiss-made” is a place-of-origin brand. It’s not a Swiss-made watch unless the assembly work and testing of the movement take place in Switzerland. Swiss law also requires at least 50% of the components of the movement be manufactured in Switzerland. Some well-known Swiss-made watches include Breitling, Patek Philippe, Hublot, Victorinox Swiss Army, Tissot, Rolex, TAG…

  • You are your furniture

    Kirk
    3 May 2012 | 1:52 pm
    Marketing would have us believe we are defined by what we consume. What we wear, what we drink, what we drive. And what we sit on. In furniture retailer Havertys‘ new TV spot (below), a customer expresses her “oneness” with her customized chair. Although the commercial cleverly promotes Havertys’ customization program, it does not differentiate the brand. The option to select fabrics and colors is commonplace within the category. Nor is Havertys an affinity brand, the gold standard in marketing. The spot does, however, support the theory that the brands we choose are…

  • Is Mr. Peanut man enough?

    Kirk
    26 Apr 2012 | 8:26 am
    Let’s say you want to sell more nuts to men. Let’s say you obtained a rare Men’s Health endorsement. Let’s say you are Planters. What do you do with your fop of a spokes-character? You know, that cane-twirling, white-gloved, top-hatted dandy? What Planters did was introduce him to a rough crowd (a pistachio and an almond) to toughen up his image. The three comprise Planters NUT-rition Men’s Health Recommended Mix, “the  manliest mix we’ve ever assembled.” (Watch TV spot below.) “Men are grocery shopping more, and they want a healthy snack…

  • Branding’s dirty little secret: Not everyone cares

    Kirk
    19 Apr 2012 | 12:44 pm
    Despite the multitude of branding consultants, theories, philosophies, processes, diagrams, white papers, and, of course, books, not all consumers care about brands. For a variety of reasons, they may remain oblivious or choose to ignore a brand’s best efforts to engage them. Specifically: • They may not care about a particular brand category. For example, they may not need home insurance. Marketing directed to them is wasted. At least, for now. • Or they may not distinguish between the brands within a category. They may believe all brands of gasoline are identical. To them, gas is…

  • Oreo: A brand reminds us it is eternal

    Kirk
    12 Apr 2012 | 8:27 am
    Your grandparents probably ate Oreos. So did their grandparents. Oreo, “Milk’s Favorite Cookie,” just turned one-hundred years old. Since the first batch was delivered by the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) in 1912, Oreo has become the world’s top-selling cookie with sales of $2 billion. In celebration of the century mark, Oreo’s current owner, Kraft Foods, launched a print campaign featuring various cultural milestones from the last hundred years, such as prohibition, the peace movement, World Cup Soccer, etc. See some of the ads here. Not only has the brand…
 
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    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…
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    Biz Growth News - branding, business development and new media tips to attract more clients in less time

  • Free Webinar: Customer Centricity – is it a Panacea or a Pipe-Dream?

    Krishna De
    23 Apr 2012 | 12:22 am
    UPDATED 7 MAY 2012 – If you missed our recent webinar about the importance of developing a customer centric organisation to succeed in today’s challenging market place you can access the webinar recording as a video, the slides and an MP3 of the event below. In October 2011, IBM released a global chief marketing officer study. Over 1,700 CMOs were interviewed and the research identified four major challenges that they are facing: -   The adoption of social media -   The proliferation of channels and devices -   Shifting consumer demographics -   The explosion of data. I am…

  • 7 Irish Facebook Timeline Cover Images Celebrating St Patricks Day

    Krishna De
    18 Mar 2012 | 10:17 am
    If you joined me for one of my Facebook Timeline webinars in the last couple of weeks, you will know how impactful your Facebook cover image can be in sharing your brand story. I thought I would explore how Irish Facebook Pages have celebrated St Patrick’s Day this year using their cover photo (and in two cases changing their Profile image) in the hope this may give you some inspiration for the next public holiday you celebrate wherever you are in the world. If there are other Facebook Timelines that you think did a great job in celebrating St Patrick’s Day through their Timeline cover…

  • Win A Ticket To Attend The Techovate Conference, Wexford 21-22 March 2012

    Krishna De
    17 Mar 2012 | 4:30 pm
    If you have not already heard about the terrific conference that is taking place this week in Wexford for small and medium enterprises looking for guidance on how to accelerate your business using technology, you will want to check out the Techovate conference website. There is an impressive line up of speakers including Cisco, Eircom, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, IBM, Microsoft and PwC. As I reference in my recent article about recommended conferences for 2012, the event is especially relevant for small and medium enterprises who are looking for guidance on how to improve their business…

  • Recommended Marketing And Social Media Conferences For Leaders And Entrepreneurs 2012

    Krishna De
    17 Mar 2012 | 3:11 pm
    I often get asked what conferences I recommend people attend so if you are based in Ireland or the UK I thought I would curate a list of events that I recommend you consider attending if you are an executive or leader interested in social media and integrated marketing. I will update this list during the course of the year so if you have a suggestion that you think should be added do leave a message in the comments or through our support desk. For some of the later events the speakers have not been announced so I have added Twitter profiles were they are available so you can follow them to…

  • The St Patrick’s Day Google Doodle 2012 Inspired By The Book Of Kells

    Krishna De
    17 Mar 2012 | 4:04 am
    If you check into Google’s search engine today in some countries today including including Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Denmark, the UK, and of course Ireland you will find the Google Doodle celebrates St Patrick’s Day. The Google Doodle was drawn by Chinese American artist Jennifer Hom who is based in New York. and is inspired by the Book of Kells. The Washington Post reports that Hom worked on the Google St Patrick’s Day 2012 doodle for 40 hours over four days. Hom comments that she had to zoom in by 300 percent to render the precise Celtic knots which is closer than the…
 
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    A Source Of Inspiration

  • Just put together the usual media plan

    Armando Alves
    4 May 2012 | 10:20 am
    Yep. That’s about it. (via AdRants)

  • Find me on Tumblr

    Armando Alves
    11 Mar 2012 | 9:46 am
    I’ve been posting on Tumblr for a while. It fits the kind of quick content not worthy of a post itself, without personal commentary. Lots of quotes and videos. Hope you follow me at http://armandoalves.tumblr.com/. Thanks.

  • We do it for the happiness

    Armando Alves
    6 Mar 2012 | 5:01 pm
    Last August, Coke shared a glimpse of their creative agenda, toward content excellence. Have a look at part 1 and part 2, if not for the visual mapping. Besides the marketing lingo, there’s one part that interested me the most: Liquid Content, or how content can be apart but share the same molecular brand DNA. Liquid content assumes the brand acts as a catalyst for play and takes risks in a culture of creativity. On the same presentation, Coke shared their 70/20/10 principles of Liquid Content, where 70% of investiment is dedicated to low risk content, 20% to innovation and 10% to high…

  • Spoken film

    Armando Alves
    5 Mar 2012 | 4:30 pm
    These are the words, these are the films. 1. The Division Of Gravity by Rob Chiu – Rob’s work always had this magnetic effect on me. How many things we held yesterday as articles of faith which today we tell as fables. 2. Nike Soccer Spot by Phillip Lopez – from a previous shoot, masterfully edited to create what could perfectly be a Nike ad (poem by Pablo Neruda) I like for you to be still.

  • Love Letters to the End.

    Armando Alves
    26 Feb 2012 | 5:35 pm
    “If the world were to end this year, what would you want to share with it?” That’s the premise of Love Letters to the End, a dramatic interactive web series about falling in love with the world before it ends. Love Letters to the End – Teaser from Love Letters to the End on Vimeo. Your anonymous love letter can be sent to the address below, after it might be part of the narrative or included on the website. Love Letters to the End P.O. Box 17693 Los Angeles, CA
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    AttentionMax

  • Breast Feeding Is Not Perverted, But The Sexualization Of Young Children Most Certainly Is

    maxkalehoff
    11 May 2012 | 10:52 am
    Time Magazine features on its May 21, 2012 cover Jamie Lynne Grumet, 26, photographed with her three-year-old son, breastfeeding. Let’s cut to the chase: Mrs. Grumet is a very attractive, young and blond mom. Her son, standing on a chair and wearing a gray sweater and camouflage pants, looks mature and confident. Despite the story’s focus on attachment parenting, the highly promoted juxtaposition of a hot mom with an older-looking boy, sucking on her nipple while looking at the camera, is an attempt to sexualize the scene, create controversy and get people like me to link to the…

  • Ad-Tech Jargon Is Like Vomit

    maxkalehoff
    9 May 2012 | 10:50 pm
    I work in the advertising-technology industry. It’s exciting, interesting and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. But it has challenges that many correctly observe: An explosion of poor advertising inventory, and commodity technology and services. Clueless agencies, clueless tech vendors and clueless brand marketers. Ethical dilemmas, like excessive gift-giving and boondogles — even summer houses, vacations, and Super Bowl trips. Buyers too complacent to invest in important channels like social and mobile. And unsustainable LUMAscape businesses propped up by VC money…

  • The Problem With Competition

    maxkalehoff
    3 May 2012 | 8:30 pm
    The problem with embracing competition is that competition, itself, becomes the end game. We compete just to compete — not some other higher outcome. And in hot competition, people begin to confuse what is hard with what is valuable. Moreover, that develops a quest to compete amidst unattainable odds, which is subtly demoralizing. Storied entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel, unpacked these hidden truths about “us” in a startup class he’s teaching at his alma mater, Stanford University.  (One of his students, Blake Masters, has been posting thorough summaries of…

  • Why Don’t We Sanction Naps?

    maxkalehoff
    1 May 2012 | 9:39 pm
    As father of two preschoolers, I advocate naps. Most importantly, naps refresh my kids. Naps make them happier people and function better. So I asked the question at Julian’s pre-Kindergarten parent orientation night: ”Do the kids get nap time or even quiet time in Kindergarten?” The principle leading the discussion said yes, but the other teachers standing next to him nodded their heads no. Then the principle said it depends on the class. Then he acknowledged that naps phase out after Kindergarten, even though we (pointing to himself and then the parents) would do better…

  • Moving Up Market

    maxkalehoff
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:53 pm
    Costco never ceases to amaze me. There’s a lot to love, from double-seat shopping carts to caskets (displayed in the exit aisle adjacent the snack bar) to wedding services. The theme of Costco is value, whether you’re buying staples like diapers and organic milk, or higher-priced items like vacations and automobiles. During our last visit, Costco reminded me yet again how expansive its repertoire has become. No joke: next to the casket display was a promotion for three and four carat diamond rings priced between $66,999.99 and $84,999.99 — delivery included! (Going to Costco…
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    Strategic Public Relations

  • Will Facebook Unveil a Mobile Device?

    Kevin Dugan
    14 May 2012 | 7:49 am
      Based on Facebook's recent app store news and a string of mobile acquisitions, I'm wondering when it will launch its own device?It's something I predicted yesterday during the weekly BraveAdWorld podcast. My colleague Taylor Wiegert and I discuss it during the weekly news items. It's probably my first prediction. That may tell you how strongly I feel about it. But it's not like I'm going out on a limb.The prediction is based on my last post with CNET's overview of the need for digital ecosystems for certain brands to succeed in the future. A digital ecosystem includes the device, a…

  • The Power of Unassuming Brands (a lesson from Signal P&G)

    Kevin Dugan
    6 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    The Signal P&G event brought together brands we see in the news almost daily -- from Twitter and Facebook to Coca-Cola and more. But the brands on Procter & Gamble's dais getting less media attention, or perhaps less positive media attention, were more interesting that day. Presentations from Amazon, AOL and Nokia taught me to reconsider the power of unassuming brands.These companies are not startups or unknowns. But news coverage can suggest that new brands may "kill" more established brands. Stories with only one clear winner, atop a pile of competitors, make for shareable…

  • TidyCat's Social Media Team Stops a Stink Over Its #lifestinks Campaign

    Kevin Dugan
    8 Apr 2012 | 11:58 am
    TidyCats latest ad campaign spans online and offline to get consumers sharing about what stinks in their lives. But one of their ads created its own stink. To the brands' credit, they were listening and responded in less than 24 hours to stop a possible catfight with consumers.Billboards localize the campaign by referencing what stinks in each market. I'm imagining traffic in Los Angeles, rain in Seattle and there are plenty of opportunities for the NYC subway. These examples are all harmless, even humorous, locally relevant and make TidyCats' point that #lifestinks.Don't Trash the the…

  • Instagram's Android Launch Complete's the Picture for Brands

    Kevin Dugan
    4 Apr 2012 | 7:37 am
    With 1 million downloads made in the first 24 hours of its release, Instagram's long-awaited Android app has clearly been well-received.The Android release was a bit of a tidal wave as you can only access the platform via its mobile app or using your app login to use web-based options that tap into the Instagram API.More users mean more potential for your audience being on the platform. So here's a quick recap of Instacontent, from here and elsewhere, to help users get their sea legs with an app that's gotten a serious second-wind. Watch How Brands Do: There are a variety of brands with an…

  • Hunger Games' Social Media Lesson? The Need for Real-Time (Data) and Longer Lead Time

    Kevin Dugan
    26 Mar 2012 | 1:36 pm
    The word of mouth and promotional frenzy around Lionsgates' Hunger Games has been deafening. It helped the film break box office records -- before it even opened it seemed.While I may never see the movie (I'm not the target audience), one thing I'm first to admit is that I really like how the movie was marketed.According to this article in Forbes, the key to The Hunger Games' social media success can be attributed to the use of real-time input from fans and a healthy lead time to build momentum for the film."Lionsgate adopted a ongoing continuous process for  improvement based upon user data…
 
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    BLITZ | Blog

  • Mark Netter Named Vice President for Business Development

    Marketing Group
    7 May 2012 | 1:48 pm
    Mark Netter Named Vice President for Business Development at Agency BLITZ SANTA MONICA, CA (May 7, 2012) – Mark Netter, 51, has joined strategic digital agency BLITZ as vice president of business development, announced Ivan Todorov, co-founder and CEO. Netter’s career spans business development for digital and social media marketing as well as production in film, television, and videogames. “Mark brings uniquely relevant experience and capabilities in today’s digital marketing and social space. We look forward to the new opportunities in the months ahead,” said Todorov. “I’ve…

  • David Maharaj joins BLITZ as Vice President, Technology

    Marketing Group
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:23 pm
    David Maharaj Joins Agency BLITZ as Vice President of Technology SANTA MONICA, CA April 30  –  David Maharaj, 41, has been named vice president of technology at strategic digital agency BLITZ. Maharaj brings 15 years’ experience in software development across a variety of industries and solutions including digital media, online video streaming applications, ecommerce, content management, and open source, to his new position. Maharaj comes to BLITZ from similar positions at Razorfish in San Francisco and FOX Digital Media in Los Angeles. “BLITZ is building digital platforms and…

  • BLITZ welcomes new President Cathy Saidiner

    Marketing Group
    9 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    BLITZ Names Cathy Saidiner President to Reinvent Digital Brand Leadership SANTA MONICA, CA April 9 – In response to growing client demand to lead brand communication across all channels, digital agency BLITZ has named former McCann Erickson L.A. president Cathy Saidiner (47) to the new position of president, announced co-founders Ivan Todorov, CEO, and Ken Martin, CCO. “Digital agencies are rapidly becoming the most powerful partner of progressive marketers. We recognize the opportunity for BLITZ to transform from a digital partner into a 21st century brand partner; one that is poised to…

  • HTML5 Sound Visualization

    Dino P.
    1 Feb 2012 | 5:29 pm
    Recently BLITZ was asked about modifying an audio driven flash site we completed a few years ago. In that time, technology on the internet driving rich consumer experiences has shifted from a plugin based platform dominated by Adobe Flash to a reliance on the native capabilities of the browser. This is significant, as it’s now obvious that mobile is the current trend in browsing. The old project utilized flash’s ability to extract sound data from a playing song and displayed an on-the-fly visualization of the data, similar to a visual EQ. This ability does not currently exist in…

  • Gedrich Speaks on Tech

    Marketing Group
    13 Sep 2011 | 7:33 pm
    On August 18, 2011, Sr. Director, Technology Noah Gedrich had the honor of delivering our agency’s values and philosophies on technology at the Ink + Chase Sessions, held at the Kyoto Grand Hotel in Downtown L.A. As part of their ongoing mission to help small businesses leverage technology, Inc. Magazine and Chase have teamed up to deliver these panels to small business cardholders. What started as a high-level discussion about the online channel and how it can be best used to drive sales, increase returning customers, set one’s business apart from competitors, and take on larger…
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    Business is Personal

  • What’s a core story?

    Mark
    16 May 2012 | 6:02 am
    photo credit: seyed mostafa zamani One of the more common things you’ll see from a business that’s differentiating themselves using things other than price is their use of a unique selling proposition (USP) and in the strongest cases, a “core story” that backs it up. You’ve probably heard USP described before. Domino’s Pizza’s USP is a well-known example: “Fresh, Hot Pizza in 30 minutes or it’s Free.” Given that, there’s no doubt what Domino’s focus is. A Core Story takes a good USP to the next level. Evaporating…

  • Do you and your staff swim in the deep end?

    Mark
    8 May 2012 | 6:10 am
    Speaks volumes about the mindset at Apple. What mindset do you instill on their first day? What mindset do you hire for?

  • How to avoid wasting the best advertising dollar you ever spent

    Mark
    7 May 2012 | 6:20 am
    photo credit: laverrue Are you wasting those carefully planned advertising investments? The most expensive investment we can make is one that’s wasted. You’ve studied, sifted and listened intently to figure out the perfect message for a certain group of people interested in what you make or do. As you hoped, it resonates with just the right people at just the right time. Lots of folks are calling, stopping by your store, and visiting your website. Minutes later, all the positive you’ve created can be gone… POOF! At speaking engagements, I’ll often mention the…

  • Junior says “Without customers, what do you have?”

    Mark
    3 May 2012 | 6:45 am
    While I suspect that this change is about ratings and ad sales, it’s still an example of what kills businesses all the time… Forgetting who the core customer is and what they want. PS: Seems the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

  • Are they sleeping well?

    Mark
    1 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    photo credit: Alyssa L. Miller Do you know what’s going on in the minds of your customers? We’ve been talking about invisible signals a lot lately, but sometimes the signals are far from invisible. Back in the day, my software company called every customer once a month. We didn’t do it because it was fun. We did it because we felt it was critical that we knew what was on their mind and what their concerns were that month. A tiny side benefit of this frequent contact was that they didn’t expect every contact from us to be a sales call. During these brief calls, we…
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    Adverblog

  • Video of the day: Staples Screensaver

    Martina
    16 May 2012 | 9:02 am
    Messy desktop? Messy office? Your solution is one click away. Just activate the screensaver! Really nice idea and execution for this TVC by Argentinean agency David for Staples. I love when they use sense of humor to promote brands that ain’t so cool nor fancy. I think it really works, at least with me, to generate brand awareness. via

  • Infographic: Google beats Facebook media

    Tim
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    For the last few years I have been convinced that running Facebook ads is a pretty solid strategic choice. At the same time I found them creatively limiting: tiny pics or video thumbnails and condensing the message into a slither of straight-to-the-point copy. In light of Facebook’s multi-billion IPO comes news that Facebook ads are also not quite as effective as we might think. At least when you compare them to those of the other digital ad juggernaut, Google. This infographic done by WordStream isn’t necessarily well executed. Actually it is quite difficult to orient…

  • Twitpoker for success

    Martina
    16 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    How can a small new business with zero brand presence on social media gain over 1.5 million impressions in one day? Well, looks like gambling is the answer… Pick five influential tweeters, put them around a poker table and broadcast the game on the Web, allowing their followers to help them playing their hands. The idea is damn smart, but I can’t help feeling disappointed the concept has nothing to do with the brand which, for your info, it’s a travel agency. Young & Rubicam is the agency. Thanks Sebastián for sending this through.

  • Red Stripe: Street Art at shutter speed

    Tim
    16 May 2012 | 4:38 am
    Red Stripe’s “Make Art On The Street” released this animation of a special piece of street art. Scottish artist Spaceboy, helped by his graphic students from Edinburgh College of Art, animated his paste-ups on the shop shutters of Newhaven Harbour. It is a nice animation in itself, capturing and recording each frame of the paper installation. But what I really like about the film is that the interview with Spaceboy (talking in his heavy Scottish accent) is actually woven into the dubby Jamaican soundtrack. Ah sey one! I think they could have done a bit more to connect…

  • The Student’s Corner: DHL Friend Express

    Martina
    16 May 2012 | 1:50 am
    In Singapore punctuality among young generations is not a very diffused virtue. To correct this bad habit and promote DHL’s ability to always deliver on time, Uni Lee a student at the LASALLE College of the Arts come up with the DHL Friend Express concept. Select friend, date and appointment time and send a DHL service to pick him/her up to be delivered perfectly on time to your date. The concept is pretty fun, and I like that fact that it starts from a real local insight. I do miss the connection with the DHL brand and product a bit, as here the main target audience are everyday…
 
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    All You Need Is A Good Idea!

  • Eat Your Heart Out

    Jay H. Heyman
    14 May 2012 | 10:02 am
    This is such a good idea, I am consumed with envy, jealousy—there is a difference—and awe. And though it is physically difficult to applaud and cheer while eating your heart out, I couldn’t wait to share it. To quote from Design Taxi’s piece, where I discovered this promotion, to help Land Rover owners stay alive if they ever get stuck in the desert, Land Rover worked with ad agency Young & Rubicam Dubai to create an edible survival guide. Along with tips on surviving the harshness of the dessert, the survival guide teaches you things how to build shelters, and signal for help.

  • We Don’t Want Your (Discounted) Business.

    Jay H. Heyman
    10 May 2012 | 10:06 am
    Customer services (Photo credit: gordon2208) Along with discussing good marketing ideas, I find myself blogging more and more about customer service. That’s because no matter what the good idea was that had gotten your customer to the point of making the purchase, nothing has the potential of undermining your marketing than the moment of truth; the moment when your potential customer, ready and eager to buy your service or product, online or in person, faces your website or sales person. What happens at that moment can make or break your sale, and eventually, and inevitably, your image.So…

  • Post Some Bills

    Jay H. Heyman
    7 May 2012 | 10:11 am
    Ever notice that the signs on construction fences don’t say, “Post a few bills,” or Post several bills.”? And that’s a good idea for all of us. The more specific you can be, the more effective and persuasive your message. Don’t try to cram every factoid into your copy, because it will inevitably end up making it sound more general and less focused than you want. Along the same lines, avoid the cowardly cop-outs such as, “Only for men. Perfect for men. Created for men. Designed for men.” And then add, for fear of losing any part of a possible target, “Good for ladies too.”…

  • “Imagination.” 3M. Einstein. All finally together in one blog.

    Jay H. Heyman
    3 May 2012 | 11:45 am
    A while back I mentioned a review of a book titled “Imagination.” Well, now I have read the book, and I suggest you do the same. (Yes it is on Amazon. No, I don’t get a penny.) Assuming you will read it, I just wanted to mention two things in particular I found fascinating. (Don’t consider this a spoiler; rather, it is meant to be an amuse-gueule to whet your appetite.) Here’s one quote that resonated with me, by Yo-Yo Ma. “If you are only worried about not making a mistake, you will communicate nothing. You will have missed the point about making music, which is to make people…

  • Watch this video

    Jay H. Heyman
    30 Apr 2012 | 11:23 am
    Push Button (Photo credit: drip&ju) The client: Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) Europe. Specifically, Turner Benelux.The background: ‘To launch the high quality TV channel TNT in Belgium we placed a big red push button on an average Flemish square of an average Flemish town. A sign with the text "Push to add drama" invited people to use the button. And then we waited... “ The video: The point: Was the promotion worth what was obviously a considerable effort? 30 million views so far, not even counting you. Plus those, like me, who are going to watch it again. So yeah, indeed…
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    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…
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    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…
 
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    Ogilvy Blog Aggregator

  • Yahoo's CEO And The Modern Believability Crisis

    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…

  • Google’s mobile minefield

    15 May 2012 | 8:21 am
    When the media landscape changes, there are inevitably casualties. The once mighty print publishers have learnt that lesson to their cost as they struggle to manage the transition from print pounds to digital pennies. The media landscape is changing once more and the existing players are heading for a shake up. As we head from a digital landscape dominated by PCs to one controlled by mobile, the company with the most to lose is Google. Google may be massive in online search – excluding China it has around 90% of the market and in Europe (excluding Russia) the figure is closer to 98%– but…

  • Game Change – How TV stole Film’s Spotlight

    15 May 2012 | 4:14 am
    In a belated – and very un-zeitgeisty – move, Zeitgeist only got around to seeing HBO’s Game Change this past weekend. The film, which first aired in the US in March, is based on the book by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. While the film has attracted its fair share of controversy, it has been deemed “very accurate” by those on the campaign trail at the time. Zeitgeist thoroughly enjoyed it; HBO had done it again. HBO have had a remarkable run of success, producing some of the most daring, innovative and enjoyable TV shows of the past 20 years, from Curb Your Enthusiasm and Dexter…

  • The Quality of the Conversation on Facebook Matters

    14 May 2012 | 10:51 am
    Last September Michael Scissons, president-CEO of Syncapse, used data to reveal that “Engagement on the Facebook walls of leading brands is down 22%.” He plotted engagement metrics on the top 300 brand pages. His hypothesis is that brands are not delivering long term value in favor of quick bumps from overuse of coupons and offers. More recently the Facebook Timeline innovations seemed to improve overall engagement. According to Simply Measured, the change brought a 14% Increase in Fan Engagement. The format and the much industry-discussed launch called for lots more pictures and video…

  • THIS IS ANALOGUE LONDON. CALLING AT ALL STATIONS TO NOTTING HILL.

    14 May 2012 | 6:10 am
    It’s nice to see that ambient media is back. I haven’t encountered a branded tube train for years. I applaud this return to retro, late ’90′s media innovation. Branded curry lids and urinal stickers will be this summer’s media planning must-haves. But then, your options are limited with these unconnected audiences. So, hop on board the DigitalUK train, currently traversing the Central Line, and ride along the future of 1010100011110 broadcasting, which hammered its final nail in the analogue coffin at the end of last month. However, the arrival of the train has…
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    Marketing.fm

  • Computationally Expensive (within project planning)

    info@marketing.fm (www.Marketing.fm)
    8 May 2012 | 8:27 am
    When I first started working at foursquare I heard this term as a way of explaining that some things were not possible (right now!) but could be built in the future (soon!).  It is one of my favorite terms for a lot of reasons, but mainly because of the challenge of overcoming whatever obstacle is in the way. For different groups to understand what is possible and what is not, a matrix of sorts is needed to quantify why things may or may not be possible.  Things like an overall Company vision and roadmap contribute to why and when things are happening, but scoring things can also bring some…

  • Get to the “ask” early

    info@marketing.fm (www.Marketing.fm)
    7 May 2012 | 7:55 am
    In most meetings the last 5-10 minutes are used to go over the “ask” or the crux of what folks are there to talk to in the first place. I have noticed a common occurrence where someone sets up a meeting or call to go over something new or propose something interesting, but they only cover this within the last part of the meeting time. This sets you up to have very little time to present your request, while spending significant time setting up and getting ready for your big “ask”. Commonly after introductions are made via email and calls or meetings have been setup,…

  • The new “getting started” with gadgets

    info@marketing.fm (www.Marketing.fm)
    11 Jan 2012 | 7:22 am
    Getting started with gadgets has changed.  It used to be that each electronic gizmo, phone, or device required a quick registration and understanding of their proprietary system. Now however, you are greeted with ever familiar OAuth prompts for services you probably already have an account with.  This happens with more than just web services.  Unboxing a new TV you are asked to install widgets for Facebook and Twitter.  Setting up a digital picture frame you are asked to OAuth with Flickr.  Certain sites and web services can even benefit from handshaking with foursquare too. This is…

  • moar personal tracking! iDoneThis.com

    info@marketing.fm (www.Marketing.fm)
    10 Jan 2012 | 7:44 am
    With the new year comes a flurry of new years resolutions from everyone – myself included.  I am giving iDoneThis a try at the recommendation of two friends.  Its a simple a lightweight way to track what happened each day, and build momentum for the next entry. Their system emails you when you want (mine come at 11pm) and you simply reply back with whatever you want for that day.  I am using this as a personal “snippets” of sorts to see if I get value.  I am trying to stay on top of it, and I am proud to say I have so far been great at it (yup, almost all 10 days of the…

  • hello Homeland and the #screwcable problem

    info@marketing.fm (www.Marketing.fm)
    9 Jan 2012 | 8:32 am
    I have been thinking about cable tv and the future of video for what seems like forever. Much has been written here about tv in general, boxee, and the future of television (remember Joost?). Tonight I finished watching Homeland from Showtime – and tweeted about it (really great show by the way!) To my surprise it set off a flurry of responses from friends and colleagues who were at various stages of being either interested in starting to watch it, in the middle of it, or interested in more.  This presents a “hello Homeland” situation for many of my friends who want to…
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    the weekly ramble

  • Between Us and Total Chaos

    David
    14 May 2012 | 7:50 am
    Lord of the Flies:  Sir William Golding’s epic novel of the relationship between human nature and... Read on...

  • Go for the GOLD

    David
    7 May 2012 | 12:49 pm
    Go for the GOLD! A phrase that I believe resonates across most if not all modern cultures and... Read on...

  • Making Money from Scoops

    David
    30 Apr 2012 | 1:43 pm
    Here is an ethical question. Can a news source make money from its scoops – beyond the obvious –... Read on...

  • “Do No Evil”?

    David
    23 Apr 2012 | 11:20 am
    Anyone remember this Japanese parable? Known as the three wise monkeys, they embody—“speak no evil,... Read on...

  • Have You Tried Instagram?

    David
    16 Apr 2012 | 2:05 pm
    Have you tried Instagram? I was a fan from day one…everything about it was smart – it enhanced... Read on...
 
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    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…
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    Lip-Sticking

  • Mom's Reflections on Graduation Day 2012

    Donna DeClemente
    16 May 2012 | 7:12 am
    By Guest Blogger, Donna DeClemente, Donna's Promo Talk Today my oldest daugher, Kelsey, is graduating from college. When I post this we should be in route to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx to attend the graduation ceremony of the 2012 Class of New York University. The school has so many students that it needs to be held in a stadium this huge. Of course they can’t call each student by name. Instead they call them by the school. Kelsey is graduating from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts and majored in Drama. Tisch will be having their ceremony on Friday at Radio City Music Hall. So my husband,…

  • Comfortable or Sloppy?

    Mary Schmidt
    14 May 2012 | 10:18 am
    By Guest Blogger, Mary Schmidt, Marketing Troubleshooter  Following on Yvonne's post last week, The Power of A Woman's Face  I admit - I look at "stars without makeup" photos on occasion. Most of whom look like normal, pretty people on their day off. And, I'd certainly hate to have people taking shots of me shuffling out - in my bathrobe, flip-flops and Clark Kent glasses - to get the paper off the driveway every morning.  Like Yvonne, as I've gotten older I've gotten more comfortable. At one time, I would never, ever have left the house without my full make-up.  These days, my daily…

  • What Men Don't Get About Women's Purses

    Chloe Spencer
    13 May 2012 | 9:14 am
      Article by Chloe Spencer A woman's purse is her most treasured belonging, she never goes anywhere without it, and to lose it basically means losing her life. Right ladies?! Everything is in your purse! Your wallet, credit card, driver's license, keys, cellphone, makeup, to-do lists, perfume, the list goes on. It's pretty much like Mary Poppin's magic bag where you can fit a whole lamp in there and passers-by would never know. I can fit a surprising amount of stuff in my purse, as much as I can get into it. Men may think we're crazy, but the more we have in our purse, the more comfortable…

  • Was/Am I A 'Bad' Mother?

    Yvonne
    11 May 2012 | 8:53 am
    Guest blog by Blog Manager Robbi Hess I recently took a 2,400 mile cross country road trip and because of that I had a lot of time alone in the car with talk radio. I imagine it was in response to Mother's Day, but most of the talk show hosts seemed focused on how we mothers have "failed our daughters" or have "forced Hollywood standards" upon them. That got me to thinking about my own daughter. Had I failed her? Let's review.  Let's see, when my daughter was born, I did not breast feed. I know that in light of the recent Times Magazine cover and article I apparently did her a disservice.

  • The Key to Getting Your Team on Track—Give them All D’s

    Yvonne
    11 May 2012 | 8:36 am
    Guest blog by AmyK Hutchens, AmyK International, Inc. Imagine if you could get your team on board to work in concert and change the future of your company for the better. What if, in the process, you were also able to give them a greater sense of worth and to inspire them to work toward new goals as a team? Which enhancements to our product or service will make the biggest difference?  How can we cut costs?  Do things better, faster? Stand out from the competition? Every day you are faced with a myriad of challenges in making important decisions, creating innovative plans and taking action!
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    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…

  • 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…
 
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    EmailKarma.net

  • Reference Check: Is Your Boss Watching?

    Sanket - @sanketjn
    8 May 2012 | 12:53 pm
    In one of my previous posts, I talked about the growing prevalence of social media background checks and some guidelines issued by Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Alberta. Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner,... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • BusinessCast: The New Social Media Tools

    Matt V - @emailkarma
    4 May 2012 | 4:25 pm
    Recently I was interviews by the guys over at the BusinessCast.ca about new trends in social media and how businesses should be looking at these tools to engage their communities and build a lasting relationship with their consumers. Description:... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • CASL slips to 2013

    Matt V - @emailkarma
    27 Apr 2012 | 1:55 pm
    Earlier this year we were told to expect enforcement in October of 2012, but due to some unforeseen delays in the regulation process the Minister of Industry, Christian Paradis, has indicated we will see enforcement pushed into 2013. Source:... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Test your Anti-Spam and Security Knoweldge

    Matt V - @emailkarma
    26 Apr 2012 | 12:49 pm
    Industry Canada has just announced the launch of a quick email security quiz for individuals and Businesses on the FightSpam.gc.ca website. There are two series of questions that you can review covering security when using public Wi-Fi hotspots, and... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Low Cost Facebook Opportunities

    admin
    21 Apr 2012 | 8:47 am
    I’m starting to see a number of good Facebook programs being built by companies, but many of these focus on a new App or a new Open Graph plugin for sharing content from the advertisers or publishers own site, and less on getting your fans to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    new media wise

  • How to Market Your Handcrafts Business Online

    newmedia
    11 May 2012 | 9:16 pm
    Crafts business, Australian and Pan-Asian crafts 1 Carrara Market—avlxyz (Flickr.com) You’ve got crafts to sell, and they’re awesome. How come you’re not making money from them? Chances are, you have not taken advantage of online marketing for your business, and all its accompanying tools. Let’s say you have a handcrafted jewelry business, and you want to make people aware that it exists. What do you do? For starters, recognize if there is already an existing market for your kind of business online. If it does, check it out and do a bit of research to see if it is…

  • Creating an Online Buzz for Your Biz

    newmedia
    7 May 2012 | 9:14 am
    Twitter Tree—pandemia (Flickr.com) A business that has no online presence may as well pack up and quit being a business. These days, there is no reason for a business owner, even the humblest of start-ups, to NOT use the Internet to raise awareness for a product, service, or idea. Take social networking sites, for instance. Pages, groups, and accounts are devoted to trying to sell new products and services every day. Since these sites take up a sizable chunk of the average Internet user’s time, it’s safe to predict that putting up a page or account for your business will get the…

  • The Three V’s of Effective New Media Marketing

    newmedia
    1 May 2012 | 1:46 am
    Any product, idea, or service can become ripe for the picking with the proper use of new media marketing. There are so many ways to get it right…and so many ways to get it wrong, as well. To help you get started, we will discuss the three V’s which can help you on the path to using social media to your advantage, and to get people to notice your product, idea or service. V #1: Go viral. Batman Viral marketing 08—KellBailey (Flickr.com) Memes, viral videos, and other forms of things that get shared to infinity can REALLY help your product, idea, or service get noticed in a major…

  • The Cons of Social Media

    newmedia
    26 Apr 2012 | 8:25 pm
    A few days ago, we discussed the pros of social media for your business. Today, we will tackle its cons. This video presents many good points worth thinking about to make the most out of social media. You could have too many followers, but not niche-specific ones. In Twitter, Facebook, and other forms of social media, many people fall into the trap of thinking that thousands of followers, fans, and Likes mean being able to reach a wide audience to be able to promote your product or service. This is not always the case. Bear in mind that plenty of social media accounts are bot-generated or are…

  • Why Investing in a Membership Website Can Do Your Business Good

    newmedia
    20 Apr 2012 | 7:58 pm
    Membership Site Development Digital Markteing—Maria Reyes-McDavis (Flickr.com) If you have a business, you definitely need social media AND a membership website in these fast-paced times. Why? For starters, you can get all the pros of social media as mentioned in the previous post. These include developing your brand, creating a network of contacts, and using automated posts for convenience, just to name a few. Now, add the investment of a membership website, and you are sure to make money for your business. Membership websites contribute a unique set of benefits for any business owner,…
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    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…
 
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    Tom Martin:

  • Do Consumers Really Scan QR Codes?

    tommartin
    15 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Tom interviews Julia Fitzgerald, Chief Digital Engagement Officer at Sears Holdings Corporation. She shares what worked and didn't work with the 2011 Sears QR Code Christmas Toy Sale campaign.

  • The Next Phase of Social Media Marketing

    tommartin
    2 May 2012 | 12:16 pm
    Digital continues to prove a disruptive force in marketing and continues to force marketers to look around the corner to stay ahead of their competition. But here is the one thing you have to master if you really want to see what's next in social media.

  • Physician Heal Thyself

    tommartin
    27 Apr 2012 | 9:47 am
    The moral of the proverb is counsel to attend to one's own defects rather than criticizing defects in others... but today I use it in a slightly different manner. Recently I began a journey to clarify my own direction (professionally). As a classic generalist, I have become somewhat of a jack of all trades (marketing channels) but a master of none. In today's digitally centric, in-bound marketing world, that is problematic. So I have been on a journey to discover the proper parking spot (thanks to Greg Hartle for that metaphor) to park myself and my social media marketing company, Converse…

  • How to Create a Split-Screen iPhone Video Interview

    tommartin
    20 Mar 2012 | 6:57 am
    By using a simple device, anyone can create a split screen video using an iPhone. Customer testimonials, thought leader interviews or anything really -- with both the front and back images being recorded simultaneously. Read this post to learn how.

  • How To Build A Social Media Marketing Strategy

    tommartin
    13 Mar 2012 | 6:41 am
    Have you ever wished someone would just give you directions for how to go from wanting to leverage social media for your brand to actually leveraging social media for your brand? This post does with a simple, four-part social planning process.
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    Ads of the World™

  • Quebec Health Ministry: Dragonfly

    ivan
    16 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
    Advertising Agency: lg2, Quebec, Canada Creative Direction: Luc Du Sault Art Direction: Nicolas Boisvert Copywriting: Luc Du Sault Account Planners: Mireille Côté, Catherine Darius Account Managers: Marie-Andrée Mackrous, Mireille Côté Agency Producer: Claudia Lemire Production House: Quatre Zéro Un, Nicolas Monette Production House Producer: Stéphanie Lord Media Agency: Touché!, Alexandre-Pascal Lamoureux Sound Design: Boogie Studio Check out the new StockLogos.com

  • Quebec Health Ministry: Diving

    ivan
    16 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    Advertising Agency: lg2, Quebec, Canada Creative Direction: Luc Du Sault Art Direction: Nicolas Boisvert Copywriting: Luc Du Sault Account Planners: Mireille Côté, Catherine Darius Account Managers: Marie-Andrée Mackrous, Mireille Côté Agency Producer: Claudia Lemire Production House: Quatre Zéro Un, Nicolas Monette Production House Producer: Stéphanie Lord Media Agency: Touché!, Alexandre-Pascal Lamoureux Sound Design: Boogie Studio Check out the new StockLogos.com

  • Kit Kat Chunky: Silence Your Hunger

    ivan
    15 May 2012 | 10:28 pm
    Advertising Agency: JWT, Dubai, UAE Executive Creative Director: Seyoan Vela Regional Creative Director: Adham Obeid Art Director: Adham Obeid Copywriters: Adham Obeid, Michael Fillon Group Account Director: Ebru Goksu Planner: Prahbakar Iyer Production House: The Talkies Post Production: Digital District - Paris Music composition: Mad Planet Director: David Jellison Check out the new StockLogos.com

  • Toyota Prius: Garage

    ivan
    15 May 2012 | 10:23 pm
    Chief Creative Officer: Sharon Krinsky Creative Director: Miles Turpin Art Director: Ted Jenkins Copywriters: Dallas Baker, David Wilson Director: Matt Smukler Agency Producer: Jay Cortez Head of production: Alexandra Chamberlain Executive Producer: Carl Swan Editor: Bob Spector / Barbary Post Check out the new StockLogos.com

  • Toyota Prius: Dog

    ivan
    15 May 2012 | 10:23 pm
    Chief Creative Officer: Sharon Krinsky Creative Director: Miles Turpin Art Director: Ted Jenkins Copywriters: Dallas Baker, David Wilson Director: Matt Smukler Agency Producer: Jay Cortez Head of production: Alexandra Chamberlain Executive Producer: Carl Swan Editor: Bob Spector / Barbary Post Check out the new StockLogos.com
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    Advertising Lab

  • A Cheat Code in Halo 4 Box Art Puzzle

    15 May 2012 | 6:00 pm
    Microsoft unveiled the box art for the upcoming Halo 4 game by emailing Xbox community members one of the 32 pieces of puzzle that when assembled together reveal the image.  The puzzle was cracked in about an hour, probably helped by the fact that the remaining 31 pieces could be seen by changing the last two digits of the image URL before the ".jpg" part, a fact that wasn't lost on the fans: http://image.engage.xbox.com/lib/feca167070610c7c/m/4/12993-H4_02.jpg 

  • Google's Screenwise Project Listens To TV Habits

    11 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    Google's Screenwise research project announced back in February is designed to collect data on more than just Internet behavior. In addition to custom wireless routers that gather information on participants' browsing and downloading habits, the recently mailed recruiting brochure describes a device "a little bigger than a smartphone" called Screenwise TV Tab. TV Tab "captures audio signals that enables the study to identify which TV programs are being viewed." The information TV Tab collects includes: Identity of person logging into the Screenwise TV Tab Timestamps indicating time of log-in…

  • In Case of Emergency, Eat This Book

    10 May 2012 | 1:13 pm
    Land Rover in the United Arab Emirates printed 5,000 edible copies of a desert survival guide. Twenty-eight pages of potato-based starch paper have a slightly sugary taste from the glycerin-based ink and are bound by a spiral that can be used as skewers. The book comes in  a reflective cover that can be used to send help signals. -- Y&R Dubai; thank you, Guillaume

  • Pinnable Ads

    8 May 2012 | 2:11 am
    Saw this page on AdKeeper, the company that is trying to make online advertising bookmarkable. This could be an interesting way for Pinterest itself to make money: becoming a network for ads that people will want to hold on to. Won't be a huge stretch for them, most of the pins are already very ad like. You will easily find pins for a book, iPhone app, music, movie posters and trailers, and even payday loans. And I already see people pinning coupons. Here's one from Jiffy Lube someone has pinned after filing out a satisfaction survey.

  • Do People Hear Ads When They Are In a Coma?

    27 Apr 2012 | 5:44 pm
    "...when they run to the bathroom" is what I meant to ask. In case you are wondering, some studies show that people in a coma can hear.
 
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    adland.tv

  • GM to Facebook: We're done here.

    kidsleepy
    15 May 2012 | 7:23 pm
    According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, General Motors is yanking its advertising from Facebook. GM spends about 40 million dollars on Facebook. 10 million of it goes straight to Facebook. So that's a chunk Facebook is about to lose. GM has realized spending all that cash on Facebook is not translating into more asses sitting on their car seats. Facebook could not be reached for comment. Which isn't a surprise. Because The Great Facebook Cotillion Dace With Wall Street happens this week. They're in no mood to think about lost cash when their IPO will be around 100 billion, give…

  • Viajes Galeón - Twitpoker - (2012)

    Dabitch
    15 May 2012 | 9:14 am
    Viajes Galeón was launched via a twitpoker game, where players weren't stripped of their clothes, but their twitter followers. Egads! Oh look, my case study bingo card was almost filled in by this one alone. Superbowl Commercials Position:  None

  • Cannes Media Person of the year 2012 : Jack Dorsey, father of Twitter

    Dabitch
    15 May 2012 | 8:52 am
    The Cannes Lions Media Person of the year award 2012 goes to Jack Dorsey, the creator, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Twitter, Inc. and the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square, Inc. Join us in 2013 when the prize goes to Pinterest! Originally from St. Louis, Jack's early fascination for mass-transit and how cities function led him to Manhattan and programming real-time messaging systems for couriers, taxis, and emergency vehicles. Throughout this work Jack witnessed thousands of workers in the field constantly updating where they were and what they were doing. Jack came up…

  • Barack Obama first Gay president, first jewish president, not the first cover idea done like this.

    Dabitch
    14 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    Newsweek is getting a lot of press for the cover "The first gay president", illustrated by Obama wearing a rainbow (neon?) halo above his head. He is getting this title for his "bullshit gay marriage announcement" as Gawker put it. As I recall in September last year Barack Obama was the first Jewish president, as depicted on the cover on New York Magazine, so I'm only here to point out the Badlander-like issue. If I see Barack Obama as the first woman president on a magazine cover near you soon, I'll personally slap the creative who designed that cover with a wet trout. I bet Obama will be…

  • Apple store sign is mocked by Android store next door - "Apple sucks" ..Android

    Dabitch
    14 May 2012 | 4:43 pm
    This store in China, right next to an Apple store wants to spell out that Apple sucks and does so rather graphically using the logos from each business. While we're here giggling in the gutter, you might also fancy bad brand names that won't export well, or one of those lovely phallic logos.... Perhaps while snacking on some poo tofu. God how I love international work.
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    The Responsible Marketing Blog

  • Return of the salesperson from hell

    Patrick Byers
    3 May 2012 | 1:47 pm
      I’m the proud owner of a new Chevy Volt, and I’m thinking of ordering a license plate that says Shocked. You see, I thought I’d buy a Nissan Leaf. After multiple visits to the Leaf website, reading reviews and watching videos of the owner experience, their marketing connected with me. I decided the quirky all electric vehicle might be just the car to finally free me from the shackles of the gas pump. So, I went to a local Nissan dealer and took one for a spin. It drove well, and decided I’d find out if they’d honor Nissan’s lease deal. That’s…

  • An opportunity missed, and at what cost?

    Patrick Byers
    18 Apr 2012 | 4:34 pm
    I just contacted a company because a coupon code they emailed me didn’t work. As it turns out, it expired in their time zone, not mine, so I missed a discount of about $10 by about 10 minutes. Sure, I could have been an ass about the fact they didn’t state the timezone on their coupon, but it was only $10. But customer delight drives word of mouth, and had they bent the rules by 10 minutes and honored it, this would have been a different post — and I would have surely shared the name of the company with you. I’ve been a non-friction customer for at least eight years…

  • God is in the details

    Patrick Byers
    28 Mar 2012 | 7:04 pm
    More evidence that the days of boring church marketing are long gone: Mars Hill Church, based here in the Northwest. We thought we’d peek under the covers of their website to see if we could discover who coded the site, and look at what we found: If you’ve never fiddled with HTML, this won’t mean much to you. But if you have, you might have just said “awesome” under your breath the way we did. “It’s all about Jesus” is one of their key messages, and whether you’re Jesus follower or not, take this away: There’s always room for…

  • Do we hate Dollar Shave Club’s viral video?

    Patrick Byers
    7 Mar 2012 | 12:01 pm
    This being the Responsible Marketing Blog, you might think a video with an F-Bomb in it might attract our ire, right? Wrong. Watch this: There are plenty of things we don’t like: Racism. Bigotry. Violence. Corporate greed run amok. Comic sans. But boring marketing is irresponsible, and boring Dollar Shave Club is not. This is f**king brilliant.      

  • Responsible or not? CIT’s college recruiting video

    Patrick Byers
    20 Feb 2012 | 3:22 pm
    College advertising is usually so, well, meh. Not so with this ad entitled “It’s a Snap” from filmmakers Henry & Aaron, done with full creative license for their alma mater, Western Australia’s Central Institute of Technology. The video has gone viral, leaving some to say it has changed the face of college recruitment advertising. So, do you think they’ve nailed it for their target audience, or have they gone too far? Comment below to weigh in.    
 
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    Marketing & Strategy Innovation Blog

  • The Cleanweb: Green Energy Meets Moore's Law

    Futurelab
    16 May 2012 | 11:18 am
    By embracing new Web and mobile technologies, green energy companies are creating a new Cleanweb movement in which formerly expensive alternative energy sources - such as solar power - are suddenly accessible to the masses at a significantly lower price point. Think of the Cleanweb as what happens when green energy meets Moore's Law. read more

  • The Science of Social Media ROI

    Futurelab
    16 May 2012 | 11:16 am
    Last week I presented at a webinar as part of a series looking at the science of social, focusing on social media ROI and demystifying the confusion that surround it. The problem with social media ROI is that it is so easy to measure so many things that we become overwhelmed by measures. We think that everything is important and that everything is a measure of ROI. It isn’t. And it isn’t. Followers and Likes do not make ROI; moreover they stop us from thinking about the bigger business benefit of social.read more

  • Is Eliminating the Bargaining Power of Customers More Important Than Working On the Customer Experience?

    Futurelab
    16 May 2012 | 11:12 am
    Listening to the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson I am left with the impression that nothing was more important to Steve Jobs then using technology to produce great products that delivered a great user experience.  Good enough was good enough, even great, for many in the computer industry.  Only insanely great was good enough for Steve Jobs.  Anything less was simply not good enough, it was not ‘art’ and not ‘worthy of artists”; great artists don’t want to put their names on good enough art. read more

  • Apple Loses A Customer

    Futurelab
    16 May 2012 | 11:06 am
    I know I’m dim, and I know that customers suffer glitches with every tech brand so my complaint isn’t news. But I want to explore it in the broader scheme of brand integrity and business strategy. read more

  • Video Interview: Social Media at Orange in a Nutshell

    Futurelab
    16 May 2012 | 5:08 am
    I prepared this series of video interviews in order to prepare myself for the Ronewmedia conference in Bucharest, Romania. In those 3 interviews, I describe what I do at Orange,our philosophy and where we think the wold of Corporate social media is going.read more
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    The Retail Email Blog

  • AM Inbox: Updated image file tactics

    16 May 2012 | 10:39 am
    The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning: TigerDirect, 5/15 — Hundreds Off SONY 3D Internet TV, plus Diablo 3 and Max Payne 3 are here! The dynamic image in 1-800-Flowers.com’s email earlier this week (see May 14 AM Inbox) seemed to capture the imagination of many marketers out there. While rapidly changing images like time-counters require server-side attention, changing image files once or infrequently can be done in-house will a bit of manual effort. For instance, in this…

  • AM Inbox: Testing for preview pane optimization

    15 May 2012 | 12:21 pm
    The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning: Yoox, 5/14 — New Collection Preview We’re always saying, “test, test, test.” But sometimes marketers are not sure what to test. Here’s a creative that’s shouting out for a challenger. The body copy in this Yoox email is going to be below the fold for most subscribers, so how about creating a challenger that has the model moved a little to the right to make room for the body copy to be moved to the upper left-hand corner of the primary…

  • AM Inbox: Real-time email content

    14 May 2012 | 2:29 pm
    The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning: 1-800-Flowers.com, 5/11 — The Clock Is Ticking! Save 20% Sitewide - 24 HOURS ONLY It appears that 1-800-Flowers used real-time image rendering in this email so that when this email is opened it accurately displays the number of hours, minutes and seconds until the end of the sale. I opened it after the sale had expired, which is why the clock reads 00:00:00, but displaying an accurate reading of how much time was left on the sale surely…

  • Week-End Trends: Email volume jumps, up 30% YOY

    12 May 2012 | 7:49 pm
    Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week: The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 3.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending May 11, 2012. That’s up 6% week-over-week, up 11% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 30% year-over-year. Deviating from volume patterns last year, retail email volume rose instead of fell last week. That pushed the year-over-year volume increase to 30%, in line with levels that we saw in January and February of this year. The Retail Email Participation Rate: Tuesday was the most popular day to…

  • Ping Time: Mobile trends, engagement targeting, etc.

    11 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets: >>Return Path research looks at several mobile email trends and shows that by the end of 2012 that more than half of all emails will be read on a mobile device. >>Follow the ping >>MarketingSherpa shares a case study where Artbeads.com targeted just their best customers with an exclusive email offer and generated a conversion rate that was 208% higher than even the high-end of their typical batch-and-blast emails. >>Follow the ping >>Guy Hanson of Return Path did some subject line testing and…
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    Service Untitled

  • Building a business culture to deliver the best customer service

    Cheryl
    14 May 2012 | 3:02 pm
    A strong business culture that is aligned with superior business goals outperforms their competitors by light years. These are the organizations who have figured out how to delight their customers and even make them smile. After all isn’t the Zappos’ motto “powered by service” incredibly motivational which delivers a message of trust and reliability? Zappos has worked hard to develop their culture resulting in a high percentage of return customers; a much more lucrative business model than having to find new clients. Deciding on what a business wants to accomplish is…

  • How to keep your customers from leaving you

    Cheryl
    7 May 2012 | 1:02 pm
    A surprisingly high statistic from the Research Institute of America (RIA) states an average business will never hear a word from 96 percent of their unhappy customers whose complaints  range from poor service, rudeness, to discourteous treatment. These are the customers that silently move away from you and are welcomed with open-arms by the competition. These are the customers who tell their friends, co-workers, and family members about their bad experiences. Multiply the unhappy customers  who these people have told about their unsatisfactory experiences, and soon we realize that…

  • What Mickey Mouse can teach us about customer service

    Cheryl
    1 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    It’s the Disney Institute’s 16th birthday, and as with all Sweet Sixteen parties, it’s a chance to celebrate successes and see how the pixie dust of enchantment mixes so effectively with the success of one man’s dream. Walt Disney stated,  “You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.” The Disney Institute originally began in 1986 in Orlando offering “leisure learning” which entailed courses on fun topics like cooking and landscaping classes. By 1996 the…

  • Book Review: The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business

    Cheryl
    23 Apr 2012 | 2:37 pm
    I recently finished reading The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business by Richard R. Shapiro who is the founder and President of The Center For Client Retention (TCFCR). Mr. Shapiro’s organization provides research, training, and consulting services to Fortune 500 corporations on how to improve customer service. The book begins with a lighthearted description of four distinct categories of customer service personnel any organization is likely to have on their payroll: We begin with the Welcomer or “Doctor of First Impressions.” These are the customer service…

  • Making sure you receive great customer service

    Cheryl
    15 Apr 2012 | 7:11 pm
    Last evening a group of us went out to dinner at a popular Italian restaurant. One has to realize that South Florida – namely Palm Beach County is rich with tourists, snowbirds, and an occasional rude diner which gives us the opportunity to learn by someone’s mistakes. Our party was only seated for a few minutes when a rather rude uproar began at the next table. Apparently the dinner order wasn’t to the satisfaction of one very nasty gentleman, and as he raised his voice and insulted the young server, everyone in the restaurant and bar area turned around almost snarling with…
 
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    Toronto Marketing Blog - Bekhor Management, Toronto

  • Communicate Value with Every Point of Contact - Webinar for Interior Designers

    Toronto Marketing Blog
    16 May 2012 | 12:03 pm
    I will be delivering an accredited webinar for interior designers through IDC (Interior Designers of Canada), Integrating Marketing for Impact in a Digital Age.  Here's an excerpt from the program: This one-hour marketing webinar will illuminate how every email, proposal, meeting, phone call, post and tweet represents an opportunity to communicate value about an interior design firm. Doing so naturally, without sounding promotional or self-focused, often presents a challenge...  Please visit IDC for further information or to register for this webinar.  It will take place…

  • Q&A on Integrating Marketing for Architects Seminar

    Toronto Marketing Blog
    15 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    It was a lively discussion centered around 22 case studies!  So, since we couldn't get to all the questions during the session, I live tweeted them yesterday.  Here's a summary from our very first twitter chat.  For those not yet familiar with twitter, please forgive the brevity but each line had to fit in 140 characters or less along with our hashtags!  For the sake of simplicity in this summary, I've filtered out the repeated use of the chat hashtag, #profpracdev, which appeared with each entry. When you see the hashtag symbol used in front of…

  • New Home for Practice Development Tips, Discussions and Networking on Twitter

    Toronto Marketing Blog
    15 May 2012 | 8:50 am
    We just started a new hashtag for professional practice development tips, discussions and networking on twitter at: #profpracdev.   Our first live chat was yesterday on the questions that came up during my seminar, Integrating Marketing for Impact in a Digital Age, at the Ontario Association of Architects conference this past weekend. Our premise is that the professions have been adopting different brand and marketing concepts at different rates and also dealing with many of the same concerns.  So, there is a lot of opportunity for learning and discussion with each other.

  • Strategy Banishes Fear of Cold Calling

    Toronto Marketing Blog
    10 May 2012 | 7:24 am
    If you want to build your practice, there will be times when you need to pick up the phone and make a cold call.  Banishing your fear starts with getting into the right mindset and doing your homework prior to making that call.  Garbage in. Garbage out. Now, I realize that given the choice, many would opt for root canal over cold calling because they don’t want to appear “unprofessional” or “salesy”.  Well, I used to be just like that.  However, I learned that as long as I was selling valued services, I would always have opportunity to connect and create mutually…

  • Start Prioritizing to Make Things Happen

    Toronto Marketing Blog
    9 May 2012 | 9:24 am
    If you're running your own practice, you're not just a  professional, you're an entrepreneur with an impossible to do list.  The sooner you admit it, the sooner you can move forward with one that works!  At a previous job, I had the benefit of being trained, by a generous mentor, in the discipline of prioritizing to make things happen - in the most stressful of times and busiest of environments.   You know why prioritizing works? Instead of allowing yourself to be consumed by worry about not having the time to do this or get to that, it forces you to…
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    David Airey, graphic designer

  • Ethics in design (and who you won’t work with)

    David Airey
    14 May 2012 | 4:41 am
    I read a comment from designer Miles Newlyn where he mentioned he wouldn’t work with zoos or companies involved in warfare. I’ll be writing a chapter in my book about ethical considerations so was wondering about the stance of others. I asked this question on Twitter. What type of business would you refuse to work with on ethical grounds? Here are some of the answers that were shared (thanks, folks). “I stay away from anything I don’t fully understand (and can’t see if they’re beneficial). Financial products are a good example.” — Richard Baird…

  • Two memorable business cards

    David Airey
    7 May 2012 | 9:10 am
    Here’s one that stood out among the entries for this year’s Chip Shop Awards. Created for a bespoke tailor by graphic designer Greg Healy. Creative, appropriate, inexpensive (you could finish those yourself with a ruler and craft knife). And something a little more magical, Ritornell’s business cards are inspired by the project’s live show. With the aid of laser assisted milling, nine micro compositions consisting of circles, triangles and Ritornell’s contact information were applied onto a long musicbox paper stripe. Before handing out the cards to interested…

  • Where’s your studio?

    David Airey
    26 Apr 2012 | 1:06 pm
    Since choosing self-employment in 2005, I’ve spent most of my time working from home. That home might’ve changed six times during those years, but my workspace has always been in the building where I’ve slept. There are plenty of positives (such as the time saved on a daily commute) and some negatives, too (like missing that daily interaction with other designers), but overall, I’ve been happy where I work, and although I sometimes wonder, it hasn’t seemed to hamper business. What interests me more are your surroundings, and it’d be great to learn from the…

  • Milton Glaser on Donald Trump

    David Airey
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:07 am
    Milton Glaser was recently asked, “What do you think of Donald Trump?” “Well I’ve met him — I’ve even done a vodka bottle for him as a matter of fact. I don’t know how to think about him. He’s an example of the power of the ego. How can anyone be so totally egocentric to not understand that there are others in the universe. It also shows the power of that position: When you don’t think there are others, everything is attainable for you. I just find that the combination of incredible ambition and a lack of modesty can be a terrifying prospect. And…

  • Using sound symbolism in branding

    David Airey
    23 Apr 2012 | 10:22 am
    A simple experiment: Take two imaginary names, Maluma and Takete, and before reading on, pair each name with a symbol below, the one you think is a better fit. If you’re like me (and most others) you’ll give Maluma the curved symbol and Takete the sharp angles. This is also known as the Bouba/Kiki effect, written about by German psychologist Wolfgang Köhler (1887-1967) in his book Gestalt Psychology (excerpted below). Book scan via ofazomi.org According to an article in Scientific American 98% of people choose the same pairings. Sound also plays an important role in product…
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    PR-Squared - Social Media Marketing and Public Relations

  • Seven Principles of Content Marketing

    Todd Defren
    14 May 2012 | 1:20 pm
    Now that we’ve all agreed that “Content is King (Again),” and Content Marketing is all the rage, maybe it is time to think about some easy-to-follow tenets.  Let’s keep this simple. Follow a 70/30 Rule – 70% of content curated, 30% branded.  Why? Because the rest-of-the-world is at least 70% more interesting than your brand; and, promoting external content builds social capital, makes grateful fans of influencers. All content should be SHAREWORTHY.  Don’t publish junk.  Better to be quiet than to queer the signal-to-noise ratio. All content should benefit…

  • Seriously, This Is Gonna Be Cool: The Corporate Social Media Summit

    Todd Defren
    4 May 2012 | 9:05 am
    Next month I’ll be moderating a panel at the Corporate Social Media Summit, which is being held June 13-14 at the New Yorker Hotel in NYC.  It’s gonna be a great time, with an impressive list of corporate attendees, including SHIFT clients such as McDonalds and H&R Block, among many others (Whole Foods! Dell! Lego! Mercedes!). I’ll be moderating the panel on “Reputation preservation and enhancement: Use social media to maximize the impact of your brand.”  I’ll be joined by McDonald’s Heather Oldani, Director of U.S.

  • Never Give Up, Never Surrender!

    Todd Defren
    29 Apr 2012 | 7:22 am

  • SHIFT Communications Named Digital/Social Agency of the Year

    Todd Defren
    24 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    Shameless self promotion time. Hang on. Wow, wow, wow. We are busting at the seams over here.  Today the Holmes Group named SHIFT Communications the 2012 Digital/Social Agency of the Year – with “honorable mentions” in the category going to behemoths like Edelman, Ogilvy and Weber Shandwick. This marks the 3rd time in the last few years that SHIFT has nabbed “agency of the year” honors.  We were the “Agency of the Year” according to the American Business Awards, and the “New Media Agency of the Year” (again via Holmes) back in 2008. Both times we were psyched.  But this…

  • What’s Old is New Again: Earned Media Can Be Your Hub

    Todd Defren
    23 Apr 2012 | 8:17 am
    I was catching up with a former client recently.  We launched their company a coupla years ago, and by almost any measure, it is now considered a hot commodity.  They have tons of social media fans, lots of inbound media requests, do a lot of great content marketing, etc. We originally parted ways, very amicably, because they had reached a degree of success that no longer warranted as much proactive effort (and, being a startup, they were wisely watching their burn rate). During our catch-up session, this company representative described a newfound fever within the company to get more…
 
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    adland.tv

  • GM to Facebook: We're done here.

    kidsleepy
    15 May 2012 | 7:23 pm
    According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, General Motors is yanking its advertising from Facebook. GM spends about 40 million dollars on Facebook. 10 million of it goes straight to Facebook. So that's a chunk Facebook is about to lose. GM has realized spending all that cash on Facebook is not translating into more asses sitting on their car seats. Facebook could not be reached for comment. Which isn't a surprise. Because The Great Facebook Cotillion Dace With Wall Street happens this week. They're in no mood to think about lost cash when their IPO will be around 100 billion, give…

  • Viajes Galeón - Twitpoker - (2012)

    Dabitch
    15 May 2012 | 9:14 am
    Viajes Galeón was launched via a twitpoker game, where players weren't stripped of their clothes, but their twitter followers. Egads! Oh look, my case study bingo card was almost filled in by this one alone. Superbowl Commercials Position:  None

  • Cannes Media Person of the year 2012 : Jack Dorsey, father of Twitter

    Dabitch
    15 May 2012 | 8:52 am
    The Cannes Lions Media Person of the year award 2012 goes to Jack Dorsey, the creator, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Twitter, Inc. and the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Square, Inc. Join us in 2013 when the prize goes to Pinterest! Originally from St. Louis, Jack's early fascination for mass-transit and how cities function led him to Manhattan and programming real-time messaging systems for couriers, taxis, and emergency vehicles. Throughout this work Jack witnessed thousands of workers in the field constantly updating where they were and what they were doing. Jack came up…

  • Barack Obama first Gay president, first jewish president, not the first cover idea done like this.

    Dabitch
    14 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    Newsweek is getting a lot of press for the cover "The first gay president", illustrated by Obama wearing a rainbow (neon?) halo above his head. He is getting this title for his "bullshit gay marriage announcement" as Gawker put it. As I recall in September last year Barack Obama was the first Jewish president, as depicted on the cover on New York Magazine, so I'm only here to point out the Badlander-like issue. If I see Barack Obama as the first woman president on a magazine cover near you soon, I'll personally slap the creative who designed that cover with a wet trout. I bet Obama will be…

  • Apple store sign is mocked by Android store next door - "Apple sucks" ..Android

    Dabitch
    14 May 2012 | 4:43 pm
    This store in China, right next to an Apple store wants to spell out that Apple sucks and does so rather graphically using the logos from each business. While we're here giggling in the gutter, you might also fancy bad brand names that won't export well, or one of those lovely phallic logos.... Perhaps while snacking on some poo tofu. God how I love international work.
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    Osocio Weblog

  • Scamming consumers to educate them about online scams

    Tom Megginson
    16 May 2012 | 10:24 am
    We’ve all seen these types of web sites, promising weight loss, easy money and other things. But this one is not what it seems. Click any navigation on the page, and it takes you here: This online campaign by the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation alerts consumers about common scam web sites by creating some of their own. In addition to Flabkiller (above) the campaign site, topmassachusettsdeals.com, hosts: ModExperts (fake loan modification services) DebtMenders (fake debt relief) Envelope Elf (a work-at-home scam) Deals R Us (a “win a prize”…

  • They’ll be sexually active earlier than you think

    Tom Megginson
    16 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    I like this campaign. It’s funny, and it plays with the emotions of parental protectiveness to get a very serious message across. It’s a very different approach than the pathos of Sarah McLachlan’s famous SPCA PSA. (TM Advertising’s CCO, Bill Oakley, told AdFreak, “When I see those Sarah McLachlan commercials, I turn them off. I can’t even watch them.") And personally, I agree. These are positive and memorable. See a campaign infographic video after the break. Author: Tom Megginson

  • Save the Niger Delta with Shell. Live with it!

    Marc
    15 May 2012 | 1:50 pm
    Nice spoof campaign from the Dutch Friends of the Earth Netherlands/Milieudefensie. They created this campaign to hold Shell accountable for their reckless pollution in the Niger Delta. Shell’s Live With It! application explores the role technology can play in addressing the tragedies inherent in the oil and gas industry. Innovative uses of QR codes and geo location software have resulted in an easy to use app available for download now. The campaign video shows a nifty smartphone app meant as a participation and marketing tool. But not the tool Shell wants to promote in Nigeria.

  • A tweet can change everything #actionsahel

    Marc
    14 May 2012 | 3:03 pm
    This is a new campaign from the French Action contre la Faim (ACF - Action against Hunger). It is for the devastating situation in the Sahel again. Over 15 million people are food insecure and nearly 3 million children are threatened by acute malnutrition. To make the people of France aware of the situation ACF use the tagline “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear”. And for the campaign they use various items like print ads, outdoor ads, web banners, Facebook and a web video. But the two most notable items are the tweet and guerrilla action. ACF asked to use the hashtag…

  • Violence in traffic starts with words, even with a hashtag

    Marc
    13 May 2012 | 1:21 pm
    Two nice ads from the Municipality of Parnamirim. Parnamirim is a city in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. I love the signs used for gross terms. “Violence in traffic starts with words.” Author: Marc
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    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…
 
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    CK's Blog

  • B2B Mobile Marketing Speech: DemandGen C2C Conference

    CK (Christina Kerley)
    27 Apr 2012 | 9:37 pm
    This past week I had the tremendous pleasure to speak at DemandGen's Content2Conversion Conference—and they were thoughtful enough to livestream it for remote audiences. And if you're interested in watching the segment, it's featured below (run time: 45 minutes, as it's the full speech). I center on "The Mobile Revolution Meets B2B: New Content Marketing Opportunities & Imperatives." Through the speech, I review the real story on The Mobile Revolution and run through 3 tactical and strategic content imperatives for B2Bs. But with that said, B2C…

  • B2B Mobile Marketing Video: "CK's Mantra For B2B Mobile Success = Better, Faster, Easier"

    CK (Christina Kerley)
    23 Apr 2012 | 2:02 am
    As I've worked to hit home during my speeches, trainings, and mobile-marketing guide on B2B mobile marketing: If you want to win mobile hearts, minds, and market share through mobile your mantra should be "Better, Faster, Easier." And through this 5-minute video clip, and supporting examples, I hope the lessons are helpful to you in developing your mobile strategies, plans, and programs. Here's the 5-minute video clip: I hope these points are helpful to you in your B2B mobile-marketing strategic planning and development. In the case you want to view more videos, please go…

  • B2B Mobile Article: Featured In Article On iPad HD In Content Marketing Institute

    CK (Christina Kerley)
    7 Mar 2012 | 3:27 pm
    Big thanks to Content Marketing Institute and Michael Bay for including me in the article on the iPad HD release... and what it means for B2B Marketers.Titled iPad HD A Wakeup Call For B2B Marketers, throughout the piece I urge B2Bs to use mobile to deliver high value, create exemplary experiences, and create programs that make the lives of busy professionals “better, faster and easier”. Here's an excerpt: For content marketers, it isn’t the hardware that counts. “The magic in mobile is not the devices, though they are cool and cutting edge,” says B2B Marketing Specialist…

  • Mobile Marketing and You: Featured In Print Professional Magazine

    CK (Christina Kerley)
    22 Feb 2012 | 2:56 pm
    In the recent edition of Print Professional—through the article Mobile Marketing and You —I give insights and advice on mobile-marketing best practices across QR codes and SMS campaigns Here's an excerpt:   "SMS is a very personal channel—a business is literally asking permission to send text alerts to a user's mobile device," said Kerley. "There are really two critical pieces here: Whatever communications a business is promoting via SMS must be of high value (be that value an incentive or a new product), and the business must not overload the…

  • B2B Mobile Marketing: Featured In BtoB Magazine Article on Mobile Engagement

    CK (Christina Kerley)
    9 Feb 2012 | 2:31 pm
    In this BtoB Magazine article, Mobile advertising: Make it engaging, which I'm thrilled to be a part of, explores the opportunities and challenges of mobile display advertising. My contributions urge marketers to develop engaging advertisements that focus on their customers’ needs. And I also advocate to get creative in using formats prime for the mobile environment, as with using video not just text and graphics. Here's an excerpt: Once ads are delivered, the challenge becomes matching the ad to the medium—because mobile screens are so much smaller, a typical banner ad…
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    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.
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    Sparring Mind

  • Your Unique Selling Proposition: Why It Matters, and How to Find One That Really Works

    Gregory Ciotti
    15 May 2012 | 9:29 pm
    Your unique selling proposition (USP) is literally the foundation of your business. In addition to finding an audience in need and figuring out how to fill that need, you also need to position yourself in the market in a unique way. It’s an important decision to make, one that definitely deserves some time before you pull the trigger. The thing is, you don’t want to get stuck in “paralysis”, frozen with fear of choosing the wrong USP for your brand. Today I’ve got a great pair of interviews that will help you find (or strengthen) your USP… and not take…

  • The Psychology Of Going Viral: 12 Proven Ways to Craft Content That Gets People Talking (About You)

    Gregory Ciotti
    16 Apr 2012 | 11:04 pm
    So, you are focused on building a popular blog. You’ve likely been following the patented three-step formula for a successful site: Craft amazing content Build an audience Sell people stuff A lot of people think that they have number 1 down, and that number 2 is the real kicker… but might they have it backwards? Are you really creating the style of content that gets people anxious to share it (and that allows you to generate interested traffic)? You no longer have to guess, because today, I have research that will show you how. How To Push People’s Buttons I’ve just…

  • The Blogger’s Guide To YouTube: How To Absolutely Dominate Your Niche With Video Content

    Gregory Ciotti
    3 Apr 2012 | 9:32 pm
    In the social media & blogging world, big predictions have been made for the future of YouTube in 2012. A recent post on Social Media Examiner covering 30 predictions from social media pros had a slew of positive predictions for how important YouTube was going to be in the coming year, including the follow: YouTube will (finally) get recognition and significant use as a major social network. YouTube [will] take the lead. YouTube rises to top of mind. In fact, of all of the great platforms covered in this highly insightful prediction post, YouTube was viewed the most positively in the…

  • 50 Successful Blogs That Prove You Don’t Have to “Blog About Blogging” To Create A Winner

    Gregory Ciotti
    27 Mar 2012 | 1:05 pm
    If there is one misconception in this space that bothers me the most, it’s this belief that blogging & content marketing doesn’t work unless it’s “meta”. That is, people don’t believe blogs can be successful unless they are about blogging, marketing, or social media. What they don’t understand is that it’s only the marketing blogs that publish things like “traffic reports”, “income reports”, case studies and the like. Regular blogs in popular “normal” topics don’t do this, yet they are still out…

  • Webinar Marketing: How Is This List Building Technique Already Changing The Game?

    Gregory Ciotti
    11 Mar 2012 | 6:35 pm
    I want to let you in on a little secret… Those big bloggers & marketers out there, they’re all utilizing a super smart tactic. The process itself isn’t entirely new, but it’s never been more effective. Surprisingly, it hasn’t been talked about much (until very recently). Curtains off: it’s time for you to know… List Building On Steroids There are quite a few ways to get featured on a popular blog, almost all of which involve building a great relationship with the blogger (or having something unique to offer). Luckily, to start building that…
 
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    Other Side Group » Thoughts

  • Pinterest Use Case: Live coverage of a university graduation

    Kate Brodock
    15 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    This weekend was Graduation Weekend at Syracuse University, so our team had a few things up our sleeves for the festivities.  One of them was live Pinning of Commencement. Inspired by last month’s live Pinning of a bridal show by Oscar de la Renta, we were able to capture a lot of the day’s memorable moments.  While our team didn’t have as much backstage coverage as the la Renta team did, we were able to achieve the following: Used photos from many of our platforms. There were streams of photos being taken and shared on multiple platforms. We centralized them, and shared…

  • Infographic of the Week: 12 things to do after you write a new blog post

    Kate Brodock
    11 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    There’s still work to do after you get the writing done on a new blog post. Afterall, you want to get this in the hands of as many people as possible, right? Divvy HQ (by way of Ragan Communications) provide us with a quick checklist of to-dos to get through before publishing blog posts.

  • Stats to think about when putting together a great tweet

    Kate Brodock
    7 May 2012 | 3:50 pm
    I was plowing through the May issue of Harvard Business Review and came across some good statistics on Twitter that can help us all make better tweets.  The full article is worth a read (it’s a quick one, so why not!), here are a few highlights: New Twitter accounts are being added at a rate of 11 per second! (Significance: This stat actually has nothing to do with improving your tweets, but was pretty significant anyway, and demonstrates the increasing need to provide value on the platform) 36% of tweets are “Worth Reading.” (Significance: We all can do better) Random…

  • How to generate revenue from blogging and content marketing [Infographic of the Week] #infographic

    Kate Brodock
    1 May 2012 | 7:05 am
    We do a ton of writing around here for clients – blogging, eBooks, white papers, press releases, etc – and we know the value it brings, both tangible and intangible. But it’s nice to put some numbers behind content marketing, which includes not only writing, but video, photos and other types of rich media. A few numbers, not to be ignored: Companies that blog get up to 55% more traffic They also get up to 97% more inbound links (which search engines like!) They can get up to 434% more indexed pages in search engines Blogging companies get up to 25x times more business leads…

  • Infographic of the Week: Social Networking Bill of Rights #infographic

    Kate Brodock
    27 Apr 2012 | 12:52 pm
    I don’t know about you, but we’ve been hearing a lot more about privacy and legal issues when it comes to personal social media accounts and employers.  Check out the infographic below for some insight: Via: Online Background Check Resource
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    m-cause

  • Will Facebook Drive the New Intention Economy?

    Ryan
    1 May 2012 | 5:23 am
    A couple of years ago, Mark Zuckerberg had a hypothesis that the next area of social media to “blow up” would be social commerce.  A ton of hype was generated around the potential direct eCommerce opportunity within Facebook and manufacturers rushed to create “e-shops” inside the giant social network. Unfortunately, many of the new stores on Facebook’s brand pages didn’t work well for several large, “traditional” retailers.  By Feb 2012, we learned that the Gap and JCPenny (among others) were looking to close their F-Commerce shops.  So,…

  • Watching Madagascar in Madagascar

    Ryan
    25 Apr 2012 | 3:41 am
    I had a surreal moment a couple of weeks ago…I found myself watching a Hollywood animated film about Madagascar (Madagascar part 1) while sitting in a make-shift theater in Antananarivo, Madagascar.  Sometimes it is hard to believe just how similar entertainment experiences around the world can be. Madagascar is a country of about 22 million extremely poor (and increasingly desperate) people. I’ve visited some pretty tough places in the developing world before, but I wasn’t fully prepared for Antananarivo…a city that just moved ahead of Port au Prince, Haiti as the 3rd…

  • Virtual validation addiction

    Ryan
    18 Mar 2012 | 4:34 pm
    We’ve all been there.  Having just written (what we think) is a great update on one of the big social networks, we hear “crickets.” No one says anything.  We might have felt that our status update was witty, but apparently no one else did. LMS: “Like My Status”  The shockingly addictive spell that Facebook has had over people during its relatively short existence has, in part, been driven by the “Like” button and our need for validation from peers & family. Interestingly (& perhaps a bit concerning for parents) “LMS”  or “Like My Status”  was the #1…

  • Brands and patterns + SXSW in Austin, TX

    Ryan
    11 Mar 2012 | 5:20 pm
    Hello everyone. I realize it has been a while since I have posted on m-cause. I’m sorry about that. I plan on getting more content up on the blog over the next few months. Just a short post today to say hello & let you know what is going on with me. I’m currently out at the South by Southwest (SXSW) interactive festival in Austin, Texas. One of the hotter topics on the first day of SXSW was the discussion around Brands as “Patterns.” I’m providing a link to the article that sparked the panel discussion below:…

  • A “Product Guy” and Inspirational Marketer…

    Ryan
    10 Jan 2012 | 10:15 am
    Though he had his fair share of flops in his early days (Apple III, NeXT, Lisa) and some well documented personal flaws, probably the greatest “product design CEO” of our era was Steve Jobs. I realize that I am writing about Jobs a little later than most, but I finally finished the massive 500 page W. Isaccson biography over XMAS & I wanted to jot a few thoughts down about the world’s most valuable brand & it’s ringleader.  The Product Guy Great products/services really define a business. That is why some of the world’s greatest marketers are intensely…
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    Experience: The Blog

  • Social Media Questions I'm Asking These Days

    Augie Ray
    14 May 2012 | 11:40 am
    I'm puzzled, and perhaps you can help answer some of the questions that are bedeviling me lately: Why are there so many blog posts about how Facebook Timeline changes brand interactions when so few people actually visit brands' walls? (One recent study found that 75 percent of Millennials “liked” a brand but 69 percent rarely or never return to fan page.) Shouldn't we be more focused on how we break through to fans' newsfeeds and encourage interaction there?   Who the heck cares what Mark Zuckerberg wore when he visited Wall Street? Why are we surprised that a young…

  • Matching Name to Purpose: IMC2 Becomes MEplusYOU

    Augie Ray
    3 May 2012 | 8:52 am
    As a former agency leader, I find it fascinating to observe and learn from the ways agencies foster their own brands. After all, agencies exist to manage clients' brands, so they ought to bring the full force of their knowledge and experience to maximizing their own brands. Alas, like the fabled cobbler's children, agencies often don't do a very good job of dedicating resources to managing their own brands. This is why I took notice when IMC2 announced a name change to MEplusYOU. I had the opportunity to speak with agency leaders about the reasons for the change. The journey IMC2 took to…

  • The Demographic Social Tidal Wave About to Swamp Your Business

    Augie Ray
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:41 am
    Many of the changes of the digital era came because older folks ("digital immigrants" like me) adopted new behaviors, but most of the inertia for business evolution occurred when a wave of "digital natives" came of age. What will happen when the current batch of young "social natives" reach their adult years? A lot, and this will require businesses do far more than just add to the IT stack and hire a couple community managers. In the mid- to late-2000s, the Gen Y cohort--people who almost could not remember a time (and could not function) without PCs and the Internet--joined key advertising…

  • Social TV Saving Live Television

    Augie Ray
    24 Apr 2012 | 8:20 am
    For decades, technology has chipped away at TV. VCRs, streaming Internet video, file sharing, DVRs, on-demand cable and mobile video provided TV alternatives, decreased TV's audience, increased time shifting or encouraged ad skipping. One of the intriguing things about social media is that it is the first technological advance that really benefits TV without specifically being about TV. Of course, television was social before we had social media. TV shows drove "water cooler" chatter since Lucy Ricardo gave birth to "Little Ricky"--71.7% of all American TV sets were tuned to "I Love…

  • Where Are the Social Business and Sharing Economy Jobs?

    Augie Ray
    23 Apr 2012 | 8:30 am
    If you follow me on Twitter*, you may know that I am seeking a new job.**  Given where we are in the maturity of social business and social media, I expected I might find opportunities focused on the social business transformation that is underway, but instead those jobs are few and far between. The world is changing, and social media is already altering consumers' relationships with the products and services they purchase and use. What is evolving is not just the way social changes marketing and communications but how social revolutionizes the products and services themselves. I…
 
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    The Future Buzz

  • 7 Lessons Digital Marketers Can Learn from Martha Stewart

    Adam Singer
    10 May 2012 | 10:09 am
    The following is a guest post by Future Buzz community memeber Matt Gratt. While many people see Martha Stewart as just another craft and cooking show host, she’s actually a brilliant marketer, founder, and executive. She’s in an exclusive club: not too many people found a company and manage to take it public while staying CEO, putting her in the company of entrepreneurs like Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Marc Benioff, and Howard Schultz. This success is not unwarranted.  In addition to being a gifted maker, Martha is a brilliant marketer. The company name alone – Martha Stewart OmniMedia…

  • 3 Creative Professionals Who Went Beyond The Resume

    Adam Singer
    9 May 2012 | 10:11 am
    For many industries it’s a tough job market out there. Everyone knows this. Rather than complain about it, some enterprising individuals are using their creativity to stand out and get positions they want. Thought I’d share 3 stories that stand out (2 recent, one from a bit ago) to inspire you to go beyond a resume next time you’re seeking a job. 1. Jeanne Hwang creatively uses the platform she wants to work for The Next Web shares the story that Jeanne put together a visual resume on Pinterest. I won’t comment on her pins about increasing Twitter followers and her…

  • The Meta Factor Is Still Alive And Kicking

    Adam Singer
    8 May 2012 | 9:53 am
    The web has always enjoyed talking about, well, the web. That’s nothing new. It was true in the days of forums and boards, in fact some of the most heated threads stemmed from meta discussions. Back when Digg was popular the most popular submissions on Digg were about Digg. This is true on Reddit today. Several of the blogs about blogging still receive a huge amount of attention. So I especially enjoyed that the New Yorker published a humorous story on the web’s continued obsession with meta threads in today’s social platforms: First, I take a sort of new angle on…

  • Be Curious, Not Dismissive

    Adam Singer
    30 Apr 2012 | 10:58 am
    I recall a situation in 2007 (while in the consulting space) when most businesses were barely scratching the surface with digital marketing. The story goes like this: one of my clients, a national brand that is a household name was reticent to participate in social. What was interesting is very smart people were running the company. But even after we explained the situation, shared research and outlined the benefits of embracing social marketing, they still seemed ambivalent. Or perhaps a better word: dismissive. “Why would anyone want to do that?” was a common response to what we…

  • On Being Creative

    Adam Singer
    26 Apr 2012 | 10:08 am
    This week, I traveled to LA to speak on a panel with Sonia Simone and Peter Shankman (pictured above) at the BlueGlass internet marketing conference. Our session was on the future of public relations – you can read a summary here. I wanted to bring up one part of our discussion that was particularly interesting and something I’ve been thinking about lately. We got on the subject of creativity as an audience member asked the question how to consistently come up with creative ideas. Peter and Sonia responded with some good tips on how to come up with something creative, fast. For…
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    Solve the Marketing Mystery

  • Sales Slaying Assumptions — Magic Powder Not Included

    Tracy Needham
    11 May 2012 | 12:11 pm
    Demos are a great way to add punch to a selling process, so I stopped to watch a guy pitching his magic powder at a women’s expo a few weeks ago. He made quite a show of dropping a pH testing solution into a row of cups that held various types of water and soda. Each [...]

  • A 60 Second Game for Entrepreneurs

    Tracy Needham
    10 Oct 2011 | 8:04 am
    Imagine you’re on a reality TV show called Last Chance.  An Archie Bunker-like accountant comes in and says “If you don’t make TWICE as much money in the next 3 months as you’ve made in the last 3 months, I’m pulling the plug on your business–sorry Charlie, go get a job.” But…to help you succeed, [...]

  • Copywriter’s Hit List–Excellent Customer Service in Sales Copy

    Tracy Needham
    6 Oct 2011 | 7:53 am
    Mind you, I have no problem with excellent customer service itself–my beef is with businesses always wanting to claim that they provide excellent customer service in their sales copy. It’s kind of like the boy who cried wolf–so many businesses say it but few truly deliver, so customers don’t believe it when they see it [...]

  • Attract Customers With a Steady Stream of Customer Referrals…Starting Today!

    Tracy Needham
    30 Sep 2011 | 1:38 pm
    More customers. Better customers? This is good, right? Because most business owners I talk to are quite willing to offer a discount or have a sale to attract new customers. But virtually none of them have any kind of system in place to get referrals. And some balk at the idea of offering an incentive [...]

  • Run Like Fire From These 3 Bad Client Types

    Tracy Needham
    29 Sep 2011 | 2:09 pm
    Nearly everyone has had at least one–the bad client you wish you’d never met. And when you think back later, it’s funny how many warning signs you realize you skipped by in your eagerness to get them to sign on the dotted line. In fact, I recently culled my 8 years as a copywriter and [...]
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    Andy Sernovitz | Damn, I Wish I\'d Thought of That!

  • A name with a bug, part 2

    Andy Sernovitz
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Last week we had an amazing conference called the Word of Mouth Crash Course. It was a fantastic day, the third in a series. But it wasn’t as big as we expected, and we discovered a critical reason why: We changed the name of the event — it used to be called Word of Mouth Supergenius — without any testing. Here’s what happened — people thought that it was an online course instead of a live conference. The word course implied online training to many people. We also failed to use certain trigger words that indicate that something is a live event: Summit, Expo,…

  • A name with a bug, part 1

    Andy Sernovitz
    15 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    We were going to launch a site called WordofMouthMarketing.org. During the few months we were planning it, everyone kept saying WordofMouth.org — they kept dropping the word marketing. Even employees and contractors who were working on the project. That was a problem. If our own team couldn’t get the name right, how would our customers find the site? So we killed the project until we could get ownership of WordofMouth.org. It was incredibly lucky that we caught the problem before we launched. We would have sent all of our confused customers to someone else’s site. Lesson:…

  • Give them an experience they’ll never stop talking about — and a reminder to re-start the talk

    Andy Sernovitz
    14 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    The Cameron Park Zoo in Waco, TX invites school and scout groups to spend the night camping in the zoo. It’s an amazing behind-the-scenes experience. More that just the camping, which is remarkable, you also get to feed a giraffe, pet a rhino, and hold a giant cockroach. Just as important: Every kid gets a free shirt with the Zoo Snooze logo on it. And everyone other kid in school finds out about the Zoo every time the shirt is worn. (And because it was a Cub Scout trip, dozens of kids in the same grade all have the shirt.) Lesson: Don’t just think about the experience. Think…

  • What’s the simplest thing you can do to create a remarkable experience?

    Andy Sernovitz
    13 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Subway gave us a kids meal in this nice reusable bag. We talked about it, we told people, we kept it, and we tell more people when our daughter carries it around. Probably cost them 30 cents — which is about 10 cents more than a throw-away box. But the conversations it starts are priceless word of mouth advertising moments.

  • 35 ways to improve sales

    Andy Sernovitz
    12 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Classic advice from e-commerce master Sam Decker, now CEO of Mass Relevance, originally published in 2004 and still relevant: Can I find that item I’m looking for? Tune your internal search engine to match top search terms to product pages. Put top sellers on home page. People buy on impulse or recommendation. Match the landing page to the marketing campaign. Use vanity urls for offline advertising. Test your categories, naming and navigation with customers. They’re less intuitive than you think. Can I find something that interests me? Put top sellers on home page. Add related items to a…
 
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    Bronto Blog

  • In The Next 10 Minutes: Improve Your Email Program Through Perspective

    Kestrel Lemen
    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    We know you're busy.  Marketers are always stretched for time and are constantly evaluating their tasks based on what value they provide.  Given the lack of time, it's important to have quick but very valuable tactics that you can easily implement but which also provide terrific value.  That's why we're starting a new series on the Bronto Blog, tactics you can read about and implement in ten minutes or less and are guaranteed to help you improve your marketing program. In the next 10 minutes: Set up a new email address through Gmail, Yahoo, or another non-work related…

  • Bring Them Back to Purchase: Tactics to Reduce Cart Abandonment

    Kellie Boggs
    9 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    We just completed our third annual Bronto Summit that brought together top leading marketers.  If you aren’t familiar with the Bronto Summit, it’s a three-day conference that allows our Bronto clients to get together and expand their email marketing knowledge.  There were many hot topics at the Summit this year, but the one that is top of mind is Shopping Cart Abandonment. Did you know that 60-70% of carts are abandoned?  That's right, according to a new Bronto whitepaper From Abandon to Conversion, Forrester Research and MarketingSherpa reported abandonment rates of…

  • Email Marketing Trends for April 2012

    Jim Davidson
    7 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Following the first Email Trend Report on the Bronto Blog last month, we continue monitoring the increase in email volume. Email Volume by Day April email volume increased over the previous month with the week of 4/23 seeing a large spike. Many brands began their strong Mother's Day campaigns. (click to enlarge) Email Volume by Day of Week Mondays saw the most volume in April. Subtle shifts were seen throughout the week. Emails Sent per Brand The most frequent mailer sent 81 messages.  Last month's most frequent sender decreased volume from 90 messages in March to only(!?!) 75 in…

  • 4 Ways to Drive Revenue Through Retargeting

    Emily Keye
    30 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    We all already know how steep the competition is in your subscriber’s inbox. Consumers who are pressed for time and overwhelmed with emails only connect with content that’s relevant, timely and valuable to them. Email retargeting campaigns are designed to persuade a customer to purchase, complete an online transaction they began but didn’t finish, replenish a previously purchased item, or purchase a complementary item. When done correctly, these campaigns are the most targeted and engaging messages you can deploy as they’re not only based on profiling attributes but also on precise…

  • Helpful Formulas for Email Marketing Analysis

    Steven DuBois
    24 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    In a previous post Email Metrics 101: Establish Your Baselines, we discussed some of the key metrics you want to track. Whether you're new to email marketing or a seasoned pro, it's critical to create baselines around your marketing program. Baselines are a specific value or values that can serve as a comparison or control.  This is what you are going to be measuring against to answer questions like "how do this month’s email metrics compare to my overall metrics" or "how are my birthday triggered emails performing in comparison to all my other emails." If you haven’t calculated your…
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    Internet Marketing for Business - Jim Kukral - Small Business Web Consultant

  • How To Write A Best-Selling Book Training

    jim@jimkukral.com (Jim Kukral)
    15 May 2012 | 12:25 pm
    The Great Big Publishing Lie… When I wrote my first book for a big name publishing house, I foolishly believed that the book would sell tons of copies and I’d see my book featured in bookstores all around the world. I also believed that my publisher would market my book for me and help me make it a best-seller. Unfortunately, I learned the hard way that that’s not how the book business works for the majority of new authors. More importantly, I learned the most valuable lesson that I never expected. You don’t write a business or industry book to sell millions of copies. You write it to…

  • Don’t Fall Into The Trap

    jim@jimkukral.com (Jim Kukral)
    17 Apr 2012 | 12:44 pm
    The trap of trying to emulate other people’s successes. The trap of spending so much time looking at what others have done that you don’t do anything on your own. Otherwise known as paralysis by analysis. The trap of changing YOUR brilliant idea because you saw someone else do it differently successfully. I’ve written about this before in my post here. There’s a severe disadvantage when you have too much influence. Sure, having smart and successful people around you is VERY important. However, when you begin to let their influence overwhelm your gut ideas and thoughts and…

  • I’m Not Super Rich Because…

    jim@jimkukral.com (Jim Kukral)
    16 Apr 2012 | 1:35 pm
    Because I refuse to lie to people. I’m not going to create a product that promises you can make your book a “best-seller” and you can make millions from it, because you probably won’t/can’t. Very few authors will be able to do that. But there are twenty “gurus” behind me who will sell you that rubbish. Most of us will have amazing levels of success and do very well with our books, but we’re not going to be the next huge overnight success story. Because I refuse to lie and tell you that you can make money overnight. I will not create a…

  • All My Books Free Today Only (April 12, 2012)

    jim@jimkukral.com (Jim Kukral)
    12 Apr 2012 | 5:19 am
    All of my books are free today only. Grab a copy of each one for your Kindle or Kindle app here. So far my books have been downloaded over 30,000 times on Amazon. Please enjoy, and consider writing a review on Amazon when you’re done? Also, go ahead and share this post via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or any other way you wish. Thank you. Note: You DO NOT have to have a Kindle to view the books. Did you know you can download a Kindle app for free on your phone, or iPad, or even your Mac or PC. Yep, free! You could be reading books in minutes.

  • Free Book Marketing Training Videos

    jim@jimkukral.com (Jim Kukral)
    9 Apr 2012 | 12:17 pm
    Ever wanted to write and market a book? As I said in my guest post, The Secret to Overnight Book Marketing Success, it’s not that easy. Having overnight success of your book would be like winning the lottery; the odds aren’t great to say the least. Just like in life and in business, there are a very few select group of people who “hit the winning ticket” by accident or luck. As I wrote in my book Business Around a Lifestyle, Volume 1, “Some people are born into money and success. Some just get lucky. The rest of us, well, we all have to work to get where we want…
 
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    Be Relevant! Email Marketing Blog

  • Don't Forget to Register for the International Email Marketing Summit

    Tamara Gielen
    14 May 2012 | 3:37 am
    On Wednesday Kath Pay and I will be hosting the International Email Marketing Summit, an online email marketing conference that you can attend for free without having to leave your desk. We've got some really amazing speakers and presentations lined up. Here's an overview: Cracking the Code: Keys to Email Creative Success Riaz Kanani, Alchemy Worx  Beyond just selling: engaging with your subscribers Arianna Galante, ContactLab  Inactive Subscribers: Prospects or Problem? Dela Quist, Alchemy Worx  7 Reasons Why Your Subscribers Don't Respond To Your Email Campaigns Tamara…

  • Recommended Reading (weekly)

    Tamara Gielen
    13 May 2012 | 3:31 am
    top 5 strategies to drive relevance -tg tags: tg tw relevance Twitter Buys Personalized Email Marketer RestEngine To Deliver Best Tweet Digests -tg Who said email is dead? Even social media itself can't live without email... just sayin'... tags: tg twitter social_media tw LinkedIn upgrade email effectiveness analysis tags: tg cases 3 steps to revive a boring email newsletter There are three simple steps to freshening up your email newsletter. tags: tg design testing analysis Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques there are techniques that can make your job easier and your case more…

  • Elements Of a Successful Email Campaign [webinar]

    Tamara Gielen
    10 May 2012 | 6:22 am
    Yesterday I presented a webinar on building effective email campaigns. You can find the recording here: Also, make sure to register for the International Email Marketing Summit on May 16th. You'll get a lot more really practical email marketing tips on how to build effective email marketing campaigns. The timing of the event is geared towards a European audience, so if the hours don't work for you, register anyway as all the sessions will be available on-demand right after the live presentation. Check out the agenda here

  • Join me at the International Email Marketing Summit on May 16, 2012

    Tamara Gielen
    4 May 2012 | 7:31 am
    Register now and learn all about the latest trends and best practices in email marketing without leaving your desk! And it won't cost you a penny/eurocent/dollarcent/... :-) Plan to Engage & Brighttalk are proud to present to you the very first edition of the International Email Marketing Summit. Not only will you be inspired by the latest tactics that work but you’ll also take away a list of action items you can implement immediately. Featured speakers Dela Quist, Alchemy Worx Dave Chaffey, Smart Insights Tamara Gielen, Plan to Engage Denise Cox, Newsweaver Riaz Kanani, Alchemy Worx…

  • NEW: Tamara Gielen Teaches Live Email Marketing Workshops in Belgium!

    Tamara Gielen
    19 Apr 2012 | 6:23 am
    Over the next couple of months I'm organizing a bunch of email marketing workshops in Belgium (in Dutch): check them out! Topics include:  Getting started with email marketing Building a quality list Creating effective email campaigns HTML for email Performing an audit of your email marketing strategy The workshops will be taught in Dutch and will be very hands-on, so bring your own laptops!! More info: www.emailmarketingworkshop.be
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    Branding Expert Martin Lindstrom - Author, Speaker & Fan of the Consumer

  • TIME Magazine – “Living in the Moment”: The Latest Marketing Meme

    Martin Lindstrom
    15 May 2012 | 7:59 am
    By Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - April 2, 2012 It’s a message that makes us feel strangely optimistic and important. It also gets us to buy stuff. I recently found myself eavesdropping on a conversation at a cafe between two men in their twenties. “I want to try live more in the moment,” one of them said. “In fact, I’m going to have to put some serious effort into this notion, because I tend to focus on the future and, in the process, I neglect the present.” His friend, nodding away, seemed in perfect agreement. It was eerily similar to…

  • Fast Company: How I Busted Out of My Addictive Technology Loop

    Martin Lindstrom
    8 May 2012 | 5:32 pm
    By Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed – May 8, 2012 As with all addictions, our intense fascination with life-changing tech must be managed. I found this out the hard way–when my rental car met the parking garage wall. Recently I was sitting around the boardroom table of a major security company in Tel Aviv, when I noticed something quite unusual. There was black duct tape covering the camera lenses of every laptop and tablet in the room. The small microphone outlets were taped over as well. I was curious, and asked the head of security why this was…

  • Fast Company: How Enemies Power Innovation

    Martin Lindstrom
    2 May 2012 | 8:50 am
    By Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - May 1, 2012 What we can all learn about the art of business from Pepsi’s epic war with Coke and Apple’s public dust-ups with Microsoft. Not long ago I spoke with a group of teenagers about branding. Soon enough the subject turned toward Coca-Cola. For my own curiosity, I asked them who they considered Coke’s main enemy. Of course, I was expecting them to state the obvious–Pepsi. Instead the room went kind of quiet. No one was sure. The hyper competitiveness of the Coke-Pepsi dynamic, which I grew up…

  • Fast Company: The Truth Dresses Down

    Martin Lindstrom
    17 Apr 2012 | 1:07 pm
    By Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - April 17, 2012 What I learned about honesty from showing up at a stranger’s home an hour early. When I showed up on the London doorstep of a stranger’s home, an hour too early, something unusual happened. What first began as a scheduling mix-up resulted in one of the most profound consumer observations I’ve ever made. Admittedly, my job is somewhat out of the ordinary, and my consumer research sometimes takes me to very strange places. This week I explored the psychology of feminine hygiene. Last week it…

  • Fast Company: Want To Be More Creative? Get Bored

    Martin Lindstrom
    10 Apr 2012 | 3:14 pm
    By Martin Lindstrom: Marketing consultant and author of Brandwashed - April 4, 2012 Where and when do you do your best thinking? For me, it’s in the pool. As I power up and down the lanes, I rethink what I’ve learned. I now have the time and space to solve whatever problems have arisen. It’s an important meeting with myself, and I keep it religiously. Because the day I lose it, I’ve lost myself. Quick: Survey your friends, your family, and colleagues and ask them when it is that they get their best and brightest ideas. How do they come to solve insurmountable challenges? And when…
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    Unbound Edition

  • Nielsen: U.S. Consumers App Downloads Up 28% To 41

    16 May 2012 | 8:36 am
    According to a new report from Nielsen, mobile consumers are downloading more apps than ever before, with the average number of apps owned by a smartphone user now at 41 — a rise of 28 percent on the 32 apps owned on average last year.

  • Transparency: The Key to Collecting and Using Customer Data

    16 May 2012 | 8:33 am
    If customers suspect you’re using their data in less-than-desirable ways, they may lash out and possibly stop using your product. What’s a data-driven business owner to do?

  • Data Points: Online, There Are No Crowds [Infographic]

    16 May 2012 | 8:24 am
    Online, men are shopping more and at rates higher than before, according to an iProspect study of men with a household income of $100,000 plus.

  • For Brands, The Need To Rethink Everything

    16 May 2012 | 8:20 am
    As the marketplace undergoes a rapid transformation, it’s forcing leading brands to rethink everything—from where and how they compete to what capabilities they will need to thrive in this new world order. The fast-changing world of consumer products is at the confluence of a number of significant trends.

  • Strategy, Context, and the Decline of Sony

    14 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    The strategy address recently delivered by the corporation's new CEO, Kazuo Hirai, earned press coverage that verged on mocking, with The Wall Street Journal noting that the brand's "once-sterling cachet has deteriorated," and The New York Times going further, placing Sony in "a fight for its life," and accusing it of "an astonishing lack of ideas." Both observations are correct, but they only hint at the underlying question: why is the strategy that once served Sony so well now failing so badly?
 
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    The FastSpring E-Commerce Blog

  • SpringBoard Update Released: UI Improvements, Multicurrency Addition, Simplified HTTP Notifications, and More

    FastSpring
    11 May 2012 | 2:19 pm
    Updated Look & Feel FastSpring has updated the overall SpringBoard UI to create a subtly refined new look & feel, including section icons, more prominent multi-level breadcrumbs, and re-styled rollover/select states. SpringBoard has always been user-friendly and elegantly designed; this update brings these qualities up another notch. Improved UI for Editing Product Pricing We are also pleased to announce that the user interface to View All Product Prices has been redesigned to resemble a spreadsheet, allowing for at-a-glance overviews and mass updating of product prices, including all…

  • Selling Your Software Through the Educational Channel

    FastSpring
    20 Mar 2012 | 7:36 pm
    by David Raimondo (Originally published in ASPects, January 2012. Reprinted courtesy of the author.) The “Adobe model” is the reason you want to be in the education channel. Adobe software, founded in 1982, started off in the education market with their software Photoshop. It became a standard with schools, and when students left school after learning Photoshop, that was a product they used in the commercial world. Many software companies want to increase their sales by selling to the educational channel. The first thing I would do is to find out how many of my existing sales are schools…

  • SpringBoard Update Released: Improved Store Performance, Style Template Functionality, and More

    FastSpring
    9 Mar 2012 | 4:43 pm
    Improved Store Loading Speeds FastSpring has implemented some noteworthy changes to improve the speed of loading your store order pages for your end customers. To improve performance, the product images / box shots displayed during the customer order process are now served from dedicated servers. With improvements in store caching and an average reduction of 30% for order page file sizes, the display of product detail pages during the customer order process is now 15-20% faster. Mobile Styles for iPhone & Android We’re pleased to announce brand new default style templates for iPhone…

  • Learn Online Marketing – New Video Course

    FastSpring
    29 Feb 2012 | 10:05 pm
    FastSpring clients are always looking for new ways to market their software, games, SaaS, e-books or other digital products worldwide, so we wanted to introduce you to a new online video course on popular video training site Lynda.com called Online Marketing Fundamentals. Lorrie Thomas Ross, author of the McGraw Hill 36-Hour Course to Online Marketing book, web marketing agency CEO, and FastSpring friend, teaches any web businessperson (experienced and inexperienced) the foundational pieces that make online marketing meaningful, effective and lucrative. The video takes a look at the basis of…

  • SpringBoard Update Released: Bank Transfers, New File Extensions & More

    FastSpring
    24 Jan 2012 | 10:01 pm
    Bank Transfers Now Supported as Customer Payment Method FastSpring has been working hard this season to enable your customers to pay using even more payment methods than previously existed. Now, in addition to major credit cards, PayPal, check, money order, and purchase orders, your FastSpring store can also accept bank transfers, which is the most common form of cashless consumer payments in most countries within the EU and Asia-Pacific. Bank transfers offer many benefits for FastSpring clients. They can broaden your customer base, appealing to those customers who do not have a credit card,…
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    Marketing Technology Blog

  • Infographic: Evolution of Marketing Automation

    Douglas Karr
    16 May 2012 | 6:49 am
    This year there’s been a virtual explosion in the marketing automation industry. Where marketing automation systems used to only be affordable to large enterprise, required many resources to implement and manage, and were complex to use… today’s marketing automation systems are simple, elegant, and optimized for companies both large and small. Our Marketing Automation sponsors at Right On Interactive have been helping us understand the industry, the benefits and the incredible changes that are occurring. Ifbyphone is a leader in voice-based marketing automation. Systems like…

  • Michael Brito of Edelman Digital on MTB Radio

    Jenn Lisak
    15 May 2012 | 9:15 pm
    We are happy to announce that we will be having Michael Brito of Edelman Digital on the Marketing Tech Blog Radio Show this Friday, May 18, at 3 p.m. EST. On the show, we will be discussing the differences between social brand and social business, the value of social business, and the differences and similarities between advocates and influencers. Michael works for Edelman Digital as the Senior Vice President of Social Business Planning.  Basically, he helps clients transform their organizations to be more open, collaborative and socially proficient; with the end result of creating shared…

  • MTB Save 10% on Blog World New York 2012

    Douglas Karr
    15 May 2012 | 7:42 pm
    BlogWorld offers Bloggers, Podcasters, Internet Radio and TV Broadcasters, Businesses & Entrepreneurs more New Media Education, Networking and Business Opportunities in one place than any other single event. With 200+ Speakers, 3 Days of Education and a Tradeshow Exploding with New Media Innovations, this is one of my favorite conferences in the industry. Save an additional 10% NOW on your Early Bird Blog World New York 2012 registration with the code “BWAPVIP10“! Register now to save! This offer expires on 5/20/2012. Content Creation: Learn how to create Blogs, Podcasts and…

  • Eyequant: Heatmapping on the Fly

    Douglas Karr
    15 May 2012 | 3:24 pm
    EyeQuant is a predictive eye-tracking model that specifically looks at what users see on a page within the first 3-5 seconds. The idea is simple: within 5 seconds a user should be able to see who you are, what your value proposition is, and what to do next. EyeQuant allows for optimizing the design of a page to ensure this is the case. Here are the free results of our EyeQuant demo… I’m quite happy with where the attention is being placed on our home page! What separates EyeQuant from other services is the fact that it just takes a few minutes to get the results. The results also…

  • 18 Must-Know Inbound Marketing Experts

    Douglas Karr
    14 May 2012 | 7:55 pm
    Colleague Dave Morse of Delta Faucet passed on a congratulations to me today for making a list of 18 Must-Know Inbound Marketing Experts in Marketo’s Whitepaper: Amplify Your Impact: How to Multiply the Effects of Your Inbound Marketing Program. Wow – that’s quite an honor… especially having my name alongside this list of amazingly talented marketers: Michael Brito – Follow @Britopian Paul Gillin – Follow @pgillin Adam Metz – Follow @theMetz Ann Handley – Follow @MarketingProfs C.C. Chapman – Follow @cc_chapman Chris Brogan – Follow…
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    DetectiveMarketing.com

  • Challenge and illuminate how you think about competing in the marketplace

    Stefan Engeseth
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    Stefan Engeseth offers a completely original point of view — rooted in centuries of natural history — to address an age-old problem. It is sure to challenge and illuminate how you think about competing in the marketplace.Kevin Lane Keller, Professor of Marketing, Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth Praise for the Sharkonomics book.

  • Market leaders have NO defence for Sharkonomics attacks

    Stefan Engeseth
    12 May 2012 | 4:03 am
    This is an Shark Defense training film (1964). Credit: The US Army. It shows mankind’s fear of a potential shark attack is enormous therefore it made sense to develop a defence part in my book Sharkonomics. Both in nature and business prey and predator share the same water. Eventually all market leaders will be attacked as a consequence of being in the same market and sharing the same water as their predators. The concept behind developing brands was to protect the original from being copied. For a long time a brand relied on its name and reputation to survive in the market. Today,…

  • Sharkonomics book tour for the Nordics

    Stefan Engeseth
    7 May 2012 | 8:51 am
    Writing a book is like creating music: you really don’t know how it’s received until it’s played onstage. I am very pleased with the response from the first part of the tour for my new book, Sharkonomics. It started in Denmark with a lecture at The Danish Marketing Association fantastic discussions with the leading marketing professionals in Copenhagen. And with an audience of nearly 200 in Norway at Gulltaggen, I was overwhelmed by the positive feedback by representatives from iconic brands like Google and Spotify. Here are a few things that people have said about Sharkonomics on…

  • Working 9 to 5 worked well in 1920 but will not in 2020

    Stefan Engeseth
    4 May 2012 | 8:52 am
    Moving 24/7 works well for sharks and will work well for corporations that want to move with the times and not miss opportunities. Speed and constantly being in an innovative stage of changing and adapting is what enabled companies such as Google, Cisco and Groupon to grow into global predators. Above from the Sharkonomics book.

  • How Sir Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web by cracking the code: Not invented here!

    Stefan Engeseth
    2 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Last week at Gulltaggen I had the honor to listen to Sir Tim Berners-Lee who is the inventor of the World Wide Web. By far it was the best lecture at Gulltaggen (perhaps for ever). His humble statement in the opening of the lecture was superb: I stumbled on an problem, in which the World Wide Web seemed like a good solution. Over the years I have had the honor to meet some of the best innovators in the world, like the father of mobile phones: Östen Mäkitalo. When I listened to Sir Tim I released that they all have the same success formula. They have all cracked the code: Not invented here.
 
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    PsyBlog

  • How To Encourage People To Change Their Own Minds

    Jeremy Dean
    9 May 2012 | 10:08 am
    Self-persuasion: let people talk themselves around to your point of view. Changing people's minds is hard. We resist having our attitudes adjusted by others, especially when the message isn't directly relevant to us and we aren't paying that much attention. But what if you could get people to change their own minds? People will listen to themselves and will automatically generate arguments that have personal relevance for them. It's not as crazy as it sounds. Actually people are being encouraged to persuade themselves all the time. Here are a few examples: When a parent wants to change a…

  • Five Effortless Postures that Foster Creative Thinking

    Jeremy Dean
    27 Apr 2012 | 4:28 am
    Literally sitting outside a box, rather than in it, makes you more creative, according to new psychological research. There are lots of metaphors floating around in creativity. We talk about 'thinking outside the box', 'putting two and two together' and 'seeing both sides of the problem'. But are these only metaphors or can we boost our creativity by taking them literally? We know our minds interact in all sorts of interesting ways with our bodies, so what if we enacted these metaphors physically? That's the question Leung et al. (2012) examine in a new study published in the journal…

  • What “The Love Bridge” Tells Us About How Thoughts and Emotions Interact

    Jeremy Dean
    17 Apr 2012 | 12:11 pm
    How much control do you have over your emotions? Have you ever wondered why one person can speak in public without apparent nerves while another crumples under pressure? Or why one elite athlete can shake off their nerves to win Olympic gold while another chokes? Even with ample experience some people never seem to learn to cope with their emotions. A key insight comes from a controversial psychology study carried out on a rickety bridge by Dutton and Aron (1973). The love bridge Men crossing the bridge were approached by an attractive woman who asked them to fill out a survey. The men were…

  • Do Posh People Cheat More Than the Lower Classes?

    Jeremy Dean
    3 Apr 2012 | 12:24 pm
    Who cheats more: the lower classes to escape poverty or the upper classes because they feel entitled? Imagine two people: one from the upper classes and one from the lower classes. Let's say our lower class individual works in a factory, lives in a small house in an average area and receives a relatively small salary. Our upper class individual, though, has inherited money, lives in a large house in a beautiful area and doesn't need to work for money. Now let's say both these individuals are driving along in their cars (one cheap, one expensive), when they approach a pedestrian crossing…

  • Want to Improve Your Attention? Wear a White Coat

    Jeremy Dean
    30 Mar 2012 | 11:39 am
    The power of 'enclothed cognition': how what you wear affects how you think. It's surprising how much simple movements of the body can affect the way we think. Using expansive gestures with open limbs makes us feel more powerful, crossing your arms makes you more persistent and lying down can bring more insights (read more here: 10 Simple Postures That Boost Performance). So if moving the body can have these effects, what about the clothes we wear? We're all well aware of how dressing up in different ways can make us feel more attractive, sporty or professional, depending on the outfit, but…
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    eversaveblog

  • Save a Bunch: How to Cut Wedding Flower costs

    Eversave Blog
    15 May 2012 | 12:10 pm
    Ah! The sweet sound of wedding bells is in the air… as is the lone cry of your life savings, slowly being handed over to vendors, one check at a time. Planning a wedding on a budget means cutting corners somewhere – so where do you spend and where do you save? We’ve come up [...]

  • Dear Mom…

    Eversave Blog
    11 May 2012 | 10:39 am
    Voice of reason, wine-drinking buddy, model sample sale-scourer – no matter how we refer to her, there’s only one word that can express how much she means to us: MOM. She’s given so much to us through the years that we wanted to say a special thanks this Mother’s Day. So, you pitched in through [...]
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    AIM

  • Facebook Ads: 3 New Ideas for Higher Profits

    Case Stevens
    16 May 2012 | 7:33 am
    Facebook ads are very popular among some marketers these days. That’s because there are lots of demographics available to laser target your ads to your prospects. That’s even going to improve with the new updates Facebook ads are undergoing. Jane Smith knows more about that and that’s why her guest post is published today. Read [...]Facebook Ads: 3 New Ideas for Higher Profits is a post from Affordable Internet Marketing, http://www.affordable-internet-marketing.com by Case Stevens.

  • Imgur lets you generate traffic to your websites!

    Case Stevens
    9 May 2012 | 9:32 am
    Imgur is a new player on the Net and using that site, you can generate extra traffic to your websites. How to do that is explained below. This tip comes from Francis Santos, writer for Benchmark Email and below is his guest post for today. Read carefully, it can generate extra traffic to your site. [...]Imgur lets you generate traffic to your websites! is a post from Affordable Internet Marketing, http://www.affordable-internet-marketing.com by Case Stevens.

  • Aweber Tips And Tricks for the Advanced Marketer

    Case Stevens
    3 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    Aweber is one of the best email marketing services on the Net. Some people still call their service an Autoresponder, but it’s not, as I will show you below. Of course there are others, like GetResponse and Email Aces and they’re good too. In my opinion however, Aweber beats them all. Their delivery rates are [...]Aweber Tips And Tricks for the Advanced Marketer is a post from Affordable Internet Marketing, http://www.affordable-internet-marketing.com by Case Stevens.

  • Website Speed Test: faster than 97% of all tested websites

    Case Stevens
    25 Apr 2012 | 8:01 am
    I’m performing a website speed test occasionally. You can read more about that at My webpage speed test results to optimize page speed. I did all I (technically) can to speed up my website. Including creating sprites, using a very handy tool called SpriteMe. That tool combines a few of your background images into one [...]Website Speed Test: faster than 97% of all tested websites is a post from Affordable Internet Marketing, http://www.affordable-internet-marketing.com by Case Stevens.

  • Video Marketers Pleased by YouTube’s Changes

    Case Stevens
    20 Apr 2012 | 10:06 am
    Loyal video marketers have always cherished a site like YouTube, because it was easy to get listed using videos as a marketing tool. However, there have been some complaints about certain features from YouTube that didn’t work as well as they should be. That has changed now that YouTube has announced a feature update. Aidan [...]Video Marketers Pleased by YouTube’s Changes is a post from Affordable Internet Marketing, http://www.affordable-internet-marketing.com by Case Stevens.
 
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    davefleet.com

  • 7 Steps to Planning Better Presentations

    Dave Fleet
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    As we approach the end of the Spring conference season, and in the run-up to BlogWorld New York, I got to reflecting on how my approach to presentations has evolved over the last while. Preparing a presentation for a conference is no mean feat (I’d estimate I spend at last 30 hours on each presentation I create for conferences; often more). With that level of time investment, especially if you’re creating multiple presentations each year, you need to make sure you invest your time well. This year, I’ve started approaching presentations in a new way. I’ve thrown out the…

  • Communication is about what they hear, not what you say

    Dave Fleet
    24 Apr 2012 | 8:57 am
    If you think you’ve conveyed something but the other person hears something completely different, is that their fault or yours?  Recently a friend of mine posted a photo on Facebook: As pithy and humorous as it was, I disagreed. Strongly. From my perspective the onus is on you to consider not just the words coming out of your mouth, but how they are received. Everyone has their own background and context that they overlay on top of what they hear. It’s our jobs as communicators to consider that perspective and to adjust the way we communicate accordingly. If we do, we stand a…

  • Book Review: The Social Media Strategist

    Dave Fleet
    9 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am
    “Page turner.” Not words you usually expect to associate with a social media book. For anyone who is looking for a solid primer on social media within corporations, though, those two words perfectly describe Christopher Barger’s book The Social Media Strategist: Build a Successful Program from the Inside Out. In case you aren’t familiar with Barger, he’s headed-up social media at two of the world’s largest companies – IBM and GM. While at the latter, he led their social media communications around GM’s bankruptcy filing. Suffice to say, he has…

  • I Am Terrific! A Lesson in StoryBranding

    Dave Fleet
    5 Apr 2012 | 10:31 pm
    Note: I don’t run many guest posts here, but I found the piece below really interesting. The following is a guest post by Jim Signorelli. Let me know what you think. If you’ve gotten past the title of this article (and many don’t) you’re obviously intrigued. How could anyone expect to sell anything this way? Telling someone you’re terrific is so, well…crass, obnoxious, and Neanderthal, anything but effective.  Right? Curious, I created an experiment.  I set out to see how people would actually react to someone saying “Hey there! I am…

  • Want to get better at social media? Ask “Why?”

    Dave Fleet
    30 Mar 2012 | 11:16 am
    Social media practitioners: want to get better at your job? Learn one word: Why? Used well, asking “why?” can help you get to the bottom of almost any problem, push your colleagues to explore new options, and force a new level of honesty in decision making. I’ve just started reading Christopher Barger‘s book The Social Media Strategist (side note: only a few pages in and I already like it), and one particular section stood out to me: “The individual connections and relationships made within social networks on behalf of organizations and brands don’t happen…
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    Chris Houchens

  • AAA Marketing

    Chris Houchens
    27 Apr 2012 | 11:09 am
    Back in the day, small biz owners thought they were über-clever when they named their buisness something like ‘AA Plumbers’. It was a telephone strategy so that they would appear first in the Yellow Pages or other directory listings. Flash forward to today and see what the market thinks about Yellow Pages. They make YouTube videos mocking the wasted marketing dollars. While it’s easy to tsk-tsk thousands of businesses whose names start with AAAAAAAAA, pause and make sure you’re not doing the same thing. Are you writing web copy solely for SEO and not people? Are you…

  • business connections

    Chris Houchens
    6 Apr 2012 | 9:41 am
    I don’t care for professional networkers … the glad handlers … the schmoozers. However, I do enjoy meeting new people who have similar professional interests. And I absolutely love meeting people who are interesting. But if our meeting feels like you’re trying to sell me something, you’re not making a connection. You’re just checking me off a list. It takes time and conversation to develop a professional relationship. I think (most) people have gotten to the point that they can spot these people in the digital realm. You’ve been followed and then…

  • the one where I talk about kotex

    Chris Houchens
    22 Mar 2012 | 9:42 pm
    When most brands try to integrate their social media and traditional marketing, it’s … awkward. Here’s a current commercial for a brand and a product I am biologically unable to connect to: You know what helps says the hipster female comedian … Come on, ad guys. Anyway, the spot ends with the call-to-action of “Tweet #KotexforReal“. Really? At some point, there was a meeting of ad and social media gurus where someone said: Let’s integrate our traditional TV ad buy with a hashtag to synergize the social experience and empower our customers to connect…

  • death of originality and creativity

    Chris Houchens
    19 Mar 2012 | 9:55 am
    One of the odder analogies I use when I teach and present is that of cooking and compression. When creating digital media, it’s best to work with the original uncompressed digital file for the best final result. Using compressed (cooked) files, you’ll not get a clean final product. To show this, I take audiences’ minds into the kitchen: You can take raw hamburger meat and make a meatloaf. You could chop up the leftover meatloaf, add seasoning, and create taco filling. You could take that leftover taco filling and add it to a pot of chili. You could take that chili…

  • linguistical maneuvers

    Chris Houchens
    8 Mar 2012 | 9:33 pm
    Apple wants the iPad 3 to be called the “new iPad”. This poses some questions for the future. What happens when the next incarnation of the iPad arrives? Will we call it the newer iPad? At that point, what will we call this iPad? The old new iPad? Then what about versions after that? Will the hipsters eventually walk into the Apple Store and say “I need a dock for my old newer new newest iPad”? There is some strategy behind this branding shift for Apple. We just won’t get to see their complete line of thinking until the new newer version of the newest iPad is…
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    The Accidental Product Manager

  • How Product Managers Manage A Product That Nobody Needs

    Dr. Jim Anderson
    14 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Image Credit Nobody needs a DAC, but everybody should have one… What’s the first thing that every product manager learns? Simple, that you have to figure out what problem your product solves for your customer if you want the product to be a success – this is almost part of the product development definition. That’s all fine and dandy; however, what’s a product manager to do if it turns out that customers don’t really need the product that he’s managing? Why You Don’t Need A DAC Do you own an iPod or some other brand of digital music player?

  • What Product Managers Need To Know About Going Mobile

    Dr. Jim Anderson
    7 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Image Credit Just how does a product manager create a mobile app? If you have been out to a mall, driving in traffic, or attended a sporting event lately then you’ve seen that just about everyone had their faces planted into a mobile device of some sort. From a product manager point-of-view, this sure seems to be telling us that we need to find a way to get information about our product onto everyone’s mobile phones. But how? Why Product Managers Have To Go Mobile Clearly, trying to add a mobile marketing channel to your product communication program is going to cause more time,…

  • Product Managers Learn To Optimize Prices In Order To Boost Margins

    Dr. Jim Anderson
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    Image Credit Forget market share, it's really all about profit margin… So what does a product manager need to do in order to make his / her product more profitable? As I suspect every product manager learned during the last global recession, cutting costs associated with your product is one important step. That’s a nice skill to have on your product manager resume, but it’s not enough. Once that’s done, what comes next? How about raising your product’s price? Great idea, but how does a product manager go about doing that? Why Raising Your Product’s Price…

  • 5 Tips For Product Managers From The Former Bergdorf Goodman CEO

    Dr. Jim Anderson
    23 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    Image Credit How to be a better product manager from a retail success story As product managers we are always looking for someone to tell us how we could be doing our jobs better so that we can look even better on our product manager resume. The problem is that it’s all too often hard to find someone who can give us good advice. Is it our boss? Our competition? Somebody that we bump into at a trade show? Or could it be the 90-year old former CEO of the successful Bergdorf Goodman retail chain of stores? Who is Ira Neimark? Before you take advice from anyone, you should first make sure…

  • Why Product Managers Need To Learn To Love Being #2

    Dr. Jim Anderson
    16 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    Image Credit Sometimes second place is where product managers want to be… If you’re a product manager, then you always want to be a winner, right? It’s almost an integral part of our product development definition — you want your product to storm into the marketplace and kick some butt and become #1 overnight. You want to climb to the top of your marketplace and you want to stay there forever. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? You’d be right if it weren’t for the fact that sometimes you’ll be more successful if your product is #2… The Problem With Becoming…
 
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    The LEADSExplorer Blog: Lead generation - Website visitors - CRM - B2B

  • The Boom and the Bust Salesmen

    The Leads Explorer
    14 May 2012 | 1:13 pm
    When there is more demand than available then the seller can set the pricing. When there is more on offer than demand then the customer can set the pricing if he really needs it. The Boom Salesmen Some salesmen start out in the business when there is more demand than available which gives them a bad attitude for their further business life as they are not used to negotiate on the service and pricing. This is typical for boom years where people get big commissions hardly without any effort or reason. They will become big spenders as the money is too easily earned. Due to the fact it is that…

  • Just like a pop star salesmen need to reinvent themselves

    The Leads Explorer
    10 May 2012 | 1:47 pm
    Popstars Madonna has sustained her music stardom and success for over 25 years by reinventing herself. Most pop stars are one day hit wonders or have maximal 2 or 3 hits. Then their success, fame and income fade away. Taste, culture and demand have changed and so does the success of most pop stars. Taste, culture and demand are changing continuously. Changes in society and business As a successful salesman you believe your sales skills will last for ever as you can turn anything into gold while being successful. However times, culture, attitudes and demand are changing too in business.

  • Why Trade Show Freebies and Giveaways are a Waste

    The Leads Explorer
    6 May 2012 | 12:48 pm
    Types of Freebies and Giveaways Whenever visiting a business trade show, you easily can have enough pencils for the next 6 months which you collect from the desks of the booths. At the same time you end up with several freebies which are given after a conversation with a sales rep on the booth. These are in most cases toys and in a few exceptional cases really useful products. There are four types of freebies: - Office supplies: pens, calendars, clocks, mouse pads, mugs, etc. - Apparel: T-shirts, baseball caps, golf shirts, socks, etc. - Fun stuff: toys, games, gag gifts, electronics, etc. -…

  • Stop Selling or Pitching – Start Serving

    The Leads Explorer
    3 May 2012 | 12:48 pm
    Sales techniques During the last century many selling techniques and methods have been developed like Feature-Advantage-Benefit Selling, Spin-Selling, Hard-Selling, Soft-Selling, Up-Selling, Consultative Selling, … Nowadays people have had it with all these sales methods as they don’t want to be sold or pitched. Instead they need a solution for their problem which is the main thing they are interested in and will remember afterwards. Listen instead of selling Instead of selling or pitching you should be adding value for the customer. In the end the customer needs to sell…

  • Business during Third World War of Debt

    The Leads Explorer
    1 May 2012 | 2:36 pm
    The War on Debt Throughout history wars have been about power and resources. In all previous wars physical or even chemical weapons have been used. Currently the weapon used for the current Third World War is debt. Countries (bonds, funds and loans), companies (loans and bonds) and people (mortgages and credit) rely upon loans and most are heavily indebted. This debt has strangled growth and prosperity for both people and companies as austerity seems to become the new rule. The good thing about this Third World War is that no blood is being shed and no people are being killed physically.
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    Internet Marketing - Branding, Content Marketing, Social Media - Cedar Rapids, IA

  • Everyman’s brand is no one’s brand

    Heather Rast
    23 Apr 2012 | 8:40 am
    There’s a problem with a lot of marketing. It’s anchored in the core concept of a brand, and it ripples out through most communication – internal and external – to lap at the sides of the consumer consciousness. Many [brands] don’t know who they really are, and what their true value proposition is Many [brands] want everyone to like them, as the de facto measure of success Okay, so that’s actually two problems.  My argument stands. The problems, as I see them, are inherent to us humans. Variants of these same problems appear in our personal lives. And yet…

  • Ways to connect offline and online marketing

    Heather Rast
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Guest Post Online and offline marketing can and should be connected in order to increase the overall benefit gained by a company. The best integrated strategy will generate inbound marketing traffic that results in new leads, greater brand recognition, or higher sales.  This integration of marketing efforts is on the rise. Here are five tips for fusing your online and offline marketing efforts. Standardize Your Cross-Platform Message Don’t let separate departments create different images and messages. An integrated campaign targets the same people with the same images, promotions, and…

  • Still sanitizing your marketing programs?

    Heather Rast
    12 Apr 2012 | 8:30 am
    I just got off the phone with an old friend (bear with me, this really is a post about marketing programs). This person knows me from way back. We have a history.  We share common experiences and events, and pick up on one another’s behavior cues.  We’ve always drawn conclusions and inferences from what’s not said as much as what is shared between us. That’s the way of friends, right? But there’s this kernel of a problem, and it grew from my subconscious mind to pulse in the forefront of my brain each time my friend and I talk.  I realized she steers clear…

  • Productivity Tools For Busy Marketers

    Heather Rast
    26 Mar 2012 | 8:36 am
    Need some help stepping off the merry-go-round of chaos so you can be more productive? Here’s a list of apps and programs I find helpful when trying to juggle the pieces of my busy days. Do you have experience with any of these? What would you add to the list as a must-have to stop the dizzying madness? Toggl A useful time-tracking application, Toggle has both a browser version and a mobile app. An account can be used to track time accrued for internal projects, for example if personnel time is distributed across cost centers. It can also be used by contractors and freelancers to…

  • 10 Ways Your Digital Marketing Creeps Me Out

    Heather Rast
    19 Mar 2012 | 8:25 am
    Some digital marketing is genius. Clever. Memorable (and arguably worthwhile, even without a hard line to ROI).  But some marketing is downright creepy. Or off-putting. Maybe both. Creepy is fun to rant about, so let’s do that. There’s some ‘stupid’ thrown in so you can catch some sleep tonight. 10 Ways Your Digital Marketing Creeps Me Out Minutes after registering to access information on your site, my phone rings. It’s your sales rep calling, just to see how I’m doing. And he sends me an email before I can even bug off the phone. #premature Making me…
 
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    Connect - Digital Marketing Expertise from iCrossing

  • Trust Flow & Citation Flow, MajesticSEO’s New Link Metrics

    Tibor Palocsay
    15 May 2012 | 8:55 am
    The basis of how good a website’s SEO value is is judged on many aspects, but most consider the most important factor to be the SEO ‘equity’ passed to the site from external linking sources. These ‘backlinks’ are monitored to try and gain an understanding of the value that they are passing to the site. There are many tools that allow you to measure these values, one of which is Majestic SEO. Yesterday Majestic SEO announced two new link metrics, Citation Flow and Trust Flow, for measuring the perceived quality of a domain, subdomain or page. Google.co.uk Over the last couple of…

  • Luxury, Automotive & Electronics Brands Rank Top In Google+ Engagement

    Modestos Siotos
    11 May 2012 | 6:26 am
    A recent report published by social media analytics experts Simply Measured unveiled that automotive, electronics and luxury are the top 3 industries on Google+ user engagement within the Interbrand Top 100 brands. According to Simply Measured CEO Adam Schoenfeld  ”luxury and automotive brands are clearly finding Google+ to be an effective way to connect with consumers”. Brands like Ferrari, GUCCI and Burberry appear to be in the top of the Interbrand Top 100 list in the number Google+ circlers (followers). Some other useful points include: 64% of the Interbrand Top 100 brands now…

  • No such thing as a random satsuma

    Danny Chadburn
    30 Apr 2012 | 3:45 am
    The brightonSEO conference earlier this month came and went with a flurry of insight and opinion, and a hadouken. Those returning after a classic sun-drenched Brighton lunch hour were treated to a presentation from iCrossing’s very own Charlie Peverett. He told a tale of innocence, how he spent his days as an editor blissfully oblivious to the intricacies of SEO. However, when the curtain was pulled back he peered into a murky world that revealed the true reason why nobody was reading his content The presentation is now available to view in all its glory, where you’ll discover…

  • Formula 1: Race Result — Shanghai / China — Sakhir / Bahrain

    marc.belle
    27 Apr 2012 | 8:11 am
    After 2 somewhat unpredicatble and very compelling races here are the results for the last 2. Apologies for the slight delay on these it has been a manic couple of weeks for Creative HQ! We particularly like the look of Shanghai! Bahrain- Post from: Connect Formula 1: Race Result — Shanghai / China — Sakhir / Bahrain

  • The Blog Tree: UK Edition [Infographic]

    tamasin.handley
    24 Apr 2012 | 10:18 am
    Today Eloqua published The Blog Tree: UK Edition, their latest infographic centering on bloggers in the UK. It shows the most influential marketing-related blogs in the UK, and we’re thrilled that Connect has been included! The Blog Tree: UK Edition comprises of 67 blogs across seven categories (marketing, PR, social media, design, search engine optimization, start-ups and technology). The root system symbolises the news sources that feed the tree with source material. The higher a leaf is placed on the tree, the more influential the corresponding blog with leaf colour representing…
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    Herd - the hidden truth about who we are

  • Decision making landscape - towards a better map

    Mark Earls
    4 May 2012 | 7:21 am
      In a recent post about what BE is missing, I referred to this Crawford chart that I feel captures the individualist model clearly: it places individuals - like a Ptolemaic Earth - at the heart of things. The alternative is not a Copernican one - shifting the focus from one planet/individual to another while retaining the structure of concentric circles around the focal point. No, a better conceptual map would be more like this: a repeated pattern of Crawford's individual circles or a series of interacting individual balls: And most importantly of all, a dynamic pattern - one that…

  • "All that matters in the end...

    Mark Earls
    26 Apr 2012 | 6:27 am
    ...is other people". That's what the priest said at my mother's funeral, two years ago this week. Today I'm off to another funeral (second one this week). Our dear friend John Cronk died on 12th April in the Royal Marsden. Although he'd been ill for a while, it still seems like a ghastly adminstrative mistake. A real friend, through thick and thin. A genuine 'mensch' who made our lives better just by being part of them. I'll post the professional appreciation I've done for him at a later date.= but today, just do this for me: whatever else you're…

  • Blinded by the technolight

    Mark Earls
    23 Apr 2012 | 7:34 am
    As if by magic: Tom's cartoon explores the underlying technophilia which dogs marekting and policy-making too much. Brain porn or Digital Everything - it's all technophilia, I'm afraid

  • Neuroscientism and neuroporn (updated)

    Mark Earls
    23 Apr 2012 | 6:15 am
    Am feeling for Jonah Lehrer this weekend, following Steven Poole's review of his latest book, Imagine - How Creativity Work in the Guardian. I've met Jonah a couple of times and read his work frequently and - as is often the case - feel for the real person I've construed in my head. Unflattering reviews are never pleasant to receive (I've had a few in my time and much as I'd like to pretend they don't hurt, they genuinely do) but at the heart of this one is a critique that I have a lot of sympathy with, if it's true - namely Imagine's overwhelming…

  • Habit and the HERD (I)

    Mark Earls
    20 Apr 2012 | 7:06 am
    Am ploughing my way through Charles Duhigg's new book on Habits at the moment and - the basic point about habits and our tendency default to low-level cognitive activity aside - am finding it all rather disappointingly and over familiar territory.  Not just in terms of the overkill of neuro-cartography ("we know that this is important because there's something going on in the brain here...") but in terms of the ideas of habits being shaped by rewards and repetition (in what way is this not classical conditioning?). Add to that the lionising of dead Mad Men and their…
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    Jim's Marketing Blog

  • Your opportunity to prosper from The Inspiration Deficit!

    Jim Connolly
    16 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    The most successful marketing today, is not marketing that’s pushed at people. The most successful marketing today, is marketing that people share amongst their friends. Pestering people is cheap The reason we receive so many spam emails and see all those unwanted sales messages on social networking sites, is that it has never been cheaper (in every sense of the word) to pester huge numbers of people. There’s no barrier to entry today. Now, if we go back just 10 or 15 years, if you wanted to get a message in front of 100,000 people, it was expensive. Today, it can be done for…

  • How to be massively more influential!

    Jim Connolly
    15 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    If you would like to be massively more influential, in a really meaningful way, this post is for you! Influence Here’s what we know about real influence: It’s powerful. Politicians seek the endorsement of influential celebrities, because it influences how the public vote. Brands pay sports stars to appear in commercials for their fragrances, because it influences people to feel good about (and buy) their product. Companies will often pay influential former political leaders to sit on their board of directors, in order to influence investors. People with real influence have huge…

  • Word of mouth: How to get people talking about your business!

    Jim Connolly
    14 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Do you give your marketplace a powerful reason to listen to you? Do you then make it extremely easy, for them to share what you have to say with their friends? If you just answered ‘no’ to either of those questions, you are missing out on the best opportunity you have, to generate massive interest in your business. In short: Develop a compelling story about your business, product or service that’s worth spreading. Next, make it super-simple for people to tell your story to their friends. Then watch what happens! Jim Connolly can help you grow your business and achieve the…

  • The Klout Problem: Why multimillionaire investor Ron Conway has a lower score than you!

    Jim Connolly
    12 May 2012 | 10:10 am
    It’s week number 3 of my Klout experiment and I have already seen enough, to be able to form some solid conclusions regarding Klout and how it scores people. I have invested many hours of my time digging into Klout, monitoring not only my own account, but also the accounts of people I know. I have also studied some ‘Klout Superstars,’ people with very high scores. I wanted to see what Klout was rewarding. I wanted to see what they ‘thought’ was influential. Here’s what I found The good: Klout can tell if someone has lots of social media connections. Within…

  • Here’s an email, which every small business owner should read

    Jim Connolly
    10 May 2012 | 1:58 am
    I have an email I’d like to share with you. The email is from a former small business owner, who had to cease trading recently after 5 years in business. The following excerpt is quoted with the author’s consent, though they have asked me not to use their name. It contains 2 lessons, which I hope you will find useful. Here’s a section of the email, quoted unedited, which I’d like to share with you: “Me and my wife quit our regular jobs in 2007 to start a business. We were excited and worked like crazy to make it a success. By mid 2011 we knew we were in trouble…
 
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    60 Second Marketer | @AskJamieTurner

  • Know Your Mobile Audience

    JamieTurner
    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
      Think you've got your mobile audience covered with an Apple-focused strategy? Think again - a majority of users are on Android devices. By now, you’ve probably seen the MorganStanley graphic that shows mobile Internet users surpassing desktop users by 2014. The mobile train has arrived and it’s blowing right through the station, but how much do you actually know about your growing mobile audience? When it comes to mobile research, one can easily blink and miss the double-digit growth trend of the day. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some current research to get a…

  • 10 Essential Tips You Can Use to Convert More of Your Visitors into Customers

    JamieTurner
    9 May 2012 | 2:57 am
    Online business is all about conversion. Naturally, if your conversion rate is low, it makes no difference how high you’re ranked on Google. Ultimately, your success or failure will be determined by your conversion rate, which means you should focus as much energy on converting your traffic as you do on getting the traffic to your site in the first place. Here are some simple techniques that can help you improve your conversion rate. 1. Build trust through quick response You may have your email address and your phone number listed on your website, but how quickly do you respond to an…

  • 8 DIY Services for Building a Website on a Budget

    JamieTurner
    8 May 2012 | 2:47 am
    Your company’s online presence begins and ends with your website. However, hiring a design company can be expensive. Fortunately, with do-it-yourself options, it is easier than ever to create a high-impact website without breaking the bank. Squarespace is just one of many web development tools that can be used to build a website on a budget. Check out these 8 services to help you create your website at little to no cost: Squarespace: Squarespace has subscription prices ranging from $12 to $36 per month with accounts including hosting, the Squarespace content management system, the…

  • How to Run a Social Media Contest for Your Business

    JamieTurner
    3 May 2012 | 2:40 am
    Looking for a relatively non-laborious and inexpensive tactic to grow your brand and your sales online? Consider the phenomenon of social media contests. They can be an effective strategy for increasing followers on social media sites. However, if not done correctly and under the right circumstances, these new followers are less likely to engage with the page again. Here are 4 tips to help ensure that doesn’t happen: Set a clearly defined goal that doesn’t involve simply increasing the number of your followers. A more efficient approach is to take your actual ROI into account in terms of…

  • 10 Mobile Apps You Can Use to Improve Your Productivity

    JamieTurner
    2 May 2012 | 2:38 am
    Smartphones and tablets have changed the way that we do business. Not only do they provide real-time access to common Internet functions like email and web browsing, they can also provide access to important documents and other files via cloud-based storage providers. In fact, it’s becoming increasingly easy to do business using only your mobile devices. Given that, here are some of the best mobile apps for business on the market today:   Dropbox. In the past year or so, online storage solutions have boomed. These solutions allow you to access files anywhere, any time. Leading the pack…
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    The Future of Ads

  • Let Me Touch It: A Recipe For Successful Magazine Ads In A Digital World

    Cory O'Brien
    7 May 2012 | 12:41 pm
    Sometimes, I wonder if advertisers are even trying. Digital magazines have only existed for a few years, but I don’t think I’m asking too much when I say that if you’re going to advertise in one, you should at least be able to utilize the most basic functionality that this platform provides to help you tell your story. I’m reminded of how poorly most advertisers have adapted to digital magazines as a medium every time I see this ad from Kohler: The ad is for the Flipside, a four-sided faucet with ‘Flipstream Technology’ that gives you four unique spray…

  • Skittles and Trale Lewous are Odd Partners

    Cory O'Brien
    27 Mar 2012 | 12:14 pm
    Sometimes you just have to make the most of the opportunities in front of you. About a year ago, Skittles took one of their sweet looking custom vending machines (the same vending machines they give to celebrities) and offered it up to anyone that could convince them through either photo or video why they were a worthy recipient. One (well actually two) of the responses came from Trale Lewous, a character played by Nathan J. Barnatt, a YouTube ‘celebrity’ that creates wacky characters and makes odd videos with those characters. Predictably, his entry videos were a little……

  • Ford and Lexus Experiment with the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition

    Cory O'Brien
    27 Feb 2012 | 10:49 am
    For this year’s Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, two car companies created unique ad campaigns specifically for the issue, but also extended those print campaign into the online and mobile world through unique added content: Ford, and Lexus. Ford’s ad for the new 2013 Mustang featured a tease of a model named Dalena Henriques. She only appears once in the magazine, in Ford’s ad, which is odd since most models make repeat appearances throughout the issue. However, there’s a good reason for this oddity: Dalena Henriques is a made-up model that Ford created for their…

  • A Shift To Curation

    Cory O'Brien
    16 Feb 2012 | 10:36 am
    No that long ago, blog writers were the primary curators of content online, and we’d all tune in to see what they’d recommend next. Ads would try to place themselves next to premium content on premium channels, but the connection was loose at best, and readers knew the ads were paying for the placement, so they would still get ignored. However, as companies realized there was value in being the source of new, interesting and unique content, curation became a viable marketing tactic. Through Twitter, Facebook, and other curation channels, companies would find and share content…

  • The Network Matters

    Cory O'Brien
    13 Feb 2012 | 10:16 am
    A few posts ago, I talked about ‘Acceptable Ads‘ from networks like The DECK, Fusion Ads, Carbon Ads, InfluAds, Yoggrt, and Ad Packs by BuySellAds. I argued that these networks are working to become curators of content, not just broadcasters of the highest bidder, and as a result, the products they advertise get additional value out of just being picked to be featured in the ads. Field Notes is another brand owned by Coudal Partners, the company behind The DECK, and they recently created a banner ad that caught my eye: As you can see, there’s no call to action, no product…
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    Stevens Consulting Group

  • Dr. Drew’s Monday Motivation – Determination

    Drew
    14 May 2012 | 8:50 am
    Monday Momentum Monday Focus – I was watching the news recently and there was a story of a group of friends that were heading to an event and their plane soon crashed after takeoff. There were two survivors one male, the other female. They walked over an hour for medical assistance where she is now on a respirator and he died since he had third degree burns over 90% of his body. The male was determined to save his friend.   This story had me thinking about business as well as the need for determination. How many times have things gotten so bad that you decide to give it up – throw in…

  • Seven Sins Inhibiting Practice Management Success

    Drew
    3 May 2012 | 4:12 pm
      It is so important that practice managers pay particular attention to the business. What typically is forgotten is that nothing happen unless a patient pays. Doctors and staff must create business efficiency and organization if the practice is to survive.   I am certain spiritual or not you have heard of the 7 Deadly Sins. Well for many practices there are numerous sins committed in business each day. The reason for these sin is simple: a)lack of knowledge, b) lack of time and c) lack of awareness of the issue. Here are the 7 sins of practice management that negatively impact the…

  • Medical Practice Success Factors – Part Four – Money

    Drew
    1 May 2012 | 7:07 am
    One of the trickiest issues for any chiropractor or medical professional operating a practice is not only taking in money but also ensuring it is kept. We can discuss marketing and positioning all day long but if money is not contained the practice is not profitable.   In this third installment of Medical Practice Success Factors, we look at some of the ways in which you are taking in money and more importantly keeping it. Services – What I typically find in a doctors office is a lack of understanding what services they provide, the value to the patient and what fees are assessed.

  • Dr. Drew’s Monday Motivation – Desire To Succeed

    Drew
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:05 am
    Monday Momentum Monday Focus – I had a track coach when I attended college that was in the 1968 Olympic Games and won the Gold Medal in the 4 x 400. I remember one practice before the famous Penn Relays that was very fatiguing. We were all dead tired. We complained… that is until coach told us a story. When he was training with his teammates and anyone was tired someone on the team would push them to do more. So when they were completely tanked and “did not think” they could go further they did. They pushed past the barrier.   There are many times in business and in life where we…

  • Medical Practice Success Factors – Time

    Drew
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:09 am
    Tom came to me the other day complaining about not having enough patients and complaining about revenue. Naturally, we discussed key performance indicators and where his time is most spent. After a few moments of conversation, it appeared that Tom lacked focus and direction. As business owners, we are caught up with a myriad of issues from being a doctor to deciding how much hand soap needs to be ordered. It is not to say the latter is unimportant; the doctor needs to remember from a strategic perspective where his or her focus is best used. As business owners, we need to quickly decide what…
 
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    Think customers: The 1to1 Blog

  • The Social Education: Studying Social to Learn About Customers

    Anna Papachristos
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    During childhood, we learn in a group atmosphere. Just as we learned to socialize while also developing necessary life skills, businesses must now cultivate their social skills in order to learn how to best serve their customers. There’s more… To read the rest of this blog posting click here or visit www.1to1Media.com/weblog

  • Building a Better Customer Experience Through the Cloud

    Mila D&apos;Antonio
    16 May 2012 | 11:58 am
    Cloud computing in the past has been a controversial subject, with companies leery of putting proprietary data in the cloud. But with its promise to reduce costs, scale up, and provide real-time access to data, cloud computing is shedding its reputation and companies are increasingly migrating to this service. There’s more… To read the rest of this blog posting click here or visit www.1to1Media.com/weblog

  • Bridging the Digital Marketing Gap

    Tom Hoffman
    15 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    A new study from PulsePoint on the digital marketing capabilities and shortcomings of companies finds that "overwhelming complexity" and a "lack of unified measurement" are the key stumbling blocks in aligning these efforts with consumers' multichannel behaviors. There's a growing body of research on this topic, most of which support this thesis that marketing leaders are, in fact, overcome by the difficulty of managing and coordinating marketing efforts across the flood of channels that customers use. They also struggle to measure the results, often because marketing efforts are siloed by…

  • How Do I Know If I've Been Spiffed?

    Ginger Conlon
    14 May 2012 | 6:18 pm
    With all this talk about customer trust and companies acting in customers' best interest, it got me thinking about spiffs--incentives that manufacturers provide dealers and retail salespeople to sell their wares over the competitor's. Spiffs are great for salespeople, not so great for customers. Salespeople motivated by a boost in their commission check or some other incentive may be more likely to sell what's good for them instead of what's best for the customer. Actually, I'd have to say highly likely. There’s more… To read the rest of this blog posting click here or visit…

  • Do Your Partners Squander Your Customer Experience Gains?

    Ginger Conlon
    11 May 2012 | 9:15 am
    You've worked hard to create a brand image and deliver on your brand promise. Then your organization partners with another company that turns about to be not so customer-centric or detail-oriented or what have you as your firm is. What to do? One option: Find a new partner. Another: Work with that partner to bring the company up to your standards. Neither option is an easy fix, but doing something, anything, is essential--before customers walk out the door and don't come back. There’s more… To read the rest of this blog posting click here or visit www.1to1Media.com/weblog
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    Six Pixels of Separation - Marketing and Communications Insights - By Mitch Joel at Twist Image

  • Find Your One Thing

    Mitch Joel
    15 May 2012 | 1:15 pm
    Can you sum up your professional you in one or two words? I was very touched watching the documentary, Being Elmo, on PBS' Independent Lens. The movie is about Kevin Clash (the puppeteer behind Sesame Street's Elmo). From a very young age, Clash demonstrated a strong desire to be a puppeteer. While that seems quaint and points to someone who was focused on what they wanted to do in life from a very young age, you can imagine the struggles he faced growing up in Baltimore. While all of the other kids were out playing baseball or causing mischief, Clash was at home sewing puppets together and…

  • Can Breastfeeding Save Time Magazine?

    Mitch Joel
    15 May 2012 | 12:01 pm
    When was the last time you discussed Time Magazine around the dinner table? I found myself giving a dissertation on mass media at dinner the other night. It all started when one friend leaned into the table and spoke (in an almost embarrassed whisper), "Did any of you see the cover of Time Magazine? The one with the mother and her older child... breastfeeding?" I knew that they were talking about the issue dated May 21st, 2012 titled, Are You Mom Enough? by Kate Pickert. The article about Dr. Sears and the attachment parenting movement has created quite a stir, but I wanted to tease…

  • Listen. Engage. Connect.

    Mitch Joel
    14 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    One of the largest gatherings of professional marketers is about to take place. The Canadian Marketing Association's 2012 CMA Summit is happening next week (May 16th - 17th, 2012 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto, Ontario). I'm fortunate to be the chairman of the board of the directors of this association and prior to that role, I was co-chair of these national annual gatherings. Each and every year offered professional marketers from across the globe the opportunity to connect and share. This year will be no exception. All under one roof. During the two days, just some of the…

  • The Virtual Self And The New Trend Of Self-Tracking

    Mitch Joel
    13 May 2012 | 10:09 am
    Episode #305 of Six Pixels of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast is now live and ready for you to listen to. Now, with the ubiquity of smartphones and mobile connectedness, it has never been easier to share with the world our each and every move (look no further than Facebook's one billion dollar acquisition of Instagram). And we're publishing our lives. All of the time - in text, images, audio and video - for the world to see. In fact, it's happening more and more with each and every passing day. Why are we doing all of this self-tracking? It's a topic that has fascinated Nora Young for a…

  • Six Links Worthy Of Your Attention #99

    Mitch Joel
    12 May 2012 | 8:09 am
    93Is there one link, story, picture or thought that you saw online this week that you think somebody you know must see? My friends: Alistair Croll (BitCurrent, Year One Labs, GigaOM, Human 2.0, the author of Complete Web Monitoring and Managing Bandwidth: Deploying QOS in Enterprise Networks), Hugh McGuire (The Book Oven, LibriVox, iambik, PressBooks, Media Hacks) and I decided that every week or so the three of us are going to share one link for one another (for a total of six links) that each individual feels the other person "must see". Check out these six links that we're…
 
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    Marketing Conversation

  • The Unique Marketing Qualities of Social Media

    speters
    10 May 2012 | 6:38 pm
    The controversial though common aphorism that “corporations are people” applies well to the social media landscape, where entrepreneurial individuals are branding themselves just as readily as a transnational company. Social media is at its heart a communal arrangement where online entities are judged more for their transparency than they are their content. This bodes well [...] The controversial though common aphorism that “corporations are people” applies well to the social media landscape, where entrepreneurial individuals are branding themselves just as readily as a transnational…

  • Mastering The Two-Way Nature Of Social Media Marketing

    speters
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:47 pm
    When describing the difference between social media marketing and traditional techniques, experts will often focus on the interactive nature that the former offers. With social media, consumers can promote a brand by discussing it and by posting on a product page. Businesses and consumers can communicate back and forth as peers, even within the confines [...] When describing the difference between social media marketing and traditional techniques, experts will often focus on the interactive nature that the former offers. With social media, consumers can promote a brand by discussing it and by…

  • The U.S. Census: Then & Now

    speters
    11 Apr 2012 | 5:19 pm
    Via: Home Insurance Guide Via: Home Insurance Guide

  • How to use Google+ for business extended video tutorial

    Chris Abraham
    9 Apr 2012 | 10:40 am
    I really felt like I needed to rush it through my recent free 30-minute How to Use Google+ for Business webinar, and that made me sad. There is so much ground to cover. So I sat down and used my trusty copy of Camtasia to record just about everything I know in this 80 minutes [...] I really felt like I needed to rush it through my recent free 30-minute How to Use Google+ for Business webinar, and that made me sad. There is so much ground to cover. So I sat down and used my trusty copy of Camtasia to record just about everything I know in this 80 minutes of (obviously unscripted) tutorial on…

  • Forget the Bear, Outrun Your Competition

    Chris Abraham
    6 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am
    The best thing about social media marketing is that you don’t have to be the most popular, have the most followers, or be the most sophisticated, you just have to do a better job than all your direct competitors. You don’t have to be the fastest, the biggest, or the strongest in order to win [...] Image via Wikipedia The best thing about social media marketing is that you don’t have to be the most popular, have the most followers, or be the most sophisticated, you just have to do a better job than all your direct competitors. You don’t have to be the fastest, the…
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    MediaPost | Marketing Daily

  • Brands As Publishers - Finding Your Voice

    16 May 2012 | 9:20 am
    Consumers and brands have spent their first few years on social media finding their voice -- who they are, what they want to say, and to whom. Here are three interesting paths a brand can take to establish a voice in social content marketing: content creator, content curator, and content cultivator.

  • GM Slams Brakes On Facebook Advertising

    16 May 2012 | 9:20 am
    General Motors' decision to pull its advertising on Facebook comes as a blow to the social network on the eve of its initial public offering and will likely heighten skepticism about the effectiveness of advertising on the site as its business model comes under increased scrutiny. The automaker confirmed a report by The Wall Street Journal Wednesday that GM's marketing executives had halted $10 million in ad spending on Facebook because it found the ads had little impact on consumers. The company will still maintain its brand page on Facebook, but end the use of paid advertising.

  • Jaguar First In Europe To Launch New Vibrant Lightbox Ads

    16 May 2012 | 7:15 am
    Jaguar Cars is launching a digital campaign in Europe using Vibrant Lightbox Video, a rich-media contextual ad product The effort, through Jaguar's media agency Mindshare, puts video in usually-static contextual ads (those boxes that leap up when you mouse over highlighted text.)

  • AAMCO Launches 50th Anniversary Campaign

    16 May 2012 | 7:15 am
    Transmission service chain AAMCO is launching an advertising campaign touting its 50th anniversary. The effort comprises two humorous television spots showing vintage images to tout the company's 50 years doing total car care. The ads break May 21.

  • When Data Gathering Gets Creepy

    15 May 2012 | 9:17 pm
    At MediaPost's OMMA Social conference Tuesday, panelists discussed the creepy factor: It's all about etiquette when it comes to where and how to gather data. But as John Montgomery, COO of GroupM Interaction, North America pointed out, the real problem is that people are largely ignorant about what marketers and agencies are doing.
 
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    Marketing Ideas You Can Copy

  • Prospect Intelligence

    admin
    14 May 2012 | 7:15 am
    Once you’re connected to someone on LinkedIn, for example, what do you look for? How do you use their social media profiles to find out about them? Where do you look? Obviously, you can read over their profile and see what they are doing now, how long they have been there, where they have worked in the past, where they went to school, and what groups they belong to. You can get their email address. You can see who they are connected to, and you can see what connections you have in common. Most people have links to their blog and website. You can see how active they are on the site, whether…

  • 6 Ways to Get LinkedIn URLs

    admin
    7 May 2012 | 7:15 am
    If you have decided to add social media information to your CRM so you have permanent contact information for your prospects, clients and partners – congratulations! That’s a decision that will benefit you for years to come. The simplest way to start is to add the fields to your CRM, and input the information manually for each prospect. It usually only takes a couple minutes for each prospect. But if you have hundreds or thousands of people in your contact database, those minutes add up. And you may not want your sales people taking the time to do this research. If that’s the case,…

  • Love is the Killer App

    admin
    30 Apr 2012 | 7:15 am
    I’m a little late to the party with this book – I bought it a long time ago and carried it around in my beach bag for at least two summers, intending to read it and somehow never did. But I found it again and once I started reading, couldn’t put it down. I love this book! Tim Sanders is the most amazing person – I took notes all the way through the book. It is packed with great ideas. I want to be a lovecat. (If you read the book, you know what that means.) I’m going to start by sharing this book with you. Here are some of my favorite takeaways: The world is run on the combination…

  • Easy ROI for Social Media: Permanent Contact Information

    admin
    23 Apr 2012 | 3:11 pm
    If you are in social media, I guarantee people are saying to you “I just don’t know if social media is worthwhile for my business.” Here’s what you say back… How much time and effort do you spend keeping your contact data up-to-date? How many opportunities do you lose each year because your contact’s email changed? What if you had a permanent way to stay in touch with people? Even better, what if you had a way to keep an eye on what was going on with your clients and prospects? If you got a heads-up when they received a promotion or changed jobs, if you knew what was worrying them…

  • How to Get the Most Out of a Trade Show

    admin
    28 Mar 2012 | 12:59 am
    One of the questions I hear often from clients is whether it makes sense to attend a particular trade show or conference. They tell me they don’t get as many leads as they used to, and they’re wondering if it is worth the expense. I tell them that they need to think about trade shows a little differently from the way they used to. The main reason to attend a trade show is that you have the most influential people in the industry gathered together in the same place at the same time. You can meet a lot of people and gather a huge amount of information in just a couple days. And no matter…
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    mobileYouth®

  • Do Change Agents hold the answer to our mobile future?

    Graham Brown
    14 May 2012 | 4:54 am
    William Gibson wrote “The future is out there, it’s just not evenly distributed.” The future of communication and how it touches our lives is already here today. Graham Brown shares insight from the upcoming book on how we can understand our future by looking back on what the Change Agents were doing before us. In [...] (click the item title for the full story)

  • Is the Digital Native a Myth?

    Graham Brown
    3 May 2012 | 6:04 am
    Is the idea of “The Digital Native” and “The Connected Generation” a myth? Graham Brown speaks to my mobileYouth colleague Ghani Kunto about The Disconnected Generation in a first look at insights from his new book The Mobile Youth. We’re currently editing the Mobile Youth book so these are early insights not yet public. Details [...] (click the item title for the full story)

  • Quantitative Methods for Measuring Fans

    Graham Brown
    1 May 2012 | 2:18 am
    In the Mobile Youth Academy this week we look at which quantitative methods you need to use to measure and activate your fans. Fans are key to brand engagement in the youth market. We discuss how Fans are vital to earned media. What’s measured gets done so choosing the correct metric is vital. In this [...] (click the item title for the full story)

  • International Sales @ mobileYouth – based in UK/IRE/EU

    Graham Brown
    30 Apr 2012 | 3:35 am
    Application information re: Linkedin Posting How to Apply in 4 Easy Steps Call the UK office switchboard on +44 208 1338760 and you will be asked to leave a voice message (follow the instructions) Send your Resume + cover letter to the email address provided on the message Successful applicants will be invite to an [...] (click the item title for the full story)

  • Welcome to The Mobile Youth Academy

    Graham Brown
    24 Apr 2012 | 1:06 pm
    Welcome to The Mobile Youth Academy. Today we begin a new chapter at mobileYouth – our very own frontline. We aim to make the Academy a space where we can share our latest findings and insights exclusively with research clients. This means if your company is an existing subscriber you can access weekly insights direct [...] (click the item title for the full story)
 
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    Marklives!com

  • The great Internet shift

    Herman Manson
    16 May 2012 | 12:46 am
    by Arthur Goldstuck (@art2gee) The switch-on of the WACS cable, the first in-flight WiFi in South Africa and the latest Internet stats made for a big Internet week. The Internet arrived publicly in South Africa almost 20 years ago, but it continually evolves and grows along paths that were never anticipated. In one week this month, three of those paths were opened up or laid bare in a momentous week for South African connectivity. On 8 May, the first ever scheduled air flight with on-board WiFi took off from Lanseria airport on a Mango plane. The connectivity technology was supplied by the…

  • Awards Candy – SA app start-up signing global award shows

    Herman Manson
    15 May 2012 | 12:45 am
    by Herman Manson (@marklives) Wallace Seggie (@wseggie), a South African creative director, has developed an app that brings together  in one place award-winning work from a number of the world’s largest advertising festivals. AwardsCandy (@AwardsCandy), an iOS app that works on iPhones and iPads, covers winning work in the Film, Print, Radio and Outdoor categories from the Clio, One Show, D&AD, Cannes Lions, EuroBest and London International award shows. It has even been awarded official Media Partner status for the 2012 Clios. The idea is to create a single resource from where to…

  • Public Protector “disappointed and appalled” by the leakage of WC tender report

    Herman Manson
    14 May 2012 | 3:32 am
    The Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, is “disappointed and appalled by the leakage of the [ provisional] report” into the Western Cape government’s R70 million communications contract with TBWA Hunt Lascaris, according to Public Protector spokesperson Kgalalelo Masibi. The provisional report was covered extensively in the Sunday press this weekend. City Press reported on Sunday that the Public Protector has found the contract “invalid.” The Sunday Times wrote that Zille herself was absolved of any blame quoting from the report that “No evidence or information was…

  • The Creative Circle needs to manage relevance, says Chris Gotz

    Herman Manson
    14 May 2012 | 12:15 am
    by Herman Manson (@marklives) Chris Gotz, Executive Creative Director at Ogilvy Cape Town, recently took up the reins as chair of the Creative Circle, a body promoting creativity in the South African advertising industry. The Creative Circle represents 64 member agencies and approximately 5,000 creatives. Gotz, who wasn’t a member of the previous board, was elected as chair by his peers, into a seat that goes up for election every two years. Creative circle members hold a ballot to vote for the top creatives in the country off a list of people whose work has been recognised through…

  • Western Cape premier responds to provisional Public Protector report on communications tender

    Herman Manson
    13 May 2012 | 9:28 am
    Following reports in the Sunday press that a provisional report from the Public Protector has found the R70 million Western Cape government communications tender currently held by TBWA Hunt Lascaris “invalid” the provincial premier and DA leader Helen Zille has issued a response through her newsletter SA Today. Also see our story (August 17, 2011) on the original ‘tender scandal’ report by the Sunday Times. The Sunday Times had published allegations that the office of Western Cape premier Helen Zille has awarded the province’s communication budget to agency…
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    About.com Marketing

  • Rebate Marketing Program: Still a Valid Marketing Method?

    13 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    I recently received a question about rebate marketing, and it reminded me that many companies still wonder if rebate marketing is a good method for attracting consumers. Question: "Laura, do companies offer smaller rebates, knowing that people won't take time to fill out the forms as opposed to the larger rebates? Also, do you think that the smaller rebates are geared towards lower income consumers, as opposed to more wealthy consumers?" - Tim...Read Full Post

  • Online Branding - One of the Biggest Mistakes I See

    6 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    I do a lot of writing on branding from branding basics to the more advanced things like creating a brand persona. I am often surprised how many times people ...Read Full Post

  • Marketing Internships - Land the One You Want

    29 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    In a recent discussion with a friend she shared with me that her son was graduating college with a marketing degree, but had not done an internships or landed an entry-level job. She was concerned and I can understand why. In today's economy there are many experienced marketing professionals that have been laid off and are looking to reestablish their marketing career by re-entering the workforce....Read Full Post

  • Why You Need a Media Plan

    27 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    A media plan is not an option, it's a necessity. It doesn't matter whether you do all of the public relations yourself or you are just part of a big organization. The biggest mistake when it comes to a media plan is that we tend to focus on internal aspects, processes and technical details. While these things are important, it's not the core of a successful media plan....Read Full Post

  • Social Media Marketing - Is There a Line Between Personal and Professional?

    25 Apr 2012 | 12:00 am
    I'm a big proponent of social media marketing and I believe it will continue to play a large role in marketing as we continue move through the next decade. However, with that being said I also know that companies fear social media in general....Read Full Post
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    THE NEXT WAVE...

  • Port of Long Beach GLOBAL BIZ CONFERENCE May 3

    paultroberts
    18 Apr 2012 | 9:40 pm
    Want to sell or market your products overseas?  Interested in the many US export initiatives, incentives and training programs? Then don’t miss the Port of Long Beach’s GLOBAL BIZ CONFERENCE May 3. Meet Sr.Officials from Port of Long Beach, Homeland … Continue reading →

  • Better Ways for Marketing People to Get Paid

    paultroberts
    7 Apr 2012 | 5:22 pm
    As Tim Williams, author of TAKE A STAND FOR YOUR BRAND explains on this week’s episode of BRANDING BUSINESS (hosted by Ryan Rieches of OC’s biggest branding firm RiechesBaird here on www.OCTalkRadio.net), “for people who are supposedly creative, we don’t … Continue reading →

  • Southwest Assn Endorses Coffman Group Training

    paultroberts
    13 Feb 2012 | 3:25 pm
    Here’s an nice, unsolicited endorsement of the Sandler Sales Training provided by Casey Coffman, CEO of The Coffman Group in Kansas City by one of their clients, The Southwest Association of independent hardware and farm implement/mercantile dealers , as heard … Continue reading →

  • We’re All Marketers Now

    paultroberts
    16 Jan 2012 | 8:46 pm
    Courtesy of McKinsey Quarterly For the past decade, marketers have been adjusting to a new era of deep customer engagement. They’ve tacked on new functions, such as social-media management; altered processes to better integrate advertising campaigns online, on television, and … Continue reading →

  • Bare Naked Brand Names

    paultroberts
    11 Jan 2012 | 10:14 am
    Courtesy of Internet Business Law Journal  by Naseem Javed Last century business names were colorfully dressed with uniquely stylized lettering, colorful logos, slogans and contextual support. This century, such ‘stylized dependency’ has been pushed over the cliff by neo-socio-mobile-media-lingo. They’re … Continue reading →
 
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    Internet Direct Marketing Tip of the Day

  • Quantity Isn’t Always Quality

    Larry Chase
    1 May 2012 | 11:37 am
    In the Twittersphere, it often isn’t how many followers you have, but who they are and how often they reply to your tweets or retweet them. It often is better to have a smaller number of influencers than a larger amount of followers who passively see or ignore your tweets and never act on them. LC The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

  • Privacy vs. Ad Relevance

    Larry Chase
    12 Apr 2012 | 11:24 am
    In 2010, The Wall Street Journal has been featuring an outstanding series of articles called “What They Know.” It explores in detail how intrusive or efficient advertising networks and many websites are when it comes to dropping cookies, pixels and tracking beacons on your computer. The series shows you how quickly they can build a profile on you without knowing your name and immediately thereafter put highly relevant ads in front of you. As a marketer, you need to know about this. There will undoubtedly be regulatory impact and dramatic differences in the way advertising is…

  • Put Some Skin in the Game

    Larry Chase
    27 Mar 2012 | 11:35 am
    The cost of buying media has come down for most lines of business. There are just more media avails out there than ever before. There’ll be plenty more to come, too. So, why not take some of the money you’d otherwise have spent on media and offer it to your target audience? This could be as simple as a coupon, or as high-end B2B as a white paper you commissioned from a respected research outfit. Such offerings leave a bit of your company with your target audience. It might be a coupon in a wallet or a white paper on someone’s desktop. Either way, it’s setting up a more…

  • Change the Day You Publish

    Larry Chase
    8 Mar 2012 | 11:34 am
    Every so often, I’ll change the day of the week that my newsletter goes out. It typically goes out on Monday. Sometimes, I’ll publish Tuesday instead. Once, I published on Friday, which I never did in 15 years and the click-through rates blew through the roof. LC The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

  • Being Direct Isn’t Insulting

    Larry Chase
    21 Feb 2012 | 10:33 am
    Repeating a call to action or echoing language on your landing page that was first seen by a user in a solo email offer or in search results is a good confirmation a person has come to the right place. I know some writers and designers don’t want to be so obvious. But the cold truth is many intelligent people may not be solely focused on your copy or campaign. How many times have you landed on a page and ask out loud “what do they want me to do here?” It happens to me all the time. More often than not. So, by being direct with your intentions on your Web page, you can help…
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    the i.d.e.a. brand

  • Lessons Brands can Learn from Mobile Apps and Gaming

    Ryan T.
    14 May 2012 | 6:17 pm
    Don’t we all just want to be entertained?  Might just be the reason both mobile apps and social engagement continue to grow like crazy. Chew on these stats: Angry Birds has hit one billion downloads, increasing Rovio’s revenues more than ten fold in 2011, soaring to $106 million Sales in the mobile phone/tablet gaming market in the U.S. more than doubled between 2005 and 2010 reaching $898 million, and according to Mintel are expected to reach $1.6 billion by 2015 Although ...

  • Are You Answering Your Customer’s Questions?

    Indra
    11 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    Every year I return from the PRSA Counselors Academy Spring Conference all fired up with inspiration and new ideas. This year is no different. I need to tell you about Marcus Sheridan. Right now. Marcus, aka The Sales Lion, sells pools (well not that much anymore, but that was, and on some level still is, his business), but I would wager he knows more about content marketing than 75% of the people taking up space at agencies across the country. ...

  • HangTen #281: Kick-off May With Movement

    Karin
    8 May 2012 | 1:02 pm
    ‘Keeping our toes on the nose of refreshingly current trends, ideas and guerrilla tactics.’ To advance, progress, prompt, arouse, excite. These are just a few of the many definitions for the word “move,” the verb noticeably in the minds of marketers this month. This week we’ve noticed brands spark movement emotionally and others have taken a more physical approach. Get moved, moving, or move someone, it’s our challenge for you this month. 10 Must Text While Driving? We have all ...

  • The Power of Children in Video

    Indra
    28 Apr 2012 | 4:57 pm
    Have you heard of Kony 2012? Of course you have. What about Caine’s Arcade? Or Niños Incómodos? These three videos have each hit a nerve resulting in strong viewership, pass along value and media coverage. What is the thread that binds these videos? Children. Each video had a very different goal but ultimately tapped into a common global reaction to the concept of hope. It is human nature to hope for the future of our children. Perhaps mixed with that ...

  • HangTen #280: Harnessing Happiness

    Karin
    26 Apr 2012 | 4:25 pm
    ‘Keeping our toes on the nose of refreshingly current trends, ideas and guerrilla tactics.’ Whether in the form of subtle contentment or intense joy, we all demand a daily dose of happiness to maintain our sanity and achieve optimum health. Luckily, a number of businesses, brands and bosses are catching on and chipping in on our quests. They’re tackling the problems and shortcomings that often hinder, and or squash, our state of happiness. Check out the epic office morale boosting ...
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    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…
 
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    The Quisenblog

  • What’s your Pinterest?

    Mickey
    7 May 2012 | 5:56 pm
    Unless you’ve spent the last few months in a cave, chances are you’ve heard something recently about Pinterest. The social media platform is growing at an astonishing rate, even by the standards of social media. Just within the last few weeks, Pinterest has grown to become the number three-ranked social media network in the number of users. But what is Pinterest, exactly? In these days of social media overload, why are more and more people joining yet another social network? What should marketers know about it? And what are some possible ways of integrating Pinterest “boards” into…

  • Why create a campaign when you can create a movement?

    Mickey
    19 Apr 2012 | 11:36 am
    Let’s say you run the credit card division at American Express. To build revenue (and profits) for your division, you need to do three things: 1) get more people to apply for and use your card, 2) get more merchants to accept your card, and most importantly 3) make your card the preferred method of payment by both consumers and retailers. Now let’s talk about the barriers to entry. For consumers, it is the fact that the annual fees for your card far exceed those of the MasterCard and Visa cards they can get at their banks, and the fact that fewer merchants accept the card. And for…

  • Fun Facts on Facebook Fans From Forrester.

    Mickey
    11 Apr 2012 | 3:13 pm
    Clever alliteration aside, are your Facebook fans more likely to purchase your products or services? Does their engagement level with you translate to higher likelihood of purchase? And how likely are they to recommend you to others? These are a few of the questions Forrester Research attempt to quantify in their recently released “Facebook Factor” study. For the purposes of this study, Forrester created a logistic regression model (stay with me now) that tracked four variables: being a Facebook fan of the brand, likelihood to purchase, amount of money spent in the past 12 months, and…

  • The procrastinator’s guide to the (new) Facebook.

    Mickey
    29 Mar 2012 | 4:57 pm
    Facebook pages have undergone quite a makeover in recent months, but the Granddaddy makeover of them all happens tomorrow, March 30, when Facebook automatically migrates all brand pages to its new “Timeline” format. There are two notable changes page administrators will need to be aware of: the elimination of custom tabs in favor of a brand-created “Timeline,” and a new layout that allows you to place a page-wide “Cover” photo or image at the top of your page. This post will give you a quick-and-dirty primer on the whole Cover concept. For insights into how to best take advantage…

  • What’s your Mona Lisa?

    Mickey
    23 Mar 2012 | 6:08 pm
    The Musée du Louvre in Paris houses over 35,000 pieces of art from pre-history through the Medieval and Renaissance eras on through the works of the 19th century Impressionists. It is widely regarded as the most inclusive collection of drawings, sculptures, paintings, objets d’art and archaeological finds in the world. Yet inevitably, when someone thinks of the Louvre, she is most likely to think of one particular piece: The Mona Lisa. What is it that has made Leonardo da Vinci’s 16th century portrait of the wife of his good friend Francesco del Giocondo overshadow tens of thousands of…
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    She-conomy

  • Do Women Talk Themselves Out of a Job?

    sheconomy
    27 Apr 2012 | 11:03 am
    I talk a great deal about how few women there are in certain professional roles and how this affects marketing. For instance only 3% of creative directors at US ad agencies are women, resulting in advertising that does not communicate effectively with the female audience. And with only 25% of IT jobs being held by women we can only assume that the digital world is heading down the same path. But Tara Mohr, author of “10 Rules for Brilliant Women,” suggests that women could be partly responsible for the low numbers, simply due to the way we talk. Mohr recently appeared on two…

  • Fewer Women in Tech Impacts Marketing to Women

    sheconomy
    6 Apr 2012 | 1:20 am
    As the world rapidly becomes more and more digital, the technology will continue to define products and services as well has how they are marketed. The low number of females being involved as leaders or during the conceptual and developmental processes will surely result in delivering less marketable products and services for women. And similar to the disproportionate number of female creative directors within the advertising industry, this will impair connecting effectively with the very powerful and viable female audience. Although 3 of the 10 best-paying jobs for women are in the tech…

  • When Marketing to Women, Citibank® Climbs to the Top

    sheconomy
    23 Mar 2012 | 8:58 am
    I love this rock climbing Citibank commercial! But every time I watched it, I kept wondering: Is it REAL?, and WHO in the world is singing that song? So, I finally looked it up. Yes, it is real. It’s filmed on a rock called “Ancient Art.” Located just outside of Moab, Utah, the single rock formation is shaped from hundreds of years of wind blowing sand across and around the spire in the desert. The commercial features two real-life professional climbers: Katie Brown and Alex Honnold. They are not “actors” nor “stunt” people. They’re both accomplished in the sport of…

  • Guys, When Marketing to the Female, Don’t Dumb it Down for Women, Man Up For Men

    sheconomy
    20 Mar 2012 | 11:13 am
    Kathy Oneto, Vice President of Brand Strategy at Anthem Worldwide will be speaking at the M2W (Marketing to Women) Conference in Chicago in late April. You do not want to miss it. She will be presenting findings from a study recently conducted by Anthem about: Marketing to the True Motivations of 3 Genrations of Women Below is one of the thought provoking papers she has drafted from the findings, titled “Who’s ‘Manning’ the House: Bridging the Gender Divide,” that she was willing to share exclusivly with us. In it Kathy explores the possibility that to solve…

  • Marketers, 80 Percent of Pinterest Users Are Female. Is Your Brand There?

    sheconomy
    15 Mar 2012 | 3:21 am
    Pinterest, the incredibly popular online bulletin board/scrapbook/inspiration organizer now has more than 11 million unique monthly users. And according to recent numbers from Internet-monitoring firm comScore, it has more than doubled its audience over the past six months. So, who’s using it? You guessed it. WOMEN. Eighty percent of Pinterest users are female and they are spending more time on there than Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+ combined. The rapid growth can certainly be attributed somewhat to a higher acceptance of social networks now. But keep in mind, there are thousands of…
 
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    Vitamin IMC

  • Near…Far…Make Theatre Re-Releases the Star

    Dan Jennis
    15 May 2012 | 12:31 pm
    Several times this year, I have been in a movie theater when a trailer for a re-released blockbuster elicited a collective groan from the audience. It seemed no one wanted to see “Titanic” in super-duper re-mastered 3D, and just about everyone was ready to pass on the third incarnation of “Star Wars.” But re-releases inevitably make money, and these two films were no exception. Marketing for re-releases usually takes one of two approaches. First, promotional materials highlight some technical gimmick, like 3D, enhanced picture quality, or the addition of deleted…

  • Mad Men: Smoking, drinking, womanizing, and integrating?

    Katie McDonnell
    6 May 2012 | 9:51 pm
    As an integrated marketing communications student, people often ask me why I like AMC’s Mad Men, the Emmy-winning show that kept us waiting in anticipation (or annoyance) for more than a year before its record-breaking March debut. Maybe it’s the nostalgic appeal of old world advertising, glitz and glamour in all of its glory. Maybe it’s my fondness for everything and anything taking place in the 1960s. Either way, people seem to think the drama’s wide appeal comes from the loss of the way advertising and marketing communications operate. We’ve all heard it before: “Advertising is…

  • Could the “Something” in “Draw Something” be the “A” word? (For advertising, of course)

    William Mattiace
    2 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    What do Doritos, Madonna, The Bieber, MacBook, Gameboy and Titanic all have in common? Nothing really, except recently I’ve been asked to exercise my paintbrush . . . errrrr fingertips . . . and “draw” these well known words in OMGPOP’s ridiculously addicting mobile app “Draw Something.” I select Doritos for three points! That will be fun to draw—little orange triangles and the colorful silver bag. It’s all coming together in my right brain. But hold on just a minute! My left brain, my data-driven IMC brain, steps in to stop the creative genius dead in its tracks.

  • Google’s “Project Glass” Experiment: The Future of Wearable Devices?

    Ieesha McKinzie
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    I’m sure we’ve all imagined the day when flying cars and instant transport would exist in a Jetsons-like world, but those days may be closer than we think. Earlier this month, Google’s “Project Glass” video hit YouTube sending the minds of its 14 million viewers wondering yet again about the possibilities of the next breakthrough in technology. The video takes us on a journey from the perspective of the wearable device. Our subject begins his morning with a cup of coffee while holographic-like icons for his schedule, the weather, email and more appear in his line of sight. A friend…

  • Rebranding JC Penney – Will it be Square or Bring Flare?

    Rachel Nelson
    24 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    JC Penney, the 110-year-old department store, realized the need for a refresh. But as with any change in a brand, a corporation’s most valuable asset, there needs to be a reason, a customer reason, backing it. What is the consumer insight? Is the rebrand a stretch or within JCP’s brand DNA? Will it be enough to restore the brand to its desired position as America’s favorite department store? In a starving economy, we have seen many stores go bankrupt, and others are on the brink of extinction like Kodak, Blockbuster, and now Best Buy. Brand enthusiasts would argue that it is because the…
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    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…
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    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…
 
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    Chief Marketing Technologist

  • Engineers are becoming a lot like marketers too

    Scott Brinker
    14 May 2012 | 8:53 am
    I spend a lot of time thinking about how engineering culture and capabilities are seeping into marketing's ecosystem. Marketers are becoming more tech-savvy by the day, which is a fascinating transformation to behold. But it struck me recently how much the inverse is happening too: many of the signature characteristics of marketing have now become a part of engineering culture. Engineers are becoming quite marketing-savvy in their trade. This isn't about engineers working in marketing (although that's what marketing technologists do). It's about engineers natively applying marketing…

  • Marketing technologist: part optimist, part pessimist

    Scott Brinker
    7 May 2012 | 8:07 am
    I think a great marketing technologist should be part optimist, part pessimist. The optimist needs to indulge his or her imagination to drive the organization forward. To wonder, "what if?" To keep an open mind about new technologies and processes. To engage in the sort of creative free association and collaborative brainstorming that leads to innovation. And, most importantly, to be fearless in diving into the implementation of those ideas, making them real. The pessimist — or realist, some would say — needs to ask, "What can go wrong?" It's a different kind of imagination,…

  • Silicon Valley Marketing Technologists: Growth Hackers

    Scott Brinker
    30 Apr 2012 | 2:18 pm
    Awesome little essay by Andrew Chen from last week: Growth Hacker is the new VP Marketing. As far as I'm concerned, you can almost perfectly substitute "growth hacker" with "marketing technologist," as much of the rationale for this new breed of marketer is the same. Here's his opening paragraph (emphasis added is my own): The new job title of "Growth Hacker" is integrating itself into Silicon Valley's culture, emphasizing that coding and technical chops are now an essential part of being a great marketer. Growth hackers are a hybrid of marketer and coder, one who looks at the traditional…

  • The tech talent time bomb in marketing

    Scott Brinker
    27 Apr 2012 | 1:53 pm
    One of the other points that leaped out at me in the Econsultancy/Adobe report I discussed earlier this week — Are agencies hopelessly screwed or on the verge of a spectacular Renaissance? — was the increasing challenges of finding good technical talent. Under the heading "the tech talent time bomb," the report cites research from McKinsey that claims: "By 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective…

  • Are agencies hopelessly screwed or on the verge of a spectacular Renaissance?

    Scott Brinker
    25 Apr 2012 | 3:08 pm
    Maybe both. It would be hard to overstate how thoroughly disrupted marketing has been by technology over the past 10 years — or how much disruption still awaits in the decade ahead. It's against that backdrop that the giants of the marketing industry — agencies and their conglomerate ecosystems — are increasingly wrestling with their evolving role in this new era. Not unlike the struggle of marketing technology within client organizations — which is not only analogous, but directly intertwined into the agency question — everyone agrees that things have changed.
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    Local Marketing Ideas

  • Learn How to Effectively Build an Email List

    ideaguy
    10 May 2012 | 9:22 am
    by April Spradlin Creating a list of targeted subscribers should be your first priority as an Internet marketer. Obviously, if you are unable to put together an email list, then creating a business that will last a long time will be an unattainable dream. You should start putting a list together at once, if you are going to start a lasting IM business. However the question that happens here is what things in particular should you be taking into account when forming your list? What’s the right way to do it? There’s not one answer to these questions as a number of factors are…

  • Marketing and Promotional Ideas for 2012

    ideaguy
    22 Dec 2011 | 8:31 am
    Now is the time to start planning your promotional calendar for 2012. Use these “Holidays” as special sales promotions in the upcoming year. Here are some ideas to get you started: January New Years Day College Football New Year’s Resolutions Martin Luther King Super Bowl Back to School – 2nd Semester Bank Holiday (UK) February Ground Hog Day Mardi Gras President’s Day Valentine’s Day Daytona 500 February Sweeps for Television Black History Month March St. Patrick’s Day Passover Easter First Day of Spring March Madness Academy Awards Spring Break with the Family! End Q1 April…

  • Is Your Small Business Using Online Local Marketing?

    ideaguy
    29 Nov 2011 | 1:29 pm
    By Allan Joseph As a small business owner, if you do not take advantage of the Internet, then you are missing a huge opportunity to promoting your products and services. Using online local Internet marketing tactics can transform your small business marketing into BIG business marketing. Nearly 50% of businesses have taken that first essential step to getting online: building a web site. That’s great but, unfortunately, just having that small piece of real estate on the web isn’t enough. It’s a start, so let’s build on that by reviewing some basic things to do with the…

  • What’s on YOUR website?

    ideaguy
    11 Nov 2011 | 7:52 am
    Have you ever looked at a great website and analyzed what exactly is on it? This email talks about the extra pieces, besides the general writing, that make up a successful website. One such “extra piece” is the use of videos. Not everyone likes to read so if you give your visual visitors something to look at, such as How To videos or a tour of your store, they’re more likely to stay around and see what you’re about. An essential item for a website’s success is testimonials.  If you have happy customers, put their letters or emails on your site. Potential clients…

  • The Right Words On Your Website = Traffic!

    ideaguy
    1 Nov 2011 | 9:25 am
    There’s no doubt that having a website for your brick and mortar business is crucial, and even necessary these days. But it’s not enough just to have any old website. You need a website that will draw traffic, aka visitors, who are surfing the web. These are visitors you wouldn’t otherwise have and they can make a huge difference in the success or failure of your online presence. So how do you get these visitors who are surfing the web? By your choice of words… * in your content * in your content titles * in your graphics titles * behind the scenes of your site * in…
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    FUEL LINES Fueling Ad Agency New Business Through Social Media

  • Ad Agencies: Independence does not mean having to go it alone

    Michael Gass
    15 May 2012 | 3:56 pm
    Ad Agency networks offer many benefits for small to midsize independent advertising agencies.  This is a guest post written by my friend,  Peter Gerritsen, president of Transworld Advertising Agency Network better known as TAAN, the oldest and among the largest ad agency networks in the world, with 52 member agencies operating in 32 different countries. Peter Gerritsen, president of TAAN Not a single person in this business can truly say they do it all by themselves.  We all work with many different resources, vendors, staff, clients, media, consultants, friends, mentors,…

  • Why ad agencies should learn about Springpad

    Michael Gass
    14 May 2012 | 9:54 am
    If you are a regular reader of Fuel Lines, you know that I am a big fan of Edward Boches, Chief Innovation Officer (formerly Chief Creative Officer and Chief Social Media Officer) at Mullen. Edward was among the few creatives to understand the importance of social media as an active practitioner. He has led his agency by example. I’m honored to have Edward share a new social media platform through this guest post that will help your agency and your clients. Over the last five plus years we’ve seen the emergence of numerous new social platforms change how we market, distribute…

  • AMC’s The Pitch: Chemistry with the TV audience is different than with the potential client

    Michael Gass
    13 May 2012 | 6:52 am
    Prospective clients are looking for chemistry and likability in their ad agency partners and it doesn’t have to be a crap shoot.  BooneOakley, a small 20 person ad agency in Charlotte, NC, showcased its unusual chemistry on “The Pitch” before a nationally televised audience. They were competing against a New York agency, Conversation, to be selected to develop an ad campaign for the popchips company. BooneOakley didn’t win the client, but evidently they won over the television audience. According to the initial results of AMC’s The Pitch Poll – “Who…

  • Nobody Reads Ad Agency Blogs

    Michael Gass
    8 May 2012 | 11:32 pm
    Why most agencies may be ready to ditch their blog and why they shouldn’t.  Jack Marshall, a staff writer for Digiday wrote an article that is creating lots of buzz entitled, “Agencies Ditch Blogs.” He points to a study conducted by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, that reveals that only 37% of Fortune 500 companies now maintain a blog. That is down from 50% that was reported in 2010. Jack makes an assumption that this is  that this is probably true of advertising agencies: “It seems there’s a similar trend among agencies. Though many sporadically…

  • Lessons from AMCs ‘The Pitch’ on How to Motivate Your Ad Agency After A Loss

    Michael Gass
    7 May 2012 | 10:06 am
    Tracy Wong, The Mirren New Business Conference How to lose a pitch in front of millions of television views and the entire ad industry and still come out as the winner. A good number of agencies depend upon the pitch as the primary way they win new business and grow. Some national attention and industry buzz has been brought upon the pitch process due to AMC’s new show simply called, ‘The Pitch,’  where two opposing ad agencies compete against each other for work for a nationally recognized brand. ‘The Pitch’ demonstrates the flaws in the pitch-for-business…
 
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    Kneale Mann

  • Is Customer Service an Endangered Species?

    Kneale Mann
    15 May 2012 | 4:54 am
    If you work somewhere, you have customers. Even if you are eight levels away from actual paying clients, you are part of the equation. Which means you have a chance to improve or diminish the experience each and every customer has with your company. We are also customers of each other inside our companies. I call it internal customer service. Without it, external customer service will forever be a challenge. We all want great service but clearly we don't always get it. Why is that? Is it because good enough will do for most people? Is it because the fear of actually stopping and doing a great…

  • We Don't Always Know

    Kneale Mann
    11 May 2012 | 4:15 am
    The ascent of leadership within your career and business is a complex journey. It would be simple to look back at when you got a raise or promotion and called those the rungs on the ladder. When you look a bit deeper, they may not have been your growth spots. Since we aren’t machines nor are our teammates, coworkers and fellow stakeholders, we need to keep a keen eye on human elements and interaction. So if we pause for moment and look at those times in our career where we felt hampered perhaps in a restricted environment, were those possible learning opportunities or obstacles? Two-Way…

  • How Important are Your People?

    Kneale Mann
    8 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Leadership is action, not position. Donald H. McGannon It’s simple to develop responsibilities, titles, direct reports and deliverables. But how will you allow a place of teamwork to resemble reality? The organizational chart is probably necessary for you to chunk up the work, responsibilities and strengths of your business but how you build a great, sustaining and successful company is through your people. There are no short cuts. If you have ever experienced a true open environment it can be exciting - yet to some - chaotic. And because most don't want chaos, they choose to keep things…

  • Are We the Enlightened Ones?

    Kneale Mann
    5 May 2012 | 6:06 am
    It may be safe to suggest that humans have uttered the idiom “in this day and age” since we could form the words – in whatever language we spoke at the time. Some have claimed that there are more scientists alive today than in any other time in history. We have seen monumental advancements in medicine, business and technology in the last one hundred years. However one seventh of world's population won’t eat today and there is war and conflict around the world. We have a way to go. Make More Faster The industrial revolution created mass production and transformed business and…

  • 2012 List | Revisited

    Kneale Mann
    4 May 2012 | 4:35 am
    We like lists. They’re easy to read and review. It’s content in small digestible chunks. But without action, they’re just nice lists. On January 1st, I did yet another one and I was looking at it this week. Much work to be done, especially the singing! Travel more Forget the past Turn your phone off Someday is not on the calendar Don't wait for approval Talk about them Say sorry Excuses won’t help you Dream big. Do bigger Be gracious Thank your parents Make quick decisions Trust yourself Numbers are irrelevant Read more, skim less  Stop comparing yourself to others Make eye…
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    Five Sparrows Marketing Blog

  • A New Vocabulary for Search Engines

    Lauren Hobson
    16 May 2012 | 9:55 am
    Search engines are getting better, faster, and “smarter” all the time.  But with the millions of websites competing for search engine rankings, it can be a challenge to get your small business website not only indexed by the search engines, but also to get it ranked in the top of the search results.  But now, (Read More...)

  • What Happened to Your Website?

    Lauren Hobson
    18 Jan 2012 | 11:30 am
    If your small business website was built a few years ago, you may be surprised to hear that it may soon be obsolete (if it’s not already).  Big changes in digital marketing have affected how users access and use the web today, and new technologies have made many old-school websites inaccessible, unreadable, or completely unusable (Read More...)

  • 5 Tips to Boost Web Conversion Rates

    Lauren Hobson
    13 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm
    If you’re like many small businesses, you want to squeeze every last drop of value out of your website and online marketing activities.  But do you know which initiatives are worth your time and money?  Do you know the mistakes to avoid? Here are five tips to help you focus on where to put your (Read More...)

  • Tip of the Month: “Google Plus Your World” Has Arrived

    Lauren Hobson
    10 Jan 2012 | 12:46 pm
    In case you haven’t heard yet, last week Google announced a big change to its search algorithm, called “Google Plus Your World.”  Basically, Your World combines social search (introduced in 2007) with personalized search (introduced in 2009) into a single algorithm that also includes relevant Google+ results.  Google+ was designed to be the overriding glue (Read More...)

  • Tip of the Month: Quick Keyword Check

    Lauren Hobson
    9 Dec 2011 | 11:01 am
    Ever notice that as you start typing a search term into Google or Bing, it starts “guessing” what you are typing?  That’s the auto-complete feature, and the terms it displays are often related search phrases and keywords that other people have used when searching.  You can use this feature to check your existing keywords to (Read More...)
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    iMediaConnection Blog

  • Followers Are Audiences: Targeting the Biggest Audiences on Twitter

    Jon Elvekrog
    16 May 2012 | 11:47 am
    Cross-platform ad networks today are struggling to find a single, unified way to understand their audiences. For example, mobile networks’ panic over what to do about UDIDs has been going on for months. But on a broader level, how does a post-PC world deal with an audience that is everywhere, on every device, all at once? The answer is social. Social identity is fast becoming the great unifier of online activity. While UDID and other device identifiers can help direct marketers confirm that an app store purchase has completed, little else is available. Public social profiles include basic…

  • Future-Proof Digital

    Tony Quin
    16 May 2012 | 10:21 am
    By Rachel Peters - Senior Experience Architect, IQ How to create for the multi-device world (SlideShare presentation) So you built a website and it seems to do everything you need. Then someone points out that it looks pretty terrible on a phone, so you build a mobile website. Then you realize that it isn’t optimized for touch screens and doesn’t work on an iPad, so you build an iPad version. Then you get a memo from the Chairman asking why it doesn’t work right on his wife’s new Kindle Fire, and your sales director calls and says it looks terrible on his Mac Mini, which he is viewing…

  • Top Ten: YouTube video series "BLR" generating high levels of sharing on Facebook

    Doug Schumacher
    15 May 2012 | 3:06 pm
    In a recent report, we showed how video is driving much higher rates of sharing than other types of content on Facebook.  This week's Top Ten further confirms that trend, with a version of the "Bad Lip Reading" series on YouTube generating over 17% of engagements being shares. "BLR" is a video series that involves slick editing combined with seriously spun writing. IMO, this one isn't even close to the best one, although it did parody a wildly popular music video. YouTube video series generating high levels of sharing on Facebook Subscribe Free If you're not already subscribed, why not get…

  • Twitter Verification Implications for Brand Marketers

    Adam Leiter
    15 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    With recent news that Twitter's verification process has become linked to monthly advertising, there has been conversation and debate about blurry lines in the sand. What does this change mean for your brand or company on Twitter? Is verification critical to your Twitter strategy? Twitter verified accounts are used to denote the authenticity of certain pages on Twitter. The verified badge helps users identify that a legitimate source is authoring the account’s Tweets (or at least officially ghost-tweeting on behalf of a legitimate source). Beginning primarily with the rise of…

  • Will Social Media Replace All Digital Advertising?

    Jeff Hirsch
    15 May 2012 | 12:07 pm
    There is a lot of talk out there about how Facebook and other social media advertising outlets will make all other forms of digital advertising moot. There is no doubt that there is a lot of value in social media. The ability to create a conversation with your constituents is something that cannot be found at scale anywhere else. It is a marketing channel that has spawned an entire industry, and rightfully so. That said, the demise of all other digital-based advertising at the emergence of this social channel is poppycock. I have often noticed that the digital experts in our space lack a…
 
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    Modern Metrix

  • Color Forecast

    Modern Metrix
    9 May 2012 | 12:57 pm
    This is awesome! French clothing company Pimkie has installed cameras on the streets of Milan, Paris and Antwerp (supposedly, Europe's most fashion-conscious cities) to capture images of people's clothing. The captured data is then converted into real-time "color forecast" on their webisite, so you can see what colors are trending right now in these cities. You can also look at the colors that were trending yesterday, last week, and last month. For example, these were the most popular colors in Paris in past 30 days: Imagine taking this concept further, by capturing…

  • I am Appalled

    Modern Metrix
    8 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    Am I the only one who finds this recent article in Mediapost on how advertisers and cable companies continue to seek more elaborate ways to run ads on new TV and video watching platforms like Netflix and video-on-demand, very disturbing? I particularly found industry's findings that "consumers are not only embracing programming, but advertising on VOD platforms" simply jaw dropping. Are you f$%##ing serious?!!! You guys just don't get it! We hate ads! The very reason we cut the cable cord and switch to Netflix and similar platforms is because we are sick and tired of being…

  • The Rise of Data Scientists? Apparently, Not Fast Enough

    Modern Metrix
    26 Apr 2012 | 4:13 pm
    As data become more abundant (and messy), there is increasing demand for more specialists who could not only separate noise from proverbial "golden nuggets" of information, but also make those "nuggets" useful and actionable: "Hilary Mason, chief scientist for the URL shortening service bit.ly, says a data scientist must have three key skills. "They can take a data set and model it mathematically and understand the math required to build those models; they can actually do that, which means they have the engineering skills…and finally they are someone who can…

  • Gmail Meter Helps You Analyze Your Gmail Usage

    Modern Metrix
    19 Apr 2012 | 3:17 pm
    Just as I started looking for better ways to measure my Gmail usage, Gmail labs rolled out the Gmail Meter script! Among the statistics, provided on a monthly basis and summarized via nice charts, are volume, traffic patterns and time analysis, length of messages and conversations, and even how long does it take for you to respond to e-mails. Check it out!

  • Where Did My Taxes Go: Data Visualization

    Modern Metrix
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:36 am
    Check out this awesome tool that provides detailed visualization of how your federal tax dollars are being spent by the US government.
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    FOLDEN eMarketing Blog

  • Business Network BranchOut is already a Big Player

    FOLDEN.INFO
    7 May 2012 | 1:54 pm
    (With this post a holiday break occurs until end of May.) BranchOut is the new big player of the business networks. The newcomer, which is just two years on the market has grown up to 25 million users. By this now it is just behind LinkedIn. The specialty of BranchOut is its integration into Facebook. [...]

  • Social Game Advertising shows strong Growth

    FOLDEN.INFO
    7 May 2012 | 1:53 pm
    Social gaming has strong growth and so does in game advertising within social games, according to an article by Reuters. The amount of players is some hundred millions and by a growth of 80 % the volume of social game advertising will reach about 670 million US dollars in 2014, according to eMarketer. The social [...]

  • State of the Internet Report by Akamai

    FOLDEN.INFO
    7 May 2012 | 1:21 pm
    Akamai has released its quarterly “State of the Internet” report. This report gives insights into qualitative and quantitative trends of the internet and internet usage like the global amount of users, bandwidth and general behavior. This includes mobile internet use and trends found by interpreting the data. State of the Internet FOLDEN.INFO Directory Sources: Document [...]

  • Internet Marketing Review May

    FOLDEN.INFO
    2 May 2012 | 3:58 am
    The internet marketing review and directory update May includes the topics Internet Marketing and Advertising, Finance and Brokerage and Search Engines. Below follows a brief analysis of up to date internet marketing trends. Internet Marketing and Online Advertising Innovations This month a broad array of different new services is represented with the already being introduced [...]

  • Mobile Marketing Trends

    FOLDEN.INFO
    26 Apr 2012 | 5:06 am
    This article is a review of a couple of the latest mobile internet trends, which summarizes major trends and points to the sources. Mobile is well known to be rising and comScore describes this trend by mentioning 2011 being the year of breakthrough of mobile media by the broad and ongoing adaption of smartphones. The [...]
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    Digital Marketing Inner Circle

  • Google Drive Launched… and Blocked in China

    25 Apr 2012 | 9:03 pm
      Some interesting news out this week with Google launching their new service, Google Drive.   However, a few hours later… Google Drive was blocked in China.   Chinese Internet users will not get the chance to use Google’s latest offering, Google Drive, which allows users to store files on Google's servers, unless using a VPN (as many of us in China do). While Google’s social networking service Google+ made a brief appearance in China this February, functioning for a couple of weeks, Google Drive was not as fortunate, only accessible for mere…

  • Talking of Brand Equity & Brand Value

    10 Apr 2012 | 6:18 am
    Brand value and brand equity represent two different, yet intricately linked, concepts. Brand value is the net present value of future cash flows from a branded product minus the net present value of future cash flows from a similar unbranded product—or, in simpler terms, what the brand is worth to management and shareholders.   Brand equity is a set of perceptions, knowledge and behavior on the part of customers that creates demand and/or a price premium for a branded product—in other words, what the brand is worth to a customer.   But with the social web having such a…

  • Interview with Derek Ling, Founder & CEO of Tianji.

    29 Mar 2012 | 1:54 am
    This week, we have a great interview with Derek Ling, Founder & CEO of Tianji in China.   As interest in digital media continues to grow, it is interesting to get some views from one of the major Internet and social media entrepreneurs in China. Through his role with the Tianji, Derek is well positioned to monitor the ever-evolving industry and give us some insights into the forward challenges and issues we face in China. 

  • Social Media Flying High

    19 Mar 2012 | 2:50 am
    This news is quite exciting for some and quite frightening for others.... Now, for those wanting to find interesting people who are on the same flight, Dutch airline KLM are offering a new service called ‘Meet & Seat’ where you can view other passengers’ Facebook or LinkedIn profile details and see where they’ll be sitting.

  • Digital Jungle hits Geneva Motor Show

    8 Mar 2012 | 11:31 pm
    Members of the Digital Jungle team have been invited as guests of Bentley Motors to attend the 82nd International Geneva Motor Show. As special guests of Bentley Motors, Digital Jungle will have privileged access to Bentley’s new EXP 9 F concept SUV, which is being revealed at the motor show.
 
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    Big Marketing For Small Business

  • 4 Simple Ways to Supercharge Your Content Marketing

    Guest Author
    16 May 2012 | 12:07 pm
    Content marketing has changed drastically over the last few years. In the early days of content marketing, you could get away with creating off-the-cuff content. Today, there’s a lot of competition and it’s important that your content stands out. Here are four simple ways to supercharge your content marketing efforts. 1. Develop a Comprehensive Strategy for Long-term Success Without a comprehensive plan your content marketing efforts are doomed to failure. Beyond doing the necessary keyword research it’s important to think about the style and tone of your content. Will it be serious…

  • SEO 101: The Do’s and Don’ts of Search Engine Optimization

    Guest Author
    11 May 2012 | 2:41 pm
    Search engine optimization, also known as SEO is a volatile industry. Google changes can come at any moment and some are worse than others. It doesn’t help they name their updates after cute animals like pandas and penguins (honestly who doesn’t like to see a cute panda?). Anyway, I digress, SEO might be a roller coaster, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t do’s and don’ts you can live by. Do—Stay Current on Industry News No matter if you have been doing SEO since the beginning of it’s inception, or just started today, you have to stay current on new trends. Google is fickle, and…

  • 7 Free Ways to Market a New Small Business

    Guest Author
    9 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    For obvious reasons, all new small businesses need to do what they can to market themselves. Not every owner can afford to utilize the best marketing and advertising tactics though. These services and strategies can cost quite a lot of money to employ in the long run. Too many businesses overstretch their budget trying to roll out a huge campaign and wind up suffering financially. With that in mind, there are various free methods that can be employed at any time. 1. Harnessing the Power of Social Media Perhaps the best option is starting a few social media accounts on sites like Twitter and…

  • Common Small Business Mistakes Made Online

    Guest Author
    9 Apr 2012 | 3:39 pm
    In the online world, it is far too easy to make a mistake and have it available for countless eyes to see. While most businesses might think accidentally sending an email to the wrong recipient or posting something questionable on a social network are going to be the biggest faults to avoid, there are other mistakes businesses make online that make them look unprofessional, or even foolish. The following are some examples of mistakes businesses, especially new business owners, make online and how to avoid them. Email Addresses Not on the Company’s Domain If you have a website up and…

  • Remarketing Increases Paid Advertising Conversion

    Guest Author
    2 Apr 2012 | 1:04 pm
    When small firms think about paid advertising online, 99.9% of them think about one thing: Google AdWords. Not to speak negatively of this venerable platform, but AdWords isn’t always (or even often) the answer: It takes a substantial monthly ad budget to generate enough conversions to move the dial. In some niches, keywords are too expensive for small firms to compete. In other niches, search volume is too low to generate ROI. If you’re looking for an advertising model with a higher probability of success, look to one of the best-kept secrets in Internet marketing: Remarketing. How…
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    Logo Design Blog

  • Five Questions to Ask Before Overhauling Your Company Logo

    Ben Johnson
    9 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Re-branding your company's logo should be one of the most carefully thought-out decisions you ever make for your business. Hastily adopting a new logo can be disastrous to your image and may literally cost you a significant percentage of your customers. On the other hand, a smart re-branding can generate new revenue and open markets you'd struggled to break into with your old concept.

  • Windows 8 Logo Design – Simplicity that Makes Sense

    Ben Johnson
    26 Mar 2012 | 7:07 am
    This year, Microsoft unveiled a brand new look of the Windows logo, which is designed for the most awaited operating system ‘Windows 8’. It has become one of the most talked about logos because of the dramatic change in its branding and styling, and one can also find some significant backlash around the Internet. But, everyone seems to overlook the fact that the new Windows 8 logo is a Microsoft’s smart move.

  • 2012 Web Design Trends – Gain your Competitive Edge

    Ben Johnson
    28 Feb 2012 | 4:31 am
    If your website doesn't look as polished and professional as your competitors, visitors might not stick around long enough to appreciate your content or product. For your help, here are a few of the latest trends that you can incorporate into your website and improve its performance:

  • Valentine’s Day Offer – 15% Discount

    Ben Johnson
    13 Feb 2012 | 3:01 am
    Our design services are reliable and of high quality. We’ve got all that you need for establishing a sound brand image, so don’t let go of this opportunity and use our services at a discount price. This 15% discount is applicable on every package you order, no matter how many you order in one go. Yes! You can really save 15% on every package.

  • 6 Reasons Why Your Business Should Not use Google Analytics Alone

    Ben Johnson
    7 Feb 2012 | 4:35 am
    A website without analytics and a website owner unaware of the intricacies involved in the traceability of websites using Google analytics are sure to lag behind in the competitive business world. Although, the God-Like image of Google has made organizations completely dependent on its tools for rankings, analytics and reputation management. But here are six beefy reasons to why you should not use Google Analytics alone.
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    Deconstruction on Madison Avenue

  • Podcast: Two Odd Minutes #6

    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Ep. 6: "Total Television Recall""When I got into advertising, I knew that I’d found my true calling...I’d stumbled into a field where all those years spent in front of the TV – all those wasted years of my youth – finally had a purpose. "Craig McNamara shares stories and observations about advertising, ad agencies and creative people, drawn from his 25-plus years as a professional advertising writer.You can listen (and subscribe) to this podcast and upcoming episodes at the Craig McNamara, Writer web site or on iTunes.Enjoy.

  • Podcast: Two Odd Minutes #5

    9 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Ep. 5: "The Life (and Death)of an Ad Man," part 2"No, Bill Tuttle wasn’t a real creative department employee -- or a real person. But making the rest of the agency believe that he was the challenge we set for ourselves -- and we knew success was all in the details..."Craig McNamara shares stories and observations about working in advertising, ad agencies and creative people, drawn from his 25+ years as a professional advertising writer, in a series of two-minute-or-so podcasts.You can listen (and subscribe) to this podcast and upcoming episodes at the Craig McNamara, Writer web site or on…

  • Podcast: Two Odd Minutes #4

    3 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Ep. 4: "The Life (and Death)of an Ad Man," part 1"Nothing exemplifies the excesses of what we creative people are capable of than the story of Bill Tuttle. The following is a true story. I say this not because Bill Tuttle the name is a pseudonym, but because Bill Tuttle the person never existed in the first place..."Craig McNamara shares stories and observations about working in advertising, ad agencies and creative people, drawn from his 25+ years as a professional advertising writer, in a series of two-minute-or-so podcasts.You can listen (and subscribe) to this podcast and upcoming…

  • Podcast: Two Odd Minutes #3

    25 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Ep. 3: "The Curious Caseof the Vanishing Croissants""By nature, creative people tend to be scavengers. But the Holy Grail of free food was always that silver tray on which rested the leftover pastries of a client meeting. We all kept close watch on the conference room door, salivating at the thought of what goodies would be left behind..."Craig McNamara shares stories and observations about working in advertising, ad agencies and creative people, drawn from his 25+ years as a professional advertising writer, in a series of two-minute-or-so podcasts.You can listen (and subscribe) to this…

  • Podcast: Two Odd Minutes #2

    18 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Ep. 2: "The Intersection ofHollywood & Madison Avenue""When a character in a movie works in advertising, you instantly know that person is going to be vapid, vain, materialistic, manipulative, unethical, back-stabbing, glad-handing, one sedative away from a nervous breakdown, or a combo platter of any of the above."Craig McNamara shares stories and observations about working in advertising, ad agencies and creative people, drawn from his 25+ years as a professional advertising writer, in a series of two-minute-or-so podcasts.You can listen (and subscribe) to this podcast and upcoming…
 
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    yinkaolaito.com - the branding gavel, brand communication expert, nigeria brand consultant, social media expert

  • Brand transparency: Yahoo CEO fired!

    yinkaolaito
    15 May 2012 | 7:24 am
    It is no longer news, Scott Thompson, Yahoo CEO has been relieved of his appointment. This has further confirmed my fear about the age we now live. Nothing is hidden anymore. One may blame the role played by Third Point group~ a part owner of Yahoo, for being a whistle blower but we must not [...]

  • Twitter: my 7 hot and smoking truths for success

    yinkaolaito
    8 May 2012 | 4:07 am
    Much has been said about Twitter. Some see it as the best thing that could have happened to them, their  businesses etc. You may wish to ask Tony Hseih- the Zappos.com CEO. For significant others, Twitter is just for lazy people who have nothing serious  to do. Whatever angle you take, you may not be [...]

  • Social media Success: impact of external links

    yinkaolaito
    7 May 2012 | 3:28 am
    I am sure by now we all know the benefits of social media use to personal and corporate growth. Many things have been said and written on the need to invest time, energy and money in it to make a success out of it. This is a common truth as there is nothing worthwhile without [...]

  • 5 vital steps to customer service re-engineering

    yinkaolaito
    25 Apr 2012 | 7:19 am
    The kind of experience customers have with any brand today will dictate the next action tomorrow. Each time customer service is properly executed a brand gains loyalty, visibility and strong advocacy. Anyone (brand) who continues to maltreat customers today should not forget there is always a next time. The brand may be lucky to have [...]

  • Rebecca Malope brand: Talent, Dedication and Persistence factor

    yinkaolaito
    17 Apr 2012 | 8:59 am
    As a lover of autobiographies, it is no longer news that success stories appeal to me. I mean success stories that have no solid ladder they climbed to reach stardom.  Such stories encourage me to make dig deeper. What I mean by this is that success stories of brands which grew from nothing into something without any [...]
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    Simon Mainwaring

  • How your brand wins over empowered customers to profit from social commerce

    Simon
    16 May 2012 | 12:20 pm
    I recently had the pleasure of speaking at there First Data ‘Engaging Today’s Empowered Customer’ Summit in New Orleans where we discussed in detail the shifts that financial institutions, credit card associations, and merchants across all industries must make in order to command the attention of the social customer and earn the loyalty, trust, and goodwill that translates to profit. We discussed the new co-creative relationships between brands and customers, the importance of authentic purpose, and the ability of brands to architect communities that build their business…

  • How social ads are winning over advertisers and consumers

    Simon
    14 May 2012 | 12:16 pm
    Over the last two years we have seen a steady shift from Google Search to Social Search as consumers, faced with an overwhelming amount of choices and information, are turning to their peers within social networks for trusted recommendations as to what to buy. Now it seems advertisers are recognizing this trends and following suit. Over the past 12 months, the proportion of Facebook ad budgets allocated to “social ads” has increased fourfold, from 5% in March 2011, to 23% in March 2012, according to a report from Marin Software. What’s more social ads are expected to account for…

  • Why you need more than good intentions to build a purposeful brand

    Simon
    10 May 2012 | 12:25 pm
    Image: Hetemeel.com One of the most encouraging trends in today’s social business marketplace is the demonstration of greater social responsibility by brands. At one extreme you see large brands showing a greater commitment to their purpose, and at the other a growing number of  in social enterprises and entrepreneurs are emerging with responsibility baked into their business models. That said, no amount of good intentions will suffice if you overlook three key drivers of business success: 1. Brand Singularity: Too often brands (and many non-profits) mistake the cause for their brand.

  • What Facebook is worth to your business and brand

    Simon
    8 May 2012 | 3:11 pm
    Image: Nerd Reactor As the Facebook IPO Roadshow shifts into high gear, it seems relevant to consider exactly what value Facebook can offer your brand and business. While the addition of Instagram and Glancee has done much to sure up their mobile capacities (as yet only in perception), the core business opportunities cannot be underestimated. The roster of sales and marketing services can be broken out into the following categories: - F-Stores (E-commerce stores where customers buy real goods with real currency inside Facebook) - Facebook Credits (Currency for games and in-app virtual goods)…

  • Biz Stone on the powerful role of social media in business and social change

    Simon
    2 May 2012 | 10:57 am
    Source: CXO Yesterday, I had the pleasure of speaking in New Orleans at the First Data conference. It was a fantastic event and the other speaker was Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, who said something that struck me deeply. He put a sentence up on screen, which said, “Change is not the triumph of technology, but the triumph of humanity.” I completely agree, and while I have talked and written a lot about this through the We First lens, when it comes from someone like Biz who has shaped the social media world, it is that much more persuasive. Too often, companies make the mistake of…
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    Free Sales & Marketing Magazines and Downloads from alltop.tradepub.com

  • The Essentials of Sales Kit - Includes a Free ABC of Sales eBook

    15 May 2012 | 4:20 pm
    The Essentials of Sales Kit - 2012 Edition, brings together the latest in information, coverage of important developments, and expert commentary to help with your Sales related decisions.The following kit contents will help you get the most out of your Sales research:Increase Sales Reps Effectiveness:CSO Insights Research on a Sales Rep's Digital Admin5 Ways to Increase CRM Adoption Within Your Sales StaffThe ABC of Sales: Lessons from a SuperstarChance Favors the Prepared Mind: Understanding the Science of Sales IntelligenceRequest Free!

  • Mailing 101: Insider Tips on How to Reduce Business Mail Costs

    15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Watch this on-demand webinar to learn how your business can take advantage of postal discounts and ways to leverage existing rates to minimize your expenses. Get practical insider tips on utilizing new mailing tools and services to not only increase revenue, but also reduce mailing costs.Topics & Objectives:Classes of Mail: what are they and how can you get the best pricing?Understanding postal discounts that could apply to your businessHow to increase sales with new mailing tools and servicesHear successful business mailing storiesRequest Free!

  • Seven Reasons You Need Predictive Analytics Today

    15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Read this white paper to uncover why predictive analytics is becoming a necessity for companies to gain and maintain advantage: Why predictive analytics has emerged as a proven way to gain competitive advantage; how you can use your company's accumulated information to predict effective ways to increase sales, enhance customer relationships, address consumer needs, and more; and how predictive analytics enables people all across your business to gain more insight, make better decisions and take more decisive actions when they matter most.Request Free!

  • Five Predictive Imperatives for Maximizing Customer Value

    15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    With predictive analytics, you can meet your customers' evolving needs with forward-looking insights that anticipate changes in customer attitudes, preferences, and actions. This white paper from IBM describes how a set of five predictive imperatives can help ensure that your company maximizes the value of its customer relationships and sustains higher levels of revenues and profits.Request Free!

  • Customer Analytics Pay Off: Driving Top-line Growth by Bringing Science to the Art of Marketing

    15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Read this Executive Report to learn how an effective customer analytics strategy can help drive top-line growth, avoid unnecessary costs and increase customer satisfaction. Understand where your organization is in its pursuit to gain deeper customer insights with four stages of organizational capabilities and associated customer analytics strategies: gain insight from the information explosion; share information internally and across value chain; move from reaction to prediction; and adapt business models that enable faster creation of value.Request Free!
 
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    The Marketing Journalist

  • Quit Blogging And Go With…Facebook?

    cindy kim
    15 May 2012 | 12:25 am
    Blog Post Originally Published in BtoB Magazine Wayne Usie (@waynejusie), SVP of Retail at JDA Software, recently shared a USA Today article with me titled, “More Companies Quite Blogging, Go With Facebook Instead,” by Roger Yu. According to the article, more companies are replacing blogs with nimbler tools requiring less time and resources, such as [...]

  • All In! Betting On Your Content Marketing Strategy

    cindy kim
    27 Mar 2012 | 12:19 am
    Blog originally posted in BtoB Magazine – BtoB Blog: Defining Your Content Strategy Where are you spending your marketing dollars? If it’s not in content marketing, then you should reconsider. Content marketing remains a top priority for marketers in 2012. This, according to a popular study published by the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs [...]

  • Real People Doing Real Work in Social Media

    cindy kim
    18 Mar 2012 | 12:49 pm
    I was asked to do a podcast interview at 2012 South by Southwest by the uber-talented and witty Jason Baer (@JayBaer). He needs no introduction – he’s the co-author of Revolution Now with Amber Naslund (@AmberNaslund), a book about the impact social media and the real-time Web has on every company, and a recipe for changing business from [...]

  • Social Business Readiness: Are You There Yet?

    cindy kim
    3 Sep 2011 | 2:19 am
    Are we there yet? According to Jeremiah Owyang (@jowyang) of Altimeter Group, while companies are quick to deploy the latest social media technology, most companies are not prepared for the threat of social media crises, or the long-term impacts to business. Jeremiah states: “We found that social media crises are on the rise, even though [...]

  • Adapt or Vanish: 5 Ways to Integrate PR and Social Media

    cindy kim
    26 Jul 2011 | 3:01 am
    I recently gave a talk at a Businesswire seminar here in Phoenix on Adapt or Vanish: 5 Killer Tips to Integrate PR and Social Media. The introduction of social media has changed the playing field for PR professionals. PR is no longer relegated to drafting press releases and bylined articles. Today, PR pros support business [...]
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    Cracking the Code of Internet Marketing Strategies

  • Search Engine Marketing: ROI vs. Profits

    Eric Tsai
    7 May 2012 | 1:20 am
    In SEM (Search Engine Marketing) ROI is a safer metric, at the end of the day, than profit. The pros of going with ROI outweigh profit in the immediacy. Profit is almost always the primary goal in the long term, but marketers have a lot more control over ROI so programs are designed around this KPI first. This is a guest post from my good friend David Chung, who used to work with me in Search Marketing and now works for Google in Korea: Everyone’s getting smarter. Everything’s getting smarter, too. I recently swapped out my Android mobile device for a traditional flip phone and it took…

  • 9 Keys to Increase Website Conversion Rate and Turn Visitors into Customers

    Eric Tsai
    20 Jul 2011 | 2:28 am
    If you’ve been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember a post I wrote recently called Why Attention is the New Currency Online. When I wrote it, I had been working to create a process to audit website conversions. Ultimately it turned into an article about capturing attention online because without attention there would be nobody looking at your links, images, videos and compelling content. And without people reading your content, you certainly won’t get any clicks. When people read your content online, links and clicks follow. However; you don’t want just any…

  • Beyond Search: Social Customer, Social Commerce, Social Media

    Eric Tsai
    1 Jul 2011 | 4:15 am
    It seems as if all the talk in web marketing these days center on algorithm updates, social signals, mobile and display opportunities. Marketers and brands are eager to make adjustments trying new strategies to drive sales and increase profits. I think it’s important to know the difference between a sales channel and how sales are made. Search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO) and social media are all channels to engage and carry out your message with prospects and customers. Simply put, the medium is not the message. It’s a venue for you to generate demand…

  • Learn to Extract Marketing Insights from Data

    Eric Tsai
    15 Jun 2011 | 4:00 am
    In working with many smart business people and analysts in the past few months, I came to appreciate the ease of accessing web analytics. Who knew that math and data would become a main revenue driving force for businesses big and small? Every business is fast becoming a data-generating machine. From upstream to downstream, data rewards us with actionable insights to make profitable decisions via controlled experiments allowing us to advance our business models. And yet, this is just the beginning as the number of people connected to the web continues to grow, so too does the vast amount of…

  • A Holistic Approach to Marketing: Integrating Social, Search and People

    Eric Tsai
    29 Apr 2011 | 3:02 am
    As the dust begins to settle on the endless possibilities of social media, marketers are gearing up for the next wave of digital growth. From Google’s report on mobile is finally making an impact on search to how social media is used by 25% of the companies worldwide, I’ve always focused on opportunities that align with business objectives. Especially if there is a win win situation for both consumers and brands. As the demand for businesses to be more transparent and social media becomes mainstream so has the technology that supports it. This is happening both in B2C (business…
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    On Social Marketing and Social Change

  • Social Objects: Sharing Devices of Object-Centered Sociality

    Craig
    13 May 2012 | 10:07 am
    The most important asset you can have in a social media marketing program is something worth talking about - not a “message” to listen to, read or watch. There are no markets for messages, or to paraphrase the Introduction to the Institute of Medicine (2000, p.5-6) Promoting Health report, people in the health and social change communities have “messages” while the individuals they are targeting in communities have “lives.” Having lives means, among other things, that people are talking to each other as opposed to talking to someone else (that might mean you). Why do they choose…

  • Improving Arthritis Outcomes in Communities

    Craig
    30 Mar 2012 | 11:39 am
    A recent grant announcement from the CDC seeks to "build, support, and enhance state arthritis programs to substantially expand the access, availability and use of arthritis-appropriate evidence-based interventions...Furthermore, this announcement is designed to develop and maintain partnerships focused on: intervention dissemination and implementation, policy development and implementation, communications, and coordination with other chronic disease prevention/health promotion programs to further arthritis program goals." So let me see, if we think about this as social marketers: they want…

  • Reporting from the World Marketing Summit

    Craig
    9 Mar 2012 | 12:56 pm
    The 1st World Marketing Summit held in Bangladesh this past week provided a platform for sharing ideas among representatives from corporate, government and development agencies about how marketing can create a better world. Though I never received an official count, I estimate there were upwards of 3,000 marketing experts and students representing a variety of countries in Asia, the Middle East and the West. The 2 ½ day agenda was filled with over 50 presentations and more panel discussions that ranged from "Demarketing as a tool for social mobilization" to "Fostering sustainable behaviour"…

  • Creating a Better World Through Marketing: The World Marketing Summit

    Craig
    1 Mar 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Today I was among several thousand participants in Dhaka, Bangladesh for the first event of its kind. The World Marketing Summit brings together global leaders in marketing to discuss how marketing philosophies, approaches and insights can help discover innovative solutions to global challenges. The summit is an initiative of the marketing guru (yes, that’s how they refer to him) Phillip Kotler with the full support of the Bangladesh government. This level of support was notable by the attendance and opening speech given by Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister. The opening…

  • Walmart: Marketing Foods That Are Better For You

    Craig
    8 Feb 2012 | 5:05 am
    Corporations can do responsible marketing to improve people's nutrition behaviors (or call it social marketing). Walmart announces a new point-of-choice food labeling program that will add 'Great for You' on many of its own products and at the fruit and vegetable counter; it will also be made available for free to other brands - though I would not expect a stampede to that offer. In the NYT article today, the usual suspects are herded to proclaim that "the label will only go on a fifth of their products" and "in the midst of all this clutter of competing [food labeling] systems, how helpful…
 
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    Kim Skildum-Reid's Corporate Sponsorship Blog

  • How to Find Out Who to Contact for Corporate Sponsorship

    Kim Skildum-Reid
    15 May 2012 | 3:22 pm
    I get queries about this at least a couple of times a week, and while I’ve alluded to this subject in a number of blogs, I’ve never addressed it directly, so this blog is probably overdue. Who to target The first consideration is who you should target for your offer, and there are definitely roles you should avoid and roles that will be much more productive. People you want to avoid… Sponsorship manager You’d think somebody called the “sponsorship manager” should be right person to receive your sponsorship proposal. That’s just what the company is hoping you’ll think, as…

  • The Academic vs Sponsorship Professionals – The Sequel

    Kim Skildum-Reid
    14 May 2012 | 5:21 am
    I love LinkedIn. Most specifically, I love the Sponsorship Insights group on LinkedIn. It’s well-moderated, has little spam, a big membership, and the discussions are generally relevant and the responses mostly helpful. I say “mostly” because there is a one-man phenomenon that is hell-bent on demonstrating the superiority of academics over people who actually work in this field. What he is actually demonstrating, however, is how arrogantly out-of-touch he is while he tries to bully people into his point of view. The whole shebang started with an excellent question: “There is a growing…

  • What is the Role of a Corporate Sponsorship Manager?

    Kim Skildum-Reid
    1 May 2012 | 8:58 am
    I’ve written blog after blog after article after book about the collaborative nature of sponsorship; how it requires both broad buy-in and a commitment to leverage from a range of stakeholders; and that brand managers are generally the ones who approve sponsorship spend. So, if sponsorship decisions and leverage are being spread across various decision-makers, do we still need sponsorship managers? To that, I answer an emphatic “yes”. They fill a number of critical roles to doing sponsorship truly well. Gatekeeper Let’s face it. Being a gatekeeper is a big part of most sponsorship…

  • The Rejection Letter Sponsors Wish They Could Send

    Kim Skildum-Reid
    22 Apr 2012 | 8:01 pm
    There was a recent social media stir about an over-the-top rejection letter sent to 900 candidates for a job in the IT industry. Thousands of people complained about the tone and wordiness, and there was a great deal of how-dare-they attitude on display. To an extent, I agree. The tone was condescending and it was way too long and self-important. But the people complaining seemed to be missing the point inherent in the writer’s frustration: If there are 900 applicants for only a handful of jobs, being careless or wacky or not following instructions is not going to get you one of them. What…

  • This is what Ambush Marketing Looks Like

    Kim Skildum-Reid
    8 Apr 2012 | 5:02 pm
    Back in 2010, soccer fans were gripped with anticipation over the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Also in that year, Valentine’s Day happened to fall on a match day. Puma seized on that to create a viral campaign that captured both the passion and the imagination of soccer fans. The Puma Hardchorus was born, and fans could dedicate a love song, sung by what appear to be surprisingly talented soccer fans, and send it to their loved ones or share it with them on social media – demonstrating their love while still going to the game. The most famous was this English one, with soccer fans…
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    Interval

  • Interval clients win healthcare marketing awards

    jackie
    2 May 2012 | 5:01 pm
    Congratulations to our clients: Allegiance Health, Inova Health System and Canvas Health, for winning awards at the 2012 Aster Awards and the 29th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards. At the Aster Awards: Allegiance Health — Jackson, MI Award: Silver Entry Name: Now What? Oncology Campaign Group: Hospital 300 – 499 beds Category: Service Line – Cancer Canvas Health — Oakdale, MN Award: Gold Entry Name: Canvas Health Identity/Logo Development Group: Other Category: Logo Design/Letterhead Canvas Health — Oakdale, MN Award: Silver Entry Name: Canvas Health Website…

  • Chris Bevolo to speak at MHSCN spring conference

    jackie
    26 Apr 2012 | 11:36 am
    Chris Bevolo, Interval president, will be co-presenting with Ben Dillon, e-Health Evangelist and Co-Owner of Geonetric at the Minnesota Health Strategy and Communication Networks’ (MSHCN) spring conference, “Engaging Wellness,” on Wednesday, May 16. Chris and Ben will speak on the topic of “Shifting the Online Focus to Wellness.” Interval will also be sponsoring the after conference networking happy hour. This full day event will be held at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, MN. For more information, or to register for the event, please go to: http://mhscn.com.

  • Branding at the Bar is back in Orlando

    interval
    28 Mar 2012 | 8:31 am
    Branding at the Bar is back by popular demand, with the next installment at the National Healthcare Marketing Strategies Summit in Orlando on Monday, April 30 at 6:15. Once again, Interval is co-sponsoring the event with National Research Corporation, and participants can enjoy food, cocktails, networking, and the ever-popular Branding at the Bar Trivia Challenge. This year’s grand prize winner will walk away with an iPad 3! You’ll find Branding at the Bar in the Tuscany Ballroom, Salon A and M, at the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, site of this year’s conference.

  • Cover story by Bevolo shows key to healthcare marketing transformation lies in C-Suite

    chris
    27 Mar 2012 | 7:07 pm
    In the cover story for the March issue of Jackson Healthcare Review (Volume 1, Issue 1), Chris Bevolo outlines how those in the C-Suite may be the biggest obstacles to a true transformation of healthcare marketing. In the article, titled “Joe Public Doesn’t Care About Your Hospital,” and based on the content from his book of the same name, Bevolo says: “To be sure, healthcare marketers themselves hold the primary responsibility for moving beyond the tired, ineffective marketing we see so often in our industry. But if they are not allowed to pursue the strategies that…

  • Interval owner to speak across country in 2012

    interval
    27 Mar 2012 | 4:59 pm
    Interval owner Chris Bevolo will appear at four healthcare marketing conferences in 2012, as well as several consultant and provider organization conferences. In April, Chris will present twice at the Seventeenth Annual National Healthcare Marketing Strategies Summit in Orlando. On April 29, Chris will hold a 3-hour workshop to create “healthcare marketing change agents,” with content based on his latest book, “Joe Public Doesn’t Care About Your Hospital.” On Monday, April 30, Chris will once again partner with Chris Boyer, Director Digital Marketing & Communications at Inova…
 
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    Digital Examples

  • Hellmann's Recipe Receipt

    16 May 2012 | 8:28 am
    A great case study from Brazil.  A partnership with a supermarket meant that if Hellmann's mayonnaise appeared on the till receipt, the supermarket would automatically print a recipe featuring Hellmann's and other items in the shopping basket.  This led to an increase in sales. A great use of data, and a great retail example.

  • Enjoy The Dior

    11 May 2012 | 4:14 am
    Dior make great use of digital media.  Previously they've done things like this with Guy Richie, and this with David Lynch; their latest uses Enjoy The Silence by Depeche Mode, and has had 17m views in a week.Full 4 minute version on the Dior site or here on YouTubeIt's a great track, and Depeche Mode are infeasibly huge, especially in Eastern Europe.  If you ever get the chance watch Jeremy Deller's film 'Our Hobby is Depeche Mode' which looks at the lives of passionate Depeche fans, largely from the old Soviet Union.Extract below - a fan version of the original…

  • Two examples of mobile interaction with TV

    9 May 2012 | 1:08 pm
    Both from this year, both very entertaining.Red Bull created this app using Shazam to let you see the mountain from the skier's point of view.  It ran during their show Red Bull Signature Series on NBC.  There were 4 different clips to watch See More Videos at AlliSports.com See More Videos at AlliSports.com Full info here& the TV channel FX UK created this to let you play a game while watching the show The Waking Dead. Seen any other good ones?

  • IKEA - Space to Rent

    8 May 2012 | 9:20 am
    A very clever campaign from Australia.  They positioned distributing the catalogue as the catalogue looking for space to rent.  The monthly rent cheques that they sent around were fro things like "$25 off when you spend $150" which is a bit cheeky, but the idea and the execution in press, outdoor, and other media was very good.

  • Things I Love - Monday 7th May

    7 May 2012 | 5:55 am
    Shit-Starter - collating some of the worst of KickStarter.  Lots of great examples of badly thought through projects.Henry Rollins' open letter to young Americans.  "You must never lower yourself to the person you don't like"(& if you like that, watch this)Okayafrica Mixtapes.  This is just the first one, lots more to come. Advice to young people who want to work in the music industry, from Digital Music News.  When I posted this on Twitter I got into a bit of a debate about whether jobs in the music industry were still worth trying for, but I think that there will…
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    Idaho Ad Agencies

  • Adclub Honors Chuck Christopher

    Brian
    16 May 2012 | 9:53 am
    May1712:00 pm The Lewis-Clark Valley Advertising Federation is honoring Chuck Christopher, recipient of this year’s Silver Medal Award from the Idaho Advertising Federation. The event takes place on Thursday, May 17th at noon at The Salsberg Room, Town Square, 504 Main St. in Lewiston. Cost is $15, and RSVPs should be directed to Michelle Ralston at 208-790-0672, or via email to info@lcvaf.com. More information about the event is available here.

  • May Lunch and Learn featuring Jared Miller

    Brian
    16 May 2012 | 1:43 am
    May1711:30 am The Idaho Falls Advertising Federation’s May Lunch and Learn Event is coming up on Thursday, May 17th starting at 11:30 a.m. The event features guest speaker Jared Miller, Marketing Manager at Idahoan, who will present on his company’s blend of traditional and digital advertising. The event will be held at Stockman’s Restaurant in Idaho Falls. Cost is $12 for members and $15 for non-members. To RSVP for this event, call Tina at 208-524-1777 or email tina@mightymcs.com.

  • A New Creative Director with a Familiar Face at Drake Cooper

    Brian
    10 May 2012 | 12:12 am
    Drake Cooper in Boise announced recently that Jennie Myers has accepted the role of Creative Director. Jennie has been with the agency for six years, and has led creative efforts for clients such as The Idaho Travel Council, CBH Homes, 44 North Vodka, Bodybuilding.com, Microsoft Office, Simplot, and The Idaho Department of Labor, among others. She also recently completed the Executive MBA program at Boise State University, serves as a board member of both the Boise Advertising Federation and AIGA Idaho, and is an adjunct professor at BSU. You can read more about the news (and see some of…

  • Rockie Awards – the Aftermath

    Brian
    25 Apr 2012 | 5:30 pm
    The 2012 Rockie Awards Show came and went last Saturday evening. Awards were won, jokes were told, merriment was had by all, and as best as we can tell, no one left the Egyptian Theatre with any major injuries. Now the Bullwinkles on the other hand… Congratulations to all of this year’s winners, and while we don’t yet have the final list of award winners, I expect that it will be posted on the Boise Advertising Federation’s website soon. And special congratulations go out to Chuck Christopher of Advantage Adverising, winner of this year’s Silver Medal Award,…

  • Pop Quiz

    Brian
    11 Apr 2012 | 4:18 pm
    Roughly two months ago the world watched Super Bowl 46. Off the top of your head, can you name five commercials that aired during the game’s broadcast? Ready, set, go.
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    retailwire.com

  • Coupons Get Personal with Check-In Service

    16 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    Foursquare, the popular check-in app service, will soon offer personalized coupons. Starting in July along with an update of the app, Foursquare will let merchants pay for special placement of personalized local offers. What do you think of the prospect of personalized coupons tied to mobile check-ins?

  • Macy's Stores Counter Amazon's Logistics Edge

    16 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    Macy's Inc. is doing a lot right these days. Same-store and online sales were all up in the first quarter of 2012 versus last year. The company has acknowledged that online is vital to its success and has made substantial efforts to integrate that part of its business with its traditional brick and mortar operations. Will the use of store locations to fulfill online orders close any perceived customer service gap between brick and mortar retailers?

  • Latest Fashions Hit the Streets in Trucks

    16 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    In the past couple of years, food trucks have become all the rage in foodservice circles as they have helped expand the notion of what can be achieved in the fast/quick service arenas. Now there are some independent merchants who think the concept will work peddling clothing and accessories. What do you think about the mobile boutique opportunity for clothing?

  • A Tweet Too Far - CFO Loses Job

    15 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    Francesca's Holdings, which operates over 280 women's wear and accessories boutiques in 41 states, announced that it had terminated the employment of the company's chief financial officer Gene Morphis after becoming aware he had "improperly communicated company information through social media" sites. Should all companies have a formal social media policy in place for employees?

  • Retail Customer Experience: Using Associates to Reduce Self-Checkout Theft

    15 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    While video analytics and other technologies may be the ultimate answer to reducing theft at self-checkouts, staffing the areas and training promise a quicker path to stem any losses. What role should associates play in reducing theft at self-checkouts?
 
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    Caliber Pulse

  • A ‘Gilded Age’ for Generation C – Mobile Marketing

    The Caliber Group
    2 May 2012 | 5:30 pm
    With the continuous rise of technology and digital accessibility, the marketing industry has found itself in the heat of what could be called the ‘Gilded Age,’ for mobile marketing. What can be attributed to the massive increase in mobile ad spending and mobile device use? Accessibility, accessibility, accessibility! Marketers know their audience well. Generation C, [...]

  • Facebook Timeline for Brands, Ready or Not, It is Here!

    Joy Wise
    6 Apr 2012 | 6:00 pm
     Facebook changed their format for brand pages to the Timeline a week ago today. What do you think of it so far? Are you using it to your brand’s advantage? Some of the updates are behind the scenes, but most are featured on your page.  We’ve pulled together a list of the top five changes [...]

  • Localize, Socialize, Succeed in 2012

    Joy Wise
    10 Nov 2011 | 4:37 pm
    As we cross the threshold of the eleventh month of 2011, we find ourselves once again in a unique position to reflect on lessons learned in the months behind us and apply them to projections and trends in the year to come. November Caliber Pulse articles will do just that. In this week’s post, we [...]

  • Are You Practicing Anti-Social Media?

    Joy Wise
    27 Oct 2011 | 6:44 pm
    There is more to having a social media presence than just posting statuses. Having a branded Facebook page may help cultivate an audience or garner high numbers of “likes,” but if you only post one-way marketing or media messages, your audience will eventually lose interest. A page’s number of followers pales in value compared to [...]

  • Who Should Manage Your Company’s Social Media?

    Joy Wise
    4 Oct 2011 | 5:50 pm
    Now that you’ve taken the plunge into the world of social media, you are faced with yet another decision. How do you find the best person to maintain your company’s message? The importance of this decision cannot be overlooked. Social media has opened a window that gives your customers a more personal connection with your [...]
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    Ad Mavericks

  • Planning Your Brand’s Divorce from Facebook

    Josh Fleming
    16 May 2012 | 7:44 am
    The Wall Street Journal announced that General Motors planned to stop advertising on Facebook. The article cited that the suits at GM said Facebook’s “paid ads had little impact on consumers’ car purchases.” However, GM plans to continue to utilize Facebook pages which are to this point, still free. With click thru rates reported at 2 in every 10,000 (for those of you playing at home, that’s awful), Facebook is about to cash in on a huge IPO for a model based on volume, not results. Some of our clients advertise on Facebook, but typically no more than $50-$100 a…

  • Lessons from The Ad Contrarian

    Tom Flynn
    14 May 2012 | 1:13 pm
    I spent the better part of last week soaking up the sun in Los Angeles while attending the semi-annual meeting of the Intermarket Agency Network (IAN), of which Lessing-Flynn is a member. I had the opportunity to meet Bob Hoffman, “The Ad Contrarian” … and my new advertising hero at a recent meeting. Bob runs an ad agency – Hoffman/Lewis – with offices in San Francisco and St. Louis. Bob isn’t your typical “the sky is falling, death of traditional media, it’s the digital way or the highway” doomsdayer. In fact, he’s quite the…

  • Now is the Time to Build Your Professional Digital Brand

    Jess Held
    1 May 2012 | 9:34 am
    Recently a client executive asked me, “Should my key marketing and PR professionals be engaged personally in social media?” My response was, “ABSOLUTELY!” Regardless if your company is using social media today as a communications or PR tool, it is equally important the professionals in your organization are engaged as well, either personally or professionally.  Here are a few key reasons why: Networking: Social media networks give you a forum to follow like-minded individuals, ask questions of peers and gather a wide range of expertise and perspective. Social media…

  • Don’t Make Promises Your Brand Can’t Keep

    Josh Fleming
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:49 am
    To kick off the 2012 Major League Baseball season (PUT BUTTS IN SEATS), The Kansas City Royals launched a campaign called “Our Time.” With the 2012 All Star Game to be played in Kansas City, the Royals were banking on optimism to sell tickets and inspire people to care about the Royals. Ads featured players like Eric Hosmer (and others you’ve never heard of) in videos talking about this being the “Royals time.” And by calling this “Our Time” we as consumers were led to believe that there is finally something to root for. You see, the problem is, the…

  • Engagement in real life – With 140 Characters or so…

    AdMavericks
    17 Apr 2012 | 9:36 am
    Guest Blog Post by Deb Brown. Engagement in real life is more valuable than we realize. Many of the speakers at the State of Now/140 Character Conference have a large following online – and that’s good. But there’s nothing better than meeting people in person. Here’s your opportunity to connect with these online leaders! You meet people online, you have a discussion, you either continue to have discussions or you fade away from that circle. I’ve worked very hard to have meaningful discussions that turn into meetings in real life. Because, for me, that’s where the real magic…
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    Idea Marketing

  • Why salespeople should sell ideas: an FAQ

    Chris Koch
    15 May 2012 | 4:48 pm
    We all know the increasing importance of ideas in B2B marketing. But idea marketing doesn’t start and stop with marketers. For the program to be successful, those ideas must find their way into the hands of salespeople. And I’m not sure that salespeople share the same passion for ideas as we do. I think they need to be convinced. Please tell me if you think the following does the job: Relationships are what matter in selling. Why should I start selling ideas instead? Relationship selling skills matter more than ever. Idea selling isn’t a replacement for any current selling…

  • How to write blog posts from a white paper

    Chris Koch
    23 Mar 2012 | 3:24 pm
    If you’re a corporate marketer like me, no doubt you’ve been put in the situation I faced this week: you have a white paper that an external content person created for the company and now you need to make that content social. It’s an important part of social media management. Let’s face it, there are some B2B executives who wouldn’t read a white paper even if you threatened them with lima beans (what, you like lima beans? Eeewww!). ITSMA research shows that buyers want the whole menu of content—not just a white paper here or a video there. So this week I went back to the white…

  • 6 ideas for sifting the mobility chaos

    Chris Koch
    12 Mar 2012 | 5:52 pm
    For about 20 years (sad to say I was a journalist for even longer than that) it seemed that every white paper that crossed my desk began with some variant of this sentence: “As the world becomes more global and interconnected, businesses need a way to see through the complexity. [Hire us.]“ But now the ubiquitous opening sentence seems to be: “Businesses are awash [drowned, buried, you get the idea] in data. In this increasingly global and interconnected world [hey, we can't deny the past, right?] of data overload from social media and mobile phones, businesses are looking…

  • Four reasons to hate thought leadership

    Chris Koch
    4 Feb 2012 | 5:06 pm
    You may have noticed that I’ve changed the name of my blog. I’ve changed it for two reasons. First, because I’ve left ITSMA and joined SAP, where I will focus on marketing the good ideas of the many subject matter experts there. I’m going to share my experiences in helping to build an engine for developing and disseminating good ideas for SAP (with names changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike). I won’t be focusing on B2B marketing in the broadest sense anymore; I’ll be narrowing things to idea marketing (and the role that social media play in it).

  • Koch to S(blank)0s: Drop Dead

    Chris Koch
    16 Dec 2011 | 3:01 pm
    In 1975, New York City was a real s—thole (I should know, I was a teenager growing up in the area at the time—yes, I’m that old). Dangerous, dirty, rundown, corrupt, without a trace of its current chicness and style, and, most significantly, broke. Image via Wikipedia Now, this isn’t a political blog so I’m not going to take sides, but the rap on the city down in Washington, D.C. at the time was that the pain was all self-inflicted (a raging recession notwithstanding). The city was on its knees because it had been sucker-punched by a bunch of pantywaisted, tax-and-spend liberals…
 
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    Creativity_Unbound

  • Don Draper exhibits a creative director’s worst qualities

    edward boches
    15 May 2012 | 3:31 pm
    Don leaves his copywriter's boards in the back of the cab and presents his own idea instead Anyone who’s been watching MadMen Season 5 can’t help but notice the deterioration of Don Draper’s creative skills. He hasn’t had a good idea in a year. The brilliance once demonstrated in the Kodak Carousel pitch have blurred into distant memory. And as he sits in his office noting that the agency’s latest reprints (remember reprints, with varnished borders?) all prominently feature the name of the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce’s newest star, writer Michael Ginsberg, not even a…

  • My chapter in Advertisers at Work

    edward boches
    7 May 2012 | 8:05 pm
    Professor Tracy Tuten's new book, "Advertisers at Work" Any day now, Professor Tracy Tuten’s new book, Advertisers at Work  should be released. Tracy conducted interviews with a host of professionals in the business, among them Mike Hughes, president of the Martin Agency; Luke Sullivan, chair of the advertising department at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD); Susan Credle, chief creative officer of Leo Burnett; and, surprise, me. Thought I would post some of my long interview (in which I shared way too much, fortunately none of it damning) here. To Tracy’s…

  • The digital havoc continues; next target the CMO

    edward boches
    4 May 2012 | 2:02 pm
    Airbnb leverages Craiglist customers to acquire more of its own using marketing techniques that no traditional CMO would ever imagine We all know that the road from the world of print and broadcast to a new place where digital, social and mobile reign, is littered with once prominent agencies and individuals who got left behind. Those of us who are still around have managed, in one way or another, to transform ourselves. We’ve learned new skills. Hired different kinds of talent. Changed how we work. Re-structured our work spaces. And learned to live in beta, knowing that whatever we…

  • Why ad agencies should embrace A/B testing, too

    edward boches
    26 Apr 2012 | 3:16 pm
    With Otimizely, I could even A/B test this blog post. A few years ago, when Facebook engagement ads were just taking off, Kevin Colleran, at the time still working for the social media behemoth (he was employee number 10 and its first sales executive; now a venture capitalist, what else?) told me that the way to make your Facebook ads really effective was to give the network three or four versions and let Facebook test them in a real environment.  That way Facebook could virtually guarantee the efficacy of your brand message. He mentioned that you’d be surprised what performed best. For…

  • Women I admire, presented in a Springpad notebook

    edward boches
    17 Apr 2012 | 6:22 pm
    A Springpad Notebook that includes images, links, books, video, playlists As part of its upcoming Women’s Leadership Forum, the Ad Club of Boston asked a group of us  to write blog posts about women we admire. I could have written a traditional blog post about the many women who have in one way or another left lasting impressions on me. But since I’ve been working with my friends at Springpad, I thought it might be more fun to create my blog post in the form of a notebook. Take a look. Even in a single spring I can include video and links to playlists Typically I don’t use…
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    More Than A Logo

  • Facebook, take credit for what you do!

    Nicole Armstrong
    21 Apr 2012 | 4:27 pm
    Facebook - THE Social Network. It's used by 800 million+ people regularly. So regularly, that there are people who check Facebook first thing when they wake up, before they go to be and, yes, sometimes in the middle of the night! Facebook has made us realise and amplify our need to be social and remain connected. They have done this so well that its market value is around 100 billion dollars! But I read an Interbrand article the other day that made me realise, that while Facebook satisfies people's connections today, this perfectly seamless utility isn't taking credit for the role it…

  • Lets Play A Game

    Nicole Armstrong
    5 Mar 2012 | 4:17 pm
    This past week, I participated in M&C Saatchi's first hack day, Game5hack, which was 6 teams building fully functional online based games over two days. It was the first time I had ever done something like this, and I'm certainly glad I did, and it won't be the last. What a great experience! As a strategist, who believes everything an organisation creates should be dedicated to delivering the brand's promise, it was really great to be exposed to the world of play - something that doesn't necessarily have purpose other than to be fun and entertaining! It was wonderful to let brainstorming…

  • Contextual Content is King

    Nicole Armstrong
    29 Jan 2012 | 1:58 pm
    Note: This is the first program to air on TV, where people started to see a meaningful need for one of these big boxes in their home over a radio. I've been thinking a lot about content lately, and how we've grown to be so dependent on it. But not only that, it has to be the right content on the right channel in the right moment.  Content is no longer king on its own. Rather, it's contextually relevant content that's king. This concept isn't new in the slightest. Just look at the TV.  No one could rationalise why they would ever need a TV over a radio for information and…

  • Patagonia - Legally Bound to its Purpose

    Nicole Armstrong
    21 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    Finally, a brand, other than Apple, we can express immense admiration for, or as my flatmate tweeted this week, "open-mouth kiss" - hello Patagonia! Last week, I wrote about its Common Threads initiative, where Patagonia clearly establishes its role/purpose within the global community - "to build useful things that last, to repair what breaks and recycle what comes of its useful life"- then asks its customers to do the same to help accomplish its purpose. Now, Patagonia has asked the government to help it truly live by its purpose without boundaries, becoming California's first Benefit…

  • 2012 - Let's Say Less and Play More

    Nicole Armstrong
    16 Jan 2012 | 1:00 am
    Image Found Here Happy 2012!!  I think we're in for another exciting year, and I'm rather pleased where branding is going, maybe slowly, but it's in the right direction...let me explain... With so much distrust and uncertainty - lots of skepticism - towards corporations and advertising, people are more receptive to brands that are consistent in their actions, transparent with information and good to everyone around them. However, a consistent, transparent and good brand cannot be developed through an ad campaign any more. People are too smart and have endless access to information…
 
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    Marketo B2B Marketing and Sales Blogs

  • 5 Content Marketing Lessons from Gene Simmons of KISS

    Jason Miller
    16 May 2012 | 10:42 am
    by Jason Miller With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, KISS is arguably one of the biggest and most successful bands on the planet. Led by the marketing genius that is Gene Simmons, they continue to reach new audiences while engaging lifelong fans. Gene Simmons may be best known as the fire-breathing, bass playing demon in one of the most influential rock bands in history, but he can also teach us a thing or two about content marketing. KISS is a rock n’ roll band, but it is also a business and Gene Simmons is the CEO. Gene has showcased his entrepreneurial  expertise through…

  • Using Big Data as Revenue Driver: Interview with Data.com’s Andy MacMillan

    Jason Miller
    15 May 2012 | 4:37 pm
    by Jason Miller We are less than one week away from the 2012 Marketo User Summit and the lineup we have in place for keynotes includes the top thought leaders in sales and marketing. One of which is Andy MacMillan, Salesforce Data.com’s Senior Vice President of Products and Marketing. We are excited to welcome him to our blog to give us more details about Data.com and how businesses can use big data to drive revenue. Please provide a brief overview of your business. What do you do? When was it formed? How many employees do you have now? How is your company aligned to deliver/support…

  • Loosening your Prospect’s Status Quo is Demand Generation Job #1: Three Ideas for How to Do It

    Jason Miller
    14 May 2012 | 2:19 pm
    by Jason Miller I’m pleased to welcome Tim Riesterer, Chief Strategy and Marketing Officer at Corporate Visions, as a guest blogger. Corporate Visions helps global business-to-business customers create more sales opportunities, overcome the status quo, and win more deals by improving the conversations sales representatives have with customers. Tim has more than 20 years of experience in Marketing and Sales, and is the co-author of Customer Message Management: Increasing Marketing’s Impact on Selling. We are thrilled to welcome him. We’ve been Marketo customers almost since the…

  • LeadMD’s Justin Gray Reveals 3 Components to Maximizing Marketing ROI, Industry Trends of the Future and More

    Jason Miller
    11 May 2012 | 1:56 pm
    by Jason Miller Here at Marketo we are very excited about our upcoming 2012 Global User Summit. We have a stellar lineup of keynotes including LeadMD CEO & Chief Marketing Evangelist, Justin Gray. We are pleased to welcome him to the blog to share strategies and best practices for attracting today’s elusive buyer and rising above the choppy economy to achieve unprecedented revenue growth. Please tell us a little bit about LeadMD and how your company aligns to deliver/support cloud services to your customers? Gray: I founded LeadMD in 2009 to help businesses generate and manage leads…

  • Dave Kerpen Discusses How to Make Your Business “Likeable” With Social Media

    Jason Miller
    11 May 2012 | 11:57 am
    by Jason Miller Dave Kerpen is the co-founder and CEO of Likeable Media, an award-winning social media and word-of-mouth marketing firm. He is the author of the New York Times best seller Likeable Social Media: How to Delight Your Customers, Create an Irresistible Brand, and Be Generally Amazing on Facebook, and speaks at dozens of marketing conferences and webinars each year. Marketo recently caught up with Kerpen to get his thoughts on a few hot topics regarding social media marketing. In the following three minute video Kerpen briefly discusses: How Likeable Media provides strategies to…
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    adverlicious

  • Ford Taurus “Rocket Science” 300×250 w/ Carl Edwards

    admin
    15 May 2012 | 8:49 pm
    Hey! We've got ads that are similar to this one: Ford Mustang GT “Kelly Clarkson” 300×250 w/ Kelly Clarkson Ford 2008 Taurus X “Quick Enough, Strong Enough” 300×250 Ford Fusion “Its Good Looks Will Shock You” 300×250 Jaguar XF “We Start Off With A Vision” 300×250 Jaguar XF “This Is The New Jaguar” 300×250

  • Bud Light Lime “Lime-A-Rita” 300×600

    admin
    15 May 2012 | 8:46 pm

  • United Kingdom “Business Is Great Britain” 300×250 w/ Richard Branson

    admin
    15 May 2012 | 8:43 pm
    Tags: 300x250, All others, celebrity endorsement, economic development, Great Britain, Richard Branson, United Kingdom, Virgin, Virgin Atlantic

  • Google Chrome “What You Make Of It” 300×250

    admin
    8 May 2012 | 2:26 pm
    Hey! We've got ads that are similar to this one: Google Chrome “Chrome Shorts” 300×250 Google Chrome “Chrome Fast” 300×250 Google Chrome Web Store “Open For Discovery” 300×250 Google Chrome “Chrome Simple” 300×250 Google Chromebook “Nothing But The Web” 300×250 Tags: 300x250, Google, Google Chrome, Online services, search engine, software, Technology

  • Google Chrome “Do More With Apps” 300×600

    admin
    8 May 2012 | 2:22 pm
    Hey! We've got ads that are similar to this one: Google Chrome “You’ll Be Surprised” 300×600 Google Chrome “Chrome Shorts” 728×90 Google Chrome “Chrome Shorts” 300×250 Google Chrome “Download Google Chrome” 300×250 Google Chrome “Chrome Fast” 300×250 Tags: 300x600, Google, Google Chrome, Online services, search engine, software, Technology, web browser
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    Fletcher Prince

  • May Network-and-Lunch Report

    Mary Fletcher Jones
    16 May 2012 | 7:18 am
    We had another fun monthly network-and-lunch event yesterday, this time at Pilin Thai in Falls Church, Virginia. Attending were David Hyson, Mary Fletcher Jones, Susan Rink, Robert Udowitz, and Connie Rhind.  Heathere Evans-Keenan made a quick stop to say hello. As usual, the conversation revolved around public relations and communications projects.  We discussed best practices [...]

  • New work: website and blog for PRofessional Solutions

    Mary Fletcher Jones
    15 May 2012 | 1:48 pm
    We recently completed the new website/blog for our client, PRofessional Solutions.  If you are interested in public relations, be sure to subscribe! Filed under: Client/Agency Relationship Tagged: PRofessional Solutions

  • Follow Friday Twitter List of the Week: Washington Business Journal

    Mary Fletcher Jones
    11 May 2012 | 8:35 am
    Work in public relations?  Building your media contact list?  Follow my public Twitter list of Washington Business Journal contacts. Follow Book of Lists ‏ @WBJBookofLists Weekly top 25 lists ranking everyone and everything there is in Washington business. Follow Michael Neibauer ‏ @NeibsWBJ Regional economic development, government reporter with the Washington Business Journal. Follow Missy [...]

  • To live tweet, or not live tweet: that is the question

    Mary Fletcher Jones
    9 May 2012 | 1:38 pm
    Joan Stewart posted a great opinion article on her blog, The Publicity Hound, last week on live tweeting.  Joan made the points that live tweeting during a presentation takes away from the experience, as a participant.  For example, while live tweeting, an attendee can miss points made during the presentation. Live Tweeting Can Throw Off [...]

  • New Email Marketing Newsletter for PRofessional Solutions

    Mary Fletcher Jones
    8 May 2012 | 1:06 pm
    David and I were pleased to work on PRofessional Solutions‘ latest marketing project, a new email marketing campaign.  The inaugural edition of the monthly newsletter, Smart Solutions, is packed with public relations tips for annual meetings, conferences, and Capitol Hill Days. Thanks for checking it out and sharing it with your colleagues you think would [...]
 
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    Healthy Conversations

  • A trifecta for our healthcare and medical marketing

    Eric Brody
    4 May 2012 | 7:20 am
    The 2012 Aster Awards for healthcare and medical marketing were announced this week. The Program is an elite competition recognizing the nation’s most talented healthcare marketing professionals for outstanding excellence in advertising. Congratulations to our clients and Trajectory teams who posted a great showing. Our three submissions each received top awards. For The Reading Hospital Women’s Health Services, we received a Judges Choice award (one of only seven in country) for our Total Advertising Campaign. It included broadcast, print, out-of-home and online – all…

  • Healthcare marketing insights: Trajectory study results

    Eric Brody
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:17 am
    Trajectory Uncovers How Women Feel About Their Primary Physician Relationships The qualitative survey among Trajectory’s proprietary database of HerView™ participants sheds light on how women feel about their primary care physician relationships. How do they characterize the care they’re receiving today; and what other factors play into their opinions? Five key findings reveal the changing nature of this relationship, and are important for physician practices, healthcare marketers and healthcare leadership. For many patients, primary care physicians are the front line of the…

  • Could your healthcare system brand really compete?

    Eric Brody
    9 Apr 2012 | 8:49 am
    It’s five years from now. Your healthcare system, hospital or physician group competitive set has grown to resemble that of most other categories. The power has shifted to consumers. They have multiple options and are heavily influencing each others choices through their feedback and communities. Brand actually drives a disproportionate share of the purchase decision. Ask yourself – HONESTLY – if this was the case, how effectively could you compete? Beyond the table stakes technology, infrastructure, skilled physicians? Do you stand out? Stand for something? Have you…

  • Your organization’s rebranding: how you know it’ll be great

    Eric Brody
    2 Apr 2012 | 8:01 am
    We were in a strategy session last week with a Board sub-committee of a healthcare system client. Our goal was to get their approval to take our branding recommendations down the line for other required approvals. But we got hung-up. In a great way. We were reviewing one more time our recommended set of values that would guide the organization’s activities, how colleagues (not employees) would work together and choose among competing priorities. It was accepted that the values were on target. They were borne out of our many internal conversations, a quantitative study across primary and…

  • 3 key findings from Ad Age Insights/Modern Healthcare study

    Eric Brody
    26 Mar 2012 | 7:54 am
    A joint trend report from Ad Age Insights and Modern Healthcare set out to understand current generational attitudes toward healthcare and health decisions, and how the role of caregivers can influence healthcare purchases. They surveyed more than 25,000 consumers. Three key findings that impact both healthcare providers and marketers of healthcare products: • all age groups preferred to receive communications about health care via e-mail, followed by mail, phone and text messaging. The margins between email and other modes were wide in all but the most rural areas. • a near majority of…
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    Marketing Donut feed

  • How to integrate email and mobile marketing

    DMA_EMC
    16 May 2012 | 5:01 am
    Over the past year, the marketing world has seen mobile become a key tool for marketers with the channel being further integrated with others, such as email. With this in mind, marketers must ensure that their email campaigns are formatted so they can be easily viewed on mobile devices, including smartphones and now tablets. A recent review by Forrester found that only 4% of email campaigns broadcasted had a deliberate consideration as to how the email would render on a mobile device. Much more needs to be done with mobile in mind so that marketers aren’t missing some fantastic…

  • How to use website analytics without breaking the law

    Robert Peters
    14 May 2012 | 9:59 am
    Are you interested in how many people visit your website, how they get there and what they view? I bet you are, we all are. The intelligence provided to us by solutions such as Google Analytics is incredibly important in building a relevant, focused resource that turns website visitors into buyers. However, from 26 May 2012, UK businesses using the cookies that enable us to track this valuable marketing information will be breaking the law. Full details of the changes and implications are detailed in the IT Donut Cookie Law Guide. If you’ve not already prepared your website for the changes…

  • Affordable advertising for small businesses

    Advertisingforsmallbusiness.org
    14 May 2012 | 4:54 am
    The majority of small businesses are owned and operated by a single person with a very limited amount of capital. In fact, many small business owners start their firms with life savings. So, money for advertising is in short supply. However, there are cost-effective ways for SMEs to promote their products and services. Here are six back-to-basics advertising ideas for small firms: 1. Special offers Sites like Grouponallow small firms to offer coupons and discounts. Another way to spread the word about special offers is to distribute leaflets in your local area, either door-to-door or by…

  • Prisk unveils the Enterprising Britain 2012 Award

    Kasia
    11 May 2012 | 4:36 am
    The business and enterprise minister Mark Prisk has announced a new competition to find the most enterprising place in Britain. He is calling on entrepreneurs from across the UK to nominate their town, city or region — asking them to demonstrate why their area is a hotspot for innovation and show how it supports small businesses, entrepreneurs and start-ups. The Enterprising Britain Award will also recognise the organisation that best promotes enterprise and the body that is most successful in encouraging businesses to export. Mark Prisk said: “We want to make 2012 the year of enterprise.

  • Goldman Sachs and UCL offer training for established small businesses

    Kasia
    11 May 2012 | 4:35 am
    UCL (University College London) has announced the dates for its next Small Business programme — from September to December 2012 in London. The 10,000 small businesses (10ksb) programme is funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation and is delivered by a network of industry experts at UCL. The training programme has been specifically developed for established SMEs and social enterprises. It aims to help them expand through training and one-on-one support from experts in entrepreneurial learning. The next programme will run from September 2012 and is free to successful applicants. Eligible…
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    Direct-Response Marketing Copywriter Tom Trush | Advertisements, Website Content, E-mail Autoresponders, Sales Letters

  • “The ‘You’ Effect” is Now Available — and Amazon.com Slashed the Price

    Tom
    10 May 2012 | 7:58 am
    I already posted on Tuesday about how to watch The Marketing Marathon I’m “running” today. So I won’t go into those details again. Instead, I’ll just get right to the point … My latest book, The “You” Effect: How to Transform Ego-Based Marketing Into Captivating Messages That Create Customers is now available through Amazon.com at http://www.theyoueffectbook.com. In fact, the online retail giant just slashed the price. So, at least for today, you can get the book for about the cost of two cups of Starbucks coffee. Good deal, right? Well, I just added to the unexpected price…

  • The Marketing Marathon Schedule is Set

    Tom
    8 May 2012 | 11:45 am
    Are you ready to see how much marketing insight your mind handle in one day? The schedule for The Marketing Marathon to launch my new book, The “You” Effect: How to Transform Ego-Based Marketing Into Captivating Messages That Create Customers is set. Here are the times and topics for this Thursday, May 10: •    10:30 a.m. ET — Kelly Trush — Social Media Strategies •    11:45 a.m. ET — Andy Renk — Mobile Marketing and Video •    1:30 p.m. ET — Charles Gaudet — Promotion, Product Launches and Positioning •    3 p.m. ET — Jeremy…

  • Free Kindle Book for Business Owners: Direct-Response Copywriter Tom Trush Giving Away “The ‘You’ Effect” on May 10 and 11

    Tom
    7 May 2012 | 1:53 pm
    PHOENIX–May 8, 2012–On May 10 and 11, the Kindle version of Tom Trush’s new book, The “You” Effect: How to Transform Ego-Based Marketing Into Captivating Messages That Create Customers, will be available for free download on Amazon.com. The book offers a message for big-brand executives blinded by a desire to showcase the greatness behind their companies … The marketing game has changed. “The good news is this transformation means more opportunity for small business owners and entrepreneurs,” stresses Trush, a direct-response copywriter who is also the author of The…

  • Watch for “The ‘You’ Effect” Commercial on Your TV

    Tom
    4 May 2012 | 7:24 am
    Super excited to work with Andy Renk at Venturian to test some national TV advertising for my new book. Here’s a sneak peak at the commercial — let me know if you see it in your city.

  • How to Increase E-mail Open Rates, Readership and Responses

    Tom
    17 Apr 2012 | 7:21 am
    My interview with Justin Premick, an award-winning e-mail marketing expert and director of education marketing at AWeber, is now available for free download. Thousands of business professionals have learned how to increase sales, profits and retention by reading Justin’s articles or by watching his presentations in person or online. His insight and advice on e-mail marketing has been featured by Inc., BtoB, DMNews, Target Marketing and numerous other business and marketing publications. Under Justin’s guidance, the AWeber blog has become a top source of e-mail marketing tips. Read by…
 
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    WordPress.com News

  • Stay In The Conversation

    Beau Lebens
    15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm
    It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

  • Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

    Sheri
    15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

  • Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

    Erica V.
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

  • New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

    Michelle Langston
    10 May 2012 | 8:11 am
    Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

  • Find Friends Who Use WordPress

    Nick Momrik
    1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm
    Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…
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    Tales From The Expedition

  • Who Has the Keys to Your Domain?

    24 Apr 2012 | 4:35 pm
    Way too often businesses have no clue who is the rightful owner of their domain name. When I say domain name I’m talking about a website address or URL, such as “francomedia.com”. We have seen too many times that business owners are not the owners of their domain. Sometimes it’s an ex-employee, long lost partner, or that computer whiz down the street. And when it comes time for a renewal or DNS change, you find out the hard way how difficult it can be for a business to obtain ownership of the domain they use for their website.So who is the owner of a domain name anyways? Well it’s…

  • Locked In and Locked Down

    9 May 2011 | 10:00 pm
    When you finally make the decision to start a web site, there is so much to consider, choices to make, paths to take. Usually people rely on experts and companies that specialize in web development hoping to limit their frustrations, gain better insights and save time. Options exist for making a site yourself and for some that's a task they're willing to take on and tackle, but most business owners are busy. Not only busy, but skilled in something other than programming, even marketing, and probably something other than graphic design. That's where the experts come in.Now I'm a big fan of…

  • Enchantment, the Book

    8 Mar 2011 | 8:57 am
    A couple of weeks ago, I was approached by Guy Kawasaki to review his latest book, Enchantment. Now, I'm not a book reviewer, I'll get that out of the way right now as to lower your expectations on the posting you are about to (are) read(ing), so I was a bit confused about why my opinion on his book would be important or even necessary. Keep in mind, that Guy is not a friend, colleague nor family member, so to ask me to review the book was really a bit of a surprise. I'm a nobody.As it turns out, this blog you're reading was listed on Alltop, Mr. Kawasaki's web site that lists top blogs in…

  • "The Social Network" - My Thoughts

    10 Nov 2010 | 9:08 am
    Mispronouncing the almighty Facebook by adding a 'The' at the beginning when I announced I was going to see 'The Social Network' garnered a few chuckles around the office - little did I know that it actually started off being called 'The Facebook' and thanks to a contribution by Sean Parker, Napster Creator, decided to drop the 'The'. I had a few reasons for going to this movie, and being in the line of work I'm in (Social Media/Online Marketing) I did feel especially compelled to see this one as soon as I could. It really holds more of a business interest and curiosity, than a need to see an…

  • Creating the Ultimate in Immersive Experiences

    27 Jul 2010 | 7:00 am
    It's been a while since we posted some marketing nuggets on these here pages. For a marketing company, there's no excuse for not telling the masses what you've been up to... heck, we preach that very thing.So, why haven't we?I'm glad you asked. You see, we've been neck deep in creating an immersive experience that we couldn't talk much about before last week... and since last week, haven't had the time to talk about it. The project we've been working on is probably the coolest project we've ever worked on.Really? Cooler than VoodooPC's Out Of Box Experience (OOBE) packaging project? Cooler…
 
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    DigitalMarketingLab

  • Internet TV Advertising – Taking Centre Stage

    Teresa Sperti
    12 May 2012 | 10:41 pm
    According to Nielsen’s online consumer landscape report, 24% of Australians are viewing some of their favourite TV programs on demand or via catch up TV. Read Full Article > [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Big brands throw their weight behind content marketing

    Teresa Sperti
    26 Apr 2012 | 8:42 am
    In the age of digital, content isn’t just reserved for publishers and news-site. With global brands like Coca-Cola investing heavily in content writing and brand Read Full Article > [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Digital – High On The Agenda For Australian Retailers

    Teresa Sperti
    9 Apr 2012 | 5:09 am
    It’s been a tough 12 months for Australian retailers and there is no end in sight. With consumer spending stagnating, Read Full Article > [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Tidbits from Ad-Tech Melbourne

    Teresa Sperti
    2 Apr 2012 | 7:33 am
    Last week Melbourne’s digital elite descended at Hilton on the Park to hear some of the local and global digital thought leaders share digital insights. I was fortunate enough to attend the first day... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Is Windows Phone Gaining Relevance?

    Teresa Sperti
    25 Mar 2012 | 5:59 am
    Last year, Windows phone was thrown a lifeline (well paid billions of dollars for one) by teaming up with Nokia to gain a foot up in the Smartphone market. Read Full Article > [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    Millennial Marketing

  • Snack On! Marketing Snacks to On-the-Go Millennials

    Carol Phillips
    10 May 2012 | 4:36 pm
    Guest Post by Carolyn Torres Kelley Millennials have busy social lives, and as a result they exhibit some interesting shopping habits specific to the candy and snack category. According to research by Barkley and BCG, Millennials tend to snack far more than older generations.  It is very common for Millennials to regularly have snacks in the mid-morning, mid-afternoon and late at night. The line between meals and snacks is blurring. Frequent snacking is an opportunity McDonald’s has seized with menu items like Snack Wraps and Chicken McBites.  Taco Bell also leveraged this trend with…

  • At Last, A Millennial Segmentation

    Carol Phillips
    18 Apr 2012 | 12:16 pm
    Millennials are the most diverse generation in history, yet there is a tendency to assume they are the same when it comes to their technology habits, political beliefs, shopping behavior, food preferences, media habits, and more.  Last week, I learned of the first publicly accessible “LOHAS”-type segmentation equivalent for Millennials. It was created by the Kansas City-based integrated marketing agency, Barkley USA, which sponsors the ShareLikeBuy Millennial marketing conference,  in partnership with Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Will this schema be applicable to all…

  • Why The Hunger Games Resonates With Millennials

    Carol Phillips
    30 Mar 2012 | 8:57 pm
    By any measure, “The Hunger Games” is a smash hit, breaking records for movie sales, book sales and music, all at the same time. Movie:  Bloomberg/Businessweek predicts the movie will to generate $350 million at the U.S. box office, with a chance to go as high as $390 million, putting it in line to surpass the $381 million mark set by the final “Harry Potter” film. Books: The books have already surpassed the sales of the Twilight series, with 36.5 million copies of the series in print. Soundtrack: The movie soundtrack debuted at number one on Billboard, displacing…

  • Young and Poor in America: Part II

    Carol Phillips
    28 Mar 2012 | 11:05 am
    Millennials may be poorer than they appear Late last year I wrote a post based on two recent reports using government data to document the seriousness of the financial squeeze on Millennials (Young and Poor in America, December, 2011).    The bottom line? There isn’t much of a bottom line for today’s young adults. Factors impacting their pockets are  fewer jobs, lower earnings, poorer job quality in terms of benefits, higher debt, and higher costs for education, rent and health care.  The data is a clear warning to marketers counting on discretionary dollars from young adults…

  • What the Occupy Movement Means for the Millennial Vote in 2012

    Carol Phillips
    21 Dec 2011 | 6:06 pm
    Strategic branding is based on insights about the audience you want to reach. To create a meaningful brand, you first need to understand what is meaningful to your target. For Obama and the Republican Presidential candidates, The Occupy Wall Street movement reveals a lot about what the Millennial market is thinking. Why Millennials Matter The Millennial vote will be pivotal to winning the election in 2012, just as they were in 2008.  In 2008, Millennials made up 17% of the electorate. Collectively, they accounted for a significant part of Barack Obama’s national popular vote. In 2012,…
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    Magnitude Media

  • Metrics Tips: Google Analytics Apps Gallery

    Leslie
    4 May 2012 | 8:44 am
    Google has a lot of hidden gems. Sometimes the best gems disappear (we really miss many toys found in Google Labs that have been deprecated, for example), but their Apps Gallery has staying power. One of the tools I didn’t mention in the most recent book, Social Media Metrics for Dummies (available June 2012), is the Google Analytics Apps Gallery. This book is designed to teach you metrics fundamentals and get you started on your measurement journey, or to increase your skill set if you’ve been taking a DIY approach to metrics for a while. Once you’ve got some metrics under…

  • Sometimes You Just Want A Little Guidance

    Leslie
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:39 am
    Lately I’ve been getting a lot of calls for guidance, or “quick” advice. Calls from startups who haven’t closed their funding round yet, from people looking to use the web to find work (or to hire), from small businesses struggling to see results or from mom and pop stores that are winging it on their own. So from now until the end of May 2012, if you are a small business or start up, you can book some time with me by phone to do just that, at a special hourly rate just for you. I hope it helps you. Once you get through the PayPal process, you’ll be taken to a…

  • Blurred Lines in Social Hiring Practices

    Leslie
    28 Apr 2012 | 12:27 pm
    This week a brief Twitter debate about hiring practices sparked the idea for this post. One of the concepts I teach companies I work with is the concept of the social company, and the ethics that go into becoming a truly social company. When you can use social media to find out anything about anyone, where do you draw the line? One of my Twitter connections wanted to spark a discussion on unique hiring practices. His tweet about doing Spouse Interviews for new hires to find out about their personal lives happened to catch my eye, and I felt compelled to reply. Setting aside the legal…

  • How to Set Up A New Twitter Account

    Leslie
    5 Apr 2012 | 10:25 pm
    This is a question I get asked often since we wrote Twitter for Dummies, so I made a quick video for you. Have fun on Twitter! Say hi to me there also, I’m @leslie How to Set Up A New Twitter Account View more videos from Leslie Poston

  • Social Media Metrics for Dummies: Ready for Pre-Orders!

    Leslie
    30 Mar 2012 | 9:54 am
    That’s right, the book is finally WRAPPED and ready for pre-orders! I am very excited to see my hard work hit shelves and I hope it helps folks learn about metrics and how to implement them in their social media and on their web sites. I’m already starting to see the book appear in mentions around the web, and I appreciate the sharing and recommendations very much. The official short link for the book is http://bit.ly/smmfd and the official hashtag for talking about it on Google Plus and Twitter is #SMM4D – I’ll keep the link updated to the best places to buy it as we…
 
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    Advertising and Marketing Ideas That Build Business | HEILBrice

  • Brush up on your Social Media Advertising

    admin
    14 May 2012 | 6:39 pm
    How much would you be willing to invest for 3,500 Walmart stores to carry your product? Do you think $28 would cover it? In this “Here’s An Idea!” Hal Brice discusses one of the best examples of Social Media Advertising he’s seen. Here’s an Idea!

  • Valuable tips for creating brand content that people ACTUALLY care about

    admin
    9 May 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Marketing strategies will maintain their mediocre successes as long as we keep expecting engagement and loyalty from our customers without giving them the same consideration. However, by investing time and resources to develop great gobs of gorgeous content with compelling, interesting messages worth sharing, the scales will tip, the pendulum will swing. Whether your goal is to galvanize public awareness around an important social issue or showcase new spring denim colors, aim to deliver relevant, sharable content for your customer across multiple touch points that connect to their life…

  • [VIDEO] United States unveils first-ever global marketing campaign

    admin
    7 May 2012 | 1:08 pm
    Brand USA has unveiled the first-ever comprehensive marketing campaign from the United States during a press conference at International Pow Wow, the largest travel trade show in North America. The campaign showcases the diversity of experiences available in the United States in a fresh and unexpected light, inviting visitors to ‘Discover this land, like never before.’ “Our goal is nothing short of rekindling the world’s love affair with the USA – the place, the spirit and the dream,” said Brand USA chief executive Jim Evans. “We want to spread America’s message of…

  • Projected Interactive Displays translate online shopping into the real world

    admin
    4 May 2012 | 12:28 pm
    Shopping online in many ways is both a more robust and dynamic experience. We have at our finger tips search engines & recommendation engines, user and expert reviews and filters. There is a curatorial context by which to consider purchases more in depth doesn’t exist in the real world. Perch Interactive is fixing that with their projected interactive displays that fuse the digital novelty of online shopping with the more tangible retail experience. The four person firm has developed a series of “Perch displays” as they call them, that project down upon tabletop counters various…

  • 5 MOBILE TRENDS for brands to watch

    admin
    3 May 2012 | 3:52 pm
    A highly-connected future is definitely on its way. Already, data shows that more than one third of American teens own an iPhone and the one-tablet-per-child initiative is a mainstay in South Korean and Thai schools. It’s easy to see what life will look like for the next generation of consumers, but will marketers be prepared? That will largely depend on whether they’ve considered these five… Read more Full article from Mashable.com
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    bWyse Blog

  • Timeline Movie Maker

    10 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    A while ago we stumbled upon a fun little Facebook application.  You can make a movie about yourself from your personal Facebook Timeline profile

  • Peggy Kahler Cornerstone Home Lending

    9 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    One of the most delightful loan consultants you’ll ever meet is Peggy Kahler of Cornerstone Home Lending.  We met Peggy about a year ago through

  • Facebook Changes Size of Profile Image

    8 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Two weeks ago Facebook changed the size of the Profile Image on the Timeline Page layout.  They’ve increased the display size of the profile imag

  • Salsa de Rosa Steven and RoseMarie Bryar

    4 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    One of our oldest and dearest clients is Steven and RoseMarie Bryar of Salsa de Rosa.  Ten years ago, Steven took a chance on a small, family-own

  • Essential Education Susan Evans

    2 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    One of the sweetest, most passionate women Wendy and I know is Susan Evans of Essential Education Enterprises.  Susan Evans works with people of
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    Marketfish » Blog

  • 3 Reasons Why Your Marketing Isn’t Working

    Ryan
    10 May 2012 | 12:06 pm
    Marketing is hard. Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying. So those moments when you’re struggling to improve on your last complain, figure out how to reach your target audience, or hit your conversion quota, take comfort and recognize that … Continue reading →

  • How Can Content and Outbound Marketing Work Together?

    Ryan
    8 May 2012 | 11:25 am
    The rocket-like ascension of content marketing indicates a significant shift in marketing strategy. It signals that marketers and advertisers understand the need to stop interrupting prospects, and instead deliver valuable content that prospects use to make an informed purchasing decision. … Continue reading →

  • How to Deliver a One-Two Lead-Gen Punch

    Sherin
    4 May 2012 | 11:16 am
    This week, a client reminded me of a very important lesson, direct mail still works! While digital marketing has certainly taken off, direct mail is still a fantastic marketing tool – when well-targeted. In fact, the stats are startling. The 2010 … Continue reading →

  • 5 Tech CEOs Weigh in on Facebook’s IPO

    Ryan
    3 May 2012 | 3:20 pm
    “Facebook is sitting on top of the one of the largest gold mines in the world in terms of data. But the question remains — can Facebook turn information into revenue while ‘keeping it real’ with its 900 million users? … Continue reading →

  • UBM TechWeb Joins Marketfish

    Ryan
    3 May 2012 | 11:23 am
    At Marketfish, it’s our mission to connect advertisers with their target audience. To fulfill our mission, we’re constantly adding lists of high-quality data to our platform. On that note, we’d like to welcome UBM TechWeb to Marketfish. The Lowdown:  As … Continue reading →
 
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    InfoProduct Marketing Insiders Tips And News

  • Launching Your Own Online Ebook Selling Business

    Jeff
    14 May 2012 | 1:59 pm
    I had a question from one of our InfoMarketer'sZone newbies that asked…"I have a 60-page ebook that's ready to go, but I'm stuck on what to do next?  How do I turn this into a business and sell my ebook online?" No kidding…it doesn't matter if you have the best ebook, course or information product in the world, if aren't capable of selling it online and marketing to get it in front of your niche market, it doesn't mean a thing. The other point I want to make before moving on is that having a "quality" or "good" ebook…

  • 5 Ways To Cause Social Media Mania!

    Jeff
    8 May 2012 | 1:01 pm
    So you aren't Justin Bieber or that other Justin guy with a Gazillion swooning followers, and maybe you are still trying to figure this entire "social networking" scene out…but you are smart enough to realize that you can't ignore it So you start yourself a Facebook page and open a Twitter account and you become a lurker…watching what other people are posting – nonsense and all! As 90%+ of what you are going to see if useless spam, you may immediately get the wrong idea about what the most effective methods of social networking really are…you may…

  • Google Penguin – A Surprise?

    Jeff
    7 May 2012 | 1:15 pm
    So Google updates its algorithm's once again (as they continually do anyway) and their target is…wait for it…spammy inbound links. There's the usual furor all over the web and certainly you guys inside Infomarketer'sZone have been asking about the impact on your new businesses, so let's try and make some sense of this shall we? As I weed through panic emails and comments from website owner after web owner and SEO specialist after SEO specialist I can't help but think about the young guy who goes out and has unprotected sex with 20 different women and then…

  • Is It Harder To Make Money Online – Video!

    Jeff
    6 May 2012 | 8:07 pm
    Did you miss the boat by not having started or moved your business onto the internet yet? Many people think so, but here is a quick video that shares with you how things have changed and how you can take advantage of an even bigger opportunity by starting your own online business today.. Watch it here: Share on Facebook

  • Why Not Self-Publish Your Own Ebook?

    Jeff
    4 May 2012 | 3:16 pm
    There used to be legitimate reasons to carefully consider your decision to self-publish your book or ebook… Too complicated – design, layout, cover, editing, production, distribution, etc… Limited Branding Potential – how would people know you had a book or ebook available How Will They Find You – it used to be that if you weren't in a retail store, you wouldn't be found Limited Publicity – not many self-publishers made it to TV or received reviews Black-Eye – until recently, you could tarnish your reputation rather than build it by going…
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    Marketing Trenches

  • Why Your Message is More Important Now Than Ever

    Will Davis
    16 May 2012 | 9:08 am
    A few weeks back, my wife and I had the rare opportunity to go out to dinner with another couple, and without the kids, which meant we got around to discussing topics for grown-ups at the table rather than juice boxes, straws, and crayons.  As we ordered our food and settled in, the couple we were with asked me how the real estate market was doing.  My confusion and blank look must have thrown them, so they followed up by asking, “Aren’t you in the commercial real estate business?”  I responded that no, I was in marketing, and the confusion continued until we realized how they had…

  • How to Turn Attending Events into Awesome Content Marketing

    Tracy Gold
    11 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    Creating a lot of engaging, quality content is tough. We’ve all got a lot on our plates. But especially if a big selling point for your company is expertise and knowledge, if your team attends conferences or work-related events, you’ve got content. Writing about events you’re attending is a key part of any content marketing strategy. It puts you in a thought leadership position without a speaking gig, gets you exposure without the bill for a booth, and validates your expertise in the eyes of clients and prospects. Not to mention, conference or event organizers, speakers, and…

  • Launching a Website: 5 Commonly Overlooked Items

    Alecia Farley
    8 May 2012 | 1:51 pm
    There’s a lot to consider when building a new website or updating your current one.  A while back, we wrote the post Building a Website: Basics to Know Before Starting. That’s a good place to begin, as it gives a broad overview of how to get your project off on the right foot.  Here, though, I’ll build on that post with 5 items you don’t want to overlook as you embark on this process. Hosting: What’s the good of having a great website if it’s always down? Here’s a few of the things to consider when deciding where you will host your site. What is the…

  • Every Story Tells A Picture Don’t It?

    Michael Teitelbaum
    3 May 2012 | 9:20 am
    Great storytelling truly paints a picture of your business: I believe in the title of this post, it’s not just a play on the old Rod Stewart tune, “Every Picture Tells a Story.” If the picture is vivid enough, it will resonate with your audience, influence their opinion of your company, and ultimately increase their desire to patronize your business. I currently provide marketing guidance to a home remodeling company located in Baltimore. Welsh Remodeling has been a fixture in the Baltimore area for over 50 years, and they’re proud of their Maryland Home Improvement License #49.

  • Why Our Job Descriptions and Your Cover Letters Are Mediocre (We’re Hiring!)

    Mike Sweeney
    26 Apr 2012 | 4:29 pm
    Finding and retaining the best talent is hard, even in an employment market that would seem to indicate otherwise. As a small business, we rely on some basic tools and assets to aid in finding the right people – emails, LinkedIn searches, phone calls, networking, social media properties, job posting sites, and of course…the job description. If you haven’t written a job description, know that it’s not easy to write a good one. Even harder to write a great one. Nearly impossible to write one that stands out in the sea of sameness, marked by phrases such as “great opportunity for the…
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    [mcgraw | marketing] Sales and Marketing Services

  • GM to yank $10M in Facebook ads, saying they don’t work

    patmcgraw
    15 May 2012 | 5:01 pm
    See on Scoop.it – marketing 201 The automaker began re-evaluating its Facebook strategy earlier this year. According to the Wall Street Journal, General Motors determined that while free marketing works on the site, paid ads don’t. Note from Pat: Nice to be able to identify and redirect 25% of your under-performing advertising spend, don’t you think?!   Oh, and note that the other $30M “…finances the design and upkeep of GM’s other promotional activities on the site, which don’t appear to net Facebook a dime.”   So much for…

  • How a Creative Brief Improves Sales and Marketing Performance

    patmcgraw
    15 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    One of the more common opportunities I run into is the business owner that gets too involved in marketing – writing copy, designing – combined with the head of marketing that has fallen into the role of ‘order taker’ and ‘project manager’ instead of ‘leader’ and ‘visionary’. To the business owner, I remind you that you created the position because you recognized the need for expertise you don’t have as well as the desire to focus on more important issues.   So make sure you hire someone that you truly believe can get the work…

  • Small Business Tips from Restaurant Impossible

    patmcgraw
    10 May 2012 | 9:10 am
    There’s a show on FoodTV – Restaurant Impossible  – that is hosted by Robert Irvine and offers some valuable lessons for all small businesses. The premise of the show is that there is a restaurant that’s in financial difficulty and Robert comes in to take a look, make suggestions and help the business turn around. And over time you start to see the same issues pop up… Always ask your customers for feedback – and respond appropriately.  Always ask former customer why they left – and respond appropriately. I lumped these two together because…
 
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    Multichannel Magic

  • Why You Should Benchmark Internal Metrics

    Debra Ellis
    11 May 2012 | 10:15 am
    Benchmarking establishes a reference point so you can gauge the success or failure of marketing and service strategies even when there isn’t an obvious cause and effect. We naturally want to know how our results compare to our competition and try to benchmark against them. It’s impossible to create realistic and accurate comparisons to other companies. Looking at the competition for insight into their strategy is a good thing. Investing resources in specific analytical comparison is wasteful and counter-productive. Use those resources to create solid internal benchmarks instead.The first…

  • Are Happy Customers the Goal?

    Debra Ellis
    9 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Serving customers well is the foundation of every successful business. Rarely will a company with sub-par service grow and prosper. People expect quality in customer care but is top-notch service enough to create loyalty and sustainable growth?If a study by the Corporate Execute Board is representative, the answer is probably not. The study was very comprehensive with 75,000 participants and revealed an ugly reality:20% of “satisfied” customers intend to leave20% of “dissatisfied” customers intend to stayOuch! The numbers suggest that pleasing customers may not need to be the top…

  • Why Benchmarking against Competitors doesn’t Work

    Debra Ellis
    7 May 2012 | 9:46 am
    One statement in “The Numbers that Really Matter to Your Business” got a lot of attention because people didn’t agree with it. I wrote, “There is simply no way to compare metrics from different companies and deliver realistic results.” Responses varied from simply stating that the reader disagreed to explanations as to why I don’t understand how things work.There are several reasons why benchmarking against competitors doesn’t work and won’t deliver realistic results. Before diving in, there is one qualification. My statement does not include manufacturing and bulk…

  • The Numbers that Really Matter for Your Business

    Debra Ellis
    4 May 2012 | 10:07 am
    Creating benchmarks that work to grow your business and improve profitability along the way requires an intimate knowledge of your company, customers, and team members. Your competitors’ metrics choice rarely matters except to provide fodder for bragging rights. If they have 10,000 Facebook followers and your company has 100,000, it may look good to your CEO but it doesn’t mean that you are ten times better. You may be much worse because their 10,000 may consist of loyal customers while your 100,000 are people who liked you when you said something funny or shared a viral video.The same is…

  • Customer Acquisition: The Fourth Pillar of Social Media

    Debra Ellis
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:58 am
    Customer acquisition is the only pillar of social media that cannot stand alone. Brands can attract tens of thousands of fans and followers without ever acquiring a new customer or making a single sale attributable to the channel. Ouch! That’s scary to think about. Imagine all of the resources that have been invested in social marketing over the last five years that haven’t generated one iota of return.Companies that offer deep discounts (like Woot!) draw new customers with incredible offers. Others like Apple have passionate fans that drive social activity with minimal company…
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    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.
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    Social Media B2B

  • 3 Ways to Get B2B Social Media Value from Google+

    Brad Shorr
    10 May 2012 | 7:20 am
    Many B2B marketers have already been scratching their heads trying to figure out how to make use of Facebook and Twitter. Along comes Google+, another social network that the average B2B marketer just doesn’t have the time to learn and master. There are, however, reasons to believe that Google+ will be more valuable to B2B companies than Facebook and Twitter put together. And since getting in early is a big factor in determining long-term success, B2B companies should test the waters with Google+ right now. Here are a few reasons why B2B companies, even in niches like restaurant card…

  • Dell Launches Social Media Training for B2B Channel Partners

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    7 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Dell recently launched a social media training program for its B2B channel partners “to help our partners fully leverage social media tools to improve the lines of communication while elevating their own marketing efforts.” The first live session will be May 8 and will cover the following topics: What is social media and how does it affect the channel How Dell is using social media and lessons we’ve learned How can partners can connect with Dell through social I had the chance to ask Laura P. Thomas, of Dell Global Channel Public Relations, some questions about the program. How…

  • Preview of Twitter Advertising Platform for B2B Companies

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    3 May 2012 | 7:51 am
    Earlier this year Twitter announced a partnership with American Express to make their self-serve advertising platform available to a limited number of small businesses. We signed up for SocialMediaB2B.com because access to Twitter’s advertising platform previously has been limited to those with big budgets. This leaves out many B2B companies. We offer this preview of what Twitter’s advertising platform looks like, so you can explore the option of promoted accounts and promoted tweets with the knowledge of how the platform works. Choose a target and a budget, and Twitter does the…

  • 6 Ways B2B Companies Can Use Social Media Gamification

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    1 May 2012 | 6:26 am
    A recent article on Marketing Sherpa discussed the idea of bringing gaming mechanics, or gamification, to the internal and external operations of B2B companies. One of several definitions in the article is using game-style systems of “goal setting, real-time feedback, transparency, competition, teams, etcetera — to motivate and engage customers and employees.” While not expressly tied to social media efforts, game-like rewards can be more successful when users have the ability to share them using social media, thereby amplifying the effect of the rewards. Below are six…

  • Amazon Launches B2B Business

    Jeffrey L. Cohen
    26 Apr 2012 | 6:00 am
    As the web has grown and more B2B companies have expanded their online presences, they have had to deal with the notion of Amazon as a competitor. Not in the normal sense of competition for business, but competition for attention. B2B companies have also had to contend with the Amazon experience. No matter what your business, as soon as you migrate it to the web, your customers expect an experience like they get at Amazon. This means easy navigation, filtered browsing, robust search, recommended products, customer reviews, simple checkout and reliable shipping. The launch of Amazon Supply…
 
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    JMP Marketing & Promotions

  • Auto Pinterest Marketer BONUS!

    Mel
    15 May 2012 | 10:49 pm
    Motivational quotes are HOT – on Facebook, Twitter, and of course – PINTEREST! You will get the following Auto Pinterest Marketer Bonus if you order it from any link on this or the Auto Pinterest Marketer Review page (which if you haven’t checked out yet, click the link!) Here is just a sampling of what you’ll get in this great package: So how do you claim your Auto Pinterest Marketer BONUS? Simply come on back here, go to the contact page, and enter your transaction details & PayPal email. Your bonus will then be emailed to that address upon verification. Pretty…

  • Auto Pinterest Marketer Review

    Mel
    13 Mar 2012 | 1:27 pm
    http://justmelpublishing.com/autopin - Check out my Auto Pinterest Marketer Review and discover how Auto Pinterest Marketer can help you. This product allows you to become a Pinterest power user in less time than you ever imagined possible!! Auto Pinterest Marketer Review: Auto Pinterest Marketer is a Pinterest Software which allows you to: - Automatically find images to pin from Flickr. - Automatically comment on and like other people’s pins. - Automatically re-pin images as well as follow your favorite pinners, all based on your keywords! Make sure you watch my video review above for…
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    The Internet Marketing Lounge

  • Advanced Marketing Tips for Facebook and Twitter

    SLV
    16 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    In order to really harness the potency of social networking to generate start up business, it&rsquos inadequate to easily have a few social networking profiles. You need to be proactive, passionate or a little crafty. Since they&rsquore the 2 biggest networks, let&rsquos focus on some advanced marketing methods for promoting your small business on Twitter. Analyze your rivals on Facebook Ideally, you&rsquoll use a Social Media Dashboard to do that across all types of social media marketing. But regardless of what methods or tools you use, it might be a good idea to…

  • How Social Media Wins for Your Small Business

    SLV
    13 May 2012 | 6:11 am
    One of the greatest misconceptions with online marketing solutions is that social websites is simply for large brands. Truthfully, a small business that invests its time wisely can improve customer (or client) loyalty and traditional word of mouth marketing efforts. Social media marketing is wonderful for virtually every kind of business. Cafes, retail stores, and also professional services can build their online reputation and increase trust. By taking advantage of social networking, businesses could make themselves more accessible, more personable, and look after long lasting connections.

  • SOPA And PIPA Explained

    SLV
    12 May 2012 | 8:49 am
    On January 18, 2012, several Internet companies created a synergistic blow that supporters of SOPA and PIPA never expected. Internet companies, including the likes of Google, Wikipedia, Mozilla, Twitter, Wordpress, Tumblr and Reddit staged a black out campaign to convey their protests against SOPA and PIPA. With current controversies concerning the usage of the Internet out on the loose, the online community is suddenly thrust into a pit of chaos and uncertainty. PIPA and SOPA supporters posit that the anti-piracy theme of these legislative acts is enough to cleanse the Internet in a…

  • Effective ways to load your website

    SLV
    22 Apr 2012 | 4:11 pm
    It’s correct that almost all of the internet users are switching to broadband connection, there exists still a large portion of internet users with taking place with good and decent dial up connection. Therefore, it’s very important to take this into account while designing an internet site. If your website takes great deal of time to load, the dial-up users will skip your services and and find your competitor. The writing belongings in the web site will load in quick time even on the dial up server. However, the photographs, videos and flash works will remember to load on web…

  • Search Plus Your World: Revolutionising Usual SEO Trends

    SLV
    17 Apr 2012 | 5:37 am
    What is Google all about? Google is about making creative decisions at the right place and at the right time. Its persistent algorithmic improvements over the past few years mirror what this Internet giant stands for: useful innovations that change the Internet landscapes. How does Google do this? It upholds and enhances what works, and drags what doesn’t. Is there a proof to Google’s supremacy? Surely, there is. Just recently, search engine market results depict how Google, yet again, overshadowed its search engine rivals like Yahoo, Bing and MSN. In February 2012, Google earned…
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    Blogging Tips on How to Make Money Blogging - Donny Gamble

  • Why Facebook will inevitably become the next Myspace

    Donny
    15 May 2012 | 8:04 am
    I firmly believe that Facebook won’t keep its monopoly on social media interaction forever. I may be in the minority in that opinion, but it seems like Facebook has been on the downward slope ever since the company made big changes to its interface last year (the changed layout, timeline, privacy settings, etc.). While it’s hard to believe that a service with over 800 million users could be in any trouble, I feel like it’s only a matter of time until Facebook joins the ranks of Friendster and Myspace, moving aside for the next big thing to take its place. It might seem like an unlikely…

  • Internet Entrepreneurs: Why Sink When You Can Swim: 7 Tips for Moving Forward

    James Martell
    8 May 2012 | 7:29 am
    As I‘ve launched my new internet business I now understand its strengths and unlimited potential. For those of you that have existing businesses and are continuing to struggle through the overwhelming cost of doing so, you too, need to look into an Internet business transition. Listen, there is no better time than now to enter into an expansion venture particularly on a global level. One of the more definitive ways to do this is to create an e-commerce/internet business. The ability to expand your business beyond borders and expose your products and/or services to a broader base of…

  • No Time to Wait: 5 Tips which will Help Your Website Load Faster

    Donny
    3 May 2012 | 10:42 am
    One of the most important factors in determining whether your website will be a success or a dud is the download speed. Nobody wants to sit and wait for some website to open.  It’s boring! If you are serious about creating a hot site then you need to do it the right way from the start.  Lucky for you, we’ve put together a list of 5 tips which will help your website load faster.  Follow them and you will be well on you way to burning up the Internet. These 5 tips which will help your website load faster are given in no particular order as they all play a part in making your website load…

  • How to Leverage Traffic from Pinterest

    Donny
    24 Apr 2012 | 11:04 am
    Pinterest is a fast growing social networking site which allows the users to share and collect the things they like on the Internet. Pinterest’s growth in both traffic volume and usage shows that it is an ongoing concern. Important things to consider before getting started on Pinterest 1.     Username: The selection of your username should be your name or whichever brand you want to promote. 2.     Profile: Your profile should be complete so that people can get to know about you. 3.     Interaction: You have to be interactive with other Pinterest users, like their pins and…

  • Top 10 Content Creation Tips

    Donny
    17 Apr 2012 | 7:23 am
    It is not enough to create a website and leave it at that. You must attract people who are interested in your website. The foundation of any internet business lies solely on the content available on the internet. The amount and quality of the content available on your website determine the amount and quality of the traffic that will come to the website. This article provides you with 10 top techniques of creating web content. The tips are as follows: 1.       Come up with new topics: Keep coming up with new topics that are within the field that your website is dealing with. Do not let…
 
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    Totally Uncorked on Marketing

  • The Importance of Internal Marketing

    Elaine Fogel
    15 May 2012 | 9:30 am
    Since I’ll be away from my office all day today speaking at a national conference, I thought I’d write about the topic of one of my two presentations – internal marketing. So, what IS internal marketing? It’s when organizations think of their employees as their first market – their internal customers. It’s when all employees are customer-oriented and work together as a team, no matter who their “customers” may be: business-to-consumer customers, business-to-business customers, professional services clients, donors, members,…

  • Best Times to Post Links in Social Media

    Elaine Fogel
    14 May 2012 | 8:37 am
    According to the url shortening site, Bit.ly,  the optimal time to achieve high click counts is similar for Twitter and Facebook. Posting on Twitter in the afternoon earlier in the week (1-3 PM Monday through Thursday) gives the best chance at achieving a high click count. Links posted on Facebook from 1-4 PM result in the highest average click throughs, with Wednesday at 3 PM proving to be the peak time of the week. Other facts to know: Facebook traffic begins to increase around 9 AM, and fades after 4 PM. The peaks of Twitter activity occur from 9 AM through 3 PM, Monday through…

  • LGBT Community’s Buying & Giving Power

    Elaine Fogel
    10 May 2012 | 12:06 pm
    In light of President Obama’s announcement that he supports gay marriage, I thought it would be à propos to examine the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) market. According to an updated analysis by Witeck Communications, the total buying power of adult LGBT individuals is projected to be $790 billion this year. The LGBT community is a big market, totaling 15 – 16 million people; that’s 6.7% of the U.S. population. Now, pay close attention: Almost half (47%) of LGBT adults are more likely to purchase a company’s products or services when an advertisement has…

  • Is Disabled Veterans National Foundation Fraudulent or Just Poorly Operated?

    Elaine Fogel
    9 May 2012 | 1:14 pm
    When a charity makes the news for being dishonorable, boy, does everyone cringe. How can people accept money from hard-working donors and then squander it? And on what? For “paying for fundraising services and doling out cheap giveaways,” explains an article in The Huffington Post. A CNN investigation shows that the charity “has spent tens of millions on marketing services, all the while doling out massive amounts of candy, hand sanitizer bottles and many other unnecessary items to veteran aid groups.” I checked Guidestar for the organization’s most recent Form…

  • Kudos to JCP for Inclusive Mother’s Day Insert

    Elaine Fogel
    8 May 2012 | 8:53 am
    Not only has JC Penney rebranded its stores and image, it’s also taken a position on what constitutes motherhood in America. In its recent Mother’s Day newspaper insert, the company uses storytelling to showcase its products for mothers. Each page tells the story of a different mother and her family. The first one has an East Indian-American woman and her three daughters. The second shows a mother with her special needs child, her sisters and mother. The third has a single mother with her three daughters and granddaughter. And, then comes the fourth: The story of a mother with her…
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    Access Brand Strategies

  • Speak American: Is Your Brand Culturally Relevant?

    14 May 2012 | 5:04 pm
    My family and I spent spring break in Haiti a few weeks ago with an organization called My Life Speaks.  We were warmly received by the locals working at the orphanage where we stayed, but since we don’t speak Creole, we had difficulty having a real conversation.  We couldn’t go any deeper than “good morning” and “thank you.”  There was a lot of nodding, smiling and pretending we knew what the other was saying.  Most of the time we each conveyed the general idea we were trying to get across, but it stopped there. We tried our best to be part of their culture, but our…

  • Romney and Obama’s Common Bond: Disconnect with New Heartland

    18 Apr 2012 | 9:29 am
    From what I’ve seen, most marketers don’t understand the New Heartland consumer. At all. There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. But many have wasted time and resources. And the results they’ve delivered, no matter how strong, are only a fraction of what they could have been. Obama and Romney share a common bond: a lack of an authentic connection to the biggest cultural segment in the US, the New Heartland. The majority of people in the New Heartland just don’t feel a kinship to either candidate. The New Heartland consumer is a unique segment that is ever-evolving and requires…

  • March Madness Personifies Core Values of the New Heartland

    20 Mar 2012 | 8:57 am
    Kentucky basketball enjoys near-religion status With March Madness in full swing, the Big Blue Nation (Kentucky, that is) is going wild over the prospect of adding another banner to its storied Rupp Arena.  All across the “new” Heartland, in fact, everyone seems to be deep in the basketball spirit, with many taking vacation days to veg in front of their TV.   That’s because our fanaticism for college sports starts, quite literally, in the womb. In Heartland states moms sing their babies to sleep – in utero – with their team’s fight song. We decorate nurseries with logoed…

  • Did the Super Bowl Ads Connect with the New Heartland?

    5 Feb 2012 | 4:46 pm
    Let’s be honest. Very few 30-second Super Bowl ads are really worth $3.5 million, no matter how huge the audience,  especially if a measurable sales lift is the goal. The true value is the buzz – talk around the water cooler, Facebook sharing, tweets and YouTube hits. To create this coveted viral spread, advertisers in past years have gone to great creative lengths to grab attention. But sometimes, the gratuitous use of flesh, sexual innuendo and stereotypes is a turn-off to the values-driven new Heartland consumer. Surprisingly, this years line-up was much less in-your-face than in…

  • Tim Tebow Teaches Brands a Lesson: Stay True To Your Message

    18 Jan 2012 | 4:48 pm
    I had a great opportunity to get first hand exposure to the Tim Tebow frenzy prior to the 2010 NFL draft.  Already a football history-maker and college superstar, Tebow chose to prepare for the NFL combine at a facility in a suburb of Nashville because people were mobbing him at his Florida training facility. The combine is an invitation-only event where NFL teams poke, prod, weigh, time and mentally evaluate potential NFL players before the draft.  Think cattle going to market.  As you may recall, his throwing motion was less-than-traditional and many didn’t believe he would be able to…
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    The Rise to the Top

  • The Dos and Don’ts of Hiring a Business Coach: A Conversation with Justin Lukasavige

    David Siteman Garland
    15 May 2012 | 8:25 am
    Today on The Rise To The Top: I know I said we were wrapping up the “learn how to do cool stuff” series (which we are) and getting back to awesome interviews with successful peeps, but this was a topic I couldn’t pass up because it is SO valuable. Hiring a coach. There are amazing success stories and disaster stories. How do you do it right? Justin Lukasavige, President of Lukas Coaching, is in the house today for a discussion on what to do and what not to do. Enjoy! I use RISE partner Wistia for video hosting because they rock. Check ‘em out. Audio Only Player: Click…

  • Rise to Success: The Amazing Story of Zach Even-Esh

    David Siteman Garland
    10 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    Today on The Rise To The Top: Welcome, my friends, to the new Rise To Success series on the show – by your popular request. Zach Even-Esh is here today to share his incredible story of entrepreneurial success in the most unlikely of industries (I’m not even going to spoil it right here, you just have to tune in below and watch). Get ready to be JOLTED into action and filled with ideas. Trust me. Enjoy. I use RISE partner Wistia for video hosting because they rock. Check ‘em out. Audio Only Player: Click here to download the audio file. Become a RISE VIP for Free. Enter Your…

  • How He Did It: 200 Videos, 200 Days, Half a Million Views with a Budget of 2K

    David Siteman Garland
    8 May 2012 | 8:02 am
    Today on The Rise To The Top: Wow, what a series it has been! The “Learn How To Do Cool Stuff” series is wrapping up on The Rise To The Top and you know darn well we are going to go out with a big one. Enter today’s guest, creator of Real Men Real Style Antonio Centeno, who is here to teach us how he created 200 quality videos in 200 days and scored over 1/2 a million views on a budget of 2K…and how you can do it too. Enjoy! I use RISE partner Wistia for video hosting because they rock. Check ‘em out. Audio Only Player: Click here to download the audio file.

  • Rise to Success Story: In Depth with the Billion Dollar Host Forbes Riley

    David Siteman Garland
    3 May 2012 | 9:17 am
    Today on The Rise To The Top: Ready for a ball of energy? If you’re like me, you love learning from stories of success…in every industry. Today is a 360-degree-in-depth conversation with fitness entrepreneur and billion dollar host Forbes Riley. We discuss so many big topics, including the art of pitching, launching a product even when everyone says you are crazy, branding yourself, and so much more. And…a special tour at the end of the show. Get ready to get fired up. I use RISE partner Wistia for video hosting because they rock. Check ‘em out. Audio Only Player:…

  • How to Cold Email ANYONE: 9 Steps to Get Any Meeting

    David Siteman Garland
    1 May 2012 | 8:29 am
    Today on The Rise To The Top: OK, so you need to reach someone big. How do you cold email them? Is there some kind of magic process? Enter today’s guest, Bryan Kreuzberger, creator of Breakthrough Email, who has solved this through incredible testing (I mean THOUSANDS of emails) and results that have equated into thousands of dollars income as a result of his cold emails/getting meetings with influencers. Enjoy his secrets today on The Rise To The Top! I use RISE partner Wistia for video hosting because they rock. Check ‘em out. Audio Only Player: Click here to download the audio…
 
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    Digital Connections - 360i Blog, Digital Marketing Agency

  • #SocialTV Spotlight: 8 Movers & Shakers from the Past 30 Days

    360i
    16 May 2012 | 10:59 am
    Spring has sprung and along with it a ton of exiting Social TV News. April was a wild month that included record-breaking premieres, flashy media upfronts, election developments and historic, digital signs of the times. Below are some of our favorite highlights from the past 30 days. 360i Social TV Spotlight – April View more presentations from 360i Game of Thrones breaks GetGlue. HBO kicked off the month by flexing their social muscles for the premiere of Game of Thrones Season 2. There was so much activity that the show drove multiple worldwide trending topics on Twitter and for…

  • Borrowed Influence: The New Symbiotic Relationship Between PR & Advertising

    Ellen Kane
    15 May 2012 | 10:14 am
    Since the Mad Men era, the widely held perception has been that consumers are only influenced by advertisements of shiny celebs and models – but social media and the rise of a new sect of influencers is turning this notion on its head. Recent research shows that consumers would rather receive marketing messages from bloggers or influencers that they are familiar with than a celebrity. Moreover, this preference ultimately affects their purchasing behavior (53% of female readers have bought a product based on a recommendation from a blogger). Cool Whip is using real moms as part of its…

  • Sweet Music: Join Coca-Cola & Jason Derulo for a Live Google+ Hangout

    360i
    15 May 2012 | 8:34 am
    For many teens, the pinnacle of ‘Happiness’ would be hanging out with their favorite pop star – of course few people are ever afforded such an opportunity. Well, this dream is about to become a reality for seven lucky teens thanks to 360i client Coca-Cola and Google+. As part of Coca-Cola and American Idol’s ‘Perfect Harmony’ program – in which fans can help singer Jason Derulo pen his next big hit – the brand has picked a handful of teens to participate in a live chat on the Coca-Cola Google+ page. You can watch the chat LIVE tonight at 7 p.m. EST, as Jason answers fan…

  • Bing Announces Social Updates to Search Results

    360i
    14 May 2012 | 10:19 am
    Last week, Bing announced the most significant update to its platform since its launch three years ago, by introducing a new social structure to its search results. Microsoft has had the jump on Google for quite some time now when it comes to privileged social data, winning both the Twitter fire-hose deal and enjoying a cozy relationship with Facebook. And with Tweet and Like counts clearly poised to be the new relevancy king-maker signals, the most surprising thing about yesterday’s announcement is that it took so long. In fact, a week prior to the announcement, it appeared Microsoft…

  • Digital Content NewFronts: Platforms Enter the Big Leagues to Allure Big Brand Dollars

    Jessica Sanfilippo
    8 May 2012 | 8:32 am
    There was a lot to digest after a week of events at the Digital Content NewFronts (DCNF), which wrapped on Thursday with Google’s BrandCast event. This year, the magnitude of the event trumped those of years past, with platforms proudly touting the power of native digital content to attract large brand marketers. This post brings you all the highlights from DCNF 2012. About the Digital Content NewFronts The DCNF mission statement, according to its site, is to “to shape a new and practical marketplace for connecting the wealth of native digital content with brand marketers and their media…
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    Kevin Franco's Weblog

  • Packaged Digital Rights Messaging

    9 May 2012 | 9:02 pm
    “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room…” is how Matteo Berlucci, President of Anobii, opened his address to publishers at Digital Book World this past January in New York. He was talking about Digital Rights Management, (DRM).Mr. Berlucci's presentation was compelling as he urged publishers to drop strict DRM and embrace a social DRM or watermarking style of rights management. This announcement, coming from the president of a book company owned by three of the world’s largest book publishers, certainly caused a stir. It generated a lot of discussion as well; not too dissimilar…

  • Everything Clicks

    19 Feb 2012 | 12:36 pm
    You ever wonder how somethings are just so easy, simple to use and frictionless to engage with? OK, maybe you don't, that's fine - most simple processes are taken for granted. They're just expected to be that way, right?I'm one of those weird people that obsess over simple things. Things that fit, things that are cleverly designed and things that just 'click'.Some of the most simplest things we see were extremely complex in their make up or design. This amazes me, I often take things apart visually, sometimes even physically, to determine what thought went into it for this thing to be so…

  • New York State of Mind

    15 Jan 2012 | 11:07 am
    I look forward to traveling to New York, it's one of my favourite places to visit in the entire world. I love the energy, the pace, the fact that everyone is going somewhere. I love the fact that every time you turn around you see something familiar, so many movies and television shows are set in New York City, something you really notice after visiting.I visited New York for the first time ever in May of 2010, been there several times since and will be back again and again. New York is always moving at the speed of light and I feel right at home with the hustle and bustle. It's I'm now…

  • Ebooks for the Masses

    27 Dec 2011 | 11:20 am
    Everyone remembers the Betamax vs. VHS format war, but do you remember the player piano format war? How about the rail gauge format war? In nearly every innovation since the beginning of time there have been a handful of contenders ready to bring a new way of doing things to market. And in each case, a victor has emerged and this has not always been based on the best option, but the most readily available, simplest to produce or the first to market.In many cases it has been industry itself that has decided on the winner of these contests, few times has the consumer been the decider. Whether…

  • Occupy Discussion

    20 Nov 2011 | 12:14 pm
    Typically, I avoid political discussions. Most issues are far too complex to fully understand with the little time I dedicate to learning about them, it's not that I'm not interested, I'm just busy. I like to think about things, process them and listen to a variety of opinions. I'm not afraid to admit that I flip-flop on my views on subjects as I hear both sides, and sometimes arriving at a decisive opinion doesn't ever happen. Sometimes, empathy is all I can resolve myself to.Listening to polarized debates where there is no outcome other than the spewing of one's one-sided convictions angers…
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    Never get out of the boat

  • value propositions

    15 May 2012 | 4:35 pm
    I've been in a number of discussions on the nature of value propositions lately. In the agency this debate has been principally fuelled by our current obsession with all things lean and subsequently the ideas of lean godfather Steve Blank.In a recent article Blank has pointed to the idea that there are in fact only two fundamental value propositions (ie the 'why') available to any brand, company, product or service.These are:1. It solves a problem. It is functional.Things like electricity, toothbrushes, washing powder or paracetamol tablets would often fall into this bucket.or2. It fulfils a…

  • the commercial benefits outweigh integrity?

    8 May 2012 | 4:52 pm
    Slightly saddened by the total crushing mediocrity of the miserable quote below from Kilmarnock chairman Michael Johnston regarding the Glasgow Rangers situation.As a recap Rangers have come a cropper and been under administration since February following the can of financial mismanagement worms being opened and revelations appeared detailing how the club used non-payment and evasion of tax to obtain an unfair financial and sporting advantage over every other club for at least the last 10-12 years.Rangers future is still in limbo following the collapse of a take-over bid from American…

  • eu estou sempre soprando bolhas

    6 May 2012 | 4:53 pm
    I remember reading recently, and being somewhat surprised to say the least, about the popularity of long lost east-end bootboy combo - and West Ham United crew - The Cockney Rejects, in Brazil, of all places.Apparently Stinky Turner and the boys are the toast of Torcidas organizadas, and West Ham tops are de rigeur in the punk rock clubs from Rio De Janeiro to Sau Paulo.This phenomenon may or may not be connected to a web application called Demand It! from Eventful. Demand It! users can 'demand' events, (eg concerts by now obscure east-end Oi-sters) and if they enough support can be…

  • which agency knows the 'brand' best?

    6 May 2012 | 4:09 pm
    One of the conundrums when making the switch from big agency land to small agency land is realising that the business development boot has landed squarely on the other foot.In my big agency days I quite happily trotted out the following statement to clients who's account was with said big agency [me], but whose heads were occasionally being turned by the advances of smaller boutique or specialist agencies who had a sniff of one or more parts of the client's marketing budget [them].'We [big agency] understand the brand. Why would [client] risk handing over any part of the marketing to [small…

  • KIT social program guide

    19 Apr 2012 | 11:03 pm
    It was just over a year ago that we launched Twelevision here in Australia, while I was at BBDO.It was our minimum viable product experiment in matching social data to the TV guide, and worked pretty well.Suffice to say the game has changed in 12 months and the new KIT Social Program Guide or SPG, is in all likelyhood shortly to become the daddy of social tv applications.Built on the same insight that led Twelevision - that people rely most on social data and influence when they are figuring out what to watch - the Kit SPG takes it up a few levels. The SPG has also cracked the conundrum that…
 
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    Rebel Industries Blog

  • Taco Trucks

    Cass
    7 May 2012 | 12:32 pm
    MediaPost was kind enough to mention our Camarena Taco Truck program in a recent article. The article credits us with pioneering the branded taco truck. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I do know that Camarena’s approach is very different from what Dos Equis is doing.   The Dos Equis truck offers consumers the chance to taste “foods” they may never have tried. Or may never want to try. Crickets, hog stomach…   By comparison, the idea behind the Camarena truck is rooted in authenticity. The idea was not about handing stuff out; it was all about…

  • Make Coffee With Your iPhone

    Josh Levine
    18 Apr 2012 | 11:43 am
    This may be the coolest thing I’ve seen in a while. Now I’m a bit of a coffee nut and also a serious fan of design and technology, so this one pushes all the right buttons for me personally. Plus, you can make coffee with your iPhone! But even if you’re not into those things, you’ll understand that this is some serious innovation in a category that needs it badly. Search Amazon for Espresso Machine, and you get over 1,200 results, most of which are basically the same. Sure they have different logos on the front; some are silver while others are black, and you have a…

  • Madria Sangria Fruit Stand

    Josh Levine
    27 Mar 2012 | 6:37 pm
    We got a little love recently from Event Marketer magazine on our program for Madria Sangria. Throughout the summer, you can find the Madria Fruit Stand popping up at beer festivals, bridal shows, arts fairs and other lifestyle events. Brand Ambassadors will be on-hand, having conversations, cutting up fresh fruit, and serving sangria samples. If you have an event and want the Madria Sangria Fruit Stand there, hit us up here.

  • We Do Weird Marketing

    Josh Levine
    16 Feb 2012 | 11:15 am
    In this interview with Seth Godin, in promotion of his 300th book We Are All Weird, Seth does a great job of explaining why Rebel Industries exists (thanks, Seth!). Weird means people who are embracing individuality instead of working hard to fit in. He goes on to say that the world is splitting into two groups: one that wants everyone to stay the same, and another that encourages individuality, tribal behavior, and weirdness. Clearly, the tides of change favor the latter group, and this is the group that Rebel serves. We market to the gamers, music fiends, tuners, foodies, art enthusiasts,…

  • Don’t Stop the Party Rock

    Josh Levine
    11 Feb 2012 | 2:49 pm
    How sick is this video? I’m a little biased. I’ve known Red Foo for 20 years. Been to his mom’s house. Gave him career advice (which he probably didn’t need and certainly didn’t follow), when he was a teenager sleeping on the floor of a studio off of Crenshaw Blvd. He produced a track for my first record deal — a demo deal with (then Columbia Records a&r) Randy Jackson for a girl group I managed. Okay, I know a demo deal isn’t a real record deal; that’s not the point. The point is I want this guy to win, and he is. Big. People all over the world…
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    The eMarketer Blog

  • May 11, 2012: eMarketer in the News

    Veronica Sepe
    14 May 2012 | 4:43 pm
    Here are a few of the top stories in which eMarketer data has been featured in the past week or so: Financial Times – Chief Calls AOL Undervalued After Patent [...]

  • May 4, 2012: eMarketer in the News

    Veronica Sepe
    8 May 2012 | 3:22 pm
    Here are a few of the top stories in which eMarketer data has been featured in the past week or so: Marketplace – Target vs. Amazon: A Battle Over ‘Showrooming’ [...]

  • April 27, 2012: eMarketer in the News

    Veronica Sepe
    1 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    Here are a few of the top stories in which eMarketer data has been featured in the past week or so: The Wall Street Journal – Facebook’s Growth Slows as [...]

  • eMarketer Webinar: How & Why B2B Marketers Are Turning to Social Media

    Daniel Caridi
    1 May 2012 | 10:01 am
    More business-to-business companies are using social media as part of their marketing mix. Some have found that LinkedIn is an effective way to generate leads, while more casual social media [...]

  • April 20, 2012: eMarketer in the News

    Veronica Sepe
    23 Apr 2012 | 11:32 am
    Here are a few of the top stories in which eMarketer data has been featured in the past week or so: The New York Times – An Online TV Site [...]
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    Vitamin IMC

  • Near…Far…Make Theatre Re-Releases the Star

    Dan Jennis
    15 May 2012 | 12:31 pm
    Several times this year, I have been in a movie theater when a trailer for a re-released blockbuster elicited a collective groan from the audience. It seemed no one wanted to see “Titanic” in super-duper re-mastered 3D, and just about everyone was ready to pass on the third incarnation of “Star Wars.” But re-releases inevitably make money, and these two films were no exception. Marketing for re-releases usually takes one of two approaches. First, promotional materials highlight some technical gimmick, like 3D, enhanced picture quality, or the addition of deleted…

  • Mad Men: Smoking, drinking, womanizing, and integrating?

    Katie McDonnell
    6 May 2012 | 9:51 pm
    As an integrated marketing communications student, people often ask me why I like AMC’s Mad Men, the Emmy-winning show that kept us waiting in anticipation (or annoyance) for more than a year before its record-breaking March debut. Maybe it’s the nostalgic appeal of old world advertising, glitz and glamour in all of its glory. Maybe it’s my fondness for everything and anything taking place in the 1960s. Either way, people seem to think the drama’s wide appeal comes from the loss of the way advertising and marketing communications operate. We’ve all heard it before: “Advertising is…

  • Could the “Something” in “Draw Something” be the “A” word? (For advertising, of course)

    William Mattiace
    2 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    What do Doritos, Madonna, The Bieber, MacBook, Gameboy and Titanic all have in common? Nothing really, except recently I’ve been asked to exercise my paintbrush . . . errrrr fingertips . . . and “draw” these well known words in OMGPOP’s ridiculously addicting mobile app “Draw Something.” I select Doritos for three points! That will be fun to draw—little orange triangles and the colorful silver bag. It’s all coming together in my right brain. But hold on just a minute! My left brain, my data-driven IMC brain, steps in to stop the creative genius dead in its tracks.

  • Google’s “Project Glass” Experiment: The Future of Wearable Devices?

    Ieesha McKinzie
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    I’m sure we’ve all imagined the day when flying cars and instant transport would exist in a Jetsons-like world, but those days may be closer than we think. Earlier this month, Google’s “Project Glass” video hit YouTube sending the minds of its 14 million viewers wondering yet again about the possibilities of the next breakthrough in technology. The video takes us on a journey from the perspective of the wearable device. Our subject begins his morning with a cup of coffee while holographic-like icons for his schedule, the weather, email and more appear in his line of sight. A friend…

  • Rebranding JC Penney – Will it be Square or Bring Flare?

    Rachel Nelson
    24 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    JC Penney, the 110-year-old department store, realized the need for a refresh. But as with any change in a brand, a corporation’s most valuable asset, there needs to be a reason, a customer reason, backing it. What is the consumer insight? Is the rebrand a stretch or within JCP’s brand DNA? Will it be enough to restore the brand to its desired position as America’s favorite department store? In a starving economy, we have seen many stores go bankrupt, and others are on the brink of extinction like Kodak, Blockbuster, and now Best Buy. Brand enthusiasts would argue that it is because the…
 
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    Media Hunter

  • Meet The Social Traveler & help him help small charities

    Media Hunter
    16 May 2012 | 1:35 am
    Bjorn Troch is The Social Traveler Last year I met a Belgian guy who made me insanely jealous. He was traveling the world indefinitely using social media to connect, find places, set his itinerary and generally have a great time. Along the way he was tackling crazy challenges suggested by the online community he has fostered. Right now he is riding alone on a tandem bike from Kuala Lumpur all the way to Hong Kong. He’s trying to do the ride of more than 5000 km in 3 months. His name is Bjorn Troch and he calls himself The Social Traveler. Turns out Bjorn is a really nice guy, which…

  • The Evolution of SXSW [Infographic]

    Media Hunter
    14 May 2012 | 6:10 pm
    by [me] Recently I have been championing a move to hold a large innovation and tech festival in Newcastle, Australia. We’re calling it DiG. So far it has a group of people working on the concept, a website and Twitter handle. We’ve still got a long way to go. The encouraging thing is that “from little things big things grow”. Look at this infographic from the team at Rock Sauce Studios on the rise and rise of SXSW in Austin, Texas. They only expected 150 to show up to the first year, they got 700. This year the Interactive Festival at SXSW drew over 19,000 visitors.

  • The truth about banner ads [Infographic]

    Media Hunter
    8 May 2012 | 7:01 pm
    by [me] Since the down of the commercial internet in the early 1990′s banner ads have been the default form of advertising. Google shook things up massively with their Adwords program but most media sites still rely heavily on banner ads for revenue. Banner ads have always stuck me as old media imposing their old models on new technology. However, measurement is different as advertisers were encouraged to look at clicks rather than exposure, as they would have done with press display ads. Branding became less important and click-through became the goal. The question is do banner ads…

  • Australia’s Top Media & Marketing Blogs (according to AdAge)

    Media Hunter
    2 May 2012 | 5:14 am
    By [me] A few years back Advertising Age in the USA launched the Power 150 international ranking of media and marketing blogs. It caused quite a fuss. I thought it would be worthwhile revisiting the Power 150 to see how much has changed. There have been a lot of commercial entries in the last few year compared to the pure blogs that first appeared. Here is the latest list of Australia’s Top Media & Marketing Blogs according to AdAge Magazine. The rankings take into account a range of factors, some more US-centric, but it gives an good indication of which sites are making an impact.

  • Newcastle radio: AM stations fall in Survey 1, 2012

    Media Hunter
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:35 pm
    by [me] The latest Newcastle radio ratings delivered bad news for those stations on the AM dial with both 2HD and ABC1233 recording significant falls. NXFM topped the ratings again with a share of 18.9%, holding out stablemate KOFM on 17.6%. NEWFM recorded a rise of 1.1 for a share of 8.8% whilst NXFM was the only other station to increase their share. The real damage was on the AM dial where both 2HD and ABC1233 dropped 2.8%. For 2HD it was their lowest ratings in the last few decades and signals a significant loss of support. The station lost share in every demographic including a massive…
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    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…
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    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…
 
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    Msgme Blog

  • Five Must-Have Elements of an Awesome Mobile Marketing Call to Action: Post to MarketingProfs

    kane
    14 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    Wanted to let you all know that we posted another article to an Ad Age Power 150 Marketing blog, MarketingProfs. The post, Five Must-Have Elements of an Awesome Mobile Marketing Call to Action, describes the five components needed to effectively personally engage an audience: Describe the incentive Eliminate potential user-error obstacles Optimize for mobile user experience Think through a compelling user flow Find a personality Head on over to MarketingProfs to read the post and let us know what you think. And in case you need more information on creating calls to action, have a look at our…

  • Mobile Marketing Stats Wrap

    kane
    7 May 2012 | 4:23 pm
    All right – starting off the week with something new here: below is a wrap up of the most recently released mobile marketing stats, presented as a rap (well, at least an attempt at one). Let’s start with the smartphone penetration dent; Nielsen says March 2012 puts the U.S. above 50 percent. So what’s that mean for the OS mix? Well, Android is at 49, iOS at 32 and RIM’s measures 11.6. As for the ethnicity contrast/compare, APAC is at 67, Hispanics 57, Blacks 54 and whites a 45% share. So guess who’s tops when it comes to browser and apps combined – it’s Google Sites,…

  • April Art of the Call to Action Buzz Awards

    kane
    3 May 2012 | 6:46 pm
    Another month, another great opportunity to check in on the Art of the Call To Action buzz awards (For those out of the loop check out this link). The April top 5 according to buzz: American Airlines direct mail QR code MTA New York City text times Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport bathroom notifier Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport ATM and guest services John Deere online mobile and email sign up form In addition, wanted to do something different than previous months. The ArtOfTheCTA site, now boasting close to 300 calls to action is jam packed with tons of content, from funny…

  • How To Make An Excellent SMS Call To Action Webinar Posted

    kane
    2 May 2012 | 2:14 pm
    Have you ever wondered how to create the perfect SMS marketing call to action? Our presentation on How To Make an Excellent SMS Call To Action covers pretty much everything you need to know – from compliance, to incentives, design and metadata collection for ROI. You can view the recorded webinar on the Waterfall Vimeo archive or download the webinar slides from Slideshare. Stay tuned for two more webinars from Waterfall Mobile in the coming weeks. Our own Kane Russell will be presenting May 16 along with Angel on 5 Strategies For Effectively Integrating SMS, IVR and Social, and Matt…

  • What is Mobile DNA?

    kane
    1 May 2012 | 6:23 am
    Today, wanted to extrapolate further on an interesting conversation I had with one of my colleagues about the subject of mobile evolution. We were talking about mobile and the Instagram acquisition, trying to put some meaning behind the concept of “mobile DNA.”  Here’s my opinion: mobile DNA is is the connection between mobile data points, which companies can use to be more profitable and hedge against supplier risk. To give people some context, Zuckerberg and his CFOs did not buy Instagram the photo-sharing app for $1 billion. They bought Instagram the mobile DNA for $1 billion. Wait,…
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    Direct Creative Blog

  • The Importance of Being Trivial

    Dean Rieck
    2 May 2012 | 2:08 pm
    Do you like the title of this article? I stole it from chapter 3 of The Art of Readable Writing by Rudolf Flesch. Back in the 40s and 50s, Flesch was hailed as the guru of clear, direct writing. His advice remains powerful and relevant today. When Flesch recommended being “trivial,” he meant you should use details to energize your writing. That requires researching your subject and sharing specifics with your reader to create vivid mental images. I can illustrate this simple idea with the following two descriptions. Version 1: I drove from Virginia to Ohio. In no hurry, I took the…

  • Getting to “yes”: 4 keys for instant credibility

    Dean Rieck
    3 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    part 2 of a 2-part article In the first part of this article, I told you an incredible story about the Rule of Authority, how titles, clothing, and trappings can help you get to “Yes.” Now I’d like to suggest that you go one more step. Instead of just giving the “appearance” of authority, why not establish actual authority? I’m talking about credibility. Real credibility. And what does it take to establish credibility? According to a mountain of psychological research, there are four basic elements: Expertise Trustworthiness Similarity Physical Attractiveness The…

  • Getting to “yes”: the magic rule of authority

    Dean Rieck
    6 Mar 2012 | 7:00 am
    part 1 of a 2-part article This is a true story … Decked out in a uniform, badge, and baton, a television reporter stationed himself in front of a Las Vegas bank. On the ATM, he placed a sign with large lettering that read OUT OF ORDER — GIVE DEPOSITS TO GUARD ON DUTY. In the center of the sign was the shape of a large, gold badge. When bank customers approached the ATM, the “guard” smiled, looked them straight in the eyes, and asked, “Do you need to make a deposit or a withdrawal?” No bank would ever allow a guard to conduct private transactions like this, but were people…

  • Mastering the almighty advertorial space ad

    Dean Rieck
    7 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am
    Click picture to see advertorial sample. There are basically two types of space advertising: promotional ads and advertorials. Each has its place in your marketing toolbox. However, while most copywriters and designers have at least a fair understanding of promotional ads, advertorials can pose a challenge. Designers in particular have issues with advertorials because they’re ugly. So let’s take a look at a sample advertorial and see what makes it tick. Just in case you’re not clear on what I’m talking about, here’s a pretty good definition for advertorial from…

  • 3 little hints for effective limited-time offers

    Dean Rieck
    10 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am
    People are procrastinators. That’s why the limited-time offer remains one of the most effective direct marketing techniques in the known universe. It’s not an insult to call your prospects and customers procrastinators. It’s just true. I readily admit that I procrastinate. And I’ll bet you do too. After all, making decisions takes effort. And every day forces us to make an endless series of decisions. What will we wear? What will we eat? What will we buy for that birthday? Will we go to the beach or the mountains for vacation? Which school will our kids attend? Will we…
 
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    The Fast Growth Blog

  • Kudos to GM

    Doug Davidoff
    16 May 2012 | 1:50 pm
    After years of being able to use GM as a prime example of what not to do, they buck a trend and announce that they are revisiting their entire spend on Facebook. My favorite quote from the story:  “The sources said GM executives found the paid ads had little impact on car buying.” How about that.  GM, one of the kings of advertising, finally learning that paying for ads, especially on social sites, has little impact on car buying. GM is not giving up on Facebook altogether, as they find that can be an effective way to engage with their consumers and share content.  GM spends…

  • Selling Done Right

    Doug Davidoff
    15 May 2012 | 2:46 pm
    What profession is best suited for a liar? How do you know when a salesperson is lying? It’s unfortunate that salespeople have become the butt of so many jokes.  In the past I’ve written about pests, peddlers and Demand Creators, and shared the advantages to being a Demand Creator. As the world continues to move forward from the deep recession, there are still not enough companies that are building the organizational capability necessary to consistently grow profits.  Selling, on the whole, is not creating the value necessary to support higher margins and faster profit growth for small…

  • 7 Steps to Shortening Your Sales Cycle

    Doug Davidoff
    8 May 2012 | 5:10 pm
    The trends are not good when judging the effectiveness of small and mid-market B2B sales efforts. According to recent purchasing surveys, as many as 40% of organizational buying processes are ending in a “no decision.” A recent research project done by the Wall Street Journal demonstrated that on 37% of salespeople were actually effective, and a comprehensive research project done by The Sales Research Council shows number worse than that. Margin and pricing pressure continues to mount on businesses, even as we emerge from deep recession. Finding good salespeople is tougher than…

  • Stop Letting Your Salespeople Down

    Doug Davidoff
    7 May 2012 | 9:33 am
    The days of sending your salespeople into the field (or allowing them to wait for prospects to come to them) armed with product brochures, company glossies and boring PowerPoint presentations and expecting them to “dig deep,” “discover,” engage and close are over! Today’s world is too tough and too competitive, you’re customers are too time-pressed and overwhelmed with other issues, and your salespeople must deal with unprecedented complexity.  Your organization can longer leave it to each salesperson to manage their sales effort independently. Great…

  • They’re Not Ready

    Doug Davidoff
    2 May 2012 | 9:04 am
    The single biggest, most common, and most expensive mistake made by salespeople occurs when they go to their solution too early. The biggest cause of this mistake is the apparent readiness on the part of the prospect to hear about the solution. The nature of most small and mid-market organization’s sales and marketing efforts leads to the primary contributor of this problem.  80% or more of the time, salespeople begin their interaction with the prospect after the prospect is looking for a solution. When they first meet with a prospect, or when a prospect first reaches out to them the…
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    PhoneMarketingInsider

  • The One Problem Companies with IVRs must Address―The Exception

    Hsuan-min Chou
    9 May 2012 | 9:54 pm
    In his article, “Customer support becomes a social service,” (http://goo.gl/37jbx) Rob Bamforth, Principal Analyst at Quocirca, a research company, describes situations that befall traditional IVR systems―those calls that fall out of the standard question and answers that a company has designed for its IVR. The reason they’re a challenge is that when a caller has a problem/question that doesn’t conform to the IVR’s decision tree, the call is transferred to a live agent. This, in turn, uses up resources devoted to agents and not to research, marketing, or the bottom…

  • The Reports of the Call Center’s Death are Greatly Exaggerated

    Hsuan-min Chou
    18 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Much to the chagrin of corporations around the country call centers are not going away. The recent story on Mashable Business, “The Death of the Call Center” (http://mashable.com/2012/03/30/death-of-the-call-center/) and a host of other stories over the last 18 months keep pointing to low usage and self-help solutions that will replace the call center. “Call centers will become a secondary mode of communication, no longer preferred by the masses,” says Zor GorelovCEO and co-founder of SpeechCycle. Really? What is taking the call center’s place? The Smart Phone??? While the smart…

  • Is VPI’s VirtualSource an IVR game changer… or is it just a bit better?

    Hsuan-min Chou
    4 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
    VPI recently introduced their new virtual call agent, VPI VirtualSource, an add-on to their EMPOWER platform. Michael Mercadante, VPI’s CTO, claims their virtual agent is so good and efficient, that “we’re finding that many customers prefer and actually ask to speak with the branded virtual agent to complete their transactions.” Now, on the surface this claim may seem farfetched. Who doesn’t want to talk to a human over a virtual agent? Well, people like me. I’m a professional with limited free time, so I like to use IVRs when I want simple, quick information,…

  • Will pay-by-phone replace credit cards?

    Hsuan-min Chou
    15 Mar 2012 | 6:00 am
    Have you ever made a purchase by waving your mobile phone at the grocery checkout? Or at a gas pump? If you haven’t, get ready to see a bevy of teens waving their phones at pop machines, fast food restaurants, and cafes. Smart Money recently ran a story about how major retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, and other businesses are trying to get people to ditch plastic and use mobile phones to make purchases. It’s all the rage in Asia and Europe, where it’s taken off over the last couple years. Companies from Google to major wireless companies are betting on it for the US, and…

  • Stop Waiting on Hold, and Get on with Your Lives

    Hsuan-min Chou
    5 Mar 2012 | 9:00 am
    Virtual Queuing is a “concierge” service for call waiting. Instead of waiting on hold for a significant amount of time to talk to a company representative, customers simply leave a question and call-back number; a representative from the company returns the call. VQ aims to keep customers happy by not having them stay on hold listening to Kenny G for long periods of time. Several large, forward-thinking companies (Southwest Airlines, T-Mobile, Aflac) and some utilities are using VQ to handle their tremendous phone operations and improve customer service. So, the company calls customers…
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    B2Bento

  • GetIT Comms selects Meltwater Group to mine for social media gold

    Jeremy Tarrier
    26 Apr 2012 | 8:42 pm
    TweetSingapore, April 27, 2012, – GetIT Comms has today announced its strategic relationship with Meltwater Buzz, a social media intelligence and marketing platform, part of Meltwater Group, a global digital intelligence and marketing solutions provider. Established in 1997, GetIT Comms has more than a decade of experience in delivering innovative marketing & communication solutions to major corporations using interactive digital media (IDM) and social media. “We’re delighted to enter into this relationship in what is an exciting and rapidly developing region.  Singapore is…

  • GetIT Comms partners with Wildfire Interactive to deliver effective B2B social media marketing and lead generation

    Jeremy Tarrier
    23 Apr 2012 | 11:57 pm
    TweetSingapore, April 24, 2012, – GetIT Comms has today announced its strategic partnership with Wildfire Interactive, the leader in social media marketing technology and the only social media marketing company to have received an investment from Facebook’s fbFund. Established in 1997, GetIT Comms has more than a decade of experience in delivering innovative marketing & communication solutions to major corporations using interactive digital media (IDM) and social media. “We are excited at the opportunity to partner with one of the leading end-to-end marketing providers in…

  • SEO 2012

    Jeremy Tarrier
    20 Apr 2012 | 2:49 am
    Tweet The search engine landscape has changed considerably since the days of the “Wild Wild Web” back in the early ’90s when the crown was still up for grabs. For some of us names like Archie, Altavista, Lycos, Magellan and even the funkier DogPile may cause a bad case of misty eyes and nostalgia. (Wikipedia has a great time line of search engines.) There are still many search engines available and many specialise in particular markets (see Wikipedia list of search engines), however the simple truth is that there are 2 heavyweights left: Google and Bing. A while ago I would…

  • 7 Habits of Highly Defective Marketers

    Anol
    27 Mar 2012 | 4:26 am
    TweetMarketers are a strange breed with quirks that are distinctly ours. Every once in a while a screw or two is turned the wrong way round and we end up with idiosyncracies that, amazingly enough, don’t land us in an asylum. Here then are 7 habits of highly defective marketers. None are spared. Read with tongue firmly in cheek. #1: Being the dog from the movie ‘Up’ “Oooh! Is it new? Gotta be on it.” Squirrel, chat roulette, or Pinterest – it takes little to excite this lot. They will sign-up for everything out there and tell the whole world they have. But…

  • Facebook for B2B – The Times They Are a-Changin’: this week’s #B2BChat – [Thu, Mar 8 at 8 pm EST]

    Anol
    8 Mar 2012 | 6:42 pm
    Tweet Updated with Transcript On 30 March all Facebook fan pages will be automatically moved to Facebook Timeline format. As B2B Marketers we can no longer define a default landing page but must use the Timeline features to our best advantage. On the plus side we now have a large banner image area plus a smaller profile image with which to promote our brand. But what else do we need to do and what effect will the changes have on our marketing campaigns? Join us as we talk about Facebook for B2B – The Times They Are a-Changin’ in this week’s #B2BChat – Thursday, Mar 8 at 5 pm,…
 
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    MoxieWorks

  • Project Update - April 2012

    goodwolve
    28 Apr 2012 | 9:03 pm
    I have been working on a variety of projects both as a consultant and as a Main Street director. This is a quick peek at some of what has been brewing on my desktop.  Each month I host an Open Meeting for entreprenuers in my town. This month we had 30 attend - up 30% from the last several months. It is part pep rally, part networking, part community involvement, and part business education. Just lasts an hour, but it is a great time to get connected and reenergized. Electric Vision/The Creative Energy Project is a public, private, nonprofit, artist collaboration that included 3 events that I…

  • The Reformer and Idealist

    goodwolve
    19 Jan 2012 | 9:59 am
    Years ago I lived with nuns in Orange, California. It was a tremendous experience. One Sister in particular was very dear to me, Sister Olivia. During my time with them they taught me to meditate, about iridology, and about the Enneagram. At at the time, over 20 years ago, all of that was kind of far out New Agey kind of stuff. Now it is all pretty commonplace with meditation being touted as one of the healing properties of our stress filled lives and the Enneagram being used by corporations to better understand thier employees. When I took the long form Enneagram test years ago I was a 1 -…

  • Social Media the Evolved Mommy Way

    goodwolve
    20 Oct 2011 | 5:32 pm
    I first met Stephanie online and then we went to events but never saw each other (you'd think we lived in some mega place and not the middle of nowhere). I just kept bugging her until she agreed to come teach a Blogging 101 workshop in my town. Obviously, I think she is pretty great and her rules are spot on! You are a Social Media rock star, but how did you get started? It's kind of like the "chicken/egg" question. I honestly can't remember which came first: my blog or my twitter account. I want to say Twitter. Yep, that's probably it. I was pregnant and needed…

  • Really Getting It Done

    goodwolve
    7 Oct 2011 | 7:22 am
    I have written a lot about how I manage my time and I was really happy to see that Space for Living had taken my To-Do list and added it to their free downloads. Being productive to me is more about being focused and not distracted - so any tool that works for you is a good tool. I thought I should share where I am now with task management. Because the other thing to know is that it is an evolving state - you keep honing your to do system until it really works for you. Current To Do Strategy: Right now I am using composition books that I buy in bulk at the Back to School sales. They are easy…

  • iSad

    goodwolve
    6 Oct 2011 | 5:17 pm
    "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." - Steve Jobs Note: Image was posted on Apple site October 6, 2011
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    The Ratliff Report™

  • A Short Interview With Chris Guillebeau About The $100 Startup

    Joseph Ratliff
    14 May 2012 | 8:15 am
    Chris Guillebeau doesn’t want to please everyone with this new book.  In his typical writing style, he has laid the foundation for ANYONE to start a microbusiness of their own using specific case studies and his own experience to back up his writing. I highly respect Chris and the work he does, so I decided I would ask him (on a Sunday morning) for an interview about his new book, The $100 Startup. While Chris was busy with other interviews, as an author would be when building their platform for a book… he graciously accepted my request and answered the 5 very pointed questions…

  • On Blogging

    Joseph Ratliff
    11 May 2012 | 9:24 am
    I just read a post about why agencies are abandoning their blogs and using social media instead. I was going to comment using Facebook, but I don’t use Facebook for business purposes, as I use Google Plus and Twitter instead. So I’m writing this post on blogging to replace my comment. These agencies are acting stupid. Ditching a blog for social media is like saying “Hey, we don’t want to blog any more because it’s too hard… ‘sniff’.” Yes, it is hard if you think it is.  Honestly, all this “strategy” really says is they are…

  • Slow Dance

    Joseph Ratliff
    10 May 2012 | 11:42 am
    Reprinted from here. Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round, or listened to rain slapping the ground? Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight, or gazed at the sun fading into the night? You better slow down, don’t dance so fast, time is short, the music won’t last. Do you run through each day on the fly, when you ask “How are you?”, do you hear the reply? When the day is done, do you lie in your bed, with the next hundred chores running through your head? You better slow down, don’t dance so fast, time is short, the music won’t last. Ever…

  • The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau

    Joseph Ratliff
    8 May 2012 | 9:51 am
    A book came out today that is required reading for anyone who wants to start on their journey in creating a microbusiness. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau. You can start at the website for the book, but I suggest you get a copy right away and here’s why: The book covers enough of every aspect to get you started in creating a microbusiness.  There is NO way one book could cover it all, but this book is comprehensive enough to get your head spinning. Chris actually draws from over 100 real case studies and shares stories in the book which allow you to see how freakin’ easy it…

  • My Thoughts On Publishing Part 2

    Joseph Ratliff
    6 May 2012 | 10:42 am
    I’ve been reading into this recent DOJ stuff in the publishing industry, and as an extension reading into how well Amazon is dominating the publishing industry. And let me tell you… Amazon is DOMINATING the publishing industry and others. If you listen to the “old school” publishing companies, in my opinion, you’re going to hear a lot of whining… Amazon is becoming a monopoly (here is a well thought out opinion that it isn’t). We want to protect our prices!  (Ummm… that’s called price collusion I believe, maybe I’m wrong, but the…
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    Ask Spike

  • Social Business Means Cultural Change

    Spike Jones
    15 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    Social business. All the cool kids are doing it. Come on, you should do it to. Why? You’ll be POP-uLARRRR!! Like victims of high school peer pressure, everyone in the digital world is talking about how social business is the next big thing. And I’m not here to argue if it is or isn’t. Brother Armano recently wrote a great post about the evolution of digital that lays it out very nicely and talks about the natural evolution of social media into social business. It’s the next logical step, really. In fact, we’re seeing more and more businesses come on the scene…

  • Maybe 1% is all you need

    Spike Jones
    9 Apr 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Earlier this year, a report came out from the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute that I’ve seen popping up again and again with people talking about how only one percent of people who click the “Like” button on Facebook actually engage with the brand. (BTW, if you don’t know who Andrew Ehrenberg is, you need to find out.) There are SO many directions we can go with this report, like going down that deep and dusty path trying to define what “engagement” really means. Or talking about the value of a like or a fan. Or what brands should really be using Facebook for. But…

  • Sometimes, the Best Content is Given Away

    Spike Jones
    21 Mar 2012 | 11:38 am
    Content is king. Or maybe it’s queen. It might even be the court jester. Nevertheless, “content” is on the lips and minds of a lot of marketers these days. Especially when the topic turns to engaging people on social media channels and hoping that they’ll stick around. There are A LOT of opinions and theories about what good content is and what it isn’t. How much is too much and how much is not enough. Blah. Blah. Blah. Look, content is important. And while I could argue my own opinion (which has mostly to do with context, not content), there’s something…

  • Meet in the Middle

    Spike Jones
    14 Feb 2012 | 11:20 am
    Irony can be very entertaining…especially in the social media fishbowl. On one hand, we hear the SM kids shouting from the rooftops that it’s all about one-on-one conversations. How it’s high-touch. How pushing out messages from the top-down is no longer effective. It’s about grassroots and bottom-up now. And then they tell you to reach out to influencers. Do you see the irony here? You reach out to influencers in hopes that they’ll broadcast the message to their audience (we’ve talked about before). Which, you know, wreaks of top-down marketing. When it…

  • Protect Your Ambassadors

    Spike Jones
    26 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Ambassadors. They go by many different names these days. Some call them advocates, some just call them community members. But no matter what they’re called, they are a huge, HUGE asset to your company. And what do you do with assets? Everything within your power to protect them. It is so fascinating to see how those inside and outside of a company view the role of ambassadors. Remember, at the very core, an ambassador is someone who spreads goodwill. And in the context of brand ambassadors, they are spreading goodwill on behalf of your company. That’s it. That’s all. Case…
 
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    Neu Concepts

  • Web Design, Trade Show & Marketing Roundup: May 14, 2012

    Brittany Miller
    14 May 2012 | 8:23 pm
    Ever feel like you might have missed a great piece of advice or news article? We understand that you have very busy schedule and that is why each week we scour the web looking for noteworthy articles you might have missed. Every Monday, we highlight great articles from last week’s news and share them here in our roundup. Here are five great articles that are worthy of your attention. #1. How to Optimize Your Headlines for Google and Humans Crafting headlines should be a key component of your SEO strategy. Although search-engine spiders that crawl your site may not understand or…

  • Web Design, Trade Show & Marketing Roundup: May 7, 2012

    Brittany Miller
    7 May 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Staying up-to-date on the latest web design, marketing and trade show exhibit news can be a challenge when you are trying to get through your busy day. To help you out, we created our roundup which features noteworthy articles from last week Here are five links worthy of your attention. #1. A Marketers Guide to Pinterest (Video Infographic) Pinterest is making great strides in the social media world. It has become one of the hottest social media platforms that brands are joining to interact and engage with their audience. If you haven’t joined this network, check out this beautifully…

  • Web Design, Trade Show & Marketing Roundup: April 30, 2012

    Brittany Miller
    30 Apr 2012 | 10:03 am
    Each week, we scour the web looking for fresh new articles about web design, social media, trade show exhibits and marketing that help you grow your business. Here are six great articles from last week that are must reads. #1. Why You Need Social Media, Even If Your Customers Don’t Social media needs to be a crucial component of inbound marketing strategies for all companies. If your customers are not on these channels, it is still critical for your brand to have a presence. Here are 10 reasons why you might want to rethink your presence on these channels. #2. 1000 Words About Images…

  • Web Design, Trade Show & Marketing Roundup: April 23, 2012

    Brittany Miller
    23 Apr 2012 | 11:01 am
    Staying current on the latest advances in social media, SEO, web design and trade show marketing can be a challenge when you are trying to run a business. We created the weekly roundup to keep you informed about all the latest changes, trends and news. Here are six great articles from last week that you might have missed. #1. 6 Changes Every SEO Should Make BEFORE the Over-Optimization Penalty Hits – Whiteboard Friday Google recently announced that they will start penalizing websites that are overly optimized. If you want to avoid penalization, here are some changes you might want to make…

  • Web Design, Trade Show & Marketing Roundup: April 16, 2012

    Brittany Miller
    16 Apr 2012 | 1:43 pm
    Staying up-to-date on the latest web design, trade show exhibit and marketing news can be tough with trade show season in full swing, Google’s regular search algorithm changes and all the new features constantly being added to the major social media sites. Each week we look for the very best articles that you might have missed. Here are five must reads from last week. #1. 5 Ways to Enhance Your Facebook Timeline Page With Images Since the launch of Timeline, few brands have taken full advantage of the opportunities for visual branding. If you are looking for ways to make your page more…
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    Imagine Your Reality

  • Testimonials can be a sales tool

    taylor
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Testimonials typically aren’t considered an active sales tool. Usually they are put onto websites or maybe your linked profile and then otherwise ignored. If they are thought of in terms of sales, its typically in terms of people visiting the website and seeing what people have to say about your work, but they are underused, if they are only used in that capacity. The problem is simple. Most people aren’t going to spend lots of time on your website. They will go onto it to look for specific information or to read an article, but unless they are interested in your services they…

  • Why business owners need a team

    taylor
    15 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Small business owners at some point or another face the realization that owning a business is lonely. Even if they have employees, ultimately it is the business owner who is in charge of everything. And that responsibility can be overwhelming, especially if the business owner perceives that s/he can’t pass some of that responsibility to someone else. What a business owner needs is a team. A team comprised of other business owners that fulfill specific roles. For example an accountant or bookkeeper, a lawyer, an insurance person, and business coach are all valuable allies that can be on…

  • Celebrate Small Business Week

    taylor
    10 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    On Thursday May 24th from 7:30 am to 1pm, Constant Contact is launching Get Down to Business: An action-packed, nationwide series of events led by the industry’s top experts marketing for small organizations. You’ll uncover new business-building tools and strategies. Whether you’re new to email and social media marketing, or a seasoned pro, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Where: Monarch Hotel 12566 SE 93rd Ave Clackamas, OR 97015 Cost FREE! PLEASE REGISTER at “REGISTRATION WEBSITE” (link below) Agenda & Speakers: 7:30-8:00 AM Registration,…

  • What’s beyond debt free?

    taylor
    9 May 2012 | 11:11 am
    At a recent chamber meeting, all of us were doing an exercise where we were asked to write down an intention we’d like to manifest in our lives. Not surprisingly a lot of people wrote down wanting to be debt-free. It’s an excellent goal and intention to have, but it’s also a bit short sighted, because it doesn’t really focus on what’s going to happen after you’ve become debt-free. I find with financial goals that its really important to have both short and long term goals. Being debt-free is a short term goal, but a long term financial goal focuses you on…

  • Non-attachment and sales

    taylor
    8 May 2012 | 11:07 am
    I was talking with a client recently about why its important to not convey a sense of desperation while meeting with prospects. Part of the reason a sense of desperation can be conveyed occurs when you get attached to your results. In other words, you obsess about getting the sale so much that it becomes the priority instead of actually getting to know someone. When I meet someone like that, I feel like s/he is really just trying to get something from as opposed to giving me something of value or wanting to get to know me. One of my interests is studying different metaphysical systems. In…
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    B2B Marketing Blog | Webbiquity

  • Nominate Your Favorite Technology Twitterer(s) for the 2012 #Nifty50 Awards

    Tom
    15 May 2012 | 12:29 pm
    A year ago, Cheryl Burgess and I published the first #Nifty 50 award winners, starting with the #Nifty50 Women of Twitter on this blog in May 2011 and followed by the #Nifty50 Men of Twitter published on Cheryl’s Blue Focus Marketing blog in June. The posts were a huge hit on Twitter, with the #Nifty50 hashtag reaching nearly 70,000 people through more than 140,000 tweets and retweets, according to TweetReach. The goals of #Nifty50 are: 1) Acknowledge 50 men and women who share valuable content and actively engage on Twitter, and 2) Help foster connections between those who are recognized…

  • Numbers Game: Putting Analytics into Perspective

    Tom
    8 May 2012 | 5:08 am
    Guest post by Hernán Gonzalez. Experienced marketers understand added benefits are what make a sale and features are what provide value. That meant that campaigns with lots of bells and whistles were assumed to be more productive. Each accent added to a brand’s “wow” factor and more updates meant more sales would soon follow. However, the creation of modern day analytics tools has changed the marketing environment from hopeful anticipation to anxiety. Today, added benefits can actually be measured and thus, there is no longer a good reason to pay for features that won’t deliver.

  • Mobile Positioning: A Business Must

    Tom
    3 May 2012 | 5:04 am
    Guest post by University Alliance. Mobile access to the web has surpassed browser usage. Consumers are growing fonder of their smartphones and tablets, using them to access content and make online purchases in staggering numbers. In fact, by 2015 more U.S. Internet users will access the web through smartphones than through PCs, according to technology site Mashable.com. Still not convinced? Consider these 2012 statistics: • Twitter estimates 55% of users access the site through a mobile device. • 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter. • Click-through rates on search…

  • Why Twitter Needs to Change to Keep Up with Social Media Marketing

    Tom
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:08 am
    Guest post by Nisha Kaushal. Twitter has long dominated the social media scene in terms of spreading the word to a lot of people at once. The reach of Twitter is incredible. For every one person that reads a comment of yours on Facebook, there’s a chance that a dozen will read it on Twitter. Facebook posts have to be reshared and reshared to reach a million people, but as Charlie Sheen and Ashton Kutcher have proven, a Twitter post can reach a million people in the blink of an eye. However, this wide range of influence may not be enough to keep Twitter relevant to marketers who rely on…

  • What’s So Funny About Social Media and Online Marketing? April 2012

    Tom
    23 Apr 2012 | 5:23 am
    Let’s face it; lots of people consider spending one’s days with online games, tinkering in PhotoShop, “working” in Facebook, and using words like “viral” and “targeting” in decidedly non-lethal ways a funny way to make a living. Why not laugh with `em? Find sh*t marketing people say, cross-dressing Linux developers, the stages of Twitter addiction, still more priceless demotivational posters, an online tool for generating business jargon phrases, Russian unicorns, things puppets hate about Facebook, the funniest tweets of last year and more in…
 
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    Will Marlow

  • Why I'm not using Posterous for my new blog

    1 May 2012 | 5:01 am
    As most of you know, I'm a huge fan of Posterous. I think it's a great blogging platform.  And for photo sharing it's top notch.  So, you might be wondering why I'm not using Posterous for my new photography blog, since I'm such a big fan. Here's why.  I'm certified by Google in Google Analytics, because a big part of my marketing work involves analyzing website behavior and marketing campaigns.  I need to be able to use Google Analytics in order to evaluate the effectiveness of advertising, social media, and other campaigns that generate website traffic.  This helps…

  • My next big project (and my new blog)

    30 Apr 2012 | 4:59 am
    April was a big month for me. I launched a new blog, and started a new business project.  The new blog is all about photography, and so is my new project. Specifically, I became a Google Trusted Photographer in April, which means I am now creating virtual tours of businesses for Google Maps and Google Places. Essentially, I visit a wide variety of businesses in Virginia, Maryland and DC (and I'm willing to travel, although there are other Google photographers in other places), and I take hundreds of photographs in each location. Then, I use Google software to turn the photoshoot into a…

  • How to manage multiple Facebook administrators on your fan page

    17 Apr 2012 | 8:38 am
    Creating a social media content team within your company is one of the best ways to generate a high volume of posts for Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks.  Most of the time, you won't be successful if one person alone is supposed to create 100% of the content. But if you have ten Facebook administrators on your team, sometimes it's best for those administrators to leave a comment under their own name in response to something someone else wrote, or to "Like" a post under their own name.  (It looks a bit silly when a fan page "likes" something it wrote itself.) Here's how…

  • Get More Out of Social Media By Using Simple Incentives

    10 Oct 2011 | 11:22 am
    "Give me enough medals, and I'll win any war." "A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon."   -Napoleon Bonaparte  If you want to know why some people are able to achieve their marketing goals using social media, and other people are not, you should spend some time thinking about incentives.  You can pay an army of bloggers to write about you, but once you stop paying them, they'll stop writing.  But if you survey your company / nonprofit / association, you'll find employees / board members / customers who are willing to share their expertise in…

  • How to Use Mythology to Create a Great Brand Experience

    22 Sep 2011 | 5:48 pm
    Marketers can learn from ancient mythology.For example, we learn from Joseph Campbell that in just about every culture, a God cannot be reduced through multiplicity.  The God can show up in thousands of places, and in thousands of forms, simultaneously without diluting its power.  This means that whether a God appears in a burning bush, a bowl of cereal, or descends from a cloud, the God always carries the same meaning and power. This should be the aspiration of every great brand.  Whether your brand appears on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, fliers, in print ads, on TV, or…
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    RESULTS.com Business Growth Tips

  • Want better business results? Maybe you are not being tough enough?

    13 May 2012 | 10:08 pm
    I remember being thrilled with my first promotion to a managerial position.  I was promoted from sales rep to sales manager, and had just been relocated by my company to the city where the head office was located.  One of the best pieces of management advice I received, strangely enough, was from the owner of a car dealership as he was handing over the keys of my shiny new company car. As his chain of car dealerships was one of the largest in region, I figured he must know a thing or two about how to be a good boss, so I made a point to listen closely. He said, “I have learned…

  • How to build teams that can execute

    2 May 2012 | 3:27 pm
    Interesting research conducted by MIT measured the key factors that are common to great teams - those which function effectively and achieve business execution success. Interestingly, the notion that you need to recruit the smartest people you can find, and assemble them into a team, matters much less than you think.   Here is our take on the research: Great teams communicate frequently. The more frequently a team communicates, the more successful the team is likely to be.  A lower frequency of communication leads to a decline in performance.  This has implications for office…

  • How to prevent your company growth from stalling

    21 Apr 2012 | 12:21 pm
    It is common for firms of all sizes to reach a plateau where revenue growth seems to stall.  This growth tip references research contained in the book Stall Points.   Political and Economic factors beyond our direct control have an impact on company growth of course, but surprisingly the research shows that 87% of growth stalls are preventable, and are related to the strategic decisions you made in the past.   It is critical to measure the Key Performance Indicators that drive your current business model on a weekly and monthly basis (business execution software is…

  • What business leaders can learn from Private Equity firms

    20 Apr 2012 | 9:40 pm
    The best performing Private Equity (PE) firms have valuable lessons to teach business leaders.  Here is our take on an article from Booz & Co. Cash is king. When PE firms acquire a company, they typically use debt to finance the purchase. This creates an urgency to optimize cashflow to repay the debt.  They tightly manage accounts receivables, optimize inventories, and scrutinize all discretionary expenses. Likewise, business leaders should scrutinize every expense in their business.  Is it “must have” (required to keep the lights on), “smart to…

  • Culture = Cash

    20 Apr 2012 | 7:30 pm
    This week’s growth tip is a guest post from our friend John Spence, Business author and thought leader. "In more than 18 years working with companies around the world, I have come to realize the incredible importance of having a strong organizational culture, as it is truly one of the only sustainable competitive differentiators available to many businesses today. Your competitors can copy your products, they can copy your distribution, they can reverse engineer your technology, they can copy and beat your prices… but one of the very few things that can be a defendable…
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    Emma Email Marketing Blog

  • Things we love: Buttons that call the shots - Why buttons make a believer (and a buyer) out of me

    Cassie Berman
    14 May 2012 | 10:26 am
    I had an epiphany not long ago, as I was checking email one minute and somehow shopping for “fridge solutions” the next. Did I think I had a fridge problem to solve before I opened this email? No. Did I somehow click the button anyway? Uh-huh. So what happened? In fact, the email was so remarkably eye-catching and the button so effective that it lured me in. I think this idea of buttons as, well, bait is one worth exploring … The Container Store lays the groundwork by introducing a common problem (clutter) and then presents us with a crisp, clean button (anti-clutter). Button,…

  • Share the love - How to expand the reach of your campaigns on social networks

    Katie Lewis
    9 May 2012 | 2:27 pm
    When I was 13-years-old, I thought I’d marry a Backstreet Boy. I had their faces plastered on my bedroom walls, and I knew their middle names and birthdays. Since I was such a big fan, I talked about them all the time because that’s what we do when we love something: We tell everyone. Fans of your product, service or content are likely already chatting you up to their friends, and that can be very good news for your business. Take advantage of this by making your brand and message as visible as possible, and your fan base will grow even larger. Need some ideas for expanding the reach of…

  • Sexy, new-fangled email statistic - OK, maybe it's not new, but ...

    Cynthia Price
    3 May 2012 | 4:21 am
    Sometimes we get caught up in so many of the *other* reasons that email marketing makes sense, that we lose sight of the one that really matters: email works. The DMA estimates that in 2011, it brought back over $40 for every single dollar spent. It’s staggering, right? While this $40 is certainly an average and not a guarantee, it’s a sign that if you learn about how to do email marketing right, you’re about as close to a marketing sure thing as you can get. In fact, I feel like it’s almost unfair to put all of these channels in the same category for comparison. When…

  • Email: the genre everyone reads - Tell your company's story, right there in those inboxes

    Susan Blue
    30 Apr 2012 | 12:18 pm
    Editor’s note: This post was originally published as a guest post on Social Media Explorer. In many ways, content strategy is about finding the most effective and memorable ways to tell your story. And the inbox is an ideal place to do just that. The problem is, most companies send promotion after promotion, and they forget they’ve got a bunch of real humans out there just waiting for something worthwhile to show up. They forget to make things personal. They forget to make things interesting. Eyes glaze over. Expectations are lowered. Emails get deleted. That’s a shame because…

  • Video: Quick tips for nonprofits

    Emily Konouchi
    25 Apr 2012 | 11:03 am
    Spring break is behind us, and we’re moving toward summer. Whether you’re heading into your slow season or ramping up for a donation drive, now’s a good time to polish your email marketing campaigns. I’m here to share three tips for nonprofits to make the most of email marketing dollars: Put a donate button in every email, and link it to your online giving form. Our designers can build this into your stationery to ensure it’s never overlooked. Just as important — think about the placement of that button. It should be at the top, so even recipients who read…
 
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    The Lunch Pail

  • Steps to Faster Page Load Times

    Christopher Holmok
    16 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    Part 2 in a series – In my last post, we discussed why page load times are so important. In this post we discuss how to improve them and make them faster. To make the process simple, let’s break it into three steps: Audit, Address, and Repeat. Step One: Audit - Browsers like Firefox and Chrome offer a ton of plugins to test the speed of your website. We are going to focus on two plugins available for Firefox, specifically Firebug and YSlow. Firebug is a tool designed for web developers and one of its coolest features is the Net tab. When you enable Firebug switch to the Net tab and…

  • Recent Mobile News and Statistics

    Casey Barto Newman
    14 May 2012 | 10:28 am
    A lot has happened in the mobile space since we released our latest Mobile Email Opens report for H2 2011 (check out the that report and previous ones here.) There’s been interesting data on mobile commerce, more data on mobile email, data on location-based services and more. Let’s start by taking a look at the “smartphone class” or those consumers who are always on and always connected. eMarketer reports that as many as 100 million people (and growing) are armed with smartphones, always consuming content. According to eMarketer: “Members of the ‘smartphone class’ stand apart…

  • It’s a Jungle In Here

    Casey Barto Newman
    11 May 2012 | 11:06 am
    Ever wonder what it’s like inside Knotice? Sure we have the standard office fare, like cubicles and whiteboards, but we have plenty of unique office happenings that make Knotice an awesome place to work. From our Cinco de Mayo festivities, to our Fantasy Football competition, to our Halloween party and our soccer league, we know how to have fun (and work hard too.) Over the coming weeks we’ll be introducing you to different departments within Knotice. We’ve got our Professional Services Team, developers, Creative Services department, and more. Today, we’re going to take a look at some…

  • The Importance of Improving Load Times

    Christopher Holmok
    9 May 2012 | 11:05 am
    Part 1 of series -  So you are thirsty. You head to the corner convenience store for a soda. You pull on the door and it does not open. You walk away and look for another store to get your soda. What you didn’t know was that if you pulled on the door for 5 seconds it would have opened. This is an extreme analogy, but it rings true for websites, too. An error page or a slow-loading page can feel like a locked door at the store. It can also feel like a long check-out line. With the web now being a sometimes a first, if not the only, exposure to your business, you want that impression to be…

  • Case Study Details Customer-Focused Success

    Knotice
    7 May 2012 | 11:10 am
    The super-connected consumer lots of options when it’s time to engage with a brand. The key for marketers is to manage the exposures to increase the likelihood they’ll buy, to further enhance the relationship. Does your brand have a prominent place in the super-connected consumer’s mind across multiple touchpoints? Are you driving each digital impression toward the outcome you want? If the answer is no, or if you’re not sure, take a look at Forrester Research Inc.’s recent report, “Case Study: Oreck Improves Media Spend ROI By Taking A Unified View Of The Customer.” Forrester…
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    Yodler Marketing Blog

  • Confronting the Local Online Marketing Hype

    lisa.wess@ellislab.com
    15 May 2012 | 2:41 pm
    Daily deals. Social Media. Mobile.    If I’ve learned anything over my 5+ years as CEO of Yodle it’s that conventional wisdom is often wrong and the so-called experts are all too quick to proclaim tried-and-true methods as extinct, or to crown a passing fad as the future of an industry. How much have daily deals, social media, and mobile lived up to the hype? Let’s see… Daily deals = Future of local marketing? Not so fast.   Only eighteen months ago everyone seemed to be fixated with daily deals – and for good reason. Groupon and LivingSocial…

  • Online Marketing Discussions at the Borrell Associates Advertising Conference

    lisa.wess@ellislab.com
    25 Apr 2012 | 2:15 pm
    I recently attended the Borrell Associates’ 2012 Local Online Advertising Conference in New York, which is one of the biggest gatherings of local digital advertising executives each year. The event provided a great opportunity to interact and share ideas with some of the leaders in the local digital space and to get a sense of innovations in our space.  I’m proud to say that Yodle had a strong presence at the event this year – a genuine sign of our positive progress. Court Cunningham, our CEO, gave a well-received presentation called “Using Technology to Drive…

  • Part One: Building an Effective Employment Brand

    lisa.wess@ellislab.com
    19 Apr 2012 | 1:19 pm
    Almost 100 years ago, more than 3,000 people lined up for several miles to throw their hat into the ring for a job promising extreme risk, low pay, and uncomfortable conditions. And from that, Ernest Shackleton, an explorer from the early 20th century and one of my leadership heroes, carefully selected 28 men who would join him on one of the most famous expeditions to the South Pole.  Few employers today would be so blunt in their advertisements. They typically spend a lot of time putting positive spin and polish on what their jobs offer in the hope of attracting the most sought after…

  • Staying Ahead of the Cosmetic Surgery Curve

    lisa.wess@ellislab.com
    10 Apr 2012 | 11:43 am
    This is a busy time of the year on the cosmetic surgery trade show circuit. We recently attended the American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting and are heading out to Las Vegas later this week to go to THE Aesthetic Show. In addition to using these events to discuss our online marketing services with both current and prospective customers, they also provide us with an ideal opportunity to stay updated on key cosmetic surgery developments.  Products, technologies and procedures are constantly evolving in the cosmetic surgery space.  It’s imperative that we keep our pulse on…

  • Taking Local Online Marketing to the Nation's Capital

    lisa.wess@ellislab.com
    22 Mar 2012 | 11:25 am
    I’ve been attending events on behalf of Yodle for the last two and a half years ranging from large trade shows to smaller informational meetings.  I always enjoy having the opportunity to head out of the office and spend some quality time with local business owners in order to learn more about the marketing and advertising challenges that they’re facing.   I also usually like to have a little bit of fun when I’m on the road.  I often have a small wager with local business owners that I’m speaking to.  I bet them a dollar that they’re not…
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    Crenshaw Communications

  • Tuesday Tips: Network like a Pro

    Marijane
    15 May 2012 | 11:14 am
    A guest post by networking and PR pro, our very own George Drucker. Which would you rather do? Make cold calls and send emails to names from a directory trying to convince them that they should see you and your agency; or send one email that says, “So glad we met recently at the Jones party; it was really great fun.” That line can say it all. Every person you meet, every individual you say hello to, every function you attend, is a bonafide networking opportunity. It’s a unique chance to engage with people and learn about them, who they are, where they’re from, what…

  • Crisis Management: When The Crisis Is The CEO

    Dorothy Crenshaw
    14 May 2012 | 5:54 am
      It’s hard out there for a CEO. Recently, we witnessed a week’s worth of drip-drip-drip coverage about Yahoo chief Scott Thompson’s resume. The gaffe culminated in Thompson’s resignation after only four months on the job. But the controversy, on the surface, wasn’t about whether he’d faked an advanced degree, or falsely claimed Ivy League credentials. No, this was about his undergraduate major. The headline-making departure last month was that of Best Buy chief Brian Dunn. Maybe it wasn’t surprising, but it was breathtakingly abrupt, amid…

  • TGIF: Give the Gift of Good PR to These Women on Mother’s Day

    Marijane
    11 May 2012 | 7:40 am
    I was all set to wax rhapsodically about some moms who had earned terrific PR for deeds well done this year. Then the Tanning Mom appeared, followed by the Stripper Hot Dog Mom and in an entirely different category, Linda “I don’t get out of bed for less than $10,000” Evangelista and her outrageous child support demands! So instead, I offer up some free PR advice for these and other “moms behaving badly.” There may not be redemption in the court of public opinion but at least their kids may still have fond feelings for them. Now, heed these words! For the “Tanning Mom” Stop…

  • Tuesday Tips: Creating the Killer PR Briefing Book

    Marijane
    8 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    The secret behind a great media interview? Sometimes, it’s the humble briefing book. Prior to a media meeting, most PR pros prepare a thorough briefing book to introduce a client or spokesperson to each individual outlet and interviewer. In “The Devil Wears Prada” the “mother of all briefing books” was an actual volume that Anne Hathaway used to make Meryl Streep brilliant in any receiving line. In the hilarious new HBO comedy, “Veep,” the briefing book used by Vice President Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is in the form of incredibly granular data stored on every…

  • TGIF: Get Outside! (Your Comfort Zone- Conquering Common PR Phobias)

    Dave
    4 May 2012 | 12:20 pm
    It’s graduation season, which means the beginning of new and promising PR careers and summer internships.  It can be a lot to handle all at once, and you’ll have to step outside your comfort zone every now and then to truly succeed. Here are the top 4 phobias I see from those just starting out in public relations. Pitching over the phone This is undoubtedly the top fear I see from interns and entry-level PR pros.  There is always a certain apprehension about picking up the phone and calling a reporter, but the truth is, they don’t bite.  Be smart and only call those who are right for…
 
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    Dumb Little Blogger

  • Top 9 Businesses That Won’t Last This Decade

    Vishal Sanjay
    15 May 2012 | 3:45 am
    They say change is an extremely important factor of capitalism, so as and when new products come up to improve the living standards of mankind, old and worn out ones will have to leave, and such changes are happening at the fastest ever pace today, and many businesses seem to go out of business real soon, most of them due to the internet. The internet is surely on of the greatest inventions of mankind, it has brought in various revolutions and changes in man’s life in just 4 to 5 decades of its inception, as mentioned earlier, this beautiful innovation too results in the end of a cycle…

  • Building Search Engine Rankings – My SEO Strategy

    Vishal Sanjay
    25 Apr 2012 | 1:32 am
    All these years I’ve never given much importance to SEO and my site’s ranking in search engines, until recently all the traffic I received from search engines was an outcome of natural organic backlink’s, which is why you rarely see a SEO related article on this blog. This site like most of my other sites is built on social media might and my powerful social media swapping network, but this is something I’ve started considering a mistake. Just a few weeks ago when my exams finally completed I had the time which I required to run and grow this blog, and at that time my…

  • How I got 26000 visitors from StumbleUpon?

    Vishal Sanjay
    9 Apr 2012 | 8:53 am
    StumbleUpon has always remained a faithful source of traffic for bloggers with good content and I have always had 1000 visitors every month from it ever since I created my account, I also often had a feeling that I should have started earlier, today its my second source of traffic after digg and is one of the first places I go after making a new blog post. Unlike others I have never concentrated on search traffic and now it stands in the 9th position, though I think that nothing can be as targeted and profitable as organic search traffic, my blog has moved and grown a lot faster with social…

  • Get Hostgator Hosting At $0.01 [COUPON]

    Vishal Sanjay
    15 Oct 2011 | 9:10 am
    All of us know the quality of Hostgator hosting and the command it has over the hosting market, so I’m sure all of you are eager to try it out, for this purpose I’ve created a few coupons by partnering with Hostgator using which you can get hosting there at an extremely cheap cost, below I’ve listed the coupon codes with instructions on how to use them.   Some of the key features of Hostgator Shared Hosting are, UNLIMITED Disk Space UNLIMITED Bandwidth FREE SiteBuilder EASY Control Panel 1-CLICK Script Installs 4,500 Free Website Templates 99.9% Uptime Guarantee 45 Day…

  • Michael Arrington Launches War On TechCrunch, AOL (And Maybe The Entire Silicon Valley)

    Vishal Sanjay
    25 Sep 2011 | 12:08 am
    If we see history, we often notice that most king’s  come back to capture their lost empires the second time before they die, and seeing recent events it makes me think that it might also be true for the internet, as today the internet is no less than a medieval battlefield. By referring to Kings and Emperors I wanted to make you understand that they considered power, reputation and authority as much more valuable than wealth, which is what makes them similar to internet entrepreneurs today. Whenever I hear about a successful internet firm being taken over by a larger firm, I kind of…
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    Business 2 Community

  • Know It All

    Digital Utility TEAM
    16 May 2012 | 1:45 pm
    A typical Google search can easily yield a few hundred million search results. Unfortunately, quantity doesn’t necessarily imply quality, so there’s no guarantee that the ‘good’ stuff will be on the first, second or even the ninth page of results. With the help of a web tool or two, however, it is possible to uncover those golden nuggets of useful information amidst all the noise. One of our current favourites is MentorMob, which allows users to create playlists on a certain topic. The site functions on a simple premise – everyone has his or her own skills and interests, so why not…

  • The Employee’s Guide to Social Media Crisis Management

    Melissa Agnes
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    What happens if the company or organization you work for finds itself in a social media crisis, but hasn’t invested in a social media crisis plan? What do you do when the stress of the situation starts to escalate and you’re still left unclear of your role within the crisis? When you feel unhelpful, confused and frustrated? When you haven’t been trained in the proper ways to respond to such a situation or are even clear in what your team expects of you? If you’re an employee of a company and happen to find yourself in a similar situation, here are some starting points of what you can…

  • 5 Content Marketing Lessons from Gene Simmons of KISS

    Jason Miller
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, KISS is arguably one of the biggest and most successful bands on the planet. Led by the marketing genius that is Gene Simmons, they continue to reach new audiences while engaging lifelong fans. Gene Simmons may be best known as the fire-breathing, bass playing demon in one of the most influential rock bands in history, but he can also teach us a thing or two about content marketing. KISS is a rock n’ roll band, but it is also a business and Gene Simmons is the CEO. Gene has showcased his entrepreneurial expertise through interviews with such…

  • The Two-Horse Race Most Startups Don’t Even Realise They’re Running

    Francis Moran
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    It is an article of faith that startups need funding. For most, that means chasing external investors, whether they be friends and fools, angels or venture capitalists. Any CEO who has gone this route knows it can be an almost all-consuming task that gobbles up an inordinate share of that most restricted of resources, time. The biggest risk, besides failing to secure the necessary dollars, is that focus on the most critical objective of a new startup, developing and bringing to market an actual product, can take a back seat whilst the funding search is so fully engaged. Too many startups fail…

  • To Abandon Facebook Advertising or Not, That is the Question

    Zach Bonnan
    16 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    When General Motors Co. announced on Tuesday (5/15) that it will stop advertising on Facebook, many marketers were shocked, to say the least. Abandoning Facebook just days before the social networking giant is due to go public is a surprising move by the nation’s third largest advertiser (behind Procter & Gamble and AT&T Inc.). GM’s marketing executives have seemingly decided that Facebook’s ads had little effect on consumers. GM said it will still have Facebook pages marketing its vehicles, but it will drop use of paid ads. Is this a smart move? Some apparently think…
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    B2B Marketing Insider

  • Brand Journalism, Disclosure and Sponsored Content

    Michael Brenner
    15 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    In this video, SAP’s CMO Jonathan Becher (@jbecher), discussed “brand journalism, disclosure, and sponsored content” with one of the leading independent analysts in the IT industry, Jon Reed (@JonERP). I was thrilled that they discussed the launch of our Business Innovation website where I am the chief editor (disclosure: I am a paid SAP employee.) But I was more excited about the open discussion they had around the importance of full disclosure, about the need for brands to get involved in the conversation, to become like publishers and to reach out to new audiences with…

  • 6 Steps to Inbound Marketing Success [Infographic]

    Michael Brenner
    10 May 2012 | 7:44 am
    As promised, here is the second infographic addition to my  8 great marketing infographics to inspire you in 2012. The first one, 18 Stats on the Mobile Market You Need To Know, was posted earlier this week and hopefully caused you to consider your mobile strategy. This next one is called “The Inbound Marketing Process Infographic.” It comes from Impact Brand and Design and includes 6 steps to inbound marketing success. It is appropriately sub-titled “Start generating more leads from your website today!” This is an excellent companion to my 7 steps to effective…

  • 18 Stats On The Mobile Market You Need To Know [Infographic]

    Michael Brenner
    8 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    I am a sucker for a great infographic just as much as the next guy or gal. My best post of 2012 so far (and by far) is 8 great marketing infographics to inspire you in 2012. With more than 2,400 Retweets, 650 “pins,” 200 LinkedIn shares, 47 “likes” and 45 Google+ shares and 25 comments, I was truly astonished by the amount of support and interest. So in the next week, I will share 2 additional infographics to help inspire your efforts, to focus on your customers and to drive better results in 2012. We know that mobile advertising is hot and I have already provided 4…

  • Deliver Results With A Search-Driven Marketing Plan

    Michael Brenner
    3 May 2012 | 8:06 am
    Why should any marketer consider a search-driven marketing plan? Can’t we just take what we did last year, do 80% of that and add some new bits? You know, we’ll add in some social strategery and what not.  Create some viral videos. Update our Facebook page…no? Unfortunately, many marketing plans are built with a few minor modifications to the previous year’s plans and some new buzz words added in. But an analysis of what marketing activities have really worked for many of us in the past will show that something like 80% of what we do is ineffective and does not…

  • Search, Social and Content – The Keys To Inbound Marketing

    Michael Brenner
    1 May 2012 | 7:45 am
    If you think SEO is the abbreviation for an airport, then you’re in big trouble. If you think customer-focused marketing is about deciding which segment of customers to SPAM, then you’re in big trouble. If you think you need to get some “more of the twitter,” then you’re in really big trouble! The simplest definition of Inbound Marketing is to attract new customers. And you can’t do that with boring, promotional content. You can’t do it without engaging with your prospects in the earliest stages of their buying cycle, and on social channels. And you…
 
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    Digital Insights

  • Global Digital Overview: "Friending" Brands on Social Network

    18 Apr 2012 | 11:09 pm
    How open are people to brands as friends on social networks? From learning about a brand's offering to eventually purchasing the end product, which markets are more open and which are more reistant to brands communicating to them via social? And before you start hi-fiving with your customers ponder > how should your brand approach your prospects and customers in those markets? How do people feel about: Finding out about brands How do people feel about: Buying Products Key insights from the Digital Life research conducted by TNS: Fast growth markets are more open to brands on social…

  • Nivea Q10+ Wouaaah Flash Mob

    13 Apr 2012 | 12:52 pm
    You seen it. Typical product booths providing you with the samples from perfumes to cosmetics. But how many times will you actually remember or recall that particular brand? No many I guess. Nivea’s Q10 Plus might just change your perception. Rather than the usual product pitch, they have turn the trial of Nivea’s Q10 Plus product into the actual "after-effect" experience through a unique and fun flash mob campaign. Here's the video of the Nivea Q10+ Wouaaah Flash Mob experience: Permalink | Leave a comment  »

  • 101 Guide to Rich Snippets from Google

    19 Dec 2011 | 9:34 am
    Rich snippets provide you with the ability to help Google highlight sections of your website which might be helpful or be a point of interest for them while researching for information (i.e. receipes search) or simply doing a comparison of product reviews for a camera. With that being said,how do you actually get started? Here's a couple of videos from Google to help you get started. Still not enough? Here's more tips in implementing those rich snippets. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

  • Forget about social media,think one to one marketing

    6 Nov 2011 | 1:17 am
    Forget about yada yada Social Media....from how do business get sexy to how do I monetized my social media ROI. Have you instead thought about building and interacting with your customers from a one to one personal propsective instead? In the following Gary Vaynerchuk shows his thought on building a one to one approach at the 2011 Inc 500 Conference. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

  • Accountable Mobile Marketing & Analytics with Avinash Kaushik

    3 Nov 2011 | 9:32 am
    What percentage of your traffic is driven through mobile devices? Large increment over the years? Or? And how are you presenting your offering or solution to your current and potential customers alike. Mobile devices present an incredible opportunity for companies to create truly delightful brand accretive marketing and digital existences. In the following video Avinash Kaushik shares insights on how you can apply the framework for bringing fast, innovative measurement to your business. Permalink | Leave a comment  »
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    The Marketing Sutra of Alex Grechanowski

  • Lead Management 101: Interview with Gabriel Buck, CEO of ClickPoint Software

    Alex Grechanowski
    27 Apr 2012 | 6:49 pm
    When everyone is a social media expert or an SEO consultant, I’ve noticed there are many marketers and business owners who are interested in learning some basic concepts on creating and closing more leads. The questions range from: what are the tools and strategies to use, to more advanced ones, like how to take a professional approach to lead management and stay on top of the game. Below are the answers to my questions I received from Gabriel Buck, CEO of ClickPoint Software, a system that offers lead management and lead distribution through one easy to use dashboard. I hope you…

  • Erich Fromm: Happiness These Days is the Experience of Unlimited Consumption

    Alex Grechanowski
    15 Apr 2012 | 12:48 pm
    We have transformed means into ends. Erich Fromm (1900 – 1980), psychoanalyst and philosopher, talks to Wallace on The Mike Wallace Interview about society, social relationships, and happiness. Interview date: May 25, 1958. Duration: 30 minutes. Enjoy! Selected quotes: We have wanted to produce more in the 19th century and the 20th century in order to give man the possibility for more dignified human life. But actually what has happened is that production and consumption have become means… have ceased to be means and have become ends and we are production crazy and consumption crazy.

  • 21 Must Read Resources on Startups

    Alex Grechanowski
    12 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am
    Before I jump into the list, I’d like to share three “must see” links related to startups: The Birth Of Silicon Valley, a amazing timeline of the key moments that shaped Silicon Valley. Startups, this is how design works, a guide for non-designers. Misadventures in VC Funding: The $24 Million Moz Almost Raised. Now I’m ready. Let’s go. Forbes’s Startup Views - empowering insights for entrepreneurs. RSS. Contributors: Michael Marasco and Swathy Prithiv Entrepreneur > Starting a Business - everything you need to know on starting a small…

  • Rand Fishkin: Startups are Mostly a Marketing Problem

    Alex Grechanowski
    5 Apr 2012 | 2:49 pm
    Startups are not a product problem. And they are rarely an engineering problem. Startups are mostly a marketing problem. Building something what people what can be challenging but if we can figure out what people need, we can build it. The problem is letting people who need it know what we’ve got what they need. If you don’t have content, none of your channels are going to work. Content can also mean a community (not only a blog). Search is big and it keeps growing. The thing about social is that it functions a more like a brand advertising. It’s about getting in front of the person…

  • How to Win the Zero Moment of Truth

    Alex Grechanowski
    30 Mar 2012 | 1:26 am
    Word of mouth is stronger than ever. “Because that little moment is the moment that’s changing the marketing rulebook. It’s a new decision-making moment that takes place a hundred million times a  day on mobile phones, laptops and wired devices of all kinds. It’s a moment where marketing happens, where information  happens, and where consumers make choices that affect the success and failure of nearly every brand in the world.” – ZMOT, a new eBook from Google.   One big idea is to reach shoppers who are making decisions before they enter the store.  …
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    KaneCo Conversations

  • Three Ways Facebook is Catching You With Your Pants Down

    Jennifer Kane
    16 May 2012 | 7:56 am
    Most of us think of social media like we do broadcast media – what we put on our screen is what people see on their screen, and vice versa. But this is actually rarely ever the case. In social media, you can have a totally different experience looking at your own profile than your network...

  • Three Steps For Putting ifttt To Work For You

    Kary Delaria
    9 May 2012 | 9:34 am
    Automate tasks across the web using ifttt. Here are three steps to help you get started selecting and creating recipes.

  • Pushing Your Mistakes Downstream

    Jennifer Kane
    1 May 2012 | 7:39 am
    When people make a mistake, they generally take one of two courses of action: they fix it or they try to cover it up. In both cases, the goal is the same – to make the mistake go away…fast. In social media though, it’s not quite that simple. From typos in your tweets to jokes...

  • Influence, Context and the Value of Not Being Dead

    Jennifer Kane
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:43 am
    Our first ever video blog post on the topic of online influence, which discusses two things… What is the objective against which you measure someone’s influence? What is the context in which that person’s influence occurs?   If you want to talk more about influence, please join us at our May business book salon on...

  • Adding Imagery to Your Social Media Marketing Mix

    Jennifer Kane
    17 Apr 2012 | 8:12 am
    Images are hot in social media right now — from Facebook cover photos to Pinterest boards to Instagram albums — and companies everywhere are getting wise to their increasing value as part of their marketing mix. And that’s awesome news if your business makes pretty things. But what do you do if your company doesn’t?...
 
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    Insivia Marketing + Web Design

  • Green Innovations Testimonial

    insivia
    9 May 2012 | 3:01 pm
    Green Innovations recently talked with us about choosing and working with Insivia on developing their brand, web site and marketing. Check out the great video we filmed below. Check out the Green Innovations website.

  • NBC Nightly News Interview with Insivia

    Alexis Hazboun
    9 Jan 2012 | 12:44 pm
    NBC Nightly News visits Insivia to discuss growth and hiring. Note: NBC Nightly News removes videos after 60 days – we are working to get access. Cleveland, Ohio – January 6th, 2012 - Insivia was recently featured for large growth during a difficult economic environment by NBC news and WKYC. Insivia, a strategic marketing agency founded in 2002 by Andy Halko, has recently seen significant growth despite a lack luster economy. In recent months we have expanded our staff and within the first 6 months of 2012 expect to grow even more. A recent TV segment by Tom Costello on NBC…

  • CALFEE’S Ad Spotted in Crains!

    insivia
    12 Dec 2011 | 3:29 pm
    Congratulations on the big move! Our friends at Calfee are moving to a new space in a few short weeks. We are proud to have you as a client and love the way the advertisement we designed turned out!  

  • Andy Halko Recognized in Crain’s 40 Under 40

    Laura Wright
    23 Nov 2011 | 1:20 pm
    We are very proud of our CEO, Andy Halko, on his achievement of being named one of Cleveland’s 40 under 40. It is nice to see one’s efforts being honored. As a team, we are excited to be part of northeast ohio’s economy and commitment to business. Congratulations to Andy, and the 39 other young professionals, on being recognized for being established leaders in Northeast Ohio!

  • Greater Cleveland Aquarium Featured in Plain Dealer

    insivia
    20 Nov 2011 | 4:19 pm
    We are super excited for our client the Greater Cleveland Aquarium. So much happened last week for them including Insivia launching their new website redesign at greaterclevelandaquarium.com, the start of selling annual passes, press conferences and so much more. The Plain Dealer shot a little video of the progressing construction here: Video of Greater Cleveland Aquarium Construction So check out all that is going on and keep visiting their site to get more updates prior to the opening on January 21st, 2012. We love Cleveland! Support you town and buy Aquarium Annual Passes too.
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    Value Acceleration

  • Just do it…

    valueacceleration
    16 May 2012 | 9:36 am
    Two object lessons in the last week from two transactions. On Thursday of last week I ordered a new battery for my laptop online from an eBay vendor. I paid an extra $20 for overnight delivery. Promised delivery was Saturday, since it was late on Thursday when I ordered. They used USPS for overnight delivery. It is Wednesday, and I am still waiting for the battery to arrive. According to the tracking it took until Monday to get to San Francisco and then until Tuesday to get to the post office in Sunnyvale where I live, so I expect it will arrive today, Wednesday. Way too late, as I am…

  • You only have to worry about a few employees (maybe)

    valueacceleration
    15 May 2012 | 3:57 pm
    You were probably taught, as we were, that all naturally occurring phenomena are distributed along a “normal” or Bell curve.  Take talent, for example.   In this case, very  untalented people would make up a small percentage of a population (say, the people in your company), people more-or-less average talent-wise would make up most of them, and only a few would be extremely talented. This may be all wrong. A new study (full study here, description here) shows that talent in any most organizations is instead distributed along a Power Law or Paretian curve.  That is: most people are…

  • What are they thinking with this brand extension?

    valueacceleration
    4 May 2012 | 9:44 am
    I assume many of you are familiar with Cintas. They are synonymous with uniforms and have spent many years and lots of money creating that position in customers’ minds. Apparently somebody made a strategic decision to have the company enter the fire protection and security business. While that seems a stretch, I am not going to second guess their over-arching business strategy as I don’t have enough information. And besides, they already have offerings unrelated to uniforms, so this new one is not necessarily strategically misaligned. However, their branding strategy is another…

  • Forget page views…

    valueacceleration
    27 Apr 2012 | 1:47 pm
    in fact, forget about a lot of what you now measure. I was recently talking to the chief editor of one of the leading portals for an industry.  He said that his management was concerned that their page views were down a bit.  He pointed out that he’d recently re-designed the site to make it easier for readers to find what they were looking for.   After the re-design, the number of unique visitors remained the same, but page views did go down somehat.  Tellingly, the time spent on a page also went up significantly. In other words, he accomplished his goal of making it easier for…

  • CEOs, actors, sports stars and pay for performance

    valueacceleration
    24 Apr 2012 | 9:33 am
    CEO pay in the U.S. is out of control, by some people’s definition. It far exceeds the 10x factor that some practitioners claim is reasonable for CEOs to make vs the lowest paid employee in the company. CEOs and management in government functions have seen pay increases that defy logic in many cases. The average school board “chief” in California makes more than the governor of the State. Many people feel that CEO pay has gone berserk because of the super star factor. If sports stars and celebrities can make millions of dollars per picture or per season, why should a CEO…
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    ViperChill

  • The Future of Blogging: I Had to Tell You This

    Glen
    25 Apr 2012 | 5:57 am
    This is an important blog post, because it makes a prediction. A prediction about the future of blogging; a platform actively used by over 181 million people (Nielsen data for October 2011). Not only will you learn why I think most blogging advice is dated and ineffective, but I’ll also reveal where I believe this entire industry is heading, so you can stay ahead of the competition. This is not only an important post, but also the longest I have ever written. It’s more like a mini-eBook, without the price tag. Don’t let its lack of cost make you doubt the value here though.

  • Revealed: Behind the Scenes of My Premium Product Launch

    Glen
    21 Mar 2012 | 7:10 am
    As you would probably expect, the last few weeks of my life since launching OptinSkin have been absolutely crazy. I can’t remember a time when I’ve spent so much of my day with my head in my inbox, dealing with customers. I assumed that most of the feedback after the launch would be from people with feature requests, support questions and pre-sales curiosity. As a team, we’ve definitely received enough of those, but the most common type of feedback I have received personally was totally unexpected. Dozens of people from around the world got in touch just to let me know how…

  • Do You Get It? Introducing My First Premium Plugin

    Glen
    27 Feb 2012 | 6:10 am
    You don’t have to look far in the IM world to see people touting how powerful email marketing is. How “growing subscribers” is a crucial aspect of building a sustainable internet business. I’ve talked about it myself on countless blog posts. Smart bloggers are catching on to the idea that their sites can act as an effective funnel for building their email lists. Yet even though everyone wants to grow their audience, few people are prioritising that conversion from visitor to subscriber. In October 2011 I wrote out the specifications for a WordPress plugin that would…

  • 7 Steps to Creating Million-Dollar Web Apps (And a Big Announcement)

    Glen
    20 Feb 2012 | 9:57 am
    A few weeks ago I asked on the ViperChill Facebook page whether people would be interested in a blog post on how I’ve developed various web software and plugins. The question was the most ‘liked’ status update I’ve ever made, making it clear that I should definitely write about this topic. Instead of just covering the development of my tools that already exist, I also have an announcement to make about an app I’ve been working on for months, which is making its world debut this week on Monday the 27th. Not only that, I’ve interviewed WordPress Rockstar…

  • How I Reached #1 on iTunes: A Guide to Launching a Podcast

    Glen
    16 Jan 2012 | 4:35 pm
    As many of you will know, last week I stuck to my promise of launching a Podcast in the new year and released the first episode, ‘How I Would Make Money Online If I Was Starting from Scratch‘. I had hoped that a lot of people would get some value from the recording and be able to start 2012 in style, but I didn’t anticipate what happened next. Within 24 hours the podcast made it to #1 in Marketing and #2 in Business on iTunes which totally blew me away – sandwiched in between 9 podcasts by the BBC and the Financial Times. In just 6 days (I don’t have stats for…
 
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    Create to Conquer

  • The Best-Selling Product in the World

    MarsDorian
    2 May 2012 | 12:23 pm
    Whatever you think it is, you may be surprised by the answer. It’s a special kind of product – the one that everyone can create and that won’tt cost you or your audience ANY moolah. Yet it has the power to influence people in ways you couldn’t even imagine. Here’s where I’m coming from: I have looked at my recent work (content and cartoons), and I can’t help but following the urge to punch myself in the face. The stuff I do is partly slick and polished, and some of it is even well-written (at least for a non-native English writer). But it lacks…

  • Cartoon – What These Iconic Brands Can Teach You About Being Memorable

    MarsDorian
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:39 am
      Well, if you didn’t guess all of the brands and their slogans, read through the post and I will unveil them to you. But this isn’t just for entertainment purposes – the cartoon is about learning how to make yourself MORE MEMORABLE, so people keep remembering your BRAND and its products/services. Let’s keep on: What you can learn from these big-ass brands Despite me creatively “slaughtering” the brands visuals and text, you probably guessed most of them. That’s the power of iconic branding – it’s sooo strong you can EVEN recognize it…

  • The Problem With Social Media Shares (And What You Should Focus On Instead)

    MarsDorian
    29 Mar 2012 | 11:42 am
    Facebook likes, Tweets, G plusses, Pinterests pins. I know you wanna catch ‘em all – great share numbers mean people luv your stuff and want to spread it like Pokemon cards in the 90s - but do you really need them ? There’s a social media mindset that’s hurting your biz, and we’re going to uncover that bastard once and for all. It starts with a personal revelation… The truth about about social media shares I’m the first to admit it – social media shares, especially high numbers of ‘em, make my ego spacerocket. When I publish a post that…

  • Want to Stand Out in an Overcrowded Market ? Focus on these 3 Basics

    MarsDorian
    21 Mar 2012 | 10:49 am
      A lot of people online jump into hyped markets and think they can create a successful blog/site because the niche is popular. Baaaad. There’s NOTHING wrong with invading a popular & crowded market. But if you do, you want to take care of your basics first: Do you know your content strategy ? You have to know how you can create spread-worthy content. Simply writing goood stuff isn’t enough in most niches nowadays – you have to add something special that makes it stand out. That could mean including kick-ass and thought-provoking podcasts, using beautiful imagery or…

  • The Only Pinterest Post you need to read. Seriously.

    MarsDorian
    6 Mar 2012 | 11:28 am
    The next time I see another Pinterest post I’m going to punch someone in the face. This platform is so over-hyped it’s not even funny anymore. I remember when Foursquare was the talk in town, and people were RAVING about this new gamechanger that was going to KILL Facebook. Yeah, right. Last time I checked, it was Facebook with over 800 million users, not Foursquare. And even if quite a lot of people use  Foursquare (also insanely less than Facebook), I doubt the former “gamechanging” platform has really changed your life or biz. So here we go with the new…
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    The Online Community Guide

  • The Establishment Phase - Building Structures & Shifting Processes

    Richard Millington
    16 May 2012 | 9:04 am
    Once a community has achieved critical mass, you enter the establishment phase.  There are some key things you need to do here: 1) Shift the amount of time gradually from micro to macro level interactions. 2) Begin preparing for a BIG online community. 3) Introducing sense of community elements.  Each of these deserves more attention.    Move to macro-level tasks The tasks you focus on change. You move from micro interactions (initiating conversations, inviting members to join, and prompting people to participate), into a broader array of more macro-level…

  • The Real Problem

    Richard Millington
    15 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    Last week I posed a problem to community managers.  It read like this:  You're running a community that's been around for 18 months. The number of registered members is rising by about 250 per month.  The level of activity appears relatively constant. The number of discussions is rising, but the number of responses to each discussion has tapered off a little. You notice the same names begin to appear on almost every response.  Several of these same names are beginning to argue with each other on every topic. As community manager, what would you do…

  • Moderation Masterclass

    Richard Millington
    14 May 2012 | 3:48 am
    Moderation is a powerful tool to boost participation in your community. Once people have completed the registration process, you rely upon the troika of moderation, events/activities, and content to sustain high levels of participations. The communities that struggle to keep people engaged, are failing at one or more of the above tasks. The most common is moderation.  If you want to learn how to do it right, you can now watch this free lesson from The Pillar Summit's Professional Community Management course: http://www.pillarsummit.com/moderation (apologies for the first…

  • The 4 Tenets Of Professional Community Management

    Richard Millington
    11 May 2012 | 5:48 am
    This post always bugged me. It summarized a lot of bad job descriptions into a widely-linked article.  There are four tenets to professional community management, but it's not what you might imagine.  Data: Data tells you where you are now. It tells you how you're doing, whether the community is producing the benefits you promised and where you need to focus your efforts. This is the future. All the metrics are available to us. You can find an example of data in practice here. If you're not actively tracking your data, how do you have any idea how your community is…

  • Newsletters and E-mails

    Richard Millington
    10 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    I've come across a few platforms which don't let you do two important things: 1) Set up a newsletter. 2) Mass-mail all members.  The difference between the two is also important. Newsletter are a regular update of what's new and popular in the community. Mass e-mails/notifications are rarer, incredibly important, announcements that can't wait until the newsletter (or dwarf the importance of a newsletter. Use the latter sparingly.  I wouldn't use platforms that didn't offer both. Without these, you can't highlight activities that…
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    About Leads

  • Webinar recap: taking marketing automation to the next level

    Jeremy Sacco
    16 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    At a great webinar I attended yesterday, Forrester Research senior analyst Rob Brosnan shared some insights from a recent survey about marketing automation usage, as well as some great tips on how to take automation to the next level. (The full survey results are available from Silverpop.) Here's a summary of his presentation.Done correctly, marketing automation (MA) can address challenges from three directions: customers, competitors, and internal demands. It's all about improving efficiency and opening new opportunities. It's not one specific category of software: it can include a wide…

  • A quick health check of your lead gen practices

    Jeff Gordon
    8 May 2012 | 10:19 am
    Generating leads and closing more business is a never-ending task. And within that practice, there are many campaigns, processes and events that occur. With so many moving parts, it's easy to have things stop working, get out of date, or need refinement. Here is a quick checklist to ensure the general health of your lead generation practices:Test your forms, email addresses and phone numbers listed on your website and landing pages. You would hate to have inquiries get lost in the shuffle thanks to a broken form, a disconnected phone number or a dead email address.Leave your standard voice…

  • From our other blog: don't fail at testing

    Jeremy Sacco
    7 May 2012 | 7:55 am
    Just a quick pointer to an article I just wrote for our general business newsletter: Don't Fail at Testing. Just because testing is so ingrained into most online marketing campaigns doesn't mean that you're always doing it right -- I highlighted 7 common testing mistakes to avoid: Not defining metrics clearly. Not setting the right scope. Not testing the test tools "Nah, that'll never work." Moving too quickly. Moving too slowly Not thinking broadly enough about what to test. Head over to our other blog to see the details.

  • Friday blog roundup

    Rachel Longley
    4 May 2012 | 1:50 pm
    Happy Friday everyone! In honor of the weekend and the start to another great month, here is a roundup of some good lead gen, marketing, and sales articles that I found interesting this week. The top 10 sales tactics that beat cold calling 5 Ways marketing automation is better than baseball B2B email benchmarks: answers vary widely Six DIY Google Analytics fix-its for small businesses 12 Timeless link building tips for business blogs Besides interesting articles, I also wanted to spotlight that National Small Business Week is coming up later this month. Check out some of the events and…

  • Like what you see here? Help us out

    Jeremy Sacco
    3 May 2012 | 6:56 am
    We'll be honest - we're big fans of Marketing Sherpa around here. We've always found them to be a valuable source of forward-looking, research-based information for the challenging marketing environment we're all facing.So we were excited to see their new Reader's Choice awards: much like our own Best of BuyerZone series, they're going to be recognizing outstanding blogs in a wide variety of categories. Unlike ours, they're putting nominations (and later, the final selections) up to popular vote - and that's where you come in.If you like what we're doing here, head over to the Marketing…
 
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    Personal Branding TV

  • Commercial Break: L’Odyssee de Cartier

    Regina
    10 May 2012 | 1:16 pm
    From Issue 74 of YOUnique, the Reach Personal Branding Newsletter: L’Odyssee de Cartier I love this commercial because: Quality. This is an extremely expensive, extremely well done, cinema quality ad. It is three minutes long. Clearly, it took a lot of Cartier’s marketing resources to create something so beautiful – and consistent with the brand. I also like the shots of Rue de la Paix in Paris – one of the most beautiful streets in the world – and one that I passed every day walking from my apartment to my gym when I lived in Paris. This ad and YOUR personal brand: When marketing…

  • State of Social Media

    Regina
    7 May 2012 | 6:33 am
    In this video Maria Duron talks about some current issues with social media: Facebook Real Time Insights Instagram Pinterest Now #3 Google+ Like Timeline The Fancy Gains Have questions? Make sure to post them below! Bio: Maria Elena Duron is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks – a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and social commerce around your brand, and she is co-founder of #brandchat – a weekly Twitter chat focused on every aspect of…

  • 5 Tips for Your Personal Brand to Blossom!

    Regina
    24 Apr 2012 | 3:03 pm
    Spring time in Japan means one thing – cherry blossoms. The cherry blossom is a unique tree in Japan and for one week it is extraordinary with its explosion of pink blossoms. But these blossoms disappear quickly and the tree becomes ordinary, like every other tree. Unlike the cherry blossom, your personal brand needs to blossom and stay in full bloom. In this video, I share 5 tips to make sure your personal brand blossoms and stays in full bloom! You can read the corresponding blog post on The Personal Branding Blog: 5 Tips for Your Personal Brand to Blossom! BIO: Peter Sterlacci,…

  • Deb Dib and William Arruda Interview – Reach Personal Branding Interview Series

    reachproducer
    15 Apr 2012 | 6:38 pm
    Click on the microphone to download the interview >>> 3D Personal Branding: Your GPS for Executive Success The world is experiencing an increasingly volatile marketplace forcing significant change for both employees and employers. What could possibly offer both executives and those they lead the sense of stability, empowerment, value-creation, and recognition in this environment? Personal Branding. Most executives and employers who are serious about building their careers, have accepted this truth but they may find themselves struggling with how to live the power of their personal…

  • Facebook’s Timeline for Business Do’s and Don’ts

    Regina
    9 Apr 2012 | 3:50 am
    In this video Maria Duron explains the do’s and don’ts for Facebook’s Timeline format. She’ll talk go over and explain the rules for Timeline cover photos: No calls to action No contact information No “like” this No use of the word sale Make sure to post any questions you might have in the comment section. Bio: Maria Elena Duron is managing editor of the Personal Branding Blog and CEO (chief engagement officer) of buzz2bucks – a word of mouth marketing firm. She helps create connection, credibility, community and cha-ching through mobile marketing and…
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    newInternetOrder.com

  • Email Spam Reaching New Standards

    Karol K.
    14 May 2012 | 10:54 am
    Email spam is reaching new standards… Of course, I’m not talking about any improvements, or anything that could be considered “a good practice.” Besides, it’s hard to identify any good practice since we’re talking spam, right? Here’s the case. Just the other day I received an email like this (the important part marked with the rectangle): Everything seems fine at first… Someone sent me an email, I responded, and I got a follow up email. However, I never responded! My so-called response (starting with “Can you tell me more about …”) is completely fabricated. … Talking…

  • “Features Tell, Benefits Sell” – A Marketing Guru Would Say, But Do They?

    Karol K.
    10 May 2012 | 10:03 am
    Here’s the main problem with benefits: they sound hyper-pitchy. But is pitchy bad? Not necessarily. If my only option to make money was to use pitchy messages then hell … no problem. However, even though the language of benefits works great for many marketers selling products online, it’s still not perfect for everything. Some products are just too basic, recognizable, and easy-to-grasp, which means that they don’t need much marketing speech. I mean, what benefit would you mention while trying to sell a standard t-shirt? If the t-shirt is nicely designed then it’s the best marketing…

  • Online Entrepreneur’s Guide to Web Design

    Karol K.
    2 May 2012 | 3:29 pm
    If you have an online business, or you’re planning to launch one, chances are that at some point you will be searching for a web designer to redesign your current site or create something completely new. A different path to choose is to buy a premium, out-of-the-box website template. Either way, no matter which path you choose you still want your website to be well designed and to represent what your business is about. However, how do you tell what is good web design and what isn’t? Is a website good just because you like it visually? Is everything that looks good suitable for your…

  • Online Business Models Explained: Subscriptions and Membership Programs

    Karol K.
    26 Apr 2012 | 10:48 am
    This series is slowly coming to its final episode, however this isn’t the one yet. So far we’ve been talking about things like: services and consulting, products, affiliate income, and advertising. These are all valid online business models. Today let’s focus on something that is not that obvious, but has been fairly popular lately nevertheless – subscriptions and membership programs. What a membership program is A membership program is commonly known as a premium area to which you can gain access by paying an ongoing fee of any kind (monthly or yearly). The premium area can contain…

  • Upselling Like a BOSS – How to Pull the Trigger

    Karol K.
    20 Apr 2012 | 2:39 pm
    Are you ready to bring a gun to a knife fight? Because, essentially, that’s what upselling is. For some people upselling is like generating free money, others don’t believe in the whole idea that much. My opinion is somewhere in between. I know that upselling can bring you some serious profits, but only if you set your offers with upselling in mind from the get-go. It’s hard to upsell if you don’t have anything to offer, right? However, if you do have an interesting range of products that your audience will surely enjoy then you can start crafting your sales messages in a way that it…
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    Digital Gossips

  • Why Google Should Acquire Pinterest! My Message to Googleplex

    Munaz Anjum
    10 May 2012 | 12:50 am
    Google should acquire Pinterest!Build a better mousetrap, and Google will beat a path to your door. A virtual truth! Had Ralph Waldo been alive, he would have quoted so! After many acquisitions, I believe pinterest is the one that Google should acquire for many reasons.The popularity of inforgraphics is surging with a growing users’ base. ComScore reports that the site has seen a 900% increase in unique visitors with 17.8% million unique views in February 2012 in a short time since its inception in September 2009. Further, Pinterest is only third to Facebook and Tumblr, as per a story…

  • Google Contains the Seeds of Its Own Destruction!

    Munaz Anjum
    21 Mar 2012 | 6:54 am
    Courtesy Image:  uncyclopedia.wikia.com   Google’s love for brand is not a new thing to cover in my blog. Much has been written and talked about it but what is not talked about is the declining share of Wikipedia on Google search results. There was a time when Google would display Wikipedia on the top of the search result but now the top organic slot is replaced with big brands like ebay and Amazon. There are many SEO experts who always write their opinion on the best practices of optimizing a website. Does a site like eBay or Amazon follow the so-called SEO advice?

  • Google Hypocrisy Exposed Again!

    Munaz Anjum
    29 Dec 2011 | 5:52 am
    Greed is the discorded love of Google. The phrase that may not sound good to many watchdogs of the search engine but it’s actually true. There are many instances that prove Google favors brands and the company aims at smaller business to have its goose producing more golden eggs. First it was China that exposed Google hypocrisy and now buySafeIn digital world, the Pareto Rule (80/20) does not hold true especially in search business. Google knows 20/80 rule works in virtual world and it’s always about ‘Long Tail’. Google apparently favors big brand more on organic than on sponsored…

  • Google 2012 –Predictions from Marketing Perspectives

    Munaz Anjum
    26 Dec 2011 | 2:27 am
    Google 2012!Do you want to know what what might change in Google 2012? Although, a few might not come true yet I see these predictions something worth to have them for our knowledge. Please, see below the top 20 Google Predictions 2012 I have made!Deploy more human editors than automated algorithm to perform quality audit.Google tops brands on search results and gives more AdWords options to branded companies compared to smaller brands.Throws fresh results (15-20% search queries)! The archive rule gets relaxed to freshness although a bit.The area of rich snippets shall be expanded and…

  • Neither G+ Promises Search Value Nor Business Value - Reasons Explained!

    Munaz Anjum
    19 Dec 2011 | 3:34 am
    G Plus or G Minus!Do you think G+ has all the elements of success in social arena?Many marketers hope so at least the way G+ is being slapped on our face by Google. However, I cease to believe this, at least at this point of time! Contrary to my belief, various sources have already predicted that G+ would be a game changer. There are many experts like Bernie Borges who think so. Flooded are the websites with various analysis. One such reputed site is SEOmoz where many people have given their thumbs up opinion on G+. What has really caught my attention…
 
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    BlogNotions - Marketers

  • Marketing Tip: If You Only Do One Thing, Qualify Your Leads

    Dan McDade
    15 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    If you want to stir emotion in a marketing VP, bring up the subject of lead follow up. Few subjects can rile like that one. Leads that are discounted, not accepted or simply ignored can cause otherwise cool-headed marketing execs to pull out their hair, especially after having worked so hard to generate them in the first place. Having been in the business of helping B2B companies close the gap between marketing and sales for almost 20 years, and talking to execs from both sides, I could spend hours talking about why it happens. There’s a lot of psychology involved—fear of failure on…

  • Is It Time To Say Goodbye?

    mneumeier
    9 May 2012 | 1:11 pm
    As BtoB marketers, we know what follows flies in the face of all that’s instinctive. But the time has come for all of us to confront a tough reality – some of our prospect relationships just aren’t working anymore. And it may be time to turn these prospects loose. Today’s metric-rich email, CRM and automation tools have given us the ability to identify and profile prospects and track their reactions to our email and web marketing efforts in a way never before available. They have also helped identify the curse of today’s marketer – the passive opt-out. The individual who doesn’t…

  • 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Work for ‘Shooting Star’ Companies?

    jtan
    6 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    Shooting Stars Companies Rises and Falls in an Instance ‘Shooting star’ companies are what I defined as brand new, short lived and ‘Big Time’ companies which invested heavily on marketing and advertising campaigns without a clear direction of where the company heading in the long term. These companies usually focus on getting quick profits. Shooting Companies Always Invest Heavily in Massive ‘Air Bus’ Liked Advertising Just like a shooting star, it shines the brightest among the other stars in the dark skies but only for a short while before it descends into nothing. Some of the…

  • 9 Keys to Wicked Awesome Landing Pages

    dmclellan
    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…

  • Buyer-driven Communication: Stop Selling. Start Listening.

    mneumeier
    27 Apr 2012 | 3:21 pm
    Public relations and marketing, no matter how good, cannot make a buyer buy. This is especially true in a BtoB environment, where purchasing decisions are often made by committee, impulse buys are rare, and emotions – though not irrelevant – play a secondary role to rational considerations. In today’s information-rich environment, buyers are in control of the sales process – so understanding what makes them tick is essential. However, as BtoB communicators, it seems we’ve lost sight of this critical point. It’s understandable. In recent years, we’ve been bombarded with the…
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    methodsavvy.com

  • Does It Matter What Time Of Day You Post To Twitter?

    Devin Kelley
    1 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    The other day Heather Pownall from Southern Energy asked me about a tweet I recently shared on Twitter: RT @CMBlog: the Q is not what’s the best time of day to tweet- Q is does the time & date matter. BOOM! @webby2001 #soslam — Devin Kelley (@DevinPK10) April 27, 2012 I would actually add one more question to the process: Do you need to tweet at all? The short answer is generally yes, especially given the current benefits of social for SEO. Now assuming social does make sense for your audience, does the time and date matter? Again, I would say the answer is yes, but, I would guess…

  • Reviving Stagnant Sales Leads: A 10 Minute Webinar on April 19th at 11am

    Devin Kelley
    3 Apr 2012 | 9:38 am
    Remember that friendly fellow who you met in the coffee line before that conference started last fall who went from bleary-eyed to wide awake when you started tell him about your company? You got back to the office, sent a excited follow up, got no response, and there he sits. Now he doesn’t remember you. Join Method Savvy Thursday April 19th for 10 minutes before lunch. Starting at 11am we’ll be hosting a 10 minute webinar on how to reinvigorate the stagnant sales leads through marketing. The webinar will cover topics including: Aligning the lead nurturing process to your…

  • Can NewsJacking The Real-Time Web Help Cure Cancer?

    Jake Finkelstein
    16 Feb 2012 | 3:49 pm
    Real-Time + Content = Donations For Cancer Research We’re running an experiment. We’re testing to see if by leveraging the power of the real-time web, social media and content sharing you can raise a significant amount of funds and awareness for a great cause. See, we’re working with Martin Smith, Atlantic BT and ClearSketch to donate $0.03 to the Duke Cancer Institute for every tweet, Facebook share, Google+ share, blog post or other social mention using the hashtags #MartinsRide or #ABTMEETUP. Pretty cool, huh? Martin Smith Rides Again Who the heck is Martin Smith? Well,…

  • The Constant Flow Of Marketing Data Is A False Sense Of Security

    Jake Finkelstein
    13 Oct 2011 | 8:52 am
    We spend a lot of time talking to clients about the data generated by advertising and marketing campaigns. We talk about what they should be measuring, the best ways to measure it and what to do with it once its all collected. More and more we’re hearing a common refrain – “we’re drowning in data.” The Difference Between Marketing Data and Actionable Information As marketers, we live in exciting times. More so than ever before we have access to tools that allow us to see not only how often customers are viewing our messaging, but also the actions they’re taking the…

  • To Understand Marketing Campaign Value Look Beyond Web Analytics

    Jake Finkelstein
    10 Oct 2011 | 8:19 am
    A few months back our North Carolina neighbors, Newfangled Web Developers, asked an interesting marketing related question on their blog: What Is A Content Strategy Worth? In the post, Newfangled’s President Mark O’Brien writes… “I was meeting with an agency partner in Chicago a few months ago. We were in an all-day planning session for a suite of new sites we’re building with them and the topic of website leads came up. I had mentioned something about the role of content creation in a lead-generation marketing plan, and the principal, in a kind but slightly challenging way,…
 
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    Rey(es) of Light

  • Mother’s Day

    Patrick Reyes
    9 May 2012 | 9:47 pm
    As another Mother’s Day approaches I wanted to take a moment and honor the women that play such a huge role in the lives of our families today.  As many of you know, my mom passed away in 1990 and as I now go into my 22nd year without her, I know her spirit lives on through me and my kids.  I’m also lucky enough to be married to a woman that also shares a lot of the same qualities my mom had growing up. For Julianne, you are totally appreciated and at least I know I don’t tell you that enough.  You are loved by me and your kids even though at times it may not feel like…

  • Don’t Be A Dinosaur

    Patrick Reyes
    7 May 2012 | 9:04 am
    If you saw Moneyball, you’ll know the scene.  It’s the scene that summarizes why I am the way that I am.  It’s the scene that explains why I want to challenge the “way things have always been done” because when it gets to that point, it’s time to do something new.  It’s the scene that explains why I challenge those that ask what the ROI of social is when the only measurement I can get from a large TV media buy is impressions (bold statement to make but certainly appropriate). Marketing is different.  I subscribe to the notion that “social…

  • Reverse The Irreversible

    Patrick Reyes
    10 Apr 2012 | 7:47 pm
    Ever wonder how lives can be transformed? Hear 3 stories of change and how the transformative power of the Holy Spirit can inspire and give hope.

  • Lead Late

    Patrick Reyes
    30 Mar 2012 | 8:22 am
    Everyone is in such a hurry to be a leader, to get ahead, to be noticed.  I received a great piece of advice recently.  A man that I have a ton of respect for told me the best advice he was given was to not worry about recognition or being considered a leader to early in life.  He was told, “let God bring success and fame your way when you’re gray and can handle it.  Right now, grow, mature and raise your family to love and honor Him.” Some people are born to be leaders but I’m sure those leaders didn’t chase it.  They were naturally thought of that way and…

  • The New Has Come…

    Patrick Reyes
    29 Mar 2012 | 11:00 am
    Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV People change.  When someone says “that’s just the way that I am” or “I can’t change who I am” it frustrates me because you can change who you are and often for the better.  A while back, I shared with you an e-mail I sent to my friends and my family talking about my how my faith in God was growing.  There was a point in my e-mail that I said, “What I don’t want is for all of you to think I’m going to completely change who I am…
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    Jared Hendler

  • Looking for some quick research or opinions on the cheap?

    9 May 2012 | 9:39 am
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  • Do you have an image strategy?

    17 Mar 2012 | 10:32 am
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  • Is Social Advertising The Future of Madison Avenue?

    15 Mar 2012 | 12:46 pm
    Even as digital advertising is up (it's no secret of the declining engagement within traditional), it is clear that consumers are not interested in repeating the same invasive advertising experience at a time when recommendations from family, friends and professional peers are more trusted sources of information. There is a reason that the banner ad is also on the decline. And then there is Facebook, protecting the interests of community by eliminating ads as noise with a preference towards advertising as relevant content. Advertising as being a part of the conversation. Advertising to be…

  • Will all software eventually run in the cloud?

    5 Mar 2012 | 11:10 am
    Imagine having remote access, via a tablet or low-end desktop, to the most powerful desktop setup with automated software and security updates constantly being installed for you. Imagine having never to pay hundreds of dollars for the latest software, but rather being able subscribe to most of what you need for less than $10 per month, including an internet connection faster than most businesses. Think of it like paying for cable (when cable was affordable).  For a set low price you get the basics. A base OS, with the software basics such as Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, Excel etc all…

  • The problem with Google+

    26 Sep 2011 | 9:49 am
    Google has often competed in markets it had no long term interest in participating in, just for the sake of drawing attention to or advancing a specific area for the overall benefit of search. That is not the case here. Personal data is sorely needed for search to evolve to the next level and deliver results that are more relevant to individual needs and interests. Google is late to the game and badly needs a social win.  When Facebook crept up and stole MySpace, it was still early. Facebook realized the value of real friends vs an endless accumulation of connections…
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    Resource Nation Small Business Articles & Advice

  • New Federal Rules Set on Background Checks; Is Your Company Legal?

    Amanda DiSilvestro
    15 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    If you actively use criminal background checks to screen potential employees and use convictions as reason not to hire someone, you’ll want to be aware of the latest employee background check rules put into place by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) last month. What’s Changed for Employers? The new rules call for careful consideration of how and when you use criminal background checks in pre-employment screenings, since there could be potential bias against certain groups like racial minorities. According to the EEOC, racial and ethnic minorities are more likely to…

  • 3 Ways To Improve International Communication

    Jessica Sanders
    14 May 2012 | 8:03 am
    When doing business internationally, communication becomes critical. In a situation where you can’t meet in your office once a week, phone and online meetings become vital to sustaining the relationship and keeping the flow of communication open. However, the chance for a communication mishap increases in doing business over-seas. Cultural differences can be a barrier and a hindrance. To avoid any unwanted business catastrophes, utilize the following three steps. “When working in the global commercial environment, knowledge of the impact of cultural differences is one of the keys to…

  • 4 Tips for Hiring Background Check Companies

    Amanda DiSilvestro
    8 May 2012 | 10:17 am
    One of your jobs as a business owner is to find and select the best candidates for various positions that you need to fill. Your skill sets as a business owner, however, may limit you from knowing the ins and outs of employee background checks and how information gathered from these screenings may affect your role as an employer. Background check companies are one of the partners you should rely on to get the job done right. Why should you contract with background check companies to find out the credit and criminal history of your candidates? You might find that taking on this task yourself…

  • How To Have A Successful Promotional Giveaway

    Jessica Sanders
    7 May 2012 | 8:03 am
    Planning a promotional giveaway is a great way to boost your current marketing campaign. This is a smart strategy for gaining better social media attention while keeping your brand at the forefront. There are a variety of opportunities for giveaways, planning it, however, will prove to be the defining factor in whether you are successful or not. “The SBA reports that nearly half of newly-opened businesses reach their fifth anniversary. The support of customers is vital to reaching any anniversary; this makes it imperative for a business to show appreciation to its customers through…

  • 4 Small Business Marketing Tips for Down Economic Times

    Guest Author
    3 May 2012 | 8:02 am
    Times are tough—no one is going to argue that. Unfortunately, this often means that small business owners will reduce their marketing efforts to cut business costs. After all, there are fixed expenses that can’t be negotiated, right? You have to pay employees, rent, taxes, and all operating expenses. If you don’t, your doors won’t be open for long. However, reducing your marketing efforts will only make matters worse: The less you broadcast your offerings, the fewer customers you’ll have. In other words, if you don’t remind your existing customers about your…
 
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    David Horne

  • Feed The Relationship And You Feed The Business

    David Horne
    11 May 2012 | 7:42 pm
    This business (marketing) is not about selling stuff. This business is about creating strong, provocative relationships between good companies and their customers. Those relationships will feed the business but you have to feed the relationships. – Dan Wieden If you can’t see this video, click here. Enough said.

  • Building Three-Cord Connections

    David Horne
    4 May 2012 | 7:10 pm
    A cord of three strands is not easily broken I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how we develop relationships in today’s high-tech world. I’d love to hear your thoughts but here is what is at the forefront of my mind Our circle of friends used to be formed by proximity. Now they are built by relevance and interest without geographical constraints. A lot of my strongest relationships are with folks whom I’ve made a three-cord connection. Three-cord connections combine shared interest, real-life communication, and online interactions. What are your thoughts? Are you…

  • Movie Lessons: Shakespeare and Henry V.

    David Horne
    23 Apr 2012 | 11:16 pm
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile, this day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks that fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day. This week we celebrate William Shakespeare’s birthday. Yesterday was the bard’s official date of birth and like last year, we are sharing our stories and remembering the impact he has had on a lot of us. I thought it would be to…

  • Make Life Count

    David Horne
    19 Apr 2012 | 1:26 am
    Do more. Make it count. Please take a look at this video. It will inspire and challenge you. If you can’t see the video, click here. This video accomplishes everything I was going to write about today. Thank you for doing more, being more, and changing the world. What can you do in 10 Days?  

  • 10 Podcasts That Will Feed Your Brain

    David Horne
    11 Apr 2012 | 11:56 pm
    Over the last few years I have become a big fan of listening to podcasts. In fact, there are a handful I listen to regularly that are entertaining and informative. The hosts are all super smart and people I would enjoy meeting if we ever crossed paths. I hope you will check them out and get as much value out of them as I have. Marketing  Six Pixels of Separation - The host, Mitch Joel, runs a Toronto based digital agency and is one of the brightest guys in the business. His interviews are insightful and cover digital marketing topics applicable for real-world business. There is not a lot…
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    Digital, Branding, Experiential & Promotions Insights | Moosylvania Blog

  • Throwing a Digital Bullseye: Honing Your Banner Ad Targeting

    aaronstevens
    10 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Your target audience can be difficult to engage, but with the right tactics used at the right time with the right creative, you’ll hit the bullseye by maximizing the effectiveness of your digital advertising. When talking about banner ads, it’s the targeting that gets tricky. Here are a few targeting methods you should be aware of – techniques to help you aim your digital darts if you will.  Please keep in mind it’s not a one or the other sort of deal. You will typically want to mix and match your targeting to maximize your results. Direct purchasing – This is where you…

  • Brand Love is a Battlefield: 3 Lessons to Ease the Pain of Online Brand Management and Marketing

    juliaahrens
    3 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Whether personally or professionally, life lessons don’t mean much to me unless they can be summed up in the title of an 80s anthem.  First bad break-up?  Every Rose Has Its Thorn.  Another tight pitch deadline?  All Night Long. Somehow, similar lyrics seem to keep popping up for a number of situations (work and life-related), but the brand management and marketing game is ever changing. The evolution of social media means brands are required to listen and respond to consumer sentiment more than ever. Consumers have also become more marketing-savvy, making brands work hard for their…

  • Top 10 Timeless Package Designs

    nickjacobs
    26 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Achieving a timeless design, whether in graphic design, interior design, fashion design or even car design, can be a feat that most designers only dream of. In a world full of trend, popularity and fad, creating something ageless can be a difficult task, especially when everyone is a critic. But outside of designing an Indie-rock poster, a slick website or a handy infographic, package design has the harshest critics known to any professional designer: consumers. But what gets a consumer to continually purchase iconic brands based solely on their package designs?  This past holiday season,…

  • All-American Advertising for Capital One

    ericflinn
    24 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    We’ve been helping Capital One with corporate identity and brand building for a few years now, along with digital strategy and traditional advertising concepts. It started with our design of the Capital One Cup, and since then we’ve been engaged in developing the branding and strategy for some of their new products and services. For this latest project, Capital One asked us to create a print campaign to drive awareness for their official partnership with the NCAA® and sponsorship of the Academic All-America Team. They specifically wanted to highlight how difficult it is to excel in both…

  • Creating Your Social Media Marketing Playground

    juliagilmour
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Whether you consider yourself a social media expert, guru or just plain digital savvy, the ever-growing social media platforms and introduction of new social apps can leave even the most knowledgeable of recent grads and experienced community managers a beginner at some point. Of course, after a week or two of playing, they’ll be back up to date on the strengths and weaknesses of any new social platform. Wait, did I just say playing? To fully understand how a social platform can benefit your company or brand, it’s important that you have a good grasp on how it works – and why consumers…
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    PropelGrowth

  • Content Marketing to Support Retention and Expansion

    trendspotters@propelgrowth.com (Phil Donaldson)
    15 May 2012 | 8:37 am
    In my experience, content marketers seem to focus primarily on new lead acquisition, but they don’t spend enough time helping Sales close deals, retain customers, and expand accounts. Last week, I wrote about how content marketing can help drive deals to closure. Today, I’ll focus on supporting account retention and expansion. You can interview customers to uncover their need Once again, the best way to start is with client interviews. Find out what they would like to find on your site related to implementation, support, and other post-sale issues. Ask them to describe helpful content…

  • 6 Ways Content Marketing Can Help Sales

    trendspotters@propelgrowth.com (Phil Donaldson)
    8 May 2012 | 12:28 pm
    A recent blog post by Ardath Albee got my thoughts percolating on the subject and my fingers got to typing furiously. I hope you find this useful. Content marketing is not just for generating early stage leads. It should support the entire revenue cycle. Here is a list of six things Marketing can do to help the sales team move deals forward. Interview customers to find out what they need The best way to start is with client interviews. Find out what kinds of content are needed at every stage in the buying process. I start interviews by explaining the typical steps in a buying process, because…

  • Customer-Centric Marketing

    trendspotters@propelgrowth.com (Phil Donaldson)
    3 Apr 2012 | 10:16 am
    Have you ever noticed how most financial technology providers and sell-side players tend to develop marketing content that is focused on the product and offering – the features, the technology, and the company? Why Should They Care? This content does little to take into account how a customer would actually use the product, and even less about who it’s for and why the customer should want it in the first place. It leaves the onus on the customer to figure out how they would use the product, what the benefits would be, and why they should spend the time and money to buy and implement this…

  • Is Your Video Squandering Audience Attention?

    trendspotters@propelgrowth.com (Phil Donaldson)
    8 Mar 2012 | 1:45 pm
    Yesterday, Apple made its much-rumored announcement of the iPad 3 release (or as Apple is calling it, “the new iPad”). Thanks to the vision of Steve Jobs, Apple has once again seized the day with the best selling mobile touchscreen device. With increased resolution thanks to its Retina Display technology, the iPad 3 looks to be yet another great platform for viewing video, among other things (ooh, Angry Birds in HD!). According to a recent report by Cisco, 2011 saw mobile video traffic exceeding 50% of all mobile traffic, and it is projected that mobile video will comprise over 70% of…

  • Does Content Marketing Actually Work?

    trendspotters@propelgrowth.com (Phil Donaldson)
    17 Feb 2012 | 12:52 pm
    I have a confession to make. Well, two confessions, actually… I was not an early adopter of content marketing or inbound marketing techniques. In fact, when my colleague, Phil Donaldson started experimenting with these strategies, I’d catch him on Hootsuite and accuse him of wasting his time on Twitter and social networking when he should be marketing and bringing us new clients. There, it’s out. I really did accuse him of this (he reminds me frequently). Let’s face it. I’m really a sales person at heart who became a marketer. No, scratch that.  I’m a BUYER FACILITATOR. I don’t…
 
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    meryl's notes blog at meryl.net

  • Are You Memorable?

    meryl
    2 May 2012 | 7:40 am
    Ask anyone between the ages of 13 and 30 who knew my dad to share something they remember about him. Most will reply with “talking like Donald Duck.” Walk in to the office in my mother’s house and Donald Duck greets you from every direction beginning with the large bright yellow latch-hook picture of Donald Duck on the wall. I don’t know how Dad started this Donald Duck talk business, but it’s one of those things many people remember about him. His wife, three kids, and friends showered him with Donald Duck gifts for years. Accidentally Memorable I also have one…

  • Connect with Clients and Prospects with a Well-Designed Email Newsletter

    meryl
    25 Apr 2012 | 2:50 pm
    Image from sxc.hu user mmagallan A 2011 MerchantCircle.com survey of over 8,000 US local business owners found email marketing cited by 35.8% as a “Top three most effective marketing or advertising method.” Likewise, the 9th Annual Merchant Survey (2010) conducted by The E-tailing Group asked merchants to list which initiatives they would be using to improve website performance. 79% chose “send more targeted email” as the top answer. No other marketing tool gives you direct interaction with clients in a platform that incorporates graphic design, valuable content, web…

  • Chynna’s Top Ten Writing Tips

    meryl
    16 Apr 2012 | 7:38 am
    Welcome to meryl’s notes blog (this here place you’re lookin’ at) in Plano, Texas. We’re honored to be a stop in Chynna Laird’s WOW! Women On Writing Blog tour. About Chynna Laird: She’s a psychology major, freelance writer and multi award-winning author living in Edmonton, Alberta with her partner, Steve, and their four children. Her passion is helping children and families living with Sensory Processing Disorder and other special needs. Laird has authored an award-winning children’s book (I’m Not Weird, I Have SPD), two memoirs (the multi…

  • Research Redefined

    meryl
    3 Apr 2012 | 8:56 am
    You may have heard that Encyclopædia Britannica no longer sells a print edition. It now only offers a paid subscription to its online edition. Why pay a few bucks a month for information that’s available free? Ah, yes, Encyclopædia Britannica entices prospects by saying, “There’s no such thing as a bad question–but there are bad answers.” Wikipedia vs. Encyclopædia Britannica Resources like Wikipedia and infographics have been known to produce incorrect information. Besides, even if Wikipedia managed to produce perfect entries — it still has a human…

  • The Secret to Writing about a Popular Topic

    meryl
    27 Mar 2012 | 10:25 am
    Image from sxc.hu user rhythms Before reading Margie Clayman’s Avoid the temptation to write something popular, I saw articles on how to get ideas for blogging and how to write a bunch of blog posts quickly. These tired topics introduce nothing new. Same outfit, different color and style. Blog there, done that. I’d rather not blog than rehash something that others have said many times, many ways. Like Green Eggs and Ham — these articles have been delivered so many ways possible … on a boat, with a goat, in the rain, on a train. Is there any hope for writing about…
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    pamorama

  • Does Social Media Improve Google Organic Search Ranking?

    Pam Dyer
    12 May 2012 | 5:55 pm
    If you manage a website, you know the importance of search engine rankings. Since more than 90% of all online traffic is driven by search results, search engine optimization can be vital to businesses. If your site appears on the first page of Google results, it can make a huge difference in brand recognition, sales, and [...]

  • Using Google+ for Business [Infographic]

    Pam Dyer
    28 Apr 2012 | 5:55 pm
    I have to admit that I’ve had misgivings about Google+ since it launched last September. How many other social media initiatives has Google rolled out, only to have them die on the vine because of poor execution, lousy interfaces, and decreasing attention from Google developers? Wave and Buzz come to mind, among others. And it’s yet another silo for social [...]

  • Top 12 Social Media Insights for Nonprofits in 2012

    Pam Dyer
    15 Apr 2012 | 6:42 pm
    Blackbaud, NTEN, and Common Knowledge have released their fourth annual Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report, a yearly analysis of how nonprofits are using social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. This year’s report highlights 12 key social media insights for nonprofits that are intended to help the sector become more effective at using social media [...]

  • Inbound Marketing vs. Outbound Marketing [Infographic]

    Pam Dyer
    31 Mar 2012 | 4:28 pm
    The Web has empowered consumers in many ways, giving them new methods for finding, researching, and buying products. Marketing communication as a two-way dialogue emerged in response to these changes in behavior. People no longer rely solely on TV/newspaper/magazine ads, billboards, direct mail, email, banner ads, and other traditional outbound marketing channels to learn about new products. [...]

  • Using Facebook’s Timeline for Business [Infographic]

    Pam Dyer
    20 Mar 2012 | 4:58 pm
    All Facebook Timelines will convert to the new format on March 30th, so it’s time to take charge of your business page to get the best results. Facebook has many resources to help you, including: The Pages Overview Guide (PDF) The full Pages Product Guide (PDF) The Pages Learning video, a walk-through with Facebook’s product experts Social [...]
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    Diamond Website Conversion » Blog

  • Competitive Intelligence, Instagram for Small Business & Net Promoter Score

    Marty
    9 May 2012 | 3:38 am
    The Conversionator V3 N19 – Weekly Insights and Ideas This week’s edition includes forgotten content marketing assets, Net Promoter Score insights, tips for Google-proofing small business SEM and for conducting competitive intelligence assessments, and seeing Instagram in a new way: - Most businesses are sitting on a treasure trove of entertaining and relevant content that their prospects and customers would love. 5 Content Marketing Assets You Forgot You Had from Convince & Convert suggests five places to look for interesting content to share   - Increasingly, companies are…

  • Spring Cleaning your Website

    Donna Roberts
    2 May 2012 | 3:53 am
    Weekly insights and ideas  -  The Conversionator V3 N18 This week’s edition includes insights into how website design can impact the bottom line, ideas for handling ‘expired content’, ways to earn your landing page visitor’s trust, the importance of aesthetics and style on your website, and using post scripts in your email marketing: - Does Website Design Impact The Bottom Line? from KISSmetrics explores professional research that can potentially offer insights into what priorities a business should have on its web design, addresses the common questions that many website owners…

  • Putting the Action into your Calls to Action

    Marty
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
    Long calls to action, short calls to action, just about anything you can dream up can be turned into a call to action on a lead generation website. So how do you construct an effective call to action for a lead generation website? Despite being one of the most important elements of your website, we see many calls to action with weak persuasion, misleading wording, or just plain boring wording. The key ingredient is missing – words that compel your visitor to take the next step and move forward. If you could make one change to your call to action buttons that would instantly increase your…

  • The Conversionator V3 N17: Email Reconversion

    Donna Roberts
    25 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
     Content Recycling, and Ecommerce Optimization This week’s edition includes things to consider before starting a social media marketing program, potentially missed opportunities for reconversion in welcome emails, tips to getting started with a content recycling program, insights into the types of prospects you meet online, and mistakes to avoid on ecommerce sites: - Crowdshifter shares the five most important things to consider before going forward with a social media marketing program in 5 Things Every SMB Should Know about Social Media - According to Skyline Technologies, welcome emails…

  • 3 Ways Video Can Improve your Conversion Rate

    Donnie Bryant
    24 Apr 2012 | 10:00 am
     Video is becoming an increasingly popular marketing tool for the online businesses. Many experts say that conversion rates for video sales letters are often double those of standard text sales pages. There are three main factors that cause such dramatic improvements in conversion: Ease of Consumption These days, many people simply don’t want to read long-form sales copy. The sad truth is that many can’t. Nearly 50% of American adults cannot read at the 8th grade level, and 20% read at or below 5th grade level. This combination of impatience and inability make video extremely appealing…
 
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    The Effective Marketer

  • What My Paper Route Taught Me about Content Marketing

    Daniel Kuperman
    3 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Note: This is a guest post by Brad Shorr. See his bio at the end. My career in content marketing started at age 12. Every day I’d load up my red Schwinn Varsity bicycle with The Aurora Beacon News and head out to make deliveries, learning valuable lessons about digital content marketing that just starting to sink in lately. Here are a few of these lessons, which I’m sure you will pick up a lot faster than I did! 1.     Content Marketing Is Hard Work Delivering content may not be as physically demanding as it once was, but today it is a combination of strategic planning, thorough…

  • Ten Tips On How To Promote Your Website Through Content

    Daniel Kuperman
    1 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Note: This is a guest post by David Tully. See his bio at the end. The emphasis on creating quality content has increased markedly since Google put the hammer down on many old tried and tested SEO tactics. Below I have listed 10 tips on how you can promote your website through content. 1. Offer How to Guides/Whitepapers/Analysis – Good first hand analysis or guides in relation to the niche you are in can really help boost visitor numbers to your website. You are giving valuable, relevant information which they will appreciate. 2. Utilizing personas – Always write content from the…

  • Why Seeding Your Content is Key to Making it Viral

    Daniel Kuperman
    26 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    Is great to see scientific research being done on social media, viral videos, and marketing in general (see previous post on the New Science of Viral Ads). Problem is, many research papers contradict each other. A recent study published on Marketing Journal titled “Seeding Strategies for Viral Marketing: An Empirical Comparison” (requires registration), by Oliver Hinz, Bernd Skiera, Christian Barrot, & Jan U. Becker, tries to get some of the contradictions resolved when it comes to what makes something “go viral“. 4 Critical Factors for Viral Success According to…

  • Measuring Marketing Effectiveness

    Daniel Kuperman
    19 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    If before marketers had the challenging job of gathering data to analyze campaign effectiveness, now the opposite might be true. Email marketing, marketing automation, web analytics, CRM, and the myriad of software now permeating marketing organizations gives us more data than we can process in a timely fashion. A recent survey by CMO.com shows that fewer than 20% of marketing respondents have full confidence in what should be fundamental abilities, including measuring overall campaign effectiveness, how to allocate budget with ROI in mind, and communicating performance up to c-level…

  • What Makes Ads Go Viral?

    Daniel Kuperman
    16 Apr 2012 | 11:15 am
    Looking for a recipe to get your new video to go viral? In a recent Harvard Business Review article “The New Science of Viral Ads”, assistant professor Thales Teixeira from HBS outlines the ingredients you will need: 1. Utilize “Brand Pulsing”: weave your brand throughout the ad instead of placing it front and center. Example is the “Happiness Factory” video for Coca-Cola. 2. Create joy, or surprise right away: keeping viewers involved is key to get your video watched, so you have to use both joy (hey, this is funny) and surprise (wow!). Example is Bud…
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    DR4WARD

  • How Do Users Compare On Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn And Pinterest Social Networking Sites? #infographic

    Dr. William J. Ward aka DR4WARD
    16 May 2012 | 5:05 am
    How Do Users Compare On Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn And Pinterest Social Networking Sites? #infographic By GO-Gulf.com Web Design Company via Ber | Art Visual Design I look 4Ward to your feedback. Keep Digging for Worms! Author: Bill - Dr. William J. Ward, a.k.a DR4WARD is the Professor of Social Media at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He is ranked one of the "Top Marketing Professors on Twitter" in the world by Social Media Marketing Magazine for providing useful content and consistently engaging with followers and truly…

  • @DR4WARD Curated Global tweets for 2012-5-15 Digital, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Social Media, Higher Ed

    Dr. William J. Ward aka DR4WARD
    16 May 2012 | 4:43 am
    @DR4WARD Curated Global tweets for 2012-5-15 Digital, Marketing, Advertising, Public Relations, Social Media, Higher Ed Congrats to @NewhouseSU Prof Maria Russell, winner of the prestigious Philip Dorf Award from @prsany http://ow.ly/aVYUA #NewhousePRSM Great meeting @TayMcGuire @nwenderlich @wilkinsoncharlo @jason_martin @BellMarketing @Mallardholliday @cabramsGPS today in #NewhousePRSM Discussing Public Relations Social Media Syllabus http://ow.ly/aVJPY #NewhousePRSM Great group in @NewhouseSU Exec Ed Master's In Comm. Mgmt! Sharing SM Fast Blast in our 1st #NewhousePRSM class…

  • Newhouse Executive Education Master's In Communication Management Program - Public Relations Social Media Class #NewhousePRSM

    Dr. William J. Ward aka DR4WARD
    15 May 2012 | 1:59 pm
    Newhouse Executive Education Master's In Communication Management Program. Newhouse PRL600 003 Public Relations Social Media Class #NewhousePRSM NewhousePRL600Summer2012Syllabus  I look 4Ward to your feedback. Keep Digging for Worms! Author: Bill - Dr. William J. Ward, a.k.a DR4WARD is the Professor of Social Media at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He is ranked one of the "Top Marketing Professors on Twitter" in the world by Social Media Marketing Magazine for providing useful content and consistently engaging with followers and truly…

  • Why Does Location And Geo-Marketing Matter? #infographic

    Dr. William J. Ward aka DR4WARD
    15 May 2012 | 10:46 am
    Why Does Location And Geo-Marketing Matter? #infographic via Infographiclist & Kissmetrics I look 4Ward to your feedback. Keep Digging for Worms! Author: Bill - Dr. William J. Ward, a.k.a DR4WARD is the Professor of Social Media at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He is ranked one of the "Top Marketing Professors on Twitter" in the world by Social Media Marketing Magazine for providing useful content and consistently engaging with followers and truly "getting it" when it comes to the best ways to use Twitter and other forms of…

  • How Do Pinterest And Facebook Users Compare? #infographic

    Dr. William J. Ward aka DR4WARD
    15 May 2012 | 10:31 am
    How Do Pinterest And Facebook Users Compare? #infographic via Boticca.com I look 4Ward to your feedback. Keep Digging for Worms! Author: Bill - Dr. William J. Ward, a.k.a DR4WARD is the Professor of Social Media at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. He is ranked one of the "Top Marketing Professors on Twitter" in the world by Social Media Marketing Magazine for providing useful content and consistently engaging with followers and truly "getting it" when it comes to the best ways to use Twitter and other forms of Social Media. He…
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    WordPress.com News

  • Stay In The Conversation

    Beau Lebens
    15 May 2012 | 6:01 pm
    It’s now much easier for you and your commenters to keep track of the conversations you’re involved in across WordPress.com. Some recent tests have shown that by subscribing commenters to new comments by default, they are more likely to stay engaged and come back and comment more on your blog. With that knowledge, we’ve changed the default comment following behavior to help you get more conversations going on your blog. We made the initial changes last week and after great feedback from you we just launched an update. Here’s how it works: By default, posting a comment…

  • Look at These Gorgeous Blogs

    Sheri
    15 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    We’ve added a user showcase where you can view stunning customizations made by people just like you. From complete redesigns with CSS to adding pizzazz with Custom Fonts to clever use of options like background and header, this showcase will spark your imagination and inspire creativity. Discover details about what each showcase blog is doing with WordPress.com themes and customizations by clicking a thumbnail to see a colophon-style list of credits on the left. We’ve also updated footer links so blog owners can show off the types of customizations they’ve made and visitors can…

  • Photo Blogging 101, Part 1

    Erica V.
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Spring is in the air. With the weather warming up, now is a great time to get started on a photo blog. Creating a photo blog is a wonderful introduction to blogging on WordPress.com or an opportunity to refresh your current site. Ready to get started? You can sign up for a new blog right over here. Getting started Photo blogs, sometimes called phlogs, use pictures instead of words. While many photo bloggers choose a type of photo that they want to focus on, such as portraits, others use their photo blog to document their life’s events. Photo blogs come in a variety of styles, including…

  • New Themes: Just Desserts and Oxygen

    Michelle Langston
    10 May 2012 | 8:11 am
    Happy Thursday! We’ve added some exciting new themes to our ever-growing collection, and we’re happy to tell you all about them. First out of the oven is…Just Desserts. Yep, that’s a theme! Designed by Andy Rutledge, Just Desserts is a deliciously stylish premium theme that’s perfect for blogs centered on food. With its responsive, single-column layout and unique presentation of images and posts on the front page, Just Desserts gives you a delectable canvas on which your mouthwatering photos and text can really shine — even when viewed on smaller mobile devices…

  • Find Friends Who Use WordPress

    Nick Momrik
    1 May 2012 | 2:32 pm
    Are you curious to see how your friends are using WordPress? Give the new and improved Friend Finder a try to connect with your Twitter, Facebook, and Google contacts who have WordPress sites! After authorizing WordPress.com to use your Twitter, Facebook, or Google account to find your friends (don’t worry — none of this account information is saved!) you’ll see a list of people you know who have WordPress sites. Click Follow and each time your friend publishes a new post it will show up in your Reader under Blogs I Follow. If you have multiple blogs, make sure to set the…
 
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    Contractor Websites That Work

  • How to “Top Kill” your leaking business

    Darren
    10 May 2012 | 1:47 pm
    The truth is many contractor’s businesses are leaking worse than the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico. You may not be leaking oil, but maybe you are leaking cash flow or customers or both. The biggest commodity today any contractor needs to succeed is eyeballs. Eyeballs on your ads, eyeballs on your website, and eyeballs on your direct-mail pieces. If we break it down into a measurable quantity we’ll call “eyeball units”, then you can look at our businesses from that perspective. Your business is supposed to be a magnet for eyeball units. And once eyeball units…

  • The Worst Contractor Advertising Spot I Have Ever Heard on the Radio!

    Darren
    7 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    Can’t see the video? Click here. Contractor advertising isn’t about making someone jump through hoops to contact you. People are supposed to be able to reach you multiple ways which are convenient to them, not you. If your a contractor and your advertising is making people take multiple steps to reach you, just throw your money out of your truck window with your phone number on it, it might work better! © admin for Contractor Websites That Work, 2012. | Permalink | 6 comments | Need help marketing your company? Check out the store: Great Contractor Marketing Help!

  • Contractors, Make the Most Out of Search Results

    Darren
    4 May 2012 | 1:13 pm
    The Internet is a labyrinth of sites so big it boggles the mind. In fact, how someone manages to find your site is a miracle of modern technology right? But all traffic is not created equal Most of the time, we don’t pay enough attention to how people find our sites, we just assume it is someone typing something in the Google address bar and POOF, they wind up on our sites, and for the most part that’s true. Except, the searcher’s intent is even more important now than ever before. Why, because we all know all search traffic is not created equal. Let’s take a look at…

  • Quick Tips for Contractors #4 – 5 Reasons to Read the Paper

    Darren
    1 May 2012 | 1:09 pm
    Here is a short one today to make up for yesterday’s long post… Read – read the NY Times, the Wall Street Journal or the Washington Post. Read as much as you can to stay on top of the news, and then read some more. Specifically, I want you to read your local yocal paper from front to back every time it is published. This will keep you up to speed on everything going on locally that you sometimes miss while running your business. The benefits are: 1. You stay informed on a personal and professional level about what is going on in your backyard. 2. There are plenty of business…

  • Measure Twice, Cut Once Works on Websites Too!

    Darren
    28 Apr 2012 | 12:59 pm
    I want to cover some things you and your staff (if you have any) should do before launching an advertising campaign online. The biggest thing you need to consider right now, today, before you spend one dime promoting your contracting business online is – your existing website. If your current website is merely a place holder or “online brochure”, then it’s time to get real. If you’re lucky, people are coming to your site everyday and leaving without contacting you. Yeah, you read that right, I said lucky. You are lucky because prospects are finding you in spite of the fact that…
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    Austin & Williams Unplugged

  • The Death of Good Creative.

    3 May 2012 | 2:58 pm
    What's going on in the creative world? Where has good creative gone? Why does everything look the same?   Why do some things look like a kindergartener with a box of crayons banged it out?  Isn't there an original idea out there? Someone? Anyone? You know you've seen what I'm talking about. Think about the last time you flipped through some magazine ads, or watched a TV commercial. You've all witnessed the slow death of good creative: Ads that don't make sense, make you think way too hard, have too much crap in them, make your stomach weak or the biggest bust of all, ads that leave you with…

  • Top 5 Tenets for Effective Brand Building

    26 Apr 2012 | 10:42 am
    Like many agencies, clients come to us with a desire to "build their brand." But what does this really mean, and how do you do this effectively? It's more than just getting the word out. Creating a brand strategy is an almost-scientific endeavor, carefully engineered based on a strong foundation and then creatively executed to produce solid results. Here are some important things to consider while embarking on a rebranding: Determine who you are. Define your brand and who you want to be. Are you aligned with the needs, wants and behaviors of prospects - today and tomorrow? Have you…

  • Marketer or Mentor: Wouldn’t it Be Great to Be Both?

    11 Apr 2012 | 2:02 pm
    We don't often think of ourselves as mentors. Perhaps the word sounds a bit more "high brow" than we give ourselves credit for. Isn't it our responsibility to pass on our knowledge to others who are less informed? At what point does transferring guidance and advice become true mentoring and we can consider ourselves mentors, and our subjects, protégés? According to Merriam Webster, mentoring is "a process for the informal transmission of knowledge, social capital and the psychosocial support perceived by the recipient as relevant to work, career or professional development." Hmmm, sounds…

  • Are Robots Taking Over the Internet?

    4 Apr 2012 | 10:15 am
    More than half of all internet traffic generated is not from humans. No, it's not from aliens, either. It's from robots, or rather from automated systems - many of which are malicious. According to ZDNet, only about 49% of any site activity is from human beings. The rest is from automated systems. Here's a breakdown: 5% is from hacking tools looking for vulnerability. The intentions here are always malicious. So if you ever wonder why you have to install so many updates and security patches, this is it. Try not installing the patches for a while and you'll find out very quickly what a…

  • Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus – Even When It Comes to Brands

    22 Mar 2012 | 2:04 pm
    Men and women may love Southwest Airlines, Google and Dove (yes, Dove, thanks to its line of products for men) but after that, the "battle of the sexes" continues. Women ranked Hallmark, Kohl's, Lexus, Target, Neutrogena and Crest tops in the second annual "Most Desired Brands in the U.S.," while men gave Cadillac, BMW, Apple, Sharp and GE their votes. Neuromarketing firm Buyology, Inc., recently released the results of their study of 4,000 Americans on 220 brands across 10 diverse industries that used a brand profiling technique combining EEG brain monitoring and eye-tracking data. "What…
 
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    Marketing and Social Media by

  • Christopher Van Buren: Product Launch Liftoff by Lisa Chapman

    Lisa Chapman
    15 May 2012 | 8:40 am
    Guest Post By Steve Olsher The Entrepreneur’s Comeback You’ve likely heard stories of entrepreneurs who make millions and, after a handful of bad decisions, lose everything. Then after a few years they reappear on the radar, making even more money with a new company. How does this happen? The Power of Leveraging The answer is simple: The steps for creating a profitable endeavor don’t change. It’s all about leveraging a proven formula, or system, for success. Christopher Van Buren understands the power of leveraging effective systems and, as the owner of LaunchMoxie, his company is…

  • Website Design and SEO by Lisa Chapman

    Lisa Chapman
    3 May 2012 | 12:14 pm
    How to Achieve a Great Look and Search Engine Optimization For the past few months, I’ve been working with a client on their website redesign. The first thing that the lead project Partner, Peter, told me was that he loved a clean, sleek look. One of his friends has a site that he admires, and Peter would like to achieve something similar: http://www.goldenstartea.com My client also liked the look of another site, closer to his industry: http://www.coop-systems.com Both of these sites have a very large graphic that occupies the space closest to the upper right hand corner. Here’s…

  • John Kremer: Marketing Magician by Lisa Chapman

    Lisa Chapman
    26 Apr 2012 | 12:56 pm
    Guest Post by Steve Olsher For many entrepreneurs, marketing is simply viewed as a necessary promotional tool. The successful subscribe to the notion that marketing is business. For example, consider the following ad campaigns: Steve Olsher, Author - “When E.F. Hutton talks…” - “Where’s the …?” - “Plop plop fizz fizz …” When implemented correctly, marketing not only tells a company’s story, it serves to establish bonds with customers, differentiates their product from the competition, and secures brand commitment. One of the…

  • 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Lisa Chapman

    Lisa Chapman
    5 Apr 2012 | 5:54 pm
    The Big Picture - Social Media Marketing How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses Want to learn about the latest trends in social media? Want to know how experienced businesses are doing it right? Michael Stelzner, Founder of Social Media Examiner, has just released the 2012 report on the results of his fourth annual social media marketing study. He taps into 3800 marketers and shares their experiences and insights – the who, what, when and why of social media marketing. Michael has invited me to share this information with you – completely free. You’ll…

  • How to Find Endless Topics for Blog Posts by Lisa Chapman

    Lisa Chapman
    27 Mar 2012 | 6:43 pm
    How to Find Blog Topics Make Your Blog Unique, Meaningful and Valuable You’ve written dozens – maybe even hundreds – of blog posts. Perhaps at first you had writer’s block, sitting at your computer with a blank screen and a blank mind! Then it started to roll, and you got into the groove. Interesting and relevant info started to roll out and seemed to take less time. And you had more fun. Now, you’ve done so many posts that you’ve gone full circle back to blank mind. If this sounds like you, I have a quick solution. How to Profile Your Ideal Customer The…
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    campusmediagroup.wordpress.com

  • Parents: The Coolest Roommates Ever

    morganmcclure2664
    3 May 2012 | 11:24 am
    After graduating from college, I took the next step to becoming a real adult. No, not getting a job, but moving back in with my parents. Besides the home-cooked meals and no bills to pay, the best part was that it did not feel strange. Many other friends who graduated made the same decision, and so had my older brothers. In addition, I was searching for a job very hard. In between TV commercial breaks, of course. Until recently, I did not know so many young adults were making the decision to live with their parents after college. According to a new Pew Research Survey, 40% of those ages 18-24…

  • BRAD: Berkeley Ridiculously Automated Dorm

    Jason Bakker
    2 May 2012 | 11:44 am
    Berkeley student, Derek Lowe, designed and implemented a fully automated dorm room with lots of cool features. The room can be controlled with a remote, a smartphone app, a tablet app, or by voice. The lights, curtains, and alarm clock are all fully automated and have multiple modes, including “Romantic Mode” and “Party Mode.” I’m assuming these aren’t actually used very often, but I appreciate the optimism. (via) Related articles Check out this fully automated dorm room. In Berkeley, of course (news.cnet.com) You’d Never Want To Graduate From This…

  • 2012 Election Youth Vote Infographic

    Jason Bakker
    25 Apr 2012 | 3:39 pm
      Related articles College Youth and the 2012 Election (campusmediagroup.wordpress.com) Filed under: College Statistics, Youth Trends

  • Top 10 Dream Colleges

    alliefjel
    11 Apr 2012 | 8:43 am
    The Princeton Review has released their Top Ten dream colleges for 2012. The list is based off of the top choices of students looking to enroll in the fall of 2012, they are, in order: 1. Harvard University 2. Stanford University 3. Columbia University 4. New York University 5. Princeton University 6. University of California – Los Angeles 7. Yale University 8. Massachusetts Institute of Technology 9. Brown University 10. University of Southern California We here on staff at Campus Media Group would be thrilled to make cases for some additional colleges including, in no particular order,…

  • Hiring and retaining the class of 2012

    Jason Bakker
    10 Apr 2012 | 2:03 pm
    Recruitment event at the University of Birmingham Achievers and Experience, Inc., recently asked about 8,000 students where they plan to look for jobs, what motivates them and what it will take to retain them. With nearly 3.4 million Millennials graduating from college and entering the workforce this year, it’s crucial for employers to understand what attracts top talent. (Research Source) Here are some highlights from the findings: How they hunt for jobs Thirty-five percent of Millennial plan to use LinkedIn as a primary source for their job hunt, up from a meager 5% in 2010. 83%…
 
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    The Scholes Marketing Blog

  • Adding Google+ to Your Social Media Marketing Plan

    Jillian Stira
    26 Apr 2012 | 1:16 pm
    Back in June 2011, Google officially joined the social networking world and launched Google+, yet another social media platform for businesses to get involved in. Until a few months ago, we were pretty much letting it play out some before going full-bore with recommending that our B2B customers dive into it. Social media strategies and successful execution and management of it already pose some internal bandwidth issues and perceived value to B2B companies. Throwing another account into the mix wasn't something we were keen on. Especially with the uncertainty around the lead…

  • Four Key Ways to Create a Closed-Loop Marketing Analytics System

    Jeff Scholes
    15 Mar 2012 | 11:46 am
    Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you may have noticed that there is a huge amount of “free advice” out there on how to best take advantage of various online tools in order to achieve your marketing analytics goals.  Because many people have been born and bred with a traditional marketing model, this advice takes advantage of the huge amount of fear, uncertainty and doubt in order to “plug” the latest-greatest solution.    It’s actually just not that complicated.  What we find “works” in today’s landscape, as…

  • Five Free Tools for SEO Success

    Jeff Scholes
    28 Feb 2012 | 9:30 am
    Before hitting this list, be sure you’ve done your keywords homework.  It’s really pretty simple:  make a list of the keywords relevant to your product or service.  These are the words used to describe what you are offering and the words and phrases prospective customers are putting into search engines to find you.   That’s really the long and short of it.   What are you selling that you want people to find and which keywords do you stand a chance of placing for organically. Answer that question with your keywords.  When answering,…

  • Email Marketing Campaign Lessons: Back to Basics

    Jillian Stira
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:51 am
    Email remains one of the best ways to promote your products and services and nurture your prospective customers. All too often I see customers creating emails—or I get them myself—with some basic mistakes that may lead to big performance issues.  Here are a handful of important things to keep your eye on when creating your next email campaign. (1) Create a Bulletproof Email Design When designing the layout of an email I think of two major things: keep the message simple and on target and regularly test your designs in different email clients. Just because your…

  • Make Your Twitter an SEO Machine

    Jillian Stira
    3 Nov 2011 | 7:41 am
    Social media for most companies is no longer an option, it’s a necessity. While Google has ended its Realtime Search deal with Twitter, search engines are still using social media sites for ranking purposes.  Twitter has pulled ahead of many other social media platforms, becoming a critical source for search engine optimization (SEO).  Using Twitter correctly can help boost search engine traffic to your website or blog. Here are 5 tips to help you make your Twitter an SEO machine. Choose Your Names Wisely On Twitter you have two different names; your real name and your user…
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    Smedio

  • The 7 Levels of Influence in the Attention Economy

    Douglas Idugboe
    16 May 2012 | 1:01 am
    In today’s digital age, the world is fast evolving into a large global attention economy. Whether it’s an individual or a business, the kind of influence you have on others gains paramount importance. So, how do you determine what kind of influence you have on others? While there are services such as Klout which provide a good indication of your level of influence, it is largely based on your social media influence only. Last week, I posted a video about the 3 rules of engagement in the attention economy. In this post, I talk about the 7 levels of influence that you need to be aware of in…

  • Business Lessons From The Yahoo CEO Resume Controversy

    Douglas Idugboe
    15 May 2012 | 1:02 am
    Once upon a time, Yahoo was my favorite company – great leadership, oozing investor confidence and innovative products built on cutting-edge technology. However, over the years, Yahoo’s fortunes have dwindled and the company is no longer reminiscent of its golden days. To make matters worse, Yahoo hasn’t been able to find an able leader who can turn its fortunes around. When Yahoo instilled Scott Thomson as its new CEO, there were rumors of employee discontent hitting a new high. As things turned out, Thomson claimed to have earned a Computer Science degree while his degree was in…

  • How to Use Social Media as a Portfolio Tool

    Douglas Idugboe
    14 May 2012 | 4:55 am
    There’s no doubt about it. Today’s generation clamors for interactivity. No longer satisfied with allowing the television set to continue on its own monologue, consumers now appreciate the ability to connect with companies directly and whenever they choose to, through social media. Sites like Twitter and Facebook have contributed to the overall popularity of social media. Their growth points to the fact that social media taps into the consumer’s desire to engage with companies on a more personal level. Social media also appeals to the intrinsic need for human connection,…

  • Why You Shouldn’t Abandon Email Marketing for Social Media

    Douglas Idugboe
    11 May 2012 | 2:47 am
    Social Media or Email Marketing – what works better for online marketing? Should they be used together or are they purely mutually exclusive? The question to these answers is not as simple as it may seem. More and more email marketers are joining the social media bandwagon to cope with digital marketing revolution. I believe that to be a successful online marketer, you need to use the best of both worlds – email marketing as well as social media. Why Email Marketing Rules? I believe that Email Marketing provides massive untapped potential to reach out to prospect customers in a more…

  • How to Leverage Google Hangouts On Air For Your Business

    Douglas Idugboe
    10 May 2012 | 2:04 am
    Last year, I exhaustively wrote about several aspects of Google+ including how you can leverage Google+ Hangouts for your business as well as make the most of the lethal combo of Google+ and Google Apps. While Google+ Hangouts proved to be effective, there was one major drawback – it wasn’t directly possible to stream hangouts live on air. Though several third party providers offered this service, the writing was on the wall that Google+ would need it to transform Hangouts into a serious business communication tool. And that’s precisely what Google did earlier this week by introducing…
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    Great B2B Marketing

  • Use Pull Marketing to Communicate with the SMB Market

    Christopher Ryan
    15 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    In his April 17, 2012 blog post at tellallmarketing.com, Ray Schultz addressed the issue of How Brands Are Failing Small Businesses. Schultz makes a number of important points in the post but one of the most interesting is the high cost of the disconnect that exists between how business owners learn and how marketers attempt to reach them.According to a major survey by Inc. magazine and Cargo, a B2B agency, here are the channels that business owners deem important in learning about products and services:Search engines  - 85%Business blogs / websites  - 85%Business…

  • D-Day Marketing: The Land and Expand Strategy

    Christopher Ryan
    4 May 2012 | 4:37 am
    Let’s start today’s post by acknowledging one important fact. It is usually much, much (did I say “much”) easier to up-sell an existing customer than it is to find a new customer. Yet, our marketing efforts are often focused on selling the whole enchilada to the customer on their first experience with us. This is often counterproductive, and why you may need to adopt the “land and expand” marketing strategy.This is where the “D-Day” analogy comes in. In World War II the objective of the Allied powers to re-take the European continent was not to…

  • Marketing Statements that Show Your Company is Out of Touch

    Christopher Ryan
    23 Apr 2012 | 2:24 am
    As B2B marketing outsource providers, we get to hear some interesting statements about marketing. Some of these statements indicate a philosophy that can be detrimental to achieving your marketing and sales objectives. If you hear any of your internal personnel saying any of the following, consider it a red flag and address the issue right away.Why should we spend any more time working on the website? That’s what our sales team is for. This is a very scary statement that shows a lack of understanding about current trends in B2B marketing and how prospects look for potential products and…

  • When in Doubt – Start Marketing

    Christopher Ryan
    13 Apr 2012 | 12:22 pm
    One of General George Patton’s guiding principles was, “When in doubt, attack.” This sentiment was also expressed by many other famous military commanders. Their point was that although conditions are not always right and the outcome can be uncertain, you are usually better off going on the offensive and generate leads instead of sitting back and waiting for perfect conditions. This is equally true with your B2B marketing efforts.So why do we hesitate instead of acting? Here are five common reasons:Fear. We are afraid that what we do will not work properly. There is certainly cause to…

  • B2B Lead Management – 6 Best Practices

    Christopher Ryan
    3 Apr 2012 | 1:06 pm
    Some companies are good at generating B2B sales leads, others are good at qualifying and closing those leads, but the top performing companies, are those that leverage B2B lead management techniques and can do both.  Here are six strategies you can implement to create your own unstoppable marketing and sales machine:Follow up every inbound inquiry within 48 hours – preferably 24 hours.  Leads have a short shelf and the person who was enthusiastic about your offer yesterday, may not remember who you are tomorrow.  This is such an important topic that I wrote a blog post about it titled:…
 
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    Hinge Branding and Marketing Blog

  • Developing a Content Marketing Playbook for Your Professional Services Firm

    ataylor@hingemarketing.com
    14 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.   Content marketing is rapidly becoming one of the cornerstones of professional services marketing. And it’s no wonder, as it is ideally suited to the task of the professional services marketer. When executed correctly, it allows you to attract and qualify potential clients and build significant trust. Think traditional speaking engagements taken online and supercharged. But many firms struggle to get started and organize their efforts. We recently conducted a webinar with Content Marketing Institute founder Joe Pulizzi that laid out several fundamental…

  • 5 Lead Generation Strategies for Technology Firms

    ataylor@hingemarketing.com
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    By Sean McVey   Xtivia, a technology solutions and services company, is driving approximately 40% of its leads from online sources.  CEO Dennis Robinson heads an ambitious team of marketers that clearly understands the value of digital marketing.  How is the Xtivia team able to generate so much business from its website? The following lead generation strategies help explain their success. 1. Crack the Adwords Code There is no shortage of professional services firms that use Google Adwords pay-per-click advertising. But few firms understand how to do it right, monitor results,…

  • Marketing Accounting and Financial Services Online: Research Study

    ataylor@hingemarketing.com
    6 May 2012 | 2:17 pm
    By Lee W. Frederiksen, Ph.D.   Once upon a time, we all thought that the only way to generate new business was to meet prospects face to face. Networking, non-profit board seats and the executive golf game were the big guns. Then, slowly at first, things began to change.   Online shopping, online search and social media came of age. And today, the impact of these technologies is being felt throughout the professional services marketplace. As a result of this change, some firms will be winners and some will fall further and further behind.   The early effects of this shift were…

  • Responsive Web Design: What It Is, And Why You Need It

    ataylor@hingemarketing.com
    3 May 2012 | 9:31 pm
    By Brian Lemen What Is Responsive Web Design? Responsive web design is, put simply, a website that “responds” to the device that a user is viewing it on. The term was coined by respected web developer and author Ethan Marcotte in his book entitled, “Responsive Web Design.” It is named after a movement in architecture known as “responsive architecture,” in which experiments have been going on for years. For example, one German design consultancy used tensile materials and robotics to create “a wall that can bend and flex as people approach it,…

  • Hinge’s Fab Five: April 2012

    ataylor@hingemarketing.com
    2 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    By: Lee Eliav   Top Professional Services Marketing Content from April 2012 Each month, an enormous amount of content is published on marketing. This monthly column will help you keep up with the best marketing articles on the web. Enjoy!   Optimizing Social, Search and Content: A Q&A with Lee Odden By: Joe Pullizi, Content Marketing Institute A Q&A session from Joe Pullizi with Lee Odden on content marketing, social media, search, and the future of online marketing.    Internet Marketing for Attorneys: Taking the Mystery Out of SEO  By: Stephen Fairley,…
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    Aaker on Brands

  • Entering (vs. creating) new categories—get the timing right

    15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Creating a new category or subcategory using substantial or transformational innovation is difficult, can be diverting, and involves the ultimate risk that it may not work in the marketplace. Many firms explicitly or implicitly avoid innovating new categories or subcategories because of these risks and because they want to focus on existing product markets. Their strategy is to allow small firms to innovate and prove the new category or subcategory has traction. They then enter the category or subcategory by acquisition or by creating a competitive offering.For this strategy to work, the…

  • Before branding subcategory creating innovations ask four questions

    9 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    During my recent webinar around brand relevance, I noted as usual that you need to brand innovations in order to own them and to provide the basis for defining a new subcategory with a “must have.” Someone from the floor noted that over-branding can result and asked how that can be avoided.Over-branding is a risk. Innovation champions usually inflate the potential importance of their ideas and are overly optimistic about sales impact, for both personal and professional reasons. When there is a policy in place to brand important innovations, these champions expect and usually receive a…

  • Fight Off Your Heavy User Obsession: What About Noncustomers?

    2 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    As noted in my book, Brand Relevance the only way to grow is to innovate, creating “must haves” that form new subcategories. One source for innovation are noncustomers that are usually ignored by firms trained to look to the heavy user, where the money (and competition) resides. But there can be a substantial market that is lying dormant because there is a deficiency or omitted feature in the current offerings that prevents these people from buying. Turn the heavy user obsession on its head. How would you define the customer that wouldn’t qualify as part of the heavy user group? What…

  • Steve Jobs and The Bobby Knight School of Leadership

    25 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am
    I believe that Steve Jobs was among the best CEOs of this generation because he created entirely new categories six times in a decade, and built the largest company market cap ever. Yet two recent and excellent books (Inside Apple, by Adam Lashinsky and Steve Jobs by Walter Issacson) describe a management style that was disturbingly harsh.To understand Jobs's success, I find it helpful to look at the success of Bobby Knight, the fabled basketball coach at Indiana. Knight was one of two coaches to win over 900 games, won the NCAA championship three times, and was the national coach of the year…

  • Three Keys to Managing Your Personal Brand

    18 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am
    Every person has a brand, represented by a name and face that has a host of associated characteristics, such as: professional skills and assets, career paths, communication styles, appearance, personalities, interests, activities, friends, family and more. The brand influences all relationships by affecting how a person is perceived and whether he or she is liked and respected. The “person brand” can be actively managed with disciple and consistency over time, or it can be allowed to drift. There is a huge payoff to employing the active management option, and there are large risks to the…
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    The Jordan Rules

  • Cognition & The Intrinsic User Experience

    15 May 2012 | 1:53 pm
    (I originally published this post on UXmag.com) Over the past few years there’s been a lot of discussion around whether an experience can be designed. But it seems like everyone’s just getting hung up on semantics; an experience can be designed, but the user will always have the opportunity to experience it in a unique way. The reason every experience has the potential to be unique to the user is, in part, because cognition is unique to each user. Cognition is about knowledge and understanding, so there’s a ton of psychological principles that fall under the umbrella of…

  • A Framework for Keeping CPG's Relavent Online

    19 Dec 2011 | 4:04 pm
    I’ve been working with CPG’s for years and have figured out why so many have trouble staying relevant online. These insights come from examining internal documentation, and conducting ethnographic studies, from four different global CPG’s and finding correlations.  The synthesis of this work has cumulated into “The Ecosystem of Understanding”, a framework for keeping CPG’s (and everyone else) relevant online. (View Full Size) Although this framework was created specifically with CPG’s in mind, it applies to many other industries.  I’ve been…

  • How The Automotive Industry Can Lead Digital Innovation

    10 Oct 2011 | 7:49 pm
    Did anyone else else grow-up on stories about the old automotive pioneers? Stories about how every innovation pushed the industry forward. I’m not sure what happened, but let me outline a 5 point plan to re-energize the automotive industry. 1. THE CAR API Let’s assume the constantly connected car is already here. I think there can be 4G syncing for the short-term, and think wireless networking will become available globally within 5 years.  If the possibly of having a connected car is already here, why isn’t every car connected and transmitting data? We should have…

  • Why Every Project Should be User-Centric

    1 Sep 2011 | 3:02 pm
    Introduction: How digital ecosystems have evolved. Over the past two decades, the world watched as brand-ecosystems evolved online. Where once, brands merely wanted to establish an online presence; now, they want to engage their customers through transmedia ecosystems. This shows an evolutionary leap forward in terms of digital thinking. Many marketers and agencies have been slow (VERY SLOW) to react to the nature of this paradigm shift. It’s hard to say who’s catering to whom, but it’s distructive. I believe education is the only way to move the industry forward, which is…

  • Comprehensive Guide To Digital & Social Media Strategy

    3 Aug 2011 | 9:58 am
    Over the past three years I’ve invested a lot of time and energy figuring out how digital channels, specifically social media, can be used to achieve business objectives. I’ve received a number of requests to summarize what I’ve learned. This post represents a compendium of my work on social media and digital strategy. This post will cover the following: Determining If You Should Be Using Social Media Part 1: The pervasive reach of social media Part 2: Information distillation through social media Part 3: Propagation of News through Social Media Part 4: Corporate Adoption of…
 
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    thebrainchildgroup.com

  • Lowe’s Spring Commercials for 2012: Creative, Catchy, Fun

    The Brainchild Group
    18 Apr 2012 | 9:32 pm
    Not many of you know this, but I grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables on my property, and I love when Spring rolls around. Plants go from the greenhouse to their final homes, the sun shines bright, and the bees are buzzing. Interestingly enough, Lowe's was able to capture the true feeling of Spring in their new advertising campaign. Related posts:Geico Take On Me Commercial: Dog & Bird Play 80s Hit Starbucks ‘Snowflake’ Commercial Ushers in Holiday Season Ally Bank Television Commercials | I Love Ally Bank’s Commercials!

  • Geico Karaoke Commercial: Ronald Spills The Beans

    The Brainchild Group
    16 Feb 2012 | 4:03 pm
    Geico's new karaoke dating commercial can be summed up in two words: absolutely hilarious. Ronald finds a way to skip costly online dating sites and channel his energy into, of all things, karaoke. Related posts:Geico Take On Me Commercial: Dog & Bird Play 80s Hit Geico Commercial: Do You Live Under a Rock? Geico Smartphones, Dumb Things Commercial is Another Hit

  • How Ethical is Your SEO Company?

    Aaron Schoenberger
    16 Feb 2012 | 7:45 am
    As Search Engine Optimization (SEO) continues to gain attention and become a much-needed service, I feel it's important for businesses to know what they're getting into. Related posts:Yellow Pages Changes Company Image: Advertises YP.com Los Angeles SEO Company | The Brainchild Group 5 Tips For Finding The Best SEO Company

  • Social Media for Business to Business: Think B2C

    Aaron Schoenberger
    14 Feb 2012 | 2:48 pm
    As social media continues to grow by the day, more and more Business-to-Business (B2B) companies are leaning on social channels to boost exposure and provide sustainability for the future. Related posts:Social Media Prices in 2012: Expect Increase, Broader Range 3 Elements to a Successful Social Media Marketing Plan of Action Internet Marketing a Clothing Brand: 3 Tips for Success

  • Landing a Big Social Media Marketing Contract: Think Shoes

    Aaron Schoenberger
    10 Feb 2012 | 12:50 pm
    There are times in life when even though you're the absolute best, you still don't succeed. When it comes to landing a big social media marketing contract, or any contract for that matter, it's not only about what you know, but how you present yourself. Related posts:Zappos Social Media Customer Service = Superb Social Media Marketing: The Right Way & The Wrong Way Sonic Boom in Los Angeles From Space Shuttle Discovery | WOW!
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    Smart Simple Marketing - Practical Strategies for Creating a Highly Successful Service Business

  • How to Find Clients You LOVE!

    Sydni Craig-Hart
    11 May 2012 | 8:10 am
    AAARRRGGHHH!! Do you scream after working with a particular client? It is not the end of the world when you find yourself in a working relationship that is well, NOT working. I would really love to help you avoid (or get out of) a bad client situation. How can you do it? Know what you HATE To help me stay focused on only working with ideal clients (meaning those folks with whom I can do my BEST work and create the BEST possible results), I've developed a simple system that you too can model. Prospects are not allowed into my door if they don’t meet certain criteria. This is in the best…

  • Follow These Tips to Make Sure Your Website Doesn’t Get Hijacked!

    Sydni Craig-Hart
    10 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    Your website is the MOST important online collateral you have. Watch this video to learn how to keep your online presence safe and reflective of the image you want to portray of your business? Here are the resources I mentioned in the video: Domain Registration - GoDaddy Web Hosting - HostGator Web Hosting - BlueHost Content Management - WordPress.org If you have other resources you'd like to share, feel free to do so by posting a comment below! Email this to a friend? Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on LinkedIn Subscribe to the comments for this post? Clip this to Evernote…

  • A Marketing Recipe That Is Guaranteed to Succeed (SSMS Episode 82)

    Sydni Craig-Hart
    9 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    A lot of folks marketing "strategy" is throwing stuff out into the world and seeing what sticks. Some jump from idea to idea, concept to concept and never make any progress. To me, marketing is like cooking (which I LOVE) and to create real success in your business you need to follow a recipe. One that is customized to your personality, your business and your goals. In this week's episode I teach you how you easily find your recipe and "cook up" delicious success in your business! Email this to a friend? Share this on Facebook Tweet This! Share this on LinkedIn Subscribe to the comments for…

  • What You Need to Know About Small Business, Entrepreneurship and Capitol Hill

    Sydni Craig-Hart
    8 May 2012 | 10:13 am
    Last week I was in Washington, DC to host a client for a VIP Profit Strategy Session. Also, I had a few meetings with the President of the National Association for the Self-Employed (NASE), as I was recently appointed to their Member Council. (By the way, this is an organization, I highly, highly recommend you become a member of. The benefits are amazing and they really do have your back!) I had the opportunity to attend a briefing on Capitol Hill regarding taxes issues and health care reform as it relates to small business owners. This is what I learned: I know it's easy to get caught up in…

  • Best Apps for Optimizing Your Facebook Fan Page

    Sydni Craig-Hart
    7 May 2012 | 10:18 am
    If you're using Facebook Business Pages to drive traffic to your website (which should be the goal of the page), you're likely quite interested in keeping up with the latest and greatest applications to help you get the most of out of this tool. My friend Kristine Maveus-Evenson, President of Capture Hits, shared this great list of recommended apps that I want to pass along to you:     Static HTML (tabs 1-12) -- She likes this one because you can simply drop/insert HTML JotForm -- No coding needed. Easiest way to add a capture form, though you won't get email list management. Pinterest tab…
 
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    Marketing Guide

  • A strong web presence opens the door to success

    Danielle
    19 Apr 2012 | 11:30 pm
    No matter the size of your business, a strong web presence can make all the difference between total stagnation and substantial growth. If you haven’t yet recognized the importance of online marketing, think of your company website as a business card that quickly identifies who you are and what you offer. Whereas traditional business cards only provide a limited view of your company to a small audience, your company website makes detailed information available to a virtually limitless audience 24 hours a day, every day. In the past, truly effective advertising required substantial…

  • Why WordPress Websites Steamroll the Competition

    Geoffrey Gordon
    20 Oct 2011 | 12:47 am
    Discover Why WordPress is an absolute must for you online presence. You’re Probably Thinking To Yourself… My business is growing slower than I anticipated. I make just enough to cover my monthly costs, but not enough to go on holiday when ever I want. I could really do with a constant flow of new clients and a fatter bank balance. What I really need is a whole lot more exposure for my business to get my name out there. Well you wouldn’t be alone in your thoughts, many brands and business’ face this dilemma. So whats the golden answer to this question? Keep…

  • Cheap Marketing Strategies Cut Corners & Profits

    Geoffrey Gordon
    2 Aug 2011 | 1:39 am
    Do you want to know how to put a really cheap marketing strategy that’s quick, easy and works like a dream ? If you answered “No” then you know there is no such thing. If you answered “Yes” then you haven’t burned your fingers enough and felt the pain of dissapointment from a bad marketing decision. So seriously, whats wrong with going for the cheapest prices? After all money is tight and I don’t have a large marketing budget. Right? Ok fair enough. Let me ask you a question first ” Would you settle for a rusty boat with holes in it to take you…

  • The 7 Stumbling Blocks of Poor Website Performance

    Geoffrey Gordon
    22 Jul 2011 | 8:55 am
    Creating a website for your organisation is not cheap and often an investment you hope will yield results. Like all assets, they are only of worth if they perform, meaning you actually get queries generated form your website. I don’t know about you but if I paid big bucks for a website and got no results,  it would be like having a new BMW but with no wheels – pretty useless ! If you are not getting any results, perhaps there are a few stumbling blocks you need to remove in order to get the desired result… WEBSITE PERFORMANCE TRACKING Would you hire a salesman, stick him in…

  • Customers Are Your Best Referrals

    Geoffrey Gordon
    18 Jul 2011 | 10:16 pm
    We work with a lot of small to medium businesses and one of the most common obstacles they face is trying to generate more referrals. It seems that most of the time we keep chasing our tails, wondering how others get so many referrals and thinking… surely there is an easier way. So we keep trying to solve this dilemma, employing all kinds of stratagem to obtain new customers. Some of the following questions tend to arise… >> How can we market better to get more exposure ? >> How do I even put money aside for marketing ? >> How can we increase profits ? >>…
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    Perfect Balance Marketing

  • Get in the mood for attending a business fair

    Lucy Thornton
    11 May 2012 | 4:57 am
    Events are a big part of Perfect Balance Marketing’s marketing strategy. They are a chance to ask potential customers what they want from a social media agency.  We get to test out our promotional materials. They are great for networking.  And they also give us the opportunity to learn something new from other businesses exhibiting. [...]

  • Four ways to add the WOW factor to your LinkedIn

    Lucy Thornton
    4 May 2012 | 3:29 am
    Are you on LinkedIn?  How’s it working for you?  I’d bet my Bank Holiday Monday that it’s not working as well as it is for these people: James Filbird, owner of JMF International Trade Group, gets three quarters of all his business through LinkedIn.  He finds people who fit his niche, researches them, then contacts [...]

  • Three essential parts of a social media plan

    Lucy Thornton
    18 Mar 2012 | 3:27 pm
    To fail to plan is to plan to fail. Heard that before?  Never was it more true than with social media for business. Social networks are so simple to set-up and use that it’s tempting to just get started with a page, with absolutely no idea what you’re trying to achieve or how you’re going [...]

  • The Johnny Cowling guide to social media

    Lucy Thornton
    9 Feb 2012 | 3:42 am
    Last night I went to see Cornish comedian Johnny Cowling perform at a hotel in Falmouth. He’s known locally for his Cornish jokes, risque humour and singing, and he’s best known “up north” (ahem) in London for warming up the audiences for Dancing on Ice and Take Me Out on ITV. As well as being [...]

  • Social media how to

    Lucy Thornton
    27 Dec 2011 | 2:26 pm
    I got an email yesterday – on Boxing Day – who sends emails on Boxing Day?   It was from a potential new client – a pretty big client if he decides to work with me, so I took time out of eating cold turkey and playing with my new phone, and focused on answering [...]
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    No B.S. Automotive Marketing Blog

  • Create Professional Profiles on Facebook with BranchOut

    admin
    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    There’s a great way to post jobs and create professional LinkedIn-style profiles on Facebook. It’s called BranchOut. BranchOut is a free application that you can install onto your personal Facebook profile. It allows you to create a separate professional profile that’s similar to LinkedIn. BranchOut is the largest professional networking service on Facebook. It has more than 25 million users. When BranchOut is connected to your personal Facebook profile, you can: Find jobs and recruit talent Strengthen professional relationships Examine how your Facebook connections link you to other…

  • Create Discount Coupons with Facebook Offers

    admin
    14 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Facebook is rolling out a new feature that seems like it was tailor made for automotive industry companies. It’s called Facebook Offers. It allows you to create special product and service coupons on your company page for FREE. It is in beta form now and is not yet available to all companies. It is anticipated all companies will have access to this feature in the very near future, and many of you already can use it! This is the thing that automotive retailers and service repair shops have been waiting for on Facebook. You now have a way to easily promote your products and services virally.

  • Webinar Replay – 8 Ways for More Web Traffic

    admin
    11 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    AfterMarketer Club CEO Brian Offenberger shows you eight easy ways in improve website traffic in this must-see webinar. We dug this past webinar up from our archives for you to watch it again. During this free webinar, you’ll discover how to drive tons of traffic to your website. Be sure to check out the discovery points after you watch the webinar replay below: Learn eight free or low cost ways to drive more quality traffic See how to drive social media traffic to your website Discover something even more important than traffic to website success Gain tips for higher organic search engine…

  • Improve Your Automotive Business by Watching ‘Restaurant: Impossible’

    admin
    9 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Restaurant: Impossible is a television show with the mission of renovating a failing restaurant in two days with a $10,000 budget. Hosted by restaurateur and chef Robert Irvine, the show on the Food Network offers great learning opportunities for business in all industries, including automotive industry companies. In each episode of the show, Irvine’s mission is to turn a failing restaurant into a thriving one. His job is to make the “impossible possible.” In each episode, Irvine follows a series of steps any business would be wise to pursue for success: Assess the aesthetics Irvine…

  • How Much Should You Pay for Email Marketing Services?

    admin
    7 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Email marketing services for automotive industry companies are a great way to drive sales. According to the Direct Marketing Association, every dollar spent on email marketing results in an average return of $42.80. Those are impressive profits, considering things like direct mail only net an average return of $12.57 on every invested dollar. Now that we’ve gotten your attention, you’re probably wondering how much you should pay for email marketing services. In this article you’ll find all the important information you need to make a smart decision about email marketing services.  …
 
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    "I" of the Consumer

  • How to Save Money on Direct Mail

    Zach Heller
    16 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    Does your company still use direct mail as part of your marketing plan? Don’t be afraid to admit it. Direct mail still works. I use it myself. And if it didn’t work, I’d know it, and I’d stop. But we can all agree that the cost of physical mailings is going up, and with the dismal financial situation at the postal service, it may go up even faster in the near future. So what can we do to combat this? Grow your lists. It may seem counterintuitive, but the more you mail, the better price you’ll get. You will save on production costs. But not everyone can just grow…

  • Safety in Numbers: The Marketer’s Challenge

    Zach Heller
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    If you ask a business owner, how many customers is enough, the answer will invariably be the more the merrier. It’s obvious enough. We make more money when more people buy our products. But what may seem a little funny is that the more people buy our products, the more people will buy our products. Part of being a human being is that we want to be like other human beings. We have an instinctive tendency to be like other people who we think are like us. And if we see a number of people all doing the same thing, our minds tell us that it’s the right thing to do. When applied to…

  • "I" of the Consumer Week in Review

    Zach Heller
    13 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Happy Mother’s Day! Do we give our Mothers enough credit? Are a few days a year of special attention really enough to say thank you for the years and years of care and effort it took to get us to where we are today? My guess is no. My guess is they deserve much more. But that’s up to each and every one of us individually, taking the initiative to show how thankful we are without the thousands (er, millions) of companies out there ramming gifts and gift cards down our throats. If you were buried under a stack of Mother’s Day promotions, you may have missed these recent posts:…

  • The Problem with Continuing Education

    Zach Heller
    12 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    The problem with continuing education is that it’s not all created equal. Certifications, badges, the way employers view it and what they’re looking for. It varies too much. Today, more companies than ever before are offering educational opportunities. There are schools that offer courses long after you graduate, startups offering free or low cost online courses and diplomas in a never-ending variety of fields, and products or services that come with their own certification courses. With all of the options available to us, and no clear sense of what employers value, it can be hard…

  • Email Stats that WERE Shaping the Future

    Zach Heller
    10 May 2012 | 2:15 pm
    I always find it fun to look back at predictions people made in years past to see how accurate (or, in many cases, how inaccurate) they are. And so when I stumbled across an old blog post from Convince and Convert entitled, “15 Email Statistics that are Shaping the Future” dated 2008, I simply had to take a look. Technology moves so fast that predictions made less than a month ago can seem absurd. But surprisingly, the 15 stats represented in this post hold fairly true. Why and how our messages get pushed to, or moved to the spam folder is still a top concern among marketers. But…
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    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…
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    TrinityP3

  • Tips on how to bridge the digital advertising divide

    Stephan Argent
    15 May 2012 | 9:53 pm
    This is a guest post by Stephan Argent - a member of the Marketing FIRST Forum, the global consulting collective co-founded by TrinityP3 When it comes to digital and “traditional” media, clients and agencies seem to have come to a chasm that can best be described as a “Digital Divide”.  It’s not good for clients. It’s not good for agencies.  And worst of all, it’s not good for consumers. What’s the digital divide? Some years ago, we had two types of communication described as “above” and “below” the line.  Then along came the thing called “digital” and we…

  • The world’s worst advertising agency scope of work defined by a marketer

    Darren Woolley
    13 May 2012 | 7:12 pm
    I know that no one except lawyers, and some procurement people enjoy reading contracts, but in fact contracts are interesting and important documents as they define the terms and conditions of a relationship between two parties. My legal friends tell me that most litigation is due to the variations of interpretation of the language within the contracts and disagreement over the meaning of those interpretations and the consequences and implications. Therefore imagine my surprise and horror when asked to review a current agency contract worth several million dollars which defined the scope of…

  • ANA Marketing Financial Management Conference, Boca Raton, Florida – Final Day

    Darren Woolley
    10 May 2012 | 5:53 pm
    The final day of the conference closed with a focus on the challenges shared by the CFO and the CMO, courtesy of IBM, the challenges of managing global marketing services and the on-going challenges of agency remuneration, or as the Americans insist on saying compensation. The ANA Marketing Financial Management Conference 2012 was held at the Boca Raton Beach Resort & Spa, Boca Raton, Florida The challenges of the CFO and the CMO Ron Kline @rfk5 from IBM shared the findings of their recent 2011 IBM Global CMO Study, which I had seen several times before. More interesting was the…

  • ANA Marketing Financial Management Conference, Boca Raton, Florida – Day 3

    Darren Woolley
    9 May 2012 | 6:34 pm
    The focus is on profitability and margins not costs and price today with a view of the industry from Wall Street by Brian Wieser, Pivotal Research and a panel discussion on Media Trading Desks and a discussion on Media Audits facilitated by the Media Audit Council. Media auditing moves from a stick to a carrot as advertisers get smarter Wall Street It appears that from a Wall Street perspective there is no agency income crisis with most of the holding companies recording record profits in excess of the market growth. And from an investors point of view this makes the holding companies…

  • ANA Marketing Financial Management Conference, Boca Raton, Florida – Day 2

    Darren Woolley
    8 May 2012 | 10:05 pm
    Global growth will continue to be patchy, so how do we maximise the opportunities. Today was about obtaining a view of the world from four very different perspectives: The economic perspective – John Swadener, PwC & Larry Cristini, Eurasia Group The CPO perspective – Hans Melotte, Johnson & Johnson The CMO perspective - Paul Matsen, Cleveland Clinic The Agency CEO perspective – Martin Sorrell, WPP A deficit of economists talk on the patchy global economic performance saying it is here to stay for at least the next 5 years The economists laid the base of awareness…
 
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    Avi Hein

  • Effective Analyst briefings

    Avi Hein
    7 May 2012 | 2:30 pm
    I’ve just completed an analyst briefing today at work and scheduling more. Here are some tips for how to conduct an analyst briefing.

  • The Purpose of Business

    Avi Hein
    10 Mar 2012 | 11:22 am
    From Dr. Peter Drucker: A business enterprise has two basic functions: marketing and innovation If we want to know what a business is, we have to start with its purpose. And the purpose must lie outside the business itself. In fact, it must lie in society, since a business enterprise is an organ of society. There is only one valid definition of business purpose: to create a customer. The customer is a foundation of a business and keeps it in existence. The customer alone gives employment. And it is to supply the customer that society entrusts wealth-producing resources to the business…

  • How Inbound Marketing Works

    Avi Hein
    1 Mar 2012 | 4:55 am
    The Inbound Marketing Process Infographic From: IMPACT Branding & Design

  • Megacomm 2012: Analytics for Business Goals

    Avi Hein
    18 Feb 2012 | 12:40 pm
    I had the pleasure of speaking this past Thurday at Megacomm, Israel’s main conference for technical and marketing communicators. Paula Stern and the entire team always put on an amazing conference. I was privileged to be able to present. At Megacomm, I spoke about how data analytics can be used to drive business results and the importance to measure business goals and the paths to meet these goals and go beyond the “What?” of traditional clickstream data to ask “Why?” By asking different questions and using the right analysis we can improve our conversions and meet our goals.

  • 2011: Year In Review

    Avi Hein
    29 Dec 2011 | 3:57 am
    Happy New Year
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    Get Me In Google's Internet Marketing Blog

  • How To Get People To Follow You On Twitter

    Jason Rudland
    15 May 2012 | 1:15 am
    Twitter is such a wonderful business tool; it's an opportunity for you to communicate with hundreds, thousands or even millions of your potential clients. Its no wonder, then, people turn getting more followers into a competition. But, as with all good Internet marketing Twitter is not a numbers game. Here is how to get people to follow you on Twitter in an organic way that will actually do your business some good. Tweet often - activity is surprisingly effective at getting you noticed and followed. Tweet about stuff your audience is interested in, not what you are interested in. Follow…

  • 3 ways to boost your website conversion rates right now!

    Jason Rudland
    14 May 2012 | 1:15 am
    Your website can be a cruel and demanding mistress: one tiny typo here, or a broken link there, can create the wrong impression, and make the difference between signing a new client or not. But, it does't even stop there - you could be missing out on valuable leads each and every day with without knowing it - even if you have no annoying little website glitches. Why don't website visitors convert? In some ways Internet marketing is like being a plate-spinner: with the once-prime-time-television-worthy art of plate spinning some guy in a bad suit spun a dozen or so dinner plates on canes. As a…

  • When Does Your Marketing Go Too Far?

    Jason Rudland
    10 May 2012 | 1:15 am
    Recently I wrote a blog post which sparked a controversial debate on LinkedIn. When I wrote the post it didn't cross my mind it could be controversial, but for at least one person, it was. So what do you do if your marketing triggers a heated debate? Let me say here and now: I stand by my post, it probably just caught the eye of someone who was having a bad day. But that didn't stop them posting a public, scathing reply. So then I had a dilemma: do I respond and risk the whole thing blowing up in my face, or, do I ignore it, but risk people thinking I had no answer for my accuser? Here's my…

  • 15 SEO Techniques You Can Try Today

    Jason Rudland
    9 May 2012 | 1:15 am
    Forget Disney World, the top of the organic (free) search results of Google is the happiest place on Earth - at least for me. Where else in your business marketing can you spend 30 minutes and get a constant stream of website visitors, leads and clients for years to come. Here are 15 SEO techniques you can use today to get to my happiest place on Earth. Write a blog article containing a keyword which is relevant to your business. Use the long-tail keyword strategy to find low competition keywords, with lower monthly searches, but are easier to rank for. You will get more website visitors for…

  • Fight to save your endangered Internet Lead

    Jason Rudland
    8 May 2012 | 3:36 am
    When you start out using the Internet to market your business it can feel like an Internet lead is an elusive, rare creature you need to snare. The fact is, nothing could be further from the truth: Internet lead generation is more like charming bees with honey. Traditional marketing is a numbers game. The more people you contact with your message, the more are likely to want to buy your stuff. Marketers will get a rude awakening if they try to treat the Internet as a  numbers game. Think of spam. People, quite rightly, hate it, and rage against it. So, if snaring Internet leads is…
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    Social Media. Online Marketing. Blogging

  • 12 reasons consumers interact with companies in social media

    Ilias Chelidonis
    29 Apr 2012 | 3:38 am
    Have you ever thought why consumers are really interacting with your brand at your social media pages? Well, this is the one billion dollar question that is really hard to answer precisely. However, a recent study by IBM Institute of Business Value, reveals that 61% of consumers, follow a company in order to get discounts on their products. Does that mean that we should stop producing great content and popularize our Facebook page and Twitter profile with product promotions? Of course not, what you need to do is create content that has an impact on your followers file. Product discounts do…

  • 10 tips for local SEO

    Ilias Chelidonis
    23 Apr 2012 | 9:09 am
    Optimizing a website for search engines should be a top priority for every business, regardless of its size and location. SEO requires discipline on some fundamental principles as well as patience. Making your website friendly for local web searches can be extremely rewarding if you follow a set of tips and best practices. So, here are 10 tips for local SEO. Local top level domain (TLD) – Getting a local top level domain is a great start towards your SEO goals. You can still get its generic .com version; however, try focusing on optimizing on your local domain. Use local keywords – You…

  • 2 reasons why blogging is like sex

    Ilias Chelidonis
    15 Apr 2012 | 10:49 pm
    I recently found this entertaining infographic created by the GenY Medium team. So, is blogging like sex? To an extend, i do agree, you cannot fake it and you need to be passionate, the only issue is that the first statement applies only to men. Have fun and share the wealth No related content found.

  • 7 ways to grow your fan base – an infographic

    Ilias Chelidonis
    29 Mar 2012 | 12:52 am
    This is a great inforgraphic by the Kissmetric team, it presents 7 ways to grow your fan base. To be honest, i still get this question by many readers and i still give the same answer, in a nutshell, stay focus, share valuable content and be persistent. Social media will not bring you any overnight results and who ever promises you that, is lying. There is no other magic strategy ( at least white hat ), period.   ++ Click Image to Enlarge ++ Source: The Importance Of A Fan Base Infographic No related content found.

  • 10 must have wordpress plugins for 2012

    Ilias Chelidonis
    26 Mar 2012 | 1:01 am
    One of the reasons I love WordPress is because it allows you to add functionality to your blog or website with few clicks, by installing additional plugins. The number of plugins available is literaly endless, ranging from simple to very complex ones such as auction or geo location platforms and many more. Here are the 10 must have wordpress plugins for 2012, every blog or website owner should install. I do use all of them and highly recommend them. Tip: do not just install any plugin for the sake of having more features, focus on few that add real value to your readers and the way you…
 
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    Shopper 360

  • Firmenich Hot on the ‘Scent’ of Emerging Trends

    marc.dresner
    14 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    Fragrance & Flavor Manufacturer Takes to ‘The Street’ to Identify and Track Trends From Fringe to Mainstream By Marc Dresner, IIR USA Mikel Cirkus, Global Director of the Conceptual Design Group at Firmenich, says the fragrance and flavor manufacturer has perfected an approach to identifying and tracking trends from germination on the bleeding edge to mainstream fruition. Mikel Cirkus The technique involves a series of steps, often beginning with immersion in surprisingly unsavory quarters where the next ‘It’ colors, scents and flavors originate. Cirkus has successfully deployed…

  • Do Ipads Rule Mobile Shopping?

    admin
    14 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Recently, Mashable posted 7 Surprising Facts About Mobile Shoppers, which observed that “Mobile Shopping Doesn’t Equal Mobile Purchasing” and “Touchscreens Are Preferred.” These stats dovetail quite nicely with Forbes’ look at retailers and their love affair with tablets. While browsing Pinterest on evening, I came across a 2012 Q1 Shopping Insights Mobile Study produced by RichRelevance that compares mobile shoppers to iPad shoppers and an accompanying infographic, which I wanted to share with you. You can access the study here.

  • Walmart’s Path-to-Purchase Through the Lens of Trip Type

    admin
    10 May 2012 | 12:01 pm
    The retail leaders of tomorrow will be those who deeply understand their customers, anticipate trends, innovate and adapt to ever-changing consumer needs. At Shopper Insights in Action 2012 you will hear real-world stories from those you admire most on how they’re using customer research to revolutionize their retail brand, attract new shoppers, drive loyalty, differentiation and relevancy today. Martha Walsh Keynote Spotlight: Walmart’s Path-to-Purchase Through the Lens of Trip Type Martha Walsh, Director, Global Customer Insights, WALMART The language of trip types is nearly…

  • Shopper Insights: The Rise of Mobile Couponing – An Infographic

    admin
    7 May 2012 | 3:42 am
    We recently came across this great infographic via Visual.ly on how Customers Embrace Mobile Couponing. While the coupon format may have morphed from pieces of paper shoppers cut out of the weekly circular to digital scans they store in their trusty smartphones, their popularity continues. Chew on these stats: 20% of smartphone users redeem mobile coupons and that number is expected to increase to 30% in 2013.

  • Not (just) data, not (just) pictures: The whole story

    admin
    30 Apr 2012 | 3:21 am
    At the 12th Annual Shoppers Insights in Action Conference, Kate Hammer PhD FRSA, Chief Storyteller at KILN, will present Hereos of the Purchase Story. To see an in-depth description of her keynote address, download the brochure here and view the agenda at a glance. Kate’s presentation provides you with the tools to craft better commercial stories, tips on how to prioritize the consumer and examples showing stories in action across the product/brand lifecycle. Stop talking about “engagement” and start telling stories. Kate who blogs here, has given us permission to repost the…
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    Marc Binkley Marketing

  • Julien Smith: The Adaptation Imperative

    marcbinkley
    11 May 2012 | 11:34 pm
    TweetJulien Smith (@julien) is one of the most thought provoking agents of change I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. Author of two books (The Flinch – it’s amazing, read it, it’s free and Trust Agents), Julien spoke at Mount Royal University’s [...]

  • Peter Shankman: The Next Revolution will Occur in your Pocket

    marcbinkley
    11 May 2012 | 12:06 am
    TweetAmong many things (angel investor, skydiver, author, founder of HARO), Peter is a captivating speaker with undeniable passion. The following are the major points that I took from Peter’s talk at Mount Royal University’s Social Media conference called MRUShift. You [...]

  • What is Social Media? #MRUshift

    marcbinkley
    2 May 2012 | 3:04 pm
    TweetBefore I go on, can someone please move this 800 lbs gorilla off of me? The term “Social media” enters at least one conversation or traditional media story every single day in my life. The funny part is, of all these conversations I can’t remember a single [...]

  • Good to Great Book Review

    marcbinkley
    25 Apr 2012 | 7:49 am
    Jim Collins and his team of researchers dug for insights and patterns in behavior from companies that went from being good to a great. Great was defined as cumulative stock returns of 7 times the market average over a fifteen-year period from 1985 from 2000. In their research, Jim Collins and his team found 11 companies that matched these strict criteria. Here I list five of the most intriguing findings of this book.

  • It’s A Small World After All

    marcbinkley
    4 Apr 2012 | 10:20 am
    Consumers don't like be sold but they they do like to buy and they often buy in groups. The formation of groups are not accidental. It's actually an innate human behavior called homophily and understanding how these groups form might be the key to understanding this new world of collaborative marketing.
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    Multichannel Magic by Debra Ellis

  • Why You Should Benchmark Internal Metrics

    Debra Ellis
    11 May 2012 | 10:15 am
    Benchmarking establishes a reference point so you can gauge the success or failure of marketing and service strategies even when there isn’t an obvious cause and effect. We naturally want to know how our results compare to our competition and try to benchmark against them. It’s impossible to create realistic and accurate comparisons to other companies. Looking at the competition for insight into their strategy is a good thing. Investing resources in specific analytical comparison is wasteful and counter-productive. Use those resources to create solid internal benchmarks instead.The first…

  • Are Happy Customers the Goal?

    Debra Ellis
    9 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Serving customers well is the foundation of every successful business. Rarely will a company with sub-par service grow and prosper. People expect quality in customer care but is top-notch service enough to create loyalty and sustainable growth?If a study by the Corporate Execute Board is representative, the answer is probably not. The study was very comprehensive with 75,000 participants and revealed an ugly reality:20% of “satisfied” customers intend to leave20% of “dissatisfied” customers intend to stayOuch! The numbers suggest that pleasing customers may not need to be the top…

  • Why Benchmarking against Competitors doesn’t Work

    Debra Ellis
    7 May 2012 | 9:46 am
    One statement in “The Numbers that Really Matter to Your Business” got a lot of attention because people didn’t agree with it. I wrote, “There is simply no way to compare metrics from different companies and deliver realistic results.” Responses varied from simply stating that the reader disagreed to explanations as to why I don’t understand how things work.There are several reasons why benchmarking against competitors doesn’t work and won’t deliver realistic results. Before diving in, there is one qualification. My statement does not include manufacturing and bulk…

  • The Numbers that Really Matter for Your Business

    Debra Ellis
    4 May 2012 | 10:07 am
    Creating benchmarks that work to grow your business and improve profitability along the way requires an intimate knowledge of your company, customers, and team members. Your competitors’ metrics choice rarely matters except to provide fodder for bragging rights. If they have 10,000 Facebook followers and your company has 100,000, it may look good to your CEO but it doesn’t mean that you are ten times better. You may be much worse because their 10,000 may consist of loyal customers while your 100,000 are people who liked you when you said something funny or shared a viral video.The same is…

  • Customer Acquisition: The Fourth Pillar of Social Media

    Debra Ellis
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:58 am
    Customer acquisition is the only pillar of social media that cannot stand alone. Brands can attract tens of thousands of fans and followers without ever acquiring a new customer or making a single sale attributable to the channel. Ouch! That’s scary to think about. Imagine all of the resources that have been invested in social marketing over the last five years that haven’t generated one iota of return.Companies that offer deep discounts (like Woot!) draw new customers with incredible offers. Others like Apple have passionate fans that drive social activity with minimal company…
 
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    Digital Marketing Ramblings...

  • Charity Sends Flashlights to Haiti for Facebook Likes

    Craig Smith
    15 May 2012 | 7:32 pm
    Bright Hope, an Illinois non-profit that serves the extreme poor in the world is taking the "like for a donation" concept a step further. From now until May 31st, for every new like of their page, Bright Hope is donating a flashlight to the people in the poorest parts of Haiti. These regions of the small Caribbean country are very poor and have little sources of light after the sun goes down. Related posts: Frito-Lays Sets Facebook Likes Record Facebook Pages Losing Likes at a Record Pace Today? Bing Adding Facebook Friend Likes to Search Results

  • Hug a Coke Machine, Get a Coke

    Craig Smith
    15 May 2012 | 4:28 pm
    Now here is an interesting way to get a little attention in the field and create new brand loyalists. Coke has created this "Hug Me" vending machine. All you have to do to get a free Coke is hug the machine. Related posts: Coke Launches Mobile App to Promote Touchscreen Dispensers

  • Check Out This Real Life Game of Frogger

    Craig Smith
    14 May 2012 | 8:56 pm
    Frogger has always been one of my favorite classic arcade games. I was really excited when I saw this little gem on YouTube. Apparently, a fan of the game has hacked it and used a webcam to incorporate real traffic on New York's famous Fifth Ave. Related posts: Ford Turns Paris Into Real Pinball Game Classic Board Game Risk Comes to Facebook Book, Check-In to and Check the Status of Your Flight on Facebook

  • Pioneer’s Augmented Reality Windshield GPS

    Craig Smith
    14 May 2012 | 7:50 pm
    Pioneer is close to releasing a very cool device that will change the entire way we look at GPS going forward. Related posts: Augmented Reality Finds its Way to Sesame Street Kit Kat Uses Augmented Reality for Creative New Flavor Contest Fun Augmented Reality Holiday App Makes Wherever You Go This #ChristmasEve Festive

  • How To: Unlock the NBC 2012 Presidential Campaign foursquare Badges

    Craig Smith
    13 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    NBC Politics and foursquare have partnered up to offer a very cool series of badges for the 2012 Presidential campaign. Related posts: How To: Unlock the New Major League Soccer foursquare Badges Complete Listing of foursquare Badges and How to Unlock Them How To: Unlock the foursquare Stanley Cup Badge
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    Digital Marketing Inner Circle

  • Google Drive Launched… and Blocked in China

    25 Apr 2012 | 9:03 pm
      Some interesting news out this week with Google launching their new service, Google Drive.   However, a few hours later… Google Drive was blocked in China.   Chinese Internet users will not get the chance to use Google’s latest offering, Google Drive, which allows users to store files on Google's servers, unless using a VPN (as many of us in China do). While Google’s social networking service Google+ made a brief appearance in China this February, functioning for a couple of weeks, Google Drive was not as fortunate, only accessible for mere…

  • Talking of Brand Equity & Brand Value

    10 Apr 2012 | 6:18 am
    Brand value and brand equity represent two different, yet intricately linked, concepts. Brand value is the net present value of future cash flows from a branded product minus the net present value of future cash flows from a similar unbranded product—or, in simpler terms, what the brand is worth to management and shareholders.   Brand equity is a set of perceptions, knowledge and behavior on the part of customers that creates demand and/or a price premium for a branded product—in other words, what the brand is worth to a customer.   But with the social web having such a…

  • Interview with Derek Ling, Founder & CEO of Tianji.

    29 Mar 2012 | 1:54 am
    This week, we have a great interview with Derek Ling, Founder & CEO of Tianji in China.   As interest in digital media continues to grow, it is interesting to get some views from one of the major Internet and social media entrepreneurs in China. Through his role with the Tianji, Derek is well positioned to monitor the ever-evolving industry and give us some insights into the forward challenges and issues we face in China. 

  • Social Media Flying High

    19 Mar 2012 | 2:50 am
    This news is quite exciting for some and quite frightening for others.... Now, for those wanting to find interesting people who are on the same flight, Dutch airline KLM are offering a new service called ‘Meet & Seat’ where you can view other passengers’ Facebook or LinkedIn profile details and see where they’ll be sitting.

  • Digital Jungle hits Geneva Motor Show

    8 Mar 2012 | 11:31 pm
    Members of the Digital Jungle team have been invited as guests of Bentley Motors to attend the 82nd International Geneva Motor Show. As special guests of Bentley Motors, Digital Jungle will have privileged access to Bentley’s new EXP 9 F concept SUV, which is being revealed at the motor show.
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    The WOMMA Word

  • Takeaways & Summer Reading from WOMM-U

    admin
    16 May 2012 | 11:57 am
    WOMM-U may be over but the buzz is still viral as companies across the globe share their unique experiences. Brains on Fire President Robin Phillips and her team joined us in Chicago as they hosted two WOMM-U sessions, one of which featured the highly anticipated “10 Rules for your Community to Survive a Zombie Attack” presentation. Despite blood and guts on the screen, the room had a “think to yourself moment” after one attendee said, “you need to be lovable to be loved.” Is your brand lovable? WOMMA’s first ever Twitter Chat was a success thanks to Spredfast’s Jordan…

  • Thanks for all the Marketing Lessons Mom

    Pat McCarthy
    14 May 2012 | 1:08 pm
    Say please and thank you. Tell the truth. If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. Moms everywhere impart nuggets of wisdom upon their children. It teaches kids how to function well in the world. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the same lessons that got you through grade school apply to marketing and communications. Rod Brooks was inspired to share some of these lessons yesterday for Mother’s Day: Be polite, friendly, and honest – These three should never be questioned. Brands who want a thriving community need to treat their members with the upmost respect. A smile…

  • Influence vs. Advocacy

    Pat McCarthy
    14 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    The debate is building. Ever since the word “Influencer” burst onto the scene, marketing wonks have tried to define, capture, and influence (not even ironically) influencers. Influence is relative to a lot of things – time, place, relation, topic, and more. It can be passive or active, like when I ask a friend who travels a lot about which airline to take. They’re influencing me because I asked them to. The dynamic changes when they tell me, unsolicited, about their favorite airline. That’s influence through advocacy. And it’s a different beast. Peddling influence has a seedy…

  • FTC Conducting Workshop on “Dot Com Disclosures”

    Pat McCarthy
    14 May 2012 | 1:04 pm
    By Tony DiResta, WOMMA General Counsel On May 30, the FTC will be conducting a workshop on “dot com disclosures” to address the “clear and conspicuous” standard for new media platforms. I’ve been privileged to work with the FTC over the past couple of months in coordinating the sessions and providing input. WOMMA has been asked to participate in the workshop, and provide concrete, real world examples to illustrate the challenges presented by meaningful disclosure in social media.  James Dudukovich from Coca-Cola will be representing WOMMA through its Legal Affairs Committee on a…

  • The Web, Now Being Built Around People

    Pat McCarthy
    10 May 2012 | 12:41 pm
    Key takeaways from Paul Adams’ WOMM-U Keynote. The web is still in beta. Like other technologies, it will take decades for us to realize its full potential. Take the telephone for example. Alexander Graham Bell’s initially pitched the telephone as a broadcasting device. People could dial in to concerts and speeches to hear them live. He was a bit off, but his technology grew and changed communications forever. Like the phone, we fuddled around with Web 1.0-style pages for years before social media turned the experience into a two-way street. According to Paul Adams, the direction is clear…
 
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    New Media and Marketing

  • The inside story of facebook: ruthless or smart business ?

    richmeyer
    16 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    How you treat people is a direct reflection of your character and personality.   With facebook getting ready for its IPO this week it is expected to raise over $100 billion in cash.  However the climb to the top of the Internet was anything but smooth for facebook and it shows that either Mark Zuckerberg is either a ruthless or very smart business person. Eduardo Saverin was one of the co-founders of facebook and now that he is getting ready to cash in he has renounced his US citizenship to avoid paying taxes on his estimated cash in of $4 billion.  That alone says a lot about him but…

  • GM tells facebook ” no more ads”

    richmeyer
    16 May 2012 | 8:49 am
    Is the world coming to an end ?  Yesterday GM decided to suspend the use of facebook ads because earlier this year  its marketing team began to question the effectiveness of the ads. GM marketing executives met with Facebook managers to address concerns about the site’s effectiveness and left unconvinced advertising on the website made sense.  I have also met with facebook “managers” and can safely say that their arguments for advertising on facebook are weak at best. When I met with facebook account people earlier this year I was taken back by the lack of their…

  • 76% of grocery purchases unplanned

    richmeyer
    15 May 2012 | 11:12 am
    The in-store decision rate is calculated by taking the sum of the purchases that fall under Generally Planned, Unplanned, and Substitutes categories. Today the in-store decision rate has reached an all time high of 76%.Shoppers are specifically planning less and deciding more at the shelf, suggesting today’s shopper is more flexible than ever.  And you thought social media was driving their purchase decisions…   What should brands take away from this research ? 1ne: POP displays and packaging are still a very important part of your marketing mix. 2wo: Social media alone is NOT…

  • Dear facebook..you’re full of sh*%

    richmeyer
    15 May 2012 | 9:55 am
    Facebook’s advice to marketers is to post  stuff about your brand. “Topics related to brand or about the brand were significant predictors of increased engagement,” says Sean Bruich, head of measurement at Facebook. “When pages post about topics related to brands, they increase engagement.”  You better get your high boots out because the BS is deep on this recommendation ! Facebook looked at postings on 23 brand Pages over one month to see which posts did the best. The upshot: When you talk about things related to your brand, you’ll get more engagement.  There is so much…

  • People don’t always read web content..they skim it

    richmeyer
    14 May 2012 | 12:05 am
    People don’t read the Internet they skim it. Think about that for a second.  Today who has time to really read all the information that’s out there online, especially when sites are wordy.  Most likely you skim pages unless you’re looking for specific information or conducting research.  In other words you need to communicate quickly the value you bring to visitors of your website or else risk loosing the message in your content Whether it be website copy, a press release, an email newsletter or content in this day of ever-shrinking attention spans readers want you to…
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    Charles Neville

  • LogoSpotting: Sushi Time

    Charles
    4 May 2012 | 2:43 am
    This Prague sushi joint (though originating in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia) has one of my favourite logos of recent years.So simple (4 vector objects) yet conveying so much. The red sun from the Japanese flag, a plate, chopsticks and the hands of a clock. Perfect.Now I need to find out what came first, the name or the logo.

  • The truth about Android vs iOS numbers

    Charles
    23 Apr 2012 | 3:33 am
    or: “Hey Google Analytics, play fair with your Mobile Operating System numbers!”Google have been shouting about their impressive Android activation numbers for several quarters now (less so since the latest iPhone and iPad I notice). Yet they still need to lean on the Analytics team to present the Android numbers in the best possible light?Notice how the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are all regarded as separate ‘Operating Systems’ yet all the myriad devices that run Android (tablets, phones, media players, TVs and whatever else) are all included in that Android…

  • Should I mobile optimise my website?

    Charles
    20 Apr 2012 | 5:57 am
    Google are really pushing mobile these days (no surprise as Android’s at least the third most popular mobile platform, based on the numbers across all my clients’ Google Analytics accounts, behind iPad and iPhone). So much so that they’ve teamed up with a third party to mobile-optimise your website. But do you need to?Local business? Stop reading now and go make your site mobile friendlyIf you’re a local business, one that people actually look up on their phone when they’re on their way to or want to call to make a reservation or check the menu/price list…

  • 2 years with Advanced Web Ranking

    Charles
    23 Feb 2012 | 5:31 am
    Over the space of the two years I’ve been using Advanced Web Ranking, complete SEO software that has become an essential part of my digital marketing toolset.Do rankings really matter?In this ‘new reality’ of Google Search Plus Your World, personalised and localised results, you’d think that tracking rankings for your keyword phrases wasn’t all that important. To some extent, yes, your search engine position for any particular phrase isn’t static like it used to be – there are lots of variables that come into play. On the other hand there’s been…

  • Genius juxtaposition or just dumb luck?

    Charles
    19 Jan 2012 | 4:15 am
    In a commercial break on a Czech Music TV channel I saw these two ads (KFC ad is the original Czech one, Centrum ad is a similar US version).Did the cholesterol pills ad buyer just get lucky? Does the ad controller at the station have a sense of humour? I guess we’ll never know.The takeaway (no pun intended) here is that our ads and messaging don’t exist in a vacuum. It can complement, riff off of, parody or rub up against any other messaging. Bear that in mind when you’re placing ads.
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    TLMarketing.net

  • Why Pinterest Is A Blogger’s Dream

    Tom
    15 May 2012 | 12:24 pm
    Pinterest is a great site especially for bloggers.Read this article to learn how you can use it and get a lot of traffic and leads to your site.

  • Google +, Goddess of Traffic Generator

    Tom
    15 May 2012 | 7:56 am
    Google+ can be a terrific traffic source for your website.This article by Richie Richardson explains how to get the most out of using Google+ in traffic generation.

  • Understating The Importance Of Webhosting And SEO

    Tom
    14 May 2012 | 2:55 pm
    Webhosting and SEO is really important for bloggers.This article shares some useful tips and information you need to know when choosing a webhosting service.

  • How To Get Free Traffic From Pinterest

    Tom
    14 May 2012 | 1:44 am
    Pinterest is a image bookmarking and sharing site that can drive massive traffic to your site.Here are the best tips from all around the web.

  • 7 Tips To Make Your Blog More Personal

    Tom
    8 May 2012 | 3:25 am
    In today´s world you need to be personal and it is true also when it comes to blogging.This article shares 7 important tips that will help you make your blog more personal.
 
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    Cultivating Your Customers

  • When is your customer not your own?

    Mark Price
    7 May 2012 | 2:55 pm
    Q: When is your customer not your own? A: When that customer also is your dealer’s customer. Manufacturers have been struggling for years to find ways to build relationships with customers who purchase their products. The challenge is always that those customers do not purchase products directly from the manufacturers; rather, they by directly from dealers who then have the relationship with the customer. Ultimately what lies behind manufacturers attempts to build relationships with customers is channel conflict. The dealer is afraid that the manufacturer will build a relationship with the…

  • Have you missed the change in your prospect’s decision process?

    Mark Price
    9 Apr 2012 | 11:48 am
    What if the way you were thinking about your buyer’s sales process was fundamentally wrong? With the growing influence of the web on purchase decisions, particularly for high–risk or complex business–to–business sales, the traditional way of thinking about the purchase process no longer applies. Begin with one key fact: 74% of purchasers conduct research on the internet before they even contact a company for the 1st time. We all know that; don’t we research before buying a bike, a car, a house, personal insurance and so on? The larger the dollar amount, and the greater the risk,…

  • Is customer-centricity dead?

    Mark Price
    4 Apr 2012 | 8:49 pm
    Last week, Best Buy announced that they would be laying off workers at their headquarters as well as closing 50 retail stores in the United States. Were the poor results that preceded this announcement a sign that customer–centricity was a fad, or no longer applies? View the story ” Is customer–centricity dead?” on Storify Tweet
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    RELATIVITY

  • Connecting Locally Made Easier Online With Villiagize.com

    bakercreative
    9 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    Villiagize is a relatively new application that works in conjunction with Facebook to help a sense of community to real neighborhoods in the online wold.  The creators of the platform found a way to... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Social Media Helps Remedy Organ Donation Crisis

    bakercreative
    2 May 2012 | 2:10 pm
    Organ donation awareness and communication is a big problem in the United States.  On May 1, an ABC News Exclusive announced the launch of a new Facebook tool that may help remedy the situation.  The... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • De-stress and Celebrate the Earth!

    bakercreative
    19 Apr 2012 | 4:23 pm
    We LOVE Earth Day at Baker Creative!  In fact, we like nature so much we turned our property into a certified Wildlife Habitat.  Restoring some of the landscape into its natural state proved to be... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Lemonade from Lemons: Learn to find the positive in a bad situation

    bakercreative
    5 Apr 2012 | 11:45 am
    A friend of mine once told me that if you are not in a crisis, you are either coming out of one or headed into the next one.  This may sound as if she is a negative person, but she is actually one of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Tips to Manage Workplace Toxicity

    bakercreative
    29 Feb 2012 | 2:53 pm
    Cliques, cattiness, gossip, backstabbing, lack of trust… Do any of these unpleasant experiences remind of you of where you work?  Toxic work environments can make your life a living nightmare.  No... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    FIND the CLIENT

  • WBECS Pre-Summit Series

    Brian Farrell
    15 May 2012 | 7:44 am
    Wow.  The World Business and Executive Coach Summit’s (WBECS) Pre-Summit Series has been AMAZING so far. And it’s only halfway through! I’ve been absolutely blown away by some of this content — and these are just quick, 15-30 minute TED-type talks. I can’t even begin to imagine how awesome the full Summit will be! Anyway, if you haven’t checked out the Pre-Summit Series yet, do it right now.  There are still several presentations coming up in the next week or so…PLUS, you can go back and listen to the recordings of those who have already presented.

  • Where New Business Really Comes From – Whitepaper

    Brian Farrell
    7 May 2012 | 6:51 am
    What should you do when it comes to marketing? Read this whitepaper by my friend and associate John Lewis of Advantage Business Solutions and Bandwagon Marketing Group. If the presentation doesn’t load, you can grab it here.

  • Reachable: New Solution for Sales Professionals

    Brian Farrell
    4 May 2012 | 12:31 pm
    New Solution Introduced by Former Founder of Jaspersoft Now Operates Within Salesforce.com or Oracle CRM On Demand Analyzing and Ranking Opportunities from Your Extended Social and Professional Networks Reachable is introducing their flagship product, previously known as PeopleMaps and now named after the company itself – Reachable, gives sales professionals remarkable new opportunities for success by uncovering connections and relationships from your extended network of professional and personal contacts, all in real time. Reachable consolidates contacts from social and professional…

  • The First Steps to Getting Your Business Off the Ground

    Andy Schuyler
    1 May 2012 | 6:47 pm
    New small business owners can sometimes feel like they are on a merry-go-round that never stops. If you have a great business idea that you know you can make successful, then don’t let the thought of starting your own company intimidate you. Use your enthusiasm to start your own company and make your dreams come true. The one thing you should keep in mind about opening your dream business is that it is a significant amount of work. The trick is understanding where to start and knowing what to do first. Before you even put the “open for business” sign on the front door, there…

  • WBECS Pre-Summit Series Set to Begin

    Brian Farrell
    28 Apr 2012 | 7:42 am
    Pre-Summit is about to begin! In just a couple of days, the World Business and Executive Coach Summit (WBECS) Pre-Summit Series is set to begin. This is your chance to hear from some of the business and executive coaching industry’s top minds — at no charge. It’s a series of 15-30 minute “taster” sessions (like online TED talks) that give you an exclusive sneak peak at what’s coming in the full Summit set to start in June.  What’s more, each Pre-Summit session is designed to provide you with valuable, actionable information you can use to improve…
 
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    Everyday Influence

  • Back to the Future: Social Media at Shell

    Don Bulmer
    2 May 2012 | 7:31 am
    On February 15th, 2012 Shell launched its first globally integrated Facebook page, representing a significant milestone for the company and its commitment to open communication and community engagement. In many ways, the learnings and experience (in the first 10 weeks)...

  • New Perspectives and Research on The Social Mind

    Don Bulmer
    15 Jan 2012 | 1:26 pm
    Numerous research studies have shown that people don’t want to be marketed to in social media. However, in business, many brands seek to build robust fan bases in both large and specialized on-line communities to support marketing, sales, advocacy and...

  • Theory of Relate(ivity) - Part One

    Don Bulmer
    6 Nov 2011 | 3:04 pm
    At the end of the day, it’s relationships that matter most. Right? Be it in business, in one’s personal life, politics, or otherwise - the best relationships (when managed well) keep you grounded and honest. They offer learning experiences. They...

  • A Social Movement for Seven Billion People

    Don Bulmer
    26 Jun 2011 | 12:56 pm
    In February of this year I was invited to participate in a workshop at Columbia University School of Journalism in support of the the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). The UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right...

  • Influencers to Brand Advocates

    Don Bulmer
    17 Mar 2011 | 9:21 pm
    I had the great opportunity to participate in a panel discussion this morning, hosted by BrightTALK in coordination with Think Influence. BrightTALK is a San Francisco-based company that specializes in providing online events for professionals and their communities. Think Influence...
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    Small Business Online Marketing at Kutenda

  • “The Facebook” circa 1990

    Jeb
    10 May 2012 | 3:25 pm
    If Facebook had been invented in the 1990s, it would’ve look something like this. Just watch. If Facebook were invented in the 90s… | YouTube

  • Messaging tip: keep it simple

    Jeb
    8 May 2012 | 11:55 am
    Inc. magazine’s Tom Searcy reminds businesses to simplify their messaging, because data suggest that the average buyer will retain only one thing a week after a meeting. What a 9-Year-Old Can Teach You About Selling | Inc.com See also: How kids in NYC sell lemonade (hilarious)

  • Happy Star Wars Day!

    Jeb
    4 May 2012 | 2:48 pm
    Image from Buzzfeed

  • Good free training on secrets of high-performing entrepreneurs

    Mike Cooch
    4 May 2012 | 1:02 pm
    As part of his book launch, Brendon Burchard (author of The Millionaire Messenger and Life’s Golden Ticket) is offering up three free video segments on what it takes to be a high-performance entrepreneur, executive, athlete … or just person in general. Brendon does a great job of communicating important concepts in easy-to-understand frameworks. I’ve bought some of his courses before and felt they were some of the best investments I’ve made. I think it’s great, motivating stuff that everyone should watch. Watch them here!

  • What we’re reading/watching

    Jeb
    30 Apr 2012 | 12:54 pm
    Has the internet run out of ideas already? | The Observer Yikes: “We look like being the first civilisation in history that invented a golden goose – and then strangled it.” Scheduled sending and email reminders | Boomerang for Gmail Do you use Gmail or Google Apps? This free plugin-thingamabob is pretty cool. General purpose technologies: The revolution to come | The Economist We’ve adopted mobile phones faster than any other household technology. And we’re just getting started. Seven Personality Traits of Top Salespeople | Harvard Business Review There are a…
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    Upheavals: Mark Di Somma's blog

  • Out of the blue moments

    markdisomma
    14 May 2012 | 6:33 am
    As marketers, we’re taught to look for patterns. Research, we are told, will give us the insights we need to predict how whole swathes of our society will react. Brands are looking to predict how buyers will act or react so that they know what to expect. Consumers themselves of course operate under no such constraints. They happily accept their own behaviours as making sense to them. One of the great challenges we face as branders is appealing to the mercurial side of consumers. Getting to grips with the fact that they won’t always behave the way we think they should, that they will do…

  • Customer service is worthless

    markdisomma
    10 May 2012 | 6:18 am
    We shouldn’t even think of “customer service” as being about something that is valuable to customers. The reasons are simple. We live in a service-focused age, and the people who buy from your brand know they’re customers. So “customer service” does not describe anything customers don’t expect and it certainly doesn’t envelope anything of particular value to them. Every brand is a service business at some level these days. In reality, customer service is the means to the real goal: sustained and profitable relationships forged between customers and a brand. Until you…

  • Strategy: why the 2% is so critical

    markdisomma
    6 May 2012 | 3:33 pm
    As part of making his case for why execution rules over strategy, and particularly why spending too much time onstrategic thinking is a waste of time, Tom Peters features a quote from Al McDonald that unequivocally states the views of theformer Managing Director of McKinsey & Coon strategic planning. “Never forgetimplementation, boys. In our work, it’s what I call the ‘last 98 percent’ of the client puzzle.” McDonald clearly intended this as an exhortation to focus on actions rather than wasting too much time on strategy. But I don’t read it that way. Instead, the critical…

  • Excitement vs risk: The very different emotions driving purchase of B2B and B2C brands

    markdisomma
    3 May 2012 | 5:57 pm
    Philip Kotler once described brands as helping people to make decisions. In a world of frenzied competition and bewildering choice, they are of course the fastest, simplest and most effective way to link a name to a perception of value. What can easily be overlooked however is that B2B and B2C brands are not just about very different types of decisions but that they also involve very different types of decision making. For the most part, consumer brands look to influence an individual and/or groups of individuals (tribes). They are at their most powerful ‘in the moment’. They are about…

  • Posting a profit

    markdisomma
    29 Apr 2012 | 3:39 pm
    Likeability has both a top-line and a bottom-line. Social monitoring tends to focus on the top-line: mentions; retweets; likes; comments. Top-line likeability is important because it monitors partiality towards your brand – the prevailing emotion at that moment. But it can be easily swayed, by offers, for example, or news. Bottom-line likeability is the measure of how much and/or how often consumers buy. It’s the money that drips or floods out the bottom of the sales funnel. The other p – profitability. But just as you can be famous and broke, so your brand can have strong top-line…
 
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    The Star Group Blog

  • Twitter Verification Implications for Brand Marketers

    Adam Leiter
    15 May 2012 | 12:33 pm
    With recent news that Twitter's verification process has become linked to monthly advertising, there has been conversation and debate about blurry lines in the sand. What does this change mean for your brand or company on Twitter? Is verification critical to your Twitter strategy? Twitter verified accounts are used to denote the authenticity of certain pages on Twitter. The verified badge helps users identify that a legitimate source is authoring the account’s Tweets (or at least officially ghost-tweeting on behalf of a legitimate source). Beginning primarily with the rise of…

  • Online Streaming Radio Presents Opportunity for Brands

    Denise K. Myers
    10 May 2012 | 8:55 am
    Co-authored with Jacqueline Johnson, Assistant Media Planner/Buyer When internet radio exploded onto the scene around 2005, it completely transformed radio from both a consumer and marketer perspective.  Paired with the hundreds of new internet-enabled devices, radio has become on-demand consumer experience.   With apps such as Pandora, Slacker, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, and iHeartRadio available at your finger tips, internet radio has become a popular way to access audio stream. Through the eyes of the advertiser, this phenomenon provides the opportunity to get what they…

  • Seven Marketing Lessons From Pulp Fiction

    Adam Leiter
    8 May 2012 | 7:50 am
    Oh I’m sorry…did I break your concentration? Along with being one of the best movies in the last 20 years, Pulp Fiction is chock-full of marketing insights if you look at it in the right light. Here, we pull out just a handful to discuss what brand marketers can learn from the film. As a child of the 90s, one of the most lauded and influential films of that era for me was undoubtedly Pulp Fiction, thanks to its mix of dark humor, action, irony, and a unique tempo of scenes. It wasn’t a conventional movie when it came out, and even then I remember it sparking a lot of debate…

  • Did Mad Men Measure ROI? What Don Draper’s Been Missing for Brand Marketers

    Megan Hegarty
    2 May 2012 | 8:04 am
    When the Don Drapers of the world launched a client campaign, there was only one performance indicator – sales figures. If sales went up, the campaign was a success. So now that we are able to measure each aspect of a campaign, why do some folks still look at the components in a silo? Back in the good old days of advertising, when the Don Drapers of the world launched a campaign for a client, there was only one performance indicator – sales figures. If sales went up, the campaign was considered a success, even though no one really had any idea what truly caused the lift. Then,…

  • As Facebook Edges Closer to 1 Billion – Is Your Brand Engaged?

    Adam Leiter
    24 Apr 2012 | 12:10 pm
    The magic number for Facebook is very close…most likely before the end of 2012 there will be over 1 billion active monthly users on the social network, but is your brand engaging with them in a beneficial way? Months ago, we brought up the discussion around the disconnect between brands and consumers when it comes to social media, and as the socially-connected population grows it is increasingly important to make sure your social strategy matches with what your audience is looking for. On Facebook, your fans ultimately own your brand, and the content you put out there needs to be a…
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    Strategic Visual Communications

  • 6 Emails To Send That Help Convert Your Leads To Clients

    svcadmin
    7 May 2012 | 7:00 pm
    According to Gleanster Research “only 25% of your leads are sales-ready. In addition, a whopping 50% of your leads are qualified but not ready to buy from you.” So if that’s the case, what do you do with all these leads to help increase your conversion metric above 25%? An effective medium to use in converting leads is email, however we’ve found that most business don’t have an effective email campaign in place. So to help you, we’ve listed below the 6 email types you can send to your leads on a consistent basis to increase your conversions.   1.) Education based emails…

  • Australians Spend More Online – Why This Matters?

    svcadmin
    8 Feb 2012 | 6:29 pm
    Research released in Sep 2011 by Swineburne University of Technology found that 78% of Australians are regular online shoppers, spending on average $206 a month online. The research also found that Australians are avid virtual window-shoppers who go online to conduct research, compare prices, and look up reviews, ratings and opinions then go out and purchase from a bricks-and-mortar store. Surprisingly, online shopping is not only popular for young buyers. The research found that shoppers aged 50-64 are increasingly shopping and spending more money online. In the past four years the average…

  • The Rise Of Online Video And How It Affects Your Business!

    svcadmin
    12 Jan 2012 | 7:11 pm
    The online video arena is growing and it’s only going to get larger. Online video is a way for people to be informed, stay informed, learn, and is a form of entertainment. According to ComScore’s October 2011 Video Metrix, which looks at online video viewing trends, showed that Americans watched a total of 42.6 billion videos (a new record!), up almost 3 million since September. According to a press release on PRNewsWire, internet users in Australia watched a total of 961 million online videos, with Google Sites ranking as the top video property with 503 million videos viewed,…

  • How To Have Maximum Influence On LinkedIn

    svcadmin
    5 Dec 2011 | 11:54 pm
    With a user base of over 100 million people, LinkedIn is now the world’s largest online professional networking site.  Years ago, LinkedIn was thought to be just an online resume site but today LinkedIn is a valuable resources and opportunity to market yourself, your business, products and services. Also with the social nature of LinkedIn you can network, connect with, and befriend other individuals who may help lead you to new customers and clients. LinkedIn is one of the best online communities and social media platforms for networking, in fact for business; we believe it may even…

  • Who Wins: SEO vs PPC For Local Adelaide Businesses?

    svcadmin
    14 Jun 2011 | 10:17 pm
    Here’s a question we are often asked: “Which is better: optimising my website for “free” organic search engine rankings or paying for clicks on Google AdWords (PPC)?” Our answer is always the same – “It depends”, however, if you are able to generate a return on your investment by doing both, then do both. Your marketing should always come back to “what is my ROI?”, if I invest $10 into marketing, then I should get $12, $15, $25, more back. As long as it generates a positive ROI, keep doing it. Here’s something to keep in mind: Showing up in the organic…
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    gdi make money

  • MLM Phone Prospecting using FORM 101

    Admin
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Learn the art of using FORM when phone prospecting to get you prospect to tell you how to close them.Video Rating: 5 / 5

  • Is The {Powerbar Club} a Scam? An Honest Review

    Admin
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    38788.powerbarclub.com Signup for my Free Bootcamp at http Let me help you build an active (Powerbar Club) downline. I believe in putting other people’s needs before my own. That’s what Godly love truly IS. Join the (Powerbar Club) Golden Team with me and let’s rock! (powerbar club)(referrals)(training)(powerbar club)(review)(scam)(top marketers)(powerbar…

  • Why Global Domains International is the Best Affiliate Home-Based Business!

    Admin
    15 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    mymoney101.ws Call or text me (if I don’t repsond, send me a text and I’ll get back to you) 1-562-741-9723 email me jdusca94@gmail.com Add me on facebook: www.facebook.com In this video I explain why GDI is the best, most proven home based business that has been around since 1999. GDI…

  • Make Full Time Job Money Working From Home In 2010

    Admin
    15 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    onestopnovice.com You just watched a video from one of the most successful GDI members in the history of the company. I’ve worked with Brian for over a year now and our team is bar none one of the fastest growing and helpful team/communities in internet…

  • just been paid tripler review and proof- jss tripler

    Admin
    14 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    adv.justbeenpaid.com Just been paid tripler review and proof- full details and all the information you need. contact me at quincysuccess@gmail.com with any questions
 
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    The Instar Group

  • Branding 101 – What is a Logo?

    admin
    7 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    In our previous Branding 101 posts, we discussed the Brand Name and the Brand Tagline. In this post, we’ll discuss the third and final piece in building your corporate identity, the brand’s Logo. A brand’s name is what the company or product is called. The tagline is a phrase or statement that says a little more about the brand than what the name can. The logo is the visual representation of these two and brings them all together. There are 3 primary types of logos. 1. Text Only – A logo can be visually represented simply as text. This can be done with a readily…

  • Dairy Queen: Commercials Finding Inspiration From Other Commercials

    admin
    19 Apr 2012 | 11:05 am
    In a previous post, we talked about how some commercials in today’s advertising landscape inspire other commercials. Specifically, the much loved Old Spice commercials continue to spawn copycats. Of those that had originally concocted their own version of the Old Spice Guy, Dairy Queen has now rolled out a new television spot that takes its inspiration from another commercial altogether Dairy Queen first took creative inspiration the recent Edge Shave Gel, which was inspired by the Old Spice Commercials. DQ liked the Edge Shave Gel commercials so much, they even hired the same exact…

  • Powerade: Accepting the Role of Underdog

    admin
    19 Mar 2012 | 10:47 am
    When looking at the landscape of consumer products, anyone can think of a given brand and immediately think of its key competitor. When these competitors take to the airwaves and battle out for our pinched pennies with slick production and aggressive advertising buys, war is declared. Within the sports drink category, Powerade has fired the latest salvo across the bow of Gatorade. With it’s new television campaign, Powerade seems to have embraced the fact that they are second in the category and very much the underdog to the giant that is Gatorade. The University of Florida inspired…

  • Yellow Card: Major League Soccer Teams with Euro Influenced Brand Names

    admin
    11 Mar 2012 | 11:29 pm
    Whether you’re a soccer fan or not, living in the United States, you’re likely aware of Major League Soccer, the country’s top level soccer league, founded in concert with the hosting of the 1994 World Cup. And, whether you’re a fan or not, you are likely aware of the confusing naming conventions different teams have chosen when developing their team’s brand. We at The InStar Group have done some previous posts on sports branding and with the start of the 2012 MLS season upon us, we thought we’d kick around some thoughts on the inconsistent if not confusing…

  • Jingle All The Way – Songs vs. Jingles in Today’s Advertising

    admin
    5 Mar 2012 | 10:38 am
    The use of jingles in advertising goes back to…well..the dawn of advertising. But with music seemingly more important in our lives with the rise of iTunes and the iPod, and how social music has become, the advertising world has understandably infused full songs into their commercials, pushing out the overall importance of simple jingles. So we’ve asked the question: are songs more effective than jingles? Nobody can argue the importance of music in our lives. Our collective tastes vary not only between our friends, but even between our own playlists. The use of songs in movies can…
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    Sales Prospecting Perspectives

  • Get Your Yoga On While Cold Calling

    Craig Ferrara
    15 May 2012 | 4:36 pm
    I was working out to my Baron Baptiste yoga video this weekend, getting my sweat on (save the sarcastic remarks please).  Like most yoga gurus, Baron provides his words of wisdom throughout the video regarding the movements he’s putting our body through. Combined with the movements, he also stresses that our minds should be focused on a certain point and not scattered during each pose.   He describes each session as ‘practice’, and as a result of this practice, we are building our yogi skill set. Effectively he is looking for us to increase our physical and…

  • Top 5 Picks for Your Company Summer Outing

    Laney Pilpel
    14 May 2012 | 4:42 pm
    It’s about that time again. Trees and flowers are in bloom, the temperature is reaching the mid 70s, and I’ve officially introduced open-toed shoes back into my wardrobe rotation. Summer is just around the corner, and you know what that means – it’s time to start gearing up for your company’s summer outing event! Company outings are a great way for your company as a whole to relax and unwind a bit. It’s a great time of the year to thank everyone for all of their hard work and to increase employee morale (especially when the event takes place on a work day).

  • Growing Revenue: Not Always As Simple As It Seems

    Paul Alves
    11 May 2012 | 2:31 pm
    One of my areas of responsibility is revenue growth and while this is not new to me as I have been in sales my entire career, striving for double digit growth quarter over quarter in a services business can be a pretty tall order.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not whining.  We have done quite well and have emerged from the 2009 downturn with double digit growth in 2010 and 2011.  But what fun would it be just to sit back and accept fast growth when it could be super fast growth?  The major challenge, as I see it, is that when you turn up the expectations, the many…

  • 11 HUGE Reasons Inside Sales Teams Are Not As Good As They Could Be

    Chris Lang
    10 May 2012 | 1:07 pm
    One of our company mantras is that, if done correctly, calling campaigns are a great way to bring in predictable amounts of forecast quarter after quarter. Unfortunately, a lot of teams out there just haven’t mastered the whole “done correctly” part. We try to be delicate when asked to critique our client’s internal efforts. “Well, telling the prospect to buy from you or else they’re stupid may work, but maybe you could try (this) instead”.  Since you don’t sign a check to me, I will come right out and give you some of the more common…

  • Don’t Let Your Inside Sales Team become “Almost Famous”

    Elizabeth Guerra
    9 May 2012 | 6:26 pm
    “It’s all happening!” Almost Famous is one of my all-time favorite movies. I decided to watch it again over the weekend, and was surprised to realize that some of the issues that come up in the film are actually very relevant to inside sales. If you’ve never seen Almost Famous before, go watch it right now. Come on, you’re sitting here reading a blog; you can’t be doing anything that important. Don’t worry; I’ll wait here for you. Now that you’re all caught up (Spoiler Alert Ahead!), I’m going to highlight some of the challenges the…
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    "I" of the Consumer

  • How to Save Money on Direct Mail

    Zach Heller
    16 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    Does your company still use direct mail as part of your marketing plan? Don’t be afraid to admit it. Direct mail still works. I use it myself. And if it didn’t work, I’d know it, and I’d stop. But we can all agree that the cost of physical mailings is going up, and with the dismal financial situation at the postal service, it may go up even faster in the near future. So what can we do to combat this? Grow your lists. It may seem counterintuitive, but the more you mail, the better price you’ll get. You will save on production costs. But not everyone can just grow…

  • Safety in Numbers: The Marketer’s Challenge

    Zach Heller
    14 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    If you ask a business owner, how many customers is enough, the answer will invariably be the more the merrier. It’s obvious enough. We make more money when more people buy our products. But what may seem a little funny is that the more people buy our products, the more people will buy our products. Part of being a human being is that we want to be like other human beings. We have an instinctive tendency to be like other people who we think are like us. And if we see a number of people all doing the same thing, our minds tell us that it’s the right thing to do. When applied to…

  • "I" of the Consumer Week in Review

    Zach Heller
    13 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Happy Mother’s Day! Do we give our Mothers enough credit? Are a few days a year of special attention really enough to say thank you for the years and years of care and effort it took to get us to where we are today? My guess is no. My guess is they deserve much more. But that’s up to each and every one of us individually, taking the initiative to show how thankful we are without the thousands (er, millions) of companies out there ramming gifts and gift cards down our throats. If you were buried under a stack of Mother’s Day promotions, you may have missed these recent posts:…

  • The Problem with Continuing Education

    Zach Heller
    12 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    The problem with continuing education is that it’s not all created equal. Certifications, badges, the way employers view it and what they’re looking for. It varies too much. Today, more companies than ever before are offering educational opportunities. There are schools that offer courses long after you graduate, startups offering free or low cost online courses and diplomas in a never-ending variety of fields, and products or services that come with their own certification courses. With all of the options available to us, and no clear sense of what employers value, it can be hard…

  • Email Stats that WERE Shaping the Future

    Zach Heller
    10 May 2012 | 2:15 pm
    I always find it fun to look back at predictions people made in years past to see how accurate (or, in many cases, how inaccurate) they are. And so when I stumbled across an old blog post from Convince and Convert entitled, “15 Email Statistics that are Shaping the Future” dated 2008, I simply had to take a look. Technology moves so fast that predictions made less than a month ago can seem absurd. But surprisingly, the 15 stats represented in this post hold fairly true. Why and how our messages get pushed to, or moved to the spam folder is still a top concern among marketers. But…
 
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    The Bullet | Branding Blog

  • Moments We Got So Very Wrong

    Peter Gan
    2 May 2012 | 11:01 am
    There are a lot of facts that stick in our minds and imageries we just can’t shake. Whether it’s the 2D illustration of Colonel Sanders, the theme song to The Simpsons or the smell of a freshly brewed cappuccino, we all just know it! But what if I told you the one thing you remembered most about a particular brand or franchise, was absolute bull? Let’s begin. Humpty Dumpty? Who was he? Because there was not a single mention of an egg in the whole poem! He could have been a porcelain vase as far as I’m concerned, let alone it being strange all the kings’ horses and men were…

  • Time to Choose

    Peter Gan
    25 Apr 2012 | 11:12 am
    Life is all about choices. Compromising on your heritage and history is a choice. Giving up what most defines what you are for the sake of making a populist statement is a choice. Lying to protect yourself, deceiving to postpone retribution, covering up to escape persecution, these are choices. Defaming an opponent and sowing untruths in order to gain a competitive edge is a choice. Drowning out dissenting voices and clamping down on negative feedback are choices. Sticking to outdated values, philosophies and values is a choice. Being me-too, safe and ordinary is a choice. Allowing badly…

  • Stick to the Script, or Just Stick It.

    Peter Gan
    18 Apr 2012 | 11:01 am
      A recent video circulating online depicts a real-life scene in an Air Asia aircraft where the in-flight safety announcement is presented in a, shall we say, rather refreshing manner. It’s classic off-the-cuff, everybody’s-doing-it-so-why-should-we rule-bending behaviour by a brand that’s pretty much known to not always play it by the (airline) book. The man behind the announcement, Quinton Dinesh Thomas, a senior flight attendant attached to the no-frills airline, said that his motivation for the quirky, spontaneous script adjustment was so that passengers would sit up and listen…

  • Cartoon Inspiration

    Peter Gan
    10 Apr 2012 | 11:01 am
    As people get older, habits change, routines break and relationships come and go. But one thing that’s pretty constant (at least in MY life and that of the millions other kidults!) are cartoons! Anything animated, from the likes of the daytime re-runs of the Looney Tunes, more mature, up to date comedies like South Park and Archer, to the even weirder and twisted like Super Jail or Metalocalypse found on Adult Swim. Here’s the thing; not so long ago, cartoons would find a certain niche, a certain demographic or psychographic that they’d like to tackle when wanting to land a prime spot…

  • Mission (Statement) Impossible

    Peter Gan
    4 Apr 2012 | 11:01 am
    Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to stop thinking up mission statements that mean nothing except to a handful of people at the top. It doesn’t matter how nicely worded it is, or how inspiring it sounds to the board member, or how cleverly it connects the different elements in your brand strategy; a mission statement is just that, a statement, and not, in fact, a mission. Oftentimes, leaders spend too much time debating the words of a mission statement, and too little on really defining that very important something that’s truly meaningful, non-negotiable and absolutely…
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    Kristian Ward

  • MikeyBe: A New Toronto Hopeful

    Kristian Ward
    7 May 2012 | 8:00 pm
    I have been following MikeyBe now for some time in the Toronto Music Scene.  He is not well known and for the most part a diamond in the rough in my opinion.  But I have great hopes for this cat and im really looking … Continue reading →

  • First Nations: Freedom Train 2012

    Kristian Ward
    7 May 2012 | 10:38 am
    This morning while getting my first coffee from Starbucks I came across an event that I felt I should share.                                 With mine and my … Continue reading →

  • Kepstar: I am totally feeling this artist!

    Kristian Ward
    3 May 2012 | 7:47 pm
    Kepstar – I’m actually sitting here listening to this dudes music and speechless.  It has been forever – well actually since Drake Mixtape that hiphop was renewed in my soul.  Kep – keep doing you homie this is what hiphop … Continue reading →

  • I’m saying Goodbye to yesterday!

    Kristian Ward
    3 May 2012 | 7:40 pm
    This goes out to everyone in the past that im saying goodbye to yesterdays…

  • Wale & His Band: Lucky to be part of the media team

    Kristian Ward
    3 May 2012 | 12:25 pm
    This week I was invited to be part of the media selected to be a part of Wale & His Band On May 12th.  Its a real honor for me as I’m really starting to get recognized back into the … Continue reading →
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    The Ad Contrarian

  • Proud Father Goes AWOL

    11 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    Today, the very proud father of a very wonderful daughter hits the road to attend commencement and celebrate graduation from college. Hers, not mine. I am leaving my blog-o-matic at home and will probably not be posting anything for a while.  Think of it as scheduled maintenance. Meanwhile, with no Ad Contrarian to keep you entertained for a week or so, this is the perfect time to buy "101

  • Ads About Nothing

    10 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    Here at Ad Contrarian world headquarters we have a little 2-word commandment: Be specific. You see, we think that "1,000 songs in your pocket" is a better promise than "world-class MP3 player." We think that "15 minutes can save you 15%" is more motivating than "get huge savings." We think "$5 Footlong" is a better idea than "really cheap and really big." We believe in being specific. As

  • Are Brands Real?

    9 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    A very interesting piece appeared last week in Ad Age about vacuum cleaner magnate James Dyson. The piece was called "James Dyson: I Don't Believe In Brand." Here is the gist of the article:"There's only one word that's banned in our company: brand," Mr. Dyson said... "We're only as good as our latest product. I don't believe in brand at all." While I applaud Mr. Dyson's spirit and his disdain

  • Pepsi As Confused As Ever

    8 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    As all ad contras know, one of the great pleasures of writing this blog is commenting on the ongoing clown show that is Pepsi. In our last exciting episode, we bragged about our amazing prediction of exactly what Pepsi would do after the social media disaster that was "Refresh." Now that we've had a look at a spot from the new campaign, it is everything we hoped for and more. Last year we said.

  • What Is Facebook Hiding?

    7 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    I would like someone from Facebook to explain to us why they will not reveal click-through rates for ads on Facebook. Since advertising is their primary source of revenue, and since click-through rates are a legitimate, recognized measure of online advertising effectiveness, it seems reasonable that they would do so. Thus far, Facebook has gotten away with not revealing these numbers. They have
 
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    ScentTrail Marketing

  • Predicting Ecommerces Future Soon

    Marty
    10 May 2012 | 9:18 pm
    Finding Asimov's Dream Risking exposing the inner-nerd, I loved to read Isaac Asimov in my long misplaced youth. The Foundation Series was fascinating. The three laws of robotics and psychohistory were Plato, Nietzsche and Heidegger wrapped into a more lively narrative.  Psychohistory believed the future was knowable as long as a few rules were followed: The result set was sufficiently large (Asimov created the Galactic empire after reading The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire) Those whose future could be known at a macro level couldn’t know their future at a micro level That…

  • Internet Marketing - Will we kill the web?

    Marty
    3 May 2012 | 8:44 pm
    It is inevitable. Some argue Internet marketing is already past its point of diminishing return. Sure ecommerce is robust and growing at 10x+ better than bricks and mortar, but what happens when the noise level on the web exceeds our capacity to hear? Will we kill the web? Will the web kill us? The web is already dead as Phil Simon notes in his excellent book The Age of the Platform. The days when a closed loop site of twenty or so pages not created by a celebrity could survive Internet marketing’s punishing competitive gauntlet are gone. If you love RedEnvelope as I do wave bye bye. There…

  • Ecommerce Holiday 2012 - Go To The Mattresses

    Marty
    3 May 2012 | 10:09 am
    Ecommerce Holiday Tips Roundup This time of year my trigger finger itches. As a former Director of Ecommerce for a multimillion dollar web site for seven years I know NOW is when Christmas happens. We would start putting draft ideas on paper, pay extra attention to our organic listings since search engines are setting up Christmas 2012 right now and generally start to prepare for the nonstop chaos that is the holiday selling season. I'm writing my post-Panda, Penguin, Lions, Tigers and Bears Holiday Ecommerce tips now, but here is a quick roundup of other posts that may prove helpful as your…

  • Save Martin Save The World

    Marty
    20 Apr 2012 | 10:58 pm
    ***** Accomplishing A Tough Goal - April 24th Update Two things happened to inform and soften this post. On Sunday I almost drowned hanging on to a dock and great feedback from my boss. Nothing like a near death experience to shine a new light on your life :). Believe me I thought how goofystupid I was going to seem having drowned hanging on to a wooden dock but for about ten minutes drowning was a real possibility (will blog about that experience some day soon). The other is one of my bosses spoke to this post directly. The upshot is yes we need to accomplish a tough goal, but it isn't do so…

  • Best SEO Content - Sports

    Marty
    19 Apr 2012 | 11:19 pm
    (From Curation Revolution on Scoop.it) Sports is prime social media fodder with the Olympics the great gold of "sports as content". Sports is great because it always happens now. Sports is also a proxy for our Joseph Campbell-ian Mythic struggles. Life-death, pain-joy, failure - achievement and glorification of (mostly) the best in us makes the Olympics one of the few remaining global events (Super Bowl, World Cup Soccer for most of the world and not much else). Social media is our bright fire burning on a cold winter night. We form up, rub our hands in the flickering flying sparks and feel…
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    SpeakProfit : Internet Marketing Tips and Strategies

  • New Google Stupidity Tax: “Flaccid Exact Match”

    Perry Marshall
    9 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    Google has added another form of stupidity tax to AdWords. You can opt out of this stupid tax, and it is very important that you know what to do and why. If you’re paying close attention, this will work to your advantage. (As with all Google stupidity taxes.) You really need to pay attention to this. Google announced that they are “Improving” exact match and phrase match. Here’s what they are doing: Exact match used to mean that if you bid on [guinea pigs] exact match, the only search that would make your ads show was the precise phrase guinea pigs Now they are making “Exact…

  • Google AdWords vs Charles Darwin

    Perry Marshall
    7 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    Anybody who’s developed a modicum of chops with Google ads knows how utterly Darwinian Google is. Most of your ads vanish forever after being seen by (maybe) a few thousand eyeballs. 3% of the advertisers get 50% of the traffic and everyone else fights over the scraps. As an advertiser, you know that a major key to success is proliferating dozens of ads in as many creative directions as you can until you hit your customer’s “Sweet Spot.” What you might not realize is how much AdWords can teach you about real evolution – the kind they debate in science class. Most interesting of all…

  • Think Different…About Marketing

    Donnie Bryant
    4 May 2012 | 11:55 pm
    “Find out what people want – and show them how to get it.” ~ Bernard Baruch Sometimes people disagree when you tell them that success in marketing comes when you sell people what they want. They point to the phenomenal popularity of items like the iPod. “See,” they’ll argue, “Apple has sold millions of items that nobody even knew they wanted.” Steve Jobs himself said that “A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.” Was he right? Henry Ford once said “If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have…

  • How to win a knife fight

    Philipp Lomboy
    25 Apr 2012 | 10:00 pm
    If you’re a fan of the movie “The Untouchables” you’ll no doubt hear Sean Connery’s fine Scottish brogue in your mind saying, “Bring a gun.” For most people it’s not much of an option – you’ll either be bare-handed or, a best, carrying a smaller knife. My karate instructor was keenly aware of this fact and wanted to prepare us for the worst. It was one of the most valuable lessons I ever got. He paired us up, giving one of us a rubber (thank goodness) prop knife. As we waited for further instruction, expecting to hear some kind of…

  • Torture vs. Inspiration

    Perry Marshall
    21 Apr 2012 | 2:17 pm
    Who do you admire? For me one of the great joys in life is to watch great athletes perform. Sure, it could be sports, like Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan. But there’s a lot of other sports. Maybe it’s watching Eddie Van Halen sit on the edge of the stage with his guitar and spin off those magical riffs. Maybe it’s Newton or Einstein. An artist like Banksy. Or Whitney Houston belting out a note that seems to last forever. Maybe it’s Coltrane – not merely playing his sax, but *possessing* it. In business it could be Richard Branson or Seth Godin or Jay Abraham, or someone else whose…
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    brandignity.com

  • What if Facebook Launched a Search Engine?

    Brandignity
    16 May 2012 | 10:56 am
    There sure are many interesting changes occurring right now in the social space that are probably getting lots  of people really excited. First we have Facebook going public which is most likely going to bring an interesting slew of features to Facebook (some good, some bad) in order to keep up with investor demands. Also, a new Bing just launched and it has a lot of really great new search features that are sure to get Google thinking and scratching their heads. Google+ really has a rival on their hands now. Facebook Going Public With so many interesting developments on the horizon an…

  • Are Twitter and Facebook links any good?

    claudia
    15 May 2012 | 7:24 am
    Social networking sites do affect web search ranking in many ways. According to popular search engines like Google and Bing, retweeting a link is taken as a positive signal for web search ranking. Obviously, search engines consider a lot more other factors about your tweet as they have to filter out spam and make certain that a shared page is indeed popular. It is, therefore, clear that links shared via social media sites certainly influence web search indexing process. Google and Bing are the most widely used search engines. Both search engines seem to depend heavily on evaluating a…

  • There is New Bing in Town

    Brandignity
    14 May 2012 | 7:33 am
    Bing has been doing an amazing job at trying to keep up with the strength of Google over the years. Even when Bing bleeds out money and is still in the red zone when comparing the money invested Bing continues to grow and evolve in amazing ways. For the folks who are loyal Bing users and wish they would make some bolder development choices here you go. Bing is officially — the new Bing. Bing Screenshot Excerpt from the official Bing blog: “Our aim has always been to help you do more with search, and over the past three years we have made exciting strides to realize that vision.

  • Google Users Who Tried Bing and Switched

    Brandignity
    11 May 2012 | 7:11 am
    If you haven’t noticed lately Bing has been making some really interesting decisions lately regarding their search tool. They have stripped down some of the graphics to make it a stark white, Facebook is getting a stronger integration and the layout is being modified as we speak to enhance the user experience and friendliness. Many of us hop on Google every day and don’t really think twice about it but what would happen if you actually used Bing for a short time like the individuals in the videos below did? These 4 Google users below started to use Bing and found the results…

  • Google Algorithm Updates Recap for April

    Brandignity
    10 May 2012 | 7:11 am
    We love when Google gives us valuable insight as to how their search engines evolve and change from month to month. A little while back Google started really giving the community some great information as to how their algorithm is being updated, which is great news for web marketers. With that said, Google is not going to give out the whole kit and caboodle because frankly, why would they? We should be grateful they give us the amount of information that they do. Do your best to really understand the info they give to make better search marketing choices for your brand. Why does Google give…
 
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    Build That List

  • Concerns about ink usage

    Robert
    16 May 2012 | 2:56 am
    Is anyone utilizing generic ink to refill their cartridges? I am asking because I’m a poor varity scholar who just purchased the printer, but have loads of pictures to print. I purchased an extremely nifty refill equipment from ebay referred to as EZink and it was $25 and can refill each tank three times in [...]

  • Which Affiliate Networks You Need to Join

    Robert
    15 May 2012 | 3:31 am
    Any experienced internet marketer will tell you that while you’re still learning to master internet marketing, the simplest way to earn some cash is via affiliate marketing. The easiest way to learn the system is to actually work it and affiliate marketing allows you to do that while also allowing you to make a little [...]

  • Haley Bonar’azines “Appeal The particular Fox” (Mid-day Information, 12 , A few)

    Robert
    14 May 2012 | 3:32 am
      If ever there is an even more secretive (re)start of your new document I’m not sure exactly what that would be. It’utes unexpected as well given that Haley Bonar is not some very hot new commodity in order to mp3bloggers. Her other produces had been wolfed down whole as was her concert events. Her [...]

  • How Affiliate Marketers Can Earn More With the Amazon Affiliate Program

    Robert
    13 May 2012 | 3:49 am
    The Amazon Associate program is among the most common affiliate opportunities to be had. This program has accomplished many things. Paying on time and taking care of their associates is something that Amazon is celebrated for. Being an Amazon associate certainly can’t guarantee that you will earn money. If you want to make a lot [...]

  • Leaflet Printing UK – Aspects to Consider When Leafleting

    Robert
    12 May 2012 | 3:57 am
    If you would like execute cheap and versatile marketing approaches, then distribute leaflets to your target market. Leafleting allows you to produce and hand out leaflets regarding your offers in a very affordable manner as a result of low-cost, high-volume leaflet printing UK services. Moreover, leaflets is often carried anywhere. Therefore, somebody getting your leaflet [...]
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    Your Logo Here

  • Educate Youngsters With Anti Bullying Promotional Items

    Lauren Kamath
    11 May 2012 | 9:54 am
    Bullying has always been an unfortunate reality for students. Earlier this week, Presidential candidate Mitt Romney was accused of bullying a student believed to be gay as a teenager in the 1960s. As many as half of all children are bullied at some time...(read more)

  • Popular Nurses Week Promotional Products

    Lauren Meade Kamath
    6 Apr 2012 | 1:34 pm
    Nurses Week (May 6 to 11) celebrates the valuable role nurses play in healing, promoting wellness and practicing relationship-centered care. Nurses Week celebrations are a great way to raise employee morale and recognize staff members who go above and...(read more)

  • March is National Optimism Month!

    Lauren Kamath
    22 Mar 2012 | 2:47 pm
    Do you see the glass half empty or full? If you're part of the half-full group, then March is your month. It's National Optimism Month - a time to reflect on the power of positive thinking. A growing body of research has shed light on the ability of optimism...(read more)

  • Unlock Customer Engagement With Wholesale Rubik’s Promotional Products

    Lauren Kamath
    16 Mar 2012 | 10:14 am
    Unlocking the puzzle of consumers' hearts and minds is no easy task for marketers. Fortunately, promotional products help engage consumers. Research shows promotional products offer consumers a direct incentive to talk with your sales reps or frequent...(read more)

  • Looking for Memorable Hospital Week Gifts?

    Lauren Kamath
    28 Feb 2012 | 11:43 am
    Hospital Week celebrates the history of modern hospitals and the healthcare professionals dedicated to improving patient care every day. Hospital Week began in 1921, according to the American Hospital Association, when a magazine editor suggested that...(read more)
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    Only Dead Fish

  • Is the 1,9,90 Rule Outdated?

    neilperkin
    11 May 2012 | 7:47 am
    The BBC have just released some interesting research around participation online. The findings (the result of a "large-scale, long-term investigation into how the UK online population participates using digital media today") have raised a little controversy since they seem to indicate that the long-term model or view of participation online, the 1,9,90 rule, is outmoded. The so-called 1% Rule has been around (as far as I can work out) since 2006 when it was mentioned in a blog post by Ben McConnell of the Church Of The Customer blog who talked about how "small groups of people often turn out…

  • Digital Intimacy And Gestures

    neilperkin
    10 May 2012 | 2:15 am
    There's some rather lovely work here by Marco Triverio, an interaction designer at IDEO, playing around with (and disrupting) the asynchronous nature of much non-verbal communication over mobile devices. Feel Me experiments with different ways of creating a 'sweet, playful connection with the person on the other side'. I'm quite taken with some of the ideas here, particularly the thought about creating more real-time physical connections through digital means, and the far more inventive ways than we have at our disposal right now to express feeling through non-verbal gestures over digital…

  • Google Firestarters 5 Visualised

    neilperkin
    9 May 2012 | 5:21 am
    It can't have been easy for the guys at Scriberia to visualise Cory Doctorow's amazing talk at last weeks Firestarters event. But chief scribe Dan has done a fantastic job at committing to illustration a talk crammed with great metaphors and delivered at some pace. So, as a follow up to the write ups of the event, it's worth taking a look. You can view it in its full glory here.

  • Post Of The Month - April 2012 - The Winner

    neilperkin
    8 May 2012 | 3:01 am
    Well, it was run close by Patricia McDonald's strong post on the interest graph and social commerce but in the end, the winner of Post Of The Month was Dan Hon's personal and powerful post: Myself, Quantified. So well done Dan. You get the props of your blogging peers and are entered into the Hall Of Fame. Thanks everyone for your nominations and votes - don't forget to bookmark your good reads for nominating next month.

  • Google Firestarters 5: Cory Doctorow - The Event

    neilperkin
    7 May 2012 | 6:32 am
    Well. I can honestly say that it's taken me a good few days to digest Cory Doctorow's amazing talk at our fifth Firestarters event last Wednesday. And I'm still ruminating on it. Cory's talk, billed as 'The Coming War On General Computation' concerned what he sees as the gross inadequacies inherent in our regulatory and copyright system in dealing with the growing pervasiveness of digital technologies. Gathered to hear it were over a hundred of the great and the good from UK planning.  What followed was a passionate, rapid-fire, 50 minute narrative, packed with great insight, provocation…
 
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    Marketing That's Measurable Blog | Johnson Direct

  • Great Lessons for Marketers in “Great by Choice”

    Lisa Robbins
    16 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    I’ve had the Jim Collins business classic “Good to Great” on my to-read list for a few years now, so when I heard Collins and co-author, Morten T. Hansen, came out with a sequel I read it instead. “Great by Choice” was both inspiring and surprising…with applicable lessons for marketers. The book illustrates how companies can achieve lasting success in an environment of change, uncertainty and chaos. It summarizes nine years of research following companies that achieved outstanding results for at least 15 years during unstable times and compares them to less…

  • The Importance of Content Strategy

    Laura.Rodriguez
    10 May 2012 | 1:17 pm
    “Content marketing” is a hot term right now. Most marketers have accepted the fact that customers would rather seek out information about a brand rather than be bombarded by self-serving messages.  The question is how can we make the most of this shift and optimize the content we are disseminating, while at the same time, achieve bottom-line marketing objectives? Content marketing is a broad term that applies to basically any written or spoken communication. It covers websites, newsletters, white papers, videos, blogs, podcasts, email blasts, mobile apps, etc. The aim is to disseminate…

  • What Is Marketing That’s Measurable?

    Grant Johnson
    1 May 2012 | 1:31 pm
    The most common question I get from people I meet has to be “What is marketing that’s measurable?” Of course, we all know what the phrase means, but what people are really asking me is “come on now, you can’t track and measure your advertising and marketing, so how do you do it and what’s the gimmick?” Honestly, not ALL advertising and marketing can be tracked and measured. However, the majority of it can be if you follow a proven process and build in testing and the tools needed to do so. Here at JD, our Direct Branding™ process has…

  • Health Care Marketers — What Does Your Online Presence Say About You

    Scott Dettman
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:49 am
    Got a cough you just can’t kick? Or a nagging ache in your knee? What’s your first move? If you’re like most Americans, your initial inquiry into your potential health ailment would begin with the launch of an internet browser. In fact, 66% of US adults report relying heavily on search engines to provide them with links to answers for any number of health questions. Although, large and growing, this figure shouldn’t be surprising. Whether you’re looking for the best orthopedic surgeon in town or for potential side effects of a prescription your doctor is recommending, your first…

  • Six Ways to Sustain Effective Social Media Communications

    rachelbabiak
    18 Apr 2012 | 9:44 am
    We live in a world surrounded by social media. With so many options to choose from, it’s no surprise that most businesses have some sort of presence online. Social media is an important part of marketing, but check out these tips on how to maintain a good following online (originally found at bizjournals.com): Don’t mix personal with business. Make sure you’re keeping your personal social media accounts and your business accounts separate. People will be more interested in what you have to offer them rather than what you had for lunch. Fill out your profile completely. Social media…
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    Internet Marketing Articles

  • The Google Penguin Update Solution; I Lost All My Ranks and Traffic. Help!

    Duran
    11 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Last Wednesday, I presented at SMX Toronto at the “Big Google Kitchen Sink Panel”. My presentation outlined how to build a Panda-proof content strategy, authority optimization, as well as Google’s top 10 do’s and don’ts for content. In addition, I presented a Panda reversal case study, the emerging importance of MicroData and backlinking strategies involving [...]

  • How to Write a Power Article

    Jani Seneviratne
    7 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Last week, CEO of Optimum7, Arthur Cooper, recapped the concept of a Power Article. It is definitely a worthwhile read, especially for those of you who were unable to attend our SMX Toronto presentation. Now that you’re equipped with the knowledge of what a power article is and why they are so imperative to your survival against Google’s Panda-Penguin algorithm updates… What’s next? This article shows you how to craft a power article.

  • Why Do Big Companies Rank Higher on Google Search?

    Chris
    2 May 2012 | 3:45 pm
    Bob owns a local coffeemaker manufacturing company called “Coffee Pot Kings” here in Sunny South Florida. His business started off in his garage and now it’s at a 2 ½ acre facility in a much commercialized area. The coffeemakers he produces are for the average Joe that simply needs a cup of Joe; very affordable [...]

  • What is a Power Article?

    Arthur
    30 Apr 2012 | 3:26 pm
    There is a bit of a buzz among SEO professionals over the past few days since Duran Inci, COO of Optimum7 made a presentation at SMX-Toronto speaking of real and very specific strategies Optimum7 has been using for its clients in the Panda-Penguin phases of Google’s algorithm updates. One of the strategies is the writing [...]

  • Insurance Internet Marketing

    Duran
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:59 am
    Insurance coverage has changed drastically in the past decade. Consumers are looking to go online and get quotes for a policy and a comparison of prices between your company and your competitors. Some of the greatest successes include Progressive’s “name your own price tool,” Allstate and State Farm’s television campaigns, the Geico gecko and Esurance’s brand re-invention.
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    SEO Blog - Quantum SEO Labs

  • 5 Ways to Make Money From Software – Even if Programming Makes You Cry

    EricHammer
    14 May 2012 | 8:39 pm
    5 Ways to Make Money From Software – Even if Programming Makes You CryPost from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services 5 Ways to Make Money From Software – Even if Programming Makes You CryPost from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services I know what you’re thinking – you’re not a programmer, right? Hey, I’m not either. Well, okay I kind of am – I mean I did some work on programming years ago when [...]

  • Top 10 Online Marketing Trends in 2012 – And How To Benefit From Them..

    admin
    14 May 2012 | 8:18 pm
    Top 10 Online Marketing Trends in 2012 – And How To Benefit From Them..Post from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services Top 10 Online Marketing Trends in 2012 – And How To Benefit From Them..Post from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services Wondering what this year has in-stored for you in terms of internet marketing? Well… it may be a little difficult to analyze & forecast the present & future scenario because marketing trends are [...]

  • Top 10 Myths About Online Marketing

    admin
    10 May 2012 | 4:24 pm
    Top 10 Myths About Online MarketingPost from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services Top 10 Myths About Online MarketingPost from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services As a business owner, everyone wants to be online, market their site there and crack a sale with each visit on their website. But does everyone seriously undertake what it takes to be successful online? Or do you get swayed by [...]

  • Google Penguin – A Nightmare?

    EricHammer
    7 May 2012 | 3:42 pm
    Google Penguin – A Nightmare?Post from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services Google Penguin – A Nightmare?Post from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services   The flightless bird is out and about and Google’s listings are no longer what they once were. The fact is that Google’s Penguin update has had the whole world of IM and SEO in a tizzy because they seem to have [...]

  • Top 10 budget friendly DIY SEO tips..And Why They Are Important

    admin
    26 Apr 2012 | 1:29 pm
    Top 10 budget friendly DIY SEO tips..And Why They Are ImportantPost from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services Top 10 budget friendly DIY SEO tips..And Why They Are ImportantPost from: Quality SEO Services & Link Building Services Of late, you can see search engine optimization (SEO) playing a key role in generating traffic flow, brand awareness and online advertising for different business owners. Small and big businesses using different SEO techniques are now [...]
 
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    Mass Transmit » Blog

  • End Your Attachment to Email Attachments

    Mark Lewis
    2 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    The Attachment Craze As soon as email became an indispensable part of daily communications, it also became a ubiquitous means of file dispersal. Beyond personal photo sharing, inspirational and spiritual PowerPoint presentations, business Word proposals, and vcards, however, lurked phishing scams and virus-laden Trojan horses. As email traffic increased, so too did the burden of mail servers and networks. The potential sinister nature of attachments and infrastructure load has made email attachments a deliverability liability. The Problem Email attachments have become a main source of…

  • 22 Amazing Mobile Email Marketing Statistics

    Adam Q. Holden-Bache
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am
    The number of mobile smartphone users is growing rapidly, and with that comes an increase in the number of email users accessing their email via their mobile device. What was once mainly a business practice by few is now common practice by many. Email marketers need to be aware of this shift in email consumption and craft their campaigns accordingly. To provide more insight into this shift towards mobile email we’ve compiled this list of smartphone, mobile platform and mobile email marketing statistics. MOBILE/SMARTPHONE USER BASE: • Global sales of smartphones will grow about 46%…

  • Holden-Bache speaking about mobile email marketing at marketCHARLOTTE

    Adam Q. Holden-Bache
    24 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am
    Mass Transmit CEO Adam Q. Holden-Bache will be one of seven panelists at marketCHARLOTTE – Stories of Leadership.  marketCHARLOTTE is a once-a-year event organized by nine professional marketing organizations in Charlotte, NC. The speakers will share their marketing story highlighting The Challenge, The Solution, The Aftermath, and ultimately, leave the audience with a Lesson Learned. Questions for the panelists will be collected during an interactive social media break and then answered during a lively panel discussion. Nathan Richie of NR Creative and Brandon Uttley of Command…

  • Social Media Nation

    Anthony Schneider
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:10 am
    Image: Isometrica Americans Love Social Media 4 out of 5 Americans access the internet. (We wonder what the offline 20% do with their time). 65% of adult Internet users have an account on at least one social network (an 8x increase from 2005). 80% of active Internet users visit social media and blogs. (PewInternet) Americans spend 23% of their Internet time on social networks and blogs, and just 3% on current events & global news. Social networks and blogs account for nearly a quarter (22.5%) of the time Americans spend online, more than double the time spent playing video games games…

  • Mass Transmit launches Groupromo.com

    Adam Q. Holden-Bache
    19 Apr 2012 | 7:21 am
    Mass Transmit has developed the unique group-buying website Groupromo.com.  Groupromo offers group deals on logo products. The site features several amazing deals each week featuring products that marketers can customize with their brand logo. Mass Transmit provided all development and marketing services for the site launch including web site development, email marketing integration, social media channel setup (Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube) and search marketing. Learn more about Groupromo by watching the Groupromo video and sign up for Groupromo Daily Deals emails. Mass Transmit…
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    Mass Transmit » Broadcast Blog

  • Best Practices for Optimizing the Email Opt-In Process

    Adam Q. Holden-Bache
    15 May 2012 | 6:41 am
    To get the most out of your email lists, you’ll want to personalize and target the best recipients by gathering relevant subscriber data. Unfortunately, one of the most overlooked parts of most email marketing programs is in the opt-in process. How you prepare your opt-in pages and forms will impact your list growth, as well as the quality of your list. The Opt-In Page During the opt-in process, asking for too much can deter subscriber opt-in. But you certainly can collect more than a name and email address. Consider these simple steps when you collect data, and you’ll find your…

  • Mobile Email Will Overtake Web and Desktop Email by June [Study]

    Anthony Schneider
    8 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    Mobile Email Will Overtake Webmail and Desktop Email By June By June of this year, more people will read email on a mobile device than on a desktop computer or webmail client. The survey, conducted by Return Path, is part of the study  “Email in Motion: Mobile is Leading the Email Revolution.” The study tracks the surge of mobile email usage, which increased 82.4% year-over-year from March 2011 to March 2012. Smartphone ownership tripled from 2010 to 2012. Currently 44% of all Americans age 12 and over own a smartphone, representing half of all cell phone owners. As of August 2012, there…

  • End Your Attachment to Email Attachments

    Mark Lewis
    2 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    The Attachment Craze As soon as email became an indispensable part of daily communications, it also became a ubiquitous means of file dispersal. Beyond personal photo sharing, inspirational and spiritual PowerPoint presentations, business Word proposals, and vcards, however, lurked phishing scams and virus-laden Trojan horses. As email traffic increased, so too did the burden of mail servers and networks. The potential sinister nature of attachments and infrastructure load has made email attachments a deliverability liability. The Problem Email attachments have become a main source of…

  • 22 Amazing Mobile Email Marketing Statistics

    Adam Q. Holden-Bache
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:00 am
    The number of mobile smartphone users is growing rapidly, and with that comes an increase in the number of email users accessing their email via their mobile device. What was once mainly a business practice by few is now common practice by many. Email marketers need to be aware of this shift in email consumption and craft their campaigns accordingly. To provide more insight into this shift towards mobile email we’ve compiled this list of smartphone, mobile platform and mobile email marketing statistics. MOBILE/SMARTPHONE USER BASE: • Global sales of smartphones will grow about 46%…

  • Social Media Nation

    Anthony Schneider
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:10 am
    Image: Isometrica Americans Love Social Media 4 out of 5 Americans access the internet. (We wonder what the offline 20% do with their time). 65% of adult Internet users have an account on at least one social network (an 8x increase from 2005). 80% of active Internet users visit social media and blogs. (PewInternet) Americans spend 23% of their Internet time on social networks and blogs, and just 3% on current events & global news. Social networks and blogs account for nearly a quarter (22.5%) of the time Americans spend online, more than double the time spent playing video games games…
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    Email Critic | Rants and Raves of an Email Marketing Agency

  • Custom Email Templates: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Email Design Process

    Scott Hardigree
    3 May 2012 | 9:30 am
    Designing Custom Email Templates Here at Indiemark, we design a lot of custom email templates all of which are intended to fit neatly within the boundaries of the client’s brand, render beautifully across devices, as well as ensnare the reader and draw them towards the desired action. Sometimes we work with fairly conservative brands. So the final product is what you might expect, well, conservative. But every once in a while we get the chance to flex our creative muscles and push the look, feel, and personality of the email template quite a bit further. Project Background Recently KIXEYE,…

  • Email Marketing and the Sales Process: 5 Tips for Better Conversions

    Scott Hardigree
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:02 am
    Email is not the be all and end all as a marketing tool. It is only part of the sales funnel. We don’t send our campaign and then wipe our hands of the whole process. No, we email marketers play a vital role in moving people through the sales process, so they either end up at a website buying from you or in a sales person’s inbox as a warm lead. For that reason, it’s imperative that we maximize every bit of attention we get when in front of a subscriber, prospect or customer. Email marketing can do a lot to nurture people along from email to sale. You only have a few short…

  • 7 Reasons Why Email Newsletter Marketing Still Works

    Scott Hardigree
    11 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    After all the years I’ve worked in the email marketing industry, I am still amazed at the changes we go through on a regular basis. From the start of DMARC to deal with phishing to the intricacies of social media integration, it can truly be said of email that “it’s always something.” Some email marketing tactics stay tried-and-true, however. And email newsletter marketing is near the top of that list. If email newsletter marketing has fallen out of favor at your organization, overshadowed by other marketing initiatives, here are seven reasons to give…

  • Email and Social Cross-Promotion: How One Company Does It

    Scott Hardigree
    27 Mar 2012 | 8:57 am
    I received this email in my inbox a month ago, and knowing what the subject line referred to (the subject line was “Let’s be friends”), I got excited. I’m a huge advocate for promoting email on social channels and vice versa, so this email really caught my eye. I wanted to see how a larger company did it, perhaps learn a couple of things. I was eager to open this email,but my excitement quickly faded when I didn’t see a call to action above the fold; in fact, I had to scroll through SIX paragraphs just to find the call to action and a payoff! It got me thinking that if a…

  • The Email Song

    Scott Hardigree
    23 Mar 2012 | 8:27 am
    Email’s like speaking telepathically through a machine…enjoy!
 
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    Fred Moore or Less

  • Want Brand Authenticity? Remember – Everything Matters.

    Fred Moore
    16 May 2012 | 5:59 am
    I recall my seventh grade football year. I wanted to portray an image of this emerging athlete named Fred Moore.  Namely, when people saw my seventh grade Baylor School football photo, I wanted them to think, “this is one tough guy.”  I decided that this was going to be my personal “brand.” When photo day came around, I made sure to look serious and a little mean when that camera shutter clicked.  I had some dirt on the right shoulder of my jersey so folks knew I was no sissy. I had my helmet’s “bad to the bone” face-guard prominently displayed.

  • The After Years of the Mad Men Days

    Fred Moore
    10 May 2012 | 6:05 am
    Now, come on readers, I am not that old. I was just a mere babe when Don Draper, Roger, Peggy and Pete were doing their thing at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.  (On a side note, why is the account guy always the dweeb in shows or films about advertising?!?  Why can’t we ever have a stud like Don Draper play us?) By the time I arrived in New York,  I can confirm some vestiges of those Mad Men days were still evident. My first experience on “Mad Ave” was absolutely awesome – I worked at Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (DFS).  It was housed in the sparkle of the Chrysler…

  • Investing Heavily in “Nickel and Dime” Appearances

    Fred Moore
    24 Apr 2012 | 10:01 am
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9qYTJMsI Last week, my buddy and co-Virginia Council of CEO member, Elissa, sent an e-mail to all ten members of  our roundtable with a video attached.  Elissa noted in her e-mail that she especially wanted me to check out this comedic YouTube video resulting in four million views. The video was a spot for the Dollar Shave Club that is making its rounds on the internet via YouTube.  The Wall Street Journal did a story on the video and the Dollar Shave Club just last week entitled, “A David and Gillette Story.” Elissa was marveling about how…

  • Opening Day of My Long Advertising Season

    Fred Moore
    11 Apr 2012 | 6:05 am
    The award-winning banner makes a return trip to Atlanta Fulton County stadium in August of 1973. After the game, my mother and I stand in the left field bleachers above the infamous sign. It’s that time of year. Opening day – baseball.  Love it. Those who know me know that I am an original Atlanta Braves fan dating back to their inaugural season in the South – 1966. And, believe it or not, baseball is what first brought about my interest… and eventual passion… for advertising. The year was 1973. The event – the annual Atlanta Braves banner contest. The…

  • Tabasco – As Authentic of a Brand as You Can Get

    Fred Moore
    3 Apr 2012 | 5:50 am
    Isn’t it strange?  You can just feel when a brand is truly authentic. Take Tabasco. I have always felt Tabasco was just one of those truly genuine brands down to its core. Now, I know it is. My wife Beth and I just had the wonderful experience last weekend of visiting the truly special world of Tabasco.  Our great friend Lilo had us down to Avery Island, Louisiana to fully take in the culture that her Great Great Grandfather started in 1864 with the introduction of the first bottle of Tabasco. This entire community – the employees, their families, the members of the McIlhenny…
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    B2B Ideas@Work Blog | MLT Creative | B2B Idea Launch Pad

  • Is Pinterest a Passing Fad? #SoSlam

    Elizabeth Baker
    15 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    While Facebook and Twitter are just about equal in terms of female to male ratio, Pinterest has an overwhelming female audience (80+%). We decided to take it to the streets (actually,... MLT Creative B2B Ideas @ Work Blog. Our ideas, musings, thoughts, reviews on b2b marketing topics.

  • How to Make the Most Out of a B2B Sponsorship – #Soslam Style

    Kelly Cooper
    3 May 2012 | 12:25 pm
    These days, it’s all about stretching a B2B marketing dollar and sponsoring an event is no different. Your company has paid good money to support an event you believe in – why stop at... MLT Creative B2B Ideas @ Work Blog. Our ideas, musings, thoughts, reviews on b2b marketing topics.

  • Human Behavior and Multiple Identities in B2B Marketing

    Vann Morris
    2 May 2012 | 8:16 am
    Staying connected via smartphones is crucial to maintaining relationships with your clients and prospects in B2B marketing. That being said, sometimes there is a time to cut the smartphone... MLT Creative B2B Ideas @ Work Blog. Our ideas, musings, thoughts, reviews on b2b marketing topics.

  • B2B Mobile Marketing – Are we there yet?

    martine hunter
    1 May 2012 | 4:53 pm
    At the April 2012 BMA Atlanta keynote event, mobile marketing expert and Go Mobile author, Jamie Turner, said YES we are there.  These unprecedented stats and projections show revolutionary... MLT Creative B2B Ideas @ Work Blog. Our ideas, musings, thoughts, reviews on b2b marketing topics.

  • Overcoming Your Fear of Social Media

    Vann Morris
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:43 am
    Being active in social media requires self-confidence. Though many people give you tips about how to get started, I’ve noticed they often don’t focus on the one thing that... MLT Creative B2B Ideas @ Work Blog. Our ideas, musings, thoughts, reviews on b2b marketing topics.
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    SMS Marketing Blog

  • Coke Has a 4-Digit SMS Short Code?

    Derek Johnson
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    I was looking at some of Coke’s SMS campaigns today and realized that unlike other SMS short codes which are 5 or 6 digits, they’re using a 4 digit short code. I couldn’t find much information about 4 digit short codes expect for the following from Qwasi below and that Sprint uses 4 digit short codes for free messages and self-service account management. To start, if you noticed the short codes used by American Idol, you will quickly notice they use a 4-digit short code. These short codes are not considered to be a cross-carrier CSCs. Instead, that code is only available…

  • New SMS Autoresponder Dashboard

    Derek Johnson
    15 May 2012 | 9:21 pm
    I’ll be the first one to admit that we rushed out our new SMS Autoresponder feature much quicker than expected. This unfortunately caused the user interface to be a little haphazardly thrown together. Today we’re excited to announce that our new SMS Autoresponder product has a brand new interface. We’ve cleaned up the interface, removed excess text, condensed features and tried to get everything to fit without forcing Tatango users to scroll down the page. Below is the new design of our SMS Autoresponder dashboard, beautiful huh? Below is the old version of the SMS…

  • AT&T Using Text-to-Download for Mobile Apps

    Derek Johnson
    14 May 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Today I went to download the myAT&T Mobile App and was pleasantly surprised that one of the ways AT&T was instructing their customers to download the app was via text message. At Tatango we’ve been encouraging app makers for some time now to allow consumers the ability to download their app via text message. By AT&T displaying multiple options like this so prominantly on their website, it further highlights the benefits of giving consumers multiple options when they’re interested in downloading a mobile app. Want to learn how to allow consumers to download your…

  • Tatango Launches New SMS Marketing Products

    Derek Johnson
    8 May 2012 | 8:42 pm
    Since 2007, Tatango has been a one trick pony, focusing on SMS broadcasts. Not anymore though, as we’re excited to announce today that we’ve added SMS contests, SMS autoresponders and SMS polls to the products Tatango offers. This is a huge leap forward for Tatango, making the Tatango SMS software platform a one stop shop for all your SMS marketing needs. Not exactly sure the difference between all of the different products Tatango now offers? Luckily for you I had some time to jump in front of the camera and create the following video, where I’m able to give a…

  • Tatango Launches New SMS Campaign Dashboard

    Derek Johnson
    3 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    We’re excited to announce that we’re finally finished the overhaul of the SMS campaign dashboard interface at Tatango. As you can see below, this new interface allows you to view all of your SMS campaigns, including SMS broadcasts, contests, polls and autoresponder all in one place. The best part, you can sort via keyword, type of SMS campaign and the amount of subscribers with the click of your mouse. In addition to easily being able to sort your SMS campaigns within the new SMS campaign dashboard, you can also quick create a new SMS campaign with our new drop-down menu. Also, to…
 
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    ROI Marketing Insights

  • Optimizing Branded Content for Search

    Tom Meriam
    15 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    Have you ever read a blog post, caught a Twitter update or received an email promoting something that looked interesting but for whatever reason the timing wasn’t right to respond to it?  Perhaps it was a white paper, an eBook, or a webinar and you passed on downloading it because: you knew you didn’t have time to read or view it right then it pertained to a future initiative, but you had to get through the one at hand first, or you were on a mobile device and it wasn’t convenient to download at the time You aren’t the only one.  Chances are that your prospects have done the same…

  • My CEO Says I Need an Email Campaign by Friday…

    Tom Meriam
    2 May 2012 | 10:18 am
    Some time ago, I connected with a prospect via a referral.  On our first phone call, he told me that he’d been on the job for two weeks and his CEO was demanding an email go out by the coming Friday or “heads are going to roll.” He had a relatively defined target audience, but a limited idea of content.  The executive team (operations & sales) was pressuring him to deliver leads, but there was no basis for measurement and no concept of the buyer’s needs. He had to beg for budget. Sound familiar?  I hope not. This is the absolute worst scenario to be in from a…

  • 3 Steps To A B2B Social Media Marketing Strategy Your CEO Will Love

    Tom Meriam
    30 Apr 2012 | 1:02 pm
    There’s an ongoing debate about the ROI of social media marketing.  Many of the conversations center around measuring social media as a branding and awareness tool, while others concentrate on the value of thought leadership. Monitoring the metrics for thought leadership and branding are important, but many marketers make the mistake of using those metrics to support the success of their social media initiatives.  This can result in C-level executives doubting the return on their investment in social media. Simply put, your CEO is probably less interested in hearing about how many people…

  • 7 Ways Sales Intelligence Gives You Super Powers

    Tom Meriam
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:49 am
    I was recently invited to guest post for InsideView, one of my favorite sales & marketing software tools. The abridged version is below and you can read the original post here. Image courtesy of InsideView In his June 27, 2011 Harvard Business Review article, “Seven Personality Traits of Top Salespeople,” Steve W. Martin published the main key personality attributes he discovered after administering 1,000 personality tests to top business-to-business salespeople. Mr. Martin revealed that the seven most common personality traits of top performers are: Modesty Conscientiousness…

  • The 5 Key Questions To Consider For Database Segmentation Success

    walker settle
    26 Apr 2012 | 6:03 pm
    I’m very pleased to welcome Walker Settle as a contributor to ROI Marketing Insights. Be sure to follow him on his new Twitter account, @WalkerSettle. -Tom Customer segmentation implementations are often extremely time and resource intensive projects. In most cases, those that fail to meet expectations simply lack the initial planning and strategy that is the key to success. Unclear goals compel marketers to leverage their segmentation into areas where it wasn’t initially designed or intended to inform. As a result the segmentation fails to perform and companies abandon the scheme as…
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    Big Brand System

  • Is Creative Avoidance Sinking Your Business?

    Pamela Wilson
    16 May 2012 | 5:10 am
    Creative Avoidance = A Good Way to Stay Busy Getting Nothing DoneCreative avoidance happens to all of us, and if I hadn’t experienced it myself, I wouldn’t be able to write about it!It’s that limbo-land where you get stuck trying to figure out what colors or fonts to use, or what your new business name should be. It seems like important work, and it is — but if you are paralyzed by these decisions and don’t move forward, your business will suffer.What’s Really Driving Creative Avoidance?Creative avoidance is driven by fear. It’s fear of three things:Fear…

  • Are Your Brand Colors Scannable?

    Pamela Wilson
    9 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Color communicates without saying a word, and it does so in a split second. Are you sure your colors are saying what you want them to say?Making your colors scannable helps make them memorable. To do this, you’ve got to follow a few rules. I’ll outline them here, and give you lots of resources so you can explore further.Don’t worry: we’re not going to talk about analogous and complimentary, and I won’t overload you with a lot of technical terms.We’re going to talk about how to wield color to make it do what you want, so you can make your business color…

  • Sow the Seeds of Your Successful Business: Think Like a Farmer

    Pamela Wilson
    2 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    When you talk about marketing, the conversation inevitably turns to “conversion.”There’s something about that word that bugs me.When people talk about converting prospects to customers, I get the impression they think it’s like flipping a switch.You know, one minute someone knows nothing about your business and then click, suddenly they’re a customer!They make conversion sound like an instantaneous event. In reality, conversion is a lot more like farming. It’s a nurturing process that leads people from:hearing about your business to …a first transaction to …doing…

  • How to Draw Attention with Images: No Artistic Skill Required

    Pamela Wilson
    25 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am
    What if I told you that adding one simple image to your web page or printed piece could increase the time and attention people pay to your marketing?You’re already spending time writing your web pages, brochures and emails. Why spend time on images?They’re important because:Combining an attention-grabbing headline and an arresting image stops web surfers in their tracksSocial media speaks in images: between the oversized Facebook timeline cover image, to image-centric Pinterest, social media runs on images.Eye-catching images are shared more often, meaning your web page, blog post…

  • The $49,594 Small Business Branding Solution

    Pamela Wilson
    18 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am
    Step into my time machine.I’m going to turn the clock back twenty years, and give you some advice for building your very own big brand for your business. Ready?First, Let’s Create an Ad CampaignWe’ll need to create a “brand awareness” campaign for your company. We’re going to start with a perfect vehicle for advertising: your local newspaper.Here’s your budget:$4500 for the “creative,” which includes copywriting, artwork and a photo shoot (this is 1992, so prices are cheap compared to today)$7500 for the ad buy. We’ll be running a quarter page ad in your local…
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    Small Business & Video Marketing

  • EAT YOUR HEART OUT DONALD TRUMP!

    Julie Weishaar
    7 May 2012 | 12:23 am
    Guest Post by David L. Sahud (my dad) Hardly a day goes by when some neophyte doesn’t try to partake of my financial wisdom. Let’s see, there’s Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, The Donald and The David. There aren’t too many of us left. The Carnegies, Rockefellers and the Mellons have left their fortunes to unworthy off-springs, so we are carrying the torch in today’s world. Of the four, only Trump and Sahud have devoted most of our talents toward real estate. Donald and I made our entrance to the Atlantic City market at about the same time. He pushed to buy the new Hilton Hotel on…

  • Effective Email Marketing Builds Relationships

    Julie Weishaar
    2 May 2012 | 2:41 pm
    Building a Solid Relationship With Your Subscriber Building a relationship is important because it can make the difference between making a sale and losing it to your competitor. If you had a choice between making a purchase from a friend or a stranger if you needed a certain product or service, all other things (including price) being equal, who would you choose to buy from? Your friend of course. People like to do business with people they know and trust. Email Marketing Can Give You A Competitive Edge When two companies offer the same or similar product or service, building a strong…

  • How to Kill Your Online Personal Brand in Four Easy Steps

    Julie Weishaar
    1 May 2012 | 1:08 am
    Everyone Has an Online Personal Brand Your online personal brand is the same as your reputation.  Everything you do, say, don’t do, don’t say, etc. becomes part of your brand, your reputation, and how others perceive you. There are many ways you can strengthen your personal brand. However, what took so long to build can be destroyed in a matter of seconds in four easy steps! Procrastinate Don’t do today what you can do tomorrow. Your brand can create itself, right? WRONG! You already know what your niche is and you already have a plan. All you need now is to put your plan…

  • How to Become Your Industry Expert

    Julie Weishaar
    14 Apr 2012 | 5:11 pm
    It is All About the Value Your Provide! You don’t have to be the originator or all the content you provide to your target market. YES original content is important so you should definitely provide as much original content as you have. However, there are many other ways to help establish yourself as your industry expert. How? Share Other Industry Expert’s Content Does this mean take someone else’s content and put your name on it? NO! That would be stealing! It DOES mean that you could and should SHARE their content with your target market/lists/clients/potential clients. Be…

  • How to Keep Them Coming Back to Your Website

    Julie Weishaar
    7 Apr 2012 | 8:53 pm
    How to Get Repeat Traffic to Your Website Update your website pages often. One of the reasons that blogs tend to do better in search than websites is because we are constantly adding new content to our blogs. There is no reason why you can’t update/modify, and enhance your regular website too. Offer additional value on your website. The more value your website offers your potential and current clients and the more frequently you add valuable content, the more likely they will want to keep coming back to your site.  You should offer content, discounts, and special offers to visitors of…
 
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    Better at Marketing

  • 5 Ways To Make Your Blog Better Today

    Garrett Moon
    16 May 2012 | 1:37 pm
    Great blogs don’t happen overnight. There is nothing in this blog post that will make our blog one of the Top-Ten All-Time Blogs by tomorrow morning. It takes time attract readers, to find our blogging voice, and to get in the habit of creating content. Great blogs don't happen overnight. Blogging is like a pair of jeans right out of the dryer — we gotta wear them for a while first. There are, however, a few things we can do today to make our current blog a notch better. Be A Reader Readers and writers go hand in hand. Writers are readers, or their writing will suffer in…

  • Free! The Complete Guide To The Facebook Timeline For Marketing

    Julie Neidlinger
    14 May 2012 | 12:20 pm
    Facebook offers us a great tool for building a loyal customer base and positively engaging those customers. As with all great tools, however, we can use them the right way for maximum reach, or under-use them and just get by. With Facebook changing things up and introducing the Timeline for pages, many previously held Facebook techniques were made obsolete, replaced by a new robust system. We’ve already covered Facebook’s many offerings on our blog, scratching the surface of some of the amazing tools available to us. Are we ready to dig beneath that surface and build a…

  • Stake Your Claim: The Homestead Act For Small Businesses

    Julie Neidlinger
    11 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    The Homestead Act is alive and well on the Internet. Stake your claim! The land was wide, open space, and the possibilities were endless. It was almost daunting, settling and starting brand new. The Homestead Act of 1862 encouraged settlers to start a farm by freely giving them the land. The settlers could have the land provided they did three things: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. That wide, open space was theirs for the taking if they wanted to stake their claim and fence it in. The Internet is the new wide, open space, the possibilities still…

  • Get TodayCMS On Your iOS Or Android Device

    Julie Neidlinger
    9 May 2012 | 3:08 pm
    Our recently launched content management system, TodayCMS, makes it easy to update your website on the go. With a few simple steps, you can set up your iOS or Android mobile device for quick access to TodayCMS, making a website update as simple as a click away no matter where you are. Setting up an icon on your mobile device’s home screen is an easy way to make this happen. Why would you want to do this? Besides the easy quick-access from your homescreen and time saved avoiding the browser, TodayCMS will look and feel like a native app. It will load without navigation bars, giving you…

  • The Geography Of Writing: Where We Write Determines What We Write

    Julie Neidlinger
    7 May 2012 | 2:07 pm
    In 1997, author David Shenk wrote the book Data Smog: Surviving The Information Glut. He theorized that the explosive growth of information made possible by the Internet was both helping society make forward-progress while simultaneously overwhelming us, the individual. He later revisited his original ideas, and posited that some still held true. In one section of the book, Shenk noted that with the use of computers, our geography of learning has become singular. That is, we read, learn, write, communicate, buy, and sell all from the same geographic place: in front of our computer. He was…
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    The Direct Marketing Voice

  • 7 Apps for Managing and Growing Business from Your Office on Wheels

    Cynthia Fedor
    10 May 2012 | 5:03 pm
    By 2013, 34.9 percent of the global population—roughly 1.19 billion people—will conduct business while on the go, according to a Worldwide Mobile Worker Population Forecast published by the marketing intelligence firm IDC. A large segment of this group is in their vehicles daily, managing business and marketing efforts from a makeshift office on wheels. For those in the home services industry—remodelers, home cleaners, landscapers, roofers, real estate agents, etc.—this is especially true. Smart phones and access to productivity apps offer an opportunity to effectively market, manage,…

  • 6 Things to Know About Pitching Your Business, Product, or Service–Tips from an Angel Investor

    Cynthia Fedor
    3 May 2012 | 11:17 am
    During this year’s Future Insights Live conference, a few hand-selected attendees had the opportunity to pitch their mobile or web app to a panel of  judges that included, among others, Jason Calacanis, angel investor and founder of the video learning site Mahalo.com, and Jason Nazar, founder of the document resource site, DocStoc.com. After hearing the pitches, the panel asked each presenter questions in order to better understand the apps and the company’s business models. Through their questions and commentary, they provided the following tips on how to successfully pitch a…

  • Direct Mail Strategy: JCPenney’s New Postcard Campaign

    Cynthia Fedor
    17 Apr 2012 | 12:58 pm
    Last month when I read about JCPenney’s new integrated marketing strategy I was excited to see how the retailer would execute on the direct mail component of their plan. Through the approach described in the article, JCP seemed to understand the value of highly targeted and personalized direct mail as part of an integrated mix and the role it could play in getting people into physical store locations. “We’re focused on targeting our customers through an integrated marketing campaign, and direct mail is a key component to this outreach strategy,” says Kate Coultas, spokesperson for…

  • Even Small Contributions Can Make a Big Impact on Community

    Cynthia Fedor
    17 Apr 2012 | 10:49 am
    Every now and again, we have an opportunity to pause and step away from the rush of business activities to personally connect with people that make a positive impact in our communities. Last week, I was delighted to attend the Ballet Austin Guild’s Women on Their Toes luncheon and have that chance. Each year, this event takes a moment to highlight the service of individuals that selflessly volunteer their time to ensure the success of local non-profit organizations. This year’s honorees included: Jarret Crippen with the Breast Cancer Resource Centers of Texas Griffin Davis of The Trail…

  • QuantumDigital Launches QuantumCards, the First Ever Direct Mail Marketing iPhone App

    Cynthia Fedor
    11 Apr 2012 | 10:13 am
    It’s official! QuantumDigital just launched QuantumCards, the first direct mail marketing iPhone app designed to help SMBs grow local business while on the go. Through QuantumCards, users can create, print and mail vibrant, full-color postcards to market their business in local neighborhoods–right from their iPhone. What’s unique about this application is that it offers users the ability to generate neighborhood mailing lists on the fly by using their smartphone’s geo-location feature or by typing in a target location. Service-based business professionals–like…
 
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    The Blog of Matthew Loop | Chiropractic Internet Marketing

  • Is Canned Chiropractic Website Content Hurting Your SEO?

    Matthew Loop
    12 May 2012 | 6:39 pm
    With Google’s new Penguin update, it seems many chiropractors have taken a hit in their search engine rankings online. From the frequency of emails coming-in, I decided to conduct an investigation to compare chiropractic websites. I specifically wanted to see if I could find anything obvious on the sites that were slapped versus ones that were not. What I found was interesting but NOT surprising. By the way, this new Google algorithm update targeted websites that were expressing unnatural on-page and off-page SEO signals, keyword stuffing, bad quality content, lack of social signals,…

  • The Dirty Little Secret of Done-for-You Social Media Marketing

    Matthew Loop
    7 May 2012 | 3:15 pm
    With so many “done-for-you” social media marketing companies popping-up left and right for small businesses, it’s important to take a step back to think whether or not an automated service is right for you. Also, it’s critical to understand how to separate hype from realistic expectations. There’s a dirty little secret most social media marketing agencies would rather you not know, though. This is because it might jeopardize their bottom line. Here it is. ALL entrepreneurs, small business owners, and professionals that have gained real fame (and become industry…

  • Puppy Treat NOW AVAILABLE on iTunes!!

    Matthew Loop
    2 May 2012 | 10:57 am
    Well, the day has finally arrived and I cannot even begin to describe how THRILLED I am right now. Puppy Treat, my first iPhone gaming app, is already creating smiles and melting hearts around the world. It’s highly addictive and fun for all ages. You can preview the game on iTunes at the link below: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/puppy-treat/id508374043?ls=1&mt=8 This is a family friendly application that takes you through exciting obstacle courses and hurdle jumps. The objective is for the puppy to score the most points by collecting turkey legs, hot dogs, and bones. This enables…

  • [REPLAY] The 30 Day New Patient AVALANCHE!!

    Matthew Loop
    1 May 2012 | 9:57 pm
    WOW!! Tonight’s practice-building call with our friend and colleague, Dr. Mike Reid, was a slam dunk! All 197 lines were packed. The doctors on the call got an INCREDIBLE hook-up, too. Not only did chiropractors learn REAL million-dollar practice marketing strategies (from someone who walks the talk) without having to paying a single dime, but they also got access to one of the top performing direct response ads in all of chiropractic! I pulled some strings and got Dr. Mike to hand-over some of his BEST patient attraction methods from his wildly successful practice. Did you miss the…

  • Fact or Fiction: Chiropractic Saves Lives?

    Matthew Loop
    29 Apr 2012 | 5:29 pm
    This post may be a little controversial for some, but it needs to be brought into open discussion. There are some out there they say chiropractic care is dangerous and others that say chiropractors actually save lives. So, what’s the real answer? Let’s start with a not-so-obvious, indisputable fact. Chiropractors pay roughly $2,000 / year in medical malpractice insurance (give or take a few hundred). The average medical doctor pays around $10,000 per year. A surgeon can easily pay 6-10 times more than that. According to the insurance companies, chiropractic treatment is on average…
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    DaveChaffey.com

  • Mobile marketing - This is an extreme way to communicate your...

    11 May 2012 | 8:38 am
    Mobile marketing - This is an extreme way to communicate your “mobile value proposition”. Try that on a desktop while freefalling! This claymation TV ad version from the the Netherlands maybe works better: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRrDDMXhIT8&feature=relmfu I’m listening to Google reviewing mobile trends at IdejaX conference in Croatia.

  • How Twitter lights up the world. This map isn’t a picture...

    4 May 2012 | 7:53 am
    How Twitter lights up the world. This map isn’t a picture of the earth seen from space. Instead, it’s a map of the locations attached to every tweet and Flickr photo. The original Fastcompany post also shows the US

  • The best definition of #UX I’ve ever seen! Source: Hard...

    23 Apr 2012 | 3:59 am
    The best definition of #UX I’ve ever seen! Source: Hard to Tell

  • "The way Mail Online runs its SEO is that it has a team of about four junior people who get sent..."

    22 Mar 2012 | 8:24 am
    “The way Mail Online runs its SEO is that it has a team of about four junior people who get sent through all of the content from the journalists. So the journalists and the editorial staff don’t really have anything to do with the SEO side of things. The SEO team receive stories from journalists and then change the headlines and add some key words before launching them on the site. It’s like a sub-editing job using SEO, a machine churning through the content. The journalists and sub-editors continue to do the job they would be doing while the SEO team’s brief is to drive traffic.” -…

  • An interesting angle on tech investment from GigaOm which says...

    19 Mar 2012 | 3:49 am
    An interesting angle on tech investment from GigaOm which says that marketing automation is set to be a growth area. According to the post By 2017, a CMO will spend more on IT than the CIO.” —Gartner Group I’d have to say that a fair component of Salesforce and Siebel/Oracle ARE marketing applications - not just sales. It’s interesting the strategy that Adobe/Omniture are making - their future roadmap is a lot broader than analytics - full campaign support based on previews I saw last year. via @Jangles
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    Touch Point City

  • Should the CEO be Contributing More to Your Content?

    Vince Giorgi
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    What role should your organization’s CEO play in your content marketing? No, that’s not a typo. I don’t mean the chief marketing officer (CMO) or chief content officer (CCO). I mean your CEO. The big guy or gal. We talk a lot in content marketing circles about the importance of humanizing our organizations. Putting a face(s) and [...]

  • Putting Your Content to the Vision Test

    Vince Giorgi
    12 May 2012 | 9:47 pm
    In the steady flow of posts, alerts and e-newsletters that hit my inbox each day, this bit of news caused me to pause mid-mouse over: In its The State of Content Marketing, 2012 study, Outbrain found that 100 percent of brand marketers and agencies surveyed said they are doing content marketing. 100 percent. If you’re [...]

  • Mind the Gap: 6 Ways to Fill an Audience’s Content Needs

    Vince Giorgi
    27 Apr 2012 | 9:18 pm
    The question came recently from Wayne Tay, a Content Strategy group member on LinkedIn. But it’s a question which could be on the minds of other marketers. Here’s how Wayne put it: Hi friends, I am wondering what is the process of identifying content gaps for your target audience? Any kind souls to enlighten me? I don’t [...]

  • Yes, Virginia, there is a “New Normal”

    Vince Giorgi
    26 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pm
    We’re starting to see signs of growing confidence in the U.S. economy, following the biggest economic swan dive since the Great Depression. The question is: Will consumer and small business owner attitudes toward spending begin to shift as a result? Last month I heard Dennis Jacobe, Ph.D. and chief economist for Gallup, speak at the [...]

  • 14 Reasons Pinterest Might NOT Be In Your Best Interest

    Vince Giorgi
    22 Feb 2012 | 10:42 pm
    If you’re a B-to-B corporate marketer, should you extend your marketing program to Pinterest? Dumb question, right? After all, Pinterest is the latest hot social sharing network. And we’re talking hotter than hot.  I recently saw Pinterest described as the fastest growing social networking site ever (Facebook included).  A HubSpot e-book, How to Use Pinterest for [...]
 
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    Make Money Online With The Kidblogger

  • The Laptop Millionaire Review: How Anyone Can Escape The 9 To 5 And Make Money Online

    valerie
    9 May 2012 | 9:31 pm
    This article is posted by Valerie and sponsored by The Laptop Millionaire. “This weekend I read Mark Anastasi’s new book, ‘The Laptop Millionaire’. It’s the story of how the author lost his job, and became homeless by the age of 23. One day he meets this guy – the eponymous ‘Laptop Millionaire’, a 40-year old entrepreneur from Yorkshire in England – who after a lot of pleading and prodding finally accepts to show him how he makes money thanks to the Internet. Within a month Mark is making $300 a day on the Internet, and returns to his mentor for more advice. In the book, the…

  • Make Money Online Taking Paid Surveys

    Andre Conferido
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:39 pm
    Taking paid surveys is one of the simplest ways to make money online. If you are interested on this income-generating method, all you need to do first is signup on online survey sites. Joining these survey panels is not at all difficult. Most good online survey sites are paid, but there are still some that are free. Now, if, for instance, a certain panel requires you to pay cash before signing up, there are things that you can do to test the legitimacy of the site. You can either read reviews or check out forums about this particular site. The idea of making money online taking paid surveys…

  • Download This Free Keyword That Will Help You Make Money Online

    Carl
    2 Jan 2012 | 8:56 pm
    This post is brought to you by eformulaprofits.com and gives you insight on eFormula and Keyword Blaze. It seems like there are dozens if not 100′s of keyword tools available nowadays. Remember the days when all that you had was overture’s keyword tool? Man those were the good old days. You could literally do some really quick keyword research put up a site and basically start making money. Well unfortunately those days are far and gone. Nowadays keyword research is even more important because competition is stiff and if you target the wrong keywords you can end up wasting a lot…

  • Can You Make Money On YouTube?

    Andre Conferido
    4 Dec 2011 | 11:19 pm
    YouTube is more than just an avenue you can use to post amusing or educational videos and share it to other people from different parts of the globe. It is one of the most popular websites today, attracting millions of viewers on a daily basis. The popularity of the website has made it a good ground for people to earn money. Now we will take a look at the different ways that you can use in order to make money on YouTube. Top 5 Ways To Make Money On YouTube There are several ways that you can use in order to earn money from YouTube. Here are the top 5: 1. Youtube Partner Program The most…

  • How To Get 10,000+ Likes On Your Business’ Facebook Fan Page

    robertc
    1 Dec 2011 | 10:08 am
    This article is guest posted by Robert Cipriano. Have you ever wondered why most businesses have their own Facebook fan page? Why they’re trying to get more likes as many as they could? It’s easy as 1-2-3. Facebook has been the largest network of people today. Almost everyone has his or her own Facebook account regardless of age. This only means that their customers are most probably on the said Social Networking Site. That’s enough reason for them to desire the most likes on their fan page. But the question is how can it happen? In this article, we will discuss strategies by which you…
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    Blog

  • Telemarketing Campaigns - Combined Results & Performance Metrics To Date For All Outbound Telephone Sales Efforts

    4 May 2012 | 6:36 am
    Telemarketing Campaigns - Combined Results & Performance Metrics To Date For All Outbound Telephone Sales Efforts In in this article I review the results of the telemarketing campaigns that I and the contractors that work for me have been working on for my clients. After almost two years of data there is some very interesting information. In this article I also share some of the things I have learned from doing the calling as well as things I have learned from going through the process of compiling and reviewing this information.

  • Small Business Owner Tips - Should You Be On Social Media?

    14 Apr 2012 | 6:30 am
    Small Business Owner Tips - Should You Be On Social Media? This article from Imogen Reed, writing on behalf of money.co.uk, which is a site that compares household expense items like insurance, utilities etc, list consumers deals and provide personal finance tips and advice. I was initially not going to let Imogen post an article on my blog but once I saw the website he was writing for I changed my mind as it is website that is very helpful and similar to a business idea I had prior to starting Profitworks. The website is very well designed and is very easy to use. I am actually a little…

  • How To Get To The Purchase Decision Maker When Making A Sale

    23 Mar 2012 | 11:03 pm
    How To Get To The Purchase Decision Maker When Making A Sale Recently it has occurred to me that the fact that I am not always getting to the purchase decision maker is having a negative impact on my closing rate when trying to make sales for my clients. I am thinking in particular of my client Kingston Data and Credit. Just the other day I was phoning law offices on their behalf and I talked to probably about 5 receptionists that told me they were not interested or had no use for Kingston Data and Credit's services. Kingston Data and Credit provides 3rd party collection services. Now I…

  • Dale Carnegie Principles - Principle #11

    10 Mar 2012 | 5:01 pm
    Dale Carnegie Principles - Principle #11 The Dale Carnegie principles are great principles. In my project of practicing these 30 principles one at a time I continue to see how powerful they are. In the review of this principle I reflect on a time when I did not the opposite of the principle number 11....it was not a pretty result. Watch the video below to learn more.

  • How To Increase Your Sales Closing Rate - A Look At Why People Don't Buy And What You Can Do About It

    3 Mar 2012 | 3:03 pm
    How To Increase Your Sales Closing Rate - A Look At Why People Don't Buy And What You Can Do About It After reviewing for the work I am doing for one of my clients, The Defacto Group, I realized I probably have a great opportunity to increase my closing rate and that of my clients. For that particular client I have had a very poor closing rate for that last 7 months of only 9%, which is the worst of all my clients. I think I should be at a minimum at the industry benchmark of 40% if not higher. So I determined I was going to do some further research on how to increase sales closing rates. I…
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    Business 2 Community

  • Know It All

    Digital Utility TEAM
    16 May 2012 | 1:45 pm
    A typical Google search can easily yield a few hundred million search results. Unfortunately, quantity doesn’t necessarily imply quality, so there’s no guarantee that the ‘good’ stuff will be on the first, second or even the ninth page of results. With the help of a web tool or two, however, it is possible to uncover those golden nuggets of useful information amidst all the noise. One of our current favourites is MentorMob, which allows users to create playlists on a certain topic. The site functions on a simple premise – everyone has his or her own skills and interests, so why not…

  • The Employee’s Guide to Social Media Crisis Management

    Melissa Agnes
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    What happens if the company or organization you work for finds itself in a social media crisis, but hasn’t invested in a social media crisis plan? What do you do when the stress of the situation starts to escalate and you’re still left unclear of your role within the crisis? When you feel unhelpful, confused and frustrated? When you haven’t been trained in the proper ways to respond to such a situation or are even clear in what your team expects of you? If you’re an employee of a company and happen to find yourself in a similar situation, here are some starting points of what you can…

  • 5 Content Marketing Lessons from Gene Simmons of KISS

    Jason Miller
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    With over 100 million albums sold worldwide, KISS is arguably one of the biggest and most successful bands on the planet. Led by the marketing genius that is Gene Simmons, they continue to reach new audiences while engaging lifelong fans. Gene Simmons may be best known as the fire-breathing, bass playing demon in one of the most influential rock bands in history, but he can also teach us a thing or two about content marketing. KISS is a rock n’ roll band, but it is also a business and Gene Simmons is the CEO. Gene has showcased his entrepreneurial expertise through interviews with such…

  • The Two-Horse Race Most Startups Don’t Even Realise They’re Running

    Francis Moran
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    It is an article of faith that startups need funding. For most, that means chasing external investors, whether they be friends and fools, angels or venture capitalists. Any CEO who has gone this route knows it can be an almost all-consuming task that gobbles up an inordinate share of that most restricted of resources, time. The biggest risk, besides failing to secure the necessary dollars, is that focus on the most critical objective of a new startup, developing and bringing to market an actual product, can take a back seat whilst the funding search is so fully engaged. Too many startups fail…

  • To Abandon Facebook Advertising or Not, That is the Question

    Zach Bonnan
    16 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    When General Motors Co. announced on Tuesday (5/15) that it will stop advertising on Facebook, many marketers were shocked, to say the least. Abandoning Facebook just days before the social networking giant is due to go public is a surprising move by the nation’s third largest advertiser (behind Procter & Gamble and AT&T Inc.). GM’s marketing executives have seemingly decided that Facebook’s ads had little effect on consumers. GM said it will still have Facebook pages marketing its vehicles, but it will drop use of paid ads. Is this a smart move? Some apparently think…
 
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    Spirocks.com

  • A Happy Mother’s Day Note

    Spirocks
    13 May 2012 | 11:18 am
    My Mother’s day note to my Mom, a woman who has done everything she could since the day I was born to make my life better. Mom, Thirty Seven Years and a few months ago, when I became me, I was given a gift that each and everyday is the most valuable one I have. [...]

  • Local Business Marketing Plan

    Spirocks
    12 May 2012 | 10:35 am
    When you are marketing a local business online, you may feel like you are a tiny company fighting huge rivals at a disadvantage. It is true, you can not compete with a national company’s budget and resources… so what you need is an online marketing plan that leverages your advantages to put you on top. [...]

  • Digital Marketing Assistant and/or Intern Needed

    Spirocks
    9 May 2012 | 1:38 pm
    What We Are: We are a Digital Marketing Agency focused on local/regional clients from Chicago to the East Coast. We specialize in helping them reach their customers and gain market share using online marketing techniques including content marketing, SEO architecture design and implementation, social media, list building, and hybrid on/offline campaigns. Our rhetorical foundations are [...]

  • Realtor Marketing Strategy

    Spirocks
    1 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Realtor Marketing is stuck in the 1990′s and if you are in the industry it is your job to break away from the pack. Stop with your non-targeted bulk mail program, stop with your generic websites, and understand that customers want to find a local expert to sell their home. How do you demonstrate that [...]

  • Say Thank You

    Spirocks
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:32 am
    One of the most powerful things you can do is to say thank you when it is appropriate. It is a tenet of the human connection to show appreciation, and receive thanks when appreciated. The most successful people I know are the most thankful, with their customers, with their employees, with their good fortune. Say [...]
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    The Point

  • New Report Confirms Immaturity of Most Marketing Automation Deployments

    Howard Sewell
    14 May 2012 | 2:35 pm
    A new report from Forrester Consulting, commissioned by marketing automation provider Silverpop, offers little in the way of groundbreaking insights, but does provide plenty of data confirming what most already know: that many companies are failing to realize the true potential from their investments in marketing automation. In the report, “Automation: Redefining Marketing’s Game Plan,” Forrester details the results of a survey of 155 US-based senior marketing professionals on their use of, results from, and attitudes towards marketing automation. To those of us who work in and around…

  • How Much Copy Do I Need On My Landing Page?

    Howard Sewell
    8 May 2012 | 1:27 pm
    An effective landing page does two things, I would argue: 1) it validates the viewer’s decision to click on whatever ad it was that led him or her to the page in the first place, and 2) it closes the deal. The amount of copy that it takes to accomplish these tasks: make the reader feel good about the decision to respond, and drive him or her to complete the required form, varies widely. However, as a rule, copy length depends primarily on two factors: the type of campaign, and the type of offer. The degree to which you still need to “sell” the offer at hand once your reader is at the…

  • How to Reduce Unsubscribes Using Subscription Management

    Howard Sewell
    30 Apr 2012 | 6:00 pm
    I’ve written previously in this space about how to reduce unsubscribes by giving prospects and customers the option to update their contact information rather than forcing them to opt out of email entirely. A further strategy for minimizing unsubscribes is to employ subscription management, a technique in which you, as the publisher, give the wannabe unsubscriber the option to choose which types of messages he/she wants to receive (or not receive, as the case may be.) This can be a useful option if some individuals want to continue to receive your newsletter, for example, but not Webinar…

  • How Big is Too Big? One Email Offer That’s Tough to Ignore.

    Howard Sewell
    19 Apr 2012 | 3:09 pm
    As any regular reader of this space will know, I am a fierce evangelist for the “sell the offer, not the product” approach to B2B email creative. That approach rests on the assumption that by selling the value of whatever it is you’re offering the reader (a white paper, a Webinar, an ebook), and not your product or service, you’re more likely to generate response from interested prospects. On that score, there’s a lot to like about the email campaign below from CallidusCloud, a leading provider of cloud-based business software solutions. Most notably, it’s to the writer’s credit…

  • “Fortune 500 CIO” is Not a Target Market – A Conversation with Bob Wright

    Howard Sewell
    13 Apr 2012 | 9:35 am
    I’ve had the pleasure of watching Bob Wright conduct messaging workshops with clients, and there is no-one better in my view at helping companies hone their message and strategy. Bob has worked with more than 100 technology companies during his career, and is currently Managing Director at Firebrick Consulting, a firm devoted to helping technology companies drive revenue growth. Recently Firebrick released a white paper: “”Fortune 500 CIO” is Not a Target Market” that offers a unique perspective and insight on what Bob and his team perceive to be a common mistake made by technology…
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    Passive Income With Affiliate Marketing

  • Make Money With Amazon Kindle Book Plus Unheard Traffic Bonus

    Ming Jong
    15 May 2012 | 11:48 pm
    Article Marketing Robot | Aweber | LinkvanaIt has been almost 2 weeks since I last updated my blog. I have been working hard on my long overdue project – my first Amazon kindle book! Thankfully the kindle book - How To Create A Website With WordPress And Start A Profitable Online Business was successfully published on Amazon a few days ago.  Finally, [...]Affiliate Marketing | Hostgator review | ArticleRanks

  • Google Penguin Update – What’s Next For SEO?

    Ming Jong
    2 May 2012 | 11:06 pm
    Article Marketing Robot | Aweber | LinkvanaAbout a week ago (24 April 2012), Google announced another update referred as Penguin Update, which is another step to reward high quality sites, according to Official Google Webmaster Central. This is a major update, which significantly impact on a lot of websites since the Google Panda update, despite the claim of affecting around 3% [...]Affiliate Marketing | Hostgator review | ArticleRanks

  • Adsense Account Banned! What To Do?

    Ming Jong
    25 Apr 2012 | 12:49 am
    Article Marketing Robot | Aweber | LinkvanaIf your Adsense account is banned, what would you do? It is not uncommon for Google to ban user’s accounts such as Adwords, YouTube, Adsense, etc… when your accounts are “deemed to violate their terms and conditions”. You are free to submit a reconsideration, but usually you will hear nothing from them. If you asked [...]Affiliate Marketing | Hostgator review | ArticleRanks

  • Duplicate Content vs Content Syndication

    Ming Jong
    20 Apr 2012 | 4:09 am
    Article Marketing Robot | Aweber | LinkvanaJust a few days ago, I receive an email from a reader about the concern of duplicate content issue when using press release after he read my one of my post about getting traffic from press release. I think this is one of the myth in SEO or in general marketing context. What Is Duplicate [...]Affiliate Marketing | Hostgator review | ArticleRanks

  • Get Tons of Traffic From Press Release

    Ming Jong
    12 Apr 2012 | 5:33 am
    Article Marketing Robot | Aweber | LinkvanaPress release is considered to be one of my favorite traffic sources for two reasons, direct traffic to your site and SEO effect. However, you will need to think about which aspect you would like to focus because these are slightly different. If you would like to get direct traffic to your site, you should [...]Affiliate Marketing | Hostgator review | ArticleRanks
 
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    Fresh Sprouts

  • A Stunningly Simple Secret to Improve Sales Success

    Joellyn Sargent
    13 May 2012 | 7:33 pm
    If you could invest just a few hours to dramatically improve the results of your sales efforts, would you? “Of course!” you’re probably thinking. “What’s the catch?” There isn’t one. All it takes is a little focus and discipline. So what’s the secret? Understanding Your Ideal Customer Profile I’m not talking about your target markets or who the typical buyers are, but the person who is your ideal customer. The one who is most likely to buy when you get in front of them because your message resonates so well. This is the person who’s…

  • Which Social Media Metrics Really Matter?

    Joellyn Sargent
    27 Apr 2012 | 8:15 am
    One of the great frustrations of CMO’s and executives express about social media is the ability to track its impact on the bottom line. Sure, you can easily measure your Facebook “Likes,” Twitter “follows” and LinkedIn connections. You can monitor your Google + Circles and even Pinterest activity. But what does all that matter if it’s not moving the needle on your business growth? Many companies set random measurements, such as growth in Likes, Follows, and Connections to see how they are doing. Unfortunately, arbitrary metrics like a “25%…

  • Your Customers Don’t Know What They Want

    Joellyn Sargent
    22 Apr 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Customers don’t have all the answers, especially when it comes to product innovation. Surprised? It’s true. Customers can do a great job of helping you iterate products. They know that “This button would work better over here,” or “That knob always gets in the way.” Customers are happy to share new feature requests, like “We’d love it if you could add custom reports to your software,” but their insights usually stop right about there. Customers know how to improve your products because they use your products. They understand what works,…

  • Is it Time to Fire that Customer?

    Joellyn Sargent
    12 Apr 2012 | 9:15 am
    When was the last time you let a customer go? It sounds counterintuitive, but sometimes, saying goodbye is the right thing to do. There was recently an interesting case study in the Harvard Business Review about a company that had started using activity based costing to assess customer profitability.  The case raised the intriguing dilemma of whether the company in question should fire one of it oldest and “best” customers because they had become a loser in the past few quarters. While we would all hope that every customer yields positive returns (unless you’re running…

  • Who’s Got the Entrepreneurial Spirit? You Might be Surprised

    Joellyn Sargent
    25 Mar 2012 | 3:29 pm
    I was browsing my weekly issue of the Atlanta Business Chronicle the other day and came across an article that fascinated me. The article discussed a recent decline in startup activity, but that’s not what surprised me. I was intrigued by the data quoted regarding just who’s starting those startups, based on a study by the Kauffman Foundation. While the stereotypical entrepreneur is a twenty-something college kid (think Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook), the reality is that less than a third of startups – in fact, only 29%  - were headed by someone under the age of 35.
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    The Brolik Blog | Industry Blog | News, Ideas and Advice | Brolik

  • Responsive Web Design or a Separate Mobile Website

    Andrew Thomas
    11 May 2012 | 8:55 am
    The once popular argument about Mobile Apps vs. Mobile Web has given way to new arguments around Responsive vs. Separate and Mobile-Specific. I noticed a nice little thread of blog entries, starting with Jacob Nielson’s Mobile vs. Full Sites and carrying through Jeff Eaton’s Analogies are Like Dinners…, and on to a few others. I like the topic of building a single responsive website or a mobile-specific, separate version of your desktop site. It’s an important decision. It seems, though, that we’re all starting to blur the lines between the coding techniques and the content…

  • What is Good Customer Service: Understanding Your Clients’ Emotions to Design a Better Customer Experience

    Jason Monte
    30 Apr 2012 | 1:04 pm
    Brolik went to SXSW this year, specifically to attend the interactive conference. Colin Shaw, CEO of Beyond Philosophy gave a great lecture on differentiating your company by focusing on the emotion associated with your brand. A particular statistic stood out to me – 85% of senior leaders say that differentiation alone is no longer sustainable for long-term growth. This got me looking at our process and thinking about how to design a better customer experience. Let’s face it, as much as we would like to think people are rational, analytical thinkers, most of the time folks run off of…

  • Responsive Design in the Real World (Part 1)

    Andrew Thomas
    26 Apr 2012 | 1:05 pm
    This is part 1 of a 2-part series, and it addresses clients who hire firms for responsive design. Part 2 will address designers and coders who are building responsive websites for clients. You’ve heard about responsive design, right? It appears, though, that even with its growing popularity, responsive design is notably absent from almost any corporate website (with at least one exception). Like a lot of design trends, responsive design is extremely popular in design portfolio websites and web/techy blogs. The benefits of this technique (one build, all platforms) could seriously help…

  • Mobile App vs. Mobile Web Part II: Building For The Future of Devices

    Jason Brewer
    21 Mar 2012 | 9:59 am
    Jacob Nielsen recently wrote about mobile sites vs. mobile apps and what the future holds for both. It brought me back to my post from March 2011, Mobile Site vs. Mobile App: What You Need To Know About Going Mobile, except Jacob wasn’t outlining when and why to choose one over the other. Instead, he leaves the reader with a simple but thought-provoking message: In the next five years or so, broadband and mobile technology will become dramatically faster, more powerful and more accessible, which will make the mobile web and responsive design much more attractive than native apps and…

  • Gamification: Turning Boring Tasks Into Adventures

    Jason Brewer
    1 Dec 2011 | 9:58 am
    We’ve all heard “gamification” or “game mechanics” thrown around in business settings lately, usually sprung by marketers, techies or entrepreneurs in an effort to show knowledge or to support the validity of a concept or application.As soon as “gamification” is introduced, the room lights up and an idea that had little promise suddenly holds some excitement and purpose. Maybe it’s not always that extreme, but what is gamification really about? Is gamification bullshit, or can understanding it be useful to your life or brand? Let’s think outside of digital parameters to…
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    The Pittsburgh Marketing Blog

  • The Pittsburgh Tote Bag Project

    ter
    4 May 2012 | 1:24 am
    Dear Pittsburgh, Sue has asked that I share some information with you and I’m all the more glad to do it. This is kind of my do good things for good people blog week, so with that being said, please … More Pittsburgh Marketing . . . »

  • Pittsburgh Dining Cards – CitySynergy

    ter
    2 May 2012 | 1:06 am
    For every deck purchased Pittsburgh Dining Cards donates $1 to Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. More Pittsburgh Marketing . . . »

  • The Pittsburg Marketing Blog Embraces the 7 Persent

    ter
    29 Apr 2012 | 11:59 pm
    So what can you do? Well, next time you're out with some geeky friends, tell them about how seven percent of searches are based on misspelled words. You'll be everyone's favorite for sure! More Pittsburgh Marketing . . . »

  • In-app / In-game Purchases for Mobile Apps

    ter
    26 Apr 2012 | 11:42 pm
    Our advice? Just never make things too impossible that a dedicated player won't come back for more due to unexpected in-app costs. You'll keep customers for life, which is much more valuable than the $1.85 you'll get for the game upgrade. Let's face it, mobile is only a newborn. It's going to get bigger and better. More Pittsburgh Marketing . . . »

  • Sherpa Software

    ter
    26 Apr 2012 | 3:45 am
    Sherpa Software is proud of the company and solutions we have been providing the email management and eDiscovery market for more than ten years. A house full of passionate and intelligent people working towards a common goal of high quality products at reasonable prices has culminated in a solid technology foundation supported by superior customer service. More Pittsburgh Marketing . . . »
 
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    Marketing Footnotes

  • Blogging Tips For Newbies

    ipadedwin
    18 Apr 2012 | 5:15 pm
    As a newbie I’m sure you’re excited about blogging. You may have heard about all the money you could make. Before you go and sell the farm, follow these blogging tips that I have compiled. Whether you’re looking to become a guru in a targeted niche or just looking to make some extra money with affiliate marketing. You have to follow some basic guidelines to be successful. These are a few blogging tips I have learned through trial and error over the years. 1. Talk about what you know. The biggest mistake newbie’s make is choosing the wrong market to target. Choosing the wrong market…

  • To Succeed Online You Need Targeted Traffic

    ipadedwin
    18 Feb 2012 | 3:18 am
    Internet marketing is not for the faint of heart. You could have the best product known to man. However without targeted traffic you will not make a dime. You can even build the best website money can buy and it still won’t matter. If you don’t know how to send targeted traffic to that site you will not last long in internet marketing. The first question you might have is what is targeted traffic? Well there are two types of traffic. There is the “tire kicker,” and next there is the “buyer.” The tire kicker is just someone looking for something for free. They need more…

  • Getting Rid Of Writers Block

    ipadedwin
    20 Dec 2011 | 5:13 am
    - Do just like Nike says: “Just Do It”. The longer you spend thinking about it the harder it will be. The hardest paragraph to write is the first one. - Write anytime, anywhere. If you have a smartphone, have a note taking app. If you’re old fashioned, put a notepad next to your bed. You never know when you’re going to get a great idea. - When you’re blogging for profit, a bad idea for a new blog post is better than no idea at all. Even if you make a rambling post that doesn’t make too much sense, Google might send you traffic from some “long tail…

  • 5 Tips To Create Creative Blog Post Titles

    ipadedwin
    14 Nov 2011 | 8:57 pm
    Utilize lists in your blog posts such as “Top 5 ways to…” or “12 ways you can…” Use keywords in your blog title that attract attention like “Shocking thing I learned today..” or “Amazing things about..” Use superlatives in your blog title such as “The best..” or “The greatest..” or “The most..” Be ambiguous in your blog title. Don’t give away what the blog post is all about. Examples include “What you didn’t know about traffic” or “You’ll never believe what…

  • Your Money Site Is Hungry, Feed It

    ipadedwin
    15 Oct 2011 | 4:21 am
    Lets say you have a sales page or a whole site selling your product. This is your money page. It wants more traffic. Instead of spending all your time trying to get people to visit that one site, how about creating a while bunch of feeder sites promoting your main site? - Micro niche your product. If you sell digital cameras as an affiliate you can create all sorts of micro sites around this niche. Some off the top of my head are a photograph tutorial site, review site or a desktop wallpaper site. - Build in bulk. It’s easy to create a whole bunch of free hosted blogs at blogspot.
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    Making Every Word Count

  • What is the Right Length for a Business Plan?

    Gordon Benzie
    30 Apr 2012 | 12:32 pm
    Anyone who has contemplated writing a business plan must decide upon an appropriate length. If you are a frequent reader of business plans, then you probably complain that they are too long. Alternatively, if you are passionate about your new innovation, technology or process, then you might feel that more detail is needed, to help explain why the investment opportunity is so special. This divergence of opinion often results in ambiguity when determining what the right length should be. Before I proceed to articulate my opinion on this topic, let’s first consider the following: Most…

  • Creativity is Critical to a Marketing and Business Strategy

    Gordon Benzie
    14 Mar 2012 | 11:27 am
    I am sure each of you has had at least one conversation about what led to a successful business … or why a particular business failed. What makes some startups work and others fail? Obviously, the answer is multi-faceted, with no single reason. I would propose that of all the contributing factors as to why a business survives, there is no more important skill that the management team’s creativity in defining and modifying their business plan, and how they use creativity to execute upon it. A sound business plan strategy is to choose to excel at either being the low cost, high service or…

  • The Importance of Visual Communications

    Gordon Benzie
    23 Feb 2012 | 3:33 pm
    I recently met with a group of marketers and public relations specialists from Europe last week. Our meeting was an excellent opportunity to look “outside in” at how I operate as a marketer. One of the lessons learned was the importance of including pictures with my marketing communications. Now, don’t get me wrong … pictures have been a part of my communications for some time now, especially in blog posts such as this one. You can definitely increase your readership by including an image with your blog post – this has been proven by those who do research for our industry. My…

  • Why Write a Business Plan?

    Gordon Benzie
    2 Feb 2012 | 2:22 pm
    This is a topic that inevitably comes up once an entrepreneur comes up with a new idea and already has a clear vision of what a company might look like to address this market need. The question is whether it makes sense to actually write a business plan if you already have a good understanding of what to do. If you have a strong understanding of the industry and a great idea for a new business, one might argue there is little benefit to write down what you already know in your head. And, if you plan on being self-funded, there is no investor audience you need to speak to … maybe your time…

  • 5 Ways to Improve Website Usability on a Mobile Device

    Gordon Benzie
    14 Nov 2011 | 11:55 am
    As a seasoned marketer that has written many pages of copy for websites, it is refreshing to now see a new trend now underway. There was a time not too long ago when a website’s content layout could simply be maximized for viewing by ensuring it worked on Internet Explorer, or “IE”. The early days of Firefox were sometimes challenging when image displays or text wrapping would not work quite right … but, it didn’t really matter too much if only 2-3 percent of your audience were using that browser. Today’s web browsing market is highly fragmented, a condition further exasperated…
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    McLoughlin | Promotional Marketing Done Right.

  • 16% of Canadians Scanned QR Codes in December 2011

    David McLoughlin
    2 May 2012 | 10:18 am
    Recent reports from comScore such as the Mobile Future in Focus Report suggest that 16% of Canadians scanned a QR Code in December of 2011. The QR Code, despite so many people saying the trend was going to die out continues to accelerate at an unprecedented level. Here at McLoughlin we have been following since late 2010 when it first emerged as the first extremely popular open-source offline-online technology and are proud to say that at that point it was searched around 100,000 times worldwide on a monthly basis according to Google Keyword Tool. Today, that number is 2.24 million worldwide…

  • Mobile Marketing

    David McLoughlin
    2 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    Clarks Shoes needed a way to determine if their million plus print flyers were driving consumer action. See how McLoughlin helped them find the answers. Read Case Study here

  • How do Promotional Products Compare To Other Marketing Mediums?

    David McLoughlin
    20 Mar 2012 | 12:40 pm
    Reach and Recall- How Promotional Products Compare to Other Mediums!

  • 50% of Consumers Will Allow You to Track Them Online if you Give Something in Return

    David McLoughlin
    10 Jan 2012 | 6:02 am
    Originally posted on Techvibes by Dan Verhaeghe. KPMG released their Consumer and Convergence Report of 2011 recently on “The Converged Lifestyle” representing the Canadian telecommunications, media and technology sectors across a range of sectors including advertising, retailers, content providers, mobile operators and banks. This post will underline all of the latter sectors. Advertising and Data Privacy While Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said that businesses must stipulate how they track personal data at the Marketing and the Law conference in…

  • Understanding the “Mobility Shift” from IBM Canada

    David McLoughlin
    12 Dec 2011 | 12:33 am
    As orignally posted on Techvibes Canada by Dan Verhaeghe IBM likes to call our current era in technology “the mobility shift”, a transformative trend from both a business and consumer point of view. Consider that on a global scale, we’ve reached the inflection point where smartphones and tablets outnumber desktops and laptops/notebooks. According to an October 18th graph from Silicon Valley Insider, iPad sales have outpaced iPhone sales for six consecutive quarters. I had an opportunity to sit down with Alon Kronenberg, a Mobile Lead at IBM Canada, so hit the jump if you want to learn…
 
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    Mary & Dean Unleashed

  • MLM Sponsoring Secrets Exposed Weekly Webinar 5-10-12

    Dean R Black
    11 May 2012 | 6:53 am
    WELCOME TO MARY AND DEAN UNLEASHED’S WEEKLY TRAINING Join us each week as we do LIVE training teaching network marketers how to grow their businesses. This week on Thursday at 8:00pm Eastern Time we talked about: MLM Sponsoring Secrets Exposed The cornerstone of any successful network marketing business is sponsoring. Getting people to join your primary business must always be at the center of your efforts. Here I’ll share with you 3 simple but effective MLM sponsoring secrets that if  you adopt as your approach to recruiting will absolutely revolutionize the way you do…

  • Does Your MLM Sponsor Have a Proven Plan for Your Success?

    Dean R Black
    10 May 2012 | 5:43 am
    Having an MLM sponsor who has a proven plan for your success is absolutely critical if you want to make money in this industry. The statistics say there’s a 97% failure rate for new network marketers. What this statistic doesn’t tell you is why most of these aspiring entrepreneurs will give up and quite within their first 90 days: they don’t get the support and training they need from their upline sponsor. Reasons Your MLM Sponsor May Not Be Helping You There are a lot of reasons your sponsor might give for not helping you. For the most part, they go something like this:…

  • How to Choose Between Different New MLM Companies

    Dean R Black
    9 May 2012 | 6:17 am
    If you’re new to the MLM industry or even if you’ve been around for a while but are thinking about making a change, it can be very challenging to make a choice between all the new MLM companies that are available to you. So how do you pick the one that’s right for you? There are some things you can do, some questions you can ask yourself to help you make a better decision. Here, I’m going to share some really quick and easy ones with you, plus I’ll add some of my own suggestions for getting the most out of your research. New MLM Companies are Popping Up…

  • Should You Join a New MLM Company?

    Dean R Black
    8 May 2012 | 6:18 am
    Are you trying to decide if you should join a new MLM? If so, there are some really important questions you need to ask yourself first. Today I’ll share with you the 5 most critical questions to ask before making your final desision. Reasons You Should NOT Join a New MLM First, let’s get some of the biggest myths out of the way about how to choose a new MLM. 1) You absolutely love the products or services. While this is a great reason to become a customer, it’s actually a really bad reason to start a business. 2) You absolutely love the compensation plan. OK, I’m not…

  • What Do ALL MLM Leaders Have In Common Weekly Webinar 5-3-12

    Dean R Black
    4 May 2012 | 6:31 am
    WELCOME TO MARY AND DEAN UNLEASHED’S WEEKLY TRAINING Join us each week as we do LIVE training teaching network marketers how to grow their businesses. This week on Thursday at 8:00pm Eastern Time we talked about: What Do ALL MLM Leaders Have In Common?  MLM leaders all have this one thing in common no matter what the story of their rise to prominence might have been. Watch the recording below as we go into what all these leaders have in common. CLICK HERE for your FREE Presentation! This short presentation has the power to drastically increase your bank account over the next couple…
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    CommuniTech Rocks » Marketing Blog | Promo

  • 5 Truths about Creativity Learned From Maurice Sendak

    ctechrocks
    14 May 2012 | 11:46 am
    Gretchen Weaver Senior Marketing and Business Development Strategist CommuniTech’s focus this week is creativity. Just as I began to write my blog on the subject, my iPhone gave me the news. Maurice Sendak had died. (Inspiration comes from all kinds of places, you know?) I didn’t know Mr. Sendak, but his work and what I know about his life sure have been a part of me. You see, ever since I first laid eyes on Where the Wild Things Are (which I did as a young adult, not a child), I knew he was a creative genius. And when I watched Spike Jonze’s HBO documentary, Tell Them Anything You…

  • The Stories I Could Tell!

    ctechrocks
    11 May 2012 | 2:15 pm
    Pam Rak President and Founder When I think of creativity, words always come to mind first. Not visuals, necessarily, but visions of what would make a great story through creative prose. For my clients, I use words and concepts to tell their stories through marketing campaigns and programs. But in my personal life, creativity takes on a whole new dimension – still through words, but through imaginative story-telling. Eight years ago, I put my creativity to the test to tell my grandmother’s story. What I learned was the story that we in my family largely took for granted, left others…

  • Any way you slice ‘em, Sarah’s sculptures are show stoppers!

    ctechrocks
    9 May 2012 | 4:14 pm
    Sarah Carr Multimedia Designer & Data Services Coordinator When it comes to working with 3D on a computer (in videos and such) my sculpture education comes into play big time. Although my sculpture may seem a little disturbing … I just wanted to make sure the viewer remembered it! I got the segmenting idea from the The Cell, a 2000 science fiction psychological thriller film about a serial killer. They segment a horse in one of the serial killer’s dreams. Materials I used? Band saw, molds I created and resin I mixed myself. This particular piece is made of clear casting resin, wire…

  • Robin gets creative … for a good cause!

    ctechrocks
    8 May 2012 | 3:04 pm
        Robin Brun Senior Designer Robin’s our rockin’ lead designer at CommuniTech. She’s passionate about her work and really everything she creates – including this piece – painted in the name of good times and memories shared. I painted this painting in remembrance of the Rooster Bar that was located in the historic Crown & Anchor complex in Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod. The population in the wintertime was only about 3,000 and swelled to 35,000 in the summertime. The Rooster Bar was quite a cozy pub with a roaring fire always burning in the fireplace. My…

  • CTech’s Peggy gets graphic – by getting her Irish on!

    ctechrocks
    7 May 2012 | 3:50 pm
          Peggy Fitchwell-Hill Manager of Marketing Operations I love to write about the positive attributes of a brand – making them rise to the top and always through a great story. Whether it’s medical technology that increases quality of life- and saves lives – or, one of our region’s nonprofits that does the same! I work at it … and I volunteer it most every day. What some of you out there may not know is that for nearly 20 years, I’ve been creating my own Celtic line of jewelry, “Iron Clad” that is struck in Providence Rhode Island. I also have a line of…
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    conversionation

  • The Power of Powerlessness: Let Go and Put the Customer First

    J-P De Clerck
    15 May 2012 | 3:30 am
    Jan Van AkenI was recently asked to participate in the creation of a collaborative white paper, initiated by Selligent (for the record: one of our customers). It’s a similar approach as the B2B Blogging Trends paper Aggregage did in 2011. The topic of this collaborative white paper, however, is direct marketing or should I say dialogue marketing.Jordie van Rijn, Mario Marlisa, Kenny Van Beeck and several other email and DM experts share their views on the evolutions regarding direct marketing in the paper (if you speak Dutch, you can get it here).One of the other contributors is Jan Van…

  • The First Two P’s of Broken Marketing

    J-P De Clerck
    6 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
      Despite the variety of topics, tactics and speakers, our 2012 Fusion Marketing Experience conference clearly revolved around one theme: marketing is broken. We are disconnected from our customers and other departments. The word that was most often mentioned: silos. The number one debated topic among the speakers during and after the event: organizational challenges.It was interesting to see how the seeds of new views were planted. The organization as a living being. The holistic and biological view. The reasons why our organizations are sick.So what’s causing our organizations to be…

  • Putting Customer First in Practice: a Humble Example

    J-P De Clerck
    2 May 2012 | 10:29 am
      Sometimes ‘small’ examples and experiences can help you illustrate a more important point. As I am writing this, I’m sitting in a hotel room, wrestling with deadlines and taking care of some last-minute preparations for our annual Fusion Marketing Experience congress. Somewhere else in the same hotel are the speakers. Among them, Kristin Zhivago.As I mentioned earlier, Kristin wrote a book, “Roadmap to Revenue: How to Sell the Way Your Customers Want to Buy.” Very simply put it’s about how talking to your prospects and customers, asking them the right questions (about…

  • Five Cultural Reasons Marketers Fail to Keep Up with Consumers

    J-P De Clerck
    28 Apr 2012 | 6:01 pm
      Consumers are becoming channel-agnostic. They are effortlessly switching from one channel to the other. The road to purchase consists of a multitude of touchpoints across a maze of channels, media and relationships.  The rapid adoption of the Swiss pocketknives of the digital world, smartphones and tablets, is speeding up this emergence of a complex multichannel journey and new technologies will continue to create other buying, information gathering and media consumption patterns while the buying journey will continue to change – as it has always done.People discuss their…

  • From Conversation Company to Optimization Organization

    J-P De Clerck
    27 Apr 2012 | 9:38 am
      A friend and fellow country-man, Steven Van Belleghem from InSites Consulting, wrote two books, ‘The Conversation Manager’ and, more recently ‘The Conversation Company’. Steven makes very valid points of how important it is to involve people and facilitate conversations while having a ‘social’ mindset across the organization. However, it’s time to take it a step further and move to the optimization organization.This is my second post in the series of ‘The Future of Social Media’. Again, feel free to comment.In social media, the emphasis has been on the holy…
 
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    Revenue Journal - Kristin Zhivago's revenue-increasing insights, strategies and techniques for CEOs and entrepreneurs

  • Please stop selling me! Can't we just talk?

    Kristin Zhivago
    8 May 2012 | 2:54 pm
    I answered the phone. The salesman was a little nervous. “I’m new at this,” he said, as I corrected the way he said my first name. I wasn’t bothered by him not pronouncing my name correctly, although it’s usually the last name that people butcher.  read more

  • What I Learned Eating My Own Dog Food

    Kristin Zhivago
    15 Apr 2012 | 11:30 am
     As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently hired someone I trusted to interview my own clients and book buyers about my methods, to make sure I was doing as good a job as possible. What I learned will help you understand why this is such a valuable exercise.  But first a confession: Even though I truly believe in this method – interviewing your current customers to sell more effectively to future customers – I still experienced the exact same natural resistance to the exercise that my own clients always feel.  read more

  • Why Do Buyers Agonize? Because Sellers Lie and Minimize.

    Kristin Zhivago
    26 Mar 2012 | 9:32 am
    Oh, come on! Just make the buying decision already, the salesperson is thinking. What on earth is taking you so long? Experience, that's what. Buyers have been disappointed so often that they are determined not to be disappointed by you. Salespeople have told them, "No problem," and whatever it was turned out to be a BIG problem. Websites have promised, "easy to use," and the product ended up being infuriatingly unintuitive and didn't do what it was supposed to do. read more

  • Why Do They Love You?

    Kristin Zhivago
    9 Mar 2012 | 11:13 am
    Let's say you had a third party interview your spouse, asking one question: What do you love about him/her? I guarantee you would be surprised at the answers they gave. Sure, there would be some things that made you smile and say, "Yes, I work hard at that. I'm glad he appreciates it." But there would be other things that surprised you. Things that you never thought she noticed or thought much about; things you didn't even think much about yourself, because it comes naturally to you; things that you didn't realize were that important to her. You'd think, "Wow - good thing I do…

  • Your Website: Get personal or get ignored

    Kristin Zhivago
    29 Feb 2012 | 11:52 am
    I am looking for a product or service like the one you sell. I have talked to a couple of my LinkedIn buddies, and I have a short list. You're on it. I come to your website. I already know pretty much what you sell, and I know what my buddies think of you. Before I dig deeper, I want to know who you are. read more
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    MLM Success Blog

  • Your Real Job

    Randy Gage
    9 May 2012 | 11:22 pm
    This is going to sound crazy to some of you.  But your real job is not to sponsor everyone you know.  It’s just not. Some people are allergic to your products.  Some people are allergic to work.  Some people are afraid of being self-employed.  Some people are afraid of success. For other people, you product is perfect for them, they need the money, and you’d work great together.  But the time simply isn’t right for them. You’re not supposed to sponsor everyone.  You’re only supposed to offer it to everyone. Got it? -RG

  • Do the Products Matter?

    Randy Gage
    27 Apr 2012 | 2:07 pm
    About 20 years ago, when I was just starting to make some money in the business. I attended a seminar put on by an author who had written a book on MLM.  In a private conversation, he told me that the products were really irrelevant; it was the compensation plan that drove growth. He said we could all buy the products each month and throw them in the river. As long as everyone purchased the minimum each month, we’d all make money.  Being young and gullible, and figuring he was the expert, I took his advice to heart. Big mistake… At that time, I was working with a program that allowed…

  • Step Up and Take It Back

    Randy Gage
    22 Apr 2012 | 7:28 pm
    Here in the U.S., the election is just starting to heat up.  The Democrats think we need dozens of government agencies with tens of thousands of employees managing all aspects of our lives.   The Republicans want to police the bedroom and they seem to love starting wars around the world.  Between the two parties, we now have a 15 trillion dollar deficit.  Of course similar scenarios are unfolding all over the world.  Many of the nations in Europe are in worse shape.  Several are virtually bankrupt. The worst pyramid schemes are the governments themselves.  And their money games are…

  • Leaders

    Randy Gage
    7 Apr 2012 | 12:17 pm
    Our business is all about leadership.  Look at where you have volume and you’ll find a local leader. Doesn’t matter if it’s a big city or small village.  Doesn’t matter if the economy there is strong or weak.  One of the most important lessons you can learn about Network Marketing is this: The team creates the growth – but leaders create the team. Really think about that. -RG  

  • Why Network Marketing?

    Randy Gage
    31 Mar 2012 | 8:08 am
    Some have skepticism about Network Marketing.  Others see it as the last bastion left in the free enterprise system an average person can create wealth.  Just how real is the promise, and why does it work? True economic freedom requires that you employ two basic prosperity principles: 1)   You must employ the concept of leverage, to escape the trading-time-for-money dilemma; and 2)   You must be able to look in the mirror every morning and know you’re talking to the boss. When you put these two factors in play, manifesting prosperity is no longer a wild pipe dream, but something you…
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    blog.workface.com

  • Please, Bust the Chat Queue

    Lief Larson
    7 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    If you're a commercial company selling products or services to customers (either B2B or B2C), and the customer experience matters to you, having chat on your website is no longer an option, it's an expecatation.  In much the same way that you have a company email address and phone number, in a social world you also need to greet and respond to customers at your digital front door.If you're embarking on a project to install website chat to hold live, web-based discussions with customers, let me help you understand what NOT to do.  Queue-based call center funnel chat (what I call…

  • “Hot” and “Cool” Social Media

    Lief Larson
    6 Apr 2012 | 10:43 am
    Marshall McLuhan is probably best known for postulating that “the medium is the message,” but his lesser known “hot” and “cool” media concept may prove even more prescient with the impending engagement economy that will be adopted by marketers and salespersons interested in making social media work in entirely new ways. Early this week my industry colleague Scott Litman, CEO of media company Magnet360, announced a directional change for his firm.  Magnet360 will now focus on social business as a social enterprise agency.  In the press release he…

  • 4 Reasons Your Business Sucks at Social Media

    Perry Sheraw
    2 Mar 2012 | 2:24 pm
    GUEST POST Social media networks were supposed to be the promised land for small businesses. They were supposed to be the great equalizer, the marketing tools that finally gave start-ups the same exposure as the industry leaders. But if that’s the case, why does your company still only have eight friends on Facebook? Running a successful social media strategy isn’t as easy as many small business owners think it will be. Your company's online success depends on several factors, and if you don’t account for all of them, you could find yourself stuck in the social media…

  • Authenticity in a Shifting World… It’s Madness!

    Lief Larson
    28 Feb 2012 | 5:13 pm
    More than ever before, customers are experiencing data overload.  I don’t just mean the volumes of informational and marketing messages confronting them, but the gross volume of data vying for their attention, both direct and subliminal. Have you acted like you’re listening to your spouse or significant other while the television is blaring in the background and you’re reading work emails on your mobile phone or tablet?  It’s madness!  It’s also inauthentic.  Your loved one knows their 20% signal strength is competing with the other 80% noise…

  • 6 Billion Kings – Why Your Approach to Customers Must Change

    Lief Larson
    17 Jan 2012 | 7:21 am
    Customers are often referred to as “consumers” for a reason: they pay for consumption.  We buy and use things; it can be throwaway commodities, state-of-the-art electronics, or even ideas. We take resources and utilize them as-is, or blend and mold resources for new or more complex use cases. In the past consumption was driven by necessity, that same mother of invention.  Today however, consumption is primarily governed by a precept of kingly entitlement. Consumers place greater prioritization on the activity of consumption, to the exclusion of others, because they have…
 
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    IndieBizChicks.com

  • Need A Plan To Create An Info Product? You Found It!

    Crissy Herron
    16 May 2012 | 5:39 am
    My friend Kelly McCausey recently gave me a copy of her 42 Day Launch Incubator to review, and let me tell you – if you need a plan to create an info product, this is it! This is a no-nonsense guide and it’s filled with everything you need to know. It walks you through the creation of an info product, from start to finish.      Here’s what you get: A plan that walks you through everything, from start to finish. It explains all the tasks you need to do to create your info product, from deciding on a topic to choosing a shopping cart to marketing the final product.

  • I’m Holding A Swag Exchange — Only Open To 20 Participants!

    Crissy Herron
    15 May 2012 | 2:42 pm
    I am a big fan of swag as a promotional tool. One of my favorite parts of going to big conferences and events is collecting all the business cards and being introduced to all these new businesses! I decided to hold a Swag Exchange — and I hope you join in! The term “swag” can refer to all types of promotional items — but in this case, I’m talking about business cards, stickers, and other small items with your business info printed on them. I am going to limit this to 20 participants. You will mail me at least 20 pieces of your swag — anything from business…

  • Help Me Celebrate My 5 Year Anniversary!

    Crissy Herron
    15 May 2012 | 2:24 pm
    This summer marks the 5 Year Anniversary of IndieBizChicks.com, and to celebrate, I’m hosting a summer-long Business Extravaganza! There will be no-cost biz calls – including coaching and strategy sessions with me, plus lots of guest experts, who will be teaching you new things. There will also be some great giveaways, contests, and more. You can register – for free – by clicking here

  • SoloMasterminds – The Best Investment I’ve Made In My Business

    Crissy Herron
    14 May 2012 | 5:15 am
    I got the idea to start a website in the summer of 2006, and launched this site in the summer of 2007. When I first got that idea, I knew absolutely nothing about websites. I didn’t even know how to buy a domain or how to get a site online. Like I said – I knew NOTHING. So how did I get a site online a year after I first had the idea? I started Googling things and learned along the way. While I was doing all of that Googling, I found SoloMasterminds. This is a forum that is specifically dedicated to internet marketing, starting and creating an online business, etc. It is a paid…

  • Flashback Friday

    Crissy Herron
    11 May 2012 | 10:55 am
    I’ve been writing posts on this blog for quite a while — almost five years. And that means that there are a lot of posts you may not have seen. So, I decided to start Flashback Fridays. The content is still good – and, like I said, you may not have seen it the first time around, so why not read it now?     How To Increase Your Reach On The Web Drawing The Line Between Business & Personal In Social Media Should Your Marketing Be Monogamous? How To Use Twitter Without Looking Like A Total Jackass How To Get Noticed By Retailers  
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    The Brandtastic Branding Marketing Education Blog

  • Stylish, Hot & Trendy: Matte Black Car Wraps

    16 May 2012 | 7:30 am
      Getting a new car for graduation or are you finally heading to the dealership to get the car of your dreams? If so, lucky you! To spark up your new ride, why not consider matte black car wraps? They are the hot and trendy way to spice up your ride, get noticed and keep your original manufacturer paint protected! US News and World Report offers a great list of the most snazzy and affordable sports cars and included on their list in the Dodge Challenger, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Nissan 370Z, the Mini Cooper (coupe and roadster) and of course the all-new and stylish Dodge Dart! Or, maybe you…

  • What Is Accelerated Branding?

    15 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    Screenwriter and teacher, David S. Freeman and author/marketing expert Roy H. Williams have come up with a twist on branding—accelerated branding. The idea is basically to reveal a “character diamond,” create your bottom-line emotional pulse and utilizing it on all of your marketing materials consistently. Why does accelerated branding work? Phil Wrzesinski, who teaches instructional classes in retail management and has studied the Freeman/Williams’ theory, says of branding, “The reality is that branding is much more internal and all encompassing. It is not…

  • Are Brand Perception and Consumer Purchasing a Mismatch?

    14 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    People love to say they shop at places like Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s—both awesome places to buy the foods they love and also find healthy alternatives. Both of these food chains also boast a large selection of gluten-free products and supplements of all sorts. However, when it comes to affordability, do people really do all their grocery shopping at these green grocers or do they look for a more budget friendly alternative like a Super Target or Wal-Mart? You probably have a lot of friends who say they’ll never enter a big box store for groceries and instead, choose what…

  • Marketing Your Fleet with Truck Graphics

    10 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    Every fleet manager should think of their vehicles as moving billboards. As the truck graphics industry gets more competitive and diverse, the sky’s the limit on what you can do! Beyond truck graphics decals and lettering there are full vehicle wraps and the popular 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Graphic Film 5100R. Awesome for truck graphics and wraps, this 3M™ product description offers that the graphic film is 7-mil flexible and lasts up to seven years. It is available in 15 colors and graphic designers and installers can use it to cut letters, decals and design vehicle…

  • Fleet Management: Tips on Rebranding Your Fleet

    9 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    When is the right time to look at rebranding your fleet? When a merger occurs? When the business develops a new product line? If branding elements like a logo change happens? Effective fleet management means understanding what rebranding is all about and how to do it successfully without losing customer trust. Richard Duncan, the Managing Director of TBWA/Hunt Lascaris in Cape Town wrote a post for Media Tool Box and defines rebranding as “Affecting a change to a brand in order to stimulate a change in consumer attitudes, perceptions and behavior with the end goal of generating…
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    Idea Marketing

  • Why salespeople should sell ideas: an FAQ

    Chris Koch
    15 May 2012 | 4:48 pm
    We all know the increasing importance of ideas in B2B marketing. But idea marketing doesn’t start and stop with marketers. For the program to be successful, those ideas must find their way into the hands of salespeople. And I’m not sure that salespeople share the same passion for ideas as we do. I think they need to be convinced. Please tell me if you think the following does the job: Relationships are what matter in selling. Why should I start selling ideas instead? Relationship selling skills matter more than ever. Idea selling isn’t a replacement for any current selling…

  • How to write blog posts from a white paper

    Chris Koch
    23 Mar 2012 | 3:24 pm
    If you’re a corporate marketer like me, no doubt you’ve been put in the situation I faced this week: you have a white paper that an external content person created for the company and now you need to make that content social. It’s an important part of social media management. Let’s face it, there are some B2B executives who wouldn’t read a white paper even if you threatened them with lima beans (what, you like lima beans? Eeewww!). ITSMA research shows that buyers want the whole menu of content—not just a white paper here or a video there. So this week I went back to the white…

  • 6 ideas for sifting the mobility chaos

    Chris Koch
    12 Mar 2012 | 5:52 pm
    For about 20 years (sad to say I was a journalist for even longer than that) it seemed that every white paper that crossed my desk began with some variant of this sentence: “As the world becomes more global and interconnected, businesses need a way to see through the complexity. [Hire us.]“ But now the ubiquitous opening sentence seems to be: “Businesses are awash [drowned, buried, you get the idea] in data. In this increasingly global and interconnected world [hey, we can't deny the past, right?] of data overload from social media and mobile phones, businesses are looking…

  • Four reasons to hate thought leadership

    Chris Koch
    4 Feb 2012 | 5:06 pm
    You may have noticed that I’ve changed the name of my blog. I’ve changed it for two reasons. First, because I’ve left ITSMA and joined SAP, where I will focus on marketing the good ideas of the many subject matter experts there. I’m going to share my experiences in helping to build an engine for developing and disseminating good ideas for SAP (with names changed to protect the innocent and guilty alike). I won’t be focusing on B2B marketing in the broadest sense anymore; I’ll be narrowing things to idea marketing (and the role that social media play in it).

  • Koch to S(blank)0s: Drop Dead

    Chris Koch
    16 Dec 2011 | 3:01 pm
    In 1975, New York City was a real s—thole (I should know, I was a teenager growing up in the area at the time—yes, I’m that old). Dangerous, dirty, rundown, corrupt, without a trace of its current chicness and style, and, most significantly, broke. Image via Wikipedia Now, this isn’t a political blog so I’m not going to take sides, but the rap on the city down in Washington, D.C. at the time was that the pain was all self-inflicted (a raging recession notwithstanding). The city was on its knees because it had been sucker-punched by a bunch of pantywaisted, tax-and-spend liberals…
 
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    Ink Foundry » Word of Mouth And Social Media Marketing Agency « Ink Foundry

  • NAPA TECHNOLOGY UNCOVERS GENERATIONAL WINE WARFARE

    Carin Galletta
    8 May 2012 | 1:16 pm
    By Carin Galletta Oliver BOOMERS VS. MILLENNIALS When it comes to wine, the generations just can’t agree. Napa Technology, makers of the WineStation, uncovered a vast ideological wine drinking divide between Baby Boomers, aged 66 – 47; and Millennials, those aged 21-34. Preliminary data captured from more than 3 million ounces of wine poured from Napa Technology’s WineStations across the United States, coupled with input from leading wine experts, points to a challenging proposition for restaurateurs and wine program directors trying to accommodate a wide range of consumption…

  • Is Your Relationship With Your Brand Costing You Money?

    Carin Galletta
    3 Apr 2012 | 4:14 pm
    By Chelsea E. Chrisman, guest contributor If you have decided to make a purchase, do you prefer to pay the lowest price possible or stick with your favorite brand? According to a recent study published in the Journal of Marketing, people tend to forge emotional bonds with a brand so strong that, if forced to buy a competitor’s product, they suffer separation anxiety. In fact, that bond can be strong enough that consumers are willing to sacrifice time, money, energy and reputation to maintain their attachment to that brand. The more strongly a consumer’s attachment to a brand, the…

  • Connecting With Influential Social Dads

    Carin Galletta
    24 Mar 2012 | 3:06 pm
    Outback Steakhouse Blogger Outreach Case Study Overview Influential dad bloggers need a different approach than their single guy or even mom counterparts. Ink Foundry worked with Outback’s marketing team to create a fun and engaging Connect With Dad dining program. The primary goals of the program were to identify top influential digital dads to “get the conversation started” between the brand and the estimated 7 million online dads as well as provide a brand sampling experience to the influential digital dads and their social media friends, fans and followers. The program was extremely…

  • 16 Experts Share 60 Wine Trends

    Carin Galletta
    14 Mar 2012 | 2:26 pm
    By Carin Galletta Oliver The 3rd annual VIBE (Very Important Beverage Executive) Conference in Las Vegas, is the hotbed of new and exciting trends in the wine, beer and spirits industry.  Napa Technology, developer of the WineStation, asked leading wine industry experts to share what’s hip, hot and happening and what’s not in wine consumption trends today. Restaurateurs, winemakers, hoteliers and other industry thought leaders weighed in from all over the United States and Mexico with trends that range from an increase in younger and more adventurous wine drinkers to a seemingly more…

  • Facebook’s Timeline Change For Pages

    Carin Galletta
    29 Feb 2012 | 5:14 pm
    How To Prepare Your Brand By Carin Oliver It’s official.  Facebook will convert all Pages on March 30 to the new Timeline design that’s already rolled out to individual profiles.  Most visibly, the new Page layout will mimic many features currently found on the the personal profile Timeline, including the vertical content and the widescreen masthead image on the top of the page. In addition to the new look, there are also some exciting engagement functionality developments.  These changes, of course, will pose both opportunities and potential obstacles for your brand. Brand Page…
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    MAD MARKETING TACTICS™ !

  • Commercials: The "FIVE TIMES RULE" - Douglas E. Castle

    DOUGLAS E. CASTLE
    10 May 2012 | 12:13 pm
    How often have you watched or listened to a commercial that was either incredibly clever in its crafting, or sensationally-packed with sensory effects, only to forget the name of the product, service or brand being advertised?There is an increasing prevalence of such sophisticated commercials, each memorable as a miniature work of art, but none which puts the brand into the conscious mind of the audience. And being remembered (as a product, service, brand or company) is what it is all about. Even with the load of subliminal messages and innuendo crammed into so many of these commercials, most…

  • Eco-Friendly Marketing? Double Bonus

    DOUGLAS E. CASTLE
    7 May 2012 | 8:30 pm
    Please forgive me, my Mad Marketers, Promoters, Publicity Experts, And the ever-growing contingent of self-proclaimed 'Social Media Gurus', but I must insist that you review a Twitter Posting and The Accompanying Link. I promise you'll find this to be an amazing education on several fronts and well worthwhile.News Item (AP): Scientists Hail Breakthrough In Eco-Friendly Transportation. Petroleum Industry Concerns...(more) http://dld.bz/bzcKc #MadMarketing Related articlesThe Ultimate in Eco Friendly Furniture (vermontwoodsstudios.typepad.com)Win Green Products at New Eco Site, Greenista.com…

  • Labeling For Marketing And Branding..."INFOTRATION"

    DOUGLAS E. CASTLE
    24 Apr 2012 | 4:52 pm
    This is truly a wonderful label - Douglas E. CastleUsing Labeling (on packages, inserts, follow-up mailers, alerts, updates, coupons, sweepstakes, referral bonuses, prize giveaways, boxtops, and the like) is an underutilized and understated marketing and branding tool. When using labeling for these purposes, we Mad Marketing Mavens utilize the descriptive Lingovation "INFOTRATION" -- it is a hybrid term which melds together providing information and infiltrating the mind and defenses of your existing or prospective customer or client. It is also proof positive (for those who require this)…

  • The "Big Pharma" Phony Incentives Direct-Advertising Game - Abusing A Good Marketing Strategy

    DOUGLAS E. CASTLE
    12 Apr 2012 | 4:48 pm
    This article has been given over a full month in my "DRAFT" container to ferment, to mature, and for me to see what would actually happen in a situation where large pharmaceuticals companies were giving out discount coupons to customers to encourage those customers to keep buying name-brand drugs (high-margin items which have now come off of patent) instead of their less expensive generic substitutes (still high-margin, but invariably lower-priced than their now off-patent equivalents).For some time now, pharmaceuticals companies have been purchasing large blocks of media time to advertise…

  • Customer Feedback: Customers As Resources

    DOUGLAS E. CASTLE
    5 Apr 2012 | 3:02 pm
    Your prospective and existing customers are your company's quiescent assets -- a giant treasure chest of diversified and multidimensional resources just waiting to be tapped into. Customer feedback, especially on a continuous relationship-centered basis, is one of your organization's greatest tools for: 1) Product and service ideas, designs and improvements;2) Sample testing an advertising or promotional idea before expending a great deal of money committing to it and launching it -- you can always survey your customers to find out which ideas, slogans, formats, logos they would prefer. Every…
 
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    Marketing Craftsmanship

  • The Power of Insulting Customers: Confessions of a Vacuum Cleaner Sales Rep

    Gordon G. Andrew
    4 May 2012 | 8:46 pm
    The Rolls Royce of Vacuum Cleaners My connection with advertising legend David Ogilvy is that, early our careers, we both sold consumer appliances door-to-door. Long before he founded Ogilvy & Mather in 1949, and following a short-lived career as a chef in Paris, David Ogilvy sold AGA cooking stoves to housewives in Scotland. Long before I founded Highlander Consulting, as a college student seeking money for gas and beer, I sold Fairfax vacuum cleaners to housewives in Connecticut. Ogilvy claimed his door-to-door sales experience provided insights into the mind of the consumer that…

  • Should Companies Manage Their Employees’ LinkedIn Profiles?

    Gordon G. Andrew
    19 Apr 2012 | 3:24 pm
    Everything Counts in Brand Management LinkedIn has become an important business channel, not only for individuals to showcase their professional credentials, but also for companies seeking to promote their value proposition and to establish or manage brand awareness. LinkedIn is no longer simply a social media tool that enables corporate executives to put themselves in play for a better job under the guise of “networking.” LinkedIn also is no longer just a digital marketplace for consultants, freelancers and agencies seeking new clients. For better or worse, LinkedIn has become part of…

  • Did The New York Times Purposely Fuel the Goldman Controversy?

    Gordon G. Andrew
    20 Mar 2012 | 3:45 pm
    A Compromised Value Proposition? If the biggest loser in disgruntled employee Greg Smith’s recent OpEd piece was Goldman Sachs, then the apparent winner in this high-profile media sideshow was The New York Times. Rarely has an opinion piece on any topic, published in any major newspaper or periodical, attracted so much attention and controversy. The veracity of Mr. Smith’s opinion and the timeliness of his topic notwithstanding, is it ever appropriate for a publication as widely read and long-respected as The New York Times to provide a platform for one disgruntled employee? In publishing…

  • Avoid the Carnival Barker Approach to Publicity

    Gordon G. Andrew
    16 Mar 2012 | 9:59 am
    Publicity Must Be More Than Noise Companies of all sizes believe that more publicity is always better, as a means to raise brand awareness and drive business results. But there are several reasons why this noisy carnival barker publicity is a losing game. For starters: There are too many distractions within traditional print, broadcast and digital media channels to ensure that target audiences will notice your company’s brand exposure, remember seeing it, or be influenced by the coverage; Many types of media exposure have very little marketing value. For example, having your CEO quoted in a…

  • Jimmy Webb and the Power of Storytelling for B2B Companies

    Gordon G. Andrew
    27 Feb 2012 | 2:54 pm
    Music critic Miss Universe on "A Hard Day's Night" movie set Songwriting legend Jimmy Webb has written some of pop music’s most enduring ballads, including Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Galveston, The Worst That Could Happen and the rock cantata MacArthur Park (simultaneously heralded as a musical masterpiece and the worst song ever written.) The 66 year-old Oklahoma native now lives in Long Island and performs year-round at small venues in the US, Canada and abroad. Baby boomer fans pack the room to hear Webb strain to hit his own songs’ high notes, to…
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    paulgillin.com

  • A CIO Who Gets Social Business

    Paul
    16 May 2012 | 12:43 pm
    One of my favorite CIOs is Tom Murphy, who long headed IT at AmerisourceBergen and who is now in transition to a new role (any company will be lucky to have him). Tom addressed the CIO Solutions Gallery at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University this morning on the subject of the role of CIOs in social media. Earlier in the day, a show-of-hands poll of his audience had indicated considerable skepticism among the audience about the value of social business in general and a clear sentiment that CIOs should not be closely involved with social business other than as gate-keepers.

  • A Chance for CIOs to Lead in Social Business

    Paul
    15 May 2012 | 9:22 am
    I’m presenting a session at the CIO Solutions Gallery at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University tomorrow on the topic of “Measuring Social ROI: The CIO’s Role.” The subject got me thinking about a topic that’s close to my heart, which is the low profile IT executives have assumed in driving social business at their organizations. The absence of IT at the strategy table perplexes me,  since social technologies are arguably the most important force guiding the evolution of relationships between companies and their constituents. IT departments…

  • Finding Balance in the Always-On World

    Paul
    4 May 2012 | 12:10 pm
    I picked up Erik Qualman’s Digital Leader expecting a very different experience from the one I got. Qualman is a thought leader on the transformative potential of social media whose 2010 bestseller, Socialnomics, is considered a textbook in its field. I expected Digital Leader would instruct me on how to further immerse myself in these tools of change. But quite the opposite is true. While Digital Leader is unabashedly enthusiastic about technology, it is more about about restoring balance to your life, getting your priorities straight, learning to relax and even disconnecting from the…

  • IBMer: ‘Social Selling’ Is a Sales Process in Itself

    Paul
    27 Apr 2012 | 3:34 pm
    It’s no secret that the factors that motivate salespeople to change the way they work have to be pretty simple: Help them spend more time selling and less time scrounging for information and telling managers what they’re doing. So when IBM began to introduce the concept of “social selling,” it chose a test base of a few hundred salespeople and their managers to build a set of integrated systems that improved productivity and reduced administrative overhead. In a presentation to the SugarCRM SugarCon conference in San Francisco earlier this week, Gary Burnette, vice…

  • Anatomy of a Facebook Timeline

    Paul
    27 Apr 2012 | 2:12 pm
    This was submitted by the folks at Wishpond, a maker of social marketing tools with specific emphasis on Facebook. It’s a pretty good anatomy of the new Facebook timeline. Click to enlarge.  
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    Event Strategy Solutions

  • Olympic Inspiration: What Have You Done Today?

    Daphne Bousquet, CMP
    14 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    Thousands of athletes from all over the world are getting ready for the Olympic Games. You may not be training for the 2012 Olympics, but you are getting ready for something… Perhaps you are thinking about your own event, workshop or seminar. That means you have to do something every day to make it happen. You don’t make the Olympic Games, or plan your event in one day. It takes many small actions every single day. So ask yourself, what have you done today? If you need some inspiration, take a look at this award winning video “Sport at Heart” about the 2012 Olympic…

  • Create More Visibility With Images

    Daphne Bousquet, CMP
    10 May 2012 | 4:58 am
    It seems as we get bombarded by more and more information on the internet and on social media, our brain starts to focus more and more on images.  A picture is not just worth a thousand words, it is also worth a lot of eyeballs. More Visibility And eyeballs mean more traffic to your website, blog posts or even registration pages.  It certainly means more visibility for you and your events. More people engage on Facebook with pictures and the hottest new social network, Pinterest, is all about images. In fact, according to a study by Virtue, pictures get 54% more engagement than text posts…

  • Magnetic Goals – Free Webinar

    Daphne Bousquet, CMP
    7 May 2012 | 5:09 am
    Is your small business massively successful despite the economy – despite your business history – despite your doubts? Are you working less and earning more? Is your life filled with joyful prosperity? Do you know how to set MAGNETIC goals AND achieve them? If you said Yes to every question you can stop reading this post. If you said No this post is for you! You probably know how important setting goals are for your business.  But what if you could set Magnetic Goals? Magnetic Goals That Literally Draw You Toward the Financial Success You Know You Deserve! Goal-setting is one of…

  • How To Reach Your Goals – Magnetize Them!

    Daphne Bousquet, CMP
    3 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    If you are wondering how to reach your goals, the number one way to do it is to actually set them.  It is amazing what setting goals can do.  All of us have dreams, and want to achieve certain things.  Yet very few of us actually accomplish what we want.  The difference?  It could very well be setting goals, and then magnetize them. Napoleon Hill said: “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” But he didn’t know about Magnetic Goals… I reached my Olympic goals. Here I am at the Olympic Games in Seoul When I was 15 years old, my goal was to get to the Olympic Games.  In fact, when I…

  • Business Bits From The Beach Boys

    Daphne Bousquet, CMP
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:00 am
    This weekend, my husband and I went to a Beach Boys concert.  It is their 50th anniversary tour and features all the surviving Beach Boys.  The concert was fantastic, and true to form, I came back with a bunch of business bits from the Beach Boys. Enlist Support The 5 members of the Beach Boys had quite the backup band.  In fact, they had 7 musicians playing with them.  And frankly, as great as the Beach Boys are, they needed the support that that band gave them. What was easy for them 50 years ago, may be a little harder now that they are in their late sixties and early seventies.  It…
 
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    11th Screen

  • Keep the Flame Burning

    Mike Cearley
    15 May 2012 | 8:01 am
    Passion is like a flame that burns inside you. That flame is the thing that can keep you going, despite whatever else is going on. Too much this or that. As long as the flame is still going, you can rely on it to rejuvenate you. Recognize what this flame is inside you, what keeps you going. And whatever you do, never let it get extinguished. If it does, it will be incredibly hard – maybe even impossible – to re-ignite. Flames allow us to do what we do and more than that, to be our best selves. Do whatever you can do to always keep your flame burning. Related Posts:This…

  • QR Codes on a car? Maybe not such a bad idea…

    Mike Cearley
    12 May 2012 | 11:26 pm
    Check this out: A QR code on a car. Right on the back there. No context whatsoever. But if you know what it is, you don’t really need context. You know that you could probably scan that thing, just like all of the ones you can scan on posters or in magazines. On the back of a car? My first inclination was to put this into the category of “what in the world are you doing?” But after giving it some thought, maybe there’s something to it. Before I get into that, I have said many things about QR codes and setting them up for success. They must be: 1. Accessible 2.

  • DOOH + mobile + social is not always THE great formula

    Mike Cearley
    10 May 2012 | 6:41 pm
    Digital billboard + mobile + social I think this is a great formula. The holy grail, in fact. This is where I see the real potential in truly using the places and things around us to engage. Not just through one, but all three. ING recently created one such experience in Germany: Here’s the thing – the problem right now is not whether or not the technology can do it. The real problem is cost and complexity. This is what prohibits scale. But you can even see how compelling something like this could be out in the real world, and then the reach it could potentially have in the…

  • If it’s always on, will people ever turn it off?

    Mike Cearley
    3 May 2012 | 9:03 pm
    “Always On” technology or “Sometimes Off” technology? What are we striving for? I would say that right now, we are in a precious moment in time where we experience “Sometimes Off” technology – smartphone adoption, while rising, still has a ways to go, same for tablets, digital signage..well, we know where that is right now. We are on the cusp of “Always On” technology, but if I stop to think about where we are – the masses – I can actually find myself relishing it. Now, I’m as plugged in as anyone and I look forward to a…

  • Great Words About Innovation

    Mike Cearley
    30 Apr 2012 | 7:06 am
    I read a great interview today with Ad Age’s Agency Executive of the Year, Bill Koenigsberg, CEO of Horizon Media. It was a glimpse into how he views innovation. It’s a short interview, so I’d encourage you to read it. There were a couple of points that stuck out at me: 1.“ The entire media ecosystem has upped its game in innovation, but there is a yellow flashing light and those who innovate are going to win the land grab as we move into the future. And those who don’t will be left behind.” 2. “A lot of people think of innovation as a tactic, but…
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    Brand Channeler

  • Creativity counts in the workplace

    9 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Cone Communications recently celebrated World Creativity and Innovation Week (WCIW), a global initiative started in 2002 to celebrate creativity, as well as encourage the expression of creativity through work, school or play. The kickoff on April 15, coincides with the birthday of Leonardo Da Vinci, one of the most recognized and talented artists, inventors and scientists of all time.Employees were encouraged to track their activities through WCIW for the chance to win raffle prizes.As part of Cones ongoing commitment to infusing creativity throughout our organization and client work, we…

  • Making national go local

    12 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Every PR professional has heard the dreaded reporter feedback at least once: This isnt local enough. Why does this matter to me or my readers? When dealing with a national product launch or campaign, the national media angle is often obvious, but its challenging to find the local hook that answers the why does this matter to me? question. However, if local and national media attention is important, there are ways to hyper-localize a campaign without sacrificing a larger story. One great example is our recent work with Cone client Yoplait, who tasked us with driving sales and awareness of…

  • With Google Consumer Surveys, look before you leap

    4 Apr 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Market research firms, take heed. In its continued efforts to infiltrate every facet of our lives both personal and professional Google has now made its way into the business of consumer insights with the launch of Google Consumer Surveys.  This new platform allows users to create short and simple online surveys, which Google posts on its publishers websites. Before a reader can gain access to a publishers content, he or she must agree to answer a quick survey, thus creating a surveywall blocking access to exclusive content. Perhaps more of a money-making venture for publishers than an…

  • Check your ego at the door

    27 Mar 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I was reminded recently of both the complexities and the power of a multi-agency meeting. Walking in, prepared with countless hours of creative ideation now distilled into 25 PowerPoint slides, I was on guard and feeling the pressure to make the PR discipline proud. I can only imagine my colleagues representing the other agency partners felt the same.  In recent years, weve seen changes to the role of PR with ad agencies onboarding PR experts to their teams, PR agencies crafting and executing digital campaigns and clients handing the campaign lead role to a PR agency instead of the…

  • We all need to be strategic

    20 Mar 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Its a refrain I hear frequentlyfrom colleagues, job candidates, friends in the industry: I want to get more involved in strategy. As if strategy is a distinct type of work, different from the work they do every day. But its really not. Is it?Shouldnt communications professionals be strategic with every recommendation we make, with every program we execute, whether its how to launch a product, employ social media, counsel a client on a sensitive issue or measure the success of a campaign? In fact, being strategic is an imperative, not something you need an invitation to do. At organizations…
 
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    Brands & Films

  • Product placement in pictures: Chronicle

    Erik
    14 May 2012 | 4:21 pm
    Chronicle is a 2012 science fiction movie that represents one of the finest movies from the “found footage” subgenre. The definition of found footage from Wikipedia states that “found footage is a genre of film making, especially horror, in which all or a substantial part of a film is presented as discovered film or video recordings, often left behind by missing or dead protagonists.” Probably the most famous found footage movies from the last decade or so are The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity, [REC], Cloverfield and now Chronicle. The common denominator for found footage…

  • Brands & Films in Ekran magazine

    Erik
    10 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    The latest issue of Ekran, Slovenian monthly magazine for film and television, featured my story about set-jetting “Where lives … Lisbeth Salander?”. In the article I’ve described this relatively new phenomenon and present some positive effects of appearing in movies on the number of tourists and visitors. Some of the most interesting cases include Rosslyn Chapel & The DaVinci Code, Alnwick castle & Harry Potter, Stockholm & The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Brugge & In Bruges … In the upcoming weeks I’ll translate the article and published a condensed version…

  • Product placement in pictures: This Means War

    Erik
    9 May 2012 | 1:33 pm
    The only reason I watched This Means War was one notice I found on the internet about a lot of product placement in that movie. To be honest, there was some product placement but not enough and not very good to justify an hour and a half that I spent watching this mediocre movie. Even though James Berardinelli gave it two and a half stars (out of four) I thought This Means War was pretty boring. To quote Berardinelli: “This Means War is not funny enough to succeed as a comedy. It’s not emotionally deft enough to succeed as a romance. And it’s not exciting enough to succeed as an…

  • James Bond Crush chapter 2: James Bond Island, Thailand

    Deborah
    6 May 2012 | 10:53 am
    Phang Nga Bay, depending on the day you go, can be either an eerie otherworldly obstacle course of unforgiving rocks shooting dramatically out of choppy, swirling waves, or an awe-inspiring landscape of mystical green turrets that seem to float serenely on the surface of the water.  Tenacious trees and plant life take root in every nook and cranny of the rocky surface, and the ocean they have erupted from is striated with every shade of green and blue possible, making for a very dramatic sight.  Long before Roger Moore ever laid eyes on James Bond Island in Phang Nga Bay, Thailand during…

  • Product placement in pictures: Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol

    Erik
    2 May 2012 | 4:40 pm
    Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment of the popular series and it’s actually quite good (if you like these kind of movies, of course). M:I series is also traditionally full of product placement: you probably remember Oakley Romeo sunglasses that Tom Cruise was wearing while rock climbing in M:I 2. When it comes to product placement Mission Impossible – Ghost Protocol is no different than its predecessors. There are some very notable placements which really stand out. BMW There are several BMW vehicles seen in the movie. The first one is a series 6 convertible…
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    Simple Marketing Blog

  • Practical Simple Marketing in the News - 5/11/12

    C. B. Whittemore
    11 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Ready for the weekend? Here are this week's links and resources shared on Twitter and tagged #practicalmktr grouped here together in Practical Simple Marketing In The News. Practical Marketing Advice 8 rules of Pinerest etiquette ow.ly/aJhJg #practicalmktr RT @YouTooCanBeGuru: Here's the Best Time to Share on Pinterest on.mash.to/JVHi5i by @mashable via @TheFabSocial #practicalmktr Have you tried any of these 3 must-have Pinterest tools? ow.ly/aJiaQ #practicalmktr Love these Facebook engagement recommendations: ow.ly/aJi3D #practicalmktr RT @AventeTile: 5 Google+ Tricks to Dominate G oogle…

  • Practical Simple Marketing in the News - 5/4/12

    C. B. Whittemore
    4 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Here are links and resources shared on Twitter and tagged #practicalmktr grouped here together in Practical Simple Marketing In The News. Practical Marketing Advice Pitching bloggers via Pinterest: ow.ly/arpmJ #practicalmktr H2 tell your brand story through facebook timeline: ow.ly/aAtUV gr8 examples #practicalmktr A must! Great tip! RT @TALV58: SocialMedia4Builders: Add alt tags to your photos ow.ly/aBoOT It really helps #practicalmktr H2 create successful blog editorial strategy fr #CMI ow.ly/aAudh #practicalmktr Making facebook work for yr brand fr @SocialSteve http://ow.ly/aAu0R…

  • Practical Simple Marketing in the News - 4/27/12

    C. B. Whittemore
    27 Apr 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Happy Friday! Here are links and resourcesfor 4/27/12 shared on Twitter and tagged #practicalmktr grouped here together in Practical Simple Marketing In The News. Practical Marketing Advice Have U cked out these 19 tools for Pinterest Pros? via @socialmedia2day ow.ly/aipAL #practicalmktr Don't forget LinkedIn as a social network, especially re: business ow.ly/aiZas #practicalmktr Facebook content marketing lessons from large brands #CMI ow.ly/arn4Z #practicalmktr Shocking! more companies quit blogging, go w Facebook instead http://ow.ly/aroAW #practicalmktr  Simple Marketing Inspiration…

  • Practical Simple Marketing in the News - April 20, 2012

    C. B. Whittemore
    20 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    As I share with you this week's  Practical Simple Marketing In The News - aka links and resources shared on Twitter and tagged #practicalmktr - I have to comment on this week spent at Coverings 2012. It's been an amazing and social week with wonderful IRL [in real life] meetings with otherwise virtual friends. We've done an online/offline version of #KBTribechat that I'll have more about over on SimpleMarketingNow.com, including photos! I did, though, get this article published: LinkedIn for Business Tips: How To Manage Groups. And, now, back to our regularly…

  • Practical Simple Marketing in the News - 4/13/12

    C. B. Whittemore
    13 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    Here follows a double dose of Practical Simple Marketing in the News, filled with delicious articles. These are all links and resources shared on Twitter and tagged #practicalmktr grouped here together in Practical Simple Marketing In The News for the week ending 4/13/12. Simple & Practical Marketing Data From Pinterest to Purchase: data on how consumers use it ow.ly/a4598 #practicalmktr Being socially irresponsible in business: ow.ly/a972g Good data, insights re: big biz and SMBs #practicalmktr RT @TomPick RT @markusrach What’s driving social media? 12 must-know facts…
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    Bandwidth Bits

  • GET ON YOUR BUTT AND GO TO COLLEGE!

    15 May 2012 | 8:52 am
    Yale, Harvard, MIT, and other big name institutes of higher learning are now putting some if not all of their college courses online for FREE.  Amazing.Not to be political, but do we really need a big push for government-backed college loans?  Especially when that debt burden alone is almost $100 Billion?Feels like Pell grants should shift to Dell grants -- along with free Wi-Fi for the nation.Partisan for the artisan comments aside, it's thrills us to know all one needs is a healthy internet connection to tap into the biggest brains that are teaching the biggest brains on the…

  • That 90's Look on Facebook

    25 Apr 2012 | 4:52 pm
    If Mark Zuckerberg were born 10 years earlier, would Facebook have been invented in the ’90s?Maybe not, given the Web was still in version 1.0. But thanks to technology and humorists, we can now picture a past where users crank up their dial-up connections to browse “The Facebook”...in Netscape...mailing in grainy pictures to slowly upload at “The Facebook Company.”This intentionally hokey video underlines the light-speed evolution of the Internet age and how comfortable we’ve become living a far-more digital life. Better yet?  Enjoy what Google might have looked like If it…

  • Social Media, Mass Media, Me Media

    16 Feb 2012 | 11:18 am
    As Twitter and other social media outlets continue to gain 140 character traction, it's worth noting how old media is leveraging it.Yes, man on the street output on TV and consumer radio call ins have been feedback fodder for decades, but never before has individualized chatter been so readily rolled up to show opinion, buzz, and topic title trends with such speed.Now Bluefin Labs, a social media measurement company, is working with ABC News to bring to life the aggregate of social media mumbling on the single talking head TV news reports.   Together, they immediately ranked Super…

  • The Tao of Brand Naming

    8 Feb 2012 | 3:09 pm
    As Western brands become increasingly ubiquitous in China, the business of translating foreign product names into Chinese has been elevated to the level of science.Corporations looking to introduce a new brand to the Chinese market must contend with business, linguistic, market, and cultural factors.  Big brands like Coca-Cola and Tide employ consultants, analysis, and complex computer programs to choose names that are not only pleasing to the Chinese ear, but also to the Chinese heart and mind as well. For example, Coke’s Chinese moniker (Ke Ko Ke Le) is not only phonetically similar…

  • There's No Business Like Ad Business

    17 Jan 2012 | 5:18 pm
    A couple of wise guys in the ad industry (there are so many of them, aren’t there?) have created a series of Internet memes poking fun at various ad agency types. There’s the Junior Copywriter, the Junior Art Director, and of course, the high and mighty Creative DirectorIf you can’t get enough of the tongue-in-cheek satire, there’s also Douchey Account Guy, a Tumblr documenting inane bits of account guy speak such as, “We need to make this as clear, and as nebulous, as possible.”Whether you're in advertising or another industry, the ability to laugh at yourself proves that you…
 
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    Dwayne Flinchum

  • OrgCentric Formed to Serve Nonprofit Organizations

    admin
    26 Apr 2012 | 10:25 am
    I rarely use this Blog to make personal or professional announcements, but I am so proud and excited by this news that I’ll make an exception. As of today, I’ll be a principal in a new venture called OrgCentric, a company created exclusively to serve nonprofit organizations and deliver expertise across three inter-related disciplines – strategy, branding, and communications. More information about OrgCentric can be found at the OrgCentric website. With offices in Washington, DC and New York City, OrgCentric will be a partnership of two respected and accomplished firms…

  • Reinventing the Media Experience Through Advances in Technology

    admin
    25 Apr 2012 | 11:40 am
    Jean-Marie HullotThe New York Times has a very capable and impressive coverage of the media industry through reporters like David Carr, Stuart Elliott, and David Pogue. The April 24 blog post by Nick Wingfield makes an excellent point: The user experience in media, especially apps, is shifting dramatically and quickly due to continued advancements in technology. He cites Jean-Marie Hullot, a computer scientist and a longtime associate of Steve Jobs at Apple and NeXT, who is blending genres with his company, Fotopedia. One of the apps features a coffee table-like experience and includes more…

  • Crazy Mad Nostalgia

    admin
    15 Apr 2012 | 2:54 pm
    It’s almost impossible for many of us to think about chauvinistic advertising of the 1950’s and 1960’s and not think of Don Draper and Mad Men. Taschen has just released a two-volume showcase, ‘Mid-Century Ads: Advertising From the “Mad Men” Era' (Taschen, 720 pages, $59.99) Taschen.com In recent years, we don’t seem to be able to get enough of the culture. To some degree it is certainly due to a fascination with the show, which has stirred a kind of resurgent interest in the post WWII days of high living, promise, glamour, and a sense of…

  • Big Data, New Visual Opportunities: The Age of Information Arts

    admin
    9 Apr 2012 | 10:47 am
    Communication Manifested as Tangible Image: Aaron Koblin's New York Talk Exchange illustrates real time text and internet data flowing outward to other cities. I was recently speaking with an accomplished commercial photographer about how the industry has changed. The market for corporate and editorial photography has been commoditized — as almost everything has been — by technology. On top of everything, agencies like Corbis and Getty have been purchasing whole catalogs and smaller photo agencies over the past decade. As they have aggregated into Goliath holding companies,…

  • Online Communities: Fertile Soil for Tech Startups

    admin
    26 Mar 2012 | 5:00 pm
    It always starts as a whisper: “If you build it, they will come.” It’s no secret that the Internet has been rather fertile playing ground for a whole generation of successful start-up companies. We all know what the first web bubble felt like. Remember Webvan? Or Friendster? The capitalization of those companies trickled down to the advertising community and brand image firms, as many agencies bloated during those years. When the game was over and the inevitable shakeout came around 2002, I had several strategists calling me every week — some of them pure hucksters, anxious to…
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    Unbounce

  • Facebook vs. LinkedIn – 10 B2B Marketing Resources [with Infographic]

    Sharon Hurley Hall
    16 May 2012 | 2:10 am
    Gather round for a social media fight LinkedIn? Facebook? Which is better for B2B marketing? The infographic at the end of this post offers some suggestions, but we wanted to dig a bit deeper. To help you decide which platform is better for you, we’ve had a look at some of the latest thinking on B2B marketing on each platform. By the end, you’ll have a better idea which one to choose. And don’t forget to tweet the stats at the end of the post… B2B Marketing on LinkedIn 1. How to Use LinkedIn to Generate and Qualify B2B Leads Is LinkedIn just for job seekers? Jason…

  • An Opinionated Lead Gen Landing Page Discussion

    Oli Gardner & Carlos Del Rio
    14 May 2012 | 2:08 am
    This page is actually a microsite with 4 pages – click the image to see them all. In this post Carlos and myself (Oli) are going to analyze one of our customers – Vinoetic.com – landing pages (after they opted to allow us to get our opinionated hands on it). Our goal is for it to be an educational exercise that can hopefully help improve the page, but let’s have a little fun too, shall we? We’ll be scoring each point in our discussion with + or – points to arrive at a total score and we’ll be arguing on certain points to show that everyone has a…

  • Look at My Banner Ads Dammit! [Infographic]

    Oli Gardner
    11 May 2012 | 2:50 am
    1994 was when banner ads first appeared? I bet they looked freakin’ awful. Anyway, things haven’t necessarily improved much these days. A primary reason for their failure was “Banner Blindness” – a symptom of the predictable placement (and bloody ugly design) of the banners, making people blur them from their vision and focus solely on the content. Marketers soon figured this out and started being even more annoying by putting them in the middle of blog post content (interruption marketing sucks!) so you tripped over them during your reading. Or more likely…

  • 3 Tiny Tweaks to Shoot Your Conversion Rate Up (a Little)

    Justin P Lambert
    9 May 2012 | 2:09 am
    Size really doesn’t matter. No, really… (Image source) If you’re here at Unbounce reading this sexy blog, it means you’re probably already familiar with landing page optimization. Which is good, because it’s far too rich and important a topic to cover in one post. (But, just between you and me, if you’d like to know lots more about the fundamentals of making your landing pages the best they can possibly be, you could do worse than to check out 101 Landing Page Optimizations Tips.) I want to take a few moments to discuss the little things that make your…

  • Your Blog, Your Rules – Why Marketing Should Always Begin at Home

    Sharon Hurley Hall
    7 May 2012 | 2:12 am
    Blogging gives you the story to begin conversations in your social media channels, but keep it on your own blog for safekeeping. (Image source) When it comes to sharing and promoting your stuff online, fragmentation seems to be the name of the game. Every day it seems there’s a new site that becomes the hottest destination for online marketers. Google+, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Quora – how’s a poor web marketer supposed to cope? And does this mean that blogging is dead? Uh, no… the demise of the blog has been greatly exaggerated (thank you, Mark Twain). There are…
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    Mike Klassen - Direct Market Designer, Consultant, Speaker, Author

  • Episode 25 – Content Marketing: Blog Hubs

    Mike Klassen
    15 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    This channel for content sharing falls into that category of “low hanging fruit.” In other words, it’s such an easy thing to do with your content, there’s hardly any reason not to do it. Blog hubs allow us to link our blogs to sites that will either expose our content to new people, or help us automate the content sharing process. Here are links to sites mentioned in this episode: NetworkedBlogs: http://www.networkedblogs.com Technorait: http://technorati.com Increase Sales Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/increasingsales (Click here to subscribe to the Increase…

  • Episode 24 – Content Marketing: Article Banks

    Mike Klassen
    1 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Article banks illustrate just how important and valuable content is. It’s also one of the easier ways to share your content. While there are positives to placing your content in article banks, there are some negatives. This episode touches on both the pros and the cons of article banks. (Click here to subscribe to the Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections Podcast on iTunes.)

  • Episode 23 – Content Marketing: Guest Blogging

    Mike Klassen
    15 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am
    Guest blogging is a bit of low-hanging fruit in the content sharing and repurposing world. In other words, it’s easy to do. Yet it’s often a missed opportunity for new bloggers. If you’re a blogger you already know the value of having lots of content. You also know the challenges of keeping that content flowing. That’s where guest blogging can benefit you and your fellow bloggers. In this episode, we explore how bloggers can work together to share content, and be seen by new readers. Mentioned in this episode is BloggerLinkUp.com. (Click here to subscribe to the…

  • Episode 22 – Content Marketing: Books and eBooks

    Mike Klassen
    1 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am
    The power of this content repurposing channel never fails to amaze me. Some have said a book is the new business card. That’s probably a stretch, but people do take notice when they find you’ve written a book, whether a physical or a digital version. And it can lead to great opportunities. But writing a book is a huge task, right? It can be, but you might find you’ve already written one and didn’t know it. That’s what we’ll cover in this episode, as well as some of the benefits of having a book. If you’re interested in getting a free copy of my book,…

  • Episode 21 – Content Marketing: Guides and Reports

    Mike Klassen
    15 Mar 2012 | 2:00 am
    As this series on content sharing and repurposing continues, it’s time to move from sharing to repurposing. Having content on your blog is great. But there are times when you want to package particular articles in a different format. Today I talk about turning these articles into guides, and how you can leverage them in a way that’s better than sending people to your blog. For reference, as well as formatting ideas, you can see my guides at: www.mikeklassen.com/resources (Click here to subscribe to the Increase Sales & Build Deeper Connections Podcast on iTunes.)
 
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    THE NEW STRATEGIST

  • Brand Against The Machine – A Book Review

    4 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    After years of relentlessly being inundated by business books overflowing with textbook terms like ‘brand equity’, ‘value proposition’, and ‘positioning statement’, this book was incredibly refreshing and rejuvenating. It cuts through the BS and gives you the tools you need to build a powerful brand TODAY. ‘Brand Against The Machine’ isn’t like any other brand book you’ve ever read. Its chapters are short, and free of fluff. Each one is like an espresso shot of inspiration. The language style is conversational, and injected with humour. Author John Morgan @johnmorgan…

  • Disaster-Related Promotions Never End Well – KFC’s Facebook Fail

    18 Apr 2012 | 10:34 am
    I sure would like to meet the person who thought that THIS would be a good idea. Evidently, some genius over at KFC in Thailand was struck with the inspiration that most people in the country would be too busy monitoring the news for earthquake and tsunami updates to cook, and therefore this would be a great time for everyone to order a bucket of chicken. Seriously, they actually posted this on their Facebook wall: “People should hurry home this evening to monitor the earthquake situation and don’t forget to order the KFC menu, which will be delivered direct to your hands,” Knowing what…

  • Back when I posted this article: Tim Hortons, This is a Mistake...

    14 Feb 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Back when I posted this article: Tim Hortons, This is a Mistake - Renaming Hot Cup Sizes I had no idea that it could be visualized as clearly as it was by the crew over at 22 Minutes. Brilliant.

  • Who Owns the Account? – Navigating the Minefield of Social Ownership

    14 Feb 2012 | 10:26 am
    When your job responsibilities include engaging in social media, are the contacts you make truly yours, or do they belong to the company? It’s a divisive topic for companies who engage in social communications. If you put an employee in the position of representing your brand in social media channels, what happens with that account if that employee leaves your business? How should you set up these accounts, and how ‘personal’ do you make them appear? Recently, the story of PhoneDog and its former employee Noah Kravitz brought forth a shining example of how things can go horribly awry.

  • The Big, Bold Benefits of Blogging for Business

    2 Feb 2012 | 12:53 pm
    A recent eMarketer article told an interesting tale on what marketers are planning for social activity in 2012. Not surprisingly, the majority of respondents marked Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as the top 3 places where they are currently active. After all, these are easily the most talked-about social networks right now, and are poised to continue to be tremendously effective in connecting with customers for the foreseeable future. Blogs came in at #4 on the list. This shouldn’t be too much of a shock, since blogs are one of the oldest forms of ‘social’ on the list, according to how…
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    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…
 
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    PHPForms Blog

  • Find Us on the World Map of 6,886 Web App Logos

    ievgen_leonov
    23 Apr 2012 | 6:57 am
    Have you ever thought about how many web apps there are in the world? Well, enough of them to compose a world map at least. AppAppeal decided to visualise that sort of thing. They used 6,886 web app logos to create an interactive world  mosaic. Each piece of the map is a small icon which opens [...]

  • Announcing the Winner of Contest for Our New Name: ASKRZ.COM!

    phpforms
    11 Apr 2012 | 11:07 am
    A couple of weeks has passed since we started a contest for a new name of our service. We have received over 1000 name suggestions and now we are happy to announce the winner: Askrz.com! The author of this name, Evalyn Allen, will receive a generous prize from us: $150! We hope this new name [...]

  • Email Notifications

    phpforms
    3 Apr 2012 | 1:44 am
    NEW EMAIL NOTIFICATION SYSTEM ON PHPFORMS Our latest updates are all about improving interaction between form admins and users. The new email notification system that has recently appeared on PHPForms can help you solve multiple tasks and save tons of time collecting data with web forms. For example, you may want to know immediately when [...]

  • $150 Contest: New .com Domain Name Wanted!

    phpforms
    29 Mar 2012 | 5:20 am
    PHPForms is coming up to a new phase of its evolution. So, we are announcing contest: suggest a new name for our product and win $150! The contest has already started. You can view details and submit your entry here - http://prizes.org/Name-for-startup?tab=detail. We are looking forward to your brilliant ideas! Who knows, maybe you will be [...]

  • Fresh Design and More Updates from PHPForms

    phpforms
    13 Feb 2012 | 6:40 am
    We keep on improving our product for you and, hopefully, we will never stop doing this. Just a month has passed since the introduction of new features for users of both Free and Advanced plan. Now we’ve got several more necessary updates to your attention: Fresh Design First of all, after logging into your PHPForms [...]
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    JDM » Shameless News

  • A Call for Summer Interns

    Whiteboard
    15 May 2012 | 2:56 pm
    This summer, JDM is offering students a chance to step inside the loopy world of a digital agency with our Summer Internship program. The program lasts 6-8 weeks, is paid (though not very much) and allows interns the chance to complete real, client work -- not busy work.

  • Creative Business Card Inspiration

    Jenee Oxley
    15 May 2012 | 8:46 am
    Even in a digital world, professional business cards are a must for sales and marketing. What better way is there during that critical first meeting to differentiate yourself and leave a lasting, first impression than using a subtle, but creative business card? Here are a few wonderful examples to help get your creative juices flowing. You may even find this workhorse becomes the star of the show.

  • Sneak Peek: New Digital Agency Website

    Jenee Oxley
    14 May 2012 | 9:21 am
    Since 2007, JDM has been re-inventing itself. Today, we're proud to announce the soft launch of JDM 4.0 - the latest iteration of the digital agency. As part of the soft launch, JDM is going forward with a new website, new tagline and streamlined business model.

  • Adland Romance in a Digital Agency

    Jenee Oxley
    11 May 2012 | 1:31 pm
    I just hear about this romantic story of a digital agency romance on Ad Age and we just had to share on such a rainy Texas Friday afternoon.

  • Calculating an Adwords Budget

    Justin
    3 May 2012 | 8:20 pm
    First off, I heart Google Adwords -- big time. After all, it's this cash cow that pays for the Google party. However, while working with a new client recently, we found their super-handy tools a bit lacking when it came to a simple and common question: "How much should I budget for Adwords?" So we did a little mathematical experiment with some surprising results.
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    My Note Taking Nerd » Notes and Posts From The Best Offline & Online Marketing Seminars – MyNoteTakingNerd

  • How To Read A Book In 15 Minutes

    NoteTakingNerd2
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    On the road to personal improvement we meet with the challenge of reading books. In Eben Pagan and Wyatt Woodsmall’s Advanced Learning & Teaching seminar they reveal how to tear through and get the meaningful meat out of books like a beast just like the pro’s do It’s Lewis a.k.a. Nerd #2. Do the opposite of what "they" taught you and read like the most interesting man in world doesIf you hate reading, you’re gonna love what you see here. If you love to read (like I do) and you’ve got 40 books laying around you have only read 1/3 of (like I do) you’re gonna love…

  • Part 2 of 2: Internet Marketing Experts Reveal 27 Ways To Monetize Social Media Marketing

    NoteTakingNerd2
    14 May 2012 | 9:05 am
    Jason Van Orden, who spoke at Dan Kennedy’s social media money magnet internet marketing seminar reveals how to stop jerking your self esteem off with social media and actually start making some money with itHey you,It’s Lewis a.k.a. Nerd #2. As I mentioned in the Part 1 here of this series, Jason has spent 5 years figuring all 27 of these social media monetization strategies out and deploying them in his business. This saves you a ton of time and money in that you don’t have to figure it out on your own but don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to eat this beast in one bite. I believe…

  • Eben Pagan On The Right Mindset To Have When Starting A Business From Scratch

    NoteTakingNerd2
    11 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Internet marketing expert Eben Pagan reveals the 10 key beliefs that separate the winners from the losers when it comes to starting a business from scratch. How many of these beliefs are going to be new to you?Hey You,It’s Lewis a.k.a. Nerd #2. What I’m sharing with you today are the notes on Session 1: “The Right Mindset” from Eben Pagan’s course titled, “How To Build A Profitable Business Starting From Scratch”. In this course Eben lays out strategies, tactics, and lessons that he’s learned from building the several businesses that he has that have brought in more than $100…

  • Part 1 of 2: Internet Marketing Experts Reveals 27 Ways To Monetize Social Media Marketing

    NoteTakingNerd2
    9 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Jason Van Orden, who spoke at Dan Kennedy’s social media money magnet seminar reveals how to stop jerking your self esteem off with social media and actually start making some money with itHey You,It’s Lewis a.k.a. Nerd #2. Stop hoping that the time you’re putting into social media will pay off someday banking on the fact you’ve hopefully built up some good will and use what you see here to make your social media channels put money in your bank account as soon as today. Today is the day you get yourself out of the “Friend Zone” 95% of the people using social media for their…

  • If You Don’t Think, You Don’t Grow Rich

    NoteTakingNerd2
    7 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Personal improvement notes on THE single surefire way to avoid being seen as a bum in the eyes of your peers, your family and your friends Hey You, It’s Lewis a.k.a. Nerd #2.I imagine you’ve heard the passage “Leaders are readers,” before and the speakers who say this usually back this statement up with data like this that I found and revealed here . . . A study by the American Book Sellers Association said that the average business person reads .7 professional books every 5 years. No, that’s not a typo that’s .7 – there are so many people who don’t read that the national…
 
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    Creative Guerrilla Marketing

  • Top 7 Guerrilla Marketing Agencies to Watch in 2012

    Ryan Lum
    15 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    All around the world, businesses both big and small are looking to guerrilla marketing agencies to help market their next big product or service. It’s becoming increasingly harder to capture the attention of potential consumers, so it makes sense that these companies are looking towards guerrilla marketing to help rekindle their love for unconventional marketing strategy. The advertising and marketing industry has been quickly turning towards online and mobile. In a recent 2012 study by hubspot, smartphone users will reach over 106.7 million, 2/3 of web users will use social networks…

  • How to Prevent Urinators from Peeing in Amsterdam Canals

    Ryan Lum
    14 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Amsterdam water supplier Waternet wanted to discourage people from urinating in the city’s canals during national holiday Queen’s Day in April. In order to discourage people from urinating in the canals, Waternet hired agency Achtung! to do a little campaign that people would be very eager to try. They created several brightly colored urinals that would be very hard to miss. The urinal contained 4 stalls that were connected to a digital screen that turned peeing into a race. Each stall measured the amount of of urine and then displayed the amount on a digital screen to see who…

  • Quechua Facebook Timeline Flipbook Campaign

    Xath Cruz
    11 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Have you done this before? Draw an image of a cartoon character on several pages of your notebook. Then quickly flip the pages to create the illusion that the character you drew is moving? It is actually the same process used by old Disney cartoons. That’s how they were able to create 2D animated movies. That is the same process used by Quechua when they created the very first TV commercial. About Quechua and the Campaign Quechua creates eco-friends apparel, accessories and gears for mountain hiking. They are well distributed in Europe. The intention of the campaign is to set the brand…

  • EXTREME Projection Mapping on a Snowboard Mountain

    Xath Cruz
    10 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    I could almost hear the brand manager of the clothing line Inhabitant saying “I want to create the biggest fashion show for a winter collection. How do we do that?” The Creative Director of Eness goes, “Oh, that’s easy. Let’s color a mountain.” That’s Exactly What They Did Using a snow mapping software, Inhabitant and Eness colored the Mt. Naeba in Japan. They also created colourful patterns that interact with the snowboarders when they fly, land and slide down the ramp. Audience were also given an iPhone app that allows them to interact with the visuals. This is supposedly the…

  • Become a Superhero by Using The Avengers AR App

    Xath Cruz
    9 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    It’s been a while since I watched a movie that made me feel like I want to jump into the movie screen and join in the action. I first felt it when I watched Star Wars. I literally wanted to help Obi Wan Kenobe and Luke Skywalker fight the bad guys. I felt that again in Avengers. I was imagining what my costume would be like when I stand with them in that glorious circle. That’s all that will ever be, of course… an imagination. What I can do now, however, is download an augmented reality app that will give me the next best thing, a chance to get the characters to fight in a video game.
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    Callis & Associates - Marketing Blog

  • Never Stop Prospecting

    Rachel Michael
    13 May 2012 | 9:54 pm
    What’s the most important goal for any small business?  Sustained growth in clients and numbers.  What’s the best way to achieve this?  Never stop prospecting! For many small businesses starting out, growing their client base is crucial, but when their client list and numbers start to grow, they often let prospecting fall to the wayside.  Prospecting is important, because it keeps your business in front of your potential clients and “keeps your funnel full,” as our company President would say.  Keeping your marketing funnel full means putting new prospects in,…

  • Facebook Advertising: Too Much Opportunity to Ignore

    Charlyn Callis
    3 May 2012 | 9:12 am
    Do you know how many Facebook users there are today and how that number can affect communication with your target audience? Facebook recently reported that over 500 million of their 900 million users log in to their account each day; again that was 500 million people log in every day! Have you thought about using Facebook advertising to reach your target audience? You should. There is a huge opportunity for marketers to integrate Facebook advertising into their current marketing program. Have you researched the number of Facebook users in your target markets to see what the potential is? Are…

  • 2012 NRA Annual Meeting - It’s a Super Focus Group

    Jim Shoemaker
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:46 am
    Downtown St. Louis Missouri was a hopping place this past weekend, hosting a St. Louis Cardinals baseball game, a St. Louis Blues Hockey game and the largest consumer-centered shooting sports show in the country - the NRA Annual Meeting and Exhibits.  But if visitors thought coming inside the America’s Center would help them avoid the crowd, they were sadly mistaken.  From the opening bell at 9am on Friday, April 13th, shoulder to shoulder crowds filled the exhibition floor as the 2012 session of the NRA Annual Meeting began. In January, shooting sports manufacturers were able to…

  • Hold Onto Those Bad Ideas!

    Chris Young
    10 Apr 2012 | 2:25 pm
    Ideas come to me all the time.  I immediately strike some down as bad, while others take a while (and maybe input from others) to be culled out.  Only a small fraction of those ideas ever survive the cut.  I assume the same holds true for you.  What happens to those you don’t pursue?  A chance stumbling across a piece of my past made me take a new look at the value of those thoughts. Seventeen years ago today, Spring Internet World ‘95 marked the commercial Internet’s coming out party, where the business world took charge.  With over 27,000 attendees and 192 companies…

  • Collaborate. Upgrade. Streamline.

    Elmer Ragus
    29 Mar 2012 | 10:50 am
    For the year 2012, I chose Collaborate, Upgrade and Streamline as my focus words to guide my professional and my personal life. The first two have to do with my natural tendencies while the last one is more about implementing what I have learned from the first two activities. For as long as I can remember, I can spend hours and hours engaging in solitary activities like reading, writing, drawing anddaydreaming. In fact, while writing this blog, I am sitting here thinking about my favorite spot for “hiding out” in my backyard when I was ten years old. It was there where I read so many…
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    Richard Moloney's Blog

  • Affiliate Marketing Part 9 – Benefits of Being an Affiliate Marketer

    Richard
    14 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Welcome to all my readers both new and returning.  If you have not already done so why not sign up to my RSS feed for notification of when I post new posts here. This is the ninth post in a series of posts about Affiliate Marketing.  I intend to publish these each Monday and Friday and may also publish other non related posts on Wednesdays. Benefits of Being an Affiliate Marketer Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective ways to advertise online.  It is also an easy way for anyone with a website to make a profit online.  Affiliate Marketing is an agreement between the product owner…

  • Affiliate Marketing Part 8 – Qualities for Success

    Richard
    11 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Welcome to all my readers both new and returning.  If you have not already done so why not sign up to my RSS feed for notification of when I post new posts here. This is the seventh post in a series of posts about Affiliate Marketing.  I intend to publish these each Monday and Friday and may also publish other non related posts on Wednesdays. 5 Qualities You Must Have to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing Having read the headline above you are now probably asking yourself what are the 5 qualities you must have to become a success with Affiliate Marketing. The first quality is the willingness to…

  • Affiliate Marketing Part 7 – Have You Got What It Takes To Be An Affiliate Marketer Contd.

    Richard
    7 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Welcome to all my readers both new and returning.  If you have not already done so why not sign up to my RSS feed for notification of when I post new posts here. This is the seventh post in a series of posts about Affiliate Marketing.  I intend to publish these each Monday and Friday and may also publish other non related posts on Wednesdays. Have You Got What It Takes To Be An Affiliate Marketer Contd. Do not look at every one of them because marketing is all about attracting you to look at the sales page and to get you to park with your hard earned cash.  You should learn how to and to…

  • Affiliate Marketing Part 6 – Have You Got What It Takes To Be An Affiliate Marketer

    Richard
    4 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    Welcome to all my readers both new and returning.  If you have not already done so why not sign up to my RSS feed for notification of when I post new posts here. This is the sixth post in a series of posts about Affiliate Marketing.  I intend to publish these each Monday and Friday and may also publish other non related posts on Wednesdays. Have You Got What It Takes To Be An Affiliate Marketer Everyone has their own interests or hobbies.  Some like reading books, other people like gardening, music, sports or pets.  The range of interests is very wide.  These things help us to relax and…

  • Affiliate Marketing Part 5 – Essential Tools for the Successful Affiliate Marketer

    Richard
    30 Apr 2012 | 3:00 am
    Welcome to all my readers both new and returning.  If you have not already done so why not sign up to my RSS feed for notification of when I post new posts here. This is the fifth post in a series of posts about Affiliate Marketing.  I intend to publish these each Monday and Friday and may also publish other non related posts on Wednesdays. Essential Tools for the Successful Affiliate Marketer How do you become a successful Affiliate Marketer?  What do you need for success?  Are there any shortcuts to success?  These and other questions are what new Affiliate Marketers who want to become…
 
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    Dukeo

  • You Can Still Make Huge Money Online

    Sté Kerwer
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    You know the internet once held the potential to make people wealthy. As you contemplate your own online venture you might find yourself wondering if that is still possible. The answer is that yes it can be. You have to work at it and you have to have patience, but you can still make huge money in online endeavors. Knowing where to start and how to work the process is the first step in seeing that goal achieved. Develop a niche: You will never make a name for yourself or achieve success if you simply copy what everyone else is doing. You need to find something that is unique and in demand.

  • 10 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Work In Affiliate Marketing

    Sté Kerwer
    15 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Thinking about diving into the deep end and trying a little of that affiliate marketing stuff? Think again. Here are 10 reasons why you shouldn’t work in affiliate marketing. It’s lonely: When you work in an office you’re surrounded by people – the secretary who crunches crackers all day and smells like peanut butter, the whining co-worker who shares your cubicle (and your air!), the grumpy boss who’s always yelling and never washes his hair. But when you’re an affiliate marketer, you miss all that contact. You’re working from home, all alone, with…

  • Is Your Blog Traffic Going to Last Forever? No!

    Sté Kerwer
    15 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    If you think your blog traffic is going to last forever, just stop blogging for a month, then go check your stats. First, though, get your phone,dial 9-1-1, and be ready to hit the ‘call’ button. You’re going to need it. But before we start talking about whether or not your blog traffic will last forever, let’s define ‘forever.’ Do you mean will it last until the end of time? Or are you just wondering if your traffic will last for the next year? Or 6 months? Or will it even still be there next week?! There are a number of reasons your blog traffic…

  • Affiliate Program Management: An Hour A Day

    Sté Kerwer
    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    When I was in Las Vegas for Affiliate Summit West 2012 in January, I got the chance to meet face to face with a lot of people that I know through online communications. It was very interesting to finally put a face on the names I knew and the words I’ve been reading online. One of the persons I met is Evgenii “Geno” Prussakov. Geno is the guy behind the affiliate marketing blog AM Navigator, for which he was named Best Affiliate Blogger in 2010. Geno is an award-winning affiliate management expert and founder of an affiliate management and consulting company called…

  • How To Make Money Online Building Niche Websites

    Sté Kerwer
    14 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    I love building niche websites. I think, of all the different ways there are to make money online, building niche websites has to be one of my favorites. It’s fun, it’s interesting, and it’s fast paced. And you don’t get bored blogging about the same old thing day after day after day… Here’s how I make money online building niche websites. First you have to find a niche A lot of people think this is a complicated process but to me, this is the fun part. I have little sticky notes covered with niche ideas scattered all over my desk. I could probably build…
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    Fix Your Broken Marketing

  • Tuesday Travels: Cool Tools for Creatives

    Jodi
    15 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    Aerogel crayons (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Today, a choice of cool tools, from making your email easier, to faster web site production, and beautifying your site. Choice Response - Lets you send multiple choice emails (making it easier for people to respond; they just click an option). It’s a bookmarklet that you add to your browser. Currently only works with Gmail, but other options (Apple mail, Outlook, iPhone, Hotmail and Yahoo are in the works). Breezi - A simple (really!) way to create web sites. Just drag, drop, and edit (like you would in a word processor). Love the sly…

  • Friday Fun: Man vs. Goose (with Light Sabers)

    Jodi
    11 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    Thanks to Pat Ferdinandi for pointing this out. Get your own three step marketing plan. Email me for details.

  • Why Your Marketing Should Be More Like Bacon

    Jodi
    10 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    bacon rasher(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Do you like bacon?  Most people do.  In fact, you probably like it much better than say brussels sprouts.  Or kale. But most marketing is full of vegetables (with not nearly enough bacon). For example, say your business is growing and you need a part-time bookkeeper.  You hate working with numbers, and wrestling with them is taking hours out of your day. If you’re going to think about numbers, you’d much rather figure out how to buy that new Macbook you have your eye on. So you talk to some people and get some recommendations for…

  • Tuesday Travels: Google Hangouts on Air for Everyone

    Jodi
    8 May 2012 | 9:09 am
    Drawing of a TV studio Camera (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Google Plus Hangouts just got even better.  They’re rolling out Hangouts on Air across the world.  Hangouts on Air let you record, save, and broadcast your hangouts. You can hold seminars, teach a class, hold a concert, a webinar, host a user group meeting, But, with great power comes great responsibility.  Here are a few new rules. Next, some technical advice and tips (mikes, dry runs, reducing echo). Here are detailed instructions on how to start a Hangout on Air, plus some marketing tips. And, the official announcement from…

  • Friday Fun: Shoot the Serif

    Jodi
    4 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    Design Blog Sociale - 4th June 2009 - I shot the serif by Tom Gabor (Photo credit: SOCIALisBETTER) Try to shoot the serif (but do not shoot the deputy). Shoot the Serif Fonts Get your own three step marketing plan. Email me for details.
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    Business Value Matters: Marketing Blog from KEXINO

  • Marketing for Start-Ups and SMEs

    Gee
    9 May 2012 | 3:56 am
    Just completed a new promotional video for KEXINO. Take a look and let me know what you think (if you can’t see the video below, then click here). The old one (you can watch it here) was getting to be a bit long in the tooth. We did it over two years ago, and I think it’s showing its age. We wanted something more contemporary, and more suited to our focus on providing marketing services for start-ups and SMEs (small-to-medium sized enterprises). Initial reactions from the people I’ve shown it to have been overwhelmingly positive. Most prefer it to the old one. What do you…

  • Marketing Your Business Means Simplifying Your Business

    Gee
    3 May 2012 | 5:35 am
    It’s very difficult to keep things simple when devising a marketing plan for your business. The temptation is always to tell your audience as much about your product or service as you can. To go into all the minutiae – technical specifications, features and so on. It’s a natural reaction. You’re living your product / service every day. You’re (hopefully) passionate about why you’re doing what you’re doing, and want everyone to know how wonderful whatever it is that you’re selling. Simplifying things presents a danger that you don’t mention something that you feel is…

  • Change Your Business? Change Your Perceptions

    Gee
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:16 pm
    Change is inevitable. Unless it’s from a vending machine. The change in the way that customers expect businesses to be is causing a lot of companies to rethink who they are and what they do. Don’t get me wrong, most are not doing it for the love of their customers! They’re doing it because they’re hurting. Many organizations can see that the path that they’re currently on, with regards to customer interaction and establishing trust, needs work. They’re seeing it manifest in terms of their sales figures, in terms of employee churn, staff morale, and so on. So Management need to be…

  • The New Definition Of Business Marketing

    Gee
    20 Apr 2012 | 7:35 am
    In the old days the summers were longer, telephones had wires and you could leave the front door unlocked all day. In the old days of business, Management’s job was to run the company. The Engineering department was responsible for inventing the product. Then the Manufacturing department built the product. Then the Marketing department marketed the product. Then the Sales department sold it. Everyone had their own, very specific (and very insulated) role to play. Not only that, it was easy to blame someone upstream if something went wrong. “Hey, I’m just the marketer!

  • Selling Margarita Pizza Is Boring

    Gee
    11 Apr 2012 | 9:37 am
    I used to work at a company where the staff meetings were called “Pizza Meetings”. The meetings were held straight after lunch. To make sure that everyone came, the company would buy us all pizza. We’d munch on a slice or two, chat with colleagues about the day’s events, then head to the conference room for the staff meeting. The place where they bought the pizzas didn’t offer a huge choice of toppings, so they’d be selection of all the options available. However, of the various toppings on offer the most popular choice (and the one that always ran out…
 
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    Art of Marketing

  • Mother's Day Marketing

    Daniel A. Cavazos
    2 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    Mother’s day is right around the corner and small businesses everywhere are gearing up for the big influx of money!  Well if you are a restaurant, flower shop, jewelry store or macaroni manufacturer.  You know kindergarten teachers everywhere are stocking up on their macaroni for all of the Mother’s day macaroni art.  I don’t have kids yet but they still do that right?  Anyway that is beside the point.  What I would like to say is that there are endless opportunities to garner attention and purchases, regardless of what it is you are selling.  If you…

  • Marketing Marathon: Why You Should Sign Up

    Daniel A. Cavazos
    4 Feb 2012 | 12:20 pm
    The 6th annual Michelob Ultra El Paso Marathon is happening tomorrow and I considered putting my legs and mind through that ringer in order to say I did it and feel that sense of accomplishment.  But I started questioning if a marathon was right for me since the longest distance I’ve run so far has been a slow 10 miles- and it was not even a fully-conscious decision.  A college roommate woke me up one morning and in my half-asleep stupor, convinced me that running ten miles that morning after our party the night before was the best idea in the world; he being in the Army was very…

  • How to: Event Marketing

    Daniel A. Cavazos
    26 Dec 2011 | 9:16 pm
    We would all agree that there is by no means any shortage of events for your businesses to attend.  From comic books to rocket science, there is a demand for functions that facilitate the coming together of the like-minded, as well as those that service and provide to them.  That demand exists on the service provider side because events are still one of the most formidable tools in lead generation for any size business.  People flock to conferences to discuss the matter at hand and agree on problems, priorities and solutions.  Service providers benefit by engaging their…

  • Local Search Engine Strategy- Local Citations

    Daniel A. Cavazos
    20 Sep 2011 | 8:17 am
    If your business caters to a local area and not national, I hope you are already aware of the importance of employing a Local Search Engine Strategy.  Optimizing local directories are the most effective and least expensive.  Unless you decide to hire a marketing firm to specially optimize your listings, this task is basically free.  Of course there are upgrades for visibility, none of which I am convinced are necessary at this time.Start with Google, the most noticeable, and then move on to claiming and optimizing the following local listing directories:Yahoo -…

  • Nielsen 2011 Q3- Top 4 Most Interesting Stats

    Daniel A. Cavazos
    17 Sep 2011 | 12:19 pm
    Nielsen has just released a recent report on what has been on everyone’s mind (and computer screens) in the recent months- Social Media.  It shows recent social media stats as of Q3 2011, and since we can all infer things like social networks and blogs being the dominate destination, I’ve summarized the report to the 4 statistics I found most interesting. 40% OF SOCIAL MEDIA USERS ARE MOBILE This is interesting because there are many business owners that have done plenty to bolster their social media presence but still do nothing to utilize or optimize their websites for mobile…
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    Internet Marketing and Advertising Gainesville, Florida

  • How a Penguin Can Affect Your Website

    Ken Mears
    10 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    Google's Recent Algo Update: The Penguin UpdateJust in case you are not an Internet Marketing Industry expert like us over here at Online Potential (and if you’re not, that’s OK, we LOVE this stuff), Google recently unveiled a new algorithm update that had a much larger effect on websites than that of their normal updates (side note: Google made over 600 algo updates last year alone). This update was dubbed the Penguin update, and in short, the update was designed to eliminate several issues Google felt are tarnishing Search Engine Result Pages (SERPs). The main issue at hand is…

  • How to Generate Great Content Topics Your Audience Will Love

    Ken Mears
    30 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    Create Great Content for Your AudienceWhenever you create a new piece of content, your first step should always be to select the topic for your new piece of content, all the time and every time. But what is the most effective way of selecting topics? Oftentimes, simply picking a topic that you feel is relevant to your business is not the most effective selection process. In order to tune in to what your audience wants and needs to hear about, you will want to perform keyword research. Keyword research will allow you to determine what your audience is searching for, which in turn, gives you an…

  • Why Your Writing Style May Not Be Right for Your Audience

    Will Kelly
    16 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am
    Are you writing for you, or for your audience?When writing content, you may think that the best method is to write something that will appeal to the highest amount of people as possible. After all, the goal of content writing is to appeal to as much of your audience as possible. But when it comes to content writing, it is more important to appeal to the right people than it is to appeal to everyone. Different styles of music, movies, and books target different audiences, so why should content writing be any different?One of the most important things to remember when writing content is who…

  • Small Business Growth: Find Inspiration!

    Herb Jones
    11 Apr 2012 | 7:02 am
    Growing a small business is downright HARD to do.  Owners are often wearing a variety of “hats”, from CEO, to bookkeeper to part-time janitor.  Taking time to stop staring at the ‘bark on thePayne's Prairie - a GREAT place to thinktrees’ and survey the whole forest (i.e. look at the BIG picture) can be extremely difficult.   The flip side of that is that if you don’t step outside of your business and make time to build strategy, develop a SWOT Analysis and chart a path to success, your business is doomed to fail.  Your business NEEDS you to make time for…

  • The First Thing Every Business Owner Wants to Know Is…

    Herb Jones
    2 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am
    The Science of Marketing at Online PotentialI speak to business owners all the time:  at speaking events, luncheons, chamber events and on the phone.  Most of the conversations generally center around their problems:they don’t like their websitescompetitors are outranking them on Googleno way to track performance and especially Return On Investment (ROI).Eventually the conversations turn back to us here at Online Potential and without fail, the first question that I get is “So, what is it that you guys DO?”Reading between the lines, the question really becomes “How can Online…
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    BPWrap

  • A Good Reputation Is Critical For A Successful Leader

    Barry Welford
    12 May 2012 | 4:18 pm
    The Nature of Leadership To be a successful leader, it is important to understand what that entails.  You might assume that reading a book with that title by an eminent author such as Stephen Covey would provide the answer.  However a review of that book by one customer runs as follows: What an incredible adventure for the mind and the eye.  The pictures enhance the concept of leadership and the concept of leadership enhances the meaning within the pictures. That enigmatic book perhaps illustrates the difficulty of defining what makes a successful leader.  We all know a…

  • 3 Reasons to Stop Writing for SEO

    Barry Welford
    11 May 2012 | 2:56 pm
    This is a guest post by Amelia Wood. The Atlantic recently made an interesting announcement. Announcing a swerve away from the tried and true models on web writing, the online news association has recently stopped caring about SEO. Instead, the company is focusing on, dare we say it… actual readers, to catapult their articles to viral status, drive links to their site, and increase Google rankings. This may seem the result of luck. Maybe the paper has such a high status that they no longer need to do SEO behind the scenes to get the articles viewed? Possible. But what’s more probable it…

  • Beyond PageRank: Analytic Metrics that Do More

    Barry Welford
    6 May 2012 | 4:07 pm
    This is a guest post by Eliza Morgan. If you’ve been in the blogging or SEO business for a while, PageRank is likely your preferred metric that you use to test the quality of your sites. Of course, PageRank has been the standard for several years now, and it’s definitely important to do all you can to keep your PageRank number high. At the same time, however, a site that’s ranked high using PageRank can be a very poorly executed site, while a stellar site can still have a low PageRank. Here are a few other metrics you should look at to see how you can improve your site to…

  • Why All Businesses Need Reputation Changer’s Services – Even Farms

    Barry Welford
    16 Apr 2012 | 3:14 pm
    Reputation management has become an integral and pervasive aspect of marketing in the modern world. Just how pervasive is it, you ask? Pervasive enough that even farms have gotten in on the action. The agricultural industry – probably one of the last industries you’d expect to jump on board with the latest online technology – has turned to reputation management in a big way. And that’s really not so difficult to understand. After all, consumers in this day and age are better informed, and given a wider array of options, than ever before. That even comes to the food…

  • Beating Panda Updates – An Internet Marketing Guide

    Barry Welford
    25 Mar 2012 | 11:35 am
    This is a guest post by Angelita Williams. At the end of last month, Google released yet another Panda update which, according to Google’s blog, focused on the continuing improvement of systems such as "related searches, sitelinks, autocomplete, UI elements, indexing, synonyms, SafeSearch, and more. Each individual change is subtle and important, and over time they add up to a radically improved search engine." But while Google is celebrating their advance in search engine capability, business owners and online marketers groan – because Google’s update means more…
 
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    {three60} marketing

  • What happens in Vegas shouldn't stay in Vegas - How to make the most of trade shows

    Nate Hirshberg
    25 Apr 2012 | 10:43 am
    I've been to Las Vegas for two different trade shows in the past month. Although the city has a notorious reputation for debauchery, it's also an unparalleled hub for business. If you're going to any trade show, whether in Vegas or at your local VFW hall, there are a few things to consider to ensure a successful experience.1. Even if you can't afford a booth, the first step is to show up. Purchase an attendee badge (or see if they have a free option available) so you can at least walk the floor to network with potential customers and conduct some competitive research.2. If you have…

  • How To Make An Impact With Your Marketing

    Nate Hirshberg
    2 Apr 2012 | 3:24 pm
    At Harbortouch, it is our M.O. to shake up the industry on a fairly regular basis. We have been widely acknowledged for our ground-breaking initiatives since 2004, when the company forever changed the credit card processing industry with the launch of the first free credit card terminal program. Prior to this initiative, merchants had to purchase or lease their processing equipment at a cost of hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. For obvious reasons, our free option made quite a splash, quickly becoming the industry standard while vaulting us to #19 on the Inc. 500 list of fastest…

  • Create A Brand Ecosystem

    Nate Hirshberg
    6 Mar 2012 | 3:13 pm
    I recently saw a quote from Google CEO Eric Schmidt describing the fact that consumers now choose which "ecosystem" they want to buy into when selecting their mobile phones, tablets and other gadgets - currently a choice between Google, Apple and Microsoft. The concept of a consumer ecosystem is an interesting one, and it goes well beyond the technology sector. In fact, a wide range of businesses can utilize a similar approach to their own operations.Whatever your business, consider creating an ecosystem for your customers (although you may have to stretch the definition a bit). This could…

  • Super Ads - What You Can Learn From This Year's Super Bowl Commercials

    Nate Hirshberg
    23 Jan 2012 | 9:47 am
    Not only is the Super Bowl the championship game between the top NFL teams; it is also the championship of advertising. It's the big leagues of the ad world. It's the event that allows every advertising agency, Fortune 500 company and ambitious (and well-financed) start-up to strut their stuff on a national scale, to compete for the minds of tens of millions of viewers. Many people even consider the commercials the best part of the Super Bowl.Despite all the fanfare associated with this annual media event, the Super Bowl is the great catch-22 of the marketing world. The problem is that…

  • Less is More - Simplicity is Key for Effective Marketing

    Nate Hirshberg
    17 Jan 2012 | 9:42 am
    The accepted truth in landing page design is that simplicity is the best practice. One theme, a concise message, a clear call to action. Many experts even say that all links to other pages on your site should be removed from landing pages. Essentially, you want to eliminate all distractions so you can dictate exactly what your site visitor focuses on.So why not follow this strategy for your other marketing efforts? Oftentimes, companies try to inundate customers with all the great things about their product or service through their various marketing channels. Countless ads, commercials, press…
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    Craig Lingard | Internet Marketing Blog

  • Barbados Wedding Trip

    Craig
    14 May 2012 | 6:19 am
    Craig Lingard Internet Marketing Blog featuring tools, tips and strategies to help you build your business online. Barbados 2012 Slideshow: Craig’s trip from London, England, United Kingdom to 5 cities Bridgetown, Newquay, St Lawrence Gap, Bathsheba and Oistins Bay (near Maxwell, Barbados) was created by TripAdvisor. See another United Kingdom slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

  • The Yahoo! Answers Strategy

    Craig
    3 Apr 2012 | 12:52 pm
    Craig Lingard Internet Marketing Blog featuring tools, tips and strategies to help you build your business online. My colleague and guest blogger David Carmichael is contributing a total of ten posts over the next few months aimed at providing techniques for marketing your online business. In this third post, David looks at The Yahoo! Answers Strategy. The third technique in effective website promotion is through the use of a simple “who would ever thought of” tool – the Yahoo! Answers feature of Yahoo. Launched in 2005, this question and answer community site allows people to ask…

  • Social Bookmarking

    Craig
    13 Jan 2012 | 12:37 pm
    Craig Lingard Internet Marketing Blog featuring tools, tips and strategies to help you build your business online. My colleague and guest blogger David Carmichael is contributing a total of ten posts over the next few months aimed at providing techniques for marketing your online business. In this second post, David looks at Social Bookmarking. In the field of website promotions, links are not enough. And most of the time, web masters go through the season of waiting, where they just watch and wait for that visitor to come. Sadly this happens most of the time. The sigmoid curve applies to…

  • Article Marketing

    David
    24 Oct 2011 | 1:18 pm
    Craig Lingard Internet Marketing Blog featuring tools, tips and strategies to help you build your business online. My colleague and guest blogger David Carmichael will be contributing a total of ten posts over the next few months aimed at providing techniques for marketing your online business. In this first post, David looks at Article Marketing. Most business experts agree that marketing is everything. This art comes first in every business venture. Marketing blends and integrates all the functions of the business together and presents them to customers in the form of advertising, promotion…

  • Facebook Shops

    Craig
    14 Sep 2011 | 7:46 am
    Craig Lingard Internet Marketing Blog featuring tools, tips and strategies to help you build your business online. My company, Innovate Web Media Limited, have just launched a new service to help entrepreneurs sell goods from their Facebook Fanpage. We can now setup a shop right in the Fanpage which shows images of the products with a description and price and a link directly to the product on your website. You can find an example of this at Wooden Gifts By Laura. When you arrive on the fanpage, look for the link called “My Shop” underneath the fanpage image. Click on this and…
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    Creative Development

  • What is the value of a sales lead?

    Robert Steers
    15 May 2012 | 12:54 am
    Almost every business in the world has the need of sales and marketing. Some businesses tend to simply advertise and conduct promotions to seek new clients whereas others look for leads which can then lead to sales. Generating leads is an integral aspect of sales and marketing for more than 80% of small, medium and large businesses globally. The advertisements of reputed brands that we see on TV form only a fraction of the global giants. Small to medium companies do not have the luxury of carrying out large scale advertising programs hence sales leads play a defining role in the business’…

  • How to make a Google+ Page

    Robert Steers
    15 May 2012 | 12:53 am
    SEO has redefined the world of marketing. If experts are to be believed and if statistics are any sign of the foreseeable future then SEO would become even more important than TV, on road promotions and events in the near future. Now that SEO and marketing has become synonymous, there is a need to look at areas whereby a business can truly benefit from online marketing by using SEO tools such as the Google +.While many would consider Google + to be an online social network, which is not wrong at all, yet we would like to consider it as an SEO and marketing tool. The simple reason being that a…

  • The Top Mobile Broadband Speeds

    Robert Steers
    15 May 2012 | 12:53 am
    Broadband plays an integral role in our lives today. As a matter of fact, it has even more implications and applications than we would consciously know or agree with. With the world being driven by a digital economy, citizens across the globe relying on internet to live their lives and businesses turning to mobile marketing to secure growth and sustainability, it is possibly a good time to look at some of the best mobile broadband speeds.Now, mobile broadband is a little different than conventional broadband that has direct access and connectivity with fiber optics networks. With mobile…

  • Hospitality SEO

    Robert Steers
    13 May 2012 | 8:46 pm
    No industry in the world is immune to the influence of SEO. Whether we talk about five star luxurious hotels or budget accommodation options, there is a need for everyone in the hospitality industry to have a solid SEO strategy. SEO has been widely regarded as a great marketing tool. However, some people are still of the opinion that getting a higher rank on search engines need not necessarily increase traffic. There is a further counterpoint that even with higher traffic or clicks, not many hotels manage to get a lot of successful bookings. All such aspects can be clearly deciphered by…

  • How to recover from Google Penguin

    Robert Steers
    10 May 2012 | 7:33 pm
    Google Penguin is the latest update from Google that may have impacted your SEO abilities. The update was aimed at keyword stuffing and “non-sensical” wording to get people to websites that are unrelated. It is called a spamming tactic, but your website may have been affected by this change. So what can you do? Correcting from the Penguin update is about smarter SEO. The first thing you can do is to create “microsites.” These are small, niche focused websites that provide topic related information. To provide more quality information on the internet, which is Google’s aim, you are…
 
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    Blue Door Consulting: Out of the Blue

  • Save Early and Save Often

    Tyler Reinhard
    24 Apr 2012 | 7:53 am
    Exploring a world of information that should get the same [backup] love as the rest of your data…How much data do you store in the cloud?  If you’re like most people, a lot more than you did 5 years ago, and probably a lot more than you realize.  Nearly every common online service stores data.  Social media accounts, web-based email and document storage, calendars, blogs, etc.  But is that data safe?  We all back up our data stored locally on our computers and servers (we do all back up that data regularly… right?), but what about all the stuff in the…

  • The Business Wisdom of Hall & Oates.

    Matt Vanderlinden
    16 Apr 2012 | 5:03 pm
    In this post, Matt Vanderlinden takes a second to consider the simple challenge of saying "no"...Daryl Hall and John Oates have been writing music for a long time. Their first album, Whole Oats, came out way back in 1972. And while they’re known around the world for their string of monster pop hits, I just recently discovered that they have a real knack for personal productivity coaching.What am I talking about? I’m talking about the prophetic lyrics of 1981’s “I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do).” Specifically, the last part of the song:"Oh, I can't go for that, (No can do)Oh, no,…

  • Periodic Table of Visualization Methods

    Ann Padley
    6 Apr 2012 | 1:35 pm
    “Seriously guys, I geek out over this stuff."...It seems that some days my caffeine intake goes directly to the right side of my brain, leaving the left in blissful, dormant slumber. So I was skeptical when Kathleen A. Paris, Ph.D used the words “Periodic Table of” and “Visualization Methods” in the same phrase. As it turns out, this Periodic Table of Visualization is a real thing and it is a right-brainers dream come true.View TableThe table above was developed by www.visual-literacy.org. Click on it to get a closer look.Here are my favorite aspects: It lists 100 ways to…

  • What Facebook is Really Trying to Tell Brands.

    Matt Vanderlinden
    19 Mar 2012 | 9:02 am
    In this post, Matt Vanderlinden talks about the real message brands should be getting from Facebook...You’d have to have been living in a yurt somewhere in the middle of Mongolia to have missed Facebook’s announcement about their new brand pages a few weeks ago. Who am I kidding? Your chances were still about 50/50 depending on your cell phone provider. But that’s neither here nor there. The point is the announcement was big, and there was a lot of talk about features and user interface changes. And immediately afterwards, the mad scramble to update images and adjust custom apps…

  • Pinterest – love at first sight!

    Leah
    8 Mar 2012 | 5:57 pm
    In this post, Leah Van Rooy will tell you about the new social media platform called Pinterest and why you are going to love it ...Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest. You’ve heard the name all over the place, but what is it and why should you care?From the moment I signed-up it was love at first sight -- sight, being the key word there.  Pinterest is all about visuals.  It is a virtual bulletin board for you to ‘pin’ all of your favorite things and inspirations. Think of it as the front of your refrigerator, full of the stuff you love (pictures of your family, recipes you want to…
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    Web Design Dublin

  • Copywriting 101-Why “Mans Head Explodes in Barber’s Chair” Beats “Read My Latest Blog Post”

    admin
    13 May 2012 | 5:53 am
    80% of people who land on your website will glance at the titles of your content. Only 20% will then go ahead and actually read the full article or post. The benefit of good titles is that what you have to say gets read.   Bad, uninteresting, boring titles will see your content being swamped [...]

  • Marketing Your Small Business on the Internet-Outsource It

    admin
    13 May 2012 | 2:07 am
    If you are one of the small business owners who “get it”-who understands the potential power of the internet to market your small business-but are unsure where to start Web Design Dublin have good news for you. Outsource it.   Consider this: internet marketing and exploiting the power of the internet to promote your business [...]

  • The Power of Permission Marketing

    admin
    12 May 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Permission marketing, a phrase coined by an internet marketing genius called Seth Godin (founder of Squidoo and former President of direct marketing at Yahoo), describes the solution to the problem of the growing ineffectiveness of traditional advertising. Interruption marketing   Traditional marketing, which could also be called interruption marketing, relies on interrupting people in their [...]

  • How to Avoid Being Ripped Off When Getting a Website for Your Small Business

    admin
    5 May 2012 | 4:10 pm
    When I was out this morning for my morning walk I noticed that a small tyre repair business which I pass on my route had a nice new web address emblazoned on the side of the owner’s van. I resolved to take a look at the site when I got home because I am a [...]

  • The Seven Principles of Persuasion that Should Be At Work on Your Website

    admin
    29 Apr 2012 | 3:11 pm
    The psychology of persuasion has been exercised in all types of arenas from prisoner of war camps to quasi religious cults to the science of selling and the marketplace. Since time immemorial there have been a number of fundamentals of influence that have worked, and continue to work, to persuade others of our point of [...]
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    Marketing Ideas OnQ | Marketing Blog

  • Leveraging Promotional Products For Your Business

    Matt Powers
    8 May 2012 | 1:49 am
    Guest Post by Matt Powers Promotional products make up only five percent of global advertising spending yet it is a $17.4 billion market.  Over 2.5 million product searches are conducted per month for the more than 800,000 product options.  Why are these advertising items so popular and how can I leverage these hidden gems for my business? The Money Promotional products have the lowest cost per impression and are the best shot of getting the most bang for your buck.  According to the 2010 Global Advertising Specialties Impressions Study, the cost per impression of a promotional item was…

  • Twitter Hashtags that Backfired into PR Disasters

    Jon Devine
    29 Apr 2012 | 4:06 pm
    Locally...Qantas had a little trouble on Twitter A good reputation takes hard work, patience, and persistence while a bad reputation can be formed overnight with social media like twitter.  Brands really need to focus on connecting with consumers in a genuine way because, if they don’t, they will throw the brands under the bus.  Here are 6 top hashtags that backfired: Kenneth Cole – Keeping up with current events could have an effect on your business.  Fashion designer Kenneth Cole found this out after a tweet that said “Millions are in uproar in #Cairo.  Rumor is they heard our new…

  • Social TV and a few Opportunities for Brands

    Quentin Aisbett
    24 Apr 2012 | 8:43 pm
    We realised not that long ago that the biggest distraction to our loyal television followship was not outside activity, it wasn’t family discussion, it was the mobile phone. We all do it don’t we? The moment the show lacks a little something we check our phones. It might not even be the fact that the show is struggling, we might be texting, Facebook messaging or posting something about the show. Either way the trend worried the hell out of the television industry. It was to be the start of a slow death for television. But like Lazarus, TV has risen to unprecedented levels of…

  • How to Write Content Your Audience Wants to Read

    Jacob Dawson
    12 Apr 2012 | 6:48 am
    We’ve all heard it before – ‘Content is King”. It’s a catchy phrase, and it makes sense at a basic level, but how do you actually write content that your audience wants to read or – even better -wants to share and recommend? Let’s say that you run a small business and you’re just getting started online. You have a good idea of your target market demographics, and you’re running a low-budget SEM campaign targeting a handful of keywords. You have a simple website with a blog and you want to attract targeted traffic, but you’re stuck for ideas…

  • Retail and that nasty-ass GST-free threshold

    Quentin Aisbett
    29 Mar 2012 | 6:47 am
    Retail and that nasty-ass GST-free threshold The retail environment in Australia is tough to say the least. Retail spending is down, rents continue to rise and online shopping is growing. In the wake of all of this the retail industry is exercising its voice, with a determined focus to see the GST-free threshold that applies to online shopping abolished. Gerry Harvey is the poster-boy for the removal of the GST-free threshold. Photo: Ben Rushton Leading the assault in this last week has been the National Retailers Association who are reporting 33,000 retail jobs will be saved and 23,000 new…
 
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    Renegade Search

  • Why Is My Site Not Ranking Well?

    Steven
    10 May 2012 | 1:52 pm
    If you have a website, you’ve asked the question. Inside the walls of an SEO agency, we hear it all the time. Believe me -  I wish the answer to the question was as easy as asking said question. Unfortunately, it isn’t. It’s complex. It’s deep. I know that people want to be at the top. At home. At their job. In life. Most importantly, in the search results. I know you don’t care that it is a complex situation. You just want it. And so you cry out from the top of your lungs:   “Why am I not Ranking #1!!!???” If you only knew. But more importantly, you may be…

  • Print vs. Digital: Which Marketing Avenue is Best for Your Business

    Lindsay
    8 May 2012 | 11:17 am
    Choosing a marketing path can be somewhat overwhelming when you have a set budget each month.  There are many avenues that you can take to advertise your brand and bring more customers to your door/site.  So, how do you choose?  Not all businesses are created equal, so not one particular avenue is best for all businesses.  It simply doesn’t work that way.  But for the sake of this post, I’m going to focus on two major avenues that many companies consider: print versus digital. This post came about recently when I was discussing the differences between print and digital advertising…

  • Google Gets “In The Ring” With Webmasters

    George
    2 May 2012 | 12:37 pm
    “In this corner! Weighing in at 20 Billion dollars yearly! The master of organizing the worlds information! Emperor of stopping Webspam! King of “Not Being Evil”! GOOGLE!!! And in this corner, Trying to make an easy buck! The sultan of shortcuts! The spammer! The jammer! THE WEBMASTER!!! If you keep up with search engine marketing news at all, you might have noticed a lot of talk about big changes in the Google algorithm lately.  This latest round of changes is part of a series of well-known algorithm updates called “Panda” in which Google is attempting to reward the…

  • 4 Initiatives That Will Help Your SEO

    John-Henry
    25 Apr 2012 | 10:50 am
    Even though the internet is filled with stories of overnight success, search engine optimization is a slow and steady process. Building up a website’s profile and reputation in search engines is a process that can take months to start gaining steam and producing results. But that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing you can do to promote your website in the short-term. While SEO will always be a good bet for generating long-term value, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the only aspect of a good digital marketing campaign. In fact, there are plenty of other initiatives you…

  • Four Ways to Stop Lead Leakage

    DTC Partners and Friends
    24 Apr 2012 | 9:13 am
    Today’s Partners & Friends post comes courtesy of Jason Wells, CEO of Contact Point. Several weeks ago I spoke to a VP at a large manufacturing company, a client of ours, and I asked him a question: what is the biggest problem at your company? What keeps you up at night? His answer wasn’t at all what I expected. I expected something about rising costs or a tepid economy. His answer was different…lead leakage. He indicated that leads escaped from his pipeline too often. These leads are never heard from again. He said that this was happening because leads were not properly tracked…
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    BEC

  • Survival of the Business: How Companies Can Persevere Over Piracy

    Sam Chambers
    13 May 2012 | 10:17 pm
    People have said for ages that the Internet and the age of piracy would be the end of certain industries, especially ones involving film, music, and software. Nowadays, Internet users can get anything from cult classic movies to an entire television series online, and sometimes this content can even be accessed for free (though the legality of this is obviously questionable). Either way, it’s given the industry a lot to worry about as far as content profitability goes, and for good reason. After all, movies and music are two major business investments that used to provide a huge cash return…

  • Are Universities Flunking Out When it Comes to Social Media Use?

    Sam Chambers
    3 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    About a month ago, I received a message via LinkedIn from an old professor wanting to reconnect with students. He had stopped teaching at the University due to illness and, being an involved professor, wanted to check on some of his former students. He asked me about my band and music career, checked in on how the graduate school search was going, and ended up being able to see me perform a recital a few weeks later through the university. Another professor who currently uses social media at my university utilizes Twitter to let us know about upcoming film festivals and screenings. Yet…

  • Low-Budget Ways to Give Videos High Production Value

    Sam Chambers
    2 May 2012 | 3:22 pm
    Nowadays, anyone can make a movie. Video production used to be such a lofty endeavor with only the pros having access to cameras. The times have certainly changed. Camcorders can be purchased for as low as $40 and people can make these projects in the comfort of their own offices and workplaces. However, since everyone has access to this technology, this only means that there are more people with whom to compete as far as putting out the best production. Even if your company doesn’t have the biggest budget, there are a few easy ways to increase the production quality of your project,…

  • BEC will build Democratic National Convention Committee Website

    Tracie Brannon
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:18 am
    We are excited to officially announce our partnership with the Democratic National Convention Committee. We are working closely with the DNCC now to build the Convention’s new website in a way that will make this year’s Convention the most open and accessible in history. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us and we are excited about the exposure and business opportunities this will bring for us! For more information, check out the press release below from the Democratic National Convention Committee: http://www.demconvention.com/releases-view.asp?id=54  

  • Viral Video Tips for Businesses

    Sam Chambers
    23 Apr 2012 | 12:53 am
    Most people know about my adventures as a cinema major, social media savvy student, and sugar glider enthusiast. I usually tend to juggle the focuses pretty well. When I’m not wasting my time looking for cute pictures of baby sugar gliders on the web (as part of my extensive social media work, obviously), I’m looking for some of the next big videos in order to get inspiration for my own work. One of the biggest problems with sifting through all the material on Vimeo and Youtube is that everyone thinks they have the next big thing, when in truth, all they have is a badly framed footage of…
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    Main Street ROI

  • Use PURLs to Boost & Track Response Rate

    Phil Frost
    14 May 2012 | 5:05 pm
    Have you ever received a letter in the mail urging you to visit a webpage that has your name in the URL?  For example, I’ve seen postcards and letters that say, “Go to PhilFrost.domain.com” or “Get it now at Domain.com/PhilFrost.” It’s hard to resist checking out a website with your name in it. And that’s why PURLs, or personalized URLs, are so effective at boosting response.  The fact is, most people love their own name and it’s only natural to want to visit a website that appears to be built just for ME!   Why PURLs Boost Response As I…

  • Google’s Recent Algorithm Update – And What to Do About It

    Pete Kennedy
    9 May 2012 | 6:40 pm
    The #1 question we get at Main Street ROI is: “How can I get my website to show up in Google?” Well, over the past month or so, Google rolled out a new algorithm update that has a lot of people scratching their heads. So I figured it was a good time to review some SEO best practices and share what we’re recommending to our clients, Inner Circle members, and customers. But before we talk about the update, here’s a quick primer about how SEO works, to get everybody up to speed. Here at Main Street ROI, we teach that there are 3 basic steps to get ranked in Google: 1) Research: Finding…

  • Old-School vs. New-School Marketing

    Pete Kennedy
    4 May 2012 | 10:06 am
    “You’ve got mail!” Does that phrase bring back any fond memories for you? Chances are good that if you were an early user of America Online (AOL) – like I was – then you still remember the thrill of getting a new email. But today… It’s a different story, isn’t it? Your email inbox is probably more flooded than you’d like. Welcome to the intersection of marketing and technology. What was once new and exciting eventually becomes mature, saturated, and less effective. For example, email open rates are nowhere what they used to be 5, 10, or 15…

  • How to Show Your Ads Only To Your Ideal Prospects

    Phil Frost
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:10 pm
    Did you know it’s possible to advertise in Google AdWords and show your ads ONLY to people who have displayed an interest in your product or service? For example, if you sell high end bicycles, then you might want to target finance websites because this demographic skews to high income households, but limit your ads so they only show for people interested in bicycles and accessories. Sure, you could try to just target finance websites, but chances are good you would lose money on those ads because not everyone reading finance websites is interested in bicycles. Plus, you could obviously…

  • The Simple Formula to Get Ranked Top 10 in Google

    Pete Kennedy
    18 Apr 2012 | 11:45 am
    Here at Main Street ROI, we’re big fans of search engine optimization (SEO) — getting your website to show up in search engines like Google when potential customers are looking for you. We always recommend Google Places as the best starting point, assuming you want to attract local customers. (In case you’re not familiar, Google Places refers to the “map” business listings that Google is now displaying for millions of local search results.) Google Places is the fastest, easiest way to get ranked on the first page of Google. We like Google Places so much that we…
 
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    Marketing Advice for CEOs - DIYMarketers

  • Improve Your Customer Service to Get Long Term Customers

    Guest
    16 May 2012 | 4:58 am
    There are a lot of things you can do to attract more customers. You can invest in heavy branding campaigns. You can advertise heavily to get your brand name out there. There are a thousand ways to attract more customers but there is only one sure fire way you can keep them long term and that is through great, not just good, customer service. Have you heard of the quote “Go for the food, stay for the service”? Now substitute your product or service for the word ‘food’ and that is how your customers should feel when they patronize your business. As said above, there are thousands of…

  • After Hours or Out of Office Voicemail Messages that Attract Your Ideal Customer

    Ivana Taylor
    14 May 2012 | 7:56 am
    Attracting new customers is in the details — like your after-hours voice mail message. I just called one of my clients BEFORE business hours.  I knew the engineer was in, but the main phone lines were closed – so I got this after hours message. “The office is currently closed.  Please leave your name and a message.”   This was recorded by a sort of stern sounding man and I have to say that I was a but put-off.  I know this sounds ridiculous, it’s just an out of office voice mail for a manufacturing company, but quite frankly, they didn’t sound as…

  • 7 Helpful Tasks to Improve Your Business When Growth is Slow

    Guest
    14 May 2012 | 4:46 am
    Businesses need not shut shop when the economy is not in a good shape. Recession in the economy as and the reduction in spending capacity of people invariably affect the revenues of business organizations. Incorporating changes in the way a business functions can help cut costs to retain profitability and to create avenues for better growth. Expenditure associated with each process can be given a look-in to make it more cost efficient. In fact, the kind of avenues that are available over the web make it easier for you to take up cost-cutting measures without choking your business or affecting…

  • 5 Ways To Benefit From Customer Video Testimonials

    Guest
    10 May 2012 | 4:28 am
    For any business owner looking to attract and convert more visitors, one sure way is to utilize and implement video testimonials from satisfied customers.  When used properly, these videos will make your website more visually appealing (and sticky!). Getting more exposure In today’s social media society, visibility is vital to being a leader among your competitors. A few short video testimonials can draw quite a bit of attention, which often times will encourage your visitors to share your content with others on sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Not only will this help increase exposure…

  • 5 Simple and free strategies for getting more customers online

    Guest
    7 May 2012 | 6:21 am
    You probably know about some if not all of these strategies, but are you actually implementing them in your business right now? Too busy to implement anything? You’re in luck. I’ve chosen strategies where you can simply hire an virtual assistant and get them to execute on these strategies for you. Twitter direct message replies You can search on twitter and find people that are specifically interested in the product or service that you offer. Then direct message them offering them help with their problem. The key with this method is finding the right keyword list that your customers are…
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    Marketing Leadership Council

  • The Top 5 Creepiest Ads

    Garrett Jackson
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    With all the TV commercials that air during a single half-hour program, let alone during an entire day, you’re bound to encounter some strange ads.  We take a look at some of the creepiest, in no particular order. #1 Burger King’s “Wake Up With the King”:  The Burger King “King” commercials ran all the way from 2003 to 2011, so you would think that they must have been somewhat popular with consumers, right?  Well despite being backed by the award-winning agency, Crispin Porter Bogusky, the fast food giant saw a big loss in market share during these…

  • Global Marketing: What You Need to Know

    Patrick Spenner
    15 May 2012 | 3:07 pm
    (MLC members – interested in evaluating your global marketing presence? Sign up today for our Global Marketing Anatomy, which measures your company against industry and category peers across 27 key attributes of strong global brands.) You may have seen the news that P&G is moving top executives for its skin care and other businesses from Cincinnati to Singapore.  Global marketing is a topic I am hearing more and more about from CMOs, and so we’re tapping CEB’s global executive network to sort out rules of the road and best practices. To that end, we recently co-hosted a global…

  • The Four Fs of Social Media Collaboration

    admin
    15 May 2012 | 2:23 pm
    (This is a guest post from our friends at the Communications Executive Council, MLC’s sister program for corporate communications leaders.) As we’ve charted developments in the internal social media and collaboration  space, we’ve seen many overinvest in the latest and greatest technology platforms. These efforts, such as implementing internal Facebook or Twitter-esque applications, met initial enthusiasm only then to see early adoption rates plummet and to struggle justifying value created for the business. For the most part, these efforts failed because the platforms were…

  • Helping Reps Focus on the Best Opportunities

    Corey Mull
    9 May 2012 | 5:00 pm
    As the B2B sale has become more complex – both the buying and selling sides –  it’s become a lot harder for reps to accurately judge which potential opportunities are the best, most defensible fits for your company’s capabilities and identified growth areas. Why? Well, your company probably offers more products and services than it once did, as B2Bs have gradually moved from suppliers to consultative sellers and solutions providers. Your buyers’ companies have similarly gone through big shifts, particularly in the way they buy, as more accountability and…

  • The Future of Facebook

    Corey Mull
    9 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    As most are probably aware, Facebook – the social network turned connective social tissue of the internet – is headed for its big day: the company’s stock will debut on the Nasdaq exchange May 18. By all accounts, it will make founder Mark Zuckerberg one of the richest people in the world, and there’s already discussion over how the influx of money will change the economy of Silicon Valley. But a funny thing happened on the way to the IPO: Facebook released some revenue numbers (which we covered a bit), and a tsunami of blogospheric skepticism was unleashed. That sort…
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    Digital Marketing

  • Facebook App Center

    Harsha
    15 May 2012 | 9:28 am
    Facebook’s app center will give its 900 million members a whole new way of experiencing social apps. It is accessible through web & also on iOs & andriod apps. Users can find great apps like Pinterest, Battle Pirates, Viddy & others. Apps will have an apps detail page which will help users to have more info about the apps. User ratings, engagement,app ratings metric will help rank the apps & also helps in its success. Mobile users can also browse the apps from their mobile devices & can install it depending on the mobile device. App developers need to go through the…

  • The New Bing

    Harsha
    14 May 2012 | 9:16 am
    The new Bing has a three column design with Core Search, Snapshot & Sidebar panes. Core Search contains core web results which will help get results easier without cluttering it with social updates. Snapshot is the center column. It is between the web results on the left and the new sidebar on the right. Snapshot has info and services related to your search along with maps, reviews & others. This helps the users to take the intended actions. Sidebar is all about social information with info from friends, experts & others. Social results which were in core part have been completely…

  • Pinterest

    Harsha
    11 May 2012 | 7:21 am
    Pinterest is the latest socal media site which has made the marketers buzzing these days. Pinterest has become the talk of blogosphere & social networking. In Pinterest, members can pin images, videos & other objects to their pin board. A large percentage of the users on Pinterest are women. Brands can reach more customers, drive traffic, increase visibility & also sell products. It is already sending more referral traffic to many sites. Along with facebook, twitter, youtube, google+ it has become a major site for brands to reach customers. Many pinterest like clone sites have…

  • 2012 Webby Awards Winners

    Harsha
    7 May 2012 | 7:52 am
    Webby Awards winners for 2012 have been announced & webby person of the year goes to Louis CK. Webby breakout of the year goes to Instagram which has become the talk of the blogosphere after facebook purchased it for $1 Billion. With over 70 categories, the list is a great mix of awards, nominees & others. Categories are spread over Websites, interactive advertising, online film & video, mobile apps. The winners represent best of the web. Webby awards will be held on May 21st & will be hosted by Patton Oswalt. More info about the winners is available at Webby Awards website.

  • Facebook Purchases Instagram for $1 Billion

    Harsha
    10 Apr 2012 | 12:32 pm
    Facebook buys Instagram for $1 Billion making it the biggest acquisition of facebook till date. This is a great news for Instagram as it has launched recently on android with millions of downloads in a few days. Blogosphere is agog with the purchase with several speculations about the big deal. MarK zuckerburg has also emphasized that it will continue to operate as an independent company. Instagram has around 30 million members & this provides facebook with access to a great network of photo sharing community. Facebook is planning for an IPO & this purchase would give it more leverage…
 
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    Marketing Buzz - Inbound Marketing Strategies

  • What keywords to target for SEO

    Mark Wheatley
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    How To Get More Traffic Through An Effective Keyword Strategy In answer to a recent question from a computer business about what keywords to target, from an SEO point of view. Under the term computer companies there were 897,000,000 people that used that term. Computing services is a very congested market, so what can they do about it? There are two issues competition and the frequency of people searching for those terms. If the term is very competitive it will take a lot of time and effort to get ranked for it. If on the other hand it’s easy but there is not much traffic then…

  • SEO Content Writing

    Mark Wheatley
    11 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    How To Write Great Content That Get's Found Some tips and tricks to improve your websites seo content writing.  Step 1. Describe your audience by creating a persona, which is a written definition of the person you are writing to. Imagine your typical customer is in the room with you now and attempt to describe them in writing. When you come to write your copy it’s helpful to think about that typical buyer, when you consider them, their interests, their needs and wants. Step 2. Determine what your audience is interested in; if you are not sure ask them, what are their frustrations,…

  • Effective Landing Page Design

    Mark Wheatley
    4 May 2012 | 1:58 am
    Convert More Traffic Into Leads How to design your landing page to convert more traffic into leads If you are generating sufficient traffic to your website, you’ll want to convert more leads from that traffic. The conversion of traffic into leads is an important metric to measure in your marketing. This short post gives you some important tips improving your landing page to improve conversion. The design of your landing page is one aspect of converting the lead; the other elements that you need to get right is the copy which starts with a headline or opening few lines in a video…

  • Marketing System

    Mark Wheatley
    30 Apr 2012 | 10:55 am
    How An Inbound Marketing System Can Transform Your Online Marketing Inbound marketing is about three main areas 1. Get Found 2. Convert 3. Analyse A marketing system online or offline requires activity to get results, just like a washing machine! There are ingredients to make the marketing system work, which are knowledge, skill, time and technology. The way that you get your site found are through setting your website up correctly from an SEO point of view and conducting regular SEO activities.  The next thing you need in your inbound marketing system is great…

  • Calculating Inbound Marketing ROI

    Mark Wheatley
    24 Apr 2012 | 10:37 am
    How To Calculate Your Inbound Marketing ROI I noticed a few people were searching for answers with regard to this, I have covered What you should measure which is part of calculating your inbound marketing ROI and there is an Inbound Marketing ROI Calculator which enables you to set objectives in terms of what inbound marketing activity that you are going to do to bring inbound traffic to your site. Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube Content Development, etc. Using these two tools you can establish what you should measure and you can figure out what tasks you are going…
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    Monica Hemingway

  • Engagement Without Strategy is Pointless

    Monica Hemingway
    3 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    I read a blog post by Seth Godin last week that had me shaking my head and thinking “He’s wrong!”. Now normally I totally agree with Seth – he focuses on getting things done, being yourself, telling stories, and all the good things that help grow your business. But, this time, I don’t agree… Here’s what got me so riled up: “And then the internet comes along and it’s mysterious and suddenly we need an email strategy and a social media strategy and a web strategy and a mobile strategy. No, we don’t.” First, I’ll give him this – we don’t need a bunch…

  • Why The Wrong Audience Can Sink Your Business

    Monica Hemingway
    25 Apr 2012 | 6:45 am
    Are you talking to the right audience? I recently read an interesting report (the fourth annual 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report from Social Media Examiner) showing some of the differences in social media usage between B2C and B2B companies. Basically, they both use social media (in fact, over 93% use it). But B2B companies use LinkedIn (86.6%) and Twitter (84&) almost as much as Facebook (87%), whereas B2C companies are much more likely to use Facebook (96%). Why the difference? It all comes down to knowing your audience. B2B clients are far more likely to be employees,…

  • Focus On Your Business, Not Social Media

    Monica Hemingway
    18 Apr 2012 | 4:24 pm
    Why are you using social media? If you’re like most business owners, I’m guessing it’s because “everyone else is using social media” or “we need more followers online”. But think a little more. What you’re really answering is the wrong question. Perhaps I should’ve asked why you want to grow your business, or why you want to sell more products, or why you want more speaking engagements. The focus is, and always should be, on the business. Running your business will always provide the greatest return on your investment. That’s not to say that social media can’t help you…

  • Why We Should Step Away From The Computer

    Monica Hemingway
    11 Apr 2012 | 8:01 am
    I feel guilty. Today is Wednesday. I usually post to my blog on Tuesday but I was so busy with client work that I just didn’t get to it. And so this morning I feel guilty. Why? Because I didn’t do something I’d committed to doing (publicly, no less!). But then the thought comes up – given the huge volume of client work, was it better to write a blog post or focus on my clients’ needs? Of course it’s possible to justify either answer. And, as a digital strategist, you’d probably expect me to say that it’s most important to maintain consistency,…

  • The Perils of Perfectionism

    Monica Hemingway
    4 Apr 2012 | 10:13 am
    Have you ever held back from implementing a new idea, publishing a blog post, or updating your website because it’s not quite perfect?  I know I have. And I’ve regretted it. I had an interesting conversation with a client yesterday about why his blog hasn’t been updated in four months. He told me that he has half a dozen draft posts already written, but none are “good enough to publish.” So, while he polishes each draft to perfection (while also taking care of the myriad of critical activities needed to run a business), his blog languishes. It looks neglected. Potential customers…
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    Marketing techniques for results driven entrepreneurs

  • In honor of anti-entrepreneurial-burnout day

    Troy
    15 May 2012 | 10:57 am
    Burnt out and fed up? Dragging your butt? Every single entrepreneur I know goes through it.  Every single person in a career goes through it. That awful feeling of complete burn out. Having been there and collected the t-shirt (more like a collection of them), I can feel your pain. Actually, my burnout went beyond just that and led me into a multi-year bout of depression.  Never told you that before.  I spent far too long locked up in my office, avoiding people, being the recluse I am good at being… …and it did me NO GOOD at all. Interesting thing is, I have spoken to a LOT of…

  • I love free publicity

    Troy
    10 May 2012 | 2:11 pm
    Just got this write-up from a workshop I did last week. The only reason I share, is that I think we should all be working a little harder to share the good stories.  The entrepreneurs in the workshop were passionate about their businesses and need more positive ideas to help them grow. (http://www.prrecordgazette.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=3557146) Business owners learn how to write their story as a form of marketing in free workshop last week By Erin Steele, Record-Gazette Posted 1 day ago About 20 Peace Country small business owners received instructions last week on how to draw-in…

  • Boomerang therapy for marketers and entrepreneurs

    Troy
    10 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    Are you too busy being busy? I have been lately. Craziness at its finest… But it pains me to admit something. The most therapeutic thing I have done over the past 5 months, I have been slacking on. Writing. Daily. Nothing has proven itself to be more beneficial to my business, my client’s businesses, and my head-space. VERY, very therapeutic. Yet I let busy-ness get in the way. Battling my way back now. What about you? When you find a ritual that brings you success, do you ever struggle keeping that ritual going? Much like my writing, your ritual may be writing, or blogging, or…

  • Referral marketing – webinar replay

    Troy
    9 May 2012 | 4:57 pm
    I had the privilege yesterday of having marketing expert Tom Poland present a wonderful webinar for many for my clients and subscribers. Tom showed us his wicked-smart strategies on… ‘How to get ten successful referrals every month – even when you are on holiday or asleep.’ Please note that I have organized a replay but it is only available for a short period of time… here’s the link: http://www.8020center.com/krmreplay/ Tom has agreed to leave this replay online until at least the end of the weekend so you have a couple of days to watch it. Tom also made a super…

  • The quick, easy (and scary) way I eliminated my fear of snakes

    Troy
    8 May 2012 | 10:52 am
    We all have fears. Some people are scared to death of public speaking (used to be me too – Dale Carnegie training fixed that). Some people have fears of heights, water, fire or spiders. Mine used to be snakes. The mere thought of them gave me the heeby-jeebies. So I decided to do something about it… …I bought a snake. Then an aquarium. And put it on the night stand next to my bed. (gulp) Nightmares for 2 weeks. Cold sweats. Fears of it getting out and wrapping itself around me while I slept. Guess what? I came out alive… and FREE of my fear of snakes. What’s your…
 
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    BarnRaisers

  • Hey Avon. Join the Social Media party. Here are 10 actions to take

    Rob Petersen
    14 May 2012 | 3:29 pm
      The Wall Street Journal, in a recent article, Avon Is Late to Social Media’s Party, reported sales for cosmetic products have steadily moved online to sites like Sephora.com, Beauty.com and Drugstore.com. This has contributed to a -75% decline in operating profit for Avon and their 5.8 million sales representatives that sell door-to-door over the last decade. Recently, Warren Buffet and Coty made a move to takeover a company in crisis. I feel bad whenever 1-to-1 relationships are replaced by computers. Even though WSJ says  Avon is late to “Social Media’s…

  • Content is King. 12 steps so your kingdom gets found

    Rob Petersen
    6 May 2012 | 6:53 pm
          If there is a commandment in digital marketing, it’s Content is King, with good reason. Relevant content is a brand’s most valuable asset. But it would be mistake to believe that is all you need. As of May 2012, there are 650 million websites; 203 million are active websites and, according to this chart from Netcraft, they are growing in leaps and bounds. The good news is your audience, and Google, love quality content and, if you provide it on a regular basis, you will see your search rank rise. Sure, Content is King but, if you want your kingdom to get…

  • 5 social media monitoring mistakes and 7 good ideas

    Rob Petersen
    29 Apr 2012 | 1:57 pm
      Social media monitoring tools that report and trend metrics like Likes, Tweets, Comment Threads and Positive/Negative Buzz are fast growing. In fact, within just the last month, VC’s raised over $25 million to fund new companies launching social media monitoring software. Yet, as the chart below from KISSMetrics shows, once companies buy into and start using these dashboards, only 1/3 believe they made a smart decision. 6% get so frustrated they are prepared to switch to another vendor. It’s clear like social media, social media monitoring tools are here to…

  • 25 reasons to write for your audience before search engines

    Rob Petersen
    21 Apr 2012 | 2:59 pm
    80% of people begin their journey to a website through the query on a search engine. Once they type in specific keywords, 46% click on the #1 website listed in organic search. To show you, here is a brief :30 clip. In this controlled video test, called a “heat map,” people use keywords to search for an unmet need and then click on the website that best meets their need. The blue circles are the mouse movements of many individual searches and the hot colors represent where the most activity occurs. Conclusions are: 1) Know the most relevant keywords for your business or brand and…

  • 5 studies prove social media is less than 6 degrees of separation

    Rob Petersen
    17 Apr 2012 | 12:19 pm
          The idea behind 6 degrees of separation is, through “friend of a friend” connections, everyone is only 6 steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person. The theory was originally presented by Hungarian author, Frigyes Karinthy, in a 1929 short story.  It was a popular play in 1993 written by John Guare and then a trivia game called Six Degree of Kevin Bacon that Kevin turned into a charitable organization called SixDegrees.org. The theory was first tested in 1967 by psychologist Stanley Milgram from 296 volunteers who were asked to send a message…
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    Small Business Marketing | Marketing for Entrepreneurs | Realtor Marketing

  • Small Business Marketing – What is your call to action?

    Tara Jacobsen
    15 May 2012 | 8:44 am
    Small business marketing happens for only one reason, to get someone to buy something sometime. Without a call to action, you are flopping around, hoping they get your message! Ladies, have you ever had a fellow hit you up for a date in such a round about way that you weren’t sure at the end if you were actually going out for a “date” date, or just hanging out with a friend. This is what a sales message with no call to action leaves us with…a feeling like you should, could be doing something but there is no definitive action associated with it! I call this being…

  • Gary Vaynerchuk The Thank You Economy – Is It Scalable?

    Tara Jacobsen
    11 May 2012 | 9:30 am
    Okay, gotta get this out on the table first so there are no unpleasant police surprises…:) I am semi-stalking Gary Vaynerchuk…not in the creepy way, but in the way that my dog (who is a super scaredy-cat) thinks that it is okay to stay at home alone if one of Gary’s keynotes is playing in the background because I listen to them so much! Oh and I have seen him a couple of times in person, have both of his books…well…maybe need a 12 step…BUT… He sent me a present!!! Okay, I know he sent LOTS of people a present BUT I still felt great about it and think…

  • Photo Sharing Sites and Apps – Small Business Internet Marketing

    Tara Jacobsen
    10 May 2012 | 9:47 am
    Photo sharing sites and apps are a big deal in small business internet marketing! These are the wave of the future so grab your board and let’s get going! My prediction is that within 2 years and 9 months (used to say 3 years but gotta move the bar!) ALL initial contact with your company will be through a video or a photo first. Now, I am not one of those who say that tablets and phones will take over laptops and computers BECAUSE I am WORKING on a computer. Love to surf on my tablet, dabble on my phone, the portability of my laptop, but for hard-core, bang it out and get it done, I…

  • Advanced Social Media Marketing – How To Post To Facebook Timeline

    Tara Jacobsen
    8 May 2012 | 9:27 am
    As an advanced social media marketing whiz, I often say all chirpy, “it is so easy, it will just take you 5 seconds”. Well learning how to post pictures and links to the new Facebook timeline so they look pretty and attract attention REALLY is easy and shouldn’t take more than 5 minutes to comprehend and a couple of minutes to do! Advanced Social Media Marketing – Posting Links and Pictures To Your Timeline Okay, this is not just a recap of what I talked about in the video, although I do think there are some good points there. When you are taking the time and energy to…

  • Small Business Marketing – Creating New Habits

    Tara Jacobsen
    3 May 2012 | 7:27 am
    {EAV:5da08477a9fda337} – funny little empire avenue thingy to verify my blog! Oh the things I will do to be popular on social media…:) Small business marketing is a grind. If you were looking for something more uplifting and easy, move along, nothing to see here. BUT, if you want to learn how to grow a marketing empire or really start creating some new habits…this is the post for you! Creating new habits is easy, it is not simple but it is easy. Just start doing it, TODAY! Let’s start with the creating new habits timelines that I am talking about: One week – you…
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    Digital Firefly Marketing blogs

  • GM Says Facebook Ads Don't Work - Why GM is wrong.

    John Cashman
    15 May 2012 | 10:12 pm
    Facebook is having quite a week. On Friday they are expected to go public, but today the news came out today that GM will be dumping Facebook Ads and spending the $10 million in advertising elsewhere. Their main complaint seems to be that the Facebook Ads are not effective. Unfortunately we are not able to look at their Facebook ad campaign to see where they might be able to improve. So we will do the next best thing which is to look at their Facebook page and do a social media evaluation, which is what we do for free for any of our prospective customers.  The first step is to establish…

  • What is Google Penguin?

    John Cashman
    10 May 2012 | 9:41 pm
    There must be someone at Google who likes black and white animals. One of the latest updates to the Google search algorithm is named Penguin. This isn't to be confused with Panda which is another update to the way Google searches and indexes traffic. So first off what is Google Penguin? The update is Google's attempt to keep websites from showing up in the Google search results that do "spammy" things. Here are some examples: Keyword Stuffing - This is putting in lots of words you want to rank for and then hiding the text with CSS. The user can't see it, but the search engines can see the…

  • Website Redesign Strategy

    John Cashman
    7 May 2012 | 1:49 pm
    One of the problems with website redesign is the lack of a website redesign strategy. Sadly, a lot of the time, companies start doing a redesign without thinking about how it effects their standing on the Internet. After all what good is a website redesign if nobody can find your pretty website?  So in order to lay out an effective website strategy you need to consider a number of other things beside the look and feel of the website branding: What assets does your website currently have? What content management system are you going to use? What do you want your website to do to increase your…

  • Do I need a blog?

    John Cashman
    30 Apr 2012 | 2:04 am
    Last week, we visited the Mercer County Golf Academy and we were asked about blogging. Specifically, do I need a blog? and if I do what's the reason behind it. It's a very good question. Here is the short answer:  Google. That's the simple reason to have a blog. Google is now the new yellow pages. If people want to find a specific piece of clothing, they Google it. If they want to find a doctor, they Google it. If people want to find inspiration for a gift, they Google it. If people want to find an answer to a question they Google it.  So, by blogging you create content and by creating…

  • gopogo - Where will this social network's strings take you?

    John Cashman
    25 Apr 2012 | 11:00 am
    One of the problems in social media is there is no direct way to figure out what to do next or even how to connect the dots on what you and your friends are doing. Experiences and memories, places you visited always need to be stringed together. Facebook has started to attempt this with Timeline but only in reference to you and when something happened. The question of what just happened or what to do next may be close to being answered by a new social network on the rise. A company called gopogo has taken a lot of information on the web and started to connect the dots into what they call…
 
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    Internet Marketing Blog | Online Marketing Blog |

  • The Google Penguin Update

    Rick Noel
    8 May 2012 | 8:34 pm
    The old adage that the good guys always come in last is often true in the world of Internet marketing where blackhat and greyhat practitioners (those who use techniques in efforts to game the search engine raking algorithms) often soar past the whitehats (try to play by the rules) in the search results. Google Penguin Impact is Profound and Far Reaching As of last April 24th, when Google rolled out the much anticipated and highly controversial Penguin update, which according to Google has levelled the playing field a bit in favour of the whitehat Internet marketers who take a long view, using…

  • Google Brand Activate Initiative Announced at Ad Age Digital

    Rick Noel
    18 Apr 2012 | 11:59 pm
    Google’s Brian Zeug, Industry Director, and Sanaz Ahari, Senior Product Manager, discuss the Google Brand Activate Initiative, Google’s effort to measure impact and reach for brand marketers. Listen to what they had to say in this brief YouTube video. Making the Web Work for Brand Marketers According to Google, the goal of Google Brand Activate Initiative is to enable brand advertisers to make more informed decisions with actionable brand metrics. The initiative offers capabilities to move beyond the more traditional metrics of impressions clicks, click-through rates and…

  • You’ve Reached the Maximum Number of People that Can be in Your Circles

    Rick Noel
    7 Mar 2012 | 11:02 pm
    You’ve Reached the Maximum Number of People that Can be in Your Circles How many of you have gotten this dreaded message from Google+?   No doubt you other type A personalities, a Google+ hoarder or both.  As you might already know, Google limits the amount of people/businesses that you can have in your circles to 5000. In my excitement and engagement on Google+, while enjoying the quality, niche user base and quality content on this new Google+ social platform, I had not really given any thought to hitting limits. But then it came, this part Sunday morning at 1 am, the dreaded…

  • Pinterested?

    Rick Noel
    5 Mar 2012 | 7:37 pm
    Pinterested? Pin It With over 9,202% year over year growth from Jan 2011 – 2012, something tells me it’s worth your time to learn a bit about Pinterest and determine whether or not it fits into your company’s integrated Internet marketing strategy. Unprecedented Growth Pinterest has set a record for being the fastest company in history to reach 10 million monthly unique visitors. See the figure below of Pinterest.com US Traffic Data Measured by Compete.com in Monthly Unique Visitors. The data shown below is from Jan 2011 – Jan 2012. Pinterest.com US Traffic Data Measured in…

  • Google Plus Business Page in 10 Easy Steps.

    Rick Noel
    12 Feb 2012 | 2:39 pm
     Google Plus Business Page in 10 Easy Steps 1.) Create a personal profile on Google Plus. 2.) Seek out people that you want to connect with on Google Plus and add them to one or more of your circles 3.) Click on the home icon to go to your news stream. This is content that is dynamically populated by content that is shared by other Google Plus users you are connected to through your circles. 4.) Locate the Create a Google+ page button on the right side bar, under the Google+ Pages heading and click the Create a Google+ page link 5.) Pick a category on the Create a Googe+ page. Categories to…
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    On the Mark!

  • Technology doesn't always provide consumers what they want: Simplification

    Brendan Hurley
    11 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    A recent study by global communications firm Ketchum found that most consumers want to use technology to simplify their lives.According to a BrandChannel article about Ketchum's findings, "More than three in four people (76 percent) say they are 'not very satisfied with technology's ability to make their life simpler'. Across the six countries in the study (China, France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.), 50 percent of consumers value technology that provides simplification more than empowerment (40 percent), enrichment (23 percent), or personal values (15 percent).

  • Wrapp: The Coolest Gift Card...Ever?!

    Brendan Hurley
    1 May 2012 | 8:24 am
    If you're not familiar with Wrappyet, you will be! Wrappis a social gifting service that enables friend-to-friend marketing on behalf of brands locally or globally.After reading an article about Wrapp on BrandChannel.com, I downloaded the free app to my iPhone and tried it out by sending some free birthday gift cards to a few friends on Facebook.  I must admit, it was pretty cool!According to BrandChannel, here's how Wrappworks: "The Wrapp mobile gift card and retail app lets retailers drive traffic to online and physical stores starting with small amounts, $5 to $15, that users get for…

  • A Couple of Things Corporations can Learn from the Nonprofit Sector

    Brendan Hurley
    16 Apr 2012 | 12:46 pm
    I read a recent article by Steven Cook, the founder of Fortune CMO, about the future role of the CMO and how the position will remain relevant in the C suite.  The article titled It's Time to Raise the CMO Bar focuses on what Cook calls the "Commercial Growth Accelerator role with five high-level strategic focus areas (the R5)."The R5 includes:1.  Relationships - Establishing stronger relationships with customers and stakeholders and converting them into brand advocates2.  Reputation - Building a strong relationship across all touchpoints and ensuring that all messaging…

  • The 10 Worst Marketing Campaigns in History!

    Brendan Hurley
    6 Apr 2012 | 8:28 am
    Marketing is as much intuition as it is a science. While research, data and technology drive successful marketing campaigns these days, the most memorable campaigns are those that rely more on gut intuition. A data driven campaign is smart business and mitigates risk, but an intuitive campaign often stands a better chance of creating a buzz and being remembered. However...it also stands just as good a chance of ruining careers and making a brand an industry laughingstock. While everyone has their own favorites, below are my picks for the 10 WORST marketing campaigns of all…

  • Google Plus: Hello...anybody out there??!

    Brendan Hurley
    20 Mar 2012 | 11:22 am
    I gave a presentation recently to a group of SEO experts.  During the Q&A someone asked me if my organization was using Google +.My initial response was, "Not really. I don't particularly like it." He replied, "It doesn't matter if you like it, it only matters if your constituents like it." While a bit arrogant, he was in fact correct.So I took his response as a challenge and decided to do a little more research on Google + to see if it was worth using to help promote our blogs, websites and social media channels.In essence, Google + works similarly to "likes" on Facebook. If you…
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    Basini.com

  • MY BOOK ON STICKY MARKETING TV

    Justin Basini
    1 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    I was delighted to be invited to take part in an online TV show run as part of Grant Leboff’s Sticky Marketing Club. With Grant and presenter Dave Harries we spent a very enjoyable time discussing trust in businesses and brands, how you build it, social media and how to create a trust to drive sales and profitability. Please watch the show by clicking below.

  • SNOOPING: GOVERNMENT vs. BUSINESS

    Justin Basini
    12 Apr 2012 | 6:27 am
    The hot topic of the past week in the UK has been a piece of legislation proposed that would give access under warrant to the social media, Skype and other e-activity of anyone in the UK. What caused ire and general revulsion was the proposed collection of this information en mass about every citizen – “just in case” it was ever needed. This is a distinctly different approach to surveillance than has been practised before by the UK authorities. What is clear is that in the battle for our freedoms against those that would take them from us we need the ability to monitor,…

  • ..this time a magnolia

    Justin Basini
    11 Apr 2012 | 10:44 am
    This will feature in an up and coming blog entitled The Story of the Magnolia tree (and yes it’s a marketing blog)

  • I love the new Paper app on iPad

    Justin Basini
    11 Apr 2012 | 10:43 am
    A bit of an unusual one for me but I am falling in love with the Paper app by fiftythree.com on iPad. It makes sketching on the iPad a wonderful experience.

  • Value from ideas – I don’t think so

    Justin Basini
    11 Apr 2012 | 7:24 am
    Santander’s tag line is value from ideas. Apparently the best idea they have for flogging us ISAs is a 0.1% bonus if Rory McIllroy wins a major. What an inordinate waste of time!
 
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    LearnAboutUs.com

  • 4 Marketing Tips to Capture Your Business Moments With Instagram and Gain a New League of Customers

    Robert Kirk
    14 May 2012 | 3:57 am
    There is no denying that Instagram is in the spotlight at the moment. After Facebook recently purchased the popular photo sharing application for a whopping $1 billion earlier last month, Instagram recently released a new version for Android users and it made another milestone when it reached its 50 million user mark just last week. It has also been reported that the photo sharing service is continuously amassing 5 million users each week. These are clear indications how powerful Instagram is and with the free application constantly finding ways to improve its services, it can be expected…

  • Ebook Publishing | How To Write, Publish and Sell Your Own Lucrative eBook

    Candace Hobson
    10 May 2012 | 4:22 am
    Ebook publishing can you make you famous, want to know how? An electronic or ebook isn’t a new concept. What is new is the availability of affordable portable devices to read books in digital format such as Kindle and Nook. While not likely to eliminate hardbacks and paperbacks anytime soon, ebooks do present a unique opportunity to aspiring authors looking to get published. Retailers from Barnes & Noble to Amazon have embraced the concept, mainly due to the emergence of a growing number of readers looking for more convenient ways to read or for a better way to hide their copy of…

  • What Small Business Owners Can Learn from Shark Tank

    Jared Grant
    7 May 2012 | 4:10 am
    Shark Tank is a show on ABC where real life entrepreneurs and small business owners get to pitch their ideas to a panel of wealthy “sharks” and try to get them to invest. Just the exposure of the show alone is enough to make every small business owner want to get a shot with the sharks. Not all small business owners are that lucky, though, so they’ll have to settle for just taking away some of the show’s most important lessons. Be Realistic About Your Company’s Potential One of the quickest ways for an entrepreneur to fail to get a deal on Shark Tank is overvaluing their company.

  • How to Deal With Negativity in the Blogosphere

    Mariana Ashley
    3 May 2012 | 4:25 am
    The speed at which information travels on the web is such that powerful players can be made and unmade in the blink of an eye. Savvy blogging tactics and clever social media maneuvers can help boost the reputation of an upcoming business just as easily as it can ruin an established one. Such is the dangerous world of perpetual online commentary. I’d like to take some time to walk you through the process of dealing with negative feedback you might encounter in the blogosphere, whether it’s through a nasty comment on your blog or a toxic tweet aimed at your business’s services. Related…

  • 5 Business Lessons You Can Learn From Warren Buffett

    Robert Kurtz
    30 Apr 2012 | 4:22 am
    Warren Buffet, who heads Berkshire Hathaway Inc, a holding company that is currently ranked the third most admirable company in the world, is one of the richest men in the world. There are innumerable business lessons one can learn from his career as an investor, but five lessons that define his success are his beliefs in being strategic, staying humble, choosing potential, following a personal passion, and staying calm. Business Lesson #1: Strategic Approach Buffett’s management style is the quintessence of strategic thinking. A classic illustration of this strategy is the way he has grown…
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    Chris Cavanaugh's Blog

  • RFP Tips – The 7 Stages

    Chris Cavanaugh
    15 May 2012 | 1:21 pm
    They’re the bane of our existence, yet we get excited every time another one comes across the wires.  Is it because they represent possibilities or are we just insane individuals with high thresholds for pain coupled with incredibly short memories?  Either way the entire journey is really quite comical. I thought it worthwhile to examine the process of responding to an RFP and then offer up some tips – I’m sure you have your own – for getting through an RFP with one’s life: Exuberance Why do we get so excited?  Perhaps it’s the prospect of a new client.  It could be…

  • Shopper Marketing – Chapter Two

    Chris Cavanaugh
    9 May 2012 | 11:26 am
    For the last few posts, I’ve been looking at the shopping experience and the evolving face of mass retailing. Today, I wanted to look ahead by looking back. As much as the retail experience in this country is ripe for a reinvention (much of which is underway), I want to look at something not many people are talking about that could help support and propel the pending evolution. As much as the mass retailer has been under attack for not being more like the growing specialty store sector, there is something about the large retailers like Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, JCPenney, etc. that is…

  • Shopper Marketing – Chapter One

    Chris Cavanaugh
    8 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    For a long time now, specialty stores have been eating the mass retailer’s lunch. Consumers, more than ever, want curated merchandise served up in a clear and compelling manner. We no longer have time to sort through racks and racks of clothing or other goods to find that one item we need. In order for mass retailers to find success, they must manage to change their model in a few basic ways. Create moments – Retailers must create what Target used to call, “the store within the store.” This means that no longer is it acceptable for a consumer to walk into a mass retailer and be…

  • Shopper Marketing – Overview

    Chris Cavanaugh
    2 May 2012 | 9:24 am
    JCPenney has managed to make its way back into the lexicon, thanks in large part to Ron Johnson and his strategy to transform the venerable retailer. The choice of Ellen Degeneres as spokesperson was the spark that ignited the fire, but as that “controversy” dies down, the retailer will continue to make news. Moving forward, JCP will make news more for it’s retail strategy than its approach to advertising. Over the years, JCPenney and other retailers like it have lagged behind many of the new and more innovative entrants into the market. Stuck in their old ways, the traditional mass…

  • Hospital Advertising Without the Harsh Aftertaste

    Chris Cavanaugh
    18 Apr 2012 | 8:15 am
    Hospital Advertising Doesn’t Have to Feel Like Taking Medicine – necessary, but hard to endure. If you have a client with a bold vision and a degree of guts, hospital marketing can stand out from the crowd and engage in new and unexpected ways. The hospital business is getting more and more competitive but hospital advertising looks sort of, well, the same. Of course, ads need to communicate a degree of expertise, trust, and warmth, but healthcare consumers are increasingly savvy and they’re also true consumers – which means they have a choice and they know it. So what can you do to…
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    We Think. We Can. Blog.

  • Good Friday: Here’s To Overnight Success

    Tom Murdoch
    4 May 2012 | 11:33 am
    The day used to be important; our business anniversary has taken a back seat to getting high quality work out the door. As Jobs said, “Real artists ship.” As the odometer rolls 29 years in the agency business, I still believe the customer is king and take no greater satisfaction than delivering solid, creative solutions to a client’s marketing or communications problem. The get-rich-quick-schemes are best left to others. I’m in the office earlier than ever and work through more lunch hours hoping to build on the momentum fueled by the hard work and dedication of Nancy, Eddie,…

  • You Have A Story To Tell

    Tom Murdoch
    26 Apr 2012 | 7:35 am
    There are great stories and there are ordinary stories told in great fashion. Case in point, I just finished Preferred Lies, an excellent golf book, arguably the best I’ve read on the sport and why we play it. The story itself is not extraordinary, in fact some might think it fairly common; a man playing golf as a means of finding himself. Yet, the way author Andrew Greig tells his tale is remarkable. He paints a captivating image of his journey, articulating the nuances of the game in a tone of minor keys that has me feeling like his brother and best friend. He knows what makes me tick.

  • A Rewarding Marketing Outcome

    Tom Murdoch
    6 Apr 2012 | 8:16 am
    Against the rapidly changing social media landscape, marketing’s now convoluted meaning has become a common coin of pseudo success. The goal of selling the right product to the right customer — producing the best transaction — is often marginalized by infographics of Facebook Likes and Klout scores. Last Monday I began my week at 6 am preparing to video our client performing his first bilateral anterior approach hip replacement. At 10 am a sweat soaked but happy surgeon emerged from surgical suite 5 having just given a 52-year-old man with debilitating hip pain a new set of hips and a…

  • Is Your Marketing Message Conforming?

    Tom Murdoch
    8 Mar 2012 | 3:27 pm
    You’re taught a great deal in school about what others know, then realize life’s most valuable lessons are often learned by doing the work, not by preparing for the work. The conformity of a formal education often rewards conformists, not the maverick or the innovator. I watched Coppola direct a Saigon street scene from Apocalypse Now against the backdrop of Rizal Ave, Olongapo City, PI; not knowing that I was watching genius at work. His take on success? “What I like to tell people is that the things that you get fired for when you’re young—the things that run against the grain,…

  • Price is Perception, and Perception is Reality

    Tom Murdoch
    22 Feb 2012 | 11:38 am
    The issue of pricing rattles around in my golf bag every spring, so I might as well address it now, premature as my thoughts of spring may be. Why my golf bag? Because I play a ball I really shouldn’t from a performance and efficiency standpoint; I play it because of pricing. The ball in question is the Titleist ProV, arguable the best ball in golf. This four piece ball is played by more tour pros than any other ball, typically carries the highest retail price and is sold mostly through better stores. If you want to present a golfer with a token of appreciation, you can’t go wrong with a…
 
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    Legal Marketing Blog

  • Stop Wasting Time - Network Smartly

    10 May 2012 | 2:22 pm
    First, get over your fear of networking. How? Treat it as an opportunity to meet and get to know new friends. As I said in another post, don’t put pressure on yourself by thinking you have to come away with a new client every time. Just enjoy yourself!! Okay, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be smart about it. An article by my friend Roberta Montafia has a succinct article on Attorney at Work about planning your networking to make it as productive as possible – yeah, while you are trying to enjoy yourself. Her main points are: Plan your targets. Think through who…

  • Read What Your Clients Read

    3 May 2012 | 3:46 pm
    Pretty simple, huh. And if you don’t know ask them. Your clients’ reading habits will reveal what it is that other potential clients like them (whom presumably you would like to also represent) are reading. That is essentially the message of today’s meditation taken from 365 Marketing Meditations: Daily Lessons for Marketing & Communications Professionals by my friend Larry Smith and Richard Levick of Levick Strategic Communications, to wit: “What do your clients read? If you don’t know the answer, you cannot know what they need to hear from you. If you…

  • Good Etiquette = Good Manners = Good Marketing

    26 Apr 2012 | 4:10 pm
    There is a very interesting article on Inc. magazine online about business etiquette and five suggestions that matter. It starts out by talking about how some consider the mere discussion about etiquette as being stodgy or even old fashion. It is anything but. Here are the 5 tips: Write Thank You notes. They are still effective and memorable, because too few people send them anymore. Recently one person I was coaching expressed hesitancy in sending handwritten Thank You notes. He just didn’t think that, with email, that it was necessary. Of course it isn’t “necessary”…

  • Don't Waste Your Money On The Yellow Pages

    20 Apr 2012 | 12:18 pm
    There's a great discussion over on LinkedIn's Marketing the Law Firm group about the value of advertising in/on the Yellow Pages. I support most of the ideas or comments made there and suggest you take a look at the discussion. I have never been big on advertising, period. It does not make my top 10 list of effective marketing or business development techniques. Some claim that the yellow pages still works (mostly those who are selling that expensive service I expect), and if it does for you, great. I just don't think ads, as a rule, are a very effective way to sell legal services, and less…

  • How to Make Your Marketing Committee Effective

    10 Apr 2012 | 12:32 pm
    For those who know me, know that I am not a fan of law firm marketing committees. It may have something to do with my many years as an in-house marketing professional. I found that they only get in the way. Not only because some committee members get at cross purposes chasing their own agendas (whether they have a clue as to what marketing is all about or not – often the latter), and often think the committee’s budget is their own personal piggy bank. As you can tell, I have strong feelings about this topic, as pointed out in an earlier post entitled “Does Your Firm Have A…
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    Carvill Creative Marketing blog

  • Demystifying the Hashtag and How to leverage # on Twitter

    admin
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:06 am
    TweetWhen training in social media at both the introduction level and intermediate level – when I get to the section on Twitter, it’s clear that people are confused, and often fearful, of the relatively harmless, ‘Hashtag’. I’m often met with questions such as; ‘but where do I get a Hashtag from?’, or, ‘who creates the Hashtag for me?’  or, ‘what if I use a hashtag that’s already been created?’.  So, just as in my recent post where I clearly spelled out how to set up and leverage Hootsuite to manage multiple social media accounts – in this post, I am setting out to…

  • Managing Multiple Social Media Accounts – How to Set Up your Hootsuite Dashboard

    admin
    15 Apr 2012 | 3:56 am
    TweetDuring the Social Media Training Introductory course I deliver (to a diverse set of delegates – ranging from PRs, marketing teams, large consumer brands right through to those setting out  on new business ventures), I introduce a way to centrally manage all social media accounts from one dashboard. Whilst social platform dashboards have been around for as long as many of the social networks, it’s staggering to find out that usually, I’d say, in the region of 90% of the businesses and practitioners I’m training – are not using a social media dashboard. Therefore, they are…

  • 5 Ways to Create Effective Online Visibility – Social Media is just one part of it

    admin
    10 Apr 2012 | 10:19 am
    TweetOk, so you’ve got your social media accounts set up – and you’ve gone around things the right way, by ensuring that you considered your business objectives when you set them up have been pragmatic, done the research and listening to understand what’s important to your audiences created a content strategy so that you’re ready to create and procure an ongoing pipeline of relevant content   have set up social media listening / keyword tracking so that you can capture and listen in and engage where relevant in a targeted way Getting your house in order to start off with social…

  • How to Avoid Getting Locked Out of Your Own Social Media Accounts

    admin
    30 Mar 2012 | 3:18 am
    TweetIt’s a common story.  A business got enthusiastic about Twitter or Facebook and got someone either in the team or externally to set up the account.  The account has been relatively sleepy – as the business is still figuring out what to use these communication channels for. Then comes the time when they’re ready to fully embrace social media via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube etc – but what…?, they can’t access the account because the person that set it up has since moved on – and there’s now no way of accessing the set up account details (namely email and password).

  • 5 Ways Businesses Can Harness Social Media – My Business2012 Presentation

    admin
    23 Mar 2012 | 7:36 am
    TweetIt was both a pleasure and a pain to be at the Business 2012 business show earlier this week. Whether you loved it, hated it – or were too cold for your brain to work to even think straight – I like to look for the positive wherever possible.   The show itself was much smaller than I anticipated it would be – however, many people that I deal with, both personally and for my client, The Made Simple Group – were there – so it was a great way to touch base and catch up – and in many cases, but a face to a voice. I also got the opportunity to showcase a 30 minute presentation…
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    Targets Located » | Consumer Lists | Business Lists | Targets Located

  • 5 Questions you need to ask your list provider!

    admin
    26 Apr 2012 | 4:48 am
    We have all been there. Approached form a source via linked-in that wants to sell a full database of 100 million records for £65 (inclusive of VAT of course!!) Ok so I may have exaggerated slightly but there are some key questions any data buyer can ask to try and weed out the unscrupulous data sharks that blight some corners of our industry! General How often is the data updated? Business and consumer data degradation happens at an alarming rate our own findings have shown that as much as 40% of contact information becomes un-contactable in a 12 month period. Contacting a list that hasn’t…

  • Buying a Database based on Price!

    admin
    19 Oct 2011 | 3:36 am
    We are all acutely aware that everything has a cost. The majority of items available to buy in the western world are based on the costs incurred to produce such goods. Marketing lists are exactly the same! Every list owner and the majority of list brokers will know clean, accurate data costs money to produce and maintain. With base costs for the majority of the recognized suppression tools the same for most list owners and brokers accurate databases cannot be traded for much below market rate. The regularly coined phrase of “if its to good to be true, then it usually is” has never been…

  • Tony The Fridge

    admin
    16 Sep 2011 | 5:16 am
    Wow what a week at Targets Located some fantastic email data marketing campaigns being structured and the online marketing list ordering system has been in overdrive! But there is only one thing that has totally consumed the past two weeks and has been all anyone has spoken about at the coffee machine…… Tony the Fridge! One of our directors Tony Phoenix-Morrison has decided that he will run the 2011 BUPA Great North Run whilst carrying a 40kg fridge on his back!! Super fit Tony will do attempt to complete this incredible feat to help raise money for The South Shields Football Trust. As…

  • How Clean Is Yours

    admin
    22 Aug 2011 | 4:36 am
    Whilst you may of seen our previous blog on the 6th of July which tackled the more unscrupulous list brokers misleading customers about the size of their database. Today I would like to talk about the common question of… How clean is Your Database? We all know of the suppression files that should be used to cleanse a consumer marketing list. The question that many people don’t know is how often they should be used! Really there is no one right answer to this question whether or not the suppression files are being used frequently enough will be in the results from any campaign. Here our…

  • Business to Business Marketing List

    admin
    11 Jul 2011 | 4:54 am
    Purchase 10,000 or more business email addresses in July and receive 3,000 absolutely FREE OF CHARGE! To claim your free records just speak to your account manager at point of sale and quote reference B2B 3!
 
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    AYTM

  • Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon – Part 2

    Susan Gunelius
    16 May 2012 | 10:22 am
    In Part 1 of the Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon series, you learned about the five stages of brand growth. Now, it’s time to learn about the primary ingredients that go into a brand that becomes a cultural phenomenon. As you read through this article, you’ll notice that many of the ingredients are fundamental parts of building all brands. However, brands that become cultural phenomena take these ingredients to a higher level of importance and better integrate them into the framework of their brand strategies. Consumer Wants and Needs The key ingredients of a brand…

  • Online Posting Survey: Most Think People Share Too Much

    Anne Pilon
    16 May 2012 | 8:38 am
    In today’s online culture, many Americans make a habit of sharing information with others through social networking and other websites. Some users are comfortable sharing personal information with their network, and others would prefer to keep that information private. How many US consumers share this type of information, and how many think there are too many personal posts shared online? Online Posting In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, just 16% of respondents said they have never made a post online. 11% said they have posted information once or twice in the past. 32% said they…

  • Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon – Part 1

    Susan Gunelius
    15 May 2012 | 10:18 am
    Why do some brands become cultural phenomena? Brands like Apple and Harley Davidson have become a part of society, and they would be missed by a lot of people if they disappeared. Significant changes to either brand would likely draw an outcry from loyal customers and the broader consumer population. The promises that these brands make to consumers are as important as a promise made by one person to another. In short, some brands aren’t just icons, they’re a way of life. In my new series, Building a Brand into a Cultural Phenomenon, you’ll learn how it’s done. Before…

  • Product Reviews Survey: Reviews Impact Many Buying Decisions

    Anne Pilon
    15 May 2012 | 8:28 am
    Product reviews can be a great way for companies to spread the word about new products by allowing an impartial party to use the product and share their opinions. But how do American consumers perceive these reviews? Do they believe they are really impartial, and do they ever impact their buying decisions? Product Reviews In Ask Your Target Market’s latest survey, 28% of US consumers said they come across product reviews often. Another 46% of respondents said they see product reviews sometimes. 16% said they have seen product reviews once or twice in the past. And just 11% said they have…

  • Windows 8 Rebranding Means the Death of Windows Live

    Susan Gunelius
    14 May 2012 | 10:16 am
    Nearly seven years ago, Windows Live debuted as a set of online tools and services that would change the way people interact with relationships, information, and interests across PCs, devices, and the web. This week, Microsoft announced that the Windows Live brand would be dropped and the company’s existing and soon-to-come cloud services would be rebranded as part of the umbrella Windows 8 brand. In a blog post, Steven Sinofsky of Microsoft wrote, “Windows 8 is a chance for us to act on feedback and reintroduce you to the broadest and most widely used collection of services on…
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    Big Wave Media Blog

  • Six steps for leisure facilities to engage professionals on LinkedIn

    Simon Beer
    16 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    We find that LinkedIn is often overlooked by leisure facilities as a tool that can be used to engage their customer base. It is often thought that the social media platform is only for business to business. However, this could be an ideal platform for those leisure facilities looking to target business professionals for the lunchtime market or to encourage them to pop in before or after work. There are over five million LinkedIn members in the UK. Here are six steps that can help your leisure facilitiy really make an impact. Complete Your Personal Profile – LinkedIn is all about the…

  • Seven steps leisure facilities can take to engage with customers using Twitter

    Simon Beer
    9 May 2012 | 9:45 am
    Just like Facebook, Twitter provides an ideal channel for leisure facilities to engage their current and potential customer base. Twitter is a micro message instant chat network that is growing fast. It has over 200 million users – 50 million log in every day. Twitter has so many possibilities, it can be difficult to know where to start. So to help you get started, here are eight steps that can help your leisure facility really make an impact. Big Wave Media Twitter Profile Setup a Twitter Profile – this allows other people on Twitter to follow your updates in their Twitter stream.

  • Eight steps leisure providers can take to engage with customers using Facebook

    Simon Beer
    26 Apr 2012 | 1:09 pm
    Facebook provides an ideal channel where leisure providers can engage with current and potential members. However, Facebook offers so many options, it can seem a bit daunting to know where to start. We thought we would help by narrowing it down to eight steps that could really make an impact for your leisure facilities. Setup a Facebook Page for your leisure centre/facility – a Facebook Page offers existing members (that are Facebook members) the opportunity to “like” the page and follow it for updates. These updates will then appear on their Personal Profile, where their friends and…

  • 7 simple ways leisure facilities can engage with customers using social media

    Simon Beer
    16 Apr 2012 | 2:53 am
    Social media provides an ideal channel for leisure facilities  to use to engage with their current and potential member base. However, there are so many things you can do using social media, knowing where to start can seem a bit daunting. We thought we’d help by narrowing it down to seven easy steps that could help really make an impact for your leisure facility. Provide useful info on a regular basis – this includes news, class timetables, availability of facilities and new/forthcoming events. This will allow your members and non-members to easily access the information they are…

  • Are you ready for the layout changes to Facebook Business Pages?

    Simon Beer
    29 Mar 2012 | 11:19 am
    Facebook business pages will automatically switch to a new page layout tomorrow (30 March 2012). What this means for your page is that you’ll need to adjust the size of some of your existing images and add some new ones. The new layout brings the business pages in line with the personal profile timelines – effectively creating timelines for businesses. Here’s a short guide to the new features and a list of sizes for your deisgns (in pixels): Cover photo: 851 x 315 You can now add a large image as the header to your Facebook page – check out our Space Invaders inspired…
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    PLR Internet Marketing

  • Working From Home – With a Newborn

    Warren
    14 May 2012 | 12:24 pm
      As many of you likely noticed I was absent for most of April, and only managed to squeeze in a few days of actual work. Our first was scheduled to arrive on the 13th of April, so we had company down visiting for a couple of weeks hoping to meet her when she arrived. Being a girl she decided to wait until the 22nd to finally make an appearance keeping us all anxiously waiting, but since she arrived perfectly perfect, you won’t get any complaints from us! Now that May has rolled around I am faced with getting back into my work routine and attempting to continue on with the many…

  • Do’s and don’ts of affiliate marketing – Know how things are done

    Warren
    11 May 2012 | 11:38 am
    If you are a stay at home mother, college student, individual struggling to find a permanent source of employment or anybody else looking to make money online by staying at home, then affiliate marketing is one of the best ways in which you can do so. One of the most popular methods of making money online is through affiliate marketing. The best part is that you wouldn’t need to employ much physical labor and work at your own convenience when you want to make money affiliate marketing. This is because of the way affiliate marketing works. What is affiliate marketing? This is basically a…

  • Build Your Own Site

    Guest
    3 May 2012 | 3:11 pm
    When you’re planning to build a new website there are two main ways you can go with this. Either have the site set up on a separate domain, which you have to buy first, or have something built on a free platform that will support you with both a domain and some hosting space. Of course, both approaches have a couple of advantages and disadvantages that you need to understand before you make the final decision. First of all, the biggest disadvantage of free website platforms is that you’re not really the owner of the site. You own the content, that’s true, but the site itself…

  • Fortune 100 Companies and Social Media

    Warren
    30 Apr 2012 | 11:25 am
          Infographic courtesy of: http://www.thegappartnership.com/ Incoming search terms for the article:hey enter yourname@yourkeywords (2)E-Business The Insiders Edge! (1)Enter YourName YourKeywords 3 Comments doraemon (1)infographic (1)

  • Shoot the Messenger: Author Clout to Play a Role in Google Search?

    Warren
    27 Apr 2012 | 12:10 pm
    Over the course of the past year, sweeping changes to search engine rankings — largely concerning Google’s changes to its own online platform — have forced businesses and publishers to change how they produce content. For marketers, these changes have created a mix of challenges and opportunities. Google’s Panda update, the centerpiece of its search refinements, garnered the biggest attention, but the increased integration of social media into publishing has also had its hand in changing how marketers think. And if all goes according to plan, another milestone shift in…
 
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    Smart Marketing for Small Business

  • Automate My Social Media – Pros and Cons

    smartmarketing1
    4 May 2012 | 10:47 am
    Originally Found at NiceLeighDone Web Designs There are a lot of tools out there to automate your social media. I’ve used them and still use them, sometimes. They definitely can have an advantage in your social media marketing strategies but here’s a short guide to help you make a decision on implementing automation or not: Pros: You don’t have to be glued to the computer 24/7. You can run your business without social media getting in the way. You can plan and launch promotions months ahead of time. If you have an event, you can schedule reminders for your fans and followers while…

  • Why is Marketing Important for Your Small Business?

    smartmarketing1
    3 Apr 2012 | 4:28 pm
    In a down economy there are more small businesses operated by one person or more that open up due to a  job loss, or a can’t miss opportunity. So what does that mean? It means that there are more businesses out there that don’t know all the ins and outs of marketing. But first, why is marketing important? A lot of businesses, to use the cliche term, think “build it and they will come…” and to be successful in your business you must get past this debilitating thought process. First, whether you sell a product or service make sure your…

  • 29 Mar 2012 | 2:45 pm

    smartmarketing1
    29 Mar 2012 | 2:45 pm
    More and more businesses are opening, especially in a down economy. Please help us raise money so that we can help new and inexperienced businesses. We will help with marketing, business plans and more with expert advice. Please read through our project at http://www.IndieGoGo.com/YMU for the full run down of this business we are trying to launch. Filed under: small business Tagged: help, marketing, small business

  • Everyone Collects Something, Some Like Matchboxes – Smart Marketing Move

    smartmarketing1
    20 Mar 2012 | 10:00 am
    This week’s Smart Marketing Move goes to A Little Taste of Cuba. It’s a smoke shop, mainly featuring fine cigars plus other tobacco products. Normally, I wouldn’t go to one, but a friend needed just a pack of cigarettes, so we went in. I wasn’t expecting anything fantastic out of a smoke shop, because it’s a smoke shop. But this one lived up to its name because they created an experience when you walk in, through Cuban art, music and furnishings that transported you from New Hope, PA to some nook in Cuba. Although that’s not the reason why they’re getting a smart…

  • Marketing by Capitalizing on Special and Unique Opportunities – Smart Marketing Move

    smartmarketing1
    15 Mar 2012 | 4:12 pm
    This week’s Smart Marketing Move goes to Lou DiBella at DiBella Entertainment. On Saint Patrick’s Day this year, there will be at least one Irishman on every score card for the fights promoted by DiBella Entertainment in Madison Square Garden, New York. Everyone knows that Irishmen like to drink… and fight. This myriad of fights culminates in the action packed finale of Middleweight Champion of the World Sergio Martinez vs. Irish Contender Matthew Macklin. The opportunity does not come by very often to put several top athletes together from a single nationality. Also, renowned…
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    Marketing Governance

  • Whitepaper: Getting Marketing Resource Management Right

    Marketing Governance
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    Marketing has never found itself in a more challenging or a more promising decade. There are more competitors, more products, more brands, more media channels and more regulations than ever before. New technology creates new business opportunities, but when budgets are cut, marketing is one of the first departments to take the blow. The need for working efficiently and effectively is therefore greater than ever. Cristene Gonzalez-Wertz, Chief Strategist at Covalent Marketing and Erik Didriksen, Marketing Technology and Strategy Specialist for Allstate Insurance, recognized the challenging…

  • The Evolving Role of DAM in CXM – Part 2

    Jan Dejosse
    15 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    As some readers already know, I recently participated in a Tweet Jam hosted by CMSWire that discussed the evolving role of digital asset management (DAM) in customer experience management (CXM). You can read CMSWire’s summary of the Tweet Jam here. In my last post, I reviewed the first three discussion questions that were addressed in the Tweet Jam. In this post, I’ll provide my take on the issues covered by the final three discussion questions. Question 4: How do DAM and CXM and WEM currently relate? Most participants in the Tweet Jam believed that there should be a strong…

  • Gartner Highlights Cool Vendors to Watch in 2012

    Marketing Governance
    14 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    Cloud, social, mobile and information are the four key IT forces — alongside the continued impact of consumerization — that are combining to produce a ‘nexus’ in which ‘Cool Vendors’ will operate, according to Gartner, Inc. Gartner’s 2012 Cool Vendors research series identifies the innovative companies, products and services that will shape business and consumer strategies in the future. Cool vendors are minor software vendors that nonetheless deserve some attention and recognition for the pioneering work they are doing, according to research institute…

  • A Marketer’s Guide to Pinterest

    Marketing Governance
    11 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    Pinterest! A new social platform and the next big thing in marketing. Or is it just a digital notice board for bored housewives surfing the net for pictures of cupcakes, cats, and Ryan Gosling? Good news: ad agency MDG Advertising has created this Pinterest 101 video. Why should you be on Pinterest? Basically, because others are, and apparently the site is a good traffic driver. As ever in content marketing, it’s key to strike a balance between providing attractive content for the prospective audience and brand visibility. As the site only allows pins and re-pins of content that has an…

  • MRM According to Brandworkz

    Marketing Governance
    10 May 2012 | 1:30 am
    ‘You control your brand, its assets and its information with just a few clicks.’ MRM vendor Brandworkz demonstrates its features in this (rather modest) video. It covers multiple areas of the marketing production process, from production to reporting. Customizable for each organization, it includes web-to-print, an extensive DAM function with access rights, a planning and workflow tool and a reporting function. Brandworkz promises to increase brand consistency, quicker time-to-market, and fewer man hours required to do the same tasks. The system looks fresh and easy to use, but…
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    Green Marketing Specialists

  • San Diego Marketing

    Admin
    10 May 2012 | 12:52 pm
    For most websites today one of the best things they can do is to target the local search market, and this is especially true for businesses who have physical locations in that city. For San Diego marketing it is imperative that when someone types in a keyword you are targeting for your business that you show up in the local search results or you’ll be missing a huge amount of very targeted traffic every month. Just a few years ago there was no such thing as local search results so everyone just targeted the main search results for Google and other top search engines. This often made it very…

  • Case Study: Home Energy Systems (www.hessolar.com)

    Admin
    9 May 2012 | 8:36 pm
    Home Energy Systems (HES) has installed systems ranging from small residential to large scale commercial all for a total of more than 3,500,000 watts of power!  They have been one of the top San Diego solar companies for more than a decade, which also makes them one of the oldest.  HES markets their services through a variety of different marketing channels. The Challenge: HES had just finished a lengthy marketing campaign with a prominent local radio station that had left them with less than ideal results.  The important question at hand now became “how can we market our services more…

  • SEO & Google Maps

    Admin
    14 Mar 2011 | 3:26 pm
    What is search engine optimization? Our definition is “search engine optimization is a form of internet marketing that brings your business more visibility in the search engine result pages (SERPs), that is non-paid (organic listings), and is targeted according to the search criteria entered into the search engine by the end user (your customer). SEO is critically important for your business to adopt. Here is why… 
So, why should my business use SEO? Fact – 98% will not go past page one of search engine results. If your business is not listed on the first page, there is a very slim…

  • Social Media Marketing

    Admin
    14 Feb 2011 | 2:26 pm
    Social media marketing presents a great opportunity to brand your business, create sales, and strengthen customer loyalty. So why is leveraging the power of social media in the 21st century critically important? Now one in every nine people in the world are on facebook alone, totaling almost 900 million as of April 2012. To be an industry leader and innovator in your market you must be social! Social media presents a powerful opportunity to interact with your customers and engage them. We understand with all the social media networks out there it is difficult to know which sites are worth…

  • Concierge Marketing

    Admin
    14 Jan 2011 | 2:25 pm
    San Diego is the destination of more than 85,000 average daily tourists and $44 Million in daily spending. Wouldn’t you like to put your business in front of this market? Small businesses and large corporations alike are all in business for one simple reason, return on your investment. If you are looking to maximize your advertising dollars by strategically targeting tourists in the San Diego area, we are your marketing partner. We offer two services that allow businesses to target San Diego’s visitors that are affordable and effective. Our Map Advertising, does just that, puts you in…
 
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    Amplify Interactive

  • Ryan’s PPC Playlist: Staying Creative In Paid Search Edition

    Ryan Campbell
    15 May 2012 | 12:49 pm
    Paid search has constantly evolving features and changes in the space combined with shifting needs of clients and business. Effective PPC managers are flexible and creative to adapt to this landscape. Take the Bear Grylls approach to PPC management and ensure your campaigns don’t die a slow death in the internet wilderness with this edition of the playlist. Amplified Gold Posts How to Steal Killer Sales Copy Straight from Your Prospects’ Mouths: Great tips in this post on using words your potential customers use for effective ad copy. I’ve also mined LinkedIn Q and A for…

  • Overwhelmed by Social Media?

    Ben Lloyd
    10 May 2012 | 4:09 pm
    I was recently interviewed by NeighborhoodNotes.com on the topic of “Choosing the Right Social Media Platform For Your Business” for their “Indie Business” section. Infographic on Social Media . (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The premise was that a lot of small business owners feel overwhelmed by social media. This is not a new theme when it comes to social media – it can be overwhelming and we know it. But I think a lot of people feel compelled to do it all and do it all at the same time. I know I am guilty of that from time to time as well. This article covers…

  • Christian Reads… (So You Don’t Have To) – SEO Edition – May 2012

    Christian Bullock
    1 May 2012 | 10:41 am
    It’s time to wake up from your haze due to those pesky April showers and smell those May flowers because I have some fantastic SEO articles and news items I’ve been reading from about the middle of April until now to share. So let’s get sniffing (that doesn’t really work… but we’ll go with it anyway)! Spring Flowers in Portland, Oregon – courtesy OregonLive.com We’re Hiring! View this news item We’ve recently announced that we’re looking to add an experienced account executive to our team. Amplify is a great place to work at and we…

  • Labels and Other New Features in Google Adwords

    Ryan Campbell
    27 Apr 2012 | 4:13 pm
    Google Adwords released a few new features this week that got me pretty excited. I can already see multiple ways these new features can be used. If you’re not excited enough already let me show you why you should be. I’m most excited about the addition of labels to add another layer of organization to campaigns. Here are three new features released this week starting with my favorite, labels: *All of the sub headings are links to the blog posts on the Adwords blog Slice and dice your data using AdWords labels I’ve been using label type hacks for years. I will append…

  • 5 Guidelines for Effective Hashtag Marketing, According to Peter Stringer

    Ashley Kennedy
    26 Apr 2012 | 11:21 am
    Happy Spring and welcome to the April edition of ‘According To’! This month’s post is a great change of pace from previous posts in the series and features Peter Stringer, the Senior Director of Interactive Media for the Boston Celtics. Peter is providing his top five tips for effective hashtag marketing based on his experience with hashtag campaigns for the Celtics. Over the past two NBA seasons, Stringer has launched and cultivated social media channels for the Celtics. His efforts have led to over 6.4 million “Likes” on Facebook and over 470,000 followers on…
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    The Village of Useful

  • app saves city from potholes

    Adam
    14 May 2012 | 5:12 am
    Canadian ad agency, Taxi celebrated their 20th anniversary recently by giving something back to the city of Montreal, they created a mobile app and website that allowed people  to alert fellow motorists as to the exact location of potholes ( a scourge of driving in that city after winter). The app named, “Pothole Season” used Google Maps to accurately pinpoint the location of potholes. People could easily upload any new potholes they discovered through their travels. The nifty to super nifty extension was the built in accelerometer that automatically detected a pothole as you drove over…

  • Simple Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

    Andy
    7 May 2012 | 8:01 pm
    Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) helps Google connect people with your brand, product or service when they’re searching for it. 70 percent of Australian retailers cite SEO as the most effective customer acquisition source. Most activity during a customer’s search happens in a triangle at the top of the search results page, creating a “golden triangle” of visibility and clicks. The golden triangle consists of top Google ads, top organic results and Google’s alternative results, including shopping, news and Google+ suggestions (source: Eyetools). Useful SEO to…

  • hillary clinton gets her tumblr on

    Adam
    12 Apr 2012 | 5:29 am
    Hillary Clinton recently met up with the creators of the Tumblr that’s sweeping the internet, ‘Texts from Hillary‘. The Tumblr collects fictional responses to an image of Hillary Clinton on board a military C17 aircraft checking her phone messages. In a twist, real responses have started making their way to the the Tumblr from Clinton herself. It seems Madam Secretary has become somewhat of a fan. And if you read the Tweets, people are loving the fact that she she loves it. They have responded to her self deprecating appreciation. She and her team have obviously recognised a…

  • People control the music

    Andy
    30 Mar 2012 | 12:59 am
    Anthm lets people control the music in the places they go. It’s a free app for one-off music playlists (think parties) and works like a jukebox. The host uses the Anthm app to hook up their Rdio account and create a playlist. Guests can use the app to add songs to the playlist and vote songs up and down. Spotify is next on the list for Anthm integration. Rdio launched in Australia last month and Spotify is coming very soon. The shared and limitless jukebox that Anthm creates is useful. It’d be really useful if it went beyond single-use playlists. There’d be less workplace…

  • pop up generosity

    Adam
    25 Mar 2012 | 11:01 pm
    Renowned Danish chocolate maker, Anthon Berg has just used a combination of pop up stores and facebook pledges to extend the notion of ‘generosity’ that sits at the heart of their brand. The company opened a pop up store in Denmark and allowed customers to buy chocolate for someone with a pledge of generosity to that person rather than currency. Chocolates boxes in store were marked with prices of pledges rather than money. You could make pledges like not talking behind you girlfriend’s back or not lying in order to receive the chocolate. In store, customers could use ipads…
 
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    Evotive Marketing

  • Why Can’t I See My Facebook Page Without the Log In?

    Evotive
    15 May 2012 | 7:58 pm
    We were talking with a prospective client the other day and they couldn’t understand why they had to be logged in, to view their Facebook page. We get this question a lot, so we thought we’d address it here to help others. If people need to log in, in order to see your Facebook page, then your page settings have been set with restrictions and it’s not a public page. The good news is, you can fix this! We’re talking about Facebook Business Pages, not personal profiles. If you’re not sure if your FB page is viewable to the general public, then give it this quick test:…

  • Is SEO Worth it?

    Evotive
    1 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Yep, we hear this question when we talk with prospective clients. We’ve heard it three times today alone. And yes, that’s what prompted this post. Much like the last question we examined, “Should Social Media be Kept In-House” this does not have a simple yes or no answer. When is SEO not worth it? 1) When you do it wrong. You might be surprised how wrong it can go, but lets just say most people want to optimize for a search term (keyword phrase) that won’t help them get a lead (a prospective client). Choosing the best long tail keywords (keyword phrases) is…

  • Should Social Media be Kept In-House?

    Evotive
    9 Apr 2012 | 8:07 pm
    This question comes up a lot, so it’s time to write a post about the common debate of whether a business should handle their own social media in-house, or hire a social media company. Beyond the fact that every business is unique and can have its own unique voice, we need to recognize that every business has different employee talents and skills, and every business has a different budget. There are businesses that have the budget for an in-house social media team, and they have hired the employees with the best talent and skill for this department.  But, a social media consultant could…

  • Facebook Timeline – What Your Business Needs to Know

    Evotive
    20 Mar 2012 | 1:41 am
      Time to Get Movin’ Only 10 Days until All Facebook Pages Convert to Timeline What You Need to Know!   ** Due to the abrupt and dynamic nature of Facebook these details may change; however, as of now these are the latest updates. ** This guide is for Facebook business pages not personal profiles. Deadline March 30, 2012 If you don’t publish the new Timeline version of your Facebook Page by March 302012, your page will automatically convert.  You will not lose your page if you do not take action. It will simply be converted to the default layout. What’s Changed…

  • Facebook Marketing, Are You Doing It Wrong?

    Evotive
    1 Mar 2012 | 12:34 am
    Are you doing Facebook marketing wrong, or is there just some big Facebook myth that no one told you the truth about? Many of our clients come to us feeling overwhelmed or disheartened from their social media marketing attempts. The most common thing we hear is: why is Facebook not working? It’s easy to understand what they feel so frustrated, after all they’ve heard all the glamorous and exciting statics: Over 700 million active users More than 50 percent of the active users log into their account on any given day Users spend over 700 billion minutes per month Average user has…
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    Murray Newlands - Marketing Blog

  • Chris Brogan Interview – Video creation for business – Future of Publishing

    Murray
    15 May 2012 | 12:51 pm
    Chris Brogan is best known as an expert marketing consultant, a reputation he earned after writing a book on trust agents entitled Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation, and Earn Trust. But he also consults major corporations on video production work and has a few tips for content creators. Check out this interview host Murray Newlands and Chris Brogan did at BlogWorld 2011. Future of Publishing is sponsored by VigLink. If you enjoyed the show, be sure to Like Future of Publishing on Facebook!

  • Visual Branding on Social Media – Future of Engagement

    Murray
    14 May 2012 | 7:25 pm
    Visual content has become increasingly important in the mobile marketing space. Facebook recognized this and now displays pictures and videos much bigger in the Facebook iPhone app. This gives visual companies like Viddy and SocialCam, visual apps both dependent on Facebook integration, a much better opportunity to penetrate with a Facebook audience. In this Future of Engagement episode, host Murray Newlands analyzes Facebook’s changes and how it will affect companies like SocialCam and Viddy. Watch below: Alerti social media monitoring chart about negative and positive conversations…

  • Future of Engagement: Mobile Visual Branding

    Murray
    14 May 2012 | 7:25 pm
    Visual branding has always been important, but now even more. Facebook is updating its mobile app to make photos bigger on their mobile app, and in the past month Facebook acquired Instagram and Glancee, both indications that the social media giant is looking to improve its mobile visual appeal. Could video be next? A May 10 article in Mashable starts off with, “Haven’t you heard? Photos are so 2011.” The emergence of social video sharing apps like SocialCam and Viddy as easy mobile, social sharing integrations to Facebook means video is making a run at relevance in a whole new way.

  • Future of Engagement: Google+ Hangouts on Air

    Murray
    7 May 2012 | 7:05 pm
    Google announced today that they have begun rolling out their new “Hangouts on Air” feature. Anyone who hosts a hangout on Google+ can now choose to broadcast it live to the world! The news is buzzing around Twitter, and overall mentions of Hangouts are spiking as word gets around. In today’s episode of Future of Engagement, I look at how the news is getting out, what this means for brands and small businesses, and what you need to know if you’re considering broadcasting your live Hangout on Air. What can a Hangout on Air be good for? Retail events, parties, or sales…

  • What is Google Hangout on Air? Future of Engagement

    Murray
    7 May 2012 | 5:19 pm
    Google Hangout (it sounds a lot like Disney on Ice, but it’s not a Disney play about Google) is one of Google Plus’s features designed to break people away from Facebook. It tries to do this by making video calls easy and enabling you to easily chat with multiple people at once. Recently, Google removed the number of users cap from its potentially killer app, so you can now use Google Plus as more of a broadcast and less of a social medium to reach out to your audience. In this Future of Engagement episode, I look at Google Hangouts on Air and what companies might use them for. Future of…
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    Marketing Strategy Expert

  • How to “Seduce” Your Audience With Your Writing?

    marketingstrategyexpert
    8 May 2012 | 12:21 pm
    Tips on Becoming a Good Writer As the saying goes, the pen is sharper than the sword. A good writer is able to influence their readers into their train of thought; he or she is able to encourage and motivate the reader, gain their trust, and make the readers practice what they learnt from them. What it means to you that, whether you are aspiring to be a author of a bestselling novel or you are a marketer representing your company products and brand, being good in writing can put you in many advantages. However, it do takes a lot of effort and time to train yourself into a capable writer; to…

  • 3 Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Work for ‘Shooting Star’ Companies?

    marketingstrategyexpert
    6 May 2012 | 8:54 am
    Shooting Stars Companies Rises and Falls in an Instance ‘Shooting star’ companies are what I defined as brand new, short lived and ‘Big Time’ companies which invested heavily on marketing and advertising campaigns without a clear direction of where the company heading in the long term. These companies usually focus on getting quick profits. Shooting Companies Always Invest Heavily in Massive ‘Air Bus’ Liked Advertising Just like a shooting star, it shines the brightest among the other stars in the dark skies but only for a short while before it descends…

  • 7 Ways Small Business Could Succeed With Facebook

    marketingstrategyexpert
    22 Mar 2012 | 12:17 pm
    Is it a Myth of Fact? Small Business Cannot Have a Successful Facebook Page? Many marketers believe in the myth that it is easy for any brands that are already established to do very well in Facebook compared to small business whose brand is still not well known to many people. However, this is half truth. True in the sense that it is pretty easy for established brands to grow their numbers of Facebook likes immediately as they would have large marketing dollars to invest on their campaign. But it is not true that small businesses cannot succeed with Facebook. You need to know these 7 golden…

  • 8 Tips on How Newly Startup Can Become a Sensational Brand Faster

    marketingstrategyexpert
    14 Mar 2012 | 11:57 am
    How Do a New Startup Stand Out From the Competitors? Do you know exactly how many companies there are in your country? Or exactly how many new companies are set up each day? I would say, ‘countless and infinite’. As Long as You Have a Good Strategy, You Can Win, Even in a Saturated Market Take a look around and you may have already realised the market saturation for each product. How many food outlets, mobile phone shops, salons, restaurants, fashion apparel shops, and business companies are there? When everyone is competing for the share of the cake, what can you do to stand out from the…

  • Word of “Tab” Marketing Might be Something New for You

    marketingstrategyexpert
    29 Feb 2012 | 11:01 am
    Word of Tab Marketing Spreads Faster from One Person to Many Today, most people, especially those who live in developed nations, own a smart phone or a tablet. A few years ago, when most marketers are talking about the powerful effect of Word of Mouse marketing taking over traditional Word of Mouth marketing. Word of Tab marketing suddenly becoming dominant over its 2 predecessors recently. We may or may not have noticed that. By the way, what is Word of Tab marketing? In simple terms, it means viral influence marketing from a friend to another through internet mobile phones and tablets, with…
 
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    Marketing Forecast from Ad-ology

  • Affluent Men to Drive Mobile Campaigns for Luxury Products

    Kathy Crosett
    16 May 2012 | 11:10 am
    Men have reputation for being non-shoppers. Maybe it’s the new high-tech tools men have at their disposal, the effects of great new ad campaigns – or a combination of the two – but things have changed. Today’s men are the new hot prospects, especially for luxury marketers.

  • Retailers Employ Geo-fencing and Hyper-local Marketing to Stop Showrooming Trend

    Kathy Crosett
    16 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Today’s shoppers appear content to browse websites and order everything from shoes to books without ever leaving home. But there are also consumers who are frustrated by the poorly fitting shoes they ordered online and consumers who are just wandering by a bricks and mortar store. It is these shoppers that retailers hope to reach with their geo-fencing strategies.

  • Top Opportunities/Challenges Ahead for Sleep Disorder Centers

    Jessica Helinski
    15 May 2012 | 3:49 pm
    Ad-ology Research recently updated their Industry Marketing Insights report for Sleep Disorder Centers. The following are the predicted Top 3 Opportunities/Challenges from the report for this industry for the upcoming 12 months:

  • Optimistic Millennials Are an Attractive Target for Marketers

    Shannon Bryant
    15 May 2012 | 2:06 pm
    According to a new report about Millennials, many generational ties bind this diverse group of young consumers and differentiate them from older consumers. These include a deep comfort with technology, heavy involvement in social media, a multitasking mentality, non-stop immersion with screens on cell phones, digital tablets and PCs, etc. The challenge for marketers is to leverage this common ground to find Millennials wherever they are and engage them no matter what they are doing.

  • Consumers Swayed by Marketers’ Social Posts

    Kathy Crosett
    15 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Because social media is still proving its worth to many marketers, there is no shortage of new studies emphasizing the various strengths of the format. Earlier this month, Market Force set up a survey to determine whether consumers can be influenced to buy products as a result of marketers’ social media posts. The findings may surprise some marketers.
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    MarketingTechNews.net: Latest from the homepage

  • GM reassesses marketing campaign after dropping Facebook ads

    16 May 2012 | 7:03 am
    General Motors has announced it is to stop advertising on Facebook after claiming their current social media marketing campaign is not influencing potential customers. Earlier this week the global manufacturer posted a survey on its official Facebook page asking for “ways to improve our Facebook community”. This move adds fresh fuel to the debate of social media advertising: does it actually pay off? Not according to General Motors, it appears. GM spends approximately $40 million per year on Facebook marketing with one quarter of it going towards online advertising, and the…

  • 5 ways to spark engagement in your Facebook timeline

    15 May 2012 | 8:16 am
    With Facebook’s recent implementation of Timeline for Pages, we are quickly reminded that we have no control over what direction Facebook might take with their platform. Regardless if you are a fan or not of Facebook, however, there is still no better way to reach out and engage with both present and potential consumers in social media than through a robust Facebook Page. The problem is: Are you truly maximizing your Facebook presence to reach your marketing objectives? Many businesses that I meet are not. Maximizing your business presence on Facebook begins with truly maximizing all of…

  • 3 Blog Posts That Draw Visitors

    14 May 2012 | 6:27 pm
    In order to drive traffic to your blog, you need to post frequently. You also need to choose the right type of blog posts for your readership. Depending on your blog's subject, this might mean regular news updates, opinion pieces or something else, but there are a few types of blog posts that are almost always successful. Here are three types of posts that can bring more visitors to your website. 1. Interviews Your readers will always appreciate interviews, because interviews change the tone of the blog temporarily and bring another perspective. Format interviews with questions in bold…

  • Technology does not always provide consumers what they want: Simplification

    14 May 2012 | 4:00 am
    A recent study by global communications firm Ketchum found that most consumers want to use technology to simplify their lives.According to a BrandChannel article about Ketchum's findings, "More than three in four people (76 percent) say they are 'not very satisfied with technology's ability to make their life simpler'.   "Across the six countries in the study (China, France, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S.), 50 percent of consumers value technology that provides simplification more than empowerment (40 percent), enrichment (23 percent), or personal values (15…

  • 6 tips to accelerate word of mouth through social media

    11 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    Whether we admit it or not, the opinions of other people matter.  Whether it’s about simple things such as which brand of laundry detergent to buy, or bigger decisions such as who to consult with on critical business matters, we’ve always taken into account the points of view of those we deem important in order to get the information we need to make the best judgement calls. This is exactly how we can define word of mouth from a marketing perspective: the passing of information, hopefully beneficial to our brand, from one to another via oral communication.  The potential…
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    » Lucid At Random

  • The 12 most practical ways to get good work from your outsource.

    Kim Phillips
    1 May 2012 | 7:36 am
    So, you’ve hired a consultant, agency, freelancer… some sort of contract labor to do some work for you. Whatever the assignment is, you’ll have a better chance at getting a good product — and a good experience — if you do these simple things. 1. Do your homework. Before outsourcing the work, research the project or issue thoroughly, and write down the specifications. 2. Don’t bid the source to death. Look around, find someone you want to work with for a fair price. 3. Be very specific about what you need done. Write down the actionable steps, and don’t forget to include the…

  • Make your business cards a portfolio.

    Kim Phillips
    17 Apr 2012 | 8:05 am
    In a digital world, having great business cards becomes more important, not less. Sometimes, a business card is all a prospect has from you that is real, tactile, and lasting. Make it a work of art, and showcase what you do. Better yet, make your business cards a portfolio. <<< Example of cards for Hebrica with a different sample of the work on each card; the other side has the name, phone number, email, etc. Click on the image to enlarge. You’re probably thinking, “Well, that’s fine for artists and photographers.” It is, and it’s fine for just about any…

  • Without Further Adieu, Part 5

    Kim Phillips
    15 Apr 2012 | 10:37 am
    There’s been a bumper crop of homophonic writing gaffes lately, taylor-made for hilarity. It didn’t phase me when I saw the tell-tail signs of “writing by ear” with the phrase color pallet incorporated seemlessly into a design blog. These writers need either to hand over the reigns or get themselves en root to a dictionary. They obviously think that clarity in writing is a waist of time. Of course, nothing will ever top the mother of all hilarious homophones in Part 4 of Without Further Adieu. Corrections: tailor-made; faze me; tell-tale; color palette; seamlessly;…

  • The 12 most striking tendencies of creative people.

    Kim Phillips
    28 Mar 2012 | 10:31 pm
    Ever wonder what makes those wacky, creative types tick? How is it that some people seem to come up with all kinds of interesting, original work while the rest of us trudge along in our daily routines? Creative people are different because they operate a little differently. They: 1. Are easily bored A short attention span isn’t always a good thing, but it can indicate that the creative person has grasped one concept and is ready to go on to the next one. 2. Are willing to take risks Fearlessness is absolutely necessary for creating original work, because of the possibility of rejection.

  • Is using Pinterest copyright infringement? Caveat pintor.

    Kim Phillips
    24 Mar 2012 | 10:16 am
    Pinterest, the ubiquitous and highly addictive social sharing tool, just released a revised terms of service, acceptable use policy, and privacy policy. The update doesn’t do much to ease the fear that use of the service may violate copyright law. Much has been said about this by lawyers, and it’s still not clear whether using Pinterest is automatically a violation or whether there is a loophole based on the legal concept of “fair use.” The U.S. Copyright Office’s publicationquotes Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law, saying “… the reproduction of a particular work may be…
 
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    Heinz On Marketing

  • What you do vs. how you do it

    Matt Heinz
    16 May 2012 | 9:15 am
    Remind yourself constantly that there’s a big difference. What you do is solve customer problems. That’s a benefit, an outcome, that your customer wants, needs and/or desires. How you do it is what they pay for. A product or service that delivers the result or outcome. It’s natural for us to confuse the two, and the primary reason is our point of view. Ask an employee “what do we do” and you’ll likely hear them explain their job, or the product they’ve built, or the service they deliver. But they’re likely going to describe it from their point…

  • How to engage trolls & critics in social media

    Matt Heinz
    15 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    When customers complained about or criticized you 20 years ago, they mostly did so in private, or at least only in front of limited audiences. Today, they have a voice to the world on their own. And worse, they can voice these concerns and criticisms right on your own social channels. While this is frustrating, unless you want to shut those channels down, it’s the new reality of corporate communications. Here are several strategies for engaging your critics online: 1. Take the high road Don’t get into a back-and-forth, you’ll at best look petty and will likely make the issue…

  • 10 things I’ve learned about being an entrepreneur

    Matt Heinz
    14 May 2012 | 9:12 am
    My business is now three and a half years old. What started with a guy and a laptop now has eight employees and is growing. I’ve learned a ton along the way, and still learn every day. Here are ten things I now know and respect about starting and running a business. 1. You are never “ready” Three things in my life I never would have done if I’d have waited until I was “ready”: get married, have kids, start a business. You’re never really ready, you just have to build enough of a plan and confidence (rational or not) to step off the cliff and give it a…

  • From the Sales Trenches: Q&A with Curt Vondrasek

    Matt Heinz
    11 May 2012 | 9:09 am
    This continues our series of front-line sales interviews, featuring quota-carrying sales reps as well as their managers and leaders (see previous interviews here, here and here). Curt Vondrasek is Vice President of Business Development at HUB International. He is responsible for driving the outbound call strategy, developing lead opportunities for specific target areas with strategically chosen producers, and creating a feeder pool for new producers. How (and why) did you get into sales? I had no intention of getting into sales. I graduated from college as a finance major, and wanted to get…

  • 8 ways sales operations can double your team’s productivity

    Matt Heinz
    10 May 2012 | 9:49 am
    Sales operations may very well be THE most important and unsung hero for sales teams big and small, inside and field, direct and channel. They often do thankless jobs with minimal resources, and when done well they can have a significant, more-than-material impact on your sales team’s efficiency and success. Here are eight specific ways sales operations can impact sales productivity: 1. Active CRM ownership and optimization Sales leadership should be actively involved in defining the sales process, including lead & opportunity stages, but sales ops should have active ownership of…
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    Digital Brand Marketing Education & Interactives

  • Consistency Is Key In Your Integrated Marketing Strategy

    Monique Merhige
    15 May 2012 | 3:39 pm
    Consistency is an important concept in marketing that many companies fail to deliver. It’s the key to success…so why is it overlooked by so many marketing executives?  The answer is that most marketing is fragmented and coming at people from too many different directions. Between TV, radio, print, outdoor billboards, email, direct mail all competing [...]

  • The Quickest Way to Become a Freelance Writer [Opinion]

    Joy Lynskey
    14 May 2012 | 3:28 pm
    Don't let the title fool you even though it was intended to do just that, just to get you here. Alas, there is no speedy way to excel to lofty heights immediately in this coveted career, in fact, you better bring all of the patience you have. If you are fresh from a search engine having heard of an elusive, yet fabulously prestigious and adventurous new career that can be lovingly referred to by such titles as:

  • How to Write Great Web Content if You’re Not a Writer

    dbmei
    13 May 2012 | 1:39 pm
    We’ve all heard it before: Content is King. And your website needs it. Your site’s content is what tells your customers who you are, what you’re offering and why your business is better than the rest. It tells them where to go, who to call and what the next step is. It drives traffic to your site from Google. Your business cannot afford poorly-written content, but unfortunately, not everyone can afford a professional copywriter to convey their message for them.

  • The Value of Video: For Education and Self-Promotion

    Alison Gilbert, Digital Age Journalist
    12 May 2012 | 1:17 pm
    Video is a great learning tool. YouTube ranks right behind Google as a place to look up 'how to' information. But there is another value to video that had not occurred to me until I had the opportunity to participate in the making of a Web TV series.

  • The Need To Blog

    Craig E. Yaris
    11 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    As you know, I write a weekly blog here at Digital Brand Marketing Education, covering all aspects of social media.  I really enjoy it, but sometimes, it is incredibly hard work.  So hard, in fact, that my blog (which is due by Thursday) is written on a Friday morning, to the consternation of our Executive [...]
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    FIRE SUPPORT

  • The Free Online Marketing Boot Camp for Defense Contractors

    Douglas Burdett
    16 May 2012 | 9:15 am
    Defense contractors who master online marketing can reduce marketing costs, refine their targeting, make changes on the fly and track real-time results. For many defense contractors, online marketing can be as overwhelming as when a new recruit first reports to boot camp. The problem many companies experience with adopting online marketing is that it’s constantly changing. Many don’t know how to start building the foundation of their online marketing education. Fortunately, Unbounce has produced the “Noob Guide to Online Marketing: A 6-Month Course to Take Anyone From a…

  • How Defense Contractors Can Avoid Social Media Marketing Land Mines

    Douglas Burdett
    14 May 2012 | 9:38 am
    When properly implemented, social media can help defense contractors develop early-stage prospect relationships, nurture leads, speed up the sales cycle and deepen customer relationships. photo credit: scott swigart via photo pin cc Social media is here to stay. And not just for business to consumer sales — social media is playing a larger role in the decision-making process for high-cost, long sales cycle purchases that involve many stakeholders. In the recent past, marketing focused on building awareness using advertising, direct mail, trade shows, PR, print media and cold calls.  To…

  • 4 Steps for Defense Contractors to Jump into Social Media

    Douglas Burdett
    9 May 2012 | 2:44 pm
    Defense contractors that take the right steps in adopting social media can thrive and profit from the new realities of business in the era of customer connectedness and empowerment. photo credit: The U.S. Army via photo pin cc Social media is not just a technology that can be bolted on to the traditional way of doing things: it’s an entirely new way of relating and doing business. Many defense contractors have begun to realize that adopting social media requires organizational changes. But, change is hard. It is not easy to adapt to the power that is shifting to the customer as a result…

  • How Defense Contractors Can Cut Through the Fog of (Social Media Marketing) War

    Douglas Burdett
    7 May 2012 | 9:20 am
    Defense contractors who are able to demystify social media can get invaluable customer feedback, build stronger relationships, increase awareness and develop new business opportunities. photo credit: ToddMorris via photo pin cc The great Prussian military analyst Carl von Clausewitz coined the term “fog of war” to describe the uncertainty in situation awareness during military operations. War is an area of uncertainty; three quarters of the things on which all action in War is based on are lying in a fog of uncertainty to a greater or lesser extent. The first thing (needed) here…

  • 5 Ways Defense Contractors Can Measure Social Media Marketing

    Douglas Burdett
    24 Apr 2012 | 4:00 am
    Defense contractors who properly measure their social media marketing efforts are able to make improvements faster, gain greater customer engagement and increase profitability. photo credit: amsfrank via photo pin cc A study by Bain & Company, “Putting Social Media to Work,” confirmed that many companies remain on the sidelines of adopting social media. Additionally, the study documented that “the gulf between the early adopters and those waiting to take the plunge has actually widened.” However, the study also noted that companies that have moved aggressively into…
 
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    ConversionXL

  • Ridiculously Effective Technique for Online Lead Generation

    peeplaja
    1 May 2012 | 6:22 pm
    An average website has a sales conversion of 1% to 2%. So it’d be fair to say that on most sites more than 95% of visitors don’t buy anything (especially on their first visit). So instead of trying to sell them right away, we should capture leads (emails) instead. I firmly believe that the best way to sell something is to avoid it at first. You need to let people know you first, earn their trust and then you might try to sell to them. Sure, this somewhat depends on the industry, but it’s true for most businesses. The formula This is not the focus of this article, but in a…

  • Click Fear and How to Avoid It

    peeplaja
    25 Apr 2012 | 4:23 pm
    No, it’s not a modern day phobia. It’s when people are not sure what will happen after they click. So in most cases they won’t. If you want to get people to click on your buttons, make them feel in control. It’s the uncertainty that kills the clicks. People like to feel in control People feel much more comfortable when they know exactly what’s going to happen. That’s why most people go to places they’re used to and use things they’re familiar with. People fear the unknown. - Go over there and say ‘hi’ - And then what do I say? This…

  • What Really Matters For Promo Videos (3 Great Examples)

    peeplaja
    19 Apr 2012 | 11:34 pm
    Planning to use video to increase conversions? Good idea.  What’s the most important part? It has to be damn good. Like interesting to watch. Compelling. Quality =  Attention span Your promo video only does you any good if people actually watch it. And like it. As Seinfeld said, ”There is no such thing as an attention span. There is only the quality of what you are viewing.” This captures the essence of a great promo video. I have a fitness product that I sell (passively these days). I made a promo video for it. A pure sales pitch. These are the audience retention stats…

  • What to Call Your Call to Action

    peeplaja
    18 Apr 2012 | 2:14 am
    Should you say ‘read more’ or ‘product information’ in your product category view? Which is better – ‘add to cart’ or ‘buy now’? There’s a lot of information out there on call to action buttons (size, color, location etc), but with this post I want to focus on a single thing about them – the wording. I’m giving you 4 rules for naming your call to action buttons and links. 1. Use trigger words While people are browsing your site, they’re having a silent conversation in their mind. They’re asking themselves…

  • How and When to Use Sex to Sell More

    peeplaja
    12 Apr 2012 | 11:32 pm
    Sex sells – everybody knows. Or does it? A fifth of all ads use sex According to the book Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal around 20% of all ads use sex (a good  collection here). Of course you already knew this. Open any magazine and sexy ladies (and men) will sell you anything from shampoo to chainsaws. Some say that fitness marketing is almost soft porn these days. Most big companies have used sex to advertise. Even Apple - even though it doesn’t allow sexual apps on their appstore. Why are there so many ads using sex? Is it cause it’s really…
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    IdeasByBlog

  • Setting Up And Using Your Tumblr Blog

    Lianne
    16 May 2012 | 3:59 am
    The next three posts will focus on the three main free blog hosting sites, Tumblr, WordPress and Blogger, enabling you to make the right decision when starting your own blog. As you may have gathered, this post will focus on Tumblr! Tumblr A great introductory blogging site. Tumblr also allows simple customisability and is easy to set up and use. Set Up Setting up your Tumblr account is an extremely...This is a post from: promotional items suppliers Ideasbynet. They supply items such as promotional pens and promotional mugs, contact them for a quote on 0844 8117 566.

  • The IdeasBook Competition

    Carla
    11 May 2012 | 6:10 am
    At Ideasbynet we like to think “we are good at ideas” So to accompany our fancy new website we decided to show you our talents instead of just talking about them… Did you like it? Would you like to win £100 in Amazon vouchers? Well if you help us spread the word, we will enter you into a prize draw. All you have to do is share this blog post. Tweet...This is a post from: promotional items suppliers Ideasbynet. They supply items such as promotional pens and promotional mugs, contact them for a quote on 0844 8117 566.

  • Twitter Marketing – Your Hobby Can Help Build Your Business

    Carla
    4 May 2012 | 10:01 am
    This is a Guest Post From Dan Toombs I’ve been on Twitter for a few years now. In fact I have two accounts and love it. I’ve made my mistakes and will most likely continue to do so from time to time. No one’s perfect after all. One thing experience has shown me is that constantly bombarding your followers with special deals is annoying. I remember one cosmetic dentist I used to follow...This is a post from: promotional items suppliers Ideasbynet. They supply items such as promotional pens and promotional mugs, contact them for a quote on 0844 8117 566.

  • 4 Skills That All Great Leaders Have…And So Should You

    Lianne
    11 Apr 2012 | 3:42 am
      This is a Guest Post From Susie Brown Although possessing natural beauty and grace definitely doesn’t hurt your chances of becoming a great leader, they are not the truly necessary skills that all great leaders possess. Great leaders need to work well with individuals as well as being able to relate to and organise a group. The following list of skills that all great leaders have, and so should...This is a post from: promotional items suppliers Ideasbynet. They supply items such as promotional pens and promotional mugs, contact them for a quote on 0844 8117 566.

  • Where Will Gowalla Members Turn For Their Check-Ins Now?

    Lianne
    30 Mar 2012 | 3:48 am
    This is a Guest Post From Francis Santos In December of 2011, Facebook shocked the internet world with its purchase of location-based service Gowalla. The app continued to operate under the same name until its new owner decided to pull the plug, with Facebook recently announcing that it was closing Gowalla down for good. The former owners thanked users for their support and let them know that they will soon...This is a post from: promotional items suppliers Ideasbynet. They supply items such as promotional pens and promotional mugs, contact them for a quote on 0844 8117 566.
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    Marketing FAQ

  • Google goes traditional

    Arvind Ravikumar
    16 May 2012 | 12:11 pm
    When Facebook is gearing up for its IPO and with plans to lock horns with Google, on the online front, Google has progressed into other projects like the Google glass, which we analysed in detail. Google the search engine and online ad giant, has now moved to the most traditional marketing tool of all time. Direct mail. Google has been targeting small business owners to promote their online presence through Google ad words. Here are few pictures of the direct mailer I received. (Sorry for the poor picture quality, my scanner is broken. I have edited the one with promo code on purpose :d)…

  • The Peoples car

    Abhinaya Chandrasekhar
    16 May 2012 | 2:38 am
    Maruti has very recently launched a car called Ertiga, that is fondly known as the people’s car. This is a classic example of how brands when backed by a great insight can never go wrong. Of course, this post is written before a test drive, so I am assuming the product is just as awesome. Move on The family car is overdone. The concept has been adopted by so many brands that it’s past time we moved on. We are a family oriented country. Now move it. This brand recognizes the growing youth population and it’s ever growing disposable income. So, here’s a car crafted for…

  • How Facebook Helps in Global Branding

    Shiv
    15 May 2012 | 9:05 am
    As Facebook is hours away from its IPO on 18th May, lets have a look at how top global brands are using facebook to take their branding exercise to the next level. This latest infographic below from Social Bakers provides interesting stats on how global brands are reaching out to the global population through facebook. Link to this post!

  • Project Glass: Google Strikes Back

    Ashish Hablani
    11 May 2012 | 10:03 pm
    Project Glass: One small step for Google, one giant leap for Mankind. OK, that was very cheesy. But hold your breath for a second, pause and watch the video below. Now you can breathe and stop drooling, you nerd ! I am going to go on a rant here, so if you want to get more details about the product, click here. We as consumers have become overwhelmed by technology, the vast array of products, innovating at a rabid pace, a technological marvel in the morning becomes obsolete by evening. The internet revolution, the mobile revolution, the social networking revolution, the smart…

  • 16 Tips to Make TV Ads that Sell

    Shiv
    10 May 2012 | 1:05 am
      We are back again with David Ogilvy, the original champion for advertising that sells and not merely entertains. Given below are his tips for effective TV commercials. These suggestions hold good even to this day, because times may have changed – what was fashionable in the seventies and eighties may not be fashionable now – but human nature has not. People still react to advertising more or less the same way and still buy things after watching an ad, when the ad meets certain criteria. Here are the maestro’s tips. #1 Brand Identification. Research shows that a great…
 
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    Pronto Marketing

  • Telling the Pronto Story

    Piotr Wajdzik
    15 May 2012 | 1:18 am
    We’d like to share with you a short two minute Intro to Pronto Marketing video we recently added to our Pronto website home page. We’ve always struggled with how we can best share the story of what Pronto does for small business, and a video has turned out to be a great way to do this. One thing you’ll hear Pronto talk about more and more is what we call Internet Presence Management. This is our cohesive approach – from websites and newsletters to SEO and Social Media to Local Business Directories and beyond. These elements can’t stand as islands anymore, and we’re working…

  • Why You Can’t Afford to Overlook Social Media

    Piotr Wajdzik
    24 Apr 2012 | 10:42 pm
    Here at Pronto we spend a lot of time discussing how a business’ website is the hub at which all aspects of their web properties converge. However, more and more of these discussions have started to focus on those outside Web properties – social media profiles, email newsletters, representation in search engines, business directories, etc. It’s not enough for these properties to simply exist. They must all be well executed in a way that makes your business accessible to a wider audience. Pronto’s ultimate goal isn’t just to make beautiful websites; it’s to build a well-rounded…

  • If Your Staff Have Sprung, Get Social

    Piotr Wajdzik
    21 Apr 2012 | 11:55 pm
    Spring. The season of growth, renewal and change – and the time of year that you’re most likely to experience a shift in your staff. Whether you’re looking to replace employees who have left for greener pastures, or expand your team to accommodate new growth, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are here to help. You’re no doubt already using the Internet to advertise vacancies: job seeker sites and the like, but have you thought about using social networks instead? While posting positions with a local recruiter can grant you a wide audience, there isn’t really room to maneuver when…

  • Customers Define Local Search

    Piotr Wajdzik
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:57 pm
    It used to be that when we wanted to find a business, say a computer repair centre, we would look in the Yellow Pages for shops that are close by. That era is gone, now we use smartphones and social media. If we are in San Francisco and want to find a repair centre near us, we search for one on our device e.g., Computer Repair Centre San Francisco. We don’t want search results from Portland Oregon, it doesn’t help us. This form of searching is called Local Search, and it has become something consumers rely on and trust explicitly. Companies that take advantage of local search can…

  • Are Your Customers Happy Campers?

    Piotr Wajdzik
    18 Apr 2012 | 12:49 am
    Any business owner knows that the customer is king. Customers are the reason a company exists. One of the most common reasons businesses fail is because they fail to keep their customers happy. Once you lose a customer, the cost of recovery could be up to six times the cost of acquiring the customer in the first place. On the other side of the spectrum, an increase in satisfaction of only eight percent can bring about an increase in profits of up to 28%. Happy campers are big business. Would you like to increase your customers’ satisfaction but aren’t too sure how to go about…
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    Blog

  • How To Share Your Fitness Achievements On Facebook

    Administrator
    13 May 2012 | 1:57 am
    Inspirational Updates Social media feeds are often littered with what people are doing at a given time, whether it is eating breakfast, having a bath or going out onto the town. One growing in popularity idea for showcasing on social media is your workout performance, predominantly for cardio workouts. There are many excellent mobile applications available on the market which will track your performance and allow you to show off about it at the end of your workout.

  • Resiliency Online - Having Lots of Baskets for Your Eggs

    Administrator
    13 May 2012 | 1:54 am
    In business 'resilience' means a state in which your business cannot be easily taken down. Usually this is because you'll have various contingency plans, insurance and lots of strings to your bow so that if one aspect of your business doesn't do well, the other aspect should bail you out. Now resiliency is something that is just as important when it comes web based businesses, but that many webmasters don't consider. So think about it now – if your website were to be de-indexed by Google, or if you suddenly found yourself getting half as many visitors…. Could your business survive? Or…

  • Anatomy Of A Twitter Feed: PETA

    Administrator
    13 May 2012 | 1:37 am
    You don't need me to tell you that Twitter is an invaluable tool for charities and non-profit organisations to get the word out about their fund-raising efforts and keep in direct contact with their supporters. However, not all charities are created equal and there are some that do an amazing job of utilising the affordances of the 140 character Tweet to drive their message home. We're going to spend a little time analysing a selection of Tweets from PETA's Twitter feed to discover what it is they are doing that works so well in terms of generating awareness and support.

  • Hosting an Effective Social Media Competition

    Administrator
    4 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    As many social media companies can tell you, hosting a competition on Facebook or Twitter is not the easiest thing to do. As there are various reasons for this the main ones are simply that you’re attracting the wrong crowd in the sense of low engagement. Your fan base might expand or followers might increase but they are only there for the fact that they might win something. Targeting the wrong base can be worthless and a waste of money.

  • Online Influence – What it is and How to Get It for Your Business

    Administrator
    2 May 2012 | 2:16 pm
    Online influence can mean a number of things. To my business online influence is about ensuring that people understand the products and services I can provide and how it could benefit them (personally or professionally). Connection is Key I want to reach out and connect to people in a way that ensures a substantial impact.  For me it is not enough simple to have an advert online telling people what my business does.  I want the advert to provide this message and also encourage an outcome such as the reader clicking on a link to visit my website or sharing my message with others.  This is…
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    3seven9

  • What’s New For You: 15th May

    Sarah Ahmed
    15 May 2012 | 6:17 am
    This week’s What’s New For You focuses on some interesting choices and challenges for Apple, Google and Facebook regarding mobile. Read on to find out why we’re big fans of the new Google+ iPhone app design, hear about Apple’s plans to release their own Maps with iOS 6 and reflect whether Facebook’s mobile monetization problem might be a web company problem. Google+ native iPhone app wows with design This is an interesting one. Google + have just released a well designed iPhone app that is certainly worth your attention. Whether you use Google+ or not, it’s clear this app has got…

  • Why Facebook’s mobile problem represents the challenge for all web businesses

    Sarah Ahmed
    15 May 2012 | 5:58 am
    With Facebook’s IPO coming up, there has been a lot of talk about Facebook and mobile. We recently wrote an article on how Facebook had finally judged it right with their App Center concept – using their social power to its full opportunity to solve one of the biggest issues in the mobile app community – app discovery. Read it here. But, Facebook have acknowledged in its public offering prospectus the difficulties that they have with mobile advertising and mobile monetization of their services. We do not currently directly generate any meaningful revenue from the use of Facebook…

  • Facebook App Center solves the biggest problem of the mobile world

    Sarah Ahmed
    10 May 2012 | 5:32 am
    Yesterday Facebook announced its App Center as the new place to find social apps. The biggest news about this is summed up very effectively by those words; Facebook’s new home for apps is all about “social” and this is how it’s going to solve the biggest problem of the mobile world – app discovery. Facebook are bringing Open Graph to mobile. It is open to mobile apps – be they built for web, iOS or Android – as long as they use Facebook login, as well as websites that use Facebook login that have a personalised logged-in experience. Their new App Center is going…

  • 7 easy ways your company can use LinkedIn for brand awareness

    Lindsay Dier
    9 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    LinkedIn is a popular professional network with massive potential for B2B companies. But many businesses create a company profile and think the journey ends there. The truth is it’s a excellent location for raising brand awareness and doesn’t have to be hard. I’m going to show you 7 quick and easy ways you can raise the online profile of your business with LinkedIn. 1. Encourage your employees to use LinkedIn So you’ve filled in your company profile and included up-to-date information in the overview and about the services of your company. What next? Well, as your…

  • Why aren’t social networks being used more for social good?

    Sarah Ahmed
    2 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    Yesterday Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook had integrated an ‘organ donation’ feature in Timeline. Users will now be able to register and add their ‘organ donor’ status to Timeline under the Life Event > Health and Well Being section and other users will have a direct link to register when they see this on their friends’ timelines. Facebook used its viral power and its 900 million users for a cause it believes in, and a good one at that. When you think about it, it’s a remarkably clever idea – the main problem for recruitment of organ donors is lack of awareness.
 
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    Small Business Marketing Strategies, Ideas and Tips

  • 5 Marketing Ideas to Make Your Mother’s Day Profitable!

    Charlie Gaudet
    9 May 2012 | 5:15 pm
    Growing up as a kid, my mother would say: “Everyday is Mother’s Day!” And while that may be true (after all, motherhood is the hardest job of them all), Mother’s Day presents a tremendous opportunity to boost sales with creative marketing ideas. Strategic Entrepreneurs take advantage of these celebrations as a way to increase profits and provide value for their customers. Spouses, children and grandparents will be spending money to help celebrate the positive contributions our mothers have made to society. As Entrepreneurs, it’s our job to think of creative…

  • 3 Cinco de Mayo Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Sales

    Charlie Gaudet
    3 May 2012 | 3:55 pm
    On May 5, Strategic Entrepreneurs will have more than one reason to celebrate! It’s Cinco de Mayo and millions of people across America will celebrate with parties, fun and fiesta … and this festive time is a GREAT opportunity for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the celebration… Holidays like Cinco de Mayo present great opportunities for Entrepreneurs because it gives us a chance to say something unique while tapping into the existing hype. Strategic Entrepreneurs will be thinking about one-time promotions that fit with the Cinco de Mayo theme. This is a chance to have more…

  • How Safe is Your Business From Customer Mutiny?

    Charlie Gaudet
    1 May 2012 | 2:25 pm
    Kashi Brand Just Another Example of Customers Distrust of Corporations If you’ve somehow been disconnected from social media (or you’ve been sleeping in a cave), you might not have seen the intense customer protest against the Kashi brand. In essence, Kashi’s once-loyal customers feel that they’ve been duped into believing Kashi’s claim as “all-natural.”  The problem stems from their customers’ expectations that their “all natural” branding somehow is supposed to meet the standards of organic produce. Now, herein lies the problem.

  • The Starbucks School of Joint Ventures

    Charlie Gaudet
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:41 am
    Imagine another Entrepreneur spending their money to acquire customers for you? Now imagine making money without needing to create a product/service or handle customer support? Sounds exciting right? Welcome to the world of joint venture marketing. Joint ventures happen in one of two ways, either: You are the beneficiary of a product endorsement (in other words, somebody else endorses your products/services), or You are the host and leverage your existing database of prospects and/or customers to promote a complimentary product or service that will enhance, improve, or expand upon the…

  • When Marketing & Sales Goes Bad

    Charlie Gaudet
    11 Apr 2012 | 6:33 am
    I’m sitting on a plane to Chicago, spent the last hour working on a marketing campaign for a private client and now I’ve got Joe Polish and Dean Jackson’s “I Love Marketing” podcast, with special guest Dean Graziosi, playing on my ipod. (If you haven’t listened to it, it’s one of I Love Marketing’s best podcasts. You can download it for free here: http://ilovemarketing.com/episode-64-the-one-with-dean-graziosi/ ). If you don’t know Dean Graziosi, he’s one of the most passionate, inspired and intelligent entrepreneurs that I have ever met… and he operates a $100 million…
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    Get Busy Media

  • Spend 5 Minutes to Get 10 Reasons You May Want to Pass on Daily Deals

    Mike Loiacono
    14 May 2012 | 8:35 am
    In the past two years, the ‘Daily Deal’ industry has exploded, trying to position itself as a great marketing solution for all small business owners. While there may be some instances where participating in a daily deal for your business is something to experiment with, I have seen first hand an overwhelming negative response from SMB owners who have been sucked into the Groupon/LivingSocial/ScoutMob marketing machine. I spend most of my days talking face to face with small business owners, many of who have experimented with one of the aforementioned companies in the daily deals…

  • Behavioral Psychology Says You Should Implement Incentive Programs

    Rachel Howe
    11 May 2012 | 9:54 am
    I wholeheartedly believe that incentive programs are key to making your workforce more efficient and productive, especially in performance based work environments.  In this post I’m going to explore the topic of performance based incentive programs and the psychology behind why your company would benefit from putting them into action. Currently, I work at a web development company where I am in charge of about 20 clients’ search engine optimization strategies. Search engine optimization, also known as “SEO” is the on-going process of building your online presence in the major…

  • How to Write a Great Mission Statement

    Jessica Sanders
    10 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    Writing a clear and concise mission statement is necessary for any successful business. This shows customers, investors, and partners what you aim to do and how you aim to do it. Although your mission statement should express the values and passion that goes into your business, don’t assume it should be another boring piece of business writing. This is a chance to breathe life into your business within just a few short sentences. “A mission statement is a key tool that can be as important as your business plan. It captures, in a few succinct sentences, the essence of your business’s…

  • 6 Email Marketing Tips That Work

    Justin Premick
    9 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    There’s plenty of email marketing advice out there for small businesses – some of it’s good, and some of it’s not so good. How do you know what will work? Not every suggestion out there will apply to your campaign. It’s good to follow best practices, but they don’t work for everyone. That’s what testing is for. But there are some tactics that will work for most businesses no matter where you are in your campaign. Here are six simple ways to get the most out of your email marketing. Automate Your Campaign Part of what makes email marketing effective is connecting personally…

  • How Can FourSquare Help My Business?

    Felicia Baratz-Savage
    8 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Starting up a small business is complicated. Exciting, but complicated. Despite your hard work to develop quality service and a good product, your new business cannot succeed without happy, loyal customers who support your business and spread the word about it to friends, family and co-workers. That’s why the right marketing for the right crowd is key to success. The web offers many free tools to help get things off the ground, including Foursquare – a fun social media app that has the power to single handedly launch your new business and make it a popular destination for the…
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    Small Business Marketing Strategies, Ideas and Tips

  • 5 Marketing Ideas to Make Your Mother’s Day Profitable!

    Charlie Gaudet
    9 May 2012 | 5:15 pm
    Growing up as a kid, my mother would say: “Everyday is Mother’s Day!” And while that may be true (after all, motherhood is the hardest job of them all), Mother’s Day presents a tremendous opportunity to boost sales with creative marketing ideas. Strategic Entrepreneurs take advantage of these celebrations as a way to increase profits and provide value for their customers. Spouses, children and grandparents will be spending money to help celebrate the positive contributions our mothers have made to society. As Entrepreneurs, it’s our job to think of creative…

  • 3 Cinco de Mayo Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Sales

    Charlie Gaudet
    3 May 2012 | 3:55 pm
    On May 5, Strategic Entrepreneurs will have more than one reason to celebrate! It’s Cinco de Mayo and millions of people across America will celebrate with parties, fun and fiesta … and this festive time is a GREAT opportunity for entrepreneurs to capitalize on the celebration… Holidays like Cinco de Mayo present great opportunities for Entrepreneurs because it gives us a chance to say something unique while tapping into the existing hype. Strategic Entrepreneurs will be thinking about one-time promotions that fit with the Cinco de Mayo theme. This is a chance to have more…

  • How Safe is Your Business From Customer Mutiny?

    Charlie Gaudet
    1 May 2012 | 2:25 pm
    Kashi Brand Just Another Example of Customers Distrust of Corporations If you’ve somehow been disconnected from social media (or you’ve been sleeping in a cave), you might not have seen the intense customer protest against the Kashi brand. In essence, Kashi’s once-loyal customers feel that they’ve been duped into believing Kashi’s claim as “all-natural.”  The problem stems from their customers’ expectations that their “all natural” branding somehow is supposed to meet the standards of organic produce. Now, herein lies the problem.

  • The Starbucks School of Joint Ventures

    Charlie Gaudet
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:41 am
    Imagine another Entrepreneur spending their money to acquire customers for you? Now imagine making money without needing to create a product/service or handle customer support? Sounds exciting right? Welcome to the world of joint venture marketing. Joint ventures happen in one of two ways, either: You are the beneficiary of a product endorsement (in other words, somebody else endorses your products/services), or You are the host and leverage your existing database of prospects and/or customers to promote a complimentary product or service that will enhance, improve, or expand upon the…

  • When Marketing & Sales Goes Bad

    Charlie Gaudet
    11 Apr 2012 | 6:33 am
    I’m sitting on a plane to Chicago, spent the last hour working on a marketing campaign for a private client and now I’ve got Joe Polish and Dean Jackson’s “I Love Marketing” podcast, with special guest Dean Graziosi, playing on my ipod. (If you haven’t listened to it, it’s one of I Love Marketing’s best podcasts. You can download it for free here: http://ilovemarketing.com/episode-64-the-one-with-dean-graziosi/ ). If you don’t know Dean Graziosi, he’s one of the most passionate, inspired and intelligent entrepreneurs that I have ever met… and he operates a $100 million…
 
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    Jason Murphy

  • Reputation Capital

    admin
    15 May 2012 | 12:49 pm
    Figures released by BIA/Kelsey this morning show that social media advertising revenues are expected to rise from $3.8 billion in 2011 to $9.8 billion in 2016, for a 21% compound annual growth rate. The local social story is even better: there, BIA/Kelsey predicts that advertising revenues will grow from $840 million in 2011 to $3.1 billion in 2016, for a CAGR of 29.8%. This means your reputation is a form of capital. Definition For a business, reputation capital is the sum of the value of all corporate intangible assets, which include: business processes, patents, trademarks; reputations…

  • Typography – Cras sit amet accumsan est. Donec eget augue le

    Jason Murphy
    27 Mar 2012 | 11:58 am
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur egestas, massa at luctus luctus, ligula nisi sodales nibh, nec eleifend velit sem ac orci. Aliquam erat volutpat. Donec nunc augue, porta eget suscipit sed, rutrum suscipit velit. Duis elementum ornare nulla, porttitor vehicula turpis tristique quis. Sed aliquet mattis lacus eget porta. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Etiam sed lectus libero. Maecenas feugiat rhoncus dapibus. Aliquam libero justo, adipiscing ut cursus in, pellentesque ut sem. Pellentesque sit amet…

  • Garem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.

    Jason Murphy
    27 Mar 2012 | 11:51 am
    Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Curabitur egestas, massa at luctus luctus, ligula nisi sodales nibh, nec eleifend velit sem ac orci. Aliquam erat volutpat. Donec nunc augue, porta eget suscipit sed, rutrum suscipit velit. Duis elementum ornare nulla, porttitor vehicula turpis tristique quis. Sed aliquet mattis lacus eget porta. Pellentesque habitant morbi tristique senectus et netus et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas. Etiam sed lectus libero. Maecenas feugiat rhoncus dapibus. Aliquam libero justo, adipiscing ut cursus in, pellentesque ut sem. Pellentesque sit amet…
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    Wilder2

  • Top 5 Reasons To Work with an Agency

    wilder2
    25 Apr 2012 | 1:05 pm
    Sometimes, it’s hard to know when you should bring in an agency to assist with your marketing. Other times, it’s a challenge to figure out what an agency should be helping you with. You have a team of professionals, tasked with making sure every initiative is executed, so how could an outside firm help? Here are 5 good reasons to seek help from outside your organization. Strategic Planning Often, the “business of running the business” can make strategic planning a real challenge to management. The pace of business demands that the tactical, everyday tasks are done. Companies…

  • Go Mad For Your Team

    wilder2
    16 Mar 2012 | 2:04 pm
    Last week, “Mad Men Friday” focused on the roles and skills of the partners at Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce. This week we wanted to go to the heart of how the work gets done. To us, there’s nothing more important or enjoyable than building and empowering a great team. What kind of team has Don Draper built and what can you learn from it to build a team you’re “mad” for? Peggy Olson: Copywriter Peggy is an ambitious person whose combined creativity, passion and naiveté make her a favorite on the show. She is Don’s assistant creative director, if not in title,…

  • What is The Wilder Project?

    wilder2
    14 Mar 2012 | 7:27 am
    At Wilder2, we’re celebrating the first month of our new agency’s existence this week. It’s been an exhilarating start, and thanks to the support of our friends and family, our launch has been as rewarding as we could have hoped. One question we’ve been getting asked is, “What is a Wilder Project, anyway?” We turn every project into “The Wilder Project” by applying our amazing value proposition: incredible creativity and strategy, responsive service and a no surprises billing promise. Let’s Get Wilder… Is honesty such a lonely word? We heard one horror story of a firm…

  • Every Draper Has a Pryce

    wilder2
    9 Mar 2012 | 10:15 am
    Today on “Mad Men Friday,” we thought we’d examine the rest of the Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce partnership, their business roles and how they interrelate to each other’s effectiveness within the company.  What can this amazing drama set in a 1960s ad agency, teach us about business today? Roger Sterling: Accounts/Founder There are lots of reasons to question Sterling’s effectiveness both as a leader of the agency and as an account manager. After all, when he found out SCDP was losing the firm’s biggest account, Lucky Strike, he hid the truth from everyone.  This is a…

  • Mad Men: Does Absence Make the Market Grow Larger?

    wilder2
    2 Mar 2012 | 11:28 pm
    Would Don Draper Approve of AMC’s Campaign for Mad Men? Until now, every Mad Men fan has had to wait 9 months from the season finale until the next season. So with 17 months passing since the last season, we thought we’d take a look at how the marketing team for Mad Men has adapted to the prolonged hiatus. Is the campaign up to Don Draper standards? When life hands you lemons… Surely, Season 4’s availability on DVD was planned prior to the contract negotiations breaking down. It was released on time and on iTunes and Netflix. The season’s DVD packaging was unique and there were…
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    eMarketingFreak

  • Service Industry: The Job is Not Done Once Complete

    John Grey
    10 May 2012 | 9:07 pm
    A few weeks ago, I wrote an article called 3 Keys for a Service-Driven Small Business.  These 3 keys are most important before and during a job.  However, today I want to expand upon how to succeed as a service-driven small business by discussing one of the most important thing to do after the job.  Similar to sales or selling, the job is not done and the relationship is not locked-in once contact information is exchanged.  Likewise, your job as a service small business company is not complete once the job is done.  You must continue to follow-up after the job multiple times to check…

  • Quality Assurance and 3 Small Business Solutions to Improve Quality

    John Grey
    5 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
    Here me out for a second: quality assurance is one of the greatest challenges of small businesses.  I know that some of you might not agree with this statement because small business owners take pride and ownership in their business and are producing their products/services in a much smaller quantity than any large business would therefore, you assume that lower volume equals higher quantity.  However, my argument is that this is not the case.  Although lower volume should equal higher quality, the issue that small businesses have is a limitation of resources, which impacts quality. Take…

  • Social Media Conversation Calendar for Better Planning

    John Grey
    28 Apr 2012 | 8:37 am
    Have you ever wondered how large brands such as Popchips, Virgin America, Kraft, etc. have maintained a steady conversation flow on their social media accounts?  There is more to social media conversations than posting on the whim.  Although posting on the whim is within the rulebook, there is a deeper strategy to the daily tweets or posts that your favorite brands make.  The best thing about this is that you can take this social media marketing strategy right out of the playbook of these large brands so that you can adopt these for your small business social media strategy. What is the…

  • What Social Media Platforms Are Right For Your Small Business

    John Grey
    22 Apr 2012 | 11:52 am
    A little over a month ago, I wrote an article that discussed the “Social Media Marketing Fallacy“.  It is very easy as a small business owner to get caught up in the latest marketing bubbles.  I truly believe that Social Media Marketing is a marketing bubble because many create social media accounts to develop a social media marketing strategy, even though it might not make sense to be on certain social platforms.  If you are doing social media marketing correctly, the rewards could be great but if you are are using social media incorrectly, you are just wasting your time. …

  • Burger King – Marketing Strategy

    Adam Black
    15 Apr 2012 | 1:24 am
    Food Trucks and Touch Screens? Burger King is creating a good amount of marketing buzz around their new menu and the experience that consumers will have.  They have redeveloped their menu, which is somewhat reminiscent of McDonald’s to be more health conscious by adding salad and wraps options.  They will somehow be incorporating a touchscreen into their point of sale and using food trucks to get their product out to the masses.   What is their marketing strategy here? Here are some takeaways from the whole concept. Takeaways: Track your sales. For a big company to shift like…
 
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    Promotional Products & Marketing Blog

  • ePromos’ Guide To Custom Father’s Day Gifts

    audrey
    16 May 2012 | 11:39 am
    Somebody once said, “A father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be.” We think that’s a pretty accurate statement. So when June 17 (a.k.a. Father’s Day) rolls around, it’s only fair that dads get a little payback—perhaps with a really cool logoed gift. Custom promotional products, from logoed leather wallets to promotional cooler bags for beer, are a great way to show appreciation to dads while still promoting your brand. Consider this: There are an estimated 67.8 million fathers across the nation. Father’s Day is your opportunity to roll out…

  • Three Ways To Make Your Promotion Stick

    audrey
    14 May 2012 | 2:58 pm
    When companies or individuals invest in promotional products, they want their message to be seen by the masses; they don’t want their logoed items to be discarded or forgotten. While every promotional item serves a valiant purpose, products that have these three characteristics are the ones that stick around for the long haul. For a promotion with staying power, choose promotional items that are … High-quality. You don’t want your logoed product crumpling in the hands of consumers. It wouldn’t thrill them very much, and it wouldn’t exactly do wonders for your brand. Always opt for…

  • Nike Says No To Sitting

    audrey
    11 May 2012 | 10:42 am
    It’s no doubt some Americans have gotten lackadaisical about their fitness—more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, according to the CDC. Nike is determined to do something about it. The company unveiled a clever way to get folks moving by giving them no other option—it removed actual seat bottoms from park benches and customized the backs with the Nike Run logo.   It’s an effective, can’t-miss way to promote health and fitness, while still promoting the Nike brand. If snatching seat bottoms from park benches isn’t your thing, spread your message of health and wellness…

  • Rev Up Your Branding

    audrey
    9 May 2012 | 4:19 pm
    We love spotting promotional products in use, so we got all paparazzi on this fellow today in New York City. Check out his logoed backpack and hat—they’re branded with the Smithfield Foods logo and #43 for Smithfield’s sponsorship of NASCAR’s #43 Ford Fusion. Either this guy loves spiral-sliced ham and the Sprint Cup Series, or he’s a Smithfield staffer who’s proud to show off his company’s brand. We’re thinking it’s the latter. That’s the power of promotional products—you don’t have to sponsor a NASCAR driver to get your employees or customers excited about your…

  • 10 Ideas For A Beach-Ready Promotion

    audrey
    8 May 2012 | 3:13 pm
    You know how to get your body ready for the beach: eat right, squeeze in some exercise and nab the perfect swimwear. But what about your promotions—are they ready for beach season? Consider this: About 75 million Americans are heading to the beach this summer. These sun-seekers represent a gigantic, sunscreen-slathered market to get your message across. Beach resorts, travel agencies and cruise lines have a prime opportunity for giving guests logoed beach items, but they’re not the only ones. Any business can benefit by giving their customers promotional beach items they can use while…
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    Sales Tip A Day

  • 30 Website Secrets: #8 Your Address

    Chris Hamilton
    16 May 2012 | 2:01 am
      30 Website Secrets: Your Address Why do you have a website? For most companies a website is used to generate Sales Leads. Unfortunately, a lot of companies end up paying lots of money for a website that don’t generate the sales leads that they thought it would.  There is a fix for this by doing 2 things, increasing the amount of website visitors you get and then converting them into clients or getting them into a marketing campaign.  This is where the 30 Website Secrets can help you.  In today’s video, I will go over using Your Address. In This Video on 30 Website…

  • 30 Website Secrets: #7 Contact Information

    Chris Hamilton
    15 May 2012 | 2:01 am
      30 Website Secrets: Contact Information Why do you have a website? For most companies a website is used to generate Sales Leads. Unfortunately, a lot of companies end up paying lots of money for a website that don’t generate the sales leads that they thought it would.  There is a fix for this by doing 2 things, increasing the amount of website visitors you get and then converting them into clients or getting them into a marketing campaign.  This is where the 30 Website Secrets can help you.  In today’s video, I will go over Contact Information. In This Video on 30…

  • 30 Website Secrets: #6 Use Images

    Chris Hamilton
    14 May 2012 | 2:01 am
      30 Website Secrets: Use Images Why do you have a website? For most companies a website is used to generate Sales Leads. Unfortunately, a lot of companies end up paying lots of money for a website that don’t generate the sales leads that they thought it would.  There is a fix for this by doing 2 things, increasing the amount of website visitors you get and then converting them into clients or getting them into a marketing campaign.  This is where the 30 Website Secrets can help you.  In today’s video, I will go over Use Images. In This Video on 30 Website Secrets –…

  • Audiobook: 30 Best Ways to Promote Your Website or Blog – #21 Your Online Profile

    Chris Hamilton
    13 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    Here is the 21st audio recording of 30 on the best ways to promote your website or blog. This audio is about using Your Online Profile to promote your website or blog. I hope you enjoy it.

  • Audiobook: 30 Best Ways to Promote Your Website or Blog – #20 Using Paid Ads For Promotion

    Chris Hamilton
    12 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    Here is the 20th audio recording of 30 on the best ways to promote your website or blog. This audio is about using paid ads to promote your website or blog. I hope you enjoy it.
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    FKCBlog

  • Effective Podcasting in the Facebook Era

    Farrell Kramer
    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Podcasting is a wonderful way for businesses to communicate ideas. It's compelling. Intimate in a way text can never be. And producing a professional show is surprisingly affordable. It would be easy to assume that podcasting has been eclipsed by social networking over the past few years and is no longer a compelling medium. But this is just not the case. In fact, podcasting can be particularly effective when used in conjunction with social networks like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. If you think of a podcast like any other type of online content, then you can approach it the same way on…

  • The Importance of Optimized Content

    Karen Ott Mayer
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    You’ve all heard of “padding” content. I remember it well from school. Faced with writing a research paper or book report of a required length, students would sometimes pad their content by using unnecessary words. It didn’t add new ideas, or any value at all. Just words. Today, many companies fall into this trap on their blogs by producing content that is little more than padding -- writing about whatever strikes their fancy rather than posts conceived to be part of their overall marketing strategy. When you blog for your business, a good keyword list should drive all…

  • Online Marketing Tactics for Professional Services Firms

    Farrell Kramer
    8 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Online marketing tactics for professional services firms revolve around a single, critical concept: thought leadership. Professional services firms are uniquely suited to this approach. There's nothing to stop competitors from offering the same menu of services as your firm, so how do you differentiate your offerings? You've got to establish expertise and knowledge in those areas that truly add value for your clients.  The good news is that professional services firms are all about ideas, so you have plenty of fodder from which to create compelling online content that supports your…

  • Pitching: What PR Agencies Really Do

    Karen Ott Mayer
    3 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    When people think about public relations, the image that most often comes to mind is writing and sending out press releases. But when they try it themselves, they quickly come to the conclusion that PR doesn’t work. After all, they write a great press release, send it out on one of the newswire services and … nothing. No stories at all. In truth, writing a press release and distributing it on a newswire are just the beginning of the work PR agencies do. Pitching the story to reporters, editors, producers and bloggers is where the value comes together. Pitching, which falls under…

  • The Importance of Social Media for Business

    Farrell Kramer
    1 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    As we all know, in just a short time social media has almost completely changed the face of online marketing.  If your business has not yet taken advantage of this truly incredible channel, now is the time to do so. It's extremely cost effective, easy-to-use and can put your product or service in front of hundreds of millions of potential customers. Still not convinced? Here are some key reasons why you should be incorporating social media into your overall marketing program. Benefits of Social Media for Business More than a billion users are waiting for you. Social media has…
 
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    Marketri Blog

  • What Does Amelia Bedelia Have to Do with B2B Branding?

    Debra Andrews
    16 May 2012 | 9:32 am
    Do you remember Amelia Bedelia books by Peggy Parish?  Not exactly on the best-selling list among B2B marketers but for children across the world, Amelia’s literal interpretation of common phrases was unexpectedly and delightfully silly!  “Dress the Turkey” for Thanksgiving and you would have a dapper looking bird with suspenders and a bow tie at the dinner table.  So what would Miss Amelia do with “Brand the Firm?”  I’m envisioning that she would sear everything from the company signage to the people (“ouch”) and even down…

  • Slides Go Social

    Brianne Dawson
    11 May 2012 | 10:33 am
    Remember when sitting through a slide presentation meant watching bullet point after bullet point fly onto the screen with some over-jazzed animation and sound, accompanied by a cliché stock photo? Thankfully, those days are long gone people! As marketing professionals, we stay in the habit of keeping up to date on presentation tools and best practices: We try to keep our own slide presentations concise, engaging, and free of heavy text. Incorporating strong visuals, short video clips and other interactive elements can really help keep your audience engaged (and awake!). Because of our…

  • Boosting Web Traffic Using Smart Keyword Choices and Some Simple Strategy

    Amy Izzo
    8 May 2012 | 8:40 am
    I frequently work with SEO gurus to help boost search engine optimization for our clients’ Web sites.  Note, I don't know the how-to when it comes to the technical end of building backlinks, etc. -- but hey, that's what the SEO experts are for!  What I have learned is to apply some pretty simple rules of marketing to make sure we get results for the SEO effort.  To SEO experts -- that might mean scoring high for ranking high on selected keywords and phrases.  What does that mean to the client?  Not a whole lot if it's not getting the intended result…

  • Meant to be Read: Writing a Smart Case Study

    Kevin Self
    4 May 2012 | 10:15 am
    When it comes to marketing collateral, there are few — if any — assets I like more than the case study. If structured and written correctly, a case study is a relatively short, interesting and effective weapon in your arsenal (i.e., a piece that will actually be read by your intended audience). Despite this, there is rarely a week that goes by that I don’t find a “case study” on a company’s website that is useless and probably more harmful to the business than helpful. Not all case studies are created equal, and there is a general formula to writing a good…

  • Marketri LLC Hires Kevin Self as Content Marketing Manager

    Brianne Dawson
    2 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    DOYLESTOWN, Pennsylvania (May 2, 2012) – Marketri LLC, a full-service business-to-business (“B2B”)outsourced marketing firm, announced today that it has hired Kevin Self as its Content Marketing Manager. With a background in journalism and B2B marketing, his primary responsibilities will be to help clients develop strategic marketing plans that focus on effective content development and dissemination across a variety of technology and media outlets. “The role of marketing in today’s business environment has taken a decisive turn toward the strategic and effective…
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    Strategic Business Promotions Newsletter

  • Top Social Media Marketing Tools Used By Methodical Marketers Today

    10 May 2012 | 10:59 pm
    By Peter Jovanovich – ”The Methodical Marketing Man” ''Top Social Media Marketing Tools Used By Methodical Marketers Today!'' Do YOU know where your current customers are … today? Do YOU know where your future customers will be … tomorrow? In case you haven’t yet noticed, many of your current and future customers are, and will be conversing, on social media sites, namely, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Why are your current and future customers flocking to social media sites? One simple answer … because their friends are there! Social…

  • Quality Rewards Programs To Get You More New Customers Instantly

    3 May 2012 | 10:54 pm
        By Peter Jovanovich – ”The Methododical Marketing Man” ''Quality rewards programs to get you more new customers - instantly!''   Connecting with quality rewards programs is a new local business marketing methodology now available and affordable to every business owner … no matter what type of business you’re in and … get this … it does not matter the size of your business or how many employees you currently may have. As a matter of fact, when you start using this new marketing methodology in your business you may…

  • Create New Smartphone Apps To Boost Profits Instantly

    26 Apr 2012 | 10:59 pm
      By Peter Jovanovich – “The Methodical Marketing Man” ''The Methodical Marketing Man''         Creating new smartphone apps to boost your profits instantly is now a definitive possibility for you. Today you can create a new smartphone mobile app for your business … and do so without any required coding skills … for the sole purpose to: Get more customers Into your business Offer value to your customers (product samples, discounts, coupons, vouchers, free offers) … which everyone of your customers love! Interact with…

  • Top Proven Credibility Strategy’s To Attract New Customers To Any Website

    19 Apr 2012 | 10:36 pm
    By Peter Jovanovich – ”The Methodical Marketing Man” ''The Methodical Marketing Man'' Establishing authoritative credibility into any website you create will attract not only new customers to your website but, it will attract repeat customers … on an ongoing basis … because satisfied repeat customers will choose to return to your website …     ” … as long as you keep your website visitors and customers up to date with new information that will help them achieve their goals, answer questions to their everyday problems and…

  • Top Content Strategy’s To Boost Credibility To Attract New Customers

    12 Apr 2012 | 10:34 pm
    By Peter Jovanovich – ”The Methodical Marketing Man” Credibility authoritative power … proving who you really are … in business … on the web … to purposely attract new customers using authoritative content strategy’s … … because people … your friends, your followers, your new customers are very inquisitive … they all want to know who they’re doing business with … they all want to know who the person is behind the titillating, interesting and motivating article, book, blog or website they’re reading…
 
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    Marketing Director Blog

  • Social Media without blogging is dead!

    Brent Pohlman
    15 May 2012 | 6:06 am
    Your faced with the following dilemma – You are in a room with other partners and directors and you as the marketing director need to convince your peers that social media is a worth-while marketing medium. A number of you may fall into this category. Maybe you have been tasked with getting your company on social media, but you are having a hard time seeing results. Here is my advice! Show them your blog and the effort you have put into your blog. Social Media starts with your blog site/page.  If you did not have a blog as part of your social media plan, I am sorry your efforts may…

  • How many ID’s should you have on Social Media

    Brent Pohlman
    14 May 2012 | 6:10 am
    There is a lot of debate about how many ID’s should you really have. I have gone back and forth on this topic too. One Personal ID -representing yourself  with a note about a company – Option 1 One Company ID – representing the company and a specific person who is employed by the company. Option 2 Personal ID and Company ID separate – Two separate accounts. A contact and complete bio is necessary for this to work. Ultimately, my decision wast to have separate ID’s for personal profile   and company profile Here are my reasons The Company ID needs to be owned by…

  • Social Media Stress – Seriously

    Brent Pohlman
    13 May 2012 | 3:52 pm
    Picture Source: pinterest.com via Brent on Pinterest   Many people feel pressure to like their friends posts and be in constant contact with their “so-called” friends. Here is the article, “ Consumers suffer social media “stress” My advice: Take More Breaks if you feel stressed. Get Refreshed – It makes all the difference! Try Blogging instead of Posting! Write fewer comments and they will actually mean more to people. If I comment on every post that someone writes, am I really being a quality friend? Hey, by the way – celebrate people’s…

  • Perform your Google Search on Twitter

    Brent Pohlman
    12 May 2012 | 9:23 am
    Picture Source: sammonsdmdomoni.tumblr.com via Brent on Pinterest It sounds crazy! Yes, I have found myself searching twitter almost as much as I have been searching Google. For the longest time, I had this url memorized. Search.Twitter.com     It allows you a way to search conversations on twitter. (OLD WAY TO SEARCH TWITTER) Why would someone want to start searching on Twitter? It’s a valid question! Here are my reasons: I want the current news! – Most of the news instantly appears on twitter. Anyone can start a news story these days. Searching on Twitter is not about ranks…

  • Short Tweets for More Results on Twitter

    Brent Pohlman
    11 May 2012 | 6:50 am
    Shorter tweets are the best way to communicate on Twitter. It took me a few years to figure this out, but I have applied this new learning to other social media platforms like Facebook, Linkedin and Google+ too. Yes, I will occasionally type out a little more content than what is needed, but lately I have learned that people have a better chance of reading your tweets, or posts if they are short and have meaning. Short and to the Point on Twitter! — Brent Pohlman (@BrentPohlman) May 11, 2012 It really makes a lot of sense! Phrases like the following are easy to remember: Just Do it! Good…
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    Empower Network

  • Empower Network Facebook Application – Everything You Need To Market Your Empower Business?

    Jon Mroz
    3 May 2012 | 1:16 am
    Empower Network Facebook Application As quoted by venturebeat.com – collectively, American’s spend over 100,000 years on facebook monthly. With all that activity and traffic being generated, it’s a wonder why more companies haven’t hired developers to build facebook applications for their reps to market their business.  It’s an ingenious idea and it really simplifies the marketing process, giving their reps a central location for all their tools, and marketing material. Luckily at Empower Network, We Have An App For That What Is The Empower Network Facebook…

  • Empower Network Atlanta Seminar / Conference – The First Of Its Kind, Or Just Another Pitch Fest?

    Jon Mroz
    25 Apr 2012 | 3:23 am
    Empower Network | The Event (Atlanta, Georgia) In April of 2012, Empower Network announced their first ever seminar / conference to be held in Atlanta, Georgia June 8th – 10th. Now, let’s understand the differences between most events of this kind and what Empower Network promises to do. Most conferences teach a few good things that can really help your business, but a good portion of these types of seminars are what we call “Pitch Fests”. What is a Pitch Fest you ask? A pitch fest is when a group of online marketing gurus sell you a low priced event ticket to get you…

  • Empower Network Capture Pages – Just Another Company Replicated Site?

    Jon Mroz
    19 Apr 2012 | 12:50 am
    Empower Network Capture Page Empower Network Capture Pages – Do they really convert, or are they just another replicated, company provided squeeze page that helps the company market their brand rather than helping YOU? Having a well-crafted marketing funnel in place really is the name of the game these days. In most MLM’s or Network Marketing Companies, you are given a replicated web site, and capture page that brands ONLY the company, and is meant ONLY to help the company sell their product. Unfortunately, and in most cases, the company could really care less if YOU made the sale, or…

  • Empower Network | $15K Per Month Formula

    Jon Mroz
    28 Mar 2012 | 10:39 pm
    $15K Per Month Formula Empower Network’s $15K Per Month Formula is a stand alone product created by Empower Network’s top earners… most of which are already earning over $15K per month (myself included). Our goal here was to give away our top marketing strategies in an effort to provide as much value as possible back into the community at Empower Network. The Dave’s (David Wood and David Sharpe) contacted experts in each field for example: Social Media Syndication SEO and Linkbuilding PPC Copywriting Leadership And more… Honestly, it doesn’t matter which…

  • Empower Network | Live U-Stream

    Jon Mroz
    22 Mar 2012 | 8:04 pm
    Empower Network Live U-Stream  (Featuring: David Wood and David Sharpe) Empower Network often hosts weekly training calls and live “video streams” way too large for the average  “Go-To-Meeting” webinar with only 1,000 lines available. This page is here for you to gain access to these calls and watch the replay’s. Check back often for updates. Note: The U-Streams Usually go live at 9:PM EST and you’ll need to refresh this page at that time to view the live event, and get involved in the conversion. Click Expand (lower right) To Watch Full Screen Get…
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    At-Store Marketing Maven

  • The New Era Of Bricks & Mobile

    Marketing Maven
    8 May 2012 | 10:26 am
    The minute a customer enters your store is when your employees needs to shine.Employee engagement is paramount. However, let's face it, in most cases customersout number employees. This is when your at-store marketing needs to romance your customer to create a life-long love affair with your brand. Think of your at-store marketing as love letters, strategically left throughout the store.These love letters reaffirm why they are shopping with you, encourage them to purchase additional items, and entice them  to join your loyalty…

  • MIND BLOWING SMS STATS

    Marketing Maven
    1 May 2012 | 11:49 am
    Last week I had the privilege of attending an intimate session about SMS marketing.The speaker was Maritza Braga Brown who is a pioneer in the growth and developmentof mobile marketing. Maritza revolutionized SMS, with the game changing concept ofof empowering American Idol viewers with the ability to determine the success ofthe shows competitors by casting votes via text messaging.Why is SMS important to you? Let me lift the rock that you have been living under andshed some light. The way we market to customers has changed. People are on the…

  • The Magic Pill For Engagement

    Marketing Maven
    25 Apr 2012 | 5:38 pm
               Brace Yourself . . . Are You Ready?The magic pill for engagement, is engagement! It's time to make friends,build allies, and grow your network. The only way to do that is by engagingwith your connections.I know, putting yourself out there can be scary.  What if he/she doesn't respond?What if they do respond, and they are negative? I promise that 99% of the timepeople will respond to you and the response will be positive.Once you begin exchanging communications with someone, you now…

  • TEN COMMANDMENTS OF TWITTER

    Marketing Maven
    22 Apr 2012 | 11:10 am
                                                               1.  Pinning, 4Square, Google+, Facebook & Instagram Are Great But Almighty     When Paired With Twitter.2. Treat Thy Follower As You Would Like To Be Treated,  Read Their Tweets     And You Will Gain Knowledge.3..  Those Who Retweet Their Followers, Shall Receive Two Fold But Those      Who Reply Are Rewarded…

  • My Weekend With Gen Y and Why Gen X Sucks

    Marketing Maven
    10 Apr 2012 | 4:59 pm
    Last weekend, I spent a lot of time with a generation that made me think how crappy us Gen X'rs are. These Gen Y's are light years ahead of their time; they are smart, sophisticated and giving.  To put it mildly, I'm jealous of Gen Y and want what they have.  us Gen X'rs  I'm going to stereotype us Gen X'rs with the following truism. "When we were in high school and college it was the ME show. College was not a consideration until your senior year, and for the late bloomers, college was an after-thought.  Spring break…
 
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    Zoober Inbound Marketing Blog

  • Is online copywriting a business risk or a business asset?

    James Walters
    15 May 2012 | 4:35 am
    Online copywriting: business risk or business asset? Everyone’s online these days. The statistics show that we’re all using the internet to browse, buy and connect with businesses. This would suggest that online copywriting could only ever be a business asset. But there are several reasons why this isn’t always the case: Online copywriting can drain your business If your online copywriting comes without a long-term plan, it could be a drain on your resources rather than an asset. Untargeted seo content will only work in a piecemeal way in connecting with your customers. It…

  • Being Connected: A Cultural Revolution or Technology Evolution? [Infographic]

    Sookie Shuen
    11 May 2012 | 5:39 am
    The infographic takeaway for most is that if you have not yet adopted a cell phone or smart phone, you are in danger of losing connection with tomorrow's culture. However, for inbound marketers the takeaway is simple: Mobile marketing is no longer a luxury, but rather, a requirement.

  • Three copywriting tips every business needs to know

    James Walters
    10 May 2012 | 5:31 am
    Using content to market your business? Want your content to create results and help boost your company’s performance? Here are three copywriting tips you’ll want to know: 1. Insight creates better content It’s tempting to ask your copywriter to quickly create content to fill that gap on your website or your blog. But this creates content with a limited shelf life and low commercial value. Create content that drives sales and leads by planning it within a wider inbound marketing strategy. 2. Use copywriting to focus on the buy rather than the sell This may sound strange, but…

  • What’s wrong with SEO copywriting

    James Walters
    8 May 2012 | 4:27 am
    SEO copywriting is popular right now. No wonder, when you consider the impact of targeted content on search engine rankings and the growing value of well crafted content in general. But there is something wrong with SEO copywriting. Something that stops many companies from gaining the kinds of results they want from their SEO. Here’s what it is: The mystery of the missing strategy SEO copywriting often comes without a strategy. A one-off approach to gathering keywords and building them into content does not make a strategy. But SEO copywriting as part of a wider inbound marketing…

  • Welcome to Kate Wilsson

    Kate Wilsson
    6 May 2012 | 5:17 am
    Guest Blogger I'd like to welcome Kate Wilsson who will be a contributor to our blog.
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    Space Agency Notes

  • You have to be all in or not in at all

    Chief Alien
    9 May 2012 | 5:04 pm
    I have written posts about how hard it is to reach people on Twitter and Facebook. And the lack of engagement (I hate the term btw I consider engagement an action taken online: Link Click, Comment, Like, Reply, ReTweet etc) due to the platforms inhibiting this. I have also blogged about how hard it is to have scale and reach on social media.But I find immense value for the platforms as simple customer service, community building and listening tools. If you have customers who want to come and chat with you by all means why put barriers. And talking with 1% of your customers regularly is much…

  • Online Influence? Bah I Choose Real Life

    Chief Alien
    3 May 2012 | 8:13 am
    Yesterday we had a discussion going about Klout on Shift Digital's Blog. I have written extensively about Klout here in the past. But I want to look at the bigger picture of influence. Some people like my friend Jason Konopinsky think Klout has a slick algorithm but that since it can be gamed it is flawed. I have views that the whole online influence idea is flawed. At least how it is being viewed.I think finding actual experts to test products and services would be a great use for these tools. But what is being pitched it using it as a marketing force. That you can technically by pass paid…

  • Don't be Snowed. Total Fans and Followers Mean Nothing

    Chief Alien
    1 May 2012 | 7:03 am
    I recently blogged that people aren't engaging with Brands on Facebook. I used MTV's 100million total fans for their Facebook pages and got into their numbers. Then I saw this Forbes article linked on the Twitter.Stop being conned by the Media, Marketers, Guru's. No one gives a flying crap about Fans or Followers. They mean nothing to your business.The C-Suite knows this and that is why they don't care about Social. They didn't in 2010 and they do not today. Why is this? What is important is activity. You need to forget 800mil Facebook accounts and 450mil Twitter accounts. Next time…

  • Pricing Games and Perceptions

    Chief Alien
    29 Apr 2012 | 10:17 am
    What is the price of this bottle of wine?This post is part marketing education and part consumer reports alert. Do any of us know the price of things in reality? For big ticket items it is really easy to compare online or with your phone. But what about Supermarket Items? Amazon Price Check won't help. Do you have time to check 50 items to see if thy are cheaper down the road?1] Discounts and Club CardsI often wonder when a club card special says On Sales for $3.59 regularly $4.19 if maybe it is always $3.59 but goes on sale and they change the regular price to make it look like a savings.

  • People spent ONLY 12 minutes per day on Social Networks?

    Chief Alien
    25 Apr 2012 | 10:33 am
    My friend Shelly Kramer blogged about a recent ComScore report. (btw follow her on the Twitter she needs more friends)While it highlights an increase in usage for Social Networks it reinforces the fact you can not really market via social media to any scale. For those that wonder how I arrived at the 12 minutes the report states people now spend 6 hours a month on Social Media 360 minutes divided by 30 days....anyone who reads this blog knows I hate how marketers aggregate numbers to make them look big. We have blogged that use of Facebook is now under 20 minutes per day per user. We have…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Selling Eating

  • Quizno’s says, “Screw you, White Castle, we have a ‘Q’”.

    Charlie Hopper
    16 May 2012 | 1:50 pm
    Pretending that White Castle doesn’t pretty thoroughly own the word “Crave,” Quizno‘s announced today that they’re going to once again try recreate the magic they abandoned years ago when they had Jim Parsons sucking a wolf mother’s teat. I don’t think they’re there yet.

  • 13 restaurants that don’t have to worry about blending in with everybody else at the same interstate exit.

    Charlie Hopper
    15 May 2012 | 12:35 pm
    So because the internet likes lists and weird things, Yahoo often offers lists of weird things. Here’s a list of weird restaurants. Let’s hope you never lose so much control over analyzing your brand or living up to it; nor feel so unable to be bold enough to improve your marketing materials; nor feel so frustrated by market conditions beyond your immediate control, that a Chinese restaurant where the customers sit on toilets starts to sound to you like a pretty good idea. It’s not a good idea. Your restaurant brand essence is (probably) based on a much better idea. Unless you just…

  • Putting a value on the major social media: Yelp wins.

    Charlie Hopper
    14 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    Nice going, pub. Since it’s currently required that each media form mention Facebook at least once this week, the week of its historic IPO, well, I guess I better get at it. I went searching for Facebook and restaurant marketing, though, and ended up with Yelp. What I found interesting was Sara Petersen’s blog about the value of social media. She estimates what each entry/tweet/posting/review is worth to a restaurant, and what each user is worth based on stuff like how many people the interaction reaches easily; how influential the person is; how focused on restaurant-related material the…

  • I interview Jim of MustHaveMenus.com.

    Charlie Hopper
    11 May 2012 | 4:45 pm
    He was at his booth at the NRA Show earlier this week. Interesting guy; you’d like him. First, there’s the basic pitch of MustHaveMenus.com, summed up in this Tweet to @PaulBarron (author of The Chipotle Effect):   Jim Williams, CEO, is one of those many guys whom Steve Jobs inspired. He thinks most small or mid-sized restaurants are missing a chance to tell their story. “They’re using online menus that are pre-internet, basically just spreadsheets with information typed into them,” he said with alarm. “Having something better seems like a pain in the ass, and expensive—but…

  • Oh, and in case you were wondering what Ex-POTUS BC said at NRA…

    Charlie Hopper
    10 May 2012 | 11:49 am
    “I did NOT...have LUNCH...with that woman...” No, he didn’t really say that. I’m making an easy joke. Look, everybody, I’m Saturday Night Live! I didn’t have a seat, but basically sounds like it was: 1. Well-argued, clearly articulated, entirely expected political remarks; 2. A big Way To Go for the restaurant industry’s investment in the national Kids Live Well program to offer healthy menu choices to children; and 3. “Cooperation works better than conflict in the 21st Century world,” he said. Basically, I picture him pulling the whole thing together Saturday night on…
 
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