Martin Beck says, “Advertisers will spend $23.68 billion worldwide to reach consumers on social media in 2015, according to new figures released this week by eMarketer. The total represents an 33.5% increase over eMarketer’s 2014 figure of $17.74 billion and means ad spending on social media will make up 13.9% of the total digital advertising... [Read more]

Thomas Husson says, “The global mobile revolution is still in its early stages! Forrester forecasts that there will be nearly 3.5 billion individual smartphone users among more than 5 billion individual mobile subscribers by 2019. Mobile will clearly be the new battleground where you must win, serve, and retain your customers globally. Mobile... [Read more]

Meghan Keaney Anderson says, “Starting on Tuesday, April 21, 2015, Google is going to make a massive change to the way it ranks websites. How massive? This change outranks both Panda and Penguin in terms of its scale of impact on search results, according to Google’s Webmaster Trends analyst Zineb Ait Bahajji. The change comes down... [Read more]

Paul Nicholls has just released the second edition of his training, Passive Cash Profits. This new version hones and improves the techniques he shared in the first edition. Nicholls says that you can create nearly passive income in any niche by building niche sites and charging a small fee for membership. He shares the process he uses: • Selecting... [Read more]

Arnie Gullov-Singh says, “The way consumers shop online is changing, especially when it comes to lifestyle products like apparel, accessories and home decor items. As marketers, we have to adapt. In the past, online consumers turned to search-based platforms, like Google and Amazon, to find specific items they needed and they’d make their decisions... [Read more]

Demian Farnworth says, “Let’s face it. Social media is one of those warm, fuzzy, but murky activities that exist in the business world. It can be a conversation — a cocktail party — or a content distribution channel. For some, it’s both. And more! Regardless of how we choose to use it, we naturally have to ask: What’s the return on... [Read more]

Graham Charlton says, “It’s nearly here. On April 21, Google will begin to use mobile-friendliness as a ranking signal. This move, dubbed ‘mobilegeddon’, is part of the trend for Google to focus on UX factors when ranking sites. Here are some of the sites that may need to take action… Which sites will be affected? According... [Read more]

In any marketing business, trust is the key to success. Trust seals are often essential to building trust. You have seen trust seals on many websites. They are those authoritative looking insignia issued by the Better Business Bureau, Verisign and others. Typically, having this endorsement of the ethics and legitimacy of the business does a lot to improve... [Read more]

Kelsey Libert says, “In October 2013, Fractl published a study on viral emotions on the Harvard Business Review. The research was picked up by several high-authority publishers, catapulted our brand’s authority, increased our brand awareness, and drove dozens of qualified leads. To our expectation, we proved that our client-facing,... [Read more]

Patricio Robles says, “Businesses today often have more metrics than they know what to do with. Thanks in large part to multiple online platforms, companies frequently have access to large volumes of data. From their websites to their bank accounts, data is plentiful, and there is no shortage of services that aim to analyse that data and make it... [Read more]

Seth Fiegerman says, “”I think Google is likely 75% fucked,” Paul Kedrosky, a venture capitalist, wrote in an email toMashable. “Nothing’s totally fucked, but… they’re at a precipice, and no one is calling them on it.” Just a few years ago — heck, even a few months ago — that statement would have come... [Read more]

Luther Landro, no stranger to IM NewsWatch readers, has released his latest tool for online marketers: Ultimate WordPress Branding. This new software helps marketers and consultants who build sites for others. When you show a sample WordPress site to a potential client or when you actually build a site and turn it over to a client... [Read more]

Matt McGee says, “Google has announced plans to make its TrueView ad format available for programmatic video buying in the DoubleClick Bid Manager. Major brands like Nestle, Netflix and others have already been testing the technology inside DoubleClick and — according to Google’s announcement — are seeing success. Google says TrueView will... [Read more]

Rainmaker team says, “Are you trying too hard in your sales letters and landing pages? Which elements are hindering, rather than helping, your conversions? Join The Mainframe hosts Tony Clark and Chris Garrett as they discuss how your efforts might be working against your goals, and how to make it easier for people to buy from you with confidence. In... [Read more]

Ken Calhoon says, “It’s impossible to have great customer experiencewithout digital transformation in the age of the customer. Most of us think first about the front-end experience when challenged with improving digital customer experience. We naturally gravitate toward the direct human interface: web features and functionality, design,... [Read more]

You may have heard the stories about many everyday people who have earned a good income on the Internet. You’re an everyday person, too. Why can’t you do the same?... [Read more]

Debbie Williams says, “Basic accounting rules require marketing costs to be listed as expenses on a company’s P&L. However, today’s marketers and smart executives consider marketing an investment in driving revenue rather than a cost. This is where an overall mind shift is needed. Marketing needs to be considered an investment, and your... [Read more]

Parry Malm says, “Newsflash: email is a great way to sell stuff online. And subject lines make a huge difference to your bottom line. This is a fact. Another fact: there is a science to subject lines. And I did the research to prove it. I looked at about 700m emails, plus billions of algorithmic simulations. And learned a lot. Now you’re about... [Read more]

Dane Atkinson says, “Google’s got some huge changes coming to its SEO algorithm next week. Mobile-friendly websites will be more important than ever for business searchability. The team at SumAll reviewed the upcoming changes and made this handy infographic with tips for businesses“. Is Your Site Mobile Ready for Google’s Big Algorithm... [Read more]

Justin Sardi and Neil McPherson have spent the last couple of years developing their video marketing skills. To start, they had some tutoring from a successful video marketer, but after a while they began to experiment on their own. They got some positive results with one product, so they tried this video system on other products, too... [Read more]

Ginny Marvin says, “There may finally be an answer to the question of whether Google will ever loosen the reigns on ad targeting and allow marketers to use their first-party data to reach existing customers. Citing anonymous sources, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, that Google has been talking with several advertisers about using... [Read more]

Chow says, “Advertising on the Internet takes on so many different forms these days. You’ve got the regular banner ads that have been around since the very early days. You’ve got sponsored content on nearly all the social networks. You’ve got pre-roll ads in YouTube videos, you’ve got email marketing, and you’ve got sponsored links on your... [Read more]

Neil Patel says, “You’ve got a responsive site with a kick-ass mobile design. You’re ready for Google’s “mobilegeddon,” right? Wrong. With all the excitement over Google’s upcoming mobile-friendly search-results update, marketers are neglecting one of the most critical features: copywriting. Those focusing too much on mobile usability... [Read more]

Verónica Maria Jarski says, “Since Instagram was introduced in October 2010, users have shared more than 30 billion photos. So, what can you do to make your content stand out among the Instagram crowd? Here are some tips from the following Salesforce infographic. Post quality photos regularly. The key word is quality. “Followers may be... [Read more]

Leslie Ye says, “Go to any grocery store and walk to the condiment aisle. You’ll see dozens of varieties of mustard — Dijon, honey, whole grain, yellow, spicy, brown — but probably fewer than five types of ketchup from a small handful of brands. Of those brands, one reigns supreme: Heinz,boasting a number one or two market share... [Read more]

Baer says, ““A-B-C. A: always, B: be, C: closing,” is the immortal advice Alec Baldwin’s character Blake imparts to a group of hapless salesmen in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross. This basic sales tenet has not changed much since, but the role of sales and marketing has definitely moved on (for the better). Although many companies are taking... [Read more]

Karissa Bell says, “Android users: Your wait for Meerkat is almost over. Meerkat is now allowing Android users to sign up to get access to the beta version of the Android app, the company announced Wednesday. SEE ALSO: 5 accessories to improve your crappy Meerkat videos The company had previously confirmed an Android version of the livestreaming... [Read more]