Ginny Marvin says, “E-commerce sales in the US shot up 14.1 percent to $83.9 billion in the second quarter compared to Q2 2014 when adjusted for seasonality, the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce reported Monday. That compares to an overall increase in US retail sales of just 1.0 percent year-over-year. In all, 7.2 percent of the estimated... [Read more]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Do photos with above-average engagement on Instagram have any qualities in common? Does the use of tags lead to more likes and comments? Are people more likely to interact with images featuring certain filters and colors? To find out, Dan Zarrella examined data in 2014 from nearly 1.5 million images posted by more than 500,000... [Read more]

Josh Constine says, “Facebook basically locked Notes in the basement for the past half-decade. Its bare-bones blogging feature launched in 2006 as a place for writing missives that wouldn’t fit in a status update. After a few tweaks like the ability to insert photos, Facebook left Notes to languish. The launch of Timeline in 2011 buried the... [Read more]

Zap Deals: Scarcity engine to drive sales #ad Sam Robinson has just released Zap Deals software It builds sales pages with a count down timer. Visitors have a limited time to decide and buy. You will see it in action on their sales page. Once you land, you have 2 hours to buy. Watch the timer at the bottom of the page. And that’s just the beginning.... [Read more]

Entrepreneur team says, “Nobody likes crafting a stellar press release, blog entry or even social media post, only to watch it disappear into a black hole with little or no exposure. Here are three ways to optimize your online PR content for greater reach, readership and results: 1. Punch up press releases via social media. A/B test your press... [Read more]

Josh Harris says, “Hi. My name is Josh Harris, and I thought I’d share some info about sales emails in order to… Hold it right there. Does that intro actually make you want to read the rest of this article? Of course not. That’s why I’m amazed that many sales reps actually use this framework to reach out to prospects. Now,... [Read more]

Laura Ramos says, “Presenting today with Marketo’s CMO, Sanjay Dholakia, gave us the opportunity to talk about what CMOs (both B2B and B2C) need to do to transform marketing into a growth engine. Here’s a little retrospective on our conversation in case you missed it. In 2010, Forrester introduced our “age of the customer”(AOTC)... [Read more]

The key principle of marketing success is showing the right message to the right people at the right time. Once you have your advertisement crafted, you need to find the right people and show them your message when they are interested in your topic.... [Read more]

In her latest post onHubSpot , Mimi An says, “We’ve all dreamt about writing a blog post so good that it generates more and more traffic each month after it’s published. Sounds like a pipe dream … right? Turns out, this isn’t a pipe dream after all. We recently found that there are unique blog posts in the archives of... [Read more]

Olivia Dello Buono says, “We all hate spammy pop-ups when we’re just trying to read a blog post. They indiscriminately pop up everywhere, basically telling us in a loud voice to give them our email addresses so that they can add us to their email list. It’s easy to say no, close the box and go on with your day. That’s an experience we’ve... [Read more]

Simon Crofts says, “Just 15 Years ago we only had to make a film the client enjoyed and give them a VHS copy and all was well. Times have changed and savvy media commissioners are looking for tangible returns for their spend on video. Video strategy is a big subject and the Video Marketing Strategy Training course I run for Econsultancy takes... [Read more]

Brett Ingram has been experimenting with combining the power of YouTube's popularity with Amazon's enormous range of products. Now, he says, he has found a way to tap into the 6 Billion hours of YouTube videos that people watch every month and the 200 Million Amazon products.... [Read more]

Kristen Vanstrom says, “The data doesn’t lie—mobile marketing is the present and definitely the future. This immediate tactic is not just reserved for large corporations with larger than life budgets. Small business owners can find affordable ways to take advantage of this marketing method. If you’re a small business owner, and you’ve... [Read more]

Brett Relander says, “Mobile is growing and growing rapidly. There are now 1.91 billion people in the world with smartphones and the number is forecast to reach 2 billion within the next year. It has never been more important to ensure that you are keeping your mobile marketing customers engaged. What exactly is customer engagement, and why... [Read more]

Laura Patterson says, “When CMOs own and define their company’s marketing technology strategy, their organization achieves more targeted, relevant, and efficient customer engagement and greater revenue contribution, according to participants in a CMO Council study titled “Quantify How You Unify.” Marketing Technology: You Can’t... [Read more]

Mark and Victoria Barrett, who use the Warrior nickname of "Vicky Babe", have created many low-priced Warrior Special Offers over the last few years. Now, in their Wso Creation - Live Masterclass, they offer to show you how to create them yourselves.... [Read more]

Rob Litterst says, “When it comes to the digital publishing landscape, experimentation is the new norm. Launching native advertising, paywalls, and affiliate programs—media leaders are seeking ways to transform their engaged, loyal audiences into long-term sources of revenue. Seeking to counteract declining ad revenues, publishers are facing... [Read more]

Jordan Crook says, “Confide, the app that lets you send self-destructing messages, is now transitioning to the desktop. Confide launched 18 months ago as a mobile app on iOS and Android, offering users the chance to send messages to each other that are only readable a few words at a time. When the user tapped on certain words in the message, they... [Read more]

Mark Gadala-Maria says, “While the concept of relevance has always driven successful marketing efforts, it is a core requirement for effective marketing in today’s cluttered and hypercompetitive marketplace. In fact, the entire premise of all search engines is determining the relevance of any one website to a submitted search query, and matching... [Read more]

Local businesses need help with electronic marketing. They don't have the time or skills to do what is needed online. But their growth and long-term survival depend on it.... [Read more]

Ian Jacobs says, “Customer service teams are facing a dilemma that may bring back high school nostalgia – if you want to be one of the cool kids, you need to be social. But simply being present in the social scene doesn’t automatically make you hip to the digital customer. You need to talk the talk and have the latest gadgets. In our recent... [Read more]

HubSpot team says, “Gone are the days of mindless prospecting, spray-and-pray marketing, and antiquated list buying. Buyers have evolved and so should sellers. It’s certainly true that you need personalization and research to be successful. A quick glance around LinkedIn will show just how many different companies and opportunities people are... [Read more]

Monica Montesa says, “If your brand has a presence on social media, you’ve probably had the pleasure of dealing with some negative comments from a disgruntled customer or two. While this might trigger the kind of anger that causes Bruce Banner to turn into the Hulk, it’s important to handle the situation appropriately and professionally. For... [Read more]

Kerry Jones says, “What do you buy? What makes you loyal to a brand? Where do you spend your time? If you could ask a modern 18-year-old and one from 25 years ago those same questions, you would probably get very different answers. Each generations has its own distinct values and behaviors, so understanding the nuances of different age groups... [Read more]

Maddie Timmas says, “If we’re going to deliver the experiences customers expect, we need to break free from the silos. If I had a pound for every comment piece I’ve read about the great divide between data and creativity, I’d be about to jet off on a world tour, not just my usual summer break. Conventional wisdom says data and creativity... [Read more]

Ivy Shtereva says, “The rise in email volume has created a challenge for marketers. As subscribers become more selective, marketers have to create an experience and deliver quality to ensure continued email opens and high inboxing (inbox delivery) rates. When brands don’t consider the consumer expectation when developing their email campaigns,... [Read more]

Elliot Tomaeno says, “Netflix in June made a calculated decision to release the entire third season of Orange Is the New Black early. Not only did this thrill the OITNB fan base and generate a ton of press coverage on the new season, but it also sent a powerful message: Netflix aims to please. Entrepreneurs can enjoy these same advantages by... [Read more]

Arie Shpanya says, “Many retailers resort to sales and discounts to boost sales. However, smarter retailers have demonstrated there’s more to it than that. The busiest times of a retailer’s business cycle are usually synonymous with storewide sales and massive discounts. From Black Friday to Prime Day, popular shopping days typically... [Read more]