Jay Baer says, “The biggest problem with organic social media for business is that the majority of companies are trying to employ a social media strategy that hinges on making social media do something it’s not well-suited to do: create new customers from thin air. “My favorite part of social media is that companies are doing it,” said noone,... [Read more]

Rebecca Lieb says, “Despite content marketing‘s meteoric rise over the past couple of years — in terms of awareness, as well as adoption by brands and marketers — many misunderstandings still surround the discipline and practice. While content marketing is hardly new (it’s been around pretty much as long as there’s been media), many... [Read more]

Robert Lendvai says, “To gain the attention of distracted online visitors, more brands are experimenting with cinemagraphs. The Wall Street Street Journal recently wrote, “In an attempt to cut through the noise, marketers are increasingly experimenting with new visual tricks and gimmicks designed to make consumers stop and take notice,... [Read more]

People do judge books and other printed matter by the cover. A good cover goes a long way toward better sales. Amber Jalink has been making attractive graphics for books, magazines and sales pages for a long time. Now, she has collected some of the best work she and her team have ever created and is offering it to the rest of us in her new Magazine... [Read more]

David Moth says, “We’ve already rounded up the top email marketing trends from 2015, and now it’s time to look forward to 2016. I asked several experts to suggest the trends that will define email marketing over the next 12 months. They included: Steve Denner, COO at Adestra. Hannah Price, email marketing manager at Missguided. Joanne Yarnall,... [Read more]

Monica Montesa says, “With the new year quickly approaching, it’s the perfect time to review your overall email marketing strategy and make plans for a fresh start come January 1. And what better place to start than with your subscriber list? Cleaning up inactive subscribers from your email list is an easy way to set yourself up for success... [Read more]

Karen Ronning says, “How do you make effective, engaging content that gets people to take action? Take some lessons from Carlos Abler, leader of content marketing strategy for 3M Global eTransformation. At theIntelligent Content Conference, Carlos demonstrated how personalized content can not only change behavior but also transform lives. In... [Read more]

If you are frustrated with the WordPress theme you have been using, there's a new alternative that you may want to  look into, 'ProStyler EVO Theme', by MichaelFormby. The authors say it is the most flexible , most advanced, and yet an easy "Drag And Drop" theme you have ever seen... [Read more]

Ginny Marvin says, “Another year, another whirlwind in paid search. What marked 2015 wasn’t one big change, like 2013’s Enhanced Campaigns, or even 2014’s move to Shopping Campaigns, but a lot (a lot) of smaller changes that added up to a need to be constantly on your game. From new reporting tools to new ways of categorizing what counts... [Read more]

Courtney Eckerle says, “Every year, the holidays have a way of sneaking up on us. Just like there will be a mad rush at the mall on December 24, there are probably some marketers out there who are trying to think of some last minute ways to connect with customers during such a congested season. Social media and other content is the best way to... [Read more]

Adam Toren says, “A variety of internal and external forces can affect the longevity of products and services your business offers. Understanding how your business excels where your competition does not is a crucial element in dominating your market. Incorporating these strategies into your marketing plan can push your organization into becoming... [Read more]

The WP Site Guardian launch offer is now closing so it's your last opportunity to get this security tool at 87% discount before the price goes up... [Read more]

Jessica Mehring says, “Ready to reach a wider audience without having to create content from scratch? Repurposing an old blog post into a SlideShare deck gives it new life and adds more value to your original content. SlideShare decks can drive more traffic to your website and help you build your email list, too. Here are five simple steps you... [Read more]

Dr. Peter J. Meyers says, “As part of the MozCast 10K (a 10,000-keyword daily Google tracker), we keep a close eye on the domains with the most page-one Google real-estate. As of December 1st, these were the “Big 10”. “Share” represents the percentage of total results each domain has across the entire data set. Of course,... [Read more]

Radhika says, “If you’re a regular sender of emails, you know that your subject line is crucial. The right subject line will get more of your emails opened and read. More emails read will lead to more conversions for you. An uninteresting subject line will leave your email unopened — or worse, send it straight to the trash — and what good... [Read more]

News reports suggest that 30,000 Web Sites are hacked every single day. If that doesn't scare you, then you aren't marketing in the real online world. That statistic shows it is only a matter of time before the crooks come after your site... [Read more]

Trond Lyngbø says, “Going into the FIFA World Cup 2014, Argentina’s prolific scorer, Lionel Messi, widely considered the world’s best attacker, was expected to steer his team to victory. But he didn’t score a field goal in four games at the knockout stage — and his team lost in the finals! Just like soccer, digital marketing is also... [Read more]

Leslie Ye says, “As we bid farewell to 2015 and usher in 2016, one thing is at the top of salespeople’s minds: “New year, new quota. How am I going to hit it?” Whether you’re going to President’s Club for your performance in 2015 or fell short, everyone’s back at 0% starting January 1st. Take advantage of your clean slate and set... [Read more]

David Moth says, “Eagle-eyed Econsultancy readers will notice that we’ve published a number of end-of-year roundups recently. For each of these posts we asked a panel of experts for their views, and while I had their attention I slipped in a few extra questions. So, what did our marketing experts think was the most common mistake that brands... [Read more]

Best-selling Kindle author Jenn Dize has put together a guide for beginners on 'Writing Kindle Fiction Made Easy'. Amazon sells many thousands of Kindle books every day, and a lot of them are fiction.  This is a big market for all kinds of fiction, and any author can find a niche that will be a good opportunity for expressing creativity... [Read more]

Kevin Berk says, “These days the expectations for customer service are at an all-time low. Even with the advent of social marketing that purports to put a personal face on an impersonal business, consumers are not confident that anybody is really listening when it comes to the dark world of complaints… which is why for every 1 person that complains,... [Read more]

Siddharth Bharath says, “The Michelin Guide is probably one of the best examples of content marketing. Back in 1890, Andre and Edouard, the brothers who started Michelin Tires, needed a way to increase demand for tires. Back then, there were only 2,200 cars in all of France, their home base. The brothers wanted car owners to drive more so that... [Read more]

Tate Handy reports, “Your friendly neighborhood social media giants seemed to have cracked the code when it comes to advertising. But they’ve had more misses than hits so far in their efforts to take a slice of our e-commerce shopping dollars, from the Facebook Gifts experiment (discontinued in 2013) to Twitter’s flagging #AmazonCart. This year,... [Read more]

If you want to take advantage of the current craze for video, either with your own videos or with ones you curate from elsewhere, you need a design that is customized for displaying videos.... [Read more]

Erica Stritch says, “Sales executives are always clamoring for ways to get ahead. They watch the market, identify trends in their organizations, and keep an eye on their competitors, all while trying to manage a playbook of shifting priorities. It’s rarely clear just what the keys will be to take their organizations to the next level. That’s... [Read more]

Bryan Robinson says, “When you think of eCommerce, your thoughts likely go to traditional, consumer-based online shopping. But – stop the presses – did you know that B2B eCommerce sales are almost double those of B2C? In fact, the inexorable rise of eCommerce is one of the biggest trends in B2B marketing right now, and one which shows... [Read more]

Robert Allen says, “Gary Vaynerchuk nailed it when he said, “Marketers ruin everything.” Because it’s true. The moment they see people flocking to a new website, posting to the latest social platform or watching the hottest new TV show, they swarm in and fill it with ads for their stuff. To them, eyeballs equals dollar signs. And that... [Read more]