Ayaz Nanji says, “Some 79% of all keywords return search results that integrate at least one Google Universal Search (AKA blended search) element—the additional snippet of media and information that accompanies traditional results—according to a recent report from Searchmetrics. The report was based on data from a large set of keyword searches... [Read more]

Ian Jacobs says, “Do you hear that swooshing sound of a tweet being sent in the middle of a Google Hangout? It’s faint, but strong, and it means they’re coming. Generation Y—a generation raised entirely in a technology-driven world. This new breed of consumers demands more from companies and government agencies, with particularly high... [Read more]

Steve Dille says, “Even if you were making a strictly intuitive argument about applying the power of Big Data personalization to email marketing, it would still make sense: Any of us respond better to a personalized query, a sales pitch that hits our individual pain points or aspirations, the right offer that arrives at the right time … But,... [Read more]

Drew Laughlin specializes in online marketing for local businesses. In particular, he creates marketing videos that local businesses can use to attract new clients. To reach as many local businesses as possible, he offers these videos to other local marketing consultants like you and me and lets us offer them to your clients as your own service. He... [Read more]

Andrea Francis says, “When we think of marketers, we often think of using social media to promote content and engage with consumers online. But this isn’t the reality for all marketers (even though it should be). When you’re working within the highly regulated finance industry, there can be legal implications for companies that are... [Read more]

Lance Ulanoff says, “Welcome to the new world of Facebook native content — or, as Facebook calls it, Instant Articles. The social media giant uses the term “instant” because stories in this new format open instantly, sans 8-second load time. This is quite a noticeable change from articles you access through links that take you to... [Read more]

Arie Shpanya says, ” Most retailers already have the secret to higher conversion rates: data. Conversion rates can pave the road to success for online retailers. A retailer’s ability to change a shopper into a customer lies in several different aspects, including product offerings, prices, and merchandising, among other things. Many retailers... [Read more]

About 6 months ago, Walt Bayliss released his popular video distribution software, Hydravid. Many marketers who recognize the importance of having their videos seen by a wide audience are using this software to syndicate their videos to websites around the world. Now, he has just released Hydravid Xray/u>, a companion program that lets you analyze... [Read more]

Rainmaker team says, “What tools does the content marketer need to stay organized? What to do about subscribers who aren’t confirming their opt-in? And what’s the difference in approach between B2B and B2C marketing? Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer host Sonia Simone answers these questions (and a few more) this week“. The Difference... [Read more]

Michael Brenner says, “I have a secret to share with marketers who are struggling to build their content marketing plan. My secret starts with the realization that many of the marketing activities brands produce today are highly ineffective. Direct mail? Thrown away. Cold calls? Ignored. Television ads? Skipped. Banners? Blocked and ignored. It’s... [Read more]

Baer says, “Is Twitter trying to be the most important customer service channel? Twitter has announced the rollout of the long-rumored feature of being able to send people private messages via its direct messages capability, without them following one another. As you probably know, historically in order to send somebody a direct message in private... [Read more]

If you got the free e-book last week, you know Jimmy Kim has a powerful grasp of the list building process. He gave you a good introduction in that free e-book... [Read more]

Eric Enge says, “In my last column, I wrote about how to use term frequency analysis in evaluating your content vs. the competition’s. Term frequency (TF) is only one part of the TF-IDF approach to information retrieval. The other part is inverse document frequency (IDF), which is what I plan to discuss today. Today’s post will use... [Read more]

Emma Snider says, “To many salespeople, “social selling” simply equates to “LinkedIn.” According to a survey conducted by PeopleLinx, 76% of reps understand LinkedIn’s potential for sales, but a scant 16% see Twitter’s value. This gap is understandable. While it’s fairly simple to identify a good fit... [Read more]

Christopher Ratcliff says, “The premise of experiential marketing is to create a closer bond between the consumer and the brand by immersing them in a fun and memorable experience. If a branded event stirs positive emotions in people then they are more likely to associate those emotions with that brand. This encourages brand loyalty and the stronger... [Read more]

Don't miss this free training. Leon Tran is offering his new e-book, '99 Easy Ways To Get Traffic in 2015', at no charge, for a limited time... [Read more]

Natalie King says, “I’ve got a confession to make. As a content writer for a number of B2B clients I’ve been coasting – cruising through e-books, white papers, and infographics with the same tone of voice. This hasn’t been due to writer’s block, laziness, or even my own choosing. Rather, it’s been what the client has wanted … Safe.... [Read more]

Catalin Zorzini says, “The strategy you employ to market and grow your e-commerce business will help determine whether (and how quickly) you reach your goals and achieve success. And whether you are new to the e-commerce game or you’ve been selling online for years, there is always room for growth. Here is the good news: There are marketing... [Read more]

Danny Sullivan says, “Today, Facebook announced Instant Articles, a way for publishers to post stories directly on Facebook. We’ve known this would be coming, and there’s been somedebate over whether it’s good or bad. But I haven’t seen that extended to what would happen if Google follows Facebook’s lead. It could, potentially causing... [Read more]

It's a sad fact of online marketing that unscrupulous people steal online content whenever they can, content such as training videos, video products, sales videos, affiliate videos, and other items, too... [Read more]

Daniel Brousseau says, “Convergences are cool when they happen, and for the past two months, I’ve been experiencing one around customer experience measurement. Today, I was on the phone with a massive government agency talking about the way it measures customer experience and why it’s not working. Next week, I’ll have another discussion... [Read more]

Baer says, “Did you know Convince & Convert‘s content plan includes publishing 8 to 10 blog postsevery single week? I’ll speak for the rest of us: holy moly! For a team of only 3 people involved in the content planning process at Convince & Convert, that’s a massive amount of content that they: Review Optimize for keywords Create... [Read more]

Emma Snider says, “If you’re using LinkedIn for sales correctly, you won’t insert an ask into your initial invitation to connect. It’s only after the prospect accepts your personalized connection request and you’ve diligently observed their behavior on the network that you can follow up with a meeting proposal. But just... [Read more]

If you want to be a CPA marketer, listen to the story of Yair Dolev. He had been around. He was not a beginner when he decided to use Facebook ads to promote CPA offers... [Read more]

Martin Beck says, “With all the talk about organic reach for Facebook Pages shrinking to next to nothing, you might think that there would be a corresponding drop in brand engagement on the social network. But according to a new report from analytics provider Simply Measured that’s not the case, at least for major brands. In fact, total Facebook... [Read more]

Peter Gasca says, “When was the last time you visited a website only to leave after only a few seconds? If you are like me, chances are you did this several times just this morning. Great websites are key to attracting and retaining visitors, and these days entrepreneurs have numerous tools at their disposal — Squarespace, Wix, Weebly... [Read more]