Joanna Alter says, “User-generated content (UGC), like customer photos and reviews, increases engagement, encourages shoppers to convert into buyers and boosts word-of-mouth marketing. While there are many ways to display UGC throughout your site to create interest and provide shoppers with real information from real buyers, here are four of the... [Read more]

AJ Agrawal says, “When running a B2B business, your main concern is generating leads. According to a study, 61 percent of B2B marketers pointed out that generating high-quality leads is their biggest concern and biggest challenge. You already know that creating content is one way to generate B2B sales, and you already know about the importance... [Read more]

AJ Agrawal says, “Organic-search traffic is the only search traffic you should be interested in. This is the traffic you get without any direct action on your part. It’s not something you can achieve with ease, though. The statistics say that 83 percent of organic clicks go to the first four results under most categories on search engines. So,... [Read more]

Cindy Donovan Bettye has been hard at work, turning out useful software for people and companies who market their goods and services online. One of her latest and best is StickyPost. This is a new WordPress plugin that any person can use. It lets you pull into your posts, graphics that will illustrate them, making them more attractive, more “sticky”. In... [Read more]

Daniel Burstein says, “There are so many impressive things you can do with your website these days. Augmented realty. Rich animations. Micro-interactions. Interactive infographics. But I like to think of it like this … When the quarterback throws a 90-yard touchdown pass, the camera cuts to the wide receiver doing a celebratory dance, and then... [Read more]

Erika Trautman says, “For a lot of marketers, managing the content measurement problem is a continuous challenge. Consumers click through online content while marketers record each click, but what kind of engagement is the content actually attracting? What is the overall impact of the content experience, and how does better measurement determine... [Read more]

Jason Moore says, “Video is a great way to deliver content, enabling you to both tell and show. It also allows you to add a more personal, human element to your brand in a way that the written word is not always able to (by literally showing people in the video). So, what makes video so good? And how can you use it to add a human element to your... [Read more]

If you want to be an author, e-books are a good way to begin. The costs to publish an e-book are minimal. And the time to publication can be less than a week after you finish writing your book. One thing that will make an important difference in your sales is the cover you use. The cover is your advertisement. It tells your audience what your book... [Read more]

Pete Pachal says, “Google CEO Sundar Pichai had good reason to be excited Wednesday. Pichai, who is probably most often described as “subdued,” was unusually energized as he emceed his team through a host of product announcements — several genuinely impressive. He kicked things off with Google Home, the company’s answer to... [Read more]

Ben Davis says, “Yesterday saw the latest development in Google’s search advertising product. Shopping ads, or product listing ads (PLAs), are set to appear within Google image searches. I asked for some initial thoughts from agency search practitioners. Here are a few things to look out for. Expect a drop in organic traffic from image results Of... [Read more]

Brian Clark says, “A business powered by digital products is ideal. It’s still hard work (naturally), but you don’t have the particular headaches of dealing with clients or shipping physical goods. If you’re considering building a digital business (or adding to your existing one), the premium WordPress market is definitely something you... [Read more]

Jimmy Kim's latest software release is 'Push Connect Notify'. This new software lets you "push" messages to your subscribers with whatever promotion or news you want to share... [Read more]

James Agate says, “For the most part, articles on content promotion focus on launching new content. Today I want to focus on getting the most out of (and in some cases, breathing new life into) existing content. We frequently see clients that have a variety of content assets already. Where possible, I always advocate using what’s on hand... [Read more]

Kristen Vanstrom says, “Take it from me, a fellow Millennial. We’re not always easy to understand, let alone market to. What we like changes on a daily basis. We can go from being avid Snapchatters to obsessive Periscopers in a matter of minutes. With that said, as a marketing or business professional, it’s important for you to stay... [Read more]

Karen Mishra says, “I had lunch at my local art museum today — their scallops and black rice are my favorite. As the waiter left our check, he invited us to look at his photography in the museum store. He half apologized, saying that the store manager told him to tell all of his customers that his work is featured in the store. He did not... [Read more]

Cindy Battye has released new software that provides a new way to make videos earn money for you. Whether you are an old hand at online marketing or are brand new, you probably know that video is the most powerful way to get viewers and readers of your site to stay involved... [Read more]

Josh Todd says, “A couple of weeks back, I sounded the alarm on what my colleagues and I are calling the “Mobile Engagement Crisis.” It’s an industrywide call to arms for marketers to reassess the way they think and act on their mobile strategies in the face of declining retention rates and fickle mobile users. I believe the need for action... [Read more]

Andrew Chrysostom says, “With Instagram redesigning its logo and Budweiser temporarily changing its name to America, now is a good time to look at the challenges that companies face when rebranding. It can be a challenging decision to make as to whether a rebrand is right for your company. Timing, cost and brand recognition are all factors that... [Read more]

Stuart McKeown says, “During the second half of 2015, we put together a plan to dramatically increase the amount of inbound traffic to our software as a service (SaaS) company’s website. In April we were averaging roughly 3,000 visits a day; all of this was coming via existing inbound marketing. We knew that if we could increase our traffic... [Read more]

The new social media site Periscope is full of opportunity for marketers, but most marketers haven't caught on to it yet. This new site adds 10 years of content every day, and virtually all is free for you to use for your own marketing... [Read more]

Clayton Dean says, “The funnel, a classic and longstanding marketing concept, serves as a linear metaphor, allowing a company to understand how a prospective customer moves from initial brand awareness to an eventual purchase. Like a funnel, the first stage is broad. The consumer has a wide range of brands to choose from. As the consumer moves... [Read more]

Entrepreneur team says, “Alphabet’s Google Inc. unveiled its answer to Amazon’s Alexa virtual assistant along with new messaging and virtual reality products at its annual I/O developer conference on Wednesday, doubling down on artificial intelligence and machine learning as the keys to its future. Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai... [Read more]

Amy Gesenhues says, “Amazon announced yesterday that it has reached $100 billion in annual sales. According to a report from The Seattle Times, CEO Jeff Bezos told the audience at Amazon’s annual shareholder meeting, “We are the fastest company to ever reach that milestone.” Amazon Web Services (AWS) — the e-commerce company’s cloud... [Read more]

Jeff Rajeck says, “Personalisation is becoming a key component of digital marketing strategy. In a recent survey of marketers from Australia and New Zealand, nearly seven in ten (69%) said that over the next few years personalising customer interactions was ‘very important’ for their organisations. But how do marketers elsewhere feel... [Read more]

Jami Oetting says, “Building a strong agency brand is how you get more referrals — the most important source of new business for any agency. But this takes time and focused effort, which can be challenging for many agencies as working on the business is usually sidelined when client issues and projects pop up. To make the most of your time... [Read more]

Corey Barnett says, “When it comes to local content marketing, too many businesses fall into the trap of self-promotion, writing solely or primarily about their products and services. Or worse, their blog is rarely updated, or it’s full of filler content that only serves to boost search rankings. Rarely does this approach translate into engaged... [Read more]

Aleyda Solis says, “I know you would never change a URL without identifying where to 301-redirect it and making sure that the links, XML sitemaps, and/or canonical tags are also updated. But if you’ve been doing SEO for a while, I bet you’ve also had a few clients — even big ones — coming to you after they’ve tried to do... [Read more]