Selected by celinehoran

• Most Topular Stories

• News Corp. Profit Rises on Higher TV Fees, Advertising

  Advertising Age - GoodWorks

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:36 pm

  News Corp. shares have gained 8.6% since the hacking scandal erupted, but it's spent $104 million dealing with the fallout and bought back $2.7 billion in shares.

• FlowingData's Nathan Yau: The AdAgeStat Q&A

  Advertising Age - Blog Posts

  7 Feb 2012 | 7:37 am

  Part inspiration and part hands-on tutorial, the FlowingData blog is required reading for anyone into data visualization. Its author, Nathan Yau, sat down with us for a (virtual) Q&A.

• Why Congress is way richer than you [infographic]

  Holy Kaw!

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:28 pm

  Via Online Schools. Depressing infographics. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• News Corp. Profit Rises on Higher TV Fees, Advertising

  Advertising Age - Latest News

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:36 pm

  News Corp. shares have gained 8.6% since the hacking scandal erupted, but it's spent $104 million dealing with the fallout and bought back $2.7 billion in shares.

• Four Keyword Research Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

  MarketingProfs How-To Articles

  6 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am

  If you are serious about the words "sales," "profit," and "conversions," you must master keyword research. Learn four common pitfalls marketers make when selecting keywords--and how to avoid them. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

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  Advertising Age - GoodWorks

• News Corp. Profit Rises on Higher TV Fees, Advertising

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:36 pm

  News Corp. shares have gained 8.6% since the hacking scandal erupted, but it's spent $104 million dealing with the fallout and bought back $2.7 billion in shares.

• Groupon Reports Loss in First Quarterly Filing After IPO

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:53 pm

  Groupon outperformed analysts' revenue expectations on Tuesday by announcing $506.5 million in revenue for the last quarter, more than double the revenue from the year-earlier period. But it still reported a net loss.

• GlaxoSmithKline Moves Global Aquafresh Account to TBWA From Grey

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:31 pm

  GlaxoSmithKline is moving the global creative account for Aquafresh toothpaste from Grey Group to TBWA Worldwide, which will manage the business out of London, said people familiar with the matter.

• Chrysler's Olivier Francois Dishes on Getting Clint Eastwood in the Game

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:13 pm

  So how did Chrysler approach Clint Eastwood to star in its Super Bowl spot? Very carefully.

• RB Pumps up Spending in Developing Markets

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:34 pm

  Reckitt Benckiser will invest around $160 million more in marketing globally but report it through a "Brand Equity Index" that puts more emphasis on digital.

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  Advertising Age - Blog Posts

• FlowingData's Nathan Yau: The AdAgeStat Q&A

  7 Feb 2012 | 7:37 am

  Part inspiration and part hands-on tutorial, the FlowingData blog is required reading for anyone into data visualization. Its author, Nathan Yau, sat down with us for a (virtual) Q&A.

• Time for Brands to Play Moneyball, Too

  7 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am

  The old ways of finding 'prospects,' such as targeting with demographics, are growing as outmoded as thinking that a team shouldn't draft a player because his girlfriend is ugly.

• Why the 2012 Presidential Race Will Be Defined By Data

  6 Feb 2012 | 11:55 am

  Forget the Twitter election; in 2012 the presidential campaigns will break new ground in use of data to target advertising.

• Stat of the Day: Which NFL Teams Draw the Best Playoff Ratings?

  3 Feb 2012 | 8:40 am

  Here's an exclusive look at which NFL teams draw the best playoff ratings with a bonus list of markets that tune in even after their team is knocked out.

• Patriots Lead Chatter, But Giants Have More True Fans In Social Media

  3 Feb 2012 | 7:45 am

  Which ones have the truest fans of all? With social media we can begin to answer that question.

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  Holy Kaw!

• Why Congress is way richer than you [infographic]

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:28 pm

  Via Online Schools. Depressing infographics. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• The bookcase that’s always ready for more

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:19 pm

  The thing about bibliophiles is that, before you know it, the bookcase is full and it’s time to drag in a few more boards and cinder blocks to accommodate the newcomers. With the REK, such worries are a thing of the past, as the system accordions out when more space is needed and collapses into a handy rectangle when it’s time to pack up shop and move on to greener pastures. Unfortunately, the price is listed as “on request” meaning the 99% is out of luck, but perhaps it’ll inspire you to hit the workshop for a little DIY action if you can drag your nose out of…

• How Harvard spends student tuition [infographic]

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:24 pm

  Via Online Universities. (H/T Muhammad Saleem) The scoop on education. Permalink | Leave a comment  »

• Lizard shortage offers rare evolution test

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:01 pm

  A devastating 2004 hurricane that wiped out a Caribbean lizard population offered an unprecedented opportunity to put an evolutionary theory known as the “founder effect” to the test. The founder effect describes the loss of genetic variation that occurs when a new population is established by a very small number of individuals from a larger population. “Founder effects are very hard to study,” says Thomas Schoener, a professor of evolution and ecology at University of California, Davis and a co-author of the study. “One must be in exactly the right place at the…

• Petty controversy: The Oscars diss the Muppets

  8 Feb 2012 | 12:48 pm

  Academy Awards producers outrage Kermit lovers with a proposal to shorten the telecast by scrapping Best Original Song performances It's an odd year for the Oscars' Best Original Song category. Thanks to the Academy's ever-changing and increasingly labyrinthine rules, only two songs earned nominations. At first, critics weren't too troubled by the abbreviated list, since it included the comically existential Muppets ballad "Man or Muppet," written by Flight of the Conchords' Bret McKenzie and performed by Jason Segel and Walter the Muppet. But alas, producers are planning to scrap the Best…

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  Advertising Age - Latest News

• News Corp. Profit Rises on Higher TV Fees, Advertising

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:36 pm

  News Corp. shares have gained 8.6% since the hacking scandal erupted, but it's spent $104 million dealing with the fallout and bought back $2.7 billion in shares.

• Groupon Reports Loss in First Quarterly Filing After IPO

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:53 pm

  Groupon outperformed analysts' revenue expectations on Tuesday by announcing $506.5 million in revenue for the last quarter, more than double the revenue from the year-earlier period. But it still reported a net loss.

• GlaxoSmithKline Moves Global Aquafresh Account to TBWA From Grey

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:31 pm

  GlaxoSmithKline is moving the global creative account for Aquafresh toothpaste from Grey Group to TBWA Worldwide, which will manage the business out of London, said people familiar with the matter.

• Chrysler's Olivier Francois Dishes on Getting Clint Eastwood in the Game

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:13 pm

  So how did Chrysler approach Clint Eastwood to star in its Super Bowl spot? Very carefully.

• A Leap From the Edge of Space, Fueled by Red Bull

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:00 pm

  Red Bull's Stratos Project, which we previously wrote about in 2010, will finally see Austrian athlete Felix Baumgartner attempt a "leap from the edge of space" this August.

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  MarketingProfs How-To Articles

• Four Keyword Research Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

  6 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am

  If you are serious about the words "sales," "profit," and "conversions," you must master keyword research. Learn four common pitfalls marketers make when selecting keywords--and how to avoid them. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

• The Inside Scoop on Using Twitter Lists for Profit and Sanity

  3 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am

  The dirty secret of Twitter is that as helpful as it can be, it's also a time sink. Learn how properly using and cleaning up your Twitter lists can help you save time--and generate leads for your business. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

• 10 Hot Tips (and a Promo Campaign Planner) for Seasonal Sale Success

  2 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am

  Customers today expect more deals and offers during holiday seasons, so it's important to create seasonal campaigns to increase revenues. Here are 10 tips--and a campaign planner--to help you achieve seasonal sale success. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

• Five Tips for Implementing a Successful QR Code Campaign

  1 Feb 2012 | 7:00 am

  QR codes can be inexpensive to implement and can provide you a measureable return on investment--if you use them correctly. Learn five invaluable tips for implementing an effective QR code campaign. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

• Four Easy Tactics for Becoming a Must-Follow Account on Twitter

  31 Jan 2012 | 7:00 am

  Twitter is a powerful channel that can help you connect with customers, promote products, and create brand awareness. Learn four tactics for making your Twitter account a social media heavyweight in your industry. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

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  MarketingVox News & Trends

• Closing Bell: Facebook updates IPO | iPad 3 components | Windows 8

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:35 pm

  Finance: Facebook updates its IPO filing to confirm its special relationship with Zynga. Mobile Computing: Why carriers hate the iPhone. iPad 3 component suggests larger battery, new LCD. Apple, Google move to tackle app store issues. Productivity: Windows 8 Consumer Preview due February 29: why it's not called beta.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/h0I2f3UZx34" height="1" width="1"/>

• Another Sign That Facebook Is Moving to Mobile

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:15 am

  With rumors that Facebook is about to launch a mobile ad offering swirling, the industry is scouring the landscape for signs that, yes, indeed, Facebook is moving in this direction. It got such as sign with news of an agreement with Bango for "payment services." (via All Facebook). The agreement with Bango calls for [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/OjD5Ijg59zA" height="1" width="1"/>

• The Push to Kill QR Codes Continues

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:03 am

  Swiss image recognition startup Kooaba has relaunched its flagship app so no QR code is required. The redesigned app offers more possibilities for users, The Next Web notes.  Previously, users would take a photo of a newspaper page and be taken to the online version. "Now, a partnership with outdoor agency APG [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/Zp1uG7mPmBU" height="1" width="1"/>

• Wolfram|Alpha Highlights Growing Popularity of Voice Search

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:48 am

  Wolfram|Alpha has launched a new search service for which users have to pay. The price is minimal, at $5 per month, however it represents a major shift from the current search business model, which of course is free. The product Wolfram|Alpha is rolling out, its Pro version, is best suited for mathematical or [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/GKENwvOhGjA" height="1" width="1"/>

• Questions Emerge about Pinterest's Linking Tactics

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:43 am

  Pinterest may be facing user backlash in the wake of the news that the company has been quietly making money off of its customer base.  Josh Davis at LLSocial.com uncovered the when a pin is posted to the site and it links to an ecommerce site with an affiliate program, Pinterest modifies the link [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingvox/rss/~4/OFbaRRVxYKY" height="1" width="1"/>

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  MediaPost | Research Brief

• Brand Websites Create Retail Store Buyers

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:15 am

  According to a new Accenture/comScore/dunnhumbyUSA research study, highlighting the potential for brand websites to become key drivers in building customer loyalty and preference for CPG brands, visitors to CPG brand websites spend 37% more than non-visitors on the brand in retail stores. And, brand website visitors are heavier buyers within a brand's product category, spending 53% more than non-visitors on the category in retail stores.

• Mobile & Social Media Revenue Accelerating At 30%

  7 Feb 2012 | 3:15 am

  According to new data from PQ Media, total U.S. mobile & social media revenue, including consumer and business access, content, advertising and marketing, increased 30.2% to $45.38 billion in 2011. Mobile & social media revenue rose at a compound annual growth rate of 28.7% from 2006-2011, and is expected to grow at an accelerating 30.8% annual rate in 2012.

• Tablets Attract Magazine Readers

  6 Feb 2012 | 3:15 am

  New research from GfK MRI's iPanel, composed exclusively of Tablet and eReader owners, reveals that male Tablet owners are particularly interested in reading digital magazines and that Tablets are generating readership of back issues of publications.

• Ask, And You Shall Receive

  3 Feb 2012 | 3:15 am

  A new survey from Cint shows that 62% of those surveyed said they were more likely to purchase a brand's product if their opinion has been sought by brand in a study. The survey highlights the importance of customer insight, says the report, as over half of the 1,200 consumers polled felt more loyal to a brand if it takes the time to find out their opinion.

• Interactive Video Advertising Getting Better Results

  2 Feb 2012 | 3:15 am

  According to the findings of the recent PointRoll Video Benchmark Study, 78% of viewers completed 100% of interactive in-stream ads, compared to 69% who completed 100% in-stream ads without interactive elements. Additionally, interaction rates for in-stream video ads were more than three times higher than that of in-banner video ads, where users specifically took an action within the ad.

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  Online Market Research

• Revisited: The 6 Steps of the Market Research Process

  Sherrie Mersdorf

  2 Feb 2012 | 12:22 pm

  A few years ago, I wrote a post titled, Market Research Process: 6 Steps to Project Success. It's one of those posts that is constantly one of the most viewed posts on the blog. Because it's one of the most popular posts of all time, I think it's time to give it a refresh. So for our first Throwback Thursday, let's look at the six steps again.   Market Research Process: 6 Steps to Project Success Identify and define the problem ...or set your goals and objectives Before you start any web survey project, you should identify the key issues you hope to be able to solve. This step should…

• Analytics and BI are top priorities for CIOs in 2012

  Greg Timpany

  27 Jan 2012 | 10:06 am

  According to recent research by Gartner, the top priorities for CIOs in 2012 include analytics and business intelligence. This makes perfect sense as companies realize they need to leverage their internal and external data sources to better compete in rapidly changing markets. Analytics, including the analysis of web data, have become a mainstay in both the consumer and B2B marketing environments. Most analytics operations include a forward looking component, whereas business intelligence (BI) tends to focus on a backward view be reviewing historical trends. Where does marketing research fit…

• Data Types: Interval and Ratio Data

  Greg Timpany

  25 Jan 2012 | 7:58 am

  In marketing research, as well as other forms of social, economic and business research, interval and ratio data are king. Yet as we have seen in other posts there is much that can be done with nominal and ordinal data. What makes interval and ratio data exciting is that they support a full-range of statistical tests and transformations. The difference between interval and ratio data is simple. Ratio data has a defined zero point. Income, height, weight, annual sales, market share, product defect rates, time to repurchase, unemployment rate, and crime rate are examples of ratio data. As an…

• Why Measuring Employee Sentiment is Important

  Greg Timpany

  24 Jan 2012 | 11:14 am

  January is an excellent time to step back and review your talent pool for the coming year. Each year employees leave their current position for a new one. There are many reasons for this, with salary being amongst them. A recent projection by Phil Reeves, who conducts salary studies on behalf of the marketing research industry, reported that job changers can expect to see bumps of 15–20% compared to 0–3% for those who stay put.My current salary study for the IT industry shows similar findings. There is an increasing trend in the percentage of respondents who believe themselves to…

• The Power of Place

  Greg Timpany

  20 Jan 2012 | 12:30 pm

  When I began thinking about a post on geo-demographics, it felt somewhat off topic for a survey-related blog. Then my senses cleared. In the research business, this goes for both consumer and B2B marketing research, the elements of demographics and geography are powerful predictors of behavior. If this weren’t true then we would see far fewer fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. The demographic data collected by the Census is overwhelming when viewed in tabular format, but when viewed on a map can be incredibly insightful. Combine this with location data for your company and…

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  Idea Mapping

• Idea Map 342 – Learning Spanish or Other Foreign Languages

  jamie nast

  21 Jan 2012 | 5:11 pm

  I was recently helping a high school student study for his Spanish exam in a way that better matches his visual learning style. I think most students would agree that their boring linear notes are difficult study tools. So why not try something different. Today’s example is not chapter notes from a Spanish book. This is a template that provides an example of a possible approach to creating an idea map and some items you may want to include in your map. Four of the branches in this map are vocabulary words: Globos, Libro, Reloj, and Biblia. It’s always important to include a…

• Idea Maps 326 – 341 Featured from the WHCA Experiment Continued

  jamie nast

  17 Jan 2012 | 1:36 pm

  [There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.] I first introduced you to Kris Mavin and the West Highland Christian Academy Idea Mapping experiment in my Oct. 17, 2011 posting. Kris has taught Idea Mapping to his students and we are tracking their progress. This Animoto video features Kris’s second Idea Mapping assignment for his students which was to map the two trees found in Gen. 2 and Rev. 22:2. Enjoy!

• Idea Map 325 – Ad for Deep Discounts at AlternativeTan.net in Canton, MI

  jamie nast

  11 Jan 2012 | 10:15 am

  I used MindManager software to create this idea map which is an advertisement for Alternative Tan salon owner Kim Matyaszek. It summarizes much of the information on her website and gives potential clients a quick view of all the information they need to begin their tanning experience. Additional photos can be found on the Alternative Tan Facebook page. For the spray tans Kim uses the Norvell product line and she personally does all the sprays by hand (full body and partial). The tanning color is tailored to your skin tone and preference. Not the mystic booth! Alternative Tan is located in…

• Confessions – A New Book by Jodie Rhodes

  jamie nast

  9 Jan 2012 | 11:50 am

  Jodie Rhodes is my literary agent and the person to whom I give credit for getting my Idea Mapping book published by a major publisher — John Wiley & Sons. I was introduced to Jodie by my good friend Scott Hagwood who is a 4-time USA Memory Champion, the 1st Grand Master of Memory in the USA and also one of Jodie’s authors who wrote a book titled Memory Power. Jodie’s first novel was American Beauties followed by Winners and Losers which made the LA Times bestseller list its first week in print. Her recent book Confessions was just published in the fall of 2011. I…

• Luther College Experiment Continues with more Fall 2011 Students’ Idea Maps 322-325.

  jamie nast

  6 Jan 2012 | 2:41 pm

  If you have been following my postings about Dr. Tim Schweizer and his management students at Luther College, you will enjoy 4 more examples from his Fall 2011 class.  I have been following Tim’s work since October 2009 — shortly after he attended one of my Idea Mapping Workshops. Tim has developed a solid process to successfully teach Idea Mapping to his students. Tim takes the first two class periods to teach Idea Mapping to his students. The first idea mapping example was created by Antonio Bautista about his values and beliefs. The second example is from Alex Peterson on the…

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  Seth's Blog

• How do they know you're not a flake?

  Seth Godin

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:43 am

  Before your link gets clicked or your proposal gets read, a busy person is going to triage it to find out if it's even worth glancing at. Since everyone is now connected, the new permeability has created a deluge of noise, and just about everyone worth contacting is taking defensive measures. Do I know this person? Did someone I trust send them over? Where does she work? (Ideo? the FDA? The New York Times?) Has she won an award? Is she famous? Are there typos and is the design sloppy? Are they pestering me? Do I already follow this person online? Does music play when I visit the website? Will…

• Horizontal marketing isn't a new idea

  Seth Godin

  7 Feb 2012 | 2:09 am

  But it is the new reality for just about every organization. Vertical marketing means the marketer (the one with money) is in charge. Vertical marketing starts at the top and involves running ads, sending out direct mail and pushing hype through the media. Your money, your plans, your control. It might not work, but generally the worst outcome is that you will be ignored and need to spend more money. Horizonal marketing, on the other hand, means creating a remarkable product and story and setting it up to spread from person to person. It's out of your control, because all the interactions are…

• Who is your customer?

  Seth Godin

  6 Feb 2012 | 2:26 am

  Rule one: You can build a business on the foundation of great customer service. Rule two: The only way to do great customer service is to treat different customers differently. The question: Who is your customer? It's not obvious. Zappos is a classic customer service company, and their customer is the person who buys the shoes. Nike, on the other hand, doesn't care very much at all about the people who buy the shoes, or even the retailers. They care about the athletes (often famous) that wear the shoes, sometimes for money. They name buildings after these athletes, court them, erect…

• In search of a timid trapeze artist

  Seth Godin

  5 Feb 2012 | 2:01 am

  Good luck with that, there aren't any. If you hesitate when leaping from rope to another, you're not going to last very long. And this is at the heart of what makes innovation work in organizations, why industries die, and how painful it is to try to maintain the status quo while also participating in a revolution. Gather up as much speed as you can, find a path and let go. You can't get to the next rope if you're still holding on to this one.

• Will energy consumption stay private?

  Seth Godin

  4 Feb 2012 | 11:45 am

  It's clear that the consumption of energy has external effects that impact more than just the person who is paying for it. Geopolitical, health and economic issues come to the neighbors and nearby citizens of entities that are using a lot of power. It was always straightforward to see who was burning a lot of wood or drove a huge car. It's easy to see when a company has a huge smokestake belching carbon. What happens when sensors make it easy to see how efficient a machine is, how much of a resource is being consumed and how much exhaust is being spewed? What happens when Google maps shows…

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  Copyblogger

• The “New” SEO Secret Weapon

  Sonia Simone

  8 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  If you have a web site, you may have noticed one of two things about the traffic you get from search engines. Your search traffic may have dried up overnight, with once-healthy streams turning into a sad little trickle. Or you may have noticed a nice, steady improvement as you’ve climbed higher in the SERPs (search engine results pages), while other sites that used to outrank you suddenly evaporated. There’s a super-secret new ingredient in SEO. It was always a factor, but it’s become even more important recently, as the Google team relentlessly declares war on what they see…

• 8 Quick Tips for Writing Bullet Points People Actually Want to Read

  Robert Bruce

  7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  It’s a Twitterized world, we’re just living in it. Blog posts, Tweets, quick videos, Google+, the Facebook Timeline, and tens of thousands of images pinned to digital boards are flying past us faster than we can read them. Faster than we can even scan them, depending on the time of day. What does this mean for writers trying to cut through it all? At least two things that I can think of: You’d better know how to write a compelling headline You’d better know how to write bullet points that grab (and keep) your reader We’re not telling you to keep your copy short.

• 7 Crucial Tactics for Writing a Wildly Successful Guest Post

  The Blog Tyrant

  6 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  We all know that guest posts grow blogs. But not many people realize that tactical guest posting grows careers. Most bloggers I see pump out these articles while reciting the mantra “quantity over quality”; there’s no real strategy and there are no real long-term benefits. In this post I am going to show you the seven crucial tactics for writing a radically successful guest post. Done right, these strategies will get you more email subscribers, coveted Google ranking positions, and a big head-start on your content marketing goals. Who am I to teach you about guest blogging?

• 7 Smashing Social Media Marketing Links

  Robert Bruce

  4 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  This week on The Lede … What really works on Twitter One thing social media copywriters should never do 9 productive social media hacks A reminder of the power of the original social media If you just can’t wait for The Lede every Saturday, and you want even more practical, useable links than the seven we highlight here every week, follow @copyblogger on Twitter. It’s painless. Really. // 9 Social Media Hacks You Need to Embrace Now Mr. Baer makes a good case that though social media is inexpensive in monetary terms, it can get good and costly when it comes to spending your…

• Whether You Call it Blogging or Not, Online Content Still Rules

  Robert Bruce

  3 Feb 2012 | 5:00 am

  What if most of the business world stopped blogging tomorrow? Would you stop as well? No, if that happened, you’d find yourself sitting on the opportunity of a lifetime. Social networking sites would explode with likes and retweets and pins and +1s of your original content all day long. This is why the annual “blogging is dead” claim is so dumb. Even if it were true, your continued content production would dominate the web in every way. So, instead of worrying about the latest claimed trend or alarming decline of the moment, stay the course. Original content creation is the…

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  Influential Marketing

• The Best And Worst Of Super Bowl Marketing Strategy 2012

  Rohit

  6 Feb 2012 | 1:40 am

  I couldn't help but feel sorry this year for anyone who only watches the Super Bowl ads for entertainment. Perhaps the most defining feature of all the ads this year was how uniformly uncreative and dated they were. Marketers turned to old and obvious gags like girls in bikinis and dogs (lots of dogs) to try and carry their ads. The result was a very disappointing collection of ads for anyone who loves marketing and the hype of Super Bowl advertising. Still, there is plenty of marketing to learn from all the efforts this year, so let's get started in breaking down the strategy behind the ads…

• What The Amish Paradox Can Teach You About Marketing

  Rohit

  3 Feb 2012 | 4:01 am

  Last year on a trip back to the US from South Africa, I picked up a magazine about a topic I knew very little about. It is of the common tricks I use to learn about different industries outside of the ones I work directly with – and in this case, the magazine I ended up with was called Farmer’s Weekly. The content was as you would expect, advice for farmers on techniques, information about regulations that will affect their industry and ads for tractors and things like that. In the middle of the issue I picked up was a feature article about what the author called the “Amish Paradox”…

• The 4 Principles Of Delusional Economics

  Rohit

  27 Jan 2012 | 4:59 am

  When it comes to economic theories, there is plenty of fascination in the business world around how to explain what drives business and purchasing activities. Behavioural economics, the field of economics concerned with examining why people behave the way they do when it comes to their purchasing behaviour, is hot right now.  Bestselling books like Freakonomics and Predictably Irrational dig deep into the psyche of people to try and explain seemingly illogical actions. My own upcoming book called Likeonomics, to some degree, looks at a similar theme of why we do business with people and…

• FinnAir, Republic Day & Why Celebration Is The Best Marketing Strategy

  Rohit

  26 Jan 2012 | 8:28 am

  A few weeks ago it was my birthday. The day before on a Saturday morning, my two boys came leaping into our room very excited to wake me up. It wasn't so much about my birthday, unfortunately, as it was about getting ready to do their favourite thing on a Saturday morning: going to IHOP for pancakes. And when there is a birthday involved, it is an even bigger deal. Your birthday is a celebration there. They bring over at least 6 of the wait staff to sing their own version of the birthday song to you. You get ice cream for breakfast (what kid wouldn't love that?). People love celebrations -…

• Honda Masters The Art of Marketing Timing

  Rohit

  23 Jan 2012 | 6:44 pm

  Every year at the start of the new year there is something that most of us do without realizing it. It is related to making new year's resolutions, but it is more about sequencing your long term goals into the order in which you want to achieve them. One example might be saying to yourself, "I want to be married and then have a kid before I turn 35." Life is full of these little promises. So full, in fact, that often we make them to ourselves without even thinking. It raises an interesting marketing question as well. What would it take to get a customer to reevaluate the life sequence they…

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  Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

• The Naked Blog: Dress Up Your Words

  Patsi Krakoff

  8 Feb 2012 | 4:13 am

  What can you learn about blog writing and content marketing from the theater? As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve attended local theater productions, including performances on The Naked Stage. (Photos courtesy Stuart Miles) If you’re not familiar with this kind of theater format, the actors read their lines, sitting on stools, dressed in black, without benefit of costumes, scenery, makeup, or movement. Hence the name, Naked Stage: the presentation is devoid of any of the usual visual aids. There’s a narrator to explain the scenes and movements, including sounds, which…

• 5 Ways to Get Readers to Respond

  Patsi Krakoff

  1 Feb 2012 | 4:43 am

  You spend a lot of time writing content on your blog but if the only comments you get are from people looking for free marketing, maybe it’s time to revise your content strategies. Here’s a guest post from Chris Peterson at Straight North integrated marketing services in Chicago. 1. Your Blog as an Interactive Tool When it comes to effective Web content, it’s no longer enough to post simple text with a graphic. Online newspapers learned that the hard way, but bloggers are discovering ways to use the Web as a means for two-way interaction – increasing the relevance of a blog…

• 4 Content Marketing Goals for a Coach Website

  Patsi Krakoff

  26 Jan 2012 | 5:21 am

  How should content marketing be used on the home page of your website? What makes good website copy? More specifically, if you’re a professional service provider, like an executive coach, a consultant, a lawyer, health care or financial adviser… how do you create a website that attracts clients and gets potential new leads? No matter what business you’re in, your content must achieve four things. Here are four goals for your online content: Connect immediately (by speaking to your readers’ challenges or problems) Answer questions and educate (by suggesting…

• A Checklist for 2012 Content Marketing Plans

  Patsi Krakoff

  19 Jan 2012 | 3:23 am

  2012 Content Marketing – how did we get here so fast?  I’ve been reviewing my 2011 blog posts, email broadcasts, videos, and taking stock. I hope you’re doing the same, so you’ll get an idea of what’s needed for your own business in 2012. (Photo courtesy Rawich/FreeDigitalPhotos.net) Here’s a checklist for reviewing your 2011 content marketing results so you can know where to spend your time and energy in 2012: What were your most effective blog posts in terms of numbers of page views? Which posts generated the most comments? What email promotional…

• Content Marketing Tasks: Practice Makes Progress

  Patsi Krakoff

  4 Jan 2012 | 4:15 am

  If you’ve spent your career avoiding certain marketing tasks because you don’t think you’re any good at them, you struggle each time you try, and you end up with weak results, take heart. Persistence has been touted by poets for a reason. Your brain learns a lot each time you try something, even if you fail. If you stop trying, you’ll walk away with nothing. If you persist, however, the rewards are huge. Example: public speaking. Many small business owners and entrepreneurs including many of my clients love the chance to get up and speak. The larger the group, the…

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  Content Marketing Today

• Content – A Seven-Step Road Map for Your Content Marketing : MarketingProfs Article

  TheNewsBrothers

  3 Feb 2012 | 10:17 am

  Content – A SevenStep Road Map for Your Content Marketing (7 step road map for creating content marketing.)…Via www.marketingprofs.com

• A Social Media Primer For Neophytes-How To Populate Your iPad or Tablet – Town Hall

  TheNewsBrothers

  3 Feb 2012 | 10:15 am

  USA TODAY–A Social Media Primer For Neophytes-How To Populate Your iPad or Tablet Town Hall.There has been an explosion in social media networks over the past ten years. The younger set gets it, and aggressively uses them.Via finance.townhall.com

• How the Third Wave of Media Is Transforming Marketing Content

  TheNewsBrothers

  3 Feb 2012 | 10:14 am

  The third wave of media is here. Here’s what you have to do to transform your marketing content along with it.Via blog.hubspot.com

• Building a Brand for Gen Y [CONVO] | Social Media Today

  TheNewsBrothers

  3 Feb 2012 | 10:13 am

  A brand is much more than its name. A great brand will trigger an emotional reaction and, perhaps, a sense of belonging. In social media domains, it should create a motivation to share.Via socialmediatoday.com

• Managing Content Marketing: Expert Interview with Joe Pulizzi

  TheNewsBrothers

  1 Feb 2012 | 8:24 am

  What is content marketing?What makes it different from other types of business communications, and why should local businesses adopt a content marketing… See the video interview below to learn from content marketing guru, Joe Pulizzi: Via www.business2community.com

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  Web Strategy by Jeremiah

• Altimeter Webinar Recording: State of Social Media Management Industry

  jeremiah_owyang

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:08 am

  This week, Altimeter (myself and Andrew Jones, researcher) hosted a webinar stemming from the the recent report on Social Media Proliferation, which you can download the full report on this blog post. In the embedded slides and video below, you’ll be able to get additional insights on how we perceive how this market will change in the coming years: We’ll see a vendor shakeout, although expect pure play vendors of each of the five uses cases to remain Consolidation will occur from market forces of email marketing, web analytics, CMS, marketing automation, brand monitoring, support…

• Hey Retailers! Refine That Mobile Marketing Strategy (Altimeter Report)

  jeremiah_owyang

  7 Feb 2012 | 10:01 am

  This latest Altimeter Report, by my colleague Industry Analyst Chris Silva, focuses on how companies must develop a mobile marketing strategy. It sources research from 26 ecosystem contributors including brands, agencies, and technology providers. To learn more about this report, please register for the webinar in which Chris will provide deeper knowledge from the report. This report is powerful in a few ways, it indicates the growth the in space, referencing that 45% of all mobile phone users are carrying a smart phone, and the growth rate for tablets is 23% annually. The report also…

• Five Trends: How Brands Integrated Social, Mobile, and Web into 2012 Super Bowl Advertisements

  jeremiah_owyang

  6 Feb 2012 | 8:39 am

  By Altimeter’s Jeremiah Owyang, Brian Solis, and Zak Kirchner Findings: Five Trends Indicate Cross Channel Integration a Mainstay. Super Bowl ads, while only representing the nation’s largest consumer facing ads are a bellwether for advertising trends for the remainder of the year. To best understand these trends, Altimeter Group’s research team analyzed each Ad in real time, and conducted analysis to best understand the advertising trends for 2012.  Using Chicago as a middle ground, we reviewed all ads from kickoff till the game clock expired and found that trends out of 87…

• P&G Layoffs Signal Focus on Digital Industry

  jeremiah_owyang

  4 Feb 2012 | 10:49 am

  Last week was a tremendous change, giant marketer P&G announces 1600 layoffs as they reduce jobs in various roles, and instead shifting budget to digital marketing. The CEO, when pressed, indicates a strong focus on digital marketing, citing: “In the digital space, with things like Facebook and Google and others, we find that return on investment of the advertising when properly designed, when the big idea is there, can be much more efficient” -Bob McDonald, Chairman-CEO, P&G Yet this is a trend, as P&G had previously cut advertising spend on soap operas on traditional TV,…

• People on the Move in the Social Business Industry, Jan 31, 2011

  jeremiah_owyang

  31 Jan 2012 | 7:32 pm

  More jobs are coming in on the Web Strategy job board, see right nav, or see the full listing. In particular, AAA is hiring quite a few community managers, hear from their social strategist, Kim who’s listed below as getting promoted at the firm. Both the submissions on this job announcement board, as well as available social media positions at corporations continue to pour in. In this continued digest of job changes, I like to salute those that continue to join the industry in roles focused on social media, see the archives, which I’ve been tracking since Q4, 2007. People on…

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  Lies, damned lies and statistics

• Social media plays “modest” role in US election…so far

  Dirk Singer

  7 Feb 2012 | 1:32 pm

  Research out by Pew shows that when it comes to the major US hard news story of 2012, the Presidential election, voters prefer tried and tested news sources. Only one in twenty (6%) Americans hears about the campaign from Facebook, and while 20% get election news from online news apps or websites, 36% get it from cable TV.Similarly, 41% of Twitter users ‘regularly’ or ‘sometimes’ get election news on Twitter, compared to 40% who never do. Two observations about this study: Pew headlines it by saying “Twitter, Facebook play very modest roles.” I would add…

• Men and dating ads, yes we do look at the pictures 1st

  Dirk Singer

  7 Feb 2012 | 1:31 pm

  Good to see that there is some truth in stereotypes, when it comes to dating ads men look at the pictures and women read the text. This is according to a study by Swedish eye-tracking company Tobii.   The results show that men spent 65% more time than women looking at the pictures while women spent 50% more time reading the actual profile. Women also spent longer (84 secs vs 50 secs) on each ad. (via Matthias Mikkelsen) Related articles Tobii’s Eye-Tracking Tech Knows What You’re Eyeing on Dating Sites (allthingsd.com) Tobii eye tracking demo (armdevices.net) Tobii Showcases…

• Study confirms Twitter engagement is on the increase

  Dirk Singer

  1 Feb 2012 | 1:15 am

  ‘Study shows that only 27% of Twitter users tweeted during a three month period‘ says a story in The Next Web. My reading of the same piece is very different.   Once you put that stat into its proper context, it is not a case of *only* 1/4 using their accounts.  Rather, this shows that Twitter user engagement is on the increase. For example, in 2010 RJ Metrics worked out that Twitter’s churn was actually in the region of 83%.   And in April I estimated that, based on Business Insider stats, of the 175 million accounts, there were perhaps 20 million truly active human…

• 20 free tools to evaluate social media

  Dirk Singer

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:28 pm

  One of the first resources we created when starting Rabbit in early 2010 was a list of 20 free social media evaluation tools.   Not measurement, evaluation.  Tools that will give you some form of meaningful data that you can use in reports.  And ones that don’t cost anything. Fast forward almost two years and a lot of that list is out of date, with many of the originals no longer being around or having ‘upgraded’ to full paid for services.  As a result, it’s time for a refresh. This is by no means an extensive list, there are other tools around in addition to…

• Over 4/10 Europeans are smartphone owners, 1/5 take pictures of products in store

  Dirk Singer

  26 Jan 2012 | 2:23 am

    Comscore and Telefonica (the European telecoms giant that owns 02) have come out with a study about the use of smartphones and the Internet in Europe. The research tells us that in the UK (48%) and Spain (48%) almost half of us are now smartphone (as opposed to ‘feature phone’) owners.   Across the five biggest EU states, the average is 42%. Other key findings are as follows: Android leads in phone sales, Apple dominates in mobile web traffic Who is bigger, Android or Apple?  That depends how you look at it. In terms of smartphone ownership, there are certainly more…

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  HubSpot's Inbound Internet Marketing Blog

• How to Score Your Leads So Sales Works the Hottest Prospects

  Pamela Vaughan

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:47 pm

  The good news about inbound marketing is that it can help you attract high volumes of leads. The challenge then becomes, how do you separate the good, quality leads from the people who are just starting to look around? That’s where lead management, and specifically, lead scoring comes in. With lead scoring, you can attach values to each of your leads based on their professional information and the behavior they’ve exhibited on your website. For example, you would likely rank a vice president-level lead who has spent time on both your products and pricing page higher than an…

• A Marketer's Complete Guide to Launching Mobile Apps

  Corey Eridon

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:02 am

  According to former CEO of AppVee and AndroidApps Alex Ahlund, the average cost to develop a mobile app is $6,453 -- and the cost can skyrocket to as much as $150,000 depending on the complexity of the app. Wherever you fall on that spectrum, the money and resources you dedicate to conceptualizing and developing a truly great mobile app can all be put to waste if you don't orchestrate a proper mobile app launch. In fact, in December 2011, the 1 millionth mobile app was pushed to market. To give you an idea of just how quickly these mobile apps are being released, at the end of 2010, there…

• How to Attract the RIGHT Social Media Followers for Your Business

  Meghan Keaney Anderson

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am

  The benefits of an extensive social reach are clear, but how do you attract the right followers for your company? As with most inbound marketing, relevancy can make or break the effectiveness of your strategy. So to ensure you have a social media following that helps you advance your marketing objectives, start by identifying a set of core topics that reflect the interests of people who typically become your customers. If you're a HubSpot customer, you can use the Keywords App and the Social Media Prospects App to help with this. For example, we at HubSpot would choose the…

• Why User-Generated Content Is More Important Than You Think

  Corey Eridon

  7 Feb 2012 | 11:33 am

  A certain group of consumers has been gaining attention from marketers recently, because of the strong role they play in the purchasing decision; these power purchasers are known as Generation Y. Whether they're part of the target audience to which you sell or not, this group is worth considering as part of your inbound marketing strategy because there's a strong likelihood they either will become part of your target audience in the future, or because they already influence your target audience now. Let's break down who these power purchasers are, some of the interesting demographics and…

• How to Create Marketing Offers That Don't Fall Flat

  Pamela Vaughan

  7 Feb 2012 | 6:16 am

  In marketing, offers are the gateways to lead generation. Without them, site visitors have no way of getting converted into leads. They are also a critical tool for nurturing existing leads into a position that makes them more sales-ready. But gosh, isn't the word 'offer' so utterly vague and abstract? What the heck is a marketing offer, and what are the qualities of a good one? Because we see so many marketers get tripped up on this concept, let's discuss exactly what a marketing offer can be, highlight the characteristics of an effective offer, and explain how you can start using them the…

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  SEO Copywriting

• Queen of Link: Interview with Debra Mastaler

  Laura

  7 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  Today we are honored to feature our interview with link-building expert, Debra Mastaler. In business since 2000, Debra shares some of the expertise she’s gained from executing hundreds of link building campaigns with us! Enjoy, as Debra gives her candid take on link marketing – how it’s evolved and where it stands today. Please share a bit of your background with us: When did you start in SEO? What led you to specialize in linking? (or is it “link building”?) I’ve always referred to it as link marketing because of the way I work, but most people call it link building. In…

• 3 ways to transform your sucky sales copy into conversions-driving gold

  Laura

  6 Feb 2012 | 3:00 am

  Welcome back! In this week’s SEO copywriting how-to, Heather builds on her video of last week: How to tell if your sales copy sucks. Realizing there are several more ways to tell that your sales copy sucks, here Heather addresses three more characteristics that mark bad sales copy – and then shares on how to go about fixing them so that your sales content pops off the page. Tune in to learn how refining your website’s tone and feel, sharing specific benefits with your readers, and using keyphrases deftly can transform your sales copy from sucky into…

• Is traditional copywriting dead?

  Heather

  2 Feb 2012 | 2:00 am

  Is the latest “Google Plus” news making you think that traditional copywriting is dead – and it’s all about social? I received this note from a talented SEO copywriter: “It’s really true that it’s important to do what one loves – and because I have ADD, I find social campaign management/monitoring, etc. to be extremely difficult, staying on top of Twitter and Google+ and FB and LinkedIn and StumbleUpon and YouTube and and Hootsuite and hash-tags and likes etc. It’s downright painful for me and I’d rather chew glass I’m…

• SEO content marketing roundup, week ending February 1st

  Laura

  1 Feb 2012 | 9:16 am

  In this week’s latest and greatest Web-writing news, all is relatively quiet on all fronts as marketers drop the SOPA bone and focus on Google+ and Search+: Content marketers discuss practicalities, strategy and channels; the SEO and search community find ways to either deal with, benefit from, or work around Google’s Search+; and social media marketers share ways to integrate the Google+ platform and use Pinterest. It’s definitely a you+ world out there, and it looks as though it’s here to stay…enjoy! Content Marketing Perhaps the most balanced and comprehensive post to come out…

• SEO Copywriting Certification Grad Alice Zyetz shares her journey

  Laura

  31 Jan 2012 | 3:00 am

  Alice’s Journey I am a beginning SEO web writer with 30 years of business and technical writing knowledge and experience. As an online web writer certified in SEO, I specialize in copywriting for small businesses. I have an extensive background in training business and technical writers to communicate clearly. My clients have included major aerospace companies as well as businesspeople from a variety of industries. My entrance into training technical people was an accident that may remind you of how you got into the business. Most people don’t start their childhood hoping that when…

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  Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

• SearchCap: The Day In Search, February 8, 2012

  Barry Schwartz

  8 Feb 2012 | 2:23 pm

  Below is what happened in search today, as reported on Search Engine Land and from other places across the web. From Search Engine Land: Bing Testing New Search Results Design Bing is testing a new design for the search results layout. The new design seems a lot cleaner, fresher and more organized... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

• Bing Testing New Search Results Design

  Barry Schwartz

  8 Feb 2012 | 1:43 pm

  Bing is testing a new design for the search results layout. The new design seems a lot cleaner, fresher and more organized compared to the older design. Jason Hart tipped us off listing out the key differences: Vertical tabs removed Top and bottom search boxes widened Search button icon changed... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

• How To Make Unstructured Data Actionable In Display

  Frost Prioleau

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:05 am

  I wrote recently about the new era of display marketing, and how real time bidding and other advances are bringing the precision and performance of search advertising to display. Well…a new era of unstructured data is also upon us. A widely cited 2011 IDC study found that the amount of data in the... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

• Survey: People Largely Negative About Google’s Personalized Search Results

  Greg Sterling

  8 Feb 2012 | 10:48 am

  Earlier this month market research tool provider Ask Your Target Market surveyed 400 US adults about their attitudes toward personalized search on Google. The results were reported today in eMarketer’s email newsletter. We went back to the source to check out the survey and discovered that... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

• Why Does Microsoft’s Bing Search Engine Hate Rick Santorum?

  Danny Sullivan

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:14 am

  US presidential candidate Rick Santorum pulled off a surprise last night, winning caucuses and primaries in three states. So what’s with Bing listing an anti-Santorum web site first in its results in a search for his last name? Does Microsoft have some type of liberal agenda! Wait, you... Please visit Search Engine Land for the full article.

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  Search Engine Journal

• LinkAssistant – A Review of Options and Benefits

  Melissa Fach

  8 Feb 2012 | 11:15 am

  LinkAssistant is a part of the SEO PowerSuite and can help you with your link partner set-up and management. I recently tested out the software and I am going to breakdown some of its features and how the tool is used. LinkAssistant Features Helps users find link partners and find their contact info. LinkAssistant looks [...]Follow SEJ on Twitter @sejournal

• The Best Link Building Tool You’ve Never Heard Of: ahrefs.com

  Chuck Price

  8 Feb 2012 | 9:00 am

  I love SEO tools. I’m always building or looking for really cool tools. With the demise of Yahoo Site explorer, a number of companies are attempting to fill the void, including SEOMoz, Majestic Tools and Link Research Tools. My favorite Yahoo replacement is a tool that you’ve probably never heard of: ahrefs. They offer 5 [...]Follow SEJ on Twitter @sejournal

• Pinterest: Covert Affiliate Link Scheme Exposed

  David Angotti

  8 Feb 2012 | 8:10 am

  Although nearly every start-up and fledgling company battles to find new ways to monetize its users, Pinterest appears to have been secretly capitalizing on its customer base through the use of affiliate links. The two year-old social network site, which allows users to “pin” photos, recipes, and products to a “virtual pin-board,” has quickly grown [...]Follow SEJ on Twitter @sejournal

• Put Your Business in its Place or Your Marketing Campaign Will

  Stoney G deGeyter

  8 Feb 2012 | 6:00 am

  Over the past 15 years starting a new business has become easier than ever before. The daily dread of horrible bosses, annoying red tape and ringing alarm clocks that force you out of bed before God gets up is forever behind you as you make that long-awaited jump to start your own online business. Your [...]Follow SEJ on Twitter @sejournal

• The Sponge & The Trailblazer: Making the Most of Your First Job in Search

  Jeff Bedford

  7 Feb 2012 | 11:00 am

  About two months ago I wrote my first article for Search Engine Journal about getting your first job in SEO. Well now the dust has settled and I feel it is important to share what I have learned thus far during my young career in search marketing. This article will be broken down in halves [...]Follow SEJ on Twitter @sejournal