A combination of much of the research I’ve been doing for the past 3 years, my “Science of Social Media Marketing” presentation is one of my favorite to give. It combines statistics, marketing, history, math, social psychology, memetics, epidemiology, steampunk, zombies and absinthe. I talk apply lessons from sources including urban legends, rumors, homeric poems and proverbs. The first time I did it, was for a record-breaking 12,000 plus registrant HubSpot webinar and the most recent time was for O’Reilly Media. O’Reilly was able to get the whole, one-hour talk,…
Selected by viralmarketing
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Dan Zarrella
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Watch The Science of Social Media Marketing Webinar on YouTube
8 Feb 2010 | 10:27 pm -
Data Shows That Self-Reference Does Not Get Followers
28 Jan 2010 | 6:18 amIf you like this post, or any of my work, please, nominate me for a Shorty Award. Following up on my last post using TweetPsych Data, I looked at a metric opposing social behavior: self-reference. This time the dataset is well over 60,000 Twitter accounts. What I found here is pretty clear, accounts that have more followers do not tend to talk about themselves much. Want more followers? Stop talking about yourself. If you like this post, or any of my work, please, nominate me for a Shorty Award. Share this on Facebook Share this on del.icio.us Email this to a friend? Share this on Linkedin… -
Data Shows That Social Behavior Gets More Followers
25 Jan 2010 | 6:14 amIf you like this post, or any of my work, please, nominate me for a Shorty Award. The linguistic analysis engine behind TweetPsych has given me a bunch of cool data points to analyze, so I’ve begun to look at various factors and their relationship with follower counts. Using a database of over 30,000 accounts that have been analyzed with TweetPsych, the first dimension I’ve looked at is “Social Behavior”. The “Social Behavior” category includes inclusive language like “we” and “you”, as well as language that describes relationships… -
The 8 Elements of Contagious Ideas
19 Jan 2010 | 7:09 amIn the research I’ve been doing over the past few years into why ideas spread, I’ve found a few common characteristics of contagious ideas across mediums and centuries. The list below contains those characteristics, and while its still an evolving set, the vast majority of successful memes I’ve studied have had some (or all) of them present. I’ve also tried to include takeaways, tactics you, as a marketer can use to apply these concepts to your viral campaigns. If you like this post, or any of my work, please, nominate me for a Shorty Award. Seeding The first group of… -
Zombie Marketing: How to use Combined Relevance to Go Viral
13 Jan 2010 | 9:15 pmIf you like my stuff (or zombies) please, nominate me for a Shorty Award, thanks. I’ve given my science of social media marketing presentation a few times now, and one of the points that has stood out as an audience favorite has been a tactic I call combined relevance. I did a survey a little over a year ago where I asked people why they shared content online, both one-to-one (as emailing or IM’ing a link to a single person) and broadcast (like Tweeting a link to thousands of followers). In both cases the faraway most common answer was relevance. Respondents often said things like…
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Neuromarketing
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Cookie Framing
9 Feb 2010 | 5:34 amYears ago, when The Tonight Show ruled late-night TV and when all the guests weren’t celebrities promoting their latest book, movie, or TV show, host Johnny Carson interviewed the Girl Scout who sold the most cookies that year. This young lady, Markita Andrews, set a cookie-sales record that has yet to be broken. [...] CommentsThe title of this post caught my eye immediately when it popped ... by Jon -
Post-Super Bowl Briefing
8 Feb 2010 | 6:36 amVery soon, we will be subjected to a variety of neuromarketing-based opinions on which Super Bowl 2010 ads worked, and which didn’t. While we are awaiting these analyses, I thought I’d point readers at a good article on one kind of neuromarketing study methodology by WIRED writer Alexis Madrigal. It’s accurate, largely devoid [...] CommentsHi Roger- Thanks for the post. You are correct that we are in ... by Ron Wright -
Neuromarketing Foes Use Subliminal Text?
2 Feb 2010 | 5:08 amYesterday I wrote about the latest anti-neuromarketing flap in Guard Your Reptilian Brain! While researching that post, I found an interesting spinoff at another site, Progressives, South Bend. I initially couldn’t find the text “neuromarketing” on that page. When I searched the page text, I found what looked like a short horizontal [...] CommentsGreat catch Roger. As someone very famous once said : Judgment ... by christophe morinhahaha, and I even mentioned subliminals in my comment ... by Sculptor?!?Plus 2 more... -
Guard Your Reptilian Brain!
1 Feb 2010 | 4:28 amEvery year or so, some fuzzy-thinking critic reads an article about neuromarketing, becomes extremely agitated, and tries to raise the alarm about marketers turning consumers into mind-controlled zombies. The latest push of the neuro-panic button began with an article on a site called Truthout (fresh out of truth, perhaps?). Truthout seems to be a [...] CommentsThe writers from Truthout are not fully aware that the ... by CindyLet's be fair. To those who don't understand something, it's ... by Brendon ClarkPlus 7 more... -
WIRED Throwing Biometric Super Bowl Party
29 Jan 2010 | 10:21 amEvery year, there is a burst of neuromarketing-related activity coinciding with the Super Bowl. After all, that game features commercials that people actually watch, and the cost of airing each ad is the highest of any program throughout the entire year. One staple of Super Bowl Sunday is the party – millions will [...] Comments*reposted to my blog* Thanks Roger! by CindyI am a fan of neuroscience and marketing and am glad that there ... by CindyPlus 2 more...
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Church of the Customer Blog
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A tale of 2 birthday cards
4 Feb 2010 | 1:48 pmIt was my birthday this week, so that usually means birthday-related direct mail from women's retail stores. I have two examples that showcase distinct differences between doing the minimum amount and doing something worth buzz. Ann Taylor delivered a typical postcard: 15% off a one-time purchase in February. "On your special day, treat yourself with your Birthday Bonus," says. "It's your birthday. May all of your wishes come true." Anthropologie sent a card in a odd-sized bubble pouch featuring a perforated cupcake with a candle on it. The candle is part of a necklace. It, too, offers 15%… -
Simplify your objectives
27 Jan 2010 | 4:50 amStrategic objectives are the Holy Grail of a company's being. They typically involve big plans, so the natural inclination is to compose a lengthy description of each objective. That means strategies and tactics are often piled into the wording of the objective. That unnecessarily complicates the objective, making it less likely to be understood quickly and efficiently. Anything not understood easily is unlikely to spread. Here's a fictitious, slightly over-the-top example of what a top-heavy objective might look like: Understand how to create better innovation opportunities for our products… -
Why it's important to be a linchpin and an artist
25 Jan 2010 | 9:00 pmIf you want to succeed in today's world of work, author Seth Godin says you should focus on being a "linchpin." That's the title of his new book, so we asked him a few questions about it. Q: What is a linchpin, and why is it important to become one? A linchpin is the part you can't live without, the thing that makes a difference. In every organization there are one (or several) people like this. It might be the brilliant inventor who creates the impossible, but it's far more likely to be the great sales rep or customer service person who makes a connection, or the marketer who knows how to… -
5 new ways to compete for book PR
18 Jan 2010 | 4:15 am(Editor's note: This is a guest post from Barbara Henricks of CaveHenricks, a public relations firm for business books and authors. She's considered by many to be one of the best book publicists in the publishing industry. She can be reached at barbara@cavehenricks.com.) I’ve been in the PR business nearly 20 years, and there’s been more change the past two years than in the first 18. That’s created much fear and confusion. Readers are consuming content from more outlets and with a staggering number of devices-- via iPhones, computers, Blackberries, Kindles, Nooks and Sony Readers, to… -
Please donate to Haiti earthquake relief
15 Jan 2010 | 10:49 amIf you are able, please consider giving to the Haiti relief efforts. We have given to Yele Haiti, a grassroots movement that builds global awareness for Haiti while helping to transform the country through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment. Yéle Haiti was founded in 2005 by Wyclef Jean, Grammy-award winning musician, humanitarian and Goodwill Ambassador to Haiti.
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PSFK
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Twitter-Powered Device Connects Popcorn Maker To The Internet Of Things
Implementing an example of human-powered physical computing, Popcorn Tweets is a device that Dave Britt and Justin Goeres have connected to Twitter for the purpose of cooking popcorn. Popcorn Tweets encourages and draws from posts mentioning #popcorn, with each one triggering the placement of a kernel onto a heated surface. [via Switched] -
(Pics) The Standard X Julia Chiang
Only in New York could the hotels have better art than most galleries. First The Standard brought us Heaven and Hell, now they've recruited Brooklyn-based artist Julia Chiang for an exclusive edition of 50 glazed porcelain apples as part of a project entitled "All For You". The series will be in ... -
Box Bottle Bag: A Collection Of Design And Innovation In Retail Packaging
The collectors of compelling package design at TheDieline alerted us to their newly released work Box Bottle Bag, which features the best manifestations of design and innovation in retail packaging. TheDieline gives their description below: Box Bottle Bag showcases examples of the best of the best from the website, plus never-before-seen ... -
iPhone App To Keep Track Of Our Politicians
Labour MP Derek Wyatt has taken the idea of "public servant" to the next level. Wyatt is allowing his constituents to follow his every movement via a free iPhone app called "MyMP." The app, which is available through the iTunes store, allows people to see where their MP is at ... -
The Ford CNG Transit Connect, NYC’s Next Taxi?
The yellow New York City cab is an iconic element in Manhattan's streetscape. The taxi and limousine commission has put out a bid for a vehicle to replace the last of the aging Crown Victorias. Ford is eager to retain the contract to supply vehicles to the commission. They just ...
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Brains On Fire Blog
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Care is a big word
9 Feb 2010 | 8:04 amThis blog post was inspired by a with Kira Wampler, Word of Mouth/Social Marketing Leader at Intuit Inc. What do I care? Why should I care? What do your customers care about? For the company that doesn’t, “care” is a four-letter word. For the company that does, “care” is a big word. Huge even. Because when you care, emotion enters into the equation. For some companies, emotion is a scary thing. Because emotion doesn’t show up as a line-item on a P&L report. Emotion can make things very sticky. And emotion is unpredictable. But caring can be your… -
Doodle Book…
8 Feb 2010 | 7:55 amIf I’m sitting in a meeting, or an airplane, or at dinner… I’m usually doodling. I’ve kinda refined my doodle’s to be a personal gathering spot for ideas, reflection, and fears. Last week I was traveling with Robbin Phillips to Austin, Texas and she spied on one my doodles. Robbin thought it was worth posting. This particular doodle is a continuous doodle thought… -
Twitter. A love story.
5 Feb 2010 | 7:37 amPhoto by the Hotel Saint Cecilia pool via Geno Church and his trusty iphone Okay. I woke up this morning – a gray day in Green Vegas – but the sun was shining in my heart. Can’t explain it really. Maybe it is because I am getting out of town. Austin. One of my favorite cities. And I have decided I might stay the weekend and play around. With that smile in my heart, I read this direct message from someone on Twitter. I won’t give his name but I want to share. Indulge me: yrs ago, i sent my wife a link to your site and said, one day i’m going to build my company like that:… -
On anthropology and what you are doing for your closest fans
4 Feb 2010 | 7:56 amWho’s heard of Robin Dunbar? For those of you who haven’t, his most widely known work as an anthropologist is called “Dunbar’s Number,” which proposes that the ceiling of ’stable interpersonal relationships’ that the average person can maintain is 150. Though his initial work studied groups of people offline, he has recently moved his research online to study the same principle in social networks. Aside from being thought-provoking in and of itself, the variety of responses that Dunbar’s research has drawn is also interesting. Some people use… -
Invoulntary ambassador
3 Feb 2010 | 8:53 amMaybe you’re not in a formal ambassador program or even consider yourself an ambassador of, well, anything really. But when you start thinking about it, you might be surprised that you choose or not choose to be an ambassador every day. Case in point, if you’re a runner and like to run outside in public places (like downtown), more than likely you’ve been stopped and asked directions by pedestrians or even drivers. At that moment, you have a decision to make. Because in that moment, you can choose to be an ambassador for your city. You can choose to take the time to stop and…
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Buzz & Viral Marketing Agency ★★★Vanksen|Culture-buzz
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Search is the New Art of Storytelling
9 Feb 2010 | 4:37 amSuper Bowl Sunday's come and gone, but we're still reeling over the sublime TV debut of Google's "Search Stories" campaign. "Parisian Love," which aired in the third quarter of the game, relates a classic story — an American finding love in Paris — in a fresh new way: the language of search. The effort's interesting for a few reasons. To start with, Google went against common wisdom that if you're gonna blow cash on a Super Bowl spot, it better be on something incendiary and new. "Parisian Love" has been circulating the 'net for the last three months, and the positive responses it… -
Don't Date; Get Down to the Digital Nitty-Gritty
9 Feb 2010 | 4:14 amBeing shocked over sexting is so last year. Literally. So what to do once the horror wears off? Admit it's the new face of romance, at least according to Red Tettemer. The Philly-based agency concludes "the world has moved past the quaint ritual of getting to know one another face to face." This means flowers, chocolate and dinner are dated analog rituals, and you should probably leave them to people that still have '90s haircuts. This year, grab the future by the balls and sext with Red Tettemer. You heard us: sext with Red Tettemer. From now through Valentine's Day, RedTettemer.com will be… -
Pretty in Pink: The Fiat 500
8 Feb 2010 | 4:06 amHoping to draw more female clients (and kindly drain shelves of a product that chafes our eyeballs), Fiat introduces Pink My Ride, in which 131 bottles of pink nail polish are exhausted to paint a white Fiat 500 the colour of Pepto Bismol. This is compelling, if only because you don't have to witness the painstaking effort of one peppy-looking guy, varnishing a car with a teeny nail brush, in real-time. It takes us two hours to paint our own nails, and it took him four days to finish the Fiat; we bet he was vomming en rose by the end of it. Painfully adorable work. But — because the world… -
App Saves Life of Haiti Aid Worker
5 Feb 2010 | 12:27 amHere's a story that probably keeps Steve Jobs' toes warm at night: one Dan Woolley, an aid worker in Haiti, credited his ability to survive under rubble for 65 hours to the American Heart Association's Pocket First Aid & CPR App. When the story was picked up by CNN, he called the $3.99 application a "high-tech version of a Swiss Army knife that enabled me to treat my own injuries, track time, stay awake and stay alive." Impressive, given that our own iPhones won't even stay powered for six hours' worth of Bejeweled sessions. The resulting coverage hiked the AHA app to the top 50 paid apps in… -
Playboy's Next Cover Girl Shall Rise from the 'Net
5 Feb 2010 | 12:05 amAhh, the internet finally comes full-circle. Playboy, which represents one of the classier ways you can sell your skin without gaining too much skank cred, has made it possible for aspiring cover girls to build their books on the 'net. CastingPlayboy.com, created by Grey/Buenos Aires, sports a virtual photographer who'll "shoot" girls in their own depressing little 40-square-meter studio apartments. Strut for dude while he records your best angles. At the end of this lonely pretend photo shoot, girls can compile their own digital books and invite friends to rate them. The books remain on…
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The Viral Garden
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Attention big brands, we had a blast on Twitter last nite, but where were you?
8 Feb 2010 | 4:00 amIf you were on Twitter last nite during the Super Bowl, you probably had a blast with the rest of us participating in all the chatter around the game, and the commercials. Many of us were using the #brandbowl hashtag to critique the ads in real-time, in fact I was seeing 100 new tweets coming in every couple of minutes. For reference, that's about FOUR times the volume of a busy #blogchat.But one thing many of us noticed was that the companies buying these very expensive Super Bowl ads, weren't doing anything to engage with us. I didn't see a single ad with a reference to the company's social… -
Twitter-sourced smartitude; Getting a community site off the ground
5 Feb 2010 | 9:15 amThis morning I actually had a few minutes to spend on Twitter, so I decided to get a discussion going about community sites. More specifically, what's the first consideration when starting a site, how important is it to be involved in the site itself, and how to sell it to your boss. I got dozens of great answers, and here they are:First consideration when launching a community site:MattJMcD @MackCollier making sure people want to be part of your community in the first place. jonnytee @MackCollier first question - Who's the audience and what's their common interest? tamadear @MackCollier… -
#blogchat update for Feb - Music Marketing and Corporate Blogging!
27 Jan 2010 | 8:40 amBig update for February as a couple of super smart co-hosts have agreed to join us for #blogchat.First, if aren't sure what #blogchat is, it's a chat that happens every Sunday nite on Twitter at 8pm Central. We talk about topics related to personal, professional and business blogging. Occasionally we stray off and talk about broader issues relating to social media, but for the most part we are blog-centric in our discussions.You can follow #blogchat on the web here or here, and you can get the background on how it came to be here.Now for the real news; after getting feedback from you guys in… -
#blogchat 1-24 recap; Dealing with and avoiding blogger burnout!
26 Jan 2010 | 3:16 amFirst, if you missed #blogchat, here is the transcript.Second, if you have no idea what #blogchat is, it's a chat on Twitter that happens every Sunday nite at 8pm Central. We discuss a different topic every week that relates to blogging. EVERYONE is welcome to participate, and here's a good way to keep up with the chat on the web. If you have a Twitter account, you can join by adding the #blogchat hashtag to your tweets.Our topic this week was dealing with and avoiding blogger burnout. This is something that I've been dealing with from time to time, and from the #blogchat crowd, here are some… -
Case Study: How MarketingProfs uses Twitter
22 Jan 2010 | 8:32 amOver on MackCollier.com this week we've had a fabulous discussion about what happens if your company has 1 person that's handling your social media strategy, and then they leave. In the post, I referenced how MarketingProfs does a great job leveraging Twitter to connect with its users.And then I got to thinking that other companies could definitely learn from what MP is doing with Twitter. So I fired off an email to Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs (and all-round superheroine in the true 70s SuperFriends sense of the word), and she quickly agreed to share with us the…
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Seth's Blog
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TEDthink
9 Feb 2010 | 3:00 amCan you factor this? If you're like most people, you get a little queasy at the thought. And when you were in tenth grade, you surely wondered why they were bothering you.(the answer is (x-2) times (x-2), in case you were curious.)It turns out that the real reason you needed to do this work was to be able to play with numbers in your head. Abstract numerical thought is an important skill among educated people.Which brings us to TED, a conference held every year in Long Beach. It's going on right now. Watch a few TED videos and try to get ahead of the speaker. They have an idea...it's probably… -
Frightened, clueless or uninformed?
8 Feb 2010 | 2:57 amIn the face of significant change and opportunity, people are often one of the three. If you're going to be of assistance, it helps to know which one.Uninformed people need information and insight in order to figure out what to do next. They are approaching the problem with optimism and calm, but they need to be taught. Uninformed is not a pejorative term, it's a temporary state.Clueless people don't know what to do and they don't know that they don't know what to do. They don't know the right questions to ask. Giving them instructions is insufficient. First, they need to be sold on what the… -
The least I could do
7 Feb 2010 | 3:35 amOne way to think about running a successful business is to figure out what the least you can do is, and do that. That's actually what they spent most of my time at business school teaching me.No sense putting more on that pizza, sending more staff to that event, answering the phone in fewer rings... what's the point? No sense being kind, looking people in the eye, being open or welcoming or grateful. Doing the least acceptable amount is the way to maximize short term profit.Of course, there's a different strategy, a crazy alternative that seems to work: do the most you can do instead of the… -
iPad app of my dreams: the digital talking pad
6 Feb 2010 | 8:10 amHere's the spec. If you build it and it's great, I'll use it and I'll blog it.A while ago, I posted about the talking pad and a modern version of it.I think there's a killer app version of this for the iPad, and I hope someone will build it. The talking pad is an interactive presentation tool for smart people.OverviewIt's a very simple concept: a collection of pages (slides, images, type, let's call them pages) that are easy to navigate in a non-linear way. Along with the standard zoom features, I'd like to be able to write on any of them in real time using my finger. I can also call up, on… -
The relentless search for "tell me what to do"
6 Feb 2010 | 2:26 amIf you've ever hired or managed or taught, you know the feeling.People are just begging to be told what to do. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I think the biggest one is: "If you tell me what to do, the responsibility for the outcome is yours, not mine. I'm safe."When asked, resist.
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Web Ink Now
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Mumbai taxis and Apple MacBook Pros are really quite similar
9 Feb 2010 | 7:40 amAs I was strolling the streets of Bombay (Mumbai), India, I noticed that the taxicabs are the same make of car, yet the owners of the cabs have personalized them with stickers and other do-dads to make them unique. It got me thinking of other things that are commonly personalized such as MacBook Pro computers like mine. Anyway, I made this very short video to show you what I mean. It is less than a minute. Direct link to the video here. -
How to crowdsource videos for your company
8 Feb 2010 | 3:44 amWouldn’t it be cool if people created videos for you? Perhaps like HP, you could hold a contest to get students to put forward their best efforts. The contest was simple. "Present an idea which promotes HP Workstations ability to bring to life anything the creative mind can conceive." This video filmed, edited and directed by Matt Robinson and Tom Wrigglesworth for the contest is just terrific. Please take a just 80 seconds to watch this amazing video. Direct link to HP Invent video by Matt and Tom here. While in Amsterdam this past week, I met Jan-Paul de Beer of BrandFighters, a company… -
Enjoying a brand called Brand while listening to a Ramones tribute band
6 Feb 2010 | 3:20 amSo last night I made my way to Pakhuis Wilhelmina, a funky former warehouse turned live music venue in Amsterdam to see what turned out to be a surprisingly excellent Dutch Ramones tribute band. (Click the photo to enlarge.) While the band was terrific, they only knew about ten songs and considering most Ramones tunes clock in at less than three minutes we heard each song twice. The crowd didn't care, getting more into it on the second go-round. (I think I heard Blitzkrieg Bop three times, but I can't be sure). So I look up to the chalkboard menu to see the brands of beer they serve. I see… -
DSBtheMovie: Crowdsourced film created quickly and with zero budget
5 Feb 2010 | 4:03 amWhile in Amsterdam where I keynoted the Marketing Pioneers event, I met Jan Willem Alphenaar, Producer and Director of DSB the Movie. The film tells the story of the Netherland's DSB Bank NV which was declared bankrupt by court in October, 2009. Amazingly, Jan crowdsourced everything for the film including the film's logo, producer, scriptwriters, soundtrack, editor, camera, actors, and publicity. The film will be completed in just four months and with zero budget. Here is my interview with Jan which includes the film's trailer at 0:55. Direct link to my video here. Direct link to the film… -
Corporate comedy
1 Feb 2010 | 6:14 amCorporate comedy is one of those phrases like "jumbo shrimp," "smart ass," and "party down in Omaha" that seems a bit off. (No offense to shrimps, asses, or those from Omaha). Despite its rarity, comedy can be an extremely powerful corporate marketing tool. My friend Tim Washer, who is head of social media productions for IBM worldwide, is a comic genius. He pushes his colleagues at IBM on the value of hysterical videos and is in charge of producing them. I sat down with Tim to talk comedy. Specifically I wanted to find out how a marketer goes about convincing the bosses to lose control and…
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Copyblogger
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Does Writing for People Work for SEO?
9 Feb 2010 | 8:16 amHang around web writing circles for any length of time, and the inevitable “write for search engines or write for people” debate comes up. It’s a bit strange, really. Last time I checked, it’s people who use search engines, not some other life form. So you’re always writing for people. Obviously, the debate stems from the fact that search engines are powered by computer algorithms. But as search engines have gotten smarter, writing that pleases people and satisfies spiders is not that far apart, if at all. Let’s look at four factors that work well for SEO and see how well they… -
The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion
8 Feb 2010 | 7:49 amI’ve found it just doesn’t pay to crow too much about what I’ve accomplished. Sure, I celebrate when things go well. But I’ve found that talking too much about my achievements leads not only to criticism, but to disappointment. There’s always going to be someone who’s done more or worked harder. And until they carve my name into the side of the moon, I see no reason in puffing myself up. The minute you get a big head is the same minute that reality smacks you and you realize that you aren’t as cool as you think you are. So self-adulation is something I try to stay… -
Five Areas to Focus On for Effective SEO Copywriting
5 Feb 2010 | 8:51 amWhen I first started Copyblogger in 2006, I was almost militantly against on-page search optimization. Seems strange, since I’d been a successful student of SEO since 2000. It was because I saw all these people fretting over keywords like it’s 1999, and yet they had no links. Their content was weak. Their sites weren’t trusted. You can’t optimize something that’s dead in the water. So my initial goal was to get people to focus on content that attracted attention and links first. Only then do you have something you can make better (that’s what optimize means, naturally). Fours… -
Landing Page Makeovers 2007-2009: Where Are They Now?
4 Feb 2010 | 6:46 amThis is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work. It occurred to me late last year, as I was readying yet another Landing Page Makeover, that the end of one year and the beginning of the next was a good time to do a “Where are they now?” post. So first things first, I went back and contacted all makeover participants from the very beginning of the series. Of the more than 20 contacted, I learned that one is no longer in business, MagicPumpkinArt.com (Makeover #14) and two are in the midst of developing new products or revising… -
Does SEO Copywriting Still Matter?
3 Feb 2010 | 8:28 amIf there’s any one thing that can be said about SEO with certainty, it’s that it manages to cause a lot of confusion. For example, it seems like many people’s idea of SEO was formed 10 years ago, and hasn’t bothered to change with the times. Even an online veteran like Robert Scoble is completely clueless about modern best practices for search engine optimization. So, before we go any further, let me answer the question posed by the headline . . . Yes, SEO copywriting still matters. Here’s why. Search is still the biggest game in town “Pick your survey, search remains one of the…
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Buzz Marketing for Technology
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B2B Marketing: Trust + Community = ROI
9 Feb 2010 | 8:34 amTrust is not a new thing when it comes to marketing and communications as evidenced by one of the most awaited studies in the communications world is always the annual Edelman Public Relations Trust Barometer. Trust is not a new thing in the world of sales either – its a fact that people enjoy buying from people that they trust and in B2B Marketing part of our job is to shorten the time spent building trust so sales can have an easier time and focus on selling. Social Media changes that and elevates Trust to the individual level. This is actually good news for the B2B Marketer. We get… -
B2B Marketing Content: Lure or Lasso?
4 Feb 2010 | 8:43 amI picked this saying up from Gary Vaynerchuk’s new book called Crush It. I really liked the idea of content having dual purposes and not just the purpose of posting to your website or blog. The lure part is really about a steady stream of content that is consistent in its frequency which is why as people come to depend on it brings people back to your site time and time again. You can call it Inbound Marketing (like the folks at HubSpot do) or you could call it Content Marketing (like the folks at Junta42 do) but whatever you call it its the basis for all your online activity. The lasso… -
Social Media is not a campaign it’s a commitment!
2 Feb 2010 | 8:47 amA while back I created a post called – There is no “campaign” in Social Media because when marketers use the word “campaign,” it tends to suggest an initiative to get a message out to a targeted group of constituents. It also implies there will be a beginning and, somewhere down the road, an ending. And I still believe that is the case … And despite a number of comments I got about that post both positive and negative – I think I stopped short of really nailing the issue which is – social media is more than a campaign it a commitment! Its a commitment… -
Influencers vs Advocates in B2B Marketing
28 Jan 2010 | 8:35 amAccording to Wikipedia – Influencer Marketing is a form of marketing that has emerged from a variety of recent practices and studies, in which focus is placed on specific key individuals (or types of individual) rather than the target market as a whole. It identifies the individuals that have influence over potential buyers, and orients marketing activities around these influencers. In my own words – Influencers are individuals that write about Avaya but they also write about Cisco and Siemens in social media or otherwise. They are non partial and therefore they write about many… -
Why is Google Scared and What it means for B2B Marketing!
26 Jan 2010 | 8:23 amAt a recent dinner with a buddy of mine from Microsoft (who helped launch Bing) – I learned a lot more about the search market and a very important trend that can effect the future of B2B Marketing. When you think about the search behavior of the average person online – we are mostly conditioned to search in very routine ways like pulling up a Google search page, using the toolbar in your browser etc. And we tend not to stray from that behavior now. It’s almost an unconscious choice for most of us. But when it comes to search on a mobile device we mostly use very specific…
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YOUTUBE: FEATURED
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Them Crooked Vultures - Caligulove (Webisode)
8 Feb 2010 | 12:16 pmThem Crooked Vultures - Caligulove (Webisode) Music video by Them Crooked Vultures performing Caligulove. (C) 2010 Them Crooked Vultures, LLC, under exclusive license to DGC Records in the U.S.A. From: CrookedVulturesVEVO Views: 798 171 ratings Time: 04:19 More in Music -
TV.com Super Bowl Spot
7 Feb 2010 | 10:06 amTV.com Super Bowl Spot TV.com Super Bowl Spot - We never turn off. From: TVdotCOM Views: 261365 100 ratings Time: 00:11 More in Entertainment -
Your Tires or Your Life - Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010
6 Feb 2010 | 1:02 pmYour Tires or Your Life - Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Bridgestone takes you on a journey to a future world. A wet, desperate world where absolutely nothing is more valuable than a great set of high-performance tires. Watch for fast cars, fearless heroes, and ruthless tire bandits lurking around every corner. And be prepared for a shocking conclusion. Become a Fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BridgestoneTires From: BridgestoneSuperBowl Views: 389565 287 ratings Time: 00:33 More in Sports -
Whale of a Tale - Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010
6 Feb 2010 | 12:57 pmWhale of a Tale - Bridgestone Super Bowl Commercial 2010 Three young men are on an adrenaline-packed drive toward the coast. Nothing too unusual about it, unless you consider having a live killer whale as the fourth passenger unusual. Yes, that's right a killer whale, in the car with them. Hard to say where they're going. Harder still to say where they've been. But this fish-out-of-water story is sure to end with a splash. Become a Fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/BridgestoneTires From: BridgestoneSuperBowl Views: 640091 448 ratings Time: 00:33 More in Sports -
Survivor
5 Feb 2010 | 6:14 pmSurvivor From: mikelee1015 Views: 263199 118 ratings Time: 00:21 More in Entertainment
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Logic+Emotion
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We Are The Media. Do We Trust Media?
9 Feb 2010 | 9:22 amFirst, an informal disclaimer. While I work for the firm (Edelman) that conducted the 2010 Trust Barometer, the following opinions expressed are personal and I was not involved with the research or creation of the report. That said, I wanted to express a few non data based thoughts around the the specific finding that there is less trust in a "person like yourself".Now, let's get into why this is worth discussing. Based on comments and conversation which I've seen in industry publications and elsewhere there seems to be a concern that this finding flies in the face of social conventional… -
The Unofficial SXSW Survival Guide
6 Feb 2010 | 12:07 pmHaving passed on my slot to the folks at Dachis Group, I will not be speaking this year at SXSW (interactive) but I will be attending. It will be my second time, and I'm happy to share that there will indeed be a sequel to the sleeper hit event last year known as "Allhat". This year we are going with "Allhat II: Return of the Cattle", and it's sure to be even better complete with local live music thanks to the support from Edelman Digital. That said, there were several things I learned from surviving SXSW, and you might want to take some of them into consideration.Go With The FlowSXSW can… -
Why I'm Not Writing a Book (Right Now)
31 Jan 2010 | 8:17 pmThere's really nothing like a book—they are portable, intimate, useful, influential and the good ones tend to go "viral" in the sense that you share them with people you know. And of course today we have new ways to digest them: from audio to Kindles to iPads etc. A question I've been getting a lot lately is:"When are you writing a book"?I've had some interest—from publishers you've heard of. But the answer is:"Not right now".My logic is simple. One cannot serve two masters—and serve them well. Either my full time job or the book would suffer. So the time is not now. I've got things to… -
Six Ways to Find Social Media Talent
29 Jan 2010 | 6:40 pmMore articles on Harvard BusinessAs organizations move their social media strategies from theory to practice, they discover a difficult truth they must confront: Finding the "perfect" social media talent is practically impossible. To start, the field is flooded with thousands of self proclaimed "experts" who have reinvented themselves to take advantage what looks like a growing business opportunity. Maybe they do know social media, but many don't. They need to be vetted. More broadly, most candidates for social media positions fall at the ends of a spectrum. On one end is the person who… -
The 5 Reasons You're Failing In Social Media
21 Jan 2010 | 1:28 pm1. You really don't want to engage directly with customers, employees, etc.—you just want them to hear what you have to say. 2. You're not ready to create new roles, update process, re-distribute resources and budgets, re-train people, and revise old policies. 3. Social media actually threatens how you make money—but you pay lip service out of fear.4. Politics.5. You see it as a career advancing opportunity as opposed to a significant business transformation.Reverse any of these, and you've likely improved your chances of succeeding in a business environment that's becoming increasingly…
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trendsspotting blog
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Is Twitter “Losing” or “Gaining”? Recent Stats
26 Jan 2010 | 8:26 pmRecent analysis by RJMetrics pulled from Twitter’s API may suggest that Twitter is losing popularity: The average Twitter user has 27 followers, down from 42 followers in August 2009. Twitter is losing 20% from its July peak: The monthly rate of new user accounts is currently around 6.2 million new accounts per month (or 2-3 per second). A large percentage of Twitter accounts are inactive, with about 25% of accounts having no followers and about 40% of accounts having never sent a single Tweet. Only about 17% of registered Twitter accounts sent a Tweet in December 2009, an all-time-low. -
Summary: TrendsSpotting 2010 Influencers Series: Trend Predictions in 140 Characters
20 Jan 2010 | 2:41 pmTrendsSpotting Market Research has completed the release of the “2010 Influencers Series: Trend predictions in 140 characters”. We have followed major trends in six of the most promising categories to dominate the web this year: Social media | Consumer Trends | Tech and IT | Online Marketing | Video | Mobile. In this series we featured the predictions of digital and marketing experts on the big changes awaiting us. By adopting the “tweet style” format (limited to 140 characters), we were able to provide our readers with a more focused image of the predicted trends. Many of… -
2010 Mobile Influencers: Trend Predictions in 140 characters (6th report)
18 Jan 2010 | 12:20 am“2010 Mobile Influencers” is the sixth and last report from the series “2010 Influencers Series: Trend Predictions in 140 Characters“. Findings: Major trends in 2010 Mobile: Across many of these predictions, we have identified the following trends suggested to influence Mobile in 2010: # Payment # Commerce #Metrics # Advertising: networks, SMS, display, search, premium # Smartphones: Apple, Apps, iPhone, Google, Android # GPS # Location # Augmented Reality # Gaming # Music # Video 2010 Mobile Influencers: Trend Predictions in… -
2010 Video Influencers: Trend Predictions in 140 characters (5th report)
8 Jan 2010 | 2:39 am“2010 Video Influencers” is the fifth report from the series “2010 Influencers Series: Trend Predictions in 140 Characters“. Findings: Major trends in 2010 Online Video: Across many of these predictions, we have identified the following trends suggested to influence Online Video in 2010: # TV Everywhere #live #mainstream #search #data #direct #mobile #standards #advertising #30- second #YouTube #Hulu #boxee 2010 Video Influencers: Trend Predictions in 140 characters, by TrendsSpotting View more slides from… -
2010 Online Marketing Influencers: Trend Predictions in 140 characters (4th report)
5 Jan 2010 | 8:34 am“2010 Online Marketing Influencers” is the fourth report from the series “2010 Influencers Series: Trend Predictions in 140 Characters“. Findings: Major trends in 2010 Online Marketing: Across many of these predictions, we have identified the following trends suggested to influence Online Marketing in 2010: #social media #games #e-mail #real time #direct response #measurement #mobile #geo-location #video #niche 2010 Online Marketing Influencers: Trend Predictions in 140 characters by Trendsspotting View more slides from TrendsSpotting. TrendsSpotting Market Research is now running its…
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Buzz Networker
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Social Media Offers Revenue Insights
27 Jan 2010 | 10:02 amNew technology is providing a wide range of ways for people to make money. Social media is offering a special challenge, though, since it can be difficult to measure revenues and return on investment. This is precisely why three of the major social media companies, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, are offering new tools and features that focus on revenue implications. The idea is that you can measure — sort of — the financial benefit of some social media networks. And these three social media sites are chomping at the bit to prove themselves worth an investment, since they are… -
New Year Video: JibJab’s 2009 In Review
1 Jan 2010 | 10:46 amI love the annual year in review video put together by JibJab. It’s funny, and it offers some great perspective on what has happened in the past year. And there was plenty of financial shenanigans as well. The good news was that consumers, at least, began to exercise some prudence. While the government continued to spend its way out of recession (something that has been going on for decades, no matter which party is in the White House), consumers realized the folly of digging the debt hole deeper. Of course, only time will tell whether or not they conversion to increased frugality… -
Christmas Video: Santa Scares Children
26 Dec 2009 | 7:28 amThe day after Christmas is always a bit of a letdown. The festivities are over. The Christmas tree looks sad and alone, with no more presents beneath it. The anticipation that has been building up for a month or more has been fulfilled and you’re left with this sort of empty feeling. Well, it doesn’t have to be that way. Before you go out and try and fill the hole with the after Christmas sales (shopping therapy – it’s real), take a few minutes to enjoy this Christmas video. It features the way Santa scares kids. And some of these Santas really are scary and/or creepy. One last laugh… -
Christmas with Cartman: O Holy Night
19 Dec 2009 | 6:22 amEvery now and again it’s fun to just post something…fun. And this video from South Park is a classic. Eric Cartman attempts to sing O Holy Night. This is a very beautiful carol, and one of my favorites. But, in spite of the fact that I love this song (and usually to hear a nice tenor voice sing it straight, rather than some soprano embellishing the hell out of it), I couldn’t stop laughing at this hilarious version. Great stuff. So remember, there are plenty of things to laugh about this holiday season. And even if you are having difficulties in your personal economy,… -
“Carol of the Bells” – Muppet Style
12 Dec 2009 | 7:42 amThis is a great time of year to try and relax. While it can be financially, emotionally and physically stressful to get through the holiday season, it is important to find time to relax. And there are plenty of free ways to do that, so that if you are financially stressed, you aren’t spending a great deal. (This can actually be tempting in tough times. You figure you are hosed, so you spend more money with abandon.) Anyway, here is a great break from holiday stress. It’s a fun rendition of “Carol of the Bells” from the Muppets: Hope you are enjoying the holiday season,…
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Brent Csutoras
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Imgur: Stolen Content and Social Media’s Double Standard
8 Feb 2010 | 7:05 amFor those of you living under a rock, Imgur is a site that allows users to upload and share images very quickly and easily. It’s grown massively in popularity over the last 6 months and has left similar services in the dust. It was created by Reddit user, MrGrim (Alan Scaaf), for other Redditors and this is [...] -
Digg Hacked or Clever Advertisement?
3 Feb 2010 | 11:47 amIt appeared today as if Digg had been hacked. If you visit Digg.com and view the page source, you will see the following in the code. However, if you notice the url near the bottom, http://hellisnigh.com points to a page which is advertising Dante’s Inferno, an EA game to be released shortly. Which makes you wonder if [...] -
Advertising with Video & Audio?
2 Feb 2010 | 11:24 amIf you are like me, then you have probably seen about every sort of advertising there is to offer on a website. Although there are some really annoying ones, like the in text mouse-over ads or the dreaded screen full of popup ads that can never quite close, for the most part we have learned [...] -
Internet Marketing from the Real Experts
29 Jan 2010 | 1:33 pmInternet Marketing as a whole can be extremely effective, rewarding, and even exciting, but it can also leave you feeling lost, worn out, and defeated. With so many aspects to marketing online and so many people offering suggestions, you can sometimes find yourself confused on what advice really matters and will actually work for you. I am [...] -
Digg.com to Undergo ‘Drastic Changes’
22 Jan 2010 | 3:43 pmKevin Rose recently spoke in a surprisingly open manner regarding the site’s upcoming changes, and admitting Digg is in major need of an overhaul. “We’re making some drastic changes, but they’re much-needed drastic changes,” he admits, going on to warn Digg purists that they should brace themselves for the new Digg; “People are going to be [...]
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Buzz Marketing Daily
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5 Gifts For the Social Media Geek
9 Feb 2010 | 12:31 pmWith Valentine’s Day just around the corner, you may be scratching your head trying to think of the perfect gift for that special someone. And with Valentine’s Day’s falling on a Sunday this year, you’ll be hard-pressed to find flower and candy companies that offer delivery on the holiday. Luckily for you, we’ve compiled a list of 5 fun gifts and ideas for your social media sweetheart that make shipping costs and times a non-issue. 1) Create a personalized, nano-targeted Facebook ad. I feel like we mention this one all the time, but that’s just because… -
Super Social Super Bowl Ad Awards
8 Feb 2010 | 5:31 amBy: Shannon Aronin & Dave Kerpen Given the buzz Pepsi’s Refresh Project generated by NOT participating in the Super Bowl and instead donating ad spend to charity, we expected the Big Game ads to be pretty heavy in social content. Overall, we were disappointed. At nearly $3 million for 30 seconds, what a waste when brands could have done a much better job building an ongoing relationship with their audience. A few Superbowl advertisers were at least using social media during the Super Bowl and talking to people about their ads. These included HomeAway.com, and the US Government Census… -
What is the Value of Non-Branded Virality?
5 Feb 2010 | 5:56 amBy Sara Day and Emma Lyons You may have noticed that your Facebook friends are looking more like Hollywood’s elite as of late. It’s not just you! For the past week, people have been changing their Facebook profile pictures to those of celebrity look-alikes to participate in Doppelgänger Week. The point of this? No idea. Mashable doesn’t even have an explanation for it. But it’s fun! Beyond sheer amusement, it’s important. Within days, most people traded in their profile picture for that of an A-list celebrity. It shows how quickly trends like this can spread on Facebook and create… -
Happy Birthday, Facebook! – A 6 Year Retrospective
4 Feb 2010 | 9:24 amby Kristen Malzone Facebook is celebrating their 6th birthday today and we want to celebrate by giving you a quick look at Facebook over the years. Let’s scroll down memory lane… 2004 Mark Zuckerberg and co-founders Dustin Moskovitz, Chris Hughes and Eduardo Saverin launch thefacebook.com from their Harvard dorm room. At the end of the year, they hit 1 million active users. 2005 Facebook expands to support more than 800 college networks, high school networks, and international school networks. At the end of the year, they hit 5.5 million active users. 2006 Facebook expands… -
The 3 Keys to Self Promotion
3 Feb 2010 | 2:58 pmIn today’s Watch Me Wednesday video, I talk with Ilise Benun. She is the co-founder of Marketing Mentor and the author of The Art of Self Promotion. We speak about the 3 keys to self promotion, which are: 1) Consistency - By being consistent in your marketing efforts, you can maintain a high visibility while letting your customers know what they can expect from your brand. Most importantly, by communicating with your customers on a regular basis you stay on their minds so that you aren’t soon forgotten. 2) Networking - Build connections both online and offline. When you connect…
