50+ Expert Resources for Internet Marketers
Regardless of background, most marketers start off in the industry green as can be, always on the search for as much information as we can learn to elevate ourselves to the next level. Even if you’re not a newbie, you’re sure to be on the forever quest to become a better marketer … and things […]
The Future of Content Marketing: Five Technologies Content Marketers Can’t Ignore
Scott Abel, aka “The Content Wrangler,” is a well-respected content strategist. He’s also a lively presenter, able to draw crowds for industry events including Content Marketing World, Localization World London, Adobe Day, and LavaCon. If you’d like to pick up a little Wrangler Vision without having to book a flight or stand in line, here’s […]
Top Online Marketing Power Words (Hint: Free Is King)
Every year-end brings pundits’ lists of words to stop using. In pop culture and ordinary conversation, “awesome” and “literally” seem to top the lists (again) this year. In business, Jeff Haden took us to task for describing ourselves (or our companies) on our websites or in social media using words such as “world-class” or “motivated” […]
B2B Webinar: Why Customer Retention Matters More Than Acquisition
Until recently, B2B marketing has been all about the leads. Finding them. Qualifying them. Shipping them to sales (and hopefully converting them). Wash, rinse, repeat. Today, things have changed. To be sure, customer acquisition is still important. But just as important – arguably more important – is how customers are treated once they become … […]
6 Content Marketing Insights from Joe Pulizzi
Joe Pulizzi of the Content Marketing Institute was in our town last week, speaking to a Meetup group about content marketing. (Thank you to sponsors Content Strategy PDX, Social Media Club PDX, and Babcock & Jenkins). After a bit of palaver on the state of marketing (prognosis: marketers are doing okay and if we keep […]
A Content Marketing Strategy Using Paid, Owned, and Earned Media
“Content marketing” is a perhaps the fastest-growing marketing tactic being used today. While it’s definitely become mainstream, there are lots of issues around how to create it, how to manage it…even how to think about it. The Content Marketing Institute has a new study, “B2B Content Marketing 2014: Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends–North America”, that shows […]
7 Ways to Identify Great Marketing Content
What is the big hoo-hah about “content marketing”? Is it just a buzzword, a fad, a passing fancy? Well – yes, it is a buzzword, but there’s no “just” about it. From cheesy direct marketing letters to sophisticated, amusing TV ads to the classic Burma shave signs, marketing with content is nothing new. What’s new […]
5 Best Practices to Rock Cyber Monday
To help eComms get the biggest bang from Cyber Monday, here are 5 best practices for increasing your piece of the revenue pie.
What Copywriters & Novelists Have in Common
Salman Rushdie was in my city recently, touring to promote his latest book (“Joseph Anton”), and I attended his lecture. He enthralled the audience with fabulous stories. He mentioned working as an advertising copywriter early in his career, and a few days after his talk I started connecting the dots. Then, in an act of […]
The A/BCs of Testing Web Pages
Out of all the headlines you could think up, all the offers you could make, and all the calls-to-action you could choose, how do you know which one will work the best? Even when you know your customers well and understand their buying habits, your gut feel can be wrong. You have to test to […]
What Is Nudge Marketing?
Rand Fishkin of Moz visited Portland tonight to deliver an interesting talk: “The Nudge Is Mightier Than The Sword.” Rand’s presentation borrows from the behavioral economics theories of Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness, a book by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein, and employs “choice architecture,” a concept holding that you can affect […]
5 Points For Better Blogging
One of marketing automation’s big wins is the ability to help you target audience segments down to personae by role, interest, and behavior. Sometimes when you’re crafting content to meet an audience’s need, that means you shouldn’t use the creative you’ve fallen in love with. Case in point: Recently Inc. ran a great story by […]
Which Customer Emotions Drive Business Results?
We like to think that we make decisions – and that our customers make decisions – for pragmatic reasons. What’s the shortest link between two points? What’s going to deliver the most value? Who’s offering the best prices? Those factors certainly do count in business decisions, but there’s much, much more. Over at Beyond Philosophy, […]
Making the Most of Vertical Marketing
It’s common to visit a website and notice that a company advertises that its product is particularly useful for various vertical markets. Too often, a dive into the claims made reveals that the same features are shown addressing the same issues; often the only difference is an industry-specific image. Demand Gen Report recently published an […]
Guidelines for White Papers and Case Studies
Carolyn Goodman, president and creative director of Goodman Marketing Partners, Inc, defines content marketing as “creation and distribution of original content that has perceived value in order to positively position your brand in the minds of your prospects and customers.” Along with Cyndie Shaffstall, the founder and CEM of SpiderTrainers, Goodman recently presented an Act-On-sponsored […]