Marketing Resources: General Management

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  Four Lessons From the Co-Founder of OfficeMax [Slide Show]

  by Christian Gulliksen

  General Management

  As co-founder of OfficeMax, Michael Feuer learned a thing or two about launching and running a successful company. Here are four of his invaluable lessons on empowering your employees, building your business, and outwitting the competition. more
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  The Case for Hiring an SEO Agency

  General Management

  Should you conduct search engine optimization in-house, or should you hire an outside agency to do the heavy lifting? It's a question you've probably asked your team before—and each solution has its pros and cons. In a guest post at the Future Buzz blog, Justin Champion of Search Mojo makes the ... more
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  Forrester: 'Customer Experience' Roles Gaining Popularity

  General Management

  Over the past six years, an increasing number of US companies of all sizes have appointed a single executive who leads customer experience efforts across a business unit or the entire company, according to a new report by Forrester Research. more
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  Ad Agencies Slow to Adapt to Online Marketing

  General Management

  Only 9% of senior-level marketers say traditional ad agencies are doing a good job of evolving and extending service capabilities in the digital age, according to a study by the CMO Council. Moreover, such firms are likely to be challenged by specialized digital marketing providers in 2012. more
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  Don't Let Doubt Kill Your Big Idea

  General Management

  It happens to any innovator: As you develop a big idea, doubt inevitably sets in. "If you are doing something that hasn't been done before, careful analysis will by definition highlight reasons to not proceed," writes Scott Anthony at Harvard Business Review. "Market demand can't be validated. Experts dismiss technological ... more
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  Integrating Social Media Still Challenges Marketers

  General Management

  Although most US companies use social networks—66% have a Facebook page, 51% have a Twitter account, and 44% have a LinkedIn page—only 16% say their social marketing efforts are fully integrated across the organization, according to a study by InSites Consulting. more
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  Marketing Smarts Podcast: Have You Killed an Innovation Today?

  by Matthew Grant

  General Management

  It's not always clear that the organizations that call for innovation actually want it. In this episode of Marketing Smarts, professor and author Dave Owens discusses the constraints that hamper creative thinking—and kill innovation. more
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  A Social Platform That Serves Your Team Members One at a Time

  General Management

  There are plenty of internal computer platforms that promise to make employees more efficient: standalone CRMs, heavy-handed intranets and project management software that needs managing all on its own. Then there are social platforms that, on top of everything else, vow to improve morale and boost collaboration! It's easy to ... more
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  What Guy Kawasaki Learned From Steve Jobs [Slide Show]

  by Christian Gulliksen

  General Management

  When Apple mastermind Steve Jobs died in October, tributes praising his genius flowed forth. As Apple's chief evangelist for years, Guy Kawasaki knew Jobs well—and learned invaluable lessons from him. Here are four of them. more
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  Four Tips for Promoting Content Marketing to the C-Suite

  General Management

  "You know content marketing can do big things for your brand," writes Corey O'Loughlin at MarketingProfs' Daily Fix blog. "The only problem is: The powers that be may not know enough about content." How do you persuade the C-suite about content marketing's value to your SEO efforts? You'll need a solid ... more
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  Booz: Adaptability Is Key for Social Media Success

  General Management

  Among a list of 12 social media success enablers, the ability to react and adapt quickly to change is ranked as the most important factor for succeeding in today's social media environment, according to a new survey from Booz & Company and Buddy Media Research. more
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  What You Can Learn From Steve Jobs

  General Management

  "Few of us have the chance to achieve 1/100th of what Steve Jobs has achieved," writes Bill Taylor at Harvard Business Online. "But all of us can look at his body of work, and the reaction to that body of work, and use it as an opportunity to ask more ... more
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  Three Keys to Maintaining Google-Style Business Innovation

  General Management

  In an interview at Adweek, Google's Head of Global Ad Marketing Lisa Gevelber explains the mission of Think Quarterly, the company's new business magazine. Google realized that "a lot of our partners wanted access to the same kinds of insights and conversations that inform our decisions and strategies," Gevelber says. ... more
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  CMOs: Where Are the Marketing Innovators?

  General Management

  In-house marketing executives say they want to be challenged by the agencies they work with, but only 3% say agencies most often lead the charge for marketing innovation in their companies, according to a new study by The Horn Group and Kelton Research. more
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  Loyalty: Getting Internal Buy-In and Gauging External Success, Part 4 [Video]

  General Management

  Part four of this five-part video series on digital loyalty explores new stats about consumer loyalty behaviors; how to convince internal stakeholders about the benefits of loyalty platforms; and why consumer loyalty has become more accountable than ever. more
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  Four Lessons From the Social Business Trenches

  General Management

  On CMSWire, Web engagement strategist Dion Heathcliff shares what he has learned from successful—and not so successful—social businesses in recent years. The lessons he offers address "what to focus on and what drives improved outcomes when applying social media within a large organization." Read the full article for the meat, but here ... more
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  Grinder, Minder, Binder, Finder: Four Roles a Successful Employee Should Fill [Slide Show]

  by Christian Gulliksen

  General Management

  Getting your employees to produce exceptional work requires your telling them concretely what you expect from them. Here's how one employer paved the way to success for her staff using four simple words. more
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  Nine Questions to Ask When Hiring an SEO Expert

  General Management

  If you're not an SEO expert, you might wonder what to ask when hiring SEO staff or consultants. How do you tell the difference between someone who knows exactly what he or she is doing and someone who just knows a lot of lingo? To help out, Rand Fishkin created an ... more
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  Social Skills for Content Officers: Four Basic Requirements

  General Management

  You've heard of website community managers, but what about content officers? Those are the folks responsible for your site's content—what it looks like, what it reads or sounds like, where it goes in terms of subject matter or throughout the social universe. MarketingProfs Chief Content Officer Ann Handley has written a ... more
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  Three Mistaken Beliefs That Can Cripple Marketing Teams

  General Management

  What makes for a great marketing team? A dynamic leader at the helm? The right mix of compatible personalities? A steady influx of new talent? Or could making assumptions like these actually cripple a team's performance? J. Richard Hackman, writing at the Harvard Business Review, argues that quite a few ... more
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  Six Tips for Presenting a Social Media Strategy to the C-Suite

  General Management

  If you are rockin' the social sphere, at some point you may have to present your work to some higher-ups. No pressure. Just remember this: Your presentation could mean the difference between enterprise adoption of a great new social media strategy—or the relegation of social to the broom closet. (Just ... more
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  How to Sift Through Unintentional Lies

  General Management

  When you ask for feedback on a proposed innovation, writes Scott Anthony at Harvard Business Online, sit back and brace yourself for one lie after another from your stakeholders. They aren't malicious lies, but that's what makes them so dangerous—the liars think they're telling the truth. According to Anthony, innovators ... more
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  How and When to 'Reply All'

  General Management

  The "reply all" button can produce all kinds of headaches—from filling inboxes with unnecessary chatter to damaging a brand's reputation. "Unwitting or careless use of reply all spawns much mischief," writes Simon Glickman of Editorial Emergency, "from the accidental broadcasting of remarks intended for only select recipients to the dreaded ... more
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  Small Business Owners Working Harder, but Happy

  General Management

  More than three-quarters of US microbusiness owners say they are very (42%) or extremely (35%) happy to work for themselves, according to Vistaprint's newly launched Small Business Happiness Index, which tracks the pulse of US microbusinesses. Moreover, 35% say they wouldn't even consider working for someone else. more
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  Marketers to Boost Spending on Virtual Events

  General Management

  Fully six in ten marketers (60%) say they plan to increase spending on virtual events and environments in 2011, while 42% plan to decrease spending on physical conferences and tradeshows during the year, according to a survey from Unisfair. more

General Management: See all 225 items

General Management articles by the best and brightest in the field

• We Are More Than Marketers: Integrating a Human-Centric Approach by Jeremi Karnell
  Do you treat customers and prospects as if they were whole human beings—with hearts, minds, and spirits? You should. Learn six steps that lead to a human-centric approach to marketing. more
• Never Waste an Opportunity: The Value of Lead Nurturingby Sookie Shuen
  When new visitors arrive at your website, you have two ways to seize the opportunity and guide them toward becoming customers. Both opportunities can evaporate in the blink of an eye—if you don't have the proper systems in place. more
• Break Down Marketing Silos Now: Build Engagement With Cross-Channel Marketing by Ron Person
  Marketers have a tough job! No juggler's job has ever been as tough. With 13 or so online marketing channels (and just as many offline), the job of cross-channel marketing is difficult. But creating a successful cross-channel marketing organization is possible. more
• Three Keys to Accelerating Marketing Measurement and a Fact-Based Cultureby Laura Patterson
  If CMOs are to be accountable for marketing ROI, their organizations must have marketers who have data, analysis, and measurement skills. Here are three steps for effectively creating a fact-based culture. more
• Five Ways to Create a Data-Driven Marketing Culture by Jim Bergeson
  When handled adeptly, customer data can be a marketer's most reliable weapon for reaching customers' buying intentions—and closing sales. Learn five ways to build a data-driven marketing culture that'll help you get results. more
• Strategy Is Fun Too, You Know (Well, Fun-ish) by Pete Gaioni
  It may be boring, but a thorough discovery and strategy-development process is essential before a website redesign. Here are five important elements of a redesign plan you should have in place and readily available... before the fun design stuff starts. more
• Writers for Hire: How to Get What You Pay for on Elanceby Anita Williams Weinberg
  When working with freelancers, "let the buyer beware" is a good rule of thumb. If you aren't careful in the due-diligence process, you may be in for more than you bargained for (literally). How can you make sure you don't get burned? more
• Why Marketing Needs Objectives... Not Just Goalsby Brett Johnson
  Many companies have the same overarching goals: increase sales, decrease costs, and reduce churn. But why don't they all succeed? It all boils down to mindfully setting objectives and implementing strong tactics to support them. more
• Redesigning the Site Redesign RFP: Eight Do's and Don'tsby Eric Anderson
  Is a site redesign among your company's New Year's resolutions? To end up with a site that's built to last, you'll need a well-crafted RFP that covers all bases. Learn eight invaluable guidelines for creating your site redesign RFP. more
• Managing Chaos: The Marketing Approachby John Thomson
  Nowadays, the marketer's world is chaotic and cluttered. Effectively meeting a myriad of demands can seem impossible. That's why connected marketing solutions are critical to success in today's marketing landscape. more
• The Evolution of Marketing Agencies and Consultanciesby Paul Roetzer
  The marketing agency ecosystem is evolving because of changes in customer behavior and advances in technology. Is your firm keeping up? Learn 10 key considerations for transforming your organization. more
• What to Do When E-Books and Round-Up Posts Just Won't Cut It by Danny Iny
  How effective can a strategy be if all of your competitors are using it, too? To stand out, step outside the realm of e-books and round-up posts, and apply these six tips for producing unique, compelling content. more
• 10 Questions + 10 Actions = Lead Generation Gainsby Dan McDade
  Is your organization experiencing a critical gap between Marketing and Sales performance expectations and actual results? If so, answer these 10 questions and apply these 10 steps to close the gap and ensure results. more
• Delivering on the Promise of Marketing Automationby Laura Patterson
  More and more organizations are investing in marketing automation platforms. Is yours one of them? If so, learn how to select the right one, plan for its adoption, and avoid common implementation pitfalls. more
• 12 Marketing Predictions for 2012by Brian Goffman
  2011 ushered in a host of changes in marketing, affecting social media, search, and customer relationships. What digital changes and trends should forward-thinking marketers anticipate in 2012? more
• Five Marketing Trends That Only a CMO Contemplating Career Suicide Would Ignoreby Tom Shapiro
  Marketing is changing and evolving at a rapid pace. Are you keeping up? Here are five major changes taking shape in 2012 that CMOs can't afford to ignore. more
• Take Your Online Presence Global: Five Foreign-Language Online Marketing Tips by Christian Arno
  With the exponential rise of the multilingual Web in recent years, extending your online marketing strategy internationally is more timely than ever. Here are five key tips for effective global digital marketing. more
• 10 Tips for Producing Tantalizing Business Video Toursby Cara Barineau
  If the term "video tour" makes you think of something you'd find only on a real estate website, think again! Video tours are a great way to market a wide array of products and services—if you do it the right way.. more
• How to Reduce Lead Leakage Nowby Lisa Cramer
  Are you letting leads seep out of your sales funnel? Learn how to plug the holes in your funnel, nurture leads into qualified sales opportunities, and boost your company's bottom line. more
• What Doesn't Work in Lead Managementby Dan McDade
  Effectively managing sales leads today is tricky, but not if you understand the problems between Marketing and Sales. Learn which four lead-management strategies could be hindering your success. more
• Analytics and Marketing Operations: A One-Two Punch for Growthby Laura Patterson
  Today's customers are more value-oriented and less loyal. Considering the increase in customer expectations, the competitive landscape, and the data deluge, marketers will need an analytics approach to succeed. more
• What's New With the New Rules of Marketing and PR?by David Meerman Scott
  To keep up with the ever-changing world of marketing, you've got to roll with the punches. As marketing channels emerge and evolve, so should your ideas, strategies, and metrics. more
• Four 'Secrets' to Turning Raw Leads Into Real Opportunitiesby Dan McDade
  Raw leads are neutral entities at first, but you can turn them into real prospects. Learn how to qualify those with high-value potential and move them to closed-deal status. more
• Five Fundamentals for Productive Ideation Sessionsby Jeff Hirsch
  What makes a great ideation session? The quality of the participants, the energy of the facilitator, and the range of creative exercises. But there are five guidelines that'll exponentially boost the odds of having a productive session. more
• How Virgin Atlantic Improved Sales Attribution and Saved Six Figures in Two Monthsby Kimberly Smith
  When a customer makes a purchase on your site, are you able to pinpoint exactly who to give credit to for the sale? Learn how Virgin Atlantic Airways tackled that problem. more

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General Management case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned.

• Lessons From Martin Guitars: Three Ways to Survive a DownturnC. F. Martin & Co.
  CASE STUDY: C. F. Martin & Co. survived the Civil War, the Great Depression, and both World Wars. Inspired by its past, the guitar maker thrived in 2009. more
• How a Small Company Went Global (Without Breaking the Bank)Lingo24.com
  CASE STUDY: In the age of globalization and the Internet, extending your reach beyond you home market is easier than ever... if you put some strategic thinking behind it. more
• How a New-Product Launch via Facebook Resulted in Immediate Sales, Ongoing Consumer Relationships3M Canada Company
  CASE STUDY: At a fraction of the cost of traditional media, 3M Canada not only generated immediate sales and new excitement around its Scotch Tape brand but also gathered invaluable intelligence about its target market and forged long-term relationships with consumers. more
• How a Franchiser Automated Its Marketing Support to Improve Efficiency, ProfitabilityCartridge World
  CASE STUDY: Global ink and toner supplier Cartridge World expanded its US presence to 650 franchisee-owned stores. But its marketing support lagged behind. Here's how the company turned things around: creating a centralized marketing resource center, upping efficiency and increasing profitability. more
• How an Automotive Dealership Used Voice Marketing to Supplement Sales, Boost Customer RetentionMike Miller Hyundai
  CASE STUDY: While automotive dealers struggle to survive, Mike Miller Hyundai has reached out to customers via voice marketing, at a fraction of the cost of direct mail. Now: service bays are filled, and customer retention is significantly higher. more
• How a Medical Imaging Company Helped a New Sales Team Establish Client Relationships and Surpass Sales GoalsToshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.
  CASE STUDY: In tough economic times, one company set out to care for its people in a unique way. Toshiba America Medical Systems efforts to align and nurture its sales team means the team is now on track to exceed sales goals. more
• How Sherwin-Williams Used Digital Collateral for a Newly Launched Product to Engage Retailers and ConsumersSherwin-Williams Company, Krylon division
  You have a snazzy new product and need marketing collateral to show it off. You want to rally your sales force around it, and at the same time excite the retailers who'll carry it. Print won't do. But digital will. more
• How a Video Podcast Series Garnered a Top Industry Award and 68,500 views in 12 MonthsTellabs
  Last spring, telecom player Tellabs launched its "Get Schooled" video-podcast series as both a way to communicate with customers as well as showcase the depth and breadth of its offerings. Get Schooled did that and more... generating tens of thousands of views, landing a coveted interview, and garnering an industry award. more
• How One Whitepaper Generated 500 Leads and Significant PR for a B2B ManufacturerJER Envirotech
  JER Envirotech, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly thermoplastic biocomposite materials, needed to stand out in the green manufacturing industry. Its solution: create a white paper to both explain and build credibility for its offerings. Here's how that led to 500 new leads over 60 days. more
• A Niche E-tailer Sizes Up Glamour... One Customer at a Time, Boosting Sales with a Personalized Web Site ExperienceSydney's Closet
  Five years ago, Sydney's Closet sold only plus-size prom dresses. Since then, however, the company has significantly expanded its lines, and it sought to segment its customers to help deliver content and offers that would be specific to their interests and needs. Here's its approach. more
• How a Bed & Breakfast Inn Boosted Its Bookings with One Video AdMorning Glory Inn
  As a B&B in the highly competitive historic Pittsburgh area, the Morning Glory Inn needed a way to attract more recreational and business travelers. Its Web site, the Yellow Pages, and direct mail initiatives continued to bring in some new customers. But here's how the inn boosted its online visibility through rich media, and learned three valuable lessons on the way. more
• How a Consumer Electronics Company Leveraged the Power of Community to Uncover Market Preferences and Build Excitement for a New Product LineEastman Kodak Company
  When it chose to enter the saturated inkjet market 20 years late, Eastman Kodak had a few surprises up its sleeve. Still, the company found it also needed a little marketing ingenuity if it was to gain market share. more
• How a Web-based Company Increased Leads 90%—and Sales 23%—via PPC-Visitor Profiling, Landing Page PersonalizationCompany: Continental Warranty
  Continental Warranty used pay-per-click ads to generate leads by providing free quotes for extended-warranty coverage. But lead volume had plateaued. So it began to profile its web visitors, then direct them to microsites matching their profiles—and nearly doubled leads. more
• How MyFax Upped Customer Engagement, Achieved a 79% NetPromoter ScoreMyFax
  Internt fax service provider MyFax wanted to tap into the power of word-of-mouth referrals by improving the customer experience and maintaining highly personalized customer interactions. But as an online company, it faced the issue of how to individually engage customers to ensure long-term relationships. Here's what it did. more
• How a Small-Business Consultant Leveraged a High-Profile TV Commercial to Generate New Traffic and Win New BusinessLocalZing
  As a tiny Florida player in the field of advertising for small businesses, Karl Long knew he should consider unconventional ways to promote his company. Taking a cue from a competitor, Long launched a campaign that upped traffic to his blog 500%, raised his Google profile, and led to new business. more
• How an Online Software Biz Doubled Its Sales Leads, Increased Site Traffic 75%Makana Solutions
  Makana Solutions needed an inexpensive way to reach the elusive small business market. Rather than chase small businesses, it hired an online "inbound marketing system" to help small businesses find Makana. The results: Web site traffic climbed 75%, and sales leads have doubled. more
• How a Marketing Consultant Significantly Increased His Client Base via Social MediaL&G Business Solutions
  Marketing executive and consultant Lewis Green wanted to re-establish his company in January 2004 after moving across the country. With no professional network in place, he figured the best way to promote his business would be a blog. His first attempt failed. But not his second. more
• How a Technology Firm Upped Webinar Attendance, Improved Lead NurturingObjectivity, Inc.
  By hiring an outside expert in lead optimization and leveraging its full range of data, San Francisco-based Objectivity increased turnout for its webinars an average of 10%. The quality of the leads is high as well: More than 30% of the leads typically score high enough to be handed off to sales. more
• How Major League Baseball Doubled Fan Research Without Increasing CostsMajor League Baseball
  Each year, when MLB's postseason culminates with the World Series, all eyes are on baseball—or are they? With most teams out of the running, do those fans continue to watch? Are the resources invested in marketing worthwhile, or in tune with fans' true passions? more
• How the Kimpton Hotel Group's Affinity-Based Email Program Boosted Bookings Revenue FivefoldKimpton Hotels
  Kimpton Hotels had successfully created a loyalty program, but its email program was lagging. By implementing an email strategy that focused on segmentation and targeting individual preferences, and by adding a corporate branding strategy, the company increased email bookings fivefold. more

General Management: See all 54 case studies

General Management online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Dan Pink on How to Apply Motivation 3.0 to Drive Customer ActionBroadcast on Jan 26, 2012
• Adapt or Die: the Changing Behavior of Today's Connected CustomerBroadcast on Jan 19, 2012
• MarketingProfs University: Killing Giants—Outmaneuvering Larger CompetitorsBroadcast on Jan 12, 2012
• How to Rapidly Grow Your Business by NOT MarketingBroadcast on Aug 11, 2011
• Winning with Speed: 4 Ways Speed Can Topple the Goliath in Your IndustryBroadcast on Jun 23, 2011
• Accelerating Sales with Competitive IntelligenceBroadcast on May 19, 2011
• Seven Keys to a Successful BlogBroadcast on Apr 28, 2011
• Charting New Frontiers: Marketing Discoveries from the B2B ForumBroadcast on Apr 21, 2011
• MarketingProfs University: 11 Digital Trends to Watch in 2011Broadcast on Apr 7, 2011
• The NOW Revolution: Make Your Business Faster, Smarter & More SocialBroadcast on Mar 24, 2011
• The Truth About LeadsBroadcast on Mar 17, 2011
• How To Be a Social Media Strategist, Not the Social Help DeskBroadcast on Jan 27, 2011
• Kick Off the New Year With Seth Godin: 57 Ways to Connect With Customers and Get Them to Spread Your Ideas for YouBroadcast on Jan 13, 2011
• Becoming the Über-Connected Company with Social MediaBroadcast on Dec 2, 2010
• What to Do When Growth StallsBroadcast on Jun 19, 2009
• Seven Fast-Acting Methods to Drive B2B Revenue NowBroadcast on May 14, 2009
• Sneak Peek: B2B Forum 2009 in BostonBroadcast on May 7, 2009
• Creating a Customer-Centric, Measurable Marketing PlanBroadcast on Oct 16, 2008
• Social Media for Marketers: A 15-Step Process to Engage with Your Customers OnlineBroadcast on Mar 13, 2008
• Harnessing a Portfolio of Brands: The Harrah’s StoryBroadcast on Feb 21, 2008

General Management: See all 43 seminars

General Management Take 10 Webcasts—tactical marketing know-how in just 10 minutes from subject matter experts

• Take 10 Author Series: How Everything You Learned About Motivation Is Wrong—And How to Do It RightReleased on Dec 9, 2011
• Take 10: How to Create a Digital Marketing Plan with 8 Key ElementsReleased on Jan 28, 2011

See all Take 10 Webcasts

General Management marketing downloads for the busy professional

• Marketing Automation Management: Basics and Best Practices
  Marketing automation can have a big impact on your sales and marketing efforts. Learn the ins and outs of marketing automation capabilities, how to make the best use of them, and resources for selecting the best system for you with MarketingProfs' Marketing Automation Management: Basics and Best Practices guide.
• Content Machine: The Street Guide to Building a Successful Content Marketing Program in 7 Weeks
  MarketingProfs' 30-page How-To Guide, CONTENT MACHINE: The Street Guide to Building a Successful Content Marketing Program in 7 Weeks, provides a week-by-week agenda for launching your content marketing program using a strategic, systematic process.
• Influencer Marketing Success Stories
  Influencer Marketing Success Stories features 13 companies that have leveraged the influence of outspoken opinion-makers and ordinary online reviewers to achieve their marketing objectives. With examples including Forbes Digital and Virgin America, this new Case Study Collection will show you how use influencer to boost brand awareness, introduce new products, increase sales, and more.
• Research Spotlight: Twitter
  A successful Twitter program requires extensive research on whether your audience is there, what everyone is interested in, and what they're doing. Lucky for you, MarketingProfs has done the work for Research Spotlight: Twitter. Download it now to access close to 70 pages of Twitter research from 30 unique sources.
• A Step-by-Step Guide to a Social Media Program: Everything you need to know about establishing your strategy, policy and team
  The adage “think before you speak” has now become “think before you write.” In this age of instant messaging, businesses need to wield their online words thoughtfully. Check out MarketingProfs “A Step-by-Step Guide to a Successful Social Media Program” to learn how to create your social media strategy, policy and team.
• B2B Marketing in 2009: Trends in Strategies and Spending
  Get the truth about B2B marketing in a tough economy from people who know the business best—B2B marketers themselves. Our special report, B2B Marketing in 2009, provides the most current research on trends in strategies and spending, and how they affect your business.
• Add Social Media to Your Mix - listen to the podcast
  MP3 recording
• Benchmark Research: Marketing in the Economic Crisis
  These economic times have everyone concerned and asking, "How does this effect marketing?". Well we surveyed our very own members to help give marketers a sense of how others are dealing and adapting to these tough times.
• Small Biz How-To Guide: Market Research
  Need to learn about your customers without the big price tag of market research firms? This guide on do-it-yourself market research will help you get the information you need to position your business without emptying the corporate coffers.
• Small Biz How-To Guide: Avoiding Key Pitfalls
  Let's face it, more small businesses fail than succeed. Make sure yours is one of the winners with this guide to getting your small business off the ground and solidly on the road to success.
• Marketing Metrics How-To Guide
  Metrics is the guiding light of your marketing efforts. Without measurements, you're operating in the dark. Make sure you are tracking the right metrics, and get tips on interpreting the data with this comprehensive guide.
• SWOT Analysis How-To Guide
  This comprehensive, step-by-step how-to guide will help you assess the position in the market of your product or firm, by identifying the product's Strengths and Weaknesses, by considering the potential Opportunities the product has in the marketingplace, and by assessing the potential Threats posed by either the competition or the marketplace.
• B2B Direct Marketing How-To Guide
  Direct marketing is one of the fastest changing disciplines within marketing today. What worked 10 years ago, isn't working today. Heck, what worked last week sometimes doesn't even work today, so keep your skills sharp with his How-To guide, focusing on the B2B market.
• Market Forecasting Template
  This guide will give you a mini-seminar on the art and the science of forecasting. Learn the four different ways to create forecasting models and choose the ones that best suit your needs. Then follow these easy-to-follow steps to creating a model where you too can predict the future.
• Paid Search Advertising Template
  If you're a little intimidated by the prospect of Paid Search Advertising, seriously, join the crowd. Here it is though -- a guiding light through the complex waters of Paid Search Advertising. We assembled a 30-page template to make learning and implementing a successful paid search advertising campaign for your firm as easy as possible.
• Competitive Analysis Template
  A thorough competitive analysis is a critical component of a solid marketing plan. It is an exercise that will provide you with valuable insights to guide the development of your business strategy. This 20-page template will make the project quick and easy, and you can end up with a leg up on your compeition.
• Sales & Marketing Alignment - Apr. 2005
  Need a little help getting your marketing efforts in sync with your sales efforts? Look no further. A 2005 study of MarketingProfs members worldwide found that companies that successfully aligned sales with marketing perform better in many sales measures than their “unaligned” competition. Aligned companies enjoyed 5.4% faster growth, 38% more proposals closed, 36% fewer customers lost, and 40% more new business coming from marketing leads than unaligned firms. Read the complete analysis and take advantage of the recommendations from this exhaustive report.
• Sales and Marketing Alignment
  Benchmark Sales Mtkg Alignment

General Management: See all 18 downloads