Web Sites articles by the best and brightest in the field

• Achieving Relevance in Direct Digital Marketing: An Introductionby Bryce Marshall
  There are five keys to making a relevance-centered approach a reality in your direct digital marketing programs(such as email, websites, mobile, and so on). more
• Boost Your Business With Seven Easy Digital Marketing Techniques for Lead Generationby Yael K. Penn
  Growing your in-house database should be at the top of every marketers list. Why? When done correctly, it will house your most-qualified and responsive prospects. Though organic list growth may take time and effort, you will love the rewards. Consider the following techniques to acquire new leads and grow your list with success. more
• Why All the Talk About Dog Food?by Aaron Strout
  Have you ever heard the expression "eat your own dog food"? It's a concept that essentially means that one is "walking the talk," or leading by example. Many companies have talked about being "customer-focused," but how many really are? Unfortunately, just saying you're committed to doing something is dramatically different from actually doing it. There is no place where this idea is truer than in the world of social media and online communities. more
• My So-Called Marketing Life: How Do I Extend the Reach of My Brand?by Susyn Duris
  Although she has been successful in promoting and extending corporate brands, the author entered into another chapter of her life a few years ago: re-energizing an acting career. Eventually, she came to see marketing herself as an actor as the same as marketing any other product or service. She revisited common-sense ideas on how to extend a brand. These common-sense ideas, usually known but put on the marketer's back burner, should always be top of mind to help you get noticed and extend your brand. more
• Why You Are Unpopular Online: Six Ways to Doom Your Community-Building Effortsby Mack Collier
  Companies are increasingly looking to create vibrant and healthy online communities for their businesses. But many companies are seeing their efforts fail or produce flat results. Here are six reasons why many online communities never materialize, and what you can do to improve your own efforts to build online communities. more
• Online Reputation Management: A View From the Topby Leslie Gaines-Ross
  The first few months of 2009 have already been tumultuous for reputations. So what can be done? Below, some of the findings of that online-reputation study as they relate to seven realities of managing online reputation in today's world—and some solutions to strengthen your reputation in the months ahead. more
• 53 Smartphone Applications for On-the-Go Marketersby Kimberly Smith
  While games remain the most widely downloaded smartphone apps, developers haven't forgotten about those of us who have work to do. In fact, we found quite a few apps that are useful for marketers. Take a gander, and then tell us the applications you've found useful for improving productivity and staying up-to-date on all things marketing. more
• The Art and Science of Web Analytics: Going Beyond the Status Quoby Chris Golec
  Companies are realizing that in today's competitive business environment, marketers must go beyond the status quo of a Web site that acts like a brochure if they are to induce user behavior and enter the world of opportunity outside of counting visitors and click-throughs. The trick is to combine both art and science to understand your customers and maximize your marketing mix. While analytics are definitely a starting point, B2B firms need to move beyond that to turn their Web sites into a lead-generation tool. more
• Five Ways to Maximize ROW (Return on Webinar)by Kimberly Smith
  How can your webinar receive a standing ovation? In a follow-up to last week's article, here's a guide to the technical steps for ensuring your webinar becomes a smash hit... as much within your own organization as among the intended audience. more
• Webinar Essentials: Five Must-Have Ingredients of Successby Kimberly Smith
  For cooking up new leads or positioning a company as a thought leader and trusted industry resource, webinars serve as an effective tactic. They create dialog and tempt prospects to get to know you better. In fact, webinars can become a company's best lead-generation tool; now get the scoop on what goes into planning a great online event from our own online event team. more
• Opportunity Rocks: Establishing Your Natural-Search Goalsby John Thielmann
  Measuring your natural-search performance is definitely a good idea. However, establishing goals for your natural-search program is what will help communicate direction for the program and serve as a guide for measuring overall success. The challenge lies in establishing realistic goals in an achievable timeframe. more
• Secrets of Viral Video: Three Keys to Launching a Campaign That Resonatesby Kimberly Smith
  Video viewing is way up, but so are video postings. These days, it takes more than a dancing baby to attract eyeballs and gather viral momentum. Here's a straightforward guide for netting your audience's attention, with advice from organizations that are working video to their advantage. more
• Advice to Out-of-Workers: Read This Before You 'Network' With Meby Lori Feldman
  Before you ask me to go to work for you, go to work for yourself. When you've implemented the suggestions above, I'm more receptive to helping you connect with your next job opportunity. But I don't have time or inclination to work with job-seeking networking spammers. Heed the lesson of the online social networkers: "It's the relationship, stupid." You won't stay unemployed forever. But the work you put into documenting your accomplishments online and taking an interest in others in your field is a long-term investment in yourself. more
• Anatomy of a Novel-Sized Landing Page (Part 1)by Kim MacPherson
  A good landing page should tell a story. But filling the page with fluff isn't going to sell your product or service. There is a method to the madness behind the creation of a great splash or jump page. And it's a pretty systematic, organized, and detailed method, at that. more
• Should You Launch a Brand Community?by Nancy Strauss
  On company Web sites everywhere, community sections are popping up—both a cause and an effect of a climate in which more and more marketing directors and brand managers are being asked by their companies, "Why don't we do something 2.0?" Although an online community can bring innumerable benefits to a brand, launching one is a project that should be considered carefully, to ensure that your efforts will have the desired results. more
• Did My Video Ad Work? How to Use Simple Tools to Measure the Effectiveness of Online Video Adsby Diaz Nesamoney
  Do video ads work to turn viewers into buyers and passionate brand advocates? For starters, measurement of the effectiveness of video ads gets bogged down by syndication, viral distribution, viewing via social networks, and many other factors. So how can you find out if your video ad "worked"—an even more important question in tough economic times when marketing budgets are tight? more
• Five Reasons to Change Your Registration Page (and Boost Conversions)by Amy Gesenhues
  Want to improve your online conversion rates? Reconsider your registration page. Whether your conversion process includes registering for a demo, signing up for an e-newsletter, or making a purchase, there are particular rules you should follow. more
• Endurance Training: Five Brand-Building Exercisesby Kimberly Smith
  When the slow season strikes, devote some energy to pumping up your brand. These five exercises will show you where to start to best position yourself for the inevitable upturn. more
• 10 High-Impact, Low-Budget Ideas for Marketing in a Down Economy (Part 2)by Jonathan Kranz
  Earlier this month, the author offered five ideas for getting ahead in an economy that's got us down. As promised, here are five more inexpensive (yet powerful!) ideas that can help you and your business come out on top. more
• Whether and How to Build a Branded Customer Communityby Kimberly Smith
  First, there were blogs. Next came mass-market social-networking sites. Now some companies are bringing it all under one roof and hosting their own interactive online customer communities. Should yours be doing the same? Well, to quote an oft-quoted answer, "it depends." more

Web Sites: See all 637 marketing articles

Web Sites case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned

• How an Interactive Game Stimulated Product Awareness and SalesSony United
  CASE STUDY: To differentiate itself in a crowded consumer-electronics market, Sony Electronics leveraged a bond—James Bond—with sister company Sony Pictures. A Bond-themed interactive game and sweepstakes resulted in 45,000 clickthroughs to product pages—and a 12-15% increase in sales of those products. more
• How a Single Modification to a Web Site's Functionality Significantly Upped Natural Search Traffic, SalesDiapers.com
  CASE STUDY: Customer reviews are powerful, held in high regard by consumers—and search engines, which love keyword-rich content. But the technology that serves up reviews on a product page makes them all but invisible to those engines. By getting around that conundrum, Diapers.com scored big. more
• How a Little Sweet Talkin' on a Company Blog Led to Increased Search Engine Rankings, SalesFairytale Brownies
  CASE STUDY: Fairytale Brownies cooked up a win-win strategy to satisfy both its bottom line and its costumers' preferences. It created magic with a brownie blog optimized for search and attuned to customers' deepest dessert desires. The result? Some very happy endings. more
• How One Company's Content Marketing Improved Qualified Lead Generation, Boosted Revenue 38%Intellitactics, Inc.
  CASE STUDY: Good content can position your company as an expert in its field, delivering more and better-qualified traffic to your door. Here's how one company leveraged its vendor-neutral whitepapers, podcasts, and more to increase leads, conversion, and (ultimately) revenue. more
• How Intuit Used Viral Marketing and an Interactive Web Site to Generate Small-Business Leads, Engage CustomersIntuit, Inc.
  CASE STUDY: Inspired by the viral success of Office Max's "Elf Yourself," QuickBooks-maker Intuit set out to creatively engage small businesses with its "Jingle Generator." The effort exceeded targeted metrics, earning viral a spot in the marketing mix. more
• How Branded Social Communities Help Sony Increase Consumer Engagement, Loyalty... and Sales!Sony Electronics
  CASE STUDY: Sony Electronics rolled out a series of online, community-focused features aimed at providing value for (and connecting with) personal electronics users. The effort is paying off with high usage, increased customer insight, loyalty... and sales growth. more
• How a Viral Campaign Gave OfficeMax Brand Recognition, Drove ShoppersOfficeMax, Inc.
  CASE STUDY: Office supply chain OfficeMax also sells digital cameras and other products popular as holiday gifts—but its customers didn't think of it as a holiday-shopping destination. What's more, it was often confused with its chief rival. A wildly popularly web-based viral marketing campaign helped OfficeMax distinguish itself and encourage shoppers. more
• How NHL.com's Online Campaign Helped Dodge Launch a New Vehicle, Exceed Sales ForecastsNHL.com
  CASE STUDY: Before any talk of bailouts, Chrysler called on 15 Web sites to help improve consumers' perception of the Dodge brand and launch its first crossover vehicle, the Journey. NHL.com cut through the clutter and delivered the brand message. Here's how. more
• How a Nonprofit's Web Site Redesign Increased Functionality, Public Interest, and DonationsAcumen Fund
  CASE STUDY: For nonprofits like the Acumen Fund, which uses philanthropic capital to help finance foreign entrepreneurs, the human story is key for capturing the attention of would-be volunteers and investors. Here's how a site redesign helped in a big way. more
• How a Diving Equipment Retailer Leveraged Targeted Web Site Promotions to Lift Revenue, ConversionsDivers Direct
  CASE STUDY: Senior management at scuba-supply outfit Divers Direct weren't convinced they needed to run promotions or offer discounts to increase Web sales. A test using Sitebrand's personalization platform quickly changed that perception. more
• How New Media Helped Auction Direct USA Boost Sales 40%Auction Direct USA
  CASE STUDY: While auto dealerships across the nation struggle to survive in the new economy, Auction Direct USA's business is expanding. In fact, its fresh approach to online marketing has transformed the brand of this "used car dealer" to drive up sales. more
• How a Nonprofit Used New Banner-Ad Technology and Market Insight to Create an Effective Viral CampaignThe Blue Cross
  CASE STUDY: Founded in 1897, the Blue Cross is one of the UK's oldest animal welfare charities. It built an online community of pet owners - then launched a viral campaign, including rich media, that had people flocking to the social network. more
• How a Controversial Book Became a Bestseller via an Aggressive Web CampaignVanguard Press
  CASE STUDY: When the current POTUS is the villain of your book, it doesn't matter that you're a best-selling author... because the mainstream media will find it too hot to touch. So what do you do? You go to the Web. more
• How a Telecommunications Company Enlisted the Quirkiness of an Offbeat Celebrity to Build Brand AwarenessGotVMail Communications, LLC
  CASE STUDY: GotVMail set out to raise brand awareness, promoting itself in a way that would both amuse its audience and set the company apart. What resulted was a viral video campaign starring Gary Busey. more
• How a Telecommunications Company Used Video to Streamline Its Sales ProcessDigium
  CASE STUDY: Digium created a Web-based video that covered all the essential points of in-person presentations, but in a format more easily accessible to all of its sales outlets. The results: a more efficient sales process and an effective press tool. more
• How a Software Company Generated Strong Click-Through Rates on FacebookSerena Software
  CASE STUDY: How could a software developer call attention to its new product? Serena Software developed a video Facebook application that garnered big results and, along the way, challenged the channel's reputation for negligible return. more
• How a Technology Firm Used Social Media to Build Awareness for Its Web-based Monitoring ProductRadian6
  CASE STUDY - How does a social-media monitoring company build excitement for its flagship product? In the case of Radian6, it leveraged (you guessed it) social media and the medium's inherent word-of-mouth properties. Here's how. 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 an Email Marketing Solution Startup Signed up 300 Customers in 7 DaysMad Mimi
  This past spring, Mad Mimi's marketing challenge was to create a big splash in the crowded pool of email marketing providers. With no ad budget, the company reached out virally to certain segments of the tech community, including bloggers. The result: a grassroots-driven awareness, positive buzz, and some 300 new customers within a week. 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

Web Sites: See all 65 case studies

Web Sites online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Cracking the Code: Web Analytics for Paid Search AdvertisingAttendee rating:  - Jun 25, 2009
• Behind the Online Curtain: Secrets for Building a Successful Webinar ProgramAttendee rating:  - Apr 23, 2009
• Next Steps with Your Blog: Building Excitement, Readership and CommunityAttendee rating:  - Mar 27, 2009
• Not Blogging Yet? What Marketers Need to Know to Get StartedAttendee rating:  - Mar 26, 2009
• How to Make Your B-to-B Website a Lead Generation MachineAttendee rating:  - Feb 26, 2009
• Content Marketing: How to Position Your Company as a Trusted Expert ResourceAttendee rating:  - Dec 4, 2008
• How to Motivate Online Action: Compelling Incentives for B2B Lead GenerationAttendee rating:  - Nov 6, 2008
• Actionable Web Analytics: Unleash the Marketing Power of Your Web DataAttendee rating:  - Aug 28, 2008
• Proven Ways to Create Engaging Online Customer ExperiencesAttendee rating:  - Aug 21, 2008
• Advanced Tactics in SEO: Part Art, Part Science Attendee rating:  - Mar 27, 2008
• Social Media for Marketers: A 15-Step Process to Engage with Your Customers OnlineAttendee rating:  - Mar 13, 2008
• Going Global on the Web: Avoid the Pitfalls and Seize the OpportunitiesAttendee rating:  - Feb 28, 2008
• Generating Leads With Compelling White PapersAttendee rating:  - Feb 8, 2008
• Strategy First on Facebook: Opportunities of a Ready-Made Marketing PlatformAttendee rating:  - Jan 10, 2008
• Seth Godin: How to Avoid The Meatball SundaeAttendee rating:  - Jan 3, 2008
• Customer Carewords: Words on the Web that Make the SaleAttendee rating:  - Dec 13, 2007
• Publicity Power Tool: Building a Great Online Press KitAttendee rating:  - Nov 15, 2007
• Post-Click Marketing: How to Make Your Landing Pages Hit, Not MissAttendee rating:  - Sep 13, 2007
• What Marketers Need to Know about Podcasting and Streaming VideoAttendee rating:  - Aug 9, 2007
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Really Big WebsitesAttendee rating:  - Jun 28, 2007

Web Sites: See all 45 seminars

Web Sites mini articles distilling bite-sized advice (from our Get to the Point newsletters)

• Where SEO Yin Meets SM YangSearch Engine Marketing
  "Is your website search- and social-media-friendly?" inquires a recent post at the Online Marketing Blog. According to Lee Odden, search is the most efficient and effective way for consumers to ...
• Team Up for Social MediaMarketing Inspiration
  Managing your social-media presence can be a full-time job. And in a pair of videos embedded at the HubSpot blog, Mike Volpe interviews Paula Bergs about Southwest's Emerging Media team, ...
• Stupid—But Enlightened About ItMarketing Inspiration
  What's worse? A stupid marketer who remains blissfully unaware of his ignorance, or one who recognizes—and embraces—his stupidity? In a YouTube homage to Christopher Guest, Kevin Nalty (aka Nalts) adopts ...
• Is This My Fairest URL of All?Interactive Marketing
  As of June 13, Facebook has made it possible for users to secure a URL for both their profiles and any Facebook Pages they administer. Why this matters: Facebook is ...
• Optimize B2B Email for Search, Pt. IB2B Marketing
  "I get a fairly large number of content marketing emails each week," writes Galen de Young in a post at the B2B Marketing Blog. "I'm surprised how many of them ...
• I Feel Your Pain—Here's an AspirinSmall Business
  "When your visitor arrives at your site," says Pete Caputa in a post at HubSpot, "they're most likely looking to solve a problem. In order to grab their attention and ...
• It All Comes Down to ProcessEmail Marketing
  We spend a lot of time discussing topics like deliverability and relevance, but rarely touch on another factor that plays a critical role in successful email marketing campaigns. "Process is ...
• Two Xs Mark the SpotMarketing Inspiration
  The current ad campaign from brewer Dos Equis features a fictional spokesperson it calls The Most Interesting Man in the World—a dashing chap engaged in a series of action-oriented vignettes ...
• Mom Probably Knows BestEmail Marketing
  In a post at the Deliverability.com blog, Dennis Dayman presents a short series of off-the-cuff emails that his wife wrote in response to his question about video in email marketing ...
• Seed That Video and Reap Its HarvestInteractive Marketing
  Good news for all you budding Spielbergs out there: YouTube this month made it possible to automatically seed freshly uploaded videos across popular social networks like Facebook and Twitter, and even ...
• Stay Away from Plug-and-PlayB2B Marketing
  Diana Huff offers an interesting warning to small businesses in a recent post at her B2B Marcom Writer blog: When creating a website, keep away from companies that offer "plug-and-play" ...
• Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me a MatchSmall Business
  Anyone can claim to design websites. So before you hire a designer, it's important to ask a few key questions. Oliver Feakins of WebTalent recommends starting with a request to ...
• Nobody Likes a Wild-Goose ChaseEmail Marketing
  Chad White of the Retail Email blog was impressed when he recently received an email from Lands' End with this subject line: Free Shipping + 20-50% off summer! Swim, shorts, ...
• Analyze ThisMarketing Analytics
  When analyzing the success of your email campaigns, you might be staring right at useful data that goes unused. Take, for instance, the amount of newsletter copy used to tease ...
• You Want Me to Shave Where?!Marketing Inspiration
  If you're a man, your father probably taught you how to shave your face. It's highly improbable, though, that he included a lesson on shaving the rest of your body. ...
• Mixology 101Email Marketing
  In a post at the Daily Fix blog, Stephanie Miller says you don't have to choose between the social and email channels. "No need to take sides, my friends," she ...
• Be a Pocket MillionaireInteractive Marketing
  Right in time for the much-anticipated iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update debut on June 17, AdMob has introduced a slew of ad units that will help enterprising advertisers make the most ...
• Pack 'Em InSmall Business
  In a post at the Viral Garden blog, Mack Collier discusses why so many companies struggle to launch and maintain active online communities. To find success, you'll need more than ...
• Latest List-Growing StrategiesEmail Marketing
  In cooperation with Ball State University and the Email Marketers Club, ExactTarget studied 18 methods used by marketers to build an email list. Among the results published in its 2009 ...
• Sign Me Up!Small Business
  If you want to improve your online-conversion rate, says Amy Gesenhues in an article at MarketingProfs, you should probably take a look at your registration page. There are several reasons ...

Web Sites: See all 291 quick reads

Web Sites marketing downloads for the busy professional

• The Obama Playbook: How Digital Marketing and Social Media Won the Election
  Want to create a veritable army of customer-advocates to champion your brand? The Obama Playbook: How Digital Marketing and Social Media Won the Election shows you how the Obama campaign masterfully used new media to build awareness, engage prospects, and start a movement. It takes you step-by-step through the new media strategies of the campaign and provides actionable guidance on how you can modify each to benefit your business. Both entertaining and useful, it's an invaluable resource for the savvy marketer who wants to take full advantage of the amazing powers of new media.
• Web 2.0 Marketing Guide
  Here's a straight shooting guide on how Web 2.0 can help you grow your business
• 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.
• Online Research How-To Guide
  Set clear objectives and a realistic scope to online research projects. These are just two of the steps that this comprehensive, step-by-step planning guide will help you to accomplish to insure your online research results in the most relevant and useful information possible.
• Lead Generation How-To Guide
  Great product, great sales team, great marketing collateral - now what? People to sell to, of course. Put your lead generation tactics under the microscope with this enlightening how-to guide. Get more and better qualified leads, faster today.
• Blogging Summit 2005 - MP3 Recording
  Blogging Summit 2005 - MP3 Recording
• Blogging Summit 2005 - Transcript
  Blogging Summit 2005 - Transcript

Web Sites: See all 8 downloads

Web Sites Daily Chirp for the busy professional

• Know What Happens When You Don't Advertise? Google Knows.
  It's safe to say the first batch of post-dot-com-bubble brands have come into their own. Brands like Google, eBay, and Amazon. The one thing that sets them apart? They became successful without the support of television advertising to help launch them. more
• Twitter and Trolls and Squatters... Oh My!
  Recently, St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa sued Twitter for the misappropriation of his name by an anonymous account holder (the now vacant @TonyLaRussa) who had a whopping four followers. One issue that the incident brings to mind is Web anonymity and the plethora of online trolls, squatters, and the like that reside on social sites such as Twitter and Digg. more
• Streaming Music 2.0
  Top 40. Jazz. Alternative. To stream music online, you have several choices. Whether you want radio or individual songs, some of the more popular sites are radio paradise Pandora, Last.fm, iLike and imeem—and a relatively new site. more
• Website URLs Are so 2005
  Social network popularity is growing. So much that even TV is noticing. Major brands now list URLs not to their websites but to the social networks that they're on. "Look for us on Facebook" or "Follow us on Twitter" is becoming more widespread. more
• Eyes Glued Open: Video on the Internet
  Media—from television to Internet video sites like YouTube and Hulu—consume more and more of our time nowadays. A Nielsen quarterly report gauges the influence of these media in our every daily lives. The findings are eye-opening. more
• How Much Has Apple Really Made from iPhone Apps?
  It was just a month ago that Apple reached the prestigious mark of 1 billion downloads from its iPhone App Store—a huge milestone. The enormous number of downloaded apps elicits the question: How much money has Apple really made from paid apps? more
• Twitter in Real Life
  Twitter has swept the world as an Internet phenomenon. What would it be like if we lived out our offline lives speaking in 140 characters or less? The results would be hilarious, if this video is any evidence. more
• Hulu: From TV to 'Bliggedy Blogs'
  Hulu has certainly made a big splash in the online video world. It's quickly becoming a favorite way to watch TV shows and movies. But what's ironic is that traditional TV ads have been instrumental in its growth. more
• My Big Fat Job List
  Looking for a job in what CNN calls the "worst job market" in decades? To help with your search, we've compiled a Big Fat List of some of the most popular job boards and career resources, including marketing-focused sites. more