Writing articles by the best and brightest in the field

• Five Top Tips on How to Write More-Effective PPC Adsby Nick Usborne
  Contextual ads, whether delivered by Google, Yahoo, or any other company, are not standalone ads in the way that a newspaper classified ad is. In fact, your pay-per-click ad is simply the connector between a desired keyword or phrase and a destination landing page. So while you may have some wonderful things to say about your products or services, your PPC ad is not the place to try to cram your latest sales message into 95 characters. more
• Man Bites Giraffe II: A Return Visit With Email Subject Lines From Real Companiesby Josh Nason
  When it comes to email subject lines, the Golden Rule hasn't changed: Tell what's inside, don't sell what's inside. If you have something to sell or a message you want to get across, that subject line better be good... or else your prospects might head to a different neighborhood. more
• Nine Email Tactics That Can Put You Out of Businessby Gwen Moran
  As the technology and the legal issues around email evolve, so should your email marketing programs. Otherwise, you could misstep, and that could cost you opportunities to communicate with your customers or constituents as well as damage credibility. Here are nine pitfalls to avoid, that can put you out of business. 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
• Anatomy of a Novel-Sized Landing Page, Part 2by Kim MacPherson
  In Part 1 of this article, the author talked a little bit about the necessary components to a successful landing page: You need "bones" to hold it all together; you need to keep the message on track and motivating by maintaining a consistent theme throughout; and you need to stir emotions... pique curiosity... and so on. Once a prospect's heart (and all those emotions that go along with it) gets in the game, you're pretty much home free. Well... almost. more
• 25 Ways to Build Trust (and Sales!) with Customer Success Storiesby Casey Hibbard
  Capturing the experiences of your most successful customers not only boosts your credibility but also educates buyers and shows them the payoff of your solutions. Here are 25 ways to use customer success stories in your sales and marketing to increase buyers' trust. more
• Email Marketing Success Is All About the Value of Contentby Steve Adams
  A great-looking email template is important for establishing credibility and brand recognition with readers; but, as the old saying goes, never judge a book by its cover. The same mentality should always be applied to email campaigns. A nice-looking template means nothing if subscribers aren't engaged and interested in what you have to say. The content of your email or newsletter is vital to the success of your campaign. Whether creating awareness, generating sales, or building customer loyalty, it's important to remember what keeps customers coming back for more. 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
• 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
• Email Optimization: How Simple Changes Increase Open Rates, Clickthrough, Response, and Average Order Sizeby Debra Ellis
  Email marketing is likely your most effective tool for improving customer relationships, building brand awareness, and generating sales. It is also the most abused one. Practitioners of knee-jerk planning rely on emails to bolster a sagging month or fill in the holes left when other marketing techniques miss their mark. Even though it works (which is why it is abused), there is a price to be paid. Customers become disenchanted when they receive numerous emails promoting one sale after another or one product over and over. Everyone's threshold is different. Some may opt out after a week, others a month, and still others a year or more. (Note: there tends to be a jump in opt outs at the start of the New Year. People want to start fresh, so they do some housekeeping. If you saw a jump in opt outs in January, then you desperately need to review your email strategy.) The best way to avoid a mass exodus from your subscriber list is to have an email strategy that works with the rest of your marketing. 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
• Seven Tips for Marketing Events With Paid Searchby Brian Combs
  Marketing events with paid search campaigns can be a great source for additional traffic and, with these tips, can also be an efficient promotion channel. more
• Speaking Their Language: How to Localize Your Message for Global Customersby Chanin Ballance
  Many companies already recognize the value of translations for reaching that vast worldwide audience. They've been having product information, press releases, and marketing and advertising copy converted into the languages of their current and potential customers for years. But smart companies realize that to strike a chord with more buyers, they'll have to "localize" their messages so that audiences will feel that everything about an electronic or printed communication has been produced by someone just like them. Not only is the text in their language (with proper idioms and slang), but the graphics, navigation buttons and user interface are familiar. In short, nothing hinders the flow of information—or elicits a chuckle. more
• Boost Your Site Traffic (Part 1): 10 SEO Tips for Higher Search Rankby Kimberly Smith
  Where can you get the best ROI in online media? The answer is simple: great search engine rankings. Learn what it takes to push your listing to the top of your category with these latest exclusive tips from search and linking strategists. more
• 10 High-Impact, Low-Budget Ideas for Marketing in a Down Economy (Part 1)by Jonathan Kranz
  When the going gets tough, the tough get... cheap. Today, a good marketing idea has to be as inexpensive as it is clever. In this first of a two-part series are five inexpensive suggestions that can lead to productive results. more
• Steal This List! 100 Subject Lines (and 7 Tips) That Will Get Your Emails Opened and Clicked onby Kimberly Smith
  Even in a social media world, email pulls as the strongest-performing marketing channel. The first step on the path to strong performance, however, is a compelling subject line. Here's what makes for a good subject line, as well as a list of our own 100 subject lines that will both inspire and delight. more
• Code Blue: A First Aid Kit to Revive a Failing PPC Campaignby William Leake
  Perhaps your spending has spiraled out of control and your conversions haven't budged. Or, like many of us, maybe your performance is fine but your budgets have been slashed, forcing you to produce the same results with less spend. Before you scrap everything and start from scratch, pull out this trusty first-aid kit for PPC campaigns. more
• Honest to Blog: 5 Tips For Developing a Corporate Blogging Policyby Kimberly Smith
  The key to a corporate blog's success lies in a company's ability to earn the trust of its readers, and a well thought out blogging policy can provide the necessary foundation. Here are some of the factors any organization should consider in order to give credence to a blog. more
• Open Letter to the Would-Be CEO Bloggerby Todd Defren
  Dear CEO: Welcome to the blogoshere! So, umm, how do you really start? How do you get started blogging, and do it well? Let's avoid the technical requirements. (You've got people who can figure that stuff out!) Instead, let's focus on creating the right mindset. more
• Usability and Findability—Getting the Synergy Rightby Stephan Spencer
  Finding the balance between search engine optimization (SEO) and a successful user experience can be a challenge. The two strategies can conflict, and companies may mistakenly favor one over the other. more

Writing: See all 549 marketing articles

Writing case studies, deconstructing real life examples and illustrating lessons learned

• 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 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 Weekly Reader Boosted Renewals by Altering Its Direct Marketing Package and CollateralWeekly Reader
  CASE STUDY: Weekly Reader, a publisher of materials for elementary and secondary schools, needed to improve direct mail renewal rates, which had been trending downward. A simple redesign and copy change worked to increase the response rate and orders for the fall school year. 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 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 Finance Director Left Her Day Job and Launched an 'Engaging Brand' Online via a Podcast and BlogThe Engaging Brand
  A finance director, feeling stifled by the corporate world, launches her own business based in branding and egagement... with only $1,000 to spend. Two years later, she's a blog and podcast star with a successful business. more
• How an Online Business Increased Conversions (Sales) on Landing Pages by Up to 12%AutoAnything.com
  AutoAnything.com, which sells custom-made automotive accessories and performance parts, designed its homepage almost a decade ago. But as e-commerce has become more competitive, the site needed a strategy. After testing different versions of landing pages, AutoAnything.com increased landing-page conversions by up to 12%. 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 Patient-Support Program Increased Therapy Participation 20%, Upped SalesActelion Pharmaceuticals US, Inc.
  Tracleer won approval in 2001 as the first oral treatment for pulmonary arterial hypertension, an illness difficult for patients to grasp. Tracleer helps patients control the symptoms, but it has drawbacks. Faced with high patient-dropout rates early on in treatment, the drug's maker needed to change patient perceptions. more
• How an Ice Cream Company Increased Revenue More Than 8% a Year With Low-Cost BlogsDenali Flavors
  Denali Flavors creates and licenses premium ice cream flavors for regional and store brands. Its most popular flavor is Moose Tracks, which is made by more than 80 dairies nationwide—but many consumers have have never heard of it. The company needed to generate awareness at a little cost. So it turned to (where else?) blogs. more
• How a B2C Web Site's Landing-Page Tests Resulted in a 67% Jump in ConversionsBabyCenter
  The landing page for a top Web site's most popular search term converted about 30 percent less frequently than the company's general landing page. By simultaneously testing four new versions of the landing page, the site was able to ensure relevance, increasing conversions 67%—and decreasing abandonment rates. 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
• How a Seasonal Business Increased Off-Season Sales With Five Simple Email TacticsBlooms Today
  Business for Blooms Today boomed around Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. But the company needed a way to drive sales during non-peak times. Via a new email strategy, it increased non-seasonal sales—as well as open and clickthrough rates—and grew its email list 40% in just over a year. more
• How Siemens Medical Proved That a Landing Page with a Single, Compelling Offer Is More EffectiveSiemens Medical Solutions
  Siemens Medical Solutions wanted to elminate links that were secondary to the main offer on landing pages. But Marketing needed to prove its case to other departments. The approach? Test, test, test. more
• How Garden Fresh Realized a Huge Gain in Web Traffic and Longer-Term Loyalty via EmailGarden Fresh Restaurant Corp.
  Garden Fresh Restaurants sought to increase customer engagement with its "Club Veg" loyalty club, totaling more than half a million opt-in members. Its two interactive email campaigns worked like a charm -- leading to huge increases in site traffic and boosting customer loyalty. more
• How a State Agency's Anti-Smoking Campaign Effectively Reached Teens via the Web, TV and Live EventsColorado State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership (STEPP), a division of the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
  One of the more successful tobacco control programs is the "Own Your C" campaign commissioned by the state of Colorado, which has effectively found ways to resonate with this hard-to-reach demographic. more
• How a Tiny Manufacturer Convinced Apple to Stock Its Product and Tripled SalesWi-Gear, Inc.
  Wi-Gear, an independent manufacturer formed in 2004, was focused on one product—a wireless Bluetooth headset—geared toward the Apple iPod. It had a tiny sales and marketing budget and no outside capital. It needed to grow its distribution from just online sales to other retail outlets, preferably Apple Stores. But plenty of competitors also made wireless headphones for iPods, and they too wanted to get into Apple's stores. more
• How a Manufacturer's Sales Team Found the Secret to Efficiently Service a Low-Tech Customer BaseFabcon
  The manufacturing sector is more traditional than most. Many of its customers aren't high tech—some don't even have Internet access. Fabcon, a Minnesota builder of precast wall panels, struggled with marrying its desire for high-tech operational efficiency and its need to service customers in the method that they preferred. more

Writing: See all 33 case studies

Writing online seminar broadcasts from the best minds in marketing

• Extreme PowerPoint Makeover: Transform Your Data-Driven Presentation Beyond Bullet PointsAttendee rating:  - Apr 9, 2009
• Lose Control of your Marketing: The NEW New Rule of Marketing & PRAttendee rating:  - Jan 7, 2009
• Content Marketing: How to Position Your Company as a Trusted Expert ResourceAttendee rating:  - Dec 4, 2008
• Email Customization: Getting Personal to Deepen Relationships, Generate Additional Sales, and MoreAttendee rating:  - May 22, 2008
• Identity Marketing: Using PR to Reach the Minds (and Wallets) of Today's Diverse ConsumersAttendee rating:  - Apr 24, 2008
• Telling a Story that Sells: Case Studies with HeartAttendee rating:  - Feb 14, 2008
• Generating Leads With Compelling White PapersAttendee rating:  - Feb 8, 2008
• Promotions: Instant Gratification for Small Business MarketersAttendee rating:  - Dec 14, 2007
• Customer Carewords: Words on the Web that Make the SaleAttendee rating:  - Dec 13, 2007
• Get More Customer Mindshare: Developing a Rock-Solid Value PropositionAttendee rating:  - Nov 29, 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
• Small Business Series: Positioning, Naming and TaglinesAttendee rating:  - Jul 20, 2007
• Arm Your Sales Team with Collateral That B2B Prospects Really WantAttendee rating:  - Jul 19, 2007
• Customer Message Management 2: Confuser or Clarifier? Creating Customer-Relevant MessagingAttendee rating:  - Jun 8, 2007
• Customer-Centric Communications: It's All Different NowAttendee rating:  - May 24, 2007
• Delivering Presentations That Make the SaleAttendee rating:  - May 3, 2007
• How to Develop Quality e-Newsletter Content Without Breaking the BankAttendee rating:  - Apr 19, 2007
• e-Newsletters: Get Attention and Build LoyaltyAttendee rating:  - Feb 22, 2007
• Crash Course #8: Email - The Power Channel in Direct Marketing TodayAttendee rating:  - Feb 15, 2007

Writing: See all 33 seminars

Writing 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 ...
• 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 ...
• 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 ...
• Now That's a Good Release!Small Business
  "As many of you know," begins an article in a recent edition of the Editorial Emergency newsletter, "[cofounder Julia Rubiner has] been cranking out publicity communications—bios, press releases, one-sheets, corporate ...
• Take a Deep Breath. Do a Brief Test.Search Engine Marketing
  "Do you know what attracts your readers? What headlines they respond to most? Do they respond to pictures? Do they know what your offer is?" asks Peter Da Vanzo in a recent SEObook.com ...
• Getting Testy Again and AgainEmail Marketing
  "Testing can be a powerful tool to move your email marketing program forward," says Kelly Lorenz in a post at the Bronto blog. "Testing can also help you move from ...
• 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, ...
• Try not Pitching at AllSmall Business
  Valeria Maltoni receives four or five press releases on a typical day—and most leave her singularly unimpressed. "'I think you're fabulous' may seem like a good idea for a subject ...
• Short, Sweet and Clicked-ThroughEmail Marketing
  In a post at the DIRECT website, Ken Magill discusses the results of a survey conducted by MailerMailer. Among its more interesting findings: Subject lines containing up to 35 characters ...
• Give Them the B2B Content They WantHigh-Tech Mktg & Sales
  "B2B readers love web content," writes Cris L. Rominger in a post on the Red On Marketing blog. "Anyone who has created or consumed content in the B2B marketplace knows ...
• You Talkin' to Me?Interactive Marketing
  Once in a while, a digital ad grabs you just like that. And one thing that really boosts its impact is if the person featured in it is—you. Read on:  Last year, to sell tickets ...
• Subject: Rock On!Email Marketing
  "A subject line … invites others into your email marketing open house," says Josh Nason in an article at MarketingProfs. "If you have something to sell or a message you ...
• Meet the SEO Royal FamilySearch Engine Marketing
  We all know that content is king in search engine optimization, but in a recent Search Engine Land post, Daniel Waisberg reminds us that "usability is queen." According to Waisberg, ...
• Think of It as a ClubEmail Marketing
  You understand how email delivery works, but perhaps you have trouble explaining the process to your boss, a client or a colleague. If so, you're in luck. An entertaining post ...
• Summer's Coming: Make LemonadeMarketing in a Downturn
  "The economic downturn spells bad news to most marketers," says Jack Trout in a post at the Branding blog, "but a slump also presents an opportunity to build brands." He ...
• No Chocolate in the Peanut Butter!Email Marketing
  "There are many similarities between social media marketing and email," says Ross Kramer in an article at MarketingProfs, "but they are two distinct marketing channels and they should be used ...
• Keep in Touch This Summer, OK?Email Marketing
  As summer approaches, and your subscribers begin to go on holidays, you might wonder whether you should scale back your email campaigns. But in a post at the Email Experience ...
• No Peeking!Email Marketing
  When you order a gift for someone, it's always disappointing if they discover what they're receiving ahead of time. This must have been a problem for L.L.Bean customers who share ...
• Spice Up That Limbo SpaceInteractive Marketing
  Yet another promising piece to add to your digital-strategy arsenal: how about interstitial :15-:30 video spots? This summer, ShortTail Media is launching a beta for its Digital 30 (D30) program—full-page ...
• Green Facts for GreenbacksEmail Marketing
  In the past, recessions have proven disastrous to the momentum of eco-conscious movements. But not this time. "There is a growing body of evidence that [green policies pay big] dividends," ...

Writing: See all 271 quick reads

Writing marketing downloads for the busy professional

• 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.
• 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.

See all marketing downloads

Writing Daily Chirp for the busy professional

• iComicRelief
  Apple has certainly captured the heart of consumers across the globe with the iPhone, and it recently announced new, upgraded models at the WWDC Conference this past week, after having recently hit 1 billion app downloads at the iTunes store. more
• Marketing Addictionary: 'TechNO'
  TechNO: (idiom) Using technology as a lame excuse for not going out, or not accepting a social proposal or date. more
• Marketing Addictionary: 'Mobsmacked'
  Mobsmacked: (adjective) That stunned feeling you get when your marketing efforts worked TOO well, and you can't keep up with customer demand. more
• Marketing Addictionary: 'Social Notworking'
  Social Notworking: (noun) The pursuits of those who spend their workday on Twitter. more