If you sell products to consumers, the year-end holidays are a make-or-break big deal. So, making sure online buyers find you easily and happily by planning your search strategy ahead of launch is paramount. Derek Gordon provides some useful tips for doing so in a recent issue of VatorNews. Among them:  ... more

In a post at the Email Wars blog, Dylan Boyd praises a recent message from Banana Republic. The minimalist email used simple text on an all-black background to announce an online sale that took place on 09.09.09. The copy read like this: "9 Hours Only! 20% off our favorite styles ... more

There are infinite ways to destroy an email marketing program. And in a recent humorous post at the Deliverability.com blog, Andrew Kordek explains how to ruin your reputation in nine easy steps. It's easier than you think! Among Kordek's "tips": Blather. "First and foremost," he begins, "you need to understand ... more

Across all demographics—and yes, we mean all demographics—social networks are where the traffic's at. Because barriers to entry are low and engagement is high, this is perfect turf for marketers who want to communicate with users on a personal level. Best way to do that? Invite them to share in an immersive ... more

"Dog Whisperer" Cesar Millan had a problem. With an abysmal delivery rate of 81.29 percent, his email campaigns weren't getting through to many of the people who wanted them. "The company was constantly getting complaints from its subscribers," explains a mobileStorm case study. "Consumers claimed they hadn't received Cesar Millan's ... more

Today's marketers are challenged to implement multiple techniques—from search to affiliate to media advertising and more—to achieve different results. Each channel has its own set of rules, its own potential results, even its own manager (whether outsourced or in-house) to keep things running smoothly. Although, in theory, each channel can operate ... more

US Internet revenue for the first half of 2009 came in at $10.9 billion, down 5.3% from the same period in 2008, according to the IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report. more

For the small-business owner, getting your name out via local search is a must. And to many marketers, that means optimizing for Google's universal results. After all, Google is the leader of the search-engine pack these days. But as David Mihm points out in a recent article at Search Engine ... more

According to The Wrap, ABC has chosen an unorthodox way to promote a new comedy on its fall schedule—by keeping it hush-hush. "The network is offering the sneak peak of '[Modern Family]' only to members of a special online fan base it's built called ABC Inner Circle," writes Josef Adalian. ... more

Not long ago, the friend of a MarketingProfs colleague—we'll call him Pete—sighed in annoyance as he tapped furiously on his iPhone's keypad. He was visibly angry as he explained he had just received "the thousandth email this month" from a major retailer. "I'm sick of it," he said. "I'm unsubscribing. ... more

Relevancy matters to women when receiving marketing communications. More than half (58%) of respondents in a recent survey said they want information that pertains to their lifestyle or relates to their recent purchases. more

This summer, Pear Analytics released a study that got plenty of play in the Twitter/blogosphere. According to the Pear research, 40.5 percent of the messages published on social-media-darling Twitter are "pointless babble," and a mere 8.7 percent of tweets have pass-along value to others. The piece won itself a lot of ... more

It's not just the recession; the digital revolution has wreaked havoc on traditional music retailers, who can rarely match online juggernauts like iTunes or eMusic on price or convenience. "As of April," reports Amy Kaufman at The Wrap, "there were 185 record stores in the LA area, down from 259 ... more

After improving in August, The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index dipped in September and now stands at 53.1 (1985=100). Consumers' outlook on jobs and business conditions in the months ahead also sagged. more

US consumers are increasingly using e-coupons, as well as their traditional print cousins, to trim spending as the recession drags on. more

Spending on advertising in Jan.-June 2009 fell 14.3% YOY, but the telecom category experienced solid growth (7.5%), with Sprint Nextel, AT&T, and Verizon increasing spending 55.3%, 6.3% and 3.1% respectively. more

We've seen Sarah Haskins critique advertising that patronizes women, and now it's time for Bryan Safi's take on commercials that handle gay topics with varying degrees of respect. In this occasionally off-color video from Current TV, he begins with a few ads that use gay men as the punchline for ... more

If you read many email marketing blogs, you've probably noticed their authors tend to hate the word "blast." Scott Cohen is no exception, and—in a post called "The Naughtiest Word in Email Marketing"—he discusses "its general evilness and lack of thought about the recipients." Here's why he believes the word should ... more

Time spent on social network and blogging sites accounted for 17% of all the time Americans spent online in August 2009, nearly triple the figure for August 2008. Ad spending more than doubled over the same period. more

If we asked you to name the company associated with the term "Big Blue" you'd probably reply "IBM" without a moment's hesitation. And in an article at MarketingProfs, William Arruda says that color is one of the most important components in your branding toolbox. "[S]ome organizations are so consistent and ... more

Facebook has entered into a multiyear partnership with Nielsen to allow better measurement of the effectiveness of advertising on the widely popular social networking site. The alliance is yet another move by Facebook to heighten its attractiveness as a marketing platform. more

"It seems to me that this is the time when marketers should be pushing the envelope, yet it seems like most aren't," says DJ Francis in a post at the iMedia Connection blog. Instead, he says, they are buying into several recession-marketing myths that could do them more harm than ... more

Women with children at home are more likely to use Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter than average adults, according to a newly released survey. They're big on word-of-mouth, and some 15.3% maintain a blog. more

The humor, education, home improvement, and B2B site categories experienced the biggest gains in August. The ad network with the greatest reach was AOL Advertising, followed by Yahoo! Network and Google Ad Network. more

Comedian Sarah Haskins is back with another Target Women video at Current TV that skewers gender-based advertising clichés—this time it's the Doofy Husband. "Being a woman isn't easy," she says in a mock serious tone. "We work, we take care of the house, we raise children, and we do it ... more