Most of us would agree that the entire point of a press release is getting media outlets to report on its contents. The more coverage, the better. So imagine David Meerman Scott's bemusement when he received a release accompanied by a sternly worded—and counterintuitive—legal notice that forbade its dissemination: "This ... more

In a post at the Emma blog, Jim Hitch tells the story of two emails he received within 20 minutes of each other. "They're similar at first glance," he says. "Almost identical, really. Both are very image-heavy, both came from brand-name clothing retailers, both include simple calls to action, both ... more

Back in December, Geoff Livingston and Beth Harte created a lighthearted blog post entitled "Top 25 Ways to Tell if Your Social Media Expert Is a Carpetbagger." With the wild rush to capitalize on social media, the pair note that "there are many, many companies, agencies and consultants rushing to ... more

In a wide-ranging video interview with BNET, strategist RJ Talyor of ExactTarget discusses a range of email marketing issues, and provides insight on the best way to handle messages sent to subscribers, whether they're reading email at their desk or on the go. Says Talyor, "You need to develop an ... more

"Social media, like any new marketing channel, is a sticky slope for B2B marketers," says Justin Hitt in a recent blog. "I personally prefer keeping social media 'business social' rather than polluting it with advertisements." But, wait a minute: if ads are out, what else can B2B marketers do to ... more

In a guest post at the HubSpot blog, Paul Gillin argues that women's interest magazines like Redbook face the same basic challenge as your online properties: grabbing a distracted person's attention and convincing her to become a regular reader. As he analyzes a sample issue swiped from his gym, he ... more

Ah, the mobile phone: we know it well as consumers, and as such are in a perfect position to approach it from a direct marketer's POV. Here are a few ground rules for truly covetable mobile marketing: Bait your line. A useful iPhone app could do you right, as could ... more

Brand extensions are a popular promotional tactic with marketers. It just feels safe to promote a new product by piggy-backing it with a proven winner. But what type of extension ads work best? Here's an interesting study that might help with your next promo. Researchers ran three experiments to test ... more

"It probably comes as no surprise," say Kara Trivunovic and Andrew Osterday in an article at MarketingProfs, "[that] the process of acquiring new customers comes with one of the higher price tags of any of your marketing initiatives." This places a high priority on the cultivation of customer loyalty—and, therefore, ... more

Gary Vaynerchuk is a podcast natural—the affable, energetic wine aficionado has become an Internet superstar by producing entertaining reviews for his Wine Library series. "Because they give relevant information, the podcasts brand Gary Vee as the resource for wine," says Lisa Formica in an article at MarketingProfs. "As a result, ... more

A prospective customer does a search for a product your company carries, and your brand appears in the number one, three, five and seven spots. Terrific, right? Not necessarily. As Shari Thurow, author of the forthcoming book When Search Meets Web Usability, wrote in a recent blog, finding the same content delivered ... more

Like most of us, Christina Kerley (a.k.a. CK) will admit that she uses her digital video recorder to whiz past commercials on recorded programs. "So when I find a commercial that I like enough to watch—enough to rewind and re-watch the spot—it warrants a post," she says. One campaign she ... more

"One of the little secrets in email marketing is that it's not the same people opening your emails each time," says Mark Brownlow in a post at Email Marketing Reports. "Even if your open rate stays relatively constant, a closer look reveals that it's (usually) different people opening each time." ... more

"I've often written about 'NASCAR Blindness,'" says Alan Wolk in an intelligent post at MarketingProfs' Daily Fix blog, "the strongly held belief that if no one in your little bubble of upscale artsy BoBo friends is into something, then clearly no one else could be either—and how it afflicts the ... more

"Do you ever get that nervous feeling when you click to launch your email marketing campaign?" asks Janine Popick in a recent post at the VerticalResponse blog. "You do it, but then you might quickly cancel it because you need to take just one more look at your content." We ... more

Because your customers will abandon online purchases if they encounter a tedious checkout process, it's critical to make your e-commerce functionality simple and efficient. In a post at the Conversation Marketing blog, Ian Lurie offers recommendations like these: Never make a customer log in before ... more

"To get a running start on 2009 projects, yesterday we googled-up some corporate capability brochures to get some ideas," writes Dave J. in a recent B2Blog post. "Immediately, I was drawn [to] what was wrong in these publications." Now, lots of B2B companies have a "Who We Are and What ... more

Last year, Google and MediaVest reported on a brainwave-tracking study about banner ads. According to the ad giants, banner ads rated a 6.3 in effectiveness—which was said to be a "very encouraging score." But combined with overlays, the effectiveness of banner ads increases to 6.6. This is because users find ... more

Ah, chocolate. Who doesn't love it? Short of an ice cream cone, nothing produces an instant state of bliss better than a good chunk of the sweet stuff. Now, a new research study presents chocolate as a product that can virtually sell itself—better than any marketer can, anyway. These researchers ... more

When your subscribers cut back on spending, you might be tempted to compensate for lost revenue by stepping up your email campaigns. But be forewarned: It's a potentially hazardous strategy. "Instead of being financially rewarded for emailing more," says Barton Schaefer, PhD in an article at MarketingProfs, "you may be punished ... more

When you have a great idea—a true light-bulb moment—you don't want to be bothered with pesky marketing research that tells you it won't work. "People who really, really want to believe, will believe," says Steve Cuno in an article at MarketingProfs, "regardless of where the evidence points." But to avoid ... more

In a recent post at Harvard Business Online, Scott Anthony coined the term Great Disruption to describe our current economic climate. "In the Great Depression," he reasons, "demand, output and wages declined across the board. Today's times are different. It isn't just that demand is sagging. It's that change is ... more

You can always find someone willing to sell you a solution for boosting your keyword effectiveness. But in a recent blog post, search marketer PotPieGirl offered her favorite free keyword research tools: Your brain. We were all consumers before we were marketers, she reminds us. So ask yourself, "If I ... more

If you've made some recent improvements—whether to your product, service or customer experience—now is the time to trumpet those changes!  A new year, with consumers anxious for a new start, is a great time to tell your subscribers what they can expect on their next visit to your site. In a post at the ... more

In a post at the HubSpot blog, Prashant Kaw says his small education-oriented Web site has achieved remarkable Google rankings in a category loaded with heavyweight competitors. His dependence on the search engine, though, gives him cause for concern. "While marveling at my site's ability to outrank large .edu behemoths ... more