How is marketing automation like the Wizard of Oz? Without being noticed, both work furiously behind the scenes to produce an experience that works like magic. Check out the following infographic to find out just what marketing automation can do for your business. more

We've got movie trailers on Vine AND Instagram, Pinnable banners, a touching social service tale, GIFs on Google+, shareable live presentations, and customizable Flipboard magazines. And everything you need to know about Summly, new ad and Page features on Facebook, Klout for Business, and a personal assistant app you can ... more

Google was the top-ranked Web property in February 2013, attracting some 228.1 million total unique visitors via desktop and mobile devices in the US, according to comScore's newly launched Media Metrix Multi-Platform service. more

Despite much debate over the value of social networks to small business marketing, growing numbers of small business owners view social media as an effective tool, according to a survey from Constant Contact. Surveyed small businesses report the biggest surge in the effectiveness of LinkedIn and Twitter, among the major ... more

Curious about what's new in mobile? We launch a new weekly feature—the Mobile Minute video—by Mutual Mobile, covering news of interest in just a minute (or two). more

This week's guest on Marketing Smarts is Tim Suther, chief marketing and strategy officer for Acxiom, a firm that Tim referred to as "the original Big Data company"; FRONTLINE called it "one of the biggest companies you've never heard of." more

In 2007, local business spent 10% more on advertising than they did on promotions (e.g., coupons, discounts, and promotional products); however, in 2012, they spent a stunning 81% more on promotions, according to a new report by Borrell Associates. The key to that change is digital promotions. more

To illustrate the technological advancements that changed the course of marketing, Marketo put together the following infographic based on The Definitive Guide to Marketing Automation. more

Some 178 million Americans—roughly 83.3% of the US Internet audience—watched more than 33 billion video content views in February 2013, with Google Sites generating the highest number at 11.3 billion and Facebook reaching its all-time high of 558 million, according to data from the comScore Video Metrix service. more

Half of surveyed Millennials—those now age 18-34—are surpassing their generational peers in adopting new technologies, according to the forthcoming 2013 Digital Marketer Report from Experian Marketing Services. Such Early Adopter Millennials strive to be the first to have the latest electronic equipment, and they are willing to pay almost anything ... more

To meet revenue goals, Sales and Marketing should work together. Unfortunately, they often don't. Why is that? Check out this infographic to learn about reasons for the clash and some ways Marketing can help Sales. more

It's all here: great uses for Vine, promos via Tumblr, and hashtags on Twitter. Hashtags on Facebook. More targeted Twitter ads. YouTube's record-breaking traffic. Yammer for SharePoint. Social warfare with Shakespeare-worthy love. more

Being in the top 2-3 listings of a Facebook Graph Search results page is key to ensuring a listing is seen quickly and for a relatively long duration, according to eye-tracking research that explored which elements of a Graph Search results page hold the most interest. more

Although online channels such as ratings and reviews, search results, and email promotions influence online shoppers' purchases most, traditional paper catalogs also hold sway, according to a survey from Baynote and the e-tailing group. Meanwhile, social networking sites are the least effective channel for influencing shoppers whether they are making ... more

Though living in a new era of participatory media, our notions of what constitutes an audience and what audiences actually do has not changed much since the broadcast era—and that's a problem, argues Sam Ford. more

Subway, Google, and Target took the top 3 spots on a ranking of 25 global brands for most effectively reaching their customers via social media, according to the 2013 Social Currency Impact Study by Vivaldi Partners. more

To find out how businesses are handling the deluge of information that's become available to them, Infogroup Targeting Solutions and Yesmail Interactive sponsored a study, then produced an infographic to highlight some findings. more

Email volume increased 5.4% in the fourth quarter of 2012 vs. the same period a year earlier, though volume levels varied dramatically by industry, according to the Experian Marketing Services 2012 Q4 email benchmark report, which also found that email open rates were on average highest on Saturdays and Sundays. more

Blogs are more influential than social networks in shaping consumers’ opinions and purchase decisions, according to Technorati’s 2013 Digital Influence Report. Even so, brands seem to be investing more on other social channels, particularly Facebook, than on blogging. more

Facebook marketing expert Mari Smith offers 14 tips to boost your content's visibility and viral sharing on Facebook—all in this infographic by ShortStack. more

As SXSW winds down, insights come flying: See videos on the most buzzed-about tech and startups, and learn to tell better brand stories via social. We've also got tips on ROI-effective Vines, Pinterest's new analytics service, updated mobile advertising guidelines, and the usual tidbits about Twitter, Facebook, Google... and even ... more

About 95% of Americans watch TV using traditional cable or satellite options, whereas the other 5%—the so-called "Zero-TV" viewers—are bucking tradition (because of cost or lack of interest) in favor of nontraditional devices and services, according to a report by Nielsen. more

In 2012, the government services industry (i.e., political advertisers during the election) recorded the biggest year-over-year growth in mobile advertising spend on Millennial Media's platform, up some 860%; still, retailers and restaurants remained the biggest spenders. more

Steve Bushong's background in systems engineering, and his experience with sourcing, procurement, and operations, gave him a unique perspective on how marketing can and should work in today's complex media environment. more

Buoyed by stock market gains as well as improvements in the housing and job markets, optimism among affluent Americans (who, BTW, apparently ascribe their own productivity to multitasking regularly) has reached a six-month high, according to Ipsos MediaCT's February 2013 Mendelsohn Affluent Barometer. more