In an inaugural segment of our video series, we take a look at a fundamental question: In our newly social age, is it incumbent on brands to be always at the ready, prepared to respond—with content or with creative—to events as they happen, in real-time? more

Ad clicks via tablet devices are projected to account for 20% of Google's paid-search revenues in the US by December 2013, up from 10.7% a year earlier, according to a new report from Marin Software. That would amount to roughly $5 billion in revenues from tablet ads alone for the ... more

Some 81% of women business owners (WBOs) say they're optimistic about their business performance in 2013 (66% of WBOs are more optimistic than they were last year), and 73% plan to invest more in marketing in 2013, according to a survey conducted by Web.com and National Association of Women Business ... more

To remember the Internet's past is to remain open and curious about its future. After all, seeing how far along it has come inspires us to wonder about where it's going. So, the fine folks at AVG have put together an infographic about the history of the Internet. more

Find out how Twitter's getting into e-commerce and why Vine may unseat Instagram as the go-to app for live events. Learn how to use Vine for campaigning, how to maximize content marketing with Pinterest's Secret Boards, and what elements leaders need to create a social business. #Skim for social transcendence! more

Despite its wealth and stronger economic growth, the US is adopting new media technologies —smartphone, tablet, and IPTV (Internet protocol television)—at a slower pace than other countries. The US now ranks No. 12 in the adoption of new media technologies, and it's expected to slip to No. 14 by 2015. more

Can a piece of golden foil-wrapped chocolate be perfect? It can in the social media world, where the Valentine's Day treat Ferrero Rocher topped the Passion Intensity Index, generating the most social love and a perfect score of 100 among eight major chocolate brands. more

"Buyer personas don't work if you make stuff up," Adele Revella told me during this week's episode of Marketing Smarts. "They work if you listen to customers first." But to gather real, actionable customer intelligence, you need to talk to actual customers. That can be challenging for two reasons. more

With the advent of digital, social, and mobile media, the consumer buying process has become more complex than simply identifying a need, exploring options, and making a purchase, according to new research conducted by Latitude and About.com. Even so, buying decisions appear to happening more quickly than ever, the study ... more

Customers often break up with brands that ignore them. This infographic explains what happens when customers feel caught in a one-sided relationship with brands, and it offers tips for bringing the magic back into customer relationships. more

Two-thirds of online American adults use Facebook, making it the top social network in the US; but, among those users, 61% say they have at some point voluntarily taken a break from using Facebook for several weeks or more. more

Some 400 million Tweets are posted on Twitter every day, and that vast flow of information is beginning to offer public health researchers new and timely insights into the patterns of disease and influenza, according to new research led by Mark Dredze of The Human Language Technology Center of Excellence ... more

Super Bowl XLVII could be called the "Super Bowl of the Third Screen." Viewers turned to their laptops, smartphones, and tablets to comment via social media on ads, the half-time show, and the blackout. The following two infographics break down the social media buzz during the Super Bowl. more

Like a good how-to lesson? We know we do, and this week in social media is packed with piles of 'em. It's all here, and then some. Skim for experience! more

Saving money has become second nature for many Americans, but the South and Midwest still have a leg up on the rest of the country, according to the 2012 Savings Index by Coupons.com, which ranks US cities by their use of digital coupons in 2012. more

Only 51% of US consumers are aware of digital wallet providers other than PayPal, even as electronic payment providers, mobile phone carriers, banks, and retailers themselves line up for a piece of the emerging digital wallet market, according to new data from comScore. more

Today (Feb. 6, 2013) Google announced some major upcoming changes that will make mobile ad campaign management exponentially simpler in AdWords. The new "Enhanced Campaigns" will be available as an upgrade by late February and become the default for all campaigns by June or so. more

David B. Thomas, senior director of content and community for Salesforce Marketing Cloud and author of The Executive's Guide to Enterprise Social Media Strategy, discusses social media policies. more

Social media still accounts for less than 5% of total leads to B2B websites, according to Optify's 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report. Among social media, Twitter is the primary driver of leads, outperforming both LinkedIn and Facebook. more

More chief technology officers are making mobile a priority and dedicating greater resources to it. The following infographic from MutualMobile details how CTOs are thinking about mobile and why it matters to business. more

Brands that use Facebook are responding to more inquiries from their fans, and they're doing it in record time, according to new data from Socialbakers. On average, brands answered 55% of the questions posed by their Facebook fans in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from 48% in 3Q12 and ... more

In 2012, roughly 2.4 billion people worldwide used the Web, recording some 2.7 billion Facebook likes and 175 million tweets per day, according to a report by Pingdom, which compiled a year of data on the Internet, email, and social media. more

Your personal brand is how you market yourself. In a matter of speaking, you are the product. Need help establishing your personal brand? This infographic can help you through the process in nine basic steps. more

Every industry has its version of "buffalo chicken dip," a product or concept with big seasonal peaks. By anticipating those keyword trends and having your search marketing campaigns at the ready, you could hatch the same kind of profits as chicken farms do on Super Bowl Sunday. more

This week: How brands are already using Vine. And useful tools--for memes, for tracking analytics by phone, for funner presentations, for better gauging the usefulness of Pinterest, and for improving your company culture. Plus the usual grab bag of B2B-relevant news, stats, how-tos and buzzworthy campaigns. more