"Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers," Voltaire wrote over 200 years ago. So true, especially early in the sales process, as you and your prospect get to know one another. That's when asking one important question can expand your discussion as well as uncover and deepen ... more

YouTube recently launched a call-to-action overlay ad, which is exactly what it sounds like: a semi-transparent ad that appears over videos, and—get this—enables advertisers to send users to any website they wish. Now, that's a sweet ride! You might be, like, "Didn't that feature already exist?" But the crazy thing ... more

"Years ago, a successful sales rep knew how to optimize their time by 'reading' their prospects," says Maria Pergolino in a recent post at the Modern B2B Marketing blog. "A day would be spent golfing with a good bet." But everything changed when prospects began researching their options online, thus ... more

"Building your own opt-in email marketing list is an accomplishment," says Steve Adams in an article at MarketingProfs, "but don't stop there. Once you start reaching out to your list with great content, you can then improve the targeting and relevance of your email marketing campaigns by using segmentation." The ... more

"Yes marketers," says Christina Kerley (aka CK), "you absolutely want people talking up (or, buzzing over) your brands. And you really want them saying great things. But you want the buzz you've worked so hard for to lead somewhere." Too often, she argues at her blog, we consider buzz-generation to ... more

In today's challenging economic environment, marketers are seeking better ways to maximize ROI. One way is to leverage insights from both SEM and email to drive greater success across channels. In a recent article at Inside CRM, Ram Krishnamurthy and Brad Neelan offer up five strategies for using such a twin ... more

Heads-up, all of you out there who market to moms: Food mogul Nestlé is using Twitter to promote Juicy Juice—the super-popular, and now vintage, juice-box brand that caters to kids. Expect to see the pea-green pieces on mom-targeted sites like CafeMom and BabyCenter.com. Questions like "How do you stimulate your child's ... more

You might wonder whether the stories you tell in email marketing campaigns should be long or short. In a pair of posts from Chad White at the Retail Email Blog, you'll discover that it, well, depends. He offers two examples.  According to White, Neiman-Marcus has been incorporating brief quotes from designers in ... more

There's something in the air. There are small and (dare we say) consistent signs that that the economic crisis has begun to level off. Many companies, while still implementing cost-cutting measures, are beginning to plan for growth. Phillip Lay, of TCG Advisors, writes in Under the Buzz: "Executive teams are ... more

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 super-juicy SEO-wise. It's rich with content, oft-accessed, and constantly being updated. Securing a vanity URL with your name (for your ... more

"When your visitor arrives at your site," says Pete Caputa in a post at HubSpot, "they're most likely looking to solve a problem. In order to grab their attention and inspire them to share their contact information before they leave your website (and probably never come back), your … offers ... more

In a post at the Marketing Minute, blogger Drew McLellan admits he gets some rather strange mail. "But I have to say," he notes, "chocolate-covered grasshoppers might just top the list." The unusual package arrived from Grasshopper.com, which provides integrated telephone services, and McLellan praises the company for a well-executed ... more

What's the definition of a great website? What's the secret to better business lead generation? And what's the first step to building a site that delivers the kind of results you need—when you want them? more

Closing an IT sale is a complex process. But in most cases there is usually one pivotal sales presentation that can firmly seal the deal. Darrin Mourer, in a post on the Sales Engineer blog, offers recommendations to help you strengthen and prioritize the key components of your presentation. The ... more

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, polos and more. "I really liked this checklist approach to listing departments," he explains. "It feels less like it's pressing ... more

Squabbling or lack of coordination between sales and marketing teams can lead to longer sales cycles and increased costs—or it can scuttle deals. With so much at risk, why can't these two groups just get along? They can, says Rebekah Donaldson in a post on the Red On Marketing blog. ... more

Mailer Alert: A new Yahoo Mail feature—the "contacts button"—should make whitelisting even more important for email marketers. "You get a lot of emails, some good (from friends, family, even favorite interests that you've added to your Address Book), and a lot of not-so-important emails (special offers, newsletters, emails you rarely ... more

Right in time for the much-anticipated iPhone OS 3.0 Software Update debut on June 17, AdMob has introduced a slew of ad units that will help enterprising advertisers make the most of mobile marketing. Among the cool features to check out:  Mobile social networking, which lets users access your ... more

"Value, desire, and price rule our lives as salespeople," says Mike Sigers in a recent post at the Simplenomics blog. When a prospect considers a purchase, Sigers explains, the product's value is determined by their desire. For all of us, he says, "If you desire something … it becomes valuable ... more

Different people have had different reactions to our hobbled economy. Some are heartsick over tough choices made to keep a company solvent; others might thrill to the thought of newly identified opportunities; most of us are probably experiencing a mix of concern and optimism. Whatever your perspective, it's likely you've ... more

"It's not all doom and gloom in the U.S. economy," Deb Riechmann says in a recent AP article. "Some products are bucking the recession and flying off store shelves." Folks still have to live—and indulge a little—even in a recession. That's the message of this report, which gives an overview ... more

In cooperation with Ball State University and the Email Marketers Club, ExactTarget studied 18 methods used by marketers to build an email list. Among the results published in its 2009 Email List Growth Study are these conclusions: The best method for email list growth is onsite registration; ... more

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 significantly outperform those with more than 35. "According to the email marketing software-on-demand provider," says Magill, "messages with subject lines ... more

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 to its women's basketball games, Gonzaga University released a video of a coach calling the ONE person whose attendance would ... more

"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 want to get across, that subject line better be good—or else your prospects might head to a different neighborhood." Nason ... more