- Five Stages of the Purchase CycleSearch Engine Marketing
Occasionally people may buy on impulse. Often, however, they go through a recognizable purchase cycle. "By targeting specific cycle stages, advertisers can increase relevancy by delivering appropriate messages at the ...
- Living in Exponential TimesMarketing Inspiration
Because we've grown so accustomed to the steady, incremental flow of new technology and information, we might lose sight of how dramatically it has changed, and will continue to change, ...
- They're Just Not That Into YouEmail Marketing
It's one of the oldest clichés in the book, and one of the most persistent: parents who assume everyone else will share an equally enraptured fascination with the accomplishments of ...
- Speed Racer Eats FedEx's DustMarketing Inspiration
When using DVRs to watch television, we've gotten used to zipping through commercial breaks. We've been also spoiled by limited interruptions at online services like Hulu, where ads rarely last ...
- Hello? Is There Anybody In There?Email Marketing
We hear lots of advice about maintaining a clean list, and much of it centers on how to handle subscribers who seem uninterested in your messages. At a certain point, ...
- Too Smart to Lose Social Media
Last year, Southwest Airlines refused passage to two young women for obnoxious behavior. The ladies immediately went out and told the press they weren't permitted aboard because they were "too ...
- Tear Down Those Walls!B2B Marketing
"It's not news to anyone in our industry that we're having to take on changes of tectonic proportions," Gavin Hilton says in a recent post at the RAPP Blog. The ...
- Pimp My MagSmall Business
When we discuss content designed to help your customers, we usually focus on whitepapers and social-media channels like blogs. A custom magazine is another way to connect in a meaningful ...
- No, It's Our Fault. Really. Customer Insight
It's a bit of a craze these days: "Oops!" email subject lines that purport to apologize for a mistake, when they're really nothing more than tricks to get you to ...
- Look for the Silver LiningMarketing in a Downturn
A recent television spot for a major insurance company—set to the wistful tinkling of a piano—opens with evocative images from the Great Depression. "1931 was not exactly a great year ...
- The Seven-Second RuleEmail Marketing
When subscribers open email messages, you have about seven seconds to answer their most important question: "What's in it for me?" According to Steve Adams, the best way to prove ...
- The Raw and the CookedMarketing Analytics
"For marketers, it's very easy to get caught up in raw numbers," says Prashant Kaw in a brief video embedded in a post at the HubSpot blog. "Such as, 'Oh, ...
- Is Facebook Really Your Friend?Small Business
Facebook has a checkered past when it comes to user relations. Members cried foul, for instance, when the social-networking giant launched the invasive Beacon system, and they later bemoaned certain ...
- Friends Help Friends Boost RankingsSearch Engine Marketing
"I get by with a little help from my friends." The words of that old Beatles song could well be applied to today's search marketers. After all, there's nothing like a ...
- The Golden Rule of NetworkingMarketing Inspiration
"For several months," says Lori Feldman in an article at MarketingProfs, "I've been asked almost weekly to help someone who's just lost a paycheck to find their next one." Sound ...
- Where Did They Go?!Email Marketing
If you've noticed an unusual drop in open rates for messages sent to Gmail accounts—and for B2C companies, this could represent a large percentage of subscribers—it's probably not your fault. ...
- Tornado WarningMarketing Inspiration
You may have seen the YouTube video: a pair of Domino's employees gleefully preparing food in a shockingly unhygienic manner. Much to the horror of the pizza chain, the video went viral a ...
- Why Didn't I Think of That?Email Marketing
Whether creating content for email campaigns or newsletters, you might experience writer's block. Hey, it happens to the best of us. Sometimes, you just run out of ideas. But consider this: ...
- Put a Bug on That WOM!Social Media
Clearspring Technologies, which has helped everybody from WaPo to UCSF bring their branded wares to the mainstream, has put out a new tool that tells you how popular your widgets ...
- Your ROI's Sick? Don't Blame the Downturn. B2B Marketing
Jon Miller wrote an interesting article for MarketingProfs last summer that deserves a second look. Its title: "The Definitive Guide to B2B Marketing in a Recession." ('Nuff said?) One point ...
- The Second Life of Marketing CopySmall Business
Getting your Web site's marketing copy just right takes time, effort and money. "But before you amortize your investment," says Rick Sloboda of Webcopyplus, "consider how those carefully crafted words ...
- Recession Marketing II: What NOT to CutMarketing in a Downturn
In Part I, we suggested a few cuts to make in your current marketing budget to help keep your bottom line healthy during these tough times. Now let's take a ...
- I'm Worth My Weight in GoldCustomer Insight
We all know it: your best customers love it when they are made to feel special. New research that demonstrates just how important status tiers are in loyalty programs. The ...
- Time for Some Spring CleaningEmail Marketing
Spring is here, and Karen Talavera wants to clean house. "[N]ow is the perfect time for us to critically re-examine our programs, campaign processes, and messages with a fresh, unbiased ...
- Simplify, Simplify.Marketing Analytics
In a post at the Istobe blog, Chris Herrick reports on key takeaways he picked up at the Predictive Analytics World and eTail West conferences held earlier this year. In ...