In the age of globalization and the Internet, extending your reach beyond you home market is easier than ever... if you put some strategic thinking behind it. more

While enjoying a recent meal out, Richard King got into a friendly conversation with a fellow diner about his work in email marketing. "After 15 minutes our discussion [came to] the famous question," he recounts at the EmailDirect blog. "'Why wouldn't I just do that in-house?' I quickly replied with ... more

"Have you ever been in a conversation with other marketers," asks Beth Harte in a post at the Daily Fix blog, "and you get the sense that even though you are talking about marketing, sometimes you aren't on the same page about how marketing should work, be implemented or the ... more

According to Madison Riley and Brooks Kitchel of Kurt Salmon Associates, retailers often respond to sluggish sales by slashing prices and hoping to beat the competition on value. But there's a problem. "Contrary to the common practice of deep discounting in troubled times," they argue, "competing on compelling products is ... more

Despite the emphasis on and progress in marketing performance measurement and management over the past decade, research continues to show that the link between marketing and the business still needs to be stronger and clearer. more

What are so-called Trust Agents? Trust Agents have established themselves as non-sales-oriented, non-high-pressure marketers. They are digital natives using the Web to be genuine and to humanize their business. They're interested in people (like prospective customers, employees, and colleagues), and they have realized that the tools that enable more unique, ... more

"Reality dictates that business turnarounds require economic rebounds," says John Baldoni in a post at Harvard Business Online. "No leader can tweak his operation into success; you need customers to buy what you offer. But if you do not improve what you offer and how you offer it, you may ... more

"It's high time email marketers assess campaign performance in terms of the business and marketing goals, objectives, and contribution expectations that matter," says Karen Talavera in an article at MarketingProfs. She recommends placing data into two broad categories to drill down to what really counts: Process Metrics—which are diagnostic in ... more

Without careful planning, your e-book may become a sinkhole of confused agendas, missed opportunities, and poor distribution. Here are a few key things that might help you avoid the pains and achieve the gains. more

Putting a measurement discipline in place involves going beyond the occasional campaign measurement or results tracking; it means establishing standard processes across the organization. Within large marketing organizations there are usually a few measurement "champions" who recognize the benefits of and push to improve their own results with better measurements. However, ... more

You probably invite customers to join your email list during their online activity, but do you have list-building strategies for offline interactions? Andy Sernovitz uses a post at Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That! to suggest offline methods for generating permission-based subscriptions. Here are two low-tech options you may ... more

You've just presented a rough cut of your latest television ad when an executive begins asking questions that demonstrate he doesn't understand the concept of a rough cut. "It isn't color corrected, the sound is uneven, effects are sometimes missing, and if there's music at all it's generally just a ... more

"The business environment is shifting so fast these days that I'm continuously seeing companies jump from one idea to the next in some kind of frenzied attempt to force results to happen on their time line," says Ardath Albee at the Marketing Interactions blog. "If something doesn't work immediately, they ... more

If you are going to implement a corporate social responsibility program, do so responsibly. A poorly executed program can negatively affect the business in many ways. It takes one missing element, one arrogant blogger, or one angry ex-employee to publicly point out the failings of the good works that the ... more

We're five or so years into the "Era of Accountability," and what do we have to show for it? Is marketing any closer to demonstrating to CEOs and CFOs what they're getting for their money? Are we marketers more comfortable in our own skins, confident of our ability to measure ... more

"You feel a little jittery," says Paul Williams in a post at the Daily Fix blog. "Is it the presentation? Or the pot of coffee you drank this morning while rehearsing? You gather your laptop and index cards and head to the conference room." In his hypothetical scenario, your team ... more

Ask the typical teenager how his day went and you'll probably get a vague response like "Fine," or "Okay." Follow up with a specific question about a science test, however, and you might just get an earful about the teacher who has it out for him, an unfair grading curve ... more

In recent months, argues Lisa Barone in a post at the Outspoken Media blog, we've had a ready and convenient excuse when things don't go our way. It doesn't really matter what the setback might be; the simple act of blurting out "recession" seems to cover a number of professional ... more

When we have great ideas, we naturally gravitate to opinions that support their validity. But in a post at his blog, Dave Fleet says it's just as important to identify where our thinking may be flawed or underdeveloped. In other words, every marketing team needs a devil's advocate. To explain ... more

There's no one-size-fits-all solution to survival during challenging times. But there are some strategies that will help no matter what situation you and your business are in. more

One year ago, Lynda Partner wrote—but did not publish—a blog post that eviscerated a software company for taking liberties with her email address, and then treating her complaint with stunning indifference. "Why publish it now, you ask? This week I got more spam from this same company," she says. "It ... more

Last week, we showed you some cool makeup vids as an example of how viral videos can rack in the mega-bucks. This time, we offer a sample of how a consistent, useful and compelling online video campaign can serve your brand amazingly well. Consider "Will it Blend," a fascinating online ... more

Although B2B marketers may use the terms drip marketing and closed-loop marketing interchangeably, they are actually two distinctly different approaches to lead nurturing, says Maria Pergolino in a recent post at the Modern B2B Marketing blog. She offers a breakdown of the differences between the two techniques. Some highlights: A ... more

Finding the right people for your marketing team can be a challenge, especially when you check references and find that former employers are guarded in their comments. "[I]f a candidate is less than outstanding," says Douglas Hanna in a post at the Service Untitled blog, "a lot people are hesitant ... more

Mick Jagger sang, "I can't get no satisfaction," and that's apparently how many SEM professionals feel about their efforts these days. A recent report from [x+1] found that even though organizations are still investing as much if not more in SEM during this down economy, they have been somewhat unhappy ... more