The delicate relationship between management and marketing is a dance roughly akin to that between fox and hen, but with far less goodwill. To management, you're only as good as your last campaign. So let's look at the 12 tenets of Social Media Marketing to see how you can up your ... more

Ah, sales and marketing. They're like two siblings fighting in the back seat while mom, pop—or a company executive—drives the car. Jonathan doesn't know how to stop all this bickering (and he's not interested in "who started it"), but here he suggests a few ways those of us on the marketing ... more

Marketers, for better or worse, need to find meaningful ways to measure their effectiveness. Within the organization, a marketer can earn respect, and be appreciated, by speaking a language that other employees understand: the language of sales and profits. more

The Sideways Wine Club, launched in April 2005, improved sales 161% year over year through July 2006, despite the fact that most online wine marketers experience an average visitor-to-buyer conversion rate of about 0.0085, or 0.85%, much lower than most other online retailers' conversion rates. The company's founder, Dave Chambers, ... more

It appears that these differing expectations, and the evolution of the role of professional services marketer, have begun to fall into two distinct camps, both of which are grounded in expertise: the efficiency specialist, and the analytical specialist/market creator. more

Recently, the author has heard the term "mantra" used much more in a business context, as in a "guiding principle" that inspires you to do whatever special things you do. In the past it might have called a "motto," or a "creative strategy," but today... it's a mantra. So what's your ... more

Rejecting corporate games is risky, especially for marketers who need to be—and should be— team players. The author writes from many years of experience engineering scavenger hunts through Disneyland and cruise ships, directing countless silly videos and employee film fests, and choreographing send-up musicals, dance-a-thons and sing-alongs. more

Marketing team members, as well as services and sales employees, must work together like this season's football players to achieve company goals. Read on for excellent advice on how to work better as a team. more

In the world of engineers, where numbers and measurable impacts reign supreme, marketing communications may seem like a bunch of mumbo jumbo, a pointless exercise in corporate frivolity. But not to electronics components manufacturer Minco. more

What does Mickey Mouse have to do with higher education? Several administrators from St. Edward's University found themselves pondering that unusual question several years ago as they filed into a classroom at the Disney Institute. They came to Orlando, with a tinge of skepticism, to attend a business seminar on applying ... more

A software company in rural Montana was able to acquire major pharmaceutical company accounts and increase tradeshow traffic 300% by developing and promoting the educational content that its target industry craved... more

There are many challenges in leading a winning sales team, but research has identified 3 key challenges that sales managers most commonly face. How are you currently approaching these situations? Are you getting the results you are looking for? more

What does it mean to truly be marketing-led organization? And what does it take to understand the consequences in implementing this dramatic shift in strategy and culture? more

Once again, it is that time of year... when marketing departments are busily preparing next year's budget. As we all know, chances are you won't be able to get everything you're asking for. But, believe it or not, this may actually be a good thing. more

Here's what Jim believes will be the trends for 2007 in marketing ROI as well as priorities you should keep in mind. Progress in 2007 will not come from new technologies or techniques, he says, but from increased adoption as we get smarter about addressing measurement challenges and recognize the ... more

What makes for great advertising? What's the most critical element of a good campaign? And who are the MVPs on a marketing team? This week, Roy Young interviews marketing champion Steve Cone, head of advertising and brand management at Citigroup Global Wealth Management, who gives his take on these issues... ... more

Most of us in professional services marketing clearly understand that we must meet expectations that are really not our own—shareholder expectations, board expectations, market expectations. But what about your own "Leadership Legacy"? Have you thought about your personal hopes, goals, desires, and expectations for creating an impact on your firm? more

Regardless of the business model that predominates in your company, you can help your superiors and colleagues see your connection to cash flow by actively supporting that model through your marketing strategies. more

This week: Should you hire experienced marketing professionals, or those with less experience but more potential? more

It takes an incredible amount of intense drive, determination, and a strong ego to breathe life into a business and create products from scratch, but it's also that same ego that won't let a business owner be objective about what their business needs to succeed. more

Wendy White recently came from Intel to serve as Motorola's director of global technology for marketing and communications. She heads up marketing for all R&D, software, and early-stage technology incubation, and what's more, embodies the new-product-development breed of marketing champions. Here, White talks with Roy Young about the challenges and rewards ... more

Cheryl Keener, recently named senior director of customer development at Sunnyvale, CA-based Network Appliance, leads her company's "Evidence to Win" program. In part, the program is designed to cultivate positive relationships with major customers by documenting the success stories that customers tell as a result of using NetApp's products. Here, Keener ... more

Marketing departments perform many tasks throughout the year: hiring good talent, keeping quality employees, choosing the right communications strategy, improving ROI, and generating higher quality leads for Sales. But with increasing competition and diminishing budgets, achieving these goals is becoming increasingly difficult. Fortunately, there is a crucial step that marketing departments ... more

It may be bold. It may be controversial. But the author is convinced the following will prove true: Without customer-centricity, or a role in gathering and interpreting the voice of the customer, marketing will become nothing more than the execution arm of companies. There are signs of this everywhere.... more

Next year will bring major shifts in beauty, especially organics, and fashion as consumers take more control over all aspects of their harried lives. Interestingly, growth will come from non-traditional sources... . more