Social media content posted by brands appears to influence consumers' buying decisions nearly as much as content posted by friends, according to a survey from Market Force Information. more

Media appearances are essential if you want to build your personal brand and emerge as a recognized industry expert. Learn 10 tips for mastering media appearances, and five key guidelines to follow during an interview. more

In this digital age, businesses must provide outstanding service, offer intrinsic value to customers—and stand out from the crowd on myriad online platforms. Find out how. more

"Blogs increase your credibility, boost your traffic, and put a personality behind your brand," writes Lindsay Atkinson at the Renegade Search blog. "But how should [a blog] be executed? Should it be hosted on your website or on a completely different domain?" The short answer is: It depends. To help you ... more

We have updated you on some of the major changes to Facebook’s Brand Timeline pages. Now that you feel more familiar with the medium, it’s time for your Community Manager to step in and do her due diligence. (Don’t have one of those yet? Here are tips for hiring one!) Social ... more

More than one-half (53%) of advertising and marketing executives say they expect companies to increase investments in Facebook marketing in 2012, according to a survey from The Creative Group. more

People want great offers. That's the primary reason they opt in for permission-based communications from brands, whether in the form of "liking" a brand on Facebook or subscribing to an email list, according to a new survey from Constant Contact and Chadwick Martin Bailey. more

Smart Marketers Tour kicked off last night at Seattle Art Underneath the twinkling lights of an installation piece by Cai Guo-Qiang, smart marketers from around the United States gathered to swap stories, share marketing smarts, and get an inside look at what it takes to record Marketing Smarts Putting together such ... more

MarketingProfs is kicking off its Smart Marketers Tour 2012 on March 28 in Seattle. And we're inviting you to join us there for our very-first free in-person event. more

In the push to optimize your Web presence for local search, it's important to avoid techniques that tamper with your anchor identity—the name, address, and phone number contained in your business listing. "Think of your anchor identity as your digital storefront or the glue that holds your online reputation together and ... more

How far would you go to create the sort of shareable content that goes viral? Would you—for instance—risk your reputation with a video that's almost certain to invite accusations of fakery? In a post at ReelSEO, Jeremy Scott discusses a video that attracted plenty of hits—and skepticism. Did a GForm case ... more

Buoyed by renewed confidence in the US economy and higher expectations for new business, CMOs say they plan to boost marketing spending over the next 12 months, with B2B products and B2B services marketers leading the way, according to the CMO Survey. more

It's OK to feel nervous about taking the social leap; it's a vast frontier with lots of possible pitfalls. It can make you feel pretty darned small. But there's a lot to be harvested in targeting the "social customer." So how do you go about social-farming strategically, instead of just doing ... more

When measuring the success of online display advertising, agencies tend to place great importance on performance metrics such as conversion, even for branding awareness campaigns, according to a survey from Maxifier. more

Want to differentiate yourself from your competitors? MarketingProfs blogger Matt Grant shares tips from an interview with Mark Levy regarding his client Captain Inferno. more

The hype on the street is Pinterest, the "online pinboard" that lets users easily "Pin" images/videos they like on "Boards" they've created. Brides, for example, love Pinterest for keeping track of wedding-day inspirations and ideas! As other eager brides "Repin" their images, content spreads fast. Constance Aguilar of Abbi Public Relations compiled a ... more

Behind every successful product, service, or brand lies a powerful concept. Do you have one? Learn what it takes to craft a winning marketing concept, and why having one is critical to the success of your business. more

Thought leadership—if done correctly—can prompt sales leads to come to you. But some companies still get it wrong. Learn why that happens, how to avoid major mistakes, and how to excel in thought leadership. more

Most online Americans (90%) say they worry about digital privacy at least sometimes, and 88% say they avoid doing business with companies that do not protect their digital privacy, according to a survey from the TRUSTe Privacy Index Series. Moreover, 95% of online adults say companies have a responsibility to ... more

Whether a brand is facing a minor kerfuffle or a major tragedy, the path of correction should be simple and clear. Learn how to take control of any crisis situation, and emerge with a healthy brand and reinforced customer loyalty. more

Leading business bloggers say the perceived authenticity of a CEO plays a critical role in how they assess a leader's abilities and performance overall, according to interviews conducted by the 10 company and Gotham Research Group. more

You've heard it said that who you are in social media is an extension of "who" your brand is. But how do you establish a voice on platforms where your brand has never been heard? Mashable interviewed the five social media voices behind some of the most successful brands in media ... more

The content universe is wider and broader than many imagine. Learn to expand your content marketing by attending our free Content Marketing virtual conference! more

Do you treat customers and prospects as if they were whole human beings—with hearts, minds, and spirits? You should. Learn six steps that lead to a human-centric approach to marketing. more

After making a luxury purchase, most Americans (70.8%) "verbally tell someone" about their latest acquisition, while fully three in ten (30.3%) head to social media sites to share the news, according to a survey from Empathica. more