Go PRO Now
Get unlimited access to all of our exclusive marketing resources
"If you're interested in building a flourishing online brand and website that generates links and traffic organically as part of your Internet marketing efforts, it's important to develop an active base of subscribers and fans," says Adam Singer in a recent post at the Online Marketing Blog. Here are a ... more
Despite your commitment to following best practices, you might still commit minor email-marketing sins on occasion. Well, take heart: You are not alone. In a post at the Email Experience Council blog, Marco Marini recounts asking his staff to create a list of the 10 most frequent mistakes they have ... more
A question many small businesses face when money is tight is whether to invest in pay-per-click (PPC) search marketing or search engine optimization (SEO). The answer, says Claudia Bruemmer in a recent blog post, is both. "Start a PPC campaign to gain visibility in the search engines and define the ... more
When David Meerman Scott signed up for email alerts about launches and events at the Kennedy Space Center, he didn't expect getaway offers from Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, which operates the space center's visitor center. A close examination of the subscription's fine print, however, revealed an opt-out policy ... 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
In a post at the FutureNow blog, Bryan Eisenberg recalls an email from Nikon that caught his attention with the subject line "My Picturetown—20GB for just a few cents a day!" So far, so good. But clicking on the message's call-to-action—Store my photos and videos—led him to a landing page ... more
"Are you on an SEO honeymoon?" asks Ben McKay in a recent Search Engine Journal post. You know you are, he says. when you can think of simple ways to increase your client's search-engine rankings and garner fast results. But what happens when you've picked all the low-hanging fruit? "You've ... more
A recent ad from Carnival Cruise Lines shows an average-looking guy in a red, white and blue track suit as he wanders around a ship, sniffing everything in sight: the carpeting, the rails, the Jacuzzi, the drapes and—even—various members of the staff. It's a little weird. Finally, though, he breaks ... more
Under normal circumstances, writes Dylan Boyd in a post at The Email Wars, the use of animated GIFs in email campaigns can be a dicey proposition. "[S]ometimes they work with a promo or special event," he says, "sometimes they just make things look cheap." Either way, it's a risk probably ... more
In a post at Deliverability.com, Andrew Kordek acknowledges the ongoing push for relevant email campaigns—sending the right message to the right person at the right time. But despite these discussions, he worries that email marketers stop short of demonstrating true R-E-S-P-E-C-T for the people on their email lists. "Are you ... more
Applying SEO best practices like keyword research and link-building is a surefire way to start increasing your search rankings. However, in a recent Search Engine Watch post, Chris Boggs warns us not to forget the non-SEO ways to get websites consistently ranked for relevant desired terms. "SEO involves getting lots ... more
OK, we admit it: For a platform as popular as it's become, Twitter's surprisingly hard to understand to the untrained eye. What are all those messages? IMs? Forum discussions? Public IMs? And what the heck is a "tweeple," for goodness sake?!! Most importantly: What's with this rumor that Twitter can ... more
"Banner ads are tried-and-true forms of advertising that can deliver great results while driving a return on investment," says Kim Stearns in an article at MarketingProfs. "So why are advertisers so hesitant to use them?" It might be, she conjectures, that serious businesses look askance at the sheer volume of ... more
What are two of the biggest obstacles companies face in link marketing? Consultant Justilien Gaspard believes they are: (1) developing linkable content, and (2) making people aware of it. In a recent Search Engine Watch article, he offers advice on how to overcome these Big Two and start linking up with hot ... more
"It must be tough to be a financial institution in 2009," says DJ Waldow in a post at the Email Experience Council blog. "I'm not referring to the current financial crisis. I'm talking about trying to convince consumers that the email you are sending is legitimate (not spam, not phishing)." ... more
If you worry that an email with a horizontal (left-to-right) scroll will confuse your subscribers, Dylan Boyd is prepared to disagree. Unless it tests well, he doesn't suggest using this type of scroll as a regular feature, but he does think it can serve as a useful interrupter that spurs engagement. ... more
In a recent post on the SEO.com blog, Dustin Williams notes that every successful search campaign starts with finding the right keywords. It's important to not rush that precious keyword research, he says, because, "the goal is not only to rank well for many search terms but to also rank well ... 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
"The Hispanic market seems to be the only one still flourishing these days in the face of economic doom and gloom," says Blaire Borthayre in an article at MarketingProfs. And there are, she argues, a number of reasons why the buying power of these savvy consumers will likely grow to ... more
MarketingProfs uses single