Companies that increase the number of blog posts they publish via their website each month can boost their inbound traffic levels and lead counts, according to a new report by HubSpot. On average, companies that publish 15 or more blog articles per month generate five times more Web traffic than ... more

"Email marketing can be a tricky balancing act," writes Melissa Miller at HubSpot. "You want to use copy that will get your recipients' attention, but you don't want to select words that will raise red flags with SPAM filters." So what about the word free? Once considered the reddest of red ... more

B2B marketers are spending more, using more tactics, and distributing their content on more social networks than they have in years past, according to the latest findings of a study from MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute: B2B Content Marketing: 2013 Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends—North America. more

Do you wonder what an infographic is, exactly? Or how to create one? The Infographiclabs team gets these questions all the time. And they decided—very appropriately—to explain the infographic basics with an infographic. Begin the process with a good idea. Infographics often answer questions, provide compelling data, or demystify a process. ... more

When making a major technology or security solution purchase, information technology decision-makers (ITDMs) download an average of nine content assets throughout the buying cycle, according to a report by IDG. more

Blogging seems like a no-brainer. But it's grueling work that may not immediately yield the results you want. That's part of the reason why longtime blogger Mike Figliuolo has shared his list of tips for diversifying blog content, increasing content shareability, and using tools to maximize output (and profit). A bit ... more

Print journalism has a proud tradition of clever headlines—puns and other devices that grab a reader's attention. But the harsh realities of search engine optimization (SEO) have dampened online wordplay wit. Yet, that doesn't have to be the case. more

More than three-quarters (76%) of marketers say their brands are conducting social media marketing, and an additional 16% plan to begin doing so by the end of 2012, making for a potential social marketing contingent of 92%, according to Chief Marketer's 2012 Social Marketing Trends Survey. more

Rohit Bhargava, author and social media strategist, thinks business books need to be useful—to help you solve a problem you're facing. So it has to speak to you from the get-go, draw you in, and convince you it's going to help you solve your problem. And the best way to ... more

Fictional photojournalist Peter Parker may have possessed superhero traits as Spider-Man, but he always relied on tried and true journalistic skills to craft a good story and create content. Like Parker, Alexandra Reid values journalism skills. On the Business2Community blog, Reid shares "Five Tips Content Marketer Should Take From Journalists," to ... more

Online video isn't just becoming faster, more accessible, and of higher quality; it's also growing quickly as a media platform. In fact, in July 2012, 184 million Web users in the US accounted for 36.9 billion video content views—and an average of 22.3 hours of video content viewed per viewer. more

"PPC campaigns can be a costly game when they aren't well-planned and wisely implemented," writes Charles Dearing in a guest post at Brandignity. "So, don't waste your time and money on ads or landing pages that don't do what they were designed to do." To help you get the best ROI ... more

Two-thirds of B2B companies struggle to achieve a truly collaborative process for message development, according to a report from Corporate Visions: 33% of B2B sales and marketing professionals say their message creation process is non-collaborative, politically charged, or nonexistent, and 33% say their message creation process is semi-collaborative. more

As might be expected, the best day and time of day to share content via social media depends on your target audience (business or consumer) and the specific social platform you're using, according to research by Compendium. more

Content marketing is gaining in popularity: 83.5% of B2B marketers surveyed say they are stepping up their content marketing production over the next 12 months, up from the 71% who said so a year earlier, according to a report by Holger Schulze for Optify. more

We'll assume you've never thought of Seinfeld as a source of email best-practices. But Dave and Sky Calibey insist there's marketing wisdom in its comic absurdity. "Although the show might not seem the most likely source of practical advice, some of its most memorable moments provide lessons for improving your email marketing," they ... more

Dave Carroll is the man whose guitar United broke. He joined us to discuss his book, titled United Breaks Guitars, about the experiences that led up to his now famous music video, lessons he learned along the way about social media, and the keys to effective, meaningful customer service. I ... more

You have a fiercely loyal audience that loves your content. Folks share it with their networks, provide feedback, and help generate leads. Problem is... your mighty audience is mighty small. What to do? You need to recruit influential people to help you expand your audience by talking about you and your ... more

Despite the glitz and glamour of newer marketing channels, most people still favor tried-and-true email. "A recent study asked consumers which channel they prefer for receiving permission-based promotional messages," reports Janelle Johnson in an article at MarketingProfs. "A whopping 77% said email. No other channel even scored in the double ... more

Brands are now publishers. That's no longer news. But what are the implications? For one, brands need editors—and not just for their content. In this episode, Tom Fishburne, the Marketoonist, explains that he learned the power of editing while working as a product marketer—and editing not just when creating content ... more

Within seconds your killer headline and content have hooked your audience. But how do you reel them in? That is, how can you keep their attention after they start to read your article, watch your video, or listen to your podcast? Inspired by Andrea Phillips's Fast Company article titled "Five Lessons ... more

In this episode, we talk with Tim Washer, the man behind the IBM marketing video selected as a "Staff Pick" by Comedy Central, an honor not many B2B marketing pieces can claim. Tim is now social media manager at Cisco, and he talks about how to make comedy an effective ... more

No B2B company can achieve a leadership position without a thought-provoking point of view. "Customers buy into the story before they buy the solution," writes Robert M. Wright at MarketingProfs. "And a story is more than a slogan or a catchy tagline." In fact, it needs to accomplish two goals: ... more

If you're one of Gmail's 350 million users, you know how vigorously the service defends your inbox from unwanted email. Obvious junk goes to the spam folder. But that's not all. In addition to legitimate email marketers, spammers send billions of messages to consumers every day, leading harried recipients with little ... more

Has your organization ever created buyer personas? If so, did you ever use them? Many don't—because they don't create truly useful personas in the first place. Ardath Abee lays out key elements of personas you can really use. more