If you sell a B2B product or service, your email strategy should include plenty of nurture. "A great lead nurturing program can have a dramatic impact on an organization's bottom line," writes Megan Leap at the Daily Fix blog. "But so few B2B marketers actually get it right." So, what ... more

You've finished the script. It's great. It's funny. It's the kind of writing that gets attention and wins awards. You send it to the client. Think it'll come back unscathed? Maybe... IF you follow this tip. more

Though overall global marketing budgets in the tech sector are increasing 3.5% in 2011, they are not keeping pace with annual revenues in the sector, which are expected to grow 6.5% over 2010 levels, according to a report by IDC. more

"In the United States, the franchise industry accounts for almost 40% of all retail sales," writes Dedric Polite at the HubSpot blog. "Unfortunately, many franchise companies with large networks of franchisees spread throughout the country are not taking advantage of on-page search-engine optimization best practices." To help change that picture, Polite ... more

It's the Foursquare age—a time of badges and free drinks for the Mayor. We've discussed the importance of integrating game mechanics at your site, but to do that well, it might help to know how the game industry stays innovative. We enjoyed The Guardian's future-forward takeaways for game developers from the recent Develop ... more

Observing that the typical short (<25 word) marketing message produces almost nothing of value, Adele Revella has set herself to correcting this grave error. According to Revella, the typical business product is a multi-tasker with a long list of features and benefits, meaning we have to get its key merits out ... more

You and two friends have spent the last three hours climbing up the edge of a giant pizza crust. Finally reaching the top, you look out over the vast plain of pepperoni and green peppers. The aroma causes you to lose your balance and tumble down into a pool of ... more

When email subscribers share and discuss your content with friends and social networks, they start to sound like insiders. "Others will want to be insiders, too," says Stephanie Miller at MarketingProfs' Daily Fix blog. As a result, your list will grow—and so will your reach. "Customer-instigated sharing acts as a ... more

"Every brand wants a cadre of evangelists who can help sway millions of readers with product reviews, blog posts, videos, tweets, etc.," write the Ivy Worldwide team in an article at MarketingProfs, "but the only way to do that is to allow influencers to make up their own minds, post ... more

Busy marketers like you don't have time to create content. Considering all the campaigns going on, how could you? But content marketing doesn't have to be an intensive, all-consuming task if you start with small steps. more

Penetration levels of microblogging and social networking continue to grow worldwide, driven by increased adoption in emerging countries; but as the Web has evolved, Internet users have moved toward consuming and transmitting content rather than producing it themselves, according to Wave 5 of the GlobalWebIndex by Trendstream. more

If the only thing consistent about your radio spots is that they always sound different, you may have a problem. If you're aiming for a brand sound, you'll never hit your mark if you constantly change elements. more

"Have you noticed spelling errors on the websites of major, legitimate retailers and/or service providers?" asks Julia Rubiner in the Editorial Emergency newsletter. "The answer is almost certainly 'no.'" Large corporations set a high bar for the rest of us: A single error looks sloppy and unprofessional to visitors, who ... more

You're driving. Through Iowa. Endless fields of corn. Row after row of stalks the same size, the same height, the same color. That, actually, is much like a drive through radio advertising. How can you hope to stand out? more

"People have limited attention to spare," writes Mark Brownlow at Email Marketing Reports. "They focus on those messages perceived as deserving that attention: messages that are clearly important, personal or something they want and expect." There are, however, a number of barriers that stand between your email campaigns and your subscribers' ... more

"As you get started in SEO, you'll read a lot about things you should be doing to optimize your website for organic search," writes Marty Diamond at the Diamond Website Conversion blog. "What you may not hear as much about, however, is what you should avoid doing." To help you identify ... more

What can marketers learn from journalists? Good storytelling. Here are seven ways marketers can wield journalism skills to produce content that grabs attention and encourages conversation. more

As marketers gear up for the fourth quarter, the busiest time on their marketing calendars, nearly two-thirds (63.4%) say they are planning to increase focus on social media over the next 12 months, while nearly one-half plan to increase focus on email (45.5%) and content marketing (45.3%), according to a ... more

Stories are what language is built around. They make people lean forward and listen. And if you want your marketing and advertising to be much more engaging, use storytelling. more

In a post at Junta42, Joe Pulizzi discusses communication techniques he developed during frequent public-speaking engagements—300 in five years—and how they influence his online content. "The best idea I can share regarding public speaking is to keep it simple," he says. "To execute that concept, I stole a page from ... more

We all know it: Content rules in today's digital marketplace. Prospects expect to find information about any product or service that strikes their fancy—in a matter of seconds. As a result, the function of the salesperson in this "content-driven environment" has "changed dramatically," John Jatsch writes in an article at ... more

Quick! Recite the first five billboards you saw on your drive to work this morning. You don't remember, right? OK, how about the first three headlines you saw on your favorite news source? Nope? OK. One last chance: Name one commercial you saw on TV last night. more

If you're not an SEO expert, you might wonder what to ask when hiring SEO staff or consultants. How do you tell the difference between someone who knows exactly what he or she is doing and someone who just knows a lot of lingo? To help out, Rand Fishkin created an ... more

What makes Foursquare so addictive? Game mechanics—those charming sets of rules built into games to make them fun to play. Implemented strategically at a website, game mechanics can help you engage both passive visitors and enthusiastic users. How might you add game mechanics to your marketing site? Craig Ferrara, Gigya's gaming/UI expert, offers ... more

There's the legal definition of spam—as outlined in CAN-SPAM—and then there's the real-world definition used by many of your subscribers: any piece of email I'd rather not receive. Even recipients who went to your website, signed up for your newsletter and confirmed their subscription might hit the spam button over ... more