Friday, August 15, 2014

Featured Report: Government Grants May Help Ease Business Challenges

Spin Sucks

21 Must Haves in Your Social Media Policy

Aug,14,2014

by: Gini Dietrich

A couple of weeks ago, smartieKerry Gorgone wrote a blog post about whether you should friend your employees on the social networks.

I have a hard time with this one for two reasons: 1) I met every one of our employees through the social networks first, which means we were friends there before they started working here; and 2) Social media is part of what we do so there is a big blurry line between personal and professional in this case.

Right now, it’s probably okay (I say probably because they may tell you differently), but as we continue to grow, this may be something I need to keep in mind. It might not be okay to be friends with all of our employees on the social networks. Read More

Marketing Magazine

Why brands are un-friending Facebook to follow Twitter

Aug,14,2014

by: Matthew Burns,

Red Bull, Heineken, Coca-Cola were among the first brands to realise the power of the Facebook Like. But these giants are now turning away from Facebook. What is happening? Matthew Burns, co-founder of eBench, may have the answer. Red Bull's main Facebook page has 44m fans. Maybe a lot, but by generating just 330,000 interactions last month, the brand managed less than 1 monthly interaction for every 100 fans. Read More

New York Times Small Business

Government Grants May Help Ease Business Challenges
Aug,13,2014
by: AMY CORTESE

For more than two decades, from a Willy Wonka-like studio in New York’s garment district, Michelle Feinberg’s company, the New York Embroidery Studio, has helped amateurs and brand-name designers embellish garments with decorative stitching, rhinestones, sequins and other items. So, when a longtime client, Ralph Lauren, approached her in 2010 and asked her to help create uniforms for Team USA at the Sochi Olympics, Ms. Feinberg jumped at the chance. The only problem was that to meet Ralph Lauren’s needs in time the uniforms were all domestically produced for the first time — she would have to upgrade her equipment, an assortment of modern and antique specialty stitching and cutting machines. Read More

HubSpot

The 12 Types of People You’ll Meet at a Conference

Aug,15,2014

by: Brittany Leaning

To all the conference-goers out there, I’d like to challenge you to think long and hard about one simple question: What’s your goal? There are so many different benefits and things you could focus on during a conference, it gets really difficult to choose which one you should go for. Should you be networking to make connections with smart people? Should you stick to learning and diligently take notes during the breakout sessions? Maybe your goal is simply to follow the keynote speakers around until they notice you. Read More

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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Featured Report: 5 Unexplored Ways Your Small Business Loses Money

Huffington Post Blog

5 Unexplored Ways Your Small Business Loses Money

Aug ,12,2014

by: Jackie Nagel

Cash flow is an important aspect of any business. And, it's particularly critical for a small business growing on a shoestring and a prayer. In the hectic day-to-day operation of a business, it's common to overlook the many holes in your small business through which your cash is leaking.

Most small business entrepreneurs are familiar with money lost from ineffective pricing strategies, including underpricing. But, did you know you could be forfeiting more money in seemingly insignificant ways? Read More

Social Media Examiner

New Research Shows Social Media Word-of-Mouth Rising

Aug,13,2014

by: Kiera Stein

Do you want people to tell their friends about your business? Are you getting positive word of mouth?New research shows that word-of-mouth marketing has grown exponentially on social media.In this article you’ll discover three ways you can encourage customers to tell their friends about you. Read More

Strategy and Business

Competitive Narcissism: A Marketing Lesson

Aug,12,2014

by: Catherine Palmieri

Recently, I read (again) that marketers are abandoning their efforts on social media. Despite desperately trying to be “liked,” businesses have seen little financial gain from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and similar social media platforms. This is nothing new; five years ago, businesses complained that people rarely clicked the ads they posted on Facebook.

The challenge of advertising on social media now reminds me of the Greek myth of Echo and Narcissus. Echo was a nymph who had been cursed with an affliction: She couldn’t speak except to repeat what others said to her. One day, she fell in love with Narcissus and hid in the woods waiting for him to notice her. When he called out to some friends, she called back, and he asked her to show herself. Unfortunately for Echo, he rejected her immediately upon seeing her (at which point she ran off, gradually wasting away until only her voice remained—the mountain’s echo). Narcissus continued to attract other wood nymphs, all of whom he briefly entertained before scorning and rejecting them too. Nobody matched his beauty, and so he though no one was worthy of his affection. Eventually, though, Narcissus did fall in love—with his own reflection in a pool of water. Read More

HBR Blog Network

When (and Why) to Pay for Tweets

Aug,11,2014

by: Ryan Holmes

If you’re on social media, you’ve seen them: ads dressed up to look (almost) exactly like normal tweets, Facebook posts, and LinkedIn updates from your friends and followers. They’re called native social ads, and while user opinions vary from indifference to annoyance, the results would seem to speak for themselves.

Facebook native ads that appear in users’ news feeds are clicked on 49 times more often than traditional banner ads in the right sidebar, according to AdRoll. Meanwhile, Promoted Tweets have shown engagement rates of 1% to 3%. Normal banner ads are clicked on just 0.2% of the time. Read More

KaratBars International

Monday, August 11, 2014

Featured Report: The Lazy Webmaster’s Guide to Link Building

Site Pro News

The Lazy Webmaster’s Guide to Link Building

Aug,11,2014

by: Elena Terenteva

Ok, maybe you’re not actually lazy, but you’re definitely pressed for time. After all, you have to stay up to date on all the basics of SEO, plan ahead for search engine updates, do keyword research, optimize for search and social….the list goes on and on. You can have a meltdown just thinking about it!So with all that’s going on how do you find time to continuously attract links to your domain?

Well, today is your lucky day because I’m going to share some quick tips that will help you reap the benefits of link building without spending ridiculous amounts of time slaving away. Before we go any further, I want to set something straight… Read More

Monetate

To Trigger or Target; That Is the Question

Aug,05,2014

by: NATHAN RICHTER

“Triggered or targeted emails? Which is better?”

It’s been asked so often I hear it now as Shakespeare’s “To be or not to be…” Cliché, I know, but the email marketer’s struggle over which is better for the personalized email toolkit is oddly similar to that of Hamlet.

While the prince struggled to decide between a short-term decision and a long-term consequence, our email marketer, too, questions the short-term benefits of triggered emails against the long-term relationship-building available through targeted emails.

So, which is it?

If you ask me, the answer is “Yes!” The reality is that an effective email marketing campaign needs to include a combination of the two. Read More

Mobile Marketing Watch

Retailers Can Motivate Millennials with Mobile and More

Aug,08,2014

by: Michael Essany

Thank heavens the days of zombies strolling cavernous malls seem to be waning.

It’s not just because the U.S. is experiencing a bout of retail retrenchment. In fact, those spaces just don’t have the appeal — especially to the prime millennial demographic (18-34) — that retailers need to create.

That’s the conclusion reached by JLL Research.

“With cash to spend, and the need to own the latest-and-greatest goods and gadgets, the youngest group of adult consumers, born between 1980 and 2000, already spends $600 billion a year in the United States alone,” according to the report summary shared with MMW. “It shows no signs of slowing. In fact, they’re on track to spend $1.4 trillion annually by 2020, accounting for roughly 30 percent of all retail sales.” Read More

Marketing Sherpa Blog

Mobile Marketing: 3 tips from ModCloth on mobile app engagement

Aug,08,2014
by: Allison Banko
Seldom do I condone a selfie. Nothing makes me want to cut a slice of humble pie for someone more than a pointless, self-taken snapshot. If you’re doing absolutely nothing but think you look darn good, it’s pretty clear you’re pulling for some strokes to the ol’ ego. In the driver’s seat of your car? Not a photo op. Working at your computer but having a great hair day? Don’t click the cam. However, I do think there are some exceptions — and perhaps even necessary occasions — for a selfie. If I run into Jennifer Aniston on the street but no one’s there to take the pic, you best bet I’ll hold up my iPhone and do it on my own. Read More

KaratBars International

Friday, August 8, 2014

Featured Report: You’re Taking These Marketing Maxims Way Too Literally

Socialmediopolis

Pinterest for eCommerce

Aug,06,2014

by: Denise Casagrande

Last month, Pinterest showed off its first ad at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and it’s a beautiful tribute to how the platform connects and inspires 70 million users worldwide. Just four years from its beta launch in 2010, Pinterest has 2.5 million page views per month, making it the fastest growing social platform today.But its popularity is not the only draw – Pinterest is more successful than Twitter and Facebook at turning followers into consumers. Take a look at Pinterest by the numbers: Read More

Mobile Marketing Watch

Hey, Smartphone: Are You Stalking Me? I Mean Seriously, Are You?

Aug,07,2014

by: J. Barton

Apparently, smartphone users aren’t fans of in-store tracking.Seriously. It’s as if a grand chorus is rising up with one voice to say, “Are you stalking me? I mean, seriously, are you?”An April 2014 study by PunchTab showed that just 27 percent of smartphone owners in the U.S. said they would allow mobile in-store tracking in order to receive relevant, real-time information and offers.Conversely, 50 percent were not open to mobile tracking. A smaller group — about 24 percent — didn’t have strong feelings yeah or nay. Read More

HubSpot

You’re Taking These Marketing Maxims Way Too Literally

Aug,08,2014

by: Barry Feldman

I’m guessing I read 500 headlines each day. I might skim 50 or so articles. And I go top to bottom on 5 or more. You? Maybe we’re in the same boat. We know all too well marketing changes at the speed of screen flicker. So we’re scouring blogs and any other content we can get our retinas on, hoping to stay tuned into what’s up in digital. But sheesh, my friend, I hope you’re not taking all these popular maxims at face value. I trust you’re able to sniff out the obvious manure, but fear you might be taking some of these oft-repeated maxims overly literally. Allow me to lay a few of them on you -- and give my reality check. Read More

Site Pro News

SEO’s Two Most Important Tactics

Aug,08,2014

by: Tina Courtney-Brown

It used to be a fairly accurate statement to say that SEO was a finite task. You executed some keywords, meta-data, and a few tricks of the trade, and then focused on your site’s products and services. Rankings fluctuated, but usually not erratically. New tricks came along from time to time, but SEO wasn’t an all-consuming marketing game.

The harsh reality is, those days are over. You can’t fool your way into top search engine rankings by employing a few tried and true tricks. The game has massively changed, thanks to Google’s ever-evolving algorithms. Nowadays, SEO, content marketing, and social media are intrinsically linked. And each of these focuses is an on-going mission.

SEO involves methodical big picture thinking, intense content strategizing, and a keen eye for metrics analysis. Based upon your results, you then enhance or tweak different key marketing facets to improve your rankings. It’s truly an infinite art form. Read More

KaratBars International

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Featured Report: The pros and cons of balancing family and work in a home-based business

Marketing Land

Mobile Traffic To News Sites Dropped 8.5% During Facebook Outage

Aug,05,2014

by: Martin Beck

Facebook’s brief outage Friday was annoying to many, including apparently the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department, but it was useful for people interested in the social network’s impact on web traffic.

Chartbeat, which provides real-time analytics for web publishers, found that overall traffic on news sites fell 3% during the outage, which started at about noon Eastern time and lasted less than an hour. Entrances to news sites from mobile devices fell 8.5% during the downtime, according to Chartbeat, re-confirming Facebook’s major role in driving mobile traffic to online publishers. Read More

Deseret News National Edition

Stay-at-home CEOs: The pros and cons of balancing family and work in a home-based business

Aug,04,2014

by: Michael De Groote,

Sometimes businesses at trade shows would snub Renae Christine when they found out her company was run out of her home. "They were only interested in brick and mortar businesses," she says.

But that was in 2006, pre-recession, and with the recovering economy she has seen a shift in attitudes. So many people have since been interested in how she built a six-figure-income business in her home that she began to teach people how to set up a home business. She did it first in the blog RichMomBusiness.com in 2012, and now it has expanded into her primary at-home business. Read More

Small Business Newz

How the World Sees You Should Govern Your Social Media Style

Aug,05,2014

by:Jay Baer

A few weeks ago, we gave Convince & Convert readers the chance to take a free assessment ($37 value) to determine how the world sees them – and more than 600 people participated. The assessment and the methodology were created by Sally Hogshead , a consultant, hall of fame speaker, and New York Times best-selling author . I recently chatted with Sally about her new book How the World Sees You (upon which the assessment is based) and the interesting commonalities among Convince & Convert readers. Video below, partial transcript below that.

Jay Baer: I think a lot of people watching this video who are frequent visitors to the Convince & Convert blog are somewhat familiar with the book and the premise because we had hundreds and hundreds of blog readers and social media contacts of mine take the pre-assessment. We’ll talk about that in a little bit but for anybody who’s not familiar with the book or the premise of How The World Sees You , maybe you can set that up for them. Read More

Social Media Examiner

How to Infuse Your Personality Into Your Social Media Marketing

Aug,05,2014

by: DJ Thistle

Do your readers see you as a logo instead of a real person?

Are you sharing the real you in your social marketing?

It’s tough to walk the fine line between being professional and being yourself. With social media those two things don’t have to be mutually exclusive.

In this article you’ll discover four ways you can infuse your personality into your online marketing efforts. Read More

KaratBars International

Monday, August 4, 2014

Featured Report: Mobile Sales Sites Grab More Moola than Apps

TechCrunch

Facebook Forces Users Worldwide To Download Messenger For Mobile Chat

July,28,2014
by: Josh Constine

Over the next few days, Facebook will stop allowing messaging in its main iPhone and Android apps, and force all their users around the world to download its standalone Messenger app. Facebook first started requiring users in Europe to use Messenger back in April, but after seeing “positive results” in terms of engagement, its rolling out the plan to the everyone. Facebook tells me people on Messenger reply about 20% faster, and not supporting multiple version of mobile chat will help it make both its main apps and Messenger better.

Mobile web, iPad, feature phone, Windows Phone, Paper, and desktop users can still message in their main Facebook apps or sites like before, and will be spared from this forced migration for now. Read Now

WebProNews

Can Amazon Dominate Local Services Too?

Aug,01,2014

by:Chris Crum

In June, we learned that Amazon was readying a local services marketplace, which would simultaneously compete with local review sites like Yelp and services from stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot. The news was originally reported by Reuters, which suggested Amazon users would be able to order babysitters and handymen with the service.

Reuters now has a clearer picture of just what Amazon is working on, which it says it is testing in Seattle, New York, and Los Angeles. It also points to a Help & Customer service page on Amazon’s website, which gives further details.

According to that page, Amazon Local Services allows users to purchase professional services for assembly, set-up, installation, and repair works. It doesn’t say anything about babysitting, but that would certainly appear to cover the handyman part. Other verticals could surely come later, if the initiative proves successful. Read More

Mobile Marketing Watch

Retail Reality: Mobile Sales Sites Grab More Moola than Apps

July,28,2014

by: Michael Essany

Apps may be where people spend most of their time, but retail sales sites are where it’s happening.

That’s the conclusion of recenteMarketer data, which projects that 19.0 percent of U.S. retail ecommerce sales will stem from mobile devices this year.

By 2016, the share is expected to rise to 25.0 percent.

Traditional retailers, ecommerce players and mobile-only businesses are all vying for the money consumers are increasingly spending through their smartphones and tablets, according to a new eMarketer report, “Mobile Commerce Deep Dive: The Products, Channels and Tactics Fueling Growth.” Read More

MarketingSherpa Blog

Social Media: Leveraging visual marketing on Instagram and Pinterest
Aug,01,2014
by: Regina Love

At this year’s Internet Retailer Conference and Exhibition in Chicago, Daniel Burstein, Director of Editorial Content, MECLABS, sat down to discuss the growth and value of visual social media with Jason Miles, Co-founder, Liberty Jane Clothing, and Aime Schwartz, Digital Marketing Manager, King Arthur Flour.

Aime shared the importance of identifying what makes Instagram different from your Facebook and Twitter efforts. The goal is to showcase your value to multiple audiences through images, and think about reasons why people should engage with you and your brand.

Showcasing your value means being transparent, and with images, you can convey trust much better than just with words. Read More

KaratBars International