Click here if you can't view this video interview with Julien Smith. How do you cut through the content marketing clutter? "Get drunk - very drunk - come up with the craziest idea you can. Then, write about it. This really works."
By Mars Dorian, {grow} Contributing Columnist I constantly strive to create a more compelling writing style. Not just for show. We're living in a web age where access to information is omnipresent and soon robots will start cranking out perfect content. Pressure deluxe.
When I talk to B2B sales teams, one of the biggest concerns I hear is: "but my customer isn't on Twitter." Of course you need to use common sense and spend time on the selling activities that will bring you the most return, but here are five ways to build a personal selling advantage for your team, even if your customers are not social savvy!
A new Ogilvy research study suggests that up to80% of reach from marketing campaigns now comes from social media amplification through consumer influence and advocacy. However, few are doing it well! Positive advocacy mentions represented just 15% of all brand mentions, with the remainder being either neutral or negative mentions.
One of the most pervasive mantras on the social web is "don't sell." And it is certainly true that anybody out there shilling every day on Facebook and Twitter is going to lose a lot of friends. But sometimes, you have to sell ... especially if your job is in sales!
Join the growtoonists each Friday for a humorous take on marketing, social media, and current business events.
After several years bumbling around on social media, Fortune 500 companies are seemingly climbing aboard and approaching the usage levels of their more nimble INC 500 brethren. That is one of the conclusions of a new report out of the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research.
By Chuck Kent, {grow} Community Member Today's post arises from a recent {grow} piece written by Gregory Pouy who observed: "We are not going to church as much as we used to, we are not concerned with family as we were before, and we are living in huge cities that make us all anonymous.
How many times have you led a business failure? Do you have to experience catastrophic failure to be successful? If I fail more than you, will I ultimately be more successful than you? These are some of the questions and topics creeping into the blogosphere over the past few years as the notion of failure seems to take on an almost romantic quality.
Usually bloggers write "trend" posts at the end of the year but at the speed of change in this business, maybe we should make it every six months! As we hurtle into the second half of 2013, here are the digital trends I seem to be following the most right now.
Join the growtoonists each Friday for a humorous take on marketing, social media, and current business events.
By Steve Woodruff, {grow} Community Member I was speaking with a fellow consultant a while back, and the subject wandered over to one of the difficulties of being a solopreneur/small business owner. Ever feel alone out there, hacking your way through the weeds? Yeah - join the club.
By Jayme Soulati {Grow} Community Member Ever thought about writing a book? Don't tell me you haven't! Everyone is writing a book, and that either makes you feel left out or jazzed up.
Awhile ago I wrote that that the biggest value delivered by social media technologies will be the internal use of these ideas instead of the external marketing application we usually think about. In fact, I forecast that this would become a very important trend ... and it is.
If you're a regular reader of {grow} you'll know that I'm a big fan of Jay Baer. I think he is one of the great minds and entrepreneurs in this marketing space. So I was really excited to get an advance copy of his new book, Youtility: Why Smart Marketing Is about Help Not Hype.
By Rogier Noort, {grow} Community Member Some time ago, my wife and I decided we wanted to grow our own food. I know, food? A different kind of {grow}! Bear with me - there is a moral to this story!
Join the growtoonists each Friday for a humorous take on marketing, social media, and current business events. describes himself as a creative marketeer with a moon-melting passion for human potential and technology. You can follow his adventures at
By Kerry Gorgone, {grow} Contributing Columnist If you want to jump ahead of the pack in digital marketing, you're running out of time. Small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are adopting channels like social media, SEO, and interactive websites in greater and greater numbers. A new study from Inc.
My friend Stanford Smith wrote a thought-provoking article last week, The Difference Between Content Marketing and Social Media and Why You Should Care and it got me thinking about how these trends are intertwined. I think the buzz on "content marketing" is an opportunity for redemption from years of social media silliness.
I initially stumbled upon the "Grumpy Cat Art Project" via some Facebook friends. To describe this social media success story as anything other than genius would be a crime. My new friend Dustin Timbook took note of the huge buzz created by the Grumpy Cat meme starring the now world famous cat "Tarder Sauce" and started brainstorming how it might be used for social good.
For a couple of months, I had been thinking about doing a podcast and finally, decided against it. I just thought that taking on another content-creation project might dilute my other efforts.
Join the growtoonists each Friday for a humorous take on marketing, social media, and current business events.
By Debra Andrews, {grow} Community Member This is a time of cataclysmic change for businesses - large and small. We have to adjust to the digital age and we have to adjust now, especially in our approach to marketing. How do you find the right person to lead this charge?
By Mars Dorian, Contributing {grow} Columnist I am a self-proclaimed social media rockstar, without any credentials, so I feel more than qualified to present you with the Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Blogging Superstar. Warning: The following blog post will help you gain instant money & fame.
I've been thinking about the surprisingly important role that business case studies play in our marketing efforts, and I've come to realize that in some cases, they may actually HURT our businesses. Let's look at the two-edged sword that is the business case study ...
