Marketing

Around this time of year, marketing experts all tend to focus their blogs and social postings about what the industry will look like in the New Year. Predictions fly thick and fast, and certain trends tend to emerge in each post, informed by past performances and events from the past year.

There is no denying that 2013 brought a number of significant changes to the SEO and digital marketing industries, and that the vast majority of these updates came from Google.

So you've made your personal New Year's Resolutions, bought the gym membership, and thrown out (or binged on) the last of the potato chips. But have you made any marketing resolutions? Now is a great time to reflect on how you can improve your tactics and strategies, especially when it comes to social media.

One of a brand marketer's main challenges is discovering how to keep a company relevant to its customer base; describing in a quick, memorable way what the brand does, what it stands for, and how it helps improve the lives of its consumers.

You've heard us and others talk about how email marketing is still a highly successful, important element of digital marketing. You know that you need to create compelling content, incorporate a responsive design, test your emails, and generate great offers to convert leads from email.

As a small business, it is imperative that you optimize your business for search. Where do people go to find things they're looking for? Google of course. According to a report published at the end of 2013, Google has over 67% of the search engine market.

Mobile advertising takes a little bit of time and effort to set up correctly, and a lot of measurement and management to stay relevant. Lots of businesses are questioning whether mobile advertising is really a necessary component of digital marketing, especially in the wake of AdGooroo's report on the Top 20 Paid Mobile Search Advertisers.

Wondering how to write compelling content that will impress your visitors and prompt them to share your posts? This article has some smart tips that w..

Smart device users may agree that it almost feels like there is an app for everything, but how often can apps help conquer awkward social situations? The latest trend in app culture aims to make users' entire lives easier: online payment transfer methods.

Former American Merchant and politician John Wanamaker once said, "Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is, I don't know which half". For many advertisers, this saying still rings true. However, advertising has come a long way since the late 1800's.

A quick glance at a chart of the Internet's fastest-growing social networks reveals what you likely already knew (Instagram is growing like mad) and what might be a surprise: LinkedIn is the third-fastest-growing social network.

Content marketing is continuing to become an integral part of any marketer's portfolio. A recent Slideshare presentation created by Marketo informs us that 70% of executives rely more on content now than they did a year ago, and yet 90% still feel overwhelmed by the amount of content available today.

MyBlogGuest, a popular guest blogging network, was recently penalized by Google's webspam team, led by Matt Cutts. Cutts made the announcement over Twitter and published a related piece on his website titled "The decay and fall of guest blogging for SEO." MyBlogGuest is lax with their linking policies, and Cutts alluded to finding spam in their content.

Keeping content fresh and interesting is one of the biggest challenges bloggers face. Writer's block, boredom, burnout - they all work against us. So what can we do to keep readers hooked on our posts? Feeling like your blog is in a slump? Most writers all been there.

For the past week, the entire world has been consumed by news about Heartbleed, the massive OpenSSL flaw that has reportedly affected 66% of the World Wide Web, potentially exposing passwords and sensitive information of millions of users. If the idea of pervasive personal security breaches weren't so scary, we'd be tired of hearing about it.

In the last year, the Oreo brand has been receiving high praise for their content marketing, and it's well deserved. Last week, our blog post on Content Marketing 101 featured Oreo's "Dunk After Dark" campaign, and we are excited to see that their latest ad endeavor is just as exciting.

Developing a brand can't be done overnight. Many popular brands have rich histories that have contributed to how they are perceived today. However, longevity isn't the only factor that contributes to a strong brand identity. In addition to established histories, strong brands usually provide superior products or services as well.

Looking for new methods to promote your blog? Consider guest blogging - it's a fun way to get your name out there, gain new readers, and develop meaningful relationships with fellow bloggers. Check out this article to find out more. It's recently become more difficult to increase the readership of your blog.

Social media is widely recognized as one of the most successful ways for brands to engage in a two-way conversation with their customers. Some brands are more successful than others at utilizing social media in a way that builds customer loyalty; what makes these brands rise above the rest is their ability to put the consumer first.

From an early age, we are taught the blessing and the curse that is the adjective. It is a common and necessary part of our vocabulary, and most of us don't even realize when we fall into adjective trends (such as calling everything you like "fantastic." I mean, is it really?)

Jess Bachman is the Creative Director at Visual.ly, a visual-content marketplace that connects designers, journalists, animators, and developers with clien

About a year ago Apple introduced their new iOS 7 update. In classic Apple fashion, they held a keynote speech to tell their loyal customers about all the bells and whistles associated with the new operating system. However, there was one capability that Apple didn't make a fuss about, the iBeacon capability.

Marketers have a lot going on. From strategy and planning to execution and reporting, there is always an abundance of tasks on a marketer's to-do list. It can be natural to want to lighten the workload by taking some shortcuts, and in some marketing channels, that's totally possible and efficient.

Matt Cutts, the head of Google's Webspam Team, is known for having an open dialogue with the public. Recently, he used one of his Webmaster YouTube videos to debunk a common myth: that smaller sites cannot acquire as much online traffic as bigger and better known sites.

Writing a compelling blog post isn't always easy. You need a good idea, an outstanding title, and the ability to draw the reader in and keep him or her entertained until the end of the article. A good blog post will determine whether or not people share it via social networks, which will lead to more exposure for yourself and your blog.