The New Four P’s of Marketing — Part 2

So we’ve discussed Proof and why it’s critical to demonstrate that what you do and what you say means something to customers.
Now let’s discuss what you can do to demonstrate that Proof – go get yourself some Presence.

Presence — You can’t prove anything to anyone without having a Presence. And not just in terms of being there [...]

Social Media Revisited

I’m not even sure that’s the right title for this post. It seems like everything we do nowadays involves social media — maybe this should be called “Social Media Yet Again.”
Anyway, in the past I’ve focused on things like measuring social media ROI and the demands of doing social media right. I took a [...]

When Sales and Marketing Don’t Mix — Part 1

I know what you’re thinking. You’re simultaneously saying “They never mix” and thinking of all the things those annoying sales people down the hall have done to you, from using outdated materials to sending customers letters and emails wrought with incorrect grammar and off-brand language. I mean, the notion that sales and marketing [...]

What Matters Right Now? (and Other Key Questions)

Have you taken a good, long look lately at your mix of tactics? At your communication frequency? Your investment (time and money) in social media? Do you know what tactics matter most right now to your customers?
Everything in your strategy has to be up for re-election in this economy. If it’s [...]

Takeaways from 2008

Took a little holiday break, recharged the batteries, and now I am back and ready to blog. Hope you all had a good holidays.
The thing I thought of the most over the last few weeks was listing the key things I learned from the 12 slow-grinding months of 2008. What things were most [...]

Further Update on Targeting AdWords to Mobile Devices

Just a brief mention that Search Insider has an insightful post on the benefits of AdWords targeting to mobile devices. It elucidates some of the differences between iPhone and G1 and underscores the main points that a) the number of mobile devices is only going to grow; and b) it includes other devices, now [...]

Google Continues to Connect Marketers with Customers

A terrible economy is a great time to make life easier for marketers.
Enter Google yet again. On Monday the giant announced an option that lets AdWords users target ads to mobile devices with full-HTML browsers like the iPhone and G1.
You can even target campaigns specificially to mobile device owners. And not only is [...]

An Interesting Option From YouTube (Yet Probably Thought of by Google)

We knew it was only a matter of time before the advertiser-friendly wisdom of Google seeped deep into the business model at YouTube.
Well, that time has come. YouTube is selling video ads against its search volume. For YouTube, it’s another effort to monetize its search volume and sizeable user base — they’ve also [...]

More Reasons to Hone Your SEM Skills

Take a good, long look at David Carr’s article in New York Times about the continued decline of traditional media companies.
Companies from the Christian Science Monitor to the Los Angeles Times to the Tribune Company are hemmorrhaging people, dollars and advertisers. Of course, the reason is the shift of both consumers and ad dollars [...]

Does Your Message Make Anyone Take Notice, Part 3

If you think these ongoing posts favor SEM over other channels, it’s hard to argue its value and utility. Hell, it’s hard to argue the growing budget I’m dedicating to it. It’s such a challenge not just to find the right message to get people to take notice, but to find the right [...]

Time to Get Cozy With Online Video, Part 2

When you take a good, long look at the following data, you may doubt the headline of the article.
Yet even though people who click on online video ad formats tend to be younger and lower income, accoring to a new iPerceptions study, there still holds promise for marketers.
One, this measures online video as an advertising [...]

Time to Get Cozy With Online Video

You may think it’s too far-fetched if you have a small budget or your tech-saaviness is towards the low-end of the spectrum, yet online video is worth a good, long look if you need to connect to customers (which of course you do).
A recent study from eMarketer and subsequent analysis from Mashable highlight the growth [...]

This Blog Is Like Search Marketing

No, no, not because it gets no respect compared to other flashier blogs that reach the masses.
It’s like search marketing in the sense that at times it builds on others’ efforts and capitalizes on them. As this post from Search Insider points out:
…how could we let things get to a point where competitors are [...]

The Complicated World of SEO, Part 3

Still with me on this?
In addition to becoming familiar with the technical aspects of SEO (as described in my earlier two posts), you should hone up on building a basic framework on reporting and analysis of your SEO campaigns. You have to justify what you spend on some level, right?
Now, some of what’s discussed [...]

Again Another Great Option From Google

Yes, you guessed it, this is a continual theme.
At first glance, the still-being-developed Google Moderator tool is a blend of social media and social management, as it uses Digg-like ratings to locate and highlight questions or issues most important to a particular crowd, event, segment, etc.
Yet you can take a good, long look and see [...]