Frontline Perspectives

The new rules of social media series.

While on vacation this past week, I had the chance to finish Content Rules: How to Create Killer Blogs, Podcasts, Videos, Ebooks, Webinars (and more) that Engage Customers and Ignite Your Business. As a long-time fan of Anne Handley of Marketing Profs, I was looking forward to hearing what she had to say about  maximizing your online presence. Read more »

+1 Basics
A couple of weeks ago, Google officially announced its long-rumored “+1” program. Comparable to the Facebook “like” button, it allows searchers with Google profiles to recommend specific search results. Other Google members will be able to see how many pluses a listing received and who among their Google contacts (from Gmail, Buzz, etc.) have recommended it. Those without Google accounts will be able to see aggregated plus information. Read more »

You’ve probably seen them: futuristic-looking black-and-white boxes that look like the love child of a barcode and a postage stamp. They’re called QR (for Quick Response) codes and they’re popping up everywhere — like on the side of this bus — as the latest buzz-worthy tool to hit marketing.

Developed in Japan in the mid-90s, QR codes bridge the gap between the physical world and the digital one. Readable by dedicated QR barcode readers and the cameras on smartphones, the black-and-white boxes contain encoded information such as text, URLs and other data. Read more »

The Rolling Stones sang this well.  Life is full of unfulfilled dreams, wants and needs. And many of us get pretty darn crabby about it. For the sales and marketing teams:  “If we only had the resources to develop the website more, or the money to develop an SEM campaign, or hire five new sales people to develop the new verticals we’ve danced around.  And then there’s the video and green room that could take our video platform to a whole new planet.  We could be so much better, only if we hand X, Y, Z…” Read more »

Your company probably spends a lot of time and money finding qualified leads. These are the folks who have raised their hands and shown interest in your business in response to your marketing efforts. Sounds good, right? So why is your sales force complaining about them? Read more »

With winter officially behind us, it’s time to think about getting active again — in your writing! Even if you aren’t a copywriter, you probably write something every day that would benefit from an exercise in active voice. Take a sprint through the following tips on keeping your e-mails, business letters and other communications fresh and engaging. Read more »

This question generally strikes fear (or anguish) into most of the marketers I talk with…because they don’t know what the competition has been doing. They know who the competition is, and once a year they might look at the list to think about market share as they prepare for a management meeting.  But regularly assessing what the competition is doing isn’t on the marketing radar at all. Read more »

Recent research released by HubSpot indicates that Linkedin is more effective for B2B companies. In fact, 61% of B2B users who acquired a customer through a social media channel used LinkedIn, compared to their company blog (55%), Facebook (41%) or Twitter (39%). Read more »

Over the past two years, I’ve had more and more marketing managers ask me about ways to improve communication with their employees. This focus on internal engagement tactics is an important marketing element in a down economy. (Keep valued employees focused and feeling valued at a time when uncertainty abounds.) But as the economy rebounds, these efforts will become even more important in employee retention, recruiting and training efforts. Read more »

The recent penalties Google has doled out to JCPenney, Forbes and Overstock.com for participation in unacceptable link building and link selling schemes serve as signals that a new era in link building has arrived. Read more »