Frontline Perspectives

B2B social media marketers know that short URLs are a necessity. You’re constantly limited with how many characters you have for Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. But the power of a long URL, with tracking and a targeted destination, is often the reality.

The answer? URL shorteners. These online tools, such as Bitly or Tiny URL, will let you paste your long url into a field on their site and instantly give you a shorter URL (about 8 to 12 characters) to the same destination – hiding your tracking, code or anything else that happens to be there. Read more »

If you’re still wondering about the value of using mobile platforms for business-to-business marketing, check out this new story in BtoB. According to B2B marketing expert Christina “CK” Kerley, mobile platforms deliver “the holy grail of one-to-one marketing.” She says, “what more personal media do business audiences have than their mobile devices? Further, all activity on our mobile devices is viewed as a priority. For example, SMS alerts (“texts”) are read 90% of the time and typically within three minutes of delivery. Can we say the same for any other kind of marketing?” Read more »

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 »

People now produce as much information every two days as was produced “between the birth of the world and 2003,” as Google’s former CEO Eric Schmidt puts it. That’s five billion gigabytes of information every 48 hours. 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 »

There’s no doubt that creating visual content for your customers and sales team is valuable, as we saw in 7 Types of Video B2B Companies Should Use. Read more »

YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world and the fourth-most visited site online according to Earnest Agency. Video is revolutionizing marketing and changing the way prospects get information — including in B2B markets. Read more »

We’re in the process of hiring right now, which means I’m spending a fair amount of time reviewing resumes. I’m continually amazed that the majority of people don’t include a cover letter with their resume. And those who do include one have serious grammar, spelling and clarity issues. What this means is that the majority (and I mean more than 75%) of these people have either made very little, or a terrible, first impression. And because of that, they’re not going to get to the interview stage. Read more »