Marketing

Not that anyone shops at Barnes and Nobles anymore but I just saw on my create space account that they have picked up a large amount of inventory to stock at select locations around the country. This is really interesting news cause 2 months ago when we hit the 30,000  copies sold mark I was approached by a publisher who told me the only way to get into traditional book stores was to invest $40,000.00 for renting the “shelf space”.  He said that these traditional book stores take zero risk now days unless they know they can make money on a book. So lol…  Not sure if they think they can make money on it or if that was just total BS. Looking for an SEO service that won’t get you banned?

More than just marketing in the channels customers use, marketers should provide purchase ability, as well.

A biotech project manager explains how she keeps her workweek at roughly 40 hours, and how you can too

Can you believe WUL celebrated its fourth birthday earlier this year? I didn’t make a big deal about it as I’ve done in years past, because… well, I don’t know why. But I should have, because in a world where blogs come and go (as so much else does), I’m proud that WUL is still around. Four years may as well be four decades in our world of instant gratification! Ch-ch-ch-changes Those of you who’ve been with WUL from the beginning have seen how it’s changed. The only thing that is more or less the same is the theme I started with (and I love it too much to let it go… for now…) and which, incidentally, influenced the look and feel of my business site once that was set up. There’s just something about the little bird that I love, and that I don’t want to let go of. But it’s changed in so many other ways. We changed the tag line (bet you don’t even remember what the old one was), we welcomed guest bloggers, many of whom have become fixtures here. And though some have moved on, I’m grateful to each and every one of them for their contributions, because WUL is what it is because of all of us collectively. We went through dry spells, and extremely fertile spells (a post a day for a while… I honestly don’t know how I did that, hats off to bloggers who can make that happen). Some of us shared very personal experiences (cough, me, cough… Gini, did I get that right?) and you responded with warmth, and sincerity, and support. We’ve had active discussions, some fairly heated, some more playful, and we’ve done it all together. What do you think? We know when you like posts, by your sharing and commenting… but there are a few things I’ve always wondered about, Analytics be damned. And, four and a half years down the road, I think it’s high time I asked you directly. I want to know what you like/don’t like about WUL, what you’d change if you could, which posts compel you and which make you reach for the “delete” button… and yes, I want you to be honest… preferably civil as well, but definitely honest! Because, as you know, WUL is a labor of love for all of us. Just like all labors of love, it takes a lot of time, and especially since I’m trying to build my business back up at the same time, I need to make sure we’re not just publishing here for the sake of it. And that is why we need your feedback. I didn’t want to do anything as formal as a survey, but I would really appreciate it if you would leave your responses in the comments section, so that we can make sure WUL continues to be a forum that challenges you intellectually, stimulates you emotionally, and makes you comfortable enough to kick off your shoes and stay a while. Here are my questions: 1. Off the top of your head, can you name some of your favorite WUL posts (even one)? What made them (it) so? Are there some writers you prefer over others? 2. Do you care how often we publish posts on WUL and, if so, do you have a preference? When do you actually read the posts? Have you ever thought we publish too often? That’s it. I mean, I could ask more questions, but I figured short and sweet is better. But if you have other comments about WUL, please do let me know below. See that rocking chair above? That’s for you to sit in as you tell us what you think. Don’t worry, we’re not planning anything drastic. We just really want to know what you like about the blog, and how it provides value to you. So thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts – we really appreciate it! Waxing and Waning, Lyrical and UnLyrical is a post from: Waxing UnLyrical Author informationShonali BurkePresident & Grand Poobah at Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc.Head honcho of Waxing UnLyrical, Shonali Burke is President & CEO of Shonali Burke Consulting, Inc. Based in the Washington, D.C., area, she loves h

What are you going to reboot today? Today is the day. My second business book, CTRL ALT Delete, is now available. This book is broken up into two sections. Section one is titled Reboot: Business and in it, I define the five movements that have changed business forever that brands are doing little (to nothing) about. These aren't trends (as in, things that are coming). These are movements. They are here. They are backed up with data. They are massive. This will freak out many - but more importantly - provide an amazing opportunity for anybody (from startup to multinational) to take advantage of. Section two is titled Reboot: You and in it, I define several triggers that we - as individuals - now need to think about (and do!) to make ourselves indispensible in this new era of work. We have moved from a world where people would change jobs 4-5 times in their careers, to a place where individuals will change careers 4-5 times in their lifetime. Don't let this creep up on you. Be prepared. Do you want to be employable in the next five years? It's a massive provocation, but ultimately, I wanted this book to help people no longer have to think about answering this question. From a digital-first posture to embracing the squiggle in your career, CTRL ALT Delete is your business roadmap out of what I call "business purgatory." I hope you will join me on this adventure. So, before I ask you to buy the book.... Please read what Seth Godin wrote about CTRL ALT Delete yesterday: You should buy the book. If you're not willing to read the book, maybe you can listen to the audiobook? You could get CTRL ALT Delete as an audiobook for free here (with a whole host of other goodies and help the charity Jumpstart): CTRL ALT Delete - The Ultimate Business Reboot Audiobook Sweepstakes (thanks to the good people at Audible). If you're still uncertain, please check out what people like Arianna Huffington, Tony Hsieh, Dan Ariely, Susan Cain, Dan Pink, Jeffrey Gitomer, Julie Burstein and many more have already said after reading the book in terms of endorsements and reviews right here: CTRL ALT Delete Book Reviews And Media. Please buy CTRL ALT Delete. The first week of book sales are critical. We have set-up an interesting digital experience to tell the story of just how much has already changed in business, and to illustrate how few businesses are doing anything about it. This experience is also a live survey (three simple questions) that will be updated to demonstrate how we feel about the changes, and what we're doing about them. We partnered with Google Consumer Surveys to get a pulse on where we're at in terms of the great reboot and now we need you to join the fray as this continues to evolve. But, more importantly, the experience is filled with mind-bending pieces of data. You can check it out right here: CTRL ALT Delete. A little something more. If you buy a copy of CTRL ALT Delete (in any format), you will also be invited to a special Google Hangout event that will take place in the coming weeks. This event will feature me answering your questions, along with some very special guests. All you have to do is email me (mitch@twistimage.com) your receipt and the best email address to contact you about the details surrounding this very special event. Trust me, you won't want to miss this one. A little something bigger. If you buy fifteen copies (or more) of CTRL ALT Delete (in any format), you will be entitled to a free 30-minute private Google Hangout event with me that will take place on a mutually agreeable date and time. You can invite whomever you like and feel free to either ask me questions, or I would be happy to present a couple of new(ish) trends and what they mean to businesses. All you have to do is email me (mitch@twistimage.com) your receipt and the best email address to contact you about the details. A bigger something. If you buy 500 copies (or more) of CTRL ALT Delete in har

As we look over the horizon and can catch a glimpse of summer , Marketing Pilgrim would like to take a moment to say thank you to some very important people to us: our sponsors. Since we have rolled out our channel sponsor program we have had great success for our existing sponsors and we are getting a lot of interest from future sponsors as well. If you would like to learn more about the content marketing and advertising opportunities we have here at Marketing Pilgrim, contact us today! Here are our great sponsors. Thank you so much! HubSpot – Inbound Marketing channel sponsor – HubSpot Inbound Marketing Software gives you all the tools you need to make marketing that people will actually love – earning quality leads and loyal customers in return. Trackur – Reputation channel sponsor – Easy to use and affordable social media monitoring tool that will expand your capabilities without breaking your budget. Click here for a chance to win a new iPad Courtesy of Trackur. wPromote – The #1 ranked search engine marketing firm in the country. They are a five-time honoree on the Inc 500|5000 rankings of the fastest growing private firms in the country. Blurbpoint - Search Marketing channel sponsor – A full service and link building company dedicated to assisting customers by enhancing their online presence and search engine ranking. Text Link Brokers - Full service internet marketing company specializing in Link Building, SEO, Content Writing and Reputation Management Sponsoredreviews.com – Sponsored Reviews connects bloggers with SEO’s, marketers and advertisers looking to build links, traffic and buzz. Webtrends - Analytics channel sponsor – A company focused on accelerating customer conversion by driving timely and relevant experiences across all your digital channels. Please be sure to visit these great companies to see how they can help you! To start a discussion about putting together a great marketing program with Marketing Pilgrim for your company, contact us today!

A deep look at the growth of the big data marketing industry and just what this means for businesses and the economy at large.

_kmq.push(["trackClickOnOutboundLink","link_519b5fe823eb0","Article link clicked",{"Title":"","Page":"6 Ways to Make More Out of Your Facebook Ad Campaign"}]); _kmq.push(["trackClickOnOutboundLink","link_519b5fe824011","Article link clicked",{"Title":"","Page":"6 Ways to Make More Out of Your Facebook Ad Campaign"}]);Whatever you think about Facebook, there’s one thing that’s hard to dispute: Mark Zuckerberg isn’t afraid to mix things up and try new strategies, and that’s especially true when it comes to advertising. If you don’t follow the social network closely, it’s easy to miss the newest advertising tools and tips. Let’s take a quick look at six things you can do to get more out of your Facebook campaign right now. 1. Don’t Let Facebook Do Your Bidding If you’re advertising a Facebook Page, Event, or App, and you don’t pay close attention, you might think you’re only option is to let Facebook optimize your ad on a CPM basis. But, as Facebook pro Andrea Vahl reminds us, if you read the small print, you’ll see that you can also select the advance pricing model, and that’s what all experienced Facebook advertisers should be doing. The advanced model allows you to not only set your own CPM bids, but also to switch over to CPC pricing. In other words, Facebook is giving you the option. Don’t let them do your bidding. 2. Promote Your App With Mobile App Install Ads If you’ve got an app, and you’re advertising on Facebook, you should be taking advantage of Mobile App Install Ads via Sponsored Stories. Facebook is seeing great click-through rates on Sponsored Stories on mobile. According to Mashable, one marketing firm running Facebook campaigns for major brands is seeing mobile click-through rates for Sponsored Stories that are 12 times higher than their desktop rates — not to mention 45 percent less expensive. And if you can get those clicks on mobile, it only makes sense to get users to download your app. E-commerce pros know that when users downloads a retailer’s app, it usually leads to a lot more spending.  3. Make Sure Your Testing is Rigorous Everyone knows by now — or, at least, they should — that it’s important to test out different creatives to determine what’s most effective. But don’t stop with two versions of your creative. Just because one creative beats another in an A/B test doesn’t mean you’ve optimized your campaign. Caroline Melberg, founder of Small Business Mavericks, tells her clients to run four different ads for the same campaign. And don’t assume you’re done at that point. You’ve got to take the time to look over the data every day and then to test the best performing ad against a new set of creatives. Real optimizing takes real work, but it always pays off.  4. Take Advantage of  Facebook’s New Ad Exchange, FBX If you’re only running traditional Facebook campaigns, you’re missing out on one of the biggest developments in display advertising in years. Last September, Facebook invaded Google’s turf by launching its own ad exchange, known as FBX. In most ways, FBX operates like a traditional exchange with marketers bidding in real-time to serve impressions to individual users based on their online behavior. Early reports suggest that campaigns running on FBX are producing jaw-dropping ROIs. Remember, though, if you want to use Facebook’s treasure trove of data, you’re out of luck. To take advantage of FBX, you have to come to the table with your own data and work with one of the handful handful of DSPs that Facebook has invited into FBX. Once you’ve found your vendor, a good first step it take your existing retargeting programs and extend them to FBX — the price alone is going to make your campaign more efficient. 5. Don’t Let the Limitations of FBX Slow You Down Just because Facebook isn’t supplying the data, doesn’t mean you can’t target with precision. Sometimes FBX just requires a quick workaround. Take Geo-targeting for example: FBX doesn’t come with built-in geo-targeting opti

We’ve been keen exponents of Google Hangouts for some time here at Econsultancy as they’re a great way of sharing content and promoting our brand. In recent weeks we’ve hosted several Hangouts as part of our preparations for Integrated Marketing Week which has helped us to identify and iron out a few bugs with the system. Our head of social Matt Owen has become something of an expert on Hangouts as a result and yesterday blogged his tips for hosting a successful event. Currently I feel that Hangouts are one of the few reasons for bothering with G+ as user interaction with brand updates is generally extremely low. And on the same theme, here are six examples of other brands that have been experimenting with Google Hangouts...BakeSpace.com Food website BakeSpace.com has made a name for itself online by hosting Hangouts sharing recipe ideas and giving people the chance to chat to celebrity chefs. More than 450,000 people have the site in their circles - a huge number for G+ - and in comparison it has just 13,800 Facebook fans, which is quite an unusual ratio. Food has always been a popular topic on social networks, particularly Pinterest and Instagram, so it makes sense that this success should transfer over to G+. So far this month it has already hosted four Hangouts, including a chat with TV chef Brian Malarkey and another giving healthy Asian recipe ideas. Most of the events are linked using the hashtag #KitchenParty which makes it easy for users to find other content from BakeSpace. Cadbury Cadbury is well known for its focus on social marketing and is one of the few brands that actually dedicates a lot of time to maintaining its G+ page. It has hosted several hangouts in the past 12 months, including one to celebrate reaching 500,000 followers and another to let its community ask questions to Olympic swimmer Rebecca Adlington. One of the most interesting examples was its Tasters Circle Hangout in which invited members of the Cadbury Taster group chatted with a Cadbury product developer, commented on their own chocolate preferences, and sampled various Cadbury products live. Cadbury social manager Jerry Daykin previously shared his best practice tips for Google+ with us. He said that Hangouts are a key feature and a powerful way of letting users have a very direct connection with your brand. We’re looking at how we collaborate with fans in a hangout or give them opportunities they otherwise wouldn’t get, like challenging an Olympian to a game. ASOS Clothing retailer ASOS has hosted several ‘Shop-along’ Hangouts in the past year with various stylists, bloggers and celebrities. Users are invited to attend the Hangout one at a time and are given two minutes of fashion advice from the other attendees. It also manages to sneakily monetise the Hangouts by flashing up product suggestions complete with links to its ecommerce site.  These Hangouts fit perfectly with the ASOS brand and are a great way of giving something back to its customers, with the obvious benefit of encouraging them to stock up on ASOS clothes to complete their suggested look. Dell Dell is frequently highlighted as an example of a B2B brand that has been quick to take advantage of the marketing opportunity presented by social media and that extends to its use of Google Hangouts. It focuses on providing useful content for its customer base and in the past few months has hosted Hangouts on migration to Windows Server, IT management and one catchily titled: “Learn how to Leverage Virtualization to Enhance End User Computing.” Dell takes questions through G+ and Twitter using the hashtag #DellHangout allowing people to find out relevant information that is useful for their business.  This is a great example of how B2B brands can use Hangouts to interact with their customers and build loyalty without going for the hard sell. Glamour In April Glamour ran a month-long experiment aimed at monetising Google Hangouts by selling sponsorsh

Only 15% of British consumers believe strongly that it pays to be loyal to their favourite brands, according to a new survey by Epsilon. However if brands can offer what consumers want – which half of respondents identified as being value and quality in the products or services they are offered – they have a good chance of encouraging customers to remain loyal. The research, which was conducted among 419 British respondents, also shows that the recession appears to have made UK shoppers more frugal. More than half (57%) of respondents said that they will shop around to find the best deal and just (15%) are prepared to pay the premium for luxury products and new-to-market products. Looking at what drives repeat purchases, just over a quarter (28%) of British customers see rewards programmes as an incentive to secure their loyalty.By contrast, value and quality in the products or services offered by retailers are deemed the most important criteria to earn loyalty from half of consumers. Preferential customer service, good after sales service, convenience, and new personalised offerings or products also play important roles in shaping loyalty for up to one-third of consumers. For more information on this topic, check out our blog posts on why loyal customers are key to online growth and how mobile can be used to drive consumer loyalty. What makes people switch? But despite the aforementioned focus on price and shopping around for the best deals, when respondents were asked what would make them swap their regular retailer for a competitor brand the most popular answers were related to service rather than pricing. In clothing, grocery, financial services, and travel, less than a quarter of respondents picked non-competitive pricing as being most important factor for making them leave their favourite company.  The other important considerations were experience led: difficult return/refund policies, irresponsive to requests/complaints, bad sales/customer service, and incorrect billing. Fulfilment and returns are an important part of driving loyalty online, as it’s no coincidence that some of the most successful online retailers offer free returns. High delivery costs are frequently cited as a key cause of basket abandonment so it’s logical that making customers pay to return items is also going to cause them to shop elsewhere in future. This is a topic we’ve previously covered on the blog, listing 14 best practice tips for how retailers should handle online returns.