Marketing

Through my posts on Brand Manager 2.0, I have written quite a bit about how technology is changing the job of a marketer today.  Of course, that means I was quite a fan of this infographic from Pardot which talks about a Modern Marketer being part artists and part scientist.  In their words, a modern marketer must master: Written Content Visual Assets Social Media Email Marketing Performance Tracking Budgeting and Operations Analytics Campaign Performance Courtesy of Pardot, an Exact Target Company

Of the many ways that webmasters use to promote their websites, the most effective is undoubtedly article marketing. This is whereby webmasters create content rich niche articles and submit them to various article sites and directories. These articles are a good avenue for you to get some targeted traffic back to your site since they usually contain a link back to your main site. It is these links that also make them one of the most effective SEO tools that one can use. For every article that you create, there is an author’s resource box where you can include your details and a link back to your site. This will count as a niche one-way link, which is the most highly rated type of link, and it will help boost your SERP rankings. In order to ensure that your article marketing campaign is effective you need to put into effect some article marketing strategies. These are things that will ensure that you get the most value out of any article that you write so that your business can in turn profit from more targeted traffic. These are: Ensure that you have a compelling title for each article that you write. People are usually drawn to an article by its title and therefore having a compelling title means that people will actually read what you have written and they just might end up clicking a link back to your site. Before you start writing, carry out some keyword research. This will help you write an article that is keyword rich and that can also be easily indexed by the major search engines. Some free tools that you can use to do keyword research are Google keyword, Market Samurai and Micro niche finder. Ensure that your article is cohesive. As you put together your ideas in the article ensure that they flow easily and that your points are well interconnected. This makes it easier for readers to follow what you are talking about without getting bored or losing concentration. Also, make the article as interesting as possible and ensure that you incorporate the keywords naturally. Include an author’s resource box in your article. This is usually at the end of the article and it will contain your details and it is also here that you can leave a link back to your site. Submit and promote your articles. This is a very important aspect of article marketing. When you submit your article to reputable article sites and promote them in various social bookmarking sites such as Digg, Reddit and Delicious, you will get it seen by many people as possible which could mean more traffic to your site.

See market predictions on Wearable Computing market cc @802dotchris hat tip @scottevest

Maybe it's just me. But I'm pretty sure there's something not quite right about the way American Apparel market the same product to different genders.Case in point this blue flannel shirt. And below it yet another flannel shirt.

Yahoo Tumblrs for Cool: Board Approves $1.1 Billion Deal as Expected via @karaswisher

Many people argue that the pursuit of perfection is akin to paralysis by analysis.Or increasing effort resulting in diminishing returns.And what aphorism do they invariably cite to prop up their argument?"Perfection is the enemy of the good." It certainly sounds valid.Like some sort of universal truth.But what is that truth?What's the real meaning behind those seven, oft-quoted words? Ironically a Google search attributes the exact phrase to the 19th century French novelist Gustave Flaubert.A perfectionist known for agonizing over the fine-grain of his writing (he took five years to write Madame Bovary).The quote is more likely taken from the French "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien."Literally translated as "The best is the enemy of good."It was written almost a century earlier by Voltaire in his poem, La Bégueule (The Prudes).Here's the phrase in context: In his writings, a wise ItalianSaid that the best is the enemy of the good;?No one can grow in prudence,?In goodness of heart, talent, science;?Look for the best of these chapters there;?Elsewhere avoid the chimera.?As it stands, happy that can be pleasing,Living in his place, and keep what he has! It appears that all the talk about accepting "good enough" misses the author's point.In fact, it inverts it!Voltaire's "good" is prudence, the status quo.His "best" is a pursuit of excellence that threatens that good.They are enemies intent on snuffing the other out.People, and by extension society, can not grow by being cautious and judicious.By being overly concerned with preserving their standing.Instead, they must remain hostile to the social order.They must strive for greatness in their hearts and in their work.Our world is advanced by those who dare to struggle for perfection.The rebels and provocateurs who help change our lives from what it is to what they believe it should be.Flaubert did write, "Be regular in your life, so that you may be violent and original in your work."So when it comes to "living in your place," avoid the hollow belief that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.But when it comes to your work and your community, ignore the merely good.Instead, be an enemy of the ordinary.And when times get tough, which they invariably will for passionate souls driven to change things, take a deep breathe.Then close your eyes, smile and recite this childhood mantra:"Good, better, best, never let it rest,'Till your good is better, and your better's best."

Google announced an overhaul to Google Maps at last week’s Google I/O conference and, judging from what I saw on screen during the keynote, it looked very spiffy. It also looked like a pretty substantial change from the existing Google Maps, so I’ve been anxious to find time to sit down and give it a test drive. That’s what I’m doing in this post: Kicking the tires and making some notes on what it looks like, what it does, and what it might mean to small businesses. The first important thing to emphasize is that this is an overhaul strictly of maps.google.com; it doesn’t represent a change to the local search experience on google.com, which is what the vast majority of Google local searchers will see and use. I don’t know how many people begin a search on maps.google.com, but I suspect it’s a small percentage compared to those that begin on google.com. With that in mind, let’s look at… The New Google Maps Loading up the home page takes me to a local map that’s customized specifically for me. There are a handful of businesses called out on the map. On the image below, the ones I highlighted in red are places that I’ve rated or reviewed in Google Maps/Places/Local/Plus over the years. The ones highlighted in black are not places I’ve rated or reviewed — only one is an actual business, “Columbia Point Golf Course.” (You can click this and most other images to see a full-size version.) Each of those businesses/places that show up on the map has a mouseover action that brings up some very basic information, as shown here: And then, if you click the business name on the map, you get what Google is called a “card” about the business. The card has all of the basic details you’d expect to find. There are two things that seem to be missing in the business card/data: a category and a link to the business’ Google+ Local Page. (The latter being missing may seem odd, but given the pressure Google is facing from world governments on the topic of favoriting its own content, I think it’s wise to leave out the Google+ page link here and only link to the business website. I haven’t done enough testing to see what happens if the business has no website; will the link go to Google+ in that scenario?) In the screenshot above, here’s what each link you see does: Open hours: overlays the business hours right above the main info card Directions: removes the info cards and brings up the Point-A-to-Point-B directions interface Save: saves to my places IceHarbor.com link: opens a new tab and launches the company website 27 reviews: opens the company’s Google+ Local Page (unclaimed) in a new tab Menu: opens the restaurant’s Urbanspoon menu page in a new tab If this business had any Zagat information, it would show below the Street View image. If it had any interior photos available, Google would show them next to the Street View image. Speaking of which, that Street View image is also a clickable link, which leads to a full screen (“immersive” is Google’s word for it) Street View experience. (I should note that this business has some NAP problems. That Street View image is of its more industrial bottling location; the restaurant/pub that I’ve been to and reviewed is a few blocks away and is MUCH nicer.) Back to the home page now. In the lower right, there’s a small display that brings up a carousel of local images — not necessarily related to what’s already on the map, but just a selection of area images that are being pulled in from Panoramio. Clicking on any of the images in the carousel leads to an equally immersive display. So that’s a look at what the new Maps home page will offer when it’s live for all users. Let’s play with it a little more, starting with… Local Search on the New Google Maps Let’s first do a general categorical

In case you never heard of Reddit, it’s the highest time to open your ears (and eyes). This week Reddit’s new sales and strategy boss, Mike Cole sent an amazing advertising deck to Simon Dumenco from AdAge. And the deck is nothing you’d probably seen before from a media representative… A short introduction: a forum-alike social network with basically all kinds of topics you can think about. And beyond. The variety of sub-reddits is really astronomical and I doubt you would not be able to find what you’re looking for. From the advertisers’ point of view, and even though being universe on its own, Reddit has a huge potential, the trick is to know how to approach it. Maybe this marketing field guide will be helpful. And as mentioned earlier here, Reddit can be the incubator of viral brand stories.  When looking at the stats, 70 million users generate around 5 billion page views. Yes, 5 billion. As the grumpy cat says, Reddit is not the Holy Grail for marketers. But it’s a great place where a conversation can be started, with the right tone of voice and in well chosen space. Also, it’s not for every brand, I highly recommend to have a look at the sentiment and discussions before campaigning on Reddit. And what will you get? Here’s the awesome deck, featuring unicorn, cats, and a great numbers about this platform. Some key facts: 70 million users 5 billion page views average Redditor spends 20 minutes on Reddit and visits at least 3 times a day Did you know that Reddit has the world’s largest gift exchange?   Reddit’s Secret Plan For World Domination Personally I love Reddit, found a lot of interesting information there, had great laughs and spend there more time than an average redditor. From marketer’s point of view, there are only few weird and/or crazy enough brands that I can imagine doing a great campaign on Reddit.   What About You? Are you a redditor as well or never heard of this platform? I recommend to give it a try, warning though: highly addictive! And one more: can you imagine advertising campaign for your client on Reddit? Follow & Share Want more stories on breaking with the status quo? Browse our category Social Media, join us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, RSS and get our weekly E-mail Newsletter for updates and free bonus content.   Source: AdAge – Armed and Dangerous Unicorn-Riding Cat To Help Reddit Gin Up Advertising The post Reddit’s Secret Plan For World Domination appeared first on VIRALBLOG.COM.

In a recent TED Talk, Bill Gates shares this compelling statistic: “Until recently 98% of teachers got one word of feedback: satisfactory.”  We all need feedback. With no feedback, says Gates, no coaching, there’s just no way to improve. Learning is as important as teaching, if not more. As he says in the talk, even great teachers can get better with smart feedback. Teaching doesn't happen only in the classroom Mentors, coaches, and peers who are willing to provide constructive feedback enrich our opportunities to learn more about what works. In the absence of deliberate feedback, I recommend signing up and volunteering to work with people and teams you look up to. For example, on the agency side, one of the main ways in which you can learn what works and what can be improved is by working on pitches. In a short period of time, you will gain feedback both from the rest of the team, and the prospect. The key is to observe, take note, and be available to incorporating what we learn. Learning does not have an expiration date It is a continuous process of seeking both quantitative and qualitative input to get better. Getting and giving feedback is not easy, yet it pays dividends in the long run. Taken and given through the lens of learning blunts the emotional sting. There is a difference between the abstract of how we see ourselves and our practice and the pragmatic and actual output we provide, how it works in real life. Whenever I am invited to keynote a conference, or to moderate a panel, in addition to preparing visuals and an abstract of key take aways, I use a Flip camera to tape myself giving the talk. This accomplishes three main goals: shows me where to improve -- by getting to see how you do vs. how you think you do highlights gaps in thinking -- usually that's where you get stuck acts as dispassionate feedback mechanism -- no emotion involved It's the best method to do a dry run I've found. In many instances, it's enough to be aware of something to improve it.   [hat tip Shane Parrish] +++ Valeria is an experienced listener. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. To book her for a speaking engagement click here.

Yesterday, I spent the day at the Maker Faire, for the third year.  Unlike any other year, the crowds were overflowing suggesting this movement was growing faster than the cottage industry before.  What’s the Maker Movement? As if social or the collaborative economy weren’t disruptive enough, it’s yet (another) disruption to brands: [The maker movement empowers people to build their own products--rather than buying from brands] I must honestly confess, I struggle to keep abreast of all the new technologies, and I suspect corporations are experiencing the same.  It’s my full time job, yet I attend these events on weekend to stay on top of trends, and we’ve a staff of 21 full time employees at Altimeter who’s full time job is to track business disruptions enabled by technology. We see technology accelerating faster than ever before.  For example, social media transferred communication power, the collaborative economy means customers buy once, then trade many times among each other, and now the maker movement means they need very few brands as they can create products on their own. Brands are disrupted by the Maker Movement. Technology empowers the maker movement.  The movement is already connected on digital communication channels, see Make magazine, social networks and online marketplaces like Etsy that enable individual artisans to sell, trade, or buy unique goods.  Furthermore, the birth of 3D printing is spurring on a new class of goods created beyond jewelry and toys as furniture or home designs emerge Several key industries are ripe for disruption:  Energy can be disrupted from biomass converter creates energy from leaves, walnut shells, from a variety of solar solutions. Also, consumer goods, industrial goods, toys, media, consumer electronics, can be impacted from 3D printers, a call out section directly below.  Additionally, even in dense living, food supply chain be impacted as home gardens and solutions become more available. This movement is acceelearting. Technology Call Out: 3D Printer Market AcceleratingWhile there were many technologies feature, I wanted to focus on one area of heat, 3D printers. Previously, Altimeter saw the 3D printer market as fragmented, with the industry not cohesive. While the space is exploding, there are dozens if not hundreds of 3D printers on the market, and an entire expo hall dedicated to them, each with a variety of specs. We expect consolidation as the market matures. Some key findings yesterday: Investor and key contact Vivian Wang shared with me that the number of materials that can be printed are above the 90 range. Beyond plastics, we witnessed items printed from concrete, salt, metals, and even wood. The wood was sawdust mixed with plastic to create fibers, which result in mostly sustainable product creation. There were entire playsets printed 3D printers, furniture, stainless steel jewelry, and we saw Autodesk (an enabling brand) being a key sponsor. There’s been a cambrian explosion of printers, there are many brands, makes, materials, and it’s not clear they’ve interop or there’s a market leader Brands can leverage the movement Mindset change: become an enabler of this movement.  I spent time with RadioShack  (thanks Cosmin) at the show, who showed they were enabling this movement. They were providing free training for soldering education and hands on work, and also hosted a popup store selling components and controllers like Arduino.  In previous years, Google, Yahoo and other tech companies have sponsored booths to enable future creators and engineers. Build a marketplace that builds new products around you.  While I’ll cover this more in depth on my upcoming report on the Collaborative Economy, brands can host a marketplace around them, enabling customers to buy and sell and make their future products on hosted communities.   See how Shapeways enables 3d printed jewelery artists to host, sell,