30+ Statistics How Social Media Influence Purchasing Decisions [INFOGRAPHIC]

Shortly after we share our foody selfies on Pinterest, we'll be browsing our Facebook and Twitter feed fill to the brim with shopping coupons and discounts. The fact is that social networks have become an ideal medium for businesses to share and promote their products and retail fairy tales. But,...

By Irfan Ahmad • Jan. 24, 2014

10 Simple Marketing Ideas For Small Business Owners

Simple Marketing Ideas for Small business ownersAs the owner of a small business, you might think it is too hard for you get the word out about what you have to offer, but that's not a solid excuse. You don't need to throw in big bucks or use gimmicks to gain a market presence. Instead you can us...

By Alen Malkoc • Jan. 24, 2014

5 Pervasive Myths About Google+

Are you among the many who say "Oh No! Not another social network! Why should I care about GooglePlus?" You may have heard people saying it's a ghost town, or that it's only for techies. The people who write these things are, quite simply, wrong.The truth is that your association can't ignore Goo...

By BL Ochman • Jan. 24, 2014

How to Turn Data into Money and Votes

New Epolitics.com ebook! Check out "How to Use the Internet to Win in 2014."The following is an excerpt from the new ebook, "How to Use the Internet to Win in 2014: A Comprehensive Guide to Online Politics for Campaigns & Advocates", available in the Amazon store for the Kindle e-reader and a...

By Colin Delany • Jan. 23, 2014

Do You Really Need That Hashtag?

From accidentally utilizing adult-themed hashtags to newsjacking, many brands across the board are still misusing hashtags on platforms like Twitter and Instagram. Unsurprisingly, in a saturated environment, these conversations are getting lost (or not happening between fans at all).The biggest m...

By Steph Parker • Jan. 23, 2014

Guest Blogging is Not Dead (and Matt Cutts Didn't Say It Is)

The digital marketing blogs and media have lit up in the last couple of days with reports that "guest blogging is dead," based on this post from Matt Cutts, the head of Google's Webspam team.The post was widely misinterpreted to mean "stop doing guest blogging," as even Matt acknowledged in a lat...

By Tom Pick • Jan. 23, 2014

How Brands Should Really Be Thinking About Content Distribution

Gregg Freishtat of Outbrain explains the best practices in content distribution, where readers are most likely to click on article pages and more.High-quality and engaging pieces of content are the heart and soul of your content strategy, but your distribution channels are the glue that holds it ...

By Nicole Karlis • Jan. 23, 2014

Content Marketing Controversy: Is Content Shock Real?

The concept of "content shock" has been getting a lot of press the past few days, with everyone from Social Media Today to Content Marketing Institute to more mainstream publications weighing in. Let's take a look at the issue and see if we can separate substance from hype.The conversation starte...

By Andrew Schulkind • Jan. 23, 2014

1 in 128 Billion: A Slam Dunk

Warren Buffett (via Forbes)These are the odds of winning the $1 billion that Warren Buffet and Quicken Loans ponied up for the NCAA hoops genius who correctly picks the "perfect March Madness" bracket. Not only will Mr. Buffet and Quicken Loans not have to make a payout anytime soon, but the pub...

By Peter Himler • Jan. 23, 2014

Social Media: Optimizing Those Little Pictures, Posts, and Shares

You're out there. You're writing entertaining blog posts. Creating illuminating infographics. Producing rib-tickling, eye-popping videos. You get it - content needs to be killer. Your blogs need to stop all those busy consumers out there in their tracks. Your newsletter needs to get people to vis...

By Julia McCoy • Jan. 23, 2014

Should You Schedule Your Tweets and Posts?

Image created on lemmetweetthatforyou.com As more and more businesses embark on their own social media journey, a number of apps and services have sprung up automating the process. You can now auto follow, unfollow, RT, favourite and message. You can also schedule content across most platforms (p...

By Charles Cunningham • Jan. 23, 2014

Social Startups: StarGreetz Attracts Customers with Personalized Video Messages

What if Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum spoke to you by name, and then her co-lead singer Charles Kelley and guitarist Dave Haywood chimed in on the conversation? At first you'd probably be taken back by the personal email ad, but it would lead you to click the link they shared. Perhaps you'd im...

By Shay Moser • Jan. 23, 2014

How to Create a Successful Infographic for the New Year

Never underestimate the power of the infographic. Quick to read, visually appealing, and easily digested, people online absolutely love infographics. And they have an astounding amount of staying power. Back in July, my company released an infographic on the seven fastest growing industries of 20...

By Deborah Sweeney • Jan. 23, 2014

Say Goodbye to Brand Shaming & Social Media Criticism

One of the things I love the most about how our industry is changing is that it puts EVERYONE on a level playing field. Every single day, each one of us is learning and testing something new, adding to our personal knowledge base and improving our end results.Nobody knows it all. It's just not po...

By Carrie Morgan • Jan. 22, 2014

The SAPLING Approach to Leveraging Social Media

Everybody's doing it. Should you?Are you trying to decide whether to create a stronger digital presence?Have you dabbled with social media but aren't sure what to do next?Have you experimented with different tools and technologies and find you're disappointed by the results?If you (or someone you...

By Courtney Hunt • Jan. 22, 2014

Tracking Conversions on Facebook and Twitter

Over the last several months social media platforms have begun to show their biggest fear... revenue attribution and conversion tracking. Today let's take a dive into the murky waters of measuring social ROI strictly from an order/lead conversion perspective and how you implement and report from ...

By Matt Aster • Jan. 22, 2014

Build Experiences, Not Just Products [VIDEO]

Music is the one thing that accompanies me on my journeys, experiences, as well as my adventures in writing. While earbuds deliver sound, they do not deliver the essence of the song, the waves of sound, nor the soul of the artist. At the same time, I have a hard time justifying the need to buy ov...

By Brian Solis • Jan. 22, 2014

What Pictures Tell: The Future of Social Is Visual

Today I'm in Austin, Texas, a town that for years bore the stamp of its native (nearby Johnson City) son, Lyndon Baines Johnson, our 36th President, whose library is housed at the University of Texas near my hotel. Besides the Civil Rights Act, the Great Society and escalation of the Viet Nam Wa...

By Robin Fray Carey • Jan. 22, 2014

It's Tax Season: Market Your Way to the CPA Winners Circle

It's Tax Season!January is the kick-off to tax season for CPAs and other tax professionals in the United States. Make the most of tax season 2014 by jumping on every opportunity to land new business.Here are a few ways to make the most of marketing opportunities you may not have thought of.The Ea...

By Brad Friedman • Jan. 22, 2014

6 Reasons Your Facebook Postings May Not Get Responses

The first sign that things were changing on Facebook appeared a few weeks ago. There was a significant drop in reach for almost all of our clients. Reach is the metric provided in Facebook analytics that is supposed to show how much exposure a post receives. The drop happened on the same day im...

By Debra Ellis • Jan. 22, 2014

Brand Journalism: User-Generated Content

A couple of weeks ago, we began a weekly series on brand journalism, what it means, what it includes, and how you can implement easily and efficiently without the resources and budgets of the gigantic brands.If you're behind, you can get caught up by reading "embrace the trend" and "breathe new l...

By Gini Dietrich • Jan. 22, 2014

6 Tactics to Initiate a Conversation on Social Media

For a medium that is supposed to be intrinsically social, much time can be spent on social media without having meaningful conversations.This is particularly so for businesses and brands, where many use social media platforms not necessarily to be social, but to broadcast their message.While you ...

By Matthew Peneycad • Jan. 22, 2014

The Inevitable Bite of Buying Followers and Likes

I was recently involved in a discussion where a business manager raised the idea of buying Twitter followers. My immediate reaction was 'definitely not' but others in the conversation noted their own experiences in purchasing followers and 'Likes' and the results varied significantly. It's unethi...

By Andrew Hutchinson • Jan. 22, 2014

11 Ways to Increase Engagement on Your New Facebook Page

Communication has never been a one-way street, but past marketing methods have not been conducive to back and forth discussions. Social media marketing, on the other hand, thrives on interaction and engagement between a company and its customers.The appropriate interaction makes people feel value...

By Justin Fishaw • Jan. 21, 2014

What These 3 Top Brands Can Teach You About Customer Engagement

People in the world have billions of brand-related conversations among each other every day. Companies pay attention to the dialogue surrounding their company and go great lengths to portray it in the best light possible. Marketers can influence what people say about a brand but no longer own the...

By Sofie De Beule • Jan. 21, 2014