Digital marketing insights.

A lot of businesses think that content marketing goes something like this: you write a bunch of articles, post them to your blog, share them in social, and magically see new leads come pouring in. What happens is quite different.

About a decade back, I worked with a gastroenterologist who was turning heads in medical research. I had the good fortune of traveling with this man through Europe putting together the presentations he gave to peer researchers.

Ask almost any marketer what customers think about when viewing a website and they’ll tell you it comes down to, What’s in it for me? It's generally agreed that’s the big thing we have to get across. It's incentive to keep reading or to take action. The presumption is that “what’s in it for me?” neatly distils our buyers’ motivations into a very clear question. Or does it?

I had a chance to speak with a group of my peers recently. Rather than talk with them about the latest search engine optimization trends or lead generation tactics, I asked them a very simple question: were they vendors to their clients, or partners?

As you undoubtedly know by now, it’s a good thing to have your business or website being discussed in the right circles. Links between a High-rise Window Washing business and a Truffles Kiosk aren’t likely to be relevant.

Every time I see articles that focus on designing for new apps (like Gutenberg, WordPress' next-gen editor), the latest design trends (like flat design), or visuals that are supposedly “outside the box” (meaning non-standardized) I have to roll my eyes just a little bit.

One of my clients once described the client discovery process we use at Kayak as being like therapy, except longer and with more crying. :) He was obviously joking, but I will freely admit that we spend more time getting to know our clients than they expect.

One of the biggest beliefs we hold at Kayak is that it’s a good idea to tell the truth, even when it hurts. We have put that idea into practice a lot the last couple of years, particularly when it comes to addressing ethical issues we see within our industry.

I usually try to focus on solid advice and real world case studies meant to be helpful to business owners, marketing executives, and even other marketers. But today I want to share what search engine optimization (SEO) failure looks like.

If you’re searching for a marketing or web firm to help you establish a new online presence, then it makes sense to work with an award-winning firm, right?

Back when I first opened up our digital marketing firm, search engine optimization (SEO) was thought of as a niche, technical topic. Now, it’s unusual for me to run into a business owner who doesn’t have some sort of search consultant they are paying a monthly retainer to.

Spring is just around the corner. (Please let it be around the corner!!) I’ve already planted some seeds for my garden. It’s exciting seeing those seeds sprout.

Marathons are long, hard, taxing and exhilarating races that require immense dedication and perseverance. Online marketing is no different. In fact, I’m even going to go one step further and say that online marketing isn’t just like a regular marathon, it’s more like one of the hardest marathons in the world. What makes it so hard? Let’s break it down.

In the old days, somewhere between covered wagons and anti-spam legislation, it felt like it was every man for himself in the fight against the online casinos, Nigerian princes asking favours, and highly suspect 'enhancement' promises.

In December 1999, I walked out of my final agency into life as an entrepreneur. Flush with $700 in my pocket, I saw nothing but possibilities. Before the door closed though, I learned my first lesson…