Is This What the Collaborative Economy Looks Like?

The Collaborative Economy – a keynote at Social Shake-Up with Jeremiah Owyang – left an unexpected impression on me that’s had me thinking for weeks.

Is Your Business Website Collecting Dust?

When you use your own website every day, it can be hard to notice anything wrong with it. It looks just the way you wanted it to and nothing seems out of place, so why would you need to make any changes?

5 Social Listening Hacks for Twitter

The power of Twitter is that, as a platform, there is so much to be found - new connections, weird facts, and business opportunities abound. It's important to know what to listen to.

5 Darn Good Reasons to Start Blogging with LinkedIn Pulse

As a rule of thumb, having more content in more places is a very good thing for marketers. At the very least, it gets your content in front of more eyes. At the same time, we all recognize that there are only so many hours in a day, and so many great ideas to pursue. That makes choosing the right channels for your articles incredibly important.

The Dodo Bird of Marketing Tactics?

Pop-ups, pop-unders, waiting a few seconds to watch an ad before you can play that video, articles with advertisements mid-stream and email marketing are all interruptive advertising strategies. And, much like that phone call at dinner time, less than welcomed by your prospects.

Is Your Business Website Up to Code with Google?

Although many in the SEO and online marketing industry like to speak about Google's algorithm as if it were an ancient secret buried beneath a mythical tomb, secrets known only to a chosen few who spend their days meditating in silence, the reality is actually a lot more mundane. Even if we don't know exactly what Google wants from a website, we've had a pretty good idea for several years about what our visitors want.

Is Your Website Visitor a Skimmer or a Diver?

Summer's here and people are taking to the water, whether it's rafting down a slow creek or getting out the waterskis. If you're avoiding the sun by staying in the office, there's a take-away we marketers can learn from the people splashing around at the lake: there are the skimmers, and there are divers.

What Legend of Zelda Taught Me about Online Marketing

Marketing can be a world of adventure and discovery all its own, so there's no surprise that we could pick up a trick or two from one of the most popular video game franchises of the past 25 years. What can Legend of Zelda teach you about being a better marketer?

Turn Prospects into Influencers and Advocates

Quality marketing content turns readers into prospects and prospects into leads. Sometimes, those leads aren't the people making a direct buying decision.

Avoiding Barriers to Business Success

The best marketing removes barriers. Are you focusing on doing the same thing for your business and networking practices?

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Caffeine Addictions, Discount Withdrawals, and Your Pricing Strategy

Let's start with a confession: I've been a fan of Starbucks coffee for years. You might even call me an addict. Given my minor obsession with steamed milk and espresso beans, you probably wouldn't be surprised to know that I've been a member of the Starbucks Gold Card program for a long time. And I've been earning "stars" with each purchase – which I redeem for free beverages later – motivated me to keep buying on a regular basis.

Don’t Be a Cretin (and 7 More Tips for a Better Web Presence)

It's not really a secret that the largely anonymous nature of the Internet brings out the very worst in some people. This isn't just true of chat rooms, social media, and multiplayer networks, though – the "I can get away with pretty well anything" frame of mind even affects social personalities and business marketers.

Are You Attracting Prospects or Just Looking for Attention?

Recently, I've taken a few of my social connections out to the virtual woodshed for posting (or from my perspective, over-posting) what I consider near meaningless or empty, low value content. Grumpy cats, goats, lions, famous quotes and other people's pictures, to name just a few: do they have any real significance beyond some very brief entertainment value?

Doing the Right Thing in the Digital Age

An interesting thing happens when technology allows for entirely new industries to be born. Innovation and creativity often work together in new and exciting ways, while at the same time accepted practices and philosophies are replicated or transferred from older business models.

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Am I Giving Away My Secret Sauce for High-ROI Websites?

When people first learn that I openly share my high-ROI business website strategies – even with peers (read: competitors) – it is often met with a bit of stunned silence. Then they wonder aloud why I would risk giving away my secrets. No doubt they harbour fears that sharing such important knowledge is pretty much a gift to my competition. But is it really?

Digital marketing insights.

Insights from Randy Milanovic, awarded Buzz Sumo's Top 100 Digital Marketing Influencer.