Author Archives 
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4 marketing buzzwords explained
Flipping through the 150 predictions from the more than 75 marketing experts quoted in The Content Marketing Institute’s Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2012, one theme emerges: Quality content marketing will be key for many brands this year. As Tendo President Karla Spormann explains in her blog post, “Content marketing: Beyond the buzzword,”… Continue reading
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4 common content development mistakes
I came across a useful post on the Content Marketing Institute blog entitled “The 5 Types of Content That Grab Attention.” The author, Carl Friesen, lists five content types that he believes are great at engaging people’s attention, providing audiences with useful information and helping businesses promote their brand in the process. That got me… Continue reading
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Sentiment analysis predicts customer outcomes
I wouldn’t say I’m particularly gifted at reading people’s emotions, but I am easily affected by the emotions of people around me—whether they’re sad, happy, excited, or apprehensive—and I’ll adjust how I interact with them accordingly. As a business, there is great value in knowing the emotions your customers are feeling about you—and not just… Continue reading
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Your customers and social media: How do you handle privacy?
There is no doubt that the Internet and social media have made public the mundane parts of our lives that our grandparents kept anonymous. We tell our online friends when we take the first sip of our morning coffee; we announce to the world that we picked up an egg salad sandwich at the deli… Continue reading
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5 ways to avoid social media blunders
Recent Twitter activities over at Microsoft (regarding Amy Winehouse) and Entenmann’s (regarding the company’s #notguilty blunder) are serving as a big reminder to marketers that they need to step out of their cubes once in a while and talk to real customers.
Market research and stats are all well and good, but smart marketers… Continue reading
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Spelling mistakes ruin corporate websites
A recent tweet from someone I follow caught my eye: “All my best copyediting work is done after I hit ’send.’”
I can relate. After spending what seems like hours drafting important emails, it’s Murphy’s Law that I’ll spot a typo after I’ve hit the “send” button.
Readers may be willing to overlook… Continue reading
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How much freedom do you give your online communities?
Organizations are increasingly creating “independent” communities or editorial platforms to discuss trends and issues about their industries. Some run content written by freelance contributors (journalists or independent bloggers) as well as company executives. These forward-thinking companies understand that it’s a great way to increase their share of conversation—the degree to which a brand is associated… Continue reading
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How URL shortening can harm your brand
Third-party URL shortening services like Bitly and Zi.ma that offer tracking and analysis are beloved by marketers who want to know who clicked on their links. A far cry from the simple TinyURL service that launched waaaay back in 2002, new URL shortening services have popped up to provide marketers with customizable URLs and more… Continue reading
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Live tweeting Osama, the royal wedding, and more
The news that Sohaib Athar, an IT consultant in Abbottabad, Pakistan, became the “guy who tweeted the Osama raid without knowing it” was extraordinary. It’s certainly a great illustration of social media as a powerful communications medium. It also got me thinking about live tweeting and live blogging of events in general. Why do we… Continue reading
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Coupon marketing: Are you prepared for success?
I bought my first Groupon the other day. It was to a local sushi restaurant that had great reviews on Yelp, and I was looking forward to going. I checked the restaurant’s website for opening times and saw that it had a link to its Yelp reviews. I clicked on it and was shocked to… Continue reading
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Getting naked with corporate blogging
Many organizations have successfully launched blogging personalities—executives who are great at drawing audiences through their entertaining and educational blogs. The better personalities are able to give their opinions without overtly selling the company’s products or services (read my earlier post, “Traits of an engaging blogger”). But as a good marketer, you are conscious that your… Continue reading
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Why social sign-on can elevate blog debates
I’ve had great conversations with complete strangers. You can get into a lively discussion with the person sitting next to you on planes and trains, for example. At some point during the conversation, though, it’s nice to introduce yourself and attach a name to the face. When that happens, you’re no longer anonymous. Similarly, if you run a… Continue reading
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Groupon and the world of Web marketing content
You’ve probably heard of Groupon by now—the local deals company that spurned Google’s $6 billion marriage proposal. When a start-up is apparently worth so much money, you’ve got to wonder how it became so successful. As a content gal, I was interested to learn that a team of journalism school graduates write Groupon’s witty commentary accompanying each… Continue reading