How to Solve the Marketing Skills Gap In Your Company

Training-Marketers

A few weeks ago I was talking to Maureen Blandford about marketers, marketing technology, and the need for all of us to move faster.

Our conversation turned to skill sets and the current digital and technology skills gap in marketing today. A thought I had in that conversation has been gnawing at me since: “Today’s marketers don’t have the aptitude for marketing technology.” [Read more…]

Mute Represents Everything Wrong with Twitter Today

LALALALA!
Finally, you can mute on Twitter. Everything that’s wrong with Twitter has been fixed confirmed.

If you don’t want to see what someone Tweets, unfollow them. If they are spamming with mentions, favorites or retweets, block them. If that isn’t enough, report them for spam.

But mute? The only reason Twitter needs a mute button is the platform’s addiction to reciprocity. [Read more…]

Why The Analysts Are Wrong About Twitter’s Ad Platform

Media Buyers Are Dinosaurs: Picture of a FossilWhat happens when you survey 50 media buyers? You learn that media buyers have put a bit of social lipstick on their buys but they still don’t understand the potential of social media, the importance of content, and so much more.

About two weeks ago, two equity research analysts at Cowen & Co surveyed 50 ad buyers. 60% said Facebook delivers the best ROI, 25% picked LinkedIn and just 5% chose Twitter.

The analyst’s conclusion? Sell Twitter. They expect Twitter’s stock price to fall to $32 (it closed at $62.53 on 1/21).

My conclusion? The majority of media buyers are doomed. And Twitter will be just fine. [Read more…]

Change Is Overdue

Time To Change TracksI’ve had it! I’m sick of crappy content, fluffy sales claims and advice that ignores the real issue. And I hope you will help (more on that in a minute).

I’m tired of issues without examples, of the content marketers that are afraid of naming names and creating conflict.

Even worse, I’m tired of publishers that like to name drop and associate big brands with bad behaviors because it drives traffic, even when the brand was innocent.

The now common refrain says every company is a media company and every individual is a publisher. In one sense, it is true. [Read more…]

7 Step Guide To Creating Perfect Content

Happy New Year 2013Have you ever clicked on a promising headline and then been horribly disappointed by the results? Have you then been amazed at the number of social media shares you continue to see of that same thing post?

I know I have. Those writers have discovered the foolproof formula for creating killer content with minimal effort or original thought. Content that consistently delivers results (shares and visits, not people that actually care, that’s not worth the trouble to measure anyways) for your efforts. Warning, sarcasm may be found dripping at additional points throughout this article.

Do you want guaranteed success too? Just follow this simple formula, and ignore the people quietly laughing at your expense. [Read more…]

Is Twitter Using Research to Mislead Marketers?

Lying“Overall, a 30% increase in positive Tweets is four times more effective in driving sales than a 30% increase in existing above-the-line advertising.”

That is an impressive statistic, quoted directly from a Twitter infographic and attributed to a study by Deloitte. With the inclusion of a big name audit and consulting firm doing a study of 100 different game releases, it has all of the marks of credibility.

Unfortunately, it isn’t true. [Read more…]

No, Content Will Not Kill Advertising

Stop SignsAdvertising is dead (again). The latest killers are the social media and content marketing stars.

Not so fast.

Marketing is a spectrum. At one end might be the experience someone has using your product or service as you intended. At the other might be a tiny mobile banner or a transit bench on a side street.

Advertising isn’t dead. Comparing different parts of the marketing spectrum is like comparing visible light to X-rays; “better” is entirely dependent on your purpose. [Read more…]

B2B Marketing and the Cheap Tchotchke Mistake

At a recent conference, I returned to my room to a bag full of tchotchkes from sponsors. Most went straight into the trash.

Filling my hotel room with cheap junk is not a good way to make me think fondly of you or your product.

When you are marketing a marketing service to marketers, the bar is even higher than it is for most B2B marketers. Your marketing will be seen as an indicator of the quality of your marketing service. [Read more…]

Banners Don’t Drive Leads in B2B Marketing

Wrong WayIf your goal is to deliver leads that you can tie back directly to your marketing investment, do not make banners the core of your enterprise B2B marketing program. Period.

Lead generation is still one of the top objectives of enterprise B2B marketers and many B2B publishers continue to propose banners as a way to deliver leads.

Publishers that continue to do this are doing a disservice to marketers that don’t know better and are losing the respect of those that do.

Banners don’t drive leads. Remember that. [Read more…]

Does B2B Social Media Work? That’s the Wrong Question

Great Marketing ExampleIt is a common question, and starting point for (normally) friendly debate, in B2B marketing. Does X really work for Y?

  • Does social media work for B2B?
  • Does newspaper work for real estate?
  • Does digital work for pharmaceuticals?
  • Does content marketing work for local businesses?

People that say “no” tend to say it doesn’t work anymore because behavior is changing (newspaper), it doesn’t work because their audience doesn’t use it (social media) or it doesn’t work because it doesn’t reach their audience (content marketing).

Those that say it does work point to case studies or audience research showing usage of the channel is high. [Read more…]