We are surrounded with a class of mobile devices that are eight years out of date, and predate the iPhone entirely. These relics are everywhere we go, affecting our daily lives in countless ways.
I’m talking, of course, about enterprise-class devices: the scanners that grocery clerks use to track inventory, the stylus tablets that couriers log their deliveries on, and the button-covered rectangle the agent uses to check in your rental car.
The Unnoticed Gadgets That Power Our Economy
Saturday, July 5, 2014
The Unnoticed Gadgets That Power Our Economy
Five SEO Tips for Global Marketers
If you want to boost your website traffic overseas, you need a localized strategy for each market. Here are five SEO tips to keep in mind during that localization process. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Five SEO Tips for Global Marketers
4 Ways to Prepare for the Future of the Inbox
With all the changes coming to the email channel, it's easy to lose sight of what you need to focus on to both optimize what you're doing today and strategically plan for continued optimization tomorrow.
4 Ways to Prepare for the Future of the Inbox
How To Make a Blog Post Go Viral
Painting by Mike Odden
How can I make a blog post go viral?
People have been trying to answer questions like this for years: How can I make a song a hit? How can I play in the NFL? How can I become world famous?
The reality is, for the vast majority of people, this is simply never going to happen.
For the 5% of bloggers that are able to create blog posts “that go viral”, the answer is to work your ass off until you get lucky. Then try even harder to figure out what’s working and refine what you write to connect with those key elements that resonate with your audience.
Sure, you might learn a few superficial tricks from Buzzfeed and Upworthy, but how important is a flash in the pan post vs. ongoing engagement with the people you’re actually trying to connect with?
On this topic, I just have to tell it like it is: Most people asking how their blog post go viral are too lazy or impatient to do all that hard work. They’re focused on the superficial social proof that comes from high social share counts and not on creating value.
I think it was Thomas Edison who said, “Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”.
When I look at our most popular posts based on page views vs. the posts that refer traffic to our company site that generate leads, it’s not the same at all. These three posts alone have over 16,000 social shares, but they’re not “lead gen” posts.
- Digital Marketing in 2015 – Predictions from 21 Marketers Who Know (7.4k shares)
- Email Marketing Essentials: A Checklist for Writing Emails That Get Opened (5.6k shares)
- 25 Women That Rock Social Media (3.5k shares)
But… they do work together with content that is meant to convert. And that is the point of this post: Create content that’s meaningful and package it for exposure. Don’t just make content for exposure.
Here is generally how I organize the kinds of content we publish here to capture attention and to engage.
Attract
Content intended to generate awareness. Those are the large lists posts, thought leadership posts, influencer posts, event posts, recognition posts, crowdsourced / co-created posts, and visually spicy posts are the content getting a ton of shares and creating awareness – attracting new and passively interested visitors.
Engage
These are posts that focus on answering specific questions that buyers often have, whether they are early or middle stage in the sales cycle. Examples, how to’s and lists of tactics work pretty well to create the kind of value that create confidence and inspire an interest in seeking out more information.
Convert
This type of post isn’t published very often on our blog. That’s the job of our agency website. But when we do, these are posts that explain specifically how we work to deliver certain kinds of services, case studies and particularly clever ways of solving difficult marketing problems.
Any of these types of content could “go viral” but the focus is more on relevancy to the target audience, the inclusion of our messaging and approach, packaging and promotion for exposure. “Going viral” gets you page views, but often not a lot else – unless you’re delivering value through meaningful information that is relevant to the community.
What are your objectives for blogging? Is it to get as much attention with each post as possible? Is it all based on relevancy to brand and audience? Or do you use a layered or combination approach?
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How To Make a Blog Post Go Viral
Sheryl Sandberg Sells More Facebook Shares
Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg continued to dispose of shares in the company, while Chief Product Officer Chris Cox and Chief Accounting Officer Jas Athwal also sold off some smaller chunks.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
Sheryl Sandberg Sells More Facebook Shares
Michael Boland And McKay Allen On Tuesday Webcast: "11 Elements Of A Converted Call"
On Tuesday July 8, at 1 p.m. EDT, our sister site, Digital Marketing Depot will host a webcast, “11 Elements of a Converted Call.” Michael Boland of BIA Kelsey and McKay Allen from LogMyCalls will discuss why some calls convert and others don’t. Topics include the impact call...
Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.
Michael Boland And McKay Allen On Tuesday Webcast: "11 Elements Of A Converted Call"
Virgin Atlantic Debuts New Vivienne Westwood Uniforms
Poor flight attendants. Once an elite cadre of glamorous pros catering almost exclusively to well-heeled passengers, they now have to face the grumblings of overcrowded masses while wearing unflattering polyester suits. Virgin Atlantic wants to restore some lost dignity, however, with redesigned uniforms by the British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood.
The partnership with Richard Branson’s airline updates the wardrobe of in-flight and ground employees, bringing elegance and tailored touches to uniforms that had grown boxy and generic. But don’t expect the punk-infused haute couture that has become Westwood’s signature; the new uniforms play it relatively safe. Instead of referencing space-age travel, Westwood channeled the feminine silhouettes of 1940s French fashion. Read more...
More about Redesign, Fashion, Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and BusinessVirgin Atlantic Debuts New Vivienne Westwood Uniforms
Police Release Eerie Underwater Footage of Costa Concordia
Days before the attempt to refloat the sunken Costa Concordia, the Italian police have released a video showing underwater footage of the cruise ship
The 8-minute, silent video shows the Carabinieri divers examining the underwater wreckage, showing dilapidated sofas, tables and stairs on the once-luxurious vessel. Some parts of the ship, like a reception desk seen at the 4-minute mark in the video, are nearly intact.
Near the end of the video, the diver with the camera emerges into an air pocket inside the ship, showing a well-preserved atrium covered with murals Read more...
More about Us World, World, and Costa ConcordiaPolice Release Eerie Underwater Footage of Costa Concordia
Five SEO Tips for Global Marketers
If you want to boost your website traffic overseas, you need a localized strategy for each market. Here are five SEO tips to keep in mind during that localization process. Read the full article at MarketingProfs
Five SEO Tips for Global Marketers
The 20 Most Popular Brands On Twitter [STATS]
@YouTube maintains its position as the most popular brand on Twitter, with its more than 43 million followers placing it well ahead of all other brands, including the official @Twitter profile.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
The 20 Most Popular Brands On Twitter [STATS]
The 10 Most Popular People On Twitter [STATS]
Katy Perry, who became the first Twitter user to reach 50 million followers in January of this year, maintains her position as the platform’s most-followed profile, with a lead well in excess of one million followers over second-placed (and former number one) Justin Bieber.
New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.
The 10 Most Popular People On Twitter [STATS]
How to Conduct a Content Audit on Your Site
"Content audit" sounds a bit intimidating like something that involves ghastly amounts of time, endless spreadsheets, and dozens of unpaid interns. The word “audit” is so tied up with other unpleasant life experiences that I totally understand if it doesn't inspire you. But hang on for a second because a “content audit” might be what your site needs to get to the next level.
So, what is a content audit? A content audit is a careful look at your website’s existing content in order to make sure that it’s doing what you want it to do — driving the right kind of traffic, containing the right kind of keywords, and improving conversions.
The reason this is important is because the content of your website is the most important factor in your website’s existence. To be blunt, your content is your website.
That’s why a content audit matters. It’s about improving the very soul of your website - its content.
With crappy content, you have a crappy website. Now and then, it deserves a little audit action so you can find out what’s right about it, what’s wrong with it, and what might need to change.
But before we get into how you can audit your content, here is what you need before you can start: Read More
How to Conduct a Content Audit on Your Site
6 Tips to Set Yourself Up For Success When Working Remotely
As a full-time remote employee, I feel compelled to put it out there that working remotely is not the equivalent of an employed recluse. Yes, a remote position is different than working out of a traditional office. And, yes, working remotely is not for everyone. But, holding a position as a remote employee still means you are employed by an organization that expects you to be productive and results-driven. There are some major perks, too, like flexibility, no commute-time and fewer distractions.
If you currently are—or are thinking about becoming—a remote worker, here are six tips to set yourself up for success:
Dedicate a work space and have a back up
You must have a space that is dedicated to work, regardless of the size of your house. This assigned space will help you separate your work from home life and help you get in your zone, which will increase your productivity. If you are fortunate enough to dedicate a room to “office space”, awesome! If not, you can still find a space. There is nook somewhere waiting to be devoted to your work success. Perhaps you need to create a “portable office”. The kitchen table does a great job moonlighting as a desk. Keep your computer and work supplies in a basket and set up shop each morning (or evening, if that’s when you do your best work). Make sure the room has good lighting and minimal distractions (the center of your child’s playroom is not ideal).
I have transformed my guest room into a home-office. Although there are certain tasks I like to do at my kitchen table, or even couch, I know that when it’s time for a call or a labor-intensive task, it’s time to settle back in my “office”.
Like any office, things happen. Working remotely makes for unique situations. Your internet could go haywire, family may come for a visit or you could just want a change of pace. Have a back-up plan for when things arise. I like to get out of my house and be around people, so I have found two local coffee shops that I frequent. Libraries and shared work-spaces are great too.
Set a schedule
One of the perks of working remotely (for most of us) is being able to set your own schedule. The beauty in a flexible work schedule is that you can decide when and how you want to work. Set yourself up for success by creating a schedule that works for you. Dedicate time each workday when you can accomplish the most, feel your best and enjoy the work you’re doing.
I stick to a strict Monday-Friday 8 am start time. My productivity is dependent on getting up and getting moving. The hours of 8 am- noon are when I am at my prime for answering emails, getting organized and diving into my work. Depending on what meetings I have and projects I am working on, I like to take a longer lunch break in the middle of the day, which I account for in the evening. The afternoon is when I like to schedule calls. I’ve found that grouping them together works well for me. The hours of 7 pm -9 pm is another time block that I am most naturally “in the zone”. I set aside this time for any creative writing or projects I am working on that require a lot of critical thinking and energy. I can count on these two interruption-free hours to get lost in my work. I also cherish these hours to check emails again and get set up for the following day. Sunday evenings are also a very productive time for me, so I use this time wisely as often and I can. I have a co-worker that has children, so early mornings and the hours of 5 pm- 9 pm are off-limits for work. It’s a matter of figuring out what works for you.
It will take some trial and error, but commit to finding what works for you and use the flexibility to your advantage. Remember, a flexible work schedule will require some flexibility on your part as well, so get comfortable with things “popping up”.
Stay strong
Once you’ve identified what times work best for you in your work day, stick to it. It’s easy to get distracted with personal things when working from a home office, but if it’s time for work, those dishes will have to wait! Creating a space dedicated to work as well as sticking to a schedule that works for you will help you stay on track. If you find yourself getting distracted easily, chances are either your schedule or your work space is not conducive to your success.
Set up a system with your manager and co-workers
Communication is imperative when working remotely. Work with your team to find a balance of always being informed and up-to-date, but not so much communication to hinder your productivity. At SME Digital, we have a weekly call where all members of the organization dial in to touch base on all internal and external projects, address any questions or concerns, and celebrate the wins. My specific team has a half-hour touch base every morning to go over our work in more detail and make sure everyone is set up for success. We also use G-Chat for conversations throughout the day. (I told you we weren’t recluses!)
Make time to socialize
Working remotely does mean a bit of isolation. While the benefits of this can be monumental (hello, productivity!), it’s important that you find an outlet for socialization. This can be done in conventional ways such as networking groups, social clubs, or making time for dinner with friends on a regular basis. There are also non-conventional ways, too. Here at SME Digital, we schedule “coffee talks” where we set up 15 minutes with one of our colleagues and literally sip coffee and chat about anything non-work related. It’s a great way to get to know your co-workers on personal level and also provides some human interaction.
Shut down
The biggest challenge I’ve experienced as a remote-worker is shutting down. Knowing my work is only a few feet away is tempting, and there is always “just one more thing” to be done. I’m told that putting your computer and work materials away in a place you will not see during off-hours (in a room dedicated to work, a drawer, a closet- anything!) helps. I do believe that there are major benefits from unplugging and recharging, so when I master this, I’ll report back.
These are a few ways I find success as a remote employee. Share what helps you in the comments below.
Comments
- Thanks, Colter! by DanielleSME
- Bob Duggan 6 Tips to Set Yourself Up For Success When Working ... by Bob Duggan
- It’s hard to leave work at work, even when you go in to the ... by Colter Reed
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B-to-B Needs More Humor: Cisco Marketing Manager
Business may not seem funny to most, but it ought to be, according to Tim Washer, a former actor and comedy writer who's now Cisco Systems' senior marketing manager for social media.
Creating brand value is as important as feeding the sales funnel, Mr. Washer said at the annual Business Marketing Association meeting in Chicago, and humor is a key ingredient.
Cisco, with Mr. Washer's help, has already embarked on some comedic videos, one of which came last year with the marketing of its ASR 9000 router.
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What Your Grocery Store Might Look Like in 2025: Different at Night
Picture this: A grocery store with shifting walls that transforms into a restaurant at night and a farmers market on Saturday mornings.
Sound far-fetched? It could happen by as soon as 2025, according to a new exhibit that seeks to predict food retail trends for the next 10 years. The predictions come from the Food Marketing Institute, which represents food retailers operating nearly 40,000 U.S. stores. The organization debuted the exhibit on Wednesday in Chicago as part of a sprawling trade show that it is hosting this week.
The exhibit was overseen by Tesser, a San Francisco-based brand strategy and design firm. In the video above Tesser CEO Tre Musco talks about the project, whose sponsors include Hershey Co., Coca-Cola Refreshments and American Express.
What Your Grocery Store Might Look Like in 2025: Different at Night
Q&A with the Harvard law professor raising millions to end financial political corruption
Harvard law Professor Lawrence Lessig is out to raise millions of dollars to end financial political corruption. With enough money, he believes he can create a political action committee (PAC) that wins enough congressional elections to make campaign finance reform a top issue.
At midnight tonight, he has a self-imposed deadline to raise $5 million dollars, in order to receive matching funds of the same amount toward for his MayDay political “SuperPAC”. He already met his first deadline to raise $1 million.
On the eve of his potential victory, I had some questions about why Lessig thinks he can overturn one of the most pervasive aspects of American democracy. While his cause may be noble, if it’s unrealistic, he might as well be hunting for leprechaun gold to reduce the federal debt.
Here is my Q&A with him:
Q: Very briefly, how would you describe the goals and methods of your campaign finance project?
Lessig: The goal is to win a Congress committed to fundamental reform by 2016. To do that, we are running first a pilot campaign in 2014 — 5 districts, selected to demonstrate that this issue matters to voters, and to establish what will take to win a Congress in 2016.
Q: How much have you raised to date?
We are just about at $5 million raised to day.
Q: At most, MayDay will be able elect a few junior congressmen. How will that influence a Congress where the agenda is set by the leaders?
The aim in 2014 is not to elect enough to change any laws. The aim is to change an attitude — that this issue is not important to voters. That is the predicate to the much bigger race in 2016, that, if successful in electing a majority committed to fundamental reform, will also be enough to convince leadership to take it up.
Q: In order for you to reach your goal of a reformed campaign finance system, how many candidates do you think you’ll need to elect?
30 to 45 members, depending on the 2014 election.
Q: What’s wrong with online fundraising? Candidates like Barack Obama raised millions for small donors. Isn’t that like what you want to see for campaign finance?
That kind of fundraising may work for the President (though importantly, small contributions were just a tiny proportion of this last election). [Editorial note: his answer is in millions]
It certainly won’t work for Congress:
Q: Populism has it drawbacks. Tea Party candidates raise a lot of money from small donations, and elect representatives who would rather shut down the government than compromise. Are you worried about the consequences, even if you’re successful?
Like the Tea Party, we want the people we help elect to do the thing that they promise — pass fundamental reform in the way campaigns are funded. I’m not worried about the consequences of that.
Q: Are there any countries which match your ideal of a good campaign finance system and what are the results?
We can’t really match country for country because (1) we are not a parliamentary system (where the elections are not regular), and (2) we have a uniquely strong Free Speech clause. But other countries do avoid the kind of corrupting influence we see in America. It isn’t inevitable. It shouldn’t be acceptable.
Q. Why should Silicon Valley care about this cause?
The Silicon Valley I know is keen to innovate with new technology and new products. It has no desire to innovate in new ways to influence DC. If we win, we significantly change need to play the “influence DC” game. Not just Silicon Valley, but especially Silicon Valley, should care about this.
Note: learn more about MayDay and contribute to the campaign here.
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Q&A with the Harvard law professor raising millions to end financial political corruption
Watch a fireworks show from the inside, thanks to a drone
How can you leverage mobile to increase profitability for your company? Find out at MobileBeat, VentureBeat's 7th annual event on the future of mobile, on July 8-9 in San Francisco. There are only a few tickets left!
Drones may be amoral killing machines, but they’re also awesome tools of the entertainment industry. One very clever done enthusiast had the idea of filming a professional fireworks celebration from the inside, high above the city lights.
The very clever Jos Stiglingh in West Palm Beach Florida slapped a GoPro3 to a DJI phantom 2 drone to record the glory.
Happy 4th of July to all of those celebrating America’s independence. And, if you do decide to read the Declaration of Independence today, remember to use the original punctuation.
Watch a fireworks show from the inside, thanks to a drone
Content Marketing
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Content Marketing
Note: This event is exclusive to senior client-side marketers.
The Content Marketing Roundtable is your chance to share knowledge, experience and best practice on the issues, trends and developments around Content Marketing.
Attendance is limited to 14 - 20 attendees, with discussion chaired and facilitated by Econsultancy to ensure all participants get the most from the session.
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The agenda for the day is very much driven by those attending - your priority areas and pain points. Potential topics for discussion on Content Marketing to be added shortly.
Content Marketing
ECRM
ECRM
Note: This event is exclusive to Econsultancy Enterprise subscribers.
The ECRM Roundtable is your chance to share knowledge, experience and best practice on the issues, trends and developments around ECRM.
Attendance is limited to 12 - 18 attendees, with discussion chaired and facilitated by Econsultancy to ensure all participants get the most from the session.
Agenda
The agenda for the day is very much driven by those attending - your prority areas and pain points. Potential topics for discussion on ECRM to be added shortly.
ECRM
Marketing Attribution
Marketing Attribution Roundtable
The Marketing Attribution Roundtable is your chance to share knowledge, experience and best practice on the issues, trends and developments around this topic.
Attendance is limited to 12 - 18 attendees, with discussion chaired and facilitated by Econsultancy to ensure all participants get the most from the session.
Agenda
The agenda for the day is very much driven by those attending - your priority areas and pain points.
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Why responsive landing pages are a lot like Santa
When I was a little kid I always wondered how Santa managed to make his way down all those chimneys. Everyone knows that on that one special night of the year this jolly and rather round man manages to fit down every chimney so that he can leave gifts for all of those who are on his “nice” list. Even at such a young age I was able to recognize that this didn’t seem feasible. Looking at him in all pictures and movies, and even having sat on his lap myself at the mall, I was able to recognize that Santa was not a little man and chimneys are not very spacious…so how does he do it?
Well, now that I’m much older and much wiser the answer is rather clear. Santa is very good at reproportioning himself. In an instant he’s able to thin out and elongate himself so that he can easily fit into all of those narrow chimneys. It’s really quite impressive.
This scenario reminds me a lot of responsive landing pages. Rather than delivering inflexible landing page to all visitors, regardless of which kind of device they’re using, and relying on them to resize, pan, and scroll so that they can easily see and engage with the page, a responsive landing page provides an optimal viewing experience for everyone. You see, a responsive landing page resizes and reconfigures itself to fit easily onto every screen screen – whether that is a computer, tablet, or mobile phone. It’s one page that satisfies everyone!
With the massive growth of mobile and tablet usage it is becoming increasingly important to reach these users in the most efficient and usable way possible. And that, my friend, is through responsive landing pages.
The Takeaway?
Santa is not the only one who can impress us with his magical re-proportioning skills; you too can impress all your visitors with your magical, but completely achievable, responsive landing pages!
Want to learn more about responsive design? Check out our Responsive Design for Landing Pages white paper.
Why responsive landing pages are a lot like Santa
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