Tamar Weinberg says, “Twitter’s “Buy” button project is being stopped, a report from BuzzFeed indicates. The development of this social commerce component appears to be past tense, with most of the 25-people “Buy” team either having left the company or having been assigned to teams devoted to customer service or dynamic product ads. What’s with this decision? It’s suspected that social commerce is simply not as popular as once suspected. As a source tells BuzzFeed, “people are not buying on social media right now.” If so, it doesn’t justify the continuation of development... [...]

Ben Davis says, “Mega-menus are a mainstay of desktop ecommerce. Five years ago, we published a post dissecting 26 of these menus, back when they were relatively novel. In 2014, we revisited the topic, seeing that full-width menus with a greater number of products and featured images were en vogue. So, what of 2016? Let’s have a look. Argos 2016 might not look much different to 2014 but in the example tab below there are 82 categories now where there were only 53 in 2014. There’s also an additional way to shop (by room). This increase is a trend for many ecommerce sites, comparing... [...]

Melanie Lane says, “In one simple exchange, we see how uncomfortable this type of seller can make prospect conversations. Once the salesperson has given a close-ended answer, the asker (usually the prospect) feels like they have to come up with another question because the silence is unbearable. The seller has just missed a huge opportunity to turn the conversation in a direction that’s advantageous to them — instead, they’re just waiting for another dead-end question like a catcher for another pitch. Let’s remember the Golden Rule of communicating: Whoever is asking... [...]

Dan Blacharski says, “User-generated content is the riskiest of all marketing strategies because of the obvious potential for negative comments. But if done right, it will pay off more than any other type of content marketing. A tech-savvy and social-media-focused audience appreciates the realism, the contributions of their peers, and the opportunity to be part of the conversation. Even with the inevitable (but hopefully infrequent) user rant, organic user reviews, commentary and conversation are the foundation of the most successful campaigns. 1. Give your customers a voice. It’s naturally... [...]

Andrew Waber says, “Just a few months ago, Facebook announced that its Audience Network was on track for a $1 billion annual run rate. Pretty impressive for an inventory source that’s less than two years old, and reflective of the degree to which Facebook Audience Network (FAN) is transforming the mobile advertising landscape, thanks to its focus on native ads. In a study Facebook released in early April 2016, researchers saw a 10x year-over-year increase in FAN-enabled apps using native formats, and 83 percent of all Audience Network inventory is now going to native, as compared to banner... [...]

Polly Alluf says, “Mobile engagement features, such as surveys, messages to dormant users, video tutorials, among others, can’t be sprayed all over an existing mobile app. Suggest something to a user at the wrong time or, worse, to the wrong user, and you’re out. That’s why writing about using mobile engagement features sounds like a mantra: “the right engagement feature, at the right time, to the right audience”. But how do you choose “the right feature?” Over time, I realized that choosing the right engagement features is simpler when we look at where users are in their... [...]

Tim Copp says, “May is my favorite time of year. In Indianapolis, it means everything is in bloom, Memorial Day is around the corner, and you can literally smell the burning rubber from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway! In my house, it also means it’s time to fire up the grill. I must have had marketing on the brain during my last cookout because the gears started to turn on why I love them both. Then it occurred to me—they’re actually more similar than you might initially think. Here’s why. 1. Both Require the Best Ingredients “Good” truly is the enemy of “great.” It’s the... [...]

Tom Tate says, “On this episode of Ask Me About Email Marketing, we chat with writer, podcaster, speaker and brand strategist Nick Westergaard to get his take on the current landscape of digital marketing. Nick shares with us actionable insights on how to build a strategy, connect your digital dots, and get the most out of your limited time and resources. Nick’s latest book, Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small, offers a fresh perspective on how to develop a multi-channel marketing strategy, whether you are a solopreneur, or on a large team at a big business. In... [...]

Brian Westnedge says, “It is no secret to digital marketers that email delivers business value. 72 percent of customers rate email as the most preferred method of communication and for every $1 spent, email marketing generates $38 in ROI. Unfortunately, the most valuable marketing channel is also the least secure. Every day, marketers pay a hidden phishing tax—in lost brand trust, in reduced email performance, and in diminished ROI. Email fraud costs companies around the world billions, and can destroy brand reputation—customers are 42 percent less likely to interact with a brand after... [...]

David Dekel‘s list building process, which he says was built on a loophole, led to his building a huge mailing list of over 45,000 people in just 4 months. He shares his process in Stealth List Building Formula. But his process goes beyond building the list. He also discovered how he could earn the most money from his list by strategically choosing the products he offered to them. He found out what they really wanted and then offered it to them. Together, those two processes made Dekel a rather prosperous man. For example, he reports that in the last 10 months he and his family have taken... [...]