Greg Sterling says, “After a Q1 that disappointed investors somewhat, Google parent Alphabet delivered a big quarter yesterday. The company announced revenues of $21.5 billion, which represented 21 percent growth year-over-year and beat analysts’ consensus estimates by more than $700 million. Paid clicks were up nearly 30 percent, which was also an expectations beat. However, CPCs were off 7 percent. Traffic acquisition costs were roughly $4 billion, up 18 percent, representing 21 percent of total ad revenue. Google segment revenue was approximately 99 percent of total revenue”. Google... [...]

Larry Alton says, “As a marketer, it’s important to develop reports and updates that can be delivered to coworkers and company executives to keep everyone abreast of what’s happening in your department. Unfortunately, boring spreadsheets and columns of numbers aren’t very effective storytellers. The next time you need to create a report, consider utilizing robust data visualizations. Give these five tips a try: Don’t let anyone fool you. Creating beautiful, immersive data visualizations isn’t easy. However, thanks to an influx of new reporting tools, it’s entirely possible for... [...]

Ellen Bartolino says, “With 500 million active monthly users, Instagram offers a unique opportunity for marketers to reach their target audiences through ad campaigns. The other perk of advertising on Instagram? The ads can look almost no different than regular posts, making them much less invasive than other ad types. But setting up ads on any platform requires a lot of thought: What should your target audience look like? What should your copy say? What image should you use? Not to mention, the more technical aspects like what size your image needs to be or how long your ad should run for.... [...]

Shaun Haase says, “CRMs are meant to be much more than a glorified contact management system, and if used correctly, can greatly increase business productivity and effectiveness. CRM software often have a multitude of features, many of which are rarely used by sales teams. Here, we’ll take a look at three ways you can start getting the most out of your CRM, from automating actions to utilizing sales pipeline functionality for managing customer support. While some features are overly complex or not fit for every business, there are key components that can deliver tremendous value if you... [...]

Brian Hughes says, “With more than half of all Google searches happening on mobile, the search giant is continuing to push its mobile-first search vision. At its recent Google Performance Summit 2016, the company announced three major changes to empower advertisers to make mobile the centerpiece of their campaigns. Is your business ready? How mobile first search impacts businesses: understanding ‘micro moments’ “Mobile first” has been a big theme for the past year — and for good reason. According to Search Engine Land, 82 percent of smartphone users rely on a search... [...]

Nadya Khoja says, “Have you ever looked back at your younger self and regretted some of the pictures and quotes you posted online? You’re not alone. In the current digital age, the thoughts you share on social media and on the Internet can have a serious impact on the way people perceive you. Post a lot of selfies on your Instagram? That says something about how you perceive yourself. Insult a lot of people on your Twitter? That says something else. As an individual who is working towards building up a profitable business, it’s important to present yourself responsibly if you want people... [...]

Annie Pillon says, ““Email marketing is dead.” If you’ve been involved in the world of marketing over the last few years, you’ve likely heard that declaration more than once. But a new podcast wants to bring a new perspective to that discussion about email marketing. Email Marketing’s Grave is a new podcast from the team at marketing solutions provider PostUp. And you can subscribe on the podcast main page to never miss a future episode. Or download the podcast via iTunes or on SoundCloud. Email Marketing Podcast Offers Ideas, Tips and Advice PostUp Product Marketing Manager Andrea... [...]

Zak Stambor says, “Alphabet Inc. today reports that Google’s advertising revenue rose 19.5% in the second quarter. For the second quarter in a row, Google’s paid clicks on ads across its sites and advertising network rose 29% compared with the same period a year ago, the company reported today. Looking specifically at paid clicks on Google-owned sites, such as its search engine and YouTube, the rise is even more pronounced, growing 37% year over year. The average cost per click on a Google ad decreased 7% compared with the same period a year earlier. On Google sites alone, the cost per... [...]

Aja Frost says, “There’s a ton of sales advice floating around out there (trust us, we’d know.) But just because you read an article on a psychological technique or fancy method doesn’t mean you should take it at face value. Let’s be honest: Strategies that sound smart often flop. And not only do these unsuccessful techniques waste your time and energy, they also hurt your chances of closing. Want to avoid the advice that seems clever but really sucks? Read on for the five worst offenders. 1) Close More Quickly by Manufacturing Urgency When you’re scrambling to meet your quota at... [...]

There’s a lot of information about what people want to buy, based on what they search for, if you can uncover it. Sometimes people search for general information; sometimes, for products they want to purchase. When they search, they may search for a variety of terms that have equivalent or closely related meanings. Person A may seardh for sneakers; Person B may search for Tennis Shoes and they may mean the same thing when they do it. Google has a phrase “Latent Semantic Indexing”, which refers to these alternate terms that people may find helpful in their searches, even if they... [...]