Videos make good sales tools– if people watch them. Get them to watch for a few seconds, and they are more likely to watch the whole video. Jimmy Mancini has put together a tool that makes your videos stand out from the crowd, Intro Video Creator. This is Adobe Air software that creates Logo Stingers. It does this using your choice of 2D or 3D animations. As you use it for building your videos you can easily customize the fonts that are used and choose the background you want. The goal is to build a subdued but eye-catching introductory scene for your video. Often you would use your logo,... [...]

Michael Guta says, “Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) recently suggested more steps toward eliminating duplicate content across the web. And website owners, including small business owners, may want to pay attention considering the search engine has a history of eventually penalizing sites for not taking heed. Google Noindex Advice Specifically, websites currently republishing content sourced from original authors are now encouraged to “noindex” that content. This Google noindex advice is something most content creators are unlikely to follow. In a fight to rank on the top page of Google, specifically... [...]

Michael McCunney says, “Just 18 words. Marketing and Sales pros who know this powerful stat, fly; and those who don’t, die. By now you’ve heard all about the white-hot account-based marketing and account-based selling theories; but, astonishingly, there’s been a technological shift that’s being ignored, and it’s affecting your emails. The body of each email you send is previewed in mobile devices. People quickly scan that preview and make a snap decision to either delete your email along with the rest of the unwanted multitudes, or take the time to engage with... [...]

Renzo Costarella says, “Though your marketing team has access to many tools and platforms, marketing has become so much more complex that it’s a challenge determining the best approach. How do you revamp your brand to take your company to the next level? It may make sense to partner with a marketing consultant who knows how to cut past the confusion to create a marketing strategy that maximizes your brand’s potential. A marketing consulting firm can shape your marketing strategy through comprehensive research and market data. They help you select and implement the systems... [...]

Facebook and YouTube can bring you organic traffic with live-streamed videos. Cyril Gupta has just released new software, LiveCaster Elite, that lets you use any pre-recorded video and livecast it on Facebook or YouTube. LiveCaster Elite has a number of features that will make your life easier: ■ It supports scheduling of your livecasts. Cast your videos at any time you choose. Now, you can be doing another task while the video is playing. ■ It lets you cast live videos to Facebook groups, Facebook pages, Facebook personal feeds and YouTube channels. ■ It does your livecast directly from... [...]

Ginny Marvin says, “Advertisers have begun receiving claim notice emails related to a $22.5 million settlement in a class action suit against Google. The case, Google AdWords Litigation, Case No. 5:08-cv-03369-EJD, in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, stems from a 2008 claim that Google did not disclose that it placed ads on parked domains and error pages in violation of California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws. The advertisers sought restitution for the difference between what they paid per click versus what they would have paid had they... [...]

Brad O’Brien says, “I remember the days when you could only run Page Like campaigns within Facebook advertising. Brands and advertisers poured tens, often hundreds, of thousands of dollars collecting Likes, and Facebook had us convinced there was value in doing so. Today, there are various advertising opportunities and objectives, but Likes are still widely considered an indicator of brand loyalty and growth opportunity. The question remains, however: What is the value of these Likes? This is the million-dollar question, and it’s one that few marketers dare to dive into. We’ve been... [...]

Nikki Gilliland says, “Social commerce hasn’t quite taken off in the way it was predicted to.  While 52% of marketers said it would be the most prominent trend of 2016, you could argue that live video or influencer marketing ended up stealing its thunder. It seems that despite mobile commerce rising in popularity – and with one in four users trying to purchase a product on social last year – many brands have struggled to find the right balance between social media and ecommerce. In fact, a recent survey suggests that 45% of adults have no current interest in clicking on a ‘buy... [...]

Sonia Simone says, “Hey there! Before we get rolling, remember that if you’ve been thinking about moving your site to StudioPress Sites, this is the time. Because we love to make your life easy, we’ll move your existing WordPress site over for free. And because we love to let you try stuff without stress, we’ll also give you your first month for free. It’s a sweet deal, but it goes away tomorrow, Friday, April 28, 2017 at 5:00 p.m. Pacific U.S. Time. If you’d like a cost-effective way to get a fast, great-looking WordPress site that you don’t have to endlessly mess around with,... [...]

MOZ team says, “Have you thought about what your pop-ups might be doing to your SEO? There are plenty of considerations, from their timing and how they affect your engagement rates, all the way to Google’s official guidelines on the matter. In this episode of Whiteboard Friday, Rand goes over all the reasons why you ought to carefully consider how your overlays and modals work and whether the gains are worth the sacrifice”. Pop-Ups, Overlays, Modals, Interstitials, and How They Interact with SEO MOZ  [...]