Kumail Hemani says, “Anyone who has invested time managing and growing a social media following knows that it can turn into a time vacuum. Open up Instagram and suddenly you find yourself scrolling through beautiful photos from your friend’s excursion to Iceland. Those ponies are so photogenic with their manes blowing in the icy wind! Logging in, posting and getting out without being distracted is a challenge even the most self-disciplined struggle with. Social media marketing is an important part of customer acquisition and sales strategies. You need to focus on running your business... [...]

Kumail Hemani says, “We all know that social media is a great way to promote yourself and spread your business’ message across the web. For e-commerce stores, a few social shares can quickly snowball into unbelievable success. Unlike, brick and mortar stores, e-commerce has the benefit of being available 24/7. Whether your customers are shopping on a holiday or at 2 AM, the store is open for business. But this accessibility is a 2-way street; your customers can shop anytime, but they can also send feedback and share comments at all hours of the day. This problem is amplified if your e-commerce... [...]

Jack McNamara says, “Traditional advertising is dead. I don’t mean that it’s waiting on deck for the Pearly Gates in hospice, or being read it last rites. I mean the era of Mad Men has full-on flat lined. With a Super Bowl ad boasting an infamous price tag of over $5 million in 2017, the appeal of purchasing 30 seconds of airtime for the cost of a series A seems less attractive than an ex-girlfriend in bad mood. Consumers yearn for something authentic. They want you to earn their attention, on numerous platforms, in a split second through raw emotion, true value and a unique proposition.... [...]

Daniel Dipizza says, “In Los Angeles, where I live, I constantly see billboards for popular YouTubers…which tells me that Google (who owns them) is investing a lot of money into helping popular brands succeed. More and more frequently, we are seeing popular YouTubers transcend the internet and move into more traditional media and movies, knocking down the gatekeepers that held the old guard in place. Guess what? It’s still free to start making this type of content. All you need is a laptop with a webcam and a free YouTube account. You can record the videos on your computer and upload... [...]

Penny C. Sansevieri says, “In today’s world, nearly everything can be measured by metrics: Facebook likes, Twitter followers, YouTube views, etc. In a world of big data, metrics drive our behavior, but in sixteen years in business, “metrics” is a word I’ve come to hate. Although metrics can be great in determining ad or website performance, when it comes to overall marketing efforts, focusing on metrics alone may be what kills your marketing plan. In fact, focusing on metrics can make you lose sight of your overall goals. Most great marketing successes, regardless of your product,... [...]

Aaron Orendorff says, “With content overload at an all time high, competing with heavy-hitting media sites seems impossible. They’ve staked their claim, and all the rest of us can hope for is to pick up the leftovers and eke out a meager living. Nonsense. On August 17th of 2016, Arthur Tubman and the team at Monday Monday Network did the impossible. Within the first 45 days of launch, their site attracted just under 9 million visitors and today their daily average visitor count clocks in over 600k. The question is: How? Answer: By adopting a them-first approach before pushing go on a... [...]

Spencer Lanoue says, “Paralysis by analysis — we’ve all been there. Choosing a place to eat, choosing a new computer or even choosing the best social media marketing tool. When it comes to picking a tool for your business, there are so many great options out there, it’s a tall task to know exactly what’s right for you. The tool you choose is often a key ingredient when it comes to hitting your social media marketing goals, because it can help you drive traffic and engagement, as well as measure how you’re doing. Each tool has its strengths and there’s no single perfect... [...]

Erik Huberman says, “I recently received an email from a consulting company that helps businesses recruit millennials. It said something like, “Do you know the largest span of the workforce — one in three — are millennials?” I did know that, actually, and the response I wanted to give was, and is: “Are you seriously telling me you have a silver-bullet strategy that you can use to catch the attention of one-third of the country?” According to Neil Howe and William Strauss, the researchers who originally coined the term “millennials,” this generation spans birth years... [...]

Yatin Khuble says, “Every online company needs to use marketing effectively to generate traffic and leads. With so many platforms available to publish the content, though, it can be difficult to pick the best option or figure out why your strategy isn’t working. Those quickest to identify the latest developments and implement them in their marketing strategies have the strongest potential to convert their vision into a real brand. Ask these five questions to overcome your digital marketing challenges: 1. What is your strategic outreach plan? If you invest in the wrong channel or platform,... [...]

Tony Messer says, “As a business owner who has to perform multiple tasks in a day — sometimes simultaneously — you likely appreciate the benefits of working with systems. Having systems in your business takes away some of the strain and helps you focus your energy on things that really need it. The same goes for content marketing. But even if you enjoy this task, you’re a busy person who probably doesn’t want to have to spend any more time than necessary creating and sharing content. If only there was a way to reduce the time you spend on these repetitive tasks... [...]