Joe Kuchta says, “We’re taught to share at a young age. Kids who hoard their favorite toys are typically reprimanded and told to be less selfish. “Plays well with others” is an encouraging sign on a report card. Sadly, this cooperative spirit fell by the wayside when we created marketing agencies. People suddenly became overprotective of their team members, processes, ideas, and expertise. Agencies do it in the name of self-preservation, but this hoarding mentality causes them to stagnate by only sticking to what they already know. In the end, it’s a loss for clients. We need to... [...]

Tony Tie says, “Personalization is the name of the game in modern marketing. Consumers demand tailored experiences, having grown accustomed to scrolling through their Instagram feeds and seeing intimate, conversational posts from their favorite influencers. Now, they crave equally personal engagement from brands. Fortunately, big data enables marketers to create the types of content and experiences their audiences want. User metrics indicate which articles, videos, and social media posts resonate most with consumers. Brands can use these insights to create targeted marketing campaigns that... [...]

Marcus Varner says, “A staggering 89 percent of marketers are engaged in content marketing today, but only 19 percent think their current efforts are very successful, according to a recent ebook by Jay Baer. Is this a surprise? Not really, given that best practices are constantly changing, right along with innovations in technology and analytics. Yes, for content marketers who are trying to navigate this shifting landscape, help can be found in dedicated websites (like this one), books, conferences, webinars, and other content devoted specifically to the subject. But sometimes, when teams... [...]

Andrew Foxwell says, “With new platform updates being rolled out seemingly everyday, a common question among online marketers is, “So what’s the one thing that’s totally crushing it on Facebook ads right now?” Here’s the annoying truth: The answer is always changing, and even more annoyingly, the answer depends on whom you’re asking. For example, “totally crushing it” means different things to different people. For direct-response advertisers and e-commerce business owners, it’s likely whatever tactic drives the most high-quality conversions, clicks, engagements, and ultimately,... [...]

Kelsey Meyer says, “It’s every content marketer’s dream to have a perfect company blog. Imagine your site filled with a variety of content that shares unique and thoughtful insights, from exceptionally written articles to interactive infographics to professional videos. It’s enough to make any marketer swoon. Unfortunately, even this stellar blog of your dreams isn’t enough on its own to get your brand in front of your full audience. It’s unlikely that your entire target audience already visits your blog regularly, so by posting only to your own site, you miss out on reaching those... [...]

Jay Baer says, “As an author, it breaks my heart, but we are entering the “no-read” era.1 Every year, I think there is no possible way online video consumption can climb again, but it does. And finally, content marketers are catching up to the consumption trend. Video for content marketing used to be a sometimes thing. An occasional deviation from tried-and-true blog posts. But now, for many companies, video IS the new blogging. New research from Vidyard (a great partner of ours at Convince & Convert) called the 2017 Video in Business Benchmark Report to put math around this shift. According... [...]

Brandon Leibowitz says, “Want to create a buzz for your product online and be discovered by even more people around the world? Want to convert browsers into shoppers and grow sales for your business? If yes, then Instagram is an effective tool for taking your eCommerce business to the next level. Did you know these facts about Instagram? Users have shared more than 40 billion photos to date and share an average of 95 million videos and photos in a single day. In 2015, Instagram reported having 77.6 million users. In 2016, the estimated revenue from Instagram accounts was $1.53 billion in... [...]

Jay Baer says, “Hey guys, welcome back to Jay Today! I want you to make 2017—this year—the year that you stop screwing up email! My friend Tim Hayden posted just recently today that the word of the day is “unsubscribe,” and he couldn’t be more correct. Look, this is not a new phenomenon. It’s is the beginning of the year which means it’s time to clean out your closets—both actual closets and metaphorical, digital closets. So you’re going to your inbox and are getting rid of unwanted email subscriptions. Lots of people do that today or over the last few days. It happens all... [...]

Jacob Warwick says, “If you’ve made the decision to increase your content marketing efforts, improve your overall campaign performance, or fill gaps in your current content processes, there seems to be no shortage of solutions. You could hire internal specialists, work closely with a consultant, batch together a mix of freelancers, off-load everything to a professional agency, or, if you’re like most marketing teams, manage some combination of them all. Learn about the pros and cons of hiring freelancers, contractors, consultants, agencies, and internal hires, so that you can make a confident... [...]

Greg Blazewicz says, “Time passes, circumstances change, but the main aim of business is still the same: Generate profit. No profit, no resources for further development, and no company. This often leads to trouble for marketers. They are very often simply unable to quantify effects of their work—their contribution to their company’s profit. Customer Value Marketing is a new strategy for the B2C sector, aiming at profit maximization from marketing activities. Customer Value Marketing contradicts the traditionally understood inbound and engagement marketing, making marketers directly... [...]