While LinkedIn only drives 14 percent of social media traffic compared to Facebook’s 54 percent, the professional social network has a higher conversion rate and is more effective for B2B conversions.

About a year ago, I hacked my wallet. Actually, I bought a new wallet, and as an added feature it included a pocket with a removable smaller wallet. The smaller wallet was described as a “weekend wallet” where you could just grab the cards you most often used and carry those instead of the full [...]

Over the past couple of months, we’ve talked to most of our clients about the exciting new opportunities for their LinkedIn Company pages. We even went through and updated our Search Mojo LinkedIn company page after reading the LinkedIn announcement. In this blog post, I’ll cover a few ways you can update your LinkedIn company [...]

You know what happens when the vast majority of mobile applications or any sort of useful content gets launched by a company?

There is a military technique described by the acronym LTD which you should know about. It stands for Laser Targeting Designators and it is basically a laser light source which is used to designate a target. In other words, by "lasing targets" – you put a marker on something so that when you shoot at [...]

How do you think people feel about you and your business, when they discover you online? The reason this matters to small business owners, is that feelings are the key factor in whether someone buys from you or not.  We do business with people we feel good about and avoid people we have a bad [...]

While the introduction of MySpace and early social networks was greeted with skepticism, there isn’t a single doubter left in the audience these days. Facebook has conquered Google as the most visited site, trounced television as the biggest waste of time, and become the primary way that many people connect. It’s not unsurprising, then, that [...]

Marketing messages that inspire people to take positive action are what every business person needs, if they want to massively increase their sales, revenues and profits. Here’s a simple idea, which can help you quickly improve your marketing messages and your marketing results.  It’s all about becoming a collector and a student. Marketing collection Look [...]

According to new figures released by a joint survey between Exact Target and CoTweet, Facebook users use the Like option for a brand for one overpowering reason – discounts and special offers. Surveying 1,550 U.S. respondents aged 15 and older from March 2009 to April 2010, the results found that a whopping 40% of consumers [...]

I’m at the Alterian “Engaging Times” conference in Chicago which is full of interesting conversations and people.  One of the things that struck me at the conference is that nobody defined or explained what “engagement” means.  If someone “likes” your facebook page is that engagement?  What if they leave a comment on your blog?  What [...]

A new study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project makes for interesting reading on Gen Y and their presence in social media/social networking.

Several months ago, I agreed to be part of an interesting social media event called the Corporate Social Media Summit that will bring together a big group of companies to share real stories about how they are actually using social media. Today I thought it would be interesting to ask a few questions to the [...]

So you sat down with the marketing team today and decided you are running a contest on facebook huh? Did you read the rulebook yet? Facebook, promotions, large audiences. These things all go together as we have seen promotions becoming a popular way for marketing teams to reach facebook’s 400 million monthly active users. If [...]

Ok, so you’ve decided to start using the Internet to promote your business more actively and most people you talk to who know about the web tell you the same thing … you need to redesign your website. The problem for many small businesses is that getting to the point when you actually have the [...]

Over the years, Social Media experts attempted to redefine ROI for a new era of influence. While some introduced alternative philosophies for measuring the nuances tied to social media, others wondered aloud whether ROI simply wasn’t necessary as the tools and methodologies for analyzing yields didn’t yet exist. And furthermore, by focusing on justification and [...]

If you pay attention to the ads that monetize most of the web, you’ve likely noticed a trend towards ads that promote content. Glance at these nifty alternatives to traditional banner ads, make some observations of your own, and then join me again at the end for my own analysis.

In 2004, mistress of sensationalist media, Paris Hilton, grabbed headlines for most of the year with antics like the leaked sex tape “One Night in Paris” (featuring ex-boyfriend Rick Solomon), the launch of her “The Simple Life” “reality” TV show, and general hobnobbing with the paparazzi. If you were among the star-struck celeb stalking crowd, [...]

In preparation for an upcoming conference*, I’ve been considering the paradox that social media creates. The very technology, platforms, communities and widgets being used to bring us all together online can also keep us from truly engaging and connecting with each other. You start noticing it in small ways. Consider LinkedIn’s invitation to connect. Far [...]

Toby Jones is a serial entrepreneur that understands successful small business tactics that have given him a competitive edge more than once. This man has the pulse of the people under his finger at all times. To put it simply, he is one with his market. He understands small business tactics so well that he [...]

SES San Jose is done and I mean done for good. The recent conference finished up last Thursday (with post conference training on Friday) and next year, SES will return to its roots in San Francisco. I think this is a great move for many reasons, but more about that later. During SES  I presented [...]