Much of the material I’ve covered on here to date has focused on higher level concepts such as social media, marketing, public relations, entrepreneurship, etc. However, in recent discussions with local services businesses (electricians, auto mechanics, etc.), I learned than many of them do not truly understand the power of the internet over old contact […]
Local Services Businesses: Why You MUST Have a Web Presence Read More »
2010 has been quite a year so far, with its fair share of good developments, curve balls, and surprises. I’ve been a bit spotty on updating Return On Now, primarily because of a couple of nasty curve balls that have come my way. But onward and upward, and let’s get ready for 2011.
But first, let’s take a moment to reflect on some of the good things, those things which have been both fortunate and welcomed, over the recent months.
10 Reasons to Give Thanks Read More »
This week I offer you the first of a series of guest posts, this one focused on using social media to drive successful events IRL. Thanks to my good friend Francisco Garcia (no, not the one who plays for the Sacramento Kings) for taking time to share his experiences here on the blog.
Social Media Success With Events Read More »
Since I have been unable to generate any new content for two weeks due to a personal situation that has taken up nearly all of my attention, I share with you another fine post by my friend and colleague Julie Hunt. The following post originally appeared on Highly Competitive just last month.
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For the past several years, multiple studies by different research firms have been conducted to evaluate the most sought-out and influential content for B2B technology customers during decision-making buying cycles, and every time, in every study, the #1 preferred content is the White Paper.
The white paper is the #1 most influential piece of collateral that technology purchasers consult when making or influencing a buying decision for their company, according to a recent survey by Eccolo Media
However, many B2B software vendors still are missing the boat with their use of white papers and have not employed them in ways to engage potential buyers, let alone convert them to customers.
Content Marketing Strategy for B2B Software Vendors: Starring the ‘New’ White Paper Read More »
This week, let’s take a moment to look at PR / Public Relations for a moment. PR has long been a primary way by which companies of all sizes influence public opinion, build brand awareness and familiarity, and create general goodwill toward a brand.
With the latest social media tools and networking capabilities, there has been a great deal of debate about how PR is changing. Some speculate that the discipline is due to become obsolete, others advocate a revamped approach, and still others merely see today’s PR environment as a small offshoot of how we have always done it.
Public Relations: How It Works In A Social World Read More »
The old adage It’s not what you know; it’s who you know may be seen as a tired cliche in many circles these days, with good reason. This is what you’d expect from overused analogies like this one.
Tired or not, it is still absolutely a fact. Thought leaders spend unbelievable time and effort trying to hammer home this message in an online context, wrapping words like social networking, social media, social graph, and other terms around it in hopes of getting the message across.
The problem? Well, there is a forest, and there are some trees, but are they one and the same? Not really…
Social Networking: Blend With REAL Networking for Effectiveness Read More »
Surely you have all seen the news this past week about Google Instant, where search term recommendations are automatically populated in a pulldown menu that adjusts as you type out the key terms you want to search for. This is actually a very cool new feature, but don’t believe any of the FUD about how this means that SEO is dead. This feature is more likely to change the way people search, rather than make the whole practice obsolete altogether. And improving the way people search should be seen as an opportunity rather than a deal-killer!
Not that we’ve established that SEO will in fact remain relevant moving forward, let’s take a step back to consider the most commonly ignored piece of the SEO puzzle…
SEO: Don’t Overlook the Competition! Read More »
The past couple of years have changed things in our modern work world quite a bit. Generation X was raised to believe that, if we just get an education and land a corporate job, we’d have security for years to come. Think again my friends, because those days are long gone.
With our economy running on life support, the dollar in the tank, and fast-rising inflation, companies had to pinch pennies wherever possible to keep the ship afloat. The results have been widespread and severe…significant loss of jobs, budgets slashed to levels we haven’t seen in years, and even a slew of companies going belly up during the prolonged recession.
Marketing: 4 Scenarios for Hiring an Outside Consulting Resource Read More »
Enjoy another fine guest post by Gary Walker of TopSide Media.
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Driving highly targeted traffic to your website is a critical step, but the landing page still has to convert that visitor to a lead or new customer. We recently helped one of our PPC clients whose online business was being adversely affected by slow page loading on their website. Their case could be useful to other business owners.
Web pages that load slowly can be tricky to find. Why? We’ll list just three of the many possible reasons.
Page Load Speed: Why It Is Critical To Website Conversions and Profits Read More »
Let’s take a quick break from the serious topics today. In a recent conversation with a colleague of mine, I sat and watched as he struggled to come up with a new analogy for social media as a whole.
Of course, through those struggles, we both realized that it’s not quite the easiest thing to liken to another concept. At the same time, many people had already attempted to do so.
In honor of his struggles and our on-the-spot realization, I present to you the following possible analogies for social media. These all include citations if you wish to learn more about the thought process for yourself, and I’d welcome any commentary on whether you agree or disagree with my assessment of each.
Social Media Analogies Read More »
