Daniel Beulah says, “What is a brand? Specifically, what is a brand in the 21st century, when we have the ability to converse directly with our customers? Is it a product, a culture, a destination, service or ingredient? Or is it something more metaphysical? Steven Jones said in his book, Brand Like a Rockstar, that, Brands are so much bigger than business, logos, names and locations. Brands go deeper, beneath the visible surface and exist in the mind. Brands are essentially perceptions and emotions. They are feelings and associations that come from interacting with a product or service. A brand... [...]

Xiaofeng Wang says, “Marketing leaders in China are looking at the largest and fast-growing digital market in the world and face more challenges in digital marketing than ever. As a result, they need more and more help from their digital agency partners. My new report,Overcome Top Digital Challenges In 2015: Choosing The Right Digital Agency In China helps them to do so. In China, digital disruption is affecting nearly all industries, including telecommunications (WeChat); transportation and travel (Didi Dache, Kuaidi Dache); and banking and financial services (WeChat Payment, Alipay Wallet).... [...]

Rainmaker team says, “What can digital media producers learn from “old” media and the people who’ve been creating it for decades? Almost everything. One of the recurring themes we talk about around Copyblogger Media is the critical importance of becoming the producer of your own media, building your own media asset, building your own audience. Why? On one hand, the Internet economy has given entrepreneurs and freelancers little choice in the matter. On the other, we’ve been given an unprecedented opportunity to build and grow the kinds of businesses our parents and grandparents could... [...]

Nigel Fenwick says, “I’ve been thinking a lot about Pinterest for the past year. I first planned to write a report about the social upstart last summer. When that deadline passed, I was certain I’d produce something in the autumn. Now here we are in the dead of winter, and at long last today we published our report on how marketing leaders should use Pinterest. The reason it took so long? Pinterest is confusing. It’s a bundle of contradictions: at once it offers marketers huge potential and huge frustration. On the one hand, there’s so much opportunity: Pinterest boasts a fantastic... [...]

Nigel Fenwick says, “In 2013 I wanted to help executives understand some of the fundamental changes that are happening in business because of the digital revolution. Big names capture the attention of the media – who in the USA could have failed to hear about the collapse of Blockbuster or Borders? Who in the UK could have failed to hear of the demise of HMV? When writing about these failures, most analysts highlight the disruptive companies that put them out of business; companies like Netflix, Amazon and Apple. But I wanted to know if there was something more fundamental going on that... [...]

Monica Montesa says, “As a small business owner, you want to make sure you’re in the best position to attract new customers. One of the best ways to do so? By kickstarting a digital marketing plan. Online marketing is more than just signing up for Facebook and creating a website (although those are two important aspects of it!). It’s also a great way to promote your business without breaking the bank (i.e. no more roadside billboards) and can be easily measured. Already having palpitations over the thought of starting a digital marketing plan? Fortunately, it’s less complicated than you... [...]

Ellen Valentine says, “When I meet with marketing teams, with everyone from executives to digital marketing specialists, they are almost always under some kind of pressure to produce results and improve their marketing metrics. They are working long hours to get things “out the door” and often, under a crush of obligations, lose sight of the customer. Usually, when I sit down with these marketing teams to see what they are actually communicating to their customers and prospects, I see a relentless focus on products, services, and what marketers want to say and sell. So, it’s all too common... [...]

Frederic Gonzalo says, “I know, it’s always a tricky thing to (try to) predict the future but it’s also a fun exercise. It’s a sound way to reflect about the past year and seeing bits and pieces that amount to, sometimes, an upcoming trend. With the social and mobile web and its fast evolution and adoption rates worldwide, digital marketing is indeed under transformation and the earlier we see and embrace emerging trends, the better off brands will be in seizing the moment and gaining a potential competitive edge. With this preamble in mind, here are the five trends I foresee for 2015... [...]

Shar VanBoskirk says, “I am happy to announce the latest release of Forrester’s five-year digital marketing forecast, a data-rich tool for budgeting, benchmarking, and identifying key trends to watch as you set your 2015 strategic plan.  What you need to know: US Digital marketing spend will top $100 billion in five years.  Just think about how big that is.  By 2019 in the United States, digital will be almost twice as large as it is now.  It will be about $13 billion more than television advertising, and it will count for 35% of all advertising spend. Growth is healthy but... [...]

Dan Kraus says, “Notice I didn’t say new customers. Or prospects. Closed business – people that actually pay you money for your products or services – should have the biggest impact on your go-forward marketing. However, there are lots of caveats to this. When you are early in your business, before your business model finally gels, any customer that pays you is a good customer. This is one of the most treacherous times and one of the best times to let your closed customers influence your marketing strategy. But (and it’s a big but) you have to be careful in the questions you ask... [...]