Baer says, “What are some of the biggest challenges of developing tons of content?“It’s mostly just organization.” That’s what Ali Parmelee, Co-Owner and Brand Strategist atTHINK creative group has to say about content development. And I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s tough enough to organize your own marketing.But what gives Ali some credibility here is that she’s managing her own content development process, and she also helps lots of others manage their marketing, too, through her marketing agency.“We’re a pretty small team here. It’s a matter of keeping everything... [...]

Baer says, “Pre-career, I had a few different jobs, from working in the video store after school rewinding the weekend’s videotapes to merchandising greeting cards for one of the giants in the industry.When I look back, the job that taught me the very most that applies to what I do today was my five-year stint working in supermarkets over high school and college. The two stores I worked at couldn’t have been more different, but let me tell you, it was an education in customer service, human behavior and, most of all, psychology.And I don’t mean the occasional verbal assault from... [...]

Baer says, “With Google+ Collections, you are now able to collect content into themes. While not exactly like Pinterest boards, they are probably the closest comparison we can make.Think of Collections as interactive magazines which not only feature content but also facilitate conversations with people passionate about a subject.It may be the biggest release on Google+ for the past two years or so. And for many, it is putting to rest that Google is sitting on its laurels when it comes to social.How to Make a CollectionEither from a Profile or a Page (in the case of businesses),... [...]

Baer says, “Mari Smith, CEO of Mari Smith International, Inc. author of “The New Relationship Marketing” and co-author of “Facebook Marketing: An Hour a Day,” is known as the Facebook Queen. She is the lead instructor on Facebook’s new Boost Your Business events for small businesses, the first of which is happening in San Diego on June 4th.Mari is thrilled that Facebook is providing more opportunities for education to small businesses: “One of things that has really heartened me this year with Facebook is that they’re putting much more emphasis on education and customer... [...]

Baer says, “85% of social media marketers are missing out on a fantastic opportunity.Th 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, released this week by Social Media Examiner found that usage of Slideshare increases steadily in lock step with with the experience of the social media marketer.In my estimation, the reason why more experienced social media marketers gravitate toward Slideshare is that they eventually recognize that social media is about actions, not eyeballs. The “reach” offered by the larger consumer-oriented platforms is seductive, but if only a tiny percentage of your... [...]

Baer says, “After partnering with hundreds of marketers and PR professionals on their blogger outreach projects with GroupHigh, I noticed an interesting and common blogger outreach pain point.A crucial part of blogger identification for marketing purposes is thinking a step past buyer personas and coming up with “influencer personas.” An influencer persona is an overarching profile and data on the types of bloggers that appeal to your target consumers. This is a great piece of information for everyone on your team to have to ensure that your outreach efforts always are on track.Simple... [...]

Baer says, “Twitter is popular among social media marketers. Twitter advertising is decidedly less so.Overall enthusiasm for Twitter remains high, and social media pros plan to use it even more than they already do. 66% of social media marketers plan to increase their Twitter marketing in the near future, according to the 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry Report, released by Social Media Examiner.66% of social media marketers plan to increase their Twitter marketing in the near future1 (highlight to tweet)Interest in learning more about Twitter is almost equally strong, with 58% of... [...]

Baer says, “Is big data the reason that runs per game are at decades-long lows in baseball? And why your marketing strategy is failing?Like Brad Pitt’s character in Moneyball, programmatic media professionals create rich data sets to drive decision-making. Marketers use these data sets to ensure they reach the right people at the right time and the right price. Sounds like marketing nirvana, right?However, this laser focus on data comes at a cost. With marketers’ newfound focus on mastering data-driven insights to drive results, creativity no longer drives the message. Because senior... [...]

Baer says, “When someone arrives on your sales page, he or she is in between pure curiosity and “about to make the purchase” mode. Your sales page has to appeal to all of these types of people (no matter what stage they’re at) in order to convert well.It’s a very fine line. If you’re too brief or vague, you’ll lose out on the people who don’t understand the product or who haven’t made decisions by the end of the page. If it’s too long or sloppy, you might bore people, and long copy, when done incorrectly, has the potential to be seen as spammy (such as on those obnoxious... [...]

Baer says, “Is Twitter trying to be the most important customer service channel?Twitter has announced the rollout of the long-rumored feature of being able to send people private messages via its direct messages capability, without them following one another. As you probably know, historically in order to send somebody a direct message in private on Twitter both parties had to follow one another. Now, however, Twitter is saying that if you set your account accordingly to be able to accept direct messages from people who you do not follow, you can get those messages.If you set your account... [...]