Tom Ryan says, “It’s safe to say that 2016 will go down in history as one of the strangest in modern times: Trump, Brexit, Leicester City’s winning the Premier League, and the death of so many iconic artists.Fortunately for marketers, it was a great year for marketing automation (MA).Some of the highlights of 2016: approximately 55% of B2B companies are now using marketing automation; 91% of the most successful users agree that marketing automation is “very important” to the overall success of their marketing across channels; and the Pardot Engagement Studio and... [...]

Laura Forer says, “The folks at Emma made a list, checked it twice, and you were good this holiday season so here’s a peek.The email marketing software provider compiled the top 12 emails of the year sent through its platform. Among the highlighted emails:• Telluride Truffle for its innovative referral program (people are four times more likely to buy when referred by a friend)• The Escape Game for its dynamic “thank you” email• Preppy Pineapple and the Texas A&M Foundation for their use of animated gifs.Emma also explains why the techniques used by each... [...]

Laura Forer says, “”Focus on your fans first,” begins a Visme infographic that offers tips on Facebook marketing, based on an article by Mike Gingerich.That may have been the mantra when your brand started on Facebook, but do all your posts still follow that rule?How about hashtags? The infographic advises using them sparingly and making them short and sweet. Is your brand guilty of overtagging, or do you have a hashtag strategy that works?And be sure you know your tools: “Facebook now lets business owners add CTAs to link posts using a tool called the Power Editor,”... [...]

David Zimmerman says, “Did you sigh when you heard Google is revoking free full access to its Keyword Planner? Your first reaction was probably like mine: Google is sticking it to SEOs, once again.What are we going to do?Of course, we could invest in a third-party tool. Some of those tools might help fill the gap, but they are expensive and only as good as their sample size.And that got me thinking: If I would have to pay for a keyword research tool anyway, why not use pay-per-click (PPC) advertising for my keyword research? If I create a small PPC campaign, I can get keyword data and... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “Digital advertising and customer events are marketers’ top areas for planned investment in 2017, according to recent research from Autopilot.The report was based on data from a survey of 505 marketing decision-makers based in the United States.Some 30% of marketers say they plan to invest in digital advertising in 2017, and 30% plan to invest in customer events.Other top areas for planned investment include email marketing (26% of marketers plan to invest), social media (26%), content development (24%), and customer loyalty (24%).Marketers say their biggest priorities... [...]

Tom Burg says, “Compared with just a decade ago, consumers have an unprecedented amount of control over the content they see across all media.DVR and premium streaming services ensure they don’t have to sit through advertisements; and, as TV falls from its once tall pedestal, mobile is swiftly taking its place. Tellingly, research suggests the new generation of consumers is more influenced by mobile content and advertisements on Snapchat than by typical TV spots.But, even as some things change, others stay the same.What has endured the test of time are the four pillars of performance... [...]

Sarah Clark says, “Watching Super Bowl ads has become practically a sport all its own. Every year, fans buzz about which commercials will be the funniest, the most heart-wrenching, or the most entertaining. And, as we all know, brands shell out big bucks for spots during the game.But, in 2013, Oreo made waves with an ad that had no budget, no TV spot, and no pregame buzz. In conjunction with our sister agency 360i, Oreo created a social media strategy that would position the brand for anything the Super Bowl could throw its way. And it paid off when the lights suddenly died in the Superdome.... [...]

Lee Evans says, “All businesses are on Yelp—whether they like it or not. And, true, managing your Yelp page can be quite the headache, but it can also be an excellent platform for reaching potential customers and gaining new ones.Of course, negative reviews on Yelp are a concern. There are a few things, however, that you can do to mitigate the damage of a bad review without spending too much time.First of all, though, don’t necessarily take these reviews at face value, since a good number of them could well be fake. In fact, the occurrence of fake online reviews led one reporter... [...]

Marian Price says, “The days between Black Friday and Christmas pull in 50-100% more revenue than the rest of the year, making it an all-hands-on deck season for marketers. But what if you could make your marketing strategy more efficient and effective without a huge investment in time and resources?That’s the power of email marketing automation, which allows you to send highly customized, relevant messages to the right people in a timely manner and on a massive scale—a holiday marketer’s dream.Now is the perfect time to explore the full power of email marketing automation.... [...]

Ayaz Nanji says, “More than three-quarters (78%) of B2B organizations are using marketing automation tools, according to recent research from Dun & Bradstreet and Ascend2.The report was based on data from a survey of more than 200 B2B executives (50% work for firms with 50 or fewer employees).Some 46% of respondents say their B2B firm makes extensive use of marketing automation tools, whereas 32% say their B2B firm makes limited use of marketing automation tools.Respondents say the top goals of using marketing automation tools are improving lead nurturing (63% cite it as a goal),... [...]