How to Create Killer Content For Each Stage of the Buying Cycle

While content marketing may be the buzzword dujour, there's some credence to the notion. After all, people need the right information at the right time when they are researching and deciding what to buy.

In this Yesler whitepaper, part of the Adrants whitepaper series, you will find out how to map your content to the needs and roles of your prospects as they move through the purchasing cycle.

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by Steve Hall    Feb-19-13    
Topic: Research



The Four C's Of Social Media For The C-Suite

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Social media is becoming the executive equivalent to catching lightning in a bottle. It has quickly gone from ultimate focus group and brand popularity contest to a serious digital marketing platform. As it does, it has bubbled up from a quirky, unpredictable experiment to a measurable customer lab.

Download this whitepaper now to learn about the Four C's of social media for the C-suite and how social intelligence is providing clarity for the C-Suite.

by Steve Hall    Feb-14-13    
Topic: Research, Social, Trends and Culture



How to Optimize Your Email Campaign ROI

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Email marketing is always changing. While overall read rates declined in Q4 2012, some marketers defied the odds with responsible, well-planned email sending strategies. However, as the top email marketers continue to test and optimize, new subscriber behaviors are changing the rules of the game.

Download this Email Intelligence Report now from Return Path to tap into the latest data trends and analytics to optimize your email campaigns and email ROI.

by Steve Hall    Feb-13-13    
Topic: Direct, Research



How Inbound Marketing Serves the New Purchase Loop Mentality

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For over one hundred years, brands have been tailoring their marketing to the four-step purchase funnel developed in 1898 by Elias St. Elmo Lewis. The familiar steps are awareness, interest, desire and action. Simple. Straight-forward. And has served marketers well for a century.

Well now it's out of date. According to new research conducted by Latitude, 87 percent of consumers no travel a less linear, more complex pathway to final purchase. And there are new steps in the process which include openness, realized want or need, learning and education, seeking idea and inspiration, research and vetting...and post-purchase evaluation and expansion.

Check out this in-depth article I wrote for HubSpot that details the new process and how brands can fine-tune their marketing for each individual step.

by Steve Hall    Feb-11-13    
Topic: Research



Infographic Summarizes Biggest Social Media Wins, Fails

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MBA in Marketing Guide (yes, it's link-baiting but it's good information too) created an infographic that details the biggest wins and fails in social media over the past year or so. Top wins include DollarShaveClub, Nike, Sephora and Honda. Top fails include McDonald's #McDStories, Chick-Fil-A anti-gay thing, American Apparel's Sandy-themed promotion and Kitchen Aid's tweet about Obama's grandmother.

Check out all the details in the infographic.

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by Steve Hall    Feb- 8-13    
Topic: Research, Social



Why All Media Is Social Media

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It's not a surprise social web has caused a dramatic sea change in digital marketing. From new methods of communication to how digital marketers now interact with customers, everything has changed. And many marketers are still like deers in an Interstate full of headlights making big mistakes.

The new social web - like it or not - demands a shift in marketing methodology that rewards creativity and a willingness to engage with customers in new ways. It also lends new opportunities to digital marketers everywhere

In this report from Gartner, part of the Adrants whitepaper series, you will learn:

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by Steve Hall    Feb- 6-13    
Topic: Research, Social



If the Super Bowl Were The Social Bowl, Coke Would Win

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There's just one problem with this infographic from Shift which takes a look at social activity for brands as if the Super Bowl were the Social Bowl. The Super Bowl hasn't happened yet. Conversation on social platforms could be completely different come Sunday as compared to this week's lead up conversation.

In addition, does killing it in social media really mean you're crushing it from a revenue perspective? Yes, there are analogies to be made and correlations to be considered. But these sorts of data grabs too often feel like playful ploys at generating awareness and publicity for the infographic creator rather than an offer of information that's actually valuable.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-31-13    
Topic: Research, Social, Super Bowl 2013



Why Your Next Website Makeover Should Incorporate Responsive Design

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Attention marketing directors, creative directors and everyone else who cares about how well tuned their website is for mobile devices. Uh, that's everyone, right?

Is your current website properly designed to render perfectly on all mobile devices? If our casual surfing observations are any indication, the answer is a resounding no.

If you haven't already, you should seriously be considering how to revamp your digital marketing strategy to cope with the mobile takeover. Make no mistake about it, the mobile revolution isn't coming. It's already arrived.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-28-13    
Topic: Research



Half of Americans to Re-Watch Super Bowl Ads [Infographic]

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It would seem the lifespan of a Super Bowl ad keeps growing as Americans will be searching, sharing and rewatching ads this year more than ever before, according to independent San Francisco advertising agency Venables Bell & Partners. Results from its fourth annual Super Bowl survey saw these numbers rise particularly among millennials and those who report they'll be, ahem, hungover on Super Bowl Monday. Some highlights from the study.

Not only will half of Americans rewatch ads, but 40% will share ads. 86% will do so via Facebook and 30% via sharing on Twitter (a 500% increase from 2012). Theoretically, this means with 111 million people watching the game, and with the average Facebook user having 130 friends, those collective posts could result in over 4.9 billion incremental impressions.

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by Steve Hall    Jan-25-13    
Topic: Research, Super Bowl 2013



Six Ways Digital Marketing Will Rock Your World

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It's no surprise the social web has caused a dramatic shift in digital marketing. From new channels of communication to how digital marketers are expected to interact with customers, everything has changed. And many marketers are still scratching their heads and making big mistakes.

The new social web - like it or not - requires a shift in approach that rewards creativity and a willingness to engage with customers in different ways. It also lends new opportunities to digital marketers everywhere

In this report from Gartner, part of the Adrants whitepaper series, you will learn:

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by Steve Hall    Jan-18-13    
Topic: Research