Virtuous cycles are anomalies. They fight the universal law of entropy, and for that reason alone, they are worth investigation. Rather than a gradual slide towards dissipation and equilibrium, virtuous cycles build upon themselves, yielding self-sustaining returns cycle after cycle.
In marketing, there are not a lot of virtuous cycles. Most marketing efforts need to be constantly fueled by a steady stream of dollars. The minute the budget tap is closed so is the marketing program. But there are a few, and SEO is one of them, if done correctly. Let’s take a quick look at the elements required to build a truly virtuous cycle.
Look at any graphic representation of a social network, and you will see a somewhat globular cluster of nodes -- and, at the center, you’ll find the subject or owner of the network. The density of the nodes will be greater near the center, but there will be small clusters of interconnected nodes that will appear throughout the map. This pattern, the visual interpretation of human connection, looks much the same now as it did for tribal humans 100,000 years ago. But there is one important difference. Then, you probably only had one network you belonged to, which was defined by geography. Today, you can belong to many networks, and they’re often defined by ideas.
Many webmasters are rattled by Google's recent updates. Although links are still very important, some people even want to change perfectly fine high quality links. Is this really necessary? How can you save time when improving your backlink profile?
Everyone's crazy about links. Some people want to get as many backlinks as possible, others fear that their website will be penalized if it has the wrong backlinks. Are backlinks really that important? A search engine has the answer.
In 2012 our team has been blogging a great deal about mobile search as this digital medium continues to evolve. We’ve told you the statistics, to help you understand how device usage is changing and validate the growth in digital devices. We’ve shared with you how your business can maximise your mobile website usability. We developed an infographic to explore the advent and historical evolution of location based marketing.
Today’s most trustworthy brands have created relationships with consumers through experiences that trigger an emotional response. Strong brands like Apple, Nike, Pepsi and Harvard have managed to earn the trust of their customers.
That same level of trust is being emulated by some already-established companies. We see it on a daily basis! Everyone wants to be like Apple. And when it comes to content, everyone wants the brand engagement of Reader’s Digest.
The other day, I was going through some background research for a client. What struck me, as I waded through the reams of PowerPoint decks and research reports, what how integral digital was to the core functions of this particular industry. Whether it was key influencers in the purchase decision, reasons for doing business with a company or competitive differentiators, technological proficiency was right up there with traditional factors like price, value, convenience and reliability. As potential customers, we expect companies to have their digital acts together. More than this, it appears we’re ready to reward companies that aggressively invest in raising the bar of their own connected maturity level.
The question of integrated marketing communications is taught at almost every marketing course at the most basic levels and yet so many organizations treat online marketing as an after-thought, and the question has to be asked: why? Over the years, I have worked with a multitude of clients and find it shocking that although integrated marketing communications (IMC) is talked about, so few organizations are actually practicing IMC on an ongoing basis.
The purpose of this article is to detail a few tips on how to better integrate your online, offline and social media communications.
In last week’s column, I looked at how Harvard Business Review bloggers Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird spelled the end of the purchase funnel. Today, I’d like to look at the topic they tackled in the second of the 3 part series, If Customers Ask for More Choice, Don’t Listen.
Recently, there has been a series of three posts on the Harvard Business Review blog by Karen Freeman, Patrick Spenner and Anna Bird exploring some of the myths about how consumers make decisions. I think each of these have direct implications for search marketers, so over the next three weeks I want to explore them one at a time.