Why 2015 Might Be Your Best Year for Internet Marketing

When we’re bidding adieu to an old year and hello to a new, we like to read (and write) about predictions for the New Year. I’m not immune to the New Year excitement bug, even though I tend to work on holidays (rather than party). This year, I’m a little more excited than normal. Although […]

When Is Twitter Adding That Promised Group DM Feature?

 Private group messaging is a feature Twitter is supposedly working on and that many have been waiting to come out for a while, but we’ve yet to see. Read More

Trippy timelapse shows how to solve a 17x17x17 Rubik's Cube in 7.5 hours

Some people have way too much time on their hands

YouTuber Kenneth Brandon, a.k.aRedKB, is one such man. Kenneth is a fan of "twisty puzzles" according to his bio, he is also a fiend when it comes to Rubik's Cubes. Kenneth doesn't just solve a Rubik's Cube, he dominates it. And he is way too talented to be working on the standard 3x3x3 block, that most people have been struggling with for years

See also: 'Price Is Right' contestants think an iPhone 6 costs $7,500

The cube that takes Kenneth's fancy is the ridiculously difficult 17x17x17 cube designed by puzzle legend Oskar Van Deventer and he doesn't need years, he completes the bad boy in mere hours— about 7.5 spread out across five days Read more...

More about Rubiks Cube, Rubik, Social Media, How To, and Youtube

7 Places to Learn to Code – for Free!

Over my 10-year internet marketing career, my biggest personal competitive advantage was having an electrical engineering degree and being comfortable doing coding.

Now days, you don't have to go back to college (and take on the huge loan or remortgage your house) to get up to speed.

How To Reverse Engineer Massively Shareable Content (FS086)

You want to make blog posts, podcasts, products that are going to get found, hit a nerve, be seen and shared and loved. In this episode we share my favorite new research trick to come up with killer ideas for what content to make.

What Are The Best Times to Post on Social Media

Have you ever wondered when you should be sharing your content on the social web? Your visitors and followers prefer using social media sites during specific hours. So if you start sharing your content when your users are on these social sites, you’ll not only gain more shares, but you’ll also notice an increase in  [click to continue...]

10 Marketing New Year’s Resolutions For 2015

Have you committed to any personal resolutions for the New Year? In the spirit of professional improvement and the commitment to customer centricity, we’ve compiled a list of 10 resolutions every marketer can potentially benefit from. Check them out, and let us know which ones are most important to you:

1. Exchange value for engagement – Marketers often get wrapped up in web forms and demand generation activities of the sort. We’re typically looking for more information that will help us engage with people, but focus your efforts on how you can improve on the value you offer. The right engagement you’re always seeking will follow.

2. Create more seamless experiences – Make sure your customers’ and prospective buyers’ experiences are a reflection of a tightly aligned integrated marketing experience. The demand for relevance is heightening; are you adapting and delivering? Connecting the experiential dots of your audiences is a marketing imperative.

3. Improve data insight application – To effectively use the information you know about customers, it’s critical to implement the right data collection, mapping, and application blueprint. This can be a huge undertaking, but the benefits not only outweigh the grunt work; they help you deliver on the promises of the first two resolutions outlined. Check out our Data Management Guide for more tips.

4. Commit to enhanced collaboration - Take a mental note (or formally document) your key stakeholders for various efforts. Get your go to colleagues on board to maximize the strategic planning and execution of your next initiative.

5. Develop a short marketing reference list – The classroom of marketing is continually in session. Create a list of educational resources including blogs, newsletters, podcasts, and books that are conducive to your role and responsibilities.

6. Emulate; don’t imitate – Some of most successful marketing initiatives are inspired by a similar campaign, but there’s a fine line between a subtle homage and flat out duplication. Feel free to talk to your network about the campaign elements that are successful, but be mindful of your peers’ creative hard work and expression. Nobody likes a copycat!

7. Get more customer face time – Always aim to get in front of customers as much as you can. In addition to good old-fashioned face-to-face or phone communication, expose yourself to their various marketing communications, too. Attend their user events, webinars, and download their content. You can find inspiration to better serve them individually, and improve your own marketing.

8. Brush up your technology skills – Take a learning course to expose yourself to a new technological marketing skill, or renew an existing certification by getting a refresh in something you’ve already learned. This will help support your personal growth and skillset, and position you for success for when you’d like to seek a new position inside your existing organization, or to move to another. Check out our own Eloqua University to learn more about how to accentuate your marketing toolkit.

9. Envelope yourself in an exciting event schedule – Make a list of the educational and networking events you’d like to attend in 2015 (shameless plug: may we suggest Modern Marketing Experience this spring in Vegas?) Create a justification letter template based on specific goals and objectives you can share with your manager or marketing leader.

10. Aim to create a killer case study – Treat your next big campaign or program initiative as an opportunity to shine at an upcoming marketing conference or during a webinar. Think to yourself, “How would I present this as a case study after the fact?” This will help you develop a list of questions to answer at the end of the program run (i.e. metrics and results).

 What’s your most pressing marketing New Year’s resolution for 2015?