Top 25 Inbound Marketing Articles of the Week: April 12, 2013
In this week’s roundup, Mashable reveals some of the biggest social media blunders made by celebs and major brands. But that’s just a bonus. This week we’re talking a lot about reputation, such as the reputation of Generation Y (constantly connected? Why’s that such a bad thing?), Apple’s big apology, KPMG’s insider trading scandal, and destroying relationships via social media—and…the Google Penguin returns.
Geez, sounds like a total downer, right? Not so much. We have plenty of great news packed in here, too, including a roundup of 35 awesome social media tools for writers, plenty of recent and relevant statistics, three ways you can be marketing your blog OUTSIDE the social sphere and much more.
Search Optimization
- Is there a “secret sauce” to SEO? Sorry to break the bad news…but no. The good news is: Blogging can help. Find out how in this great post from Brent Carnduff.
- The Financial Brand reveals a dozen common SEO mistakes made by financial marketers. Actually, we think these mistakes could apply to any industry—so you should check it out, even if you’re not in the financial services vertical.
- The Penguin is back! Google’s about to release another MAJOR Penguin update. What will it mean for you? Search and Social Marketing Company, ZOG Digital explains.
Social Optimization
- Gen Y-ers get a lot of flak for being addicted to social media and constant connectivity. For that matter, so does society as a whole. But you gotta admit there’s a lot of good coming out of avid social users—including those younger Generation Y folks. Kayla Cruz shares some innovations and do-gooding activities born from this oft-criticized group at Gen Y Girl. We have to point out that Cruz is a shining example of some of the pure awesomeness that’s emerging from this generation.
- If you’re a writer, you’re probably an active social media user. But are you using 35 different tools? If you’re not quite there, check out this amazing list of (mostly free) social media tools for writers at SocialMediaWriters.com.
- Will we ever be happy with our social media? Silicon Cloud reveals some interesting statistics and findings.
- Want some updated, relevant and really interesting data about social media? Yes, please! Cool International has all that plus more packed into an infographic.
Local Optimization
- You already know it’s important to have local business listings on various platforms across the web. But how exactly do those listings enhance your SEO? Or do they offer an SEO benefit at all? Check out this great primer on local business listings, what all they do for your business and a roundup of some of the best free platforms at Right Mix Marketing.
- With local SEO continuing to emerge as a must-do component of your inbound marketing strategy, there are still plenty of beginners’ guides being published—and they’re much-needed for those just now having the local lightbulb moment. Digital Key Design has a great ten-step primer for beginners, and it’s a valuable refresher course for those who are already in the game, too.
- Not only is local SEO becoming more widely recognized among business owners as necessary, but it’s becoming more and more important for success in organic search—local and broad. Find out why from ToolsforSocialMedia.com.
Email Marketing
- Experian features a useful post on responsive design and giving your emails a mobile edge.
- There’s a big psychological component to sales, and you can use it to your advantage. This post from James Blute covers the four personality types and how you can target your messaging to each group to boost conversions. Be sure to click through for examples of targeting emails.
- Is your landing page killing your email marketing efforts? Make sure your landing pages are both relevant and targeted. Read more at SimpleRelevance.
Mobile Optimization
- Mobile marketing flat-out works if you do it right. On Chow has some advice on the importance of mobile and tips for easy—and effective—implementation.
- Social media is taking over the mobile ad space. Mobile Commerce News shares some interesting facts and statistics. Check it out!
- Greg Sterling shares his thoughts on mobile location and the direction it’s heading at Screenwerk.
Content Marketing
- Tourism Australia has one of the most popular destination pages on Facebook. What are they doing right? Salma Jafri shares nine content marketing takeaways at Search Engine Watch.
- How do you go about marketing your blog…WITHOUT using social media? Unheard of, right? It can be done. And actually, you should be thinking about these things—we get so caught up in social media as a marketing tool that we tend to forget there actually are other ways to get the word out. So take a look at Daniel Sharkov’s three ways to market your business blog without using social media, and use them.
- Want the winning formula for content marketing? Who doesn’t? DreamGrow’s got it! ‘Nuff said.
Conversion Optimization
- Click-Finders.com has published its latest installment on conversion optimization. Part 2 talks about aligning your website with your business goals—critically imperative for successful CRO! Thanks to Mike Glover for yet another engaging, entertaining and informative post. Think about it: You spend a bunch of time getting visitors to come to your site, earning their trust and then converting them to something completely irrelevant. In Mike’s words, “Not good, right?”
- Mobile responses to content in magazines is evolving. About 20 percent of activations are coming from image-based activations while stand-alone QR code activations dropped from 80 percent to 70 percent. Experts predict this trend will continue, with image-based activations continuing to increase in popularity. Get the details at Fierce Mobile Content.
- Conversion Marketing Experts offers a great overview on successfully launching a mobile marketing campaign.
Reputation Management
- No one wants a Google reputation nightmare. But how do you avoid it? Get ten tips for bypassing a Google reputation crisis at Coplan Consulting.
- This comprehensive post covers the importance of keyword analysis and strategy in your reputation management plan. And there’s a great case study here, too. Check it out at Reputation Hacks.
- Justin Doherty’s blog is all about reputation management, and he shares the latest crises and faux-pas to emerge from major brands. This week, he covers the KPMG insider trading scandal and discusses Apple CEO Tim Cook’s apology to the Chinese media’s accusations of arrogance and greed—juicy stuff. We can’t wait to see what else Justin has in store on the subject of reputation management!
BONUS(es):
- Oops. Have you ever made a social media blunder? Mashable published an infographic of the biggest social faux-pas made by celebs and major brands. Talk about a reputation-killer—a few of these just make us say “Yikes!”
- What’s going on in the social landscape? This infographic by Urban Cloud reveals the current state of social media.
- Social media is about building relationships, not destroying them. But like anything else in life, too much of a good thing can go sour. And that’s exactly what’s been happening with friendships as the virtual curtain is causing social users to drop their real-world etiquette. Get the scoop at Yahoo! News.
- More excellence from the amazing Heidi Cohen: 7 Actionable Mobile Marketing Tactics. Seriously, if you’re not following @HeidiCohen yet, you’re missing out on some of the best advice out there on the web today.
- What better way to wrap up this week’s roundup with a great roundup of important digital marketing statistics from EConsultancy? Quick summary: Keep working on your mobile/email optimization, about three-fourths of you are at least using basic segmenting for your email marketing lists, online publishers are poised for big revenues and if you work in PR or marketing, you’ve got great job security right now. Enjoy!
- Thanks @DIRIncorporated for pointing out this fantastic post from Optify that absolutely deserves a spot in today’s roundup! This detailed post goes beyond just talking about Facebook’s introduction of Graph Search, delving into exactly how it benefits B2B marketers (hey…that means you!).
About the author
Jordan is the Manager of SEO & Social Media at UpCity. With almost a decade of experience designing websites and writing copy, Jordan has helped countless brands find their voice, tell their story, and connect with real people.
