So the first day of Spring came this week…and went…while temps in many areas stayed below freezing and memes of Punxsutawney Phil hospitalized (or worse) floated around the web, after his six-more-weeks-of-winter prediction went horribly wrong this year. (In case you missed it, good ol’ Phil failed to see his shadow, theoretically predicting an early Spring. Sorry Phil, but you’re about as reliable as the weather man.)
We’ve loaded you up with bonuses this week. Today’s bonuses include a few white papers from CIO White Papers (seriously, that website rocks), more excellent content marketing advice from Heidi Cohen and the latest of Google’s attempts to take over the world.
Search Optimization
- Webbiquity hit the mark this week with a comprehensive roundup of SEO link-building guides and tools—23 of them, in fact, all created by some of the leading experts in the SEO world. Enjoy!
- You had to know it was coming: Google Trends has added YouTube data. What does that mean? All those things you’ve been hearing experts say about optimizing your videos for search—yeah, those would be really helpful right about now. In short: Videos matter. Get the scoop at Gigaom.
- Is there a difference between an SEO copywriter and a content marketer? You make the call—but check out Query Click’s “A Day in the Life of an SEO Copywriter” to find out just what it is that those mysterious writer-types do all day.
Social Optimization
- We’ve told you about Google Authorship before, but SEO Blog is offering up a little more evidence to convince you that you should be using it.
- Hosting an event? Awesome. Hey, by the way, you should totally use social media to promote that. And you should measure it, too. Danie Pote of Optify shares how to make it measurable at Business2Community.
- You’re on social media. Fantastic. Can we see your editorial calendar? Oops…If you forgot that part, not to worry: Chris Warden tells you exactly how to create one at SocialMediaOptimization.com. (Nice domain name, BTW).
- Kimmo Linkama takes an interesting look at our tendencies to measure and optimize every aspect of digital marketing. How much optimization is too much, and is it even possible to over-optimize or over-measure? Find out what Linkama has to say.
Local Optimization
- Google+ isn’t the only social network that’s great for local search. Facebook rocks the localization, too, and they’ve just kicked it up a notch with their Open Graph Search. Get the story at ChiefMarketer.com.
- Solid Marketing Strategies offers up a nice primer on local SEO. Yeah, we know, the title says Sacramento—but trust us, the same techniques will work whether you’re in New York City or Podunk, too.
- Julie Gordon is on a cleaning mission. A spring-cleaning mission. Of her local business listings. And, she’s telling you how to do the same at Market Stronger. Check it out!
Email Marketing
- Is it time to automate your email marketing plan? SilverPop talks finding your email marketing sweet spot by going auto.
- Marketing Artfully shares some fabulous tips on using video in your email newsletters. This is one you should definitely try, and we have a feeling author Tara Jacobsen will do a fine job of convincing you so.
- Are you testing your email marketing campaign? Check out five aspects of your email strategy you should be testing at Practical eCommerce.
Mobile Optimization
- There’s one tiny little secret that makes for an astonishingly successful mobile marketing campaign. Know what it is? Loyalty. Mobile Commerce Daily shares how to implement a frictionless mobile loyalty program.
- Struggling for mobile ad conversions? Megan Webb-Morgan has some advice to boost those mobile ad conversions at Business2Community.
- We always share all kinds of tips for the right things to do. But we don’t share a lot of DON’Ts. Until now. SMedio.com has seven of them for you, in fact, all related to mobile marketing.
Content Marketing
- First, hats off to Daniel Hinds of WikiMotive for successfully gluing that “You Spin Me Right Round Baby” song in our heads for the next 48 to 72 hours. Thanks a bunch. While this one was published a couple weeks ago, we didn’t run into it until this week, and there’s a valuable lesson to be learned here. So, check out Hinds’ thoughts on spinning content—and why you shouldn’t ever do it. (Hey, there’s another DON’T for ya.)
We came across that gem on Facebook this week and it seemed appropriate given the song-stuck-in-your-head reference. (Hey, we reserve the right to insert fun social media finds from time to time.)
- Trying to generate leads? Find out what content marketing has to do with it (80’s folks, we know you’re dying right now) at The Silent Seller.
- What do brands need to do to ramp up their content marketing efforts? Windchimes Communications has quite a lot to say on that subject—check it out at Exchange4Media.com.
Conversion Optimization
- Are you familiar with Google’s click-to-call ads feature? Ace Internet Marketing discusses an Esurance case study, in which the company achieved a 30 percent cost reduction.
- Are your conversion rates dictating your keywords? Brick Marketing reveals how to determine the value of keywords without relying solely on conversion rates.
- What role do images play in boosting conversion rates? eConsultancy analyzes three case studies with companies utilizing images in a major way, including attack of the 50-foot button. Check it out.
Reputation Management
- OnlineReputationManagement.com discusses the relevance of online reputation management and how it has evolved as an extension of traditional PR.
- Get four simple steps to online reputation management at Sociable Blog.
- Don Bulmer talks reputation management with four insights related to culture, influence, brand empowerment and experience. Definitely a worthy read for understanding the changing world of reputation management online. Get the details at Social Media Today.
BONUS(es):
Let’s play a little game of before-and-after. This week, we came across two articles each addressing a different end of the content marketing spectrum. Business2Community lets you know what you should be doing before you jump on the content marketing bandwagon. So what happens after content marketing? Business Grow discusses four possibilities, including the connection between content and advertising and the all-important factor of earning radical trust.
If your social media images and pages are out of whack, this cool tool from Autre Planete will help you create perfectly-sized images for just about every social platform.
Heidi Cohen, in case you haven’t noticed, is one of our favorite bloggers as of late. This week, she’s helping you fine-tune your content by revealing seven questions your content must answer for readers.
CIO White Papers, as we mentioned, is a fantastic resource for white papers in the information marketing industry. CIO was all over the social sphere this week with three different white papers of interest:
- Social Media Marketing at the Largest Brands in the World – find out what the major brands are doing and how you can follow suit.
- The 16 Rules of Social Media Optimization – get all the essentials for optimizing your social media campaign.
- Ten Steps to Effective Email Marketing – if you want to ramp up your email campaign, these ten steps are exactly what you need.
If you needed some reading material to occupy your mind this weekend, there you have it. And finally, one last bonus just because we love to point out how Google gets its fingers in everything—literally, everything. The company has just launched its replacement for Google Reader (of sorts) and direct competitor with none other than Evernote. Get the scoop at Eastman’s Online Geneaology Newsletter. Personally, we love Evernote—will Google Keep compete?