40 Epic Marketing Insights From Google [Data]

4 Excellent Examples of Creative Google+ Business Pages When Google+ launched, companies were at a loss trying to find a way to utilize the new social network for business. But with this week's launch of Google+ business pages (including HubSpot's own Google+ page!), we've seen some early adopters start experimenting with the possibilities and limitations of the new feature. Fox News Special Report We all saw the huge role of social media in President Obama's campaign and election in 2008, and it looks like the GOP is following suit by experimenting with the Google+ business page Hangout feature. What you can learn from Special Report: Google+ Hangouts present a lower barrier to entry than something like a webinar, so regardless of your business, they could help you open up and feed the top of your sales funnel. Time Magazine In the short time Google+ business pages have been available, Time has already figured out a way to take its features to the next level. YouTube The New York Times

Why Focusing on Blog Word Count Is Stupid Remember that kid in class who always asked your teacher how long his term paper needed to be? Most teachers (the good ones) responded, “However long it needs to be.” Length as a poor indicator of content quality rings just as true in business blogging as it did in school. Just compare Brian Solis' latest 1,000-word blog article with Seth Godin's latest 100-word post. They've both been shared hundreds of times on major social media networks; so what gives? Word Count Doesn’t Matter, But Mobile Optimization Does According to mobiThinking, half a billion people worldwide accessed the mobile web in 2009. What You Should Focus on Instead: Optimize your blog for a mobile environment. Word Count Doesn’t Matter, But Effective Formatting Does People aren’t reading every word on the page. What You Should Focus on Instead: Make it easy for readers to absorb the main takeaways by getting really good at formatting. Word Count Doesn't Matter, But Clarity & Depth Do Image Credit: Maria Reyes-McDavis

LinkedIn Launches Analytics Tool for Groups This week, LinkedIn added a brand new feature to LinkedIn Groups: Analytics. (And you know how much we love data!) Group owners now have the ability to get insight into group growth, demographics, and interactions through visually appealing charts and graphs. You can access the analytics by visiting the "Groups" tab in LinkedIn and clicking the little blue graph icon underneath the Group's name. 1. 2. 3. 4. Don't have access to this, but your colleague does? Creating and Sharing Valuable Content on Tumblr | DigitalSherpa.com This is Part 3 in a series introducing and discussing Tumblr and how it applies in our social media efforts. See part 1 here and part 2 here . When I left you last, I had just finished the basic design of DigitalSherpa’s Tumblr page and was looking forward to creating and sharing content in the hopes of reaching new audiences. I’ve since made some changes to the look of the blog (one of the great joys of Tumblr is the control over the design of your page, you’ll find yourself tweaking it constantly). What to Post Posting on Tumblr won’t be that different from posting on your other blogs or social sites. Tumblr is different in the following ways: Multimedia: Tumblr is built and designed in a way that makes videos/pictures/slideshows all the more engaging. Curate: The ‘Reblog’ feature on Tumblr makes it very easy to share all the valuable content you find on Tumblr. Quotes : Tumblr features a really neat option that you won’t see anywhere else. How to Post Time to practice what I preach.

Google's SSL Change Actually Impacts 11% of Search Traffic [New Data] In the last week of October, Google announced and rolled out a major change to the way its search engine interacts with the rest of the web. Google now uses an SSL-encrypted experience for anyone who uses the Google.com homepage while logged in as a Google user. As a result of this change and how the web works, Google no longer passes search referral data to the destination website when a logged-in user clicks on a search result. This can sound really technical, but what it means is that, as a website owner, you lose visibility into which keywords a person logged into Google.com searched for before they arrived at your website. Even if you use Google-owned website analytics like Google Analytics, you no longer have access to specific keyword information about how those searchers discovered your website. Google's Anticipated Effect vs. According to Google, this change was supposed to represent a single-digit percentage of traffic to most website owners.

6 Reasons Great Content Fails That's right. Sometimes truly great content flops. And to be honest, it's a big disappointment (and a damn shame). The silver lining is, there's usually a pretty good explanation for why that particular piece of content failed to spread, and understanding some of the top reasons why great content fails can put you on a righteous path that enables you to succeed with future pieces of great content. And if anything positive can come from failure, it's a good lesson or two. We've come in contact with a few content failures in our experience as content creators, so we've nailed down 6 compelling reasons -- and lessons to learn from -- why great content fails. 1. When it comes to successful content, the topic/idea is everything. How to Avoid Failure: Spend the time to make sure the topic and idea has the potential to be successful. 2. A great piece of content hidden behind a crappy title or headline is just that -- hidden. 3. 4. 5. 6. What are some other reasons great content fails to spread?

10 Best Practices to Optimize the Language of Your Calls-to-Action This is an excerpt from HubSpot's new ebook An Introduction to Effective Calls-to-Action. Download your free, full copy of the ebook here. Calls-to actions are extremely critical components of effective lead generation, and the language you use in your calls-to-action is probably the most important element you can optimize to improve their click-through rates. Crafting the message, however, can be time-consuming and challenging. So let's review some best practices for writing a compelling call-to-action across different places on your website and various stages of your sales cycle! 1. Your CTA should answer the question, “What’s in it for me?” Such an exercise could result in calls-to-actions along the lines of “Optimize Your CTAs in 10 Minutes/Day” or “Find Out the 13 Secrets to CTA Optimization.” 2. Creating urgency is another quality your calls-to-action need to adopt. 3. Personalization of calls-to-action is tricky...but not impossible. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

4 Email Marketing Tips From Email Spammers Would you believe it? Email spammers have taught us honest email marketers a thing or two over the years. Mostly, it's what to avoid if you don’t want to end up in handcuffs. Here are 4 great email marketing tips from email spammers that you can apply to your (totally legit) email marketing campaigns. 1. Online security company Bit Defender revealed that in 2011, Jay Leno topped the list of the most frequently used celebrity names by email spammers. You don’t need a celebrity endorsement for higher email open rates, but you can gain trust by ensuring your recipients remember how they know you. 2. Email spammers know exactly what they’re trying to get the reader to do. Approach your email marketing goals with the same precision. 3. Spammers get high email open rates and click-through rates by riding the pop culture wave. 4. One way email spammers collect your information is through fake unsubscribe buttons at the bottom of emails. So stop and think. Image Credit: comedy_nose

4 Ways to Get More Out of Marketing Automation The B2B marketing automation industry will reach $325 million in revenue in 2011. Despite this growth, 50% of companies surveyed in a 2011 Focus Study say they have not yet realized a return on investment for their marketing automation. There are any number of reasons this could be -- from an over-reliance on email, to a skills gap, to technical limitations of the tool itself. Getting the most out of your marketing automation tool requires integrating it into a complete inbound marketing strategy and using it as a support rather than a replacement. 1. It’s hard to diagnose buyer needs in a vacuum. Before the would-be-buyers abandoned their shopping carts, did they take a look at the shipping page or were they loitering on the returns page? 2. The golden opportunity with marketing automation may not rest with driving sales alone. Request feedback from anyone who downloaded an ebook. 3. Typically, marketing automation is used to send customers automated emails based on their activity.

Three steps to planning (really good) blog content | DigitalSherpa.com One question that I get often when talking with clients about blogging is: What should be writing about? Well, the short answer is that it depends. Honestly, you can write about anything you want. Start with your audience Who are you trying to reach? Create an editorial calendar Magazines do it to plan out the year in advance and it’s the best way to really nail down what you want to write about. Mix it up every once in a while . And lastly, as you get accustomed to blogging regularly (heck, you might even become addicted), your content strategy may change. Photo by jdurham

5 Website Conversion Tactics to Boost College Enrollment If your institution has relied primarily on in-person admission counselor interactions or scheduled campus visits, you have missed a critical opportunity to boost enrollment at your institution. It is also very important to remember that the first interaction with your institution probably isn't going to be filling out an application, although stealth applicants do exist. Here are five ways to turn your campus website into an avenue to increase enrollment by opening up the top of your marketing funnel. 1. Make links to your academic programs prominent on your homepage. 2. Some students, particularly returning students, might not yet know what they want to major in. 3. As prospective students progress through your website, remember that your ultimate goal is to get them to apply. Make it obvious to students what they will get out of attending your school that they won't get from the other schools on their list. 4. 5. Finally, offer a list of quick facts to prospective students.

LinkedIn Launches Dramatically Improved Version of LinkedIn Events Event marketers are under tremendous pressure to show ROI around the events they organize and attend. Luckily, LinkedIn has just made it easier to help marketers decide which industry conferences are good matches by launching a revamped LinkedIn Events, the newest version of which was released today with exciting new features. Let’s take a look at what’s new and improved with LinkedIn Events, and how it will make your life as an event marketer easier. Personalized Event Recommendations Why event marketers should be happy: With a better gauge on an event’s audience, you’ll be able to make a stronger case for or against event attendance before you register, not to mention developing more targeted goals for the event.More people will be aware of the events that you’re hosting.You’ll likely see a more relevant audience in attendance. Better Search and Visibility Networking Recommendations

How to Master the Art of Exceptional Blog Titles Writing exceptional blog titles is something of an art form. In fact, a great title is often the difference between a business blogging article that generates a few views and an article that generates tons of views. While the title isn't the only important element of a blog post, it is usually a potential reader's first impression of your content. Think about it: a link to a blog post shared in social media is usually only accompanied by a title, so you better make sure that title is darn good if you want people to click on it. Luckily, you too can learn the art of writing exceptional blog titles. All you need is to understand and emulate the following 6 characteristics ... and a little practice. 1. Example: "How to Create a Google+ Business Page in 5 Simple Steps" 2. Example: "101 Signs You're an Inbound Marketer" 3. Example: "10 Things We Hate About Marketing Automation" 4. Example: "6 Creative Ways to Make Content More Visual" 5. Example: "The 15 Best Facebook Pages You've Ever Seen" 6.

Confessions of a Content Marketer I have a confession. During my time as a content marketer, that’s what I touted. If you write great content consistently, you will get more customers. For a few lucky ones, I was right. If after a few months of dedicated content creation, you still find yourself wondering where your hordes of leads are hiding, consider these 5 content marketing confessions, leaked from an inbound marketer in recovery. 1.) 2.) 3.) 4.) 5.) In an age where information has never been more accessible, creating good content just isn’t good enough. Image Credit: Matthew Conroy