Online Marketing

SUMMARY: Product samples can give your customers a taste of what you offer and encourage them to come back to buy. But once you have a sample program that's generating sales, how can you drive conversions even higher?

Read how an online retailer simplified an existing sampling program that was converting at a 40% rate, and got 15% more website visitors to requests product samples. Also, find out why you should be careful which products you select for sampling. read the complete case study

SUMMARY: A content management system is the foundation for your website's content. If the foundation isn't strong, it won't support some of your key marketing goals, such as SEO.

Find out how to ensure your CMS update will incorporate SEO best practices and support your team's strategy. Includes tips on working with the IT team, and getting to the truth behind vendors' claims. read the complete article

SUMMARY: "Advertising on blogs or social networks" was rated the most accurately measured (32%), and was also rated the least effective (16%). More than 90% of companies believe that social media is the most effective in accomplishing brand building goal, followed closely by goals for attracting website visitors. view the complete research record

SUMMARY: Potential customers want to hear how you can solve their problems in simple, understandable language -- not empty marketing clichés. Social media can help teach you that language.

Read why marketing strategist David Meerman Scott thinks phrases such as “robust” and “mission critical” can do more harm than good to your marketing, and how you can use social media to move past them. read the complete interview

SUMMARY: Which phase of social marketing maturity is your organization in today and where would you like it to be? In this week's chart, find out how your organization compares to more than 2,000 others in terms of social marketing maturity, and which Social Marketing ROAD Map elements are priorities for each phase of social marketing maturity. read the complete article

By Natalie Myers, Reporter

I wasn’t looking for advice about online advertising when I scheduled time to talk to Jerry Shereshewsky, CEO, Grandparents.com, for a MarketingSherpa article I’m writing about marketing to grandparents.

But I should have expected getting some wisdom from someone with 39 years of experience in the industry who last year took the helm of an ad-supported resource site for grandparents.

Jerry’s previous title, ambassador plenipotentiary to Madison Avenue at Yahoo!, was another reason I... read the complete blog post