As marketing communications strategists who work with a variety of business professionals, it’s important for us to stay current with digital resources to help us learn and grow in order to exceed our clients’ expectations. To accomplish that goal, we participate in industry webinars, listen to podcasts, attend industry trade shows and read a variety of books, magazine articles and internet stories. We believe some of the digital resources we’ve discovered and use can help you expand your marketing horizons and achieve your business goals. Here’s our digital resources list broken down by categories.
Category: Digital media
Your SEO Strategy Is Essential for Business Success
The odds of a potential customer stumbling across any of your webpages are astronomical. That’s why developers created search engines. They increase the odds that searchers will find your website. However, with your competition online as well, the odds are still stacked against you. You can improve those odds with search engine optimization (SEO) and creating an SEO strategy.
Increase Your Digital Presence: 9 Must-Know Business Trends
In an ever growing digital marketplace, the most successful companies understand the importance of effectively connecting with their customers through a variety of digital channels. In fact, in a survey of leading B2B businesses, the average customer progresses nearly 60 percent of the way through the purchase decision-making process before engaging directly with a sales
Mobile Apps: Time to Jump on the Bandwagon?
Let’s face it. Mobile apps are hot. More than 60 percent of adults in the U.S. have smart phones, and their use of apps is on the rise. Some might argue that in the B2B market, apps are not as “sexy” as in the B2C market. While not necessarily used to make online purchases, their
5 Best Practices for Texting
There’s no question about it. Mobile technology has transformed the business practices of many companies—from consumer products to professional services. Even the baby-boomer generation has joined the mobile generation with their smart phones, smart TVs, tablets and online shopping. But according to Techcrunch, “millennials represent the largest group of smartphone owners, and their adoption of
Why Ebooks Are a Crucial Marketing Plan Component
Do you want to write a book, but don’t have the time to wait on the lengthy publishing format? Then consider writing an ebook. Ebooks have many advantages over traditional books. Here are just a few. Advantages of Ebooks They are quick and affordable to produce. Got a lot to say? Ebooks can be any
Mobile Marketing: A Buzz Word Worthy of the Buzz
Here is a challenge for you. Find a blog post or research report on future marketing trends that omits the term “mobile devices.” It’s virtually impossible and with good reason. Mobile internet access is a burgeoning trend with no end in sight. Last July, The Wall Street Journal reported “American adults now spend almost a
Trends in digital and print, part II
Last week I looked at trends in print and digital media, with the takeaway being that while both print and digital are struggling in unique ways, they’re still great platforms to put your business out there. This week I want to look at another interesting trend: digital media venues swimming against the tide. Some popular
E-books: A snapshot
It’s been a while since Trade Secrets looked at e-books. Here’s a snapshot of where the world of electronic books and e-readers stand in May of 2014: According to a recent Harris poll, 54 percent of Americans read e-books, and 66 percent of millennials read e-books. Go go gadget: If you read exclusively in the
Below the fold
If you ask a web designer or online media professional what “below the fold” means, they may give you a blank stare. But those of us who cut our teeth in print media know that “below the fold” refers to a story that’s important enough to make the front page, but not important enough to
Angry discourse in the digital space
In the past few weeks there have been some glaring examples of hateful, angry diatribes that made the news. Whether it was a comparison of the national debt to slavery and the subsequent firing of a reporter who objected to the analogy or choosing the occasion of Nelson Mandela’s death to attack Obamacare, there have
Five Rules for Using Video
Video is a powerful tool for your company’s online presence and has many advantages over still images or text. However, video has its drawbacks too. As its use in the online world has evolved, experts are sharing some guidelines about when and how to use video. Follow these simple rules to maximize the effectiveness of
How green are digital media?
It’s often assumed that digital media are better for the environment, as opposed to old, “tree-based” media, which conjure up images of loggers cutting down majestic trees in rainforests, baby deer and tiny birds losing their homes, and piles of old newspapers bundled up and being tossed in landfills. Meanwhile, digital media go out of
The power of the printed word
Fiona Salmon, publisher solutions director at the UK’s Vibrant Media, wrote a compelling article in February on the website inpublishing.co.uk about the power of the printed word titled “Realising the value of editorial.” In it, she talks about the struggles of traditional media to adapt and change to the digital age, and about the importance
Books as a service
It’s been a while since I wrote about e-books, magazines and newspapers, but the fast-changing world of digital literature hasn’t slowed any. PC Magazine recently published an interesting article by Chandra Steele about “books as a service.” Steele cites the “service-product continuum,” along which products like movies morph into services that are available on demand,
Phablets: phailure?
We all remember the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Porridge: too hot, too cold, just right. Chairs: too large, too small, just right. Bed: too hard, too soft, just right. Goldilocks, meet the phablet. A portmanteau of “phone” and “tablet,” the phablet is meant to be “just the right size” for today’s mobile
Google hones in on the right idea
It’s no secret that many newspapers and magazines are struggling as readers turn to the internet for free content. While some online media have successfully adopted paywall systems, most traditional media are finding that online revenues don’t come close to what traditional print revenues once were, and that customers are reluctant to pay what they
Being heard in the 21st century
Sometimes blogs are challenging to write because it seems like everything has already been said. Or, more correctly, it’s being said, all over the place, all the time, by everyone. Information overload via the Internet has gone beyond a novelty and well into the realm of a worldwide social experiment, the outcome of which we
Bilbary must be bil-kidding
If you read e-books from your local library, you might be aware that books from certain publishers—Simon & Schuster, Macmillan, and Penguin, to be precise—are not available for check-out. Why is this? I’m going to cut to the chase and say money. The big publishers are afraid of losing money if they lose control of
NextIssue tops magazine apps
Why do digital media companies make it so complicated? Why do we need a unique paywall for every newspaper or magazine that wants to sell its content online? (Ever heard of a little thing called “PayPal”?) And, if you haven’t, you’ve probably heard of Netflix and Amazon Prime, which allow unlimited streaming of video for
Picture a Better PowerPoint Presentation
Presentations have reached an all-time low. Once upon a time, competent businessmen and women could give a presentation based on a few index cards. Now, every presentation requires a PowerPoint slide program, which at worst, consists of text that the presenter reads. At best, it contains key ideas or bullet points, which the audience, in
Really Effective Email Campaigns
Google the words “how to increase effectiveness of email campaigns” and you’ll get nearly 24,000,000 hits. That’s right—24 million. An equally staggering statistic is that, depending on what you define as spam, some 75 to 90 percent of all e-mail traveling across the Internet is considered junk mail. Given these daunting figures, it’s hard for
Using video to promote your book
The internet is the end of print media! We know that’s not true. In fact, the internet is a great tool to promote print media, especially books. James Morton Turner is a professor at Wellesley College in Massachusetts and the author of a new book titled “The Promise of Wilderness: American Environmental Politics since 1964.”
Mind your (forum) manners
Back in the days of yore, when there were only three or four TV channels, gasoline had lead and no one wore bicycle helmets, it was tough for writers to get information on a topic. There was the library, or maybe an encyclopedia. If you were lucky, you might find a reliable source at a
