U.S. small-business owners are substantially more optimistic than they have been in several years. The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index in January increased to +45, up from +24 in October and the most positive score since the third quarter of 2008. However, optimism is still below the high levels recorded pre-recession. These results are from […]
The popularity of CMS-based websites has been growing constantly, and WordPress is the most used platform by far. At least 19 percent of the entire Internet is powered by the WordPress platform. This number includes nearly half (48 percent) of the top 100 Technorati blogs, as well as some of the largest websites in the […]
by Emily Taing, Social Media Today In the ever-changing world of social media, visual elements are one of the most powerful ways to grab a viewer’s attention. According to Trend Reports, between 65 and 85 percent of people describe themselves as visual learners. SocialClinch compiled an infographic stating that Facebook photo posts get almost 40 percent more […]
Bolstered by growing ecommerce sales and time spent across digital channels, the US retail industry will grow its digital ad spending more rapidly this year than in 2012, according to new figures from eMarketer. By the end of this year, eMarketer predicts, US retailers will have increased digital ad budgets by 15.7% to $9.50 billion, […]
Google defines best practices as being, ‘commercial or professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective’. In the world of social media and content marketing, we spend a fair deal of time talking about best practices. We write blog posts about best practices to help others, and we updated our social streams with […]
Drive by any shopping center early on the day after Thanksgiving and you’ll see crowds of eager shoppers ready to pounce on the hottest gifts. However, with online deals catching on like wildfire, are the days of waiting in the freezing cold and trampling fellow shoppers nearing an end? Here, three reasons why Cyber Monday […]
by eMarketer Will the marketers of the future look back and decide that 2013 was the year of content marketing? Maybe so, according to data from the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and MarketingProfs. In a survey of marketing professionals in North America at business-to-consumer (B2C) companies, the overwhelming majority of respondents—90%—had used content marketing in […]
by Ken Gaebler Black Friday is a retail institution among U.S. consumers. After filling themselves with Thanksgiving fare the day before, hordes of consumers wake up in the early morning hours to stand in line, eager to take advantage of the Black Friday sales being offered by their favorite retailers. But over the past few […]
by Steve Olenski This past July Econsultancy issued a report which made reference to the fact that Big Data is causing big frustrations for those who make their living in the marketing world. The sub-headline that appeared on their site in announcing the report read: “Big data has become something of a buzzword over the past year or so, […]
By Brafton Content is king, and visual media is making a play for the throne. As the internet marketing landscape evolves, platforms that lend themselves to image-centric messaging are coming to the forefront of conversations. Instagram recently announced it has more than 150 million users, while Vine declared it surpassed the 40-million-member mark. Emerging social […]