CEO Series: 4 Google Analytics reports you won’t want to miss in 2012

It’s a brand new year filled with new data, reporting, marketing campaigns and ideas. Hopefully, one of your resolutions for 2012 is to focus on your website marketing strategy. A great place to start is with Google Analytics.  There are thousands of meaningful and compelling reports within Google Analytics.  Here are four reports that you won’t want to miss in 2012.

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CEO Series: 5 Tips for helping “make the case” for Social Media Marketing in 2012

With 2012 around the corner, many companies are analyzing the opportunities for marketing within social media. Frequently, the first step is to make a case to corporate marketers or executive management for social media marketing. This includes identifying key resources (both in house and agency or technology partners), applying budget allocations to the proper channels, and identifying both a solid policy and strategic roadmap for social media. Many marketers fear the internal pitch more than the actual implementation of the strategy. Below are 5 tips to help corporate and/or C-suite understand the significance of social media marketing for business in 2012.
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Let the Data Drive You: A Presidential Perspective

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.” – Einstein

With the Holiday season upon us, there is pressure to anticipate what your loved ones will want by way of Holiday gifts. If you have a spouse, you know that when you get married you are expected to become a mind reader. If you have children, do not worry, they will let you know what they want, at least ten times before the Holidays hit. But what if you are an online retailer, or a service provider, is it safe to “guess” at what your customers want from you this Holiday season?

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How To Increase B2B Conversions: A Checklist

With the evolution of online marketing, the B2B’s of the world are at times forgotten. The traditional methods of marketing to consumers are simply not as effective. With our longer more complex sales cycles, B2B organizations need to be able to create and deploy the right content at the right time to meet each customer organization’s unique buying process. B2B organizations need to stop talking about their brand and start delivering value to their customers. Every effective B2B marketing program starts by understanding customer need, and providing resources to fill those pain points.

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CEO Series: 6 Tracking Tips for Social Media

One of the most common questions regarding social media marketing comes down to Return on Investment (ROI). It’s important to identify the goals and objectives of the campaign and to set benchmarks up front. If this is done strategically, tracking the campaigns effectiveness can be a walk in the park. Below are 6 key metrics that can be leading indicators to the success of your social media campaigns.

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5 Things You May Not Know About Google +

While Facebook is still the 800 pound gorilla in the social network space, there is a lot of buzz in the business community about Google +.  Google launched its new social network in June of this year.  Since then there have been many headlines in the industry press about the sometimes controversial Google+, including an internal rant leaked by a somewhat disgruntled engineer and recently, the Dalai Lama joining the site and inviting Desmond Tutu to a “hang-out”.  While Facebook has the lionshare of users (750 million and growing!), Google + may offer something interesting and unique in the crowded space of social media.

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5 Tips to Boost Your Facebook SEO

More and more businesses are moving away from having just a traditional website to creating a second home on the web for their brand- Facebook.  Businesses are now putting more emphasis on their Facebook page.  The opportunities that Facebook provides for small business owners are obvious.  Organizations are now investing more in social media campaigns and spending more resources connecting with their audience on social profiles. It is important to not lose sight of how Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Social Media can blend to create very powerful marketing campaigns .  Below are a few best practices when trying to get the most SEO out of your Facebook page.

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Understanding Conversion Attribution: Multi Channel Funnels from Google Analytics

99% of those reading this blog post have Google Analytics tracking on their website and/or other owned digital media properties.  With the arrival of social media marketing (a platform to which tracking ROI is still rather elusive) and the notion of conversion attribution (which looks at every action, relevant to a conversion, that takes place before a user actually converts on your site) Google saw an opportunity to enhance their analytics reporting to provide a more comprehensive way to assess ROI.

Measurement is fundamental to ROI-focused, lead driven marketing i.e. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Paid Search (Pay-Per-Click), and now Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO).  Yes, Google Analytics can track referral sources, keyword conversions, goals and other actions that drove ROI. However, the launch of their new tool Multi Channel Funnels, takes tracking and reporting to a new level.

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CEO SERIES: 5 Social Media Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make

According to ComScore’s “The Network Effect,” social media use accounts for 1 of every 6 minutes spent online.  With each passing month it seems that social networking becomes more deeply ingrained into our digital lives. The impact that social media can have on your brand could make or break your audiences “perception” of your organization.  People are slow to forgive and even slower to forget, when a brand or company misuses social media.

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The Importance of Establishing Campaign Goals

A Presidential Perspective

“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at results” – Winston Churchill

Online marketing has many complexities. The work itself is based on traditional marketing principles (i.e. drive brand awareness, create a community, and get people to buy my stuff!) yet highly technical. With Google as the “gate keeper” of search marketing, and the fact they release new updates almost daily, it can be challenging to stay current.

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