Writing is an exacting art. If you’ve ever tried to feign your way through the process of creating content optimized for websites, it can feel a bit like trying to manage a Phillip’s head screw with a flat head screwdriver. Yes, it’s entirely possible to do, but the effort involved requires a painstakingly slow progress. Moreover, all conventional wisdom goes against it. Creativity certainly has its place in content marketing, but it’s also a practice that makes use of fairly well-defined conventions. While there are many in the marketing industry who tend to eschew ideas that depend on preconceived notions, even the most innovative ideas have a basis in practices that are foundational in one way or another. In fact, the constraints of SEO marketing limit the manner in which writers create content. Consequently, one of the basic premises that content writers should keep in mind is packaging the product in a vehicle that suits whatever a company is trying to market or advertise. Read the full entry
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The way in which people live and work has fundamentally changed over the last twenty years. Trips to the bookstore have been replaced with visits to Amazon. People check email on their tablets and phones, and collaborate in real-time through cloud-based applications. As a result, the old school marketing playbook simply doesn’t work: 86% of Americans skip TV ads, while 91% have unsubscribed from emails. You can no longer buy your way into people’s hearts or wallets. You need to earn consumer trust and engagement with remarkable content and highly lovable and efficient interactions: that’s the heart of what inbound marketing is all about. 
As a small business, you have a ton of competing priorities, and finding time for A/B testing and optimization of your website can be challenging. Part 1 was an overview of A/B testing, its value, and how to select pages for testing. Part 2 builds upon the basics by explaining how to quickly and easily get started with A/B testing on your site. 
This week I’ll be attending the 
Think public relations and press releases are only for giant corporations with deep pockets? Think again. Press releases are quickly becoming the go-to tool for small businesses looking to get better SEO as well as the attention of media, bloggers, and consumers. 
Small businesses want to be able to compete with and win against larger organizations. However, a lack of resources, including budget, can hinder their ability to do so. Advanced used of available marketing solutions can level the playing field for small businesses. A BtoB Online report, “Defining the Modern Marketer: SMBs Driving the Results,” found that many small and medium business (SMB) marketers are reliant on the technology available to them. Many SMB marketers are active on social media and are more likely to rely on content, email, search techniques and webinars than marketers overall. According to the BtoB report, small business marketers rely on digital, automated and email marketing. 
As a small business, you have a ton of competing priorities and finding time for A/B testing and optimization of your website can be easy to put off, especially if you haven’t done it before. Small changes to key pages on your site, however, can have a truly significantly impact on your business, and A/B testing is a worthwhile use of your time. In part one of this two-part article, I’ll provide an overview of key metrics that can be improved, the types of tests available to you, and discuss how to select pages and page elements for testing. In part two, I’ll lay out software, tools, and processes that will allow you to get started with A/B testing with a minimal investment of time and expense. 
When it comes to video marketing, many small business owners and marketers may think producing a high-quality video is out of their budget. However, there are a number of low-cost options that small businesses can take advantage of. This is one reason why a shift in marketing is taking place and more businesses are allocating what was their TV advertising spend towards online video production. It also may be one of the reasons 64% of marketers plan to increase their video production budgets (
