The importance of local search has been growing. But with the recent release of Google's Venice update, local search has become more important than ever. If you don't have a strategy for local search optimization, you're losing business. more

Visual content is crazy-hot these days, and the hottest place for sharing it is Pinterest. Traffic to the virtual pinboard site has shot up exponentially in the past year. But how effectively are businesses sharing their visual content on Pinterest? Unfortunately, not very. Most companies grab images from wherever they ... more

Marketers' use of social media and mobile marketing has steadied over the past year, whereas the use of viral online video (e.g., use of YouTube) has continued to grow, according to the ANA (Association of National Advertisers) 2012 Digital and Social Media Survey. more

As Google continues to personalize search results, the data you see in ranking reports might not mean what you think. Why? They only tell you what rankings would look like in a non-personalized search. Most of your customers, meanwhile, see rankings driven by their behavior—so your Web page might rank ... more

Though professional news organizations contributed more than one-half (51.2%) of the most popular news footage posted on YouTube during the 15 months ended March 2012, over one-third (39.2%) of such content was uploaded by private citizens, according to a report by Pew. more

If you're still wondering about the value of segmentation, consider these numbers from eMarketer, as reported by HubSpot: "39% of email marketers that practice list segmentation see better open rates; 28% see lower opt-out and unsubscribe rates; and 24% see better email deliverability, increased sales leads, and greater revenue." HubSpot's Corey ... more

To inspire people to prepare emergency kits for real-life disasters, the CDC brilliantly crafted an imaginative and educational "zombie apocalypse" campaign, generating some 80,000 Likes and 2,500 tweets. Here's how. more

As paid video content becomes more available via different channels, tablet and wireless phone viewing of paid video has increased from 2011 levels, while viewing via PC/Mac has decreased, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2012 US Residential Pay-to-View Study. more

Without content—reports, webinars, and follow-up emails—your expensive marketing automation software will be a big flop. Learn why content is the fuel that makes any marketing automation system run smoothly. more

Is blogging useless nowadays? Not if you're blogging the right way. When done right, blogging can attract a huge pool of prospective customers. Learn how to go from 0 to 1,000 daily blog readers in six steps. more

It's easy to send "just one email with the same content to everyone in your database," writes Matthew Johnson at the Vision6 blog. "But how do you send that same email and make it relevant to everyone in your database?" The short answer is: You can't. And that's why you need conditional ... more

When Peter Parker practices his heroics as Spider-Man, he captivates the citizenry and the press alike. By emulating his superpowers, you too can masterfully connect with customers and followers online. more

Are your blog analytics looking a little anemic? To put some zing in your listless blog and boost readership, consider these five ideas, inspired by Joe Chernov's Eloqua blog post, "Six Sure-fire, Can't Miss Ways to Increase Blog Views." Publish original content only. Doing so helps establish your blog—and your business—as ... more

What can marketers learn from Olympians? Plenty. Here's an illustrated look at seven major tips we can learn from Olympians. more

Although content marketing continues to prove its effectiveness, and it's used by nearly 90% of marketers across all industries, creating relevant, fresh, and intriguing content that engages your community remains as difficult as it has always been. Or does it? more

We have short attention spans, and we don't have a ton of time to learn. Plus, the success models of companies like Kickstarter make it clear that the case-study video plays a pivotal role in today's business success stories. So how do you make a crowd-pleaser video that gets real results? ... more

Looking at the evolution of social media over the last few years, you can plainly see that it's now being driven by imagery. Consider Facebook's Timeline (and its acquisition of Instagram) or the rise of Pinterest. However, we forget that email, too, is a social medium. So now is a ... more

Take a look back at MarketingProfs chief content officer Ann Handley's interview with Scott Rosenberg, author of Say Everything: How Blogging Began, What It's Becoming, and Why It Matters. more

Only a few Games ago, trying to take advantage of the Olympics if you weren't a sponsor was as difficult as teaching a Los Angeles Kings "fan" the meaning of icing. But in the case of the 2012 London games, you can... without investing serious sponsor-level cash. more

If SEO had one rule, it would be that the rules can change at any moment. And Google's newest algorithm changes—Panda and Penguin—have sunk many an SEO program. So how can you survive Google's algorithm riptide? more

Google recently entered the semantic search sphere with its Knowledge Graph update. Semantic search changes the way a search engine "thinks" about a search term. What does Knowledge Graph mean for searchers? more

Is your brand's message getting lost in today's data deluge? Learn how to maintain a consistent brand voice, and how to ensure your messaging cuts through the data noise. more

Aer being laid off in February 2011, I had to devise a strategy to differentiate myself in a job market crowded with talented and creative individuals. more

Only one in five B2B marketing and sales professionals (20%) say their demand generation campaigns are fully effective, whereas 80% say they are ineffective to semi-ineffective, according to a survey from Corporate Visions. more

Simple truth: You might create the best marketing videos around, but if you can't convince users to stop and click, your work is all for naught. And although Web videos have become extremely popular, there are still countless potential viewers who choose not to watch them. (Just think: Someone could be ... more