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A wise but anonymous marketer once said that a market research report that gets described as "interesting" has failed. It's only when it's "useful" that it gets the pass mark. After all, what's the point of interesting research if it can't be put to use? The sad truth is that most market research is not very useful and more often than not ends up as a door stop for the marketing manager's office. Here's how to avoid that result.

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Many companies have by now launched initial social media initiatives and are looking to move their efforts to the next step. This is where social media experts such as Josh Hallett come in. Here, Hallett helps demystify this form of "new marketing," particularly for those companies who have dipped their toes in the social media waters and are wondering, "What now?"

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Blogging is a phenomenon that can no longer be ignored by today's competitive companies. So how does your company best harness the power of blogs? Here are common-use cases for any organization.

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Without working too hard, company management can cultivate a cadre of enemies within the press. To do the task well, however, you should follow a set of 13 simple guidelines that will ensure that you alienate many, or most, of the Fourth Estate.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Social Media Marketing

If you're responsible for the direction of your online strategies for your company or organization, you've probably been asked by your colleagues to take a look at a social network. If you're new to the Facebook phenomenon, this will serve as a guide for you to get started, link to resources to help, and provide an overview as a web decision maker. But first, what is Facebook?

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How can marketing professionals engage the customer to produce ideas for radical innovation? Marketing's leadership should materialize in five ways.

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An increasingly competitive job market in recent years has led to the birth of the idea of "personal branding," as jobseekers look for ways to stand out to potential employers. One of the leaders of this burgeoning space is William Arruda, coauthor of the bestseller Career Distinction. Arruda's philosophy centers on identifying and communicating the unique value you can bring to an employer. If done correctly, your reputation and credibility will help you stand out from the crowd, and create an environment in which job opportunities come to you.

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Writing

If you've ever heard George Carlin's famous "Seven Dirty Words" you can't say on TV, you can safely avoid using all seven in your subject lines. They will definitely get you blocked. Here are 100 more you should avoid using as well.

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If your users generate content, what's the role of the professional web writer?Is an online copywriter or web writer any longer relevant for a site that generates a lot of its content through user contributions? Nick thinks so. In fact, he says that the job of the web writer becomes even more critical.

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A few more traditionally male-oriented brands are connecting with the women's market in clever ways, and it is worth taking note of their approaches. Take, for instance, the Under Armour and Trojan brands, each of which has relatively new ad campaigns that bear this out. In both cases, the brands dialed into the specifics of the humor, tone, message, and design they know to be effective for their existing typically male market, but they developed approaches that definitely invited women into that conversation.

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Every company has a story to tell, but how do marketers figure out the best way to tell it, in a compelling way? Here are six questions that will help you develop your marketing story.

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You're rolling out a marketing campaign. Launching a product. Revitalizing your brand. What's the big idea? Not to sound flippant, but you need one. Because without it, it's likely your campaign, product launch, or brand repositioning won't be memorable—or particularly effective. Here's where to start.

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PowerPoint recently (and quietly) celebrated its 20th birthday. Why do some people love it while others passionately hate it? And how can we learn from its strength and its limitations, to be better and more effective communicators?

CONTENT TYPE: Article | TOPIC: Social Media Marketing

By now you've all heard—Internet ad spending is up, spending on traditional media is down. With so much attention given to Web 2.0 and its technology-enabled marketing tactics, marketers using traditional approaches are under increased pressure to become more digital and technology driven.

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In today's ever-changing, increasingly interactive media world, marketers are captivated by a new business buzzword: "consumer-generated content." While word-of-mouth has always been powerful, consumer-accessible technology (the Internet, podcasting, video production, social networks, etc.) puts it on steroids. Success in this new world order requires marketers to develop a new perspective, a new skill set, and a new role in consumers' lives.

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Market power used to be much like a big castle surrounded by high walls and a moat to control access. If the old-school world was the castle and the moat, the new model is more like an aerial view of San Francisco—lots of paths in and out.

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Last month, Kwik-E-Mart's opened around the country. You know, the one from the imaginary world of The Simpsons? What's more, the Geico Cavemen have their own sitcom, and fictitious TV-character blogs like Monk's are things that real viewers can comment on. You don't have to be a Twitter-head or a Second-Lifer to see the melding of your real and virtual experiences into one. What's this mean for marketers?

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It might seem farfetched to characterize a metric as sexy. But by the time you are done reading this article you'll be more than attracted to the metric. Are you are spending tons of time, energy, and budget on Web marketing efforts but your conversion rates (or ROI) are stuck in the 2-4% range? You may be trying really hard to figure out how to improve the performance, but you might be stymied by the fact that there is ton of data and you have no idea where to start. Looking at the bounce rate is a good place to begin.

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The Search Engine Optimization market is over $10 billion in North America alone. The biggest question isn't whether you should utilize Search, but rather who will manage your campaigns. What should your organization do? It depends. When you review your options for in-house or outsourced Search or pay-per-click bid management, consider the following.

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Consumers are beginning to take environmental impact into consideration in purchase decisions. Businesses that demonstrate environmental responsibility have the opportunity to contribute favorably to their images while aligning themselves with the preferences of their customers. To get the full value out of green practices over time, companies need to let the public know what they are doing and why it matters.