Spotlight Ideas

Marketing – General

• Understanding Business Development - Seth Godin – Sep ‘09
• The platform vs. the eyeballs - Seth Godin - Sep ‘09 – old and new marketing
• The Easiest Way To Explain the Marketing Process – Duct Tape Marketing – Sep ‘09
• The State of PR, Marketing, and Communications: Y ou are the Future – Brian Solis – Jun ‘08
• When tactics drown out strategy – Seth Godin – Aug ‘09
• What’s So Scary About Marketing Strategy? – Duct Tape Marketing – Aug ‘09
• 15 Steps to Writing a Winning Marketing Plan – Grow Smart Business e-Book – Network Solutions – Oct ‘09
• First, ten – Seth Godin – Apr ‘09
• The Future of Marketing + Advertising – Paul Isakson – Mar ‘09
• Nobody wants to read your sh**! – Future Now – Sep ‘09
• Just Sell It – Russel Davies – Oct ‘09
• 25 Reasons Why Your Company is Boring – Kyle Lacey – Sep ‘09
• The biggest marketing trends for 2010? – Brand and Business Blog – Oct ‘09
• The Agency Landscape Is Coming To A Crossroads – The Forrester Blog – Aug ‘09
• Connections Planningness – @Jasonoke + GarethK – Oct ’09 -
• Media Dollars Shift to Digital in Downturn – emarketer – Sep ‘09
• Thinking about business models – Seth Godin – May ‘09
• Thinking about innovation and business models - confused of Calcutta – May ‘09
• The Value of Visual Thinking – Logic + Emotion – Oct ‘09
• Daydreaming Key to Creativity – Neuromarketing – Jun ‘09
• Signs Your Marketing May Need to Evolve – Duct Tape Marketing – Jun ‘09
• Marketing In A Post-Consumer Era – Logic + Emotion – Apr ‘09
• Are you a trustworthy business? Then say it! – PR Media Blog – Oct ‘09
• “Notice me” – Seth Godin – Oct ‘09
• Creating sustainable competitive advantage – Seth Godin – Oct ‘09
• Lessons from very tiny businesses – Seth Godin – Aug ‘09
• Say NO to squeezing your buyers – Web Ink Now – Oct ‘09
• So you want to write an ebook? 30 tips for success – Web Ink Now – Jun ‘09
• The Scarcity Effect – Neuromarketing – Aug ‘09
• Lifestreaming Lessons - a 90-Day Report - Steve Reubel – Sep ‘09
• 10 ways of using Posterous at work or home – Econsultancy – Oct ‘09
• Get Shorty – The Elevator Pitch is Dead – Jay Baer – Aug ‘09
• How to make graphs that work – Seth Godin – Jul ‘09
• 10 Things Marketing Professionals Starting Out Should Do - Future Buzz – Jun ‘09

• What Human Business And the Social Web Are About – Chris Brogan – Oct ‘09
• The Top Six Reasons Companies are Still Scared of Social Media – What’s Next Blog – Sep ‘09
• Becoming A Social Business Is Your Next Big Challenge – Social Media Explorer – Sep ‘09
• The biggest difference between Twitter and Facebook – Scobleizer – Oct ‘09
• Which comes first; the social media strategy, or the social media tactics?– The Viral Garden – Sep ‘09
• The 6 Dangerous Fallacies of Social Media – Jay Baer – Oct ‘09
• How To Spot Social Media Snake Oil – Logic + Emotion – Sep ‘09
• The Secret to Social Media Brand Building? Cultivation. – Hubspot – Oct ‘09
• Social Media and Content Discovery: A Growing Relationship – Marketing Pilgrim – Oct ‘09
• Social media is not a car – A Shel of My Former Self – Sep ‘09
• Starting Your Social Media Case – Chris Brogan – Oct ‘09
• 10 Fortune 500 companies doing social media right - Jennifer Leggio – Sep /09
• Revealing the People Defining Social Networks – Brian Solis – Oct ‘09
• Advertising Agencies And Social Media: A Culture Clash – Social Media Explorer – Sep ‘09
• Smart Targeting: Influencers Or Fans? – Social Media Explorer – Sep ‘09
• How To Integrate your Social Media Presence – Smart Blog – Oct ‘09
• The Social Media Team Ebook – Altitude Branding – Sep ‘09
• Survey Finds Small Business Adopting Social Media Rapidly – Duct Tape Marketing – Oct ‘09
• The Many Challenges of the Social Media Industry - Web Strategy by Jeremiah - Aug ‘09
• The Key To Developing A Social Media Strategy – Social Media Strategy – Jun ‘09
• HOW TO: Measure Online Influence - Mashable – March ‘09
• Social Media as Mass Marketing … Not the Future – Tom Peters – Aug ‘09
• Social technology growth marches on in 2009, led by social network sites – Groundswell – Aug ‘09
• 25 Questions To Make Your Social Media Workflow Work For You – Dave Fleet – Jun ‘09
• When NOT to Use Social Media – Read Write Web - Apr ‘09
• 10 Ways to Measure Social Media Success - Econsultancy – Mar ‘09
• 25 Must Read Social Media Marketing Tips – Top Rank Blog – Apr ‘09
• Why Social Media is a Fad – Ari Writer – Sep ‘09
• Is Social Media Strategy Overrated? No, but be flexible. – Global Neighbourhood – Sep ‘09
• Social Media monitoring and the spectrum of online relationships – David Carr – Oct ‘09
• 6 Tips for Creating “Sticky” Social Relationships – Social Media Rockstar – Aug ‘09
• How Long Does It Take to Become a Social Media Expert? - Marketing Profs Daily Fix - Mar ‘09
• 25 Must Read Social Media Marketing Tips – Top Rank Blog – Apr ‘09
• Small business, social media not mixing – Reuters – Oct ‘09
• The ROI of Social Networking – Duct Tape Marketing – Jul ‘09
• Why a Final BlogPotomac: Social Media Really Is Dead – The BuzzBin – Jun ‘09
• The Conversation Prism v2.0 – Brian Solis – Apr ‘09
• 19 Presence Management Chores You COULD Do Every Day – Chris Brogan – Jun ‘09
• The Five Ws of Social Media Listening – Social Media Explorer – Aug ‘09
• Why a Final BlogPotomac: Social Media Really Is Dead – The BuzzBin – Jun ‘09
• Five Challenges Social Media Will Bring to Business – Harvard Business Publishing – Aug ‘09
• The Social Media “Department” & The Law of Diminishing Returns – PR2 – Oct ‘09
• Olivier Blanchard Basics Of Social Media Roi Presentation – Olivier Blanchard – Sep ‘09
• How To Kick Start A Community –an Ongoing List – Jeremiah Owyang – Aug ‘09
• Why It’s All About Community – Danny Brown – Aug ‘09
• 2009 Tribalization of Business Study – Deloitte – Oct ‘09
• White Paper: Engaging the New Influencers – Steve Reubel – Sep ‘09
• The Secret to Social Media Brand Building? Cultivation. – Hubspot – Oct ‘09
• 10 ways to measure social media success – Econsultancy – Mar ‘09
• 10 superb social media presentations – Econsultancy – Jun ‘09
• Develop a Social Media Strategy in 7 Steps – Jay Baer – Aug ‘09
• Productivity and Time Wasters in Social Media – Altitude Marketing – Aug ‘09
• Aligning Social Media Within Companies - Chris Brogan - Mar ‘09
• It’s Time To Transform - Being Peter Kim – Jan ‘09
• Help me get your boss to understand social technology – Groundswell – May ‘09
• Why charging a digital or PR agency with social media is a flawed strategy - Jaffe Juice - Mar ‘09
• The one question to ask your prospective social media agency - Web Ink Now - Mar ‘09
• Would YOU Trust a PR Agency Not Involved in Social Media with YOUR Social Media Programs? - PR Meets Marketing – Feb ‘09
• Figuring out the social media mix - Neville Hobson - Mar ‘09
• Too crunched for social media? Use it to save time - A Shell of My Former Self - Feb ‘09
• When everything becomes social, what is “social media”? - Techno Marketer - Mar ‘09
• How to use Social Media to land your next job - Viral Garden - Jan ‘09
• Robert and Rocky ride again at Rackspace - Scobleizer - Mar ‘09
• Social Networking’s New Global Footprint - Nielsen Wire - Mar ‘09
• Social Media Hierarchy Revisted - Duct Tape Marketing - Jan ‘09
• The Business of Social Media - Scott Monty – Mar ‘09
• Being Human - Twist Image – Jan ‘09
• Building Complementary Services: A Powerful Long-Term Social Media Marketing Strategy - Dosh Dosh - Mar ‘09
• 3 social media nightmares - IMedia Connection – Mar ‘09
• Getting Social Media Approved By Your Boss - Livinstone Buzz – Feb ‘09
• When everything becomes social, what is “social media”? - Techno Marketer - Mar ‘09
• 12 Things That Suck About Social Media Consulting – Social Media Rockstar – Jul ‘09
• Identifying and Connecting with Influencers – Brian Solis – Aug ‘09
• A Social Media Glossary – Buzz Bin- Mar ‘09
• 10 Ways to Measure Social Media Success - Econsultancy - Mar ‘09
• The Importance of Focus: A Guide for Social Media Brands - Mashable - Mar ‘09
• B2B Buyers Are Using Social Media in a Huge Way - Search Engine Guide - Mar ‘09
• When is it Time to Jump Into Yet Another Social Network? - Mashable ‘09
• “I’m Just the PR Person” - PR Squared – Jan ‘09
• Case Study: Social Media for Crisis Communication – Scotty Monty – ‘09

* 5 OTHER TOP SOCIAL MEDIA BLOG POST LISTS (in categories – on separate pages): 1) Twitter 2) Blogging 3) Facebook 4) Corporate Social Media 5) LinkedIn

Branding

• Innovation Is Not A Strategy – Branding Strategy Insider – Sep ‘09
• Is Branding Dead? Our Brains Say No! – Neuromarketing – Aug ‘09
• Why Brand Communities Don’t Exist – Emergence Marketing – Oct ‘09
• 10 Branding and Marketing Trends for 2010 – Branding Strategy Insider – Oct ‘09
• Building a Brand vs. Building a Business – Branding Strategy Insider – Aug ‘09
• How Word of Mouth Affects Your Brand – Small Business Branding – Jun ‘09
• Brand and Reputation Are Not Synonymous – Buzz Bin – Jul ‘09
• This is Not The Time for Big Lazy Brands – 180/360/720 – Sep ‘09
• Starbucks Petri Dish: 15th Ave. Coffee & Tea – Brand Autopsy – Jul ‘09
• Starbucks: Undercutting Its Own Brand? – Marketing Profs – Oct ‘09
• Leave your brand alone! – Drew’s Marketing Minute – Sep ‘09

Advertising (traditional and digital)

• Ad Spend Up and Down, Depending on Where You Look – Marketing Pilgrim – Oct ‘09
• 16% of web users click on banner ads. Are display ads dead? – Econsultancy – Oct ‘09
• The Decline of Traditional Advertising and the Rise of Social Media – Brian Solis – Jul ‘09
• Nielsen: Social Ad Spending Up Sharply – ClickZ – Sep ‘09
• 20% of Online Advertising is on Social Networks – Marketing Pilgrim – Sep ‘09
• We Need The Right Advertising – Chris Brogan – Apr ‘09
• Internet overtakes television to become biggest advertising sector in the UK – Guardian – Sep ‘09
• Interactive Marketing Nears $55 Billion; Advertising Overall Declines – Brian Solis – Jul ‘09
• US Mobile Broadband and Mobile Internet: Content, devices and forecasts, 2009-2015 – Coda – Oct ‘09
• Smaller Ads Work Better Online – Marketing Pilgrim – Aug ‘09
• Google: Conversion Rates About The Same No Matter Ad Position – Search Engine Land – Aug ‘09
• Improving Ad Performance Online – Online Publishers Association – Aug ‘09
• An Ad Agency Getting It Right – Social Media Explorer – Oct ‘09
• A New Way To Buy Advertising – Twist Image – Apr ‘09
• Advertising will change forever – Groundswell – Jul ‘09
• The Unbundling Of Advertising – Only Dead Fish – Aug ‘09
• The End of “Creative” Hegemony – The Toad Stool – Sep ‘09

PR

• Is PR Dead? – Hubspot – Oct ‘09
• The 7 Elements of “Good” PR – PR2 – Jul ‘09
• PR People: Stop Being Bad at Stuff and Read This – The Bad Pitch Blog – Aug ‘09
• Gary Vaynerchuk and Brian Solis Discuss Putting the Public Back in Public Relations – Brian Solis – Aug ‘09
• PR Does Not Stand for Press Release: Equalizing Spikes and Valleys – Brian Solis – Jul 09
• Reviving the Traditional Press Release - Brian Solis - May ‘09
• Beyond the Launch – PR2 – Aug ‘09
• Should PR agencies stop pitching? – PR Blogger – Sep ‘09
• 25 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a PR Firm – Idea Grove - Oct ‘09
• Public Relations Pros Must Be Social Media Ready – Social Media Explorer – Aug ‘09
• 14 Key Skills & Attributes For New Public Relations Professionals – Dave Fleet – Aug ‘09
• Online PR is all about Community – RealWire – Aug ‘09
• Five Things PR Folks Can Learn About Social Media From Advertising – Dave Fleet – Sep ‘09
• 100 PRs to follow on Twitter with one click – Neville Hobson – Set ‘09
• Does Social Media Make PR Agencies Obsolete? – Dave Fleet – Aug ‘09
• Using LinkedIn as a PR Tool – The Buzz Bin – Oct ‘09
• When is PPC Better Than SEO for Public Relations? – Top Rank Blog – May ‘09
• Top Ten SEO Tips for PR Professionals – Top Rank Blog – May ‘09
• Online Reputation Management – Marketing Pilgrim – Oct ‘09
• The Axed Hack’s Guide to Flacking: Are Journalists Meant For PR? – The Bad Pitch Blog – Oct ‘09

Customer Service / Support

• Customer Service Attracts Loyal Customers – Customer Experience – Sep ‘09
• Customer Service Trumps Price – Customer Experience – May ‘09
• Spare no expense! – Seth Godin – Aug ‘09
• Winning on the uphills – Seth Godin – Jul ‘09
• How Customer Support Organizations Must Evolve – Jeremiah Owyang – Sep ‘09
• Five Wishes For Customer Service In 2010 – Customer Experience – Oct ‘09
• HOW TO: Use Twitter for Customer Service – Mashable – May ‘09
• Exploring Customer Service Efforts Using Twitter - Social Media Explorer - Oct ‘09
• How Efficient is Customer Service on Twitter? – Now Sourcing – Oct ‘09
• Zendesk Offers iPhone Apps Customer Support - Read Write Web – Jun ‘09

SEO

• 7 Worst Things (Bad) SEO’s Do – Search Engine Guide – Oct ‘09
• 100+ Search Marketing Resources to Learn SEO & PPC – Top Rank Blog – Sep ‘09
• 150+ killer SEO tips – Econsultancy – Jun ‘09
• 10 SEO Questions – SEO By The Sea – Oct ‘09
• How To Get Started With SEO – Small Business Search Marketing – Oct ‘09
• 10 free SEO tools you should bookmark – Econsultancy – Apr ‘09
• How to make money with SEO – Seth Godin – Apr ‘09
• 5 Tips on Hiring and Getting the Most Value from SEO Consultants – Top Rank Blog – Jul ‘09
• SEO Basics: 6 Tips for Google Webmaster Tools – Top Rank Blog – Apr ‘09
• The Changing Face of SEO – Duct Tape Marketing – May ‘09
• SEO Hierarchy of Needs – Top Rank Blog – Aug ‘09
• Creating an SEO Content Inventory – SEO By The Sea – Aug ‘09
• Presenting SEO Super Comments Concept - Vladimir Prelovac – Jun ‘09
• Understanding SEO: On-Page - .eduGuru – May ‘09
• Link Building Has Changed - SEOMoz - Nov ‘09
• How to Develop an SEO Link Building Strategy That Delivers the Goods (Link Value) – Winning The Web – Sep ‘09
• Different Ways You can Build Links – Search Engine Optimization Journal – Oct ‘09
• Strategic Link Building for SEO – Top Rank Blog – Jun ‘09

Search

• The search strategy behind Compare the Meerkat – Blogstorm – Sep ‘09
• Keyword Research For Beginners With Aaron Wall – Hobo – Oct ‘09
• How Often Should Keywords Appear On Your Page? – Hobo – Aug ‘09
• Intersection of Search and Social Media – Top Rank Blog – Jun ‘09
• How To Optimize Your Site for Local Search – DailyBlogTips – Sep ‘09
• How To Check Your Website Rankings In Search Engines – Hobo – Sep ‘09

PPC

• Managing Successful PPC Campaigns is a Science and an Art Form – PPC Hero – Sep ‘09
• How To Geo-Target PPC Campaigns For Local – SEOMoz.org – Sep ‘09
• Your Ads Can Work 9 to 5 Too – The ROI Revolution Blog – Oct ‘09
• 5 Hidden Things That May Be Hurting Your PPC Account – PPC Hero – Sep ‘09
• Flexibility = Power in Paid Search – RKG – Mar ‘09
• Top 10 Reasons Why Your Ads Aren’t Showing Up in Google – PPC Hero – Aug ‘09
• Praise and caution for the Adwords Opportunity Tab – PPC Hero – Sep ‘09
• Adding Testimonials and How They Can Help Increase Your Click-Through Rates – PPC Hero – Sep ‘09

Analytics

• Six Tips For Improving High Bounce / Low Conversion Web Pages – Occam’s Razor – Aug ‘09
• Four tips for analysing SEO Google Analytics style – Enconsultancy – Oct ‘09
• Google Analytics adds loads of new features – Blogstorm – Oct ‘09
• Online Measurement and Strategy Report 2009 – Econsultancy – Jun ‘09
• PPC / SEM Analytics: 5 Actionable Tips To Improve ROI – Occam’s Razor – Jun ‘09
• Dear Avinash: Web Metrics & Analytics Questions, Facebook Edition – Occam’s Razor – May ‘09
• Standard Metrics Revisited: #6: Daily, Weekly, Monthly Unique Visitors. – Occam’s Razor – Apr ‘09
• Google’s Search Based Keyword Tool: Monetize The Long Tail of Search – Occam’s Razor – Apr ‘09