Conversion Marketing forum

“It seems we're always in transition and that it's more about trends than it is about what's meaningful.” – Marlee Matlin

That insightful quote may well sum up how a lot of marketing people are feeling in today’s cross-channel reality. It seems to me that in my lifetime so much has been in transition and I’m often feeling nostalgia for a world which may never have actually existed. After all, change is the only constant.

Those of us in social media have to be more sensitive to this and move toward being facilitators rather than evangelists. It’s time to stop promising marketers a place in heaven and start showing them the path to get somewhere. Read more »

It seems to me a mixed blessing when a new way of thinking begins to percolate within the collective consciousness.  It’s good the message is getting through, but you fear it might be corrupted with too many buzz words. Sometimes we get lazy, use the same convenient terms over and over again and forget to make an effort to explain things. So, in this post I’m keeping it simple and focusing one term worth talking about.

It’s a term I think you might be hearing more of in coming years: “talkable brand” or “narrative brand” and it’s a term I happen to like. Yes, another one of those wonderful marketing buzz terms showcased on countless PowerPoint presentations. There’s a good reason for that too; it’s a core component of good online marketing. Read more »

According to a new study of US internet users from Keller Fay, moms are more responsive to word-of-mouth advertising than other adults and more likely to pass it on. One doubts this is any great shock to moms at least. Historically, moms have been the backbone of community since the first communities originated. They have been the foundation and the caretakers of communities relating to families both on and off line.

Almost two-thirds of those moms included in the study said they typically thought word-of-mouth was credible, 2 points higher than women in general and a full ten points above men. Read more »

Remember your high school days? I guess a number of us would probably like to forget them. For the lucky ones that were popular, their secondary school years probably have given them a lifetime of fond memories to reflect on. But did it give them anything else? Did that popularity also empower them with influence?

Looking back I would say yes. Where the gang went on Saturday night hinged in large part on where the leader (most popular) wanted to go – their preference influenced the group. However, does that same reality exist in social media channels?

90% of marketing professionals responding to a recent survey from Vocus and Brian Solis drew the line between influence and popularity. According to the report’s comments the perception seems to be that influence is serious and popularity is fun. Read more »

If you happen to be a boomer or even at the tail end of that generation, it’s likely that you may be nostalgic for the good old days. You know, those old days when relationships were still highly valued in business. Remember when your parents went to secure a mortgage?

They met with a bank manager who knew them and the relationship with that manager had bearing on them getting their loan. The manager didn’t just scan credit scores and punch numbers into a computer.

At some point we got away from that. Read more »