While mobile-marketing tools and strategies will differ amongst different companies; like any strategy worth its salt, there's no one-size-fits-all solution. There is, however, one action that all companies—yes, every single company—must take. We must optimize our content for the mobile environment. Because the mobile environment is unique, our audiences' needs are unique when they're mobile, and the mobile environment has a unique set of best practices, opportunities and constraints. and campaign landing pages. so we want to ensure they keep accessing it in the future. MORE >>

by Jesse Noyes | Tweet this Gargantuan search king, Google, announced changes yesterday intended to provide people with highly personalized search results and drive folks to the company’s nascent social network Google+. Google is billing its new social search initiative “Search plus Your World.” You can get a full synopsis at Google’s blog. Here I am highlighting the most significant changes for marketers and why it will push many to create Google+ pages, if they haven’t already. Google has served up personalized results to people use its search engine for a while now. MORE >>

There’s a lot to like about the email campaign I received (image below) recently from Infusionsoft , a maker of sales and marketing automation software for small businesses. It’s not perfect by any stretch (the copy could use some improvement – more on that later) but many of the techniques on display are simple, straightforward best practices you can easily apply to your next lead generation campaign. Make the offer look like an offer. The free guide on offer is an ebook, a downloadable PDF. It is not – as the offer image might have you believe – a spiral-bound hard copy. Misleading, you say? MORE >>

Like most businesses, you will probably have your marketing plan for 2012 already in place. But have you built your plan so that you’re ready to respond to the latest market trends? While it’s important to stay focused, it’s equally as important to be prepared for the opportunities and challenges that will come from the latest marketing trends. Here are two ways to achieve it: 1. Identify which market trends match your business priorities. This approach isn’t about slavishly trying to fit in with every market trend going. Think long-term. MORE >>

Happy to welcome my daughter Lauren Schaefer back as a guest blogger on {grow} …   . Hello readers! It has been too long and I’ve missed you! I’ve been a bit busy graduating from college, moving to New York City,  starting my job as a professional event planner and writing my own blog that has nothing to do with social media. But now I’ve had some time to breathe, so time to write! As I have immersed myself in this new “young-professional” role, I’ve been noticing some social media trends among my twenty-something peers that you might find surprising. What’s hot? FINALLY. MORE >>