KoMarketing Associates

DECEMBER 5, 2012

We all know the backbone of any good SEO program is selecting the proper keywords to target. What does a company offer and what keywords do customers use to search for it? One factor that can often be overlooked when choosing the right keywords is the keyword intent. While a keyword may seem valuable on the surface (i.e., it has strong search volume, it describes the service/product, and it’s used by competitors), do you know what people are really looking for when they search it?

Keywords 191

Keywords Intent Lead Gen Buying Cycle 191

KoMarketing Associates

MAY 11, 2012

Earlier this week, Seth Godin wrote a catchy blog post about how to make money online. While there were several worthy points to remember, one that struck out to me was, “ Hang out with people who aren’t looking for shortcuts. Learn from them. “ SEO is filled with the notion that there are shortcuts. When I first started SEO consulting it felt like the reason a large percentage of companies were interested in SEO was because they believed it was a shortcut to online marketing s

Budget Programs 190

Budget Programs SEO Tools Campaigns 190

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 1, 2012

Two members of the KoMarketing team will be taking the stage this week at SMX East 2012 in New York City. If you aren’t familiar with SMX (Search Marketing Expo), it’s billed as “the world’s largest search engine marketing conference series from Third Door Media, the company behind the Search Engine Land and Marketing Land news sites.” It features three days of sessions on topics ranging from SEO to PPC to Social, Analytics, and more.

Search Engine Marketing 189

Search Engine Marketing PPC Social Media Search Marketing 189

KoMarketing Associates

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

What is SEO ? Data from Google’s Keyword Tool tells us that as of today, people search for this term 18,000 times per month. We’d like to help beginners to wrap their heads around the SEO concept and according to Wikipedia 60% of the general population are visual learners. There are endless amounts of books, blogs and articles that answer this question, but to suit the visual learners, we’ve compiled a list of videos that answer the question, “What is SEO?”.

SEO 189

SEO Video Marketing Wikipedia Link Building 189

KoMarketing Associates

AUGUST 22, 2012

As Q3 draws to a close, B2B marketers are already thinking ahead to 2013, strategizing about what’s worked thus far in 2012—and what hasn’t. To address the marketing trends, challenges, and expenditures specific to the engineering, technical, manufacturing, and industrial communities, marketers now have access to the “Trends in Industrial Marketing 2012” report from GlobalSpec.

Marketing Report 189

Marketing Report Trends B2B Marketing Allocation 189

KoMarketing Associates

AUGUST 14, 2012

There’s a great thing that’s been happening lately around SEO and “boring” industries…people are realizing their product doesn’t have to be sexy and are actually embracing it! In December, Will Reynolds of Seer Interactive put out a video, “ Link Building in Boring Industries.” Last month, there was a great article from SEOMoz, “ Companies in Boring Niches Creating Great Content.” And, during my SMX Advanced presentation in May, I noted tha

SEO 187

SEO B2B Work Management Word of Mouth 187

KoMarketing Associates

JUNE 11, 2012

Writing for your readers and not for search engines is an important part of your business and SEO strategy. When working to create content that readers will enjoy, you will need to dig into Google Analytics and learn about what interests your audience. If you are searching for ideas of what to write about, you might want to review your most viewed content and educate yourself on which blog posts receive the most social shares as well as which pages have the lowest bounce rate.

Marketing Analytics Tools 186

Marketing Analytics Tools Analytics Google Keywords 186

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 30, 2012

Everyone always says pets are smarter than people. Don’t they? Well, maybe not, but it can certainly be argued that animals, that lovable Lucy or that mischievous Milo, understand more human language than we give them credit for. What does this have to do with marketing? Well, nothing. But no one ever said that thinking outside the box was easy. So, for a fresh take on digital marketing best practices, let’s look to our furry friends for guidance: Liam ( my orange tabby cat): Liam enjoys napp

Planning 184

Planning Marketing Budget BtoB Word of Mouth 184

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 16, 2012

A client emailed me this weekend with a message about a potential guest blogger for their website. The blogger’s proposal was written concisely, the objective clearly stated, and the message illustrated a basic understanding of the client’s website initiatives. However, we turned the guest blogger down because the individual’s experience did not reflect any affiliation or relationship (direct or indirect) with the organization’s industry and market.

Tactics 183

Tactics SEO B2B Marketing Planning 183

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Have you ever wondered what demand-gen channels your peers find most successful? Will they be spending more or less on leads next year, and for what channels? KoMarketing Associates is pleased to announce research firm Software Advice has launched a survey to answer these questions and more. If you are a B2B marketer, you’re invited to participate.

Demand Generation 183

Demand Generation Demand Peer-to-peer Advertising Benchmark 183

KoMarketing Associates

MAY 31, 2012

Leapfrogging isn’t just child’s play; the same concept can be applied to the B2B marketing space. With so many marketers finding social media stumbling blocks standing in their way, how can they effectively find ways to “leapfrog” over them? And, just as important, how can they make sure their competitors don’t “leapfrog” over them? Research shows social media usage is steadily on the rise as companies look to promote brand awareness and nurture leads.

Social Media 183

Social Media Media Work Management Marketing Management 183

KoMarketing Associates

MARCH 30, 2012

How important is mobile marketing to your B2B strategy? According to MarketingSherpa’s 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark report , mobile marketing has yet to hit even close to the top of the priorities list for B2B marketers. Even still, we are seeing significantly increased mobile device usage percentages year over year and period over period for the majority of our clients.

Mobile Marketing 182

Mobile Marketing B2B Marketing iProspect Mobile Advertising 182

KoMarketing Associates

DECEMBER 27, 2012

For KoMarketing Associates, 2012 was a year of growth, collaboration, successes (and challenges), and good fortune. I’m happy to say we won more than we lost and learned from the opportunities missed. We welcomed new team members, delved deeper in search engine marketing, and became more adept in broader B2B marketing concepts. You can never stop learning and sharing.

Internet Marketing 181

Internet Marketing Adwords Marketing Analytics Tools Search Engine Marketing 181

KoMarketing Associates

AUGUST 3, 2012

A super silly way to have fun with content marketing! We all remember the word game from when we were kids: Mad Libs. Whether it was back-seat entertainment during that never-ending road trip to Grandma’s or good, clean fun for the whole family seated around the kitchen table, Mad Libs has been teaching children the basics of grammar, sentence structure, parts of speech, and vocabulary for decades.

Content Marketing 180

Content Marketing Content Ideal Customer Profiles Viral Marketing 180

KoMarketing Associates

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

KoMarketing’s Director of Online Marketing Casie Gillette will be participating in a free webinar Thursday, November 29th at 2pm EST. The webinar, featuring five industry thought leaders, will discuss SEO predictions for 2013. Webinar Summary. 2012 might have been the biggest year of change yet in the SEO industry. Penguin threw many on their backside, inbound marketing took center stage for more businesses, content marketing has taken a front row seat, and is there anything we can safely

Webinar Metrics 179

Webinar Metrics SEO Trends PPC 179

KoMarketing Associates

SEPTEMBER 10, 2012

Savvy B2B marketers know that a successful content marketing strategy can generate demand, drive relevant traffic, and establish your brand as a thought leader. Lately it’s been established that content creation is integral to successful SEO. But content can do more than generate demand; the right content can also be invaluable to a successful lead nurturing campaign.

Lead Nurturing 179

Lead Nurturing Sales Qualified Leads Lead Ranking Lead Scoring 179

KoMarketing Associates

APRIL 30, 2012

As SEO becomes more involved in the marketing initiatives of the organization, search marketing professionals work in greater coordination with additional team members and departments. Last week our SEO team met with an organization’s marketing communications team. The goal being defining opportunities for outreach and understanding how we could assist in an effort to acquire high quality links.

Link Building 179

Link Building Lead Ranking Lead Scoring SEO 179

KoMarketing Associates

MARCH 12, 2012

At the end of March, Facebook will be launching their new design for fan pages. This launch includes both visual and functional changes to the page, which B2B marketers need to become familiar with in the near future. Over the course of the next few months, we plan on putting blog posts together emphasizing various aspects of the new Facebook fan page design, page recommendations and perspective, and examples of effective B2B organizations leveraging these changes.

Facebook 178

Facebook B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership Examples 178

KoMarketing Associates

APRIL 9, 2012

Google’s new privacy policy , implemented at the beginning of March, has sparked a series of charges and countercharges about how the tech giant may be impinging on users’ privacy. To date, Google has found itself the target of multiple state Attorneys General allegations, voiced concern by members of Congress, and, most recently, a wave of class-action lawsuits claiming the policy not only violates users’ privacy rights, but that it also constitutes computer fraud and abuse.

Privacy Policies 177

Privacy Policies Privacy Work Management Google 177

KoMarketing Associates

MARCH 9, 2012

Google’s Authorship program allows publishers to connect their authored content with a corresponding Google profile. From a search engine results perspective, an image of the author will appear alongside applicable web information. The end goal would be additional visibility to the author, both through impressions in search engine results and (ideally) click thru rates to applicable content.

Display 176

Display Organization B2B Thought Leadership Profiling 176

KoMarketing Associates

JULY 25, 2012

Google’s Webmaster Central Blog announced yesterday that they will now feature an “Index Status” capability which will allow webmasters to track how many of their site’s pages are being indexed by Google. A graph will indicate how many pages of a site are currently part of the Google index and the amount of new content being viewed on a site. According to Google, the “ Index Status ” feature will be a resource for webmasters to continually track the progress of their site and fix any index-rela

Features 176

Features Google Tools Transparency 176

KoMarketing Associates

JULY 20, 2012

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to speak at WordCamp Boston. The event is one of my favorites to attend as the content is fantastic, the speakers are all extremely knowledgeable and the organizers do a great job. If you aren’t familiar, WordCamps are described as “informal, community-organized events that are put together by WordPress users like you.

SEO 176

SEO Social Media Analytics Optimization 176

KoMarketing Associates

SEPTEMBER 27, 2012

As I kid, I spent a lot of time in my “reading nook” (i.e., a canopy I fashioned out of a quilt slung over my top bunk bed). Go ahead and judge me—I was that kid. But a lifetime of reading and studying the English language, as well as an 8-year career in copy editing/content marketing, has taught me a thing or two about proper grammar—when to use it and how to avoid abusing it.

Effectiveness 175

Effectiveness Eye-Tracking Content Marketing & Strategy 175

KoMarketing Associates

MAY 24, 2012

Retargeting (also called remarketing) is the act of serving display advertisements to users who have viewed specific pages on your web site as they browse other sites across display networks on the web. It is an extremely effective and valuable method for interacting with your customer base. So why aren’t more B2B advertisers utilizing it? Problem: You are a specialized consulting firm and your site only averages about 10,000 unique visitors every month.

B2B Marketing 175

B2B Marketing Marketing Management Sales Qualified Leads Allocation 175

KoMarketing Associates

SEPTEMBER 18, 2012

As B2B marketers work on refining 2012 strategic marketing initiatives, social media has become a central focus. Advances in search engine algorithms bring social media in focus for link acquisition and as a potential signal of trust for engines. The emergence of a converged media imperative ties the value of user generated content (social shares, organic reviews, etc.) to the overall marketing mix through performance benchmarks in advertising and brand development initiatives.

BtoB 172

BtoB Social Media Paid Search Agency Media 172

KoMarketing Associates

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

If you read the title of this post and immediately groaned, don’t worry: From this point on, we’ll focus on what you can do to make your blog better and we’ll steer clear of the corny puns. The fact is, for many B2B companies, keeping up a corporate blog can be difficult. Resources can be scarce, ideas may not come easily, and other projects can get in the way.

B2B 170

B2B Long Tail Marketing Social Networks Sales Cycle 170

KoMarketing Associates

MARCH 23, 2012

I had a great time speaking during a theater presentation with Matt Van Wagner , Greg Jarboe , and Dan Shure , who deserves a special thank you for putting everything together this week at Search Engine Strategies New York , on behalf of SEMNE. Here is a copy of my part of the presentation panel on Landing Page Optimization. #SESNY Theater Presentation: Landing Page Optimization.

Landing Pages 168

Landing Pages Optimization PPC SEO 168

KoMarketing Associates

NOVEMBER 28, 2012

Last quarter , we gave you a recap of the “Trends in Industrial Marketing 2012” report from GlobalSpec ; our analysis covered the marketing trends, challenges, and expenditures specific to the engineering, technical, manufacturing, and industrial communities. Our intention in providing the results was to help marketers determine whether their clients were striking the right balance between digital and traditional marketing programs, as well as reaching their overall goals.

Customer Surveys 165

Customer Surveys Paid Search Agency B2B Marketing Banner Ads 165

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 10, 2012

KoMarketing’s Director of Online Marketing Casie Gillette will be holding a free webinar with BrightTALK next Tuesday, October 16th at 3pm. The webinar will cover B2B SEO tips, including ways businesses can think outside the box and make their SEO efforts fun. Session summary. “For many B2B companies, creating new content and thinking about link building can be daunting, especially if you don’t have a product people love to talk about.

Webinar Metrics 163

Webinar Metrics SEO B2B Link Building 163

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 23, 2012

In the midst of digital marketing clutter and indifferent audiences, a report from eMarketer claims that fighting to create attractive content is not the only thing brands are up against; how to accurately quantify success remains up for debate. A study from Outbrain found that 88.9% of brands rely on social media metrics and referrals to measure content marketing efforts followed by views/downloads at 75.6 percent, leads generated at 53.3 percent, and referrals from search at 51.1 percent.

Studies 160

Studies Emarketing Brand Identity Branding 160

KoMarketing Associates

OCTOBER 3, 2012

According to the results of a recent study from Holger Shulze, B2B marketers worldwide are turning to content marketing to improve their marketing campaigns, including boosting lead generation efforts, brand awareness, and customer loyalty. Study results show 68 percent of B2B marketers are using content marketing to generate leads. The subsequent goals of content marketing include thought education and leadership (50 percent) and brand awareness (39 percent).

Lead Generation 157

Lead Generation Studies B2B Marketing B2B Thought Leadership 157

KoMarketing Associates

JULY 6, 2012

With our nation’s 236 th birthday already behind us, we at KoMarketing are charging full speed ahead into Q3. This summer, our office continues to grow as we welcome two new team members to KoMarketing: Casie Gillette and Amanda Berglund. Casie Gillette, who joined KoMarketing as Director of Online Marketing on July 2, brings strategic leadership in SEO, social media, and online marketing to the KoMarketing team on behalf of client initiatives and the organization as a whole.

Ad Building 156

Ad Building Copywriting PPC Conference 156

KoMarketing Associates

JULY 10, 2012

Understanding the SEO strategy of a competitive website is a critical component of a B2B SEO campaign. Both traditional (the companies sales and marketing teams often come across) and keyword (those that rank for target keyword phrases in search engines) competition should be reviewed. Factors B2B search engine marketers should seek to understand about their competition include keyword and content strategy, inbound link information, and social media presence.

Analysis 202

Analysis Budget Programs SEO Tools 202

KoMarketing Associates

JUNE 20, 2012

Responsive Web Design (RWD) indicates that a website is crafted to adapt to the layout of the viewing environment. As a result, users across a broad range of devices and browsers (mobile and desktop) will have access to a single source of content, ideally easy to read and navigate with a minimum of resizing, panning, and scrolling. As covered in a recent Search Engine Land article , Pierre Far, Google Webmaster Trends Analyst, announced clear guidelines and recommendations on mobile SEO.

SEO 196

SEO Design CMS Development Sales Qualified Leads 196

KoMarketing Associates

MAY 18, 2012

With so many companies struggling to stay above water in today’s economy, it may seem that managing marketing and advertising campaigns in-house is an effective way to keep an eye on costs. But, in doing so, are companies sacrificing quality? When it comes to deep industry knowledge and years of experience, can an agency be worth the extra investment?

Paid Search Agency 170

Paid Search Agency Work Management Marketing Management Service 170

KoMarketing Associates

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Last week, KoMarketing Associates covered a study released by Optify , which revealed that organic search terms returning “not provided” keyword results have risen to 39 percent; this change represents a 171 percent growth since last year. The study covered traffic associated with 424 B2B sites. Nearly a year removed from Google’s announcement that the search engine would encrypt search referral information for logged-in users, this data should be alarming to B2B marketers seeking to be

Google 173

Google Marketing Management Long Tail Marketing Budget Programs 173

KoMarketing Associates

DECEMBER 21, 2012

On this “cold, bleak, biting” December morning, it’s easy to recall the Christmases of my youth. As a kid, I got all dressed up and went to see the local theater’s production of “A Christmas Carol” every year with my family. It didn’t matter how many times we went; somehow, seeing Tiny Tim hoisted over his father’s shoulders or old, crotchety Scrooge sitting by the fire in his night shirt and matching sleeping cap seemed, each year, like a new experience.

Planning 171

Planning Content Marketing Television marketing Advertising Agencies 171