Personally, I am less likely to share an article through social media if it is on a site that is covered with garish ad units or is always popping up subscribe forms. Last week, I made the case for a new definition of inbound marketing , or as Michael Brenner ( @brennermichael ) called it in the comments, a “call to arms” for inbound marketers. The new definition: Inbound marketing is marketing focused on being found through the recommendation of others and delighting everyone that finds you. As inbound marketing evolves, the components also need to change. MORE >>

The only art applied is headlines and adding the personal endorsements (+100! Some days it seems Twitter has moved from a social platform to a headline and link platform. don’t know about you, but I miss the old days of Twitter where people shared insightful thoughts or strangers met through a conversation. Communicating something useful or interesting in 140 characters was an art , and some practiced it well. This art is already being lost. Today, 140 characters is just a promotion for 500 more words. anyone?) How bad has it become? My Solution: Filter Out the Links. Your Turn. MORE >>

This is why sales people with existing relationships are recruited and account managers work to develop personal relationships with clients. That click may be important, but calling it a conversation is an insult to the person with their hand on the mouse. Develop a relationship. Don’t propose on the first date. Relationships take time. You talk about relationships as a marketer. You use the same words and clichés. However, you don’t really mean a relationship. Rather than create opportunities, this creates disruption. Marketing is predominantly one-way communication. MORE >>

mean Eric Wittlake, as a person, does not exist on Google+. Last week WSJ ran an article entitled “ There’s No Avoiding Google+ ” on the front page. In short, it highlighted the drive by Google to make Google+ pervasive across other Google services. In one of the most telling quotes in the story, Bradley Horowitz, a VP at Google, says “The entry points to Google+ are many, and the integrations are more every day.” ” However, despite reaching 105.1 Here is why: There is no Google+ identity. don’t mean a brand identity. Except Google+. MORE >>

If you use audience targeting to reach the same person on ESPN.com, your ad is a bigger interruption and is asking them to make a bigger change in focus. It sounds obvious, on point, and innocent, but the oft-told advice to “go where your audience is” is one of the worst pieces of advice B2B marketers receive. This advice leaves B2B marketers looking at what their audience does. Do they watch the Super Bowl? Are they on Facebook? Do they read Sports Illustrated? Media sales representatives perpetuate the problem, comparing reach to their competitors. CRM retargeting. MORE >>