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Basics in Sales & Marketing: Would You Hire a Milkshake?
The basic tenet of successful selling is to uncover a customer need and then find a way to fill that need. Salespeople sometimes forget to find the need and rush straight to selling products or services. Then, they wonder why people don’t buy what they’re selling. Clayton Christensen is a…
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The Ethical Troubles Of Digital Marketing Tactics
Thanks to Facebook and Google, we all have access to more data than we probably should have access to in real life. The field of advertising in particular is becoming very inappropriate in certain cases, pushing digital marketing tactics to their ethical limits. Read More: The Ethical Troubles Of Digital Marketing…
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When It Comes to Digital, Consumers Say One Thing and Often Do Another
Consumers overwhelming say privacy concerns are starting to have them rethinking rethink how they interact online. At the same time, however, their actions are telling a slightly less convincing story. People say one thing to researchers, but their actions demonstrate something else. A third of those surveyed think digital is…
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TV is still the #1 choice for news consumers
The Pew Research Center did a deep dive into local news consumption in a study of more than 35,000 adults. Here are a few of the key takeaways it revealed: Television is the preferred source of news although online sources are catching up. Weather is the number one topic adults…
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Vast majority of video viewing still taking place on TV sets
Yes, there’s a fair amount of viewing these days on mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers, but 70% of all viewing is still through the TV set. A survey of OTT consumers conducted for Nevion reports that 70% of those responsing still watch the majkority of programming on TV. …
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Advertisers have a problem, and it’s worse than they thought.
Quick Read: Cord Cutting by Younger Consumers Making It Harder for Advertisers to Drive Conversation and Engagement with Their Brands, Especially in Tech, Telecom, Automotive SOURCE: Engagement Labs Advertisers have a problem, and it’s worse than they thought. The decline of ad-supported television is driving down audience engagement with brands.…
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Top 10 Trends for Programmatic Advertising
Today’s consumers are spending more time than ever on personal devices and are invested in their voice assistants, which have quickly become an integral part of our everyday lives. “The voice technology category is evolving rapidly and will affect the digital marketing landscape in a similar way that mobile devices…
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Digital Transformation Starts at the Top
One of the hardest things to do in transforming an organization to a digital world is getting cross-department support. Traditional boundaries between sales, marketing, IT, customer service, online and offline staff, impede these efforts. It’s tough to get everybody rowing the same way when they still have to take care…
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The Number One Benefit of Post-Click Optimization
As simple as it may seem, a successful post-click optimization strategy will turn a more significant percentage of your company’s website traffic into profit by effectively engaging your potential customers after they’ve clicked on your sponsored post or advertisement, according to digital marketing firm fishbat. Here’s what else they had…
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DirecTV Now Streaming Service Loses A Quarter-Million Subscribers
The future of TV is supposed to be streaming, right? In its 4th quarter earnings report, AT&T dropped a bombshell. The parent company of DirecTV announced that it had lost 267,000 streaming customers of its DirecTV Now service. The forecast for sub losses was 19,000 according to the Hollywood Reporter. …
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85% of Websites Fail to Meet Google Page Load Speed Standards
The faster your mobile site loads, the better you’ll look to Google’s robots when it scans your site. Slow-loading websites are now being penalized in the algorithm while fast-loading sites are rewarded. Google recommend your site loads on mobile in 5 seconds or less. Research from Unbounce, however, shows that…
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For Online Reviews, Recency Matters
Online reviews matter. 92% of consumers say they look at reviews. 68% say positive reviews increase their trust. In addition to looking for positive reviews, we now know that consumers also value recent reviews in far greater numbers. 85% of those surveyed say that reviews dated more than three months…
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Google wins, Facebook loses in lawsuits over use of Facial Recognition
Two different ruling in privacy cases over use of biometric data called “faceprints.” A federal judge threw out the lawsuit against Google. The judge ruled that the Illinois consumers that sued were unable to prove any damages. Lindabeth Rivera and Jospeh Weiss were the named plaintiffs in a class action…
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French regulators hit Google with $57 million fine for violations of GDPR
Google has been hit with a $57 million fine for violations of the EU’s GDRP privacy regulations. CNIL (French data protection regulators) concluded that Google had failed to comply with the law. Lack of Transparency When setting up Android phones, the regulators said Google did not disclose “essential information” to…
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New data leak exposes 773 Million email accounts; How to check if you are at risk
Here we go again. 773 million email address and passwords have been leaked. Security expert Troy Hunt dropped this bombshell this week on his blog. What he calls “Collection #1” is a set of email addresses and passwords that’s being shared on the dark web. Spanning different providers, nearly three-quarters…
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Facebook API Bug Exposes Private Photos
Facebook posted this headline on its developer pages: Notifying our Developer Ecosystem about a Photo API Bug While it doesn’t sound like that big a deal, it is. Let me translate for you: Nearly 7 million of your private photos were exposed… meaning they were no longer private… and they…
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6 Fairy Tales About Digital Marketing
Thousands upon thousands of digital marketing agencies and talented individuals around the world are offering advice on digital marketing. Some offer genuine insight about the latest strategies, others are merely repeating stuff they found on the net. Some get paid by companies to promote specific products instead of offering real…
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An Easier Way to Make Infographics
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So, what is an infographic worth?
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Google Ads Now Features “Pay for Conversions” Option
Google has announced Pay for Conversion options for display campaigns. Choosing Target CPS in Conversions under the Bidding when setting up your Google Ads (formerly known as Google AdWords) display unit will mean you only pay when someone converts on your website or app. You won’t be charged for clicks…
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Data Breaches Expose Private Data of More Than a Billion People in the Last 30 Days
Another day, another breach. It’s almost frightening how these announcements about massive security breaches which expose our private data have been commonplace. They barely even register a blip in the news cycle. The latest is Marriott International. A breach of their security has exposed up to half a billion guests’…
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Malicious Code Buried in Embedded Digital Ads
Read this before you click on another digital ad. Cyber criminals have used images within phishing emails for some time as a way to trick you into getting your credentials. Click on the image of the Excel spreadsheet or PDF file and instead of opening up the document, it takes…
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Local TV News is the Most Trusted of All Media – By Far
When it comes to trust, local TV news reigns supreme. According to market research firm SmithGeiger (doing research for Hearst Television), 73% of news consumers say they trust at least one local TV news brand in their market – far outdistancing any other news source on any platform. 81% of…
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Online Brand Search Spikes Within Seconds of TV Ads Airing
Advertise on TV and people will search for you online… almost instantly. As many as 90% of TV viewers have a digital device either in their hands or within reach while watching. “Forget the remote,” said Lisa Gevelber, VP Global Marketing at Google. “Smartphones are becoming the essential TV-watching companion.”…
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A simple guide to understanding Blockchain Technology
Blockchain is the technology the underpins digital currency (Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and the like). The tech allows digital information to be distributed, but not copied. That means each individual piece of data can only have one owner. You may hear it described as a “digital ledger” stored in a distributed…
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The Nightmare Scenario for Salespeople
Imagine this scenario: You’re a salesperson and you walk into a business for the first time to make a sale. You’re shown into the office of the big boss. Just as you start to launch into your pitch, she interrupts you and says: “I don’t know who you are. I don’t know your…
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Facebook’s ‘War Room’ Is a Marketing Ploy
In response to mounting criticism from consumers, citizens, and lawmakers, Facebook is pursuing a public relations blitz. The media giant wants to change people’s perceptions about how it is handling the scourge of misinformation and concomitant threat to elections presented by its websites and apps. Enter the “war room.”…
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A Dark Consensus About Screens and Kids Begins to Emerge in Silicon Valley
The people who are closest to a thing are often the most wary of it. Technologists know how phones really work, and many have decided they don’t want their own children anywhere near them. A wariness that has been slowly brewing is turning into a regionwide consensus: The benefits of screens…
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Privacy Concerns with Facebook’s Video Calling Device “Portal”
When Facebook introduced an in-home video calling device with camera and microphone this month, the company wanted to avoid any confusion about the type of data it could sweep up. The last thing Facebook needed was to raise more privacy alarms about its business, so the marketing around Portal, a…
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The Biggest Traffic Hogs on the Internet
Video now makes up half of all internet traffic, according to research from Sandvine (a bandwidth management company). Netflix alone accounts for 15% and YouTube 11.4%. General web browsing makes up 7.8% and embedded video on websites was 13.1%. In total, video was 58% of downstream traffic. Web browsing was…
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Does Facebook Facial Recognition Violate the Law? Class Action Suit Moves Forward
The case against Facebook for use of biometric data is moving forward. An Illinois judge dismissed Facebook’s plea to toss it. The class action suit –ispotentially worth billions if successful. Illinois law can tag each violation with fines up to $5,000. Illinois has a law called the Biometric Information Privacy…
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Turning 2D Photos into 3D Videos with a One Button Push
We know that artificial intelligence will change the way we do things in the future. It’s already being used in products you use every day, but we’re just beginning to see the multitude of ways AI might make an impact. For designers and animators, Adobe recently showed off a very…
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Own a Vizio TV? You might be entitled to a 62 cent settlement
Vizio has agreed to pay some $17 million in an effort to settle a class action suit over privacy laws, according to the terms filed in court. The case revolved around consumer complaints that Vizio was tracking TV viewers by default, without getting consumer permission, and sharing data with third-parties. …
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Google Algorithm: Low Traffic Does Not Equal Low Quality Content
Google’s John Mueller had some good news for bloggers (like me) when it comes to evaluating the quality of content. Just because it doesn’t have a lot of page views doesn’t mean Google’s algorithm will flag it as low quality. During a recent Google Webmaster Central hangout, he was asked…
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IAB Letter to Congress Supports Internet Privacy Regulation
Industries never really like it when the government gets into their business and regulates what they can and cannot do. So when the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) changes course to recommend lawmakers create legislation to regulate internet privacy, it’s a big step. The IAB has argued on behalf of the…
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Consumers Are Canceling Video Streaming Services at Significant Rates
You hear a lot about cord cutting and people dropping their cable service, but not so much about people dropping their OTT (over-the-top) video streaming services. Park Associates has now quantified the OTT churn and it’s bigger than you probably think: 18% annually. That’s right. 18% of streaming video service…
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Tips for Better Social Media Sharing
If you want as many people as possible to find your site and engage with your content, you need to make sure that your content is shared, and that those shares encourage new people to visit your site. In a world where so many people are already vying for…
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California passes new privacy law with greater consumer controls
It’s not perfect, but the new privacy laws passed by California that go into effect 1/1/20 will help give some consumers more control over their online data and what happens to it. The big deal is you can opt out of having your info sold. The law applies to businesses…
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How AI is revolutionizing Digital Marketing
When talking about AI in Digital Marketing, most people would think about RankBrain, a machine learning Google has been using to understand keywords and measure searchers’ satisfaction. However, the potential of AI in Digital Marketing is beyond that. Here aretwo ways you can incorporate AI technology into their strategies. via How…
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Why TV + Digital is a Powerful Combination
Even the digital folks will tell you TV is still the King when it comes to media consumption. Combined with digital, the results can be incredible! Television isn’t dying; it’s just changing. And it remains unrivaled in its sheer, unadulterated reach, said Daniel Gulick, writing for digital media publisher SmartBrief.…
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Meet the man who fought a dozen FOI battles to prove that data doesn’t cause crime
For the last three years Gavin Chait has been fighting — and winning — multiple Freedom of Information cases to unlock data on vacant properties. In a special guest post ahead of his latest hearing, he explains how he uses a range of evidence to fight a widely misused…
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Video Marketing: What You Should Know Before You Begin
Online video is the present and future of marketing. These are some tips to help get started with video marketing campaign. YouTube offers great editing features on their site.You can even add comments and text in your video. TIP! If you want to use YouTube for video sharing, use…
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Sunshine Law request results in $82,000 bill for public records search
Group seeks information on how dogs are being used in research by Universities The Beagle Freedom Project is an animal rights activist group that’s filed a lawsuit against the University of Missouri. The suit has to do with its claim that the University is violating the state’s Sunshine Laws. The group’s been…
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Overall trust in news is up significantly: Local TV News is the most trusted source
More people trust local TV news than any other source. That’s the key finding in the latest Poynter Media Trust Survey. Trust in the media overall, the report shows, has increased since President Trump took office. The survey shows similar results to a Gallup poll and a survey done for The…
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Republicans and Democrats more likely to classify a news statement as factual if it favors their side – whether it is factual or opinion
In addition to past research that has shown stark differences between Republicans’ and Democrats’ trust of specific news outlets, the findings in this study go one step further, showing that those who identify with the two parties often differ in how they classify specific news content as factual or opinion.…
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Did Google violate the 2011 consent order by tracking users without permission?
Following an Associated Press report revealing that Google tracks user location even when users opt-out, the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) in D.C. contends the Google if violating the 2011 consent order on privacy issues. In the settlement with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Google is not allowed to track users after…
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Direct correlation between TV ads and auto website traffic: Ignore it at your own peril
If you want to increase the traffic to your auto dealer website, increase your TV ad spending. Cut back on TV advertising at your own peril. An in-depth investigation from the Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) reveals that 76% of auto brands saw a direct correlation – good or bad –…
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Journalism shouldn’t be dangerous — but it is now
When newsrooms need to lock their doors, their ability to serve their readers and viewers is sadly impeded I became a journalist, in part, because I was able to walk through the unlocked rear door of my hometown newspaper directly into the newsroom unchallenged and unimpeded. In the immediate…
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SEJ: Is Google My Business Stealing Your Leads?
Earlier this year, Google added a new option in their Google My Business platform. It let businesses add a link to click for appointments or services. Sounds good so far, but Shelly Fagin is reporting in Search Engine Journal (SEJ) that it may not be what it seems. In fact,…
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8 Basic Tips for Social Media Etiquette
On social media, everything is a part of your brand and is an extension of you. People don’t know you personally so all they have to work with is the vibes you give off. From the way that you send emails, your blog posts, your social media posts and…
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4 Building Blocks of an Effective Lead-Nurturing Campaign
Here are 4 components of an effective lead-nurturing campaign that will entice your potential customers and have them moving down the sales funnel. Your content marketing objectives really come down to one basic goal: to generate a high number of quality leads. Read More: Infographic: 4 Building Blocks of an Effective…
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5 Ways of Marketing Your Small Business Effectively
One of the major problems businesses have is marketing. Marketing entails that you put your products or services in front of the right audience and persuade them to buy from you. How you market your business will determine its success. Small businesses now have available marketing strategies that can help…
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Managing Your Growth Plan
One of the key jobs of CEO’s and CFO’s is to be looking out long-term. While your employees are looking at daily performance and your managers are focused on quarterly or yearly goals, the business is depending on you to be the forward-thinker. Whether it’s building for the long-term or…
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The next battle over privacy: Apple vs. India
What’s happening in the EU with recent legislation (e.g. GDPR) restricting use of data and enforcing serious privacy rules is getting attention around the world. Now, India is taking steps that to reduce spam calls and texts. As part of its new policy, the India Telecom Regulatory Authority (TRAI) is…
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Bipartisan legislation would fund research into tech’s impact on our children
What impact does tech in today’s world have on children? Since 2013, the amount of time children 8 and under spend engaging with mobile devices has tripled from 15 minutes a day to 48 minutes a day. By the time children born today reach age 7, Psychologist Dr. Aric Sigman…
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Location-Based Targeting and Geo-Reporting Key to Efficient Programmatic Ad Buys
When you are buying programmatic advertising, you need to know that not all programmatic platforms are created equally. It is very easy to waste a lot of money using inefficient platforms that scatter-shot your ads or show your digital ads in places where your services are not available. Geo-targeting and…
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In this era of “Fake News,” TV News is still rated as most accurate by all parties
Despite all the cries about fake news, and people’s concerns, there’s one place they still trust for the most accurate political information: Television. All parties to the political debate are concerned about the amount of fake news on social media, according to a survey done by the Video Advertising Bureau.…
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Facebook Explains: What Information Do Facebook Advertisers Know About Me?
Hard Questions is a series from Facebook that addresses the impact of our products on society. To build a product that connects people across continents and cultures, we need to make sure everyone can afford it. READ MORE: Hard Questions: What Information Do Facebook Advertisers Know About Me? — Facebook…
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Skills to Succeed for C-Level Executives
More than 7,150 executives across 100 nations in the U.S., North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa were queries on the most important traits to stay relevant and at the top of their game. The report from Harvard Business School’s Professor Boris Groysberg reveals the most important “soft skills” for C-level…
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The modern marketer: Brand building vs. performance marketing
As the landscape has changed, along with fundamentally, marketers need to prepare for a dovetailing of the two. Brands are looking for growth and differentiation, but that cannot be done with investments in either brand or performance. In fact, most best practices now suggest that the smartest media approaches…
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FCC Adds $225 Filing Fee for Consumer Complaints
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been active in the last year in looking at old rules and re-evaluating their underlying logic. There’s no question the media landscape has changed dramatically in the last decade and it’s worth looking at things in light of the way things are now as opposed…
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Golden Tips For Digital Marketing
We put together a record of likely buyers in that software class and started our contact process. From our earlier involvement we dusted off our record of mid market computer software companies in that space and started making our phone calls. 40% of those middle market applications companies were…
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The Assumptive No: Why Salespeople Don’t Ask for the Order
Here is the opening section of the new book I’m writing. It’s still a little rough… any feedback is appreciated. The Assumptive No I’ve always been surprised by how many sales people do everything right, but then are seemingly afraid to ask for the sale. Maybe it’s because I grew…




























