MarketingProfs How-To Articles

How Personas Can Lead Your Messaging Astray (and Four Tips for Keeping It on Track)

Thu, 17 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Do you think a prospect responds better to your marketing message because you've based it on a customer persona? Unfortunately, that is not the case. To craft effective messaging, you need to address four essential questions. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Viral Advice From the Creators of TextsFromHillary.com

Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Want to create the next online viral sensation? Though no magic formula will get you there, the creators of the wildly popular Texts From Hillary website offer four essential tips that helped make their site a huge Internet smash. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Six Ways Brands Are Optimizing Facebook Timelines

Tue, 15 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Many brands recognize the potential of Facebook's Timeline, but they don't really know how to use it to their full advantage. Learn six straightforward ways to optimize your brand's Timeline to drive better marketing performance. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

12 Ways to Strengthen Your Call to Action

Mon, 14 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Creating a great call to action that gets results can be tricky, unless you have a few tricks up your sleeve. Here are 12 essential tips for optimizing your calls to action to ensure they compel potential customers to act. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Don't Be a Lead Killer: Three Ways to Keep Sales Leads Alive

Fri, 11 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Despite their critical contribution to a business, sales reps can often get in their own way. Here are three of the biggest ways sales reps kill leads--and three solutions that'll help turn prospects into customers. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

A Zoo Visitor's Guide to Customer Experience and Performance Chain Excellence

Thu, 10 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

If you've ever been to a zoo, you probably used a zoo map during your visit. Those maps provide wonderful visual cues to the customer-experience and performance-chain lessons we can all apply to our businesses. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Five Must-Have Elements of an Awesome Mobile Marketing Call to Action

Wed, 9 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Like any marketing campaign, a mobile marketing campaign can be well thought out, meticulously planned, and perfectly functional... but still produce limited user engagement. Why? A subpar call to action. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Pinterest Beyond the Basics: A Marketer's Guide to Successful Pinning

Tue, 8 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Companies are leaping onto the Pinterest bandwagon, and your brand, too, can benefit from what is now one of the world's largest social networks. Learn what type of content marketers should pin--and how. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Three Steps to Making Your Website More User Friendly

Mon, 7 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

In an age of information overflow, having a user-friendly website is critical. How does your site measure up? Here is a three-step approach to analyzing the usability of your website, along with tips for improving its usability. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

The Four Doors to Loyalty: Your Welcome Mat to Customer Intimacy

Fri, 4 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Sure, you have customers. But are they loyal to you? Learn four things you need to know about your customers to inspire their loyalty. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

How to Make a CMS Work for Your Business

Thu, 3 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Choosing and installing a new content management system (CMS) is a great opportunity to improve your online presence. Here are six critical questions to consider when choosing a new CMS. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Follow Three Steps to Identify Your Campaign Goals and Measure Their Outcomes

Wed, 2 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Do you know exactly what your campaign goals are? Do you know how to measure your campaign outcomes? If not, here are three steps you must take when developing and executing any marketing campaign. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

10 Tips for Successful Media Appearances

Tue, 1 May 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Media appearances are essential if you want to build your personal brand and emerge as a recognized industry expert. Learn 10 tips for mastering media appearances, and five key guidelines to follow during an interview. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Writing a Better Call to Action

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

The call to action in your marketing materials is one of the most important elements in a campaign. So how can you write one that works? Learn tried-and-true tips that can help catapult your call-to-action writing to expert level. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

MRM Technology: Why You Need It, and How to Choose the Right Solution

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Too many companies have yet to embrace marketing resource management (MRM) technology, which offers a host of capabilities that can empower them. Learn why you need an MRM solution, and tips for choosing the right one. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

When a B2B Blog Posts and Nobody Comments, Does It Make a Sound?

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

For B2B, the ROI from social media isn't always so clear. Learn research findings about the social media use of one B2B segment--and four opportunities for B2B marketers to maximize social media ROI. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

The Pros and Cons of In-House Marketing Mix Analysis

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Marketing mix analysis provides insights that improve ROI and optimize spend. The question is... will you get better results from outsourcing marketing mix analytics or building in-house capabilities? Read the full article at MarketingProfs

'Customer Experience' Is the Catchphrase for 2012

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Customer experience is about meeting customer needs, aligning touch points, and creating relationships. Learn customer experience basics--and how to create an enriched customer experience that gets results. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

P.S. Five Tips to Increase Email Click-Through Rates

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

The post script (P.S.) can be a powerful tool for marketers--if it's used the right way. Learn five things you can do with your post script to generate more clicks in your emails and capture the reader's attention. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Six Steps to Global Growth: How to Plant Your North American Brand Equity in Foreign Markets

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Before taking your brand global, make sure you've done the proper market research, hired the right staff, and implemented the cultural checks needed to succeed. Here are six steps all brands must consider before going global. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

So I Have a Marketing Automation System... Now What?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Marketing automation systems offer a veritable multitude of capabilities. But don't let all those features overwhelm you. Learn five ways to jump-start your marketing automation strategy without getting stressed out. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Doc, What Can You Do for My Marketing Headache? A Data Prescription

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Marketers can feel overwhelmed by the waves of marketing "solutions" that come at them daily: new digital advertising options, new mobile apps, every surefire lead-generation scheme in the book. It's enough to give a person a monumental headache. No worries, though. The data doctor is in. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Engagement Energy: 10 Ways to Power Up Sales and Marketing to Capture Attention and Drive Action

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Imagine having a switch that activates your buyer's brain and gets her to pay attention to what you say&mdash;and to take action. Learn how "engagement energy" can help you craft stronger sales and marketing messages that get results. Read the full article at MarketingProfs

The Marketer's Guide to Fixing Your Website

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Almost inevitably, every website will encounter a problem of some kind. Many online marketers lack the technical skills to make website fixes themselves. So how can they effectively mitigate a website problem? Read the full article at MarketingProfs

Social Media Is Not Social CRM, but It Can Be With These Five Steps

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:00:00 GMT

Social media success is not just about gaining followers or "Likes." You need to track how many followers buy your products or subscribe to your services. Learn five steps to building a successful social CRM practice. Read the full article at MarketingProfs