Honda Hosts #OpenTheCheer Twitter Instant-Win Contest For Holiday Sales Event

The carmaker worked with RPA to craft a playful video-focused campaign that uses Twitter's instant-win cards, which were recently introduced and not yet widely available.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

5 Things To Consider When Spending Your Online Marketing Budget

Business owners and marketers have a lot options as to where to spend their budgets, especially for online campaigns. While it can appear to be overwhelming when looking for the right programs for your business, here are some core items […]

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5 Things To Consider When Spending Your Online Marketing Budget

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Written by Matt Pollnow,

The post 5 Things To Consider When Spending Your Online Marketing Budget appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.

10 Crazy Good Shortcode Collection Plugins For WordPress

  On March 29, 2008, WordPress 2.5 was released. Of the many changes and improvements in the new version, perhaps the support of so-called shortcodes was one of the most interesting and useful features. Shortcodes were introduced to create macros […]

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10 Crazy Good Shortcode Collection Plugins For WordPress

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Written by Sameer Panjwani, Mondovo

The post 10 Crazy Good Shortcode Collection Plugins For WordPress appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.

4 Tips To Help You Master SEO Content Writing

When it comes to SEO we've all heard that "content is king" and the better yours is the more likely you are to rank higher. While this might be great for companies with dedicated staff writers, many people end up […]

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4 Tips To Help You Master SEO Content Writing

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Written by Hollie Whitehead,

The post 4 Tips To Help You Master SEO Content Writing appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.

Don’t Let Amazon Eat Your Lunch This Holiday Season

As consumers' shopping behaviors continue to evolve, Josh Manion reveals tips for using data to boost mobile app engagement and in-store revenue.

Please visit Marketing Land for the full article.

American Willingness to Buy From Canadian Retailers [Study]

One of the biggest questions we’ve been curious about when it comes to Canadian retailers is whether or not their location in Canada is off-putting for potential American customers. Does the fact that a website promotes itself as “Canadian” or […]

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American Willingness to Buy From Canadian Retailers [Study]

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Written by Alicia Thomas,

The post American Willingness to Buy From Canadian Retailers [Study] appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.

Why There Is No Share Count On Your Twitter Button (& How To Get Counts)

If you haven't looked at your website over the weekend, you came to the office this morning, checked your site and wondered "hey, where is the share count on my Twitter button?" For most people your Tweet button looked like […]

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Why There Is No Share Count On Your Twitter Button (& How To Get Counts)

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Written by Ruud Hein, Ruud Hein

The post Why There Is No Share Count On Your Twitter Button (& How To Get Counts) appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.

7 Activities That Don’t Scale but Will Win You Customers

7 Activities That Don’t Scale but Will Win You Customers written by Guest Post read more at Duct Tape Marketing

Photo Credit:www.launchsolid.com

Starting a business is hard work and early on you will need to hustle to find your first customers. There is no need to stress right away about what marketing channels will scale because you won’t know which options work best. And even when you do find out what will scale, it’s often the activities that don’t scale that will continue to provide the best ROI.

1. Attend an Industry Conference

For example, if your business is building websites for construction companies, you need to find out the most popular conferences. A quick Google search shows these conferences would be a good bet to attend: Construction Super Conference or the International Conference on Transportation. For your first few conferences, going as an attendee is recommended so you can scope them out and determine if it makes sense for you to come back as a vendor (and possibly rent a booth). Spend time walking the aisles, and I love hanging out by the lunch area, if you sit down at the right table and strike up a good conversation you can make a critical connection.

2. Organize a Q&A with Industry Experts

Create a list of 6-10 questions and reach out to industry experts to see if they want to participate. Package up the responses in a PDF, include bios and photos and make sure to give everyone a copy. Blog about the responses and encourage participants to get the word out. Since you are appealing to the vanity of the experts, it’s very easy to drum up interest, don’t be afraid to ask!

3. Sponsor Relevant Meetup Events

Meetup events all over the world are going on and they are often just a handful of people. If you target relevant Meetup groups and offer to sponsor their next event, you will find a lot of takers. Sometimes money to buy pizza is all you need to do and the organizer will add a special offer on their Meetup page and if you’re lucky and/or persuasive they will announce it at the event.

4. Solicit Individual and Personalized Feedback on Your Product or Service

Early on it’s a struggle to get even 5 or 10 people on board as customers. When you do get the first few customers reach out to each one of them with a personal email and thank them for trying you out. Ask for pointed feedback and if you can get them to spare 10 to 15 minutes on the phone that is fantastic as they will provide helpful insight about your product.

5. Attend Local Meetings/Events

Leverage your hometown or nearest big city to attend marketing groups and meetings. Chamber of Commerce meetings or local business groups are a great place to start. It’s not that you will necessarily find your ideal customer in your backyard, but once you start talking about your new company, your networking may uncover other opportunities. In addition, the people you meet may know other people that will help propel your business forward.

6. Target Tangentially Related Companies for Joint Marketing Efforts

If you own a stock photo site, it would make sense to contact web development companies as they often need stock photos when they are creating new websites. You could create a co-branded landing page that provides a discount to the web development companies if they want to have access to a special offer on your site. You could send their special offer to your email list (and vice versa) if you want to do additional joint marketing.

7. Create Handwritten Letters as a Relationship Builder

The old school approach can win you big points. If you take time to customize handwritten letter like this example here, you have a great shot at making a beneficial introduction. Do your homework and understand what the person likes and dislikes before writing the letter and make sure to send it to their place of business.

Chad Fisher is a co-founder of Content Runner, a marketplace for connecting users and freelance writers for the creation of unique written content. Friends of Duct Tape Marketing can create a free account and receive a $30 credit to try out the writers on Content Runner, click here to learn more!

France votes to give government powers to block online communications during state of emergency

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French members of parliament (MPs) have voted to give the government extra powers to block online communications when the country is under a “state of emergency.”

The French National Assembly today passed Amendment 50, which sees the following paragraph included in the legislation [Google Translate used]:

“II. – Minister of the Interior may take any measure to ensure the interruption of any online public communication service causing the commission of acts of terrorism or which glorify.”

Existing legislation already allowed for the control of various media channels, including radio broadcasts, movie screenings, and theater performances. The powers aren’t automatically enabled when a state of emergency is declared, however authorities can specifically call for such censorship if it’s deemed necessary.

With the advent of the Internet Age, it seems current control mechanisms aren’t enough, and the National Assembly referred to the Internet as being the “preferred vehicle of radical Islamism and jihadism.”

Technology and terrorism

It’s been a frenetic week in France and across Europe in the wake of the terrorist attacks that left 129 people dead and many more wounded in Paris last Friday. France immediately declared a state of emergency, or “etat d’urgence,” following the atrocities — this has been extended to three months.

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France’s state of emergency measures stem from a 1950s law that was drawn up around the Algerian war of Independence, and are designed for situations that present “imminent danger resulting from serious breaches of public order, or in case of events threatening, by their nature and gravity, public disaster.”

The law basically gives authorities additional powers, including the authority to restrict the movement of people, curb mass gatherings, set curfews, search houses, and so on. The French president has the power to enforce a state of emergency for up to 12 days — any longer requires approval from Parliament. Parliament can also extend the scope of the measures, and this is what MPs have voted in favor of today.

The terrorist attacks have reignited debates around how technology is used to coordinate and carry out such atrocious actions. Popular messaging apps such as Telegram have come under fire for the way they use encryption to prevent authorities from snooping on private messages. Telegram did announce yesterday that it had closed down 78 ISIS-related channels in 12 languages on the platform this week. However, that doesn’t stop more channels from opening up.

While governments are pushing to force tech companies to open up so-called “back doors” to their respective systems, allowing governments to intercept communications, many argue that such methods would weaken the entire platform and allow any miscreant to gain access. Moreover, signs so far suggest that the terrorist group responsible for the Paris atrocities weren’t actually using encrypted communication during the attacks — they reportedly used plain-old SMS.

However, the intersection between terrorism and technology extends beyond messaging apps. News emerged earlier today that European Union countries are planning a crackdown on “virtual” currencies and other anonymous payment systems in a bid to block terrorist funding.

Today’s vote was almost inevitable, given the series of terrorist events this year. Earlier in the year, French president Francois Hollande revealed plans to introduce a law that would effectively make Internet companies such as Facebook and Twitter “hate-speech accomplices” if they failed to block messages posted by extremist groups. The move followed the terrorist attacks on Charlie Hebdo, when the French satirical magazine was targeted for posting cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad. And in August, another major terrorist attack was thwarted on an Amsterdam-to-Paris train.

No details have been given as to how the French government plans to enforce blocks to Internet communications, but there is only so much authorities can do. It’s easy enough to block access to Facebook and Twitter for the average user, but with the likes of VPNs (virtual private networks) and other privacy-focused communication tools, it’s not too difficult for those with just a little bit of knowledge to circumvent the blocks.

How To Use Product Spotlights To Drive Conversions

What is a Product Spotlight and how do you use it to make more conversions?

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How To Use Product Spotlights To Drive Conversions

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Written by Nick Grant, Ecommerce News Blog

The post How To Use Product Spotlights To Drive Conversions appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.

4 Questions to Ask Before Investing in Solar Panels

Installing solar panels on your roof allows you to generate free, clean energy while reducing your bills and helping the environment. PV solar panels are becoming increasingly common across the UK as more people begin to understand the huge benefits that they bring. However, before you invest, it is a good idea to ask a few key questions to help you to decide whether they are right for your home.

Here are some of the questions that you should be asking before you make an investment in solar power.

1. Is Your Roof Suitable?

The first most obvious question you have to ask is whether you have a suitable roof to take advantage of solar PV panels. Solar panels produce the most electricity when they are installed on roofs that face south. However, your roof does not have to face directly south to generate electricity. You can still install PV panels on your roof even if it does not face mainly south, but the result is that it will generate less free electricity for you.

Another issue you have to consider is whether your roof is strong enough. Solar panels are quite heavy, so if you have a weak roof that cannot hold their weight it will not be safe to install them. If you do not know whether your roof is strong enough or not, always ask a specialist to find out.

2. Do You Require Planning Permission?

The majority of buildings in the UK will not require planning permission in order to get solar panels installed. However, there is a chance that you may need to, and this is most likely to happen if you live in a listed building or within a conservation area. The size of the PV panels themselves may also affect whether you need planning permission or not, so always find out before investing in your panels.

3. Can You Afford Solar Panels?

Solar panels require a large initial investment, and can cost anything from £5,000 upwards for an average system that produces about 4kW. Prices vary, but this is a good average. If you cannot afford to pay for yours outright, however, you may be able to take advantage of the government’s Green Deal, where you will pay for the panels in the years following their installation through the savings that you make on your electricity bills.

4. What Type of Building Do You Live In?

It may be more difficult to install solar PV panels if you live in an apartment, a property with a flat roof or a small terraced house without much roof space. If you live in such a property, always ask a specialist in solar panels before you buy your system so that they can advise you on whether your property is suitable.

Conclusion

Choose Solar Power for Free, Clean Energy

There is nothing better than generating your own energy from the sun by using PV solar panels. However, despite all the benefits, they are not always suitable for every home. To find out whether solar panels are right for you, consider asking the questions above before you make the investment, as these will help you to make the right decision in your circumstances.

Getting E-Commerce Site Structure Right

Information architecture isn't the most thrilling of subjects, so I'm going to quickly walk you through the principles so that implementing it properly can become second nature.

Post from: Search Engine People SEO Blog

Getting E-Commerce Site Structure Right

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Written by Matt Beswick, Matt's Personal Blog

The post Getting E-Commerce Site Structure Right appeared first on Search Engine People Blog.