Inbound Industry Report: Jan. 23, 2012

By Laura Pinter | Posted January 23, 2012 | Link | Filed in: Marketing

Top marketing news, articles and tips from the third week of January 2012.

Blogging for Business

Rand Fishkin (@randfish) shares 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic, an updated version of a post that gained popularity back in 2007. Many of the specific tips offered are relative to one another, and fall into categories such as the following:

Visual—Add graphics, photos and illustrations; incorporate great design into your site.
Social—Use Twitter, Facebook and Google+ to share your posts, and find new connections; participate in social media sharing communities like Reddit and StumbleUpon.
Analytical—Install analytics, and pay attention to the results; conduct keyword research while writing your posts.
Relational—Participate where your audience gathers; guest blog, and accept the guest posts of others; interact on other blogs’ comments.

Switching to the blog reader’s point of view, Neil Patel (@neilpatel) answers, “What do you need to keep blog readers loyal?” in his post, 8 Things Your Blog Readers Want More Than Good Content. Following are a few of Patel’s tips.

Show personality + passion—Be yourself, show enthusiasm, and give opinions.
Establish authority—Be an expert on your topic, and put that expertise on display.
Consider design and format—Make everything easy to read, sharp and professional.
Be trustworthy—Be open and honest in your delivery, keep promises and provide credible information. If you make a mistake, admit it and apologize.

For more information on blogging success, check out Men with Pens’ (@MenwithPens) How to Stop Writing Boring Blog Posts.

Social Media for Business

In Can B2Bs Use Social Media to Improve Marketing Effectiveness?, Maria Pergolino (@inboundmarketer) offers a few intriguing stats on the state of social media adoption in B2B marketing.

In a recent Accenture study of B2B marketing executives, nearly two-thirds of respondents believe social media is important for reaching customers and other key audiences.
Per a Worldcom study of B2B company leaders, B2Bs are extending their social media reach, with Twitter and Facebook ranking as top channels (85% and 74%, respectively). 90% of execs surveyed believe social media is increasingly valuable to their companies.
While B2Cs look to social media increase sales, B2Bs tend to focus on lead generation. At PR 20/20, we believe this can and should be taken a step further, to lead nurturing.

Media Relations

Inc. columnist Jeff Haden (@jeff_haden) helps PR professionals pack a punch with their pitches in How to Pitch: 6 Things You Must Know.

In short, the don’ts overpower the dos:

Don’t say your story is unique—If it is, you won’t have to state it.
Don’t beg for publicity—everybody needs it.
Don’t blindly pitch anyone—know his or her interests and recently published work.

In the News

On Jan. 17, ExactTarget launched SocialEngage, its new social media management application, which will replace CoTweet. Users of CoTweet should prepare for the free product’s discontinuation on Feb. 15.
Apple continues to push innovation, this time disrupting education with iBooks2, an iPad app that reinvents textbooks with interactive functionality. In addition, the iBooks Authorapp allows users to create, publish and sell e-books in the Apple Store.
SOPA / PIPA Update: Many sites “went dark” on Wednesday ... then on Friday the bill was pulled. The committee stated it will revisit its approach, but “remains committed to finding a solution to the problem of online piracy that protects American intellectual property and innovation.”
On Jan. 19, Kodak filed for bankruptcy, with debts totaling $6.75 billion. While Kodak may have fallen behind because of its lack of digital innovation, the company is now looking in a new direction—solar energy—for a fresh start. Kodak plans to collaborate with Natcore Technology to produce thin-film solar cells using existing technology and processes.