Tim Peter thinks » del.icio.us links

Super Social and Search Tips Before the Big Game (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – February 3, 2012)

Tim — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:43:33 +0000

This weekend marks one of the biggest days of the years for marketers: the annual Ad Bowl among commercials during some kind of football game or something (I kid, I kid… let’s face it: my beloved Giants are going to crush QB-turned-male-model Tom Brady). But, with props to the great Gary Vaynerchuk, here are some tips to help you crush your competition:

ProBlogger looks at a 4 point formula for developing irresistible content.
Cutting right to the chase, Smedio offers an excellent Small Business Social Media Cheat Sheet.
Speaking of big ad budgets, Business Insider reports that CPG powerhouse P&G is going to slash its marketing budget in favor of social and search. Seems that even old dogs are beginning to learn some new tricks, eh?
Mark Suster looks at balancing web and mobile in a post called “Web Second, Mobile First” that’s well worth the read as you plan your mobile strategy.
And, finally, there’s been a lot of news about the importance of social sites for driving traffic and business. First, one study suggests Pinterest drives more traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined. But, HubSpot offers data suggesting LinkedIn provides much greater value at driving leads. My take? Follow a “core and explore” methodology, focusing first on core initiatives, then testing new channels to see what works best for your business.

Of course, conducting successful tests requires solid measurement. If you’re not sure how to do that, take a look at our Website Analytics Fundamentals series or drop me a line and I’ll give you a hand.

Have a great weekend, Big Thinkers. Enjoy the game. And, say it with me now… Let’s go G-Men!

Are you getting enough value out of your small business website? Want to make sure your business makes the most of the local, mobile, social web? thinks helps you understand how to grow your business via the web, every day. Get more than just news. Get understanding. Add thinks to your feed reader today.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: Google, google, Google Plus, Google+, Google+ Pages, LinkedIn, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy, YouTube

6+ Tips for Social, Search and Social Search Success (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – May 5, 2011) Search and social provide search marketers a match made in...
Social, Local, Mobile… Oh My! (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 18, 2011) Our weekly round-up looks at LinkedIn, Facebook, PayPal and the...
Social Success plus a Slight Bit o’ Search (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – January 29, 2012) Rounding up the best of social and search links for...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Social Success plus a Slight Bit o’ Search (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – January 29, 2012)

Tim — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:40:34 +0000

Just a quick collection of link love to share today, Big Thinkers, all related to social success and how social changes search. Don’t worry, we’ll continue our series on website analytics fundamentals on Monday. But, for now, on with the links:

Linda Bustos shows why Google+ matters to e-commerce.
Social Media Examiner asks whether social media can actually make money—I suspect you’ll like the answer, too.
Search Engine Land picks on Google for crappy search results, questioning whether Google’s attention to Google+ and social has shifted its focus away from search. I think it’s worth asking whether Google’s shift in attention is a sign that customers increasingly care more about search than social. Something to keep an eye on going forward.
Not that social doesn’t have a dark side, The New York Times dives into the practice of paying for good reviews online.

I hope you have a great weekend, folks. See you next week!

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: search, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, sem, seo, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy

6+ Tips for Social, Search and Social Search Success (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – May 5, 2011) Search and social provide search marketers a match made in...
Social and search and… steaks? (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – June 3, 2011) Social begets search which often begets social. And what does...
Here are the social and search changes you should watch this fall (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – September 9, 2011) Search and social change all the time. But what changes...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Build a better blog: 7 tips from top marketers (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – January 13, 2012)

Tim — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 22:33:20 +0000

Getting customers to care about your business often depends upon the quality of your content. And I know of few better ways to build a committed community of customers than with a great blog. In fact, my guide on how to build your small business blog remains one of the most popular parts of this site.

But what if you want more? What if you’re ready to move past the basics? Over the coming weeks, I’m going to look at building a better blog in more detail. But to get you started, check out these 7 tips for improving your content—and improving your marketing:

Leading off, HubSpot shows 11 ways to use content to build your authority online.
Writing can be hard. Thankfully, ProBlogger suggests 10 David Ogilvy quotes to inspire your blogging.
OpenForum has a great piece on 5 simple ways to get more traffic to your website. Spoiler alert: great content factors into heavily in the mix.
Mashable offers 5 steps for creating “magnetic” content.
CopyBlogger looks into the 2nd most important element in your writing.
Getting people to read your content is only half the battle. Which is why I love this ProBlogger piece on what motivates readers to share.
And, finally, Social Media Examiner has a terrific video that explains how to use content marketing to increase your sales.

Enjoy the list, Big Thinkers. And look forward to more in the coming days.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, content, content marketing, content strategy, integrated marketing, internet marketing, marketing, marketing best practices, online brand building, online marketing

Web marketing is more integrated than you think (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 7, 2011) Interested in integrated marketing on the web. We are too....
Guest Post: The Benefits of Guest Posts For Your Small Business Blog by Carol Wilson Guest poster Carol Wilson explores the benefits of guest posts...
These Go to 11: 6 “Marketing 101″ Tips to Take Your Business Further (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 11, 2011) Need some Marketing 101 tips and tricks? Our weekly roundup...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

E-commerce Wins (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – December 9, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:07:50 +0000

>All week, we’ve been looking at the top e-commerce errors companies make. And we’ll continue to update that series over time. But to get you through the weekend, here are other great e-commerce resources you should check out:

First, GrokDotCom has a great look at available resources to help drive greater conversion. It’s a fantastic list.
GrokDotCom also offers a fantastic look at improving calls-to-action
One of the reasons I believe that it’s all e-commerce relates to the growth of mobile devices like tablets. GetElastic shows how tablets are changing content creation and consumption. For additional thoughts on the topic, take a look at our roundup of the best iPad blogging tools.
Finally, Wordtracker has an amazing round-up of 63 conversion tips from this year’s London Conversion Conference. Great stuff.

Have a great weekend, folks. We’ll look forward to seeing you back here next week for more social, local, mobile goodness.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: E-commerce, e-commerce, e-commerce satisfaction, E-commerce strategy, ecommerce, getelastic, GrokDotCom, landing page design, landing page optimization, strategy

E-commerce insights for a rainy Friday (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – April 8, 2011) E-commerce insights looking at analytics, platforms, coupons and Facebook commerce....
Holiday Leftovers (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 25, 2011) Black Friday arrives. Are you ready?...
F-commerce Rising: 12 Tales of E-commerce on Facebook (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – June 17, 2011) F-commerce, e-commerce on Facebook, is still in its infancy, right?...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Holiday Leftovers (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 25, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:16:54 +0000

Today is the biggest shopping day of the year here in the U.S., a time when we overstuffed Americans empty our wallets and burn calories engaged in competitive shopping. To that end, here are this week’s notable news items:

Gartner offers a more sober look at m-commerce stats. I certainly recommend paying attention to your customer’s use, rather than some “global stats.” But this is a topic well worth watching as we move forward.
Internet Retailer suggest Black Friday comes early for e-commerce. Although this is from last month, the point holds: e-commerce sales don’t happen on any one day (not just Black Friday or Cyber Monday). Take advantage.
Dyn looks at how website uptime affects Black Friday revenue.
And, finally, continuing the idea that e-commerce is everywhere, Foursquare looks at Black Friday foot traffic:

Happy Black Friday, Big Thinkers. Have a great weekend.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: E-commerce, e-commerce, E-commerce strategy, e-marketing, ecommerce, F-commerce, Facebook, mobile, Foursquare, Black Friday

Social, Local, Mobile… Oh My! (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 18, 2011) Our weekly round-up looks at LinkedIn, Facebook, PayPal and the...
It’s All E-Commerce, Revisited E-commerce is everywhere, all the time....
IdiotTube? I think not. Learn to improve your marketing using online videos. (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 4, 2011) Use videos from Tim Ash, Avinash Kaushik, Search Engine Land...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Social, Local, Mobile… Oh My! (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 18, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 17:51:54 +0000

I’ve been asking all week whether you’re still talking about the mobile web including looking at whether you need an app for customer reviews. And, I’m not the only one. Here’s this week’s round-up of the best social, local, mobile write-ups on the web:

Rachel Sprung on the HubSpot Blog looks at 20 ways to increase content visibility on the “Top 4″ social networks. What are the “Top 4,” you ask? Why Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. And I’m glad, Rachel includes LinkedIn there, because it’s often overlooked as a key component of your online marketing.
Not sure about LinkedIn? Lisa Barone of Outspoken Media answers why your business should maybe stop ignoring LinkedIn. Great read. And the comments are rock-solid, too.
While we’re on the topic of LinkedIn, the social network’s own blog shows how to add a LinkedIn Recommendations widget to your site and how to gain insights into your LinkedIn company page’s performance.
Speaking of gaining insights into performance, I want to put in shameless plug for my latest HSMAI white paper, “Best Practices for Hotel Website Analytics.” While it’s specifically tailored to the hotel industry, many of the lessons apply regardless of your business. It’s a free download, so check it out.
And, while we’re discussing social and tracking, Mashable has a great review of Facebook’s user tracking secrets. Well worth your time.
Mashable also takes a look at PayPal’s new Facebook app that lets you send money to your friends on the social network. I’ve said before that social commerce is hiding in plain sight. This underscores that point just a bit.

Finally, I’ve shared a couple of videos this week to demonstrate the power of the local, social, mobile web. But it’s possible little can illustrate it as effectively as Social Revolution’s 2011 presentation, which I’ve got right here:

Have a great weekend, Big Thinkers. We’ll catch you back here on Monday.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: analytics, content marketing, content strategy, E-commerce, e-commerce, E-commerce strategy, e-marketing, ecommerce, F-commerce, Facebook, facebook, internet business, internet marketing, marketing, Mashable, measurement, metrics, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy, YouTube, LinkedIn

Social, local, mobile links for the week ending October 14 (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 14, 2011) Rounding up this week's best local, social, mobile links....
Social, Local and Mobile Links of Note (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – August 19, 2011) Rounding up the best social, local, and mobile coverage from...
IdiotTube? I think not. Learn to improve your marketing using online videos. (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 4, 2011) Use videos from Tim Ash, Avinash Kaushik, Search Engine Land...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

These Go to 11: 6 “Marketing 101″ Tips to Take Your Business Further (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 11, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:11:58 +0000

So, here we are on 11/11/11. And whether you’re a fan of the “Nerd New Year” or Spinal Tap
or even if you have no idea at all what I’m talking about, today’s a great day to look ahead. Yes, the year’s coming to a close. Yes, you’re gearing up for the holiday shopping season. Yes, there are always too many things to do. But, if you want to take your business to “…go to 11″ (which is one more, innit?), sometimes the best thing you can do is focus on the fundamentals. So here are 6 great “Marketing and Business 101″ posts to help push you over the top:

Leading off, Search Engine Journal has a remarkable list of SEO guides and tutorials for beginners.
Our old friend Avinash Kaushik offers an awesome look at seven simple data analysis mistakes that can hurt your business.
Pardon any hubris, but I wrote a guest post for TabJuice covering 2 big reasons why social media marketing works.
Entrepreneur Magazine dives into how to make your marketing work together.
Sometimes, the best thing you can do for your business is ask someone for help. That’s why I love SmallBizTrends’ 9 tips on how to find the right mentor.
And, finally, John Jantsch wonders why so many are afraid to sell him something. Because, sometimes, the most fundamental step your business needs to take is asking for the sale.

We’ll see you back here next week, but take a moment and enjoy a classic “11″ moment:

Rock on, Big Thinkers. Rock on…

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: analytics, Avinash Kaushik, marketing, marketing best practices, online marketing, search, search engine marketing, search engine optimization, sem, seo, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social strategy

IdiotTube? I think not. Learn to improve your marketing using online videos. (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 4, 2011) Use videos from Tim Ash, Avinash Kaushik, Search Engine Land...
Web marketing is more integrated than you think (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 7, 2011) Interested in integrated marketing on the web. We are too....
6+ Tips for Social, Search and Social Search Success (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – May 5, 2011) Search and social provide search marketers a match made in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

IdiotTube? I think not. Learn to improve your marketing using online videos. (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – November 4, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:12:01 +0000

We’re going to do something a little different with the link digest today. If you don’t spend much time on YouTube, you’d be amazed all the great learning you can get from the various video channels. And, since the weather’s getting colder (hell, we had 13″ of snow here the other day), why not build a fire, open a nice bottle of wine, curl up with a warm laptop (and, ideally, your significant other), and learn about online marketing and e-commerce from some of the world’s best. Here are just a handful of my favorite videos to help you do just that.

The Search Engine Strategies Conference channel has a great presentation from “Landing Page Optimization” author Tim Ash on building trust online:

Ever need to explain search engine optimization to someone, but struggle in the telling? Show them Search Engine Land’s “What is SEO?” video:

Jason Falls from Social Media Examiner has a great interview with Katie Paine on calculating social media ROI:

As we’re getting towards holiday shopping season, check out Relevantly Speaking’s tips for online retailers to capture more holiday dollars:

And, finally, if you’ve got some time on your hands, check out Avinash Kaushik’s recent webinar on mobile marketing and mobile analytics. Great stuff:

Sit back, enjoy the show, folks. And we’ll see you back here next week.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: Avinash Kaushik, E-commerce, e-commerce, E-commerce strategy, e-marketing, ecommerce, online brand building, online marketing, page design, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy, video, YouTube

F-commerce Rising: 12 Tales of E-commerce on Facebook (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – June 17, 2011) F-commerce, e-commerce on Facebook, is still in its infancy, right?...
Social Success, Succinctly Stated (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 28, 2011) Social success depends on a number of factors. We take...
6+ Tips for Social, Search and Social Search Success (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – May 5, 2011) Search and social provide search marketers a match made in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Social Success, Succinctly Stated (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 28, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 17:53:35 +0000

Earlier this week, we looked at yet another reason why social media marketing is a good idea and how social commerce hides in plain sight. So, today, we’re rounding up links all about social commerce and social marketing success.

On with the links:

Leading off, we’ve got PR Squared, who asks how many tweets it takes to impress the CEO. Kind of reminds me of my look at answering the tough questions about social media. But what’s really great is how PR Squared also looks at how top brands measure social media success. Nice.
Epiphany Marketing has a solid piece that dives into promoting your brick and mortar business online.
Church of the Customer offers excellent insights into how Nordstrom’s creates word of mouth success around the holidays. Even better, they suggest how you can, too.
David Armano provides some great advice on the science behind making your posts shareable.
Brian Solis, author of the excellent new book “The End of Business As Usual,” wonders whether you’re building a social brand or a social business. Money quote? “The difference between a social brand and a social business is internal connectedness, preparedness, and collaborative approach to customer and employee engagement.” Good thinking and a great read.

And, finally, if you’ve ever wondered why your customers don’t buy from you online, check out this video. See if it feels familiar.

Hat tip to Rescue Marketing for the video link.

Have a great weekend everybody. See you right back here next week.

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: blogging, blogs, books, E-commerce, e-commerce, E-commerce strategy, e-marketing, ecommerce, F-commerce, facebook, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social media predictions, Social Media Secrets, social search, social strategy, twitter

6+ Tips for Social, Search and Social Search Success (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – May 5, 2011) Search and social provide search marketers a match made in...
Social, local, mobile links for the week ending October 14 (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 14, 2011) Rounding up this week's best local, social, mobile links....
Making Social Work. Great tips from Chris Brogan, WOMMA, Mashable, SEOmoz and More (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – September 16, 2011) How do you make social work for your business? Tim...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Social, local, mobile links for the week ending October 14 (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – October 14, 2011)

Tim — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 19:47:20 +0000

So, I’ve spent way too much time today playing with my new iPhone. Siri, its voice-activated personal assistant, is every bit as amazing as advertised. Of course, that means that I’ve still got a lot of work to do today. So, as I sometimes do, I’m skipping the setup and getting straight to the links. Enjoy:

Read/Write Web questions whether Google has taken the right approach updating Local listings before asking business owners. What do you think? Good move or “evil”?
Staying on the local search theme, Search Engine Land uncovers Mapquest’s new Vibe service, its entry into the social/local discovery space. And they like what they see. Do you?
Copyblogger shows shows how to use Facebook’s new features to improve your social media marketing. Good stuff.
On the mobile front, GigaOm reports mobile data traffic has doubled in the past 12 months.
Not to be outdone, Search Engine Land shows that the majority of that mobile traffic comes from Apple’s iOS , not Android devices. And Mashable follows up, pointing out that almost all “tablet” traffic is really iPad traffic All the more reason to ensure you’re mobile enough.
Finally, Forbes asks whether “authenticity” still matters in social media marketing.

Enjoy your weekend, Big Thinkers. Now I’m back to playing with my iPhone… I mean, to work!

Or subscribe via email.

And while you’re at it, don’t forget to follow Tim on Twitter.

Tim Peter & Associates helps companies from startups to the Fortune 500 use the web to reach more customers, more effectively every day. Take a look and see how we can help you.

Technorati Tags: Apple, blogging, blogs, content marketing, content strategy, e-commerce, e-marketing, F-commerce, Facebook, facebook, Google, google, Google +1, Google Plus, Google+, integrated marketing, internet business, internet marketing, ipad, iphone, marketing, small business blogging, social, social commerce, social marketing, social media, social search, social strategy, strategy

Social, Local and Mobile Links of Note (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – August 19, 2011) Rounding up the best social, local, and mobile coverage from...
Social, Local, Mobile Links: The Delayed Flight Edition (Small Business Link Digest – June 24, 2011) No fancy setup this week. Just the best social, local,...
SoLoMo is not a disease. But that doesn’t mean we’re not looking for a cure. (Small Business E-commerce Link Digest – July 29, 2011) The social, local, mobile web--SoLoMo--continues to grow. Tim Peter Thinks...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.