Strategies are always changing in the world of marketing; like an old t-shirt, some methods become more transparent as time goes on and can become repugnant to some consumers. I use the clothing analogy as I’m well known for hanging onto t-shirts for a decade – they do literally become quite transparent and yes, my family does find them rather repugnant :) (more…)

Just started a forum and need some posts? Want to get your company name into high profile forums without writing a single word – and only have to spend peanuts to do so?

Sounds pretty enticing? (more…)

It’s little wonder increasing numbers of people are using anti-spyware apps given all the nasties out here; but if you’re into affiliate marketing and a member of some of the major networks, you’re probably losing commission revenue as a result of the trend.

It’s somewhat of a double edged sword – we all want to see our users being security conscious, but preferably not at the expense of our affiliate commissions :). (more…)

Default image suppression was recently formally given the nod as an ISP industry best practice by the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group and the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

The ramifications of this in the time ahead as more ISP’s implement image suppression is increasing numbers of users won’t be able to view images in email marketing messages without some sort of manual intervention. There’s also the issue of innaccurate tracking of the performance of email campaigns as this is mostly done through the use of invisible images. (more…)

In a recent survey of 400 businesses consisting of a mix of totally online and bricks and mortar stores, it was revealed that while the majority of respondents spent 5% or less of their marketing budget on email marketing, a quarter stated over 11% of their sales were generated through email campaigns. (more…)

While email marketing, banners and search have been the leading mediums for marketing generally in recent years, a new survey released last week points to major changes; particularly in relation to technology industries. The humble blog certainly looks set to take center stage in the years ahead for driving B2B technology related sales. (more…)

Considering starting an affiliate program for your company? Do you know the sorts of features quality affiliates are looking for in a partnership? (more…)

Toyed with the idea of launching your own social networking MySpace-type site? If you’re approaching it thinking you’ll have total control over its evolution; then you may want to try another project instead. (more…)

A TTB reader wrote to me a short while ago about a search engine optimization competition he was competing in where there were substantial cash prizes.

The goal of the competition was to have the highest ranked page on a certain made up keyword by the end of this year. He was doing pretty well in his efforts, so I was looking forward to writing about the competition, his success so far and to send a little more link love his way.

But… (more…)

It’s the dream of most marketers. Sending out a special offer which then is forwarded on to many others; taking on a life of its own. Or is it?

In the case of Starbucks, it seems to have been a nightmare; with an interesting side effect for an enterprising competitor and some great lessons for all of us in marketing. (more…)