Hot off the Press
Dissecting Facebook IPO [KISSmetrics]
Could Facebook Become the First $1 Trillion Company? [Mashable]
25 Examples of QR Codes on Business Cards [Inspiration Feed]
Advertising With the Promise of Being “One of Us” [Adweek]
How Content Marketing Builds on Thought Leadership [Jeff Bullas]
Experiential Marketing Subway Stop for Prometheus [Adverblog]
Gaining Referrals Through SEO [SEOmoz]
DVR Ad Eraser Shakes Up TV Ad Business Model [NY Times]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
Sassy referee couldn’t care less that it’s Friday.

Hot off the Press
Small Media Creates Value [Adverblog]
The Fallacy of Information Overload [Brian Solis]
Too Much Storytelling Online? [Bobby Rettew]
Social Media as a Marketing Foundation [ClickZ]
Know Your Mobile Audience [60 Second Marketer]
To Businesses Fearing Social Media [Wonder Branding]
How & When to Measure ROI [Ad Age]
Perfecting Content Curation [Econsultancy]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
Wait, how did this picture of me end up on Shutterstock?

Hot off the Press
Can Business Strategy be Crowdsourced? [WSJ]
Importance of Segmentation in Email Marketing [HubSpot]
Engagement on Google+ [Mashable]
New ESPN & Twitter Ad Program Links Social to TV [ClickZ]
Overcoming Business Blogging Hurdles [MMangen]
Interested in Buying One Share of Facebook Stock? [All Facebook]
The Ultimate LinkedIn Guide for 2012 Grads [Sociable360]
Facing Consumer Criticism on Social Media [Adweek]

 Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
Baffled as to how he went from lead singer of Smash Mouth to stock photo model and Guy Fieri stunt double.

Hot off the Press
13 Things Your Customers Want You to Know [Inc.]
Marriage Proposal via Banner Ad [Ad Age]
Sightseeing App as Branded Content [Adverblog]
How Perspective Affects Advertising [Beyond Mad Ave]
Which Metrics are the Most Helpful? [KISSmetrics]
Mercedes-Benz’s QR Code Trophies [Digital Buzz Blog]
Leveraging Audio Clips for Your Brand [Social Fresh]
Redefining the Consumer Engagement Path [Adotas]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
Uhhh…I’ll just wait for the next one, thanks.

Hot off the Press
Integrating PR into Your Small Biz Marketing Plan [ClickZ]
Febreze’s New Olympic Campaign [NY Times]
TV Storytellers Push Plots to Social Media [Ad Age]
Improving Your eNewsletter’s Readability [Adotas]
Facebook Launches App Center [USA Today]
Facebook’s New Try at Wooing Small Biz [Inc.]
How B2B Marketers Can Success on Social Networks [HubSpot]
Rules of Engagement for Facebook Brand Pages [Duncan Daily]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
That’s a wax apple.

Stay on Topic
According to recent research, status updates regarding a topic that was relevant to the brand. Facebook users likely became fans of your brand page because they like your company or your products, it’s only logical that they’ll subsequently be drawn to content regarding your brand or company.

Ask Questions & Use Polls
Asking your fans questions is a quick way to get your fans to start commenting. In addition to just asking questions, the polls feature also gives you an excellent opportunity to quickly ask for input from brand page’s fans – by giving users options, they can share their opinion with the click of a button, as opposed to typing out a written response and posting it as a comment

Post Picture & Videos
While likes are great, shares might mean even more in terms of marketing on Facebook. With updates constantly appearing on users’ newsfeeds, one of your goals for Facebook should be to expand your brand page’s reach by appearing on more newsfeeds – how do you do this? By getting users to share your updates by posting compelling content like pictures and videos. The Timeline page design encourages more media-based updates from your brand.

Understand the Importance of the Brand Page Cover Photo
For the longest time, with previous profile design for brand pages, Wall posts were the ultimate way to grab a user’s attention, that has since shifted. With the introduction of the Timeline design and its impressive Cover Photo feature, studies have shown that users’ eyes have moved up and away – moving from the content featured on the Wall to the featured Cover Photo.

One eye tracking study found that 100% of viewers glanced at the brand page’s Cover Photo, while between 65% to 92% looked at the Wall content. The Photos, Likes, Facebook Apps and Events tabs below the Cover Photo have been getting more attention on the new brand pages.

Utilize Insights
Facebook’s Insights program offers brands an excellent tool to help determine which of their page’s posts are getting the most engagement from your users and how many clicks, shares, views and shares they’re receiving. Here’s some great, um, insight into how to use Insights.

Hot off the Press
Understanding Negative SEO [Search Engine Watch]
Store Clothes Have Real-Time Like Counters [Adweek]
Facebook to Brands: You’re Posting Stuff Wrong [Ad Age]
The Future of TV is More Than Social [Brian Solis]
Social Media & Global Power [Mashable]
Who Drives More Sales? Pinterest or Facebook? [Econsultancy]
Draw Something’s New Ad Model [PSFK]
11 Apps Every Marketer Should Download [HubSpot]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
Military training obstacle courses are prime locations for senior photos.

Hot off the Press
Get Customers to Brag About Your Business [AllBusiness]
Simple Goals for Your Digital Strategy [ClickZ]
Ads With Different Endings [NY Times]
Improving Consumer Perception [Adweek]
Writing for a Mobile Audience [Ragan's]
Zuckerberg’s Pitch for Facebook IPO [USA Today]
Examining Your Product’s Community [Social Fresh]
Ten Best Marketing Infographics of 2012 [Hubspot]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
This doctor’s completely unprofessional – notice there’s no paper covering the seat.

Hot off the Press
11 Things to Tweet Now [Inc.]
Why Pinterest for Marketing is a Must [Bit Rebels]
More on Facebook IPO [AllFacebook]
Top 10 Star Wars Ads of All Time [SocialTimes]
Inspired Web Design [Daily Egg]
Where’s Your Forum Strategy? [SME]
Mixing Marketing with Social Games [NY Times]
Advertising & Marketing Lessons from the Mavs [Duncan Daily]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
You’re doing it all wrong. And stop smiling.

Hot off the Press
What’s Your Value Proposition? [Practical Ecommerce]
Aligning Online Video & TV Campaigns [eMarketer]
The Shadow QR Code [Adverblog]
Three Hypnotic Power Words [KISSmetrics]
Improving Email Marketing with Social Media [ClickZ]
Five LinkedIn Features You Might Be Missing [Sociable 360]
Tumblr’s New Advertising Program [Adotas]
Weather.com Gets More Social [Ad Age]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day
The laziest Halloween mask ever.

Somewhere between past glory, present success and hope for the future sit the Dallas Mavericks. While the Mavs presently find themselves in a two-game deficit in a best-of-seven series against the younger, feistier Thunder, one can’t overlook the success the Dallas team had this past season.

Can your company relate? Are you going through personnel changes, keeping up with the competition all the while looking to transition from a past filled with success to a future with high hopes of similar glory? Lucky for you, these Dallas Mavericks can teach you quite a few things on advertising and marketing.

Combine Proven Tactics With New Methods
So how have Dirk Nowitzki & Co. been able to keep pace with the younger, fresher legs in this lockout-shortened 2012 campaign? With a perfect blend of experience, proven tactics, energy and passion.

If your company’s bread and butter has been print ads, radio spots or direct mail pieces, don’t lose sight of their importance just because social media seems to be all the rage in advertising and marketing.

Find your Dirk or Jason Kidd. Find your pick and roll. Combine that proven commodity or strategy with newer methods. Promoting on Facebook or Twitter (your Roddy Beaubois, if you will) could give your advertising and marketing efforts the spark you’re looking for.

Stay Fresh
Expecting your customers and fans to maintain their rate of growth without any incentive can prove disastrous– research has shown that two out of every five Facebook users eventually “unlike” a company’s page.

If a person was so drawn to a company that he or she would publicly profess their affinity for said company, what could possibly draw them to publicly denounce the company? Nearly 50% of the individuals polled said the brand was no longer of interest to them, 46% said the information available was not interesting, 36% claimed the information was published too often and, to make things even more confusing, 14% cited not enough status updates as the reason for their new found disdain.

So how do you keep your fans interested? The same way the Mavericks keep the American Airlines Center packed every night – just as the Mavs stock their bench with effective and passionate players, you should keep your website and social media pages updated with compelling, engaging content. Looking for a few ideas on content? Check out our blog post from earlier this year.

Keep Your Edge & Stay Hungry
The Mavericks found the ultimate prize in 2011, an elusive NBA title, but did that slow them down in 2012? Did they rest on their laurels and take the following season off to recoup after a successful championship run? No, absolutely not.

After initial success has been found it’s easy to pump the brakes on your promotional efforts, however it’s often in these moments that you face the stiffest competition – be it ramped up advertising campaigns from competitors or increased interference in relationships with your audience. Just as Dirk eventually fired back after repeated shots from the Thunder’s Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka on Monday night, you have to be prepared to fight for the attention of your customer base.

Defense, Defense, Defense
As popular as a flashy offense might be, the importance of an effective defense can’t be overlooked. As the 2011 Dallas Mavericks and 2012 Defensive Player of the Year and former Mav Tyson Chandler can attest defense wins championships (or advertising awards/hearts of consumers in your case). Applying defense to your online marketing efforts is as easy as monitoring your competition and defending your brand’s image and reputation whenever such an instance might arise.

Hot off the Press
The 2012 Mavericks & Advertising/Marketing [Duncan Daily]
The Best of Rhett & Link Viral Local Ads [Adweek]
25 Tips for Staying Smart on Twitter [Constant Contact]
Effective Google AdWords Campaigns [The Social Mavens]
Seven Rules for Responding to Customers Online [Mashable]
From Social Brand to Social Business [Brian Solis]
The Evolving Nature of Brand Alignment [SMT]
Ten Brands Doing Post-Advertising Right [Post Advertising]

Rejected Stock Photo of the Day