The inbound movement gains traction every day in the marketing world.

It works for companies of all types when getting more end-results from their marketing dollars. 

The 2013 State of Inbound Marketing Annual Report contains findings gathered from 3,339 marketing professionals from 128 countries. 

The main conclussion: inbound marketing generates many more leads and at a significantly lower cost than outbound methods. 

When you're stuck and need content inspiration to fuel your marketing strategy, do some keyword research –and for that use the Google's AdWords Keyword Tool.

Enter your domain name to identify strategic keywords you want to target. And especially look for long-tail keywords which contain three words or more and indicate problems that people need solving.

Good luck!

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have captured public attention. Beyond that, the elearning industry is moving fast.

How can students learn more effectively? How technology can expand the understanding of teaching and learning?

These videos give a clue. They hightlight some of Stanford University's experimentation. 

This is big.

EdX will be available as an open source learning platform on June 1.

Doing so, the EdX platform –which was created by Harvard and MIT– will become the Linux of learning.

EdX will also receive the support of Stanford University that will integrate features of its existing Class2Go open source online learning plafform. (However much of that code is already synchorized).

Behind this huge announcement for the elearning industry –in where IBL Studios develops content, software and marketing solutions– is the goal of mentioned universities of evaluate how students best learn, and how faculties can best teach, in an online environment.

While they continue to develop MOOCs (Massive open online courses), they explore new ways of packaging online content, flipped classrooms, interactive video, social interaction... They're asking the big questions about where online is going and what it means for education itself.

Open source online learning platform such as edX will allow universities to control branding of their educational material and develop their own delivery method.

The edX source code will include its Learning Management System Studio, a course authoring tool; xBlock, an API for integrating third-party learning objects; and machine grading API's. All will be accessed this June from the edX Platform repository. 

Content curation is used by many marketers to generate a steady stream of high quality and relevant materials.

These sites have all been successful in leveraging third party content, optimizing it, adding value, and building audience:

• Upworthy
• Huffington Post
• BuzzFeed
• Brain Pickings
• TechMeme

Usually these media outlets employ professional journalists and relies on three pilars: community, algorithms and editors.

All these sites will provide you good inspiration for your content curation.

Read: How to curate content like a pro.

The future can be predicted... at least in marketing.

Here is an interesting e-book that will serve as your navigation system into the world of marketing.

  
I like this approach of inbound marketing, written by Steve Hall at the HubSpot's blog.

"Your goal should be to create informative content that directly addresses the changing needs of your audience as they travel from prospect to lead to customer."

"In today's Google-fueled world, it's about creating fantastically useful content and imaginery that informs, educates, enlightens, and concisely addresses a particular interest."

"The premise of inbound marketing is based on the fact that the buyer can ask the Internet anything they want and get an answer."

• Blogs have to be well designed and well written.
   
• Compelling infographics have to be created to support content and social media efforts.
   
• Landing pages have to be designed to convert well.
   
• Websites have to have a single-minded focus and take visitors through an easy-to-navigate path.
   
• Emails have to be crafted by copywriters who know how to sell.
   

It's not all about selling a product nor telling people how great you are. It's about answering a question in an informative manner. It's about listening to your prospect through social media, and authentically and educationally engaging with them.

Traditional advertising interferes with a person's content consumption patterns: a TV commercial, pop-up ad, intrusive, expanding ad. With inbound marketing, the content is the ad. There is no interruption.

When a person comes into contact with your content, you provide the best possible user experience. At each stage of the funnel, you provide the right information at the right time to both build trust and serve the information needs of an individual.

             
The marketing market is moving fast, and growth opportunities are everywhere. And inbound marketing is giving agencies the power to differentiate.

Agencies are using blogs, social networks, online video, e-mail marketing, webinars, podcasts, and e-books to connect with prospects and clients in a more meaningful and effective way.

In my view, one of the first things to do is to revamp your website, aiming to turn it into a lead generation machine.

Websites still function as a static (and increasingly outdated) brochure for many companies.

But your website is no longer just about making a fantastic first impression. Your prospect is reading your website.

Some tips:

1. Make sure your website is cohesive and visually appealing. First judgement is made in a second.
    
2. Keywords strategy. Using an online grader, identify keywords that are both relevant to your industry and have search traffic volume. Your must know that 80 percent of searches are performed on Google.
    
3. Insert meta data, H1 tags and call-to-action pages. Do you have educational videos, white paper, articles, case study or how-to-guides? Offer these premium sources of content in exchange for the web visitor's contact information in order to get leads.
    
4. Have an active blog that discusses topics relevant to your customers and industry. At least add 10-15 post per month for best Google results.
    
5. Think of the investment in your website as a sales person.

Examine this fast-growing e-commerce start-up. It might inspire you to disrupt that traditional industry you have in mind.

Warby Parker sells glasses online. They are shaking up the wear-eye industry, which until now has been dominated by a few companies.

This start-up does everything: designing, manufacturing and selling their inexpensive products directly to its Web-savvy customers.

One of the buzz concepts in the digital marketing landscape is inbound marketing, which is basically advertising a company through content tools, like blogs, newsletters, videos, ebooks, whitepapers, as well as using techniques as SEO, pay-per-click advertising and social media marketing.

In other words, it is about earning the attention of customers and prospects, making the company's website easy to be found and drawing leads to the website in order to convert them into sales.

It is synonymous with the concept of permission marketing. And, according to Hubspot, is especially effective for small businesses that deal with high dollar values, long research cycles and knowledge-based products.

It is interesting to notice that, in contrast, there is "outbound marketing", that is: TV, radio and print advertisements, direct marketing (or paper mail), sales flyers, telemarketing, spam, email marketing. Obviously, this is from the 20th century.

I found these videos, which explain what is the process of executing an inbound campaign.

Inbound marketing (or content marketing) is the new SEO (Search Engine Optimization).

Google's continuous updates to its ranking algorithm is changing everyday the nature of the SEO business.

Today's SEO business must make more relevant strategic content creation and distribution through blogging, social media, email and media relations.

Modern link building looks like inbound marketing.

• The 2009 Google Caffeine Update meant content on the web would be indexed faster, and websites with frequently updated content would outrank static ones.
   
• The 2011 Google Panda Update involved cracking down on websites full of machine-generated, duplicated, keyword-stuffed or low-quality content.
   
• The 2012 Google Penguin Update penalized sites with large volumes of inbound links from untrustworthy websites, such as links farms.

On the HTML5 vs. iOS/Android apps' debate where are you?

In many areas HTML5 apps are ahead, and their cross-platform potential will make them reign over native apps on the long term.

In addition to their cross-platform deployment costs, there is the update speed and distribution control factor.

However, if you are seeking monetization –selling apps online–, graphically-rich user interfaces and data presentations, then you need native app stores –Apple's App Store and Google Play.

Business Insider is analyzing the issue.

Are your company still spending money in interruption advertising, cold calls, trade shows and direct marketing?

This video explains in the first minute and a half why that kind of traditional advertising is not effective anymore.

HubSpot, the firm that produced these two videos, is promoting its inbound marketing software, which is a good solution. 
 

My friend Marc Halpert is a LinkedIn branding and positioning trainer. He teaches how to use properly LinkedIn as a social networking tool.

Here is a short excerpt video of Marc teaching Connecticut business owners to leverage LinkedIn.

Surely you will learn a thing or two!

Following with the responsive design series, here is a straightforward testing-tool that you should keep at hand, Responsi.

It allows to see how your responsive designs holds up.

Responsi provides drag-to-resize viewport and several standard device 'pre-sets'.

Another good tool is Screenfly.

           
It seems clear that in order to generate leads, you need to expand your presence in the social mediasphere.

Successful companies understand that they must be present and engage on social platforms.

See how 101 firms have mastered their skills in social media marketing.

HubSpot have launched a great free ebook: "101 Companies Rocking Social Media Marketing".

Get it here.

In a time where tuition costs are rising, and technology is quickly disrupting major industries, many entrepreneurs are wondering why innovation hasn't driven down the cost.

The Gates Foundation is investing heavily in education technology. It recently announced that it has invested $100 million in startup inBloom, a service that helps teachers tailor lessons to individual students.  

Pope Francis is blowing up the Twittersphere.

The Argentine-born Pope has tweeted only three times since election.

Leader of the global world and social media star.

Very exciting times!

We are developing a couple of online stores for two international companies, and we realize while browsing around that many product pages are built without the consumer in mind.

Naturally, it results in high abandonment rates and user frustration.

On the contrary, companies with optimized product pages experience favorable conversion metrics and better visitors' engagement.

"Who are the best?" –one of my clients asks.

Well, according to Website Magazine the best ones are:

1. Nordstrom
2. Wal-Mart
3. Victoria's Secret
4. Toys "R" Us
5. Ulta

I would also add at least these ones: Apple, Macy´s, Best Buy and Zappos.

Music Tube is a free iOS app to listen and watch music videos from YouTube.

Search by genre, create playlists to continuously listen music and see top lists.

It is a great alternative to digital subscription services like Spotify Premium or Pandora. 

YouTube has opened up its new design for channels to all users. So far it was available only as limited beta.

It is called YouTube One Channel.

Users can include a big header on the top of their channels. Also, they can organize their channel videos and player better.

To upgrade to the new look, go to youtube.com/onechannel.

When you are in the middle of a sale cycle, what is the probability to close the deal?

My friend John Harmon, managing director of Adulant Consulting Services, conducted this week in Stamford, Connecticut, a workshop about how to be successful in direct sales.

One of the inspiring ideas he expressed was about prospect management. See above's slide.

And remember, never consider a deal close until you have a signed order!
 

The conclave to elect the next pope will begin in Rome this Tuesday, the 12th of March.

What a better way to follow the election of the successor for Benedict XVI that using an app?

• Be among the first to see the white smoke rise –watch the live video feed from St. Peter's Square.
   
• Learn about the cardinals in the conclave –115 electors, and 1 future pope.
   
• Read the official documents instating, defining, and amending the conclave's process.
   
• Follow key Catholic sources and authorities.
   
• See what Twitter has to say about the conclave.

Here you are two apps I recommend to keep you up to date on papal election. They are available for both iOS and Android.

• Conclave
  
  
• The Pope App
  
  
  

Responsive Web design is changing the way websites are developed.

As I said in the last post, this technology is terrific for lots of things, but it demands a thoughtful approach to the user experience.

There are several guiding principles as you design (or redesign) responsive websites while using techniques and tools to move navigation, images, text and elements based on each device.

I found this one.

(One final note: when you have complex mobile applications is better to opt for a mobile compliant website as it provides greater control.)

Suddenly, everyone in the web design industry are talking about "responsive architecture".

Question is obvious: should I move my website there?

Yes, you should. Basically, because it eliminates the need for a different design and development phase for each new gadget on the market.

Responsive web design is the approach that suggests that design and development should respond to the user's behavior and environment based on screen size, platform and orientation. As the user switches from their laptop to iPad, the website should automatically switch to accommodate for resolution, image size and scripting abilities.

Technically, the practice consists of a mix of flexible grids and layouts, images and an intelligent use of CSS media queries.