You probably were a little puzzled by the news, too — that Google is opening retail stores. (I think they ought to open kiosks in Home Depot and Lowe’s store; that’s where I need the most help searching for things.) What does Google expect to get out of it? TechCrunch explains.
Forbes lists six of them, but I think they left out an important one: learn html.
By learning at least the basics of html, you’ll start to understand how easy — or how difficult — it is to accomplish things on a web page. This will give you a leg up on other marketers for a few reasons: You’ll be able to make more educated requests of your tech partners, you’ll have a greater appreciation for the work your tech team accomplishes, and you may even come up with some new ideas for your website or landing page that you otherwise may not have.
Years ago, there was an outgoing art director of Entertainment Weekly magazine who was being feted in that issue’s editorial. It was noted that “the best artists think editorially, and the best editors think artistically.”
Similarly: The best online tech people think with some marketing context, while the best online marketers think with some tech knowledge.
Takeaway for marketers: Don’t be afraid to roll up your sleeves and dig in. Knowledge is power. Learn some html; you won’t be sorry.
Rule number one: If you want someone to respond to your request for feedback, make sure your email can be read.
This is an actual screen grab of an actual email received from an actual hotel chain. Grey text on black background? This is not okay.
Come on, DoubleTree — you say you value my opinion, but evidently you don’t value my eyesight.
This is amateur hour crap, and it reflects really poorly on Hilton.
Then again, so does Paris … but that’s another story for another blog.
Marketing takeaway: Test your email on all sorts of platforms and in all sorts of email clients. If it looks like this, fix it.
According to Social Media Today, the best days for posting to Facebook are weekends while Mondays and Tuesdays are the worst. They have some additional tips — well worth reading if you feel that Facebook is an important part of your digital marketing communications program.
We’re six weeks into the new year, but I bet you’re still asking yourself: “Self? What were the biggest wins and fails in social media last year?” Well, there’s an infographic for that.
