Archive: 2013

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Some Definition Behind “Natural Link Building” for #SEO

For those who don’t live, eat and inhale #SEO, the terminology can be perplexing. Like the emphasis on natural or organic link building. It’s easy enough to understand that you shouldn’t buy a bunch of links from a guy named Borislav with a site in Bulgaria. The price point, 100 links for $9.99, also tips …more

The Flaw in Global PR “Partner” Networks

As U.S. companies increasingly search for revenue overseas, demand for global PR rises as well. For the vast majority of PR agencies without global capabilities, this poses a quandary. Do they start investing in building out a global infrastructure – a pricy proposition with the ROI years down the road – or establish relationships with …more

Amazon Recognizes the Journey in Building Its Brand

We’ve devoted a fair amount of real estate to branding and the big companies who trip over their brand narratives in spite of massive resources. Hello United. Money doesn’t guarantee brand utopia. But what about the companies who get it right? Inevitably, they understand there’s a journey to building a great brand. Amazon offers a …more

Phantom Interview with Groupon CEO Andrew Mason on His Resignation Letter

Andrew Mason’s resignation letter last week reflected the best of storytelling in business communications. With this in mind, I tried to track down Mr. Mason to take us behind the curtain in how the letter came about. Unfortunately, he proved elusive. If Mason had agreed to an interview, I suspect the exchange would have gone …more

Groupon CEO Gets Business #Storytelling

It doesn’t matter whether you’re an athlete, singer or executive, the true test of your mettle comes from failure.   That’s why I was impressed with Andrew Mason’s farewell note to the Groupon troops.   Say what you will about Mr Mason’s performance as a CEO – and every journalist and his brother has – …more

The Plight of Electronic Engineering Times and Other Niche Publications

Word has circulated through the grapevine that EE Times has experienced yet another staff reduction. At least the move comes at a time when companies including those in the semiconductor industry have got the content marketing religion. For journalists open to exploring gigs outside the traditional media, they’ll find options. But what about EE Times? …more

The Role of the Hashtag in a Forbes Headline Attracting Over 400K Views

Eric Savitz at Forbes oversees the CIO Network, a forum for executives to articulate a point of view. If you scroll through a few months of these byliners, you’ll see the number of views at 1,000, 2,000 and a select few tipping the 5K mark for bragging rights. As noted in “Social Numbers Don’t Mean …more

The Corporate Speak vs. #Storytelling Debate

Dare I say, storytelling has become downright trendy in business communications. “Narrative” has officially entered the PR vernacular. Yet, just because words like “protagonist,” “story arc” and yes, “narrative,” get bandied about doesn’t guarantee storytelling has displaced corporate speak. The SlideShare deck, “The Return of Storytelling vs. Corporate Speak,” shares some of the science and …more