It is, again, that time of year when we turn and look at what we did, the resolutions that we have not fulfilled, the facts that surprised us positively and those that made us despair for days or weeks.
It is also that time when we look back to the enormous mass of posts, which were published without end throughout the year, and discover in fact, just how few of them have stood the test of time.
Time determines the life on Internet; and that is even truer for web marketing. Ultimately, it is rightly so, because this is its nature: information that, like water in a stream, flows without ever stopping.
For this reason we favourite links, star tweets, save the most interesting paragraphs on Evernote or pin photos and images we see. For this reason, we curate.
2014 Curated Post Series
That is why today and in the following weeks I will be publishing a series of posts listing what I consider the best articles in web marketing published this year.
The series will be so developed as follows:
- The best posts about Web Marketing Strategy (this one you are reading now)
- The best posts about Technical SEO, Panda, Penguin, Hummingbird and Pigeon
- The best posts about Content Marketing and Strategy
- The best posts about Social Media, Analytics and Tools
This “classification” reflects also the same methodology I use when working:
- Shaping a strategy
- Identifying and solving technical problems related to our technical facet as digital marketers
- Creating and strengthening the voice of the brands for which we work
- Analyzing results
I know that many exceptional posts will be absent, but I ask you to forgive me, because:
- I am just one person, not a bot … I cannot read everything published
- When we do content curation, subjectivity is essential. The real curator is not a cold encyclopedist: he is an ideologist, who expresses his personal way of seeing something using the mirror of what he shares
#TwitterTuesday @Flickr : Can a human living in #space participate too? https://t.co/Obtv3l2IQG pic.twitter.com/ht6Ald9KLK
— Samantha Cristoforetti (@AstroSamantha) December 9, 2014
Maybe the best example of how Offline and Online are the same thing...
The best of Web Marketing Strategy in 2014
15 Psychological Studies That Will Boost Your Social Media Marketing
Published in the Buffer blog and written by Kevan Lee.
Why in this list?
Because psychology has become (at last) an essential asset in web marketing.
It can be empirical, as most of the studies here presented by Keyan Lee are based on neuroscience.
In any case, the study of why of the actions and reactions of the Internet users has become essential, so to be able to perfectly calibrate the potential effectiveness of the messages that a brand launches.
One-Trick Ponies Get Shot
Published on Portent and written by Ian Lurie.
Why in this list?
Because I could not find a better source to everybody asking me to define the real meaning of Digital Marketing Strategy, that’s all.
Just read these eight statements:
- A strategy isn’t a goal;
- A strategy helps determine repeatable tactics;
- A strategy links factors to goals using metrics;
- A digital marketing strategy has a specific goal or goals;
- A digital marketing strategy Is blind to silos;
- A marketing strategy withstands change;
- A strategy transcends channels.
So say we all.
How Inflow Does Audience Profiles
Published in the Inflow blog and written by Everett Sizemore.
Why in this list?
Sure, there are sexier posts about audience profiling, but I like this more than any other post because of its very keen to the reality nature. It presents what a web agency really does, how to profile an audience with a “normal” budget and offers real examples.
The list of data sources that we can use for creating audience profiles and the additional list of relevant content about this topic, then, are by themselves due using the Everett’s post as a long-lasting source of information.
The Paradox of Exceptional Marketing
Speech for Conductor C3, deck on Slideshare, authored by Rand Fishkin.
Why in this list?
The simple fact of using the Fermi’s Paradox as a metaphor of what is the real problem Web Marketing deals with now, makes this deck worth of being included in this list.
Brands as Publishers
Published in Hugeinc.com Ideas.
Why in this list?
Because this is probably the most complete essay about why we are seeing big brands becoming publishers, and why creating branded content and giving a real voice to a brand so to be able to create real conversations with its customers are so common and so successful now.
Eye Tracking in 2014: How Users View and Interact with Today’s Google SERPs
Published on Moz and written by Rebecca Maynes.
Google Organic Click-Through Rates in 2014
Published on Moz and written by Philip Petrescu.
Why are they on this list?
Because search engines still represent the most important source of traffic for any website, therefore I want to know how users relate with SERPs.
And because I am still an SEO.
The Image of the Year (1/4)
So there you have it. The best posts in Web Marketing Strategy from 2014. Keep following the State of Digital blog for the next in my four post series curating all the best content from throughout 2014.