The Secret Diary of a Bonafide Marketing Genius

Did you know that 34,000 searches are conducted on Google EVERY SECOND?

Or that 75% of Internet users never scroll past the first page of search results?

Or that US Internet users spend 3x more time on blogs and social networks than they do on email?

True story!

In fact, those are just a few of the fascinating facts you'll discover in this new collection of marketing stats, charts & graphs, based on original research and data from a variety of sources, including analysis of HubSpot's 4,500 customers, surveys with hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses, and dozens of top-notch publications like MarketingSherpa, eMarketer, Pew Research, McKinsey, and more.

The data is grouped into 6 awesome chapters, covering some of today's most relevant marketing topics:

• Inbound vs. Outbound Marketing 
• Search Engine Optimization 
• Social Media 
• Blogging 
• Facebook 
• Twitter

Click through the full deck above for a preview, or download it as a PDF file here.

This may seem obvious, but anyway:
1. Build a strategy that is social BY DESIGN. (Duh)
2. Create an AUTHENTIC brand voice.
3. Make it interactive.
4. Nurture your relationships.
5. Keep learning.

And voila! You are now a Facebook Guru. Time to hang a shingle and make millions of pesos.

You know the shit has hit the proverbial fan when the Chief Creative Officer of J. Walter Thompson, the world's 4th largest advertising agency, makes a statement like this one:

"Audiences everywhere are tough. They don’t have time to be bored or brow beaten by orthodox, old-fashioned advertising.

We need to stop interrupting what people are interested in & BE what people are interested in.”

Oh and for the record, Mr. Davis made that statement six years ago.

I can't speak to how well JWT has done (or not) on delivering on that statement, but I do know this:

Any brand or business that hasn't at least STARTED to adapt their marketing strategy in response to the dramatic and accelerative impact of search engines, social media, and mobile technology is not long for this world.

(That's right—Chicken Little is back. Deal with it.)

But don't take it from me—a lowly [albeit bonafide] marketing genius. Check out the impossible-to-ignore stats in the above deck. Better yet, send it to a few friends.

It wont hurt a bit, I promise.

I'll be honest. It never occurred to me that there WAS a history of "social networking" prior to 2003. At least by the strict definition. Apparently my myopic view of the term was... well, myopic.

On the other hand, all of the REAL action started circa 2003, and only recently began to hit the 'tipping point'. The accelerated rate of adoption, participation, and innovation sorta boggles the mind.

Think about it.

There has been more transformation in media, marketing & communications in general in the past 5 years than in the prior 500.

Fucking amazing, no?

Just downloaded this nifty report from ExactTarget entitled "The Social Breakup," which reveals some interesting insights on “why” and “how” consumers engage with brands across email, Facebook, and Twitter.

The most crucial [if not obvious] key takeaway?

DON'T ANNOY PEOPLE. (More detail: don't harass them, don't smother them, don't be boring, don't be pushy... you get the idea)

Better yet, BE HELPFUL. Give more than you get. Focus on them, not on you.

Easier said than done, I realize, but really, really REALLY good for business.

See, I TOLD you Facebook was going to bring about world peace. Or at the very least earn you a warm hug from a cute girl who wants you to drink more beer.

Just when we thought we'd seen the last of the Old Spice guy, the marketing geniuses behind that insanely popular campaign have figured out a new way to keep us talking about it.

Is it a clever Super Bowl ad, you ask? No.

An iPad application that lets you lather up sexy Isaiah with your favorite Old Spice scent? Sadly, no.

In fact, their strategy is precisely the opposite of what every other marketer is planning as we approach Super Bowl Sunday:

THEY'RE SENDING OUT THE NEW OLD SPICE COMMERCIAL TO AN AUDIENCE OF ONE.

That's right. ONE. One single "Superfan"—a highly-connected one, naturally—will receive the video by email sometime prior to its network debut on February 7. It will be entirely up to him/her to "share" and get that "viral" ball rolling.

Sounds a tad risky, no? Certainly unconventional. Anything but predictable.

And that's exactly why I suspect it will be a huge win.

Hell, we're talking about it ALREADY. And nothing has even happened yet!!!!

Congrats again, Old Spice, on avoiding the safety of the cowpath and scoring big BIG points for blazing a new trail. Aint nothin' "Old" about you guys.

I'll be honest. When I first started using Foursquare, I was hooked. Almost immediately. Perhaps it was my competitive nature? My curiosity?

Whatever it was, it was compelling enough to have me obsessively "checking in" pretty much everywhere—much to the annoyance of my family and friends who had to put up with such nonsense as my minor hissy fit when the "I'm on a boat" badge wasn't unlocked during our Philadelphia Duck Boat tour.

(Seriously, WTF?!)

At some point, though, I grew tired of checking in and sort of... stopped.

Apparently, I'm in the minority (at least according to the above infographic).

3400% growth? Not too shabby, Foursquare. Not too shabby at all.