Mike Essex

If a client had an audience that don't typically buy on mobiles (and doesn't even sell online) would you still recommend implementing a mobile site or would that be a waste of effort/ budget.

It really depends on the start-up. Get the marketing basics in place first and do your market research. If it's not ecommerce or something you're selling online and your audience don't typically buy online then do outbound first. If your business will be driven by online then do inbound first (but consider PPC if you need more imminent results).

However I'd say every business needs some form of online AND offline marketing if they want to success. Even if it's just a web presence and some printed literature.

Another thing to consider: Any company in the stock index will have analysts scrutinising their every move and searching for information. Crappy posts can be picked up by them and if the content doesn't align with current market values if could affect the share price (seriously). I'm not saying every dull post will do this but it's very easy to say the wrong thing and have it picked apart if you can't back it up. 

Or you could just write something dumb that blows up in the press like Wonga did when they wanted to write a post to target people with student loans http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/loans/2012/01/wonga-branded-morally-offensive-for-targeting-students.

I wish more SEO's would think this way, rather than assuming that a site with 100 blog posts will automatically outrank one with 10 blog posts.

The problem is it's easier to turn out a generic blog post than it is to fix the real issues a site faces or to create genuinely compelling product pages that convert. 

Writing fluff filled blog posts pads out a report to a client and certainly makes you look busy, heck it may even bring in traffic but will that traffic convert? I have a hard time believing it will. Either choose an SEO agency that has writers, or spend time internally researching user behaviours and needs and then fill in the content gaps you have. Or better yet do both.

@massaraksh_ Go for it! A good place to get started is Wattpad. They let people read your work in progress stories and you can add them 1 chapter at a time. You can also mail subscribers if you decide to self/publish the finished book so you get fans as well. 

@SujanDeswal Thanks Sujan. I'd love to hear what you think of the book so please let me know and I'll be sure to let you know if I get started on the non fiction one.

Interesting, I've been wanting to try it but feel like my own blog needs some attention first. I've noticed a lot of people posting their own blog content on there and then promoting their blog at the end which seems like the way to go if you want to build an audience.

Such a great idea for a thread Sujan!

I write Sci-Fi / dystopia novels in my spare time and just finished my first trilogy called 'Tethered Twins'. The first book is free pretty much everywhere digitally (Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Apple, Smashwords, Wattpad etc).

Currently deciding between starting a new series of novels or a non-fiction book about the lessons I've learnt working both client and agency side.

Great execution every time. Any designer will get bombarded with 100 ideas of what's right but only they are the ones to make it right.

And here's another very public piece of backlash http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tv/s108/the-apprentice/news/a499467/dr-christian-jessen-slams-alan-sugar-for-leah-totton-apprentice-win.html. A prominent figure concerned she doesn't have enough experience (sounds familiar doesn't it?).

I don't really mind placeholders, so long as the text disappears when I start typing in the box. In that scenario I hate them with a passion.

Another point to consider is that the backing of Alan Sugar won't make it a success or prove enough track record. Just look at Bannatyne Digital, the agency of Duncan Bannatyne. It launched with lots of promise and then fizzled out rather quickly. In less than 3 years it was gone and even the site no longer exists.

So does this mean they have to give back the accolade of having more users than Twitter?

Would have stayed a million miles away from Blogger. 

I opened this thread to say the same thing Paul. It's no good demanding people do things our way because we 'are the experts'. The best marketers appreciate they have to get people on side to keep clients (if agency side) or achieve things in their organisation (if in house).

Hi Jacobi,

How can we as managers make the approval process easier for you? What would be your ideal balance of management approval/personal freedom?

It seems odd to just delete the page altogether. Surely it's worth keeping it just for brand protection purposes or so people can tag them in status updates?

Damn, those are some good looking shirts. 

Given that many of Google's recent clampdowns seem to be related to things that SEO's were speaking a lot about publicly I'm curious if any of you believe that SEO would be far more stable if we as an industry had been less transparent? Or do you feel that not sharing would have held the industry back because it would have taken longer for best practice to spread? Discuss!

This is crazy if true. By that logic they should also hit Help a Reporter Out (HARO) and any of the journalists who have used it for sources (e.g. almost every single major news source in the UK and US).