Top Marketing Blogs This Week: The Integrity Of Sponsored Content, Building Author Rank And More

I hope all of our U.S. friends had a wonderful and pie-filled Thanksgiving. It seems like at least a few of us had a relaxing weekend because the new blog posts were out in full force this week. Great content, great ideas and some great stuff to share. This roundup is fun because I found a nice diversity of content, from posts to infographics to podcasts. Read and listen on!

Thank You Marketing On Social Media: 4 Things You Should Do Every Day

Written by John Gregory Olson

Just because Thanksgiving has passed doesn’t mean we can forget about being thankful. In fact, showing gratitude to customers all year long can buy us a tremendous amount of goodwill. In this post John brings together four experts – names like Mari Smith and Guy Kawasaki – to share their thoughts on how to build relationships through gratitude all year long. From a simple “thank you” to a delightful gesture, all it takes is some imagination. Read what these four great thinkers have to say and see how you can incorporate these ideas into your daily marketing.

Read the article at jgodigital.com and follow John on Twitter @digitaljgo

The Author Rank Building Machine

Written by Daniel Dannenberg

Infographic time! You may have heard about Google Authorship and if you’re smart you’ve already set yourself up as a verified author. It’s a way for you to tell Google explicitly, “Yup, that’s me, I wrote that.” In this post, Daniel shares with you some ways to build your author rank – your actual authority in your niche. And with Google dropping a new zoo animal on us every few months, it can’t be long before authorship starts to take on a whole new dimension. Take a look and see how you can set yourself up for success and recognition right now – before it’s too late.

Read the article at verticalmeasures.com and follow Daniel on Twitter @danielscottd

Sponsored Content: Edge Of Integrity Or The Salvation Of Advertising?

Written by Mark Schaefer

Pull out your headphones because Mark has a tantalizing podcast for you. If your blog has been around for a while and has built up some authority, you may be getting bombarded by requests to publish “sponsored posts”. That means a company pays you to feature a post that highlights their product or service. What this boils down to is an ad. A long, blog-post-style ad. Up-side? You make money. Down-side? It’s an ad. And that may not bode well for your credibility, especially if the lines between your original content and ads are blurred. Listen to Mark’s podcast for a discussion on the pros and cons before you decide to jump into the controversial fray.

Read the article at businessesgrow.com and follow Mark on Twitter @markwschaefer

Got Permission To Use That Image In Your Content?

Written By Mike Brooks

Just this week I sent out an email to our subscribers with a story of how someone had pilfered our content for his own use. It’s not uncommon and when it happens we always jump on Google’s takedown request form. But images fare even worse when it comes to pilfering because so many people assume that it’s ok to use a photo found in a Google image search or elsewhere online. Newsflash: it’s not! And you can get into some serious hot water for using photos that you don’t have a right to use, including some pretty hefty fines. In his post and video, Mike discusses the problem and shows you some neat tricks to find photos that you can use for free. He also discusses the important fact that free may come with conditions, so make sure you know what they are!

Read the article at nuclearchowdermarketing.com and follow Mike on Twitter @michaelsbrooks

Pinterest And Travel: A Match Made In Social Media Heaven

Written by Frederic Gonzalo

When I learned recently that Pinterest was adding map pins to its toolset, I thought, “So?” Interesting… but where might it go? And then I read Frederic’s post. He specializes in e-tourism and shares a plethora of ways in which Pinterest services the travel, tourism and hospitality industries. If you’re wondering how the new map pins might work for your business or if you just want to see some really clever ways they’re currently being employed, check this out. I really love the idea of a “beach crawl” (or how about its cousin the bar crawl?) Sounds like a fun way to use Pinterest and pack a marketing punch at the same time.

Read the article at fredericgonzalo.com and follow Frederic on Twitter @gonzogonzo

I hope you enjoyed today’s diversity and found something to inspire ideas!