Top Marketing Blogs This Week: Spring Clean Your Social Networks, Build Your Online Brand And More

I’m pretty excited about this week’s roundup because I found five brand new authors and blogs to represent. I’ve seen some of these people around before, others are happy new discoveries, and all of them are uniquely interesting, entertaining and informative. Take a look at this diverse list of thoughtful posts and start reading!

Failing To Build An Online Personal Brand? Here’s Why!

Written by Rebekah Radice 

Rebekah is one of those smart people who, the moment you meet her online or read her content, you’ll want to add to your regular reading list. She makes some great points here about how your personal brand and company brand are intertwined and interdependent. So while you may have a few tricks up your sleeve when it comes to business branding, you may still be struggling to establish yourself and your own personal credibility and voice. Why? Rebekah is going to tell you! It’s possible you could be making the mistake of failing to align with your company culture… or worse, you could… well, you could read her post to find out more and then chart your own path to online stardom.

Read it

How To Spring Clean Your Social Networks

Written by Steven Hughes 

Now that spring has sprung (at least according to the calendar, though not so much according to my thermometer…) it’s a great time for a fresh start. You may clean out your closets and drawers but have you considered cleaning out your social media accounts? All those “friends” you don’t speak to and can’t recognize, all those followers who aren’t much better than rocks. Steven makes some worthwhile suggestions for getting rid of the dead weight on various social networks so you can focus on the people who engage and matter. Stop obsessing about the raw numbers and start the spring by focusing on real relationships. Steven also gives you suggestions for some tools you can use to make the job easier.

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No Doubt About Klout: It Matters – But Is That Good Or Bad?

Written by Ashley Ripley 

I won’t make you admit it, but you sooooo want a good Klout score. You want the perks and you totally want the perceived influence that comes with it. We tell ourselves it doesn’t matter but Ashley points out the problem with that thinking: Klout does matter. Whether we like it or not, agree with it or not, it doesn’t change the fact that companies are using it to hire, brands are using it to give free stuff away and let’s face it, big numbers impress. Ashley takes a thoughtful look at some of the consequences of Klout and how it can be a double-edged sword. For instance: someone with a high Klout score may be social media savvy… or may just be spending too much time on Twitter. Read the rest and let me know what your opinion is.

Read it

5 Marketing Ideas That Once Worked But Won’t Work in 2013

Written by Hector Cuevas 

This should be subtitled “or maybe ever again”. It’s true that many times we see cycles – things come in and out of fashion, trends wax and wane. But in this case I think we’re saying goodbye to a marketing era that won’t return. Hector brings up five great points about marketing conventions of yesterday (given the speed with which the internet changes, it’s almost literally yesterday…) that we need to think past if we’re going to succeed in the future. There are a few that may not come as a surprise but I think that at least one of these may give you pause. It’s Hector’s first point and it’s going to challenge your thinking about the numbers game again. Go read it if you want to know what it is!

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3 Steps To Keep Time On Your Side

Written by Pamela Barroway 

Before you rush off to read another time management post or learn how to stop procrastinating, wait! This is not about either of those things. And waiting is exactly the point that Pamela discusses in this post about slowing down and taking time to think, plan, act and measure before you jump into your next marketing plan or great new venture. The internet may move at lightning speed but that doesn’t mean you should, too. Remember the old tortoise and the hare story? Well, you may just want to think like a tortoise when it comes to your marketing. Why? You’ll have to read Pamela’s story to find out. Let me know if you can relate.

Read it

Bonus Shout Out

To Erica Holthausen 

If you’re a regular reader of our roundups, you may have noticed a difference in today’s – author photos! But we can’t take credit for that. I was over at Erica‘s blog this week and caught her roundup – she calls it “The Fab 5” (don’t you love that?) She has author photos on hers and I thought it was a fantastic addition. It was great to see the faces behind the posts and gave me extra incentive to get to know those people. With her permission I have “borrowed” the idea and plan to include photos in these roundups going forward. So, thanks Erica! And I highly suggest you add her blog (and her roundups) to your reading list.

And In Case You Missed This Week On {Web.Search.Social}

How To Write Product Descriptions That Sell

Grassroots Marketing And Community Outreach: 5 Questions With Bob Hilton Of The Jersey Shore Convention And Visitors Bureau

7 Small Website Design Changes That Can Have A Big Impact

That’s it for this week! Thoughts? Suggestions? Ideas? Let me know!