http://marcana.com Marketing Guides Sat, 14 Jan 2012 22:46:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://marcana.com/2011/02/05/google-adwords-interest-vs-intent-keyword-tool/ http://marcana.com/2011/02/05/google-adwords-interest-vs-intent-keyword-tool/#comments Sat, 05 Feb 2011 20:41:17 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1977 A Google AdWords introduction by way of the Google Keyword Tool: how to understand the difference between interest and intent in keyword research. Intent and interest are two different aspects of available keyword data that are too often hastily grouped into one pot without adequate distinction. JC Hewitt explains...]]> http://marcana.com/2011/02/05/google-adwords-interest-vs-intent-keyword-tool/feed/ 5 http://marcana.com/2010/12/09/minecrafts-ridiculously-successful-social-media-campaign/ http://marcana.com/2010/12/09/minecrafts-ridiculously-successful-social-media-campaign/#comments Thu, 09 Dec 2010 16:00:20 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1758 I’ve got some quick questions for loyal Marcana readers. Which popular independent video game focused on mining and building sold over 500,000 copies? What was the size of its budget for marketing and advertising? The answer to the first question is Minecraft. The answer to the second is $0. By any measure, Minecraft – a simple, independent game mostly [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/12/09/minecrafts-ridiculously-successful-social-media-campaign/feed/ 8 http://marcana.com/2010/11/16/understanding-game-mechanic-marketing/ http://marcana.com/2010/11/16/understanding-game-mechanic-marketing/#comments Tue, 16 Nov 2010 16:25:54 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1676 The explosive growth of Zynga – the makers of Farmville, a popular Facebook game – and of casual games on the iPhone and other platforms – has brought with it more interest in using game-like mechanics to attract customers. Famously, Zynga asks its players to invite their friends on Facebook in order to enhance their gameplay [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/11/16/understanding-game-mechanic-marketing/feed/ 5 http://marcana.com/2010/11/11/how-to-write-fluently-for-the-web/ http://marcana.com/2010/11/11/how-to-write-fluently-for-the-web/#comments Thu, 11 Nov 2010 16:00:48 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1606 It’s time to abandon the press release. Reporters rarely have time to read them, receive a tremendous number of them in their inbox every day, and your competition uses the same strategy to win attention. The traditional media is also becoming increasingly irrelevant for amplifying your message thanks to the spread of alternative channels. What replaces it? Writing [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/11/11/how-to-write-fluently-for-the-web/feed/ 3 http://marcana.com/2010/11/04/four-guidelines-for-posting-frequency/ http://marcana.com/2010/11/04/four-guidelines-for-posting-frequency/#comments Thu, 04 Nov 2010 16:00:29 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1584 There is no single answer to the question of how often you should post to your blog. Whether it’s a large corporation, a mid-sized one, a startup, or a solo operation, it depends on the nature of the content, the expectations of your community, and what you’re writing about. If you post too much dense content, [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/11/04/four-guidelines-for-posting-frequency/feed/ 5 http://marcana.com/2010/10/28/making-sense-of-customer-feedback-in-social-media/ http://marcana.com/2010/10/28/making-sense-of-customer-feedback-in-social-media/#comments Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:30:32 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1531 The sheer noise of customer feedback through social media can intimidate even corporate titans. How much of that is valuable information, and how much is the work of a crew of hardcore complainers? What of it, if any, is actionable? It’s easy to make the error that social media is primarily for broadcasting your corporate communications. [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/10/28/making-sense-of-customer-feedback-in-social-media/feed/ 15 http://marcana.com/2010/10/07/the-perils-of-promising-too-much/ http://marcana.com/2010/10/07/the-perils-of-promising-too-much/#comments Thu, 07 Oct 2010 16:00:19 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=980 JC Hewitt describes how promising too much can lead to a persistent customer service pain-in-the-ass.]]> http://marcana.com/2010/10/07/the-perils-of-promising-too-much/feed/ 5 http://marcana.com/2010/09/30/going-native/ http://marcana.com/2010/09/30/going-native/#comments Thu, 30 Sep 2010 16:00:29 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1396 The web has a complex human geography. While many people may hang out on the same website – like Facebook – they don’t necessarily all take part in the same social groups. They won’t even necessarily use the same names or identities in each social context. When you’re conducting customer research or trying to drive new [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/09/30/going-native/feed/ 4 http://marcana.com/2010/09/23/community-management-is-a-solution-to-a-problem-you-want-to-have/ http://marcana.com/2010/09/23/community-management-is-a-solution-to-a-problem-you-want-to-have/#comments Thu, 23 Sep 2010 16:00:52 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1344 How do problems equate to product relevance and complaints denote care for a brand? Also, why community managers are important and how to apply their skills.]]> http://marcana.com/2010/09/23/community-management-is-a-solution-to-a-problem-you-want-to-have/feed/ 3 http://marcana.com/2010/09/15/the-revenge-of-the-writers/ http://marcana.com/2010/09/15/the-revenge-of-the-writers/#comments Thu, 16 Sep 2010 02:00:18 +0000 JC Hewitt http://marcana.com/?p=1281 In the latter half of the 20th century, radio and television defined the culture. Books, magazines, and newspapers steadily declined in cultural importance relative to these new forms of media. A funny thing has happened to habits of media consumption. The companies with the fastest growth in advertising revenue – Google and Facebook – rely on [...]]]> http://marcana.com/2010/09/15/the-revenge-of-the-writers/feed/ 3