White Papers

Take your business to the next level with these online marketing tactics and tools.

Read More

Until recently, most small and medium-sized businesses could survive—and, in some circumstances, thrive—without investing much time or money into marketing. A typical small business owner might place a few newspaper ads, attend some trade shows, or send direct mail with coupons or discounts to incentivize new business. Tactics like email marketing, social networking, search engine optimization, and large-scale public relations, however, were left to the big boys with the big budgets.

When social media users express a need for your product or service, engaging can yield the biggest social media results.

Read More

Buying Signals are 2013’s big social media marketing opportunity. Tweets and posts can signal people who could really use your product or service. When nurtured, they become genuine leads and sales for your business. But they’re useless unless you understand how to use them. Vocus has created a guide with MarketingProfs to help you cultivate new customers using Buying Signals. From finding prospects to engaging them, our Buying Signals guide shows you how to mine Twitter, which tools to use, and how to convert a buying signal into a sale.

Planning your 2013 marketing strategy? Don’t use guesswork when last year’s figures can show you the way.

Read More

The right metrics can pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses, indicate the tactics you need to improve, and help you align your campaigns with your company’s goals. But which metrics are the right ones? A modern marketing campaign yields plenty of figures, not all of which are created equal. This can disrupt your planning unless you know what you’re looking for. We’ve created a guide to 10 key metrics that give you an all-round view of your 2012 performance, and where to go from here. As well as a guide to the numbers, you’ll also find the tips and tactical advice to turn up your performance in each area this year.

The media industry is changing fast.  And that’s great news-as long as you understand what’s going on.

Read More

Compiled by the experts of the Vocus Media Research Team, the report explains the latest media developments and how you can work with them to get your message out there. If you're a PR pro or marketer, it's all the insight you need to perfect your media strategy for 2012, including what's happening in newspapers, magazines, TV and radio; who's thriving, who's closing, and what it means for you; and what type of stories and content reporters are looking for.

In March 2012, Facebook rolled out its Timeline to brand pages. The opportunities Timeline offers your business are huge.

Read More

You can tell your company's whole story. Excitement aside, though, many businesses are nervous. This guide covers everything you need to know.

Adapting, Surviving and Reviving: An Analysis of the Changing Media Landscape by the Vocus Media Research Team

Read More

In 2010, the media industry experimented with new models, embraced social media practices, and adopted a digital-first mentality through mobile applications and an online focus.

Create content worth looking for with this collection of golden tips from the experts.

Read More

See what Joe Chernov, Ann Handly, Scott Stratten and Adam Singer have to say about Content Marketing.

With the turmoil facing the traditional media landscape and the growing buzz surrounding social media, you might be wondering where traditional media fits into your PR strategy

Read More

Does it provide any real value to your PR campaigns? The short answer is yes, traditional media is still quite relevant.

Engaging and monitoring the new world of social media are the big first steps, but once you’ve jumped in, how do you evaluate and measure the impact and success of these new efforts?

Read More

With the explosion in social media, public relations has become an integral tool to generate interest not just among journalists but consumers, investors and other key stakeholders.

2010 was tricky for most marketing and PR professionals. Tight budgets. Downsized offices. Doing more with less.

Read More

So what does 2011 hold for you? Download 2011 PR Planning Survey and find out what your peers think about social media in 2011, the challenges and new responsibilities of communications pros, and the other industry trends they see emerging. Download the whole survey, complete with expert analysis, to get a snapshot of your industry that could really improve your marketing and PR efforts (not to mention your bottom line) in 2011!

Vocus brings you a collection of social media success stories that rewrite the book on how organizations can engage their audiences online.

Read More

At Vocus, we embrace social media. All businesses should – even if they’re just using it to listen to their customers. Some organizations, however, are doing more than just listening and talking. They’re being creative; they’re using the power and reach of social media to engage their audiences in projects that go way beyond monitoring, reputation management and online coupons. You won’t find a formula for success here, or a prescribed process – but you might find inspiration in these snapshots of brands who dared to be a little bit different.

Re-emerging Trend in 2010: Integrating Marketing and PR

Read More

Learn why PR professionals must develop a mix of skills to shape and implement new communication strategies to reach new breeds of information consumers through social media channels.

Blurring Lines, Turf Battles and Tweets: The Real Impact of Integrated Communications on Marketing and PR

Read More

Vocus surveyed 966 public relations professionals about their perceptions of integrated communications. Key findings in this study indicate the lines between PR and marketing are indeed blurring, though some "turf battles" remain evident.

What Makes an Influencer: a Survey by Vocus and Brian Solis

Read More

Vocus teamed up with Brian Solis to answer a burning question - what makes an online influencer? From August 25, 2010 to September 10, 2010, we surveyed 739 marketing and communications professionals on their perceptions of online influence - and the results have cast a fascinating light on this trickiest of social media debates.

A Guide to turning your news into online content that grabs attention, creates buzz and takes on a life of its own.

Read More

People are paying less attention to established media voices. When they want information, they go online to seek it out for themselves with search and social media. Concerned as a marketer? don't be says Lee Odden. You can catch their attention by providing the information they need and helping them find it.

Distribution may not be as sexy as audience identification, developing a clever positioning statement or pulling together key messages, but it is none-the-less important.

Read More

For all the effort that goes into identifying audiences and creating captivating content, if distribution is the least well-conceived facet of a public relations campaign, then outreach efforts just might be a waste of time and resources.

A two-part toolbox of expert tips, tactics and nuggets of wisdom for winning social media followers and keeping them engaged.

Read More

Here's your second installment of how to win, connect with and keep more followers and fans than you thought possible.

Elevating Marketing Effectiveness from Lead Generation to Sales Conversion.

Read More

The B2B marketing community has been humbled by the recent recession. This economic crisis forced marketers to operate with limited resources while facing a need to produce a higher level of quality leads than ever before. Through budget cuts and increased expectations, the organizations that persevered were the ones that could effectively apply the most efficient marketing tactics for every stage of the sales funnel from lead generation to sales conversion, and then close the loop with sound marketing analytics for continual improvement.

Do Social media the Right Way - FREE Expert Guide.

Read More

The right strategies and tactics can make all the difference when using Social Media. Will you become more trustworthy in the eyes of buyers by taking a more "human" approach? Will you reach people the right way by segmenting your target audiences? Answers to these questions - and many more - are one click away. We’ve teamed with MarketingSherpa to bring you a FREE (valued at $397), in-depth (40 pages in length) report that will teach you about the most effective and efficient social media tactics.

MarketingSherpa’s Social Marketing Road Map Handbook - Setting the Stage for Social Marketing.

Read More

Social Marketing can help you consistently get in front of the people that impact your bottom line, interact with them, and eventually grow your business. Are you struggling to integrate social media into your marketing strategy? Good news: Vocus is here to help. We've teamed with MarketingSherpa to bring you a FREE (valued at $397), in-depth (40 pages in length) report that will teach you how to use Social Marketing to your advantage.

Unknown unknowns. So said Donald Rumsfeld in a Department of Defense briefing to the media in February 2002.

Read More

Politics aside, and love him or hate him, Rummy was pretty good with the media and there’s something PR professionals can take away from his style and sometimes colorful quotes.