Backyard Blogging & People Management Tips

I recently wrote a post called The Values-Driven People Manager. This is one of my all-time favorite posts here on PPC Ian because I have dedicated a large portion of my career and life to being the best possible people manager. I truly enjoy mentoring, growing, motivating, and empowering others. I’m always finding ways to improve, and am truly motivated myself by helping others. People management is an honor and privilege, and I think you feel the same since this post was shared so many times!

Today, I thought I’d build on that post with episode three of my new Backyard Blogging video blog series. Check it out:

Thanks so much for watching! Want to see more? Make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel so you don’t miss any future episodes of Backyard Blogging, many more are on the way in 2014! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Sharpen Your Remarketing Skills With 3Q Digital

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Jan 5 2

I’m an incredible fan of remarketing (also known as retargeting). Those who have already visited your site are incredibly valuable. Perhaps they started researching your product, but were not ready to purchase. Perhaps they want to buy your product, but did not have their credit card ready. Perhaps they completed a transaction on your site, and are looking forward to coming back and buying more. Whatever the reason, it’s absolutely fundamental to your digital marketing success (and overall company success) to engage (and provide value to) those who have already visited your website. It’s all about targeted display, search, and even social media remarketing campaigns.

I’m also an incredible fan of 3Q Digital, Silicon Valley’s Digital Marketing Agency. These guys are the experts, and deliver amazing results for their clients. They work with many of the most successful startups and brands in the Silicon Valley. They are good people, and add so much value to our industry.

To kick off the new year, I wanted to share with you a free, new eBook from 3Q Digital: The Complete Guide to Advanced AdWords Remarketing. If you’ve been reading PPC Ian for a while, you know I’m a big fan of free eBooks and whitepapers. I like to read as many as possible, and always post my favorites here. This new eBook from 3Q Digital is definitely one of my favorites. They not only cover the basics, but also spend 15 pages going into advanced AdWords remarketing topics such as Remarketing Lists for Search (RLSA), Search Companion Remarketing, Similar Users Remarketing, YouTube Remarketing, and Using Google Analytics for Remarketing. I especially enjoyed the section on Remarketing Lists for Search and wrote down a new idea I’ll be sure to try.

Thanks 3Q Digital for starting off the new year with an amazing new eBook! Readers, simply click banner below to visit 3Q and download your free copy. On the landing page, make sure to choose the remarketing whitepaper and any others that interest you (3Q offers an extensive library of whitepapers)!

Image of The Complete Guide To Advanced AdWords Remarketing © 3Q Digital

Happy 2014 & Interview Tips For Digital Marketers

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Jan 1 4

Hey everyone, and happy 2014! The new year is here, can you believe it? It’s time for new years resolutions and an action-packed year of growing our careers within marketing. Today, I wanted to start off the new year with a brand new video within my Backyard Blogging series, episode number two:

With the new year here, many companies are hiring. Similarly, many candidates are looking for new roles. Today’s video is aimed at both interviewers and interviewees.

Like my new Backyard Blogging series? Please make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel and also check out my other recent videos: Presentation Tips (Backyard Blogging Episode One) and Brainstorming For 2014.

One of my big goals in 2014 (that I started in 2013) is building great video tutorials here on PPC Ian, so I’m thrilled to start the year with this video. Happy 2014, and thanks for reading/watching. I wish you an amazing year!

Video © PPCIan.com

Happy Holidays & The Spirit of Giving

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Dec 25 0

Happy holidays, and Merry Christmas! Today is a special day. It’s a day to spend time with family, reflect, enjoy great times, and open a few presents. The last two years, I shared some of the cool digital marketing gifts I received from partners (2011 gifts, 2012 gifts). 2013 was no exception, with a multitude of generous gifts coming my way from treasured partners within the digital marketing space. Rather than share pictures of those gifts, however, I wanted to take an opportunity to share an image (and a story) of some very special gifts I gave this year…

Family Giving Tree Gifts

What you see above are gifts that Nicole and I donated to the Family Giving Tree. My amazing employer sponsored a huge Family Giving Tree drive and we took this opportunity to select three gift packages for in-need children. How does Family Giving Tree work? They are really amazing… They find families and individuals who cannot afford gifts this holiday season. They determine the gift wishes of those in-need and then share those gift wishes with elfs. Nicole and I decided to buy gifts for three children this holiday season. We purchased Star Wars action figures, a Thomas & Friends train set with extra train, and a doll stroller system. We had so much fun shopping for the children, and know that these gifts will bring joy to three special children today!

Overall, 2013 was a record year for us in terms of charity/donations (and was one of my major goals going into the year). Those of us in the digital marketing space are so incredibly fortunate. Take a moment to reflect and help others. Do everything you can throughout the day to help your team, co-workers, partners, and really anyone you interact with. Outside of work (or as a work/team activity), donate your time to those less fortunate. Outside of work (or again as a work/team activity) find ways to donate money and gifts. This truly is the season of giving. It’s time to give back and help others in need. As an industry, we can make a truly positive impact on this world, not only through our work but through our kindness and spirit of giving!

Image of Family Giving Tree Gifts © PPCIan.com

Introducing Backyard Blogging With Presentation Tips

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Dec 22 6

Happy holidays, everyone! It’s around this time of year (with the new year quickly approaching) that I’m always thinking of great, new ideas to improve all areas of my life: my career, my personal life, and of course my blog. Just last week, I posted a video about Brainstorming For 2014.

Well, the other week while brainstorming, my wife suggested a new idea called “Backyard Blogging”. This would be a fun video blog series that I would do each week (or as often as possible) here on PPC Ian. It would be a great way to keep it fun and casual, and shoot informative videos without much/any need for fancy editing. The end result: This becomes a new and exciting way to connect with others in digital marketing / customer acquisition (you), and keeps things super fun here on PPC Ian. Also, it’s a fun way for me to practice my own presentation and speaking skills (something I’m truly passionate about).

Well, I’m thrilled today to share my first episode of Backyard Blogging. Please check it out below, and make sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Playing into the theme above, I thought the first topic should be all about public speaking and presentation skills for businesspeople. In the exciting world of marketing and customer acquisition, there are always opportunities to present, oftentimes to large audiences. Superb presentation skills create a world of opportunity in one’s career. Thanks for watching and wishing you an amazing 2014!

Video © PPCIan.com

I’m In The Acquisio 14 On ’14

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Dec 16 0

I’m excited! My good friends at Acquisio just published the must-have eBook of 2013/2014. Their free eBook called 14 On ’14 highlights 2014 digital marketing predictions from leaders in our industry. I’m especially passionate about this particular eBook because I’m one of the 14 in the eBook. (Thanks, Acquisio, for the amazing opportunity and honor.)

Are you planning for 2014 right now? Trying to determine the best strategies to grow your digital marketing in the new year? Look no further than Acquisio’s 14 on ’14. It’s a great collection of thoughts, predictions, and insights. It’s easy: Simply click the following banner for your free copy, and see what I (and 13 other digital marketing professionals) foresee in 2014!

Image of 14 On ’14 © Acquisio

Brainstorming For 2014: Take a Hike

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Dec 15 0

Can you believe it? 2013 is almost over! I have been spending a lot of time lately brainstorming new ideas for 2014, both for my personal life and also for business. I have found hiking to be an incredible way to exercise, think, brainstorm, relax, and gain positive inspiration in life and business. In today’s video, please join me on one of my recent hikes! And, please make sure to subscribe to the PPC Ian YouTube Channel. Many more videos on the way in future posts…

Check Out My Guest Post At AdMedia

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Dec 15 1

I’ve had a blast lately contributing guest posts to some of the best digital advertising blogs around. In my last post, I highlighted a cool AdLift Guest Post. Today, I’m thrilled to share another…

I’m great friends with the AdMedia team. AdMedia is one of the best ad networks around. They also happen to have an incredible blog. When they presented the opportunity of contributing a guest post, I brainstormed topics that would be relevant not only to the digital marketing professional but also specifically to someone considering advertising on AdMedia and other ad networks. In an industry that’s incredibly focused on the big three (which, of course, makes complete sense), I decided to write a post about Diversifying Beyond Google, Yahoo!/Bing, and Facebook.

I absolutely love Google, Yahoo!/Bing, and Facebook. They are to the digital media portfolio what large cap blue chip stocks are to the investment portfolio. The cornerstone of any great investment portfolio (or digital marketing portfolio) is diversification. What about the mid cap and small cap equivalents within digital marketing?

There exists great opportunity for the savvy marketer to diversify and add to the big three with complementary media sources. Manage your digital marketing program like a well-diversified portfolio of investments, and you will find new levels of consistency and efficiency. I hope you enjoy my post!

Cyber Monday Deals For Marketers, Part Two

By PPC Ian Leave a Comment Dec 2 0

It’s shopping bargains season, and I’m not talking about retail! The time is here for digital marketers to enjoy special Cyber Monday offers. A few days back, I shared three amazing Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals For Marketers. (I hope you took advantage of those special offers. If not, hurry up, you still have a few hours left tonight.)

Number Two

Cyber Monday is not yet over, and today I’m thrilled to share two more deals that you will surely want to take advantage of! And, don’t worry about rushing tonight, you can take advantage of these two new deals through end of day tomorrow (Tuesday, 12/3).

First, I wanted to highlight a special offer from my great friends at AdMedia. Have you heard of AdMedia? They are a long-time sponsor of PPC Ian, and an incredibly impressive ad network (and so much more). AdMedia helps you advertise, engage, and convert across multiple channels and platforms. Customer acquisition is all about diversification. AdMedia provides a fantastic avenue to diversify your traffic sources, and an opportunity to acquire customers a potentially less competitive environment than the highly competitive, big search engines. And, they reach 98% of the web, drawing 40 million users every month across their expansive network! To celebrate Cyber Monday, AdMedia is offering a free $100 advertising credit. It’s easy: Simply open an account, deposit $100, and AdMedia will match that $100 for free. Click here to get started or check out this post to read more about AdMedia and their special offer. Way to go, AdMedia, what a sweet offer!

Kenshoo is a company that requires absolutely no introduction! They are one of the biggest leaders and most sophisticated digital marketing platforms in existence. This technology-driven company truly knows how to empower digitial marketing professionals and many of the most sophisticated operations around rely on Kenshoo technology every single day. A fun side-note: Kenshoo just posted this neat blog post that illustrates how mobile (phones and tablets) accounted for about 40% of all paid search spend on Thanksgiving and Black Friday. Simply staggering numbers! Do you have a mobile strategy? To celebrate Cyber Monday, Kenshoo is offering an exciting free demo. Make sure to ask them about how Kenshoo can help with your mobile strategy!

That’s it, everyone. I wish you great fun exploring these exciting Cyber Monday opportunities, both in this post and my previous one.

Image of Number Two © iStockPhoto – tiler84
Disclaimer: PPC Ian is sharing deals compiled from others, for entertainment purposes. Please consult the companies providing the deal for specifics, terms are subject to change.