Danielle Wilkie's blog

Most movie buffs would agree – the Golden Globes are much better than the Oscars.  There are many reasons (more casual, free-flowing booze for the stars, best motion picture awards for drama as well as comedy, etc.) but the best reason may be that while you’re watching, you feel like you’re getting a sneak peek on a casual Hollywood dinner party.  The speeches are wittier and the host (who doesn’t love Ricky’s edge?) can toe that fine line between funny and inappropriate (like a favorite uncle who has had too much to drink at Thanksgiving). Read more about Using Social and Search Metrics to Predict the 2012 Golden Globes

Your designer colleagues are in love with it, your engaged niece is addicted to it for wedding planning and your wife has been pinning the kitchen remodel of her dreams.   It’s Pinterest and its user base is multiplying so quickly that its growth curve looks shockingly similar to that of Facebook’s in 2006. As the new tech start up darling, Pinterest investors recently bet $37 million that this business is bigger than the DIY / Designer / Mom demographic of its early users and traffic data seems to support it.  We review what it is, why it’s different and how businesses can harness it. Read more about Pinterest POV: Why This Network Should Be Part of Your 2012 Social Strategy

At Merkle Connect, we believe social isn’t a just a channel – it’s a way of doing business.  Integrating social media’s key data points into an existing customer database gives companies a more complete customer view to drive increased return across all digital channels. Read more about Forrester 2011 to 2016 Digital Forecast: Focus on Social Data Integration

Facebook has more than eight million users and ad revenue estimates showing triple digit growth in 2011.  Marketers have taken note (fueling the aforementioned revenue growth) but as with the early stages of any digital channel, rushing in with dollars and no strategy can result in an inefficient marketplace (where CPCs outpace return).  Instead, marketers should first consider how this channel differs from others and the critical questions for success. Read more about Facebook Advertising: How it's Different, How it Works and How to Make it Hum

For veteran digital marketers who have spent any time in search or display, ad testing is old hat.  In fact, many would attest that typically the ad projected to be the clear winner often comes up short.  For that reason, it’s imperative to apply this same discipline to a Facebook advertising strategy.   While the Holy Grail in online testing is the sophistication of a multivariate approach (MVT), marketers just getting started can yield strong results from even the simplest A/B testing. Read more about Facebook Ad Testing: A, Please Meet B