Your 10 Favorite Topics This Month (January 2014)

Wait a second… how in the world have we made it through the first month of 2014 already? Is it just me or did the last four weeks fly by? Oh… for you, too?

See, I knew it wasn’t just me.

Anyway, as I do every month, it’s time to take a moment and reflect on your favorite posts from the last month. Here’s what you all loved in January:

1. By far, the most popular post in this past January was a Travel Tuesday entry that asked
   “What’s the State of Hotel Reputation Management?” Even more impressive when you consider that it only went live with 4 days left in the month. Of course, that’s no real surprise given that reputation management represents the single most effective way to improve your brand’s digital marketing.
2. Another Travel Tuesday post takes the #2 slot, this one looking at the “4 Lessons You Need to Know from Google’s Affluent Traveler Report.” Good stuff.
3. Another big entry from January explored “Trends Shaping E-commerce in 2014: Internet Everywhere.”
4. “The Minimalist Guide to E-commerce Strategy” was another very popular post, this one coming in at #4.
5. It’s no secret you all like reading about where digital is heading. Which explains the popularity of this post: “What Your Customers Expect from Mobile and E-commerce in 2014.”
6. OK, so maybe Yahoo’s not in such bad shape after all. How else do you explain the popularity of this post that asks “Should You Still Listen to Marissa Mayer?” Apparently, you all feel Ms. Mayer’s got a few tricks up her sleeve yet, too.
7. Mobile commerce will be huge. Well, not just huge, but HUGE. Emphasis, unfortunately, on “will be.” Despite some impressive growth—and significant projected going forward —today there’s still plenty of opportunity. Which led me to ask, “Why Isn’t Mobile Commerce Bigger?” And, you all seemed to find the answer interesting.
8. For many marketers, search isn’t a marketing channel; it’s the marketing channel. But, given most business’s reliance on search (and, more specifically, Google), it’s worth asking, “Should Marketers Really Trust Google in 2014?”
9. The Internet continues to shape organizations in myriad ways, including whether employees work in a centralized office, from home, while traveling, or some combination of all three. And, the popularity of this list of the “3 Key Things to Remember About Remote Work” suggests many companies continue to have questions about how to make remote work, um… work for their organizations.
10. Finally, despite having only gone live with a couple of days left in the month, episode 59 of my Thinks Out Loud podcast, “Are Your Customers Ready for Mobile Commerce?” (along with episode 57, “Internet Strategy in a Changing World”), attracted lots of attention in January.

I’d also recommend you take a look at my slides for “Digital Marketing Directions: Three Trends Shaping 2014 Internet Marketing” on Slideshare. Not only was it the most popular presentation there this month, but it fleshes out many of the topics in this month’s top posts:

You can also register to receive a free copy of my special report, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World,” produced in conjunction with Vizergy, here. While it’s targeted to the hospitality industry specifically, most of the lessons apply across verticals.

You might also enjoy some of our past coverage of the social, local, mobile web and what it means for your business, including:

• What Your Customers Expect from Mobile and E-commerce in 2014.
• The Secrets Behind “It’s All E-commerce” for 2014
• Should Marketers Really Trust Google in 2014?
• The Zen of Digital Marketing Strategy
• 7 Steps to E-Commerce Heaven
• Today and Tomorrow: Mobile and The Changing Customer Journey
• Mobile Makes E-commerce Even More “Frictionless”
• Your 2014 Internet Marketing New Year’s Resolutions – Thinks Out Loud Episode 56