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Mark Burgess

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Managing Partner, Blue Focus Marketing

177 points

Mark is Managing Partner. Former Director, Global Web, for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, launched new interactive services at AT&T and managed the multicultural marketing communications division. An experienced global B2B and B2C advertising and marketing executive. Managed key advertising ...

Mark is Managing Partner. Former Director, Global Web, for PricewaterhouseCoopers in New York, launched new interactive services at AT&T and managed the multicultural marketing communications division. An experienced global B2B and B2C advertising and marketing executive. Managed key advertising accounts at McCann-Erickson New York and Chicago (L’Oreal, Sears, Mellon Bank), former agency new business director at Ketchum Communications. Winner of two EFFIEs for marketing excellence. Holds an Executive MBA. Member of the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG), AMA and IAA.

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July 9, 2011

Mark Burgess and 12 other people answered this question

What is the first steps in building an online presence for a company that only has a website?

Stephanie
Given all of the options (and very good responses to this question provided earlier) I would recommend starting with a concerted effort to create a social media strategy, starting with your goals, resources available which will help you create a roadmap to where you need ... more

Blog Best Practices

Internet Marketing

June 9, 2011

Mark Burgess and 4 other people answered this question

Which is more costly for a company: inbound or outbound marketing?

Lauren
Lots of good responses on your question above. Basically, outbound marketing, to a large extent, has seen its day. Inbound Marketing, the great HubSpot concept, makes much more sense to marketers (small to enterprise level). Look at search marketing at around $13BB or half of ... more

Inbound Marketing

June 9, 2011

Mark Burgess and 4 other people answered this question

When creating video for your integrated marketing campaign, about how long should they be?

Lauren
The video must be short. Some of the great YouTube vids like Erik Qualman's "Is Social Media a Fad" (Socialnomics) are about 4 minutes but it's tough to keep someone's interest for more than 2 minutes. Keep it crisp and cool.
Good luck.
Mark more

Integrated Marketing

Online Marketing

March 3, 2011

Mark Burgess and 5 other people answered this question

Should Twitter remove the ReTweet functionality?

The RT function is critical to successful use of this useful social networking tool. If your tweets are of low value, of course, you generate a low number of RTs. Whereas, retweeting valuable content across your network is an amazing feature. Users need to focus ... more

Information Technology

Tweeting Best Practices

Feb. 16, 2011

Mark Burgess and 1 other person answered this question

Are you focusing on your customer or are you still selling?

Great question. I think the main point is that if you are focused on your customer, the sales will come. It is all about listening to your customer, understanding their needs and being able to satisfy those needs better than your competition. Building long-term relationships ... more

Customer Advocacy

Sales / Consulting / Trusted Advisor

Feb. 16, 2011

Mark Burgess and 10 other people answered this question

When taking a survey, how many questions will you typically answer before abandoning the survey?

The key is understanding up front how long the survey will take. If my understanding is that the survey takes 5 minutes to complete, I will certainly do my part. However, if the survey is pitched to me as being 5 minutes and it appears ... more

Customer Service

General Management

Feb. 12, 2011

Mark Burgess and 15 other people answered this question

Will social media make the Better Business Bureau irrelevant?

I believe without question, social media will surpass the role of organization's like the BBB. Since fees are involved, that limits the trust component. In social media, the ability to immediately tweet out an issue, create a blog post or post to Facebook, makes agencies ... more

Better Business Bureau

Feb. 11, 2011

Mark Burgess and 3 other people answered this question

Will you advertise on Twitter when they finally make it more accessible to small B2C businesses? B2B

Yes. Provides incremental reach for your brand. Assuming the model is PPC, you pay for clicks and not impressions. Will be important to understand the "value" of interactions, e.g., tweet, retweet, click, etc., and their contribution to ROI. more

Feb. 2, 2011

Mark Burgess and 8 other people answered this question

What are the many types of social media services, jobs, or roles?

This is a great list! To me, the biggest single role involves driving the development of the social media strategy roadmap. There is no other document more important yet I find many companies fail to develop the roadmap to drive their business.
Mark more

Social Media Expert

Social Media Servies

Jan. 19, 2011

Mark Burgess and 3 other people answered this question

Ford has made huge strides and almost topped Toyota in brand perception*. How did they do it?

Damon
Several reasons for Ford's success:
1) improved product quality
2) Ford didn't take the bailout (helped boost public opinion)
3) use of innovative marketing strategies such as launching 2011 Explorer on Facebook
4) given GM's struggles, America needed a home grown product to rally around
5) lastly, it didn't ... more

Automotive Industry

Jan. 19, 2011

Mark Burgess and 7 other people answered this question

Is it better to offer a wide range of services or only one service, that you are amazing at?

Troy
Great question. Has much to do with the overall skills of the firm. "Focus" is essential, particularly to small firms with limited resources. Not a good idea to stretch too far in an attempt to over achieve. This is largely about resources (cash and talented ... more

Jan. 13, 2011

Mark Burgess recommends this answer by Jessica Groopman

Do you think advertising spending will rebound in 2011? Why or why not?

From a market research standpoint, it certainly looks that way. According to our most recent study, there are indications of improvements in the advertising/ marketing sector in a number of areas.
From a provider standpoint, businesses in the Advertising/Marketing industry report high business strength relative ... more

Advertising Campaign

Jan. 11, 2011

Mark Burgess and 1 other person answered this question

How do you formulate a competitor analysis strategy?

Bill
You start by identifying the specific competitors to analyze and making a list of the information needs you must pull together. For example, you may include your top 3 competitors (today) and also include a couple that you may be competing with in a year ... more

Competitive Intelligence

Competitor Analysis

Industry Analysis

Jan. 11, 2011

Michele Morrill selected a best answer for

Should the sales group drive marketing or the marketing group drive sales?

Jan. 6, 2011

Mark Burgess and 5 other people answered this question

What do you think the virtual trade show industry look like in 5 years?

Craig
The potential for the virtual trade show market is HUGE. The good old fashioned physical trade show is basically doomed. Virtual trade shows will overtake physical trade shows at a dramatic pace. The quality of virtual events continues to improve (the only real drawback) from ... more

Events and Trade Shows

Virtual Events Technology

Jan. 6, 2011

Mark Burgess and 3 other people answered this question

Can Apple hack it as a true enterprise player?

Andrew,
Over time, I think the answer is yes. I would not underestimate the power and potential of this brand. The footing Apple gained in the consumer market is starting to spillover into the business space and it is only a matter of time. There aren't ... more

Information Technology

Jan. 6, 2011

Mark Burgess and 6 other people answered this question

What are some ways that you prepare before making your calls?

Hi Mark,
As Tina said above, start with the old Steven Covey approach as in "begin with the end in mind" -- the ideal ending would of course be a positive result (sale). I have found that intense preparation on knowing your own product or service ... more

Jan. 6, 2011

Mark Burgess and 3 other people answered this question

How does your customer service protect your bottom line?

Your question doesn't have a lot of detail. I will give you an example. In many businesses, customer service is the point of difference. If a company's basic marketing mix (product, methods of promotion, pricing and points of distribution) are at parity with competition, customer ... more

Customer Service

Customer Experience

Customer Retention

Jan. 3, 2011

Mark Burgess is now following

Jan. 2, 2011

Mark Burgess and 7 other people answered this question

What are your tips for turning your social media followers into clients?

The goal is to build trust among your community. This means not constantly pitching them in channels like Twitter. You can't build social currency by acting like you are in a outbound marketing environment. Twitter, BTW, is an excellent tool used properly. Consumers have tired ... more

Social Media Strategies

Twitter Best Practices

Jan. 2, 2011

Mark Burgess and 2 other people answered this question

SEO forecasting: What is the best way to predict your search marketing outcomes for the coming year?

Sean
If you have a history using tools like Google Analytics, Hubspot's websitegrader and an active twitter strategy and blog that helps drive SERP you will be ahead of the game in 2011. It's all about having strong content to help raise your authority.
Mark Burgess
www.bluefocusmarketing.com
Twitter ... more

Marketing Forecast

Jan. 2, 2011

Mark Burgess and 4 other people answered this question

What do you think the future holds for marketing automation?

The future holds MORE in 2011. Greater targeting and focus on customers while understanding their true value is how you use marketing to effectively drive leads and ultimately sales. Social media will flourish in 2011 and brands that can understand the value and the opportunities ... more

Marketing Automation

Marketing Tools

Online Marketing

Dec. 30, 2010

Mark Burgess and 1 other person answered this question

How do you start formulating a differentiation strategy?

A differentiation strategy should be first based on marketing research and a thorough understanding of your target audience, their needs, and your competitive framework. If indeed you have a real, sustainable POD, you need to make sure it drives your marketing plan.
Mark Burgess
www.bluefocusmarketing.com
Twitter | ... more

Differentiation Strategy

Marketing Strategy

Online Marketing

Dec. 30, 2010

Mark Burgess and 5 other people answered this question

What is the best way to leave a job shortly after being hired?

Cody,
This is a sensitive subject with so many good people still out of work. But, in this case, it is better for both parties if you take the new job. You do not want to let your current employer invest time, energy and resources in ... more

Human Resources

Career Development

Employee Relations

Dec. 30, 2010

Mark Burgess recommends this answer by Frank Days

Social Media Marketing Trends: What are the top social media marketing trends to follow in 2011?

1. Thinning of the herd - I expect many tool vendors and second tier social sites to reach the end of the road as revenue models and efficient markets take over.
2. The big get bigger - For B2B marketers, the big 4 (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter ... more

Interactive Marketing

Dec. 19, 2010

Mark Burgess and 1 other person answered this question

which business networks are most popular in the world? And Why Linkedin is so popular?

As a business networking tool, LinkedIn is in a class by itself. There is simply no other social media networking tool like it. This is THE business networking tool that doesn't think its a social network. This is the tool for people with jobs, without ... more

Information Technology

Dec. 19, 2010

Mark Burgess and 2 other people answered this question

Is the iPad finally changing how corporations view Apple?

I agree that the iPad is absolutely NOT a fad. This new technology is changing the way consumers (and businesses) are accessing the Web. Over time, the iPad will far exceed expectations across the Enterprise. Like the iPhone, lots of competitors but nothing even close. ... more

Information Technology

Dec. 19, 2010

Mark Burgess and 1 other person answered this question

What is 'Web Analytics 2.0?'

Mark,
The best (even free) Web analytics package is Google Analytics. Track visitors (new/returning), entry & exit pages, by OS, location, pages viewed, etc -- the whole package.
Mark Burgess
www.bluefocusmarketing.com
Twitter | @mnburgess more

Analytics Program

Dec. 19, 2010

Mark Burgess and 8 other people answered this question

What's your go to, uber social media tool?

Sarah
I like Frank's response as I am also a strong advocate of Twitter, my personal #1 social media tool. Choose a tool, go deep in your knowledge of how to make it work for you and then you can think about moving on. A mile ... more

B2B Social Media

Social Media Activity Managment

Following 3 Topics

Online Marketing

Social Media Marketing

Following 0 People

Followed by 7 People

Knowledgeable in 47 Topics

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