Who's Using Google+? The launch of Google+ in 2011 has put Google in the social networking boxing ring. When it comes to user statistics some of them may surprise you. This infographic by Flowtown shares some interesting information about the increasingly popular social media site. 63% of users are male Only 17% of users are considered active 61% of top 100 brands have a page on Google+ Be sure to connect with TopRank on our Google+ page .

Optimize Your Images for Better Digital Asset Optimization From Marketing to PR, digital assets are an essential part of the content used to tell stories and communicate brand messages. For publishers and public relations professionals, optimizing the images used in news stories and press releases can have an important impact on visibility in search engines. Images not only add flavor to news content,

The business press is full of stories about how small companies are using social channels to attract and engage customers. But while there are plenty of individual success stories, the confidence in what to do specifically is not always clear for small business owners that are strapped for time and online marketing resources.

If you are a B2C company, interaction on a social platform like Twitter can increase engagement if executed properly. Social interaction via platforms like Twitter allow companies to gain a true understanding of their prospect base and serve as real-time market research for brands. Customer engagement is a key benefit of executing a B2C Twitter marketing strategy .

A recently post on PC World, "2011: The Year Facebook Killed Google" reflects a common mis-perception about the emerging role of search and social media for consumer information discovery. In the post, the author Dan Tynan shares that he's finding and consuming more information on social networks vs. Google during "moments of leisure". Citing unique visitor traffic and time on site statistics from Nielsen, Dan then makes the argument that Google is falling behind.

21 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2012 Curious to find out what 2012 could have in store for online marketers? This presentation from DreamGrow shares 21 predictions on what 2012 could look like. Highlights include: Social CRM making inroads Social media influencing more sales Social commerce on mobile devices Facebook IPO and Most Popular Social Sites: "Nielsen: Top Web Destinations, Social Networks and Video Sites in 2011" As 2011 comes to an end,

The New Year will soon be here and we are looking forward to continuing to learn from some of the top marketing minds on the web about the strategies and tactics that will shape online marketing efforts in 2012 and beyond. To help you get a jump start, I have compiled a list of books coming out in 2012 that cover a range of online marketing topics including: mobile, social media, content and search engine marketing. Enjoy. [Note from Lee: We didn't include second editions,

Local and mobile search is being used more frequently by customers on their smart phones and other devices now more than ever. As local search becomes more and more prevalent, marketers must ask themselves what can they do to incorporate this marketing strategy into their arsenal. According to a recent release by ComScore, nearly 3 billion search queries contain local terms each month . For companies that have a local presence,

What does 2012 hold in store for online marketing? The acceleration of innovation in online technologies and the ways we can discover, consume and engage with information can be a challenge to keep up with. But as digital marketers that are more than shiny object opportunists, seeing future trends is exactly what we need to do in order to anticipate our place in the digital universe. It's not just about where you can sell stuff to people right now, but next month, next year,

Social Commerce Psychology This is indeed an infographic of a different color. Tab Juice has created a very interesting graphic which focuses on 6 mental rules of thumb that affect social commerce buying decisions. In an online world flooded with infographics this one definitely stands out! Did You Know? 81% of consumers receive advice from friends and family through a social networking platform.

In my search for a new book to read on keywords I went straight to the source, Lee Odden's office library. Right away I noticed Ron Jones ' new book " Keyword Intelligence " while standing in front of a bookcase full of titles to choose from. What I appreciate about Jones' book is that whether you are a search marketing guru or you work in another marketing/communications field, it paints things in a light that you may not have thought about before.

In just a few days we'll be celebrating our 8th year of blogging here at Online Marketing Blog. Most of the SEO Blog class of 2003 is still going strong: )SEOBook, Search Engine Roundtable, Search Engine Journal, etc( Although, we haven't been solely focused on SEO ourselves for several years. Marketing channels may change, but our focus on providing useful information,

Is your reputation management strategy a turn off to your customers and critics? Should we respond, get angry, fire back, ignore the situation, censor comments, or just see what happens? Those are some of the many questions that marketers are faced with today. With more and more consumers and customers turning online to share what they think of a particular brand or company it has become increasingly difficult to capture everything that is being shared.

I attended University a very long time ago, where I started out pursuing Graphic Design and then transitioned to an interdepartmental degree: Sociology, Industrial Psychology and Business. Art was interesting, but I was only mildly talented and there was no digital program )this was pre-internet(. As I look at the state of the social web today, I am amazed at what a dynamic and interesting time we live in. I wonder what it would be like,

2011 Social Sharing Trends [INFOGRAPHIC] A new infographic recently released by Clearspring provides a good overview of social sharing in the past year. I especially liked the breakdown of shares by social media platform. Facts You May Not Know You Didn't Know: 73% of the top 10 shares were related to death & disaster Twitter makes up 52% of sharing in Japan Google sharing declines by 8% even with the addition of the +1 button Is Google Scheming on Your Location?

Lights, Camera, Action. Video puts a new spin on traditional Public Relations. If you are Public Relations professional )or online marketer(, the time has come to implement new tactics that will keep your audience excited, engaged, and encouraged to share. While optimized press releases, case studies, and white papers are great forms of online content, it's time to take advantage of one of the hottest media formats on the web.

While the topic of return on investment with social media participation seems to polarize many marketing, advertising, and public relations pundits, there are a growing number of companies and agencies that are implementing social media marketing and analysis efforts to answer the question firsthand. We've all read about or seen favorite examples going back to Dell Outlet selling a few million dollars worth of discounted computer equipment through Twitter,

Creating quality content that not only engages customers but encourages them to share is no easy task. A recent study by Exact Target found that 55% of Facebook users have "liked" a company and then later decided they no longer wanted to see that company's post. Are you doing everything you can to not only keep customers reading with relevant posts, but also providing content that is easily shared?

Thousands if not tens of thousands of new companies are formed every month in the U.S. and one of the most common problems to be solved relates to creating awareness, interest and motivation to buy. Is buying Google AdWords, throwing up a blog and a Facebook Fan page the answer? What about sending out Tweets, press releases and investing in SEO? If your start-up is executing content marketing tactics without first hand insight into the market and target customers,

New Report on B2B Content Marketing for 2012: This week started off right with the new report )pdf( from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs: "B2B Content Marketing: 2012 Benchmarks, Budgets & Trends". The report offers a great mix of insight into most and least effective content marketing tactics, social media tools, measurement,