SEO content marketing roundup, week ending January 9th

Is the tide turning for Google+? Is traditional print/direct mail marketing staging a comeback? Is Amazon the new Google? Will Author Rank forever change search and content marketing? Is there really an urgency behind getting your website mobile-friendly? And who “owns” social media, anyway?

These and other provocative discussions buzz up the Web in the content and social media marketing, SEO and search blogospheres. And, of course, internet marketing highlights from 2012 and forecasts for 2013 continue to stream in. All told, this roundup is chock full of notable news and yummy links – enjoy!

Content Marketing

Hugo Guzman posts the astute “Predicting the digital marketing landscape in 2013 and beyond” at his site.

Lee Odden of TopRank and New Media Expo (NMX) folks post a 48-slide visual eBook, “The New Media Rat Pack: 52 Tips on Content & Community From the Top New Media Experts,” on Slideshare.

Heather Lloyd-Martin begins her video blog series on how to start a freelance copywriting business with “Niche copywriting for love and (more) money” at SEO Copywriting.

Tim Ash discusses “6 Web Design Trends That (I Hope) Will Disappear in 2013” at ClickZ.

Heidi Cohen posts “7 Content Formats Every Marketer Needs in 2013” at her blog.

Kristi Hines compiles “The Top 50 KISSmetrics Posts of 2012” at the Kiss Metrics blog.

Clare McDermott posts “Inside An Explosive Content Marketing White Paper Strategy” at Content Marketing Institute.

Angela Stringfellow posts “[How To] Build a Successful Editorial Calendar for Your Blog” at Unbounce.

Gabriella Sannino posts “How To Get Great Blogging Ideas From Social Media” at Level 343.

Jessica Lee discusses “3 Ways to Align Your Blog Content with Your Target Audience” at Bruce Clay, Inc.

Gab Goldenberg discusses “Blog Design for ROI Rule #6: KISS Headers, Navigation, and Sidebars” at ProBlogger.

Bryan Eisenberg posts “Google Plus Needs to Become Content Marketing Friendly” at his site.

Stacey Acevero discusses the benefits of direct mail with “The Lost Art of Direct Mailing” at Blogging PRWeb.

Marketing Sherpa posts an archived 2012 Email Summit video featuring 5 industry experts brainstorming what email marketing will look this year with “In the Year 2013: Email marketing technologies and tactics of the near future.”

Debbie Mahler posts the contrary “Ready For A Mobile Website In 2013? You Might Want To Wait” at SavvyMarketers.

Events:

• For affiliate marketing folks, Affiliate Summit West 2013 will be held in Las Vegas from January 13^th thru the 15^th.
• eMarketing + Commerce (eM+C) will hold its second annual intensive “All About Email Live!” series of workshops in Atlanta, GA, on January 31^st.
• Content Success Summit 2012 (“Online Content Marketing Mega Conference”) is on (and completely online) starting February 5^th. Register by January 10^th for an early bird discount of $300!
• Marketing Sherpa’s Email Summit 2013 will take place in Las Vegas from February 12^th thru the 15^th.
• Content Marketing World Sydney (yes, Australia) is scheduled for March 4^th thru the 6^th. Register by January 31^st for early bird savings!

SEO & Search

Danny Sullivan discusses “Why People Hate SEO” at Marketing Land.

Erin Griffith talks search & SERPs with “How Google Author Rank could change content marketing…and journalism” at PandoDaily.

Ken Lyons posts “How to Craft Phenomenal SEO Landing Pages That Rank & Convert” at Search Engine Watch.

Greg Sterling posts “Google, Mobile Search And The Paradox Of Competition” at Search Engine Land.

Rand Fishkin shares his “10 Predictions for Inbound Marketing in 2013” at SEOmoz.

Jill Whalen shares her best content of the previous year with “My 7 Most Popular 2012 SEO Articles” at High Rankings Advisor.

ShortyMedia’s Joshua Hardwick discusses small business video content SEO with “Got video #SEO? 4 easy optimization tips” at SEO Copywriting.

Jaelithe Guillette posts a how-to on making inbound marketing videos without a camera of elaborate software with “Be a Freaking Video Hero, Sans Camera” at Portent.

Nick Stamoulis discusses “How to Improve Your SERP Presence” at SEO Aware.

Aaron Wall takes aim – and fires – at Google with “Google: ‘As We Say, NOT As We Do” at SEOBook.

Events:

• SES London is on for next month, February 18^th thru the 21^st.
• SMX West 2013 is scheduled for March 11th thru the 13^th, 2013 in San Jose, CA. Register by February 1^st for early bird savings!
• SES New York will return to The Big Apple March 25^th thru the 28^th. Register by February 21^st for early bird rates!

Social Media Marketing

Nielsen has released its “Social Media Report 2012” at its blog site.

John Koetsier posts “Christmas 2012 shopping: paper catalogs whipped Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest, and Amazon is the new Google”at VentureBeat.

Morgan J. Arnold posts “The Best Brands on Facebook in 2012” at Social Media Today.

Miranda Miller reports from the New Media Expo in Vegas with “Social Influence and Why Brands Need to Care #NMX” at TopRank.

Brian Solis discusses “How Social Media is Sparking Organizational Transformation” at his blog.

Rebecca Murtagh posts “5 Steps to Calculate Social Media ROI Using Google Analytics” at Search Engine Watch.

Mack Collier discusses “The Biggest Mistake Companies Make When Engaging Their Fans Via Social Media” at his blog.

David Llorens posts “Plus-One This: Proof That Google Plus Will Prevail” at Fast Company.

Amir Efrati declares “There’s No Avoiding Google+” at The Wall Street Journal (Online)

Mark Traphagen discusses “6 Ways Brands Can Leverage Google Plus Communities” at Social Fresh.

The Level 343 Team posts “Google Plus Communities: More Uses Than You Might Imagine.”

Shelly Kramer posts “Who Owns Social: Everyone. Period.” at V3 Integrated Marketing.

Events:

• Social Media Marketing World is scheduled to take place in San Diego from April 7^th thru the 9^th.

photo thanks to Colin_K (Colin Kinner)