If you don't have the time to read through lengthy blog posts or articles, this presentation is for you. We've summed up the most important digital marketing updates from the most reputable and followed sources like Econsultancy, SEOmoz, Google Webmaster Blog, etc.

1. Digital Marketing
Industry Highlights
According to Xanthos
30 April 2012 – 4 May 2012
WEEK 1

2. Monday 30 April 2012

3. 13% of Google UK searches now include author images
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9727-13-of-google-uk-searches-now-include-author-images
“The use of the rel=author markup to create enhanced listings in
Google's SERPs is growing, with 13% of searches now showing
author images in the top 100 results. ”
Example:
All you need is a Google + profile and then...
your CTR should rocket as you stand out

4. New Gmail Image Feature makes email marketing more social
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32599/New-Gmail-Image-Feature-Makes-Email-Marketing-More-Social.aspx
“Last week, Gmail made it even easier to share email content with
an outside network. If you have rich formatting enabled and receive
an email with an inline image in it, you can hover around the
visual and click on the “Share” link.
What’s it for?
• Spreading the word!
• Getting email marketers to create more compelling, shareable
content
• Easier sharing to Google+
• Lead generation
It’s just another of Google’s steps to integrate Google+ and Gmail

5. Responsive Design - harnessing the power of media queries
http://googlewebmastercentral.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/responsive-design-harnessing-power-of.html
“Our commitment to accessibility means we strive to provide a good
browsing experience for all our users.
3.Our pages should render legibly at any screen resolution
4.We mark up one set of content, making it viewable on any device
5.We should never show a horizontal scrollbar, whatever the window
size
So:
Use simple semantic markup. Enable a liquid layout. Enable media
Queries but don’t rely on them. Render your page readable by using the
viewport meta element.

6. Tuesday 1 May 2012

7. Is Google abusing its position with credit card comparison?
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9751-is-google-abusing-its-position-with-credit-card-comparison
“Google has
announced that it is
launching a price
comparison service
offering information
on credit cards and
bank accounts
ahead of the natural
search listings.”
So what?
Well, although the price comparison comes BELOW the paid advertising,
Because it uses images, it’s more eye-catching. Is Google going up against
Its advertisers?

8. Facebook: the social (engineering) network?
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9764-facebook-the-social-engineering-network
“In an effort to encourage
more people to become
organ donors, Facebook is
launching an initiative that
will ask users in certain
countries to share their
organ donor status on their
Facebook profiles under a
Health and Wellness
section.”
Zuckerberg: “Facebook is really about communicating and telling stories”
BUT...
This is not just a new story. FB is suggesting its users take an action and
encourage their friends/contacts to do so too. What will Facebook suggest
next?

9. Wednesday 2 May 2012

10. Yahoo launches dashboard for small businesses
http://econsultancy.com/uk/blog/9771-yahoo-launches-dashboard-for-small-businesses
“The Yahoo Marketing Dashboard allows small business owners to view
their sites' traffic, keep track of their search rankings and monitor buzz on
8,000 sites, including Twitter and Facebook. Yahoo bills it as the ‘one
place" to "get a clear picture of your marketing results and reputation.’ ”
How valuable is Yahoo’s offer, really?
Because there are so many options available to small business owners, having
A tool where everything can be managed in one place is not a half-bad idea.
However, Yahoo also stated that they submit a company’s website to over 100
search engines and directories. Is this their way of getting back into search?

11. Twitter update makes it easier for users to discover your
marketing content
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/32676/Twitter-Update-Makes-it-Easier-for-Users-to-Discover-Your-Marketing-Content.aspx
# Discover
Lab’s been
updated!
“The Twitter Discover tab was originally created to make it easier for users to
discover meaningful information without needing to follow other accounts. With
Twitter's new update, the tab will now take into consideration additional
personalization signals to surface stories and tweets that are popular among the
people you follow -- and the people they follow.”
What’s it all in aid of?
Twitter says: it’s part of an ongoing effort to bring users closer to the content
and tweets they care about.
What does this mean for you as a twitter user? : there’s now another way for
others to discover your content!

12. Microsoft advertising is becoming “Bing” for SMBs
http://searchengineland.com/microsoft-advertising-is-becoming-bing-for-smbs-120102
“The company has already rolled out a new branded landing page for small and
medium-sized businesses, building on other efforts it’s making to simplify everything
to attract these marketers.
Why did they change the branding?
Microsoft felt there was a big disconnect between the consumer Bing brand and
SMB’s.
As such, they’ve simplified their advertising process, rebranded their SMB
landing page and are building on other efforts to simplify and attract marketers

13. Thursday 3 May 2012

14. Linkedin acquires professional content sharing platform
SlideShare for $119M
http://techcrunch.com/2012/05/03/linkedin-acquires-professional-content-sharing-platform-slideshare-for-119m/
“Presentations are one of the main ways in which professionals capture and share
their experiences and knowledge, which in turn helps shape their professional
identity,” said LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. “These presentations also enable
professionals to discover new connections and gain the insights they need to
become more productive and successful in their careers, aligning perfectly with
LinkedIn’s mission and helping us deliver even more value for our members.
Now let’s see what happens...

15. Friday 4 May 2012