Articles by Jack Martin
Jack Martin // 25 Sep, 2013
The 113 Best Google Tricks, Easter Eggs, April Fool’s Day Jokes and Pranks
At first Google was just a search engine; then it started to get funny. Now, Google tricks, or “Easter Eggs,” lurk behind every Google search. The right keywords or an “I’m Feeling Lucky” search will often lead you to odd and awesome Google jokes. And Google Easter Eggs aren’t just in Search, you can also… Read More
Jack Martin // 28 Sep, 2012
Portent Open House: How to Party in a Historic Building
How is it going, Portent? I’d like to field this question: it is going great. Maybe I’m just feeling great because of what happened last night. What happened last night? You remember that Portent moved downtown to Seattle’s Smith Tower in June. Since then, life has been a lot like the 1996 blockbuster film The… Read More
Jack Martin // 14 Aug, 2012
Are You Making the Right First Impression on Twitter?
First impressions are important. I remember when I was younger; I met a girl on a cruise that was high class and a lot wealthier than I was. Ordinarily she wouldn’t have given me a second glance, but after I saved her from an ill-advised swim, we fell in love almost immediately, even though she… Read More
Jack Martin // 3 Aug, 2012
Mariners Social Media Night
Since moving downtown to the Smith Tower, Portent has been getting a lot more social in Seattle. So when we saw that the Mariners were hosting a Social Media Night on August 1st, we grabbed our smart phones and headed over. Social Media Night Many sports organizations have been early adopters of social media, and… Read More
Jack Martin // 1 Aug, 2012
Win the (Brand NEW) Web Marketing All-in-One for Dummies Book
For months now, Portent CEO Ian Lurie and Director of Search Marketing Elizabeth Marsten have not slept. They have not eaten. They have missed out on critical episodes of True Blood. Why? Because they have been brewing brilliance with co-authors John Arnold, Marty Dickinson, and Michael Becker, developing the second edition of Web Marketing All-in-One… Read More
Jack Martin // 26 Jun, 2012
How to Tweet Like You’re Not a Business
It’s Twitter Tuesday! And what a lovely Twitter Tuesday it is. This week we’re talking about tweeting for businesses. If Mitt Romney really is right and corporations are people, then they sure don’t act like it on Twitter. And that’s too bad. People don’t want to do business with a business; people want to do… Read More
Jack Martin // 7 Jun, 2012
How to Engage Your Audience in Five Seconds
I like to look at a potential customer the same way I look at a potential mate (Don’t make it weird). And in this mindset, there is one tenet I follow above all else: less is more. The more time I spend trying to convince a girl that she should kiss my face, the more… Read More
Jack Martin // 5 Jun, 2012
Blocking an IP Address in Google AdWords
If you found this article through Google Search, you may have already clicked on several other links making false promises to teach you how to block an IP address in Google Adwords. I did too; that’s why I wrote this. Those other articles are red herrings — part of an elaborate government ploy to distract… Read More
Jack Martin // 8 May, 2012
How to Use Hootsuite and Twitter Lists to Engage Your Audience
And a fine Twitter Tuesday to you as well. A Hootsuite tutorial about using Twitter lists can only begin with a beautiful memory. I remember when I got my first Twitter follower. I was a bright-eyed web surfer with a bushy tail (since birth). @getfree_ebooks3 followed me, and our relationship blossomed. She was beautiful. I… Read More
Jack Martin // 24 Feb, 2012
Steve Martin’s Twitter Book Teaches Us 4 Lessons in Engagement
Steve Martin and his Twitter book make this Twitter Tuesday funny. Since starting as a stand-up comedian in the late 60s, Steve Martin has been an actor, playwright, author, and one hell of a banjo player. In 2010, Martin brought his famous persona to the digital frontier: social media. Steve Martin hit the social media… Read More
Jack Martin // 14 Feb, 2012
Why Your Twitter Profile Picture is More Important Than You Thought
It’s Twitter Tuesday, and my study of good Twitter profile pictures has yielded some blog-post-worthy results. But first, a question: If a tweet falls in the forest, will anyone read it? You’re churning out 140 characters of brilliant headlines and observations. You’re promoting great content through links. You’re participating in relevant hash tags. And you’re… Read More
Jack Martin // 9 Feb, 2012
The Alfred Hitchcock Guide to SEO Copywriting
Why is my competitor showing above me in Google search results? How can I use my website’s useful content to find new potential customers? What acronym would I use for the Sasquatch Education Organization? SEO is the answer to these questions and more. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) starts as a mystery for many companies, but… Read More