The Portent Blog
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5 Mar, 2012
Internet marketing: The lifecycle
By Ian Lurie
Once again, I get to subject you all to my utter lack of artistic skills. I’ve been working on a simpler diagram of the internet marketing lifecycle for about six months. It’s finally ready, I think, for a public glance. This one boils it all down to a less-pretty but hopefully more clear concept. BE… Read More
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28 Feb, 2012
7 Email Marketing Fails and How to Avoid Them
By Portent Staff
Email marketing is a great tool for reaching out to potential clients and nurturing leads. Unfortunately, email marketing can be a double-edged sword. Some emails are so maddening that they make a person want to become physically violent. Thankfully we love our computers too much to do them any real harm. So take a deep… Read More
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27 Feb, 2012
SNEAK PEEK: Ian Lurie to Present Data-Driven Content Strategies at Tomorrow’s SEOMoz PRO Webinar
By Katie L Fetting
Friends, SEOmans, eMad Men— LEND IAN YOUR EARS. Tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. (PST), Ian Lurie, CEO and Webfather of Portent, Inc., will give an exclusive webinar at SEOmoz. His free-to-all-comers presentation “Data-Driven Content” will illuminate, educate, inform and otherwise rock your search marketing world. (We hope.) Topics Ian will cover include: Why great content is… Read More
27 Feb, 2012
Ian Lurie Named to SEMPO Board of Directors
By Bryden McGrath
Portent, Inc. CEO Ian Lurie has been named to the 2012-2014 Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) Board of Directors. “I’m excited to be on the board with such a great group of search marketers,” Lurie said. “SEMPO’s done some great things for our industry, and I know we’ll be able to grow the organization.” Lurie… Read More
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24 Feb, 2012
The 10-5-10 social media routine: You must matter
By Ian Lurie
These are the annotated slides from my presentation at SEMPDX Searchfest today. I talked about social media, having a productive routine and building a powerful campaign without sucking up 4 hours a day: Your daily social media routine – stuff that matters View more presentations from Ian Lurie
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21 Feb, 2012
20 must-haves for your new SEO business
By Ian Lurie
So, you’re heading on your own as an SEO consultant. Welcome to our weird little club! Before you start, you might want to make sure you’ve got: Knowledge. I really, really hope I don’t have to point this out. But you need strong knowledge of SEO: Far more than you can get in a few… Read More
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17 Feb, 2012
Writing for leads: Presentation slides
By Ian Lurie
I did a presentation a while ago about web copywriting, specifically for leads-based and professional services businesses. Today I rewrote it for a more general audience, and sharpened up a few things. Here it is – have a look-see: Writing for leads: How professionals can market themselves online View more presentations from Ian Lurie
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16 Feb, 2012
10 Internet Marketing Experts to Follow on Twitter
By Welles Wiley
For us in the internet marketing community, Twitter is the best way to get the latest insights from all the top minds in our field. The world of SEO is always changing, and if you’re working off old information you could be doing more harm than good to your website. In order to stay ahead… Read More
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14 Feb, 2012
Google Plus Box Ranking Factors Report
By Ian Lurie
Google Search Plus Your World (GSPYW, for short). Social media belly button lint? Or the best damned thing since chocolate? It’s a riddle. But GSPYW builds traffic a bunch of ways. The best (so far) is the ‘Plus Box’: Question is, how does Google decide which pages and profiles get that coveted spot? Also, how… Read More
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1 Feb, 2012
Webinar video now available
By Ian Lurie
All I ask in exchange is your soul. Well. Actually just your e-mail address, if you don’t mind. Click here to sign up and watch the video of the first webinar, ‘Internet marketing 101’. I won’t spam you. Much.
1 Feb, 2012
6 Crucial Internet Account Management Tips
By Mike Fitterer
When someone asks me what I do professionally I usually tell them I’m a pirate, a ninja, or a wine connoisseur. Then I tell them that I moonlight as an Account Strategist at an Internet marketing agency. Inevitably they ask “what the hell does that mean?” The truth is that this is a perfectly legitimate… Read More
30 Jan, 2012
A Take Action Framework
By Tom Schmitz
I have two styles of work. One is intuitive. When I have invested my 10,000 hours into I work quickly. I can because I have the knowledge and experience needed to be accurate and effective. I am not, unfortunately, an expert on all things. In fact, when it comes to most topics I know just… Read More
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16 Jan, 2012
Webinar number 1: Internet marketing, content, and all that jazz
By Ian Lurie
Portent’s starting a free webinar series, presented by yours truly. The first one is January 31, 2012 at 11 AM Pacific time. I’ll be doing a deep dive into inbound search content social media internet marketing strategy: The role of search engines, social media and other channels in your internet marketing campaign. What ‘inbound marketing’… Read More
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13 Jan, 2012
In internet marketing, be significant, or be roadkill
By Ian Lurie
You send an e-mail to 40,000 people, and get 1 response. Or, you run a Groupon deal that brings 1,000 new customers, who never buy from you again. Wonder why? You got everyone’s attention. They just don’t care. Now you’ve got a choice: Rend your garments, tear your hair and whine about how stupid the… Read More
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14 Dec, 2011
Problem solving with pants on
By Ian Lurie
Most people are terrified of problem solving, whether they’re figuring out how to replace a flat tire or diagnose a problem on their blog. They see a problem, and run so fast their pants are literally flayed from their bodies. Why? Because: A failed solution = A mistake Solutions require time, which no one has… Read More