Comments by Chris Horton Subscribe

On Pinterest Is a Business Necessity

Craig, 

Thanks for the comment, and the props on the post! I totally understand your point, and somewhat agree- small businesses pressed for time should first get set up on the "mainstream" social networks most relavent to their business (which might be Pinterest, depending on their user demographic). Having said that, a few thoughts:

a) It doesn't take much to set up a shingle on Pinterest. Once you're set up, it's relatively easy to update without too much effort or interaction.

b) Point "a", when coupled with the site's robust engagement and conversion numbers, would suggest that it is a smart move to get set up on Pinterest, at least as a beta test.

c) Admittedly, we don't know what direction the site will go. All of the major social networks started out small. What we do know is that the consumer adoption of mobile devices favors visually-oriented networks and easy touch-screen actionability. Pinterest provides both.

Thanks again for your comment and insight!

Regards,

Chris

On Promoting Content with Social Media and eMail Marketing

Alex,

Thanks for the comment! I understand your point, although as long as companies focus on publishing useful content that speaks to the wants and needs of their target audience, use sensible SEO techniques to attract prospects, and promote their content with social and email, companies will find success.

Thanks again. Heres to a great 2013!

Chris

On The Best Branded Content of the Year: 2012

Thanks Kent! Yes, this was a great post put together by our in resident brand journalist, Jacey Gulden; great work, Jacey!!!

On Google+ Communities: Good for Users, Marketers, and Google

Thanks for that insight, Qnary!

On 2013: The Year of Integrated Digital Marketing

Mary,

Thanks for your comments! I think you make a critical point when you say that, if companies gear up for the demands posed by the 7 trends in this article, there is no reason why they should fail. I really believe that by implementing a well-conceived integrated digital marketing strategy, businesses can take great advantage of all of these changes. Triggering emotion drives deeper connection, which leads to short-term conversion and long-term brand loyalty.

I appreciate your valuable input!

Regards,

Chris

On 2013: The Year of Integrated Digital Marketing

Samuel,

Thank you for the kind words! Your aforementioned post on Intent-based targeting is an excellent and thorough-going review of the topic; I would highly recommend it to other readers (as a sidenote, I wish more blog articles were written with the level of detail you pour into this one!). 

All of these trends really do suggest 2013 will be a very busy year for digital marketers!

Regards,

Chris

On Today's Sci-Fi Writers Are Tomorrow's Don Drapers

Great post, Rick! I couldn't agree more...

On 3 Simple Ways to Connect with Your Target Audience

Thanks for all of the great comments! Scott, that comscore data has been inspiring a lot of talk within our office about the importance of video/social video; I appreciate you sharing the data. At the end of the day, it's all about connecting with your audience by providing genuine value to them...

Thanks again, gang!

Chris 

On My smartphone told me to buy it!: Big Data Hits Mobile

Marcellini,

Sorry for the slow response, I somehow missed your comment until now.

I've never read Vaynerchuk's theory about the "context war," but I think I may have recently written something similar on the role of context in a brand's content marketing strategy. Check it out and let me know what you think!

By the way, I read your post- great stuff! 

Thanks for your input,

Chris

On Culture Clash: Baby Boomers Vie with Millennials over the Future of Social Media

Actually, I agree with the sentiments of your 2nd paragraph. I think the very reason why Hollis' post received so much negative attention was because she was suggesting 23 year-olds in and of themselves should not be trusted to manage a company's SM accounts. One of the objectives of the post was to debunk this notion. 

I do appreciate your contribution to the argument, however! I would only suggest that if you are going to join the debate you step out of the shadows so that I might know with whom I am engaging!

Regards,

Chris

On Is Klout the Future of Clout?

Robert,

I must say I think you are missing the broader picture here; Klout, Kred, etc truly are starting to have a real-world impact; as such, they have "clout," if not as much for you and me, certainly more for many others, and increasingly so in the younger generations. Moreover, what is a legitimate measuring practice, anyway? What does that even mean? As with much in the fast-changing online milieu, the terms are too muddy. 

As you suggest, it seems we are at a philosophical impasse on this one. At least we are both spending the time to think about the issues and make the arguments...

Regardless of our apparent differences on this subject, I do appreciate your comments.

Thanks much,

Chris

On Is Klout the Future of Clout?

Now this is some useful insight into Klout. Thanks for the interesting perspective.

At present, I think your analysis about potential versus actual influence may be spot on. It will be intersting to see how this develops as more people adopt online/social, and as time propels Gen Y and beyond to the fore. My younger colleagues seem to have an inherently different perspective than my generation about Klout. For many of them, the influence is clearly more actual than potential. 

Thanks very much for your comments!

Regards,

Chris