Inbound marketing is natural – it is the process of pull-marketing in which customers come to you because they were looking for you (or the solution you provide). This is the guy who shows up with jumper cables when you took that last client call and the kids hopped in the car for dinner ahead of time and cranked up the radio. Dead battery + Johnny on the spot = saved dinner plans.

Outbound marketing, or push-marketing, is also referred to as interruption marketing and happens when an audience (even if not a targeted demographic) is forced to watch, see or click an ad. This is your Great Aunt who stops you inline at the family reunion buffet and (unprovoked) starts telling you about her recent gall bladder surgery. Yum, pass the chicken!

So not only is inbound marketing more enjoyable for the consumer, but it pays better for businesses. Instead of throwing money at a bad/mixed demographic, advertisers can now target and focus on those who need what they have.

Take a look at this HubSpots slideshow highlighting some fascinating and tell-tale statistics that should give you pause to consider where your marketing time and money is invested.

Takeaways: you will feel the fear. Anticipate it, embrace it and push through.

Mobile is a rapidly developing sector. According to some projections, mobile internet usage will overtake desktop usage before 2015. In preparation, companies are developing new mobile commerce platforms, strategies, and marketing efforts.

Microsoft Tag recently attempted to sum up this constantly changing space with a single infographic.

Here’s the summary: The mobile market is large; local searches, games, and YouTube are all doing well on Mobile; and socializing is the most prominent use of the mobile Internet. See the full infographic below.

But in comparison to the rest of the web’s social heavyweights, Craigslist hasn’t aged all that well, both in terms of aesthetics and usability. Wired hit on the problem in an August 2009 article that compares the site to other popular job boards: “[A]nother wasteland of hypertext links, one line after another, without recommendations or networking features or even protection against duplicate postings. Subject to a highly unpredictable filtering system that produces daily outrage among people whose help-wanted ads have been removed without explanation, this site not only beats its competitors — Monster, CareerBuilder, Yahoo’s HotJobs — but garners more traffic than all of them combined. Are our standards really so low?”

I wouldn’t go that far, but obviously what we think of as the “Internet” has changed a lot in the last 16 years since Craigslist was first launched. Even if a site looks straight out of 1995, it should incorporate the web values of 2011. Here are the five characteristics that the next ecommerce powerhouse should offer the modern web user.

1. It Should Be Personalized

All you need to create an account on many classified ad sites is a working email address. Often, there are no additional information requirements. The result? Many users are anonymous.

There are times when anonymity is beneficial, but looking through online classified ad sites can feel very impersonal, and there is little accountability for the business-customer relationship. This can be a great disadvantage in today’s market.

Users should have the ability to personalize their activities to maximize efficiency. Customizable search options, profile listings based on services or products, and other tools can help make a website feel tailored to personal needs. This not only makes a website more useful, but will also ensure your users return time and time again.

2. It Should Integrate Social Recommendations

What was once used simply for personal communication, social media has become essential for the success of businesses. Those that know how to employ social media to respond to customers in real time, as well as generate new leads, are the ones best equipped to both build and maintain a brand in this new world of ecommerce.

Aside from the use of Twitter and Facebook Fan Pages, an important feature of many user-generated sites is community reviews or rankings. These help people find the most desirable services and encourages businesses to adopt good practices. This also might reduce the risk of scams, schemes, and otherwise unlawful activities which can reflect negatively on the site.

3. Search and Organization Should Be Smarter

Some of today’s largest online classified ad sites’ search abilities are very simple. But with simplicity comes limitations. Searching from Craiglists’ homepage or clicking on any of the categories will yield long lists of every relevant post, starting with the most recent. Then begins the grueling process of looking through hundreds of little blue links to find what you’re actually looking for.

Investing time in developing more subcategories is almost always a good starting point, but I’d also recommend allowing your user to search multiple categories. A cleaner layout would also inevitably lead to better mobile usability.

Businesses working in the ecommerce space must develop forward-thinking search models if they want to be successful in the coming years. For instance, a company might utilize a system that integrates the search process with the contact process. In this way, customers can search for things they need and contact businesses simultaneously. Improving search is the next big obstacle for many online classified ad sites, and it’s only through considerations of such shortcomings that we’ll be able to implement creative and practical solutions.

4. Your Ad Should Not Be a Message in a Bottle

In the Craigslist model, you simply post a listing for a service and hope that someone sees it. You might as well just put a message in a bottle and throw it into the ocean.

That message can become disconnected from the company that posts it, as well as any users who might seek to reply. Sure, you can make and maintain a connection via email, but there are no accountability systems in place within Craigslist to ensure that customer service needs are met. That might be OK for selling an old futon, but when it comes to offering goods or services, or hiring on a regular basis, businesses and consumers are going to need a better infrastructure to ensure their needs are met on both sides of a listing.

5. Filter the Chaos

In its infancy, Craigslist’s fire hose of raw information was manageable. Today’s web is so noisy that many online businesses exist simply to clean up the clutter. Users need filters to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Google’s recent clampdown on content farms is just one example of this. The next ecommerce leader will have to “reverse engineer” the noise of the Internet to deliver the best service possible to both consumers and the businesses that serve them.

posted by Reg DesRosiers, the founder and president of zipzoom, an innovative communication technology changing the way consumers and businesses find each other.

Facebook commerce is the topic at the front of every brand marketer’s mind, and retailers are starting to explore how they convert “Likes” into actual purchases. Here’s a look at five ways retailers have had success with Facebook commerce.

1. Pop-Up Shops and Insider Shopping Events

In August, Rachel Roy launched a pop-up store on Facebook. The insider shopping event gave the brand’s Facebook fans early access to Roy’s new jewelry line — a collaboration with British R&B artist Estelle. The pop-up store, which lasted three days, boosted Rachel Roy’s fan base by 25% in the first day and 100% by the end of the campaign. The Facebook Page was acquiring 1 fan every 1.5 seconds. The collection featured an exclusive, limited edition piece that sold out in only six hours.

The Rachel Roy pop-up shop was built on a software-as-a-service solution created by Fluid Social Fan Shop. Peter Goldie, the vice president of marketing at Fluid Agency, an ecommerce firm whose clients include Diane von Furstenberg, Nine West, Theory, Vans and Coach, believes that retailers need to create engaging social merchandising experiences that increase a brand’s fan base while driving transactions.

“Marketers are always looking for ways to drive customer purchases,” Goldie said. “Having limited edition, time sensitive sales helps retailers drive sales without having to discount.” Goldie added that pop-up shops are a great way for brand manufacturers to test the ecommerce waters without going into full-scale website development.

“Few retailers are delivering premium Facebook shopping that not only rewards fans but pulls them into a deeper relationship with the brand,” Goldie said. “Slapping a store on Facebook doesn’t deliver. Fan Shop enabled Rachel Roy and Coach to create immersive brand experiences that fully integrate shopping as well as the shopper’s wider social network.”

2. Private, Fan-Only Sales

In August 2010, Philadelphia-based Kembrel launched a private shopping community for students that sells clothing, books and computer gadgets at 40-75% off — and they did it entirely via Facebook. Kembrel’s summer beta period successfully attracted more than 20,0000 registered student members. This initial growth was mostly organic through word of mouth, with little reliance on traditional marketing.

“The total market is 17 million students and every year, they spend over $300 billion. Now two-thirds of that $300 billion dollars [goes toward] school, housing, food and essentials; there’s $100 billion dollars spent on apparel, shoes and accessories and that’s the market we’re going after,” said Cherif Habib, Kembrel’s CEO.

What makes Kembrel’s private sale model unique is that the marketing strategy completely relies on the social behavior of participating college students to drive consumption. The product assortment is tightly curated by young buyers who understand the student market. The day-to-day student activities are also student-run. To date, there are also more than 250 brands that have signed up to reach students through the Kembrel platform.

“College students spend two to there hours a day on Facebook. By bringing our store to where our customers spend the most time online, our goal is to provide them with the most convenient and relevant shopping experience,” Habib said. Kembrel is taking student relevance a step further by launching an internship matching service for fashion students who sign up for the site, connecting the shopping experience to the community.

3. Wish List Features: Bulgari

Luxury retailers are starting to explore Facebook as a revenue channel as well. In February, Bulgari launched a wishlist feature via Wishpot, a universal wishlist and registry service that lets retailers save things from stores all around the web as well as on Facebook. Bulgari fans can also purchase select jewelry through the app.

“Bulgari has developed entry-level priced jewelry, leather goods and perfume perfect for the Facebook audience. A new customer, who’s never been in the Bulgari store on Fifth Avenue can access the brand in the comfort of their Facebook world,” said Ruth Staiman, president of The Fashion Office, a luxury marketing consultancy. “The opportunity to create a personalized luxury gift for a Facebook friend priced at $370 with a portion of the proceeds going to Save The Children is nothing short of brilliant.”

Staiman believes that luxury brands should be looking at Facebook to offer diffusion lines while keeping the integrity of their brand sound through unique Facebook Pages. Developing a presence with interactive components is key.

4. Facebook Ecommerce Apps

Are you a small- to medium-sized retailer that wants to set up shop on Facebook on a shoestring budget? Well, San Francisco-based Payvment has created a solution for you — and it’s free. The company’s software allows retailers to create Facebook storefronts that accept payments via credit cards and PayPal.

Payvment’s ecommerce Facebook app allows anyone with a retail store to set up shop on Facebook and create a compelling storefront, complete with discount offers, incentive programs, and the ability for customers to complete their purchases within Facebook. The app even prompts buyers to become a fan of a store in order to receive exclusive deals. The app offers unique features for shoppers as well, allowing them to carry their goods with them across thousands of Payvment-powered storefronts on Facebook.

According to Payvment’s CEO Christian Taylor, the company was setting up 250 new Facebook retailers each day as of last December, and hosts more than 40,000 with 750,000 items for sale. Notable shops include Grayce By Molly Sims, Yes To Carrots and Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim UK.

5. Full Ecommerce Integration

In fashion, sometimes a retailer has to go big or go home, and that’s exactly what U.K. retailers ASOS and Young British Designers have done. In January, ASOS launched the company’s entire 150,000 product catalog on Facebook in hopes of increasing revenue from mobile commerce, which currently amounts to just $1.5 million, or about 3% of its revenue.

Young British Designers launched a fully-integrated Facebook store a few hours after the ASOS store went live. Both stores allow consumers to buy designer items, search products, add items to their basket, edit cart contents and check out securely. Both have also have integrated social shopping features. Customers can “Like” items and share and tweet products that they purchase.

A third retailer, Tesco Clothing, has generated over £2 million (approximately $3.2 million) in sales over the past year through its U.K. Facebook Page. Tesco tracked its activity on Facebook using vouchers, finding that a campaign called “Friday Frenzy” resulted in more sales in two hours than it would usually get in a week. Though successful, Tesco has shut down the Facebook shop due to staffing and budgetary constraints.

“Full ecommerce integration stands to benefit companies with a strong or sole ecommerce focus, particularly independent or boutique firms looking to stand apart from larger conglomerates,” said Jessica Quillin of Quillin Consulting, LLC. The concept of a Facebook store is to combine direct marketing and online shopping into a fully-tailored, streamlined retail experience. Online fashion and luxury retailers, especially those that sell high-end goods, are a natural fit for full ecommerce integration simply because they cater to a sophisticated demographic with busy lives who likely crave a more personalized, quick-access shopping experience.”

Three Things Retailers Need For Facebook Commerce Success

There are three things that I believe retailers need to remember in order to reap the rewards of Facebook commerce:

• Remain authentically social. Being “social” is the whole point. Brands and retailers should focus on creating meaningful interactions with their Facebook fans through brand and customer content before they focus on selling them anything.
• Augment the social aspects of your Facebook presence with ecommerce. Make sure your fans’ interaction with content seamlessly translates over into their purchase experience. This must live within the Facebook community, not redirect them to your main ecommerce site.
• Monitor user behavior to develop incentives that turn fans into customers. Use Facebook’s internal tracking system, Facebook Insights, in addition to other analytics, in order to develop coupons, deals, discounts or rewards programs that increase purchase conversion.

“40% of Facebook users follow a brand and 15% of those fans intend to make a purchase from that brand within 60 days,” said professor Scott Galloway of L2 ThinkThank. “Facebook is a transformative platform that needs to be incorporated into every retailer’s marketing strategy. Over time, digital marketing channels will significantly reduce offline ad spends.”

As Facebook expands as a social and ecommerce platform, retailers should focus on keeping fan experiences social and experiential, instead of focusing directly on monetizing the social network. These examples should point you in the right direction, but let us know of any other successes you’ve encountered in the comments below.

Facebook started out as a way for friends to connect and interact online. Yet, as the startup grew from a few thousand users at New England colleges to hundreds of millions around the world, it quickly became a place where businesses could interact more intimately with their customers.

In the past few years, big brands have started taking social media seriously, and Facebook marketing is a big part of the plan for many companies. However, even big brands struggled to amass a Facebook following or extract value in the beginning. Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most recognizable brands, for example, had 800 Facebook fans in November 2007. It has 16.5 million now.

In this infographic, we explore the timeline of brand-friendly updates to Facebook itself, as well as the brands that dominate in Facebook marketing today.