Testing websites and campaigns is key to improving performance.

Howard Sewell runs a marketing companyand#8212;Spear Marketing Group, in Walnut Creek, Calif.and#8212;that helps b-to-b companies increase webinar registration.

As far as Ron Helgeson, VP-corporate communications at Sopheon in Minneapolis, sees it, marketing has one main question to answer: and#8220;Whatand#8217;s the point?and#8221;

New Yorkand#8212;Customer engagement is a top priority for CMOs, but many companies are struggling to implement strategies and measure customer engagement, according to a new study from Forbes Insights and George P. Johnson.

The past 10 years of b-to-b marketing have been a tumultuous ride for those in the industry, marked by the dot-com crash, the explosive growth in inter-active technologies, media fragmentation and the Great Recession.

The growing popularity of e-readers is are pushing publishers and retailers to plan for a not-so-distant future when digital textbooks overtake their physical counterparts.

Major holding companies are creating dedicated social media units to cater to growing demand for the services from marketers.

Discovery Communications is one company planning a social game for later this year to promote the Discovery Channel's Deadliest Catch show.

Members only online shopping community Ideeli launched an e-mail marketing campaign July 27 to retain lapsed customers. The company developed the campaign strategy and creative in-house, and partnered with e-mail marketing agency ExactTarget on delivery.

The New York Giants football franchise has opened a revamped online store. Sports e-commerce service provider TeamFanShop is managing the site's e-commerce capabilities and customer service as well as marketing the portal, located at shop.giants.com.

Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz told members of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee that his agency is considering various ways to improve consumer privacy protection and transparency about companies' use of online customer data.

Global online advertising spending will reach $61.8 billion by the end of this year, a 2% increase from 2009, according to data released July 28 by eMarketer.

ETargetMedia releases Prospective Auto Buyers file to market

Apple has boasted about the capabilities of its iAd unit, but will it provide a more personal experience than traditional direct methods? Our experts debate the question

T3's chief executive Gay Gaddis speaks about maintaining independence, agency culture and more

Eco Friendly Consumers - Hybrid Intenders - Infinite Media - This file contains consumers that are dedicated to spending their money on products that have a low impact on our earth.

In and Out of Bankruptcy - Focus USA - This file contains individuals that have either declared bankruptcy or they have had a judgment against them that has been discharged or dismissed.

Junk mail is good mail that went to the wrong person.

All aboard the tablet bandwagon! Following in the footsteps of Apple's iPad, a BlackBerry tablet and a host of similar Android-based devices - by Dell, LG, Motorola and others -- are set to hit the market.

Is Foursquare the mobile marketing flavor of the month or a future tried-and-true direct marketing and promotional platform? Forrester Research took a cautious look at it, and similar services, in its July 27 report on location-based social networks.

There is a wide variety of complex dashboards listening platforms from companies like Radian6, Nielsen and TNS Cymfony that allow marketers to listen to social media chatter day in and day out. However, you can't just monitor current social media conversations to get an accurate view of your brand's social media buzz. You need a beginning and an end to make a complete story.

Recently, I was invited to spend a Sunday at a friend's house and be part of her weekly cooking show. Like any good guest, I dined exquisitely and overindulged for the camera.