More and more brands and companies have begun taking advantage of social media, mobile and video and using them as an essential part of their marketing plans. As important as these formats are as advertising and marketing tools, it is also important to view emerging media with an educated eye.

Consumer brand logos are everywhere in the social media space. According to Business.com, two-thirds of business-to-consumer companies have a social network profile page and half use Twitter. Social media budgets across all industry sectors this year were expected to balloon from 43 percent to 79 percent, according to MarketingSherpa.

Yet the way brands are spending those social media dollars is changing dramatically. For one thing, advertising is becoming less important as the primary revenue driver. More important, social media is not confined to social networks, or even digital media. Instead, it is spreading across all marketing.

A recent article found on iMediaConnection discusses these revolutions in the social marketing realm. The article states that brands are starting to see that the most critical social media expenditures are not in the realm of buying paid advertising but in building out infrastructure and a strategy to enable social media to transform their businesses. That means money will be allocated from marketing budgets, not media budgets.

What will marketers demand for their buck? Information. Not just information gleaned by listening to their customers, but by listening to those noncustomers whose opinions are shaped by the social interactions and commentary of others. As customers and customers-to-be drive the conversation, they will increasingly drive the evolution of a company’s brand.

As brands become the property of consumers, rather than companies, the notion of earned media is more important. Earned media are brand engagements a business doesn’t pay for, which range from blog posts to Facebook updates to virtual gifts.

As social media has matured, mobile marketing, too, has finally arrived. But where is it headed next? eMarketer predicts mobile ad spending will rise from $416 million in 2009 to $593 million in 2010 — a spike of 42.5 percent. That’s not surprising as more brands and agencies integrate mobile into their marketing mix. Plus, Google’s acquisition of AdMob is certain to prompt greater interest in the mobile space from agencies, brands, and media companies alike.

Noah Elkin, eMarketer’s senior analyst, mobile, says, “The fusion of mobile and social and the appetite for apps (among both consumers and brands) will continue unabated.” Location apps will be a key avenue for brands looking to engage consumers on the go.

Brands are taking advantage of consumers’ proclivity to keep friends on their radar and reveal their own locations wherever they may wander. Loopt, for example, helped establish the practice of “checking in” to find nearby friends, places, and activities. Foursquare added a gaming element to compete to earn badges and points based on the number of times users visit a particular location.

With 90 million consumers accessing the internet from their devices in 2010, mobile phones will transform into consumers’ personal shoppers. Major retailers such as 1-800-FLOWERS, Barnes & Noble, Sears, and Target have launched well-regarded m-commerce offerings. Third-party app developers have introduced location-based services that enable on-the-go shoppers to find products and learn about promotions at nearby stores.

But in general, m-commerce is still in its infancy, with most shoppers using their mobile phones to call a friend for advice on a purchase while standing in a store or to order a last-minute gift for an almost-forgotten birthday. Shopping ranked low on a list of activities conducted by mobile internet users, according to a report by Nielsen Mobile. But mobile shopping also grew by 39 percent between October 2008 and March 2009. That is a powerful sign of what lies ahead.

The fastest-growing ad technique among emerging formats is online video. It will surge nearly 40 percent this year and more than 36 percent in 2011. Marketers remain fascinated with video’s possibilities because of the proven appeal and success of sight, sound, and motion. But video advertising still accounts for a relatively small share of overall internet ad spending. Compare online video to TV, and TV wins hands down. For every $1 marketers spent on video ads in 2009, they spent $65 on TV commercials.

What’s the answer to this imbalance? In a word: convergence.

One convergence will be the fusion of TV and internet video consumption. Whether that occurs by connecting computers to TVs or via internet-enabled TVs, the direction of the connection will matter less than its existence. The other convergence will be a combination of business models, with digital video increasingly supported by a mix of ad dollars subsidized by audience subscription fees, much like cable TV.

Consumers are certainly ready for TV-internet connections. A Deloitte report showed that 65 percent of internet users wanted to connect their TV to the internet in 2009, a 7 percent increase over 2008. Web users across all generations want to watch online content, as well as content on their PC and on traditional television screens. Even among matures, nearly half were ready for internet-enabled TV sets.

As marketers forge pacts with online entities like Hulu and traditional players like TV networks, it is becoming increasingly clear that advertising cannot pay the entire freight for this medium, which continues to explode in popularity. A UBS study shows that by 2012, U.S. online video revenues will come mostly from paid models (77 percent) and will reach $5.4 billion. Ad-supported online video will represent just 23 percent of online video revenues, at $1.6 billion.

In the short term, though, more marketers are embracing online video advertising, supported by the twin boom of video streams and video ad networks. Further support for video ad growth will come from sites that offer a deeper catalog of professional, premium video content. Their survival will depend on creating a hybrid model that combines subscription fees with advertising.

To read this article in its entirety, click here.

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Jeanne O'Neill

The majority of taxpayers expect refunds this year. Although this is a smaller number than last year, the National Retail Federation’s recent survey purports that more recipients will spend their money on non-essential purchases they have delayed over the last two years, including electronics, furniture, cars and vacations, if not used to pay off debt or build savings. This is good news for marketers. And, with the continued growth in use of e-filing (now used by over 50% of filers) AND early filing (over 60% have completed their taxes by end of February), these refunds continue to be received earlier each year. So now, early Spring is the time for retailers, travel companies and investment firms to advertise for their share of the funds.

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Press releases are a great tool to use to promote your business and web site online. SiteProNews has recently published an article that further explains three good reasons why companies should try to create and distribute at least one press release each month.

1. Press Release Distribution is Good For Organic Search Engine Rankings
One of the most important components to getting ranked high on the Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc., search page results – is the number of external web sites that link to your web site.

Your news release appearing on an online or industry news site, a social networking site, a newswire such as BusinessWire or PR NewsWire, or even on a directory of press releases, helps improve your web site’s overall organic search engine rankings. In addition, many other sites and blogs may pick up your release and print it on their pages, further increasing the search engine results for your web site and business.

Did you know that a good news announcement could show up on hundreds or thousands of different sites?!

Most major news sites only keep their press releases online for about a month or so, you need to keep posting new press releases and news announcements every month to maintain your SEO rating and web page search results positions. By optimizing your press releases and embedding hotlinks, you can further increase how high up your web site will appear in the search results.

You should also make sure to post your press releases on your own web site.  By posting your press releases on your site, you increase the amount and quality of content on your site. For most search engines, the two of the most important factors towards getting a high search page result are the amount of quality links pointing to your web site and the amount of quality content you have on your site. News announcements can fulfill both.

2. Press Releases Inform Potential Customers About Your Company & Products
Most people and businesses now rely on a web search as an integral part of their search for products, and services. Seeing your news announcements all over the web – at the magazines they read, at various blogs, and as a result of web searches, can greatly help boost your company’s brand and product awareness in their mind. It is also useful to have news announcements that inform current and past customers of what is new and that you are still successfully in business.

3. Distributing Press Releases May Increase Company Press
Press outlets that come across your press releases may be interested in your news and want to include it as a standalone announcement or as part of a trend article or column. They may be doing an industry overview or product round up. It is also useful to occasionally inform press that you are an expert in your industry and are available for comment as needed. If they don’t see press releases from your company on a regular basis, you may drop off their radar screen. You need to show ongoing, consistent news and growth or the press will forget about you.

To read this article in its entirety, click here.

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Mobile phones are quickly becoming the way consumers find coupons, research products, compare prices and make purchases. It makes shopping easier for consumers, but that doesn’t mean retailers are thrilled at the prospect of consumers consulting mobile phones from their aisles – after all, does Best Buy want you to know that the item in your cart can be had cheaper at Amazon – and purchased right now on your phone?

“There is fear, but it is the new reality,” said Dan Butcher, a reporter at Mobile Marketer. “Retailers are becoming aware that consumers are using their phones in the store to make decisions. They’re realizing that they need to support that platform.”

Indeed, retailers who don’t embrace the technology now will be left to play catch-up in the years to come. But there is reason for retailers to be excited about the shifting mobile landscape. Many of the mobile applications coming onto the market actually benefit bricks-and-mortar retail by improving the in-store experience or driving traffic to stores that are either nearby or boast the best deals.

A recent article on AdAge points out some of the recent retail-related mobile applications on the market today:

SHOPSAVVY
What it Does: With this app, users can comparison shop by scanning a product’s bar code with a camera phone. ShopSavvy finds the lowest prices online and at nearby brick-and-mortar retailers, as well as coupons, and lets users make transactions. Last month, ShopSavvy reported more than 42 million scans. Available on the iPhone, iPod Touch, Android and Nokia phones.

YOWZA
What it Does: Using GPS to determine shoppers’ locations, Yowza delivers coupons to nearby stores. Users can set the parameters between 1 mile and 50 miles. The app boasts more than 1 million unique users on the iPhone and iPod Touch and an additional 4 million users through a syndication deal for BlackBerry, Android and Palm.

RETREVOQ
What it Does: More of a mobile advisor than an application, RetrevoQ uses texts and tweets to dispense info. Shoppers can text 41411 or tweet @retrevoq including the make and model of the electronics product they’re considering, and RetrevoQ will respond with advice on whether it’s a good buy, a fair price, the price range available online for that product and a link to reviews at Retrevo.com, a consumer-electronics shopping and review site.

FASTMALL
What it Does: This iPhone and iPod Touch app provides interactive maps of malls, highlighting elevators and the quickest route to stores, as well as helping shoppers find food vendors and remember where their cars are parked. A shake of the phone turns up the nearest restroom location. Shoppers can also make lists and access coupons.

THEFIND: WHERE TO SHOP
What it Does: Shoppers can find which stores carry the products they’re looking for and where those stores are located, as well as compare prices with nearby retailers and online retailers. The app will even calculate the driving cost to each store. It is available on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

GROCERYIQ
What it Does: Coupons.com acquired the popular grocery app in January 2009 and released version 2.0 in December. The iPhone and iPod Touch app allows consumers to create grocery lists, organize them, access coupons and share lists with others. Shoppers can also take photos of bar codes to add items to their lists and create lists of frequently or previously purchased items.

To read the article from AdAge in its entirety, click here.

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Nicole Wagner

Microsites

Posted By: Nicole Wagner   Category: Web 2.0

25 Feb 2010

Microsites are developed to showcase a unique product or service offered by a larger entity. They typically mimic the messaging of the brand and are not afraid to drive users to the corporate website for further investigation.

A microsite is not a landing page. Typically, a landing page is one page that links the reader to your Web site or makes a simple call to action. A microsite, if used to its full potential, can provide you with an opportunity to move your customers closer toward a buying decision or next level of the sales cycle. A true microsite is multilayered and can be thought of as a launching pad for myriad marketing opportunities.

Microsites work well when they are used as:

  • A follow up for your newsletter
  • A doorway for search engines
  • A marketing site for e-marketing campaigns
  • A targeted site for brands, products, and services

One of the advantages to using microsites is that you can tailor them towards segments of your audience versus trying to reach the masses.

Tips on strong microsites include:

  • The key message on the landing page needs to be consistent with the key message of the referral source. – Make it clear they are at the right place. You need to grab their attention within the first 10 seconds through the headline, visuals and call to action.
  • The design should make the next step clear and minimize the number of clicks required for response. Every extra click required in response will generally reduce response by 10%.
  • It is best practice to include the initial data capture on the first page. If the response mechanism is on another page use multiple calls-to action to gain response since some visitors will respond to images and some text hyperlinks.
  • If it is a multi-page form, then draw users in with easier initial questions. Allow the form to be saved part way through the quotation.
  • Make all images clearly clickable, for example by making them look like buttons.
  • Limit the options on each page and drive users where you want them to go.
  • Make sure your microsite is optimized and keywords are implemented to held with search engine rankings.
  • The right copy/page length is one that minimizes the knowledge gap between what the user want to know and what you tell them.
  • Use meaningful graphics. Graphics must be consistent with the campaign and generate empathy for the audience.
  • With microsites you typically need to allow users to go navigate to other web pages. Keep your menu options simple and try to make all information within one click from the main page.
  • Provide a choice for those who don’t respond. Provide a reasonably prominent (trackable) phone number or perhaps a call-back/live chat option.
  • Try It! Measure It! Tweak It!
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Nicole Wagner

Landing Pages

Posted By: Nicole Wagner   Category: Search Engine Marketing| Web 2.0

24 Feb 2010

Landing pages are typically one page websites that are developed to generate a conversion. They are simple and direct and ask for whatever the conversion may be. They rarely lead one to the actual website. Landing pages are primarily used for direct marketing and search programs.

Tips on what makes a good landing page:

  • Content on the page should relay what you are advertising
    The landing page is the follow up to the direct mail piece, search engine or interactive ad that you put out there. The landing page should compliment the reach out advertising and finish the story of what you were trying advertise.
  • Your page should be solely dedicated to a single purpose
    Don’t try to do too much with your landing page. Have a clear focus and make sure it is very clear what that focus is. That doesn’t mean you should have only one link or call to action – it means that everything you communicate on you landing page should all lead to the next desired step you want the reader to take.
  • Should be very clear what you want them to do next with a strong call to action
    You want one outcome from your landing page – to get the user to do the next step. Make is very clear and direct them as to what that next step is.
  • Be Brief and Clear
    Don’t make your readers work for it. Spoon-feed it and make it easy. Sentences should be short, with concise copy that makes your points quickly and directly. Your visitors need to easily scan the page to find the content they are looking for and that fulfills the promise you made in your ad copy. The use of bold headings and bigger “BUY” or “SUBMIT NOW” buttons help increase success rates.
  • Answer all questions your reader may have to increase chances of a conversion
    We don’t want them to leave this page without moving on to the next step, so be sure to answer all questions you believe they will have that will make them hesitate to move forward. Testimonials are good on landing pages because they convey trust. Seals, certifications, anything to eliminate fear and motivate your customer.
  • Forms
    The shorter the form, the more likely people will complete the whole form. The form should also be positioned “above the fold” meaning that your prospect shouldn’t have to scroll down the page to see it.
  • Par down your navigation
    The goal is to complete the transaction on the landing page, but you don’t want them to leave you completely and not come back. Keep the navigation to a minimum and allow readers to go to your website at the very bottom of the landing page if they still feel they need more information.
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In order to take your pay per click campaigns to the next level in the upcoming year, you must go beyond simply measuring leads and transactions and start measuring new goals such as social media engagements and RSS subscriptions. The Search Engine Journal has listed 10 types of conversions marketers should be tracking in the upcoming year.

1. Transactions/Purchases
Measuring purchases is a standard practice for PPC marketers. In addition to tracking the amount of purchases, start measuring your average order value. This is the next most important metric to measure and work to increase in your PPC campaigns.

2. Leads
If the purpose of your PPC campaigns are to generate leads, be sure that you are measuring them and tracking them as conversion goals.

3. Up-Sell or Cross-Sells
Once a visitor converts — whether as a lead or transaction — there is still more conversions to be had on the thank you page. If you are generating leads for a paid online service or subscription, you can up-sell your initial lead conversions with the opportunity to sign up for a trial or make a purchase. This is a great way to lure PPC clicks in with a free, lead gen offer, but also grab any paid opportunities post-conversion.

Likewise, you can cross-sell leads or customers with a relevant offer on the thank you page, and gain more lead data or generate more revenue after the initial conversion.

4. Video Views
There’s no doubt – video is hot right now. And it is a highly effective way to support transactional or lead generation goals. You can test landing pages with video vs. pages without video and see what pages convert higher (meaning, which pages drive more leads or purchases). You should also measure how long visitors watch your video & how they engage with it.

5. RSS Subscriptions
An RSS subscribe is a great, friendly introduction to a brand or company. It’s anonymous and almost as valuable as grabbing a visitor’s email address. You can provide opportunities to subscribe to your RSS along with other goals, such as video views, leads, or transactions.

6. Inbound
Make sure you are setting & measuring inbound goals – anytime a visitor says, “please contact me!” You can cross-sell inbound opportunities on the thank you page after a lead conversion, or include an inbound opportunity alongside a lead conversion, as a secondary choice.

7. Forward To A Friend
Think of forward to a friend as instant word of mouth marketing. Most email marketers have embraced forward to a friend as an easy way to boost the viral distribution of their content, but most PPC marketers haven’t. Forward to a friend functionality is easy to integrate onto your landing pages with simple forms or social networking tools.

8. PDF Download
PDF downloads are extremely popular in lead genereation PPC campaigns — whether a product brochure, white paper, eBook, or brief and you should be measuring how many people actually download these items instead of just requesting them. Just because the visitor converts as a lead, doesn’t mean they are reading or engaging with your offer.

9. Social Engagement
You can easily measure and track how many people click on the social links or feeds on your web sites and landing pages.

10. Landing Page Clicks
A popular best practice for PPC landing pages is to create a multi-step landing experience that segments the visitor according to their audience segment or offers of interest, and subsequently delivers more relevant pitch and information. When creating multi-step experiences, it’s important to measure:

  • How many people engage with that initial page
  • What they click or engage with
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Although video marketing and uploading is becoming more and more popular, video search engine optimization remains a largely overlooked search marketing strategy. As videos continue to gain significant traction in search engines’ natural listings, most companies either ignore them, or remain completely unaware of their potency. That oversight represents a valuable edge your company can use to leapfrog your competitors in the organic rankings.

A recent article posted on SiteProNews explains why companies should consider integrating video SEO into their current search marketing strategy.

Before Google released their Universal Search platform in May 2007, their natural listings were dominated by text-based pages. Videos were rare in the top positions. Universal Search changed the way Google displayed their primary index. Google, Yahoo, and Bing now include entries from their respective video search platforms. What’s more, popular video-sharing sites have been given higher ranking authority and increased link weight.

Video SEO gives a company greater exposure in the search engines through two levers. First, it caters to the algorithm used for Universal Search. By allowing syndication of videos to authoritative video-sharing sites, a company will enjoy more exposure through their increased ranking authority. In effect, those sites will rank higher, drawing more people to your videos.

Second, videos that are placed on your site (as opposed to syndicating them) attract links – both directly and indirectly. As your videos gain popularity, direct links will naturally build, pointing to the pages on your site that host the videos. Indirect links will point from other sites whose owners have embedded your videos. As a result, your inbound link profile will continue to grow and strengthen, lifting your site higher within the search engines’ organic listings.

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5 Don’ts For Blog Writing

Posted By: Stevens & Tate   Category: Social Media

18 Feb 2010

There are several articles on the web today that discuss the “Dos” for blog writing and management. SiteProNews has put together their list of things that bloggers should not do in order to maintain a successful blog.

1. Don’t call yourself, “An Authority” or, “Expert” on your blog’s subject.
If you run a great blog and seem to have a great answer for everything, then yes, you are likely an expert or authority; but the minute that you announce to your readers that you are, you become a jerk instead. Think about it, the people who we admire the most are those that are modest and in denial about their own talents, whether they fake the denial or not, it is the cool thing to do. Same thing goes for heroes right? When was the last time some guy pulled a kid from a burning building, and when the reporter calls him a hero he says, “Yup, absolutely, I am incredible, aren’t I?” Never, that’s when. Anyone in that position knows that they have to say, “Hero? Nah, I was just doing what anyone else would do, I ain’t no hero.” Otherwise, he would be a jerk.

2. Don’t argue with your readers.
It doesn’t matter if he is the biggest idiot in the world, and you are right as rain; you are the only one with something to lose: your readers. If you think that your content is so good that you can say whatever you want to whoever you want, then people will go out of their way to ignore your blog and tell all of their friends to do so also. Treat everyone with the same respect that you would want, even if they are wrong, it will make you look like the better of the two.

3. Don’t fail to remember your theme.
This may seem like a no-brainer, but there are so many blogs that ramble on and never recover. Please do not get the wrong idea here. If you write a blog about playing baseball, then each and every one of your posts do not have to be about baseball, but if the last twelve posts are about your mother-in-law’s divorce struggle, then you seem to have lost direction. Yes, people want to understand that you are a real person, with real problems, but unless your blog is specifically about those problems, then stick to the subject.

4. Don’t alienate the “majority.”
Now this is a big one I see continually. Please don’t think that just because two or four people want your blog to go a particular route, that ALL of your readers want it to go that way. Keep in mind, a successful blog is about pleasing the majority of your readers. Just because you have a few people who LOVE a particular type of content, it doesn’t mean that all of them do. Remember, you likely have many readers whom you will never hear from on your comments, but are extremely in to your blog. So how are you supposed to know which direction they want you to follow? Well, try using the poll feature in Blogger or Wordpress, and ask your readership what they like best; you may be surprised. Also, keep a mailing list that is up to date, and ask your members for their view; most people jump at the chance to offer their voice in a matter that concerns them. Plus, it will make you look great that you are asking for their input.

5. Please do not be a rolling billboard.
Look, everybody understands that advertising is what pays the bills for a full-time blogger, but when you jam ad copy down their throat at every single turn, it gets annoying. Take care of the most vital thing, the content, and the rest will take care of itself. Yes, ads are significant, and you should optimize your ads and put a ton of work into it; just don’t be overbearing with them. They are there, people see them, and if they are interested, they will click.

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An article recently run on eMarketer discusses that retailers who want to connect with their target audience online should go to where their customers already are – social media web sites. According to the “2010 Social Media Report”, 69% of online shoppers regularly use social media web sites, with Facebook being the most popular.

59% of users surveyed regularly use Facebook, and 22% frequent YouTube. MySpace took the 3rd spot with 15% followed by Twitter (11%) and LinkedIn (8%) rounding out the top 5.

More than 1/2 of online shoppers who use social media choose to engage with brands on these sites by becoming their “fan”, “friend” or “follower”. While some social media users interacted with a large number of brands online, most were fans of only a few. Social networking users want to engage, but their time and attention is limited.

The report also found that the top reasons for interacting with brands on social media web sites was to get a good deal and learn about the products. Only a few users were interested in customer support.

To read the entire article, click here.

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