A ComScore study has shown that the average American spends 32 hours per month on the Internet. So, what does this mean for your advertising dollars? Many people would jump to the conclusion that because people spend more time online, their online ads will automatically bring them more business.

But you’re smarter than that.

In order to get any results, your business must invest in targeted, relevant ads which are on sites that your consumers visit frequently.

Say your business is a car dealership. You’d like to reach customers that live within … Continue Reading

Facebook marketers were thrown into a tizzy last week by the suggestion that using 3rd party apps can be detrimental to your post’s EdgeRank.  If that sounds indecipherable, you are not alone.  There’s a lot to know when it comes to making your brand voice heard on Facebook.

Let’s look into the brouhaha more deeply.

Last week, EdgeRank Checker released a study outlining the influence of 3rd party application programming interfaces (“APIs”, more commonly referred to as “3rd Party Apps”) on Facebook engagement.  These apps are commonly used to schedule … Continue Reading

Sure, every successful campaign hinges on great ideas, but strong marketing collateral, a collection of marketing materials that are used to communicate with current and prospective customers, can be the difference between so-so sales and true success.

Here’s why you need marketing collateral:

-          Quality marketing collateral will demonstrate what sets you apart from your competitors.

-          Marketing collateral is an easy way to increase brand awareness.

-          Marketing collateral reinforces your sales pitch.

-          Your clients can easily refer to a proposal … Continue Reading

Promote, Promote, Promote – Compelling offers, unique selling propositions, seasonal sales, giveaways… the strength of your campaign (AND its success) starts with your promotion’s value as perceived by your target customers.  You know your customers.  What do they want to hear?

Hyper Target – Now that you’ve got an irresistible promotion, pinpoint your audience.  By hyper-targeting your customers, you’ll ensure that your message will be in front of the right buyers at the right time.  You’ll also ensure that will be none of your effort and or investment is wasted.

Diversify … Continue Reading

Thomas Baekdal image (2009)

Back in 2009 spending on traditional media (like TV and radio) dropped by almost one-fifth.  Since then, however, spending has been moving up, but is expected to stay around current levels in the near future.

A recent study predicts that traditional media spends will continue to hover around the $130 billion level between now and 2015—far below the $166 billion posted in 2007. It is worth noting that newspapers are not expected to benefit from the bounceback.  Significantly, advertisers … Continue Reading

Bing announces “Liked Results” shortly after Google’s increased social emphasis

Microsoft’s Bing has followed Google’s example by changing their search results to emphasize social results.

Bing, who recently partnered with Facebook, has created “Liked Results” which will show links that friends have shared or liked on Facebook.

Both Bing and Google are placing more emphasis on social for similar reasons. Social aspects of the internet enhance the user experience and users will want this social data available … Continue Reading

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Social Media Marketers for Inc 500 companies are seeing success—what tools are working best for them?

Social media is widely recognized as a more valuable marketing strategy than it has been in past years.

A recent study from UMASS Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research looked at the usage and success of social tools used by Inc 500 companies in 2009-2010.

71% of respondents used Facebook in 2010—up 10% from the 61% of respondents who used Facebook in 2009.

Social tools including twitter, blogs, message boards, and podcasts also saw increased usage from respondents through 2009-2010…. Continue Reading

Self-service advertising for small-medium sized businesses has brought Google billions—could Facebook’s growth in this category result in a future duopoly?

AdAge recently highlighted Facebook’s 2010 worldwide online ad revenue, which was $1.86 billion; a 151% increase over the company’s estimated 2009 advertising revenue of $740 million worldwide.

Facebook is still far from Google in terms of market share for self-service advertising; however new eMarketer estimates show that similar to Google, the majority of Facebook ad revenue comes from small businesses.

Reports show that 60% or $1.12 billion of the total 2010 ad revenue on … Continue Reading