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

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

 How much do low average clickthroughs matter for marketers?
eMarketer recently estimated that marketers around the world will spend $6 billion advertising on social networks this year, yet the return on that investment is still in question.

Many ad performance metrics have been low on social networking sites, suggesting that users do not want to click on ads while they’re socializing. But how useful are measures of average performance to real-world marketers when so many variables can affect ad performance?

According to a widely reported … 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

Peaks in spending expected each year through 2014

After 2009, US online ad spending will increase by 13.9% in 2010, reaching a record $25.8 billion. eMarketer has projected that internet ad spending will hit new heights in the following four years, passing $30 billion in 2012 and breaking the $40 billion mark in 2014.

As for 2010, “A spending peak in Q4 is likely, primarily because Q4 has been the biggest quarter for US online ad spending every year but one since 1999,” said David Hallerman, eMarketer principal analyst and author of the new report, “US Ad Spending: Online Outshines … Continue Reading

How to Build a Better Banner Ad

Banner ads aren’t always popular with individuals browsing the web. In fact, 43% of respondents to an online AdweekMedia-Harris Poll said they ignored or disregarded internet banner ads more than search and traditional media advertisements.

However, banner ad spending is still projected to increase. eMarketer estimates that ad spending on standard banners will increase 11.4% in 2011, to $6.56 billion, and will continue to grow to $8.63 billion … Continue Reading

More spent on branding is key for display ads
Although search may make more money than display advertisements, eMarketer has forecast that growth in display ad spending will surpass that for paid search through 2014. Additionally, from 2011 to 2014, online display spending is projected to grow faster than overall online spending while spending on search stays slightly behind.

It is predicted that we will see a large rise in online video advertising with a projected growth of 34% each year through 2014—this will be a … Continue Reading

Findings show encouraging signs for advertisers 

One of online marketers’ simplest metrics, the clickthrough rate, has been in decline for years. However, the decline appears to have stopped.

Analysis of data from July 2006 through July 2010 shows that annual average click rates have plateaued, at 0.9%.

We’re finally seeing clickthrough rates reach equilibrium; demonstrating that online advertisers have reached a new level in their ability to lure potential customers.

The end of CTR decline is good news for all advertisers, however studies reveal that successful display campaigns shouldn’t focus solely on clickthrough rates.

The chart … Continue Reading

Google’s making some big predictions about their future role in online advertising.  With the recent growth we’ve seen from key competitive players such as Facebook, the Yahoo-Bing alliance, and AOL’s new display ads; it’s no surprise that Google is refusing to fall into the backdrop.

Twelve years ago this week, Google became officially incorporated and began its creation of the Web search industry as we know it today. On Tuesday, the company re-emphasized its recent enthusiasm for shaping the future of online display advertising, something worthy of all Web professionals notice.

Google has been increasingly vocal in recent weeks … Continue Reading