Online Advertisement Revenues Hit New Record, Up By 23 Percent

Online advertisement market in the US grew by 23 percent in the first quarter, raking in a whopping $7.3 billion. During last year’s first quarter, advertisers had spent $5.9 billion on online ads.

According to figures released by the Interactive Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers, this is the highest first quarter revenue level for the industry. However, it is not the best quarter performance ever, with the $7.45 billion Q4 2010 revenue beating it to the top spot.

The figures come as online advertising generated a record $26 billion in revenue in 2010, an increase of 19 percent from 2009.

The growing popularity of websites like Facebook, Twitter and Netflix has helped boost the digital marketing and advertising market.

“The consistent and considerable year-over-year growth we’re seeing demonstrates that digital media is an increasingly popular destination for ad dollars, and for good reason,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB.

“As Americans spend more time online for information and entertainment purposes, digital advertising and marketing has emerged as one of the most effective tools businesses have to attract and retain customers.” he added.

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Irvine online marketing firm moves to L.A.

WebVisible, which provides online marketing products and services to small- and mid-size businesses, has moved from Irvine to Playa Vista in Los Angeles, the company announced Wednesday.

In February, WebVisible said it had cut its staff by nearly half amid rumors that it would close its Irvine headquarters and consolidate at its Playa Vista facility. The layoffs included 112 people in Irvine and the company closed its Charlotte, N.C. facility.

At that time, Chief Executive Ron Burr said the company was planning to consolidate in Southern California but insisted no decision had been made about shutting down the Irvine office. A visit to the Irvine facility two weeks later showed no signs of life and a Post-it note on the door directing delivery people to a telephone number. The new offices are in the Electronic Arts complex at the Marina.

"This campus environment sets the right tone for us – open, collaborative and creative," Burr said in a press release. "We're certainly taking advantage of all the amenities it offers. We've been re-energized as a company and we're excited about where we're going. "

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New EU Regs to Affect Email and Online Marketing

Eloqua, a provider of revenue performance management solutions, has released new features that help marketers comply with the European Union’s new Web and email tracking regulations. The legislation, which takes effect today, impacts every marketer or retailer that interacts electronically with customers and prospects based in the 28 countries that comprise the European Union.

Under an added amendment to the existing EU privacy directive, organizations conducting online marketing campaigns in the member states must now receive explicit permission, or opt-in consent, to track any individual's actions online, including the use of cookies or other means. Depending on the country, they might also need permission before sending marketing materials via email.

Marketers, e-retailers, and others that rely on such information can get consent in a number of ways. They can, for example, post a click-box on their Web sites, request site visitors to fill out a form that pops up on screen when they visit a site, or ask customers to set their browsers to accept or reject cookies from the sites they visit.

"This is different than in the U.S.," explains Dennis Dayman, chief privacy and security officer at Eloqua. "In the U.S., you have to opt out. There, you have to opt in."

The new European laws will impact multinational corporations the most, according to Dayman. "If a company is headquartered in the U.S., the laws do not apply, but if it has subsidiaries in other countries, it could be affected," he says.

What's definite, though, is that the new regulations will affect how companies do business in Europe. "It adds more complexity to CRM practices and could hinder a company's ability to understand who its customer is," Dayman says.

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New York Online Marketing Firm Makes SEO Focused Acquisition

ProfitFuel, an SEO service for U.S. small businesses, was recently acquired by online marketing firm Yodle.

The acquisition will allow Yodle to serve a much broader set of clients who have smaller budgets but still want their marketing performance measured.

"With ProfitFuel, Yodle is doubling down on its approach of providing a clear ROI to the local advertiser, delivered through a combined 450 person sales and client service team," said Court Cunningham, Yodle CEO. "ProfitFuel's dedication to customer results and sales excellence made it a natural fit with Yodle."

ProftFuel's service helps small business news improve its visibility on major search engines, according to The Statesman. Partnering with New York-based Yodle will greatly expand their reach.

David Rubin, CEO of ProfitFuel, explains that merging with Yodle will maximize the company's potential for future clients, employees and shareholders.

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Small businesses embrace social marketing

Social media marketing has become a key ingredient in the marketing toolkit of small businesses, with 73% using social media to market their businesses, and even more expecting to increase their social marketing efforts this year, according to a new study from email marketing company Constant Contact.

While still relying heavily on email, websites and event marketing to drive business, small businesses have found Facebook to be their key social tool, with 95% using Facebook and 82% reporting it to be effective. Among other channels, video-sharing tools like YouTube were found to be effective by 73% of respondents, and 47% found LinkedIn and Twitter to be effective.

The study was based on an online poll conducted in March and April, with 1,572 small-business respondents.

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Get ultimate online marketing solutions from Ingenious Web Solutions 24x7

In the online market, only having a company's website cannot help to generate revenue, as in order to generate maximum revenue, a lot of web traffic is needed on the website. And, in order to get the best from internet market, you must take the online marketing solutions such as SEM and SEO services from Ingenious Web Solutions 24x7.

Ingenious Web Solutions 24x7 is the best India based company, which provides 100% genuine and very effective online marketing solutions to its clients, which are based in various parts of the world. It not only provides internet marketing solutions, but also provides cheapest bulk SMS, website designing and development services in India, and other region of the world. IWS 24x7 very well understands that a website can only provide a base for online identity to any company, however, having it is not just enough for turning a company into a global brand, and to generate the maximum revenue from highly potential online market.

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Why is Social Media Marketing Hard to ‘Get’?

Just last month I wrote a piece on whether Social Media is past its best which concluded that Social Media Marketing really works for those who are prepared to work at it and there is now a fresh survey which shows that while more than half of small business questioned admitted that Social Media Marketing was important, almost 60% were not using it.

Why? Why is something so obviously effective so hard to implement? There is not much point in asking questions if there is no answer we can look at and the issue, across the board, every time seems to be the same: Social Media Marketing is so new and so different that many companies, large and small, locked in a traditional mindset, simply do not know how to use it.

How, for instance, do you go from putting ads online and in newspapers to allowing your employees to play around in Facebook and Twitter, placing postings and Tweets which do not differ much from musings and interacting with Facebook visitors and still call this work?


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Internet Marketing How-To Book Series Released By Vertical Measures

Specializing in all aspects of online marketing, Vertical Measures has released three new how-to books that offer a detailed look at the major aspects of Internet marketing. The first book, Keyword Research for Business, highlights the importance of understanding the role of keywords in the marketing of products and services online. Author James Constable notes that keyword research should be implemented throughout every piece of a comprehensive business strategy.

The series also features Blogging for Business, which was written by Kristi Hines. This how-to guide illustrates how blogging can create a range of opportunities for both businesses and individuals. Various elements of an effective blog are covered, as well as integral search engine optimization strategies that can make blogging an even more versatile tool for businesses.

“Our how-to series is based on the knowledge of the very same people who provide the pulse of Vertical Measure’s proven industry-leading expertise,” said Arnie Kuenn, President of Vertical Measures. “To prosper in the current business climate, every company must have an online marketing strategy. A strong foundation in keyword research, blogging, and social media will get a business off to a head start.”

Facebook for Business, penned by Kaila Strong, offers companies a look at how to use the social media site to their marketing advantage. The guide provides a glimpse into the many marketing opportunities businesses can find within one of the most popular websites online. The site’s promotional value, the chances it gives to communicate with clients and customers, and its ability to help gauge their satisfaction are described in depth as well.

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Online marketing 'offers cheap branding opportunities'

The internet represents a vital resource for companies looking to increase consumer awareness of their brands, it has been claimed.

According to the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), online advertising can build brand awareness in a highly cost effective way.

As a case study, the organisation tracked the effectiveness of Starbucks' recent online advertising for its new product Starbucks VIA.

The research showed that Starbucks' marketing activity created a strong uplift in brand awareness.

In addition, purchase intent also saw an uplift of 40 per cent within the product's key target demographic of 35-54-year-old women.

The IAB explained that Starbucks was able to reduce marketing costs by as much as 80 per cent by focusing on web-based promotions rather than print advertising.

Tim Elkington, director of research and strategy at the IAB, said the organisation would be conducting further research to investigate the potential of online promotions to add value to businesses.

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Think E-mail Marketing Is Dying?

Mark Twain said it best: "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated." With all the hype surrounding social media and mobile marketing, it would be easy to assume that e-mail is yesterday's news, with little chance of keeping up with the other marketing methods now available.

But according to the numbers, this assumption is incorrect. E-mail usage has remained remarkably steady, even in the face of new competition. Research shows that for 74 percent of adults surveyed, e-mail is still the preferred method for receiving commercial messages. This perhaps surprising statistic can help explain the continued proliferation of e-zines and other e-mail marketing today.

It's no longer true that only the largest businesses are the most likely to use e-mail. As smaller companies outgrow their sole-proprietor beginnings, they increasingly look for new ways to expand their businesses to support higher headcounts and overhead. Business surveys reveal that almost half of small businesses were using e-mail marketing in 2010, with an additional 36 percent reporting plans to begin this year.

The dollars spent annually reflect this high participation rate. On average, e-mail promotion accounts for about 15 percent to 22 percent of total marketing budgets. These billions spent every year have certainly attracted attention, with many new e-mail distribution and copywriting firms popping up.

This gives today's marketer many options to choose from, ranging from self-serve programs to ones that are completely managed by an outside vendor. Choices are often dictated by the level of expertise and resources available internally.

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8 Tips For 'Social' Marketing

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media platforms can be effective ways to market your company, but only if you do it right. Power up your efforts with these tips from Web-based application provider Wildfire.

Perhaps you're just discovering the power of social media. Or maybe you've known about for quite some time. Either way, if you're using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to market your company, you probably want to make those campaigns as effective as they can be, right?

Last week I wrote about Wildfire, a company that offers a Web-based application for social media marketing. Here are some tips, courtesy of Wildfire CEO Victoria Ransom, that might help you maximize the effectiveness of your "social" campaigns.

Tip #1: Keep It Simple And Easy

The shorter the entry form, or the fewer steps required to engage, the more people will enter your contest. And if you're looking to collect user-generated content, ask for content that consumers have readily available--for example, photos of their vacations, pets, friends, children, and hobbies. This is more effective than asking for content that requires effort to create, such as a video.

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6 Keys to Mobile Search Marketing Success

A funny thing happened on the bus on my way to work recently. I was on my phone searching for a lunchtime haircut spot, the lady next to me was shopping for new curtains on her iPad, and a Wall Street type was talking loudly on his phone asking for tips prior to laying a bet with his bookie (you have to love New York City).

Each of us, in our own way, was using our mobile devices to reach out and find answers to our pressing questions. But until a few years ago, the only way we could reach out and answer these questions in a mobile fashion was via email and/or asking someone on the other end, a process that was inefficient at best and frustrating and without closure at worst.

Due to the advances in mobile hardware, software, and user experience, much of this has changed and finally rivals what we love about desktop searching. Screens are big enough to read, keyboards are ergonomic enough to allow for speed, and -- most importantly -- the search engines and marketers have begun to adapt their search offerings to address our mobile needs.

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Marketing online? Videos say it bigger, brighter and better

The average Internet user watches an astounding 186 videos a month, according to comScore Inc., a global digital market measurement service.

This includes news and entertainment clips, personal videos, advertising videos gone viral — you name it.

Video engages people in a way that photos and text alone can’t.
For small-business owners, using video in your marketing can bring faces, voices, personality and heart to your operation, while also demonstrating your authenticity.

To top that, video in email is said to be able to boost conversion rates by as much as 50 per cent.

Thanks to affordable video cameras and easy-to-use software, video has become a tool that nearly any small business can use to enhance their marketing efforts on any channel.

Your videos don’t have to be big Hollywood productions to be engaging and effective.

You can even use your smartphone camera to create them. Here’s a quick example:

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Integrating email and search marketing programs

Integrating email marketing and search marketing programs can yield big results, but many companies aren't yet taking advantage of this powerful combination.

“Integration is one of ... the most effective strategies,” said George DiGuido, VP-email marketing at digital marketing services agency Zeta Interactive. “While the two channels are talked about extensively as silos, we rarely hear clients talk about the two as integrated channels.”

Those marketers looking to more intimately link search and email marketing can get started with the following four tips, DiGuido said.

Customize search landing pages. Paid search results very often link to a customized landing page, DiGuido said, but more often than not there's just a form that captures information for the sales team while overlooking the email marketing opportunities.

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Online Marketing Tools Get Savvier for Global SMBs

On the internet no one can tell if you are dog, as the iconic New Yorker ad goes - they also are unclear how big or small or globally-oriented your firm may truly be. Consider for example, Jonathan Defoy, the founder and CEO of BizTree, a Montreal-based business that sells templates for everyday business transactions. Using search in various markets around the world, he has expanded into a a 40-person shop, offering products in eight different languages, the Globe and Mail reports.

More and more, small businesses are able to expand their scope and reach across borders using online tools that magnify their resources. Marketing is just one category of these tools - a category that is growing daily.

What Google Offers

Chief among these is Google Ads for Global Advertisers, which Google launched in December 2010. It functions as a central hub for Google's tools and tips for businesses looking to expand to foreign markets. This website offers resources to help businesses find the right market for their products and services, translate websites and ad text, find new customers with relevant online ads, and understand options for international payment, shipping and customer service.

It also introduced Global Market Finder, a new free tool to help businesses identify markets with high demand for their products or services. The Global Market Finder automatically translates a keyword - Google gives the example of business suit - into 56 languages and then uses Google search trends data to see where in the world people search for the product or service.

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10 marketing lessons from the Royal Wedding

The big day is almost upon us. Tomorrow, billions of televisions around the world will be tuned into the wedding of the future King of England, Price William of Wales, to his fiancée Kate Middleton.

Regardless of what you think of the Royals (or marriage for that matter) there is no mistaking that this is a likely to be one of the biggest events of the year. And big events with big audiences mean big opportunities for smart marketers.

With this in mind, here are 10 marketing lessons from the Royal Wedding – it's not too late to use some in your business.
Become an expert

With the media desperate for any sort of content in the lead-up to the wedding, an army of business people – from fashion designers right down to humble bridal shop managers – have emerged to pontificate on everything from bridal dresses, wedding cars, wedding cakes and even cutlery. In most cases, these people aren't privy to the actual details of the wedding, but that doesn't matter – they are "experts" in their field and therefore have a platform.
Back it up with social media

Any event with a big television audience is almost guaranteed to create huge social media traffic and the royal wedding is no different. With this is mind, any promotion or marketing must be supported by an appropriate social media campaign – something the Royal Family itself is doing well with a steady stream of Tweets from its account @ClarenceHouse.

One of the best examples of a specific social media campaign comes from Schweppes, which is itself an official supplier to the Royal Family. The company, which is selling a special range of Royal Wedding-branded bottles, has created a virtual giant wedding card on Facebook for users to sign.

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Online Marketing Mindset

Many small businesses are on the Web these days, which means, out of necessity, that online marketing must be part of the small business owner’s strategy. Though certainly no small business owners should be under the illusion that simply throwing up a Website is sufficient to launch their business on the Web, few may have fully considered what marketing online really entails. Do you have a blog, a social media presence on Facebook and Twitter, a YouTube or other video channel, etc.? You get the idea! Do you know what you’re up against? Here’s just a sample of the things you need to consider on your way to an online marketing mindset.

Commenting is great, but don’t overdo it. Paul Wolfe looks at the comment, the basic weapon in the social media arsenal of all online marketers and asks, have we gone too far? Commenting can be a great part of your marketing strategy, but what happens if it degenerates into a “comment love-in?” Want to know how to avoid this social media marketing trap? Read on. One Spoon at a Time

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Online marketing for hotels and tourism

In recent years, the tourism industry has been moving forwards and the introduction of many new hotel chains, independent lodging facilities and travel agencies has broadened opportunities for travellers.
Tourists are also finding that popular online channels are helpful for investigating availability and rates for multiple reservations, such as lodging, ticketing, airlines and car rentals, via the Internet. For suppliers, the same online channels can reduce supply-chain costs, improve services and enable new distribution technologies.

Online channels for the tourist industry are now growing faster than offline channels, as a greater proportion of the population goes online and begins to use the Internet more intensively. The number of people turning to the Internet for vacation and travel planning has increased dramatically. There seems to be millions of vacation-planning websites out there!

The best example is TripAdvisor, which provides reviews and photos, along with advice on hotels, attractions and restaurants for people scheduling their next trip. This is why most travel providers are now increasing their marketing budgets for online tools. Travel is the most frequently sold thing on the Internet and the trend is accelerating.

Getting Internet users to visit your website will surely increase your revenue opportunities, as long as your website is effective - that is, informative, competitive, usable and creditable.

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Race for Selectmen moves from door-to-door to online marketing

The battle for Board of Selectmen is usually carried out through lawn signs and meet-and-greets. This year, Grafton's candidates are taking their campaigns to a whole new arena: online.

With five men competing for two open Selectmen seats in the May 2 election, each candidate is attempting to get the message out in whatever format is available. This marks a first for Grafton: in previous races, only Mary Ann Cotton used a website to campaign.

"You have to go with what's happening now," said Bob Lewis, who said his children urged him to create a site. "I had to learn to text to keep up with my kids, and now I have a website for the campaign. You can't stand still -- you get run over."

The sites, like the candidates, vary in personality. Dan Pogorzelski said he wanted to keep his as simple as possible -- that's why it's only one page.

"I didn't want to make it complicated and there's something that's missing from my page that's intentional: there's no 'click to donate here,'" Pogorzelski said. "Asking for donations just doesn't sit well with me. If someone wants to give me a donation, I'll accept it, but what I really want is a vote -- and that, I'll ask for."

John Dowling said a website is a way to respond to the town's shifting demographic.

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The Great Online Offers Social Media Marketing Package

Highlands Ranch, CO (WiredPRNews.com) Online marketing firm The Great Online launched its latest online marketing package called Social Media Digital Drip. The offering will allow companies to outsource marketing their products or services over social media sites including Facebook and Twitter.
The Great Online’s customer base is increasingly requesting help with social media marketing.

The demand is not surprising given that in a recent survey performed by the Pew Research Center for its Internet and American Life Project, 88 percent of respondents see social media marketing generating increased business exposure, and 72 percent said it improved search rankings.

“It’s no wonder the popularity of social media marketing is growing: it offers a much lower cost per lead than more traditional marketing strategies like direct mail and brochures, and is fairly easy to implement,” said Jim Mueller, co-founder of The Great Online. “However, social media marketing is more than just posting consistent information online. We show our clients how to make that content more engaging so they can better interact with and grow their customer base.”

The Great Online’s Social Media Drip package follows a five-step program to launch an ongoing social media marketing campaign:

• Setup and optimize Facebook business page and Twitter profile
• Create “vanity” website addresses for more memorable identification (i.e. www.facebook.com/thegreatonline and www.twitter.com/thegreatonline)
• Provide customized Facebook and Twitter pages that match the company’s online brand
• Create, distribute, and manage engaging, consistent content that builds the company’s follower base
• Analyze users’ engagement on each medium to identify what is and isn’t working

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Retailers dominate online marketing spend

Online marketing budgets are highest for the retail sector - and are likely to stay that way for some time to come.

Figures published by eMarketer put the industry's combined allowance for online marketing campaigns at $5.73 billion (£3.52 billion) in 2011.

This represents a total increase of 26.5 per cent compared with 2009, in a period when web marketing budgets in general grew by a slightly smaller 25.8 per cent.

Retail seems set to dominate spending until at least 2015, rising almost to the 11-figure mark in dollar terms.

By the middle of the decade, the sector's combined budget is forecasted by eMarketer to hit $9.36 billion, up by 63.4 per cent.

That compares with total growth across all industries of a predicted 56.1 per cent, to reach $44.5 billion.

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Blog marketing impacts purchase decisions

BlogHer's 2011 Social Media Matters report reveals that social media and blog marketing are increasingly important in influencing purchase decisions – especially among women.

The report found that both blog readership and social media use are rising in the United States. This year, 87 percent of online Americans surveyed said they use Facebook (up from 80 percent in 2010). This almost matches the number of consumers who watch offline television (93 percent).

Additionally, more than half of internet-using consumers (55 percent) read online news – supporting suggestions at the recent ad:tech SF conference that custom news marketing's moment is here. BlogHer also found that 40 percent of online Americans read blogs (up from 37 percent in 2010) and 22 percent use Twitter (up from 16 percent last year).

When asked about the impact blogs have on their online shopping, 53 percent of respondents (88 percent of active blog readers) indicated that they trust the information in blogs they visit regularly. Nearly one-quarter of the U.S. population (24 percent) said they make purchases based on blogs – that's 53 percent of active blog readers.

BlogHer also found that Facebook and blogs represent a high-use, high-passion media pair. Female respondents cited both the social giant and blogs as two forms of media they consume regularly and are “passionate” about.

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Small Business News: Online Business Brief

Whether your business or functions basically online or off, today the Web probably plays a role of some kind. Whether it’s simply to be sure your business is found when potential customers search for products and services you provide in your region or to make sales from a business that is completely online with no real physical place of business doesn’t matter. The need to understand online business is critical for most small business success these days. How important is online business to you?
Policy

Will defeat of net neutrality really hurt small business? The jury is still out. While proponents of ‘Net Neutrality” insist that without it small business Websites may be harder to access, other insist these predictions of doom and gloom for small businesses are exaggerated. What are your thoughts? Will changes in the “Net Neutrality” regulations have an impact on your business? USA Today
SEO

Why your business must worry about Search Engine Marketing. You don’t need to have a Web-only business to use search engine marketing. In fact, in the era that has seen the decline of phone books and even newspapers as a means for getting local information, the need for sharing your business with an online audience becomes ever more critical. Search Engine Tutorials

How to create “authority” for your business online. When we talk about “authority” online, we are usually talking about how search engines perceive your Website. The way search engines perceive your blog may impact the kind of business you get and the kind of brand you created for your business. Knowing the best will help you improve how your business is being perceived. SEODesignSolutions.com

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U.S. Postal Service to aid small business marketing efforts

While today's small business may be adopting social media and online business promotion technologies at a more rapid rate - often at the expense of traditional print techniques - the United States Postal Service has launched a new effort to show entrepreneurs that direct mail should still be a part of their marketing mix.

The USPS is hosting more than 1,300 "Grow Your Business" days across the country to introduce its new program, called Every Door Direct Mail, Post & Parcel reports.

The program was devised after receiving feedback from small business owners who said that certain permit and mailing fees as well as mailing list requirements were proving to be financial barriers to companies that wanted to use direct mail services such as saturation mailing.

And already, the program appears to be popular. Despite only being open for registration since last week, approximately 500 small businesses have already signed up, David Mastevich, manager of catalogs, periodicals and saturation mail for the USPS, told the source.

"We're getting very, very good stories from businesses across the country, that this is fitting with exactly what they are looking for," he added.

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Blue Archer Introduces Integrated Online Marketing Services

Blue Archer, Inc. recently expanded its service offerings to provide an integrated approach to online marketing. Tailored to fit the needs of each client, an integrated online marketing plan may include a combination of the following services: website design and development, online marketing strategy, identity and branding, search engine optimization, social media marketing, mobile applications, and custom software solutions.

"Our new integrated online marketing plan is designed to deliver maximum results," said Al Polanec, Blue Archer Principal. "We first consult with clients on an overall marketing strategy, then use our findings to establish a comprehensive marketing plan."

Blue Archer's new integrated approach to online marketing features an initial marketing strategy consultation, which is followed by the development of an integrated online marketing plan structured to best achieve the client's online goals. Blue Archer's creative approach to online marketing converts established businesses into digital identities with websites equipped with a blend of online marketing tactics.

"Choosing Blue Archer over the competition is even easier now that our integrated online marketing plan incorporates a wide variety of services," said Robert Faletti, Blue Archer Principal. "We are able to help clients develop a clear marketing strategy, market themselves online and represent their brand with a professionally-designed website."

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Maruti logs into Google for online marketing drive

What does a car company have in common with an internet search engine brand? Actually a lot. Auto market leader Maruti Suzuki is looking to tie up with Google among other domain specialists for a more focused foray into the digital marketing space. The company, which is already "working closely" with the search engine biggie, will also forge similar tie-ups with other "specialists," said a senior Maruti Suzuki executive.

"The digital media is changing fast and we feel we require a specialist because we don't have the expertise needed for it," said Shashank Srivastava, chief general manager (marketing), Maruti Suzuki. "So we need to engage specialists for the job and these will be specialists who have domain knowledge about a particular area."

Maruti and Google, he said, have been working closely on "search engine optimization and online reputation management" initiatives. In other words, Google helps Maruti track any traffic that uses words that are relevant to the company. "The search engine helps to catch relevant words online so Maruti can track and even take action if need be," said Srivastava. It means that if you have posted something about Maruti's service or products on Facebook or Twitter, the search engine will alert the company which can then address your grievance if any.

Maruti is also working closely with other domain specialists like the Singapore-based company Affle for sms/mobile marketing.

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Most local merchants stick to traditional online marketing

Local merchants are increasingly using simple, low-cost online marketing methods, including Facebook and other social media, in addition to search and email marketing, according to California-based MerchantCircle, an online network of local business owners.

And while new marketing services — such as mobile marketing and group buying — are generating buzz, most local merchants have yet to tap the marketing methods, MerchantCircle found in its quarterly Merchant Confidence Index survey of more than 8,500 U.S. small and local business owners.

Other survey highlights:

* Local businesses have little time or budget to devote to marketing.
* Social media is now the top marketing strategy for local businesses.
* Traditional online methods trump new, unproven approaches.
* Use of traditional offline marketing methods continues to decline.
* Online marketing services companies are aggressively targeting local businesses.

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Online video tips to help improve marketing success

Social Media Monday is a weekly feature that helps businesses and consumers understand how to use social media tools to their best advantage. This week, Mark Shapiro, a San Diego PR consultant, looks at ways online video can help business marketing. Find him on Twitter @SRSTechPR or on the Web at www.srs-techpr.com.

Online video is one of today’s most engaging and powerful social-media marketing mediums.

It’s a wonderful tool for showing what your company does, explaining how your products work and spotlighting customer testimonials. Many businesses want to use video to help them market their products and services but don’t know how to do it well.

To be effective, a Web video has to look good, sound clean, and be short.

You don’t have to hire a professional video producer to shoot your online videos. You can do it yourself if you just remember a few basics.

Keep it simple. A plain background behind a talking head or a product demonstration is very effective — the viewer’s attention stays on the subject. Also, video with a plain background compresses better for streaming versus a background with lots of details and colors.

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Facebook is driving online marketing, says internet specialist

Social media marketing in general and Facebook in particular are the most important drivers in online direct marketing, according to one UK-based internet specialist.
Ben Hatton, who runs a digital media agency in Liverpool, told the Liverpool Daily Post that businesses needed to embrace Facebook and social media marketing if they wanted to be successful online.

He dispensed his advice following the announcement by the Internet Advertising Bureau that internet marketing has now tipped the £4 billion mark - £500,000 above the spend for TV advertising last year.

Mr Hatton said: "The growth of the mobile and social media world is only going to continue, and advertisers will increasingly head online as technological advancements bring new ways to reach consumers."

Facebook's model for marketing has been considered to be so successful that other social networking sites are considering taking it on

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Local Internet Marketing Company in Phoenix Caters To Small Business

Local GoldMine a Local Internet Marketing company announces Local SEO for the little guy! In today's struggling economy many small business owners are looking into the benefits of local Internet Marketing. Unfortunately, many small business owners are also falling prey to unscrupulous Local Internet marketing consultants that do not have their best interests at heart. The truth is, local search is so new that many local SEO companies are new to the industry and do not have the skills or knowledge to take their local business to the top of Google.

Another major problem for the really small businesses is that many local Internet marketing companies are not interested in taking on clients that do not have huge marketing budgets, leaving most small businesses with no where to turn. The fact is, most local businesses do not need to pay thousands of dollars for SEO to rank high in a local market for the right keywords.

Phoenix based Local Internet Marketing company Local GoldMine is filling that void nicely. With over 15 years of search engine marketing experience they have a solid knowledge of what it takes to achieve top Google rankings in local markets and want the really small businesses turned down or over priced by SEO companies to receive the same quality SEO the big guys are getting.

Local Goldmine Founder and 15 year search engine marketing specialist Jeffrey Taylor explains, "We talk with small business owners everyday, and it seems that if they don't have a huge budget, nobody wants to help them. This is a shame because in most cases they do not need a lot of local SEO to reach page 1 of the Google local results. It is usually as simple as redesigning their website, optimizing their local business listings, and building a solid local presence in their market area."

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Overstock to stop marketing in N.C

Overstock.com Inc. says that even though it's stopping its marketing efforts in North Carolina, it hopes to keep its best customers in the state by offering them a reward for their loyalty.

Overstock said Monday that it will give its top 40,000 N.C. customers a free Club O account — which the company values at $20 — and $10 as a loyalty reward. The offer also applies in Illinois, New York and Rhode Island.

The four states have passed laws requiring Internet companies with affiliates within its borders to collect taxes on sales to their customers. The states' goal is to gain new revenue as they try to lessen budget shortfalls.

There could be billions of dollars in potential online sales tax at stake.

For example, lawyers for the N.C. Revenue Department say either Amazon or its customers owe North Carolina $50 million in sales and use taxes on Internet purchases over several years before the state law was changed in 2009.

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How government should do online marketing

The Central Office Of Information (COI) is being scrapped in a multimillion pound cost saving redevelopment, being replaced by the new Government Communications Centre (GCC).

The COI always had benefit in the past because it could collectively buy media in bulk at a preferential rate, giving Government departments net savings when advertising. However, that doesn't work in a digital environment as bulk offerings rarely offer additional savings. So what can the new GCC do to add value to the digital operations?

There are many organisations that have gone through the process of redistribution of offline to online recently. As organisations have struggled to cope with this process, it has resulted in many offline marketers being made redundant, whilst those that convert to online marketing tend to do much better.

Online marketing tends to be a little cheaper than offline and is much more measurable. The Government is going to have to move through this process too.

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Online marketing the next big thing for the retail sector?

The global retail landscape is making a shift towards the online channel, according to the Australian Centre for Retail Studies (ACRS).

ACRS’s latest research shows a sharp rise in consumer demand for online retail, multi-channel retailing and e-commerce.

At the 2011 Global Retail Insights survey, ACRS, in collaboration with experts from Google and Salmat, presented key findings and tackled the current concerns facing retailers.
* Shaping the current multi-channel landscape for Australian retailers from the 2010 global consumer and retail trends
* The opportunities and threats surrounding Australian retailers’ behaviours and stance
* The manifestation of the local “Green Consumer” – their demographics and influence patterns
* The challenges facing Australian multi-channel retailers in future

The results proved that instead of the traditional use of the online platform for e-commerce or fulfilment purposes, vendors are beginning to distinguish it as an engaging tool to operate store traffic and trade.

In addition, a growing pool of retailers is transitioning to the mobile device for convenient marketing as research showed “over Xmas 2010, 17.5 per cent of all Google retail searches occurred on a mobile device.”

Retailers also have an added pressure to offer green alternatives, as the local population expects purchases that have green credentials.

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Refrain From Making these 3 Internet Marketing Blunders

If you’re looking out for Internet marketing tips that actually work, then you’ve reached the right place. These are three techniques that can really boost any online marketing venture.

Marketing products online is not the same thing as offline marketing, which is usually why people expect to get results quickly. Many internet marketers make the mistake of making the traffic that comes to their website wait. Basically, make sure your site loads quickly and that it’s easy to comprehend. When you have lots of heavy graphics on your main page or a flash presentation that takes forever to load, it will negatively affect your performance. If your server slows down, you may find that you lose customers that way. Your goal is to get your marketing offer in front of your prospective customers as soon as you can. People who surf online are used to going from site to site in a rapid fashion and that’s because there’s so much to see when it comes to the world of the internet. So if your website doesn’t give fast results, then expect your visitor to hop on to your competitor’s website. Having a slow website can also make you see as though you’re not professional. So do the required work and make sure your website is free of any troubles. Your goal is to provide a location where the people you’re targeting can drop in and instantly be exposed to your marketing offer. Brian Johnson is one of those things where the overall influence it has primarily rests on other factors. So it is not uncommon to find yourself doing a lot of investigation and decision making. You never really realize what can happen should you neglect certain details, criteria and other aspects. If you want to increase your ROI, so to speak, then you need to seek out what kind of choices you have. You want to know what you are working with, so here are some areas within the subject you should use the time to consider.

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Equity raised to support launch of online marketing platform

Pawtucket-based direct marketing firm Mercury announced last month that it has raised significant equity to support the development and launch of TWOBOLT, its new online marketing platform.

Angel Street Capital and Dover Partners took primary financing positions in the equity deal and Bristol County Savings Bank provided additional debt financing, the company said.

Peter Ottmar, chairman, said Mercury started fundraising in September but that, while the equity raised was substantial, he did not want to disclose an amount.

"It's meaningful and significant and allows us to execute on our plan," he said.

Mercury has reorganized itself over the last six to eight months, according to Ottmar, who said three divisions were created: one for the print and mailing side of the business, one for the marketing and analytic side, and one for the online platform, called Twobolt, that is expected to launch sometime this summer.

While the company had made cutbacks in the traditional print division, it was matched by growth in other divisions, he said.

"At one time we were pretty much a print mail company," said Ottmar. "We reduced on the traditional side, as we were hiring in new divisions."

Although a modest amount of the funding will be used to continue to grow the marketing and analytics division and its staff, Ottmar said much of the funds raised will go toward development of the company's new online marketing platform.

"The bulk of the money will go to the third division, the TWOBOLT Technologies Marketing Division, to allow us to develop the online platform for mostly small businesses," he said.

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Strategic Marketing Consulting Group On A Mission To Help Local Business Owners and Independent Professionals Expand Their Markets Online

The strategic marketing consulting company, 1424 Marketing Group LLC, headquartered in Washington, DC, with offices in Atlanta and Chicago, announces the launch of their new website and their mission to provide online marketing solutions for the local business owner whose customers have become avid online searchers.

“This marks a milestone for our company and also a profit-turning moment for local businesses and professionals, wherever they are located,” said Co-founder and CEO, Dr. Thia Hamilton. “ We’ve taken our expertise in the online search marketing sector, and made it our mission to help local businesses and independent professionals grow their businesses by tapping into and leveraging the power of the Internet.” Business owners find helpful tools on the website, that they can put to use right away.

Co-founders Hamilton, in Washington, DC and COO Deborah Young, in Atlanta, GA, formed 1424 Marketing Group in the summer of 2010, in response to requests by local business owners who knew that they needed to have an online presence in order to keep their businesses competitive and growing but didn’t know how to go about it.

What Hamilton and Young learned in talking with small business owners in several cities, was that their initial lack of online success was leading them to a faulty conclusion; namely, that the Internet is putting a lot of Goliath-like businesses in their way, and creating a competitive field in which they no longer stand a chance. “This couldn’t be farther from the truth,” said Young. “It is all in knowing how to get the Internet working for your business, instead of against it. Fortunately, it is a pretty easy fix for most businesses.”

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Marketing Manager

Reporting to the VP of Marketing, the Marketing Manager will be charged with using cost efficient driving traffic to NileGuide.com, 10Best.com and Localyte.com via a variety of channels. The ideal candidate will have been a successful marketing contributor at a consumer-facing Internet company. Proficiency with online marketing techniques is essential. This could include online ad negotiation and buying, email, social media marketing, affiliate, SEM and SEO management.

The ideal candidate should also be creative, able to execute quickly & operate with little supervision. Travel industry experience is not required but would be highly valuable.

REQUIREMENTS:

* Bachelor’s Degree plus a minimum of 3-4 years of related work experience, ideally in consumer marketing for a progressive Internet company.
* Exceptionally firm grasp of online marketing techniques and trends.
* Very strong analytical skills to back up data-driven business decisions.
* Experience managing outside business relationships & partnerships.
* The agility, creativity & autonomy necessary to thrive in a fast-moving start-up.

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Free Social Media Training Helps Businesses Profit Using Facebook as Web Marketing Tool

Business owners struggling to master social networking basics can now benefit from free training on how to use Facebook and Twitter to grow their business and increase profits.

Sue Dolan, internet entrepreneur, author, and owner of Web Site Building Tips, an instructional online resource designed for those interested in creating a profitable internet ebusiness, introduces easy step-by-step "how to" tutorials for business owners on using social media sites as a valuable web marketing tool.

"A Facebook Fan Page is essential for any business, no matter how big or how small," says Dolan. "Like it or not, social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are poised to rule the cyber world, challenging Google's long entrenched foothold as the best internet advertising and marketing platform."

"Social networks are a powerful yet completely free marketing opportunity that build brand recognition and credibility, works to grow a solid customer base, and increase sales," explains Dolan. In less than a half an hour literally anyone, no matter how technologically inept, can quickly build a Facebook business fan page using Web-Site-Building-Tips.com's easy point and click online instructions and social network marketing tips.

Dolan's online ebusiness resource and guide, Web Site Building Tips, offers a variety of web site marketing tutorials specifically designed to help businesses navigate the mysterious and confusing world of virtual communities in order to effectively promote their products and services with social network marketing campaigns. "Businesses gain tremendous exposure simply by creating a Facebook business page, and it's completely free." reminds Dolan. Her new social media training tutorial demonstrates the process of setting one up in three simple steps.

The new series of social networking tutorials also describes how to customize a "Welcome to Facebook" business landing page. This popular elearning module teaches business owners how to build a loyal Facebook fan base by personalizing their business page similar to the Coca Cola Corporation, which has earned the distinction of the highest ranked page on Facebook.

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New Face of Dusit.com enhances Online Marketing Efforts

Dusit International, one of Asia's leading hotel groups, announced its 2011 online marketing strategy with the launch of the new, more interactive www.dusit.com , and gearing up for its online marketing throughout the year.

Ms Jennifer Cronin, Vice President Sales & Marketing, Dusit International revealed

"The global traveller of today now expects 24/7 instantaneous connectivity wherever they are in the world. With the ever-fast changing technological landscape, we have made Dusit.com a priority for the future of the company. In less than three years since the last website rebuild, as a company, we have made a firm commitment to investing in the new Dusit.com and to continually upgrade to keep up with these major changes in the way we do business. The project has taken almost 12 months to finalise to this point that we are at today and will be an ongoing KPI for our online marketing efforts".

"Dusit's online marketing strategy will play a key role in the long term marketing activities of all Dusit International hotels and resorts this year. With a fresh look and design, easy navigation, as well as many new features we will provide an even more convenient 24/7 connectivity to guests, corporate accounts, and the travel industry to book, amend, and confirm their business or leisure trips instantly worldwide. In addition, the new Dusit website will also help us understand our customer's behaviour better with guest history, web statistics, conversion rates and Google analytics features. With an investment of almost

USD 335,000, we aim to increase the overall online bookings through Dusit.com from 12 percent in 2010 to 25 percent this year as a minimum."

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Online Marketing Agency Add People Offers SEO Success To Website Owners

The majority of websites and web based businesses come to rely on search engine traffic as a means of delivering highly targeted visitors to their pages. A high position for competitive and targeted keywords can help turn a website profitable while a slip in the results can lead to near disaster.

Search engines and the algorithms they employ to help populate their indexes with high quality sites have evolved massively. Where it was once considered good SEO form to put up a single, keyword stuffed page and do little or nothing else, this is not only ineffective but is likely to see a website banned. Other facets of an SEO campaign have changed and become more complex.

Images, multimedia, and flash graphics can be effectively optimised so that they also perform well; something that was once considered impossible. The introduction of social media, and the search engines’ continued move to adopt social search into their own results has also seen a shift in the structure of an effective SEO campaign.

Keeping up with all of the changes and staying ahead of the game while running an ethical SEO campaign is a major part of business for a lot of website owners but not all small business owners or online businesspeople have the time or resource to dedicate to this. These companies are able to employ the services of an ethical and proven SEO service to assist them.

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Online Marketing Training Leads To Increased Success For Marketers And Their Clients

When marketing professionals want to hone their craft or add new skills to their resumes, they turn to Market Motive's Online Marketing Training and Certification.

From Micro Blogging to Local Search to Mobile, the constant evolution of online marketing requires marketers to stay up to date, and invest in continuous online marketing training. Forward thinking companies and individuals who are dedicated to continuous education reap great benefits ... and so do their clients.

As Online Marketing Manager for Rasmussen College, Market Motive's advanced training helped Mark Bietz to hone in on channel strategies and provide better web experiences for students. It also recently helped him move into a new position as Vice President of Marketing for BuyFun.com, which owns a suite of websites that provide costumes and accessories for individuals, schools, celebrities, and major film and television productions.

"Market Motive has helped immensely in my career," says Bietz. "At BuyFun.com, I lead all of the marketing efforts and focus on digital strategy. Through my training I gained an in-depth knowledge of analytics as well as grew my network with some key industry players and fellow students. I plan to use my Market Motive training further with BuyFun.com to refine our analytics practices in order to support our marketing channels and overall business development initiatives."

Manjula Higginbotham, eCommerce Consultant and Implementations Manager at leading shopping cart provider AmeriCommerce, credits Market Motive for helping with her recent ascent to Partner. "I am now a partner at the company...I personally attribute my growth in the field to Avinash Kaushik and in turn Market Motive. I have learned a lot from his books and blogs, and the video training I've gotten from the courses."

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Fashion is funny business

A comedy of errors is what the last day of Lakme Fashion Week turned out to be. And maybe not so funny for those who had to endure a whole day of shows that weren’t worth the wait. Abdul Halder’s extra-tight satin dresses would have given even mere mortals X-ray vision, so clearly did they outline ev
ery part of the models’ anatomy. Not to mention the baubles and beads that kept falling off mid-walk.

And few collections have been able to give the audience a physical reaction quite like the experience of watching Satya Paul’s paranormal activity on the ramp. Jaw dropping, eyeball popping and speechlessness were a few of the symptoms, as one shiny chandelier after another walked down the ramp. But like any horror movie, the worst was reserved for the last as showstopper Sarah Jane Dias made her way out in an orange lehenga with silver fish scale patterns, yellow and orange frills and an equally bright odhni attached to shiny armlets.

Finally at Gauri and Nainika’s grand finale, which began after an epic hour-and-a-half long delay, the models’ billowing crinolines and taffeta trains kept getting caught on exposed nails on the ramp

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Affiliate Marketing As A Means Of Online Marketing

When it comes to making money online, most people think that the first thing you need is a website. You can certainly make money in lots of ways when you have your own website, but you don’t need this in order to start bringing in some cash.

The best way to begin – especially if you have limited funds – is to opt for affiliate marketing instead. This is really an offshoot of online marketing in general, and it involves selling products and services for other people. You don’t have to actually handle any products yourself though. Instead you are the ‘middleman’ who connects the potential customer to the product or service you are promoting.

You can do this in lots of different ways but the crux of the matter is that you do not need a website. Instead you can use articles, links and all manner of other methods to successfully make sales. Online marketing companies do employ the same strategies but at a much higher professional level

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Tips from an Online Marketing Entrepreneur

This week, our small business marketing maverick interviews Jeremy Frandsen, co-host of the Internet Business Mastery Podcast, which is the number one audio show on iTunes. A recognized expert on online marketing, Frandsen talks about how he went from editing movie trailers in Hollywood to building a seven-figure income in Internet marketing.

Frandsen also identifies the latest online marketing trends and offers budding online entrepreneurs tips on the best way to grow an Internet business.

Just click on the Help! My Business Sucks logo to watch the episode. And don’t forget to leave your comments below…we'd love to know what you think.

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Could a Tsunami Wipe Out Your Business?

Catastrophes happen, often without warning. And when they do, everything you’ve ever built can come tumbling down. It’s hard enough to think about all the things that MUST get done just to operate the business daily, and minimize costs. And when it comes time to spend money on things just in case, it’s easier to just cross your fingers and pray.
Today’s tsunami in Japan is an excellent reminder to take a closer look at disaster planning for your business.

If you’re not already, here are some of the things you should be thinking about:

Inflation: How will higher prices affect your product costs, and your suppliers’ costs? Do you have sufficient backup suppliers, possibly with better buying power or larger existing inventories that will minimize their cost of raw materials and supplies?

Supplier insolvency: With so many businesses eking out profits, you must consider what you’d do if any of your single-source suppliers went out of business without warning. That happened to us last year and caused a deterioration of service due to the tidal wave of irate customers wanting to know when they would receive their products. For that one, we had anticipated the disruption and had contingency plans in place, which minimized the ill will.

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Philippines upgrades tsunami warning level

The Philippines' seismic agency raised its tsunami warning alert, advising people to stay away from shorelines in eastern coastal areas on Friday evening, after an 8.9 magnitude quake hit Japan.

"Based on tsunami wave models, coastal areas in Philippine provinces fronting the Pacific Ocean are expected to experience wave heights of at most 1 metre," said Renato Solidum, head of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

He said the first wave would arrive between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (0900-1100 GMT).

"People are advised to stay away from the shoreline during the period," Solidum said, with coastal residents advised to move inland.

Boats already at sea were advised to offshore in deep waters until further advised, while owners of boats in harbours, estuaries or shallow coastal water were advised to secure their vessels and move away from the water front. (Reporting by Manny Mogato; Editing by John Mair and Sugita Katyal)

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Online Marketing: The New Word of Mouth

Tax Day is rapidly approaching and it got me thinking about how one of the oldest institutions, paying taxes, is being transformed by one of the newest, the Internet. Tax prep firms can expect swarms of procrastinators to come knocking on their door as the days dwindle down to April 18. But with online tax services growing annually, and a hungry group of competitors chasing the same customer set, these tax pros can't afford to be complacent. They cannot assume the customers that found them last year will find them again this year.

Many professionals do not put much thought into marketing services beyond word of mouth. They may not fully appreciate that they are providers in a competitive vertical with an increasing online presence. For example, go to Google and search the keyword "tax." Four out of the first six listings will be for online tax services. Moreover, the most aggressive online services are offering electronic filing software that will file your taxes for free. With consumers turning to the Internet to find such solutions, it is as certain as death and taxes that successful service providers, like the tax prep crowd, will need to leverage online marketing tools to be sure they get the word out. There are a number of tools service providers can deploy to be part of the conversation when the client is ready to buy.

Affiliate marketing refers prospective clients to a specific service provider when the client is most interested in the provider's service. This online marketing channel is of great advantage to advertiser service providers because they are only asked to pay after the prospective client is introduced to them. For firms looking to stay consistently in front of the shifting client base and profitable, connecting with the right consumers through an affiliate network is a low-risk investment worth considering. But this is not the only channel that won't tax the budget while keeping you top of mind

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Australian small businesses offered free websites

A nationwide initiative called ‘Getting Aussie Business Online’ has launched in collaboration with Google, with the aim of offering small businesses the chance to build their own website – for free.
The scheme, which was established with the aid of international business management solutions provider MYOB, is designed to give small businesses who are currently “invisible” online a helping hand by enabling them to launch a website that is easy to set up and maintain.

The initiative will act as a further push for jewellery retailers that have yet to establish an online presence. Like other sectors, the jewellery industry has been criticised by business experts for its slow take-up of the online medium.

Google’s head of local business Claire Hatton used the construction sector as an example of how far Australian businesses are lagging behind their customers.

“Every day in Australia there are 12,000 Google searches for builders but fewer than one in four businesses in the construction and trade industry has a website,” Hatton said.

“Australians go online first to research local products and services,” she added.

Hatton added that the tool would remove commonly cited barriers such as cost, knowledge and time that often stop small businesses from jumping online.

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Publisher launches new online business directory

Regional publisher Johnston Press has launched a new online directory service on all its local newspaper websites.
The company has teamed up with user-generated local review website Qype to create 'Find it', its new online directory platform service.
Johnston Press' 234 newspaper websites have had the Qype platform integrated into them, enabling users to search for a local business or service, assisted by reviews, comments and ratings of other customers.
The launch of Find it is being supported by a local advertising campaign spanning print, online display advertising and paid search with the strap line 'Your Paper, Your Local Directory', to emphasise the value of ratings and reviews to help customers select a business.
Henry Faure Walker, digital and business development director at Johnston Press, said: "We are very excited about the opportunities from the launch of our new online directory platform, which combines Qype's powerful search and social media functionality with the trust of our local news brands and websites.
"Find it will give local businesses a highly effective new advertising medium giving them stand out from the competition as well as giving consumers a fantastic new guide for finding the best local service."

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