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Everyone is Talking about Social Media...but how many of us are actually using it?

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:34:33 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Good stats to keep in mind

DMA: Social media marketing viewed as valuable, pervasive

New York—More than 70% of companies are currently using social networks for branding and collaboration purposes, with many viewing it as a key voice-of-the-customer tool, according to a new survey by the Direct Marketing Association.

According to DMA’s “Social Media Survey,” conducted by the organization’s Social Media Council, almost 60% of those surveyed think that social networking can have a high impact on brand awareness, with more than 45% viewing social outreach as important in providing customer insights.

The online survey was conducted through an e-mail invitation sent to more than 3,000 companies in April and May.

Tags: social media, social media marketing

Before you Go Social, Make sure you're not Socially Inept. Rules of Engagment and Damage Control

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:28:29 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Great things to keep in mind when you're trying to take your opinions, your business, your products or services, your 'whatever' online and to the masses via blogs and personal websites.

Clip Source: adage.com

Here are some realities of the media world of 2009 that old-school advertising and PR would be well served to note:

You can't expect your messaging to stay contained within your target demographic.

ou can't put the toothpaste back in the tube.

Hiding and praying it will go away rarely works.

Craft your message with the knowledge that it will likely go where you didn't intend it to go.

Don't humiliate yourself by begging (or worse, demanding) bloggers to go back and censor your screw-up.

Have your mea culpa machine ready to roll. If you offend with your communications, keep communicating

Listen to those criticizing you

Figure out what you are sorry for

Connect with your detractors personally

Connect publicly with your detractors' negative coverage of you.

Maintain the relationships going forward.

Tags: blogging, social media, social media marketing

May 2009 most popular Blogging/Personal Websites

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:19:30 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: I'm amazed that PerezHilton and PopEater Music Blog are in the top ten, especially when noting Blogger and MySpace.com Blogs, and LiveJournal are HUGE sites, a collection of massed together blogs.

Clip Source: www.marketingcharts.com

Note: The Hitwise data featured is based on US market share of visits as defined by the IAB, which is the percentage of online traffic to the domain or category, from the Hitwise sample of 10 million US internet users. Hitwise measures more than 1 million unique websites on a daily basis, including sub-domains of larger websites. Hitwise categorizes websites into industries on the basis of subject matter and content, as well as market orientation and competitive context. The market share of visits percentage does not include traffic for all sub-domains of certain websites that could be reported on separately.

Tags: blogs

Email Marketing Spend to reach $2 Billion by 2014.

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:02:17 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Definitely agree that email as a marketing channel needs to better integrate into social media. My bets on gmail being the big winner on that front.

Clip Source: www.btobonline.com

Forrester: E-mail marketing spending to reach $2 billion by 2014

Cambridge, Mass.—Spending on e-mail marketing in the U.S. will grow steadily to $2 billion by 2014, almost an 11% compound annual growth rate, according to a new forecast by Forrester Research.

Fueling the continuing reliance on e-mail as a direct marketing outreach are falling CPMs and high ROI, according to the Forrester report, “U.S. E-mail Marketing Forecast 2009 to 2014.”

Further, the report noted, the use of e-mail in social networks will be one of the biggest challenges for direct marketers, which face the need to bridge the gap between social and traditional inboxes with social sharing tools.

Tags: email marketing

The Once and Past King of Social Networking: MySpace cuts deep and digs in against Facebook.

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:58:56 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: As a marketing channel, MySpace was always too risque for most businesses to "network" in. Even from a personal standpoint. Social Media is quickly becoming a "middle age" activity, so MySpace has to mature is face before it can take on Facebook.

Clip Source: www.latimes.com

MySpace is looking to do an about-face.

The once-red-hot social networking site acquired three years ago by septuagenarian mogul Rupert Murdoch, which landed him on the cover of Wired magazine and won News Corp. praise for embracing the Internet ahead of its old-media rivals, has cooled considerably.

Signaling the depth of its problems, MySpace on Tuesday said it was laying off 420 people -- nearly one out of every three employees -- as part of an aggressive restructuring that seeks to make the company smaller and more agile. The action follows a management shake-up in April, in which MySpace founder Chris DeWolfe was replaced as chief executive by Facebook's former chief operating officer, Owen Van Natta.

The perceived missteps are numerous. Some observers say it clung too long to a "portal strategy," in which it sought to amass an audience around entertainment content.

The history of social networks suggests that these sites have the fleeting popularity of a trendy nightclub.

Tags: myspace, facebook, social networking, social media

Smarter Phones and the Rise of Streaming Content: Future Cash Cow for Marketers

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:53:42 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: With the rise of smart phones, faster networks, and the better quality of digital media, it's no small wonder that this channel will be an important one in the coming years.

Clip Source: www.cedmagazine.com

Streaming video and music will generate more than $78 billion in network-derived and content-derived revenue over the next six years in the United States.

According to a recent study by The Insight Research Corp., streaming media includes content that is delivered across the Internet, IPTV network or mobile handset. Streaming media refers to the transmission of digital audio and video files over an IP network or wireless network in real time or on-demand, while prohibiting users from storing the files locally.

The study also estimated the revenue from the various types of content-derived revenues, along with associated advertising revenue. The streaming market is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 27 percent over the next five years, driven by on-demand audio, on-demand video and the accompanying advertising revenue.

Tags: digital media, streaming video

Round One: Bing versus Google. What's happened since the sound of the bell? Whose winning?

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 13:31:13 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Pretty obvious stuff, but interesting.

Clip Source: www.nypost.com

Microsoft launched Bing two weeks ago with a massive marketing budget that sources say ranged between $80 million and $100 million.

The software company has struggled to survive in the Internet-search business, with its former MSN search engine managing to grab only 8 percent of the lucrative search market share -- far behind Google's 60 percent and Yahoo!'s 20 percent share.

Early statistics show Bing increasing Microsoft's market share by two percentage points, to about 11 percent -- but that the gains largely didn't come from Google or Yahoo!

Microsoft prefers not to use the term "search engine," however, choosing instead to describe Bing as a "decision engine."

"In a recent survey we found that the predominant features that dictate how people search the Internet are ease of use and force of habit. Google has been so dominant for so long that it will be tough for anyone to take significant market share away from them."

Tags: search engines, bing, google

Marketing's New Religion. Conversion the Metric of Choice.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:47:43 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: All I can say is no kidding. Conversions means dollars, as in return on dollars spent for the conversions. Though "knowing your brand" by impressions, etc...could still lead to conversions in the long term making it harder to track relevancy.

Clip Source: www.adweek.com

Most Marketers Ignore Brand Metrics Online

A new survey of top marketers by Forbes.com confirms that the Web has far to go to prove itself as a vehicle for brand building. When asked what measures they used to gauge success, just 31 percent said brand building topped the list, and 14 percent said reach.

Direct marketing metrics, on the other hand, scored highly. About 82 percent of those surveyed identified conversions as the leading gauge, 55 percent said registrations and 51 percent said clicks.

The most widespread digital marketing still employs old-school approaches such as e-mail and search optimization, both of which were used by 74 percent of respondents. In comparison, 38 percent used CPM buys on Web sites and 28 percent ran video ads.

Looking ahead, viral marketing, SEO and behavioral targeting were the tactics most frequently identified for budget increases in the next six months. Ad networks fared worst, with 53 percent anticipating decreases.

Tags: internet marketing, interactive marketing

The End of the Recession Gold Rush. Survey shows rise of ad dollars as the recession nears end

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:41:57 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Interesting stats on what marketing channels marketers and companies still believe to be the best for long-term branding. And how to measure the health of a brand.

Clip Source: www.adweek.com

ANA survey says most firms will rev up activities 3-6 months before recession ends

For all the flux in marketers' use of media, TV remained atop the standings when respondents were asked to say which media are effective for building brand equity. Sixty-four percent cited TV. Though down from 80 percent in a similar February 2007 poll, that still put TV ahead of online (61 percent) and "guerrilla/word of mouth/buzz marketing" (57 percent). Lagging farther behind were magazines (51 percent, down from 67 percent in 2007), radio (30 percent, down from 36 percent), outdoor (26 percent, down from 35 percent) and newspapers (19 percent, down from 36 percent). Social media garnered the most mentions as "the media channel that marketers would like to use but have not yet been able to implement."

Tags: marketing

People have gone mobile (like 5 years ago) Why hasn't your Website? How to make your content mobile.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:33:58 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Here's an article that clearly underscores why businesses and website owners have to make sure they have a mobile plan for their web content. Do you recreate the entire site (.mobi) and risk duplicate content, or no follow the entire site and risk not getting picked up in the mobile search? Do you practice content negotiation where the server decides how to serve up your content? Find out how at www.icoastalnet.com and take your web content mobile.

Clip Source: www.marketingvox.com

Local Mobile Content Users Grow 51%

The number of consumers seeking local information on a mobile device grew 51% from March 2008 to March 2009, according to data from comScore Mobile, which also found that mobile subscribers increasingly use downloaded applications and SMS to access local content.

The strongest growth in the category is coming from downloaded applications (11.3 million users), which grew 83% during the same time period, followed by SMS (with 11.7 million users) at 72%. Despite the growth of applications and SMS, however, they still remain significantly less popular than mobile browsers for accessing local content."

comScore reported that local search-focused internet brands – including AT&T Interactive's YELLOWPAGES.com, Idearc's Superpages, R.H. Donnelley's Dex Knows and Yellowbook's Yellowbook.com - have been developing mobile content, including iPhone applications, at a rapid pace in an effort to expand consumers' online experiences across a variety of mobile platform

Tags: mobile, mobile websites, web development

Like you needed an excuse to buy a smart phone. ShopSavvy unveals new Barecode-scanning 3.5.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:29:29 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: With this technology on Android, with a compliance pending for the Apple iPhone, this gadget could change the face of consumer shopping behaviors..

Clip Source: www.marketingvox.com

ShopSavvy Updates Barcode-Scanning Technology on Android

The app enables users to scan barcodes with the Android-powered phone cameras to get pricing information. Users can also comparison shop over the 'net from their handhelds.

The 3.5 update, nicknamed "Rodan," provides support for 1,000 new retailers and 750,000 new products. It is also better optimized for battery life, according to TechCrunch, which provided a list of other enhancements accompanying the Rodan release:

Faster barcode scanning, load times, animation and search

WiFi and GPS setting retention

In-stock or out-of-stock notifications for a given product

Search by title if product cannot be located

Integration with Google Product Search

Ability to visit retailer websites beyond ShopSavvy

Optional registration and an improved user interface

Last month, Google integrated barcode scanning capabilities into Google Product Search.

Tags: smartphone, web tools, web apps

Social Media Grows in Spend among Interactive Marketers despite the recession.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:25:22 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Everyone wants to jump on the social media band wagon, but if you're a business looking to leap...get some help before you take the plunge. Check out www.Icoastalnet.com Social Media Marketing package today.

Clip Source: www.btobonline.com

Forrester: Interactive marketers stick to tried and true

Cambridge, Mass.—With marketing budgets tight because of the recession, interactive marketers are relying on tried-and-true tactics and shying away from committing dollars to emerging channels such as mobile and online video, according to a new Forrester Research report.

The survey, “Interactive Marketing Channels to Watch in 2009,” which polled 204 interactive marketing professionals online in March, found that more than 90% are clinging to direct response tactics such as e-mail and search. Meanwhile, spending on online video advertising is stagnant, with 66% of marketers involved, the same percentage as last year.

The Forrester study does show strength in one relatively new area. Investment in social media is growing, with 64% of respondents already investing in social applications such as podcasts, widgets, user-generated content and blogs, and another 22% expecting to do so within the next 12 months.

Tags: social media, social media marketing

Grow your Own. Email List Acquistion Strategies, the Do's, Don'ts, and LIES.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:21:01 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: The purchase list do find relevancy with marketing strategies, a "guest history", officially opted in email database beats it in opens, reads, and conversion hands down, every time. But, of course sometimes it's easier to BUY then to BUILD. Here's how to start building better and faster email lists for your business.

Clip Source: www.btobonline.com

E-mail list growth is a top priority for many marketers this year, according to a new white paper from ExactTarget, a provider of e-mail marketing solutions. The report, “2009 Email List Growth Study” (www.exacttarget/listgrowth), found that 38% of marketers put list growth ahead of other marketing goals such as deliverability, integration with other channels and lowering marketing costs. (This study had 351 email and online marketers complete an online survey over a two-week period between Feb. 18 and March 3.)

The report also found that larger list owners are more likely to be experienced marketers, in both b-to-b and b-to-c segments. These larger list owners look to diversify their lists using multiple growth tactics, track the sources of such growth and evaluate their list sources frequently. The tactics they use range from nonincented site registration—the most popular method—to incented site registration, to collecting e-mails in the call center.

Tags: emailmarketing

Go ahead. Steal it. We dare you. Google and Yahoo add Creative Commons Filtering to Image search.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:17:22 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Now you can fill in your web pages with "real" stock photography. Maybe by people, legally borrowed by businesses and organizations.

Clip Source: www.marketingvox.com

Google, Yahoo Add Creative Commons Filtering to Image Search

Google has added a Creative Commons filtering capability to its Image Search results, enabling users to query for images specifically labeled for "reuse," "commercial reuse," "reuse with modification" or "commercial reuse with modification."

Ideally, the feature shall enable a broader array of commercially-usable images to users that don't want to pay a stock photo company for imagery, and don't want to deal with the copyright headaches associated with "stealing" an unlicensed picture from Image Search.

The option isn't currently available on the user interface, but you can enable the pilter by adding a certain parameter to your search URL (in this case, just replace "mountains" with whatever you are actually searching for):

Tags: google, yahoo, search engines

Whose Driving Twitter? Men and Women...and Why? Studies show surprising results. Find out more.

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 21:13:26 GMT

clipped by: iCoastal Net Designs
clipper's remarks: Great stats on the generic behavior of the sexes in Twitter (specifically) and Facebook and other social networks. This information could help you refine your engagement activities from a marketing standpoint.

Clip Source: www.marketingcharts.com

Despite the fact that women comprise a slight majority of Twitter users (55% of women vs. 45% of men), and men and women follow a similar number of tweeters overall, men have 15% more followers than women, and have more reciprocated relationships, according to Bill Heil and Mikolaj Jan Piskorski, who conducted the study.

According to the authors, this “follower split” suggests that women are driven less by followers than men, or have more selective thresholds for reciprocating relationships.

Heil and Piskorski say these results are “stunning,” in light of the fact that they run counter to the bulk of other social networking research, including a recent report from InsideFacebook. “On a typical online social network such as Facebook, most of the activity is focused around women - men follow content produced by women they do and do not know, and women follow content produced by women they know,” they said. “Generally, men receive comparatively little attention from other men or from women

Tags: twitter, facebook, social media