For the past few years we have been hearing the idea that you will be able to walk up to a pop machine, put in a code on you phone and have credit your account and out comes a pop. Also you have heard about walking past a store like The GAP and have a coupon pop up on you phone from that store. Well 2009 is not going to be the year where this becomes a reality. But we are getting closer! You should start preparing your ad campaigns now.
Why now?
The more than sluggish evolution of mobile devices and mobile internet penetration have kept location-based advertising only a twinkle in most online advertisers eyes. But we have seen a few major vendors promise to a
Technorati Tags: advertisements
The latest improvements come in the form of better search-term association and longer search results.
The search-term association improvement helps Google understand when search terms are related to other concepts that don’t necessarily contain the same words. Google makes use of this knowledge by providing searches related to the keywords entered at the bottom of its search results page.
I did a search for the phrase sunflower seeds. When I scrolled to the bottom of the page there has been added, “Related Search Results” this is a huge improvement to Google’s ability to keep people on the first page of results.
Google is taking great strides in data mining to improve what people see. It is kinda like your mom correcting you when you were a little kid learning to speak english. “We was at the store” no son it’s “We were at the store”
Google is just helping to search better.
Techy way of saying it:
The lengthening of search results snippets for searches with lots of keywords represents an attempt by Google to provide searchers with more context. The goal is to help searchers understand what the pages at the end of search results links are about. Reducing visits to pages that don’t really address a query means more satisfied users.
Technorati Tags: google search implrovments, search terms
Ezine Resultzzs
It recently investigated other methods of online advertising for a client. Since the Pay Per Click like Adwords and paid search Yahoo are so hit and miss, and since the process of the optimization for the search engines can sometimes be long, we needed to find a fast solution to the pointed traffic.
There are many programs and services out there that offer great things when they come to this aspect of the commercialization of the Internet. You have read my tirades and deliriums around the uselessness of these “self-proclaimed gurús” and their “sneaky” mumbo jumbo aimed at selling you somthing. Whatever you do, do not fall into their game. It will only be a waste of your hard earned money.
One of my preferred quotes is “The unique thing that works is work so work, work and work some more ” Quote by Jer from Resultzzs. My magnificent father used to tell me that to get me to cut the grass with a lawnmower of archaic porportion it was of the push without a motor type.
So the question to ask then is what should I work on?
eZines, work on eZines. People have been building opt-in lists since the dawn of the Al Gores inception of the NET. and many have created literally thousands upon thousands of subscribers.
This is where the work comes in.
The task? Locate these list owners and request an advert. This can be a tough project and a risky one. Let me tell you why. Finding an eZine publisher that will have an attentive and responsive list is like finding the proverbial “needle in a haystack”. These days almost every website has a newsletter. The issue at hand is whether or not that list has been abused. If the list owner rarely publishes, over publishes, inundates their subscribers with ads, publishes junk, or any other form of eZine malnourishment, the subscriber will opt out of the list, or worst case; junk mail it. If it is junk mailed the publisher will never know that his subscriber is not receiving his mailings, thus developing a padded list.
Now that you know the dangers and pitfalls, I will give you a solution. I have four tools and a process that will help you make an educated decision when choosing an eZine publisher to place your website’s ad in.
The first is an easy way to find publishers that are willing to place ads. The best part about this tool is you will be able to find many publishers that will allow first time ads to run for free. And for you webmasters with a list already, you will have the opportunity to run “joint ventures”. These are “swapped” ads on each others’ eZines.
To Be Continued…
Technorati Tags: ezine articles, resultzs, Resultzzs
Technorati Tags: advertisements, google adwords, market orientation, market share
Americans’ daily use of the internet has almost doubled over the past five years. 48% of adults in groups that have historically have used it less – now are reporting that they use the Internet more than an hour per day. This is in comparison with only 26% in ‘02 these results are from a recent Gallup Poll.
Any idea which groups use the internet more frequently? According to this Gallup Poll; those with college degrees, those who make more than than $75K per year, and those 30 and younger. More than 60% in each group reporting they go online more than one hour per day.
So who uses the internet the least? The least educated, least affluent, and oldest Americans. Smaller, though noteworthy, gaps also exist between men and women, and the employed vs. the non-working
Gallup Poll Frequent Internet Use December 2008
The digital divide is slowly narrowing.
Several demographic groups in the lower income, lower education and older age brackets show a rise in frequent internet use in the past year.
The five groups posting double-digit gains:
Why is this important to you?
If you are in the market of advertising online, then you will know that the more niche markets that there for you to advertise to the more likely you will have a successful business online.
What tools do I have to find these niche groups?
This past year google has released a research tool called Google Insights. Use it abuse it. Google made enough money last year to feed several large countries. I am glad to see them give a small peek into all the information that they collect on their users.
What Makes Google Insights So Cool?
Google insights combines Google Trends, Google keyword reaserch tool and Demographic targeting. I can try to explain the tool here in this blog or just get you to go and try it out. So get out there and do it. Try Google Insights Now
Technorati Tags: age brackets, gallup poll, google insights, google trends, niche markets, research tool
Organic video search is still in the nascent stage, but applying these traditional SEO tactics can help your video ads climb the search rankings.
Online video shows so much promise that we are asked almost daily how video search engine optimization (VSEO) fits in and how much it has changed. The answers are decidedly mixed, though early evidence shows that many of the same principles that drive solid “traditional” SEO can reward companies who take a disciplined approach to online video advertising.
At Mixpo they have tested a few clients using VSEO tactics. An agency specializing in marketing large-scale condominium developments has seen success through a few tested video ads on that agency’s website, in ad networks and in ways that involved both search engine marketing and organic video search.
Some videos on the agency’s website had views-to-impressions ratios as high as 70 percent, with conversions (actions-to-views ratios) of almost 40 percent. These incredible numbers showcase the value in keeping video relevant and giving viewers what they expect when they watch — oftentimes, the result of a very targeted search.
On Google’s video search, the agency’s videos actually garnered six of the top 10 search returns for some pretty broad search terms related to condos in their market. We were very impressed, but there was a catch: When we typed the same broad terms in Google’s universal search, the agency’s videos appeared on the seventh results page — as the 75th result. Results on universal search, of course, vary based on a number of factors, including the tags, keyword competitiveness and when it comes to paid search, the bid.
So what does this all mean? It shows both the potential of online video and the still-nascent stage of video used in organic search. Here are a few video SEO tips to help your campaign:
Relevance really matters. Like its cousins in print, the higher the relevance of the video to the information that surrounds it, in search results or elsewhere, the better the results at all levels.
Focused keywords can be effective. The more specific and focused, the better. For the condominium marketing client, we tracked the keywords people typed to actually locate the video ads. We saw long tail terms like “old historic Seattle buildings with condos for sale” return video ad landing pages toward the top of universal search results.
Create useful content and don’t be afraid to use text in your video. Search engines don’t really care how long a video is, provided that its content and keywords are relevant to the topic at-hand. We have deployed video ads for numerous clients and have consistently found that viewers routinely watch more than 60 percent of an ad once they click on it, regardless of length. If content is useful, people will watch it — and will stand a better chance of finding it. Just because you are using the video medium, remember that it’s OK to deploy relevant text, too. As search engines continue to improve and deepen, having relevant text can be a good boost to your video ad.
Avoid redundant multiple postings. Despite what some assume, posting to every video sharing site does not necessarily result in higher placement in search results. This “carpet bombing” approach actually hurts you, as video search sites don’t want duplicate results in their returns. Several months ago, we would see our client’s videos stacked on search results pages because of all the sites we’d submitted to. We’re seeing less of that today, which is ultimately a good sign for consumers.
Beware of irrelevant content. Plain and simple, the more targeted the keywords, the more focused the video must be. Less relevant video advertisements tend to lose viewers in the early part of the video, often with high abandonment after less than 10 percent of the video.
Don’t limit yourself to pre- and post-roll. It is flat-out wrong to assume that online video advertising units have to be pre- and post-roll ads or overlays. It is way too early to define the optimal ad unit, let alone set an ideal length for video ads. Effective online video advertising is not limited to 15 or 30 second re-purposed commercials, but can include other forms of marketing, like testimonials, video profiles and product demonstrations.
In past experiences with clients, we’ve launched three- to four-minute video ads of real estate brokers talking about their areas of expertise and then showing a home. Consumers viewed these videos to the end countless times. In comparison, repurposed 30-second commercials are rarely viewed to the end.
Online video is still very new, and its power in search is still based on the promise of both the discoverability of the video and what happens when someone sees the video. At this early stage, it’s most important to test, learn and optimize as much as possible. The search algorithms, along with everything else, are constantly changing and, consequently, so is the game. But advertisers who stay true to consumers will ultimately win.
Glenn Pingul is VP of marketing for Mixpo.
Technorati Tags: video ads, video advertising, video search engine
US internet users age 12+ have streamed video in the past 30 days, a 7% increase over results from the end of 2007 and a much higher percentage than those who have downloaded video, according to recent data from Ipsos MediaCT. Total amount 6 out of 10, that is a lot of people using up all there band width.
What are some of the most popular sites?
Hulu.com YouTube.com Metacafe.com. These of course are for watching movies and video clips. But what about advertising?
This is the new Market! Currently websites like exchange my ad are breaking new ground. We are using some very cool new technology that allows you to stream video on any computer with no delay. This is great for doing short video clips of 30 to 45 secs. It will allow up to 15 min if needed.
Come check it out and sign up!
Technorati Tags: breaking new ground, metacafe, new technology, video clips
Lego Star Wars – Vader’s Personal Day Thanks YouTube!
Sample of using the great plugin Viper’s Video Quicktags for wordpress. Easy way to add Youtube videos to your blog!
Busted...Watching online videos.
Guess again! A recent study showed that more online videos are watched during the week from 9 to 5. Evidently, online video watching goes hand in hand with access to broadband internet and time in front of a computer. To read more about online video watching habits click here.
Business owners beware, you are paying people to watch online videos.
Technorati Tags: online video
I’ve been around video internet advertising for some time now, and too many times it is just not done very well. But when it works, it is amazing. I’ve seen video dress up an accounting firm and make it fun and inviting, while selling the business. Here are some tips when integrating video in internet advertising.
1. Get people to watch the video.
Obvious, yes. Done well, rarely.
Pay attention to how the video works with the internet advertising platform. If it starts with a still shot with a “play” button on it, make sure the first frames of the video has an “ad” on it with your company name so at least there is some name recognition even if they don’t play the video.
If there is a 10 second “pre-roll” of the video, as is the case with ExchangeMyAd.com make sure there is some movement or action that draws people’s eye to the video and makes them want to click to see the rest.
2. Make sure the video isn’t too long.
A good rule is to keep the video to 30 seconds, maybe 60 seconds if it is really good. People just won’t wait forever to get to the good part, especially with internet advertising—they don’t have to, and they know it. If it takes a while to explain your business and 30 or 60 seconds won’t do it, consider using a teaser video (like a movie trailer), and then post the full length version on your website.
3. Actually sell your product in the video.
Don’t get too caught up with a cool concept that the product or service is diminished. This video is intended for internet video advertising, emphasis on the advertising. People need to clearly know what you are selling and become loyal to your business for that product or service. Cool is fun, just not always effective. You must find a way to make the video advertising cool and effective.
4. You don’t have to use video.
Video is cool, it is powerful, but it isn’t the best for every business. Some businesses prefer to use flash ads without video, because for their business it has shown to work better. However, the right internet video advertising platform, matched with the right business and campaign is amazing to behold.
Technorati Tags: internet advertising, video advertising, video internet
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