Facebook Is Here to Stay…Are You?

One of the many facets of Internet Marketing is what’s called “display ads”. These ads are a combination of image, text and link. There are more opportunities for display ad marketing than you can shake a stick at, including buying ad space on well performing blogs. Facebook is one such place, and is increasing in popularity and power.

Last week comScore, a market research firm focused on analyzing the digital world, released its findings for the first Quarter of 2011 with regard to where display ads are showing. While it should come as no surprise for those who’ve kept current on Internet trends, Facebook ranked highest, claiming nearly one-third of all display advertising across the Internet (compared to Yahoo at 10.1%, Microsoft at 4.8%, and Google at 2.5%). It’s clear to see Facebook is ever increasing in its impact on the digital Marketing World.

Facebook Is Number 1?

Part of why this is so significant is coupling this information with what came out at the end of 2010. According to Hitwise, another digital research firm, Facebook was more popular than Google for all of 2010, accounting for 8.93% of all U.S. visits between January and November 2010.

Now Facebook is adding to its accolades the most popular destination for display marketing. Like shopping malls of the 20th century, Facebook has been focused on making changes to continue being THE destination spot online. This is evident with some of the privacy scares we’ve seen circulating around the Net.

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SEO as a part of SEM

Have you ever wondered what the benefit of SEO was if you can get traffic through SEM? If so, you’re in good company, as many Internet Marketing Professionals even struggle with this concept.  Unfortunately an “us versus them” mentality has developed, and it’s hurting everyone involved.

Let’s start with a bit of the basics:

Search Engine Marketing, otherwise known as SEM or PPC, is a great way of getting some traffic quickly. Depending on your product and the channel through which you’re marketing, you can get laser sighted your audience, and gain some great business.

Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) on the other hand, is working with your website to gain visibility through Search Engines without paying the search engine to list you. This is a very important concept for having your site and/or blog listed in such a way your target audience sees it.

Us AND them…

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Localization

No, this is not an article about the GPS enabled apps we find on more and more phones.  Rather, let’s explore an increasingly popular topic among web marketers: Local Search Marketing.

By definition, local marketing is targeting your Internet Search Marketing efforts on the geography near where your business is located.  Using tools and sites like Google Maps, Four Square, Yelp, and many others, businesses are able to market specifically to their target market.

The question I keep hearing is if this type of marketing is for everyone.  While this is a great strategy for success for brick and mortar businesses, more and more companies are moving virtual.  Also, we see the world is continually shrinking through continually growing use of the Internet.  With that said, some businesses are well adept local marketing.  If your business’s primary source of income comes from traffic through your storefront, then yes, this is the correct focus of marketing for you.

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Avoiding the Marketing Head Cold

I hate summer time colds, and of course I’ve gotten one.  As I was sitting here this morning nursing my achy muscles and congested sinuses, it made me start thinking about marketing.  You see, when we get a head cold, it comes on suddenly, and we wonder what happened to make us get it.  Then, we’re suffering through it, wondering how long it’s going to last.  Marketing can be very similar.

With marketing, we often do things because they “worked in the past”.  Then when things don’t work out so well, we wonder why.  As our bottom line starts to suffer (much like the achy muscles of being sick), we wonder how long it’s going to last, and what we can do to end the suffering.

Well, here’s a few tips that act like Dayquil for your marketing:

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