Great Methods to Ensure a Great Internet Business

January 05, 2010 by

Ryan Kelly

Communications via the Internet has dramatically changed the landscape of marketing. Industries and opportunities of acquiring customers have been developed and at the same time providing other marketing channels established ineffective.

Internet Marketing is constantly evolving with new technologies and methods to take advantage of them to earn money that are every day. It is the ability of evolving Internet and online marketing says the company is an important option.

 

For business owners who are willing to educate you on the occasion of Internet Marketing Earning money is exceptional. There are a number of people who have actually started businesses and livelihoods using the unique ability of online communications.

The Internet is very different from the established channels of advertising because of its flexibility. Unlike television ads or newspaper require a type and can handle marketing of various digital marketing methods and profits are limited only by the imagination of the person developing the marketing strategy.

For people who own their own business or looking to open a line of communication has better prospects than ever before. There are a number of different useful channels for the sale of services and systems for the production of income. Here is information on some popular systems for a lifeline. 

Market research is a major concern for many large businesses and Web has changed a lot of methods to lead their organizations Market. A growing number of discussion groups online and run through participation are possible to obtain payment. To be a part you must subscribe to a research company market then organize discussion groups. Being a member of a research group may be worth perhaps a few hundred dollars for each survey. 

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Maximizing Twitter Use For Your Business

Your virtual assistant can help you maximize the use of your Twitter account

Published on January 03, 2010 by Lawrence Perry (NewsPR.us and OfficialWire) LONDON, ENGLAND

Twitter is 2009’s biggest online social network.  There is so much hype surrounding the service that it has grown to become a top social media in the past year.  The service also gets so much positive press with people talking about the service, writing about it and recommending it to friends, relatives, business colleagues and other contacts.  People and media started to take notice, pushing the service even higher.  With the validation that the online messaging service has received from various sides, more people just wanted to get on Twitter so that they can see what the buzz is all about.  There are already some people that have proclaimed that Twitter is the next big thing in marketing.  The secret of course is in getting a move on early and really working hard on online marketing to gain true success in using Twitter and other social media for marketing.

If you want to really maximize the use of Twitter, you need one thing- a dedicated person to manage your social media accounts.  Large corporations realized this early on and have assigned individuals or teams to manage their online accounts so that they can actively participate in the online discussions for the company.

Small and large companies who do are uncertain about hiring a team and really committing to social media have the option to hire a virtual assistant to serve as their social media representative.  The virtual assistant provides flexibility to companies because it’s possible to hire a virtual assistant without getting into any long-term commitments. You can hire a virtual assistant to manage your social accounts for a few months just to see how the VA will fare in terms of managing your accounts.  When you see that the virtual assistant is competent in creating contents for your social media as well as in following people, starting conversations, monitoring online discussions and the other tasks related to your social media account then you can hire the virtual assistant to work full-time for you as a social media manager.  When you hire a virtual assistant to manage your Twitter account, you can really take full advantage of the service for your business.

Visit our virtual personal assistant sponsor: www.catchfriday.com

Follow us on Twitter: @catchfriday

Contact

CatchFriday.com
Lawrence Perry
lawrence.perry@catchfriday.com
Tel: 020 8432 6450 

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Mad scientists top poll of online marketing campaigns

By Enjoli Liston

Online videos of two self-proclaimed mad scientists conducting explosive ‘Mentos experiments with Diet Coke’ have topped a poll of the most significant online marketing campaigns of last decade.

1099 online voters from across the globe chose their internet favourites from a shortlist of 40, compiled by the viral marketing agency GoViral.

Dove’s 2006 ‘Evolution’ campaign earned second place, for its ability to earn the trust of consumers by showing one woman’s transformation from girl next door to made-up model. And third place went to Blendtec founder Tom Dickinson for his range of videos to illustrate the power of his blender, which earned the slogan ‘Will it blend?’ a firm place in the pages of internet history.

There was also recognition for President Barack Obama, whose “great use of online advertising, social media and mobile” during his race for the presidency allowed him to “connect with millions of young, influential voters in a way that will act as a blueprint for all future political campaigns,” according to GoViral.

The videos that beat the American President to the top slot were made by juggler and lawyer duo Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz, also known as Eepybird, who began filming their infamous Mentos and Diet Coke geysers in their backyards in 2006.

Mentos announced a 20 per cent increase in sales for 2007 alone, and estimate that the resultant craze for the experiments, which Eepybird encourage viewers to try for themselves at home, is worth $10 million in free advertising every year. Since first airing, it’s estimated that the videos have attracted over 60 million viewers worldwide.

GoViral have proclaimed these viral videos ‘game changers’ because of the profound effect they have had on the world of online marketing.

The agency’s Chairman, Jimmy Maymann, who nominated several of the short-listed entries said what made the Eepybird experiments so significant was the fact that Mentos and Diet Coke didn’t know the videos existed when they were first aired online. “It proved conclusively that in the internet age, when it’s so easy for people to create content and broadcast it, brands no longer have full control over their marketing,” said Maymann, in a statement. “It also proved that brands who embrace what’s happening around them in social media can go on to achieve incredible results.”

 The Top Ten Online Marketing Campaigns: 2000 - 2009

1.  2006: Eepybird.com - Mentos and Diet Coke experiments

http://www.eepybird.com/dcm1.html

2.  2006: Dove – Evolution:

3.  2006: Blendtec – Will it blend

http://www.blendtec.com/willitblend/

4.  2007: Diesel – Heidis 15mb of fame

http://www.farfar.se/awards/cannes2007/heidies/

5.  2004: Burger King - Subserviant Chicken

http://www.bk.com/en/us/campaigns/subservient-chicken.html

6.  2008: Obama’s online campaign

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/ofasplashpresident/

7.  2000: John West – Bear

8.  2009: Tourism Queensland - Best Job in the World

9.  2008: Burger King - Whopper sacrifice

10.  2008: Cadbury’s - Gorilla

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Internet Marketing 101: Email trends for 2010

With 2010 mere days away, most marketers are frantically putting the finishing touches on marketing plans. Before focusing too hard on video or social ad formats, however, marketers should plan a bit more in email. Email is old, you say? Email is proven, say the experts.

by Kristina Knight

Blaine Mathieu, chief marketing officer with email hub Lyris, insists that email will continue to be a strong force in marketing through the New Year. Here are Mathieu's top five trends for 2010.

1) "Email will continue to be an anchor for multimedia and online marketing," said Mathieu. "All indications are that email will continue to grow into 2010. Email is recognized as the highest ROI form of online marketing and it's measurable. Even though email is the 'grandfather', it really is the cornerstone and will remain.

2) Mathieu also expects to see more integration between email and social ad platforms. "As part of the social mix, online marketers will continue to integrate social media with email marketing to ensure that brands, projects and products are cross-marketed and connecting with consumers.

3) More than just social integration, though, Mathieu expects to see integration of most other online ad formats and email through 2010. "It's always the promise on the horizon," said Mathieu. "But in 2010 you're going to see more progress toward truly achieving integrated marketing. Any marketer not using integrated tool sets is doing a disservice to the brand. Entire organizations will be working with social applications to connect with the consumer base."

4) And forget about online analytics. In 2010 the trend will be to move away from when or where consumers are clicking ads and move toward optimizing programs to keep consumers engaged for longer periods of time. "[Marketers] will begin to know marketing analytics and not just web/online analytics. They will know what happens after the click, how the consumer becomes engaged/disengaged and how they interact with the website as a whole."

5) "Finally, mobile will be a big trend," said Mathieu. "It's been 'the year of mobile' for several years but in 2009 we finally saw a mindshift begin. That shift in mindset that mobile was the away-from-office computer will help marketers connect with consumers in a new and different way. [This will] drive mobile campaigns and push mobile-accessible websites."

Overall, Mathieu expects 2010 to be slightly simpler for marketers as integrated tool suites launch and become more familiar. These suites will make it simpler for a singular campaign message to be heard from email through social and into video and mobile. As for what Mathieu is looking forward to?

"As I said, you have mobile driven by newer devices and you've got the tools ready to be used. You have social marketing coming into its own and the analytics tools that are simpler to understand," he said. "So I'm looking forward to taking advantage of the convergence of all these trends in 2010."

Tags: 2010 forecast, email forecast, email marketing, email trends, Lyris

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Google Assists Businesses Locate AdWords Professionals In Beta

    Tuesday, 29 December 2009 11:58 Deepti Dhava

 

Mountain View, California -- Companies that are looking for some assistance with their AdWords campaign may now rejoice to receive some thanks to Google. Google has launched a beta search platform that allows people to search for AdWords Professionals those certified by the company who can help manage their campaigns based on location and budget.

On the new Google Professionals Search homepage, people can search by location and budget they wish to allocate on a weekly basis, and allows you to find people who are approved by the Google Adwords Professional certification.

A promotional statement on the page suggests that would-be users “Find a Google certified professional or company to help you manage your AdWords campaign.”

The service is currently in beta and only available for US based customers.

Advertising Professionals are those engaged in online marketing , similar agencies, and other individuals such as search engine marketers (SEM s), search engine optimizers (SEO s), and marketing experts, who have been certified and authorized by Google to manage AdWords accounts.

This roster of professionals may have many individuals and agencies scurrying to get certified and listed and paying the $50 per week. They can assist publishers with different aspects of managing and creating an AdWords accounts. Advertisers who do not wish to invest the time and resources required to master AdWords often hire Advertising Professionals.

After an initial search is conducted, searchers can further prune the results even more by specifying additional services offered by these agencies in Google's database.

Additional Services encompasses areas such as online display advertising, search engine optimization , traditional advertising (print, TV), web designing, website analytics, affiliate programs, new media (mobile & social networks), creative and design services, call recording and tracking, auto-optimization tools and marketing consultancy.

Then there are other areas linked with locations, budgets, and the type of assistance that is needed. Google releases dozens or hundreds of suggestions when everything is said and done.

While it is praiseworthy to note that Google has introduced this program -- but the fact is that it costs money to get listed and requires taking a Google generated test only to pass seems a bit unfair. And with so many search marketing companies out there, it can be pretty backbreaking to try and find the right company for you. Research will always pay off and this simple tool by Google is sure to help.

The search only lists companies that have been certified by Google to manage AdWords accounts including ebrandz.

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30 top online-shopping trends

Dec 28, 2009 (http://www.couponsherpa.com/ - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) -- As access to the Internet grows, so grows online shopping. Despite the recession, the e-commerce market is enjoying double-digit growth, fueled even further by holiday shopping. In anticipation of this growth, online merchants launched marketing programs earlier than ever this year, with a strong emphasis on price discounts and free shipping.

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Such enticements fuel a fair amount of this growth, but online shoppers also increasingly appreciate the convenience and improved data security they find at e-commerce Web sites. Studies also show content-rich Web sites with networking opportunities are drawing the bulk of online consumers.

Coupon Sherpa did some homework and found the top 30 trends that will help you better understand the online-shopping experience. All statistics refer to online shopping in the U.S., unless otherwise noted.

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Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

Find Solutions for Enterprises, SMBs & Service Providers at the INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference and EXPO East, January 20-22, 2010. Miami, FL.

WHO IS BUYING ONLINE 1. Mothers are the fastest growing online shopping demographic.

2. 63 percent of people who shop online are women.

3. Shoppers under age 45 are spending more online, while purchases by older consumers have declined.

4. More than half of Internet users _ totaling $875 million Americans _ make at least one online purchase per month.

5. Online shopping is forecast to reach $329 billion by 2010 _ increasing to 13 percent of all retail sales and encompassing almost half of all households.

6. Americans spent more than $115 billion online in 2008, representing roughly 10 percent of the total domestic market.

GEOGRAPHIC BREAKDOWN 7. Over 85 percent of the world's online-population has used the Internet to make a purchase.

8. The world's most avid Internet shoppers are South Koreans, with 99 percent of Internet users in that country having shopped online.

9. German, UK and Japanese consumers come in a close second, with U.S. consumers trailing in eighth place.

10. China's shoppers don't appear to feel the impact of the international recession, having more than doubled online purchases in the last year.

11. In 2006, only 10 percent of the world's online population (627 million) had made a purchase over the Internet.

12. The developing markets of Kenya, Philippines and India are currently driving developments for micro-credits and micro-payments (very small loans and payments) WHAT WE ARE BUYING 13. Books are the most popular online purchase, followed by clothing/accessories/shoes, videos/DVDs/games, airline tickets and electronic equipment.

14. One in four online shoppers now purchase airline tickets via the Internet.

15. Sales of cosmetics/nutrition supplies and groceries have jumped nine and eight percentage points respectively in just one year.

16. Consumers are willing to pay between 20 to 99 percent more for a 5-star rated product than for a 4-star rated product.

WHERE WE SHOP 17. Amazon.com is rapidly becoming consumers' default option when planning an online purchase. Consumers start at Amazon because they anticipate a positive experience at a good price.

18. Amazon has swiftly nudged out eBay as the most popular shopping site, with eBay sales falling 1 percent and Amazon's sales increasing 31 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.

19. Invitation-only sites have moved sales of luxury goods online to easier serve those with disposable incomes.

20. The security of a site influences where we shop more than rewards and discounts. Roughly 75 percent of online consumers fear fraud and/or identity theft.

21. Consumer "must haves" for a shopping Web site include ease of use, limited personal-information requirements, some free content, and secure transactions.

22. More than half of the top Web sites post videos to help sell products or services, or to enrich the user's experience.

23. The most successful sites allow users to interact with each other by offering gift registries, "send to a friend" options and product reviews. These features encourage shoppers to linger longer on a merchant's site.

HOW WE SHOP ONLINE 24. People frequently re-visit Web sites with quality products and transparency in dealings.

25. 60 percent of online shoppers mostly buy from a single site, showing a unique loyalty.

26. 60 percent of online consumers prefer to pay with credit cards, with one in four choosing PayPal.

27. One-third of online shoppers use a search engine to find what they're looking for and about one-fourth find web sites by word of mouth.

28. 58 percent of online consumers own a Web-enabled cell phone and one in 10 purchase products and/or services with the device.

29. Over 65 percent of people use the Internet to research products before buying them from a local store.

30. Customers prefer to contact sales or customer service via online chats, as opposed to phone contact.

SOURCES: 2008 Nielsen Global Online Survey; PriceGrabber.com Consumer Behavior Report; comScore.com Benchmark Study 2009; Jupiter Research Survey 2008; Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group Survey 2008; iQuantum Pty Ltd; Research and Markets 2008-2009 studies; comScore/Kelsey, October 2008 ___ (Coupon Sherpa is the penny pinching, coupon clipping, deal digging, Himalayan haggling, he-man of bargains. Visit http://www.couponsherpa.com/ for more shopping advice, insider tips, and coupons.) ___ (c) 2009, http://www.couponsherpa.com/ Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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Social media marketing: 5 must-read books

By Todd R. Weiss

December 28, 2009 06:00 AM ET

Computerworld - When the Internet arrived for mass public consumption in the mid-'90s, a whole new world of advertising to and communicating with customers and potential customers cracked open its gates. Companies of all sizes began creating Web sites and putting their products online; some companies, such as Amazon.com and Overstock.com, existed only on the Web.

More recently, we saw blogs, wikis, virtual worlds and other online communities turn customer communications into a two-way street. But perhaps the most disruptive changes have come in the last couple years as social media marketing began in earnest, with companies directly communicating back and forth with their customers online through social media networks like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

So what does it all mean? If your company isn't yet participating, how do you evaluate it all and decide if you should join in? Where do you begin?

Start right here with this guide to five "must-read" books on social media marketing to help answer your queries, plan your strategy and get you on the road to better communications with your customers.

SocialCorp: Social Media Goes Corporate by Joel Postman
(New Riders, Dec. 2008, $30)

Talk about getting right to the point -- this well-laid-out book is filled with great references and "why didn't I think of that?" ideas for getting your company into the right frame of mind to begin a social media marketing project. Want to know who else is diving into the social media pool? Check out the detailed case studies with companies like U-Haul, Electronic Arts and the American Red Cross.

There are sections on social media ethics, corporate risks, government regulations and more. One key section describes techniques for reaching the right audiences, from creating relationships with popular bloggers to creating social media newsrooms to get your news out to viewers.

Friends with Benefits: A Social Media Marketing Handbook
by Darren Barefoot and Julie Szabo
(No Starch Press, Nov. 2009, $25)

An easy-to-use A-to-Z guide with some very helpful extras, including a "Damage Control In the Digital Age" chapter on how social media tools can help your company when things go wrong. Remember, at some point things will probably go wrong, and these tips will be nice to have in the back of your mind.

What's also very valuable is that the authors present detailed "how-to" basics for every popular social media platform, from Facebook and MySpace to Twitter and even video-sharing sites like YouTube, to help your corporate communications gain their best audiences. Hints on how to measure your audiences, how to respond to comments left by site visitors and how to find just the right tone for your customer-facing communications are also very useful.

The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Blogs, News Releases, Online Video, and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, Second Edition by David Meerman Scott
(Wiley Books, Jan. 2010, $20)

To me, a great "how-to" book is one in which I do a lot of yellow highlighting to accentuate important information. In this book, some of the pages are teeming with my yellow ink. Scott presents great can-do ideas with passion and plenty of examples and advice.

His key message: Make your social media marketing efforts shine by transforming your company into an information source for users who are hungry for resources to help them make product buying decisions. Let your readers establish your company as the expert in your market, then reap the benefits by watching them come to you when they are ready to buy.

(Note: This second edition is an extensive revision of Scott's 2008 bestseller, updated for the latest social media trends. Not yet available, it's due to ship in January 2010.)

The Social Factor: Innovate, Ignite, and Win through Mass Collaboration and Social Networking by Maria Azua
(IBM Press, Aug. 2009, $27)

This book has one simple goal -- to help companies clearly see how social media tools can bring together customers, employees, partners and others in communities that will make them stronger and more competitive.

If you're looking for a how-to guide on actually using social media tools, this book isn't it. But if you want a clear and ultra-detailed look at how social media marketing ties in with human thinking and behavior, collaborative communications, our mobile society and IT innovations from cloud computing to open source software, then The Social Factor adds some fascinating analyses to the puzzle.

The New Community Rules: Marketing on the Social Web
by Tamar Weinberg
(O'Reilly, July 2009, $25)

Know what you want to get out of your social media marketing strategy and keep those goals in mind every step of the way. That's the key message in this detailed and authoritative book, which shares loads of examples and great case study anecdotes about companies that have seen their relationships with customers change and improve by communicating back and forth with them online.

Among the valuable tips included are how to determine your resources for the project in dollars and staff time, and how to select just the right mix of blogs, social media sites and other outlets for your company's messages.

Todd R. Weiss is an award-winning technology journalist who wrote for Computerworld.com from 2000 through 2008. He's now a freelance writer, covering technology news, cool tech gear, open source and more. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/TechManTalking.

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