A recent study conducted by Forbes called the “2009 Advertising Effectivness Survey” has proclaimed that both Viral Marketing and Search Engine Optimization will experience the fastest growth and highest percentage spend increase in company budgets throughout 2009. The study surveyed more than 100 key CMO’s and Marketing Executives who hold roles in advertising, marketing and media.
Key findings from the report include:
In the coming six months, respondents expect that ad networks will see the biggest declines in allocation of marketing spend; viral marketing and SEO will likely see the biggest increases.
$1MM+ respondents are significantly more likely than total respondents to point to viral marketing (54% vs. 42%), SEO (50% vs. 40%) and pay-per-impression ads on digital publications (36% vs. 26%) as areas where investment is expected to increase over the next six months.
As a leader in innovative SEO, viral marketing and social media marketing services, TDM is well prepared to work with clients seeking to leverage and exploit the benefits of these highly-efficient online marketing channels. Feel free to contact us for a free new media marketing consultation and to learn how your company can take its online marketing to new levels of success!
Due to the downturn in the economy, budgets for PPC advertising are shrinking with more attention and budgets shifting towards SEO. The costs, potential for results, and long-term benefits of a well-planned and executed SEO campaign cannot be denied. But how exactly do you ensure that your site’s long-term SEO plans are effective and well founded? An article at Search Engine Land effectively addresses this important question. You will want to ensure that you have reliable web analytics software. This software will ideally track SEO referrals, or simply put, reporting what search engines your site’s traffic is coming from and the keywords used to find your site. Make sure the analytics software that you choose can segment paid and non-paid search engine traffic. Google Analytics is the best value on the market, considering it’s free! There are other more robust, paid analytics packages that can shed granular insight (such as Omniture and WebTrends).
By analyzing analytics reports, you will be able to use these findings to determine the best areas to invest time, money and resources. When tracking performance, remember to make note of site re-launches, shifts in the market and other events when measuring at long-term results, as these will cause a change in your SEO metrics. By comparing these metrics, you can then prioritize efforts for optimizing your site based on market opportunities, ranking gaps and potential ROI.
More women than ever before are spending their time online, rather than reading the newspaper, magazines, listening to the radio and engaging in other traditional media activities. The 2009 Women in Social Media Study by BlogHer, IVillage and Compass Partners, show that over fifty percent of women online today are between the ages of 27-62.So what is causing the sudden shift?
Social media is now attracting over 42 million women, 75% of which participate in social networks such as Facebook or MySpace.When it comes to advice and recommendations, 55% of these women are turning to blogs to seek out information.The survey showed that 45% of respondents purchased an item after reading about it in a blog post. Whether it be women on the lookout for the best deal on shoes or moms posting tips on raising children, women have become the most actively engaged participants in the realm of social media networks.The trust in like-minded consumers and peer groups supports the trend reported by MarketingVox in 2007 that “91% of moms prefer brands that other moms have recommended.”
Blogs are becoming the new medium of communication for women when it comes to finding the best places for deals, getting coupons, giving recommendations for products, or even receiving guidance for the daily struggles in a woman’s life.Through blogs, search engines, and other social media marketing vehicles, businesses can focus on reaching out to and engaging these key, household decision makers.
There continues to be a groundswell of attention towards Social Media in mainstream media and other circles, but let’s examine Social Media’s relevance to SEO.The majority of industry experts, including those in-house here at TDM, would argue that a well crafted, well executed social media marketing strategy WILL have positive benefit on a brand’s natural search rankings.An in-depth discussion is currently taking place at the popular UK-based site eConsultancy on just how much social media influences rank order (positively, neutrally, and negatively).
Below are a couple of key reasons why we at Triangle Direct Media believe social media can and will continue to impact the organic rankings of a website:
Search engines, like Google, examine thequality & diversity of backlinks along with the “buzz” of a brand through Trust & Authority variables.Social Media is becoming mainstream so a brand’s participation in these channels helps it become an even stronger “subject matter expert” and informational resource.
Social Media reaches a very large and diverse audience of content creators, discussion participants and sideline observers.Social Media“content creators” serve as a very likely source for natural link building should a brand’s content or network participation move these content creators to post on their own sites or blogs about the brand.
While most major social networks allow for back links, such links almost always include thenofollow attribute which do not count in most search engine algorithms. In contrast, a number of social media outlets do provide brands the ability to secure and create “follow” links as part of the content creation life cycle.These pages get indexed and cached, serving as a credible link building channel.It’s important that brands actively participate to boost in-network visibility or the strength of a given set of social profiles or social content pages.
Blogs have proven to be a very strong platform for ranking well in major search engines through the practice of developing solid, unique content on a consistent basis while participating in a ecosystem of industry-related and/or peer blog publishers.Not only do blog posts rank well, they also serve as a strong source for link building particularly when posts go viral and secure active comment discussions.
Universal search has opened new ranking opportunities for online brands that effectively create content through video, images, news, blogs and other Social Media oriented vehicles.Many community sites provide great opportunities for instructional or informational content creation that incorporates text, video, images and discussions — these typically rank pretty well and can be a good source for ‘followed’ back links.
For anyone that has been an active member of SEO community for the past 5-10 years, determining the most productive and cost-effective ways to help clients rank on the first page is how we’re measured. Leveraging social media is a positive and the next evolutionary step in organic search.The above reasons are what standout as an argument to brand advertisers to engage social media from a natural search ranking perspective.There are obviously many other benefits social media marketing can deliver brands such as consumer-engagement, product testing, brand discussions, contests, etc.
Do you have any other primary reasons why companies interested in organic rankings in Google, Yahoo & MSN/Live should leverage Social Media Marketing?
Forrester Research has released a forecast on US Internet Marketing Spending for the next five (5) years. Great outlook for those companies investing and specializing in social media, mobile marketing and search marketing. Considering the sheer size of the “Search Marketing” category, why do these independent research firms keep grouping PPC and SEO together? It is widely accepted that SEO garners at least 12% of Search spend (and this percentage is quickly growing!!). Doing simple math for Internet spending in 2009, SEO spend would be greater than mobile, social or email marketing, respectively. So why are SEO & PPC not yet standalone categories? We already know that organic search rankings are the #1 focus of Internet Retailers.
Attention business owners, CMO’s, VP’s & Directors of Web Marketing —- what are you doing to allocate marketing budgets and put your business at the forefront of these growth markets? Don’t miss the new media marketing bus!
News from a just released Forrester Research report, led by Jeremiah K. Owyang, indicates that Social Media Marketing is poised for top-of-the-class growth in Interactive Marketing in 2009! The study which surveyed more than 100 mid-market sized companies (with 250+ employees or more), found that 95% of companies plan to keep or increase spending in 2009:
While many marketing budgets are being cinched, more than 50% of interactive marketers say they will increase their spending on social marketing. Why? These inexpensive tools can quickly get marketing messages out through interactive discussion and rapid word of mouth and, properly managed, can deliver measurable results.
If your business has considered social media (w/out action taken) or if you are an in-house marketer trying to champion the cause for your company to invest into new media marketing strategies such as social media, organic search, blogging, etc — then use independent, 3rd party studies like these to your advantage! Today’s “traditional business owners” can still use some educating.
For more statistics, verifiable results and information on how your company can take its efforts to the next level, please contact TDM to speak with an Account Exec.
Check out the Today Show’s bit on digital mom’s and the value they can deliver to trusted brands. Wal-Mart, Dell and K-Mart leverage mom bloggers effectively, while the likes of Motrin have seen these efforts backfire. An Avenue A Razorfish director along with an established mom blogger are interviewed and cover many key topics from brand-consumer opportunity engagements, how to leverage social media, influencers, sponsored conversations, product reviews, etc.
For brand advertisers considering word-of-mouth online, this is a great video. For moms considering connecting to social networks, voicing their passions and earning legitimate income, this video is of value.
Triangle Direct Media is participating as a Gold Level Sponsor in the WakeMed Cary 2009 Distance Festival. In it’s 16th year, this annual event fundraiser in Raleigh-Durham, NC brings together hundreds of athletes, hundreds of community members, and graciously giving businesses to raise money for The Cary Rotary Club and its various community service projects.
In the past, this fundraiser has lacked a presence on the Internet. This year, interested participants, sponsors and volunteers can get more information on the web at www.runwalkfestival.org, which was created & launched by Triangle Direct Media, a new media marketing company. This website will be used for future events and hopes to increase participation, exposure and fundraiser contributions. All event proceeds go towards the “service-above-self” projects spearheaded and managed by The Cary Rotary Club.
Other participating Gold Level Sponsors that accompany TDM include WRAL, Biscuitville, WholeFoods, Inside Out Sports, Atlantic Tire, Zaytoun & Associates, Cary Oil, Alphagraphics, Great Harvest Bread Co. and Piedmont Foot & Ankle. For more information or interests, please visit www.runwalkfestival.org.
The Pew Research Center has released some very informative data on the shifting landscape of Internet usage by age group under its Pew Internet & American Life Project. For the sake of time, we have recapped some key findings below that matter most to Internet Advertisers trying to engage and connect with various age groups. The majority of this data was collected via telephone surveys from August 2006 – August 2008 and has a 4+/- % margin for error. For the full report, go here.
PIP Survey Highlights
Generation X (Internet users ages 33-44) continues to lead in online shopping. Fully 80% of Generation X Internet users buy products online, compared with 71% of Internet users ages 18-32. Interest in online shopping is significantly lower among the youngest and oldest groups; 38% of online teens buy products online, as do 56% of Internet users ages 64-72 and 47% of Internet users age 73 and older.
This dynamic is somewhat predictable but should reinforce confidence to online advertisers for the simple fact that on average, higher income families fall within both the Generation X and Baby Boomer age groups. Due the frequency of online activity amongst Teens and Generation Y (see report for full details), their adoption to online shopping could be a higher percentage than Gen X within the next 5-7 years; once their disposable income increases then they will more likely spend money using the technology they’ve been raised on: the Internet.
In 2005, half (50%) of Generation Y Internet users had booked travel arrangements online, and, in 2008, that number rose to 65%. During the same time, the percentages of Generation X and older generations to make online travel reservations remained about the same.
Generation X internet users have also maintained their edge in online banking, as they are significantly more likely than any other generation to do their banking online (67%). As Generation Y users get older, however, they have grown much more likely to bank online as well: the percentage of online Generation Y to do their banking online is up from 38% in 2005 to 57% in 2008. There has been no significant growth among older generations when it comes to banking online.
Finally, below are a couple of other key highlights where online marketers should take note — in particular with total usage, videos and the potential reach of viral blog marketing:
Most companies typically go through a major website redesign initiative every 2-3 years. Larger corporations sometimes every 1-2 years. MediaPost’s Search Insider Blog has outlined some very relevant advice to ensure that a redesign does not destroy current search engine rankings, but hopefully leads to a lift in organic rankings.
Team Collaboration
Below are some of Search Insider’s primary suggestions by Rob Garner:
Use site language and messaging that is consistent with the user’s perception of your product or service.
Keywords are the language of your users in search engines. Be sure that your copy not only connects well to the users but also search engines. Writing in the language of the customer will most likely match up to what search engines are looking for, but don’t forget to do some keyword research to reinforce key concepts and consequent keywords to best optimize content relevancy.
Read your log files (and/or review analytics reports)
Often overlooked by in-house or contract web designers, website analytic reports can provide excellent insight into what pages are garnering the highest levels and/or best converting of search engine traffic for your website. Do not forsake the elements of these top entry pages with web design, but preserve their characteristics so rankings are not lost when a new site is launched.
Ensure that Rich Internet Technologies are both crawlable and indexable by search engines
New designs will often times seek to incorporate technology (such as Flash or Ajax) that is often times invisible to search engines. While these elements can increase the user experience, they should be intergrated into well structured, search engine friendly pages to preserve the balance of giving the user and search engine crawlers what they want. There are often alternatives to a functionality so do your research so that existing and new pages can be found and thrive in search engines.
Avoid the creation of URL canonicalization issues
When pages are going to be replaced by new or existing pages at different URL locations, it is imperative that you let the search engines know where that old content has been permanently moved. This is accomplished through the execution of a 301 redirect. A page should only have one URL, not duplicates. Many eCommerce sites have a problem of serving multiple URLs for the same page leading to duplicate content problems and confusion with search engine crawlers. Do your research and make sure canonicalization does not compromise your site’s ability to rank for important landing and product pages.
Set up a redirection plan
Following up on the previous recommendation, mapping out old URL’s and new URL’s is critical when executing redirects. If a page has moved, it should almost always be redirected by a 301 header response. If it no longer exists, then a custom 404. Plan your work and work your plan with redirects — this should be executed in parallel to the site launch.
Don’t remove content that supports coveted rankings without assessing risks first
Completely deleting content or old products is the equivalent of throwing away hard work. This is often a mistake we see with online retailers. When products are no longer in inventory or are replaced by newer models, as opposed to completely deleting the page and serving a 404, utilize a 301 redirect to a parent page. This will preserve the page rank and link value a page has established as opposed to completely throwing it away. Otherwise, removing or deleting content that ranks well will decrease traffic and market share; forcing the site to start over in attaining previously secured positions.
Include search as both a business and technical requirement before planning has even started
Search engine optimization should be a primary discussion point when the website redesign discussion begins, not after. Website owners who evaluate the impact of redesign on search engine rankings, early and often, will not only cover the basics but also address the advanced design, coding and architecture strategies that will influence rank order.
Ensure that there is a voice for search within the Web site team structure
To champion this cause, there needs to be an advocate with a voice, credibility and peer respect amongst those members of your web design team. This ensures a system of checks and balances and leads to a well planned, well executed website redesign that will help and not hurt your organic search engine rankings. This advocate can be an in-house employee, independent contract, or professional SEO team.
To learn more about challenges your company could face with website redesign and its impact on your future search engine rankings, feel free to contact TDM for information about our SEO Audit services. Not only can this customized road map identify key impediments and gaps in your current SEO efforts, but it can also ensure that you protect your rankings during a website redesign project — our team can have the needed expertise and authoritative search voice to compliment your design team.
Due to the downturn in the economy, budgets for PPC advertising are shrinking with more attention and budgets shifting towards 
More women than ever before are spending their time online, rather than reading the newspaper, magazines, listening to the radio and engaging in other traditional media activities. The 
For anyone that has been an active member of SEO community for the past 5-10 years, determining the most productive and cost-effective ways to help clients rank on the first page is how we’re measured. Leveraging social media is a positive and the next evolutionary step in organic search.
The Pew Research Center has released some very informative data on the shifting landscape of Internet usage by age group under its Pew Internet & American Life Project. For the sake of time, we have recapped some key findings below that matter most to Internet Advertisers trying to engage and connect with various age groups. The majority of this data was collected via telephone surveys from August 2006 – August 2008 and has a 4+/- % margin for error. For the full report, go 
