Social Networking is Next Step for Online Ads
from the San Francisco Chronicle
Bombarding consumers with online banner ads, the flashier the better, has been a mainstay of Internet advertising for more than a decade. But increasingly, marketers and the agencies that cater to them are borrowing from the social-networking craze and infusing their sales pitches with invitations to leave comments, take opinion polls and share funny video clips with friends. More

Weather the Recession by Integrating Search Strategies
from Practical eCommerce
While there may not be any such thing as a “recession-proof” marketing plan, there are proven methods that will help you capture online shoppers year round. It starts with integrating search engine optimization (SEO) and paid search marketing. And by incorporating these proven methods into a fully integrated marketing strategy, online retailers can be successful. More

Setting Expectations for Your SEO Campaign
from Search Engine Land
As we move through the second month of 2009, take a moment to “see the forest through the trees” and set the stage for your B2B SEO Marketing Campaign. With a little advanced planning, you can align your SEO strategy with your company’s bottom line and demonstrate how you are moving the dial against that bottom line. And while you’re at it, you can prove the value of your program beyond a shadow of a doubt and lock in that marketing budget. More

Dominating Your SEO Competition through Competitive Knowledge
from Search Engine Guide
Knowing who your competitors are and what kind of time and monetary investment they are making into their online marketing is nearly as essential as implementing your own marketing strategy. If you have a good idea of what you're up against can make better decisions about where and how to invest your own time and money. You will also have a decent indicator of how quickly you might be able to see results from your efforts. More

Turnaround Measures for E-Mail Marketers
from ClickZ
In recent months, many articles have discussed steps that e-mail marketers shouldn't take during a recession and warned of the consequences. While certain tactics may be effective in the short term, they can be disastrous over the long haul. They can cause serious credibility and reputation damage, as well as list fatigue. More

Branded PPC
from Marketing Sherpa
You have a solid SEO strategy. So, is bidding on your branded keywords for these affordable and flexible ads a waste of money? Branded pay-per-click keywords can offer great ROI, push down competitors’ ads and present some challenges as well. More

E-mail Tops Online Ad Budget Change in '09
from MediaPost Communications
According to a survey of marketing executives by Datran Media, e-mail leads all other channels by a wide margin in terms of performance for their companies. 80.4 percent of more than 3,000 executives surveyed chose e-mail as a strong advertising performer, compared to 56.8 percent who chose search, the second leading performer. More

Debunking Six Social Media Myths
from BusinessWeek
For companies, resistance to social media is futile. Millions of people are creating content for the social Web. Your competitors are already there. Your customers have been there for a long time. If your business isn't putting itself out there, it ought to be. But before you take the plunge, bear in mind the many myths that surround social media. More

FTC to Marketers: Self-Regulate Behavioral Targeting
from AdAge
The Federal Trade Commission seemed to give a major victory to marketers today when it confirmed it will let them self-regulate behavioral-marketing privacy issues in cyberspace, rather than introduce government regulation. It also narrowed the scope of advertising that will face regulation. More

U.S. Hispanics Embrace Web, Prefer English Language Sites
from BizReport
U.S. Hispanics aren't being left behind in Internet circles, their online numbers are already large and continue to swell. As per other U.S. citizens, Hispanics are using the Internet for a wide variety of reasons including news, entertainment and social networking, according to the results of a recent Ipsos U.S. Hispanic Omnibus study. More