Digital Demographics: 11 Brands That are Doing It Right
from iMediaConnection
As an industry, digital marketing has historically had a bias toward thinking about execution first -- to such an extent that much of what passes for advertising and marketing online has no idea in it whatsoever. Demographic targeting is one of the oldest segmentation approaches, and it's great to be able to report that strong campaigns now exist online, in mobile, in gaming -- and are aimed at the full range of ages. This reflects both the changing demos of the space and the recognition of those changes by most major brands. Here then are some examples of demographic targeting across digital. More

Staying Relevant with Targeted E-mail
from eMarketer
Last year saw record numbers of promotional e-mails and recipients annoyed by inboxes full of too many marketing messages. To grab users’ attention in the space, more than one-half of small and medium-sized businesses told e-mail marketing firm GetResponse they would focus on personalization and targeting in 2010. Nearly six in 10 respondents to the survey planned on segmenting their e-mail lists based on interests, while about one-third would look at behaviors such as open and click rates or demographics. More

Focus on 'User Experience Optimization'
from Entrepreneur
Over the past few years, small and medium-sized businesses have become increasingly concerned with SEO at the expense of what the author likes to call UEO, or "User Experience Optimization." There's been an unhealthy shift in the business world toward trying to get people to visit Web sites versus providing users with a valuable experience once they get there. There's no point in trying to increase your search engine results with the goal of increased traffic to your website if, when visitors arrive at your site, they are uninterested, uninformed or unmotivated. Is your homepage falling short? Here are some tips to help boost your homepage's UEO. More

Why SEO Marketers Turn to Twitter and Social Media
from Lakestar Media
More and more people are taking an interest in social media thanks to the rise of sites such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace in the world of online marketing and social networking. The rise in popularity of mainstream social media sites has been meteoric in recent years and this has changed how people interact with, and utilise, the internet on a daily basis. With the launch of the iPhone and Google’s Nexus One handset, it has never been easier for people to access the internet, wherever they are in the world. More

When Bad Web Sites Happen to Good People: Six Common Mistakes to Avoid
from Grow Smart Business
Whether the company is big or small, new or well-established, selling a product or a service - simple mistakes are made over and over and over again. These mistakes can turn out to be costly in a major way. After all, the purpose of your Web site is to be informational, yes, but more importantly, it should be a lead generator. More

Keyword Research 101
from ClickZ
Keyword research is the foundation for Internet marketing, including social media. Keyword research can be the glue that holds your Internet marketing campaigns together and provides strategic oversight. If you skip this important step, you could waste resources, time, and money. More

SEO vs. PPC Debate -- Which Do You Prefer?
from Search Engine Watch
There's a growing divide between online marketers who enjoy organic search and those who prefer paid search. So what do your preferences say about you? Do you enjoy hours spent analyzing search terms and bidding on long-tail PPC keywords that squeeze an extra 20 percent return out of your budget? Or do you prefer to add lasting value to a Web site over the long term, gradually building authority through clever content and inching your way to the top of the natural search results? If you work in optimization, chances are you do both each day. But which do you find harder and what does that say about you? More

Digital Lift-off
from Forbes
A new study by Outsell released this week reveals that U.S. advertisers are spending more this year on digital media than on print. Long predicted, this Madison Avenue milestone has finally arrived thanks to a 9.6 percent boom in digital advertising in 2010. That number comes from Outsell's annual advertising and marketing study, which collected data from 1,008 U.S. advertisers (both consumer and B2B) in December 2009. Of the $368 billion marketers plan to spend this year, 32.5 percent will go toward digital; 30.3 percent to print. Digital spending includes e-mail, video advertising, display ads and search marketing. More

B2B Spending on Mobile to Fall Nearly 40 Percent
from ClickZ
Mobile marketing expenditures by B2B companies are poised to drop nearly 40 percent this year. According to Outsell's "Annual Advertising and Marketing Study 2010: Total U.S. and B2B Advertising," B2B firms will reduce their mobile marketing spending by 38 percent this year. "This is the first year that it's negative," said report author Chuck Richard, VP and lead analyst at Outsell. Mobile spending by these marketers will fall from $325 million in 2009 to $202 million this year, Richard told ClickZ News. In 2009, B2B mobile spending rose 5 percent. More