In a Downturn, Ads Should Focus on 'Value'
from AdWeek
When the economy was ticking along nicely, many brands' advertising tended to convey a subtext that said, in effect, "You deserve the best of everything, and we're here to give it to you!" With consumers shifting into austerity mode for the duration of the downturn, that sort of thing won't play well. So, what is the most effective tone for advertising during a recession? More

Five Things to Consider Before Starting Your Next Web Site
from The Internet Search Engine Database
Many companies underestimate the marketing value of their Web site. In many cases, design and content development are left to the IT department with little to no input from the marketing channels other than logo and color scheme. A Web site represents the company behind it and the effectiveness of a Web site signals the quality one would receive from that company. It is important that business owners answer the following five questions before tackling a new Web site. More

Make a Good Impression
from Business Management Daily
Using rich-media banners to give prospects a greater understanding of your product or service prior to click-through is one surefire way to boost the impact of an online ad in today’s challenging economy. Banners can include everything from video, audio, and mini-games to email and database functions. If rich media is not a good fit for your growing business, there are other ways to send response rates soaring and increase the effectiveness of your Internet advertising efforts. More

Benefits of Rapid-Fire Social Networking
from TechRepublic
In a very short time, Twitter has gone from an obscure segment of the Web to a must-have for business identities. Twitter provides a great opportunity for individuals and organizations to connect and exchange information. While there are plenty of concerns, such as information leakage, liability, security, management, and interruption effect; there are also benefits for organizations. More

Search Engine Submission 101
from Search Engine Watch
Although it isn't as important as it once was, search engine submission is still a SEO best practice. Search engines prefer finding your site and associated Web pages on their own. However, submitting your site to search engines doesn't hurt, as long as you're careful not to overdo it. More

Click Fraud 101
from Search Engine Watch
Click fraud often comes up in discussions with clients and during training seminars. Is this something you should worry about? And what should you do if it happens to you? Those of you who run PPC campaigns should arm yourself against this potential foe. Here's how. More

Responding but Not Clicking
from AdWeekl
Clicking on an online display ad isn't the only way of responding to it, emphasizes a new iProspect report on a survey of Internet users. While 31 percent of respondents to the survey (conducted online in January by Forrester Consulting) said they'd responded to such ads in the past six months by clicking on them, nearly as many -- 27 percent -- said their initial response was to do a search for the product, brand or company. More

Make Room for the Wide Load Ads
from The New York Times
When the going gets tough, the ads get bigger. Amid all the hand-wringing about the decline of the news business and the need for subscription revenue, big publishers are doing something concrete: They are trying to sell more ads for more money. More

'Cybersquatting' Crooks Profit on Marketers' Brand Names
from USA Today
As advertisers spend more online, brand name firms increasingly are seeing their names, customers and millions of dollars in sales hijacked by shady marketers. Instances of deceptive marketing to build traffic for rogue sites or to sell faux-branded products rose 17 percent last year, according to MarkMonitor, whose software tracks digital marketing infringement. More