Category Archives: online advertising

Hulu Hits a Home Run in the Online Video Community

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Posted by admin on May 17, 2009 – 8:13 pm
Filed under SEO copywriter, increase online sales, increase site traffic, marketing trends, online advertising, video marketing

YouTube can easily be considered King of the online-video scene. No force has dethroned YouTube from its number one online-video platform—but it looks as though there may be a challenger. Hulu.

According to comScore, in March 2009, Google sites ranked as the top U.S.-video platform with 5.9 billion videos viewed. YouTube accounted for 99% of views on this video platform.

Rising quickly and steadily, Hulu has reached the number three spot on top online-video properties among U.S. internet users and is beginning to take a step into the international realm of online-video.

According to WebProNews, the UK is already beginning to provide full television episodes to viewers, and Bollywood is in negotiations with Hulu, as well.

According to eMarketer.com, comScore reported that Hulu’s total video streams grew 14.3% in March, and the number of unique viewers was up 19.7% in the same period. Although Hulu hasn’t yet reached YouTube’s video-guru status, it’s definitely on the rise and is something YouTube needs to consider as a major competitor. With video spending expected to rise past the $1 billion line by 2011, according to eMarketer.com, competition between the two video platforms could get fierce.

According to eMarketer.com, MAGNA Global stated that approximately $530 million was spent on online videos last year and this number is expected to rise 32%.  

Since there is a significant growth in professional video production, many advertisers are taking the online-video route for their marketing campaigns’, and it’s only a matter of time before online-video properties are advertisers’ main vehicle for advertising.

The Economic Downturn Is No Excuse to Forget About Online Marketing

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Posted by admin on April 29, 2009 – 8:28 am
Filed under SEO copywriter, attract clients, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, online advertising, online marketing

The above video is an interview with Jack Flanagan of comScore at the SES conference expo on March 24,2009 in New York. The video provides excellent tips on how to market your business online during this turbulent economy.

Google Is On A Roll with Their New Rich Media / Video Ad Templates

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Posted by admin on April 24, 2009 – 5:36 am
Filed under Marketing Strategy, attract clients, grow your business, increase site traffic, online advertising, website copywriter

Businesses looking to engage viewers in the online buying process greatly benefit from using Google’s Rich Media / Video Ad Templates, which can be found in the AdWords Display Ad Builder. These templates allow businesses to increase targeted website traffic, boost sales, and measure results—without hiring a web designer, advertiser, or marketer. The process is quick, easy, and entertaining. 

These templates allow non-tech-savvy business personnel to . . .

• Display numerous products across one ad, enabling them to sell several products at once.

• Create ads quickly and easily through user-friendly software.

• Illustrate the quality of one product versus another. For example, a company may sell a service or product that does not have as many features and benefits as their higher-end product. Advertisers can show the progression from a less expensive product to a more expensive product, allowing visitors to choose between products based on their needs.

• Tell a story about the products / services. For example, you can have three icons titled features, benefits, and purchase. These icons will take you through the story of the product / service, highlighting the best features and benefits in a short and clear manner.

• Attach a URL to each product illustrated on the template. This means you could virtually have three landing pages as opposed to one.

Google Rich Media / Video Ad Templates benefit businesses greatly by increasing site traffic and online exposure. Also, the new Google templates allow companies to place video in the ad for an even more interactive user experience. Google can also track what viewers scrolled their mouse over and how long they watched the video. This tracking device is an excellent way to show businesses how much interaction viewers have with their product / service online.

Yahoo Adds Video and Images Into Search Engine Results

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Posted by admin on February 27, 2009 – 6:44 am
Filed under Growing Business, Marketing Strategy, attract clients, client attraction, increase online sales, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, marketing in bad economy, marketing trends, online advertising

According to the New York Times article, Yahoo Shows Search Ads With Images and Video, Yahoo is introducing a whole new visual element to search engine results.

Yahoo’s new search layout, Rich Ads in Search, incorporates video and images into the search engine results next to the company name. This creates a more interactive experience for visitors. According to the author, Stephanie Clifford:

“Search advertising typically shows only text advertisements and links. Marketers usually devote part of their online budget to search — which shows text-only advertisements and links — and part to display, the banner and box advertisements that show images or video.

By introducing video and images, the new offering from Yahoo, called Rich Ads in Search, gives search some of the advantages of banner advertisements. ‘It moves the advertising experience from just the blue links, to a more engaging experience for advertisers,’ said Tim Mayer, the vice president for search monetization and distribution at Yahoo.”

No longer is Yahoo search simply pulling up hyperlinked text for visitors to click. They’ve taken the next step to integrate more aesthetically pleasing visual elements to otherwise boring search engine results.

Yahoo’s Rich Ads in Search is a fresh, interactive way for advertisers to put a unique spin on online advertising, and is something that stands out more than a link in the search engine results. Make your links pop with an image or video, and try Yahoo’s new advertising product.

Maximize Your Marketing Efforts in Any Economy

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Posted by admin on December 29, 2008 – 5:55 pm
Filed under Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, SEO, SEO copywriter, attract clients, blogging for business, grow your business, increase site traffic, market in economic crisis, marketing trends, online advertising, online buying behavior, online marketing, press releases, small business marketing, social networking, target market, web traffic, website

How would you like to be able to keep growing your business no matter what the economy does?

Sign up for expert online copywriter Michelle Salater’s Online Business Marketing Bootcamp for Beginners, and she’ll show you everything you need to know to go where the customers are—online—and grow your business by maximizing your marketing efforts.

And do it in any economy. 

Over the course of 8 weeks, you will work one-on-one with Michelle as she shows you the same tips, tactics, and strategies she used to take her own business from flat broke to so busy she has to turn customers away…and she did this all within one year.

 

Because Michelle really wants to help you grow your business online without struggling so you can skyrocket your sales in 2009, she’s offering a $200 Early Bird Discount to those who sign up before January 4, 2008 (midnight PST). 

 

— http://www.marketingonlinebootcamp.com/

Now is A CRITICAL TIME for businesses to invest in their marketing. And the best way and most cost efficient way to do this is to market online.

A 2001 McGraw-Hill study found that aggressive recession advertisers / marketers increased their market share 2 ½ times the average for all businesses than in post-recession.

How would you like to increase your market share 2 ½ times?

If you’d like to skyrocket your online sales, increase website traffic, and save thousands of dollars by implementing online strategies on your own, NOW IS YOUR TIME to sign up for Michelle’s Online Business Marketing Bootcamp for Beginners. The course begins January 21st.

She can’t make it any easier for you than the 3-payment option she’s made available and the Early Bird Special (save $200) that ends at midnight January 4, 2009.  

Remember, this special offer won’t be available after January 4…

–http://www.marketingonlinebootcamp.com/

Marketing Survey . . . Short and Sweet

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Posted by admin on October 9, 2008 – 2:45 pm
Filed under Marketing, Marketing Strategy, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing

Dear Copy Doodle Readers and Those Who are New to my Blog,

I would love some feedback to the following questions:

1. What is the most important aspect in growing your business? And why.

2. If an expert were to offer free advice on two online marketing problems you face, what would those two problems be?

If you took the time to leave a comment, that would be great. Thanks for reading!

Integrating Your Business

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Posted by admin on July 11, 2008 – 11:24 pm
Filed under Marketing, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, website
Ways to integrate yourself into the online community:
• Write a blog and comment on other blogs
• Post audio and video on Youtube and look at other Youtube videos related to ones you post
• Take videos and photos of your products or services and post them on a photo sharing site (Flickr or Buzznet)
• Join a website that allows users to post reviews for local businesses, such as yelp.com
• Join a social bookmarking site, such as del.icio.us or stumbleupon.com
**
Two great ways to get more traffic to your site is through www.yelp.com and www.stumbleupon.com. These two social media sites, although slightly different, can easily integrate you into various online communities.

Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips, market trends, and informative articles.  

 

Double Sales with Web Copy

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Posted by admin on July 8, 2008 – 3:13 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Small Business, Uncategorized, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website, website navigation

Selling products and services online can be a tricky task. Don’t shy away from it though because it could be the most effective way to sell your products, doubling and even tripling sales.  

The key element in online sales is to know how to promote your products in the best light. One of the greatest problems small companies have with their websites is a lack of traffic. Translation: there are not enough potential customers viewing their products or services online.
 
Many of the sites having these problems are ones created by companies that have only a basic knowledge of web design and web copy. A website with a few pictures and a couple of words describing a company and its products isn’t going to cut it.When people visit a website, they are attracted by the aesthetics of the site, such as layout, design, and photos. People reach these sites by typing keywords or phrases into their favorite search engines or clicking on links from other sites.

Websites with effective web copy will bring these people into their sites from search engines, increasing traffic. Once potential consumers are at a site, their attention must be grabbed immediately with the words, also known as web copy. These words can persuade a viewer to make a purchase from your site, subscribe to a newsletter, subscribe to an RSS feed, and or bookmark your site.

The harsh truth is, if a customer’s attention is not grabbed within the first few seconds of viewing a site, he or she is on to the next one that will keep his / her attention and evoke a response.

Web copy is also important in promoting navigation through the site. Your goal is to have the viewer click on certain links, such as contact information, newsletter subscriptions, and the company’s blog. You need to have well-written web copy to motivate viewers to further investigate your site.If your company isn’t getting the traffic you need to further your business, then it would be a good idea for you to hire a copywriter. Many freelance copywriters who specialize in web copy. Copywriters investigate the most beneficial ways of marketing your company and design web copy to reach the right target market, pushing more traffic to your site.

What a good copywriter will do for you:

• Create a profile for your target market
• Utilize key words in the web copy (tags and links) that will push your site to the top of search engines
• Write a smooth and fresh web copy that contains no fillers, just vital information
• Create a personal and approachable style of writing, which connects to the viewer
• Put a creative spin on your marketing approach, making your site stand out above others
• Edit the web copy, so there are no mistakes

 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Website Navigation: The Key to Gaining Customers

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Posted by admin on June 19, 2008 – 4:23 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website, website navigation

The main goal of your company’s website is to initially attract the potential customer to the web copy. Web copy is placed on the homepage of your site, and from there a viewer must click on tabs in the tool bar to navigate to other areas of your site.

CAUTION: This is where many businesses lose their customers. Easy navigation is crucial. Eliminating any ambiguity about where to look for information within a site is important.

Easy navigation tips:
• Homepages are used as the link between all the tabs. It’s the place people will return to as the easy way to navigate to other tabs.
• Tabs need to guide visitors to information they are looking for quickly. Therefore, be specific and clear.
• Tool bar should be obvious at the top or left side of each homepage.
• Drop down menus from tabs are a great way to show viewers what information they will come across from clicking on that tab.
• Pictures can be used next to a word in the tab bar to better illustrate the information it will provide and to add visual aesthetics to your site.
• All parts of the site can be reached by using the links on the homepage.

Important tabs for navigational bars:
• About Us
• Contact Us
• About Our Products and Services

Being creative on a site can be beneficial for the customer because it adds more “zest” to your company, but when it comes to navigation tab titles, try to be as generic and clear as possible. Once the customer becomes confused about what your tabs provide, he or she will already be looking at a competitor’s site. This is easy to avoid, so don’t lose customers to something this simple.

Make it simple. Make it fast. Make it clear. Make it work. 

 

Want more marketing tips? Subscribe to Your Business Marketing Solution, a bimonthly ezine filled with marketing tips, market trends, and informative articles.

A Credo of Values Is Essential in Any Successful Business

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Posted by admin on June 16, 2008 – 4:01 pm
Filed under Copy, Copywriting, Marketing, Marketing Strategy, Marketing Tip, Small Business, online advertising, online marketing, small business marketing, web copy, website

One of the greatest strengths a company can utilize in order to gain new customers and keep current ones is through strong company values and a clear credo. Websites are a great source for consumers to learn about your products and services. They are also an excellent way to convey what your business stands for.

Consumers want to know that your company is advertising truthfully and ethically. Many businesses use puffery and deception in their advertising, which leads customers to be dissatisfied and unwilling to make repeat purchases. If you clearly convey that you care about the consumer and establish personal values, potential customers will be more likely to buy again from you as well as refer other customers to your products or services.

Repeat customers benefit your business because they cost less to attract than new customers and they require less service, while buying more. As a small business owner, you must first gain the customer’s trust in your company—a tactic many businesses disregard or place at the bottom of their lists for attracting customers.

Things to emphasize in your credo:
*Empathy and compassion towards the consumer’s wants and needs
*Effort to keep costs low and establish practical prices  

*Benefits your company wishes to gain from doing business with consumers

*Internal and external goals of your company
*Customer service satisfaction

*Care you provide for your employees both on a personal level and in the work environment

The important thing when creating a credo of values is to include information about your company—information that people would not know from just purchasing your product or service. Consumers like to be let in on internal business affairs, such as your ideas for new products, purchasing, merging, etc. The more you let your customers know about your company, the more they will feel a part of it and trust the goods and services you can provide for them.

More Tips:

1. Don’t put your credo in a place that is difficult to find on your site. Place it under the category “About Us” or “About Our Company.”
2. Brochures, email marketing, and press releases are other excellent ways to express your values and are not to be overlooked.

 

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