How Search Marketing Costs are Evolving

• Display advertising is growing faster than search advertising. Estimates suggest that display will be a bigger ad category by 2015. 
• Mobile search is still relatively small compared to traditional search marketing. This provides opportunity to advertise cheaper until smartphone penetration further increases and mobile advertising rates increase. 
• Mobile advertising isn’t ideal for every business. It’s better suited, for example, for a restaurant where potential customers are on the go and making last minute decisions via their smartphones vs auto marketers whose potential customers make slower decisions and do more research
• Keywords cost more now than they did only a few years ago, so with the same budget you can now purchase fewer keywords. The good news, however, is that the technology is getting more sophisticated. Google can serve better performing search ads higher in paid rankings potentially enabling you to get more leads

Read full article: http://t.co/dyFmUpAT

Social Media Engagement Tips: Contact, Creativity, Consistency, Authenticity

Business is all about people. Understanding people. Helping people. Connecting with people.

Sometimes, those of us who work in the online world get so caught up tracking followers, retweets, likes, page views and conversion rates that we forget something very important for social media success – engagement.

via searchenginejournal.com

How to Engage Using Social Media
Want to start connecting with people in your social networks? Try these four simple rules of social media engagement:

1. Initiate contact. Make connections. Focus on quality over quantity.
2. Creativity: Break through the wall. Think outside the box for ways to start conversations, to stand out from the crowd, to help people want to connect with you.
3. Be consistent. Establish trust by building consistent presence and positive interactions
4. Be authentic. Share real stories and facts, don’t pretend to be something you’re not. Focus on making real connections with real people and provide great information and resources

Posted via email from Vancouver Internet Marketing Social Media Marketing Consultant Canada  | Comment »

Sharing with your circles on Google+
Clicking the +1 button is a great way to highlight content for others when they search on Google. But sometimes you want to start a conversation right away—at least with certain groups of friends. So beginning today, we're making it easy for Google+ users to share webpages with their circles, directly from the +1 button. Just +1 a page as usual and look for the new "Share on Google+" option. From there you can comment, choose a circle and share.

The new +1 button on Rotten Tomatoes

+Snippets
When you share content from the +1 button, you’ll notice that we automatically include a link, an image and a description in the sharebox. We call these "+snippets," and they're a great way to jumpstart conversations with the people you care about.

Of course: publishers can benefit from +snippets as well. With just a few changes to their webpages, publishers can actually customize their +snippets and encourage more sharing of their content on Google+. More details are available on the Google Webmaster blog.

HootSuite is now even Facebookier

Enjoy updated Facebook functionality within HootSuite’s social media management system – now with support for Facebook Groups and Events, exclusive search streams, plus photo uploading direct to Facebook. We also refreshed the process for posting to Pages and Profiles, added a Profile Picker, and included more ways to monitor walls, news, events and comments in HootSuite streams.

Along with Facebook Insights analytics reports already available the social media management system, HootSuite users can now manage all campaign tasks – including scheduling and assignments – from within the dashboard. Also, Enterprise customers can geo-target campaigns by region or by language.

The new tools are ready to go next time you login to HootSuite.

The current social media landscape

Have you pitchted your tent in Google + yet? Do you use Myspace anymore? How many social networks are too many? Are you keeping up or do you even need to? The introduction of Google Plus One has made it impossible to think about search engine marketing and SEO for business without now considering social media. In the past it didn't really matter if you had a Facebook or Twitter account when planning and executing a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign. Today, however, search engines are serving search results mixed with content from social media so it's important to include a social component along with your SEO campaign. Need assistance with your internet marketing, SEO or social media strategic planning? Contact us today via email or call now at 604-847-3447.

In an effort to appeal to marketers and third-party developers, Facebook could be making some big changes to its News Feed and "Like" buttons, reports the Wall Street Journal.

The social networking site currently limits the amount of information that makes it into users’ News Feeds. So when advertisers create Facebook campaigns or developers want to share information about their games, that information doesn’t always show up on a member’s homepage.

Now, Facebook is working on a new News Feed that would display an unfiltered flood of information

• Facebook Advertising Campaigns
• Facebook Analytics & Reporting
• Facebook Apps
• Facebook Cause Promotion
• Facebook Contact / Signup Forms
• Facebook Contests & Sweepstakes
• Facebook Custom Graphics
• Facebook Custom Landing Pages
• Facebook Discount Codes / Offers
• Facebook Donations
• Facebook Fan Offers for Like Building
• Facebook Landing Page Design & Programming
• Facebook Links and Widgets
• Facebook Maps Integration
• Facebook Newsletter / Email Signup
• Facebook Page Promotion
• Facebook PDF / Whitepapers Document Display
• Facebook Photo / Image Gallery
• Facebook PPC Keyword Marketing / Advertising
• Facebook Recruiting
• Facebook RSS Feed
• Facebook Marketing Strategic Planning & Consulting
• Facebook Sales / Buy Now Product Pages
• Facebook Signup Forms
• Facebook Social Media Links
• Facebook Social Media Monitoring
• Facebook Twitter Feed Integration
• Facebook Video & Music Player

We offer full service custom Facebook page design and Facebook marketing services. Contact us today at http://11marketing.com/contact.html or phone 1-604-847-3447 for a free Facebook pages or Facebook marketing estimate or consultation

Before Internet access became ubiquitous, one dissatisfied customer could influence his circle of friends. Today, one dissatisfied customer can influence an entire community. It's no wonder that many retailers are scrambling to get onboard with social media. Their goals may vary, from establishing a brand presence, to promotion, to engaging the customer; the list goes on.

That underscores the idea that social media is an emerging world of opportunity that deserves attention. Even if a retailer should decide not to be actively engaged at this time, management should at least be aware of, and follow, the possibilities.

Here are the 6 most important choices for you to make this year — the choices that will determine both the quality of your life online and of your relationships offline:

Have you felt that "I need to unplug" or "I need to unsubscribe from those email newsletters I never read" or "I need a virtual assistant just to read all my emails for me" or "my iphone / android / blackberry while cool-ish, is getting heavier in my pocket with every passing month" feeling yet? When is the first national "turn off the internet " or "kill the wifi" day going to be schedule just like we have "turn off the tv" days now? Sometime before 2020 I'd guess.

Need help figuring out how to brand yourself as a person or company online? We can help with that one. Drop us a note.

• eMarketer report documents an increase in social media spend:"Social Media in the Marketing Mix: Budgeting for 2011"
• social media strategy must gain attention from the very top of the organization be integrated across relevant business teams
• Companies are now actively investing in Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social networks for all the wrong reasons.
• EMarketer's Debra Aho Williamson says "many companies are expanding budgets for social media marketing not because they have been successful at it, but because they are relying on gut instinct--the feeling that 'this is something important so I'm going to do it even if I don't know why.' Or worse, they have watched their competitors earn accolades in the press for their work in social media, and they are afraid of losing any more ground."
• Effective business social media strategy must address business dynamics and it takes much more than a Facebook and Twitter presence - it must include and be integrated into marketing, communications, sales, CRM/sCRM, product development/R&D, HR, finance, legal, et al.
  

via fastcompany.com</div>

Need help integrating social media into your company systems and marketing plans for 2011 and 2012? Contact us today for a free 30 minute phone or in-person (Vancouver BC Canada) social media marketing consultation

What Is Stickybits?

Stickybits is a free app you use to scan barcodes on all the stuff you love, instantly turning it into even more stuff you love. Scan a snowboard – win free lift passes. Scan some wireless headphones – see what people say about them and check out what your friends are listening to. Scan a box of frozen chalupas – get a 2fer for even más chalupas. You get the idea. Scan any barcode. Read reviews and comments, and share your own. Score a bunch of big discounts and free stuff – both for what you’re scanning and related things you’ll like.

With the free stickybits app you have the key to unlock every single barcode to reveal an infinite world of info and deals. With a quick scan, you enter a social space where you can post and read info, reviews, tweets and videos. You can also grab details and promos attached to products, which you can cash in instantly.

Want the best stuff first? Compete in challenges to win free products and get points for stuff you’ve scanned – the more points you nab, the earlier you get in on the next challenge. (Think: never-ending treasure hunt. More scans = more scratch.)

Stickybits is kind of fun. Give it a try. Think about how you can use it to promote your own business or to accomplish your organization's goals.

Explore my stickybits page at http://www.stickybits.com/brentpurves and scan my code (download scanner app for your phone from http://www.stickybits.com and then drop me a line :)

Need help figuring out how to use Stickybits, product check in marketing, location based social media marketing or qr codes or barcode marketing to help promote your business or products online? Let's setup a time for a free 30 minute consultation. Looking for a social media marketing agency? Email me at brent[at]11marketing.com or call now at 1-604-847-3447 ext 104 or click here http://meetwith.me/brent to schedule a time to meet that works for you.

Vancouver Internet Marketing News

a paper by Brent Purves – 9 contributors today

Am experimenting with http://www.paper.li Twitter and Facebook news aggregator gizmo that automates the creation of an online "newspaper" based on criteria you set. Essentially you tell it to search for keywords, geography, even certain user accounts and then it auto generates a microsite just for you. Kind of interesting but I wish there was more flexibility to tailor results and add custom content and have more flexibility in design and publishing dates. Visit the Twitter feed test at http://paper.li/brentpurves/1292435236 Perhaps the robot will feature you in this paper and you'll feel famous for a day. I hope so. Tweet about Vancouver Internet Marketing and you may just show up :)

Try making your own and drop me a note on Twitter at @brentpurves to let me know your thoughts, what you like, don't like, if you find it valuable or not.

Gowalla 3.0: All-In-One Check Ins Are Here

via techland.time.com

Yes, you can now check in to your Foursquare account with your Gowalla App.

Will I stop opening both my Foursquare AND Gowalla Apps on my iPhone now when I want to check in somewhere and just use Gowalla's nicer-looking new interface instead? Or will I be lured back to Foursquare? Or will I simply gravitate towards only using my Facebook app and just check in there where I have a larger base of relationships? Maybe once Facebook Deals arrive in Canada and if Facebook can give me the option of also checking in to Foursquare and Gowalla then I'll let Facebook have a chance at being my one geo location app that rules them all. Until then I'll continue to open the Gowalla app and be tempted to try to remember what my foursquare email/password is so I can skip opening Foursquare all together.

As a social media marketer I love to see competition growing amongst the social networks and to see an increasing number of people learning about location based games and checkins and deals. What's your favorite location based application? Have you claimed your business in Foursquare and Facebook? Need help figuring out how to use social media marketing to promote yourself or your business? Contact me today for a free 30 minute phone consultation at http://stirsolutions.com/consultation

After announcing a partnership with Best Buy a few months ago, Shopkick is debuting a new implementation of its geo-coupon system at Target today. Users can now unlock coupons via Shopkick’s app in 242 stores in the Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, and San Francisco/Silicon Valley markets.

Instead of checking in, as you would with a geo app like Foursquare or Gowalla, shopkick automatically recognizes when someone with the free shopkick app on their phone walks into a store.

Here it comes: Auto check in. Today you have to have the app installed on your smartphone for it to check you in and give you points, but I imagine tomorrow (ok, soon) phones will come bundled with auto check in capability using Facebook Places Shopping or Google Places / Android Shopping or Starbucks or McDonalds apps built right in.

It’s no secret that both Foursquare and Gowalla are expanding their location-based social networks past the check-in, developing other incentives for consumers to use the services. Gowalla, in particular, has focused on adding innovative features to its platform to make the social network more interactive, through photos and comments. Most recently, the startup added local highlights, which allows users to essentially tap into their social graph to not only see what’s popular in a particular location, but also provide contextual information around what are the best sights, places, restaurants and activities in a particular locale. Today, Gowalla is adding a few more features for businesses that help the network move beyond the check-in, including City Pages, Verified Businesses and Venues; and the Stamp Calendar.

When we announced our first performance-based video ad format, Promoted Videos, nearly two years ago, the first campaign was “Penny Pranks” by Office Max.

Since that time, thousands and thousands of advertisers have taken advantage of this ad format to entice likely customers with videos about everything from smoked brisket recipes to magnetic jewelry to sneakers. Politicians and political activists have used Promoted Videos to argue for a proposition or against an issue. And large companies have reached wide audiences with movie trailers, recipes, and ideas for Halloween.

Have you dabbled with pay per click marketing for your business? Did you know you can run video campaigns through Google and Youtube as well? Want to only pay when people watch your video? We can help you get your videos online with full ROI tracking to promote your business or services. Contact one of our Vancouver internet marketing consultants today for a free phone consult. http://stirsolutions.com/consultation

What is Rapportive?

Rapportive shows you everything about your contacts right inside your inbox.

You can immediately see what people look like, where they're based, and what they do. You can establish rapport by mentioning shared interests. You can grow your network by connecting on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and more. And you can record thoughts for later by leaving notes.

Imagine relationship management built into your email. For free.

This is cool and it works.

QR codes, those strange siblings of UPC codes, are starting to gain some mass appeal as more and more people buy smart phones with cameras and apps smart enough to read them. QR codes store information like a web page location that is unlocked when scanned using one of the many free or cheap apps for iPhone, Android, and other mobile platforms. They’ve been making frequent appearances on movie posters, such as the one below for Iron Man 2, which points people to a companion website containing the trailer, and lots of bonus content. It’s sort of a little reward for those curious enough to explore.

Have you seen this alien looking sqaure box of mumbo jumbo on posters or in magazines or newspapers lately? While they may seem gimmicky (e.g. why not just write the URL), more and more businesses are dabbling with using QR codes for marketing and advertising. Just today I received Aeroplan's Arrival magazine that contained a big QR code to download their magazine app, and another scannable code to allow me to Like their Page in Facebook. Can you imagine ways you could use QR codes in your offline marketing for your business? Put a code on your business card or flyers or event notifications? Drive people to sign up for your email newsletter (as is discussed in detail using Mailchimp in the full article link above).
Contact us today to schedule a free 30 minute consultation to discuss internet marketing strategy for your business and how using QR codes might help you achieve your business goals. http://stirsolutions.com/consultation

Small businesses are conflicted about social media and its uses, says a new study.

Thirty-five percent of small businesses think their customers use the medium, but nearly half (47 percent) aren't sure about social media's popularity, says the report from online reputation management firm RatePoint. 

Businesses that use social networking are seeing results. Of those surveyed who said they would be using social media as the main way to find new customers in the next year, 70 percent said it was because the platform is the least expensive option.