Local Search Continues To Thrive

Local searchers are the ones that buy. Or at the very least call.

Geo-targetting your campaigns continues to prove itself as a great idea! Dare I say an absolutely imperative idea that is key to the success of your campaigns!

What does a customer do after they search and find you? The number 1 post-search activity is a phone call.

An astonishing 37% of people who conducted an online local business search in 2009 visited the businesses retail location, according to TMP Directional Marketing and comScore.

Barnes and Noble’s Nook

Book retailer Barnes & Noble launches the Nook.

With a sleek design, and an additional color screen, the Nook steps up to the plate to compete with Amazon’s Kindle this holiday season.

After a successful launch of a Barnes & Noble e-bookstore last summer, the stage was poised to launch their first e-reader. The Nook is scheduled to ship to customers late November.

Learn more about the Barnes & Noble Nook.

Barnes and Noble E-reader “Nook” has significantly increased their web traffic this month! There could be a colorful future ahead for the Nook!

barnes and noble nook barnes and noble nook

Twitter Fails

Even Though Twitter Fails… It Is Still a Revolutionary Business.

If you haven’t already seen the Twitter Fail Whale… well now you have. Even the social media giant Twitter fails occasionally.

Wouldn’t it be great to succeed 100% of the time? Even the best businesses fail. What makes them a truly great entity, is they not only make up for the failures, but they continue to improve and grow.

Don’t Be Afraid To Fail

I wouldn’t necessarily embrace failure with open arms, but there is no greater learning/growing opportunity than a failure. It stings, but it makes you stronger. Think of it as an intense workout. You’re sore the next few days, but even stronger when you recover.

If You’re Not Failing, You’re Not Trying To Improve

With a growth rate like Twitter has experienced lately it is no surprise that their servers may overload from time to time. Twitter is continuing to push the envelope of what it is, and what it can be. By adding and testing new and exciting features they are setting themselves up for potential failure, and also great success.

Google Goes Social

Google eyes a piece of the social network pie with iGoogle.

Amidst a search engine overhaul and talks of Facebook’s aim at Twitter, Google (GOOG) is attempting to expand their already gigantic family of web experiences. By adding social gadgets to iGoogle, you can have the social features and functions of some of your favorite networks right on your homepage.

Will Google’s new social initiative get any traction?

Hear about it straight from Google.
“First, we’re excited to introduce social gadgets for iGoogle. Social gadgets let you share, collaborate and play games with your friends on top of all the things you can already do on your homepage. The 19 social gadgets we’re debuting today offer many new ways to make your homepage more useful and fun. If you’re a gaming fanatic, compete with others in Who has the biggest brain? or challenge your fellow Chess or Scrabble enthusiasts to a quick match. Stay tuned in to the latest buzz with media-sharing gadgets from NPR, The Huffington Post, and YouTube. To manage your day-to-day more efficiently, check things off alongside your friends with the social To-Do list gadget.”

New Google Search Coming Soon

Google Is Changing Their Search Engine.

The household search giant Google (GOOG)  is changing their search engine. Lucky for us all it is for the better. With faster results, more results, and better results, analysts are speculating this new innovation is in direct response to Microsoft’s Bing.

Mashable did an in depth test comparing Google’s current search, versus their up coming search.

“While this test was nowhere near scientific, we do have some solid takeaways:

New Google is FAST: It often doubled the speed of Google classic.

New Google relies more on keywords: SEO professionals, your job just got a lot harder. The algorithm’s definitely different. It has more reliance on keyword strings to produce better results.

Search is moving into real-time: Being able to get info on breaking events is clearly a priority for Google and Bing. With both Twitter (Twitter) and Facebook (Facebook) launching real-time search engines, they needed to respond.

It’s partially a response to Bing: At least, that’s how we feel. This new search has a focus on increasing speed, relevancy, accuracy, and the index volume, things that Microsoft really hit on when it released Bing. It feels as if Google “Caffeine” is meant to shore up any deficiencies it may have when compared to Microsoft’s offering, though it’s been in the works long before Bing launched.

The new Google will only get better as features are implemented and developed. The end result is a better search experience for the user. Competition really does breed innovation.”

Microsoft Moving Office Suite Online

Microsoft is bringing their Office Suite to a web browser near you in 2010.

In an effort to remain the productivity suite of choice amidst increasing operating system competition, Microsoft is moving their famed suite of applications online.  A recent purchase of the domain Office.com is spurring talk of Microsoft’s plan to use the domain for their products in place of their current office.microsoft.com.

Cisco is also planning to release a competing suite of products in the near future. While some are excited about the possibilities with these new products, security remains a concern.

What are your thoughts on the push to move these apps online?

Sales & Marketing In a Volitile Economy

Today’s economy is changing the way businesses operate.

Businesses are responding to a crippled economy by making fundamental changes to the way they market their products. Amidst deflated profit margins, bankruptcies and layoffs in every industry, there is still room for growth. Businesses are finding a breath of fresh air by streamlining their operations, taking a closer look at their marketing spend, and re-calibrating their sales & marketing messages.

Marketing Spend

While some people argue that increasing your marketing spend is the best way to navigate tough times, an increased spend will not help your company if your campaigns are not optimized. As the average minimum Pay Per Click bid price perpetually increases, so does your need to optimize your quality score. For a long term approach online, search engine optimization remains a key to longevity. For traditional and offline marketing methods, it never hurts to re-negotiate terms or rates as these savings will go straight to your bottom line.

Sales Processes

It is increasingly important to make the most of every dollar your marketing team spends. By regularly calibrating your sales and marketing messages, you will maximize the potential of every contact with a prospect. All too often the sales team is conveying a completely different message than the marketing copy. If a customer was intrigued by an ad promising 50% off Product A, the worst thing your sales team can do is focus on the value of Product B. Upsells remain important, and shifting the customer’s mindset can be crucial, but make sure you have won their business before you overwhelm them with options.

Celebrities In Advertising

Do Celebrity Appearances Help Sell Products?

LinkedIn recently polled their members to find out if showcasing a celebrity in your ads will help sell products.

The majority of the responses gathered stated a celebrity appearance makes no difference as to whether or not they will buy the product. However, of the people surveyed, the presence of a celebrity had the most impact on the 18-24 age range.

While survey results don’t show this, I would venture to assume that a well known celebrity can help move people further down the sales funnel. By showing a face that consumers know and trust, their brand appears credible.

View the Poll Here

What do you think? Does having a celebrity in an advertising campaign help sell products?

Social Media In Business

Social Media Is a Necessary Avenue for Your Business

The world of business is changing. Social media is forcing marketers to do a little less talking, and a whole lot more listening. The beauty of this is businesses are able to get real time feedback on their products and services through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn & other social media sites.

Here are Five Reasons Why Your Business Should Use Social Media:

1. Your competitors already are
2. To acquire new customers
3. To find out what current customers really want
4. To respond to customer concerns instantly
5. To manage your online reputation & build brand loyalty

New Look for Twitter

Twitter has a new homepage.

It’s true. Twitter is starting what looks like a brand overhaul with a new look to Twitter.com

Twitter users may see a new interface soon.

Once logged in to Twitter, everything looks the same as it has in recent history. How would you change the current Twitter interface if you could? More functionality? A different look?

Using Twitter Effectively- There is a Right & Wrong Way To Market on Twitter
3 Twitter Marketing Tips- Start Using Twitter Better Than the Rest
Build Your Twitter Audience- Some Proven Methods to Increase Your Twitter Following
Social Media Marketing + Twitter = <3 – Twitter Works Even When You Don’t