Many small businesses are still not using basic online marketing tools to help them grow their business. According to a survey from Citibank, 37% of small businesses had not used a website for marketing or expanding their business in the last year. Also, 84% had not used ecommerce to sell products, and 62% have not used email marketing. Of those businesses that do have a website, 74% say their website has been effective at generating business. The survey also found that while many small businesses placed an importance on word-of-mouth marketing to market themselves and find new customers, they did not view social ...

With new social networking sites popping up and burning out every day it can be a challenge just to break through the piles of pop ups and product links.  Getting your message heard on the social networking scene is more difficult than ever but there are a few ways to make sure you get the most out of your advertising budget.   First and foremost, knowing your audience is key.  While there are some in the older demographics enjoying Facebook and twitter the audience mainly ranges the 10-25 age groups (unless you count parents checking up on their kids).  If you ...

To many, the revolution in social media networks may seem like a fad that will fade out just as fast it appeared.  Yet, the truth is that social media is one of the fastest ways to reach out to prospective consumers. Between Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other similar social media platforms, everything that can be said about you, whether good or bad, is transmitted almost instantaneously across the globe. With over 300 million users, Facebook is by far one of the biggest social media networks out there.  While it may have begun as a tool to keep college students in touch, ...

Twitter is set to earn about $25 million dollars for its search engine deals with Google and Microsoft, according to the L.A. Times. This will allow the site to earn a profit, something many people wondered was possible. Before the site had little revenue since it is a free site for its users. However, now that millions have people have signed on to use Twitter (it's the third-most popular social networking site after Facebook and MySpace), each message has become a commodity. "We believe that our search results and user experience will greatly benefit from the inclusion of this up-to-the-minute data," ...

With everyone jumping on the social media bandwagon, it is easy to get caught up in the hype and lose focus. Tapping into social media requires more than just a single idea, it requires an effective plan to help your company and brand create opportunities for community and engagement. Follow these tips to help you get started on your social media campaign. Create a vision Develop an idea of what you want your brand or company to be in social media. Will you be offering special deals or coupons? Is it to personalize your brand? What is the message you ...

With social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter becoming the latest word-of-mouth venue, it is becoming more pertinent for businesses and companies to have a presence on these sites. According to the report Social Commerce on Facebook, Twitter and Retail Sites, almost 75% of the merchants in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide have a presence on at least one of the major social networks or social shopping sites. Social networking users of all ages are more likely to make online purchases, so they are considered a highly sought-after group by internet retailers, according to a May 2009 survey by ...

The amount of time Americans spend on social networking and blogging sites as tripled in the past year. According to the Nielsen Company, time spent on social network and blogging sites, like Facebook and MySpace, accounted for 17 percent of all time spent on the Internet in August 2009. With an increase in the amount of time people spend on social networking and blogging sites, it is important for your company to adjust its advertising and marketing campaigns. Estimated online advertising has increased from approximately $49 million in August 2008 to $108 million in August 2009, a 119 percent increase. ...

Facebook hopes to provide accurate advertising measurements with its latest deal with Neilson. Many have claimed that Facebook's advertising techniques are not successful, but with this partnership, Facebook will be able to provide more reliable data. Facebook will poll users about the display ads on its site and then provide that data to Nielson who will package it for advertisers. It will also include responses from people who did not see an ad. By teaming with Nielson, Facebook will give more credibility to its advertising data. Some brands have already begun conducting intent-to-purchase tests on the site. According to ClickZ, Procter ...

In part 1, we looked at just the first basic steps you should talk when starting a brand new blog. Now that you have been blogging for a bit and have a few posts up, it is time to gain a readership. These are just a few ways to help you gain a loyal readership for your blog. RSS Feed One of the most basic things you can do to help improve a loyal readership is by keeping the link for your RSS feed readily accessible. If people like what they see right away, then they'll most likely add your blog to ...

Federated Media Publishing, an online ad network, has created a new advertising platform to work better within social networks. The new setup, entitled Ad STAMP, will keep one brand exclusive to a site per day up to five weekdays a month. The idea behind it is that having too many different advertisements on a page at a time causes too much "noise" and makes it more difficult for users to decipher the messages coming at them. "It provides a cleaner, clutter-free environment for the reader," James Gross, vice president of Federated Media told MediaPost Publications. With the Yankee Group reporting an increase in ...

With Twitter growing at rapid rates, it is quickly becoming the latest way for companies to market themselves and get in touch with current and possible future clients. Approximately 18 million adults in the United States will access Twitter at least once a month, according to the latest report from eMarketer, making up around 11 percent of total Internet users. They estimate that percentage to increase to 15.5 in 2010. With a high number of people now flocking to Twitter, this can become a new way for your company to get its name out there. There are multiple ways to use your ...

With new social networking sites popping up and burning out every day it can be a challenge just to break through the piles of pop ups and product links. Getting your message heard on the social networking scene is more difficult than ever but there are a few ways to make sure you get the most out of your advertising budget. Know Your Audience While there are some in the older demographics enjoying sites like Facebook, the audience mainly ranges the 10-25 age group (unless you count parents checking up on their kids). If you are trying to sell insurance you might ...