online marketing

Should Small Businesses Utilize Online Advertising?

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small business online advertising

Sometimes small businesses may not be sure of the best way to advertise and get the word out there about its products or services. Because advertising and marketing strategies are changing constantly to fit society and its needs, it can be difficult to decide which strategies will be most effective for your company.

Web analysts have been saying almost since the creation of the Internet that online advertising was going to take over the advertising world by storm. Online advertising has definitely made a huge impact, but it hasn’t quite taken the world by storm yet. According to years of research on the steady increase of online advertisement, the predicted “boom” in online advertising could definitely be right around the corner.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC are releasing some numbers that illustrate that a “boom” could be in store for advertising in the very near future. U.S. online ad revenues have increased 17 percent in the third quarter of 2010, compared to the same period of time in 2009. In just that quarter, ad revenues reached $6.4 billion, which is the highest recorded quarterly mark in history.

According to IAB, online video ads and traditional banners and pop-up ads are still creating an increase in revenues, but text ads that come along with search results represent the largest amount of revenue for online advertising. Their numbers for the first half of 2010 showed that search ads account for 47 percent of all online ad revenues. This is the exact same percentage that search ads had for the first half of 2009 as well.

Until recently, there were two different reasons for small businesses to be reluctant about utilizing online advertising. The first reason that companies were skeptical about adopting it as an advertising strategy was because of the perceived low rate of return for the ads. The second was the expected time commitment that was required to be able to manage an online ad campaign. This skepticism is starting to be relieved as new online ad services are beginning to target small businesses.

Pete Barlas of Investor’s Business Daily said that Google and various other search providers are trying to help small businesses overcome their hesitance about buying Web ads. He said that they are currently making it easier to select keywords and pick up other search engine optimization (SEO) tricks. Another important development is the increase in location-based services that offer customers discounts and rewards when they check in as they visit an establishment.

Recently Google released a new component for its Google Places services. This service was created in an attempt to make it as easy as possible for small businesses to profit from advertising online, and the newest developments really do help out.

Google’s Google Boost service is only available right now in select U.S. markets. It is a service that promises to feature three-line text ads in the Sponsored Links section of Google’s search page when individuals search for terms that have been specified by and for your business. This service is available for a mere $50.

Online advertising is definitely seeing a steady increase in use and profitability. Many small businesses still have concerns with the tactic, but I really feel that it is the direction that advertising is heading in. Everything is going mobile and paperless, and advertising is no exception. Online advertising is a great addition to small businesses’ already established advertising and marketing strategies. With the right attitude, dedication, and commitment, online advertising that could really increase profitability for your small business.

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Best Small Business Books of 2009

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Best Small Business Books of 2009
The editors at Small Business Trends, along with a 27-member advisory panel have put together a list of the Best Small Business Books of 2009. According to the website, the decisions were difficult to make due to the “quality of this year’s business book releases.” Here is a look at the books they chose.

  • Anatomy of Buzz Revisited by Emmanuel Rosen: Learn how to build “buzz” into your marketing strategy with this sequel to Rosen’s best-seller. According to Small Business Trends, you can use this book to “build a community of experts and then let them speak freely about the advantages and disadvantages of your product or service.”
  • Escape from Cubicle Nation by Pamela Slim: This guide for aspiring entrepreneurs helps get you out of the corporate world and into your own business. This proves that you have to make the change to be successful. If you aren’t happy in the corporate world, chances are you never will be.
  • Greening Your Small Business by Jennifer Kaplan: According to this book, being isn’t just trendy, it also saves you money. This book shows you how to become “green” and proves that consumer are going to see eco-friendliness as a reason to purchase your service or product.
  • Me 2.0 by Dan Schawbel: This book is all about personal branding and how your brand will determine your ultimate success. Here, you’ll get ideas, resources, tips and on how to find your personal brand and use it for new opportunities, from registering your own website to finding a field to become a known expert in!
  • The New Community Rules by Tamar Weinberg: Everyone is using social media these days and it can be a great tool to help you build and grow your business. This book, written by a social media consultant, will help you use various social media to market your business online. The best thing is this book doesn’t just teach you how to use the general Facebook and Twitter, it shows you the way to other, lesser known tools, as well.
  • Outrageous Advertising by Bill Glazer: This book points you in the direction of tons of direct marketing and advertising campaigns that will help you grow your business and build a larger customer base. The website calls it an encyclopedia of how-to and advertising ideas and tips.
  • Talk Less, Say More by Connie Dieken: There can be many ways to communicate with customers but this book shows you how to cut to the chase and eliminate the excess. Get your message across and get things done with lots of tips and tricks.
  • Super Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner: Small Business Trends describes this book as “fun and engaging.” It shows how the world works and proves there is a solution for more than you think, unconventional as it may be.
  • Trust Agents by Chris Brogan and Julien Smith: Another social media-oriented book, this one helps you learn social media quickly and use it to help with your brand.
  • Upstarts by Donna Fenn: This book looks at 150 different businesses started by Generation Y’ers. Get inspired as you read how a younger generation overcame challenges to make something of themselves.
  • Viral Loop by Adam Penenberg: This book tells the story of some of the most successful viral marketing campaigns and then shows you how to implement some of it into your own company!
  • You are What You Choose by Scott de Marchi and James T. Hamilton: Make decisions based on more than just demographics, such as time, risk, altruism, getting information, meToo status and stickiness or loyalty with this book. Once you understand how to do this, you can implement it into your own business.

    • KnowEm: helping SMB stake claims in the social media world.

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    KnowEm is a new site designed to help small and large businesses stake their claim in the social media world. The site offers ways for your brand to have a place on various social media websites and offers a way for you to track and manage your brand on numerous sites in one central location.

    You can check the availability of user names and branded key words on 330 different sites for free. KnowEm also offers a few different services for companies, fees range from $49 a month for KnowEm to keep watch for any newly launched social media sites and automatically stake your claim on that site. For $349 KnowEm will insert relevant profile information into the top 150 social media sites for you.

    With new social media sites popping up all the time and more large and small businesses creating an online presence, KnowEm seems to be the way to easily manage all the sites in one spot. The site can easily be used to make sure your brand is consistent across the internet so your customers can easily find you and your business. And the fees are worth it and could made a huge difference in how your company is seen online.