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August 30th, 2010 10:57 AM
Yahoo! Looking Forward
Innovation is the name of the game at the 2010 Yahoo! Partner Summit, Part II
Last week, we showed our partners a little look-ahead on things to come at the 2010 Yahoo! Partner Summit, and shared some of the findings with you. This week, we unveil more of what was learned from this truly remarkable, candid conversation.
In the afternoon, partners split up into separate tracks: Search Partners and Integrated Partners. Here are a few highlights from the afternoon sessions:
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August 25th, 2010 11:25 AM
How to Get More People to View Your Content
Distributing your original content can lead to greater engagement and increased sales
It’s no secret that creating original content for your website is a terrific way to get your marketing messages across, establish yourself as an expert, and humanize your company and its employees.
By writing articles, blogs and white papers, companies can offer a real service to their current and potential customers and clients. It is essential, though, that the content be well-written, informative and understandable for your target audience. It is worth the investment to either have an accomplished copywriter on your staff, or to seek the services of a professional copywriter.
Creating meaningful content is just the first step, though. The key is delivering that content to as wide an audience as you can. Fortunately, there are many online platforms through which you can distribute your original content.
Properly marketing your content across multiple platforms requires an investment of time and money , but that investment is often rewarded with a spectacular return, as increases in viewers frequently translate to increases in clients, customers and revenues.
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds
An RSS feed is a simple way to “subscribe” to a blog, the same way you would subscribe to a magazine. You can use a program called an RSS reader (Bloglines and the one provided on your MyYahoo! page are popular and easy-to-use examples) to subscribe to blogs. Once you’ve subscribed, you don’t have to check each site individually—just fire up your RSS reader, and you’ll see all of the new content that’s been created since the last time you checked.
Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and others
If your company has a social media account (or multiple accounts) on a service such as Twitter or Facebook, use it to announce the publication of your latest content piece. Virtually all social media accounts allow you to hyperlink directly to your online content. If your friends or followers like the content piece, they are also likely to tell people in their networks about it, creating an ever-growing audience.
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August 24th, 2010 10:31 AM
Video: Industry Experts Share Tips for Targeting Women Online
Listen to key insights from The Women Connectonomics Study
Did you know that women will control $28 trillion in annual spending globally by 2014?
We did. That’s why Yahoo! researchers surveyed thousands of women to create The Women Connectonomics study. It’s a definitive look at the needs the Internet fulfills for women, why they turn to certain online channels and how receptive they are to advertising messages on various sites. Key study findings include:
- The top needs for women revolve around personal growth and their interdependencies on others.
- Women’s lifestyle sites like Yahoo! Shine and special interest sites fulfill the most needs for women.
- Women are three times more receptive to marketing messages on lifestyle, specialty and review sites.
The study was released in late July at a Chicago event attended by industry leaders like top bloggers, CMOs, and key agency executives. Check out their expert tips for helping your brand connect with women online.
—Dianne Molina
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August 10th, 2010 09:51 AM
How to Approach Your Social Media Campaigns, Intelligently
Asking the right questions now can save you time and money later
Editor’s Note: This guest post comes to us courtesy of Jon Gelberg, Chief Content Officer, Blue Fountain Media.
You wouldn’t dream of starting a business without a plan. So why do so many business owners start social media campaigns without any real planning or strategy? Typically, they start blogging, Tweeting, building Facebook pages and checking in on Foursquare simply because everyone else is doing it.
In other words, they approach social media marketing as if they were kids playing with a shiny new toy. Ask a six-year-old what his “strategy” is in playing with the toy truck and he’ll look at you like you were crazy. Ask a small business owner what his social media strategy is, and you are likely to see the exact same expression.
“I’m looking to get more customers” is the most common answer.
The only problem with that statement is that “getting more customers” is a goal, not a strategy.
Social Media Marketing Strategy
Effective social media strategy begins with self-reflection. Ask yourself:
- What is the core of my business?
- What differentiates my business?
- Who is my target audience?
- Once I get an audience, what messages do I plan on delivering?
- (Most importantly) How can I turn my audience in revenues?
Once you have clear answers to these questions, you’ll be able to look at a variety of social media platforms and see which ones are best suited to deliver your message.
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[ 1 comment | Categories: Insights, Social Media, Strategy ]
August 4th, 2010 05:13 AM
Ad News and Views from Around the Web
“Bing” it on; does your company suck at social media?; competitive advantage; big ideas vs. iteration and more
Bing who?
Sometimes, you just have to embrace a new nickname. Pundits have dubbed the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance with various handles: “Microhoo,” “Yahoosoft,” etc. But the one that seems to stick is “Binghoo.” Writing on Adotas, Matt Lawson, director of marketing for Marin Software, invokes “Binghoo” while offering some really solid tips on how Yahoo! advertisers can prepare for the transition to Microsoft adCenter. “The Yahoo-Bing Search Alliance doesn’t have to be chore,” writes Lawson. “By making the right moves today, you’ll transition two formerly disparate paid search programs into a single streamlined one.” Amen, Matt.
More on the Yahoo! and Microsoft Search Alliance
Social media #1; games # 2 in online activities
What are people doing online these days? Doing the social media thing and playing games, according to a new release by Nielsen. But email remains the number-one activity among mobile users, according to Nielsen.
“Unfair” competitive advantage
Writing in MediaPost, Dave Morgan, CEO of Simulmedia, offers up a nice think piece, asking agencies to identify their “unfair competitive advantage,” a common request among venture capitalists looking to fund new startups. Examples include your talent, your brand, your proprietary technology and your ability to scale. What’s yours?
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July 26th, 2010 07:54 AM
Free Ship = Good Tip
It’s the wonder offer that works wonders for your sales
Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of posts we’re calling “The Best of the YSM Blog.” These are posts containing timeless advice and best practices that never go out of style. Even if you read it the first time, it’s not a bad idea to review this information periodically to help get maximum performance from your advertising.
Originally posted February 13, 2009
When I was a kid, my grandfather always used to say, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch.” He’s still right, but today the word “free” doesn’t raise as much of red flag as it did in Gramps’ day. In fact, more and more consumers are recognizing the value of free, especially when it comes to their online purchases and how they’re shipped. Because when it comes to shipping, “free” can be the key that unlocks the door between advertisers and customers.
Determining factor
According to a new study of 9,000 shoppers conducted by ForeSee Results, free shipping had a huge effect on holiday sales in 2008. The study showed that free shipping offers play a major role in whether consumers buy in a store or online, and, when purchasing online, where they shop. Avoiding shipping costs was the third most common response for why shoppers choose to buy in a store rather than on a retail website, behind the ability to receive the product immediately and being able to see or feel an item before purchase.
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July 12th, 2010 07:59 AM
5 Burning Questions About Your Ads
In which we answer the most frequent queries from our webinars
Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of posts we’re calling “The Best of the YSM Blog.” These are posts containing timeless advice and best practices that never go out of style. Even if you read it the first time, it’s not a bad idea to review this information periodically to help get maximum performance from your advertising.
Originally posted February 26, 2009
If you want to know whether to accept a wedding invitation if it doesn’t say whether there’ll be an open bar, we recommend Yahoo! Answers. If you want to know more about how your Sponsored Search account works, though, our free online webinars are the way to go. We hold these regularly and post the archives online, but for a quick taste of the give-and-take, you can peruse the following Q&As about ads that advertisers often toss our way:
How do I change the display URL on my ads?
The display URL is the web address that is displayed with your ad instead of your destination URL, which is typically lengthy. A display URL can provide your ad with a more concise, visually appealing URL. The display URL appears below the ad’s description and must correspond to a page on your site.
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July 1st, 2010 07:50 AM
Display Ads Go Viral
Part Two: Creatively challenging the status quo with sharable display ads
In part two of our four-part primer on getting started in online display, we look at some of the latest trends and innovations in display advertising. View part one, “Planning and Strategy.”
A few years ago, Oregon residents logged onto the web to find an animated crab crawling across their browser window before making a home for himself inside the four walls of a display ad.
It was a clever use of rich media at the time, recalls Andy Askren, but he isn’t sure it would play today. The ad was created by Askren, creative director of Portland-based advertising agency Grady Britton, for the coastal town of Newport. “At the time it was really successful,” he says, “but I wonder if it would be seen as cheesy today, whereas once it was innovative. The content in online ads has to constantly keep one-upping itself.”
When it comes to creating engaging content for online campaigns, advertising agencies have more tools to work with than ever before. They also have the pressure of trying to innovate in a field where innovation itself is humdrum.
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June 21st, 2010 04:52 PM
When Inspiration Strikes
Four things you should know from Cannes Lions
Cannes, France — The first day of Cannes Lions was a bit of culture shock—not just because everyone was speaking French and I could barely order a sandwich, but also because of the degree to which everyone had gone beach-y. For example, there was the head of JWT’s Continental Europe operations, wearing shorts—and a jacket—on stage, looking like a 12-year-old prep school student.
But even with the laid-back vibe of the crowd, the ideas kept pace with the buttoned-down—or at least, shoe-wearing—world of advertising outside of Cannes. Here are four ideas you should know about, even if you weren’t here: (more…)
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June 11th, 2010 09:53 AM
Internet Week in Four Parts
What you should know about Internet Week (if you didn’t see all of it)
After attempting to take in Internet Week all week, I’ve come to one clear conclusion: it’s too much for one person. And with so many wildly different events competing for attention, you’d excuse me if that’s the only conclusion I was able to reach.
But… a few points seemed clear:
- Lines are blurring—between online and offline campaigns, between creative and technology. Campaigns have to be integrated. Agencies are hiring creatives who get tech and techs who can tell a story.
- Social is everywhere. It’s not something separate from marketing. It is marketing.
- Paying for your own drink is crazy—at least when there are seemingly dozens of parties willing to pick up the tab.
- Content matters. There was lots of cool tech on display, but speakers kept on coming back to the content, to the story, to the authenticity of your brand. I liked IAB president and CEO Randall Rothenberg’s take on it in the video below.
There. I just saved you a week.
—Jeff Sweat, Blog Editor
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