The INSIGHT Blog

Google AdWords Quality Score Update

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:58:27 -0400

Google announced Thursday through their blog a major update to how AdWords Quality Score is calculated.Keith Vera
Account Manager

Google announced Thursday through their blog a major update to how AdWords Quality Score is calculated. According to Google, here are the updates that advertisers can expect:

- Quality Score will now be more accurate because it will be calculated at the time of each search query
- Keywords will no longer be marked 'inactive for search'
- 'First page bid' will replace 'minimum bid' in your account

What does this update mean for advertisers? For starters, all keywords in campaigns that are currently inactive for search will suddenly be active. If bids on those terms are low enough then there should not be too much of an issue, however if bids are high enough for those terms to show ads, a large unexpected spike in spend for those campaigns could occur. AdWords users will also most likely see cost-per-clicks across their campaigns rise in the coming months, as more advertisers take advantage of the new fist page bid option.

These changes will roll out slowly over the next few days before they are fully implemented. Advertisers can also expect to see future updates to AdWords Editor and the AdWords API to reflect the new "first page bid" option.

"Business Social Networks" Bring Change

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:59:14 -0400

Social networks are thriving, leading to a new development of "business social networks" which are changing the way business is conducted.Ryan Moss
Media Coordinator

In each of the past couple of years social networks have become increasingly popular. Businesses have noticed this trend and are spending more money on social network advertising. eMarketer predicts that U.S. advertisers will spend $40 million on social network advertising in 2008. That amount is expected to steadily increase during subsequent years to the point where in 2012 it will reach $210 million.

The increase in advertising on social networks is a direct result of the dramatic increase in the overall number of users and networks. These networks are no longer being used strictly for social purposes and are now used for business purposes. In fact, in the next few years many businesses are expected to create their own networks which can be used to improve communication by tying together clients, partners, suppliers and vendors.

The shift to "business social networks" can be seen with LinkedIn, who has had its number of members more than double in the past year. There has also been an increase in the amount of "vertical industry business social networks." Networks such as ITtoolbox, Legal OnRamp and LawLink bring together professionals in the same industry. Even Facebook is following the trend by partnering with Visa in June 2008 to offer an application that helps small businesses network and interact with each other.

These new "business social networks" will greatly effect how people develop professional relationships, search for jobs and communicate B2B.

Beijing Olympic Sites Show Record Breaking Traffic

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:44:01 -0400

Americans are going online to cheer on this year’s Olympic athletes.

Christine Pepin
Media Coordinator

Since the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, fans around the world have tuned in to cheer on the world’s finest athletes. Just four years ago at the Olympics in Athens, NBC recorded only seven million page views on its Olympic site. Although the Internet was surely a go-to medium for real-time information back then, its global impact has continued to increase. This year, web traffic for the Beijing games has been record setting, with NBC’s and Yahoo’s Olympic-related content sites leading among the top 10 most visited. These sites have been providing users with real-time news, athlete profiles, polls and exclusive interviews. NBC’s Olympic site even has had over 2,200 hours of live competition coverage so far. In addition, nearly 45% of US and 31% of UK mobile users have been following the games via their cell phones, according to Nielsen Mobile. During the opening ceremony alone, NBC's Olympic Site recorded a staggering 70 million page visits, up 10 fold from the 2004 games. What is even more impressive is the number of unique audience members who are visiting the top Beijing Olympic content sites, as seen in the chart below.

In addition to site traffic records, Nielsen Online has also been tracking the buzz among message boards and blogs in the last week. The active web community has perhaps aided the increase in page views, where the most talked about content relates to the record setting athletes and medal winning teams. As the momentum picks up for other sports, that haven't received a lot of coverage, there may be a shift in buzzed content from the following:

Mobile Gaming Flourishing In North America

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:01:29 -0400

Revenue generated by mobile gaming is steadily increasing especially in North America.Ryan Moss
Media Coordinator

The mobile gaming industry is on the rise and technology experts have taken notice. According to a recent study by Gartner Dataquest, mobile games will generate about $4.5 billion worldwide in 2008. This amount is expected to steadily increase during the next few years to the point where in 2011, mobile gaming revenue will be approximately $6.3 billion.

Mobile gaming revenue is increasing worldwide, especially in North America. Screen Digest predicts that in 2009 North America will become the biggest mobile gaming marketing, surpassing the Asia-Pacific region. The chart below shows Screen Digest's predictions for the Mobile Gaming Industry from 2007-2012.

According to Screen Digest, a large part of the rise in mobile gaming can be attributed to the iPhone. The usability of the iPhone makes it easier to play these games. At the same time, other mobile phone carriers are imitating the iPhone and the phones they are producing make it easier for the user to play these mobile games, as well.

Tips for Using Viral & Social Networks for Online Marketing

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:02:51 -0400

Strategies to ensure success for social networking campaigns.

Stefanie Berliant
Media Coordinator

In today’s day and age, most companies engage in some form of online marketing. Search engine optimization (SEO),Pay Per Click (PPC) campaigns and media buys are the more established solutions of interactive marketing. However, newer mediums such as viral and social marketing are becoming more prevalent online marketing tactics among companies of all sizes.

Some viral and social marketing practices include blogging and creating profiles on social networks such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. There are 90 million active users on Facebook, 25 million users on LinkedIn and over 1 million users on Twitter, and over 112.8 million blogs (according to the blog search engine Technorati). Of these millions of users, individual companies have blogs and a presence on social networking sites as well.

The goal is for companies to use these mediums to increase brand awareness, network, find new business and get better qualified leads. Though these tools companies can spread information about their organization through “word of mouth” and allow a company to interact with its audience on a more personal level. However, while using these tools may be less expensive than other interactive strategies, maintaining these outlets usually requires more time and effort. Below are a few key takeaways from MarketingSherpa to help utilize these new marketing tools. To see more tips, click on the link below.

1. Be selective with online networks. Pick networks that are relevant to you and your company, where you will be able to contribute to the online space.

2. Link to all of your social platforms. If you do choose to have multiple networking sites, make sure you link them to each other. This helps find new clients and contacts, teach them about the business and keep in touch with them over time.

3. Create a backlog to plan ahead. You need to continually maintain the dialogue between your company and your audience to keep them engaged and attract new business. This takes time and if in a rush, the quality of your conversations and blog posts will show.

Using Eyetracking Research to Avoid “Banner Blindness”

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 10:01:13 -0400

Research reveals a decreasing impact of successive email messages and online ads over time.

Christine Pepin
Media Coordinator

A follow-up eyetracking study was released by MarketingSherpa in concurrence with last year’s Email Benchmark Research, capturing how users view successive email newsletters. (See Image Below) This information is very valuable for advertisers as they face the ongoing challenge of maintaining the effectiveness of their online ads every time a user views one of their messages. According to the study, the audience’s attention to the content remains steady; however, there is great dissimilarity in the manner in which the ad space is viewed.

Among users viewing the first newsletter, almost 80% scan some of the ad in the left-hand column. Then, by the second issue, this percentage is cut in half, and then halved again in the third viewing. This trend clearly demonstrates “banner blindness,” where users either consciously or unconsciously fail to identify information located in banners. With the help of this eyetracking research, advertisers can combat banner blindness by implementing several tactics, a few of which are listed below.

1. Vary the page’s template to encourage the user to make a full-page scan

2. Change ad size or design so the audience’s eye is drawn to the modification

3. Rotate ads frequently to eliminate the same position for long periods of time

Cuil: Better Than Google?

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:17:55 -0400

Former Google employees create their own search engine which could reduce Google's market share.

Stefanie Berliant
Media Coordinator

According to ComScore, an online measurement company, in May 2008 Google held a 62% share of the U.S. search market followed by Yahoo at 21% and Microsoft at 8.5%. This month, another search engine, Cuil, joined the list of Google competitors which also includes Teoma (whose technology is used by Ask.com), Vivisimo, Snap, Mahalo and, most recently, Powerset, which was acquired by Microsoft this month. What gives Cuil an edge over all the other competition is that it was created by Anna Patterson, Russell Power and Louis Monier, all former Google engineers.

Patterson built and sold a search index that probed old websites for the internet archive to Google in 2004. Patterson and Power worked together on the same team at Google. Monier was the former chief technology officer of AltaVista, the best search engine before Google launched in 1998. Monier also helped build the search engine on eBay's online auction site. This group is also teaming up with Tom Costello, who built a once-promising search engine called Xift in the late 1990s. Costello later joined IBM where he worked on an "analytic engine" called WebFountain. It is clear that this team has extensive knowledge in this space and also of, Google, the industry leader. Because of this, the possibility of creating a more comprehensive and efficient search engine seems more realistic.

Patterson emphasizes that there will be many differences between Cuil and Google. For example Cuil’s search index is 120 billion web pages. Google has an index of 8.2 billion web pages as of three years ago (when Google stopped publicly announcing its index count). Cuil’s results are gathered by the actual content of a page, not by ranking the quality and quantity of links as Google does. The results on Cuil are displayed with photos, and the layout resembles that of articles in a magazine. The results page on Cuil also includes additional categories related to your initial search, conveniently displayed in a drop down menu. Additionally Cuil will not track the users search histories, as Google does.

Cuil faces several challenges such as building a better search engine and winning over the public who are loyal to the Google brand. However, the bigger question is, if Cuil raises the bar for search engines, how will this change the world of online marketing?

Give SEO Its Due Consideration

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:45:07 -0400

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) should be a key part of every online marketing strategy. However, the most common mistake that organizations make with regard to SEO is bringing their SEO consultants into the process too late.

George Assimakopoulos
Principal Manager

We have been involved with several enterprise level site redesign efforts where we arrive to discover that the new site plans have been built with no consideration for effective SEO. The irony is that on many occasions when we try to guide our clients towards a righteous SEO path - their creative teams complain about "compromising the design or usability".

Brandt Dainow, an independent web analytics consultant and the CEO of ThinkMetrics explains it best in his posting at iMedia Connection: "Many companies fail to give SEO its due consideration during a website's design phase. In fact, many companies don't give it any thought at all until after a site's design has been finalized. However, it is during the planning and design processes that SEO considerations are most important and will provide the greatest advantage. The fact is that many companies don't give SEO any thought at all until after a site's design has been finalized. However, it is during the planning and design processes that SEO considerations are most important and will provide the greatest advantage."

The reality is that search engines are not required to list every site on the Web. In fact, all a search engine has to do is provide people with a list of 10 reasonably valid results from which to choose. Nevertheless, since we need search engines, it is important to understand that timely SEO planning and implementaion is essential. As Brandt states, "bringing an SEO expert in after a site is finished is like deciding to do the electrical wiring on a house after you have moved in." By incorporating SEO early into the site design process, you can save time and money later. In addition, your site is likely to achieve listings that it could never achieve if SEO were undertaken after the site was already finished. Design a site for the search engines, and the viewers will follow. Design a site the search engines can't read, and nobody will ever know it exists.

Sports Websites Are Winning

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 09:07:17 -0400

Sports websites are thriving by using ad-supported models which are widely accepted by their passionate and dedicated fans.Ryan Moss
Media Coordinator

Everywhere fans look at sporting events, they see advertisements. Now, sports websites are following this same tactic and focusing more on generating revenue from online advertising. The people who visit sports websites are already accustomed to seeing many advertisements as they usually are the same people who attend sporting events. Therefore, they aren't fazed by the presence of advertisements on these web pages. Furthermore, these people are typically very passionate and dedicated fans who crave information about their favorite teams and are willing to tolerate the increase of advertisements.

As online advertising revenue for sports websites continues to increase, so does the total amount of revenue that these websites generate. As seen in the chart below, eMarketer estimates that the total amount of revenue generated by U.S. Sports Websites will nearly double from 2007 ($1,489 Million) to 2012 ($2,955 Million). eMarketer details all of this information and more in its new report titled "Sports Site Marketing." The report also discusses other important issues such as the role of fantasy sports and the online strategies of the "Big Four" U.S. sports leagues.

As sports websites shift towards using an ad-supported model, one can't help but wonder which industry will be the next one to make the switch.

Knol: Google’s New Unit of Knowledge

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:13:02 -0400

Google unveils its' decision to rival Wikipedia with its' new highly credible, author-collaborated information site.

Christine Pepin
Media Coordinator

After six months in beta, Google announced earlier this week that Knol, a user-generated encyclopedia, would be open to the public for use. Many are anticipating that Knol will rival Wikipedia in the near future, although the two sites are quite different. Entries made on this site, called knols, are posted by a variety of approved subject-expert authors about specific topics. With their name and reputation connected to the material posted, authors have a power that Google calls, “moderation collaboration.” Using this authority, these authors have the right to accept, reject or modify suggested edits by the readers before they become publically visible. Comments, ratings or reviews submitted of the knolls, however, cannot be modified by Google.

Knol is sponsored through Google's internal ad program, AdSense, at the discretion of the authors, who receive a cut of these profits. On the other-hand, Wikipedia is funded purely on private donors and some grants and is therefore visibly at risk of being unseated by Google’s revenue-generating system.

The value available for students, professors, researchers and other intellectuals trying to build a reputation exists on Knol, as their selectivity of content shows the sites credibility. Wikipedia, who struggles to assure themselves as reliable source, may now loose readers as well as authors who now have a monetary and career-driven incentive on Knol.

With Google securing 61.5% of searches in June, according to MarketingVox, conflict of interest issues are evident, as these highly updated and information-abundant sites typically rank high in the search engines. For years, Wikipedia has dominated for this reason with high organic positions. Now, however, they will begin competing with Google, the powerhouse controlling the algorithms behind those calculated rankings.

The Most Underused Search Marketing Metric

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 13:17:56 -0400

Experts believe that KPIs should be the most used metric in search marketing.

Stefanie Berliant
Media Coordinator

A recent report from MarketingSherpa shows that conversions or key performance indicators (KPIs) are the most underused metrics in search marketing. KPIs define a set of values used to measure a specific goal. KPIs differ depending on industry verticals and the goals set by individual organizations.

Online marketing initiatives should supplement traditional marketing programs and share the same goals. An organization’s website is an extension of its' brand, products and services online. An organization’s online audience should interact with its website as if they were in the actual store or office. The best way to achieve this is by setting up KPIs. Examples of KPIs include:

- Sign Up for a Newsletter/Email List
- Purchase Items Online
- Download Brochures/PDFs
- Contact/Request Additional Information
- Complete Online Application/Form

Without using KPIs, there is no way to measure the true success of online marketing programs. These conversions can be tracked and measured to see if goals are being met. Additionally, online analytics are easier to track and are more accurate than measuring the value of traditional marketing programs.

Surprisingly, statistics from this report show that most search marketers are not using KPIs to measure the success of web marketing initiatives. KPIs are used to close the marketing loop from offline to online, and unify the goals of the overall marketing program. With a disjointed marketing program, search marketers are not maximizing and balancing their spending. KPIs should ultimately be the most used metric in search marketing. If online marketing programs are held to the same standards as offline marketing programs, then the goals set by organizations will be achieved more efficiently and effectively.

To view the complete report from MarketingSherpa, click on the link below.

Advertising and Marketing Spending Will Continue To Grow

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:53:38 -0400

The amount of money spent on advertising and marketing is expected to continue to increase, but the rate at which it is growing is decreasing.Ryan Moss
Media Coordinator

Despite a struggling economy, experts at Outsell Inc. predict that the amount of money spent on advertising and marketing in the United States will total $412.4 billion in 2008. According to the company's third annual ad spending report, about $249.1 billion will be spent on advertising and the remaining $163.3 billion will be spent on marketing. However, the growth of the total advertising and marketing spend is only 3.9%, a lower rate compared to last years' spending increase of 5.8%.

The report, which surveyed 1,088 U.S. Advertisers, focuses on the five main media types: online, print, events, TV/radio and others. Some of the key findings from the report are listed below.

61.8% of a company's advertising/marketing budget is being spent on the company's own website
Online Advertising is the fastest-growing of all types of advertisement and is expected to grow by 12.3% in 2008
More money is now spent on online advertising then on TV/radio/movie advertising

To view the complete report, see the link below.

My Summer With EyeTraffic Media

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:23:02 -0400

Principal Manager's NOTE: I thought that our online audiences would enjoy a new perspective on EyeTraffic Media - and our recent growth. Therefore, I asked our summer intern to reflect back on the five weeks he spent with our company. Enjoy! - George A.

Chris Cohen
Summer Intern

Over the past five weeks I had the opportunity to intern for an up and coming media marketing firm called EyeTraffic Media. I interned at EyeTraffic Media last summer for three weeks, and I must admit that I am amazed by the growth and improvement that the firm has made in only one year. Last summer, the principal manager's office was located on the seventh floor of a shared office building on Connecticut Avenue. Now the principal manager, George Assimakopoulos, and the rest of the Washington D.C. team work in EyeTraffic Media's very own private office located on Wisconsin Avenue. Not only is the office beautiful, but it is conveniently located right next to Guapos and the Whole Foods Market, and it is only a short walk from Chipotle. I haven't brought lunch from home once! (Quick shout out to the hot dog stand guy just down the corner... he is the man!)

The change in location is only one of the many developments I've noticed from one summer ago. The number of clients that EyeTraffic Media works with has nearly tripled. The company even added three more clients (The Pew Forum, The Museum of Modern Art and the Kogod Business School at American University) during my time here. If I thought the principal manager was on the phone a lot last year, there was just no comparison to how much he was on the phone this summer. It is no exaggeration when I say that the headset is attached to his head every minute of the day. The account manager, Keith Vera, definitely has a lot more on his plate and in my opinion has really stepped up and taken a leadership role in the company. This year there are also three new media coordinators, all of whom work very hard with their assigned clients. In addition, there is an office manager who comes in on Tuesdays and Thursdays. She has constantly kept an eye on me, but at the same time has helped make my job easier. The family environment that has been created here at the office has made my time here very enjoyable, entertaining and pressure free.

During my internship at EyeTraffic Media, I completed various assignments. Last summer, I uploaded all of the company's research into the EyeTraffic Media Wiki (the company's online Encyclopedia). This summer, I scanned over 800 business cards and uploaded them into the company's shared contacts folder in Microsoft Outlook and then transferred all of those contacts into the company's master contact list on salesforce.com. After completing this assignment, Mr. Assimakopoulos gave me daily tasks to complete that involved a wide variety of different activities.

While I learned many life lessons this summer by having to do these daily assignments, such as how to drill properly, I think the most valuable thing I learned from my experience at EyeTraffic Media is how much work goes into running your own business. I realized that the success of a business is not solely determined on its' ability to sell. Yes, that may be a key factor, but I firmly believe that a business can only grow and prosper if it is filled with good people who don't only work for the money, but who also work to fulfill their potential as individuals and for the business. The EyeTraffic Media team has these kinds of people and this is why EyeTraffic Media has made so much progress in only a year. With an ambitious principal manager who refuses to say no and an eager and talented supporting cast, I am more than confident that EyeTraffic Media will become a force to reckon with in the media marketing world for a long time.

Interactive Marketing Resources @ The Library of Congress

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:20:35 -0400

An extensive selection of resources, best practices and guides on Tactical Interactive Marketing are available at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. However, getting full-access to these resources is a bit more challenging than we expected.

George Assimakopoulos
Principal Manager

Recently, I heard rumors that the Library of Congress (LOC) has a hidden treasure of interactive marketing and e-commerce documentation that would make Forrester Research & Nielsen Net Ratings shiver with competitive-fear. The question I had though was - "How do I access this information?" Of course I started my scavenger hunt online at The Library of Congress' Website. But I quickly discovered that I needed help in navigating through the plethora of options at the website. So a decided to do what anyone else would do when they need to find a book - I asked a librarian.

I sent one of our summer college interns (Chris Cohen, Emory University) on a field-trip downtown to search for answers and direction to these buried resources within the Business Reference Center at the LOC. Let me first say that I am VERY glad that I sent him rather than trying to do this on my own. It took our intern a full-day to navigate through the LOC to get the information we were seeking. At the end of it all - our intern was succesful with the guidance of two super-librarians. (Secret Tip: if you call ever the LOC Busniess Center at 202-707-7935, be sure to ask for Margeaux and Ellen...they're awesome!)

So here's a Cliff-Notes version of what you need to do if you ever want/need to tap into the Interactive Marketing resources at the LOC:

Step #1: Start with the Online Catalog at: catalog.LOC.gov
Step #2: Click on "Basic Search" and refine your query to the following Call Numbers: HF5410-5417 (for online marketing) or HF5801-6182 (for advertising)
Step #3: Since this search will only give you a list of the Interactive Marketing resources available at the LOC - print out the references you need...and head over to the LOC. For our intern, the easiest way there was by Metro. But CLICK HERE if you would like to see the a list of directional options for getting to the LOC
Step #4: First go to The Madison Building (Room LM140) and apply for a Reader's Card. Yes...it's free and you get it the same day. Then, with your new Reader's Card, go next door to The Adams Building and take the elevator to the 5th Floor. It is on this floor where the Business Reference Center is located
Step#5: Proceed to the right-wing of the floor and you will become immersed into a world of search engine marketing user guides, e-mail best practices and CAN-SPAM laws, and rows of case studies and corporate white papers for your perusal. Most of the Interactive Marketing volumes begin with the call number HF5415 or HF5724

Now you're on your own - go crazy! You can check-out books, make photo-copies of case studies, or simply walk the volumes to see what's new. If you get lost - ask you friendly LOC librarian at the Business Reference Center. But remember to come there ready with your list of books, references, and other resources that you pulled from the online catalog. The librarians there are extra-friendly to those who come prepared!

The INSIGHT Blog

Google AdWords Quality Score Update

"Business Social Networks" Bring Change

See Also

Beijing Olympic Sites Show Record Breaking Traffic

See Also

Mobile Gaming Flourishing In North America

See Also

Tips for Using Viral & Social Networks for Online Marketing

See Also

Using Eyetracking Research to Avoid “Banner Blindness”

See Also

Cuil: Better Than Google?

See Also

Give SEO Its Due Consideration

Sports Websites Are Winning

See Also

Knol: Google’s New Unit of Knowledge

See Also

The Most Underused Search Marketing Metric

See Also

Advertising and Marketing Spending Will Continue To Grow

See Also

My Summer With EyeTraffic Media

Interactive Marketing Resources @ The Library of Congress