Quick Online Tips » Advertising

Local Search Advertising: New Dimension For Small Businesses

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:15:50 +0000

Guest Post by Donny Gamble
A couple of years ago, local search advertising was defined as online search advertising which is made through mapping websites, local internet yellow pages, local search engines, and classified ads websites. The purpose of conducting a local online search is to rely on information collected from online sources to execute an offline transaction.

This type of search is extremely important for small entrepreneurs and small businesses. This is simply because it is almost free as it only requires a small budget to make a successful advertising campaign. The small business only seeks customers and potential clients locally and from surrounding areas. This process is also cheaper from all other types of local advertising as newspapers and media advertising like TV and radio commercials.

Image credit: Cartoon Church

Some small businesses do search engine marketing by themselves, and some outsource this operation by professional and specialized third parties. They later achieve more successful and efficient results as it is a simple process, but needs experience and knowledge of the market variables like economical conditions and customers’ trends.

Local Advertising Benefits

1. Local search advertising is based on the IP to deliver local search results. When a customer searches for a general term like “lawyer”, the search engine delivers local and non-local ads’ results, which will benefit the searcher in both cases. IP targeting search results are not perfect, but serve as required and in most times they are sufficient enough for the searchers. This is of a great advantage for advertisers like small businesses, as it will help them achieve more customers when local customers conduct online searches.

2. Local search advertising can give you the option to target customers within a specific area, like a region, a state, a city, a town, a county, or a small neighborhood. You can specify a point on the map and then target all customers from 50 or 100 miles in every direction of that point. Local search can turn up to be international advertising or exclusive to a couple of countries. The options here are unlimited as you can target more than one area with the same ad.

3. Pay per click and classified ads are the most common two methods of conducting and executing local advertising campaigns. Major search engines like Google and Yahoo are specialized in providing advertisers with hundreds of options to publish their advertising campaigns locally and globally. Craiglist is considered to be the biggest classified ads website on the web and most of the ads are for local users only.

Donny Gamble writes a blog about creating wealth by combining Internet Marketing with Network Marketing and explains why every Internet marketer should have an MLM business. You can also share your tips and write a guest article here.

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Original article: Local Search Advertising: New Dimension For Small Businesses
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Google Certified Ad Networks to Increase Adsense Earnings

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:59:36 +0000

Google is bringing in Google Certified Ad Networks, a new feature which will allow non-Adwords advertisers to compete with Adwords for your Adsense unit, which means the higher paying ad will be displayed, and this means more revenue for Adsense publishers.

This video explains all about the basic concept of Google Certified Ad Networks

All these participating ad networks will be certified for adherence to Google standards for user privacy, ad quality, and speed. Publishers will have an option to opt out of receiving ads from specific networks, or all networks completely.

Either way, just like enabling image ads (which also enables flash ads, video ads), third party ads, and placement targeting increases ad space competition, displaying the highest paying ads, and increasing Adsense earnings – these Google certified ad networks will be a promising additon for Adsense publishers.

Dont go looking for the feature just now – it will be rolled out first to publishers in North America and Europe followed by rest of the world.

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Original article: Google Certified Ad Networks to Increase Adsense Earnings
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Sell Sponsored Tweets: Make Money with Twitter Ads

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 03:56:46 +0000

A new form of advertising in set to rock Twitter. Izea brings you Sponsored Tweets, an online marketplace that allows advertisers to buy sponsored conversations on Twitter.

Tweeters who wish to join the advertising program can set their own price, category, and keywords; then chose to accept or reject offers from advertisers. If you accept an offer, your account will be credited within 24 hours of your tweet, and you can cash out after gathering $50.

Now they stick to some ethical rules. Which means that there is a 100% mandatory disclosure that it is a sponsored tweet. Twitter users stay in full control of their account, and they will not auto-inject ads. Since they pass via Twitter’s OAuth process, your login is safe. Every tweet must be manually reviewed and approved by each tweeter, and they decide how the tweet ad format should be. This video explains how disclosure is done.

It seems they have managed to get some celebrities to join the program like Holly Madison, Bethenny Frankel, Kendra Wilkinson and some web celebs like Chris Pirillo, Jeremy“ShoeMoney” Schoemaker, and “Aloha” Arleen Anderson.

Will you be selling Sponsored Tweets on your Twitter account?

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Original article: Sell Sponsored Tweets: Make Money with Twitter Ads
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Top Brands Introduce Extra Large Ads

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:23:29 +0000

What are extra large ads for you – 768×90px or 160×600px banners? Well XXL extra large size advertisements went live on top websites like CNN, New York Times as consumers continue searching for content between the ads.

I spotted this huge Mercedes ad on New York Times

Online Publishers Association announced that several popular members, whose sites reach 68% of the total U.S. Internet audience, have begun offering the three new larger new ad units, namely

The Fixed Panel: 336 wide x 700 tall, remains constant as the user scrolls to the top and bottom of the page
The XXL Box: 468 wide x 648 tall, opens for seven seconds to 936 wide x 648 tall with 1/24x frequency
The Pushdown: 970 wide x 418 tall, opens to display the advertisement and then after seven seconds rolls up to 970 wide x 66 tall, with 1/24x frequency.

The Online Publishers Association (OPA) represents high-quality online content providers before the advertising community, the press, the government and the public and comprises of some of the most trusted andwell-respected media brands. Some of the top advertiser brands leveraging the new OPA ad units include Bank of America, Cleveland Clinic, CNA, Frito-Lay, Mercedes-Benz etc.

Some of the top 37 publishers brands on the internet where you can now these OPA extra large ad units now or some time in the near future include About.com, ABCNews.com, Bizjournals, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, CBS Interactive, CNN.com, Discovery Communications, Disney Online, ESPN, Forbes.com, FOXNews Digital, iVillage Network, Lifetime Digital, msnbc.com, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, National Geographic, New York Media, The New York Times, Thomson Reuters, Time Inc., USA Today, Wall Street Journal Digital Network, The Washington Post, and Weather.com.

Of course bigger ads lead to better visibility and more brand presence. For CPM advertisers, the bigger the ads are, the better it is, as they pay for ad impressions. Since these large ad spaces on top sites would be very expensive, they will be afforded by only top advertisers. Moreover, these ads look great because of high ad quality as top brands would have engaged top ad designers.

How large will ads get? I expect even larger ads in the future. They are still better than the full page ads!

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Original article: Top Brands Introduce Extra Large Ads
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How IT Professionals Can Get B2B Word Of Mouth

QuickOnlineTips — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:04:29 +0000

Guest post by Steven Rodin
In the B2B IT Services world, word of mouth and referenceability are incredibly important. Your clients are very educated, sophisticated and most of all… sceptical. They have a lot to protect, and they don�t want to take chances by being the first person to test your service.

Your credibility in this market is largely dependent on who you know, and many could care less about your marketing materials. There�s simply no way around it. In order to get more business, you�ll need to generate referrals.

Photo by Alx (shared under CC license)

In this article, I�ve outlined some tactics that Web Designers, VARs and other Technology Providers can use to generate more low-cost referral business for their companies.

1. Ask For It

This one is the hardest, and often most socially awkward. It can feel strange sometimes asking your customers to brag about you to their friends and colleagues. But if you�re confident that you�ve been doing a good job, be courageous and ask. The more you do this, the less awkward it feels.

And really, it�s the simplest and most honest way to generate consistent referrals. So why not do it?

2. Reward Them

If a customer voluntarily sends business your way for the first time, send them an inexpensive thank-you gift… maybe $10 or so in value. If it happens again, send them a more expensive gift… maybe $20 in value. Third time is $50, and so on until you feel that the amount becomes unreasonable.

This is very effective because most companies will do the opposite. They�ll thank the customer the first time, and then take the referrals for granted from that point on. This escalating reward scale really lets them know that you appreciate their relationship, and that you�d like to nurture it for the long term.

Please note that a reward is different than a bribe.

First of all, bribes don�t work because you�re asking someone to put their reputation on the line in order to promote something they may not necessarily want to be associated with. Usually, the possible social stigma of a failed referral can be much worse than whatever trinket you�re offering in exchange. Bribes also hurt your credibility. It basically says that you�re willing to use dishonest tactics in order to appear credible.

3. Be Unique

Imagine a computer security company that shows up at the client locations in a camouflage jeep, wearing military uniforms. It may not be the most conservative way to conduct business, but it will certainly get people talking about you. Think about what makes your company unique in that market, and come up with a dramatic way to demonstrate it.

4. Be The Best

�Under-promising and over-delivering� is a tested and proven technique for generating high-quality referrals. It�s especially effective because so few other companies are willing to do the same.

Here�s a challenge for you: How can you add another 25% to the perceived value of your IT services without increasing your prices?

5. Make Your Customers Famous

When my wife and I were still dating, we used to go to a restaurant that took pictures of all their customers and put them on the wall. Whenever we would eat there, the employees would call us by name and seat us next to our picture. We used to invite friends to eat with us, just so they could see the VIP treatment we got.

How can you help your customers get a bit more positive exposure? Can you get them in the media? Can you make a commercial featuring them? Can you refer them to your own customer and get them some extra business?

People crave approval and recognition. If you give it to them, they will spread the word for you.

6. Talk About Other Customers Who�ve Been Referred To You

This one has to be used very lightly so as not to come off too tacky or desperate. While talking to prospects, simply mention in passing that a lot of your business comes from word-of-mouth. This has a subconscious effect of training the prospect that it�s ok for them to refer business to you. Once again, use this one sparingly and don�t overdo it.

Also, make sure you�re telling the truth. If you don�t get a lot of business through word-of-mouth, don�t make that claim. People will eventually figure out that you�re lying. I know times are tough right now for technology vendors. Hopefully, these tips and tricks will provide a nice steady stream new business without having to shell out a lot of money on advertising and marketing.

Guest article by Steven Rodin from Storagepipe, which offers online backup, email archiving, and other enterprise solutions that simplify the business continuity and compliance process for many companies. Those interested in selling their own small business online backup solutions can also join Storagepipe�s partner program. You can also share your tips and write a guest article on QOT.

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Original article: How IT Professionals Can Get B2B Word Of Mouth
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Indian Elections 2009: The Internet Version

QuickOnlineTips — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:36:10 +0000

Indian Elections 2009 are in full swing and Indian politicians have changed the way they are communicating with the Indian public to draw votes for the elections 2009. The new Internet has changed the way an informed electorate goes to vote…

1. Online Advertising – You can easily spot major political parties running Google Adwords campaigns which run via Adsense ads across millions of sites. A month back most of our site pages showed these ads only for Indian visitors, meaning they were targeting with a huge budget on lots of broad keywords.

2. Mobile SMS – Everyday I am getting many SMS messages from politicians in my constituency on my mobile phone. Bulk mobile number lists are easily available for sale at cheap rates in India. Bulk SMS rates have got even more cheaper than before, and the promotion directly reach the individual mobiles which is really targeted. How they bypass the Do Not Call registry, I can’t figure that out.

3. Social Networking – Most political leaders have developed a Facebook presence to get personal with the voters (see the Congress India page). Twitter is a rage in the election scenario too with many political parties are twittering away with their fans (Find @bjp_ on Twitter), though it is often difficult to establish if its the official one. You can also find many fan groups and local leaders active on other social networking sites like Orkut. Obama had used Twitter successfully to tap the voters.

4. Online Videos – As broadband internet has spread throughout India, online videos have become popular media and politicians are using video sharing sites like Youtube for maximum propaganda and voter reach. See how BJP Channel on Youtube keeps uploading new insider videos.

5. Blogging – Many politicians have blogs via which they are directly communicating with the electorate (like LK Advani’s blog). Blogs allow leaders to directly express their views and communicate with voters on a personal basis, bypassing the party pages.

6. Old & New Join Hands - Big online giants like Google pitched in to track the Indian elections and partner with old media giants� like Hindustan Times to bring up to date information about Indian elections. More tie-ups between new and old media are the future.

7. Celebrity Buzz - More and more Indian celebrities pitched in to encourage voters to vote and select the right people to form the government. See the initiative below (Hindi) -

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Original article: Indian Elections 2009: The Internet Version
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Top AzoogleAds Publishers Get PlayBoy Mansion Party

QuickOnlineTips — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:52:53 +0000

It pays to be a top AzoogleAds publisher as they are running a contest where publishers who drive the highest incremental revenue will win an all expense paid party at Playboy Mansion.

What is incremental revenue? If you drove $2,000 in revenue in the past three months (Nov-Jan) with AzoogleAds and did $5,000 during the challenge (Feb-April), you generated $3,000 in incremental revenue. Top 25 AzoogleAds publishers who drive the highest amount of incremental revenue through AzoogleAds during the period of February 1, 2009 to April 30, 2009 will win.

The Playboy Mansion is the home of Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner and is one of the most famous residences in Los Angeles, California located at 10236 Charing Cross Rd., Los Angeles, CA 90024. The Playboy Mansion party is scheduled on 29 August 2009.

ALL AzoogleAds publishers are automatically entered in the contest and your stats are automatically counted for purposes of this contest. All winners must be 21 years or older as of August 29, 2009.

But what if you are a top 25 publisher and don�t want to go to the Playboy Mansion party? The FAQ says “Never fear, we have something pretty special lined up for you too! You will not be forgotten. Missed, but not forgotten.”

What are your thoughts about rewarding publishers with a Playboy Mansion party?

PS- We are not an AzoogleAds publisher and have no financial interest in this event. This article is for information purposes only.

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Change Google Adsense Font Family to Increase CTR

QuickOnlineTips — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 09:14:00 +0000

Now webmasters can change the Google Adsense font family to further blend the ads with their website design and increase CTR to make more money online.

We previously showed some Adsense font testing screenshots, and it was clear Google Adsense was testing different font families to blend ads better with the site design, prompting more clicks and earning more money for Adsense publishers. Adjusting your site fonts to match Google Adsense font types and size is an old strategy to increase CTR, and now they made chosing the font easier.

Now webmasters can choose from 3 different fonts - Arial, Times Roman and Verdana, or continue with the “Standard Adsense font family” setting. You can� test the live preview of these ads from the Adsense admin panel itself. You can change the setting for individual ad units or do global changes to all your ad units from Account > Ad Display Preference > Edit > Choose preferred font > Save changes.

Although they had tested several font families in earlier tests, its good they limited the font types to a popular few, you might not like ad units with the font below

So how can you change the font size? Well that is a privilege of Premium Adsense accounts which can change a font size as well as ad unit size at will. Till then you can change your site font size to match the ad font size.

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Most Effective Super Bowl Commercials and Advertisers

QuickOnlineTips — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 08:01:52 +0000

Compete has compared the most effective Super Bowl advertisers and commercials that drove consumers to the brand websites on the day of the Super Bowl game and ranked Super Bowl advertisers based on the change in Daily Reach on Super Bowl Sunday.

This table partly shows some top Super Bowl Advertisers that increased their daily traffic reach by more than 100%

Topping the best Super Bowl commercials was Dennys, seeing which consumers flocked to their nearest restaurant for Breakfast.

Frito-Lay Cheetos got more people eating them

Pepsi Refresh Everything campaign was a hit.

Budweiser showed some tricks

BudLight Drinkability campaign worked.

GoDaddy Girls always entertain

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Make Shoemoney Wear Your Shirt at Affiliate Summit

QuickOnlineTips — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:01:32 +0000

How can you make SEM guru Jeremy Schoemaker aka Shoemoney wear your shirt on the upcoming Affiliate Summit 2009 West in Las Vegas? Simply bid on this unusual auction on Ebay, and Shoemoney could be out there promoting your brand all day.

Check out the ebay auction where Shoemoney presents you sufficient reasons to bid for his Shirt. All winning bidders money will go to the Affilaite Marketers Give Back who will donate the proceeds of this auction to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The bid has already crossed $2500 and will close on Dec 29, 2008.

Affiliate Summit West is the largest Affiliate Summit, the premier affiliate marketing 3-day conference with sessions covering the latest trends and information from affiliate marketing experts. Its is being held from January 11-13, 2009 in Las Vegas. He promises to wear no other shirt than your shirt during the conference and parties.

Shoemoney is fond of wearing your Tshirt every Friday, or you can get a Girl in your shirt for $75. But this ebay auction is a neat way to make money online and now you know why he is one of the best marketing experts out there.

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