Online ad sales up by over 10%

A new report by eMarketer predicts that online advertising spending will surge 10.8 percent in 2010 to $25.1 billion. The lion’s share of dollars should once again go to Google, according to the report. Google’s revenue rose 21 percent in Q1, another sign that the market was on the way up, given Google’s prominence.

The next hottest category? Online video advertising, which eMarketer predicts will account for a third of the  $13.6 billion-plus incremental dollars that enter the online ad market from 2010 through 2014. Read the whole article here http://www.emarketer.com/Reports/All/Emarketer_2000685.aspx

This is your brain… And this is your brain on the INTERNET!

A number of recent studies — brought to our attention in a wired article — has confirmed that our brains are actually being changed by the Internet. Here are some highlights to consider:

• One study concludes that when presented with hyperlinks, readers do not read — but rather clicks aimlessly. When asked later to describe what they supposedly ‘read’, they have no recollection. 
• When study groups were asked to experience a passage as simple text, through hyperlinks, and as a multi-media presentation… the group who simply read the material understood it the best.
• In another case, the human learning process is likened to filling a bathtub with a thimble. The bathtub is your long term memory – and you are attempting to fill it up with facts, one thimble at a time from your short term memory.  Every time you get interrupted — even the tiniest bit, the thimble empties – and you start at square one.
• The name given to the mental overhead associated tiny interruptions is the ’switching cost’ — the cost of switching mental gears, so to speak.

The upshot of this is that we, as a species – are learning to not comprehend properly.

So what to do?

• Turn off your email ‘chime’. Most of us get alerted every time a new email arrives.  We’re constantly interrupted; most of the time for emails that are just not that important.
• Respond to text messages when you can. Occasionally a text message is going to come at a time when you simply can’t respond immediately. When you’re driving, or your hands are full – or you’re in the middle of reading something that takes your full attention.
• Remember voicemail? Its your friend. Immediacy has become so paramount that we allow this interruption. Remember the 60’s when a ‘receptionist’ answered the phone, so that other people could get work done? Once again, important tasks require your undivided
• Don’t multitask when you’re doing something important. If something needs your full attention — ignore the cell phone, the email chime, and reduce your workspace to one window. In fact — the article states that “heavy multi-taskers were much more easily distracted, had significantly less control over their working memory, and were generally much less able to concentrate on a task”.

How Does Your Site Look on the iPad?

Apple has officially confirmed it has sold 1 million iPads. From the announcement: Apple today announced that it sold its one millionth iPad on Friday, just 28 days after its introduction on April 3. iPad users have already downloaded over 12 million apps from the App Store and over 1.5 million ebooks from the new iBookstore.

The success of the iPad and the size of its user base is big enough that web developers are now paying attention to how their websites look on the iPad. But how do you tell how your site looks on the iPad?

A nifty tool called iPad Peek is lets you see how any website will be rendered on the iPad. Click on the top border to switch from landscape to portrait mode. The virtual keyboard and the buttons on the iPad browser are just for show, but the reload button works.

Previewing a website in iPad Peek doesn’t offer the “real” iPad experience, however; for example, Flash works (and it shouldn’t). To get closer to the real deal, you should disable the Flash plugin in your browser and change the user agent string to that of the Apple iPad.

Attention CEO’s, Don’t Miss This Incredible Event!

Click here to register online

Recap – Lyn Nielsen speech at Long Island Advancement of Small Business Event

For those who missed the event, please click here to view a copy of Lyn’s presentation, Results-Oriented Marketing.

• Use a Solid Process

• Define Your Purpose

• Develop a Detailed Plan

Feel free to email us or call Lyn Nielsen at 631.428.4654 for more information.

Your request is beingTwitter Stats Reveal Few Americans Use Twitter, Although Most Know It

A new report by Edison Research on Twitter usage in the United States indicates that although awareness of Twitter has skyrocketed since 2008, only a minority of Americans (7 percent) actually use the social media site.

Eight-seven percent of Americans are aware of Twitter–which is higher than the percentage of the population with access to the internet (85 percent), up from just 5 percent of Americans in 2008. Facebook’s awareness is only slightly higher than Twitter’s, at 88 percent.

Conducted in February 2010, the Edison Research study polled 1,753 Americans ages 12 and up and presented three years of tracking data regarding Twitter awareness and usage.

Only 7 percent of Americans are actually using Twitter and Facebook remains the social network of choice. The report notes, “Despite equal awareness, Twitter trails Facebook significantly in usage: 7% of Americans (17 million persons) actively use Twitter, while 41% maintain a profile page on Facebook.”

Additionally, mobile devices account for more Twitter updates than other social media updates.

Here are some more Twitter stats from the Edison research:

-African Americans account for 25% of the Twitter population, which is double the percentage of African Americans living in the U.S.

-Twitter users are more likely to live in higher income households.

-Four in ten Twitter users (39%) own three or more computers.

-Twitter users are 3x more likely to follow brands on Twitter than on other social networking sites.

-Less than half of regular Twitter users post updates (47%), although 70% of these same Twitter users do post status updates to other social networking services like Facebook.

Top 10 things every website needs

For most companies, the web has become the premiere communication vehicle that helps develop and maintain relationships with customers. Your business’s perception is often positively or negatively influenced by the users’ experience on your site vs. that of your competition.

1) A Solid Brand Identity

A good design is not necessarily going to win you a client, but a bad one can turn visitors off right away. First impressions are key. If your site does not help communicate your overall marketing message, you are effectively diluting your branding message. Good site designs allow users to experience a deeper level of the brand in both form and function.

Although good design alone will not keep someone on your site — an eye-catching design will, at the very least, grab their attention long enough to take a look around. Bells and whistles are nice, but the “less is more” theory usually holds true. You don’t want your design to be over crowded with extraneous elements. You want it to help you stand out from your competitors in the minds of your potential clients.

2) Thoughtful navigation

Although it sounds very basic, you’d be surprised how many sites still make it difficult for users to find the information they are looking for. When reviewing your site’s navigation, consider the skill levels of potential users, and how they might navigate through the site. While less experienced users benefit from a traditional ‘drill down’ approach, more advanced users might prefer navigation shortcuts via expandable menu systems. Including options for all kinds of users is the key.

You’ll also want to be sure that your navigation is easy to spot and consistent throughout the entire web site. Utilizing ‘breadcrumbs’ when possible is always helpful. Breadcrumbs typically appear horizontally across the top of a web page, usually below title bars or headers. Breadcrumbs provide a trail for the user to follow back to the starting or entry point. A greater-than sign (>) often serves as hierarchy separator.

Consistency is key here — be sure to place both your primary and sub-navigational links in the same spot throughout the various pages of your web site. Navigation should also be repeated at the bottom of the page, so users who view content below the fold do not have to scroll back up to get to the next page.

3) Site search feature

Site searches are a great way for users to find the right content quickly and easily. When programmed properly, searches serve up relevant content based on key words, part numbers or the like. Categorized results display possible matches by type, products, instruction sheets, or parts. These categorized results allow users even more control over the search, and reduce the number of clicks significantly.

4) Useful, up-to-date content

In today’s competitive online environment, content is king. Sites that provide users with useful information about the industry, as well as their products and services, helps your site in multiple ways. First, your customers and potential clients will appreciate easy-to-find information about your product applications, specifications, supporting documents and news all in one place.

Another benefit of detailed, relevant content is its ability to help seed your site with key search terms. Including key search terms within good content is a key factor in improving your organic (non-paid) search rankings with Google.

5) Online customer service tools

Allowing your customers to access important information outside of regular customer service hours goes a long way toward improving service. Password-protected extranets allow your customers to locate important information like past orders, invoices, order status and shipping updates on a 24 x 7 basis. They also eliminate many repetitive customer service calls, and allow your staff to focus on more pro-active relationships with your customers. The return on investment for these types of systems is excellent, as they pay for themselves in increased orders very quickly.

6) Feedback forms with back-end database

Most sites have a contact form that allows users to inquire about more information, but many still do not go beyond generating an email to the sales department. A very cost-effective feature to add to your site is a ’smart’ form that captures the user information into an online database. Information stored can then be integrated with email marketing systems and CRM tools. Smart forms can also be designed to capture and store important marketing information like referring sites and keywords that the user searched.

7) Blogs and forums

Creating ongoing conversations with your customers is a great way to improve customer service and get important feedback. An inexpensive way to do this is to add a blog or forum to your site. What’s the difference? A blog allows you and your staff to post information about your industry, your products and services, and any other relevant information. Readers are allowed to post comments on your articles (posts). A forum allows registered users to begin their own topics of conversation (threads) with your company and with each other. Both require ongoing effort to maintain and moderate, but are very powerful and cost effective ways to communicate regularly with your clients and prospects. They can also have search engine optimization benefits when used properly. For more benefits of having a business blog, please click here: http://desktopsolutions.com/blog/?p=180

8) Share button for social media

Including links from your site to various social media outlets is a no-brainer. If you’ve made the effort to include good site content, allowing your viewers to share it quickly and easily helps spread the word. While links to individual sites like Twitter, Facebook and Linked-In are important, the ’share’ widget allows users to re-post your content to multiple outlets and feeds.

9) Search Engine Optimization Tools

You want to make sure your site plays nicely with the search engines, so you have the best chances possible of showing up in search results. By using some simple SEO tools, you can easily fine-tune your site so when Google visits, you’ll be putting your best foot forward. Please review your meta tags and descriptions, your home page content and how your site is coded. For more information, please visit http://desktopsolutions.com/blog/?p=70

10) Google Analytics

This powerful tool from Google provides site owners with excellent, easy-to-read statistics about site users and their traffic patterns. Data about traffic coming from paid versus unpaid sources is invaluable for advertisers. Smart marketers can also create specific goals and targets to track success.

Internet news sites now more popular than newspapers.

The internet, which emerged this year as a leading source for campaign news, has now surpassed all other media except television as an outlet for national and international news. The latest study from Pew Internet analyzes the news consumers in America and various different ways of finding news. Based on a sample of 2,259 adults, the study reveals that three fourths of the people (75%) who find news online get it either forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites, and half of them (52%) forward the news through those means.

It translates to a large portion of all Americans. According to the report, 59% of those surveyed get news from a combination of online and offline sources.

However, the study also shows that very few people nowadays (7%) are getting information from a single media platform. In fact, nearly half of Americans (46%) claim they get news from four to six media platforms on a typical day. And while TV is still the biggest source of news (78% of Americans say they get news from a local TV station), Internet sits on second place (61% of users get news online), ahead of radio and newspapers. Interestingly enough, relatively few people – only 17 percent – claim they read news in a national newspaper such as the New York Times or USA Today.

Also interesting is the division between news consumers according to their relationship to news. 33% of cell phone owners now access news on their cell phones and 28% use personalized news, meaning they have a customized page that includes news from sources they’ve personally chosen. Perhaps most importantly, news consumers today participate in the creation of news; 37% have contributed to news creation, commented on news, or shared it via social media sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

The entire report is available here.

Defense Department loosens restrictions on social media

Soldiers and Defense Department employees will now be able to access Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social media sites on the military’s unclassified network, according to new policy issued this week. That word came in a long-expected memo issued Thursday by deputy secretary of defense William Lynne, seven months after a review of DoD policy on social media was announced in late July.

Good new for military personnel and their families, but also for marketers looking to reach military personnel via social media.

Read the whole article here: http://www.informationweek.com/news/government/policy/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=223100879&cid=RSSfeed_IWK_News

LI report notes global investment in technology – how ’bout you?

If you do business on Long Island, you’re probably familiar with Pearl Kamer. She’s the Chief Economist of the Long Island Association, and publishes quarterly economic outlooks for the region.

Several years ago, before the dot com bust,  I heard Ms Kamer speak within a few weeks of another area economist. The other fellow has a long list of credentials with area colleges and television stations. The gentleman’s economic assessment was quite encouraging – he saw ‘nothing but green lights ahead’ for the economy. Ms. Kamer on the other hand, spoke of her concern that Long Island’s boom was without meaningful job gains. She was worried that the construction boom was being fueled by overvalued home equity loans. She reminded the audience of a time not long ago when Long Island saw many homeowners walking away from properties that were ‘upside down’, and felt that skyrocketing property valuations would leave us in that situation. She left me a little shaken.

Of course you know which of the two economic prognosticators look correct today.

Since that prescient presentation, I have read Ms Kamer’s outlook statements carefully.   Her latest installment for fourth quarter of 2009 can be read at (http://www.longislandassociation.org/UserFiles/File/PEARLDEC09.pdf).  Her common sense summary rings true to me: ‘Although Wall Street is doing somewhat better, Main Street has yet to benefit from the improved economy‘.  It’s worth reading.

The sentence that interested me the most: ‘American multinationals are spending more, primarily for their facilities abroad. Companies that have cut their workforce to the bone are investing in technology, software and other equipment that boosts productivity.’ I see this too. Almost every supermarket now has numerous self scan aisles (which were installed during the recession) .  I also see it for families — with broadband adoption rates in the face of the recession. Verizon’s flagship FIOS product was launched during the recession, and managers claim adoption rates have been virtually unaffected. Ditto for the adoption rate of  ’smartphones’ (the iPhone and its cousins) – which have been even called ‘recession proof‘. Technology continues to become a part of the fabric of our everyday lives – recession be damned.

At Desktop Solutions, during the recession we adopted a ’screen share’ service (Gotomeeting) which pays for itself many times over each month.  We increased broadband at our office, adding some IP addresses — making the servers located there more accessible to our employees.  We’ve pitched our tried and true postage machine. It was a time saver ten years ago, but makes no sense today, when a visit to the post office’s web site yields postage stamps delivered to our mailbox. We compared shipping services for our eCommerce sales, and switched to a lower cost alternative.

A client has improved customer service by creating an online sales rep dashboard that allows reps to see customer status updates online, instead of contacting customer service. Proactive messaging communicates updates on back orders, shipping issues and collection notices directly to the reps in the field. Less time is spent faxing and updating customers.

Another customer has lowered operational costs by creating a portal to communicate with their overseas suppliers. Instead of having to re-key thousands of order confirmations, invoices, and bills of lading previously received via fax, their suppliers now upload the data into an online logistics portal, where it can be imported directly into accounting and shipping software. This also shortens the delivery cycle with these suppliers, since communicating across the time difference is much less of an issue.

Has your Long Island business looked at ways in which you can invest in technology and reduce ongoing costs?

Please let us know with your comments — we’d love to hear from you!