When creating an Internet marketing campaign, you need to know who is online, where they are going, what sites they visit most frequently, what attracts them to certain pages, what types of ads are they clicking on, how do they gather information, etc.

There are various sources of information that helps divide the demographic information and usage habits to better understand what is happening. However, there aren’t many things that are more understandable and fun (for the lack of a better word) than infographics and videos. Below you can see some useful ones that I located for you Album Admirers. Enjoy!

It’s not the tool but how you use it.

You can have a group on Facebook, an account on Twitter, a photo collection on Flickr, and a channel on YouTube, but what does that mean to your brand?

Online marketing is more than just creating accounts online and hoping the search engines lead potential customers to them. You have to be active with your fans, followers, and subscribers. Social media is an important part of Internet marketing that allows you to build a more solid brand by having a human connection. Current customers are more likely to suggest your product to friends if they have a good experience.

However, if you leave your accounts idle, you are missing out on communication opportunities. Even if your potential customers don’t need your product or service right now, keeping them posted with fun facts, transfixing trivia, and pensive pictures will keep you at the forefront of their mind when your product/service becomes a need.

Not only that, but the more relevant information you post, the more searchable your brand becomes to potential customers. And with Google as today’s #1 search source, pleasing the Google Search Engine Gods could lead you down a path of Internet sainthood.

Ready? Set? Rock!

Studies are proving that TV advertising is becoming less and less reliable. According to an article on MarketingProfs.com, “in 2010, most advertisers plan to move budget dollars away from traditional media to social media (77%), online advertising (73%), and search engine marketing (59%).”

There is talk that allowing fewer commercials per pod may be more effective, but with the population turning to search engines to find a resource to fulfill their needs, having a strong online presence is a must.

Social marketing tops the charts as the number one source advertisers and marketers will turn to for brand building. Through various social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and others, a strong brand strategy and marketing plan can have a huge effect on brand awareness. With these vehicles, you can build brand loyalty and an overall solid presence in today’s competitive market. By having a strong presence in social media, you allow your product/service users, fans, and, on occasion, addicts to feel like they belong have a place in the world of your brand.

But what good is being searchable when your web content is weak? That’s where web development and brand identity design come into play. Once your product or service reaches your target, the images they see need to tell them how you fulfill their need.

So give into the online tidal wave. Swim with the social media current. Develop a strong online marketing plan and you too can have a brand with substance.

Ready? Set? Rock!

This is a bit of a late introduction, but better late than never. Album has hired two new staff members! Marsha Clayton joins Album as Client Coordinator and Alyson Ben-Yehuda as an Online Marketing Associate.

As Client Coordinator, Marsha manages clients’ projects through the different phases of implementation. Marsha is originally from Henderson, Nevada where during high school she played basketball and ran track. She studied at Brigham Young University and earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. Before joining Album, Marsha worked with InterCommunications Inc. Marketing and Communications Company in Newport Beach, catering to international resort and real estate development. Her past clients include Montage Beverly Hills, Three Creek Ranch in Jackson Hole, WY, and Plantation Village at Dorado Beach, Puerto Rico.

Alyson Ben-Yehuda is an Online Marketing Associate at Album. In this role she will be responsible for carrying out search engine and social media marketing activities to help clients and potential clients. She is an Orange County local with a long history of online marketing experience including an emphasis on social media. Before coming to Album, Ben-Yehuda was Search Engine Optimization Senior Analyst for House Hunt—a Huntington Beach-based marketing company specializing in real estate agents nationwide. She worked to develop marketing strategies and taught the fundamentals of using social media to top real estate agents representing Keller Williams, Century 21, REMAX, and more. In addition to her experience with House Hunt, Alyson is also the editor and founder of The Gloss Menagerie, a beauty website featuring product reviews and industry news.

“Adding two very talented marketing professionals to the team has been instrumental in the day-to-day interaction with our clients,” said Nathan Harris, Principal. “Our clients are benefiting from the level of service that we are providing.”

The 5-year projections are out and the forecast is clear: traditional marketing continues to dry up, while online marketing just doesn’t let up.  By now, if you haven’t taken social media, video, or search engine optimization (SEO) seriously, you’re already beginning to sink.  Have a look at the latest trends courtesy of Forrester Research:

1.    It’s where the party is at

The major search engines account for over 90% of all online traffic.  Although there are other sites (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc.) that bring traffic to websites; Google, Yahoo and MSN still bring the majority.  Did you know that 80% of Internet users start with a search?  Will you be there when they come looking, because they WILL come looking.

2.    Targeted consumers

Those who are searching for YOU, find YOU.  With keywords and phrases that are specific to your industry, product or service, your consumers are looking for you.

3.    Beat your competitors

SEO allows for a very competitive atmosphere.  For once, the smaller companies can beat out the bigger companies if their website bring more value.  Companies that are serious about having a large share of the Internet market should be committed to securing top 10 rankings for their keywords or phrases.

4.    ROI

A well planned, long term strategy can bring return to your investment.  SEO will get consumers to your website and if your business plan works, it will produce results that will keep coming.

5.    Broad presence

You can spread your website presence across a multitude of keywords.  If you have content that covers a large amount of varying content, SEO can stretch your presence across the different search engines.

6.    Unlimited clicks

You won’t have a monthly PPC budget because they are already at the top with good SEO.  Once you have achieved a high rankings, the clicks will keep coming with no added cost.

7.    Quality websites

Quality Content that is well optimized. Websites that have quality content for their users do best in the search engines.

8.    Measurable

With tools like Google Analytics all movement from the search engines to your website and within your website can be tracked.  This really helps you measure ROI.

9.    People choose organic

No matter what study you are reading, most people select the organic search first. Some suggest that 60% of click are on the top organic searches, others say even higher.  Either way, the majority of clicks are on top organic listings.

10.    And most importantly…

Search engine algorithms are always changing. SEO is important to continue doing each month, because what might work this month might not work next month. Being proactive is the best strategy, not reactive when your sites rankings have already plummeted.

At the beginning of this month Microsoft introduced their new search engine – Bing. Microsoft is not using Bing as an attempt to dethrone Google but to offer a more competitive product than Live Search as well as offer a search engine that may give more informative results.

Microsoft says that the search engine is designed to help users “make better decisions.”
The new search engine differs from others because it “delivers answers, not web pages.”  It is designed to help people make purchasing decisions, make travel plans, research health conditions, or find businesses online.  It helps searchers find what Bing believes to be relevant information to their searches.

But what does this mean for online marketing?

As far as SEO is concerned, Bing will present sites that offer quality information, not just sites that have a specific keyword.  “For example, a search for “Britney Spears” may organize by the subcategories “biography,” “videos,” “music” and “concert information.”  This means SEO strategies will adjust in order to optimize Web content for select sub categories, rather than select keywords only.”

Bing takes a valid position to Internet marketing.  As many of us have now noticed, the Internet is now flooded with web pages.  It may be good to have a less diluted search engine available.

Try out Bing for yourself and let us know your opinion.

MarketingSherpa released a survey measuring the perceived accuracy of marketing ROI in social media (below). Not surprisingly, over 50% of businesses claim they can not accurately track the effectiveness of participating in blogs, review sites, and social networking sites.

In the online marketing world, where analytics play a pivotal role in shaping your marketing strategy, this perceived inaccuracy may seem very high. But successful online marketing is not only defined by click-through rates and conversions. Businesses can learn valuable feedback about their customers behavior. How do they communicate? What makes them excited about your products and services? What other interests do they have?

At Album, we define Social Media Marketing as a Baseline Online Marketing tactic. In contrast to Lead Online Marketing (which includes services like pay-per-click and email marketing that produce very accurate metrics), Baseline Marketing encompasses search engine optimization, brand reputation management, and social media marketing. We define these services as “baseline” because, like in music, they create a critical foundation that often goes unnoticed. They play a more long term role. Performance in baseline marketing is measured more qualitatively than quantitatively. For example: what blog topics produce the most replies? Or, what angers your customers the most?

Much can be learned from the social behavior of your customers. The popularity of social media sites only adds to the qualitative market data available.

A recent survey of nearly 1,900 businesses illustrates the effectiveness of 7 different social marketing tactics and how easily they can be measured.

Most people think that social networking is limited to social network sites like Facebook and MySpace. Surprisingly, this tactic ranked lowest on the list for effectiveness! Instead, the most effective tactics were participation in user reviews, blogs, and discussion groups (in that order).

One thing is for sure, the popularity of social tools have grown exponentially over the past year. Sooner or later, every business will recognize the long-term value of participation. Here is a breakdown of the results: