Posted by: Nikki Burmaster, Marketing Coordinator

The importance of local online search strategies has increased exponentially within the last year. Implementing and continually optimizing local search techniques give businesses, especially those in very competitive industries or those with smaller marketing budgets, a leg up in the online marketing space.

Companies with local listings on the three major engines receive preferential treatment on results pages, showing in the top few listings when served. This is a major advantage considering the integration of paid ads, tweets, videos and more in many search engines’ results pages that are pushing actual organic results lower and lower on the first page.

In addition to higher search engine results, many listing services allow companies to add coupons and messages featuring current promotions or recent releases. Some local listings offer mobile integration, displaying search results with click-to-call features and local ad extensions that populate maps, directions, reviews and more.

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Conversion-driven marketing agency 90octane is rallying in support of Take Steps, a fundraiser and awareness event hosted by the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA). The walk takes place at the Denver Zoo at 6:30 p.m. on June 5th.

Donations raised by the team will fund research and help raise awareness of chronic digestive diseases that afflict millions of people. Over the past two years Take Steps has raised over $13 million for CCFA’s important programs.

Learn how you can help the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America.

Posted by: Erin Wilson, Marketing Coordinator

Mobile consumption has continued to increase in popularity for both marketers and consumers. In fact, while the amount of time spent on other media channels such as television, video and radio has decreased, mobile phone usage has seen a large increase. In 2009, average daily mobile Internet use rose 36 percent, talking on mobile phones was up 12 percent, and texting increased by 55 percent.

Smartphones continue to grow in popularity; ownership increased from 11 percent to 17 percent of mobile users within the last year. More and more smartphone users are using their devices to access social media. The amount of mobile users who visited social networking sites on their phones grew from 2.9 percent to 18 percent in just one year. 38 percent of smartphone users fall into the 18-24 age range. However, people of all ages seem to be using their phones to perform all sorts of activities, such as watching videos, texting, taking pictures and accessing the Internet.

These mobile usage trends are extremely important to marketers. Approximately 56 percent of companies are now planning to increase their marketing budgets to include mobile. The Mobile Marketing Association predicts that mobile ad spending will increase from $1.7 billion in 2009 to $2.16 billion in 2010. The market is currently valued at $5 billion and is projected to reach $19 billion by 2014, proving that mobile is a space that companies must be in.

Many companies have already optimized their websites and content to be mobile friendly and more companies are jumping on board. The companies that recognize the growing importance of mobile marketing will continue to be successful and reach many consumers that they otherwise would have missed.

Sources:

eMarketer
Econsultancy

Posted by: Nichole Garofalo, Marketing Intern

According to a recent report from Hitwise, Facebook overtook Google as the most visited website in the U.S., while sending a message that the social sharing site has become a major contender in the online search space. And it’s not hard to see why.

Facebook has managed to deliver the Web in a way that makes searching for solutions, in addition to good old socializing, seem more “real.” Regular people can use their connections on social networks like Facebook when they’re seeking recommendations for products and services and information gathering. That’s because these connections are actual people they know and trust. They can turn to Google afterward if they’re still unsatisfied. Why would online searchers choose results generated by anonymous bots when they can get trusted information based on the first-hand experience of friends on Facebook?

What’s more, with this kind of social, real-time search happening, Facebook presents an opportunity for marketers to monitor what’s being said about their brands (both the good and the bad).

Hitwise’s report states that Facebook and Google together accounted for 14% of all U.S. Internet visits, with Facebook’s homepage accounting for 7.07% of traffic and Google’s home page 7.03%. Although the traffic reports are close, Facebook’s year-over-year growth far outpaces Google’s. With a more targeted audience and Web traffic that is growing by the minute, Facebook is proving that marketers can’t ignore social media.