The new search engine Blekko has launched, so now seems like a good of a time as any to delve into the site and see what it's all about. Blekko was designed around the goal of eliminating spam results in internet search, via "slashtag technology" that narrows down the web into a select group of results. Specifically, the seven slashtag groups are: health, colleges, auto, personal finance, lyrics, recipes, and hotels. These are of course only the initial categories, with plans of expansion in the near future.
Blekko seeks to stand out against search big shots like Google and Bing, and here's an example of how: when a searcher types "health" into one of those engines, the results are a lot of low-quality content farms and spam. On the contrary, Blekko's results are only from high quality sites.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Tandem Interactive's Joe Larato on Women's Radio
Tandem's owner, Joe Laratro, was interviewed last week for the national Women's Radio station and shared his thoughts about search, the future of SEO, and getting the most out of internet marketing. The interview will be available from November 2-November 8th, and you can listen to it here:
http://www.womensradio.com/episodes/PubCon-Takes-a-Hands-On-Approach-to-Search-and-Social-Marketing/6885.html
Past November 8th, the link will take you to the archives, where the interview will still be available for your listening pleasure.
http://www.womensradio.com/episodes/PubCon-Takes-a-Hands-On-Approach-to-Search-and-Social-Marketing/6885.html
Past November 8th, the link will take you to the archives, where the interview will still be available for your listening pleasure.
Google Boosts Local Advertising
Google has launched Google Boost, a platform for Google Places that acts as sponsored search in local results. Currently, it has been released in San Francisco, Houston, and Chicago; with more cities slated to join soon.
The Boost ads will provide the phone number and address of the location, which is located by a combination of the vertical keyword and the location keyword (such as movie theater, vertical, and Houston, location). Additionally, customer reviews will be accessible via the ad as well as a maps marker and star rating.
Google's ad placement in correlation with local search is predicted to be successful, especially because the results will be highly relevant to the searchers need and area. This is poised to be a much higher success rate than, say, Facebook Places, where users aren't necessarily searching for things to purchase or local businesses to visit. One caveat to Boost search, though, is that the traffic can't be successfully tracked, since it arrives as a result of other search queries as opposed to a direct URL. Time will tell if this will be tweaked in the future or if Boost and AdWords ads will continue to share the same Internet real estate.
Currently, Tandem Interactive has initiated the Boost in our Houston area businesses, and will provide the same updates for our other client cities as the capabilities roll out.
The Boost ads will provide the phone number and address of the location, which is located by a combination of the vertical keyword and the location keyword (such as movie theater, vertical, and Houston, location). Additionally, customer reviews will be accessible via the ad as well as a maps marker and star rating.
Google's ad placement in correlation with local search is predicted to be successful, especially because the results will be highly relevant to the searchers need and area. This is poised to be a much higher success rate than, say, Facebook Places, where users aren't necessarily searching for things to purchase or local businesses to visit. One caveat to Boost search, though, is that the traffic can't be successfully tracked, since it arrives as a result of other search queries as opposed to a direct URL. Time will tell if this will be tweaked in the future or if Boost and AdWords ads will continue to share the same Internet real estate.
Currently, Tandem Interactive has initiated the Boost in our Houston area businesses, and will provide the same updates for our other client cities as the capabilities roll out.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Only 1/3 of Small Businesses Utilize Social Media
According to a new study from RatePoint, only 36% of small business owners utilize social media to reach out to their customers--a significantly low percentage considering 72% of big businesses already use social media, and the remaining 28% have a plan ready to be initiated before the year's end.
The logic behind the low small business figure? Because apparently, 20% of small business owners don't think that their customers spend time on sites like Facebook or Twitter, and 27% said they weren't sure. Sadly, they are mistaken. 62% of the United States adult population is on Facebook, and according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, social network use among Internet users ages 50+ increased from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010, while the proportion of Americans ages 70-75 who were online in general increased from 26% in 2005 to 45% in 2009. So literally, social media touches almost every age demographic.
Of the small business owners that do utilize social media, a big selling point is that it is inexpensive and has great capabilities.
The logic behind the low small business figure? Because apparently, 20% of small business owners don't think that their customers spend time on sites like Facebook or Twitter, and 27% said they weren't sure. Sadly, they are mistaken. 62% of the United States adult population is on Facebook, and according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, social network use among Internet users ages 50+ increased from 22% in April 2009 to 42% in May 2010, while the proportion of Americans ages 70-75 who were online in general increased from 26% in 2005 to 45% in 2009. So literally, social media touches almost every age demographic.
Of the small business owners that do utilize social media, a big selling point is that it is inexpensive and has great capabilities.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Standing Out From Your Competitors: Take a Cue From Jet Blue
JetBlue's advertising was recently taken over by Interpublic's Mullen, who have created a smart new campaign for the airline that serves to point out the negatives associated with other airlines, therefore highlighting JetBlue's strengths. What's important to realize is that JetBlue never name-drops or calls out a specific airline.
What's also unique about the ads is that the messages are all passed on in everyday scenarios by everyday people--there's no spokesperson or personality on behalf of the company. Here's an example: a cab driver picks up some New York City passengers, then informs them that there is a $25 baggage check fee to store bags in the trunk. This, of course, is only one example of several ads, each just as clever and stating a message at the end relating to the ad and JetBlue's policies.
It's refreshing to see an ad campaign showing that a company is better than its competitors without having a cheesy face literally tell you that word for word. JetBlue's campaign is smart, doesn't really point any fingers, and leaves them looking like winners. In keeping with the undeniable effect of viral video, the ads are all blasted on YouTube, Vevo, and Hulu. A job well done!
What's also unique about the ads is that the messages are all passed on in everyday scenarios by everyday people--there's no spokesperson or personality on behalf of the company. Here's an example: a cab driver picks up some New York City passengers, then informs them that there is a $25 baggage check fee to store bags in the trunk. This, of course, is only one example of several ads, each just as clever and stating a message at the end relating to the ad and JetBlue's policies.
It's refreshing to see an ad campaign showing that a company is better than its competitors without having a cheesy face literally tell you that word for word. JetBlue's campaign is smart, doesn't really point any fingers, and leaves them looking like winners. In keeping with the undeniable effect of viral video, the ads are all blasted on YouTube, Vevo, and Hulu. A job well done!
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Billion Dollar Industry of 2011? Mobile Advertising
Thanks to innovations like PDAs and the iPad, the internet has formed an enormous relationship with the searcher-on-the-go. It's no longer necessary to search for recipes, directions, store locations, or anything else prior to hitting the open road, and many internet users today are taking full advantage of having a world of information instantly accessible at their fingertips.
While mobile advertising is set to close out 2010 at around $743 million, expect that number to hit $1 billion sometime in 2011 (2009 was substantially less "mobile", at $416 million.
We have Apple's iAd and Google's AdMob to thank for the spike in revenue. Also in correspondence with the mobile frenzy, it now seems that sometime next year, there will be more web-enabled smart phones than basic feature phones. Because of the huge popularity of mobile search, it is truly in a company's best interest to have their site available in a mobile friendly version.
You can read more about the future of mobile here.
While mobile advertising is set to close out 2010 at around $743 million, expect that number to hit $1 billion sometime in 2011 (2009 was substantially less "mobile", at $416 million.
We have Apple's iAd and Google's AdMob to thank for the spike in revenue. Also in correspondence with the mobile frenzy, it now seems that sometime next year, there will be more web-enabled smart phones than basic feature phones. Because of the huge popularity of mobile search, it is truly in a company's best interest to have their site available in a mobile friendly version.
You can read more about the future of mobile here.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Privacy Goes Out the Window with "Just Spotted"
Constantly dodging the paparazzi and savoring any moment of privacy--oh, the life of a celebrity. As if it weren't already tough enough for celebs to catch a break, Justspotted.com has made things significantly more invasive.
JustSpotted works like this: based on a celeb's single tweet, and the help of Google Maps, JustSpotted is able to pinpoint the exact location of a celebrity and show them to a searcher in real-time. Kinda creepy right?
Users are also able to fan celebrities, so anytime an update occurs surrounding the celeb they will receive an e-mail of the latest news surrounding them, sort of like a constantly updated map with popups of celebrity whereabouts. CEO AJ Asver says "we don't give you enough information fast enough for anyone to run to location and stalk the person. We really care about fans following celebrities they love," he adds. "We're trying to bring people closer."
Ok, Asver, if you say so.
JustSpotted works like this: based on a celeb's single tweet, and the help of Google Maps, JustSpotted is able to pinpoint the exact location of a celebrity and show them to a searcher in real-time. Kinda creepy right?
Users are also able to fan celebrities, so anytime an update occurs surrounding the celeb they will receive an e-mail of the latest news surrounding them, sort of like a constantly updated map with popups of celebrity whereabouts. CEO AJ Asver says "we don't give you enough information fast enough for anyone to run to location and stalk the person. We really care about fans following celebrities they love," he adds. "We're trying to bring people closer."
Ok, Asver, if you say so.
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