Pay Per Click Advertising and SEO » Marketing

iTunes hit by scam reviews

Jenny Sanderson — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:26:02 +0000

Spam reviews have hit the news frequently over the last few months, as small businesses reveal the impact which a negative spam review can have upon their service reputation and customer retention. While a poor review can signal disaster for a business, positive reviews are on the increase for organisations looking to increase their online reputation through deceptive marketing strategies.

The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has this week made a ruling against a marketing firm that posted positive reviews of its customer’s applications on iTunes. The firm used the power of the web to generate positive comments relating to their client’s products.

According to the ruling, Reverb Communications encouraged its employees to post up bogus reviews on iTunes, posing as ordinary customers. They engaged in what the FTD terms ‘deceptive advertising’ to promote their products and generate further sales. They have now been ordered to remove any feedback which has been posted up through deceptive means.

This is the first time that the FTC have taken action under a new guidelines passed last year, which extends to both celebrity endorsements and online reviews. The move was the first time in over thirty years that the FTC had changed its policy. The new legislation marks the digital industry, as the posting of fake reviews did not have any form of policing associated with it until that point.

Reverb Communications employees posted up reviews which stated that their products were ‘amazing’, ‘the best’ or ‘just getting better’. A spokesperson from the FTC commented: “Companies, including public relations firms involved in online marketing need to abide by long-held principles of truth in advertising. Advertisers should not pass themselves off as ordinary consumers touting a product, and endorsers should make it clear when they have financial connections to sellers.”

Three network head slams phone tariff marketing

Jen — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 09:33:30 +0000

Kevin Russell, the head of the Three mobile network has released a statement which takes issue with the way in which mobile phone tariffs are marketed in the UK media. A recent ruling by the ASA (Advertising Standards Agency) against the Orange mobile network has prompted him to comment.

The ASA penalized the Orange firm for making sweeping statements about their 3G network, which they claimed covered more people in the UK than any other operator. This was found to be false, leading to the press advert being withdrawn.
Hutchison 3G, who provide the T-Mobile and Three combined network, questioned the statement issued by Orange, and the ASA ruled in favour of Hutchison. They stated that the advert misled potential customers, as it did not make it clear how the coverage claim was calculated.

While Orange provide a higher level of coverage to UK consumers in terms of the number of the population using their network, Hutchison 3G actually provide coverage to a greater geographical area.
Russell admitted he felt regret about some of the advertising strategies his firm has used in the past: “As an industry our marketing standards are poor and it has led to cynicism. One of the dumbest things I’ve done is talk about ‘unlimited’ data when it’s not.”

In the wake of the ruling in Hutchison’s favour, the ASA have commented that they now intend to analyse the terms through which packages can be advertised, preventing the claim of unlimited downloads for data. Guy parker, Chief Executive of ASA stated: “The market has evolved quite a lot in the last few years particularly with the popularity of mobile broadband. We think it’s a good time to have a look at that policy, see if it’s fit for purpose.”

Gadget consumers confused by technical specifications

Jenny Sanderson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 06:59:23 +0000

Which? consumer magazine has issued a report stating that many people find the technical specifications for technology gadgets misleading or confusing. Which?, the comparison magazine for people looking at different brands of gadgets, conducted a survey to asses people’s reactions to various technical help solutions and labels.

Which? examined a number of gadgets and assessed their efficacy when it came to clear labelling and consistent help materials provided upon purchase. The magazine found a number of inconsistencies which presented misleading information, clouding consumer judgement when it came to purchasing decisions.

The magazine identified laptops which were labelled as having Bluray, but did not actually have a Bluray device enabled within the machines. This kind of information, Which? reported, is creating a minefield of issues associated with consumer knowledge. The obscure jargon used by many manufacturers confuses people looking to purchase certain gadgets.
Another issue found by the consumer experts focused on the way in which technical specifications are presented. Which? reported that statistics listed by different manufacturers were not possible to compare, making it tough for purchasers to make an informed decision when buying projects of an equal standard. Which? evaluated a number of gadgets including televisions, laptop computers and cameras.

Matt Beth, Technology Editor at Which? stated: “Televisions make a lot of claims and use a lot of big numbers. One set claimed to have ‘four trillion colours’ – which sounds fantastic. The trouble is, programmes aren’t broadcast in that many colours and in any case, we can’t see that many; it’s meaningless. It’s certainly marketing hype. Plastering products with big numbers will make some consumers choose the brand which sounds more impressive. But when it comes to technology, bigger doesn’t mean better.”

Mr. Beth warned people against comparing statistics for equivalent products, as data such as contrast ratios do not have a common standard, so people could potentially make purchasing errors based upon the information which accompanies certain goods.

Promoted Trending Topics launched by Twitter

Andre — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 06:14:16 +0000

Last April, Twitter launched its first ad campaign facility, in the guise of Promoted Tweets. Tweeters are now accustomed to this facility, which provides advertising revenue in a different way to standard web advertising packages. Rather than flooding their platform with adverts, Twitter instead uses a more subtle method of generating revenue through promotional tweeting.

“Over the years, we’ve resisted introducing a traditional Web advertising model because we wanted to optimize for value before profit. The open exchange of information creates opportunities for individuals, organizations, and businesses alike. We recognized value in this exchange and planned to amplify it in a meaningful and relevant manner,” Twitter states.

In effect, Twitter is acknowledging that their facility is an ideal way of promoting specific products, but there are more effective ways of advertising with the site than simply presenting links to products. This week, Twitter commences the next phase of their advertising strategy, through the use of ‘Promoted Trending Topics’.

Promoting Trending Topics commence with a promotion for Disney Pixar’s latest film, Toy Story 3. The film is being advertised on the right hand toolbar of Twitter, and the ad is highlighted in yellow so it’s obvious that it is a Promoted Trending Topic. Clicking the link takes you to a search results page, which lets you see what people are tweeting about the new film.

Twitter has commented on the new advertising model: “As we have always said, we plan to test different advertising and promotional models in these early stages of our monetization efforts for both user and brand value. As part of this effort, we are testing trends clearly marked as “promoted” for an undefined period of time.”

So far, Promoted Trending Topics are not defined by location, but it’s easy to imagine that this will be the next step for Twitter’s advertising campaign – to establish topics of interest based upon the demographics, geography or interests of the Twitter user.

Last quarter of 2009 sees growth in online advertising

James Oliver — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 11:32:52 +0000

The global economic crisis has affected many of us in the last couple of years, it has even sunk its economy killing claws into the internet. The online advertising industry was hit hard in 2009, research from IDC (Interactive Data Corp) reports that after having three dismal quarters in 2009 the online ad sector ended the year strongly.

Auctioning site Ebay had a big influence on this as they too had a terrific final quarter. The last period of spending in 2009 actually set a new record in spending for the online ad sector validating the suggestion that the economic slump that has crippled the online ad industry could finally be retreating.

Spending on online advertising bounced back in the fourth quarter of 2009 where a record high by measure of absolute dollars was posted. Online ad spending fell a disappointing 2.4% over the course of 2009 slipping from $27 billion in 2008 to $26.4 billion in 2009.

The return to a period of growth seen at the end of 2009 came as a result of a record spend totalling $7.4 billion which was a 4.5% rise from the $7.1 billion that was recorded in the early part of the year.

IDC has given a lot of the credit to Ebay, who’s strong finish to the year was partly responsible for propelling the online classified advertisement segment to even greater heights.

Nova to be unveiled at CES?

Matt Thomas — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 10:06:43 +0000

Palm has had a difficult 2008. It’s been a year in which their market share has continued to struggle and they have been forced to make substantial lay-offs. However, the rumour is that they are aiming to put all that behind them with their upcoming trip to Las Vegas for the CES (Consumer Electronics Show).

They’ve sent out invites to their event on the Thursday, promising a preview of “All that Palm New-ness you’ve been waiting for.” This has prompted rumours that the event will feature a first look at the company’s new operating system, Nova.

This has sparked much interest across the mobile computing industry as it is thought by many that Nova represents palm’s last ‘roll of the dice’. It’s certainly true that Palm have invested a lot in the success of their new operating system after struggling for much of the last decade.

The operating system will not be appearing on any actual devices until well into 2009. However, the CES will be a vital part of building hype around the system and the device it eventually runs on which, as any Apple marketing exec will tell you, is very necessary to success in the modern SmartPhone market.

If Palm have hit a home-run with Nova and actually delivered real innovation then there’s every chance they could compete. I guess we’ll know soon enough.

Big Mouth Media Review

Admin — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:03:23 +0000

When in the market for a company that will provide you with a reliable and cost-effective web based advertising service, it can inevitably be difficult to find the right people to match your needs.

Big Mouth media is one of the bigger players in the online marketing world having received awards and recognition for their services which include affiliate marketing and search engine optimisation.

Their website provides prospective customers with a wide range of information about the company and everything that it offers but what it fails to elaborate on is that whilst they may indeed provide a professional service, this comes at an extremely high premium.

Big Mouth Media claim that they offer their clients a wealth of options according to their advertising budget but clients will be paying a high price for a service that; although has very many positive attributes, is no better than that offered by some small companies such as us.

Whilst Big Mouth Media do indeed have an impressive list of previous clients that include the like of supermarket giants Tesco and Satellite television front runners Sky, it is interesting to note how prominent this list of clients is on their site homepage, it begs the question as to whether they are offering a service based on who they have worked for in the past not what they can actually offer a new client.

There is no doubting that they must be good at what they do, one look at their clientele will tell you that, but the worry for a company not quite as rich or well established as those that they are so keen to say they have worked for is, that they may end up feeling like a small fish in a big pond.

For a smaller company it may be worth looking at a web based advertising company that offers a similar service to that of Big Mouth Media but at a price that reflects the size of the company, better value for money is definitely out there.

Yahoo’s History as a Search Engine

Admin — Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:06:58 +0000

Yahoo began much in the same way as Google. A student at Stanford needed an idea and thus he launched his idea on the internet in 1994. While Yahoo is the first major search engine, it has not been able to keep up with Google’s innovations.

In 1995 Yahoo was so popular that they were able to incorporate and move to a new place in Silicon Valley. The investment of 2 million dollars was finally paying off. They have much in the way of internet communication, web search results, and media.

Yahoo has been one of the top email providers to consumers worldwide. They are also very popular as a search engine, but they are not at Google’s standards today. In fact the most popular news about Yahoo this year has been MSN’s offer to buy out Yahoo. Yahoo refused the offer for a buy out, saying that MSN was not offering the right price.

Yahoo is definitely a decent search engine, but what has changed their status is not keeping up with the times. Yahoo is a busier site and not just a search engine. For those who want a quick search and a great answer, Google wins every time.

More Queues outside Phone Shops

James Oliver — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 10:00:49 +0000

Like the iPhone and the T-Mobile G1 before it, it seems that many people were so eager to own RIM’s latest product, the BlackBerry Storm, that they lined up for hours in the freezing cold.

In Manhattan in excess of two hundred gadget fans lined up outside a Verizon store to get the phone. Many were less than pleased to be turned away after the store ran out of phones, not even an hour after opening. A portion of the would be Blackberry owners were so upset that they caused a scene which had to be sorted out by the New York Police.

Whilst, at present, there have been no other reports of disturbances, similar numbers of people were said to be camped outside Verizon stores all across the east cost of the USA.

Whilst this is all great PR for the Blackberry Storm, it’s important to remember that similar scenes greeted the debuts of both the iPhone and the G1. This is just another battle in the ongoing war for smartphone supremacy, a war that is set to intensify next year with the release of Palm’s latest contribution to the smartphone market. Like the G1, the device is set to run on its very own operating system – at present both the system and the phone remain unnamed.

Search Engine Marketing with Brands

Admin — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 08:56:28 +0000

The larger companies that carry brand names tend to be more popular with the youth on the internet. Younger generations are all about brand name clothing, items, and much more. If you have an internet site that sells brand name products you may have more than the competition. It is important that everyone on the internet with a business use the marketing strategies available on the net. This may mean pay per click advertising as well as other means. The important part is that you advertise correctly.

By offering brand products for resale or even on places like eBay, you may find that your advertising and marketing is more successful than other companies. Keep in mind that this strategy only works if you are targeting the younger generations. Even at holiday time parents might be interested in finding brand name products for less. At this point you would still be targeting the younger generation in order for the parents to find out about the site.

With search engine marketing you have to make sure consumers know you are available. Without the correct advertising you could end up at the bottom of the list rather than in the top where you get the most results.

Internet Marketing and the Recession

Admin — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 08:40:17 +0000

The credit crunch has affected many sectors. It will not affect the internet marketing sector as much as other industries according to experts. Experts such as Yahoo’s chief executive believe that search engine marketing matters the most at the moment for any business with a webpage. The advertising online is based on performance.

Pay Per Click advertising is just one of the areas of search engine marketing that is bound to increase because it is cost effective and it works to generate clients. People are on the internet all the time for information as well as things to purchase. During this time it is imperative that businesses make their sites available.

It is this search of the internet and sales that will help a business survive. If a consumer can find it cheaper online they will purchase the item they are looking for. This means that during a recession internet marketing is going to do well. It may not do as great in a recession as without, but the fact is more online businesses are bound to make money than store fronts and other industry sectors. Some think this confidence is misplaced, but you only have to look at the holiday season to see where consumers are shopping.

Holiday Search Engine Marketing

Admin — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:10:50 +0000

Christmas is approaching quickly. This year many retail stores are going to suffer because shoppers don’t have the money to spend on gifts. Not all retailers are going to suffer though the online market is going to increase their sales as a direct relation to search engine marketing targeting specific consumers.

DVD’s, computer games, and several other electronic goods will be most popular. Children and teenagers are always a topic for holiday gifts. Despite not having money, parents feel they must get a little something. This year they will be looking to the internet for great sales and cheaper products. This is where the search engine marketing comes into play.

By using pay per click ads a company will be able to get their name out on the internet. In this more prominent place adults can find what they are looking for. For businesses it means they will need to have some great marketing strategies. The cheaper the strategies the better as you don’t want to pay out too much in advertising. After all to get the revenue you need you need to spend less and make more. By using pay per click marketing strategies you have a chance to earn quite a bit. There are also some free marketing options.

Advice for Search Engine Marketing

Admin — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 09:20:43 +0000

In the last few days an internet marketing conference was being held in Las Vegas. The conference was all about how to market a website as well as the large businesses attending. Some of the most successful businesses were in attendance to share their thoughts on search engine marketing.

The most important aspect of the conference was on pay per click advertising. There are many websites on the internet that don’t use pay per click advertising, but it is a very cost effective method. The company with pay per click ads does not pay anything until they have been clicked on. This means they have usually gotten a sale from the consumer or at least a consumer interested in coming back to the site. Pay per click advertising doesn’t always work. The proof that it works more times than not is in the sales and numbers these companies have shown at the conference.

The tips are more important than the numbers at the moment though. The first tip offered was regarding advertising on multiple search engines. The second is that advertising should not have duplicate content. Lastly by combing the first tip with ROI and a properly managed site one can gain the benefits.

Having the Correct Search Engine Optimisation

Admin — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 09:16:18 +0000

A recent survey created for holiday input stated about 48 percent of British consumers who have the internet will turn to online gift purchases this year. The online gifts tend to offer more rewards than going to the store. There are more discounts, coupons, and deals that you just can’t find in a regular store according to most of the consumers surveyed. They also said it will help cut costs because they don’t have to worry about fuel consumption and they will search for what they have on their list rather than seeing something else to buy. Typically consumers find things sitting strategically on shelves that they pick up at the last minute.

What they don’t know is this could happen on the internet. If you have an internet site search engine optimisation is going to be imperative this year. You need to make sure these consumers buying online only will find you. An appealing strategy is going to have you making more money this year than in the previous few years.

You also have to be more aware of the comparison shopping. A lot of the consumers surveyed about their shopping habits this year stated they will compare prices to several online stores before they make their choice. After all it is easier to do this online than going around from store to store. In fact 81 percent of those who will be shopping online said they would take the time to compare.

Knowing how your target consumers are going to act will help you come up with better search engine optimisation. Pay per click ads are really at the height of search engine marketing and SEO options. The pay per click ads are less expensive than other methods of advertising. They also get a range of consumers. Even in the ad you have to look for search engine optimisation. You need the ad to be placed on a page where it can be found and clicked on. You also need to have it full of keywords as well as your business title.

It may behoove you to change your ads this year to get the consumer base that will be on the internet. You will also want to update your content before the holiday season really gets into full swing. Another option is to send out a discount newsletter to your loyal consumers. Offer them better prices than the competition through deals only they can have.

Your best option in search engine optimisation for the holidays is to do what the shoppers will do. Search for your site. Compare your site prices to the competition, and then change what you can. You might not be able to offer hundreds of discounts, but chances are if you have a couple of items lower than other competitors you will get more sales then staying above the competitors on all items you sell. It is also about getting your site on Google’s first page. Fix the issues you might have had in the past now.