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Advertising may lead the way to economic recovery in 2010.

If you think the overall economy had a bad year in 2009, advertising and media took a major hit in 2009.

But, perhaps a recovery is in progress in 2010 for the advertising world as finally there are some encouraging words regarding the economy.

Barclays Capital is bullish on media again.  It believes US advertising will increase by 3.5% to $167 billion in 2010.  Some benefits in 2010 are the Vancouver 2010 Olympics, the soccer World Cup, and political advertising.

The report shows the following media showing advertising gains in 2010:

• Network TV — + 7.8%
• Cable TV — +6.0%
• Local TV — +5.0%
• Internet — +8.9%
• Radio — +2.2%

Ever since I became interested in search engine optimization, one of the basic things that I’ve learned is that links from .gov and .edu links are inherently more valuable than traditional links.  That seems to make sense as its certainly more difficult to obtain these links than it is to obtain a link from a .com site.

I’ve been taught the same thing when it comes to .org sites.  Accordingly, .org sites are perceived as being more worthwhile than traditional .com sites, although that never made as much sense to me since anybody can obtain a .org site.

In one of Matt Cutts’ recent videos, however, is he saying that .gov and .edu sites are not as valuable as we might have thought?  I don’t think he is saying that actually.  I think what he is saying is that usually .edu site links are more valuable, but not always.  It all depends on the link page itself. 

One of my friends actually has a link on an Ohio State web page.  When I search for that keyword in his list of backlinks, however, it is surprisingly not anywhere in the first few pages based on importance by Google.  I would have thought it would be one of the top 10.

So, watch the video for yourself and leave us a comment as to what you think.  Is the glimmer off of .edu and .gov links?

How much would it be worth if you could increase the productivity of all of your employees by 15% with an

Advanced Telecom Services found that giving employees two monitors has increased its productivity.

investment of a few hundred dollars per employee?

That’s just what Advanced Telecom Services did by providing all of its employees with two computer monitors.  CEO Bret Dunlap said it would increase productivity by 30%.  I’m not sure that I buy that it’s 30%, but I’ll go with 15%.

My friend Jill works at a Philadelphia mortgage company and she has three monitors on her desk.  When I first saw it, I must admit that I thought it looked cool, but I didn’t really see the value of it at the time.  She said it had greatly improved productivity where she works, except for the occasional Facebook time waster that some employees were doing.

If you spend time using tools like Word or Excel and email, then toggle back and forth to the internet, you know it gets confusing with so many applications opened on one monitor.  Consider that when you need information from the internet for a report.  You need to open the browser and bring up the tab, then minimize the tab to put the information in your article.  Now, you need more information.  Same thing all over again. 

By having two monitors, you don’t need to mess with the tabs at all.  Just drag the information from one monitor to the other. 

Besides, the internet can really suck you in.  There’s so much information on it that you can spend literally hours on it, doing productive work, but forgetting why you went there in the first place.  Having two monitors eliminates that.

If you are looking to make an investment in the productivity of your company, then having multiple monitors is one you’ll want to make.  And, it looks cool and your employees will love you for it.

Just don’t let the young employees have Facebook on one screen all day.

Real-time search is dramatically changing search results at Google.  If the soon-to-be implemented Caffeine program is Google on speed, then the rankings are going to be changing constantly on premium keyword terms.

Get Clickz’ publisher Bob Bentz was quoted in a January 12, 2010 article in Digital Media Buzz.

The Chief Marketer survey also asked why brands and companies are using social networks.  The responses were varied, but show the folowing results.

• Drive traffic to web site - 69%
• Speak to fans - 59%
• Generate leads - 46%
• Generate sales - 40%
• Generate opt-ins - 28%
• Keep up with competition - 20%
• Handle customer problems - 16%

(Source - Chief Marketer)

Best of the Web Discount Promo Code

January 2010

20% off at Best of the Web in January 2010

It’s January 2010 and one of the best places to purchase a link is with the Best of the Web directory.  Yes, I know you’ve been reading all about SEO online and most stories say that buying directories is just a little bit better than a kick to the head.

While this may be true of many directories, it is not true of Best of the Web.  Google, Bing, and Yahoo still put significant value on being listed in Best of the Web.  In fact, with the recent knocks against DMOZ and the changes at the Yahoo directory, Best of the Web just may be the best directory that you can buy on the web.

But, the best thing that I like about Best of the Web is the discount promo codes that it gives.  There’s really no reason to buy at other times of the year when there is no discount code, because the discounts that Best of the Web gives are significant.

For January, 2010, Best of the Web is offering another great promo code — a 20% discount code!  That’s a huge savings on Best of the Web.

If you’ve been thinking about adding a directory link from Best of the Web, there’s no time like January 2010 than to buy a discounted directory listing.

To purchase your Best of the Web directory listing, and get a 20% discount, click here and when you check out enter NEWYR in the promo code box and you’ll get 20% off compliments of the Get Clickz blog.

January 2010 Best of the Web Discount Promo Code (NEWYR) –> Click Here

According to a survey of readers of Chief Marketer magazine and its corresponding web site, this is what is driving web traffic to its readers’ sites.

• Organic SEO - 28%
• Email - 18%
• Offline Media - 13%
• Pay Per Click - 12%
• Social Media - 7%
• Affiliates - 5%
• Mobile Marketing - 1%
• Other - 8%
• Don’t Know - 12%

(Source — Chief Marketer Oct/Nov ‘09)

We’ve talked a lot about mobile marketing on the Get Clickz blog, but one thing we probably don’t talk about enough is email marketing.  Email marketing is a steady performer for most companies and brands because it’s cheap, effective, and has a consistently good ROI.  It’s become a mainstay for most marketers.

If you are doing email marketing, you probably are using some kind of email marketing software.  It’s hard to imagine doing email marketing without some software to control the program, because there are so many variables.  For instance, you need to be able to delete those recipients that opt-out of the email solution; if you don’t you can suffer some severe penalties from the anti-Spam laws.

Opt-in email marketing is really the only way to go.  If you send your emails to people that don’t want to receive them, then you will likely do more harm to your brand than good.  While it may seem like a daunting task to get a proper opt-in, it really isn’t.  Just offer something of value like an email marketing white paper and interested parties will join faster than you can imagine.

The Obama 2008 campaign used iContact for its email marketing during the presidential election.  We aren’t sure who John McCain used, if any, but we know that the Obama campaign touched Americans unlike anybody in the past has.

Having iContact as its email partner didn’t hurt.

More people are using Twitter than ever before.

US adult Twitterers (or is it Tweeterers?) totaled 6 million in 2008.  In 2009, the amount of Twitterers tripled to 18 million.  Projected Twitterers for 2010 are 26 million; that’s 15.5% of all adults who are online!

What the Tweet!

(Source — eMarketer; September 2009)

You can follow Get Clickz publisher Bob Bentz on Twitter @bobbentz

2009 and the corresponding recession created a tough year for advertising.  Internet advertising, which

Internet advertising was up 2% in '09.

increased by 10.6% in 2008, saw its increase drop to just 2.3% in 2009.

Internet advertising companies, however, should not be upset when compared to the advertising declines suffered by all other major mediums from 2008 to 2009.

• Internet — + 2.3%
• Cable TV — -5.0%
• Direct Mail — - 10.0%
• Yellow Pages — -13%
• Outdoor — -14%
• Radio — -15.1%
• Broadcast TV — -19.0%
• Magazines — -20.0%
• Newspapers — -25.0%

The total decline of advertising over all mediums showed a decrease of 13.5% in 2009 versus 2008.

Internet advertising is expected to increase by 5.7% from 2009 to 2010 so don’t sell your Google stock now.

(Source — Barclays Capital)

Beginning this past month (December 1, 2009), bloggers are required to reveal their relationship with

This girl is not paid for her appearance.

companies offering swag or cash to endorse its products.

The Federal Trade Commission has the ability to levy fines of up to $11,000 to bloggers that do not reveal their relationships with paid advertisers.

Companies such as Blogsvertise, which acts as a middleman between advertisers and bloggers, might be affected by rules like this, although it appears to be another one of those rules that is going to be extremely difficult to enforce.  Nevertheless, it’s a good idea anyway for bloggers to reveal the endorsement of a product or brand is a paid advertisement.

Editor’s Note — GetClickz, and several other blogs produced by Olympic Internet, does accept some paid advertisements from brands and products desiring our review.  Such blog posts are listed as “Promotional Considerations” in the category section.

Millions of Americans online, according to the Harris Interactive Poll.

ESTIMATED NUMBERS OF ADULTS WHO ARE ONLINE (IN MILLIONS)

“At home/at work/at another location, do you personally use a computer to Access the Internet/World Wide Web?”

Base: All adults

*Based on July 2008 U.S. Census estimate released January 2009 (230,117,000 total adults aged 18 or over)

Results of the Harris Interactive Poll of Americans as to how much time they spend online in a typical week.

Harris Poll Results

“Excluding email, how many hours per week, on average, do you typically spend on the Internet or World Wide Web?”

Base: All adults

Americans are spending more time online than ever before.

Santa's mistress spends time online

According to a Harris Poll, adult internet users in the United States spent an average of over 13 hours online in 2009. 

Adult internet users in the USA has now reached 184 million which makes up 80% of the adult internet population.

Half of those adults online have purchased something online in the last month.

Internet use varies by age group.  30-somethings lead the way with 18 hours per week followed by 40-somethings at 17 and 25-29-year-olds also at 17.

62% of 30-somethings bought something online–highest among all age groups.  56% of 40-somethings made an e-commerce purchase.

The complete study can be found at Harris Interactive.

A group called Factual has analyzed data from four million web sites and provides the following statistics for those of you who like internet statistics.

• 28% of sites use Google Analytics
• 12% use Google AdSense
• 2% have a Twitter link and Facebook link
• 20% use Flash
• 19% have an RSS feed
• 6% have sitemaps

Stats are compliments of Danny Sullivan and Search Engine Land.

If you are a new webmaster, one of the first, and one of the most important, decisions you will make is to choose your web hosting company.  But, how do you choose the best site for your web hosting if you’ve never actually hosted your own web sites?  You can take advantage of the trial offers, but at some point, you’re going to need some professional advice.  That’s why we look at a site called Web Hosting Rating.

Most bloggers require hosting for blogs when they first start out.  It’s not surprising as obtaining a blog from Blogger or Wordpress makes writing your own web site as easy as apple pie.  That’s why this site is so helpful, because it compares different needs for hosting as one size doesn’t fit all.  It then leads you to the best site for you based on those needs.

Of course, the hosting required for ecommerce sites is much different than the hosting needs for bloggers.  That’s again where a comparison site makes so much sense as it can cater needs for ecommerce hosting to that of other genres of internet hosting.  That’s valuable advice.

There are many good web hosts out there.  The key is to find the best one for your particular needs.  That’s where a comparison site for web hosts is your best bet.

The amount of blogs on the web today are staggering!  In fact, the last thing we all really need is another blog, but thousands are set up every day.

Often, bloggers are excited to get started, but they soon burn out when they realize that writing a blog requires consistent work and if you don’t update often, you won’t get a lot of readers.  And, you will definitely not make any money.

The main thing is that people simply don’t know How to Make Money Blogging.  And, they don’t know how to get readers to find their blogs in the first place.  That’s where combining forces with other bloggers might make the most sense.

Yousaytoo.com is a site where you can combine forces with other bloggers to attract an audience and to start Blogging for Money.  Revenue Sharing with Google Adsense is just one way where the site helps you make money from your hard work.

It’s easy to Promote Blog with the site, because the other bloggers actually promote things for you.  By aggregating content, you will get a higher page rank, more visitors, and more readers.

What a concept.

If you love to Tweet, then you know that the ReTweet is one of the favorite things that an active Twitterer can do for you.  It’s like a nice compliment, only it may help you get more exposure and ultimately more business.

Want to know how many ReTweets you’ve received?  Try this.  Go to:

search.twitter.com

Then, enter “RT @yourtwittername” to see how many of your tweets have been ReTweeted.

Want to retweet this?  Go for it.

2009 was a banner year for mobile marketing.

For several years now, many marketers have wondered if this was The Year of Mobile.

If 2009 was any indication, The Year of Mobile has not only come, but bigger things are coming in 2010 for the service that The New York Times called “the most powerful advertising medium of all-time.”

Thanks to the increasing traction of mobile marketing in the United States, and a new and improved mobile marketing 2.0 web site, 84444.com enjoyed a banner year in 2009.  It established over 5000 mobile marketing promotions with household name brands such as Subway, 7-11, Cache, Lexus, and Domino’s.  Major radio groups such as Clear Channel, CBS Radio, and Beasley Broadcasting learned the benefits of mobile marketing with 84444.com.  The innovative new site also provided mobile marketing solutions to many prestigious universities including Duke, Louisiana Tech, Princeton, Florida A & M, and Virginia Commonwealth.

Throughout the year, 84444.com was able to provide its customers with interactive and broadcast mobile marketing solutions that furthered the advertiser’s unique one-on-one relationship with its customers.

·          84444.com helped develop very valuable databases for brands, companies, and interested parties.  In some cases, this opt-in database exceeded 100,000 opt-in users.

·         Many brands receive significant response for mobile coupons through 84444.com’s special mobile coupon service.  In some cases, redemption rates reached over 12% thanks in part to a viral forwarding of the coupons from original recipients to friends and family.

·         Text message sweepstakes continued to be the greatest mechanism for creating an opt-in database for companies and brands. 

·         Text message voting was used by numerous media outlets to immediately gauge public opinion on issues or select a winner.  Some media used premium SMS and 900 numbers to garner additional revenue for an interactive voting product.

·         Some customers combined the use of interactive voice response technology with interactive text message marketing to maximize participation.

“Our growth in 2009 has been nothing short of phenomenal,” said Bob Bentz, president of Advanced Telecom Services, the company that provides 84444.com.  “The great thing about mobile marketing is that mobile advertising costs are cheap; you can get involved with 84444.com for as little as $79.  Many advertisers have said that mobile marketing offered the best ROI of all of their media that they used.”

About 84444.com

84444.com is version 2.0 of Advanced Telecom Services mobile marketing product.  It was designed to offer an interactive mobile marketing tool to advertisers, advertising agencies, organizations, and radio stations.  84444.com offers not only interactive text messaging and bulk sms services, but also provides special solutions for mobile coupons and text message sweepstakes.

About Advanced Telecom Services

Advanced Telecom Services has been providing interactive telemedia solutions to advertising agencies and media since 1989.  In addition to mobile marketing, its product line includes IVR service bureau solutions for 800 numbers and 900 numbers, voice personals, internet dating, and text message dating.  Advanced Telecom Services is the parent company of Advanced Mobile Solutions and Spark Network Services and has international offices in Canada, Jamaica, United Kingdom, Ireland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia.

How will Caffeine affect your Google rank?

Google is beginning to roll out its new search engine Caffeine and it will be completed at some time in 2010.  Caffeine could have a major impact on search engine results going forward.

In August, soem SEO companies began testing Caffeine and the results seemed to show the following:

• Caffeine is faster.  Hence, its name.  Get Clickz has already written about how faster web sites will rank higher with Google Caffeine.
• Caffeine shows more listings.
• Video is not as important in Caffeine.
• Domain names with keywords in them will carry more weight.
• Age of a website is increasingly important.
• Social media web sites are more important.
• Keyword phrases and long tail keyword strings will gain in importance compared to singular keywords.
• Authority web site links will become increasingly important.
• News sites are favored.
• Inbound links with anchor text help more.
• Page Sculpting is no longer important.
• Pages with keyword stuffing incur penalties.

In general, most testers have reported that, for most keywords, the first page contains essentially the same sites, but in significantly different order.  The deeper you go into the keyword, the more dramatic the results are due to the implementation of Caffeine.