The study found that Engaged Viewers (viewers who watch more than an hour of online video a week) make up nearly 40% of all online video viewers and watch nearly 75% of all online video.

• Are more likely to watch videos all the way through
• Pay more attention to online video more than they do TV
• Interact with and rate the videos they watch more frequently
• Are twice as likely to recall in-video ads and post-rolls than non-Engaged Viewers
• Agree more readily that advertising is fair and helps pay for their free experience
• Consider banner ads and ads that come in between videos (mid-rolls) most effective

Here is the rest of the story:
http://www.veoh.com/static/corporate/press_releases/10_08_2008.html


Steve

Building Share Of Voice In A Recession

It is easy to cut the ad budget in tough economic times. Particularly when you have know idea if the ad spend is working.

Internet advertising is measurable, especially when dealing with verticals or niche marketplaces (consumer publication sites).

This article in Media Post suggests that using targeted Internet advertising in a down economy will be a great investment as your company will gain 'voice share'.

"And when houses do begin to sell again and America gets re-bitten by the home-decorating bug, "that share of voice will be worth more."

Tough economic times won't last forever.


Steve

Brand Marketing in a Weak Economy

 

Brands work because they have a clear message, they connect with consumers emotionally, and their products fulfill a consumer need. In a weak economy, when consumers must be especially careful of their spending, brands can earn a lifetime of brand-allegiance or lose it, depending on how they market themselves in a down turn.

 

In his article, Marketing Your Way Through A Recession, Harvard Business School professor, John Quelch, prescribes eight guidelines for marketing your brand in 2008-2009. “…brands that increase advertising during a recession, when competitors are cutting back, can improve market share and return on investment at lower costs than during good economic times. Uncertain consumers need the reassurance of known brands.”

Steve

Thank you Cheryl and Jeff Morey for hosting such a powerful event (IGC trade show).
It was well attended by the GC's and vendors and full of educational seminars, good food, good music and good friends.

Chicago is such a beautiful city. The blue water of Lake Michigan and the cool breezes blowing across it. Nice.

I am already looking forward to IGC trade show 2009.

If you didn't make it to the IGC show in 2008, put the IGC show on your calendar for 2009.

Here are the details.

See you there.

Steve

'Local Search' is a term that is gaining a new perspective among today's businesses (even though the model is over 100 years old).
 Question is, what does 'Local Search' mean?

I am going to join Greg Sterling (Greg's blog) and agree that the defenition is: "Reaching particular people in particular places — who will typically buy something or do something in a physical location."

For you and me in the 'green industry' the term 'locally' drives the bus:
    ~ Contributing locally with people
    ~ Contributing locally with products in and products out
    ~ Contributing locally with services in and services out

It's not like most of our businesses are branded multi-location businesses. Most in this industry have a local flavor.

Reaching 'particluar people' in 'particular places' means you have to meet them where they are, when they are.

The Internet is where they are - locally, and they are looking for you.

This survey drives that point home:
"A Nielsen survey in May 2008 found that among a representative group of people who had recently made consumer electronics purchases in a brick and mortar store, 80 percent bought from a store whose Web site they visited first. Further, 53 percent purchased from the retailer on whose Web site they had spent the most time." (Here is the link)




Here is a table that shows the preferred source of Information gathering

Table 1: Information Sources ranked by Preference among Consumers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Preferred Information Source                   Percent of Consumers
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Internet                                                                 58
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Visit to local stores                                                    25
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reviews in newspapers/magazines                                           8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friends and family                                                        8
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Other                                                                     1
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Source: Nielsen Online

There are lots of things happening in the 'green industry' that will make your web site 'more visible'.

Best bet is to have a professional web site and engage those who are visiting it in a professional manner.

Yes, it is The Information Age, and our businesses need to serve it up with a local flavor.


Steve




  

For about a year, an idea, 'Oxygen Footprint' has been stuck in my brain as a way to promote the green indsutry.

Now, more than ever, the 'green' movement is coming alive.

I read across the blogsphere about the movement slowing down. In my opinon, it is only going to get stronger and lounder, and the cream will rise to the top.

We as an industry have HUGE opportunity to get the message out to the kitchen table.

As of this date, I have posted a 'Summary' of "Oxygen Footprint' on www.OxygenFootprint.org for all to reveiw. There is a message board for discussion. There are logo's to download as you see fit.

Soon, the site will take on a consumer facing perspective that addresses the tagline "Fresh Air, Clean Water, Healthy Plants".

Comments appreciated. Preferred as discussion here.

Steve

Cre8asite Forums site has some SEO information.

Title: What are the Most Important Search Engine Optimization Practices?

1. When you start doing SEO, write down every thing you do and monitor results closely. If you make a change, write that down too -- and continue reviewing.
2. If you work with clients, you may want to opt in for an NDA so that they don't "reuse any specialist codes you might be using as part of [your] strategy to work that magic."

The rest are in the link above.


Steve

Well, I must admit, things have been crazy.

I have turned a blind eye to this blog and the newsletter for the past few months.

What can I say?

Ok.  Back in gear.

Steve

Survey Results - What do people do on the Internet?

Survey Results - Who is using the Internet?

Should you have a web site?

Small Companies are finding a home on the web

Web Site Design Mistakes #2

Few Words - Wrong Words

One of the ingredients to great web site design is having great images. Having great words is even more important though. The words, or copy, or text on a site is a big part of what the search engines crawl and index.

The words on your pages should be keyword specific per page. Don't try to build pages where the words explain all the different things you do. That kind of approach will result in the search engines not knowing what you do....confused.

Gerry McGovern has an opinion about word usage:
"I have seen situations where sales have been doubled by changing a couple of words. (Nothing else on the website was changed.)"                  
Click here to see the full article.

One other thing about words .............. selection. When choosing keywords for your pages, don't choose the wrong words. Choose the keywords that get traffic.

For example, why build a page for 'Landscape Services'? Nobody searches for 'Landscape Services'. People search a bunch for 'Landscaping' though. Build your page around the word 'Landscaping' and do it thoroughly.

Click here for an article about Keyword Suggestion Tools.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Archive
Web Site Design Mistake # 1  -  Animation and Flash

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) (Definition)

URL Configuration

URL's, or Domain Names are a significant piece of the SEO puzzle.

It is important to choose URL's that are keyword sensitive.

For example: Landscape Services - I've seen many a web site that says they provide 'Landscape Services' such as pruning, mowing, etc. The URL for this page is typically in this format:

www.yourcompany.com/landscapeservices.html

The problem: people don't search for landscapeservices (or landscape services for that matter). It would be much better to optimize the page for 'landscaping' and have the url in this format:

www.yourcompany.com/landscaping.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Next, I want to explain how to configure two-word URL's.
When dealing with 'landscape design', flowering plants and red flowering shrubs, configure the URL's in the following format:

www.yourcompany.com/landscape-design.html
www.yourcompany.com/flowering-plants.html
www.yourcompany.com/red-flowering-shrubs.html

By separating the words with a dash tells the search engines that individual words are represented.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Database driven sites often create dynamic URL's. These dynamic URL's lack keywords. Consider masking the dynamic URL for SEO purposes.

Here is an example of a dynamic URL:
www.yourcompany.com/results.asp?cc=KGYH&b=30&catID=11

Here is the same web page using a masked URL:
www.yourcompany.com/The-Best-Products-Money-Can-Buy.htm

Library

Recent and Relevant Reading

 Recession Marketing
"There are four crucial investments you need to make to ensure a long-lasting return on your internet marketing."

SEO Tips for Product Pages
"The SEO benefits of product pages can often be overlooked, with many just offering basic product details, photos and a brief description."

The Basics of Local Online Advertising
"With all the avenues available for reaching customers online, it's important to be able to determine what is working and what isn't."

Website Design - The In's and Out's of Using Flash for Flare
"While Flash can radically enhance the appeal of website, it does come with a couple of caveats. If you're a business looking to employ Flash to add spice to your website, there are a few things both positive and negative to be aware of that may affect you depending on what your target goals are."

Designing or Redesigning Your Web Site - Has The Time Come?
"Whether you've had your Web site for two years or ten, it might be time for a change."

Got Duplicate Content? Don't Let It Dilute Your SEO Efforts
"There's really nothing wrong with having multiple versions of a page co-exist on your website. Sure, there's some redundancy, but it won't break the Internet. However, the problem arises when the same page lives in different sections on your site AND it has different URLs. Then it's considered duplicate content by the search engines."

Sound Investments For Your Web Site
"Regardless of the purpose of your website, selling stuff, getting leads, or page views, utilizing these three methods of website improvement will pay off far beyond your investment in a specialist, in-house training, attending a seminar, or however you choose to get it done."