Here at Advertise we were particularly thrilled (though not surprised) that display advertising continues to climb. In fact the report showed that U.S. Internet users received a total of 4.9 trillion display ads, the total number growing 23 percent from Dec. 2009 – Dec. 2010. This is a rebound we saw within our client base and we’re happy to see that other advertisers also felt the stability to spend in this area. Understanding the value of a view and that of a click this can only be a good sign for consumer spend in the future.

More brands understand the power of digital every day 2010 saw this continuing shift of ad dollars online. In Q4 2010, 104 advertisers delivered more than 1 billion display ad impressions up from 80 in 2009.

One of our favorite points from the report is that comScore recognized that ad placement strategies have increased in sophistication. At Advertise.com we take pride in our ability to offer many platforms for advertisement delivery –as every advertiser implements its own mix of technologies. Remarketing in particular has emerged as a new method that often out-performs in click-through results. We’ve made it our company mission to educate advertisers on the power of the technology. This graph shows our efforts are worth it…

As we settle into 2011 we’re excited for these new advanced technologies such as Remarketing and those that are still to come. We look forward to the success for our advertisers and will work to continuously improve their overall business through our network and offerings. What do you think the ad industry has to look forward to in 2011? We’d love your thoughts!

Best,

The Advertise.com team

We came across Jump-Starting Your 2011 PPC Campaign which offers very handy tips to put a shine on your campaigns. Here’s a sample:

Focus on coverage to gain more clicks.  This can be tough for most business owners to undertand.  Logic would tell you that the higher your ad is displayed, the more clicks (and conversions) you are likely to receive.  In some cases, this is true.  However, if you are a new marketer (particularly in a highly competitive online market), you may want to lower your keyword bids so that your ads display is less competive positions (say spots 4-7).  This allows your ad to show more often (which means more opportunities to drive clicks) for relevant keyword searches than it would if you were going head-to-head with the established advertisers in the top 3 ad positions. 

If you’re not using custom landing pages, you could be missing out.  Custom landing pages help your PPC traffic convert, thereby helping improve keyword quality score while lowering the cost-per-click (CPC) of your campaign.

You don’t need to make a formal resolution out of spiffing up your PPC campaigns – no, the time for resolutions is past, my friends. All we’re saying is that you’ll feel better if you pay them extra attention when you can. It will pay off.

–The Advertise.com team

Thanks to San Fernando Valley Business Journal and socalTech.com for spreading the word!

–The Advertise.com team

We will be located at Booth #518 so please come stop by and meet us, if not for the great conversation, for the chance to win an iPad!  Be on the lookout for news from us at the show too…

Have a very Happy New Year 2011!

–The Advertise.com team

Recently I read a story in the New York Times about a young woman and entrepreneur Amy Gottesman. After retiring from her career in retail and missing her income she decided to start her own website offering entertainment for parties called Smash Party Entertainment. The article describes Amy’s success with a Google Adwords PPC campaign, noting that her ability to bid on the correct phrase led to progressive revenue growth.

Later the same reporter, David H. Freedman, followed his article up with Seven Pay-Per-Click Mistakes to Avoid.  David provided his readers who were tempted by Amy’s success with the following tips:

1. Do not give up before you pull in enough clicks to allow for the sort of analysis that can lead to vast improvements in results.
2. Do not focus on click-through rates. The most obvious measure of a pay-per-click campaign is the percentage of time that a displayed ad is clicked on. If you get a single click for every ten thousand times an ad is displayed, you have a low click-through rate. If you get a click one out of four times, according to David, you’re a click-through genius.
3. Master conversion metrics. The biggest advantage to online advertising is an improved ability to calculate your return on investment.
4. Set the right budget.
5. Tweak everything relentlessly. Even if you’re making big bucks on pay-per-click, adjust relentlessly — it’s so easy to do, carries so little risk, and has such a huge potential upside.
6. Don’t shoot too high. If your keywords aren’t highly desired by other advertisers, you can grab good ad placement for pennies. But if you’re selling high-ticket goods or services in a crowded industry, and particularly if you’re going up against better-heeled competitors, you can face thousand-dollar bids on hot keywords.
7. Reassess your strategy. Even after you’ve got everything optimized and running smoothly and profitably, it’s a good idea to take a step back every so often and see if there isn’t some way to take it up to a higher level or to adapt to changing conditions.

David offered a great case study along with some excellent advice for those looking to foray into the world of online advertising. At Advertise.com we ask small and large businesses alike to look for ways to complement the work they do with Google. Take our Keyword Marketplace for example, the world’s largest privately-held network of high quality organic search, contextual, domain parking, browser toolbar, semantic keyword hot spots and email pay per click (PPC) publishers. So what does all that mean? The Keyword Marketplace allows advertisers to go beyond expectations in driving traffic and exceeding their online marketing goals.

Let’s go back to our friend Amy, without taking away from the success she has seen using Google, she could potentially reach even more eyes and garner more ROI by utilizing the Keyword Marketplace to reach internet users beyond conventional search traffic providing exposure to over 700 million additional impressions daily! These exclusive publisher partnerships deliver the additional high performing traffic that online businesses need to succeed in today’s competitive online marketplace.

Time is closing in for online retailers as the number of holiday shopping days dwindles. It’s more important than ever to recapture shoppers who added items to a cart, then left without purchasing.

In fact it’s possible to succeed in bringing back shoppers and having them purchase.  Read the latest from our CEO Dan Yomtobian in his article Reconnect with Abandoned Shopping Carts appearing on ZDNet. Remarketing is a very effective approach. The proof is in the numbers!

Happy holidays and happy shopping!

–The Advertise.com team

Allison reported, “Online sales totals for the Thursday through Monday period are still being tabulated, but web measurement firm comScore Inc. estimates U.S. online sales were $3.5 billion from Monday, Nov. 22 through Sunday, Nov. 28, compared with $3.2 billion during the same period last year, an increase of 9.4%.”

An increase of 9.4% cannot be ignored and we can only hope that over the next few weeks online retailers continue to push for an increase in sales. The first step is to take on those holiday shoppers that have visited and decided to leave their site. Whether they are comparison shopping or debating a new gift idea entirely, it would behoove retailers to get back in front of these visitors.

It is one of the most important times of the year to implement a remarketing campaign. Bring the holiday gift-buyers back!

1. First and foremost, I am thankful for our innovative and motivated employees. Our team is undoubtedly at the core of our success. Without them we wouldn’t be who we are as a company and wouldn’t be able to do the great work we do! Plus they are a seriously fun group : )

2.I am thankful to be part of such a creative, fast-paced industry. Online marketing is ever-changing and while this can be challenging, it keeps Advertise.com on its toes. We’re never bored over here and it’s exciting to be a part of such a dynamic mix of companies and individuals.

3. I am thankful for the reporters and bloggers who have taken an interest in the work we do. It’s important for online marketers to stay up-to-date about the tools and technologies available to them. Articles such as this one from WebProNews allow us to educate marketers and improve their business. How and Why Remarketing Can Gain Back Lost Customers

4. I’m thankful all of our wonderful clients and affiliates. Working with people who share our passions makes our jobs feel a lot less like work.

5. I speak for all of my employees when I say most importantly I am thankful for my friends and family. Without their support we wouldn’t be able to do the great work we do for Advertise.com every day.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

-Daniel Yomtobian, CEO

P.S. In the spirit of the holidays we are offering a 25% off keyword PPC marketing credit! Be sure to check out it…

With shopping cart abandonment at an all time high, remarketing allows marketers to get in front of those visitors who left the cart behind. Be sure to read through Daniel’s piece on Search Engine Watch for advice on keeping carts full this holiday season.

Keep the Holiday Gifts in Their Carts With Remarketing