Testing PPC ad creative and placement is vital to your ongoing success. Test your PPC ads on a scientifically selected sample of your target market and compare different creative, keywords, offers and search engines—and adjust your ads accordingly.

In December we launched a viral holiday card, and some influential journalists stood up and took notice. Check out what they had to say over at Chief Marketer, and don't miss the article on Oneupweb and Infor at BtoB Magazine. For a complete list of articles and bylines about and by Oneupweb, visit our press coverage library at OneUpWeb.com.

According to Hitwise, popular social networking site Facebook hit a peak on Christmas Eve 2008, experiencing its highest ever traffic level. And elsewhere in the industry, Nielsen is reporting that 8 out of 10 online holiday shoppers read web reviews. This means it's more important than ever to know what is being said about your brand.

Oneupweb offers an array of digital marketing services that extend beyond search engine marketing and PPC. From social marketing, blogging and podcasting to conversion improvement, analytics, consultation for in-house marketing teams and online media planning and placement, you can rely on us to develop integrated online marketing strategies that deliver. Contact us today at info@oneupweb.com or call 877.568.7477.

We're currently looking to provide our clients with a network of trustworthy, complimentary service companies to tap into for services that Oneupweb does not offer. In fact, we're so serious about finding the right companies to partner with, we've started a Strategic Partnership Program. To find out more about how you can take advantage of this unique opportunity and provide important benefits to your clients, contact us today!

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• Within just a few short months, the natural campaign improved top-ten positions across all the major search engines by more than 340 percent.
• At the same time, Google positions improved by a
  factor of 10.
• Unique visits generated by the search campaign increased by more than 1,100 percent in the first four months and conversion rates soared beyond 3,000 percent.

I've dedicated quite a bit of this space to talking about the benefits of social media marketing tactics. And last month you saw how we successfully used social media to gain worldwide attention. Armed with this example, I hope that many of you are excited to finally integrate social media elements into your marketing plan.

With so many different social networking sites and outlets, it may be easy to get overwhelmed by the possibilities. To help you understand the different social networking sites, and what constitutes social media, I've laid out a few tips below.

Tip: Know what constitutes social media
Social media creates engaging conversations that allow users to participate and share them with others. You're familiar with the networking sites Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace, but there is more to social media. It also includes blogs (StraightUpSearch), micro-blogs (Twitter), video sharing (YouTube), photo sharing (Flickr), podcasts (One For The Money), virtual worlds (WebKinz) and even widgets (Yahoo!Weather). Before getting involved with any social media, know what it does and what the audience expects.

Tip: Research social media networks to understand their audience.
While MySpace, Facebook and LinkedIn aren't all there is to social media, it's important to understand each of these networking websites. Advertising and/or participating on a social networking site might make sense for your brand, or not. It's important to understand the difference between them, and pick which one is right for you.

• MySpace profiles are about self expression.
  MySpace reaches generation Y, X and MTV viewers who expect to see more TV and videos. This networking site is well known for its ability to promote and create self expression. You'll notice the entertainment industry does a lot of advertising here.


• Facebook profiles are a direct means of connection to the lifestyle set.
  Facebook, on the other hand, appeals to those looking to connect with others. This site is more about lifestyle. You will notice its homepage doesn't have advertising like MySpace, which is often covered with the hottest new music group or latest movie. You can advertise on Facebook, but ads are less conspicuous.


• LinkedIn profiles showcase individual talents and connections to expand professional networks.
  LinkedIn is the equivalent of a digital rolodex that allows all your professional contacts to see your resume information and professional endeavors. And of course, put a face to a name. There are advertising opportunities for small and large budgets ranging from banner ads to in-text ads, but like Facebook, ads are less conspicuous.

Tip: Creating a viral campaign starts with fully utilizing social media.
Know what's out there and what the purpose is for that particular social outlet. Once you find it; fully utilize it. For example, if you start a MySpace or Facebook page for your business, take advantage of RSS feeds by adding your blog and add a video that piques a user's curiosity and interest. This gives people something to share with others, which gets the conversation going. When a conversation spreads like wildfire, you've officially had a successful viral campaign.

If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't worry. Oneupweb has created a social media survival guide. Download it for free today. And if you have questions, give me a call at 877.568.7477.