Internet Marketing – Time to Think
Today is my birthday. With another year under my belt (nothing hanging over the belt… yet), I feel like I should reflect back on what has happened during the last year, at least the internet marketing related parts.
Podcasting
Podcasting certainly has been released from the clutches of the underground and gone mainstream. Any company that knows a trend when they see it has jumped on the bandwagon. Instead of hiding behind a brand or logo, companies are suddenly stepping out to talk to their markets.
Why wouldn’t you want to do this? Podcasting is direct marketing at its best.
The people who want to hear what you have to say are now getting the chance, and most likely are appreciative. The podcasters are just as appreciative of their fans. A recent WebProNews article speaks of the love that podcasters have for their new art.
Social Networks
Social networking has definitely become a new avenue for advertising. How soon will it be until MySpace or Facebook have a Google Adwords-esque interface for advertising?
Granted, this area isn’t controlled as much. By that I mean when you search in Google, you’re given ads relative to your search query.
To my knowledge, there’s nothing currently like that in MySpace. Users are most likely looking at people profiles or, the original reason for its creation, bands. Can the content viewed by MySpace users be targeted by advertisers?
Facebook has moved ahead of the game; the social networking site already has targeted ads.
In my opinion, Facebook is the wrong forum for this because it’s advertising to college and high school kids who (mostly) don’t have much money. MySpace needs to jump on this.
Paid Search
In paid search campaigning, the trend seems to be follow the leader. Google has solved the paid advertising solution with Adwords, and everyone else wants in on the action.
Yahoo seems to be constantly saying it has a new interface pending, probably more like Adwords. MSN’s AdCenter already feels a lot like Adwords, and isn’t that old. I even heard rumors of an Ask redesign as well!
Are Google’s competitors changing face to capture some of the trust that Google has established with Adwords advertisers? Or is it simply that the Adwords interface works better for marketers and customers? We’ll find out more in this next year, I’m sure.
On that note, I think it’s time to wish myself a happy birthday. So, self, congratulations on surviving another year in the SEO jungle. Next year will certainly have its share of industry changes and advances, and that’s what makes it exciting.
