Continue reading »]]> The advertising division at Microsoft’s unveiled its own social display ad product that is going to focus on display advertising. A new focus in Microsoft’s online marketing strategy. This new ‘social ad’ is going to incorporate user-generated content such as blog posts and videos, product reviews, and more – all within a banner ad. The initial feedback from some industry insiders is that the idea seems very much inspired by the success of Facebook. Most users will start seeing these “People Powered Stories” in new campaigns starting in April according to Jennifer Creegan, Microsoft Advertising’s general manager for display advertising experiences

Bazaarvoice, a social commerce company is going to start supplying Microsoft with the initial product ratings and reviews, but Microsoft has stated it does intend to add other sources down the road. In addition to having reviews and ratings, Microsoft also wants to add other content in these People Powered Stories. Expert reviews, videos, comments on discussion boards, blog posts, and tweets are all expected to be implemented.

Even though the new People Powered Stories are similar to the Sponsored Stories offered by Facebook and the fact that both Microsoft and Facebook are partners, the new social display ad product is not going to get any content from Facebook. According to Microsoft, Facebook has expressed that they are not interested.

Even though the main testing of the product is going to start in March, the product is already being tested with one advertiser. Microsoft has already used their new advertising method in a campaign for Windows 7 aimed at college students. This ad highlights product reviews and ratings in an expandable banner. The early results were positive, consumers on average looked at the ad for 62 seconds and purchase intent increased by 6.3 percent.

Continue reading »]]> If you are reading this, chances are that you did not need to be told that social media is immensely powerful in our current society. However the report labeled, “State of the Media: The Social Media Report” released by Nielsen does indicate just how important social media truly is.

Blogs and social networks dominate most of the time that North American’s spend online. Blogs and social networks account for approximately 22.5% of all time spent online; compare that number to 7.6% for email and 9.8% for online games and it is clear that blogs and social media have become the main reason that individuals use the internet.

Some interesting information from the survey

• More time is spent on Facebook than any other website. During May 2011, Americans spent 53 billion total minutes on Facebook.
• Mobile social media is now the third most-used type of mobile application. Meaning that even on the go, social media remains popular and is only on the rise
• Women may account for the most video views on social media, but men tend to watch video longer than women do
• Those that are active in social media are also more likely to be working out at the gym, attend professional sporting events, and be found at political rallies. People that are active in their online social network also tend to be influential people offline
• Even though Twitter and Facebook get all the hype, Blogger is now officially the number two social networking website in the United States. It receives 50.1 million unique visitors.

Continue reading »]]> When it comes to the important decisions you are going to make to ensure the future and profitability of your business, SEM for small business is one of the most important aspects. Search engine marketing or SEM for short helps you become a resource online through natural means.

Aren’t there alternatives?
Yes, there are alternatives, you can “buy Facebook” friends, you can try to buy hits, you can try other aspects of marketing that may spike interest for a day or two. However, SEM for small business is the best way to ensure that you not only see an increase in traffic, but that these are actual people that are interested in your product or service.

Make sure you make the most of it
Most people have little knowledge about SEM for small business, that is why it is important to leave it in the hands of an expert. Not only do these experts have the knowledge to ensure that people actually arrive at your website through white hat SEO techniques, but they offer help with optimizing your website for usability as well. Why would you settle for anything but the best on your website if you do draw people in?

Once someone arrives at your website through all of the competition that you face you have a few second to make a first impression – it is important that you use these valuable few seconds to let people know why you are different and worth their money.

Continue reading »]]> Quickly, take your business and try to picture how many other websites are out there that provide an at least somewhat similar service or business when compared to yours. Now imagine how many of those are actually located in your country, state and even city. No matter how many you have pictured, it probably is not even close to what the actual number is. The unfortunate fact is that simply having a website, or even an attractive website, is not good enough anymore. I remember several years ago online search engine marketing (SEM) was not even considered necessary, mainly because if you had a website, you were a player on the ecommerce front.

Nowadays things have changed. Everyone has a website. Even a small business operating out of someone’s basement might have a beautiful looking website; it simply is not special anymore to have web presence. So how do you set yourself apart from the rest, how do you make sure that if someone searches for a product that you are offering, that you are among the first businesses to be found? With the way that search engine advertising has evolved, how do you get the results that you seek? That is where search engine marketing consulting comes into play. If you keep in mind that companies in North America spent over US $ 13.5 billion on search engine marketing in 2008, it is no surprise that this is a booming business that has attracted many skilled engineers and advertising professionals.

When you elect to seek out search engine marketing consulting you have the benefit of leaving the hardest part of being found online to the trained professionals. These are the people who know what questions you should be asking yourself when it comes to your online presence. Where do you want to be found, what is your target demographic, what would you ultimately like to accomplish when people look for you online?
The most important thing to remember is that you do not have to make all these decisions yourself anymore. SEM has moved beyond what normally would be understood as regular advertising, and unless you want your business to be left behind by your competitors, getting the right web presence for your business might be one of the best investments you have ever made in your entire business career. You simply cannot afford to be left behind.

Continue reading »]]> This is an actual message I sent to a client. Since this is what I believe, I think this is a good foundation to build my company’s reputation.

“See the thing with my business is – your success is my success. I don’t just provide a one-time service and then move on – I build a relationship with my clients and help their business grow. Now I can’t make every business prosper, but I will do everything I can, because every business I help that does succeed will grow my portfolio, provide stable reoccurring income for me, and just plain make me feel good. You can be sure I am as interested in this working out as you are.”

Continue reading »]]> Welcome to the ComCompetence ™ blog.

Using Search Engine Marketing allows you to target your customers while they are searching for products and services that you provide, however, managing an online campaign requires very close attention and scrutiny to ensure it is running efficiently. A qualified professional has the training and experience to effectively manage search engine campaigns for your business, saving you time and possibly money.

Internet marketing involves a degree of competence in a multitude of elements. Being able in to integrate effective writing, incorporating researched keywords; other SEO tactics; and SEM Campaigns, including Adwords and Adcentre; gives the online business a chance to thrive.

ComCompetence ™ aims to make this expertise available to individual, small, and large business alike.

Search Engine Marketing requires patience, to properly drive traffic to your website; it could take weeks, or even months of careful planning and work. If you are looking for small business SEM, don’t waste your precious, hard earned income on just anyone – take your time to find someone with patience, experience and a plan. Small and large businesses can also take advantage of the savings an experienced SEM Specialist can provide.

For more information on writing for search engine optimization, Adwords, Adcentre and other search engine marketing needs visit us on Elance.com