An Advertising Opportunity that Small Businesses Shouldn't Miss: Part 2

In part 1 of this post, I mentioned that there's a shift taking place in online advertising, and that the shift can have a positive impact on the advertising and marketing efforts of small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and non-profits.  The affordability of online ads can help you expand your advertising campaign.  I hope that if you're already using media, you have incorporated online as part of your mix.

But if you're not, for as little as $50 you can test how well online can work for you (actually, this can be done for much less, but spend at least $50 for better testing analysis).  For a small amount of money, you can start advertising online, increasing your exposure in a meaningful way.  However, it's important to note that buying media, whether tradional or new, requires a knowledge base.  In other words, there's more to it than simply buying space. Knowing the difference between CPA and CPM or various display media channels is critical to your success.   Learn as much as you can or hire a company to work with you.

But the shift in online advertising comes from the battle for market share between top web publishers.  According to data from comScore's Ad Matrix,  Facebook has emerged as the leader garnering more than 31.2 % of the 1.11 trillion display online ads in the fourth quarter of 2010.  This represents a 23.1% increase over the third quarter.  Here's the breakdown (percentages represent market share):

Facebook 31.2%, Yahoo 10.1%, Microsoft sites 4.8%, AOL 3.0%, Google sites 2.5%, Turner Digital 1.6%, Fox Interactive Media 1.1%, Glam Media 0.9%, CBS Interactive 0.8%
Viacom Digital Media 0.8%

The above data represents big players, but there many others to choose from, and in a competitive market, buyers are in the position of strength--even with so-called fixed rates.  So don't cast off this information as only being important to large advertisers.  As I mentioned in part 1, small and mid-sized business owners are quickly becoming the belles of the ball. Your small ad dollars matter in a big way.

When it's all said and done, getting conversions is the bottom line for your online campaign.  One thing that really jumps out at me about the comScore list is that although Facebook is in the number one position, their ads are known to have lower clickthroughs (that's when a visitor actually clicks on your ad and goes to your website) than the industry standard, about half (according to Webtrends).  So what's behind the popularity of Facebook for advertising?  It's really not a big mystery, but I think the answer bodes very well for SMBs.  Well take a look at this in the third and final part of this post.

Have you used online advertising before?  If so, did it work for you?  If you haven't, why not?

Daily Mentions Housekeeping

I just received a very nice email from a visitor to this blog who wanted to let me know how much he likes Daily Mentions.  However, said that he would have left his comments on the blog, but didn't because he didn't want to establish a public profile at the time. 

I  appreciate knowing this because posting was initially set to allow comments with or without a profile.  For whatever reason it didn't (probably because I'm constantly making adjustments and didn't save the option).  

But you can now comment with or without a profile.  I look forward to hearing from you!

Thanks,

Deborah

An Advertising Opportunity that Small Businesses Shouldn't Miss: Pt. 1

Being in the business of providing marketing and advertising services to small- to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) and non-profits, I know all too well the hesitancy that many prospects have(whether they explicitly express it or not) about spending money on "those things" in a tough economy. But it's not just small businesses, large corporations are also cutting back on advertising and marketing. When reading trade publications or participating in online industry forums, it's apparent, everyone is feeling the crunch. Which also explains why many of the big agencies are now courting small businesses (which they once routinely ignored).

However, I tell propects and clients alike, that they need to advertise, because it's NOT a non-essential item. Personally, I believe when it comes to advertising, small businesses can actually use an economic downturn to their advantage. Here's why, most businesses cut back or stop advertising during a downturn. But if you continue to advertise, guess who comes to the consumer's mind first when it's time to make a purchase? Another advantage of advertising in a tightened economy is that you'll get a good deal. Most reps will be happy to negotiate with you.

But there's another reason to pony up your advertising dollar; online advertising. Online advertising is what many small businesses already use, and now a very interesting shift in the landscape is taking place. This shift, which I will discuss in my next post, should be cause for any SMB to get really excited about planning their next online campaign. But I'll give you a couple of hints, cost and customization.

I want you to watch the short video below from Borrell Associates. They're talking about their survey, 2011 Outlook: SMBs Become Everybody's New Best Friend (you can get the survey on their website, but it'll cost you). If you've never advertised online, you need to. Funny, it took a survey for the large agencies to learn what those of us who've been serving small businesses already knew, online advertising works well for small businesses AND it can be really affordable.

On a scale of 1 to 5, for small and mid-sized businesses, how important is having online advertising in the mix?

Poll Results and More

Thanks to all who participated in my poll. The question was: Would you start a business in today's economy? The results split this way: 50% responded Maybe, if I could get a loan, and 50% responded No, nobody wants to spend money.

On another note, later this week, I'll have a live chat session. It will be a discussion for anyone interested in marketing and advertising tips, and sharing their experiences in this area. So if you own a small business or a non-profit, planning to start a business, if you're promoting a product, service, book, radio show, entertainment career or whatever, we'll talk tips and strategies. Watch for the date and time. You can also subscribe to my blog and I'll send you an advance notice.

One final note, I've only had this blog for a little under a month and have gotten nearly 700 page views, which I think is fantastic, especially since this blog is primarily about marketing and advertising. However, there are no comments. I would love to hear from you. I think commenting is a great way to share ideas, discover what others are doing and a good way to brainstorm.

Help me grow this community, send a friend a link to Daily Mentions:
http://debrowemedia.blogspot.com/

Thanks,

Deborah