Leverage Blog: How to Exploit the Web.

Moms on the Web

A new report from emarketer.com has some interesting findings. Among the most savvy of all internet users? Moms.   

There are about 34 millions moms online, and they're one of the fastest-growing demographics.

Here's the full report.

Startups for Sale

Venture capitalists who invest in start-ups and recover their money by taking them public or selling them, say a flurry of dealmaking has begun.

Many expect more sales and spin-offs in the next few months as companies squeeze their assets for cash and reassess business strategies.  Read more

New "Hyperlocal" Online Websites: Can they help your business?

Saw this over the weekend:

If your local newspaper shuts down, what will take the place of its coverage? Perhaps a package of information about your neighborhood, or even your block, assembled by a computer.A number of Web start-up companies are creating so-called hyperlocal news sites that let people zoom in on what is happening closest to them, often without involving traditional journalists...

Now that the Yellow Pages are (nearly) dead and local newspapers seem to be in big trouble the question for small business is, where to advertise?

This article suggests that new websites that focus on the neighborhood-level will try and fill the gap, and my quick search of www.everyblock.com was very interesting.  There are plenty of ways to discuss the future of the local newspaper, but from an advertising perspective for the small/medium enterprise we're still years away from these sites being the best option.

The key is exposure and traffic.  An example:  If someone is looking for granite countertops for their kitchen in the San Francisco Bay Area, are they going to go to everyblock.com?  1 out of 100 sure, becuase they heard about the site.  The other 99 people are going to the search engines like Google and searching for "granite countertops in the bay area."  The search engines are where people go for answers, and if your site is on the first couple pages of the search, your phone will probably ring.

As information resorces on local neighborhoods, these sites are very cool.  read the full article here.

Social Bookmarking (i.e., Delicious) improves your life.

OK, so it's not the new, new thing, but on LeverageBlog, I've always fancied the useful thing.

I've found that Social Bookmarking is still unfamiliar to most of my clients, so I've posted another fantastic video from Common Craft to help people along.  Hey, click the arrow.

A word on Blogs: Blogging is Officially "Mainstream."

A new study of women who use the web (i.e., most women) found that 53% read blogs.  What are they doing?  Read on:

Women read blogs for fun (46%)

To get information (41%)

Stay up to date on family and friends (36%)

Stay up to date on specific topics (34%)

Connect with others (28%)

Entertainment (26%)

It looks like the value of the blog is growing faster than I had guessed, with the 2nd most common reason being to get information.  Wow.

Read the full article here  (I'm pretty sure the data isn't just based on responses in the San Francisco Bay Area)

Read more about what a blog can do for your business here.

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ADMIN:  21-ch4:  Bay Area San Francisco

What is a Podcast (and why should I care?)

The most common question we heard last week:  What is a Podcast?

I'll rely on the talent at Common Craft again, and thank them again for sharing the info.  Ready for your first podcast?  I recommend the earnest, enlightening stories of This American Life.  Find them here.

What's Next In Marketing & Advertising

A supersmart presentation from Paul Isakson from the agency Space150.

If I can impart even a sliver of the ideas shared here into my work with the fine clients of Wheel Media I'll rest easier at night.
   

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A good read: The New Rules of PR

This Friday I offer you some smart ideas about Public Relations in today's online world.  A few highlights:

• Optimizing news releases for search.
• Utilizing online distribution services to reach thousands of web sites and blogs.
• Leveraging advanced social media features including TrackBacks/PingBacks and Technorati tagging to extend the reach of your news.
• Developing content that attracts your key audiences and drives traffic to your site.

Thanks to PRWeb and David for the open distribution.

Download New-Rules-of-PR.pdf

New Research on Email Marketing (Hint: Add a link or three)

Oh, and add a few pictures while you're at it.

Research released today from the Email Experience Council revealed that 28% of marketing emails don't have links that take the reader back to the advertisers website.

And many are missing images.

Oops.

If you're going to send email marketing, send it in HTML and include interesting, relevant images and 2-3 links back to specific products/services on your website.  There are a number of other super-important details, including sending from an independent server (not MS Outlook from your desktop) to protect against accusations of being a SPAMMER.  This is key.  The research also shows that the creative-- the design and the content-- are critical to the results, starting with a great subject-line.

The fact that emails are going out without images and without links suggests that small businesses have a great opportunity here:  Do email marketing right and you'll leave the competition in the dust.

• More info on email marketing is here.
• Talk to these guys if you're curious if email marketing will pay off.
• Full article is here.

Google is obsolete

I'm sorry to draw you in with such a ridiculous headline.  I couldn't resist, because I just discovered a threat to Google.  And more importantly, a useful new type of search engines for small business.

Retrevo, is a vertical search engine for consumer electronics.  What is a vertical search engine?  One that focuses on something specific.  Use Retrevo to search for some electronic product, like “D200” (i.e., The Nikon D200) in Retrevo and then in Google, and you'll see why vertical search engines are on the rise.  The results are simply better.

Small business owners know that their customers are using their web to do their homework, and Google is where they start.  In a few years maybe there will be a vertical search engine as well.  The bottom line is that professional websites are what people are looking for-- they inspire customers to pick up the phone.  Small time, low-budget websites, well, they make companies look small-time.

With the rise of vertical search engines and local small business directories like MerchantCircle it's never been easier for customers to use the web to find and compare companies.

Companies like yours.

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Thanks to Guy Kawasaki and his blog for the tip on Retrevo.  More wisdom here.