Dear {FIRST_NAME|Valued Customer}
As we said goodbye to 2008, we took a moment to reflect on the year and its many successes and challenges. However, we were much more excited about our next seminar on January 22nd, 2009 to sit and wax philosophical for too long. This next seminar will focus exclusively on SEO and will arm you with the information you need to know and give us a chance to discuss the future internet marketing. Already there is a buzz in the air of changes to come so we hope you’ll be able to attend. Please call Kate Snowa at 804-228-4400 to reserve your spot.

Happy New Year from NetSearch Direct! We wish you a wildly successful 2009!

Know Your Goals

It seems obvious: your goal as a business is to make money. However, with the New Year you may be thinking about exploring new territory with your business and expanding upon what you’ve already built. Whether you’re offering a product or service for sale, chances are you have had different goals throughout the life of your marketing campaign. When you initially started your business your goal was probably to make as many sales in as short of a time as possible. But with a New Year means new possibilities and ideas for growth and that means resetting goals.

When you define your goals it’s important to state your end objective, but it’s also important to include other variables depending on your strategy. If you are selling a new product you’ll want to set a baseline according to market research for that particular item and how it will supplement your existing product line. For a brand awareness campaign you’ll want to include ways to reinforce the brand that you have worked hard to create so that existing customers are comfortable with your expanding line. The point is that as your business matures your advertising campaigns should mature as well.  One great feature of online advertising campaigns is that they’re adaptable and versatile to the vision that you have for your business. Search engine marketing allows for the flexibility to track and report on a variety of goals to meet your business needs so that you can be confident when you pursue new business ideas. Further, with search engine marketing we can test new product lines and new business strategies without having a negative impact to your existing strategy.

2009 SEO Resolutions: Vow to make your site extraordinary.

At NetSearch Direct the New Year puts us in a mood to clean house and explore new trends within SEO. We figure that it’s only natural that we pass along that sense of renewal to you with respect to your website and its SEO strategy. This New Year, be sure to add a few SEO resolutions to your business.

Have you taken the time to check out your competition’s site to see how they’re promoting similar products and services? Are they incorporating videos showcasing products or blogs discussing industry trends? Videos are an increasingly popular tool for potential customers to learn about products, and they play an important role in helping your site convert. Consider your business’ website with an online demo showcasing your particular product versus a competitor’s website without the video – if customers can see your product in action and read about its features you are more likely to make the sale than your competition. Including a blog on your site will allow for fresh content to be generated and it gives you a voice to announce new developments for your business. Search engines love new content and blogs are a terrific way to present new material for search engines to keep you in high rankings.

National Statistics

The results are in and online marketing keeps g(r)owing strong despite the difficult economy! The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), makes up about 86% of online advertising in the United States. As you can see from the chart above, showing a 5% growth for the third quarter of 2008.

Below is a chart outlining advertising spending predictions for the next few years. Although growth is projected to slow in 2009 it is still growing year over year, with expectations to reach $25.7 billion in 2009, or 8.9% over 2008. As more and more companies move from traditional methods of advertising and join the online advertising ranks, expect to see this growth continue.

The Great Google Makeover: SearchWiki - Not Your Average SERP

Recently Google rolled out a new feature to their SERP (Search Engine Results Page) called SearchWiki – a new tool which allows users who have signed into their Google account to rank, reorganize, and post reviews to the organic listings on each page. You heard right - SearchWiki makes your search results totally customizable. Say you know your favorite go-to website for running when you see it, but you can never remember the exact URL – with Google’s new feature you can set that page to appear at the top of your personalized SERP. With customized search engine results listings you never have to read through the links again to fish out the site that you were searching for – you always know it will be right at the very top of your page. Moreover, you can also post reviews on each presented link. So, if your favorite retailer has the best selection of running gear in town you can let everyone know…and if their return policy is less than generous you can also forewarn other potential customers.