Search Marketing Must Be Working For Small Businesses

Small businesses must have been listening when it came to PSEO. According to data from WebVisible, search advertising has sharply increased in Q3 of ’09. According to a recent post on eMarketer.com, small business search spending by smaller companies was up 91% year over year. The average number of key words purchased was also up.

Average US Small Business Search Advertising Spending and Number of Keywords Used in Campaign, Q3 2008-Q3 2009

Other highlights from the study showed spending shifts among the key search engines with Google losing about 5% and Bing gaining almost 3%. Bing brought the small business owner the highest click through rates than any search engine. (Not a bad stat since they’ve only been around since June of this year.) Most click throughs went to the advertiser’s Web site and the fastest growing conversion action was video viewing.

Vertical Response cites that 45% of small businesses planned to up their spending next year.

So what are your plans?

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E-Mail And Social Media Are Tools B-to-B Marketers Plan On Using More Of In 2010

As we all look forward to 2010 in our planning processes, we’re all looking for ways to generate exposure and ultimately leads that turn into sales. Most marketing budgets will still be tight in 2010, and marketers are looking for ways to get the best bang for the buck.

According to eMarketer.com, 75% of small businesses (under 500 employees) plan to increase their e-mail marketing in 2010. 70% will put more dollars toward social media according to Vertical Response data.

Planned Change in Online Marketing Spending in 2010 by US Small Businesses, by Tactic (% of respondents)

B-to-B marketers are using these tools because they are inexpensive and generate quick measurable data. Campaigner and Hurwitz & Associates studied small businesses under 20 employees and found 28% of those that used e-mail marketing considered it inexpensive and an effective way to reach new customers.

Benefits of E-Mail Marketing According to Small Businesses in North America, July 2009 (% of respondents)

Smart marketers will include both e-mail and social into their 2010 plan. That and some search engine marketing and you’ll have a winning combination.

I’d like to hear from you on whether e-mail and social are in your 2010 plan.

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Will Email Be Replaced by Social Media?

20 Reasons Why Social Media Won’t Replace Email

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Email marketing is still an important tool to your new business program.

The rise in popularity of social media only enhances email. The two can work powerfully together. Two excellent articles, Chris Crums, writer for WebPro News, “10 Reasons Social Media isn’t Replacing Email” and VerticalResponse CEO, Janine Popick, “10 More Reasons Why Social Media Wont Replace Email.” Chris always has great marketing insights. Janine also provides some insightful resources and practices what she preaches for both email marketing and social media. I recommend them both.

Here are their 20 reasons why social media won’t replace email:

  1. People still send hand-written letters.
  2. Nearly all sites on the web that require registration require an email address.
  3. Email notifies you of updates from all social networks.
  4. We haven’t seen any evidence yet that Google Wave really will catch on on a large scale.
  5. Email is universal, and social networks are not.
  6. There are plenty who have no interest in joining social networks.
  7. Email is still improving.
  8. Even social networks themselves recognize the importance of email.
  9. More social media use means more email use.
  10. As far as marketing is concerned, email is doing pretty well.
  11. Twitter and Facebook are fantastic products and companies; but that’s what they are, companies.
  12. Your email recipients are still going to use business email for business purposes.
  13. You can’t easily segment your friends and followers to do targeted marketing (through social media).
  14. You can’t tell who clicked on a link with some social media outlets.
  15. That said, you can’t tell who didn’t click on the link so you can follow up with them with a different message.
  16. You cannot personalize your Facebook updates.
  17. You cannot size your graphics or use more than one in Facebook.
  18. You can’t track how many clicks you got on your links in Facebook.
  19. You are limited to 140 characters in Twitter.
  20. You almost have to have separate social media accounts for your business and your personal life.

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