Meghan Keane

Before becoming US Editor at Econsultancy, Meghan was a staff writer at Wired.com. There she wrote about business, technology and advertising for Wired's business blog Epicenter. Prior to that she was a freelance writer and worked as the Deputy Culture Editor at The New York Sun.

Study: Higher spending small business marketers also spend more wisely

Marketing spend and allocation is a difficult issue for many businesses. But for small and medium size marketers (SMBs), it's even more important. When every dollar counts, you want to spend wisely. But according to a new study from BIA/Kelsey, SMBs that spend the most money on marketing are also allocating their spending more wisely.

by Meghan Keane 24 August 2010 18:39pm 0 comments

Study: Email marketers are ignoring (and losing) non-responsive customers

Email marketing has suffered some blows recently. But companies that threaten to stop using that marketing channel certainly get noticed. Rumors of Ben & Jerry's killing its email newsletter created a mild tempest online recently. Just this week, The Onion's AV Club stopped email messages, and Pepsi created ire among fans for simply moving some of its messaging from Facebook to Twitter.

Now there's a study that says email marketers aren't adapting their marketing emails to customer changes. They're sending messages to unresponsive email accounts, and according to Return Path, only 12.5% of marketers are doing anything about it.

by Meghan Keane 19 August 2010 23:21pm 3 comments

Should Facebook let others check you into "Places"?

Facebook's foray into location-based services launched last night. And while Places borrows heavily from existing services available on Yelp, Foursquare and Gowalla, one difference is the way that Facebook plans to grow its new product.

Facebook Places check-ins will be shared with users' entire network of friends. And if users wish, they can check other people into locations. Perhaps predictably, there are some privacy issues with this approach. But it ensures that people who may not otherwise interact with Places are sure to know it exists. And unless objections arise, Facebook's appraoach should be great for user adoption.

by Meghan Keane 19 August 2010 18:43pm 2 comments

The case against Google house ads

Google has come under fire for its search dominance from competitors, advertisers, publishers and regulators. And now a university professor is taking issue with Google's habit of purchasing house ads.

According to Santa Clara University professor Eric Goldman, Google gets an unfair advantage when it comes to bidding on its own ads. And he has a few points.

by Meghan Keane 19 August 2010 00:21am 1 comment

Fast food chains are learning the benefits of mobile

Much has been written about the benefits of location-based services for small businesses, but national chains are no stranger to mobile technologies. And Fast food chains are taking note as consumers adapt to new mobile practices.

With mobile apps, text to order service and location based marketing messages, fast food companies are learning that mobile is very good for business.

by Meghan Keane 18 August 2010 23:12pm 3 comments

Social media lessons from the "Ground Zero Mosque"

A small plot of land near the World Trade Center in New York City has been thrown into the spotlight recently. A Muslim organization called The Cordoba Initiative set out to build a mosque and community center in the space, which has gotten them wrapped up in a national political battle of epic proportions. Numerous politicians have spoken out against the project, leading its supporters to make charges of racism and breaches of freedom of speach and religion. According to a CNN poll, 70% of Americans are opposed to a new mosque being built in the shadows of the World Trade Center.

The issue is full of pitfalls — words like "bigot," "racist" and "extremist" have been flying all week — but one could have easily been avoided. That is the organization's social media debacle. The Cordoba project hired a New York based social media expert to run its Twitter feed. While his snarky Twitter messages might have been fine when his audience was a small group of New Yorkers, Oz Sultan's approach to Twitter did little more than antagonize people and embarrass the group...and himself.

by Meghan Keane 20 August 2010 17:14pm 2 comments

As Apple struggles with iPhone 4, Android picks up speed

It may look like the iPhone is winning the smartphone wars, but according to a new study from Millennial Media, Google's Android platform is nipping at Apple's heels.

Most interestingly, these new numbers document the month following the launch of the iPhone 4. And it looks like Android's popularity has only increased in that time.

by Meghan Keane 18 August 2010 19:46pm 13 comments

eMarketer: Social media ad spend to hit $1.7 billion in 2010

Facebook advertising appears to be a rising tide that lifts all social media boats. According to eMarketer, the ad spend on social networks is set to hit $1.7 billion this year. That's a 20% increase, and at least half of those ad dollars will be spent on Facebook.

by Meghan Keane 17 August 2010 22:04pm 2 comments

Barbarian hits the road with The GE Show

General Electric may be a large consumer brand, but the company also manufactures large groups of products that the average citizen will never purchase (like aircraft engines). That doesn't mean the company wants to keep people in the dark about its different business ventures. It's just a bit harder to communicate why people should care about something like air traffic control.

To help create that dialogue, the company has hired Barbarian Group. And today the agency launched The GE Show, a new series of videos and rich content meant to elucidate the ways that GE products improve people's daily lives.

by Meghan Keane 17 August 2010 22:06pm 0 comments

Apple's success with the iPad may not extend to iAd

Apple's new iPad may be flying off the shelves, but the device maker is also trying to sell mobile ads, and that may prove trickier than Steve Jobs anticipated. As the Wall Street Journal points out today, Apple's new mobile advertising platform is getting off to a slow start. And at Digiday: Apps in New York on Monday, publishers and media buyers were cautious about buying ads from Apple.

As much as the iPad has people excited about new monetization approaches for digital content, it's the end result — reaching consumers — not the iPad specifically that they're concerned about. And Apple's approach to ad selling could turn brands away from its popular devices.

by Meghan Keane 17 August 2010 00:28am 5 comments