agencies | Internet Marketing Blog

Why your social media strategy shouldn’t be owned by a PR or ad agency

There is some talk over at NMA about the battle for control of social media. In one corner we have the PR agencies, and in the other there are ad agencies.

Personally I can’t see any value in allowing either of these types of agencies to develop and manage your social media strategy. Or any other agencies for that matter, even those dedicated to social media.

Controversial? I should hope not…

by Chris Lake 27 January 2011 15:29pm 45 comments

Economy boosts television, hurts digital: report

Television has been called many things, and in the past several years, one of those things is 'dead'. But when it comes to advertising, television is still alive and kicking, and according to a new survey from media management software vendor STRATA, it's television advertising, not digital advertising, that will benefit most from economic recovery.

Of the major advertising firms polled as part of STRATA's 4th Quarter Agency Survey, the greatest percentage (44%) said that their clients were focused most on television, a 24% rise over the previous quarter. Digital trailed significantly, with 21.1% reporting the internet to be their clients' medium of choice.

by Patricio Robles 20 January 2011 15:28pm 4 comments

Expert opinion: What’s ahead for paid search in 2011?

To coincide with the release of Econsultancy’s Paid Search Agencies Buyer’s Guide this week, I’ve been talking to some leading UK search agency experts about what 2011 holds for the sector.

I’ve no doubt that paid search is going to become sexy again – we’ve seen PPC products and technologies emerging such as Google’s location-based ads, Product Listings, Extensions and Sitelinks.

Additionally, Bing and Yahoo! continue to challenge Google, while new opportunities for paid search are becoming apparent, ranging from mobile through to social media.

It looks to be an exciting year ahead for what some marketers regard as a stale channel, despite its effectiveness and accountability. But what do those on the frontline think?

by Jake Hird 25 November 2010 15:46pm 11 comments

How does a client judge its agency?

Iʼm reminded of a definition of e-commerce I read years ago when I first considered getting into the business. It goes like this:

"The concept of e-commerce is all about using the internet to do business better and faster. It is about giving customers controlled access to your computer systems and letting people serve themselves. It is about committing your company to a serious online effort and integrating your Web site with the heart of your business. If you do that, you will see results!"*

I remember thinking that the ʻserious online effortʼ sounded important, and quite simple.

by Sofie Moulin 18 October 2010 10:52am 4 comments

Is Apple driving iAds advertisers away?

For advertisers looking for the holy grail in mobile, the iPhone is one of the most attractive targets. And with iAd, Apple is aiming for nothing less than the perfect mobile ad.

But sometimes perfect is the enemy of good, and if rumors that have been circulating are to be believed, Apple's quest for the perfect mobile ad is driving advertisers crazy. It's also driving them away from the advertising solution that's supposed to help them.

by Patricio Robles 04 October 2010 09:11am 3 comments

Five reasons your clients hate you

I meet a surprising number of prospective clients who confess to having thoroughly disliked their previous SEO agency.

Many of them have simply run into the charlatans our sector unfortunately attracts, but I have encountered quite a few companies which have had decent optimisation work done on their behalf.

by Kevin Gibbons 28 September 2010 11:18am 16 comments

Seven signs your SEO agency is living in the past

The whole world of digital marketing is maturing but it’s still hugely dynamic, particularly in the world of search marketing.

This makes it an exciting time to be involved in the sector but does mean more and more agencies and practitioners are being left behind, clinging to what used to work and sticking with habits even if they aren’t doing anyone any favours.

But how can you spot one of these search marketing laggards, who have fallen so far behind?

by Kelvin Newman 23 September 2010 12:26pm 15 comments

Who did Google just smack? Performance cheats or traditional media buyers?

Google will make some important changes to their legal terms and agreements with agencies next year. It will force extra transparency and it is a good thing.

Let's speculate who they're going after...

by Andrew Girdwood 02 August 2010 09:30am 4 comments

Reddit's dream: I'll trade you all of these page views for all of your money

Last week, I wrote about popular user-generated news site Reddit, which, despite being owned by Conde Nast, finds itself having money problems.

To solve them, at least temporarily, it asked for donations. And it got plenty of them -- approximately 6,000. Calling the fundraising campaign a "triumph," a member of Reddit's team also wrote, "It's given everyone involved with reddit a good kick in the pants right when we needed it."

by Patricio Robles 19 July 2010 15:47pm 2 comments

Omnicom cozies up to Google in a big way

Media buyers are increasingly moving more and more dollars to digital, but as far as percentages go, digital advertising still has a lot of upside potential. The companies that stand to realize that potential, of course, are advertising powerhouses like Google.

Google isn't idly standing by waiting for media buyers to shift budgets. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal wrote that Google has struck a deal with giant agency holding company Omnicom that will see Omnicom spend hundreds of millions of dollars on display ads through Google's ad exchange over the next two years.

by Patricio Robles 15 July 2010 14:32pm 1 comment