ROI | Internet Marketing Blog

Small businesses are not impressed by Twitter: survey

Much of the attention lavished on social networks as marketing platforms focuses in on large brands, many of which have invested heavily in these channels and can boast about large audiences.

One of the most popular social networks with brands has been Twitter, which is now generating hundreds of millions of dollars a year in ad revenue and may go public in the next year.

by Patricio Robles 01 February 2013 14:42pm 0 comments

Five ways agencies can fight downward pressure on fees

Last year, Unilver, one of the world's largest advertisers and a bellweather for the ever-important CPG market, spent $8.6bn on ads, an 8% jump over the prior year.

And it invested heavily in digital, upping its digital ad spend a whopping 40%.

That would normally be reason for agency execs to cheer, but you like won't hear any champagne bottles popping.

The reason? According to Unilever CFO Jean-Marc Huet, the company is working to reduce "the part of the advertising spend which is used to make films, pay agencies and the like." And it isn't where it wants to be yet.

by Patricio Robles 25 January 2013 11:21am 2 comments

Five steps for improving lead generation ROI

Most companies involved in lead generation spend a considerable amount of time thinking about, well, lead generation, with an emphasis on generation.

Unfortunately, the truth of the matter is that far more organizations have mastered the art of generating leads than have mastered the science of converting leads into sales.

by Patricio Robles 18 January 2013 13:01pm 0 comments

Five big marketing mistakes companies make

For most businesses, marketing is a crucial component of success. If you can't market effectively, you can't sell and grow, and that spells trouble.

Thanks to the internet, the rise of digital marketing channels, and the abundance of marketing tools and technologies, companies have more marketing assets and capabilities than ever.

But figuring out how to use them correctly is often a challenge and there are a number of common mistakes that hold companies back. Here are five of the biggest and most detrimental.

by Patricio Robles 16 January 2013 16:06pm 1 comment

Facebook: little more than an extra for Hollywood?

Hollywood and social media may seem like a match, but if Facebook is a big part of 'social media', the movie version of the relationship may not have a happy ending.

Last year, just as the world's largest social network was prepping to go public, it was publicly dissed by automaker GM, which said it was cutting its spend on paid Facebook paid ads.

Now it looks like movie studios, not sure of the ROI from their Facebook investments, may be following in GM's footsteps.

by Patricio Robles 10 January 2013 13:20pm 2 comments

What do you love or hate about email marketing? Tell us!

For the past six years, Econsultancy and Adestra have been asking marketers on both the client and agency side for their opinion on what is happening within email marketing.

This year we are doing the same again, launching our seventh survey to take the pulse of email marketing and to see what those at the coalface are doing to get the best results of their efforts.

Those taking part in the Email Marketing Industry Census will get a free copy of the report, worth £250/$400.

by Andrew Warren-Payne 10 January 2013 09:43am 2 comments

Five big B2B content marketing mistakes

In 2011, marketers began saying that "content marketing is more important than advertising" and given the growth of content marketing in 2012, it would appear that they meant what they said.

And not just in the consumer space. Although selling content marketing to leadership has been a challenge for some B2B marketers, the use of content marketing at B2B organizations is growing rapidly.

by Patricio Robles 21 December 2012 16:07pm 4 comments

Mobile fuels growth of social media, but ad efficacy still a big problem: report

This holiday shopping season, retailers are witnessing first-hand just how important mobile has become to their businesses.

And they're not alone. According to Nielsen's Social Media Report 2012, mobile is now crucial to social media as it is driving the growth of the most popular social networks.

by Patricio Robles 04 December 2012 16:05pm 1 comment

Revenue from paid search grows 31% on Black Friday: report

Despite the fact that social ad spend is expected to double by 2016 and analysts are increasingly bullish on native social ads, search continues to be the go-to channel for advertisers looking to drive ROI.

The record-breaking holiday shopping season is making that abundantly apparent. While sales driven by social referrals have thus far been miniscule, early analysis of Black Friday sales data by search and analytics consulting firm NetElixer finds that search ads are killing it.

by Patricio Robles 28 November 2012 15:24pm 1 comment

Four things marketers can learn from the Papa John's $250m SMS spam lawsuit

How much does it cost to send a text message?

It's often less than a cent if you're a marketer sending in bulk, but U.S. pizza chain Papa John's could be forced to pay $1,500 a pop for 500,000 text messages its franchisees sent in 2010.

by Patricio Robles 14 November 2012 14:47pm 10 comments