SellFM - Talking Radio

Want to see 12 guys who took home over $1 Billion since 2003? The NYTimes has a great chart showing the breakdown of compensation.

(Source: NYTimes)

I was linked to this article from my friend Fazal (he should be blogging!) that points out the detail of a compensation package in the hundreds of millions over just a few years. I point this out as the attention funnel is moving from many regular topics to the economy for most people. I expect this attention trend to continue.

Image via WikipediaGoogle announced their Ad Planner tool today which was an anticipated move and one that many people are looking to checkout soon. It looks to have some very interesting features that I know many traditional and interactive media planners would like to get their hands on. Like many other next generation media products, I have a feeling that this one will take awhile to catch on. Much like Google Analytics, companies will have a hard time believing that a service that is free can actually work as well as a very expensive paid product (this is the case with Google Analytics anyways)

In their own words Ad Planner is …

a research and media planning tool that connects advertisers and publishers. When using Google Ad Planner, simply enter demographics and sites associated with your target audience, and the tool will return information about sites (both on and off the Google content network) that your audience is likely to visit. You can drill down further to get more detail like demographics and related searches for a particular site, or you can get aggregate statistics for the sites you’ve added to your media plan.

This service seems to go right up against many others that exist right now, but being free provides a major advantage to media planners. I applied to the Ad Planner service today and hopefully will be able to do a deep dive soon.

As a media planner in a former life I can tell you that a condensed consolidated ad planning tool for websites is something that no one has been able to deliver - yet. The halo effect that happens with Google products is seeming to permeate to Ad Planner as the reviews and opinions continue to roll in.

This applies both to general marketing and for search engine optimization.  All of these sites let you link back to your site which adds to your page rank and Search Engine Results.

In no particular order, here are 10 tips on how to use Social Networking sites in your marketing.

Go where the people are
This seems obvious but should be stated. Use a social network that is busy. You want to go where other people are going to get the most effect from your efforts.

Optimize for best results
Do everything you can on your page to make it stand out and be memorable. You want to optimize it to the max so you will get the most benefit.

Add friends carefully
On most networks you can choose to screen any friends before they are added. You should choose this option and make sure that you are friends with people who represent your values and support your overall message. Take the time to check out each request and just don’t approve everyone who asks.

Add content with care
Make sure that anything you put on your page represents you. Make sure it is professional and will not tarnish your image in any way.

Be aware of your audience
Make sure you understand that you are dealing with the general public. That may include children. You should always take the high road and never put anything questionable on your page.

State your purpose
Make it clear why you are on the site. You need to make sure people know you are there for business and not for finding a relationship. This is important or else you will be bombarded with offers from the opposite sex to chat and get to know each other which can be a he time waster.

Use photos
Have your photo on there. It has been shown that pages with photos get more traffic and interest than those without photos.

Customize
Customize your page to fit you. Add in backgrounds and other fun stuff to show off your personality. Remember these sites are for networking and getting to know others. People want to meet a friendly and fun person so be that.

Fill out your profile
Make sure you completely fill out your profile. You do not want blank space on your page. Plus filling it in gives people information about you and helps them get to know you.

Add target content
Make sure that you still think about your target market. Make sure that you stay targeted. You can still pick up search engine rankings through this page so think smart. Link your site Do not forget to put up your link. You can easily get caught up in meeting people and fixing up your page that you forget to add in your link.

I've found this tool that makes bookmarking on multiple sites a LOT easier.

Have a look at BookMarking Daemon, it'll save you a ton of time and is well worth the low cost for the software.

Google has unveiled the ability to build your own display ads in the AdWords system. You can make calls to action, custom images, and custom text - controlling the entire ad as you build it to your specifications. Similar to the interface used for the search marketing products, the new display AdWords area will customize ads for multiple uses with only making one ad. The system appears to have many features coming soon, but this first iteration is a big step forward for DIY display advertising. A video demoing the new tool is below.

DIY advertising has come a long way. Checkout links below to see a DIY SEM ad solution from Wal-Mart.

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