Stay in the know: Search Marketing Blog

MySpace just launched a new ad platform called MyAds.com.

The platform allows advertisers to:
• Create display/banner ads using provided templates or allows the upload of custom ads
• Target Audiences down to the specifics (Interest and Occupation, Demographics, Geography)
• View your audience reach of unique users as you narrow your target audience, this system also adjusts suggested bid

Payment Options and Who Can Advertise
Payment is on a CPC (cost per click) basis. Currently they are only accepting credit cards and are only running in the U.S. They are offering a $25 credit to new users for 1 week. Use CODE web06250925 during checkout.

Reporting & Tracking
I asked several times whether they would be providing any type of conversion tracking to advertisers but received no answer. I will follow up with Lisa Carrieri later this week to see if I can get details. Currently, the platform does offer basic reporting on impressions, clicks, and CTR.

Why You Should Try Myads.com
The CPC model and the targeting and uploading of ads allows the advertiser to have more control of their ads. This will open up a whole new methodology for testing and launching ad campaigns. With the ability to test which ads are performing best and the ability to gain a better understanding of who your target audience will be highly cost effective. MyAds can also serve as a valuable testing platform before launching a National offline campaign.

Let’s hope they don’t have the same click fraud problems as Facebook.

Let us know if you have used the platform and what your thoughts are.

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While reading my dailies, I came across a fabulous article by Cameron Chapman on Smashing Magazine. Its focus was “Best Practices for Non-profit Website Design.”

And while I have no arguments about how helpful and resourceful this article is with regard to Non-profit Website Design, I do believe these best practices can be repurposed for nearly any organization looking to build a new Web site or update their current one.

A listing of Best Practices for Non-Profit Web sites are as follows:

1. Make your site donor-friendly
2. Make Your Site Media-Friendly
3. Make Your Site Volunteer-Friendly
4. Make Sure Your Organization’s Purpose is Immediately Apparent
5. Make Sure Your Content Takes Center Stage
6. Make Sure Your Website is Consistent with Your Other Promotional Materials
7. Know Your Site’s Purpose Up Front
8. Include a News Section or Blog

Find a breakdown for organizations that are not non-profit, on how to utilize these same Website best practices for your own company below.

Read the original and full article here.

If YOU ARE NOT A NON-PROFIT organization, here are some Web site Key Takeaways and Thoughts from this article that can be utilized for your company:

• Make your site donor-friendly

Whether you are collecting donations, selling a product or providing information your site needs to be easy to navigate and checkout. The checkout process can be collecting donations, moving consumers through an actual purchase process, or requiring them to sign up for a webinar, or fill out information to download a whitepaper - you need to make it easy and requiring too many steps and requesting unnecessary information can mean losing that potential customer.

• Make Sure Your Organization’s Purpose is Immediately Apparent and Know Your Site’s Purpose Upfront

If visitors cannot figure out the purpose of your company or what you offer they cannot be turned into prospective customers. A cute logo and clever tagline won’t cut it. Make sure to include clear precise copy on all pages that informs visitors of what you offer, how to get more information and how it all works.

• Make Sure Your Content Takes Center Stage

Content does not equal copy. Content refers to copy, videos, blogs, Flash elements, images, and other types of media. Consider the types of audiences coming to your site and the best forms of content to include on your site that appeal to many types of personas. From researcher to purchaser, focus on the main types of personas interested in your product or service offering and appeal to their purchase process. What key pieces of information need to be present to get them to the desired action (e.g. requesting more information, signing up for a trial or demo, checking out). Different pieces of content appeal to different users and finding the right mix of content while balancing design and creating clear goal/conversion paths is no small challenge. Measure and test everything.

• Make Sure Your Website is Consistent with Your Other Promotional Materials

Take a hard and fast look at all on and offline materials. Cost efficiencies can be saved across the board by picking standard sizes, having image libraries, and all departments working from the same pool of resources. This ensures consistency across the board and that is the number one rule - consistency makes for success. Your brand identity will also be salvaged. In addition, make sure someone is assigned to managing your Web site and that they are made aware of all marketing initiatives both on and offline. There is nothing worse than having a press release sent out over the Internet and then visiting the actual company Web site for more information and there is little to no information on the product or service that was promoted, let alone the press releases hasn’t even been posted to the company site. You miss out on great search engine visibility opportunities by missing on such a simple web update.

• Include a News Section or Blog

Don’t miss out on opportunities to become an authority in your area. You don’t always have to be promoting your products or services, think inside your box but with regard to end-user. What problems do they encounter that your product or service might help solve? Blogs and News Sections are opportunities to take advantage of ongoing search engine visibility as well as deliver valuable and relevant information to your audiences. They keep your site current and fresh and provide valuable insight into your companies work ethic and level of service.

Whether you are a novice to Twitter or a veteran we all had to learn how to walk and by learn how to walk I mean “learn how to Twitter.”

I started using Twitter a little over a year and a half ago. I know many addicted, veteran, and first time Twitter users. I’ve identified what I believe to be the 10 Steps to Twitter Enlightenment. Basically, the many phases we go through from first starting to use Twitter through to a somewhat enlightened perspective on how influential the tool can be used within our every day lives - both personally and professionally. I’d love to hear additional perspectives or experiences on your evolution of Twitter communication so please chime in.

Step 1: You’ve signed up and created a Twitter name
Congratulations. I’m sure this step took the longest, and you’ve signed up because you’ve either given in to the peer pressure of other folks asking you to get on Twitter or your curiosity finally caught up with you. Either way, you’ve done it. You have signed up for Twitter. Now what?

Step 2: “No one is following me, and who should I follow.”
No one is following you. You know someone, so you follow them, then look at their list of followers and then follow them. 6 hours later you realize you have accomplished little and have learned even less, but the nasty cycle continues and you are now following 50 more people.

Step 3: Forced Twittering.
You think “What do I do? No one is following me. Well, maybe one person.” You have this overwhelming urge to participate so you start Twittering. Your first Twitter is probably something like “I am using Twitter” or “I am drinking coffee” or “eating cheese.” But now you feel inadequate, because you’re thinking “does anyone really care if I am eating cheese?” And, the answer sadly is “No.” But hey, kudos to you, you have made your first Tweet.

Step 4: Obligation to Tweet something relevant and valuable and often.
Step 5: You hate Twitter. It’s stupid.
Step 6: You keep seeing weird symbols like RT, @, and #
Steps 4, 5, and 6 all seem to happen at the same time. While the obligation to Tweet something relevant and valuable becomes frustrating, your frustration is only further increased by your lack of participation and inundation of Twitters you keep receiving. You are conflicted with figuring out how many times to “check your Twitter” account and realize it cannot be scheduled and you will miss something if it is not checked several times per day. You become annoyed by others who are using RT and @ and #. You don’t understand what the buzz is all about and resort to “Twitter is stupid.” But you are not ready to give up, so you start investigating how to use: @, RT, DM, and #. (Read this ultimate article in Twitter shorthand, tools, and codes).

Step 7: “You mean, I don’t have to post from Twitter.com?”
During your investigation you realize that RT, @, and # enable you to interact without having to be totally original. :). Then you stumble upon or learn from friends that you don’t need to have your browser open to Twitter all day long, but instead you can use phone applications like Twitterberry and desktop applications like Tweetdeck.

Step 8: Obsession. New world created.
You become obsessed with following people and you start to discover that there is a whole world that has been created around Twitter. From brightkite to twitpic, to cool crazy sites (these are just the tip of the iceberg) and realize that your Facebook and Friendfeed can be updated automatically through Twitter. You start to become obsessed with retweetrank and twittergrader, and the list goes on and on.

Step 9: Oh, Twitter is used for Communication AND Information?
After Step 8 you realize you’ve got to cut back on your Twittering and start to think of how Twitter can be used to your advantage. You’ve entered the information gathering and communication phase. You realize after following for a few weeks, months, etc. that there is valuable and timely information to be gained and researched. That there are major folks professionally and personally that you can learn from. You have now been enlightened by the “Twitterness” (defined as the greatness of Twitter). How could you have ever gone through Step 5 of hating Twitter? You are truly enlightened by the power and realize how informative all the folks you are following are.

Step 10: The great are followed. The great will be followed.
You’ve started following folks who are relevant and valuable to you (professionally or as it pertains to your personal beliefs, values, etc.) You want to learn about a new industry or a new passion, and are excited that it is easy to connect. And sometimes when you complain or praise a company you get a response back, quickly.

You have now reached enlightenment, but I am sure there is more to come.
Tell us about your journey to Twitter Enlightenment.

Follow us on Twitter @libertyt

Other interesting Twitter Articles:
Twitter Attitudes
Top 21 Twitter Applications
47 Awesome Twitter Tools You Should be Using
58 Twitter Innovations