Half a Billion in One Day
The numbers still amaze me. In just one day online, Nov 25,2010, there was $648 Million in sales. That is quite amazing. I note this so you do not forget the power of online sales. Whether you are a publisher, an advertiser or a marketer, these numbers have to motivate you and your own bottom line. More detail is found at the comScore Press Release.
That figure was 9% higher than the previous year. Amazing
Top Web Properties
comScore does provide some free materials such as the Top 50 web properties in the United States. I recall these lists, a long time ago, would only come with a listing of the sites in order. This particular list, as you will see, also comes with commentary and analysis from comScore which is very interesting. Here is a direct link to the page on their site which does not have the information but has a link to a pdf file, I am not sure why they did not post the information on the page but nonetheless you can obtain the PDF.
Analysis
I for one think the analysis section is very helpful and they have interesting insights. They discuss the impact of political news, online gambling and humor sites in detail. Also broken out are the top sites ranked by those which had the most unique visitors, Google Sites, Yahoo! Sites, Microsoft Sites, Facebook etc., they are all listed out. Also they list the top ad networks in order of those that reach the largest audience, Google Ad Network, Yahoo! Network Plus, AOL Advertising and others. I will not steal their thunder, so take a look at the comScore 6 page analysis.
Need Dog Supplies?
Here is a quick note about a discount on dog supplies, from beds to treats whatever you may want. Here is the dog.com coupon for 15% off your order. I find the domain fascinating, I recall when one word domains were sold for unbelievable sums, however that is happening again. And what used to be considered unbelievable is turning out to be an excellent investment. I for one am impressed with what the parent company of dog.com has done with their premium domains and created amazing businesses around them.
$6.4 Billion Spent in just 3 Months
I thought I would emphasize that a total of $6.4 billion was spent in online advertising in only 3 months. That was the three month period known as Q3 of 2010, July / Aug / Sept. Take a look at the recent IAB Press Release. Here is a quote from the release:
U.S. Internet advertising revenues hit $6.4 billion in the third quarter of 2010, representing the highest quarterly result ever for the online advertising industry and a 17% increase from the same period in 2009. The third quarter 2010 revenue estimates were announced today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PwC US.
Take a look at the graph on their press release showing the years 2001 to 2010 with roughly 2 B spent per quarter in beginning of 2000 and now up to 6 B per quarter. Amazing to think how large the online advertising world is.
Advertising Formats
If you have advertised using banners or place banners on your site as a publisher you are probably aware of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and their Ad Unit Guidelines. The ad unit guidelines show the sizes of the banners expressed in pixels. The reason for guidelines is to make it easier for publishers and advertisers to do business. The publisher states which size banners (in pixels as well as file size), format (such as .jpg / .gif), type such as animated or not and using which technology, and the basic information is common knowledge to everyone thanks to the IAB. These banner sizes, in pixels, have been around for quite a while. I may be mistaken but I believe the first commonly accepted banner was the 468×60 and I do recall using LinkExchange (years ago). Here is a random fact, did you know the CEO of Zappos Tony Hsieh started LinkExchange? He did. So now the IAB is considering adding additional sizes to the common banner sizes.
Ad Unit Format Competition
You can read more about the Rising Stars Ad Format Competition put on by the IAB. If you have ideas, and particularly if you are a designer or have been creating banners for years and always felt restricted by the size, or functionalities, page integration etc., then take a look at the competition and suggest your best format. It is worth a shot, not just to potentially win a competition but to affect the overall online advertising industry for the better.
Free Webinar about Email Marketing
I have not association with Lyris, I just thought this looked like a good opportunity to learn about email marketing. Here is an excerpt regarding their webinar.
10 Trends That Will Make or Break Your Email Results
Top 10 Vital Factors for Email Marketing Success: How to Generate Results in a Tough Economy.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
10:00 AM Pacific Time / 1:00 PM Eastern Time
In this informational, one-hour Webinar you will learn:
* Why email is still an important tool in every marketer’s toolbox
* The surprising trends that will make or break marketing success in 2011
* How to capitalize on these trends and create efficiencies that can dramatically improve results
Here’s a sneak peek at the 2011 Trends:
1. Opt-in list Building: Automatically
2. List Maintenance & Hygiene – Stop the Churn
3. Deliverability & Authentication Today
4. Drive Relevance through Segmentation
5. Engagement Strategies
6. Leverage Social Media
7. Test and Analyze
8. Automate for Impact
9. Mobile is the “New” Standard
10. Integration – Pulling it All Together
As a special bonus, all Webinar attendees will receive our free complementary 2011 Trends guide as a follow up to the Webinar presentation. This actionable how-to guide is designed to improve your online marketing results now and in the coming year.
You can register here.
Holidays and Product Searching
One of my favorite reads is the Google blog and they just wrote about their Improvements to Product Search for this holiday season which explains their product search but also has some interesting facts. For example, regarding retail purchases here is a quote:
According to a study by Forrester while 93 percent of retail purchases today happen in a store, more than 46 percent of those in-store purchases are influenced by online research.
It is amazing to think that while e-commerce is growing substantially it is still a small piece of the overall market with plenty of growth.
Google Product Search
If you have not already, try the Google Product Search which provides information about individual products in a whole new way. You can go directly to the URL or click the “Shopping” tab on the left of your regular google search. The product search is a great idea. The results are not a website with a description but a product picture, information, review information, price information, and more. You can quickly comparison shop for products at multiple locations.
The information can be show in typical list form or much like an e-commerce site. You can also sort by category, price and by store. What is very interesting is the ability to only show those items with certain characteristics such as Free Shipping or even those items that are In stock nearby. For the in stock items they have currently partnered with over 70 retail brands to obtain this information.
Want to Feel Better About Your Shopping?
Fire up your smart phone and use the product search when you are in a store to assure you are getting a good deal. If not, then order it online while in the store and have it shipped, get a coffee, then people watch and it will come to you.
For Advertisers
What this means for advertisers is that you can compete with the larger stores. You can have your products for sale appear along side those from retailers that you could never open a store next to in a mall. But now you can have potential purchasers see your prices next to the larger retailers. Learn more at the Google Retail Blog.
Consolidate Domain Expiration Dates
I have written about this before however it is ideal for the end of the year. If you own multiple domains it can be a chore to keep track of when they need to be renewed. One way to do it is to change all their expiration dates to the same date. Currently when you register a domain, awebsite name, you register for a number of years. So the expiration date is either 12, 24, 36, etc. months away.
You may have renewal dates such as 1/15 , 2/17, 5/18, 6/20, 6/24, 7/15 etc. for all your domains. You can use a feature provided by GoDaddy to change all the expiration dates. You are charged on a pro-rated basis, so no more than you would normally pay. By changing them all to the same expiration date you will only have to renew your domains once a year. Such as 12/20, then every December you renew them. Much easier to remember.
How to Consolidate Expiration Dates
With Go Daddy you log into your account and then go to the account management tab. Next choose the domain management link. You place a check mark in the box to the left of each domain you wish to consolidate. On the upper menu choose the renew icon by hovering over it. The menu (see image to the right of this text) will appear and you choose to consolidate. It is that simple, just follow the instructions.
Our podcast is meant to let those that are starting their own businesses, particularly online, understand that all business have to start somewhere. I personally have started a couple with a pen and a piece of paper. CCS is a company that was started in 1985 and ended up being sold most recently to a public company (Footlocker) for $103 Million. Read more about CCS here.
[podcast]http://www.longest.com/files/longest11022010.mp3[/podcast]
Learn more about a company starting out selling skateboards in 1985 sells for over $103 Million and was projected to do $80 million in revenue in 2009. Nothing short of impressive.