Google AdWords and Google Analytics integration made easy!

If you have been having issues integrating your Google AdWords account with your Google Analytics account, then you are in for a treat! Google has optimized its support for this, and is now offering a new and improved way of linking your accounts.

The benefit of being able to linking these 2 products and integrating the data received is that users can have more detailed and essential information in order to analyze the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and of course, Return On Investment.

This linking process will be available on all accounts in the upcoming weeks


To read the original post, please click on the 'continue reading' link:

Dynamic Remarketing by Google

Great news for those who are interested in expanding their marketing attempts via dynamic remarketing, Google has announced the availability of its new Dynamic Remarketing program to all clients with a Google Merchant Center account!

What does remarketing do exactly? Via remarketing, you can display relevant ads to a specific sector of your audience. Basically, you can create automatic, customized ads that 'link' to your shoppers past views or purchases in your site and suggest other products they might be interested in.

Is it successful? Google states that "our clients have seen clickthrough rates which were as much as a 450% higher from dynamic remarketing campaigns vs. campaigns that did not use dynamic creative for remarketing."

Want to learn more? Click on the 'continue reading' link below to read the announcement

Bing announces Bing Boards

Bing has announced the launch of its newest project, Bing Boards.

What exactly are Bing Boards and what are they useful for?

As explained in the announcement:

Bing Boards are visual collections of images, videos and links that tell a story from a unique point of view. They are created by people who are passionate about the topics they blog, write or talk about – not companies or algorithms. Bing Boards are designed to be complementary to web search results, appearing in the middle column of Bing, and are aimed to help people to discover new, visually rich content.

Click on the 'Continue reading' link below to read the announcement

Facebook's Instagram announces Video Instagram for iOS and Android

So a few posts back, I informed you that Facebook is getting ready to announce  new product. There where many speculations as to what that product might be. Well, its a secret no more... Facebook has announced that Instagram will now be offering Instagram video!

Now users can record 15 second mobile videos and edit them accordingly via available features.

Basically, what this new feature offers includes the recording of 15 seconds of video, editing, filters (13), anti-shake functionality, cover frames and of course sharing (Facebook and Instagram web file)

As explained by Kevin Systrom (Co-founder, Instagram) in his post on Instagram's blog:

When you go to take a photo on Instagram, you’ll now see a movie camera icon. Tap it to enter video mode, where you can take up to fifteen seconds of video through the Instagram camera.
You’ll also find that we’ve added thirteen filters built specifically for video so you can keep sharing beautiful content on Instagram. When you post a video, you’ll also be able to select your favorite scene from what you’ve recorded as your cover image so your videos are beautiful even when they’re not playing.

So what does this mean for your content? Nothing’s different from photos. We’re still committed to making sure you have control over all of your content. Only the people who you let see your photos will be able to see your videos. And as with photos, you own your videos. You can learn more about Video on Instagram—including our new Cinema feature—by visiting the Instagram Help Center.
We can’t wait to see what you’ll create.

Instagram for iOS version 4.0 is currently available for download in Apple’s App Store and Instagram for Android version 4.0 is now available on Google Play.
 

X9FWGU5995JK

---

Google's Knowledge Graph Carousel for Local Search Launched!

Google has officially launched the "Knowledge Graph Carousel for Local Search"

What is the Knowledge Graph Carousel for Local Search?

As stated in Google's announcement "when you search Google for restaurants, bars or other local places on your desktop, you’ll see an interactive “carousel” of local results at the top of the page". Users can then navigate through different available images and by clicking on an image in the "carousel", they will be able to view additional location details.

Although, this new feature/display was only available to a few and in specific devices, it has now been made available to desktop users, in English in the U.S -- new features and languages will be added accordingly.

Original announcement:

Starting today, when you search Google for restaurants, bars or other local places on your desktop, you’ll see an interactive “carousel” of local results at the top of the page.

Give it a go—type or say “mexican restaurants,” or try any similar search for restaurants, bars or hotels. Click on one of the places in the carousel to get more details on it, including its overall review-based score, address and photos. If you want to see more places, click the arrow at the right of the carousel. And you can zoom in on the map that appears below the carousel to restrict your search to only places in a specific area.

While some iPad and Nexus tablet users have seen this new look since December, we’re excited to expand to desktop. The interactive “carousel” is rolling out in English in the U.S.—we’ll add more features and languages over time.

Source: Google's Knowledge Graph Carousel for Local Search announcement

Happy 10th birthday Google Adsense!

10 years ago Google built on an idea and launched a new and innovative platform for web content publishers called Google Adsense, that allowed them to serve automatic text, image, video, or interactive media ads that are targeted/linked to site content and audience.

This idea went on to become one of Googles most profitable and important ventures as "the AdSense community has grown to include more than 2 million publishers, and last year alone, publishers earned more than $7 billion from AdSense" (Susan Wojcicki, SVP, Ads and Commerce).

Google Adsense has now become '10' and to celebrate Google hosted a 'hangout' where publishers exchanged stories about how Google Adsense changed their lives and to discuss about the future of online advertising.

Check out Google's Blog for more on Google Adsense and its 10th birthday celebrations!


Google Blog (Celebration 10 years of shared success post)

Customer Relationships - How to Nurture them

In her article about customer loyalty and how to nurture it, Jennifer Wong proposes 6 mobile methods that help you to connect with your customers, maintain an ongoing relationship with them and keep them on board (customer loyalty).

According to the author, the mobile approaches that target cementing a loyal and enduring relationship with your customers are text reminders, polls and surveys, sweepstakes, push notifications, social integration, loyalty and membership programs. An explanation of each is also presented in her article.

Click on the 'continue reading' link below to read the original article...

Facebook Announcing New Product on June 20

Facebook has announced that it will be launching a new product - and the unveiling will take place on June 20 (Menlo Park, Calif.)... coffee included (as stated and 'displayed via stain' on invite!) :)

 

Thing is, what is Facebook about to unveil? What is this new product? How does it integrate with Facebook user experience? Will it be something that Facebook users will actually take advantage of, make their experience with the popular social platform friendlier or will it be more focused on the advertising aspect of it all?

Click on the 'continue reading' link below to read the original article...

#FollowMe video service by Twitter!

Twitter has launched a new tool (Powered by Vizify), where users can create shareable videos that also include soundtracks from a wide range (1 million songs by Rublefish!) available and that way display/promote/present their 'social footprint — top tweets, photos and followers'.

Its very simple to use - start by granting Vizify third-party app access. You will then be redirected to their site from where you can edit the available customized video by adding music and images to it, or editing the scenes. As Vizify CEO Todd Silverstein states, "Unlike Vine, there's no time limit, so go wild."

Click on the 'Continue reading' link below to read the entire article:

Facebook Hashtags

Facebook is rolling out the new hashtags feature, where people can use hashtags as a method of becoming part of a larger discussion about a trending topic. Sounds familiar? 

Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, and Pinterest are pioneers within the hashtag trend, and now Facebook follows by allowing you to use their platform in the same way, by making hashtags clickable.  

Simply put, by clicking on a hashtag on Facebook, you will be able to see what other people and Pages are discussing about a topic as well as be a part of public conversations regarding different topics

How to use hashtags on Facebook

By using hashtags (to add a hashtag, use the # next to a phrase or topic and add it to your post) you create topics and phrases into clickable links in posts on your personal timeline or your Page, which consequently allows people to discover posts about different topics they like.

Click on the 'continue reading' link below to take a look at the Facebook announcement:

Google AdWords Keyword Match Types and Negatives

Oh, the value of keywords! They are not only words, they are the link between what you are searching for and finding it! 

But does a keyword alone actually grasp the essence or explain the intention behind a search? That is where match type comes in. It is the most important part of the success of paid advertising. As stated in her article, Lisa Raehsler explains that:

The broader the keyword, the greater the reach, but unfortunately the relevancy can also slip since ads can be served on less relevant keywords. 

She then follows to present a guide of the different match types and how they can be used in order to target searches in the most effective way.

Take a look at the original article by clicking in the 'continue reading' link below:

Google Stock Market

When you hear the word 'real estate' what comes to mind? Houses, apartments, etc., correct? Hmm, what if we take it further? How about websites? Pages? Web advertising space?

All the above make up what is know as your online real estate. Every website is considered 'online' real estate where people can bid for advertising space, promotional opportunities, etc. This is the category where the Google Search Engine fall into. He focuses on this and tells us that the more you focus on the steady improvement of your keyword selection and bidding strategy, the more succesfull you will be and profit from various keywords.

As explained by Howard Jacobson, in his article How to Win in the Google Stock Market:

The Google search engine has a hidden side. Because it sells ad space based on a keyword auction, it's actually a stock market for words. Through slow and steady improvement, you can achieve market domination in one, and then an entire family, of keywords.

Lets take a look at the original article: 

Zuckerberg Denies Facebook PRISM Involvement

Founder and CEO of Facebook,  Mark Zuckerberg, has denied Facebook involvement in the recent PRISM (U.S. National Security Agency's secret Internet surveillance program) scandal.

Facebook company statement regarding PRISM (read below)

"Protecting the privacy of our users and their data is a top priority for Facebook. We do not provide any government organization with direct access to Facebook servers. When Facebook is asked for data or information about specific individuals, we carefully scrutinize any such request for compliance with all applicable laws, and provide information only to the extent required by law."

However, the above statement leaves room for speculation as to Facebook's role in 'a kind of' surveillance attempt(s) through the focus on 'direct access to Facebook servers'. How about third party servers? Are they being used? This vagueness is creating speculation as to the exact role Facebook and other sites are playing in this 'program' as well as the specific strategies used to obtain / provide these types of private data.


Zuckerberg's statement on his Facebook page:

"I want to respond personally to the outrageous press reports about PRISM: Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers. We have never received a blanket request or court order from any government agency asking for information or metadata in bulk, like the one Verizon reportedly received. And if we did, we would fight it aggressively.

We hadn't even heard of PRISM before yesterday When governments ask Facebook for data, we review each request carefully to make sure they always follow the correct processes and all applicable laws, and then only provide the information if is required by law. We will continue fighting aggressively to keep your information safe and secure. We strongly encourage all governments to be much more transparent about all programs aimed at keeping the public safe. It's the only way to protect everyone's civil liberties and create the safe and free society we all want over the long term."

Alongside Zuckerberg, heads of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have also denied any involvement.

Facebook to Change/Improve Ads!

Facebook is reported to be changing its advertising options a bit by attempting to simplify the process by cutting down on the options within the ad units that a user can select.
Specifically, advertisers will no longer need to select from a list of 27 different ad units. Rather, they will be able to choose from six or seven options, such as "driving foot traffic to a real-world store or generating "likes" for a company's page".

This looks like a positive change, but will it make an essential difference to the advertiser at the end of the day?

Let's take a look at Alexei Oreslovics's article "Facebook Is Radically Changing Ads To Make Life Simpler For Marketers" in the Huffington Post where he discusses the reasons for the change and what Facebook hopes to achieve with this move.

Social Media Advertising

In his 'SOCIAL MEDIA ADVERTISING: Inside The Massive Rise, And Why It Will Continue' article, Josh Luger tackles the importance of social media advertising in a company's marketing attempts. Where is social media advertising heading? What role does mobile play? How have these and other strategies affected market growth?

As stated in his article:

The media constellation has become increasingly fractured. The Web produced the initial fissure, but mobile created new cracks in the landscape. Today, no single medium earns more than 45% of our media consumption. How can you solve this problem? Social media offers a solution.

So lets take a look at how Social Media Advertising paves the way for  market growth!

Search Engine friendly websites can also be Customer friendly websites

Jay Taylor of Search Engine Watch eloquently explains in his article that you CAN create websites that are both search engine and customer friendly. Many times, we tend to focus more on the search engine friendly part of the equation that we fall into the trap of 'depreciating' the value a visitor (and potential customer) friendly site has for the end customer.

The important this is to keep in mind what interests the customer, what they believe differentiates you from the competition and ultimately triggers him/her to carry on with purchasing your product or service.

The author provides 5 steps you can follow in order to create a website that successfully targets both search engines and customers, and ultimately increase your rankings...

Twitter Advertising and Remarketing: True?

In her article, Lisa Raehsler offers a comprehensive guide as to the different options and uses of Twitter Advertising with 

"elements of cost-per-click, display, and social media ads all wrapped up in 140 characters or less"

... here you can read her article about the different advertising options Twitter offers and how you can take advantage of them.

Moreover, in another article by Jessica Lee's on Twitter Advertising, she considers the rumored use of re-marketing by Twitter where she states that

'Twitter continues to develop its advertising service with a potential stab at retargeting, according to AdAge. Twitter didn't comment on the matter, so it's largely speculation as of now, but AdAge reports those with knowledge of the planned offering say it's on the way." 

This could open doors to a number of new options that advertisers can apply via this scheme and the results it can bring forth.

Furthermore, the author goes on to offer a clear-cut, to the point explanation of the different options available for small businesses and large brands based on the currently available 'self-service and full-service models.

"Advertisers can access options like Promoted Accounts, Promoted Tweets, and Promoted Trends, all with analytics to track progress."

Reviewing Penguin

Two weeks ago, Google's Matt Cutts disclosed the serious impact that the Penguin Update would have on websites, specifically stating that "It's gonna have a pretty big impact on web spam,"... "It's a brand new generation of algorithms. The previous iteration of Penguin would essentially only look at the home page of a site. The newer generation of Penguin goes much deeper and has a really big impact in certain small areas." This resulted in many website managers to expect the worse... but was the worse seen?

As stated in Jennifer Slegg's article, "post Penguin 2.0 launch, even though there's sufficient evidence to support limited panic, we actually find the majority of folks managed to survive the challenges of Penguin and in fact see little or no impact.". She follows with some projections as to what SEO challenges practitioners might encounter and what they can do to solve them... take a look:

CEOs and Social Media? Here are some tips!

Is it a good idea for CEOs to get involved in the social media medium?

Well, as stated by Chad Brooks, Weber Shandwick (PR firm) and KRC Research (Research Partner) support that 'more than three-quarters of executives worldwide believe it is a good idea for CEOs to participate in social media'.

What are the benefits of CEOs being active and getting involved with social media?

As stated in their research, 'more than 70 percent of those surveyed said CEO sociability increases information-sharing throughout the business, improves company reputation, demonstrates innovation, humanizes the company and improves business results.'

Moreover, "CEOs must strategically utilize the right digital platforms that advance their communications — ranging from their own intranet and website to social network pages and feeds to video and image-sharing platforms," as stated by Chris Perry (Global President, Weber Shandwick's digital practice).

As a result of the research, a profile of the most socially active CEOs was put together which includes the following 'traits':