Google vs. Facebook

No wonder Google wants to get into social networking in a big way. Facebook is beating Google at its own game.

This week that Facebook has passed Google to become the top source for traffic to major portals like Yahoo and MSN, and is among the leaders for other types of sites. Web measurement firm Compete Inc. found that during December, 15 percent of traffic to major Web portals like Yahoo, MSN & AOL came from Facebook and MySpace. Of that traffic total, 13 percent came from Facebook.  Google came in third with 7 percent, just behind E-Bay.

Facebook’s growth is incredible. The social networking site recently said it now has 400 million active members (including about 225 million added in the past 12 months). Compete said its size now rivals that of the major Web portals, and its demographics mirror those of the Internet in general.

Google isn’t giving up without a fight. Last week, it purchased Aardvark, a social-media search engine for questions and answers, and unveiled Google Buzz, which allows Gmail users to post updates, videos, photos and links in the “Facebook” style.

Google Buzz – A new social web

So what exactly is Google Buzz? Used on a PC or mobile, Buzz reminds us of an RSS combined with all of your social networking—all within the existing Gmail and Google.com infrastructure.

 Buzz's five key features include:

• Automatic friends lists (friends are added automatically who you have emailed on Gmail)
• "Rich fast sharing" combines sources like Picasa and Twitter into a single feed, and it includes full-sized photo browsing
• Public and private sharing (swap between family and friends)
• Inbox integration (instead of emailing you with updates, like Facebook might, Buzz features emails that update dynamically with all Buzz thread content, like the photo viewer we mentioned above)
• "Recommended Buzz" puts friend-of-friend content into your stream, even if you're not acquainted. Recommendations learn over time with your feedback.

Google Buzz is available, and it should come up as a new tab in Gmail anytime now.

Ipad : A Suitable Mobile Ads Platform?

Whether you think the iPad is the greatest thing since sliced bread, or just another over-hyped product, Apple’s new device is sure to please the mobile advertising industry.  They’ve been laboring to optimize their ads and websites for the tiny screen sizes of smart phones. But the iPad’s 9.7 inch screen should make it much easier to see traditional display ads, such as those seen on magazines or TV episodes.  Plus, the iPad offers the personalization and geo-locational features of a smart-phone.

However, one downside of the iPad is its inability to support Adobe Flash, the software many online ads rely on. As a result, mobile marketers who use Flash won’t be able to adapt their existing ads. They will have to develop new kinds of ads to reach iPad users.

On the other hand, users will be able to download applications for the iPad, creating similar advertising opportunities to those found with the iPhone.  Apple had recently announced plans to buy Quattro Wireless, a mobile advertising platform. Analysts say that deal makes much more sense for Apple now due to the increased market for mobile ads for the iPad.

Is Social Media relevant to Business?

“Social media is great for keeping in touch with people, but it takes too much time, and I’m not sure how it benefits my business.”

How many times have you heard that comment? I personally hear it quite frequently. And a recent informal inquiry of my clients and business associates showed the majority of them feel the same way.  Although, most of them do like the fact that social media is a quick, easy and free way to reach a big audience, and maintain a personal connection.

Business owners and executives are interested in learning more about social networking sites, particularly how to use Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to grow their business. Not knowing how to use social media is probably the main reason why a majority of my respondents said they spend less than 30 minutes a week on social media.

Another reason a lot of people are unsure about how to use social networking sites for their business is the fact that they don’t know how to measure ROI.  There are tools out there to help you do this such as Addictomatic and Tweetalyzer, as I mentioned in an earlier blog post.

8 Tools To Assess Social Media Metrics

Social media will be  the top priority over search engine optimization for 45% of marketers this year, according to a recent emarketer.com survey.  With that much attention being given, it’s becoming more important for marketers to be able to gauge their ROI from social media. Here is a list of 8 tools to help assess social media metrics:

Google Analytics – This free tool lets you track incoming links and the activities of the users they send.

Omniture – For a fee, Omniture has tools to track your Facebook and Twitter metrics.

PostRank Analytics – Not only does PostRank measure social engagement on other platforms and services, it allows you to see the messages and comments from other sites that contribute to your stats.

HootSuite – This Twitter manager offers click data that enables you to see if those clicks translate into transactions or impressions on your other sites.

Addictomatic – This search engine puts together a visual representation of your presence across social media sites. It can help marketers identify which elements of a corporate presence should be improved, such as photo or video results.

Tweetlevel – A tool to measure a person’s importance on Twitter. Besides taking into account how many followers a Twitter user has, it places more importance on whether the Twitter user actively participates within the community, and how much trust people have in what the user is saying.

Twitalyzer – Web Analytics Demystified built this analytics application which allows people to track their Twitter use over time. One metric, the signal-to-noise ratio, measures how often people pass information, as opposed to anecdote.

Twinfluence Rank – An automated third party tool developed by Innovation Insight, Twinfluence uses APIs to measure influence and includes factors such as the quality of the group of followers.

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SEO Best Practices for Video Marketing

When you create a video to promote your business, how do you get anyone to see it? Search Engine Optimization, of course!

SEO isn’t just for Web sites. Your videos can reach more online viewers when you create them using best SEO practices.

Here are 6 tips to remember regarding SEO for Video:

1. Create Useful, Relevant Content – Videos won’t be a successful marketing tool unless they contain useful content. Remember – you’re not making a music video! Think substance, over style. Be sure to include relevant keywords in your audio and video content as well.
2. Shorter is Better – Attention spans are short today. Your videos should run between 3 and 5 minutes for optimal viewing.  Don’t despair if that’s not enough time to cover everything. Just break up the content into two or three parts. Tease the second part at the end of the first video to entice your viewer to keep watching!
3. Keyword-rich Titles – Include relevant keywords in your video’s title, as this will likely be the first thing the search engines look for in deciding where to rank your content.
4. Keyword-rich Descriptions  – Make sure your video has a keyword-rich description that details what the video is about.
5. Tags – Tag your videos with relevant keywords.  You may also consider adding the word “video” to the title, description and tag, such many people add the word “video” to their search phrase. 
6. Ratings and Reviews – Allow viewers to rate and review your video. The higher your rating, the more authority your video is perceived to have by the search engines. In addition, if your video gets a great review, it’s more likely to be shared – so your video gets seen by more people.