Marketing Media and More

From Open Forum

When it comes to websites, small business owners tend to fall into one of two camps:

• The first are those whose website is vital, and they integrate it into their overall business. They look for the latest and greatest trick, they understand SEO, they blog and post and all the rest.

• The other group are those folk who know they need to have a website, pay it lip service, and either have a site (albeit an unexceptional one) or, horrors, no site at all.

If I were to tell you that the majority of small businesses fall into the second camp, you wouldn’t be surprised, would you? We have all seen what too many small business websites look like: With the look and feel of something out of 2002 or so, they have few, if any, Web 2.0 tools and act essentially as an e-Yellow Page ad. (more…)

From Ad Age
By Jean Halliday

DETROIT (AdAge.com) — Honda is feeling the love these days. American Honda Motor Co.’s vehicle line is in the midst of what it deems a very successful social-marketing blitz that the marketer has dubbed the “Social Experiment.”

Honda’s ‘Everybody Knows Somebody Who Loves a Honda’ Facebook page

In August, Honda quietly launched an official Facebook page, themed “Everybody Knows Somebody Who Loves a Honda,” to recruit fans of the brand. Owners are encouraged to join as overall Honda fans as well as fans of a specific model, and to learn how they are connected to friends, family members and other owners around the world. Visitors can upload photos of their cars or link up to owners of their favorite old Honda. (more…)

From NYTimes.com Blog
By Miguel Helft and Brad Stone

Microsoft planned to announce Wednesday that it had fully integrated posts from Twitter into the search results of Bing, according to people with knowledge of the company’s plans. The company also planned to announce that it had integrated Facebook status updates into Bing, according to a person with knowledge of the plans.

The announcement will be made by Qi Lu, president of Microsoft’s online services division, during a presentation at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco beginning at 11:30 local time. Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president for Microsoft’s online audience business group, will conduct a demo of the service. (more…)

From AdWeek
By Steve McClellan

NEW YORK Social media has gained significant traction this year as a marketing tool, according to a new survey from the Association of National Advertisers, BtoB Magazine and marketing services firm Mktg.

The study found that 66 percent of marketers have used social media in 2009, compared to 20 percent in 2007. Fifty percent have employed viral videos so far this year, up from only 25 percent in 2007.
(more…)

When my mom sends more emails in a day than I do, you know Boomers are online! Here’s the proof:

From the Center for Media Reserach

According to surveys through 2008 by the Pew Internet and American Life Project, larger percentages of older generations are online now than in the past, and they are doing more activities online. Generation X (not Y) is the most likely group to bank, shop, and look for health information online. Boomers are just as likely as Generation Y to make travel reservations online. And even Silent Generation internet users are competitive when it comes to email.

The biggest increase in internet use since 2005 is the 70-75 year-old age group. While just over one-fourth (26%) of 70-75 year olds were online in 2005, 45% of that age group is currently online, and doing more activities online. (more…)