Though in the minority, I have chosen (and enjoy) the role of a traditional homemaker.  Though I don’t greet my husband in an apron with his slippers and a martini each evening, I’m responsible for the cleaning, cooking, bill paying, shopping and make most of the financial decisions for our family of five.  My husband on the other hand, is the one that generates the majority of the cash flow for our family.  So at the close of our conversation, which ended rather pleasantly I might add, I began to think about who does the majority of the spending in most families.

Here’s what I found.  A recent Nielsen Study showed that women “control the majority of purchasing decisions in a household and their influence is growing.”  So the “business” of my family was being conducted similarly to most American families.  That being said, should every marketer and advertiser have the goal of connecting with women, the products they buy and the media they use to buy it?

42 million American women use social networking every single day.  That’s nearly 53% of the 79 million adult women in the United States that use the Internet.  Marketers and advertisers should note that the more time women are spending on social media sites; they are spending less time with traditional media like newspapers, magazines and even TV.

Across all media, new and traditional, there are a few guidelines that have a proven success rate when it comes to driving women to make a purchase. So what are the most effective ways to market to women and in turn sell your product?

• If you’re marketing to a woman…talk like one.  Articles, product reviews, summaries, blogs and the like should be written by women if they are “for” women.  If you’re marketing to soccer moms and have copywriters just out of college, chances are good that your marketing won’t be successful.
• Social media isn’t just for socializing.  Though most women engage in social media like Facebook to maintain relationships; product reviews, testimonials and advice from friends prove to be a resource before making a purchase.
• Utilize blogs, women do. Women consult blogs on a variety of topics like beauty, technology, car care and politics.  Creating a blog communicates news, positions you as an industry authority helps your search engine ranking and encourages return visits to your site.

So if you’re ever questioned by your spouse about the amount of spending you do for your family, just blame it on effective marketing.  Advertisers are enticing you, and it is working.

So what’s happening to print?  I’m not saying it’s going to be obliterated from marketing budgets or from our hands at the breakfast table.  But surely, we can all sense a change. And I must admit, that there are some cold wintery mornings that it’s much more comfortable to consult with my smartphone to get the headlines instead of making the blustery walk to the newspaper box.

On the heels of the new year, EMarketer released a report forecasting that for the first time, online ad spending will surpass that of traditional ad spending in 2012.  According to the report, U.S. online ad spending grew 23% to $32.03 billion in 2011 and is projected to grow 39.5 billion in 2012.  Conversely, the newspaper and magazine ad spending is projected to fall 6.1% this year to 36 billion.

HTML Title Tags, Meta Tags and Header Tags Explained

According to comScore figures, approximately 91 million Google searches happen each day!  So how does Google know where to rank your website, your competitors site and the like?  Many factors are at play, but most search engines pick up on tags buried within HTML code.  Here’s a quick primer on the types of tags and what they’re all about.

HTML Title Tags, (the most important): HTML title tags are embedded phrases within the code of your website that help search engines understand what your webpage is about.  Search engines scour billions of websites looking for HTML title tags to learn what your webpage is all about.  Then your page is ranked based on the relevance of the title tag.  When developing an HTML title tag it is important to conduct keyword research and create a tag that will best describe what your page is about.

Meta Tags: Meta tags have are the dinosaurs of the digital world.  The meta tag description is one of the oldest supported HTML elements and is simply a description that summarizes what your webpage is about.  Though some search engine professionals feel that meta tags do not influence ranking, others suggest that meta tags are merely descriptions that increase the odds of a potential visitor to click on your link.  It is important to note, just because you craft a descriptive meta tag, does not necessarily mean that it will be used.  Google and other search engines have the freedom to write their own descriptions about your site and often do.

Header Tags:  Think of header tags as book titles.  The title of a book tells you the main idea of what the book is about.  Head tags accomplish the same goal.  A common mistake is to create header tags that are too long or too complicated.  Creating lengthy header tags is like creating a paragraph to be your book title.  If you feel that it is absolutely necessary to have more than one sentence in your header tag, create a main title description and follow it with a more descriptive sub-headline. Though header tags are not a necessity, they can be effective in increasing ranking and providing your prospective site visitor with factual information about your site.

So how do you write a descriptive tags to increase your site’s search engine ranking?  Well-written and effective HTML tags, Meta tags and header tags often include the following components according to Google:

1.)  Showcase facts about your page that are not necessarily in the title of your page.

2.)  Your tag descriptions should be unique to each page of your site.

3.)  Tag descriptions should be simple, concise and easy to read.

Companies across the globe are recognizing that their marketing departments now include their current customers.  Though they are not marketing experts, lawyers, doctors, teenagers, waitresses and homemakers are all utilizing their computers and mobile devices to spread the word about things they love and the things products they hate each day.  Word of mouth, though now executed via digital channels, still has the power to quickly build up or tear down the reputations of services, organizations and products.

In 2012, companies will be looking to their “extended marketing team”…us, to continue sharing their opinions.  Adding the growth in mobile device and app usage by consumers only furthers the ability to communicate our interests at lightening speed.  Companies will need to begin reviewing and analyzing customer comments via social media in order to proactively shape their customers messaging.

The partnership of social media and mobile devices creates a whole new relationship between the product, the company, the customer and prospective customer.  With over one third of U.S. adults using smartphones, the mobile marketing world will only continue to thrive and evolve.  The 2011 holiday shopping season trended towards purchases that occurred on mobile devices and Google estimated that 44 percent of last-minute shopping searches would happen on tablets and smartphones.

The combination of traditional marketing, online marketing, social networking and mobile devices provides marketers with more information about their customers and potential customers  than ever before.  2012 will be a year to launch a whole new blend of marketing tactics and their examine their effectiveness.

Those Facebook postings about the horrid service you had at dinner over the weekend or the excitement you shared on Twitter about your new flat screen TV are all being monitored by your friends and corporate marketing departments across the globe.  Share your comments, thoughts and feedback with your digital network and shape the world of marketing in 2012.

So why would a person that doesn’t watch or follow football be so excited for the Super Bowl?  The ads.  I am a huge ad junkie and each year instead of “shhhhing” my friends and family during the big play of the game, I “shhhh” during commercials.

This year, Adweek reports that as of September, NBC had nearly sold out of its 2012 Super Bowl ad inventory.  Of the estimated 63 spots available, perhaps as few as six still remained.  This year NBC is asking a whopping 3.5 million per spot.    “We don’t just sell Super Bowl positions, so depending on what other buys the clients made, the final price of an individual spot is a function of these other commitments,” notes Seth Winter Senior Vice President of NBC Sports Group Sales and Marketing.  An even more interesting statistic is that NBC had sold nearly half of its Super Bowl ad inventory in March of 2011 when the possibility of an NFL season delay or omission was threatened.

So what can we look forward to this year on February 5^th?  As always the automakers have a secured the majority of the available airtime.  In 2010, the automotive industry accounted for nearly 1/3^rd of all broadcast ads. This year Chevy wants us to make their Super Bowl ad and has launched an international competition for film makers to produce a 30-second clip with the theme “Spirit of Road Trips.” Visa, GoDaddy.com and a host of celebrities endorsements will hit the airwaves on the big day as well. Superbowlcommercials.tv has even  posted their annual rundown on anticipated commercials for the 2012 big game.  Here’s a quick look at the top ten secured advertisers for 2012:

• Anheuser-Busch
• Audi Of America
• Best Buy
• Cars.com
• Century 21
• Coca-Cola
• General Motors
• GoDaddy.com
• Hyundai
• Doritos

So even though I may not care which team wins or loses or what a safety really means, I know this for sure, Super Bowl Sunday ads are big business and I look forward to them every year.

Custom stickers can be used many ways but can be ordered in large quantities at a lower cost than many other promotional tools. With custom stickers you can:

Distribute your logo
Stickers are easy to hand out—and they’re fun, too! The best part about a sticker is that when you give it to someone, they usually end up sticking it to something—giving your company even more exposure. You can even encourage people to use them as bumper stickers in a contest with on-the-road spotters on the lookout for your company’s logo.

Brand promotional items for less
Many companies, perhaps including yours, spend a considerable portion of their marketing budget on putting their logo on promotional items like water bottles, coolers, and Frisbees. For a fraction of the price, you could buy one set of custom stickers and add them to these items yourself. If you are purchasing high quality custom stickers, the result will look even more professional than some of the on-item printing methods used by promotional items companies.

Make business transactions feel official
When you pitch your company’s service or product to a potential client, investor or partner, you hope to come off as polished and professional. One of the best ways to give these interactions a professional undertone is to have branded materials—from spiral bound notebooks with your logo adorning the front to company computers with a smooth, glossy company logo on the back of the screen. Having high quality custom stickers printed and die-cut is a great way to achieve these professional finishing touches without breaking the bank.

According to cnet.com, a media news site best known for its tech product reviews and free software downloads, about 65 percent of the U.S. population, or over 200 million people, will have a smartphone and/or tablet in 2015.  This trend leaves advertisers with no choice but to communicate with their consumers via their mobile devices.  Currently companies are utilizing smartphones to build buzz about their latest products, developing cross promotions and further engaging consumers with interactive contests and freebies.Smartphone and tablet apps which are informational or utilitarian are more likely to encourage purchases or participation than entertainment driven apps.

Advertisers are also seeing trends that show apps and mobile device ads are encouraging new customers.  Because app downloads are driven by the consumer themselves, advertisers are able to reach across traditional gender and product boundaries and their products are being showcased to new types of customers.

Mobile device users connect more intimately with an app than a traditional ad or website because users are provided with a concise message that can utilize several types of interactivity.  Games, videos, virtual communities and traditional marketing methods can be combined in an app to provide a potential consumer with a complete and interactive perspective on the product or service.

Quick Response Codes or QR Codes are a type of two-dimensional bar code that was initially designed for use in the automotive industry. With success in the auto industry, QR code usage has been implemented by smart companies in a multitude of industries from real estate companies to ketchup manufacturers.  Developing and properly marketing QR codes assist in connecting companies to their consumers.

QR codes act as a gateway allowing anyone with a camera phone to easily step between the physical and digital world.  With the popularity of smartphone growing by leaps and bounds, QR codes are quickly becoming an effective new marketing tool.  A recent study states that by Christmas 2011, one in two Americans will own smartphones. To utilize a QR code simply take a photograph of the code with your mobile phone and you will be instantly connected to special offers, exclusive content or product information.

Amazingly, the technology behind creating a QR code is simple, typically free and requires no special hardware.  Creating an effective QR code and placing it attractively on packaging can engage customers and prospective customers at a whole new level.  QR codes allow traditional advertising to incorporate video and audio creating an interactive product experience.

With the 2012 political season at the starting line, campaigns are targeting Pandora subscribers utilizing zip code information collected during their registration process.  On the heels of Twitter and Facebook welcoming political ads, Pandora is accepting ads for use on its website as well as its mobile applications.  Utilizing subscriber zip codes allows targeted marketing right into the individual congressional districts.

With 80 million subscribers Pandora competes and often out ranks many traditional local radio stations.  Pandora’s Chief Revenue Officer John Trimble stated, “Pandora’s new targeting features maximize effectiveness of ad spend that has historically been wasted reaching voters outside of election districts.  Political, national and local advertisers all benefit from our scale, precision targeting and personalization to reach a passionate and engaged audience on Pandora.

The goal of an effective infographic – or information graphic – is to create a visual representation of information, data or knowledge.  Infographics should present complex information quickly and clearly.  Typically, these images serve as an extension of a written article, though infographics should communicate an independent concept or principle.

Successful communicators in print and online can enhance their content by creating infographics that:

• Present an abundance of data in a compact way
• Communicate a message in a way that is easy to comprehend
• Analyzes data to illustrate cause and effect relationships.

Three key essentials comprise effective infographics:

• Visual elements that include graphics, color coding and reference icons.
• Foundational components that illustrate statistics, timelines and references.
• Factual elements that enhance credibility and effectiveness.

Infographics are unique designs based on the creativity of the creator and the nature of their usage. Many infographics are created by an SEO company or a marketing firm to promote a web site and hopefully garner new visitors.

Most infographics fall into five main categories:

Quantitative Infographics

Statistical data is illustrated in a quantitative infographic in a way that readers can understand quickly and clearly.  Pie charts, bar graphics, tables and spreadsheets are typically used to assist in summarizing complex data.

Cause and Effect Infographics

These specialized graphics illustrate relationships between conceptual or physical stages.  An example may show the relationship between gasoline consumption in the U.S. and foreign policy.

Directional Infographics

Directional infographics assist readers by utilizing maps, numerals, arrows and other symbols.  Diagrams can showcase distances and landmarks.

Chronological Infographics

Typically based on timelines, chronological infographics present events or processes as it happened in time.  An example of a chronological infographic may be a line graph illustrating the growth and decline of a product’s sales of a period of time.

Product Infographics

Product infographics are often found in locations where many can view them.  An example of a product infographic may be found in a restaurant kitchen to illustrate the steps to prepare a dish.  Occasionally these infographics are instructional and can convey key procedures.  Combining images with data makes it easier to comprehend large amounts of information in a limited space. For example, a picture of a portion of pasta may be accompanied by the numeral measurement one half cup.

In today’s fast paced society, readers appreciate concise and innovative infographics that communicate key information quickly.  Utilizing infographics in your media can greatly enhance the effectiveness and clarity of the topic you are trying to communicate.