At MoreVisibility, we work with many business-to-business (B2B) clients who recognize the importance of internet marketing.  They know their products and services intimately and understand their target customer base.  But many B2B clients we work with are not educated on how to leverage the search engine marketing space effectively to reach their potential customers.  Knowing when to display your ads can be as important as the ad copy itself and the amount of money you allocate to advertise online.

An excellent way to maximize your company’s exposure online and stretch your advertising dollar is through Ad Scheduling.  It is powerful because you get to choose what days of the week and what times during the day your ads will run in the search engines.  While you have this flexibility with some forms of traditional advertising, such as TV and radio, other forms do not provide this opportunity.  Billboards, magazines and newspapers come to mind in that regard.

Purchasing agents, company buyers, and those in charge of making purchases for their company use the internet to research and find suppliers.  And while more and more people extend their hours of work, they are still primarily doing their research and making decisions on what to buy and where to buy while they are at the office.  Targeting your Pay per Click ads, for example, to run Monday – Friday from 8am EST through 9pm EST (accounting for west cost business opportunities) in Google, Yahoo, or MSN gives B2B advertisers the flexibility to display their ads when they know their potential customers are in the “prime time” of making purchases and doing their research.  Having your ads paused during the weekend, when most of your B2B buyers are not at work, keeps you in control of when your advertising dollars are being spent.

So, think about when your customers are most likely to research your product or service online and get in front of them when they do!  Schedule your online ads accordingly and you can be confident you are getting the most out of your advertising dollar.

As a Client Strategist at an Interactive Marketing Agency, I am involved with a variety of industries on a daily basis. I strategically monitor interactive marketing campaigns for companies that have sites ranging from: ecommerce to lead generation, and/or strictly informational. The goal of each site differs dramatically, but one thing remains constant - the desire to engage the visitor.

In a previous blog, I talked about how important engagement was within the interactive marketing space. The value of an engaged visitor continues to grow in importance, but the dynamic industry and cluttered atmosphere makes it harder for marketers and designers to achieve engagement. So how can you make sure that visitors to your site are as engaged as possible?

In my opinion, it is all about the experience. If I visit a site that makes my reading and/or shopping experience personal and is specifically targeted to the things that I enjoy, then I am more likely to stay on and interact with the site. If I visit a site and feel disconnected from the products and/or information given on the site, then I typically leave and search for one more in tune with my wants and needs. It is very similar to romantic relationships. If you had a partner that wasn’t in tune with what you needed out of a relationship, then the chances of it working out are very slim. However, if you have found that special someone who is willing to learn and act on what makes you smile, then the chances of it working out are much more probable. The same methodology can be applied when building your website, and/or engaging in marketing efforts.

One of the clients I work with sells cosmetics and beauty products through retail stores, as well as through their website. One of the biggest challenges that I foresee is capturing the “in store” experience and bringing it to life on the website. When a woman goes into a store to buy cosmetics, she is usually greeted with professionals who are there to answer questions about the products. She also has the chance to try on several brands and shades of the cosmetics before making a purchase. The individual attention and ability to “test before buying”, makes the experience a very personal one. Having this personal experience will more than likely guarantee the woman’s repeat business. A company that does this very well online is Sephora- a leading retail beauty chain in Europe and the United States. They understand that they cannot provide the exact “in store” experience through their website. Instead, they have encouraged website visitors to fill out a profile that enlightens Sephora about their skin type, skin tone, color preference, favorite brands, etc. Sephora then in turn, sends the visitor personal updates on products that are relevant to the visitors’ profile.

Site engagement should be pursued within any industry. The best way to engage each visitor to your site, is by making each visit a personal experience. Try this approach and see if it increases your site’s performance. I predict that it will!

When Google officially bought DoubleClick on March 11, 2008, one could have seen this coming. In fact, many did; but were unsure what form it would take. Along with DoubleClick came their Affiliate network known as Performics; which is one of the oldest networks, started back in 1998.

In actuality, Google already owned one of the largest affiliate networks; Google Adsense. The only difference was that it operates on a cost-per-click basis. Traditionally, Affiliate Marketing is conducted on a cost-per-action or cost-per-lead basis.

Many people were unsure how Google would proceed with Performics. On June 30^th, 2008, Google and DoubleClick made it official, releasing this statement:

“We are pleased to introduce Google Affiliate Network. Effective Monday, June 30, 2008, DoubleClick Performics Affiliate will operate as Google Affiliate Network. The integration with Google’s brand is a reflection on efforts to quickly assimilate our business and teams, as well as reinforce Google’s commitment to the Affiliate channel. Together with our new colleagues at Google we are creating new opportunities for monetization, expansion and innovation in Affiliate Marketing.”

So there it is. The Google Affiliate network has been born. Personally, I think this can be good for Affiliate Marketing as an industry. Along with Google comes credibility and recognition which can help to attract new advertisers and publishers to this channel. Performics has a history of attracting some big names and that shouldn’t change. With the potential influx of new merchants, there will be more choices for publishers. Advertisers will have to take their program t the next level to keep the affiliates they have and to attract new ones.

With that being said, you can probably expect the other affiliate networks to step up their game as well. One thing that this shows is that Affiliate Marketing is here to stay. So in order for other networks to compete and maintain their market share, expect improvements and innovation. Going up against the big G can be tough. Just ask MSN, Yahoo and the likes.

The changes to date have been minimal. The reps at Performics now have @google.com email extensions and the interface was given a face lift to reflect Google’s look and feel. Currently the platform will still be hosted on Connect Commerce, but will eventually be migrated to a google.com product url. Once that happens, you should be able to incorporate the Google Affiliate network into your current Google account.

In conclusion, this is an exciting time in the Affiliate Marketing industry. I think the majority are hoping that this brings new technologies, increased competition, improved service and more selection. Only time will tell…