eMarketer released an interesting finding this week about web searchers using local search on the web. According to this article, nearly 4 in 10 local searches result in an in-person visit to the business they found online. An even higher number of searchers pick up the telephone following a local search to call the business. This is a remarkable result for local businesses seeking new customers and increased business volume. Listings in local search results and directories are clearly leading web visitors into action.

See the full study here.

Post by Property Centric.

Get rid of the click as the de facto standard to measure the success of an online campaign. It’s outdated and doesn’t represent real success. So says Gian Fulgoni, chairman and co-founder of comScore, at the MediaPost OMMA Metrics & Measurement conference in San Francisco, Calif., Friday.

In the keynote, Fulgoni told attendees the Internet is far more successful in increasing sales. And it may be the most measurable medium, but not everything measurable matters.

So, what now? Fulgoni says advertisers and marketers need to forget the click, focus on the sales impact on campaigns and conduct post-buy analysis. They also need to realize that display ads help search advertising succeed and vice versa. Don’t forget the power of creative display ads. Online branding campaigns can be effective. Internet advertising has had an impact on retail that is on par with television.

Advertisers and marketers just want some type of metrics that show the online campaign reaches the demographics and promised target segments. Fulgoni says that in any new medium, it’s easy to make promises that exceed the ability of the technology. And to some degree, Internet advertising has done that. “One problem is, it’s too easy to exaggerate the promises and claims that can be delivered,” he says.

Fulgoni believes the industry has failed to eliminate the click as…(Read more)

Post by Property Centric.

SEOptimise’s blog, “Five online marketing New Year’s resolutions” provides 5 healthy reminders for your 2009 resolutions, especially if you’re still not optimizing your online marketing potential via search engine marketing (SEM) and search engine optimization (SEO).

Resolutions include: set a budget, start a blog, focus on your audience, seek experts (especially wnen you don’t exactly know what to do or where to start), and be personable (build relationships, don’t toot your brand’s horn).

Don’t let fear of failure or of the unknown daunt your marketing resolutions. Sure, there are significant changes in the economy, consumer behavior and online marketing techniques. While our realities are undergoing constant evolution, there are certain SEO truisms that still reign supreme, such as: lots of relevant, keyword-rich content, great inbound links and proper site architecture and formatting.

Focus on the basics, put forth a plan and just take the first steps. A little action, even if imperfect, is better than procrastinating for a better quarter, bigger budgets, or more stable economy. Go forth and resolve to better position your site in 2009!

Post by David Gosse.

So I just discovered that I’m not a slacker because I’m almost 30 and still renting. According to Jack Hough for SmartMoney in Why Rent? To Get Richer, I’m saving money - money that I could be putting in stocks actually, which he says will provide better return on investment over the long haul than a home. Well, good to know! Because I’ve been putting off buying a home for a few reasons.

First off, I’m inexperienced with purchasing real estate and it’s a little intimidating for a newbie. Second, I’m newly engaged and we just began thinking about purchasing a home – for “us.” Third, I’ve never had the nerve to ante up the large up-front down payment, of which I’m told by lenders lately, is not always necessary (whether you have the funds or not).

Yes, it seems odd to betray the American Dream of owning a home. Yet, I’m relieved that I’m not financially responsible for the myriad malfunctions, such as a broken water heater, roof leak or dishwasher meltdown. These are projects that I have no time to manage, let alone the desire to open my pocket book to solve.

Maybe the article is right and I should think about investing my money in the stock market. Perhaps other informed renters are thinking about ROI also and are beating the current housing slump to boot.  Now, that’s being a savvy renter instead of a homebuying procrastinator.

Post by Stephanie Santoro.