How To Be a Better Internet Marketer in 2009

As 2008 comes to an end, we all get a fresh start in 2009. Whether you're beginning to dabble in internet marketing or encounter it on an everyday basis, here are some basic tips to be a better internet marketer in 2009.

1. Read, read, read! I personally read many blogs daily. If you’re unsure where to start, you can go to Alltop.com where most of the popular blogs reside. There are Alltop sites for SEO, SEM and Social Media.

2. If you’re not on Twitter, sign up! Twitter is a great way to learn from others and interact with people that are in the same industry as you. As soon as you follow one person, see who they follow. You probably follow one person because they’re interesting to you, so you’re bound to find someone else through them that interest you as well.

3. Be a Blogger, or at least contribute to one. Having a blog is quite a task, but if you have a lot to say about a specific topic there is always at least one person out there that will listen. Having a blog is also a great way to test different internet marketing strategies without redesigning your existing website.

Twitter Elite

Among the "Twitterati" (or should we call them "Twits"?) we've recently found out that our own CEO is considered one of the "Twitter Elite" of Boca Raton, Florida. Well, we always knew Jay was special, but even Twitter recognizes it now.

This is a cool tool that gives you some insight into yours or any Twitter profile. Check out Twitter.Grader.com to see how you measure up.

Twitter vs. Facebook

With the recent increase in the popularity of Twitter and with everyone from Barack Obama to Britney Spears signing up, it leads us to question how popular Twitter actually is. 

20% of Twitter users have joined in the last 60 days and Twitter is expected to double its members within a year. However, just how far does Twitter lag behind Facebook in popularity?

The media mentions Facebook about 4 times as often as Twitter, but Facebook is over 30 times bigger than Twitter and it is growing much faster. 

Twitter has 4-5 million users with 5-10 thousand new accounts opening per day. This seems huge, but the reality is that 30% of Twitter's 5 million users have unengaged accounts.

Compare this to Facebook's 140 million active users and 600,000 daily registrants. It seems clear that Twitter is a huge phenomenon, but that Facebook has already broken into the mainstream.

If Facebook stopped growing today and Twitter was allowed to play catch-up, it would take 36 years for Twitter to reach Facebook's current numbers. Conversely, Facebook "grows a Twitter's worth" every 8 days!

In order for Twitter to break into the mainstream its members need to start using the social network more. 38% of Twitter's members have no picture, 22% of members have under 5 followers and 9% aren't following anyone.

These numbers were taken from a HubSpot report on Twitter's status at the end of 2008 and from new facebook user numbers.

YouTube Now Serves More Search Queries than Major Search Engines

It is no surprise that Google reigns supreme as the most utilized search engine based on November’s search query numbers. More interesting, however, is that Yahoo and MSN, the next most popular search engines respectively, were both outnumbered by YouTube searches. The total number of YouTube searches this November was 2.79 billion, more that the total 2.62 billion searches in Yahoo owned sites. Meanwhile, Microsoft and its sites barely stayed in the game with 1.05 billion searches in November.

Of course with YouTube being owned by Google, this is just another step toward Google’s search monopoly.

Google Launches New Look for the Webmaster Help Forum

Recently, Google launched a new look for the webmaster forum. It is now definitely easier to find answers, share resources and participate in discussions. Originally, Google Webmaster Help was in Google Groups, but now is closed and still available for reading old discussions.

Discussions in the help forum include crawling, indexing and ranking, webmaster tools, sitemaps and chit-chat. I think this is a great resource for internet marketers who want to improve their website visibility in Google and if they ever run into specific problems.

Check out the Google Webmaster Help Forum and bookmark it! You’ll never know when it will come in handy.

Here is a video from the Google Webmaster Website explaining the latest changes.

Ten Tips for Job Hunting in a Recession

On our new internet marketing podcast we feature ten strategies for job hunting in a recession, Grammy's Golden Rules, a fun night at Affiliate Summit Boston with some great friends including: Peter Glaeser, David Antley from Alliance Health, Colleen Dawent of WorldWide Brands, Bosco Pereira from Marketing Tips.com and Cresta Pillsbury from the Ecommerce Merchants Trade Association

Ten Tips for Job Hunting in a Recession
1. Start NOW! The time to build your contacts and your social network is right now! Take time to participate with your industry association, help out, build contacts.
2. Treat it Like a Full-Time Job. Track job leads and follow-up on an Excel Spreadsheet or try Perfect Job Software
3. Be Proactive! Line up 'Informational Interviews' 15-20 minute meetings with people at companies that interest you.
4. Get Digital. You must have a LinkedIn digital resume and try an exciting new site to search for jobs in your area at Indeed.com
5. Make Some Money While You’re Looking. Set yourself up to freelance, build your experience and add to your resume (and your wallet) through sites such as Guru , eLance or promote your own site or blog as an affiliate: Share-A-Sale , Commission Junction, LinkShare or affiliate forum A-Best-Web.com
6. Search In Niches. Industry Association Sites and local geography sites often will help with your job search
7. Access Resources such as your Local Workforce Resource Center or a State employment Service Office
8. Develop target companies and find connections inside those companies through LinkedIn and other contacts. You might also carry a list of informational meeting targets to networking meetings and say ‘I would appreciate introductions to anyone you know who works for the companies on my target list’
9. Be professional with Recruiters - Pick 1-2 you trust to represent you in a professional manner
10. Give Thanks! Thank People who help you along the way

Is Youtube Killing Your Television?

A November study by IBM showed that 36% of people are replacing TV viewing time with online video streaming. Although these results can frighten network executives, indicating that ratings will be on the decrease as viral videos make their way into more living rooms, you don't need to worry yet Ted Turner.

A Nielsen report was just released contradicting IBM’s study. According to Nielsen data, television viewing actually increased from last year across the U.S. It appears that rather than replacing television time with online video time, people are watching more online video in addition to more television. If anyone needs to worry, it’s not the networks, but rather the local gyms and recreational facilities as people stay home to watch Seinfeld reruns on TV and Tina Fey impersonating Sarah Palin on Youtube.

Ice, Ice Baby - Our CEO interviewed on ColderIce Podcast

Our CEO Jay Berkowitz was interviewed by eCommerce Expert John Lawson from Colder Ice.

We discuss The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing Workbook, case studies from Annie's Costumes, building internet marketing databases, offer testing, eNewsletters and following your passion!