This week in the blogosphere we found four blog posts that take a look at the current state (as well as researchers’ predictions for the future) of video, social and search marketing, and how companies are using blogs for marketing purposes. Below are some of the highlights from these articles:
- Microsoft and Yahoo have taken the next step in their search marketing alliance, in competing against Google.
- Facebook currently ranks among the highest for video site popularity, yet still lags behind others in terms of video advertising profit.
- Social network ad spending has continuously increased and is expected to continue rising through 2011.
- Marketers continue to report seeing value in the use of company blogs, and more and more are expected to start blogging over the next couple years.
Bing Finally Comes to Yahoo
WebProNews | Chris Crum | 8-17-10
Yahoo! and Microsoft have just announced that the transition for Yahoo! Search users has begun and that users will now begin seeing Bing results for organic searches. Paid search and a “transition portal,” which marketers will eventually be able to access from their Yahoo! Search Marketing account to help with the changeover, are still in the testing stage, says Yahoo. Based on comScore findings, Microsoft’s Tina Kelleher reports that Bing and Yahoo’s combined search market share will reach 31.6% (recently revised to a calculated 28.1%) in the U.S. following this transitional step. Yahoo claims that the Yahoo and Microsoft search marketing alliance aims to provide more relevant organic search results for Yahoo users and to draw in more purchase-focused customers for marketers to target with their ads. Yahoo claims that they hope to complete the transition pre-holiday season, yet they’ll push back their launch date to next year, if they believe it will be to the benefit of users and their Yahoo experience.
Main Takeaways:
- Yahoo! Search users will now start to see Bing results for their organic searches.
- Yahoo suggests that this transition will help render more relevant organic search results for users and provide advertisers with a more consumer-driven audience to target with ads.
Facebook Now The Third Most Popular U.S. Video Site
All Facebook | Caitlin Fitzsimmons | 8-16-10
According to research from comScore, Facebook is currently ranked as the third most popular U.S. video site. Based on this July 2010 data, YouTube owner Google ranks No. 1 with 143.2 million unique visitors per month, Yahoo! sites comes in second place with 55.1 million and Facebook in third with 46.6 million. Microsoft is close at Facebook’s heels with 45.6 million unique visitors per month, whereas Hulu came in 10th place for unique visitors in July, yet still ranked highest for video advertising across the board, with 783 million ad impressions last month. In July, 84.9% of U.S. internet users viewed online video and 3.6 billion video advertisements were released. Facebook didn’t rank among the top ten sites for video advertising, yet as the article’s author points out, sites were only judged by their streaming video ads, rather than any other ad format. The author also suggests that if Facebook continues in this direction of growing their user base and popularity as a leader in online video, but without making a concerted effort to profit from video advertising, then the video hosting cost might outweigh the return on their current video advertising efforts.
Main Takeaways:
- Facebook presently ranks third for most popular U.S. video site with 46.6 million unique visitors per month, with Google and Yahoo ranking first and second, respectively.
- Despite their popularity as a video site, Facebook didn’t make the Top Ten list for video advertising.
Social Network Ad Spending to Approach $1.7 Billion This Year
According to eMarketer forecasts, social network ad spending by U.S. advertisers will increase by 20.3% in 2010 and will continue to rise in 2011, with an estimated 24.2% increase. Facebook is expected to earn half of all U.S. social network ad spending, Twitter’s estimated to begin receiving a portion of this spending (now that they’ve launched their advertising platform), whereas MySpace is anticipated to continue moving off the social media map. Social network ad spending outside of the U.S. will continue trending upward between 2010 and 2011, rising from 49% to 50.9% of total social network ad spend worldwide, whereas within the U.S., spending will decrease from 51% in 2010 to 49.1% in 2011.
Main Takeaways:
- Social network ad spending among U.S. advertisers will rise by 20.3% in 2010 and is expected to increase by 24.4% in 2011.
- Social network ad spending will rise more quickly outside of the U.S. between 2010 and 2011 than within the U.S.
Steady Gains in Blogging by Marketers
Thirty-four percent of U.S. companies are believed to be using a blog for marketing purposes this year, and 43% of companies are expected to run blogs by 2012, according to eMarketer. While many businesses invest more heavily in social networking, they typically don’t perceive this as a substitute for blogs, but instead acknowledge the necessity for both. Research suggests that marketers view blogging as one of the most significant social media channels. According to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research, company blog use is lower among Fortune 500 companies and greater among private companies on the Inc. 500 list.
Main Takeaways:
- It’s estimated that 34 percent of U.S. companies are using blogs for the purpose of marketing in 2010, and based on eMarketer forecasts, that percentage is expected to rise to 43% by 2012.
- Studies show that some marketers view blogging as the most valuable component to their social media marketing.
The Yahoo & Microsoft Search Alliance: A Real Threat to Google’s Search Marketing Dominance?
We hope that you’ve enjoyed this weekly update and that you’ll share any feedback you might have with us. To get the weekly summary, or any other Optify updates, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or subscribe to our RSS feed. Here’s one noteworthy question we’d like to get your thoughts on:
- Microsoft and Yahoo are attempting to differentiate their new search marketing alliance from Google by emphasizing how Yahoo! Search and Bing combined will attract more purchase-focused consumers for marketers to target with their advertisements. Do you think they offer a strong enough alternative to Google that they’ll continue to grow their search market share and serve as an actual threat to Google, or do you believe competitors like Facebook offer far more competition in the long-run?
