Online Business Blog

The once popular banner adverts which have become commonplace on the internet are seeing a dip in success prompting experts to question their importance and future in online advertising. This form of direct response advertising is not as well liked as previous years with most users finding them annoying and intrusive. The pop up adverts offering free goods have slowly been phased out offering a new more laid back approach to banner advertising.

The internet is getting more crowded by the day, with new companies and people accessing it and looking to advertise their brand. Due to the variety of sites and adverts available it is now harder than ever to make an impression and attract new customers.

To stick out from the crowd and content a direct response advertising agency have to be creative. Video advertising has proved a winner with its eye catching visuals and tracking ability making it easy to identify its success rate. The difficult and brilliant thing about video is that it is a tricky medium to master. Make it too simple and boring then no-one will click but make it too wild and creative and users may get confused. Producing an advert between these borders, whilst making it unique and relevant aren’t as easy as you’d think!

The direct response part of the advert is usually added in the middle or the end of the video advert. If placed in the middle of the advert, users can pass on details to see the rest of the advert. If placed at the end, the user knows more about the company and the product which can help people feel more at ease with passing on personal information.

Online advertising is going to become ever more competitive over the coming years, although the credit crunch will see less spent by UK Advertising agencies, we will see a higher percentage of money going into online.

Companies who are looking to social marketing as the future of online advertising may have to rewrite their plans after the latest IDC reports confirmed that advertising through the medium has not become as popular as hoped.

The recent survey has discovered that although over 60% of social network users spend an average of half an hour using the site at a time, that advertising on these sites receive less attention than other forms adverts made by a full service advertising agency.

IDC also confirmed that the conversion rates are lower for sites like Facebook and Myspace, yet traditional internet advertising still flourish. Interestingly the social networking sites are doing better for click through rates yet stumbling when it comes to completing a sale or purchase.

Approximately 7% of traditional advertising users clicked through before 23% making a purchase. In comparison the social networking sites have received clicks from 57% of users with only 11% going on to make a purchase. This maybe deemed as a problem but what is better, 23% of 7% or 11% of 57%? Maybe social advertising isn’t as bad after all?

Another interesting report this week showed that (out of children surveyed) 100% of children between the age of 12 and 14 have access to the internet. Something that possibly shows that online advertising is the future.

People have been moving abroad for better career opportunities for a long time, but with the recent economic downturn insiders are expecting even more candidates to move abroad for career opportunities. But working abroad is not an easy task and requires a lot of planning and research to make it work.

One of the biggest issues that candidates need to get right is visas. The laws on working in certain countries can be confusing and so needs plenty of research to make sure you apply for the correct visa allowing you can legally work in your desired country. Different visas will determine the length of time you can work in a country, so bear that in mind while researching. Two sites that can help with visa information are the www.visabureau.com and www.fco.gov.uk/.

If economic conditions are the reason a candidate wants to move abroad to work, then research should be taken on the desired country’s situation as the British financial struggles are also happening in other countries such as the US.

Attention should also be paid to rates of pay in different countries. Recruitment companies who deal with jobs abroad can help you with rates of pay for various positions, so you can establish which country can offer the best opportunities. Housing prices should also factor into a candidates decision about which country to work in as markets can vary wildly compared to what we are used to in the UK.

After looking into pay rates and housing prices, candidate should also consider the tax regulations of the desired country. Especially so that they can make sure they will pay the correct rates and not get into hot water. This is a complicated area and expert advice should always be taken before making any decisions.

One of the best tips for candidates looking to work abroad for jobs such as important banking jobs is to visit the country for a holiday, so that they can get a feel for the country they are thinking about relocating to. This can also be combined with interviews with potential employers and looking at property to rent or buy.

Online based advertisements have become very popular with internet marketers and advertising agencies down to the fact that their usefulness is easy to track. The editor in chief for E Consultancy, Chris Lake believes that companies can follow a click on one of their adverts or if a phrase has been entered on Google, Yahoo or MSN should they want too.

In today’s cautionary financial climate advertising companies are being urged to consider putting more money into their online advertising strategies if they want to get the most out of their money. These methods are a lot easier to maintain and keep an eye on in comparison to more traditional versions of advertising.

This is understandable considering the fingers crossed mentality that is known with magazine, newspaper or print advertisements. How can you really be sure how popular one of those adverts has been? There is no page view data or sale rates with a print advert after all. One of the great things about online marketing is that any sort of company can access it be it a recruitment advertising agency, a well known brand or a art gallery the sky is the limit.

Mr Lake later concluded that “In a recessionary climate, we’ve got much more focus on proving return on investment. That’s pretty much why the internet has taken off in terms of advertising, because of measurability.”

It is also interesting to know that out of all forms of advertising, internet marketing was the only form to see an increase in spending over the third quarter of 2008.