An Alternative View on Digital Marketing, PPC, SEO, Adwords…
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Student Cars
My latest project is www.studentcars.ie. It is a program that offers affordable car rental over the 9 month college year to students. Cars are all...
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The Top Brands’ Advertising Budgets
Designed by Marketing Degree, for information on the research, click here for full...
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Evolution of SKYPE [infograph]
Via:...
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How Corporations Get Out of Paying Taxes
Ever wondered why Google and other American companies set up in Ireland. I will give you a hint, its not because of our workforce. There are more...
Student Cars
My latest project is www.studentcars.ie. It is a program that offers affordable car rental over the 9 month college year to students. Cars are all 2007 or newer and start from just €200 a month with a €400 deposit.
I am really excited about this based on our other recently launched product Rent To Buy Cars. Student Cars it is something that no one else is offering and that really excited me from the start. It offers a great product at a small cost when... Read More
Corona and MTV To Make Your Dreams Come True!
Quite literally Corona with MTV want to make your dreams come true, or one at least anyway. This summer 5 countries including Ireland have the chance to achieve the otherwise unachievable. Do you have a unique fantasy, a quirky dream? Then Corona are looking for you.
Throught their facebook page anyone over 18 can apply to make their dream a reality and be filmed for an MTV special. Personally having a MTV program made about me would be enough but you could also... Read More
Facebook adds https Secure Connection
It was always coming. It was just a matter of time. Facebook today have announced that they are adding the ability to access the site via a secure connection https. Today is it launched in the US with a global roll out soon. This is the latest in a number of actions taken by Facebook to reassure users of the security and privacy.
Many of you probably don’t know what https means but I can guarantee you if you bought anything online, you have some across it.... Read More
The end of Press Media as we know it!
Without mentioning any particular figures, Press media spend up to the end of last year was a major part of any brand’s media mix. Newspapers were well aware of this and charge a high cost for the privilege.
The downturn affected how newspapers did business. Bread and butter income from Recruitment and Property development are simply not there anymore. newspapers are having to adapt to retain the same share of reduced media budgets.
The introduction of... Read More
Bebo to close, but is it a surprise?
News broke recently that AOL are looking to offload Bebo or potentially shut it down. They are pointing to their lack of success in the States as a main factor in its decision. Only 2 years ago, Bebo was bought for $850m. i can only speculate but i would imagine it is now costing AOL money to run. There is no other reason to consider shutting it down. And to write-off 850m, it must be costing them a lot to run.
Social media has become a real buzz word for... Read More
Twitter to roll out ads
Twitter has announced its new advertising platform that will appear on some the search pages on top of search results. Only one ad will be allowed per page.
The promoted tweet will be clearly highlighted and users will be able to interact with them as they do with traditional tweets – reply to them, retweet or even favourite. Word from Twitter is that this test will eventually be rolled out to individual’s timelines, meaning promoted tweets will appear... Read More
Improving Your SEO
I thought I would write a short post on the subject of SEO and in particular the most basic tips I can think of to improve your site’s Search Engine Optimization.
1: Simple….good quality content. It seems obvious but the amount of websites than rehash wither stuff they have seen somewhere else is huge. If you are writing a book you want people to read, you would try to make it longer than 3 pages right. Same principle, give users good quality... Read More
Adwords Tips for Beginners
This is a very short guide for anyone wanting to get to the top of Google but doesn’t quite know how. It can be a tricky process and you could spend hours going in depth into the subject.
Money (as in your bid price) is only one side of it. There are a few more factors affecting how you rank in Google.
1:Start by setting everything up correctly. It seems obvious but if not done properly you will probably end up having to start again.
2:So you have your... Read More
Driving Traffic Promoting Your Blog
I thought I would blog about this subject as I have been trying to do the same myself and thought I would pass on what i have discovered. I didn’t want to spend any money promoting my blog but was willing to be flexible in what I would do. I think my blog is a good way of getting users onto the commercial side of my site. Its the easiest way I can think to create new content which also is great for my seo.
First off there are a few ping sites that will send... Read More
Dublin Entrepreneur Show
Visiting the Entrpreneur show in Dublin last weekend I am not quite sure what I was expecting. When you here Google are a title sponsor you expect fireworks! Sadly it didn’t really happen.
I was amazed at the range of people here. All age groups are accounted for in this multicultural setting.
Really I only came for my google 75 euro voucher but apparently they are sent out in the post. Have to say the google stand is impressive an the lady I spoke to was... Read More
The End of Floppy Disks
I am not for the first time taking a slight tangent from marketing blogging to bring to you the news that the last floppy disk manufacturer will cease production in March next year.
The elder generation which apparently I am now joining will no doubt remember using 3.5″ floppy disks for office docs, projects etc on a day to day basis. Before CD drives ever existed and really before the internet really got going, floppy disks were the most secure way of... Read More
Hunky Dory Sexy Rugby Ad
It reminds me of something you would see on tv show Ad Men….’Sex sells, as they light another cigarette in the boardroom’. Not much has changed really, anyone who has read a Metro Herald would recognize the same bunch of girls advertising something new each day.
Hunky Dory’s latest campaign featuring attractive female models playing rugby without a lot of clothes. Its not porn but it is controversial. It seems everyone is unhappy about it... Read More
Digital Marketing Institute Adwords Course Day 1
I am going back to school…….well a two day course really but always good to have a break from the office. Trying to beef up my Adwords knowledge by attending the Google Adwords 101 and 201 course from the Digital Marketing Institute.
Day 1: Not too much of an early morning so thats a plus. Lovely setting in the Radisson Blu. Looking forward to learning loads. Signs are all good so far. Just had a conversation on the validity of Facebook’s PPC... Read More
Jedward in New Abrakebabra TV Advert
The new Jedward ad will soon hit TV screens. The boys from Lucan have joined forces with everyone’s favourite late night haunt, Abrakebabra!
The ad viewable here shows the boys about to tuck into a tasty meal which unrecognizable flat hair. The boys are mainly known for having ridiculously spikey hair that seems to allow their brain cells to float out of their head but that’s an argument for another day.
Suddenly after one bit of tasty abrakebabra food... Read More
Hunky Dory Sexy Model Ad Banned
The ads for those who don’t know was for crisp maker Hunky Dory and feature two women’s rugby teams in provocative positions and similarly provocative tag lines. The models featured wore scantily clad uniforms.
The ASAI or Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland has asked Hunky Dory to withdraw and remove all of the rugby ads they have running featuring the sexily clad models [Link]. This comes as a result of the public outcry mainly from feminist... Read More
Google’s Official SEO Guide
Google have released a beginners guide to SEO with Google. It was originally designed as an internal document for the Google teams but has now been released for the benefit of webmasters. It won’t guarantee you top ranking position but is a good guide of how one could try.
It is perfect for beginners! It starts at the very beginning, organic vs PPC. The most important starting point in any SEO project is title tag and proper use of meta data. When I was... Read More
Tv Ad on Channel 4 to Offer Abortion Advice
Monday 24th May 2010 at 10.10pm is sure to be a controversial time for Channel 4. They are due to air the first ad that features abortion advice under the tagline “Are you late?”.
Even for the UK who advertising is less stringent than ours here, especially when you take the recent Hunky Dory campaign as an example. Areas such as abortion advice had been sidetracked until now although the Advertising Standards Authority have stated that their is nothing... Read More
Integrating Google Places into Adwords
It was pointed out to me recently that I was missing a trick with my Google Ads. Google Places has I think been running a while but its recent integration into the Adwords platform was new to me. Basically I was missing out on a free way of making my ad stand out over our competitors that had nothing to do with quality score.
Now compare that with the Thrifty ad below. Even from my poor screenshots, the ad when fully expanded dominates the top results. As well as... Read More
Google TV Ireland
Last week saw the announcement of Google TV, the latest in roll out of Google’s plan to rule pretty much everything. It will allow users to essentially search as they do on google.ie to find what they want to watch.
A simple example is – you are at home and want to watch the Simpsons. Google Tv is already set up and you simply access the search bar and type in Simpsons. Some results could be:
Simpson movie I bought on Itunes
Episode of Simpsons... Read More
Google Pac Man Game
On the 21st of May, Google ran a version of the famous Pac-Man game on its homepage to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the original launch of the game in Japan.
It has turned out to be so popular that google has given it a permanent home at google/pacman. According to stats released for that one day, 5 million hours of work was lost. That is a pretty amazing figure but I have to say I have been messing with it since I found it.
If I am honest if I... Read More
Google Acquires Admob (Mobile Advertising Platform)
Its official! Admob has officially become part of the Google jigsaw. It will I assume not be integrated into the Adwords platform so advertisers will be able to make specialized mobile ads as they do Google search ads. Admob has been bought for a whopping $750m.
Admob is an advertising platform that runs in iphone, Android and webOS applications. If you own a iphone you have almost definitely seen them but may not have noticed. They were definitely ahead of the... Read More
3-D Pub Advertising for the World Cup
Sony and Fifa joined forces to show 25 World Cup 2010 games in 3-D. It will be the first time the World Cup has been shown in 3-D and shows the future not only of television shows but also television advertising.
“This propels the football fan into a whole new viewing dimension and marks the dawning of a new era in the broadcasting of sport,” said FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke. “We are proud that the FIFA World Cup can serve as a platform for... Read More
Google Introduces Caffeine to Web Indexing
Google have announced they are innoventing (A word I just innovented) a new web-indexing model which will revolutionize how Google works. The idea is that Google will provide 50% fresher results for web searches than the previous indexing model. What does that mean to the lay person?
caffeine_Google_williamegan.ie
To break it down one looks at how Google previously indexed web pages and documents. There were several hierarchical layers and to refresh a layer, you... Read More
What is Marketing??
A lot of people ask me what I do. I always find it a tough question to answer. The general answer is online marketing but that covers so much. What constitutes marketing? I work on search engine marking (SEM), meaning I try to improve my site’s search engine optimization (SEO). I also work on designing the site to look a certain way. I want it to be appealing and easy to navigate for my customers. I would say that is also marketing.
I am happy saying that... Read More
Google to Simultaneous Multiple Account Access
Google have announced the news that they will soon be introducing the ability to access multiple google accounts at the same time. Any IT professional working with multiple brands takes a sigh of relief.
The issue currently is that every adwords account requires a google account. Google has tried many ways to negate this problem with the introduction of the Managed Client Centre for Adwords. The problem remains though as many people like to access their... Read More
Call of Duty Black Ops
The latest call of Duty Black ops game is due to be released this November in time for the Christmas rush. Known new features are at a minimum. A post I cam across on Twitter led me to this video: Call of Duty Black Ops preview.
The game is sure to be a hit, absolutely guaranteed! It will be played by 16-25 year old males predominantly for hours on end. I am not here to discuss how great the game is, no point, but this is a marketing blog so I put on my... Read More
What is a Marketing affiliate and what will Superquinn get for it?
Yesterday I read that Superquinn had signed up to Tradedoubler’s affiliate marketing scheme hoping to driving online sales. It is not the most innovative tactic. Many large organizations do it. It just means there will appear a lot more online.
For those who may not know how a marketing affiliate system works here you go: Tradedoubler and Superquinn will agree a cost per lead/sign up/sale or something similar that is tangible quantifiable. A visitor to the... Read More
Its a Revolution!
I can unofficially announce the creation of a brand spanking new agency REVOLUTION!
Founded on the solid foundations of Dicey Riley beer garden after one or three jagger bombs, revolution is a full service agency serving all your needs. We cater for all the traditional media mediums as well as knowing what time the free wine ends. Revolution can go that extra mile to make sure your brand is number one on google as well as the talk of the town.
Revolution founders... Read More
Influential Celebrities on Twitter
In light of John Mayer’s decision to close his twitter account, I thought I would write a bit about the subject of influential twitterers (if that is even a word). For those who may not know, John Mayer, the often annoying ex of Jen Aniston has made the decision to shut down his twitter account. He had approx. 3.7million followers which is something every major brand would die for! To put in in perspective, John Mayer could tweet to every man, woman and child... Read More
Google Product Extensions goes live in the UK
Today, Google announced that they were rolling out product extensions to the UK market. Hopefully Ireland won’t be too far behind! This exciting addition will complement a 1st -3rd placed adwords cpc ad spot in the same way google places can be integrated into your cpc ads.
If that is too much to get your head around let me break it down.
1: Where will I see this new feature?
Product Extensions will appear on SERP’s (Search Engine Results Pages).
Users... Read More
Google Ireland Street View
1/10/10 is the date Google rolled out street view in Ireland. Months of planning and research has gone into this Google product. Enabling users to view quality street views of Ireland anywhere in the world. having used it myself and viewed my home in Westmeath, I can see how much work has gone into this extension of google maps.
It hasn’t taken long for funny stories regarding the photography of Ireland’s street view. Apparently google have images of... Read More
Bing Search and Facebook
It was recently announced that Bing will integrate its search engine with Facebook. In a nutshell this means that upon searching on Bing, you will see friends likes and other parts of their Facebook profile linked to your search query.
So for example if I search for my local pub The Ceders, the search engine results pages might list the pub and mention that 4 of my Facebook friends like this venue. This video will explain more:
Facebook is the biggest social media... Read More
New Turkish Airlines Manchester United Rooney Advert
Turkish Airlines has a brand new ad ready to go featuring the entire Manchester Utd first team squad. An ad featuring the Manchester United being the biggest football brand in the world could only possibly be bettered by a guest cameo by David Beckham. The ad features stars Scholes, Evra, van Der Sar, Da Silva twins, O’Shea, Anderson and the now infamous Wayne Rooney.
The question is does the ad still have any marketing value given the face Rooney has made... Read More
Product Placement in Movies
There has always been product placement in movies going all the way back to cigarettes in the old westerns right up to the modern day films like Sex and the City 2. It has been great for two types of branding:
Product Launch
Product Consolidation
Some of our biggest film memories feature you guessed it product placement.
RayBans in Men in Black/most Tom Cruise movies before Top Gun
DeLorean Car in Back to the Future
White Castle Burgers in Harold and Kumar
reese... Read More
Google Professional Individual Certification for Adwords, Analytics…..
This week I completed both the Fundamentals exam and the Advanced Display exam to become individually Google Certified. Basically its an exam to take to earn an accreditation from Google to say you are Adwords capable. Is it worth the $150 bucks ( it took me 2 goes for the fundamentals exam)? I would say it was still worth it. Internet advertising is still on the up and its best to try and stay ahead of the pack when it comes to the field.
To become Google... Read More
Is Dublin Airport Terminal 2 Actually Open
Tomorrow, November 19th is the announced date for an Taoiseach Brian Cowen official opening of T2. But other national matters taking centre stag will it go ahead? More astonishingly is Terminal 2 that Cowen is opening even finished. How can you open something that isn’t finished I hear you say.
A few years ago there was a very famous press conference given by the then Iraq Information Minister claiming all was well with the regime as in the background US... Read More
Google Places Becomes Vital to Search Engine Optimization
There has been a slow subtle integration of Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPS) and the Google’s Places product. There are a number of different variants currently in operation and we can only speculate Google are testing a number of formats. These new SERPS are viewable when you include a place in the search term or in other words perform a localized search.
Types of integration
This will have a major effect on SEO and webmasters all over the work.... Read More
2010 Highlights, Tragedies and Interesting Occurances Review by Google
2010 saw many problems with global financial meltdown to natural disasters the like of which we have never seen. The internet allows the ability to recap on the biggest moments of 2010 like never before. And who else but Google to create a video of the biggest moments of 2010.
If there is something missing please leave a comment. I like that the only Irish reference was Graeme McDowell and not our shoddy financial or political establishments. Enjoy the movie and... Read More
Top 10 Expert Blogging Tips
Blogging is becoming an essential tool to get your brand out there. A brand can be a business, a group or even a single person. A blog is a great platform for people to display their passions, interests and talents. Writing good content is a great way to get noticed. I have myself been contacted by a company i have commented on. It is not bad to be in disagreement with a campaign or project by a third party as long as it is backed up with facts and accurate... Read More
Youtube 2010 Review
Also worth a watch is the Google 2010 Year in... Read More
The Top Brands’ Advertising Budgets
Designed by Marketing Degree, for information on the research, click here for full... Read More
How Corporations Get Out of Paying Taxes
Ever wondered why Google and other American companies set up in Ireland. I will give you a hint, its not because of our workforce. There are more than enough capable people in the US to do the same job! Enjoy.
Via:... Read More
The Evolution Of The App
Mobile Apps have exploded with the plethora or smart phones now available. With this being said, I found this infograph and thought you mind find it both useful and interesting as I did.
Via: Online... Read More
Dublin Pub Guide
Usually I try and keep to marketing related topics but I am launching a new site and wanted to share it with you. It is called the Dublin Pub Guide and it does what is says on the tin. Its a guide for both tourists and locals alike and will soon be the number 1 place for nightlife info in Dublin. It is my first full web design and I wanted to keep it clean, simple and easy to use. There are a lot of other sites offering Dublin nightlife information but i have found... Read More
Mobile App Production
Mobile Apps are really at a crossroads in their production. They benefit from better handsets but are the same time could be eliminated by the new smartphones available.
What I mean by this is that mobile app possibilities have never been at their highest. Newer, smarter phones enable them to do things they never could in the past with location and social integrations. Apps can be relatively simple. Ross Mulcahy recently released a number of Android apps simply... Read More
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About us
My name is William Egan and welcome to my blog. I have been working in online marketing for nearly 3 years on both the agency and client side. I am also trying to improve my SEO skills. I never claim to know everything and welcome all comments. I hope you enjoy!