Before I go any further, I should mention that I’m a cord cutter. I got tired of paying a massive cable bill every month and decided to see how I’d handle going without. I still get a few broadcast channels, but I’ve been without cable for more than two years (though I kept my cable Internet service), and I’ve barely even noticed a difference from when I used to have cable TV.

Some students and graduates are deciding the same is true for them. They’ve grown up streaming video, for example, watching online when their parents had commandeered the TV or when they couldn’t find anything they wanted to watch. They’re comfortable with the concept, which has the potential to be devastating to the traditional TV industry. As students strike out on their own and no longer have mom and dad paying their bills, they realize how expensive cable is. And they think about cutting the cord, or downgrading to basic service.

According to a recent Ypulse report, only 28% of students say they can’t live without TV (referring to traditional viewing), compared to 83% who can’t imagine life without music. Some students even prefer streaming video to traditional TV viewing; after all, it gives them what they want when they want it.

What’s a TV company to do? Not what the music industry did. Fighting the digital revolution didn’t go well in that case, and neither would it with TV. A case in point, Fox recently decided to delay the availability of shows on Hulu, making users wait eight days (instead of just a day) to stream shows. The result was a huge spike in people finding the shows via pirate websites.

The biggest challenge the traditional TV industry is facing is the number of quality alternatives.YouTube is making deals to get professionally produced content for its streaming service. There are rumors Netflix is bringing back “Arrested Development” and “Reno 911!” Microsoft’s Xbox Live service has upped its offering to nearly 40 channels of streaming content, including HBO, Sony’s Crackle, Disney, Verizon, and more.

Yet, the fate of the traditional TV industry is far from decided. Hulu is up for sale. Netflix is still finding its place with different audiences, splitting its streaming and DVD delivery services, and now pulling them back into one. And students are still making up their minds if they can do without TV or not. What is certain is that streaming is not going away and, as online services continue to bolster their offerings, traditional TV is going to have to find a way to compete.

Time Warner Cable created an iPad app allowing subscribers to get mobile video on the device. It’s a step in the right direction, but misses the mark in that students still think a cable subscription is too expensive. Similarly, Comcast is partnering with Xbox Live, but again the service is only for cable subscribers. Millennials want an à la carte option to get the shows they want, without paying extra for channels they don’t use.

Broadcast TV’s argument against streaming is that it clips their revenue from advertising (they can’t charge as much for online ads), so they are attempting to force audiences to watch on their terms, when the show is aired live. But when that doesn’t fit in Millennials’ busy schedules, it’s just not going to happen. Both the TV and advertising industries need to get on board with streaming, or they both risk losing the Millennial audience.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/160490/tv-isnt-what-it-used-to-be.html

• Our 2011 survey reveals that fully 60% of Affluents report having visited Facebook in the past 30 days, spending an average of 4.9 hours a week on the site. Our September 2011 Affluent Barometer further reveals that 60% of Affluent Facebook users report visiting the site about once per day or more.

• Twitter reaches many fewer Affluents—about 10% in a given month—but for longer periods of time, with the average Twitter users spending over 6 hours a week on the site.

• Among younger Affluents, the enthusiasm for online social networking is even more pronounced. Among Affluent Millennials (those aged 18-29), 84% used Facebook in the past 30 days, averaging 7.5 hours per week. One-in-four Affluent Millennials use Twitter, for an average of more than 8 hours per week.

Among adults aged 18+ living in households with at least $100,000 in annual household income.

Of course, Facebook and Twitter aren’t the only names in the social networking world. More than half of Affluents visit YouTube each month. Fourteen percent visit LinkedIn. And there are significant segments of Affluents using photo-sharing sites, dating sites, class reunion sites, and so on.

It is hard to overstate how fully social media becomes intertwined into the lives of some of its users. Among Affluents, 32% agree “I usually check e-mail or Facebook within 30 minutes of waking up in the morning”—a figure that rises to 50% among Affluent Millennials. And in an era where anyone can create and disseminate content, the lines continue to blur between social and traditional media for the Affluent. Many Facebook users have told us it is increasingly becoming a source for information and links to stories from mainstream media. And on Twitter, only about 5% tweet in a given week (15% among Affluent Millennials), with the rest being consumers of content, rather than producers.

Of course, it is important to put online social networking in context with offline social networking. Nearly two-thirds of Affluents do some online social networking in a given week using traditional social media websites (Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn and Twitter), but 92% also do “offline” social networking by telephone, and 86% also do so with actual in-person, face-to-face conversations.

A similar story about the prevalence of offline social networking also emerges across generations. Affluent Seniors—the 5.2 million Affluents 65 or older—may lag in their Facebook usage, but they are far more likely to engage in a variety of “offline” social, political, civic and non-profit activities. Affluent Seniors are, for example, more likely to vote, belong to a golf or country club, and serve on a charitable board of directors. And while seniors may lag in their number of LinkedIn contacts, they are more likely to have a variety of business relationships, such as a relationship with a financial advisor.

When we’re asked if the Affluent are “into” social networking, our answer is a clear “yes.” The desire to “socially network” is not as young as Mark Zuckerberg—it is in fact as old as humanity itself. So it should come as no surprise that new ways of connecting appeal to a population that is almost-universally online (our survey finds that 98% of Affluents are online). But those in advertising and media must realize that the dynamics of social networking are deceptively complex, including a mix of online and offline activities that differ substantially across generational and other segments.

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/162476/affluents-are-heavy-social-networkers-both-online.html

That has changed, big time.

Today, it’s not just everyone’s favorite celebrities who opt for single-mom status. Currently, there are about 10 million single mothers in the U.S. with children younger than 18; about 40% of all children now are born to single mothers.

Yet contrary to the longstanding image of the single mom – young and from a lower socio-economic background — these moms are older (average age: 39) and about one-third have a live-in partner. While they do tend to have lower household incomes than married moms, about 80% work.

The circumstances of their pregnancies also often defy traditional perceptions. “That old-fashioned idea that a single mother is someone who got pregnant by accident or didn’t want a child is just not true anymore. These days, there are plenty of single moms by choice,” said Dana Points, editor in chief of Parents/American Baby, in a recent Advertising Age article.

A recent Women at NBCU study divided single moms into four groups, each with its own very different set of experiences, influence and value to marketers:

“Girl Interrupted” (13% of moms). This is the most negative of the categorizations. These women are more likely to be Caucasian, young and lower-income. They also tend to live with extended family, but without receiving much support. Yet, they are the most technologically connected of all the mom segments.
“Dream Girls” (15% of moms). More likely to be Hispanic and receive a lot of family and friend support, Dream Girls have a more positive outlook on life and are excited about being moms.
“Survivor Mom” (13% of moms). She is older, struggling financially and more likely to be divorced or widowed, but also confident in her parenting choices and buying decisions and the most brand loyal.
“Secondlife Moms.” Also older and more likely to be divorced, these moms tend to be more educated, to work full time, and be financially secure.
Each of these single mom segments offers opportunities for marketers, whether it’s a lower-income mom influencing friends through digital connections or the more mature and higher-earning mom with money to spend. For those companies who have been ignoring the increasing growth in the number of single moms or thinking of them in terms of the age-old stereotypes, now is the time to reconsider.

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Such brand advocates were created by Tomasetti and her 360 PR team as they worked with bloggers on behalf of a major supermarket chain. “The effort was successful because we sought to engage bloggers in a true two-way dialogue over time with a high-touch approach,” said Tomasetti. This approach not only worked for [our client], but it can work for your brand as well. Here are some ways to make sure your blogger relationship is one that is truly built to last:

Think near- and long-term
Yes, you want to spur excitement and immediate engagement, but don’t forget to also consider what you will do to sustain the relationship over time. Think about how bloggers can play a role in your broader social media conversations and communications campaigns. “We met with bloggers on an ongoing basis and gave them special access to the brand team,” says Tomasetti. “Bloggers were the first to know about important brand initiatives that could help them with the things that mattered in their everyday lives — like saving money and eating healthier.”

Have an open dialogue with bloggers
“To imbue your thinking, identify a core group of bloggers who demonstrate an authentic interest in your brand and have an open dialogue with them,” adds Tomasetti. “Invite their feedback and utilize their perspective to help shape future engagement efforts.” This will not only help with your overall marketing efforts, but will give you great insight into product development and even customer service initiatives.

Make sure it fits
Look for bloggers who are a fit with your brand’s message and goals. Take into consideration such factors as blog content, reach, activity and reader engagement. “We’ve found Twitter to be a particularly useful platform in interacting with bloggers and learning about bloggers’ passions and pain points,” says Tomasetti. “In addition to online assessments, we find it valuable for our teams to interact with bloggers at conferences. At the end of the day, we’re still in the relationship business.”

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=155423

Most of my customers have heard that SEO is all about the links coming into your website.  This could not be further from the truth. Especially since Google implemented their new Panda update. Now before some of you get all upset that I just said that, hear me out.  In my mind and what has brought me success in Local SEO are a lot of little tasks which include some but not all of the following.

Google Places profile

Meta title changes

Content optimization

Article Submissions

Directory submissions

Meta description and keyword changes

This list of course is not spelled out in any detail and we can all agree that Keywords are pretty much worthless in the long run.  However, as I said before Local SEO is about all of the little things.  It is very important to look at everything not just links.  This is because although some things are not all that important any more, when you combine a lot of unimportant tasks with the moderately important and very important tasks you will get a strong Local SEO campaign. Remember it all counts.

Now, how do you find out what a good local keyword would be to optimize for??? Well, there are a couple of routes you can take.  The first and what I find to be the most popular is when the client optimizes for a keyword because it is what they would type in.  This is only accurate about 1/3 of the time. Also, remember that if I were to ask 20 people how they would find a used car dealer in Tucson AZ I would probably get about 15 different answers. The second and probably the easiest, is to use the Google Keyword tool and look at search volumes for a number of keywords.  This is actually really effective for Regional and national SEO campaigns, but not always for Local. The reason is due to search volume.  Even though a local keyword search you’re looking for is popular, it may only popular on a local level and does not generate enough searches for Google to pay attention to it and show its search volume.  The final and probably the most effective way of researching local keywords, is to use a Pay Per Click campaign to determine search volumes and return.

In conclusion I hope that you can see where Local SEO is a lot more than just building links or changing content.  It is a lot of different tasks that must be completed in order to achieve the long lasting results you desire.