Monday, April 29, 2013

The Business May 1st, 2013: The “G” is Silent, but Your Laughs Won’t Be!!!! Edition



We have such a wonderful batch of guests this week we are just beside ourselves.  Come be beside us too!

David Gborie comes to party. He’s been telling jokes all over the country for a couple of years now and he is, in his words, “Pretty legit at it”. He currently lives in San Francisco where he is a member of Sylvan Productions and can be seen around town lurking at one of their many shows or at Crissy fields with his trusty crab pot. As a perfomer he’s appeared at The Bridgetown Comedy Festival, SF Indie Fest, and Denver’s Too Much Funstival, as well as the SF Punchline, The Denver Comedy Works, and other impressive venues.





Also, up from LA we have Amber Kenny, a founding member of the sketch teams Little Kevin Buttersmith and Dumb Babies and Grant Pardee,  a literally perfect boy.


And watch out for Aaron Weaver!  All the way out from Chicago, he “sneaks up on you with an unorthodox style, then snaps your neck with a comedic Kung Fu chop to the spine. “

Plus all your regulars will be there as well.   Sean Keane,  Bucky Sinister, Nato Green and Caitlin Gill, all reporting for doody.  

All this for JUST $5!!!  Get there early, we sell out.  

BYOBurrito full of magical fruit. 

Enhanced Campaigns Hangouts on Air: Optimizing Mobile Strategy

On April 25th, AdWords Specialists hosted a Hangout on Air as the last installment of the Enhanced Campaigns Hangouts on Air series.

To watch the full 20-minute Hangout on Air, visit the Google Business YouTube channel.


During the Hangout, Wes explains how to adjust bids for mobile devices. He does an account walk through, demonstrating how to adjust bids for the time of day, location and device. For example, if a user is on a mobile device near your store during regular business hours, it may make sense to increase the bid. Wes explains how to calculate the actual bids when using multiple bid adjustments at the same time.

Andy then explains how to create mobile preferred ad texts and mobile preferred ad extensions. He emphasizes the importance of sending users on mobile devices to optimized mobile websites, and briefly touches upon ValueTrack parameters. This blog post further explains how to use ValueTrack parameters to manage URLs by device.

To learn more about how to get started with AdWords, visit our help center, check out the AdWords Community Forum, or call us at 866-2-GOOGLE if you already have an AdWords account.

And remember to tune in to the live stream of our next Hangout on Air at 11 a.m. PDT, Thursday May 9th, when our specialists discuss the ad approvals process in detail.

Saturday, April 27, 2013

European private TV has matured, but needs new strategies for development

The European television industry is one of the most balanced in the world, with public service broadcasters, advertising-supported broadcasters, and pay television operators reasonably dividing television revenues among themselves. For the 27 countries of the EU, pay TV accounts for about 38% of total revenue, public funded broadcasters for about 34%, and advertiser supported television for about 28%.
 
Unlike the US where private television dominates, most Europe private television began after liberalization broke the monopolies held by public service and state television in most countries. It has taken decades for private television to establish a mature place in the market.
 
When looking specific countries, however, total spending on TV (advertising, subscriptions, public funding) is not evenly spread. Adjusted for population, it ranges between €5 and €30 per person among nations, with an average of €15. There a notable differences between southern, central, and eastern European nations and nations in the north and west of Europe, where public service and pay TV are strong players.
 
Some markets are skewed with unusually strong TV subsectors. In Germany and Sweden publicly-funded TV is unusually dominant; there is unusually poor performance of advertising-funded TV in Bulgaria, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Montenegro and Romania.
 
Today, pay television is the most positive sector in European television, with subscriptions for basic services and payments for video-on-demand services growing and the sector benefiting from the growth of video viewing on smartphones and tablets, particularly for its original programming.
 
Advertising-supported television is being squeezed between the more stable funding of public service broadcasters and pay TV providers and being hurt because advertisers in some countries remain reluctant to accept catch-up viewing in audience measurements for program broadcasts. It is not benefiting as much from video-on demand services as public service and pay TV broadcasters because much programming on advertising-supported TV is not original production owned by the broadcasters.
 
In order to survive in the new television environment, advertising-support TV in Europe has developed a diversified revenue, combining income from advertising, paid programming (home shopping, religious programming, etc.), product placement, sponsored events such as concerts and fairs, telecommunication promotions and services related to programming, income producing contests and lotteries, and renting studio space and providing video production services for advertising and corporate use.
 
Despite find their niches, both advertising supported and pay TV operators are now mounting efforts to obtain public funding to improve domestic program offering. In a number of countries they are asking policymakers to create contestable public funding to produce quality domestic content. They have asked cultural ministries to set aside funds for the purpose or asked regulators to divert portions of public service license-fee payments for the purpose.
 
In the contemporary environment, the business model of European advertising-supported TV needs significant addition, primarily because traditional TV advertising has low value for both viewers and advertisers today and there is a need to seek news ways to connect the two commercially. The extent to which they will rise to the occasion remains to be seen.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Award-winning partners share tips for SMB success

We’re always looking for ways to share helpful tips with our readers, so we asked a few of the recent winners of our 2012 Premier SMB Partner Awards to share some words of wisdom with small businesses for digital success.



1) Love your customers
“There are two main items we focus on to create great customer relationships. The first is frequent customer contact. If you talk to your customers often, you’ll become aware of the little issues before they become big issues. The second is what we call ‘showing the love.’ When a customer knows they’re important to you, the level of trust is much deeper. Try and ‘show the love’ with everything you do.”
Brenton Rose, Director of Ad Operations & Duncan Scarry, CEO, Haystak Digital Marketing - Winner of Highest Customer Satisfaction Award (North America)

2) Use a mix of tools to meet your unique goals
"Every business is different, and there's no one size fits all for AdWords campaigns. Think about what your customers are looking for and what actions they might want to take, and craft your ads with the right features and extensions to be most relevant."
­ —Kris Van Peteghem, Project Manager, Roularta Media Group - Winner of Highest Customer Satisfaction Award (EMEA)
Learn more about enhancing your ads with different types of extensions.

3) Make your site mobile-friendly
“When you consider the smaller screen sizes of most mobile devices, it’s important to have a mobile-friendly website. If not, visitors viewing your site from a mobile device are likely to have a poor, and perhaps confusing, experience.”
Louis Gagnon, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, Yodle, Inc. - Winner of Mobile Champion Award (North America)
See how your site looks in mobile and give it a mobile makeover.

4) Make it easy for customers to get in touch
"People on the go are often looking for something local - be it a business in the area, directions, or a phone number. Offer your customers more ways to easily communicate with you, whether that’s through your website, via phone with call extensions, or with location extensions to bring them into your physical location."
Alessandro Giuliano, Head of Product Management, Omnimedia AG, part of Ringier Digital AG - Winner of Mobile Champion Award (EMEA)
Find out how to set up location extensions.

5) Maximize potential from the get-go
“In order to reach potential customers, SMB’s need to increase their online visibility. Google AdWords campaigns enable businesses to derive tangible value from their online marketing efforts."
The team at goudengids.be and pagesdor.be - Winner of Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base Award (EMEA)
 Learn how AdWords Premier SMB Partners can help you maximize your AdWords potential.

The Google AdWords Premier SMB Partner program connects trusted and experienced AdWords partners with small businesses to help them create, manage and optimize their online advertising campaigns. Here’s the full list of winners:

North America:
Best Quality Accounts: Dealer.com
Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base: Dex One
Mobile Champion: Yodle
Display & YouTube Champion: Dealer.com
Highest Customer Satisfaction: Haystak

EMEA:
Best Quality Accounts: Interinfo
Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base, Emerging Partner: Truvo Belgium (goudengids.be)
Largest Increase in Active Advertiser Base, Established Partner: Begun
Mobile Champion: Ringier Digital AG
Display Champion: Trudon
YouTube Champion: Agora
Highest customer satisfaction: Roularta
Posted by Todd Rowe, Managing Director of Global Channel Sales

Sunday, April 14, 2013

The Business, April 17, 2013: The Fourth Birthday Celebration Edition

Happy birthday! Feliz cumpleanos! Bon anniversaire! The Business celebrates its fourth birthday with an eclectic lineup of special guests, along with all your Business regulars. We blew out our candles, and wished for a dream lineup of guests - and, as Anne Hathaway would say, it came true! From the dream factory that is Hollywood, we welcome back our good friend and star of stage and screen, Baron Vaughn. From the dream worker-owned-collective that is SF literature, we welcome Rumpus managing editor Isaac Fitzgerald. And from the chocolate factory Dandelion, we welcome chocolatiers Greg and Erica. After all, what would a birthday party be without dessert?

April 15, 2009 was a very different time. The #1 song in the country was "Poker Face." "Hannah Montana: The Movie" was #1 at the box office. Some people actually thought President Obama's birth certificate was a fake! And four SF comics started an experiment: a two-hour show, split four ways, every week at a theater in the Mission. Originally, Bucky Sinister was just going to rent a storefront so he could stand in it and just talk to passerby. When Alex Koll heard this idea, he thought it was crazy, and he decided he wanted a piece of that storefront plan. Eventually, the storefront became a theater and two people ranting for an hour each became four people ranting for half an hour each - much less crazy.

Over the years, the show evolved: more guests, more games, different Businessmen, bigger crowds, out-of-town shows, a "Best of SF" nod, and a franchise in Los Angeles. We've done nearly 200 shows, welcomed more than 200 guest performers, from comics to writers to clowns to musicians to burlesque dancers, and eaten roughly 200 pounds of refried beans. It's been a great ride - though that storefront might have REALLY been something. 

Our guests: 

 

Baron Vaughn is a dynamic performer whose standup involves song, dance, impressions, beatboxing, characters, and rock-solid joke writing. He was born in New Mexico, raised in Las Vegas, and came of comedy age in Boston. You have seen Baron as one of the Awkward Kings of Comedy, acting in "Black Dynamite" and "Fairly Legal," at the Bridgetown Comedy Festival, the Aspen Rooftop Festival, doing standup on "Conan," or on his podcast, Deep Shit.


Isaac Fitzgerald is the managing editor of The Rumpus (therumpus.net), the cultural website that's full of reviews, interviews, advice, music, film and poetry. He's also the co-founder of Pen & Ink (http://penandink.tumblr.com/), a Tumblr devoted to tattoos and the stories behind them, which is soon to become a real-life ink-and-paper book. Mr. Fitzgerald also hosted the Rumpus live events at the Make-Out Room, and still emcees Rumpus shows on both coasts.

 

Dandelion Chocolate is a small bean-to-bar chocolate manufacturer in Dogpatch, which recently opened a store on Valencia Street, just a block away from the Dark Room itself. Their chocolatiers will sit down for an interview with the foodiest Businessman of all, Nato Green, though we urge audience members not to share their secrets with Mr. Slugworth.

So this Wednesday, come commemorate four years of Business. BYOBPHAP (Bring Your Own Burritos, Party hats, And Pinatas). Bucky, Nato, Caitlin, and Sean will be there in the flesh; Alex Koll, Chris Garcia, Chris Thayer, and Mike Drucker will be there in spirit. Please no gifts: your presence is your presents, along with five bucks admission.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

The Business April 10th, 2013: The Many Miles to K Before I Sleep Edition


The Business is lovely, dark and deep this week.  Come hear the sweep of our easy wind and downy flake!

Our guests are simply poetry.

Miles K!

In August of 2003 Miles K was sitting in an Airstream trailer, writing jokes and smoking meth out of an energy efficient light bulb. By 2004 he’d quit smoking meth but was still writing jokes and in 2007 he began performing stand-up. His act runs a gamut of surreal characters, Kaufmanesque pranks and observational insights. He has been Rooftop Comedy’s Comedian of the Day. His website, cleverthingstosay.com, is viewed thousands of times daily and his work has appeared on superdeluxe.com.

Dave Thomason!

Dave Thomason is a stand-up comedian who was born in San Francisco and now tells jokes there. He recently won Rooftop Comedy’s Silver Nail Award recognizing the best up-and-coming comedians in the nation. Dave has performed at a bunch of neat-o festivals across the country, including the SF Sketchfest, Bridgetown Comedy Festival, and the Aspen Rooftop Comedy Festival. His stand-up has been featured on NPR’s Snap Judgment.

Grant Lyon!

Grant Lyon is a comedian and writer from Los Angeles, California. His comedic style is often described as sophisticated immaturity, blending intelligent wit with pure silliness. San Francisco Weekly describes him as “a hilariously sharp observer, not one of those tired white-guy bellyachers” and the East Bay Express writes “Lyon uses his knowledge of random Wiki-facts to set himself apart from other comedians. It’s a fabulous raison d’etre.”

Your regulars will be there as well, Bucky "BeatYOU UPnik" Sinister, Caitlin "Body Electric" Gill and "Howlin" Nato Green.

$5.  Get there early for a seat WE SELL OUT.

BYOBurrito and when it pleases you, snap at it.


Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Improving the look and feel of Google Places for Business

Hundreds of millions of people around the world use Google Search, Maps, Mobile and Google+ to find and discover great local businesses -- either in their hometown or in the places they’re headed. We’ve been able to deliver more comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date information to help these people find what they’re looking for thanks to you, the many business owners who manage your online presence through Google Places for Business.

Today, we’re introducing an upgrade to the look and feel of Google Places for Business that will roll out to business owners over the coming weeks.

Easier to use
The upgraded interface is simpler and more intuitive, so the process of updating your business information is quick and easy. There’s also a widget that helps you understand at a glance how much more you need to do to complete your business profile.



Edits go live faster
When you make changes to your business, your customers want to know about it right away. Most edits made via the upgraded user interface now appear on Google Maps and our suite of other services within 48 hours. As before, we may continue to moderate changes to ensure the highest quality local experience.

Better integrated with Google products
Through this upgraded interface, you will be able to access your local Google+ page to take advantage of social features like sharing photos, videos, or posts. For businesses who also use AdWords Express and Google Offers, managing your ads and promotions is easier than ever. You can check results and make edits directly from your upgraded Places for Business dashboard.



What to do next
If you’re an existing user of Google Places for Business, this new interface is coming soon. You’ll receive an email notification once we’ve upgraded your account, and see the new interface once you sign in as usual. If you haven’t yet verified your business listing, now is the time to do it!