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Given a vast array of options an advertiser has when it comes to Yellow Pages (pay per call or discounts if you bundle). What is currently working or not working for you in print advertisement? Return on ad spend positive, negative or staying the same? | Think You Have To Outsource SEO To An Expensive Firm? 5 Things You Can Do In House. Sales Force Effectiveness in 2010: The Yellow Pages : Simba Information. The yellow pages industry has gone through dramatic changes over the past decade as the industry grew from $13.7 billion in 2000 to a high-water mark of $16.75 billion in 2007 before plummeting to a projected $14.92 billion in 2010.

In the midst of this economic turmoil the industry has faced a number of challenges but among the most difficult: a sales force dedicated primarily to print sales in 2000 with the professional title of sales reps evolving to full-time media consultants with strong background in the electronic world in 2010. Sales Force Effectiveness in 2010: The Yellow Pages is an in-depth look at the size of the yellow pages industry and its evolution from the print world into the electronic age with approximately 20% of its revenue coming from online operations. The overall report looks at the evolving sales force, where it started, its on-going training, its status now and where it is anticipated to go in the future. Highlights include: Additional Information.

10 Reasons why Google will buy Research In Motion. As a long-time BlackBerry enthusiast and proud Canadian, I want to see Research In Motion turn around the negative sentiment that is now stalking them in the media and gain back the sales momentum and brand popularity they have enjoyed in the past. But should this challenge prove too difficult in the months ahead or simply take too long to execute in the face of an eroding market cap, what will become of RIM? I've pondered this question a lot in recent weeks from every conceivable angle, and it was sitting on a patio sipping my fourth pitcher of Sangria on Canada Day that I concluded Google will buy Research In Motion.

It won't be Microsoft - they've made their bet on Windows Phone and Nokia (and the Steve Ballmer at BlackBerry World thing was little more than a PR stunt). It won't be Co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis buying back the company and going private again (though I'm sure they'd love to do that). It won't be any other company seriously stepping in with a bid. 1. QNX. As Deal With Twitter Expires, Google Realtime Search Goes Offline.

Yesterday, we reported that Google Realtime Search had mysteriously disappeared. Today comes the reason why: Google’s agreement with Twitter to carry its results has expired, taking with it much of the content that was in the service with it. Google sent us this explanation: Since October of 2009, we have had an agreement with Twitter to include their updates in our search results through a special feed, and that agreement expired on July 2. While we will not have access to this special feed from Twitter, information on Twitter that’s publicly available to our crawlers will still be searchable and discoverable on Google. Google also stressed that went Google Realtime Search relaunches — something it says will happen but with no set time frame — it will include content from a variety of sources and not just be solely devoted to Google+ material. Our vision is to have google.com/realtime include Google+ information along with other realtime data from a variety of sources.

5 Best Practices For Kicking Off A Global Search Program. Last time, we looked at the 9 Key Considerations for selecting an International Search Agency. Let’s now jump forward beyond the procurement and vendor onboarding nightmare and assume we have our stable of partners in place to launch our program. The following are recommendations to ensure your project gets off to and stays on the right path to success. Assigning Your General Contractor It is critical that you appoint a single person as the “General Contractor” for the project. This is especially true if you are using multiple agencies. This single person will be the collector, coordinator and arbitrator of all activities to ensure there is collaboration and alignment on the project. This person will run interference with the different team leads and help to align all of the actions to ensure they stay on track as well as monitoring scope creep, resource utilization, collaboration and uniformity.

Setting Expectations Reporting Structures & Cadence There are a few items you must consider: What Does Google+ Add To The Social Graph? Is there anything else that this week’s column could have been about? After months & months of rumours, leaks, presentations and high-profile talent grabs, Google finally launched its Facebook competitor™*. After the farce that was Wave, and the let-down that was Buzz, Google+ seems to be Google’s big push to date to get into social. However, outside the reams of press about how it looks a bit like Facebook, or acts a bit like Friendfeed, or isn’t as good as Twitter, the one question that I haven’t seen asked, is exactly why Google would bother to launch a social network?

Let’s look at some numbers: Yep, Google’s profits for 2010 were more than the combined revenues of, arguably, the three biggest social brands (even without taking into account Groupon’s staggering losses). So, considering that, why on earth would Google want to go to all the hassle of launching its own social network, when none of the existing ones are making that much money? *™ belongs to the world’s press. How to Write a Market Requirements Document. Once the product planning process is complete and a product is approved, you will need a Market Requirements Document. Some companies call this the PRD or Product Requirements Document. I call it a Market Requirements Document because the most important point to focus on in the document is what the market wants or needs. It also helps to identify where the document is generated - in marketing. The market requirements document is designed to provide an outline of the prospective product for all interested parties.

It should provide enough information for engineering to write a functional specification for the product. It should also be written in simple enough terms so that upper management or investors can read it and understand the potential product. Target Audience of the MRD The market requirements document is designed primarily for engineering. Types of MRDs New Product New Release of an Existing Product It is also important to decide the scope of the release and the availability. Creative Tips For Link Building On A Shoestring Budget. Since “how much would it take me to get started?” Is a common question that potential clients ask me, I thought I’d expand a bit on my original answer to Debra Mastaler’s forum questions. I love the idea of only having $100 to get started because many times, having less money means you have to get more creative.

So, since I’ve spent my theoretical $100 already (in the post above), everything else I’d advise is free. So far we’ve set up social media accounts, used a few free tools in order to find more Twitter followers, analyze our Twitter work, and keep abreast of all of our online mentions. Advertise Your Business The Old-School Way If you don’t already have business cards, use some software to print some out or call in a favor to your friend down the block who works in a printing shop. Put these cards up on bulletin boards at the community center, drop them in fishbowls to win free meals at restaurants, and give them out to anyone who asks what you do for a living.

Conduct Interviews. Study: One Facebook fan equals 20 extra website visits.