With the notable exception of video portal pages, which have a strong click-through rate of 3.48% (VINDICO "Year in Review" data, April 11, 2012), video click-through rates continue to be unimpressive. Another striking result came from mobile ads on video, at 4.15% click-throughs. As with all forms on online advertising, click-through rates are expected to be low, but considering the popularity of video, particularly on YouTube, the click-through rates remain stubbornly low.



In most formats, considerably less than 1% is the average—which is generally considered fine in the context of online advertising.  The much-promoted pre-roll ad position—so called because it plays before you can watch your video—comes in at an underwhelming 0.91%, despite premium cost. Mid-rolls do nearly as well…

The inherent problem of public relations is lack of control over how your brand is positioned. Even if the coverage is positive, it may not be correct. However, if published in a credible medium, it will be believed by audiences, for better or worse.

Flip that proposition on its head for advertising. You control the message. But you can't buy credibility.

Best of Both Worlds

Blogertize's strategy of "Be the Media" allows you to build a credible medium or your own — found, subscribed to and believed by your audiences because of genuine "mostly" unbiased news. "Marketer as Publisher" is a trending term in internet marketing, although we've been using this technique since 1997, with quantifiable and reliable success. 

Our first "Be the Media" campaign for D-Link Canada in 1996, led to a published zine in 1997. With active participation from all team members, using this strategy D-Link grew from…

"Marketers are now increasingly in the role of publishers."

Joseph Ruiz, Strategic Marketing Solutions

Convergence is driving a dizzying pace of change in the marketing strategies of most businesses. Convergence of marketing with publishing, broadcast media with online media, social media with news platforms—in fact, an overall convergence in communications industries as a whole. 

The importance of keeping ahead of these changes can be framed in the context of the billions of dollars spent in online marketing. Video ad spending grew to $3.1 billion in 2012. Smart Phone use increased 44% 2012 over 2011. 

Consumers…

"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far."

Theodore Roosevelt

In internet terms, high frequency with a credible, editorial message is "speaking softly." To paraphrase the great Teddy Roosevelt, "Speak often and carry a big stick."



"The big stick" is consistent use of factual, organic content, carrying citations and references for credibility. In other words, editorial, newsy content that goes beyond the commercial messages of your core brands, and explores all of the interests of your audiences.

Above: Blogs and their more sophisticated online counterpart, zines, are the number one tactic proven to acquire new leads and…

Cost Effective Reach and Sustainable Lower Budgets



Organic, content-driven online strategies are not only sustainable, they create momentum in real qualified traffic that grows month after month, year after year. Earned reads, as we call content-driven tactics, are vastly more valuable than paid advertising exposures.

In data from eMarketer, research showed that earned media helps companies "build longer-term effects and increased brand awarenesss, purchase consideration and brand favorability." The study found that when consumers were exposed to earned reads such as Social Media, revenue per order increased to $280.71 from $206.66 for paid exposures alone.…

Above: 2012 CEO, Social Media & Leadership Survey from BRANDfog, March 12, 2012, as reported in eMarketer.com.



Social engagement may seem risky to CEOs, who worry about negative viral comments and threads damaging their brand, but recent research confirms active social engagement personally by a CEO supports brand.  Persona Corp research on a similar topic from 2011 indicated similar results, although the focus of the data was brand participation rather than CEO. Nielsen data from 2010 also indicates that 22.7% of our time spent online is spent engaging with social media, indicating it's vital importance. Other anecdotal evidence —…

"The truth must dazzle gradually."

Emily Dickinson

Blogertize's Push Model pushes your credible content out to all the most popular news and social sites. Your site and brand is the beneficiary of traffic and subscribers earned at two anchoring Blogertize Zine formats: the social zine and the eZine. Original, quality content is the secret to Blogertizing. Distributing it widely in targeted, meaningful sites and locations is also important to building a credibility strategy.

Citations Earn Credibility

Citations on scholarly articles, research papers and news stories create instant…

Above: Our famous "Pull" Blogertize model. Blogertize acts as your independent publisher, an online social zine covering topics of interest to your audiences. By pushing daily content out to all major platforms, we draw back only those audiences who are interested in your proposition to your site. In effect, through carefully constructed thematic topical content, we filter interested audiences to your brand — while providing a valuable service to the audiences through our breaking news, reviews, features and content. The method requires professional arms-length editors and journalists who write about your topics credibly. Blogertize distills the best of public relations, advertising and SEO strategies in one outsourced platform.



Your audience—your customers, clients, investors,…

Unique, credible content is the only real way to be found on the internet. Quality content is the only way to ensure they come back.

With Blogertize's journalist-quality professional content, subscribers will find you and stick with you. By publishing your content as a credible media outlet you can draw substantially higher qualified prospective customers. In this article, we explore why Blogertize is a credible alternative or add-on to your earned media (PR) and paid media (advertising):

Is Your Advertising Even Noticed?

Are your ads noticed—or, for that matter, believed? Judging by Click Through Rates…

Original content alone isn't enough. Blogertize's team of social media experts, web designers, writers, and PR specialists ensure that your content—unique content—reaches your target audiences with precision. We don't just strategically place your content on appropriate social and web sites, we create your own custom zines and social media sites, allowing you to fully engage your audiences and earn their loyalty through subscriptions. For your important message, consider Blogertize's innovative solutions. Blogertize achieves high visibility, to very targeted audiences.

Above: All Blogertize Social Zines start as a core news or special interest social zine, which we call a star site (a metaphor with the main site as a star, at the center of an…