It often is better to have a smaller number of influencers than a larger amount of followers who passively see or ignore your tweets and never act on them. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

It explores in detail how intrusive or efficient advertising networks and many websites are when it comes to dropping cookies, pixels and tracking beacons on your computer.

The series shows you how quickly they can build a profile on you without knowing your name and immediately thereafter put highly relevant ads in front of you.

As a marketer, you need to know about this. There will undoubtedly be regulatory impact and dramatic differences in the way advertising is bought and sold in the immediate future.

Every article in this series is worth your time, but below are my top three picks in this series. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

So, why not take some of the money you’d otherwise have spent on media and offer it to your target audience? This could be as simple as a coupon, or as high-end B2B as a white paper you commissioned from a respected research outfit.

Such offerings leave a bit of your company with your target audience. It might be a coupon in a wallet or a white paper on someone’s desktop. Either way, it’s setting up a more direct and interactive pattern between you and your target.

If you’re going to ask someone to become a friend on FB, offer them something of value for making the effort. Value for value is the future of marketing, online as well as offline. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

I know some writers and designers don’t want to be so obvious. But the cold truth is many intelligent people may not be solely focused on your copy or campaign.

How many times have you landed on a page and ask out loud “what do they want me to do here?” It happens to me all the time. More often than not.

So, by being direct with your intentions on your Web page, you can help users “cut to the chase” sooner than later, which is a better UI experience anyway. Better for you. Better for them. Better for conversion rates. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

So, while you might not be able to easily connect the dots between SocMed and ROI, a well targeted SocMed campaign could help your direct-response campaigns. The “SocMed Helps Direct Response Rates” argument might help you get budget approval from upper management. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

Even if visitors don’t want to take action, they often want to know what action you would like them to take if they were so inclined. This telegraphs to the site visitor where you’re coming from.

I see nothing wrong with being straightforward about exactly what your agenda is on a Website. In fact, when I see such clear-headed directions, I’m relieved that I don’t have to spend more time trying to figure out what you’re trying to sell me, how you make money or what you want me to subscribe to. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

When you write to faceless thousands or millions, it comes across as superficial as a TV commercial. We all know how meaningful TV commercials are in our lives … not.

Pick an audience member or imagine one person, and write to that person. Talk his/her language and reflect the person’s thoughts and feelings in your copy.

Can you imagine talking to a friend or colleague in the language and terms of a TV or radio commercial? It’s so absurd; it could be a “Saturday Night Live” skit.

Talk with your audience instead of talking at them. Whether F2F, in print, online or in broadcast, no one likes to be talked at. It’s a turnoff and is bound to suppress response rates because you’re not coming across as sincere or relevant. In short, write real. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

Look at Twitter. There’s not much to it. Only 140 characters, in fact. And that’s because the founders wanted to make sure you could easily interact with Twitter on your cell phone. They wanted it to be as easy as, well, texting … which is another one of those small things you see everywhere.

But, just because you’ve identified a small thing that takes off, this doesn’t mean you have a meal ticket for life. You might, if you played it right at the beginning of the Internet, but then other trends can burn right out. Remember Friendster? MySpace is shrinking fast right now.

Twitter looks like it might be plateauing at this time of writing. Still, even if Twitter shrinks a bit, it will probably always be part of our landscape. Moving forward, we will always see an endless parade of new, cool stuff that might or might not burn out. Your job is to identify those waves and catch one that has legs. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]

Twitter is a good channel for Customer Relationship Marketing, which is also a subset of Direct Marketing. Many B2B sales relationships can take 12-18 months before resulting in an actual sale.

Direct Marketers of many disciplines are used to having direct contact with their audiences. Cataloguers and Membership Clubs are built on this model. So, put your Direct Marketing glasses on when you approach Social Media Marketing. While you’re wearing those Direct Marketing glasses, don’t forget to consistently test new things out and watch the response rates. Remember too, that some SocMed efforts don’t pay off right away. Some campaigns can take months to propagate or “go hot,” as they say. LC

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.[Terms and Conditions]