Hi Adblock Plus...lets talk about the word irony.

Adblock Plus is launching a new service that puts more ads on your screen. Yes, you read that correctly. The #1 ad blocker is now selling ads.

Rather than stripping all ads from the internet forever, Adblock Plus is hoping to replace the bad ads — anything it deems too big, too ugly, or too intrusive — with good ads, ones that are smaller, subtler, and theoretically much less annoying.

It’ll begin doing that through an ad marketplace, which will allow blogs and other website operators to pick out so-called “acceptable” ads and place them on their pages. If a visitor using Adblock Plus comes to the page, they’ll be shown those “acceptable ads,” instead of whatever ads the site would normally run.

“It allows you to treat the two different ecosystems completely differently and monetize each one,” says Ben Williams, Adblock Plus’ operations and communications director. “And crucially, monetize the ad blockers on on their own terms.”

The marketplace is a extension of the Acceptable Ads program that Adblock Plus has been running since 2011. Since then, the ad blocker has defaulted to “whitelisting” approved ads, so that they show up even when users have the blocker turned on. But the program has been fairly limited in scope, since publishers and ad networks need to specifically work with (and pay) Adblock Plus to have their ads deemed acceptable. It’s a time-consuming process, Williams emphasized, which limits how many websites can sign up to display ads to would-be blockers.Adblock Plus hopes that, through this new marketplace, there’ll be a big expansion in the usage of Acceptable Ads. Because they’re already picked out and ready to go, any publisher will be able to sign up, plug some code into their website, and start running whitelisted ads. None of the ads are able to track visitors from site to site, and they’ll all be limited to certain dimensions and page locations, as defined by Adblock Plus’ guidelines.

The program is meant to be friendly to publishers — it is, after all, letting them display some ads instead of none whatsoever. But there’s still obvious reason for publishers to be unhappy. Acceptable ads are likely to be less valuable than the ads a publisher could otherwise display, limiting what a website can earn. And in setting up its own marketplace, Adblock Plus continues to position itself as a gatekeeper charging a toll to get through a gate of its own making.

Publishers will get to keep 80 percent of all ad revenue from marketplace ads, with the remaining 20 percent being divided between various other parties involved with serving the ads. Adblock Plus will receive 6 percent of total revenue.

The ad marketplace is launching in beta today and is supposed to launch in full later this year. At the same time, Adblock Plus is working toward setting up a committee of publishers, privacy advocates, and advertisers to figure out the future of what its Acceptable Ad guidelines should look like. That too is supposed to get nailed down sometime later this year, with committee meetings beginning next year.

Source: The Verge

Case study: free wifi for apartment building tenants.

The Fenmore is a 205 unit apartment complex located just steps from the home of the Boston Red Sox: Fenway Park. Built around 1912, The Fenmore originally boasted such amenities as an office staff who would receive packages or call one a carriage for a trip to the shops in Copley Square, maids who would change the linen, and a housekeeping service which would tidy up by using the latest in centralized vacuum systems.

But a century later, the residents were looking for a much more modern amenity: wireless Internet.

When initially exploring the idea of installing a system, they were presented with a number of challenges. The biggest issue was the construction itself. Typical for the time period, the seven buildings that make up the Fenmore were built with brick and mortar, horsehair plaster and wire lathe, making the required cabling extremely difficult. 

That’s where IES came in....using newly developed technology, IES was able to create a building wide network for all the residents to use. It’s easy to manage, easy to deploy, and it’s incredibly cost effective. The board of directors understood the value immediately.

Over a period of two weeks, 83 strategically placed access points were installed with 6,000 feet of cat5 wiring running through seven 24 port switches. After the initial installation, the system was then setup in the cloud for management and troubleshooting purposes. Additionally, the cloud made it easy set bandwidth limits, monitor traffic, control access with a community wide password, create a custom splash page, and much more.

The project was a huge success from day one. Everyone at the Fenmore has since cancelled their own Internet service and are now enjoying free wireless throughout the property. Best of all, the residents as a whole are saving over $6,000 a month by not having an Internet bill.

When issues do arise, IES is able to provide Fenmore residents with remote support and network maintenance. The network is easy to maintain and when downed nodes do need to be replaced, it’s fast and the cost is very low.

If you are interested in creating a powerful, custom branded network, give IES a call at 781-816-9437 or email estimates@iesadvisors.com. This technology is not only perfect for apartment buildings or condo associations, but why not add your brand to your vacation home, business, store front, restaurant, or hotel? The marketing abilities using this technologies are endless.

Samsung smart TVs to start putting ads on top of things people are watching.

Samsung is quietly adding ads onto its smart TVs to try and boost revenues – even after people have bought the sets.The company has already added new “tile ads” to the menus in its premium Internet connected televisions. The move will even affect existing smart TVs since they can be updated with a software update over the Internet.

The ads sit on the TVs’ home screen, alongside the normal apps like YouTube or Netflix, and link out to external content. As such they are likely to prove unpopular among users, and might also draw the attention of regulators and networks.

It comes after Samsung got drawn into controversy over a policy that appeared to allow its TVs to listen in on everything people said in their living rooms. The company replied that the policy had been clumsily written.

Increasing the number of ads will help Samsung increase its revenues even after people have bought their TVs. Though Samsung already has some deals in place, like taking part of the revenues from people watching Netflix on their TVs, it has struggled to generate revenues on top of the money it gets from selling hardware.

The move is being made to try and counteract slowing growth in the TV industry, according to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the news. Though Samsung is dominant in that market, selling 20% of units according to analysts, market share is declining because it is largely saturated.

Every small business should care about Millennials, here's why...

The ways that Millennials spend money matters. Millennials add an estimated $1.68 trillion in purchasing power annually to the U.S. economy and as their wealth grows, so will their financial influence. Take a look at what small business owners should keep in mind when dealing with this up-and-coming group of spenders:

Millennials Value Experiences over Financial Advantages
A study from Eventbrite found that 75% of Millennials would rather spend money on doing something, rather than owning something. They take trips, go out to eat, and are comfortable spending money on experiences. As a result, they care about how they are treated and how they feel at the places where they do spend money; and this is where small businesses have an advantage with this young-to-mid adult demographic.

Millennials are More Electronically Connected than Ever
Almost 90% of Millennials who own smartphones say that they have them at their side all of the time, even when they are sleeping at night. Small businesses need to find ways to have a presence on smartphones, tablets and devices, even if they do not have a dedicated application for their businesses. This can be accomplished through strong social media accounts that prompt engagement, weekly newsletters and even opt-in choices for text messages. In order to really reach Millennials, small businesses must be mobile.

Millennials like Customization
Millennials appreciate when brands really understand who they are, and what it is that they want to buy. Targeted marketing is effective and they say that they would gladly trade personal information, like contact details or social media accounts, with brands in exchange for incentives (like coupons, discounts or insight into products that are a good match). Small businesses should get to know their Millennial customers and their needs as intimately as possible in order to keep them informed of products or services that benefit them.

It’s important for small business owners to not simply write-off the Millennial generation when it comes to a mobile presence, retaining customers and daily operations. Even the smallest companies can tap into their marketing techniques to better reach this growing group of spenders and maximize revenue in the process.

Do you target Millennials specifically in your marketing strategies? IES can help setup and run a targeted marketing plan. Give us a call today at 781-816-9437 to get started.

5 tasks every business should have done by Halloween.

The season of pumpkin flavored everything may seem months away – and the holiday season even father off in the distance. Yet, in reality, once the back to school campaigns start to die down, small businesses should already be thinking ahead to the busy holiday season. Instead of waiting until the last minute to get ready, there are some steps you can take now to ensure that your small business ends the year on a high note.

Create a Holiday Marketing Plan
Did you know that 69% of consumers are more likely to frequent a local small business with a social media presence? It is important to decide how you will use all the marketing tools at your disposal, including social media and traditional routes, to your holiday advantage. The fall is also a great time to decide what holiday season outreach your small business will participate in and then start reaching out to get involved now.

Organize Tax Documents
Just as the whirlwind of the end of one year starts to settle, another looming time of year takes shape: tax season. Do yourself a favor and start getting organized now. Make sure you have important documents ready and available, and that your bookkeeping is up to date. If you plan to make any significant charitable donations before December 31, decide how much and where it will go.

Update Your Website
This is especially important if you are a retailer with an online presence. Make sure your site has your most recent merchandise listed and is easy to navigate for shoppers. While you are there anyway, double check all of your contact information and be sure that nothing has changed since you last modified it.

Decorate
Even if your business doesn’t tend to get “dressed up” on a seasonal basis, take advantage of the cooler temperatures to update the look of your office. Change out faded furniture, update office equipment or just add new accessories that rejuvenate your professional look.

Touch Base with Customers
Get ahead of the holiday marketing game by sending out an email promotion, or just an newsletter with information about what is new and happening at your small business. Invite the customers in your email database to follow you on social media and to subscribe to your company blog. By reaching out to your customers long before your competitors do, you will plant the seed for success when the holiday season rolls around.

Whether you are a small business retailer, or service provider, gearing up for the end of the year (and the start of the next one) is a great way to prepare for a less stressful, more lucrative holiday season.

Does your company have a website? Here's 3 things it should never do.

Is your website doing it’s job? If you’re not seeing the traffic, signup, or revenue numbers that you expect then your website might be making some big mistakes, but they might not be the mistakes that you think. Easily overlooked and often improperly implemented, these are the 3 things that your website should never do.

Create Ambiguity
A successful websites lives and dies on the strength and clarity of its messaging. It’s not just the copy, successful website messaging flows from site design and architecture all the way down to background images and font-type. Ambiguity is your enemy, so desired action must be clear: filling out a form, buying a product, or calling a phone number. Once you establish the action goals you can battle ambiguity by ensuring that every component of your website plays a part in pushing visitors toward these desired outcomes.

Get Pushy
Video and audio players that start automatically, “sign in to continue” pop-ups on informational pages, oversized images that reduce page speed – forcing unnecessary decisions or experiences can be the fastest way to push visitors away from your website. Instead of getting pushy, you should understand what a visitor wants from your site, and then work to resolve those intentions into a positive outcome.

Skimp on Visuals
Low-quality stock photos or mismatched color schemes send a bad message, you absolutely can’t afford to cut visual corners when building an effective website. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel on visual experience, leverage standard practices that visitors expect and appreciate. Resources like Kuler allow you to view user submitted color schemes to get inspiration and see what works for others while quality stock imagery is available from places like iStockphoto.com or Shutterstock.

If you have a struggling website, give IES a call. We can help you get a much higher ROI on your website by redesigning or reconfiguring it.

IES, Inc.
781-816-9437
iesAdvisors.com
 

Own a business? Here's why a professional website will be the best investment your business has ever made.

Hello, and welcome to the 21st century - the era of technology. If you own a business and don't have a website, you are significantly missing out on acquiring new customers. If you own a business and have a cheap, template driven site (example: Intuit, Homestead, FatCow, GoDaddy Website Builder, etc.), you are still missing out.

Why? Nearly all consumers - 97% - now use online media to shop locally. (This includes searches from computers, laptops, or mobile phones). I think it's safe to say the Yellow Pages have officially died.

So how would a website help? Well, it's all about exposure and being found on Google. A simple, cheap website builder usually does not accomplish that. Not only does your website need to be aesthetically pleasing, but you need title tag optimization, descriptive tag optimization, image description optimization, keyword optimization, and a large amount of content. That simply cannot be done using a template builder.

And let's not forget about the tax advantages! Usually, websites are 100% tax deductible business expenses. After all, it is a marketing expense. *Legal disclaimer: I am not an accountant, please consult your tax advisor.

So if you're ready to pull the trigger on a professional website, give IES a call or shoot us an email! We look forward to helping you build your business.

IES, Inc.
781-816-943
estimates@iesadvisors.com

Considering direct mail advertising? Here's the 6 formats that get results!

There are many different formats and designs to choose from when planning a direct-mail campaign. Finding the right format for your offer, niche, and budget is critical to the success of your campaign. Below are some of the most popular mail formats...

1). Letter package. The most common format is a basic letter package. In general, the package would consist of a letter, an order card or form, a brochure, and the outer envelope. Sometimes, there's a lift note included. A lift note is a little note (perhaps 6 x 9 inches) that looks very personal--and may even be made to look as though it's been written out by hand on stationery.

Some marketers do interesting things with the envelopes by making them look "official." They may put words on them like "Verified Mail" and "Confirmation Number." Or they may create a sense of urgency with words like "Express Letter Service," "Rush," and "High Priority Contents." These are all ways to make sure your package gets noticed and moved to the top of the pile.

2). Self-mailer. Self-mailers are very versatile, and there are a variety of ways you can use them. They're mailed just like a magazine. There are many types of self-mailers, but here are three favorites:

Slim Jim. This ranges in size from 6 x 10 to 61/8 x 111/2 inches. The J. Peterman catalog is famous for its use of the Slim Jim format. There's a quality of elegance to this size and shape.
Magalog. The size is around 8 x 11 inches. It's floppy, full of color, and made to look like an actual magazine--but it's not. It's actually a sales letter. This is very commonly used in health supplement and nutritional marketing.
Digest. It looks like a little booklet, kind of like Reader's Digest. The size is usually around 6 x 9 inches. This kind of piece is very appealing to people. It feels good in the hand and looks like it would be fun to read.

3). Postcard. Generally, the least expensive type of direct-mail format is a postcard. Postcards are like self-mailers but with a lot less sales copy. You get the benefit of the prospect seeing your sales copy right away instead of having to open an envelope. Your prospect can read the headline and see what the offer is at a glance.

4). CD mailers. This format is really a cross between a standard mail piece and dimensional mail. It mails flat, but when it's received, you can feel something lumpy inside. That's what helps get this mail package opened.

The mailer should include a short letter or lift note and be personalized. But don't present the offer in the letter. If you do, the prospect will have no reason to listen to the CD and will completely miss the most powerful sales tool in the package.

The CD mailer can deliver a powerful message. Not only do you get to connect with prospects through a letter, they also get to hear your voice and listen to your enthusiasm about whatever you are offering. Make it easy for prospects to respond by including a phone number or web address on the CD.

5). Dimensional mail. If you want to mail something that's really going to stand out in the mailbox, then dimensional mail is your best option. Use dimensional mail to get people's attention in hard-to-reach niches, such as medical professionals or business executives who have gatekeepers who screen their mail.

Dimensional mail has a much higher opening rate than traditional direct mail, and it's easy to see why. A mail package with something lumpy inside will spark the curiosity of the person receiving it.
Dimensional mail can be used very successfully by small businesses targeting a small customer file. If you're looking for a high response from 500 to 1,000 people and you can afford a higher mailing cost, then dimensional mail is definitely the way to go. It will get the customers' attention and get them to respond.

6). Shock-and-awe package. This marketing method is an elaborate package that you send to people who have specifically requested information about your products and services, and/or have already placed an order with you. The idea is to exceed their expectations, engage their interest, and build their loyalty--and perhaps even a sense of obligation to you--by sending them a package of materials and goodies that's unexpected and so impressive that it takes their breath away.

These packages should include as many items, and as wide a variety of items, as possible. You want it to be exciting to go through and look like there's a lot going on there. Whatever you put in your package should be branded with your name and logo. You want the recipient to think of you every time he or she uses your mug, looks at your imprinted calendar or reads through the materials you sent.

These packages can be expensive to put together. But they also can be one of the best ways to spend your marketing dollar.

Source: Entrepreneur.com

10 eye-popping statistics proving you need a mobile website.

Technology has been enabling the world to become more and more mobile. We have faster Internet connections, better screens and faster processors. With the trends of mobile device and tablet sales, mobile growth doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. To illustrate how important it is to adapt to the new mobile world, here are 10 eye popping mobile statistics:

• By 2015 there will be one mobile device for every person in the world.
• In 2013, more people will use a mobile device to get online than use PC’s.
• A staggering 50% of local searches are performed on mobile devices.
• 61% of mobile users who find your business while searching online end up calling the business.
  • 59% of those users end up stopping into the business.
  • 50% of the mobile users who found your business online end up converting into a purchasing customer.
• If a mobile user is not happy with your mobile website, there is a 40% chance they will go visit a competitors.
• If a mobile user has a poor experience on your mobile website, they are 57% more unlikely to recommend your business other mobile users.
• It’s projected that in 2013, tablet devices will make up nearly 21% of the mobile market.
• 60% of mobile users expect your mobile website to load in under 3 seconds.

Find a mobile device and visit your website, are you happy with the product? Is it easy to navigate and user friendly? Show it to 10 friends and see if they have the same response. If you’re not sure about this either, it might be time to look into a mobile website. If your business hasn’t already adapted their marketing strategy to embrace mobile, it’s time to get started before you’re left behind the competition and having to play catch up.

IES offers the best when it comes to web design and mobile web design. Give us a call today at 781-816-9437 or visit iesAdvisors.com. (Yes, our website will work on your mobile device, too!)

Source: Savvy Panda
*Statistics as of March, 2012.

A lesson in social media marketing, courtesy of Amazon's latest failure.

What's the first lesson of social media? Know what you're posting!

Amazon Student recently found themselves in a situation where a post about "manscaping" was created to promote a new grooming store. Probably unknown to Amazon at the time of the posting, the word manscape is defined as: "A term used to define male grooming below the belt". However, in the following 6 hours, nearly 70 people commented with a snarky response. (Some of which are below).

So, what's the lesson to be learned here? Be sure the person in charge of your social media is up to date with the latest slang of your target audience.

What's my current (or future) website worth?

Valuing a website is never easy, but there are a growing number of web site owners wondering "How much is my website worth?" Well, that all depends on two main factors:
1). Is your website driving traffic
2). What is your ROI (return on investment)?

For many business owners in the 21st century, a website is a necessity. No longer can you simply purchase phone numbers in multiple towns and forward them to your main line. Marketing just isn't that simple with the rise of the Internet. (If someone needs to find a local business, you can just Google Maps a keyword, say web design, and the town, say Pembroke, MA - see results here and pay special attention to business letter B) to get a result. Just think - when was the last time you used that 20 pound Yellow Pages book? (And before you ask, yes, they still make those).

Most of our clients tend to spend more than $1,000 on their websites. And that's a once in a lifetime fee. But even if you spend as little as $300, your ROI can be significant. If one potential customer sees your website, it can be worth it. The key is to be professional and showcase what you want people to see.

Don't be tricked into paying monthly fees for your website. Our websites are designed with your budget in mind, and you own the site files 100% after payment. And it only costs $72/ year to maintain with hosting and a domain name.

If you're looking for a new website or to redesign your current site, give IES a call at 781-816-9437. Or visit us online at iesAdvisors.com.

Blackberry's new Z10 Phone scores at the Super Bowl.

Opening with a man walking down the street with his BlackBerry handset, the ad shows the BlackBerry Z10 user bursting into flame, walking around on elephant feet, and disappearing into a puff of rainbow smoke. Toward the end of the commercial, the man uses the handset to turn an oncoming, out-of-control truck in a harmless pile of rubber ducks. So, what's the tagline of this commercial? Apparently it was easier to show what this incredible phone is incapable of doing in a 30 second ad than show what it is capable of doing - talk about effective marketing! It looks like Blackberry is finally catching up to 2013.

Watch the 30 second Super Bowl commercial below:

Hello World!

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International Enterprise Services
Web: iesAdvisors.com
Phone: 781-81-MY-IES
           (781-816-9437)