New York SBDC Research Network

Obtained From: MarketingProfs For a long time, B2C marketers have dominated video advertising. But the evolving landscape of video advertising has opened up opportunities for B2B marketers, too, driven in large part by a changing demographic of B2B buyers and their video-consumption behaviors. According to a recent Google study , 70% of B2B buyers watch videos along their path to purchase—a whopping 52% jump in just two years. Are you still on the fence about whether to take advantage of video in your marketing program? Consider these five reasons to take the plunge.

More from eMarketer Pointing not only to an influx of fake news and spam, but also an ongoing challenge to distinguish what's real and what's not, Google took down 1.7 billion ads last year that violated its advertising policies—more than double the amount it removed in 2015. In a post the company published yesterday, Google said it removed a vast amount of different types of ads. Google removed more than 17 million bad ads for illegal gambling violations and suspended around 6,000 sites, as well as another 6,000 accounts, for attempting to advertise counterfeit goods. In addition to keeping an eye out for these types of ads, which have been around for a while, Google also saw a rise of a new type of scammer, what it calls "tabloid cloakers," but many know it simply as fake news.

An article from Expanded Rambling . Also, Infographic: The history of online advertising from My Customer.

As our intake of user-generated content has increased, businesses have capitalized on that material and in turn, relaxed the style of corporate media. We see ads copying the style of social media, and the use of popular social media stars to promote brands. The use of humor is becoming even more expected. There has been an increase in the use of various short video-based communication formats across the Internet. From Vine s, SnapChat s, Instagram and Twitter joining the already established YouTube , FaceBook and Tumblr , very young people in particular are comfortable using these methods and video content is proliferating. Small business brands need to be relevant, and it would be wise to consider video as a vital part of the marketing mix. Any dedicated person with a smartphone can start making video content, but it is an opportunity for videographers whose meat-and-potatoes are wedding videos and christenings to expand their clientele. Some businesses are especially suited to usi...

Federal Trade Commission staff is asking top Internet retailers to review their websites to ensure that they provide complete and accurate information about product warranties before consumers make their online purchases, as required by the FTC’s Pre-Sale Availability Rule. The Rule requires retailers to make warranties available at the time of purchase for all warranted consumer products that cost more than $15. However, a recent staff survey found several instances of Internet sellers offering warranted consumer electronics and appliances for sale without disclosing complete warranty information. “During the busy holiday shopping season, it’s especially important that consumers get the information they need to make informed buying decisions,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Internet sellers can help by making sure their websites are providing complete and accurate warranty information.” The letters also inform the Internet sellers tha...

In an email I received earlier this week from Portfolio.com , I read an article that taught me a lot about online coupon websites. Titled Coupon Clipped , the article discusses business owners and the mixed feelings they have about coupon sites. The article tells an interesting story about the business owner of a spa who posted a 60% off coupon for a hot stone massage to the coupon website Groupon . Within 24 hours, he sold 1,288 of the deals, exceeding his expectations and the expectations of "the trendy national couponing site". While the increase in sales was a good thing, the business was almost overwhelmed by the number of appointments made. The bottom line - advertising on a coupon website might be good for business, maybe even too good.

If you have anything to do with online advertising, here are a couple of recent pieces that may cause you to rethink the subject. It starts with a report from Ad Age, Think Different: Maybe the Web's Not a Place to Stick Your Ads . It turns out that internet users are pretty good at ignoring banner ads, and as Jakob Nielsen said a decade ago, "The basic point about the web is that it is not an advertising medium. The web is not a selling medium; it is a buying medium. It is user-controlled, so the user controls, the user experiences." As Techdirt summarizes in Advertising Is Content; Content Is Advertising , helpful content on a business website can advertise that company, and to get noticed, advertising has to offer something to the viewer ( ie , content).