Web Marketing Association SmartBrief

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November 27, 2012

Current News and Ideas for Web Developers and Marketers

Top Story

Privacy icons MIA on Facebook's targeted ads
Facebook is running behaviorally targeted ad units that don't feature the Ad Options button. The social network's decision not to get involved in the Digital Advertising Alliance's transparency movement could leave the broader industry open to criticism about its self-regulatory efforts, observers note. "Lots of folks on Capitol Hill love beating up on Facebook, because Facebook has inspired privacy fear in a lot of users. They do not do the program a favor by stepping outside of it," warns Jim Brock of PrivacyChoice. Advertising Age (tiered subscription model) (11/26)

Trendwatch

Study sees bright future for social media advertising
U.S. brands will spend $9.2 billion on social media advertising in 2016, double this year's total, according to a BIA/Kelsey projection. Social display ads will account for $5.4 billion of that total, with social media display spending likely to increase at more than 15% annually over the next four years. DestinationCRM.com (11/26)

Getting the Word Out

HealthyShare campaign helps GE to build buzz
To get fans talking, General Electric launched HealthyShare, a network that encourages members to stay healthy. The strategy worked because GE stayed focused on having conversations about health with passionate fans, rather than trying too hard to "go viral" with huge numbers of shallow connections, GE's Jon Lombardo says. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Social Media (11/27)

Review sites are top destinations for online shoppers
More than 4 out of 10 consumers who use the Web will use review sites as they plan holiday purchases, according to a ConsumerSearch report. Only about 1 in 10 Web users expect to use more social strategies such as conferring with social media contacts or perusing recipients' Facebook pages. eMarketer (11/27)

Mobile advertisers shouldn't forget about iPods, researchers say
The iPod touch is potentially a powerful mobile-marketing platform, particularly for brands that want to reach young consumers, according to a SocialCode study. People who used iPods were markedly more likely to click through or "like" Facebook mobile ads than were iPhone or iPad users, the study found, although the research was based on a tiny sample size. Adweek (11/21)

Developer Update

New CSS rule helps developers cater to older browsers
Not all CSS tricks are compatible with older browsers, forcing many developers to fall back on tools such as Modernizr to detect browsers' capabilities and apply appropriate CSS classes. That process should soon be streamlined by the introduction of a @supports CSS rule, allowing developers to replicate Modernizr's functionality using speedy native code. Webmonkey (11/26)

Design Corner

Frameworks offer responsive designs without the number-crunching
Responsive Web design can be math-intensive, but a range of frameworks and boilerplates can do the heavy lifting on designers' behalf. Among the most popular are Bootstrap, which was developed by people from Twitter; Foundation, which features a customizable grid; and Skeleton, a stripped-down but elegant grid-based framework. Line25.com (11/26)

Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs

Are your landing pages letting you down?
To turn website visits into conversions, small businesses need an effective landing page. Fortunately, there are plenty of free or cheap toolkits available to help SMBs optimize their landing pages, writes Tom Demers. His advice is to "take a couple for a spin and see what fits." Small Business Trends (11/26)

Association News

Web Marketing Association Facebook page is a good resource
Another great way to keep in touch with the WMA is to like our Facebook page. This is a great way to get notified of new competition call for entries and get hints and tips on how to increase your chances of winning an award.

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