This video is so smart. First, the information he sings about is right on, so he’s done some research. Second, its clever enough that people are passing it around the web. In the past year its been viewed 450k times. Would he have had the same amount of exposure otherwise? Plus, he’s singing about SEO, and distributing the message via social marketing. There’s a good chance that he knows both well.

Nicely done. Very clever.

Changing attitudes about money and spending mean that interruption or awareness ads have less traction. People have less discretionary money which means that they aren’t interested in learning about new products or services. Companies will need to work at grabbing the attention of people much later in the sales cycle, in other words those who are considering a purchase. Internet marketing makes this possible.

Think about how often YOU use search engines. Google has become the source for product research. It doesn’t matter if the product is running shoes or guitar strings or great airfares, people want to know what has worked and what hasn’t for others that have already made the purchase. We research online to ensure that we’ll get value for our money.

If your product or service appears in Google or Yahoo you have a much better chance of catching a potential buyer at the moment they’re considering a purchase. Search engine marketing can make that happen. A recent poll shows that SEO is the top marketing choice of more than 400 marketers, closely followed by blogging and pay per click marketing. This shows that SEO is maturing as a marketing medium, and that marketers recognize the value of being present in search results. And, search marketing has two advantages over other types of advertising; its cost effective and measurable. Now more than ever, SEO and PPC are a smart choice for marketers.

When compared with print, radio or television campaigns, search marketing is considerably more affordable. And, while no reputable SEO firm will guarantee rankings (see why), it is common for clients to see increasing traffic quantity and quality for months after the SEO work is completed. Most traditional advertising campaigns stop producing leads as soon as your checkbook closes.

Search marketing is also measurable. With quality traffic monitoring it’s possible to see exactly what you’re getting for your money. If your strategy is working you’ll know it, and if it isn’t you’ll have enough information to be able to see why. Did you pick the wrong keywords? Are landing pages under performing? No other form of advertising gives this level of accountability.

The recession is affecting everyone and every business, so it’s just silly to think that old marketing methods will continue to produce. Savvy business owners will be looking for alternative ways to capture the attention of potential clients. Search engine marketing could definitely help.

I assume this means that marketers are testing the waters to see if they can capitalize on Twitter’s success, but they’re breaking one of the rules of social marketing. Social marketing only works when you have something people actually want, you have to add value (I hate that term but it fits). The best example I can think of is Dell. The only way this medium will last is if people are enjoying it.

A new trend is emerging. Unfollow everyone and start over. I just learned about it last night. At first I bristled against this but after giving it some thought I think its brilliant. The whole point of social media is to connect with people online. If you aren’t saying anything that I want to listen to, then why would I maintain the connection? Loïc Le Meur unfollowed everyone in his Twitter account yesterday, and is slowly adding people back. Its beautiful. Its the equivalent of hitting the refresh button. It preserves the value of Twitter for him. The alternative is to ditch social media altogether, and where’s the fun in that?

I don’t have 23,000 followers, so I probably won’t need to do this anytime soon, but I’m also not following everyone that finds me. If your Twitter account has become unruly then this could be just the trick to set things right. I promise I won’t be offended if you drop me, there’s a chance that I’ll unfollow you.