Category: Marketing Chitchat

Paying For Fake Traffic? Not Here.

Posted by Bob Fladung

Are you getting what you pay for? Imagine that your ad traffic was like a bag of chips. If you opened the bag to find it half empty, you’d feel ripped off.

If you’re buying display or video ads, it’s highly probable that you are buying fake traffic. Yes, bots that won’t actually become loyal to your brand, clicks that are automatically generated, and money spent on conversions that will never happen. An analyst report by Suntrust Robinson Humphreys found that up to 50% of publisher traffic is bot activity. They also found that 11% of display ad views and 23% of all video ad views were from a phony audience. Not too surprising though, more than half of the traffic that is sent from third parties claiming to lift a publishers’ traffic numbers came from bots.

According to a report issued by the Association of National Advertisers, fraudulent ad traffic and clicks will suck $6.3 billion from the industry in 2015.

Expectantly, this phony active also carries over to major social media networks. You may have heard about the great “Instagram Rapture” of 2014. In December, this social media giant purged millions of fake profiles, leaving many celebrities stunned by a dramatic drop in their followers. Instagram removed 29% of its own followers who were flagged as “spammy” accounts.

Fraudulent activity will always be an issue as long if people can make a dollar off quantity, and not quality.

Why should you pay for bogus activity and fraudulent clicks? You shouldn’t!

We, at INO.com, agree with you. You shouldn’t have to take your ad budget and automatically feel like 25% of it will be wasted. Thankfully, we have developed proprietary technology to detect and limit bot traffic across our ad channels.

We are fortunate to have a site where we know our audience very well, and our technology easily identifies visitors that do not follow a standard behavior pattern. Combined with a system that tracks IP addresses to our ad server, we can eliminate 99% of fraudulent traffic.

We also have a monitoring system that watches the INO.com site and actively blocks any requests from low reputation IP networks, browsers that seem to be fraudulent, or addresses with known fraud issues.

Best,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

INO.com Turns 20 Today!

Posted by Bob Fladung

INO.com turns 20 today! It was March 21, 1995, when we hit the web – before Google and before most stock and futures exchanges had their own websites.

Founder, Adam Hewison, originally intended to build traffic and then sell the site. However, realized how powerful a site that connected highly-qualified, active traders to brokers and trading services could be.

Since then, we have continued to provide our clients with phenomenal returns on investment and an exemplary visitor experience.

Thank you for your business and for the trust that you have given us. We will continue to change with the evolution of digital marketing while operating with paramount integrity.

Best,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Financial Industry Cybersecurity Issues for 2015

Posted by Bob Fladung

The financial industry has always been a prime target for cyber terrorists. Why wouldn’t it be? Here is an industry that requires billions of sensitive data points to be passed to and from various people to execute transactions and return informational queries. Keeping this data encrypted and out of the hands of the wrong people is of ultimate importance. 2015 will undoubtedly be full of challenges for those responsible for site security.

Besides being very aware of your company’s cybersecurity risk management abilities, it is also important that your third-party data sources and vendors are following the same cybersecurity best practices. Recognizing third-party risks tops the list of “Top 10 Cybersecurity Trends for Financial Services in 2015,” in an article by ThinkAdvisor.

ThinkAdvisor suggests that companies will rely on third party services to handle “cyber risk mitigation and monitoring.” With all sites relying on cybersecurity specialists to protect their well-being, there will be a minimum security standard certified by an unbiased regulators and not by the sites themselves. This should ease the hesitancy of working with new partners, vendors and other third parties as “security will be built into any product, service, solution or software capability provided by a third party, and will be subject to frequent testing and updates.”

Also on their list of cybersecurity trends and concerns in 2015…

#2 Rise of the “fusion center”
#3 Intense protection of raw data
#4 New targets for hackers
#5 Evolution of cyber crime analysis
#6 Hacktivism infects the Middle East
#7 Developing nations encounter cyber problems
#8 Response preparation improves as a result of cyberwar gaming
#9 Expectation of privacy despite willingness to share data
#10 Increase in cyber insurance premiums

INO.com uses a number of vendors to power our site with quotes and news. We only work with trusted parties that take cybersecurity as seriously as we do. We continuously strive to keep one step ahead of the bad guys and will surpass industry cybersecurity stands to protect our integrity, visitors and vendors and 2015 will be no different!

You may find the above article an interesting read.

Enjoy,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Let’s Meet! Marketing Summit – February 3rd & 4th

Posted by Bob Fladung

I love meeting my clients face-to-face, but this doesn’t always get to happen. In fact, I’ve probably met only a small percentage of my clients in person. It’s amazing what email, Skype and phone calls can accomplish. But when I actually get to shake hands with someone I’ve done business with, it sure is a pleasure. It’s always nice to place a face with a name!

I am heading down to Orlando, Florida on February 3rd and 4th to attend the Investing Info-Marketing Summit. Will you be there too? I would love to get together for a coffee or a drink.

INO.com‘s Director of External Advertising, Kenny Shay, and I attended the last summit in Vegas. It was phenomenal! This time around, we decided to man our own INO.com booth. We’ll have some great giveaways, so please swing by. This year’s speaker line-up looks even better than the last, so financial publishers and content creators are in for a treat!

So if you’re attending the summit or you are located in the Orlando area, please reach out to me. I’d love to shake your hand and introduce myself or thank you in person for your business.

Best,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Are you ready for 2015?

Posted by Bob Fladung

Happy New Year! I can’t believe 2015 is upon us. This is my 16th year with INO.com and things sure have changed since I entered the world of digital marketing. Things are sure to change this year as well.

Here are a few trends that I think you will see in 2015…

Merging – Social media, marketing, sales and customer service will all be managed together as more companies recognize the importance of a holistic approach.

Personalization – Companies will continue to market to the individual through better customer relationship management practices.

Analytics – Data analysis will continue to be of prime importance to marketing managers. If a position or creative can’t prove results, then justification for continuation may not be there.

INO.com will continue to adapt our offerings and technology to match industry trends and the needs of our clients.

If you have any questions or would like to chat about your 2015 digital marketing goals, please contact me.

Best,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Merry Christmas!

Posted by Bob Fladung

No matter what holiday you celebrate, I wish you health, happiness and an amazing 2015! Hopefully you are surrounded by the people you love most, which is all you really need.

As you turn work off for a few days and focus on friends and family, know that we are gearing up for an exciting new year. So, relax, kick your feet up, fill your belly and enjoy this time… I’ll be here when you’re ready to get back to work.

Sincerely,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Where will CMOs spend their ad budget?

Posted by Bob Fladung

Our Director of Marketing, Lindsay Bittinger, recently went to a CMO discussion panel. After a general marketing talk, someone from the audience asked a fantastic question, “If you had an unlimited marketing budget for 2015, where would you allocate the majority of your funds?” The five panelists answered one by one and they all had the same response – “CRM!”

Customer relationship management (CRM) is not a new concept, but technology has made it easier for this marketing technique to be efficiently scaled. Now it is simple for even the smallest of companies to manage customer interactions. The uses for CRM systems are limitless, tracking customer service, stimulating repeat business, evaluating warranties, cross-selling, selling, up-selling, lead nurturing, logistical tracking, contact management, identifying top revenue-producing customers, forecasting, analyzing customer service satisfaction, synchronizing marketing messages, the list could go on and on.

Why is CRM a Top Priority?

It improves efficiency! By knowing more information about your prospective and current customers, you can make the best use of your resources.

For example, if your CRM system tracks previous orders and your product or service is one that must be reordered or renewed, you can automate a fulfillment request to obtain a scheduled sale. This will also help you forecast necessary inventory and plan for staffing accordingly.

Another example would be recognizing website traffic patterns and adapting pages based on those findings. If users are not converting to a sale on your main sales page and instead go through a 3-4 page process to educate themselves prior to becoming a customer, you may want to adapt your checkout page or behavior-based email series to include more information about your product or service to reduce conversion time.

Today, there are currently many CRM systems available. Some offer companies a way to simply put useful information in the flood, while others offer an integrated tool that merges data centers together into a clean and organized system. When working to create a CRM system, it is imperative that you, the company, are aware of the information that is important and understand how analyzing that information will help to forecast, allocate resources, cue marketing messages, etc.

INO.com has built an extensive CRM database that assists all departments in carrying out their job functions in an effective manner. This is no cookie-cutter system. It has been custom-built by INO.com co-owner and Technical Director, Dave Maher. Dave is very proud of this system as it has allowed INO to be extremely efficient, very granular in analysis, and far more profitable.

Dave recognizes that each company is unique and their goals and priorities can’t simply be selected by checking the box of a one-size-fits-all CRM system. CRM systems must be built from the ground up through ongoing communication between the programmer and key players of the customer service, sales, and marketing teams.

Please contact us at [email protected] if you are interested in a CRM system analysis. For almost 30 years, INO.com has been collecting, organizing, and profiting with the help of our CRM system and we are happy to chat with you more about how to improve and streamline your CRM tools.

If you have any questions, please leave them as a comment and we will be sure to answer you.


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted by Bob Fladung

This has got to be my favorite holiday! All historic importance aside, I love that there is a holiday that simply reminds me how grateful I am for life. From waking each day to my amazing family, my awesome coworkers, and my amazing clients… I have so much to be thankful for!

I am also thankful for this industry of digital marketing. There is always change and just when we think we’ve mastered it, a new trend shift or new technology appears and we must go back to the drawing board to come up with the next set of solutions for our clients. It keeps the days fresh and the market firm… and I can’t complain about either one of those!

I want to wish you all a great Thanksgiving. Enjoy the time with your family and friends and count your blessings.

Sincerely,


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Why a great working relationship with your sales rep really matters!

Posted by Bob Fladung

I have been blessed to work with some of the same clients for over a decade. I know the names of my clients’ children, their background before working with me, and even their favorite beer.

While these things sound like trivial factoids and they have no bearing on a campaign’s performance, they are important. It makes working with someone just a bit nicer if you simply get to know them.

In sales, regardless of industry, you often have clients that come and go throughout the years. Sometimes it’s just the state of the market, sometimes it’s people moving from industry to industry, and sometimes it’s just that two companies aren’t a great fit. Fortunately, I haven’t had to deal with a tremendous amount of turnaround and I’ve been able to foster great relationships and even friendships with many of my clients.

Why does a good relationship with your advertising rep matter?

Well, it’s obvious, right? It makes life a bit more pleasant! Not only will your day go faster if you’re working with people you like, but you are able to work more efficiently. If communication is key, then a friendly environment for questions and answers can save time, money, and can just be fun. 

I think that learning about your client’s goals, as well as their communication style, can help set expectations, improve campaign results and strengthen what could be a long and lucrative relationship.

You don’t have to small talk for the sake of small talk. Instead, spend a few minutes to truly understand each other. When you have this two-way relaxed conversation either on the phone, through email, or a Skype chat, each party can ask questions to better understand the campaign, improve efficiency and just have a bit of basic human interaction! 

I’m looking forward to getting to know you better.


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.

Meet INO.com, again!

Posted by Bob Fladung

Dear Clients & Potential Customers, 

Digital marketing has changed rapidly over the last decade, yet my commitment to my clients has remained the same. First and foremost, my job is to work with advertisers to create efficient and effective campaigns. I pride myself on making sure our marketing programs give our advertisers the best return, even when it is not in the best short-term financial interest of INO.com. We know that when we think “big picture,” we protect our clients and preserve long-term relationships. This strategic decision has allowed us to work with some of the same clients for over a decade. 

Many financial publishers will exhaust their email lists, super stack their co-reg offers, and will squeeze in as many display advertisements as their page will allow. Although these publishers may see a short-term bump in revenue, campaign statistics will suffer, and eventually, advertisers will walk away. Why do they do this? To me, it makes no sense to boost billing in one month if it will negatively affect revenues for months to come.

I love working at INO.com because they will not box out clients to grab for a few extra dollars. Instead, with my Technical Director and team, we’ve been able to create technology to get the most out of our inventory and database. In addition, we set restrictions that max ROI and performance for our clients. We have unparalleled targeting capabilities which match highly-qualified, active traders to brokerage and trading services.

We’ve created this blog just to share tips with financial marketers and explain how to best utilize INO.com’s marketing programs. If you have any questions, would like to learn more about our advertising programs, or wish to request a proposal, please click the “Contact” tab and send me a message. 

Merry marketing, 


Bob Fladung
Director of Advertising
INO.com, Inc.