Nielsen Data for March 2009 Shows Growth in Search & Video Marketing

The latest Nielsen data for search and video show continued growth in online use for research and entertainment. It's hard to imagine that just ten years ago the Internet was still a baby. 

According to Nielsen search data for March 2009:

• Search was up 16.7% over March of 2008
• Google owned 64.2% share of search
• Yahoo Search has gained a little ground (1.7%) on Google for a total of 15.8%
  
• MSN ranked third in share of the search market at 10%

According to Nielsen video data for March 2009:

• Number of video streams in March reached 9.7 billion (up 8.7% over last month)
• Google-owned YouTube is top-rated with 5.48 billion streams
• Hulu has the second spot with 348 million
• Yahoo ranks third followed by Fox Interactive Media, Nickelodeon Kids and Family Network.

These numbers are further proof that your brand should be highly engaged in search, video and other types of interactive marketing.

Marketing Your Brand Through Online Search

Companies large and small that understand how important search marketing is to their overall online marketing strategy are reaping the reward of a strong ROI. A former manufacturing client from a previous agency called to check in and rave about how well his pay-per-click campaign is working. They've added a substantial amount of new business from integrating paid search into their online marketing strategy. This is just one example. I hear success story after success story from companies that are looking to grow and using online search marketing as a core component of their strategy.

Case studies like this prove just how valuable search marketing is.  Also, the proof is in the data.  According to data from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers, Internet advertising reached $23.4 billion in 2008 - a new record high. Search was largely responsible for that growth at 19 percent over the previous year. 

To succeed at marketing today, businesses must have an online brand that people desire and must be easily found through search and/or other online marketing tactics. Marketing online does not utilize a "build it and they will come" strategy. You must be proactive in helping people to find you.  Just remember search is only half of the equation, the other half is how professional and relevant the online brand you've developed is perceived to be by your target audience.