Now that the election is over, what really awaits us as we step into this next age? What does this election mean specifically for internet marketing? We’ve discussed Barack Obama’s position on Next-Generation Broadband, which would be possible after the television networks begin broadcasting only in digital as of February 17, 2009. Now that the election is over, we can connect what we know about going digital with Obama’s position on bringing broadband to every community in the country.

Already, AT&T offers AT&T Wi-Fi which grants internet access to their customers at hotspots such as coffee shops, libraries and restaurants. The same service is available to cell phone users, which means that anyone who subscribes to AT&T mobile services with internet or any of their home or business internet solutions can now access the internet from any of these Wi-Fi hotspots for free.

Once television networks go digital in about three months and change, the broadcast spectrum will open up, allowing the internet to take over some of that space. However, there was potential danger for the internet because the broadcasting spectrum is only so large; many industries want to claim space within that spectrum.

With Obama’s Next-Gen Broadband policy, the internet will be given enough space to reach every community; your internet marketing campaigns will reach anyone in any part of the country. This is big news, both on the small and large scale (individual businesses and the economy, respectively). Visibility on the internet will as important, if not more so, than was visibility on television throughout the latter half of the twentieth century.

Now, in the twenty-first century, it’s time to move beyond what television can do for your company. Television advertisement is becoming more and more expensive, and less effective. If you talk with anyone of the Baby Boomer generation, or are a member of that generation yourself, it won’t be difficult to recall the jingles sung for specific products (an example that lasts even through today is the “Snap, Crackle, Pop! Rice Krispies!”). However, today, television advertisement is usually skipped over by DVR and TiVO devices.

Most business owners have already asked themselves, “Why am I paying so much for such meager results?” and moved onto internet marketing as the main channel for their company’s advertising. We’ve discussed in the past how internet marketing not only costs less and produces stronger results, but allows for business owners and marketers to view real-time reports to improve internet marketing ad campaigns thus increasing success.

Once broadband internet reaches more communities, approaching and perhaps reaching the ideal of every community, internet marketing will become even more widely used. Since it costs less and results in more prospects (and thus more customers), widespread use of the internet as a marketing channel over television, radio and print will help to boost R.O.I. (return on investment), and thus boost our economy.

Whenever something as integral as the internet experiences an evolutionary jump, it sets off a chain reaction that filters through every industry it touches, and internet marketing can boost businesses in any industry. For example, in the travel industry, use of the internet to book flights and hotel reservations forever changed the way the travel industry operates. The insurance agency is currently in the midst of becoming more reliant on the internet. You can browse homes, inside and out, over the internet; you can even pick out your next hairstyle on pages that allow you to put an image of your own face into hairstyles of various colors so that you can see just how a particular look will complement your facial features.

We’re headed for a great many changes, and the catalyst for many of those changes is the evolution of the internet. We live in an exciting age where things happen quickly enough that we can see these changes through and benefit from all of the work put in on the front side.

Over the next week, we will be looking at some of the economic policies presented by Barack Obama and John McCain, and how some of those policies might affect your business. Please keep in mind that we cannot explore every facet of each candidate’s stance on the economy, but will be discussing specific elements. Learning about the candidate’s campaigns is important so that you can cast an informed vote. One of the best ways to learn what each candidate believes is to visit their websites. Please also keep in mind that our discussions over the next week are not designed to sway your vote in any direction, only to provide information and analysis for you to consider when you make your choice on November 4, 2008.

For this discussion, we will focus on an element of Barack Obama’s economic plans, and that is to deploy next generation broadband. Let’s first examine what this entails (this information comes from Obama’s campaign website).

· Broadband extended to every community

· Reform the Universal Service Fund

· Better use of the nation’s wireless spectrum

· Promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications

· New tax and loan incentives

Let’s look at how some of these items might affect your business. The most obvious item is the extension of broadband to every community. If every community obtained broadband internet access, more and more prospects would surf the net and use it to find information, as well as products and services. The internet would be available on the go to more prospects as well. Through internet marketing, your business would be able to reach more prospects.

How does that happen? Better use of the nation’s wireless spectrum helps. If you recall our discussion on the switch to digital television in February 2009, we looked at how that switch might influence use of the internet. By switching to digital broadcasting, more networks can take up less space on the limited broadcasting spectrum, thus opening channels for other services, such as internet.

Promotion of next-generation facilities, technologies and applications is another crucial step toward achieving the goal of extending broadband to every community. By investing in technological development, the hope is that the programs and services required to implement and maintain a large scale, nationwide broadband network will be able to support that goal.

Reforming the Universal Service Fund and new tax and loan incentives will further help to achieve that goal in a more efficient manner according to Obama’s campaign. Ultimately, if this plan were to proceed as outlined, your business could look forward to reaching more prospects with more ease. From there, all your business requires is stable and adaptable internet marketing strategies to attract those prospects to your company’s website, and help convert them into loyal customers.

In one week, the nation will flock to local voting centers and cast their vote for the country’s next President, Senate and Congress members. The status of our economy is one of the hottest issues in this election as the choice we all represent in one week might have a large impact on our economical environment for as much as the next decade.

In light of the recent economic hardships, we have the opportunity, as a nation, to strengthen our economy and rise out of the current valley in which we reside. Will this be the last recession? Certainly not. Americans at or around the age of sixty have experienced some ten recessions during the course of their lives thus far, which is a recession every six years.

However, our economic tribulations that caused a good deal of stress this month (and placed the economy at the top list of political hot topics) can act as a springboard for economic growth and strength. By incorporating new strategies and fail-safes, we can attempt to be sure that the sort of economic crisis we currently endure does not repeat.

Notice how our current economic environment spurred the understanding that modifications to our lending systems are needed not only to fix the current situations resulting in not only numerous foreclosures and also general economic decline (the foreclosures are really just symptoms of the deeper issue that is poor lending practices), but to prevent these events from transpiring again in the future, near or distant.

Our decisions, as voters, will affect our economy. Understanding the issues facing economic growth and reestablishment is crucial in making the right decision, but even before an in –depth study, we need to make sure we’re registered to vote. These days, registering to vote is easier than ever. You can register online. Different states have different websites, but simply searching “register to vote” will reveal a number of weblinks where you can register.

Make sure you know where you have to go to vote. If you only have a certain amount of time allotted on Tuesday, November 4, 2008 to vote, you don’t want to spend that time driving to the wrong location, then driving home and looking up where you’re supposed to be, only to find out you ran out of time. Instead, look it up ahead of time. You can do this simply by searching, “where do I vote.”

And what if you don’t have enough time? If you’re registered to vote, then voting is your constitutional right and no one has the right to stop you from casting your ballot. If you feel strapped for time, talk with your employer about the importance of voting and make sure you have the time you need to stop by your district’s voting center.

Know the issues and the stance of each candidate. An uneducated vote is worse than not voting at all—voting for the next President isn’t like standardized tests where it’s better to take even a wild guess than to leave the question blank. Every vote does count, and every vote deserves a informed decision behind it.

Over the next week, keep checking back for information about voting in the 2008 election. Remember—voting is your right. Your vote will affect the economy, which affects your business.

Today’s discussion focuses on the differences between direct mail marketing and email marketing, and how those differences can affect your company.  Direct mail marketing is when you send pieces via post mail to potential prospects.  Maybe these prospects were people who were referred to you by your current customers, or maybe you bought a list of names and addresses.  Typically, mail pieces are post cards.  A good example is the type of post cards everyone receives almost daily this time of an election year, enticing voters to vote for a particular candidate.  Email marketing consists of sending messages via email to prospects.  As with direct mail, email lists can be purchased, or referrals from current customers.  However, email lists can also be compiled by subscribers; prospects who visit your website may sign up to receive a newsletter or coupon email at a regular interval.  Because of this capability, email marketing has three, as opposed to two, sources for obtaining recipients.  Of course, you can invite people to sign up for your direct mailing list when they visit your office or store, but the list is going to be provincial and small.

As shown in an earlier discussion on our blog, email marketing allows you to view reports that show, in real time, how effective a particular email marketing campaign is.  Direct mail marketing does allow generation of data, but essentially that data only exists when a prospect responds to the call of action within your message, whether that is to email you, phone you or stop by your office.  You cannot know how many kept your post card, threw it out, or gave it to a friend.  With email marketing, you can see how many people moved your email into the trash or spam folders.  You can see how many unsubscribed, or who forwarded your email to a friend.  You can see how many people click on specific links within your message.  Reports of this nature allow you to further customize your campaign to increase effectiveness, and decrease cost.

Let’s talk about that for a moment, because often times, decreasing cost can seem such a tall hurdle, that it’s easy to forget that decreasing cost is actually quite simple.  When you increase the effectiveness of a particular message, you get more prospects becoming customers.  When more prospects become customers, you get a greater R.O.I. (Return on Investment).  Because of the nature of calculating R.O.I., actual cost decreases as more revenue comes in.  The more effective your email marketing messages are, the more prospects will become customers.  Of course, effectiveness isn’t the only way to reduce marketing cost.  Other methods, which we will discuss in the future, can help reduce marketing cost.