What can you learn from the Top 10 Most Popular Blog Sites?

It’s getting hard to agree on what makes something “cool” these days.  With so much information swirling around the internet, I would argue that it’s even harder today to be considered “cool” which makes it all the more impressive when  you look at the amount of hard work these sites have put in to get to the top of the list.

The following sites made our “Top 10” most popular list based on a combination of factors including their ranks on Technorati and Alexa, as well as their Google Page Rank (all are 8 or above!).  But the real test of “coolness” is whether or not millions of people follow and read your blog on a daily basis.  And making it to the top of that heap in today’s world is in fact very cool indeed!

Our Top 10 Coolest Sites on Earth:

1. Huggington Post – political news review & comments
2. TMZ - celebrity gossip
3. Engadget - all things tech but cool
4. Gizmodo - more tech stuff
5. Mashable - social media news & web tips
6. TechCrunch - yet more tech?
7. Gawker - political & celebrity gossib
8. lifehacker - tips & downloads for getting things done
9. BoingBoing – pop culture, weird news & fun stuff
10. The Daily Beast – political & news review & comments

What do they all have in common?

It may seem obvious as to what these sites all have in common, but making a list of what makes them great might inspire the rest of us to bigger and better things.  Each of these super cool sites offers:

• Ruthless devotion to being current & interesting
• Unique content you can’t find anywhere else
• Popular topics & subjects.  There are no blogs on boring subjects in the top 10.
• A good reason to follow along including providing:
  • Interesting or fun information
  • Insider gossip
  • News & political discussion
  • “How to” advice
  • Being the “first” to learn about a topic

Did we miss any?

I hope you enjoy our list.  If you think we missed a site that should be included leave it in the comments for others to see!

Don’t let these big trends pass you by

2010 marked a big year in the world of marketing, and the trends show a drastic shift in the allocation of marketing dollars from traditional outlets to the digital marketing world.  Among the notable milestones were:

• Spending on social media advertising is up around 30% from last year and is expected to top the $2 billion mark in 2011! Source: Mashable
• Spending for online advertising passed newspaper advertising.  Source: WSI
• Online advertising spending rose 13.9% for 2010 and is projected to pass the $25 billion mark in 2011. Source: EMarketer
• Mobile subscribers are estimated to surpass 5 billion in 2010 (that’s over 70 percent of the world population) and growing rapidly, led by China and India.  Source: MobiThinking

What does this mean for you?

In a nutshell, it means that if you’re concentrating your marketing efforts solely on things that worked in the past it’s probably time to re-consider that practice.  And while we would never suggest abandoning “tried and true” marketing practices that provide ROI for your business, I would strongly recommend beginning to allocate some resources toward digital marketing so that you can begin to gain a foothold.

Every business is different, so it’s hard to make blanket statements.  However, as we walk the streets and see just about everyone spending time on their web ready mobile devices, it doesn’t take a big thinker to realize that this trend towards the digitization of marketing is not slowing down anytime soon.

5 components of digital marketing strategy

The whole idea of “digital marketing” is evolving, but if you want to get a holistic view of the concept, there are 5 core components:

1. Web properties – such as your company website
2. Building traffic – helping people find your website
3. Social media – joining in the conversation with online users
4. Mobile marketing – text and location based marketing
5. Measuring / Analyzing – evaluating results to determine ROI

Creating a marketing plan for 2011

So back to our original headline and the desire to find a marketing plan that capitalizes on the opportunities available in 2011.  Generally speaking, if you haven’t embraced the digital marketing components mentioned above, than it’s time to do so.  How much you do depends on your resources and goals, but continuing to avoid them will eventually put you behind your competitors.

Specific actions you can take include:

• Take a hard look at the ROI from your past marketing efforts. If your marketing practices from the last couple of years aren’t producing satisfactory ROI, it’s time to re-tool.  Many people are expressing frustration with increasing costs and decreasing results from traditional marketing activities.
• Look at how you could use digital marketing in your business. Every business is unique, and not all of these digital marketing opportunities make sense to invest in.  However, if you look carefully, chances are you could find 2-3 of these opportunities in your business that would bring new opportunities in 2011.
• Be realistic. In this economy, businesses have to be smart with their budgets and showing ROI has never been more important.  So if your company has an outdated website and low monthly traffic, than trying to tackle social media may have to wait.  Our recommendation is to find the opportunities that would have the highest impact and focus on those in 2011 without trying to do them all just for the sake of doing them.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help

Chances are you’re plate is already full depending on what your role is in your company.  Implementing major changes to marketing plans takes time and sometimes a little advice from someone who is not too close to the situation.  Don’t be afraid to bring in someone to help you understand the digital marketing opportunities and make sense of them in terms of how they apply to your business.

Why are the Top 5 Lists so different?

A few weeks ago, Yahoo released its “Top 10 Searches of 2010” list, and the real story was that something other than a celebrity topped the list with the Gulf oil spill leading the way.  Well last week, Google released its “Top 5 Searches of 2010” list and the list looks quite different.

Google’s Top 5 Search Terms of 2010:

1. World Cup
2. Olympics
3. Haiti earthquake
4. BP oil spill
5. Ash cloud over Iceland

Yahoo’s Top 5 Search Terms of 2010:

1. The oil spill in the Gulf
2. The World Cup – Soccer
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Kim Kardashian
5. Lady Gaga

Hmmm, what can we learn from this list?

When we look at ways to market your business via the internet, there is always this question of “audience.”  Meaning where do we need to go to find internet users who are more likely to fit your profile.

These “Top 5” lists offer some insight into the differences between Yahoo and Google users.

My own personal observations are:

1.      Google has more of a global reach. Things like the Haiti Earthquake and ash cloud didn’t even make Yahoo’s Top 10.

2.      Google is more trusted for hard news. Given the absence of non-celebrity searches on Yahoo, you have to assume that people go to Google for details on more weight subjects.

3.      Yahoo has a younger audience. The Yahoo list screams “pop” interest with lots of celebrities, and even more of them in the 6-10 spot.

4.      Yahoo is a bit more “hip.” Yahoo’s portal is full of other news stories and related, fun activities.  So it doesn’t surprise me that their searches would be more geared toward people looking for popular or trendy information.

Yahoo Announces their 2010 Top 10 List

As a kid, I always remembered the end of the year as a time to hear the “Top Whatever” from the year.  Usually that meant top songs from the billboards and having to wait through hours of programming just to get to the #1 song.

Well, in 2010 life has certainly changed.  Now we like our Top 10 lists a little more interactive, and we’d like to be the first to hear about them when they are posted to Twitter.  But where does this information come from?  You may have noticed phrases like “trending searches” on your favorite search engine or website which show the top things people are searching for that day or week.

Top 10 internet search topics for 2010 (according to Yahoo):

1. BP – the oil spill in the gulf
2. The World Cup – Soccer
3. Miley Cyrus
4. Kim Kardashian
5. Lady Gaga
6. iPhone
7. Megan Fox
8. Justin Bieber
9. American Idol
10. Britney Spears

Clearly, lots of guys are using Yahoo

Based on the 2010 Yahoo list, you’d have to assume that there are LOTS of dudes using that search engine!  No listings for Tom Cruise or Hugh Jackman in the top 10; but instead there were lots of not-unpleasant looking women earning most of the interest.  Of course, that doesn’t include search interest in Justin Bieber but does he really count anyway?