Trend No. 1: Online Display Advertising
Banner ads seem like an antiquated way to get noticed, but display advertising is becoming worth paying more attention to due to two  trends:

• Improved local ad targeting. Companies, such as Local.com, LinkedIn and Facebook, have announced that they are offering geography-based advertising along with the standard demographic or keyword targeting. Local targeting is prevalent in search engine marketing and it’s good to know  display ads are heading in the same direction.
• Ad pricing based on cost-per-action rather than cost-per-click. This means you don’t pay the publisher until you get the action you want from the ad.  Companies–such as Hydra–have announced an emphasis on CPA tracking and billing.

Creative Commons License photo credit: EMMEALCUBO

Trend No. 2: Online Retail Merchandising
It won’t be long before smaller retailers have the ability to sell their products
on highly targeted consumer websites. One such website is Milo.com, where the CEO announced the company’s intention to enable anyone to search real-time availability and local product information on every product, on every shelf, in every local business in America.

Pixazza is changing the way consumers shop by allowing people to browse and buy products that appear in any photos. For example, let’s say you’re reading an article in an online entertainment magazine and you see a photo of Jennifer Lopez wearing earrings that are to-die-for. Getting yourself a similar pair is easier than ever; as you hover over the photo Pixazza recommends earrings at suggested prices far below what Jennifer Lopez probably paid for hers.

Creative Commons License photo credit: webtreats

Trend No. 3: Social Media Advertising
Social media is the most innovative internet tool to emerge since the internet.  The challenge for a small business is the same challenge facing any business: How do you get enough people to pay attention to your ads while they are busy uploading photos or conversing with friends?

There are a number of companies working to make social media advertising more engaging and even fun, and it won’t be long before there more choices for small budgets.  Fan Appz announced access to an integrated suite of social media applications designed to attract attention and engagement in exchange for a subscription of just $50 per month.

Creative Commons License photo credit: Johan Larsson

Trend No. 4: Mobile Marketing

Advertising and messaging to mobile phones is definitely a key focus at the moment. In the past, mobile marketing tools focused on only one aspect of mobile marketing, such as text-messaging, application development or mobile websites. Those tools are now becoming integrated solutions. One such company, 2ergo,  announced plans to offer a comprehensive suite of marketing solutions that include SMS, MMS, e-mail and mobile websites. Lookout for all in one mobile solutions priced for small businesses in the  future.