Ah, we are so very proud.

Freebairn Account Executive, Kim Maloney, was recently recognized with a NAMA Horizon Award at the latest National Agri-Marketing Association conference in Kansas City.

What can we say? We always knew she was a smart, go-getter.

Now we get to show the world.

Great job, Kim!

Unless you’ve been living under a rock in the world of advertising, you’re aware that Google AdWords, along with other offerings by Yahoo and Bing, exist to help advertisers better connect with potential customers through search engine marketing.

Paid search advertising has many benefits:

• Relevance: Promote specific products and services tied directly to a search engine query
• Flexibility: Ad messages and creative can be edited any time to adapt to market conditions
• Affordable: Paid search campaigns can be implemented with modest advertising budgets
• Cost Effective: Traditionally provides a better return on investment
• Measurable: Access to detailed analytics to more accurately determine ROI

With all the benefits out there for advertisers, there are a few potential pitfalls that can create frustration and budget evaporation, and especially for those new to SEM and paid search advertising:

• Learning Curve: The learning curve for paid search management can be steep
• Ongoing Management: Paid search campaigns must be managed frequently
• Fiscal Waste: New or inexperienced advertisers run the risk of burning up budgets through poor implementation

Choosing the right Search Engine Marketing partner

To hit the ground running with Internet Marketing, it’s important to choose the right partner.

Freebairn and Company has been managing paid search campaigns for clients since 2008; however, Google Certified members of the Freebairn Internet Marketing team have experience managing campaigns of various sizes since the inception of paid search in the late 1990′s.

Now recognized as Google AdWords Certified Partners in Atlanta, Freebairn and Company can better provide online brand management capabilities to all of its existing clients, and potential clients, nationwide.

Is it a social networking tool?

A web-based meeting tool?

Actually, it’s a little of both.

Google Wave is an online tool for real-time communication and collaboration

At least, that’s what Google is calling it; but here at Freebairn and Company, we have just begun to crack open this online application to learn all the power the lies within.

A “wave” is proprietary nomenclature for a cross between a conversation and document.  A document can be any type of rich media such as a photo, video,  or even a digital map. Participants in a wave communicate in real-time, much like you’d expect from GoToMeeting or any of the other online meeting and desktop sharing tools.

As web geek for the agency, my initial experimentation with Google Wave has me quite impressed. Using gadgets, users have the ability to drag-n-drop photos from their computers directly into a “wave” and discuss them as group. Same with a spreadsheet, document, presentation and more.

Think of this initial preview release as group chat tool on steroids.

Want to play with Google Wave yourself?

Well, ok – Google has provided us with some invites to share. The first two individuals to comment to this post, asking an interesting question about the new service, will be offered the invites.

Over the next few months, we’ll continue to report on this important addition to the world of online communication, but don’t hesitate to ping us with any questions as we’ll be knee-deep in Google Wave for the foreseeable future.

“Social networking is fast becoming a staple for a growing number of adults as Web use surges. One-third of adult Internet users have a profile on a social networking site, up from 8% in 2005, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.”

At Freebairn and Company, we are embracing this new paradigm of communication and finding productive, efficient and interesting ways to provide exposure for our clients within these trusted networks.