When you hear the words “Payday Loan” what comes to your mind?

1. Do you think of an industry out there taking advantage of consumers?
2. Or, do you think about an industry providing people with relief and peace of mind during this financial crisis?

Most people would say answer a.  But is that true or do we need to educate ourselves regarding this part of the financial industry?  Who are the people that need these payday loans and do they have other options?

According to www.census.gov the official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent, which was up from 14.3 percent in 2009.  In 2010, 46.2 million people were in poverty, which was up from 43.6 million in 2009.

Those are staggering numbers.  People are having a hard time making ends meet. From 2009 to 2010 an additional 2.6 million people were at poverty level.  Where did they come from?  Middle Class families?  Low Income families?   Who is out there helping them get back on their feet?  The banks?  With the foreclosures on homes, the increased account fees, overdraft fees and high credit guidelines… what do you think?

What sort of monthly expenses do all of us face? Rent/Mortgage, utility bills, insurance, car payment, food allowance just to name a few.  If you are running out of money at the end of the month what would you sacrifice?  Your electric bill?  Your rent?  Your car loan?  Or just overdraft your bank account?  All of those choices involve late fees or overdraft fees and may incur being harassed by credit agencies or having your electricity turned off, being kicked out of your home or having your vehicle repossessed.  None of those sound like viable solutions to me.

According to www.wikipedia.org the definition for a payday loan is “a small, short-term loan that is intended to cover a borrower’s expenses until his or her next payday.”   That is truly what a payday loan is there for.  Many times you will hear payday opponents talk about high interest fees, but when you research these fees in comparison to bank charges and late fees of missing necessary payments and/or possible repossessions/foreclosures/losing electricity, going hungry etc. – which sounds better to you?

So before we judge the financial institutions giving payday loans or the people receiving such loans – let’s make sure that we look at the situation from all angles, and form an educated decision.

Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) recently released their Internet Advertising Revenue Report for the full year 2010. The year saw revenues grow by 15% to $26 billion compared to $22.7 billion in 2009 in the U.S. The industry has seen impressive growth since 2002 with revenues increasing the previous year every year except 2009.

(Source: 2010 IAB Internet Advertising Revenue Report)

Search advertising accounted for 46% of the revenues in 2010 with display garnering 38% share compared to 35% in 2009. Digital video advertising which is a part of display advertising saw its share increase by 40%. Lead generation accounted for 5% of revenues in 2010.

Another interesting trend is the increasing CPC cost, especially in competitive sectors like Finance. According to Efficient Frontier, CPCs for Finance increased by a whopping 40% in March 2011 compared to March 2010. As the paid search cost continues to rise, more and more companies are turning towards lead marketplaces like LeadPile.com that allows them to select the kind of leads they want and the price they are willing to pay for them. Leads are delivered real-time and the campaigns can be scaled up or down based upon the requirements.

Contact us today to find out LeadPile can help your business.

According to a Forrester study, sales for E-Books are predicted to reach around $1 billion by the end of this year. It is also thought that by the end of 2015 the demand for them will triple. Although only 7 percent of adults are currently using E-Books, these consumers are the ones who typically read the most and therefore buy the most books or spend the most on them.

E-Books offer a great alternative for those who want to get a book online with out having to go to stores like Barnes and Noble or Borders.  These predictions also say the industry will be changed forever as more people will most likely continue to get Kindle or other e-reader products.

Being in the online marketing industry one knows how many trade shows, expos and client visits can accumulate during the year. So I’d like to say thank you to Bernard Sadow for believing in his wacky idea of placing wheels on a suitcase. 40 years ago Sadow, wrestling with 2 large suitcases had the idea of attaching wheels to luggage, using casters and a strap for pulling Sadow went to market! Macy’s was the first to carry the product and 2 years later Sadow was granted a patent on his wheeled suitcase.

Thanks again Bernard for making our lives easier!

Do you know what others in the affiliate marketing world are doing? If not, you might want to pay attention to all those in your industry so you can keep abreast of what is going on. Knowing what others are doing is a great tool for you to be fully informed of your industry for your publishers, but it is also great to know if there is maybe something you or your company are not doing and needs to possibly look at doing. Knowledge is power when keeping up with this industry. Don’t be the one left in the dust……