Even though the economy has been in the doldrums, and many businesses have had to lay off employees, Internet marketing statistics have been steadily climbing. Retail and travel sales grew from $31 million to $33 million in Q1 and Q2 this year and Forrester Research predicts that online holiday sales will grow 20% over last year to $13.2 billion from $11 billion.

Social media is influencing this trend -- eighty-three percent of online shoppers said they are interested in sharing information about their purchases with people they know, while 74 percent are influenced by the opinions of others in their decision to buy the product in the first place. (Manage Smarter, September 2009)

"Internet marketing and social media are now vital skills for every business -- whether you are local or national, business to consumer or business to business," says Dr. Ralph Wilson, who has been helping small businesses learn how to succeed online for 15 years.

Web Marketing Today offers the largest source of key information about doing business on the Net -- with over 2,500 pages and annotated links to more than 21,000 resources on e-commerce and Web marketing. There are also over 100 video interviews with experts on Internet marketing, e-commerce, and e-mail marketing.

One of the biggest hurdles for small labusiness owners is that the online playing field changes so rapidly. For example the major search engines recently made a deal with Twitter and Facebook to show results in real-time search, which could give a company the edge if they know how to leverage this new trend. Web Marketing Today helps small and medium businesses stay abreast of these changes and take advantage of new technologies.

"Web Marketing Today is one of the few newsletters that I have not blocked. It is also the only one I share with young designers and clients trying to navigate the web world on their own," writes Michelle M. Fry, Director of Creative Services, Hayslett Group.

To mark the 15th anniversary of the newsletter anyone who subscribes to Web Marketing Today will receive six e-books/whitepapers that cover the basics of Internet marketing -- a $50 value. This includes Dr. Wilson's most requested item: The Web Marketing Checklist - 37 Ways to Promote Your Website.