Buzz is what people are paying attention to -
and the buzz in online marketing is social media.
If we take the leaders, like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, you get a cross-section of the concern - is this social or is it media? Mixing the two is an exercise in discretion, inclusion and public relations. Who says business and pleasure don't mix? Well, social media are the playground where you can work out the mix.
Social Media are largely unbound by convention - and that's not such a bad thing. Advertising with long hair - well, not advertising exactly, but promotion. If you ever wondered what the 'voice' of your brand is, now is the time to work it out. Test it out. You will probably get lots of feedback (or worse, none, a message in itself).
MySpace tends to the younger demographic, and lean towards music and lifestyle. Our client Tritickets is an obvious match.
Facebook is the more middle-of-the-road community- half the size of MySpace's, but very lively and online-saavy. This is core audience for which an event tickets blog would be an ideal diversion.
Twitter, the micro-blogging tool - now that's a way of harnessing the power of PR and making it personable. 'Tweets' done well are informative and convey your voice. Done less well, they can occur as annoying chatter that will get people hitting that dreaded 'unfollow' button.
User-generated content - i.e. the feedback from your social marketing - can form a crucial part of your strategy. Bring your business case. Be prepared to be responsive and adaptive. And welcome to permission marketing.
Showing posts with label online marketing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label online marketing. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Why would you jump in front of a train?
Well, to throw the switch that deflects that train (a massive traffic surge) into your switchyard (your website).
So, if we extend the metaphor - how do we know a train is coming?
You listen to the telegraph.
And since that feature isn't on anyone's iPhone - what we're really talking about here is listening acutely to the media.
Television, radio, web news outlets - these are all conduits for massive amounts of public (or business) attention.
Attention means traffic.
There is an opportunity to bend public attention to your benefit - but it requires nimbleness - a good reaction time.
For example; a financial planning client is offering a service related to investments.
Careful monitoring of the news reveals topics that are not quite on the public 'radar' (a new program proposed in a government budget, for instance). However, if you were to put out some feelers (perhaps a very low-bid paid search campaign) - you would be monitoring in near-real-time what search traffic is searching for.
When search heats up on any of these terms you have staked out - you can then respond by creating a more robust response by beefing up content on the site, having a specific landing page with relevant actions.
These strategies are persuasive arguments for;
1) employing a long-tail approach to keywords in your paid search efforts
2) quick turnaround on producing content, and
3) frequently reviewing website analytics
So next time that train is a-comin', you get some heads up - and are even awake at that switch.
So, if we extend the metaphor - how do we know a train is coming?
You listen to the telegraph.
And since that feature isn't on anyone's iPhone - what we're really talking about here is listening acutely to the media.
Television, radio, web news outlets - these are all conduits for massive amounts of public (or business) attention.
Attention means traffic.
There is an opportunity to bend public attention to your benefit - but it requires nimbleness - a good reaction time.
For example; a financial planning client is offering a service related to investments.
Careful monitoring of the news reveals topics that are not quite on the public 'radar' (a new program proposed in a government budget, for instance). However, if you were to put out some feelers (perhaps a very low-bid paid search campaign) - you would be monitoring in near-real-time what search traffic is searching for.
When search heats up on any of these terms you have staked out - you can then respond by creating a more robust response by beefing up content on the site, having a specific landing page with relevant actions.
These strategies are persuasive arguments for;
1) employing a long-tail approach to keywords in your paid search efforts
2) quick turnaround on producing content, and
3) frequently reviewing website analytics
So next time that train is a-comin', you get some heads up - and are even awake at that switch.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Landing pages: people aren't stupid.
I'm reviewing the results from a recent Marketing Experiments on-line 'diagnostic clinic' of some submitted test websites. They talk about a formula that encompasses visitor 'friction', 'anxiety', propositions ... all well and good.
What really stands out is the potential upside of paying attention to where you have people land on your website. And what they see when they arrive - 'Landing pages'
So there's the diligent research into keywords, phrases, categories and segments (right?), then the up-front come-on of the PPC ads, tailored to those categories ..... then .... pphhhht (that's the sound of those deflated expectations).
People aren't stupid. They expect the promise (ad) to deliver - with content that is not only relevant, but engaging to *them*. Not configuring landing pages to dovetail with the finely tuned visitor categories ... well, that's just silly. And wasteful of marketing dollars.
So really, how do you implement a landing page strategy?
What if you are using a CMS? Problem?
Who can best create / publish / test / the pages so they can be weeded out, just like an Adwords ad?
Stay tuned. We have some on-the-ground experience to pass on...
What really stands out is the potential upside of paying attention to where you have people land on your website. And what they see when they arrive - 'Landing pages'
So there's the diligent research into keywords, phrases, categories and segments (right?), then the up-front come-on of the PPC ads, tailored to those categories ..... then .... pphhhht (that's the sound of those deflated expectations).
People aren't stupid. They expect the promise (ad) to deliver - with content that is not only relevant, but engaging to *them*. Not configuring landing pages to dovetail with the finely tuned visitor categories ... well, that's just silly. And wasteful of marketing dollars.
So really, how do you implement a landing page strategy?
What if you are using a CMS? Problem?
Who can best create / publish / test / the pages so they can be weeded out, just like an Adwords ad?
Stay tuned. We have some on-the-ground experience to pass on...
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Search Engine Strategies 2008
I'm at the Toronto edition of SES 2008 and there is no question: there are a lot of companies in this space. Search marketing has become a multi-billion dollar business, almost overnight.
Why so popular? Well, it's hard to match the targeting, agility and return on your investment, as measured by business results.
Yet search marketing, as with most online marketing, can struggle to connect the dots when it comes to off-line actions. If you don't sell online, you have to be creative in terms of how you measure success - what actions exist (or can you put in place) to measure or indicate adoption, an engaged audience, and a message that 'sticks'?
There are a lot of promising secondary technologies on show; call forwarding, chat ... and many facilitative technologies, like profile matching. At Warren Huska Associates, we've been exposed to many of these, and deploy them when we determine they might serve a customer. Like anything else, we test (and negotiate for a free trial if one is not on offer!) - and measure results, so you can be assured that any given tool or technique is workin' for ya.
- - - - - - -
I still love the Yellow Pages tagline: "The Find Engine". Good for them.
Why so popular? Well, it's hard to match the targeting, agility and return on your investment, as measured by business results.
Yet search marketing, as with most online marketing, can struggle to connect the dots when it comes to off-line actions. If you don't sell online, you have to be creative in terms of how you measure success - what actions exist (or can you put in place) to measure or indicate adoption, an engaged audience, and a message that 'sticks'?
There are a lot of promising secondary technologies on show; call forwarding, chat ... and many facilitative technologies, like profile matching. At Warren Huska Associates, we've been exposed to many of these, and deploy them when we determine they might serve a customer. Like anything else, we test (and negotiate for a free trial if one is not on offer!) - and measure results, so you can be assured that any given tool or technique is workin' for ya.
- - - - - - -
I still love the Yellow Pages tagline: "The Find Engine". Good for them.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Case Study: Analysis
Use of Analytics to drive conversions
Promotional products company
Conversion is that slippery state where the visitor makes the ‘buy’ or ‘action’ decision – which we were able to progressively refine for a client in a very highly competitive field.
Tuning the filters, campaigns and website itself yielded a continual improvement of results, where to best target their resources, and informed the client further about their most distinct offerings, as seem by the marketplace.
Promotional products company
Conversion is that slippery state where the visitor makes the ‘buy’ or ‘action’ decision – which we were able to progressively refine for a client in a very highly competitive field.
Tuning the filters, campaigns and website itself yielded a continual improvement of results, where to best target their resources, and informed the client further about their most distinct offerings, as seem by the marketplace.
Case Study - Segments
Distinguishing segments (sources, campaigns, keywords)
National Renovation Brand
We validated their conventional ad agency consumer segments - quite a nifty trick given the expense of the agency effort, and even added additional new categories to target revealed with online marketing research.
An additional benefit - demonstrated returns on investment (or not) of specific pre-existing external marketing campaigns, effectively auditing the performance of POS, print and media buys. Our client was able to lay out powerful decision support tools to measure strategic results.
National Renovation Brand
We validated their conventional ad agency consumer segments - quite a nifty trick given the expense of the agency effort, and even added additional new categories to target revealed with online marketing research.
An additional benefit - demonstrated returns on investment (or not) of specific pre-existing external marketing campaigns, effectively auditing the performance of POS, print and media buys. Our client was able to lay out powerful decision support tools to measure strategic results.
Case Study: Traffic
International ticket vendor
Achieved immediate profile: was instantly featured in selected worldwide online publications, blogs and networks, and generated new customers in markets previously unknown to them.
Careful allocation of resources kept their return on investment at 2000%.
Achieved immediate profile: was instantly featured in selected worldwide online publications, blogs and networks, and generated new customers in markets previously unknown to them.
Careful allocation of resources kept their return on investment at 2000%.
The Drill-Down #1: What? / Why? (Traffic)
1) Website traffic:
Any number of schemes can flood your site with viewers – but what are you paying for? Can you tell what is happening? Are there hidden penalties?
‘Relevant traffic’ means visitors are already interested in what you have to offer. Relevance is determined by proper research and filtering – creating a storehouse of market research you can use everywhere. We keep you relevant – and your name off blacklists and spamlists.
‘Just traffic’ is overrated and misunderstood.
Are you merely a showboat?Just getting people to your website is easy – but it can be very costly, and spectacularly ineffective.
Any number of schemes can flood your site with viewers – but what are you paying for? Can you tell what is happening? Are there hidden penalties?
‘Relevant traffic’ means visitors are already interested in what you have to offer. Relevance is determined by proper research and filtering – creating a storehouse of market research you can use everywhere. We keep you relevant – and your name off blacklists and spamlists.
‘Just traffic’ is overrated and misunderstood.
The Drill-Down #3: What? / Why? (Conversions)
3) Conversion Analysis:
Only then can you work back to determine what sources of traffic are worth paying for: most relevant, most cost-effective, and able to generate continued growth.
Hold your online results to business standards.
That was fun – um, did we make any money?And this is the big secret. With traffic, with analysis, - it is all assumptions until you can measure against your business goals. Are you getting referrals, leads? Do these convert to sales? Or just increase your costs?
Only then can you work back to determine what sources of traffic are worth paying for: most relevant, most cost-effective, and able to generate continued growth.
Hold your online results to business standards.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Our Process: a step-by-step
You can take away 'Our Process' as homework: what do you know, or think you know, about your online marketplace?
A typical engagement starts with:
Business Research Interview
Your viewpoint on your markets:
Business Web Marketplace Profile
Obtain all the information that will allow you to craft winning messages:
Campaign
Put all this good stuff on the road and monitor, test, and refine:
A typical engagement starts with:
Business Research Interview
Your viewpoint on your markets:
- what makes you unique, distinctive,
- what are the major drivers in your industry,
- who do you feel are your main and indirect competition,
- what are known and assumed audience influencers,
- and what are the audience segments you are currently aware of
Business Web Marketplace Profile
Obtain all the information that will allow you to craft winning messages:
- Unique propositions,
- distinctive characteristics,
- industry influences and trends,
- who is really the competition,
- revealed audience factors and segments
Campaign
Put all this good stuff on the road and monitor, test, and refine:
- Campaign design - use existing website as baseline
- Campaign launch
- Campaign monitoring and adjustment
- Campaign review (1,2,3 week, 1 per month)
- Website campaign modifications - high-value indicated modifications to organization, features and content
- Website search profile improvement - fold in learning from campaigns, monitor and adjust to seasonality
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