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.

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...

DIY research: Google Search Insight

If you had an Adwords account, you might be able to patch this all together - but NOW, Google trending, searches, geo-targeting, categories and some actual numbers are all on call for the public.

Imagine that I sell tickets to the public in Ontario, and want to measure the pulse of public searches:
http://www.google.com/insights/search/#cat=590&q=&geo=CA-ON&date=today%203-m&clp=&cmpt=geo - Here is a pretty compelling list of Top Searches and Rapidly Rising.

I know, it's all cribbed from the formats of other providers - but that's what Google does best. Like the Japanese with technology, only everything is free. (I think I just dated myself there)

A good tool for an overview - but not a comprehensive tool. Still, Google is letting us peek under the hood more than ever before.

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.
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I still love the Yellow Pages tagline: "The Find Engine". Good for them.

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%.

The Drill-Down #1: What? / Why? (Traffic)

1) Website traffic:

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 #2: What? / Why? (Analysis)

2) Site Traffic Analysis:

Which way to downtown?

Measurement is critical – do you want only visitors from Bay Street? Do you want visitors who patronize financial publications, but only those who have a higher historical probability of interest in investments?

What traffic is relevant? Measure it. Test it. Modify it in real time.

The Drill-Down #3: What? / Why? (Conversions)

3) Conversion Analysis:

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.