Archive for November, 2009
Monday, November 30th, 2009
Today is Cyber Monday, the online equivalent of Black Friday. I bought a Thanksgiving newspaper to get the free standing ad inserts and likewise in the last few days I have seen promotions for online deals via emails from eCommerce websites and in banner ads all over the web. Let’s contrast the newspaper inserts versus web based marketing.
I was in the market for a 32” LCD TV which is a relatively high ticket item so I wanted to select on value (good quality and fair price). So I was in the consideration/research part of the buying funnel, but not yet ready to buy.
I looked through 2 inches of newspaper ads making notes on TV brand/model and the price. I found 8 stores with 12 brand/models some of which repeated between stores. I was aware of the good/bad reputation of some brands, but some brands were new to me (they hadn’t done their top of funnel marketing). Prices ranged from $250 up to $750 – all for 32” TVs.
My problem was how to choose the best value and be in line before the store ran out? The paper ads only offered a couple of lines of information about the TV’s specifications. No ad gave warranty or feature details. I would need to drive to stores scattered over 15 miles, find a clerk that knew something, make a decision and get back to the store with the best TV. That process is impossible on Black Friday!
So I went online and entered “LCD TV” into Google. I got links to buying guides, professional & user reviews, stores’ TV web pages, price comparisons, and Videos about TVs. I learned about 720p Vs 1080p, contrast ratios, TV tuners needed for HDTV, warranties, signal input connection types, response time affect on image lag (blurring during fast action), and a whole bunch of other stuff I didn’t realize was important.
Within one hour I knew what TV features were important to me and which TV had them. From user reviews I knew which TVs were unreliable plus subjective info that you can’t get by reading specifications. I narrowed my selection down to two brand/models. I then easily researched which stores had the best price. I could even check stock at some stores.
My selection could have been purchased online and some places even had free shipping. But I found the model I wanted at a store with a Friday only price $60 less than any other store even with free shipping. And that store did not have an ad insert in the paper!
I went directly to that store early Friday morning and made my purchase. In 20 minutes my shopping was done for the day and I felt good about my purchase. I got a deal without most of the Black Friday hassles & anxieties and I got the lowest price. For big ticket items why would anyone use anything but an online shopping process; if they were buying online or from a brick and mortar store?
Manufacturers and retailers with web pages ranked high in search engines; that provide not only specifications, but understandable information about products; who do “total funnel” marketing; who encourage user reviews of products and their store; and who are transparent with product availability & price are the winners in the Digital Marketing arena. Newspaper ads can’t compete.
BTW – I bought a 32” Samsung model 540 for $378. Google it! 32″ Samsung 540 LCD
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Marketing, SEO, social
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Optimization | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, November 25th, 2009
First, I wish everyone a joyful Thanksgiving.
After finishing your marketing plan check list (see the prior post) you are ready for Internet Marketing Mix selection. Here’s some hints for selecting your channels. References to the ‘funnel’ means the buying funnel (see an earlier post).
Search Marketing includes SEO & PPC. These are bottom of funnel tactics to provide purchase or action ready prospects the pull information they need to make their decisions.
PPC ads are effective immediately, can be local or national targeted, but are especially effective for local businesses as a Yellow Pages ad substitute. PPC has a cost per click so you need to watch ad cost affect on margins. Cost effectiveness depends upon intelligent ad set-up, landing page design, monitoring results, and A/B ad testing so make sure you have the know-how and time to do PPC right.
SEO has the lowest cost per acquisition, but top 30 search engine ranking will take a lot of work and patience – months. SEO can be acomplished for a local and/or national target market. Considerable skill is required for DIY web page optimization or you need a budget to outsource SEO to specialists. There is also a modest amount of ongoing maintenance needed for ranking stability or improvement. But the rewards are substantial and lasting.
Social Media Marketing (SMM) is an umbrella term covering many sub-channels (Networks, Content Sharing, Bookmarking, Blogs) . It is a powerful driver for fast results, SEO ranking improvement, and is effective for long term relationship building. Relevant SMM elements are useful at various stages of the funnel. SMM can be very targeted based on many criteria. SMM is the most labor intensive Internet Marketing channel. On a DIY basis the cost is just your time. Or you can effectively outsource SMM activities to experts which isn’t a bad idea because it is a time consuming, complex, and fluid landscape.
Display Ads (Banner Ads) is mostly a top of funnel tool for brand building or presenting offers – much like newspaper or magazine ads, etc. Targeting is possible because in the digital world ad placement can be aimed at a specific audience. Cost is modest compared to traditional ad publication options. This is not a DIY method as access to an expansive ad network is the best route – find a service provider. Display Ads have a lower response rate than more direct marketing methods as people tend to tune-out intrusion advertising, but Display Ads are effective if targeted intelligently.
Email Marketing is used for either new customer lead generation or relationship building or up-selling with existing clients. This is a top of funnel to mid-funnel activity (awareness and consideration stages). With a targeted, opt-in list, email marketing has proven effectivness and is the most efficient form of Internet Marketing from a time and out-of-pocket cost standpoint. To avoid SPAM issues, delivery problems, and monitoring complexities, email marketing is best done in partnership with a mass-email service company. Also, lead generation emails are best done with a ‘drip email system’ that auto-sends emails to prospects on a schedule (like with traditional ads, it takes several impressions before prospects take notice).
So now you have the info you need to get started. Just be careful because a little information can be dangerous. It is your company’s well being that you are playing with so give serious consideration to getting the advice and services of an expert; at least until you have more experience.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Marketing, SEO, Socail Media, Socail Media Marketing
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media Marketing, Social Media Optimization | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009
So you are ready to take advantage of Internet Marketing and wonder how to get started? Begin with a check list. There are four main channels for Internet Marketing:
- Search Marketing (SEO: Search Engine Optimization & PPC: Pay-Per-Click ads)
- Social Media Marketing (Networks, Content Sharing, Bookmarking, Blogs)
- Display Advertising (Banner Ads)
- Email Marketing (Nurturing or Lead Generation)
The correct mix of the above channels depends on the following checklist:
- Key Performance Indicators (KPI) – what conversions or accomplishments are you after? (prioritize: sales, leads, registrations, networking, nurturing, brand building, etc)
- Targeting – how do you want to target your marketing campaign?
- Geographic target? (local, regional, or national)
- Demographic target? (age, gender, ethnic, economic class, problems, anxieties, interests, needs, etc)
- Contextual target? (topics, products, services, agendas, etc)
- Growth goals – aggressive growth or up-selling existing clients or just keep the current customer base happy?
- Timeframe – when do you need results? (immediate spike and/or long term steady flow)
- Lifetime Conversion Value – less than or greater than $100 per conversion?
- Time Commitment – can you be campaign interactive or need a passive approach?
- Your budget and expected Return-On-Investment (ROI)?
- Success Factors – how do you define a successful marketing campaign?
After contemplating the checklist questions, an Internet Marketing mix can be selected based on matching your answers with the appropriate Internet Marketing Channel(s) based upon channel strengths and limitations. This process is no different than what you should do when selecting a traditional marketing mix.
The difference with Internet Marketing is that it is still a relatively new and not well understood marketing method by many business managers. For that reason, it is best to get the advice of experts before proceeding. Also, implementing an Internet Marketing mix tends to require more specialized knowledge than for traditional marketing campaigns – somewhat because it is technology enabled, but more so because channel access & usage is less intuitive than with more familiar traditional marketing methods.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Display Ads, email marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, Search Engine Optimization, SEO, Socail Media Marketing
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Monday, November 23rd, 2009
If you are an owner or manger of a small to medium enterprise (SME) you carry a heavy burden for the well being of your business. Not only must you be competent at producing the goods and services you offer, you must also deal with a lot of supporting business activities and systems that you are not trained in. Don’t you agree?
SME’s do not have a large staff of specialists to handle all business related things like…. Marketing/Advertising. Marketing is often a part time job coped with by the owner or an operations manager or some salesperson. Decisions at SME’s about marketing/ad activities are often based on gut-feel, personal experience, and opinion rather than training and hard data.
So along comes Digital Marketing. Digital Marketing is a BIG disruptor to the world of Traditional Marketing / Advertising. A good disruptor, but a disruptor none-the-less (see an earlier post). Digital Marketing = Change, big change. SME owner managers have a gut-feel for newspaper & magazine ads, TV & Radio ads, the Yellow Pages, billboards, etc. Gut-feel about tradional marketing is often good enough because you are on familiar ground. But most managers lack personal experience with Digital Marketing. So resistance sets in.
Resistance to change is a very human reaction. We find change threatening and inconvenient. Change can be seen as riskier than standing still. People feel connected to the old way. There are fewer role models for new versus old. People fear failure from lack of competence in the new way. People can feel overwhelmed by the task of learning new things. People might be skeptical or irrational about the value of the new way. People may wonder if they are being deceived by the advocates of change. Or people may feel the new way will obsolete their knowledge thus undermining their worth.
So many resist, rationalize, and delay implementing change. But change, both good and bad, is a constant. Resisting change, especially good change, or hoping it will go away is not a responsible thing to do if you are the owner or manager of an SME. Digital Marketing is a good thing. If you aren’t adapting, then you are giving an advantage to competitors who are adapting.
I have found that the biggest challenge in implementing Digital Marketing is not proving the value of Digital Marketing; it is getting decision makers to alter their behavior to accept the changed realities of the Marketing/Adverting landscape. Business survival is like Darwinism; but not evolution of the fittest, it is really about evolution by adapting – ignorance & delay is not bliss in the competitive world of business.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Marketing, Social Media
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media Optimization | 3 Comments »
Friday, November 20th, 2009
In search engine PPC advertising, you bid on the cost per click for keywords via a silent auction format for the right to have your ad show up in a higher position for searches of those keywords in the Sponsored Link area of search engine result pages.
What happens if Company A bids on a keyword in the form of the name of Competitor Company B for the purpose of directing prospects to Company A’s website – a sort of brand hi-jacking? A high profile example of brand hi-jacking was publicized yesterday in my state. Law Firm A bid on Law Firm B’s company name (the usual series of the partners’ last names) as a keyword phrase in Google for the purpose of directing Internet traffic to Law Firm A’s website.
Was this a smart or dumb business decision by Law Firm A? Was it legal or illegal? Was it sleazy or just a sign of the times? First of all, this is not a new situation; it has been going on between competitors for many years. Lawsuits have been filed against search engines and occasionally the advertiser primarily based on trademark laws.
What makes the above case different is Law Firm B is suing Law Firm A based on state privacy law contending that “Defendants’ obtaining and using the keywords (plaintiff’s company name) is an intentional and illegal effort to trade on the hard-earned names, personal reputations and good will of the plaintiffs”. What follows is not legal advice, I am not a lawyer. And even if a search engine allows it, that does not mean you can not be sued.
Yellow Pages’ advertising has and will continue to migrate to the Internet and the disputes will follow. Search Engines are the ’new yellow pages’. Many have tried to sue search engines for allowing brand hi-jacking but with little or no results.
Each search engine has their own fluid criteria for allowing bids on another company’s name based on things like; recent court decisons in various countries; is the name tradmarked; are you an affiliate; are you using the name in a just generic manner, etc, etc. You need to check on the current restrictions of each search engine publisher before deciding to use this PPC tactic.
BUT…. what seems to be a clear legal area is: You can not use another company’s trademarked name or brand, if you have no affiliation with them, in your actual ad copy or in your website content or related marketing collateral without getting black-balled by search engines and/or sued. So you may be able to bid on a competitor’s name as a keyword (a behind the scenes activity), but not use trademark material in your PPC ad or website.
If Law Firm B prevails over Law Firm A based on privacy laws; if potential clients of Law Firm A are turned off by the practice; or if the Legal Association bans the practice as unethical is yet to be determined. In the meantime, prospects that search using Law Firm B’s name could be landing on Law Firm A’s website.
Tags: Add new tag, Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, Pay Per Click ads, PPC, Search Engine Marketing, Search Marketing
Posted in Uncategorized | 26 Comments »
Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
During a recent networking event I introduced myself as an Internet Marketing Consultant. My elevator speech explained how we analyze our client’s online business imperatives and then accomplish their goals using a spectrum of appropriate Internet Marketing channels & website persuasion architecture tactics to bring them web success – my 30 second spiel was more detailed than that, but in summary that is what it said.
After exchanging information with a networking participant, an executive at a mid-sized company, she took me to her boss and introduced me as Gary, who does websites. I was instantly frustrated by that marginalization. Wasn’t she listening or doesn’t she understand that Web Success involves soooo much more than having a website?
This over simplification of what it takes to succeed online could be dismissed as an isolated case, but it happens too frequently. Many educated, intelligent business owners & managers responsible for the success of their enterprise for whatever reason haven’t yet grasped the concept that web success involves more than owning a website.
So today I am going to rant a little…
- The success of a movie does not just rest on a producer supplying great cameras and a sound stage to work from.
- A successful concert requires more than an orchestra conductor’s selection of instruments and venue.
- Managing a winning sports team depends on more than providing professional equipment and a stadium.
And Business Web Success depends on more than just having a website.
Equipment & workplace, no matter how professional, will not bring you business success without talented people to do the work; without coordination of complimentary activities; without a winning script, score, and game plan; and without effective promotion of the enterprise to attract paying customers. A website is just software that provides the ‘needed online equipment and workplace’. Without Internet Marketing and Persuasion Architecture a website will not reach its full poetential.
Internet Marketing Consultants do not just do websites; they bring the whole package to drive your Online Business Success. Because owning a guitar does not make you a rock star and similarily a website does not make your business an online star performer.
OK, rant over.
Tags: Add new tag, Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Marketing
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing | 2 Comments »
Tuesday, November 17th, 2009
Digital technology and the Internet have been and continue to be incredibly disruptive innovations. Think about the changes over the last two decades:
The typewriter industry fell to PC based word processor systems. Desktop publishing is replacing dedicated publishing systems. Downloadable media to digital players has wiped out CD music and in store sales. Digital photography has replaced film photography. Digital readers are starting to make the book industry sweat. Digital game players are competing successfully for entertainment dollars. Dynamic digital billboards are starting to replace static displays. Secure online sources have changed the way we do banking, pay our bills, and buy products. Whole industries have disappeared or are being transformed by digital technology and new industries have emerged.
The Internet’s disruptive nature comes from it being a universal publishing technology; it’s a media delivery system. It enables text, audio, and video to be published to any computer screen or mobile device by virtually anyone. This has huge implications in marketing – eyes and ears are in new places seeing and hearing things differently.
The print Yellow Pages Directory is dying and trying to adapt to an online presence but such a Directory is redundant and inferior to search engines. Newspapers and magazines are gone or struggling to adapt. See the Boston Globe story here: ‘Boston Globe’ Charges for New Digital Version . On-demand movies and TV shows are affecting DVD movie rentals and TV viewership patterns. And the affect of email on communications is well known.
Social Media channels are transforming information distribution. Blogs and WIKIs have decentralized information supply. YouTube in 2007 consumed more Internet bandwidth than the entire Internet in 2000. There are more searches conducted on YouTube than any search engine other than Google. See the story of how YouTube turned the movie Paranormal into a sleeper hit via Word-Of-Mouth (WOM) viral marketing. And 1 in 8 viewers of a product online video purchase the product at some point.
Businesses need to embrace and adapt to digital technology or suffer the consequences. That includes having a digital marketing mix within an overall marketing budget. Yet many businesses cling to past marketing practices out of resistance to change, momentum, or lack of knowledge. You better find the willpower and figure out how or else! Find an expert you trust.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Marketing, SEO
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, SEO, Social Media Optimization | 1 Comment »
Monday, November 16th, 2009
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a competition between similar content web pages for the opportunity to be ranked higher than the other guy for a search keyword relative to your business. If you are competing in a national marketplace for a highly competitive keyword, then high search engine ranking is a daunting, time consuming task.
In a national marktplace scenario your SEO must be perfection and a web page needs longevity for high ranking. Some businesses don’t have the resources, will, or need to compete nationally for high search ranking.
But what about businesses only interested in the local marketplace? You know; a butcher, a baker, a candlestick maker or a doctor or lawyer… In the case of local search an old joke comes to mind. Two men in the woods are being chased by a bear. One man says their effort is useless; they will never outrun the bear. The other man says I don’t have to outrun the bear; I only need to outrun you.
With local search, you do not need to out perform the entire nation with SEO for a coveted keyword; you only need to outperform the handful of your competitors in the area. Search engine searches with a city or zip code plus your keyword will provide local content web pages. And in Google, now a non-geographic search will serve up local content (local web pages and/or a Google Map) because Google uses your PC’s IP address as a location indicator.
If you are doing better search optimization than your local competitors , you don’t need SEO perfection; it is a local, relative competition for high ranking. A local market business needs to just be ahead of its local competitors, not the whole country, for the keyword it is interested in.
Why should you care? Statistics from several research agencies reveals that approximately:
- 70% of searches are done to find local providers of goods and services
- 60% of search users have substituted search engines for the phone book
- 70% of online searches are used for local search to find a source for offline purchases
- 75% of Internet users do local search at least each week, many more often than once per week
- 80% of Internet traffic begins at a search engine even for users aware of local brands & services they are looking for
- 95% of Internet users use search engines to research buying decisions including local provider reputations and
- 50% of users frequent online eCommerce websites with a preference for local providers
So… are you running faster than your local competition relative to local search optimization or falling behind and getting gobbled up? And then there are local PPC & local Display ads, but that is a story for another time.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Marketing, SEO
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, SEO | Comments Off
Friday, November 13th, 2009
In the last post I explained that a marketing mix is needed to reach people via multiple channels – people have preferences where they look for information or ‘hang out’.
The other reason a marketing mix is needed is because different people are in different degrees of readiness to buy. Some are just looking with a vague, distant intent; others are inclined but need time to research & consider; and others are ready to buy.
Reaching people in these various stages takes different marketing approaches because the prospects’ eyes & ears and ‘their head’ are in different places doing different things as they progress through the buying process. This is a well know fact and is intuitive – think about how you make buying decisions. This concept is demonstrated by the Buying Funnel:
Buying (Sales) Funnel
Therefore you need a Digital Marketing Mix to reach prospects at different phases of their buying cycle. Every business wants the ready to buy customer, but if you don’t fill the funnel at the top and nurture the flow through the funnel, then very little will come out the bottom.
Tags: Add new tag, Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, Search Engine Optimization, Search Marketing, SEO, Social Media, social networks
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, SEO, Social Media Optimization | 1 Comment »
Thursday, November 12th, 2009
A common question I get is “which digital marketing channel is best for my business?” This question often comes from companies invested in traditional media marketing that are exploring shifting more budget over to digital. They are inexperienced with digital; overwhelmed by the choices; and looking for a silver bullet answer to simplify things.
The honest answer is: there is no one ‘best’ traditional or digital marketing channel. Marketing is best accomplished with a mix of marketing because no one channel will reach everyone in a marketplace. The correct question is: “which digital marketing mix is best for a company.” And frankly that question can not be answered with certainty without research, testing, and experience.
But for a company moving budget from traditional to digital marketing, traditional marketing knowledge and experience can be used to establish a good starting point for making digital marketing mix selections. For example:
- If your marketplace is local or regional and Yellow Pages worked for you in the past, then local search engine optimization (SEO) and geographic targeted pay-per-click (PPC) ads are good choices.
- If your marketplace is national and national publications and commercial or industrial printed directories were good, then industry specific & general search engine directories are good choices. Also national SEO and PPC ad campaigns are effective.
- If direct postal mail works for your business, then email marketing is a good choice.
- If newspaper or magazine ads were useful, then digital display (banner) ads in tier one website networks are the ticket.
- If TV and radio ads are useful, then audio/video should be on your website and placed in video sharing portals within social media channels.
- If networking, word-of-mouth, and endorsements are key to your business, then social media networks are a must.
- If your business benefits from providing seminars, giving speeches, and publishing articles, then blogs, news & article publication portals, and webinars are good choices.
So seek the advice of a digital marketing professional and use your traditional marketing experience to jump into digital in a parallel manner to what worked for you in traditional channels. Then follow up with testing and experimenting to fine tune your digital marketing mix.
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, PPC, SEO, Socail Networks, Social Media
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Wednesday, November 11th, 2009
How does Social Media utilization help search engine optimization (SEO) also known as organic ranking? Keep in mind that the goal is getting traffic to your website via page one search engine listings for keyword searches important to your business. The search listings provide the linkage to your web pages.
Classic SEO relies on getting your web pages optimized better than competing web pages which over time will hopefully result in page one listings in search engines. This process takes considerable optimization skills and usually months of effort.
But Search Engine Result Pages no longer just list web pages and their URL. Google etc now shows Social Media and local search elements in their search result pages such as: Images / Videos / Social Network Postings / Bookmarks / News Articles / Blog Pages / Local Maps
Content in the above elements often changes frequently and is often viewed by large audiences which are things that search engines use to measure topic and web page popularity. Consequently search spiders monitor social media elements constantly and index new content fast, sometimes in minutes.
There can be references or links in the above elements that direct traffic to your web pages. So using social media elements and local maps function can get your web pages traffic from page one in search engines much faster and easier than by classic SEO methods. And utilization of multiple social media elements can allow you to dominate page one listings.
But the social media page one listings can disappear fast unless they are constantly supported with traffic to the videos, news article, etc or if bookmarking slows down. Today’s hot thing and news can become yesterday’s old news fast. So social media page one listings can be unstable. Sustained page one listings are still best accomplished with classic SEO tactics.
So use social media for fast results in search engines, to obtain a domination affect, and to supplement classic SEO efforts over time.
Tags: Add new tag, Digital Marketing, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Marketing, SEO, Socail Media, social networks
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, SEO, Social Media Optimization | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 10th, 2009
Most small and medium sized enterprises (SME) are always looking for leads – new prospects. Cost effective lead generation is a top marketing priority for the SME.
A consistently powerful lead generation method is obtaining and leveraging ‘Expert Status’. Expert Status is achieved when your peers and target marketplace recognize you professionally as a reliable source of knowledge and innovative ideas that you share via actionable insights.
Reaching Expert Status requires communicating in a relevant manner your track record of excellent ideas & results that address the problems, anxieties, interests and needs of your target audiences.
Expert Status reputation is facilitated by authoring articles, publishing whitepapers, providing case studies, offering videos, and doing presentations for your target audiences. Prior to the digital era, communicating and marketing your personal expert brand meant relying on traditional media channels – a problematic, time consuming, and sometimes expensive path.
But with the arrival of the Internet, communications have been simplified, accelerated, and cost reduced. Digital Marketing methods like: personal & biz websites; social media networks, bookmarking, & content sharing sites; RSS feeds; websites that aggregate news & articles; blogs; wikis; webinars; and of course email make it easy for you to be in the spotlight.
So don’t hide your light under a blanket if you’ve got what it takes to reach Expert Status. Embrace Digital Marketing to share your light and leads are sure to follow.
P.S. – For Internet Marketing case studies and whitepapers visit here: http://www.wsiwisdombook.com
Tags: Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, soc, Social Media, social networks
Posted in Digital Marketing, Internet Marketing, Social Media Optimization | 4 Comments »
