March 2007 - Posts
How do you compete, or even make a small impact, against major players in a competitive market? Well if you're smart (and you are because you're a subscriber of
Website Magazine) you take a page from the playbook of
LonelyBloggers.com - a dating website struggling for attention in the saturated dating market.
LonelyBloggers.com considered CPC keyword advertising but realized that in addition to the often out-of-reach keyword prices, advertising in this day and age must be more compelling than text link ads alone. In the end, Lonely bloggers opted to go viral with their message and has produce a 7 episode, 40 minute video series called
LBTV that can be watched in it's entirety on YouTube.
Why are marketers so interested in video as a viral promotions tool? A few reasons actually. Videos have a longer "shelf life" than other forms of advertising, often existing much longer than a paid advertising campaign for the associated cost and with broader and more focused distribution. The reason for that increased and targeted distribution is that videos can be shared across the Web easily, which means your brand gets a boost well after your official campaign has completed.
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With 104 million Internet users in Latin America and Spain, plus roughly 20 million Hispanic users in the U.S., there is an increased need for alternative marketing channels for both advertisers and publishers.
Consorte Media is introducing an advertising network which aims to connect advertisers with Hispanic consumers while compensating publishers (50 percent revenue share) for the impressions, actions or click they generate. Advertisers can customize their campaigns by language, demographics, and geography to ensure that their ads reach the right audience.
"
We focus exclusively on the Hispanic market and have a team committed to servicing advertisers and publishers, thereby providing a much needed alternative in the advertising network space," said Chris Stanley of Consorte Media.
Consorte Media joins other well known advertising and publisher networks such as
Hispano Click and the
Hispanic Digital Network - and of course you can't rule out the impact of companies such as
Univision or
QuePasa. Both Yahoo and Google enable advertisers to place advertising on Hispanic language sites but the publisher/affiliate adoption of these programs (from an outsiders perspective) seems to be low.
There is obviously some opportutnity here, but I contniue to wonder how much.
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Via
MultilingualSearch this morning, leading Russian search portal
Yandex released a report indicating a 42% rise in Russian e-commerce sales in 2006, ahead of the 25% increase in Western markets.
Some interesting statistics in the report (
PDF - Russian):
- Users were mostly interested in computers, electrical goods, cameras and telephones.
- Home improvement goods generated the biggest growth in interest (30%).
- The number of Internet shops in the .ru zone grew approximately 47%.
- Growth was highest for retailers selling equipment (77%), home improvement goods (68%), gifts and flowers (62%), books (52%), sporting goods (51%) and children’s goods (49%). While everyone seems to be talking about enriching their local Internet market, others are getting serious about globilization efforts. In a global economy less restricted on location and more focused on access to quality products and services, branching out and marketing to areas outside of those you are most familiar with could make your enterprise more sustainable. Companies such as
Globalization Partners International and
Idiom Technologies recognize that the world is becoming a smaller, flatter place. And you should too.
Embracing other languages and cultures can impact your business positively, level the playing field and expand your brand. And who does not want that?
Why is SEO (search engine optimization) like high school? Because you get graded - and not just on first appearances.
If you had to grade your own website, what score would you assign it? A passing grade, a failing grade or somewhere in between? Know for sure with Small Business Hub's
Website Grader tool. Website Magazine scored a 90/100 - not too bad, but we realize that it could be better. The tool actually confirmed some things for me that we could definitely improve upon (H1, H2 tags, etc.) and if I get some time today will begin that process.
Overall, it's not a bad score so we're pleased considering Google only got a 99/100.
- PageRank, Self-Serving Links & Domain Trust - Bill Slawski at SEObytheSEA delves into a patent application from Microsoft from 2005 and a new one published last week which explores PageRank, its vulnerabilties and a couple of solutions.
Email Sender and Provider Coalition (ESPC), along with market research firm Ipsos Insight, conducted a survey of over 2,200 US Internet users that reveal behaviors and views toward spam, unsubscribe features and anti-spam technology. The full results will be announced next week but the results reveal some important insights into the state of the industry and the needs of consumers. While the top U.S. Internet Service Providers (AOL, MSN/Hotmail, Yahoo!, Lycos, Excite, Gmail, Netscape and Compuserve) are on the right track, they are not yet fully meeting the needs and desires of today's consumers.
Key statistics from the study include:- 80% of respondents delete or report messages as spam without opening the actual message
- 73% base the decision on the FROM field
- 69% base the decision on the content of SUBJECT line
- 90% indicated that they would appreciate having an UNSUBSCRIBE button
- 80% also want access to a REPORT FRAUD button; and
- More than half of respondents (53%) would be more likely to open and read an email with a certification symbol
- 1/3 indicated that they were unsure if this would influence their opening or reading a message, showing a greater need for consumer education on certification
Popular Website tool Snap Preview Anywhere today launched support for 9 languages today and 8 localized versions in addition to English; Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), French, German, Spanish and Portugese. In a world of information overload and short attention spans, tools such as these do provide value to some end-users. There have been some usability issues in the past which Snap has addressed with some interesting granular controls, such as bubble icons, css themes and a feature to enlarge image size.
Adapt Technologies, Inc. has introduced the latest enhancement to its
SEM-in-a-Box product: the Campaign Converter, which converts search marketing keywords and ads from advertisers' existing ad content to the new Yahoo Panama search advertising platform.
"
It is widely reported that the migration provided by Yahoo often results in poorly structured campaigns that do not accurately reflect the advertiser's intentions," stated Michael Harris, CEO of Adapt Technologies, Inc. "
The Adapt Campaign Converter makes migration to Panama as painless as possible by leveraging the marketer's existing, high-performing ads, automatically formatting their campaigns properly and making them effective on Yahoo faster."
The campaign conversion feature is available at no additional charge to paid subscribers of Adapt's SEM-in-a-Box service and is available for $399 per month for others. A little pricey in my opinion for the SMB but may be worth the investment if migrating existing campaigns into Panama is overwhelming. For more information visit
www.adapt.com/panama.
Frank Fuchs has put togetther a one page list detailing all kinds of
local search sources where you can promote your local business. It is a valuable resource for any small business that has been graciously divided into three categories;
local search engines such as Yahoo Local and Google Maps,
yellow page sites such as SuperPages.com, and
local social networking sites such as Yelp.com and Judy's Book.
The Amazon Associates program is announcing the release of the Context Links Beta - a program to enables websites (bloggers, review sites, anyone with lots of archived content) to add links automatically to Amazon products with one simple string of code. If associates enable the preview functionality, site visitors will see a preview of the product relevant to the phrase Amazon selected. Clicking on the link will send site visitors to the product detail page on Amazon.com, and associates will earn referral fees just as they would with any link.
Get started by visiting Associates Central.
Numerous customization options are available including limiting the number of links on each page, which portion of the page will be linked, which products are linked, exact matching of product names, customizable window styles and various link formatting styles.
See some Context Links in action at
MuppetCentral.com and
ThoughtGarage.com.
If you're in the site graphics and multimedia design fields, you'll be interested to know that
Adobe today announced new versions of its popular Create Suite software. The estimated price for Creative Suite 3 Design Standard is $1,199 (£609) and for the Premium version, $1,799. The web editions of the Adobe applications are $999 or $1,599. The Creative Suite 3 Production Premium is $1,699. And the Master Collection, the most comprehensive package, is $2,499.
Learn more about it at Adobe.
buySAFE, Inc. today announced that
DVD Planet has integrated the buySAFE Seal and bonding services into its website. When consumers shop on DVDPlanet.com, they will now see the buySAFE Seal and be able to guarantee their purchases with a buySAFE bond at checkout. DVD Planet is the world’s third-largest online vendor of DVDs. When it comes to success with e-commerce, there are only a handful of
solutions which can match the impact of a bonded money-back guarantee.
BuySafe has been acquiring clients at a feverish pace of late such as last weeks announcement that shopping cart provider Cart32 integrated the BuySafe trust solution into its suite of e-commerce products. Prior to that, Miva Small Business Solutions and Zoovy started offering their merchants the ability to integrate the buySAFE Seal and bonding services.
“
When shoppers see the buySAFE Seal on the DVD Planet Website, it lets them know they’re dealing with a trustworthy, reliable merchant from whom they can buy with confidence,” said Jeff Grass, CEO, buySAFE. “
In more than 11 million transactions, we’ve proven that comfortable, confident shoppers are more likely to buy, which means higher conversion rates, revenue, and profits for buySAFE Merchants.”
“
We strive to provide every DVD Planet customer with a safe, enjoyable transaction that makes them want to buy from us again and again,” said Mark Harrill,. Director of Merchandising for DVD Planet. “
buySAFE on our Website gives shoppers yet another compelling reason to choose DVD Planet for their entertainment needs.”
Methods of Redirecting Users - AskApache.com has a immensely valuable bare bones list of the methods to redirect users to different pages for every programming language.
Google Base Custom Attributes - ComparisonEngines.com has a helpful guide on how to use Google Base Custom Attributes. Another great one to bookmark if you use Google Base.
Giving Away Links - Would you like a link from Website Magazine? If you or your company provide Web related services then sign up for Website Magazine's Who's Who directory. Showcase your company's products or services to our 100K plus readers and further establish your brand in the minds of those who can secure your 'Net success.
If you're reading this, you probably already have a website. If not, you realize the importance of getting your business online. Yahoo! has a new tool that makes it easier than ever to get your business online and available to Internet users - in about 30 minutes. This new feature can help get any business online quickly and have a professional-looking website.
Users can choose layouts, add logos and content quickly and easily and be up and running. Site updates are easy and these sites suppport various kinds of multimedia, Adobe functions, FTP and MySQL among others. If for no other reason than to get your company on the Web and provide contact information for Internet surfers, it's a good idea. Combined with local listings, it's a very convenient and easy way to get started on the Web.
Surely, Yahoo! will release updates, new layouts and increased functionality as the service grows. At first glance, it looks as easy as setting up a MySpace page. But, unlike MySpace, you're not confined to one site but free to be accessed anywhere on the Web.
Let's face it, competition is everywhere. And that's not a bad thing. But, you do need to separate yourself from your competitors in some way. In the online world, innovation is everywhere. Tools to implement change are always evolving and becoming easier to use, implement and manage. So, ask yourself: What can I do to better my industry as a whole?
Travelocity CMO Jeff Glueck, speaking at the recent IAB Leaderhsip Forum in Chicago, discussed how his company is trying to make a difference, while still turning a profit. Travelocity runs campaings that allow travelers to help clean up New Orleans following the devastation of hurricane Katrina. This way, Travelocity is putting themselves out there as an advocate for the travel industry while still booking trips to New Orleans. They feature programs all over the world to help the less fortunate. It may not be a big money maker, but it puts the brand in front of an influential audience and makes Travelocity more than just a booking service, but an advocate for change and an industry leader.
Website Magazine is partnered with Sustainable Harvest to help offset deforestation. Magazine publishers use lots of paper. Now we can help not only the forests of the world, but the people who rely on those forests for their livelihood. We're an advocate for publishers everywhere and hopefully the rest of the industry follows in some way.
Making your industry better as a whole will help everybody, including your competitors. But thinking like a leader and an advocate will place your business at the head of the class and consumers will notice. The more your industry is talked about and grows - if you're a leading edge - the more your business is placed in front of your consumers.
From the "
if they can do it, you can do it" file, popular blog directory
BlogCatalog.com announced Monday several new free social networking features aimed at boosting members blog traffic and networking capabilities. Social networking (as we mentioned in our latest feature '
Checking Out Online Hot Spots') enables site owners and Web marketers to boost retention on existing memberships - but that's not all. While niche Web communities enable participants to connect, interact and share ideas (not to mention drive website traffic to each other), offerings such as biographies, photos and voting provide a richer experience for those simply on a casual visit.
"A community of passionate users has a vested interest in improving the community," said Antony Berkman, head of BlogCatalog's future vision group. "The result is the community highlights and showcases the best blogs. This, in turn, makes the community much more valuable to visitors looking for specific information. BlogCatalog also benefits as bloggers congregate, talk and return more often to see how their neighborhoods are doing. The BlogCatalog team is particularly inspired by the gigantic boost in traffic being sent to neighborhood blogs."
Are you getting social on your site? Maybe it's time.
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________________________________Google
announced the release of its pay-per-action advertising pricing model which allows advertisers to pay for completed actions (not just clicks [CPC] or impressions [CPM]. Advertisers will need to define an action, set up conversion tracking and create ads that will motivate publishers in the Google content network to place ad units on their site. Everyone (
or at least everyone I'm reading) seems to be talking about this and for good reason; it could change the advertising and marketing landscape for a long time to come. As you might guess, affiliate networks like Commission Junction and others across the Web are pulling their virtual hair out.
Google has obviously thought about pay-per-action a great deal and it shows. I blogged about the possiblity of this in the past but I expected a program of this nature to be tied directly to Google Base, which it may in the future as that offering enables its user/listers to advertise their products directly through Adwords during setup.
Some interesting aspects on the pay-per-action program of note:- Ad placement for the pay-per-action model is only on the content side (Adsense) of the network, which means that those advertisers concerned with the quality of the publisher network will be offered an alternative. Can you say "so long click-fraud?"
- Pricing is advertiser-centric in that it is set by those that are paying for the lead, impression or sale, and not by 1) what you are willing to spend for a visit alone, 2) the quality of your site as determined by Google, or 3) the demand or lack of demand from Adsense publishers or users.
- Tracking is imperative in a pay-per-action model and Google knows it. While the conspiracy theorists amoung us will worry endlessly about handing over conversion data to Google, others will realize that it's a pretty fair trade in the long run for less expensive completed actions on a site.
The Pay-Per-Action offering is only in beta-test and open only to US advertisers that have or are able to impliment conversion tracking code on their websites. You can
learn more and sign up here.
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eComXpo, the Web's largest virtual tradeshow, opened its doors this morning. Stop by and meet the folks behind the most popular print publication on Web success - Website Magazine! There are also some exciting discussions taking place that you will not want to miss. EcomXpo is free to attend and a tremendous networking event. The event runs from today until March 22nd but
register at eComXpo now!
Mobile advertising just took another step forward with the announcement of a partnership between mobile search provider Medio and pay per call provider Ingenio. Ingenio will provide pay per call capabilities on Medio's MobileNow Ad Network beginning in Q2, 2007.
From a Medio press release: “Mobile search is a unique advertising platform where advertisers can reach consumers who are actively looking for their services and ready to transact at that moment, said Omar Tawakol, Chief Advertising Officer for Medio Systems. "Pay Per Call is aligned with our vision because it surfaces specific content – in this case, the phone number of a relevant merchant, like a taxi or locksmith service – and gives the mobile consumer immediate access to that advertiser with a click of a button, no cell-phone Web surfing required.”
With mobile devices becoming more affordable and more users interacting with the Web on the go, this seems like a logical advertising solution. It is widely held that mobile Internet users inquire about local services and merchants. This will provide an excellent resource for both the end-user and advertisers as a way to reach consumers. The bonus of local search on a mobile device is that the user is not just surfing - they are looking for a specific service and ready to take action immediately.
For more information about the service and advertising with Medio, visit their website.
Skype has introduced a community feature, dubbed SkypeFind where Skype users can rate, review and suggest companies to other users. So far, 4,500 businesses are listed, and they anticipate more than one million listings by year's end. One of the ways businesses can be found through the new service is through keyword and location, meaning that local business could be heavily featured.
Local search is getting bigger every day. It's important to make sure that your business information is accurate with the local search sector. Monitoring your brand reputation is important too - and SkypeFind incorporates both. So, it may be a good idea to take a moment and see if your business is listed and, if so, that the information provided is accurate. Skype has a large user base and should not be ignored.
"The Skype community is active," said Jennifer Caukin, Skype's North American director of communication. "They're used to calling from their computers. These people are online, so if they are using some other local search or yellow pages-type service online, the whole idea of connecting to those listings is very natural to them."
For more information and tips on local search, read this piece from Website Magazine's February edition.
Jeffrey Glueck, CMO of Travelocity delivered the afternoon keynote speech at the IAB Performance Marketing Forum this week and shared some very interesting findings. Citing a Nielsen NetRatings study, Glueck says that half of all searhes on Google and Yahoo are comprised of only 100 terms. What's more, half of those terms are brand terms. However, brand keywords account for only 5% of marketers' search spend. But those same brand search terms account for a staggering 80% of profits from search - according to another study by agency 360i.
Travelocity has fought back from being an industry also-ran in the early 2000's to a leader today. In their own study, Travelocity found that only 2% of conversions resulted from a user originally searching a non-branded term, only to click on a branded term at a later date. They now estimate that 96% of booked trips result from branded keywords. So how did they extend their brand? Largely due to an exhaustive amount of testing various campaigns and banner ads. And a lot of help from that little traveling garden gnome.
Glueck cites relevance as the key factor. Travelocity's best-performing banner had nothing to do with exotic destinations, but a "know before you go" campaign. This promoted the ability of travelers to get updates before embarking on their trip - if the pool was closed for repairs, for example. The customer could then re-book at no extra charge. It turns out this information is highly relevant to travelers. In addition, Travelocity ran campaigns on smaller, niche travel sites. According to Glueck, consumers were closer to making a buying decision because they were already thinking about travel, as opposed to trying to brand on CNN's financial news page where consumers are likely thinking about hundreds of things other than travel.
The final coup of relevance for Travelocity is the gnome himself. As Gleuck explained, "He's always been stuck there in the garden and now he gets to travel the world." It's a symbol of consumers' desire to break out of their daily routine and travel where, according to Gleuck, people feel happiest and most free.
eMarketer reports on a survey from BIGresearch and the Retail Advertising and Marketing Association (RAMA) that claims traditional marketing channels are driving online product searches. According to the survey, consumers say they search online after seeing ads or products in magazines (47%), newspapers (42%), TV (43%) and reading articles (44%).
So, while advertising budgets are shifting online and many marketers are dedicating entire budgets to online and search advertising, there still appears to be great value in continuing to advertise with traditional media.
"When it comes to advertising, retailers always need to be careful not to put all of their eggs in one basket," said Mike Gatti of the RAMA. "While search engine marketing continues to be a popular strategy, retailers should not lose sight of traditional advertising channels to promote products and services."
Multi-tasking is seen as a problem for many marketers concerned with short attention spans. But, as this study reveals, the multi-tasker may just present more opportunities for brand awareness. A consumer can see a product advertised in a magazine or newspaper, sit in front of their computer and search for it online, then pass the news to friends via word-of-mouth, email or text message. People are still reading magazines and newspapers and will always watch TV, so why not combine your search advertising with traditional media? Reaching your audience through many levels certainly can't hurt. An added bonus - branding your offer or company name before a search begins could drastically reduce the possibility of your consumers searching for something related and ending up on a competitor's website.
Online video is becoming more mainstream and advertisers are still trying to decide how best to use the medium. The discussion over the monetization of digital video is ongoing - pre-roll, post-roll, contextual ads alongside videos? As Brooke Nanberg, executive creative director at Avenue A/Razorfish explained at the recent IAB forum, "Video has become a way that people decompress these days. They're not just going online for transactions, but for a break too. The creative needs to give something back."
So instead of running your same, tired ad that users see on television or hear on the radio, engaging users who look online for a "break" opens up new branding possibilities for savvy marketers. Take the example of Diageo's "Tea Partay" campaign for Smirnoff Raw Tea. Catherine Davis, senior vice president, marketing services for Diageo demonstrated the effectiveness of their strategy. Borrowing a page from the wildly popular "Lazy Sunday" Saturday Night Live skit, "Tea Partay" features an upscale, country-club crowd driving to a tea party and rapping about "straight outta cape cod, we're keepin it real" and "we're gonna turn it out with our parent's riches, we'll serve Smirnoff Raw Tea and finger sandwiches." The video is funny and does a good job of branding Smirnoff with their target audience.
What was the result? Davis says that "Tea Partay" became one of the top 50 most watched comedy videos in YouTube history. Not bad for a commercial. But you don't have to be a marketing genius, professional film maker or have a large budget to make an impact. How-to videos are some of the most-viewed on the Internet. Again, it's a chance to offer your target audience something of value while still branding your name or website.
A study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project in December 2006 found that 34% of all adults online in the U.S. have logged on using a wireless connection. This includes laptops, cell phones, and PDAs - a 36% growth over the past two years. Nearly a third of those wireless users are between the ages of 18 and 29.
The laptop leads the way with 39% ownership, followed by cell phones with wireless capability (25%) and PDAs (13%). The report states that a whopping 46% of wireless users go online for news during a typical day. This surpasses those searching for news using a broadband connection (38%). That is an interesting finding for those considering mobile advertising and looking for sites to display messages. It seems that the news sector is leading the way for mobile users and therefore could be a good place to start advertising.
Esco Strong, senior analyst for Atlas Institute spoke about the results of a daypart study - research gathered from 20 advertisers involved with the top four genres on the Web. The data analyzed included a total of 56.8 million clicks and 2.1 million primary conversions (defined as the desired action taken), over a two-month period.
Some of the findings (all times are Eastern):
- On average, the worst time for clicks and conversion were between 4 - 7 a.m.
- At 10 a.m., the clicks and conversion rates were on par with each other.
- The highest volume of clicks and conversions were during the lunch hour, 12 - 1 p.m.
- The next highest total of clicks and conversions were between 7 - 10 p.m.
Some of the results were broken down into verticals, including:
- Retail: High conversions and clicks occurred between 10 a.m. and noon and again between 7 - 10 p.m. Early morning is the worst time for retail conversions.
- Personal Finance: High conversion at 1 p.m., right on average at 3 p.m. and a spike at 4 p.m.
- Dating: The highest conversion rates occur from 7 p.m. and well into the evening. There is even a jump around 4 a.m.
- Travel: Highest conversion over the lunch hour, but average for the remainder of the day and evening.
Conversion rates can vary as much as 45% during the day, according to this study. At 5 a.m., the overall numbers suggest conversion rates at 30% below average, with the lunch hour producing a 15% above-average conversion rate. So, it's important to adjust your bids accordingly. Bid low for the off hours and move those funds to increase your bids for the peak hours.
The study also looked at search vs. display advertising. The numbers were nearly identical, as far as click and conversion rates except for the morning hours - display conversion rates are 50% below the average for the morning. One possible explanation is that users are doing more surfing/searching in the mornings.
One oversight of the study - geo location. All of these numbers came from the Eastern time zone. The west coast may have slightly different habits. And that would be nice to know if you were selling say surfboards instead of winter coats.