'Net Features : w142011

eBay's New Focus About Keeping it Local

Linc Wonham — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:59:00 GMT

We weren't kidding when we said all eyes should be on eBay, especially those of local merchants. With inventory powered by the recent acquisition of local shopping search engine Milo, the site now offers consumers a one-stop destination for deals both online and in local stores.

The new features allow shoppers to check product and merchandise availability at local retailers via real-time searches on eBay. Through Milo integration, consumers have greater choices with access to millions of products from approximately 50,000 stores across all 50 U.S. states.

In addition, eBay is providing retailers who use QuickBooks a way to easily upload their inventory onto Milo and eBay through a new inventory management plug-in.

“eBay is uniquely positioned to help retailers, large and small, compete globally in new ways and to help consumers shop for whatever they want – anytime, anywhere,” says Dane Glasgow, the company’s vice president of global product management. “By integrating Milo search into eBay.com, we are exposing the inventory of small entrepreneurs who may be invisible on the Web right now to more than 94 million active users of the eBay marketplace. Our local capabilities are enabling a new kind of commerce, connecting eBay shoppers to local merchants.”

By opting in, eBay shoppers can now use a new local shopping tab to check a product’s local or in-store availability directly from the eBay search results page. Product pages now also include a local shopping tab so shoppers can find the exact product they want whether it’s online e at a local retailer near them.

The company is also introducing new software from Milo that helps small- to mid-size retailers easily integrate their offline merchandise onto Milo and eBay. Beginning with retailers who use QuickBooks point-of-sale systems, this software will allow independent retailers to upload their local inventory through a one-time, simple installation and will automatically share the real-time availability of their products with eBay’s 94 million active users globally, whether on eBay.com, eBay’s RedLaser mobile barcode-scanning application or Milo’s affiliate partner sites.

Combined with this week's $2.4 billion acquisition of GSI Commerce, the heightened focus on local commerce gives eBay some real ammunition against Amazon for the first time in recent memory.

New Index Shows Strong Growth in Mobile Payments

Linc Wonham — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 22:30:00 GMT

Mobile payments provider Zong has released the first installment of a new monthly report called the Zong Payment Index (ZPI), which tracks the spending patterns of the platform’s global user base and is broken down by its top 40 markets worldwide.

The ZPI is designed to reflect consumers' willingness to use mobile phones to buy digital goods online, their ability to use mobile phones to make purchases and the cost of mobile payments as determined by mobile operators’ fees.

“The ZPI helps us understand how our customers are using Zong and how we can improve the experience for them,” says CEO David Marcus. “We are dissecting how the different factors such as merchant availability and operator policies have a huge and direct effect on consumer behavior.”

The first installment of the ZPI introduces data and analysis up to February 2011. A summary of the key findings includes the following:

The global aggregate index shows that the average monthly spend per Zong user is up 37 percent in the last 12 months. This growth is attributed to an increase in available merchant locations, lower transaction fees and the introduction of higher spending limits set by mobile operators.
Total spend per Zong customer increased more than 50 percent in the last 12 months in Canada, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Germany and The Netherlands. Growth in user spend is primarily a result of operators changing spending limits and allowing customers to spend more per transaction.
The monthly spend per user in the U.S. decreased 8 percent from January 2011 to February 2011. This was primarily driven by a top-tier carrier temporarily decreasing the monthly spending limit from $100 to $25. The limit has since increased back to $100, allowing for an expected growth in monthly spend per customer.

Zong, which is the mobile payment provider for Facebook Credits and is accepted at over a thousand digital merchant sites, will continue to release the ZPI on a monthly basis.

What to Know About Google +1 for Web Professionals

Mike Phillips — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:20:00 GMT

Another change is taking place with Google's search rankings, on the heels of Google's Farmer Update. This one, +1, is all about the intersection of social and search.

From the official Google blog: "Our goal at Google is to get you the most relevant results as quickly as possible. But relevance is about relationships as well as words on webpages."

Social in search is nothing new to Google results. For a while now, we've all seen Twitter updates in Google's SERPs, for example. But +1 marks a whole new era. In short, by clicking a button next to search results users can recommend a result to everyone in their social graph, via Google profiles (see image below). This provides a citation from a "friend" -- and the new inbound link for SEO. So, whenever a user searches in Google, results voted up by members of that user's social graph will be profiled in the results.

Whether this is an admission of Facebook fear from Google or simply a natural evolution of search in an increasingly social Web, this has big implications for Web professionals.

What it Means to You

So what does this mean to the Web professional? The easiest and most appropriate answer is ... we're not sure. This appears to be a significant change to Google -- one of the most important companies on the planet that doesn't take change lightly. You can be sure that plenty of fail-safe's are in place and a kill switch is within reach. It's simply much too early to know how (or how much) this will change search, much less tried-and-true SEO practices. But, there are some things we can do to prepare for any such changes.

If you don't yet have a Google profile set up and optimized with your company information and pertinent links and Web pages, do so. Right now.

You can then check your current connections in the "Social Circle and Content" section of the Google Dashboard. This is who you currently might influence in search results, and who might influence your results. It should go without saying that expanding your Google social circle is an immediate priority for Web businesses. The more people in your circle, the more you can influence search results for them.

If you have an email newsletter and/or an email subscriber list, import the data. Look for those individuals with gmail accounts and start adding them to your Google social graph.

There's also a little Google property known as YouTube. Video is already indexed and prominently displayed in search results. Expect even more, now. That means not only creating and uploading video to YouTube, but branding your company's YouTube channel and making social connections through YouTube.com, in channel subscribers and friends.

Google is also offering +1 buttons for website owners to embed in their own sites. Users can then "like" the page and it should, therefore, become a more prominent page in search results. The +1 button can be obtained at google.com/wembaster/+1button.

AdWords, +1

You didn't think this algorithm change would be limited to organic results, did you? AdWords ads will also feature the +1 button so that users can recommend useful ads, based on their searches. Seen in the image here, if a personal contact cites the ad you will see that very personal recommendation.

For advertisers, this means great care should be taken to creat relevant, accurate and perhaps even entertaining ads. Think like Groupon – although you don't have near the same amount of characters to use, their descriptions of services being sold are highly engaging. What's more, +1 votes could ultimately affect Quality Score, thus bringing down advertising costs.

Staying Social

Google +1 obviously changes things and puts renewed importance on Google social tools. It's also in its very early stages. There will be questions and concerns, such as how much rankings are influenced by votes, whether the average user will vote for search results, and if the system is susceptible to gaming.

Keep in mind, too, that other social networks and websites should not be abandoned in any way. Facebook, Twitter and some others have emerged as powerful resources for Internet business and it will remain so. Even Google's blog acknowledges that the social Web is far bigger than just Google products: "Soon we may also incorporate other signals, such as your connections on sites like Twitter, to ensure your recommendations are as relevant as possible."

In short, we cannot ignore Google at any time and it appears that we will be forced to participate in Google's version of the social Web. But keep a balanced approach. Not everything Google is gold.

Optify Adds Social Features and Cloud APIs

Linc Wonham — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 18:00:00 GMT

Real-time marketing software and services provider Optify is extending its reach into organic search and social media. Closed-loop social media capabilities, enterprise-ready keyword features, link and page reports and the launch of Optify for the Cloud are among the new offerings included in the company’s updated platform for online marketers and publishers.

Optify’s new dashboard widget for Twitter for Business enables marketers to create and schedule tweets across multiple accounts, organize Twitter campaigns, score social media visitors and leads and track results from total visitors down to the individual lead. Marketers can also now track social media’s influence on SEO using the Pages application, which adds key indicators such as Facebook Likes and Shares.

The new release also includes Keyword Reports, showing keyword position over time and relative to competitors; Links, for link management; Pages, enhanced with social media metrics, and workflow and reporting features to optimize and align content for discovery.

Optify also announced cloud APIs that enable a broad range of custom reports and third-party applications to be powered by Optify data. Users can systematically enable data reporting in Excel, Tableau and other services.

Optify integrates with Salesforce.com and is now available on AppExchange.

Email Marketing for Super Affiliates

Linc Wonham — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 20:15:00 GMT

Make no mistake about it – email marketing is alive and well. It’s thriving, in fact, and email newsletters continue to be one of the most effective tools available to Web marketers and online businesses in every category.

A recent Pew Research study found that more than half (56 percent) of Internet users subscribe to an email newsletter of some kind, and marketers, merchants, brands and bloggers are increasingly using the platform to get their messages across to consumers.

The challenges, of course, include creating content that recipients will want to consume on a regular basis, and building a list of subscribers that fosters the growth of your business and revenues. Those issues are addressed in the upcoming May issue of Website Magazine’s feature article, Email Superhero Strategies.

But for superhero-strength email solutions, look no further than the list below. In no particular order, here are 10 services that can help a small business or affiliate website leap tall buildings in a single bound – and all that other good stuff.

MailChimp
One of the most popular solutions for small businesses making the transition from traditional blogging to full-scale email marketing, MailChimp offers an impressive array of up-to-date but easy-to-implement features, including the latest in social and mobile marketing. Pricing ranges from the free solution that includes up to 2,000 subscribers per month to a $240 package that covers up to 50,000 subscribers.

Campaigner
Also recognized for its ease of use, Campaigner is an excellent startup service that offers multiple features to help users create, send and track their email newsletters. Campaigner’s suite of tools includes its own image-editing tool that allows customers to manipulate images without having to use additional software. Pricing starts at $10 per month with a 30-day free trial and goes to $55 per month for up to 10,000 email addresses.

Campaign Monitor
A pair of Australian Web designers launched the software behind Campaign Monitor in 2004, and today the company provides email services for hundreds of thousands of Web marketers and businesses worldwide. Still based near Sydney, the service has stuck to its roots and caters especially well to the design community, but it is absolutely a full-service email marketing provider with a full feature list and attractive pricing for small businesses. Packages start at $15 per month for up to 500 subscribers and go up to $500 per month for up to 50,000 subscribers.

Constant Contact
Easy editing tools, numerous social features and the latest mobile functionalities help define Constant Contact’s email marketing services, as well as nearly 500 newsletter templates to choose from to which marketers can add their own colors and logos. Pricing starts at $15 per month, which includes a 60-day free trial and up to 500 subscriber addresses, and goes to $150 per month and higher for 25,000-plus subscribers.

Posterous
Not an email service provider per se, Posterous is a hugely popular microblogging site that has recently added features which allow users to transfer their blog content into email newsletters. We consider the service and the new feature definitely worth mentioning for affiliate blogging and small businesses starting email newsletters, and Posterous has intimated that email services will continue to be a focus going forward.

More suggestions
Since we threw you a little bit of an off-speed pitch with the Posterous mention, below are five more options to consider for super-charging your email marketing efforts. Don't forget to read the feature article in the May issue of Website Magazine for your Email Superhero Strategies.

Emma
Aweber
Listrak
StrongMail
ExactTarget

HootSuite Releases Simple, Useful, Ridiculously Costly Tool

Mike Phillips — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:30:00 GMT

HootSuite, the multi-social network manager has released a simple, yet very useful addition to their suite of tools. Dubbed HootSuite Secure Profiles, it allows account owners to require a confirmation before an update is published to social profiles. So, if a company profile (or several) is set this way, the user must use a slider (pictured below) as a confirmation before sending the message. It's a great idea – but sometimes what might seem like a good idea at the time, isn't. Just ask @ChryslerAutos.

The rub (and there is one, of course) is that Secure Profiles is only available to HootSuite Enterprise members -- so you have to pay. A lot. Enterprise plans start at a whopping $1,499 per month. Otherwise, just be sure to educate your staff on acceptable social practices. And hire smart people.

It's unfortunate that HootSuite isn't providing this tool for free. Wouldn't everyone be better off -- wouldn't the social Web be better off – with something like this available to everyone? I suspect a rival will soon have this feature available to all, for free, which could actually cause many users to switch their alliances – especially small business operators.

Yahoo's Flickr Affiliate Program

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:58:00 GMT

In a way, your website is not unlike any other in that you need visitors to remain sustainable and profitable. Whether income arrives from the sale of a product or the advertising impressions users generate, one of the best ways to get people in the door is through an affiliate program.

Yahoo just sent out an affiliate related notification announcing payouts on actions (leads and sign-ups) to its popular photo managment and sharing application Flickr. Flickr? Yes, Flickr.

Yahoo/Flickr will be paying $1.00 for a Flickr account sign-up and $5.00 for a sale of the Yahoo Flickr pro subscription. In reality, it is quite a generous payout. Editors note - the program is being run through Commision Junction.

As with other lead based actions in the Yahoo! affiliate program, Yahoo will not be paying comissions on incentivized traffic but they did note that they will allow incentivized traffic for paid Flickr Pro subscriptions. Imagine that.

Yahoo! has a long and troubled history when it comes to affiliate programs (anyone recall the Yahoo! Publisher Network?) but this does indicate a renewed interest - some of you might call it a desperate attempt - to reach out and work with community of Web professionals.

Topic Targeting in Google Display Network

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 19:04:00 GMT

Google announced that advertisers engaged in keyword-based contextual targeting on the its Display Network will now also be able to do so in a new way - selecting from over 1,750 topics and sub-topics.

Using keywords for contextual targeting has allowed advertisers to focus on a very specific set of pages including those terms in the display network Using topic-based contextual targeting however will be quite a departure.

Google will analyze all of the terms on a page to determine the topic - a pretty significant shift for those involved with contextual targeting through Adwords and publishers profiting from the ability via Adsense.

As with other targeting options on the Google Display Network, contextual targeting by topic supports all ad formats, such as text, display, video, and rich media, as well as all the available bidding options, such as cost-per-click (CPC), cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM), and cost-per-acquisition (CPA).

All in all, expect more advertisers to start exploring the opportunities in the Google Display network as its has quickly, thanks to topic targeting, become more accessible and “friendly” to those that may shy away from the complexities of keyword-based targeting.

Formstack Releases Landing Page Creator

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 18:12:00 GMT

Landing pages are the new candy pink stove (that means they’re in vogue) and the development and optimization of them is nearly an entire industry unto itself.

Formstack, a web based online form builder, today released a landing page creator for their paying members which is worth a look (see below).

The solution enables users to create simple single-page websites that contain stylized content, feeds, videos and as you might imagine – forms.

Users can also easily reorder the landing pages, change the layout, make style changes and even includes a custom CSS section.

This is a very logical progression for Formstack and one that shows their awareness of the needs of the Web professional using their service.

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Google Commerce Search 3.0 Boasts New Features

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:49:00 GMT

Google announced an update to its Commerce Search (GCS) product today and the new features aim to provide merchants and shoppers a more interactive and engaging experience.

Google has integrated its instant search feature (search as you type – see below for image from babyage.com) into GCS 3.0, returning product results as users type into the search box. Merchants will also be able to better align offline and online sales by displaying to shoppers when a product is available in a nearby store – right in-line with the search results.

Merchants will also be excited about the enhanced merchandising capabilities within the updated GCS. Retailers can now create product promotions that will display in banners alongside related search queries and even set up query-based landing pages.

Still in development but apparently upcoming for GCS are product recommendations. The feature will enable shoppers to make purchase decisions by showing them what others viewed and ultimately bought.

While none of these features is terribly unique as other commercial platform have offered similar technologies in terms of recommendations and merchandising capabilities, it does show Google’s renewed focus on created a competitive offering for merchants.

Pay-Per-View Video from DaCast

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 17:36:00 GMT

Self-service live-streaming platform DaCast has integrated a rather innovative payment system (dubbed Pay-in-Play) which is embedded into the DaCast video and audio player. That’s right – consumers will pay inside the video and audio player directly.

As far as I know this is one of the first fully integrated solutions to offer viewers a way to pay for premium content and for publishers to sell media. It’s like Pay-Per-View for the digital media set.

According to DaCast, based on a month long testing from a pool of beta-testers, conversion rates were increased by 233% - not too bad.

The DaCast Pay-in-Play system is currently available now to DaCast users. Broadcasters already using DaCast’s rich monetization features will see the new Pay-in-Play already integrated into their pay per view streams.

Facebook Commerce for the Socially Challenged

Linc Wonham — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 19:30:00 GMT

Today’s e-commerce merchants are being flooded with data claiming the explosive potential of Facebook storefronts. Consulting firm Booz & Company forecasts a 600-percent rate of growth in the next four years, resulting in a $30 billion market for products sold on the social network by 2015.

But that figure represents only a modest 4 percent of the projected growth of all online sales, meaning that Facebook commerce is an opportunity best suited for a minority of today’s retailers and not the vast majority. Socially driven categories such as music, games, travel and entertainment align well with selling product directly on Facebook, and numerous platforms and applications exist to make that possible.

But for the rest of the e-commerce industry, selling product directly on Facebook right now is more likely to alienate customers than drive conversions. In fact, the same Booz & Company report found that 73 percent of Facebook’s 600 million users say they will not shop directly on the site because of fears over security and privacy.

So, how do retailers outside of these few social categories most effectively connect with consumers on Facebook without compromising their comfort? To illustrate the best methods, we found the following examples of Facebook “commerce” for the less socially adept.

REI
The outdoor gear retailer doesn’t have a place on its Facebook pages where I can actually buy product or even browse through their inventory, but I can learn just about everything else I would want to know about the company before leaving the site to do just that at REI.com. As for being socially inept, REI has more than 177,000 Facebook Likes, so they must be doing something right. Most likely, it is the easy access to dozens of how-to articles and videos, expert advice, user reviews and the company blog right from Facebook, all linking directly to the company’s home page where I can find and purchase any item in their inventory when I am good and ready – but not before.

Skittles
I am so enamored with the iconic rainbow branding when I land on Skittles' opening Facebook page that I am motivated to buy a pack of the candies the next time I leave the office. With more than 1,000 photos, dozens of videos and more than 15 million Likes -- curiously, some of my own friends among them -- Skittles obviously knows how to engage and entertain Facebook users without having to sell the product directly to them online.

Newegg
When I arrive at Newegg’s Facebook page, I am met not with a product catalog or order form but instead a sweepstakes in which the grand prize is a full entertainment center for my mancave in honor of March Madness. There are plenty of other opportunities for me and the half-million fans to receive exclusive deals, product previews and promo codes, all of which will take me to the company site to make my purchases when I'm ready. There is no actual selling on Facebook, though; rather, this is the place where they’re practically giving it away for free.

Budweiser
Speaking of sweepstakes and promotions, I seem to remember something about the King of Beers running a contest in which Facebook Fans got to choose which commercials aired during the Super Bowl. I go to the page to confirm this and, sure enough, I’m met with another clever piece of branding that puts the product at the front of my mind without trying to sell it directly to me on Facebook. Audience participation appears to be the central theme of Bud’s Facebook presence, but I am so mesmerized by the larger-than-life red logos and the sweaty beer bottles that I add it to my shopping list right below Skittles. I am certain that I’m not the only one of three-quarters of a million fans to have had that same thought as we browsed the brewer’s Facebook pages.

Most consumers use Facebook to connect with friends, share ideas and to be visually or intellectually stimulated, which may or may not include making a purchase. By making those experiences as enjoyable, interactive and accessible as possible, the four retailers above have stimulated this consumer’s shopping instinct without selling me any actual product.

CPC Campaigns - Best Time of Day

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:30:00 GMT

What is the best time of day to run your CPC campaigns?

A recent study conducted by online customer acquisition firm NetElixir examined the time of day that online orders and clicks peak. The findings indicate that there is a daily pattern for both behaviors with orders peaking during midday, while clicks (indicating people researching products) increase steadily throughout the day. These behaviors can provide guidance to retail marketers on the best times to run online ads.

The research reveals that online purchases peak during the midday hours between 2:00PM – 7:00PM, while clicks increase steadily throughout the day starting in the morning hours to about 10PM. Unique visitors to the site and on-site purchases followed a distinct hourly pattern based on the 32 retailers studies (see chart below with the amount of clicks on the left Y axis and orders on the right Y axis). Activity for both orders and clicks is at its lowest point in the early hours of the morning and rise over the course of the day, with clicks steadily increasing throughout the day and orders rising more sharply and peaking in the afternoon hours.

NetElixir makes several recommendations for improving SEM effectiveness based on the study including breaking down perforamnce by the hour to increase aggregate rturn on investment, and applying time-bound search tactics.

“The search advertising industry in 2011 is hyper-competitive. Retailers need to adopt smart optimization techniques and intelligent SEM technology in order to compete with increasingly sophisticated advertisers,” said Udayan Bose, CEO of NetElixir. “Analyzing and understanding when shoppers search and purchase can help to create more precise and effective search engine marketing strategies.”

Mobile Search Insights - 49% Make Mobile Purchases

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 17:00:00 GMT

Performance marketing agency Performics last week released results from its 2011 Mobile Search Insights study.

The study revealed that of people using the mobile Web at least weekly, more than half (57 percent) use the mobile Web more than once/day, with more than three quarters (77 percent) using mobile search more than five times in the last month.

It's not just the frequency that is important however, but also the satisfaction and adoption of mobile search. 75 percent of respondents saud that mobile search makes their lievs easier and 53 percent said access tomobile search has changed the way they gather information.

“Mobile paid search has surged as a percentage of overall paid search spending for our clients, particularly over the last 15 months,” said Daina Middleton, CEO of Performics. “We expect March to be the double digit tipping point, when mobile paid search will represent at least ten percent of paid search impressions for all Performics clients.”

All that usage and value of course leads to one important thing - sales. 49 percent of respondents made a mobile purchase in the last six months. That's almost enough to make you rethink your mobile strategy entirely, right?

New Digital Payment Platform from American Express

Pete Prestipino — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 16:30:00 GMT

American Express today unveiled a digtal payment and commerce platform to address the changing ways consumers interact and exchange money - with one another and with merchants. Dubbed Serve, consumers can make purchases and person-to-person payments online via mobile phones, and at merchants accepting American Express cards. While this is not an alternative to merchants existing payment processing solutions, it could act as a good supplement.

“We intend to quickly evolve the Serve platform by adding new features and functionality as we learn from consumer and merchant experiences. To encourage a broad cross-section of people to experience the benefits and convenience of Serve, we are working with a range of partners to integrate Serve as a payment method and deliver customized offers, and we will waive most consumer fees for the next six months,” said Dan Schulman, Group President, Enterprise Growth, American Express.

Payments are the primary focus of the consumer-focused Serve platform, but a number of American Express partners will use the platform to deliver offers. Three of the first are Ticketmaster, Concur and Flipswap. Ticketmaster will offer Serve as a platform for customers to make and collect payments toward ticket purchases from other customers. Concur will utilize Serve as an expense management and reimbursement method for transactions processed via Concur’s small business expense reporting service, Concur Breeze. Flipswap will utilize Serve to issue refunds more quickly to consumers who sell or trade in their old mobile and cell phones for reuse or recycling.

“A cornerstone of the long-term vision for Serve is developing partnerships with commerce, gaming, entertainment, and social networking organizations,” said Mr. Schulman. Partnerships, with players such as Ticketmaster, Concur and Flipswap will introduce Serve to new customers and help build scale. These companies have loyal communities of customers, and we are thrilled to partner with them as we grow and expand Serve's reach.”