Bet You Didn’t Know Micro Blogging Could Be This Simple

by Karri Flatla

When I finally did get on the micro blogging bandwagon (and no, I don’t count Facebook, not even the “new” one), I put my profile on pretty much all of the Twitter-ish sites I could find. Hey, why not? It’s sort of like one of those drinking games where you do a bunch of different shooters in about half and hour, realize most of them just make you want to throw up and go back to your favourite beer the following Saturday.

My favourite beer is Twitter. My favourite shooter is Ping.fm. Both have a special place in my repertoire, and I’ve not puked even once. A veteran knows how to pace herself. Here’s what works for me in the micro blogosphere, hangover free:

1) Twitter is my water cooler. (And yes, I was calling it that BEFORE Joel Comm or anyone else called it that. So there.) As such, it has a special place on my desktop via the twhirl app. Tried others. Came back to twhirl. So, I take a sip of water often throughout the day, and if I see a good conversation going on “over there,” I park myself at the water cooler for a few, give and get some advice, be entertained, gossip a little about my own life and then it’s back to work. Refreshing without feeling like I’m drowning.

2) Ping.fm is my broadcast. It’s no micro blogging tool, and it wasn’t meant to be one. It’s  for blasting a short message that you want everyone you know and might want to know a little better to read. I use Ping.fm for general, marketing related communications as well as other juicy bits that may be of interest to my kin. And when I Ping I Ping it good. I Ping LinkedIn, Facebook (uh, the new one), Twitter, Plurk, Pownce, Plaxo and so on.

There are so many ways to slice up the micro blogging pie. At the end of the day though, Twitter is where I hang out. It’s my community. Maybe Bebo is yours. (What’s a Bebo?) Ping.fm is what its name implies: a way to reach a lot of people without getting too personal. Sort of like radio. 

The best way to illustrate my micro blogging strategy(?) would be with examples.

Twitter Post Examples:

• Want to try the new Ping.fm for micro blogging en mass? It’s in beta. DM me for the code.
• My laptop would make a better doorstop. Where are the best laptop deals in Canada online?
• The next kid that pulls the cord on my modem is getting put up for adoption. Takers?
• Woohoo! Just signed a new client who loved the website audit we did. Nice lead gen tool.

Ping.fm Post Examples:

• New Search Engine Guide post – Bet You Didn’t Know Micro Blogging Could Be This Simple – http://searchengineguide.com/karri-flatla/etc
• Star Wars-meets-Izzy-Izzard skit in Lego. Funniest thing I’ve ever seen on YouTube – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw [No really, you do have to see it].
• Latest newsletter went out today. New whatever offered for download to all subscribers.
• If you like purple widgets, Digg this – http://www.somewebsite.com/somepressrelease.html

See? Nuthin’ hard about this micro blogging thing. We’re all connected now, and that doesn’t have to be overhwhelming. Just pick your pleasure on the micro stuff and stick with it (i.e. Twitter for me). And Ping the macro once a day or once a week. No hangovers. No headaches. No hassles.

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The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist for Product Pages

by Stoney deGeyter

This is a continuation of a series of website marketing checklists. Check out all Web Marketing Checklists in this series.

What this is about: This list covers multiple issues for individual product pages. These are the pages which generally provide information on a single product only.

Why this is important: The product page has a very singular focus: one product. It’s job is to provide the visitor with the information about that product they need to be convinced that it is exactly what they are looking for. If you’re product pages cannot convince visitors to buy, then you’re simply dead in the water.

What to look for:

• Visible calls to action: Make sure you place strong visual calls to action where they will be most beneficial (near the product).
• Clear contact info (phone #): Provide a means to contact you should the potential buy have a question. A link to a contact us page is good, a phone number is better.
• Consistent layout: The layout of the product pages should be consistent from page to page.
• Clear pricing: Pricing should be clearly distinguishable from the rest of the product content. Bigger and bolder is better.
• Show additional fees: If there are any additional fees associated with the product, make them clear now.
• Clear product presentation: Keep page neat and tidy with the focus on the product itself.
• Show shipping cost: If shipping is fixed, or there are a variety of shipping options, show the additional costs.
• Show availability: If products have a tendency to be sold out, on back order or otherwise unavailable, make sure availability is clearly displayed.
• Provide delivery options, details: Provide multiple delivery options and the associated details (overnight, standard, etc.)
• Estimate delivery date: Provide and estimation of delivery date so customers know when they can expect to receive the item.
• Link to site security info: Provide links to your security and privacy policies.
• Return / guarantee info: Provide, or link to, details regarding return and or/ guarantee policies. Shoppers feel better knowing you have such policies, even if they don’t read them.
• Allow “save for later”: Not every visitor wants to buy right now. Allow an option to save the item for a later time.
• Related products & up sells: Show similar or related products and use product pages for additional up-sell opportunities.
• Clear product image: Make sure product image is clear and clean. No blurries.
• Describe images: Use word to describe what the the visitor sees in each image, don’t just rely on the image to do the selling.
• Enhanced multiple image views: Provide alternate image views of the product. Larger, different angles, etc.
• Product description: Provide a compelling description for each product. Be sure it’s unique, even among similar products.
• Product details & specs: Give the visitor as much information as possible, including specifications, visual details, how to use it, etc.
• Product selection options: If the product comes in various flavors (colors, sizes, etc.) be sure to provide those options, and note pricing differences for each.
• Customer product reviews: Create the option for shoppers to review your products or link to other sites that review the products you sell.
• Product comparisons: Provide comparisons with your own products as well as comparisons of your products against other, similar products. Be honest in your assessments.
• Printer-friendly option: Provide a printer-friendly link for those who want to show the product to someone else before purchasing.
• “Add to cart” close to item: Keep the “add to cart” button very close to the item itself.
• Secondary “add” button at bottom: If product pages contain lots of information, a second “add to cart” button is valuable at or near the bottom of the page.
• Standardized product categorization: When categorizing your products, be careful to use categorizations that others can follow. Use standardized conventions where possible.
• Clutter-free page: Keep product pages free of excessive clutter. Eliminate all non-relevant information.
• Provide International pricing: If you ship internationally, make sure internationally pricing is available.
• Provide product search: Provide an option that allows shopper to search for other products to their liking.
• Emphasis brand quality and trust: If you sell brand name products, use that to your advantage.
• Compare to offline competitors: If you compete against trusted offline stores, make the argument why customers should buy from you rather than them.
• Short URLs with keywords: Keep product page URLs short and use keywords rather than product IDs.

Did I miss anything? Add to this list with your comments below.

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The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist for Shopping Basket Pages

by Stoney deGeyter

This is a continuation of a series of website marketing checklists. Check out all Web Marketing Checklists in this series.

What this is about: This checklist covers items pertaining to the actual shopping basket page where products are accumulated before the shopper checks out and finalizes their purchase.

Why this is important: Visitors place items in their online shopping basket for many reasons, one of which is with the intent to buy. But they don’t always complete the purchase, often abandoning the cart with products left in it. Being able to close holes in the checkout process can increase conversion rates, getting more sales and higher return on investment.

What to look for:

• Make new products added obvious: When a new product is added to the cart, make sure it’s obvious. Don’t bury the new product at the end of the list, instead, place it at the front.
• Obvious checkout link: Once the visitor hits this page they need to be driven toward the purchase. Don’t hide the checkout link on the page.
• Product descriptions: Provide a recap of the products they have in the basket, including short descriptions of each.
• Product image: Include an image of each product they have added to the basket.
• Show availability: If availability is in question, make sure the visitor knows this when they are reviewing their order.
• Updatable quantities: Shoppers should be able to increase or decrease quantity of each individual product.
• Ability to remove items: Be sure that products are easy to remove from the basket should the shopper change their mind about any single item.
• Link to products: Link each product back to it’s product page to allow shoppers to revisit the details of the product easily.
• Product price: Price for each product should be clearly displayed, along with totals if multiple quantities are added.
• Payment options: Provide a list of your payment options for the shopper.
• Promos/vouchers explained: If you offer any promos or discount vouchers, be sure to explain this, allowing the proper information to be entered.
• Link to security: Link to pages outlining information security policies.
• Link to guarantees: Provide a link to any warranty or guarantee information as it pertains to each product.
• Show delivery costs: Provide delivery cost estimations with various delivery options.
• Show delivery date: Allow visitors to see expected delivery date for each item or entire shipment.
• Allow gift options: Where applicable, allow option for products to be presented as gifts to someone other than the purchaser.
• “Continue shopping” link or options: Provide a link to allow the visitor to continue shopping if they are not ready to checkout.
• Show contact information: Provide contact information on basket page allowing shoppers to ask questions about any products they still may be hesitant about.
• No advertising/upselling: Don’t use the basket page for additional advertising or upselling. Securing the sale of the already-added products is most important.
• Don’t keep personal info w/o authorization: Before storing personal information such as credit card data, be sure shopper approves of that information being stored.
• Shipping questions answered: Do your best to provide, or to link to, answers regarding shipping and delivery questions.
• International shipping: Let shoppers know if you do or do not ship internationally.
• International address forms: If you do ship internationally, make sure your address forms can accommodate the unique addressing requirements of other countries.

Did I miss anything? Add to this list with your comments below.

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The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklists for Mini Baskets

by Stoney deGeyter

This is a continuation of a series of website marketing checklists. Check out all Web Marketing Checklists in this series.

What this is about: This list covers a few items regarding mini-baskets. These are the portions of the page that show real-time updates to the information added to the shoppers cart.

Why this is important: Since mini-baskets are ever-present through the shopping experience, the information here can be vital to the visitor, helping them keep track of items, total costs and links back to products already added.

What to look for:

• Make new products added obvious: When a new product is added to cart, the mini-basket should be updated showing the last item added.
• Link to full basket page: Mini-basket should provide a link to the full basket page providing a quick access to make the purchase.
• Allow removal of products: Allow visitors to remove products from the shopping basket without having to go to the full basket page.
• Show order total: Keep a total of all items added to the cart.

Did I miss anything? Add to this list with your comments below.

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Copywriting for the Busy

by Mike Moran

I’m constantly amazed by the folks in direct mail who send out these long letters asking me to sign up for one more credit card—I know they work, but it’s not my style (and it doesn’t work well on the Web). I am often reminded of a story from my youth—the 1960s—when a long-haired hippy was struggling to get a ride to his destination. The hitchhiker kept sticking out his thumb, but no one stopped. Finally, he scrawled on a piece of cardboard, “Going to the Barber” and he was picked up within minutes. Now, that’s copywriting.

You see, copy doesn’t need to be long to be effective. In fact, on the Web, the shorter copy often tests better because people scan more than they read. What is important is that you understand your target market, what they care about, and what will persuade them.

So, our hitchhiker realized that the people who owned cars in the 1960s were unlikely to be fellow hippies. And his appearance was turning off the few who might be willing to give him a ride. The idea that he was ready to change his appearance was enough to get someone to decide to stop. The key was for the hitchhiker to stop thinking about what he wanted (a ride) long enough to come up with a motivator for his audience.

Often, we marketers are guilty of the same blindness. In our quest for a sale (what we want), we often fail to understand what our audience wants. And we blather on and on in verbose fashion about all the little features of our offering, and how wonderful our employees are, and how committed we are to customer satisfaction and blah, blah, blah…

But do our customers care? Often, they don’t. Now, you’re unlikely to be as persuausive as our hitchhiker with one sentence of copy. Both customers and search engines tend to like more than that, just so they know what you are talking about. But do talk about what the customer is interested in.

Customers usually have a problem that needs to be solved. It could be a practical left-brain problem (my gutters are leaking) or a hard-to-articulate right brain problem (I feel too unattractive to date)—it doesn’t matter. Either way, you need to frame your sales pitch in the parlance of the customer rather than in your own industry-speak. I might not know what a “leader” is or when the last time my gutter was cleaned. I might not know whether I want a matchmaking service or a makeover. (Or a haircut, you hitchhikers.)

But that is what the marketer needs to find out. That’s what you need to write about. And when you get it right, you can persuade your audience in relatively few words. Mark Twain famously said, “If I had more time, I could have made it shorter.” Remember that the right words carefully chosen do the trick and that we pile on more and more because we don’t actually know what people are looking for, not because more is better.

And I better end here before this post itself starts to run on too long…

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Web Equals Opportunity Equals Hope

by Sage Lewis

Sage opens with a rather depressing look at the Dow Jones, offering up examples of companies like Meryll Lynch and AIG that have taken some pretty serious hits. The tone lifts though as Sage infuses his typical optimistic attitude into the situation. He encourages people who might be struggling to consider using the web as a means to bring in income.

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The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist for Shopping Checkout Processes

by Stoney deGeyter

This is a continuation of a series of website marketing checklists. Check out all Web Marketing Checklists in this series.

What this is about: This list covers items regarding the actual checkout process of the shopping experience, after products are added and the visitor moves to complete the purchase of the items in the cart.

Why this is important: If visitors only add products to the cart but abandon the cart or get confused in the checkout process conversions will be low as will profit. The more proper cues you can provide that give the shopper confidence and assurances about their purchase, the less likely they will be to dump the cart or lose interest before closing he deal.

What to look for:

• No hidden fees: Don’t use the checkout process to add additional hidden fees. All fees should be spelled out in the basket page.
• No pre-registration: Don’t require shoppers to register before purchasing. Let them fill out the form and then add a password at the end of the process.
• Keep checkout process short: The fewer steps the shopper has to take to purchase the less likely they will be to abandon the shopping process.
• Show benefits of registration: At end of process, show benefits to being a registered customer:

  • Faster checkout in future: They won’t have to fill out all the information each time they order.
  • Access to order history: Shoppers have access to complete order history at any time.
  • Check order status: Status of order is available anytime shoppers login.
  • Saved for later information: They can buy some products now and save others for purchase another time.
  • Access to special promotions: Shoppers will be provided special offers and discounts that they can benefit from.
  • Personalization: They will have a more personalized shopping experience based on their order history.
  • Joining a community: If fitting, point out the community that user will join once registering.

• Show checkout progress meter: When checking out requires multiple steps, make sure the number of steps is mapped out throughout the process, identifying each current step along the way.
• Effective after-order follow-up: The order is not the end, be sure to provide sufficient after-order follow-up to keep involved with the purchaser.
• Receipt / Confirmation: Provide a order confirmation receipt allowing the shopper to review the order, pricing and products purchased.

  • Printable: Receipt should be web-based and printable for easy record keeping.
  • Emailed: Email a copy of the receipt to the shopper.
  • Thank you message: Provide a strong message of thanks for the shopper. Providing additional information about customer satisfaction is a good idea.
  • Order number: Receipt should have the order number for easy follow up reference.
  • Order date: Provide the date the order was placed with the confirmation.
  • Items purchased: List all items purchased including descriptions and links.
  • Expected delivery date: If order cannot ship right away, provide a date in which shipment can be expected to go out.
  • Payment method: Note method of payment, including credit card type and last numbers of credit card if applicable.
  • Cancellation policy: Provide information or links to order cancellation policies.
  • How to cancel: Provide additional information on the steps necessary to cancel the order if necessary (different from policies).
  • Return policy: Provide information or links to order return policies. This should also include a return address.
  • Address return costs: Be sure to address all concerns regarding the costs of returns as applicable.
  • After-sale guarantees: Provide information on your customer satisfaction guarantees as well as any warranties provided.

Did I miss anything? Add to this list with your comments below.

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Pay Per Click Advertizing Inflation and a Call for a Revolution

By Noam Bleiweiss (PPC Tech)

I don’t normally do this, but it’s time for a revolution. And since – apparently — no one else is willing to lead this one, I’m forced to take the reins. You see, PPC doesn’t have to be as competitive or expensive as it currently is. All it takes is some cooperation and teamwork, and we’ll all be seeing positive results in no time.

An ill-fated occurrence

PPC Inflation is a recent (and unfortunate) phenomenon that has been – to the delight of Google and friends – occurring for more and more helpless keywords. As you PPC players may have noticed, the cost per-click necessary to maintain an above-the-fold position keeps rising. Don’t you see that this is exactly what they want?? This must stop!

PPC Inflation Defined

PPC Inflation takes place when more and more site owners decide to advertise online, blindly bidding for the top “Sponsored Link” position. The more inexperienced competitors use this medium, the more expensive it will continue to get for everyone involved. When one schmuck comes in with a super-high bid, all our CPCs are forced up along with theirs! It’s just not fair. Companies should have to pass a cognitive exam before being allowed to launch a PPC campaign. Alas, since that is not in the best interest of the powers that be, I am forced to call for a revolution. Let’s all put down our weapons, and team up to stop PPC Inflation once and for all!

World Series of PPC

You see, Pay Per Click Advertising is much like the lovely game of poker. Beside the fact that it is ultra-competitive and (surprisingly) addicting, a main pattern that pros in both fields will notice is that it is more favorable to compete with other professionals. In poker, novices tend to over-bet, often forcing you to put more money into the pot than you would have liked. In PPC, newbies tend to over-bid, automatically aiming for the top spot, and often forcing EVERYONE’S cost per-click to be more than they would have like.

Lower Prices for Everyone

Now I am no Doyle Brunson (a.k.a. Legendary Poker Champion, to our non-gambling readers) but I do have a dream. While I am in no position to write a “PPC Bible,” what I am able to do is give a slogan that could (read: should) begin a PPC revolution: Sometimes it’s wiser to not aim for #1. This may go against what your Pee Wee coaches instilled in your mind, but it will make the PPC world a better place for us all. Take it, love it, steal it, and spread it. If we all learn to play like professionals, we will all profit like professionals. And if that seems too complicated, you should probably just hire a professional.

Viva la revolution!

The Search Marketing Trinity: Brand, Category and Geography

It is important for both clients and online marketers to remember that Google, YAHOO and MSN haven’t invented Marketing Strategies and Methodologies, although there is a healthy ongoing debate as to whether they are actively reinventing them that is occurring daily.

Online Media Buying Campaigns have simply repurposed traditional marketing and advertising concepts – by integrating them with a new and emerging internet based delivery platform and technology, Internet Search Marketing.

“Local Search” and “Metro Targeting” are recent examples of this evolutionary phenomenon being ported over from traditional media distribution channels to online marketing delivery platforms. Although these strategies are relatively new advances for online marketing professionals, geo targeted strategies and options are old news to the Radio and Cable TV Spot Market Professionals and Media Buyers.

Brand, Category and Geography – Marketing Strategy and Brand Positioning 

Identifying and using Brand, Category and Geography as thematic elements of a Search Engine Marketing Campaign allows for both a strategic and a structural alignment between the Advertising Client and their Online Marketing Agency.

Using these targeting parameters will better focus each Client’s Marketing Plan and Strategy and more effectively manage their online ad budget, whether the account and their clientele are local, regional, national or international.

Information vs. Interpretation

I saw an Ad for a financial company recently on TV. It stating that success in the financial marketplace was 40% information and 60% interpretation and that the level of skilled interpretation the advertiser was offering to its clients was its added value benefit.

This holds true for online marketing too – information is extremely important but it is the interpretation of the information that leads to the effective creation of successful online marketing strategies. 

Information

Brand, Category and Geography are informational elements.

Brand represents product identity, product associations, positioning strategy, added value, company profile, brand history and brand perception. If a company is a new company – than there is no “brand perception” and building a brand and a brand strategy is the task at hand.

Category provides data on the competition/key competitors as well as keyword strategies and inventories, Ad display channels, trade mags/websites and social networking opportunities.

Geography focuses on local, regional and national ad campaigns as well as other demographic informational targets like male/female, age targets, trend data and distribution channel related geo-delivery factors.

Interpretation

The strategic interpretation of this collated information allows for a trusted and detailed communication between the client and their online marketing agency – centered on goal setting and on obtaining specific, measurable results for the client’s products and/or services through online marketing advertising channels. 

The integration of traditional marketing concepts with online marketing distribution channels allows for innovative planning and engagement – while simultaneously creating standards with milestones for the client and the marketing agency to track and analyze over a given time period or during the run of a specific ad campaign.

Benefits to Clients using Brand, Category and Geo Targeting

• A unique marketing strategy and plan developed for each client
• Effective integration of traditional and emerging marketing technologies
• Strategic implementation of online marketing via multi-disciplinary team
• Efficient management of client’s resources and time 
• Targeted traffic that converts to sales

By: Terry Hayes – Sr. Creative, SEO Copywriter – www.ChaosMap.com  Email Terry with comments and feedback at:  thayes@chaosmap.com    

Back to Basics: What is Search Engine Marketing and Why Is It Important?

Traffic is important, but even more critical factors are click-through and conversion. Traffic is great, but traffic alone on your site does not pay the bills.What makes the ROI in Search Marketing so powerful is when visitors to your site are encouraged through best practices to click through, or look deeper into the site. Remember that your site is like a virtual salesperson. It must attract visitors, engage them in conversation, answer objections, present solutions to their needs and finally close the deal.Last and even most critical is the ability to generate and improve upon Web site traffic conversions. In a conversion, a visitor agrees to take the next step, to sign up for a white paper or account and even to purchase something from the site. This is the close, and without it you simply have visitors rather than customers.A properly thought out and executed strategy will include all of the facets mentioned above. This comprehensive approach can lead to dramatic improvements in all of these areas.