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Marketers still struggling with social media

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 12:25:17 +0000

According to a new article on Marketing Weeks' website, many online marketers are still struggling with making their social media investments work, despite their continuing and growing investment in the medium. This appears to be the result of a combination of poor social media marketing strategies and missing web analytics.

The article reports on a new survey from the Chartered Institute of Marketing, which suggests that just over a third, 35.5 per cent, of the 900 UK marketers spoken to think that their current social media activity is "not at all effective", with a mere 13.7 per cent thinking it is "extremely effective".

However, the great majority, 74.5 per cent, still intend to increase their investment in social media next year, despite seemingly either not knowing how current investments are performing or getting little value for money from them. Facebook seems to be the most successful social media brand for marketers at present. Sixteen per cent said they are generating a return on investment from it, with 15 per cent saying this about Twitter, though the study took place before the latter's launch of a simpler automated ad service, which is likely to make the platform more appealing to smaller internet marketers.

Social media marketing is no longer a new invention, and for marketers to struggle on investing without having a good grip on the ROI of their investment would suggest that a broader view of the channel is required. Wider metrics such as customer satisfaction, net promoter scores and referral likelihood are more suited to social media measurement than many traditional ROI metrics, and until marketers appreciate this, dissatisfaction with social media marketing will remain high.

Consumers dislike behavioural ad targeting, says study

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:20:52 +0000

Most online marketers would like to be able to target their advertising to online consumers who exhibit behaviours that suggest they are interested in what the marketer has to sell; promoting holidays to those looking at flight prices, potentially to those who have posted on a social network expressing their desire to get away. For example, according to a report from Econsultancy, some 75 per cent of UK companies are thought to use Facebook now as a marketing channel, often using consumers' personal information to target them with bespoke offers.

However, using consumers' personal information for internet marketing to them is not without controversy. A new article on Econsultancy this week highlights some new research from UK polling company YouGov that suggests that targeting adverts to consumers based on their social media activity is unpopular.

The survey, which spoke to 1,275 UK consumers, suggested that almost half, 47 per cent, of social media users do not like seeing advertisements that are based on their profile activities. Some 44 per cent claim they wouldn't be more interested in products that their friends have followed or liked, whilst 43 per cent are unlikely to talk about a product on a social media site, even after hearing something positive about it. Just under a quarter of respondents actually said they use Facebook less now than they did a year ago, and 19 per cent expect to use it less in a year that they do today.

Behavioural advertising is not about to go away, but it would seem that marketers need to be considerably more subtle about it if they are not to turn users away.

Experts question whether Wikipedia has too much prominence on Google

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 11:03:38 +0000

Google remains one of the planet's leading search engines, attracting millions of traffic every day. However, it has been questioned by some experts whether the search engine gives too much prominence to Wikipedia over other websites.

A new study undertaken by Intelligent Positioning, highlighted that in many cases, Google seem to favour Wikipedia in its search findings. For 99 per cent of searches on Google UK, Wikipedia appears on page one according to research of 1,000 randomly generated search terms. The ramifications are great if you are creating SEO content, as it could mean that whatever terms you are using, you will also lose out on a top spot to Wikipedia.

The data of the study revealed that of the 99 per cent appearances of Wikipedia on the first page, 96 per cent of the entries were found in the top five positions. Looked at in even detail, it is noted that 56 per cent of searches have Wikipedia placed at number one, whilst the online encyclopaedia appears in second place for 24 per cent of searches.

Though it is unsurprising that Wikipedia provides lucrative search results for many informational terms, experts have highlighted that there are cases where some of the website's lower quality pages still appear high in the rankings, even though they have little content on them.

Wikipedia remains the undeniable king of content for Google search, and in many cases offers readers with the ideal answer to their questions. However, for those developing marketing strategies, looking at Wikipedia search terms will help define keywords that could be used for SEO content.

Digital marketers hold social media as a top priority

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:31:39 +0000

It has been found in a study of digital marketing trends that social media engagement remains a number one priority for online advertising agencies. The report, published by Econsultancy, showed that some of the most exciting opportunities for the year ahead lay in social media, and that companies could take advantage of the platform to increase business interest and sales.

Though the Quarterly Digital Intelligence Briefing revealed that digital agencies understand social media to be an important platform, the survey also discovered that many companies lacked the analytic and measurement tools to understand long-term growth. Alongside search engine marketing, social media engagement is a key priority, with those questioned in the report placing the two areas ahead of mobile optimisation, content marketing and conversion rate optimisation. Meanwhile, of the companies asked about the most exciting prospect for 2012, 54 per cent put social media engagement ahead of all other areas, indicating that this niche would see huge growth this year.

Such data shows that actively engaging with social media is one of the areas at the forefront of internet marketing. This is not at all surprising seeing as the modern day consumer wants to be able to interact with brands and companies far in advance of purchasing products or services. However, the report has established that agencies need to invest far more into their analytics tools if they wish to see social media engagement provide a successful long-term area in which to push up sales and business.

Drinks body initiates online campaign for alcohol marketing

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 11:49:28 +0000

Changes could be coming to how companies advertise alcoholic beverages online, with the European Forum for Responsible Drinking (EFRD) initiating a campaign to urge responsible marketing on the internet. Like many sectors, the alcoholic drinks industry has turned to social media and internet marketing as a way to increase sales. EFRD is now looking to ensure that advertisement is done in a safe way, revealing that they have produced supportive guidelines on the matter.

In September 2011, the Distilled Spirits Council of the US joined forces with the EFRD to produce a report of self-regulatory guidelines to aid online promoters market their beverages responsibly. EFRD has now announced that it has launched a new training tool on its website to offer even more guidance to agencies and marketers working with drinks companies.

Included in the guidelines are suggestions that alcohol branded pages on Facebook cannot be accessed by people under 18. In addition, the report indicates that companies should seek to remove inappropriate content generated by users from their Facebook pages in less than 48 hours.

The move is an important step in online marketing after a number of lobbying groups accused drinks brands of exploiting social media to draw young consumers into their market. With social media continuing to see increased use, especially from the younger generation, the EFRD said that it was important to ensure that marketing is carried out responsibly. In addition, for brands following the self-regulated guidelines, changes in social media use could be noted in the upcoming months.

Google add new languages to web analytics

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:05:55 +0000

If you are running a website of any kind and are trying to get an in-depth look at visitor diversity, Google Analytics offers an ideal tool to use. With easy integration into any website so that you can compare web traffic, sources, length of time spent on your site and much more, the internet tool has become a vital resource for many. Now, Google Analytics have revealed that it has added nine new languages to the service.

Website analytics are a powerful tool that can provide you with the data you need to increase any marketing efforts that you may be making. Wherever in the world you may be, you can utilise the service to break down the traffic to your website and discover the real people behind the statistics. In addition, though Google already provided the service in 31 languages, they have added a further nine.

The newly introduced languages including Arabic, Croatian, Hebrew, Hindi, Latvian, Romanian, Serbian, Slovenian and Ukrainian, allowing an increased number of individuals to utilise the free services to benefit their marketing campaigns. Changing languages within the tool is easy, and you need only activate Google Analytics latest version. A quick navigation to the tool's settings page then allows you to change text to any one of the nine new languages.

For any website owner looking into internet marketing, the latest additional language options may offer increased ease of use. In addition, if you are using Adwords and other strategies to drive website traffic, being able to utilise Google Analytics in your native language will offer many benefits.

Marketing innovation in 2012

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 10:07:19 +0000

With so much going on in internet marketing and the digital world as a whole, it is hard to figure out what the real developments to keep an eye on are and what is likely to end up falling by the wayside. A new post on the Econsultancy blog provides some guidance, as the company spoke to a number of experts to get their views. So, what is going to be hot in 2012?

* Mobiles: specifically, more multichannel integration using smartphones and tablets. Expect to see a boom in applications developed specifically for tablets, as well as marketing campaigns that place the mobile at the heart of a multiple channel strategy.

* More efficient use of data: the amount of data available to marketers has exploded over the last few years, and few marketers make full (or any?) real use of it. Being able to truly track channel attribution, for example, will be a strong demand in 2012, as well as a drive towards consolidation of data into a single platform or easy to use dashboard. Marketers need to be able to see all their relevant data in one place, to be able to see the wider context and ideally compare the ROI of all their marketing channels together using a common set of measurements.

* Growing importance of video: especially given the increasingly practicality of watching video and catch-up television across your smartphone. Video coupled with marketing, such as vouchers, could be a big thing in 2012.

Do you agree? What are your recommendations on what to watch out for in 2012?

First survey: consumers dislike Google personalised results

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:50:41 +0000

Google's new personalised search, which provides users with search results tailored to them using knowledge from previous searches as well as information from their social links, has been rolled out for around a month in the US, and we are starting to see some initial consumer feedback on the service.

Recently, market research company, Ask Your Target Market surveyed 400 US adults about their usage of and attitudes to the new personalised search. According to this, it would seem that the majority of these respondents are currently ambivalent, at best, about the new functionality.
According to the survey, 38 per cent of respondents always use Google when they need a search engine, just fewer than 28 per cent mostly use Google, 15.5 per cent sometimes use it and 17 per cent use a different search engine. When asked whether they "like the idea of personalizing search results based on past searches and info from your social networking sites?"

Just 15.5 per cent said an unequivocal yes, whilst 45 per cent said no, they thought everyone should see the same results when searching the same keyword; 39 per cent said yes but they had some concerns about privacy. Over 44 per cent said they would be more likely to use Google+ if they knew they would get more tailored search results.

Of course, having more experience with the tool might change user's minds, and this is a very small, early survey. However, it does give food for thought; is the relentless push towards search and internet marketing personalisation really what users want?

SEO: good or bad?

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 10:43:49 +0000

According to a new story, a fairly new Google employee, Jon Rockway, has stated publicly "SEO is bad for the internet". Why does he say this? Well, according to him, SEO "can't scale" and "isn't good for users or the internet at large ... manipulating Google results shouldn't be something that you feel entitled to be able to do."

While this would seem an odd thing for a Google employee to say, on further reading, it would seem that Rockway is a little unsure as to what he is really referring to when he talks about SEO; he goes on to say that "If you want to rank highly in Google, be relevant for the user currently searching. Engage him in social media or email, provide relevant information about what you're selling, and, generally, be a "good match" for what the user wants."

As far as we can see, that is pretty much what good SEO is all about anyway; making sure your site is genuinely interesting and relevant for your target audience, and recognised as such through social linkages from your peers, experts and consumers. What Rockway appears to dislike so much is the deliberate padding of sites with search terms, or filling with generic content with popular terms thrown in almost randomly. This is not good SEO, and the Google algorithm is increasingly wise to the behaviour anyway.

Good SEO works to improve both websites and results for searchers, in addition to the paid for ads prompted by their search. What do you think? Is SEO good for the internet?

Super Bowl Ads Get Users Googling

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:56:40 +0000

Whether you are an American Football fan or not, you cannot help but have seen coverage of this year's Super Bowl over the last couple of days. What is interesting about the Super Bowl, for even those with an antipathy towards televised sports, is that a huge amount of the buzz online these days is not about the game itself, but about the ads and entertainment, both TV spots and internet marketing, that surround it, and how they drive online behaviour.

According to a new post over at Searchenginewatch, the most searched term during the game was not either team, the New York Giants or the New England Patriots, but Madonna, who performed during the half time break. The actual term "half time show" was the second most popular search term during the game itself. During the game, just under half, 41 per cent, of people searching for Super Bowl related terms used their mobiles to do so, illustrating the now common behaviour in both the US and Europe of simultaneously multimedia multitasking.

Super Bowl commercials or teaser ads were watched an amazing 30 million times on YouTube before the game even began this weekend. Whilst the game was being played, the number of tweets per minute peaked at over 12k per second, the second highest number of all time, the first being Japanese anime movie Castle in the Sky, which exceeded 25k per second in December 2011. This just goes to show that even during the most exciting of events, the urge to jump online is now very hard to resist for many.

Olympics to Boost UK Ad Spend

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:44:36 +0000

A new study by Warc, the marketing research company, forecasts that UK ad spend will rise by over four per cent this year, driven in part by the Olympics. The report, the International Ad Forecast, actually suggests that spend in most major advertising markets will rise in 2012, overall, they forecast the market to grow by 4.5 per cent (though this falls to a real rise of 1.9 per cent when inflation is taken into account).

The greatest growth will be seen in the fast moving, less recession-hit economies of India, Russia and China, all of whom are forecast to grow by at least 11.5 per cent, with Brazil not far behind at 8.5 per cent (at current prices).

By contrast, countries such as France and Germany in recessionary Europe will see single digit growth of around one per cent, with Italy actually forecast to see a reduction in spend of 0.8 per cent. This is the only country to see a contraction in spend though, which, given the economic climate, should be at least a little encouraging.

Over in the US, the growing media juggernauts that are the presidential election campaigns were forecast to help boost US ad spend by 4.1 per cent in 2012. Canada is forecast to hit a little higher, at 5.1 per cent, whilst Japan will see just 2.5 per cent growth. A different study suggests that US online advertising spend will overtake print for the first time this year, a major milestone that we'll probably see much trumpeted if it happens.

Worldwide FMCG giant Proctor and Gamble has already said that it is now looking to rapidly move more of the its $10 billion a year ad budget into digital marketing, having somewhat belatedly realised the cost efficiencies that internet marketing can bring it; expect to see other global brands doing the same.

How Affiliate Sites Can Best Exploit SEO

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 09:36:14 +0000

If you are running a network of affiliates as part of an affiliate marketing strategy, or simply work as an affiliate yourself, it is worth taking note of an interesting new article published on Searchenginewatch.

The article addresses how affiliates can use SEO to their advantage to make themselves stand out in a very crowded marketplace.

Some of the top tips include, firstly, clearly defining your niche, where many affiliates fail; by trying to appeal widely and thus develop a number of affiliate partnerships, generic affiliate sites fail to appeal to any partners. A site has to have a clearly defined target audience, and add value to them over and above what their partners can. Ideally, a target niche should have less competitive (and thus cheaper) keywords.

Speaking of keywords, another tip is to ensure the keywords you are using are realistic. In a competitive environment, there is no point trying to, for example, outbid Amazon for "Dan Brown". Instead, spend some time in figuring out what the lower traffic but more realistic terms for your budget and targets might be.

Then, you have to make sure your site is relevant for your niche and your keywords. The best way to do this is to publish interesting, relevant and unique content; nothing cut and pasted from other sources, and nothing generic. Keep content fresh and encourage other sites (and readers) to link to it, and link back to relevant, high quality sites.

None of this need be overly expensive, but if your affiliate strategy is to be successful, it is all essential stuff.

Facebook Finally Go For IPO

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:40:12 +0000

The worst kept secret of the last few weeks is now finally official confirmed; the goliath of the social networking world, Facebook, is finally filing for an IPO.

The S-1 filing document placed for the offering in the US makes for interesting reading for those who have been watching the rise of the social media brand, from its humble college based origins of some mere eight years ago to the market-dominating (and guiding) worldwide name it is today,

For example, over the past two years, advertising revenue has increased from $764 million to over $3.1 billion, an almost four-fold rise. What is the reason for this? According to the filing, it is down to a significant increase in the number of ads delivered. In that time, the number of ad placements on a page has increased from four to seven. Additionally, Facebook has managed to push the average price per ad delivered up 18 per cent.

Interestingly, some 12 per cent of Facebook's revenue came from one source last year; online games developer Zynga, which runs the very popular Facebook in-app games Farmville and Words With Friends, amongst others. This just goes to show how much time is spent with the network playing games, rather than reading updates or posting status messages; intriguing for those hoping to engage with Facebook for internet marketing.

There are apparently some 845 million Facebook users around the world, an impressive half of which are active daily, and some 400 million mobile users.

It will of course be interesting to see how the share price fares after the initial excitement wears off, but with these figures, it would be a brave move to suggest anything other than continued growth for the brand right now.

Paid Search Up To $20billion In 2012

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 10:29:51 +0000

The advertising market as a whole is one of the first to feel the pinch in a recession, but internet marketing spending would appear to be continuing to buck the trend. According to a new report from eMarketer, US paid search ad spending is forecast to hit almost $20 billion in 2012, up from around $15 billion in 2011, an increase of some 27 per cent, after the growth of almost 29 per cent in 2011.

The Olympics and summer elections in the US are forecast to boost paid search spend this year, but growth is forecast to continue for some years. By 2016, US paid search spend is forecast to be around $29 billion, having grown some six per cent over the previous year.

Google is expected to remain the dominant player in the market, with around 78 per cent of the US market this year and 80 per cent in 2014, with Microsoft remaining a distant second, not expanding its share above nine per cent. Both Yahoo! and AOL are forecast to be losers in the battle for search revenues, seeing their collective share fall from 5.5 per cent to less than four per cent.
Alongside this, eMarketer forecast that mobile ad spending is expected to grow some 89 per cent in 2012, to over $2.5 billion, with growth continuing strongly for the next five years. In 2016, the market is forecast to exceed $10 billion; again, Google lead the pack with a market share of around 75 per cent.

With paid search both online and on mobile remaining extremely healthy, it's going to be more important than ever to get your PPC and SEO strategies right, and keep at least half an eye on the mobile implications.

Web Presence Vital Part of FMCG Marketing, Says New Report

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:41:41 +0000

Big FMCG brands have been spending millions on their websites for a number of years, with varying success. Of course, it's hard as a manufacturer of, say, shampoo or fizzy pop to figure out the actual impact on sales that his website has, but a new study suggests that good FMCG websites can increase visitor spend significantly.

The study, conducted by Accenture, comScore and dunnhumbyUSA, looked at 10 US food and household brands with $40m to $3bn in annual sales. Apparently, the study found that visitors to a FMCG brand website were likely to spend 37 per cent more than non-visitors, and over 50 per cent more within the overall sector. Visitors to the 'best' of the ten sites apparently spent over 200 per cent more on the brand than non-visitors spent, and were prepared to spend more per unit on the brand.

When it comes to what 'best' actually means, the study identified three issues that correlate with higher in store sales; these were fresh content, engaging content, and strong and convincing brand messaging. Interestingly, these are all elements that feed positively into an SEO strategy, with Google's latest algorithm looking for new, relevant content, so it is a good sign that great SEO content would appear to be good sales content too.

Of course, Google is also now looking increasingly for social signals too, which would suggest sites need to get users interacting and positively engaging with the sites and ideally making their engagement public using Facebook 'Likes' for example. However, the report is encouraging in its suggestion that strategies for sales and SEO can dovetail so well.

What Does Social Commerce Actually Mean?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 11:29:54 +0000

The phrase "social commerce" became a favourite phrase on many a digital analyst report in the past year, but does the internet marketing and affiliate management business really understand what is meant by the term?

Well, Facebook does not think so, and is prepared to invest real money in trying to bring some clarity to the market. According to Gavin Sathianathan, Facebook's strategic partner manager, "It's really important we nail what we mean by social commerce ... at Facebook, we do not equate 'social commerce' with opening a store within the network."

Of course, that is exactly what several big name brands have been doing recently, including online retailer Asos, Unilever and even Amazon has tried selling Pampers nappies to online parents via the network. Other brands such as John Lewis, on other hand, have stated that selling via social networks in this way is not on their agenda.

Facebook is keen to put across the idea that social commerce is about far more than simply setting up a store; for example, Facebook would love stores to integrate social functionality such as "Like" buttons into their own online retail sites. Sathianathan is keen to talk to FMCG brands and supermarkets, not traditionally big retailers of "social" items, but Sathianthan has high hopes:"a can of baked beans may not be social but the meal you have them with could."

Facebook need to get brands to start thinking about social sharing in a wider context, and it will be interesting to see if any UK supermarkets start sprinkling their recipe and forum sites with social media links.

Optimising PPC for Phone Calls

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:31:15 +0000

Paid search ads, or PPC, are a staple ingredient of most internet marketers' arsenals. However, how can you measure their success, especially if the primary call to action is to prompt a phone call or other communication rather than a direct online purchase? A new post over on the Searchenginewatch blog offers some suggestions on how to measure and optimise those PPC ads.

Three methods are suggested to help. Firstly, keep measuring the basic click conversion rate and maintain a clear call to action such as "Call Us" or "Click to email". Of course, these will not all lead to sales, but they will give you a good insight into the type of messaging that is resonating with your target audience. Equally, it will give you insight into what does not work, and what kind of messaging results in poor quality leads, e.g. does "Discount for first 100 callers" result in higher quality leads than "Lowest Price Guarantee"?

Secondly, using several phone numbers to track where responses are triggered. If the call to action on a PPC ad differs from that on, say, a display ad, you can track the volume and quality of calls that come into each number and thus gain insight into how each channel is performing.

Thirdly, train up call staff to ask a few simple questions of callers. It might be as simple as, "Where did you see our number?" and then probing quickly to check if the source was Google, another search engine or a display ad or your own site. The interchange takes seconds and if recorded properly gives another string of insight, as it can now be linked directly to sales.

UK Leads the World in Smartphone Adoption

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:24:37 +0000

If you are a marketer engaged in internet marketing or SEO in the UK, the growing proliferation of smartphones, and the increased amount of internet browsing done on them, will not have escaped your notice. Now, some new data released by Microsoft illustrates just how important it has become for many brands to take mobile browsing and searching into account in their marketing and retailing strategies.

The research, conducted for Google by Ipsos, surveyed consumers in the advanced internet economies of UK, US, Germany, France and Japan in 2011. According to the results, the UK has actually become the greatest adopter of smartphones, with almost half (45 per cent) of the population owning one, ownership grew from 30 per cent in January to 45 per cent in October 2011. By contrast, 38 per cent of consumers in the US and France own such a device, 23 per cent in Germany and - perhaps surprisingly, just 17 per cent in Japan.

According to the survey, just over half of smartphone owners surf the internet on the phones every day, combining it with more traditional access too, as 75 per cent also use their computer to access the web every day. One in ten smartphone owners also own a tablet device, such as an iPad.

These stats serve to show that any internet marketing strategy needs to at least start to consider the cross channel implications (and opportunities) of consumers encountering the campaign on multiple, different devices; a problem that is only going to grow as smartphone and tablet adoption shows no sign of slowing.

Google's New Search Impacts PPC and SEO

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:55:51 +0000

Google's new Search Plus Your World, the new search pages which incorporate more social media results, such as information from your Google+ pages if you are logged in, is now live on the US Google.com site, so is a reality for millions of Google users.

For internet marketers, the impact on both SEO and PPC could be significant, as a new post from Econsultancy demonstrates. Why will this be?

For a start, the new search pages allow brands to explicit link their business Google+ pages with their AdWords accounts. This enables any +1s earned by the AdWords account to be also credited to the associated Google+ Page, which will see brands actively pushing the +1 opportunity, and consumers slowly becoming more aware of it. The importance of customers discussing and recommending a brand will become increasingly important as Google+ accounts appear alongside more and more results.

Additionally, a new tactic now available is the ability to align pictures shared using Google+ with your PPC ads. Therefore, if a Google+ business user has product images on their site, these images can appear alongside a PPC ad generated from a relevant search term. At present, pictures are mostly bland product images, but in the future advertisers could place more attractive or direct messages within their Google+ pages that will integrate with the PPC campaigns, generating a more positive call to action.

Another impact on PPC is the tendency for Google to push older content up, if it's still being talked about, offering PPC users the opportunity to use paid ads to promote newer products.

It is fair to say marketers will take some time to get to grips with the new Google Plus Your World, and we will be watching the market closely.

How Google Made $37.9 Billion in 2011

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:05:39 +0000

Internet marketing giant Google has spent a lot of time and money in the last year or so pushing various social media efforts, as well as redeveloping its search algorithm and relaunching Google Analytics. Overall, they generated almost $38 billion in 2011. Where does Google's money actually come from? An article on Searchenginewatch sheds some light.

Almost all, 96 per cent, comes from advertising. Just 10 industries accounted for over 60 per cent of Google's US revenues including Finance and Insurance (accounting for almost 10 per cent on its own), retailers and general merchandise, and travel and tourism.

The biggest spender in the US was Lowe's, a national home improvement chain, who spent an estimated $59 billion in 2011, that's over $161,000 every day, with Amazon a close second with a spend of around $55 million. The top spending travel brand was hotel bookings facilitator, Bookings.com, at $40 million.

Google themselves don't release data, so this is just educated guesswork, but it is interesting to see which industries remain big spenders; the millions spent by retailers, travel companies and consumer electronics companies would suggest that US consumers are still spending, despite the recessionary climate. Popular, and thus expensive, keywords such as "self-employed health insurance" and "accredited online college degrees" would suggest US citizens are setting up in business for themselves, and trying to get more qualifications.

Average cost per click actually declined some eight per cent over the year, and with more people using Google than ever, marketers need to make sure they are making the most of the call-to-action medium they have.

The Long Tail for Affiliate Marketing

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 11:17:56 +0000

The concept of the Long Tail online, the idea that the economies of online selling now make it profitable for online retailers to sell low-demand products that offline retailers would not stock, as the "long tail" of demand exists for them, has been around for a number of years. Mostly it is applied to major retailers such as Amazon, who can offer pretty much anything, as they do not have storage and display costs.

Now, in the first of two articles, Econsultancy has written about how to make the most of Long Tail opportunities with your own affiliate-marketing programme. In this case, the affiliates form the long tail; many thousands, possibly, of little affiliates who sell very small volumes individually but collectively make up a significant business.

For example, most users find products they are looking for through search, but no internet-marketing programme will cover every possible relevant search term; however, affiliates will often rank naturally for some of these uncovered terms.

As the post recognises, using this potentially effectively is tricky. According to Affiliate Window, the top 200 affiliates (on a network of 75,000+) account for the vast majority of all commissions paid. However, some 47 per cent of affiliates generate at least one click, suggesting that improving conversion could generate significant additional revenue.

Of course, not all affiliates have this potential; part of the art is discerning between those that do and those that are inactive or non-performing, and weeding them out. However, the potential is there for your smaller affiliates to drive measureable revenue, done properly.

UK Retailers to Prioritise Mobile over Social In 2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:31:38 +0000

According to a new article in NMA, a number of brands speaking at a trade event this week in London have said that their new channel focus in 2012 will be on mobile, rather than on social media, despite the industry buzz about the latter channel.

Brands such as clothing retailers ASOS and French Connection and cosmetics brand Dove have already experimented with selling through Facebook, either taking a store approach or selling through links within their news feed.

However, major brands such as John Lewis and Reiss told NMA that they would not be following in these footsteps just yet. Both brands will continue to engage with consumers across social media, using the channel for customer service, but look to mobile and tablets as a priority in the coming year. According to Reiss, devices using Apple's operating system, effectively the iPad and iPhone, already account for around 20 per cent of its online web traffic, and result in a higher average order value than computer based browsing.

John Lewis, meanwhile, will also be looking in placing online kiosks in their high street stores, to enable customers to browse and shop directly whilst also having access to assistance, as well as continuing their extensive internet marketing strategy.

This insight comes at the same time as the online retail trade organisation IMRG released its latest survey showing that UK consumers spent almost £8 billion online in December, a figure which is 16.5 per cent up on the year before, impressive numbers given the state of the economy, and boding well for online retail in 2012.

Internet Marketing Trends to Watch

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 09:51:36 +0000

After a year that brought us Google Plus, the ongoing cookies debate and Panda, what can we look forward to in the internet marketing space in 2012? A new post on econsultancy makes some interesting suggestions:

1. Marketers will finally get their heads (and analytics) around the tricky concept of cross and multi-channel attribution. As more and more marketers develop campaigns that use a number of online and offline channels, the value of these efforts is now such that it has become vital to figure out the true value that each channel brings, and how combining them brings a value greater than the individual channels.
2. Paid search and performance marketing will gain more mobile ad pounds at the expense of apps. In 2011, apps were the hot subject; however, tracking consumer activity within apps has proved hard, so in 2012, expect to see budgets swinging back into the more trackable and demonstrably successful paid search and performance ads.
3. Google will maintain their ad dominance. New tools to enable advertisers to make better use of their ad inventory, such as quality score management, will enable the search giant to keep its top dog status even in the face of serious competition from the likes of Facebook. Innovations across retail, travel search and local offers are also likely.
4. Social scores become ever more important. Getting those +1s and Likes is no longer a nice to have; it is an essential for any marketer using SEO or PPC marketing, given their growing importance in search engine algorithms.

Do you agree - what are your key priorities in 2012?

Paid Search Converts Holiday Shoppers Successfully

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 10:17:15 +0000

Some new stats released for the end of last year in the US show that not only did online shopping sales show significant increases year on year, but also that global paid search spend was up significantly, driven by some impressive conversion rates.

Overall, stats from comScore show that over $37 billion was spent in retail e-commerce in November and December 2011, with the week beginning 18 December hitting over $6 billion. Physical stores are said to have enjoyed a 4 per cent rise in revenues year on year, whilst online shopping grew by over 10 per cent. Additionally, paid search spend increased by 31 per cent in 2011 over the 2010 holiday shopping season; numbers from Covario suggest nearer 21 per cent, but still significant double-digit growth.

Stats from software company, Kenshoo, suggest that returns on internet marketing ad spend were significant; in the UK, advertisers generated over £13 in sales per £1 in online paid search spend, with an average retail cost per click of 20 pence.

The power of mobile devices in online retail is clearly demonstrated too. More than 14 per cent of the December ad clicks analyzed by Kenshoo happened across a mobile device, with 8 per cent happening on a tablet device, with these 8 per cent resulting in an impressive conversion rate of 2.72 per cent and almost $150 in revenue per conversion.

Unsurprisingly, Google continues to dominate the paid search space, apart from Asia Pacific, where Baidu now has a firm foothold. In the US and UK though, the search giant continues to be the dominant player for paid search business.

SEO and Social Media In 2012

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:22:43 +0000

Over the last year or so, the interaction of SEO, PPC and social media has become increasingly important for all internet marketers, though the concept has evolved so quickly that few businesses have effectively worked out the impact on their markets. A new post on the Searchenginewatch blog makes some suggestions as to how we will see businesses starting to approach this opportunity in the coming year. Some of their top tips?

Firstly, more sophisticated monitoring of social media, leading to concrete implications for marketing strategies. Many companies of all sizes have been listening to social media buzz for a while, but many have lacked the impetus or understanding to translate the disparate data into campaign plans. In 2012, tools and teams will start to make these decisions.

Secondly, is the collaboration between SEO and social media teams. This one is inevitable, as Google increasingly takes social signals into account in its algorithm, as well as the new Search Plus Your World results interface, traditional search tactics will need to change to account for this.

Thirdly, the combination of social, local and mobile will drive integrated campaigns. Localized mobile content combined with social media, such as deals disseminated on the spot through FourSquare, will take an increasingly slice of the marketing budget.

Lastly, is a focus on quality content. Of course, reputable brands have always been concerned about this, but 2011's Panda updates have refocused everyone's minds, and we can but hope they remain focused. At heart, quality content remains the key to successful SEO, something all marketers would do well to remember.

Affiliates Drive Significant Sales Growth

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:16:59 +0000

With online sales holding up well in the face of a poor economic outlook, as consumers look online for bargains, a new article from New Media Age this week suggests that sales through affiliate marketing are also growing rapidly.

According to the article, affiliate network LinkShare has claimed that online sales via its network of affiliates grew 38 per cent between 2010 and 2011, compared to a market average of 18 per cent (according to the IMRG). LinkShare also claimed that smartphones were increasingly driving affiliate related research and sales, with consumers looking for online discounts, according to a recent poll by the company, 41 per cent of online consumers say they have bought something online that they had not previously considered purchasing because of an online voucher or offer.

This is backed up by comments from mobile affiliate network Vouchercloud, which have published its own research suggesting that its users saved over £10m on their purchases made in November and December. The company, which launched Blackberry and Windows Phone versions of its app this week to complement the iPhone app, works with high street names such as Oasis and the Disney Store to offer discount vouchers that can be printed or downloaded to a mobile phone. According to Greg LeTocq, MD of Vouchercloes, some 6,000 vouchers were downloaded every day on the run up to Christmas, with 400 actually being used every hour.

With consumers' demand for deals and bargains online unlikely to abate soon, affiliate success is likely to continue through 2012.

Tablet Shopping Experience Lags the PC

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:22:22 +0000

Consumer spending on ecommerce was higher than ever this holiday season, despite ongoing economic problems, which is encouraging for all those engaged in online retail or internet marketing. Additionally, according to a new report, online consumers are increasingly satisfied with their online shopping experiences, on computers at least.

The report, Baynote's Annual Holiday Shopping Experience Survey, found that the great majority of respondents (84 per cent) rated their online shopping experience between Cyber Monday (November 28 in 2011) and Christmas Eve either "good" or "excellent", up from 78 per cent in 2010.

According to these shoppers, the keys to a good experience were an efficient checkout process, the availability of customer reviews and the offering of personalised recommendations based on previous shopping behaviours. Interestingly, most consumers, 80 per cent, said that social networks did not influence their purchase decisions, although 20 per cent said they had made a purchase based on a Facebook recommendation, and 9 per cent had actually purchased something from a Facebook page. However, overall the Facebook e-commerce experience on average only garnered a C+ grade, suggesting that much work needs to be done to make the social network a viable ecommerce channel in the long term.

The key gripe consumers had was with the mobile device experience; shopping over a tablet scored a B-.

With many tablet users (60 per cent) suggesting they would look to use their tablet to shop online this year (as opposed to just 21 per cent of mobile phone users), online retailers would do well to think about improving the tablet ecommerce experience.

Tablet Shopping Experience Lags the PC

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:20:20 +0000

Social Sharing Icons Boost Email CTR

Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:20:10 +0000

Links enabling users to share content are ubiquitous these days, on anything from blog posts to news articles and even internet marketing emails. However, what evidence do we have that adding such sharing options increases the reach of the message?

Well, according to a new report by email marketing provider GetResponse, adding social sharing options into email can improve response rates significantly.

The research found that almost a fifth, 18.3 per cent, of marketers were now including social sharing icons into their emails, which was an increase of 40 per cent over this time last year. Just over half of them only included one such icon, with 40.6 per cent including two, 7.4 per cent including three and 0.1 per cent putting four icons on their email. Facebook, placed on 91 per cent of the emails that had sharing icons.

By analysing over 2,200 million sent emails, GetResponse discovered that emails with sharing options generated a click through rate of 5.6 per cent on average, considerably higher than the 2.6 per cent average CTR achieved by those without sharing options. Emails with LinkedIn sharing icons generated a staggering 9.6 per cent CTR on average, well above the norm. On average, emails were getting 23 shares on Facebook for every 10,000 emails opened, as well as seven tweets and four shares on LinkedIn.

It would seem that consumers' urge to feel they can share anything they are remotely interested in seems to translate into interest in content that allows them to do so, even if they do not end up actually sharing it in the end.

Google Launch "Search plus Your World"

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 15:41:10 +0000

When Google launched its version of a social network, Google+ last year, there was a lot of commentary about the perceived inevitability that they would combine the network with the search product at some point.

Well, that point has arrived. Google have now announced that they are "transforming Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships". In other words, they are now going to be incorporating Google+ information too, terming the new service "Search plus Your World". Specifically, there are three new features:

* Personal results - these are the Google+ results such as photos and posts, including both things you have posted and things that have been shared with you. For example, a search for a holiday destination may now produce posts from friends talking about the same destination, or photos they have posted.
* Profiles in Search - people's profiles will now appear in both autocomplete and search. Typing a friend's name gives you an autocomplete of their full name, and selecting a predicted profile takes you to a page about them, including their Google+ profile of course.
* People and Pages - helping searchers find people profiles and Google+ pages on specific topics, with quick links to connect with them.

These developments should surprise no one, and yet a minority of users will see this, as most searchers do not have Google accounts. However, the implications for search engine marketing and SEO could be profound, how do you target when everyone gets their own unique search results? So, we will be watching closely.

Google Accepting Illegal Ads, Shows BBC Report

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:46:15 +0000

According to a new BBC report spotted by Searchengineland, search engine marketing ads for, amongst other things, illegal ticket resellers offering Olympics tickets, cannabis advertising and fake ID card sellers could be found online until very recently.

The investigation, by 5 Live Investigates, was prompted by a consumer complaining that she had tried to buy Olympics tickets from a retailer she found by searching on Google, believing that because the URL appeared top in the paid for search advertisements that the company had to be legitimate. The consumer paid £750 for the tickets online, but apparently became suspicious when the company requested a faxed copy of her signature, and subsequently found out that the company was not an official reseller and the tickets did not exist.

Whilst some in the industry might question the assumption that Google ads equals safe, there is little doubt that many mainstream consumers have this impression. It is far from the first time that Google have been rapped for taking ads from dodgy sources; they recently agreed to pay a $500m penalty in the US for accepting ads from Canadian pharmacies illegally selling to US consumers.

Of course, it is hard for Google to ensure that every single ad comes from a legitimate source, and it does employ both technology and human barriers to try to ensure this. However, it is a salutary reminder to all that even the biggest of companies can be hoodwinked by illegal retailers sometimes.

Free Benchmarking Tool Launched In US

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:05:42 +0000

One of the biggest challenges for ecommerce companies can be figuring out how they are performing compared to their competitors, without paying out large amounts of money for market researchers or consultants to conduct bespoke studies.

Now, a new offering from the US based eCommerce Foundation may make it easier to do so. They have launched a free e-commerce benchmarking tool that is intended to help online businesses compare themselves against industry norms, and over 100 relevant KPIs. The study takes the form of an online survey, aimed at both B2C and B2B online retailers.

Metrics that can be reported on include website traffic and conversion rates, cost metrics such as average transaction cost, internal measures such as number of employees, as well as points for existing and planned innovations.

Participating companies are allowed to remain anonymous, with manual checks to help ensure consistency and to watch out for errors, unintentional or otherwise. A healthy measure of scepticism will be useful in interpreting data to start with, as the data will only be interesting once a large number of retailers choose to take part, but the idea is sound and it will be interesting to see how uptake goes.
Whilst the survey will obviously be dominated by US participants, these kinds of website analytics are very valuable to all online retailers and marketers, so given that it is free, what do you have to lose?

What's Hot in Web Analytics?

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 09:49:42 +0000

The year 2011 was a busy year for webmasters and others engaged in website analytics, with multiple changes in Google algorithms and Google Analytics, including the launch of paid for service Google Premium. Additionally, there have been many rumblings and complaints about the new EU privacy regulations around cookies, particularly the UK's interpretation of them. Now, a new post on the Econsultancy blog presents some interesting suggestions as to what will be occupying analysts' time this year:

* The enforcement of the cookie legislation, which having been postponed, is now due to hit in May. So far, the implications of explicit user agreement to data gathering have been largely ignored by developers, but if the enforcement is made, websites will have to start making difficult decisions about effective implementation.
* The integration of on and offsite metrics will continue to be a headache whilst being increasingly important, as customer lean on offsite conversations and information such as social media and coupon sites in making purchase decisions.
* Social analytics will be a big topic of discussion. Some of the topics to be discussed will be what can be measured and what is actually useful for small and medium sized, mainstream website owners? How can these analytics be used in conjunction with your everyday site analytics?

Getting your analytics right is an ever-ongoing, iterative process at the best of times, and with several disruptions such as new cookie implementation and changes in search engine processes, every analytics user is likely to be kept on their toes in 2012.

Tablets to Drive 2012 Ecommerce

Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:58:22 +0000

With some 30m iPads sold so far alone worldwide, the penetration of tablet devices into the consumer market has been nothing short of staggering. Given their relatively high cost, consumers who use them tend to have a higher disposable income than average, making them attractive targets for internet marketing.

Now, some new research indicates that tablets may be the key driver of ecommerce across portable devices this next year, with shopping across tablets such as iPads likely to equal that of purchases across smartphones such as the iPhone.

The study, conducted by consultants Logan Tod, surveyed over 1,000 respondents at the end of December 2012 and discovered that already, 14 per cent of them had used an iPad or other tablet device to make an online purchase this Christmas. Overall, 15 per cent had used a mobile to purchase, a figure that is more than double the seven per cent that had done so a year ago.

Logan Tod are forecasting ecommerce sales growth of between 18 per cent and 22 per cent between this past Christmas and Christmas 2012, with over a quarter of respondents saying they will spend more online next Christmas than they did this year. What can retailers do to encourage purchase? Well, 57 per cent of respondents would buy more if there were more low cost delivery options, 45 per cent wanted better stock availability and 46 per cent wanted improved payment options, and unsurprisingly, 48 per cent asked for more money saving offers.

Study Shows Google Algorithm Success

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:50:41 +0000

Many of you will remember the ongoing debates last year about the changes to Google's search algorithm, which were intended to improve the quality of organic search results; at one point, Google even posted a list of advice on how those doing search engine optimisation could ensure their website was not penalised. The changes were met with mixed opinions.

Now a new study suggests that the new algorithm is indeed having the desired effect; poor quality websites are disappearing from the top organic search results because of the implementations. The test looked at 50 search terms known to be of key interest to content farms in March 2011 and then again in August after some key changes had been made. For the purpose of the study, poor quality sites were defined as "uninformative sites whose primary function appears to be displaying adverts".

For example, for the search query "how to train for a marathon", a number of sites offering generic lists of tips appeared in the March results, but not in August's, having been replaced by reputable sites such as Runner's World. The study reported similar results across the queries.

Of course, the algorithm has been continually tweaked since August, but the studies we have seen so far all suggest that the major updates last year seem to have been a success. What do you think?

Majority of UK Consumer Now Access News Online

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 09:55:11 +0000

Many online consumers are used to accessing the latest news headlines on their smartphone, or perhaps on a tablet PC on their commute; it would appear that they are in good company. According to a new UK study, the majority of UK consumers now consume at least some of their news content online.

According to the research by media advisors Oliver and Ohibaum, some 68 per cent of UK consumers now access some news content online. This still lags the percentage who use TV, which stands at 75 per cent, but comfortably exceeds the number who use newspapers, which is only just over half the population at 54 per cent, with 40 per cent using the radio.

On average, a newspaper reader reads two newspapers, whilst the average online news consumer casts a wider net, visiting just over five sites each.

With content providers increasingly having to weight business models between internet marketing and charging for content, comes the insight that just 3.8 per cent of news users actually pay for their online news. However, those using tablet devices are considerably more likely to pay, 19 per cent, to be precise.

Of course, tablet owners are more likely to have a higher income that the average user, which would explain their increased propensity to spend on online content; however, for news brands looking to increase revenue through subscriptions, tablets offer a ray of hope in an otherwise bleak landscape.

Top Trends For 2012

Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:49:19 +0000

Happy New Year, and welcome to our first blog post of 2012.

A new post on the Econsultancy blog on the first Monday of this New Year highlights some of the top trends in online search marketing and social media for internet marketing brands to look out for in 2012. These include:

* More adoption from mainstream companies of marketing automation technologies and social CRM
* Social CRM - using social media to connect with and support consumers, such as reaching out to users across Twitter, has up until now been the forte of socially-forward brands such as Dell or SouthWest Airlines, but will increasingly be a more widespread tool
* Search engines will increasingly consider social signals in search results; a good social media presence will be become essential for a top organic search engine marketing position.
* Both customers and employees become accepted marketing conduits. Using social media to listen to customer comments and start to respond to them is one-step; the next, more challenging, is to utilise employees and influential engaged consumers as evangelists for the brand. One key challenge, the definition and measurement of "influential", which will differ by brand and by marketing goal

Whilst there are examples of big, market leading brands making inroads into these ventures already, most mainstream companies and brands still fall short in their understanding and development of the potential of integrating social media and search marketing. Whilst marketing budgets will remain constrained in 2012, expect to see more low-level experimentation with integration from many a well-known brand; it should be an interesting year!

Facebook Trial Brand-Consumer Private Messages

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 10:41:41 +0000

If you use Facebook on a personal basis, you will probably be familiar with the functionality that allows you to send private messages to your friends as well as posting on their wall for public consumption. However, up until now, companies that run official Pages on Facebook, for internet marketing or PR purposes for example, have not been able to use this functionality; they have not been able to send or accept private messages from individuals.

Now, the social network is beginning to roll out functionality that will allow this as a communication tool. At present, if an individual consumer wishes to communicate directly with a brand, they can only do so by posting on the brands wall, where every other fan of the brand can see their message, and the brands' reply. However, it seems that Facebook is now trialling a system where consumers can send a private message to a brand. The communication has to be initiated by the consumer; this is not a licence for unlimited one to one messaging from a brand to individuals, though once the consumer has sent a message they can reply.

The implication for brands using Facebook is considerable; up until now, Twitter has ruled the one-to-one side of brand-fan communication and customer service within social media, but this new functionality would allow this to go on within Facebook too.

There is no clear message on when the idea will roll out worldwide, but keep an eye out, as it is likely to spread fast.

Integrating SEO Into Your Business

Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:44:09 +0000

Despite SEO being a must for many firms for a number of years, the integration of the needs of SEO and the rest of the business often leaves much to be desired! Short of running a complete site audit every time someone makes a change, how can you improve the integration of SEO into your business and ensure that the overall business strategy takes account of SEO needs?
In a perfect world, SEO should be part of a product or business plan from the beginning. This means, realistically, you need senior level understanding of the value SEO brings, and advocacy of SEO right from the top. Get the CMO or Marketing Director on board, and never again should you receive a marketing plan about to go live that takes no account of your proven target keywords or long-term SEO strategy.
Indeed, the best way to ensure the company appreciates the need for and value of integrated SEO is to ensure as many people in the company as possible are up to speed on the benefits, even having a few working as SEO advocates or proponents to encourage colleagues. Get them to show their teams some simple analytics on how good SEO can boost traffic and conversions - and their bottom line!
SEO should be seen as a positive enhancement to a process, not a bolted-on, resented step that slows production or development. Link SEO to real profits and you will be surprised how many SEO advocates come out of the woodwork!

What's Hot and What's not?

Mon, 19 Dec 2011 09:51:49 +0000

When it comes to Google search engine marketing, it is always interesting to know what is popular, what is trending, and what is not making an impact. If this is the kind of data that interests you, Google's latest Zeigeist list is just up your street.

So, what is Google Zeigeist? Well, it is information based on the billions of searches that users do on Google over the year, taking data from multiple sources such as Insights for Search as well as internal Google analytics. The analysis filters out spam and repeat queries to produce lists of the most popular topics researched, as well as the topics that are fastest rising and falling.

In the UK, the fastest rising search of the year overall was, unsurprisingly, the Royal Wedding, with the iPhone 5 and game FIFA 12 coming in second and third.

The most popular travel destinations searched for from the UK were Las Vegas, New York and Disneyland Paris, whilst the Haye vs Klitschko boxing match in November pipped Olympic tickets 2012 as the fastest rising sports related search. Vampire flick, Breaking Dawn was the fastest rising movie, whilst American reality TV star Ryan Dunn was the fastest rising person (and Nick Clegg the fastest falling).

In terms of general information, the most popular search was on how to revise, closely followed by how to snog, both perhaps indicating the volume of searches carried out by students in the UK.

There is much more data where that came from, by country too, so why not look and see whether what you thought was hot in 2011 really was?

How Well Do You Know Google?

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 09:57:32 +0000

We all know that Google dominates when it comes to online search advertising, but some new statistics about the world's largest search engine may well surprise you.

In 2010, Google generated some $29 billion in revenues, the great majority (97 per cent) of which comes from advertising and search engine marketing. According to research by Kantar Media, a division of worldwide ad agency WPP, the biggest Global search spenders are IAC/Interactive Corp, which many of us could have forgiven for not having heard of, they own Ask.com and Match.com and a number of other brands. The other big spenders are brands familiar to all, Amazon, for example, is estimated to have spent some $118 million on search in the first nine months of 2011, which of course does not include the major ad spending around Christmas. Travel aggregator Expedia spent over $92 million, whilst Microsoft, one of Google's key competitors, spent over $70 million.

As well as the data on who are the top advertisers, other new data from BusinessMBA also shows how Google puts the competition in the shade. For example, the most expensive keyword categories are thought to be "insurance", "loans" and "mortgage", bad news for financial services' marketing budgets.

The most impressive figure is the suggestion that Google receives 1 billion unique visitors a month. That's one seventh of the entire worlds' population using Google in a month, each spending around 200 minutes on the search engine, an average of around seven minutes every day.

US Consumers Snub Social Networks When Looking For Local Info

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 09:45:19 +0000

The nature of social networks in connecting users with their friends, often those who live nearby, has led to many commentators suggesting that such networks are an important source of local information, and thus a good place for local internet marketing.

However, a new study from the US based Pew Internet & American Life Foundation would suggest that, in the US, at least, this is not the case. The web itself, and search engines specifically, are very important sources of information on local shops and services, but social media not so.

The survey spoke to around 1,000 US adults and found that over just a quarter of them relied on the internet for information "about local restaurants, bars, and clubs". Thirty-eight per cent of these users go to search engines, 17 per cent to specialty websites (likely to be local directories) and just three per cent rely on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. For other types of business, around 30 per cent of all users used the internet, with a third of them relying on search engines, with just one per cent relying on social networks. Additionally, almost half of the respondents used their mobile phones to get local news and information, the mobile nature of these devices leading to their use whilst users are out and about, perhaps for a restaurant recommendation on an evening out.

Whilst the day of social networks as a mine of useful local information may well come, it would appear to be some way off yet; search engines very much rule the roost for this type of information right now.

Need Help With Google Analytics?

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 09:45:38 +0000

If you use Google's free analytics packages to review and oversee your web analytics, it can sometimes be hard to keep on top of the new features and functions that the service has introduced. In many cases, users are overwhelmed with data and fail to see through the clutter to the important points, or to act upon them.

Now, some advice posted on Econsultancy could help web analysts and marketers get to grips with some of the finer points. A variety of articles has been collated, including:

* How to monitor purchase latency: figuring out the number of days between purchases, so you can determine the optimum time to market, remarket or reach out to consumers with help. How long do average customers leave between purchases, and can you identify those who are in danger of not returning?
* How to determine the best time to send emails: looking at customer behaviours by bespoke time segments to figure out the most effective time to send reminder emails, or call to action offers. This data can also help with time targeted PPC ads.
* How to track on page leads: how to monitor the activity and usefulness of on page lead items such as contact us forms, email signup boxes, subscriptions, downloads and registrations. How valuable are they in increasing conversions?

If you are struggling with the wealth of data you get from Google Analytics, a review of these articles might be a good place to start.

Paid Search Drives Offline Sales Too

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 10:37:19 +0000

The success of investing in paid search and SEO for online marketing has generally been measured in terms of clickthroughs and online sales contributable to those clicks.

However, a new study from the US would appear to suggest that success measures should also take into consideration offline sales driven by online searches too. According to the study, conducted by US retail marketing firm RevTrax, for every $1 in online sales generated by paid search, there is another $6 in in-store revenues also generated.

The study looked at two years of data, using landing pages with coupons and unique IDs to track sales that were prompted by an online search. Coupons IDs could also be tracked back to the keyword used. Using this tracking, RevTrax measured the in store sales influenced by the paid search advertising. The results suggested that around 9 per cent of clicks on a paid search ad generated a physical store sale, with the average click on a paid search ad driving around $15 of in store revenue. For every $1 in sales driven online, paid search drove around $6 in offline sales.

Whilst the study is based on US data, the implications for UK and European based paid search marketing are also interesting. Are your paid search campaigns optimised simply for driving online sales, or do they take into account users' offline behaviour? Are you using coupons or codes to track any such behaviour? If not, then you could potentially be undervaluing the impact of paid search considerably.

Tablets Find Their (Evening) Niche

Mon, 12 Dec 2011 10:21:56 +0000

The concept of media multitasking, surfing the internet whilst interacting with other media simultaneously, such as watching TV or texting, has been growing in popularity for a number of years, especially amongst younger consumers. Now the behaviour is set to increase, according to new research.

The new study, from the UK Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB), says that consumers see tablet devices such as iPads as the ideal format of device for surfing whilst sitting in front of the television. The research showed that just over a half, 51 per cent, of all tablet uses happened in front of the television. Tablet owners are actually 50 per cent more likely to use their device in front of the TV than they are to use their mobile phone or computer.

The evening is the most popular time to use a tablet, with more than 50 per cent of tablet interactions happening between 7pm and 12pm. Interestingly for those using internet marketing targeted at devices, 27 per cent of survey respondents claimed to be clicking on ads on their tablets more now than ever, with 65 per cent browsing stores using them.

From being a device looking for a purpose, tablets appear to have found a definite niche in consumers' lives as well as becoming an attractive device for advertisers. With Christmas likely, to see many more users waking up to a tablet in their stockings, the future for tablet based marketing looks rosy.

Google Take 44 Per Cent of Global Ad Market

Fri, 09 Dec 2011 09:43:51 +0000

Google has been dominant in the internet marketing game for a number of years, but were you aware just how dominant? With increasing competition in digital marketing, SEO, web analytics etc, you might think that the search might be losing ground, but in fact the behemoth is actually gaining ground.

According to new data from ZenithOptimedia, in 2006, Google's share of the global internet, ad market was just over a third at a shade under 35 per cent. Yahoo! was its closest competitor, with around 19 per cent. In 2010, Google controlled some 44 per cent of the market, with Yahoo! remaining the runner up but now at just 8.3 per cent. Biggest gainer over the period has been Facebook, who took just 0.2 per cent of the market in 2006 but just over 3 per cent in 2010, a percentage that is likely to have doubled again this year, surpassing Microsoft.

Google is also now the engine behind around 85 per cent of all searches, with Microsoft, Yahoo! and AOL supporting just 13.8 per cent between them. Paid search accounts for half of internet marketing spend, growing at around 16 per cent a year, although that growth has slowed due to a diversion of some spend to mobile experimentation. Display advertising is also growing healthily under trying economic circumstances, at just fewer than 19 per cent a year.

Overall, Zenith is cautiously optimistic about the growths in global ad spend for the next three years despite the global economic uncertainty. Events such as the Olympics, European Football Championship and US Presidential Olympics give 2012 a boost, combined with Japan's recovery from the devastating earthquake and tsunami. So a slight ray of sunshine in the economic gloom, from one notable forecaster, at least.

Reuters Summit Sees Doom and Gloom For 2012

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 10:06:22 +0000

If you are an online marketer looking at your budgets for 2012 and beyond, some comments on a new post on the Econsultancy blog may well ring very true.

At the Reuters Global Media Summit last week, publishers were apparently bracing themselves for a "bleak" 2012, hedging their bets against a continuation or possible worsening of the global economic crisis. With this in mind, advertising agreements are being shortened; a marketing agreement that might previously have been set for six or nine months is now being agreed for just two or three. Sir Martin Sorrell, CEO of WPP, is quoted as saying "You just can't run your business on the basis that something will turn up, so you have to plan on the basis that it doesn't turn up".

From a digital publishers' standpoint of course, this approach may actually be good news. The key advantages that digital marketing has over traditional print and online channels, the speed of implementation, testing and change, as well as the in depth web analytics easily and cheaply available, should make the channel more, not less, appealing in times of constraint. AdWords, for example, can be bought online instantaneously, and pulled as quickly, if the data shows they are not delivering.

Much as publishers would love to bank year-long ad deals, online they have been used to the more short term for quite some time, and online channels are completely geared up for the rapidity and flexibility the new austere regime is demanding. Which can only be good for online marketing, don't you think?

Facebook's Most Shared Articles of 2011

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:17:46 +0000

Yes, we know 2011 is not over yet, but Facebook have already issued a list of "most shared" articles for the year in the US. This is interesting, as it shows those interested in web analytics the types of stories that gain the most traction on the social network, even though we might think of it still as somewhere we go to connect with friends.

The top 40-shared articles actually come from just six news sources, primarily Yahoo and CNN, with the New York Times, Huffington Post, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal rounding out the six. Yahoo! scored 12 of the most shared articles, closely followed by CNN with 10.

The most shared article was actually a series of sliding photos from CNN before and after the Japanese earthquake and tsunami, showing vividly the extent of the devastation. The second most popular article was "What teachers really want to tell parents"; perhaps reflecting the fact that average Facebook users are more likely now to be in their 30s (and parents) than they are young users.

A skim of the headlines of the other articles would suggest that most fall into the "light entertainment" type ("No your zodiac sign hasn't changed" and "Giant crocodile captured alive in Philippines" for example) rather than serious news.

With a number of news sites now incorporating "passive sharing" (e.g. posting that you have read an article on your wall when you read it in their Facebook app without you actually having to "share" or "like" it) the amount of news articles shared is likely to increase. However, only time will tell whether Facebook is really somewhere users will go for news, rather than simply some light relief.

YouTube Redesign to Make Content Discovery Easier

Tue, 06 Dec 2011 08:39:50 +0000

If either you have visited YouTube over the last few days, as a consumer or to check out some of the thousands of internet marketing videos hosted there, you will have noticed some big changes. The design of the video site was given "one of the biggest redesigns in YouTube history" some 18 months ago, so what has actually improved this time round?

This new homepage redesign is driven by the immense depth and breadth of content that the site now covers; there are some 3 billion videos viewed every day, eight years of new content uploaded in the same period, and YouTube are desperately trying to build quality amidst the quantity with content from famous personalities and content makers. Some better navigation and tracking was sorely needed.

Now, users who have a YouTube account can make their own customisable Channel list which pins to the homepage, browse recommended Channels, and link their account to other social media accounts (currently Facebook and Google+) to share choices and see what their friends are watching. New Channel design templates will also help marketers create more tailored experiences. For example, one is focused towards blogs and promotes the most recent content first, whilst the other is designed for networks to choose its own prominently featured content.

Apparently, this is just the start; expect more changes soon. If you are using YouTube for marketing, tell us what you think; has the redesign improved the marketer experience?

Online Ads Generate Higher ROI than TV

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 09:55:46 +0000

As the percentage of overall marketing spend that is invested in internet marketing continues to grow, it should hit around 27 per cent this year, more and more marketers are in search of research that indicates how best to invest their marketing budgets across media.

Now, a new study written about over at NetImperative suggests that online advertising (for FMCG companies, at least) delivers a significantly higher return on investments and sales increase than television advertising, and hits a reach equivalent to press and outdoor marketing.

The research, carried out by GfK's Media Efficiency Panel, looked at eight major FMCG related advertising campaigns to both evaluate the effects of cross media marketing on short-term sales and to estimate the return on investment (ROI).

Some of the key findings include:

* Online delivers better short term sales ROI
* Digital marketing campaigns reached some 33 per cent of the online population
* Online consistently produced a higher sales uplift than offline campaigns, an average uplift of nine per cent, compared to six per cent for outdoor and seven per cent for television
* A minimum of 25 per cent of consumers exposed to at least one online ad never saw the TV ads, whilst 46 per cent of those exposed to ads on YouTube and other online videos didn't
* Online video delivered an average ROI almost double the ROI of current television marketing

Of course, no channel exists in a vacuum, and understanding the interplay of channels is vital; but if your Marketing Directors are wavering over internet marketing, these stats might just tip the balance.

Video Marketers Get Improved Access to Data

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:21:09 +0000

Are you using YouTube to distribute marketing videos as part of your internet marketing strategy? If so, then their new statistics and analytics interface will be of interest.

Currently there is access to analytics through the YouTube Insight tool, but the rapid growth of smaller (and larger!) companies using the site for day to day marketing purposes has led YouTube to develop a more user friendly interface. Hopefully, this will mean more video marketing companies accessing the relevant video insights and analytics data, which should result in more understanding of their video success and ultimately more relevant, targeted videos.

Called (somewhat predictably) YouTube Analytics, the interface allows users to access the key data more quickly as well as giving access to detail. Analytics available are also more detailed, and will include reports to help marketers understand which videos are driving the most views and subscriptions and which are being viewed most fully (e.g. the furthest way through). Content, geography and a date range, either predetermined, can filter data or you can set your own, and data can be compared over daily, weekly or monthly points. A neat interactive map allows for filtering by country.

YouTube are very keen for marketers to be more innovative with the medium, which is hard if you can't tell what works and what doesn't, so will be hoping the new tool enables video marketers to understand the medium better and, of course, invest more.

Google Users like Autocomplete, But Not Google Instant

Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:58:35 +0000

Searching the web via Google has come a long way, since the first plain text box some 13 years ago. Simply entering text these days results in a number of options being presented to the searcher, from the site attempting to autocomplete your search (e.g. type "Mark" and the site offers "Mark Zuckerburg" as the top option automatically) to local searching and Google Instant, which shows dynamic results as you type.

How, as a company using SEO content or PPC for internet marketing, do you know what consumers are actually using though? Knowing, for example, that a significant minority of visitors use autocomplete could have an impact on your PPC strategy.

Well, some new eye tracking research has now shed some light. According to a the new study from US company Rosetta, Google searchers use autocomplete the most, to either correct their spelling mistakes that could have led to different and irrelevant results, and also to drill down into search subjects. Search results with images were more popular than those without, but users largely failed to engage with Google Instant, as they were too occupied with filling in the search box correctly. However, Instant Previews resonated well. Most respondents had not used them, but would be interested to do so from now on.

Local search apparently rarely resulted in clicks on location links, but searchers using it were generally closer to making a purchase than average, making it very important for local search marketers to ensure listings were complete and accurate; imminent sales are at stake.

Nine Per Cent of Search Term Data Blocked By Google?

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 10:47:30 +0000

When Google first announced in October it was going to start blocking the sending of search terms used by signed in Google users, there was widespread uproar amongst many of those using SEO to drive organic search traffic. The plan, which would mean searches to organic search results would be sent via secure socket layer, thus not sharing the actual search terms used with the website clicked on, was put forward as a privacy move, though some who observed that AdWords PPC advertisers would continue to get the data scorned this.

Of course, the level of blocked traffic entirely depends on the numbers of users who are logged into Google when they search, which at present is a small percentage of searches. Now, according to data shared on the Search Engine Watch blog, the percentage of referrer data being blocked sits at around nine per cent, though of course different sites and industries are likely to see distinct variations.

For example, Search Engine Watch itself reckons almost eighteen per cent of its traffic for the week of November 11-17 was blocked, though one might argue that their users are likely to be amongst the busiest online users and more likely than average to have a Google account.

The web's increasing twitchiness about protecting consumers' privacy means the strategy is unlikely to be rescinded, and the percentage of blocked data is likely go up. However, this increase is likely to be slow, meaning SEO specialists will have time to get to grips with the implications, and figure out other data analysis solutions; watch this space.

IAB Video Engage Speakers Advise Against CTR

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 11:48:58 +0000

If you are using video advertising as part of your internet marketing strategy, how are you measuring success? If you are still using click through rates, speakers at the recent IAB Video Engage conference may have some news for you.

Covered in a story in New Media Age, some speakers at the conference apparently deemed the traditional method of success measurement as "antiquated" and "irrelevant"; according to, for example, Reckitt Benckiser Worldwide media director Ian Hutchinson, marketers "should focus on creating good-quality online video" in order to communicate the required brand message; something not easily measured by immediate click throughs. Specific Media's Chris Worrell also opined, "We need to measure the value of video not the clicks."

Other insights included research into the ineffectiveness of simply repurposing television ads for online purposes, as well as the need to expand beyond established pre-roll video formats, including the need for frequency capping. Porsche, for example, are now creating two or three videos a week specifically for the online channel, with the (ambitious!) intention of becoming a media company in their own right.

All food for thought, with few concrete solutions at present, but if you are using video ads right now, ask yourself a couple of questions; does a CTR measurement really tell you how successful they are being in building your brand? Are the ads involving and relevant to an online audience, or are they at risk of becoming the online equivalent of background music?

Search VS Display Ads in 2012

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 11:39:00 +0000

Over the last few years, the internet-marketing pendulum has been swinging firmly in favour of search marketing, its pay per performance nature, rapid flexibility and comparatively low cost endearing it to both small and larger marketers alike.

Now, a new post on Search Engine Land suggests that over the next few years, display advertising will be seeing an impressive resurgence, with both types of online advertising experiencing robust growth, in the US at least. According to new research from internet research and consultancy company, Forrester Research, display advertising spend in the US is set to triple to just under $28 billion over the next five years, whilst search spend will almost double to just over $33 billion. Spend on social media, by contrast, will more than triple, but will only reach around $5 billion by 2016, whilst mobile will see the largest percentage growth at around 500%, from $1.7 billion in 2011 to $8.4 billion in 2016.

Of course, forecasting is an imprecise science, but even if Forrester is only directionally correct, this all implies that many marketers will be increasingly combining these online marketing channels over the next five years, which itself brings different challenges. Successful marketers will need to learn from the needs and interests based insights they gain from search marketing to create well targeted display campaigns, often supplemented by time-critical mobile or social media ventures.

How to Drive Traffic from Google News

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 10:27:25 +0000

Are you trying to attract traffic from Google News as part of your SEO strategy? Well, according to Search Engine Watch, they have succeeded in increasing their traffic from Google News by over 300% year on year, and almost 1000% since 2008.

Some of their top tips include:

* Consolidate domains; bring together separate domains with a single sitemap, tagging system and taxonomy, to ensure all content clearly comes from the same source as far as both Google and consumers are concerned.
* Tidy your XML sitemap; make sure it is clean and functional and not overloaded with content. Search Engine Watch migrated their content to uniform categories and tags to create a single "river of content", which also helped tie in their blog content with the news stream.
* Think about topic clusters; Google News clusters topics on the same subject from many sources. Search Engine News figured out that the best way for them to appear in those clusters was not just to write about a breaking story but to try to figure out where the story will go next and write about that; get a new angle on the story. When a story breaks, can you tag other stories on your site that might be relevant to how the story will develop?
* Work on your Publication Reputation: build a raft of impressive relationship links to and from other quality sources.

It will not happen overnight, but Search Engine Watch provides the evidence that a concerted effort can provide impressive returns.

Do Consumers Want Social Media Or Mobile Offers?

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 09:37:40 +0000

According to a new survey, the answer would appear to be no, they do not. The survey, carried out on over 2,000 people in the UK by IPSOS Mori and the Logic Group, suggested that receiving offers across digital channels overall is less popular than other channels. Some 40% of respondents said that they did not want to receive loyalty scheme offers across digital channels, although 46% said they would be open to them in physical stores, and 47% would be happy to use a credit or debit card as a loyalty card.

Just one fifth of respondents (21%) said they would be happy to receive offers via mobiles or social media. This reluctance was particularly high amongst older respondents; half of those aged 45-54 said they did not want such offers, and 54% of those aged 55-64 said the same. Conversely, 33% of 15-24 year olds said they would be interested in receiving loyalty points through "new technology channels", and 29% of those aged 25-34 said they would.

Does this mean that the rollout of internet marketing loyalty programmes or digital loyalty schemes across digital wallet services from the likes of Google, MasterCard and Visa, are doomed? Of course not. For many consumers, the rollout of digital wallets combined with existing cards will mean that the new technology is introduced slowly, giving them time to absorb the benefits. Digital loyalty schemes are likely to see greater uptake amongst younger consumers to start with, as with most new technology based products, with slower creep into the older groups as the benefits and ease of use become more obvious.

IAB Issue New Affiliate Guidelines

Tue, 22 Nov 2011 12:05:16 +0000

If you are operating in the affiliate market in the UK, a new publication from the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) provides some food for thought. The document deals with the thorny issues of retargeting, remarketing and behavioural targeting in affiliate marketing.

It defines retargeting as “a marketing method that allows merchants to target consumers who abandon their site without converting by identifying them at places outside the merchant’s site”, with remarketing being targeting these non-converting users by email. Behavioural targeting is termed as using details of the user specifically on the site to help retarget them (e.g. offer them discounts on products they looked at but did not buy).

The IAB’s best practice for this kind of marketing using affiliates includes:

· Giving higher weight to click cookies than post impression cookies, as the former show a clear intent by the clicker to visit a merchant’s site, with the more recent post click cookie to be given the referral credit.

· Merchants to retain visibility over how ads are bought and what are the current and planned placements, as well as specifying frequency caps on how many times a specific customer can be marketed to over a set period, and how soon after they abandon the site they can be retargeted.

· Merchants should also clarify what optimization will be undertaken, what data is being taken in account in the optimization process, and is it likely to be effective?

Retargeting and behavioural targeting are potentially powerful tools for a merchant using an affiliate network, but as these guidelines show, it is important for a merchant to retain a clear overview and if necessary, a veto on campaigns; ultimately, it is your brand and bottom line that suffer.

How to Build SEO Authority

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 12:04:52 +0000

A key part of a good SEO strategy should be making sure of your website’s authority, essentially the quality of your content as evaluated by a search algorithm. Google, for example, places great store by the quality of the writing and other content such as inbound links.

According to a new post from Searchenginewatch, a big part of building authority these days is building site influence with social media sites. Some of the key tips mentioned include:

· Get real; make sure that your passion for your subject shows through.

· Know your audience; do the required research to figure out whom your social media target audience is, and where they hang out; it is unlikely to just be Facebook, for example.

· Share; create and spread ideas and content that can be shared easily, and that will spread your knowledge and brand widely, displaying your expertise.

· Participate; you cannot just tweet occasionally and publish the odd photo on Facebook to establish credibility. You need to jump in, engage, converse, and have a regular presence, being recognised by other participants as experts.

· Grow your network: interact with others in your industry using social media, retweet their messages, comment on blog posts, and hopefully they will do the same for you.

· Think quality not quantity.

Offer your help; answer questions, make suggestions, and be helpful. Over time, your openness, expertise and helpfulness can only grow your authority, and hopefully your SEO performance too.

Affiliates: Got ATablet Strategy Yet?

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:47:29 +0000

If you are doing affiliate marketing, are you on top of your mobile and tablet strategy? If not, coverage of the latest stats from Affiliate Window’s M-commerce white paper will give you food for thought.

According to the research, conversion rates through affiliates on tablet devices are running at twice the rate of desktops, and almost twice as high as other mobile devices. In August, the survey, which covers nearly 82 million visits to merchants and just under 1.6 million sales, across the Affiliate Window network, suggests that table conversion was running at 3.82% whilst desktops reached 1.9%. The data covers purchase from websites, not directly in apps, unless the consumer was taken out of the app to a site to finalise the purchase.

The survey just looks at traffic generated through affiliate partners, so conversion rates are likely to be higher than overall traffic averages, these are users who tend to be looking to buy, and will be driven by a number of affiliate promotions such as discount codes or price comparisons. Apparently, the amount of traffic generated by affiliates is typically in the range of 5-10%.

Amongst a wealth of data, other interesting survey points include the fact that the iPad generates the highest average order value (almost £70 versus £65 for non-mobile devices), and it also accounts for more sales than any other device, overtaking the iPhone for the first time. Fashion does particularly well, with iPad fashion sales as a percentage of all fashion sales (at 3.8%) around double the percentage of iPad sales in other sectors.

So, if you have affiliates but no tablet strategy yet, why not?

Making the Most of Your PPC Budget

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:04:42 +0000

Struggling to understand whether you are getting the best out of your PPC expenditure? A new guest post on the Econsultancy blog from the Digital Marketing Manager at comparison website (and big PPC user) Confused.com lays out some simple rules for testing your PPC ads. Some of the top recommendations include:
* Get the basics right, and then keep organised. Firstly, include the search query in your ad, ideally in bold. Keep a control ad in place as a benchmark, and resist the temptation to rush - give ads enough time to provide actionable data. Make sure the landing page is relevant and displays the search term too!

* Make the most of what Google makes available to you. As well as making sure you abide by Google's best practice - it is their game, play by their rules - make sure you are making the most of the multiple ad formats and elements available. These include site links, extended headlines, and product extensions. Google can also "auto-optimise" for those of you short on time.

* Think carefully about what to test. Elements such as competitors messaging, well known brand terminology and messages in other media - such as TV - all make sense, as do clear calls to action. Does "buy now" do better than "shop online" or "free delivery" for example?

* Think data. Make sure you use your own internal data from your web analytics in conjunction with what you obtain from PPC analytics packages to round out your view of PPC performance. Think wider than CTR too; what is your ultimate goal? Sales, enquiries, or email signups?

Are you making the most of your PPC spend?

TradeDoubler Launch "Zoo Project"

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 10:01:12 +0000

Performance-based affiliate marketing company TradeDoubler has launched what it is calling "a business incubator" for affiliates and new start-ups in order to encourage new developments and innovations in the industry.

The scheme, dubbed "The Zoo Project", will offer successful affiliates and start-ups access to a number of business resources including rent and rate-free office space with TradeDoubler's own Victoria office, mentoring from TradeDoubler employees, the opportunity to attend client pitches, and access to their advertising and commercial partners.

Taking its cue from entrepreneur-finding television programmes such as Dragons Den, companies wanting to take part in the Zoo Project will need to pitch their ideas or technologies to a panel of affiliate market experts (unoriginally dubbed "Dragons"). These include, at present, the founder of A4U, a Market Unit Leader from TradeDoubler, the Head of Paid Search at BT, and an independent advisor.

The project will choose up to 20 companies to be included, for a period of one year, though placements may be extended at TradeDoubler's discretion. Applications are welcome from online and mobile companies, with a deadline of January 6th 2012. Hopeful applicants are asked to submit a business plan, have at least one full-time employee, and "adequate financial resources". Interestingly, pitches will be accepted without a full business plan, which suggests they are trying to encourage entrepreneurs who may have a great innovation but lack the knowledge to implement it.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of the process; a year is not long to make a new business stick, but we guess it is long enough for TradeDoubler to work out whether the business has long-term potential. We will be keeping an eye on this particular Den.

eBay Pushes For Better Mobile Commerce

Tue, 15 Nov 2011 10:04:20 +0000

According to the auction's sites new "Mobile Manifesto", poor mobile network coverage in the UK is restraining the potential growth of mobile commerce here.

The manifesto, which incorporates a survey of 2,000 UK consumers, has been submitted by eBay to a variety of UK mobile policymakers including Ofcom in an attempted to hurry the upcoming auction of the 4G mobile spectrum. The auction has been planned for some time but has been repeatedly delayed for a number of reasons, and is currently scheduled for the end of 2012.

eBay are keen to accelerate the timing of that auction, as they say 4G services are required for the planned rollout of next generation internet services, such as faster download times, more targeted mobile internet marketing, and more sophisticated shopping applications. According to the survey, almost half (45%) of consumers said they were currently unhappy with the speed they can download data on their smartphones. Given that 36% already shop on their mobiles whilst travelling, eBay hope that by increasing connection speed they can boost that 36% considerably; the survey also suggests that three quarters of mobile users would shop via mobile more if retailer websites were better optimised for mobile access.

At present, eBay sees around 10% of their sales (by value) on mobile devices, but the nature of the auction business - with auctions closing every minute - suggests that better mobile connections could see this increase substantially.

Is the Era of Social Media Experimentation Over?

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 09:48:09 +0000

According to a new report from Econsultancy, it just might be, in the UK at least. The new State of Social 2011 report, which surveyed more than 1,000 businesses performing internet marketing, suggests that almost two thirds (64%) of businesses regard themselves as being beyond the "experimental phase" of using social media when compared to 54% a year ago.

Most businesses (78%) have retained the social media responsibility within their marketing departments, though some 29% distribute responsibility amongst a number of departments.

In terms of what they actually do, some 82% of companies use Facebook and 87% use Twitter, whilst 57% use business-oriented network LinkedIn. 69% use YouTube.

Over half of survey respondents (54%) now use Facebook for customer service - reacting to problems and answering questions - compared to just 29% last year, whilst 51% are using it to gather customer feedback. Half use Twitter for customer service, up from 35% last year.

The most popular type of original social media being used is the company blog, with 57% of respondent companies writing one, whilst 55% create or facilitate the creation of video. User generated content, that Holy Grail of social media campaigns, is used by 45% of businesses.

Of course, moving away from experimentation would imply businesses have also figured out how to measure and track social media efforts that other surveys would cast doubt on. However, it is good to see so many companies feeling that social media is now just another tool in their marketing arsenal, rather than something exotic and unintelligible that only deserves a token, experimental investment.

Bargain Hunters Out In Force This Christmas

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 09:31:49 +0000

For the last three years, Google has produced some annual research about US consumers' online shopping behaviours, and with the latest wave just out, it's a good time to recheck your understanding in time for the (hoped for) festive online shopping rush. Whilst the study deals with the US, there is plenty of food for thought for UK and European retailers too; here's our take on a couple of the key takeaways.

Firstly, bargain hunting is rife; some 55% of consumers plan to use more coupons in their festive shopping this year, whilst there is a 5% increase in consumers using coupon sites, social media such as Twitter and Facebook and mass buying sites such as Groupon in order to get a deal. As brands such as Oddbins have found, online coupons can get a life of their own if unchecked; savvy marketers might consider making them tied to a specific email address for example, or perhaps embracing the forwarding behaviour by giving their key Fans five unique codes for sending to friends.

Secondly, almost half (46%) of consumers say they intended to use search engines for finding gifts more this year. Brands using SEO or PPC should ensure that gift related campaigns are up in plenty of time for the Christmas research uptick, and don't forget the mobile strategy; tablets and smartphones will play a bigger part than ever this year, both in terms of sofa surfing and live price comparisons instore.

So; are your sites SEO and PPC ready for the Christmas rush?

Everyone Loves A Bargain....

Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:58:54 +0000

The great majority of online consumers in the UK regularly use email, many are also regularly on Facebook, and a small but growing minority are active on microblogging site Twitter. How do these small, regular online interactions with friends and brands fit together?

A new study covered by the Econsultancy blog sheds some light. The study, from US software as a service provider ExactTarget, looks at "Subscribers, Fans and Followers" in the US and UK.

Subscribers are defined as users who have given their email address to at least one company in order to receive permission-based emails, whilst Fans are those who have Liked at least one brand on Facebook and Followers are the users who follow at least one brand on Twitter.

The survey of 1,405 online consumers showed that 93% of UK consumers can be described as subscribers, with 45% being fans and 7% followers. A third of users reckon they check their email "compulsively".

UK consumers are motivated to hand over their email details in return for discounts or money off (52% have done so for this reason) whilst 44% have done so for "free stuff or giveaways". Similarly, users like brands on Facebook in order to obtain discounts (49%) or giveaways (48%). Only Twitter is different, with 42% of users following a brand for information, or to keep their finger on the pulse.

What does that mean for internet marketing? Well, it means your users are bargain hunters; do not kid yourself they "Like" you for you, they want something back! Of course, perceptive marketers will use a bargain to attract users, then keep them with engaging content and unique offers; just do not fall into the flattery trap of thinking Fans love your brand unconditionally; trust us, they do not.

Google Rolls Out Google+ Pages to Businesses

Wed, 09 Nov 2011 09:30:04 +0000

When Google rolled out its "life sharing" service Google+ a while back, it restricted its use to private individuals only (around 40 million of them so far apparently), and the few enterprising internet marketing brands that jumped in quickly found their profiles deleted and received a polite note that business pages were coming "soon".

Well it seems that that "soon" is now "imminent" after an announcement on the official Google blog.

The search engine has announced the introduction of "Google+ Your Business", something it is calling "a collection of tools and products to help you get closer to your customer". Brands can now set their own Google+ Page, somewhat akin to a Facebook page, which allows the brand to communicate with consumers, build circles of friends/customers etc.

Google+ pages will be included in search results to make it easier for your brands' fans to find you, and a new feature called Direct Connect will enable users to connect to a Google+ page directly through the search box. If a user searches for "+Yourbrand" they will be taken to your Google+ page directly (bypassing the search page) and, if they choose, added automatically to your circles. Apparently this works for a "limited" numbers of brands now (including Toyota and of course Google itself) but will be more fully rolled out soon.

Examples of businesses that already have pages include such varied brands as Pepsi, The Muppets, and Barcelona Football Club. Small businesses are being advised to maintain their existing Google Places page, in order to retain the maps, phone, address, and hours details, but there is nothing stopping them opening a Google+ Page too.

Online Shoppers Want More Clarity on Costs

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 10:38:59 +0000

If you are an online retailer, probably one of the most frustrating stats you have relates to abandoned baskets. Your website analytics should be able to tell you what proportion of your potential shoppers put goods into your shopping basket but then fail to complete the purchase, but do you know why they drop out?

A new survey suggests the key reasons shoppers abandon a filled shopping basket are because of shipping costs and extra costs such as duty or taxes.

The report from Pitney Bowes asked 10,000 respondents across a number of countries (including the UK, US, Australia, France and Germany amongst others) about their online shopping behaviour, in June this year. In the UK, the key problem for shoppers is the postage prices, which 79% resent paying. Nearly a half (46%) of UK respondents also complained about product descriptions not being in English, whilst 41% complained that retailers not taking credit cards prevented them buying.

These issues do not stop them shopping online though; some two-thirds (65%) of UK online shoppers had actually bought something online in the past 30 days, just behind the Germans at 66%. The most popular category? Books, films, and music, with 77% of respondents in the UK having bought these online.

For retailers hoping for a good online Christmas, what are the lessons to be learnt? Making shipping costs and other compulsory taxes clearly available upfront is a clear must, as well as making sure any product descriptions are written in easy understandable language. If users cannot find these easily, they will put things in their basket and then abandon once they find them out later - a wasted journey for them and poor stats (and website design) for you.

Google Gets Fresher

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 10:02:06 +0000

Whilst most of Google's recent main updates to their search algorithm have focused on improving the quality of results and reducing the incidence of poorly written, content farm type websites of little relevance to the search in hand. However, that is not all that has been going on; the Caffeine web indexing system, completed in 2010, concentrated on crawling and indexing the web in record time, in order to maximise the freshness of results.

Now, according to a new post on Google's main blog, the search engine is introducing a "significant improvement to our ranking algorithm that impacts roughly 35 percent of searches". This new enhancement builds further on Caffeine, to produce results that determine the most relevant results for searches that may require differing degrees of freshness.

For example, searches for recent events or hot topics will require the most up to date information immediately. Searches for events that occur on a regular basis, such as elections,, or even weekly television events such as "results from Strictly Come Dancing" will assume that searchers are interested in the most recent event (assuming the keywords search don't contradict this, e.g. a search for "1974 elections"). Additionally, searches for information that is frequently updated such as product specifications will produce the most recent information too.

Older information will still be there, but the default for this kind of search will be towards the most recent. Will searchers notice? Well, most will probably have assumed this happens anyway, so it is not going to shock anyone; and for those using SEO or PPC, it merely reinforces the need (which you knew already, of course) for content to be fresh, interesting, relevant, and constantly updated.

Digital Sales up This Holiday Season

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 10:11:35 +0000

We don't like to say the word "Christmas", but - oops, there, we just have. With online and offline retailers across Europe and the US gearing up their offline and internet marketing campaigns in preparation for the festive season, some new research reveals the growth of digital gift giving.

The new survey, conducted by Elastic Path Software and covered by a new post on Econsultancy's blog, suggests that over a quarter - 27 per cent - of US holiday shoppers plan to buy some "digital goods" this Christmas. Under their definition, "digital goods" covers a wide range of products including e-books, games, mobile apps, and Facebook credits.

Elastic Path surveyed 1,000 US adults about their plans for holiday gift spending. Overall, just 15 per cent of shoppers said they were planning to spend more this year than last, although 30% of shoppers planning to buy digital goods did. Digital goods buyers also suggested they had a $440 budget on average for all Christmas shopping, some 40 per cent higher than shoppers who did not plan to buy digital goods. These digital shoppers are an attractive target for online retailers; on average, they are young, well educated, and largely male. Unfortunately for smaller players, most of their digital spend will end up in the hands of two major retailers, Apple and Amazon.

Some innovative manufacturers - Mattel and Lego, for example - have developed physical toys that interact with Apple gadgets in order to lure these attractive, affluent shoppers. Smaller retailers and marketers should investigate; are there digital adjuncts, complements to your offerings that make sense to offer to clients? It may be short notice for this Christmas, but next year's development budgets should definitely include scope for digital development.

Affiliates Thriving: Are You?

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 10:05:35 +0000

Were you at the affiliate marketing conference A4U London last week? The annual conference for affiliates and associated marketers always comes up with some interesting insights, and last week was no exception. According to the Searchenginewatch blog, some of the interesting insights and innovations included:

* Poor quality, unoriginal affiliates have been increasingly weeded out by Google's updates over the last couple of years, which can only be good for the industry as a whole.
* Successful affiliates operate a multi-layered marketing strategy, in some cases involving offline marketing as well as a mix of online strategies, including more engagement and conversation with the audience.
* PR and traditional marketing are seeing a boost from affiliate business, highlighting the "new breed" of affiliate marketer who is interested in building a long-term, genuine brand.
* Added value is a key attribute for ongoing success; what does the affiliate bring to the party that the merchant does not? If the answer is nothing, or even very little, the affiliate really has little hope of long-term existence.
* Innovation and ambition are rife. Affiliates are moving away from yesterday's hobbyists, with more and more wanting to take the next step and become merchants or service providers in their own right, having learnt the ropes through the affiliate route.

The UK affiliate market appears to be thriving, despite doom mongers suggesting the Google updates would be fatal. Instead, they appear to have pushed the market to innovate and improve, whilst removing the dead wood, providing the perfect atmosphere for growth.

Google Opens Up...A Little.

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 09:52:22 +0000

Whilst the online advertising industry invests increasing amounts of money into better and more targeted ways of delivering marketing to online consumers, those same consumers are becoming increasingly aware that their personal data and activities are being logged and used to determine what ads they see.

In response to what many in the marketing industry see as a growing nervousness on the part of these online consumers, Google is now going to be opening up about how and why consumers see the search and Gmail ads they do.

Consumers can already use the ad preferences tool to tweak some of the criteria used to target display ads to them; for example, users can edit or remove topics that Google has decided are of interest, based on browsing behaviour, and can also edit inferred demographics.

Now, Google is going to be showing users information about search engine marketing targeting, and enable users to opt-out of being shown ads from particular advertisers. There will be a small notice on top of ad block saying "Why this ad?" which will link to information about why they are being shown the ad, because of their search history, for example, or due to their current search behaviours.

Apparently, Google's research shows that while fewer than expected people are interested, those that are, are very interested.

As an advertiser, it is never good to advertise to people who actively do not want to see your message or who are scared about how you got their data, so the move can only serve to reassure. Expect to see the feature rolled out with speed over the next few weeks.

Does Facebook Favour The Large?

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:18:51 +0000

We have all heard of the expression "a virtuous circle", and there have long been rumours that, within the Google search engine results, big brands do better than they should all things being equal against smaller ones; success begets success. It is difficult to provide proof of such a suggestion due to the complexities of the Google algorithms - indeed, it makes sense that big brands, that receive far more searches, outperform smaller ones - but rumours have persisted.

Now, a new post on the Econsultancy blog suggests that the same might be true of brands within Facebook, as a result of the new hybrid news feed introduced recently. According to an analysis performed by Facebook website analytics company EdgeRank Checker, it may be the case that bigger brands (defined here as having more 100,000 Facebook fans) have benefited significantly more than smaller brands.

The data includes information about the number of impressions, likes, and comments that a random sample of over 600 Facebook pages of different sizes. The data appears to indicate that larger pages (a reminder, those with above 100,000 Fans) received an average increase of almost 28% in their numbers of Likes and Comments per post, and pages with between 10,000 and 100,000 Fans gained almost 9%; on the other hand, pages with less than 1,000 Fans experienced a decrease of just under 12%. Therefore, smaller businesses may be finding it harder and harder to gain traction now on Facebook.

It will take more data over a longer period to confirm this as a real trend, but if you are a small business trying to build a profile on Facebook, it is worth remembering that stats and averages applicable to big business may not apply to you.

Getting Started In Analytics

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 09:30:04 +0000

If you are new to the world of web analytics, starting with a free Google Analytics account is a good first step, but even that can be overwhelming. What does it all actually mean?
According to a new post on Searchengineland, there are a few key metrics that any website, regardless of its purpose or goals, should keep an eye on.

Firstly, visitors. How many people are coming to your site, which pages are they visiting, who are they, when do they come and how long do they spend on your site? All these measures help webmasters figure out how their targeting and marketing is working, and which pages on your website are working (and which are not). Watch out for distinct changes - if your visitors drop or rise significantly overnight, for example, you need to know why; has something changed in your SEO?

Secondly, what are your best sources of traffic? Are people coming from organic search, from PPC, or from direct type in of your brand or URL? This will tell you how best to spend on your marketing budget, and give an indication of how sources change when you implement PPC or SEO changes.
Thirdly, what pages are your visitors landing on? Are they then moving into your site, or are they bouncing (leaving your site immediately)? If so, then it is likely that your landing pages are not meeting the needs of your visitors.

Finally, what is your conversion rate, if you have a concrete goal that can be measured? For example, it could be sales, or it could be signups for an email newsletter.

Understand these basic, easy to track metrics will set you on the right path to getting the most out of your analytics efforts, whatever application you chose to use.

AdWords Introduce Bid Per Call

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 10:30:07 +0000

If you are an AdWords advertiser who would prefer to drive online researchers to your phone numbers, or maybe an advertiser who has so far avoided AdWords due to doing all your client business over the phone, then the new AdWords bid for call functionality may be for you.

According to a post on the AdWords blog, over the next few weeks (although just in the UK and US right now) Google will be introducing the capability for AdWords users to bid for phone calls driven from their AdWords ads on computers and tablet devices, as well as bidding for clicks.

For example, right now your ads Quality Score and your own maximum cost per click work together to determine your AdWords Ad Rank. If you wish to determine a maximum cost for a phone call, then your bid for calls and phone call Quality Score will factor in too.

To use this facility, advertisers need to use a Google forwarding number, which allows Google to measure calls that come as a result of the AdWords campaign. In your AdWords account, you will be able to track web analytics such as completed calls (including duration, time of call and caller location), phone through rates, and keep a close eye on costs. Ad groups will need to meet minimum click and call thresholds in order for forwarding numbers to be shown in ads.

Why not try it and let us know how it works for you?

What is the Value of Social Media?

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 09:26:23 +0000

If you are spending money on Facebook or Twitter as part of an internet marketing strategy, and have a few hundred visitors, you might be feeling quite happy about that. However, do you know what the real business value of those users is? A new article by software providers Adobe System addresses just this problem.

According to a new survey by Adobe, around 78% of European Marketing Directors feel they do not have a complete and up-to-date view on how much time and money they are spending on social media campaigns, and 58% claimed that deciding how to measure the value of social media investment is their "top priority".

A few brands are starting to crack it though; an example Adobe use is Virgin America. It started with a key objective; "turn Facebook fans into flyers". This is important, as it gives something to actually measure and track. They then worked to tag and measure Facebook content to model likely revenue. For example, if a particular post drove users to the Virgin booking pages, how many of these referrals actually booked a flight? By doing this, Virgin was able to measure a 15% increase in bookings from Facebook and thereby genuinely justify its social marketing spend.

Every social media strategy needs at its heart a measurable goal; why are you doing it? What is the measure of success? Only then can marketers determine the links between social media activity and their return on investment.

UK & Germany Get Google AdWords Express

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 10:07:11 +0000

Google's AdWords Express product, launched in July in the US, designed to allow local businesses to help nearby searchers find their business website or Google Places listing. The advertiser gives Google some basic information about themselves and their site - location, ad headlines, business details, and monthly budget - and it will build them an AdWords ad that will appear in relevant searches, and also appear in Google maps indicated by a blue pin. As with other AdWords products, advertisers pay when users click on their ads and AdWords Express will manage the campaign for them.

Aimed at getting small local businesses into using Google AdWords with the minimum of fuss and expense, the service has only been available in the US for the last few months. However, Google have now announced they are making the service available to all UK and German advertisers.

If businesses are new to the web and have a small budget, it is a good way to gain some experience in what works and what does not in driving traffic. Businesses do not even need to have a website, as traffic can be driven to their Google Places entry instead. The service also estimates a monthly budget, so no nasty surprises for novice AdWords users either. We anticipate that many small businesses will want to migrate to bigger pastures once they have some experience - certainly, developing a dedicated website for example, once significant traffic is generated - but as a gentle introduction into the world of SEO and PPC, it can only be a good thing.

Affiliate Market Shakes Off Amateur Tag

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 10:12:05 +0000

The image of the affiliate industry has historically been of an industry dominated by hobby bloggers, who derive a small income stream from their affiliate relationships.

However, a new study from Econsultancy would appear to show that the industry is maturing well beyond its amateur origins. The third Affiliate Census, a survey of 300 UK-based affiliates, suggests that almost half (46%) of British affiliates now work full-time in the affiliate business, markedly up from around a third (34%) just two years ago. Just over a third (36%) of affiliates deem themselves part-time in the industry down from 46% two years ago, whilst a fifth regard themselves as "hobbyists".

The great majority of affiliates are self-employed, or own the affiliate publisher they work for themselves. In terms of revenues generated, almost half (48%) of affiliates interviewed generate at least £60,000 per year for the merchants they partner with, up from 31% achieving this in 2009. Over half (57%) say they are reaping the rewards of this success, experiencing increased commission in the past year, with a fifth of these respondents actually more than doubling their income from affiliate partnerships.

What does this mean? Well, it shows that affiliate marketing is big, professional business in the UK now; the old image of amateur web owners raising the odd pound here or there should be firmly banished. Affiliate marketing works, for both affiliate and merchant, and is going from strength to strength.

Google Stirs Up a Hornets Nest With New Privacy Announcement

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 10:49:14 +0000

Search engine Google likes to keep advertisers and website owners on their toes with changes to its search algorithms, but its latest announcement concerning changes to the data it gives website owners has caused quite some consternation.

In a post on its blog, Google has announced that over the next few weeks, it will be directing logged in Google Account users to a secure search site that will encrypt their search queries and the results page. Users without a Google Account will continue to be able to use the normal Google website. The selling point to users is privacy; protecting their "personalised search results".

The consternation has been caused by the impact this will have on the data received by websites that receive visitors via clicks from Google's search results. From now on, those sites will not receive information about the individual query that led them to the site if the searcher was a logged in Google Account user. They will receive an aggregated list of the top 1,000 search terms that led traffic to their site, but not the individual search terms. Referral data from paid search terms remains unaffected.

Many websites engaging in SEO have react with anger to the move, with some suggesting it is motivated more by a desired to reduce the data being shared with competitors and ad agencies than by privacy concerns. Organic search data plays a huge part in helping website owners determine successful keywords and determine the success of current SEO techniques. At present, the amount of traffic affected is likely to be small, but as Google increasingly pushes the service benefits of having a Google Account (with Google+) the volume is likely to increase. Expect the fallout from this one to continue for quite some time.

Microsoft Extends Yahoo Revenue Guarantee

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:45:29 +0000

Microsoft's search engine competitor to Google, Bing, has been around for a few years now and has made some headway into the search market, although the market for both organic search and search engine marketing remains dominated by Google on both sides of the pond.

For the average consumer, the difference between the search engines is not clear. However, we would have thought that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer would have a good grip on the advantages of Bing, but his comments at this week's Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco would suggest not.

When asked on stage about the search engine, Ballmer encouraged the audience to try it out, because, apparently, 70% of the time there will not be any differences between the results from Google and Bing, 15% of the time Google will be better and 15% of the time Bing will be. As far as we can see, he indicated that Google fans should stick with Google, as it will deliver results at least as good as Bing on average - hardly a great endorsement.

Also made public this week was Microsoft's extension of their revenue guarantees to Yahoo; when they signed their search deal, Microsoft promised to make up any revenue shortfall to Yahoo, a promise that has now been extended from March 2012 to March 2013. An indication that revenues are not taking off as hoped? Yahoo blames Microsoft technology for the problems, but with no real clarity on the problems or promises of an imminent solution, Microsoft seemed resigned to throwing money at the problem for a while yet.

New Facebook Feed Rewards Engagement

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:20:17 +0000

Facebook users, whether utilised for personal or for internet marketing purposes, have been faced with a number of changes to the social network over the last few months.

One of the most obvious to even casual users is the change to the feed page; often the first page users see when they access the service. The new layout, dubbed the "hybrid feed", combines the old "most recent" and "top stories" feeds, with a new way of prioritising which stories users see at the top; users are more likely to see content from people they have already interacted with, for example.

It has only been running for a few weeks, but the new way of displaying the feeds would appear to already be having some interesting impacts on user's interaction with news stories and friends' posts, according to an early study from software company EdgeRank.

This early data, gleaned from data from over 3,500 Facebook pages over two separate fortnightly periods, seems to suggest that whilst post impressions are down markedly - by an average of 25% - interaction with the posts was up, both in terms of likes (up nearly 10%) and comments (up 21%). The new feed creates a virtual circle; content that is interacted with more is pushed up the feed, sustaining interesting and engaging posts more, whilst pushing down less engaging ones.

Bearing in mind this is early, limited data, what does this mean? Well, if sustained, it means that the pressure is on even more to create interesting content that users actually want to repeatedly engage with, rather than just push out marketing or brand messages. The value in Facebook has always been in getting users to react to, forward, like, or comment on your content; the new feed just makes that more explicit.

Bit.ly Launches Reputation Monitoring

Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:04:05 +0000

Have you ever received a link from a friend that looks something like "http://bit.ly/fsmXdd"? Then you have come across Bit.ly, a company that provides a URL shortening service to help users share what can be very long links on social network sites such as Facebook or Twitter - especially important due to the latter's 140 characters limit.

Now, Bit.ly has decided to leverage its enormous and constantly updated database of what sites are being shared, to launch two services - a search engine and a reputation monitoring solution.

The search engine is still in private beta and unlike Google and other existing search engines, is intended to provide insight not into what is already popular, but into what Bit.ly thinks is likely to generate the most attention in the next 24 hours, with predictions refined in real-time.

The main use of this tool, at the moment, is intend to be Bit.ly's own reputation monitoring service, which is supposed to act as "an early-warning system, designed to alert you in real-time to swings in volume and sentiment related to specific keywords." Instead of telling a brand what is already being said, the pitch is that Bit.ly will tell you what is about to hit big, and give you time to address the issue, through PR, internet marketing, or social media, for example.

Interesting for Bit.ly's customers, no doubt, though by no means unique; however, the launch serves to reinforce the tremendous volume of links being shared on a daily basis, and the increasing need for brands to keep on top on what is being said and shared.

Google +1s Roll Out On Display Ads Too

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:06:57 +0000

Those of you visiting Google display network sites today may have noticed something slightly different; as of today, the search engine has started adding +1s and annotations on its display advertising. Search AdWords have been running with the additions since May this year, and it was announced about a month ago that Google would be putting the buttons onto display ads soon, and now it is a reality.

The idea is that if one of your friends +1's an advert, the URL associated with it, or on the relevant web page itself, then you will see that noted on the display ad, and (Google hope) have a greater propensity to click on the ad; Google has already suggested that search marketing ads that have +1 on them have a significantly higher click through rate. You will need to be logged into your Google account to see these, and the list of your friends will include people in your Google+ circles, Gmail contacts, and people you follow in Google Reader.

Additionally, and - for now - only for the display ads, this +1 activity will now be taken as a factor in the AdWords auction process. Ads that have had +1s will receive what Google is calling an "extra boost" in the auction, thus gaining a higher likelihood of being displayed.

Google are betting that the +1 will get more people engaged with their advertising, and this engagement will encourage advertisers to incorporate the +1 on their sites and ads. Have you seen (or published) any +1 ads yet?

Facebook Ads Double Over 3 Months

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 09:49:25 +0000

Are you one of the growing number of advertisers using Facebook for your internet marketing? Well, you are far from alone; according to new data, the number of brand campaigns being carried out across the social network doubled between Q1 this year and Q2.

The new report, from Facebook advertising technology company TBG Digital, also suggests that, overall; the number of advertising impressions on Facebook is now six times what it was in Q2 2010. By far the greatest growth sector was retail, which now delivers around 36% of all ad impressions, having doubled in size from Q1 to Q2 this year.
Retail ads also generate the best click through rate, closely followed by arts and entertainment ads then food and drink ones. Poorest performers included property, government, jobs, and education - suggesting bad news for government attempts to engage with younger voters through social media. Overall, click through rates have increased by just under a fifth between Q1 2011 and Q2.

On the downside, this increased competition has led, inevitably, to increased costs; the average CPM (cost per thousand impressions) has risen by around 60% in the past year in the UK, although there are significant changes quarter by quarter, with Q2 2011 actually seeing an 11% drop. CPC rates (cost per click) have increased more significantly, by over 100% in the UK between Q2 2010 and Q2 2011.

Lots of stats to digest, but popular opinion seems to be - advertising on Facebook is growing in popularity with both advertisers and consumers, and getting more expensive as a result; so if you are planning to invest, make sure you do your homework first.

Is Poor Spelling Hurting Your PageRank?

Wed, 12 Oct 2011 09:54:29 +0000

Do you regularly check your websites for spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, or stylistic mismatches? If not, better add this to your list of regular housekeeping, as we now have explicit confirmation from Google that your PageRank could be suffering as a direct result.

He made the connection between poor writing and a low PageRank in a new Google Webmaster Help video just released. A question was asked about how important spelling and grammar are to the algorithm, and Cutts answered that: "We noticed a while ago that, if you look at the PageRank of a page - how reputable we think a particular page or site is - the ability to spell correlates relatively well with that. So, the reputable sites tend to spell better and the sites that have a lower PageRank, or very low PageRank, tend not to spell as well". It is not yet used as a direct signal, but it makes sense that it may well be in the future.

Of course, this should not come as a shock to those keeping a close eye on Google's blog posts about the updated Panda algorithm; at the time, they listed a number of questions that webmasters needed to think about in light of the new changes to maintain their ranking and improved the performance of their SEO. These questions included ones about spelling and factual errors, as well as the level of editing and quality control conducted. However, the fact people are still asking questions would suggest that many webmasters missed or glossed over these blog posts - were you one of them?

New Facebook Metric: "People Talking About This"

Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:52:57 +0000

As part of Facebook's drive to boost their income from advertising revenue, this week they released some new features and functionality aimed at brands or page owners using the site for internet marketing. In an upgraded version of their page insights tool, Facebook are now emphasising the value of sharing across pages, as this works as an interesting proxy for reach, which is of course important to many marketers (obviously, quality of that reach matters too, but that is another story)

The new page insights tool allows marketers to track how posts they put up on their page disseminate beyond their Facebook fans, and measure aspects such as weekly total reach of a page or number of friends of fans of a page - how big is your potential network? Well, according to Facebook, it is on average 34 times larger than your number of Fans, up to around 81 times larger for the top 1000 brands.

The tool also now measures something called "People Talking about this"; a metric used to indicate how many people are engaging with a story, in different ways. It measures a combination of items, including the number of people liking your page, posting to your wall, commenting or sharing one of your posts, or mentioning your page in one of their posts, amongst other things. The stat refreshes daily, but tracks back for a week.

Reaching Fans and friends of Fans is one of the key goals of many a Facebook campaign and this new metric will make that easier to track. Do not forget what we said earlier; it is not just about quantity, but quality; stop to think, what is the sentiment of those conversations?, and how is your business really benefiting?

Social Media Measurement Still Stymies Marketing Directors

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 11:44:43 +0000

Despite investment in social media continuing to increase significantly, and the fact that the concept of social media for internet marketing is already several years old, social media marketers strill struggle with many elements of the channel.

A news study for Adobe, carried out by Vanson Bourne, spoke to 500 marketing directors in Europe (specifically France, Germany, Italy, UK and Scandinavia) and asked them about their attitudes to and usage and measurement of social media marketing.

According to the interviewees, measurement still remains a major problem for brand investing in social media marketing. For example, the majority - 78% - of respondents stil feel that they do not have a "complete and up-to-date view on how much they are investing in, managing and delivering social media campaigns". Part of this ignorance is because a third of marketers did not know the numbers because they felt that it was someone else's job to do so - an odd attitude for a marketing director, one would have thought.

Just over a third of marketing directors are trying to measure social media ROI (which begs the obvious question, what are the rest doing?) According to the study, 84% of organisations used Facebook, 62% use Twitter, and 49% use Forums. It would seem that the most of them are using these channels without measuring any ROI. However, these directors are still not sure of the accuracy of their measurement. Another 19% of interviewees admit they do not currently measure ROI, but say they would like to.

Tracking reliable social media metrics is not easy; but in many cases, good attempts can be made at estimating ROI. Organisations that persist in waiting for the perfect solution will, we fear, be waiting a long time!

Mobile Browsers Prove Poor Convertors for E-commerce

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 11:36:02 +0000

Mobile internet browsing, whether it is using a smartphone such as an iPhone or a tablet such as the iPad, increasingly makes up a significant proportion of many websites' traffic. Indeed, the top 300 mobile e-commerce sites apparently averaged a 105% growth rate this year, with Amazon set to do $2 billion in mobile commerce business in 2011. However, do users who navigate to sites via mobile devices exhibit different behaviours when they reach those sites?

A new survey from an e-commerce agency would suggest that, yes, mobile browsers do things differently. According to the study, which looked at website analytics data (using Google Analytics) for over 1.5 million visitors to around 30 websites, mobile devices now account for 10% of all traffic to e-commerce sites, with most of the mobile browsing (around 81%) coming from Apple's dominant devices the iPad (accounting for 47%) and iPhone (accounting for around 35%).

Visitors who look at a site via a mobile device view fewer pages (17% fewer) than visitors who use desktops or laptops, and in terms of concrete sales, conversion rates were on average 41% lower from mobile browsing than from other devices.

Now, mobile browsing may well lead to return visits via another device where a purchase is made, but in many instances that will not be the case and the sale will be lost - maybe to a competitor, or maybe to a physical store, users have researched on their mobile device whilst in the store itself. Sites that are starting to see double-digit traffic from mobile devices should track conversions by access channel to see if they are losing buyers thanks to a clunky mobile interface, awkward search tools, or poor product detail, or risk being left behind.

Google Launches "Trusted Stores" Mark

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:06:05 +0000

The Google search algorithm increasingly takes into account third party views of the sites searched, be that from explicit opinions from Google + rankings to more implicit approvals via inbound links. Until now, Google itself has refrained from making explicit value judgements about sites, but with their new "Trusted Stores" quality mark scheme, this is set to change.

According to the Google blog, "The Google Trusted Store badge is awarded to e-commerce sites that demonstrate a track record of on-time shipping and excellent customer service." In order to be able to display the badge, stores will "voluntarily share data about shipments" and when users hover over the badge they will be able to see metrics relating to the store's shipping and customer service performance. Therefore, the badge also effectively works as a benchmarking service to help users compare store's customer services.

In addition, Google will be taking on the mantle of customer protector; if someone buying from a Google Trusted Store opts to take free purchase protection from Google, then the search engine will help them should they have an issue with their purchase. Up to $1,000 of protection is available for eligible purchases.

Of course, it would be naïve to assume that at some point, benchmarks and scores are not going to be fed into the search algorithm in some way. Does this mean that all stores doing search engine marketing with Google will need to participate, in order to level the playing field? We will have to wait and see - currently the project is still in beta, but one to keep firmly on the radar.

Google Look to Launch New Ad Formats

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 12:02:59 +0000

When Google-owned video site YouTube started to get into the legitimate movie rental business in the UK some months ago, and then announced in August that it has passed the billion views mark with its Promoted Videos program. It was speculated by some that this was just the first steps from the search engine giant towards a much bigger video-based strategy to supplement its search engine marketing revenue.

Back in April, it was reported by the Wall Street Journal that that Google/YouTube would be putting up over $100 million to fund new ad-supported content "by the end of the year". Now, it would appear that some of that money is close to being spent; rumours would suggest that Google is now in the final stages of negotiating the first of these deals, with celebrities including skateboard star Tony Hawks.

Interestingly, Google have also just launched a promotional site plugging some of the other ad formats they are testing, formats that may include social or local elements as well as enhanced visuals. For example, about to formally launch is something called Google Circulars, intended to imitate the kind of ad that drops out of your local or national newspaper. They are large format, intended to appear when the user clicks on a relevant search term or PPC marketing ad, with a number of click through options. The idea is to use these in a locally relevant way, to drive traffic to physical stores, and for this reason they are mobile and tablet compatible as well as desktop/laptop.

Google are intent on capturing as many ad dollars as possible, preferably from the (still much larger) non-digital pool of marketing funds; these are just the initial salvos in what will be a long battle.

Latest Google Update Lands

Tue, 04 Oct 2011 10:31:06 +0000

Google and its fellow search engine brands are of course constantly fine tweaking their search algorithms. Some of these are tiny tweaks that are barely noticed; others seem to make a bigger impact, even if they are not flagged by the developers as special updates.

One of the latter appears to have happened at Google last week. A small update to Panda, the latest version of their search algorithm, would appear to have had interesting effects on search results, including boosting some sites that are actually owned by Google themselves.

Big winners would appear to be some video-heavy sites such as YouTube, Hulu, and MTV, along with a number of other television brands. Interestingly, many of the winners also have many thousands of Google +1s now, whilst the biggest loser - MySpace - would appear to have far fewer.

Google are not saying anything publicly about whether the tweak means the algorithm now favours sites with video. According to a comment on news site WebProNews, Google said "We're continuing to iterate on our Panda algorithm as part of our commitment to returning high-quality sites to Google users ... This most recent update is one of the roughly 500 changes we make to our ranking algorithms each year."

Those investing in search engine marketing need to keep a weather eye on updates like these, but don't become too over-invested in one update. Just as importantly, marketers should look at their own site performance first and monitor performance over time in order to establish the changes actually attributable to algorithm changes and those influenced by your own - or competitor - changes.

Google Analytics Goes Real-Time

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:52:40 +0000

All publishers, businesses and internet marketers who really want to know where their money is going online and how effective their spend is need to have some sort of website analytics systems in place, be it for examining traffic on their own site, their ad performance, or in many cases both.

For many online brands, Google analytics is the first exposure they have to analytics packages. Up until now, Google Analytics has focused on keeping users updated with what has already happened - yesterday, last week, last month - and highlighting trends over time.

However, it looks like that is set to change. On a post on the Google analytics blog, noting that "the web is getting faster", Google announced Google Analytics Real-Time, intended to "show what's happening on your site as it happens".

This set of new reports will allow users to monitor, for example, most active pages right now, percentage of return visitors vs. new users that your site currently has, and the geographical location of current visitors. Google suggests this new data would have a number of uses, such as tracking social media - looking at how a tweet propagates across the web, for example - or testing of campaign tracking, by very quickly making sure that you are tracking the right things.

Everyone using the new version of Google Analytics should shortly have access to the real time capabilities. Of course, no amount of real time data will be of any use if you lack the will or staff to implement the implied changes though, so do not get too excited - can your organisation really deal with real time?

ASA Reveals Spike in Digital Marketing Complaints

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:03:27 +0000

Just seven months after expanding its remit overseeing internet marketing and communications standards, the UK's advertising standards body ASA (The Advertising Standards Authority) says it has already received 5,531 complaints about online marketing communications.

The extension of the ASA's remit, which came into effect on March 1st, 2011, was originally driven by the growing need for parity of regulation across digital and other marketing channels, particularly in relation to marketing to younger consumers. The ASA now has powers to regulate non-paid-for online marketing information (e.g. brand's own websites and social media pages, for example).

So what are people complaining about? Apparently, around 80% of the complaints relate to small and medium sized businesses, with the implication being that some of these are simply brands who have not fully understood the implications of the ASA expanding its powers. Complaints about misleading health sites have been strong, driven by a push from leading science journalist Ben Goldacre who campaigns against misleading statistics and health-related claims. For example, the ASA has received over 150 complaints about over 100 different sites relating to homeopathy. Other complaints, often relating to claims about prices and availability of products, related to various sectors such as leisure, telecoms, and retail brands, including TripAdvisor.

There remains much confusion over the exact scope of the ASA's powers - for example, unsolicited user generated content about brands is not covered, but promoting that content is; a line often difficult to draw clearly.

Twitter Traffic Drives High Retail Average Sales

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:06:46 +0000

Ever wondered whether all those searchers using Google and other search engines to find retail sites actually translated them into real sales, and how this compares to shoppers who come to retail sites from other channels? The results, according to a recently released report in the US, might surprise you.

The report, from RichRelevance, looked at data from over 200 million shopping sessions across major US retail sites. It looked at how consumers navigated to the sites via bookmarks, search engines, or social networks, and measured their conversion rates and average spends. Across the measured time period, August 2011, more than four million orders totalling $500 million were tracked and examined.

According to the data, the major source of traffic, by far, to the retail sites was Google; more than 80% of visitors coming from Google sites. Organic search engine traffic drove a total of 18% of all traffic to the retailer sites. The highest conversion rate, however, was from AOL visitors (2.9% compared to Google's 1.9%). Yahoo provided the second highest conversion rate at 2.6%, with the overall average for the study sitting at 2.1%.

Twitter users compromised just 0.02% of traffic, but provided easily the highest order value at $121.33, with no other source of traffic examined (which also included Bing ad Facebook) reaching above $106.

Of course, retail sites with decent website analytics systems in place will know their own stats; anyone care to share how they compare to the market?

Reevoo Launch "Reevoo Mark" For Trusted Reviews

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:29:32 +0000

Originally hailed as one of the most exciting evolutions of customer created content on the internet when they first started to emerge a number of years ago, sites that rely on consumer reviews for their content have started to take a battering over the last year or so.

Rumours - some true, some not - about the veracity of the reviews on many sites have started to erode some consumer trust in the content, which for businesses like TripAdvisor, which make a living from this type of content, could be fatal. Indeed, TripAdvisor has recently removed the headline "reviews you can trust" from its site, replacing it with the more anodyne "reviews from our community" after the UK's Advertising Standards Agency launched an investigation into claims that many of the reviews it published were not unbiased consumer reviews but were either fake or misleading.

Now, a group of electronics retailers and technology brands are banding together to try to improve the public opinion of consumer reviews of their products, particularly ones they publish on their sites or in their internet marketing. Specialist review company Reevoo, which supports the review functionality, has created a "trusted reviews manifesto" and a special Reevoo Mark logo that can be displayed alongside reviews to reassure readers that sites are truthful and reliable.

Whilst a interesting approach, which fits with the ASA's preferred self-regulation of the industry, it does beg the question of how the average consumer knows they can trust Reevoo; if reviews on the widely known and used TripAdvisor site can come under suspicion, the lesser known Reevoo brand could well struggle to gain credence in the market.

Interflora vs. M&S Approaches Conclusion

Tue, 27 Sep 2011 09:51:25 +0000

If you have been following the Google AdWords trademark dispute between Interflora and Marks and Spencer, you could be forgiven for running out of energy slightly; the case has been running now for a couple of years.

However, it would seem that the end is finally in sight. To recap, Interflora brought a case to the UK High Court back in 2009, a case that was then referred to the European Court of Justice. Its issue? That Marks and Spencer had been buying AdWords advertising against the term “Interflora”, meaning that when users searched for the latter, they were presented with a paid-for link to Marks and Spencer’s own online floristry site. At the time, M&S referred to this practice as “industry-wide” and “not unlawful”.

Now, according to the European Court of Justice, this practice could be stopped if “reasonably well-informed and reasonably observant internet users” are likely to be confused by the marketing, or that the ad “dilutes” a trademark. Where ads based on keywords genuinely “put forward an alternative to the goods or services of the proprietor of the trade mark” without offering just an imitation of it and without adverse effect to the trademark, then this is still “fair competition”.

Now of course, that case has been passed back to the UK High Court to decide whether M&S’ AdWords search marketing does cause “detriment” to Interflora’s trademark. Many brands – and Google - will be watching; not least for clarity on the legal definition of “detriment”.

Facebook Announce Next Five Year Plan

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 10:32:47 +0000

If you are struggling to keep up with the changes Facebook have been making recently to the interface of the social network, you might want to look away now...

At the f8 development conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has revealed their vision for the development of the network over the next five years, which according to him, "will be defined by the apps and the depth of engagement possible."

Two key announcements point the way; a profile called Timeline, and a redeveloped Open Graph system.

Timeline allows users to organise their whole lives in one place; content appears in chronological order, with older content summarised, and you can sort it according to the type of content you want to see. A new algorithm called GraphRank, designed for apps, is apparently "designed to give more prominence to engaging activity (to give) a personalized view of you and your friends' tastes." The new Facebook is about you sharing more, more often, and more in depth.

Using apps such as Spotify (one of the developers working with Facebook on the new generation), users will be able to share in a friends' content by hovering over content shared by them, potentially listening to complete songs or watching shows via the Facebook app.

What the presentation glosses over, though, is the effect all this will have on brands' Facebook pages. It is likely that consumers will not see brand posts in their timeline anymore, unless they are very active in engaging with that brand. Of course, Facebook cannot be chastised for encouraging brands to pay for their internet marketing on the channel via ads, but with Google+ presenting a possibly more effective channel for brands's social media marketing pounds, it could be seen as a brave move.

Google Makes Mobile Focus of Strategy

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:15:48 +0000

Are you spending money on search engine marketing using AdWords? Well, soon you will need to not only look at how your own site and keywords perform, but also how well optimised for mobile search your site is - even if you are not explicitly trying to target mobile users.
This is because Google have now announced that how well a site is optimised for mobile users will soon be accounted for in your Google AdWords Quality Score. Once the algorithm has been updated, better mobile-optimised sites will be likely to perform better in AdWords keyword auctions.
Why are Google doing this? Well, in the words of David Nachum, Google's product manager for mobile ads, "A poor mobile web experience can negatively shape a consumer's opinion of a brand or company and make it hard for them to engage or make a purchase". According to Google, it is also cost effective, with optimising your website for mobile driving an increased amount of traffic for a lower cost.
Google have already made moves in this direction, having started to limit ads served to smartphone users if the ads pointed to sites that it determined were not optimised for mobile devices. The June launch of Google Mobilise, tools designed to help businesses optimise their mobile sites free of charge, and the UK release of optimisation tips service Get Mobilised will all contribute to the continued push for businesses to effectively "mobilise".

Why Do Your Facebook Friends UnLike Your Brand?

Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:45:00 +0000

Successful interactive marketing engagement with users across social media is not just about attracting their attention; it is about maintaining that interest and engagement on an ongoing basis, as a new survey shows.

Once users have made the decision to befriend your brand on Facebook, what makes them change their minds and stop following you? The new survey from DDB and OpinionWay suggests that the key reason is disinterest; that the information if "no longer of interest to me" or "the information available was not interesting".

Overall, some 40% of users polled had already unsubscribed from at least one brand page, with nearly half of French respondents having done so.

According to the survey, Facebook users in the US, UK and France are now following fewer brands. They are also becoming less likely to engage with brands overall; less likely to like a brand, post on a brand's wall, play branded games or enter competitions.

Around a fifth - 21% - of users think that they receive too much information from brands.

There is a glimmer of hope in the US though, where consumers remain relatively willing to pass along branded content to their friends, which has been shown repeatedly to be one of the most effective brand strategies across social media.

So what is the key? Facebook relationships need to be managed carefully, to meet the needs and wants of the consumers, not the demands of the brand; every message needs to be timely and relevant to fans, constantly bearing in mind that "unlike" is just a simple click away.

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