The Focused Marketer - Profit and Productivity

Be More Productive with New Features in Google Calendar

Helen — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:14:53 +0000

Google Calendar is a tool that's been around for quite a while now, and Google has been quietly making gradual improvements to it over the years. But now with new features set to be released, it looks like Google Calendar is finally getting ready to go mainstream.

The other day while adding a "to-do" for my husband (more on this fantastic use of Calendar later), I noticed a message at the top of my screen: an invitation to see the Sneak Preview of new features.

More Collaborative Calendar Features

The Sneak Preview utterly changes the entire event display in Google Calendar, and shows a much smoother interface for planning meetings with others. These changes make Google Calendar functional enough to consider using as a viable business replacement for the ubiquitous desktop software.

Now you can see if someone is busy so you can plan around their schedule. If your meeting conflicts with the people you want to invite, all you need to do is drag the meeting to a time slot that works for everyone.

How to Schedule Meetings in Google Calendar

Let's use a real-life example of how you can schedule events in Google Calendar.

After completing the "to-do" we scheduled, my husband decides it's time we had a break and went to a movie together. Being a smart man, he schedules it in advance so I don't plan anything else that night. He sets himself a reminder and adds me as a guest to the "meeting".

Hmm... seems I already have something planned that evening. Maybe we can go to the late show?

One of the most useful features that's been in Google Calendar for a long time is the ability to create multiple calendars and share them with others. The new interface isn't a huge change, but it's a powerful one that shows how the system is slowly becoming business-ready.

7 Essential Analytics Blogs to Read Regularly

Helen — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:46:15 +0000

As any successful marketer knows, if you are serious about making money with your sites or otherwise achieving your goals, you will eventually have to work well with analytics (or hire someone who does).

Like with Internet marketing in general, it's easier to get up to speed when you're sure you're reading quality information. Therefore, these are the blogs that I recommend to people when they are seriously thinking about learning more about analytics. If this is an area where you are thinking about investing some time, these are some of the good places to start.

In no particular order:

Google Analytics Blog
The official Google Analytics blog is the place to find out what's happening with the GA platform. Here is where you will get the scoop on new features and changes to GA.

Occam’s Razor by Avinash Kaushik
Avinash Kaushik is arguably the most well-known voice of analytics, and is the author of "Web Analytics an Hour a Day" and "Web Analytics 2.0". Follow his writing if you want unique insights, especially at the enterprise level.

LunaMetrics Blog
LunaMetrics is a respected name in Google Analytics, and the blog is a great way to get tips and tricks for GA. Keep up with this blog if you are looking for hands-on tips for your GA implementations.

Advanced Web Metrics Blog
Brian Clifton, the author of "Advanced Web Metrics with Google Analytics" and PhD with Google writes this helpful blog. Subscribe to the blog for helpful tips and thoughtful reaction to analytics industry happenings.

Juice Analytics
This site has some great information and some fun and useful tools, especially for graphing. There are fun stories like proving the "Colbert Bump", and there are some nice graphing tools you can use here.

Omniture Blog
The official voice of Omniture (and is that Adobe analytics now??), this site is updated frequently. Although the information is understandably Omniture-centric, it does offer food for thought if you're interested in analytics in general.

EpikOne Blog
The EpikOne blog is a fantastic resource for new tips and tricks you can use in your GA implementation. This blog is a definite must-read to get the latest sick tools to spiff up your GA. They also offer the sitescan tool which can help identify GA installation problems on your website.

Know some other blogs that are must-reads for getting comfortable with analytics?

Photo by nDevilTV

Does Your On-Site Search Engine Suck? Try a Google Custom Search Engine

Helen — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:40:03 +0000

You know who you are... you know your on-site search engine isn't really.. what's the word?... good.

Here are 5 signs that your on-site search engine may need to be updated or replaced, followed by a tried-and-true free solution:

You'd rather click through 3 or more pages of navigation than use your search engine
You anxiously wait to see if the results are relevant when you do a search
Visitors call or email asking for things they should be able to find on the website
You can't remember the last time you used the search engine on your website
You need a second to think about where on your site the search box is

Google Custom Search Engine (CSE)

Fully configurable on-site search engines can be very expensive, running into many thousands of dollars to implement. While generally you get what you pay for, not everyone needs a Ferrari when you're just trying to get people from point A to point B. And, there is a configurable and free option out there.

Google offers a service called the Custom Search Engine (CSE) for both personal and commercial use. Once you add it to your site, people can use Google to search your website.

Here's an example:

No Ads

Sometimes, you don't want Google Ads appearing next to the search results on your website - after all, some of those ads could easily be from your competitors. There is a paid version which will remove the Google ads from your search engine from $100 per year for the first 1,000 pages. More information on the pricing structure is available on the CSE page and also a version comparison.

How to Set up & Install a Google Custom Search Engine

To get the search engine working on your website you need 3 things:

Make sure the site is indexed by Google
Set up the search engine on Google
Paste the code into your website

To create your search engine, visit the Custom Search Engine (CSE) page on Google when you are logged into a Google Account. Click on the button "Create a Custom Search Engine".

Give your search engine a name, description and choose a language.

If you want the search engine to just search your own site, tell Google to only search your own site by entering the following line into the search box. There are more instructions on the page for customizing the search results further.

www.mysite.com/*

Once your search engine has been created in Google, you can log into your Control Panel. In the control panel, you'll see a lot of options for customizing the search engine, but don't get too inimidated as your search engine will still work if you generally ignore most of these options. What you do need to do is get the code for the engine and add it to your website.

How to Add the Custom Search Engine to Your Website

In your control panel, in the left navigation menu, is a link that says "Get code". Click this link - this is where you can copy the code from Google to add to your website.

There are 3 options for including the search engine on your website:

The first and easiest is to "Host the result on a page hosted by Google". This option means people will see the search box on your website, but be taken to a page on Google for the results. This is the easiest option because you only have to paste the code in one place on your website - usually a header or navigation template. If you need something easy to implement, this might be the best option.

The second option is to "Host results on my website using an iframe". This option includes the search results directly on a page in your website so visitors don't go off to Google. You'll need to paste the code into 2 places on your site - once to add the search box, and once to add the results page. If you need people to stay on the website, this might be the best option.

The third option is to "Host results on my website using a Custom Search Element ". This option will include the results in an AJAX box on your website. It's easy to add since you only need to paste one piece of code on your site, but be aware that it will also show the results on the same page directly under the search box.

Once the code is added to your website, you should be able to use it right away as long as your website is indexed by Google.

So, there's a free, relatively quick and easy way to update the on-site search engine on your website.

Social Media Case Study - CoalitionOpinion.ca

Helen — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:45:36 +0000

Looking for a Social Media Case Study? You're probably not alone, as Social Media, or more accurately Online Social Networking, is becoming more and more attractive to marketers and organizations in the drive to get the word out about their efforts.

Because of this increasing interest, there is also a need for social media case studies.

That's why I've decided to release this case study called Tapping Into History for Fun and Profit: A Social Media Case Study Or… How leveraging social media and current events can drive awareness of your campaign.

This case study outlines a project launched at the beginning of December, 2008, in response to a crisis in the Canadian parliament system. Inspired by the sudden political events, a site was launched to test the effectiveness of running a quick campaign through social media.

The results are interesting and a little surprising. Please feel free to comment or email me directly if you have any questions or comments about the case study at all - feedback is always welcome. :)

How Marketing and IT Can Communicate Better

Helen — Mon, 11 May 2009 05:04:29 +0000

Like many other SEOs working with different organizations across many different industries, I've noticed one striking and consistent trend that seems to transcend most organizations out there:

Marketing and IT really don't speak the same language.

I'm not alone, either: this is a consistent issue in many organizations in North America, and it's a challenge that's frequently felt, but rarely resolved. There are a few organizations out there where everyone is generally on-board together, but these organizations seem to be relatively rare.

Here's some examples of mistranslations between Marketing and IT:

Marketing: "We need to 301 redirect all the pages on the old site to the pages on the new site."
What IT Implements: All the pages on the old site are redirected to the homepage of the new site

Marketing: "We need to SEO the website"
What IT Implements: Meta-keywords tags are automatically generated and sitemaps are uploaded to Google

Marketing: "We need to make sure that there is no duplicate content on the website."
What IT Implements: Nothing - IT responds: "There are too many pages, and keeping track of this long-term would be unmanageable. This is not possible on our system."

Marketing: "We need to track the traffic coming from our PPC campaign"
What IT Implements: A log-in account is created for access to the existing stand-alone analytics package

This lack of effective inter-disciplinary communication and understanding can cost money. If Marketing strategy is thwarted by IT, opportunities and revenue can be lost. If IT is thwarted by Marketing, productivity can be lost.

The basic cause of this miscommunication is that Marketing and IT follow different roads to the same goal. Both sides want the company to do well and turn a profit. But while Marketing looks outward to increase sales and brand share, IT tends to focus on the internal efficiency and risk management of the technology.

In addition to focusing on different avenues for keeping the business strong, there can also be a fundamental difference in how each group specifically views technology and the website.

Marketers tend to see the website as a channel, and also as a sales or branding platform. To a savvy marketer, technology in general offers an opportunity to increase the number of interactions people have with the organization. The website represents the ability to present the organization in a certain light, to sell directly to customers, or to form a relationship with the target market.

IT on the other hand, is ultimately responsible for the functioning of the website, even when there are unexpected circumstances. If marketing gets lucky and actually gets a story on the front page of digg, it is IT who bears the first brunt of blame when the site goes down.

Marketings' job is to seek outward for new and exciting opportunities. IT's job is to make sure that everything runs smoothly without unexpected surprises. No wonder marketing and IT frequently sit together on opposite sides of the boardroom table!

How to Improve Communication Between IT and Marketing

There is no simple and easy step that can be taken which can clear up these communication issues quickly. When it comes right down to it, each group has completely different priorities and internal goals.

That being said however, both groups have the same overarching goal - ensuring the stability and growth of the business. Therefore, both groups have an incentive to work together and to get along.

If you are a marketer who is feeling challenged by your IT team, there are a few steps you can take to help smooth things out and increase the chances that you will complete your project.

1. Open a Discussion

Sometimes, roadblocks can be thrown in the way just from a simple lack of understanding of the situation. Have an open discussion with IT, in which you explain the priorities of your project, what you are trying to achieve, and why, and what the benefits are for the organization. Listen frankly to the concerns of the IT group, and work towards a consensus you can both live with. You may not get 100% of what you want, but you may get the project a lot closer.

2. Make friends

Try not to stereotype the IT staff - they aren't really living in their parents basement playing games in their spare time. They're probably a lot like you, they just have a different way of seeing things from you. Try to let go of your frustrations, and get to know them on a personal level.

3. Explain the Benefits

Always explain the reasons and benefits for your project when you first propose it. Sometimes, when people put up roadblocks they feel they can't take them down. Begin the project in a consensus frame of mind and you start the project off with the best chance of overall success.

IT and Marketing don't have to be strangers to one another... just ask any Internet Marketer. Many Search Engine Marketers are go-betweens for IT and Marketing and can speak the language of both sides. Try to keep the lines of communication and respect open, and you may find you can get more projects fully completed.

Image by Francis Storr

The Focused Marketer Launches!

Helen — Sun, 10 May 2009 19:58:56 +0000

We're really excited to be officially launching on May 11th, 2009; thanks for joining us!

The Focused Marketer is the brainchild of long-time Search Engine Marketer Helen M. Overland (a.k.a. semlady).

The goal of the site is to cut through the noise and bring you Internet Marketing strategies and directions that you as a business can actually use. You will not find "how to get 5000 twitter followers in 24 hours" stories here. For that, look elsewhere. Here you will find ideas that you can actually take back to your business to improve your bottom line.

Subscribe to our Main Feed, or subscribe to the individual topics you are interested in to keep up to date with the latest strategies.

We're not just another pretty site... Helen is a 9 year veteran of Internet Marketing and literally bursts with creative new ideas and strategies on a daily basis. Find out more about Helen and why this new site matters.

If you would like to write for us, either a regular column or a guest post, send us your brief pitch to write@focusedmarketer.com.