As Google continues to roll out new search enhancements (personalization, real time search etc.) it is truly interesting to see how much value is created for the end user. For instance, Salesforce was creeping along this morning so I decided to search "is Salesforce down?". Naturally, salesforcewatch.com and downornot.com won the top two organic search results (Salesforce.com had the only PPC ad) but I found it very valuable to see that right below the main organic results, Google was pulling Twitter results directly applicable to the search.
In this instance, several results were also being pulled back from recent blog posts and this was quite valuable. If your company is using your blog as the hub of your social media strategy, you can truly begin to dominate a space simply because you're present in so many arenas. For instance, if someone searches "affordable blogging software", our corporate blog wins that search and in some cases, real time Twitter results have shown up related to the topic. Naturally then, it is important to first, win the organic results and give searchers what they want, but also to utilize other strategies capable of making the searcher happy through other social mediums.
For additional information, I would highly suggest watching the replay of our webinar with Jay Baer on
blogging as the hub of your social media strategy.
Today's
eMarketer article on online marketing for lead generation really struck a chord with me given the nature of corporate blogging and the search marketing space in general. The article notes that,
Unlike in media as a whole, where the biggest B2B marketing focus is on building awareness, in the online channel lead generation is the top priority. Customer retention is also more important online, with awareness lagging behind when it comes to divvying up digital budgets.
For instance, in their chart (below), you can clearly see that online spends are focused on lead generation or driving additional sales.
Even more, using a corporate blogging strategy to drive customer engagement, and new leads, achieves multiple goals directly relevant to measuring ROI on this type of marketing initiative. And, given the nature of how marketing dollars are being allocated today, direct measurement and a lower cost-per-lead is becoming increasingly important in the online space.
I read an
interesting article this morning in the WSJ about PPC vs. organic SEO and how to
best utilize both types of campaigns. Although the article was primarily focused on PPC and I disagree the with the value of PPC and conversion rates, the overall keyword selection piece was useful. The article notes,
Picking the keywords that will attract shoppers to your site can be tricky. While you'll want to select your company's name, as well as the name of your competitors, the key in determining other keywords is to keep an open mind, says Keser. "Talk to customers; see what words they use when they search for your products," he says. Note that the broader the search phrases, the pricier those keywords will be. To reduce your costs, consider opting for focused, relevant keywords.
In 2001, Ian MacDonald launched a pay-per-click campaign for Century Novelty, a Detroit party supplies company that had just gone entirely online. Although MacDonald started out bidding on broad keywords such as "party supplies," over time, he started to get more specific in his keyword selections -- choosing phrases such as "luau party supplies" or "Hawaiian party leis," for example.
Naturally, this is the exact strategy one can take with a blogging strategy focused on organic SEO and driving organic search traffic. Targeting longer-tail and less competitive search phrases can get you in front of more qualified and "ready-to-buy" audiences. Blogging for search can also tie directly into this strategy given the nature of human content.
Check out Compendium's enterprise level blogging solution for more information...
Given the tremendous Canadian gold medal win last night in hockey (yes, I am Canadian) I thought I would take a moment to comment on an opportunity for businesses to capitalize on the buzz out there. For instance,
Molson has a blog currently (not on Compendium) and given their brand and focus, they put up some great content related to their product (of which plenty was purchased/drank and bet on during the Olympics).
On the other hand, if I were sitting in marketing over at
Bauer or CCM -- I would absolutely want to drive engagement through a search driven blogging strategy given the interest. Why not have blogs targeting all of their product varieties so when someone types in "hockey skates", they are showing up first.
On a somewhat unrelated note, what better time to focus on bringing curling to the US and building a search marketing strategy around that as well for rinks that have curling ice available...
In an article yesterday on
eMarketer there was a great analysis of how nonbranded searches still dominate the organic space. Further, the analysis really focused in on the fact that searchers do not usually leave the first page to find an answer to their query.
The report found that
the trend "...was true across the big three search engines, with at least 95% of traffic from each originating from the first page of results after a nonbranded search. Less than 2% of search-referred traffic came from clickers persistent enough to look for results after the second page. "
With that in mind, it is more important than ever to get in front of the right audience immediately after they are searching for a solution to their problem.
Corporate blogging with Compendium is completely focused on SEO and increasing organic rankings. Check out a
demonstration here if you're interested.
Being born and raised in Canada, I often times find myself completely engrossed in the winter Olympics, especially when the homeland is hosting. With that said, every new ol
ympic season more and more of my friends seem to get incredibly interested in curling. Naturally, I grew up watching my father in the curling rink but never really played or took a huge interest. Instead, I still prefer watching hockey or the skiing events -- and especially the men's/women's halfpipe.
In any case, given the rising interest (at least in my sphere of influence), it seems like a tremendous opportunity for equipment retailers and rinks that offer curling to ramp up their search marketing efforts. What better way to get in front of a captive audience than having a blog talking all bout the upcoming Canada vs. Japan match and then tying that back to some local point of interest.
Just a thought....
As usual, I took a quick read through of today's eMarketer and noticed a somewhat interesting
article on how Moms tend to place trust in other consumers for purchasing decisions. Naturally, I do not think this is a mind blowing discovery but it does speak to a core reason that companies should be blogging....people buy from people.
If you can tell a story about your product, make it known that real people exist behind the "brand", then it seems far more likely you could make a real connection with a potential client or customer. Blogging for search marketing then is a clear fit for driving home value while being able to measure actual results from these efforts.
I thought I would take a quick moment to post on today's eMarketer article
, Using Social Media strategically. As has been the trend over the past several years, marketers are continuing to increase their "social media" budgets with they key goal of increased traffic and leads from their efforts. That said, 2010 is looking no different:
The article goes on to say,
Gaining maturity means improving the ability to tie objectives to specific metrics. Marketers in the strategic phase are significantly more likely than those in earlier phases of the process to measure their success across all objectives. An increase in Website traffic was the No. 1 objective targeted and measured by all marketers.
For more in depth information on how Compendium uses corporate blogging to drive traffic and inbound leads, check out a
quick demo.
A few days ago, eMarketer put out an
interesting article on the interaction between consumer packaged goods (CPG) firms and brand loyalty development in their online marketing. For instance,
CPG marketers’ online relationship marketing tools include weekly e-mails, coupon offers, rewards programs and sweepstakes. Social media platforms help to build buzz for product launches, drive trial and test marketing messages.
“These efforts strengthen brand loyalty among existing customers, build affinity with consumers who frequently switch brands and entice defectors back into the fold,” according to the new eMarketer report...
With that in mind, a corporate blog is a perfect strategy. By providing related content to consumers looking for your products or a solution to their problem, you will be able to develop a more relevant connection.
Check out Compendium for some additional background.
Given that I am a Canadian myself, I found the daily
eMarketer newsletter somewhat interesting. Some of their most current research shows that Canadians have different trends in their online usage and goals. Furthermore, with a population only a fraction of that of the United States, Canadians enjoy far more connectivity and experience online. One quote I found particularly interesting was:
What can marketers take from this? Microsoft’s 2007 survey concluded that Web users’ receptivity to advertising could vary significantly with the time of day, their purpose in being online, access location and other factors. The 2009 data make the same point in more detail. When Canadians use the Web, they have clear aims in mind. Advertisers should be aware of consumers’ typical focus on tasks and goals, and use their knowledge of these behavior patterns to deliver their messages in appropriate contexts.
Nevertheless, despite all these changes one thing remains the same: search. No matter what the end goal, search marketing is still a hugely important aspect of reaching any audience. Whether for communication, entertainment, surfing etc. finding what you're looking for will still ultimately take place at the very basic search engine level.
For additional information about Compendium Blogware, check this out.
This morning's eMarketer newsletter caught my eye (article
here) as it discussed the trend towards more online marketing spending for consumer packaged goods companies. In the past and even today, CPG firms have largely focused on traditional media and avoided mediums that are more difficult to measure (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, other social networks).
Nevertheless, given the trend, corporate blogging for SEO should be an important strategy to consider. By carefully monitoring and measuring traffic, conversion etc. and tying strategies back to actual product sales, CPG firms could benefit immensely.
To see more about our business blog software, please check out www.compendium.com
A colleague of mine forwarded an interesting excerpt from an article today that struck a chord with me regarding large enterprise marketing efforts:
To most huge corporations, search engine optimization is often a very small piece of an enormous puzzle - and it is a piece they have been doing without for years. The necessary steps required to fully embrace the channel are often enough to stop any well-intentioned initiative in its tracks. As most search engine optimization experts will tell you, some of the most egregious search engine mistakes are consistently made by household name companies - leaving their smaller, leaner competitors the opportunity to take full advantage. Source
here.
In any case, good for for thought as companies are ramping up their 2010 marketing plans. I would also highly recommend an interesting read today from eMarketer about Digital Out-of-Home spending (article
here).
Recently, Netflix
announced on their corporate blog that they will be bringing their streaming service to the PS3. I think this is a great move forward, especially given the fact that in order to utilize their streaming service on the Xbox 360, you had to buy a Gold Membership to Xbox Live.
Greg Peters, VP of product development at Netflix, here. We’ve got good news for PS3 owners! Soon you will be able to instantly watch movies and TV episodes on your TV via your PS3. Today we announced that the PS3 is about to join the ever growing list of Netflix ready devices that allow streaming of movies and TV episodes whenever you want, as much as you want, all included in your unlimited Netflix subscription. The PS3 is a terrific Blu-ray and gaming platform that will get even better in November when we start streaming...
As the service continues to span platforms, perhaps we will see some additional titles being added and implementation of their instant queue to really make the streaming + mail service work together. Hopefully their search marketing efforts and overall media push make this readily apparent to really ramp up competition in the field.
I know I've written about them before but I thought I would throw out a compliment for the Redbox customer service department. I believe my previous post revolved around their corporate blog for movie reviews and customer feedback and although their business blog has value, their service department is also doing well in my book.
The other night I wanted to reserve a movie online and while checking out, I encountered an error three times in a row with their booking system. It said that the movie had only been reserved once but upon my arrival at the actual Redbox (and getting the delayed confirmation emails), I was granted three copies of the same movie. Naturally I did not want to pay for the same movie three times so I sent over a quick email that night and to my surprise, the charges were reversed the next morning and I was given a free movie coupon.
Nice to see that automated systems are being backed by real service!
In the last part of
a four part series by Business Week, Matt Cutts continues his discussion on how Google deals with web spam. I would definitely recommend reading the entire article but one section on "hacked" websites caught my eye:
Q: What do you mean by hacked in this context?
A: Spammers hack sites like Al Gore’s and other high-traffic sites and build links out to spam sites, and then they’ll monetize 10 cents per user or whatever. I was literally talking to someone who had written his own blogging software and he got hacked, and he was checking out what had happened and this guy had come and deliberately targeted him and found an exploit in this one guy’s piece of code.
So the scary trend is that as PCs are getting better, people aren’t keeping Web server software such as Wordpress and Drupal, up to date and so they get hacked a lot. So we have to deal with innocent people who have gotten their site hacked and then they’re selling Viagra.
More and more, we're hearing about personal and corporate blogs developed internally or pieced together with plugins being taken over via vulnerabilities with their code.
If you're looking for some alternatives, check out a demo of Compendium's hosted solution.
Yesterday, Condé Nast announced that they would be closing down three of their print publications (
WSJ article here)
Condé Nast Publications Inc. will close Gourmet and three other publications as the magazine giant seeks to position the company for a slow advertising recovery.
In addition to Gourmet, the publisher will shut Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride and lay-off about 180 people, Condé Nast Chief Executive Chuck Townsend said in an interview Monday.
It is no surprise that we continue to see more and more print publications either close down, or go entirely online. With that, blogging for search and using unique tools to create some sort of differentiation between publications is going to become more and more important for online marketers.
If you have a minute, I would highly recommend looking at some of the data released by Gartner about the 2009 Hype Cycle to get a feel for trends and opportunities to market effectively.
Regulations aside, the ability for the pharmaceutical industry to speak directly to their customers is something to be desired, especially when there are large issues at hand. For instance, today Pfizer agreed to pay a $2.3B settlement for illegal promotion of Bextra, a painkiller that was removed from the market in 2005 (
WSJ article here).
Naturally, with this type of record setting settlement involving criminal charges, there is going to be an outpouring of consumer opinion. Having a corporate blog available or some portal open for direct customer feedback, rather than traditional Press contacts, might be an interesting idea if regulations could be followed appropriately. Given that others in the marketplace will be talking about it anyways, having a corporate blogging strategy in place could serve as a great means to keep a pulse on what is being said if compliance and regulatory guidelines are met.
With the recent release of
Duke University's CMO Survey, some interesting trends continue to show up in marketing spends projected for the next year. According to the survey, CMOs are forecasting that online marketing spending will increase 9.5% over the next 12 months. Along those same lines, the study shows that CMOs expect traditional media and advertising spends to decrease by 7.9%. Naturally these results are not earth shattering but it is interesting to see various sets of data surrounding a lot of the same questions.
I'd recommend browsing through the study if you have a few spare minutes -- the sections on revenue increases and social media overall are also pretty interesting.
For those of you that keep up with the gaming industry, last weekend was
Blizzcon (a conference hosted by the gaming company Blizzard that showcases their new developments). Having played many classic Blizzard games in the past, I tend to keep up with their new announcements just given the fact that they command such a great deal of respect in the industry. I'd highly recommend checking out their HD videos on
YouTube for the new game announcements.
In terms of their online marketing, Blizzard does an excellent job of targeting their core demographics through a variety focused avenues. Even if gaming is of no interest, their marketing efforts are definitely worth checking out. Now if they just had an
easily found corporate blog...
I recently stumbled upon an
interesting article noting that Sony is starting a Daddy blogger type program.
Sony Electronics is launching DigiDads, in which dads will test out new Sony products in dedicated online media projects and then write about their experiences. Afterward, the bloggers will return the products to Sony
Given the Mommy blogger campaigns that we've seen with large consumer products companies, I'll be curious to see how this is received. On a related note, it certainly is nice to see Sony and other large retailers taking advantage of blog marketing to promote their products and generate interest!
