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Why I Go to Conferences

Friday, March 12th, 2010

Sitting here at the Austin Convention Center, catching up on emails and projects before things officially get started at South By South West (SXSW). Another conference on the calendar, another opportunity to learn.

I have had the privilege of attending a wide-variety of conferences over the years, and from each gained something to help with my everyday tasks. From learning more about CSS and Design at Web Design World and An Event Apart, to search, social and analytics at Search Engine Strategies and SMX. I always enjoy hearing how others are working in the digital space, and sometimes, I even get to share my experience as well. Sometimes you give, sometimes you get.

Creative people sharing ideas, successes and failures = the opportunity to learn. I enter every conference in hopes of walking away with one nugget of information that can help move the needle for our partners.

Which brings us here, to SXSW, one of the largest, most diverse technology conferences in the world. People from all angles of digital: Video, bloggers, app developers and much more here to connect, and share ideas.

I am looking forward to meeting some new folks, even though I generally consider myself a terrible networker, I try. More importantly, re-connecting with some great folks that I have had the opportunity to meet at some point in the past, or some folks that I have come to know digitally.

Stay tuned, if you like for some un-edited, ramblings…

Tags: conferences, sxsw
Posted in Inspiration, Marketing | No Comments »

Can the NHL Leverage the Olympics?

Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010

No denying that in recent weeks more people have paid attention to hockey then ever before; The Olympics have a tendency to make folks wax patriotic about things they may otherwise not pay attention to. Curling, skating….hockey.

What I am interested in watching is the ability of the N.H.L. (National Hockey League) to leverage the Olympic-fueled interest in hockey. Without recounting last Sunday’s game, it goes without saying that hockey is on the minds of more (Americans) than ever before. The Olympic hockey Gold Medal game match-up could not have been planned any better.

Last weekend people were watching, and caring about hockey that had no prior interest in the sport. I come from a family of sports-fans, however none of us closely watch hockey. Last Sunday, that changed.

My wife, my children, my father, my friends all sent me text messages akin to “are you watching this?!”. Hockey has an opportunity to gain fans.

Low Hanging Fruit
I visited the NHL website, and a number of team sites, as I wrote this post. I have to say, I was disappointed.

Not because the websites were bad, they are very well designed. However, they precluded me, a non-hockey knowledgeable person, from better understanding their sport.

It is easier for me to find an “official” bar to watch a Chicago Blackhawks game, than it is for me to learn what icing is, or for that matter just general rules.

Un-Solicited Advice for the NHL
Leverage the Olympic experience. (duh). Opportunities for “welcome to hockey” packages exist. Introduce people to a sport in a friendly, non-elitist way, and you could gain fans for life.

Player videos (Olympic participants if possible) explaining the basics (icing, power plays)
Create a “Newbie” section on your team websites that has simple Q & A’s for newbies like me. I went to several websites and found nothing about understanding the game. The NHL is not alone in missing this, however, they have the greatest barrier to entry, so far as becoming a spectator sport.

It is great to see the NHL making use of some social media channels like Twitter, and responding to people. The more interaction, and introduction, the greater chance of creating life-long fans, and enthusiasts for the game.

Tags: Marketing, Social Media, sports marketing
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

What You Can Learn From Jerry Garcia

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Around here we listen to and enjoy all types of music, you are as likely to hear AC/DC as you are Miles Davis, and everything in between. Bluegrass, rock, funk, jazz (my personal favorite) and jam bands all stream from Pandora and iPod alike. While musicians inspire and stir our emotions with their creations, everything from sports teams to weddings, indulge me for a moment as I explain how I think musicians can also inspire your marketing.

Live music is something that many people enjoy, from large stadiums packed with superstar performers to classical concerts in small theatres. For many, experiencing music live takes it to a new level. Jam bands, those that seem to have the ability to recreate a song every time they play it, set the bar, when it comes to live performances.

The Grateful Dead, Widespread Panic, Leftover Salmon, Yonder Mountain String Band, Phish and Govt Mule are just some of the jam bands that have created strong brands by leveraging their content and their communities. Jerry Garcia was an incredible guitarist; Is it possible that he and the Grateful Dead were pioneers of content and viral marketing? You decide.

Why are jam bands so successful at content marketing?

Jam bands take a story and present it in a unique and captivating way.

Of all the jam bands I have had the opportunity to see live, I never once walked away from a show thinking it seemed contrived. Can you say the same thing about your content? Tell your story in a personable way. Corporate speak sucks, ditch it and roll with the story the way you would speak it, not how you think your 8th grade English teacher would want it.

Jam bands keep things interesting.

They accomplish this by always changing play sets, arrangements and sometimes they will really surprise you with a guest appearance. How can you mix your content to produce something new? Know someone you can reach out to for a guest blog post? Never hurts to ask, and you give your audience something new, something fresh…they will thank you.

Jam bands spread their music virally

Most jam bands allow, and even encourage, the recording and trading of their live music. Some will even allow “tapers” to plug into their sound boards for maximum quality. The “taper” community then trades and shares the recorded concerts, which allow the band’s music to spread virally. The bands allow this trading of their music to take place free of charge. You are creating content and sharing it with your audience, but are you giving them the access, the permission and the tools to share it? Sharing of content and music helps spread your content and helps build a stronger community.

People enjoy “discovering” new bands.

Many years ago I had the opportunity to see The (then unknown) Dave Mathews Band play at a fraternity party. They were damn good, but hadn’t hit the big time yet. Think we all didn’t tell our friends about this new band we saw? Of course we did, we all wanted to feel like we had “discovered” something great. Things are no different online. A great video, a really good blog post all are things that people love to discover and share. Create things that people will want to tell their friends about, don’t just create to complete a milestone.

Jam bands create community.

These communities are tight-knit, many having their own norms, nomenclature, and even nicknames – the “Dead Heads”, “Spread Heads” and other countless communities are fiercely loyal. Each member of the community consumes the content in their own way, and react to it differently. Some spin, some sway and some simply shake it. Your audience is no different. They consumer your content in different ways and react differently – some share a blog post through their RSS reader, some post a video to their Facebook page. Do you know your audience and their nuances?

So crank up some music, play a little hacky-sack, start thinking like a jam band and you will see improvements in your content, your engagement and your rankings.

Tags: Digital Marketing
Posted in Content Creation, Digital Marketing, Inspiration, Marketing, SEO, Social Media | 2 Comments »

Taking Your Small Business Beyond Stats

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

Marketing and measurement.

Logically speaking, the two are joined at the hip. Realistically speaking, the two are (more often than they should be) as disjointed as a divorced couple in a custody battle. I am always a bit surprised by the companies that have nary a clue how their digital marketing is doing.

No analytics in place, no tracking mechanisms, no idea. Going even a bit further, there is a big difference between analytics and the age-old “stats” package. If you are still looking for data on “hits”, then do a little bit of homework to learn more about the metrics, which metrics are important to you, and what they mean.

No matter if you are building out a new website or wanting to learn more about an existing one, insist it include an analytics package. With Google Analytics being a free, and very useful, tool, there is really no excuse. Simply create an account, place a snippet of code, and you have data. With some understanding of that data you will be able to make more informed decisions and gain a better understanding of what parts of your marketing are working and more importantly, which ones are not.

Some Web Analytics Packages and Tools
Two analytics tools you can put in play quickly and easily to replace your old “stats” program.

Google Analytics – It is free, provides loads and loads of data and hacks and has become ubiquitous for SMB’s and measurement.

Woopra – If you love graphs, real-time data and dashboards, look no further. Recently out of Beta and available to everyone, Woopra provides a dashboard that will make you feel like you are launching the space shuttle. Loads of information, real-time and even live chat feature. This is a paid, but very reasonably priced service worth checking out.

Heat Maps
Heat maps help visualize the items on a page that are drawing attention from your visitors. Identify misplaced calls to action and much more, along with standard analytics data.

Crazy Egg – Data and heatmaps at a reasonable price. We have used this service to help with Landing Page optimization, ecommerce optimization and web form optimization. Heatmaps can offer some incredibly useful data that is outside the traditional “numbers” mindset.

Click Density – Anther tool utilizing heatmaps, worth taking a look at.

Tags: web analytics
Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing, Web Usability | No Comments »

Oh Look! A Chicken!

Saturday, December 12th, 2009

Ever try to have a conversation with someone that has Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)?

Some tell me that I exhibit some of the tell-tale signs. I know my father does. My family jokes with him about it all the time. A couple of years ago, we bought him one of the famous t-shirts, “I don’t have ADD. I’m just….Oh, look! A chicken!”

Joking or not, that’s sometimes what it’s like talking to him. If you aren’t engaging him with something interesting or meaningful, the attention goes out the window. If I’m ever having trouble putting together part of a website, I just think of him, and I usually figure it right out.

If you think you don’t know someone with ADD, guess who does? Your customers. The people you are trying to reach.

Here are a few simple tips to work with the web’s short attention span:

Follow Steve Krug’s advice laid out in ‘Don’t Make Me Think‘. Make it immediately clear what you do
Format your text appropriately. Use headings and blocks of text to break up information into parts that are easy to scan.
Have clear calls to action. Make it easy for people to do what you want them to do! Join a list, download a PDF, or calling your business all fit the bill.
Speak to people, don’t shout at them. We’re all SICK and TIRED of the bullhorn tactics (even those with pretty strong ADD characteristics). And they don’t work anymore, anyway.

Posted in Marketing | 2 Comments »

Have You Changed the Oil on Your Web Presence?

Friday, December 11th, 2009

Quick- how often do you think about your web presence?

Personally, I think about it almost all the time. Yours, mine, theirs, how to improve, how to expand, how to increase conversions. All of it.

The other day I was thinking of a way to explain the importance of website maintenance.

First, what is it? In simple terms, it involves everything from bug fixes to security loopholes, from making sure that your content is current to tracking how people are finding it.

Well, it just so happened I was on my way for an oil change, and the metaphor hit me all at once:

When you buy a new vehicle, you’re making an investment which is generally a result of planning. What kind of vehicle? What brand? What color? What features? It’s similar to hiring a digital marketing company or a web designer, no?

Also, you have expected outcomes of the investment – smooth ride, worry-free driving in the snow, great gas mileage, even status. These are the goals that you intend want to reach through your investment.

Your web presence is similar; You go through the process of hiring an agency, and you determine features, content, and styling issues. You launch a website and a digital marketing campaign with expected outcomes.

However, here’s where usually the website loses out in our set-it-and-forget-it world.

You own a vehicle- do you change your oil somewhat regularly? Ever replaced your wiper blades, tires, or air filter? When the weather is nice, you wash it….maybe even once a year spring for a detail? You might not do all of those, but in order for your vehicle to run properly, it requires maintenance.

Your website is no different.

Would you walk into the dealership a year after purchasing a new vehicle and complain it isn’t working properly? What if you hadn’t ever changed the oil? Probably not.

Why, then, would you expect your search engine rankings to maintain or improve with no new content? Is it reasonable to expect improved conversions on your PPC without investing in testing of ads, landing pages, and calls to action? Social media success without participation?

Your web presence, like your vehicle, requires consistent attention and routine maintenance for maximum effectiveness. No way around it.

Tags: content marketing, Digital Marketing, marketing strategy, Pat Strader, Web Development
Posted in Marketing, Pay Per Click, SEO, Web Design | No Comments »

Three Things You Should Be Doing (But Probably Aren’t)

Sunday, November 15th, 2009

With all the talk about different ways to market your business, there’s not much to be seen on the simple things. Here are some easy steps that could improve your digital marketing and your bottom line.

Call Tracking
While I was at Pubcon in Las Vegas, there was plenty of talk about social media, search, paid search, and more. Marty Weintraub and Michael Dorausch both mentioned call tracking, something we hear very little talk about.

It’s a technology that we’ve experimented with for over a year, and the information that can result is all useful. You can use call tracking by simply embedding a “throw-away” phone number on your landing pages, your website, social media profiles, and print ads. Using unique numbers allows you to then track the effectiveness of that placement.

Additionally, you can write conditional code which will show different numbers depending upon how they entered your website. In other words, if someone enters via an organic search query from Yahoo!, they’ll see a different number than if had they entered from a search on Google.

And there’s the metrics. You can learn the geographic origination of the phone call. You can see how long they talked. How many times they called. More. This information not only helps understand the effectiveness of your marketing, but can also help evaluate your customer service by studying call duration and repetition.

Talk to Your Customers
When was the last time you really talked to your customers? I’m not meaning just sending off email surveys (which are good), but actually talking to folks. Ask them for a few moments of their time while they are visiting your location. Or simply give a them a quick phone call.

You can find out helpful information such as what social networks they use, and what they thought of their experience with you. Simply ask them for their time, ask the questions, and give them a little something for their effort.

Customer Service Training
Do you train your employees on how to better serve your customers? Tony Hsieh at Zappos, requires ALL new hires to go through customer service training. Everyone there can answer the phone, answer your questions, fulfill your order, and on and on.

Think that’s helpful during the holiday season? What do you think that would do for consistency of customer interaction? Hint: Satisfaction is through the roof at Zappos.

It’s easy for the big companies, right? They have the budgets. Small businesses are faced with a number of different obstacles when it comes to implementing a customer service training program. Budget, time, and know-how are all factors which no one seems to have enough of.

But putting forth the effort to create training programs can have a tremendous impact. What if you raised your conversion rate by 1%? 2%? 10%?!

Sometimes, simple is the answer. Training can help you make the most of your marketing spend. And it helps focus on conversion and customer service.

What are you doing to boost conversion rate?

Tags: Digital Marketing, marketing strategy, Pat Strader
Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing | No Comments »

Crafting Your Social Media Policy

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Do you have a social media policy?

If you said, yes, I applaud you, here is a list of others like you for comparison. If you’re like most of us, you made one of those, “I know I should say yes, but I can’t” faces.

Don’t worry. If you don’t have one, you aren’t alone. Not by a long shot.

However, as social media becomes a bigger and more important part of your overall marketing efforts, you’ll need one. It’s required, got it?

Why A Social Media Policy?
One of the big concerns of brands that use social media marketing is the fact that there’s “no control”.

The fact is, you can’t ever control what others say about your brand. And you never have. You can however, manage what you say about your brand. Surprisingly, that’s a problem for some.

Creating your social media policy doesn’t need to be an exercise in formality. It’s simply a guide, with parameters. Not micro-management on paper.

What Can A Social Media Policy Do?
There are tons of positives from creating and adhering to a social media marketing policy:

Identify the basic questions of who, what, where and when
Identify hot-button topics and create appropriate plans of action
Establish a planned response for emergencies, anticipated or otherwise
Eliminate the inaction that is often caused by uncertainty
Establish training protocol

Let’s use sports as an example. Success in sports is predicated by proper evaluation, planning, and execution. If you are leading your social team, think like a coach. Evaluate your personnel, game plan, teach the fundamentals, and prepare for anything.

Then teach your team. It’s going to establish the who, what, and when of your organization, and provide a guide for everyone to refer to. And you’ll have a plan for when all hell breaks loose.

Examples, Links and Reading

Dave Fleet on Social Media Policy
Working example – Intel Social Media Policy
PR Squared – Guidelines and Templates
107 Working Examples

Mistakes can and will happen. However, if you have the fundamentals ingrained, you’ll be much more apt for consistent success.

Tags: Social Media
Posted in Marketing, Social Media | No Comments »

The Burden of Trust

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

Do your customers trust you?

The Burden of Trust

If they’re spending so much as a penny with you, they do.

Trust is one of the fundamental building blocks of the process which moves us from prospect to customer; Without trust, we don’t buy. Simple as that.

There are always a series of steps in the buying cycle, and every company has a slightly different cycle. The cycle contains attention, interest, desire etc. Each step represents a “micro-conversion” which must take place to reach the ultimate goal – “the sale”.

Trust is one of the hardest micro-conversions to check off the list. People, now more than ever, are increasingly distrustful of brands. This is substantiated by a variety of sources, include PEW Research which tells us that 7 people in 10 say they consult online reviews when purchasing. I would go as far as to say that the “consulting” they’re doing is a large portion of the decision-making process of simply whether or not to trust a brand.

People gain trust in brands in a variety of ways. Were you helpful, honest, sincere… nice? And beyond even how to gain that trust, what to do with it once you’ve earned it?

Earning trust is just a portion of the proverbial battle. Truth is, the real work begins after trust is earned. That’s where the real responsibility is.

It’s your responsibility, once you’ve earned trust, to keep your customers’ best interest at the core of everything you do within the relationship. The old saying, “the customer is always right” is fundamentally flawed; you are often the customer… and you’re also sometimes wrong. But when it’s your business, it’s still your duty as the trust-bearer to ensure those customers are right.

Make them smarter. Make them understand. Teach them. Lead them in the right direction. After all, they’re TRUSTING YOU to do that very thing. Trust, once obtained, is the basis of all of your business relationships. Now that you’ve earned it, it’s your burden to prove the decision to give it was wise.

Tags: business relationships, business trust, marketing strategy
Posted in Digital Marketing, Marketing, Partnership | 2 Comments »

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Archive for the ‘Marketing’ Category

Why I Go to Conferences

Taking Your Small Business Beyond Stats

Oh Look! A Chicken!

Have You Changed the Oil on Your Web Presence?

Three Things You Should Be Doing (But Probably Aren’t)

The Burden of Trust

Matterhorn Marketing