February 2012
1 post
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Advanced AdWords Tools (@Trada) →
In case you missed it, we wrote a guest blog post on Trada’s blog: http://www.trada.com/blog/advanced-adwords-tools/.
We all love feeling as though we’ve dodged a bullet, right? In this post we provide some practical tips and real-life examples for using AdWords tools without them using you.
The AdWords Search Funnel
Top Paths report: we especially enjoy the Transitions reports.
Assisted...
January 2012
2 posts
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Search marketing ad spend expected to grow 50% by... →
via @emarketer @sengineland
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PPC - The Stereo System Analogy
PPC is like a stereo system. Why splurge for fancy cables when your speakers stink?
November 2011
2 posts
4 tags
Occupy Consciousness
A thoughtful, original piece by Barry Rosen (Berkeley, CA):
Now we, and millions of other Americans, wonder aloud and to our selves — what’s next for the Occupy Movement. The occupation of public spaces as a tactic for gaining sympathetic attention has, it seems, run its course. Public opinion is often moved by media outlets fronting for corporate public relations teams,...
A cool primer on QR codes from AT&T →
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October 2011
3 posts
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“”
– ”Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.”
Steve Jobs http://news.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html
September 2011
5 posts
2 tags
Patenting an SEO process? Wow! →
It goes to show SEO done right requires resources, time and hard work.
A computer-implemented method comprising: receiving a document containing content for distribution via one or more online media distribution channels; analyzing a structure of the document; determining optimal modifications to the structure of the document; analyzing keyword frequency and keyword positions in the content of...
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5 psychology techniques to get more commerce from... →
There’s a great article posted September 21 on Social Commerce Today that reverse-engineers another article’s tips for making smarter, less impulsive buying decisions. The reverse of this is 5 techniques to get your buyers to buy quicker and more often. Pretty handy!
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Facebook pages: You no longer need 25 fans to get... →
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Cool things you can do on Google Analytics →
This is a good primer for Google Analytics newbies (courtesy KissMetrics). But there is plenty more cool stuff if you dive a little deeper. For example, custom reports are way underutilized but can save you tons of time if you set up one or two for your business. Intrigued? Check out this introduction to custom reports from Google evangelist Avinash Kaushik: Analysis Ninjas: Leverage Custom...
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Google AdWords putting attention back on positions
This week there were two new announcements from Google AdWords’ product team:
Click level data on an ad’s position is now freely available. For insights on this, you’ll want to follow George Michie’s posts, specifically New Insights into the Google Auction. The gist of it is you can now tag your urls with additional parameters which Google parses (understands) inside...
August 2011
6 posts
8 tags
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10 ways to wrestle Google Panda
Google’s recent update to its search algorithm, called Panda, has left many sites scrambling to pick up lost traffic. Unfortunately it’s an uphill battle for most of these sites. As WordTracker’s Mark Nunney wrote earlier this week:
The problem with Panda is that it’s a hack to fix a broken algorithm.
Large content farm sites containing crap were appearing at the top of...
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Search advertising can only carry you so far
If you rely on search advertising to bring home the bacon, be careful you don’t fall into a common trap for search marketers: putting everything into search and not enough into the outer reaches of the web, where people spend most of their online time anyway.
Building out your search campaigns fully is absolutely necessary. But you may reach a point where you’ve over-engineered them...
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Bloomspot raises $40 million, guarantees merchant... →
Excellent work from Bloomspot. As a merchant, I am more comfortable doing a deal with them. As a customer, I like knowing they care about the merchants they enroll. I’ve said it before, ensuring profitability is win-win-win.
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July 2011
7 posts
3 tags
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Google Plus is the Social Backbone (and Facebook... →
This is a very interesting article from O’Reilly’s Edd Dumbill on why Google is the only real candidate to deliver a universal social backbone.
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Another solution to get customers returning?
In another post I mentioned Bloomspot’s back-end approach to get customers returning to merchants: offer a 20% site-wide discount for each additional dollar spent at the original merchant. This requires a tracking mechanism trickling down to each merchant.
Still another approach to get customers returning is to offer repeat deals for the same merchant, each one better than the previous...
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Bloomspot has solved merchants' biggest problem:...
Plus, it involves nice rewards for customers. So can everyone be happy now?
Bloomspot’s new program, called Bloomspot PRIME, was developed to track customer spending beyond the initial voucher. It also serves a tool to incentivize members to buy more from its merchants. For each additional dollar spent, Bloomspot rewards the customer with 20% in Bloomspot credit. Sweet!
Apparently, this is...
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Will Google Offers use Google+ to shape the daily...
It is rumored that Google’s new deals platform, called Google Offers, will be much more favorable to businesses concerned with not making any money on their daily deals. Instead of paying businesses just 50% of the revenue generated from their deal, Google will pay up to 80%, which should come as a relief to many businesses who either are too scared to give away most of their profit or...
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Google Analytics is a "Last-Click" Platform
And unless you’re tracking “first-clicks” you’re leaving money on the table. But in order to track first-clicks, you need to customize your GA code. If you haven’t done this, it’s safe to say:
· you’re missing out on new traffic
· you’re mis-allocating your marketing spend
Let’s address each of these points in more detail.
You’re...
June 2011
4 posts
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Are you using behavioral targeting in your...
Behavioral targeting. Mention it and marketers start to drool. But what is it exactly?
Behavioral targeting is a practice marketers use to identify web visitors based on certain behaviors they exhibit. Such behaviors might be:
clicking on your company logo
adding a product to the cart and then bailing
adding to the cart and then purchasing
watching a particular video
visiting your site 5...
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Businesses: The key to group deal success is your...
Here is a (positive) group deal case study:
My wife is a hair stylist who recently joined a well-established salon in a location where foot traffic is usually high. But with the recent economic slowdown and the closing of a nearby pharmacy, foot traffic was on the decline. So they called LivingSocial and put a deal together for “$25 for $50 of hair services”.
To really get the most...
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May 2011
3 posts
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April 2011
4 posts
6 tags
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Yelp. Love it or Hate it?
I have a love-hate relationship with Yelp. But I have a feeling I am not the only one.
There are many reasons to love Yelp. How else can I find a good taco joint with legitimate reviews near the very spot where I am sitting at my desk? And there are many reasons to dislike Yelp, especially for small businesses where every review counts. Remember the old saying: a hater will tell 10 people they...
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'Comprehensive Business Strategy' Drives Social... →
How a company with $873 million in revenues approaches—and nails—social media.
Set clear goals.
Don’t be an island.
Monitor and respond to conversations.
Grow social community membership & engagement.
Reward and amplify key influencers & evangelists.
Track and report impact.
Read the rest...
March 2011
5 posts
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Can Facebook Compete with Groupon for Group Deals?
Facebook announced plans this week to create a group deals feature for its social network of nearly 600 million users. People will be able to share deals with their friends, similar to Groupon and Living Social’s social sharing features.
But as a marketer, it raises a few questions.
How effective are the social sharing features of Groupon and Living Social? Have you ever shared a deal? I...
Should Agencies Be More Like Software Companies?
napkinlabs:
The short answer is yes, but that comes with a lot of caveats. So why is this topic becoming such a point of debate lately?
Read More
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SMBs: Do Groupon sales wreak havoc on your web...
In a previous post, I wrote about how Groupon wreaks havoc on SEM. I can now add web analytics to that list.
How so? Groupon gets people interested in your brand. Lots of people. First, they see the deal on Groupon. Next they open a new tab (usually) and check out your site. But they won’t purchase while they’re there. Instead, they do their purchasing on Groupon’s site, which...
February 2011
7 posts
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Groupon's mighty INFLUENCE: 6 reasons for its...
First off, I am a big fan of Groupon. As a consumer, I have cashed in on a handful of deals like half off Fine Wines, Family Day at the Zoo, 2 for 1 Ice Cream, etc. And as a marketer, I have managed to arrange a few deals, too, such as discounts on Custom Apparel, half off Salon Blowouts, Personal Coaching, etc.
But in spite of the utility it has brought me, I am still astounded at how...
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What She Wore: Custom indi Jeans →
Nice custom jeans and great outfit overall. Thanks, Jessica!
whatiwore:
WhatIWore:
When: February 18, 2011
What: Hat: c/o Obey Cape: vintage, Cactus Flower (Bloomington, IN) Turtleneck: Zara Jeans: c/o IndiCustom Boots: Jeffery Campbell c/o Need Supply
Where: Back to the studio!
Why: Oh, it’s so lovely to be back home!! I had such a wonderful,…
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Facebook Introduces iframe Tabs for Pages
On their developer blog, Facebook officially announced today it is deprecating FBML in favor of iframe apps for tabs on pages. What the heck does this mean? Well, it is too early to point to specific examples but it does mean you can do a whole lot more with your pages!
Got a cool web app on your site that you want to stick on your page? Just iframe it!
For example, my company’s...
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Great happenings: Bloggers Brought Together to... →
thelevisgirl:
Want to be in on the action at New York Fashion Week without leaving the reach of your Wi-Fi connection? Keep reading…
Shape What’s to Come is sponsoring the Evolving Influence Fashion Blogger Conference at New York Fashion Week, hosted by the IFB and Mac & Milk Studios….
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January 2011
24 posts
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