Wordle – Word Cloud Creations September 5, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Uncategorized.Tags: wordle
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A great tool you should try on your blog or create from scratch: http://wordle.net. Larger words have been used more frequently. Here is the wordle cloud from my blog:
What if you used this tool on your homepage or landing page? This would help visitors see what products or services are more prominent on your site. You could also create embedded links for each word to a specific page on your site.
The Evolution of Keyword Targeting on Online Directories August 28, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Internet Yellowpages.Tags: directory search, local search targeting
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When I am explaining internet yellow pages to a client or new coworker, many often have a very good understanding of search engine optimization and paid listings, and they typically think internet yellow pages work in the same ways. For example, that the sponsored links typically found on the right hand side of IYP sites are the only options for advertising.
One area where I have seen changes from the IYP sites to be more like the search engines is in keyword building. Many sites such as Superpages and Dex now offer the ability to add category keywords chosen from a pre-generated list specific to the category you are advertising under. For example, on the Superpages category look up tool, for the Limousine Services category, you can add Leather Seating, Party Bus, or Video Games to your keyword list. You can also choose to select Jaguar as a keyword if you only offer Jaguar limos.
Though Yellowpages doesn’t have category keywords currently, their site is now pulling direct match results from keywords entered in the More Info Page when specific product or service keywords are entered. You will notice these results typically when your search does not push you to a category but instead brings up a short list of advertisers with your keywords highlighted in the hyper link to the business’ More Info Page.
One day we may see businesses taking advantage of SEM/SEO keyword lists to better build out their More Info Pages on IYPs.
As organizations adapt their campaigns to better take advantage of keyword search tools on IYP sites, we may see further development in this area in the future.
Read more on this topic from The Kelsey Group’s blog – Recommended Reading: The “Semantics” of Local Search – where a posting was made today on the necessity for local advertisers to make themselves more unique by focusing on services offered and other factors that go beyond the brand name and category.
How Businesses Should Respond to Reviews August 21, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in user generated content.Tags: reviews, ugc, user generated content
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First, a top-notch example of how not to respond:
I recently watched a rerun of Kitchen Nightmares where they visited Sebastian’s in Toluca Lake, CA. The restaurant was doing everything wrong. They were microwaving food, nothing was homemade, and they had a complex menu that took the waitresses 20 minutes to explain. Chef Ramsay came in and turned the place around. By the way the show ended, I thought the restaurant was off to a great new start. So upon looking at the listing on Citysearch, I was amused to find the restaurant now closed, and 73 reviews for Sebastian’s, many of which were people who had not been to the restaurant but were appalled by what they saw on the show. Though I can’t be certain, about 10 of the reviews seem to come from the owner (who else would say “It’s SEBATIOUS!” 12 times in one paragraph?). These entries included raving reviews of the food and atmosphere and bantering people who wrote negative reviews about Sebastian’s.
I am not sure if the owner of Sebastian’s could have saved his business if he’d responded to the reviews differently, especially considering his overall performance on the show and in the reviews. Internet users can easily see through a fake review, and it will only result in a poor image of that business.
Here are a couple of examples of great business responses that Sebastian’s should have tried:
- From a personal experience, I ate horrible food at a Mexican restaurant in Minneapolis once and wrote a review about my experience. Soon after, I received an email from the company offering a coupon to give them a second chance. Although I chose not to go back, I felt like the company had listened. I hoped that they would make some changes to their menu. The coupon offer gave me a more neutral feeling for the business, which toned down my desire to tell everyone I knew to never eat there.
- Take a look at the reviews from CustomInk on Yellowpages.com. A customer says they tried to call the company, but had trouble getting through. CustomInk wrote a business response to this person explaining that they were experiencing a higher call volume than expected, but promising to add more staff and the goal to answer all calls on the first ring. This business specifically addressed the issue and let the customer know they were working on a solution. Great job!
These two examples are great because the business responded in a very real way. CustomInk was honest and admitted they were having a problem.
The new wave of the internet includes businesses getting involved in online communities and listening to their customers. The way you respond to what your consumers are saying has a direct affect on the success of your company.
MIMA Event 8/13 – Video/Mobile Marketing: From Soup to Nuts August 18, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in MIMA.Tags: mobile marketing, video marketing
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The MIMA event I attended on Wednesday was a panel of 5 people from various interactive marketing agencies in Minneapolis that focus on digital advertising:
- The Uptake
- Smokin Yogi
- ThreeVolts
- MRM Worldwide
- Ciceron
Statistics:
It is becoming almost a daily activity to consume online video. The main types of video are: news, movies/tv, homemade amateur, music, and commercials. About 10% of the online video out there is corporate video. The other 90% is amateur/homemade.
Examples:
- www.savethewalls.org – a campaign from 3M designed towards college students
- Proquo Office Junk
- Rabbit Hole – Spec video for Nestle Quick – mrm worldwide, minneapolis
One interesting idea was having clickable products within a video. For example, a Harley drove by, and the motorcycle was clickable and directed you to the Harley website. Companies can utilize amateur videos by sponsoring their own products that appear in already created content. For example, one video we saw showed a Nokia phone that allows you to stream video right to the web so you can show live feeds. The guy shooting was holding a beer in his hand. Why doesn’t Nokia and Budweiser pick this up and advertise through this video?
One problem with this may be getting legal to sign off on content that isn’t regulated. Basic advertising rules and models do not apply to the web, and corporations tend to take their advertising too seriously. To be successful in video marketing, you have to go with your gut. For example, Nestle wanted to do a viral video campaign and on this document, it said that viral videos should be funny. MRM shot a video called What’s Your Rabbit Hole – meaning where do you go to get away from the stresses at work. One guy had a particular story he reads to his daughter every night. When he was stressed at work, he would call his daughter and talk to her as one of the characters from the story. It was a very moving video, but the marketers at Nestle threw it out because it wasn’t funny as the document had said was a requirement.
When it comes to budgeting, the cost is significantly less than tv. You don’t have to pay for Union talent. However, that’s not to say they are proud to pay actors less. Corporations think creating a web video should be cheap and has to look amateur. However, this is not true. There are no rules or regulations, so why force them? A web video has no boundaries and can be whatever you want it to be. There are no production models.
Today’s Internet Yellow Pages Blogosphere Posts July 23, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Internet Yellowpages.Tags: citysearch, google maps, iphone, mobile applications
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New Citysearch + Google Maps
The Kelsey Group posted news today from Citysearch. iPhone has a new web browsing tool called Mapmash that combines Google Maps and the business profiles found on Citysearch.
The tool can be found at: http://mapmash.googlepages.com/citysearch.htm
It works much the same as many IYPs in that you type in a location, a category, and narrow down to the type of service you are looking for. You will then see a map with location points, which click through directly to the Citysearch business profile.
This service would only work for paid advertisers on Citysearch as free listings do not utilize the business profile.
Yellowpages.com Speech Recognition
MacRumors posted news that AT&T is testing the first speech recognition application on the iPhone. For example, on Yellowpages.com, you would say the city and state and the category of service you are looking for to retrieve your results instead of typing it in. It is definitely a great feature that would get you faster results. The only drawback is that you still need to hit navigational buttons so it is not completely hands free. Though it’s a great start!
New Advertising Products Available on Citysearch and DexKnows July 22, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Internet Yellowpages.Tags: citysearch, dexknows, local search advertising
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New Products and State Advertising Options on Dexknows.com
Dex has recently unveiled new advertising options for 14 states in the Eastern and Midwestern US, including Nevada, Texas, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, South Carolina, Florida, and Pennsylvania.
The following new products are now available for ALL 28 states: Enhanced Package and Starter Package.
The Starter Package includes
- Placement above basic alphabetical listings
- A business profile that includes: website link, email link, tag line, and business description
- A replica of your Yellow Pages print ad
Enhanced Package includes
- Placement above Starter Package listings
- A business profile that includes: website link, email link, tag line, and business description
- A replica of your Yellow Pages print ad
The following products are available for the original 14 states (highlighted in Yellow): Priority Placement, Featured advertiser, enhanced package (new), starter package (new), trademark logo and video.
Priority Listing on Citysearch
Priority Listings appear in the first listing under a category search. The listing includes 1 category, a logo (this is the only product with a logo on the main listings results page), tagline, and URL.
There is only one PL available per category, and the product was just opened up to the Restaurants, Bars & Clubs, Hotels, Shopping, Spa & Beauty, Movies, and Events categories.
Social Technographics People Classifier July 22, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Uncategorized.Tags: groundswell, Interactive Marketing, social technologies
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I have been reading Groundswell by Forrester Research (Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff). In this book, they define 6 levels of online consumer groups according to their activity on the internet:
- Creators – create blog postings, videos, etc
- Critics – comment on the writings/postings of others in the form of writing reviews or editing articles on Wikipedia
- Collectors – utilize RSS feeds, add tags to photos or websites they find
- Joiners - connect with other people via Facebook or other social networks
- Spectators – these people do not contribute, but they read ratings and reviews, listen to podcasts, watch videos, etc.
- Inactives – no participation with social technologies
For example, in the example from Amazon, they have 2 visible types of contributors: creators and critics. Creators are able to write reviews and the critics can rate how useful the review was. Amazon sorts the reviews by the comment that was rated the most helpful.
Consumers can Adapt their Social Technographic Behavior for each Buying Stage and Situation
In Groundswell, they describe how a company should build a social technographic profile of their clients before developing a social marketing strategy.
I think it’s important to do the research specific to your own products and services rather than using a general guide for a specific age group or gender.
Looking at my own behavior online, there are times when I am a creator and times when I am just a spectator. It depends on the subject and the type of people who are already Creating on the site.
If I am researching the best Christmas present for my nephew, for example, I am more likely to be a spectator or a collector. I will read the reviews of certain toys on Target and Toys R Us, save the best products to my favorites, and go back to make the final decision later. You want to know what others are saying, but you don’t have the experience yet to really contribute to the conversation. However, if you are a frequent user of the product, you may be more likely to write reviews or add to another person’s review.
Of course there may be products out there where the average consumer would need to ask a lot of questions, find out who else is buying the product, and why they should buy it. instead of talking to a sales person, they want to hear from others and get specific answers to their questions.
Therefore, in setting up a social marketing tool on your website, I think it’s important to know what activity level your current customers are and what level your potential customers are, and allow them to interact with each other if your goal is to create new business.
Do you know the social profile of your customers? How would you utilize this information to develop a new social marketing strategy?
How Airlines can Increase Customer Happiness and Stay in Business July 17, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Uncategorized.add a comment
This may sound crazy, but I think the answer to the airline crisis is to follow the advertising model of Nascar.
My husband travels frequently and he is always happy to talk about the types of jets from the Northwest fleet that he’s flown on: whether it’s a Boeing 727, an Airbus, or a DC-9 (oh yea, I looked those up!).
So what if Northwest created an interactive website that profiled the planes and the pilots that fly them? And allowed sponsors to put their logo on the planes?
Here is how the plan would work:
Pilots: Show us pictures of the pilots, how many seasons they’ve had, interesting statistics like how many miles they go a day and how many places they have flown to (like the “where I’ve been” application on Facebook), and details for the ladies like are they single. Image the teenagers and kids looking at these pages with admiration!
Planes: Show us the funniest moments on the plane, special features of the plane, the crew, and where it’s going next. Allow travelers to find the plane they traveled on and enter their own stories or upload a video.
Sponsors: Advertisers could offer free samples, ask travelers to fill out surveys, have them try out your product, etc. You have people engaged, just sitting in a seat for hours, why not!
Benefits:
- Northwest can generate revenue from the advertisers to balance out what they are losing on fuel costs
- Travelers will be excited to see who their pilot is, the plane number, and main sponsor of the plane
Possible problems are obviously security concerns. We would also need to know how often planes are repainted.
Better Ways to Search July 9, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in Interactive Marketing Website Reviews.Tags: ecommerce, emarketing, search engine marketing
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In response to Seth Godin’s blog yesterday “Let me see,” in which he created a list of ways marketers could make the consumer’s life easier – not necessarily good for the company – I would like to expand his list to ways search engines could make search easier and more productive for searchers:
- Show ecommerce websites by the number of people who purchased products and let me sort by number of returns, frequency of customer visits, and standard shipping rates.
- Let consumers rate 1-5 stars next to the search results for how closely the site/landing page matches with common search terms. Filter out sites with many 1 ratings.
- Let me sort websites that advertise the least/most.
- I want to know how highly the company is ranked within their industry amongst industry leaders (bloggers, commentators, etc.).
- I want to know what price points their products are at – should I expect high quality at a low price, low quality at a low price, etc.
- I want to be able to sort the websites by informational content, transactional pages, and navigational pages (pages that simply link to other pages) results.
- Establish relationships with sites that allow me to compare products and only allow these quality sites to place sponsored links.
- Sort websites by the number of friends they have on Facebook or similar social media sites.
- Show me how many informational webinars are sponsored by the company and their next event.
Is your website currently set up to help move us in this direction?
Idea for New Interactive Commenting Tool September 23, 2008
Posted by Jennifer Lind in user generated content.Tags: blog comments, interactive blog tools
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So why haven’t new tools been developed to make blog commenting even more interactive? What about allowing viewers to comment directly within the blog post? For example, say I have an argument I want to discuss for one specific line within the author’s text. Currently, you need to start a new comment and this comment will be shown at the bottom of the page. Allowing comments within the blog post could pop up comments as a note when you hover over specific words predetermined by the commenter. I’m thinking something similar to Adobe Acrobat’s text editor feature, which will give future readers a “real-time” conversation between the author and the readers.
I did a quick search to see if there were currently any interesting commenting tools out there,and I came up with one called BackType.
It’s an interesting concept, but I don’t know how often I would use it. I think people typically search by topic instead of by day or commenter, but maybe there are certain instances where this would be helpful.