Get to the top of the Google listings

Get to the top of the Google listings
A helpful inside view of the dark art of Search Engine Optimisation (S.E.O) Carey Gray, member of the British Computer Society, discloses fair and foul means to up the ratings given to web sites by search engines.
For more search engine marketing www.sempo.orgA web presence is important not only because the competitors have it too; for many companies it is the way to drive new sales. Whilst conventional marketing gets the web address noticed, today’s consumers are proactive and use the facilities of the major search engines, such as Google, MSN, or Yahoo! to locate specific products and services meeting their requirements. Google accounts for a staggering 70% of all searches, but half of Google’s users also visit other search engines.Savvy marketers should be trying to increase search engine traffic to their web sites, but as everyone does this the total number of listings per search expand enormously. However, being on the first page of a Google search is reckoned to increase sales by 600%, because few searchers bother to look further.

A Whole New Industry

Search engines deploy software called spiders to move between web pages using links, categorising as they go. A web page with a few pictures, a video and a lot of white space might look aesthetically pleasing to the eye, but is devoid of information for spiders that rely on text. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) aims to maximise the spider’s experience by various techniques, including providing lots of appropriate keywords and inbound links. Search engine companies keep their algorithms secret, but trial and error and educated guesses can bring significant improvements in search ordering.

An army of consultants has arisen to analyse a web site, compare it with its competitors’ offerings, research consumers’ search strategies, and redesign it to get the position advantage. For instance, link partnerships can be arranged, where web sites link to each other. Another issue is that complicated, dynamically scripted pages may confuse search spiders.

The aim is to increase the searches the web site participates in, but at the same time decrease the competition appearing around it. For those wishing to optimise in-house, SEO software packages are available, which can also submit pages to all the major search engines and perform web analytic reporting.

Up by Hook or by Crook

Some of the more unethical schemes include constructing “doorway” pages (basically just full of keywords) and “link farms” whose sole purpose is to generate numerous links to client web sites, and using automated software to continually search for particular pages in order to raise the apparent popularity of these sites. The search engine companies respond by regularly adapting their algorithms, reducing the relevance of certain keywords, or even blacklisting some web sites.

The alternative is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) adverts with search engines, guaranteeing first page presence. However, PPC rates continue to increase and often the adverts displayed correspond poorly to a consumer’s search, reducing their credibility. In light of this, money spent on PPC might be better re-directed to the SEO process.

What is the most important factor in the decision

Health and beauty brand Boots is the most trusted brand in the UK, according to research from consultancy Corporate Culture and its Customer Trust Index. It emerged with an 85% trust rating, closely followed by search engine Google (at 84%), computer software company Microsoft (at 69%), and cosmetics retailer The Body Shop (at 66%).The survey also found that three in five people will not buy a product from a company that they do not trust however attractive the price, product or service. To see what ranks as the most and least trusted business sectors and the top 10 factors for building or destroying trust, read on…. Most trusted sectors                  Least trusted sectors 1. Entertainment and leisure        1. Tobacco 2= Food companies                     2. Fast food 2= Supermarkets                         3. Petrochemicals 2= Technology                             4= Gas/electricity 3. Pharmaceutical                        4= Construction 4. Cosmetic/toiletries Top 10 most important factors in decision to trust a company: 1. Keeps promises (76%) 2. Customer service (70%) 3. Consistently high quality (64%) 4. Effectively deals with complaints (64%) 5. Value for money (64%) 6. Honest/admit mistakes (59%) 7. Product safety (59%) 8. Meets individual needs (52%) 9. Listens to customers (51%) 10. Clear pricing (49%)T Top 10 most important factors in decision NOT to trust a company: 1. Doesn’t correct mistakes (80%) 2. Fails to protect privacy (77%) 3. Doesn’t do what it says (74%) 4. Inaccurate billing (70%) 5. Too many sales calls (65%) 6. Inconsistent quality (63%) 7. Ingredients may damage health (60%) 8. Doesn’t inform price/product changes (50%) 9. Outsources call centres/operations (55%) 10. Unclear pricing (52%)Source for all tables: Corporate Culture

How to transform online business data into accurate, adaptable and actionable information

Tesco has chosen Site Intelligence to provide its online business intelligence for Tesco.com. The move is part of Tesco’s multi channel retail strategy and will enable the company to analyse all aspects of its on-line customer acquisition, retention and conversion behaviour.

Tesco will use Site Intelligence’s “Visitor Behaviour Information System” (VBISTM), to transform online business data into accurate, adaptable and actionable information, in order to drive profit generation.Tesco chose Site Intelligence to supply a solution that was fast, cost effective and adaptable and offered a solution that would run on the Tesco system.

This means that Tesco has the ability to analyse information from all of its online business streams and receive valuable business reports that give a much greater customer understanding and the ability to improve website design and marketing, leading to better conversion rates and improved customer retention.

Stuart Gregory, Tesco.com comments: “We wanted a robust web analytics system that we could manage in-house and was flexible enough to meet the growing demands of all our business managers. VBIS from Site Intelligence will provide us with online marketing intelligence ensuring all our marketing campaigns are measured, evaluated and consistently improved”.

David Pool, Commercial Director at Site Intelligence, comments “We are extremely pleased to be working closely with Tesco. We have extensive experience in the on-line retail sector and worked closely with Tesco to really understand what is important to the business and ensure the system addresses all Tesco’s requirements now and into the future.

The main point of difference for Site Intelligence is its ability to provide seamless online and offline behavioural analysis and reporting so that businesses have a complete and incisive understanding of their customers, in order to drive both sales and profitability.

U.K. economy to expand the most since 2004

Britain’s economy is set to grow strongly on the back of the booming financial-services industry and rising business investment, according to the Ernst & Young Item club.The club, which uses the Treasury’s model of the economy and predicts 2.9% growth this year, is more upbeat than most economists, who see growth of only about 2.5%.

“The forecast shows business investment growing by another 7.5% in 2007.”

The new forecast envisages the good times continuing into 2008, with growth carrying on at a 2.9% rate.

This year’s growth will come in spite of a predicted slowdown in the housing market.

The Item club said that inflation would fall to the Bank’s 2% target even without another rise in interest rates from the current 5.25%. Strong retail sales figures last week, showing a 1.1% jump in sales volume in December, have combined with the news of a rise in consumer price inflation to 3% to put the financial markets on alert for further interest-rate rises.

The risks are on the upside. “If asset valuations continue to rise there will be a strong case for raising interest rates to bring the markets to heel and protect the economy from a financial crash,” a financial commentator said.

Economists will be looking for guidance to Mervyn King, the Bank governor, when he gives a set-piece speech on the economy in
Birmingham this week. Analysts surveyed by Ideaglobal.com, the financial-data firm, predicted a 7-2 vote in favour of the rate hike. A clearer vote in favour of the hike would add to fears of further early increases, while a closer vote could persuade the markets that the Bank will bide its time.

Insight into Viral marketing

Everyone’s talking about viral marketing campaigns and user generated content. The consumer has more power than ever before and marketers are eager to reach them in new ways. Although viral campaigns can be risky territory for brands that take the wrong approach, a well-executed campaign can build relationships and communicate brand experience in a way traditional media never can.

The overwhelming rise of viral marketing campaigns in the past few years means the field is becoming oversaturated nearly as quickly as it caught on. While it used to be that consumers would forward on any clever video clip that landed in their inbox, the information overload that exists today means it’s harder for viral campaigns to stand out from the pack. With dozens of social networking sites introducing their own video platforms and nearly every brand trying its hand at viral, it’s becoming more and more crucial for marketers to deliver the overall brand experience.

A viral campaign has to come from the big idea and relate back to the brand’s message, or else it runs the risk of being just another amusing clip that ends up in the “deleted items” folder. Another one of the challenges with a viral campaign is that the consumer is ultimately in control. In addition to being highly particular about what campaigns they’ll forward on to their friends, consumers are also turning their critical eye back onto the brands.

Video sharing platforms are quickly adapting their models in order to give viewers more control. The marketers that can also evolve will be the ones whose campaigns cut through the viral clutter. To make the most of a viral campaign, brands should follow these tips: • make it relevant – consumers aren’t going to pass on a video that doesn’t mean anything to them, or won’t be of interest to the people in the address book;

• know what is right for the brand – an insurance company that traditionally targets fortysomethings would probably look a bit out of place with its own MySpace profile; • allow consumers the opportunity to opt-in to interact with the brand – sending spam is never a good way to get positive attention;

• test the message on a small portion of the audience before rolling out the entire campaign – it’s rare to get the message right on the first try. Sending the email to a small sample and monitoring conversion rates can help in tweaking the campaign;

• viral campaigns are more successful if the company doesn’t consider it advertising – viral is an entirely new channel with its own set of rules. For the latest on viral marketing trends and the most buzz worthy campaigns, visit www.nma.co.uk or www.mad.co.uk.

Ignore the SME market at your peril

What proportion of
UK businesses do you think are Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) – that is those companies with a headcount of fewer than 250 employees?
If you’re one of the cognoscenti, then you will not be surprised to discover that 99.7% of the
UK’s 4.4 million businesses are classed as SMEs by the DTI’s Small Business Service nor that there are only 8,200 or so businesses with a workforce of over 250 employees.
So, whether your target audience are sole proprietors and partnerships (7 out of 10 UK businesses) or indeed small businesses with fewer than 10 employees (just under a quarter of UK businesses), the size and diversity of the SME audience offers a tremendous marketing/ sales opportunity for those companies and organisations willing to seize and exploit the challenge.
 
SMEs are growing in number – between 2003 and 2005, the total number of businesses in the
UK expanded by 8%.  In enterprise terms, some 320,000 new businesses were created over this two year period (source: DTI’s Small Business Service).
 
SMEs are planning for growth!
Over and above the obvious opportunity that this growth in the number of
UK businesses offers the whole business community, SMEs are also planning to grow organically within their existing marketplace or product parameters.
Indeed the larger the SME, the more likely it is that the owners are planning to grow – over three-quarters of Medium-sized enterprises (50-249 employees) are aiming for growth within the next two-three years.
Similarly, ‘younger’ businesses (start-ups or those with new owners in the last four years) are equally likely to be pushing for growth – over three-quarters are anticipating growth within the next two-three years.
 
Ain’t no mountain high enough!
Marketing, business planning and professional services will have a significant role to play in helping SMEs to fulfil their growth potential.
We have been working to help a number of our SME clients to overcome the hurdles along the path to business ‘success’ and ultimately, to improve business performance and optimise competitive advantage.
The hurdles SMEs identify themselves are..

• Raising finance
• Competition from larger companies
• Pricing from larger companies
• Concerns over the general economic health of the country
• Concerns over consumer confidence
• Red tape and new regulations, e.g. sector specific, health & safety; etc.
• Best practice thinking and training
• Experienced marketing support

Five interesting statistics about SMEs!
According to the DTI’s Small Business Service’s Annual Small Business Survey 2005:

1. 72% are working within the service sector
2. 66% are using the internet (& over 40% have a business web site)
3. 61% of Medium-sized enterprises have provided training to improve leadership and management skills
4. 26% had introduced a new or improved product or service in the last year
5. 5% of SME’s are classified as ‘social enterprises’ – businesses primarily with a social/environmental purpose, principally reinvesting profits into the business or community

The DTI’s Small Business Service is ‘working with the public, private and voluntary sectors to make the
UK the best place to start and grow a business.

Nine things marketers ought to know about salespeople (and two bonuses)

“I don’t know if it’s lunch or that powerpoint or the Christmas card
I sent last year”
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/…

Selling is hard. Harder than you may ever realize. So, if I seem stressed, cut me some slack.Selling is personal. When I make a promise, I have to keep it. If you force me to break that promise (by changing processes, features or a rollout schedule) I will never forgive you.

Selling is interpersonal. I am not moving bits, I’m trying to change people’s minds, one person at a time. So, no, I can’t tell you when the sale will close. No one knows, especially the prospect.

I love selling. I particularly love selling great stuff, well marketed. Don’t let me down. Don’t ask me to sell lousy stuff.

I’m extremely focused on the reward half of the equation. Salespeople love to keep score, and that’s how I keep score. So don’t change the rules in the middle, please.

I have no earthly idea what really works. I don’t know if it’s lunch or that powerpoint or the Christmas card I sent last year. But you know what? You have no clue what works either. I’ll keep experimenting if you will.

There is no comparison, NONE, between an inbound call (one that you created with marketing) and a cold call (one that you instructed me to create with a phone book.) Your job is to make it so I never need to make a cold call.

Usually, customers lie when they turn me down. They make up reasons. But every once in a while, I actually learn something in the field. Ask!

I know you’d like to get rid of me and just take orders on the web. But that’s always going to be the low-hanging fruit. The game-changing sales, at least for now, come from real people interacting with real people.

(a bonus, switching points of view for a moment): I know that selling is hard and unpredictable. But if you’re going to be in sales, you’ve got to be prepared to measure and predict and plan. You need to give me sales reports and call lists and summaries. It does neither of us any good to keep your day a secret. If you don’t plan and organize, I can’t do my job of marketing.

(and bonus number two): The two worst pieces of feedback you can give me (because neither is really actionable or especially effective): a. lower the price and b. make our product just like our competitors.

Can multi-media coverage ROI be delivered by a single fee?

Can multi-media coverage ROI be delivered by a single fee?
A very strong story of multi-media results delivered for a client
http://www.lexicon-pr.com/ Sue Baker, Managing Director of Lexicon PR suggests marketing managers could, understandably, be nostalgic for the days when you could choose a key publication which was bound to hit your target audience, book a series of adverts and inserts for a single fee and know it would deliver the leads.Current thinking tells us that the complexity of today’s marketing mix requires duplication of advertising – and inevitable duplication of cost – across a multitude of media, stretching marketing budgets to breaking point. Or does it?

A 12-month multi-media campaign developed and delivered for the world’s largest nursery and child products manufacturer is reaching its conclusion. It’s on-target to deliver 560 per cent Return On Investment, 27.5 million target audience ‘hits’ and a significant increase in sales for the company.

The campaign has influenced the target audiences through a multi-media approach which has produced coverage in: consumer and trade journals, national, regional and local newspapers, radio, television, and across the web.

Surprise, surprise, it’s all been done by public relations!

Sue Baker developed the campaign to promote two key brands and three new products: two innovative pushchairs and a child car seat. She says: “As well as delivering key messages to the target audiences through a multi-media approach, the campaign has also had a significant impact on sales, which have reached record levels.

“It’s a mistake to believe that multi-media means multi-fee. Good PR stories play across all the media because whether you’re producing a glossy magazine or a website, great content is all-important.”

Sue Baker is the first to agree that PR can lack the precision of paid-for advertising if marketing campaigns are urgent and short-term. “When clients tell us they need coverage in a specific issue of a specific title on a specific page, we tell them they need to advertise. Public relations isn’t such an exact science. However, for marketers who are far-sighted enough to look at a six- or 12-month campaign, PR can out-deliver every other communications method”.

“Its third-party endorsement means that as a credible communicator of corporate and sales messages, PR is unsurpassed.”