by Belinda Lui | Jan 26, 2014 | Interactive, Latest
When a business embarks on a site refresh or re-design, one of the key factors to consider is whether search optimization has been implemented in the content that lives on each page. Is the website complicated and busy? Is it intuitive and easy to navigate? While there are many elements to successfully creating a site with search optimization, this post will focus on “busy-ness” and how that may affect your sales:
Using less will give you more when it comes to search optimization.
Consider this as an example:
A recent test was done on MECLABS’ online retail Research Partners and how the team was able to achieve a 10% lift in checkout completion rate by simply removing distracting elements.
The MECLABS team recently ran a test within the checkout pages for an online retailer. The goal of the test was to increase the checkout completion rate. The team identified a number of elements causing friction within the checkout pages and likely distracting visitors from completing the checkout process. The most drastic change was removing the static navigation bars (left and top navigation) from the checkout pages.
This removed visually distracting elements from the pages as well as deleted possible exit points for visitors, keeping visitors focused on proceeding through the checkout process.
The team also took out a page within the checkout process that was simply confirming the visitor had created an account.
This step was unnecessary and forced visitors to make one extra click to proceed through the funnel, giving them an additional opportunity to abandon the funnel, and again, distracted them from the goal of the checkout pages.
By simply removing friction-causing elements from the checkout pages, the team was able to increase the checkout completion rate by 10%, which turned out to be a 19.95% increase in revenue per visit to the checkout process.
When implementing search optimization to your website, you should evaluate each page element and consider whether it is helping the goal of your site or distracting visitors. Any potentially distracting element is an opportunity to test how your pages perform with those elements removed.
Always remember that less is more when it comes to your website. Keep your pages focused and remove any elements that prevent visitors from completing your goals for the site, such as completing a checkout.
by Miriam Hara | Jan 25, 2014 | Interactive, Latest, Social Media
Remember when all a website needed to do was to show up on the net? Gone are those days! The website growth cycle has gone through animations and music design all in the hopes of getting attention and to be entertaining… only to now being a part of the business’ sales lead generation and customer service first point of contact. But alas, change is well… ever changing, and now the website must morph again, to include its channel partner: social media. Social media was once synonymous with Facebook – but businesses were reluctant to jump on board, waiting for this to be a passing phase. Enter Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, the powerful mom bloggers and blogger networks, and now social media has evolved from being a one platform channel (Facebook), to a complex multi-platform channel, embraced by small and large businesses all over the world.
So now comes the latest frontier…where the established business website must, once again, re-purpose itself to include and be a supportive pillar of its social media counterpart.
Take the following 3 must-have tips for a website to support a social persona, assisting in the social media initiatives and maximizing on the SEO platform. Social media initiatives must be solidly supported by the business website to optimize on the efforts and contributions.
1) Ensure your social media efforts all feed on the home page of your website (Twitter feed, Facebook comments, forum article or updates). This alone will help in the SEO ranking efforts. It’s also an effective way to keep the home page renewed with fresh content.
2) Ensure your website features enrollment/subscription of all social media platforms that your business is involved in. This includes the icons for following on Twitter, subscribing to the business forum or blog, to engaging on Facebook, or LinkedIn. This demonstrates to anyone coming onto your website that your business is on the forefront of business.
3) Ensure share-ability. The home page of any website is important, but all pages should be optimized to be social. Pages that feature case studies or articles, or portfolio pieces… all should be made to be easily shared on the social media channels or via email.
If your current business website does not have any one of these, then the time has come to seriously think about making your website more social. For now, at least, it’s about being social.
by Miriam Hara | Jan 24, 2014 | Business Success, Latest
Regardless of today’s speed of business, I believe one aspect has remained essentially unchanged: Client management. It can be summed up in one word: Anticipation. I know some of you will associate the idea of “anticipation” with Heinz Ketchup. However, I have always thought of “anticipation” as a key part of building and achieving strong client relationships.
Client management is a high priority in any business, rightly so. How companies manage their clients often means the difference between achieving success or experiencing failure. Although, today’s speed of business doesn’t allow for the slow, nurturing and rapport building methods of client relationship building of the past. The introduction of faster technology, coupled with a tough economic landscape has meant that to some business professionals, the definition of “client management” has changed.
Essentially, in order to achieve successful client management businesses need to be able to anticipate the needs of their clients even before they do.
What’s it like in their shoes? Yes, this is a cute way of saying that you need to put yourself in their position. Every new project that you work on with your client will provide you with a better understanding of the environment they live in day in and day out. Don’t wait for them to ask you about the results of their latest campaign or initiative, anticipate it. Your job is to make their job easier.
Think ahead. When your client makes a request, don’t just deliver what they want, give them what they will need. Go the extra mile and think about what other questions they may have as a result of their request. If you don’t know why a certain request was made, get informed. Thinking ahead saves time and makes decision making easier.
Don’t play volleyball. In other words, take the time to think first. Email has made everyone accessible at all times. It has also allowed for a sense of urgency on all business matters. If your client fires off an email with questions, don’t just shoot back an incomplete response without enough information – your client will be forced to reply back with more questions. After 15 minutes of volleying back and forth, you might end up with 9 emails composed of multiple questions and responses, all in bits and pieces. Instead, take the time to understand what the issue really is from the start.
If your client is asking about the budget for a project, don’t just send the dollar amount. You need to also include the scope and duration of the project as well as any other relevant details all in one email. If you missed the opportunity to provide all the details of a project at the start, take a step back and give this information as completely as possible.
Don’t ask, “How high?” Add value. When a client makes a request, don’t just give them what they asked for, provide context or any other relevant information that can help. Think outside the box. An agency-client relationship is about adding value by being part of the team.
Circling back to the Heinz comparative, in the 70s, Heinz ketchup bottles were glass. That meant that pouring took time and patience. Today’s quick-squeeze plastic bottles have provided us with instant gratification.
Creating a solid client management process is about anticipating the needs of your clients on a day to day basis. The fine art of anticipating involves having the patience, taking the time and being thoughtful, attentive and mindful of your clients needs.
by Belinda Lui | Jan 23, 2014 | Advertising, Latest
When companies spend $4 million on a 30-second spot during the Super Bowl — it only makes sense that they would also present teasers in the weeks leading up to the celebrated event to take place next weekend. The Super Bowl is exciting for football fans but it is equally as exciting for marketers and advertisers alike. Reinforcing the promotion of these advertisements with hashtags such as #fuelyourpleasure for Oikos Greek Yogurt ads featuring some of the cast from the hit-show Full House is only one of the ways that brands are building awareness amongst its community. You can preview some of these Super Bowl teasers on YouTube’s Ad Blitz channel.
Arnold Schwarzenegger was reportedly paid $3 million to appear in Bud Light ads during the Super Bowl. He is among many other celebrities who will make appearances in advertisements this year. While celebrity endorsements is nothing new to the advertising world, it continues to appeal to customers in ways they otherwise might not without them.
Still, Social Media is a major element in the marketing and advertising worlds today — and one method of tracking the success of an advertisement is how often a teaser video was shared, liked, or commented on. Statistics have shown that the engagement levels of Super Bowl ad teasers in 2013 more than doubled that of 2012. Talk about return on investment!
With that said, here are some of our favourite Super Bowl ads this year:
1. Volkswagen
2. Bud Light – with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Don Cheadle
3. Oikos
4. TurboTax
Oikos tapped into viewers’ nostalgia by using John Stamos, Dave Coulier, and Bob Saget as celebrity appearances. All of us who grew up watching Full House can relate to the familial support and greatness that was Uncle Jesse, humorous Uncle Joey, and the single father Danny Tanner. Great choice, Oikos!
What are some of your favourite Super Bowl ads (past or present)?
by Belinda Lui | Jan 21, 2014 | Interactive, Latest
The definition of retail space has altered over the last decade. It’s not a new trend for retailers to take their retail space and promotions to the online realm — for larger retailers, e-commerce is just a reinforcement to their physical plan-o-grams. What does this mean for smaller, more independent retailers, though? When a choice has to be made between spending hard-earned money on a physical retail space or marketing to the online world, which option would garner greater returns?
Let’s consider the pros and cons of physical retail space and e-commerce:
Physical Retail Space:
Pros: There is still a vast demographic that is not digitally savvy or prefer to do their shopping offline. Having a physical retail space will enable this demographic to continue their patronage to your brand. Customer service will still have a personal touch to it given that you would be present at the store greeting them face-to-face.
Cons: Property costs – Above and beyond paying the monthly bills of your lease or mortgage, you also need to consider the cost of storing inventory. Shelf space is also valuable real estate when you consider the return on each square footage. If an item is less visible or unappealing to customers, it takes up room from merchandise that might otherwise be more successful. Customer service is also key when you have a physical retail space.
E-Commerce:
Pros: Not only can you appeal to a much wider demographic, but you can do it at a much lower cost. Start-up costs for a fully functional e-commerce site can be hefty, but the upkeep — should you choose a relatively simple back-end management system — will be significantly less than that of a physical retail space. Your approach to servicing customers will change a bit, but the principles and client relationship management (CRM) should remain the same.
Cons: Competition is fierce in general but even more so online. You are no longer competing with retailers in your area but with brands across the globe (especially those that offer worldwide shipping). You miss out on the demographic that still prefers to shop offline or are wary of purchasing products that don’t allow for an easy return if the merchandise does not fit.
These are just a few pros and cons between physical retail space and e-commerce. Can you think of some more?
