Archive for the ‘Internet Marketing’ Category

The Shocking Truth About Online Marketing – Business 2 Community

Its just not possible. I can no longer stay silent on this whole subject. After reading this article and this article about how tech has ruined marketing and the old ways still matter, and after working with my partner for a couple of years now (something that has changed my own perceptions of marketing completely) I have come to realize that marketing pundits are arguing about the wrong marketing paradigms.

The truth is, marketing in 2017 not just online marketing, but all of marketing is forever changed by one overriding fact: We marketers are no longer in charge of the message.

Of course, we like to think we are, because our jobs and by extension, our companies revenues depend on it. But we are not.

Instead, customers are in charge of our message. Competitors are in charge of our message. Google is in charge of our message. Or, perhaps I should say, more accurately, the internet itself in its current mobile is eating the world state is now in charge of our message.

I can see you all sitting up stiffly now and staring at your screen. What the hell is she talking about? This is definitely not a comforting thought.

The truth is, while marketers debate endlessly about the latest technique, we are in the middle of a digital revolution. We are experiencing the biggest shift in marketing since the printing press, which I would argue had more influence on humans and the state of marketing than TV or radio did. The printing press enabled all humans to do something efficiently that they had previously been unable to do: communicate with each other, one-to-many, when they werent physically with each other, expanding the reach of a single idea.

TV and radio just continued that trend. And, of course, YouTube took it to ridiculous extremes, where anyone not just the established media could spread an idea with incredible speed. One audition by a cheeky and slightly strange woman named Susan Boyle, who had been quietly and unanimously taking care of her mother for years in a village in England, could go viral and be viewed by millions literally overnight.

The problem with all of these endless discussions about marketing and channels and branding and content and search engine optimization and viral and the millions of techniques pundits argue about is that they are missing the point. Like I said, we are no longer in control of our message. We were, up until a few years ago, but we arent anymore.

It doesnt matter what you do, if you are thinking of marketing as a method of getting your message out there. Whatever youre doing is about as useless as doing nothing. Why? Because the market for your products and services is moving along without you, at internet speed.

As I type this, people searching for your solution are using Google, and even while they are on their way to a store or even standing in the store. They are seeing who Google is placing on that all-important first page. They are reading reviews written by other buyers who had been looking for a similar solution. They are seeing what those other people bought. They are weighing their options using literally millions of pieces of data that they have at their disposal, in real-time, in nanoseconds.

I called my first book Rivers of Revenue because thats where you need to be in order to make money. You cant create a river of revenue; even the biggest most influential and big-budget companies cant create a river of revenue if the buying public isnt ready. (I remember a blitz of TV ads that ATT ran for a video phone back before smart phones. No river there, consumers and the technology werent ready yet).

Customers create rivers of revenue when they find a solution that makes sense for them. They buy and they comment and they share. A river of conversations forms. Youre either in that river or you are not. Your content is either relevant to people having those discussions and sharing or its not.

Thankfully, you can literally see those rivers forming, by seeing what people are searching for most, using tools such as SpyFu, Google Trends, and Google Analytics. You can see which articles Google ranks most highly using Google Analytics, (or just searching for a topic in Google). You can see which articles people are sharing most using Buzzsomo.

I dont care what medium youre trying to use and optimize search, social, pay-per-click, email, direct mail, advertising, PR, or whatever the first place to start is by finding those rivers of revenue, those ongoing conversations that are even remotely related to your product or service, and figuring out how to become part of that conversation.

The point is, all of this is going on with or without you, and it affects you because you are either in it or out of it. There is no revenue to be gained if you are out of it. Which brings us to my second point: hubris versus humility.

Its fun and empowering to sit in a room with your co-workers (or just alone by yourself!) and brainstorm. This is where most marketing efforts start. This windowless room approach is a holdover from the heady days of advertising, the Mad Men days, where everything revolved around the big idea and branding.

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But things were different then. The agencies and their clients were still completely in control of the message. They could afford their hubris. There were no online reviews saying, Dont waste your money. This cheap thing broke after 2 weeks of use. Or a video showing a swarm of bedbugs on the hotel sheets in a fancy hotel, placed in a travel site.

Agencies and companies are no longer in control of the message. Yes, of course, you can write your own copy on your site, and in your marketing materials. But if that copy doesnt address what people are already saying and thinking, what is already working for your competition, and what Google is already displaying, it simply wont register with customers. It will be a complete waste, and your revenue will continue to slip while others manage to move up and forward.

Dont be that guy, applies here. Imagine a room full of people who are chatting excitedly about a particular topic. Now imagine someone walking in who desperately wants to be noticed and liked, but instead of joining in by listening first, this person just starts shouting out things that he thinks are important.

The people already in the room will do their best to ignore him; if he becomes too irritating, they will leave the room or push him out of the room.

This is how we react to spam and irrelevant advertising. We dont want to be around it, and we do what we can to get away from it. And we will always remember that guy as the one who was inappropriate and irritating.

It would have been a completely different story if he had come into our conversation courteously and humbly, willing to put ego aside, learn what matters to us and how we find and exchange information, and then start to participate gracefully.

Before we co-founded our current company, in my role as a revenue coach, I interviewed customers for our clients in order to be that listener. I found that the whats important to our customers list that companies and their agencies created in that windowless room was ALWAYS different than the whats important to us list that I uncovered in customer interviews. So this problem has been going on for a long, long time.

Whats different now is that you have more ways than ever to find out what matters to your customers, and, by extension, what matters to Google. Google cares what matters to customers because Googles popularity and success depend on Google getting this right. Google is not your marketing enemy; Google Analytics hasnt ruined marketing as Sam talks about in this article. No. On the contrary, Google wants you to give your customers what they want, and will do everything possible to help you, including giving you insights into what matters to people now and where the conversations are going.

You can even see what is working for your competitors now, which is yet another way of finding out what customers are responding to. Again, SpyFu is a great tool for this in the PPC section, you can literally see the ads your competitors are running, which ads are doing well and which ads they dropped. You can see (approximately) how much they paid.

What about differentiation? you might be asking. Are you recommending that we just follow trends and competitors around blindly? No, I am not. I am recommending that you find out what matters to your customers, by doing proper research (a combination of interviewing current customers to find out how you can make it easier for them to find you and buy from you, and using online tools to figure out what they care about and what theyre responding to).

But something else has changed in this Digital Revolution. Your digital marketing stuff is interactive.

Anyone who comes to your site is clicking around. They are doing something with your content. You can even watch them doing it in real-time or see heat maps using Hotjar, and you can see where they came in, how long they stayed, and where they went with the SimilarWeb.com referring sites tool. The truth is, your sites, ads, emails, and other digital efforts are functional environments, not just one-way messages. Your commerce site better be at least 90% the same as the top, hot shopping sites or you will confuse your audience and they will bounce out quickly.

It doesnt pay to deviate from well-accepted usability standards. It does pay to use those standards to your advantage, creating a non-confusing interactive environment, which also contains content that resonates with customers because you arent being that guy. Instead, youre being respectful and interested and humble. You are willing to walk away from that exciting idea and just give them what they want, see how they interact with it and continue to improve on it.

You are now marketing in partnership with your customer, who, truth be told, would be perfectly happy if you gave them the right information at the right time in their buying process, and then did exactly what you promised you would do. That has been, and always will be, where revenue comes from.

This article originally appeared on the Digital Revolution Show and has been republished with permission.

Kristin Zhivago is the president and co-founder of Cloud Potential, a company dedicated to helping companies gain an unfair advantage in the midst of the digital revolution. She and Joe Mckenna, CEO, started Cloud Potential in 2014. Prior to co-founding Cloud Potential, Zhivago was a revenue coach to Viewfullprofile

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The Shocking Truth About Online Marketing - Business 2 Community

Exciting New Ways of Internet Marketing to Try in 2017 – Bdaily

2016 has seen a significant growth in online marketing strategies. The trends have continued to expand and new ways are being realised from time to time. Some marketers have trailed behind, unable to catch up with these new trends. For a marketer to dominate in this field there is the need to plan and foresight, anticipate changes, and grab new trends before they are realised by competitors. In 2017, there are exciting new ways that internet marketers would need to try and see a significant growth in their business revenues.

1. Augmented reality

The introduction of Pokemon Go has caught many online marketers unawares with its success. Few people would have anticipated its radial takeoff, with a daily peak income of $10 million. Although its enthusiasm has considerably gone down, the app has had a great contribution to the realisation of online marketers. First, it has revealed that users are ready and willing to embrace augmented reality (AR) experiences, and it has shown marketers the earning potential available in AR. This trend will definitely lead to the establishment of various brands that introduce AR games, ads, and attempts to use the already available apps to their advantage.

2. Rise in data visualization tools

Data is one of the core elements in marketing. The ability to tell what your clients are buying, who is buying, when and why plays a great role in determining the kind of direction that you need your business to take. The data collected from customer behaviour plays a great role in changing your business and tailoring your services and products to fit the needs of your customers. Analysing raw data has been a challenge especially to the small businesses. Although data collection may not be a challenging task, the act of interpreting the data can only be done by specialised personnel who are currently in high demand. In 2017, data visualization tools are expected to trade high in the market. Data analysis will be made easier and small and developing business will be in a position to acquire some of these tools that will help them connect them with their clients even more.

3. Full takeoff of live video streaming

The use of live video in various online platforms has slowly gone up in demand. Over the past few years, many people have anticipated the use of live streaming to get an in-the-moment content regardless of their demographics or location. This behaviour could largely be attributed to the establishment of fast internet connection and the ubiquity of mobile devices that can be used to stream live events. The trend of live video streaming is expected to take a full course in 2017 as various brands seek to connect with their customers, in-the-moment trend while launching new products or making changes to their products and services.

4. Popularity in native advertising

Native advertising is one of the oldest trends that have been used by marketers over the past years. This trend has been greatly used by brands who seek to get natural-looking visibility and have their presence felt across the globe. In 2017, we can expect to see more publishers who offer tailored services to help business and brands reach a greater number of audiences. The availability of advertisers who work for the publishers is also likely to go up in 2017 as many people have mastered the art of advertising that can help businesses reach many people at a considerable low fee.

Marketers who have no idea of where to look for the 2017 online trends may opt to follow closely the marketing strategies being used by the major brands. CMC Markets is one of the companies that marketers may try to monitor and emulate their online marketing trends. This will not only reduce the cost of trying irrelevant trends but they will be able to implement the working trends before the realisation by their competitors. Since time of implementation is of essence, marketers need to clean up the old and ineffective online marketing methods and try the various new trends in 2017 until they find out the best working strategy for their business that will see a growth in their clientele base, and consequently, the revenue generated by their services and products.

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Exciting New Ways of Internet Marketing to Try in 2017 - Bdaily

Hong Kong lagging Singapore in Internet marketing | CMO … – Enterprise Innovation

Singapore Internet marketing is much savvier than Hong Kong. This, according to research by WL Media HK, which helps Hong Kong businesses to maximize their online presence.

Hong Kong firms are being left in the digital dust by Singapore Exchange listed companies, who seem to be more digital savvy and better able to promote their firms online, according to a report titled Hong Kong an Internet Marketing Leader?.

For example, the firm noted that a simple and free tool like Google My Business (which the report highlighted as one of the most basic of marketing activities) remains underutilized in the territory.

The research showed that more than 7% of listed Hong Kong companies do not even have a phone number registered with Google. This means potential customers cannot use click-to-dial function on mobile phones to connect. In Singapore, only 1.2% of Singapore firms face the same issue.

"Companies who neglect to claim their listing from Google Business are not taking advantage of one of the most basic ways to promote their business and improve their interaction with their online customers and stakeholders," said Raymond Lowe, from WL Media HK who led the study.

However, the same study found that Hong Kong companies are looking to other means of Internet marketing rather than maximizing their presence on Google, despite Googles dominance of the search traffic.

One reason is that Googles products, like the Google Business Directory, has little or no relevance to China as the search giants services fail behind the Great Firewall of China.

However, this approach reduces Hong Kong companys international presence and brand equity. In Europe and the US where Google has a dominating presence, Hong Kong companies fall behind both local companies and Singapores.

"Hong Kong companies are missing out on a lot of revenue by ignoring the opportunity offered by Google My Business listings. It is one of the hidden treasures of online marketing in Hong Kong right now, and the local businesses that move first to optimize their listings are going to have a significant advantage over their slower moving competitors," said Josh Steimle, CEO of digital marketing agency MWI.

Further reading:

MobAir to offer mobile app marketing in China

Googles free online tool helps SMEs test the performance of their websites

Google launches new image-based ad format in Singapore

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Hong Kong lagging Singapore in Internet marketing | CMO ... - Enterprise Innovation

ASOS and MTV Team Up for ’80s-Inspired Collection – TeenVogue.com

Sorry '90s fashion, the '80s are now back in a major way, all thanks to everyone's beloved British online store.

ASOS and MTV, which launched in 1981, announced a brand-new amazing collaboration this week and it's bringing all the nostalgia. The limited-edition capsule collection, which launched Friday (June 23) on ASOS's website , consists of 20 items made for both men and women with designs, styles, and colors influenced by the '80s. Think lots of neon colors, animal print, distressed denim, and of course MTV logos splashed all over.

Pieces range in price from around $6 to $70 a steal, if you ask us and include items like a multicolored windbreaker , a pink leopard-print sweater with black and lime green sleeves, and even a lace-up one-piece swimsuit with the iconic MTV logo covering the front.

"It felt like a natural fit, especially as we are so excited about the '80s streetwear trend," ASOS's Head of Design Sian Ryan told WWD . "Because MTV began in the '80s, this was a great era to draw from, taking inspiration from this time of incredible change in both music and pop culture. It was exciting to be able to create a credible fashion range that wasn't just your typical T-shirt collaboration. The collection includes so many statement pieces and the '80s decade provided so much great inspiration for graphics, print and color."

MTV must be pretty pumped to partner up with ASOS considering it was just last week when the Internet marketing firm SEMrush revealed that the British fashion retailer's website is the most visited online store in the world, due largely in part to its broad social media presence. The researchers told WWD that "social media channels can be useful for [fashion apparel] retailers. In fashion marketing, using different channels allows brands to connect with niche audiences and diverse demographics."

Needless to say, if you're a lover of all things '80s-themed, we highly recommend getting your hands on this collection while it lasts.

Related: This ASOS Made in Kenya Collection Is DEFINITELY Going to Sell Out

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ASOS and MTV Team Up for '80s-Inspired Collection - TeenVogue.com

Edward Jones Tops Internet Search Ranking – Barron’s


Barron's
Edward Jones Tops Internet Search Ranking
Barron's
Edward Jones spends nearly half of its media investment on digital marketing, Olsen tells the publication. Most of that is geared to the local digital space. Each advisor and branch has a custom micrositea separate site outside the main company homepage.

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Edward Jones Tops Internet Search Ranking - Barron's