Google Product Search offers businesses another option

Many you probably have already encountered businesses that are involved with Google Product Search. And, if you haven't, you more than likely will shortly.
So how do you respond to a client that has been approached by somebody that guarantees to get the business listed among the top five in Google Product Search?

First of all, Google Product Search is a free service offered by Google. Yes, there does appear to be a good deal of maintenance involved in making sure a business will have a high ranking. Product feeds need to be updated as frequently as possible. This, of course, has led to organizations that have offered to maintain the service for a fee.

We recently visited a client that was considering this option and he noted that for $450 per month, he was guaranteed to be among the top five positions. Not coincidentally this business was being pitched by the same company that built his e-commerce web site. This makes perfect sense as the web builder has total access to the products, pricing and inventory that's already on the site.

It does appear to be a natural extension for companies that build, host and maintain e-commerce sites. It's a way to make more revenue.

One thing to remember for both marketers and businesses alike - it's nearly impossible to guarantee top five placement on Google with anything. Google prides itself in changing its algorithms constantly. That doesn't mean that there aren't solid practices that can be followed to enhance any ranking. But beware of anybody that guarantees a "top five placement."

Google Product Search is not a brand new product - but it's still in its early phase. All digital marketers should be aware of it and need to learn enough about it to talk about it with clients.

Marty Valania has been involved in digital marketing for over 10 years. Please email ideas or suggestions to martyvalania@gmail.com or reach him on Twitter @mvalania.

Basics ways to help your search engine ranking

"So I have to change the way I do things."
That was the reaction one small business owner had when we were done trying to explain the basics of Search Engine Optimization to him.
The owner knew he wanted to gain more e-commerce from his website. To accomplish that, he also knew that he had to get more people to his website. He also knew that meant being ranked higher in search engine rankings.
What he didn't realize was that he couldn't just buy a one-time product or service to do all those things. SEO and digital marketing is an on-going and continual process (here's a great blog that explains just that).
When the light bulb went on also came the realization that he would have to do things differently.
Whether that mean allocating his time differently or hiring somebody or changing somebody's duties, he finally knew that to accomplish what he wanted, he would have to dedicate some resources.
Improving your search engine ranking isn't easy and isn't quick. It takes time and a sustained effort.
It is, however, worth doing - so change the way you do business and improve your business at the same time.

Marty Valania has been involved in digital marketing for over 10 years. Email suggestions, ideas or comments to martyvalania@gmail.com or on Twitter @mvalania.

Tips for mobile marketing

I found this excellent blog on mobile marketing from Hipcricket. If you're getting involved with mobile marketing, it offers some sound tips on how to do it correctly.
Most people have not yet had a marketing experience with their phone. However, you can bet that will change very quickly as we move forward in this digital marketing era.
Just as telemarketing grew from being an excellent marketing tool to an utter annoyance for many people, mobile marketers run the same risk. Fortunately, the technology that allows the marketing process also makes it easy for consumers to opt out of mobile marketing campaigns if they want.
Here is a nice quick video on the subject as well.



The fact is, though, that many people would be interested in receiving marketing messages on their mobile devices - especially if it's from a source that they like.
If you frequent a store often, more than likely, you would be interested in learning about specials or new products or sales or whatever.
Games and contests are additional mobile marketing strategies that people will participate in. Everybody likes the opportunity to win something - or even the opportunity just to play a game.
The key to any mobile marketing is giving subscribers information and/or content that they want to get. If marketers can consistently generate that type of content, then they will be able to keep and grow their subscribers and run an effective campaign.

Marty Valania has been involved in digital marketing for over 10 years. Please email questions or ideas to martyvalania@gmail.com.

Internet ad revenue sets record in 2010

Boosted by social media and video, online advertising revenue in the U.S. reached an all-time high of $26 billion in 2010.
This was noted in an interesting USA Today article in today's Tech section.
According to the article, digital revenue increased 15% from 2009 to 2010. In addition, fourth quarter revenue set a record of $7.4 billion - growing 19% from the fourth quarter of 2009.
We certainly had a feeling that digital revenue was growing and the statistics in this article just reaffirm that.

Making the coupon even better

Coupons have long been an effective advertising tool. Many businesses have successfully driven traffic their way for years and years using coupons.
Like every other medium, advertisers are looking for ways to improve their return on coupons.
SMS (text) is the perfect answer.
SMS can increase response on a coupon ad. Not everybody has a pair of scissors handy. Just about everybody has a phone with them.
How many people have phones and are using text? (Sources: Pew, Neilsen, Tekelec)

• Over one trillion texts were sent in the U.S. last year.
• 80% of people between the ages of 13-34 sent a text last month.
• The were 357 texts sent for every 204 calls.
• 44% of adults 35-44 send over 30 texts per week.
• 60% of adults over 45 were just as willing to text as to make a call.

Advertisers that use coupons in print ads or direct mail just have to include a number that people can text a keyword to and receive the same offer in the coupon.
For example, a service station that runs an ad with a $15 oil change coupon in it can also include, "Text oil to ####### for a $15 oil change."
The same ad for the same price will drive a lot more traffic to the service station with the inclusion of the text offer. Most text campaigns are priced by duration so purchasing a campaign to match with an existing coupon campaign is the perfect compliment.
Major companies such as Ford, Arby's, Macy's, McDonald's, Costco all are effectively using text offers. But big companies aren't the only ones that can use this platform.
Any business that uses coupons, any business that advertises can make good use of this product.
With cell phones being as predominant as they are, there's no reason not to try and take advantage of that for your business or your client.

Marty Valania has been involved with digital marketing for over 10 years. Please email ideas or suggestions to martyvalania@gmail.com.

ESPN shows value of social media

Flipping through channels Sunday night, it became apparent exactly how far social media has come and how far traditional media has gone to embrace it.
It has become fairly routine for television networks, newspaper writers and columnists and teams to tweet and offer to take tweets during games. The fact that ESPN promoted the fact that viewers could tweet about the Giants-Dodgers baseball game airing on ESPN2 was really not a shock.
However, a quick flip over to the Women's Final Four on ESPN showed that the all sports network has taken social media to a new level.
Added to the on-air commentator list was a Social Media Analyst. She threw out several questions and fielded thousands of tweets about everything from which team was the biggest disappointment in the tournament to how cool or uncool the throwback floor in Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse was.
Now having a Social Media Analyst or Coordinator is nothing new for many businesses. Actually putting that person on air from the site of an event shows a commitment we have not seen before.
How does this relate to marketing?
Plain and simple - it's another audience to reach.
Those same people that are tweeting are probably watching the game as well. But if you're a marketer that wants to reach a certain audience - it can be much more targeted if you're paying to reach the tweeters as opposed to buying a commercial that reaches the entire television audience.
This philosophy can work on smaller levels as well for local newspapers, radio and television stations. It's a new and very targeted way to reach an audience that may be coveted by a certain business.
These audiences will continue to grow. We need to look for ways to take advantage of them.

Marty Valania has been involved with digital marketing for over 10 years. Please email suggestions or ideas to martyvalania@gmail.com.

SMS may break down digital barrier

Having a tough time overcoming resistance to online marketing?
Let's face it, no matter what the statistics and forecasts say, there are still a group of people that both buy and sell advertising that are adverse to online advertising.
How do we overcome that?
Surprisingly, one thing that marries up extremely well with print advertising is mobile.
Surprisingly, only because it is further up the digital evolutionary scale than basics such as banner ads. Many of us have tried to make some of the most basic digital platforms fit the resistors simply because they are basic.
That may not be the answer and SMS may be the best example of that.
With SMS there is no reason to dissuade reps or advertisers alike from buying print. In fact, print is the perfect way to advertise a mobile campaign.
You have probably seen many of these campaigns already.
These would be typical print ads that include a simple line such as "Text special to xxxxxx (whatever the number is) and receive this week's specials."
A reader then texts based on the ad's instructions and gets a text back with the offer. The reader then takes his phone into the business and uses the text offer as a coupon.
It's perfect for restaurants, bars, salons, oil changes and more. If a business runs coupons, then it can run its typical offer in print and ad a line about a text offer. It can only increase response and isn't a radical departure from what the business is used to doing.
It's a great way to add a sample of online advertising to a business that may have had reluctance in the past.
Everybody is going to have to get into the digital pool at some point; our jobs as digital marketers is to make it easy to at least get a foot in.
Combining print with texting is as good as way as any.

Marty Valania has an MBA and has been involved with digital marketing for over 10 years. Please email suggestions or ideas to martyvalania@gmail.com.