Search Engine and Internet Marketing Blog for Red Hawk Strategies

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How do your online coupon codes work?

Published

on August 31, 2009

in Human Search Optimization and Product Marketing

. 0 Comments

Everyone wants a bargain, even me. And we have come to expect “instant gratification” when we are shopping online. One trend that has grown is coupon giving and coupon searching. If you don’t believe me just try typing “coupon <insert store here>” into Google and see the plethora of results.

There seem to be different goals from the retailers offering the coupons. My personal belief is very quid pro quo. On our personalized gifts website we offer an instant coupon code in exchange for an email address, and if the customer subscribes to our gift giver club, we give them a code back by email they can use on their purchase today - usually in moments. The customer gets to save 10% NOW and I have the ability to market to them until they choose to unsubscribe.

I want that sale NOW - not tomorrow. And in some instances our customers are saving $15 - $40 per order and are willing to wait a few minutes for email delivery. It’s worth it. And we hope that we make it worthwhile for them.

National chains that I have dealt with online don’t seem to have the same interest. You can get on their mailing list, but I have yet to see one that offers an instant savings. An example is an Dick’s Sporting Goods online store - they clearly have a place on their home page that says “Sign Up and Save 10% on your next order” well I am not the typical shopper, but often my next order is TODAY. So I signed up, followed the instructions and checked my email. NOTHING. And actually it took 36 hours for me to receive the discount coupon. What if my interest had been an “impulse” buy and not a quest to save on a specific object. The 10% could push a shopper to the “BUY NOW” button. But after 36 hours, I would say the thrill of the kill is gone. Sure I can save 10% now, but I have come to my senses and realize I don’t need one more Yoga Mat - even at 10% off.

Now don’t misunderstand, I am not saying my way is perfect. But when a customer is in the checkout funnel, each step along the way has a point where the customer can just bail. If they get to the coupon code box and go back and check the site for coupon code - I want them to get their code and finish checking out. 90% of something is WAYYY better that 100% of an abandoned shopping cart.

If you have a coupon program or some other offer to accelerate the shopping cart truly think about how you are delivering the savings. Are you trying to get their name, their first purchase, a life long customer. You can’t earn them on the first one if you don’t deliver on your promises, even if its a coupon code.

Podcast Hosting

Published

Michelle

on August 25, 2009

in Search Engine Optimization

. 0 Comments

Business Podcast Hosting

Podcast Hosting

More Google Juice, Please.

Published

Michelle

on June 24, 2009

in Search Engine Optimization

. 0 Comments

If you have watched the SEO circles in the last few years you know that some how Page Rank plays into the idea of where you rank in the search engines. Actually that works both ways - your page rank is actually based on where you rank in the search engines, too.

Page Rank is the probability that a particular web page can be found by a random surfer on the web. The higher the Page Rank, the more “findable” the page is and the more probable it will be found.

The part that is often missed by folks who focus on ON SITE SEO is that PageRank also has a direct correlation to the links your web pages have pointing to them and a portion of page rank flows through that link to your website.

For a great graphic on How Page Rank Flows you can check this out by Matt Cutts

This topic piqued my attention today because of a Twitter Post from Vicky Akers with PR Newswire. (I had the privilege of meeting Vicky in person at #TWTRCON this year and it was such a treat.)

How can you get some google juice? @MPranikoff is explaining now #prnuk Google Juice is a loving slang term for Page Rank

My smarty answer was “At the Google Juice Bar” which half-heartedly is true - its just knowing how to set the tap. Her response was perfect …

Make your content accessible, easy to view, easy to use says @mpranikoff #prnuk #pr

That’s the way to tap the juice, uhm PageRank… Create content for your target market that people want and give it to them, point them to it, help them consume it, make their life easier and they are going to link to you. Period. If you see content you like, you link to it right? It works both ways.

If you want to get more links, give people something to link to. More Links = More Page Rank.

OK that’s really simplified I know. This isn’t intended to be a full primer on Page Rank or Page Rank Sculpting, it is simply to challenge you to create something worth linking to. Build it and they will come (uh wrong movie, sorry).

Social Media ROI

Published

Michelle

on June 24, 2009

in Social Media

. 1 Comment

I knew it was coming, I have heard the murmurs, some whispers of concern, and now the real question - will I actually get ROI from “doing Social Media.” Well the correct marketing answer is YES, but the truthful answer is probably. It really does depend on what it is you are measuring.

I googled “Social Media ROI” yesterday and using Google’s witty new Show Options feature searched for Recent Results and found a great blog post by Reshma Kumar on the WebGuild.org

Measuring the ROI of Social Media

“It might also be worth comparing the ROI of using social media marketing to the ROI of not using it. Would the results be the same, better, or worse?!”

There it is … it’s been said. What’s the ROI if you don’t engage in this additional marketing channel? Companies are willing to extend budgets on Traditional Media that only shows where placement occurred, but no tracking mechanism to “the deal”.

Often you can leverage Social Marketing with a smaller budget, more trackable “clicks” but not consider the real ways to justify the spend. Is it a question of perceived value, since it is less expensive is the perception that true results are not fathomable?

Depends…

Social Media, Social Networking, Social Marketing … whatever you choose to call it is truly a marketing conduit with virtually unlimited channels. You still need to think about where the dollars are being spent. You still need to think about your demographic, you need to understand your message, you need to be willing to engage in conversations with customers, clients and prospects.

This is an extension of your existing marketing. It requires thought and planning, just like any other marketing plan. And I challenge you to definitely measure the ROI. You just have to decide what it is that you want to measure.

Do you want to see clicks from the social media placement to your website?

Do you need to check Google Alerts to see how many places your information has been taken with social drift.

Is it measured in the number increased repeat visitors to your website?

Are you looking for new actual buying customers?

Do you want to measure revenue?

Really it is up to you. What you measure you can improve. If you want to know if you are getting Social Media ROI … simply decide the results you want and measure it. And if you need help creating your Social Media Marketing plan … just give me a call or email lets see if there is a fit.

How Bass Fishing Taught Me More About Conversions

Published

Michelle

on June 20, 2009

in SEO and Search Engine Optimization

. 0 Comments

Today I was watching a Bass Fishing Tournament on television, and I heard them spout off a tiring statistic. This angler had cast his line 204 times and actually caught only 2 fish. WHAAAAAA? He had a conversion ratio of 1%. 200 casts to get 2 fish in the boat?

He picked the location to fish, he chose the bait and equipment, the rhythm of the cast and retrieve, and still only 2 fish for 200 casts. Was he where the fish were? According to the broadcaster he had tried in 3 different parts of the lake, and at the end of the day, and more than 400 casts, only 4 fish in the boat.

Nothing he tried seemed to work - simply the fish weren’t biting.

Is that how it feels on your website? Do you put sample orders through just to make sure “its working”?

It got me to thinking, what can you do when the fish aren’t biting or in your case when customers aren’t checking out on your eCommerce website?

Assuming the customers exist and can find your website, let’s look at some real basics.

Are you selling things people want to buy? (Is your bait tasty?)

Is it easy to find what they want? (Is it the right bait?)

Are your descriptions / content relevant and helpful ? (Are your hooks sharpened?)

Is it clear what they should do next? (Does that bait look real?)

Is the shopping cart easy to understand? (Are you steady cranking with an appropriate tease?)

Do you look trustworthy on the credit card page? (Are you setting the hook or yanking out of their mouth?)

Is everything pointing them to FINALIZE order? (Applying just the right pressure to get them to the boat?)

If you do it right, often enough you’ll put them in the boat!

Not sure what may be wrong ? Hire someone to buy something from your website - someone who has NEVER been to your site before - and then watch them. Visually watch where they struggle. Chances are if it is a struggle for them, it is a struggle for many other customers too.

Want to learn more about conversion and analytics? Stay tuned, we’ll be blogging about analytics more, soon.

MC Hammer at TWTRCON

Published

Michelle

on May 31, 2009

in Search Engine Optimization

. 0 Comments

TWTRCON

Published

Michelle

on May 29, 2009

in Twitter

. 0 Comments

Business Networking

Published

Michelle

on May 19, 2009

in Search Engine Optimization and Videos

. 0 Comments

The hustle and bustle has taken most of us to “cramming” every minute of our schedule with hardly breathing room in between. We rush hurriedly from one meeting or client to the next, arrive late, apologize for being scattered and then leave quickly realizing we’re late for our next appointment.

As Famed Infomercial Personality Susan Powter would say “STOP THE INSANITY”

It is crazy - we are not building our brand, our business, our marketing with these “quickies.” A week or so ago I attended an event where I knew there would be folks to meet who could refer me and who may want to hire my consulting services. And I did network, and made some great connections, but what I saw there actually shocked me a bit.

Other folks like me, who were clearly there to network and see the “latest” info being dished arrived late and left the moment the event was over. Now granted the event did run long, but the reward of going to a business networking function is to create new relationships and deepen existing relationships. That is really all that marketing is … and networking is an in-person vehicle for doing that.

The next time you are going to an event where there will be networking, follow these tips:

When possible, plan ahead to know who you will want to meet in the room. Think about what you can do for them - what business you could refer to them - ways you can deepen that relationship.

Arrive early - leave yourself time to find parking, go to the restroom, pull your networking smile and handshake together - do not arrive frazzled and seeming pathetic.

Spend quality time with each person you meet. This is not a race to COLLECT BUSINESS CARDS, it is a relationship building opportunity.

Do not automatically add folks to your email list without their permission.

Follow up with a HAND WRITTEN note card. RIGHT AWAY! Not weeks away - send it the same day or the very next morning out in the mail.

That’s it … those are the basics. Make the most of your next networking event.

7 Tips For A More Successful Website

Published

Michelle

on April 28, 2009

in Marketing and Search Engine Optimization

. 1 Comment

As a SEO Marketing Strategist, my clients are looking for success from their websites. They want ROI - Return on Investment and frankly, so do I. Here are 7 things that I work diligently to educate my clients about their web marketing experience.

1.) Do you know why you have a website?

Understand for yourself, why you are choosing to have a website - are you collecting leads, selling online, online brochure or just trying to outshine your brother-in-law’s website.

Was it designed to do the purpose you intended?

How well is it performing that purpose?

2.) It is not about traffic, it is about conversion.

Traffic tells us how many “hits” or “visitors” our websites have. Conversion tells us how many take our desired actions.

If your website receives 100 visitors a week and 2 visitors request more information your weekly conversion ratio is 2%

If your website receives 100 visitors a day and you sell 1 order per day, your daily conversion ratio is 1%

It is the number of actions that bring sales to your company - not the number of visitors.

In terms of Sales Revenue - 1,000 visitors who take ZERO action are probably worth less than 10 qualified visitors who take the DESIRED ACTION on your website.

In simple math: 1,000 x 0 = ZERO … 10 X 5 = $50 (assuming that action was worth only $5 to you)

3.) Know what you sell

As you are developing your site - you do need to know what it is you sell - and incorporate those products and services as keywords on your website. And be specific.

For example: If you are a Plumber, don’t just include the words plumbing and plumber, you will also want to include clogged drain repair, or toilet installation. If you are a financial advisor - perhaps your niche is retirement planning or 401K Rollovers.

4.) Know what your customer is buying

That seems simple, right? Not always. Many industries use cryptic abbreviations, industry terms and code words that ONLY other people in that industry understands. Treat your website as if you are explaining your services to 12 years olds. You are not trying to impress the customer with how smart you are, but how good you are at the products or services you offer. People buy promos and imprinted pens, not specialty advertising.

5.) Give them what they need

Create a flow that allows QUALIFIED customers the ability to decide to do business with you. Provide information, give great data, ask for their info, give them a way to CONTACT YOU. Make it simpler for them and they will give you more of their business.

(Side Note: If you currently have a 1% conversion ratio on the web - and can take that to 2% - you will DOUBLE your results). In other words if 2 people sign up out of 100 instead of the original 1 - that is twice as many opportunities for sales. ) A 100% increase - not a 1% increase.

Remove roadblocks that keep them from doing business with you.

6.) Answer their questions

This can be done in two ways - first, have great Frequently Asked Questions with answers on the site / service / product page and second and more importantly - when they call you or send you and email or fill out your online form - RESPOND FAST! The early bird gets the worm is in the past - now its the fastest bird.

7.) Build your website to attract and convert customers - not win design awards.

Don’t get me wrong - a website should look good, credible and reputable - but that should NEVER come at the expense of the ability to attract and convert customers - EVER. If it is beautiful and no one ever sees it, it really doesn’t matter that its there. If it has amazing colors and fantastic design elements that match perfectly with your letterhead - YAH - but if it does not drive customers / sales - it really is nothing more than a billboard at the North Pole.

Sometimes I butt heads with great designers on this, but sales and profits trump pretty and branding.

So that’s it - to me it is really that simple. Know what they want and build a website that attracts and convinces them to take the next step to do business with you. AND NO… this is not just about online retail. It works for Dentists, Lawyers, Restaurants, E-Commerce, Consultants, Plumbers, Marketing Agencies, all of them.

Want to know more ? I’d love to come and present this to your group, corporation or students. Lets continue the conversation - drop me an email at michelle [at] redhawkstrategies.com

ArchivePage 2 of 5

How do your online coupon codes work?

Podcast Hosting

More Google Juice, Please.

How Bass Fishing Taught Me More About Conversions

MC Hammer at TWTRCON

TWTRCON

Business Networking

7 Tips For A More Successful Website

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