Category: online marketing

One of the things people are continually telling us is that online Content is King. Even Google tell us that it is relevant, original content that their search engine looks for online. As a result many businesses literally busy themselves creating content. And that's good thing - provided you think about the best way to structure your activity. The way Google and other search engines work is based upon relevance of content to the searcher's search terms. Thus, if you search for blue widgets, the search engine will look to offer you links to content about blue widgets. But the search engines do not simply list all the content that has "blue widgets" lost within it. They are becoming ever more sophisticated, and they understand not only the context of the content but the relationships between similar pieces of content. For this reason we treat content as worker bees that we send out into the wider world to bring value back..

Somewhere... probably now happily retired, is the marketer who came up with the idea of Black Friday. But what started out as a simple marketing idea has grown - as these things will, into an uncontrollable monster of a day for marketers. Here's what you've got... one day. One day during which you slash your margins and hike up your ad spend to try and to beat your competitors to be the trader making the least money on every sale. He who makes the least wins. And the more of the less you make the better... somehow. So we have educated our customers to wait. Wait until Black Friday to get that TV they were going to get in time for the holidays. Wait to buy those Christmas presents that were already on Santa's list. And shop around like never before because, well, that's how you'll get the very best deal going. It's a race to the bottom...

Over the past month or so, two friends of mine have contacted me about emails they have received. Take note: these are smart people. They are well educated and, well, let's just say they are as long on the tooth as I. And yet both were asking me to verify the emails they had received about having won some kind of cash prize in an online lottery (click on the image to see the entire letter). I know what you're thinking - How could they be so gullible? Right? Well, yes and no. There is no such thing as a free lunch... we all know that. But these letters are very plausible and convincing. In the example featured here, the logic is; this is Google's way of "giving something back" to their users and getting some goodwill going their way. Look at the argument. You have won as one of Google's users. And you are a Google user. You use their products all the time - so why wouldn't they enter you into their draw. And you've won, not only..

Well played Burger King. In case you missed it, Burger King sent an open invitation to McDonalds to join forces on World Peace Day to put aside their differences and sell a combined burger - the McWhopper in a pop up restaurant that would combine elements of the two brands. They even built a website to present the invitation. It's impressive... ... and McDonalds turned them down. On the one hand this seems a shame. It would have been good to see them do this together. But on the other it seems like a very, very clever marketing move by Burger King...

So what do you do if you are in charge of attracting tourism to a tiny country in the Pyrenees known for it's skiing... in the summer months? This is the problem faced by the Andorran tourist board. Great in winter - empty in the summer. Their brilliant solution? Host a show by the Cirque du Soleil and give away free tickets...

I love my adopted country. And I love the fact that Spain is considered among the leading powers in the western World. But I am also a marketer. And, moreover, an English marketer who has had to deal with a number of situations over the years where Spanish clients have been upset that I have prevented them from publishing or printing something that does not meet my English standards. With marketing you have to get things right...

How cool would it be to get a phone call from your marketing and know exactly which of your ads had triggered the call? The answer is - veryFor some years now clients of ours in the US and UK have been able to use call tracking to monitor the telephone calls coming from their different advertising activities - online and offline Imagine - someone sees your ad on Google, or facebook and visits your website. Then they call you. You will often not ask where they got your number - and even if you do the answer will be something like "from your website". With call tracking, however, you will be able to see which ad, and which keyword triggered the visit. Or which billboard, or which radio ad. In fact wherever people can find a number to call you. If your business has a reasonable number of phone calls, then this can be a significant addition to your marketing arsenal. Finally, Call Tracking Metrics are offering this..

I've just finished Scott Stratten's second book The Book of Business Awesome. An excellent read (or in my case a listen - I have it - along with his first book - Unmarketing - in the car) I can highly recommend it. But I have to warn you - you will come out of the other side with a changed world view. Among many other marketing observations, Scott talks of the hoops that companies make their customers jump through. And as soon as your eyes are opened these things are everywhere. EVERYWHERE!..

Me : So why are you thinking of starting an online advertising campaign? Potential New Client : To get more visits to my website. Me : How many are you currently getting? Potential New Client : About 100 a week. Me : And how is that working for you? Potential New Client : It's not - that's why I need more... I don't know how close to deja-vu this might sound to some of you - but it's all too familiar to me...

Have you ever wondered how it is that sometimes, when you visit a website, their ads start to follow you around? The page you visited yesterday suddenly has an ad on one of your other favourite sites that you'd never seen before. Or did you just not notice before? How did they know? Well, it's called remarketing and a client recently referred to it as just that - the ads that follow you around...