Constantly there are articles and opinions on Google – the recent merger efforts with DoubleClick, the criticism on the familiar elements and new layout of YouTube, the development of Knol, and on and on.
A lot of the critics are right – Google is building a empire to own the online experience, but they are also trying to improve it for us online users. Google has developed a number of free tools for public use, continues to develop and integrate new technologies for easier searching and is hopefully going to help provide a competitor to Wikipedia that provides some level of accreditation to the information being posted.
I understand everyone’s frustration with the Google empire, but if we let them continue and build functions and ranking that makes sense and allows us to quickly locate the information we are looking for, we may just find ourselves enjoying the search experience. Well, that is if the remove ebay from their listings again and discontinue the use of the keyword term replacement feature in their Adwords system. And, if they can reduce the constant movement of the new TestTube Warp functionality a bit, maybe some of us with motion sickness will be able to enjoy this tool a bit more.
Personally, from the examples of Knol that are available to view, I am interested in this new opportunity as an online user that finds Wikipedia as an untrustworthy resource. Check out an example of Knol. I do agree that if indeed all the top search results through Google start presenting only the Google owned partner sites, such as Knol and YouTube, that this will surely become an issue. And, if the Google executives are that ignorant of the online community’s intelligence and allow this to develop just as the critics are warning, then they are eventually going to end their own success story.
Check out another great feature from Google to help broadcast Nonprofits.
And, if you are still undecided for a candidate in the Presidential Election, although most of the videos are long, the YouChoose’08 page is very interesting.
Posted by Christina on January 3rd, 2008
Filed under Miscellaneous, Search Engine Marketing, Web | No Comments »
The ABA New England Marketing conference in Newport, RI this past Friday touched upon many aspects of the online world, but not much of it was new. More importantly, a good deal of the information was not necessarily relevant to the banking industry. Online marketing efforts can be particularly helpful in tracking results and providing ROI measurements, but this important element seemed to be overlooked.
Particularly when banks are facing the major competitive pressures in the marketplace today, building core deposits and hanging onto a steady lending stream is increasingly difficult. However, there are various ways that banks can target their audience and grow their business with their online applications and online marketing strategies.
The main element I found missing from the conference was how to effectively use new media to target and capture appropriate audience groups. Where was the discussion on turning website visitors to customers? Particularly where Search Engine Marketing and other online marketing and media can target geographies and deliver specific audiences, you are able to target these groups with particular products and messaging.
Of course building an online marketing strategy is greatly dependent on the strength of a bank’s website, and whether the site contains appropriate lead generation applications or forms that capture new accounts or inquiries. However, there are metrics and strategies being employed for our bank clients and other similar professional service clients where online and new media can provide an incredible source of lead generation, and more importantly rapidly grow a client base.
Don’t stop at learning new media and online opportunities, apply them in a way that matches your services and products to those customers searching online.
Posted by Christina on October 24th, 2007
Filed under Banking, Search Engine Marketing, Web | No Comments »
In a recent Forrester Research study on the effects online word-of-mouth advertising for automakers is really about the effects of a new media form – consumer generated media. As the online audience continues to grow, word-of-mouth has taken on a new form through internet forums, blogs, wikipedia, discussion lists, email chains, personal websites and more. This consumer generated media (or CGMs) is clearly effecting the purchasing habits of car buyers as found in this recent study, but the impact on public relation and other purchasing behaviors is endless.
Posted by Christina on September 3rd, 2007
Filed under Marketing, Web | No Comments »
In my excitement and anxiety for planning my wedding, I had thought that it made sense to register for a couple online wedding planning sites to help me stay on track. I also thought that these sites may provide to be valuable resources for local vendors or just for some ideas. But now, after only a few weeks of being registered, I am having some regrets.
Just to be clear, I am not getting married until next fall – October 2008. Which, is no secret to the wedding registry sites as this is one of the required fields. But clearly the vendors that have access to my profile are ignoring this rather important piece of information – the evening phone calls from photographers, and the weekly mailings from some companies have begun to test my nerves. Yes, I know, I should have anticipated this – right? Well, I did expect it, but with the wedding over a year away, I had thought that there would be a little bit of a grace period before being harassed, and not in such a terrible manner. First, don’t ask me when the wedding is when this is clearly part of the information provided through the online lead generation forms. Second, space out your mailings – if I am making a decision on a photographer in the next few weeks, I might hang on to your postcard, but not if you send me one once a week. Third, acknowledge some of the information that you have based on my profile – I am not going to use you as a vendor if your service requires meeting in-person and you are located hours away from my wedding location or home address.
So, for all of you lead generation marketers – READ the information that you receive through your lead generation tactics and use this information wisely when following up on requests or sending out any marketing materials. UNDERSTAND the request or submission and make the lead feel like the information that they provided was not a waste of time and personalize the response. More importantly, understand who this person is and what their purchasing habits and needs are. Lastly, RESPOND appropriately and make sure that you are providing them with useful information based on what you have learned about them.
Take it from me, there is nothing worse than ignoring your prospects’ needs and responding inappropriately. And for those of you that get leads from online wedding registries – make sure you at least look at the wedding date!
Posted by Christina on August 7th, 2007
Filed under Miscellaneous | No Comments »
As the political war starts to brew, so does the online vs. other media outlets for the political dollars. Although website traffic seems to have increased on the political sites due to the CNN/YouTube sponsored debate, does it truly impact the polls, and furthermore, does it truly impact the votes?Are we ready for the political heat on TV and online?
Not only are starting to feel the political advertising on television already heating up with Romney running ads in Iowa and Richardson airing spots in New Hampshire, but online media strategies have already been sparking attention. Although media analysts are expecting record television advertising spending in the third and fourth quarters this year due to the large group of candidates, the battle online looks to be greater than any other media this year.
Posted by Christina on July 5th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Media | No Comments »