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e-RETAILING NEWS & OPINION ARCHIVES

March 2010

For the Archives Index, please click here

 

About Advertising

and Promotion

 

March 31, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Social Media + Search Marketing + Online Media = Success"

Seven examples of how these three online channels are coming together and blurring the lines between them...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 30, 2010

From Retailer Daily:

"Email Opt-Downs Gain Popularity"

The percentage of online retailers allowing email subscribers to reduce the frequency at which they receive emails, as compared to opting out, more than doubled from 16% in 2008 to 35% in 2010...

http://www.retailerdaily.com

 

March 29, 2010

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Marketers to Spend 14% More on Search Engine Ads"

Spending on search engine marketing will reach $16.6 billion this year in North America...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

March 29, 2010

From MarketingVOX:

"Taking Baby Steps Towards Advanced Segmentation"

Divide email recipients three dimensions.  These can be such high-level categories as demographic, behavioral or campaign dimensions.  Analyze how important each one is to your business, hone in on sub-categories, and filter out other data that is just creating noise...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

March 27, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Paid Search Ad Copy:  Five Things Newbies Don't Know"

Why go through the trouble to create multiple ads unless you give them time to breathe and speak to you?

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 26, 2010

From Retailer Daily:

"Retailers Shift to Longer Email Opt-outs"

94% of online retailers use a single text-formatted unsubscribe link in their promotional email...

http://www.retailerdaily.com

 

March 26, 2010

From McKinsey:

"Four Ways to Get More Value from Digital Marketing"

Content is increasingly being pulled on demand by consumers or is tailored to their preferences (determined through their past behavior), the context of an interaction, or the time of day...

https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com

 

March 25, 2010

From CNET:

"Like It or Not, Behavioral Ad Targeting Works"

6.8 percent of people who click on behaviorally targeted ads turn into buyers, versus 2.8 percent of those who click on non-targeted ads...

http://news.cnet.com

 

March 25, 2010

From DM News:

"Retailers Savvier about E-Mail Subscriber Control in 2009"

Sending e-mails too frequently is consistently one of the top reasons that people unsubscribe from them, so letting consumers chose their frequency is a great opportunity to keep them subscribed...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

March 24, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Are You Ready for Behavioral Marketing?"

The foundation of most behavioral programs is strong data.  Do you have a collection effort underway to collect core behavioral elements to build profiles and segmentation groups?  Is your data robust enough to build profiles distinct enough to warrant unique content?

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 24, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Small Biz Search Spend Surges in 4Q09"

The average keyword count per advertiser increased to 67 keywords in the fourth quarter, up 21% from the previous quarter...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 23, 2010

From MarketingVOX:

"When Else to Send that Email"

Only 40% of marketing emails now have personalized salutations, down 17% from last year - perhaps in response to privacy or not wanting to appear too familiar...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

March 23, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Optimizing Your Double Opt-In E-mail"

Including a coupon on a double opt-in confirm page provides one more enticement for people to respond to the double opt-in e-mail...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 23, 2010

From eMarketer:

"Top E-Mail Subject Lines Focus on You"

Top ten e-mail marketing subject line terms used by US multichannel retailers...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

March 18, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"Paid Search Freakonomics:

Finding and Ostracizing Losers"

Text ads play a central role in determining your click-through-rate and attracting an audience that will convert...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 18, 2010

From MarketingVOX:

"Marketers Use Web Data in Offer Decisions"

Marketers with an online presence routinely collect information about their online visitors, including information about customer interests, intent, and behavior.  75% of online marketers use this data when making decisions about marketing offers...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

March 18, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"SEM:  A Call to Action"

A call to action in your ads and your site, no matter how simple, is important.  Getting your potential customers' attention is important, but getting them to direct that attention is an absolute must...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 17, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Seven Easy ROI Metrics for Social Media Marketing"

A page view in your social sites is worth as much as a page view on your site.  People are still online engaging with your content and brand...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 15, 2010

From The New York Times:

"Instant Ads Set the Pace on the Web"

Real-time bidding allows advertisers to examine site visitors one by one and bid to serve them ads almost instantly...

http://www.nytimes.com

 

March 15, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Don't Abandon Traditional Marketing Methods:  Integrate and Interact"

It's important to remember that social media in and of itself isn't a marketing or PR strategy; it's but one promotional tool in the smart business marketing toolbox...

http://www.mpdailyfix.com

 

March 12, 2010

From eMarketer:

"Print's Place in Multichannel Retailing"

Catalogs tend to provide better-qualified leads to channels such as the retailer's e-commerce site...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

March 11, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Set the Alarm Clock on Your Sleeping Subscribers"

Create a multilayered campaign to identify who's still engaged but not recording opens, who needs a nudge to unsubscribe, and who has abandoned their e-mail addresses without unsubscribing...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 11, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"SEO vs. PPC Debate - Which Do You Prefer?"

Where will your site be in a year or longer?  The slower, steadier SEO approach can add lasting value to a site...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 10, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"(Post) Modern Marketing Myths:  Busted"

It's not just enough to drive people to your site if you're looking to capture their information, drive sales, or generate response of any kind.  To be effective, you need to match your landing pages to your campaign...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 10. 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"We Want More of That Pie!"

Three tips to help make a clear case for search marketing's contribution to the company's bottom line...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 10, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"SEO + PPC:  Spring Clean Your Strategy"

Look for keywords that perform in PPC but don't drive organic search traffic.  These are other great candidates for developing new site content...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 9, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Critique of an Offline-Online E-mail Sign-up Process"

Many visitors simply won't be ready to buy during their first visit.  The next best thing you can get is their e-mail address.  This gives you the opportunity to build a relationship with them and entice them to come back and buy at a future date...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 8, 2010

From Marketing Charts:

"Measuring Online Ads Properly"

Measuring online sales impact is not a true accounting of an online ad's performance.  Offline sales impact, where most customers still shop, should be measured using test and control groups...

http://www.marketingcharts.com

 

March 8, 2010

From MarketingVOX:

"SMB Marketers Segment Emails by Preference, Behavior"

Small-to-midsized marketers are increasingly turning to personalization as a means of reducing the negative effects of inbox clutter...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

March 8, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Mobile Isn't Just the Cell Phone Anymore"

Five suggestions for integrating mobile into your marketing plan...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 5, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Video Microsites:

The Brand-Story Campaign Solution"

Employ any of eight different styles of video microsites, depending on your brand personality and the campaign's goals...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 5, 2010

From E-Commerce Times:

"Search Marketing 2010:  Everyone Will Have to Work Harder"

Pages must also load faster, and benchmarking page response times against competitors' pages and improving response times will become part of search engine optimization...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

March 4, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Diagnosing a Common E-Mail Malady:  Revenue Failure"

The revenue tree is a tool that's useful for diagnosing revenue failure.  The revenue tree for e-mail lays out the metrics in a way that preserves the equation that relates the metrics...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 4, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Five Marketing Mistakes You Can Avoid by Using Cross-Channel Attribution"

Bring together advertising touch-point data, response data, and customer data in an integrated data-warehousing platform - where it can be cleaned and stitched together - to provide a set of standardized KPIs to track performance across all marketing initiatives...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 4, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Dynamic Ads Need Dynamic Landing Pages"

Design landing pages that firmly grab the attention of visitors.  Your landing page must reinforce the promise made in your ad with headings, copy, color, and imagery...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 3, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Small Business Has Big E-Mail Marketing Opportunity"

Nimble organizations take on the personalities of their founders and employees.  This is a perfect starting point for e-mail and social marketing...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 2, 2010

From eMarketer:

"Small Biz Doubles Social Media Adoption"

The most common usage of social media among small business is a company page on a social networking site, followed by posting status updates...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

March 2, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Seven Steps to Building a New PPC Campaign"

In addition to regular match types, you can also assign negative matches to each of your keyword groups.  Negative keywords are essentially terms that you don't want your ad showing for...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 1, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Five Step Social Media Strategy"

Establishing an authentic Web presence to increase brand awareness and cultivate an audience is an art.  Begin with an honest representation and stick with it...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

 

About Customer

Service

 

March 31, 2010

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Web Leads as Primary Way Consumers Research Purchases"

92% of consumers say they research or browse products and services online.  This fact highlights the need for better information and more innovation on e-retail sites...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

March 29, 2010

From DM News:

"Improve Web Site Conversions in Two Simple Steps"

Make sure your web content includes information that's 100% focused on solving your visitors' needs...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

March 26, 2010

From eMarketer:

"Experienced Users Less Concerned with Security"

Trust is the currency with which Web sites build lasting relationships with consumers.  Without it, people and organizations won't freely share information or purchase online...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

March 24, 2010

From DM News:

"Don't Make E-Mail Opt-In a Requirement"

If a consumer is interacting with your brand, there is no reason to turn him or her away by requiring an e-mail address as the cost of admission.  If the customer wants to know more, he will opt in himself...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

March 22, 2010

From MarketingVOX:

"Online Tools Push E-Tailer Profits.  Too Bad Few Use Them"

Customers are willing to pay a 10.7% premium for excellent online customer service...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

March 22,2010

From E-Commerce Times:

"Top 5 Web Site Usability Mistakes"

Web sites that are not designed to show users the most important information within the first four seconds drive users to use the search box or abandon the site completely.  It is important to include a search box on every single page of the site...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

March 19, 2010

From MarketingVOX:

"Marketers Leverage Customer Initiated Interactions"

Customers have more access to information, experts, and lower cost channels, which increases visibility and subsequent pressure on companies to deliver value...

http://www.marketingvox.com

 

March 19, 2010

From E-Commerce Times:

"A Start-Up's Guide to E-Commerce Security, Speed and Scalability"

You need to provide customers with a secure environment for doing business; you need to keep your virtual doors open around the clock; and you need to be able to accommodate whatever size crowd the Internet might send your way...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

March 12, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Use That CMS for Better CRM"

Your website is your focal point - it's where your users sign up, create their profiles, generate content, and participate in discussions...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 11, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"How Maps Are Transforming Local Search"

Local search sites are a venue for businesses to promote their local relevance to users.  They're a place where consumers can not only find out how to get somewhere, but what will be there when they get there...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 9, 2010

From DM News:

"Designing a Web Site that Captures Consumers"

When it comes to Web sites, first impressions are lasting.  Simplicity is key, and offering concise content and uncluttered design can be the difference between engaging visitors and losing them...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

March 3, 2010

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Design and Redesign"

As the web becomes more complex, online retailers should resist the temptation to stuff their sites with features that only make shopping more difficult for consumers...

http://www.internetretailer.com

About Webstore

Management

 

March 31, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Looking Beyond the Pretty Interface of Your Analytics Tool"

There's no getting away from the fact that what we are tracking with our Web analytics tools is not people but devices.  So if the same person visits your Web site from two or more different devices, they will look like two or more different people...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 31, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Beat 'Em to the Finish Line!"

If your pages take a long time to load, there's a good chance your site visitors will hit the back button on their browsers and click on the next relevant search result instead of waiting around for you...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 30, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Landing Page Success in Two Easy Steps"

Continually test and evaluate a variety of landing pages to maintain the optimal mix of elements and approaches.  Six examples of testing you might undertake...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 30, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"SEO With a Skeleton Crew"

Five tasks for fine-tuning a site which don't involve an entire team and should only take a few minutes a day...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 30, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"The Hidden Cost of Landing Page Testing"

Chances are you will get your biggest gains during early tests, because at that point your landing page is in its worst shape and your ideas are most numerous and original...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 26, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Anatomy of a Landing Page:

Design Elements Exposed"

Understand the 10 key elements of a landing page from headline to presentation...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 25, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"We're Way More Complex Than That"

Because blogs and other social-media forums constitute a semi-permanent archive of consumers' word-of-mouth, mine these conversations for consumer insights into your products and even into your marketing programs...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 25, 2010

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Apparel Retailers Still Posting Best Site Response Times"

Shoppers with a high broadband connection visit apparel retailers' web sites in an average time of 11.4 seconds...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

March 24, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Web-Metrics Express:  What You Need to Know to Avoid Mistakes"

Approaching your website's analytics as a three-step process will allow you to not only understand the tools available and what they have to offer but also create a gauge by which you can determine how well key business objectives are being met...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 23, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Careful How You Land that Thing"

To get the most for your search-advertising dollar, avoid costly landing-page design hazards...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 22, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Put Your Website in the Lead"

Do you use a conversational tone in your website's copy?  Are you updating your website's content on a regular basis?  Do your calls to action address prospective customers at each stage of the buying cycle?

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 22, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Web Analytics Interpretation 101"

Look at visitor data over a period of time. Visualizing and measuring trends provides better context to the data...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 19, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Steps for a Successful Relaunch"

If you were simply going to turn the switch one night and launch the new site while everyone is sleeping, you are missing a golden opportunity...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 18, 2010

From MarketingProfs.com:

"Growing, Growing, Grown!"

Keeping your email list in growth mode isn't always easy - but it can be done with a healthy proactive strategy...

http://www.marketingprofs.com

 

March 16, 2010

From E-Commerce Times:

"Building E-Commerce on Rough Economic Terrain"

Five of the most important factors to consider when starting an e-commerce store in tough times...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

March 12, 2010

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Poorly Designed Pages and Unnecessary Images Can Hurt Site Performance"

If the number of refreshes is climbing and people are spending less time on a page, this can be a tip-off that the page design is too complicated and hurting site performance...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

March 12, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"Build Links in 30 Minutes a Day"

A four-day process that will help develop a variety of quality links to your site...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 11, 2010

From DM News:

"How Word-of-Mouth Fuels E-Mail Campaigns"

Use post-purchase e-mails continue to convey the brand's personality, thank the customer for making a purchase, and make it easy for the recipient to quickly submit a review or share an experience...

http://www.dmnews.com

 

March 10, 2010

From InternetRetailer.com:

"Health of E-Commerce Greatly Improved in February"

An 11% year-over-year growth in total e-commerce revenue, while purchases of full-priced items increased 16% versus February 2009...

http://www.internetretailer.com

 

March 10. 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Don't Let User-Generated Reviews Ruin You"

Small businesses need to start paying attention to their local search results, or suffer the consequences...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 9, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"Don't Over Optimize Your Site"

Three examples of unnatural behavior that can lead to a site being flagged for over optimization...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 9, 2010

From Forrester:

"Double-Digit Growth for Online Retail"

Web shopping will account for 8 percent of total retail sales by 2014...

http://www.forrester.com

 

March 8, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Keyword Research 101"

Be sure you include relevant content that is rich with targeted keywords in copy and with properly tagged images and video.  This will help to provide continuity across the whole searcher experience...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 5, 2010

From The New York Times:

"One-Touch Shopping, for Members Only"

Member-only sites perhaps most closely resemble the frenzy of offline sample sales minus the crowds and flying elbows...

http://www.nytimes.com

 

March 4, 2010

From E-Commerce Times:

"Herding Web Traffic Through Direct Domain Navigation"

Using a keyword in the descriptive domain names can help you drive traffic through direct navigation.  The independent, descriptive site allows for easy tracking of traffic resulting explicitly from the marketing campaign...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

March 3, 2010

From eMarketer:

"E-Commerce Sites Freshen Up to Grow Sales"

Two-thirds of online retailers are planning a site redesign this year, with a focus on better organization and improved SEO...

http://www.emarketer.com

 

March 3, 2010

From E-Commerce Times:

"E-Commerce Integration:  What You Don't See Can Hurt You"

With service-oriented architecture, data flows in real-time, giving customers up-to-the-second insight into inventory, accounting, and so on - and giving management unprecedented visibility into business metrics...

http://www.ecommercetimes.com

 

March 2, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Which Type of Segmentation Is Best for You?"

Optimizing landing pages based on source of acquisition is a simple but effective behavioral segmentation approach.  Creating different experiences based on the number of times that someone has visited the Web site is another...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 2, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"Your Locations Are Your Biggest Digital Assets"

Setting up pages for your individual stores increases your potential natural search reach, and also offers location-specific deals and information...

http://searchenginewatch.com

 

March 1, 2010

From ClickZ.com:

"Test or Die"

Do you have the knowledge internally to decide what to test on your site - things that really will move the needle, and do you have the resources to get the tests executed...

http://www.clickz.com

 

March 1, 2010

From Search Engine Watch:

"Long Tail Keywords Convert Cheaper"

It's easier to rank for long tail terms through good on-page optimization and a small handful of inbound links - compared to the need for major link building for the more competitive keywords...

http://searchenginewatch.com

For the Archives Index, please click here

 

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