It is the Yellow Pages renewal time right now.  It’s that time ONCE a YEAR when we get to revise and sign an iron clad contract for an advertising program with the PHONE company.  Did you get that ONCE a YEAR, IRON CLAD CONTRACT and PHONE company.  Say what they will, the phone company is still operating with a print media mass marketing business model.  This is why you get to talk to them once a year.  When you invest in a phone company based advertising campaign you get to adjust your program once a year, commit to a fixed monthly payment for one full year, beg for reports and true customer service and best of all you get to pay too much.

With a customized (meaning individually designed and implemented for your company), managed (consistent oversight and management to optimize your results), performance based (if the program is not performing we change it at any time during the year), flexible (need more sales leads adjust the campaign, money tight for a month or two lower the spend) and you can expect to achieve great results.  With a customized program you have a skilled expert on call to help you craft and manage a money making Internet Marketing program tailored to your business and your budget.  You can’t get this at any price from the PHONE company.

If your questioning your investment in phone company advertising and wondering where to turn we may be your answer. We provide true internet marketing using Pay per click or Search Engine Optimization or Social Media and more and can get your business on the top of the first page search results too. Give us a call or send us an email and we will be in touch.

WSI WebSense - it just makes Sense!

There is no question that our buying habits have changed over the past few years.  We no longer even want a Yellow Pages book, we search online until we find what we want and we can use the internet for the valued Word of Mouth referral.  Buying could be much faster but we are also armed with much more information and can be more in control of the information we use.  Or so we think...

I recently had the pleasure of listening to the Co-Founder of ReachLocal; Nathan Hanks talk about the relationship between searching the web, surfing the web, and socializing on the web, and how they are all related to how consumers make decisions about buying. To illustrate the relationship he made up a little story (or did he make it up?)

Search:

Vicky has a friend that in Dallas Texas who is getting married. Vicky is the bridesmaid wanting to take her friend and three of the other bridesmaids to a special day at a local spa. She is taking all five ladies and is looking for a place that has great pre-wedding spa packages.

Vicky is at work and its 2:00 in the afternoon and she is taking a break and starts searching on Google for “wedding party spa packages dallas”. She hits “enter” and boom!…there on the page are 5 or 6 different search results. One of those search results is “Suzie-Q’s Day Spa”, and another one is the Crescent spa; which is a very well known spa in Dallas at the Crescent hotel.

Vicky clicks on a couple of sites and says “what about the Crescent? I’ve heard of them”. “What about this Suzie-Q spa?” She clicks on a few pages and minutes later she realizes that she has to run over to a meeting and takes off.

Surf:

At the end of the day Vicky comes back to her desk and as is her afternoon ritual she goes to check her email and the news online. She opens up her CNN news and wow! There is a display ad… (banner ad) for Suzie-Q’s spa!

Vicky doesn’t know or care or even think too much about why Suzie-Q’s banner ad showed up just when she was thinking about a local spa. But we know it wasn’t an accident. That is something called “remarketing”. When Vicky originally visited Suzie-Q’s website, a tag or a “cookie” was dropped on Vicky’s computer. Later when Vicky went to look at the news, there was the banner ad for Suzie-Q’s business just waiting for her.

Vicky remembers that she has to book that spa package for the girls.  “This must be a pretty cool spa; they must have a pretty large advertising budget”. So Vicky clicks on the banner and finds herself back on Suzie-Q’s site. Vicky browses through the site and thinks it looks pretty good. She sees some pages and some programs and thinks it looks pretty reasonable.

Maybe she doesn’t know what to make of the pricing, or maybe she just hasn’t seen enough pictures, maybe she is leaning on going to the Crescent because she suspects the Crescent is a sure bet based on its reputation.

Social:

Vicky turns around and goes to Yelp or CitySearch. Now instead of searching on “wedding party spa packages dallas” she types in “Suzie-Q day spa”. Vicky is no longer searching, she is researching Suzie-Q, and she is doing it on a review site. Maybe there weren’t any listings, so Vicky goes back to Google and searches on “Suzie-Q spa” to see what comes up. Well Suzie-Q’s map listing shows up on Google maps section with 3 and a half star rating.  In fact there are 3 reviews on Suzie-Q’s spa.

Vicky thinks “only three reviews, that’s not a whole lot of reviews for a spa in downtown Dallas”, but she clicks on the first one. It just so happens that review is by another woman who brought her friends there for a pre-wedding spa getaway who wrote that “it was the best value for her money and really a great experience athletically and in terms of and relaxation”.

Conversion:

Vicky likes what she sees and is now ready to pick up the phone and book a package for her group.

This is just an example of how Search, Surf & Social work together to drive a conversion. Now this of course is just a made up scenario, but I can tell you that is a typical scenario that happens more than you might think.

Are your customers like Vicky?  Probably.  WSI WebSense has the expertise and the tools to  help you be found when they are looking for you!

When Moses led the Jews out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land and Freedom there were,no doubt,monumental behaviorial issues to address.  Since people are always people there were some I suspect who instantly sought power and became bullies.  There were those who through lack of knowledge or years of following others were ill prepared to make their own decisions and therefore bewildered, the became slaves to the first group.  But there were also some who saw the opportunities and were willing to do what it took to survive and thrive in the long run.   

Technological advancement in the last decade has also been a monumental cultural change that has changed forever the ways in which consumers behave: how they communicate, how they gather information, how they socialize and, naturally, how they shop.

In such an ever-changing environment, businesses are compelled to adopt new strategies to harness the benefits of new technology, and evolve with consumers changing needs.  Adopting an integrated digital media program is no longer merely important, it is essential. Changes
in digital media infrastructure and capabilities have been paradigm-shifting not only for consumers, but for those of us who wish to engage them – and depend on them. 

So with that in mind and with so many businesses implementing Social Media policies and trying to figure out how to react to this new consumer behavior,  I think benchmarking such an enduring instructional manual as that given to Moses is just the thing.  This was published by JLL Retail and I thought it great food for thought! 

The 10 Commandments of Digital Media

1. Thou shalt remember your customers. The whole point of digital media is to actively engage consumers and
give them what they need.
2. Thou shalt integrate. Coordinate your different media tools so consumers can move seamlessly from one to
the other.
3. Thou shalt remain responsive. The two-way nature of today’s media requires a commitment to responding
to consumers directly and in a timely manner.
4. Thou shalt not stagnate. Technology is a dynamic tool and, to remain relevant, it is necessary to continually
evolve with new developments in order to stay relevant.
5. Thou shalt deliver value. Value takes the form of meaningful content, innovative ways to engage shoppers
and promotions that really fulfill the needs of your target market.
6. Thou shalt remember Justin Bieber. The power of digital media is evidenced in the success of this new teen
icon. Make your growth organic.
7. Thou shalt remain ethical. Do not post fake customer reviews or otherwise falsely misrepresent your brand.
Consumers have a way of catching on.
8. Thou shalt not fight fire with fire. While negative comments and responses are inevitable and responses are
necessary, it is important to not escalate conflicts. Everyone will be watching how you respond.
9. Thou shalt be smart. Smartphones are the immediate future. Engaging customers through this medium is
essential for growth. Construct mobile sites and apps. Promote your local presence. Consumers will react.
10. Thou shalt not panic. It is easy to feel overwhelmed in this uncharted territory but, remember, everyone
else is learning too. Hire an expert to navigate you through your choices and processes and keep on top of
– inescapable – new trends.

GOOD LUCK!

WSI WebSense - It just makes Sense

Facebook  recently held its annual F8 developers conference.  This is a big collection of Facebook developers and is pretty heady stuff if you like that sort of thing.  The specifics and pros were discussed in an article by  Last Click News   titled 

New Facebook plugin can be integrated with SEO

The first type that was introduced was social plugin, which can be integrated into a website. These plugins include a ‘Like’ button along with Activity and Recommendation feeds.

The ‘Like’ button allows users to bookmark certain sites, which will be viewable by their friends to see. The Activity and Recommendation feeds will work in a similar way, and these two plugins will allow the user’s friends to see how he/she interacted with a site.

Open Graph and Graph API, the remaining two plugins, are developer’s tools. They allow businesses to easily integrate Facebook features into their websites.

Open Graph allows users to store personal data, which allows developers to polish their websites in response to the likes and dislikes of users.

Experts claim that the ‘Like’ button can have effects on SEO. This plugin can be easily integrated to search algorithms.

Personally, I am still leary of the looming  database of knowledge about my inner most likes and dislikes not to mention my friends and associates.  Its not that I have anything to hide really - I am very boring - but it is that I want to know that I need a Big Mac before McDonald's does.  Or I want to know that I am getting sick before the ad to purchase Pepto Bismol jumps in my face. 

Professionally, its my business and I have been bombarded with unwanted stuff from marketers for years so this should be a welcome change - get only what I want, when I want it.  It is so much more productive for both of us. 

But  I would like to know what I want before they do. 

Companies that are able to see and then take the steps to make the strategic, organizational, and operational shifts required to become effective digital marketers will be more productive and accelerate revenue growth.

When the Internet began the great marketers in the sky looked down upon it and thought it was a vast playground or experimental laboratory.  It was a game to become involved in but not yet one to put trust in.  They began launching experiment after experiment to crack the code that generates sales and customer loyalty. Not surprising, most have failed.

Because, consumers adopted digital technology as they themselves saw fit, and in the process fundamentally altered the way they make decisions. Companies that understand this evolution are now carefully moving digital interactivity toward the center of their marketing strategies, rethinking their priorities and budgets, and substantially reshaping their processes and skills.

McKinsey and associates has found that the most successful digital marketers focus on four core elements as they increase the percentage of marketing and channel spending that is directed to digital activities.

1. Coordinate activities to engage the consumer throughout an increasingly digital purchase journey.
2. Harness interest in their brands by syndicating content that empowers the consumer to build his or her own decision matrix
3. Think like a large-scale multimedia publisher and manage a staggering amount of content to support products, segments, channels, and promotions.
4. Strategically plot how to gather and use the abundance of digital data now available.

The digital-marketing difference

At the simplest level, we’ve always known that consumers tend to take a unique, yet predictable journey as they make purchasing decisions. But most companies concentrate marketing resources on only two stages: brand marketing up front to get consumers to recognize their brand when they first consider buying, and promotions at the final point of sale to sway them as they are about to make a purchase.  The four P's of marketing - Product, Place, Price (up front) and Promotion (end) - provided a total picture for the marketers decision making.

Digital technology is changing all that.  Consumers used to seek out family and friends for word-of-mouth product recommendations but now they can read online reviews, compare features and prices on Web sites, and discuss options via social-networking sites. Consider the person seeking an attorney for a divorce or a lawsuit or perhaps a business merger.  Previously, a consumer had to know someone to get a recommendation.  Today, however, this process is much easier and much more transparent.  They Google it, they tweet about it, they search Facebook and Linkedin.  They EXPECT to find information they can use in their purchase process.  And they trust the information they receive from strangers as much, if not more, than companies.  Both business-to-consumer (B2C) and business-to-business (B2B) purchasers want someone to help them make smart decisions. They just don’t want to feel subjected to the hard sell—they expect marketers to engage them, not dictate to them.

Watch what they say at FastForward  B2B and Digital Marketing

Moving from a one-way, company-driven sales mentality to a two-way relationship with consumers requires core changes in the way businesses operate.  Companies are adjusting but change is difficult especially when the ship is in choppy waters.  While they have tried everything from video ads, sponsored content, and online promotions, new forms of targeted online ad delivery have emerged.

Web sites have been overhauled, microsites for specific products or promotions have multiplied, buying thousands of search terms, and new agencies keep popping up to serve businesses’ increasingly high demand for innovative content, user tools, or social experimentation. While these initiatives usually make sense, their implementation often doesn’t: most companies merely add them to their other operations and thus stretch their organizations financially and operationally. Companies must thoughtfully integrate such initiatives by focusing on core sources of value.

To be effective, these new strategies must be implemented with the consumer needs as paramount and that is a very difficult shift for most marketers.  Stay tuned as we explore some of these in the weeks ahead.

WSI WebSense...It just makes Sense!

Have you ever experienced the overwhelming joy and absolute power of new life?  If so, then you will know what I am going to talk about.

A new baby is a blessing, a gift,  love personified and completely mesmerizing.  I am not sure why but a new little babe has the power to connect and entice pretty much anyone to spend hours watching their faces, movements and responding to their needs.  Perhaps this power come from the 'fact' that the new life of a baby is closer to God, having just been in His presence.  Perhaps people have some innate memory of being babies ourselves.  Perhaps it is something else - but it is a wonderful, warming and fulfilling feeling.  I know this because I have just experienced the joy of becoming a grandmother to the most beautiful new baby girl in the entire world (no bias at all)!

Having a healthy baby requires the parents to dedicate themselves to the needs of the baby before, during and after birth.  To be attentive to its every need and to provide for its growth and development.

How does this relate to business or specifically to the internet?  My grandbaby was born the week that Apple released their new baby - the ipad.  I am certain that the people of Apple also experienced the overwhelming feelings of anticipation, incredible efforts and sacrifices, struggles and pains to produce this product.  I am sure they also have expectations and visions of its future success just like new parents do.

In a past life I worked on new product development teams and actually have 4 patents to my name so I know a little about the trials and tribulations of conceiving, developing, nurturing and launching a new product.  I have also given birth to three children and know the trials and tribulations of conceiving, developing, nurturing and 'launching' a new baby's life.   The comparison may be a stretch- and granted, my new product paled in comparison to the ipad but still I have some unique  insights.

There is a lot of controversy and a lot of opinions on the brilliance of the ipad.  I personally think there is a market for the product that many of the techies and nay sayers do not think of when looking for the next great thing.  Boomers - iphones are wonderful when you can see them but the size limits its usefulness for those over 50 who need reading glasses.  Not everyone wants a camera attached to their every device - how many do you need?  Holding a tablet makes a lot of sense for comfort and provides a truly versatile extension when compared to the laptop.  I think the ipad will find success as long as Apple listens and is attentive to its every need, takes care of the demands and nurtures its growth and development. But only time will tell!

New life is mesmerizing. 

WSI WebSense - It just makes sense!

From my blog at Yovia.com

This is from my post last year on Twitter - It is still relevant but there is so much more that can be done.

Millions of companies have set up their Twitter accounts and some of them actually get it and use it.  However, many small businesses have set up accounts, posted only a few times and have little idea how to use the tool. Recently, Twitter offered a new feature that allows users to create lists of people on Twitter.  This option has opened yet another floodgate of information  … and confusion.

What are Twitter Lists? Why are they useful? What can you do with them? Although there are answers to these questions and more, I want to focus on how a business might  use Twitter Lists.  I found this article most instructive.  Check out what Rohit Bhargava of Mashable recommends.

1. Improve your PR “hit rate.” For several years now, there have been people who you might consider “influencers” in just about any industry creating content online. In your industry, that might be online reviewers, or bloggers, or key contributors to online communities. The problem for some time has been that it is increasingly difficult to capture their attention. As more large businesses launch “blogger outreach” campaigns, the attention of these influencers (bloggers or otherwise) is becoming more and more difficult the capture. Luckily, getting “coverage” on Twitter is often a much more simple ask. As a result, if you focus on asking to be mentioned through a Twitter stream, you can make it much more likely that someone will share their experience with you, or a useful message more readily through Twitter.

2. Get listed. The way Twitter lists work is that anyone can create a grouping of people or organizations on Twitter and put them into categories. These lists can be followed in bulk, which answers one of the biggest questions about Twitter … how can anyone find new people to follow, and how you can get new followers. With a search, you can now find lists of Twitter users that relate to the category your business is in. In many cases, you can approach the creator of the list with a request to add your business to the list if it is relevant. With a few hours of effort, this means you could connect with the most visible list creators online and dramatically improve the chances that people will find and follow your Twitter account.

3. Create your own collection. If there is any lesson that social media can teach you, it is that demonstrating your business as have expertise in a particular space can have big benefits, whether it is a services based business, or you have a product to sell. One of the ways to demonstrate that expertise that doesn’t require you to write new content or create multimedia such as videos is simply using the Twitter lists feature to create a new list on any topic. For example, if you have an interior design business – go out and find the 25 best Twitter accounts talking about interior design and create a list. Then you can email this list to people in your industry, share it through Twitter. Anyone who sees the list and its creator (you and your business), will immediately begin to perceive you as a thought leader and expert … if they don’t already.

4. Monitor for moments to respond. One of the best things about Twitter is that in the stream of real time dialogue are always questions from people seeking a response. With every post having a time and date stamp, it is very easy to dip into Twitter at any time to see who is having a particular question that relates to your business and exactly when they asked it. Taking this information, you can start to answer questions directly to people and share your point of view and expertise. Doing so can not only give you a chance to connect with potential customers directly, but also to have a “viral conversation” … in other words, a conversation with an individual that could easily be shared by others and passed around the web.

by Maryn Williams

What are the Actual Numbers of Social Media Marketing?

People always want to know what they can expect with on-line marketing campaigns and particularly with Social Media campaigns.  Everybody is “doing it” but does it pay for itself?  What is the ROI?  With this question in mind, I have ventured into the blogosphere to find some results.   Justin R French from Social Networking San Diego reports:  “Company A” received 26% increase in traffic in 2 months! “Company B”  received a 27% increase in traffic in 2 months! “Company C” received a 75% increase in traffic in 2 months!

He does not tell us what campaigns were run or what it costs.  Nor does he tell us if any of that traffic converted (Traffic without conversion is of limited value).

Dick Pirozzolo reported that a top real estate marketing consultant and sales trainer who speaks regularly at major industry conventions around the US wanted to maintain and build on the relationships he established when he met people at industry events and seminars, so he turned to www.ning.com.  Ning enabled him to create a new social network—an affinity group of building industry professionals, building products manufacturers, and construction company leaders who share information, observations and sales tactics.  He uses the group to maintain a dialogue on issues that matter to them and can instantly discuss the impact of economic news. It is immediate and intimate.

Unlike advertising, direct mail or publicity—social media offers ongoing, two-way communication, which gives the feedback needed to refine your 'product' message and brand.

Jalali Hartman of Yovia reports the most impressive and complete numbers in his case studies that utilize Yovia’s Social Velocity™ Evaluation platform to identify and build on successful viral campaigns using the first ever People Network.  
•    JamsBio a start up company went from 0 to over 600 visitors a day and was recently purchased by MTV.
•    Worldwide Fido Awards website had over one million page views in two months and will be a TV show.
•    The website for Nate and Alex, received more than 14,000,000 page views in one year.
•    Swagger of the South over a seven day period generated 1.942 million impressions across blogs, MySpace, Facebook and YouTube.
•     A local Used Car company generated a 229% better response than the traditional message.
•     The State of Tennessee’s  Mind2it campaign generated 110,000 Tennessee visitors to their page in few short months.

What the Social Web or Web 3.0 is telling us

Maslow had it all along – 1st  Food and Water, 2nd Safety and Shelter, 3rd Belonging – We are hard wired to crave interactivity and community.  We thrive on word of mouth referrals and the simple events in our life. Web 3.0 has provided the technology to expand our capabilities and voices.  Companies will never be the same.

What are the Social Platforms that will shape our future?

Clearly I think the People Networks such as Yovia has developed will shape our future.  Facebook, Youtube and similar sharing sites are going to evolve but will be around a long time.  Twitter will either become very useful or very useless depending on the integrity of those using it.  I think we will also see a much stronger push to more selective networks that allow us to truly interact with like minded people.

In the interest of full disclosure,  I was so impressed with the results and the founder of Yovia I decided to become a certified Community Manager for Yovia Social Velocity Engine .   As head of strategy for Marketing Sherpa, Jalali developed the first methodology for conversion optimization. From there, he founded Yovia, and invented Social Velocity, a methodology that allows us to truly harness social media.  Call me to find out how you can benefit from Yovia. 

Why Should I Blog?

  By Maryn Williams

What is a Blog?

A blog is basically a journal that is available on the web. The activity of updating a blog is “blogging” or Blog Postings and someone who keeps a blog is commonly called a “blogger.” Blogs are typically updated daily or weekly and can be maintained by people with little or no technical background. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with the most recent additions featured most prominently.

Blogs are usually written by one person and are updated pretty regularly. Blogs are often written on a particular topic. There are blogs written about virtually any topic you can think of such as photography, spirituality, recipes, personal diaries, hobbies, etc. Blogging has as many applications and varieties as you can imagine. Whole blog communities have risen around some of these topics putting people into contact with each other in relationships where they can learn, share ideas, make friends and even do business with people with similar interests from all around the world.

What is Web Sense Blog?

We will use this forum to blog about the Internet and making Sense of it for our clients, friends and potential clients.  We will not be blogging about technical gook as that doesn't make sense.  We will try to sort through all the information and knowledge we find and share it with you.

It Just Makes Web Sense!