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March 27, 2008 |
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Marketing Methods and Alternative Options for 2008 Part V:
Search Engine Marketing and Search Engine Optimization
by Chip Arndt
 Miami, FL (March 27, 2008)—
(Click Here to read Part I, II, III, and IV of this newsletter series) The last four newsletters covered marketing methods using traditional Comparison Shopping Engines ("CSEs"), Marketplaces, Affiliate Sites, Print Media, Press Releases, Newsletters, E-mails, Blogs and Incentive Programs for small to mid-sized merchants to reach consumers. For this month, we finish this newsletter series with a macro over view of Search Engine Marketing ("SEM") and Search Engine Optimization ("SEO") and some general advice on implementing proper SEM and SEO methods and strategies. This is huge topic so the following is intended as an overview and not a comprehensive "to-do" list.
As outlined in this five part series on "Alternative Marketing Methods and Options", MerchantAdvantage is excited to see the proliferation of methods and strategies to bring people together online. This means that more and more people everyday use the internet and mobile, wireless technologies to communicate and shop, which equates to more avenues for small to mid-sized businesses to reach potential customers.
For MerchantAdvantage, this means ensuring that we are at the cutting edge of new methods to make it easier for online shoppers, online service providers, software companies, marketing companies and small to mid-sized online merchants to communicate with each other in a seamless mode of communication.
We have found that using and mastering traditional marketing methods is mandatory to help "spread the word" about your company and that complimenting these methods with new marketing initiatives drives sales and brand awareness.
If you missed the prior four newsletters in this series, and prefer to read them first, please go to eTaildTail.com, and see newsletters. All newsletters are archived and free to read.
So let's continue from our last newsletter commentary.
Overview of Marketing Options
Options, options, and more options!
It is an overwhelming task to cover the full landscape of marketing options and by no means do we claim to cover them all, but we try. In addition to the several marketing options covered in the last newsletter, online merchants should consider complimenting traditional methods of marketing, such as print media, press releases, newsletters, snail mail, and e-mails with new methods such as blogs, search engine marketing and optimization, video e-mail, gift cards, coupons, sweepstakes and other ideas to drive quality traffic to your storefront and turn this traffic into paying customers.
The goal of effective marketing is simple: drive customers to your online storefront.
This can be achieved in numerous ways and some methods work better than others. Some traditional, seemingly outdated methods, such as direct mail and print media, are STILL very effective. And when traditional methods are complimented with new marketing methods, we have found that more traffic is driven to an online merchant's storefront and that this traffic is "stickier" and easier to turn into customers.
MerchantAdvantage believes that regardless of which marketing method(s) you choose, each marketing method compliments and works in concert with the other. For instance, if you send out a direct mail during the holidays, ensure that you highlight specials mentioned in these direct e-mails on your website, provide coupon codes that only can be redeemed online by the person receiving the snail mail (which helps you track whether the mailing worked), highlight a "special offer" that a customer can only receive online, remind them of monthly online specials, create easy access to membership and gift card programs, and create a blog (if you have the time) to educate customers on the value-add of your products and remind them of special offers on your storefront.
Another example is when you execute an online e-mail campaign, ensure that you provide "hyper-links" in this e-mail to landing pages within your site that speak to the "special offer" you are referring to or the membership program you are trying to build. These are just some examples.
The main point is that consumers are so savvy that using marketing methods to just drive them to your online storefront is NOT enough. Once you make a connection with a potential customer about a special offer or program, ensure that when they reach your sight, they come to the "special message" directly and can act on it quickly.
Okay…onto what you may already know…or maybe not.
Search Engine Marketing ("SEM") and Search Engine Optimization ("SEO")
Definitions (as listed on Wikipedia):
"SEM is a form of Internet marketing that seeks to promote websites by increasing their visibility in search engine result pages (SERPs). According to the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization, SEM methods include: search engine optimization (or SEO), paid placement, and paid inclusion. Other sources, including the New York Times, define SEM as the practice of buying paid search listings." For this newsletter, we confine SEM to "paid search" and SEO to organic search (see below).
"SEO is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
As a marketing strategy for increasing a site's relevance, SEO considers how search algorithms work and what people search for. SEO efforts may involve a site's coding, presentation, and structure, as well as fixing problems that could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully spidering a site. Other, more noticeable efforts may include adding unique content to a site, ensuring that content is easily indexed by search engine robots, and making the site more appealing to users. Another class of techniques, known as black hat SEO or spamdexing, use methods such as link farms and keyword stuffing that tend to harm the search engine user experience. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques and may remove them from their indexes."
There are large companies that make SEM and SEO their sole business, so please treat the following information as an overview and not a comprehensive analysis of either SEM or SEO = it can be complicated and many white papers have been written about it. This is a start!
Mission to Working with SEM:
Let's keep this simple, especially considering how comprehensive the topic can be. Here are three main reasons to work with SEM:
- General Search Engines: higher ranking in "paid search areas" on search engines as: Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Looksmart and others by paying for "keywords" or "key phrases".
A. the more you pay, over your competitors, the higher your company will be placed/ranked on search engines
B. you can pay a set price to be listed at the very top of a search engine for a set period of time, a week, a month, or more. These "sponsored results" are highlighted in a yellowish color with Google and light blue with Yahoo! Search.
C. you can bid daily on "keywords and phrases" to be listed in predefined areas on a search engine. For example, when using Google these listings show up on the right hand side, for Ask.com the right hand side and other areas within the site, and for Yahoo! Search the right hand side.
i. Note, just because you are listed in the morning at the top you may be listed 10th in the afternoon because competitors can out bid you.
- Comparison Shopping Engines and Marketplaces: "outduel" competitors to be higher ranked within marketing destination sites and comparison shopping engines a. Usually done via paying higher click fees or offering better commissions
- Sales, brand awareness and helping people find you to increase revenues.
Here are three main issues when working with SEM:
- Time
A. General Search Engines: Once you set up a SEM marketing campaign using general search engines, the time to manage these campaigns is less than SEO, but you still need to monitor them daily to ensure that you are being ranked where you want to be on their sites, especially since you are paying money to be listed.
i. Other people can out bid you on these sites, so go to the search engine site daily and monitor what is going on.
ii. Manage money invested in clicks costs to actual sales responsibly or else you could lose your shirt.
iii. Many companies pay for campaigns for 3-6 months and then analyze what is happening and adjust accordingly.
B. Comparison Shopping Engines and Marketplaces: most people think that these channels are generally easier to use as you simply get ranked higher on these search engines by paying more for a click than a competitor. WRONG! You can get listed higher by paying more and also using these sites intelligently; they, too, have algorithms that rank one online merchant higher than others using various metrics. These metrics vary from site to site, with different weighting given to each metric. These metrics include:
i. Paying for a listing/keyword/category word/key phrase
ii. Having positive reviews/feedback
iii. Lower pricing for product(s)
iv. Utilizing specific features within a search engine that counts toward being listed higher = you can just pay for a click or pay for a click and work the search engine features intelligently to get your products listed higher on their site:
Example 1: filling out all of the "optional" fields when sending a data feed helps a search engine's algorithm associate your products more precisely with their listing identifiers that match your products with customer searches.
Example 2: using "grouping" features on some search engines which allow you to associate your product catalog feed and associated manufacturing product numbers together, which leverages better their internal matching search features?
- Using/Identifying Appropriate KeyWords or Phrases
A. General Search Engines: Remember that your goal when using SEM is to think like the customer, who is typing in keywords and phrases to find your company. Don't just buy keywords or phrases that you think might work. Rather, use tools within the search engines to see statistics as to the likelihood of a customer typing in a key-word you think they might type in. Then, you can purchase your key-word and phrases intelligently rather than blindly.
B. Comparison Shopping Engines and Marketplaces: This process is easy as you can simply outbid your competition on the cost of a click for a related category or product SKU to help your products get listed higher when someone searches for your products.
- Cost
A. General Search Engines: It can be expensive to stay on top of SEM, as you often end up in a bidding war to stay relevant against competitors.
i. Statistics show that this marketing strategy does work, but they also show that the most successful companies using search engines, and maintaining a high return on investment, analyze statistics weekly and stay on top of their ROI.
ii. Yes, you can just pay the search engines to be listed in various areas on their site, but this can be very expensive and does not necessarily lead to sales UNLESS you commit to doing it for a long time.
iii. For full disclosure, MerchantAdvantage has bought many keywords to ensure listing on the front pages of search engines. We work in 6 month cycles, analyze, and then reassess if those keyword buys actually worked.
iv. It is nice to be listed, but if no one still clicks over you may want to start to rethink SEM keyword buys and try other methods of marketing.
b. Comparison Shopping Engines and Marketplaces: Remember that not all of these sites cost money to work with, so work with those sites that are FREE and that you can control the commission you pay easily, first. I wrote a blog entry all about this at eTaildTail.com , <<<CLICK HERE>>> for that overview and how to get in front of over potentially 100 million unique visitors quickly. For the other pay-per-click sites, here are some things to watch for:
i. Test, test and test again. To find the best shopping destination sites that work best for your product catalog requires experimenting with several of them until you find the ones that return the best ROI.
ii. Analyze, analyze, and analyze again. Do not just rely on the statistics that come to you from the shopping destination site, but rather compare them against each other using a tool. MerchantAdvantage includes Chanalytics, a comprehensive analytic tool, in its software application to do this.
iii. Manage your ROI and understand that comparison shopping engines and marketplaces may be actually working well for "certain" products and not well for others. So make your adjustments, manage your marketing feeds, and pull products that may not be performing to ensure that your ROI is proper.
iv. You can control how high you are ranked by bidding higher for a "rate card" click over your competitor, but be careful to manage this process, as you can quickly have lots of clicks that may not turn into sales; so make sure they are turning into sales and monitor your "bidding wars" closely. This isn't Vegas!!!
Recommendations to Working with SEM:
- Paid key word campaigns can get you listed immediately on the top pages of any search engine, but make sure you analyze what is happening each month. If, after 3-6 months, it is not leading to leads to your site, change course.
- Include keywords in any ad buys and create hyper links to content elsewhere on the net. Search engines live and breathe off of linking to other relevant information on the internet and this practice helps them help you and reach their audience more intelligently.
- Be creative when writing marketing and ad text. Sometimes you only have 20-40 words to use, be smart, intelligent and don't be generic.
- Choose the proper keywords. Don't waste money on generic keywords, as more often than not, this strategy will just lead to irrelevant clicks. Use "exact match" keywords as well as "phrase matching" and then filter out irrelevant traffic.
- Create ad groups when you can and divide your keyword list into segments. As an example, create a keyword group for sports equipment that you sell covering the following categories, women’s, men’s, xtreme, leisure, indoors and outdoors. If you set up a pay-per-click marketing campaign this way, in addition to buying keywords, you will probably have more control on where your ad and marketing language will appear during a search.
- There are excellent companies which can help you with SEM but beware that:
A. They are expensive
B. Make sure they provide analytics to show performance,
C. Consider that maybe your product line does not merit SEM, i.e. do people who hunt online to buy products hunt online to buy your products?
- Test and analyze, test and analyze and test and analyze again. There is no perfect science and SEM is not a 3 month project. To do it correctly, via organic search or paid search, requires commitment and analysis and this information lets you revise marketing campaigns, keep traffic from leaving a website, and increase conversion rates.
A. And when you understand how people are interacting with your ads, then mix them up and make relevant changes. No ad should stay the same for more than 4-6 weeks, in my opinion.
Mission to Working with SEO:
Let's also keep this simple for this newsletter, as SEO can also be complicated. Here are three main reasons to work with SEO:
- General Search Engines: Higher ranking on search engines as: Google, Yahoo, Ask.com, Looksmart and others by understanding how organic search finds your company, then associates your company with a customer's search.
- Comparison Shopping Engines and Marketplaces: Create and implement strategies to leverage search engine algorithms to get listed higher even when you are outbid for a specific key word or phrase associated with products.
A. Usually done via paying higher click fees or offering better commissions
- Sales, brand awareness and helping people find you to increase revenues.
Here are three main issues when working with SEO:
- Time
A. Many people embark on SEO marketing with the best of intentions and are frustrated when they continue to be ranked on the second page of general search engines (or worse). Working "organic search" is not easy.
B. Thousands of competitors are trying to do exactly what you are trying to do, which is to ensure that your company comes up within the first 1-20 listings when someone types in a search term that is similar to what your company offers.
C. Remember that SEO is simply the process of trying to figure out what search terms, or key words, a person "hunting" around the web is typing into a search engine and then ensuring that the search engine matches that inquiry to your company.
D. So you have to do two things:
i. think like a consumer trying to find you and
ii. think like a search engine, which uses complex algorithms to match a search with information about your company.
The only way to get organically searched properly, and show up in the top 10 listings, is to have enough information and content on the web in the form of articles, reviews, newsletters, articles, references on blogs, references by other companies etc…so that these algorithms can find you. That is why a blog and strategic partnerships with other companies helps to get information out on the web about you.
E. One way to get around much of this is to simply use SEM (see above) and pay to be listed higher and absorb that cost as a cost of doing business, even though it can be expensive.
F. Another way to help you is to pay a company to do all of this work for you. They too can be expensive but sometimes are very effective, especially if you have a niche product that you are selling.
- Content and Uniqueness
A. Example: Only two years ago, MerchantAdvantage had a unique product named "channel management". So it was easy for customers to find MerchantAdvantage if they typed in the phrase "channel management" in their Google or Yahoo search bar. Today, MerchantAdvantage is not even listed in the top 20 on either Google or Yahoo when you type in the phrase "channel management" because so many other companies have associated themselves with this phrase in describing what they do. So, when search engines look to associate companies with the term "channel management", MerchantAdvantage is lower on the list than other companies because these companies have more overall content related to "channel management" on the entire internet and/or they paid more for the key phrase "channel management". The answer for MerchantAdvantage was to write more content about "channel management" and associate MerchantAdvantage with this key phrase on their site, newsletters, in strategic partner marketing, in news articles, on blogs and anywhere else the search engines might pick up related content about "channel management." If you reread the last three sentences I just wrote, you will get the point!
- Cost
A. SEO can be inexpensive if you have "good" information all over the internet and people are talking about you. Thus, you and your company come up often when people type in various search terms. However, this is not the case 99% of the time and therefore a more scientific approach is needed to manage successful SEO.
B. Yes, you can avoid much of this by just paying the search engines to be listed in various areas on their site, but this can be very expensive and does not necessarily lead to sales UNLESS you commit to doing it for a long time. For full disclosure, MerchantAdvantage has bought many keywords to ensure listing on the front pages of search engines and normally we work in 6 month cycles, analyze, and then reassess if those keyword buys actually worked. It is nice to be listed, but if no one still clicks over you may want to start to rethink SEM key word buys and try other methods of marketing.
Recommendations to Working with SEO:
- Don't get discouraged, it takes time to build enough original content, build enough partnerships, and have enough media from other sources to have the search engines organically find you through their algorithms, normally 6 months.
- Many companies starting out using search engines combine paid keyword campaigns, SEM, because you can get listed immediately on the top pages of any search engine, with organic SEO strategies.
- There are excellent companies which can help you with SEO but beware that:
A. They are expensive
B. Make sure they provide analytics to show performance, and
C. Consider that maybe your product line does not merit SEO, i.e. do people you hunt online to buy products hunt online to buy your products?
- Test, test, and test again. There is no perfect science and SEO is not a 3 month project. To do it correctly requires commitment, ongoing content writing, and analysis.
MerchantAdvantage Wrap Up:
There are many ways to market online and wirelessly. No method is perfect and online merchants should manage each marketing campaign carefully, understanding how each campaign can, and should, tie into the other. This approach ensures that you are sending a consistent message to the marketplace and that any leads that come to your storefront from these efforts are managed properly, albeit a special offer via a marketing channel is reflected back on your site when that potential customer comes to your site. There are also limitations to what an online merchant can afford, and most online merchants don't have the money or internal resources to manage too many marketing initiatives effectively, especially SEM. So choose two or three marketing strategies, manage them efficiently, and when you see that you have mastered them, introduce another method and make sure that it ties into your existing marketing efforts. |
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NOTE to MERCHANTS: Changes at Shopzilla
by Danny Trimino, Tech Support
 Miami, FL (March 27, 2008)— Shopzilla's taxonomy has changed. The categories with the most changes are:
• Office Supplies,
• Home & Garden,
• Sports Equipment & Outdoor Gear,
• Clothing & Accessories,
• Babies & Kids.
There are also some categories that have been broken down into sub categories.
[Click Here] for all the details on the latest changes to Shopzilla's taxonomy. Having the correct taxonomy helps your marketing and also insures your products get placed in the category you deem most approrpriate.
MerchantAdvantage clients [Click Here] to login your back office and be sure to take a look at the Webinar for 3.28.08 for other tips and tricks on Shopzilla. |
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Merchant of the Month:
BiggSports.com
 "As a ProStores user, MerchantAdvantage has been my solution for providing feeds to several CSEs and marketplaces including Amazon, NexTag, & PriceGrabber. ProStores is not compatible with sending feeds to these marketplaces. If you are a ProStores user looking to extend your customer reach, MerchantAdvantage is your solution. They can provide feeds to over 100 different shopping channels to help you build your business."
Joe, BiggSports, biggsports.com
Get Your Channel Management Fee Waived Plus Receive a Complimentary Companion Airline Ticket!
We're thrilled and inspired by all the Channel Management success stories you share with us. Now we want to turn the spotlight on you! Send us your best Channel Management success story and you could be selected as our Merchant of the Month.
If chosen, your company will be exclusively showcased in an edition of our monthly newsletter, eTail dTail.
Best of all, your monthly MerchantAdvantage fee will be waived in the month you are selected and you will receive a complimentary Companion Airline Ticket. Submit your Channel Management success story today to stories@merchantadvantage.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
(Note: MerchantAdvantage reserves the right to use any or all of your story, whether or not your article is selected as the winning entry.) |
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About MerchantAdvantage
MerchantAdvantage (www.MerchantaAdvantage.com) is an ecommerce software solutions company committed to championing and helping the small to midsized online ecommerce Merchant address complicated mobile and online e-commerce issues and take a systematic, controlled and proactive approach to online product marketing. MerchantAdvantage provides long-term, cost effective software tools that enable an online business to grow by reaching the widest audience possible via online, broadband, and wireless devices. MerchantAdvantage's applications are designed to thoroughly connect the online retailer to their marketplace partners in a seamless motion of communication allowing Merchants to take control of their ecommerce channels, marketing strategies, and IT solutions. These software tools specifically help ecommerce retailers bridge the gap created by non-standardized data feeds to various online market places, shopping comparison sites, and other online shopping destination sites.
MerchantAdvantage is changing the macrocosm of ecommerce by staying ahead of the curve in providing business solutions to the growing online retail marketplace: We're here because America's commerce future is online.
MerchantAdvantage, the premier software for on-line retailers looking for an efficient and cost-effective method to online product marketing introduces Channel Management with Chanalytics(sm) Professional and Lite. Channel Management products help online retailers save time and money while maximizing their return on investment and marketing budgets by allowing them to easily connect to shopping comparison sites an assess their performance. MerchantAdvantage is for online retailers wishing to better manage online marketing efforts and increase sales volume.
MerchantAdvantage – Take Control of Your Marketing Channels! |
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Global Sources connects buyers around the world with verified suppliers in China and across Asia. From hardwares to housewares, electronics to fashion accessories, you'll find hot new products on our websites, in our magazines and research reports, and at our China Sourcing Fairs. Plus our verified suppliers have all been personally visited by us at least 3 times, so you can source confidently from them. For more information on our products and services, go to www.globalsoureces.com.
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Do you have any issues, concerns or interests you would like to share?
Email us at:
tip@etaildtail.com
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• PriceGrabber.co.uk and MSN Shopping Announce Joint Venture
by www.prnewswire.co.uk
LONDON, March 26 /PRNewswire/
New Partnership With MSN Provides Customers With Expanded Selection on MSN Shopping UK
PriceGrabber.co.uk(TM), a part of Experian(R), today announced a relationship with MSN Shopping in the United Kingdom to deliver an increased selection of products to consumers via MSN's shopping channel.
Hundreds of thousands of product offers and deals supplied by PriceGrabber.co.uk will enhance the overall shopping experience for MSN Shopping users in categories such as appliances, clothing, consumer electronics, health & beauty, and cameras. PriceGrabber.co.uk also will provide product reviews and merchant ratings to enable the user to find the right product, at the right price, from the right seller.
"We're really excited about this new relationship with PriceGrabber.co.uk," explained John Brewer, international director for MSN Shopping. "We are one of the UK's leading online shopping channels, and with this combined service our MSN Shopping users will benefit from even more choice of products plus advice from other users and our merchants."
"We are pleased that MSN has chosen PriceGrabber.co.uk to enhance its comparison shopping feature," said Ron LaPierre, president of PriceGrabber.com(R). "MSN Shopping customers will now enjoy shopping by researching and comparing a wide range of products. This new partnership with MSN Shopping will enable millions of consumers to enjoy a more accurate shopping experience while making educated purchasing decisions on thousands of products."
• 5 online shopping tips
by stargazettenews.com
It's no wonder that online shopping has become so popular when you can shop from home, work, and now -- thanks to Blackberries and cell phones -- even on the go. New shopping sites pop up every day, making it extremely easy for you and your money to get lost in the virtual world. Any savvy online shopper will agree that it is possible to spend frugally while still living fabulously.
Here are five smart tips to help you save money:
• Read the reviews. Before you buy anything, read the reviews. Just because a product is flashy and has a high ticket price does not mean that it works well or even at all. Trust your fellow shoppers and let their advice guide you to the perfect product.
• Compare prices. Comparison shopping sites are great for shoppers who already know exactly what they want but don't want to spend the time searching multiple merchants for the best price. These sites search hundreds of online merchants to find the lowest price on your chosen item.
• Think with your head, not your heart. How many times have you fallen so hard for a hot pair of shoes, the newest MP3 player, or even a 12-cup coffee maker that you overlooked the unnecessarily high sticker price in order to get the object of your affection, only to feel guilty later? Next time, stop yourself before you add the item to your virtual cart. Take a couple of hours, or even a couple of days, to think about your purchase. Do you really want it? Do you really need it? If the answer is still "yes," you'll be able to make the purchase with a clear conscience.
• Search for online coupons. Before making your final purchase, be sure to check out an online coupon site to save extra cash. Online coupon sites provide deals that you may not find in-store or even on the Web site of a particular merchant. CouponCabin.com (www.couponcabin.com), for example, is updated throughout the day and provides deals from more than 900 merchants.
• Save money even after you've spent it. Most of the major online retailers have a customer protection policy that allows shoppers to ask for a refund of the price difference if the price drops shortly after you purchased the item. Some online merchants will even beat a competitor's price. This requires some follow-up on your part, but it will pay off in the end.
• Comparison sites "could dominate e-commerce landscape"
by drltd.com
E-commerce is set to become increasingly defined by online comparison sites, it has been claimed.
According to Michael Yang, chief executive officer and founder of US comparison shopping site Become.com, such sites are increasing their relevance to users' shopping habits in cyberspace.
Speaking to MediaPost, Mr Yang said that his website wanted to dominate the online shopping process - potentially at the expense of Google.
"I think a lot of people who try comparison shopping end up preferring that experience over general search," he said.
However, the industry member pointed out that the two methods are "fundamentally" different.
Citing figures from comScore testifying to the website's 260 per cent year-on-year growth, the publication attributes this success to its incorporation of social networking, user reviews and standard catalogue content.
The report follows a Which? investigation which claimed that customer relations expertise can help specialist retailers like AbeBooks broaden their consumer base.
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"Technology should exist to aid us in our endeavors; We are here because you are online.sm"
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Michael Lambert, CEO |
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For information on how MerchantAdvantage may help your business grow, please contact us:
Chip Arndt
Executive Vice President
Business Development and Strategy
305.895.9466 x113
partnerships@merchantadvantage.com
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