“Its Marketing Scotty, but not as we know it”

Richard Masters

An Introduction to Digital Marketing for Small

Businesses: 2011 remix

Digital Marketing: 1

Digital Marketing: 2

Some Features of Digital Marketing

Not Rocket Science! But it is different!

Based on the same basic principles as traditional marketing

It is part of the overall “marketing mix”, it is not a separate activity

Radically changed marketing and is continuing to do so

UK 3 years behind US and Far East in this “stuff” and it’s not in books!

“ This is not your fathers marketing”

This Is Not Your Father’s Marketing

“And that’s the difference between traditional marketing and social media marketing. In traditional marketing, you throw out a message where it will be seen by millions of people who couldn’t care less.”

“In social media marketing, you find the people who are already talking about your message and join the conversation. It’s really that simple and that complicated.”

Source:

Internet is the key diver of this change in Marketing:-Important distinction:

Web 1.0: The web pre 2000Web 2.0: The current web

Web 1.0

The web before 2000

Web 1.0Back in 1992 view of Web largely derived

from academia- JANETVast interconnected set of reference

libraries where all the worlds knowledge could be stored for access by anyone

First search engine emerged: 1993 AltaVista

Rudimentary browsers emerged :1994 Netscape launched

One way interaction, user was passive.

Marketeers Built Websites!1995-2005 the era of website buildingBoy, did we build websites. Rivalled the

growth of railways in the 18th Century!Web design companies grew like topsy!Some developments in “Outbound” or

“Push” Marketing such as electronic newsletters & email spam.

A number of different types of websites evolved.

Often called the “field of dreams” era!

“Field of Dreams” marketing is dead“Build it and they will come” approach to

websites doesn’t work They do not and will not comeOften compared to erecting a billboard in a

basementNeed to find new ways of engaging

potential clients with your offeringsNo engagement = No interest = No business!

Needles and Haystacks!

What happened?Nothing is wrong with websitesBusinesses still need them(maybe!)In fact need them more than ever (maybe!)Even individuals need websites now!(maybe)BUT....the ground rules changed dramatically

with web 2.0.....Marketing in the post new millennium is very

different!

The Game Has Changed

WEB 2.0

The web post 2005

Web 2.0c.1995 a new view of the web emerged

from usersweb 2.0

Web 2.0 based on interaction: two way interaction, multiple

conversationsPeople wanted to participate

emergence of and

Google developed a commercial business model that worked.Business could now exploit the net!

Web 2.0 is here to stay!

“Web 1.0 was where corporations thought the internet was another dandy platform for telling us what they wanted us to know. Web 2.0 was where we showed them that the internet is about us, not them, and that if they want to stay around, they'd better sit back, shut up, and listen. Web 2.0, like Rock and Roll, is here to stay”.

-Ray Beckerman

http://rays20.blogspot.com/2010/06/traditional-retweet-tr-key-to.html>

More of a movement - driven by users 

Objectives of marketing haven’t changed!

What has Changed is the way we do it!

Talk about 3 aspects of DM 2.0

1.Websites2.Search3.Social Media

1. Websites

Website as a Portal

Content rich

website

Search engine marketingConvention

al marketing methods

Social networking

Online media

Or as a hub......

The Content Rich WebsiteContent rich website is at the centre of all marketing. Single unified place that brings everything else

together.Place you should drive all customer and potential

customers to.The content is the most important part of any website.

It is not only king but pope and president as well.Most people focus on the technologies and design

rather than content - single biggest mistake!A website is the intersection of every marketing

initiative: Blogs, Video, Podcasts, Advertising, Newsletters etc (Portal)

The good news is that this drives both Search Engine and Social Media marketing strategies

Example of a Portal Strategy

OK, so you have a great website. How to get customers to visit it!

(PPC is the obvious way)

2.Search

Search Engines

An entry into a search engine is the purest expression of user demand you can find

Use users languageMust be wanting information (content)

Why Google?

The power of People use Google rather than the

navigation barData:

1 Billion searches per day90% of search engine trafficSignposts 40% of all worlds web trafficControls 50% of all world ecommerce

transactions Google effectively controls navigating the

web

Where is coming from?Mission is:

“to index all the worlds data” and,“to do no evil”( make shed loads of money)(dominate the web)

To achieve this it has developed an index called Page Rank

To get noticed on the web you have to understand how this works

Page Rank Index

Page rank is calculated by an Algorithm:“ reducible and transportation matrices of

the Google vector”In Plain English

PRI= Visibility * Relevance * ReputationYou need to maximise each of these to

achieve a high scoringLook at each in turn

1.VisibilityIf Google cannot see you it cannot classify

you!Google does not see what you see it only sees

naked HTML!It cannot see: Flash, Javascript, Images, non-

HTML navigationGoogle Visibility should be the key

requirement in any website specificationThis is a technical issue not a designers

issue

2.RelevanceAttempt to measure usefulness to users of the

contentIt scans page content and deduces keywordsIt assesses the uniqueness and originality

of the content (sometimes called authenticity)

Another key is “citations” which is a measure for reputation:-

Measured by Links and their trustworthiness

It recognises cheats and marks you down!

3.ReputationMeasured by visitor traffic numbers and

the quality of the visitors.This is driven by the quality and originality

of your content and credibility of your links

This is further informed by its perceived needs of its clients (searchers) i.e. what are they looking for ( the proxy

being google searches).

Google Algorithm Changes1996-1999: On-page keyword usage +

meta data1999 - 2002: +PageRank -meta data2002 - 2005: +Anchor text + Domain name2005 - 2009: +Domain authority +

Diversity of linking domains + Topic modelling

2010 :+ Social media stream+ Original content-duplicate content

2011:- Content farms (“Panda Update”)

Impact of these changes can be dramatic for search traffic!

Implications If you want to get found!

You need to design your website first and foremost for googles eyes and not human eyes!

The content should be unique and relevant (no content scraping)

You need to understand the rules and how they are changing!

Of course a website should look good and communicate effectively, but if nobody finds it in the first place...

(or of course you can invest in PPC)

Designing websites for Google-Three key tactics

1. Good Website Content (Copy)2. Getting potential customers to your

site Search Engine Optimisation –SEO (off page optimisation)3. Converting finders to buyers Search Engine Marketing-SEM (on page optimisation)

Cover each in turn

1.Website Copy The content (copy) is vital and should be compelling,

targeted and authentic Copy: short text, graphics simple You should write your website for your customers Buyer -centric messages, use personas to drive messages Multi-media content is compelling- but be careful! Company look feel and tone; Extension of your company

branding Communications not advertising Google indexes every page

any one could be a landing page. So key messages must be on each page.

Testimonials (Self contained page)Quotes from happy customers, pictures great (but don't

forget HTML titles), Video clips even better. Integrate Social Media

Good social media content and links helps your rankings as well as driving traffic

2. Getting Searchers to Find your Website (SEO)

SEO is about reaching highest point in natural rankings

SEO is the world of Snake oil salesmen!

It is not a “black art” as they would have you believe

Its all about understanding the rules!

Understand Googles Rules Understand the rules! Google is very open about

its rules and how it changes them. See: www.google.co.uk/webmasters

Lots of jargon: Keywords,Backlinks,Anchor text etc

Single best thing you can do is build great content and address the issues of Visibility, Relevance and Reputation to improve your PRI.

Integrate Social Media into your site and create an ecosystem.

Generally, unless you think external SEO services can deliver £10k to the bottom line- do it yourself

“Black Hat” techniques.

Things to avoidGoogle cannot navigate around Images but will

index titles.Must not use non html navigation (No image

buttons!)Google does not index PDF, Flash, Javascript,

quicktime or MP3Will not index video generally but will from

Utube. But always include a text heading. Don't leave out Site maps they are good for

Google to crawl over and find all of the dataHTML Generators(: e.g. FrontPage or

Dreamweaver)or WYSIWYG tools- fine for quick sites but weak HTML(but watch this space!)

3. Converting Visitors into Customers (SEM) 

You have re-written your content, optimised for SEO and got lots of traffic.........

On average visitors stay on a web site 6 seconds and bounce rates can very high....

SEM is about what you do when they get there! Called Conversion. Building landing pages to generate calls to action . Landing pages terrific tool for guiding people through the buying

process. Should be written from the buyers perspective... Personas etc

 Navigation must be decisive.( and HTML only) All you want is the desired action.

Plot persuasion paths Think about navigation from every page. Define the actions you want them to take (register, download a

brochure, buy etc). If people do not do what you want them to then you have failed!

Recommended Reading

In parallel to the rise of Google in dominating search has been the phenomenal rise of Social Media.

3. Social Media

Definition

“ Social Media is just the collective name for all the tools people can use to express their views online” ( Meerman Scott).

Important to distinguish between:

Online PublishingSocial Networking

Going cover each of these in turn.

Online Publishing

Online publishing includes:Blogs (weB LOGS)Ezines (Electronic magaZINES)Ebooks (Electonic BOOKS)NewslettersPress or News ReleasesVlogs (Video bLOGS)VodcastsPodcasts (audio broadCASTS)White Papers (academic papers)Wikis

BLOGS- Why Blog?

Weblogs or blogs are independent journals containing opinions. Corner soapboxes!

Hugely popular and hugely influential 1n 2010 there were 150 million blogs (20% Business) Most influential in-bound marketing technique Blogs are regarded as authentic communication Drive buyers to your products and services at precisely

the time they wish to buy Search engines love blogs. They index them and rank

them highly! (especially regular ones) Journo's love them and use them as a prime source of

ideas and content Valuable source of market intelligence to you! Most of the information from this presentation is

from Blogs!!

Business Blogs

Relevant Blogs

Blogs: Starting your ownNo HTML knowledge required unlike websitesNeed an URL- can be from your own domain or

supplied by a Blog siteNeed software and a publisher e.g.: (

www.wordpress.org) (www.typepad.com) Design a “Masthead”, think up a snappy title

and tag line (these are indexed) add an “about” page, add tags, write some content (informative not puff or product stuff)...and your away

Key is repurposing or re-use of existing material!

Push the send button!!

News Releases (1) What?

Buyers now read press releases directly so they are now news releases. Smart marketeers draft them as such.

Your audience is everyone who has an internet connection and use a search engine!

Search engines love them!Include website and social media URL’sFind good reasons to send news releases on a

regular basis (see below)Write directly for your end buyers not journalists.

Use keyword rich copy.

News Releases(2) Sources of material

News releases (3): What next?

First and foremost publish on your websitePlace links to website landing pages in your

releasesInclude social media tags. (Technorati, DIGG and

del.icio.us. Etc.) So the release can be foundDrive buyers to your products and services at

precisely the time they wish to buyRegular news releases tells your customers you are

busy, active, expert and a trusted resourceMost important benefit is that when it is

published it generates an inbound link to your website which pushes you up the search engine rankings

News Releases(5) Further Reading

Social Networking

Modern version of Word of Mouth Marketing(WOMM)

ContextJay Baer Quote

Current Trends

A Taxonomy of Social Networking Sites

Instant messaging sites: Messenger, Twitter

Social networking: MySpace, Bebo, Facebook

Social bookmarking sites: StumbledUpon ,Delicious , Reddit, and Digg ( came across a site with 504 links)

Business Networking Sites: Linked-In, Viadeo, Plaxo Xing 

Big Five

Top 500 Companies

Linke

My favourite “squeeze”! ( I get about 15 RFI’s per month)

Business Networking site: B2BLargest in the world 100 mill members

Predates Facebook and TwitterMembership now common in the UK &US for business & professionals

If you want to start somewhere this is the place- no HTML!

G Personal Keep in touch: Personal NetworksGet Jobs: Profile and Searchable CVGet Business and ideas: Join Groups

(passive and active),place advertisementsConnect to

employees/investors/suppliers/ customers

Added Value applications:

Slideshare Application

Boxnet application

Linked in (4) Company PagesCompany Pages option released in late

2010 and currently in BetaAllows: Company profiles, Product and

Service information, customer recommendations, video links, links to websites, and blogs etc.( IMHO: understatedly brilliant)

Alternative to a website?Vanity search: Outranks my website on

Google!

Example of Company Pages

Where You’re From

Opened in 2006 to non students , now has 200 mill. members, 100 mill. daily visitors. This is big.

Closed groups only: Permission basedBuilds a network of friends, share information etcDesigned for social networking and not business but...Facebook bought ‘friend feed’ last year which is a

business siteAppointment of Sheryl Sandberg from Google signals its

intentions as do her drum beats in the marketplace...more later!

Introduced major new Advertising functionality during 2010 and business functionality in 2011

USP’s are sheer numbers and its demographics means it can target advertising quite precisely

It is currently seen as Complex and hard to use (FML but now Iframes) for business users.

Business

For Businesses is very much a B2C toolIndividual accounts onlyWithin an Account can add “Business Pages”Business Pages have “Fans” who elect to sign upAttracting “fans” is one of the big issuesOnce you have a fan base you can communicate

with them and send them offers/ promotions or just get feedback.

Very often used for brand building campaignsLots of companies pushing facebook page

design services now!

Examples of Facebook Pages

Business Pages (2)

Facebook content decay

Twitter

600 Million users and rising rapidly!No permissions required-Twitter anybody. Different

animal from Facebook and LinkedIn!Tweets hit many people at onceLimited to 140 chars. So really micro blogs.Good for listening to the market and customers

and getting feedbackGood for fishing for new customers (send URL!)Tend to use it to point people at things they might

find interesting (blogs and press releases for example!)

Accept businesses, and can have multiple accounts.

Twitterverse in section

Twitter Long term trend or Fad?

Twitter Content Decays

Is it a business tool yet?

Social Media Dashboards:Vital tools in the SM world

YoonoHootsuiteSeismicTweetdeck.

Yoono Browser Version

Yoono: Desktop

Social Media Tools: Tweetdeck

They all have mobile versions!iOSAndroidRIMWindows7

Developing A social Media Strategy for your Business

1.General PrinciplesExperiment with them all! They are free and

easy to use!Everyone in Business should have a personal

Linked In profile at the very leastDecide which one(s) you want to use- if any!Develop an implementation plan- just like any

other marketing initiative.Allocate resources. They are free to use but

have significant resource costs.Integrate the activities into your normal work

pattern. Be consistent.Monitor and measure success

Example of Business Social Networking Strategy

Example of a Linked In Strategy

Example of a Facebook Strategy

Example of a Twitter Strategy

What will shape the future for Digital Marketing?

The future?

Three key Battlegrounds where it will be fought out!

Google versus Facebook “Punch Out”

Social Media versus Websites for Business

Dotcom 2.0?

1.Google v Facebook

At stake is nothing less than the future of advertising on the internet. Google is still the undisputed champion of the field, serving up the vast majority of search advertising and hauling in $23.5bn last year. But Facebook is hot on its tail. Just six years old, Faceboook is expected to make between $1bn and $2bn this year, thanks to its vast user base and its highly targeted ads.

Financial Times October 2010

Facebook business strategy

  It's a really simple answer,

which is that our business is advertising. We're not waiting to find our business. We found it, and it's actually working very well. Marketers all over the world have to sell products and services, and they have to generate demand for those services. They do that typically where people are spending their time. 

Sheryl Sandberg COO 

Pasted from <http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/apr2009/tc2009048_429871.htm>

The battleground.

2. Websites versus Social Media

Social Netties ViewWebbies View

Social Netties

Linked In Facebook (UK MD)"Over the next year the

trend is set to continue, and I predict that by the end of 2011, a company page on LinkedIn will be as important as a website.”

Source: Heather Baker MD B2B PR, 19.11.10

“A day might be coming when the power of Facebook means that major companies no longer bother with their own Web sites.”

“To bolster his argument, Haines showed statistics comparing how many times Facebook users have clicked a company's "like" button with how many times per month people visited that company's Web site. For Starbucks, a top Facebook advertiser, the ratio was 21.1 million likes to 1.8 million site visitors. For Coca-Cola, it's 20.5 million compared with 270,000; for Oreo, 10.1 million compared with 290,000; and for Dr. Pepper, it's 4.1 million compared with 325,000”.

Webbies ViewWYSIWYG tools/CMS will make website

creation and maintenance as easy as using Word!

Greater flexibilty of websites means that individual businesses needs can be met

eCommerce not possible on Social Networks

Whole industry including Microsoft & Google behind it!

Proven Commercial Model (PPC and Banners)

3.Dotcom 2.0!Company

Users (mill)

Market Cap($bill)

Value/User ($)

Value Driver

IPO?

Linked In 100 2.7 27,000 Recruitment/Advertising

March 2011

Facebook 200 65.0 325,000 Search/Advertising

Stated 2012

Twitter 600 7.7 12,800 Advertising?

? Trade sale?

Google Huge war chest ($25 bill )$6 bill offer for GrouponCommitted to get into social

Amazon 20% share in Living SocialMajor Cloud player

Others 100+ other significant players including: Zenga, FourSquare etc