Digital Marketing Success Kit

Digital Marketing Success Kit
JAN 2012/ MEDIATIVE.CA

CONTENTS
1. Getting Started with Facebook Advertising
2. Introduction to Location Based Services
3. Group Buying: Getting Started
4. Introduction to Retargeting
5. 5 Tips to Get Started with Mobile Pay Per Click
6. 8 Tips for Mobile Advertising
7. 10 Website Mistakes to Avoid
8. How to Leverage Google Places
9. Optimizing your Website for Special Events
10. 9 Tips to Optimize Your Shopping Cart
11. Case Study: 22% Increase in Onsite Conversions with Simple User Experience Changes

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JAN 2012 / MEDIATIVE.CA mediative.ca

GETTING STARTED WITH FACEBOOK
ADVERTISING CHEAT SHEET
Facebook is really one of a kind in the world The Classic Facebook Ad: This type of ad is Page Post Ad: Use these ads if you want to Connections: number of people who liked
of advertising platforms. It can be frustrating great to direct traffic directly to your website promote posts from your Facebook page (if your page or post within 24 hours after
for beginners with its non-standard metrics, (ideal for lead generation, e-commerce etc.) your company page contains relevant and seeing a Sponsored Story.
quirky interface and confusing options, but updated content). These ads are a good
for those brave enough to overcome those remedy against ad fatigue, ensuring users CTR : it is rare to get even close to a 1% CTR.
obstacles, it is also a channel to an audience are always presented with fresh content. You are basically asking people to interrupt
of over 800 million active users worldwide whatever they are doing to click on your ad.
(Source: Facebook), 50% of whom log on to
the website on any given day. Those active How do you track conversions from
users form a set of interwoven networks Facebook?
based on interests: an average user has 130 Sponsored Like Story: These are great if you
friends and is connected to 80 pages, groups want to increase your follower base. Although Facebook doesn’t offer its own
and events. conversion tracking code that you can paste
It is obvious that a recommendation given by on your website, there are some tools to
Why should you consider Facebook a person is more likely to influence a user’s track traffic coming from Facebook, for
Facebook Ads For Pages: These ads promote
advertising? decision. But if the person giving the advice
your page to a targeted audience. Users will example, Acquisio. The tool offers an easy
is someone you know personally, then the conversion tracking solution for Facebook
be able to become fans right from the ad.
Demographic and interest-based targeting. chances are that you are going to pay even with interesting cross channel attribution
Users in their network who are already fans
Facebook is naturally a good fit to advertise more attention to it. options as well as campaign automation
of the page will appear inside the ad, which
consumer products, and/or to generate a helps spread the message through personal rules.
buzz around your company or a particular When someone « likes » a post or your
networks.
event, directed at users with specific entire Facebook page, people in his/ If you’re not using a platform like Acquisio,
demographics or interests. You should be her network are made aware of it by the you can always rely on the web analytics
mindful that your interest targeting will only display of an ad (provided they are in your solution of your choice and tag destination
be as accurate as the information put by target demographics), and may publicly URLs yourself.
Facebook users on their profile. like your page as well. This ad format takes
advantage of your existing audience’s social Remember that in the case of a sponsored
Network-based advertising. This allows you influence and has the potential to spread story containing a link to your website, it
to leverage your existing followers’ networks exponentially through personal networks, may be difficult to identify whether the click
rapidly expanding your targeted audience What metrics should you measure?
to get your message out and increase your originated from an ad or regular news feed.
follower/fan base. You can choose to target over a short period.
your followers only, or exclude them to only Reach: number of unique people who saw
Facebook provides plenty of advertising
target friends of your followers. your ad.
options for advertisers. Remember to
keep your FB page engaging and actively
Frequency: average number of times a
What are the options for advertising? manage your community.
person saw your ad

Facebook now offers a wide variety of Facebook releases new features on a
Social Reach: number of people who saw
advertising products. Make sure you pick the regular basis so make sure you always
your ad with the names of their friends who
ones which align best with your marketing check for new options - the next one might
liked your page or post in it. This is only used
objectives: just be the perfect fit for your advertising
for Sponsored Stories and ads for pages.
strategy.

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INTRODUCTION TO LOCATION
BASED SERVICES CHEAT SHEET

Connecting with potential customers is now that are geotargeted to their cell-phone allowing the user to find other people in their Things to Consider
more direct and much simpler than ever before more than any other sort of mobile proximity, and also be found.
due largely to the growth of mobile devices advertising. • Be clear on the goals of your campaign
that have built-in GPS such as smartphones. Facebook Places is very similar to Gowalla as this will help determine the type of LBS
Mobile is bringing us new concepts where a • According to Microsoft (2011), 70% of and Foursquare, but allows users to tag their you decide to use, and also how you are
user can scan a QR code, declare a presence by Canadians that use a geolocalization friends who are with them when they check-in, going to measure your performance. E.g.
‘checking-in’, receive a push message to unlock service find geotargeted advertising to be giving businesses and organizations an even If your goal is to increase visitors to your
an interaction in store, and much more. important and 36% of them have taken better indication of who is at their location or store, then your best options would be to
action after they were exposed to an ad. event. use check-ins, local search, trigger based
Marketers can now identify individuals and notifications etc. However, if you want to
their locations, making is possible to intercept Get Found Locally With These LBS Benefits to Marketers increase brand awareness, you may want
potential customers when they are in a location Examples! to concentrate on promoting your brand
where they can be converted into buyers. • Marketers can take advantage of the through display advertising .
Geotargeted Display Ads: Different display geographical position of the mobile device
Location based services are personalized, messages are displayed dependent upon the by pushing new products and services to • Always keep your budget top of mind.
immediate, and user-centric applications, user’s location. customers, and through social networking, Investigate all costs involved.
accessible via any mobile device with built users can share this information with
in GPS. LBS can include services relating to Local Search: 97% of consumers search family and friends instantly. • Be aware of privacy concerns. Always ask
navigation, mapping, location sharing, check- for local businesses online. Local search before using people’s locations for any
in, and local search to name a few. LBS users directories are usually free and often have a • Check-in allows a company to obtain form of marketing, notify them about how
are able to access information and services social element to them by letting customers information on their customers, see who their info will be used, and provide an opt-
related to their physical location - from finding provide reviews. Effective mobile local search their regular customers are and offer out option.
the nearest coffee shop, to receiving coupons will identify the location of the user and provide special deals to them. Best of all, instead
to their favourite store. options of what is nearby. Yelp is an example of of approaching users for information, • Keep in mind that LBS cannot be your
a local search service. it is the user that voluntarily gives their sole means of marketing as you will
Location Based Services are solutions that: information! Geolocalization and check- unintentionally isolate customers without
Location Triggered Notifications: These are ins allow you to create strategies and a smartphone.
• locate the user alerts that are sent to a user once they are in tactics that are super targeted, where
• tell people where the user is the vicinity of a store or business that they communications and offers are more and • Checking-in does not necessarily mean
• provide a context to the user’s location. have opted to receive alerts from. E.g. a user more personalized, making it more likely that the user made a purchase, or is a
can receive a notification from their favourite to convert them into loyal customers. loyal customer. They could simply be
Who Uses Location Based Services and coffee shop for a discount when they are engaging with the service for the deal.
What For? nearby. • Being able to connect online advertising,
customer reviews and recommendations, People want information. Having local, relevant
• According to Edison Research 30% of Social Local ‘Check-Ins’: Checking-in is the and social media hype to a brick-and- information available at their fingertips 24/7 is
Americans over the age of 12 are familiar act of saying “I’m here!” Geolocation services, mortar location is something most a trend that is not slowing down any time soon.
with location based services and sites, but such as Foursquare and Gowalla, allow users advertisers have strived to achieve for LBS makes it easy for marketers to target
only 4% are using them. to identify themselves as being at a certain years. consumers who are ready to buy in specific
business or other location, sharing what they and focused geographic locations – knowing
• A 2011 study by the Canadian Wireless are doing with friends, earning badges (virtual The right message, to the right person, at the where your customers are, when they are there,
Telecommunications Association found tokens for certain behaviours) and other virtual right place, and at the right time. and what they want is invaluable information
that users are increasingly interested in rewards in the process. Check-ins are usually that makes acquiring and retaining customers
services that send information or coupons combined with some form of social network, that much easier.
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GROUP BUYING: GETTING
STARTED CHEAT SHEET

Group Buying sites work by requiring a The total cost to them varies depending How to Get Started to be a one-time purchase, it probably
minimum number of people to buy an offer in on the details of the offer, redemption isn’t the best option for you, unless you
order for everyone to get a large discount. rates, and the type of business. All Group Buying sites will have their own are trying to get rid of excess inventory.
• Discounting can reduce brand loyalty – process, but for Mediative’s Deal of the Day • Do your homework – you may only make
Group Buying sites have exploded in the last consumers may become accustomed to site, the process is as follows: approximately 25% of what you would
couple of years to all corners of the globe, discounts, and can easily switch brands normally make on a sale. Calculate how
including Canada which alone has more than when a competitor runs a deal or coupon. 1. The first step is to talk to a rep to many deals you would need to sell to
100 sites. It’s the hottest trend in marketing for It can build an expectation of discounts, understand how an offer can work for your make it worth your time.
small and local businesses for a good reason! whereby they only make a purchase if a business and determine the details of the • Watch your price point, and look for up
discount is available. proposed offer. sell opportunities – if the average price
Pros of Group Buying: • Coupons and Group Buying work well in 2. Once an agreement is signed it will be of a meal in your restaurant is $15,
certain markets (B2C), and not so well sent to the production team to create the offering a $10 voucher for $5 allows you
• It’s very cost effective for generating in others (B2B). B2B is more about risk offer page. The merchant will then be sent to make some money from the voucher,
direct, trackable sales. avoidance, and there is little reward the copy and creative for approval. and encourages people to spend more
• It’s a very low risk model for retailers - driving these types of purchases. Not only 3. Depending on the city and how many once they come in.
merchants only pay for sales that are will a coupon offer fail to eliminate risk in other offers are booked, the typical run • Be prepared for an influx of new
generated. these circumstances, in some cases it will time would be between 2 – 4 weeks of an customers in the days following the
• Merchants can generate online revenue actually increase risk by raising questions offer being signed. close of the deal – you don’t want to
and transactions without having to set up about the credibility of the company 4. Sit back as the offer is emailed to spend the time and effort attracting new
any sort of ecommerce infrastructure. offering the discount. thousands of members. customers only to scare them away with
• Group buying sites expose your business 5. Members then share the offer with other poor service.
to new potential customers – those who Compare Sites members and non-members through their
are on an e-mail list and see a great offer, social networks and the word about the Is it worth it?
but weren’t necessarily looking for that Once you have decided that Group Buying is product or service spreads like wildfire!
product or service at that time. something you want to add to your Marketing 6. After the offer has run the merchant 82% of organizations who tried group buying
• It can reduce the barriers keeping buyers Strategy, you need to evaluate the sites that will receive a report with the names and as a marketing strategy want to repeat the
from an indulgent impulse purchase. are available and determine which ones will voucher codes for the customers who experience, while 66% of those have seen
Promotions, including Group Buying, play work best for your business. purchased the offer so that it’s easy to quick and profitable results (Mediative.ca)
on short-term gratification and amp up track and manage redemptions for those
the “reward” portion of buying motivation • Ask for a Media Kit that explains the costs customers. Consumers clearly want and are willing to
so that the “risk” limiter doesn’t stand a involved. spend on deals, merchants love the fact that
chance. • Look at the number of unique visitors per Key Takeaways they’re paying directly for customers, and
• It can encourage brand switching - month. publishers are thrilled to tap into the world of
promotions can sway a purchaser from • Does the site have an email list – how • Group Buying suits some markets better local commerce.
one brand to another, but this typically many people are subscribed? than others. If you are a B2B merchant,
only happens where risk is minimal. • How long between signing a deal and the group buying is probably not going to be
• It helps move excess inventory. offer running? the best strategy for you.
• What’s the demographic reach of visitors? • Consider your target market – is most of
Cons of Group Buying: • Are reports provided for performance your business from repeat customers? If
tracking? so, Group Buying sites can be great for new
• Merchants have to take hefty price cuts. customer acquisition. If your offer tends

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INTRODUCTION TO RETARGETING
CHEAT SHEET
98% of visitors to a website will leave shopping cart abandonment. By knowing
without buying anything (Source) exactly what the user was intending to buy,
In this example of retargeting, you can see that an ad for a shoe
and the stage at which they abandoned
retailer that is particularly popular with women, is appearing on a
Retargeting is an advertising strategy where their cart, a successful retargeting
male oriented website. The ad is appearing here as a result of the
your ads are displayed to a user who has campaign can win that potential customer
user’s previous visit to this retailer’s website.
already expressed an interest in your offer by back. E.g. A user who abandoned their
visiting your site, clicking on an ad, opening cart at the shipping prices page sees a
an email, etc. The emphasis is on re-engaging banner ad offering free-shipping on that
people who have visited your website and left exact item when they are on another site.
without making a purchase. Retargeting can convert a sale that would
otherwise have been lost. • It’s less expensive than other forms of • Make sure your ads are well branded
advertising – CPM is low, and by targeting with engaging creative – ads that include
How Does it Work? users who are more likely to convert, CTR prominent images, brand names, specific
Benefits of Retargeting is high. promotions, pricing or product offers are
Retargeting works by identifying people who likely to perform better. Engaging creative
Retargeting is all about targeting the right • Repeat exposure builds brand awareness, in the form of banner ads work better than
visit your site, segmenting them based on
people, with the right message, in the right trust and recognition while keeping your text ads for branding and retargeting. Run
their behaviour and preferences, and then
place, at the right time, and is a great value- business top-of-mind with customers at several tests to find out what works best
displaying your retargeting ads to them as they
added tool for virtually any online advertising virtually every stage in the buying cycle, for your audience.
visit other sites online.
campaign: delivering them back to your site for
• Identifying the User: A retargeting pixel conversion. Even if the audience does not • Think about the pages you are placing your
• Retargeting is easy to implement, and convert the first time they see an ad, the retargeting pixel on – you want to know
is placed on a webpage, whether that is
can be integrated with any web based brand still gains traction. that the people you are spending money
your homepage, offer pages, deal pages,
promotion or campaign. on by retargeting are actually those that
email newsletters, advertorials, contest
pages etc. Each time a user visits the page A comScore study demonstrated that are interested in your product or service.
• It extends reach and exposure beyond retargeting outperformed other online
which contains the retargeting pixel an
your initial media plan - you can remarket advertising vehicles, including contextual and • Be aware that even though someone may
anonymous retargeting “cookie” is placed
to, and recapture visitors through other audience targeting with over 1000% increase not click on your ad right away, it may
in that user’s browser.
sites on the internet, even after they have in lift in trademark search within 4 weeks of influence their decision to visit your site
left your website. exposure (Source) at a later date, therefore always review
• Segmenting and Retargeting the User:
Users are then placed into specific website conversions and your retargeting
• It’s highly targeted - you can reach out efforts together.
segments which will allow you to display
to visitors who have shown interest in Retargeting Best Practices
retargeting ads to them as they visit other
your product or service and tailor your • Have measures in place so as not to
sites. Segmentation and retargeting is • Find the right balance between too many
advertisement to match what your visitors retarget to those who have already
particularly popular in the battle against ads, and not enough. You don’t want to
are looking for. converted on your site.
bombard people with ads, but not enough
exposure will have little effect. Ask
Potential Customer Your Site Customer Leaves yourself how many days do you want to
keep the cookies you have collected, how To find out more about retargeting and what
long are you going to retarget the users Mediative can do to help you get started,
for, and what is the maximum number of contact us today.
times that users are going to see your ads?
Customer sees ad on a popular site realated to
How retargeting works their previous behaviour on your site
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MOBILE PAID SEARCH
CHEAT SHEET
According to the CRTC, the number of data Types of advertising networks Sending users to a non-optimized website is contact with your audience. E.g:
plan subscribers is forecasted to grow • Blind networks - the cheapest option a waste of your advertising money, and may
from 5.5 to 14 million by 2015 in Canada. but won’t let you know exactly where impact the perception those users have of • Subscription to a newsletter
Most advertisers will be forced to develop a your ads will be displayed. your company. Most advertising networks • Mobile app download
mobile strategy, if they haven’t already done • Premium networks - have partnerships let you filter users by operating system. • Locate a retail store nearby
so, to ensure some kind of online presence with publishers and therefore have Take advantage of this to target only devices • Contact a sales rep (click-to-call)
and answer the needs of consumers on the priority over their inventory of impres- where the user experience will be optimal.
go. sions. You will usually be able to negoti- 5. Analyse Your Stats
ate a certain amount of impressions on Warning: Google AdWords will display your
The following tips should help you avoid the the placement of your choice at a fixed campaigns on all platforms by default, so As for any campaign, analysing performance
most common mistakes of rookie mobile cost. don’t forget to check the appropriate options is essential in order to optimize the campaign
marketers and will maximize your chances • Remnant networks - only have access in the campaign settings tab. and to draw conclusions that can be used to
of building a successful mobile campaign. to publishers’ unsold inventory, and improve performance on the next campaign.
usually operate using real-time-bid- There are several ways to test your website’s
1. Pick the Right Network to Advertise On ding (RTB), self-serve platforms. compatibility with various smartphones and • Identify the best performing websites
tablets: and placements: It is recommended to
Google AdWords: Google is the favourite 2. Build a Functional Mobile Website pick several key metrics as performance
search engine of mobile users, which makes • Opera Mobile Emulator and traffic quality may vary a lot between
AdWords a platform you can’t ignore when If you’re thinking about having a stripped- • BlackBerry Simulator websites or placements.
planning mobile campaigns. However, be down version of your regular website for • Android Software Development Kit • Click through rate on Google: With
prepared to be aggressive! Screen real es- mobile devices, think again! The best mobile • iOS Software Development Kit Google, it’s often all or nothing – if your
tate is at a premium - only 1-2 ads will be websites are those which replicate the “app” ads appear in the top 2 positions, you will
displayed at the top of the search engine re- look and feel, with large buttons and clear 4. Adapt your Conversion Events get good click through rates. But click
sults page on a smart phone screen, and you choices. through rates drop dramatically from the
will need to literally fight with dollars to get Forms: Do not use the same conversion third position, no matter how relevant
the impressions you want. Try to think about the information a mobile forms you are already using on your regu- your ad copy may be.
user may be looking for such as location, lar website. A task as simple as typing an • Click through rate on other placements:
Yahoo: Don’t underestimate the potential contact info, prices, in-store availability etc. e-mail address can become very tedious on Lots of applications, and games in par-
of Yahoo – it maintains good market share and put this information top of your mobile a mobile device and may generate a signifi- ticular, generate a large share of their
thanks to a partnership with Bell and Rog- site, readily accessible with minimum navi- cant number of mistakes, making your leads revenue with unintentional clicks, which
ers, making it the default search engine on gation required. worthless. are unlikely to turn into good traffic for
mobiles sold by both operators. your mobile site.
3. Don’t Launch Without Testing! Payment: No easy payment solution has
Applications: Some applications are so yet emerged for mobile devices and most The mobile advertising market is far from
popular (e.g. The Weather Network) that With the growing fragmentation of mobile mobile users are simply not ready to take mature. New technologies and tools enable
you may want to consider dedicating part platforms, testing how your mobile site ren- the leap. Play safe and go for “microcon- new opportunities to emerge - stay on top of
of your budget to advertising on them if it is ders in various formats and resolutions is versions” instead - easy to perform from a these as some may become very relevant to
relevant to your audience. crucial. mobile device and will establish a solid first your business, and don’t be afraid to innovate.

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8 KEY ELEMENTS TO CONSIDER FOR
MOBILE ADVERTISING CHEAT SHEET
Mobile advertising is not increasing at the according to your customers’ needs and 3. GEO-TARGETING the 320x50 banner ad format.
same rate as mobile usage. Despite over desires rather than vice versa.
20M cell phone owners in Canada, when it Not all the networks have geo targeting • These ad formats work best when
comes to the potential for mobile display 2. NETWORKS capabilities - in our study, 3 of the 10 used on the iPhone IOS and Android.
advertising and search, only 5.2M people contacted weren’t able to allow us to For the other types of ad formats and
actively use their Smartphone for browsing Consider the different types of networks: specifically target those users in certain platforms, you should take the time to
and apps (comScore Mobilens, June 2011). areas. analyze your production/operational
Blind Networks are the cheapest option costs vs. the expected ROI, depending
We set out to discover as much as possible but won’t let you know exactly which place- 4. PLATFORMS on your segments, targets and business
on mobile advertising – we wanted to ments your ads will be displayed on. An goals.
gather intelligence on the medium, its example is AdMob (owned by Google). • The BlackBerry strategy was built • We also learned that animated banners
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and around selling to the big corporations are the worst performers.
obstacles, and test the mobile platform as a • As the number of eyeballs in the Mobile and focused mainly on the email
communication vector for advertising. advertising ecosystem is very little, components. Many companies don’t 7. TIMING
you’ll learn very quickly that the Blind allow an app/web browsing option on
These findings are from a study conducted Networks are the first players that can the employee’s devices. The opposite • Richer interaction can be costly
by Mediative between May and June 2011, offer you volume presence. is true for Apple and Android who for users – people are less likely to
and are the key elements that should be built their strategy around apps and download if they are not on their
considered before getting started with • In our study, even though the Blind mobile web access. Currently, mobile home Wi-Fi, therefore take timing into
Mobile Advertising: Networks gave limited metrics, they advertising is a reality only on Apple IOS consideration when planning your
were responsible for most of the clicks. and Android platforms. advertising strategy.
1. THE OFFER
• Blind Networks also offered the best 5. SEARCH VS DISPLAY 8. COST
• For mobile advertising to be successful, click cost as their model is based on
you need to deliver a highly contextual, low CPC. • Phone usage is still primarily an • In our study, the average Cost-Per-Click
personalized mobile experience, based apps device where display offers is between $0.25 and $0.70, depending
on customers’ past behavior and current Search and Premium Networks need more visibility, traffic, awareness and on the targeted verticals or locations.
environment, which is too convenient volume in order to play a strategic approach. presence than search. However, a
for them to pass up. As it stands today they still can’t offer a lot of combination of both search and display Benchmark: In Canada, the average Tap
visibility and volume, but mobile is growing seems to be the best option, and it’s Thru Rate (TTR)/Click Thru Rate (CTR) in
• Offer a compelling value proposition to so fast it is just matter of time. Google, always dependant on the business mobile advertising is 0.50%.
potential new clients such as coupons Yahoo and Bing are all examples of Search objectives and the reality of your
or discounts. This is even more effective Networks. product.
if you are able to intercept potential The full whitepaper is available for download
customers in the location where they Premium Networks are particularly 6. AD FORMATS at:
can be converted into buyers. attractive to big brand advertisers who have
the budget to pay for the prime locations. An • With the knowledge acquired in this http://results.mediative.ca/Mediative_
• With mobile, as with all business, example is Microsoft Mobile Advertising. study, we recommend mainly using the White-Paper-A-Realistic-View-On-Mobile_
Advertising.html
your choices should always be made text/keywords, the 300x50 banner and

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10 WEBSITE MISTAKES
TO AVOID
Websites and landing pages are all about • Obvious and noticeable: without clear 5. Poor Error Handling: ideally, errors won’t • Don’t make your visitors read. Use bul-
providing relevant content. If a searcher calls to action, your visitors won’t know happen. Realistically, they do. Your visitors let points, text highlighting, and section
comes to a website expecting to see some- what to do next. Chances are, they’ll re- need very clear explanations of what hap- headings as appropriate
thing, but that something isn’t present, that sort to the back button and go find your pened, why it happened, and how to fix it.
searcher will have a poor user experience, competitor. Use whitespace, colour, 8. “Mystery Meat” Navigation: a fancy navi-
and most likely leave the site. and images to create a natural eye flow 6. Not Creating Trust: anyone can put just gation system may seem cool, but if your visi-
through the page to your call to action, about anything on the Internet, so you need tors can’t figure out how to use it, they’re not
Avoiding these 10 mistakes will help ensure and to make your call to action stand to provide information that will help your going to find your content.
your user’s experience on your website is a out. visitors believe you are credible and trust-
positive one: worthy. 9. Thinking You Know Your Users: your cus-
3. Tricky Forms: asking for unnecessary in- tomers probably think just like you do, right?
1. Poor Visual Hierarchy: a design and lay- formation or making forms too long, or dif- • Provide contact information – this often Guess again, or …don’t guess; talk to real us-
out that does not highlight key information ficult to fill out means your visitors are less puts the visitor more at ease. ers and watch them interact with your web-
and does not lead the visitor to take an ac- likely to convert. • Endorsements and testimonials from site to gain real insight into how they look
tion will not be successful. Make it as easy impartial third parties can boost the for information and make decisions on your
as possible for the user to scan the page for An experiment examining the impact of form credibility of your business. website.
the information that is relevant to them by length on conversion rate conducted by Jon • Include certifications, logos of partners,
minimizing barriers such as large, text filled Miller of Marketo produced the following re- and awards. 10. Relying on Best Practices Alone: do not
complex graphics. Use text formatting and sults. There is a direct correlation between • Include legal information (terms, priva- assume that a “best practice” is best for you.
colours that are easy to read. the length of the form and the conversion cy, etc.) in language that the visitor can They are guidelines. However, having a deep
rate of the landing page. understand. understanding of the best practices (coupled
2. Hidden Calls To Action: you want your with a deep understanding of your users) will
visitors to do something: contact you, down- • Short Form (5 fields) - Conversion Rate 7. Poor Content: help you decide which ones apply to your sit-
load a whitepaper, etc.. Explain the process 13.4% Cost per Conversion $31.24 • Think about the customer at all times. uation.
– what the visitor will receive, how they’ll re- Be benefits-oriented and avoid too
ceive it, and when they’ll receive it. Research • Medium Form (7 fields) - Conver- much self-promoting. Provide valuable
shows that clarity trumps persuasion. sion Rate 12.0% Cost per Conversion content that will encourage visitors to
$34.94 return, or complete a call to action. Use
Your calls-to-action should be: messaging and images that reinforce
• Active: there’s nothing more frustrating • Long Form (9 fields) - Conversion Rate the benefits of the offer.
that clicking a link that goes nowhere 10.0% Cost per Conversion $41.90 • Your visitors may not use the same
• Consistent throughout the site: same language that you do. Using techni-
style of button, form etc. 4. Overdone or Unnecessary Flash: few cal terms that they don’t understand
• Tough to resist: make the offer so com- people want to sit through a Flash splash or marketing fluff that is all company-
pelling with offers, valuable content etc. page loading before they can get to your site. centric will not help them understand
that the visitor can’t help but complete And with the mobile web becoming more what you have to offer.
the action. popular, Flash is falling out of favour as a • Front-load the most important infor-
• Immediate: e.g. ‘Call Today for your display technology. mation in headings and above the page
free…’, Buy Now for a 10% discount’ etc fold (the point where the user has to
scroll for more information).
1.800.277.9997
info@mediative.ca

GOOGLE PLACES: TIPS FOR
BEGINNERS CHEAT SHEET
Google Places is a free service for getting but you also want to be in control over the
a business (as well as cities, points of information that is listed, and with Google
interest, landmarks etc) listed on localized Places you are.
Google map search results. It is an effective
way to reach customers by presenting Stand out from your competition – If
valuable information in a prominent place you have a Google Places listing and your
on the Search Engine Results Page via a competition doesn’t, you are already one
Places Page. With the rapidly increasing step ahead. If your competition also has
adoption of web-enabled mobile devices a listing, be sure to add photos, videos,
and shopping apps, it is becoming vital promotions, coupons, additional information
for any business to optimize their local etc – anything to make you stand out. Think
online presence – even if they don’t have a about what your customers would want to
website. Google Places is a simple way to know about your business, and put it on your
take advantage of a powerful tool that has Places Page.
the potential to attract new customers and the process to potential business. technology, to find out how people interact
build a business’s reputation. • Photos/Videos - Includng photos and with Google map results. Where do they look
Getting Started video adds visual appeal to your listing. on the page? Does it make a difference if a
How Can Google Places Help My • Reviews - Reviews are really obtained listing has reviews? The key findings were:
Adding a listing is easy! not by how visible you are online but by
Business?
following through on what you promise.
You want to be in the top listing - People
If you make a promise and don’t deliver,
Making sure your Google Places listing is • Visit Google Places typically start looking in the upper left part
don’t expect great reviews from your
being used to its fullest extent can make a • Submit your information of the screen, scan from left to right, then
customers.
real difference: move down to the next result, scanning a
• Verify your listing
little less at each line.
Wait for your listing to appear on Google Other advice from Google is to make sure
•
Get found on Google for free – You don’t your listing is complete and accurate, in
need a lot of SEO experience to ensure you Get some reviews going on your listing
The core things to make sure you add particular its location on the map. You can - When the top results have fewer social
are visible. In fact, you don’t even need a
when setting up your listing are company/ move the map marker to your businesses signals, lower results get more visual
website – having a Google Places listing is
organization name, address, phone number, exact location. Ensure that other attention - this presents an opportunity for
a great way of ensuring you have an online directories, such as Yellow Pages also have
website, description and email address. businesses whose websites are not listed
presence. correct information, as Google obtains its
at the top. More complete listings, with
information from several places, including
To enhance your Google Places listing, multiple clickable options like a thumbnail
It’s easy to manage - Creating a Google third party providers.
consider adding the following: image, urls, and social signals like reviews,
Places listing is easy and once created, you (www.google.com/support/places/)
generally have a much better chance of
can update it whenever you want – your
getting attention and clicks.
updates will appear as soon as you have • Categories - Choose the most Eye Tracking and Click Mapping Google
verified them. You can edit your information appropriate, specific categories for your
business. Places We published the results in a white paper
at any time, as well as access stats such as
how many people have seen and clicked on • Hours of Operation - This will enhance available for free. It provides important
your listing. When people are searching for the user experience and save the user We recently concluded a research project, insights and recommendations to help
you online, you want to be found easily - from having to call you. It streamlines using eye tracking and click mapping make the most of a Google Places listing.
1.800.277.9997
info@mediative.ca

OPTIMIZING YOUR WEBSITE FOR SPECIAL
EVENTS AND HOLIDAYS CHEAT SHEET
There are several opportunities over the 3. Tailor Your Value Proposition to the every single page of your site. Marketplace, Nextag, and so on, now
course of the year to optimize your website Specific Event or Holiday - Shopping might be a good time to check out those
and take advantage of the spike in online online lets your customers save time, 7. Clicks to Bricks - If you have bricks- shopping feeds. If you are using them
sales centered around special events or save gas, avoid the parking lot, avoid and-mortar locations, make your store already, make sure that your feeds are
holidays - Valentine’s Day, Easter, Halloween, lines, find hard-to-find items, use gift finder obvious. And if you have ship- updated daily with the latest product
Thanksgiving, and, of course, Christmas. An finders, wish lists, and guided selling. to-store capabilities, make sure that information.
online flower retailer, for example, could see Incorporate this type of messaging into customers know that’s an option.
10 times as many sales in the week leading your site, and make it prominent. 13. Optimize Your Checkout Process -
up to Valentine’s Day, compared to any other There’s nothing more frustrating than
8. Product Badging - Help customers
week of the year. ComScore reports that 4. Promote “Desire Paths” - Most people seeing the number of people who
identify new items, sale items, great gift
$43 Billion passed through ecommerce want to get from point A to point B as abandon their cart halfway through
ideas (“Great for Mom!”), popular items,
in Q4 of 2010. It is vital for any business to quickly as possible. the checkout process. Reduce the
free shipping items, and top rated items
optimize their online presence at any time Help get them risk involved by ensuring that they’ve
by using product badging.
of the year, but even more so when there there by using been exposed to clear messaging
are guaranteed spikes in online sales, as promotional areas about pricing throughout the process,
there is greater opportunity to attract new devoted to holiday including price guarantees, shipping
customers who are ready to spend. Are you features and/or and return policies, taxes and fees etc.
taking advantage of this? develop a special
holiday navigation 9. The Clock is Ticking - Include time- See Mediative’s Cheat Sheet “9 Tips for
These 15 tips will help you to optimize your menu. based messaging so that customers Optimizing your eCommerce Shopping
site to take advantage of special events and know when the cut-off date is for Cart” for more tips to reduce shopping cart
holidays to be more prominent in the search shipping and when specific deals or abandonment.
5. Personalization - If you have
engine results and ultimately maximize your promos expire.
personalization capabilities, use them!
online revenues.
Target customers based on whether 14. Check Your Mobile Experience - NRF
they’re new or returning, what they’ve 10. Promote Gift Cards - Pricegrabber reports that 52.6% of people who own
1. Review metrics from the same time purchased previously, where they live, reports that 52% of consumers plan to a smartphone said they will use their
last year - Take a look at your analytics and anything else you know about purchase gift cards this holiday season. phone to research products, redeem
data from last year. What were your them. Use a promotional area to make it coupons, use apps to assist their
top referring sites and keywords? obvious to customers that they can purchase, and purchase holiday gifts
Which were the best converting? Which easily purchase and send gift cards. and items. Is your mobile experience
6. Service Messaging - Online shoppers
pages performed well (bounce rate, ready for that?
are naturally risk averse - they want
conversions, etc.)? Which performed 11. Add Holiday Messaging to Your Meta
to make sure they’re making the right
poorly? Use this knowledge to target Data - Update your title tags and 15. Test! - Run some A/B tests. You can
decision. Help them answer their
marketing messages and/or prioritize meta descriptions to include holiday
service questions by including easy try holiday vs. regular messaging,
what parts of your site to tackle first. messaging. This can help you stand out
and obvious content about or links specific promos on different pages/
to payment options, return policies, in search results and potentially rank site sections, time-based messaging,
2. Fix the Obvious - Do a crawl of your site shipping policies, and inventory better for holiday-related search terms. geotargeting, specific customer
or use webmaster tools to check for 404 updates. More importantly, make sure segments, and so much more to see
errors and broken links. Fix them. Make that they can get help if they need 12. Take Advantage of All Sales Channels what gets you the best ROI.
sure that you’re ready for 404 errors to it. Live chat and/or obvious contact - If you’re not using Google Product
happen by having a good 404 page. phone numbers should be available on Search, Bing Shopping, Amazon

1.800.277.9997
info@mediative.ca

CASE STUDY
Leading Healthcare Manufacturer Increases Onsite Conversions 22% with Simple User Experience Changes

1 2 3
The CHALLENGE The SOLUTION The RESULTS
Our client, a leading healthcare manufac- Mediative conducted an audit that showed By simply reorganizing and relabeling the
turer, was concerned with their website’s visitors came to the site with three main main navigation elements there was an
performance and on-site conversions. objectives - purchasing, repairs, and edu- average increase of 22% in visitors per
Their sales model has been built by cre- cational materials. These were compatible month to distributor sites in the 3 months
ating a robust distribution and re-seller with the business objectives of the site. immediately following the changes.
network, facilitating broad market visibil- The design and navigation had to support
ity and sales. They wanted to refine their these three scenarios. From the secondary changes to layout and
online strategy content on the homepage there was a 9%
to better position the site in line with their The primary focus was on the “purchase” increase in visits to their distributors’ sites.
audience’s consideration and purchase objective: increasing the effectiveness of
behavior, ideally funneling traffic though the site which would increase visits to dis- Sometimes it’s hard to see your website
the corporate site prior to purchasing at tributor sites. from your customers’ perspective — you
the distributor level. could be unintentionally disrupting the
Through Mediative’s Usability Expert As- flow that guides them through to a conver-
sessment areas for improvement were sion.
identified and recommendations made
for implementing them. These included
simplifying the path to purchase, making
it clearer where the products were avail-
able for purchase by featuring active and
appropriate calls to action on every page,
and making it easier to choose the right
product. This “Don’t Make Them Think” ap-
proach attempted to eliminate areas in the
site where customers were encountering
confusion.

Quick Wins were also implemented, in-
cluding reorganizing and relabeling the
main navigation elements to match the
mental models of the visitors coming to
the site, and specific changes to the home
page layout and content to align more
closely with the 3 customer goals.

Digital marketing is complicated enough for insiders.

For outsiders, it’s a tangled web of technology,
jargon and acronyms. The aim of this video is to get
a clearer picture of where digital marketing stands today.

In the ninetee
n hundreds,
department st
ore owner Joh
Wanamaker sa n
id: “Half the
money I spend
on advertis-
ing is wasted;
the trouble is,
don’t know wh I
ich half!”

Visit mediative.ca/digital-marketing and check out the video to
see how we manage to solve this century old dilemma.

“Mediative recently completed a usability and conversion
path analysis of our website. I was very impressed with
how thorough it was, the depth of analysis and some of the
specific recommendations they made to improve our site.”

Randy Littleson, Sr VP Marketing, Flexera Software

QUESTIONS?
ASK ONE OF MEDIATIVE’S DIGITAL
MARKETING STRATEGISTS
info@mediative.ca

JAN 2012/ MEDIATIVE.CA

Digital Marketing Success Kit

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