If you’re planning to attend SES Chicago, and you haven’t quite clicked on that register button, STOP! WAIT! HOLD ON!  because if you enter this little discount code 20SERE you’ll save yourself 20% on an SES Chicago conference pass (that’s over $350 on a platinum pass).

And if you’re going you should check out our session on Bringing PPC In-house.  We’ll be co-presenting with American Public University System (APUS) and discussing how we successfully helped them bring their PPC in-house.  Or stop in and see our sponsored session Social Media Strategy & ROI Measurement where we’ll discuss how to build a Social Media Strategy working backwards from a solid measurement framework.

Also catch our Director of Social Media, Li Evans, as she introduces the session Introduction to Search Engine Marketing, as she speaks on Images and Optimization and as she discusses Ghost Blogging, Tweeting, Content Production – Ethical? Does it Matter?

Below are more details on our In-house and Social Media Measurement sessions:

Bringing PPC In-House
While a PPC campaign can be a more cost-effective operation if executed in-house, the complexities of staffing and managing an in-house PPC program can be more challenging than you might think. In this session, we’ll discuss how to create the right combination of people, tools and resources for maximum efficiency and success. Determining when it makes sense to in-source your PPC, developing an effective bid strategy, and selecting suitable ad tracking software are just some of the key factors to be discussed.

Moderator:
Paul Elliott, Partner, Rosetta

Speakers:
Nathan Linnell, Director of Analytics, Serengeti Communications
Hee So, Senior Internet Marketing Coordinator, American Public University System

Social Media Strategy & ROI Measurement
According to Forrester, Social Media will be the fastest growing interactive marketing technique over the next 5 years and account for the third largest spend category. Unfortunately, most marketers struggle with how to measure Social Media and demonstrate its effectiveness. This leads to difficulty securing budget for the channel, which in turn leads to weak or inconsistent strategy.

In this session, you’ll learn how to create a successful Social Media strategy, working backwards from a solid measurement framework. We’ll show you what to measure and how to measure it, and share our secrets on high-ROI Social Media.

In the meantime, download our white paper on Social Media measurement at http://www.serengeticommunications.com/measuring-sm.

Speakers:
Nathan Linnell, Director of Analytics, Serengeti Communications
Nan Dawkins, Founder and CEO , Serengeti Communications
Liana Evans, Director of Social Media, Serengeti Communications

Times are tough.  To say that the economy is bad is an understatement.  So, in absence of actually trying to do a good job,  here are seven ways to create job security for you and your marketing team in 2009 using the tried and true method of smoke and mirrors.

1.  Traditional media is dead.   Says who?
You can’t improve what you can’t measure.  Measuring the success of traditional media buys like print, TV, or radio spots is difficult.  Perfect!!  You have done your job by running the campaigns.  Now, it is the sales department’s responsibility.  If no sales come from those campaigns, clearly it is not your department’s fault.

2.  2009 Media Plan = Unwavering
Sure, lots of time was spent in 2008 determining what was working and what was not, and shifting your spend to focus on the most effective campaigns.  But…let’s face it, that was exhausting.  You know that media plan you created at the end of last year for 2009?… commit and stick to your guns. 

You have done the marketing research that you were expected to do and that everyone has approved.  How much could the landscape really change during 2009?  And, if there are problems, hey, they approved the plan.

3.  Google – Are you being evil?
We all know that historically pay-per-click has been one of the most cost-efficient ways of marketing.  But, it is 2009 now.  Think of all of the challenges…click fraud, rising keyword costs, increased competition.  It is certainly the search engines fault now if your campaigns are not successful.

4.  Very, very important – Make enemies with IT
It is MUCH easier to blame the enemy. If executives want to hold you accountable for ROI, data, or analytics stand tall and point the finger at your enemies in IT.  You would have certainly had the proof to show how successful your campaigns were if only IT had helped you out.

5.  ROI – So very 2008
Explain to your executives that ROI is an overused, overrated metric.  Just because you can track things, doesn’t mean you should.  There are many more important metrics (see #6).

6. 2009 – Choose your metrics wisely
There are so many metrics available to you these days, and plenty that most executives will have no idea what they mean (read…cannot question whether good or bad, successful or not).  Hits, bring them back….meaningless minutia with an explanation laden with technical jargon, PERFECT!! 

Geography, another good one… usually pretty inaccurate but everyone enjoys this stat as they can mentally try to figure out who they know that may be causing this traffic.  Mobile Devices….okay you and I know it probably accounts for less than 3% of the traffic, but isn’t it cool that people are looking at our site on their iPhone.  We are so cutting edge!

7.  Analytics – Wait, why bother?
You did not get into the interesting, creative field of marketing to be tied to spreadsheets, come on.  And besides, who really cares about the numbers.  If executives ask for reports or numbers, explain to them that they are not asking for Web design ideas from the accounting department…so, why is there this double standard?

I hope this list has been helpful.  These are just the top ideas that came to mind.  Feel free to let me know if there are more that I have missed.

Good luck in 2009!

Back in the first post of 2008 on this blog, I predicted that 2008 would be the year of Reputation Management.  Given the trends we’d seen in customer referrals, it seemed like a pretty safe bet. 

Over the course of the year, we did indeed gain some buzz monitoring / reputation management contracts, which we successfully completed.  However, reputation management was not an over-riding discussion point throughout the year.  Just as Local Search wasn’t in 2006 or Mobile Search in 2007, it was just a part of the bigger picture of internet marketing.  Although, you could say that each was indeed a larger part of that picture by the end of each of those years.

SEO and potentially, PPC can be large parts of your reputation management solution, social media involvement can help your SEO and reputation management, and so on and so forth.  What you really need to look at for 2009 is that bigger picture.  Where does everything fit together?  Where are the holes in your internet marketing plan?  Where should you focus your budget, and how flexible can you make your spend?

In 2009, what I’d like you to do is not to focus on the shining promise of ‘the next new thing’ at the expense of everything that’s already working for you.  But instead, keep an eye out for the potential of that next new thing, and be prepared to test and see if it can / will work for you, either now or in the future, and how it plugs in with what you’re doing now.

There are few places where I feel more stupid than in an auto parts store.  Because…when I am in an auto parts store that means that there is something that is VERY basic in my car that needs fixing.

I hate knowing that everyone in the store knows more about everything in the store than me.  And I hate not having any idea of how much things should cost.

As I stood at the counter of the NAPA auto parts store this morning, trying to figure out how to purchase a gas cap to replace the one I lost, it occurred to me that many people feel the same way about finding a digital agency as I do about buying auto parts.

SEO, PPC, Social Media, and Analytics are topics that are rich with jargon and self-proclaimed experts who want you to think that there is no way that ordinary people could be successful and that the only way to be successful is to hire someone to do all the work (e.g. outsource it to them).

After many years in the working in the industry, from traditional agencies, to consultancies, to an analytics provider, I know this is not the case.  So, just like a good auto part store will help you find the tools you need, take the intimidation out of a foreign situation, and explain what you need in plain English – so should a good digital agency.

So, if you need a gas cap, I can’t recommend NAPA auto parts highly enough.  Not only did the gas cap cost less than $7 (which I assume is a good price), but the salesperson did not even make fun of me when I asked the difference between the locking and the regular gas cap.  He kindly explained to me that, ‘Well, the locking gas cap….locks.’

If you need a good digital agency, contact us – we can explain to you how your current campaigns are doing and train you on how to do better.

Click Fraud has been a serious concern for careful marketers for a long time now. But, Click Fraud also has become a scape-goat for some poorly performing campaign symptoms caused by laziness or lack of knowledge:

1 – High bounce rate/low average time on site
Most often, you will find this is the case when you have a descriptive ad that takes the visitor to a generic or a content-mismatch page (for example an online jewelry store with an ad about a silver bracelet that links to their home page describing gold jewelry).

2 – Low conversion rate
There are many causes for a low conversion rate – ranging from a user un-friendly checkout process to a bug on your site. Or, your ad may produce traffic that is just not interested in your product (if your ads imply that you are the lowest price online shoe site and you are clearly not).

3 – Traffic from same IP address (with a caveat)
If you find that you are getting a lot traffic to your site from your PPC from the same IP address, go to www.dnsstuff.com and use the WHOIS lookup. Many IP addresses resolve back to the ISP (like Earthlink or AOL).

4 – Expensive CTR (Your initial Max CPC gets you no traffic even though there is a lot of inventory)
This is a common occurrence when you initially get started in PPC. Your CPC is based on not just what you are willing to spend in relation to what your competitors are, but also your quality score, and importantly your CTR history. So, if you are launching your first campaign, expect to bid high until you can get a history of good CTR

5 – Traffic from non-Google sites, even though you have opted out of the Content Network
Opting out of the Content Network does not guarantee that all of your traffic will be a result of Google searches. Not only might your ad still show up in Gmail, Google Maps, or other Google sites - and unless you have manually opted out of the Search Partner option – you will still see results from sites like Ask.com, AOL, and many, many, many other smaller search sites that are Google’s search partners

More common symptoms of Click Fraud generally result around a big change in campaign performance. Some examples below are:

Spike in traffic from a campaign with no spike in spend or logic/seasonality-cause

Drop in traffic from a campaign with no spike in spend or logic/seasonality-cause

Change in ad performance – if your campaign has been running for a time with a high CTR and a high conversion rate, and all of a sudden the performance drops. First check to make sure there is not a problem with your site. If nothing has broken on your site, start the deeper dive.

Traffic from same IP – when the results of the WHOIS lookup shows that the IP resolves to competitor or other non-ISP traffic

No one wants to waste their PPC budget on bad clicks, but before you go to the search engines with the accusation of Click Fraud, make sure that you’ve done your due diligence to eliminate the symptoms caused by a poorly performing or expensive ad.

As more marketers are being held accountable for their budgets, proving ROI on campaigns becomes essential.  In order to track ROI, you must be able to track revenue on your Web site.  This is not nearly as complicated or technically difficult (in most cases) than you may think (or have been told).  

There are three ways to track revenue on your Web site:

1.  Using Analytics
2.  Using Search Engine tools
3.  Using Both – Comparing analytics to search engine reporting

Using Analytics
Regardless of whether you are using a java script based analytics programs or analyzing your Web server logs, tracking revenue is completely possible if you have two things:

1.  A unique ‘thank you’ page that displays only when a purchase is successful 
2.  Access to make modifications to your Web site

Without a unique page that only displays when a purchase is successful, you will always ‘over-count’ revenue.  Often times, shopping carts are built using one form that posts back to itself.  You can tell if this is the case because the URL does not change from one step of the checkout process to the next. 

The problem with this is that you never get an accurate count of successful purchases or cart abandonment since the URL is the same.  If your shopping cart is built this way, it is worth it to ask your developer to either add parameters for each step or implement a unique ‘thank you’ page.

If you don’t have access to make modifications to your Web site, you can still track revenue but it will not be as accurate as you will simply be assigning a dollar value to a goal page.  Here is how it is done in Google Analytics and in ClickTracks

Log File Analytics
To track revenue using log files, you will simply have to pass the order total parameter and the dollar value of the sale into the query string of the URL.  As long as your developer knows .ASP (or .ASPX) or .PHP, this should be a relatively straight-forward, quick change.

Or, you can use what is called a beacon which is an invisible image that is used to capture data that is normally not found in log files.  Here is an explanation for doing this with Google Checkout.

Java Script Analytics
The beauty of java script-based analytics is that you can track anything that you want on your Web site.  You just need to plan for it ahead of time, and have the ability to place custom java script on the ‘thank you’ page.  Each analytics package will have a slightly different method (code) for tracking revenue.  But, it should be well documented in the instruction manual.  (A quick search on ‘tracking revenue in webtrends java script’ resulted in this pdf with instructions on page 15).

Using Search Engine Tools
Both Google and Yahoo generate ‘conversion tracking’ code that you can simply copy and paste onto your ‘thank you’ page.  This article also has good instructions for generating the Google Conversion code.  You just have to scroll down to the section ‘Using AdWords Conversion Tracking.’

Also, Nate had written a good article about the improvements that were made to the conversion tracking earlier this year. 

For Yahoo conversion code, click here.

Using Both – Comparing analytics to search engine reporting
I am always an advocate of this method, using both.  Without a ‘gut-check’ in place, it is way too easy to make decisions with bad data  (which we mention over and over).

Understand first that the data from your analytics will likely never match the search engine data 100%.  In fact, depending on the time frame that you are analyzing and several other factors, the discrepancy may be as much as 15%. 

But, by tying your analytic data in with what the search engines report, you will be able to get a very comprehensive picture of what is working and what is not.  And it will be clear what changes need to be made to make your PPC (and other campaign) efforts as effective as possible.

If you are new to PPC or Analytics, feel free to join us on Wednesdays this month for ‘Webinar Wednesdays.

This is the conclusion to the three part series on SEO and PPC’s quest to have an amazing night out on the town.  If you missed part one or part two – check them out before reading on. 

While both SEO and PPC are now having an amazing time, they both feel like it can still be taken to the next level. Just then Web Analytics reappears, but he is not alone this time. On one side, he’s got the one person that PPC has had their eye on the entire night while on the other side, SEO sees the one that they’ve been after.

With PPC, you can tell there are instant sparks and they immediately head out to the dance floor. SEO, however, is the type to take it real slow and so they go take a seat on the couches. It doesn’t take long for the chemistry to build and soon they are having an amazing time as well.

With a smile on his face, Web Analytics knows that SEO and PPC have learned an important lesson tonight. While they both can get into the party on their own and have a decent time, the night will not reach its full potential unless they work together.  They need to bring along their friend, Web Analytics to show them how best to play off each other and eliminate the obstacles that present themselves along the way.

This experience that SEO and PPC had can be translated into the real world of SEO and PPC. SEO is a slow process that requires a lot of patience while building up rankings for the targeted keywords. The pages that visitors will be going to are often more content rich. So, it can often be a slower process before a visitor actually makes a purchase.

PPC on the other hand, provides instant gratification. It’s quick to get going and quite easy to move into the top positions if you’re willing to pay the price. It’s generally flashier since you have full control over the marketing message and the landing page that a visitor goes to. It is generally more offer-oriented and is designed to generate an immediate purchase.

All too often…SEO and PPC aren’t done in conjunction with each other. Each forges out on their own and can experience success. But, unless they are working together they are likely not reaching their full potential. That is where Web analytics comes into play.

The Web analyst needs to understand how SEO and PPC work together and find the optimal balance. It means nothing to rank #1 in the SERPs for a “key” search phrase if all you’re doing is sending crappy traffic that never converts. You need to know the types of keywords that do convert into sales or other site goals and refocus your efforts around those.

Too often, I see the excitement on people’s faces when they’ve finally achieved a goal of ranking on the first page of the SERPs and the site suddenly begins to see an increase in traffic. A high volume of traffic, however, does not necessarily translate into an increase in conversions of the site goals.

The Web analyst should know the keywords that are working well for PPC and those that work well for SEO. If it works well for PPC, then it’s probably worth trying for SEO purposes. The same holds true for keywords that are working well for SEO. If you have a set of keywords that you rank highly both organically and in PPC, then there is another task that the Web analyst needs to work on.

That task is finding the right position for the PPC ad based on where the site ranks organically. It may be that the #2 spot in PPC generates the highest return, but it could also be taking away sales that otherwise would be coming through organically. Understanding what position for PPC generates the highest overall (both organically and paid) return will allow your company to realize the greatest return.

That is just the beginning, but this would go on forever if I began getting into the importance of multivariate testing and the full analysis of user behavior for organic and paid visitors that should continually be taking place.

Instead, I’ll hopefully be leaving you with an understanding that a truly integrated SEO and PPC effort requires more than just the SEO and PPC teams working together. It requires the Web analytics team to also provide insights and advice to help take it to the next level.

So, while SEO and PPC can get into the party that is the first page of the SERPs, they really should enlist the help of Web Analytics to take the party up to the next level and really begin to drive the highest level of sales while delivering the best overall return.

…You’re supposed to say “Wednesday”… you know… so I can say “Webinar!” and then… Oh forget it.

Throughout the month of August, Serengeti Communications will present a weekly, one-hour Webinar every Wednesday (say that five times fast). We’ll be covering various Web 2.0 and marketing strategies each week and helping your business get just a little bit better at using that new-fangled thing called the “Internet.” (All the cool kids say it’s going to be the next “sliced bread.”)

So, what are these Webinars going to cover? I’m glad you asked.

And, all this for only twenty-seven easy payments of nothing. But wait, there’s more…call right now and you can get your whole team to attend for nothing. That’s right just twenty-seven easy payments of nothing. That’s nothing for you, nothing for your co-worker, and the extra special low price of nothing for your great-uncle Ted.

So, invite your co-workers, your bosses, and obscure relatives to The Wednesday Webinar Series. Operators (i.e. Stacy) are standing by so Register Today.

This is Part Two of a three part series on SEO and PPCs quest to have an amazing night out on the town.  If you have not already read Part One, check it out before reading on. 

Once SEO and PPC finally meet up a new set of issues arise. Neither of them can manage to get past the crowds and up to the bar to get drinks. To make matters worse, the cocktail waitresses seem to be ignoring them. Frustrated, they decide they will instead mingle and see who they meet. They each go their separate ways, but after a while they both begin to get frustrated. While everyone seems to be out for attention tonight, neither SEO nor PPC is having much luck. Both of them seem to be getting ignored or shot down more often than not which is quickly making the night a disappointment.

Just then, an old friend who neither SEO nor PPC has seen in ages shows up. The old friends name is Web Analytics. SEO and PPC explain the frustration each is having with how the night is going and seem a bit upset as a smile comes across the face of Web Analytics.

Web Analytics explains that he can help turn the night into the type of party that SEO and PPC thought they were going to at the outset. He explains that PPC and SEO need to work together to have the night they envisioned and once they find out how best to play off each other then everything else will fall into place.

Armed with their new advice - they again try their luck. After a bit of experimenting with different tactics, their luck starts to change. Suddenly, they seem to be the center of attention with each generating their fair share of interest from almost everyone they come in contact with.

There is still one area, however, that SEO and PPC have yet to master and that is the ability to get a drink. Seeing that, Web Analytics sends over a cocktail waitress to SEO and PPC who are laughing and having a great time with a couple of new friends. After taking their order, the cocktail waitress tells them that she will keep an eye on them and makes sure they are taken care of for the rest of the night.

While both SEO and PPC are now having an amazing time, they both feel like it can still be taken to the next level. Just then, Web Analytics reappears – but he is not alone this time.

Find out who Web Analytics has brought with him in the conclusion next week.

This is part one of a three part series that was first published as part of Marketing Pilgrim’s Scholarship Contest. The finalists were determined by the number of visitors that read the post as well as factoring in bonus points for a low bounce rate and high average time on site. While this post was not a finalist, it did have the second lowest bounce rate of any entry and the eleventh highest average time on site. I guess what that means is that I should have made an effort to drive visitors to the post.  Oh well, there is always next year.

But, without further adu here is part one of the post.

How does search engine optimization and pay-per-click advertising relate to your quest to have an amazing night out at the hottest bar or club in town? And, what friend should you make sure to bring along so that you will definitely have a night to remember? Well, I won’t require you to have the patience of SEO. But instead, I’ll give you the instant gratification of PPC.

Two friends, SEO and PPC are getting ready to head out on their quest to have an incredible time at the new local hotspot. They decide they will meet at the club since they live on opposite sides of town. As usual, PPC quickly gets ready and heads out the door. There is no style lost, however, in the quick process of getting ready. In fact, PPC is looking quite flashy and really stands out from the crowd. PPC quickly finds a parking spot right next to the club and heads past the long line waiting to get in. As usual, PPC is on the guest list and is ushered right inside.

SEO on the other hand takes a long time to get ready, but once ready looks every bit as impressive. After SEO finally makes it out the door, through the traffic heading downtown, SEO eventually finds a parking spot far away from the club a new obstacle arises. SEO does not seem to be on the guest list and instead has to wait patiently in line. SEO could be upset and frustrated, but instead excitedly anticipates the fun night that hopefully is about to begin. An hour goes by, but eventually SEO is let through the doors and to the party inside.

Does this sound familiar to all you SEO and PPC experts? PPC is always the one that can be up and running in no time with a flashy ad and ranking in top positions for all the important keywords. PPC can slip right into the party and start generating sales in no time. SEO on the other hand has to be patient since you’re likely not going to be able to join the party on the first page of the SERPs right away. Instead, it will take hard work and a lot of patience before you finally make your way in. That hard work and patience, however, can really pay off and potentially can be more cost effective than PPC in the long term. But anyways, back to the story…

Next week part 2…