Feed: Cracking the Code of Internet Marketing - AggScore: 50.0

Search Engine Marketing: ROI vs. Profits

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In SEM (Search Engine Marketing) ROI is a safer metric, at the end of the day, than profit. The pros of going with ROI outweigh profit in the immediacy. Profit is almost always the primary goal in the long term, but marketers have a lot more control over ROI so programs are designed around this KPI first. This is a guest post from my good friend David Chung, who used to work with me in Search Marketing and now works for Google in Korea: Everyone’s getting smarter. Everything’s getting smarter, too. I recently swapped out my Android mobile device for a traditional flip phone and it took no longer than ten minutes to feel the smart-ness sinking away into a dumb oblivion.

9 Keys to Increase Website Conversion Rate and Turn Visitors into Customers

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If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you might remember a post I wrote recently called Why Attention is the New Currency Online. When I wrote it, I had been working to create a process to audit website conversions. Ultimately it turned into an article about capturing attention online because without attention there would be nobody looking at your links, images, videos and compelling content. And without people reading your content, you certainly won't get any clicks. When people read your content online, links and clicks follow. However; you don't want just any click, you want qualified prospects clicking on your links, visiting your website and consuming your content. Let's be clear, getting attention is only part of the equation to help you increase conversions but it does not automatically equals to conversion. For those of you who don't know why qualified traffic is important, let me just say that if you want to increase conversions of your landing page or your ecommerce store, this is crucial.

Beyond Search: Social Customer, Social Commerce, Social Media

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It seems as if all the talk in web marketing these days center on algorithm updates, social signals, mobile and display opportunities. Marketers and brands are eager to make adjustments trying new strategies to drive sales and increase profits. I think it's important to know the difference between a sales channel and how sales are made. Search engine marketing (SEM), search engine optimization (SEO) and social media are all channels to engage and carry out your message with prospects and customers. Simply put, the medium is not the message. It's a venue for you to generate demand and drive qualified visitors to your conversion funnel. And we all know what conversion funnel is all about – getting those sale! This is why it's important to figure out

Learn to Extract Marketing Insights from Data

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In working with many smart business people and analysts in the past few months, I came to appreciate the ease of accessing web analytics. Who knew that math and data would become a main revenue driving force for businesses big and small? Every business is fast becoming a data-generating machine. From upstream to downstream, data rewards us with insights that can enable us to make profitable decisions via control experiments to advance our business models. And yet, this is just the beginning as the number of people connected to the web continues to grow, so too does the vast amount of information about those individuals.

A Holistic Approach to Marketing: Integrating Social, Search and People

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As the dust begins to settle on the endless possibilities of social media, marketers are gearing up for the next wave of digital growth. From Google's report on mobile is finally making an impact on search to how social media is used by 25% of the companies worldwide, I've always focused on opportunities that align with business objectives. Especially if there is a win win situation for both consumers and brands. As the demand for businesses to be more transparent and social media becomes mainstream so has the technology that supports it.

The Two Essential Elements for Online Marketing Success

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Much has been written about Internet marketing strategies and how marketers can leverage techniques to get the desire outcome. What isn’t discussed enough, at least from my perspective, is the need to go beyond techniques, tools and analysis to get a long-term sustainable ROI (return on investment). To be success in Internet marketing, you need to have the ability to see the big picture strategically and zoom in to the details tactically with your execution. It’s what Steven Schussler calls the "helicopter view," so you gain enough mental altitude to see the overall objectives while still be able to descend, hover, and see the details, too. Sustainable ROI goes back to the roots of direct marketing and direct marketing focuses on measuring, iterating and never stop testing. But where do you start and how do you know what you’re doing is right?

Why Attention is the New Currency Online

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Like many digital marketers, I consume and create large amount of content daily. Whether it’s doing research or analyzing data, I’ve come to realize the economic value of attention. It’s relatively easy to create and publish content nowadays because technology has made it cost-effective and efficient. This isn’t the case when it comes to consuming content because our attention simply doesn’t scale. Just like our personal values have to be sorted and ranked in order for us to make wise and consistent decisions, so do our values for consuming information.

Riding to a New Destination: I’m Joining WebMetro

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Today I have some special news to share with you – I've joined WebMetro. 2 years ago I informed you about designdamage's transition to become a blog. I started blogging because of my passion for understanding the impact of disruptive technology and social media has on our everyday lives. Since then I've learned a great deal about Internet marketing that I've come to realize marketing isn't just a job to me — it's who I am and what I'm about. From endless nights of writing blog posts to reviewing trends and data on the weekends, marketing is a passion that's part of my life. This is why I share my experiences, observations and insights exploring the impact of Internet technology on marketing, advertising, media, business, communications, and culture. But despite the unique experience, I've decided to take an opportunity which I feel can accelerate my growth and a good fit for my family

How to Build Influence and Earn Trust via Enchantment: An Interview with Guy Kawasaki

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Information doesn’t sound like it’s worth a lot of value. In fact, most of the time information wants to be free and are free in the sense of accessibility. In order to make information so valuable that people will pay money for them, you had to turn organized knowledge (i.e. stuff you find on Google, Wikipedia or on the Internet in general) into insights. That’s what most experts, gurus and teachers do. They sell insights in the form of ideas packed inside a book, a seminar, a podcast or any information products. The value of the information isn't just in what you present, but how you present it. This is precisely what Guy Kawasaki did in his latest book "Enchantment - The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions."

3 Steps to Getting More Traffic and Higher Conversions

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If you had to pick between getting tons of traffic or having a high conversion rate, which one would you pick? Most marketers churn out content for SEO rankings, build backlinks for offsite optimization and may even invest in PPC at some point. Whether your objective is to get people to buy, opt in to your list or download your content, you need to understand the significance of both.

All traffics are not created equal

It’s surprising to me when I hear business owners and bloggers ask the question, “how do I get more traffic?” Sure, traffic is important and with lots of traffic you won’t need a high conversion rate. It becomes a numbers game. On the other hand high conversion says you’re selling to the right people at the right time at the right place. It’s how well you're able to connect with your customer. So why can’t you do both?

How to Create Your Unforgettable Elevator Pitch

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Have you ever tried to tell someone about your online business or your idea for a business, but when you did, their eyes glazed right over? You feel stupid or self-conscious because you know they're bored, confused or just don't get it. The truth is we’re already inundated with information and overloaded with work everyday that most everything just aren’t that interesting to us. In fact, most of us happen to think, say and do the same things everyday. We just do it with slight variations. This is why you can’t help wanting to check your emails, tweets and text messages to see what’s fresh coming down the information pipeline. It’s human nature. So how do you talk about what you do in a powerful way that people will not only stop and listen but maintain their attention all the way through?