Geary Fresh

Apple Press Conference–Apple Updates

Apple is in the middle of their press conference, and here’s what we know so far:

• New iPod Touch (with front-camera)
• New Apple TV–for release in 4 weeks, but you can pre-order now
• TV and movie rental model, TV shows available for 99 cents, slick UI
• New gaming functionality for iPod Touch
• New iPod nano–square shape, super small, really cool
• Ping for iTunes
• Uniform operating system for all products
• New iPad updates like print options and AirPlay

Some really amazing updates and product Facelifts. Analysis TBA

LBS marketing tips–where are you?

Tip #9:   Think of LBS as a bridge between online and offline worlds. Use location based marketing to tie digital marketing to your overarching sales promotions. LBS marketing provides the opportunity to enrich your interactions with key audiences.  An example would be eliciting product/ service feedback from consumers while they’re at various locations.

Tip #8:    Identify and reward brand supporters by creating special promotions around LBS marketing. Give product/ service reviewers discounts and coupons to encourage key users that promote your brand beyond LBS channels and outside of physical locations.  Make them evangelists.

Tip #7:    Engage with users who use location based services that sync to other communication channels like Twitter. If someone posts a tip about your business on a LBS service like Four Square, follow them on Twitter and extend the relationship and the impact of their review.

Tip #6:    Claim and manage your LBS platforms without being overpowering. It’s important to be present on LBS channels, but you don’t want to take control away from users. For example, if users create a page for your business on forums like Gowalla or Facebook, you should claim it, but do not flood existing communities with marketing and promos. Be considerate of the existing balance.

Tip #5:    Partner with content creators or distributors to encourage users to check in to your locations. For example, the WSJ badge on Four Square highlights businesses as a walking tour and users earn a badge as they check in to various locations.

Tip #4:    Make sure information presented on check-in forums is accurate (Google Maps, links, tags). Since most are user-generated or created automatically, it is important for marketers to check its accuracy. For example, to see if your business is already listed on Four Square, continue here.

Tip #3:    Use location based services as a way to manage your reputation on a granular level. Monitor reviews and feedback to gauge how brand awareness and perceptions vary from location to location. After claiming a business on some LBS forums, you will have access to tracking provided by their interfaces.

Tip #2:    LBS can serve as a social media entry point for new users. Think of these forums as a channel to interact with consumers in real time, which is a luxury not afforded by most other marketing initiatives. If someone checks in to a location and posts a positive review, you could follow up with a special promotion to encourage a repeat visit.

Tip #1:    New LBS platforms are opening a new world of hyper-targeted and geo-targeted ad serving capabilities for marketers. Employ new targeting capabilities to improve your targeted offerings. Facebook Places will increase the relevancy of ad targeting, for example, consider geo-targeting Facebook ads to key audiences for each of your venues.

Marie Claire–Snap to Shop

Marie Claire is moving beyond the QR codes that have been integrated with most magazines. Taking it one step further, Marie Claire provides product information to magazine readers through their phones. All you have to do is send a picture message of the item in question, and you will receive information about where you can buy the product sent to your phone.

Continue here to get more information.

Top Tips for Leveraging Content in the Age of Universal Search

Miguel Salcido, our Director of SEO, recently spoke to an enthusiasm crowd at MIMA about changing landscape of search engine optimization. He shared more than 25 marketing tips for leveraging rich media in the age of universal search results.

Here are a few highlights:

Video content

Stats–

* Video SEO is 53 times more likely to drive a first page result than traditional SEO (Forester)

* 44% of universal search results on Google featured Video (ComScore)

1. Put meaningful content around video

• * Include indexable and meaningful content around assets to help search engines understand the context of the video and any related content.
• * This is also great for your users. Utilize UGC by adding the ability to comment on your content (i.e. Flickr & YouTube).

2. Submit a transcript

• * Some video sharing sites allow you to submit transcripts, there are also some players that allow you to share this with users.  This can help a lot with content since transcripts can be understood and indexed by search engines.  And if accessibility is a concern for you, creating transcripts are hugely beneficial.

3. Optimize the file name, meta data, tags

• * Add keywords wherever possible because search engines have a tough time reading images and video. Instead of using something like a2rdp.mp4 use keyword-video.mp4.

4. Utilize microformats in your page code

• * Google recognizes two video markup formats: Facebook Share and Yahoo! SearchMonkey RDFa. Using either (or both) of these formats to mark up video directly in your HTML helps Google better understand and present your video content. Example: media:title Specifies the title of a video. Up to 60 characters.

5. Submit a video sitemap to Google

• * This is the easiest way to increase the chance of a video showing up in Google search results. You can find more information on that at Google Webmaster Support.
• * Special tip: if you want to drive users to your site and only have the thumbnail show up in search results, make sure and set the parameter allow_embed=”no”

6.  Take advantage of mRSS and HTML 5

• * There are lots of great attributes you can specify for video content including things like tags, that make it easier for the search engines to understand and index your content.
• * With mRSS, you can submit the feed to Google and as soon as you publish a new video it submits just like RSS feeds for your blog.

7.  Build links to videos with optimized anchor text

• * Look at the sites linking to competing videos and videos displayed in blended results. Try to mimic those links. Add optimized anchor text in embed code. Submit to social bookmarking sites in relevant categories.

8: Syndicate video content

• * Make sure that you have a YouTube account, but don’t forget to syndicate (Metacafe, Vimeo, Veoh). There are tools like TubeMogul that help you with this. Make sure to try and host on your site and index first.

Images

Stats–

* 300 million digital photos taken every day
* Image search makes up about 5.7% of Google searches
* 15% of all searches are image related

1. Use target rich keywords

• * Use target keywords in file names and image alt attributes to describe all images on your site.  Have a keyword rich title tag for pages hosting videos in addition to typical on page optimization.

• * Always include height, width, source, and alt tags in all image coding.

2. Put images close to relevant content

• * Include keywords in any captions, but also try to surround images with relevant content. Keyword proximity to the image is critical. Similar to Videos, adding the ability to comment on images will help search engines better understand what the image is about.

3.  Syndicate

• * Make sure that they are properly tagged and that your account is linked to your site.
• * Enable Image Search in Google Webmaster Tools.

4. Build links

• * Make sure that you have relevant keyword rich anchor text links pointing to your images.

5. Remove old images

• * Take down old images and reload them to increase relevancy.

6. Use preferred sizes and formats

• * JPEG is an effective image format. Digg you need to make sure that you have thumbnail images available in 160 x 160 pixels or 160 x 120 pixels
• *Pay attention to the image sizes of the top ranking images

7. Have high quality, relevant images

• * People pay more attention to and are more attracted to clearer images. Faces get more attention in images and images with more than one person.

Shopping

Stat–Google Product Search is the #1 comparison shopping site. (P.S. It’s FREE)

1. Submit a data feed

• * Submit a data feed with all of your product info to Google, so that they can pull your product images, prices, etc.

2. Optimize your product data

• * Use keywords in the title of the products, descriptions, and anywhere else. Fill in as many fields as you can, especially custom fields. (Hint: Google loves data)

3. Keep a fresh feed

• * Google likes a fresh feed. Product inventory and pricing can change daily which is why Google pays attention.

4. Keep it going

• * Long standing feeds have an impact. It’s about trust.

Facebook movie spawns Twitter Parody

The future of “Likes” and Search

We’ve all seen Facebook’s “Like” button, and by now, it’s clear that Facebook wants in on the search engine game. Can Facebook really become a player in the search space? I think it can, but not in the typical sense of search engine queries.

I don’t think Facebook will ever be a destination where users will turn to conduct deep/ thorough research. That said, if I want to get an unfiltered review or something in that vein, Facebook would absolutely be a resource. As John Greer points out, Facebook is a goldmine of user preference data that can only enhance personalized search. It holds the power to customize search results in ways that Google will never be able to touch, but that is not always what users are looking for. I know that I wouldn’t always want to see query results based on my self-selected batch of “likes.” What if I want to find a new product or expand my horizons…Facebook could hold me back.

The combination of Facebook community-centric results and search engines’ more biased approach to results would afford users a great mix of information. Do you think Facebook can encroach on traditional search engines? Would you Facebook it?

Facebook fails consumer reports

Facebook gets one big “Dislike” from users, but it is doubtful that usage will suffer. According to Fast Company and the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, Facebook ranked near the bottom of social platforms. Described as an “abysmally low customer satisfaction” Facebook only outranks MySpace. Ouch.

So why all the guff? Are users finally telling Facebook that they are tired of their opt-out policies? Could it be that social media is passe?

As Facebook’s numbers continue to grow, it is clear that social media is not on the way out. But Facebook might want to sit up and listen to the general disappointment in the platform. It would be a shame for Facebook to go the way of MySpace.

Top 10 Retail Marketing Mistakes

We often get asked, “What could we be doing better?” And while the answer varies from client to client, we have compiled a list of the top 10 marketing mistakes we see in the retail industry. So check it out…how do you measure up?

10. Incomplete tracking of shopping cart abandonment- You might know that X% of users abandon your conversion funnel, but do you know where they go afterward? Do they return to your website or make their purchases elsewhere? Make sure you have a complete view of how and why users abandon their shopping carts. This information will help optimize your checkout process and increase your ROI and ROAS. Something as simple as condensing shipping and billing lead forms onto one page could make a difference.

9. Using market-speak instead of user-centric language in keyword strategies- There is a distinct difference in how marketers and consumers talk about products. Make sure your keywords cater to consumers and not marketing folks. Think like your customers and which terms they use to find your brand. From here, you can direct them to relevant content that progresses them through conversion stages.

8. Overlooking mobile coupons to attribute online engagements to in-store purchases- Retail marketers crave ways to connect cross-platform touch points, and mobile coupons are one mean to this end. If you’re engaging consumers online, direct them to coupons they can access from their mobile devices (via apps, email or mobile ads). This way you can concretely attribute an online interaction with an offline purchase. Connecting these dots will present you with a holistic view of how various touch points affect your ales.

7. Idle social media efforts- What have you done for social media lately? Do not go the way of social-flunkies before you and create profiles/ accounts and let them die. Users who engage with retail brands on social media platforms are actively requesting information. Do not let these customers down. They want to talk with you, so shape up, staff up and get your social media marketing plan in gear.

6. Not thoroughly segmenting paid search marketing- Paid search can be as scalable and targeted as you need. Take advantage of paid search’s targeting technology and reach various consumer segments with personalized ad copy. This will increase your click through rate, and if the rest of your sales funnel is optimized, conversion rates can greatly increase.

5. Undefined attribution model- Most retailers execute campaigns that span display, paid search, SEO, social and offline tactics. If this is your scenario, make sure you have a plan in place to know where sales originate. By creating an attribution model to track sales sources, you will have the data you need to maximize subsequent programs and gain better insights into how consumers engage with your brand.

4. Lack of landing page optimization- Capturing consumers using paid search and display media is only part of the battle. From here, where do consumers land? Does the information relate to ad copy? If not, you’re risking a high bounce rates and losing potential sales. Think about a complete path to sale and value your landing pages. They need to make a good impression and logically transition consumers from third party sites into your conversion process.

3. Fragmented CRM program- Keeping existing customers happy is a critical component of  marketing–especially for retailers. Whatever your preferred communication vehicle, make sure your CRM program resonates with consumers and maintains desired frequency and messaging.

2. Viewing SEO as a one-time effort- Search engine optimization is a continuous process. There are only a finite number of first page rankings, so if you want to stay there, you must keep ahead of your competitors. This can be accomplished through premium link building and adding original, quality content that attracts engine crawl bots. You must also think about consumer evolution. As their search habits change, so must your SEO strategy.

1. Working with multiple digital agencies to create a cohesive marketing program- If you want an integrated campaign, find an agency (like Geary Interactive) that meets your comprehensive digital needs. They will be better suited to execute a cohesive message across multiple disciplines because they understand the core of your business needs. One agency, one team working cooperatively to help achieve your marketing goals.

Advertising’s Top Stock Photography Model

Meet Wade. He’s a stock photography model and wants to invite you to the American Advertising Federation’s 2011 conference in San Diego. He might also throw in a jab about “low hanging fruit” along the way.

Advanced SEO at Interactive Marketing Day SD

Rand Fishkin from SEOmoz bestowed upon us some advanced SEO strategies. He’s already talking about statistics, but promises not to get too statistical. The presentation covers four areas where one could improve.

He notes that paid search gets about 14% of SERP clicks while organic areas get 86%, per Avinash Kausnik. He notes the tremendous imbalance in industry wide paid search spends and SEO spends considering these stats.

Four methods accelerate SEO:

• Increase rankings in individual results.
• Getting rankings in universal search (video, news, GPS)
• Improve long tail traffic
• Better convert existing search traffic

Think about search volume, the value of a visitor, and the competition when doing keyword research. This can be done with tools or manually, depending on the scope. Analyzing the competition and their on-site strengths, as well as their linking. Look at domain diversity in backlink profiles, this is a sign of strength. You have to also be weary of altering anchor text. And of course links from authority sites is fantastic.

Now Rand goes into correlation data that he has gathered that points out the heavy influence that exact match keyword domains have in rankings. Links from exact match keyword rich domains as well as just owning them is a powerful strategy.

Badge strategies are a good link building technique. He uses Picnik as an example of offering badges, that have keyword rich alt tags, for fans to post on their sites.  They rank VERY well because of this.

Infographics are great for link building. Don’t just focus on people linking to your infographic. Offer your infographic in an embeddable format for people to use.

Content licensing is another great link building tactic. Allrecipes.com offers licensing of their recipes, images, and other content as long as you link back to them! this solution is highly scalable.

The Search Engine Ranking Factors at SEOmoz are discussed next. I am highly familiar with this and feel that it is spot on. It is reproduced every two years and put on to the same URL, with the old info moving to a different page. This allows that URL to gain strength over and over again with time. So if at first you don’t succeed in ranking, try try again!

Next he gives some resources on how to get visibility in Universal Search. Video results are a great place to get visibility. Video results get high CTR in the SERPs and not many people are optimizing for it. You can use many different platforms to host the video for you, making it very cost effective and scalable.

Local/maps results are another fairly easy way to get more visibility through Universal Search. If you do not optimize for local searches you need to submit to the Google Local Business center. Here is a great local optimization resource.

Image results can be another great place to get traffic and exposure. Believe it or not this drives significant traffic and are hyper effective for certain verticals like crafts, furniture, design. Some best practices for ranking well in image search are keyword rich alt image tags. The image file name is no long a high ranking factor but having the image posted on other sites seems to have an effect. Size matters in image search rankings. Check sizing of images ranking for what you want to rank for and mimic that.

News results require an RSS feed with title, date, author, etc. Google does look into your business to see if you provide enough good content when you submit for inclusion. Blogs will get accepted to Google News. If you do not submit, you’ll never get in so go for it.

Real time results depends on speed of publishing of course. Big media firms have staff ready 24/7 to post breaking stories. But anyone can break news with the advent of Twitter! This is bigger than ever with the recent Google Caffeine update rolled out completely just a few weeks ago. Google Caffeine allows for faster indexing and ranking of results and is based on predictive modeling and topics.

Blog results are similar to Google News. But all you really need is an RSS feed. Getting referenced (linked to) from other authority bloggers really helps you get into blog results faster.

Shopping results are based on product data feeds that you submit. Reviews are aggregated and posted within these results. High volumes of reviews seem to really help, not necessarily good ones just get volume.

25% of all queries are brand spanking new, the long tail is still very strong and I do not see that changing. Lot’s of unique content really helps here. It is really easy to rank for long tail search. Rand does not think that blogging is really a big long tail strategy, he feels that it is just too difficult to scale. UGC is the way to go for scaling content. Gawker Media pays his writers based on how much traffic their articles command. Finally, Twitter is a great way to build content.

Now he moves into conversion optimization as the final strategy. Look at the conversion funnel and isolate opportunities at each point in the funnel. Even the smallest incremental increase in conversion rate has such a huge impact. It is highly effective because of this! There is a ton of psychology is powerful in CRO. Making your higher price points or add on the default selection has a huge impact. Social proof, put a name and face to your offer! Scarcity is a huge factor as well, show that only a few products are left and people will be compelled to buy now, before it’s gone!

That wraps it up for now. Overall it was a good presentation and was a good fit for the crowd here. I feel like most of the audience found value. There were not many advanced SEOs in the room, at least that is the vibe that I got. But there were many people that employ SEOs in the room and they seemed to glean a ton of value. I will embed Rand’s presentation once I can get my hands on it.