The online landscape is changing. People are becoming more comfortable on the Web, which is leading to evolving customer behavior and changing search results pages. Publishers who adapt to these changes can enjoy richer customer interactions that can lead to increased loyalty and return visits. But how is this evolution taking place?
As some of you may know, I’m working with Ignition Partners, a venture capital firm here in Seattle, as an entrepreneur in residence. I have been having a fantastic time looking into the online marketing space, talking to people about their challenges and about what excites them most in learning about their customers. I love working with online marketing, looking at things from new angles, and solving problems. And I have lots of ideas about where things could go next.
I’m forming a company around these ideas (although I’m not ready to talk about the details just yet) and am looking for just the right people to join me. If you like getting in on the ground floor of cool new stuff, have a developer background or online marketing background (beyond SEO), and want to talk more, let me know!
And if you’re working for a company that would like to get a new perspective on online marketing strategy, or simply talk through your issues and needs, ping me on that too.
You can reach me at vanessafox at gmail dot com.
Fit neither of those camps but just want to know what the heck we’re up to? Watch this space. 
Last week, I decided to try the new survey feature of Google Docs. It has some slick features, particularly in that it compiles the results to a spreadsheet automatically, but it also has a few, er, idiosyncrasies.
Open in a New Tab?
The most irritating thing, which is surely a bug, is this. You click on the spreadsheet from the docs list. It opens in another tab. Then from that tab, you go to another page. Perhaps you start to compose a blog post. Then you switch back over to the docs list and click the spreadsheet again to open it. It opens in the tab where it was previous open, rather than a new tab. Perhaps this is the tab that contains your newly composed blog post. Or did contain before that content was replaced with the spreadsheet, wiping out all of your writing. Ahem.
Anonymous Results
Another thing that I suppose makes senses but isn’t clear up front is that you can send the survey to a list of email addresses, but the survey results are anonymous. So my question asking if the respondent is willing to do a follow up survey? Not all that useful to me. I’ve since added a new field asking for that email address.
Limited Question Types
Two things I really needed in my survey but that Google Docs didn’t have were:
No Custom Email Messages
You can send the form out via email, but any text you write ends up as part of the form. You can’t send a separate email message as you can with other types of Google docs.
Overall all though, the survey was easy to put together and it’s easy to see the responses. I can’t seem to manipulate things much in Google Docs, so I’ll likely have to export to Excel. It would be nice, for instance, if my single-choice answers had graphs or pie charts displayed by default that showed distribution. Instead, I just have a non-compiled laundry list of answers. You can now add Gadgets to spreadsheets, and likely one of these does what I want, but I’d like to have some of that functionality built in. Not that I’m saying I’m lazy.
If you’d like to take my survey about how you approach and measure your online marketing activities, you can check it out here. All results are anonymous. Unless you fill out the newly added email question. Which, like the rest of the survey questions, is entirely optional.
On Tuesday, I gave a webinar on how businesses can use social networking to learn about their customers, deepen their relationships with customers, and provide more effective and responsive customer service.
You can view the archived version of the webinar for free. When you click that link, it looks like it’s for registration of the event that already happened, but if you step through the registration process, it’ll bring you to the archived video.
In the webinar, I talked about how your customers are likely already online talking about your brand and your industry. The web is full of all kinds of community-driven sites where you can listen to what your customers are saying and can get involved. I talked a bit about setting up a social media program in your company, and some things to consider as you get started, as well as getting engaged in the conversation, improving customer relationships, and benefiting from the feedback.
Monitoring the conversation
In the comments to the previous post, someone asked what tools I recommend for tracking conversations about you online. That really depends on your situation. If you have a large brand and time is more valuable than money, you might consider hiring an agency to track and aggregate the conversations for you. A service such as TruCast compiles conversations, scores them, and, and provides workflow management for responses.
You can set up various searches and alerts or use a product like Andy Beal’s new Trackur to aggregate those searches for you.
Aaron Wall recently wrote an article for Search Engine Land about reputation monitoring tools that provides more details about setting up alerts.
Below are some ideas for a free, low-tech way to get started if you want to try setting things up yourself. You can set up all kinds of searches about your brand, your competitors, your industry — just about anything you want to track. Here are some places you might get started.
Google Alerts
Google Alerts tracks web search, Google Groups, Google News, Google Video, and Google Blogsearch.
Unfortunately, Google Alerts can only be sent to your email, and aren’t available via RSS. If you have the alerts sent to a Gmail address and you assign those emails a label using filtering, you should be able to then subscribe to the RSS feed of that label using an RSS aggregator that supports authenticated RSS (using the feed format https://mail.google.com/mail/feed/atom/labelname/), but I haven’t been able to get that to work.
You can also set up separate searches for each of these and with some of them, for instance, Google Blogsearch, you can set the search up as an RSS feed. For Google Blogsearch, just do the search, then click the Subscribe link you want on the left.
Google web search has some interesting advanced options. For instance, to get web search results for a topic that have appeared within the last 24 hours, you can choose Advanced Search from the Google home page, then expand the date options. Set up the parameters you want, then click the Advanced Search button.
Twitter
I normally suggest people track Twitter conversations with Terraminds, but it’s currently down and I’m not sure when it will be back up. You can set up tracking directly in Twitter, but Terraminds is nice because you can subscribe to the RSS feed of the searches and you don’t need a Twitter account. To track a search term on Twitter, simply sign up for Twitter, then send the message “track
Flickr and YouTube
As I mentioned in the webinar, there are photo pools for just about everything. When I spoke at SEMPdx in January, one of the attendees had a winery client and we talked about how she could find wine-related photo pools and post pictures of the vineyards, wine barrels, and even particularly interesting labels.
YouTube is definitely worth checking out, as 48% of internet users have been to a video sharing site in the last year. People discuss everything online, even on video sharing sites. In just a quick browse, I found discussions on hard drive recovery, home theater systems, and mascara.
Discussion Groups and Forums
You can get alerts for Google Groups as part of Google Alerts, but you may want to search Google Groups separately to find out what groups exist and what discussion has already happened. There are also lots of other similar groups out there that you may want to search, such as Yahoo! Groups and MSN Groups.
You can, of course, do some simple searches for forums that make be talking about you as well, such as with these examples:
honda discussion forum
server monitoring discussion forum
microsoft word message board
Don’t overlook places like Yahoo! Answers as well.
Vertical and Niche Sites
You can do searches for these sites, but you can also find prominent bloggers who are talking about your topic, and check their “about me” page to see what sites they have profiles on.
As I mentioned in the webinar, just about every topical site now has a social network element to it. Avvo, a legal search engine, and Zillow, a real estate search engine, are two examples of vertical sites with lots of discussion and opportunities.
Similarly, social media sites (a la Digg, but more specialized) exist for just about every topic.
Bloggers
Again, you can do a web search or blog search to find bloggers, but you can also check specific blog indexing sites, such as Technorati or Icerocket. Many of the RSS readers, like Bloglines, have search features as well (Bloglines even lets you subscribe to the search). Once you find bloggers who are talking about your topic, check their profiles for other sites they visit, and see who’s on their blogroll. By going from blogroll to blogroll and compiling a list of bloggers and places they frequent, you will likely end up with a pretty good place to start.
Social Bookmarking
Don’t forget social bookmarking sites. Not only can you find out what is popular for your topical area, but discussions happen on these sites as well.
“home theater” search on Delicious
Computer technology tags on Faves
Review Sites
With all the talk of user-generated content, just about every site now has reviews. This is another great place to check out the discussion. Certainly there are review-specific sites such as epinions and shopping sites like Amazon, but just about every local business directory site now has reviews as well, from Yelp to Google Local.
Social Networking Sites
Sites like Facebook and MySpace can be difficult to search. Certainly try searching them directly, but you might also do a site: search on a major search engine, like this one that searches Facebook for discussions about gardening.
Clearly, people are talking everywhere. Companies worry about negative discussion, but reality is that the discussion – good or bad — will happen whether you’re involved or not. The first step is to understand who your customers are, where they are, and to listen. Social networking isn’t a fad. It’s just evolution of what we’ve always done — talk to each other.
At 10am pacific (about 45 minutes from now!), I’ll be giving a webinar on how companies can start having conversations with their customers online to learn more about them, create stronger relationships, and improve both their product offerings and customer loyalty.
I’m pretty sure that link will also work once the webinar is archived so you can view it later. You probably won’t still be able to ask questions though. Although you can ask them in comments here for a slightly less-than-real time response.
This is a post in two parts. First, a few words about marketing, and then, an answer, once and for all about Washington state’s primary and/or caucus situation. A couple of days ago, I mentioned that a great search engine optimization tactic is to provide useful information about what searchers are looking for. I know, it seems obvious, but it’s so simple that I think it can sometimes be overlooked. I noted that I did a search to find out the primary schedule for each state and I didn’t find a good result until #13. I suggested that political sites (candidates, activist groups, news organizations…) should figure out what their core audience might want to know and then create content for it. I gave a few examples in an article I did over at Search Engine Land about the use of the internet in this year’s election season.
I asked several other questions (about environmental issues, the war in Iraq, the economy) and official candidate sites weren’t returned on the first page for any of them. Candidate sites could be well served by a page that talks about the details of each major issue and how the candidate leans.
And proof that it works, my blog post about the primary schedule now ranks #1 for my original query, as well as for queries like “what is the difference in primary or caucus states”, “primary in each state”, and “when is each primary”.
One of the questions I asked in the original post was about the difference between a primary and a caucus and why Washington state has both. Suzan LeVine has put together a wonderfully comprehensive (and non-partisan) write up that she has titled “Caucuses For Dummies”. I’m copying her article with minimal edits below since I find the whole topic fascinating and I think a lot of other Washington voters are as confused as I was.
Caucus For Dummies: A Non-Partisan Primer On The Washington State Presidential Caucus and Primary By A Pre-First Timer
By Suzi LeVine
Key Messages
I have never been or participated in a caucus before. This year, however, I’m more inspired than ever to have input into this system (if you don’t vote, you can’t complain). However, I had a hard time finding the information that would help me. So – I started asking some questions and digging up information for myself and also to share with you – with the goal to help more people have a voice in this election.
Q: Since our caucus is on Feb 9th – after Super Tuesday – will it even matter?
A: Quite possibly. We don’t know how Super Tuesday will turn out – so it’s best to be prepared to attend and participate in the Washington Caucus. We could be at a place where every delegate counts. Also – after Super Tuesday, less viable candidates’ delegates may be in play – so – our delegates will still be valuable. Plus – what a cool way to fulfill your civic duty!
Edit from Vanessa: Turns out, our votes count even after Super Tuesday!
Q: If Washington State has a caucus, then what’s all this I hear about a primary?
A: It’s crazy, but in fact, Washington State has BOTH a caucus (on Feb 9th) AND a primary (on Feb 19th). BIG WARNING!!!! Don’t be fooled by the primary (especially since absentee ballots will be distributed on or around Jan. 30th). The caucus is first and has more impact on who the people of Washington select for their presidential candidates than the primary. Here are some specifics to be aware of:
In other words – if you’re a Democrat – your primary ballot for president doesn’t really matter that much. If you’re a Republican, it does. Either way – you should still go to your local caucus.
Q: What is the timing for the caucus?
A: 1pm is the latest you should arrive. The first ½ hour is when folks get registered and acquainted and when they start chatting. 1:30pm is when nominating can begin.
Q: What is the experience/what happens at a caucus?
A: Again – while I’ve never been, I’ve spoken with a few folks who have and it sounds nutty but fun (kind of like a Snickers bar). Here is what I understand the main steps to be:
Q: How do I know where my caucus is and what my precinct number is?
A: Your precinct number is on your voter registration card. However, your voter location IS NOT necessarily your caucus location. Use the tools listed below to find out your precinct number (if you don’t have your voter registration card) and/or to find out the caucus location.
Q: Can kids come?
A: Kids are allowed to come (they won’t count toward the total unless their going to be 18 by the election in November). OR – of course- you could find childcare.
Q: Do I have to have an ID?
A: I’m still trying to determine that. I don’t think so, but it’s safer to bring it – even if it’s your drivers license, voter registration id, etc…
Edit from Vanessa: Looks like you don’t need ID.
Q: Do I have to already be a registered voter?
A: NO – you can register to vote at the caucuses – as long as you’ll be 18 by the November election.
Q: Do I already need to be registered for a particular party? Or – if I already am, can I only participate in their caucus?
A: While you will need to choose a party (or stick with the one you’ve chosen), even if you are registered for a particular party already, you can change your allegiance for the day (although you can’t participate in both caucuses on the same day).
Q: What if I’m religious and don’t write on Shabbat? How do I register to participate in the caucuses?
A: The only writing that I could ascertain is the signature when you register. SO – in theory, you could show up and still present arguments and participate in it in that capacity. There is a form to fill out so that you can have a proxy in the actual process. I couldn’t find the one on the Republican’s website, but here’s the one for Democrats. However, this needed to be submitted by Feb 1st to actually count!
Q: How do I get selected as a delegate?
A: It is done during the caucus process based on who has the cleanest teeth. (LOL) Seriously, the people in a particular group for a candidate select their delegates from among that group.
Q: What are the dates for subsequent district/state/national gatherings?
A: April 5th is the next one. More info can be found on the respective sites – listed below.
For more information:
Seattlist also has a great post about the subject.
Sometimes search marketing is about optimizing your pages for phrases you want your site to be found for. But other times, it’s about paying attention to the latest trends and making sure that your site is answering the questions that are relevant to your content.
Super Buffy Tuesday?
Take for instance the current U.S. political season. I’m planning Buffy night this week, like I do most every week, and when I sent out an email suggesting Tuesday, Natala wrote back and asked if we’d be following primary results in addition to Buffy goodness. Huh. That’s not this week in Washington is it? I think maybe Tuesday is the day in California though. Surely a quick search will tell me.
Where’s the Primary Schedule?
I did a search for [when are the primaries for each state?] to woeful results. I mostly get pages describing the primary process and some stuff about Ron Paul (he has two listings on the front page; all other candidates have none). Should search engines be more sophisticated and understand that a “when” query is less about general explanations and more about dates? Maybe. But in the meantime, this is the type of situation that a smart marketer can make good use of. I get a great result at number 12: Boston.com’s coverage, which includes a handy map listing the dates for all primaries and caucuses (wow, that’s a weird word). The page also includes a text version of the information in a table. They also have a fairly good title tag (although I might add “dates” or “schedule” to it). I might also suggest an H1 tag and alt text for the “campaign08″ image that matches the image text, rather than uses the word “home”.
Apparently, lots of states(22!) hold primaries on February 5th, so I suppose it’s no wonder they call is Super Tuesday. Washington comes later (February 9th, and there’s some whole deal about how the state has both a caucus and a primary, which makes no sense, but in any case, nothing happens here this week other than the Buffy watching).
What’s the difference between a primary and a caucus anyway?
The primary process is a crazy one.
The boston.com page says “*Florida, Michigan, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Wyoming had half their delegates taken away by the Republican National Convention because they violated rules by moving up their primary/caucus date. Florida and Michigan had all their delegates taken away by the Democratic National Convention for the same reason.” How is that possible? How could people in charge of whole states not know the rules? How could the national conventions not notice the schedules had changed and warned them in advance? And speaking of primary schedules, how is it that New Hampshire state law requires it to have the first primary? Do they just have to keep moving it up if other states schedule earlier?
What is a caucus anyway? (Ask Yahoo! gets the first result for that and WikiAnswers gets the second, which is just more proof that content sites in this niche have opportunities to make sure comprehensive, useful answers available. Particularly as the Ask Yahoo! Answer is more about doing a search for the answer than it is about the answer itself; the article referenced by the answer ranks third for the query, ironically enough). And why is “caucus” spelled so crazy? Republicans in Maine have a caucus that lasts February 1st through 3rd. Why do they get two more days than anyone else?
More patriotic through search
I can’t be the only person feeling a little inadequate in my Americanness for not knowing the answers to these questions and the search results tell me that now’s the time to get some good content out there to help us all.
You can’t always see trends coming, but many times, you can look ahead be prepared with just the right answer. I’ll help you get started on some others that I might be needing soon:
Consider these my search engine optimization gift to you, for this super Tuesday. Known more fondly to my apparently unamerican self as Buffy night.
It’s quite possible that the greatest breakthrough of our time is online retail. What could be better than sitting in bed with your laptop, in comfy pajamas, browsing around, seeing what you want, then click, click, it arrives at your door? This internet shopping thing is truly a miraculous invention. I admit, I took this luxury for granted. I forgot those days of trudging uphill in the snow both ways, balancing my purchases on my back, at the mercy of the limited in-store selection.
But never again will I treat the privilege of shopping online so casually. I will treasure it like a precious gift, a delicate glass unicorn like Harmony’s minions got her in that one episode when she decided she would be Buffy’s arch nemesis. Before the days when Buffy needed to know the plural of nemesis. Nemeses?
I have learned my lesson and I share it with you so you too, can treat your online shopping options like a unicorn. Or something like that. It’s possible I’ve lost the metaphor.
Yesterday, I decided to purchase a few monitors (OK, three) and a TV at an online site that will rename unnamed. I merrily browsed around, clicked the little add to cart buttons, entered my discount code, then my credit card information and clicked that magical purchase button. The entire process took maybe five minutes. And then it happened. The dreaded error page. The page didn’t make much sense, just vague wording about a temporary error and how calling the 800 number would make things all better.
I foolishly listened to the error message. In retrospect, I realize that what I should have done was run screaming as far away from my telephone as possible. Or just gone to Fry’s. But instead, I dialed the phone. And was sucked into an inner vortex of hell. It was like Dante’s seventh circle only possible with more boiling blood rivers.
First, the initial conversation to even get to the same point I had been at when I clicked that happy little purchase button was 35 minutes. I do not exaggerate. 35 minutes to explain what I wanted and then explain again, and then explain about the discount code, and then, and I am not making this up, I had to go out to my car, fire up my broadband card on my laptop, and read the URL that I ended up on after clicking on the monitor and entering the discount code. It is less fun that you think to repeat into your cell phone, “no, then a slash, then an ampersand, then a p and an equals sign. no, equals, right, then a question mark…”. It’s pain like I hope even my worst enemy never has to experience. OK, maybe my worst enemy.
And then after confirming my address three times and my credit card twice, I thought the pain had ended. But she called back no fewer than eight times. Was the address in fact correct? Yes. Did I want my confirmation code? No, remember how I asked to have it emailed to me because I’m driving? Oh right. And then she couldn’t get my credit card to go through for some unknown reason. And then it went through fine. It was a never ending cycle of misery and torment.
Then I did some online research (the second greatest invention of all time!) and found that my discount code meant that I was still paying about $500 more than average for the TV I had ordered. So I had to call back. You might think I could at least cancel online, but of course I never actually got that email with my confirmation code. The person on the phone then couldn’t find my order. Did I mean the monitors? No, actually I meant the TV. After 12 minutes on hold, she tracked it down. And why did I want to cancel? Well, the whole $500 more thing. That was a factor. And while I was at it, could I also cancel the mounting hardware? But why would I want to cancel that? Well, you know, since I’m not buying the TV now, I don’t really need the hardware. I only had repeat myself three or four times before she agreed to cancel both.
Finally, I was done!
Only not so much. I got another phone call. Why am I canceling my TV order? I said that I had explained this when I canceled. Yes, but I had explained that to customer service, and this was the sales department. They needed to know too! I asked, couldn’t those two departments just talk to each other? No, they had to hear it from me. Of course they did.
So, two days and a total of over an hour on the phone and I may indeed one day get my monitors. At least I can wait and hope.
Oh online shopping. Please never go away from me again. I promise to treat you with care and respect forever. Like a unicorn.
