Statistics are everywhere, whether we’re talking about crime rates going down or high school graduation rates going up. It’s no different when it comes to websites, where we track metrics like page views, conversions, and bounce rates. Although we’d like to believe that we’re savvy about the numbers, we may not be as adept at interpreting them as we think. In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman explains why.

One Mind, Two Systems

Kahneman characterizes our two thinking systems as fictional figures called System 1 and System 2. System 1 operates automatically to quickly generate complex patterns of thought. We use this system when we perceive that one object is farther than another one or when we detect an angry tone of voice. Its capabilities can be innate, such as recognizing objects, while others are learned, such as reading and understanding social situations. Whether they’re inborn or acquired, System 1 thinking requires little or no effort on our part.

In contrast, System 2 thinking is deliberate. This system handles operations that require our attention, and we don’t perform them well if we’re distracted. We use this system when we focus on one person’s voice in a crowded and noisy room or when we search our memory to identify a surprising sound. System 2 thinking involves making choices and deciding what to think or do.

The Division of Labour

Although they function in different ways, they work together to make sense of the world. Both systems are active when we’re awake; System 1 runs automatically while System 2 operates in low-effort mode, using a fraction of its capacity. System 1 generates suggestions based on impressions, intuitions, and feelings. System 2 will usually adopt these suggestions with little or no modification. Most of what we think originates with System 1, but System 2 has the final say. However, when System 1 runs into a situation that doesn’t fit into the model of the world it constructed, System 2 is activated to help by searching our memory to find a story that explains the anomaly.

This division of labour works well most of the time because System 1’s models of familiar situations and short-term predictions tend to be accurate. It’s good at automatically identifying causal connections and events—even when it’s not a solid connection. System 1 suppresses ambiguity and spontaneously constructs stories that are as coherent as possible, and System 2 will generally accept that answer without questioning it. This story construction can work to our disadvantage in considering statistics.

The Wrong Focus

We tend to focus on the story rather than the reliability of statistics. In one example, Kahneman cited a study of kidney cancer rates in 3,141 counties in the US. The counties that had the lowest rates were mostly rural, sparsely populated, traditionally Republican, and located in the Midwest, the South, and the West. If we try to explain this pattern, System 1 brings up facts and associations that support an explanation for System 2. We would probably examine the rural characteristic because we associate it with clean living (access to fresh food and no water or air pollution). This explanation makes more sense than trying to explain the lower rate in terms of political views.

However, the counties that had the highest kidney cancer rates also had the same characteristics (rural, sparsely populated, Republican, same locations). Again, we might focus on the rural lifestyle, which might mean poor access to medical care, a high-fat diet, and too much tobacco. For both situations, we look for a story that explains the cancer rate. We’re so focused on explaining how a rural lifestyle contributes to a lower or higher cancer rate that we miss the fact that these areas are sparsely populated; as Kahneman points out, smaller sample sizes tend to yield extreme results more often. Rather than questioning the validity of the statistics, we skip over that to try to explain the results.

Objective Results

So what does this mean for you? When it comes to your website metrics, do some preparation before you gather data. Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Define your goals. The information you’re looking for will determine which metrics you’ll use. Are you trying to increase conversions? Do you want to make sure that your site is user-friendly? Are you looking for more information about your site visitors?
2. Decide which metrics to use. Before you begin measuring, make sure the metrics will answer your questions. For example, if you want to test the usability of your site, you should consider metrics such as the time taken for a task, the error rate, and the user’s subjective satisfaction.
3. Pick a tool that meets your needs. There are plenty of options out there, so do your research to find the best fit for your goals.
4. Make sure your statistics are reliable. Before you try to explain the statistics, make sure they have a solid basis. Are you looking at the right metrics? Is your sample size big enough? Is it composed of unique site visitors?

Remember that website statistics aren’t necessarily objective because you can interpret them subjectively based on your prior experiences and associations. If it’s your own site, you may be too close to what you’re measuring to analyze it. For example, you may be too invested in a design to objectively evaluate the metrics for the calls-to-action. Bringing in outside help to assess your site’s analytics can help ensure that your metrics are being measured and interpreted properly.

Image Credit: TEXample.net

Literary agents have a name for the thousands of manuscripts that come through their door each day from hopeful authors. It’s called the “slush pile”. The agent’s job is to read through that slush pile and pick out the few that are worth taking to market. Thus, when we read a book, we trust there has been some quality control. Similarly, when a reputable newspaper prints an article, we trust the editor has checked facts and news sources; furthermore, he has curated the information by giving prominence to the article based on his assessment of its newsworthiness.

On the Internet, anyone can blog, tweet, and YouTube. As a result, the content out there is the digital equivalent of a huge slush pile, all of it competing for attention from your target audience. What can you do to increase the success of your content marketing efforts?

Why Bother with Content Marketing?

If you want to be successful with content marketing, you have to believe that it will work. More to the point, you need to believe that it is necessary to your overall marketing strategy. Whenever consumers have the choice, they shut out traditional marketing. They ignore magazine ads, use PVRs to skip TV commercials, and mentally edit out banner ads on web pages. They don’t want to be pitched in an intrusive way, but they do want information that helps them make good decisions. Content marketing delivers intelligent, useful information in a digestible, consistent, and free format. In return, we hope our audience rewards us with their trust and their business.

Consider this. According to a study from the Custom Publishing Council and Roper Public Affairs:

• 80% of business decision makers prefer to get company information in a series of articles versus an advertisement.
• 70% say content marketing makes them feel closer to the sponsoring company.
• 60% say that company content helps them make better product decisions.

Not only that, but in a January 2012 survey of more than 1,000 marketing professionals, the Content Marketing Institute found that on average, 60% of participants had plans to increase their content marketing budgets in 2012. What’s striking about the results is that they represented a fairly even distribution of company sizes:

• 25% – micro (fewer than 10 employees)
• 29% – small (10-99 employees)
• 21% – mid-size (100-999 employees)
• 25% – large (1000+ employees)

Is Content Marketing Just Blogs and Social Media?

Nope. Done right, content marketing is something that permeates every communication with your target audience. Businesses are incorporating content marketing into:

• Articles
• Blogs
• Case studies
• Digital magazines
• eBooks
• eNewsletters
• Microsites
• Mobile content
• Podcasts
• Print magazines
• Print newsletters
• Social media (other than blogs)
• Trade shows/exhibitions
• Videos
• Webinars/webcasts
• White papers
• Product packaging
• … and more

If you are thinking “wow, this would change how we do marketing”, you’re right. To get successful results from content marketing, you really do have to think differently. You need to think like the editor of an omni-media company, with a variety of “channels” as listed above. The good news is that there’s so much bad content marketing out there, if you are able to deliver and promote consistently high quality content, you can be more successful than your competitors at this game.

Content marketing is about relationship-building, and relationships require trust. You don’t need a huge budget. Creativity, quality, and professionalism can take you a long way—that, and understanding what interests your customer outside of your specific product or service.

• What underlying problems are we trying to solve for the customer?
• How can we complement this information?
• Do they have, or aspire to, a certain lifestyle?
• Is their industry or technology sector in flux?

If you run an organic food delivery service, you may want to write about issues with genetically modified foods, provide recipes, sustainable fishing practices, or how you support urban gardens in poor inner-city neighbourhoods. If you sell financial services, provide links to government web pages about RRSPs and TFSAs and write up some case studies about financial makeovers.

Think Like a Managing Editor

How can you support your business goals through content marketing? The scope of your content marketing efforts depends on your business, communications channels, budget, target audience, and dozens of other parameters that you understand better than I do. At the same time, there are some tasks common to any marketing team who wants to integrate content marketing into the company’s campaigns.

Develop the messages. A managing editor is responsible for articulating the messages to communicate and drive business goals. The goal(s) could be: brand awareness, lead generation/customer acquisition, thought leadership, or increased website traffic. The messages you develop go to the top of every creative brief you hand out to writers and your social media community manager.

Develop the plan. You also need to determine when, where, and how to disseminate these messages through the various “channels”.  An editorial calendar, which lists the content you will feature on each channel, each week or month, is a great way to organize a plan. Try and schedule out a year’s worth of content. Good writing takes time and research, so give your team enough lead time.

Remember to insert internal and external events such as trade shows or product launches so that you can schedule content to support them. An editorial calendar is flexible, so feel free to tweak it in response to customer or company needs, so long as you maintain a consistent schedule. Think of how you always turn to your favourite newspaper column—you want your audience to do the same.

Each piece of content requires a purpose as well as a message.  Develop more detailed briefs for your content developers. Quality content requires time and research, and in the online world, you also need compelling graphics to convey information. You also need to promote the content once it goes out the door.  Work with your team to determine what each piece will need in terms of:

• Content. What is the key message? What information need does it fulfill for the customer? How does it support our business goals? What is the call to action (if any)?
• Design. What images or infographics should accompany the piece? How should it be laid out?
• Promotion. How do we let the world know? How do we alert bloggers and industry analysts?
• Network. Can we use this piece to collect comments, friends, followers, or emails? How can we monitor response?

Hire Professional Content Developers

The same survey from the Content Marketing Institute found that the biggest challenge for marketing departments is “producing the kind of content that engages prospects and customers”. When you make a commitment to content marketing, you need to commit time, budget, and resources.

Your content development needs to be handled by trained writers, graphics designers, and videographers, under the direction of Marketing. Each piece needs review, editing, and proofreading. Poor logic, bad sentence structure, and spelling mistakes will not advance your goal of being the experts that customers should come to for products and services.

Measure Results

One of the calls-to-action you should almost always include in your offline content is a way to link to your website. The reason is simple: you need to measure results over time, and one of the easiest metrics to capture is web traffic.

• Take baseline measurements of traffic. You can look at before/after statistics and also see how was traffic referred to your site.
• Create landing pages. Where appropriate, specific landing pages that support the referring content piece can increase conversion.
• Set up conversion funnels using analytics. You can track which pages visitors click on and help you determine the effectiveness of your web presence.

If you have social media channels, you can also collect online metrics. Traditional surveys are also useful for measuring engagement effectiveness. For example, between customers who receive your eNewsletter and those who do not, what is the awareness level of your newest product?

“Over time” is the key word because building relationships take time. So start now! Once you establish yourself as a source of helpful information, your target audience will also think of you as a trusted source for products and services.

The Promise of One-to-One Marketing

In a world of hype and unfulfilled potential, near field communication (NFC) devices and apps are making a strong case for going mainstream with a new class of services.  With 1.3 billion Internet users worldwide and companies such as Google, Apple, and RIM working on NFC-based tools and services, marketing professionals need to keep an eye on developments in this area.

What is NFC?

Near field communication (NFC) allows short-distance (“near field”), encrypted wireless data exchange for transactions and data communications between devices that are touching or in close proximity of less than 20 centimeters. Two NFC-enabled devices can exchange information or launch applications by simply touching with a tap or being close together.

Many smartphones already contain NFC chips, and while these are still early days for the technology, applications developers and retailers are betting that consumers will want the convenience of tapping and pointing their way to product information, discount coupons, file sharing, electronic business card exchange, gaming, Wi-Fi connections, routers, mobile payments, and much more.

While NFC sounds similar to Bluetooth for short-range communication, NFC is faster than Bluetooth; this matters because we have become an impatient society with a short attention span.  NFC devices don’t need passwords or pairing or waiting—they will automatically establish connection within 0.1 seconds—making NFC more appealing when you want to respond as soon as a customer taps for more information or gets within range of your promotion.

What are NFC Devices?

NFC hardware fall into two categories: NFC-enabled devices and NFC tags.

NFC devices have more intelligence and can exchange data with other NFC devices. Point-of-sale terminals, ticket readers, and other e-commerce equipment can be NFC-enabled to read or exchange information from another NFC device. The smartphone will be the NFC device of choice for consumers; airlines are already looking at using phones as boarding passes to reduce check-in delays, while transportation and entertainment venues are experimenting with NFC for ticketing.

NFC tags are passive and store data that can be read by an NFC-enabled device. Tags do not require batteries so they are ideal for retail posters or displays, providing information on-the-spot to shoppers. NFC tags and cards are technically the same, but cards may contain additional technology to secure data.

More Compelling Customer Interactions

In the world of retail and advertising, some see QR codes as the predecessor of NFC, a way to integrate digital with print media and link instantly to web content. QR codes, however, require the user’s active participation to initiate the interaction by scanning the code.

Like QR codes, NFC-enabled devices can connect consumers in the real world to digital marketing content. In addition, devices can exchange information quickly and automatically when they are in close proximity. This allows retailers proactive marketing opportunities such as offering daily deals or delivering product information as a shopper browses near an item.

Furthermore, since NFC is two-way, a consumer’s smartphone can download a discount coupon or an electronic ticket, and then “use” the coupon by touching the phone to an NFC-enabled cash register or ticket reader. Using a NFC-enabled mobile payment service, the consumer also can purchase the product on-the-spot, for a closed-loop shopping experience that requires very few steps from the user.

Better Data for One-to-One Marketing

This seamless experience between digital and physical worlds has benefits to the retailer beyond improving the customer experience. A competitive retail environment has stores vying for customer loyalty, and now the Holy Grail of marketing is to target individual consumers rather than a consumer demographic.

Shopper interaction via NFC provides the retailer with data to reward frequent shoppers, recommend new items based on previous purchases, or give a thank-you coupon to a new customer.  Retailers would be able to track the success of offers and refine their marketing and promotions to woo buyers in a way that builds brand loyalty and increases sales.

From a marketing perspective, data from NFC-enabled applications is a gold mine. This kind of business intelligence adds to the richness and accuracy of databases with information that provides both broad and extremely granular views of the target audience. NFC brings businesses closer to true one-to-one marketing, and if your business is quick to adopt this new technology, you may see some amazing possibilities.

Next month our  NFC series will continue with an in-depth look at usage examples of NFC.

Your homepage is the first encounter many customers have with your business. How important is it to make a good first impression?

75% of web users admit to making judgments about the credibility of an organization based on the design of its web site. – Source: Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility, Persuasive Technology Lab. Stanford University, 2003

68% of U.S. online shoppers agree that they will distrust a site that doesn’t have a professional appearance. – Source: eMarketer, 2006

83% of businesses use the Internet to research and find potential vendors. – Source: Enquiro: Business to Business Survey 2007.

An effective home page is the first step to conversion. Take this quick audit of your home page to determine whether you could improve your home page’s effectiveness.

1. Does your homepage have a clear goal?

The overall goal of your website is to sell your product or service, but the goal of your homepage might be to entice clients to enter the site. The home page needs to give the user a reason to continue. It is the gateway to the rest of your website. Before looking at anything else, what is the goal of your home page? A designer must be intimately familiar with your goals in order to create an effective design. Your content and design should combine to support that goal.

For example, if you provide a moving service for companies, your home page goal could be “to get a business owner to call for an estimate”. If so, you need to provide on the page that allows a customer to make the decision to call you or at least explore your site. You might want to list the other services you provide which make you a one-stop shop for moving such as: warehousing and storage, rentals, office moves, or employee relocation? In the example below, the home page provides not one, but two, incentives to get in touch: “Live Online Support” and “Request an Estimate”.

If you are a custom home design firm, perhaps your goal is “to attract clients who share our design sensibilities” because you want to establish a reputation for modernist home projects. Therefore, your home page needs less information, but the design should be clean, minimalist, and reflect a modernist aesthetic while showcasing some of your projects. It’s unlikely anyone will buy a home right off the website, so a call-to-action would encourage clients to call you up and start a dialogue.

2. Can users find what they expect to find?

There are some basic components that should be instantly identifiable and easy to find. Users need assurance that they will be able to find their way around the site. Think about where you would expect to find elements such as:

• Your logo and tag line
• Navigation menus
• Contact information
• Site search

3. Is there a reason for every design element on your homepage?

Minimize clutter and make it easy for users to discern the goal of your homepage. Widgets, fancy navigation, or animated images may be eye-catching, but unless they contribute to the overall functionality of the homepage and its goal, all they do is distract. Distraction makes it harder for users to find what they need, whether it’s information or navigation.

4. Does your homepage layout prioritize important content?

Not all content on a homepage is created equal. One way a good design can prioritize content is through layout – the position of text or design elements. If you had to prioritize the content on your home page, what would that hierarchy look like? Now look at where that content is positioned on your page.

Studies have shown that we scan content according to an F-shape. Our eyes begin at the top left of a page, then to the right, then down. Are the most important messages on your website laid out to take advantage of the F-shape?

Source: Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox, April 17, 2006: F-Shaped Pattern For Reading Web Content

5. Do you highlight important content?

Point 4 explains how content can be prioritized through correct positioning on a page. But within each area of a page, you may want to highlight specific content – which can be text or graphical elements. To make important elements really pop out, you can employ numerous tactics:

• Whitespace: isolates the content or graphical element to make it stand out more
• Size: a larger image or font will cue the user that this information matters more
• Contrast: a contrasting colour or font differentiates an element from its surroundings. There is a reason why BUY NOW buttons are always high contrast.

6. Does important information look like an ad?

We are so inundated with online ads that our brains now filter out content that displays like ads, no matter how important the information. If there are important messages or call-to-actions, avoid design elements or positioning that could make them look like ads. In a now-classic experiment, users were asked to find the population of the USA from the US Census Bureau website. Even though this information was located prominently in big red fonts on the top right of the page, only 14% of visitors read and found the information.

7.  Page response times matter

A 2006 study by Akamai and JupiterResearch identified the ‘4 Second Threshold’ as the average amount of time that an online shopper is willing to wait for a web page to render. It is now 2011. Computers are faster, networks are faster, and consumers are even more demanding when it comes to page response time. The homepage is the first contact customers have with your company. A fast-loading clean, crisp design will do more for your brand than a slow, content-heavy page. Go back to Point 3 – clutter. Clutter not only deters due to visual confusion, it can slow down page performance.

“Words make the sale.” Maria Veloso

Are you frustrated by the low conversion rate of your website? Do you need compelling copy that will convince clients to buy your product or service?

Web Copy That Sells by Maria Veloso is a guide for writing web copy that persuades clients to buy your product or service. As she points out, the text is the first thing that visitors look at on your website. Web sales are text-driven, so you need to make sure that your copy is doing its job.

Killer Copywriter

Maria Veloso, known as the Killer Copywriter, has written advertising copy since 1977 and has specialized in web copy since 1996. Her scientific approach to copywriting, which she shares in this book, has been effective offline and online.

Creating the Blueprint

The foundation of her copywriting technique is a set of 5 questions that helps you to articulate your clients’ needs and how you can help them. Once you have this basic framework down, you can use her tips for making the content persuasive and creative.

Crafting the Text

Veloso goes on to share many useful writing tips. One chapter lists some psychological motivators (which she cautions readers to use ethically). For example, you should always tell clients why they should comply with a request because they are more likely to perform an action when they’re given a reason. (”You must act now because this offer expires Oct. 30 and we can’t take any orders after that.”)

Overall, I found this book to be useful because of the practical advice and insights into how clients think. I would add this to my personal bookshelf, and I’ll be practicing her techniques in the weeks to come.

Buy Web Copy That Sells at Amazon.ca.

Image Credit: r3v || cls / cc

How I used the online power of Twitter to resolve a customer service issue in 5 minutes, which could not be dealt with after an hour on the phone.

We`ve all been there, listening to mind-numbing hold music for hours on end, being told by an automated voice over and over that “we are currently experiencing longer than usual wait times, your call is important to us and we will answer your call as soon as possible”. Or even worse: “all of our operators are currently busy, please call back later.”

I’m sure you’ll agree, these phrases are some of the most rage inducing out there, and this rage is multiplied further when your call is answered by:

a) somebody who you struggle to understand

b) somebody who has clearly had very limited training and does not have the power to deal with your issue,

or my personal favourite:

c) somebody who is situated on the other side of the world and has been awake for 18 hours answering calls, resulting in their level of concern for your particular situation the same as fighting a losing battle with a small insignificant insect crawling across their desk, which in some cases reflects the way in which you are spoken to.

Now I, like many others, am looking for more from a vendor in the way of customer service. I want to be dealt with in a prompt and efficient manner. I want to be in contact with somebody who can empathise with my issue. Someone who is willing to show some understanding and deal with my problem accordingly and not make me feel like ‘just another caller’.

This brings me to a recent experience of mine with a company that demonstrates each end of the customer service spectrum perfectly, and really started me thinking about the future of customer service as a whole. Now this company is a well known telephone provider here in Canada, and in the interest of anonymity I will refer to them as ‘Dog and Bone.’ (Cockney rhyming slang for ‘phones’ for my non-English audience.)

About a month ago, I decided the time had come for me to purchase a new mobile phone. It was brought to my attention that through years of loyalty to my current provider, I had built up a substantial amount of  ‘Dog and Bone’ dollars, a currency with which I could purchase my new phone. So I wandered down to my local retail outlet, picked out a phone and tried to buy it. Unfortunately, it was not in stock, but would be three days later.

“Not to worry,” I thought, “I’ve waited three years, three days is insignificant to me.” However, I was told that this particular day was the last with which I could use my Dog and Bone dollars without incurring a $25 (real money) charge for the privilege, but as my case was an exception I of course would bring this to someone’s attention upon my return and would avoid the charge.
Three days later I returned, collected my new phone and was again assured that I would not be charged. I was a happy customer.

As you can guess the story doesn’t end there. As I checked my bill in January, to my dismay, I found that I had been charged the said $25. As a man of principal (at least when it applies to me losing money) I decided that a phone call was in order. So I picked up the dog and bone and gave ‘Dog and Bone’ a call (clever, I know) to gain a refund.After around 10 minutes of listening to Lulu’s greatest hits supported by the album titled  ‘The most annoying synth string orchestra compilation in the world ever’, I was greeted by a very pleasant gentleman who thanked me for choosing ‘Dog and Bone’, for which I assured him he was very welcome.

So, with all pleasantries aside I told my story. I was told that, unfortunately, this was a mandatory charge for all customers and we will not be able to refund it. At this point the tone of the conversation turned slightly sour, but despite my pleadings I hit a brick wall, as I didn’t have evidence to substantiate my claim that the retail attendant had told me that I would not be charged. It was now clear to me that my perception of this being a customer service issue was flawed and that I was in fact being tried in a court of law, and my alibi was not standing up to scrutiny.

Realising that this particular prosecutor was unable to help me, I decided to go higher to gain satisfaction, and requested to speak with a manager. Unfortunately, after another 10 minutes on hold, a total of 45 minutes in total, I had to return to work and swallow my pride, begrudgingly admitting defeat and accepting that I would have to pay up.

Now I use social media on a day to day basis and view Twitter as a great way to meet new people, both for business purposes and on a personal level. From time to time, I will also use Twitter to express my opinions on different issues. If I enjoy something, then I will share my joy with my Twitter followers and give ‘props’ to the relevant party. In this case, however, I was not feeling overly joyous about the fact that I had wasted my lunch hour on a futile phone call. With this in mind, I posted the following tweet.

“I moved to Canada 2 years ago, and signed up with @dogandbone immediately, ever since they have been the bane of my life! Anybody else had any problems?”

I was looking to communicate my dissatisfaction, while at the same time hoping to engage one of my followers into a conversation, but the first correspondence I received was from @dogandbone, asking for more details on my problem.

Within 10 minutes, I had messaged the Dog and Bone Twitter rep the details, and they had assured me that I would receive a phone call within 24 hours to resolve the issue. Sure enough, less than a day later, I received a voicemail, apologising for the inconvenience, and informing me that the $25 fee been fully refunded.

Now obviously this pleased me greatly. From the despair of thinking I would never see my money again, I had achieved my goal! But it got me thinking: if I had utilised social media originally, whether it be Twitter or Facebook, then I would probably have resolved my issue much quicker and with much less stress!

So maybe the era of the call centre is over. Social media provides a completely transparent medium of communicating your issue for the world to see. No more private phone calls; just clear tweets about your problem, and clear responses from the business in question. Gone are the days of threatening to go to the press, the press is just a medium to communicate with the general public, and we can now communicate with the general public at the click of a button at any time! Companies like “dog and bone’ are no longer in a position to hide bad reviews and customer complaints, and the transparency of the internet dictates that they either treat customers fairly and with respect, or face the wrath of the social media generation, who have the power to spread bad publicity faster than you can say, “thank you for waiting, we appreciate your call”.

After 15 years of providing integrated Web solutions to businesses across Western Canada, Vancouver Internet marketing firm SmarttNet is setting out to help small and medium sized enterprises enter the profitable world of Web Analytics.

The recent addition of 4 Google Analytics Qualified Individuals to the company is a major expansion, but also a natural progression for SmarttNet, whose Chief Marketing Officer Martin Wong has always put hard numbers first when it comes to measuring the success of any marketing campaign.

“Web Analytics should be a cornerstone for any web strategy,” says Wong, “Especially with the economic downturn, it is absolutely essential for companies to measure and analyze any marketing activities. Web analytics can help you control your costs and optimize your return on investment by observing how your customers react and behave cross-channels.”

Google Analytics is a free and powerful tool that lets business owners measure website traffic and determine the effectiveness of their online marketing efforts. While it is free to install, small businesses stand to benefit greatly from the training and insights that Google Analytics Qualified Individuals can provide.

“Recent research from Forrester Research has shown that 75% of large enterprises consider Web Analytics technologies to be indispensable,” says Wong, “Through our expert implementation services and training programs, we want to bring the power of analytics to local businesses.”

SmarttNet is a full service Internet marketing firm with a long history of serving Vancouver’s business community. The company has roots as a connectivity provider and has since expanded to include co-location, web design, search engine optimization and social media marketing services.

With 4 Google Analytics Qualified Individuals in house, SmarttNet currently employs nearly ten percent of the 53 certified professionals in Canada.

For more information please contact

Jon Mandell
Writer and Media Specialist
jon.mandell@smartt.com
www.marketingsmartt.com

A lot of small business people that I speak with are very curious about online marketing, but don’t understand how it can directly increase their business. Many of them are seeing less return from their advertisements in traditional media like The Yellow Pages, newspapers and direct mailing campaigns, and are looking to explore new ways of expanding their market share. When the advantages of online marketing are laid out, it is easy to see how it is oftentimes a more cost-effective marketing solution for small businesses.

These are some of the many advantages that online marketing offers over traditional media outlets:

1. Reduced Cost

The starting cost of online marketing is only a fraction of the thousands of dollars that Yellow Pages, television and radio ads cost. For example, you can get a free listing on Google Local that will be just as effective as a costly online Yellow Pages ad. In addition, while traditional ads may only run for a short time, a search engine optimization campaign can deliver long-term results. You can also save money with online Pay-Per-Click advertising where it is easy to experiment with small ad volumes until you perfect your strategy and then expand your marketing budget when you are assured of a positive sales return.

2. Everything Is Measurable

When you place an ad in the newspaper or a magazine, it can be difficult to assess the direct sales impact for your business. With online marketing, everything can be tracked and illustrated in detailed graphs that illustrate traffic growth, leads and sales conversions from your specific search marketing campaigns. Using a free traffic analysis tool like Google Analytics, it is easy to calculate your return on investment (ROI) so you can appreciate the excellent value generated from your online marketing budget.

3. Brand Engagement

In the crowded market, you need to establish and maintain positive brand awareness and client loyalty. Apart from word-of-mouth and leveraging your personal relationships with your established clients, a website is the most important marketing tool a business can have. A regularly updated website with well-written content that maintains people’s interest is essential to showing people exactly how your business is distinctive – and how you offer the best value to your clients.

4. Demographic Targeting

The degree to which an online marketing campaign can target and measure the response from specific demographics and regions is often astonishing to business owners who normally use traditional media. New demographic prediction and online advertising platforms allow you to specifically target the specific consumer demographics most likely to buy your products. In particular, if you want to target young people between the ages of 16-30, you’ll need an online marketing strategy to reach them where they spend the bulk of their time: On the Internet and on social media sites.

5. Real-Time Results

With online marketing you don’t have to wait weeks to see a significant boost in your business. With a paid search marketing campaign you can experience real-time results that enable you to fine-tune your marketing message to achieve your desired effect. If your marketing strategy isn’t working effectively, real-time monitoring tools allow you to easily pin-point exactly where you are going wrong.

6. Easily Refine Your Strategy

Using online marketing analytics and tracking tools you can test conversion rates at a fraction of the cost of a traditional media campaign. Online marketing levels the playing field and allows savvy small businesses to compete in competitive niches that previously would only be open to large corporations and their massive marketing budgets. If your marketing strategy is not bringing in the return on investment (ROI) that you desire, you can work to perfect it without having to launch an expensive new campaign as would be required with most traditional media outlets.

7. Long-Term Exposure

The benefit of an organic search marketing campaign that optimizes a website for specific keywords is that you will achieve a long-term return on your investment. Once your website’s visibility is well-established with search engines, it is easy to do regular low-cost maintenance of your strategy. The early adopters of new online marketing platforms like social media marketing will have a significant head start over their competition.

8. Product Information

Today’s savvy consumers want to compare reviews and opinions of friends, trusted bloggers and industry experts before they make a decision. If you can provide quality, linkable information that is what people are looking for, then the next step of converting users into paying clients can be very easy. With social media networks like Facebook and Twitter re-enforcing the value of positive word-of-mouth exposure, trust is more important than ever in the marketing field.

9. Less Intrusive

Most savvy consumers dislike intrusive traditional marketing methods like direct mailing, print ads and television advertisements. When someone buys a newspaper or magazine, they want to read interesting articles not be bombarded with irrelevant ads. While mediums like television can still be useful for maintaining awareness of large corporate brands, it is not an effective medium for most small and medium-size businesses. With online marketing, you can target consumers precisely when they are searching for products and services that your business can provide.

10. Holds Their Attention

When people read the newspaper or a magazine they may scan over the advertisements beside the article but there is no way to engage their attention. With online marketing you can encourage them to take action, visit your website and read about your products and services which results in vastly increased “stickiness” of your marketing message.