• Search & Social 2012:  What’s changed?  What hasn’t?  What you should be thinking about.

• Yikes! There are way too many social media platforms and it’s always changing! How do I manage it all? 

• Social Media & Email: How they play nicely together and what you need to do. 

The sessions will include guest speakers, a panel, some live demos, Q & A, and networking. We’ll go beyond the hype and attendees will walk away with practical knowledge that they can use.

Seating is limited for this free event and our clients and partners will get the chance to register first.  If you’re interested in attending and we can’t fit you in, don’t worry, we’ll be live tweeting and posting blog updates. Plus,  we’re already thinking ahead to our next event!

More details are coming soon and we look forward to hosting our clients, partners, and friends of the company. In the meantime, contact us for more information!

All of us have heard of the power of Social Media in regards to consumerism. Since the first product was sold the power of the message has always been with the merchant. They could disperse the marketing messages, create a brand and most importantly control their own PR.

Now, the power of the information is in the consumers hands. Peer-to-peer recommendations, reviews, blogs and an abundant amount of information are readily available with a search and click. This also applies to Customer service. Companies are monitoring Social Media for bad press and reviews and in turn using it as a CS platform to respond. I had a recent incident with an online retailer where I felt the power of the customer service process was in my hands.

I went online to buy some athletic equipment for a local youth wrestling club where I coach. We play dodge ball before each practice and I needed a set of new dodge balls before our first spring practice. I felt the overall price and online experience was good with this retailer. I even expedited the shipping to get the package on time. However, when the product arrived I opened it to find six dodge balls the size of oranges. The description clearly stated 6” diameter balls.

Now, I was frustrated because we wouldn’t be able to use the dodge balls for the first day AND I expedited the shipping. As I was about to angrily type an email I remembered a little tidbit my dad used to always say; “You get more flies with honey than vinegar.” With that in mind, here is what I sent.

In response I got a rather terse message with a link to their return policy that indicated I would be charged a 15% restocking fee and not refunded shipping.

Here is where I wielded the power of Social Media while still being nice:

In response I received a full refund and even an apology:

After this I did give them a good review (mentioning Louis) on their customer service response. I still don’t know if I would purchase from them again but by working with the customer instead of against me they saved themselves from a potentially bad review.  Next time you get upset with any Customer service person remember three things:

1. They have a tough and thankless job
2. Be nice
3. You get more flies with honey than vinegar

I continually find myself going back to the old Google Analytics less and less now.

Some of the features that are now available aren’t exactly “new”, but that’s OK. I’m just happy to have some of the basic features once available on the “Old” version (for example: ability to email reports and the simple matter of a PDF export).

Thankfully, Google didn’t just stop there. They improved the functionality and made it much easier to save and share reports created using  advanced segments!

Below is a real life example (details blurred out of course) that shows the top part of an E-commerce sales report broken out by product. The data is further segmented to just show me which sales resulted from returning visitors who arrived on the site via organic search. In other words, they had already been to the site at least once, but for some reason needed search to get back and complete a purchase (OK, I’ve done that, too).

This report shows how valuable a visitor returning to the site via organic search is. The actionable takeway here is to leverage retargeting, email, social, and other techniques designed to get that repeat visitor.

The functionality shown in the screenshot above is nothing new.  Web Analytics is really only valuable if you understand your different audience segments. Taken as a lump sum, a number may look good on powerpoint presentation to the board, but you can’t really take detailed action on that data.

What is relatively new (or in some cases just available again) are some of the additional features that Google recently added which allow for easy saving and sharing:

Great share / save capabilities!

1) Customize Button: Now you can easily convert your segment into a “Custom Report” with the click of a button and a few thought out keystrokes:

Save yourself time now that you can easily create a custom report from an advanced segment.

2) Email Reports: This feature used to be available (in a more limited form) on the old version of Google Analytics. If you have a product manager interested in seeing only data concerning his line, you can get him that (think about it before you do though – remember that what he wants might not be what he really needs).

Plenty of options available: Duration, frequency, time, format

Two things to be mindful of when using this functionality:

a)  Be careful who you send this to and why. Any report (even a properly segmented one) that arrives automatically as an attachment via email won’t have the most important piece of all: That would be proper context spelled out along with your analysis of what to do with the data. That piece requires manual inputs from you.

b) Too much use of this functionality will add to an inbox that is likely already over-cluttered and result in reports being ignored (yup, I’ve been guilty of that before, too).

3) Export Capabilities: Nothing new here, but a useful feature has returned. With the old version of Google Analytics, you could export a report to a PDF with ease. This function was missing on the new version until recently. Given the recent functionality upgrades that allow you to slice your data into even more relevant segments, the PDF export function is even more useful.

PDF Exporting Capabilities - Now available in the "New" Google Analytics

4) Add to Dashboard: The one click “add to dashboard” function is not new at all. It’s been around for a long time:

However, my opinion is that this feature is now much more useful given the amount of data slicing you can with all of the advanced features of the New Google Analytics.

You can easily add a segmented report to an existing or a new dashboard.

Pretty cool, huh? I thought so too. I find myself looking at the old version of Google Analytics less and less every day. Before you dig in, just a few quick notes of caution followed by a shameless plug.

Notes of Caution:

• Understand exactly what your goals and business objectives are before going crazy with segmentation. Making decisions after creating the wrong segment could end up being worse than not slicing your data at all.
• Think, but don’t over-think it. If you end up with too many automated reports of sliced data, you’ll be overwhelmed and won’t be able to take action on all of it.
• This is a separate post, but make sure you know the differences involved in sending a report to a C-level executive (who may not understand the in’s and out’s of what you do) vs. a peer.

Shameless Plug:  We live this stuff daily so if you have any questions, we’d love to talk to you.

Photo Courtesy: iStockPhoto.com

It’s no secret that March Madness started this week. As I filled out a couple brackets, I wondered, what is someone else’s method for putting together their picks? How would their picks help me understand their potential skills as a web analyst?

First, a disclaimer:   I am by no means an expert at picking a bracket. There have been years when I won it within my group and years when I finished dead last and had completely lost hope before the tournament got down to the Sweet 16 level.

With that, I thought I would briefly break down the different approaches I’ve seen people do over the past few years:

1) Simplify the Data

Maybe your bracket has both Michigan (East) and Wisconsin (Midwest) making it to the final 4 (both #4 seeds) with the Wolverines moving onto the championship game based on the fact that Michigan won the head to head match 59-41 during the Big Ten Season. You don’t look any further, you just know that Michigan won so it makes sense they would again. You don’t check any further to see if a key player was injured for the Badgers, where the game was played, intangibles, etc.

If you take this approach as a web analyst, it can lead you down a dangerous path. You’re likely to make decisions on data that hasn’t been segmented, questioned, or fully understood. For example, you might look at conversion data as a whole (orders, leads, etc.) instead of breaking it down by specific traffic or promotional source.

2) Overanalyze the Data

This mistake is common to horse racing as well. If you overanalyze the data, you know that not only did Michigan beat Wisconsin 59-41 during the regular season, you’re aware that the Badgers couldn’t get any shots to drop (of course the fact they had only 41 points should give you a clue there).

3) Just Go With the Favorites

If this is your strategy, it’ll work about once every ten years (a few years ago I won my bracket by taking a lazy “all top seed”) method. An example of applying this methodology as a web analyst would be conducting a head to head test on a promotion, but making the (often) erroneous assumption that the results can be applied like a blanket to all your marketing activities.

4) Pick all Underdogs

There’s nothing more American than picking an underdog, right?  Sometimes I like this strategy. With apologies to the perennial top seeds, it is kind of fun to see the whole bracket get shook up when an underdog takes an early game.

So if you apply this approach to your web analytics, you likely have an unconscious prejudice that leads you to look for data that supports an unconventional approach. You love the idea of standing up in front of an executive team and saying “Hey, no one thought this would work, but look at the data.”

5) Just Guess

While this can work about once every 10-15 years for an NCAA bracket, you shouldn’t plan on having a career as a web analyst.

6) Mimic the “Experts”

You know what’s really fun? I love seeing my bracket do better than some “expert” on ESPN. If you do constantly mimic the experts, you employ a “bobblehead” mentality.  As a web Analyst, this approach can work up to a point. Follow the practical advice of industry thought leaders like Avinash Kaushik & Eric T. Peterson, but do more than just copy what they do. You know your brand better than anyone so you should have your own insights into how to best analyze and interpret the data.

7) Undefined Mixed Methodology

One of our team members told me that a friend of hers based her entire bracket just on which mascot would likely beat the other one in a fight.

Another one of my team members bases it on favorite colors.  You wouldn’t think it, but this approach actually translates OK in the world of a web analyst and here’s why: You need to use both sides of your brain.  Data only tells you so much. You also need to be able to think of some really creative solutions to be able to take action on what you’re interpreting from the data.

Combo of All (or some of) the Above:

Here’s the deal: All of the approaches in 1-7 can be right and they can also be wrong at different times.  If your bracket approach contains components of at least some of these methods, then you likely have that proper left brain/right brain balance needed to successfully analyze web analytics data and take action on it.

So where do you think you fit?  Maybe you have an entirely different approach. Either way, I’d love to hear from you.Thanks and good luck with your bracket!

Now what does that have to do with paid search landing pages? Successful paid search landing pages will have to move from landing pages that only serve to get the customer to fill out a form to those that focus on addressing what the customer really wants. In the next era of landing pages it’s about giving customers the information they need, and being confident enough in your product that your customer would, after getting the information for free, still want to contact you.

The new paid search landing pages are really going the direction of micro-sites that offer up all the information that companies used to hide behind the form. What makes a micro-site better than a one page landing page? By creating a 4-5 page micro-site you have the ability to get beyond the surface and really draw the customer into why you’re better than the competition, and convince them that they want to speak to you instead of assuming they already do.

Now you’re probably thinking won’t my “leads” go down if I don’t require the customer to fill out a nice long form and isn’t that bad? Well yes leads will go down, but that’s not bad because the quality of the lead will be better.  Here are my top two key points to take into account as you look to revamp your landing pages in 2012.

Don’t hide behind the form – Share the Information. In the old landing page cycle you had to give up your personal information to get what you wanted. As more customers have become internet savvy and have been bombarded by emails they have become more hesitant to give up their email address to simply get information they feel should be free. Change your way of thinking of landing pages from getting contact information and having to sell yourself to the customer to letting the micro-site do the selling and utilize your sales team to follow up with customers who really want to be contacted. While this thinking might decrease number of leads, this change in thinking will help drive better quality leads, which your sales team will no doubt be thankful for.

Good Design is Key – The Google Preview Tool. With the new Google preview tool searchers can see what the landing page looks like before even clicking on your ad. Would you rather click on an ad for a page with information concerning your pain points or one where all you can do is fill out a form? As more people utilize the Google preview tool, if you continue to utilize a page with a form, you will no doubt see the performance of your paid search suffer. Create a compelling design that reflects your company’s brand image and contains relevant content to improve click-through-rate and cost-per-click. You can no longer hype what your customer will get within the paid search text ad and not deliver on the landing page, the customer will know before they even click. Failure to realize this will begin to affect your click-through-rate and therefor your cost-per-click and relevancy ranking. You have been warned!

Would you click here knowing that is what you’re going to get?

Google Preview Image

Responsibilities:

• Act as support for a set of clients with varying interactive marketing requirements
• Work with the Management team, Marketing Managers, and partner vendors to help drive cost effective online campaigns for Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, and Customer Retention through the following vehicles:
• Search Engine Marketing (PPC & SEO)
• Email Marketing
• Post-Click Optimization
• Social Media / Word of Mouth
• Marketing Automation
• Work with internal experts to make recommendations and drive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy for client sites through various site audits and analysis.
• Analyze and report on client results and provide actionable data to clients & management team
• Participate in client meetings to ensure proper follow up
• LEARN! Your job will be to learn about our processes and clients and translate that knowledge into actionable tasks that help us and achieve our objectives.

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

• 1-3 years of Interactive marketing experience, agency experience is a plus!
• BA or BS, ideally with emphasis in marketing, advertising, computer science or related field
• General knowledge and interest in Interactive marketing
• Understanding of Cost Per Click (CPC), Search Engine Optimization, and Social Media
• Exceptional communication and writing skills
• Ability to work independently and in a group setting
• General knowledge and willingness to learn Google AdWords & Analytics, Omniture SearchCenter, Bing/Yahoo Search
• Willingness to learn new skills and step outside of the box
• Sense of humor and energy

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary commensurate with experience
• Health Benefits
• Participation in an employer sponsored retirement plan
• Flexible hours and opportunities to work from home
• Summer hours & an awesomely fun work environment

Why NordicClick?
You’ll be part of a team that is on the cutting edge of Interactive marketing. Your insights and knowledge will help us continue to grow the business and add value to our great clients. As an Interactive Marketing Coordinator, you will gain exposure to interactive marketing, web strategy and best in class client service by being part of our team. You will earn and improve your experience in Interactive marketing which will benefit your career.

NordicClick Interactive was founded in 2006 by 3 industry veterans. Our rapid growth rate and expanding existing base lends itself to a tremendous learning experience for this position.

If Interested:
Please send your resume to jobs@Nordicclick.com and explain why you feel you would be a great fit for the Interactive Marketing Coordinator position.

I’ve been hearing the phrase “email is dead” for quite a few years now and it’s still far away from middle age. Email has been around since my freshman year in college (feel free to do the math), and like a fine wine, it hasn’t gotten stale, it’s gotten better with age. Email marketing is, in my opinion, one of the main catalysts to all things online marketing. Sure, part of its main purpose is to let us know that our online purchase is complete or in transit, but that same email also tells us about other products or services that we may not know about. The great thing about email is that we, as experts, are all getting smarter about it, at least I think we are. It’s unusual now to find an email service provider that doesn’t have killer tools to allow us to be laser focused on our target.

Sitting at my little lab table at OMS, I was surprised over and over again at how many people just aren’t participating in any email program. Or, if they are, it was a program that they set up over a year ago but hadn’t put any focus on it whatsoever. We all get so distracted by the new big shiny object (Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, etc…) that we sometimes forget about one of the easiest and most cost effective ways of reaching our customers. With very little effort you can scale and optimize most email programs. I’ll ask another question, how often do you check your Facebook email?

Each session brought forth different issues and various types of companies, but each ended similarly as I told them to “start simple” or “go back to the basics”, or “try a new way to acquire names and better data”. No matter what though, they all heard the same line from me – Email is not dead, and you better make sure to jump on the bandwagon. It’s a tried and true method of online marketing… and it ain’t going away.

It seems like no conference would be complete without someone writing a cheesy “Top Reasons” post, so here’s ours. Below are the top reasons that we support OMS and why we think you should too:

1. OMS is about education – period. Yes, there will be booths, exhibits, and demos. The sponsors will be very happy to tell you how great their products & services are, but they are also challenged to provide you with educational material (full disclosure, NordicClick is a proud sponsor of OMS).

2. Some of the best minds in online marketing will be present. You’ve read their books, blogs, tweets, and posts. Now learn from them in person. See the lineup here.

3. Don’t just learn from the presenters. Network with them as well! The speakers are all very approachable at cocktail hour or in between sessions and are more than happy to talk to you to answer any follow up questions you may have.

4. San Diego is a great, great place to be in February – especially if you come from a northern climate (although to be fair, this winter has been very tame by Minnesota standards). Trust me, it’s hard to not love this city.

5. There’s  “booing rule”. You heard it right, I’m not kidding. Boo away if speakers spend too much time talking about themselves or their company. The speakers are there for the benefit of the attendees and for that reason alone. Most conferences have rules stating that speakers are not allowed to do a sales pitch, but founder Aaron Kahlow actually encourages the audience to boo if a presenter begins to head down that path.

6. There’s great stuff for everyone. If you’re a beginner, sign up for a Boot Camp. If you’re a more advanced marketer, then make sure you catch the SES Search & Social Accelerator session on Thursday.

7. OMS is filled with practical takeaways. There won’t be fluff or futuristic flying car predictions – just practical, actionable learnings, tools, insights, and takeaways.

8. The venue rocks. Seriously, you have to check it out. Click here for more details.

9. You can attend any number of  free one-on-one lab consultations to pick the brain of an industry expert for 20 minutes.  Subject matter will include topics such as search, analytics, email, social media, site optimization, and much more. This is your chance to get a free consultation with some of the best in the business.

10. Did I mention the “booing rule”? How can you not love a conference with a “booing rule”?

It’s not to late to register for the conference. Go to this link and get a 25% discount with the following code: CPPVMS03

Thanks for reading and we hope to see you there.

Responsibilities:

• Lead & manage a set of clients with varying interactive marketing requirements
• Manage and drive client relationships to help build their digital strategy
• Work with the internal teams, specialists and partner vendors to develop cost effective online campaigns for Lead Generation, Lead Nurturing, and Customer Retention through the following vehicles:
• Search Engine Marketing (PPC & SEO)
• Email Marketing
• Post-Click Optimization
• Social Media / Word of Mouth
• Marketing Automation
• Work with internal specialists to make recommendations and drive Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy for client sites through various site audits and analysis.
• Analyze and report on client results and provide actionable data to clients & management team
• Lead client meetings and ensure follow up on all discussions both internally and externally
• LEARN! Your job will be to learn about our processes and clients and translate that knowledge into actionable tasks that help us and achieve our objectives.

Ideal Candidate Qualifications

• 2-3+ years of account management and internet marketing experience required
• BA or BS, ideally with emphasis in marketing, advertising, computer science or related field
• Deep knowledge and interest in Interactive marketing
• Understanding of Cost Per Click (CPC), Search Engine Optimization, and Social Media
• Exceptional communication and writing skills
• Ability to work independently and in a group setting
• Willingness to learn new skills and step outside of the box
• Sense of humor and energy
• Knowledge of Google AdWords & Analytics, Omniture SearchCenter, Bing/Yahoo Search

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary commensurate with experience
• Health Benefits
• Participation in an employer sponsored retirement plan
• Flexible hours and opportunities to work from home
• Summer hours & a fun work environment

Why NordicClick?

You’ll be part of a team that is on the cutting edge of Interactive marketing. Your insights and knowledge will help us continue to grow the business and add value to our great clients.

• NordicClick Interactive was founded in 2006 by 3 industry veterans. Our rapid growth rate and expanding existing base lends itself to a tremendous learning experience for this position. As an Interactive Marketing specialist, you will gain exposure to digital marketing, web strategy and best in class client service by being part of our team. You will earn and improve your experience in Interactive marketing which will benefit your career.

If Interested:

• Please send your resume to jobs@Nordicclick.com and explain why you feel you would be a great fit for the Interactive Marketing Specialist position.