Many marketing directors and small business owners that are a part of our social media campaigns are looking for the ‘big’ answer which is, “how can I figure out my return on investment (ROI) of my social media campaigns?”

In many of our SEO campaigns, we’ve looked at viewer’s measurement online. We are focusing now on one of the most difficult areas to track, which are of course, social media campaigns.

Start Fresh

Conventionally, businesses use ROI as part of their planning process. The question is simple, “Is this an idea is worth doing?” To find the answer, businesses try to measure the cost of the investment against the anticipated result.

However, when it comes to social media, some businesses approached ROI the wrong way. Social media shouldn’t just be the #1 goal in any business. It should be considered as a part of an overall business plan to reach a certain objective (i.e. promoting a certain product or improving customer relations). There’s an enormous difference between: “We need a Facebook page” and “We need to learn more about our customers through our Facebook page.”

When businesses try to gauge a certain strategy, they should ask themselves 5 questions to help them decide on what to move forward with:

1. How many people are talking about your product, service or topic?
2. Which ways are people are talking about your information (positive / negative / neutral)?
3. How many social media sites (or off-page sources) are working with your conversation?
4. How much reach does the followers or fans talking about your campaign have?
5. With what you are talking about, how much of the conversation is 100% focused on your business?

Once the answers have been compiled, look at the results before diving into a huge campaign or promotion. It might just surprise you that what you thought might work as a way to market your business online, might just not be recognized positively (or at all) on your social media channels.

Give Me a Number!

Many different sites (like Klout, Radian6, etc.) measure general popularity, but it’s difficult to get accurate details and they can easily be manipulated to produce higher ‘scores’.

There are ways to calculate the monetary value of your fans. You can figure out how much more an engaged fan is worth to you – such as whether he or she is more likely to spend twice as much as a casual fan – and compare that to your social-media costs to see whether it was worth recruiting them. But putting a value on your engaged fan in the first place can require surveys or other investments.

Many business owners need to look at social media strategy as an overall long-term goal made up of smaller campaigns and promotions thoughtfully pulled together with focused strategies from the beginning. By realizing the many campaigns that make up their overall social media strategy (and a lot of patience!) they will truly see their ROI climb over the course of 6 -12 months.

That being said — some tech watchers say 2011 was the year of social media, and 2012 will be the year of social metrics. If so, we’ve reached the year of the ‘true beginning’.

Triangle Direct Media will be attending the annual IRCE 2011, Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition on June 14th – 17th in San Diego, CA. This year’s IRCE theme is “E-Commerce Shifts Into Overdrive—the Race Is On”. The conference is designed to give e-retailers information and the tools they need to stay competitive in today’s e-commerce market. TDM will have SEOtool demo setup for e-retailers to learn about how SEOtool can help their online business by boosting organic rankings through error free site architecture and on-page optimization.

Learn more about the IRCE 2011.

We love sharing new, relevant studies and trends with our blog readers. Below is a forward looking study where Top Rank Blog polled more than 200 Internet Marketing decision makers on which Internet Marketing Channels they planned to invest in for 2011. While we know most of our clients are currently focused on gearing up for this Christmas Season, we did want to share the future trends of web spend and where budgets are going. If you’re already planning or discussing budget allocation in 2011, please take note.  In total, more than 40 different Internet Marketing vehicles received responses but the overwhelming favorites were #1 Search Engine Optimization, #2 Social Network Participation & #3 Blogging.

While we are biased towards our own offerings, it is exciting to see that 3 of Top 5 channels that will receive the highest percentage of Internet Marketing Spend in 2011 are our 3 Primary Areas of Expertise!

• Search Engine Optimization (via SEO tool, SEO Consulting & link building campaigns)
• Blogging (via blog design, blog marketing & link building campaigns)
• Content Marketing (via educational/authority content & distribution services that generate quality backlinks)

Do you know where your business and its website(s) have the greatest areas for improvement?  Market share opportunity?  Competitive Advantages? Feel free to include your thoughts and comment on this post.  You can go here for the full study & additional commentary.  If you’d like to discuss your 2011 Internet Marketing Initiatives and where your budgets are best spent, we’d love to talk to you!  Don’t be shy, contact us.

Channel Advisor just released its bi-annual study titled “How Consumers Shop Online”.  As an industry leader in shopping comparison engines & product feeds, CA knows a thing or two about consumer shopping trends for the advertiser’s they serve.  The study comprised 850+ individuals in nearly 30 states, ages 18-65 years old.  To access the full report, click here.

Here are some key takeaways for online retailers to strongly consider as they plan for the Holiday Shopping season and into the future:

• “81 percent of consumers begin their product searches with Google and 11 percent begin with Yahoo”
• “Consumers are using more sophisticated, specific searches to seek out the exact products and deals they want. As a sign of this trend, Google recently reported an eight percent increase in searches comprised of three words or more.“
• “Free shipping, peer reviews/ratings, free returns and the ability to view products from multiple angles are the most influential purchase drivers on
  a retailer’s storefront”
  
• Advertisers are using a diversified mix of shopping comparison engines to help promote their brands and other primary traffic sources such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, Email marketing, etc.  Below is a breakdown of where CA customers are investing in comparison engines:
  

As this study indicates, search engines continue to lead the way for online retailers as a source of traffic, product research & comparison, finding deals and finding new brands.  Of that source, search optimization should continue to be a focal point for retailers as it’s the greatest area for improvement, yields the best ROI and provides the longest term impact.  It is important that eTailers consider ways to sell more through a multi-channel approach such as shopping comparison engines, affiliate marketing, email marketing, etc.  Use some of this proven information as outlined above to plan your efforts for the holidays & going into 2010.

A recent study conducted by Forbes called the “2009 Advertising Effectivness Survey” has proclaimed that both Viral Marketing and Search Engine Optimization will experience the fastest growth and highest percentage spend increase in company budgets throughout 2009.  The study surveyed more than 100 key CMO’s and Marketing Executives who hold roles in advertising, marketing and media.

Key findings from the report include:

In the coming six months, respondents expect that ad networks will see the biggest declines in allocation of marketing spend; viral marketing and SEO will likely see the biggest increases.

$1MM+ respondents are significantly more likely than total respondents to point to viral marketing (54% vs. 42%), SEO (50% vs. 40%) and pay-per-impression ads on digital publications (36% vs. 26%) as areas where investment is expected to increase over the next six months.

As a leader in innovative SEO, viral marketing and social media marketing services, TDM is well prepared to work with clients seeking to leverage and exploit the benefits of these highly-efficient online marketing channels.  Feel free to contact us for a free new media marketing consultation and to learn how your company can take its online marketing to new levels of success!

The Pew Research Center has released some very informative data on the shifting landscape of Internet usage by age group under its Pew Internet & American Life Project.  For the sake of time, we have recapped some key findings below that matter most to Internet Advertisers trying to engage and connect with various age groups.  The majority of this data was collected via telephone surveys from August 2006 – August 2008 and has a 4+/- % margin for error.  For the full report, go here.

PIP Survey Highlights

Generation X (Internet users ages 33-44) continues to lead in online shopping. Fully 80% of Generation X Internet users buy products online, compared with 71% of Internet users ages 18-32. Interest in online shopping is significantly lower among the youngest and oldest groups; 38% of online teens buy products online, as do 56% of Internet users ages 64-72 and 47% of Internet users age 73 and older.

This dynamic is somewhat predictable but should reinforce confidence to online advertisers for the simple fact that on average, higher income families fall within both the Generation X and Baby Boomer age groups.  Due the frequency of online activity amongst Teens and Generation Y (see report for full details), their adoption to online shopping could be a higher percentage than Gen X within the next 5-7 years; once their disposable income increases then they will more likely spend money using the technology they’ve been raised on: the Internet.

In 2005, half (50%) of Generation Y Internet users had booked travel arrangements online, and, in 2008, that number rose to 65%. During the same time, the percentages of Generation X and older generations to make online travel reservations remained about the same.

Generation X internet users have also maintained their edge in online banking, as they are significantly more likely than any other generation to do their banking online (67%). As Generation Y users get older, however, they have grown much more likely to bank online as well: the percentage of online Generation Y to do their banking online is up from 38% in 2005 to 57% in 2008. There has been no significant growth among older generations when it comes to banking online.

Finally, below are a couple of other key highlights where online marketers should take note — in particular with total usage, videos and the potential reach of viral blog marketing:

Online Activities by Age Group

Most companies typically go through a major website redesign initiative every 2-3 years.  Larger corporations sometimes every 1-2 years.  MediaPost’s Search Insider Blog has outlined some very relevant advice to ensure that a redesign does not destroy current search engine rankings, but hopefully leads to a lift in organic rankings.

Team Collaboration

Below are some of Search Insider’s primary suggestions by Rob Garner:

• Use site language and messaging that is consistent with the user’s perception of your product or service.

Keywords are the language of your users in search engines.  Be sure that your copy not only connects well to the users but also search engines.  Writing in the language of the customer will most likely match up to what search engines are looking for, but don’t forget to do some keyword research to reinforce key concepts and consequent keywords to best optimize content relevancy.

• Read your log files (and/or review analytics reports)

Often overlooked by in-house or contract web designers, website analytic reports can provide excellent insight into what pages are garnering the highest levels and/or best converting of search engine traffic for your website.  Do not forsake the elements of these top entry pages with web design, but preserve their characteristics so rankings are not lost when a new site is launched.

• Ensure that Rich Internet Technologies are both crawlable and indexable by search engines

New designs will often times seek to incorporate technology (such as Flash or Ajax) that is often times invisible to search engines.  While these elements can increase the user experience, they should be intergrated into well structured, search engine friendly pages to preserve the balance of giving the user and search engine crawlers what they want.  There are often alternatives to a functionality so do your research so that existing and new pages can be found and thrive in search engines.

• Avoid the creation of URL canonicalization issues

When pages are going to be replaced by new or existing pages at different URL locations, it is imperative that you let the search engines know where that old content has been permanently moved.  This is accomplished through the execution of a 301 redirect.  A page should only have one URL, not duplicates.  Many eCommerce sites have a problem of serving multiple URLs for the same page leading to duplicate content problems and confusion with search engine crawlers.  Do your research and make sure canonicalization does not compromise your site’s ability to rank for important landing and product pages.

• Set up a redirection plan

Following up on the previous recommendation, mapping out old URL’s and new URL’s is critical when executing redirects.  If a page has moved, it should almost always be redirected by a 301 header response.  If it no longer exists, then a custom 404.  Plan your work and work your plan with redirects — this should be executed in parallel to the site launch.

• Don’t remove content that supports coveted rankings without assessing risks first

Completely deleting content or old products is the equivalent of throwing away hard work.  This is often a mistake we see with online retailers.  When products are no longer in inventory or are replaced by newer models, as opposed to completely deleting the page and serving a 404, utilize a 301 redirect to a parent page.  This will preserve the page rank and link value a page has established as opposed to completely throwing it away.  Otherwise, removing or deleting content that ranks well will decrease traffic and market share; forcing the site to start over in attaining previously secured positions.

• Include search as both a business and technical requirement before planning has even started

Search engine optimization should be a primary discussion point when the website redesign discussion begins, not after.  Website owners who evaluate the impact of redesign on search engine rankings, early and often, will not only cover the basics but also address the advanced design, coding and architecture strategies that will influence rank order.

• Ensure that there is a voice for search within the Web site team structure

To champion this cause, there needs to be an advocate with a voice, credibility and peer respect amongst those members of your web design team.  This ensures a system of checks and balances and leads to a well planned, well executed website redesign that will help and not hurt your organic search engine rankings.  This advocate can be an in-house employee, independent contract, or professional SEO team.

To learn more about challenges your company could face with website redesign and its impact on your future search engine rankings, feel free to contact TDM for information about our SEO Audit services.  Not only can this customized road map identify key impediments and gaps in your current SEO efforts, but it can also ensure that you protect your rankings during a website redesign project — our team can have the needed expertise and authoritative search voice to compliment your design team.

A recent InternetRetailer survey gathered information from more than 90 online retailers, in an effort to identify their primary objectives going into 2009.  The surveys focus was on web design, site content and rich media.  An overwhelming majority of respondents (73%) indicated that the top priority with website design was better search engine optimization.  This can be attributed to not only the reach, but cost effectiveness and ROI associated with strong SEO efforts, especially during an economic downturn when consumer spending is down and marketing budgets trimmed.

Below is a recap of the primary goals associated with online retailer website design & the percentage of respondents:

• 73% – Better SEO
• 62% – Better organized & updated home, category & product pages
• 49% – Clear site navigation
• 47% – Speedier and more intuitive website

What’s interesting with these findings is that most of these goals can be accomplished when an effective and thorought SEO Audit is conducted on a web business.  Such a process can be conducted internally or with the help of experienced professionals and is often one of the most cost-effective options available to retailers.  A SEO Audit should not only examine, critique and solve key SEO challenges but also prioritize most important factors for a website which can lead to a custom road map for client-side or agency execution.

Other key findings in the IR survey found:

• 43% of retailers plan to add Video or Streaming Media to their websites
• 40% will add Personalized Product Recommendations
• 37% will add Customer Reviews & Ratings
• 32% will add a Blog or Forum

For more information about New Media Marketing services and how you can better SEO, leverage online video and effectively incorporate product reviews (both on-site and off site), please contact Triangle Direct Media for a free consultation!

Online Retail Sales

According to comScore, several online categories outperformed overall consumer spending and often times offline spending, in the same comparison categories.  This is good news for online retailers looking ahead in 2009 and any potential economic rebound from the economy as a whole.  Some online holiday shopping highlights include the following:

• Apparel & Accessories sales were up 4 percent online, while overall category sales declined by 20%
• Consumer Electronics declined 5% online, compared to the previous year, while the overall category sales in Electronics/Appliances declined 26%

A couple of online shopping categories saw double-digit growth in spending:  Sports & Fitness (up 18% year-over-yeaer) and Video Games, Consoles & Accessories (up 14%, respectively).  Consumer emphasis on improved health & fitness supported by shoppers becoming more confident with big ticket internet purchases (plus great deals) led to increased sales on products such as treadmills and elliptical machines.  The growth in the video game category can be attributed to popular adoption of the Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 & Playstation 3.  Most notably, sales for the Nintendo Wii seem to have skyrocketed this holiday season — just ask your friends and family members who got a Wii for Christmas?  You’ll probably be surprised!

In total, online shopping declined 3% year over year with some bright spots by category and demographic.  Those households with annual income exceeding $100,000 spent 7% more this holiday season, compared to 2007.

Retailers looking ahead in 2009 should be planning out strategies now for incentivized offers and ways to better engage consumers.  Hopefully the 2008 (relative) stability of online sales will be a trend for the entire 2009 calendar year as consumers search for better deals online, now that most are confident in the transaction experience.

Some ideas for better consumer engagement and competitive advantages include customer testimonials, consumer product reviews, better use of video, strong search engine optimization, useful email/newsletter marketing and of course — excellent offers to the customer.  Free shipping, Promotions, Coupons, Discounts, Surveys, Contest Marketing, etc can all be great ways to entice online consumer spending.

Good Luck to All in 2009!!