Bunnings Hardware Stores – online barriers to entry.

Posted on February 18, 2012
Filed Under Google Adwords (Pay Per Click), Online Shopping | Comments Off

Always on the lookout for interesting websites and strategies used by organisations and businesses to track the activity on their websites, I came across Bunnings DIY Kitchens and hardware stores website.

I was doing some research into Sunshine Coast DIY flat pack kitchens for a client and Bunnings kitchens are in our sights. They offer a similar range, although my client’s product is far superior and is made on the Sunshine Coast.

So, I see the Google Adwords for Bunnings kitchens and click on over to their website.

Now – what would I expect to see when I get to their website?

Remember, I’m looking for a flat pack kitchen and I live on the Sunshine Coast. My search phrasae was “flat pack kitchens sunshine coast”.

My expectation was:

1. To click the ad and go straight to a web page on the Bunnings website to see a range of flatpack kitchens.
2. I was hoping to be blown away by nice, sexy shots of how a Bunnings kitchen will look in-situ.
3. I was hoping to see a really good price and perhaps a special offer, seeing as I was coming from an Adwords ad that was also costing Bunnings per click.

What I got was

1. A landing page that was no different from if I had gone to the Bunnings website and started a search.
2. If I went to the home page I had to contend with a pop-up box asking for my postcode, then my suburb and I coundn’t enter the site without filling it out. That’s a big barrier to entry right there and most people would click away and Bunnings would have lost a potential visitor.
3. The page I landed on was a catalogue listing page just full of cabinets (no sign of a kitchen – complete anywhere)
4. I’m on a page with a lot of elements going on around me, like narrow by category, price, vouchers, 10% off etc. This confusing from a customer’s perspective and could allow them to click away because there is just too much on page distraction.

So now I’m a little confused as a customer, and the dream of seeing a flat pack kitchen is a little grey. All I want to do is do a bit of research and see how much a complete flat pack kitchen at Bunnings costs.

I can build a price list and get a base idea of how much things cost and that’s all.

There’s 2 trains of thought here. Bunnings have selected their advertising on the assumption that their website visitors are knowledgable on kitchens, but that may not be the case, maybe the website visitior is just looking for ideas on design, color scheme and colours.

From a marketing and human behaviour perspective, here’s some new, fresh ideas on how Bunnings and their flat pack kitchen adverts my get a better conversion rate and generate more sales calls to their kitchen sales division.

Bunnings flat pack DIY kitchens conversion rate improvements.

1. Create a dedicated landing page for the Adwords campaigns.
2. If the Google adwords for flat pack kitchens is showing up in search results for ‘flat pack kitchens’, the landing page should showcase kitchens, not cupboards, cabinets etc. Remember – I want to see kitchens.
3. Remove all distractions from the landing page, no menus. no other offers etc.
4. Test loading a video in the landing page, showing how the kitchens look. Allow the website visitor to see the finished product. Sexy video is always a good conversion sweetner.
5. Create a good headline and sub-headline on the landing page that sells the benefits of Bunnings flat pack kitchens Sunshine Coast.
6. Create a bulleted list of features/benefits of buying the Bunnings flatpack kitchen.
7. Allow the user to download a DIY kitchen brochure.
8. Add customer testimonials on how good the Bunnings kitchen is.
9. Have a form on this page to allow customers to send in their questions.
10. Show a list (or a link to) a range of DIY kitchen frequently asked questions on how to go about getting a Bunnings kitchen that you can build yourself.
11. Add a gallery of previously installed kitchens. Nice photos always work well. It’s a visual market…let’s see some pics please!
    There is a gallery and dedicated page here: Bunnings flat pack kitchens.
12. And the final recommendation from Onlinemarketizing is, Bunnings need to create a dedicated website that focuses on flat pack kitchens…that’s the top tip. And guess what www.bunningsflatpackkitchens.com and .com.au is available to purchase. Go out and buy it. http://bunningskitchens.com.au/ has been registered, however, it is a dud, and there is no website.

So – flat pack DIY kitchens from Bunnings. A lesson there that highlights the need for targeted ad campaigns via Google Adwords, plus it shows you don’t have to be a giant hardware store to rank well for the search terms in your niche. Any small DIY flat pack kitchen manufacturer here on the Sunshine Coast and anywhere in Australia can use the recommendations in this post to convert more website visitors into paying customers.

Oh yeah – one more issue Bunnings need to work out is I’m in Queensland and they tell me my closest store is in Mascot NSW, like that’s 1000km from my front door. Long way to drive for a kitchen. C’mon Bunnings IT people, sort it out please!!

Onlinemarketizing is a Buderim based SEO and online marketing company, specialising in online advertising and traffic generation and sales conversion strategy development to assist Sunshine Coast businesses harness the power of doing business on line and build a more profitable and sustainable revenue stream.

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2011 Online Marketing Review – Spending Online Marketing Dollars In The Right Spot!

Posted on January 30, 2012
Filed Under Affiliate Marketing, Online Marketing, Online Shopping, retail, SEO, Social Media Marketing | Leave a Comment

“How are you going to promote your business online this year”

We’re all thinking about our online business development. How can you start to market your business online.

Where do your promote your products and services to attract the right customers?

Do you use Social Media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google Adwords as traffic generating strategies?

With so much confusion and varying recommendations from ‘experts’, no wonder the majority of Sunshine Coast businesses and businesses all over Australia are in a quandry. What is online marketingm how do I do it, where do I start, what’s the right information?

In late December 2011 and early Jan 2012, Fortune 3 conducted a neat little survey with 270 e-commerce retailers on online marketing. They were asked the following questions.

Where Will Your Primary Online Marketing Focus be in 2012?

• 56% said they would focus on SEO (search engine optimisation) to drive more customers to their website(s).
• 15% said they would be using SM (social media) as a means to generate leads and build a customer email list.
• 15% indicated they would spend their online marketing focus on Google Adwords citing Pay Per Click as a quick way to get instant traffic.
• 7% said email marketing is going to be their focus.
• 4% said they would be using video marketing and affiliate marketing to drive traffic. Considering YouTube gets around 3 billion views a day and something like 48 hours of video are uploaded every minute of the day, it’s a huge market.

Where Was Your Best Online Marketing Return on Investment in 2011?

• 30% said Search Engine Optimization (SEO) brought in the best results.
• 22% said they saw no returns on the money they shelled out for online advertising and marketing via all channels. That’s a staggering 210 businesses who spent money and did not get a result. This tells me there is a common problem for small business owners who just are not getting the right advice on how to efficiently spend money on online marketing to increase their business profitability.
• 19% (218) businesses said they saw the biggest ROI when they used Google Adwords Pay Per Click marketing, sometimes referred to as Search Engine Marketing.
• 15% saw returns using Affiliate Marketing.
• 7% got results with Social Media like Twitter and Facebook.
• 7% also saw good results using email marketing. The report did not go into specifics about email marketing, as one of the biggest factors in getting results from email marketing is to have a good list of subscribers who value what it is you are promoting, selling and recommending.

Where Will The Majority of Your Budget Be Allocated in 2012?

This was an interesting one and shows diverse opinions across the range of respondents to the survey.

• 26% said they will spend most of their budget on Search Engine Optimization. Which is interesting as 56% said their focus would be on SEO. So that needs to be sorted out I reckon.
• 19% said they would hoe into PPC – Google Adwords. (TIP) the biggest secret to success with Adwords is to create specific landing pages that talk ONLY about the product or service you are advertising via the PPC ad. Do not send the clicks to your home page – ever!! – yet people still do this and rack up $1000′s in Adwords fees and get no results for their efforts. Onlinemarketizing can create specific Adwords campaigns that get results, save you money and we also teach you how to do it so you can manage your future campaigns in-house.
• 15% said they would be allocating money to web design, which is a broad topic to say the least. I’d like to see exactly what areas of website design they are focusing on. Build your Website on WordPress – that’s the hot tip. Website design in 2012 needs to focus on useability, a thorough understanding of human behaviour, ease of updating the website from a user perspective, be end user centric, integrates with Social Media (twitter, facebook, YouTube, podcasts and LinkedIn) and it must have a blog powered again by WordPress. ***essential ***
• 11% cited social media is a good place to spend money.
• 7% said email marketing was an area they would increase their online marketing budget in.

Where Will The Traffic Come From in 2012?

Quite an ambiguous question and all depends really on where the companies and businesses will allocate their budgets, how well they perform and if they are prepared to test their online advertising methods, learn from the mistakes and keep testing and being innovative.

Another focus would be to be cognisant of the involvement of third party suppliers who provide online marketing and advertising services.
(TIP**) stay glued at the hip with your advertising agency, get regular reports, get access to the advertising platform so you can see for yourself what the ads look like, how they are being used, where they are being used, what email open rates are, CTR, CPC and Conversions. This is your business, you’re paying the bills – get to know the facts.

The results of the question Where Will The Traffic Come From in 2012? are:

• 50% believe most of there online business will be generated via SEO.
• 30% are looking to Social Media for results.
• 15% are hoping that display advertising will fill their pockets with profit.

Wrap up…

So we can see from this that e-commerce retailers still look to search engines and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) as the most effective form of online marketing to drive sales as well as a strategic traffic generating strategy and the best bet for a return on investment.

It seems from the report that e-commerce retailers don’t place much faith in the power of social media when it comes to spending advertising or promotional dollars, either that or they don’t understand the potential benefits of a social media presence and the impact it can have on their business.

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FREE e-book shows you how to build a better website, get more traffic and conversions.

Posted on January 28, 2012
Filed Under AB Testing, Blogging, Conversion Rate Tips, Online Marketing, SEO, Social Media | Leave a Comment

• Would you like a window into the mind of your website visitors?
• Want to know what people are doing on your website?
• How did customers find your website?
• Why are your online customers just NOT buying from you?

All of these questions and more can be answered in a FREE e-book from HubSpot. Analytics programs can give you clear insight into your online marketing campaigns and promotions. Problem is, for most business owners there’s too much information in reports about website activity, it’s confusing. If it’s confusing, chances are it just never gets paid the attention it deserves.

Stop letting data overload stop you from using website analytics to increase the success of your website marketing efforts.

This free e-book shows you how to get your website ready to get more customers, plus, advice on how to read ranalytics reports to make things a lot more effective on your website, be a better SEO expert and help turn you into a better online marketer.

This 85-page guide covers:

• Your Website & Landing Pages
• Search Engine Optimization
• Paid Search
• Business Blogging
• Social Media
• Email Marketing
• Lead Nurturing & Marketing Automation

Head over to Hubspot and get your FREE landing page optimisation workbook.

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Are you running enough tests on your website?

Posted on January 28, 2012
Filed Under AB Testing, Conversion Rate Tips, Online Marketing, WordPress | Comments Off

How do you know if your website content is working in your favour?

“Testing…I’ve never heard of that? I know what I’m doing and my designer never even mentioned this before, so why would I bother”

Sound familiar? It’s an all too common conversation I had these days with business owners who are just not into their website content. Often it can be a struggle just to begin with good content writing let alone start to think about testing to see if the words we’ve chosen are the right ones that connect with our readers.

There’s a lot more to it than just words of course. Coming up with new and innovative ways to engage your reader needs the help of creative minds. You need someone on your A Team, who can bring ideas to the table and have the ability to see these ideas to completion and get them happening on your website.

There’s many elements to test on a web page and if you’re running a blog too (and I hope you are), then there are two very different approaches to testing pages and posts.

Testing landing page copy, improving navigation and other elements can lead to better conversion rates. What I mean by that is, you can mix it up a bit, don’t get stuck with the same design. Try new things. If you’re not good with this, employ someone to do it for you, someone who understands online marketing and online human behaviour. Testing is good for search engine optimisation.

Here’s a really informative infographic showing the frequency of testing and types of testing that are carried out by website owners.

Highlights of this web page test survey reveals:

1. Call-to-action buttons are tested the most, by 72% of online retailers. This exhaustive testing incorporates testing button sizes, shapes, colours and positioning. The words on the button, the font and text size, whether the text is BOLD, italic or UPPER and lower case.
2. 71% tested their page layout (the online version of traditional merchandising).
3. Only 43% of respondents tested images. Images provide massive conversion rate opportunities, not only to communuicate with your audience but also to build good SEO into your page by working with the ALT (alternative tag), which allows you to place your core page keywords inside this tag. Search engines read these tags and uses these (as well as other factors) to decide what your web page or blog post is about.
4. 63% tested the copy (the words that make up the web page).
5. 49% tested offers and promotions, this could be testing banner design, colour, size, orientation and placement.
6. 43% tested the product selection process, (stepping through the order process from the perspective of the customer).
7. 49% tested the checkout page (one of the most important pages on your website that has a massive exit rate).

There’s a whole lot more info in the graphic below.

Original inspiration article.

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An online markteting resource cheat sheet.

Posted on January 25, 2012
Filed Under Affiliate Marketing, Blogging, Conversion Rate Tips, Copywriting, Google Adwords (Pay Per Click), Google Search, Keyword Research, Online Marketing, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | Leave a Comment

A collection of FREE online marketing e-books from Mequoda Daily.

I’m often asked how do you know so much about this online stuff. And I always reply with a four letter word of course ! …READ

Discovering new and innovative collections of online marketing articles is very rewarding if you are serious about making a success of your online business. You have to promise yourself to keep educating, reading, discovering, practicing and blogging about all things internet marketing. In the spirit of sharing, here’s a collection of pretty good articles from blogging through to e-books, keywords tools and conversion rates. I reckon if this was in a book, you’d be happy to pay $37 for it.

You’ll have to leave your details if you want to download one of the PDF ebooks, it’s well worth it. It’s a fantastic resource. Enjoy

• 10 Email Newsletter Design Best Practices
• Blogging for Marketing 101
• Blogging for Profit
• Building Subscription Websites
• Content Marketing Strategy 2011
• Digital Media Strategy 2010: The Only 3 Ways to Make Money Online Now
• Editorial Management Guidelines for Online Publishers
• Email Copywriting Basics
• Free eBook: Internet Marketing Strategy for Publishers
• Google Keyword Tool Basics
• How to Write a White Paper That Sells
• Increasing Website Traffic & Building Email Marketing Lists
• Internet Business Models and Strategies
• Kindle Publishing Competition Heats Up
• Landing Page Handbook: Creating Sales Letter Landing Pages that Sell
• Landing Page Templates: Seven Landing Page Templates and the Language Used on Them
• Launch a Link-Building Campaign
• Membership Website Strategy
• Million Dollar Landing Page Templates
• Mobile Site Design for Content Publishers
• Online Partnerships: Insight from Carl Kravetz of Vida y Salud
• Online Publishing Strategies: An Interview with Steve Forbes
• Rapid Conversion Landing Page Optimization Guidelines
• Reaching New Audiences: Xconomy Interview with Robert Buderi and Steve Woit
• Search Engine Optimization Tips: Become Familiar with SEO Copywriting and SEO Campaign Management
• SEO Campaign Management Basics
• SEO Press Release Guidelines
• Seven Online Publishing Secrets
• The 17 Best Email Subject Lines
• The Mequoda 500 Research Methodology
• The Mequoda Summit: A Dozen Minutes from the 2006 Mequoda Summit
• The SEO Copywriting Handbook
• Tips for Creating a Successful Podcasting Series
• Twitter Advice For (and From) Content Marketers
• Twitter Tutorial on Maximizing Website Traffic
• Web Advertising Tips for Google Adsense
• Website Archetypes: An Introduction to Subscription Websites
• Website Homepage Design Basics

The articles in this list are for your education and enjoyment. Onlinemarketizing does not endorse Mequoda Daily as the definitive resource to make money online. Links to each article is provided in good spirit because we like to share our knowledge. Onlinemarketizing has no affiliate associations with Mequoda Daily…we just like to read their stuff, because it works!!!

Online Marketing Cheatsheet

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An Online Marketing & Advertising Glossary – get hip with the terms.

Posted on January 24, 2012
Filed Under Online Marketing | Leave a Comment

Online Advertising Terms

When you’re working with agencies, web designers or online marketing consultants who are helping you with your website or online marketing, it makes sense to find out a little about what you’re getting into. Many clients I deal with have very little knowledge of what it actually takes to create the type of website or online marketing campaign that gets results.

If you know what you’re dealing with and understand the fundamentals, then I kinda think that’s a good thing. It keeps everything on the straight and narrow and removes the mystery behind what actually goes on when we talk about marketing your business online.

Here’s a collection of some of the on-line marketing terms with explanations – I feel could be useful.

• advertising network – a network representing many Web sites in selling advertising, allowing advertising buyers to reach broad audiences relatively easily through run-of-category and run-of-network buys.
• banner ad – a graphical web advertising unit, typically measuring 468 pixels wide and 60 pixels tall (i.e. 468×60).
• button ad – a graphical advertising unit, smaller than a banner ad.
• caching or cache – the storage of web files for later re-use at a point more quickly accessed by the end user.
• click-through – the process of clicking through an online advertisement to the advertiser’s destination.
• click-through rate (CTR) – The average number of click-throughs per hundred ad impressions, expressed as a percentage.
• contextual advertising – a method of serving advertisements based on the content (i.e., overall context or theme) of a web page.
• conversion rate – the percentage of visitors who take a desired action.
• cost-per-action (CPA) – online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying actions such as sales or registrations.
• cost-per-click (CPC) – the cost or cost-equivalent paid per click-through.
• CPM – cost per thousand impressions.
• customer acquisition cost – the cost associated with acquiring a new customer.
• frequency cap – restriction on the amount of times a specific visitor is shown a particular advertisement.
• hit – request of a file from a Web server.
• house ad – self-promotional ad a company runs on its media outlets to put unsold inventory to use.
• HTML banner – a banner ad using HTML elements, often including interactive forms, instead of (or in addition to) standard graphical elements.
• hybrid model – a combination of two or more online marketing payment models.
• impression – a single instance of an online advertisement being displayed.*
• interstitial – an advertisement that loads between two content pages.
• keyword – a word used in a performing a search.
• keyword research – the search for keywords related to your Web site, and the analysis of which ones yield the highest return on investment (ROI).
• keyword marketing – putting your message in front of people who are searching using particular keywords and keyphrases.
• page view – request to load a single HTML page.
• pay per click (PPC) – online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying click-throughs.
• pay per click search engine – search engine where results are ranked according to the bid amount, and advertisers are charged when a searcher clicks on the search listing.
• pay per lead (PPL) – online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying leads.
• pay per sale (PPS) – online advertising payment model in which payment is based solely on qualifying sales.
• pop-up ad – an ad that displays in a new browser window.
• pop-under ad – an ad that displays in a new browser window behind the current browser window.
• rate card – document detailing prices for various ad placement options.
• rectangle ad – any one of the large, rectangular banner sizes suggested by the IAB.
• rich media – new media that offers an enhanced experience relative to older, mainstream formats.
• run-of-network (RON) – ad buying option in which ad placements may appear on any pages on sites within an ad network.
• run-of-site (ROS) – ad buying option in which ad placements may appear on any pages on sites within an ad network.
• search retargeting – the use of a site visitor’s search history as a basis for the ads that the visitor will see.
• self-serve advertising - advertising that can be purchased without the assistance of a sales representative.
• skyscraper ad – an online ad significantly taller than the 120×240 vertical banner.
• site stickiness – the amount of time spent at a site over a given time period.
• sponsorship – advertising that seeks to establish a deeper association and integration between an advertiser and a publisher, often involving coordinated beyond-the-banner placements.
• surround session – advertising sequence in which a visitor receives ads from one advertiser throughout an entire site visit.
• text ad – advertisement using text-based hyperlinks.
• underdelivery – delivery of less impressions, visitors, or conversions than contracted for a specified period of time.
• unique visitors – individuals who have visited a Web site (or network) at least once in a fixed time frame, typically a 30 day period.
• vertical banner – a banner ad measuring 120 pixels wide and 240 pixels tall.
• Web site traffic – the amount of visitors and visits a Web site receives.

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SEO spending on the rise for business owners.

Posted on January 23, 2012
Filed Under Google Search, Keyword Research, Online Marketing, SEO | Leave a Comment

Is your company SEO budget bigger than last year?

With the downturn in the economy and more and more Sunshine Coast businesses feel the pinch, there’s a renewed interest in website marketing. Traditional businesses are looking at their marketing budgets, trimming back some of their usual marketing spend and diverting part or a large chunk of their business advertising to online.

It’s a good time for small businesses to move into search marketing as more and more customers jump online to find solutions to their problems. Local search has seen a massive leap in popularity as search becomes more and more targeted to the locale of the person doing the search.

“300% rise in the search term SEO”

Google recently indicated a sudden surge for the term “SEO” which has seen a 300% rise in the past few months and has become a popular search term and it’s only getting stronger. This tells us more and more people are getting educated in what it takes to get your business listed on Google and other search engines.

“1000% increase in demand for good SEO services in 2011″

Online marketing can be inexpensive and flexible for small and large companies who may invest millions of $$$ on Television/Radio commercials. Savvy companies have discovered that when you use web marketing your ROI is greater than conventional media channels. Internet marketing companies have reported a 1000% increase in demand for good SEO services in 2011. Social media websites also contribute an important role in online marketing.

Search Engine Optimisation not only drives organic traffic but also attracts targeted visitors to your website. Good SEO is like a traffic magnet which results in higher conversion rates which really means more business for your company.

With so many SEO companies out there its not uncommon for business owners to be confused about SEO and how it works. Some of the larger agencies simply bamboozle their clients and more often than not, the ROI is not as high as would be suggested by the investment in the technologies.

The main issue with SEO is a lot of companies; individuals claim to offer SEO services without having any knowledge or practical experience with optimising websites for seach engines. They’ve no idea of what keywords to use, local marketing, geographic targeting, niche marketing, online copywriting and advanced Search Engine Marketing smarts.

“You owe it to yourself to learn the basics of SEO”

Basically, you as a business owner owe it to yourself to learn the basics of SEO. Place a high importance on attracting good organic search traffic to your website; as you would your inventory management or accounting practices. If you’re not taking the optimisation of your website for search engines seriously, then you may not have a need for inventory management or accounting in the future..if you get my drift!

“Need help with your SEO? Is your website not showing up on Google search pages?”

Call 0416 571 849 for some ideas on how we can get your website performing and beating your competitors to the top spot on Google. Packages start from $495.00. We specialise in Sunshine Coast website development and are specialist WordPress developers and online marketing strategists.

SEO

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2012 Marketing Trends, Predictions & Insights for online marketers.

Posted on January 23, 2012
Filed Under Online Marketing | Leave a Comment

Here’s a mammoth collection of all the blog posts and articles related to online marketing , trends, tips, predictions and insights from some of the most influential websites out there. This is an exhaustive list that is more valuable to you than any seminar you can attend, because this informtion is HOT right now!!

Take your time and read every article, take a note of every website, follow the author on Twitter or subscribe to their RSS feeds if you want to keep ahead of the competition in your industry, because I’ll be very suprised if any of your competitors have access to this list, or even care!

Onlinemarketing, affiliate marketing, SEO, copywriting, content marketing, email marketing, paid search and just about every other topic from the online marketers bible is in this list. This is essential reading for the serious online marketer or website business owner.

Start you read-fest today!

Affiliate Marketing

1. AffiliatePrograms.com: Top Affiliate Marketing Predictions for 2012
2. AM Navigator: 40 Affiliate Marketing Predictions for 2012
3. Marketing Land: How 2012′s Rise Of The Affiliate Channel Will Impact The $300B E-Commerce Industry

Analytics

1. e-Nor: 5 Tips for Web Analytics New Year’s Resolutions
2. iMedia Connection: Reality Bites Back: 10 Digital Measurement Predictions for 2012
3. MediaPost: 2012: Rise Of Metrics, End Of Click-Through Rates

B2B Marketing

1. B2B Bliss: 10 Predictions for B2B Marketing in 2012 (Part 1)
2. B2B Bliss: 10 Predictions for B2B Marketing in 2012 (Part 2)
3. Business 2 Community: 2012 B2B Marketing Predictions – Will Marketers Leave Sales Behind?
4. Business 2 Community: 10 Predictions for B2B Marketing in 2012 (Part 1)
5. Business 2 Community: 10 Predictions for B2B Marketing in 2012 (Part 2)
6. Business 2 Community: 12 B2B Marketing Predictions for 2012
7. Business 2 Community: 32 Resolutions To Prepare For Your 2012 B2B Lead Generation Program
8. Customer Think: 4 Things B2B Marketers Should Focus on in 2012
9. Customer Think: 5 Ways New Buyer Behaviors Will Affect B2B Marketers in 2012
10. Customer Think: 11 B2B marketing trends to watch (or wish) for in 2012
11. Folio: 60 Percent of B-to-B Marketers Plan Increased Spend on Content Marketing in 2012
12. iMedia Connection: Four B2B Marketing Fantasies That Will Be Reality in 2012
13. Kwanzoo: B2B Marketing 2012 Trends Part 1: Maximize Your RPM Investment
14. Kwanzoo: B2B Marketing 2012 Trends Part 2: Campaign and Funnel Automation
15. Search Engine Land: 5 B2B Search Engine Marketing Resolutions For 2012
16. Search Engine Land: 6 New Year’s Resolutions For The Modern-Day B2B Community Manager

Content Marketing

1. Business 2 Community: Content Marketing Prediction 2012: Interactive Content
2. Heidi Cohen: 2012 Content Marketing and Blogging Resolutions
3. Content Marketing Institute: 150+ Content Marketing & Social Media Predictions for 2012
4. CustomerThink: 2012 Content Marketing Trends for Manufacturers and Industrial Companies
5. Junta42: Top 15 Content Marketing Predictions for 2012
6. MarketingProfs: 2012 Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends
7. Unbounce: Why 2012 Will Be the Year of Content Marketing [with 2 Bonus Infographics]
8. Windmill Networking: Content Marketing New Year’s Resolutions

Email Marketing

1. BizReport: Marketers plan biggest 2012 budget increases for email marketing
2. Business 2 Community: Email Marketing in 2012: 5 Striking Predictions
3. eMarketing & Commerce: 6 Email Marketing Predictions for 2012
4. Fourth Source: Email Marketing Trends 2012
5. Return Path: Four Unpredictions for 2012
6. Small Biz Technology: Will Email Marketing Be Dead In 2012? A Sales Guru Gives His 5 Predictions

Local & Mobile

1. BIA/Kelsey: Topline “Local Marketplace” Predictions for 2012
2. BIA/Kelsey: What’s in Store for Global Yellow Pages in 2012?
3. BizReport: 2012: Year of Mobile?
4. Business 2 Community: 8 Mobile Marketing Trends You Should Track In 2012
5. eMarketer: 2012 Trends: Checking In on Checking Out
6. Eye for Travel: Why 2012 is going to be “The Year of SoLoMo”
7. IT Pro Portal: 5 Mobile Predictions in 2012 : RIM, A Flash In The Pan
8. Lonelybrand: Mobile Marketing: 2012 Predictions from lonelybrand
9. Marketing Land: Twelve Mobile Predictions for 2012
10. MediaPost: Mobile First In 2012
11. MediaPost: Local Search: Light Speed Ahead
12. Memeburn: Five mobile trends to look out for in 2012
13. Mobile Commerce News: The talk on the street for mobile 2012 trends
14. PC World: 2012: The Year of the Tablet (Finally)?
15. PC World: Mobile Payments to Make Slow Progress in 2012
16. ReadWriteWeb: 2012 Predictions, Mobile Edition: Dan Rowinski
17. Search Engine Land: Five Steps To Capturing Mobile Customers In 2012
18. Search Engine Land: SEO Considerations For Google Mobile Search In 2012
19. Search Engine Land: Predictions For Local Search In 2012 – Year Of The Dragon
20. Search Engine Land: 6 Mobile Search Optimization Trends For 2012
21. Search Engine Watch: 10 MoLo Predictions for 2012: Deals, Social Sharing & Bloodbaths
22. Search Marketing Standard: 5 Local Marketing Trends To Focus On In 2012
23. Street Fight: 6 Trends That Will Impact Hyperlocal in 2012
24. Street Fight: Hyperlocal Execs’ 2012 Predictions: Webster, Tolles, Priebatsch and More…
25. Street Fight: From Deep Data to Human Help, 2012 Continues the Local Revolution
26. Street Fight: Hyperlocal in 2012: More Consolidation and Scale, Less ‘Free’
27. Street Fight: Street Fight Staff and Friends Predict 2012′s Top Stories
28. VentureBeat: 2012 mobile predictions: Microsoft purchases Spotify, Google spins off Motorola, and more
29. Where 2 Get It: 3 Local Marketing Predictions for 2012

Online Marketing General/Miscellaneous

1. Brand New, Brand You: Marketing Strategies for Entrepreneurs in 2012
2. BtoB: Tech marketers to boost spending next year, focus on digital
3. Business 2 Community: Anvil Media’s 2012 Search Engine Marketing Predictions (Part 1)
4. Business 2 Community: Anvil Media’s 2012 Search Engine Marketing Predictions (Part 2)
5. Business News Daily: 30 Big Ideas, Trends and Predictions for 2012
6. Business Review Australia: Ring in the Digital New Year with 2012 Predictions
7. CIO: 5 CRM trends to seize on in 2012
8. CMSWire: 4 CRM Predictions for 2012: Integration, Acquisitions, Assertions & Mistakes
9. Heidi Cohen: 7 Marketing Predictions for 2012
10. Crain’s: Gini Dietrich: 8 PR, marketing and social-media trends coming your way in 2012
11. Customer Think: 2 CRM Trends That Will Improve Your Business in 2012
12. Customer Think: What to Watch for in Marketing 2012
13. Direct Marketing Observations: The Top 5 Challenges for Digital Brands in 2012
14. The Drum: Experian’s digital and marketing predictions for 2012
15. Duct Tape Marketing: 5 Trends That Will Shape Small Business in 2012
16. Dynamic Business: 7 marketing trends for small business in 2012
17. eConsultancy: Five key marketing trends for 2012: Are you being served?
18. eConsultancy: 2012: The trends every marketer should be aware of
19. eConsultancy: 11 things Santa won’t bring you this year
20. Entrepreneur: Top 10 Small Business Predictions for 2012
21. Entrepreneur: 10 Trends for Online Marketers in 2012
22. Every Marketing Thing: Pinterest, Gaming and Mobile: Hot Trends for Marketing in 2012
23. Forrester: 2012 Interactive Marketing Predictions: I Give You The Year Of The Social-Mobile Customer
24. FyreSite: 2012 Web Design Trends
25. Globe and Mail: How the social media conversation will change in 2012
26. Hubspot: 18 Insightful 2012 Marketing Predictions From the Experts
27. iNeedHits: Online Marketing Trends for 2012
28. Inkhouse: 10 PR Predictions for 2012
29. MarketingProfs: 12 Marketing Predictions for 2012
30. MarketingProfs: Top 5 Marketing Trends for 2012
31. Marketing Week: 3 trends in digital that will rock 2012
32. MediaPost: How Search Marketers Expect To Use Data In 2012
33. MediaPost: 3 Marketing Mega Trends For 2012
34. MediaPost: Five SEM Predictions For 2012
35. Miami Herald: 5 online marketing trends worth watching in 2012
36. Multichannel Merchant: Online Marketing New Year’s Resolutions for 2012
37. OPEN Forum: 6 Important Marketing Trends to Watch in 2012
38. PC World: Five Tips For Your 2012 Social Media Strategy
39. Portfolio: Ask Shama: Online Marketing Trends for 2012?
40. PureMatter: Top Five 2012 Predictions: Year of the Digital Marketer. Are you Prepared?
41. Reliable Networks: SEO, Search, Social Media, Blogging and Web Design Trends in 2012
42. Search Engine Land: Search Vs. Display: Which Will Come Out On Top In 2012?
43. Search Engine Land: Digital Marketing Trends To Watch Out For In 2012
44. Search Engine Land: 10 Search & Website Usability New Year Resolutions for 2012
45. Search Engine Watch: Top 5 Trends for Search & Social Media Marketing in 2012
46. SEOptimise: 30 Web Trends for 2012: How SEO, Search, Social Media, Blogging, Web Design & Analytics Will Change
47. Andy Sernovitz: Great advice for earning customer love in 2012
48. Small Business Computing: Online Marketing Trends for Small Businesses to Know in 2012
49. Small Business Trends: 5 Internet Marketing Trends for SMBs to Watch in 2012
50. Small Business Trends: Hot or Not: Sales and Marketing Trends in 2012
51. Small Business Trends: 5 Internet Marketing Predictions for 2012
52. State of Search: 2012 and the trends every marketer should be aware of
53. TopRank: Future Trends: 2012 Online Marketing & Technology Predictions
54. Trada: 2012 New Year’s Marketing Resolutions
55. ZippyCart: 6 Emerging Ecommerce Trends for 2012

Online Marketing Industry

1. AdAge: The Biggest Marketing Challenge of 2012: How Can You Keep Your Job?
2. Evan Carmichael: The Top 50 Marketing Blogs to Watch in 2012
3. Mashable: 5 Ways to Boost Your Digital Media Career in 2012

Paid Search & Display Ads

1. Amplify Interactive: 5 New Year’s Resolutions for PPC Ad Testing in 2012
2. Business 2 Community: Online Ad Predictions for 2012: Thoughts on ROI, Privacy, and Yes, More Acquisitions
3. Clickworks Marketing: PPC Resolutions for 2012
4. eMarketer: 2012 Trends: Video Leads Online Ad Growth
5. eMarketer: Pre-Roll, Mobile Top Video Ad Formats for 2012
6. Google: 5 New Year’s Resolutions for Display Advertisers
7. Marketing Land: The Future Of Display: What’s Ahead For 2012
8. MediaPost: 3 Online Advertising Trends To Watch In ’12
9. PPC Hero: Our Favorite 2011 PPC Changes & Predictions For 2012
10. Search Engine Land: A Visit From Saint Click & Landing Pages In 2012

SEO

1. AffiliatePrograms.com: Top SEO Predictions for 2012
2. Business 2 Community: 2012 Will Divide SEO Practitioners Into Two Camps
3. Dejan SEO: SEO Predictions and Advice for 2012
4. eConsultancy: 2012 search predictions: the experts’ view
5. Fourth Source: Search Marketing Trends 2012
6. Freelance Writing Dreams: 2012 New Year SEO Predictions and Trends
7. Harvard Business Review: Google Will Change Web Marketing in 2012
8. Kaiserthesage: SEO Strategies and Inbound Marketing Best Practices for 2012
9. Outspoken Media: Build SEO Momentum in 2012, Not Resolutions
10. PromotionWorld: 12 SEO Resolutions for 2012
11. Search Engine Journal: 5 New Year Resolutions for SEO Consultants
12. Search Engine Land: An SEO Playbook For 2012
13. Search Engine Land: A Few Link Building Predictions For 2012
14. Search Engine Land: 9 New Year’s Resolutions For Link Building In 2012
15. Search Engine Watch: Biggest Search Events of 2011 & Predictions for 2012
16. Search Engine Watch: Search & Mobile Marketing Trends: SEO Apocalypse 2012
17. Search Engine Watch: 7 Quick Tips to Keep Your SEO On Track in 2012
18. SEOAndy.com: 18 Trends Which Will Change SEO in 2012
19. SEOmoz: 8 Predictions for SEO in 2012
20. Smart Traffic: Smart Traffic’s SEO Trends for 2012
21. StartupSmart: Five SEO trends to lookout for in 2012
22. State of Search: SEO 2012 – Will Schema Be A Factor
23. Straight Up Search: SEO Predictions for 2012
24. Vertical Measures: New Year’s Link-a-Lutions: Quality Link Building in 2012
25. Web Marketing Group: SEO Predictions for 2012 – Don’t Get Left Behind!

Social Media

1. Affect Strategies: Top Ten Public Relations and Social Media Predictions for 2012
2. Akamai Marketing: 9 social media trends to keep your eye on in 2012
3. BizReport: Why 2012 may be even bigger for social marketing
4. BostInno: 5 Social Media Predictions for 2012
5. Business 2 Community: Social Media Marketing: 5 Predictions for 2012
6. Business 2 Community: Social Media Trends 2012 – Analytics and Measurement
7. Business 2 Community: Top 5 Social Media Trends for 2012
8. Business 2 Community: 9 Social Media Trends to Keep Your Eye on in 2012
9. CNET: 5 social network predictions for 2012
10. Brendan Cooper: 2012 social media predictions: Part One
11. Customer Think: The Social Media Trend for 2012 – the End of Social Media Groups?
12. eConsultancy: Bazaarvoice highlights four key social trends for 2012
13. eConsultancy: Social media in 2012: the experts’ view
14. Edelman Digital: Six Social Media Trends for 2012
15. eMarketer: 2012 Trends: Social Media Metrics Take Center Stage
16. EverythingPR: Trends: 2012, the Year of Social Media
17. Fast Company: A CEO’s Guide To Social Media In 2012
18. Forbes: Social Media Predictions For 2012
19. Fourth Source: Social Media Marketing Trends 2012
20. Fresh Egg: 2012 Social Media Predictions
21. Harvard Business Review: Six Social Media Trends for 2012
22. iNeedHits: Top 5 Social Media Trends for 2012
23. It Thing: Social Media Predictions For 2012
24. IT World Canada: Predictions 2012: Does Google Plus get big?
25. Jeff Korhan: 2012 Social Media Predictions for Mainstream Small Business
26. Charlene Li: Predictions and Priorities for Social Business in 2012 – Part I
27. Charlene Li: Predictions for Social Business in 2012, Part II: Knowing Your Customer
28. Charlene Li: Predictions Social Business in 2012, Part III: Transforming Your Organization
29. Likeable Media: Social Media Predictions For 2012
30. Lonelybrand: Social Media & Content Marketing: 2012 Predictions from lonelybrand
31. Mashable: Facebook 2012: What the Future Holds for the Social Media Powerhouse
32. Mashable: 7 Social Media Predictions for 2012
33. Postano: 12 Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2012
34. Pushing Social: 5 Totally SWAG Social Media Predictions for 2012
35. Search Engine Watch: How Advanced Marketers Will Use Facebook in 2012
36. SmallBizTechnology: Small Biz New Year’s Resolution: Improve Your Social Media Presence
37. Small Business Trends: 10 Social Media Resolutions for 2012
38. Social Media Examiner: 30 Social Media Predictions for 2012 From the Pros
39. Social Media Today: Trends for 2012: Social Media Intelligence
40. Social Media Today: 140 Predictions About Social Marketing – 34 Experts on 2012
41. Social Media Today: 4 Nearly Guaranteed 2012 Social Media Predictions
42. Social Media Today: Social Networking in 2012
43. Social Media Today: 2012: 7 New Trends in Social Media
44. Social Media Today: Top Five LinkedIn New Year Resolutions for 2012
45. Sprout Insights: Which Trends Will Shape Social Media Marketing in 2012?
46. TIME: What Will 2012 Mean for Social Media?

Tech General/Miscellaneous

1. AllBusiness: 10 Small-Business Tech Trends for 2012
2. Channelpro: Tech Preview: The Top 2012 Technology Trends
3. CIO: Top Ten Tech Predictions for 2012
4. CNN: The Top 10 tech trends for 2012
5. Computer Business Review: Emerging tech trends in 2012
6. Deloitte: Deloitte Predicts the Top 10 Technology Trends for 2012
7. Gartner: Gartner Reveals Top Predictions for IT Organizations and Users for 2012 and Beyond
8. GetElastic: 6 Tech Trends to Watch in 2012
9. Huffington Post: 10 Technology and Business Trends for 2012
10. Information Week: 5 Twists On 2012′s Big Tech Trends
11. Mashable: 6 Tech Trends That Won’t Happen in 2012
12. Mashable: 6 Crazy Tech Predictions for 2012
13. Mashable: Mashable’s Digital Predictions for 2012
14. Silicon Republic: The tech predictions for 2012
15. Washington Post: Five tech predictions for 2012
16. ZDNet: Time for some 2012 predictions…

Video

1. BizReport: Top 3 Video trends for 2012
2. Reel SEO: Three New Media & Video Predictions For 2012
3. Reel SEO: 2012 Online Video Advertising Forecast – Industry Experts’ Predictions
4. Reel SEO: 2012 Online Video Forecast – All About Connecting And Connections
5. Search Engine Watch: Video Marketing Trends in 2012
6. VideoMind: Expect More Broadcast Quality Original Online Video in 2012

Original source article here.

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Almost 500 million Twitter users, and growing.

Posted on January 19, 2012
Filed Under Twitter | Leave a Comment

Twitter is fast approaching its 500 millionth user account. A recent study by Twitter app providers Twopcharts said Twitter will hit the figure by February 2012.

According to Twopchart, there are currently 465 million Twitter accounts, showing a 65% increase since May 2011 when it was assumed Twitter users where around the 300 million mark.

The latest figures  show Twitter growing at a rate of around 11 new twitter accounts a second.

Facebook is a few months away from hitting the billion user mark, while  Twitter China clones, Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo passed a combined 550 million users in Nov 2011.

It’s also worth bearing in mind just how many accounts are actually active and aren’t spammer accounts. This is an issue that still causes Twitter’s users issues on regular basis. Last September, Twitter said the number of Twitter accounts that are activewas 100 million, with Twitter.com  receiving more than 400 million  visitors, unique visitors that is per month.

In October, Twitter also told us that Twitter signups tripled with the launch of  Apples’s iOS 5, which makes you think that Apple has had a significant hand in getting the Twitter blogging network up to the 500 million account mark.

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Australian Women’s Social Media Habits Revealed 2011

Posted on January 19, 2012
Filed Under Blogging, Facebook, Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter | Leave a Comment

How do Australian women interact with social media?

The Australian Women and Social Media Survey 2011, carried out by Mum PR and Brand Meets Blog and was collated via email, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, LinkedIn,  Mum PR and Brand Meets Blogs’, personal and business blogs. 708 women responded in December, with 95 percent of the head count being between 22 and 49 years young.

“A staggering 92% of women online read blogs”

One of the “ah ha” moments was the way women are utilising blogs to build their presence online. A staggering 92% of women online read blogs, and almost half of the businesswomen use blogs for marketing themselves or their products. The simplicity of the online channels are showing why they’re an important tool for Australian retail businesses run by women.

Survey highlights

• 50 % surveyed said the are running their own blog,
• 68 % said they had purchased something based on a blog review, and
• 43 % had searched for blog reviews before deciding on a purchase.
• 75 % of those who read blogs said a blog or blog post had changed the way they felt about their life. This is a key factor in driving readers back to blogs because of the way it impacts the readers life . And another reason why there are so many thriving online communities with huge female membership.’
• 84 % comment on blogs, interacting with like-minded women which plays an important role the blogosphere.
• Australian women are increasingly turning to Facebook and Twitter
• Over 35% spend 3 or more hours on Facebook daily
• 72 % of businesswomen use Facebook as a marketing tool for their business
• 60 % tweet their way into the online world
• 43 % of Facebookers were updating statuses, sharing and interacting for 5 to 30 minutes at a time
• 24 percent said they already had a Google+ business page, despite the relative newness of this channel, and
• 61 %  had a profile on linkedIn.

It seems 2012 needs to be the year businesswomen decide which social media platforms will give  them with the greatest return on investment, time and effort.

The cool infographic on women’s social media habits in 2011 from Mum PR.

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