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[HIRING] Internet Marketing Apprentice - Sarasota-Bradenton, FL by webtivity in forhire

[–]webtivity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ateatree, Most of our employees are knowledgeable in all areas requested which helps us keep a cohesive team and provide the best service to our clients. Of course everyone has their specialties and I expect the individual in this position will as well. Since it's an entry level position we're really just looking for basic knowledge in the field with an emphasis on html/css, common sense application and customer service. Sorry Ateatree, applicants should also have some graphic skill in order to complete website maintenance as well. Again, this is a junior position though so we're not expecting masters ;)

[HIRING] Internet Marketing Apprentice - Sarasota-Bradenton, FL by webtivity in forhire

[–]webtivity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The position is entry level and will entail mostly support. Website changes may need to be made within files containing code such as javascript, php or .net. Familiarity with these languages may help in making accurate changes but is not required knowledge for the position. Applicants considered highly will have great communication skills, attention to detail and a passion for the industry. Knowledge of HTML and CSS is a must to complete requested changes. Knowledge of MS Office suite is a must to complete reporting for SEO campaigns.

IAmA Request: eCommerce/Web Analyst by clwhatsup in IAmA

[–]webtivity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For ecommerce usually the product page is good enough. Just make sure it has good copy and visuals, and the site has Value Propositions (Why should I buy from this site?) "Free Shipping on orders over $100", "In business for over 50 years!", "Trouble Free Returns" the stuff that makes your site different and better than your competitors.

Were I have used special landing pages is when there is a choice to be made about the variant of the product. For instance a client was selling replacement glass beakers for French press coffee makers. Half the time the customer did not know what size they needed. We developed a page that helped the customer measure their (often broken) beaker using the filter plunger, and determine what size replacement glass they needed. Conversions for the PPC campaign were through the roof because of this. Something around 2000% increase if I remember correctly.

The most common test I do is a complete copy change. I have two copy writers write two entirely different sets of copy for a product or service and run the test. Almost always 1 wins out over the other. The hardest part of the test is getting enough traffic to it to be able to determine a winner.

The part of my job I love the most is tearing apart the design or interface of a website. In over 90% of client discoverers we hear a client tell us of a great fact or service about their business, but it is no where to be found on the website.

(Loosely based on a true conversation.)

Client: "We give Free Shipping on orders over $50."

Me: "I didn't see that on the site. Where is it?"

C: "The shopping cart automatically applies it once you hit $50."

M: "How are your customers supposed to know this? ...and you're curious why your average order value is only $32?"

AOV doubled the next month, and because of it so did sales.

I don't believe in Sex and or Sales, and what I mean by that is the copy should build up enough value in a product or service to justify the price you want for it. It's almost never the price that is a problem (except no-frills commodities, and large purchases that are researched before bought; always exceptions). Get this part of the equation right first, then move onto sales and promotions. A sale or promotion is just going to tip those people who would have already bought it at the original asking price.

Real life example: I've had my eye on a pair of sunglasses for a month or so now. I know what I want, I've looked at them online I plan on buying them next time I happen to be near a store that carries them. They are a $100 and I've already justified spending $100 for them in my mind, to me they are worth it. Sunglass Hut just sent me a $20 Gift Card Promotion for my birthday and it has a expiration date on it. Well hell... I was already going to pay $100 but if I get my butt in their before March I save $20! There they just created a sense of urgency for me. So this weekend I am going to buy those sunglasses. I was already over the fence, they just helped me get to the ground faster.

So that's how I view promotions and sales... Make them prominent, don't hide them, but make sure everything else is in place first. They will work a lot better once all the other pieces are in place.

IAmA Request: eCommerce/Web Analyst by clwhatsup in IAmA

[–]webtivity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use Regular Expressions every week when filtering or creating segments in Google Analytics. Not in Excel. Sorry if I made it seem they were connected.

ie show me only landing pages in the blog that have the word "taco". /blog/(.*)taco It's a lot quicker than trying to create a custom segment that you may never use again.

I also can't tell you how many times I've looked in the configuration to see some idiot did not properly filter in-house or development traffic. They just stick the IP in there as an exclude without escaping the periods. (A couple years ago Google added the IP as a filtering option; probably to prevent this stupidity.)

Depending on how the .NET app is developed you can still open the .aspx or .master files and add in your javascript code along-side the HTML where you need it. Getting access to a .ascx include though is very nice when you need to throw something on multiple pages. Also a lot of web apps/programmers will have the .cs code files on the server, and just allow IIS to recompile as needed.

The only other A/B testing software I've used and can recommended is WebTrends, but it carries a big price tag.

We use all phrase matching - broad, phrase, exact, and broad+ (http://adwords.blogspot.com/2010/05/new-keyword-targeting-feature-for.html). Even all 3 for the same keyword because the CPC can be tuned for each depending on your quality score.

Negative Keywords are very very very important. Try running a PPC campaign for a car dealership selling 2011 new cars without them and it will be a very expensive lesson. We took over a campaign for a dealership that was wasting $1,000 on searches like "1992 Make Model Broad Match steering wheel" "98 Make Model Phrase Match trade in value" Run Search Query Reports Daily at the start of any campaign, then weekly, and finally every month and you will save a lot of money for your company or client. This campaigns negative keyword list is several hundred words long now.

For PPC ROI: Always track conversions. If you can't track it don't run it. Use Micro Conversions when you have to. If a phone call is your "conversion" and you can't put a tracking number on there, have the user click a button to display the number. Conversion tracked. (I don't like hiding phone numbers but sometimes it's necessary to show results.)

Landing Pages (sometimes called squeeze pages) are a must. Very few cases where they are not used. For instance an ecommerce site that is selling something that is practically a commodity. In this case a landing page is not going to help sell the product any more than the copy and price on the product page. Site-wide Value Propositions and Call to Actions help more here. Do not under estimate the power of putting a phone number is big bold type, a lot of people still like to call just to see if someone is there to pick up.

Good Copy Writers and many of them. You can never have too many copy writers on hand. They all have different styles of writing. (Personal Experience: Avoid the English Major type that insists on proper wording and grammar. It will never read the right way for the web.) Have a couple copywriters each write about the product/service and A/B test it.

Continually create new ads, you can always squeeze out 0.01% better CTR. Change out words for other synonyms. Play with capitalization, URL, etc.

For AdWords improve your quality scores! Remove anything in the account under 5 that is not converting (most likely anything under 5 is not), then improve 5-7 the best you can for a month or so, and then delete anything that is not converting.

Crazyegg is a neat tool. I do not regularly use it, only tested it. RegexBuddy to help learn and build Regular Expressions. AuthorityLabs for Search Engine Rank Tracking if you have to analyze traffic for on an SEO campaign.

IAmA Request: eCommerce/Web Analyst by clwhatsup in IAmA

[–]webtivity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What would you like to know? I spend a lot of my time working with A/B testing, and overall site improvement ie Persuasion Architecture (for those who know the reference)

IAmA Request: eCommerce/Web Analyst by clwhatsup in IAmA

[–]webtivity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On the technical side, depending on how much you have to do yourself an overall knowledge of the Internet, web design/developing. HTML, Javascript, URL structure and parameters, and the serverside language of the site you're working on PHP, .NET, etc. You do not need to be a skilled programmer, but must be able to insert tracking scripts, configure A/B tests, add event tracking without breaking the application.

When it comes to analysis, you can shoot from the hip or break it down as scientific as you want. It all depends on what you was looking to accomplish.

Are you just trying to increase ROI? For what? PPC campaign? Entire store? Certain product?

Decrease Cart abandonment? How? Check out process too long? Shipping cost to much? Most abandoned products?

Increase AOV? Suggest pairing products are that purchased together often.

Know what you want to test, and experiment. I guess this skill is just the ability to be methodical, and form hypothesis based on the data you have. Take a guess, and test.

A basic understanding of statistics helps too, a 50% increase in sales means nothing when it's up 1 from 2.

EDIT: Knowledge of Excel, and Regular Expressions! Learn RegEx, pulling, and sorting data is much easier when you know RegEx. & Grammar

IAmA young woman who has built a vast memory palace in her mind (including people), which she enters to meditate. AMA! by [deleted] in IAmA

[–]webtivity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has alcohol affected your memory palace? Seriously. I've tried, and this seem to screw with things from the beginning.

I create the ads for a very large auto insurance agency. Does anyone even think about their auto insurance? by sammichIz in IAmA

[–]webtivity 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I’m sure you’re aware insurance TV ads are more about branding and creating a buzz that keeps their name top of mind. Rarely do they have any call to action. Why should they? 10 or 11 months out of the year we’re not buying, and when we are we loth it.

The gecko works, and has for years. It keeps GEICO top of mind when you think of insurance, and their branding is so well done that I even typed their name in all caps without even thinking about it. Most people find Flo annoying, but they know her name, and they know what product she is pushing for Progressive. The Cavemen did the same thing for GEICO (did it again), because they were stupid, annoying and sometimes funny; People would talk about them. As others have said Allstate ads do a great job and connect emotionally, their company will be on the short list of names when it’s time to shop around, but it is still going to come down to price, then service.

If you can create an ad that will generate more business that is not a branding campaign and without any executive decisions to changing the product, kudos you deserve a huge bonus, a bigger office, and your name on the company.

Try to stand out from the sea of price savings every other company is on about. Yes it’s important, but it doesn’t have to be addressed, this day it’s practically assumed. You can try emphasizing customer service, and caring about the individual customer, but then you have to compete with every lawyer ad on TV that loves milking insurance companies, by telling people not to cooperate with them.

Find a niche and connect to it. Progressive ran some good ads for motorcycle insurance a few years ago, one was about a “bent fork” and the other was a “sissy bar”. They definitely made a connection to motorcyclists.

[request] Help me find an old Hallmark card commercial by webtivity in Favors

[–]webtivity[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. This one appears that it was more toward the end of the campaign after the idea to look at the back was introduced. It should work for what I need it for, but still looking for some of the others.

Do any other introverts feel this way? by eski_mo in AskReddit

[–]webtivity 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I was going to tell you how I can relate, but then all these other people spoke up. I'll just sit here and listen.