Email marketing 'a hit for The Balvenie'

A single malt whisky distillery has recorded high clickthrough and open rates from a newsletter it sent out by email.

Whisky producer The Balvenie has championed the effectiveness of email marketing in engaging with its customers after receiving several positive responses.

David Mair, ambassador for the Highlands-based distillery, commented that the firm is delighted with the results that it has seen so far.

He noted that it is not just the drinker responses which provide such encouragement, since the clickthrough and open rates also reflect how successful the communication has been.

The emails being sent out are in the form of a newsletter and the firm has seen clickthrough of 25 per cent and an open rate of 60 per cent since February.

Mr Mair added: "We'd love to meet everyone who enjoys The Balvenie in person, but growing interest in our whisky means we have an ever bigger enthusiast group all around the world."

Last week, senior director of Mint.com Lisa Friedman told Marketing Sherpa that businesses can improve the effectiveness of email marketing by optimising send times.

16/11/2009

More links 'improve SEO results'

Online retailers can improve their SEO ranking by adding more links on their websites, according to an expert.

An industry insider has claimed that having more links on a website can promote better search engine optimisation (SEO) results.

Sam Tilston, online marketing director for Zoombits.co.uk, commented that "Google loves large websites" so building up the number of pages and links can make SEO easier.

In his view, this means that having more products can be beneficial, since businesses can have a page for each product and a link for each page.

He used the example of the keyword "Christmas gifts", which can be included on the page of all of the potential presents that an online retailer offers.

Mr Tilston added: "Obviously if you have a large amount of products, like if you're doing a large-scale website, then you need to automate your SEO."

A recent study by Econsultancy and Guava indicated that 45 per cent of companies are increasing their paid search budgets over the next year, while 24 per cent are increasing their spend on online display advertising.

16/11/2009

Social media users 'should vary passwords'

People are putting their employers' IT systems at risk by using the same password for business and personal accounts, an expert has asserted.

Social media users should consider having different passwords for other online accounts, otherwise they could be putting their business at risk, according to an industry insider.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at software developer Sophos, claimed that 33 per cent of people have the same password for all of the accounts that they set up.

He commented that a problem arises when hackers manage to see an employee's social media password, since there is a good chance that the same code or word is used for their business account too.

Mr Cluley explained: "If hackers grab your password on one site, they can use it to unlock everything else about you."

In his view, social network users share too much information when they go online and it is putting employers' IT systems at risk.

According to a recent study by Palo Alto Networks, many companies have outdated IT infrastructure and usage policies, which may not protect them against web-based applications.

16/11/2009

"New model" possible for monetising video productions

An industry insider has suggested that a new form of bringing in advertising revenue for music publishing companies could be a success.

The way that video productions are monetised could undergo a change, if an industry insider is to be believed.

Doug Knopper, co-chief executive officer of FreeWheel, told Laurie Sullivan on Media Post that a "new model" could be on the cards if an agreement with Warner Music is a success.

FreeWheel and Warner have struck a deal which allows the former company to bring in advertising revenue by holding the distribution rights to the international music publisher's videos.

"The music, sports and movie industries are starting to figure out how to make money online," Mr Knopper is quoted as saying.

In order to optimise the monetisation of videos, FreeWheel will monitor their use and has pre-programmed instructions on which adverts can be played with which content, he added.

Warner has a whole host of international stars in its stable such as The Enemy, Neil Young, Red Hot Chili Peppers and R.E.M.

16/11/2009

Language is "important" in social media

Social networks could help brands interact with users by translating their websites into foreign languages, an expert has asserted.

Developing social media services in native languages could improve a brand's ability to communicate with users, suggests an industry commentator.

Co-founder and editor of Social Media Portal Tim Gibbon remarked that connecting with audiences is vital and companies may be able to interact better if they are speaking in their mother tongue.

He pointed out that the perception of a brand can be altered by the behaviour and words that a firm uses.

Mr Gibbon noted that some users may be unable to be quite as expressive as they would like if they are not speaking their first language.

"Language is an obvious step - it is an important and a successful approach if the audience prefers to converse in the native tongues," he explained.

Recently, volunteers from Twitter helped translate the service into Spanish, with each of these interpreters having their own icon to show that they took part, according to Mashable.

12/11/2009

'There will be bugs' on social media sites

An industry expert has claimed that it is inevitable that complex applications such as social networks will have bugs in them.

Social media websites may still have bugs in them which hackers could exploit, suggested an industry insider.

Sophos senior technology consultant Graham Cluley pointed out that social networks cannot be classified as websites, since are actually very complicated applications.

He claimed that there are hundreds of thousands of lines of code involved in services such as Facebook and MySpace, so there is "no doubt" that some bugs will exist.

Mr Cluley explained: "Any code of that complexity will inevitably contain bugs - there's no such thing as a perfect program."

In his view, the real question is how serious these bugs are and how much of a risk do they pose to users.

The error recently found by Yvo Schaap was a very important glitch that could have had terrible consequences for MySpace and Facebook and all their users.

It occurred because while the sites normally prohibit external applications from accessing the service, it was found that one tool slipped through the net and was able see protected data.

12/11/2009

Social media sites expand their reach

Twitter and LinkedIn have combined to allow users to update their status on both networks at the same time.

Social media sites Twitter and LinkedIn have collaborated to allow users to update their statuses more easily.

By syncing the two sites, users will be able to communicate with both networks at the same time - with both status boxes conveniently allowing users to type 140 characters.

The connection is intriguing since people signed up to Twitter can be nameless and faceless, whereas LinkedIn is all about spreading a person's identity across a professional network.

LinkedIn currently has 50 million members, who usually update their profiles and statuses to get ahead in their careers by posting CVs, achievements and contact details.

Allen Blue, co-founder of Twitter, is reported to have claimed that the social media site hopes to tap into LinkedIn's sense of identity to make tweeters more successful.

Recently, the organisation released a paid-for service called CoTweet, which allows businesses access to various web analytics and product support.

Coca-Cola, Microsoft and Ford have all signed up.

12/11/2009

Make products more accessible 'through internal SEO'

A marketing expert has suggested that advertisers can improve the visibility of online products by investigating the results of internal SEO tools.

Online retailers can improve their conversion rates by making their internal search engine optimisation (SEO) tool as educational as possible, an industry insider has suggested.

Chris Casarez, internet marketing specialist at 4 Wheel Parts, told Marketing Sherpa that being able to see search data entered into an internal application can be very useful.

He recommended gathering a "meaningful amount of data" regarding queries that consumers had entered in, so that behaviour could be measured more accurately.

This allows marketers to see which products are searched for the most and also shed light on another issue, he continued.

Mr Casarez explained that if a customer is browsing through a series of products in one category and cannot find a particular item, then it may be that it is not displayed prominently enough.

Marketing Sherpa recently advised advertisers that in some circumstances, it can be more profitable to work on improving conversion rates rather than focusing on lead generation.

12/11/2009

Email marketing 'should be permission-based'

Customers need to be the focus of marketing campaigns, so new legislation on opt-in emails should be welcomed, says an expert.

Email marketing campaigns should always be permission-based, so any new legislation regarding this would be welcome, remarked an industry insider.

Peter McCormick, co-founder and general manager of ExactTarget, made his comments following news that email opt-in laws are being introduced in Germany.

He pointed out that an individual's text, email or voicemail inbox is part of their personal space, so they should be allowed to decide who can gain admission to that area.

Mr McCormick stated that the only way for one-on-one marketing campaigns to ensure a good return on investment is to make relationships based on permission.

"We have always believed that marketers should build their digital marketing efforts on the foundation of permission - to their subscribers, customers and partners," he explained.

In his view, any legislation that is introduced in the UK could be a problem for those companies who do not have their customers at the "heart of their philosophy".

Recently, Dealer Marketing Magazine suggested that email marketing campaigns are replacing direct mail and newspaper advertising for many companies.

11/11/2009

Social media users could have been "exploited"

MySpace and Facebook users could have had their identities stolen through a security leak on the site, according to an expert.

"Enormous" damage could have been done by a security flaw that appeared to allow hackers access to users' social media accounts, asserted an industry expert.

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, pointed out that these security holes have now been plugged, but they could have affected millions of people.

Last week, a developer found that hackers could access users' pictures and data on MySpace and Facebook, due to a coding error.

Mr Cluley observed that the developer acted very responsibly by contacting the relevant security teams before going public.

He explained: "A malicious hacker could have exploited this vulnerability to gather information about users and potentially collect data, which would have helped them steal identities."

In his view, people expect social networking sites to look after personal information and not share it with strangers.

The security flaw in this case related to the way that social media sites handle cross-domain policy requests and the data that could be shared in this way.

11/11/2009

More languages 'may increase social media usage'

The decision by Twitter to translate its website into Spanish could improve traffic figures, according to an expert.

An industry insider has suggested that by translating its site into another language, Twitter may encourage increased usage of the social media service.

Tim Gibbon, co-founder and editor of the Social Media Portal, commented that Spanish-speakers were already using the site before it was translated into their language.

He noted that there is a huge mixture of languages being spoken across global communication sites such as Twitter, just like in internet chatrooms and forums.

However, the decision to make Spanish the third language after English and Japanese for the social networking service to be available in was a logical choice because of the number of people that speak it, continued Mr Gibbon.

"It is likely to increase usage of the site due to audiences that are not mainly English speakers as different types and levels of conversation may occur," he added.

Last week, Twitter announced that it had translated the website into Spanish using a group of volunteers.

11/11/2009

Social media site's "space" invaded

MySpace has suffered in terms of web traffic recently because other companies stole in ahead of the organisation, asserted an industry insider.

Social media site MySpace found a niche in the online market, but other firms were able to exploit it, according to an online expert.

Founder of content networking site Dadooda.com Neil Stapley claimed that this does not necessarily mean NewsCorp are likely to sell the social networking website.

He pointed out that the media giant paid a large sum of money for MySpace and other Web 2.0 entrepreneurs then saw a good opportunity.

Mr Stapley highlighted the deal that the social media service struck with Google - with $900 million (£538 million) promised to MySpace if it could keep web traffic up - as an example of why other investors saw the potential in such websites.

"I suspect the effects of new competitors entering MySpace's space, so to speak, may have been underestimated. MySpace found the space - others moved in to it," he explained.

Recently, NewsCorp announced disappointing user figures, with Google's huge payment no longer guaranteed.

11/11/2009

Social media 'is a growth market'

A sector commentator has suggested that social networks are a form of online environment which has plenty of potential for development.

Social media is one type of virtual network that may see growth in the future, according to a sector commentator.

Tim Gibbon, co-founder of Social Media Portal, called sharing networks an "obvious" growth sector in terms of successful online environments.

He pointed out that goods on these virtual networks must have a convenient payment method in order to be successful.

Mr Gibbon suggested that effective content will probably come in the form of online games.

"It has to [have] an appeal that is addictive, challenging and holds the possibility to bring in other elements to create longevity," he added.

Another issue which must be overcome is the "cultural barrier" that exists for those people who are not that comfortable using the internet and such virtual networks, said Mr Gibbon.

His comments were made following a statement from Linden Lab, which asserted that many major organisations such as IBM and the US Navy are using a product called Second Life Enterprise to move virtual operations behind their firewalls.

10/11/2009

Social media market 'is crowded'

MySpace may be struggling to maintain web traffic because the social media market is crowded, says an industry insider.

An industry commentator has suggested that MySpace may be currently struggling to drive traffic because the social media sector is just too crowded.

Neil Stapley, founder of Dadooda.com, made his remarks after Rupert Murdoch announced that the partnership between Google and MySpace is not being as profitable as he first imagined due to disappointing figures from the social media site.

According to Mr Stapley, this supports the theory that Facebook is "the social networking site of choice" for the majority of the sector.

He pointed out that Murdoch and his company NewsCorp may not have predicted that there would be quite so much competition in the market as there is.

"However, the scope for new products for new market segments is immense and this could be an opportunity for MySpace as much as it is a threat," explained Mr Stapley.

In his view, it was inevitable that the growth in traffic figures would slow down eventually and that is what has happened.

10/11/2009

Big brands 'embrace paid-for social media'

Coca-Cola and Microsoft have become some of the first big names to sign up to CoTweet.

Several major brands have announced that they have enrolled on social media website Twitter's new business tool - CoTweet.

Among the big players to sign up to the web analytics service are Coca-Cola, Ford, Microsoft and McDonalds.

Scotty Monty, digital and multimedia communications manager at Ford, claimed that CoTweet will allow the organisation to have a two-way conversation with customers and allow for better coordination.

"In social media, the experience you give people on their first effort to reach you had better be the way you want them to remember you," he added.

The tool will give those who sign up faster access to Twitter updates, product support, a full archive of consumer interactions and a variety of web analytics statistics measuring the impact of messages.

Last week, head of search at bigmouthmedia championed the use of social media for building up a brand and pointed out that several of the biggest networks now have tools to help firms do this.

10/11/2009

Social media users 'may not need to visit homepage'

Advertisers may need to rethink their strategy if people begin to use social media homepages less, says a sector commentator.

An industry insider has advised marketers that social media users may not need to use traditional homepages to check their accounts in future.

Andrew Girdwood, head of search for bigmouthmedia, made his remarks following the release of Google Social Search, which allows people to search for content on social networks.

He pointed out that this application could have a far-reaching effect on the current social media landscape.

Mr Girdwood explained: "For example, there are desktop clients now that allow you to access your Twitter account without visiting the site and social search engines may have a similar impact."

As a result of this, customers may not need to visit their Facebook or Twitter page to read messages and updates, so banner adverts on these sites will become less effective, he added.

For example, Mr Girdwood noted that Google and Bing have made deals with Twitter to have access to the social network's content for use on their search engines.

09/11/2009

Google 'welcomes no win no fee SEO'

SEO experts offering no-win no-fee contracts for their services are worth a try, says Google.

Search engine giant Google has applauded the idea of search engine optimisation (SEO) companies offering no-win no-fee-style agreements with regards to marketing results.

Alan Wrafter, conversion programme manager at the organisation, commented that that he welcomed the notion "with open arms".

He pointed out that there are several different payment structures that companies can choose to use to pay for SEO, but that this one could suit some firms.

Mr Wrafter said: "No-win no-fee is an ideal way for businesses to kick off their conversion maximisation projects. We encourage businesses of all sizes to try it out."

In his view, it can be a good idea to find a certified Google Conversion Professional, which is an SEO organisation endorsed by the search engine.

Last week, an industry insider told Marketing Sherpa that an important factor to consider when aiming for effective SEO in blogs is the keywords which will be used in them.

09/11/2009

Value for money 'could drive online lead generation'

Consumers often use the internet for research purposes, so online retailers must offer value for money to maximise lead generation, says an expert.

Retailers aiming to improve their lead generation strategies must offer consumers better value for money, according to a sector commentator.

Director of operations for IMRG David Smith claimed that customers use the internet for "research" but may then purchase products offline, from a catalogue or via a phone.

However, he noted that the possibilities for lead generation on the web are the best they have ever been, even though customers are much more savvy now.

Mr Smith pointed out that a few years ago only young men were using the internet, but now women and the elderly are online too.

"I think a lot of it is to do with how we are changing as people and being a lot more comfortable with the technology that surrounds us," he explained.

Last week, Nielsen and the British Retail Consortium published the latest Consumer Confidence Index, which indicated that there had been a ten-point rise to 75.

09/11/2009

Marketers 'must adjust to maintain SEO rankings'

Advertisers have to alter their SEO campaigns to ensure that they maintain successful search rankings, according to an industry insider.

An industry commentator has told marketers to monitor their search engine optimisation (SEO) rankings, to make sure they do not fall behind their competition.

Writing on a blog for SEOmoz, Scott Willoughby pointed out that many of the tactics marketers use in SEO will stay the same, but there is a need to "future-proof" strategies.

He highlighted the need to concentrate on delivering the fundamentals of search marketing, while at the same time tweaking the details to maintain success.

"In order to stay on top of your game, you need to keep an eye on your rankings over time and adjust accordingly," Mr Willoughby wrote.

In his view, SEO is not a one-off campaign that advertisers can forget about once they have completed a campaign, but an "ongoing process".

Last month, an online marketing executive at Coast Digital pointed out that a good SEO organisation will be able to show what they have achieved through web analytics statistics.

03/11/2009

Geolocation technology 'can improve lead generation'

In order to reduce costs and improve clickthrough rates, companies should be using geolocation to target customers, an expert has suggested.

Businesses should consider using geolocation tools to enhance lead generation in advertising campaigns, according to an industry insider.

Frank Bobo, vice-president of Digital Element, suggested in a blog for Net Imperative that targeted adverts by region or city can mean less wasted impressions and better clickthrough rates.

He used the example of a sports merchandise store, which will benefit if people from the Greater Manchester area surfing the web are presented with Manchester United shirts rather than merchandise from a London football club.

By making the content more relevant to the consumer, improved clickthrough rates can lead to increased revenue and reduced costs.

"Advertisers need to cut through the vast clutter of the internet to increase the reach, relevance and response of their messages," he explained on the website.

This week, a spokesperson for digital marketing organisation TGB championed the use of behavioural advertising as a technique for more effective lead generation.

03/11/2009

Google 'will not be sole SEO platform in future'

Portals other than Google will still have a vital role to play in search marketing, says an expert.

Search engine optimisation (SEO) will need to be carried out across a range of portals in the future, with the focus not just on Google, according to an industry expert.

Deputy news editor at New Media Age Will Cooper noted that Google does provide consumers with a solid base to search for what they want on the internet.

However, he claimed that people will still search across various company portals.

In his view, one company will always dominate an area, but it is another point entirely to suggest that a search engine such as Google will displace all other search sites and portals.

"I wouldn't imagine - I might be wrong - we'll get to a point where Google will become the main place you start for everything," he explained.

Mr Cooper made his comments following the launch of the Google Social Search tool, which the organisation has advised will work best if users create a public profile with the company.

03/11/2009

Expert recommends IP intelligence for lead generation

Lead generation can be boosted by using IP intelligence to customise marketing campaigns, says an expert.

An industry commentator has advised companies to use IP intelligence to enhance the quality of their lead generation.

Vice-president of Digital Element Frank Bobo made his comments on Net Imperative, where he highlighted how online media has become the most popular advertising media in the UK, with a 23.5 per cent market share.

In his opinion, by using IP intelligence advertisers are able to customise campaigns so that they appeal to consumers close to home using localisation software.

Also, by being able to sense what internet connection speed a consumer is using, Mr Bobo pointed out that marketers can automatically offer more advanced media-rich adverts only to those with the capabilities to stream them.

"By utilising IP intelligence, advertisers now have a way to reach out to an untapped and previously hard-to-reach online audience - the unregistered user," he wrote.

This week, Oxfam announced that it had improved conversion rates by using an innovative lead generation strategy, in which customers decide how much postage they want to pay on a product.

03/11/2009

New social media tool 'aims for meaningful experience'

Twitter users have been urged to create lists of content using a new tool, which the company's co-founder believes will be a new "discovery mechanism".

A new Twitter tool has been developed to help people communicate more information in a cohesive manner, according to the social media site's co-founder.

Biz Stone, writing on Twitter's official blog, commented that any user can curate a list and claimed the feature will become a "discovery mechanism".

He also mentioned how several media companies have already begun making lists using Tweets, such as the Huffington Post during their coverage of the baseball World Series in the US.

"Lists also make it easier to curate tweets into meaningful real-time experiences on your own sites via the Lists API," said Mr Stone.

There are also new applications on offer to help people create lists such as TLISTS, while others provide users with a selection of recommended Tweets of this kind, for instance Listorious.

Last week the social media company announced that it is partnering itself with Google to allow Tweets to appear in the search engine's results pages.

02/11/2009

Oxfam 'pioneers lead generation strategy'

The international poverty charity has seen a spike in conversion rates since allowing customers to choose how much they pay in postage, according to a spokesperson.

A new lead generation tactic by Oxfam has been "massively successful", according to a senior spokesperson at the charity.

Director of trading David McCullough described how the company decided to let customers choose how much they want to pay in postage when they buy an item.

He claimed that delivery charges can be an obstacle for online retailers, since consumers are not spending as freely in the current economic climate.

But the amount of money raised by the voluntary scheme has suggested to Mr McCullough that people do want to donate money, even during a recession.

"We are the first organisation to trial a 'pay what you like' format for online delivery and it has already proved massively successful," he said.

Since the scheme was launched a fortnight ago, conversion rates have increased by 35 per cent and more than £8,000 has been paid in voluntary delivery donations.

The shop sells a variety of products, from ethically produced clothes and gadgets to second-hand music and collectables.

02/11/2009

Behavioural advertising 'encourages lead generation'

An expert has championed behavioural advertising as a form of lead generation, but called for more information to be given to consumers.

Lead generation can be improved with the use of behavioural advertising, but the technique should be explained to consumers.

David Gilbert, spokesperson for digital marketing company TGB, claimed that this form of marketing provides "measurable return on investment", which advertisers love.

But users are objecting because they feel their privacy is being intruded upon, which would not be the case if they understood the benefits to themselves and to advertisers.

Mr Gilbert explained: "Once users understand how behavioural advertising works, they will feel more comfortable about it and trust will be restored."

He suggested that marketers add explanatory information on their website and clear instructions on how to opt out if they do not want their online behaviour recorded.

In his view, "targeted advertising" is nothing new in itself.

Recent research by the Internet Advertising Bureau and Olswang revealed that 72 per cent of online users are not aware of behavioural advertising.

02/11/2009