July 30, 2010
Website Strategy
No Comments
It’s 30th July 2010 today and I used a website called Photobox to order several printed photos that I’d uploaded to them. Everything worked well as usual but it’s fair to say that I could be classed as being an occasional user (perhaps 2 or 3 times a year). However, occasional user that I may be, I’m still potentially a convert to spending more money.
After processing the photos order I got presented with not one but two offers. “That’s good” you may think, but look at what I was offered:
That’s right, my special offers are valid a whole day and a bit. I wonder what would have happened if I’d placed my order late at night on the 31st July – would I still have been given the same offer?
The point is this – I’m a fairly irregular customer of Photobox and they will know that. Does it not make sense to, at the very least, have their system set up so that the special offers have a longer expiry time on them? That could take it through to the end of the next month or better still, noting that I only buy periodically, perhaps longer to 2 or 3 months, and to email remind me of that offer every now and then.
I’d imagine that all buyers get similar ‘offers’ presented to them when they buy towards the end of the month and if that’s the case, how much potential repeat business are they missing out on purely because their system would appear to just focus on the current month end for promotions?
The Photobox site is pretty slick in general but as with any website, it’s sometimes these little tweaks needed that make a bigger difference to revenues being generated. Let’s say that I had coupons that allowed me a 2-3 month chance to redeem them, and I was reminded along the way. I could buy something else from them. I could also tell other people about them as they’ll be more in my consciousness. But I’m not going to buy anything in the next day and, as a marketer, I find it unforgivable that such a simple opportunity has been overlooked by them.
July 24, 2010
Google Adwords, SEO
No Comments
It doesn’t take a lot of justification to invest in an iPad but the decision has now been made a lot easier with the launch of Flipboard.
There is plenty of info on Flipboard on the page http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/archive/2010/07/23/flipboard-shows-us-the-future-of-content.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter but in a nutshell the app allows you to aggregate social media and other online content all into your own personal magazine. That magazine is always updating and the real benefit is not having to plough through loads of junk to see the stuff that you’re particularly interested in.
So why should Google be scared? There’s little doubt that Flipboard will be a significant influencer in people buying iPad – the chance to have totally customisable content on an easy-to-carry screen is a dream come true for many. People could become locked into their own little communities and areas of interest and could become more receptive to advertising messages and input from those within their Flipboard than from the more traditional channels such as Google. In short, there could become less reliance on going to Google to find answers when many of those answers could be available within Flipboard on the iPad.
Need something and would have previously gone to Google? As Flipboard evolves it could allow much more interaction with those you’re connected with and the answers will come via those channels. And if those answers come from people you trust/respect, then that takes revenue from the mouths of Google. New advertising models will undoubtedly come out of Flipboard as well and because trust will have been built up (through the usefulness of the application), those advertising messages may have more impact than would normally be expected.
Perhaps it’s not just Google that should be scared. Perhaps it should be businesses in general. The majority of businesses have barely grasped the concept of having a strong website and effective online advertising – what’s going to happen to them as evolutions such as Flipboard start to move the goalposts again? As always, we live in interesting times and the ability to respond to change will continue to be of paramount importance in business.
July 9, 2010
Google Adwords, Uncategorized, Website Accuracy, Website Strategy
No Comments
Walking past a branch of a sports store chain last week there was a huge stall outside selling large England flags for 10p each. Clearly, the store had overstocked, hoping for a better England performance and hadn’t negotiated a sale or return deal. At 10p each they’d still have been making a fair loss on each transaction. That got me thinking about incompetence both offline and online when it comes to event-sensitive sales of products.
I had a search online under the phrase ‘England flags’ and although many PPC adverts were still relevant (i.e. they weren’t focusing purely on the World Cup market), two adverts stood out as demonstrating PPC campaign management incompetence – nearly 2 weeks since England dropped out of the World Cup …
Looking at the Woolworths advert first, the high street store died not too long ago and out of the ashes came an online incarnation. Woolworths died because it didn’t move with the times and it would appear that some of that spirit has translated to this website. Would it have been simple to make a diary note to take down the PPC advert when England were knocked out of the World Cup, instead of, nearly 2 weeks later, having an advert asking us to ‘Support the England team with flags from Woolworths’, which looks just plain stupid? Of course it would have been simple but instead, they could be wasting clicks (although it’s hard to conceive who would be buying England flags to support the team right now) by being visible. They also make the woolworths.co.uk online presence look out of touch.
Onto the other PPC advert. In this case, they’re not offering flags but a World Cup Poster. Clicking on that advert takes you to a page that has a poster that’s totally geared around the World Cup, so has limited interest now that everything is all but over. What’s really interesting about that page though is the number of those A3 posters they have in stock:
Yes, 5,000 A3 posters in stock. Highly unlikely to be used and destined for recycling. So who has paid for those posters? The people who fund Keep Britain Tidy of course. Who was responsible for thinking there’d be a high demand for such a poster? Probably someone who is funded by those who put money into the charity. And then there’s the person responsible for keeping the PPC advert live, possibly attracting clicks, when there’s no point at all. As with the Woolworths example, it’s just lazy PPC management.
So I’ve covered the stock control and stupidity, now onto the opportunity …
Going back to the sports store with all the 10p England flags for sale. A week later those flags still haven’t been sold and are still there for 10p. Where’s the innovation in this country? Why doesn’t someone buy them all up (and more if they’re available), store them, and then sell them at the appropriate time? White background with red cross – it’s an England flag – it’s not going to change between now and the next big England event. At 10p a time it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that they could create an ebay page, offer them for sale at prices much lower than typically sold elsewhere, and just let the orders trickle in. If there are still flags left a couple of years down the line (for the European games) then demand may be higher. If unlucky, they’ll still be in stock for the next World Cup, but what’s been lost by making those purchases at bargain prices and just waiting til they sell, undercutting the competition?
Barely a day goes by when I don’t hear someone moaning about how much things cost, or how hard it is to get business. This is especially true with teenagers. Perhaps it’s easier to moan than to innovate. Perhaps the concept of buying up a stock of England flags isn’t the biggest short-term profitable activity to undertake and we’re living in a world where everyone wants quick wins and big bucks now. But from small opportunities generally come bigger ideals about what’s possible to achieve and when sites like ebay make it so simple to start from those small beginnings, the opportunities open to people are limited only by how blinkered they are.
