My name is Pedro Laboy and I am a business strategist. My specialties are marketing and
branding. My tools of choice are technology, social media, and analytics. My name is
Pedro Laboy and I am a business strategist.
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Posts Tagged ‘Digital’
Great infographic from Fast Company.
There are several tools you can use to evaluate your site’s performance. You can star by analyzing data from your standard analytics tool (Google Analytics, Omniture, etc). In addition, I would recommend using analysis tools that help understand on page behavior (Clicky, Crazy Egg, etc). If you want to better understand content usability and expectations you can conduct an online card sorting exercise using relatively inexpensive online tools (optimalsort.com, websort.net, etc). You could do a survey of your users but this usually not very effective. Finally, you can conduct a more advanced eye tracking study but I would only recommend this investment only if you are building a major enterprise level website ($400k to $1m).
So, the standard approach to evaluating site performance for purpose of web redesign is as follow: 1) gather the data/information using the tools above, 2) conduct a competitive/landscape analysis and 3) use a digital strategist to interpret results and make specific usability/design recommendations.
There is no better communication tool than a well done infographic. Here are my to five internet related infographics.
The Spectrum of User Experience
Internet Speeds and Costs Around The World
Google Acquisition Map
The Hierarchy of Digital Distractions
Web Trends Map
While conducting a competitive audit of the financial services industry for a client I came across a campaign that does a superb job at integrating print, search and display advertising. The campaign was deployed by T. Rowe Price (TRP)—by the way, I have no association with TRP or any of its agencies. The campaign supports two lines of business: mutual fund and retirement services. It is glued together by a web of well thought-out landing pages, unique toll-free numbers and tracking codes. These allow TRP to segment its audience, deliver unique value propositions and track performance of different channels as well as creative. I will give you a visual breakdown of the campaign starting with the TRP landing pages before analyzing print, banner and search ads.
Landing Pages
Each ad sends users to a unique landing page or URL. The messaging on the ads and the landing pages works seamlessly. Great content is included for those looking to learn more about the brand and its products. Unique toll-free numbers are displayed for those users further along the conversion funnel.
Print Ads
The print ads are nicely done. They include both unique landing pages and toll-free numbers. TRP should have tested different creative approaches, though. Based on research I recently read, the use of images on financial services advertising results in higher conversion rates.
Display (Banner) Ads
For this campaign, TRP took a contextual approach to its digital media. I am sure the media plan included behavioral and retargeting buys as well. The ads were created by the book. The include message segmentation and unique toll-free numbers. Each ad is tied to a unique landing page.
Search Ads
TRP’s paid search campaign was built around a robust keyword list. The ads include clear value propositions and a call-to-actions. Ads placed within the three top positions for all keywords. I would have done one thing differently, though. I would have used DNI scripts to dynamically generate Toll-free numbers on landing pages
Putting All Together
The image below demonstrates how the campaign comes together through TRP’s website and its landing pages.
What About TV?
Interestingly, TV ads have been running concurrently with the campaign above. However, these ads are not tightly integrated with other channels. Viewers are not directed to unique landing pages and a general toll-free number is used. Also, the messaging is not inline with other ads. I imagine that, as usual, TV advertising is handled by a different agency or team.
The chances of a viral ad becoming an effective brand vehicle are similar to those of a high-school basketball student making it into the NBA. By the way, viral ads are those that propagate through email and/or social networks rather than paid media channels. Here are five viral ads that have made the cut.
VW
Bing
Tony Hawk
Dove
Budweiser
There are three approaches to integrating and managing complex web properties: First, we have families of websites that use a common template and that are fully integrated either through navigation or visual design. Second, there are those websites that use a common template but are not fully integrated. Finally, there are organizations that take an ad hoc approach to their web properties. That is, they neither use a common template nor make an effort to integrate their websites. I will provide examples of all three.
Wall Street Journal Digital Network (WSJDN)
- Group of five primary and several secondary websites
- While each website has a distinctive layout as well as look and feel
- However, all sites have been built on the same infrastructure and with the same foundational template
- Adding new properties to the group is relatively easy
WSJ.com
WSJDN – Wall Street Journal, Market Watch, Barron’s and All Things Digital. The same global navigation is used across all WSJDN websites
Pew Charitable Trust (PCT)
- Group of websites not tightly integrated
- There is no global menu or navigation that allows users to go from website in the family to another
- All websites have been built on the same platform and based on the same template
- Adding new web properties can be achieved with little effort
PCT – Pew Center on The States, Pew Research Center, Pew Hispanic Center and The Pew Forum on Religion
US Government
- Group of related websites with little to no integration
- Redesign of the White House website has redefined what users expect from a government website
- However, no other government website delivers
- P&G takes a similar approach as well
Exit Warning! They seem to discourage users from leaving whitehouse.gov and moving into other US Government websites
Selected US Government websites
I know I am going to take a lot of heat for this post. Where exactly are all these so-called social media experts coming from? It seems that nowadays anyone with a Facebook or Twitter account can claim to be a social media strategist. I am afraid it takes much more than that. There is a big difference between understanding a subject and being an expert on it. For example, following the PGA tour on TV and playing golf on weekends does not make me a golf expert. A social media expert must be able to:
1. Develop and execute content and delivery strategies that align to the client’s overall marketing and sales goals. Simply posting videos to YouTube does not count.
2. Integrate social media with offline as well as other digital vehicles such as email, search, and display so they support and enhance each other
3. Have an in-depth understanding of the underlying technologies behind social platforms. Why? So you can make recommendations on how to integrate these platforms–either through third-party applications such as Salesforce, Gist or Cliqset; the client’s website CMS; or a customized applications built (i.e. using Adobe Air) specifically to fit the client’s needs
4. Provide social media usage guidelines that go beyond the marketing department. It only takes one misguided posting by a client’s employee to undo a year’s worth of social marketing
5. Collect and mine social media data to identify trends and opportunities the client should promptly embrace. This must be go beyond providing meaningless metrics such as “sentiment” or “mentions.” Social media analytics should include mining data to determine the client’s Social Graph and identifying influencers that should be targeted.
In my opinion, you cannot be a social media “expert” if you cannot master ALL of the above. What do you think?