A long journey has ended tonight. I filed my last project in my last class as a graduate student in West Virginia University’s Digital Marketing Communications Program. As the last class – Digital Production and Interactive Video—comes to an end, I feel like I’ve come full circle. You see, I began my communications career as a TV journalist 20 years ago – shooting video.
When I think back nearly one year ago when I started this journey over the digital divide, I didn’t think I would be sitting at my home tonight recording my thoughts on a small Flip video camera no bigger than a deck of cards. I still consider myself a digital immigrant, a member of the generation who grew up BEFORE personal computers, cell phones and other technology gadgets were part of our everyday lives. I didn’t like being a digital immigrant because I think change is good. That’s why I’m glad a set out on this journey. I’ve learned a lot and can now hold my own, at least, in social media circles.
For my last project, I chose to do a video feature on how boat owners come up with names for their boats. You can view the video on YouTube or here:
I don’t know if it has what it takes to go viral. I do know it was fun to shoot and much easier to do carrying around a small Flip camera than those monster cameras of yesteryear. Going viral then usually meant you needed to see the doctor. Here’s hoping the only doctor you’ll need after seeing this video is Dr. Pepper! Thanks for watching and visiting my site. If you want to hear about my project and the process instead of reading about it, check this out:
Tens of thousands of videos are uploaded to YouTube each day. Some barely attract more than a handful of viewers while others go viral, attracting millions of viewers as they are passed from friend to friend. The difference between a successful video and one that falls flat takes more than creativity. Dan Ackerman Greenberg, co-founder of the viral video marketing company The Comotion Group, said in a 2007 article in TechCrunch that viral videos require more than just good content. Effective ones are short, don’t seem like advertisements, contain a shock value and when all else fails appeal on a sexual level.
Short and shocking is exactly what you get in BlenTec’s “Will It Blend?” videos featuring BlendTec CEO Tom Dickson blending up non-food items in the company break room. They have been featured on major mainstream media, including The Today Show, The Tonight Show, The History Channel, The Wall Street Journal and others. This one, featuring the iPhone, is one of the more popular, having been viewed more than 8 million times. Anyone who views is left saying, “I can’t believe he did that to an iPhone!” Take a look.
What makes this video and others in the series move beyond entertainment to truly effective is that it has helped drive sales of blenders without the use of traditional advertising. BlendTec saw its sales increase 700 percent from 2006 when the first video was introduced to 2009 (Briggs, 2009). As BlendTec Vice President George Wright said, "We're not creating advertising. We're creating something people want to watch," (Angwin, 2009).
Anyone whose ever tried to make milkshakes or frozen margaritas knows how a poor quality blender can leave lumps of ice in such drinks. The BlendTec videos leave the viewer wanting to know where they can buy such a machine. If it can do that to an iPhone, just imagine what it can do to ice.
The series has prompted numerous copycats, including the latest “Will It Burn?” announced in May (O'Neill, 2010). Within a week, “Will It Burn?” attracted 24,000 subscribers, even though a single video had yet to be uploaded to YouTube. Imitation is, as they say, the sincerest form of flattery. Still , it will take time to see if “Will It Burn?” is as effective at “Will It Blend?”
Nine weeks ago when I logged into the first session of my graduate class, Web Metrics and SEO, I was more than intimidated. And I am not a person who is easily intimidated. I have been in the communications business for more than 20 years. Fourteen of those years were spent as a reporter for The Associated Press, where I interviewed presidents and celebrities, common people and policymakers.
But SEO? I had to Google it to discover I would be learning more about search engine optimization. Now as a public relations professional, I know that is important. And I am happy to say I know more today about analytics and SEO than I did nine weeks ago. Sadly, though, I would need much more information to be able to actually use some of the information I read about.
Much of the lessons and reading material was written in technical jargon that students like me who have no technical background find difficult to comprehend. Sometimes I felt like I was reading a foreign language. No doubt in today’s Internet-based society, knowing about analytics is important. For me, however, I found the execution required a much more intricate and detailed approach than the information I had available to me provided.
Those who excel at the business of web metrics and search engine optimization can rest assured that writers like me will not be lining up anytime soon for their jobs. It certainly is a specialized field. Now if they’re looking for someone to help them craft just the right sentence for a Web site, now we’re talking my language!
Wal-mart, with sales of $405 billion in fiscal year 2010, is the world’s largest retailer. Founded in 1962 as a discount store, today Wal-mart operates more than 8,416 retail units under 53 different banners in 15 countries and features more than 1 million products online (Wal-mart.com, 2010).
Wal-mart made the bold decision in 2004 to add Omniture’s SiteCatalyst hosted Web analytics service to study the relationship of merchandising to sales on its retail Web site (Internet Retailer.com, 2004). Set up to echo the physical organization of Wal-Mart stores, Walmart.com presents the same products in several different areas of the Web site, with some appearing in as many as a dozen categories. By collecting customer data, Wal-mart will have information it can use to position itself to better respond to customers and its direct competitors.
SiteCatalyst helps Wal-mart mine data in real time to quantify and visually reflect the effectiveness of its Web site and its marketing objectives. Wal-mart also uses SiteCatalyst to track data points such as historical site activity -- what happened on the site -- as well as actionable information -- what is happening on the site. Other custom features allow Wal-mart to identify site visitor behaviors and generate customized reports on such online activity, (Khan, 2004). SiteCatalyst also allows Wal-mart to pull data on the response to product placements on different areas of a page, for example, or view the effects of greater or lesser product exposure on the site (Internet Retailer.com, 2004).
Through the use of analytics, Wal-mart learned that roughly 130 million customers visit one of its stores or its Web site every week and it said 75 percent of those customers are active online (Reuters, 2007). Analytics also showed that users of Walmart.com’s free site-to-store shipping, often spend as much as $60 additional dollars once they go to the retail store to pick up the item ordered online (Reuters, 2007).
Despite such an obviously sales growth feature, the free shipping service is limited. Wal-mart’s online products top 1 million; however, the free shipping service is available only on some of those products. Products that are perishable, contain hazardous material, weigh 350 pounds or more, or are sold by a Wal-mart Marketplace Retailer, are never eligible for free site-to-store shipping (Wal-mart.com, 2010).
Wal-mart would not be the largest retailer in the world if it didn’t listen to some of what its customers said. However, I believe the company could further increase both its online and retail sales by expanding the site-to-store shipping program. I suspect many customers, like me, often abandon full shopping carts once they learn how high the shipping costs will be on some items. The site-to-store program is a feature that customers repeatedly say they want, a feature they use and a feature that analytics shows will lead to more spending. Isn’t that ultimately what any business wants?
Knowing your customers is important to any successful business. But even the good ones can make improvements. Data gathered through testing, such as A/B testing, can be key. A/B testing allows a business to compare two versions of the same element side by side. One version of the tested element is seen by a percentage of visitors while the other version is seen by an equal percentage. The test is designed to give businesses an idea of which version more effective in getting the desired result.
Let’s look at L.L. Bean, which launched its Web site in 1995 and has been named No. 1 in the National Retail Federation/American Express Customer Service Survey for three years in a row -- 2007, 2008 and 2009, largely because of its customer service (Grannis, 2010). L.L. Bean’s Web site is often recognized for the speed of response and the ability to find a product quickly. The site makes shopping easy. In addition to displaying the toll free number for placing phone orders, the Web site also offers live chat and responds to e-mails within an hour, much faster than the industry average.
L.L. Bean has been effective in moving its business from mainly a catalog-based endeavor to and Internet-based one. In doing so, the retailer has remained authentic to its brand and traditions while adapting to an ever-changing world. Yet there are glitches.
For example, a visitor to the Web site shopping for women’s apparel moved to the clearance area, instead of seeing women’s apparel, they are greeted with men’s items, forcing the customer shopping for women’s apparel to search through multiple pages of sale items. Using A/B testing different versions of the Web site could see how shoppers respond and see if sales increase as a result.
Nick Stamoulis with Pay Per Click Journal said (2009) that “A/B testing is almost always preferable even on your landing pages. Multivariate testing should be reserved for picking the best of the best of your elements AFTER you have run your initial A/B tests.”
L.L. Bean and other businesses can use such results to improve the shopping experience of their customers.
Facebook has become one of the most popular social networking sites in the world. It offers businesses and bloggers alike the opportunity to reach millions of people. This week in our Web Metrics and SEO, I was faced with the task of using social networking sites to promote my blog at http://www.whenamousewentsqueaknotclick.blogspot.com/.
As a long-time Facebook fan, that was the social networking method I choose to use. It is a good choice to reach many different demographics and is a good source for monitoring sentiments and directions. eMarketer estimates in its report Social Network Ad Spending: 2010 Outlook that companies will spend more than $2.2 billion on social media marketing efforts this year, with more than half of that amount coming from the United States. In 2010, Facebook will account for nearly one-quarter of all social network ad spending worldwide, up from 20 percent in 2009 (eMarketer, 2010).
Armed with this information, I logged onto my Facebook account and created a separate page to promote my blog. I then imported my blog onto the Facebook page by going to the notes section on the page. Now visitors to my Facebook page can easily see postings made to my blog. While I have yet to receive any comments, I believe it will be an effective means to expand my audience as I continue my journey towards completing the graduate Digital Marketing Communications certificate program at West Virginia University.
Steve Rubel, Director of Insights for Edelman Digital, said in a Mashable posting (2009), that blogs likely will remain the primary social hub for many on the web, and I hope mine will be one of them.
I have grown to both love and hate Google Analytics. As a public relations practitioner and marketer, I understand the valuable information such a tool can provide. On the other hand, I hate how Google has infiltrated everything I do on my blog. I like sharing insights and my experiences in my Digital Marketing Communications graduate program at West Virginia University. At this point in the program I can honestly say I’m no longer a novice, and I’m proud of that. Still, I’m far from an expert, and I continue to struggle with installing the tools that Google Analytics promises will benefit me, my blog and others.
I understand all too well how important data is for businesses and government agencies alike. Understanding why visitors to a commercial Web site leave before making a purchase, especially when they leave items in a shopping cart, and making the appropriate adjustments can make the difference between those businesses that succeed and those that fail in an Internet-driven economy. What I don’t understand is how this same Google Analytics tool can be used to improve government Web sites and other non-e-commerce sites that only provide information.
No doubt such sites want good visitor experiences as much as commercial entities do so it is important to track visits. That tool is a given. The use of keywords and filtering also could prove useful. Tracking sales, not so much. I am happy to say that I successfully installed mega tags and keywords on my blog as well as filters to better understand those who visit my site so that they may benefit from my experiences, both good and bad. Although I have not yet seen any results from these latests additions, I hope that I will so soon. And when I do, know that those who visit this blog will be the beneficiaries.
Until recently, if you asked me what a funnel was, I would have said it was a cone-shaped object usually used in the kitchen to pour liquids from a larger container into a storage jar. I remember my mother using one in the summer to make homemade jams and jellies and can vegetables from the garden. I even would have bought the definition that it is a cone-shaped object placed into the gas tank of a lawnmower to aid in filling it with fuel.
But I would have been wrong in both cases. In today’s technology-dependent world, a funnel is a tool marketers can use in Google Analytics, a free service offered by Google that generates detailed statistics about visitors to a Web site or a blog like this one.
Similarly, a goal is not a personal objective or even a score in an athletic contest like basketball, soccer or hockey; it is a measurable action performed by visitors to your Web site or blog. I think both goals and funnels would be more useful if I were actually selling something instead of sharing information. In fact, I found the steps a little confusing for a non-e-commerce user.
Still, I am happy to report that I successfully installed goals and funnels onto my blog and Google Analytics account. I also enabled site search in hopes of making my blog more user friendly.
Since installing Google Analytics earlier this month, I have 25 visits, 55 page views with the average visitor spending 7:36 on my site and a 44 percent bounce rate.
I am pleasantly surprised by these numbers. I do wish, though, that I could attract more comments. Nonetheless, I hope those who visit my blog, “Come on back now, Ya’ hear!”
I want to know more about using the Internet, social media and other technology as marketing tools. That’s why I’m enrolled in West Virginia University’s Digital Marketing Communications graduate program. Today I successfully installed Google Analytics on my blog and looked at my first report.
While it doesn’t list much beyond a few zeros, getting here was a journey I won’t soon forget. I send kudos to Bilal Aslam, a computer engineering student and the creator of Blogger Basics: How to Install Google Analytics on Blogger (2009). Without the elementary step-by-step instructions in this article, I would still be struggling to install Google Analytics with my head in a fog.
I know how important this step is for a blogger or a company wanting to do business on the Internet. Google Analytics allows bloggers and businesses alike to monitor their online health. Gathering such information helps companies understand their customers and why other potential consumers may leave the Web site after only a quick visit.
The key to any effective marketing campaign begins with good research. Google Analytics can help provide such valuable information so that businesses and bloggers know what visitors like and what they don’t. Google Analytics goes even further. Thomas McMahon in a post on Online Marketing Blog (2008) outlined five lesser known advantages to using Google Analytics. Among them is that Google Analytics allows users to capture internal search statistics (McMahon, 2008). This feature allows users not only to see what visitors put into an internal search box, but what page they were on when they made the search and what page they chose in the search results.
While it is too soon to know what Google Analytics will tell me about visitors to my blog, I hope it provides insight that will help me make it a better blog to read and perhaps even teach something new to others.
I thought I knew quite a bit about computers and technology. Then came my latest assignment in my Digital Marketing Communications class at West Virginia University, Web Analytics and Search Engine Optimization. The assignment seemed easy enough: register our blogs on Google. Got it. Then experiment with first anchor text counts. Huh? I know this is a graduate level course but when it comes to what amounts to basic computer programming I need a primer, and when I say primer, I mean step-by-step instructions.
After reading the assigned reading at http://www.seomoz.org/blog/results-of-google-experimentation-only-the-first-anchor-text-counts, I was left more confused than ever. For example, step three in tracking a fictitious Web site tells you to: Create 6 pages on the site, the homepage (A) with two links to pages (B) and (C), pages (D) and (E) - both linked to by page (B) - and page (F) linked to from page (C). It's important to make sure that (B) is the first link on the homepage (A) and (C) is the second link (Fishkin, 2008). Now consider I’ve never had any training or experience like this. So what is a researcher and writer to do? Well Google it, of course!
My search for “how to register a domain name with Google” first led me to multiple sites that wanted me to pay to register my blog. I’m a college student, remember? So I continued my search for a way to register my blog for free. And here comes the funny part. I didn’t find anything right away on Google but a search on Bing returned an eHow article that walked me through it. The instructions were simplistic, but specific, exactly what I needed.
1. Go to Google.
2. Visit the "Submit Your Content" page at Google.com. Click on "Submit a URL" located in the "Here's How to Get Started" box in the upper right corner.
3. Enter the name of your URL. Copy the captcha code. The "captcha code" refers to the funny-looking characters in the box that you must copy into another box. This ensures that people, not software, submits URLs. Software can't read these captcha codes, so this ensures that a human is submitting the site.
The eHow article also include a handy tip box that listed things needed before beginning, including a Google account and the URL of my blog.
I’m proud to say that after days, and when I say days I mean multiple days, of struggling to figure out what exactly I was supposed to do, I successfully registered my blog with Google with the help of that eHow article. And Google now thinks I’m a webmaster! Take a look at this screen grab capture that says it’s providing information for webmasters.
I can tell you that both the webmaster and assistant webmaster at the West Virginia Department of Education felt a chill run down their spines at the thought. They can rest assured that their jobs are safe.
In a world where Americans alone conducted 14.7 billion Internet searches in December, the importance of search engine optimization and the role it plays in marketing is more important than ever (ComScore.com, 2010). While Google is by far the most used search engine, accounting for nearly 66 percent of all searches in December 2009, according to comScore (2010), other sites also used, including Yahoo, Bing and Ask.
To compare how the different sites work, let’s look at two companies that sell similar products. I’ve been thinking about buying a new house lately so why not look at real estate and the different results those keywords turn up in the different search engines: Google, Yahoo, Bing and Ask.
On Google, Realtor.com is the first entry, followed by several other informational and news sites. Remax, in the fourth spot, is the first real estate company to pop up. Howard Hanna Real Estate Services, a regional real estate company serving West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, appeared on page 4.
In a similar search in Yahoo, Century 21 was in the top spot, while Remax didn’t even pop up in the first four pages, nor did Howard Hanna. Page 4 in the Yahoo search turned up multiple listings for real estate in Charleston, S.C., a frequent mix-up with Charleston, W.Va.
On Bing, a search for “real estate” found Century 21 on the first page, while Remax shows up on page 4. Howard Hanna is nowhere to be seen. Page 4 on Bing returns several newspaper stories that include real estate, including the listings in The New York Times. On Ask, the same search for “real estate” found Century 21 and Remax on the first page, Century 21 in position 13 and Remax in 14. On page 4 one will find Century 21 again but in a sponsored spot.
Realtor.com and Realestate.com come up first or second in all four searches. While neither provides local listings, they do provide several links and tools that site visitors likely would use. With all the real estate companies out there, the fact that Century 21 and Remax show up the most indicates they understand the importance of keywords on their title pages and in body text on their home pages.
Vanessa Fox, author of Marketing in the Age of Google and the blog Nine by Blue, said (2007) that many companies are too close to their products and Web sites to notice when they fail to use keywords that consumers would use. She suggests that all businesses really need to do to improve their searchability is to look at their sites through the eyes of their audiences. What do they see when they get to the site? Can they easily find what they’re looking for? “Ultimately, you care about users, not search engines,” Fox said. “You just want the search engines to let the users know about your site. And you want to make users happy once they do know about it” (Fox, V., 2009).
Companies that pepper their Web sites and title pages with keywords such as real estate, words that those looking to buy or sell property likely would use, will optimize their online presence, as both Century 21 and Remax have learned.
When I first saw the title of this course, Web Metrics and SEO, I was intimidated to say the least. I didn’t even know that SEO was short for search engine optimization, nor did I really know what Web metrics meant except something to do with math. I think such lack of knowledge among marketers and public relations practitioners like me is more the rule than the exception and contributes to Web analytics failures. While I would not suggest that every marketer and public relations practitioner should be experts in Web metrics, a solid understanding is necessary in today’s Internet-based world.
In my very elementary understanding of the issue, many analytical applications fail because they assume users know precisely what they need before the analysis begins (Gemignani, Z., 2008). Often times, marketers and public relations professionals depend upon a tool to track an answer with only a vague idea where to start. Zack Gemignani with Juice Analytics said (2008) that “the exploratory analysis that follows can feel like swimming upstream when the application isn’t designed to facilitate the journey.”
As any good public relations practitioner or marketer will tell you, research is a key factor in any successful campaign. But measuring for the sake of measuring without a goal is pointless. Mark Twain once said, “People commonly use statistics like a drunk uses a lamp post; for support rather than illumination.”
Many a campaign has failed because no one really looked at what the statistics were saying. The reality is numbers don’t always tell the whole story. We must not make such assumptions if we hope our Web analytics efforts to be successful.
For example, Gerry McGovern in the Marketing Profs Daily Fix (2006) said just because someone is a repeat visitor to your site does not mean they are a satisfied customer. He cites multiple personal visits to the Cruise America site. After his first visit, he left frustrated, confused and annoyed because he could not get the quote function to work properly. A second try had equally frustrating results. Yet the numbers would make McGovern appear to be a satisfied, repeat customer (McGovern, G, 2006).
Similarly, a study by Jared Spool of User Interface Engineering comparing Gap.com with Newport-News.com further illustrates how measuring volume alone contributes to failure. The study found that Gap's site outperformed Newport News by a factor of 10. While the overall Web site design is credited for Gap's success, the study also found that the average purchase on the Gap site took 12 pages, whereas the average purchase on Newport News took 51 pages. The more pages people looked at, the less likely they were to buy (McGovern, 2006).
The lesson for both CruiseAmerica and Newport News is that volume is not sufficient to determine if a Web site is successful because it can blur reality. The numbers could represent loyal, repeat customers. But they also could just as easily represent disgruntled shoppers who leave a site without spending a penny. Better to also look at how long it takes a Web site visitor to complete a task than visits alone.
As I continue my journey into the world of Digital Marketing Communications, I find myself in a sea of unknowns. My third class in West Virginia University’s DMC graduate program, Web Metrics and SEO, promises to be the most challenging yet, at least for me. You see, I’m a writer, and have been for more than 20 years. It’s a profession I’m good at and enjoy. It’s also one I selected because I didn’t have to take much math to finish my undergraduate degree.
After graduating with a journalism degree in 1987, and working in television news for four years, I found my niche as a reporter with The Associated Press. I spent 14 years with The AP before moving into public relations for the West Virginia Department of Education, where I am now. Still, I write. I am the primary writer for the department, writing everything from speeches, news releases and editorials to radio scripts, magazine articles and brochures. I have been in my position nearly four years.
Working for the AP was a fun yet demanding job, and I am glad I had the experience. I have written stories that have appeared in publications and on television broadcasts all over the world. I was the first reporter to talk to Jessica Lynch’s family when she first went missing, before the Bush Administration used her to promote the war in Iraq. This was one of the more interesting stories I worked on. Jayson Blair, who was fired from the New York Times for plagiarism, used parts of several of my stories without attribution. He was fired and I ended up in a New York Times article. Not exactly how I thought I’d be in the Times but interesting nonetheless.
I am not alone in leaving a job I loved for new adventures. In a recent article in The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg (2010) writes about how public relation practitioners are being inundated with calls from journalists looking to escape the profession before it dies, as opposed to after it dies. Many of them, like me, will need some additional education to be the most successful.
My years at the AP taught me a lot about research and writing but little about technology beyond laptops and cell phones. Everyone has that ah-ha moment, Oprah says. For me, that time came about a year into my job with the Department of Education when I was working on a marketing strategic plan and felt out of my element. It was a gap in my education for which my vast writing experience failed to prepare me. I’ve learned so much about new media in just two courses and am ready for the next step. Yet I admit I am intimidated by this class and the concepts of web analytics because of the math. I hope I am up to the challenge, and overcome my math phobia.
Deb Shops, a low-cost mall retailer that specializes in junior and plus-sized merchandise in sizes 0 to 26 for young women ages 13 to 25, operates more than 340 stores in 43 states as well as an online store (Debshops.com, 2009). With roots dating back to the 1930s, Philadelphia-based Deb Shops “is focused on providing current fashion and compelling values” and strives “to guide young women with dependable advice and empower them with current fashion and styles that fit both their figure and budget" (Debshops.com, 2009).
The Situation
In 2008, Deb Shops had no online presence (Krol, 2009). Its Web site was information-based rather than product-based. A year later, the retailer’s first foray into e-commerce is considered a success (Krol, 2009). In addition to building an e-commerce site, Deb began collecting e-mail addresses in its bricks-and-mortar point-of-sale system, and started using affiliate programs to drive site traffic, paid search and SEO, banners and targeted media, and partnerships with established brands where it makes sense Prior to the site launch, Deb Shops had a file of 60,000 names, most of which were old and dormant. Since the site launched in February, the database rocketed to more than one million opt-in names (Krol, 2009).
The retailer partnered with Seventeen magazine on its first campaign for prom, linking to the publication's Web site to jointly promote a contest. That added exposure enabled Deb Shops to build its database more quickly and drive more customers to the site. Deb also partnered with Jay McCarroll, winner of the fashion-focused reality show Project Runway to promote homecoming events.
The campaign was a success. In the first four weeks of the campaign, www.debmodelsearch.com saw more than 25,000 registrations and more than 5,000 model entries, a growth of approximately 1,000 percent over the first week. Yet Deb has not continued the momentum the campaign created.
Deb has a presence on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and YouTube. Yet Deb, as of December 28, 2009, had no links to any of the social media sites on its main Web site. And despite an extensive store network, Deb’s Facebook site, for example, only had 6,844 fans as of December 27, 2009, an increase of nearly 450 fans since November 2, 2009 (Facebook.com, 2009). Deb’s YouTube site had only 147 subscribers on December 27, up just one subscriber from November 2. Channel views totaled 3,120 on December 27, 2009, up from 2,991 views on November 2 (YouTube, 2009). In addition, Deb’s MySpace blog, a good use of social media to build a brand, has not been updated since July 24, 2009 (MySpace.com, 2009). The other postings made in 2009 were on April 9; February 2, 18 and 21; January 4, 23, 29 and 30. Such neglect of a social media renders the tool virtually ineffective.
Marketing Objective
In a 10-K SEC filing filed by Deb Shops on April 13, 2007, the company said, “We believe that many of the malls in which we operate our stores are destination locations for our customers. We also believe that our target customer visits the malls in which we operate on a regular basis and that in addition to shopping in our stores they also visit other teen apparel retailers.
“As a result, we believe the most effective form of marketing is through visual merchandising within our stores. Our visual merchandising is designed to create an image of depth, with product offerings using coordinated and accessorized fashion displays. Our displays also present layered items to encourage multiple unit sales. In connection with the opening of a new or newly remodeled store, we frequently use radio advertisements to develop customer awareness of the new or remodeled location.
“Our Web site, www.debshops.com, is designed to drive additional store traffic, showing up-to-date seasonal fashions for our junior and plus-sized customer, some of which can be purchased online. It also serves as a marketing channel that helps to build brand awareness and contains a store locator. Our gift cards can also be purchased on our Web site.” In addition, Deb Shops said its goal is to increase “sales, profitability and cash flow.” In 2007, the company reported revenue of $324.7 million, with a profit of $21.4 million (10-K SEC filing, 2007).
Deb no longer relies solely on store displays and radio advertisements to accomplish its goal of increased sales, profitability and cash flow, having added social media into its marketing mix. However, Deb can benefit from setting a specific marketing objective. Such an objective should be specific, measurable, achievable yet challenging and build upon its goal.
With that goal in mind, an effective marketing objective for Deb would be “to persuade 25 percent of the target audience through a year-long social media campaign that Deb Shops offers them the most value for their money.”
Target Market
Every generation of teenagers believes it is unlike any that came before. In some respects they are right. Today’s kids never knew a world without the Internet. To them, control, alt, delete is as familiar as learning their ABC’s. Today’s teens also are part of a generation with access to more money and the free time to spend it.
The Teens Market in the U.S. Report (2009) predicts the market for products bought by and for the 25.6-million-member teen market is expected to increase from $189.7 billion in 2006 to $208.7 billion in 2011, despite an estimated 3 percent decline in the teen population (Marketing Charts, 2009). Specifically, teen girls account for a healthy portion of the billions that teenagers funnel into the economy. They also are receptive to advertising in traditional places as well as alternative media, making social media an important marketing tool for businesses serving the teen market (PRWeek, 2003).
In addition, USA Today’s Jayne O’Donnell reported on December 28 that discounters, price-conscious teen stores (like Deb) and social-media-savvy retailers are best-positioned to thrive in the 2010. While teen stores have tended to do better than others during the recession, those with the best prices have soared, putting Deb in a good position to affect its bottom line.
According to Quantcast (2009), 64 percent of Deb customers are female; 45 percent between the ages of 13 and 17; 84 percent are white; and 60 percent are from families earning between $30,000 and $100,000 a year. Given Deb’s demographics, the online world offers many opportunities to improve its marketing efforts. In addition, since Deb customers are heavy cell phone users who text more often than they talk on the phone, the retailer could benefit for experimenting there.
Deb’s principal competitors, according to Quantcast (2009) include Charlotte Russe Holding, Inc.; Gap Inc.; Hot Topic Inc.; Target Corporation; and The Wet Seal, Inc. Looking at Facebook alone, Deb has the fewest fans of any of its competitors. Compare Deb's 6,844 fans to Target's 683,771 and The Gap's 499,826. While these two stores also attract buyers outside Deb's target audience that Deb isn't likely to reach, Deb's other competitors with similar demographics also have better numbers. For example, Hot Topic has 130,397 Facebook fans; Charlotte Russe, 62,791; and Wet Seal, 42,394 (Facebook.com). In addition, Charlotte Russe, which also has a big presence on Twitter, has been called a "social-media supernova" and is currently the fastest-growing online retailer in 2009 (O’Donnell, J., 2009).
In its report “How Tweens & Teens Use Social Media, EPM Communications (2009) found that 29 percent of Twitter users 18-24 years old use Twitter to follow their favorite companies and 54 percent of 13-14 year olds have Facebook pages.
All in all, social media offers businesses like Deb an opportunity to create two-way communication with customers. While Deb has recognized the benefits of social media, the company could do a better job of reaching out to its target market through this valuable marketing tool.
Strategy
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, blogs. These are the tools of today’s marketing and public relations practitioner. Yet posting occasionally on your Twitter account or writing blogs or maintaining a Facebook pages just for the sake doing so doesn’t constitute a social media marketing strategy. Blindly jumping into social media is a terrible mistake that can create major setbacks. The value of Facebook is that it allows users to communicate with friends, family and long-lost classmates as well as businesses and nonprofit causes they support. The reality of many people in the 21st century is that their lives do not allow them to be as involved in their community as they would like to be. Facebook offers an easy way to keep in touch and connected to those they care about. But it also offers users an opportunity to seek out special offerings.
Deb Shops Facebook Fan Amanda Wilson proclaimed in a posting, “Debs should post coupons to use in the stores on the Facebook page!” She’s not alone in what she says she wants. A study released from Razorfish on consumer behavior, suggests all consumers really want from their favorite brands on social media is a good deal. FEED: The 2009 Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report, posted November 8 on Media Post News (Walsh, 2009), surveyed 1,000 connected consumers about their attitudes toward social media marketing and how digital is changing the way they interact with brands.
The survey found that promotions and discounts were primary drivers of friending a brand for 37 percent of Facebook and MySpace users and 44 percent of Twitter users. The report points to companies such as Starbucks, which has amassed nearly 5.3 million fans and soared to the top of Facebook brand pages by offering coupons for free pastries and ice cream, and Dell, which has earned kudos for generating more than $7 million in sales from its Dell Outlet through Twitter.
The findings suggest social media marketing isn't so much about boosting brand awareness as enticing users with concrete offers. Garrick Schmitt, Razorfish group vice president of experience planning and editor of the study, said "That to me is a big 'Aha! What we're finding is that with Facebook and Twitter, marketers are assuming some deeper dialogue, but what's really going on is – people want deals" (Walsh, 2009).
Social Media Plan
Social media is different from traditional mass media in that it allows for the quick dissemination of information to an engaged and targeted audience. It also provides those who want to know more about a company the opportunity to seek out information in a different manner. While consumers still value open and honest conversations, they also want something for their time in the form of a discount. The Razorfish survey is important to retailers like Deb because companies that use social media effectively are creating loyal customers. Razorfish found that the overwhelming majority of consumers who actively engage with a brand, by following them on Twitter or entering a contest such as Deb Shops Ultimate Prom Makeover Sweepstakes for example, can evolve from passive reactors to advocates almost instantaneously (Walsh, 2009). Such contests not only attract consumers but can be used to build databases by asking for op-in data, including e-mail addresses, Facebook fan status and cell phone information that can be used in other marketing approaches.
On average, 97 percent report increased brand awareness; 98 percent show increased consideration; 97 percent will likely purchase a product from the brand; and 96 percent may recommend the brand to their friends. Perhaps more importantly, 64 percent of consumers report making a first purchase from a brand because of a digital experience (Walsh, 2009).
To retain and add customers, Deb needs to shift focus from brand awareness and impressions to create campaigns that drive people to make purchases and spread the word to friends about products they buy. Deb is taking steps in this direction. For example, the same day that Wilson suggested a coupon, Deb announced its first Happy Hour special. Shoppers who bought a sweater between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. got free leggings (Facebook.com, 2009). This is an interesting approach but it is limited to a specific item. A coupon, on the other hand, could have more wide-spread appeal because the decision about what to buy is in the consumers’ hands.
Deb has a great gallery tab on its Facebook page that allows visitors to try on sample prom dress and accessories. This should be expanded to include more styles. In addition, a similar tab could be created for back-to-school fashions, another busy time of the year for Deb.
In addition, Deb could benefit from an increased presence on Twitter. To date, Deb is only mentioned on other sites, such as coupon sites. A study released by Performics, the marketing arm of Publicis Groupe's VivaKi Nerve Center, and ROI Research, an analytics and technology firm suggest such inactivity is a poor marketing move (Sullivan, 2009). The study found that nearly 50 percent of people who saw a brand's name on Twitter went to a search engine to look for the product (Sullivan, 2009). The findings, presented at Ad:Tech, noted that about 44 percent of Twitter users have recommended a product on Twitter and 39 percent have discussed a product on Twitter (Sullivan, 2009). Twitter has evolved into one of the hottest social media platforms available and should part of Deb’s marketing arsenal.
Twitter, a microblogging site, continues to grow in popularity and importance in both the consumer and corporate worlds. No longer just a platform for friends to stay connected, it has evolved into an important component of brand marketing. From May 2008 to May 2009, Twitter was the fastest growing Web brand, increasing 1,448 percent from 1.2 million visitors in to 18.2 million (Nielsen Wire, 2009). Twitter, where ordinary people and business can make tweets of 140 words or less that can be updated at any time, even from a mobile device, offers companies a new tool to promote deals and interact directly with their customers.
As people spend more time on social networks, forward-thinking retailers are following their lead. Savvy businesses on Twitter know that effective communications isn't about just pushing content to readers; they also converse with others and respond to their concerns. Such retailers are rewarded with customer loyalty and increased sales. Dell, for example, reported in June (2009) that it had sold more than $3 million in PCs and accessories via Twitter promotions since it began experimenting with the social media tool in 2007 (Tode, 2009).
An Abrams Research survey (2009) of more than 200 social media leaders found that Twitter was the social media they would recommend businesses pay for if it were not free. In fact, survey responders recommended Twitter over Facebook by more than two to one, 39.6 percent to 15.3 percent, saying “It’s the quickest way I’ve seen to spread information virally to a wide scope of people attached in a lot of random ways” (Schonfeld, 2009).
The increasing use of Twitter coincides with a recent report from Interpret, which shows that Twitter users are twice as likely to review or rate products online than members of other social networking Web sites by a ratio of 24 percent to 12 percent. Twitters users also are more likely to visit company profiles than Facebook users and click on advertisements or sponsorships (Tode, 2009). According to State of the Twittersphere (2009), about 10,000 people create profiles on Twitter every day. This is good news for retailers. Yet Deb Shops has yet to make its presence known on Twitter, unlike several of its competitors.
At least three of Deb’s competitors realize the potential Twitter offers them to disseminate relevant and timely information to a captive audience. The Gap, Charlotte Russe and Target all have a presence on Twitter. The Gap has 17,514 followers, Charlotte Russe with 6,800 followers and Target with 4,107 followers (Twitter.com, 2009). These retailers know that Twitter can help them create awareness for their brand, promote a product or educate consumers. Twitter also can be used to promote tie-ins with a business’ Web site and retail locations. On Black Friday, The Gap used Twitter to inform New York City residents and visitors where its “Gap Cheer” bus (filled with dancers and drummers) would be parked to give away sweaters and jeans (Rosenbloom and Cullotta, 2009).
Twitter remains a great medium with a huge, untapped potential that smart retailers include as a practical and strategic part of their marketing communications plan. Deb would be wise to follow in the footsteps of competitors like The Gap, which embrace Twitter and all it has to offer.
Social media is so important in today’s business climate because it allows people to connect in the online world to form intimate relationships. In a very basic sense, social media adds a personal connection to content, whether it’s the written word, audio or video. Blogs, for example, in many ways are just electronic newspaper columns, the written word in a new, user-friendly, online format. Similarly, many videos posted on You Tube could just as easily been traditional TV commercials.
Chance Parker of JD Power (2009) has touted the benefits of social media, saying, “Social media can do great things, but focusing on measuring and metrics can be a trap. You can miss some really valuable insights. Don't stop there. You've got to not only listen, but hear what people are saying" (Cherecwich, 2009).
Using Twitter, Facebook and MySpace takes the written word, combines it with photos, and presents it in a more interactive, personal way that resonates with young and old fans alike. Social media is no longer an experiment. The way social media has exploded represents a culture shift in how we interact with each other and with businesses. Savvy businesses recognize this and have incorporated social media into their marketing plans. Those who fail to recognize this cultural shift will in all likelihood fail to thrive.
Sample Executions
Building on Deb’s sample prom dress gallery, Deb can make its messages stand out in increasingly cluttered online mailboxes by using digital greeting cards to entice customers into their stores. For the fourth year in a row, OfficeMax has teamed up with JibJab with the “Elf Yourself” (http://www.elfyourself.com/) holiday card promotion. About 35 million “Elf Yourself” cards were sent in 2008, according to OfficeMax (2009). Since 2006, the seasonal site has attracted 284 million visits in what some consider the most successful social-media marketing campaign that the Web has seen so far (McCarthy, 2009).
“ElfYourself” allows visitors to the Web site to affix their head, their family members' or even their boss’s to a dancing elf body put to music, ranging from hip and hop and disco to country and holiday classics. This year, Facebook and Twitter have joined in, allowing fans to tweet a link to their video creations or share them on their Facebook profile, or e-mail or embed the videos on their own Web sites. In addition, the site allows users to sign-in with Facebook Connect to find headshots from their own photo albums or their friends' (McCarthy, 2009). Those happy with their creations, can order merchandise featuring the elfin video for $4.99 to play back after the holidays or transfer it to an iPhone. Otherwise, the video expires once the holiday season has ended. Such changes promise to attract even more visits this year (Warren, 2009).
But instead of elves dancing around in traditional red and green regalia, site visitors could create videos with characters wearing Deb formal wear, seasonal favorites or other select fashions. Such a site would particularly appeal to Deb’s target audience, young women ages 13 to 25. The video would allow want-to-be models to try out the runway in a non-threatening, fun way. Such a site differs from the gallery already on Facebook in that it allows consumers to upload their own faces on the models.
Animation adds a sense of whimsy to shopping that will attract young and older buyers alike. It adds movement to an otherwise static object. While Deb’s target audience is the 13- to 25-year-old, many shoppers include older customers shopping for young friends and relatives. Animation is one way to garner attention and help Deb stand out among the clutter.
At a time when budgets are especially tight, animated e-cards and videos like "Elf Yourself" are proving more popular than ever. ComScore data recently reported that the category received a seasonal boost in traffic in October, thanks to Halloween, Boss's Day and Sweetest Day. The sector attracted 21.9 million Americans, a 15 percent increase from September, making e-cards the top-gaining category for the month (MarketingVox, 2009).
Deb could benefit from such a popular social media tool as "Elf Yourself," which has proven it can attract millions of visitors, many of whom also become customers.
Deb Shops is planning to team up with Seventeen magazine again. This time, the two businesses will be promoting the Ultimate Prom Makeover Sweepstakes. The contest runs from January 23, 2010 to February 22, 2010. This event offers Deb a great opportunity to delve into the Twitter world. In addition, Deb could seek to team up with Men’s Warehouse, which created a virtual prom to appeal to teen boys (http://www.virtualprom.com/shareprom.php?id=407). The site proved very popular.
Deb Shops 10-K Annual Report (2007). EDGAR Online. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from http://sec.edgar-online.com/deb-shops-inc/10-k-annual-report/2007/04/13/Section3.aspx.
EPM Communications (2009, November). How Tweens & Teens Use Social Media. EPMcom.com. Retrieved December 28, 2009, from http://www.epmcom.com/products/youth/socialmedia.
Facebook.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009, from http://www.facebook.com/debshops.
Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, blogs. A year ago, you might as well have been speaking Chinese to me, and I don’t speak Chinese beyond Wonton Soup and Mu Shoo Pork. Today, those terms are part of my daily vocabulary. Since enrolling in West Virginia University’s Digital Marketing Communications Certificate Program in August, my knowledge of these and other social media has grown exponentially.
I resisted Facebook and Twitter for the longest time. While I’m still figuring out the details of Twitter, I use Facebook regularly. Its value for me is that it allows me to communicate with friends, family and long-lost classmates as well as businesses and nonprofit causes I support. The reality of my life and many other working professionals is that I can’t be as involved in my community as I’d like to and Facebook offers an easy way to keep in touch and connected to those I care about.
My quest to learn more about all types of social media has taken me full circle. In 1983, I was a freshman at West Virginia University. Little more than 25 years after leaving WVU, I find myself returning to learn more after 14 years as a reporter for The Associated Press and three more in public relations for the West Virginia Department of Education. Working for the AP was a fun yet demanding job, and I am glad I had the experience. I have written stories that have appeared in publications and on television broadcasts all over the world. But I also knew I was ready for new challenges in the global economy of the 21st century.
Everyone has that ah-ha moment, Oprah says. For me, that time came last year when I was working on a marketing strategic plan and felt out of my element. It was a gap in my education for which my vast writing experience failed to prepare me. I learned quite a bit about new media in the introductory course and even more in this class, Social Media Marketing.
President Barack Obama has said “education is no longer just a pathway to opportunity and success, it is a prerequisite.” I agree. It is one of the reasons I believe it was important for me to learn more about social media. Yet, compared to some people in the field, I am a novice. Still, I know I’ve compiled a wealth of knowledge as I’ve worked to acquire new skills that I hope to share with Deb Shops in this blog.
Why is social media so important in today’s business climate? Social media allows people to connect not only with friends and business colleagues but with brands that they like and admire. Social media allows people to connect in the online world to form intimate relationships. In a very basic sense, social media adds a personal connection to content, whether it’s the written word, audio or video. Blogs, for example, in many ways are just electronic newspaper columns, the written word in a new, user-friendly, online format. Similarly, many videos posted on You Tube could just as easily been traditional TV commercials.
Using Twitter, Facebook and MySpace takes the written word, combines it with photos, and presents it in a more interactive, personal way that resonates with young and old fans alike. Social media is no longer an experiment. The way social media has exploded represents a culture shift in how we interact with each other and with businesses. Savvy businesses recognize this and have incorporated social media into their marketing plans. Those who fail to recognize this cultural shift will in all likelihood fail to thrive.
Take a look at this compilation created by blogger Gary Hayes (2009). It shows how social media is growing and the power, if used right, marketers have at their fingertips.
Deb has taken some good steps along the social media path with its Facebook page as well as its model search with Seventeen Magazine. There is room for improvement, such as joining the Twitter conversation. It will be but one of my recommendations to help Deb Shops capture more of the disposable dollars young women have to spend.
Reference:
Hayes, G. (2009, September 29) Gary’s Social Media Count. Personalize Media Blog. Retrieved December 14, 2009, from http://www.personalizemedia.com/garys-social-media-count.
Twitter, a microblogging site, continues to grow in popularity and importance in both the consumer and corporate worlds. No longer just a platform for friends to stay connected, it has evolved into an important component of brand marketing. From May 2008 to May 2009, Twitter was the fastest growing Web brand, increasing 1,448 percent from 1.2 million visitors in to 18.2 million (Nielsen Wire, 2009). Twitter, where ordinary people and business can make tweets of 140 words or less that can be updated at any time, even from a mobile device, offers companies a new tool to promote deals and interact directly with their customers.
As people spend more time on social networks, forward-thinking retailers are following their lead. Savvy businesses on Twitter know that effective communications isn't about just pushing content to readers; they also converse with others and respond to their concerns. Such retailers are rewarded with customer loyalty and increased sales. Dell, for example, reported in June (2009) that it had sold more than $3 million in PCs and accessories via Twitter promotions since it began experimenting with the social media tool in 2007 (Tode, 2009).
An Abrams Research survey (2009) of more than 200 social media leaders found that Twitter was the social media they would recommend businesses pay for if it were not free. In fact, survey responders recommended Twitter over Facebook by more than two to one, 39.6 percent to 15.3 percent, saying “It’s the quickest way I’ve seen to spread information virally to a wide scope of people attached in a lot of random ways” (Schonfeld, 2009).
The increasing use of Twitter coincides with a recent report from Interpret, which shows that Twitter users are twice as likely to review or rate products online than members of other social networking Web sites by a ratio of 24 percent to 12 percent. Twitters users also are more likely to visit company profiles than Facebook users and click on advertisements or sponsorships (Tode, 2009). According to State of the Twittersphere (2009), about 10,000 people create profiles on Twitter every day. This is good news for retailers. Yet Deb Shops has yet to make its presence known on Twitter.
At least three of Deb’s competitors realize the potential Twitter offers them to disseminate relevant and timely information to a captive audience. The Gap, Old Navy and Target all have a presence on Twitter. The Gap has 17,514 followers, Old Navy with 12,377 and Target with 4,107 followers (Twitter.com, 2009). These retailers know that Twitter can help them create awareness for their brand, promote a product or educate consumers. Twitter also can be used to promote tie-ins with a business’ Web site and retail locations. On Black Friday, The Gap used Twitter to inform New York City residents and visitors where its “Gap Cheer” bus (filled with dancers and drummers) would be parked to give away sweaters and jeans (Rosenbloom and Cullotta, 2009).
While Deb has not joined Twitter, it hasn’t shunned all social media. It has established a Facebook page that it uses to promote sales and offer special discounts to fans. While a good start, the benefits of such sites can be increased when combined with other social networking sites, like Twitter.
Twitter remains a great medium with a huge, untapped potential that smart retailers include as a practical and strategic part of their marketing communications plan. Deb would be wise to follow in the footsteps of competitors like The Gap, which embrace Twitter and all it has to offer.
With Thanksgiving just days away, it’s hard not to think about the holidays. After the turkey, pumpkin pie and football are over, it’s time for shopping. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, has historically been one of the busiest shopping days of the year. Online shopping also has gained momentum with the Monday after Thanksgiving becoming the busiest online shopping day of the year and earning the moniker Cyber Monday.
In an attempt to make their messages stand out in increasingly cluttered online mailboxes this holiday season, a number of retailers are using digital greeting cards to entice customers into their stores. For the fourth year in a row, OfficeMax has teamed up with JibJab with the “Elf Yourself” (http://www.elfyourself.com/) holiday card promotion. About 35 million “Elf Yourself” cards were sent in 2008, according to OfficeMax (2009). Since 2006, the seasonal site has attracted 284 million visits in what some consider the most successful social-media marketing campaign that the Web has seen so far (McCarthy, 2009).
“ElfYourself” allows visitors to the Web site to affix their head, their family members' or even their boss’s to a dancing elf body put to music, ranging from hip and hop and disco to country and holiday classics. This year, Facebook and Twitter have joined in, allowing fans to tweet a link to their video creations or share them on their Facebook profile, or e-mail or embed the videos on their own Web sites. In addition, the site allows users to sign-in with Facebook Connect to find headshots from their own photo albums or their friends' (McCarthy, 2009). Those happy with their creations, can order merchandise featuring the elfin video for $4.99 to play back after the holidays or transfer it to an iPhone. Otherwise, the video expires once the holiday season has ended. Such changes promise to attract even more visits this year (Warren, 2009).
Check out this card on YouTube:
The concept of animated digital greeting cards is one that Deb Shops could use as well. But instead of elves dancing around in traditional red and green regalia, site visitors could create videos with characters wearing Deb formal wear, holiday favorites or other select fashions. Such a site would particularly appeal to Deb’s target audience, young women ages 13 to 25. The video would allow want-to-be models to try out the runway in a non-threatening, fun way.
Animation adds a sense of whimsy to holiday shopping that will attract young and older buyers alike. It adds movement to an otherwise static object. At holiday time, Deb shoppers will include many shopping for young friends and relatives, shoppers who normally may not find themselves among Deb customers. This is one way to garner attention and help Deb stand out among the clutter.
At a time when budgets are especially tight, animated e-cards and videos like "Elf Yourself" are proving more popular than ever. ComScore data recently reported that the category received a seasonal boost in traffic in October, thanks to Halloween, Boss's Day and Sweetest Day. The sector attracted 21.9 million Americans, a 15 percent increase from September, making e-cards the top-gaining category for the month (MarketingVox, 2009).
Deb could benefit from such a popular social media tool as "Elf Yourself," which has proven it can attract millions of visitors, many of whom also become customers.
