Almost any business owner you speak with will tell you the key to success is location. However, in the age of the information superhighway what exactly does this mean? Are they referring to their physical location, how it meets the demands of customers, suppliers, transportation, utility access, traffic count, ease of entry… the list of the Economic Geographic factors can be extensive, or are they referring to where prospects become customers? Is location still a driving force for business? Not…
Seven Reasons Google Profit Margins have Decreased in Q1 ‘08
Wall Street was surprised as Google released earnings for the first quarter of 2008 that showed, not a slowing of the massive growth rate experienced in the third and fourth quarters of 2007, a 42% increase from the same period last year. The line Google has been towing has been that they have been refining their system to increase the quality of the service to both advertisers and searchers. Google’s lower click numbers had worried many stake holders and expectations…
Yahoo! Search Marketing Bowing to Google? or Ducking MSN?
The online edition of The Wall Street Journal reported today that Yahoo is testing outsourcing it’s search advertising to Google. Several News sources have already picked it up, and everybody seems to think the move by Yahoo to test outsourcing search advertisements to Google is all about snubbing Microsoft. Driving off the aggressive MSFT bid. As someone who spends most of my day in one of the two outlets, this is the greatest news I have heard in a long…
Are you tracking the right Web metrics?
There is no denying the importance of measuring your Web site’s visitor actions, how else would you know if your site is working for you? But, are you tracking the right metrics? I can’t tell you the amount of times I have been in meetings and conversations with clients and colleagues where the subject of Web metrics comes up and the conversation immediately shifts to measuring visitor traffic. While measuring traffic is important, that really does not tell you anything…
Mobile Ads Made Easy by Google and Apple
For many B2B companies, that are larger than 5 employees, Google Adwords, and other pay-per-click outlets, are still an emerging media advertising platform. So, mobile pay-per-click advertising lies well within the boundaries of new media. This unfortunately, is counter intuitive, as those who B2B companies are looking to target are the people most likely to be on that new media frontier, plugged in to the latest gadgets and networks. The C-level executive you are targeting is plugged into his iPhone…
Does Patient Satisfaction Matter?
Healthcare Providers Lag on Customer Loyalty Metrics A lot has been written about how the healthcare industry is woefully behind most others in their strategic marketing competence, technology adoption, customer focus, etc. This is not news. Actually hospitals have been conducting patent and stakeholder satisfaction surveys for a long time. But how have they been applying the results? Toward building patient brand loyalty? Improving the care offering or service? The reality is that very few provider marketers or hospital employees…
How Long is Search Data Useful for, and Why is Europe Deciding?
European regulations on privacy, collecting and retaining data are already much more stringent than those here in the US. A recent report published by the European Commission’s Article 29 Data Protection Working Party is recommending six months. Google has been quoted as saying that they were the first company to make search logs anonymous and shortening the life span of cookies placed on users computers. “Protecting users’ privacy is at the heart of all our products,” said Google’s global privacy…
Maximizing Profits versus Maximizing ROI
It is a common question in advertising…how much spend is the right amount of spend? As any marketer can attest, answering this question is not easy — especially when it’s asked by your CFO. A straightforward (but overly simplified) response to the question is, "you should spend as much money as it takes to maximize your profits." But, how can you project profits accurately? The first thing to remember is that, when calculated as a percentage, maximizing return on investment…
The Science of the Emotional Brand
Scientific Evidence that B2B Customers Want, Need Brands We have been arguing for years that brands matter in the B2B world while showing data to support this assertion. http://www.brandchannel.com/papers_review.asp?sp_id=1235 http://blog.marketo.com/blog/2007/03/b2b_branding_wh.html http://www.synaxisworks.com/blog/business/b2b-branding-matters/ http://www.marketingmo.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=176 Of course we like the irony of using science and facts and dollars to say that art and emotion and brands are the things that drive business value. Intangible value, managed properly, creates tangible value. Back to the lab… A little over a year ago, none other than…
Google Climbing on High Horse no April Fools Joke
Advertising to children is a touchy subject, particularly on the web. Right before April Fools day Google made a play that is no joke. Google Adwords Demographic exclusions were made possible for Googles Content network. But they built something in… …If you disable any of the age groups, Google automatically disables the 0-17 age category. Because toddlers surfing the web happens, where do you think all those outdated restaurant touch screen monitors go? I would have Blogged…