Is there a correlation between confidence and success?

Is there a correlation between confidence and success? | http://shar.es/mtzeo 

What do you think? Does money affect how we are?

Green marketing and social media Blogs

Two new blog posts at Bloggertone

Green is the new black

Who's scared of the big bad social media

Enjoy!

Will the internet kill the newspaper?

According to a number of news sources from the onset of the year, online marketing and advertising is on the up! Outsell publishing research say that online spending is set to rise to almost 10%. World Wide Worx tells us that the growth of users in South Africa is 5m. Over 50% from Belgium have an internet presence, which although low for the population, demographics show that Belgium is a wealth, educated audience.

What's the reason? Companies are now seeing the value of online advertising

Internet availability, or lack of it, has been a thorn in the side of online marketers for a long time. Less surfers = less traffic = less busines online. Its a simple calculation.
But as the internet age matures, the new formula is:
Rising no. surfers + availability of internet + online options = more traffic + more interest + more spending online.

Its a win-win situation for businesses. The cost of maintaining a website and online marketing is low compared to traditional marketing methods. But the factor which rates the highest is measurement.

All website traffic and online campaigns can be tracked effectivity.
Customer interaction - check!
Customer trending - check!
Customer purchases - check!

See my write up on Google Analytics for more on tracking.
 
Video killed the radio, but will the internet kill the newspaper?

Which social player are you?

The social web is an intricate weave of strategy, gameplans, networking and just plain socialising.
Just for fun, here's the social lineup of the main players, but which one are you?



Meet the social players

The strategy kings
Calculated to the nth degree.
Target driven and particular.
Only accepts friend requests from like-minded individuals and those with 1000,000 friends (See Obsessives)

The 'lump it all up there' s
Get the job done approach
No'one will read it anyway
No time to interact (busy posting)

The Obsessives
1000,000 friends and followers (and counting!)
Tweets in the bath
Logs on whilst on holiday and at the pub to message from phone

The new social businessman/woman
Activily searches for well known brands (potential business)
Activily searches for past bosses (look at me now- I'm 'friends' with Dell, Apple and Cisco)
Sets up accounts for Mam, Dad, Uncle John, Cousin Karen and Midas, the ginger tomcat (And, you got it - links to them all!)

The Cyber-techno whizz
All social sites are linked to one source that automatically feed to the website
Widgets galore including a microphone hook-up (why type, when you can talk)
Laughs at all the new social businessman/women

Post your closest match either here or on Facebook - don't be shy now!

I'm a blend of Strategy king and Cyber-techno whizz

Advanced Google Analytics - what you should be doing

Advanced Analtics - What you should be doing

You've got a website - thats great!
You're tracking it using Google Analytics - even better!!

But are you using all the features in a way that makes the most of having it in the first place?

If so, you will be familiar with the following:

Filters - Permanently filters traffic into smaller, targeted segments for  - Easier analysis.

Advanced segments - Within reports to internally filter and compare metrics over a set period of time - One metric against another ie direct Vs refferal, organic V's PPC, Unique V's returning.

Campaign variables - Use to track emails, banners etc -  Measure individual conversions and compare performace.

SEO - Combine keywords of the company name with direct search traffic as these falsify data - Definition of true referral keyterms.

Goals - Especially useful for booking steps - enter all funnel steps to monitor abandonment rate - Builds a picture of what customers are doing along the booking path/lead up to a goal.

E-commerce - Track sales, cost data and purchase patterns - Compare product performance and conversion rate.

Site search - Insights into internal search terms - What do your visitors want and do you have it? Do keyterms searched match the ones defined?


Google Analytics

Google Analytics is a web-based statistical reporting solution which tracks activity on your website/s. By monitoring your traffic, you can gain insights and marketing trends which determine how well your website and associated digital marketing is working for you.

Google Analytics can be used for the purpose of tracking:

General traffic statistics
Goals and conversions
Referral, direct and search engine traffic
Marketing campaign effectiveness
Geo-graphical locations
Website segments
Adwords campaigns
E-commerce metrics

If you would like to take your results to the next level, get in touch.
Monthly reports which contain valuable and in-depth marketing insights, thus allowing for periodic adjustments to your website and marketing campaigns are available from €150 per month. Training available on-site.

Carlton hotel expansion

Carlton hotels Ireland has now taken over Fels Point Hotel in Tralee, Kerry.
For months now, Fels Point's future has hung in the balance after difficulties with the Zoe Group (former owners). Now all staff are breathing easy again and seem quite happy to be part of the established Carlton Hotel Group.

Carlton Hotels owns a further nine properties across Ireland; Dublin Airport, Galway, Kinsale, Limerick, Wexford, Westport, Donegal, Ballinasloe and Kildare. Each, a four star, and boasting conference facilities, leisure Clubs and elegant surroundings.

Google gets real time tweets

For the first time (and after much speculation) Google is finally publishing real-time tweets.
That means any searches now contain the most recent Twitter responses.

For example: A search on 'Cheryl Cole' brings up this little scroller menu. If you hold tight for a few seconds, you will note it changes. Impressive!

 So what does this mean for marketers? If you tweet the latest topics, you get published for a few seconds ??

Google has also included search filters to allow you to limit results to those within the last hour, day or week. Filters can also display just video content, news, blogs, updates and much more.
My recommendation - make the most of multi-media and publish as much as you can online.

Google Analytics (IQ)

GOOD NEWS
Just passed my Google Analytics Individual Qualification (IQ) today.
For companies looking to determine website trends, monitor traffic and setup analytics - contact me for information.


GOOGLE ANALYTICS
Google Analytics is a web-based website statistical tracking system (thats a mouthful!).
It's avaluable free of charge and only requires a snippet of code on each each to start.
Google Analytics can be used at many levels from basic to advanced
Use to view ecommerce conversions, adwords cost data, visits, referrers, geo-graphical monitoring, visitor interaction and plenty more.

After initial setup - monthly or quarterly reports + insights + recommendations will give you access to visitor insights and how your online marketing affects your business objectives.
For information on how Google Analytics can feature in your marketing, contact me

GOOGLE ANALYTICS EXAM
The Google Analytics exam is a 70 question, 90 minute web-based exam.
Google's exam now has a minimum pass rate of 80%, so for those looking to take it - be prepared.
There's a ton of RegEx, Filter, Adwords related, cookies and E-commerce code questions.
I recommend taking plenty of notes and using the conversion university videos lessons.

Christina @ www.cgonlinemarketing.com

Expand your search horizons

Just when you think you have everything in place and in such a way that every possible

search engine has you indexed and ranked - you realise your search horizon is a lot broader

than you first thought.
- Allow me to expand.

The search engines have a knack for chameleon behaviour, which, whilst annoying, can be the

key to achieving online leverage.
We're aware of title tags, meta information, robots text and xml sitemaps, but what about the

power of the online social army?

- Videos

With Youtube being 'search engine' no.2, it's a valuable source of traffic.
Integrate videos into your website - the more personalised the better!
Upload to Youtube (remember your tags!) and allow your audience to share.

- Maps

Surprising enough, maps appear more often at the TOP of the page for relevant searches.
They're easy to set up, visual on the page and in the right place. Top marks!

- Online PR and BLOGS

The nitty-gritty of online marketing these days revolves around social chatter.
Nice changeable content, targeted copy and an informal approach.
Don't forget to link back to your own site to improve your page rank score.


- Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook

Google and Bing are now including real-time tweets within their search results.
Thats right - REAL-TIME. Now obviously this calls for savvy strategy and a great deal of thought. Only the hot topics are seen.

Need advice? Contact CG online marketing today!

Support Haiti

Support the Haiti disaster today by making a donation === >
THANKS

CGonlinemarketing - new site!

I've finally dotted the i's and crossed the t's on the new website, which is now live for all to see - www.cgonlinemarketing.com.

You'll notice a FREE website audit is offered with no obligation to accept a service.
Audits will provide insights for companies unsure of which site changes would improve their internet presence.

Any feedback on the site is most welcome!

Google pulling out of China?

Its on the cards for Google to pull out of China, after govenment hackers were discovered. The dispute carries on, but Google remains confident that a negociation can be made to keep the search engine functioning.

If, however, an agreement isn't reached - how will this affect SEO for Asia-pacific websites? In the only way it can ...

Google's lost share will pave the way for other search engines to overtake in, what is undoubtably, the worlds fastest growing economy. This means that online marketers will need to make sure all algorithms are supported and step up campaigns on alternative search engines.

How to compete online - hotels

No doubt people will remember a time when offering a quality product was enough to generate sales, now hotel sales is a primarily price-led market. In today’s competitive market, the slogan ‘sink or swim’ has never held as much meaning. To stay in business, it’s important for hoteliers to recognise online marketing as a prime selling channel.

Online selling is a fast moving, dynamic market, with an abundance of suppliers and technologies. Whether objectives are to improve your online presence, boost revenue or to streamline administration, a grasp of the mechanics of each booking engine is a fundamental element of today’s sales and marketing activities.

The whole aspect of buying has been influenced by online traders, offering consumers the chance to search and buy products from any destination with the click of a mouse. Online buying has fast become the preferred method due to speed, choice and instantly available information. Tapping into the benefits of this medium will undoubtedly benefit any accommodation provider.

With so many global distribution networks and third party suppliers online, it’s a constant challenge for reservations personnel to investigate each ones unique offerings, commission rates and individual settings, while trying to maintain rate parity across all channels. A greater understanding of internet and global distribution systems is essential to remain competitive. Utilizing these online sales channels will cost effectively market your product globally.

Things to remember

* Choose booking engines wisely, in terms of commission, coverage and profiling
* Advertise your best available rates and value added packages for optimum results
* Manage your online activity in conjunction with your offline activity to strengthen your advertising efforts
* Be selective and concise with your copy, including your key selling points, visitor attractions, directions and high quality images
* Keep descriptions and promotions fresh and targeted
* And most important : Make rate parity a must across all booking channels

Build a relationship online

Most would agree that Ireland is a friendly nation, a social-happy country, which makes hospitality such a naturally compelling business here. This social happy vibe however is most apparent on a one-to-one basis, ie when the guest has arrived. But what about before they arrive, when they are making a booking, researching or chatting online? How can hoteliers or businesses in general for that matter, make that all important fist 'digital' step?
Those in the 'know' know that social media, blogs and customer reviews are qualitative social sources that build virtual relationships. The question is - are hotels using them?

After a recent training session with a popular hotel in Kerry, it came to light that whilst these mediums have been heard of, there isn't the staff time, confidence or opportunity to make social marketing a part of their strategy. To make things worse, traditional-minded owners are wary of venturing into newer technologies and channels and find the whole concept quite daunting.

I urge all hotels and businesses to give these mediums a go. It's free, fun and could be a valuable profit source.
Take 10 minutes out of every day to type a note or link to a promotion on your website.....who knows, you might become addicted!

Popular social media and review sites
Twitter.com
LinkedIn.com
Facebook.com
Tripadvisor

Investigation into targeted ads and pricing

Just came across this article today which will be especially important to those using targeted ads with price incentives. This is an issue which as been under the microscope so to speak, and I'm sure will continue to be.

Read on ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2009/aug/20/internet-targeted-advertising-oft-investigation

Online Marketing tips for 2010

Welcome to 2010!
After an appalling year, which we all would now like to erase from our minds and

cast out of existance, many of us are (hoping) that 2010 will be the year to

replace it.

Here are 10 top online marketing tips to ensure success in 2010

1) Consider your Budget. Always top of the list, and may well be somewhat
diminished this year. The idea here is to make yours go further. Thats why tip 1 is
to consider your budget before setting your online marketing plan. By evaluating
statistics and campaigns in 2008 and 2009, you can pinpoint where your budget
was producing results and where it, well ...wasn't. For example, you invested 25%
budget into your organic SEO and 50% into sponsered advertising. Despite the
fact that your statistics are telling you that the quantity of clicks was greater for your sponsered ads, your actual conversion (and profit) was low. Now may be the
best time swap - Organic 50% and Sponsered 25%.

2) Anyone need training? - We all need training from time-to-time, and generally
we send staff off for a day or a week for an unmentional sum of money. Well, how
about training in-house. For half a day a week, one member can mentor another.
One of the bonuses with working online, is that everything is readily available, so
training others doesn't have to mean installing numerous bits of software.

3) Check providers - Now is also a great time to consider if changing providers,
agencies etc would save money or if training someone in-house would replicate
the same results.

4) Who's the Competition - Spend some time watching your competition - thats
the usual competitors, new entrants and those cross-selling or diversifying.

5) Be social - Never underestimate the benefit of social interaction - BLOGS,
social media, PR etc, it's free in the main and helps to form relationships, provides better customer service and loyalty.

6) Market research - The marketing community know that last year's big idea is
this year's rubbish. Research what's happening now and ideas which are forming.
Consider new technologies, watch for company partnerships and above all - listen
to your customers online. All this will impact on the market of tommorrow.

7) Freshen up - Use 2010 as an excuse to update your website pages. Simple
changes in copy, images and adding new media content will do.

8) Think outside the box - You've researched the market, you know what your
competition are doing - now think of those innovative ideas. Don't be scared to try them out!

9) Reviews and responses - Your customers are king, and so is their feedback. If
you are resonding to customer demands and needs, make sure you know what
they are first. If you sell products, ask for a review. If it's a service, ask your
happy customers to recommend.

10) It's all in the stats - And lastly, don't guess or base all your decisions on what flopped last year. Analyse your statistics for in-depth insights. Use your analytics to best advantage by monitoring each month. Set up goals, event tracking,
integrate campaign statistics with website ones ... This way, you can give yourself a clearer picture of real-time analytics and trends, then make changes as and when you need them.

Good luck for 2010!