Jake Hird

Jake is Econsultancy Australia's Director of Research and Education and comes from a background of online commerical research, development and account management, including a considerable amount of time spent with a leading digital agency and top UK digital group.

He takes a keen interest in emerging digital trends and technology and welcomes any new industry insights or thoughts.

Six rousing user experience presentations

User experience is a complex subject as it crosses various digital disciplines. Here, to accompany the release of Econsultancy’s User Experience Buyer’s Guide, we’ve rooted out six thought-provoking and inspirational slideshare presentations that approach this wide subject from different perspectives.

by Jake Hird 07 July 2009 11:45am 3 comments

How to pack a punch: PPC copywriting tips and pitfalls

Unarguably, paid search is still one of the most effective methods for online marketers seeking to drive great results. Despite the buzz currently surrounding flashy new ideas such as social media, pay-per-click continues to remain a solid foundation for any serious advertising campaign, especially given its flexibility of set-up speed, measurement, tracking, optimisation and responsiveness.

by Jake Hird 01 July 2009 16:01pm 7 comments

The future of ad networks and display advertising

Research for Econsultancy's 2009 Online Advertising Networks Buyer's Guide published this month has shown there is plenty of innovation within the display advertising sector even if there are too many ad networks without a distinct USP fighting for market share.

by Jake Hird 29 June 2009 14:47pm 1 comment

Ten alternative search engines

Did anyone notice Google crashed for a few minutes yesterday? More to the point, if you experienced it, did you just throw up your hands in despair and wander off to make a cup of tea, or did you use another search engine to find what you were looking for?

This highlights the issue that’s being hotly debated within search teams across the UK, if not the world: Can anyone challenge Google? Although that in itself is a different blog-post, I’ve quickly thrown together a list of some nifty alternatives to the search engine giant.

by Jake Hird 17 June 2009 10:00am 5 comments

The rise of interactive video and what it means for online marketing

Online video isn’t exactly the new kid on the block amongst those the digital industry, but it is maturing into a meaner, tougher kind of service. It is also the one area of display advertising that I’m expecting to flourish over the next twelve months or so, especially in the interactive segment.

It’s no surprise that video in general is on the increase, given that users are continually wanting an engaging experience. According to comScore’s US video metrics, 14.5bn online videos were watched during March this year - a massive 11% increase from February - and I’m equally of the opinion that this trend will be very similar in the UK.

by Jake Hird 05 June 2009 10:01am 17 comments

20 Free Buzz Monitoring Tools

As the recession continues, so do cutbacks. So, we’ve listed 20 of the better (and free) online reputation monitoring tools in order to help you engage with the onslaught of social media.

by Jake Hird 27 May 2009 10:01am 17 comments

Ten inexpensive tips to improve user experience

At TechCrunch’s Geek ‘n Rolla event last week, I managed to have a quick chat with Leisa Reichelt from Disambiguity, following her great presentation about “Why you can’t NOT afford good user experience”.

Although the presentation was geared up towards digital start-ups, our conversation crossed over into the fact that usability is often overlooked by most small business with an online presence, usually due to a combination of a lack of understanding, time and resources.

by Jake Hird 28 April 2009 10:30am 3 comments

Q&A: Annalaise Gibbons on digital marketing and financial services

Money is an issue on everyone’s mind, with financial institutions continuing to dominate the front pages and fighting an undercurrent of public mistrust.

We spoke to Annalaise Gibbons, from the e-marketing team at LV= (formerly Liverpool Victoria) to find out about the challenges in the financial services industry and the role of digital.

by Jake Hird 22 April 2009 12:23pm 3 comments

The internet as a lifeline for SMEs: Taking the first steps

Last week, Easynet Connect commissioned a study of UK SMEs in order to try and gauge the impact that the recession has had upon online strategy in this sometimes overlooked, but important, area of UK industry.

by Jake Hird 14 April 2009 16:14pm 3 comments

Online customer service: The case for investment

The UK online customer service (OCS) market is expected to grow by up to 20% this year, according to a new Econsultancy report which highlights the fact that businesses are starting to wise up to the importance of investing in the provision of proper service and support online.

by Jake Hird 01 April 2009 13:15pm 1 comment