David Moth

Can news agencies accurately predict retweets?

There’s nothing like gaining a load of retweets for a cheap ego boost, but it also has more tangible benefits in terms of driving site traffic and increasing exposure of your business.

There are tactics we assume to work (e.g. put ‘Justin Bieber in the headline), but a new report by Hewlett Packard and UCLA tries to create a model that allows news agencies to predict how many retweets they will get.

It suggests that it can be done to an accuracy of 84%, which is a bold claim.

by David Moth 12 June 2012 12:18pm 0 comments

Q&A: TagMan's Darren Quigg on digital internships

Econsultancy recently launched a new Graduate Bootcamp in association with Inspiring Interns, offering people the chance to gain valuable experience in e-commerce and digital marketing.

The week-long programme, which is supported by former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith, aims to deliver core digital skills and practical application alongside employability training and career coaching.

Programme graduates will be offered the opportunity to take a three-month internship in a digitally focused role to put their newly acquired digital knowledge into practice.

Tag management provider TagMan has offered internships to a number graduates through Inspiring Interns, so I spoke to CFO Darren Quigg to find out how the company benefits from the scheme.

by David Moth 13 June 2012 08:48am 4 comments

Q&A: former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith on our new Graduate Bootcamp

Econsultancy is partnering with Inspiring Interns to launch a new Graduate Bootcamp focusing on e-commerce and digital marketing.

The week-long programme aims to deliver core digital skills and practical application alongside employability training and career coaching.

Programme graduates will be offered the opportunity to take a three-month internship in a digitally focused role to put their newly acquired digital knowledge into practice.

Former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith supports Inspiring Interns, so I spoke to her to find out why she thinks digital internships are important for graduates.

by David Moth 11 June 2012 09:51am 1 comment

Top 100 retailers failing to make the most of email marketing

Only 2% of the top 100 US retailers use in-store signage to promote email or SMS engagement, according to a new report from ExactTarget.

In comparison, 8% promote their online social communities in-store.

Of the ‘Hot 100 Retailers’ 95 have brick-and-mortar stores, but the Retail Touchpoints Exposed report suggests retailers aren’t doing enough to connect the offline and online shopping experiences using email marketing.

The report was compiled through both in-store observations and by tracking brand communications and engagement across email, mobile and social channels for a period of 30 days.

by David Moth 07 June 2012 15:21pm 2 comments

Social shares mean high search rankings: stats

Social shares on Facebook and Twitter closely correlate with how a site ranks in Google searches, according to a new study by Searchmetrics.

Facebook activity appears to have the highest impact on rankings, with a Facebook share the most important factor.

Twitter is far behind these values but is still the sixth strongest metric behind Facebook and the number of backlinks.

by David Moth 07 June 2012 13:47pm 9 comments

Q&A: Inspiring Interns CEO Ben Rosen on our new Graduate Bootcamp

The UK economy has been on shaky ground in recent years and as a result the graduate job market is more competitive than ever.

Inspiring Interns offers new graduates a way to gain valuable work experience with the very real prospect of a job at the end.

As the economy develops experience in the digital sector is seen as increasingly important, so Econsultancy has partnered with Inspiring Interns to offer a new Graduate Bootcamp.

The week-long programme aims to deliver core digital skills and practical application alongside employability training and career coaching.

Programme graduates will be offered the opportunity to take a three-month internship in a digitally focused role to put their newly acquired digital knowledge into practice.

by David Moth 07 June 2012 14:21pm 1 comment

Free shipping and delivery timing are key for customer satisfaction

Deliveries and returns are an inescapable part of e-commerce, yet there are few accepted norms within the industry.

Delivery times and cost vary across retailers and product categories, and can have a major impact on a consumer’s purchase decision.

To find out what consumers expect from online retailers, UPS and comScore have published the findings of a survey of more than 3,000 US consumers.

Free and discounted shipping are cited as key factors, as are delivery timing and communication.

by David Moth 06 June 2012 15:17pm 5 comments

Five fashion brands boosting traffic with Facebook apps

Pinterest’s rise from niche website to social powerhouse has been built largely on the back of fashion and lifestyle users.

And we’ve seen a few case studies recently that suggest Pinterest users are worth more to e-commerce sites than visitors from Twitter or Facebook.

Perhaps to reassert its authority as the number one social network, Facebook has released stats to show that its platform is just as popular with “shopaholics and fashionistas.”

A developer blog post by Austin Haugen flags up five examples of fashion brands that have increased traffic and mobile installs through the use of Open Graph apps.

by David Moth 06 June 2012 13:40pm 0 comments

Mobile app review: Travelzoo

Deals site Travelzoo made its Android app available to UK subscribers last week following its launch in the US earlier this year.

The company has seen mobile traffic double from 10% to 20% in the past six months, and has achieved 650,000 app downloads worldwide.

The new app offers access to travel, entertainment and local deals, as well as enabling users to redeem vouchers through their smartphone.

It has already achieved more than 10,000 downloads in the Play Store, but is it any good?

by David Moth 06 June 2012 12:27pm 2 comments

Six tips for improving the UX on your Facebook brand page

Facebook brand pages are an important tool for brands seeking to engage with their consumers online.

But creating a page that your fans will want to revisit is a tricky process.

Econsultancy's Facebook Pages for Business Best Practice Guide has been produced specifically with the aim of helping organizations and brands design and implement their Facebook pages for maximum effect, no matter what the objective.

Here we look a few of the tips included in the section that tells you how to create a wonderful user experience on a Facebook brand page.

by David Moth 01 June 2012 10:55am 0 comments