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Econsultancy Visual Search report

Four key search marketing questions we’re asking in North America

For the forth year running, we’ve been asking search marketers in North America to give us their views of the state of the industry.

Previously we’ve covered a broad area of concerns, from how search marketers set objectives and metrics, right through to budgets, resourcing and the integration of social media.

This year while covering similar areas to the previous, there are a few differences. Below are some of the things we are looking for, but better yet, take our survey before the start of next week and you’ll get a complimentary copy of the report worth $695 before anyone else gets a look!

And do feel free to share the link: http://ecly.co/SEMPO-2013

Is Snapchat right for your brand?

Snapchat, the equally popular and controversial photo-sharing site, has edged out Facebook in being the most frequently used platform to upload photos.

Out of 809m daily photo uploads in November 2013 so far, Snapchat has a 49% share (accounting for approximately 400m daily uploads), with Facebook now at 43%. 

This 400m figure has grown from the reported 350m in September 2013 and a previous figure of 200m in June 2013.

YouTube strategy for brands: 10 of the best

Only 74 of the top 5,000 YouTube channels are from brands.

This research comes from Touchstorm’s latest study, The Touchstorm Video Index, covering Q3 2013 and concentrating on the ‘YouTube 5,000’, an elite group of channels with at least 43m views each.

Of those 5,000 channels, only 2% are owned by brands. That means there are 4,926 teenagers with webcams, older people with camcorders, vloggers with flipcams, bedroom animators with smartphones and various other fashionistas, musicians, close-up magicians, action figure critics and amateur film-makers who are completely dominating the platform and squeezing out the big companies.

What can brands do about this? Is there any hope for them?

Here are some key findings from the report, along with our own insight, ideas for strategy and a look at the brands who are using YouTube successfully.

How to make money from AdWords without using the experts

Back in my early days of running websites and trying to forge a living online, I stumbled across PPC in the form of Google AdWords.

I liked the idea of driving traffic to a website nigh on instantly. That was until I ran a few of my keywords through the old Keyword Tool and saw exactly how much the estimated CPCs were: upwards of £5 per click!

I broke into a cold sweat because I knew all of my biggest competitors were using PPC, I just didn’t see how it could be profitable and I knew right there and then that my sites were going to fail.

I just couldn’t afford to pay £5+ per click.

Digitally showcasing your business on Small Business Saturday

The UK is celebrating its first Small Business Saturday on 7th December 2013, following in the footsteps of the United States who began the initiative in 2010, generating $5.5bn in its first year.  

Supported by the UK government, it is hoped that success will follow into the UK and generate support for the 4.9m SMEs currently located here.

As well as some well-meaning tips on digitally showcasing and preparing for the big day, the blog begins with some lovely stats that should hit home on how important it is to participate.

I mean, if the idea of competing with 4.7m business of the same size doesn’t daunt you, then perhaps you should participate for the fun part, or indeed to support other local businesses.

Four brands taking content marketing to the next level

Content marketing has only a loose definition; some think of it as informational content added to a website to improve search ranking, others see it as a way to drive traffic to a website from social.

Going a little further, many brands select a content niche that often has little direct relation to their products. Creating content like this often isn’t enough; at this stage, content marketing moves into sponsorship, patronage, charity, brand association and media ownership on a scale most brands only dream of.

So who is taking content to the next level, and what scale are we talking about?

Is ‘ad-bombing’ ruining the internet?

Poorly placed ads are spoiling the internet for millions of UK consumers, with 87% saying these messages regularly get in the way of what they are trying to view online.

The survey of 1,900 UK web users was sponsored by AdPlus, a browser plugin which allows customers to only see ads from brands and markets that interest them.

Obviously there is an agenda here, but it’s hard to deny that ads can be intrusive and annoying, and I do wonder whether such plugins and ad blockers are just the natural response to bad UX. 

On the other hand, publishers offering free content need to pay the bills somehow, and perhaps more web users need to understand that. 

Will the number of consumer reviews in PPC ads affect credibility?

Consumer reviews work. They have been shown to drive sales, and so now they are used by most retailers online. 

The problem is, marketers know this too, and it’s no surprise that reviews are used as much as possible, particularly to improve seller ratings for PPC ads. 

Having looked into this recently, i wonder whether the sheer volumes of review gathered for some brands’ seller ratings are diluting the effect and making the feedback less valuable for other customers. 

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PPC agency payment models: performance based

Following on from my last article exploring ‘percentage of spend’, I now turn my attention to ‘performance based’ agency models.

In essence, any paid search program should be performance based i.e. the agency and client should agree the strategy, objectives and KPIs, of which the agency will then be measured against.

The distinction in this instance is when the remuneration of the agency is directly linked to the financial performance of the paid search campaign.

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What is click fraud and how can you prevent it?

Are you an advertiser running a PPC campaign? Is there something not quite right with your paid search costs? Does your performance data contain unexplained anomalies? 

Have you heard the term ‘click fraud’ bandied around the internet and think that you could be its next victim?

I realise that while writing this introduction I was beginning to sound like a fear-mongering, consumer-based TV show that makes even the most rational people think twice about leaving the house after dark, so I’ll stop here.

Is click fraud something you should be aware of, and if so, to what extent does it affect your PPC campaign?

15 stats that show why click-and-collect is so important for retailers

Reserve-and-collect services are becoming ever more important for ecommerce retailers as consumers increasingly expect to be able to pick up their purchases when and where they choose.

In the past few weeks Asda has said it is looking to expand it click-and-collect service by installing collection points in new locations, which may include petrol forecourts, tube stations and university campuses.

Similarly Selfridges has opened a new drive-thru collection point on London’s Oxford Street, while a new service called StreetHub has launched with a view to helping small, independent retailers tap into the click-and-collect trend.

With this in mind, I thought it would be useful to round up some stats which show just why retailers are so keen to provide new delivery services to their customers.

20 retailers integrating Pinterest into their email marketing

It’s not just casual Pinterest users making their own boards and pinning images, brands are fast discovering that sharing and adding pins to their own products can be an effective way to drive users to their ecommerce sites.

As of September 2013, the three year-old social channel has over 70m users, and according to a recent study Pinterest is driving more traffic to publishers than Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit and Google+ combined.

Pinterest’s aesthetic style is also seeping into most corners of ecommerce. From eBay’s recent homepage overhaul, to Etsy’s vintage, bespoke world of homemade trinkets.

It’s this visual style that brands are realising is the key attraction for users on Pinterest. So how do brands let consumers know about their own presence on this burgeoning and increasingly integral channel?

Sony has recently began sending out dedicated emails highlighting Pinterest; integrating its own boards and pins into the email and driving traffic to its Pinterest page. Integrating Pinterest has led to a 70% higher average open rate for Sony, and an average 18% higher click-through rate. 

How are other brands integrating Pinterest with their emails? Here are 20 examples:

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