Let’s face it … we’re all busy people and we greatly value our time. No one wants to wait for a page to load, especially in the day of broadband connections and instant information on demand. We as a society have become addicted to instant information, and as a website developer, marketing manager, or blogger you need to have all the advantage you can to give your audience that fix. Here’s some tips on improving site speed for search engine optimization (SEO) and user experience (UX).
1) Reduce the size of imagery.
Usually the largest file elements on the page are media based. These include pictures, videos, and other dynamic elements. Load your most common icons into Photoshop, GIMP, or another suitable editing program and alter the file types and quality settings. Generally 70% quality presents the best image quality for .JPG or .PNG images. GIF files are pretty highly optimized if they are fixed, but one should keep the number of frames down to a minimum to shrink file sizing for animated GIF files. Choosing the right type of file type is also vital. Large 24-bit .PNG files can be massive compared to an optimized .JPG image without a degradation in quality for usage on a web page.
Here’s our logo, originally a 204Kb file reduced to just 5.2Kb with some file optimization. That’s a savings of 97% with no major loss in quality and without reducing the pixel dimensions.
2) Optimize common images into a sprite file.
Sprites will do a number of things, they will reduce the amount of file sizing allocated to images and they will reduce the amount of server requests. By reducing the number of server requests you’ll gain not only a browser side benefit in speed, but a server side reduction in load which will speed up serve times.
3) Specify cache control headers to manage how visitors store your website.
By elongating the cache times for certain file types you can significantly reduce the load times for users that return to your site or travel to deeper pages. Delve into your analytics and see how frequent users return to your site. Ensure you are matching that frequency with your cookies and cache control.
4) Avoid bloated CMS systems and needless widgets.
All those bells and whistles on a website take processing power and bandwidth to utilize. Make sure they are really worthwhile to the page and do away with needless items. In fact, most of the widgets require the browser to send requests to 3rd party websites in order to operate, this greatly increases page load speed which reduces sales inertia and user experience.
5) Load Javascript last.
When the browser runs into Javascript code it has to process it, which takes valuable time. This means the page content won’t continue to load and be displayed until it’s done parsing the Javascript code. Open up your page and reorient the Javascript to the bottom of the coding. You’ll still have the functionality and cool navigation, but from the user’s perspective the page loaded faster because it served up the copy and images rather than becoming mired in Javascript.
There are many, many other methods involved in optimizing a page for speed, but this will get you off to a good head start. If you’d like to track your benefits and progress then I recommend the following tools:
Pingdom – Great free page load speed tool that shows a wide array of data including the request(s) and timelines.
YSlow – Yahoo’s tool is a great browser add-on to track changes and response for page load speed. It also gives some great insights on optimizing pages.
A Note on Tools: I use three different tools to measure my progress and page load speeds. Server responses can vary wildly depending on load and no tool is 100% accurate. Be sure to keep that in mind.
Online Marketing Fail #32: Failing to Properly Optimize Social Media
We’ve all seen epic social media fails (and wins). From employees accidentally posting to a corporate Twitter account rather than their personal account, to companies not having a social media presence at all, social media is rife with fails of all kinds. As bad as accidental posts can be, the biggest fail of of all is not properly optimizing your social media presence. Take a look at our latest white paper, and learn what you can do to avoid making the biggest social media fail of all.
Online marketing is littered with fails; from the small business that fails to claim their Google+ Places page to the Enterprise level B2B that thinks social media isn’t worth the time, it’s easy to fail at social media marketing. Optimizing social media goes far beyond keyword research, search engine optimization and backlinks–rather, it encompasses all of those things and more. Join us for a lively webinar discussing common social media fails–and how you can avoid common social media optimization fails.
If you’re an ecomm marketer, odds are you’ve been thinking about this year’s holiday marketing campaigns for months. You probably have everything lined up and ready to go–or pretty darned close to it. You know what you’re going to put on sale when, what your sales goals are, and what this year’s Hot Must-Have Item will be. You’ve got this. But just in case you’re looking for some last minute things you can do to help your holiday marketing campaigns, we’re here to help.
1. Tidy up your social media presence. Does your Facebook Timeline cover photo represent your holiday campaign(s)? Do you have several different photos ready to go to correspond with various sales and campaigns? Also, don’t forget to take a look at the newly introduced Facebook Gifts feature–Christmas IS a gift-giving holiday, afterall. Do you have an active and attractive Pinterest presence? Look into ways to drive sales via Pinterest, such as Pin It to Win It contests, pinning coupons, exclusive sale items and more. If you’re a clothing, shoe or accessory retailer,make sure you have a presence on Polyvore, too.
2. Have a contest. Sure, holiday marketing campaigns are all about driving sales, but as many a good marketer knows, having a contest can also help drive sales. Why not combine a contest with your holiday marketing? Country Outfitter recently ran a great Facebook contest, where fans of their Facebook page voted on their favorite pair of cowgirl boots. The five pairs receiving the most votes where then voted on by Country Outfitter’s staff and Facebook fans, until a winner was decided. One fan–who had also liked and shared the winning pair of cowgirl boots–one that pair of boots. Everyone who participated received a coupon for $10 off a purchase of $50 or more. I have no idea how many sales were generated as a result of the contest, but my guess is that getting people on their website that many times, browsing through their boot selection and “liking” their favorites and then offering a $10 off coupon just for entering probably resulted in a decent amount of sales they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.
3. Use non-branded keywords for paid media efforts. By now, you should probably already have a good idea as to what kinds of paid media ads you’ll run during the holidays. You know what the must-have items are, you know what you’re trying to move the most of, and you also expect a decent amount of branded search. Be sure to think outside of the box, though. If you’re a website that sells exquisite, handmade soap for women, think about going after keywords such as “women’s gifts” and “handmade gifts” rather than just targeting “soap.”
4. Make sure your email list is good and scrubbed. Nothing is more frustrating than sending out a fantastic email and getting a super high bounce rate. Unfortunately, scrubbing our email lists is a necessary evil; yes, it’s boring, but it must be done. Making sure your email list is scrubbed and properly segmented, though, can save you lots of headaches during a very busy, stressful holiday season.
5. Make sure your company accepts mobile coupons. Whether they’re through Passbook or simply by someone pulling up their email on their smartphone, make sure your company accepts mobile coupons. Budget-conscious shoppers won’t leave home without their coupons, but being able to virtually carry them with you makes life so much easier. Anecdotally, I know I’m more likely to spend money somewhere–sometimes spontaneously–if I have a decent coupon in my inbox that I know can be used at the cash register. I’m a budget-conscious shopper (and honestly never buy anything full price), so having that ability makes me much more likely to spend when I otherwise wouldn’t have. My guess is that I’m not the only woman in the world like that. *g*
6. Check out competitors’ social media profiles. What are your primary competitors doing? Are they having contests, offering coupons? With a still-flagging economy, shoppers are still holding on to their hard-earned dollars, making your job as a marketer just a little more difficult. Knowing what your competition is doing and one-upping them could give you the edge during an ultra-competitive holiday shopping season.
7. Make sure customers know how to connect with you. Make it easy. In the past week I’ve gone to several websites of various clothing retailers, and they only have links to their Facebook and Twitter accounts. However, when I went to their Facebook page, I noticed they were encouraging fans to connect with them on Pinterest. I found myself becoming increasingly frustrated with this–just give me one page I can click from, and I’m happy. Besides, odds are, if I’m following you on Facebook and Pinterest, I’m going to buy something from you at some point in the future. Why not make it as easy for people as possible to find you, connect with you and learn about your products? It just makes sense.
What steps have you taken to prepare your holiday marketing campaigns?
Apple released the latest and most powerful version of their iPhone, dubbed the iPhone 5, to the US market in late September. Earlier this year they released a new version of the iPad, aptly named “New iPad,” which gave us an insight into what we could expect from Apple products, including the iPhone, in the coming months.
iPhone 5 Features
4G LTE Data Transfer
A6 Chip Set
4″ Retina LCD Screen
8 MP iSight Camera with Panoramic Mode
802.11n Wireless Support
iOS 6
Facebook, Yelp, TomTom, and many other 3rd Parties are Integrated
iPhone 5 Market Share
Predictions are across a wide spectrum, but Apple is forecasting sales of the iPhone 5 to reach 50 Million at the time of this article. Currently 45 Million have been sold worldwide, but many people, including Apple, are forecasting long term sales to reach 150 Million as supply catches up with demand in the future quarters.
This spells out an increase in 4G capable devices and a greater integration of Yelp and other word-of-mouth information sources. While the iPhone 5 will only account for a nominal percentage of the iOS market, it is often the baseline for what is to come from Google-backed Android based phones from Samsung, Motorola, and HTC.
What does this mean for Online Marketers?
4G LTE – The substantial increase in data rates are going to make websites more viable from a usability space. The days of stripped down websites reminiscent of the 1990s internet boom are going to be numbered with the proliferation of faster data rates. As 14K dial-up modems gave way to ISDN, DSL, Cable, and now fiber optic ethernet solutions, the websites became larger, more dynamic, more engaging and chocked full of emotional imagery. Today you can browse and buy a product via a smart phone in the time it used to take you to go through the dialing sequence to get on the internet. The lesson here is to keep a sharp eye on mobile users. If you aren’t already segmenting mobile users, you’re behind the curve.
A6 Chip Set – While this seems mundane to include for online marketing it does represent a substantial gain from a technological standpoint. As smart phones become more and more powerful they become faster and more capable of running complex applications while parsing incoming data. This means apps can be more dynamic, more intuitive, and usability will improve across the board. Why? The CPU is responsible for compiling and processing all the data that comes into the phone, be it maps, restaurant reviews, Newegg Mobile, or your own website. The faster it appears, the better the sales inertia, and the faster it appears the more likely the average “time crunched” on-the-fly user is to convert.
Larger Screens with Bigger Resolutions – Yet another nail in the coffin of “the stripper” mobile site. Smartphones are slowly migrating towards a middle ground between the old days of seemingly microscopic text and the modern tablet. The Apple iPhone 5 boasts a 1136 x 640 pixel display, and it’s direct competitors use 720 x 1280 “HD” displays. While this seems large, keep in mind that the size of the text is mitigated by it’s 4 – 5″ physical screen size.
Passbook – Passbook was an update with iOS 6, but allows iPhone users to purchase tickets, schedule travel, and buy certificates to many vendors via specific Passbook apps. This is going to gain traction with greater integration and more fluid purchase paths. The iPhone has essentially become a mobile virtual wallet with this update. If you aren’t already developing an application and have a benefit opportunity, consider yourself behind the curve.
802.11n Wireless Support – In the days of early wireless, signal range and strength were pretty limited, but with the advent of the g-class wireless band that changed for the better. The issue with 802.11g is that is operates on a common hertz band, which is to say, it has to compete with many other devices. Fast forward a bit and we now have 802.11n, a new class that doubled the hertz range and offered true broadband speeds on top of increased range. Currently the standard is 802.11ac which was put out there on the consumer market by Buffalo earlier this year. In terms the layman can understand the 802.11ac, compared to earlier versions of wireless, is like competing in the Tour de France in a Ducati (which is my dream by the way). What does this mean for online marketing? Again, faster user experience, more conversions, more dynamic mobile sites.
iOS 6 and 3rd Party Integration – Here’s where the broken record breaks. The controversial release and update(s) of iOS 6 have really changed the way that the basic iPhone user integrates with many useful applications. Facebook is now “fully” integrated (without an app) which means you can reach more people, faster, using Facebook postings. How? Facebook will “push” notifications directly to the phone. While many people will turn this feature off, there is going to be a substantial number of iPhone 4, 4S, and 5 users that leave it on. The same goes for iPad owners. Like Twitter, this will have the potential to really alter the way that Facebook account managers can integrate with their end users. While this is something that has been prevalent in the past with Android and iOS products alike, the “forced” implications are going to make it more valuable.
Yelp – … is now also integrated into map results. This means that people are going to be more directly affected by their reviews, both positive and negatively. When you do a search for “Chinese Food” you’ll get the normal pins, but directly on those pins is your rating from Yelp. A click on the result gives you the price point, score, and reviews from Yelp’s directory. The images at the top are also populated from Yelp. This represents a massive change in how vital Yelp will be for local businesses for iOS 6 users. It’s time to put all those “regulars” and brand advocates to work on your Yelp page!
Why Care about a Small Amount of the Market?
The iPhone is still the king of the pile when it comes to smart phone branding. It has a heritage of innovation and has propelled Apple to dizzying heights as a company; comprising 60% of it’s profits. The Android was produced to compete with it and has skyrocketed to the top of the market share because of the numerous offerings available on the market. The fact still remains, the iPhone 5 will set the bar for smart phones … and subsequent flagship Android devices are going to equal or surpass the capabilities of the iPhone. That means that the iPhone release is only the continuation of technological advancement in the smart phone world. We can expect to curtail more and more of our efforts towards these flagship devices in the years to come.
How do I Position my Marketing Plan?
I personally tend to be somewhat conservative in how I propose my clients to act. The first steps in my methodology involve segmenting out iOS 6 and iPhone users in my Analytics data. (The iPhone, and other flagship devices, use unique resolutions – hint, hint) I then compare this data with other smart phones, tablets, and my desktop users to gain an idea on how they are using the client’s site. From there, I work to outline changes to existing mobile websites and optimize it for the current devices. I will physically test it on the device as much as possible to see how it appears (I own 3 cell phones (2 Android, 1 iPhone 5) and 2 tablets (New iPad and iPad 2) for this reason). Honestly, if you’re marketing team doesn’t have test subjects on hand … you’re flying a step behind. From there, I alter best practices and begin my testing. The goal is to obtain at least 95% confidence before making any substantial integrations.
I also like to co-define some personas whom utilize the latest and most current devices. I tend to find that these individuals have substantially similar habits and pain points, but may not always be ideal for some market segments. Do some testing, ask questions, people watch (seriously), and don’t be afraid to get out on the bleeding edge.
Need Help? Not sure how to take advantage of the new technology? Contact Us, we’ll be glad to help you along.
Online marketing is littered with fails; from the small business that fails to claim their Google+ Places page to the Enterprise level B2B that thinks social media isn’t worth the time, it’s easy to fail at social media marketing. Optimizing social media goes far beyond keyword research, search engine optimization and backlinks–rather, it encompasses all of those things and more. Join us for a lively webinar discussing common social media fails–and how you can avoid common social media optimization fails.
Apogee Results team representatives enjoyed an invigorating time at the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas yesterday (9/20/2012). Apogee Results joined volunteers from Dell and Razorfish at the distribution hub for central Texas. The Capital Area Food Bank of Texas serves 21 counties in central Texas.
If you’re interested in volunteering at the food bank, find out more information here:
Online marketing is littered with fails; from the small business that fails to claim their Google+ Places page to the Enterprise level B2B that thinks social media isn’t worth the time, it’s easy to fail at social media marketing. Optimizing social media goes far beyond keyword research, search engine optimization and backlinks–rather, it encompasses all of those things and more. Join us for a lively webinar discussing common social media fails–and how you can avoid common social media optimization fails.
If you’re a local business owner who still has a relatively small customer base, you know the importance of word of mouth marketing. Your new business depends on what your customers have to say about you, and (as if that pressure isn’t enough) so does your local SEO. Off-page factors have an immense impact on your local SEO success; you need to claim as many local listings as possible, and more importantly, you need reviews—lots of them. The first part is relatively easy, but what about the latter? As business owners, it’s hard to control what other people say (if they say anything at all) about your product or offering. Here are ways you can encourage reviews:
1. The Obvious – Ask them directly
This can be very effective if you’ve just provided excellent customer service. People are more likely to remember you if you directly ask them for their feedback. My hair stylist pulled this trick on me and it was very successful. I felt inclined to help her out and leave a review because she took the time to ask me in person, and because she just gave me a great haircut. It’s simple; at the end of a customer transaction simply ask “Do you have a Yelp or Google+ account?” If they respond with yes, reply with “I would greatly appreciate it if you could leave your feedback.” If they reply with no, do not ask them to create an account. This will only inconvenience them and encourage them to write a negative review.
2. Create an Email Campaign
If your business collects emails and sends out regular newsletters, try dedicating an email campaign to existing customers for reviews. Make it as easy as possible. Thank them for their business and leave a link or two to your local listings. Ask them to please leave feedback about their experience, and make sure to emphasize that you value them as a customer.
3. Social Media
Don’t underestimate your social media fans. They already “like” and “follow” you, so they will most likely be inclined to leave a review—and a positive one at that. Create a Facebook post or send out a tweet asking them to leave a review. Include a link to the platform that you are focusing on (Yelp, Google local, etc) to make it easy for them.
4. Link to Your Listings from Your Website
Again, it’s all about making it as easy as possible for your customers. Make it so that returning customers can go to your website to find your local listings. Collect image logos for Yelp, Yellow Pages, Manta, Google Places, Bing or whichever platforms you prefer, and create image links out of these. When users click on these logos, they should be directed straight to your review page. Creating image links can be incredibly easy depending on which content management system you use, but here’s the html code that you can add to your site:
<a href=”domain.com”> <img src=”domain.com/image.jpg” alt=”Leave a Yelp Review” /> </a>
5. QR Codes
Quick response codes are perhaps the easiest way to direct your customers to your review pages (especially if your clientele is technologically savvy). If you’re unfamiliar with QR codes, they’re just like barcodes that retailers use to scan prices, except that these codes can hold thousands of alphanumeric characters. QR codes can link to content on the web so that when your customers scan the code they are taken directly to your review site. Customers with QR code scanner apps (such as i-nigma and barcode scanner) can easily scan the code and leave a review with their phone. To generate and customize your code, visit myQR.co. If you’d like more details on how to use QR codes for your business, read this article by Social Media Examiner.
6. Leave Messages on Receipts
The key to getting reviews is promptly asking your customers for them. Once a transaction is complete, your customers go on with their daily lives and aren’t likely to think of you again. Print a message on your receipts, invoices, or business cards that reminds your customers to leave a review. On their way out, you should verbally remind them to leave a review, and then reinforce that request with a textual reminder on the receipt. You can even leave QR codes on receipts to make it even easier!
7. Use Foursquare and Twitter to Monitor Check-ins
Foursquare alone is a great tool to keep your customers engaged and talking about your business, but used with Twitter, it can be a great way to see who checks in. Because Twitter and Facebook are integrated with Foursquare, users have the option of publically announcing their check-in on the platform of their choice. Then, set up “twilert” so that every time someone mentions your business name, a notification is sent to your inbox. Using this information, you can personally respond to these tweets and thank them for their business and request a review. Leave a shortened link to your review page in your response to make it easy for the user. Thanks to Search Engine Journal for the great idea!
We here at Apogee Results are all about marketing, and e-mail marketing is powerful. Just ask Groupon. Their billion dollar business is essentially based on it. You are sending e-mails either about existing products, deals for specific products, or notice for future products. It’s so effective that most companies incorporate e-mail marketing into their overall business strategy, and it is so popular that the U.S. spent 1.5 billion on e-mail marketing in 2011 alone, a number that is expected to almost double by 2016. Let’s break down e-mail marketing to explain why it’s so popular.
First, e-mail marketing is directed to specific customers. In its correct form, it’s not spam. People receiving these e-mails have either signed up for them or bought products and thereby agreed to receive them. It’s not like regular advertising where you attempt to target certain customers or display ads to the masses. While those methods are effective, e-mail marketing is much more targeted. You KNOW your customers are interested, so it becomes a matter of making a sale or drawing their attention.
Second, with the rise of an abundance of mobile devices, people check their e-mail several times throughout the day, are immediately notified of new e-mails, and even chat through programs while logged on to their e-mail . In this sense, e-mail marketing is almost instantaneous and has the benefit of word of mouth. Think about this: If you were a company and you sent out an e-mail at 2:00PM saying that the first 2,000 people to buy a certain product get it half off, and you sent that deal to an e-mail pool of 300,000 people, by 2:30 (or probably before depending on the product and the price) 2,000 people will have purchased the product. It could’ve happened through the e-mail pool, or friends chatting with other friends to buy the product now, or even people verbally telling others in an office to jump on the deal. Regardless, word would get around, which shows that the possibilities of e-mail marketing spread far beyond the realm of e-mail.
Third, companies offer deals for people that forward their e-mails to others. If you refer an e-mail deal to someone else, i.e. Groupon, and that person buys the deal, you get a reward. So not only does e-mail marketing send out e-mails to its intended customer base, but those customers are likely to forward the message along if there is a proper incentive.
Finally, when e-mail marketing is done correctly, an exact return on your investment can be tracked. This way you can see what e-mail deals and strategies are working, what’s not working, and it can give you great direction for future marketing endeavors.
2. Have a contest. Sure, holiday marketing campaigns are all about driving sales, but as many a good marketer knows, having a contest can also help drive sales. Why not combine a contest with your holiday marketing? Country Outfitter recently ran a 
The key to getting reviews is promptly asking your customers for them. Once a transaction is complete, your customers go on with their daily lives and aren’t likely to think of you again. Print a message on your receipts, invoices, or business cards that reminds your customers to leave a review. On their way out, you should verbally remind them to leave a review, and then reinforce that request with a textual reminder on the receipt. You can even leave QR codes on receipts to make it even easier!
