C is for Cookie!

NOTE: this post originally appeared on the scratch blog on March 26, 2013

Previously, on the scratch blog: 

Elan yammered on about how he thinks he is fat, and how it bothers him that his spammy online activities result in ad-upon-ad from companies trying to sell him weight loss solutions.

And now…

Elan Packer: Things you should know when you travel the Interweb

People on the Internet track things. They cookie (no, Elan, not THAT kind of cookie), tag and retarget. They hitch on to your online travels and try to deliver relevant—or in many cases seemingly NOT relevant (but based on your activity to date all the same)—messaging in the form of ads. Or they’re just trying to get as many impressions as possible. The strategies and tactics vary, but ultimately the facts remain:

• Where you go/where you have been is trackable.
• Your search habits are predictable/targetable.
  
  • That said, just because you’ve entered a search term relevant to someone’s business, doesn’t mean you’re ready to be bombarded with their sales pitch, but this, clearly, happens.
• SEM and SEO retargeting.
  
  • What route (paid/organic) did they take to get to your site, and what did they do once they got there?
  • Combine those two factors and you have a “better” sense of that consumer’s behaviour.
• You can be targeted based on your email activity.
  
  • Did you unsubscribe? Did you click on the link? Did you wait a week before you clicked on the link? Did you forward the email? Was there retargeting in the body of the email body, which doesn’t require you to do anything but open the email.
• You can retarget contextually.
  
  • Inferences are made based on your online actions. If you are looking into airfare options to Florida, it’s possible that the airline in question, and local hotel are going to mutually benefit by targeting their respective site traffic.

Here endeth the lesson.

Further… Elan, you’re not fat. You’re just big-boned. And that’s ok. We like you. We really, really like you. And, based on what we’ve just discussed… the Internet? It only knows what you tell it. Somehow, someway, you’ve either acted in such a way that the Internet can assume/infer fatness, or you’ve directly told it that you’re fat. Why would you do that? It’s just weird.

For some extra fun, just for Elan: A site for people addicted to Dr. Pepper.

I Love Landing Pages

[NOTE: if you don't want to read my drivel, you can skip down to the part where I source some smart people talking about landing pages]

Think of the sections of a site as ingredients, and the variables (button color, etc.) as spices. Your landing page is a meal. If its ingredients suck… spices won’t help. 

- Bryan Eisenberg paraphrased in this aimclear blog post.

Landing Pages. There seems to a bit of confusion surrounding their value and usage. Despite, or perhaps because of this confusion, there are also a significant number of people (at least in my world right now) who have a strong opinion about Landing Pages and the value they may or may not bring to the digital marketing table.

It's one thing to have an argument for or against landing pages, or whether the practice is useful/valuable for your brand and business. It's quite another to be in that conversation and not know what they are how they can or should be used.

That said, if you google "landing pages," the sheer number of results that come up speaking to "Landing Pages: Why you should care", "What are Landing Pages", "Why your Landing Page sucks" and "Top 10 ways to improve your Landing Page" tells me that a lot of people are looking for information on this subject, and clearly many of them aren't getting what they want (apparently many landing pages "suck"). Maybe I shouldn't be surprised there's a lot of confusion surrounding them. Maybe I should spend more time learning how to clearly define and deliver the value I believe in...

Working in the digital space, I've always made the assumption (wrongly, it seems) that the concept and usage of a landing page is quite clear: The client/brand/organization/person has something they want to promote or focus on. They need to direct users to a page that speaks to that, and that only, and that presents a clear call to action.

The problem: The website pushes bigger picture messaging and drills down to more specific calls-to-action as users navigate. It isn't/wasn't built to clearly/definitely push one goal or action, or at least not the goal or action this "campaign" is focusing on.

The solution: Create a page that does focus on the focus issue, and that pushes the singular goal or action.

That's the simple way of looking at it... with that focused, targeted page our advertising will be more effective (because a user won't be clicking through to a general brand page, they'll be clicking through to a page that reflects the ad or search result they click on and, ultimately, the intent behind the reason they were online in the first place), our search results will be better and our conversion opportunities will be higher because there won't be a hierarchy of clickthrough decisions to choose from. If the page is designed properly, the next step(s) should be very clear.

Add to that remarketing/retargeting strategies, different user/demographic behaviours for different products and calls-to-action... the concept of a landing page specific to a message, product, campaign, etc. makes a lot of sense, no?

Yes. That said, let's be honest: There are people who are WAY smarter than I am who spin a much better yarn on Landing Pages. Here's one of my favourites from +Marty Weintraub's aimclear (well, not Marty himself, rather from +Lauren Litwinka) ...

Masterful Landing Page Optimization: Do It For the Beagles #SESNY

The Landing Page. It’s one of the most important elements of your online marketing campaign. Why? Because it’s what a healthy bulk of your online marketing efforts – organic, paid, and social – point towards. So why are so many landing pages so sucky nope – sucky is the most accurate word to describe them.

Read more: http://www.aimclearblog.com/2012/03/21/masterful-landing-page-optimization-do-it-for-the-beagles-sesny/#ixzz2H1HzvE4J

_____________

More for your reading pleasure...


Best Landing Page Definitions:

According to...

Hubspot:

A landing page is a website page that allows you to capture a visitor's information through a lead form.

Kissmetrics: (less of a definition, and more of a "why")

A well-designed landing page can greatly increase conversions for your PPC or email marketing campaigns. Rather than directing visitors from those sources to your general website (where they may have a hard time finding what they’re looking for), you can direct them to a specially-designed landing page that steers them in exactly the direction you want them to take.

And on of my faves...

Adwords:

The webpage where customers end up after they click your ad. 

Technorati token: DJ993Y76HXY8

Taking a break in the Dad Lounge

Stopped by Gary Edgar's "The Dad Lounge" last week, settled in for a bit with a beer, talked technology... and kids. Next post will likely be on podcasts and how they still have a place in the digital space.

Take a listen here: Mike Connell joins the podcast to talk about technology, baby monitors and vampire killing marionettes. Don’t miss episode 2.

Social networks and kids

My son checking his tweets, likes, shares and stock prices

Working in the digital space provides a lot of insight into the goods and bads of social media, especially as it pertains to the family and our kids. Like any media, there are inherent dangers for the uninitiated, but even us "experts" find ourselves in trouble and unsure about how to act in certain situations. My kids are still too young to have online personas of their own, however I was recently part of a conversation where the mum was dead-set against her daughter (13) being on Facebook for at least another year, even though all of her other friends were already there and ultimately I had to disagree.

I did think "fair enough" out of the gate, but I quickly had to ask why. In all transparency the subsequent conversation occurred in my head. I didn't ask her why to her face. She was very... set on her tack (yes, please use sailing jargon whenever possible) and since I hadn't had a chance to make this kind of decision for my own family I was going to reserve judgement/public confrontation (for now).

But really: Why? At this stage, we (both my wife and I) lean towards education and awareness versus avoidance. By refusing to let your kids on Facebook at, say, 13, are you effectively stopping them? Or are they finding ways to get on there with their friends unbeknownst to you, armed with zero knowledge or sense of caution and care. All that said, I'm also not a fan of "but Zane and Barbara Sue's parents said it was ok" (names are altered to protect the innocent... from exposure on this blog, but also from those horrible handles), but where do we set the boundaries? Do we stay firm with "I said 14, and 14 it remains." What if your son or daughter are a mature 12 or 13 year old? What if they show aptitude and interest in things that can really only be found online? Stick to our guns, or bend, educate and monitor?

I don't have the answer, but if my kids are anything like me (and so far, maddeningly, they are), they'll find a way to go wherever and whenever I don't want them to. Just to spite me. So, for now, I'm all about showing them the way, exhibiting the dos and don'ts and making it easy to find out what to do next. They are only almost-four and almost-two, so this isn't something I have to address yet, but I also know that this will come up WAY before 13 or 14. Possibly in the next couple of months. Kidding. Kind of.

Make sense, or am I a bad parent?

NOTE: I don't really want an answer to the latter...

Another note: There's a great article on brighterlife.ca that goes a lot deeper into "How to keep your kids safe online". I'm a fan of their three Cs of cyberspace safety: content, conduct, contact. Good stuff.

Don't bet against the Internet

This post originally appeared on the scratch blog on July 31, 2012.

Don’t let the words f*ck you up. It’s not social media you’re betting against, it’s the Internet… and if you’re betting against the Internet, I wish you the best of luck.

This, loosely paraphrased, was from Gary Vaynerchuk [vay-ner-chuk] (@garyvee), best-selling author and self-trained social media expert at last week’s inaugural Social Mix from @jugnoome (#SoMix2012 was amazing, by the way. I highly recommend it). Gary was the closing speaker for the day-long social media marketing event. His message wasn’t new: the Internet is big. But how he evangelized and contextualized the message was inspirational. Gary’s most recent book, The Thank You Economy, would have been called “Why radio is going to change the game” in the 1920s. In the ‘90s, it would’ve been called “Why Amazon is Going to Take Over the Retailing World”. Ultimately, though, it’s about something bigger than these tools… it transcends immediate application and speaks to something greater than a single revolutionary platform.

We rave about Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social media channels du jour because they work. Remember when you first started email campaigning vs. what, faxes?? You’re going to where the customers are, faster. That’s what social media is. Community building, networking, sharing and, ultimately, it’s a route-to-market.

It amazes me to be part of so-called integrated strategies that include traditional media buys. Clients will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV, radio and print. They’ll nod, understanding how expensive it can be, and get excited at the prospect of that massive TV audience for their 30-second ad. Of course they’re not thinking about the throngs of people who got up to take a piss during their spot, or those that PVR (yes, using PVR as a verb. All the cool kids are doing it). They’re not asking for better metrics. They don’t seem to care that they don’t, really, know who is seeing their ads.

Enter the digital media buy. “Why would we do Facebook? What kind or ROI are we talking about? How do we know people are clicking on our ads? Can we target women?” Where did this imbalance come from? What’s the ROI? In Gary Vee’s words: “What’s the ROI of your mother??” What’s the ROI of your print ad that has a CPM based on the fact that "John" may leave the magazine in the cr*pper and two other people will read it (and maybe turn to page 57 where your ad lives)?

It’s scary how effective social media can be. The targeting opportunities in Facebook are insane: 25- to 54-year-old women who live in Toronto, who are married, who have a birthday in the next week, who like basket-weaving and have friends named “Sue” (maybe not that last one, but you know what I mean). We can advertise to that group with multiple messages, point them to wherever we want them to go and, incredibly, we can also insert pieces of code at the landing point to measure their activities and, ultimately, capture the data to remarket to them days, weeks or months later to maintain the touch point with the brand. Show me how a print ad can do that.

Anyway, even after all that we still have clients who claim social isn’t for them. They don’t “believe in it.” Really? You don’t believe the stats that one in four people who see something on Pinterest make a purchase? You don’t think it’s important that Pinterest receives almost 1.5 million visitors each day and provides more referral traffic than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn combined? It’s not social you’re betting against. That’s just a word. It’s the Internet you’re claiming doesn’t work. Let’s ask Blockbuster what they think about that.

When it comes to networking, just do it.

This is a reposting of my Guest Column for The Toronto Business Times from May 2, 2012.

"If you believe business is built on relationships, make building them your business," says Scott Stratten, president of Un-Marketing (with more than 120,000 followers on Twitter and 7,000 on Facebook) in his book called, yes, UnMarketing. Stop Marketing. Start Engaging.

I'm not ashamed to say a book that turns the concept of marketing on its head has changed the way I run my business.

Getting audiences to engage with brands and convert on specific objectives is my reason for being in the nine-to-whatever (or unreasonable facsimile of what passes for a workday these days) world.

Ultimately that means I build relationships. In fact, I'm often so busy building relationships for my clients that I find little time left to build and maintain any of my own.

So, how do small business owners and consultants maintain a healthy relationship with their network? Sometimes, in practice, we don't, it's true, but in theory...

1. Keep social networking profiles current

People are connecting with us all the time, and we don't even know it. It's important to ensure we're communicating the right information.

The main players in social networking for business are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, and there's no quick fix or easy way to update all three at the same time. I have weekly, monthly and quarterly reminders in my calendar to ensure that everything I would ever want somebody to know is readily available on my social networks. It's possible I might miss a weekly update, but monthly and quarterly reminders make sure the gaps don't get too big.

2. Don't be shy

Connect, like and follow. This is how it works, right? Someone "likes" or "follows" us, generally we like or follow them back. Not always, and often depending on who they are, but generally we'll reciprocate the action.

You need to set aside 30 minutes every week (at a minimum, and for each social network) to proactively identify people to connect with, like or follow.

3. Practice Inbox Zero

The biggest time suck in my life is email. Managing subscriptions, notifications, personal and, of course, work correspondence can be overwhelming. The problem? An out-of-hand inbox hides a lot of networking opportunities. When I learned about Merlin Mann's Inbox Zero, email overload didn't go away, but implementing the process (Delete, Delegate, Respond, Defer, Do) ensures that we slowly but surely address all communication points and clean house at the same time.

A clean inbox makes each touch point that much easier to address and (eventually) frees up more time to focus on those other networking opportunities.

Ultimately, what's the single most important thing to remember when it comes to networking? Do it. Even if you feel you don't have the time.

"You need to return this book if you say, 'I don't have time to build relationships online!' and yet will drive 45 minutes to a networking event, stay three hours, and drive 45 minutes back home," Stratten says in UnMarketing.

What's important to you and how are you going to grow your business? What's the ROI on your networking activities? Figure it out.

How to avoid social spam [infographic]

Social spam and how to avoid it....

Courtesy of Constant Contact Blogs.


Like this infographic? Get more social media marketing tips from Constant Contact.

What does Search mean to you?

Courtesy of Search Engine Land

Startup/Tech Tales

So, it's been WAY too long since my last post so let me first apologize to all my readers (yes, I pluralize to make myself feel better... not really working). Second: The reason. I've been busy, like most people, but more specifically I was getting some writing up on another channel. In an effort to repurpose and unabashedly toot my horn (toot. toot.) I've posted my new tech/startup submission to The Toronto Standard:

"A daily digital briefing on the life of the city, covering urban affairs, business, technology, culture and design — and all the sparks that happen in between." - The Toronto Standard

Shopcastr: Discover What Your City Has In Store
Toronto's startup community gets it right once again 
(and... pushing you to torontostandard.com for the rest of the story)

Top 30 Things to Stop Right Now

Because the holidays can be so nutty—and even nuttier with two kids under three—I am totally stealing somebody else's post for this month's submission... well, "stealing" is so harsh. I'm repurposing because the message is a great one, regardless of your job, industry, relationship and family status.

This comes from Marc and Angel Hack Life: Practical Tips for Productive Living (posted on December 11, 2011).

"When you stop chasing the wrong things you give the right things a chance to catch you."

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started: (editor's note: I took this straight from Marc and Angel's site, so the order/ranking does not represent how I would rank or relate to these ideas)

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.
21. Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it.  If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting.  Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.
22. Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things.  The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.
23. Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.  Read Getting Things Done.
24. Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile.  Don’t take the easy way out.  Do something extraordinary.
25. Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while.  You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well.  You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears.  The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.
26. Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life.  When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.
27. Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out.  But making one person smile CAN change the world.  Maybe not the whole world, but their world.  So narrow your focus.
28. Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy.  One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time?  Three years?  Five years?”  If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.
29. Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.  Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story.  If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.
30. Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life.  Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs.  Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Any... thing you want to stop, or start doing in the new year? Let me know!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

mike