The Marketing Gal

Hi, my name is Victoria Endsley. I am a marketing professional who has worked for San Francisco-based organizations as a marketing and PR consultant. I enjoy creative strategy, project management and keeping up to speed on marketing and business strategy with social media and online training.

[themarketinggal]

Interested in Paid Search? A Simple Comparison of Facebook vs. Google Ads

Paid search is just one of the ways to help drive traffic to your website.  If you're an internet marketing novice, you may not be familiar with the term, but you likely have noticed the listings when you browse the internet.

What is paid searching, exactly? It is the concept of paying for a display listing to display high in the rankings on a search engine.

With only a few major search engines and a few platforms specifically designed for paid search, you don't have to become familiar with too many platforms.  The major players are Google AdWords, the Yahoo! Bing Network and Facebook Ad Exchange.

Today, I am going to offer a comparison between Google AdWords and Facebook Ad Exchange, mostly because they are the two platforms that I am familiar with, but, just so you know, according to a recent article, the Yahoo! Bing network represents 30% of the search share. 

(Photo courtesy of wordstream.com)

Google AdWords is part of the Google platform and, for obvious reasons, has a great advantage as it's connected to the largest search platform on the internet.  By setting up a Google AdWords account, you can target ads based on a user's keyword search, as well as geographic location, time of day, device and user's language.  Based on a keyword bidding system and quality score, Google will display your ad either above the search results or in the right hand column in the sponsored listings section (or perhaps not at all).  The administrator of the Google AdWords account has the ability to set budgets and determine priorities on a granular level via ad groups and the bidding system, and can optimize the campaign based on results that are displayed in the Google AdWords dashboard.  Google ads can be shown both on Google and on sites that are part of the display network.  The administrator can make a decision on which network he chooses, but cannot cherry pick individual sites from the display network to exclude.

(Photo courtesy of Tweetframeapp.com)

Facebook ads, in contrast to Google ads, are only displayed on Facebook.com, but that might not be such a bad thing because according to this recent CNET article from January, Facebook monthly active users are up to 1.06 billion!  On this large network, Facebook ad administrators are able to drill down to a very granular level on demographic factors such as location, age, gender, education, work history and interests.  For a visual look at how this works, check out this article by The Social Ad Tool. 

From my perspective, beyond reach and targeting capabilities, one important consideration is the user interface of these sites and how ads lead to conversions.  According to this article from searchengineland.com, Google has proven that paid search listings help the clicks of organic listings for the same company.  Google also offers a variety of ad types on their display network, including text ads, image ads, flash-based image ads, in-video ads, ads for mobile web and mobile games.  They have successfully monetized the program into its highest earning program.  With a limitless capacity of new pages that will be added to the internet, the Google Display Network can leverage the entire internet for relevant content pages to place their ads.

According to this blog on wordstream.com, despite Facebook's impressive reach, they have struggled to attain a good CTR (or click-through rate) on their ads, most likely because as a social platform, people are probably ignoring the ads.  Of course, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg are all too aware of the pressure to make advertising successful in the long-term for Facebook, and there certainly is promise for the site as they expand into mobile and find ways to make their ads relevant on the platform.  I think the answer, as Facebook is exploring, may be in fact with other types of advertising, such as Sponsored Stories, which features suggested pages or stories based on a user's interests.  This, I have to say, has been a form of advertising that has worked for me.

With the online ad space continually evolving, Facebook and Google ad platforms will undoubtedly evolve and grow from their current existence.  Today, however, my vote, if you have to choose, is to start with Google AdWords and grow your campaign from there.

[themarketinggal]

Facebook vs. Google Display Network

Research from WordStream, the developers of the Free Keyword Tool.

[themarketinggal]

What are you doing right now to change your circumstances so they are aligned with what you truly want for yourself?

-Tory Johnson, workforce contributor for Good Morning America and founder of two multimillion-dollar companies, Women for Hire and Spark & Hustle

[themarketinggal]

How To Make It In Business (As A Woman, Too!)

Why do some businesses fail and others succeed? While not an entrepreneur myself, I've learned from great leaders and business people that there are two key components:

1. Have an idea that interests investors and attract or engage with investors that have expertise in the industry.  

2. Have the drive and belief in yourself as an entrepreneur to carry out the idea.

This post is surprisingly inspired by two very different sources: the sharks from Shark Tank and Sheryl Sandberg of Facebook.  After I started watching Shark Tank recently, I discovered the invaluable business insight the businessmen and women share on the show.  One trend seems to remain a constant as they evaluate businesses: if they aren't passionate about the idea, they can't get behind it.  Creating and building a business takes work, and believing and being excited about the product is essential because not everyone can be an expert or invest in everything.  As the investors in Shark Tank talk about, if they don't know the industry well, it's nothing something they should get involved in.  Moral of the story: know your limits and know what you are capable of doing as an investor.

The second part of this equation is the entrepreneur.  Entrepreneurs will only be successful if they believe in their ability to carry out the idea and devote themselves fully to the business.  As a woman, this is where I thought of Sheryl Sandberg and her idea of "leaning in."  Too often, women don't believe in themselves enough to dream big and there is a disparity between the encouragement that women receive and what men receive from their peers.  Instead of being afraid that you might fail or not believing in your strengths, you should take your idea to the next level by standing up for your ideas and following through with your passion.  While some contestants on Shark Tank arrive with profitable businesses and just need capital to keep the company going, I often see people hoping that the sharks will do it all for them and mobilize their business in a way that they haven't been able to themselves.  I think the sharks are smart and I certainly can't argue with their business success, but I think to Sheryl's point, women in particular should believe in themselves enough to go after their career interests and not concede to men.  Moral of the story: If an entrepreneur has ambition and self-confidence, he or she can strategize, develop and carry out a successful business plan, it just might take a lot of work.

[themarketinggal]

Why Does Being Online Matter?

by Learn with Google

In this video, we learn how to use the internet to get new buyers via a website, a review site or online media.  I think the video does a great job at  explaining why these three online platforms can help people be successful in business and therefore provides a compelling reason to be online.

While I'm not using the internet to sell a product or promote a formal business (yet), this blog is serving as my online platform to help brand me as a marketing professional.   It's a valuable platform for me to share articles and relevant content as well as blog about industry trends.  With my interest in online marketing in particular, it is important for me to talk about trends in online marketing online because that is where the latest information is published.

How do you use the online space to promote yourself or sell a product?

[themarketinggal]

Lululemon Pants: Business Disaster or PR Coup?

In case you haven't heard, many of Lululemon's pants have been recalled recently because, as some people discovered in a not so pleasant way, many of the pants are sheer.

The story quickly became an international headline, prompting Lululemon CEO Christine Day to respond on an earnings call that "just putting the pants on themselves doesn't solve the problem.  The truth of the matter is the only way you can actually test for the issue is to put the pants on and bend over." (For more on their response, click here.)

My take on the matter is certainly not everyone's opinion, mostly because I don't see this incident as bad for the brand.  When I was out shopping last week, I stopped into Lululemon to try on a pair of pants because I was intrigued to see just how sheer they were and how they made me look.  As I since learned from this New York Times article about Lululemon, the pants that were an issue were probably not in the store, but I didn't know this at the time.  Instead, I tried on a pair of black crop pants, and felt like their wasn't anything objectionable about them. I did not, however, bend over and do the test that they had perscribed for customers to do because I knew I wouldn't be buying them that day.  I hadn't tried on any of their pants in years, in fact, and so I find it somewhat humorous, but not indecent, that I was prompted to try them on because of the news story about the recall.

Sometimes bad PR doesn't actually hurt a brand.  While this incident might not be good for Lululemon's bottom line, it may actually bring in new customers into the store.  An estimated millions of dollars will be lost because of this recall, but perhaps the sales report won't reflect this abysmal prediction.   Were there other consumers like me that were enticed by this story to see for themselves? We'll just have to see...

[themarketinggal]

Use Pinterest for Your Business by Melanie Duncan

In this introductory video, Melanie Duncan (of The Entrepreneuress Academy) shares how businesses that are using Pinterest see an increase in traffic and sales.  

Whether you are using Pinterest for business, to build your personal brand, or just for fun, Pinterest has become a great way to feature products and share content for free.

Tips on how to use Pinterest for business will come in a future blog post!

[themarketinggal]

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - This Week on Mashable

Mashable is one of my main sources of information for tech news, and this week, three stories jumped out at me that I thought were worth commenting on.

*The Good*: Google Tests Same-Day Delivery Service in San Francisco 

One of the latest products from Google is Google Shopping Express, a same-day shopping service that allowa members to receive goods from a limited group of retailers that are currently signed on for the service.  I love this product, although I know that eBay came out with a similar product over the holiday season (eBay now) and it didn't entice me too much.  Target is one of the retailers that has signed up, and because I shop with them quite a bit, I could see making great use out of this service.  I have signed up to be a beta-tester.  We'll see if I get picked!

*The Bad*: Instagram Photos Now Affect Your Klout Score

For Klout users that have connected their Instagram accounts to their Klout account, this will now impact your overall Klout score.  I haven't understood or seen the value yet in building a high Klout score, but perhaps it's something worth looking into again.  It certainly is a cohesive way of connecting your key moments across platforms, and I can see from my account that the people that I know that have the highest scores do seem like the biggest online influencers I know.

The reason that I don't like this is that I think some social platforms shouldn't be used or evaluated for influence, and Instagram is still something that I view this way.  I don't want my creative snapshots to be evaluated or judged, and therefore, I think I'll keep my accounts unlinked.

"The Ugly": Insanely Violent Music Video Helps Vodka Brand Get 10 Million Views

After reading through what Seth Fiergerman had to say about this video for Biting Elbows, an indie band from Russia, I'd like to share my response with you: this doesn't work for me; I don't like the video, and I just don't get it.  Perhaps it's a female thing, or perhaps I'm in the minority here, but I was so distracted by the violence (and put off) that I hardly noticed any product placement at all in the video, which I believe was the point.  Congrats for them in pulling something off that became an internet sensation, but I'd like to suggest that just because someone watched it, doesn't mean s/he liked it.  Just saying...

[themarketinggal]

As I begin reviewing lesson material for the Google AdWords certification, I thought it would make sense to share the first video in this series.  Produced by the Learn with Google YouTube channel, this video gives a very general introduction to Google AdWords and how businesses can use it to target customers.  

[themarketinggal]

AT&T v. Verizon and Helpful Tips From a Verizon Employee

As much as I haven't loved my AT&T service in the Bay Area, I discovered something this week that has made me happier and perhaps now a more loyal AT&T customer.  Turns out, only AT&T customers can have their data plan grand-fathered in, while Verizon customers give this up when they upgrade to a new phone.  While I may not use a lot of data, I still want to keep the plan because it's nice not having to even worry about it.  This isn't something that I knew about before, however, and it certainly isn't something that Verizon customers seem to be made readily aware of.  

When I went with my friend this weekend to a Verizon store, he discovered that he was both ineligible for a new phone right now (because it had not been 20 months since he last upgraded) and that if he were to upgrade, he would then loose his unlimited data.  While initially bummed, I think he discovered something quite helpful, because the Verizon employee advised him that if he went to Amazon or eBay or another third party, he could maintain his data plan if he bought a phone, as long as it was Verizon.  I feel like if I was a prospective Verizon customer, this may in fact be the most important information to be made aware of because I would imagine most everyone would be upset to learn as an existing customer that they can't keep their data plan when they upgrade.  I can't speak on whether my friend was ever told this before but just didn't remember, but something makes me think that he wasn't.  I was especially impressed that the representative shared this information with us, because my friend easily could have lost his unlimited plan forever.  Now, at least, he has an opportunity to make an educated decision, understanding all of his options.

When I googled AT&T vs. Verizon just now, this article with a comparison of AT&T, Verizon and Sprint plans for iPhones popped up, but no where did it seem to mention this.  It would really be a nice thing to tell customers.  Now, I may not change to Verizon after all, despite AT&T's bad service in the Bay Area.

[themarketinggal]

Social Media & How I Use It

Social media is both addicting and time-consuming for most marketers.  Keeping up with the latest platforms and maintaining a presence on the key sites can sometimes feel like a lot of work. That said, it is both social and exciting and an undying fixture in our lives now, and because of that, we must both embrace it and figure out how it will work for us.  

Many of us use social media for business.  Some have separate accounts, some manage a business account, and others use the same platforms for both social and business. I'd say, depending on who you are and what you do, it's okay to combine your business and personal lives online.  Sometimes though, it's nice to keep them separate.

Facebook - Given the original premise of the site, I use this just to stay up-to-date with friends as well as follow what top brands are doing online.  I like entering sweepstakes, although I never win, and I find it interesting to see how brands are marketing on Facebook.

Twitter - I am using this to start developing my personal brand.  It has no link to my full name (intentionally), as I originally used it only as a voyeur - that is, to see what other people were writing about and keep up to speed on things.  Now, though, I find myself wanting to interact more and feel like it's time to blend this mysterious online identity with my own.

LinkedIn - As a social networking site for business, I use it as that.  I keep my online resume up-to-date and link with recruiters or contacts who I may have worked with in the past or am interested in working with in the future.  Lately, I've enjoyed using it as a source of information for business news and find great articles posted by notable writers on there.

Pinterest - Probably my favorite social networking site, Pinterest (an online pin board) helps me track recipes that I want to make, DIY projects that I want to do, and dreams I'd like to fulfill.  I have used it to find clothing must-haves and enjoy following both top pinners as well as friends for sources of information.  From a business perspective, this site certainly has more to offer (and I hope to touch on this soon)!

Instagram - It's amazing how all of my friends are amateur photographers now.  With the emergence of photography apps, including Instagram, Pic Stitch and Adobe PS Express, everyone I know seems to be documenting their life in a way that is more artistic and thoughtful than we first saw on Facebook.  I love it, and admittedly, have been using it much more recently.

For now, these are my main social networking platforms.  I feel like you have to limit yourself somewhat to how many you engage with, because like everything, especially for marketers, you have to keep at it to stay relevant, so it's important to pick what works for you and not try to do everything just because.

[themarketinggal]

How To Evaluate Your Website With HubSpot & Five Tips To Improving Your Score

In a recent course on Search Engine Marketing, we looked at the website grader service offered for FREE by Hubspot called the HubSpot Marketing Grader, which provides a limited but helpful list of things yon can do to improve your site.  To receive the evaluation, simply submit your email and website name.

Here are the five key takeaways that we learned after evaluating a few sites:

1. Having a blog can help your grade.

Blogs can (and should) be linked to a website.  They provide a great source of updated content for a website and an opportunity to speak more informally to your audience.

2. Responding to people on social media is also good.

If you are going to have social media accounts, it's important to utilize them properly.  If people are posting comments or requesting feedback, someone at your company should monitor the accounts and provide appropriate responses.

3. Put in a 301 redirect so that the "YOURCOMPANYNAME.com" directs to "www.YOURCOMPANYNAME.com."

This is just a simple website fix so that you essentially don't have two different sites, and instead one that directs to the main site.

4. Images should have ALT tags (which include keywords).

This is also a SEM trick because the images should both be saved with relevant keywords as well as utilize ALT tags, so if the page is viewed on a mobile platform or browser that can't load the pictures, the reader at least knows what the picture are.

5. Authoritative links (or links from high value sites) to your site are good.

If possible, although not always easy to do, get links back to your site if you happen to be mentioned in other articles on the web.  If someone does a feature on your organization, cites someone in an article, or mentions you for any other reason, ask them (when appropriate) to link to you.

To find out other tips that may be relevant to you, I urge you to check out the marketing grader and have your website evaluated.

[themarketinggal]

One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.

Arthur Ashe

[themarketinggal]

Business Tip #1 from Mark Cuban (Shark Tank) - Make Your Business Unique

I recently watched an episode of Shark Tank that struck me.  Tania Patruno and Pro NFLer Brandon Jacobs presented PRO-NRG to the Shark Tank.  

Most of the sharks didn't take to it that well.  Mark Cuban actually did seem to like it and understood the product, but said something quite poignant (shortened here)- "a great idea, a great product, a great angle,...but that's not the challenge...the hard part is the second part...If you are looking where everyone else is looking, you are looking in the wrong spot."

Overall, Tania was quiet successful in a short period of time with her sales of PRO-NRG, but what are the chances that someone else won't come in and make a more compelling or more profitable product? 

Daymond John ended up sealing a deal with Tania! Congrats to her and best of luck, but as they said in the Shark Tank, they have to be smart about how they position the product, otherwise it won't last.

Read more about this episode on the Shark Tank Blog.