Register Now

We’re all familiar with the situation: your marketing directive needs some hands-on support – NOW – and your IT department can only make a couple of things top priority (maybe a few, if they’re superhuman), ESPECIALLY NOW. The scenario skirts around a “Rock ‘Em, Sock ‘Em Robots” style conflagration – with both departments seemingly at risk of having a block knocked off.

But the situation doesn’t have to be like this. Much like David Carradine’s “Caine” (AKA “Grasshopper”), whose sole directive was to make peace and satisfy everyone (that was his sole purpose, wasn’t it?)  – calmly, effectively and, above all, with his own kung fu – these calamities can be handled, neutralized, even fruitful with the right tools and directions.

Register for this insightful webinar and join us as we pass on some collaborative kung fu – and show you how iAPPS can help enhance its effectiveness – to help you make sure your web technology fully supports your marketing strategy. Once adopted, these practices – and the right tools – will result in not only a much more smoothly run, effective and engaging website, but a few less bruises to boot.

Webinar Title: 10 Tips to Make Sure Your Web Technology Supports Your Marketing Strategy

Format: Free Webinar

Hosts: Bridgeline Digital

• Brett Zucker, Chief Technology Officer

• Becki Dilworth, Vice President of Digital Strategy

Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am MST  (12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EST)

Location: Online

Cost: FREE

Register Now

About Brett Zucker: Since 2006, Mr. Zucker has been Bridgeline Digital’s Executive Vice President and Chief Technical Officer. Brett is a frequent speaker and panelist at various industry events and has been quoted in many trade publications regarding the trends and future of web engagement management, content management, and web analytics. He’s a member of the Board of Directors of Content Management Professionals (CM Pros) and is the visionary of Bridgeline’s flagship product suite, iAPPS. Brett holds a BS degree in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.

About Becki Dilworth: Becki Dilworth is Vice President of Digital Strategy for Bridgeline Digital Denver region. Prior to joining Bridgeline Digital, Becki was Vice President of Client Services at Indigio, an interactive agency based in Denver, where she oversaw the project management, search engine marketing and creative design teams. From 2003-2006 she was Director of Interactive Operations for the Denver Newspaper Agency. In her 3 years there, she more than doubled online revenue and was responsible for all marketing and product development initiatives. Becki graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor Degree in Internet Journalism and Graphic Design from Drake University in Iowa.

About iAPPS: Bridgeline Digital’s flagship application, the market-leading iAPPS Product Suite, is the only leading WEM platform available under either SaaS or perpetual licensing that unifies content management, eCommerce, eMarketing, and web analytics capabilities seamlessly – enabling users  to swiftly enhance and optimize the value of their web properties while maximizing their overall Web Experience Management goals. The iAPPS Product Suite was recently selected as a finalist for two 2011 CODiE Awards and iAPPS Content Manager is the 2010 CODiE Award Winner for Best Content Management Solution, globally.

Usability Audience

Last week, I was an observer in six usability lab tests performed by Bridgeline Denver for one of our clients, who is redesigning their current Web site.  Observing real people interact with a Web site is very enlightening because when you observe real users, you learn first-hand if a Web site’s information architecture and design are easy to use.  Over the years, managing online channels and working at a company providing digital Web solutions, I have learned many things, but the two most important lessons I have learned are:

1. If users cannot use a Web site easily, they will abandon and never become customers. With so many options online today, nobody is willing to struggle in understanding how to perform a task or get the information they need.
2. The only opinion that matters about a Web site are the users.  They are the audience.  If they are unhappy or frustrated, that matters.  A Web site must be built to the audience, not the Vice President of Marketing, the CEO or even the Web Designer.  It is all about the user.

These lessons seem so simple, right?  But if they are, then why don’t more Managers of Web sites conduct usability tests when planning a new Web site or redesigning an existing Web site to find out what users think? I feel the answer is pressure and budgets.  They are under pressure to get a Web site live and that can make it feel impossible to add the extra time and budget needed for user interviews and a usability test.  However, can anyone afford to launch a Web site that is difficult to use , in which users cannot achieve their goals?  What is the cost of failure?  Take my advice – you want to involve potential users throughout the design phase. By understanding what potential users want, you can create a Web site that is easy to use for them.

There are several ways to test ease of use, but I recommend keeping it simple with something like usability lab testing.  For this, we recruit users that match the profile of your potential users and observe and record them interacting with your Web site. We create test scenarios that will take users through a series of tasks on your Web site.  For example, if your site was an e-commerce site and sold widgets, we may present participants a scenario that they are looking for a B sized widget and ask them how they would go about ordering one.  As they perform the tasks, we ask for and record their feedback as well as their interaction with the Web site.  In essence, we are recording what the user is doing online, his/her facial expressions and his/her verbal expression of his/her thought process. This testing allows us to measure success of task completion and uncover issues you may never have anticipated with your Web site. For example, you may discover that the copy used on a page creates confusion or the location of a button goes unnoticed.  These things seem simple and be perceived as not major issues, but they can be the difficulties that cause a user to abandon your Web site and go to a competitor.  At the end of the usability, we can provide copies of the recordings, notes from each session and a report detailing recommendations to improve ease of use for your Web site.

Best of all, when kept simple, usability testing can be very affordable. We have done tests that even include paper prototyping, where we just show potential user either wireframes of a proposed Web site or mockups of a Web site design.  We have even done informal click-model testing that involves linking the HTML for a Web site together before it is built.  Now, these are not as powerful as having a user go through an actual Web site, but they are great alternatives to a tight budget or a tight timeline.  Usability testing does not need to ‘fancy’ to be effective.  What it does do is reveal the roadblocks on your Web site. Remember, you want a Web site built for your intended users, not you.  Your user is your customer and they are the person that matters most.  Take some time to make sure your Web site is meeting your customers’ needs today because if you do not, I am sure there is a competitor who is or will.

An example of a User Persona Matrix

If you run a company that offers products, services or has any type of brand and are not monitoring the conversation on blogs, microblogs, forums, Web sites or anything around the online social space – you are not listening to your customers and have no idea how you are being perceived (or in reality if customers like you).

The days of customers just calling or emailing you to tell you what they think are declining. Today, due to growth in social spaces likes Twitter, Facebook and even blogs; people are now conversing about products, companies, events and ideas online more than ever. This could mean hundreds or even thousands mentions of your company may be happening, each and every day, without your knowledge – both good and bad. It used to be if someone had an experience, either good or bad, with a company, service or product, they would tell their handful of friends of the experience. Nowadays, they may tell their 300 Facebook Friends and 500 followers on Twitter instead. The average person’s reach is much further thanks to the power of social media. As a result, it is important that you and your company are online monitoring and managing your reputation.

What does it mean to monitor the conversation and manage my reputation? Simply put you need to:

• monitor and read what is being said online
• reward the positive
• work to turn the negative into a positive

How do I do this? It is actually very easy. All you need to do is come up with a list of terms related to your company, such as company name or product names and enter them into one or more of these free online tools that will show you what is being posted as content online.

• Addict-o-matic allows a user to create a page that displays the content around the keywords on any social media topic on channels such as Twitter, Friendfeed, YouTube, Google Blog, WordPress, Digg, and Flickr.
• BlogPulse.com is a blog search engine that also analyzes and reports on daily activity in the blogosphere.
• Google Alerts is Google’s tool that provides email updates on latest relevant Google results.
• Google Blog Search is Google’s index of blog posts. The advanced search tab allows you to search based on additional criteria.
• Social Mention pulls user generated content from the web into a single view. It searches blogs, microblogs, bookmarks, comments, events, images, news, videos and audio online.
• Trendpedia searches blogs to find out who’s discussing what, where, when and how and displays it via a blog trend chart.
• Tweetbeep is like Google Alerts for Twitter.
• TweetGrid creates a Twitter search dashboard that updates in real time.
• Twitter Search is formerly Summize and is Twitter’s official search engine.

What companies are already doing this? Countless companies are doing this today. I have seen first hand how companies are monitoring the social space and working to manage their reputation. Last month, I had several horrible days of flying on United Airlines. I had several flights delayed or canceled in a four day period. It was basically one problem after another – almost to the point where it seemed intentional and just plain comical. I posted close to 20 entries on my personal blog in real time about each incident, since I had little to do, but sit at an airport anyways. I never called United Airline’s Customer Service Department, but was shocked when a few days after my trip they emailed me. They had read my blog and emailed to have a conversation about my experience. They said they found my blog funny and were sorry I had such a bad experience. They worked hard to help ensure I remained a loyal customer to United Airlines and I am today. Their proactive approach showed me that they were more than just a business. They were a business who cared about their reputation.

It does not always have to be a negative experience either. Last November, I blogged about my love of the lip balm made by the company, L’Occitane. I titled it was my Official Blog Product Endorsement and in the post even joked, that if the good people of L’Occitane are reading this blog post. I love your products. Please send me some free samples. Well, they were reading and although I did not get free samples, I did get an online coupon to use. Again, this company did an excellent job of recognizing my loyalty and making me want to go out and tell the world about how great they are as a company and about their amazing products.

Where should I start? Remember to start in steps. The first step is going to one or more of the tools I listed above and see what, if anything, is being said about your company. The next step, is setting up a strategy of how you will deal with these conversations. Some comments will require no attention at all. Others will need immediate response. The best to attack are the negative, as these are an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer into a happy, loyal customer. Happy and loyal customers are customers who spend money and improve our bottom line. Good luck!

Recently, a client asked me whether his company should be blogging?  I asked him what was he trying to accomplish by having a blog and he said he did not know.  He said that it seemed like every other company was doing it, so he thought maybe his company should, too.  I told him that if his only reason was everyone else was doing it, then the answer was easy – no, don’t start a blog.  Does that mean I do not think blogging is useful or beneficial?  Of course, not.  I am a big fan of blogging, as I have a personal blog and you are reading my company’s blog right now.  However, if you are a business or a person planning to start blogging, I think it is important to understand why.  What do you plan to accomplish with your blog?

Oddly, my personal blog started by accident and with no strategy, so I will admit I did not practice what I am about to preach.  However, I did learn from it.  I created my blog as a way to share Halloween pictures after a Halloween party I hosted in October 2007.  Almost two years and 2,250 posts later (yes, I know that is an average of 3 posts per day. Like I said, I am a big fan of blogging) it is still alive and kicking.  So why do I blog and what am I trying to accomplish with my blog?  For me, it is where I think, plan and reflect.  It is a place where I can express myself without censorship.  It is a way for me to share with the world what I find interesting. It even allows me a forum to vent from time to time.  In many ways, it is my little corner of the world.  Some of my posts are very generic and just recap a day, so at times it is my journal.  Other posts are quite personal and almost like therapy. Sometimes I find the best way to release something, is to put it out there in writing.

I doubt you are going to start a blog for your business as a way to post Halloween photos or as a place for your own personal therapy, right?  Correct.  Although, I do love Halloween and would love to see any great costumes you have done in the past.  No?  Okay.  That does not mean your business does not need a blog.  So why should a company have a blog?  I can think of several reasons:

Reason #1 – blogs are an ideal way to communicate with your customers.
Unlike a Web site or a contact us form, a blog allows comments and gives your customers a way to participate in a conversation with you.  They can offer suggestions, feedback and even ideas to help your company grow.  It also allows your customers and even postential customers, to see what other customers are saying.  I know what you are already thinking.  That means my blog may become a place where someone could say bad things about my company. Yes!  But, wouldn’t you rather get feedback, even bad feedback and deal with it to become a better company than pretend it does not exist?  As I see it, a negative comment on your company blog may be an opportunity to change an unhappy customer to a happy, loyal customer.  We all want happy, loyal customers.

Reason #2 – it is instant content in the blogosphere about your company.
It is a great place to announce product updates, company news and other information you want to get out to the world in an instant.  Best of all, a blog increases the content on the Web about your company.  In an age of search engines like Google, the more relevant content about your company, products or services on the Web, the more likely you are to rank and be found via organic search. Content is king and a blog is all content (if you are posting on it consistently).

But remember, blogging is not as easy as it sounds.  A blog must be fresh and have updated content.  If not, you can end up boring and alienating your customers.  As I said early on, a blog, especially a successful blog, requires thought and strategy.  Some questions to ponder when developing your strategy:

• Who will write posts?
• Will they have time?
• Will they say the right things?
• Who is our target audience?
• What are the goals of our blog?
• Are we trying to attract new customers?
• Are we trying to create a resource on a topic in our industry?
• Are we trying to build brand loyalty?

It is important that your blog authors know why they are posting and that you have a goal in mind with your blog.  Otherwise, how will they and you know it is time well spent and a good return on investment?

Reason #3 – blogging can impact your business’s bottom line.
I have seen and even helped several Bridgeline customers start their own company blogs over the past few years.  I have seen firsthand that if done right, a blog can have a huge impact on your company’s bottom line.  Take one of my favorite clients for example, the Denver Botanic Gardens.  They began a blog over a year ago.  Not only have they created a very strong following but they have also generated a ton of content that has driven traffic not only to their blog and their Web site, but it also has lead to increased attendance at their visitor center.  Most of all, I feel it has allowed their organization – made up of horticulturists, scientists, volunteers, educators, marketers and event planners to be heard individually – all sharing their love of plants.  It created a platform for their voices, thoughts and ideas to shine.  A company or organization is made up of people and a blog can help those people be seen by your customers.  People like to connect on a personal level, even in business.  We all want to work and associate with people we like, that are smart and are like us. A blog can help build this connection. Denver Botanic Gardens’ blog is a shining example of creating this connection.

Happy blogging, good luck and if you need any help or advice – drop me an email at twhittaker@bridgelinesw.com.