MISSION CONTROL What We're Reading Revive, Retarget & Resell
Vol 1 | No 3 | Nov '10
AdWords Retargeting by Nicole Mennicke
G
oogle’s release of the remarketing traffic tool last March is still generating big buzz in the AdWords community. Within the past couple of months, Google Adwords' release of the technology made it literally possible to revive, retarget and resell the site visitors that bounced off your site with a full shopping cart. While it’s been public knowledge for several months, few are using this tool to its full extent, which is a shame, considering its potential.
What Is Google Remarketing? Google remarketing is a way to laser-target people that have already interacted with your site at different stages of the buying process. By placing assigned pixels on different parts of your site(s), Google can track these users and provide them with hyper-focused ads as they continue searching across the Web.
Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson READ & REREAD
SKIM
TRASH
Rocket Clicks conducts a "What We’re Reading" book review series featuring books that pique our interest, echo our ideals and leadership, and give us insight.
C
ontent strategy is a growing discipline — and rightly so, if you
consider that content accounts for the meat of almost any project. Especially when it comes to the web, content
Customized Combos
strategy can make the difference between
Using these remarketing lists, you can create custom combos to narrow down your targets with scalpel-like precision. Site visits, opt ins, abandoned carts and sales are all examples of lists you can combine to remarket to your advantage. By fusing these lists, you can subsequently retarget them with ads whittled down precisely to their interests. Take, for example, a user that visited and opted in, but didn’t purchase; you can now serve them text or display ads with discounts, free shipping, bogo deals or other user-specific promotions.
a website that converts and one that
Capitalize On Your Conversions These campaigns are unlike any other contextually targeted campaigns within Adwords. Ads are now often being placed on sites you would normally exclude in a typical campaign. Using this remarketing strategy, however, a highly-qualified user now becomes reminded of your brand and products. In addition, the user is served hand-crafted ads that cater specifically to their unique buying behavior.
leaves users frustrated, disappointed, and ultimately, flocking straight to a competitor.
Is Content King? Indeed, It’s the Whole Deck of Cards! Kristina Halvorson, one of the nation’s most recognized content strategists and the author of the accessible and applicable book Content Strategy for the Web, stresses the importance of not waiting until what she refers to as the 11th hour to begin thinking about and producing
Back From The Dead
content. Content should never be an
Remarketing can completely change the way you do business. You can maximize your paid search radius by retargeting your empty shopping cart leads and retarget them to literally reel the visitor back for the sale. Not to mention, you can send this traffic to specific landing pages that are personally tailored to abandoned shopping cart leads. If you want even more options, you also have full control of frequency capping as well as how long you want to follow these users.
afterthought; it should inform, guide, and govern everything you do. You’ve heard the phrase "content is king" and it's high time someone suggests that content is really king, and queen, and jack. Content is
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monthly consultation retainer, doing so precludes us from working with competitors. It's a true reflection of the competitive nature of the Web these days.
DEBRA MASTALER Debra Mastaler is President of Alliance-Link, an interactive marketing company focused on providing custom link marketing campaigns and link training. In business since 2000, Debra and her talented staff offer a common-sense approach to link building by combining traditional sales and promotional strategies with effective online search engine marketing tactics. In addition to client projects and link training for Fortune 500 companies and top SEO firms across the globe, Debra is a featured guest speaker, guest blogger and link building trainer for a number of world-class organizations and marketing conferences.
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What advice do you have for those new to the link building field?
Be open minded. Don't follow the teachings or advice of any one "guru," be sure to read many people and draw your own conclusions. If you really love the link building business, find someone to mentor you. When I started in early 2001, I was very lucky and had an SEO mentor me (Jill Whalen) in addition to having the advice and guidance of some pretty smart people through the years. I do not have a technical background like most of my colleagues, I come from the world of marketing so we swap knowledge and skills when needed. Those friendships are what sustain me a lot of days!
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How has the industry changed since you started? What is the most important change in your opinion?
Yes, all aspects of the SEO industry have changed since I came along in 2000 but that's normal isn't it? New people, new algorithms, new engines, new mediums… we change like any other industry. I think the one change that's impacted me more than any other is
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the introduction of universal search. It was like a breath of fresh air and the world of opportunity collided, there are so many new venues now to work in my job got a little easier. But just a little. I will say this about what we do, there is NEVER a dull moment.
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What do you look for in a client? When do you turn one down?
I think my business is like most in that we look for honest clients more than anything. There's always trepidation on both ends when a new contract is signed, especially when the negotiations and discussions are done via email. Meeting in person makes things easier, you get a better sense of people and their expectations but since this isn't always possible, it's key to have well defined contracts. Clients who are clear in their expectations beyond "I want links" helps us, help them. For the most part, we turn people down because we are already under contract to a site in the same industry. We only work on one site in a particular niche at a time; we feel this is fair for all parties involved. We have several large brands which keep us on
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What is the funniest reply you’ve ever gotten to a link request?
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What is your most valuable link building resource and what do you consider essential reading?
This guy looked me up and then emailed back and asked if I was single. That was the last time I sent an email using my real name.
Hands down, the most valuable tool a webmaster can have for link building is a kick-ass copywriter. Given the way the algorithms are working and the incorporation of social media, local and universal search signals, content drives links, comments, and traffic so a good copywriter is a must. For back link tools, pretty much all the big players in our space offer excellent tools, Raven Tools, Majestic, Open Site Explorer... they will all do the job. Personally I use SEOBook's Hub Finder tool almost exclusively because it provides co-occurring back link stats which are crucial if you're linking in competitive markets. There are a lot of excellent SEO/ SEM resources out there these days; I'll list the places I visit and read daily…
To get the full interview, check out
5 Questions with Really Smart People RocketClicksResourceHub.com/DebraMastaler
What We're Reading continued… your whole deck of cards. You can’t know
Analyze: Take the time to ask yourself
which card to play unless you know what
important questions about your content.
you have and why you have it. And that’s
This is important in helping to "define
what a content strategy aims to do.
the objectives, assumptions, risks, and
The Basics of Content Strategy: Plan, Analyze, Create, Deliver, and Govern A well-rounded content strategy lies on the principle that content is a living, breathing thing. It requires care. It requires constant attention. It requires you to plan for it, to create it, to give it life. Your content strategy, therefore, should aim to both quantify and qualify your content; it should be ongoing in scope and cyclical in application. Here are some benchmarks, as expounded upon by Halvorson, by
success factors"(36) of your current project; think of it as helping to chisel a foundation for your strategy. Create: Collaborate with writers, editors, reviewers, and managers to set standards for creation, revision, and approval of content, including what you need, how it’s structured, and who’s responsible for each stage of the process. Create an editorial calendar to uphold accountability of project deadlines. Deliver: Decide what channels are
which to measure your own web content
available to promote your content, and
strategy:
choose the right tools to ensure that you
Plan: You have to know what content you already have before you can determine what content you need. Conduct a site content audit to help quantify existing content and measure its quality and effectiveness.
present your content "to the right people, in the right place, at the right time"(143).
Are You Waiting Until the 11th Hour to Think About YOUR Content? If you take anything away from this book (and trust me, you will), take this: content strategy is a much neglected but undoubtedly necessary practice. If you’ve been meaning to sink your teeth into content strategy, take Halvorson’s advice and get started now. Her succinct yet insightful guide, Content Strategy for the Web, provides you with the tools to take a confident leap into the unchartered and murky waters of reigning in your content. Your reward? A site with better content, happier visitors, and more conversions. And that’s a strategy you can take straight to the bank.
Govern: Oversee the long-term organization and success of your content by upholding standards and setting a timeline for continuing maintenance of your site with an "eye on constant improvement"(38).
@RCLeaderQuotes "Those who stretch themselves, take risks, accept feedback, and take the long term view can't help but progress." – Chip & Dan Heath
BEST OF THE WEB: Nuggets from our Resource Hub: Industry News, Twitter Feeds and Facebook Articles Entrepreneurship: Digg in Deep
News: Annexation of Costa Rica
Google: Instant Preview Rollout
Why lucrative startups should cash out while they can. Digg's ascent to the top and eventual downfall.
Nicaraguan Military Commander justifies invasion of Costa Rica due to Google Maps error.
Google unveils new "Preview" feature that will allow searchers to view webpages before clicking.
RocketClicksIndustryNews.com/DigginDeep
RocketClicksIndustryNews.com/Annexation
RocketClicksIndustryNews.com/InstantPreview
Business: Yahoo Merges with Bing
Social Media: Facebook Face Off
STAY IN THE L
Fifty-some odd weeks since the official announcement, the YaBing merger has finally come to fruition.
The feud rages on as Google and Facebook exchange blows and personal information.
RocketClicksIndustryNews.com/YahooMerges
RocketClicksIndustryNews.com/FaceOff
RocketClicksIndustryNews.com Facebook.com/RocketClicks Twitter.com/RocketClicks Twitter.com/RCLeaderQuotes
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