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Archive for the ‘Competitive Intelligence’ Category

Thank You SpyFu

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009

A happy conclusion to our problems with competitive research tool, SpyFu.

Last week we wrote a post detailing some problems we had with the competitive keyword research tool, SpyFu. Almost immediately we were contacted by SpyFu President, Michael Roberts who was determined to address our concerns and make things right.

We’re happy to report that many of the issues we had with the program have been resolved. Additionally, SpyFu provided us with a full refund as well as a free month of service for our troubles.

It’s nice to see a company that owns up to its mistakes and does whatever it can to make customers happy.

Look for a full review of SpyFu’s competitive keyword research tools right here on the RSS Ray Blog in the next few months.

Tags: Competitive Keyword Research Tool, customer service, Michael Roberts, SpyFu
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Show Announcements | No Comments »

Hey SpyFu, Why Can’t You Respond To Your Customers?

Friday, June 5th, 2009

Why customer service is important; a lesson that SpyFu desperately needs to learn.

What is it about some companies that make them think that they can post up an inferior product, charge a monthly subscription fee, and then sit back and offer no assistance? At what business school did they learn that letting their customers attempt to navigate through a maze of glitches and unfulfilled product expectations would lead to a successful company?

When we purchased a monthly subscription to the competitive research tool SpyFu, we expected to get access to a range of quality tools that allowed us to understand our competitors paid search campaigns. The website promised us an internet marketer’s dream, an easy way to download competitors’ keywords and AdWords data.

Unfortunately what we found instead was a hodgepodge of programming errors, halfway implemented features, and a complete lack of customer support.

We first emailed SpyFu when we were unable to download one of the essential keyword reports the company offers. At this point we weren’t too worried, even the best software has a few glitches, and we just assumed that they would respond in a timely manner.

As we proceeded to use the program, we continued to find glitches, bugs that prevented us from getting what we wanted, and also a poorly implemented reporting program that left us unable to download the information promised by the software.

Once again we tried to contact SpyFu, this time by phone as well as by email. Unfortunately, the phone number lead us right to a full mailbox and there was still no reply to either of the emails we had sent.

Finally, at a point of complete frustration, we decided to cancel our service and use the money back guarantee that SpyFu offers. After some difficulty getting the system to cancel the account, we were left with no way to request the refund except for another email!

Needless to say, we still have not heard back from SpyFu or its parent company Velocityscape.

We’ll keep you updated.

6/5/09 Update: We’re glad to see the President of SpyFu respond to our requests for help. We’ll keep you posted concerning the outcomes. Stay tuned.

6/8/09 Update: SpyFu President, Michael Roberts, has been incredibly helpful in addressing our concerns and making things right. We’ve received a full refund and a complimentary month of services. Stay tuned for an in-depth review of Spyfu in the coming months.

Tags: Bad Products, Competitive Research Tool, customer service, Software Glitches, SpyFu, Velocityscape
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) | 2 Comments »

Competitive Intelligence: Frightening Information Your Competitors Can Easily Learn About Your Business

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

Richard Stokes is the president and founder of AdGooroo as well as the author of the excellent new book "Mastering Search Advertising: How the Top 3% of Search Advertisers Dominate Google Adwords". In this exclusive article he wrote for the RSS Ray blog, Rich discusses how to use competitive intelligence to research keywords, conduct search engine optimization, and even protect your trademarks.

Most likely, your fiercest competitor already knows your top keywords, has studied your latest campaign statistics and monitors your landing pages. They also may be hijacking your trademarked terms in violation of search engine’s trademark infringement rules.

Frightening? Yes, when you consider that they’re likely capitalizing on much of your hard work, but what do you know about them?

Competitive intelligence (CI) is essential in search advertising. Without it, marketers risk ineffective keywords, poorly developed ad copy and ultimately lost business. But, marketers easily and cost-effectively can regain their competitive advantage. As economic conditions and the general evolution of marketing drive more dollars to search and the Web in general, the stakes will continue to rise.

Understanding Intelligence
With competition already intense and only expected to increase, the question isn’t whether to practice CI, but which CI tools to use?

CI is not a purchase to make lightly. Besides cost, the decision is complicated by a market cluttered with options and marketers who don’t truly understand CI.

In part, CI is about understanding your competitors, but, the real gain is insight into your business practices. While some CI applications track competitors’ keywords and landing pages, they also help marketers improve ad copy, identify seasonal trends, monitor pay-per-click statistics and fix campaign issues.

But not all CI tools perform these tasks.

As the leading provider of CI to search engine marketers in the world (35 of the top 50 agencies and such leading brands as Southwest Vacations, Target and Turtle Wax), AdGooroo offers a comprehensive suite of tools which includes SEM Insight, Trademark Insight and AdGooroo Express.

These tools track all search advertising activity in any given industry, empowering sophisticated agencies and advertisers with competitors’ top keywords, ad copy, campaign statistics, daily alerts and other information needed to generate the highest possible return on advertising investment – and provide the much-desired competitive advantage. Here’s how AdGooroo’s tools targets competition.

Elements of CI
Keywords
Learning what keywords your competitors are targeting may be your best source of competitive advantage in online advertising. Advertisers with larger keyword lists win more traffic at a lower cost per visitor than their competition.

Why?

Search engine users tend to type in specific, 2-4 word phrases to find what they’re looking for. When your targeted terms match what they’re looking for, your ads are shown more prominently and receive a higher click-through rate than the ads targeted to more general terms.

Furthermore, because most online advertisers tend to target broad, generic terms, there are fewer competitors for these longer, more specific keyword phrases. This translates into a lower cost-per-click and cost-per-conversion when using these long tail keywords.

AdGooroo’s SEM Insight researches the exact phrases that drive the most traffic to your competitors’ Web sites, allowing you to increase targeted traffic and lower your cost-per-acquisition.

Here’s an example. For one Web site, the broad search term "spyware" results in a $3.01 cost-per-lead. The more specific phrase, "spyware remover," results in a cost-per-lead of only $1.96. For this Web site, the savings on this one term alone is more than $20 per day. The entire portfolio of 343 specific terms results in a total savings of about $12,200 per month for those leads generated by this campaign.

In his book, Mastering Search Advertising: How the top 3% of search advertisers dominate Google AdWords, Rich Stokes, AdGooroo founder and chief Gooroo, delves further into keyword research, including insights on rules of thumb for setting initial bid prices for new keywords, how to increase traffic and managing bids without expensive software.

Trademark Infringement
Another element of competitive intelligence is trademark infringement. Yet, even among search insiders, many don’t understand it well or the steps to mitigate losses.

Marketers first need to understand the rules. Each of the leading search engines allow marketers to bid on competitors’ trademarked terms but prohibit the use of these terms in the actual ad copy. So Kohl’s can bid on the term Target and Target can bid on the term Kohl’s, for example, but neither can use the other’s trademarked terms in their ad copy.

Although the rules are clear, marketers often don’t feel an urgency to act. Many seem to think the engines will tackle these rule violations on their behalf or avoid it entirely because they find the task overwhelming. Whatever the reason, marketers often don’t see the urgency to protect their trademarks in search.

First and foremost, marketers risk losing a customer that actively sought them out. We’re talking about the brand as a keyword here; so any resulting ads get triggered by the user entering the marketer’s trademarked term.

This is detailed well in Eric Enge’s October 14, 2008 post in Search Engine Land on Trademark Protection Using AdGooroo.

Beyond the loss in sales, traffic and brand equity a marketer stands to lose, the rightful owner of the trademarked term also risks setting up a consumer for a bad experience or permanently losing that customer to a copycat site.

If trademark infringement is suspected, the marketer needs to identify the culprits and file paperwork directly with the search engines to order the violator to cease and desist. Once documentation and paperwork has been submitted, Google, Yahoo!, MSN and the other engines will take action to address the advertisements in violation of the trademark usage policy.

Automated tools, such are as AdGooroo’s Trademark Insight simplify the process. Trademark Insight monitors all search engine advertising on a 24/7 real-time basis and alerts marketers to unauthorized trademark use. It will even automatically generate infringement complaints ready for submission to the search engines!

Catch the full interview with Richard Stokes today at 6:00 PM Eastern, 3:00 PM Pacific on Online Marketing with RSS Ray.

Tags: AdGooroo, Competitive Intelligence, Keyword Research, pay per click, PPC, Richard Stokes, Search Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, SEM, SEO, Trademark Infringement
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Guest Articles, Paid Search Advertising (PPC), Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization | No Comments »

Using Competitive Intelligence to Grow Your Business

Monday, December 1st, 2008

Online Marketing with RSS Ray and RSSRay.com announces a new episode that you do not want to miss.

Show Date: December 3rd, 2008 at 6 pm Eastern, 3 pm Pacific

Show Topic: Competitive Intelligence: Frightening Information Your Competitors Can Easily Learn About Your Business

Show Guest: Richard Stokes, Founder, President, and CMO of AdGooroo

How to Listen: Live on wsRadio.com or available by Podcast on iTunes or by RSS Feed.

Guest Biography: Richard is a long-time Internet marketer with more than 13 years experience in technology and advertising management. He was previously a technology executive at Publicis Groupe/Leo Burnett. He has a BS in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Entrepreneurship and Technology Management at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management (Northwestern University). Richard is a regular speaker on search marketing topics, is a certified expert in both email marketing and conversion optimization, and is the author of “Mastering Search Advertising – How the Top 3% of Search Advertisers Dominate Google AdWords”.

Sample Questions:
How does knowing your competitors keywords help with your own marketing?
Is it a good idea to attempt to target all of the same terms as your competitors?
What can you learn from your competitors landing pages?

RSS Ray’s Comments: “Using competitive intelligence can give you a big edge in pay per click advertising and natural search engine marketing. I expect Richard to provide some excellent insight into this exciting field.” stated RSS Ray, host of “Online Marketing with RSS Ray.”

Tags: AdGooroo, Competitive Intelligence, Competitive Research, internet marketing, Online Marketing, Onlinr Marketing, Pay-Per-Click Advertising, PPC, Richard Stokes
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Guest Announcements, Online Marketing, Paid Search Advertising (PPC) | No Comments »

Vindictive, Evil, and Knows How to Use the Internet

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

How to manage your business reputation and protect your security online.

The greatest long-term security threats to most businesses come from people who are vindictive, evil and know how to use the internet.

These people can destroy your business reputation with a few keystrokes, generating negative search engine rankings and online reviews. They can alter business records and your own personal identity.

These people often feel “wronged” and are on a mission of redemption.

Ask any lawyer…the crimes against business today that do the most damage occur online, most often to the reputation of the business in question.

Last week at one of the country’s leading conferences and expos about online selling, I moderated a panel conversation about how to protect your business reputation in the internet era. The session was titled, “Reputation Management on the Wild, Wild Web.” The assembled panel of experts shared tale after tale of businesses large and small that had their reputations trashed via the internet.

Here’s what the experts agreed is the best course of action you can take to manage your business reputation on the web:

Be a good corporate citizen – treat others as you wish to be treated and most often you’ll avoid problems.

Avoid litigation – litigation creates lots of documents that are part of the public record and this information will become results in search engine rankings about your company and key search terms relevant to your business.

Protect your passwords and personal information – only release your personal information to secure sources with clear policies concerning how they will use your information.

Change your passwords – it’s recommended that you change personal passwords at least once a quarter and use password combinations of capital and lower case letters with numbers for maximum protection.

Monitor the conversations – use tools like Google Alerts to track what’s being said about you and your company. A quick response to negative comments and information can make all the difference.

With blogs, forums, MySpace, reviews, and other forms of user generated content, it’s more important than ever to monitor your business reputation on the web. Keep listening to our internet marketing podcasts and radio show for more on online reputation management.

Tags: Business Reputation Management, Online Reputation Management, reputation management
Posted in Competitive Intelligence | No Comments »

Google Trends for Websites Provides Valuable Online Marketing Data

Tuesday, September 9th, 2008

Google’s updated software, Google Trends for Websites, allows visitors to view the most recent trends for any website instantly.

With the launch of Google Trends for Websites, anybody with a Google account can now track visitor numbers on almost any website with sufficient traffic and compare that site with up to four others. But that’s not all it can do, Google Trends also provides data about which countries visitors came from, what other websites were looked at, and also what other search terms were used.

Let’s take a look at how this all works. To start go to the Google Trends for Websites page and enter in up to 5 websites that you want to compare. You can also choose to only enter a single website if you do not want a comparison. Please note that Google only provides trends for websites with a certain base level of traffic. If you are unable to find a website it may be because that website falls below the minimum visitor requirement.

With websites entered, Google will return two types of results, a graph and other search information. Here are my results when comparing my three favorite social networks:

Google Trends

As you can see, the graph shows visitor trends quarterly for all three sites. You can change the time period as well as the region that you want to measure for on the upper right side of the results above the graph. Also, by logging in to your Google account you can get actual visitor counts on the vertical axis of the graph.

The information below the graph can help further your research by providing some interesting insights into visitor behavior. Looking at the “also visited” data allows you to see the sites that were visited in addition to the ones you are comparing data on. The “also searched for” section allows you to see what users were searching for around the time they found your selected website.

Let’s look at the example above. According to the chart Facebook is now the most popular social network and it is especially popular in the U.S. We can also see that visitors are most likely to visit other social networking sites like rockyou.com and add-on sites like flixster.com before or after visiting one of the three sites we are looking at. Finally we can see that many of Facebook’s visitors are searching for movies and weather as evidenced by searches for “imdb” and “bbc weather. “ Given this information, I might want to create an add-on to Facebook that focuses on the weather patterns seen in Hollywood movies. On second thought, maybe that idea won’t work, but we still have some great info on social network visitors.

If Movie-Weather-On-Facebook.com is not enough to get you excited, let’s take a look at some of the other cool ways you can use website trends.

Link Exchanges – Locate related sites to exchange links with by looking at “also visited” links for industry hotspots

Competitive Research – Look at your own website to see what other companies share your “also visited” traffic. Some of these sites are likely your top competitors.

Keyword Research – Find the search terms that your visitors “also searched” to select the best keywords to target

Discover Services – Find the best products and services by looking at competitors. If you are looking at a book on Amazon but wondering what else is out there enter amazon.com into Google Trends and it will spit out an “also visited” list with barnesandnoble.com, target.com, and other retailers.

Track Progress – Set certain traffic goals for your website and measure them monthly versus other sites in your industry.

Now that you know what Google Trends for Websites is all about, check it out for yourself and compare different sites to your heart’s content.

RSS Ray is a certified Google Advertising Professional who can help you with your online marketing efforts. Contact RSS Ray today to see what we can do for you.

Tags: Competitive Research, Google Trends, Website Trends
Posted in Competitive Intelligence | No Comments »

The Best Free Marketing Tools to Improve Your Website Results

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

By: RSS Ray

Ask any contractor what he needs to do a job right and the first thing he will tell you is he needs the right tools. Online marketing is no different. If you want to get excellent results with your website you will need the right diagnostic tools to test, measure, and improve everything you do. Online marketers need tools for establishing a search engine optimization campaign, using web analytics to understand websites, preparing the latest keywords for a pay per click campaign in Google AdWords, preparing email marketing campaigns, and a whole lot more. Here is the best of the best free tools for online marketers.

The usefulness and design of these tools tends to range from downright awful, to absolutely amazing. Price ranges can also vary widely, but thanks to the efforts of a number of innovative companies and individuals, many of the very best tools are absolutely free.

Today we are going to take a look at twelve tools that are the absolute best of the best free tools for online marketers. Thanks to creativity, design, and in some cases a whole lot of money, these tools are the most innovative and useful tools you will find in 2008.

#1 Google Keyword Tool

Drawing from the largest collection of search data in the world, the Google keyword tool has always been an incredibly useful way to discover hundreds of new keywords for your search engine optimization and paid search (PPC) campaigns. As of a few months ago, Google managed to up the ante even more by providing monthly estimates of the search volume for each keyword it suggests.

Anyone looking to do keyword research online would be wise to start by using this tool for keyword suggestions, ad competition data, and information on average search volume. To make things even better, Google allows you to put the keywords you like right into your account so that you can target them with an AdWords campaign.

#2 SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool

Like the Google keyword tool, The SEO Book Keyword Suggestion Tool provides tons of suggestions for other keywords you might be interested in. However, unlike Google’s Tool, this one also gives estimated values for all three major search engines. Additionally, the tool allows you to easily use a number of other tools from Google, Yahoo, and others to get a lot more information on each keyword it suggests.

It’s unclear how accurate the search data is as it seems to differ significantly from Google’s numbers, however, with the numerous options and many helpful suggestions this tool makes, it should be a part of every serious online marketer’s toolbox.

#3 SpyFu

SpyFu is an incredibly useful tool that might make you wonder “is this even legal?” followed quickly by “how can that be free?” Eventually you will realize you don’t care either way as you dive into the nitty-gritty of your competitors’ ad campaigns.

By entering in the website address of nearly any competitor, you can see exactly what their daily ad budget is, how many clicks they are getting through their ads, and even how their spending has changed on a monthly basis. You can even see which keywords they are targeting and exactly what ad they are using for each keyword.

SpyFu goes even more in-depth by showing every word that a website ranks in organically, as well as that website’s top competitors both organically and through paid search. Needless to say you’ll be hooked.

#4 Compete.com

Compete.com is most often referenced for keeping track of the search engine wars. Those in the know are constantly checking to see if Google is at 74% market share or 78%. Fortunately, that same technology that tracks the search game is freely available to anyone who happens to visit the Compete.com website.

By entering in the URLs of up to five websites you can see monthly or daily graphs of traffic volume, customer engagement, and website growth. What this means is that in only a few seconds you can see the visitor count, length of visitor stay, and growth of your largest competitor in a series of easily downloadable graphs. What’s more you can compare all of this data against your own website so you can see how you stack up.

#5 Quantcast

The depth of demographic information that Quantcast provides about nearly any website is simply staggering. The tool was made as a way for media buyers to discover valuable websites to advertise with based on traffic, user demographics, and ad type offered. Even if you are not interested in buying ads, this free tool will provide you with incredibly detailed demographic information about your own website as well as your competitors’.

Quantcast is able to provide some incredibly detailed data for most well trafficked websites including data on visitor gender, age, ethnicity, parental status, income, and education. Additionally the site provides monthly traffic data and classifies visitors into addicts, regulars, and passersbys.

Another feature that Quantcast offers is the ability to see other sites that visitors like, visit, and search for. This is excellent for marketers doing keyword research or link building.

#6 Xinureturns

Xinureturns is relatively simple compared to some of the other tools on this list but its usefulness should not be underestimated. By entering your URL into the tool you are given a complete assessment of your website in just a few minutes.

The tool starts by checking your Meta tags, your domain info, and your HTML and RSS validations. Once it is sure that everything is set up properly, it starts to check your rankings at various sites and directories, any social bookmarks that point to you, and all of your indexed pages. Finally you are shown the number of backlinks you have with several search engines including a few you might have never heard of.

This tool is incredibly useful for those of us who like to know exactly how our site is doing at every second, and it also allows you to identify any shortfalls that can likely be easily overcome with just a little bit of work.

#7 Google Analytics

What can be written about Google Analytics that has not already been said a hundred times before? In releasing this tool free to anyone who wants it, Google has created a host of super informed marketers who can quickly asses any issue on their website and compare it to the entire past history of the website.

By adding a simple piece of code to their website, anyone can track the exact way that their visitors are interacting with their pages. Google analytics provides traffic data, number of pages visited, average time on site, the location of visitors, and even where the traffic is coming from. The program also allows you to track conversions and a lot of other information about how users interact with your site.

Any competent online marketer should have this powerful free tool on each and every website he or she works on. The information it provides is critical to maximizing conversion rates and eliminating wasted opportunities.

#8 Ranks.nl Keyword Analyzer Tool

The Ranks.nl Keyword Analyzer Tool is the best example of a spider simulator I have come across as an online marketer. In addition to showing you how search engines view your site, this tool breaks down the keywords you are using by density, prominence, and location. The tool also has a keyword cloud that shows you visually the prominence of various keywords on your site.

Using a tool like this one allows you to make sure that you are correctly targeting the right keywords in natural search by including them often enough in your copy. It also helps by showing you some words that you are not targeting well enough or that you had not thought of targeting.

#9 Google Website Optimizer

The Google Website Optimizer is the last of the free Google tools on this list, and also maybe the most important. Using this tool, marketers can test each individual aspect of their website to see how conversion rates can be improved.

The tool makes use of A/B split testing as well as multivariable testing to measure each and every part of a landing page in order to find how best to convert visitors into sales or leads. Marketers can test such aspects as pictures, headlines, text, free offers, and anything else they can think of.

By serving visitors different versions of a landing page, Google is able to demonstrate which features are helping the bottom line and which are hurting it. Marketers can then take this data and create the landing page that will offer them the highest overall sales.

#10 Website Grader

The Website Grader is the like a report card for search engine optimization practitioners. In each of five categories, the tool assesses any website’s success in implementing proper SEO strategy. Each category including on-page SEO, off-page SEO, blogosphere, social mediasphere, converting qualified visitors to leads, and competitive intelligence, receives a score and at the end of the report a final score up to 100 points is assigned. The final score is a fairly accurate measure of how well a website is optimized.

In addition to being aesthetically pleasing and easy to use, this tool is an incredibly useful way to discover any optimization strategies that you might have not implemented. It is also a great way to track your progress in search engines, social networks, and blogs. Thanks to its automatic saving feature, you can compare your current results against and previous website grades you have received from the site. This way you can see how you have progressed after making the changes that it recommended.

#11 Constant Contact

Constant Contact is by many accounts the gold standard of email marketing. With over 300 customizable templates available to quickly and easily create a professional looking email newsletter, promotion, or invitation, the online software is, without a doubt, essential to any marketer looking to increase profits with email marketing.

Once you sign up for an account with Constant Contact, you can easily import an existing email list or you can use their software to begin creating a new email list from scratch. With your list created, you can build a professional looking email such as a newsletter using their template wizard and set it to go out at a predetermined time and date. Once your email has been sent, the program provides you with analytics on open rates, click through rates, and more.

Unfortunately, Constant Contact is not a free tool; however, they do offer a 60 day free trial to get started.

#12 AWeber

AWeber allows you to send out professional looking emails to your email lists; however unlike their competitors at Constant Contact, AWeber also allows you to set contacts into an email cycle that sends emails to specific customers at specific times. By building an email sequence, each new name that you enter into the program is sent a new email every day, month, or however long you choose to set each cycle. This way you can be sure that the right promotions or programs go to the right email address at the right time. For instance a new customer might get a special introductory offer right away while a lifelong customer will receive a special offer for valued customers on that same day.

Where Constant Contact only allows you to send out the same email to your entire email list, AWeber will likely have each of your contacts receiving different emails on different days. It is because of this distinction that Constant Contact is popular for newsletters while AWeber is much more popular for a continued sales cycle.

Unfortunately, AWeber is not a free tool; however, they do offer a free trial that is well worth your time to check out.

If you need help with using any of these tools, or with starting an online marketing campaign for your company, we can help. Call us today at (877) 837-8803 or contact RSS Ray to learn what you can do to skyrocket your success online.

Tags: Email Marketing, free tools, marketing tools, Online Marketing, pay per click, Search Engine Optimization, Web Analytics
Posted in A/B Testing Programs, Competitive Intelligence, Email Marketing, Increasing Website Traffic, Link Popularity and Link Building, Multivariate Testing, Online Marketing, Online Testing Programs, Paid Search Advertising (PPC), Search Engine Advertising, Search Engine Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Tools, Web Analytics/Web Metrics | 1 Comment »

How Marketing, Advertising and PR Firms Price Their Work For You

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008

How marketing firms price their work for you A new study reveals pricing strategies employed by marketing, PR and Advertising agencies.

In the “Fees and Pricing Benchmark Report: Marketing, Advertising, and PR Industry 2008” those of us in the Marketing, Advertising and PR industries are being treated to a glimpse into the minds, and pricing strategies, of some of the most well known and profitable firms in our industry.

Based on a survey of 343 industry executives the report by RainToday.com pays special attention to the premium-price firms, profit leaders, and brand leaders in an attempt to find what they are doing right, and why they charge what they do.

One element of the study that is of particular interest is its focus on how clients are charged. The methods are broken down into either going rates, a fixed fee, or a value based contract. It further goes on to separate these strategies based on the type of firm that implements each type of strategy. The report looks at the strategy used by premium profit firms versus bargain firms, or by profit leaders compared to firms who have been decreasing their prices.

For those who are curious, using going rates is the most popular option overall, while value based contracts are the least popular. The exception to this is among premium priced firms who tend to favor value pricing far more than other firms.

Interestingly, this report compares not only statistical data but also actual commentary from the interviewed executives. This creates a much more interesting insight into not only how many firms are behaving a certain way, but also why they are behaving in that way.

As an example, we find that one executive doesn’t use value based pricing because he has “difficulty introducing the concept to clients.” At the same time we see quotes from executives who favor this model of pricing claiming “demonstrating value usually gets an agreement on a price that may seem too high at first sight.”

The report does an excellent job at controlling the data and providing clear insights into a variety of pricing strategies and tactics. Additionally, readers are provided with a number of clear suggestions for how to use the data to increase profits in their own marketing, PR, or advertising firm.

To get more information on the report go to RainToday’s Fees and Pricing Benchmark Report page.

RSS Ray will be interviewing the founder of RainToday.com and author of this report, Mike Schultz, on Online Marketing with RSS Ray July 23rd. Be sure to catch the interview live at 6:00PM Eastern, 3:00PM Pacific on wsRadio.com.

Tags: Competitive Intelligence, marketing firm pricing, marketing industry, pricing strategy
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Industry News | 1 Comment »

Customer Driven Market Research for Growth and Profit

Monday, June 2nd, 2008

I’m really looking forward to grilling Dan Neely this Wednesday.

Dan’s an expert about customer driven market research, using tools like social media, web analytics and business intelligence to help grow profits and life time customer value.

As CEO of Networked Insights, you’ll hear first hand insider secrets to customer driven market research that will give you an unfair advantage over your competitors.

I’m really looking forward to this one so join me this Wednesday at 6pm Eastern for the live version of the show on wsRadio.com. You can also get the podcast version of the show free each week via our online marketing podcast feed.

Tags: Business Intelligence, Customer driven market research, Customer research, Dan Neely, Networked Insights, Social media, Web Analytics, wsRadio.com
Posted in About the Show, Competitive Intelligence, Social Media Marketing, Web Analytics/Web Metrics | 1 Comment »

How An Eight Year Old Could Beat You At Poker

Friday, November 9th, 2007

Poker is one of the hottest activities currently sweeping the nation. A quick scan of the cable channels shows all types of televised poker and Saturday Night Poker games have returned as a fixture in American society. Everyone is bragging about who is the best and one can even go to school to learn how to play the game like the professionals.

Despite all the knowledge and skill displayed by a professional player, one could take almost any eight year old in America and consistently beat the experts. In fact, we could take an eight year old that has never played the game and in just a few short minutes, show her how to consistently beat the pros.

Impossible you say. Well, give me a minute to work on your thinking. Facts say if you give the eight year old girl 15 cards from which to come up with the best five and give the professional just five cards to come up with the best five card hand, that the eight year old will win the vast majority of time. In fact, from a statistical perspective time is the only variable before the eight year old bankrupts the pro.

Now wait a minute you say, rules prevent the game from being played that way. Once again, you are right. That’s why it is a good thing for you that you earn your living in a game that has no such rules. In sales and marketing, the person with the most legitimate prospects generally is the person that will sell the most and earn the most, regardless of experience or talent. Just like the eight year old with the most cards, the company with the most legitimate prospects wins!

Think this is wrong? Then take a look at any one of your competitors within your very own marketplace. Pick one and imagine that person having twice the number of legitimate prospects to work with than you do. Regardless of your skill level and experience, who will sell more and who will earn more? Look at this same situation in another way, only using two other companies as an example. Who would you bet on to sell the most and earn the most?

Your path to greater earnings is inherently tied to the number of and quality of the prospects that you are working. You have to have prospects in order to make a sale. The more people you have to see, the more opportunities you have to make a sale.

Do you have a goal of new prospects for each week or each month? The impact on your earnings can be tremendous. Many companies place a lot of emphasis of skill development and very little on multi-channel marketing. Skill development and training is great and necessary. It is also absolutely useless without prospects.

If a “rookie” company is out performing the “seasoned” company, the vast majority of the time the “rookie” is seeing more prospects than the “seasoned vet,” especially new potential customers for the organization. It is absolutely amazing what ills are cured by having a vast number of prospects from which to sell.

Although marketing has yet to become a spectator sport like poker, the commonality between the two is amazing. Get cards and play them. The more cards, the more your likelihood of winning. The neat thing about selling is that there are no card limits and you can play with as many cards as you can find and handle.

Good luck and contact us if you need some help.

Tags: Competitive Intelligence, Conversion Rate Improvements, Lead Generation
Posted in About the Show, Competitive Intelligence, Conversion Rate Improvements, Lead Generation, Online Marketing | No Comments »

Spotting and Driving Consumer Trends: How to Get Results

Monday, June 18th, 2007

Our first guest this week on Online Marketing with RSS Ray is Richard Laermer, CEO of RLMpr and author of Punk Marketing: Get Off Your Ass and Join the Revolution. RLM Public Relations is a full-service PR firm recognized for trendSpotting the ability to place the clients ahead of the trends. RLM’s “Full Frontal PR Approach” using aggressive PR tactics aligned with your corporate strategy to maximize your business goals.

Thought PR was just another way to get your message out? Media events, guerilla marketing or on-site trade shows: find out how to spot consumer trends, and with the right PR tactics, initiate change and drive those trends.

Richard is a recognized authority on media culture and hype. Your business can’t afford to miss his insights this week on Online Marketing with RSS Ray 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern.

Tags: Competitive Intelligence, Public Relations Online, Ray Recommends, Viral Marketing
Posted in About the Show, Competitive Intelligence, Public Relations Online, Ray Recommends, Viral Marketing | No Comments »

Why Some Online Businesses Thrive and Others Fail

Monday, June 4th, 2007

Jen Cano Are you thinking about getting into the eBay selling arena? Maybe you already are and need expert tips and research advice from an expert to maximize your profit potential?

Our second guest this week on Online Marketing with RSS Ray is Jen Cano, VP of Marketing for HammerTap, an eBay Certified Solution Provider. Jen has spent the last several years studying online businesses and identifying patterns in why some online businesses thrive and others fail. Keys to being a successful eBay retailer lies in learning the supply and demand of products and categories, your competitor’s activity and what consumers want and how they want it.

Find out what you need to know to succeed on eBay. Listen this week to Online Marketing with RSS Ray 10am Pacific/1pm Eastern. You can also find HammerTap at
the Online Market World Conference & Expo October 3 – 5.

Tags: Competitive Intelligence, eCommerce Marketing, Ray Recommends
Posted in About the Show, Competitive Intelligence, Ray Recommends, eCommerce Marketing | No Comments »

MEC Labs Buys MarketingSherpa

Tuesday, November 7th, 2006

Last Friday, MEC Labs announced that it will be acquiring MarketingSherpa, Inc. for an undisclosed sum.

The merger of these two companies is excellent news for marketers who have long relied on both companies for excellent marketing research and data. The organization will operate as separate entities; however the two companies merged resources should provide excellent complimentary data which can only stand to benefit interested marketers.

Diligent RSS Ray listeners might remember MEC Labs director Dr. Flint McGlaughlin’s interview on the program. His excellent advice is a must listen for anyone interested in online marketing. You can listen the whole interview by clicking on the below links.

Here is the email both companies sent to us about the deal:

Dear Reader:

I wanted to write you directly to share the big news:
MarketingExperiments is acquiring MarketingSherpa. The acquisition seems like a ‘natural fit’. MarketingExperiments and MarketingSherpa share a common objective, to discover what really works in marketing, and we use complementary (but different) methodologies.
MarketingExperiments conducts primary research through real-time experiments; MarketingSherpa conducts secondary research through benchmark studies and Case Studies.

There are two reasons why we believe this is great news for you:

1. Together, the two firms will provided the most comprehensive research library in marketing – more than a thousand case histories and experiments, plus benchmark guides, experiment briefs, and ten different newsletters/journals.

2. Together, the two firms will provide the most comprehensive roster of marketing training in the industry. We will enter 2007 providing the corporate marketing community with at least four annual summits, the MEC professional education program, and fifty-eight web seminars.

I have long been impressed with Marketing Sherpa, and I would like to take this opportunity to compliment Anne Holland and her team. They have done a remarkable job of building a respected, effective organization. I am excited about this opportunity to combine our efforts as we continue our mission: to discover what really works in marketing.

On a practical note, Anne will be staying on, working with MarketingSherpa as we enter 2007. I think it might be helpful to share with you the note she sent to her readers. It is appended below.

Thank you for your trust.

Flint McGlaughlin

=================

A Note to Readers: MarketingSherpa’s Being Acquired by MEC Labs Group

Dear MarketingSherpa Reader,

I’m writing to you today *before* the official press release goes out so you’re the first to hear we’re being acquired by MEC Labs Group.

Nothing drastic will change. We’re keeping our same name, our staff, our regular publications, and yes, our Warren, RI, headquarters. And our goal remains the same — to conduct new research into what really works in marketing via Case Studies, Benchmark Guides & Summits.

Plus, now our research for you will be supplemented by the team at MEC Labs Group. They run an actual laboratory facility in Atlantic Beach, FL, where they conduct live campaign experiments in partnership with folks such as The New York Times and Reuters.

So, we’ll keep doing anecdotal research for our exclusive Case Studies as well as primary studies for our Benchmark Guides. Plus, we’ll be able to partner with their scientists and statisticians to run live experiments on cutting-edge marketing tactics for which there is no otherwise reliable source of response data.

Back in March 2000, when I founded MarketingSherpa from my second bedroom (yes, honestly), I dreamed it would grow to be the most tremendous source of practical research for the marketers of the world. Now we’re at 237,000 readers, three main offices, and nearly 700 case Studies. It’s been an incredibly satisfying and exhilarating ride!

And now things will speed up even more. I’ll still be here (naturally). Our team is just getting bigger — both at the MarketingSherpa brand and also with the ability to lean on the research and technical team at MEC Labs.

Who is MEC Labs?

They’ve deliberately flown under the radar for the past five years — so although they conduct cutting-edge, primary research about marketing tactics such as video ads online, search marketing, and A/B email tests, outside of their own 50,000 newsletter readership, many other marketers have not heard of them.

I first met Lab Director, Dr. Flint McGlaughlin, four years ago when he spoke at one of our Summits on the topic of marketing paid subscriptions to Web sites. I was so impressed I asked him to return to give more Case Studies about his team’s experiments at future Summits.

Then, earlier this year Flint invited me down to his headquarters in Atlantic Beach, FL, (near Jacksonville in northeastern Florida.) The beach right outside the lab’s offices was magnificent, but I was most impressed with his research lab and team. It felt a bit like what you might imagine a Hollywood set director would create for a marketing laboratory. Glass walls, giant view screens, earnest technicians, and concentrated quiet while experiments were under way.

I was hooked. Wouldn’t it be marvelous if we could work together to get practical data for marketers? Well, now we will be.

Plus, I re-double my invitation for you to attend our B-to-B marketing Summit in San Francisco in less than two weeks (Nov 13-14). Yes, the MEC Labs Group leaders will be there so you can meet them in person and put in your requests for the types of experiments you’d like to see us and them run in the coming year.

Here’s a link to the Summit info:
http://www.sherpastore.com/B-to-BDemandGenerationSummit006.html

And, as always, if you have any questions, feedback — or in this case concerns — for the team at MarketingSherpa, contact us immediately.

Our service team is available Monday-Friday from 9am-7pm ET at (877) 895-1717.

Thanks for your part in making MarketingSherpa the most popular research publication in our industry.

Sincerely,

Anne Holland
Founder & President
MarketingSherpa Inc.

Tags: A/B Testing Programs, Competitive Intelligence, Multivariate Testing, Online Testing Programs
Posted in A/B Testing Programs, Competitive Intelligence, Industry News, Multivariate Testing, Online Testing Programs | No Comments »

Testing What Works and Doesn’t Work in Online Marketing with Dr. Flint McGlaughlin

Tuesday, June 13th, 2006

San Diego, CA-June 13, 2006

WS Radio.com, a free, internet business talk radio network, announces an exclusive interview with MarketingExperiments.com and MEC Labs Director Dr. Flint McGlaughlin on the Online Marketing with RSS Ray radio show, June 14th at 1:00 p.m. Eastern. Covering the best in online marketing Best Practices, blogging, podcasting and RSS marketing, Online Marketing with RSS Ray brings world class online marketing experts to today’s savvy online marketer.

In this exclusive interview with Online Marketing with RSS Ray, McGlaughlin will discuss what works and doesn’t work in online marketing and the use of testing to generate significant increases in online sales.

McGlaughlin is the Director of MarketingExperiments.com and MEC Labs, the country’s preeminent firm in testing what works and doesn’t work in online marketing.

“Marketers are always looking for ways to boost online results and MEC Labs is the country’s best at testing what works and what doesn’t,” stated show host RSS Ray.

Online Marketing with RSS Ray airs live each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T. on WS Radio.com. All programs are available immediately upon completion of original broadcast in podcast format at http://www.wsradio.com.

About WS Radio.com
WS Radio.com is the world-wide leader in internet talk, with over 1.2 million verified listeners each month. The network’s programming is also simulcast on the Sirius radio network. Its listeners are corporate executives, business owners, marketing managers and information technology directors from businesses of all sizes.

Listen to WS Radio.com or check out the station’s programming lineup at the station’s web site at http://www.wsradio.com.
Media Contact:
Lee Mirabel
888-327-0061

About Online Marketing with RSS Ray
Online Marketing with RSS Ray is thee voice for today’s savvy online marketers. Focusing on business Best Practices for online marketing, blogging, podcasting and RSS marketing, Online Marketing with RSS Ray is broadcast live each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T. on WS Radio.com. The program is hosted by RSS Ray, a certified eMarketing specialist by the eMarketing Association.

Program Media Contact:
Dale Knauss
602.412.3426
# # #

Tags: A/B Testing Programs, Competitive Intelligence, Multivariate Testing, Online Testing Programs
Posted in A/B Testing Programs, Competitive Intelligence, Guest Announcements, Multivariate Testing, Online Testing Programs | No Comments »

Lead Generation for the Complex Sale

Monday, June 5th, 2006

San Diego, CA-June 5, 2006
WS Radio.com, a free, internet business talk radio network, announces an exclusive interview with Brian Carroll, CEO of InTouch, Inc. and author of the new book Lead Generation for the Complex Sale on Online Marketing with RSS Ray, June 7 at 10:00 a.m. PDT. Covering the best in online marketing Best Practices, blogging, podcasting and RSS marketing, “Online Marketing with RSS Ray” brings world class online marketing experts to today’s savvy internet marketer.

In this exclusive interview with “Online Marketing with RSS Ray”, Carroll will discuss his ideas for generating new business-to-business customers and also his new book, “Lead Generation for the Complex Sale.”

Brian Carroll is a professional speaker and the founder and CEO of InTouch, Inc., a recognized leader in lead generation. InTouch is listed as one of the fastest growing private companies in the U.S. by Inc. magazine, and has achieved a five-year sales growth of 430 percent. Brian has also been profiled and is regularly quoted in publications such as Business Week, B to B Magazine, CMO Magazine, The Wall Street Transcript, Inc., Direct Marketing News, Marketing Profs, MarketingSherpa and Rain Today. He also speaks widely on the improvement of sales effectiveness and lead generation strategies, and his B2B Lead Generation blog is read by thousands.

Brian’s new book, Lead Generation for the Complex Sale, aims to teach sales executives how to generate and manage quality leads. It was published this month (June 12, 2006) by McGraw-Hill.

“Brian’s approach to lead creation and management is very impressive. This is not an interview to miss if you are interested in getting more quality leads” stated RSS Ray, host of “Online Marketing with RSS Ray.”

“Online Marketing with RSS Ray” airs live each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. PDT on WS Radio.com. All programs are available immediately upon completion of original broadcast in podcast format at http://www.wsradio.com.

Listen to WS Radio.com or check out the station’s programming lineup at the station’s web site at http://www.wsradio.com.

Media Contact:
Lee Mirabel
888-327-0061

About “Online Marketing with RSS Ray”
”Online Marketing with RSS Ray” is thee voice for today’s savvy internet marketers. Focusing on business Best Practices for internet marketing, blogging, podcasting and RSS marketing, “Online Marketing with RSS Ray” is broadcast live each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. PDT on WS Radio.com. The program is hosted by RSS Ray, a certified eMarketing specialist by the eMarketing Association.

Program Media Contact:
Dale Knauss
602.703.2307
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Tags: Competitive Intelligence, Conversion Rate Improvements, Lead Generation
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Conversion Rate Improvements, Guest Announcements, Lead Generation | No Comments »

Business Information Research via the Internet-Donna Fryer

Tuesday, March 21st, 2006

San Diego, CA-March 21, 2006
WS Radio.com, a free, internet business talk radio network, announces an exclusive interview with GLOBAL Information Research & Retrieval founder Donna Fryer on the eCommerce RSS Radio Show, March 22nd at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T. Covering the best in internet marketing Best Practices, blogging, podcasting and RSS marketing, the eCommerce RSS Radio Show brings world class internet marketing experts to today’s savvy internet marketer.

In this exclusive interview with the eCommerce RSS Radio Show, Fryer will discuss the vast array of valuable information that can be found online, and the best ways for companies to get and use it.

Fryer is the Principal and Founder of GLOBAL Information Research & Retrieval, LLC, and is an Information Industry expert with over 16 years of experience. Her company helps businesses of all sizes by performing vital research and by teaching them to execute effective research studies through her series of competitive intelligence research CDs. She has been recognized as an expert in the Information Industry by the NC Bar Association, the TEC Executive CEO Program, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals and other leading organizations.
“Knowing how to find, and correctly apply the information available online can be instrumental to the success of a company. Donna really knows all of the ins and outs of the Information Industry and is a great resource for anyone looking to better understand their competitors, their industry, and even their own company.” stated eCommerce RSS Radio Show host RSS Ray.

The eCommerce RSS Radio Show airs live each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T. on WS Radio.com. All programs are available immediately upon completion of original broadcast in podcast format at http://www.wsradio.com.

Listen to WS Radio.com or check out the station’s programming lineup at the station’s web site at http://www.wsradio.com.

Media Contact:
Lee Mirabel
888-327-0061

About eCommerce RSS Radio Show
The eCommerce RSS Radio Show is thee voice for today’s savvy internet marketers. Focusing on business Best Practices for internet marketing, blogging, podcasting and RSS marketing, the eCommerce RSS Radio Show is broadcast live each Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. P.S.T. on WS Radio.com. The program is hosted by RSS Ray, a certified eMarketing specialist by the eMarketing Association.

Program Media Contact:
Dale Knauss
602.412-3426
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Tags: Competitive Intelligence, Search Engine Tools
Posted in Competitive Intelligence, Guest Announcements, Search Engine Tools | No Comments »