eCommerce and

Search Engine Land’s Barry Schwartz received a tip from New York retailer Oh Nuts that Google had visited their store location to take pictures.  The purpose of these pictures was for their upcoming Google Maps feature “Google Store Views”.  The retailer explained that pictures were taken in six foot increments in all directions from inside the store.  The idea is to provide Google Maps users with the ability to use Google Street views to get to the store and then navigate through the store with Google Store Views.  In addition to the images that were taken of the store in general, product specific images were taken as well.

Pictures were taken of Google taking pictures from within the store and posted by Barry:

I can’t wait to know my way around the newest attraction before even going for the first time!

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When I first started creating keywords for my very first campaign, there were signs everywhere on the internet that said "Don't use broad match!"  A little later I learned about negative keywords and how to use those effectively by running a Google search query report.  So it caught me by surprise when Brad Geddes, for Search Engine Land, wrote a column on promoting the idea of using broad match called Broad Match + Negative Keywords = A Profitable Long Tail.

The Case for Broad Match

Most people have discovered that broad match typically does not have a great conversion rate (many times when using broad match it’s not the point). Historically, because...well, broad match hits everything related to it. It can be a good way just to get your website noticed, create some brand recognition or turn on the traffic hose, hopefully with some good ad text to stem the tide of the more ridiculous clicks. 

Brad Geddes, unfortunately, does not go into a lot of detail about what happens to long tail keywords that are set to broad match or the precise setup of such a campaign?  I think he is being a bit "cagey" so as not to give away his “secret sauce” so to speak. This only means that we have to be smart as marketers, use common sense and pay attention to ad spend and the limitations associated with AdWords accounts.  There is certainly a difference between a long tail keyword set to broad match and a more general one to two word keyword phrases set to broad match.  Brad uses the example:

“Let’s say you sell coffee mugs and you have tens of thousands of words pertaining to coffee mugs in multiple match types. You then run a search query report (a report that allows you to see the actual search query that caused your ad to be displayed) and find that when the search query contains the word “Starbucks,” such as “Starbucks personalized picture blue coffee mug,” your conversion rate is 0%. All those clicks you are paying for are a waste of money. However, “personalized picture blue coffee mug” is already a long tail keyword, and you have thousands of these words, so how do you still use these word in phrase or broad match yet not pay for the clicks when the search query contains ‘Starbucks?’”

Clearly using this example we would make the assumption that your AdWords account has already got some form of this phrase of keywords broken up throughout the account: “blue coffee mug”, “personalized picture mug”, “picture coffee mug”, etc.  We would also make an educated assumption that if you are advertising for products in this vertical that you have similar products and would be able to convert on broad match types associated to these terms.  If not then take heed, there are AdWords users available to help.  AdWords Forum contributor Rob. W has explained broad match to other users, “You need to be careful when broad matching keywords because Google takes extreme liberties in matching that keyword.  A broad match for 'fresh flowers' may cause your ads to show for bath soap, gardening supplies, wedding showers, or cat litter.  Seriously...” So it got me thinking. What is Brad really talking about in his column?

Jog before You Run 

At first, I thought he was talking about setting long tail keywords to broad match and then producing negative keywords for phrases that don't convert.  Further on in his column he is pointing out, based on the extensive explanation of negative keywords in his column, that you set keywords to broad match but specifically create [exact] match negative keywords to counteract any of the more generic searches and higher price terms. You know what users search for because of the Search Query report.  By doing this you are still allowing for a broad selection of searches without the hassle of dealing with the creation of a whole list of long tail keywords.  The critical point is creating those negatives and keeping up with it.  Bam! Long tail keywords that you know have been searched for as long as the user doesn't use the negative keyword in the phrase.

Though, if this is what Brad is getting to, I am not sure what would be cheaper in terms of CPC (Cost per Click): a "constrained" broad match term or a simple long tail keyword.  It seems like broad match would potentially need a higher CPC because it is hitting so many searches and you want to be ranked high enough on those to see a high-quality CTR (Click through Rate).  Then again, you are reducing how many hits you actually make with the negatives, making the broad match term less expensive.  The benefit is not really losing out on other various searches.  As usual though, the bottom line is, does it convert?  Testing this out on your own seems to be the best way to figure this out in your respective industries. 

Without knowing exactly how broad match-long tail keywords, react in search, I can't exactly give a straight up opinion on this idea of Brads.  His method still intrigues me though and I plan on experimenting with this on a few of my better performing campaigns.

I will update you with my results in a couple weeks.

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While I may be late to the party and still not very engaged, to say the least I am very interested in a new feature Twitter recently rolled out called Local Trends.

It's described on their blog:
"As Twitter evolves, and more people share what’s happening in their own world, we want to provide another way for people to discover topics that may be relevant to them. Last week we began to slowly roll out a new feature called Local Trends to expose what people are talking about on the state and city level, and today we've fully launched so everyone can use it."

So now not only can you see what is trending in all of the twitter-verse but users can see what is trending locally, if they have set their location. While I don't frequent "the Twitter" very often this for me is a very compelling feature. 

On top of that we had several interesting conversations around the office about how this type of data might be used for businesses, especially eCommerce. There are some very interesting implications in regards to local trending data which could be used in different marketing and social channels. As we were talking several interesting examples came up in regards to marketing products to different locals based upon weather, popularity, celebrities, local markets, local business, etc. If you know a particular topic is “hot” and there are products which could be marketed to play off of that you could go to town on geo targeted SEM campaigns, social messaging and advertising to people in that area or other local advertising channels. The opportunities seem endless and the data invaluable.

Kohler is arguably one of the most innovative brands in the home improvement industry. The new Karbon faucet has completely transformed the kitchen and more specifically revolutionized the kitchen faucet. Meanwhile Kohler seems to effortlessly create bathroom fixtures that are not only sleek but save water, like the Escale toilet.

It’s that time again where we review what happened this past month in online video!

Embedded Videos on Product Detail Pages

First off Get Elastic wrote a great post on whether or not to use YouTube embedded videos on product detail pages. Embedding a video is using YouTube's HTML code to put a video on your web page. A pro to doing this is that YouTube hosts the video for your company for free, and has a huge built in base of people already watching videos on Youtube.com that may also stumble onto yours. A con would be that they can run ads on the bottom of the videos, or provide related videos for the customer to watch, which can lead the customer off of your site. Bottom line, it is great for up and coming companies as it can save the hefty hosting costs, but having your video hosted by YouTube gives the customer many outlets to stop buying, leave your website, and easily get distracted.  For instance, you may be hard pressed to keep the attention of your audience if paired with the video of the world’s largest gummy bear (its five pounds).

Utilizing Video in 2010

Mashable posted an interesting article on the top five tips for utilizing video in 2010. They offer some great ideas and data on video for eCommerce. One of my personal favorites is the "Help Customers Get More Value Out of Your Product." This tip is interesting because so many companies focus on creating video showcasing the product, but Mashable suggests that you should also create a video on how to use the product. By doing this you can not only be helpful to the customer, but start to develop loyalty to your brand by providing help that gives the customer a reason to come back.  Their end quote is perfect, “Your customers want video, so give it to them!”

Optimizing Video for Conversions

ReelSeo helps you with “10 Things To Test When Optimizing Video For Conversions”. This article helps you with all of the pitfalls you will face when starting to add product videos. Some of the highlights are call to action, length, music and first impressions.

Mashable's Most Viral Videos of 2009

Lastly, check out Mashables 10 most innovative viral video ads of 2009 for a couple laughs, and countless ideas on how you can harness the raw power of viral video in your marketing campaigns in 2010.

Did I miss any video articles you liked this month?

Little Giant has been hard at work engineering pumps that their most loyal customers have been waiting for. PlumberSurplus.com is your destination for the new Little Giant TSW Sump Pump System and their NXTGen Condensate Pumps.

• It’s always nice to find web applications that make design easier and Rounded CSS Boxes is no exception.  This is a tool that generates images, HTML code, and CSS code to create rounded boxes for web pages.  You can learn more about the tool and its uses here.


• Copyblogger is starting a Third Tribe project and a course on what smart marketers are doing in 2010.


• It is difficult to take criticisms about your work, but being defensive about criticisms will only hinder future performance.  It is a situation that comes up more often than not in business, and Miriam Ellis does a good job of pointing out how this type of logic can ultimately hold you back.


• Seth Godin published Random rules for ideas worth spreading.

For the best prices, on the largest selection of faucets, from your favorite brands like Kohler, Danze, and American Standard shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Recently Twitter.com implemented some password standards for their new users. If you view their source on the sign up page you can find a password list of around 370 banned passwords. Try searching for "twttr.BANNED_PASSWORDS" to see it. It consists of things like simple combinations of numbers, first names, team names and food.  Here are some examples of banned passwords on Twitter:

1234567
abc123
apples
batman
corvette
freddy
iloveyou
lakers
startrek
thx1138
yellow

While this is a step to helping users create stronger passwords it doesn't do much to educate them.  Twitter provides prompts such as “6 characters or more (be tricky!)” for instructions on creating a password.  If the password is part of the banned passwords they get a “Too obvious” warning that doesn't really look like a warning.  Oh and while "cheese" doesn't work as an acceptable password "cheesy" is approved as a welcomed Twitter password.

A better approach would be to show the user some aspects of a strong password.  For instance, a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, special characters and not using a dictionary word. I do not feel those are covered by “be tricky.”  Google does a good job of providing information on what they consider a good password as a link in their account creation.

It really comes down to user education.  Having strong password requirements might hinder the user experience initially, but will ultimately help the user experience in the long run as it's a step against their account being compromised.

Kohler is arguably one of the most innovative brands in the home improvement industry. The new Karbon faucet has completely transformed the kitchen and more specifically revolutionized the kitchen faucet. Meanwhile Kohler seems to effortlessly create bathroom fixtures that are not only sleek but save water, like the Escale toilet.

Like many others, I’m feverishly anticipating the release of a gadget known simply as the “Tablet".  My technophilic speculations tell me that the “Tablet” will be efficient, convenient and ultimately revolutionary. If this really is the “Year of the tablet”.  I’d better start saving now. My initial questions are thus:

Who’s going to buy these things?

While the Kindle, Nook and other eReaders are targeting fervent bibliophiles, I’m guessing that’s too narrow a scope for the tablet. With its range of capability and opportunity, it’s likely to appeal to anyone seeking efficiency or entertainment. As shown here in the Sports Illustrated demonstration, users will likely be able to (and advertisers will happily encourage us to) take advantage of integrated interactive media.

Will people carry this in addition to their iPhone?

It seems like the iPhone’s only limitation in this area is size. The connection is fast (and getting faster everyday) and, while you can probably access all things published, the only limitation I see is the iPhone’s 3.5-inch widescreen Multi-Touch display. While these are liberal dimensions for an already supremely capable phone, by its very nature it limits hi-res and interactive experience.

How will this be monetized?

Tablet technology opens itself up for dynamic, real time, full-stream media advertising. Briefly touched on (no pun intended) in the Sports Illustrated tablet demonstration, advertisers will not only be an integral part of the tablet’s design, but I’m guessing they’ll be handed the keys to open-source software. From videos to embedded “hot spots” (a la Bing homepage image hotspots) for advertisers, the only limit is their creativity.

Needless to say, I’m excited to see how Apple and the rest of their doppelgangers will answer these questions.

Little Giant has been hard at work engineering pumps that their most loyal customers have been waiting for. PlumberSurplus.com is your destination for the new Little Giant TSW Sump Pump System and their NXTGen Condensate Pumps.

• We knew it was coming, but how is inflation showing itself?


• When building a website matrix to compare products usability is just as important as content otherwise the matrix itself is of little use to the consumer.  Get Elastic compared 17 designs in an effort to help retailers improve upon their comparison tools and features.


• The Pitfalls Of Budget-Constrained Bidding.


• Do you have your bases covered in your marketing team?  Have you built a team that compliments one another?


• Outspoken Media’s Lisa Barone broke Twitter’s debut of Local Trend functionality.  While many Twitter users are not able to utilize the feature yet, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the new feature.  Lisa’s screenshot can be seen below:

For the best prices, on the largest selection of faucets, from your favorite brands like Kohler, Danze, and American Standard shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Whether you're a business that buys or sells, you've probably heard of EDI. For those of you that haven't, EDI is an acronym that stands for Electronic Data Interchange. EDI is used when two entities want to share a standardized form of data. For example, a buyer sends a seller a Purchase Order EDI file. The seller then sends an acknowledgement EDI file. Then the seller might send a shipment notification EDI file, followed by an invoice EDI file. Makes sense, right? Seems easy…

We've built our own flavors of data interchanges before. However, we had not used the ANSI X.12 industry standardized EDI. We leveraged everything from simple flat files over automated email or ftp to xml via web service, each with agreed upon formats between us and suppliers or vendors. It's easy to do. You say, "Here are the fields and format we're going to send." They say, "Great! Here are the fields and format we're going to send." You both work to parse the data appropriately and agree on a delivery methodology and transaction schedule. So, why use the ANSI X.12 industry standardized EDI? Great question. I'm still trying to figure it out.

We were sort of forced to build it. By "sort of", I mean we were completely forced to build it. As in, one or more strategic partners says, "Oh, if you want to do business (/continue to do business) with us, you'll use this form of EDI." OK. No problem. How hard could it be? One would think that it wouldn't be that hard, as EDI has been around since the 1980's. This was back when data networks and a high level of computer competency was not a mainstream requirement of modern business, especially small businesses. Even the modern version of the standard still looks like it was built in the 80's. It also looks like it was built by a group of guys that desperately wanted job security. Yes, the files are in a standardized format. However, each file includes a copious number of optional elements, and a field representing one piece of data in one file type. For instance a Purchase Order file is formatted completely differently for the same piece of data in the next file type, like shipment. As I was working on the EDI project for our company, it occurred to me that this must have been the inspiration for XML. Someone was staring at this, saying to themselves, "No! Don't make me redefine the field for each stinking file type!" Also, the file has a flat file format, but it's delimited in the weirdest way. You have to build your parser to count out segments and account for optional fields. At least all of our partners utilize each of the standardized documents the same way, right? Nope. Each one takes their interpretation of the standard and we end up having to apply parsing logic by file type and by sender. Doh!

Pay Per Kilocharacter?

But, dealing with the building and parsing of files isn't the really irritating part; and truthfully, we're going to have to do something special for each of our business partners whether we use standard EDI or homebrew XML solution or something else. The REALLY irritating part is the delivery medium that you may be forced to use to communicate with EDI partners. As I understand it (and I could be wrong), back in the day, a very few telecommunications companies controlled data networks. These companies were regulated by government, and in order to charge for specialized services, like assisting in the transfer of critical business EDI files between two business entities, without regulation, they needed to create a new kind of service. So, Value Added Networks (VANs) were born. VANs serve as a go between, like a post office, offering various file transfer mediums, levels of security, tiered and specialized reporting, storage services, et al. You send a file up to your VAN, who holds a mailbox for you, and your VAN checks your file to ensure that it includes the right headers for the appropriate file type, stores your file and alerts your trading partner of a new file ready for exchange. That's it. That's what a VAN does, nothing that you couldn't do yourself. It's not like I can't store the files myself. Storage is cheap. It's not like I can't find a file transfer medium that works securely (simple things like FTPS or SFTP should not be tough for any IT guy to set up really cheaply). The best argument I've heard in favor of using a VAN, so far, is that it eliminates the need to let others have some access to your network. This came from one of our partners. To this I say, "Fine. We won't connect to your network. You can push and pull files on our network." Again, setting up the file transfers is not that hard and also doesn't expose your network to uncommon risk. It's dumb to pay the VAN for services that you can build yourself for very little money and effort. Plus, the VAN charges you by something called the kilocharacter. This is how you know it's from the 80's. A kilocharacter is represented by 1000 characters in your EDI file. Seriously, I feel so ripped off. Twenty years ago, you would have had to have a direct data link with the VAN. I would have really felt ripped off if that was the case today.

Paying Sticker Price

If you do have to do EDI through this type of channel chances are you'll be put in the position of explaining to your boss why your company has to spend money to send an order. It will end up being only pennies, maybe nickels depending on your volume, per order, but you won't feel any better about it. My advice if you're stuck in this position is this: Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate. When I started looking around for the right VAN solution, I was surprised at the breadth of offers. After getting quotes I went back to the same places and pitted them against one another. Not a single vendor stuck to their original quote. Everybody folded in one way or another. I finally found the two that would meet my needs that would give me a good price and I focused in on them. Just when I thought I had done a great job of negotiating and had gotten the best price I possibly could have, I went to my boss with my final contract terms for VAN services. He balked. "Why do we have to spend this much, again?" I explained it to him. He told me to go back and get better terms and better pricing. Feeling like I had done the best I could, I told him I would see what I could do. Surprisingly, when I went back and told the two vendors that I was going to have to decline because the price was too high and the terms weren't as good as we wanted, I was able to negotiate even better pricing and even better terms from both vendors.

Key Takeaways

The point here is this, if you can avoid having to use the antiquated and expensive ANSI X.12 industry standardized EDI, avoid it. If you can't (and chances are if you work with any large companies from traditional verticals, you can't), do this: Ask your partner to skip the VAN and exchange files directly with you. If they won't, get your customer or supplier to pay for it. If they won't, negotiate the heck out of the VAN services, then go back and negotiate again; you can get much better than published pricing on VAN services. Finally, if you're transacting via EDI with more than one customer or supplier, don't count on the files being used consistently across all of them. Portions of the standard are open to interpretation.

The possibilities are endless with a bathroom remodel. Discover your classic side with a clawfoot tub, experiment with fresh bathroom vanities and coordinate it all with matching faucets. Shop PlumberSurplus.com 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for all of your bathroom needs.

My partner recently sent out a neat article:

11 Business Lessons From The Battlefield

As I read through the lessons I naturally began asking myself “Do I do that?”, “How am I on that one?”, and “I wonder how my managers would rate me on that one.”  So to make things a bit easier, I went ahead and turned the 11 lessons into 44 more specific questions.  Here you go:

Eleven Lessons Become Forty Four Questions

1. Do I genuinely respect the people who work for me?
2. Do I help my employees reach their career goals in tangible ways?
3. Am I more interested in what is best for my employees or what is best for me or the company?
4. Do I conduct myself in a sober, professional way?
5. Do I make employees feel degraded or humiliated?
6. Do I provide relevant, positive reinforcement?
7. Do I criticize more than I compliment?
8. Do my employees know who I believe the star performers are?
9. Do I actively listen to people?
10. Do I allow employees to choose their own path much of the time?
11. Do I overrule my employees plan too frequently or without giving them a chance?
12. Do I bend or give in on nonessential issues or questions?
13. Do my employees believe I can distinguish between essential and nonessential?
14. Do I seek clarity on an issue before correcting or reprimanding?
15. Do I know when and how to give an order?
16. Am I timid about giving orders?
17. Am I condescending when giving orders?
18. Am I direct about what needs to happen when giving orders?
19. Do I make eye contact when giving orders?
20. Do I remain cool and firm, without yelling, when giving orders?
21. Am I passive aggressive when giving orders?
22. Do I validate grievances when giving orders?
23. Do I explain why an order is being given?
24. Am I afraid to insist on a standard?
25. Am I afraid to tell people what to do?
26. Am I afraid to demand quality?
27. Am I a “yeller” or “nice guy freakout yeller”?
28. Am I meek?  In the “poor leader” way or the “inherit the earth” way?
29. Do I do an appropriate level of inspection of work?
30. Do I care about output and results?
31. Do I allow employees to become lazy and complacent?
32. Do I care about the unglamorous tasks?
33. Do I see myself as above the unglamorous tasks?
34. Am I clear about expectations?
35. When giving a task, am I clear about what the task is, who has to do it, and by when or clear that my employee needs to identify the task, assign it, and establish a due date with his/her team?
36. Do I believe everyone gives a crap about my credentials, or should?
37. Do I give a crap about my credentials?
38. Have I established a reputation for competence, common sense, and listening?
39. Once a path is established, do I balance small, firm corrections with steady, disciplined execution?
40. Do I have a tendency to waffle on initiatives or change direction frequently?
41. Do my employees have a clear understanding of the paths/initiatives I believe are important?
42. Do I address problems in a clear, timely manner?
43. Do I have a tendency to side step problems and let them fester?
44. And lastly, if I sent these questions to my managers as a survey, would I do anything tangible with the responses?

If you’re interested in more leadership insight from a military perspective, here is a link to the widely distributed 18 Lessons in Leadership by General Colin Powell.

Kohler is arguably one of the most innovative brands in the home improvement industry. The new Karbon faucet has completely transformed the kitchen and more specifically revolutionized the kitchen faucet. Meanwhile Kohler seems to effortlessly create bathroom fixtures that are not only sleek but save water, like the Escale toilet.