The Twitter Powerhouse

         Most everyone in modern society has heard of Twitter.  This simple program is making waves in the marketing world by its simple power to create communities around your product.  With today's society gaining a shorter and shorter attention span, Twitter hits a strong point by limiting their messages to 140 characters.  This is a good way for customers to offer quick suggestions and requests as well as convenient for the company to give fast and individual responses.  In Dan Zarella's book about social media, he states thats its good for a company to follow those that follow you otherwise you are distancing yourself and appear aloof.  Twitter also offers ways to conveniently find trends that are happening right now.  They have an algorithm that tracks mentions of words and phrases up to three words long and can highlight those most talked about in a certain timeframe.  This is useful to marketers to try and focus their Tweets on current topics in order to gain a stronger following.  Twitter also gives the top trending topics right on the main Twitter interface. 

         By now we've seen that utilizing a blog is an excellent way to promote your company and create value for your customers.  Microblogging, as with Twitter, is a fast and simple way to get noticed. Mary Lou Roberts book, Internet Marketing, discusses how creating value in your product can greatly help your company grow. With blogging and Twitter, you allow customers to put their ideas out there for the company consider.  The company also is able to respond back and let them know their thoughts and daily activities.  At the same time companies need to take steps to not divulge too much company information that their competitors might use.  A healthy balance must be maintained between public and private information. 

Spirit Mountain... Local and fun..

Spirit Mountain is the local Duluth,MN ski area that is working on becoming a success year round.  From their summer slide coaster to their winter skiing activites, this place is making a comeback.  They also have a new website redesign as well as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube feeds to get viewers into their site.  On their landing page they have a survey box that is most likely used by marketing.  The time I visited the site the survey ask a pretty generic question about what you were looking towards most for the upcoming winter and there were three options:

sleeping in

not mowing the lawn

skiing and snowboarding...

I do not believe the data received from this survey helps marketing with any statistics with the actual data but it does enhance customer value.  According to Roberts book Internet Marketing, anything that can enhance customer value is a plus.  This survey causes the individual to stay and interact with the site.  The more time they interact, the better.

I like the simplicity of the site and the easy navigation.  They have good graphics and minimal scrolling which is positive for them.  In the book SEO Made Simple, Fleischner expands on the benefits of linking your site to other sites to increase search engine hits.  Spirit Mountain could link with local sports stores, the tourism bureau, lodging facilities which would all boost each others online presence.  Spirit could also use a blog with daily updates to activity on the mountain and weather conditions.  It would be beneficial for them to offer a place for users to upload photos of their time on the hill.  These suggestions are of minimal cost but can draw in a stonger tourism dollar.

Charging for news...

I wanted to post some comments about newspapers around the country and their lack of website design as well as their choice to have subscriptions to view online content.  Many papers from around the US are just sadly designed with an utter clutter of annoying advertising.  Yes, papers themselves have advertising but I do not believe that it is as bad as their corrosponding websites.  The design is a ring of medium sized advertising with the actual content of the page centered amid the ads.  I would like to see the research that went into the layout for these pages as well as the charge structure for the advertising.  Even considering Google heatmaps, I have to assume that any of the ads above, below and to the right of the articles are most likely not even glanced at.  I understand papers all over the world are having a tough time competing with online content but I believe they are making choices that are not helping them recoup any losses.  By charging to view online content they are forcing would be customers to seek their news from the unlimited free sources the net has to offer.  Even local news and updates can be found on individual blogs such as this, free of charge!  And you are also allowed to feed your news back on here as well, for free!  Thank you for your time, I just had to get that off my chest...

Gotta get exposure....

I would like to do my part in boosing the internet traffic to a developing and interesting company, the Colorad Yurt Company.  While still a small company, they are doing the right steps to create a strong online product that supports their base product.  The website has a clean and easy to use design with images of the product and contact information on every page. The have thier own blog as well which helps for boosting their company during searches. It would help to duplicate their description tag withing the page construction.  According to Michael Fleischner in SEO Made Simple, by duplicating your description tag in a website it has a direct impact with MSN search engines.  They also need to add a keyword tag to thier source code inorder to educate search engines of thier website.  Finally one more code that would be a useful addition to the site is a robot tag with an "all" indication to push web spiders to read through the entire site while seaching.  I approve of their site design yet they have a multitude of options to increase thier exposure.  Many like Facebook are free or cheap to join and are well connected!

The ONION.com, an excellent source for news..

Ok.. I understand that the Onion isn't really an actual source for real news but it is a good site of respite from the daily grind of factual news.  The Onion is an interesting site which has updated content throughout the week.  It is a good place to go for laughs no matter what your views.  The site is laid out with headlines of imaginary stories and humorous photos.  The have a blog, you can follow them on Twitter and it hits on most every positive aspect listed on Websitegrader.com.  One spot they did get negative marks on was for having too many images, but that is part of the product so we will ignore that. Yet the still achieve a grade of 98.   They also get a good ranking from Google's pagerank checker placing them at 8 out of 10.  There are 5,750 pages out there with links to the Onion site as well, which shows that they are getting thier name out there.  The domain has been around for 17 years and that has to help with recognition of the name. 

The design of the site could use a revamping.  After you scroll down from the initial few headlines you see a good mess of thumbnail articles.  These could be inserted into drop down tabs from the topic tabs at the top of the page.  Saving people from scrolling down the page is good to keep their customers reading and good for their business. 

Their income comes from a good majority of advertising which is one reason that the frontpage requires scrolling.  All along the righthand side of the page are advertisements.  When I was on the site the ads were for Google TV.  Although I did not click through the links, I am interested to learn more about this product.  The other source of income is through products and subscriptions to a print edition.  You should check out their products page, the have some pretty amusing things.

Over all I feel that the site is well construction and is continually updated with laughable content.  Plus their roots are from the upper Midwest over in Madison! Keep up the good work Onion!

websitegrader.com doesn't even get top score!

I just find it interesting that the site used to grade other websites cannot get a 99 to 100 rating!  All they need to do is enter their name into the search box and then follow the suggestions that follow. While they have a 95 rating that still is no excuse why they cannot make a good example.  They do not have a twitter account or thier own blog are the first two things that come to mind.  Both are good ways of cheap yet relevant and productive methods for marketing. This site has been around for 3 years 11 months and 1 week.. according to the infomation page after grading their site.  You would think within that time someone involved in the marketing of the site would have followed through with this and covered thier bases. They also only have three images listed on the site.  Images are good to have on sites as well.  I do approve of the site design and usability, but I agree with thier rating suggestions as well.  These are simple yet effective suggestions to help build thier success on the web!

Dealsea.com

I have some design recommendations for dealsea.com. I suggest creating more of a branded website.  Currently the site is just a basic colorless site that only really presents sales from other sites and that's it on the basic level.  It could use a branded color and logo scheme that draws the eyes into the sales area. Secondly it would benefit to make the site more of a user experience. By making their blog and product reviews more interactive and creative the company would grow their value for the customer.  On an interactive point, the site could allow customers to hunt and post good deals.  If the posting is approved they could gain a credit towards future purchases of items found on the site. They might also, and finally, track the user experience prior to changes and after so that they may be able to see areas that were strengthened after the changes.  Although dealsea recieves a high mark on websitegrader.com, these changes would allow for the company to gain more value for their customers.

YouTube... basic yet powerful.

YouTube is a powerful and simple website.  They make it easy for individuals to search and upload video content to their site.  With thousands of categories from informative to cute or creative YouTube is also a tool for today's marketers.  They can post their commercials and viral videos and let the surfers take off with their creation.  They even allow movie rental for free or $2.99 for recently released items.  I appreciate the clean and easy to navigate site construction.  There is a large search bar which is the main focus of most visitors using the site.  They give thier customers exactly what they want and do not fluff up the site with other garbage to distract you.  Their product plays smoothly and I have not had problems with freezing yet that most likely depends on your net connection.  They do have tracking cookies that allow the site to offer suggestions of further videos that you may be interested in.  Yet these suggestions are non-intrusive and easily accessible, if needed.  I believe in simplicity in design and YouTube is an effective player in this area.

Are the Twins paying too much attention to the new Stadium and not thier website?

The Twins have a grand new ballfield yet it looks like they need to spend some extra time streamlining thier website.  It has too much going on and appears distracting to the initial viewer.  The background images create a busy feeling along with the multiple modules and tabs.  It takes too much searching to find the information needed when visiting the site. 

While most people visiting the Twins site are committed "customers" the franchise can still take steps to customize each visitor experience. As noted in the Internet Marketing book by Roberts, it can be beneficial to create a website that can be customizable.  The MyYahoo site allows users to individualize the content they would like to see when they sign into the site.  The Twins could start with a standard page with some basic statistics, event info and sales info and then let users choose they specific further content they feel like having on their individual site. 

By having a streamlined site it gives them a more professional look and is more welcoming for searching for further information.  When there is too much clutter it makes it difficult for an individual to know where to look for info.

McDonalds.. are they running out of ideas?

  McDonalds has millions to spend on product development and marketing yet they haven't really come out with a new and original food idea for a long time. Their last very successful items was the iced coffee and thier cappuccinos. They were good ideas but you can find those on any street corner already.  The US is saturated with companies trying to make a buck off coffee.  I visited to local McDonalds during the iced coffee craze to get a bag of ice since the would give bags out if you asked but we were told that they were no longer offering ice due to the popuality of the iced coffee. Amazing. 

When you visit the McDonalds website you are introduced to thier new product right off the bat, the Angus Snack Wrap.  Of course the photo presents the wrap in a fresh and tasty with juicy veggies and meat.  It looks good but there is nothing new in that wrap that wasn't already in the store.  Is McDonalds getting cheap, or efficient, with their new products?  This wrap is just the insides of a cheeseburger with a tomato added then put in a breakfast burrito wrapper.... really it took the company until 2010 to think of that idea? 

The company has done well on the website.  It is clean and simple to use with good product imagery.  The saturation of McDonalds across the world may cause them to not build as much customer value into the products/company on the website.  The value may lie in the simplicity of the page and the lack of pop-ups.  They do offer to inform you about what goes into their products as well as look up store locations near you.  They are staying up with social media marketing with links to both Facebook and Twitter on the front page.

As for myself, if I want Angus beef I am going to get it in a steak, not a processed and seasoned patty. Can anyone really tell the difference between a McDonalds Angus patty and a non-Angus?... I doubt it.

Its slightly overcast today with a slight breeze and 48 degrees.

TIDE!!

Tide is a brand that the majority of the population in the US know and recognize.  Their site is very simple and clean but lacks information about exactly what their product is, to inform current potential customers.  The cover page for Tide, while aesthetically pleasing, does not create value for a customer with initial contact.  Along with the scenic imagery they could benefit from adding a description of thier core product and its benefits. This description could possibly on the lefthand side of the page where there is empty space that could be used.  In the center of the page the have customer testimonials which are nice to read but not always believable.  Tide does allow customers to provide thier own testimonials but to the first time customer or potential customer, I question how pursuasive the testimonial  really is.  It appears that the ability to upload you own comments about the Tide products is the company's attempt at interactive brand building.  The comments are mainly positive on the testimonial area yet I wonder if there were constructive comments if the company would take them to heart. 

It appears that Tide is follow some of the adverstising suggestions as per IAB, Interactive Advertising Bureau. With the first visit to the site there was one initial pop-up window and none afterwards.   Even after closing the window and opening a new Tide page the pop-up remained off. 

Spam.....

Spam...it is a well known product but the company webpage lacks in informing visitors to what the product is exactly.  Appraently the name SPAM is derived from what is inside those little cans... spiced ham.  What exactly is that you ask? I am not exactly sure.  Heavily processed "ham" with some light spice flavoring as far as I can tell.

The website does not present the product or even explain what it is exactly on their main page.  They show half a can of Spam, with just the name, then tabs for recipies products and activities.  There is a large slide window in the center of the page but you need to click a hovering window to get into it. Once inside you are at what is called the "Recipe Exchange".  Still no description of the product and the only item that looks like food is a cartoon macaroni with eyes and a big moustache.... definately not Spam.

Maybe the company is assuming that society knows exactly what their product is.  After years and years of ridicule towards the brand, the majority of people know of the product and what is inside those tin cans.  Yet to continue to market their product well I believe they need to present the product up front, describe what it is and show why a customer should choose to purchase it.  The look of the website is simple, pleasing and easy to navigate.  Yet the company needs to let the world know.... WHAT'S INSIDE THAT CAN??

Its overcast this morning with minimal breeze and 46 degrees! Could use some warm spicy SPAM..

Target's Value Proposition

Target offers quality products with good value and an innovative design. The company is actively reinventing their brand, designs, and partnerships in order to cycle new in economical products through their stores. 

When you visit the front page of their site you get a cycling window with catch phrases regarding brands and savings on each window.  They continually enforce the savings mantra on each section of the window.  By getting a product they want at a reasonable price a customer is more apt to return to their site in the future.  The site is also clear and easy to navigate, with product group tabs at the top and the side.  There is also a search bar that allows customers to directly search for a specific product.

Target has a strong marketing team and it is evident on their site design.  They present the products clearly and easy to find.  There are also savings on shipping that customers value and most likely take advantage of.  As an Aggregator business type model, Target.com has a stable presence in today's online marketplace.  With many product options online, quite a bit more than individual stores, Target strengthens its value.  By saving customers time and money by being able to shop at home, Target gives those customers more time for freedom. 

The company also is open about how they use internet cookies and gives a link on their front page.  This is great to have a company that presents the way they gather information in a forward and open format.  They list the five uses of cookies on their site as; Website Functionality, Guest Surveys, Promotional Offers, Reporting and Analysis, Targeted Advertising.  As well as listing and explaining the cookies they also inform the reader how they can manage or opt out of cookie use if they choose.  More companies need to be proactive with how they care about thier future business!

Jeep.com

Jeep is going through a new rebranding process.  They have restyled the Grand Cherokee and placed strong emphasis on being American made.  They are also working on connecting with the modern "wired" customer by creating applications to view the new Grand Cherokee by using the Ipad.  The company also have an interactive application for Iphone users where they can plan, post and find out about trips from other users of the application.  It works to bring users into the Jeep culture and has them interacting with the business on a regular basis. From initial review it appears to be actually a fun and interactive application.

The website Jeep.com is creative and interactive.  It has a modern and clean layout with interactive buttons for each of the vehicles.  When you hover over each button a vehicle rolls from behind and a tab pops up with the base price and milage listed along with tabs to build your own custom model.  By allowing a customer to build and price the vehicle along with getting a quote from local dealers the company is working on their virtual value chain.  As of yet you cannot build and order a full vehicle directly from the site, like Dell computers, but due to costs it might be some time before you see the full chain online for Jeep.  They are proactive in thier marketing efforts and it will be interesting to follow thier progress over the next few months.

The weather today is sunny with a slight breeze and about 64 degrees~

Inital post for Marketing Insight

This is my initial post for my Marketing Insight blog.  As the country begins a slow, upward slope towards economic recovery I will look at some of Americas larger businesses and how they market themselves online.  With the begining of fall and the start of a holiday shopping season, I have no doubt that we will see some interesting topics come up.  Thank you for following my blog!

As I look out the window this morning it is partly sunny with a slight breeze.  54 degrees.