Is there such a thing as failing profitably? In the world of lead generation, this may sound like a very dangerous idea. After all, the only real measure for a company’s continued survival is its success in generating sales leads. So what about failure, and its connection to making a profit? You see, there is what we call a total failure, and there is also what we consider as a profitable failure. The former is one that really ruins a company, while the latter becomes a stepping stone for the eventual success of a firm. If that is the case, then we should aim to fail profitably, if success will not be had on the first try.
But here is the question: how will you do that, create a culture that promotes this idea?
First of all, we should take an active role in embracing failure. If you think about it, the reason why so many firms are mediocre, if not worthless, in the products or services that they offer is because they decided to play it safe. And if there is anything you can learn from playing it safe, it is that you will never truly grow. It stifles creativity, makes conservatism reign supreme, and it rarely helps you in your appointment setting campaign. If you want to succeed, then be open about the possibility of failure.
Second, try to fail small, fast, and smart. When you embrace failure as part and parcel of your lead generation efforts, you will want to turn it into a manageable setup, a learning opportunity. The trick here is in division. Let us take a major telemarketing campaign, as an example. For a big project like this, you would want to divide it into several smaller steps or stages. In this way, you can mitigate the effects of failure, as well as learn what went wrong before you proceed to the next stage.
Third, identify the opportunities from failure. As the old saying goes, “every cloud has a silver liningâ€. Make it a point to understand what went wrong. Take it as a learning opportunity for you and your marketing team. Yes, it may look bad, but if these can serve as a springboard for your campaign to shine, then why not take the chance?
Lastly, think of this as an attitude issue. If you think that failure will ruin you, then it will. But if you believe that this will help you become a better business manager or entrepreneur, that this will just be another stage for you to finally get to the top, then it will be the case. What you need to do now is to take that leap of faith, take the risk, and learn a good lesson from it all. That is how you properly make failure be profitable.
Who knows, this might just be the thing you need to generate the B2B leads that your company’s success require. Falling down is not the end, you know. It is in standing up that matters.Â
Call Box
DealerNet Services
This is the third year that this survey has been conducted, and the 2013 results indicate that consumers are getting more comfortable using more than one device to access video content. Indeed, their growing tendency to multitask (for example, watching television while interacting with other content or applications on a tablet, smartphone or laptop) has implications for all content providers. The quality of the overall viewing experience is becoming increasingly important, and some frustration exists among consumers as they seek a simpler viewing experience.
An especially notable finding this year is that although there is more fragmentation of the video marketplace—which is creating more competition from emerging players—traditional broadcasters have responded with innovative video offerings. The fact that consumers see traditional TV broadcasters as the most trusted source of video-over-Internet service on the TV screen may mean that, as the old saying has it, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Five insights from the Accenture Video-over-Internet Survey 2013 are particularly noteworthy:
1. Improve the user experience: The right content for the right device
Consumers are watching video content over the Internet more frequently and over more kinds of devices. The PC/laptop is the most popular, with 89 percent of consumers watching video content on these devices. The tablet is on the rise, however, as a means to view all types of video content. In 2013, one-third of consumers reported watching online videos on a tablet, compared with just one-fifth (21 percent) in 2012.
Providers need to be sensitive to the fact that consumers are increasingly looking to view particular types of video content on the devices most appropriate to how that content can be optimally experienced (referred to as the “form factor†of the device). Full-length movies/TV series and live programming are most watched on TVs, while user-generated content and short clips are mostly watched on mobile devices. However, more people are watching full-length movies and TV series on PCs/laptops—47 percent this year, compared with 41 percent in 2012. And tablets showed growth in viewing habits for all types of online video content.
As consumers get more comfortable using more than one device, it is important for broadcasters and content providers to support consumers across all devices. It is no longer enough for broadcasters to offer content that is compelling; that content must also be appropriate to the form factor of specific devices. Only 45 percent of consumers indicate that they are satisfied with the consistency of the user experience they get when they move from one device to another.
2. Meet the needs of the multitasker
Multitasking—simultaneously using other devices while watching content on a TV set—has increased substantially since 2012. For example, consumers’ regular use of tablets while watching TV grew from 11 percent in 2012 to 44 percent in 2013. Equally important, significant percentages of consumers are using their tablets in a way correlated with what is being watched on TV—for example, checking facts or exploring ideas raised by a video being watched on a television screen.
The increase in multitasking should serve as a kind of warning for content providers and broadcasters, who need to adapt and reinvent the formats they broadcast to hold the attention of consumers today. On the other hand, multitasking behaviors point to new opportunities for broadcasters to increase engagement—and, therefore, preference—by linking apps and related content from one device to another. Multitasking also provides opportunities to develop new social and community functionalities and experiment with new monetization models, such as advertising, direct marketing and secondary rights.
3. Make premium content and subscription services more appealing
This year’s survey finds that despite the difficult economic climate, consumers are still willing to pay for online video services—though, as yet, not much. Most consumers report they will pay the equivalent of less than $10 on a monthly basis, an amount less than in 2012.
While 37 percent of consumers currently pay for access to video content through a regular subscription or TV license fee, just 10 percent of respondents reported paying per view for video on-demand, down slightly from 12 percent in 2012. These results show an important media consumption trend, where a transaction-based model may no longer be the preferred way to pay for entertainment.
An important imperative is to make premium content more compelling. As online consumption is maturing, and as consumers become more sophisticated, they want to pay less for content overall—but they may pay more for getting specifically what they want, when they want it. If they do not have their needs met, they may choose to watch video content for free over the Internet.
4. Overcome consumers’ frustrations
When it comes to watching Internet video content on their TVs, consumers are searching for simplicity but are not yet finding it. Although from a technical perspective, connected TV remains the ideal method for accessing online video on TV, consumer interest slipped from 36 percent in 2012 to 31 percent in 2013, in part because of concerns over how to install the connected TV technology.
Consistent with the 2012 survey findings, consumers are concerned about a number of other issues. They are asking for a better online video experience in terms of both quality of picture and download times, something that broadcasters and online video providers must take into account to attract and retain customers. Consumers also raise concerns about advertising during a program, something that companies must account for as they evolve their business models.
5. Build trust—something that broadcasters are learning quickly
Consumers this year across all countries surveyed reported that traditional TV broadcasters are the most trusted source for video-over-Internet service on the TV screen, displacing telecom/Internet service provider/broadband companies that had, in aggregate, ranked highest in 2012. In addition, although international online video services such as Netflix and YouTube still dominate the market, use of local or national online video services is gradually increasing.
The growing use of local online video services, coupled with the growth in broadcaster trust, signal that broadcasters’ competitive strategies and investments appear to be working. In the short term, at least, broadcasters have “stemmed the bleeding†against international competition and new market entrants. However, a clear consumer value proposition and relentless pursuit of innovation remain imperative to success.
_____________________________________
The Accenture Video-over-Internet Survey 2013 raises a number of important questions for providers. One has to do with multitasking and the role of the second screen. What strategies will online-video-service providers deploy to increase consumer engagement and monetize the additional devices being used while watching video? Another question is whether a democratic, over-the-top platform on a proprietary device will dominate the industry or a proprietary platform on a democratic range of devices.
The consumer, ultimately, will decide which video-over-Internet strategies will triumph. To that end, having a deep understanding of consumer behaviors and preferences is essential to success.
By Francesco VenturiniÂ
DealerNet Services
This is the third year that this survey has been conducted, and the 2013 results indicate that consumers are getting more comfortable using more than one device to access video content. Indeed, their growing tendency to multitask (for example, watching television while interacting with other content or applications on a tablet, smartphone or laptop) has implications for all content providers. The quality of the overall viewing experience is becoming increasingly important, and some frustration exists among consumers as they seek a simpler viewing experience.
An especially notable finding this year is that although there is more fragmentation of the video marketplace—which is creating more competition from emerging players—traditional broadcasters have responded with innovative video offerings. The fact that consumers see traditional TV broadcasters as the most trusted source of video-over-Internet service on the TV screen may mean that, as the old saying has it, the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Five insights from the Accenture Video-over-Internet Survey 2013 are particularly noteworthy:
1. Improve the user experience: The right content for the right device
Consumers are watching video content over the Internet more frequently and over more kinds of devices. The PC/laptop is the most popular, with 89 percent of consumers watching video content on these devices. The tablet is on the rise, however, as a means to view all types of video content. In 2013, one-third of consumers reported watching online videos on a tablet, compared with just one-fifth (21 percent) in 2012.
Providers need to be sensitive to the fact that consumers are increasingly looking to view particular types of video content on the devices most appropriate to how that content can be optimally experienced (referred to as the “form factor†of the device). Full-length movies/TV series and live programming are most watched on TVs, while user-generated content and short clips are mostly watched on mobile devices. However, more people are watching full-length movies and TV series on PCs/laptops—47 percent this year, compared with 41 percent in 2012. And tablets showed growth in viewing habits for all types of online video content.
As consumers get more comfortable using more than one device, it is important for broadcasters and content providers to support consumers across all devices. It is no longer enough for broadcasters to offer content that is compelling; that content must also be appropriate to the form factor of specific devices. Only 45 percent of consumers indicate that they are satisfied with the consistency of the user experience they get when they move from one device to another.
2. Meet the needs of the multitasker
Multitasking—simultaneously using other devices while watching content on a TV set—has increased substantially since 2012. For example, consumers’ regular use of tablets while watching TV grew from 11 percent in 2012 to 44 percent in 2013. Equally important, significant percentages of consumers are using their tablets in a way correlated with what is being watched on TV—for example, checking facts or exploring ideas raised by a video being watched on a television screen.
The increase in multitasking should serve as a kind of warning for content providers and broadcasters, who need to adapt and reinvent the formats they broadcast to hold the attention of consumers today. On the other hand, multitasking behaviors point to new opportunities for broadcasters to increase engagement—and, therefore, preference—by linking apps and related content from one device to another. Multitasking also provides opportunities to develop new social and community functionalities and experiment with new monetization models, such as advertising, direct marketing and secondary rights.
3. Make premium content and subscription services more appealing
This year’s survey finds that despite the difficult economic climate, consumers are still willing to pay for online video services—though, as yet, not much. Most consumers report they will pay the equivalent of less than $10 on a monthly basis, an amount less than in 2012.
While 37 percent of consumers currently pay for access to video content through a regular subscription or TV license fee, just 10 percent of respondents reported paying per view for video on-demand, down slightly from 12 percent in 2012. These results show an important media consumption trend, where a transaction-based model may no longer be the preferred way to pay for entertainment.
An important imperative is to make premium content more compelling. As online consumption is maturing, and as consumers become more sophisticated, they want to pay less for content overall—but they may pay more for getting specifically what they want, when they want it. If they do not have their needs met, they may choose to watch video content for free over the Internet.
4. Overcome consumers’ frustrations
When it comes to watching Internet video content on their TVs, consumers are searching for simplicity but are not yet finding it. Although from a technical perspective, connected TV remains the ideal method for accessing online video on TV, consumer interest slipped from 36 percent in 2012 to 31 percent in 2013, in part because of concerns over how to install the connected TV technology.
Consistent with the 2012 survey findings, consumers are concerned about a number of other issues. They are asking for a better online video experience in terms of both quality of picture and download times, something that broadcasters and online video providers must take into account to attract and retain customers. Consumers also raise concerns about advertising during a program, something that companies must account for as they evolve their business models.
5. Build trust—something that broadcasters are learning quickly
Consumers this year across all countries surveyed reported that traditional TV broadcasters are the most trusted source for video-over-Internet service on the TV screen, displacing telecom/Internet service provider/broadband companies that had, in aggregate, ranked highest in 2012. In addition, although international online video services such as Netflix and YouTube still dominate the market, use of local or national online video services is gradually increasing.
The growing use of local online video services, coupled with the growth in broadcaster trust, signal that broadcasters’ competitive strategies and investments appear to be working. In the short term, at least, broadcasters have “stemmed the bleeding†against international competition and new market entrants. However, a clear consumer value proposition and relentless pursuit of innovation remain imperative to success.
_____________________________________
The Accenture Video-over-Internet Survey 2013 raises a number of important questions for providers. One has to do with multitasking and the role of the second screen. What strategies will online-video-service providers deploy to increase consumer engagement and monetize the additional devices being used while watching video? Another question is whether a democratic, over-the-top platform on a proprietary device will dominate the industry or a proprietary platform on a democratic range of devices.
The consumer, ultimately, will decide which video-over-Internet strategies will triumph. To that end, having a deep understanding of consumer behaviors and preferences is essential to success.
By Francesco VenturiniÂ
DealerNet Services
Every year, somebody proclaims that SEO is dead simply because Google has made some changes to its algorithm. But don’t worry, this post won’t be declaring that SEO is dead, dying, or even coughing up blood.
However, the days of SEO as a distinct, independent discipline are certainly numbered. SEO is fast evolving into a more creative, diverse, and challenging profession.
Over the last few years the changes to search algorithms and user behavior on the Internet have made “old†SEO almost redundant. It's even gotten to the stage where any so-called “SEO†who's still using the same techniques from 5 years ago will actually be doing more harm than good. These days, search engines and consumers want quality, engagement, and social proof.
The SEO landscape has changed, and the current shift can be defined by a single concept:integration.
This is a term that we will start to hear a lot more in the world of search. As the search engines widen their gaze and perfect the techniques they use to measure content quality, brand sentiment and relevance, the optimization of a site for search will increasingly overlap with other marketing disciplines.
Over the next couple of years SMI will become a pre-requisite for a first-page listing on Google. SMI will revolutionize the entire organization's approach to sales, marketing, PR, branding and everything in between.
For an SMI practitioner, success will be tied to the ability to integrate SEO tactics across an organization's marketing department. Politics, leverage, and action will be equally as important as title tags, link building, and keyword themes.
Let's take a granular look at how SMI will impact the various areas of the marketing landscape:
Social search is in its infancy. Twitter’s integration into Google's results ended last year, and Google+ has since provided the antidote to that broken relationship. Just a couple of weeks ago Facebook also launched its own enhanced search engine. Things are evolving at an exciting rate.
I have no doubt that social-oriented search will continue to make headway. As a result, social signals will continue to exert influence on SERPs, and SEO techniques will have to be applied to social properties.
I also believe that social properties like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Quora will eat away at Google's market share ... or get bought up by Google itself. Imagine a search engine that incorporates the data from a platform like LinkedIn with the accuracy and scope of Google! Google… I hope you’re listening.
One key element in Google's Penguin update was the inclusion of an organization's brand reach as a factor in SERPs. This means that the greater your brand popularity, the higher the probability of achieving a first-page position. Therefore, an SEO must keep branding initiatives carefully aligned with an overall strategy.
Additionally, link building, which has historically been focused on individual product keyword phrases, must now include a healthy percentage of branded anchor text phrases to support branded traffic and incoming links. Savvy link builders will have strategies for building out natural link profiles with a sprinkle of brand, product, and SEO keyword links.
SMI, or “new SEO,†will lean very heavily on traditional PR channels. Over the last few years most print publications have been busy trying to find ways to win back their share of the digital market.
Due to the reputation and authority that they brought with them from the print world, many of these publications have quickly gained great authority online. Due to this authority, the relationship that brands and organizations have with these magazines and newspapers will have a significant effect on search visibility.
Press releases, interviews, and relationships with magazines are a big part of SMI. As more companies wake up to the integrated nature of the new SEO and recognize the link-building potential of traditional PR opportunities, their value will only increase.
The relationship between organic search rankings and paid ads is one that’s been debated for years. Though no concrete evidence shows us exactly how paid ads impact a site’s organic listings, we have seen website’s organic traffic increase when paid ads are running.
One possible explanation for these findings is the reported relationship between display, video ads, and branded search queries. A 2010 report by ComScore suggests that display and video ads can increase brand-related search queries by up to 3 times!
While this may seem like evidence enough that your organic and paid campaigns should be closely integrated, there’s more. A recent Google study suggested there’s a strong relationship between ad click-through rates (CTR) and the presence of an organic listing on the first page of results. Put another way: If you have a high organic listing for a particular search term, your paid ad for that same term is going to get a much higher CTR than if you didn’t.
Lastly, the intelligence gained from running SEM campaigns should be directly applied to organic. This includes which keywords generate sales, which landing page techniques create conversions, and identifying which trends are important by testing new phrases and products.
Video is fast becoming one of the most influential factors in all aspects of digital marketing. Its influence now reaches deep into SEO territory.
One of the most influential search movements of the last few years has been the integration of different types of content directly into the SERPs. If Google sees it as relevant to a particular query, you’ll now see images and videos outranking the organic page listings and visually dominating the page.
This can be particularly useful if you’re targeting a long-tail query. If the query relates closely to a visual concept that could be better explained in a video than a blog post, you will almost certainly gain a better search position by producing a video.
A Forrester study from January 2010 showed that a webpage with a video on it was 53 times more likely to gain a page-one position in the SERPs. Additionally, 1 in 3 tech B2B decision-makers are turning to online video for information (Google). Viewers of videos are also 64 percent more likely to purchase after watching a product video. These figures show that search visibility and performance are directly improved by the integration of video and, as a result, video should be integrated into all digital campaigns.
Â
Much of what SEO professionals do on a daily basis is research. When starting a new project, the focus usually begins with researching the right keywords for the campaign. It’s easy to spend hours compiling a relevant and strategic keyword list.
But as any skilled SEO can tell you, the research doesn’t end there. The best tools to gather useful keyword data aren’t third-party tools; they’re the advanced search operators that the search engines provide for power users to narrow their search results and find exactly what they’re looking for. SEO professionals can use these same query operators to dig into the competition or their clients’ sites, finding gold nuggets of information that newbies can’t.
While Google has at least a dozen advanced search operators, the following five are my personal favorites.
site: <url>
Example: site:example.com or site:example.com “search termâ€
The site: operator is the most basic, but also the most useful. When used with the URL of a website, it will return all of the pages indexed by Google with that URL. The most practical use for this query operator is to see how many pages on s site have been indexed compared to how many have actually been published. If the numbers are significantly different, this could indicate a problem with the way Google is crawling the site. The results will also show you how Google presents the title and the description for each page found.
Another great use for this operator is to search for specific keywords within a particular site. This will result in all of the pages containing those keywords that Google has indexed from that site. Furthermore, these pages will be sorted according to how perceives the relevance of each page for that query. This is useful for figuring out what pages are your strongest contenders for each of your keywords.
In addition to Google, this operator works with both Yahoo! and Bing.
Search with quotes
Example: “dog foodâ€, “dog†food or “dog†“foodâ€
The original purpose of the quotation mark as a query operator was to let people tell Google to search exactly for the words in between the quotation marks. Using our examples above, the first one would show results for dog food, where the two words must appear in exactly that order in the search results. If “dog†is the important word and you don’t mind variants of the word “food,†like meal or treat, then the second example would be a good choice. If you want to see results that include both “dog†and “food†but you don’t care whether they appear adjacent to each other, then putting each word in quotes like the third sample above would be a good query.
Using quotes around your search query can help you determine if your pages are being indexed for the search terms you’re optimizing for, and it helps you identify competing sites. For instance, a search for “dog food†without quotes in Google returns about 691,000,000 results. But not all of these pages are being optimized or indexed for that exact keyword match because pages with both dog and food will be returned. So when we add quotation marks to our search query, we narrow our results down to 12,000,000 because these pages contain the exact term we’re searching for.
link:<url>
Example: link:example.com or link:example.com/page1
There was a time when using this query operator would yield the results of all pages with links to the given URL. Unfortunately, Google has stopped this practice and now only provides asampling of the sites that contain links to the supplied URL. If you’re trying to get a complete list of links to your website, use Google Webmaster Tools.
While this query operator helps you get a snapshot of your site’s incoming links, the real value is when you research the links of your competition. Since you don’t have access to their Webmaster Tools account, using the link: operator will help you get an idea of at least some of their incoming links so you can better plan your link building strategy.
Note: there are tools such as Open Site Explorer, Ahrefs, and Majestic SEO that will give you a much more complete view of any URL’s link profile, but they do cost money. For preliminary and free competitive research, the link: operator is a valuable resource. This operator will also work in both Bing and Yahoo!, but Yahoo! does require http:// to be used at the beginning of the URL.
intitle: “search termâ€
Example: intitle:â€dog foodâ€
One of the most important elements of on-page SEO is to ensure that the title tag of each page is optimized for your specific keywords. Since most folks know this, there’s a good bet that any pages which include your keyword in the title tag are potential competitors who have also targeted that keyword for their own SEO campaign.
This operator will give you a look at everyone you’re competing against for those keywords. When the search results are displayed, you can take a look at the number of results to see if the keyword you’re targeting has heavy competition or relatively mild competition. If you see sites like Amazon and other major brands occupying the top 10 search results, the competition is likely going to be too difficult to break through unless your budget is as high as what the major brands are allocating to their campaigns.
This operator is great for comparing similar keywords so you can intelligently and strategically select keywords for your campaign. The intitle: operator also works for Bing and Yahoo!.
info: <url>
Example: info:example.com or info:example.com/page1
The info: operator is used by Google only, so don’t try this one on Bing or Yahoo!. This operator provides you with some important and useful information that can assist with competitive research. A search query using this operator will return the page’s title, its description, and the ability to see:
Final Word
Whether you’re just beginning a campaign for a new client or performing competitive research on an existing campaign, these search operators can help you gain a competitive edge. SEO professionals wield their knowledge of search engines as their “sword†in the daily battle of improving rankings and website traffic for clients. As an SEO professional, understanding how to use these operators quickly and effectively will help turn the tide of battle in your favor.
For more advanced SEO tutorials, please see “How to Match Domain Names in Excel to Help with Creating a Disavow List†“10 Excel Functions Every SEO Professional Should Know,†and “The Ultimate Tactical 10-Step Guide for In-house SEO Professionals.â€
 by Jayson DeMers
DealerNet Services
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