Monday, July 30, 2007
Advertising 2.0 Tracking and ROI
ROI for advertising 2.0 requires a holistic approach to tracking and measuring all channels and vehicles. The original holy grail of online advertising was its ability to track and provide results. As the early results came in, advertisers generally wanted to track down to the sale, but did not have that ability or did not provide an eCommerce option. The result was tracking that either did not show the whole picture or delivered bad results. Thus came the pre-bubble, advertising 1.0 mantra of online branding. With branding, there is no direct measurement expectation by the advertiser.
Post-bubble, Google established the market for performance-based keywords. Google solved the primary need for advertisers to place a performance measure against payment, and positive ROIs again were measured. But Google's market did not help the display banner nor did it, until recently, show the entire ROI picture of cost per conversion.
Now, the Advertising 2.0 methods are designed to measure down to cost per conversion. This often requires additional work by the advertiser to make sure tracking is measured through the point of conversion. That is the spirit of Advertising 2.0--more advertiser involvement. With Advertising 2.0, ROI does not depend solely on soft statistics of open rates, click-throughs or cost per click (CPC), but rather at the actual cost per acquisition (CPA), cost per lead (CPL) or cost per conversion.
Post-bubble, Google established the market for performance-based keywords. Google solved the primary need for advertisers to place a performance measure against payment, and positive ROIs again were measured. But Google's market did not help the display banner nor did it, until recently, show the entire ROI picture of cost per conversion.
Now, the Advertising 2.0 methods are designed to measure down to cost per conversion. This often requires additional work by the advertiser to make sure tracking is measured through the point of conversion. That is the spirit of Advertising 2.0--more advertiser involvement. With Advertising 2.0, ROI does not depend solely on soft statistics of open rates, click-throughs or cost per click (CPC), but rather at the actual cost per acquisition (CPA), cost per lead (CPL) or cost per conversion.
Labels: advertising 2.0, Internet Secured Application Technology, ISAT, online advertising, Online Marketing, Performance Communications Group
Thursday, July 12, 2007
E-mail marketing secrets and lies: Avoiding the red X
As published by B2B Magazine
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/FREE/70712009/1116/FREE
By Karen J. Bannan
Story posted: July 12, 2007 - 1:41 pm EDT
Many e-mail marketers operate under the misconception that e-mail service is the same as the postal service: They expect their e-mails to be delivered intact and the way they were created, said Scott Madlener, exec VP- interactive strategy at interactive marketing agency Performance Communications Group (PCG). Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. “We end up being the bearer of bad news and have to educate our clients, and their e-mail service providers and other technology vendors about the realities of e-mail,” he said.
Madlener and his staff have released a new white paper, “The Big Red X,” to address some of the most common—and little-known—issues when it comes to designing e-mail communications. Here is one secret and one “lie” about e-mail marketing highlighted in PCG’s report.
Secret: It’s not enough to test your newsletter in multiple browsers and e-mail clients.
Yes, testing is important, Madlener said. But marketers often overlook an important step in this process: viewing content in each browser or client with images turned off. “The majority of e-mail services and clients default to an images-off setting,” he said. “Unless you check to see what your message looks like, your readers may miss your call to action and content completely.”
For example, some marketers use tables to organize their content. The tables remain even with images turned off. This often creates white space, causing your text to fall below the fold. Another problem: Marketers use multiple objects to create one image, so what looks great with images turned on appears as multiple red Xs with them turned off. Viewing with images off will help you streamline your messages and provide useful content to all of your readers.
Lie: Putting a “Click Here” link in your message is the best way to disseminate content.
You’ve probably seen e-mails that ask you to “click here” to be taken to content or a landing page. While this is a good strategy to keep your message size small, unless you include the actual URL in the copy, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
“When you use an ESP, most of the time—in order to give you reporting on click-throughs—they will change the actual URL to go through their tracking code and redirect back to you,” Madlener said. “It’s all done in the source code.” You can check this by mousing over the link.
It’s a problem, he said, because those links expire after a few months, so if your customer or prospect goes back to that message after it expires, your link won’t work.
Thefix is simple: Add the exact URL after the words “click here” so readers can copy and paste the URL and see your content no matter when they read your message.
“In the b-to-b world, people hold on to e-mails for years,” he said. “And a lot of people like BlackBerry users can’t click on links anyway, so you’ll want to include the actual link for them, too. Plu
http://www.btobonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070712/FREE/70712009/1116/FREE
By Karen J. Bannan
Story posted: July 12, 2007 - 1:41 pm EDT
Many e-mail marketers operate under the misconception that e-mail service is the same as the postal service: They expect their e-mails to be delivered intact and the way they were created, said Scott Madlener, exec VP- interactive strategy at interactive marketing agency Performance Communications Group (PCG). Unfortunately, this simply isn’t true. “We end up being the bearer of bad news and have to educate our clients, and their e-mail service providers and other technology vendors about the realities of e-mail,” he said.
Madlener and his staff have released a new white paper, “The Big Red X,” to address some of the most common—and little-known—issues when it comes to designing e-mail communications. Here is one secret and one “lie” about e-mail marketing highlighted in PCG’s report.
Secret: It’s not enough to test your newsletter in multiple browsers and e-mail clients.
Yes, testing is important, Madlener said. But marketers often overlook an important step in this process: viewing content in each browser or client with images turned off. “The majority of e-mail services and clients default to an images-off setting,” he said. “Unless you check to see what your message looks like, your readers may miss your call to action and content completely.”
For example, some marketers use tables to organize their content. The tables remain even with images turned off. This often creates white space, causing your text to fall below the fold. Another problem: Marketers use multiple objects to create one image, so what looks great with images turned on appears as multiple red Xs with them turned off. Viewing with images off will help you streamline your messages and provide useful content to all of your readers.
Lie: Putting a “Click Here” link in your message is the best way to disseminate content.
You’ve probably seen e-mails that ask you to “click here” to be taken to content or a landing page. While this is a good strategy to keep your message size small, unless you include the actual URL in the copy, you’re doing yourself a disservice.
“When you use an ESP, most of the time—in order to give you reporting on click-throughs—they will change the actual URL to go through their tracking code and redirect back to you,” Madlener said. “It’s all done in the source code.” You can check this by mousing over the link.
It’s a problem, he said, because those links expire after a few months, so if your customer or prospect goes back to that message after it expires, your link won’t work.
Thefix is simple: Add the exact URL after the words “click here” so readers can copy and paste the URL and see your content no matter when they read your message.
“In the b-to-b world, people hold on to e-mails for years,” he said. “And a lot of people like BlackBerry users can’t click on links anyway, so you’ll want to include the actual link for them, too. Plu
Labels: advertising 2.0, email 2.0, Internet Secured Application Technology, ISAT, Online Marketing, web 2.0
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Optimizing the Viewer Attention Window
One of the things that drives me nuts about online advertising is when designers fail to understand the difference between traditional electronic media (TV and Radio) vs. interactive media. Specifically, the attention span of the viewer. I find this very simple to understand, yet I see the 'experts' at the best known advertising agencies making this mistake on a regular basis.
TV and Radio are time based media and therefore, viewers are presented with a single task attention span. There is only one option of content consumption - the ad. As such, time can be spent to develop a messaging scenario (the emotion) and a creative 'pay-off' can occur. Online advertising is not time based, its screen based. On a screen there are multiple viewing options and therefore, the viewers are presented with a multitasking environment.
When a viewer is multitasking, ie. looking at multiple areas within the page, there is no time to develop a messaging scenario. You can't know when the viewer's attention is focused on the ad. Someone could scan the ad during seconds 3-10 or seconds 15-17, etc. If the ad does not clearly present the call to action during that viewer attention window (VAW) the pay-off opportunity is lost. This means that one of the central goals of every banner is to optimize the VAW. VAW optimization is best done with rich media and specifically with video, because these elements can help expand the duration of the VAW.
A simple trick I use to determine if the VAW is optimized is to look for the advertiser's logo. If there is a second without the logo then their is no way the pay-off can be achieved.
As a closing note, this is exactly the reason why the pre-roll was adopted so successfully by agencies and rejected so forcefully by viewers. The online environment was adulterated to present video in a single task environment, a daughter window, which removed the viewer from their familiar and expected multitasking experience. I have not done the research, but I'd bet that the most successful pre-rolls are part of media players that reside within the original screen content.
TV and Radio are time based media and therefore, viewers are presented with a single task attention span. There is only one option of content consumption - the ad. As such, time can be spent to develop a messaging scenario (the emotion) and a creative 'pay-off' can occur. Online advertising is not time based, its screen based. On a screen there are multiple viewing options and therefore, the viewers are presented with a multitasking environment.
When a viewer is multitasking, ie. looking at multiple areas within the page, there is no time to develop a messaging scenario. You can't know when the viewer's attention is focused on the ad. Someone could scan the ad during seconds 3-10 or seconds 15-17, etc. If the ad does not clearly present the call to action during that viewer attention window (VAW) the pay-off opportunity is lost. This means that one of the central goals of every banner is to optimize the VAW. VAW optimization is best done with rich media and specifically with video, because these elements can help expand the duration of the VAW.
A simple trick I use to determine if the VAW is optimized is to look for the advertiser's logo. If there is a second without the logo then their is no way the pay-off can be achieved.
As a closing note, this is exactly the reason why the pre-roll was adopted so successfully by agencies and rejected so forcefully by viewers. The online environment was adulterated to present video in a single task environment, a daughter window, which removed the viewer from their familiar and expected multitasking experience. I have not done the research, but I'd bet that the most successful pre-rolls are part of media players that reside within the original screen content.
Labels: banners, online advertising, Online Marketing, video
Monday, July 02, 2007
Tips for Avoiding Red Xs in Email
A Whitepaper from Performance Communications Group
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two years ago, you would open an email and see an image; today you see a “Red X.” This can reduce the effectiveness of email messages and force the subscriber to take an extra step to view the image. Performance Communications Group (PCG), a Chicago-based interactive marketing agency, has developed a whitepaper that provides instructions on how email marketers can avoid the “Red X.” The whitepaper, “The Big Red "X”: Methods to Move Beyond Email Roadblocks and Improve the User Experience,” is available for download free by using the banner below.
“Email is evolving to include advanced features, such as multimedia. While these features can make email more interesting and effective, they also open the door to adware, spyware, phishing and viruses. To curtail their spread, email systems and providers have pre-empted the use of advanced email features, leaving a red X where the content was,” said Scott Madlener, executive vice president, interactive strategies at PCG. “While this is done in the name of safety, it is forcing email marketers to take a giant step backwards.”
The whitepaper offers best practices for optimizing emails without being restrained by preprogrammed email default settings. These tips include:
1. Don't rely on images or multimedia for primary messaging. Many emails include images to ensure fonts are rendered as the sender intended. Instead of text, the reader may only see a red X.
2. Manage Visual Assets. When building an HTML email with images or multimedia, combine as many objects in one to reduce the total number of Red Xs seen by a viewer with images off.
3. Trim Down Tables. Don’t use tables for large header images or media, as pre-allocated table space will be maintained causing the text to fall “below the fold.” Even though multimedia should not be in a table, set the height and width settings for the object, as scaling to 100 percent may reduce the actual size, making it too small to view in a preview window.
4. Keep the Code Simple. Complex JavaScript and CSS for formatting generally are not supported. Instead, use inline styling, multimedia or standard HTML to achieve the desired affect.
5. Don’t Hide the URL. Always present the URL to which a link will go, rather than hiding the URL behind a "click here" statement. Most email service providers change links for tracking purposes, so the replacement links will expire over time.
6. Remember Fundamentals. Make certain to include a link to "view as webpage" and "add to address book" within the copy.
7. Reduce Animation. When using multimedia, file size is of the essence. Reduce your HTML source code, optimize embedded objects and avoid attachments.
About PCG
Performance Communications Group (PCG) brings together technology, strategies and services to support a broad range of online advertising and sales efforts. PCG’s Internet Secured Application Technology (ISAT) is an evolution in online advertising that radically improves the relevance and usefulness of banners for businesses and consumers. Companies such as Whirlpool Corporation and Sysco Corporation have improved their communications and driven meaningful ROI utilizing PCG solutions and strategies. PCG is based in Chicago. Additional information can be found at http://www.epcg.net.
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Two years ago, you would open an email and see an image; today you see a “Red X.” This can reduce the effectiveness of email messages and force the subscriber to take an extra step to view the image. Performance Communications Group (PCG), a Chicago-based interactive marketing agency, has developed a whitepaper that provides instructions on how email marketers can avoid the “Red X.” The whitepaper, “The Big Red "X”: Methods to Move Beyond Email Roadblocks and Improve the User Experience,” is available for download free by using the banner below.
“Email is evolving to include advanced features, such as multimedia. While these features can make email more interesting and effective, they also open the door to adware, spyware, phishing and viruses. To curtail their spread, email systems and providers have pre-empted the use of advanced email features, leaving a red X where the content was,” said Scott Madlener, executive vice president, interactive strategies at PCG. “While this is done in the name of safety, it is forcing email marketers to take a giant step backwards.”
The whitepaper offers best practices for optimizing emails without being restrained by preprogrammed email default settings. These tips include:
1. Don't rely on images or multimedia for primary messaging. Many emails include images to ensure fonts are rendered as the sender intended. Instead of text, the reader may only see a red X.
2. Manage Visual Assets. When building an HTML email with images or multimedia, combine as many objects in one to reduce the total number of Red Xs seen by a viewer with images off.
3. Trim Down Tables. Don’t use tables for large header images or media, as pre-allocated table space will be maintained causing the text to fall “below the fold.” Even though multimedia should not be in a table, set the height and width settings for the object, as scaling to 100 percent may reduce the actual size, making it too small to view in a preview window.
4. Keep the Code Simple. Complex JavaScript and CSS for formatting generally are not supported. Instead, use inline styling, multimedia or standard HTML to achieve the desired affect.
5. Don’t Hide the URL. Always present the URL to which a link will go, rather than hiding the URL behind a "click here" statement. Most email service providers change links for tracking purposes, so the replacement links will expire over time.
6. Remember Fundamentals. Make certain to include a link to "view as webpage" and "add to address book" within the copy.
7. Reduce Animation. When using multimedia, file size is of the essence. Reduce your HTML source code, optimize embedded objects and avoid attachments.
About PCG
Performance Communications Group (PCG) brings together technology, strategies and services to support a broad range of online advertising and sales efforts. PCG’s Internet Secured Application Technology (ISAT) is an evolution in online advertising that radically improves the relevance and usefulness of banners for businesses and consumers. Companies such as Whirlpool Corporation and Sysco Corporation have improved their communications and driven meaningful ROI utilizing PCG solutions and strategies. PCG is based in Chicago. Additional information can be found at http://www.epcg.net.
Labels: email, ISAT, rich media, video
