"Hey Dad, Why Does T

"Hey Dad, Why Does This Country Protect Billionaires, and Not Teachers?" http://htxt.it/KZsU

Astonishing?! Craig

Astonishing?! Craig Grant on ten acres of land with his own hands built this city for cats http://htxt.it/sqZT

Ever wondered what y

Ever wondered what your husband is doing when he takes the baby out ???

NYPD interviews regi

NYPD interviews registered owner of car bomb SUV http://htxt.it/C8xg

FT: The 'Like' butto

FT: The 'Like' button lets Facebook keep a record of what users linked to, providing the company with ever more data about preferences. http://htxt.it/BLUo

Give a man a fish an

Give a man a fish and he has food for a day; teach him how to fish and you can get rid of him for the entire weekend. Zenna Scha

RT Matt Cutts: Good

RT Matt Cutts: Good commonsense write-up on U.S. broadband access here: http://goo.gl/p3dG More interesting than you'd think. :)

The Facebook 'Like'

The Facebook 'Like' button could allow non-editorial sites such as Yelp to show users who enjoyed a particular restaurant or business.http://htxt.it/YHTe

Facebook also sugges

Facebook also suggests pages for users to link to based on their personal profile information. Read more: http://htxt.it/caMo

'Liking a Page means

'Liking a Page means you are connecting to that Page. When you connect to a Page, it will appear in your profile and you will appear on the Page as a person who likes that Page.' http://htxt.it/NkS8

Facebook 'Like' butt

Facebook 'Like' button launched but social network denies it will be used to target advertising http://htxt.it/Uzkw

There aren't enough

There aren't enough days in the weekend. Rod Schmidt

John Reese's "$2 Per

John Reese's "$2 Per Hour" Formula is trending up.

Likes replace links?

Likes replace links? http://htxt.it/DnMR

MSMM is a full train

MSMM is a full training program to help people start a new business to help small local businesses gain customers from the Internet.http://htxt.it/ynCE

Tomorrow's Real Esta

Tomorrow's Real Estate Trouble Spots http://htxt.it/alxe

Can you imagine the

Can you imagine the amount of offline businesses missing out on customers just because they are using old methods? http://dld.bz/bNyZ

Web sites can NOW dr

Web sites can NOW drive Web traffic from Facebook by including Like buttons on their pages; Likes are updates to Facebook pages. http://htxt.it/isFp

Google's nightmare:

Google's nightmare: Facebook 'Like' replaces links http://htxt.it/ZrjH

Facebook Optimizatio

Facebook Optimization may be the new Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

The phone is not rin

The phone is not ringing from the Yellow Pages ... http://htxt.it/vFcb

The Online Academy Award

Being in the first listing position of Google results for your search term is maybe the online equivalent of an Academy Award.

Facebook seeks to replace open system

Facebook seeks to replace page links with its "social links" (or Likes) that it controls. http://dld.bz/bNz6

Facebook dropped a b

Facebook dropped a bombshell last week in the form of a Web-wide "Like" button and the launch of the "Open Graph." http://htxt.it/9UFy

The biggest opportun

The biggest opportunity of 2010 is closing its doors in 10 hours. The buzz on the internet is all about MSMM: http://htxt.it/LkQa

"First Seek to Under

"First Seek to Understand, then to be Understood." Stephen Covey

There are many 'Smal

There are many 'Small Business' Tweets but are Small Businesses on Twitter yet? What do you think?

Cute: 'The smallest

Cute: 'The smallest horse in the world' http://htxt.it/cO0X

Is Online Marketing

Is Online Marketing Possible for Small Business? Great videos: http://htxt.it/skbV

I believe, for main

I believe, for main street business owners to stay open and make a profit, I believe the effect of MSMM will be way larger than stated.

@facetmarketing I ag

@facetmarketing I agree on the importance of Online Marketing for Small Businesses. I believe 69% do want to spend more online this year!

@iminay Watch the vi

@iminay Watch the videos and see the difference that this system has made to other people’s lives and small businesses. http://htxt.it/1tkS

24 New Rules Of Test

24 New Rules Of Testimonials In Small Business Marketing http://htxt.it/BFgx

Interesting: Case st

Interesting: Case study: Doubling sales through social media http://htxt.it/mH6G

@mattwilsontv love t

@mattwilsontv love the six applications

KarlOrtenburg RT @bi

KarlOrtenburg RT @bignickyg: Barclays Business Take One Small Step Competition http://htxt.it/uTwH

@Patricia_Hedge To b

@Patricia_Hedge To be honest, this is the best system that I’ve come across in a long time for people to make some money online: http://htxt.it/yEZh

@larebear53 It’s m

@larebear53 It’s my belief to recommend something only if I stand behind that recommendation. I am in and I think it's top http://htxt.it/oZtP

@arthuston This is w

@arthuston This is what I recommend for small business marketing. Awesome! http://htxt.it/6n7m

@Marlerl8wx5 I think

@Marlerl8wx5 I think THIS marketing system for small businesses is ALREADY taking off! They're closing tonight, have a look: http://htxt.it/EDUK

@mscopeland me, too.

@mscopeland me, too. Fantastic system and so much laid to just copy for small businesses, amazing http://htxt.it/F7Lx

@BusinessPlanWeb to

@BusinessPlanWeb to use this approach, Mike has arranged for a team of people who’ll do all the video work for you.

@Drake7gqw re: Small

@Drake7gqw re: Small Business Marketing, did you see THIS? Awesome, I am in. You? http://htxt.it/5HWe

@MrsLadyAsia it’s

@MrsLadyAsia it’s all laid out step-by-step to cut and paste the material for any campaign that you want to run: http://htxt.it/5b4r

@pan_ping Thanks to

@pan_ping Thanks to the comprehensive marketing material included in the system, you’re no longer left trying to figure out how to market http://htxt.it/9iHS

@Marketing1Gurus It

@Marketing1Gurus It comes with an “Opportunity Finder” that helps you find the key businesses in your local area!!! http://htxt.it/DaaG

“How do I find cus

“How do I find customers?” Get Mike Koening's brilliant new system before it's too late: http://htxt.it/XLal

@eosdeso THIS detail

@eosdeso THIS details what types of local businesses to target,provides marketing material and material for profitable niches http://htxt.it/eD7P

@goodpeopletweet Thi

@goodpeopletweet This details what types of local businesses to target and provides professionally designed marketing material! http://htxt.it/FGfZ

@MarkDavids12 his in

@MarkDavids12 his information alone however, still falls into the “what to do” category and Mike wanted to go further. See video: http://htxt.it/yFWL

@FionaHilliard done,

@FionaHilliard done, YOU got my vote (not Brown, Cameron or Clegg ;-)

@lucasm52 Lucas, thi

@lucasm52 Lucas, this might be something for your small business. Great system to market your venture. let me know http://htxt.it/4ehr

@NYTSmallBiz Actuall

@NYTSmallBiz Actually, this system is the best one I have seen so far to market successfully to small businesses, check it out http://htxt.it/ZvOw

The majority of smal

The majority of small businesses know nothing about Internet marketing and need considerable help. Use this to help them: http://htxt.it/FhMK

There are thousands

There are thousands of people struggling to make a living online who know what to do, but don't do it? I say do this: http://htxt.it/78tP

The Main Street Mark

The Main Street Marketing system is tapping into the overlooked local market of small businesses struggling in today's tough economy: http://htxt.it/N17K

This system is aimed

This system is aimed at people who can't make a living online and addresses their fundamental challenges: http://htxt.it/cxWL

Main Street Marketin

Main Street Marketing Machines is a brand new system from Mike Koenigs and Traffic Geyser. I bought it, offer will vanish today http://htxt.it/UQQ2

Main Street Marketin

Main Street Marketing Machines – A Complete Business In A Box (Hurry, offer will close today!!!) http://htxt.it/eb5o

Main Street Marketin

Main Street Marketing Machines is still OPEN! Clear Your Cookies and CLICK HERE NOW!http://htxt.it/fblB

RT amanda powlesland

RT amanda powlesland: Supreme Court to decide if kids can buy violent video games http://htxt.it/RZqN

RT Jean-Luc Raymond:

RT Jean-Luc Raymond: The State of Web Development 2010 http://j.mp/cKppqf

The Video Software D

The Video Software Dealers Association,argues that minors should have the same access to potentially violent video games ... http://htxt.it/gacV

RT Nick Stekovic: Pr

RT Nick Stekovic: Privacy heads voice concerns over Google Buzz http://htxt.it/Pqq0

RT Cathy Stucker: 11

RT Cathy Stucker: 11 Free Ways to Generate Referrals http://ow.ly/1D4rJ

RT Arlan Murata: Thr

RT Arlan Murata: Three things in life that, once gone, never come back - Time”, “Words” & “Opportunity” http://htxt.it/l9hV

RT Mary Allen: "If y

RT Mary Allen: "If you want a kinder world, then behave with kindness; if you want a peaceful world, make peace within." -- Dan Millman

I am getting all "Re

I am getting all "Recent Friend Activity" on HelloTxt twice for the last couple of days. Anyone had the same and solved it?

RT Ghyslain Lefebvre

RT Ghyslain Lefebvre: Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. - Rudyard Kipling

Due to flight disrup

Due to flight disruptions everyone getting back to London slowly.

...the fact that eve

...the fact that every day new future customers come online, just shows you the potential value of your time and money invested in optimizing your site http://htxt.it/R8CM

You can see from man

You can see from many online success stories that they offer vast and highly profitable opportunities, too. http://htxt.it/7NtV

The speed of technic

The speed of technical developments on the Internet may be disconcerting and overwhelming for some. Not anymore for you! http://htxt.it/uKrw

Over 1.5 billion peo

Over 1.5 billion people are using the Internet today.What does that mean to you or your individual business or practice? http://htxt.it/RSXy

sunshine and blue sk

sunshine and blue sky in London - looking forward to a perfect weekend!

With Twitter you can

With Twitter you can contact your potential customers several times a day – whereas if you try that with your e-mails you might get a different response: http://htxt.it/8Zdn

If your business is

If your business is based in or focused on a certain city or region, use Twitter to see what people are saying about you or your business. http://htxt.it/CyFw

In today’s competi

In today’s competitive environment you need to use every opportunity to stay in contact, creating a trusting relationship. http://htxt.it/dKLy

Use the Twitter tool

Use the Twitter tools available to limit your time involvement but stay within Twitter’s guidelines.http://htxt.it/WvI4

How cutthroat is you

How cutthroat is your sector? Do you need to use everything to stay ahead of your competition? Then Twitter could be an advantage http://htxt.it/YKq4

Your Competition Pro

Your Competition Probably Doesn’t Sleep – Anymore http://htxt.it/lAwI

Twittering allows yo

Twittering allows you to get your news to your potential customer’s PC or mobile quicker than the competition does. http://htxt.it/47kW

hello everybody, any

hello everybody, anyone stuck in Europe, as we are?

If your target marke

If your target market is not yet on Twitter find out where your target market really is. How do you find your target customers elsewhere? http://htxt.it/76Ml

To find out whether

To find out whether your potential customers are using Twitter, search on Twitter with search terms relevant to your business. http://htxt.it/vLu2

Is YOUR Target Marke

Is YOUR Target Market Using Twitter? http://htxt.it/XCIy

@julianacrispo re: P

@julianacrispo re: Promoted Tweets - interesting, thanks for the tweet.

Here are aspects of

Here are aspects of my TWITTER Search Strategy and how you can use it, too, to find targeted customers. http://htxt.it/2spb

Beat The Recession

Beat The Recession

with Internet Video Marketing

Online Video Clip for 'Web Videos'

"Do You need a Video for your Website, ...

... For targeted Traffic and High Customer Conversions?"

Online Videos have become an important factor for any business online.

It can help you grow your business and achieve the results you are hoping for in your market.

Reasons to consider the use of video marketing efforts include:

- showing up on the search engines,
- better site ranking,
- saving time,
- cost effective, and much more.

Video marketing is one of the best solutions for any business online today.

There are many reasons your business can benefit through the use of video marketing including:

- saving time,
- better value for money,
- increase website traffic,
- credibility through higher site rankings,
- [getting] found on the search engines.

Custom Business Videos for Your Website

Videos are one of the most effective ways to show your

customers why they should do business with You.

Put a short custom video on your website when your visitors come to your website. This grabs their attention instantly and lets them stay on your site.

Use video to explain your products, your services, your specialties, - your uniqueness. This will give potential customers a much better idea of the great value you are offering and lets them get in contact with you more easily.

Even short 2-3 minute videos can increase sales greatly for existing campaigns.

Get Your own custom video today that will show them why YOU are their best choice.


Free Internet Video Marketing Report

Web 2.0 + Semantic Web = Web 3.0

Hi Everyone,

Allan Cho writes about web 3.0:

"Finally, the latest issue of Talis' Nodalities it out. One of the brightest minds of the SemWeb industry, Alex Iskold has written an article, Semantic Search: Myth and Reality, which is really worth the wait and the read. He argues that the SemWeb shouldn't about competing with Google since its algorithm has so successfully ruled the web for over a decade. Why fix something that's not broken? ... [read more]"

How do you think we can (soon) use web 3.0?

Karl
Social Networking & Video Marketing

New Community Video

Hi,

I hope you are having a good start to another great week.

Just wanted to let you know that we have a new Video on the Main Internet-Experts-Live Network called 'iEL Community Video'.

Please watch this video since it features some of you. You can find it when you scroll down to 'Today's Focus'.

We are going to upload this video to over 60 top websites on the Internet and wanted to show it to you as an easy way of getting a promotional video done for your business plus getting it distributed quickly across the Internet.

Video Marketing has become one of the most effective marketing methods on the Internet and we will show you some ways how you can use video marketing to promote you and your business very effectively.

If you do not feature in this short video yet, don't worry. We will give everyone the chance to get 'exclusively' promoted on top Internet websites. The effect can be outstanding.

I am going to explain this in some more details in some Blog Posts on iEL over the next couple of days.

Karl Ortenburg

iEL Team

www.Internet-Experts-Live.com

New Google Webmaster Tools: Diagnosing Google's Indexing Of Your Website

Hi Everyone,

just wanted to let you know that we have uploaded a great video about Google Webmaster Tools to diagnose crawling from Google.

Google's Search Evangelist Adam Lasnik talks about:

- The robots.txt file diagnostic tool that tells you whether your robots file is stopping Google from crawling/indexing your site.

- The WebCrawl diagnostics tool that analyzes whether i.e. your host stops the Google robots from indexing your site.

See the video at: http://www.internet-experts-live.com/group/1stgooglemasterygroup/forum/topic/show?id=2029533%3ATopic%3A7070

Let us know what you think of these tools.

Karl
iEL Team

New Google software lets any website add social networking

Google Inc. on Monday plans the release of Google Friend Connect, a service that enables any website to provide social networking features for its visitors.

Read More [http://www.internet-experts-live.com/group/1stgooglemasterygroup/forum/topic/show?id=2029533%3ATopic%3A5769]

Website Content Management Automation

I was recently asked to explain how to publish site content to the web sort of automatically. Plus how to receive new content to your site.

Voila- here is the short version of how you can do that FR.EE:

PUBLISHING CONTENT: Take some content from your website and put in your blog (if you haven’t got one, you can set up one for free at e.g. Wordpress.org).

Find your RSS feed on your blog and ‘burn’ this feed in Feedburner.com. Feedburner will then automatically notify ‘the web’ whenever you write something new in your blog.

RECEIVING CONTENT: If you want to receive updates directly into your website whenever new content has been published, you simply integrate the respective RSS feed into your site or blog. You can find the RSS feed of a blog/site by looking for the orange RSS feed symbol or you can just look up the RSS directories to find any feed.

‘RSS’ sounds rather technical, but just think of it as a (zero emission ;-) sports car that gets you to where you want to go faster. How much of its electronic ignition do you really need to know to be able to drive that (RSS) car? Zero, right?

Let’s make a quick example: I mentioned to Steve Oxlade the other day that I would love to have quotes from his great book (The Abundance Zone) on our IEL website. Ideally new quotes every day. (Marketing for him - inspiring new content for me. Win-Win.) To make this work Steve would put a couple of quotes from his and Matt’s book onto his blog every other day. Done in a minute or two. I would ‘subscribe’ to the RSS feed from his blog and integrate it into my site. Whenever Steve puts some new quotes into his blog, they show up on my site, automatically. So when visitors come back to my site, they see (Steve’s) new content -magic.

This can be done with any content really and there are many ways how to use RSS which I will explain at another time.

p.s. RSS also helps your search engine optimization because Google and the others like fresh content! It really is a win-win-win.

So long for now, take care and god bless.

Karl

Business building failure rate

Last week I posted about 'Building A Successful Internet Business' and the perils of it . The rate of over 90% of small businesses failing within the first ten years shocked me.

Can you imagine all the broken dreams and the financial hardship left behind? This is unbelievable and apparently there are not enough people out there helping smaller companies to start, survive and grow their business.

That got me thinking ... and deciding I want to do something about this horrible failure rate.

We will put a program together that will support entrepreneurs in building their business, making sure they survive and grow their dreams!

Since we focus on the Internet side of things, this will be a program that supports people in building an Internet business. It will be a program where we combine advice from the Internet experts with the support from 'coaches' to make sure things really happen and are not just digested as great information.

More on the program later in this blog.

For now I just want to mention that I have set-up a 'draft' forum to get a feel for where entrepreneurs might want support the most. Here is the link: "Successful Internet Business Building"

Cheers,
Karl

Building A Successful Internet Business

For anyone currently building their Internet Business I would like to briefly mention Michael Gerber's highly recommended book 'The E-Myth Revisited - Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About I'.

Here is a short overview over his basic business building concepts and principles:

1. Every year over 1 million people start a business of some sort and statistics tell us that by the end of year ten over 90% of these small companies have failed. (These statistics are from the States but I doubt very much that the horrific failure rate is much different in any other country!)

2. Most businesses are started by so called 'technicians', people who are skilled at what they enjoy doing. Technicians assume that they understand how a business works but most of the times they don't.

3. Building a business, according to Michael Gerber, takes three skill sets: (1) The entrepreneur, (2) The manager, (3) The technician.

4. Businesses generally go through 3 phases of growth:
- Infancy - When the technician is required mostly
- Expansion - when better management skills are required.
- Maturity - when an entrepreneurial perspective is needed

The business that is built and managed by someone who combines the approach of the three roles will have a far greater chance of survival and success than the one guided by someone thinking like a technician alone.


Michael Gerber's main idea to save (small) businesses from failingis that you should view your operation as the prototype for a franchise business or a turn-key solution. The main challenge in doing so he sees in maximising the amount of time you spend working ON your business rather than IN your business.

Michael Gerber has been a consultant for small companies for many years and his company E-Myth Worldwide has put together a business development process by which a successful franchise prototype can be built in seven distinct steps and a foundation of three key activities.

See the Summary of the 'E-Myth Principle Based Business Development Process', click here. Even if you have read the book before, this summary is a great reminder of the main ideas.


P.S. If you would like to get great tips & feedback for your specific business, here is the link to a brand new Forum "Successful Internet Business" to discuss some of the challenges and advantages building a business online.

‘Digital Mums’ to the web

‘Digital Mums’ to the web

Three quarters (75%) of women with children under the age of 18 now regularly access the internet across the UK, marking a growth of 7% since 2005, according to new research.

The findings form part of a new ‘Digital Mums’ study from the European Interactive Advertising Association (EIAA), revealing insights into the digital lifestyles of Britain’s online mums.

The research highlights that 76% of the time digital mums spend online is for personal reasons and that online activities are becoming a valuable and crucial part of their busy everyday lives.

Keeping Mums in Control
The research reveals the wide array of websites that digital mums are using to enrich different areas of their life, from saving time, to carrying out research and making the most of online entertainment. 73% of British digital mums who use all media find that the internet provides what they want quickly and saves them time and 47% state that the internet helps keep them ahead of the game.

Mums in the UK are increasingly using the web as a reference point for their family’s health needs (an increase of 37% year-on-year). Their use of auction sites has grown by 33% and 39% of digital mums are now using price comparison sites.

Not ones to fall behind on local and national news and events, they are also researching and catching up via the web - 58% regularly visit news sites and 58% look for local information online. (7% year-on year growth since 2005)

Age Matters
The research also indicates that across Europe, the websites that digital mums visit, their online activities and shopping habits vary accordingly to the age of their children. Mums who use the internet and have babies and very young children (0-4 years old), are far more likely to visit family and kids websites (61%) and banking and finance sites (63%), whereas women with children aged 16-18 take time out to focus on film websites (49%), possibly a reflection of their family’s interests as well as their own.

Online shopping
Digital mums in the UK are even more frequent online shoppers than women without children. 94% of all digital mums have bought items online, spending an average of €1022 and buying 19 items in just six months. Across Europe, mothers of younger children are the most likely to buy online - 86% of women with children aged 0-9 years old bought a product or service online compared to 75% of women with children aged 10-18. This indicates that online shopping is proving a useful way for mums to get jobs done whilst saving time spent on the high street or in the supermarkets with their babies or very young children - something that is often seen as an unwanted challenge!

Entertainment Value
The research clearly highlights how British digital mums are developing a deeper involvement with online content in using the internet for relaxation and entertainment. There has been a 28% increase since 2005 in the number of mums who regularly listen to the radio online, a third (34%) regularly download music and 18% enjoy online gaming sites. Broadband penetration amongst all UK women has now reached 83% and penetration amongst women with children who use the internet in the UK has increased 49% since 2004.

Keeping in touch
Mums in the UK are also using the internet to engage with other people. The number of mums making telephone calls via the internet has increased by 300% since 2005 and 40% of mums now use instant messenger. They are also getting increasingly connected with tools made popular by Web 2.0: 24% regularly access social networking sites, 14% get involved in blogging and the use of forums grew by 31% – evidence of digital mums’ desire for personalisation and participation.

Media Multi-Tasking Mums
It also seems clear that once the kids are safely in bed, mums are taking advantage of the peace to tackle tasks online or use the web for ‘me-time’ as logging on in the evening is most popular – 65% access the internet between 5.30pm-9pm. Adept at multi-tasking, mums are also likely to mesh their media: 26% use the internet whilst watching TV and interestingly 66% of women with children do something less often as result of the internet.

Alison Fennah, Executive Director of the EIAA says, “For time-pressed, multi-tasking mums, the Internet is increasingly playing a crucial role in enriching their busy everyday lives. Not only does the Internet help mums maximise time and keep control of family life and demands but it is also proving to be a valuable networking tool. It’s great to see a bigger presence of mothers online and to see how the online community is meeting their unique needs.”

Source: www.eiaa.net

Social Commerce Revolution

Seven steps to social commerce revolution


How can the growing popularity of user-generated content be best applied online?

Word of mouth has always been the leading form of marketing. But now, with the growth of web accessibility, web commerce, and tools to share opinions, word of mouth is critical for customers and marketers alike.

If a brand surveys customers after an online purchase and asks how they found the site or why they chose a product, it’s likely the majority will reference something like ‘advice from a friend’.

On the web, word of mouth takes the form of user-generated content. Shoppers desperate to find authentic, credible and relevant sources of product advice follow these dances to make their purchase.

Analyst firm Forrester found that 77% of online shoppers in the US seek out ratings and reviews before making a purchase. 97% of consumers said they trusted recommendations from peers. In addition, a study by Edelman Public Relations (US-based) found that ‘trust in someone like me’ has tripled in three years, from 20% to 68%. Why are people turning to the advice of strangers?

Early Learning Centre, a multi-channel store for children’s products, will soon launch ratings and reviews using the Bazaarvoice platform.

“Due to the increase in social networking and the focus on user generated content, it’s become increasingly important to effectively engage with our customers and give them a way of contributing towards the site. Adding a ratings and review function is an ideal way of enabling this,” said Matthew Legge, e-Commerce Manager at Early Learning Centre.

“Peer reviews are so much more effective than the brand reviewing its own products – Mums value and trust what other Mums think.”

The steps to a‘social commerce revolution’, and the resulting benefits, look something like this:

1) Get to know your influencers: According to the book The Influentials, approximately 10 to 15 percent of a brand’s customers are ‘influencers’; meaning they have a psychographic profile to share their opinion with others. The profile of an online reviewer spans across multiple demographic segments, but in the main they are the most loyal and frequent purchasers. According to a study by management consulting firm McKinsey, users who post reviews revisit the site nine times more than users who don’t participate, and are twice as loyal. With a ratings and reviews system integrated with a site’s “My Account” login, brands can invite and identify their most valuable customers to share their voice; further cementing the relationship between brand and consumer. From there, companies can launch new relationship campaigns such as discounts or early bird notifications.



2) Accelerate customer purchase decisions: Once authentic reviews from a brand’s most influential customers are visible online, shoppers then have the credible and relevant content they need to make a purchase. With ratings and reviews next to a product, customers get what they need to accelerate a purchase decision. Bazaarvoice clients have seen anywhere from 16% to double conversion rate on products and categories that have reviews. With ‘top rated’ product merchandising, navigation and sorting, brands can create a new purchase path delivering up to 60% higher conversion than other purchase paths.

3) Attract user-content-seeking customers: One of the key benefits of product reviews is that they attract new customers through natural search optimisation. Search engines, and the shoppers who use them, feed on this authentic content, and an increasing percentage of shoppers are searching for phrases and keywords that match review text. Bazaarvoice has analysed web analytics for several clients and found that more detailed searches, such as “Puma shoe reviews”, are growing faster than generic searches such as “football shoes”. Brands can also use ‘top rated products’ merchandising in emails, RSS feeds, and other online marketing to improve the impact of these vehicles. Golfsmith, a US Bazaarvoice client, saw 46% higher revenue per email featuring top rated products.

4) Market and advertise with customer voice: Now that you have the voice of your customer as a digital marketing asset, it’s time to take it offline. Brands can also feature top rated products and quotes from customers in catalogues and advertising to boost their impact.

5) Improve products and assortment: I once attended an online retailer industry conference where the Director of eCommerce for Gap suggested he saw their job to be a ‘trusted editor of fashion’. The best retailers are the trusted editors of products for their customers. What they choose to put in catalogues, online and in stores is a key part of their brand and shopping experience. Product ratings and reviews help retailers choose the right products to buy, promote and merchandise. Moreover, brands can help suppliers improve products they carry.

6) Power your partnerships: Many online marketers short change the impact and opportunity for reviews, limiting their usefulness to the product page. However, they can use the rich data from product ratings to improve their site search and web site navigation (top rated products), integrate with a web analytics platform, improve personalisation and cross-sell algorithms and integrate into email for automated campaigns. One Bazaarvoice client saw a 49% higher conversion and 60% higher average order value when featuring the “Top Rated Products” navigation filter to each category, through an integration with their search partner.

7) Develop a customer-centric culture: The final step of evolution in a user-generated marketing strategy is a change of the culture. Ultimately, brands need to integrate the voice of their customer into their day to day activities, so that employees pay closer attention to what customers are saying about products. As the results from user generated marketing become clear, they will start to look at the reports and leverage the data in many of the ways described above. Once that happens, a higher level of customer-centricity will be achieved than could ever be reached with research reports and focus groups.

Over the past few years, several factors have conspired against marketers to remove them from the driver’s seat. Customers have more control, more choices, more information and more access to opinions of others. At Bazaarvoice we have a Latin motto for the new marketing strategy of today and tomorrow: Aquiro, Sermo, Dilato. Translation: Acquire the conversation and amplify it. With the right tools and strategy, brands can enable their ‘scout bee’ customers to do their waggle dance on their web sites, for the rest of their shoppers.

By Sam Decker

Sam Decker is VP of Marketing and Products for Bazaarvoice (www.bazaarvoice.co.uk), a hosted and managed solution for ratings and reviews and social commerce.