Silver Square

We continue our series interviewing the experts of Masters of Business Online with James Paden of Vibrant Solutions.

SS: What will online business look like in 5 years?
JP: Obviously, more and more businesses are moving online.  For the first time, what I am seeing is that the internet is getting really crowded.  In search engine rankings, for example, Google has started putting greater emphasis on company’s with large establish brands and websites that have a long online history.  Both of these elements reward businesses that started sooner.  I see this trend continuing over the next five years.  The internet will become increasingly crowded and busy.  It will be harder for businesses to gain attention and attract traffic.  Local-based websites and search will help, but within five years they will be just as crowded.  NOW is the time businesses need to get online (actually, it was yesterday, but better now than tomorrow).  I don’t believe any business can wait a single day to create a website and begin marketing online.

SS: Why do you think social media has become so popular?
JP: I think social media is simply an extension of what we do offline.  It simultaneously gives marketers more influence/power and removes some risks (while adding others).  However, I don’t believe social media is for every business.  I think it’s a tool that will be extremely effective for some businesses, but not others.

SS: What website do you spend the most time at?
JP: Definitely Google, and not just for the searching.  I spend a lot of time in Google Analytics.  I moved all my e-mail into one Gmail account and started using Google Calendar and Tasks.  I probably spend 40% of my online time on a Google-owned website.

SS: Who is doing things right online?
JP: My former employer, Affordable Style, is doing a great job marketing online.  They market in every area from PPC, SEO, email, social media and even a little offline.  Unlike most organizations, their focus is both wide and deep.  They understand that online marketing is measurable and therefore are not afraid to experiment with new tactics and campaigns.  Their ROI is relatively simple to calculate and if a new campaign isn’t work, they simply cancel it.

James Paden - Founder, Vibrant Solutions

Topic: Optimizing Your eCommerce Platform
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We continue our series interviewing the experts of Masters of Business Online with Chris Lucas of FormSpring.

SS: Why should business owners worry about marketing online?
CL: One big reason is that it is a lower cost investment (usually) than traditional marketing. You can reach many more people online in a short amount of time for a much lower cost. Also, with online marketing you have the immediacy that you cannot get with other forms of marketing. You can quickly track and monitor if your online marketing is paying off by incorporating some simple and cheap tools. Finally online marketing is easy to test.The online space allows you to react quickly enhancing initiatives that work and stopping ones that are not. You don’t have to wait weeks and months to see results from certain online activities.

SS: What will online business look like in 5 years?
CL: We are already seeing a push from one-to-many to one-to-one marketing. I think we will see an even bigger emphasis on this… but we also have to be weary about all the data that will be available about our customers. We will have to walk a fine line of knowing what our customers want vs. not scaring them with all of that information. Marketers and companies who understand how to listen to customers, take in all the pertinent data, and use new online tools to connect and offer services or products that are relevant, will be effective in creating online advocates of their products.

SS: Why do you think social media has become so popular?
CL: Social media has become popular because of it’s ease of use. “Social Media” has been around for many years, but we are now seeing technology both infrastructure (wifi, broadband etc) and software, i.e web applications, meeting to make it very easy to share and consume information quickly. We’ve reached the proverbial “Tipping Point” from that perspective, and it allows people to interact with one another and share information that they find interesting with a low barrier to entry.

SS: What website do you spend the most time at?
CL: I spend a lot of time using/reading my RSS feeds which allows me to gather a ton of information quickly and read it when I want it. I spend time on Twitter, Facebook, and Smaller Indiana as well.

SS: Who is doing things right online?
CL: I think a lot of companies are doing things right online. I think the big takeaway is that you have to do what is right for your company and for your customers and that one size does not fit all! That being said, from companies that I follow, I would have to say Freshbooks. They are an online invoicing company. They have managed to build an incredible community of advocates and know how to take their online personality and translate it offline as well.

Chris Lucas - Marketing Specialist, FormSpring

Topic: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Online Forms
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We continue our series interviewing the experts of Masters of Business Online with Jon DiGregory of Cantaloupe.

SS: Why should business owners worry about marketing online?
JD: Because that’s not only where the people are but where the relevant people are… It’s taken quite a long time for traditional marketers to realize that marketing is now not about doing a “once a year” super-big-and-expensive-impact-campaign but rather an ongoing long-term conversation that allows your prospects to buy from you once they are ready rather than when you are ready. Understand that end users online not only have complete control over what they see when they see it but are also very much an “I like this, but what do you have for me now?” type audience – much more like a magazine audience then those that like reading novels.

And where can I get a constant stream of free relevant continually changing content that engages with things that make sense to me? Now, a business marketers challenge is to provide interesting, ongoing, disposable content that makes it OK for the right people to participate with while ultimately at the same time leading them to the right call-to-action(s) over and over again.

Not to mention that my tweeting, facebooking, build-my-own movies and put them online thirteen-year-old will soon be your prospect.

SS: What will online business look like in 5 years?
JD: Not sure about business but have a hunch on business “marketing.” Much more sincere and transparent. If you agree that the first move most people make when they first hear of you is not to call you up and ask “I know nothing about you will you sell something to me?” but instead gravitate to your website where they shop you anonymously. What are they looking for? The answer is “the truth” and the companies that will win are the ones that focus more on their story of how they solve problems rather then trying to be perceived as a company that never experiences any will win. 

SS: Why do you think social media has become so popular?
JD: Because it is extremely relevant, very disposable, and continually ongoing / changing content that can be interacted and participated with by all… for free. Now, the playing field is leveled where creative remarkable people can become significant without worrying about budgets.

SS: What website do you spend the most time at?
JD: I would have to say that it is now most likely Facebook. Especially since to date in ’09 I can attribute over six figures of contracted business by making relevant connections. Although I do have to admit that I could easily do without all the “what type of washing machine are you?” quizzes.

SS: Who is doing things right online?
JD: I have several but really it is anyone who figures out how to deliver entertaining / relevant content with the right marketing messages peppered in. Content that makes it “OK” for me to participate with while at the same time feels good when I pass it on to others I think will like it as well… The main reason for this is that the line between entertainment and business are quickly blurring (look at podcasts alone) which presents challenges for traditional marketers.

BMW Films was way ahead of its time by creating entertaining short movies that discretely featured their automobiles. Jib-Jab was brilliant in asking folks for their email address accompanying their first big “hit” This Land Is Your Land which created an audience of Millions. (By the way, Budweiser paid over $4 Million dollars for Jib-Jab to produce and deliver to Jib-Jab’s database a “Jib-Jab-esque” animation featuring the Budweiser Frogs. Why? Because they had the relevant willingly captured audience).

Jon DiGregory – Founder, Cantaloupe

Topic: Don’t Just ‘Do’ Video – USE Video
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We continue our series interviewing the experts of Masters of Business Online with Jacob Leffler of The Basement.

SS: Why should business owners worry about marketing online?
JL: I would not say they should worry about it, rather spend their time and energy understanding their client’s and potential client’s attitudes on it and actions within it.  Based on those attitudes and actions, I would recommend providing value to their audience within the online channel(s).

SS: What will online business look like in 5 years?
JL: It will be ubiquitous.  It will not be relegated to your PC on your desk or in one room in your house. It will be all around you.

SS: Why do you think social media has become so popular?
JL: Convenience and novelty. It’s incredibly convenient, efficient and cheap to stay in touch with family and friends all over the globe. The novelty is the fact that the general, non-technical user can engage without possessing technical prowess.

SS: What website do you spend the most time at?
JL: My clients’ web sites.

SS: Who is doing things right online?
JL: That is a really big question.  I think many companies are doing bits and pieces right, but are having a tough time getting the most out of their online because they are executing it in a silo. In other words they are having their offline initiatives operate on a completely different level, different creative, different objectives, often produced by different partners, or their partners are not communicating, and as a result they send out inconsistent, incompatible communications.  The complete, integrated approach is the way to maximize online and offline to yield the biggest return.  It is hard to believe in 2009 you still have major consumer brands that spend millions on broadcast and refuse to promote their online in that broadcast creative. It is a huge missed opportunity.
       
The short answer to your question, that I have seen recently, is  Best Buy.  They are leveraging broadcast to help promote a key brand position they have claimed; technical support. In the broadcast spot they are exhibiting in a fun, creative and effective way how their online instant tech support, via Twitter, saves the customer time and hassle, while getting them timely and relevant information. The customer, in return, can make a smart purchase from Best Buy and get their new gear up and running quickly.  After all, who wants to spend money on a new gadget and have it sitting in the box because you cannot figure out the install process? Great brand position, great broadcast, driving back to the web for a convenient and positive experience. That is what it is all about.

Jacob Leffler – Principal, The Basement

Topic: Creating Effective Online Experiences
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We continue our series interviewing the experts of Masters of Business Online with Ron Brumbargerof BitWise Solutions.

SS: Why should business owners worry about marketing online?
RB: EVERY business relationship these days starts with due diligence via a company’s Web site.  Neglect such and your business is sending the wrong message to prospective customers.

SS: What will online business look like in 5 years?
RB: Great question.  It will not be as clunky as we know it today with such difficulty in connecting the front in and the back end of a business together.  At BitWise, we are continually bringing the “back office” of a client’s business to the forefront of their Web site.  Such results in real, measurable and tangible ROI.

SS: Why do you think social media has become so popular?
RB: First, it’s kind of fun.  Second, it allows us to connect with those of like mind and values.

SS: What website do you spend the most time at?
RB: Foxnews

SS: Who is doing things right online?
RB: Ice Miller, Grow Indiana Media Ventures, iCORN.com

Ron Brumbarger – President, BitWise Solutions

Panel: IT vs Marketing

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We continue our series interviewing the experts of Masters of Business Online with Kris Dougherty of Delivra.

SS: Why should business owners worry about marketing online?
KD: As in why they should bother? Or why they should worry about it? If you’re asking why business owners should make sure they’re marketing online, my best answer is because online marketing has, if done correctly, the ability to reach more people, faster and with better tracking, than nearly any other medium.  If the question is “what should concern business owners about marketing online”, I’d say making sure to protect their brand.  In the email world, a large part of it comes back to authentication.  You want to ensure that your recipients know and trust that the email they see as coming from you actually is.

SS: What will online business look like in 5 years?
KD: I look at how the email industry has changed in the last 5 years and see two things:

• Increased growth/acceptance
• More security measures

Given that the cost of operating an online business (bandwidth, hosting, development) continue to decrease, and the number of people using the internet in all aspects of their lives continues to increase, I see a lot more businesses beefing up what they’re doing online.  Just having a website isn’t enough anymore.
I also see more specialty firms coming and more partnerships forming.  Less companies trying to be everything to everyone, but more interaction with others.

SS: Why do you think social media has become so popular?
KD: I think it has to do with the way that it brings people and information together.  Networks like Facebook and LinkedIn make it incredibly easy to find and connect (or re-connect) with so many people.  And once you are connected, you have the ability to quickly share information, whether it is an exciting new business opportunity or something more personal like photos. Humans are built to be part of a community, and social networks let you do that without ever leaving your home (and you can easily find a lot of people who share your interests, so your community can grow quickly.)

SS: What website do you spend the most time at?
KD: There aren’t a lot of websites that I spend too much time at in one sitting.  There are a lot of blogs that I check regularly, but I’m able to get the information I need in quick, short bursts.  I probably spend the most time digging into the research on the EEC website and MarketingSherpa.  Personally though, I tend to get sucked into slashdot forum postings for the longest stretches.

SS: Who is doing things right online?
KD: Google. Sure, they’re the giant now and that will always draw criticism, but the stuff they’re putting out every day is incredible.  When you look at who is doing things right online for email and social media, I would say that Kodak is doing a great job of engaging and communicating to their audience.

Kris Dougherty - Deliverability Specialist, Delivra

Topic: Segment and Track Engagements to Tailor Email Communication
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