Getting Granular: The DigitalGrit Blog

We've Partnered with Offermatica to Optimize Online Marketing Campaigns

"Relationship Enables Clients to Reduce Customer Acquisition Costs Through Targeted A/B and Multivariate Testing"

...and we're pretty excited about it. Read about it.

We've Partnered with Offermatica to Optimize Online Marketing Campaigns

"Relationship Enables Clients to Reduce Customer Acquisition Costs Through Targeted A/B and Multivariate Testing"

...and we're pretty excited about it. Read about it.

Who Moved Your Cheese?

Imagine this:

You’ve just left work and have five minutes to run into the food store to pick up some string cheese before you have to be at little Johnny’s Soccer Tournament of Champions. You run in the store, run down the cheese aisle and go to grab it when you suddenly realize the cheese aisle isn’t the cheese aisle anymore. It’s now the Stationary/ Paper Goods aisle. Where did the cheese go? Why did they change it? It’s your turn to bring the team snack, and string cheese is perfect. It’s low fat, high protein, easy to eat and not messy … you need your string cheese! You now have to search for the string cheese. You’re now annoyed. Suddenly your five minute quick stop turns into a twenty minute harried hunt.

Change - some people like it, some people don’t.  Sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes it’s for the worse. And then sometimes, even though it’s really for the better, it appears to be for the worse. Don’t let this be the situation with your Web site.

We design and create a lot of Web sites for our clients. When we do this, part of our process is to ask all sorts of genius-caliber questions and one of them is, “How are you planning on marketing this change to your users?” I am usually greeted by silence or asked, “What do you mean? We’re making it better, so why do I need to tell them?”

Here’s why:

Human beings are funny about change. Tons of psychological studies have been done on how people react to it, and why. Just like the food store example above, your web users are used to certain things being certain ways and in certain places. When you switch on them, even if it’s for the better, they may feel negative about it, even with something as slight as a new background color (just ask eBay). They have to take the time to relearn your site. They get disoriented. They get frustrated. And they leave. Here you’ve spent time/money to make your site great and your users are abandoning it.

So what can you do?

1. Tell them when it’s coming. You don’t even have to use an exact date, but let them know changes are on their way. “Look for our new design in November 2006!” Post the news on your site, include it in your enewsletter or email campaigns. Spread the word!

2. Tell them why it’s coming. Point out the benefits they will reap from this change, and be specific where you can (e.g. “… a shorter checkout process, 360 degree product views”). If you’re making changes based upon feedback from your users, tell them this!

3. Show them what’s coming. Give them a preview of improved functionality, the cool new design. Not only will this help your users get an idea of what to expect, but it can help you gain some champions who will spread the word, which leads to my next suggestion …

4. Get their support. When we built a new application for one of our clients, we conducted some user testing using leaders from the group of employees the app was being built for. Not only did they provide us with great input, they felt like they had a part in making it great and became internal evangelists, driving excitement and making the acceptance cycle much easier and shorter.

5. Give them support. Offer them tools that assist them in getting used to the new setup. Use a demo, a special HELP section. Provide redirects for pages, remind them to set new bookmarks. Deliver in-person training. You get the idea.

6. Give them the reins. If you can, (this often depends upon what types of changes you are making), let them choose when they want to switch over, or add the changes in using a phased approach. The feeling of control or time to adapt will go a long way towards acceptance.

Not only will these suggestions help your users, they also offer you great additional marketing and branding opportunities as well. But that’s a topic for another time …

Who Moved Your Cheese?

Imagine this:

You’ve just left work and have five minutes to run into the food store to pick up some string cheese before you have to be at little Johnny’s Soccer Tournament of Champions. You run in the store, run down the cheese aisle and go to grab it when you suddenly realize the cheese aisle isn’t the cheese aisle anymore. It’s now the Stationary/ Paper Goods aisle. Where did the cheese go? Why did they change it? It’s your turn to bring the team snack, and string cheese is perfect. It’s low fat, high protein, easy to eat and not messy … you need your string cheese! You now have to search for the string cheese. You’re now annoyed. Suddenly your five minute quick stop turns into a twenty minute harried hunt.

Change - some people like it, some people don’t.  Sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes it’s for the worse. And then sometimes, even though it’s really for the better, it appears to be for the worse. Don’t let this be the situation with your Web site.

We design and create a lot of Web sites for our clients. When we do this, part of our process is to ask all sorts of genius-caliber questions and one of them is, “How are you planning on marketing this change to your users?” I am usually greeted by silence or asked, “What do you mean? We’re making it better, so why do I need to tell them?”

Here’s why:

Human beings are funny about change. Tons of psychological studies have been done on how people react to it, and why. Just like the food store example above, your web users are used to certain things being certain ways and in certain places. When you switch on them, even if it’s for the better, they may feel negative about it, even with something as slight as a new background color (just ask eBay). They have to take the time to relearn your site. They get disoriented. They get frustrated. And they leave. Here you’ve spent time/money to make your site great and your users are abandoning it.

So what can you do?

1. Tell them when it’s coming. You don’t even have to use an exact date, but let them know changes are on their way. “Look for our new design in November 2006!” Post the news on your site, include it in your enewsletter or email campaigns. Spread the word!

2. Tell them why it’s coming. Point out the benefits they will reap from this change, and be specific where you can (e.g. “… a shorter checkout process, 360 degree product views”). If you’re making changes based upon feedback from your users, tell them this!

3. Show them what’s coming. Give them a preview of improved functionality, the cool new design. Not only will this help your users get an idea of what to expect, but it can help you gain some champions who will spread the word, which leads to my next suggestion …

4. Get their support. When we built a new application for one of our clients, we conducted some user testing using leaders from the group of employees the app was being built for. Not only did they provide us with great input, they felt like they had a part in making it great and became internal evangelists, driving excitement and making the acceptance cycle much easier and shorter.

5. Give them support. Offer them tools that assist them in getting used to the new setup. Use a demo, a special HELP section. Provide redirects for pages, remind them to set new bookmarks. Deliver in-person training. You get the idea.

6. Give them the reins. If you can, (this often depends upon what types of changes you are making), let them choose when they want to switch over, or add the changes in using a phased approach. The feeling of control or time to adapt will go a long way towards acceptance.

Not only will these suggestions help your users, they also offer you great additional marketing and branding opportunities as well. But that’s a topic for another time …

Viral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing - Bringing Down Governments

Never underestimate the power of WOM and viral marketing.

From The Guardian:

Anyone unused to the wacky world of the Philippines' celebrity-studded political landscape might wonder how an alleged recording of the president, Gloria Arroyo, purportedly attempting to rig last year's presidential election has suddenly become Manila's most popular mobile phone ring tone. 

The craziness hasn't stopped there. The "Hello! Hello! Garci" sound clip - which opposition politicians claim Ms Arroyo said at the start of a conversation with the electoral commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, before asking him about her final vote total - has also been turned into a car horn and is being fitted to some of the traditional Philippine buses, called jeepneys.

According to CNN, in fact, the ringtone has become so popular....

A Web site offering a mobile phone ringtone featuring the words "Hello Garci" briefly crashed late last week as thousands of Filipinos clamored to download it.

CBS radio predicts that the now-unpopular President, who gained her position through a revolution, may now lose it as a result of a very different kind of revolution. The tone, which features highlights of the alleged conversation between the President and the election official, has set the discussion to a rap beat, complete with some choice sampling.

Pretty crazy. Who would have thought that a little Motorola flip (or a population of people carrying them) could potentially bring down an entire government?

Viral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing - Bringing Down Governments

Never underestimate the power of WOM and viral marketing.

From The Guardian:

Anyone unused to the wacky world of the Philippines' celebrity-studded political landscape might wonder how an alleged recording of the president, Gloria Arroyo, purportedly attempting to rig last year's presidential election has suddenly become Manila's most popular mobile phone ring tone. 

The craziness hasn't stopped there. The "Hello! Hello! Garci" sound clip - which opposition politicians claim Ms Arroyo said at the start of a conversation with the electoral commissioner, Virgilio Garcillano, before asking him about her final vote total - has also been turned into a car horn and is being fitted to some of the traditional Philippine buses, called jeepneys.

According to CNN, in fact, the ringtone has become so popular....

A Web site offering a mobile phone ringtone featuring the words "Hello Garci" briefly crashed late last week as thousands of Filipinos clamored to download it.

CBS radio predicts that the now-unpopular President, who gained her position through a revolution, may now lose it as a result of a very different kind of revolution. The tone, which features highlights of the alleged conversation between the President and the election official, has set the discussion to a rap beat, complete with some choice sampling.

Pretty crazy. Who would have thought that a little Motorola flip (or a population of people carrying them) could potentially bring down an entire government?

When PR Goes Horribly Wrong - The Snapple that Drenched Manhattan

Poor Snapple.

In a badly-orchestrated, grandiose PR effort yesterday, New York's Union Square was literally flooded with "the best stuff on earth" -- only the really cold, gooey version.

The company had attempted to top the Guiness World Record for the largest popsicle ever (the question WHY? comes to mind) to promote a new icy dessert product, but seems to have "misunderestimated" the sweltering NY weather. The popsicle melted before it could be released from its casing, producing a scene that looked like something out of "Nightmare on Elm Street." (Remember Johnny Depp in the bed-blender?)

In addition to requiring several fire hoses to clean up the sticky mess, apparently one woman tripped, severely spraining her ankle, a bike messenger was injured, and several other minor injuries were reported.

And not only did they not break the record, Guinness was left with a bit of a negative impression: "What was unsettling was that the fluid just kept coming," Stuart Claxton of the Guinness Book of World Records told the Daily News. "It was quite a lot of fluid. On a hot day like this, you have to move fast."

Images are less exciting than the disaster scene descriptions via newspaper and local radio, but the shots of the event team's face pretty much say it all.

Not surprisingly, Snapple does *not* intend to try this stunt again.

In another bad PR move, Snapple has posted NOTHING on their site about the incident, and seems to have removed press releases dated June 17 that announce the event. Parent company Cadbury Schweppes is also mum.

Note to Snapple: Next time, just give out free stuff. People like that wayyy better than being doused with frozen goo.

In more positive Snapple news, the company has sealed a deal with NYC to be the exclusive provider of certain beverages to muncipal vending machines for 5 years. They're also opening the Snapple Theatre Complex in NYC, date TBA.

When PR Goes Horribly Wrong - The Snapple that Drenched Manhattan

Poor Snapple.

In a badly-orchestrated, grandiose PR effort yesterday, New York's Union Square was literally flooded with "the best stuff on earth" -- only the really cold, gooey version.

The company had attempted to top the Guiness World Record for the largest popsicle ever (the question WHY? comes to mind) to promote a new icy dessert product, but seems to have "misunderestimated" the sweltering NY weather. The popsicle melted before it could be released from its casing, producing a scene that looked like something out of "Nightmare on Elm Street." (Remember Johnny Depp in the bed-blender?)

In addition to requiring several fire hoses to clean up the sticky mess, apparently one woman tripped, severely spraining her ankle, a bike messenger was injured, and several other minor injuries were reported.

And not only did they not break the record, Guinness was left with a bit of a negative impression: "What was unsettling was that the fluid just kept coming," Stuart Claxton of the Guinness Book of World Records told the Daily News. "It was quite a lot of fluid. On a hot day like this, you have to move fast."

Images are less exciting than the disaster scene descriptions via newspaper and local radio, but the shots of the event team's face pretty much say it all.

Not surprisingly, Snapple does *not* intend to try this stunt again.

In another bad PR move, Snapple has posted NOTHING on their site about the incident, and seems to have removed press releases dated June 17 that announce the event. Parent company Cadbury Schweppes is also mum.

Note to Snapple: Next time, just give out free stuff. People like that wayyy better than being doused with frozen goo.

In more positive Snapple news, the company has sealed a deal with NYC to be the exclusive provider of certain beverages to muncipal vending machines for 5 years. They're also opening the Snapple Theatre Complex in NYC, date TBA.

Blog Public Relations 101

There is a lot of buzz around Blogs lately. Initially, it was about how to commercialize Blogs and now it’s about how to communicate your message to Blogs through Public Relations tactics. I thought it would be helpful to share my five-step process on how to begin a Blog Outreach program. I hope these basic guidelines help you cultivate the right relationships within the Blogosphere.

1) Put a communications plan and timeline together: What is your objective? Why do you think Blogs are a target media outlet? What types of Blog publications are relevant to your business?

Note: Cultivating relationships with Blogs takes time. Incorporate this into your plan and timeline. Never pitch or use angles you would use for typical Public Relations, think of Blog Outreach as anti-Public Relations. Remember, Blogs are not about you or your company it is about the Blog editor and their audience. The best approach is to identify the human side of your business, develop that story so that it is not commercial but personal. Weave that messaging strategy into your plan and remind yourself that that Blog Outreach is not like picking up the phone and calling a Wall Street Journal editor.

2) Identify top-tier Blogs: Go straight to the sources. If you are a Public Relations person then you know that getting coverage in Reuters and Associated Press automatically gives you coverage in numerous publications. Similarly, a well-positioned Blog will syndicate to hundreds of other Blogs. You can use Blogdex (http://www.blogdex.com/) to determine the potential. And, of course, there are other ways.

3) Draft the story: Know the Blog you are about to correspond with, research his or her posts find out what matters to him/her then write an email that has a personal touch and resonates with the Blog editor. Ensure, of course, that your message is short, concise and consistent because, after all, PR is also about managing your company’s message. Never ever blast a boilerplate email "pitch" to a Blog.

4) Measure and adjust: Make sure your client or you have the ability to single out your Blogs to determine how much traffic they are sending and whether they convert for you. A conversion can be any action you want a visitor to take on yours or your client's website.

5) Expect the worst: You will get indifference. Don’t take it personally, and don’t persist…well known Blogs do not need to respond to you. Why? They have enough content to talk about. Also, you may get flamed publicly for poor communications tactics.

I realize this is very high-level, but it should provide a good foundation for a Blog Outreach program. Ultimately, it is about the story you are trying to tell to the Blogs and how well they know you that will make it a successful program. Remember, Blogs are a type of publication just like Newspapers, Magazine and online media are. They each require a different mode of communication, a more personal touch.

Note: There is a major Search Engine Optimization tie-in with Blogs. If I get enough interest or comments, I may share with you all how you can integrate your Blog outreach with your Search Engine Optimization efforts.

Blog Public Relations 101

There is a lot of buzz around Blogs lately. Initially, it was about how to commercialize Blogs and now it’s about how to communicate your message to Blogs through Public Relations tactics. I thought it would be helpful to share my five-step process on how to begin a Blog Outreach program. I hope these basic guidelines help you cultivate the right relationships within the Blogosphere.

1) Put a communications plan and timeline together: What is your objective? Why do you think Blogs are a target media outlet? What types of Blog publications are relevant to your business?

Note: Cultivating relationships with Blogs takes time. Incorporate this into your plan and timeline. Never pitch or use angles you would use for typical Public Relations, think of Blog Outreach as anti-Public Relations. Remember, Blogs are not about you or your company it is about the Blog editor and their audience. The best approach is to identify the human side of your business, develop that story so that it is not commercial but personal. Weave that messaging strategy into your plan and remind yourself that that Blog Outreach is not like picking up the phone and calling a Wall Street Journal editor.

2) Identify top-tier Blogs: Go straight to the sources. If you are a Public Relations person then you know that getting coverage in Reuters and Associated Press automatically gives you coverage in numerous publications. Similarly, a well-positioned Blog will syndicate to hundreds of other Blogs. You can use Blogdex (http://www.blogdex.com/) to determine the potential. And, of course, there are other ways.

3) Draft the story: Know the Blog you are about to correspond with, research his or her posts find out what matters to him/her then write an email that has a personal touch and resonates with the Blog editor. Ensure, of course, that your message is short, concise and consistent because, after all, PR is also about managing your company’s message. Never ever blast a boilerplate email "pitch" to a Blog.

4) Measure and adjust: Make sure your client or you have the ability to single out your Blogs to determine how much traffic they are sending and whether they convert for you. A conversion can be any action you want a visitor to take on yours or your client's website.

5) Expect the worst: You will get indifference. Don’t take it personally, and don’t persist…well known Blogs do not need to respond to you. Why? They have enough content to talk about. Also, you may get flamed publicly for poor communications tactics.

I realize this is very high-level, but it should provide a good foundation for a Blog Outreach program. Ultimately, it is about the story you are trying to tell to the Blogs and how well they know you that will make it a successful program. Remember, Blogs are a type of publication just like Newspapers, Magazine and online media are. They each require a different mode of communication, a more personal touch.

Note: There is a major Search Engine Optimization tie-in with Blogs. If I get enough interest or comments, I may share with you all how you can integrate your Blog outreach with your Search Engine Optimization efforts.