Marketing Pilgrim Published: “Bing Powered Search Hits 30% Share” plus 4 more |  |
- Bing Powered Search Hits 30% Share
- Tools Used to Manage the SEOmoz Community
- Amazon to Offer Ad-Supported Kindle at Discounted Price
- Kiip Offers Real Rewards for Virtual Success
- Bing Announces New Business Portal Beta
| Bing Powered Search Hits 30% Share Posted: 12 Apr 2011 05:19 AM PDT I wrote a while back to wake me up when Bing powered search (combined market share of Yahoo and Bing search) reached 40%. Well, in March a new plateau was reached as the two search entities combined to hit 30% so I may now have one eye open. Experian's Hitwise reports these numbers.
This is a good sign for Bing powered search as Google's slip in share looks to be directly contributable to the increase in searches using the Bing search engine. The next step that Bing needs to see is a true second place position over Yahoo. Bing has poured untold millions into building its brand while Yahoo is just coasting on what it gained long ago. In fact, what advertising do you see about Yahoo search? I don't see any but then again I also don't see it all by a long shot. While the Bing numbers look impressive and they are doing things to improve the search experience for end users and businesses alike, it's important to remember that to credit this combined number to Bing is more of an industry and PR play than anything else. I would bet dollars to donuts that most Yahoo search users don't have a clue that Bing powers the search results for the former Internet powerhouse. Since most searchers don't make it past the first few organic results in many cases it's even more unlikely that they would see the microscopic "Powered by Bing" at the very bottom of the SERP to let them know. Then take it step further and accept the fact that they just don't care. So the progress is good because these monthly slips in Google's death grip on search share will hopefully make Google more vigilant. While it has never been said directly one has to wonder if the Larry Page as CEO era wasn't spurred on by the evidence that Google may have been getting fat and happy and simply needed a wake up call. So we'll ask our monthly question, do you think that Bing has a real chance to challenge Google? If you are an SEO, are Bing and Yahoo getting your attention yet? Will they be able to help searchers break the "Google habit" and maybe even more importantly, will they be able to do it at Bing or will they continue to use the "Bing Powered" search tag to put up bigger numbers?
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| Tools Used to Manage the SEOmoz Community Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:07 PM PDT
As the Community Manager for SEOmoz, I see our community as a number of areas: Any interactions that take place with members on our own site, on Social Media sites (mainly Facebook and Twitter) and in-person. So when it comes to how to "manage" the community it's not totally cut and dry. As most Community Managers do, I find myself putting on my Customer Service hat one second and my Marketing hat the next. It's a role that changes almost constantly and I rarely finish tasks I set for myself the first day I set them, as the community always comes first. But there has to be a method to my madness right? Well, as much as there can be, there is. There are certain tools that I use every single day, that help to keep me sane. Some of them help me to manage some of our Social Media efforts; others keep me informed on who's talking about our brand (some do both ☺). Let me jump right in and explain the tools I use, why I use them and how they help me manage the SEOmoz community. I've also tried to do this in a somewhat chronological order of what I use first, although I use all of these at various times throughout the day. HootSuite for Android This is also where I start to favorite tweets that I'll come back to later in the day when I want to catch up on great posts. Once I make it into work, my Google dashboard, is first on the list.
Google Alerts + iGoogle Dashboard
This is the first thing I check every morning to see what's going on. It's not entirely comprehensive, but it shows me a great snapshot. Once I check out the dashboard and have made sure nothing is blowing up (usually figuratively CoTweet My CoTweet Inbox From this display I can assign a tweet to someone, translate it, email it, retweet, archive it or reply to the person. You can also see on the left I have my followers' updates, my outbox, follow ups, lots of saved searches and lists. It's like a one-stop-shop for Twitter! If you click on a specific user, it brings up their profile on the right of the page and you can see their conversations with you, other Tweets, bio and even their Klout score.
Finally, the search functionality in CoTweet is excellent. I set up a number of searches and check them throughout the day. For example the main search is for "seomoz -rt -via -”daily is out”" to give me the real tweets without retweets and extra stuff. This is a similar set up to my Google Alert Dashboard I talk more about below, but this is specific to Twitter.
Facebook I'd love to hear how you manage your Facebook page though! I'm always open to trying new things; I just haven't found anything I love. Plus I'm a Facebook junkie so I'm always in there all day anyway. ☺ PostRank What I love about it is that it shows me visually what's going on with a specific post. Obviously if I want to find out more information about tweets that are happening, or what's going on in the comments, I'll need to dig deeper outside of the tool. I also use this to report every week to our list of SEOmoz bloggers so they can see how their posts are doing compared to others.
Plus, as with any other marketing channel, social media has KPIs. Here at SEOmoz, PostRank helps me report our successes and challenges associated with my weekly and monthly KPIs. Hooray for reporting! Backend Monitoring + Mozzer Power The greatest tools that we have working behind the scenes are the actual SEOmoz team and Associates. Sometimes there just isn't a tool that can determine if a user is getting out of hand in Q&A or if a link is pertinent to the post at hand and people power is the best way to go. It's important to train others in your company/organization to help manage different aspects whenever it makes sense. All of our associates are trained on editing and deleting spam comments and I definitely rely on their help. When managing such a large community, it's always better to ask for help than to get inundated. [I won't go on and on too much here, as this topic alone is it's own post ☺] The Community! As an example, there are often times when a new community member will leave a well thought out comment, but will also leave a link to their website (that has nothing to do with the comment). Since we go in and delete links that aren't of value to the post at hand, other community members will reply to the author in the comment and let them know the rules. Sometimes the author will change their comment before an admin even gets a chance to. I love the power of community. ☺ Email These are the tools I use every day to manage the amazing and ever changing SEOmoz Community. I'd love to hear what tools you use and why!
The opinions expressed by the author of this post are their own and not necessarily those of Marketing Pilgrim. Join the Marketing Pilgrim Facebook Community
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| Amazon to Offer Ad-Supported Kindle at Discounted Price Posted: 11 Apr 2011 05:09 PM PDT
Amazon calls it Kindle with Special Offers, a name which was obviously crafted to make the reader feel like they’re getting something good out of the deal. Instead of showing the usual Kindle book-themed screensaver, the new edition will show a full-page ad. Black and white, only. Remember, Kindle doesn’t do color. What’s even sillier is the Kindle Ad-Mash up which asks users to vote on their preferred ads and only “screensavers with the most preferred votes qualify to become sponsored screensavers.” Really? Amazon is going to turn away McDonalds if the voters don’t like the ad? In return for the privilege of showing you these lovely ads, the Kindle will also serve up special deals such as $10 for a $20 Amazon Gift Card (can you say Groupon?) or a $1 album from the MP3 store. How much would you pay to NOT have these features on your Kindle? Amazon is guessing $25.00. That’s the price cut you get if you buy the Kindle with Special Features instead of the regular Kindle. That’s $114.00 plus Super Saver Shipping! I understand Amazon’s interest in making better use of a large amount of oft-viewed real estate. What I don’t understand is why they’re selling it to outside companies? Wouldn’t it make more sense to use that front page to promote Amazon best sellers and things I can actually buy and download? When you look at the full list of special offers (which you can see here), it reads like one of those affiliate scam pages. Get a laptop free after you complete ten of these fine offers such as a subscription to Audible and a MasterCard with a $100 a year up front fee. I have a Kindle. I’ve been loyal to my Kindle even in the face of e-readers with color and iPads that sing and dance. But this new Kindle with Special Offers makes Amazon look cheap. If you’re going to go with advertising, Amazon, go all the way and deduct $100 off the cost of a new Kindle. Now that would be a truly special deal.
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| Kiip Offers Real Rewards for Virtual Success Posted: 11 Apr 2011 02:25 PM PDT
Well, Kiip (www.kiip.me) (pronounced “keep”) thinks we all deserve better than that. For all the time and dedication we all put in to game play, they think we should get something real, something tangible and that’s what they’re company is all about. The Kiip Rewards Network gives advertisers the ability to offer real prizes when players succeed at virtual games. Lower level prizes include discounts or coupons for free snacks, while higher levels might equal a t-shirt, a DVD or even a vacation. Brian Wong, CEO & co-founder, Kiip says;
On paper, it sounds like a brilliant concept, but the success of the program will depend on Kiip’s ability to match-make brands with popular games. Right now Popchips, Sephora, Vitaminwater and Carl’s Jr. are on board and their press release says they’re aligned with 15 mobile games, but they don’t say which ones. The concept of playing a virtual game for a tangible prize isn’t new. Hundreds of brands have used instant win games online rewarding players with everything from a free Snapple to a vacation in Hollywood. But instant win games are all about luck, not skill. The allure of Kiip is that it’s all skill based. Put in the time with the game and get a reward. The other side of the Kiip coin is the brand awareness factor. A player may not sit down hoping to win lunch at Carl’s Jr. but when it’s offered to them as a congratulations for beating level 38, it’s going to get noticed. That brand name is going to sink in. That’s the funny thing about winning, it makes you feel good even if you don’t want or can’t use the prize. Instead of reading more of what I have to say, you’ve got to watch their very amusing introductory video. The tone of the piece tells you a lot about the company. It’s hip, it’s clever and it’s honest. Click here. You won’t get a free sample of Popchips, but you will get a smile, absolutely free without any purchase.
Kiip: An Introduction from kiip on Vimeo.
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| Bing Announces New Business Portal Beta Posted: 11 Apr 2011 10:32 AM PDT
If my discussions with Bing’s Director of Search, Stefan Weitz and Andy Chu, Director of Product Management, Bing for Mobile are any indication, Bing is looking to take a serious shot at it with it's brand new Bing Business Portal which will replace the existing Local Listing Center.
Of course, the success of any effort like this is completely dependant on how many people know about its existence and who amongst those folks will utilize it. It's my hope that Bing will do more than a press release, talk about it for a while and then 'let it do its thing" approach especially considering currently being a distant second in search share to Google. So what makes this new offering better over the previous one? Here are a few highlights that were mentioned to me: - Quicker verification for business listings via phone (mail option available as well) Bing is giving some special attention to restaurants as noted in the post from the Bing blog
Of course, Bing is very interested in the mobile aspect of all things local. Right now, Google completely dominates the mobile search game and Bing has its work cut out for them. Some estimates of that domination say 97% of mobile searches happen with Google. According to the Bing team, with 50% of mobile searches having a local element to them there is great interest in making inroads in this rapidly growing space but with Google's initial lead can it be done? To help SMB’s see how this listing can be helpful in all areas of an Internet strategy, the business portal does a nice job of allowing businesses to preview the variety of ways their listing will appear including desktop and mobile. They can create a mobile site and a QR code as well. Below is a screen shot of the window sticker preview which will get customers at the point where you want them which is when they are closest to a purchase.
In addition, Bing will be incorporating its Deals offering heavily into the business listing as well as the mobile and desktop search experience.
And the cartoon mentioned earlier to help SMB’s see how this all works? Here is a sample of it below as it relates to Deals.
So for now, the Bing Business Portal will be in beta. I joked with Weitz and Chu if they would adopt their competition's technique of leaving a beta tag on products for years on end and I was assured this wouldn't be the case. Since there is a lot to this expect many tweaks moving forward as more SMB’s experience the new Business Portal experience. As far as I can tell, the best way for this to move out of beta to really challenge Google is going to be something that Internet players are notoriously awful at which is hitting the streets to evangelize and sell their offerings the old-fashioned way. Sure, we all like to think that every SMB owner / marketer is online every minute of every day and just knows how all f this works intuitively. That's just not reality. If Bing is to win in make real progress against what Weitz refers to as the "Google habit", they are going to need to embrace the SMB at their level. They will have to come down off the tech mountaintop and mingle amongst the commoners to show them what they do and how it will help them. If they adopt the "Well, we put it out there so they should just get it!" approach they will fail in tremendous fashion. Even Google is seeing the value of this approach as they have promoted what used to be Hoptpot (now integrated into Google Places) in local markets like Portland, OR, Austin, TX, Charlotte, NC and Las Vegas, NV. How successful they have been is being debated so Bing has its work cut out for it if they go this route at all. Bing needs victories to truly move the needle in the search game and to prove that they are a good alternative to Google for search, mobile and local. Many SMB's are already using Microsoft products so the recognition is certainly there but these can't be grouped and sold together. Internet marketing is a separate deal when it comes to the SMB crowd. These people treat marketing very differently than larger organizations and the winner in this local game will be the company that finally gets this fact and starts hand holding the larger market who is not predisposed to self-service Internet marketing offerings. Right now Bing is the only game in town that has a chance of putting a nick in the Google search armor. Can it be done? Sure, but this is going to need to be a door-to-door, leave not stone unturned effort that gives the SMB the feeling that Bing is different. It's actually a two-fold effort because by asking SMBs to get on board with the Bing Business Portal you could even help them change their personal ‘regular’ search habits as well. Since SMB's are influencers in their families and in the communities if they start singing the praises of Bing you never know what kind of habits might be broken. Will it happen that way? Who knows? In one of my first conversations with Bing's Weitz he said that he loves being the underdog because it allows for more freedom to try different things. In order for this effort to truly take root Bing is going to need to be very different. They have poured so much money into traditional advertising and partnerships with the likes of ESPN to get the brand recognition (which they claim is 70% currently) now it's time to reach deep and spend money educating people (i.e. SMB's) on the value of adopting Bing and how that adoption can applied to win more business for the local player. In other words, the SMB’s need to see that Bing will make them more money. That’s not so hard to understand, right? In the end though, if not enough people are using Bing to find what they need what incentive does the SMB have to truly get on board? This is a chicken and egg scenario that is tough to navigate because even if the SMB ultimately likes the Bing Business Portal over Google Places but not enough people search on Bing to find stuff all of this won’t matter. The SMB will concentrate where the business is. Can Bing do it? Heck, people quit smoking all the time. Quitting a search engine would be a lot easier if someone knew there was real value in changing. The Google habit is a tough one to crack though, especially when you are like Bing who appears to always be playing catch up even in areas where they are ‘innovating’. It’s a tall order for sure. So what do you think? Does Bing have a chance in the local and mobile space to unseat Google in the local / mobile space before it does in the traditional search space? Does this announcement make Bing more of a local player in your eyes?
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