DM - End of chapter ET questions

(ET 2) - 1. Why is it important to consider the business context when planning your marketing strategy?

A business context is a context in which a specialized vocabulary is employed, if you are able to understand your customers and the greater business context you will be able to act more effectively on them, meet their needs, pains, gains, wants and so you can better interact with them and determine your marketing strategy.

(18) - 3. What is the difference between a goal and a KPI?

A goal states for the defined action that visitors should perform on a website, or the purpose of the website. The goal of a website or campaign in web analytics refers to an action that a user takes on a website or a type of user behaviour. Goals answer the question, "What do we need users to do in order to achieve our objective?" Key performance indicators or KPIs are metrics that are used to indicate whether objectives are being met. KPI answer the question, "What data do we need to look at to see if goals are being completed?"

(12) . How can a merchant try to ensure that their own marketing efforts do not overlap with those of their affiliates? Why would a merchant want to reduce overlap?

A good way for merchants for avoid overlap with their affiliates' campaign is by securing a list of the affiliates' affiliates and other marketing website. Too much overlap with saturate some areas of the market while leaving other possible outlets untaped. Simply put, it creates poor coverage.

(18) - 2. What would you learn from a single-page heat map?

A heat map can show you exactly where users click on a web page, regardless of whether they are clicking on links or not. It produces information that helps you to know which areas of a website are clickable, but attract few or no clicks, and which areas are not clickable but have users attempting to click there. This can show you what visual clues on your web page influence where your visitors click, and this can be used to optimise the click path of your visitors.

(12) What is the difference between a lifetime cookie and a lock-in cookie? How do you think lock-in cookies affect the commission levels offered by merchants?

A life time cookie has no expiration date as long as it is not remove by the user from the computer. Lock-in cookie are a first come first serve system, the first affiliate to advertise a company's product is locked into the commission for the life of the cookie even if a user visits another affiliates site later on. I think lock in cookies might raise the commission levels offered, because the merchant would only ever have to pay one commission for a sale.

(15) - 1. What are some of the pitfalls of engaging difficult customers on social media platforms?

Any social media strategy should account for the risks and challenges of interacting in this environment, and should incorporate a protocol for dealing with these risks. Mistakes on the web can take a long time to recover. No one cares. Especially when building a community from scratch, it can be difficult in the beginning to get the traction you want. This is why understanding the landscape in the context of your organisation's market is so important. Make sure you are interacting in the spaces where your customers are, and where they are happy to hear from you. The social media space is used by unhappy customers (who are free to post detractive comments). Even if the only feedback you are getting is negative, this is good feedback! Now you have an opportunity to do something about it. It requires ongoing attention and monitoring. Social media channels may be free, but there is still a time and resource investment required to make your strategy a success. Understand what your objectives are for using social media, and budget the time required to meet those. It can be difficult to measure the impact of the campaign. Social media can be difficult to measure, but that does not mean your campaigns are not successful. Don't expect to find a solution (or success) overnight. Start with measuring things that can be measured easily, and watch for case studies in this space that will help you to turn your social media investment into revenue for your organisation

ET 8 - 2. Why do customers respond so positively to personalised communication?

Because they want to trust their peers, are connected via the web and mobile devices to those peers as much of a day as they would like. They expect information to be available to them on demand ... They require transparency and authenticity from their peers and the companies they choose to deal with they gain this with personal communication.

(12) Why do you think some affiliates run affiliate programmes for their own websites?

Because they will likely receive return on there investment from the affiliates that they sponsor and increasing traffic to there website makes them a more desirable hosting site. This will increase the likelihood that the merchants will communicate with them to make the affiliate program hosted by their website more effective. As mentioned in the is chapter, communication is essential to a successful affiliate campaign.

(16) - Emails that are expected and recognised are more likely to be read. How can a marketer use this knowledge to increase the readership of emails?

Cluttered inboxes and busy subscribers mean an email that's lengthy and difficult to get through probably won't be read. Help the subscribers by structuring the email content into segments, making use of borders or colour blocks to accentuate and divide content. It's important to balance image and text in the emails. Make a point of placing images next to the relevant text

(ET 4)-1. What is content marketing strategy?

Content marketing strategy is a process that includes an understanding of all the content your brand is creating, those for whom it is intended, and to what purpose. Content marketing is an umbrella term, one which focuses on matching content (information or entertainment) to your customer needs at whichever stage they are in the buying cycle or customer journey. Unlike TV, where the advertiser pushes messages to a captive audience, the focus is on engaging content, which means that marketers must think like publishers (attracting an audience) rather than seeing themselves as advertisers (buying an audience) of a product. The Internet has, in many respects, cut out the middle man. Consumers and brands can now connect directly through a number of easily accessible online platforms. The Content Marketing Institute offers the following definition: Content marketing is a marketing technique of creating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract, acquire, and engage a clearly defined and understood target audience - with the objective of driving profitable customer action

(12) As an affiliate, what factors would you look at before joining a programme?

Evaluate relevant metrics (determine which ones are most important to the individual affiliate -Who and where competitors are/where networking for the affiliate extends to - Any mandatory fees and optional additions -What level of support is offered and options -Cookie periods, networks, commission -Industry regulation and brand control -Advertising - through web/other platforms, e-mail subscription lists, coupons, social media presence

(ET 3) - 1. What is the purpose of exploratory research?

Exploratory Research is research conducted for a problem that has not been clearly defined. It often occurs before we know enough to make conceptual distinctions or to posit an explanatory relationship. ... Exploratory research helps determine the best research design, data-collection method and selection of subjects.

ET 7 -

For some real online copywriting practice, choose an article in a magazine or newspaper, and rewrite it for an Internet audience

ET 6 - 2. Which is more important in web design - functionality or look and feel?

Form follows function, like any great design. This is especially true for websites where you have about 8 seconds to capture the visitor's attention and interest. If you do, then make it clear what action you would like them to take next

ET 9 - 1. Why do links send signals of trust to search engines?

If others link to a site it is like they are voting on that site as an authority in whatever subject it pertains to. They are directing there own readers to that site usually because they found the information or services pertinent and of good quality.

(16) - 3. Why is it important for permission to be gained before marketing by email to a prospect?

If the recipient has given permission to be sent marketing messages by email, then it is not spam. Users give permission when they tick a box that says: "Yes, please send me offers from your company by email". The email address can be provided to another company only if the user ticks a box that says: "Yes, please send me offers by email from third parties selected by you". Permission must be explicitly given to the company. Trying to gain permission in a sneaky way is illegal.

(19) - 2. What is a conversion rate, and why is it so important to marketers?

Is the rate of customers who visit a site and then how many of these customers actually buy thing from the website. This is important to marketers, because when they have a very low conversion rate they have to maybe change something on the website or on their marketing strategy.

(15) - Should all brands be active in social media spaces? What brands have less to gain from trying to create an online community?

It is not nessasary for all brands to be active on social media, think of brands which not every one knows, such as a showerhead company. They can have offline contact with their customers, there is not enought intrest of people around the world in these sort of companies for them to be on social media

ET 9 - . How can analysing the links to a competitor's website help aid your own link building strategy?

Looking at the links will give you a good idea of the information architecture of the site. Following established conventions for information architecture for a specific type of site will help users by providing a hierarchy they are familiar with. It will also give you an idea of the naming conventions used for specific types of information.

ET 9 - If meta data are no longer used for ranking purposes, why do they still have an important role in SEO?

Meta Data can still tell a Search Engine a little bit about the content of the site and are sometimes displayed alongside the page listing.

ET5- Why is it so important to look at what the user needs from your website before considering any other factors?

Most of the work on user experience (UX) competency focuses on an individual's ability to show evidence of technical skills. But technical skill is just one sphere of expertise required by UX practitioners. A fully-rounded UX practitioner also needs competence in two additional spheres of practice: process and marketing.

ET 8 - 1. How do you think CRM changed or evolved as social media rose to popularity?

Most traditional CRM systems are used to capture data for sales, support and marketing purposes. On top of simply creating a central repository for data access, these systems and their related databases also offer basic analytics. The actual range of data collected within the traditional CRM system is dictated by the CRM objectives. Nowadays, companies are using CRM for social media. Widespread social media usage means that CRM has to be conducted in this forum in order to deliver an all-round experience for the customer. Not only should social media be integrated into any existing CRM strategy and looked at from a touch point and channel perspective, but social media can also be used to drive CRM. Brands have realised that they need to leverage this in their CRM strategies and now understand that communication is not one way (from brand to consumer), or even two way (between consumer and brand) but multi-directional (brand to consumer, consumer to brand, consumer to consumer).

(19) - 3. What can you test on an eCommerce product page? List three examples.

On EImages: images of different sizes, or entirely different image content, could make a big difference. Call to Action: "Add to cart" or "Buy now" may affect shopper behaviour. Shipping information: test to see whether displaying shipping costs before actual checkout affects the volume of customers starting the checkout process, as well as its effect on completing the purchase.

(ET 3) - 3. What role does online research play in the overall market research toolkit?

Online research is conducted by several methods, including surveys, online focus groups and online monitoring. Companies with online properties have access to a wealth of web analytics data that are recorded digitally. These data can then be mined for insights. It's worth remembering, though, that it's usually impossible for you to access the web analytics data of competitors - so this method will give you information only about your own customers. Customer communications are also a source of data that can be used, particularly communications with the customer service department. Committed customers who complain, comment or compliment are providing information that can form the foundation for researching customer satisfaction. Social networks, blogs and other forms of social media have emerged as forums where consumers discuss their likes and dislikes, and can be particularly vocal about companies and products. These data can, and should, be tracked and monitored to establish consumer sentiment. If a community is established for research purposes, these should be considered primary data, but using social media to research existing sentiments is considered secondary research. The Internet is an ideal starting point for conducting secondary research based on published data and findings. But with so much information out there, it can be a daunting task to find reliable resources.

(ET 3) - 2. What is primary research?

Primary research is new research, carried out to answer specific issues or questions. It can involve questionnaires, surveys or interviews with individuals or small groups. Secondary research makes use of information previously researched for other purposes and publicly available.

ET 7 - 3. Why does web copy need to be easy to read?

Simply because scrolling makes it more difficult to read copy online. It's why your paragraphs need to be short, and plenty of white space is needed. You also need lots of bullets for scanners. Of course all copy should be easy to read, online or not.

ET 6 - 1. What is an XML sitemap?

Sitemap is a list of pages on a website that is accessible to all users. An XML sitemap is a way for website owners to tell search engines about all the pages that exist on their website.

ET 8 - What ethical problems do you think customers might raise with regards to behavioural tracking?

Social customers are increasingly turning to social media channels for support. With the immediate accessibility offered through mobile devices, they see this as a convenient channel to communicate with brands. This means that brands need to respond quickly and transparently to consumers' questions, gripes and even compliments. A support query going unanswered on Twitter, for instance, is likely to cause frustration for the consumer, and prompt them to take a situation that is already visible to other consumers even further, potentially causing a brand crisis.

(14) - Why is transparency so important to marketing using social media? Has this halted or accelerated the use of social media for marketing?

Social media implies a democratisation of information, and requires authenticity and openness from those who deliberately use it for marketing. This means that good and bad stories spread and stick around. Although they are engaging publicly with a wide audience, marketers need to remember that they are communicating with individuals. While marketers should engage in the conversation, and possibly lead it, they cannot control it. Social media allow anyone to have a say, and the same tools that are available to individuals are available to companies. Company blogs allow a brand to build a personality and to interact with their target market. Entertainment created and spread via social media increases brand touch points. Using the same channels that are available to your consumer aids in understanding the consumer, and levels the plane of conversation. This has accelerated the use of social media for marketing.

ET 9 - 4. Why is it important for search engines to keep updating their algorithms?

Some dis-honest website creators are constantly trying to outsmart the search algorithms to get there websites to appear high on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). Some such ploys include spamming blogs with links to the website in question.

ET 9 - Why is it better to have more niche pages of content than fewer pages that cover a lot of content?

Targeting niche content offers the possibility of taping into a proportionally high traffic audience with a lower level of direct competition. Also having very specific pages that are clearly labeled will help your reading quickly drill down to what they are looking for rather than arduously searching through general content.

(ET 4) - 2. Why is the customer journey or buying cycle relevant to content marketing strategy?

The content of your marketing strategy depends on which stage the customer journey is at the moment. When the customer is at the stage of awareness you need to connect to your customer, they need to be aware of the product. When the customer is at the stage of evaluation it is necessary that you explain how the product works. So the customer buying cycle is relevant to the marketing strategy on what you want to reach at the moment with your customer.

(ET 2) - 2. How has the Internet affected marketing and the models we use to understand it?

The internet has changed the world in which we sell. It reaches beyond being a new channel for marketing and offers a new paradigm for the way consumers connect with brands and with each other. The models in which we use to understand and crafting a digital marketing strategy:- Context, Objectives, Value exchange, Tactics and evaluation, Metrics, ongoing optimization

(11) Online banner advertising and outdoor display advertising both use images to try to increase sales. In planning, both need to consider placement so as to be seen by their most likely audience. What are the key differences?

The main difference between online advertising a just about every other form of advertising is that all forms of online advertising is highly trackable. There are also many options for paying for online advertising so you could only pay when a desirable action is taken as a result of the advertisement. However, it is sometimes difficult to determine who should get the credit for a sale if the user visited several sites that advertised for the same company.

(16) - 1. What is meant by 'mass customisation', and why is this so beneficial?

The technology of email marketing allows for mass customisation - it is one-to one marketing on a macro scale. By creating valuable content, establishing the correct frequency and testing the email for display and deliverability, an email marketer should be able to ensure an excellent delivery rate. Permission-based email marketing can give the highest return on investment of any marketing activities. Technology allows mass customisation, allowing personalisation across a large list of subscribers.

(11)2. Why is display advertising an effective acquisition channel?

There is very little separation between advertisement and a means for making a sale. The customer can see the advert and then immediate click though to the product page for the advertised item.

(15) - 2. What skills do you think are important for a great community manager to have?

To be a successful and effective online community manager, you need more than stellar social media skills. While a strong understanding of social network growth is a great start, the best community manager candidates will bring a wide range of non-social media skills to the table. Use this list of qualities to distinguish yourself from social media managers and demonstrate a complex understanding of the community management position at hand. By showcasing aspects like your strong writing skills, ability to plan events, PR savvy, and clear understanding of analytics, you'll show the company hiring that you have what it takes to leverage their private online community to achieve measurable business objectives.

(ET 4) - 3. How do you decide what new forms of content your brand needs?

To decide what new forms of content your brand need, you first have to take a look to your brand essence/value proposition which sums up the unique attributes of a brand and the basis for its emotional connection with customers. Then what kind of information needs to reach my customers, and potential customers? What is the best way to do it? You got to choose a format, like a video, infographics, images, event, quiz, rating, e-book, guides, articles etc. Hereby you gain (and keep) the attention of the customers. Determining your objectives is an essential part of your marketing planning, and should feed into your content marketing strategy. Understanding the journey your consumers go through as they approach your ultimate sales goal will enable you to match content formats to their needs. A humorous video may be successful in initially making potential customers aware of your brand. Once you have their attention, however, a research paper or useful case study could be more effective in convincing them that you are the best choice in the market.

(18) - 1. Why is it so important to use data to inform business decisions?

Understanding how it works and how to think about data on this scale provides some valuable lessons for all analysts. • Measure trends, not absolute figures. The more data you have, the more meaningful it is to look at how things change over time. • Focus on patterns. With enough data, patterns over time should become apparent - consider looking at weekly, monthly or even seasonal flows. • Investigate anomalies. If your expected pattern suddenly changes, try to find out why - and use this information to inform your actions going forward.

(11)Go to www.wheels24.co.za and www.thetimes.co.za. What advertising can you find on the front page of these two websites? What products are being advertised, and how are they being advertised? What can you deduce about the target market for these products?

Wheels 24 took me directly to a website for Anzio Wheels and the Times Live website had advertisements for JCPenney, PhotoCode, a Dating Site, an HR System, and an OB/Gyn as well as several sponsored links for insurance. Anzio Wheels is a very sleek flash based website with desktop downloads advertising there band of wheels. This is most likely geared toward a younger tech savvy audience. The Times Live web adverts seem to be geared primarily toward an older/middle aged audience. And financially minded individuals interested in things like insurance and HR Systems.

(16) - 2. What are the key differences between direct marketing by email and direct marketing by post?

When used to foster relationships with a customer base, email marketing can go a long way to increasing the lifetime value of that customer. Furthermore, email marketing is highly measurable, and databases are able to be easily and thoroughly segmented. However, it does not take much for email to be marked as spam, and it can be difficult to recover from being branded as a spammer by the ISPs.

(19) - Describe a situation where an A/B test would be more suited as a data-gathering method than a multivariate test

When you are testing something specific, so when you have decided that you have two best options and you want to know which of those two will preform the best.

(14) - What is the difference between advertising using social media and marketing using social media? What are the benefits of social media to each, and what are the challenges?

While marketers can use the tools of social media to convey their message, the characteristics that define a social media website are also important. Social media allows users to express themselves, and this means that demographic information can be compiled to allow for more useful and targeted advertising. This presents many opportunities for targeting advertising, and for finding creative ways to reach an advert-fatigued demographic. It also introduces the risk of dealing with personal information - make sure you're up to speed with the relevant laws in your country. Benefits: Social media gives brands the opportunity to interact with customers through relevant and targeted communications that customers can choose to engage with on their terms. Furthermore, social media's potential to go viral is one of its greatest benefits - if users like your content, they will share it with their own communities. It also allows marketers to capitalise on the creativity of their consumers to spread their message further, often at very low cost. Then, social media allows you to engage with an online community and allows you to connect your brand to the appropriate audience, creating an online community for your brand and its supporters. Social media has created a forum for brand evangelists. Finally, the numerous interactions allow you to garner feedback from your communities, which helps drive both future business insights and innovation, as well as marketing strategies. You can learn more about your audience's likes, dislikes, behaviours and needs. Challenges: Companies need to be aware that bad messages spread as quickly as good ones, and the connectedness that can prove so useful can also be a conduit for negative messages and brand attacks. Social media facilitates a two-way conversation between customer and company. This necessitates that the company shifts approach from 'deploy and watch' to one of constant involvement with the audience. This new landscape is one in which the customer really is king, and any attempt to dethrone the king can have dire consequences. Efforts to control the conversation in social media are soon found out, and can backfire horribly. Any company embarking on a social media strategy needs to be sure to monitor their reputation online regularly. It is crucial to know what is being said in order to be able to respond timeously and communicate in the social media sphere. Finally, never forget that special rules and laws apply when you are dealing with personal information provided by users - be very careful how and where you use this data.

(ET 2) - Do you agree with the idea that customers are more empowered than they were before digital communications were so prevalent? Motivate your answer.

Yes, definitely since the digital communication is so prevalent every customer is informed through the internet. Customers can search the product online and know a lot more of the product than they would know without the digital communication. When a customer has a problem with a product but he/she is very busy with their job or are not in the country they can reach the producer or seller along the Internet with: E-mail, Facebook, Instagram etc.

ET 6 - 3. What role does a website play in an overall digital marketing strategy?

http://www.emarketer.com/newsroom/index.php/role-brand-sites-play-content-marketing-landscape/

(13) 1. Why should commenting on videos be encouraged?

social video marketing can be a key component of an integrated marketing campaign for your business. A social video has the sole purpose of entertaining the viewer while getting them to interact and comment through social media channels. A social video is something you may find on Youtube or on a company's landing page. It provides brand awareness that promotes your business, what you do, and for whom.

(14) - Visit www.guardian.co.uk. List the ways in which this print publication is embracing social media

• Social networking: There is a community created online where people can share real-world connections, interests and activities, or are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. The users are also allowed to create personal profiles and then interact with their connections by sharing media, sending messages and blogging. • Content sharing: The users are free to put their ideas and opinions in their blog messages and then others are allowed to respond on them. • Bookmarking and aggregating: The website encourages users to submit content to bookmaking and aggregating sites use chiclets. You can find these chiclets on your left side when you have clicked on an article. Some examples of them are: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google Plus. • Location based: You can see that the website is location based because it offers a service which shows you the weather of your location.