Go Green, Go Online

I received a robo-call today from Best Buy. It stated that in order to use less paper and increase security that "The Reward Zone program is making some changes" beginning in October. From the Reward Zone website:

* Certificates will now be available online and members will be notified via email. To make sure you're ready for this change, please follow the next few steps to set up your online account.
This is important because starting this fall:

* Certificates will only be available online. They will no longer be sent to your mailing address.
* Most accounts without e-mail addresses will be cashed out and certificates issued in $5 increments. Any points under $5 will be forfeited.
* To remain an active member you must make at least one qualifying purchase at Best Buy during any continuous 12-month period (not every calendar year).

This move is well done on a number of levels:

1) Several months notice to members before changes take effect.
2) It saves paper, postage, fulfillment... in short - a lot of money!
3) It makes communication with Reward members almost instantaneous - via email. It also allows Best Buy to promote with special URL's and offers to this group. Better marketing!

So consider moving more of your paper-based marketing processes online like Best Buy.
Our landfills and your corporate budget will thank you.

Another one bites the dust

Just a few day ago a client removed the Yellow Page functionality from its Adbuilder website for its dealers. That makes two that I know of since January. Its not that the print yellow pages don't have any readers. They still do, but its less and less each day.

Yellow page spending continues to go down by double digits, sinking 14% this year and 10% in 2010. It was down 6% in 2008 to make matters worse. This according to Jack Meyers Media Business Report, “Advertising & Marketing Investment Forecast 2008-2010.
The same report has Local online search is forecast to be up 8% (in this economy) and rebound to 14% growth in 2010. Folks, SEM didn't exist a decade ago.

According to a Feb.2009 Nielsen Online Survey, 50% of consumers surveyed reported they use online search engines to find local businesses, followed by yellow page directories at 24% and internet based yellow pages at a paltry 10%. Its pretty clear that consumers feel comfortable clicking versus thumbing through a thick yellow book.

The only puzzling question is when will more big companies get the hint and encourage their retailers to spend their co-op funds more wisely?

What will we do with all that extra money??

I don't have to stare at the media spending reports too long before a striking conclusion hits me. Traditional (i.e expensive) media down; online media (not expensive) up.

What will retailers and SMB's do now that they don't have to feel hostage to traditional media to promote their business? What will they do with all that extra coin?

If you've spent any time around dealers you know how they love to carp about the yellow pages. The huge cost of the books that they're in -- the ones they couldn't afford -- the ones they missed deadlines for and were blocked out of the market for a full year. On and on the stories go. Newspapers are a close second. Thousands spent for one issue.

No more.

Local businesses can pay per click through and promote their message to in-market consumers through online search marketing. They'll know how many people saw their ad, and how many clicked through on their landing page. If they use a free service like Google Analytics they can even tie those consumer clicks to specific actions on their website like filling out a quote request, or a contact form. Change ad copy and offers as often as you like. Very cool. Very flexible. Very actionable.

No wonder spending on local search is increasing by double digits while print newspaper and yellow page spending is decreasing by double digits.

Froogle is now Google Product Search

One of the new beta services we got to see at the recent B2B Refocus Summit in Mountain View was Google Product Search.

This free service takes a product data feed from a brand manufacturer or online seller and pipes it into organic search results with a link to buy online.

Several advertisers are using it now with good success http://www.google.com/base/help/ps_quotes.html.
screenshot of product search results

This service is part of Google Base and unlike Froogle years ago, this has the ability to have much more impact because it displays in-line with normal search results... no need to click away to see shopping results.
We're recommending it to clients that not only sell online, but sell collaboratively with their retailers (i.e where the purchase starts on the brand website and gets fulfilled by a network of local retailers). Complete coverage is the key here.

Google Product Search is also further recognition of how and why consumers use online search. Searching for product information is a core "pre-buy" activity. We conducted research in 1996 that proved this and began adapting our websites to address this need. Froogle sought to tap into this activity -- albeit in a separate area with an obscure name. Now its improved and part of mainline organic search -- right where consumers want it.