I’m not really an impulse buyer—I usually go above and beyond researching products and options before I make a purchase.  Having my smartphone always with me has made the detailed process of product research to purchasing speed up.  I think that many new mobile consumers may also be experiencing this trend. I also believe many businesses are benefiting from their new on-the-go customer bases.

Consumers are ever evolving with their buying habits as they embrace new technologies, like smartphones. How have things changed? We can now scan bar codes and search for competitive prices for the same or similar products.  We can read reviews about businesses and their products and services. We can also post our own thoughts and share our experiences by writing reviews or publishing on blogs. And don’t forget our likes and dislikes are displayed throughout social networks.  For many businesses today, it is now their customer bases that drive sales or prevent them.  Ultimately consumers are now the sales people for companies.

How can businesses make mobile customers happy to ensure they communicate about products and services positively? A business needs to make sure their website is developed for a mobile screen, so that it is readable. The path to the conversion or sale also needs to look  good on a smaller screen. My HTC EVO does have a large mobile screen, so most sites read perfectly fine for me.

Here’s the latest example of how I (a consumer) have voiced my feelings about a product via a smartphone:

With the Amazon store app right on my home screen, I am now downloading songs left and right.  Disappointed with all of the negative reviews of Eminem’s new album, Recovery, I downloaded it so that I could form my own opinion… and so that I could have some slammin trax that I could listen to as I mowed the lawn.  I give Eminem a big thumbs up on this effort and I had to place an order for the double vinyl album.

Hey Eminem, next time you’re “up north” stop by and check out our studio here at Oneupweb in Traverse City.  I think you’d be a perfect candidate for our “Be Relentless” Podcast series. And, I’d love to hear what you have to say to your fans in the digital world.

I’m feeling like a brand new me as a mobile consumer, doing my research and making informed purchases.  Chances are that if I had a positive experience with purchasing on your website and noticed other great things you have for sale, I’ll be back.  I might not make the purchase the first time through, but if you have what I need, can get me the facts, have competitive prices and look legit…let’s do business!

If your business needs a hand with jumping into the mobile technologies, contact Oneupweb!

Oneupweb’s Mobile Marketing Services Include:

• Mobile website development
• Custom iPhone application development
• Custom solutions

Having a dysfunctional website is detrimental. Like a terminal illness weakens a body, an insufficient site is sure to kill a company’s bottom-line.

No matter what industry you’re in (e-commerce, higher-education, travel & hospitality, and business-to-business or other), creating and maintaining a quality website will increase your company’s revenue. Websites need to be carefully developed in order to reach the correct balance of content and design. Creating the equilibrium of graphics, text and white space is crucial! And functionality of a website is just as important as the appearance.

Yet, most people don’t realize the dangers of poor website design. In our study we found that a website with confusing navigation will frustrate viewers and most likely cause site abandonment. Want to know a really shocking fact? During our study we found that e-Commerce sites have a task failure rate of 45%!

Scary, huh?

Fortunately, with the aid of our new formula, your website will drive sales rather than drive them away.  We’ve got what it takes to construct successful websites! Don’t be shy…contact us.

Recently Google rolled out some changes to their algorithm and user interface and results started changing quicker than Lady Gaga’s wardrobe (topical!). Maybe I’m just not set in my ways enough yet, but this doesn’t seem like something to panic over. After all, to me part of the attraction of SEO is the constantly evolving nature of search and the web. There’s no lack of challenge in this business, that’s for sure.

With algorithm changes and increasing personalization, it’s been hard to accurately rank positions. I see lots of forum talk and blog posts claiming that Google must be “broken” because a site which was once ranked quite high on the SERPs isn’t in those top results anymore (which causes confusion). Is your site dropping a sign that Google is “broken”, or a sign that you have work to do?

Before coming to Oneupweb, I worked at a company that did a lot of business with the automotive industry. And over the past few years this industry has been hurting. Looking around at my past company and others in the field, there were two attitudes—people that spent their time complaining about the situation, and people who tried to figure out how to win in the new environment. Which ones do you think survived, and even thrived?

As search engines make it harder to report on universal positions, SERPs expand to include more and more information. This causes change in the way people interact with their search, which creates change for the SEO industry. You can fret that Google is “broken”, because it isn’t working the way you expected, or you can learn the new rules.

Fortunately, I’m working with a team that’s committed to success. Sure, it can be tough to keep pace with a landscape that’s always in flux, but we seek challenges and that’s why companies work with us. It’s our job to stay current and we have a strong relentless approach. It’s just like my personal hero Rocky Balboa once mumbled, “It’s not about how hard you get hit—it’s how hard you get hit and keep moving forward.”

Need help with SEO? Be sure to let us know!

You may not be aware, but your Google AdWords campaign is probably already serving your sponsored links on these devices. A recent feature added to the Google AdWords interface is the ability to opt in or out of device targeting, which allows your ads to display on smartphones. You should opt out of smartphone targeting for your current campaigns and create duplicate campaigns targeting only mobile devices. That way, performance of mobile-targeted campaigns can be evaluated separately from computer targeted campaigns.

The potential of a high return campaign is great. The ad space on mobile devices is not as crowded as it is in a traditional paid search campaign, which means expect a lower CPC. And your mobile device campaign should be tailored to the device you are targeting.

Also, remember that users interacting with your website on a mobile device may not be ready to purchase, but rather they’re looking for information or a promotion. If you currently do not have a mobile version of your site, then you should land them on a page best suited for smartphone use.

As the digital ad landscape evolves, so must your thinking. Users are no longer simply accessing the internet from a desktop computer, but they are now increasingly using mobile devices—smartphones, handheld games and the new iPad. As wireless and broadband technology evolves, people find new and innovative ways to get online. And as technology changes the way people access information, your marketing must change to find innovative ways to reach your target audience.

The companies that do this will prosper in the new economy. Want to advance your marketing with mobile advertising? Be sure to let us know, because we’d gladly like to help you!

Starting with the basics, Lisa and Keirsun lectured on Facebook 101 and explained the mind-boggling changes Facebook has just implemented.

We conducted a poll before the webinar and we were shocked that 25% of business professionals do not use Facebook in their marketing mix. Facebook is a vital tool for engaging customers, so take advantage of it as soon as possible!

The topic was hot and made for great attendance. Not only did we have a large audience, we were also lucky to have a very active and engaged group of people.

Bummed you missed out on this awesome event? No need to shed tears…if you were unable to attend the live discussion today, you can get your fix at the Digital Roadshow archive. This archive is filled with loads of fun webinars we’ve hosted, so be sure to check it out!

We appreciated ALL the questions we received this afternoon. Still have questions? Please ask away, anytime. We are always here to help with marketing questions and concerns.

No,no, please don’t have me committed. I’m not crazy! I’m actually just coming to grips with targeted online advertising. Recently, I’ve found myself actually paying a lot more attention to the ads being targeted and delivered to me on a daily basis. It seems that things have come a long way since the “Hit the Monkey to Win a Prize!” and dancing baby display ads of five years ago. Instead of trying to come up with a single advertising campaign that will have the broadest (and generally most generic) appeal, marketers are taking advantage of targeted advertising to deliver very specific advertisements. This advertising results in marketers reaching consumers on a more personal and individual level.

I spent a brief time looking up music festivals during lunch and I’m now getting ads for this summer’s Bonnaroo Music Festival on my favorite tech sites.

Advertisers are getting more bang for their buck, because they are able to deliver targeted advertisements based on consumer online profiles that consist of previous searches and pages viewed. After reading a few reviews of camping equipment online, I’m now finding myself targeted with advertisements for products I am actually interested in and have been shopping around for (see below).

I must admit, for years I avoided online display advertising like the plague. After years of generic, dull and aesthetically questionable ads, I’m finding myself taking a second look at today’s customized advertising. I do find it slightly eerie that there are databases out there compiling advertising profiles based on my internet usage and personal life…

… Nice try targeted ads, but I’m actually in a great relationship already. Or maybe it’s picked up on my recent searches on targeted advertising and is trying to throw me off its scent? *Folds up a tinfoil hat, just to be safe.*

Got questions about what targeted advertising can do for you? We’d love to hear from you and have you pick our brains. No computers, please.

Internet applications that follow the robustness principle present fewer unwelcome surprises to users, and tend to be automatically more user-friendly.

For example, a search engine expects that you type something related to what you are looking for online. If you mistype “barn raising” as “bairn raising” you might be surprised to find results for lullabies! That’s because, for search engines to do the conservative thing is to return exactly what is searched. However, a smarter search engine might guess that Scottish dialect (for “baby”) from an English speaker in the U.S. is unlikely, and will question the user on the search. A search engine can detect a likely misspelling and confirm with the user by asking, “Did you mean barn raising?” The search engine will also provide results for what it thought the user actually wanted to search. Sure enough, the search engine I used to use, and the one I use now, both give these respective results. Usability leads to, well, more use!

This same principle is valuable in practically all social interactions, not the least of which is attracting people to your website (as a gateway to your products and services). Confucius said, “A gentleman is strict with himself and tolerant of others.” Jesus taught both “do to others what you would have them do…” and “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

So keep an eye out for our next white paper to see the results of our study. You want your website to be respectful to users and representative for your company. Don’t hesitate to ask how we can help.



Today, we sit glued in front of computer screens or, if we’re away from the desk, our mobile device is surely on. And rather than passively watching what happens when the unknown powder is mixed with the volatile liquid, we now have the opportunity every day to be a part of some newfangled online social experiment. You get to be one of the test subjects whenever a “beta version” of software or an app is released—it is the testing phase of development process. No goggles or lab coats required.

But not everything goes beta before it goes live. And sites like Facebook and Twitter are constantly rolling out new features or tweaking the platform. At Oneupweb, our team of digital marketing wizards are tracking, monitoring and analyzing all the new developments in the digital landscape—what will explode next?

Now here’s a little experiment you can try in the comfort of your own home that won’t require a fire extinguisher: whenever you’re ready, search for the “Oscars”, in Google (a current “Hot Topic”). You may have to scroll down a little depending on the dimensions of your browser window. Do you see the scrolling box of results? What about the big gorilla?

Well, when Google announced this new feature—real-time results—back in December 2009, we had a few questions. The basic idea is this: tweets, and current updates from Facebook, blogs, and websites will be integrated into the standard search results as they happen. But will people notice the real-time results and, more importantly, are these results getting clicks?

We rolled up our sleeves and headed to the Oneupweb laboratory. We were going to put the real-time results under the microscope, or rather, eye tracker.

Search is a key element of online marketing today. So it only makes sense for businesses to stay abreast of changes in the search landscape. And Google, Bing, Yahoo! and a variety of start-ups are getting into the real-time game. This is an online experiment that will have a huge impact on the future of search. Keep your eyes peeled—you don’t want to be caught off guard when real-time explodes.

But what about the gorillas? If you want to find out, download the free report, Search Gone Wild: An Eye Tracking Study On Google’s Real-Time Results.

Enter neuromarketing.

Neuromarketing is the study of neurological responses to marketing messages. While still in an early stage of development, neuromarketing studies are currently being conducted and their findings are being used for online marketing campaigns.

Now, there is some controversy over neuromarketing, but as of yet, there is still no way to pipe advertisements directly into people’s brains—so don’t worry. Current neuromarketing techniques include eye tracking, galvanic skin response and a variety of brain wave measurements.

Oneupweb has been conducting eye tracking studies for many years now. One of the most recent whitepapers is a study of search on social networking sites. The study was conducted by analyzing a subject’s eye movement while searching.

It’s 2010 and technology is changing the marketing landscape—innovators rejoice!

The quote, “a more hopeful state of world affairs,” can be applied to much more than just The Doomsday Clock. For many online retailers, 2010 is a year that needs to show improvement. And the good news is that the potential is there.

According to comScore, the 2009 holiday e-commerce season saw a four percent increase in spending over the 2008 season. Although not huge, this increase is a good sign of hope for 2010. People are still shopping online and although they are spending less, (1.5 percent less than 2008) comScore reports that the number of online shoppers still rose six percent (or by 8.7 million people). In addition, 2009 saw an increase in the number of people who turned to social media outlets to influence their online buying habits. 28 percent of consumers said that social media had some influence over their holiday purchase decisions.

What does this mean for your 2010 online marketing strategy? With more people shopping online and increasingly looking to social media sites to guide their decisions, it’s critical for your business to have a solid digital marketing plan in a place. It’s essential that this plan integrates both organic positions and utilizes social media in order to monitor and interact with your audience. Doing this will also help to build a positive brand image.

It’s not only about people finding your company online, but also what they learn about your business from other sites. Do you know what’s being said about your company? And what message are you sending about your company?

Remember, 2010 is full of opportunity if you know where to reach your audience. If you need help creating an online marketing plan, Oneupweb can certainly help.