This week, Google announced an enhanced analytics service that offers additional services and faster data turn-around times than the traditional, free, Google Analytics(GA) service. The service, Google Analytics Premium, gives advertisers the ability to look at metrics related to campaign performance with a 4 hour turn around time compared to the 24 hour turn around time that standard GA offers. In addition to the faster turn around time for campaign performance measures, the premium service offers increased processing power (read: faster results) and phone support.
Google is billing this as an opportunity for marketers to make data-driven decisions about campaign ad spend in a much shorter amount of time; to be more nimble in a fast-paced world. The advantage here is as a campaign launches, marketers can understand if they’ve properly targeted their audience within 4 hours of going live. Tweaks to the targeting can be applied same day as launch and the impact of these tweaks can be seen before you might have even seen initial results with standard GA.
It’s great to be able to report on the impact of a spendy campaign within hours of launch. What is done with the decreased turn-around time is another story. This product is being billed as a solution to enable marketers to make data-driven campaign decisions faster than ever. How many organizations are nimble enough to execute changes to a campaign that likely took many man-hours and lots of targeting research within a few hours?
For $150,000 annually, do you think the enhanced service is worth the price tag? Would your organization feel the difference and make faster decisions getting campaign metrics same-day vs. 24 hours later?
The ASTD International Conference & Expo takes place each Spring with more than 8000 training professionals from over 70 countries from Fortune 500 companies like Walmart, Campbell Soup, Exxon Mobil as well as international government and small business owners. This year’s event will be held in Orlando, FL from May 22 – 25, 2011.
This year’s theme is Leadership. Key note speakers include:
Marcus Buckingham, author of, “Find Your Strongest Life” (Thomson Nelson, 2009). Marcus will be speaking of fulfilling the quest for long-lasting personal satisfaction in work and life.
Doug Conant, CEO of Campbell Soup Company and Mette Norgaard, Ph.D., international expert on strategic leadership. Co-authors of the book, “TouchPoints: Transforming Everyday Interactions into Powerful Leadership Moments” (Jossey-Bass, May 2011)
John Foley, Solo Pilot of the Blue Angels. He will discuss his formula for closing performance gaps and provide tools to begin a high performance climb.
There will also be over 200 learning sessions. One of these sessions will be led by Dave Dec, Lead Technical Trainer at MyWebGrocer. Dave will deliver a course to his international peers titled, “Presenting YOU: Powerful Performance without the Bullets!” Dave will teach his unique approach to training that leaves the audience with the skills to deliver highly engaging training with strong presentations, content take-aways, and less reliance on bullet laden slides.
Dave was also named to the planning committee for the 2011 conference as well as 2012.
This article from Razorfish highlights connecting the dots for consumer behavior in a similar way to our methodology and other technologies that are out there for cheap to crunch the data without investing in a data warehouse.
A new search technology released by Yahoo recently claims to provide you with answers, not links. Yahoo Search Direct is Yahoo’s version of Google Instant, but with richer content. Seth Shashi, the head of Yahoo Search, dubbed Yahoo Search Direct as the “next generation of search.”
Features
Search Direct is starting the release with fifteen main search preview categories with expansion will occur throughout the year
Search results on tablets and mobile devices will be optimized for your device
Search results are made up of items “most clicked” on the Yahoo search network
Rankings are dynamic and ever changing
Search trends will be showcased before you begin your search or for any query
Opportunity for Advertisers
In the next few month, Yahoo will roll out sponsored search and braded results in the search box
The roll out will happen first in the US, then trickle into international markets
Predictions
Less traffic direct to publishers- With less need for users to click on links for answers, it is inevitable that publishers and content providers will see a decrease in traffic. For advertisers who use content networks, this will also mean a decline is ad impressions.
Increased search share for Yahoo – Whether it’s curiosity, advertising, or ease of use, I am sure that this roll out will help Yahoo’s search share. For advertisers that means making the most of adCenter.
While my primary job is training personal shoppers in-store for online grocery shopping, another part of what I do is document and publish best practices. As a trainer you can imagine how great it is. I mean an instructor is always a student. I love to learn. So learning anything well enough to be able to train others is an exciting part of the training profession.
If I were to document the best practices for customer service for personal shoppers, the list could be quite long. It includes things like call the customer with substitutions before making them, selecting the freshest items, and excluding dented or dinged products. If you cannot find the best items ask, the department manager. Smile too. Those are a few important details.
Although they are important details, it boils down to one simple practice; The Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Many books, op ed pieces, and courses are available on the topic of customer service. As a Dale Carnegie Certified Coach, we know all the best habits and practices are covered by this golden rule.
Online grocery shopping is no different with one caveat. I have been in stores where managers tell shoppers to shop as if they were shopping for themselves. I see shoppers select bruised fruits, crushed boxes, fresh dates within a couple days away. This is because some folks – like me when I shop – don’t care about some of these when shopping for ourselves. But when online customers are paying a fee and an average basket size over $180.00 (that is across all of our chains) the golden rule needs a lift. Do unto others even BETTER than you would have them do unto you. Some may think of shopping for some one they love, or for a customer who is paying you to shop and trusts you. This way you will ensure positive word of mouth advertising and recurring orders. And, it’s just the right thing to do.
MyWebGrocer drives digital connections between consumers, grocery retailers, and Consumer Packaged Goods brands. MWG creates and manages digital solutions for clients including websites, digital media, online circulars, email marketing initiatives, mobile applications, social media strategies, and customer acquisition programs. MyWebGrocer works with more than 110 retailers nationally, representing more than 10,100 stores, and operates the largest grocery ad platform in the nation.
