Microsoft and Yahoo! Join Forces: So What's Next?

by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist

The big news in the air this week is the announcement of the 10-year merger of Microsoft's Bing search engine and Yahoo's premium search advertising tools. While rumors of this deal have been floating a long time, the official announcement unleashed a storm of web articles, blog entries and news stories.

Obviously, the people this affects most directly is the minority of users that still prefer Yahoo—roughly about 20% of the Internet community. And, it’s worth noting that in the span of time since the announcement was made, Yahoo’s stock plummeted—while Microsoft’s has stayed relatively untouched.

But the real question is-- how does this affect Search Engine Optimization campaigns currently underway? Here at Applecore, we’ve done our research and reached our own conclusions…

Is Google in Trouble?

Hardly. Google has been turned into its own verb, turning the search engine into a synonym for 'searching on the Internet.’ That kind of ingrained loyalty doesn't erode overnight. What early speculations suggest is that this could spark a competitive era the likes of which Google hasn’t yet seen: since it garners most of its revenue (up to 90%) from their search ads, any dent in their top dog market position could prove more harmful than it would have been a year ago. But a dent--rather than a wide-gaping hole--is all it would be.

Where’s My Data?

Does this merger affect the way the search data of users is used? Well, in a nutshell, not really. Smart consumers already know that “free” services—Facebook, Google or even social sharing sites—are never really “free.” Calling them low to no cost would be more accurate. Any search engine we use on the Internet is still, at the end of the day, a profitable enterprise. Whenever you use a search engine, assume that somehow, somewhere, it’s being looked at for potential revenue. But rather than be terrified of the implications of that statement, try seeing it as a great tool for your business.

Does This Affect My SEO Campaign?

The one thing this merger will definitely change will be all current Yahoo ranks and costs. Some speculate that since the cost of Google keywords can average 25% more than either Yahoo or Microsoft, the deal could create a tempting alternative for marketers hoping to lower their costs.

But at the end of the day, it's not because Google owns the greater market share that you pay for each click. Whether your budget is $5/day or $500/day, you won't get more than $5/day or $500/day worth of clicks regardless of market share. It's all relative, and still mostly unknown whether the deal will have any effect on PPC.

*

It seems unlikely that Google could be usurped anytime soon, but for the first time in a long time, it may not be for lack of trying.

In the News

Bing! Yahoo, Microsoft exchange vows for search and ads (Ars Technica)

Microsoft and Yahoo: Search partners (CNN)

Microsoft-Yahoo Search Deal: The Official Press Release (TechCrunch)

Using Flickr to Promote Your Small Business

by J. Butler, Content Development Specialist

Here's a great idea for local businesses around Newfoundland and Labrador--and even beyond: get yourself a Flickr account. Flickr is a popular website for users to pool photographs in one convenient online space. Long used by bloggers as a photo repository, now you can learn to use it as a low-cost, simple way to build on the web presence your company already has.

It's as easy as 1, 2, 3, 4!

1. Open a Flickr account.

It’s quick and easy. Each photo in your Flickr pool will have its own web page; it will be up to you to provide clear titles, descriptions and tags. The trick is to fill your Flickr space with photos that really capture the heart of your business.

2. Figure out why your business needs Flickr.

Are you a tourism operator with lots of beautiful pictures of your destination but nowhere to put them? Are you a small crafts store with lots of product images? Or maybe your business is known for being a fun, social place to work and you want to show it off! Whatever your reason, figuring it out will save you a lot of confusion and second-guessing in the long run.

3. Tag everything properly.

Organize everything very clearly—don’t assume that your customers will have the patience to sort through 200 pictures before getting what they want. If you’re sharing this on social media, keep all your links and redirects straight. Giving your photos plenty of relevant keywords will also make it easier for search engines to find, improving your ranking on search engines like Google and Yahoo!.

4. Just jump in and get started!

Find out if any of your customers or fellow businesspeople are on Flickr and link to them. It’s a great opportunity for networking and spreading the word about your business. Provide plenty of ways for your customer to get back to your website. And most of all—be creative and have fun.

*

If a picture is worth a thousand words, get ready for your business to write a whole novel!

Wanted: A Brilliant Technical Mind

Applecore is currently accepting resumes for a Senior Web Developer position in its Technical Department. We are always interested in connecting with creative, technical and strategic minds. Forward your résumé and portfolio to careers@applecore.ca.

Applecore's vision has always been to be a great place to work and a great place to do business. Want to be a part of it? Click here for the Senior Web Developer job description.

TA Climbs Mount Elbrus!

On July 12^th, 2009, Memorial University professor, adventurer at large and dear Applecore friend Dr. TA Loeffler successfully reached the summit of Mount Elbrus at 10:23 Russian time, the highest peak in Europe.

A huge congratulations to TA, seen here planting the Applecore flag at the top of Mount Elbrus.

In the wee hours of the morning, seven of their group of eight attempted their summit climb and five of these (including TA) were successful. In a conversation via satellite phone, TA said she was thrilled with the amazing progress her team had made, and that the weather was “very windy and cold.” The team made it safely down the mountain and TA was back in St. John's by Sunday, July 19th.

Tourism: A Social Media Butterfly?

As promised, here's the Applecore article that ran in the June 2009 issue of the St. John’s Board of Trade Business News Magazine. The theme of the month was Tourism, and since that's a subject which we know well, we just had to weigh in!

Tourism: A Social Media Butterfly?

Social media – it’s a phrase that people are beginning to recognize! In fact, many people use social media every day, though they may not call it that. Social media is an umbrella term for all the technologies that allow social interaction online. In other words, it’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs, and it may just be the best way to talk to consumers.

Social media has been an area of marketing many businesses have been more reluctant to adopt, for lots of reasons: they worry about losing control, about getting caught up, about taking on too much too fast. But it’s getting easier and more essential than ever to get involved. Otherwise, as consumers demand that companies engage in more direct interaction, we risk being left behind. A new business model is developing that gives more power to the consumer.

But it’s nothing to be afraid of! For industries like Tourism, which is not only the world’s largest industry but also a top online sector, learning how to have these conversations with travellers is crucial. The statistics are compelling: 3,000,000 messages are sent over Twitter every day, Facebook is used in over 170 countries, blogs have 346,000,000 daily readers and YouTube boasts over 100,000,000 videos. In most cases, start-up costs are minimal. With all this potential for consumer/company interaction, social media is becoming the natural, low cost platform for marketing a destination in a way that is honest, informative and transparent.

NewfoundlandLabrador.com is a great example of a tourism destination using social media. The province’s online tourism destination marketing has grown to include social media distribution channels like a YouTube channel, a Facebook page with almost 5,000 fans, a custom Twitter account, Travel Blog, a Virtual Scrapbook that features user-uploaded photos and comments/ratings.

Think of how far a good review can go when it comes to social media and trip planning! Online features like user reviews, peer to peer communication and fan comments hold a powerful influence over the average traveller. For example, a Jupiter Research study says 58% of potential travellers trust content from users, like consumer ratings or traveller reviews, for trip planning. The same study also said 36% named this user content as an influence in the final decision-making process, ahead of factors like brand awareness (21%) or even a friend’s recommendation (14%).

Beware of the “island effect”—or, letting social media platforms stand on their own with no interaction. Using social media right means connecting each channel – embedding your uploaded YouTube videos into your Facebook page, posting links to your blog on Twitter, redirecting from YouTube to your website. Each bridge you build between your “islands” makes it easier for the user to experience all your business has to offer.

So dive in—just take your social media in steps. You don’t have to master every platform at once. When it comes to social media, getting started is the hard part— riding the learning curve is fun and exciting. Remember--social media is a powerful marketing engine, but one that needs regular fuel and a willingness to learn.

Originally published in the St. John's Board of Trade's Business News Magazine, June 2009. All rights reserved.

Learn more about the St. John's Board of Trade.

e-Newsletters and Your Company

Very recently, we launched our company newsletter, Applecore Interactions, with three issues to date and many more to come. And really, what better time to bring it up: the e-newsletter is a subject that needs a little love.

First of all, it’s a great way to keep in touch with your customers. An e-newsletter keeps the connection you’ve built with your customers lively, and will hopefully give them a valuable taste of your expertise that leaves a favorable impression in their minds.

Plenty of readers still prefer e-Newsletters over the headlines-only approach of RSS feeds. A newsletter allows you a lot of creative freedom, and with formats that are often are a lot easier to digest.

Many businesses have struggled with the real purpose of a newsletter, both in current email format and its older paper cousin. What kind of information should it contain? How much are you writing for you…and how much for your company?

Of any good newsletter, 20-30% is promotion and news about the company. Beyond that, the most important thing is to always keep the reader in mind! It should be informative, entertaining and most importantly, worth their time! Offer articles that tie closely in with your line of business and suggest your company’s expertise in your field.

Newsletters give great feedback: you can keep track of the open rate, giving you exact numbers of how many people your newsletter is reaching. Make sure you give credit where credit’s due, linking to the full text of any article you mention or allude to—including your own blog or website!

Why not sign up for Applecore Interactions, our exclusive company newsletter? It’s full of great tips and tricks, as well all the things we stumble across in the interactive world.

Our Very Own Prince of Pop

Last Halloween, one of our web developers at large Gregory Pike made a video with his friends as a surprise for a big Hallow's Eve bash. It was a remake of Michael Jackson's infamous Thriller video, filmed entirely on location in St. John's, with Mr. Pike as the leading man. It was an office favorite for a long time. We thought the story ended there, but we were very mistaken.

It was eventually posted to Facebook, then YouTube, and this week, it caught the eye of a CBC producer. Before we knew it, he was asked to take part in a story about Michael Jackson tributes in the wake of the pop star's sudden and tragic death last week. Next thing you know, he's appearing on CBC's The National, busting out some pretty hip moves and making us awfully proud.

See the National clip here.

So here's a big congratulations to Greg! Not only is it great to see one of our own recognized, anything that calls attention to the wit, talent and creativity of Newfoundland's residents is a very good thing.

Note: this picture is just a joke. It was cooked up by the Art Department for the occasion.

The Thriller Video

Part One

Part Two

10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites

One article that has made the rounds of Applecore’s inboxes is Paul Boag’s 10 Harsh Truths About Corporate Websites, which we originally found on Smashing Magazine. As Boag states in his introduction:

We all make mistakes running our websites. However, the nature of those mistakes varies depending on the size of your company. As your organization grows, the mistakes change. This post addresses common mistakes among large organizations.

We took these 10 harsh truths and added our own viewpoints, and what your company can do to change them.

1. You Need a Separate Web Division

There needs to be one division for web. Period. And it’s for this reason that outsourcing your web needs is so helpful: no one trespasses on anyone’s turf, and decisions are made for the benefit of the website, rather than anyone’s ego. A single unified team means that the website won’t be a brochure, or an extended resume: it will be an accurate representation of your company’s daily life, and often, objective outsiders can provide the best picture.

2. Managing Your Website is a Full-Time Job

This is self-explanatory. In order for a website to be truly useful, it needs to have a dedicated team. But something else to think about: it needs to have a dedicated team that’s empowered to make forward-thinking changes.

3. Periodic Redesign is Not Enough

Careful consideration through every stage of the website’s life, along with a willingness to tweak minor things that don’t seem to need drastic makeovers, can save so many hours of redesign in the long run. Sometimes, the only way to get this kind of insight is by asking a third party to consult.

4. Your Website Cannot Appeal to Everyone

A website designed without this in mind will be too incoherent to serve your business well. You can’t please everyone. You can, however, determine which of your demographics is the most important to your business.

5. You are Wasting Money on Social Networking

In other words, when you proceed into social networking, make sure you understand what makes social media work: that it’s people connecting to people, not just another venue to talk about your company. Use social networking to make your company more human, because at the end of the day, no one wants to visit your blog or Twitter account if they don't get anything in return.

6. Your Website is Not All About You

Self explanatory. No jargon, no insider acronyms. Your website isn’t being designed to suit the tastes of your staff; it’s being built to cater to the needs of your users. After all, they’ll be the ones spending their time there, so their requirements shouldn’t be ignored.

7. You’re Not Getting Value From Your Web Team

A web designer brings much more to the table than simple programming. They understand what makes a website work, what translate best to the web and what features are most helpful to a user. Use this amazing resource to produce the best possible website.

8. Design by Committee Brings Death

Harsh, but accurate. Design by committee is well-intentioned, meant to give everyone a fair stake in the decision making process. However, often what’s required is an educated, objective decision.

9. A CMS is Not a Silver Bullet

A Content Management System is like any tool— it won’t make the decisions for you; it can only make the decisions easier to implement. You need to have the resources in place for timely, relevant updates.

10. You Have Too Much Content

Constant review of content ensures that there’s no useless information taking away from your most important messages—only what is fresh, relevant and useful.

*

Does any of this sound familiar? If so, interact with us--the solution is closer than you think.