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Amazon to Make a Tablet and PopCap Gets Acquired: Top Seattle Startup and Tech News

By on July 18, 2011   /   Seattle, Seattle Tech Roundup   /   Leave a comment

Seattle Startup and Tech News from the past week

Report: Amazon Tablet Set to Battle iPad in Fall PCWorld

The upcoming tablet war will herald the holiday buying blitz and give shoppers a choice of gadgets to tuck under the tree, with Amazon, Apple and Sony all slated for fall debuts. Amazon is keeping quiet about the specifications of its tablet, but the recent launch of its own Android Appstore laid the foundation for a totally integrated digital consumer platform.

Electronic Arts Makes Deal To Buy PopCap Red Orbit

EA is prepared to shell out in excess of a billion dollars for PopCap Games, Inc., including bonuses if the Seattle game-maker hits preset profit targets in the next few years. In return, Electronic Arts, Inc. expects to gain a needed edge in the digital and social gaming market that continues to erode console game sales by acquiring the creator of a series of hit titles with the advantage of games playable on platforms like Facebook.

Report: Microsoft Unveils Xbox Music Service – Update: Microsoft says Xbox Music report ‘inaccurate’ USA Today

Not just for gaming anymore, Xbox 360 continues its evolution into an all-purpose entertainment system, although a Business Insider announcement of an upcoming Xbox Music service was a misnomer. Xbox Live already offers access to millions of Zune titles, but a new Kinect feature will add voice command capability along with other enhancements that transform the concept of a game console.

Amazon turns to voters on sales tax fight CNET

Amazon is counting on the power of the people to win its ongoing sales tax battle, but the online retailer needs a half million signatures to bring its cause to a vote in California. Continuing to decry efforts to force the collection of sales tax in states where it lacks a physical presence, Amazon has already pulled affiliate programs in a handful of states, with more facing the axe.

Swype swipes more cash from Benaroya, Ignition and others TechFlash

Swype is sweeping in investors and generating buzz with its smart keyboard swipe science that is poised to launch on iOS and spread from tablets and cellphones to game systems, cars and beyond. The Seattle startup founded by Cliff Kushler and headed by Mike McSherry expects to see Swype sweep the touchscreen device market with a growing list of OEM partnerships.

Heavily-funded social networking upstart Lockerz buys AddToAny GeekWire

With a fresh $30M, Lockerz is adding AddToAny to its buying blitz, and CEO Kathy Savitt counts the acquisition as a major coup in its quest to reign as the homepage of Gen Z. Creator of the content-sharing platform with a half billion monthly users and a solid WordPress presence, wunderkind Pat Diven II now heads to the San Fran branch of the Seattle-based social network biz.

Wireless power for heart pumps: Medical breakthrough from UW researchers GeekWire

Recently honored for its advance in the science of artificial hearts, research conducted by a University of Washington team offers the advantage of wireless power. A vest containing a transmitter could at least temporarily free patients now confined by a cord, with the potential for even greater freedom with further advances.

WhitePages takes on Yelp with Localicious app for Android GeekWire

The debut of free Android app Localicious by WhitePages offers distinctively neighborhood-based info, including reviews and trendy locales along with the user’s precise location. For those who literally have trouble keeping up with the Joneses, the Seattle startup headed by Alex Algard also launched Neighbors, a site that helps put a name to the faces next door.

Startup Spotlight: Livemocha lands $5 million, tops 10 million members GeekWire

Livemocha boasts the planet’s biggest language learner base, 38 languages and a recipe that rivals Rosetta Stone with the advantage of native-speaking study buddies to facilitate mastery. The Seattle startup headed by Michael Schutzler and founded by Microsoft vet Shirish Nadkarni added another $5M in funding to overcome language barriers and bridge cultures in the process.

MOD Systems shuts down as prosecutors suggest 97 month jail term for founder Mark Phillips GeekWire

MOD Systems is out of business and its founder faces a 4-year prison stay after a conviction on multiple counts of fraud and money laundering, a sentence intended as a warning to CEOs who would abuse their positions of trust. The Seattle company that once raised $35M has closed its operation, and prosecutors blame Mark Phillips for neglecting his duties in favor of misappropriating funds, costing dozens of employees their livelihood.

Upcoming Seattle Tech Events

Startup BBQ
Date: July 25, 2011
Time: 5 pm
Place: Gasworks Park

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Efficiency Is the Core Component of Social Media Success

By on July 15, 2011   /   Social Media   /   Leave a comment


Those of us who voluntarily use social media on a regularly basis, be it for professional or non-professional use, tend to adopt patterns of behavior that can be repeated over a span of time. These behaviors are either self-realized through experimentation, encouraged through set out communication systems within an organization, or adopted through education obtained via books, blogs, lectures, or a simple do what the crowd is already doing type of mentality.

Any set of behaviors can be improved on, meaning we can always be improving our ability to reach the objective behind those behaviors. In the case of social media, the objective may be marketing based (I want to create a Facebook ad campaign that will increase site traffic by 20% with a budget of $2000 over 3 months) or a more subjective goal such as increasing awareness around and mentions related to a brand. No matter the case, the mission should be to find the optimum amount of efficiency to reach the goal.

Efficiency: accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort. – Dictionary.com

When we use tools or adopt a system of work, it’s all in the pursuit of increased efficiency. For example, I use HootSuite on a daily basis as a Twitter client (here’s why) and I’ve found it to best fit my needs based on workflow, organization, and analytics. I use the tool because it helps with efficiency. I decided upon it after trying out the competition and spending weeks figuring out the pros and cons related to each dashboard in relation to how I like to work.

Google+ was released several weeks ago and there’s currently a wide range of articles on how to optimize the use of the service. Because the network is still in its infancy, what we’re seeing right now is recommendations based on guesswork. Some of the guesswork is intelligent and comes from hours of use and in depth analysis of the features, while other articles are rooted in nothing else other than self-imposed opinion. No single individual has yet to crack the code on how to best use Google+ and everything at this moment should be taken with a grain of salt.

As a professional or part time/casual practitioner of social media, increased efficiency should remain at the top of the priority list. Tools, networks, and marketing campaigns come and go, but best practices and systematic processes that yield results rarely change. It’s easy to get caught up in what’s new and around the corner and with social media there’s always something new to learn, but ultimately success comes down to optimizing time, effort, and investment (a combination of time+effort).

Start with the goal of maximizing efficiency and let it be a catalyst for ongoing success.

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Bing to Power Baidu English Search: Seattle Tech News From the Past Week

By on July 11, 2011   /   Seattle, Seattle Tech Roundup   /   Leave a comment

Seattle Tech and Startup News for the Week Ending on July 10, 2011


Chinese search giant Baidu to use Microsoft Bing New York Times

A partnership with China’s Baidu.com puts Bing in position to power searches for the most massive online market anywhere. Providing service in English on China’s largest search engine brings the search battle to its biggest arena yet, where Microsoft will likely face the same censorship from Beijing that drove Google to Hong Kong.

Amazon buying United Kingdom online book seller TechFlash

Pending approval, acquisition of major UK rival The Book Depository International gives Amazon access to its 6 million titles and adds to the e-retailer’s tally of book stores across the globe. Dodo Press, which revives books that are out-of-print, is part of the purchase, providing fuel for Amazon.com’s drive into the publishing arena.

Shades of Pets.com: Amazon unveils online pet store Wag.com GeekWire

With the launch of Wag.com, Amazon hopes this time it is barking up the right tree – and the e-retailer has no plans to resurrect the sock puppet pup that became a symbol for dot.com debacles. The promise of quick, and frequently free, delivery through its new Quidsi division overcomes one hurdle that hindered Pets.com, and it demonstrates Amazon’s willingness to learn from history’s harsh lessons.

PayScale lands $7 million for online salary service GeekWire

The Seattle startup in the business of providing salary comparisons just got its own $7M raise in VC funding to fuel its growth trajectory. Headed by Mike Metzger, PayScale boasts a partnership with LinkedIn and a thriving commercial client base that relies on its Insight service and a database of nearly 30 million job profiles.

Zipline’s Moai Powering “Crimson,” the First Mobile Game Release through Bungie Aerospace Xconomy

Seattle’s Zipline Games got a ringing endorsement for its Moai mobile gaming platform from Bungie Aerospace, the mobile arm of the studio famous for Halo that is readying its inaugural game, Crimson. Headed by Todd Hooper, Zipline is moving Moai from private beta and preparing its own Chronosaur game for launch.

Startup Spotlight: Pinpoint Pickup looks to roll over Uber GeekWire

Self-funded startup Pinpoint Pickup has global ambitions, a scalable model, and a stiff competitor in Uber, which is headed to Seattle soon. But co-founder Desiree Phair promises a smoother ride from the Seattle-based drive service accessible by web or smartphone.

Facebook Becomes Your Phone Company MSNBC

Already in bed with Microsoft, so to speak, Skype’s marriage with Facebook makes video-chatting a breeze and makes the social network even more pervasive in every aspect of life. Now, for a small fee, users can call offline numbers from within Facebook – a feature that could win converts from the dwindling ranks of non-fans.

Google suspends Realtime Search as Twitter deal expires Computerworld

The fate of Google Realtime Search on Twitter hangs in the balance, terminated – for now, at least – by the expiration of a long-standing agreement with the micro-blogging service. While Google reports the shutdown is part of its plan to integrate Google+, Bing and Yahoo! continue to enjoy real-time access to Twitter’s chatty traffic.

Startup of the Week: Sewichi Inc. TechFlash

Sewichi Inc. CEO David Shim is betting on the ripe field of mobile analytics and the rising adoption of smartphones, whose sales eclipsed PCs in the final quarter of 2010. The Seattle startup is counting on a smart team and solid support from Madrona Venture Group to tackle a promising but fragmented sector.

Finsphere raises cash to turn your cell phone into a fraud fighter GeekWire

Bellevue-based Finsphere matched its March haul with a new $1.75M VC haul. The startup headed by Michael Buhrmann promises to transform the ubiquitous cellphone into a tool to counter fraud and protect privacy with its PinPoint service that detects a mismatch between phone location and financial transactions.

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5 Tips on Optimizing Tweets to Generate Traffic

By on July 10, 2011   /   Social Media   /   1 Comment


If your business is regularly using twitter, it’s perfectly normal to expect to generate some amount of traffic from your efforts. Although it may take a bit of experimentation, there are best practices you can adopt immediately to help increase direct traffic to your site via Twitter. Here are 5 tips to help you get started:

Use #hashtags when possible

Hashtags are a way to categorize your tweets based on topics that are searched for on a regular basis or happen to be trending at the moment. I don’t advise using hashtags on every Tweet, but throwing one in when appropriate can help generate some additional traffic. Trendsmap and What The Trend are two tools that will show you which hashtags are trending by location.

Find the best Tweet time and frequency

A 4am Monday morning Tweet probably won’t be seen by as many people in comparison to a Tweet at 12pm on a Wednesday afternoon. Dan Zarella of HubSpot looked at the data and discovered some stats on how Tweet timing and frequency influences click through rates.

  • 1-4 Tweets per hour generates the highest click through rate
  • Tweets during the middle of the week and the weekends have the best click through rate
  • Noon and 6pm are the best times to tweet.

See more data on the science of timing

Analyze your click through rate

When Tweeting always use a URL shortener such as bit.ly or ow.ly with HootSuite so that every link you Tweet will include data on click through rate. This information will tell what you what type of Tweet content generates the most attention.

Stay consistent

There’s a fine line between Tweeting too often and not tweeting enough, but whatever frequency you decide on, it’s important that you stick with it. Spread your tweets out through the day and the week. Let someone else take over if possible when taking an extended break.

Communicate all the time

Twitter has many uses, but first and foremost it’s a communications platform. If you’re sending out tweets, but never @replying other users and only self-promoting your own content, you’ll likely have a difficult time generating attention. Use Twitter for building relationships and in time you’ll have a loyal base of followers who consistently read your Tweets and are more likely to click on a link.

Follow Sparkplug Digital on Twitter

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When Is the Best Time to Hire an Online Marketing Agency?

By on July 9, 2011   /   Online Marketing   /   Leave a comment


There’s a delicate balance between the DIY approach, bringing on new staff, and hiring an agency to help push a project and the bottom line forward. Understanding this balance is easy in theory, but difficult in actuality. There are some organizations that will never hire an agency. All the work they do has to be in house, no questions asked. Other companies choose to operate lean and work exclusively with agencies and tend to keep a smaller staff. The “right” mix is always subject to interpretation. What’s good for company A, might not work and be completely wrong for company B.

Cost vs. Return

Instead of asking how much hiring an agency or brining on additional staff will cost, ask instead what will the cost be if the decision is made to not make the investment and keep things exactly how they are right now. An investment towards online marketing is meant to improve efficiency in one or multiple areas. An investment towards SEO for example should ultimately end up driving higher amounts of relevant traffic to your site. It’ll cost less if you opt to do all of the SEO work yourself, but you have to ask the difficult question of what type of results am I expecting.

There’s no better example of this than web design. Take a look at a do it yourself site (someone who doesn’t know anything about design), a $500 website, and a $5000 website.  The business that opted to go for the low cost option may think they’re saving five grand by doing it themselves, but over a period of time could end up missing out on thousands of dollars worth of business due to poor user experience. The same holds true for search, email, and social marketing.

Timing Matters

Hiring an agency is a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Be prepared to ask the following questions:

Do I have the staff on hand, in both number and expertise, to address my online marketing needs?

What type of opportunities might we be missing without outside help?

What expectations do we have as far as time of completion and reaching benchmarks is concerned?

Do we have an agreed upon solution for monitoring and collecting analytics data?

What type of software do we need to have in place in order to reach our projected goals?

How much competitive analysis needs to be done? Does our team have those capabilities?

Before choosing to go with or without an agency, commit to asking a lot of questions and be open to a combination of different solutions. The best answer isn’t always the most obvious.

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Understanding the Value of Long Tail Blog Outreach

By on July 8, 2011   /   Blogging   /   Leave a comment


When it comes to public relations, plenty of us will opt to go after big name traditional news outlets such as newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and syndicated radio programs, without understanding the value of the digital space. Even worse, some companies focus exclusively on digital properties, but shoot for the moon by going after highly competitive outlets such as The New York Times blog, The Huffington Post, or TechCrunch. While coverage on one of these top blogs will yield favorable amounts of attention, it’s a mistake to ignore the long tail of blogging. A well rounded blog outreach campaign should pay a considerable amount of attention towards the long tail, as in blogs that aren’t household names, but still have a niche following.

According to BlogPulse as of February 2011 there are over 156 million public facing blogs on the web. That’s 156 million different opportunities. 99.9% of them are blogs that you and I have never heard of, but are still being read.

When developing a strategy for long tail blog outreach, keep the following criteria in mind:

By Industry

It may seem assumed that there should be some type of connection between the pitch and the topics that the blog covers, but you’d be surprised after seeing some of the requests for coverage that have landed in my inbox. Only seek out blogs that cover the product, service, or idea that you’re trying to pitch. If you’re releasing a technology product, don’t bother going after food bloggers unless there’s some type of food related spin to your product.

By Location

If you’re located in a big metropolitan area, try going after blogs that are local to you. Some blogs such as GeekWire in Seattle or Gothamist in New York devote a large portion of their coverage towards local news and business. Use Google Blog Search to search for blogs by location.

By Relevancy

Some bloggers will write about anything, but most have a consistent theme to their blogs. BlogDash is a great tool for narrowing in on exactly what bloggers will and won’t write about. It’s useful in that when signing up for the service, bloggers list their preferences as to exactly what they’re looking for in terms of topic.

Instead of trying to convince high profile blog to cover what your company, next time aim for the long tail. You may be surprised how open other bloggers are when contacted in a professional manner.

Image via Tim Wilson

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Microsoft Launches Office 365: Seattle Tech and Startup News from the Past Week

By on July 4, 2011   /   Seattle, Seattle Tech Roundup   /   Leave a comment

Seattle Tech and Startup News from the Past Week

Microsoft Office 365 debuts with small-biz focus CNET

A Microsoft mainstay of its major Business Division was officially ushered into the cloud and out of beta by CEO Steve Ballmer who just debuted Microsoft Office 365, a hosted subscription service that offers a solution for organizations too small to boast IT staff. While Office touts a billion-plus users and a global reach, Google Apps is gaining a foothold and positioning itself as the choice for a new generation.

Wishpot spins off new social commerce platform, Venpop TechFlash

Founded as a social shopping service and headed by Max Ciccotosto, Seattle-based Wishpot now caters to retailers, with the official launch of a spin-off that promises to boost traffic three-fold. Touted as a smart complement to a social media campaign, Venpop enables custom promotions with Facebook and Twitter providing the social setting and the ideal audience.

Puzzle technology startup Puzzazz raises $400k in funding from industry vets GeekWire

Seattle startup Puzzazz already owned a niche as the source for interactive puzzle books on Kindle, and an infusion of angel funding from an impressive list of investors can fuel its quest for a presence on Android and iOS devices. Founder and Microsoft vet Roy Leban is the man behind ingenious electronic books that add an extra dimension to puzzles like Sodoku that count an army of fans.

Off & Away unfurls daily deal service for hotel rooms GeekWire

Daily deals on deluxe accommodations are the latest offering of Off & Away, the Seattle startup and hotel auction service headed by Doug Aley. Groomed by sites like LivingSocial and Groupon, consumers are already conversant in daily deal doings, which also offer a better chance at securing a coveted slot at the Ritz-Carlton than the conventional bidding process.

Rhapsody abides in musical cloud it created decade ago Seattle Times

Rhapsody isn’t exactly changing its tune, but the online subscription music service is revamping to ensure it can be heard above the din of cloud competitors. A slew of new features plus a massive music menu should start to pay off for the company headed by Jon Irwin that is solidifying its newly won independence from RealNetworks.

ForeSee Results: Daily deals getting a bad rap? TechFlash

New research paints a more promising picture of Daily Deals from the merchant side, contradicting prior studies indicating a lack of repeat business generated from these special offers. According to Foresee Results, nearly 2/3 of sales generated by Daily Deals can be considered new business – but ultimately the onus is on merchants to create smart deals and provide service that brings customers back after the deal is done.

Jeff Bezos touts the power of long-term thinking, budgets $42M for a 10,000 year clock GeekWire

Despite a fortune built on business conducted at digital speed, a $42M investment in a clock made to run for 10 millennia proves that Jeff Bezos believes in taking the long view. The Texas project whose scale rivals the pyramids may be the ultimate entrepreneurial vision, but it also distinguishes the Amazon.com creator from the more practical philanthropy of peers like Bill Gates.

A sign of a bubble? Startup-related legal questions surge in Silicon Valley, Seattle GeekWire

It might not qualify as science, but a Seattle online attorney directory is detecting a trend that could signal a startup bubble, especially for a couple of tech hot spots. AVVO pageview rates for legal issues affecting startups are soaring in perennial hotbed Silicon Valley and in Austin, Texas, while NY and Seattle also registered on this unconventional radar.

Google Android Growing by Daily Leaps and Bounds WebProNews

Compatibility with a range of platforms gives Android a decided edge over iOS in the US mobile phone space, despite Apple’s continued reign over the device domain. In a bit of Apple baiting, Google Engineering VP Andy Rubin claimed via Twitter that the rate of Android adoption exceeds .5 million daily and rising.

Startup unveils PlayLater, a DVR for Netflix, YouTube and other online video GeekWire

Now in trial mode, PlayLater is a subscription service touted as a Tivo for downloaded web content, selectively recording your favorites for playback at your convenience. Promising an alternative to cable, PlayOn software from Seattle and NY-based MediaMail Technologies enables viewing of content streamed from the likes of Hulu and Netflix on a range of devices.

Mark Zuckerberg Heading North for Sold-Out Developer Q&A at Facebook Seattle Office Xconomy

Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg is paying a visit to his new branch office, along with VP of Engineering Mike Schroepfer, to host a Q&A session for area developers. Finding talent to fill the downtown Seattle division is an ongoing mission, and the social network leader is hardly alone in choosing the fertile hunting ground that is home to Amazon and Microsoft.

Google fires up its latest social-networking site Seattle Times

The launch of Google+ pits the search king against the formidable power of Facebook, which holds a significant edge – and an advertising lure – in time spent on its site per user. Chastened by the Buzz fiasco that ended in an FTC settlement, Google is anxious to join the social arena, but it is admittedly arriving late to the dance.

Likewise sells key product lines, switches focus to storage software GeekWire

With the sale of its Open and Enterprise lines, Likewise Software turns its full attention to storage, where the Bellevue company already claims a strong position. While some staff losses accompanied the acquisition by California-based BeyondTrust, new faces will be added to take the company helmed by Barry Crist on its new course.

Zuckerberg, Schroepfer: Facebook’s Crazy Growth Means Balancing Small-Team Culture While Making Sure Things Don’t Fall Apart Xconomy

Although the Facebook user base is skyrocketing, the social network boss is careful to keep growth within the company at a sustainable rate by focusing on hiring quality above quantity – and pushing important projects even on the newest interns. On a visit to the Emerald city, Mark Zuckerberg teased an upcoming development born in the Seattle office, the new hive of activity that is already abuzz and in high demand.

Will California’s ‘Amazon tax’ cause an affiliate exodus? Fortune

California’s new “Amazon tax” affects every out-of-state merchant with sales there, and it puts an end to the e-retailers’s contracts with affiliates in the state – so-called small businesses whose sales are often minuscule. While a similar New York tax is in legal limbo, the newly inked CA law is a dubious solution to state budget shortfalls and a kind of sneaky subversion of an earlier Supreme Court ruling.

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How to Get Started With A/B Testing

By on July 1, 2011   /   Online Marketing   /   Leave a comment


Ask 10 different people a question regarding website optimization and you’ll likely receive 10 different answers. Everyone has an opinion. Instead of arguing about an image vs. a piece of text or endlessly debating the color of a button, take the logical approach and test it. Leave nothing to guesswork.

When in doubt use A/B testing.

An A/B test puts two different design or text elements in front of your sites visitors and provides clear data as to which one is more favorable. It’s the easiest way to increase conversion rates on your site and is an absolute must for those of us who want to optimize a site’s traffic.

Here’s a list of some of the elements that can and should be put through an A/B test:

  • Entire pages
  • Images, logos, buttons
  • Video
  • Text
  • Call to action wording (such as subscribe vs. sign up)
  • Prices, offers
  • Headers, footers, widgets
  • Page length, page load time

Just about anything on a page can be tested.

How to get started

Before doing any testing, determine what needs to be tested and the reason you’re actually testing it.

Is the goal to get more email subscribers? Are you trying to improve the sites bounce rate? Knowing your goals beforehand will make the process easier.

Let’s use this graphic from startup Hipster’s job page as an example.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The goal here is twofold in that they want visitors to apply for a job or refer the job to a friend. Using just this graphic they could test several different elements related to the two buttons such as:

  • Color
  • Text
  • Style
  • Size
  • Location on the page

By doing a simple set of A/B tests they can optimize the amount of applications they receive. If 1000 people visit the page and 25 apply under variation A and 50 apply under variation B, it can be assumed that variation B will help them receive twice as many applicants as opposed to variation A.

Tools of the trade

Google’s Website Optimizer tool is a great place to start. It’s free and easy to set up. Here’s a quick guide to using it.

Optimizely and Visual Website Optimizer offer effective low cost alternatives that are worth checking out and Webtrends has an advanced solution.

Which Test Won is a site that collects examples of different tests and provides insights into the data behind them.

Tips for getting the most out of your A/B testing

The more traffic your site is receiving the more test data you’ll have. If your page isn’t receiving much traffic consider extending the test or using an AdWords campaign to drive more traffic.

Don’t end the test too early. Give each test enough time to collect enough data (hundreds or preferably thousands of visitors).

Run lots of tests at once. Take advantage of your testing time by running multiple tests. Remember that almost everything can be tested and the data will provide valuable insights that will ultimately lead to higher conversions.

Questions? Send an email to info@sparkplugdigital.com

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4 Tools for Collecting Customer Feedback

By on June 30, 2011   /   Uncategorized   /   Comments Off


Have you ever sat down at a restaurant and were asked to rate your experience afterward? If the waiter was rude, the meal was cold, and the waiting time was lousy, you’d be eager to fill out a customer feedback card to let the management know your exact thoughts. On the flipside, if everything was perfect you’d probably also be quick to offer praise.

On the web, customer feedback is equally important and needs to be treated as such. Unlike a restaurant though, it’s not possible to look your customer in the eye, shake their hand, and ask them what they think of your product or service. The only possible way to gather customer opinions is either when the customer or the company takes the initiative to reach out and start a dialogue. Fortunately there are a handful of tools that make gathering opinions through a website easier now than it’s ever been before. Here are 5 that are worth looking into.

Get Satisfaction

The Get Satisfaction team has worked very hard to become one of the leaders in the customer conversation space. Their “Feedback” tab (usually shown on the left side of a page) is a regular fixture on many different types of websites. Get Satisfaction is a non-intrusive, yet prominent site add on that allows visitors to ask questions, offer praise, or point out a problem.

KISSinsights

KISSinsights is a product from KISSmetrics that comes in the form of a small pop up window that appears on the lower right hand corner of the screen. When first visiting a site KISSinsights will ask the visitor a question of your choice. It can be a simple yes or no question or a multiple choice question with an option for adding in your own thoughts. KISSinsights is simple, affordable, and looks great.

Zopim

Zopim is one of the best customer feedback tools I’ve come across. It’s an application that allows users to chat directly with an employee of the company if they so choose to and both the site visitor and the employee have the option of starting the conversation. If no one is logged on to monitor the chat, Zopim will take the feedback and present it during your next session.

UserVoice

UserVoice is a favorite in the customer feedback arena and after using it it’s easy to see that all the credit they’ve received is well deserved. Their approach is to offer site visitors access to hosted feedback forums that are meant to welcome honest opinions and conversations. Startups and companies that launch new products on a regular basis love UserVoice because it’s a useful tool for collecting user insights and quickly identifying problems.

Do you have any feedback on this article?
Leave a comment or drop us a message.


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Super Simple Do It Yourself Online Marketing Campaign Checklist

By on June 29, 2011   /   Marketing, SEO, Social Media   /   Leave a comment

If you know someone who is starting a business and wants to improve their online marketing without spending any money, here are some simple tasks that they can do themselves to start building an online marketing presence.

1. Create a master keyword list in Google Spreadsheet of the important keyword phrases that prospective customers would search for in Google. Find estimated monthly search volume of phrases with Google’s Keyword Tool.

2. Set up a blog.

3. Create a list of potential blog topics that would include keywords from the master list.

4. Make sure that titles of articles include important keyword phrases.

5. Make sure that important keyword phrases are used at least 1-2 times in the blog article.

6. Create an editorial calendar to plan out blog articles into the future.

7. Write useful, interesting, and relevant blog articles.

8. Add links in blog posts to other relevant blog posts using important keywords in the link. Ex. Here are some blog topic ideas

9. Consider interviewing relevant people/companies on the blog (Often individuals will link back to their interview and these links help your Google rankings tremendously).

10. Set up a Facebook Page.

11. Share links to blog articles on your Facebook Page.

12. Set up a Twitter account and start posting interesting, useful, and relevant content.

13. Tweet interesting and relevant articles about once a day.

13. Follow relevant individuals on Twitter.

14. Engage in conversations with people on Twitter (You can use the search feature to find conversations going on about your niche).

15. Set up automatic Tweets of new blog articles with TwitterFeed.com (or tweet them manually).

16. Reach out to relevant/popular blogs and ask them if you can provide a guest post. You might write the guest post ahead of time and then pitch it to a blog, or just pitch a topic. Guest posts have a bio with a link back to your site which is invaluable for SEO.

17. Ask anyone you know if they will link to you.

18. Leave comments on related blogs to build relationships with other bloggers.

19. Set up Google Analytics for your site to track visitors.

If you have any questions, email us at info@sparkplugdigital.com.

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