I’ve noticed recently that Netflix is using RSS feeds for a number of things. Most interestingly, the company is allowing customers to subscribe to new release announcements. It makes it easier for customers to stay active with their accounts–a sure issue for customer retention.
Many tend to assume that RSS is just for blogs. It’s important to remember that it can be used for a number of different applications beyond just blogs.
Posts Tagged ‘marketing’
Netflix RSS
Friday, June 16th, 2006Walking through the Blogosphere
Tuesday, May 23rd, 2006Having trouble keeping up with my RSS feed-reading lately, but coming across some really great posts…
- Liz Dunn from Technorati makes a good point about why you should read both mainstream news and the blogosphere.
- Rob talks about the first mover versus copiers
- Josh tells us about all things RSS at Yahoo!
PapaJohns Targets the Tech-Savvy
Tuesday, April 25th, 2006I am a Sirius Satellite Radio subscriber and enjoy the commercial-free content when I’m on the road. I heard an ad today for PapaJohn’s Pizza and its online ordering system. The commercial makes mention of the fact that satellite radio subscribers are ‘tech savvy’ (I’m paraphrasing here) and directs them to a special URL to try out the online ordering system (which I wrote about some time ago). Seems like a pretty smart media buy to me. Naturally, those who are early/eager adopters of satellite radio technology are more than likely going to be open to ordering pizza online. I think it’s a very sensible business tactic and would imagine that the conversion rate would be better than that of a parallel effort implemented on terrestrial radio or some other traditional medium.
Video iPods for Training
Wednesday, April 19th, 2006BusinessWeek Magazine has an interesting little article on the use of Video iPods being used by companies for employee training. If you haven’t seen an iPod with Video yet, I encourage you to do so. The video quality on the screens is amazing!
Orlando Sentinel on Corporate Blogs
Monday, April 10th, 2006The Orlando Sentinel had an article today on corporate blogs (big and small). It touched on our blog a bit and even featured a picture of a group of us pretending to work! 
Big/Small Company Blogging
Thursday, March 30th, 2006The St. Pete Times has a pretty interesting (and accurate) article about the different ways that small and large companies are approaching corporate blogging. Small companies seem to be embracing the medium faster than larger companies who seem to be taking more of a wait-and-see approach. It seems natural, though, in that larger companies have Sarbanes-Oxley issues, more bureaucracy to contend with, and–frankly–more to lose. The article describes attitudes in the business community which are consistent with what I see lately within small (more aggressive) and large (more hesitant) companies. Thanks to Josh, who is quoted in the article, for the tip.
Rules for Webmasters
Thursday, January 26th, 2006Google’s rules for Webmasters has a little quote that has been on my mind. When explaining to Webmasters what is reasonable and ethical when optimizing your site for its index, the rules encourage you to ask yourself: “would I do this if search engines didn’t exist?” Their point is that too many sites/Webmasters are letting the search engines drive their design and construction decisions.
Unfortunately, Google’s success makes us all fail their litmus test. It’s not a fair question. They’re building a culture-altering business based upon Web searchers -and- Web advertisers. The impact has been so significant that an aggressive marketer is almost forced to alter their online efforts because Google exists.
I’m all for fair play, but Google’s search formula seems to really reward the folks who play the game well. Try a few searches on some general keywords and notice that a fair percentage of the high-ranking sites are ones who excessively repeat words to a point where the text on pages doesn’t even make sense to a human being. That’s just one of many ‘violations’ that many employ. Yet, they’re rewarded.
What’s needed? More policing? Harsher penalties? From my perspective, the ‘rules’ seem to be in a bit of conflict with the rewards.
Google: Shooting Itself in the Foot?
Monday, January 23rd, 2006Christoper Kenton doesn’t create new blog posts all that often (not necessarily a bad thing, by the way), but I usually learn something from his posts when he does. Take a look at this recent post where he discusses a very interesting point: Google’s new analytics product, and the accountability data it provides, may end up deflating enthusiasm for its Adwords program (and the PPC model in general). I have to say that I agree with his assertion.
Fun with Funnels
Friday, January 20th, 2006Seth Godin has an interesting post today about the “funnel” that is customer acquisition. Our work and research in the world of pay-per-click (PPC) advertising has left us with many of the same thoughts and questions as the ones Seth seems to be thinking through.
The notion of pay-per-click advertising is a wonderful one. Why pay for a billboard and hope for the best when I can simply pay only for those who express an interest in my product (by clicking on my Google ad)? As long as I am converting a certain number of those folks, I should be fine, right?
It’s not that simple. First, let’s remember that those who click today might not be ready to buy until next week. That said, a Web site should not only sell; it should carry the water through the entire sales cycle. Second, PPC ad copy should limit inappropriate prospects. If a user searches for ‘bass,’ our copy should distinguish between bass (the fish) and bass (the drum). Silly example but true. Also, let’s not forget about click fraud and how that should be accounted for. I wrote about this not long ago.
When it’s all said and done, this entire process should be supported by a glorious spreadsheet. PPC is a science, not an art. Building a good model is our best bet!