Old Spice has taken the use of social media to the next level. Recently, Old Spice launched a YouTube viral video campaign, with their spokesman responding to comments left on the Old Spice Facebook and Twitter accounts. Each video included the name of the original user who made the comment or statement – most responses lasted 30-60 seconds. The Old Spice spokesperson even goes as far as smashing a pirate pinata with a freshwater fish in a video response made just for Demi Moore. The Old Spice YouTube profile has total upload views surpassing 59 million…not too shabby.

If you haven’t seen one of the Old Spice TV commercials , you probably live on another planet. If that is the case, you are probably more worried about your crazy neighbor parking his Corellian YT – 1300 freighter too close to your Naboo Royal Cruiser. Since we are on Earth, I will try and focus on what is going on with us boring Homo sapiens.

For a long time, social media represented a channel where your customers talked about your products or business, and you prayed that discussion was positive. Now, organizations continue to find and experiment with new ways to penetrate this channel and find new ways to interact with their target customer base instead of sitting on the social media sidelines.

However, before you jump into the “game,” make sure you stretch and remember these 3 things:

• Use the dialect and language your customers are using. If Old Spice sent a formal press release responding to tweets and posts, the message would’ve been lost because of the way it was delivered.
• Keep your communication short and to the point. Diatribes are meant for Shakespeare and your journal; meanwhile, your audience prefers frequency and freshness.
• Keep the conversations going. Don’t try to stop them. Your tendency will be to resolve things, but whether it’s positive or negative, showing the interaction and attention is where you score brownie points with your audience. Facilitate and encourage additional participation and you will learn that much more about your audience.

Does your social strategy stink? Reach out to me to learn more about what we’re doing to help our clients cash in on social media…

Check out The Old Spice Experiment

Without further adieu:

Depending on where your eyes naturally go (and I’m sure Google has considered this), you’ll probably notice changes immediately. What I notice first is the new left pane.

Left Navigation

On the left is a group of filtering options that offer many of the same options that are available today via the “Show Options” link. With the new design, Google has put more thought (and real estate) into these “modes” of search. After extensive testing, Google and its search team agreed that a three column design provided the user with the best experience. The three column design is not new for search. Bing and Ask.com both utilize the three pane approach.

This new left column provides a more intuitive way to navigate through results than the current solution. Currently I have to either open up the “Show Options” pane or head up to the top navigation (which now becomes somewhat redundant) to switch between “modes.”

The new left pane also contains suggestions, date filtering, and additional search tools, which would likely send the user to tools like the wonder wheel, image spin, fast flip, etc.

The big question about this new addition is how it will influence users on smaller screens and mobile devices. Marissa Mayer, Google’s VP of Search Product and User Experience, states that changing the feel of desktop results is the first step, and believes the left navigation will not impact how users interact with the search results in the middle pane.

As for that redundant top navigation bar, Mayer says the team will revisit its approach next year, though they’re all pretty happy about how users interact with it in its current state.

Search Bar and Logo

Another rather significant change can be seen in the top 15% of the screen.

The search button is now found within the search bar and sports a more eye-catching blue design. Google’s goal here is almost certainly to encourage more new searches and filtering. After all, every new search is another chance for a user to click on a paid advertisement. On an eCommerce site we optimize elements to keep the user on site, increasing metrics like time on site or average number of pageviews in an effort to create more opportunity to grab that conversion. Google’s strategy here is not much different at all.

A longer search bar and larger, softer colored Google logo are a reaction to the changing landscape of its users’ computers. Larger, brighter screens provide Google with more real estate with which to make their mark.

Google Responding to Competition

You’d have to go back pretty far to find a change this substantial to Google’s flagship product. With Bing making strides and social networks dominating user’s habits, Google is making efforts to stay ahead of the curve. Danny Sullivan reports that the new SERP will go live to around 3% of Google’s users tonight, with a full roll out early in the new year, assuming all goes well with testing.

I am really looking forward to this panel as both Bryan and Tim rock! I always learn a thing or two from such great minds. It is also an amazing chance for 3 lucky winners to really improve their web sites.

Ready to throw your site in the ring? Submit it here:
http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/newyork/form-makeover.php
Entries must be received by Friday, March 13.

The cost?  It’s Free, so there is no reason not to sign up.

Register Here:
http://www.futurenowinc.com/abtwebinar.htm

P.S. – Want a special treat?  Look for my story on Page 52 of the book.

1. “Ready to Buy” Container

We call it a Ready to Buy container, you can call it whatever you want! Essentially, it’s a container that houses the most relevant information about a product – price, shipping cost/time, perhaps a small summary and a call to action, usually in the form of an add to cart button. The container is a great way to group these important elements and further highlight the information that typically pushes the user to add an item to their cart.

2. Strong Call to Action

Question: You’re standing 6 feet from your monitor – what should stick out? Answer: Your add to cart button! Make sure it’s not only located in a prominent position on the page – typically the top, to the right of the product image. Also be sure that the size and color are bold enough for the button to differentiate itself form the rest of the elements on the page.

3. Shipping Cost & Estimated Shipping Time

Don’t bother hiding your high shipping costs or long lead times, you’ll only frustrate your users. They won’t necessarily be upset with such costs or times, but they don’t want them to be a complete mystery. Make them clear on the product page, preferably in the Ready to Buy container.

4. Product Availability

This is especially important for sites whose stock is always fluctuating, but should be included on all sites as an added assurance. Let your users know whether or not a product is in stock; if not, when will it become available? Letting customers order and then following up to let them know what they ordered is out of stock may lead to negative customer reviews and certainly isn’t the best way to attract a repeat buyer.

5. Multiple/Different Sized Product Photos

The saying “an image says a 1,000 words” couldn’t be more true when it comes to product photos. The biggest difference between shopping in a physical store and shopping online is that in a store you get to touch and hold the product, or even try it out. Because visitors to your site won’t be able to do this with your products, you need to show them multiple sizes of your products and multiple angles, if possible. By doing so, you’ll give your users a better sense of what they’re looking at, and a stronger reason for them to buy.

6. Description & Relevant Documents

Including a product description shouldn’t even be on this list…and it wouldn’t be… if all eTailers included descriptions! You don’t need to write a research paper here, a small paragraph or two and a short list of features will usually suffice. Higher end products will typically require more in depth descriptions, but the majority of products under $200 will perform just fine with the recommendation above.

7. Customer Reviews

Personally, I won’t even buy a product anymore if I can’t read what someone else thought about it! Customer reviews provide the most straightforward information about a given product, often surpassing the value of a description in their detail and earnestness. If you don’t enable customer reviews on your site, I strongly recommend it! I guarantee that you’ll see an increase in conversion on that product pages that include reviews, whether positive or negative.

8. Price & Quantity Discounts

Make sure the cost of your product is highly visible to your users, as it will be one of the first elements they’ll look for on the product page. This may seem obvious, but I still come across many large retailers whose prices are so misplaced and/or “small” that they seem to be hiding them. Also be sure to clearly present any sort of quantity discounts in or near your Ready to Buy container!

9. Upsells

Upsells are all about finding the right accessories to complement a given product and clearly presenting them to your users. Do you sell winter coats? Make a pair of gloves, a beanie, and a scarf your upsells – who wouldn’t want to add those to their order? These can be mentioned on the product page simply in text form with a way to add them to a cart.

10. Related Products

Related products are perfect for including underneath your description towards the bottom of your product page, or over in the right column. The idea behind related products is simple: save the sale! If a customer isn’t quite sold on whatever they’re looking at, instead of leaving your site or bothering to search again, they can go directly to closely related products that you’ve chosen for them.

11. Quantity Field

A lot of eTailers take the quantity field for granted and simply leave it out of their product pages. Why not easily offer your users the option to buy more than one product? Furthermore, make sure the quantity field defaults at a value of 1; nothing is more frustrating than trying to add a product to you cart and being stopped by an obnoxious error message claiming you have to “add at least 1 item to your cart”!

12. SKU or Related Part #

Often times, the SKU or part # of a product may be the one element that your user needs to know before they make a purchase. In many industries, there will only be a slight difference in a product that isn’t visible in an image; giving it an additional label by SKU or part # may be the differentiator in those types of situations.

How do your product pages measure up?

Bryan Eisenberg, founder of FutureNow and co-author of the New York Times bestselling books, Waiting For Your Cat to Bark? and Call to Action, will launch Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer at Search Engine Strategies (SES) San Jose ( http://www.searchenginestrategies.com/sanjose). The event will be held August 18-21, 2008 at the San Jose McEnery Center.

Bryan will be presenting the session “Pay Per Conversation” together with Brett Crosby, Group Manager of Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer, on the 18th at 11:15am and immediately after, Bryan will be available to sign copies of his book being provided as a courtesy by Google.

I know that here at Groove Commerce we can’t wait to get a copy and see what juicy tidbits are inside.

1. Create a Google Local Listing for Your Business

Often when users type in a keyword or keyword phrase with a geographic location such as this particular search for law firms in Baltimore, they’re presented with a map and a listing of local firms that meet their search criteria; you need to be on this list. Creating a Google Local listing not only puts you in these results, but also makes your ad stand out more in front of your competitors, should you be running a Google Adwords campaign. See the example below:

Use the link below to create a listing:

http://www.google.com/local/add/

2. Target Geographic Keywords on Your Website

If you only take on business in a specific region, make sure you say so in your website. Apart from just the content, make sure to combine your geographic and keyword targeted phrases in all the standard locations for effective on-page SEO: Page Titles, Header Text (h1’s, h2’s, etc.), Internal Links, URL’s, and Meta Tags.

3. Start a Regional Marketing Campaign with Google Adwords

Running a PPC marketing campaign through Google Adwords can be a great way to get more online exposure for your business and bring in highly qualified leads. The great thing about Adwords is that they give you the option of targeting specific geographic regions for your campaign. This can range from a country or state all the way down to a single zip code. If you don’t have one already, use the link below to sign up for a Google Adwords account:

Google Adwords

4. Send out Monthly Online Press Releases

Use PR Web to send out monthly online press releases about your business and website. They’ll run you around $200, but they have the best distribution of any online PR firm I know about. You can target specific locations, making the release more effective in your area. Also be sure to target local keywords within the Anchor Text of the links you send back to your site.

5. Create a Facebook Group

Whether you’re a local restaurant looking to drum up interest in your happy hour or a mid-size accounting firm looking to court recent graduates, creating a Facebook group can greatly increase your exposure online, specifically in locally targeted markets.

Facebook.com

According to an interview with Brendon Sinclair he experienced a 300-400% increase in conversion using a video review versus a text review…and this was for a book.

I’ll be honest before this week I really wrestled with whether or not product videos are actually worth the investment because lets be real, if you’re going to spend the money and do it right, it’s quite expensive.

Video on Amazon.com

Ok, so I’m in love with my Nintendo Wii and today I was shopping for the new Wii Fit on Amazon. My wife wasn’t really sure about the whole thing, yeah she saw the picture of the balance board and some game-play screenshots, but she wasn’t sold yet. Now, I really want this thing, so I needed to go for that hard sell…I gotta let her know how hot it is. I scroll down and play the 2:45 minute video for her and half way through she’s like “This is amazing, we have got to get this.” That’s what I’m talkin’ about!

Now, don’t get me wrong, I know this product is pretty unique and it’s a perfect specimen for a video. There are some selling points that can only be advertised properly with video. There are also some instances where a video may not help you at all.

Should I Use Video?

Here are four essential questions you can use to determine whether or not a video will work for your product and give you a return.

1. Are you getting enough traffic?

You could make an amazing video and have a 30% conversion rate on that product page but if you’re only driving a few people there per day, you probably wasted your money.

2. Are there some unique characteristics about your product that can only be shown through video?

Now, this would definitely add to your success, it is not however, a requirement. Even if you’re selling floss, you may be able to do a video with a dentists interview about how great floss is while you’re showing some b-roll of someone using it. It won’t convert as high as someone snowboarding while texting his boy using that new verizon phone, but it still might convert.

3. Do you have the budget to do it right?

If you shoot your video in your office using your brothers old school analog camcorder, your customers are going to know, and probably not attach much value to it (it may even have a negative effect).

4. Is everything else in order?

How are your product descriptions? What about your photos? Is your call to action clear? Make sure you’re not just spending money to do something new, your conversion rate might be down because your pages aren’t optimized.

There You Have It

Hopefully that’s enough to get you thinking about whether or not to invest in a video for your product or site. Have any feedback? Let me know if you have any questions below.

• Office Depot, 20.9%
• QVC, 19%
• VistaPrint, 18.3%
• Roamans, 18.1%
• Lands’ End, 16.2%
• eBay, 15.7%
• 1-800-Flowers.com, 15.5%
• eBags.com, 15.3%
• L.L. Bean, 14.6%
• Pottery Barn Kids, 14.2%

What’s your conversion rate?

Read more at Internet Retailer!