Internet Marketing
Jan Knight
Research Specialist, Senior
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What We’ll Cover
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Website Design & Usability
Getting your site found (SEO & SEM)
Viral marketing
Email marketing
Website Traffic Reporting
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Challenges for Non Profits
• Different NP’s = different communication & marketing
challenges
• Challenges transfer to websites & online marketing
• Types:
– Arts organizations, political, charitable, government
• Audiences:
– Patrons, general public, legislators, media,
volunteers, other politicians
• Purposes:
– inform about organization, obtain donations, buy
tickets, provide resources, educate, solicit new and
renewal of membership
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Website Design
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Purpose of the site – multiple?
Audiences – separate portals/entry points?
Preference for one – slighting another?
Functional headings: resources, membership
Audience headings: volunteers, legislators, kids
Identify purpose of site
Navigation labels – expectations of information
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Website Design (cont)
• Brand your site
– Consistency of design & with other materials
– Logo & tagline consistency
– Language – keep simple, clear
– Look & feel match image want to convey
– Create an emotion
– Be memorable
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Remember Segregation
www.remembersegregation.org
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Make site ‘sticky’
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Create a site people want to return to
Maintain up to date content
Put updated news on home page
Provide resources & links so users think of you
as “key” resource on a topic
• Link to useful resources
– Example: Downloadable updated statistics &
data. Aggregate others.
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Nat Center-Higher Ed Mgmt Systems
www.higheredinfo.org
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Make things easy
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Interactivity
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Get people involved in activities
Create forums for discussion
Educate through quizzes
Children’s sites – games
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Hunger Banquet
www.hungerbanquet.org
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Writing for the Web
• People don’t read…..they scan
• Provide scannability
– Bullets, short blocks of text, headers,
subheads, bolding, links,
• Don’t underline (looks like links)
• Don’t capitalize everything
• Avoid too many different fonts
• Keep key text “above the fold”
• Avoid long scrolling pages
• Write for “your” audiences – not jargon
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Usability & Accessibility
Usability of Websites
• Make user interface easy to use
• Make content easy to find
• Can users accomplish tasks first time they visit
the site?
• Improve “ease of use” for all audiences
• Continue to create favorable impression so
they’ll return
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Usability Guidelines
• Structure site to mirror users’ tasks - not the way
the organization is structured
• Keep copy brief & scannable
• Make sure pages load quickly (1 second)
• Avoid “irritations” splash pages, animation
• Photos --Users connect with photos of “real”
people –looking at them
• Alert users of format & size of download
– Rules & Regulations Checklist [PDF 62K]
• Include Adobe Reader link on page or site
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Usability Guidelines (cont)
• Link Colors:
– Unvisited links blue and visited links
red/purple. Helps users know what they’ve
visited & aids task accomplishment
• People Links:
- People expect information “about the person”
(e.g. a bio) not an email to “communicate with
them”
- Link to short bio instead
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Usability Guidelines (cont)
• Online forms for membership, registration
or donations
– Provide formats for dates, credit cards etc.
• Dates - mm/dd/yyyy
– Make it clear & easy what to type
– Use clear drop down menus for options
– Asterisk or color code mandatory fields
– Confirm “submit” with immediate page
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Usability Guidelines (cont)
Hyperlinks on page
NO
“Click Here for information on volunteer
opportunities”
YES
“Be sure to check out our volunteer opportunities.
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Accessibility
• ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act
• 508 Mandate – requires Federal Agencies
to be incompliance
– Visual, Auditory, Motor, Cognitive, Seizure
• Screenreaders, Magnifiers, Assistive Tech
• Alt (“alternative” tags) for graphics/photos
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Earthwatch
www.earthwatch.org
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Usability Testing
• Qualitative testing of 5-7 people
– 5 people will find 80% of what you need to know
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Representative of your audiences
Expectation of navigation labels
Ask them to accomplish tasks
Speak aloud protocol
Be objective in asking them questions
Iterative process -- tweak site -- retest
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Usability/Accessibility Resources
• Usable Web
http://usableweb.com/
• Useit.com: Jakob Neilsen’s Website
http://useit.com
• WebStyle Guide
www.webstyleguide.com/
• WebAIM-Web Accessibility in Mind
www.webaim.org
• Accessibility Evaluation Tools
www.webaim.org/articles/tools/
Q&A
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Advanced Internet Searching
• Searching for…
– Sponsors for events - companies
– Donors – companies, executives
– Competitors/partners
– “Best practices” for non profits
– Marketing information
– Data for sharing with constituents via website
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Search Tips
TIPS:
 Pick 2 or 3 search engines: sometimes only 30%
overlap between search engine results
 Google & Yahoo account for 76% of searches
 Google.com – always trying new things
 Ask.com – allows to “narrow search”
 Use specialized Search Engines & tools
 Use Country Search Engines when necessary
(www.google.com.au/ (Australia)
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Advanced Internet Searching
Keep up with Search Engines
www.searchenginewatch.com
www.searchengineshowdown.com
– SEO & Web search tips
– Newsletters
– Articles on trends in search
– Search engine updates
Search Engine Chart
http://www.ihelpyou.com/search-engine-chart.html
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Search Strategies
TIP: Use “advanced” search page
Provides Specificity & Boolean logic
Internet marketing = 636,000,000 results
Internet marketing non profits =75,900,000
“non profit” AND “internet marketing” NOT
politics, political = 25,000,000
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Finding Connections
TIP: “reverse look up”
Shows who is linking to a site
Useful for identifying partnerships, sponsors
Example:
To see who links to Red Cross
link:http://www.redcross.org
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Looking into History
TIP: “WayBack Machine”
• Shows past versions of websites
• Useful to see growth, executive changes,
changes in marketing strategies
www.archive.org (half way down home page)
• Example: Red Cross
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Internet Search Strategies
• Trade Associations & Journals
• Newspaper & Magazine Articles
• Market Research Reports
– www.marketresearch.com
• Government Resources
• White Papers
• Conference Proceedings
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Invisible Web
Invisible Web” also known as “Deep Web”
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Int
ernet/InvisibleWeb.html
• Not found by most search engines
• Dynamically generated
• Password or fee protected
• Bigger than the “surface web” that you typically
search
Experts: Chris Sherman & Gary Price
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Internet Search Tools
Government sites:
First Gov: www.firstgov.gov
Search.Gov: www.searchgov.com
Uncle Sam: www.google.com/unclesam
Lists: www.specialissues.com/lol
Engineering: www.globalspec.com
Business: www.business.com
Executive Library: www.executivelibrary.com
Demographics:
http://adage.com/americandemographics/
Census: www.census.gov
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Viral Marketing
“A strategy that encourages individuals to pass
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on a marketing message to others, creating the
potential for exponential growth in the
message's exposure and influence.”
…WilsonWeb.com
“Word of mouth” “Buzz marketing”
“hand along" poem, graphic, video, article,
animation, newsletter
Something unique that people want to forward
Term coined in around 1997
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Viral Marketing (cont)
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Spreads like a Virus
Start with colleagues, friends & grows
“Referred by a friend”
Customers do the selling
Geographic spread from local to world
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Viral Marketing (cont)
• Hotmail (email service)
– Free, advertising supported email
– Appended an advertising message to outbound mail
“Get your free email at hotmail!”
– 1 ½ years signed up 12 million subscribers
– Was largest e-mail provider in India and Sweden but
did no marketing
• Subservient Chicken
www.subservientchicken.com
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Viral Marketing (cont)
• Be careful with “Included text” on
“Tell a Friend”
Example: www.GiffordsforCongress.com
“I was impressed by her, and I thought you
might be interested in checking out her
website.”
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Viral Marketing (cont)
• University of Maryland ZOOM Campaign
• Keep alumni up to date
• Seed group of alumni were sent email
directing them to Zoom site
• Asked them to “zoom” other alumni to site
• Sweepstakes to enter
• Multi prong approach – tv spots
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Viral Marketing (Resources)
• Marketing Sherpa’s Viral Hall of Fame
www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=27305
• Biggest & Best Virals on the Net
http://viral.lycos.co.uk/
• Viral Marketing – Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_marketing
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Getting Found: SEO & SEM
• Submitting site to Search Engines
• SEO – Search Engine Optimization
– Optimizing content & design to attract search
engine traffic
• SEM – Search Engine Marketing
– Posting advertisements in search engine paid
listings based on selected keyword phrases
– “Pay-per-click” (PPC) advertising
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Submitting sites to SE
• Search Engine – Indexing
– Google – every 28 days
• Doesn’t guarantee ranking but they know
you exist
• Submitting to Directories (Yahoo)
– Different levels – free & fee based
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Optimizing content & design of website to
attract search engine traffic
• Combination art & science
• “Organic” search results
• 80 % of online visitors use SE’s to find
services & products
• Make site SE friendly
• Build links “to” your site from others
– Partner with similar organizations or “listings”
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SEO (cont)
• Metatags
– Words users don’t see
– Search Engine Crawlers use
– Know words your users search on
• Keywords & phrases related to your
organization
• Different keywords for different pages
• Keyword location on text is important
– Higher on page better & bold some
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SEO (cont)
Hunger Banquet
Metatags: oxfam, oxfam america,
humanitarian, hunger banquet, fast, fast
for a world harvest, hunger, banquet,
poverty, fair trade, social justice, nonprofit,
world harvest“
TO FIND METATAGS:
In browser – click on “View” >> “Source”
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SEO (cont)
• Choose a short domain name similar to
keywords.
• Avoid using frames
• Give title to every html page
• Make sure all pages link to home page
• Include HTML on each page – crawlers
don’t search graphics
• Blogs and RSS feeds aid in SEO
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Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
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SEM (cont)
“Pay per Click”
“Keyword Auctioning”
Bidding for top places on result lists
• Google Adwords: http://adwords.google.com/
• Yahoo! SearchMktg: http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com
• MSN adCenter: http://adcenter.msn.com/
• Fast & relatively inexpensive
• Strong ROI & inexpensive to begin
• Can monitor and control expenses
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SEM (cont)
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Ad buyers pay only when visitors click on ads
Pick pertinent keywords & phrases
Create brief ads
Create “landing page” - tracking purposes
Determine your own budget
Check “Click Through” rates to determine ROI
Adjust strategy if necessary
Iterative process
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SEM (cont)
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Adds usually appear on right of results
Bid on Keywords in auction
Fraud concerns
Cost structure varies:
– activation, monthly, annual fee + cost per click
• Non profits – not as much competition
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SEM (cont)
• Google Grants: www.google.com/grants/
• Eligibility:
– Need 501(c)3 status in US
– Not political or religious groups
• Use relevant text
• Select “pertinent” keywords users would type
• “Campaign results” feature shows what’s
working & what’s not – adjust if necessary
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Google AdSense
Google AdSense - www.google.com/adsense
– Display relevant Google Ads on your own site
– You bid on ads
– Compete against one another instantaneously
– Automatically displays the text or image ad(s)
that will generate the maximum revenue for a
page
– Can customize appearance of ads on your
site
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Google AdSense (cont)
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SEM & SEO Resources
• Pay per Click (PPC) Articles:
www.selfseo.com/ppc_advertising_articles.php
• Marketing Titan – SEM:
www.marketingtitan.com/search_engine_marketing
• SEO Articles:
www.selfseo.com/seo_articles.php
• MetaTag generator:
www.qualifytraffic.com/freetools/meta-tag-generator.htm
• SEMPO: www.sempo.org/ (Trade Assoc)
• Bruce Clay (SEO Design):
www.bruceclay.com/web_design.htm
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Feed Me Better
www.feedmebetter.com
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Tracking Traffic
• HITS – “How idiots track success”
• Where are people going on your site?
• Where are they coming from?
– Domain, country, search engine
• How long are they staying?
• Tracking other promotions (e.g. President)
• Use tools – statistics from servers or software
tools
• Don’t include counter for all to see
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Tracking Traffic (cont)
• Website Traffic Report
www.websitetrafficreport.com
$10/month
• Web-based program
• Add “code” to each for for tracking
• Can get “daily” reports and aggregated (45 days)
• Free trial
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Keywords used
“agent provocateur" website designer
"university of arizona" "Learning Technologies Center"
"asynchronous communication" "online course"
3d virtual reality campus flash study
Access
computer technology threaded discussion
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Tracking Traffic (cont)
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AWStats: www.awstats.org
Click Tracks: www.clicktracks.com
Counter.com: www.counter.com
Freestats: http://freestats.com
MaxMind/GeoIP: www.maxmind.com/app/ip-locate
Netracker: www.sane.com
Sawmill: www.sawmill.net
Webalyzer: www.mrunix.net/webalizer/
Webtrends: www.webtrends.com
Packages & available information vary
Prices vary – some free
Monthly prices from $9.99
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E-mail Marketing
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Prompt actions – donate, volunteer etc.
Build brand recognition
Inform
Cost effective – communicate with large
volumes of current and prospective constituents
Personalized
Eliminates long lead times of traditional DM
Allows segmenting & testing – fine tune
message
Rapid response – 80% of total responses with
48 hours (Source: Convio)
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
Permission Marketing
– Obtain consent from prospect or supporter
– Show respect for recipient’s preferences
– Promote an honest, up front relationship
– Even if registered on site, need express
permission to include in email mailings
– Opt-in: check box on registration page & start
to receive newsletters
– Confirmed Opt-in: permission with an email
response to user
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
• Double Opt-in: actively respond to email
confirmation
• Disadvantage – some never confirm
• Opt-out method: make sure box is already
checked to receive e-mail. They have to choose
to opt-out
• Provide way to renew, leave, “change address”
• Post a Privacy policy – “what” you do with
information & use clear language, no jargon or
legalese
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
• Collect email addresses – let people know “how”
will be used.
• Online registration – make it easy & quick
• Follow up later for more in-depth info for profile
• Can “survey” them for preferences or
demographics
– 5-6 easy & quick questions
– Not too often
• Have them “choose” to “receive further mailings”
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
Importance of Subject Heading & Text
– Don’t be generic, sensational, obscure
– DO be concise & informational
– Keep message brief & “content rich”
• Importance of “From” name
– Make display name the organization name
• Average newsletter has the reader for up to
40-50 seconds
• A marketing or promotional e-mail retains the
reader for less than 5 seconds. (NeilsenNorman)
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
• Brand your design & be consistent
• Offer html & text options
– HTML – can track actions
– Text – more easily read by many (PDA’s etc)
• Test what looks like (Lyris, Return Path)
• Test with segments
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
When to Email
• Conflicting studies
• Open and click-through rates lowest at mid week
• Highest rates occurred on Sunday and Friday
• 76% send out in the morning
• Drive traffic to your site – include URL in all
communications, including e-mails
• Most non profits mail to “home” e-mail
addresses – e.g. ISP’s like AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail
– Check with ISP regarding SPAM guidelines
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
• 45% of consumers indicated email is a "great
way" to be kept up to date
• 63% of U.S. marketers use email to retain
customers and create loyalty
• 62% reported using email to acquire new
customers
• 60% of respondents use email to build
relationships with existing customers
• 41% use it to acquire new customers.
(MarketingSherpa)
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E-mail Marketing (cont)
Using professional list mailers
• Individually addressed messages - no more CC:
or BCC
• Automatic bounce handling
• Drill-down reporting to learn which mailings
failed and why
• Keep in touch with segments of database
• Pay only for “sent” emails
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E-mail Marketing (Case Studies)
• NEA (National Education Association)
www.lyris.com/resources/casestudies/casestudy_nea.html
Howard Dean Campaign
www.lyris.com/resources/casestudies/casestudy_dean.html
• Raising Email Clickthroughs w/content testing
www.marketingsherpa.com/sample.cfm?ident=29682
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E-mail Marketing (Resources)
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Willco – www.willcom.com
Convio – www.convio.com
Lyris – www.lyris.com
Sparklist - www.sparklist.com
Kintera - www.kinterainc.com (Technology for online giving)
Bruce Clay - www.bruceclay.com/web_email.htm
Technology Therapy www.technologytherapy.com/email_amrketing.htm
• Email Newsletter Usability by Jakob Neilsen
www.nngroup.com/reports/newsletters/summary.htm
• Kerry vs Bush Newsletter Usability Study
www.useit.com/alertbox/20040920.html
• Project320’s Powermail – www.project320.com
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Award Winner - Driving Ethanol
http://drivingethanol.org/
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Award Winner - YouThink
http://youthink.worldbank.org/
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Award Winners
• Webby Awards
www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?season=10
Categories:
Activism, Art, Associations, Blogs (political), Charitable
organizations, Community, Cultural Institutions,
Education, Events, Government, News, Political,
Podcasts, Religion, School, Social Networking
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THANK YOU
How We Can Help You:
Audio & Video Services for Courses
Course & Faculty Websites
Database & Programming Support
Emerging Technologies
Graphic Design Services for Instructional Purposes
Training & Support for Course Management Tools
Instructional Assessment & Design
Instructional Blogging
Podcasting
Website Design & Usability Testing
Jan Knight - Research Specialist, Senior
520-626-1315
jknight@email.arizona.edu
http://elearn.arizona.edu/coxworkshops/mkt-strats.htm
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