Cecilia Barella, a Definition 6 Account Coordinator, recently discussed an article she read on Forrester...

The Hispanic population is one of the fastest growing population in the US however they are still underserved online. Companies should know that while only one-fourth of Hispanics must be served in Spanish, more than half of online Hispanics would prefer to be served in Spanish. Often due to the uncertainty over the benefits of creating a Spanish-language site, many marketers miss out on this market that is full of opportunities in email marketing, search engine optimization, and website development.

Cecilia focused on a few key points in the article:

1. Spanish-preferring online consumers fit at least one of four criteria . The more
criteria they select, the more likely they are to prefer Spanish over English. More than half of online Hispanics fit into one of these four criteria, and 23% of them fit into three or four of them. The four criteria are as follows:
 
• “I am more comfortable visiting Web sites that are Spanish-language.” Thirty-two percent of
online Hispanics agree with this statement.
• “I get more of the information I need when using a Spanish-language Web site.” Almost 30% of Spanish-preferring Hispanics agree with this.
• “I am more likely to trust companies that have Spanish-language Web sites.” Twenty-eight percent of Spanish-preferring Hispanics agree with this notion, revealing that a Spanishlanguage site is not just about reach but is also about brand trust and customer goodwill.
• Spend at least half of their Internet time in Spanish. Twenty-six percent of Spanish-preferring Hispanics fall into this group.   
 
2. Understand your existing and potential customers to see if their needs match your product or service. For example:
• Attitudes. More than half of Spanish-preferring Hispanics would be more likely to research products online if they could do it in Spanish, and they are more concerned about price than English-preferring Hispanics.
• Demographics. Online Spanish-preferring Hispanics have larger households and more children than English-preferring Hispanics, meaning that messaging around kids and family will have high impact with this group.
• Acculturation.  82% of Spanish-preferring online Hispanics are first-generation in the US. Some sites should not only focus on pushing products to this Market but also educating them in certain processes.

3. Make A Multichannel Spanish-Language Commitment.
Make sure that your Hispanic consumers have a seamless experience across all the channels in which they need Spanish.  Also, make sure that the content is culturally relevant and updated frequently.

Cecilia's concluding thoughts were that competition for Spanish-preferring consumers will accelerate, and companies that get in early with a Spanish language site have an advantage when it comes to building greater brand awareness and relationships within the Hispanic community. There are also multiple ways to do this.  Some examples are: using translator services, having a spanish-language minisite, having a landing page, or a second site.  An Interactive Advertising Agency, like Definition 6, can help you create a winning multi-cultural strategy for long lasting results.  The full article can be viewed at: http://forrester.com/Research/Document/0,7211,42066,00.html

As the holiday season approaches, the prospects for record setting sales appear dim for most retailers.  The economy is, well, you know...  Competition is keen and consumers are spending on necessities, if that.  This will make the 2008 holiday season especially challenging for marketers and retailers.  So for eTailors, and those in the electronic commerce space, getting it "right" this year can mean staying in business, or not. 

So I suggest a pre-holiday, eCommerce audit to ensure a successful holiday season.  Make sure your web site is search engine optimized by reviewing page tags, keywords, meta data and header information.  Ensure your home page has a strong call to action.  Are there special promotions prominently displayed on the homepage and above the fold?  There better be, because your competitors will have that nailed!

Have you checked the web channel integration with your inventory application?  Better make sure that inventory purchased on-line is reflected in your database in near real time, as the costs of returns will be higher this year, with gas prices as they are.

Are you planning special promotions and marketing events in your other channels?  Ensure that the web is being leveraged to support and augment those initiatives.  Are your call center employees up to date with your latest web promotions? 

If your website is hosted by a third party hosting provider, have you alerted them to that great new web promotion you are planning?  You'll need to ensure they can handle the anticipated increase in bandwidth.  Those managed services providers might also offer some ideas on how to keep that traffic even by varying messaging by the time of day and even day of the week.  This will smooth out traffic and promote a more consistent user experience.

And let's not forget the all important email campaigns.  Have you segmented your target audience so they can receive offers indicative of the part of your website that got them to opt in in the first place?  Are you promoting higher margin products so you don't generate a lot of traffic and revenue but no profits?  Are you sending emails often enough to keep your prospects engaged, but not too often that they stop opening your emails?  Can you do timely email clickstream analysis to identify which promotions are generating the most traffic, and stop the low performers and supplement the rain makers?

And have you reviewed your search and SEO strategies?  Will you be doing a lot of paid search?  Buying brand terms, category terms or product names?  Do you have a comparison or analysis regimen in place so you can add to the converting keywords and dial down the laggards?  Can you run timely metrics reports to get a good snapshot on how your website is performing on a daily basis?

If you have not thought through all of these interactive marketing concepts thoroughly, 2008 might be the year you learned a lot more about eCommerce than you bargained for.  And the way 2009 is shaping up, that job search will be long, prolonged and difficult.  So contact Definition6 now, and have us perform that eCommerce audit and tune up for you.  You'll sleep better, outpace the competition and ensure that 2008 is a stepping stone to a more prosperous 2009.

When it comes to a search engine optimization strategy, many of our clients are either puzzled by the ever changing algorithms or mislead by the differences between paid and organic search.  Undoubtedly, there is a great deal of misinformation out there when it comes to search engine optimization marketing.

Lance King, a Definition 6 Technical Project Manager, researched the topic and came across an article written by Michael Estrin who addresses some of the most common misperceptions about search engine optimization marketing.  A common thread that Lance sees when talking to his clients about search engine marketing is that they think that if it’s not paid search, that it’s free.  Depending on the website and the campaign objectives, you will want to budget properly for an SEO program.  Just as important, you need a seasoned SEO consultant on hand who not only understands the strategy behind internet search engine marketing but who also knows how to benchmark and measure your SEO successes.  To read the article in its entirety, go to:
http://www.imediaconnection.com/content/19803.asp

I've been in the online marketing space for almost a decade now.  I still remember the days of of brochure-ware and when the website was just an afterthought.  Today, the web has become the hub for most marketing efforts.  In the world of online marketing and website development, one area that marketers still fall short is embracing the real power of interactive...the constant exchange of value for action taken by the end user.  This ebb and flow of reward for activity is where the real power of interactive marketing lies.

As an interactive media agency, it becomes critical to not only understand where the target is and how to find them, but to understand the context in which the message will be delivered.  Only then can a real value exchange be created where the user is reward for taking the desired actions.   Search Engine Optimization solutions are the simplest example of this...creating targeted landing pages designed to be more relevant to the end user based on the specific search made.  Web Application Development also needs to take this into consideration...when asking a user to fill out a form of personal, specific information, that user should get a result that is personal and relevant to them.  Each exchange of information should reward the user and open up the possibility of taking another action with even more reward.

Mike Reese, an Associate Architect for Definition 6, recently initiated a conversation with the Client Services group on how to drive users to a website and how to keep them coming back.  He quoted an article he read on www.websitemagazine.com which says "The best ways to capture a users’ attention and keep them coming back are to strategize and plan your content architecture, leverage technology to assist in the effort, and incorporate the user’s voice."  Mike shared with the group a few of the article’s key points:

1. Keep the initial interaction SIMPLE.  Home pages are often complicated with slow-loading flash movies, informational ads or pop-ups.  By limiting these “bottlenecks”, users see content quickly and will stay on your site.

2. Do the research – review your search engine optimization campaigns as well as your web analytics.  If 20% of your traffic comes from email marketing newsletters or promotional campaigns, make sure you are providing content that is relevant to that 20%.  For example, users who are specifically looking for travel and lodging information have a variety of ways to get to your site.  Third party aggregators such as sidestep.com and kayak.com make up a large percentage of traffic.  It is important to understand where your users are coming from and then modify initial page visits from those sites. Get the user into your purchase funnel as quickly and easily as possible.

3.  Keep content fresh, relevant.  By incorporating rich CMS tools, business owners and marketers have the ability to push timely content.  Leverage blogs to drive online discussions and allow users to interact with the website and with business stakeholders.  It is also important to show that you care about your customers’ opinions.  You can accomplish this by offering online surveys or feedback submission forms.  Put the power in the hands of the user.

In summary, users have a variety of resources to find the information they are searching for.  Therefore you need to provide content in a seamless manner in order to promote engagement.  By creating interaction with the user, you build a level of loyalty and provide a place for their concerns and questions to be heard -- which is very different than the type of interaction they will receive from any third party site or aggregator.  Utilize exclusive web content and leverage your email marketing campaigns to grab customers and keep them coming back for more.

We encourage you to read the full article, titled “10 Ways to Increase Website Stickiness”, at: http://www.websitemagazine.com/content/blogs/posts/articles/Increase_Website_Stickiness_10_ways.aspx