Our Monmouth Blog

Wikipedia defines A/B testing as “a method of advertising testing by which a baseline control sample is compared to a variety of single-variable test samples. A classic direct mail tactic, this method has been recently adopted within the interactive space to test tactics such as banner ads, emails and landing pages.”
A/B testing is a simple, effective and inexpensive way to analyze variations of a test case for effectiveness. In an A/B test you create a two or more versions of a test case distributed to a representative sample of your audience or market. For example, if you want to conduct a test for your email marketing campaign your may do an A/B test on the subject line.
When conducting the test it is important to change only one element at a time, otherwise, you will not be able to track results properly. It is ok to test several “subject lines” at once if you distribute equal sample sizes and can effectively track versions.
Another common tactic is to test versions that may have several differences to gauge effectiveness. The type of test can be used when planning to launch something new. Most often this is used for testing a redesign of features or function on a website but it can be applied to almost anything. Once a version is decided it can be fine tuned by using the A/B test on specific elements.
Do you use A/B testing or other techniques to improve marketing results?

Allaire Village, Inc. will host one of its most popular fund-raising events of the season, the Rolling Iron Auto Show, open to all vehicles manufactured up to 1982. The show, which has gained in popularity since its beginnings, features over 350 classic, antique and custom cars.

For more information visit the Allaire Village website.

26 Sun. 8 a.m.-3 p.m. $5/Car (Rain Date, September 16, 2007)
Historic Allaire Village – Rt 524, Wall New Jersey

This will not come, as a shock to anyone anymore but being on the top end of search engine results will translate into sales. Not only will you reach more consumers but those who Internet pre-shop spend more in-store as I previously posted on the results of a Yahoo study. Businesses that ignore the media will soon find themselves disconnected from the marketplace.

“In June 2007, iProspect partnered with JupiterResearch to develop and field a survey to U.S. search engine users (heretofore referred to as “online search users”) to gain a better understanding of how exposure to offline channels influences their search and purchase behavior.”

The full report can be read here.

The most important trend reported was:

“57% of online users claim that performing searches on search engines has become more important to their use of the Internet over the last year.”

The use of search engines to research products prior to purchasing them is an integral part of consumer behavior. People no longer solely rely on magazines, industry shows, or other means to find out information and evaluate alternatives. The Internet has made research convenient and Google has made it efficient.

As business owners and entrepreneurs we need to be in a position to capitalize on these trends by having not only a strong presence online but also a solid Internet marketing and search engine optimization plan.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP announced in a June 6th press release that

“Internet advertising revenues reached a new record of $4.9 billion for the first quarter of 2007. The 2007 first quarter revenues represent a 26 percent increase over Q1 2006 at $3.8 billion and a 2 percent increase over Q4 2006 at $4.8 billion.”

The Internet marketing industry is flourishing because of its success reaching target audiences. Most of today’s consumers pre-shop and research on the Internet prior to making buying decisions even if they don’t buy online.

A well thought out Internet marketing strategy should be a part of every business plan. While the costs of many of these programs vary there are a number of sites that allow you to post free classified ads to promote your business. This is a chance to generate some free impressions and leads.

Here is a list of 7 Online Classified Ad sites that offer free ads:

1. AdtoAd
2. ClassifiedsForFree.com
3. Craigslist
4. eDirection
5. LiveDeal
6. Postlets
7. Zipeee.com

What other sites do you use to promote your business for free?

The Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars is back in town.

When:
Wed. Aug 29th – Fri. Aug 31st
Show times: 4:30 & 7:30 Daily

Where:
East Freehold Park

The cost for adults is $17 and $12 for kids or you can get your FREE kids ticket on the Cole Bros. Circus website.

Client segmentation can be an important marketing tool and sales practice management technique to help increase your marketing efficiency and improve your sales. Traditional sales roles, such as the brokerage or insurance industries, have been using market segmentation techniques for years, but it can be used effectively in any business. Client segmentation is the practice of dividing customers or prospects into groups that are similar in specific ways relevant to marketing, such as age, gender, interests, geography, school, industry, spending habits, and so on.

For this exercise, I want to focus on top clients. Therefore, your criteria for grading client segmentation are on the basis of profitability. What is the total revenue generated for each client? How much time is invested in each transaction (is less is better)? How important is this client to my business (referrals/relationships)? These questions are the more important criteria, but I also like to ask the question do I enjoy working with this client?

The most often used term for a top client is “A list”. In most sales circuits this is known as the “A Book” although there are other less used terms such as “gold” or “diamond”. This segment may be broken down into four groups labeled A, B, C, and D. These percentages are guidelines, but they usually fall out something like this:

• “A”: top clients 20%
• “B”: good clients 40%
• “C”: potential 35%
• “D”: not worth it 5%

Once you have completed this exercise, I suggest that you “tag” these clients so that you can easily filter client lists in the future. Any CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software should have this function. Microsoft Outlook Business Contact Manager has a field called “account rating”, but this can also easily done in an Excel format with a few columns and simply sort your columns.

Once you have identified your “A list” it is time to get your marketing campaign ready for action. It can be as simple as a “thank you” telephone call or more elaborate like a client appreciation day. Remember the goal is to improve your sales so be creative and have fun.

What other tips and sales practices do you use to market to your “A List”?

Regards,
Howard

The Associated Press reported a heinous story this morning that we all need to be aware of and protect our children and family from. Bergen County prosecutors said that a married 42 year old man had lured a 15 year old girl to a hotel room and had sex with her at least twice. The young girl met this sexual predator though Netlog.com and had chatted for a few weeks before meeting.

This is sick and really makes me angry considering I have two young girls of my own. While the Internet is a powerful tool there are always people trying to exploit it for his or her own selfish needs or something sick like this.

The full story can be read here.

Advertisement: Get a free business listing at ourmonmouth.com.

Looking for something to do this weekend? The Colts Neck County Fair has somethings for everyone in the family.

Fireworks
Opening Night at approximately 9:30 pm

Classic Car Show
Saturday, August 18, 4pm to 8 pm

Family Attractions
Rides, Games, Mini Golf, Petting Zoo, Pony Rides, Paddle Boats, Magician, Food and Crafts

Where:
Bucks Mill Park, 105 Bucks Mill Road, Colts Neck, NJ 07722
Phone: (732) 462-8500

When:
August 16-19, 2007
Thursday, August 16 5-11 pm
Friday, August 17 5-11 pm
Saturday, August 18 4-11 pm
Sunday, August 19 2-8 pm

For more information please visit the Colts Neck County Fair Website.

Advertisement: Rainbow International – Serving Monmouth and Ocean County N.J. with all Water, Fire, Smoke Damage, Home Restoration, and Carpet Cleaning needs.

One of the most important things you can do you for website to improve your search engine ranking is to add quality inbound links. A quality inbound link is a link into your website from another website that has similar content and shares keywords with your site. Sites with a higher page rank (sometimes called Google PR) are preferred. I only recommend linking from known sources so that you stay clear of link farms and spam sites.

Here is a list of 11 sites where you can get a free quality inbound link:

1. Alexa.com – uses DMOZ database.
2. BizHwy.com
3. B2B Guide
4. ComFind.com
5. DMOZ
6. Infowebworld
7. Jayde B2B
8. Google Business Center
9. StartupNation
10. Verizon SuperPages
11. YellowPages

What other sites do you recommend?

Regards,

Howard

I have always enjoyed taking my kids to events like these.

What: Butterfly Festival
When: Saturday, August 11, 2007, 10:00 A.M. – 4:00 P.M. at the Watershed Reserve
Where: 31 Titus Mill Road, Pennington NJ

Adults and Families
$5 per person or $15 per car (Pre-registration required)

This festival’s hightlight are tours of the Kate Gorrie Memorial Butterfly House as well as naturalist-led hikes through the Watershed Reserve. For children, the day features games, crafts, musical skits and a waterslide! For teens and adults, there is live music, produce and prepared foods from local organic farms, local craftspeople, green vendors and businesses and representative from local outdoor sporting groups. For the whole community are informative demonstrations of tools and techniques for sustainable living and a greener future! Click here for more details.