Example AdWords campaigns on my website

This is for my IT382 Digital Marketing module.

This proposed AdWords campaign is for my website: nowtweet.it . The website is a URL shortener optimised for Twitter. Looking at the keywords and discription, I have proposed the following two AdWords Adverts:

Shorten those long URLS
Use Twitter? Shorten your URLS
the simple way with Now tweet it
nowtweet.it

Free Twitter URL Shortener
Nowtweet.it is the best way to get
your long URLs into Twitter!
nowtweet.it/shortenURL

Proposed Keywords: Twitter, URL, shorten URL, shrink URL, tweet, tweet URL, post URL, Twitter tool, free Twitter tool

The estimated search traffic that the Google tool shows is fairly low, but with a limited budget it should be adequate. The campaign can be monitored based on average costs per click and will be shown in countries where Twitter is commonly used; for example the UK, USA, Brazil and Canada.

Comparison of 2 Viral Ads

This is for my IT382 Digital Marketing Module

Blentec Blenders & Levi's Redwire Jeans.

Blentec created a range of popular viral videos demonstrating the strength and versatility of their products, by blending desirable products such as iPads, Nintendo Wii's and other tough objects with their blenders. The videos are presented by the Blentec MD and effectively show the strength of the product with a comedy element. They are generally regarded as some of the most successful viral ads of all times with millions of hits decending upon them. There is a case study here: http://nowtweet.it/fj

On the other side of the spectrum sits Levis, who usually have a good attempt at a viral. This one for their redwire jeans was poor, and to my mind, I see no real reason why people would engage or spread the word of this video. You can find it here: http://nowtweet.it/fb. The dancing boy does not convey the message of the functionality of the new jeans, and it's does not support key messages or value of the brand, unlike Blentec.

Viral ads can go two ways, there is always a risk when launching one, but some just completely miss the mark. 

For IT382 Digital Marketing - Critical Analysis of a blog

Critical analysis for an Ibiza News Blog - http://www.ibizablog.co.uk/

Ibiza Blog focuses on providing Island inhabitants and toursists alike with information, new and listings for the White Isle's top clubs and party venues. There's a regularly updated stream of entries, documenting opening dates for the various bars and clubs. The content is backed up with quotes and Twitter updates from the bars and clubs themselves, and these are displayed on the site.

The navigation provides a list of all the Island's main venues, and shows details on them all. However the site lacks content on other aspects of the island. Although there is nothing wrong with a blog purely based on clubs and bars, the website and name gives the impression there should be more for the site viewers, in terms of reviews and content for other activites in Ibiza.

The site has links to the relevant Facebook pages, and has been monetised with Google Ads, signs that the webmaster knows their stuff. There is also an archive of previous posts. The site offers a good all around information source for people coming to party in Ibiza, however to become a more popular blog and source of information for part revellers, there might need to be more information on flights, accommodation, food and other island activites.

Critical Analysis of an Email Communication from Play.com

This blog is for my Digital Marketing Module.


Play.com email communications arrive roughly twice a week, one just before the weekend, and one just after. I usually open them to see what special offers they are promoting at the time. The most recent one i received was entitled 'Dynamite Deals', advertising products from low prices. These come to me because i subscribed to their newsletter from a recent purchase.


There was no evident personalisation. It is common for emails to personalise the subject line, the content and promotions in the email by using dynamic fields pulling data on a specific customers habits from a database, such as Amazon do. The template is friendly to look at, although very image heavy, which can cause problems for a lot of people as the email is likely to be refused entry to the user's inbox, or filtered into the spam folder. It is best practice for emails to contain a rough 50/50 balance between text an images to optimise it for delivery.


There are two calls to action on the email, found in the images. 'Shop Now', and 'Pre-Order Now' can be found, although the buttons are small and fairly discrete, perhaps not giving the customer much of a reason to click though, although the general email gives off the impression of 'click anywhere to be directed to the complete list of products in the promotion'. The URLs go to a dedicated page for all the products available under 'Dynamite Deals', although there are no alt tags and the functionality of the email is fairly crude. For example the top has navigation to the various product categories, but it is a sole linked image so no matter what you click, you will always be taken to the same page.


I think the email has an attractive design, and gets the point of the promotion across well, however I think the CTA's are weak and the email is badly designed with lack of personalisation and balance of text content, some of the most fundamental properties of a good email campaign. Perhaps Play.com should go back to email marketing 101.

What gives me the right to critique an email from such a big company? Well, I worked for a FTSE company for a year on email marketing and CRM. I was responsible for executing email campaigns across several brands and used personalisation and tailored communications depending on the segment the email was designed for. We were widely regarded as having a good CRM department with communications being relevant, timely and personalised. They always performed to best practice and had some of the best open rates in the industry.


Ps. Don't forget to try my URL shortening service nowtweet.it for your next post :)

My new Twitter URL Shortening Service :)

Last week I launched my own URL shortener to compete against giants such as ow.ly, bit.ly, TinyUrl and others.


I never had the intention of become as big as those, but i wanted to offer an alternative to the big ones, which I don't think come across that friendly. I wanted the most simple user experience possible, with a great, friendly interface, and a nice brand and copywriting. I decided to specifically target Twitter users, as there are a lack of URL shorteners specifically designed for Twitter, probably the most used social platform of URL shorteners.


Now tweet it!


It's been live for 5 days, and has generated well over 100 uses, with an average of 14 clicks on each link produced. Coupled with a basic Google Ads campaign, nowtweet.it has created over 25,000 impressions on search.
I'm really optimistic about the site, and I've had some great feedback. If you haven't checked it out yet, take it a little peak! ;)


nowtweet.it

IT382 Digital Marketing - How Daniel's Article can be applied

This Blog is for my IT382 module. Referencing: Daniel et al (2003) ‘Towards a map of marketing information systems: an inductive study’, European Journal of Marketing, Vol 37, No 5/6, pp821-847


An Application of Daniel's Marketing Information System Map.

Daniel's map is cyclical and demonstrates how ongoing market activity can be adjusted throughout time. Her model demonstrates 4 key areas:

• Define your market
• Create a Value Proposition
• Deliver Value
• Monitor Value

It is possible to carry out these stages, and when monitoring the results, you can go back to the first stage and make ammendments if needed. For example, you may want to redefine your market if you realise it is not lucrative or big enough.

The method in which you create your value proposition can also change depending on consumer taste. The way in which people behave has a big role. More people are online now, with marketing spends online at a record high. This may alter how you create and deliver value. Daniel's model allows this to be assessed and modified accordingly.

Different Marketing Information Systems can be incorporated into this model as the technology becomes available, and sets out a good starting point on creating a valuable proposition for customers.

You can find the full article here:
http://ow.ly/3YkdS

Fortune favours the brave

It's easy to cut back on marketing spend during economical turmoil. There are 3 well known practices for deciding marketing budgets:

• The Economist's view - Supply & Demand. If demand is low, cut back.
• The Accountant's view - Spend as a % of sales/revenue. If revenue is dipping, cut back.
• The Marketers's view - Objective & Task, decide how to increase sales and work backwards.

Why focus on cutting costs, when you can focus on increasing sales?

Much empirical research by PIMS (profit impact of marketing strategy), based on thousands of companies over many years, suggests that companies who invest in marketing an innovation in a recession, come out better. Companies who increase their marketing spend whilst in a recession, whilst competitors are cutting down, are far more likely to be remembered and noticed by consumers when the recovery starts.

You have a company. You are manager. You are a consultant. Whatever you are, you have a database of customers who trust you. Increase your contact with these customers (but don't overdo it!), and remind them of your brand values and why they can shop with you in a recession, perhaps give them a reason, some sort of promotion spend or competition. Keep them happy and pull them through on the other side.

Fortune favours the brave, and those you don't cut the marketing spend await glory.