Digital Strategies
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Jun 16th
Local olive oil distributor Elanthy Extra Virgin Olive Oil is looking to raise their game and increase their online sales through Search Engine Optimisation of their website, Search Engine Marketing using Google AdWords more effectively, and Social Media so that they can engage with customers more easily.
Elanthy has a simple online ordering service which will be upgraded in time. They offer a range of other olive oil related products for sale. Elanthy use Oreniki olives native to the Kalamata region of mainland Greece, which is where their olive oil mill is based. Their base is in the Cotswolds, distributing by courier to restaurants and households in the UK and abroad.
Facebook still top social media traffic source
Apr 29th
Facebook continues to refer the most social media traffic to websites, according to data from web analytics company StatCounter. Although the monthly figures show an odd trend downward for three months, clearly things have picked up again in Facebook’s favour, at the expense of other social networks. StumbleUpon has lost ground recently, but this trend is also reflected elsewhere than just here in the UK, where the service is generally not so well used.
Twitter shows a strong overall trend, apparently referring about 10% of all traffic from social networks.
Facebook dominates the social media sites referring traffic to websites
If any conclusion can be drawn from these statistics, it is that Facebook page updates continue to rise in importance since Google started to index them, underlining their importance in a corporate social presence.
QR codes now on Google Places
Apr 29th
The recently rechristened Google Local as Google Places now offers customised QR codes for users. Once scanned by a customers’ smartphone, the code takes them to your own ‘place’ page in their mobile browser; QR codes can be used on business cards and other marketing materials.
Capture this QR code to see this page in a mobile browser
Apparently in the USA Google is sending out 50,000 windows stickers to businesses with ‘their’ QR codes on, allowing users to quickly access websites, hopefully optimised for mobile usage. Try the QR code on the right to see what this page looks like when optimised for mobile use.
As a long time advocate of QR codes I am glad to see that they are being pushed by Google – they are one of the most effective ways of attracting and gaining user attention and driving them to interact with brands, products and services. In Japan (where the QR code was invented) they are used everywhere, but they have taken sometime to catch on in the West – this is a shot in the arm for linking the offline world with the online world.
If you would like to know more about QR codes and how they could benefit your organisation, please get in touch and I would be happy to discuss how they can fit into your digital strategy.
Your browser, your choice!
Mar 1st
You have a choice, so take it
Microsoft browser choice
Every Windows user has a choice of which browser they use, but so few take up anything other than the standard Internet Explorer offering. For them, this article and the BBC News story about it will fall on deaf ears. But for those interested in making their online research and daily surfing more interesting, enjoyable and engaging, have a look at the rivals and what you can do with them.
I use Google Chrome as my default browser, as it is clean, simple, quick to load and has a number of useful extensions. I used to use Firefox but it became bloated and now runs slower than Internet Explorer (for me). I sometimes switch to Apple Safari as I like the interface and I sometimes use a Mac.
As you will discover if you see the IE advisory page (not everyone will see the message due to their Windows settings) there are other less well known browsers that you could use. Some are worth a try but the mainstream offerings are the more stable, longer term bet for the average user.
Here’s the full list offered by Microsoft as part of its settlement with the European Commission:
- Avant
- Chrome
- Firefox
- Flock
- Green Browser
- Internet Explorer
- K-meleon
- Maxthon
- Opera
- Safari
- Sleipnir
- Slim
Google Buzz settles in as a major player
Feb 22nd
Google makes email social
Following the initial flurry of criticism (I would hardly call it a storm as other commentators have done) for Google Buzz, the search giant’s social network offering, the service has been running for nearly two weeks and tens of millions of users have tried it and continue to post thousands of posts and comments every minute, so it looks like it is here to stay.
I say that’s a good thing, as Buzz is more than just a flash in the pan – its integration with GMail makes it a powerful networking ally, letting users post status updates, share content, read and comment on their friends’ posts.
Although they made a hash of the launch by not fully testing the service with a full beta testing group, Google has addressed the initial concerns (and I am sure that won’t make a mistake like that again) and users seem happier with the revisions. The service has of course lost some traction, but the nature of social networks means that this will only be a temporary setback as friends connect with their friends and the inexorable rollout goes further and further.
As Google’s first foray into integrated social media it’s a step in the right direction. It will clearly develop further (and most likely even further than Yahoo’s similar service) and at least addresses Google’s lack of social media activity since Orkut, which has been overshadowed almost everywhere in the World (except South America for some reason). At least Buzz has avoided the fate of the Facebook/Beacon ad fiasco, which was terminated in 2009 for violating privacy.
So, go and create your Google Profile to ensure that others can find you, and try Google Buzz as a way of staying in touch. See the official Google Gmail Blog for 5 Buzz Tips to get the most out of the service.
Please get in touch if you want to know why you should be using this or any other social networking tool for your business or charity.
Social Search on Google
Jan 31st
An interesting new feature on google.com shows more personal search results with relevant content from your online friends and contacts. Although Facebook friends won’t show up (yet), the Google Social Search service aims to add links to their information posted as images and/or articles. The official Google Blog explains it fully, but the following video gives a simpler overview of what it’s all about.
There is a lot of noise about the privacy implications of all this, but it’s really all about connections to find information you can already find, so this, in my opinion is just shortening the distance taken to find it. It is in its infancy now, so expect this to be a growing trend for Google and search in general.
Filling in your Google Profile is really all that is required to get the most out of Social Search.
Geolocation tools
Jan 22nd
I was asked yesterday about geolocation tools and how I go about getting a longitude and latitude for a postcode. Easy I said – just go to Google Maps and search for the postcode. Then click on the RSS icon to display the coordinates.
My Location for Google Maps - see the blue dot?
However, since July 2009 Google Maps have provided one better than this – Google’s ‘My Location for Google Maps’. This is really quite clever, although not always entirely accurate. It tries to emulate the ‘My Location’ feature in Google Maps for Mobile (you know, the blue dot showing where you are on an iPhone/Android device etc). It looks for a Wi-Fi location or your current IP address and then tries to locate you. Sometimes it’s pretty accurate, but sometimes you can’t see yourself on the map at all. You will need to confirm that you are happy for Google to use your location on its maps, but the information is anonymous.
Google Latitude – too much of a good thing?
Feb 6th
The new Google Latitude mobile tracking system may have a lot of really useful applications (emergency location, vehicle tracking, locating a friend etc) but it also gives bosses a Big Brother opportunity that not everyone will be happy about. Do you want your employer tracking your every move?
This could be the precursor of a contract of employment that stipulates you leave your mobile on at all work times so that you can be traced. Personally I wouldn’t have a problem with this, but I know a lot of people will have something to say about it. Leave a comment if you are one of those!