Being Buff: Marketing the social economy

I attended an event put on by Google last Wednesday titled Leading the Conversation with Canadians Online which was all about Google selling its wares to the federal government (and don’t get me wrong: I love what they’re selling). I have posted a complete summary of the event on Google Docs so want to focus here on two analytics tools that Google mentioned at the event: Google Analytics and Google Insights for Search. And I’ll admit up front that I’m just beginning to explore both tools so this post is mostly about getting lots of people to experiment and share.

Google Analytics is a very powerful tool that gives you a wealth of metrics that could fill up many more posts. Right now I’ll focus on its ability to tell you who’s coming to your site and from where. This includes breaking down traffic sources by search engine, keywords, referring sites (Web sites that sent people to yours), direct traffic (people who clicked a bookmark to come to your site or typed your site URL into their browser), and your Google AdWords campaigns (if you’re running any), among other sources. The results are all presented in easy to read graphs.

At the Google event they showed a graph that clearly showed what number of people visiting a particular site had “converted” by taking the action the Web site was designed to help them take (i.e. buying a product, downloading a white paper) or, if they didn’t convert, exactly where they dropped off in the journey from the homepage.

Google Insights for Search lets you compare search volume patterns for specific keywords across regions, categories (i.e. arts, business, health, sports and many more). That’s about all I know about it for now. You can get more from this post touching Google Insights by the always insightful (pardon the pun), Mike Kujawski of the Centre for Excellence in Public Sector Marketing.

I’ll post more as I play more with the tools and please do the same.

Posted in Google, Government | No Comments »

Here’s the agenda for this morning’s meeting on how federal government departments can use YouTube, put on by none other than Google:

Leading the Conversation
With Canadians Online

Using Google and YouTube to Develop a Digital Dialogue With Canadians

Learn how to control your message with Canadians online and drive interest and support for your
government program by leveraging the power of Google and YouTube advertising products and services. Please join us at our invitation-only event in Ottawa on February 3, 2010.

Our event agenda will include the following presentations:

–

Understanding how Canadians Research Government Information and Programs Online:
Learn from Google’s proprietary research study results and data trends

–

Keys to Success in the Obama Online Marketing Juggernaut:
A keynote presentation from Rich Mintz, VP, Strategy, Blue State Digital

–

Controlling and Monitoring Your Message Online Using Google Search and Analytics:
Discover best practices on how to best use these Google tools to target your message

–

Start an Ongoing Dialogue With Your Constituents Using YouTube and Google Display Advertising:
Hear case studies and learn how to use these tools to drive awareness and response

Tags: Canada, Google, Government, YouTube
Posted in Google, Government, YouTube | 1 Comment »

So Google released its competitor to the iPhone this week called the T-Mobile G1 and it’s going to change your life. How? Well, if you hadn’t already been thinking about adding mobile to your marketing communications mix you have to now.

The G1 is a lot like the IPhone but with some key differences. For one thing it’s got a full slide out keyboard which is a godsend for anyone who has tried to write anything longer than their name on the very frustrating iPhone touch keyboard. But the game changing difference is that it runs open source applications. That means anyone can write apps for it and make them available for download from anywhere. iPhone apps are tightly controlled by Apple who makes available only the ones they like and only through the often annoyingly proprietary iTunes.

According to www.mobiletechaddicts.com, “the GI is available [to T-Mobile customers] in the US now and will available in the United Kingdom beginning in November, and across Europe in the first quarter of 2009. Countries include Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. The device will be available at select T-Mobile retail stores and online in the U.S. beginning Oct. 22, for a price of $179 with a two-year voice and data agreement.” $179 – that’s about 20 bucks less than the iPhone…

As the name implies the G1 is put out by T-Mobile USA, a Bellevue, Washington-based wireless carrier that, according to its website, “ is a national provider of wireless voice, messaging, and data services capable of reaching over 268 million Americans where they live, work, and play.”

No word on a Canadian G1 launch yet….

To get a good look at the G1 check out this YouTube video. Then pull out your marketing and communications plan and add a section called “mobile”.

Posted in Google, Mobile | No Comments »

One week ago, Google launched its new Google Chrome browser, but this post isn’t about the browser – it’s about the launch.

Google had artist, Scott McCloud, create a 38-page comic book peopled with drawings of actual Google employees explaining some very complex features. 

And it worked.

There’s just something about cartoon characters that makes them interesting and the information they communicate accessible. In addition, having those characters be real Google employees gives the book a personal intimacy that makes the information all the more accessible.

The drawbacks to the book are:

* it’s visually boring with only black, white and different shades of blue

* it has no sound and, in this age of rich, audio visual web content, it comes off as too static.

That being said, it’s still one method to consider if you’re trying to communicate, say, complex parts of a science-based issue like the environment.

Could the carbon emissions trading or net neutrality comic books be far behind (if they’re not out there already)?

Posted in Google, Tools | 1 Comment »