The Final Chapters...

Job…
Yesterday was not the best day for me. I was forced to accept a lay-off from my job. I was bumped out of my business office position by a displaced transcriptionist. My only other option was to bump someone else out of a 4:00 to midnight shift in housekeeping - but we all know that would not work for a person taking night classes. (Besides, I can’t even keep my own apartment clean!) For now, I am an unemployed full-time graduate student. I now have a completely new opinion about the benefits of being in a Union.

Internet Marketing…
When I first started this class, I wondered if I would be able to keep up. Now, here we are at the end of course, and I'm almost done with everything. It was fun to “meet” new people and reconnect with others. The material that I learned about will be valuable as I try to market myself into a new job.

Seth Godin…
Even though I unsubscribed to Seth’s blog, I still check it out now and then. His post from June 24, 2010 is called You’re Already Self Employed. I couldn’t have asked for a more timely and appropriate reminder. He tells us that the decisions and actions we take each day determine what we'll be doing next. It’s time to reconfigure my goals and set some new timelines for my future. I can do that.

My Blog…
As a total beginner in the blog department, I really enjoyed this assignment. It was a great opportunity to connect the course material with a real website and learn more about the application of recommendations.

Module 8 – Social Media…
President Barack Obama has been called the first social media president. When Obama was a candidate, his Twitter account was one of the most popular accounts. Obama also campaigned with the assistance of YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and other popular social media tools (Zarella, p. 5). I think this shows that social media marketing can be extremely successful when used appropriately, and that its popularity and usefulness will continue to grow.

Companies need to engage their customers in social media opportunities (Zarella, p.1). When a company does not participate in social media marketing, they are missing out. Tide.com invites website guests to become a member of their Tide Community. You can ask questions, share ideas, suggest tips, and generally communicate with other members. Tide also uses Twitter and has a Facebook account. The website also provides a number of videos, including customer testimonials. This is a great way to allow customers to participate and share their stories. I am always amazed at the new things I discover when searching on the websites. I am satisfied that Tide is staying current with social media opportunities.

See you later…
I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for making this class so much fun. Thanks, Jim, for helping me discover new interests and teaching me so much about internet marketing. I am confident that parts of this class will stay with me and give me some guidance as I move forward in life.

Harley's Social Media Marketing

Web 2.0 refers to web applications that allow information sharing and collaboration on the World Wide Web. Users are allowed to interact as contributors to website content. The Social Media Marketing Strategy PowerPoint by Mary Lou Roberts, Slide #6, lists the following as some examples for “Web 2.0” social media:

• Blogs
• RSS
• Social Networks
• Personalized Search
• Wikis
• Podcasts
• Virtual Worlds

I was not at all surprised to see that the Harley Davidson website was taking advantage of interactive social media opportunities with the invitation to follow Harley-Davidson on Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, and Twitter. I also found a blog located under the Museum tab. There are blog entries about museum activities and events and comments related to the Harley-Davidson museum.

While checking things out further, I discovered another social opportunity for users to contribute to the website. In the Ride Planner section, visitors can plan their next adventure. Similar to driving directions on Mapquest, a Harley user can enter a trip starting point and destination point and receive a route map. Harley visitors can also share route plans with other riders. A recent contribution was called “Mike’s Twisty Ride from Oakville to Caledon.” (Wherever that is!)

Harley Davidson is keeping up with respect to social media marketing, and I’m guessing that many of their customers are pleased with the efforts. When Mike stops at a wayside rest because of motion sickness from the twisty roads, he can check for any Hog Twitter Updates and then tweet right back! According to Zarrella, p. 59, the most important aspect of a social network is two people connecting. Mission accomplished.

Internet Marketing and Our Websites - HarleyDavidson:Tide:Jeep:MinnesotaTwins:Target

Over the past seven weeks, I have been investigating and writing about various aspects of the five “chosen” websites for this course, and I have really learned a lot. This week’s section about off-page optimization was very interesting. Having a number of quality links to your website can help improve your Google ranking (Fleishner, page 56). Listed below is the reported number of websites linking in to our designated sites, according to the results search on Google:

• Target: 2040
• Harley Davidson: 962
• Jeep: 631
• Minnesota Twins: 410
• Tide: 161

Target tops the list and Tide is at the bottom. Since all of the websites are well known, their number of incoming links is probably somewhat irrelevant. Their customer base is already established, so being on top of the Google search page is likely not their priority. Search engine optimization efforts can definitely help websites that are not as well known as these popular companies.

Jennifer Van Iderstyne posted a ClickZ article on June 8, 2010 called Build Links Without a Computer. She offered some very simple ideas to establish some quality links without using the internet. Van Iderstyne recommends getting back to some of the basics. You can create some great links by direct communication with a telephone call, snail mail, or in person. On page 72, Fleischner gives an example of an email request to propose a link exchange with another website. Van Iderstyne suggests putting a real voice to the request. Personal communication can lead to possible links. Whenever the opportunity arises, talk about the content and value of your website, and remember to talk about linking potential.

Our five websites seem to be up to speed with the various tips we have learned about off-page optimization or increasing the popularity of their site (Fleischner, page 52). After looking at each one, I found evidence supporting their use of various link building techniques. I uncovered press releases and blogs which can both aid in link development. Each of the websites definitely offered something of value to the visitor, including information and promotions. Judging from the obvious familiarity and the individual company successes, I would say that the websites for Tide, Target, Jeep, Harley Davidson and the Minnesota Twins are doing the right thing with their marketing.

Twins Turn!

I feel like it’s time to give the Twins a turn. As I’ve mentioned before, I look at the Twins website on a fairly regular basis. If a person searches for “Minnesota Twins," the website is number one on the Google search page. If you type in “Twins” on Google, the first three organic results are related to Minnesota Twins baseball. The results are www.twinsbaseball.com, twins.mlb.com and minnesota.twins.mlb.com. Any of the top three results will take a person directly to the Minnesota Twins main website, even though the names of the top three results appear as if they are different. Nice job of optimization going on here. I also found it interesting that the five featured link ads on the search page were completely unrelated to baseball. The paid ads all referred to some aspect of twin pregnancy!

So – what helps the Twins reach the top? For one thing, they have 711,000 linked in websites. Since the Twins are at the top, it is likely that there are a large number of quality external links that include the Twins keywords. It is very important that external links to a website contain specific keywords rather than something like “click here” (Fleischner, page 58).

What else? Located directly on the Twins homepage, I found a message inviting me to start my own Twins Major League Blog and join communities like these: Fantasy 411, Voice from Twins Territory, Michael Cuddyer's Blog, Twins Ballpark Update, and Kelly's Corner. There are five blogs, easily accessible to any visitor. Blogs are a great tool to boost search engine optimization efforts (Fleischner, page 77).

And one more…Google values one-way links above all else (Fleischner, page 57). The best way to attract one-way links is to promote free content (Fleischner, page 89). The Twins website is full of free content. There are plenty of headlines and news articles, a pretty intriguing sweepstakes offer, a chance to vote for All-Star players, and an invitation to have game updates forwarded directly to your cell phone. The options available at the Twins website are diverse and could attract a broad range of visitors. It seems like they are trying to offer something for everyone. Whatever it is that they are doing, it seems to be working! Go Twins!

Oh, and speaking of the Twins, I'll be at Target Field cheering them on this Wednesday and Thursday :)

Keyword: Tide?

When I hear the word Tide, I think of laundry soap - a product that you buy at a store and use to wash clothes. My initial attempt at a laundry list of keywords for Tide would probably include words that reflect washing clothes: soap, detergent, clean, wash, laundry, and of course, Tide. There are varying opinions on the importance of keywords. They are probably not very significant standing alone, but when used in combination with the webpage theme, keywords will help Google recognize legitimate webpage content (Fleischner, p.24).

The source information at Tide.com on June 9, 2010 revealed the following list of keywords and phrases: official Tide site; get info; detergent; stains; stain solutions; variants; scents; value; coupons; products; articles; loads of hope; questions; search; contact Tide; message board. Detergent and stains make a lot of sense to use as keywords for Tide, but I wonder why they chose variants, get info, questions and search as keywords. It is not a good idea to use a specific keyword if no one uses it when searching online (Fleischner, p.25). I find it hard to believe that a person would search for “products” or “value” in an effort to find the Tide website.

Sage Lewis posted an article on ClickZ dated June 1, 2010 called The Beginning – A Very Good Place to Start. Lewis agrees with Fleischner on this keyword subject. Lewis stressed the importance of completing appropriate research on keyword phrases in order to connect with customers. Vocabulary used within a specific company can often be completely different than a customer’s vocabulary. In order to increase search engine rankings, you should use the words your potential visitors use when looking for your website.

When it comes to keywords at the Tide website, I would certainly think that “Tide” should be among the chosen words. I guess it is possible that Tide is such a strong, familiar product that the keyword meta tags don’t have to be a priority. I went to Google and searched for “stain solutions” and Tide.com was listed on the second page. When I searched for detergent, I found Tide.com in the 4th spot on the first page. I typed in “questions” and Tide.com was nowhere to be found. So, why does Tide.com use “questions” as a keyword? Good question.

Searching Target

I wonder if the Website Designers at Target have read SEO Made Simple. According to this book, one of the first lessons on search engine optimization is that meta tags play a very large role in the Google ranking competition. There are four basic meta tags: Title, Description, Keywords and Robots (Fleischner, p. 21). I decided to take a closer look at some of Target.com’s meta tags.

On Monday, June 7, the source information at Target.com showed the following listed as keywords: patio furniture, furniture, gardening tools, swimwear, baby, electronics, toys, bedding, shoes, sporting goods, shop online.

I went to Google, searched for patio furniture and found Target.com on page 2. Next, I typed in gardening tools and found Target.com on page 8. After that, I did a search for toys and found Target.com towards the bottom of the first page in the 9th spot. Target.com ended up on page 3 when I searched for swimwear. For some reason, I expected Target to be on the first page of every search.

Moving on, I found that the source information for the Title meta tag at Target.com showed the following: Target.com & dash; Furniture, Patio Furniture, Baby, Swimwear, Toys and more. The content of this title is nine words and 63 characters including spaces. Basic guidelines indicate that a title tag should be no more than seven words and less than 60 characters including spaces (Fleischner, p. 22). Each word in the title tag is weighted by Google, so too many words in the title will result in diminished importance of each word. When the title is longer than 60 characters it will run off and be finished with trailing dots. Target.com is over the limit on both of these recommendations; however, I found the title was presented in full on my Google search.

Meta tags are just one part of search engine optimization, but Target should take a closer look at their keywords and title. Maybe some adjustments would help them improve their Google ranking. On the other hand, maybe Target is so well established in both the online and offline community that they don’t need to worry about search engine optimization. Either way, reading the book couldn’t hurt.

Websites and Roberts and Blogs, Oh My!

I submitted maurices.com to Hubspot’s website grader. They received a grade of 90. After reviewing the results, my recommendations for the maurices.com website included the following:

1. Clarify or simplify the content to reflect a more appropriate readability level. Their current rating indicates a readability level of advanced/doctoral degree. They would better serve their customers by bringing the reading level down to at least a high school level.

2. Establish necessary relationships with other reputable websites in order to increase the number of inbound links to it. Maurices.com had 9,339 inbound links compared to almost 32,000 inbound links for the competitor I chose. Jeanne Hopkins posted a blog entry on Friday, April 30, 2010, at HubSpot's Inbound Internet Marketing Blog called “Oh No! My Website Grader Score Went Down!” It states in the post that a link from CNN.com or NYTimes.com will increase a website's authority. The more authority your site has, the greater the likelihood that Google and Bing will place it higher in their organic results.

3. Metadata tags tell the search engines what a web page is about. Maurices.com should shorten the page title for better results. The maximum recommended length for page titles is 70 characters and the current page title is over double that at 143 characters.

Just for fun, I submitted Target.com to the website grader. Their website received a grade of 99. Target’s readability level was reported as secondary/high school. Target has more than 320,000 inbound links and their page title was within the recommended number of characters.

Target seems to do most things very well, so it is not surprising that Target’s online privacy policy is very detailed. Consumer privacy concerns are self-regulated by individual businesses (Roberts, p. 311), and Target clearly provides a lot of information. The website tells their consumers what information they collect, how they share it, and how to limit the sharing of information. According to a study that dealt with direct marketing practices, 33.3% of people rarely read website privacy policies and 4.5% of people always read them (Roberts, p. 308). Personally, I fall into the “rarely read” category.

We are all aware of the privacy issues that can occur when we go online, but for most of us it must be worth the risk. It’s hard (impossible, really) to imagine life today without the internet.

"Back" to Target

When I get lost at the Target website, I just hit the “Back” button until I arrive at the place where I am no longer confused. More often than not, I have landed back on the home page of the website. To me, there is something comforting about the Target home page. It could be that my personal familiarity and satisfaction with the website inspires positive emotion. Emotion/attitude is one of the four dimensions of customer interface that contribute to the customer experience (Roberts, p.265). In my case, Target has succeeded in this aspect of the customer experience.

When it comes to the navigational structure on a website, one important rule is that the visitor should always be able to navigate the site without instructions by following familiar web conventions or simple logic (Roberts, p. 259). One example suggests use of the corporate logo as a link to the home page.

The upper left corner of all pages that I reviewed on the Target website displays a target sign, which is their logo. All a visitor has to do is click on the target and they are immediately taken to the home page. I honestly had never clicked on the target before because as noted, I just use the “back” button. Apparently, there is no need for any specific directions telling the customers to click on the target logo for the home page because it is assumed that this action would be logical and common to internet users.

The Target website appears to be designed so that customers can easily select a department that will provide them with the products they are interested in researching or purchasing. Every page that I looked at provided the department categories in the same location across the top of the page. The consistency eliminates confusion. The main ad on the home page today shows a picture of two girls on a bike who seem like they are happy and having fun. Websites should be developed and designed to be responsive to the need for information and the attitude with which the visitor enters the site (Roberts, p. 254). Target seems to be right on target with maintaining an effective website.

Sorry, Harley!

I have not reviewed the Harley-Davidson website yet since I have limited interest in motorcycles, but I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the customer service options.

After landing on the home page, I found a Quick Start Guide divided into sections for experienced riders, new riders and those who have never ridden before. Each section has topics that would be beneficial for the particular category of customers. I selected one topic from each section and discovered that there was not a single opportunity to contact customer service on any of the three pages. My choices for review included Harley Parts and Accessories, Estimate Your Payment, and Guide to Customizing. I returned to the home page and found a “contact us” tab at the very bottom of the page which revealed the following:

To contact the Harley-Davidson Motor Company directly, please write:
Harley-Davidson Customer Care
3700 W. Juneau Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53208

To speak with a Harley-Davidson customer care representative please call (414) 343-4056. Our normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Central Standard Time (CST). Sorry, we're unable to receive e-mail at this time.

What? No email? This is unfortunate for Harley Davidson because e-mail is an important channel for customer service (Roberts, p. 227).

I moved down to the section called “Ideas for Harley Davidson Motorcycle Company” and found a significant contradiction:

We are always interested in the imagination and creativity of Harley-Davidson Motor Company motorcycle enthusiasts, and we welcome your suggestions and ideas about our products and services. If you have a general suggestion for new or improved products or services that is not patented or subject to a patent application then please email H-DIdeaSubmissionsSuggestion @harley-davidson.com. Please include your full name, address, email address, phone number and a complete description of your suggestion. General suggestions are accepted exclusively by email. Because of the volume of suggestions and ideas we receive, we cannot promise we will use your idea or respond to your submission (although we do try to respond).

Dianna Huff’s blog post on May 24, 2010, The New Rules of Marketing Online: There Aren’t Any, makes a great point about marketing rules. She says that if you wouldn’t do it or say it offline, or if your mother wouldn’t approve, then don’t do it online. It appears that if a customer has a question or concern, they are required to call on the telephone or write and mail a letter. At least there are two options, because not only do consumers expect good service, they expect to be able to access service through multiple channels (Roberts, p. 227). It also appears that if a customer has an idea for something that would benefit the company, they are extended the privilege of using email. This does not appear very customer oriented. I’m not sure Harley’s mother would approve of sending the message that the company is considered more important than the customer!

Is Tide on My Side?

Today I decided to revisit Tide.com. On my first visit to the Tide website, I provided personal information in order to receive newsletters, free samples and coupons. I guess it has only been about two weeks, but I haven’t heard anything from them since the initial confirmation of registration. I know they have my correct email address. I did agree to be on their distribution list, so I am a little surprised that I have not received any form of email advertising from them.

Returning to the Tide home page, I clicked on the privacy statement tab and found where Procter & Gamble revealed details related to customer communication. They provide different options for consumers such as electronic mail vs. US Postal Service. When it comes to digital and electronic communications such as email and cell phones, they will only send promotional messages if you ask to receive them or opt in (Roberts, 187). I opted in, but they have opted not to share with me so far.

Find privacy details here: http://www.pg.com/privacy/english/privacy_statement.html#tab3

The Tide home page continues to promote Loads of Hope to raise money for Haiti relief. Today is Tuesday, May 25, and the website message reports that Tide is donating all profits from February sales of Tide Vintage Tees, and matching those donations up to $250,000. “Buy a T-shirt now and Tide will not only donate the profits, we'll match them.” If I bought a t-shirt today, would any of the profits go to these relief efforts, or was it only for February purchases? Either way, Loads of Hope is a great example of event driven marketing (Roberts, 183), and a worthwhile humanitarian effort.

I really thought about ordering a Tide Vintage Tee, partly because I like t-shirts, and partly because I wanted to see if they would pay more attention to me once they had my credit card number on file!

Moving Day

On Friday, May 14, I moved. The lease was up on the 2-bedroom apartment I shared with a college friend who decided to move home for the summer. I work full-time in Duluth, so moving home was not an option for me.

This resulted in the search for a new place to live. True to internet consumer behavior, I was clearly immersed in pre-purchase deliberation search behavior as I spent hours on property management websites comparing rent prices, locations, parking options, and the physical aspects of Duluth apartment buildings (Roberts, p. 116).

There were a number of apartment websites that showed impressive pictures and offered desirable amenities. When I visited one particular complex, it became quickly apparent that the website pictures were from their past history. Seth Godin’s blog post on May 19, 2010, Who is easily manipulated?, suggests that marketers have the ability to manipulate people into an action that is not in the person’s best interest. It certainly wouldn’t have been in my best interest to rent the apartment that looked wonderful on the website, but actually had holes in the walls, broken locks, and moldy looking water damage along the baseboards. The website views of the gorgeous indoor swimming pool turned out to be a pool without water, roped off with yellow hazard tape, and coated with a black powdery substance. Needless to say, I politely expressed my lack of interest in the facility and left. The property marketers failed in establishing any form of customer loyalty - the experience was misleading and unsatisfactory (Roberts, p. 125).

Eventually, I found a nice, clean, one bedroom apartment about a mile from my old place. I spent all weekend moving. The worst part of the experience was spending almost a week without internet access at home.

Moving from a two bedroom to a one bedroom apartment resulted in the need for organizational and storage products, so I decided to check out Target.com to see how they could make my life a little easier. Even if Target was not a chosen website, I likely would have done my searching there anyway due to their brand image, which has always made a favorable impression (Roberts, p.153). I went directly to the Storage and Organization section after clicking the “Home” tab on the Target main page. I felt a sense of calm as I read the ad assuring me they can offer “A place for everything.” I browsed shelving, drawers, carts, totes, baskets, bins, over the door hooks, and under the bed storage. I spent more time looking at the under the bed choices, since that is currently the only space not being used. There were many options to choose from, all of which could be beneficial. These are low involvement products, because a great deal of thought is not needed when deciding to purchase a bedside caddy or an under the bed box to store magazines (Roberts, p. 153).

Rather than ordering from the website, I will just take a trip to the store. The website is a great way to get ideas, but I really need the storage containers ASAP so I can reduce the tripping hazards involved with stepping over cardboard boxes in the hall - and the kitchen, and the bedroom, and the living room, and the bathroom…

Creeping on Jeep

I was surfing the web today and I decided to make another stop at the Jeep website, where I made some further observations. In a previous blog, I voiced a slight bit of annoyance at the transitioning home page, but after further review, I have found it more acceptable because there is actually a lot more to it. When a person first arrives at the website, a small message resembling a rectangular sign appears next to a wooden post that pops up on the screen. The message states “Shortcuts are good. Here is a path to owning a jeep vehicle. Go forth.” The post has three icons resembling a wrench, a dollar sign, and a magnifying glass. The post remains constant through the transitioning pages, but when you click on one of the icons, another moving sign pops out inviting guests to take the next step. The wrench takes you directly to the section where you can design your own vehicle. The dollar sign brings you to the area where you can get a quote for the price of a vehicle. The magnifying glass takes you to the section where you can view all of the 2010 Jeep vehicles. The signs appear to swing around from the back of the post and then bounce a little bit, resembling a swinging door. They were fun to view and would be helpful to people who are navigating through the website. When it comes to rich media, it is important for ads to play smoothly in order to engage people rather than leaving them feeling annoyed (Roberts, p. 162).

Another interesting message on the home page revealed an ad inviting customers to see an “All Things Jeep” Broadcast on YouTube. When I clicked on this section, I was taken from Jeep.com to the Jeep Channel website. Due to my personal interest in Facebook, my attention was immediately drawn to the invitation to follow the official YouTube channel of Jeep on Facebook and Twitter. Unfortunately, I could not continue at this point because I received a message on the computer that I was using saying the browser is no longer supported, and I should upgrade to a modern browser. This is not something that I would do on a shared computer without conducting some personal research on browser upgrades. We all have trust concerns related to internet threats, and it is our own responsibility to be cautious. When you leave a reputable website, it’s important to understand where you are going and be wary of potential issues with spyware. According to a Pew Foundation study, 18% of people have changed their browsers based on software intrusion concerns (Roberts, p.169).

I am finding the Jeep website enjoyable, and I am quite sure that I will stop by again to see what other bits of information or vehicular entertainment I can discover.

Beep, Beep.. It's a Jeep

Today, I thought I would check out the Jeep.com website. None of my family members own a Jeep, so I am not very familiar with their products. When I think of a Jeep, I picture 4-wheeling over rugged terrain. I am still driving the 1998 GMC Envoy that my parents bought me when I turned sixteen in 2003. I love owning an SUV, especially when it snows in Duluth. The 4-wheel drive option helps me get out of my parking lot without having to shovel first.

The Jeep.com home page showed a picture of a classy looking silver vehicle. Dianna Huff’s blog post on May 5, 2010, Your Website is Worth More Than a Cup of Coffee, points out that the quality of a company’s website is critical for attracting customers. A website is like a storefront and it either entices you to enter or makes you want to leave.

At first glance, the Jeep website made me want to stay. After looking closely at the silver Jeep, I was drawn to the larger text on the page, which was an incentive offer for $5000 cash allowance or 0% APR for 60 months. Financing plans are considered an incentive to provide extra motivation to initiate a transaction (Roberts, p. 87, 89).

The website screen automatically transitioned from the home page to display a Jeep Wrangler, followed by a Jeep Liberty, and then a Jeep Patriot, and a Jeep Compass, and then back to the silver vehicle. The screen changed every 5 seconds, with the main screen being viewable for 10 seconds. That was a little annoying because I prefer to control my own timing, but all of the vehicles looked nice.

This website provided for value-added service revenue to complement their primary sales offer (Roberts, p. 59). Customers are invited to shop at the Jeep Gear Merchandise Store where you can order gift cards, clothing, toys, and accessories with the Jeep logo. This is probably a great place for a loyal Jeep customer to shop since people love clothing that advertises their favorite brands.

Overall, the Jeep website was effective. It provided the opportunity to review the details of various models, as well as the chance to design a vehicle to personal specifications. It also offered a simple way to find Jeep dealers in any given area. The pictures of the vehicles were impressive, and I would definitely consider a Jeep for my next vehicle - that is, if I could ever afford a new one.

The Tide is High

I recently looked at the Tide website for the first time. If Tide had not been one of the selected websites for this marketing assignment, it’s possible that I would have gone through life without ever opening Tide.com. There is a simple explanation for my lack of interest in Tide. It’s too expensive for my budget. As a college student, I have always taken advantage of the off-brands when it comes to laundry detergent because they are cheap. I have no idea if they clean as well as Tide, but when it comes down to it, I’d rather pay $2.99 for no-name detergent than shell out $8.99 for the same size container of Tide.

With the high price of Tide in mind, I was not surprised at the discount coupons available after clicking the “Special Offers” tab on the home page. If the coupons would get the price down to something reasonable, I would be tempted to try the product, but $1.00 off still doesn’t work for me.

Sorry, Tide - it’s nothing personal!

The “Special Offers” page did provide a call to action, which is the first rule of direct marketing (Roberts, p. 86). It prompted me to sign up for a free newsletter. In order to do that, I had to provide some personal information, including my date of birth. Now I have officially become part of a profile for the Procter and Gamble customer database. My birth date will help them to determine whether they should send me information on removing stains from baby formula, beer, red wine or prune juice. Eventually, their Customer Lifetime Analysis will probably show that I am not a profitable customer. When that happens, they could decide to reduce their marketing efforts directed at me or drop me from their system altogether (Roberts, 94). I’d be OK with either outcome.

The best part of my trip to Tide.com was the offer for a free sample of Pantene Solutions shampoo. Who doesn’t like free things? According to the shipping information, it should arrive in four to six weeks. I’ll keep you posted.

Information Overload? Nah.

Information is powerful. The more we have, the more we want. In Chapter 1, section 7j, Roberts tells us that consumers want to have a lot of choices when it comes to information. Luckily for us, we have the internet. With a few key strokes, we can gain access to almost anything.

A section of Seth Godin’s blog post on April 30, 2010, The coming melt-down in higher education (as seen by a marketer), points out that the internet has had a significant impact on access to information. Gone are the days of going to the library for information, unless it’s to use a computer. :)

The website of the Minnesota Twins is full of information - and not just about the baseball games. I am a huge Twins fan, so I really enjoy this website and I visit it often. You can click on the Roster tab, which lists the names of all the players, their height and weight, and their date of birth. You can click on the Stats tab, which brings up an overwhelming amount of numbers in a table format showing hits, runs scored, on base percentage, and much more. I like to check out the Twins News headlines to keep track of recent happenings. I must know if Joe’s heel is healing! Clicking on the Target Field Tour tab provides everything you need to know about getting an in-depth tour of the Twins’ new facility.

When it comes to accessing information, I don’t think there could ever be too much. 88% of people in America who have online access have indicated that using the Internet is part of their daily routine (Roberts, p.7). A person just has to learn to realize that they got what they needed and then move on to the next category. I have been known to spend a lot time browsing in the Twins Shop, which is conveniently located at the website. I contemplated the purchase of a Louisville Slugger Personalized 2010 Pink Mother’s Day Full Size Bat at the special price of $69.99, but decided against it. I really need to get to Target before Sunday – the store, not the field.

Targeting Target

Hi! My name is Angela, and as the title of this blog suggests, my purpose is to meddle a little bit in the marketing techniques and styles of the “chosen” websites. Dictionary.com refers to “meddle” as a verb meaning to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation. Even though meddling sounds like a negative behavior, I am looking forward to discovering good things! We’ll be looking at Target, Tide, Jeep, Harley-Davidson and the Minnesota Twins.

In Chapter 1, Section 5a, Roberts indicates that the internet marketing environment is unique with specific generic goals. The idea is to attract, convert and retain the customer base.

Target is truly one of my favorite stores, so they have been selected as my first target. Sunday, May 9th, is Mother’s Day, and Target’s website suggests some gifts for Mom. I am invited to save 20% on Photo Gifts + Prints for Mom. This is great for me, because I am a procrastinator and still in search of that perfect gift. All I have to do is click the icon that says “get coupon”. A new page comes up with the directions to “select to print” and then “print selected coupon.” Two quick clicks take me to the next page. The page tells me that I am just a minute away from printing my coupons. Wait. Apparently, first I have to install the Coupon Activator by downloading and installing the program. Then my coupon will print. I clicked install and it appeared as if a file was downloading. Then I got a security warning message…so I quit. I am fan of coupons and discounts, but not at the risk of a security threat. My experience could have a negative impact on customer conversion (Roberts, 13). The goal of changing visitors into actual customers would likely be hampered by the inability to easily print the coupon.

I really liked the idea of promoting Mother’s Day, but the process I encountered was a little disappointing. A main driver of the internet economy indicates that consumers want things quickly. Speed is of the essence (Roberts, 19). Not only did I not get the coupon quickly, I didn’t get it at all.

I still like Target. I am almost positive that my Mother’s Day purchase will come from Target. Maybe someone at the photo counter can print the coupon for me.