Vegas Baby!
I'm off to speak at SIPA's 23rd Annual Marketing Conference at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas!
Talk to you all Dec. 11th.
Here is the full conference schedule:
Thursday, December 7, 2006
8:30 – 8:45 a.m.
Welcome to the eCommerce Frontier
Phil Ash, President, NIBM and Guy Crossley, VP Marketing, M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC
This is our second year of focusing exclusively on e-commerce and we’ve rounded up an all-star herd of experts. Join Phil and Guy for a quick lay of the land that you’ll be surveying over the next day and a half.
8:45 – 9:45 a.m.
Keynote Address: "The Art of Usability"
Kara Pernice Coyne, Director of Research, Nielsen Norman Group
The Web is the user’s oyster, and most Websites are just a grain of sand. Make your Website the pearl.
Just getting hits is a challenge in itself, but that is just the beginning. Once a browser arrives, you must make him want to stay, coax him to explore, gain his trust and ease him into buying. A well-designed, well-written, usable Website will help you achieve this, and will vastly improve the user experience and enhance your business.
Understanding usability is the first step. Kara Pernice Coyne will discuss some of Nielsen Norman Group’s most recent usability research and examples in the areas of:
• general usability
• B2B
• e-mail newsletters
• eyetracking: what users actually look at
Kara is the Director of Research at NN/g, and heads the Company’s East Coast operations. She has more than 15 years of experience in product design and evaluating usability. Kara has also studied the emotional effects of designs.
9:45 – 10:30 a.m.
"The Search Landscape – Where We’ve Been, Where We’re Headed"
Kevin Wilk, Director, Channel Strategy and Development, Yahoo! Search Marketing
Internet search has quickly become one of the most effective ways to reach an online audience of more than 200 million people. The ability to link businesses with their customers at the very moment they are actively searching for products and services makes it a uniquely valuable tool that offers an attractive mix of message control, targeting and conversion-tracking capabilities. However, with all of the different products available, it can be tricky to figure out which product or combination best fits your marketing needs.
In this session, you will learn insight into the current state of search and what’s to come in the future:
How has search evolved into a highly targeted way to reach your customers?
Why does search matter? What activities relate into search behavior?
How can you integrate your marketing campaigns for both online and offline channels?
How is search becoming more personalized?
Where search headed? (Social search products such as Flickr, Answers, etc.)
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
1.0 Breakout Sessions
1.1: Search Engine Marketing: Today’s Critical Tactics to Drive Traffic
Jason Dowdell, CEO & Founder, Labitat
SEO is a constantly evolving discipline. Social networking, local search, social bookmarking and vertical search are just a few of the latest trends. To dominate the keywords in your markets, you must first start with a solid foundation and then master the latest techniques to capitalize on today's trends. But that's only half of the story. You also need to drive the right traffic to the right places. Discover how from Jason Dowdell, a search pioneer who's been mastering the art since 1997 with clients such as Motorola, eDiets, iVillage, Lowes and hundreds more.
1.2: 5-Step Plan To Skyrocket Your Registration Funnel Conversion Rate
Jalali Hartman, Director of Strategy, Marketing Experiments.com
Discover from the researchers at the Marketing Experiments Journal how to apply an innovative new approach for boosting conversion through any type of Web process – ordering, registration, lead generation, e-mail sign-up and more. You will walk away with a step-by-step plan for generating more business from your existing Website. See how this methodology was applied to increase registrations for one B2B publisher by 816%! Gain early access to their groundbreaking new research on successfully driving customers through Web processes, including common mistakes, design and copy tactics that work, and best-practices to implement now.
1.3: 10 Online Marketing Strategies That Can Double or Triple Your Response
Craig Huey, President, Creative Direct Marketing Group, Inc.
Most information marketing Websites, e-mails and other electronic campaigns violate the proven rules of direct marketing. In this fast-paced session, you’ll find out what strategies and techniques are dramatically boosting response for online marketing. And you’ll learn how to better integrate your direct mail and your online marketing. You’ll discover:
9 essential online direct response copy rules for the Web
The #1 e-mail marketing mistake
The 7-point checklist for avoiding a costly pay-per-click campaign
How most home pages violate key direct-marketing principles
How to boost your online response rates by properly integrating direct mail
What NEVER to do on your Website
The little-known secret to increasing orders and leads by avoiding shopping cart abandonment
1.4: You've Got Their E-mail Address — Now What?
Jeanne Jennings, Publisher, The Jennings Report
Many companies focus all their resources on getting e-mail addresses — and neglect to develop a strategy for effectively communicating once they have them. Jeanne Jennings has helped numerous companies in the B2B and B2C realm develop e-mail marketing strategies based on the bottom line — be it lead generation, direct sales, cross-sell/upsell, retention or something else. Come get practical advice on making the most of your e-mail list.
2:15 – 3:15 p.m.
Roundtables
Saddle-up and choose two out of 20 different roundtable discussions to explore a particular subject area. Each ride will last about a half hour. Take full advantage of the experts sitting at each table to solve your problems, but come prepared to share as well.
The roundtables are:
1. “Usability: Improve the User Experience to Drive Sales”
Kara Pernice Coyne, Director of Research, Nielsen Norman Group
Research drives results. Apply the latest usability research to your site.
2. “Natural Search: How To ‘Own’ Your Niche Market”
Jason Dowdell, CEO & Founder, Labitat Inc.
With search, even small guys can dominate their vertical markets. Discover the best ways to spend your time and money to achieve that goal.
3. “Conversion Testing: The Power of Small Changes Tested”
Jalali Hartman, Director of Strategy, and Jimmy Ellis, Director of Optimization, MarketingExperiments.com
Small changes can lead to big results. Knowing what to change and when to change it can be the difference between millions of dollars. Join experts from Marketing Experiments as they discuss testing sequence and the importance of understanding your registration funnel.
4. “On/Offline Integration: Tips for Boosting Web Sales With Print Marketing”
Craig Huey, President, Creative Direct Marketing Group, Inc. (CDMG)
Direct mail, display ads, inserts and other print media can boost your Web sales. Discover little-known strategies and techniques to drive traffic, sales and profits. You’ll also learn of common blunders in marketing integration.
5. “Email Audit: Expert Critique of YOUR Email”
Jeanne Jennings, Publisher, The Jennings Report
Bring your email creative and metrics and get a quick “audit” of your initiative, based on best practices and what’s working now. Please bring 10 copies of the e-mail with metrics; attendees will swap creative and do a quick audit of each other’s work.
6. “Site Planning: Inject Relevance Into Your Site & Increase Conversions”
Howard Kaplan, VP Strategic Development, Future Now, Inc.
The key to increasing conversion isn’t found in any best practice or technology trick, nor can it be achieved from endless hours of testing or on-page optimization- it lies within a deep understanding of who truly impacts conversion (hint: it’s not the site owner). Learn how answering three critical questions on every page of your site will inject more relevance into your communications, create a richer customer experience, and lead to more visitors choosing to convert- to take the action you’ve laid out for them.
7. “Blogs: Why You Should Care”
Tom Lynch, Director, Search Engine Optimization, ePublishing
Blogs aren’t just for geeks! Learn five ways to make search engines LOVE your blogs, and discuss what’s working to attract new readers and make more money from your Websites.
8. “E-mail: Rendering and Deliverability Tips to Get to the Inbox as Intended”
Greg Martz, Director, E-mail Marketing/Management, The Motley Fool, Inc.
With ISPs and mailbox providers on the defensive against phishing and SPAM, legitimate e-mail marketers are having to be more responsible, attentive and creative than ever to ensure the proper display and placement of their emails. Learn about the realities of today’s e-mail rendering and delivery challenges and leave with a set of practical tips and best practices to get your e-mails delivered, as originally designed, to the recipient’s inbox.
9. “Free Content: How Much Should You Give Away?”
Andrew Palmer, Director eCommerce, Agora Financial LLC/ The Daily Reckoning
Discover how to profit from the free content model of Internet marketing. In short, you must “Create Value or Die!” We’ll discuss the steps you must take to determine what your market needs, how you can best serve them and ultimately how you can convert readers of free content into paying customers.
10. “Sticky Sites: Tips to Keep Your Visitors Longer”
Charles Plath, Senior Designer, ePublishing
Participate in a quick review of SIPA member sites and discover tips to present must-have content and exciting new site tools with the most user-friendly design. Because the longer they stay on your site, the better the chances that they’ll buy something.
11. “CMS: Effective Content Monetization Strategies”
Paul Russell, VP of Development, Think Subscription
To succeed online, you must effectively plan and test your content delivery strategies. Take the first, and most critical, step in that process now by identifying the latest delivery options, associated revenue possibilities and best platforms to ensure you deliver the right content to the right people.
12.”E-zines: Utilize High-value Content to Create New Prospect Segments”
Bill Sinagra, Associate Director of E-Marketing, HCPro, Inc.
Target your content as finely as possible to create receptive prospect audiences. Learn how to get e-zine recipients to tune in, not opt-out. We’ll also talk about deliverability and formats.
13. “Podcasting, RSS & More: The Latest Content Delivery Channels”
Dana Todd, Executive VP, SiteLab & President of SEMPO
Another day, another new way to deliver content. Discover which ones are delivering profits and how you can implement them now.
14. “PPC: Maximizing Your ROI From Paid Traffic”
Kevin Wallen, Search Marketing Manager, Eagle Publsihing, Inc.
Running a Pay-Per-Click campaign that’s below expectations? Or maybe you just want a little more bang for your buck? From selecting keywords and bidding strategies to alternative PPC networks, join in on a discussion that’ll give your ROI a kick.
15. “Landing Pages: Simple Tricks With Big Results”
Bill Baird, President, Baird Direct Marketing, Inc.
Like direct mail, small changes to Website landing pages can produce surprisingly big lifts in conversion — but you need to know which changes matter. Find out how to enhance your own landing page from an expert in Website conversion marketing.
16. “Web Writing: Online Copy Tips That Drive Conversion”
Adam Goldstein, Principal, KLA Group
This is not your father’s copywriting! While many traditional tactics still apply, writing for the short-attention-span Web audience requires a whole new set of rules. Discover how both people and spiders love to read online.
17. “Email ROI: Boosting Your Open and Click-Through Rates”
Tom Pines, President, Real Magnet LLC
As inboxes become more crowded, publishers need to focus on the ultimate end of e-mail marketing: ROI. Discover tips and tactics for getting your e-mail delivered, increasing the metrics that matter (open and click-through rates), and for developing long-term relationships with your subscribers.
18. “Lead Generation: Proven Methods for Developing Online Sales Leads”
Ryan Lake, CEO, Lake Group Media
Lead generation has long been identified as the #1 Website objective. Come discover the latest online techniques to identify and acquire the best prospects to become long-term profitable customers.
19. “E-mail-Lists: New Strategies for Depleted E-mail-Lists”
Dr. Harald Feldkamp, Head of E-Business, VNR Verlag für die Deutsche Wirtschaft AG
As your e-mail list ages, its effectiveness will decrease — undeliverables and opt-outs increase while open rates and response decline. We will discuss strategies to refresh old lists.
20. “Driving Traffic: Tips & Tactics to Bring More Visitors to Your Website”
Barbara Kaplowitz, President, Big Huge Ideas
3:45 – 5:00 p.m.
2.0 Breakout Sessions
2.1: Creating Persuasive Momentum: How to Move Your Visitors Toward the Close
Howard Kaplan, VP Strategic Development, Future Now, Inc.
Every online visitor is a volunteer. If they refuse to participate by clicking on a hyperlink, the communication ceases — and a lack of persuasive momentum becomes clear. In both the B2C and B2B worlds, visitors’ satisfaction with each click (or “micro-action”) strengthens their own, or their organization’s, confidence to buy or buy-in (the ultimate “macro-action”). The challenge for businesses, then, is to build Websites and multi-channel experiences that speak directly to the individual’s motivations. Find out how Persuasion Architecture can help your business plan for success by matching your key metrics to those of your visitors.
2.2: Why Every Website Needs an E-List, and How to Build One
Andrew Palmer, Director eCommerce, Agora Financial/The Daily Reckoning
To survive and compete in the online marketplace, a business needs a steady flow of qualified leads to sell its products and services. An e-mail database of potential customers you can market to is an incredibly valuable asset. In this session you'll learn how to methodically build an in-house e-mail subscriber list. At Agora Financial's The Daily Reckoning e-letter, it produces sales in the millions — and it can for you too!
2.3: Usability Demystified: What It Is and How It Can Make You Money
Bill Killam, President, User-Centered Design
“Usability” and Human Factors Engineering are well-researched sciences. But you don’t need an advanced degree to see how your company can benefit from user-centered design. Join Bill Killam to discover in plain-English how you can:
Make profitable site changes by properly measuring usability
Keep customers engaged with proven tips for migrating print content to the Web
Save money by integrating usability into the various stages of the product life cycle: Market research, product research and product development
Champion usability at your organization to ensure it gets implemented and properly supported
Realize hidden ROI by integrating usability into your entire Web process — yes, it’s not just for customers.
2.4: Making Key Decisions about E-Commerce When the Stakes are High
Tom Chaffee (moderator), CEO, ePublishing, Inc.
Colin Price, Manager, Media and Technology, Harvard Health Publications
Dave Singleton, Director of Marketing, HR and Payroll Division, BNA, Inc.
Pete Wood, Director, Internet Marketing, Business & Legal Reports, Inc.
Interested in boosting or implementing your e-commerce initiatives but faced with a lack of resources or funds, corporate bureaucracy and/or a shortage of expertise? Our panel of experts will discuss:
Technology: Choosing a workable solution from internal vs. external sources
Getting buy-in from influential stakeholders
Finding resources within your company to work on the e-commerce site
Sales channel conflict: Your field sales will actually INCREASE…
Ongoing management and metrics: Improving your site over time
And more…
This session will help you know your best options, with practical guidance on all aspects of building your e-commerce site, from creating an effective, seamless front-end customer experience to ensuring streamlined back-end operations. Technology, management, marketing, sales … there’s something for all stakeholders in this breakout.
5:00 – 6:30 p.m.
Cocktail Party – Bring your spurs!
Sponsored by Worldata
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Friday, December 8, 2006
8:15 – 9:00 a.m.
International Vendor Rodeo Finals
Andy McLaughlin (moderator), President, PaperClip Communications
Join a select group of vendors for a fast-paced rodeo of best practices that they’ve picked up from working with their clients. Each vendor gets two chances to ride, and the crowd will award the championship to the vendor who can make us the most money. This is a no-bull event!
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
3.0 Breakout Sessions
3.1: Why Search Research is Relevant: Using Research to Drive Traffic to Your Site
Bill Barnes, Co-founder & Executive Vice President, Enquiro Search Solutions Inc.
In this session you will hear the results from the latest search user behavior research and see eye-tracking results from extensive user interactions with Google, Yahoo and MSN. Learn how this research can be translated into your everyday online marketing efforts with examples of how to effectively capture the click from the search engine results pages. We’ll answer the question, where is the best place to be on the results page and how do I get there? Expect practical take-aways to help you plan your search strategy.
3.2: Using Analytics to Drive Conversions
John Brady (moderator), President, The Conversion Zone
Kevin Bobowski, Product Marketing Manager, WebTrends
Warren Raisch, Senior Vice President, Worldwide Professional Services, WebSideStory
You’re drowning in data — but how useful is it? Don’t miss two leading Web analytics’ providers as they share best practice ideas on how to use site user data to drive the most important Web visit outcome — a conversion. Learn types of conversions, tips on driving better outcomes, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and much more…
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Keynote Address: “Search and Publishing: Convergence or Collision Course?”
Dana Todd, Executive VP, SiteLab, and President of SEMPO
Search engines are quickly evolving the way users interact with content on the Internet, in their workplaces and on their mobile devices. With Google collecting approximately 25% of all U.S. online ad revenues and more users demanding “free” content, how can publishers compete?
Dana Todd, president of the Search Engine Marketing Professionals Organization, looks ahead at the trends of search and the impacts on publishing, as well as the opportunities that still remain. Discover case studies of publishers who have leveraged search for increased revenue and market share, formed strategic partnerships and learned how to tap new markets.
11:30 a.m. – Noon
2006 E-Commerce Round-Up
Phil Ash (moderator), President, NIBM, and Guy Crossley (moderator), VP Marketing, M. Lee Smith Publishers LLC
Unless you brought a whole team of ranch hands, you couldn’t possibly have roped-in every session. So gather ’round and corral the top five action points from every session.
