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What is ClickTale
Category: Stevens & Tate Speaks| Web 2.0
30 Jun 2010ClickTale is the industry leader in Customer Experience Analytics (CEA), providing businesses with revolutionary insights into their customer’s online behavior.
ClickTale tracks every mouse move, click and scroll, creating playable videos of customers’ entire browsing sessions as well as powerful visual heatmaps and behavioral reports that complement traditional web analytics.
Features of ClickTale Include:
1. Visitor Recordings
The Visitor Recordings feature of ClickTale allows you to see everything that your visitors do on your web page.
ClickTale captures every mouse move, click, scroll and keystroke by using a tiny piece of JavaScript embedded into your website. The whole process is completely transparent to the end user and has no effect on site performance.
2. Mouse Move Heatmaps
ClickTale’s Mouse Move Heatmaps allow you to get a comprehensive, visual representation of what visitors are looking at and focusing on within a web page based on thousands of visitors to your site.
**Independent research shows that there is an 84% to 88% correlation between mouse and eye movements, allowing us to create high-precision heatmaps based on just user’s mouse movements.
3. Attention Heatmaps
ClickTale’s Attention Heatmaps allow you to see how much attention a specific web site are gets from your visitors, what content your visitors care about, what they read and what they skip over.
Using the Attention Heatmaps, marketers can identify the boring areas of a site that most visitors skip. These areas increase visitor frustration and cause potential customers to abandon the site.
4. Scroll Reach Heatmaps
ClickTale’s Scroll Reach Heatmaps allow you to see where the page fold lies on your site and how far visitors scroll down, and at what point your visitors abandon the page.
Using the Scroll Reach Heatmaps, you can discover which pages need to be shorter and which ones could be made longer.
5. Click Heatmaps
ClickTale’s Click Heatmaps allow you to discover everywhere a visitor clicks on your site, whether it is a link, image, text or dead space.
Using a Click Heatmap you can see which links aren’t getting enough clicks and which call-to-action buttons are being ignored.
6. Form Analytics
Using the Form Analytics, you are able to discover which fields of your online forms take too long to complete, which ones are most frequently left blank, and which ones cause your visitors to leave.
7. Link Analysis
Discover how visitors respond to and interact with your hyperlinks. ClickTale reports on:
- Hovers
- Clicks
- Hesitation Time
- Visit Order
8. Custom Alerts
ClickTale allows you to set up custom e-mail alerts for when your customers complete or drop out of any business process or conversion funnel.
Alerts can be set up:
- 1/Week
- 1/Day
- Real Time
9. Real Time Monitor
The Real Time Monitor allows you to see where your visitors are coming from and watch exactly what they are doing and where they are browsing in Real-Time.
10. Page Reports
ClickTale gives users the ability to monitor unique page performance statistics.
Page Reports include:
- Most & Least Engaging Pages
- Most & Least Clicked Pages
- Most & Least Errored Pages
- Most & Least Scrolled Pages
- Slowest & Fastest Loading Pages
11. Demographics Report
ClickTale allows you to see a complete analysis of your visitors’ demographic information, including:
- Visitor Language
- Country of Origin
- Browser Version
- Operation System
- Screen Size
Benefits of ClickTale
ClickTale helps you improve the quality and effectiveness of your web site. The Benefits of using ClickTale include:
- Seeing your web site through the eyes of your visitors
- Understanding how visitors use your site
- Work towards getting a better conversion rate
- Reduce abandonment rate
- Identify problem areas on your site & work to revise them
Does your company currently use ClickTale? Contact us and let us know what you find beneficial? We would love to tell your story.
Pandering Your Way To Profits? Most Likely Not.
Category: Stevens & Tate Speaks
24 Jun 2010Everyone in business today feels the need to do more with less; fewer people and smaller budgets. Sure, it’s 2010 and things were supposed to be better by now, but many marketing professionals are still adjusting and cutting advertising spending.
Many of the prospects we speak with are dealing with this by cutting across the board. All channels are reduced to get to the “new budget number.” It seems fair to your advertising partners. All your reps — the radio lady, your trade publication guy and the direct mail house — understand that you’re doing what you have to do. And they feel they are getting their share of your budget. “We’ll get through this together.”
This is a perfect example of pandering, or gratifying others at your company’s expense. Webster online defines pandering as: “to act as a pander; especially : to provide gratification for others’ desires.” And when it comes to getting the most out of a lower ad budget, smart marketers know that this is not the way to get results.
Instead, successful companies are rebuilding their advertising plans from the ground up, bucket by bucket. Tracking results, surveying customers and adjusting each bucket of spending based on one thing: what is working today. Smart marketers understand that they don’t need every type of media in their plan, just because their competition is there. They stick to what is performing best for them right now.
So how can you get started? Shifting your spending strategy to meet your new budget needs does take some calculated risk. You may need to completely empty some buckets in order to afford to increase others, and it may take some trial and error to get the balance just right.
After reviewing your results, I strongly recommend determining your media lead generator and investing more in that media. Also consider completely cutting out a media that is just “somewhere you feel you have to be”, despite it giving you low trackable results. Continue to track and review results before making your next move to shift spend between your buckets.
Over time your plan will move toward a solid performance model and you will see improvement across the board.
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- Tags: ad agency, advertising agency, advertising consultants, Chicago Ad Agency, Chicago advertising agency, Chicago advertising company, Chicago advertising consultants, Chicago creative marketing company, Chicago marketing agency, Chicago marketing consultants, Stevens & Tate, Stevens & Tate Marketing
Erickson Does It Right
Category: Search Engine Marketing| Senior Living| Social Media| Stevens & Tate Speaks
22 Jun 2010Recently, in reviewing different senior living communities and how they use the World Wide Web, I came across Erickson Senior Living, again. Now, I have watched Erickson online for quite some time and even with the new direction the Web is heading, I feel Erickson still does a nice job in communicating to its audience.
Some great examples of how Erickson uses the Web strongly:
Landing Pages in Search
75% of Americans use search engines on a regular basis when online. Based on what search engine and what criteria you are searching for, when you find Erickson Senior Living within these search engines you are not taken right to their corporate website. Instead they direct you to a landing page that is specific to your search. Their main objective on the landing page is to get your contact information so they can communicate with you in the future.
The other nice thing that Erickson does with these landing pages is that they make them geographically specific. They are assuming since I live in Illinois that I am interested in their communities in Illinois when I come to this page. So they highlight communities that are nearest to me, making it easier to draw me in.
Utilizing Facebook and Twitter
When you get to the corporate website for Erickson Senior Living you will see that they have created a Facebook and Twitter account for users to stay connected to them. With these two offerings, they highlight social activities such as cooking videos from their chefs and anniversary celebrations of their residents.
By using these social media tools, they are interacting with their audience on a more personal level and asking for participation to keep the conversation going.
Personalizing the Home Page
So I tricked their website and instead of searching for a retirement community in Illinois, I searched for one in Michigan. Now the website retains a record of what I have searched for in the past, and when I come back to the site it highlights different activities happening at the community I last searched on. Very clever in keeping my interest piqued in regards to that community.
All in all, with the combined use of personalization and their willingness to participate in the social media realm, Erickson Senior Living is holding its own in the online space. Whether you’re an active adult retirement community, an assisted living residence, a CCRC, or a skilled nursing facility, you should be thinking about how you too can use the Web to your advantage.
Do you feel your website has great examples on how to use personalization and Web 2.0 tools? Let us know. We love to highlight great marketing ideas, on and off the web and would be happy to tell your story.
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- Tags: search engine marketing agency, search engine marketing services, senior living advertising, senior living advertising agency, senior living marketing, senior living marketing consultants, senior living marketing firm, social media marketing agency, social media marketing company, social media marketing firm
Staying Forever Young In Senior Living Advertising
Category: Senior Living| Social Media| Stevens & Tate Speaks
21 Jun 2010Did you watch Saturday Night Live on Mothers’ Day with Betty White? The 88-year-old actress hosted one of the highest rated shows in recent years. And while that’s an astounding feat in and of itself, how Betty White came to host SNL is even more astounding.
After seeing Betty White in a Snickers commercial during the Super Bowl, a San Antonio resident launched a Facebook campaign urging SNL to have the actress serve as host. The campaign attracted hundreds of thousands of followers.
As a marketer at a senior living advertising agency, what strikes me most about this story is how old and new media came together to generate so much excitement. The same principles can be used to market a senior living community.
Betty White’s stint on SNL is a prime example of multiple marketing vehicles working together to achieve a desired result. Although Facebook often is associated with the younger crowd, this media outlet is an excellent tool to reach an active online community – at little expense. Because of the site’s interaction among fans and followers, it can create a buzz about a product or service very quickly.
Because of all the hype, traditional news media began following the Betty White story. This exemplifies how well placed PR in newspapers and magazines still plays a valuable part in getting a message out to the general public. Use your local newspaper or a senior living publication to tell your story…tout the benefits of your senior living facility in a press release or have a reporter interview satisfied residents to promote a positive brand experience.
On SNL, Betty White appeared in almost all of the show’s skits, garnering laughs across the board. And I’m sure she was the topic of conversation around the water cooler that Monday. This shows the power television still has on our culture. For senior living advertising, this is important because the visual medium is an excellent way to showcase amenities that your properties provide. A picture of a pool is nice but a video of residents enjoying that pool is much more powerful.
That leads us to YouTube. Just as video of Betty’s White’s monologue popped up on YouTube minutes after she gave it live, videos of your senior living property can spread your message to another audience. After all, today’s seniors are more Internet savvy than every before—as are their children, who may be assisting in their decision on where to live.
In senior living marketing, new media outlets and traditional advertising vehicles can, and should, combine to create a successful campaign. And remember, all this Betty White hoopla started with a single Snickers ad…
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- Tags: Chicago creative marketing company, Chicago marketing consultants, senior living advertising, senior living advertising agency, senior living marketing, senior living marketing consultants, senior living marketing firm, social media marketing agency, social media marketing firm, Stevens & Tate
Mobile Friendly Websites
Category: Stevens & Tate Speaks| Web 2.0
16 Jun 2010With 42% of Americans using smart phones, the use of mobile friendly websites is becoming more and more necessary in order to reach more of today’s consumers.
Endora has put guidelines in place to coordinate with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Mobile Web Best Practices:
- Developing so our page/screen width will be 120 pixels.
- Page height will be determined by the size of the file with the content (20KB).
- Web pages should reside on a .mobi url .
- If possible, programming should be added to the .com site to detect mobile visitors and redirect them to the mobile site. This will be based on the detectable data provided by the users mobile phone.
- Copy should be written to be informative in order to allow the mobile phone user to locate their information quickly and easily.
- In order to maintain a quick download time the site will contain minimal graphics and not include .pdf downloads or forms.
Some good examples of mobile friendly websites include:
BBC.mobi: they offer a clean and crisp layout with easy to find content. They also offer content based on the type of phone you have to make it easier for the end user.
Delta.mobi: Formerly Northwest, Delta offers useful services on their mobile website, including flight status checks and online check in. Their application is simple to use and the low graphics make it fast to move through.
Google.mobi: Google is always a great example of how to take full advantage of online tools. They offer graphics that are well executed and provide added value to the experience.
QR Codes
Category: Stevens & Tate Speaks| Web 2.0
14 Jun 2010
What Are QR Codes?
QR code is a matrix code (or two-dimensional bar code) created by a Japanese automotive component manufacturer in 1994. This technology is recently becoming adopted by the marketing world.
Common in Japan and Europe now, “QR” is derived from “Quick Response” and it allows users to access additional information products through mobile devices.
How Do They Work?
QR codes work in conjunction with smartphones. Simply scan the QR Code using the camera or scanner in your smartphone and (if you have the application loaded on your smartphone) you will instantly have access to special information about the product (usually in the form of a dedicated mobile website).
QR codes can:
- Send people to a URL
- Offer coupons
- Give product details
- Provide event details
- List contact details, with links to directly connect
- And more!
Two great examples of how QR Codes are used:
- Demo video found on YouTube
- Lego video showing how QR codes work and how Lego was able to make their product uniquely relevant to the QR code itself
Benefits of QR Codes:
- Keeps you current in new technology
- Makes you a leader in your industry
- Offers your customers and prospects quick access to useful, additional information in a new convenient way
- Is a unique way to extend print/online campaigns
- Allows your audience to take your information with them and keep it always at their fingertips to easily pass it along to others
- Trackable and measurable for results
- Starting to become more popular in the U.S.; experts believe a big increase in the next 12 months
- 42% of Americans use smartphones (up almost 30% in just 3 years)
Is your company currently using QR codes? Contact us on how. We would love to tell your marketing story.
Using Web 2.0 Tools in the Senior Living Market
Category: Senior Living| Social Media| Stevens & Tate Speaks
9 Jun 2010The senior living market is a perfect environment to take advantage of Web 2.0 tools and generate interaction with our audience. Every senior living community offers a unique blend of people, environment, activity, culture, and energy. Whether you’re an active adult retirement community, an assisted living residence, a CCRC, or a skilled nursing facility, new media tools, like Facebook and Twitter, can help you put your physical community’s style and personality on display to the world.
Some wonderful examples of how to use these tools on your website are:
1. Offer your viewers a chance to see you in your true environment. Allow short snippets of resident videos and highlights of events partaking at your communities. With a flip camera and a little creativity, senior living companies can produce an unlimited stream of entertaining, helpful, and informative, videos to share. – See Erickson’s media gallery on how to use different forms of video.
2. Allow the opportunity to connect with the new audiences via Facebook, LinkedIn, blogs, and YouTube. Create Facebook and Twitter pages and post information that will support and educate your readers. – See how WesternRIM.com utilizes Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
3. Provide ample opportunity for visitors to easily share content from the page with their friends. – See how Sunrise uses ‘Share’ tools on their website.
4. Use blogs to continue the education on your services and support the content of your website. Offer a place on your website for yourself and partners to write articles relevant to your industry. – See how Trilogy Life utilizes a blog and video to offer resident testimonials.
Social media empowers senior living and other senior care organizations by giving them tools to connect, communicate, and share in ways never before possible. These tools provide an opportunity for companies to engage their audience, build trust and credibility, and be part of the conversations that are taking place both on and off the Web.
If your organization is using social media successfully and you would like to be featured on this blog, please contact us. We would love to share your story.
Why Social Media for Seniors
Category: Senior Living| Social Media| Stevens & Tate Speaks
9 Jun 2010As a senior living community you may be asking yourself if utilizing social media tools is really necessary to communicate with your target audience. Nielsen recently came out with a survey on how seniors (65+) are using the Web.
In the last 5 years the number of seniors online has grown by 6 million users. In November 2004, there were 11.3 million active seniors online. In November 2009, that number jumped by 55% to 17.5 million. In addition, they are spending on average 58 hours a month using the Internet.
But what exactly are they doing? The number one activity performed by seniors today is checking their personal email. Email plays a dominant role in all online users’ lives and seniors are no exception. The use of Facebook is also quickly rising on the usage chart, moving up in one year from #45 in ranking usage to #3 in 2000 as one of the most used websites by seniors.
So whether you are an active adult retirement community, an assisted living residence, a CCRC, or a skilled nursing facility, you need to consider using social media in this new environment of messaging to our audience.
E-Mail Subject Lines of the Day
Category: E-Mail Marketing| Retail/Grocery| Stevens & Tate Speaks
8 Jun 2010Consumer-Based Email Subject Lines of the Day:
Cubs vs. White Sox–Get Your Gear from the Exclusive PINK MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL Collection!
Earn 500 bonus points on sizzlin’ summer styles!
More than 20% Off One of Bordeaux’s Great Bargains!
3 Day Sale – 80% Off Starts Today
Friends & Family Online Only Preview going on now!
3 Days Only: Extra 15% Off + Free Shipping on Summer Handbags We Love
Flats under $30, Sandals under $40 & Pumps under $60. Plus Free Shipping over $75.
Don’t Be Afraid to Engage in Social Media On Your Own Website
Category: Social Media| Stevens & Tate Speaks
8 Jun 2010Most companies believe that by taking part in websites such as Facebook, Twitter and My Space they are “doing social media”. To me, social media begins at home. The first place people look when wanting to interact with a company is their website. True enthusiasts would love to interact throughout your site and help you keep your content updated.
Now I know what you are thinking – everyone fears the backlash. Are you truly that nervous about your brand? Do you not feel like you have a loyal customer base that will be out there speaking well about you more than those speaking badly? In truth, most brands have more ‘champions’ than they do ‘slayers’. And most people who are unhappy about your company will want to tell you first – what better place than on your own website in a controlled environment, versus on someone else’s website where you have less control of the conversation.
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