Avinash is coming...Avinash is coming!

If you are at all interested in Internet Marketing you know the name AVINASH KAUSHIK. If you are interested in Web Analytics then not only do you know the name AVINASH KAUSHIK, you have read his book, you follow his blog AND you watch his YouTube Videos. He is also the "Analytics Evangelist" at Google. Um...yeah.

Basically you can't really say Web Analytics without saying Avinash Kaushik at the same time.

I've been reading his blog and I have his book and I show his videos in my Internet-based marketing class. And in June...I will meet him. I will see him in person. This is WAY cool. What is even cooler is he will be HERE at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont. Oh yes. I'm not off to some swanky conference in New York City or San Francisco or Chicago. I'm here...on campus...just a short walk from my office and I will get to listen to Avinash in person.

It's all part of the Online Marketing Bootcamp. This is the third go around for the Bootcamp and it's growing for sure. I attended the first one, conducted a session at the second one (about an hour after I successfully defended my dissertation!) and will be attending the third one.

As I get ready to re-write and re-tool the Internet-based Marketing class having the opportunity to hear Avinash in person and potentially even speak to him will certainly provide some great inspiration on how to get students excited about data-driven decision making. Yep. That's what I said. Get students EXCITED about data-driven decision making!

So why here you might ask. Well, to be honest, Burlington and Vermont in general is a growing hub for information technology businesses, small software engineering firms and cutting edge online marketing companies. At the same time, our college (shameless plug!) is one of the few that offers classes in things such as Social Networking, Web Analytics, Online Visibility and Search Engine Optimization. We've been teaching Internet-based marketing for over seven years (that's me, by the way) and we have some OUTSTANDING alum who are rock'n the business.

Dave Winslow, CEO of EpikOne (the only Google Partner in New England) and his team of Champlain Alum from the e-Business and Business programs: Paul Skarvinko, Charles Miller and Matt Brinkerhoff will all be there on hand to TEACH about different facets of online marketing. Read more about all the experts here!

So not only do we have local talented experts in this field (many of whom were educated right here at Champlain!) we are able to bring in the top tier in the business to our campus.

$500 for the first day session to see Avinash in person. Burlington is not nearly as expensive as NYC or Chicago and you have a WAY better chance of actually meeting Avinash here then you would there for sure. $1950 for the full week of sessions that are split into beginner and advanced.

Well worth it.

I'm bringing my copy of Web Analytics an Hour a Day to get autographed.

Breaking News....well...sort of! Business People Vermont and Blog Links

Just a quick break in in the middle of my blog series to acknowledge the article on Media 2.0 by Bill Simmon in the August issue of Business People Vermont. It's a nice piece about some of the folks here in Vermont who are taking advantage of the opportunities the expanding web (aka Web 2.0) is bringing. A heavy emphasis on blogging with the likes of Cathy Resmer at Seven Days, Ann Zuccardy of Vermont Shortbread and Dave Winslow over at EpikOne. Great article if I do say so -- really gets at the variety of people who can use social media to create buzz...and comments.

Take this article for instance. Cathy referenced it on her blog yesterday, August 6th. Bill referenced it yesterday too. Ann referenced it on her blog today and well...here I go!

The cool thing which Cathy mentioned was that Business People Vermont actually embedded links in the article. Links that take you away from their site to ours. And now...we link back.

It's a BEAUTIFUL THING!

Hope you all watched the debate tonight. Still haven't received an email from Brownback or Clinton. Did receive a note from Biden's campaign to remind me to watch the debate.

Champlain College Online Marketing Bootcamp: Final Post

Digg

Delicious

Twitter

VOX

Blogger

Second Life

MySpace

Squidoo

Facebook

YouTube

Technorati

Feedburner

FlickR

RSS

CoComment

Twitterific

LinkedIn

BeBo

iTunes

-------------------------------------------------------
Um...get all that? And yes, I know, they should be linked, but then that would ruin the pretty colors and I am certainly NOT going to break into the code to figure it out!

So that was my day today. A total immersion into the world of Social Networking and Online Visibility.

I LOVED IT!

Of course, I teach it ... so this was a unique experience for me to be the student. Think I might have over-stepped a few times (bad me) in the class room (sorry Dave and Dan!) around some of the things...but the best part was the things that I learned today. Great context of Social Networking and Online Visibility and some good connections.

Let's get to it (before I do a faceplant on the keyboard -- gee whiz I'm tired).

As I mentioned earlier, Dave Winslow from EpikOne kicked us off this morning. Besides the whirlwind overview and the hands on with LinkedIn and Blogger, Dave provided a great list of:

Steps for Planning a Social Networking Campaign

1. State your goal, identify your target and know what your success
2. Determine how much money and time you will invest
3. Based on the budget, create a plan – just like any other marketing plan
4. Identify what mediums you will be using – ie video, text, etc.
5. Choose which networks you will allocate your budget too
6. Align your resources internally or find a good outsource
7. Execute the plan and please make sure to track your initiatives

While I like the list and will use it in my Social Networking class there is ONE thing missing and that is making sure to INTEGRATE whatever you do with your current marketing messages and branding. It's a very important step because with this medium, if people really "Digg" it (smile) you need to be ready and it (whatever it is) better match your brand identity.

We moved into this afternoon with a great presentation on Social Networking -- with a focus on Blogging and Facebook (my favorite!) from Daniel Schutzsmith (linkedin) (twitter) who is the editor of GraphicDefine, an eZine for graphic designers and business. Check it out at: http://www.graphicdefine.org.

I won't bore you all with the in-depth details but there are a few things I wanted to address.

So what makes a Social Networking "Expert" anyway? To hear Dan tell it, it's a mix of pure chance, passion and a healthy dash of insanity.

Disclaimer -- remember, I'm a college professor, so when Dan said that he didn't use his PR degree right off, um, I had to wonder because...well...Dan, all of this that you are doing it's um..PR!

Anyway...here's Dan's "Story" (as told by me -- my sense is that I've boiled down the past 15 years of his life into well...a few short lines)

History of Dan

PR major in College
Graduated
Tried different jobs in business and design, businesses tanked…he kept on moving
(note dot.com bomb here somewhere I'm sure)
Started posting in forums and link pages and discussions providing advice and comments which led to a...
call from Chopping Block
so he started working with them in Biz Development where...
they didn't do any advertising they just...
went to forums
submitted links
send info to Ad Week
and Clients evolved from the virtual word of mouth they generated
(um, I think there was good design work too!)

Which got him pretty much involved with business side of design
which evolved into graphicdefine magazine – an eZine
which moved from his solo postings...
to other people/multiple contributors on the site
and then some
teaching at school of visual arts – at NYU
and of course
speaking Gigs on Social Networking and Online Visibility!
(um, Public Relations I'm think'n!)

Both Dan and Dave said these posts were supposed to be short...but...well...it wouldn't be fun if I didn't break the rules!

Big take aways?

Gotta have passion to do this. What else? Well here are some tips that make a lot of sense to me:

First, build a personality. One that goes with you and is consistent through all your social networking gigs whether it is MySpace, Facebook, LinkedIn, or whatever.

What do people want to see?

• Remove the Bullshit
• No Sales Speak
• Stay Consistent
• Make it easy to link to

Keeping followers and credibility

• Update Consistently
• Quality Content
• Remain Humble
• Be Truthful
• Own up and admit mistakes
• Correct the mistake
• Don’t Censor
• Listen
• Implement and Compliment Feedback

Handling Criticism

• Evaluate
• Address it
• Correct it
• Follow up

What not to do

• Hide
• Attack
• Counter-criticize
• Sue
• Slander

And finally...Dan's Tips for overall success:

1. Stick with it.
2. It takes hard work
3. Focus on the message
4. Encourage participation
5. Be serious about not being too serious
6. Have fun

So what did I think overall? It was a great session. The full day worked very well together and even though I walked in with my own blog and an UBER Facebook presence and a well developed LinkedIn Profile, I still came away with a continuing appreciation for what is happening in the OnlineVis space and that there are others out there like me who find this not only interesting but revolutionary.

Dan calls himself an "Evangelist". Easy to do that in the business world -- especially in NYC and especially when you are a "creative". Much more difficult to do in Higher Education with curriculum -- but I'm working on it! (insert evangelical exclamations here!)

Read on over the rest of the summer as I take what I've learned and what I continue to learn in the blogging world and use it to update and improve the classes I teach in Internet Marketing, Online Visibility and Social Networking.

Now...I have GOT to get to bed.

Champlain College Online Marketing Bootcamp Day 4: Social Networking

First I should note that last nights reception at the Firehouse Art space was GREAT. Now, it wasn't the Magic Hat (really!) that made it the best...although that was quite nice (and they were a sponsor), but the opportunity to continue to network with individuals I already know, but also those who I haven't had a chance to get to know. These Web Analytics Wednesdays are GREAT!

On to today....

Today's post will be broken up a bit, as our focus is Social Networking and in todays second half of the morning session we'll be all getting LinkedIn profiles and setting up blogs...well I already have both, so I'll be concentrating on the optimization of them.

In the mean time today's morning overview has been very good. A great intro to Social Networking by Dave Winslow from EpikOne. In the spirit of all of this...here is Dave's Linked In profile.

Some highlights included the history of Social Networking (yep there's a history!) and the current day context. The interesting part has to do with where we've been, where we are and where we are going:

Early stages
1. IM
2. Message Boards
3. Webinars

Current Platforms
1. Blogs
2. Wikis
3. Online Communities

Next evolution
1. 3-d Virtual Worlds
2. Peer-to-peer
3. Virtual Tradeshow

Um...Dave's Back...time to get hands on with LinkedIn! Be back later!

Champlain College Online Marketing Bootcamp Day 3: Web Analytics Wednesday

It's day three and we are deep into Analytics!

The day began again bright and early in the Mac Lab at Champlain College as we DOVE in the DEEP END of the "Technical Side" of Google Analytics. Our tour guide was Justin Cutroni the VP for Web Analytics at EpikOne. Justin has a blog "Analytics Talk" which is referenced on page 86 of Web Analytics an Hour a Day by Avinash Kaushik, where he writes, "Justin Cutroni is one of hte smartest web analytics practitioners and consultants around. His focus is on GA but he has lots of non-GA stuff as well."

Today we learned about how to set up Google Analytics on our websites and how to customize the data and the reports. I'd go into detail...but OMG! I'm still processing. The big things I'm taking away are:

• Filtering is important


• Link Tagging can make ALL the difference -- especially with non-HTML files like PDF and FLASH and ads outside of the AdWords network.


• Goals are CRUCIAL -- it's all about conversion, so make sure those goals are clearly defined.


• Goals don't have to be just e-commerce related -- if you want people to sign up for an email newsletter, that's a goal; if you want people to download a file, that's a goal.


• Campaign tracking is very important and encompasses all of this
  

This afternoon has focused on the reporting from Analytics -- we walked through all the reports and really got an in-depth look at GA from Rachel Meyers an Analytics Specialist with Google.
While many of the reports are self-explanatory, the context provided by Meyers was very helpful and there are many nuances that we went over that I had never considered before. The new interface has really made a difference and allows for ease and depth at the same time!

Next step is the Web Analytics Association's networking event Web Analytics Wednesday! at the Firehouse Gallery in Burlington, VT.

Champlain College Online Marketing Bootcamp Day 2: Google Website Optimizer

Another whirlwind day has wrapped up here at the Online Marketing Bootcamp. Today's focus was on the new Google tool: Alex Broussard with EpikOne, who is the VP for Technology and Co-Founder of this local company, this session was beyond thorough. While it ranged into the far too technical around some of the CSS work, the walk through of the Optimizer appliance using a testing ground for one of Epik's clients was incredibly valuable. It's fairly simple to implement as long as you know a little html and have some design skills -- or if you have a good team of people to work with.

Basically you need to have a plan -- take a look at your site funnel analysis and see where your problem area is -- the area where you want to enhance conversions -- then select a few items you might want to change. If they are images, come up with the variations, if it is text do the same thing. Then walk through the optimizer, put the right code on your testing and conversion pages, insert the variations into the tool and then launch. Wait. Wait. Wait.

The length of time you wait will depend on the amount of traffic to your site. But no worries, the Optimizer tool will tell you when it's done. Then, select the winning combination of changes that increase your conversions.

Implement the changes.

Wa La!

Check out this case study for a client of EpikOne.

Now the big challenge -- how does this fit in the classroom? Does it fit in the Internet-marketing class...or is it for the Web Developers? Or BOTH? Lot's to consider.

Tomorrow is Web Analytics Wednesday. We'll see how that one goes!

Champlain College Online Marketing Boot Camp: Day 1

Morning Session: Intro and Google Adwords Overview

Introduction
____________________________________________

Today's session has started with a bang! Bob Verrico with Giant Step Strategies set the context with a discussion of the state of the industry and why we should care about all of this info.

The focus of his presentation was about the key drivers that moving the industry forward. Such things as the predictability of the internet (more on that in a second), the fact that advertising intelligence and quality have gone up, more people are spending more time online, there continues to be growing access to broadband and wireless, there are more advertisers online, current advertisers are going to be spending more (according to Verrico, small amounts of ad budgets are directed online) and there is an increased monetization or ROI with the advent of analytics (especially FREE analytics).

Verrico's point that the internet is predictable was an interesting one -- and one I hadn't thought about really. In my mind, given my background and what I'm teaching, everything around the internet has brought with it great change...and yet, as you think about it, the internet itself has been stable -- it's the tools that have changed the most!

Verrico continued with a discussion of what this all means and bottom line, "Companies must evolve to leverage the technology around them. Analytics, SEO, Databases and different content models must all be embraced and explored.

One of the most important concepts Verrico stressed was LIFETIME CUSTOMER VALUE or LTV -- something that came up again in the later session. Essentially, what value does your customer have over time? Are you taking full advantage of the opportunity and of tracking the value that brings?

Finally, he closed with some take aways:

• Landscape is ever changing: You need to keep up!
• Intimate understanding of value, ability to compete, thrive and scale: in order to be successful!
• Appropriate infrastructure: Gotta have it!
• A/B testing (101 in the industry): Use data to drive decisions -- even creative ones!
• Analytics: Use data to show ROI
• Staffing: Get the right people around you

Session 1: Google Adwords
___________________________________________

Whew! Talk about a whirlwind session! Everything you needed to know to not only get started with Adwords but expand what you are already doing and all in a brief FOUR HOURS!

This session was run by EpikOne pros Dani Giandomenico and Paul Skarvanko (a Champlain Alum!). And it was a speed run through Adwords and all that comes with it. They covered:

• An overview of the network
• The basis for Google's Algorithm: click through rate, historical keyword performance, relevance of ad text and landing page quality/relevance.
• The quality score and how to improve it
• How Adwords technology targets: IP Address, Google domains, query parsing and language settings
• Ad types
• Account Hierarchy
• Matching Options
• Site Targeting
• Radius targeting
• AdWords and Analytics
• Structuring your Ad Campaign with Ad Groups
• Bidding Strategies
• Landing Page Optimization
• Image advertising

And then we got to play! They offered up a playground and asked us to all create unique ads targeted to specific locations, only in the search area for a $.20 CPC.

Did I mention a WHIRLWIND?? This was a great, if slightly disjointed session, a big mix of backgrounds in the room and people who were familiar with AdWords and people who were not. It was hard to keep it together and stay focused. But overall, great value of information to keep us up to date on how AdWords is evolving.

Session 2: Online Marketing Overview
__________________________________________

In this afternoon session we got the global perspective from EpikOne founder, Dave Winslow (also a Champlain Alum) and Kristoffer Ewald from The Milk in Denmark.

The stated goals for this workshop were:

• How much of your budget should be invested online
• Understanding the websites role in marketing today
• Using Web Analytics to Measure Online Marketing Initiatives
• Essential Skill Sets Needed for Building an online marketing team
• How to stay current in the online marketing industry

Let me tell you that they covered all of this in another FOUR HOUR time frame. Both Dave and Kris were great. They really provided a global perspective with amazing examples that really illustrated their main points.

Some interesting points which resonated for me as I figure out how to update our Internet-based Marketing course for the fall included...

Stages of Internet Marketing

Early stage (pre 2000)

• Banner ads
• Basic Websites
• No Accountability

Current Situation (2000 to today)

• Multiple marketing mediums
• Websites integrating business rules
• Accountability through analytics

Next evolution (tomorrow)

• Online marketing outpaces traditional
• Websites become core business platform
• Everything online is measured

Throughout both Kris' and Dave's presentation you could see this theme of moving from our current situation to the evolution that more data driven decision making will bring.

Some insights:

• Paid search is moving towards PERFORMANCE-BASED. In other words, if the ad doesn't convert, you don't have to pay for it.
• Keep the basics in mind: Know your TARGET MARKET. Know who your audience is and where they are so you can leverage the right ad and site mixes.
• Tracking of behavior should be used to create transparency. We can now follow the person through the overall process to see if they create value. Follow the footsteps of what is happening. What performed best? (optimization)
• Define the actions you want people to take and add a value to that action

Kris' Five Golden Rules

• Accept that you don’t have all the answers, but you can ask all the questions you want
• Focus, if can only get one thing out of your marketing program what do you want it to be
• Test and accept your failures
• Evolve faster than the competition
• Analyze

Allocate some of your resources to EXPERIMENTAL tactics such as social networking, blogging and virtual worlds. While the intial ROI may be negative, the potential is huge! EpikOne was able to leverage more business for clients and themselves through both Social Networking exploration and Blogging to the point where they are now using it more and more.

Some great examples of what not to do...searching on SPRINT MOTO which generates a number one placement for SPRINT in the Google results. A click reveals...



Note that no where can you see the MOTO phone in this page! Try it yourself!

Well that's about it...in a nutshell. There's more of course, but I've already taken up too much of everyone's time.

If you get the chance, take a look at the EpikOne Blog.

So...tomorrow it'll be website optimizer all day long! I'll post the synopsis of that at the end of the day.