Retail & Internet Shopping, Virtual Marketing Topics

Tips: How to Reduce Impact of Cyber Monday & Holiday Shopping on Your Business

Cyber Monday & Holiday Shopping Has Business Owners Cringing as Employees Shop and Productivity & Profit Suffers

Black Friday has come and gone, and for those who have not yet gotten their fill of shopping and great deals, CyberMonday is when retailers make “internet only” deals available…distracting workers and making employers cringe.Cyber Monday reduces productivity and profits for businesses

According to the National Retail Foundation (NRF), 106.9 million shoppers will shop online on Cyber Monday 2010.

Many Cyber Monday and holiday shopping purchases will be made at work.

Cyber Monday Facts:

  • 29% of employees plan to shop at work on Cyber Monday
    Source: Career Builder
  • Employees will spend around 14 hours shopping at work during the holiday season. Source: ISACA

This can suck the energy out of any business. So, how can you offset the impact on productivity and the bottom line?  During lean times, most businesses cannot afford to lose productivity at this scale, and internet shopping can become a serious problem. But, if you are looking for a way to reduce the impact of cyber monday and holiday shopping on your bsuiness, below are some ideas, with a little fun thrown in for good measure.

How to Reduce Impact of Online Holiday Shopping on Your Business:

Prohibit Cyber Monday Shopping

Go ahead, just pull the plug and make the internet unavailable. Of course this also means no email, research, access to applications in the cloud, website maintenance, etc. But if you want to take the hard line, this will send the message. (hide after you announce this decree and definitely don’t let anyone see YOU surfing for deals!)

Give in, with Limits

Give your employees an extra hour off to take during the day – Consider this approach damage control. Chances are this will be a fraction of the time they would have spent online away from their daily tasks, and maybe they will feel guilty about taking more time and take just that hour. (I said maybe : )

Cut them loose

Let everyone leave an hour early – Cyber Monday deals will last throughout the day, as long as the inventory holds out. If there was something they really wanted, chances are they were shopping at midnight when deals went live online, but this is a gesture that makes you look good and keeps you from feeling helpless watching hours of productivity go down the drain as everyone shops. Those who have no interest in shopping Cyber Monday will also appreciate the time off…who couldn’t use an extra hour in the day?

Take a Cue from the Grinch

Get in the holiday spirit and look at it as a holiday bonus…you’re giving up a little productivity and profit so that employees can save a little money. In tough times, some of your employees may only be able to afford the gifts on their shopping list on sale. employeers can build good will on Cyber Monday

So donn the holiday spirit and let your employees know that you are aware that they will be shopping on Cyber Monday, and invite them to share great deals with other employees (and you!)…

You just may feel your heart grow three sizes on Cyber Monday, just like the Grinch!

You Can Use Cyber Monday to Share Good Will With Employees & Staff!

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Virtual Marketing Topics

#PubCon Vegas – Let’s Talk Social Media and Search

PubCon Social Media and Search Conference

Thanks to all who attended this morning’s session!
I am delighted to have had a chance to meet so many of you and hope to meet more of you before the end of the week.

Join me for the PubCon Lunchtime Social Media and Search Round Table Thursday!

If you’d like to explore this topic in a casual setting, I’m hosting a Round Table at Thursday’s lunch (look for the table all the way to the left as you enter the PubCon lunch room from the registers).

You are to be commended for making a 10:15am conference, filling a ballroom in Las Vegas before noon shows how dedicated you are to your craft.

It was my pleasure to present

“The Convergence of Social Media and Search”

and share in discussion with panelists David Wallace of SearchRank, Bill Hartzer, and Tony Adam of MySpace, moderated by Aaron Shear.

Below are the links to two of the most frequent requests from attendees and Twitter followers that followed the session.

Google Profile -A Gift from Google – including video from Matt Cutts of Google.

The Content Grid: Owned, Paid and Earned

Managing Owned Paid and Earned Content for Social Media and Search

Nielson Report: Global Advertising Consumers Trust Real Friends and Virtual Strangers

Thanks again, and be sure to check back…I’ll be happy to post additional information as it is requested.

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SEO - Search Engine Optimization, Virtual Marketing Topics

Google Instant Preview – How SEO and Search Just Changed

Google Launches Instant Preview

Search Just Became More Visual with Google Instant Preview.

What is Google Instant Preview, How does it Change Search and What Will it Mean to SEO?

Google now provides the option of previewing the website page before the click. After opting to view Google Instant Preview, search engine results display a small magnifying glass to the right of the title. When clicked, Google provides a visual preview of the page displayed in organic search engine results.

Google Search results for “google instant preview”:

google search result for "google instant preview"

Google Instant Preview Search results for “google instant preview”:

Search result with Google Instant Preview

Google Instant Preview of a Search Result:

Search result website view with Google Instant Preview

How Google Instant Preview Could Change SEO and Organic Search

The Google Search algorithm has always weighed data and of course how often your website is clicked upon from organic results on Google.com will certainly increase your relevance and qualification as a valid result for specific keywords and phrases.

The introduction of Google Instant Preview now empowers the user to view the site and make a pre-determination before they click.

Who will benefit from Google Instant Preview?

Websites that understand how to competitively position themselves, pre-qualify the click (using meta data and content) and present a compelling user experience that entices the user will win the clicks, and ultimately conversion.

Who could lose with Google Instant Preview?

Websites built in Flash don’t appear to fare well today, with the initial roll out of Google Instant Preview. it remains to be seen whether this could be a permanent downside for websites built in Flash.
After reviewing a few of the websites featured on:  Top 10 Best Flash Websites, it appears that Google Instant Preview may not be as friendly to Flash-only websites as the screen shots below demonstrate:

Google Instant Preview and Flash Websites:

Google Instant Preview doesn't display Flash, yet.

 

Flash websites may not do as well on Google Instant Preview

 

So, is your website ready for Google Instant Preview?

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