Dec 23, 2009 - Comments: 0

Top 9 Lessons We Learned in 2009

Posted by CDG Interactive under Content Strategy & Web Writing , Interactive Marketing , Social Media , Web Analytics , Web Strategy

As the year comes to a close -- and CDG Interactive's offices close for the Christmas/New Year's week break (thanks, Scott!) -- the CDG bloggers take a moment to look back at the Top 9 things we learned in 2009.

(For those of you keeping track at home, that's 3 lessons each.)

What we learned ranges from how to continue to stay inspired when writing to why cute animals will always drive blog traffic.

Analytics & Strategy

Director of Marketing Heidi Strom Moon picked 3 things learned from the areas of analytics and marketing strategy.

1. Always Be Analyzing. When you review your site metrics, it’s not enough to look at surface, average numbers, like visitors and page views. In fact, those numbers are nearly meaningless. Analyze them. Challenge them. Question them.

  • Visits by whom?
  • Did they buy anything?
  • How often did they visit before they did?
  • Do page views vary by referral source?
  • By content type?

Dig deeper and forget about averages—segment, segment, segment. When you look at numbers, continually ask yourself “So what?” (Coffee is for analysts!)

2. When You Think You’re Done, You’ve Just Begun. Anyone who’s ever participated in focus groups or usability testing knows that no matter what you think users or consumers will do with your web site or landing page or ad, well, you’re probably wrong.

Don’t take anything for granted. Each audience is different. A blue button may get more clicks on one site, but an orange one may get more on another. Always test and optimize. Find out what is and isn’t working, fix it, and test again.

3. Make Sure It Matters. Every year, the onslaught of online information continues unabated. In 2009, it was tweets and Facebook status updates and a million new blogs. In all that data, the only parts that matter are the ones that matter to you.

Relentlessly pursue relevance. Make sure what you produce matters for the people you’re trying to reach. Volume isn’t necessarily the goal—saying the right thing for the right people is.

Curate content you consume. You will never be able to read all the good blogs or follow all of the interesting people on Twitter. Pick a few that matter and blissfully ignore the rest. Update this list regularly. What’s relevant to you changes over time, too.

Social Media

Senior strategist Lisa King offers these insights into social media marketing and earning online attention.

4. Nothing is Private Once It's Online. Know and use your privacy settings on every online service, but most importantly, understand that once something is online, you don't own it. Someone else can copy it, forward it, tag you in it, and use it in a way you didn't intend. If you don't want your current and potential employers to see particular photos of you, then don't post them online. Remember who you "friended" (was it your boss, colleagues & clients?) and allowed access to your information when you talk about work on Twitter and Facebook.

5. Social Media Isn't a Substitute for Customer Service (or Marketing). Social media is another tool that can help you reach your customers, but it can't solve every ill or replace everything else you're doing. And a poorly done social media campaign can unravel months or even years of careful marketing and branding strategy. The people authorized to speak on behalf of your brand should be able to be themselves but also embrace your corporate values and be able to convey them without sounding like they're reading from a handbook. Done properly, you can get a better sense of your customers and let connect with your brand.

6. Animals in Peril Drive Traffic. It may not always be the traffic you want, but if for some reason you just want people to read what you're writing, talk about your sick cat and the people will come. (I'd like to think it's has to do with being authentic, but I've come to realize that my cat is more popular than I am. Most days I'm OK with that!)

Copy and Content

And senior copywriter Jennifer Mayne Hoppe has these nuggets of wisdom on copywriting and content strategy.

7. Keep a List of Inspirations. One of the biggest challenges in writing a great blog is also one of the most elementary: finding good topics to write about. Nothing will throw a bigger wrench into meeting your posting schedule than having nothing compelling to say. Recently I’ve started to keep a list of potential topics for future posts. That way, I have no excuses when it comes time to log on to Typepad and start blogging.

8. Originality is Overrated. Nowadays you can’t swing a virtual dead cat without hitting a fellow blogger in the noggin. There’s a preponderance of content out there. If you’re planning to write on a given topic, chances are someone else is planning to chime in on it as well—or worse, already has.

My advice? Write anyway. Your topic doesn’t have to be completely original, as long as it's relevant to your audience (see #3 above) and you add something of value. Better yet, try writing a response to another blogger’s post and add a comment on his or her blog. It’s a great way to both start an exchange of ideas and draw more eyes over to your blog.

9. Treat Your Blog Like a Client. I have a big confession. Even though I’m CDG’s senior copywriter, blogging often fell to the bottom of my to-do list. Even with the economy in the tank, CDG was in the fortunate position this year of having lots of work in the pipeline.

So with clients clamoring for copy, and plenty of billable work crossing my desk, guess which task got the shaft. That’s right. The blog. In 2010, my chief resolution will be to treat the blog like a client. Post great copy. On time. No excuses.

Now it's your turn, readers:

  • What lessons did you learn in 2009?
  • What are you planning to learn more about in 2010?

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