FutureNow's GrokDotCom / Marketing Optimization Blog » Grokcast

Bryan Eisenberg Discusses Testing With Mayer Gniwisch, President of Ice.com

Bryan Eisenberg — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:48:37 +0000

As part of the research for our latest book, Always Be Testing, I had the pleasure to chat with several people about testing and how testing lives in their corporate culture. This one, with Mayer Gniwisch, President of Ice.Com and Diamond.com provides some practical advise on testing from the perspective of a retailer. Take some time to listen to my interview with Mayer. Mayer was kind enough to offer a discount for listeners: Save 20% at ice.com, just use code sam20 or save 20% at diamond.com by using code sam02.

Click here to listen to Bryan Eisenberg chat with Mayer Gniwisch

(To download the interview for use on your ipod, etc., right-click here and “save as”.)

In case you missed it, our first podcast in the series is with Bernardo de Albergaria, VP & GM of eCommerce, Citrix Online and our second podcast was with Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist for Google. We’ve also recorded two “Always Be Testing” monthly webinars so far, the archived versions are now available.

Have you picked your copy of Always Be Testing? Our publisher says the first printing is already sold out and they are rushing to print a second run.

Avinash Kaushik & Bryan Eisenberg Discuss Testing

Bryan Eisenberg — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:37:52 +0000

As part of the research for our latest book, Always Be Testing, I had the pleasure to chat with several people about testing and how testing lives in their corporate culture. This one, with Avinash Kaushik, Analytics Evangelist for Google, blogger at Occam’s Razor and author of the incredibly popular Web Analytics an Hour a Day is not to be missed. Take some time to listen to my interview with Avinash.

Click here to listen to Bryan Eisenberg chat with Avinash Kaushik

(To download the interview for use on your ipod, etc., right-click here and “save as”.)

In case you missed it, our first podcast in the series is with Bernardo de Albergaria, VP & GM of eCommerce, Citrix Online. We’ve also recorded two “Always Be Testing” monthly webinars so far, the archived versions are now available.

If you had your copy of Always Be Testing, you’d know all about the “stinky” image in this post.

Podcast Interview: Bernardo de Albergaria, VP of eCommerce, Citrix

Bryan Eisenberg — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:04:09 +0000

As part of the research for our latest book, Always Be Testing, we spent some time chatting with several people about testing and how testing lives in their corporate culture. This is one of my favorite interviews from the series. Take some time to listen to my interview with Bernardo de Albergaria, VP & GM of eCommerce, Citirix Online. He is responsible for selling products and the online experience for products like Gotomeeting and GotoMyPC.

Click here to listen to Bryan Eisenberg interview Bernardo de Albergaria

(To download the interview for use on your ipod, etc., right-click here and “save as”.)

Stay tuned for a few more interviews in the coming weeks. Of course, you can also register for our upcoming webinar tomorrow (8/27/08) at 12PM EST.

Always Be Testing Webinar This Wednesday: Final Reminder

Jeffrey Eisenberg — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 18:15:21 +0000

Please join us this Wednesday, the 27th of August at 12pm EST, for our next installment of the Always Be Testing Webinar series. Bryan Eisenberg (my kid brother) , co-founder of FutureNow will be presenting along with Tom Leung, Product Manager for Google Website Optimizer.

During this session they’ll discuss optimizing headlines and calls to action and illustrate how to use these principles as they look at several case studies as well. Can’t make it at that time? If you register then you will also be notified when the recording of the webinar is available as well.

One lucky registrant will win a signed copy of Bryan and John’s new book “Always Be Testing.”

Have you registered yet? Know anyone else who should, please forward on this post.

Women and Search-an Interview with Gord Hotchkiss of Enquiro

Holly Buchanan — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:57:24 +0000

Is there a difference in the way men and women use search? Is there a way to better meet the needs of women in your search strategy and campaigns?

These are some of the questions I discussed with Gord Hotchkiss, President and CEO of Enquiro Research.

More and more studies are showing there are differences in how men and women use websites. Is there a difference in how they use search as well? Let’s find out.

Take a listen.

Click here to listen to Holly’s interview with Gord Hotchkiss

To download Holly’s interview with Gord Hotchkiss the MP3 to listen to on your ipod click here.

Grokcast: New Features on Google Website Optimizer

The Grok — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 18:19:33 +0000

In this edition of Grokcast, Google project manager Tom Leung is back* to tell us about some very cool new features and improvements to Google Website Optimizer, which announced its first major update today.

Tom speaks with GrokDotCom managing editor Robert Gorell about:

Success stories from companies of all sizes who’ve realized they can now improve their websites by testing (and for free!)
Creative ways to use Google Website Optimizer to boost Conversion Rates and improve the visitor experience
New features such as A/B testing, which allows you to set up a test in minutes
What you can do to get results like Future Now client JigsawHealth.com, who nearly doubled their Conversion Rate(!) With some changes to the homepage, they went from selling to a tenth of their visitors to converting a fifth of all visitors.
Why everyone should be testing; it’s free, it’s simple and, best of all, you can do it!

Click here to listen to Tom Leung and Robert Gorell

(To download the interview, right-click here and “save as”.)

If you’re discovering Google Website Optimizer for the first time, or would like some advice on what to test, check out our 7 Free Resources to Get Started.

[*In case you missed Tom's first Grokcast appearance -- and would like a general introduction to GWO -- don't forget to listen to the podcast or read the transcript of Bryan Eisenberg's interview.]

Grokcast: Arik Czerniak, Co-Founder of Metacafe

The Grok — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 15:54:25 +0000

In this week’s episode, Bryan Eisenberg speaks with Metacafe co-founder Arik Czerniak about the past, present and future of online video. Since 2003, Metacafe.com has become one of the most popular user-generated video sites. Actually, they’re one of the biggest websites of any kind, with around 30 million unique visitors, and a massive half-billion streams — every month.

In just a few years, the company has seen a lot of change in the video market, from Google’s YouTube acquisition to an influx of competition from newer startups. Through it all, the company has stayed true to its vision, letting fans upload videos of refrigerators that can launch a cold beer right into your hand.

What could be better than a beer-launching fridge? Well, unlike YouTube — which has made some gestures to share the wealth — Metacafe pays the folks who submit video as much as thousands of dollars per month.

Bryan & Arik discuss:

Why the video market is no longer just for skateboarding dogs.
The rise of Metacafe, and user-generated content in general.
How to make a living by submitting video to Metacafe.
Viral marketing, and how to create videos that people want to watch.
The “micro-boredom” epidemic, and how to fix it.

Click here to listen to Arik Czerniak & Bryan Eisenberg

To download this podcast for your next flight, car ride, or trip to the beach, right-click here

If you have any follow-up questions for Arik, let us know in the comments and we’ll do a follow-up post with his answers!

Grokcast: David Meerman Scott on Turning PR into Thought Leadership (Part 2)

The Grok — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 17:13:49 +0000

In Part 2 of the interview — here’s Part 1 if you missed it — David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing & PR, speaks with Robert Gorell about how marketing and public relations needs to be a real interaction with not only your customers, but the people who move your industry. Real thought leadership doesn’t happen in a vacuum and, especially today, it’s important for your organization to tell its story–far beyond boring people with never-ending talk about your glorious products & services.

In the new world of marketing and PR, understanding customer motivations is essential. You might say David’s on a mission to help companies stop talking about their “flexible, scalable, interoperable solutions for improving business practices” and start getting real.

In Part 2 of the interview, David & Robert discuss:

Why PR departments no longer control the message, and why that’s nothing to fear.
That public relations doesn’t just mean “media relations.”
How to avoid what we at GrokDotCom call the “Business Prevention Unit” (lawyers, PR bureaucracy, etc.) from keeping you from being influential in your industry.
Why “thought leadership” goes beyond commissioning a white paper.
How “buyer personas” can help you understand your customers, and speak their language.
How to craft News Releases that work smarter (not harder) across channels.

Click here to listen to Part 2 of David Meerman Scott and Robert Gorell

To download this podcast for your next flight, car ride, or trip to the beach, right-click here

For info on David Meerman Scott, and to get the freshest in marketing & PR insight, visit WebInkNow.com.

UPDATE: For the full scoop on how David used link love to help spread the word about New Rules, listen to the podcast. And when you’re done, browse some of the great blogs on his “thank you” list:

Robert Scoble Scobleizer
Adele Revella Buyer Persona Blog
Joe Wikert Publishing 2020 blog
Steve Johnson
David McInnis
Mark Levy
David Hamm
Mike Levin
Colin Delaney epolitics
Steve Goldstein Alacrablog
Todd Van Hoosear
George L Smyth Eclectic Mix
Mark Effinger
Michelle Manafy EContent magazine
Kevin Rose Diggnation
Grub Street Writers
Dave Armon
Britton Manasco
Jordan Behan
Nettie Hartsock
John Havens
John Blossom ContentBlogger
Larry Schwartz Newstex
Steve Smith
Melanie Surplice
Nate Wilcox
Ian Wilker
Cody Baker
Dianna Huff
Brian Carroll
Ken Doctor
Jonathan Kranz
Barry Graubart
Steve O’Keefe
Ted Demopoulos
Debbie Weil
Paul Gillin
Matt Lohman
Seth Godin
Rob O’ Regan
Steve Rubel Micro Persuasion
Paul Gillin
Joan Stewart The Publicity Hound
Dave Schmidt Word Currency
Glenn Nicholas Small Business Inspiration
Mac McIntosh B2B Sales Lead Expert
Jill Konrath Selling to Big Companies
Guy Kawasaki How to Change the World
Court Bovée and John Thill Business Communication Headline News
Grant D. Griffiths Kansas Family Law Blog
Robin Crumby The Melcrum Blog
Jim Peake My Success Gateway
Eli Singer Refreshing the Daily Grind
Duane Brown Imagination+Innovation
Scott Monty The Social Media Marketing Blog
Ian Lamont
Blog Campaigning
Rich at Copywrite Ink
John Lustina SEO Speedwagon
Adam Tinworth OneMan+HisBlog
Dave Schmidt Word Currency
Scott Clark Finding the Sweet Spot
Amanda Chapel Strumpette
Jennifer Veitenheimer reinventjen
Morty Schiller Wordrider
Matthias Hoffmann the power of news
Erin Caldwell’s PRblog
Ferrell Kramer Talking Communications
Anita Campbell Selling to Small Businesses
Rugjeff
Karl Ribas’ Search Engine Marketing Blog
Tony D. Baker Advanced Marketing Techniques
Tom Pick The WebMarketCentral Blog
Tina Lang-Stuart
Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg , Robert Gorell and the rest of the team at GrokDotCom
Michele Miller WonderBranding
Publicity Ship Blog
The Media Slut
Brad Shorr Word Sell
Sasha Where Business Meets the Web
Ellee Seymour ProActivePR
Chris Kenton The Marketers’ Consortium
Paul Young Product Beautiful
By Ron Miller
Michael Morton
James D. Brausch
Janet Meiners Newspapergrl
Andrew B. Smith The New View From Object Towers
Cristian Mezei SeoPedia
Jim Nail Cymfony’s influence 2.0
Denise Wakeman and Patsi Krakoff The Blog Squad
Forward Blog
Ben Argov
Zane Safrit Duct Tape Marketing—Business Life
Will McInnes Online Marketing Guide
Robbin Steif LunaMetrics
Mike Boss
Marc Gunn Music Promo Blog
Nancy E. Schwartz Getting Attention
Kami Watson Huyse Communications Overtones
Todd Defren PR Squared
Michael Stelzner Writing White Papers
Dee Rambeau Adventures in Business Communications
Glenn Fannick Read Between the Mines
Owen Lystrup Into PR
Morgan McLintic
Mark Batterson Evotional
Jay Coffelt
John Richardson
Robin Good MasterNewMedia
Shel Israel Naked Conversations
Robert J. Ricci Son-of-a-Pitch
Mike Sigers Simplenomics
Dan Greenfield Bernaisesource
Brian Clark copyblogger
Lee Odden TopRank Online Marketing Blog
David Weinberger
Carson McComas
The FutureLab blog
John Bradley Jackson Be First Best or Different
Wired PR Works by Barbara Rozgonyi
Mark Goren Transmission
John Wall Ronin Marketer
MarketingProfs Daily Fix Blog
John Koetsier bizhack
Steve Kayser Squareballs Entertainment
James Robertson’s Smalltalk Blog
Linas Simonis
Dale Wolf The Perfect Customer Experience
Eric Mattson Marketing Monger
Scott Sehlhorst Tyner Blain
Seeds of Growth blog
Hugo E. Martin
David Phillips leverwealth
Terry Affiliate Marketing Blog
Gavin Heaton Servant of Chaos
Mark White Better Business Blogging
Eric Eggertson Common Sense PR
Michelle Golden Golden Practices
Liz Strauss
Tony Valle Small Business Radio
Chris Heuer’s Idea Engine
David Evans The Progress Bar
Todd Andrlik The Power to Connect
The New PR Wiki
NewPR
Pelle Braendgaard Stake Ventures
Lisa Banks Search Engine Optimization Eblog
Chris Brown Branding & Marketing
Graeme Thickins Tech-Surf-Blog
Ardath Albee Marketing Interactions
Lauren Vargas Communicators Anonymous
Lori Smart Lemming
Dane Morgan
Jason Leister Computer Super Guy
Bill Trippe
Jason Eiseman Jason the Content Librarian
Reuben Steiger Millions of Us
Taran Rampersad Know Prose
John Richardson Success Begins Today
Valentin Pertsiya Brand Aid
Bill Belew Rising Sun of Nihon
Joe Beaulaurier An Ongoing Press Release
David Koopmans Business of Marketing and Branding
Chris Anderson The Long Tail
Roger C. Parker Design to Sell

Grokcast: David Meerman Scott on the New Rules of Marketing & PR (Part 1)

The Grok — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:06:04 +0000

In today’s edition of Grokcast, David Meerman Scott, author of The New Rules of Marketing and PR: How to Use News Releases, Blogs, Podcasting, Viral Marketing and Online Media to Reach Buyers Directly, speaks with Robert Gorell about how marketing and public relations have become more conversational than ever, and how to not let these new opportunities to relate to customers slip by your company’s radar.

A renowned online thought leadership and viral marketing strategist, David’s blog WebInkNow.com is invaluable for anyone who struggles with multi-channel communications (read: pretty much everyone in business). The New Rules… grew out of his popular e-book by the same name, which has been downloaded by some 250,000+ fans.

In Part 1 of the interview, David & Robert discuss:

How the advent of electronic content has changed publishing world for good.
Why “we are what we publish” on the Web.
How, after taking his own advice, his e-book turned into book deal in 20 minutes.
Why organizations’ fears of letting employees express themselves online (like blogging) are unfounded, and usually only considered dangerous by executives who don’t read blogs (for instance).
How he was able to blog his own book before publishing it–and how doing so made the book better.
The blogging tap-on-the-shoulder technique David used that led Robert to discover that GrokDotCom was included in the book.
How this strategy took on a viral life of it’s own, creating a lot of new fans in the process–and for free!

Click here to listen to Part 1 of David Meerman Scott and Robert Gorell

To download this podcast for your next flight, car or train ride, right-click here. And don’t forget to listen to Part 2 of the interview, where David discusses how to transform PR from just “media relations” to living, breathing thought leadership.

Grokcast: Interview with Google’s Web Evangelist Avinash Kuashik (Part 2)

The Grok — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 10:00:42 +0000

In part 2 of this Grokcast, Bryan Eisenberg speaks with Avinash Kaushik author of the recently released, Web Analytics An Hour A Day. You can listen here if you missed part 1 of this interview with Avinash, Google’s web analytics evangelist.

Part 2 of the interview focuses on:

The importance of process in web analytics.
Avinash’s 2 rules of Web Analysis.
How web analysts should spend their day.
How to find your next great web analyst.
The comment traits of great web analysts.
Looking at Avinash’s Trinity Process to web analytics.
Where you can meet Avinash.
How you can possibly spend some time with Avinash and Bryan.
Closing thought: the one report you can take advantage of right away.

Click here to listen to Part 2 of Avinash Kaushik and Bryan Eisenberg

To download Part 2 of Avinash Kaushik and Bryan Eisenberg the MP3 to listen to on your ipod click here.

Grokcast: Avinash Kaushik on “Web Analytics An Hour A Day” (Part 1)

The Grok — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 19:17:25 +0000

In this edition of Grokcast, Bryan Eisenberg speaks with Avinash Kaushik about his new book, Web Analytics An Hour A Day. The book is a rare treat for folks who want a thorough education in Web Analytics, but feel overwhelmed by it at the same time. And the best part is that 100% of the proceeds go to charity.

Not only is Avinash the author of one of our favorite blogs, Occam’s Razor, he was recently hired by Google to be their official Analytics Evangelist. (Yes, really.)

Part 1 of the interview focuses on:

why “looking beyond the click” to optimize the experience is so necessary.
how technology has leveled the playing field, so companies of all sizes can be data-driven.
the importance of being data-driven, yet customer-focused.
the new “data democracy,” and how it’s created an environment where Google needs an Analytics Evangelist.
how analytics professionals can work together to help people get more out of their websites.
exploiting “the long tail” (define).
some of his more controversial blog topics, such as “What is enterprise-class web analytics software?”
documenting processes in your company, so you can fix them by measuring and optimizing intelligently.

Click here to listen to Part 1 of Avinash Kaushik and Bryan Eisenberg

To download Part 1 of Avinash Kaushik and Bryan Eisenberg the MP3 to listen to on your ipod click here.

Grokcast: Loews CEO Jonathan Tisch – Part II

Robert Gorell — Wed, 23 May 2007 07:31:01 +0000

Jonathan Tisch, CEO of Lowes Hotels, has been doing a blog book tour this past week to promote his new book, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience. (In case you missed the first part of the interview, you can listen to it here.)

In Part II of Bryan’s interview with Tisch, the two discuss:

How to deal with difficult customers and turn them around
How to empower front line workers to delight customers
Stepping out of his role as CEO to train with other “co-workers” in the field
The value of embracing diversity
How the travel pricing engines changed the hotel industry and what what they did to adjust
What to do when you sell a commodity
Measuring and making customer experience accountable
Balancing hard financial metrics and softer experience metrics
The importance of listening to trends
What graduates just getting into the workforce should focus on

Click here to listen to Part 2 of Jonathan Tisch and Bryan Eisenberg

To download Part 2 of Jonathan Tisch and Bryan Eisenberg the MP3 click here.

If you want more of Jonathan you can catch him at:
This past Monday:
Experience Manifesto

Customers Rock!

This past Tuesday:
The Engaging Brand . They will be doing both a Q&A and podcast.

Wednesday:
Conversion Rate Marketing Blog – GrokDotCom by Future Now, Inc. Our Podcast.

Vacant Ready:: A hotel industry blog for hotel insiders

Thursday:
Lip-Sticking. They will also be doing a podcast.
Experience the Message

Friday:
Customer Experience Crossroads
Experienceology. They are also doing a podcast.

Grokcast: Loews Hotels’ Jonathan Tisch on Maximizing Customer Value

Robert Gorell — Wed, 23 May 2007 02:30:59 +0000

As Chairman & CEO of Loews Hotels, Jonathan Tisch has helped the luxury hotel chain to further its reputation as a premier brand in one of today’s most highly competitive markets: the hotel business. His new book, Chocolates on the Pillow Aren’t Enough: Reinventing the Customer Experience, isn’t just another wake-up call for businesses to address to the customer’s needs; it’s a lively account of the challenges and opportunities facing complex organizations in a fragmented, experience-driven world, where word-of-mouth is king, and customers play the cards you’ve deal them any which way they choose.

Sounds like every business you know? Sure it does. And that’s why this book couldn’t have come at a better time.

In Part I of this two-part edition of Grokcast, Bryan Eisenberg explores Tisch’s thoughts on:

How to break through the clutter to make superb impressions on customers (or in has case, “guests”).
How the customer experience has/hasn’t changed in recent decades.
Distinguishing your brand, even in highly competitive markets.
How to engage employees (he calls them “co-workers”) to rally an organization to the same cause.
How myriad options have spoiled the customer, and what your business must do to adjust.
Using customer feedback to improve your business in real time.
Why transparency is vital in today’s economy.
How to defuse a negative situation, and turn it around–quickly.
Why unsavory customer feedback is so viral.
How to ensure that people have nice things to say about your brand.

Click here to listen to Part 1 of Jonathan Tisch and Bryan Eisenberg

To download Part 1 of Jonathan Tisch and Bryan Eisenberg the MP3 click here

Grokcast: Google’s Tom Leung on the Google Website Optimizer

Robert Gorell — Tue, 03 Apr 2007 16:08:30 +0000

Bryan Eisenberg spent some time chatting with Tom Leung, Business Product Manager for Google’s Website Optimizer–a breakthrough product which allows businesses of all sizes to optimize their sites through testing. In this two-part series, Bryan asks:

Part 1 Of Google Website Optimizer FAQ

What is the Google Optimizer?
Is Google analytics required to use Google optimizer?
Will it work with other analytics software?
Does A/B or multivariate testing affect your Google search ranking?
Why is Google offering the optimizer?
How does Google Optimizer compare to the other testing platforms available now?
How does Google Optimizer work with sites that are more dynamic in nature?
Can Google Optimizer be used to test Pay-Per-Click (PPC) or Pay Per Action (PPA) ad copy?

Part 2 Of Google Website Optimizer FAQ

What other resources do I need to be able to implement tests using Google Optimizer?
How long do I have to wait to see results testing with Google Optimizer?
Does hit and run testing work?
What future features are in the pipeline for Google optimizer?
How do you see more B2B or lead generation sites using Google Optimizer?
How would you encourage the average webmaster to get started with Google Optimizer?

Part 1

Click here to listen to Part 1 of Tom Leung, Google and Bryan

Part 2

Click here to listen to Part 2 of Tom Leung, Google and Bryan

To download Part 1 of Google Website Optimizer interview the MP3 click here

To download Part 2 of Google Website Optimizer interview the MP3 click here

Would you like to check out additional Google Website Optimizer resources?

Grokcast: Interview with Ice.com’s Pinny Gniwisch

Robert Gorell — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 09:38:43 +0000

Ice.com is known for for selling quality jewelry–the type of stuff that could save your relationship in the clutch. What’s more, though, is that Ice.com is known for its innovation as an online B2C retailer that isn’t afraid to mix it up; on their blog, with Valentines Day street interviews on YouTube, with merchandise give-aways on Facebook and MySpace, or even by creating a dedicated blog just to help you sparkle like the stars.

“Mr. Cupid” himself, Pinny Gniwisch (aka Ice.com Co-founder & EVP of Marketing) recently spoke with Bryan Eisenberg (aka Future Now Co-founder & Chief Persuasion Officer) about how to have fun with social media, seasonal business, and working with one’s brothers.

Click here to listen to Pinny and Bryan

To download the MP3 click here