The B.O.X Traffic Building by David Stitson

VIRAL!

ONLINE PR!

The team… Fresh out the Box:

Hello from the editors… Welcome to our first issue of The B.O.X. the traffic building edition! We are students from Bucks New Uni and have a passion for fashion.

David

Charlotte

Stevie

Sophie

Being digital natives we feel as though the world of digital is there for the taking. We need to make sure that we do exactly that. We’ve identified that in order to be successful in the world of digital you need to utilise your online presence to the maximum. Driving a high amount of traffic to your website is the key to success. Here at the Box we find this fascinating and will be delving into the various techniques that drive traffic to sites and how they are so useful. As you may notice throughout this issue, we have included ‘The BOX Loves’ hearts on the articles that we find most important. If you agree with these, or find any other articles you find more important, please send us a tweet to @theboxmedia 2

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Increasing Digital Traffic Search The New Face Of PR Building Friends Building Blocks Business Sponsorship Business Duets You’re Being Watched Ad Networks- Setting The Trend Contra Deals E-mail Marketing Viral videos Buzz Marketing Word of Mouth Media Coverage Conclusion References

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Traffic building is one of the most vital aspects of online business. The amount of traffic is the amount of people that visit the site. Without high volumes of traffic online businesses simply couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t survive. Because of this the importance of communicating to potential customers is extremely high. Marketing themselves as a brand and as a website through various platforms and using different techniques to drive

Traffic to their site is a way of firstly survival as without it there simply is no business. Secondly and often considered more important is driving traffic to increase market share once the business is established. This issue will look at different online retailers and examine exactly how they drive traffic, also commenting on whether it is carried out effectively.

Therefore, in order to reach the top of the organic list, websites must mention keywords in the title of the website, meta tags, frequently mention keywords in the body of the site, hidden graphics and links (Chaffey, D. 2004).

‘Over 80 per cent of web users state that they use search engines to find information’ (Chaffey, D. 2004). With the internet becoming a fundamental source of retrieving information, it is not surprising that search engines are proving to be vital for businesses. Search engine optimisation (SEO) and pay per click (PPC) are both important tools in directing traffic to websites. On Google, when online fashion is typed into the search bar, the top two organic websites are missguided.co.uk and asos.com. These are seen, by Google, as the two most appropriate websites in relation to online fashion.

According to Chaffey, SEO is used by businesses to ‘increase the position of a company and its products in search engine results according to selected key words’ (Chaffey, D.2004).

In relevance to the online fashion example (below), missguided.co.uk and asos.com have appeared at the top of the organic searches due to the words ‘online’ and ‘fashion’ being mentioned in both website descriptions. These two words are also used heavily throughout the body of the website. As well as using key words to gain an advantageous place in search results, businesses can also pay to place themselves at the top and side of the page, these are called sponsored links. As seen in the image (right), hm.com, boohoo.com and segna.com all pay to be placed at the top of the results page. The positions of the sponsored links are better than those of missguided.co.uk and asos.com. By paying for this position they are potentially directing more traffic to their site. However, this requires paying every time their link is clicked on; also known as pay per click (PPC). 6

However from The B.O.X’s own research, 7 out of 10 online customers do not trust sponsored links, ‘I do not pay any attention to sponsored links. They are not always relevant to what I am searching.’ With this being a common opinion amongst 18-35 year olds, online fashion websites should take this into consideration when deciding on traffic tools. 7

After searching the web, it is evident that the majority of well known fashion sites such as asos.com, topshop.com and riverisland.com choose SEO, as apposed to PPC, to attract traffic. Fashion sites in particular suit SEO due to the descriptive nature of clothing items, however SEO has the tendency to take longer than PPC to generate worthwhile positions. (contentandmotion.co.uk) Although, from our own research, one site that uses the PPC service particularly well is boohoo.co.uk. Boohoo.co.uk often appear in sponsored links, as well as appearing in organic searches. This could demonstrate how when using both, your chances of appearing on the first page of Google (or any other search engine) increase.

“The B.O.X recommends using PPC and SEO together They make a great team!”

So looking back at the question of ‘PPC, SEO or both?’, The B.O.X conclude that they are both as important as each other but need to be applied to different situations. People do not always trust the sponsored ads, however if a website appears on both, it will ultimately be affective. Therefore company’s should drive coverage to increase their position using SEO, as well as, in the meantime, using PPC to certify a position on the first page of a search engine.

As previously mentioned, asos.com and missguided.com both appeared at the top of the ‘online search’ in Google. The use of keywords in SEO is vital, and these keywords can be found in meta tags/descriptions. With online fashion sites selling hundreds of clothing items, a short yet descriptive sentence needs to be constructed that will place them on the first page of results. The ASOS and Miss Guided meta descriptions seen below are both for fashion yet are both very different.

Where ASOS lists products, include numbers and mention online, fashion and clothing more than once, Miss Guided have a more concise description. Yet Miss Guided appeared above in the searches. Topshop, who appear at the bottom of the first page, have a meta description that does not mention online, yet mentions ‘fashion’ and ‘clothing’. This demonstrates how Topshop have gained their place through popularity. Nonetheless, meta descriptions are fundamental in using keywords effectively, and without doing so, SEO is difficult.

ASOS <meta name="Description" content="Discover the latest in women's fashion and men's clothing online. Shop from over 40,000 styles, including dresses, jeans, shoes and accessories from ASOS and over 800 brands. ASOS brings you the best fashion clothes online." /> Miss Guided <meta name="description" content="Missguided is an online shop which provides a range of celebrity led, women's fashion clothing." /> Topshop <meta name="description" content="Shop Spring/Summer trends at Topshop and get the very latest fashion in womens clothing. Check out our collections and designer collaborations for SS12."/>

The New Face of PR.. Online PR is all about maximising awareness for your company, brand, products or website. This is done on third party websites that are likely to be viewed by your target audience. An important aspect of online PR is managing a good reputation of the brand or company by monitoring messages that are mentioned online about the brand or company. The main sectors which have a large impact on online PR are; Social Media, Blogs, Feeds, Communities and Media alerts.

Communities: Communities are sites outside the company or brands main website. These include social media sites and blogging sites. However, other than Social media and blog sites, Topshop are one of the few websites that have More than just those external sites. This is called the Topshop Lookbook. It is simply a site that anyone to upload photos of themselves wearing the latest Topshop clothing for everyone to see. This is very similar to a blog post, but without the writing and just images. This is beneficial towards Topshop as it introduces their customers into Outfit ideas that they may like which would then lead them to purchase in store or online.

ASOS use Facebook in a number of different ways. One way, shown on the right, is just a general Facebook Page offering information about the brand. It also allows their Facebook fans to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;likeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the page which will increase the awareness of the brand. This Facebook site is just for sharing basic information and history of the brand.

Another way in which ASOS use Facebook is for updates that also appear on the site. The updates include new stock, latest style picks, fashion trends and the latest discounts for the customers to use. This allows people to comment on the pictures and wall posts with their thoughts and opinions on the latest updates. This Facebook site also drive the customers to the site by posting links of the latest offers which then lead the customers to the site and allows them to explore their wider selection of clothing and accessories. 11

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ASOS use Twitter in a slightly different way. They have set up a Twitter account by their customer service team. This allows customers to Tweet queries about their orders or any problems they may have which they would normally email into their customer service email address, however Twitter is a lot quicker and is keeping up with the high popularity of the use of social media. This works by a customer Tweeting in a query and a member of the customer service team at ASOS will Tweet back with the answer and resolution to that query.

This is a brilliant way for ASOS to gain a good reputation, as it publically displays their high quality customer service rather than keeping it just within email. This would then drive customers to their site, knowing that if there are any problems they will be solved well. 12

Topshop have a blog on their website called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Inside-outâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This is a place to share all the things Topshop find inspiring. It also allows people to join in their conversation and share their thoughts. This site also includes links to other blogs by other people that they find interesting and that relate to this one. This blogging site allows new customers to visit another side of the brand and can then lead them to becoming potential customers. Topshop have a Facebook page which is similar to the ASOS one with their latest updates and fashion trends. It also includes their latest competitions and allows you to watch videos of their latest fashion shows they have been involved in. This is a great way to expand their customer base as it drives new customers to their site by posting links of their latest items of clothing.

RSS Feeds: This allows the site to view who and what has been uploaded onto their site. The symbol on the right indicates orange when the site allows you to upload items onto it. The only main fashion sites that RSS feeds are used on are ASOS and Topshop. ASOS use these feeds as they have a separate part to their site called â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;ASOS Marketplaceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. This allows customers to buy and sell items of clothing through ASOS. This means that the RSS feeds are important as the customers are constantly uploading items onto the website. The Topshop website have a blog which enables anyone interested in fashion, to upload their own blog postings onto their blogging site. This means that the RSS feeds are available as people are also constantly uploading items to the site. Although ASOS also have a section on their site dedicated to blogs. You cannot just upload your blog to the site as they have designated certain people who specialise in fashion blogging to deal with he blogs on their site. 14

Affiliate marketing is the ultimate tool of marketing communications ( as seen in the model on the right). It allows retail fashion sites such as ,American Apparel, who only pay their partnered site if they make a sale. Moreover, this form of marketing can help drive the volume of business and traffic building. Online retailers such as American Apparel , saw a growth in demand for their products on customer to customer site , ebay. The site showed a 30,000 search requests through ebay. With this in mind American Apparel requested a partnership. This showed a market growth increase in both sites “ Ebays shares were up 1.5 percent at £34.33’ . Furth more, through the power of affiliate marketing American Apparel was able to gain more visibility. This would help the brand target different audiences and become a natural listings of SERPs ( share of search). However, the dis-benefits of affiliate marketing is the possibility of damaging a brand image. Moreover, if one partnership brand suffers, their actions create a domino affect on their partnerships.

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The key objective of Link building is to increase the activity of search engine optimisation. There are six key approaches to link building; natural link build, inbound only links, reciprocal linking, buying links, own external links and buzz pr. Retail site such as, Asos use the method, reciprocal linking. Website owners often submit their sites to reciprocal link exchange directories in order to achieve higher rankings in the search engines.

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Through the power of Reciprocal Linking, ASOS is able to create awareness of for its sister brands. For example, highly commercial and popular high street brand , River Island gain 10% increase in revenue through reciprocal linking.

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These valuable links help asses both your partner and rivals, making targeting the target consumer more accessible. Moreover, this gives both Asos and Riverisland mutual traffic for both sites.

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Online sponsorship is a long –term arrangement between two or more brands. Online fashion houses such as ASOS use these with a variety of brands; Riverisland, American Apparel, levis, Religion and other popular online hot spots. The on-site sponsorships are either ads on site or paid placements. Typically, sites such as Riverisland pay for sponsorships to encourage traffic onto their core online store. This form of marketing is extremely affective in gaining awareness for the brand. Furthermore, it builds a better relationship with the consumer and reflect on their buying behaviour.

Co-branding is a form of synergy between two companies or organisations. For example, when H&M collaborated with fashion couture house, Versace. This created a huge amount of traffic for both online and off line traffic. With in 24 hours of this collaboration , online auction website Ebay was flooded with over a hundred pieces. Although this form of co branding was highly expensive H &M gained huge amount of coverage and traffic ( both online and offline). The campaign continues to be a success; with added discussions with other fashion houses contributing to brand.

understanding of your customers likes and interests will aid the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. The world of digital and online is a crowded place. Thus meaning when you are an online retailer who needs to market your website, it can be a tricky prospect. There are many platforms which could be used and if utilised to their full potential could be extremely effective. Targeted Advertising As with any advertising it is important to target your communications to the correct people to have the desired effect . According to Forrester research 65% of people pay more attention to online ads that are related to their online activity. This proves that having a greater

An example of an online retailer doing this is River Island. Below is an advert targeting specific people that would relate to it on Facebook. The advert below was aimed at a man and therefore was featured along the side of a males facebook page. This targeting could have also come about by the user ‘liking’ GQ magazine which would signal their potential interest in a feature by River Island about GQ magazine. From the behaviourally targeted ad you go to River Island’s feature on their website. This drives traffic skywards as they’re taking advantage of two organisations fan bases.

Targeted Ad’s are the way forward. Aren't they? Behavioural advertising is very clever and all but does it actually work? Us at The B.O.X. Decided to take matters into our own hands and ask a select group of people if they thought targeted ad’s work. Emma, 19 from Hemel Hempstead says “They freak me out, I don’t like them. It’s like the computer is controlling what I look at”. Commenting on whether they work she continues “Even though I hate the thought of a computer reading everything I do, I probably do click on what is there because it’s something I’m interested in”. So we don’t like them but they work. We think Behavioural Advertising is here to stay, so learn to love it guys.

So why don’t we like this? Surely having something we all like in front of us to click on is a good thing. And when you click on the advert you get taken to a nice website which gives you the lowdown on what you clicked on in the first place. The editor of e-consultancy Meghan Keane performed a study saying “People find large targeted ads more creepy than effective” (e-consultancy.com) This backs up our findings but as we previously mentioned it seems as though it works. A study by the Network Advertising Initiative has found “Behaviourally-targeted ads more than twice as valuable, twice as effective as non-targeted online ads”. So they clearly work and drive traffic to sites and improve profitability so as consumers we need to stop using them or put up with them. In our opinion it will undoubtedly be the latter.

To This

Fashion Trendsetter setting the trend with Ad Network.. As previously stated, getting your advert noticed and targeted at the correct people is paramount to its success. A way of doing this is by using Ad Networks. These networks act as a mediator between adverts and the customer. They work with the client to understand exactly who the advert in question is targeted at and make sure that these people are reached by placing the advert in a variety of different ways on the most appropriate websites. Defined by the SEM glossary as “A service where ads are bought centrally through one company,

and displayed on multiple Web sites that contract with that company for a share of revenue generated by ads served on their site.” As online fashion is such a large and influential industry there is an Ad Network specialising in online fashion. ‘Fashion trendsetter’ places adverts in the correct places that will meet the desired market. This in turn will drive traffic to its clients sites and raise there online presence in general. For clients that know they have got to advertise online but don’t know their Facebooks from their googles Ad networks such as this are perfect.

Contra Deals are defined by the blog ‘club marketer’ as “an arrangement that you have with another business or group in your area whereby they will promote your products or services to their customers. In exchange for this promotion you will provide a similar benefit within your own business to enhance their profile.” A way in which this would apply to online retailers would be if a relevant celebrity is chosen. They would receive clothes from the website for free. In return they would wear the

clothes and get a photo taken allowing the site to do a ‘get the look’ feature on their website. This has been used by Boohoo before as if the celebrity appeals to the target market it can be a powerful tool. Often items that are worn by celebrities will sell out because of the influence celebrities have over the public. This Contra deal would benefit both parties as Boohoo would be selling lots of clothes and the celebrity will be getting clothes for free.

A blog called ‘TOWIE Style’ (above right) has been formed and this showcases the TOWIE stars style. All of the clothes that are worn on this website are from the online retailer boohoo.com Is It Worth It? Some people would think having the stars of TOWIE wearing your clothes is a recipe for disaster however given the popularity of the show and the fact that ‘TOWIE’ makes a habit of trending worldwide (above left) it is a deal that benefits Boohoo tremendously as being associated with something that gets this type of exposure can only be a positive thing. Boohoo have seen online growth and as of 2012 it made the top 25 list of businesses on Facebook. “Boohoo made its first entry into the top 25 list and now has over 200,000 fans”. (Retail Gazette) 23

In a B2C market, businesses can drive traffic towards their websites through opt-in e-mails to customers. When customers sign up to online services, they are provided with the option to receive e-mails from the business. These e-mails could include news on special offers, new products or even a general reminder of what is on offer; all giving customers reasons to visit their webpage. The images (right) demonstrate the type of email that can attract customers to their website. Next have presented their latest collection through a personalised e-mail. Using the name of the customer instantly provides personality, and once opened, images are provided to capture attention and direct the customer to next.co.uk. If the image or e-mail content is clicked on, the customer is taken to the collection on the Next website through a new window.

Online fashion websites particularly suit this type of marketing. Sales promotions and changes in trends are common within the industry. Email marketing provides customers with updates on such information and prompts traffic to the site. This can be through clicking on images or links within the e-mail content or visiting the site separately.

improve sales. A viral video is made to create a buzz and to shock people. This is the easy part. The hardest part is to try and get a company or brand name mentioned in a favourable light. If this is done correctly the video will ‘go viral’ meaning it will get passed on through e-mails from one person to the next.

This is a cheap way of advertising and taking advantage of the vast online world. The majority of these videos that are passed on will be humorous, shocking or factual and the idea is to subconsciously place a brand or company in the video which will drive traffic to its website and

The B.O.X Love This!

At the end of such videos there would usually be a link which would take the viewer to the company in questions website which will increase traffic onto the site. Sometimes a subsidiary website is created to support the viral where the communications will be carried on and then from this website there will be a link to the brand or company in question. Online retailers have used this quite frequently and Asos have released a viral campaign targeting the ‘urban man’. This features men beat boxing on a street and making various sounds. This is something different which will draw people to the video and ultimately to the site as well. Youtube plays a vital role in these Videos as it is widely available to lots of people. We all love Youtube and the Box thinks it’s the way forward to target those tricky digital natives. Look to the right for the FAB Asos campaign!

ASOS Goes Urban with Viral:

The Box thinks this is Fabulous! Anything that is different and gets you thinking will get views. Asos have done a great job of creating something exciting and then making sure the characters were decked out in all of the latest gear. Using such a large and accessible video sharing site like YouTube is perfect for the exposure that Asos are after. With separate advertising blogs picking up the viral it will definitely drive traffic to the Asos website.

Get those Viral’s Buzzing.. As previously mentioned a viral campaign must gain the attention of the public in order to be successful. If this is achieved this can be described as creating a ‘buzz’ around the video.

Buzz marketing is a term that is defined by a social media specialising agency as “ when there’s buzz (positive talk or word-of-mouth) about your product, service, or marketing. Buzz marketing can be a great asset to any business because advertising costs can be virtually zero. The term buzz marketing (or, simply buzz) is virtually interchangeable with the phrase word-of-mouth marketing“ (Pix Agency)

Once a buzz is created potentially influential people or websites will start posting the video on their website. Initially using websites such as Youtube and Dailymotion where a free account allows you to upload your own videos is a way that a lot of people can see the media in the first place and a ‘buzz’ can begin to emerge and be created. As well as the aforementioned Asos campaign some other favourites of ours that generated bags of buzz are shown below.

The simplistic nature of the viral is its appeal and this keeps viewers intrigued. Its almost as if you’ve gone into the woods with a camera and done it yourself. It just shows less is more sometimes. We definitely like that! 28

Set the tongues alight! But beware they might burn Once a viral video has been released. The aim is to let the video reach as many people as possible. This can be done by targeting influential bloggers or people within an industry. However the old fashioned way was simply by word of mouth. This means when you tell another person who tells another person and so on. With modern day technology and social media such as Twitter and Facebook a video can be posted and then one of their followers or friends sees it. They in turn will post this on their status which will allow their friends to see the video also.

This is a form of word of mouth as people are finding out and being recommended about something through other people and are going on their friends opinions. Talking about a company is now a two way thing and if this is handled correctly customers wont mind helping the brand out either.

Asos do a great job of replying to their customers directly and promptly. This gives them great word of mouth and could increase traffic to the site due to fantastic customer service. Urban outfitters have taken advantage of this as they can now use their Facebook page as their own resource centre to allow them to gain first hand insight into their customers. Other companies should take note! Customers are often seen as the enemy however all they want is a good service then theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll quite happily help the business out as well. Just be 29 nice!

Feel The Power.. Once a video has a substantial amount of views on a website it would hopefully gain some coverage. This coverage may be online with blogs or online magazines. If the video causes enough of a stir it may even get featured in national newspapers who feel that the impact the viral has made merits its inclusion.

It would not be uncommon for example to see publications such as marketing week covering a story on a successful viral as they would also comment on the marketing and advertising methods used as a whole and how this could change the general practice within the industry.

Industry publications would also feature this if it was in any way affecting the way their industry operates.

Full marks to the Viral team at H&M as the well followed ‘MROD NATION’ blog has covered their Viral. Featuring kids randomly dancing in the street ‘flash mob’ style in all of those summery colours is a sure winner. Especially when you’ve got moves like they have! The Box have been inspired and have put together our own dance which you can see on Twitter. @theboxmedia! Their social media channels were alight with would be customers wanting to find out more about the video and more importantly about the clothes. 30 Mission accomplished if you ask us. That traffic will be rising.

We hope you enjoyed that as much as we did! The Box only mentions the important things, so if its in there you need to care! There is without a doubt though certain areas which are more urgent in our opinions; which are based upon The B.O.X research findings.

The B.O.X Love Hearts indicate our chosen favourites that will ultimately drive traffic to your websites. Our favourites are: Pay per click combined with SEO, Affiliate Marketing and the use of Viralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.

The B.O.X Love This!

Without using these traffic building methods, online websites would find it harder to gain sufficient traffic. These favourites are also more applicable and suited towards online fashion websites.

Why do the Box like these?... SEO

PPC

When visiting a website do you go straight to the web page? You probably answered no, with the efficiency of search engines and their accuracy, the majority of people use them.

Pay per click is not necessarily a favourite of The B.O.X when it is being used by itself. However, combine this tool with SEO and you’ve got a guaranteed spot on a decent page on Google, Yahoo! etc.

This is why Search Engine Optimisation is crucial to try and get your website high in the google rankings. The higher you are in the rankings the more likely you are to be clicked on. Using Meta-tags and keywords are imperative. Certain organisations turn to sponsored links and pay to get to the top of the rankings. Our primary resrach shows that these links are not trusted as Harry from Essex says “I would never click on the sponsored links, I think they’re not trustworthy”. So there you have it. SEO is important but get it right, if you do you’re on to a winner.

Our focus group showS how it is not trusted by itself, but if there is a link in the organic searches as well, you can’t go wrong! So all in all, SEO is a definite must have, yet PPC is not to be used by itself, combine the pair!

Why do the Box like these?... AFFILIATE MARKETING

VIRAL MARKETING

Building up relationships between different brands allows your company to reach a larger audience. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like making friends, but using them to your advantage!

Changing perceptions of a brand would usually take a long time. Making a viral video would do this all for you in a matter of minutes.

Branching into a variety of markets and audiences is ultimately a fundamental in bringing traffic to your site as seen in American Apparel teaming with Ebay.

This is why we like them so much. The potential they have is limitless. Their outreach is global and it is a great and cheap way to increase awareness of the brand.

Affiliate marketing is not just a cheap tool that drives traffic but also drives sales; therefore increasing revenue. Win, win!

The Box’s background reading.. • http://www.thinkbox.tv/server/sh ow/nav.1345#6 • http://searchenginewatch.com/p age/glossary • http://www.eclubmarketer.com/nlcm7.htm • http://www.pixagency.com/social/2011/07/abuzz-marketing-definition/