Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Thank you for joining us!

We were so thrilled that you joined us yesterday. I was excited to see such enthusiasm from everyone who attended! The whole day was informational and we thought Jack was a wonderful speaker. His presentation has spurred many questions and conversation this morning in our office. I will be contacting him shortly with a list of these items and I will make sure to keep posting new information and answers to these questions here on this blog. Make sure to share your thoughts with us, and also feel free to post or contact us with any questions you have and we will do our best to get them answered for you. Thank you again for joining us yesterday. We had a great day!

Presentation: Jack Kiefer of BabyAge.com

Jack Kiefer did a great job of introducing and demystifying the current technologies and trends in the internet today. He graciously allowed me to publish his presentation here for all to read and continue to learn from. Thanks Jack.
Read this doc on Scribd: WPO Presentation by Jack Kiefer

Don’t ignore the internet, invest something and test. … remember what’s old is new again. Company Overview BabyAge.com, Inc. born in 1999, is a profitable distributor and manufacturer of Infant and Juvenile Products. BabyAge achieved over 100% growth every year in its first 6 years and has built an outstanding state of the art physical and technical infrastructure. The business, including its physical, technical and human infrastructure is profitable at current run rates, and has been designed to accommodate exponential growth. BabyAge controls a 50,000 sq ft facility, and has integrated a full wireless pick, pack and ship operation utilizing its proprietary software technologies. BabyAge can triple its current run rate with the existing infrastructure. In addition, the complex has acreage to expand the existing facility by 100,000 square feet. The BabyAge founders, along with an experienced team, have extensive e-commerce, and infant and juvenile product experience. BabyAge Headquarters Background, and the convoluted path to strollers and the web: Pipe Liner Assistant Dean of Students Management Consultant Manager Electronic Publications Director of Site Production and Technology CTO VP Corporate Trading Systems CEO/Janitor/Programmer/Forklift Operator Drexel University IBM A couple failed start-ups F.A. Davis Comcast @Home iVillage Banc of America BabyAge.com Contact Jack Kiefer for additional information Jack@BabyAge.com 570-706-2450 x4201 E-commerce Sales Growth Projected: 25% Increase in sales *Source: Jupiter Research Billion s Historical trends 1994-1997 (CPM Banners Directories) Prodigy Compuserv AOL 1997-2001 (CPM Banners Directories) AOL Yahoo Web Crawler eBay Lycos AltaVista 2001-2004 (CPC) Yahoo eBay Shopping.com Bizrate.com Yahoo Stores MSN Google 2004-2006 (CPC) Google eBay Amazon Shopping Comparison Directories: SupperPages.com Maps 2006 – 2008 (Targeted CPC and CPA) Amazon eBay Google (Geo/Time Targeting) Shopping Comparison Social Media CraigsList Directories Paid Marketing Search Engines CPC: Google Yahoo MSN Shopping Comparison CPC: Bizrate (Shopzilla) Shopping.com Nextag.com PriceGrabber.com CPM: Email Banners CPA: Amazon eBay Buy.com UNPAID Marketing Search: Google Yahoo MSN PR: Press Releases New Articles Gorilla Techniques Social Media: Blog Message Boards YouTube Linked In Group Data Web Address www.ashley-insurance.com www.blissfield.com www.brooksinsurance.com www.dunbarmechanical.com www.edschmidt.com www.gladieux-catering.com www.goldstarholdings.com www.hammillmfg.com www.hinklemfg.com www.jdsteelproducts.com www.kellerlogistics.com www.kingstonhealthcare.com www.kuhlman-corp.com www.ocp-contractors.com www.plantemoran.com www.ramps.com www.snooksdreamcars.com www.soss.com www.sunfcu.org www.toledobuildingservices.com PR 3 4 3 2 4 0 1 3 0 0 2 4 3 3 5 3 5 4 2 3 Alexa N/A 26,636,190 18,388,381 11,237,721 3,199,403 18,699,043 n/a 13,897,646 4,762,395 n/a 6,697,364 5,241,032 5,319,467 n/a 595,409 863,829 4,352,539 2,365,204 10,905,418 N/A Pages 17 97 96 21 39 56 7 38 32 5 23 112 94 1 16,600 156 2 188 149 6 Links 2 2 5 1 37 1 1 1 4 0 4 11 7 0 84 9 0 17 5 1 Title Ashley Insurance Group Blissfield Manufacturing Brooks Dunbar Mechanical, Inc Chevrolet Toledo Ohio | Volkswagen Toledo Ohio … Gladieux Catering Goldstar Holdings, Ltd. Hammill Manufacturing Hinkle Manufacturing, offering complete packing … J.D. Steel Products KLG Home Page Kingston HealthCare, Ohio, Indiana, … Kuhlman Corporation …Your Success is Our Future Home Home Ramps.com Snook's Dream Cars Joseph Soss - Soss Invisible Hinges Sun Federal Credit Union Home Group Data Web Address www.centurylabel.com www.printmything.com www.pmtprofits.com www.printmyribbon.com www.phototrimmings.com www.pmtvoice.com/ printmything.wordpress.com/ PR 5 3 2 1 1 1 0 Alexa 1,409,523 381,315 815,401 1,045,688 6,799,542 9,894,871 n/a Pages 1,020 2770 47 459 61 69 23 Links 3 22 0 2 1 2 0 Title CenturyLabel.com The Speciality Printing Source Custom Labels Custom Designed Labels, … Wine Labels Custom Printed Products Your Best Source for Personalized Ribbon, Printed Ribbon Custom Label, Custom Designed Label, Tissue, … PrintMyThing PMT Voice www.BabyAge.com www.celebritybabies.info www.BabyBrand.com www.BabyStore.info www.BabyNameRegistry.info www.ParCorporation.com 6 5 3 0 0 0 31,471 97,997 281,762 2,009,828 2,373,033 1,299,212 31,800 2,250 209 22 85 3 474 430 0 64 64 0 Baby gifts: baby bedding, car seats, and furniture Celebrity Babies Blog BabyBrand.com, …get the real scoop on Baby Gear BabyStore, …get the real scoop on Baby Gear Baby Name Registry PAR CORPORTION Customer Base Parents and Expectant Parents Grandparents Other Relatives Friends BabyAge.com Vital Statistics BabyAge.com Site Statistics Unique visitors per month 500,000 Page views per month Median age Median income Existing BabyAge customers Female customers Male customers Grand parents Average order size: Customer acquisition cost: $10 3,000,000 27-34 72,000 500,000 82% 18% 18% $135 BabyAge.com Business Statistics Born Employees Cost of pick, pack & ship an order Orders shipped from warehouse Orders drop shipped Lines of proprietary code 1 Million + Gross Margins Unique SKU’s on website 15,000 + 45% + 1999 40 $.85 95% 5% …so how do I start Do something • Include your URL everywhere your phone number is printed. • Search the web and find someone in your vertical who seems to have an outstanding site. • Work with the resources that are in house to start (secretaries, assistants…) • Spend some time and money on branding, …does your site fairly represent your company and your brand. • Develop white papers and content about what you do or what you sell. • Does your site have the resources your customers are looking for • Hire college interns to help. • Use CraigsList, eBay, Affiliates, message boards, directories (business.com, squidoo). • Use multimedia if you have it. • Focus on basic SEO techniques, good title tags and meta words, develop content specifically around what is important to you and your business. • Hire more interns. • Add or change something on your site as often as possible or at least every quarter. Examples of Natural Keyword Results Examples of Natural Keyword Results Content Site in Position 1 for Wine Label Traditional PR and media is still good Every link and mention matters “It’s hard to say if this is a problem with Google or that consumers are reacting differently online,” Keifer said. He still thinks Google is the best resource to find what you’re looking for but agrees that a “shift” is occurring … -Quoted by Jack Keifer CEO. BabyAge.com The End! Question?

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Thanks for a wonderful day!

Welcome visitors from yesterday's YPO/WPO event! Melissa and I had a truly memorable experience and we trust you did as well. Speaking on something you love is always rewarding, but we especially enjoy getting others excited about this whole world of social networking and blogs.

There were many wonderful questions that could've benefitted by more discussion, so I will be posting links along the right side as well as a few blog postings that will hopefully answer any lingering questions. Please feel free to use our email addresses(shown right) for any questions or comments you may have.

UPDATED: If anybody does decide to start a blog or already have one, we'd love to know about it so we can read your posts and also link to each other.

A Look at Social Networking

This video presentation seeks to show the sheer size of social networking on the internet and in society. Websites that focus on it like FaceBook & MySpace have consistenly held top positions in overall web traffic and return visitors. The growth in this industry is too large to overlook and businesses are just beginning to scratch the surface looking for ways to capitalize on it.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Thriving in a Blog Eat Blog World (Presentation)

Read this doc on Scribd: Thriving in a Blog Eat Blog World

Thriving in a Blog Eat Blog World Everything you want to know about blogs and social networking, but are afraid to ask your kids… Presenters Melissa Kuhl Director Ecommerce Sales & Marketing Century Marketing Group mkuhl@cmcgp.com Jeremy A. Dixon Ecommerce Copy & Social Network Editor Century Marketing Group jdixon@cmcgp.com What is A structure Networking made up of individuals or organizations linked by Friends Values common Visions Kinship traits. Idea Trade Via Wikipedia.com Social ? Important Note: This is not new, the internet has only facilitated the expansion of our social networking capabilities beyond the physical, geographical, and cultural boundaries. What is Social you My Friends Networking ? My Organization me Customers My Company Types of Social Networks • Chat/Messaging • Content Sharing • Photo • Video • Information • Discussion Groups • Forums • Message Boards • Community • Blogging Chat/ Messaging Networks Chatting & Instant Messaging are normally one to one communications with people who are known to each other. Features & Benefits •Instant communication •See who’s online anytime •Only add people you know/want to communicate with. •Documentation of conversations •Easy to setup/use/maintain •Quick answers to questions Content Sharing Networks (Photo) These networks are designed to facilitate the sharing of media and discussions directly related to the creation and/or quality of the works Features & Benefits •Most offer free hosting of content •Allows for quick & easy sharing of files publicly or privately •Printing services are commonplace for inexpensive photo books, prints, and many other products with your pictures on them. • Tag your images so others can find yours and other similar images. Click the image to goto Flickr.com Content Sharing Networks (Video) This isn’t just for fun and goofing off…Real Profits are being realized… BlendTec is a company that manufacturers commercial grade blenders. They created a marketing campaign (willitblend.com) solely by producing videos of their blenders…blending things. Everything from TV Remotes to Iphones to magnets, they have blended many of today’s popular consumer products. Web Stats •9 Million total views of their videos, 2 million just for their iphone video •Web Traffic is up 650% since the first video Click the image to goto the Will It Blend YouTube Video •Millions of dollars worth of brand exposure/PR Content Sharing Networks (Information) Information sharing networks goal is to accumulate knowledge by allowing users/visitors to the site to create, edit, change, or confirm entries. Features & Benefits •Millions of users/viewers contribute content daily •Creates starting point for research & information gathering •Stays current (usually articles are updated the day an event takes place) •Stats(Wikipedia.com) • • 75,000 active contributors working on more than 10,000,000 articles in 250 languages. 684 million visitors to site since creation Click the image to goto Wikipedia.com Discussion Group Networks Forums and Message boards are an online environment for specific topics, organizations or other characteristics that allows users to communicate with each other Features & Benefits •Many free tools for creating your own forum •Makes group communication easier and less time consuming for the individuals •Each member’s involvement depends on their desire to participate in discussions, answer questions, assist others in the group Click the image to goto the Corvette Forums. Online Community Networks Online Communities seek to combine many if not all the main types of social networking into one website that satisfies as many communication needs as possible. Features & Benefits •One website for multiple communication needs •Allows people to find each other, discuss, stay up-to-date, share photos, & post interesting items. •Friends meet each other and create networks of the people they know and trust. Click the image to goto Facebook.com •For business, these work a lot like a tradeshow, minus all the travel. Click the image to goto LinkedIn.com What are they? Blogs Why are they so popular ? Why do I need one? it?) (how would I use Blogs What are they? Types of Blogs Personal blogs The personal blog, an on-going diary or commentary by an individual, is the traditional, most common blog. Personal bloggers usually take pride in their blog posts, even if their blog is never read by anyone but them. Blogs often become more than a way to just communicate; they become a way to reflect on life or works of art. Blogging can have a sentimental quality. A Few personal blogs rise to fame and the mainstream. Corporate blogs Used either internally to enhance the communication and culture in a corporation or externally for marketing, branding or PR purposes are called corporate blogs. By media type A blog comprising videos is called a vlog, one comprising links is called a linklog, a site containing a portfolio of sketches is called a sketchblog or one comprising photos is called a photoblog. By genre Some blogs focus on a particular subject, such as political blogs, travel blogs, fashion blogs, project blogs, education blogs, niche blogs, classical music blogs, and legal blogs. Click the image to goto PMTVoice.com Blogs What Are They? A Blog is a website with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events or other material such as graphics or video. These are usually displayed in reverse chronological order. (Source: Wikipedia.com) Features & Benefits •Shows a more personal side to you, your company or your group. •Blogs are very quickly updated multiple times daily. •Search engines constantly index blogs as they are updated. (Example: Thanksgiving Day Race Posting) •You can have your own…FREE! Click the image to goto PMTVoice.com Blogs Why are they so popular? "The blog is the best relationship generator you've ever seen.“…"It's all about openness," says chairman Bill Gates of Microsoft's public blogs like Scobleizer. "People see them as a reflection of an open, communicative culture that isn't afraid to be self-critical.“ ( Fortune Magazine January 10, 2005) Reasons for Popularity •Using tools like Technorati.com, you can easily find 100s or even 1000s of articles on any topic. •Many corporations are using blogs to involve themselves in their user communities, further establishing themselves as industry leaders. •It’s like giving people an inside look at the inner workings of your business or organization. •Content, Content, Content. Click the image to goto scobleizer.com Blogs Do I need one? Blogs provide another method of getting involved in the world. Tradeshows allowed face to face contact with customer and competitors. Blogs do much the same without you leaving your desk. Pros & Cons •Pro: Get and Stay connected with your customers, competitors and others in your industry/market. •Con: Time commitment may become a burden as blog survival depends on content that is regularly updated. •Pro: Present yourself as an expert in your field, and build your online reputation (See number of internet users stat) •Con: Blog ROI has proven difficult, some companies instead see it as a customer relations management (CRM) tool. Blogs Do I need one? Traditional public relations techniques help to create a reputation, blogs are the same just in a new media. Pros & Cons, Cont’d •Pro: Easy to Setup (You can be up and running in minutes) •Con: Easy to Setup (Everybody can have one so it becomes more difficult to distinguish yourself) •Pro: Can create a relaxed environment for visitors to read and not feel a “High Pressure” sales pitch. •Con: You leave yourself open for criticism both rational and irrational. •Pro: Blogs allow you to respond to any criticism in a constructive, meaningful way. Blogs Let’s Make One!

Friday, May 9, 2008

Keynote Speaker Bio: Jack Kiefer

Mr. Kiefer possesses a unique combination of business and technical expertise. Mr. Kiefer, a veteran of the Internet and e-commerce, is no stranger to start-up businesses.

BabyAge.com, Inc, (www.BabyAge.com) born in 1999, has grown to become a force in the infant and juvenile market as well as being recognized as an innovator and leader in the e-commerce community (currently ranked 280 in the 2007 Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide, a definitive ranking of America's 500 largest e-retailers).

Prior to co-founding BabyAge.com, he was responsible for building the first Fixed Income Trading Intranet for Bank of America Securities as the Vice President of Corporate Securities Trading.

Preceding his tenure with the Bank, Mr. Kiefer was the CTO for iBaby.com, the first e-commerce initiative for iVillage. Mr. Kiefer designed and managed the development of the entire e-commerce system for iBaby. The most notable segments of the system included advanced merchandising, tools, as well as complete inventory management. Under his tenure, the iBaby revenues increased (over a 6-month period) from $15k/month to $500K/month.

Before becoming involved with the iBaby business Mr. Kiefer managed the development of a sophisticated chat system, which included collaborative filtering, a recommendations system, and iVillages' (http://www.ivillage.com) first member registration system.

As Director of Production and Design, Mr. Kiefer, was the 5th employee hired to develop the Comcast@Home (http://www.home.com http://www.comcastonline.com , http://www.inyourtown.com) business. He was responsible for designing and building a local content publishing system, as well as working to hire and develop local regions of the business as it rolled out. He made significant early contributions to the design and development of the @Home local content publishing system.

Mr. Kiefer, prior to the development of the NCSA Mosaic Program, was developing an electronic publishing department for a small medical publisher (http://www.fadavis.com). His in-roads included the development of the first software titles ever; significant contributions to an SGML based Editorial Database, and the production of the first web site for the distribution of F.A. Davis titles.

Higher Education and Educational Institutions have always been a passion for Mr. Kiefer. He served as Assistant Dean of Students for Drexel University and was actively involved with developing a co-curricular transcript to fully document student’s involvement in all non-educational aspects of the University.

Mr. Kiefer consulted several start-up and small businesses on their Internet Development and Business and Marketing Planning. Mr. Kiefer received his undergraduate degree in Industrial Engineering and his MBA (entrepreneurial management/small business consulting) from Drexel University.

How to Thrive in a blog eat blog world

We're glad you're visiting this blog. It's fun to get others excited about this whole world of social networking & blogs. The technology is always changing, but with some simple knowledge, you can become a blogger.