momAgenda
Launching a product with Internet Marketing.
Client: momAgenda.com
Client Since: 7/2005
Web Site: www.momAgenda.com
When momAgenda first came to Portent Interactive, their president, Nina Restieri, had a product that was already starting to take off. Her unique day planners had attracted a small but loyal following, and retailers were showing interest.
One problem: She couldn’t make as much profit selling via retailers.
Her site had an online store, but momAgenda.com lacked any search presence, and momAgenda had yet to try any formal online marketing. Also, the Yahoo store they were using was clumsy, slow and presented major obstacles for order management and fulfillment.
Step One: Strategy
Portent reviewed momAgenda’s products, search traffic for related items, and potential growth. Search traffic for day planners and similar products was heavy, so it made sense to rebuild the store using a leaner, faster e-commerce system, with an eye towards future sales growth.
Using this data and demographics from Nielsen Netratings, Portent also created profiles of momAgenda’s ideal customer: Likes, dislikes and what they’d want to see.
With this information they created a plan for iterative improvements to momAgenda.com and related online marketing:
- Build a faster store with better fulfillment capabilities. Also include order tracking, to reduce customer service calls.
- Set up better customer and traffic reporting.
- Make small changes to the site to make purchasing easier.
- Optimize the site for search terms like ‘day planner for moms’.
- Re-shoot the momAgenda and use the new photos to let customers explore the product in more detail.
- After 4 months, rebuild the site based on data collected.
Step Two: Hit the Ground Running
Portent launched the new store one month after strategic planning was complete. The improved checkout process increased conversion rates. Most important, search optimization immediately moved momAgenda.com up in the rankings for phrases like ‘day planner for moms’ (momAgenda is currently number 1-2 for this phrase).
Shortly after, Portent reviewed web traffic and purchase reports, and quickly realized that paid search offered sales opportunities, too. They launched a Google pay per click campaign. The campaign immediately generated an 8:1 return on investment.
Step Three: A Rush On Sales
In early December, The Today Show featured the momAgenda. Store traffic grew 100x in less than 12 hours, and the store handled over 400 orders in a single day, without errors. Because of the new store, momAgenda was able to make the most of an unexpected PR boost.
Equally important, momAgenda’s improving search rankings helped with the long tail: Customers who didn’t visit the site right after The Today Show were able to search for the product name or almost any descriptive phrase relating to the momAgenda and find the product. Sales remained strong through Christmas, and momAgenda had December order volumes 10x greater than previous months.
Step Four: Improve and Adjust
As more customers visited momAgenda.com, Portent used the data to improve their ability to ‘handle’ the product. Improved photography raised sales conversion rates by 3%. Then a new, redesigned site further boosted sales.
Results
momAgenda now handles fewer customer service calls, because their customers can view order status on the site. Fulfillment is easier because orders are automatically sent to their fulfillment warehouse.
But it’s all about sales: Thanks to a combination of a great product line, highly-targeted online marketing and great PR, momAgenda monthly sales are four times higher than in 2005.
For more information contact:
Ian Lurie
Portent Interactive
206.575.3740
Contact Portent online
