Google Product Search Data Feed is a Fast Moving Target

The Google Product Search Data Feeds that we at Precision Data Marketing, Inc.  setup for our clients years ago have run successfully without any ongoing effort.  These feeds have provided a steady stream of high quality traffic to our client’s retail websites. This is ideal traffic, driving individuals searching for a specific product (i.e. ready to buy) directly to that product’s page deep in our client’s websites. Both fortunately and unfortunately the age of a simple Google Data Feed has passed.  To reap the benefits of having your products listed in Google Shopping and Google Product Search you will now be required to put some ongoing effort into your data feed.

Most immediately a number of elements (particularly UPC codes) need to be added by September 22, 2011 in order to have your feed stay in compliance or in plain jargon for your products to be accepted and shown in Google Product Search.  Other items such as tax and shipping by item as well brand and manufacturer part number are also required.

A number of fields although not yet required are highly recommended such as sales price, sales effective date and nearby stores for multi channel retailers to name just a few.  You should expect that many of the highly recommended fields will become required fields in the near future.

It is vital that as you make changes to your existing product data feeds or develop a new feed that you keep in mind that more changes and requirements will likely be mandated by Google in the near future.  Make sure to build feeds that are easily adaptable.

The same can be said for your website product databases.  Are you collecting all of the information the Google wants now (and in the future) and in a usable format?

You may also want to consider adding fields specifically used in Google Adword Product Ads and Google Checkout.

There is an added benefit to making changes to your Google Product Feeds.  Many of your competitors will not keep up with the new specifications.  This in turn produces less competition to your products on Google Product Search and in turn more traffic to your site.

Email Marketing Defined

Email marketing uses email to promote products or services.  Email Marketing is a type of direct marketing which uses email (electronic mail) to communicate with customers or potential prospects.

Email is a very versatile medium. Email formats range from HTML to simple text. The message of each email can be one-size-fits-all or highly customized to the individual being contacted.  Some email marketing programs transmit emails on a regular schedule others on a more sporadic basis.

Any email sent to a potential or current customer could be considered email marketing. Generally speaking though the term email marketing refers to:

• sending email messages to current or previous customers with the intent of building customer loyalty and creating additional sales.
• sending email messages to acquire new potential customers

Email marketing is a powerful tool, especially when used in combination with other forms of direct marketing like social media or direct mail.

Email marketing can be abused.  When email marketing is done unethically or without permission of the email owner it is called SPAM.  While some users fail to distinguish between opt-in email marketing (where permission of the email owner is obtained) and email spam, spam is actually a major threat to legitimate email marketers.  Spam makes the entire email medium less effective.

Direct Marketing Defined

The term direct marketing is often equated to direct mail.  It is true the direct mail is a form of direct marketing but email, direct mail, social media, pay per click, catalogs, online advertising, interactive television, even search engine optimization are all forms of direct marketing.  The key thing all of these mediums have in common is the ability to track and measure results.

Repost of an interesting Linkedin Article

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