WildWeb Blog

Today, marketers know the appeal of internet marketing. Data is easily accessed and measurable results are obtained. Hence, getting the numbers and creating a projection – paramount to measuring any level of digital marketing success – is much more manageable and exciting than other more traditional marketing avenues.

Below are some of WildWeb’s key focus’ when creating and executing a digital campaign for a client.

Look back!
First off, we kick off a campaign by having a detailed look at the history of how the website has performed. We squizz at the unique visitors that have been browsing the website, month on month and, demographically, the locations these visitors have come from. Most of these insights can be easily gleaned from Google Analytics.

Set targets
Using our digital ‘barometer’, and the above data, we will estimate a conversion rate to set realistic, but ambitious targets. We do this by setting targets for the period we have been commissioned to create growth for the website according to the budget that has been allocated.

It goes without saying that a positive budget is key to an effective campaign. In the right hands your budget will drive visitors to your point of sale, which, in turn, will considerably affect the campaign’s conversion rate.

Monitoring and inception
Most of our campaigns are orchestrated through Google adwords, Facebook adverting,
Guest blogging, Digital advert placements and custom digital initiatives.

These channels needs to be constantly monitored through the various insight tools available and flexible actions must be taken throughout the campaign in order for the targets to be met. This is a full time job and WildWeb invests a dedicated team member into fine tuning all of our clients campaigns.

Below is a graph showing how a digital budget has helped create traffic for a WildWeb client involved in online Safari Lodge reservations. The graph shows a positive trend over 2009, 2010 and 2011 using the above approach.

What should a gigabyte cost us in Africa? According to a recent podcast that we listened to, by Marshall Brain, a gig of data should realistically cost us around 8c. Yup. 8 measly cents!  To put that into perspective; if you were on a 10mb per second line and consume 20gb of data a day (about 600gb a month) you would only be paying around R50 a month for your bandwidth. Right now, for that quality of service, you are probably paying 50 times (plus) that.

In a nutshell, his estimation is calculated off of the info published on Discovery Magazine’s article ‘Massive Undersea Cable Connects Africa’. The article relates to the Seacom cable which supplies bandwidth, from Europe, to Africa. Using underpinning business values – supply and demand and all of that – as well as a pinch of romantic intent, Marshall works out a realistic cost of an African gig.

He mentions that the 8c a gig does not account for the congestion factor that ISP’s have to deal with when sharing out their bandwidth. Taking this into account Marshall goes on to apply a worst case scenario cost of a gig and still only comes up with an extreme 65c a gig.

Some serious factors come into play in calculating this and you have to keep your focus to grasp what Marshall laying down. Nevertheless, we rate that it is worth the listen.

In South Africa, we have come to accept paying more for those first world luxuries and service. But according to Marshall, in an ideal world, when it comes to forking out for your internet bill, it shouldn’t have to be.

Click here to download Marshall’s podcast.

Some exciting developments are simmering here at WildWeb and to kick off our vision, for cyber dominance, in 2012 we have just expanded our goal posts with a spanking new staffer. Meet 25 year old Kelly Kidson, who will taking on the role of Digital Marketing Strategist at our fine establishment.

Kelly hails from the big smoke, in Johannesburg, and comes chock-full of media know how and experience. Previously, Kelly ruled over three popular websites (JHB, CPT and DBN Live), as Online Managing Editor. With all her sleuth-like journo skills and online marketing expertise Kelly will now be overseeing our client’s social media campaigns by accelerating their online presence and broadening their social footprint, on the digital front.

It did not take much to lure Kelly down to Durban. A part from being the undisputed Weltevreden Park Beer Pong champion Kelly has an unquenchable passion for the outdoors. Before her move down to the ‘Fun Sun Sea’ capital of Africa Kelly was big into exploring the Bush. And, although she still loves holidaying in the dusty outback of Southern Africa, Kelly’s long time fascination with all things aquatic will finally have a reachable outlet in her new home.

With an Open Ocean One, under-sea diving qualification, Kelly insists on meeting the Indian Ocean’s inhabitants, on a first name basis. One of her immediate goals is to swim with sharks while, while in the not too distant future Kelly plans on conquering the coastal Otter Trail, down in the Eastern Cape.

With all of Kelly’s kick ass social media artillery, ready to fire, we are looking at stepping up the digital game here at WildWeb.  If you would like to chat about your business or brand’s online presence, feel free to give us a call – view our contact information here.

Is it just us or do you also sense a trending crusade against the freedoms of us ordinary peeps going down. We see it with the Secrecy Bill saga and more recently the notorious Weather Bill (publishing a weather warning in South Africa, without written consent by the SA weather service, will earn you five years in jail and a fine of 5million Ront). Across the pond, in America, ‘the land of the free’, Hollywood (big entertainment industry) is lobbying for SOPA and PIPA to be passes into law. This legislation holds a powerful noose over Cyber companies heads by making them accountable for any unlawful copyrighted content published on their websites. Basically, it means regulatory control over the internet.

But why would this internet regulation and censorship being passed in America worry us ordinary folk here in South Africa you ask? Well, the internet is a global village, so in effect, anyone around the world who relies upon the net will be affected – from the individual to businesses. In particular, social website companies and search engines will be directly in the crosshairs of this Bill – like Google, Facebook, Wikipedia, to name a few.

A practical example of how this law would play out on a individual level could go something like this; say you were to record and upload a video, onto YouTube, of yourself singing a karaoke version of Michael Jackson’s ‘Smooth Criminal’. The record company who owns the rights to the song could lay a charge of copyright infringement against Youtube as a result. The punishment, as it stands, could see the termination of the website, and you would be liable to face a jail term of up to 5 years. The irony is that you could serve one more year in jail than Michael Jackson’s murderer got (he got four).

If we take a step back and look at the bigger picture – with SOPA, the Secrecy and Weather Bill, etc – we see a pattern emerging that is one sided, upside-down and shaping in on some of our ordinary freedoms. Few would benefit at the cost of the majority and ultimately, the access of free information would be at stake.  If the internet were totally regulated we could see this last great oasis of free thought and self-empowerment being dug up and a paid for parking lot put in its place – perhaps by Rupert Murdock and his News Corporation empire. Web developers, online media businesses and IT professionals will all be at risk of losing their jobs. And in this current climate of a global economic un-settlement, the IT industry (who employs and benefits society a great deal more) needs far more protection than the entertainment industry does.

As a result of SOPA’s Draconian threat some of the web’s biggest payers came out in protests against the Bill. Click on the thumbnails below to view some of the online picketing that took place on Internet Blackout day.

We recently flipped the switch live on the elegant del Coursy e-commerce website. Basically, del Coursy is a fine establishment that sells select jewellery at a shop located at the Umhlanga Sands Hotel, in Umhlanga Rocks. At its heart, del Coursy is a family owned business, which means that they can (and allowed to be) very particular about their branding and what direction they choose to take their business. Although they have been around for some time, it was only recently that they decided to plug into the online market.  And they came to us to help them establish a footprint in this ‘new‘ en-devour.

In a nutshell, del Coursy’s MOA is to source jewellery from all around the world and sell it to ‘the modern, discerning and fun loving woman who celebrates life in style’. With this mantra in mind they asked us to base the design, feel and functionality of the website – a clean, chic, practical and stylish design.

After the design was approved, models sourced, images captured and well thought out copy was written we went to work on the coding.  We used the tried and tested Magento framework and skinned the design over it. Magento is basically an open source e-commerce content management system that you can customise to your hearts content. It allows the client to manage all of their stock control, content and orders through log on to the backend.  The powerful shopping cart system allows visitors to open an account and make online payments easy and simply.

We were really chuffed with outcome and so were del Coursy. The proof was ultimately in the pudding, as they say, and the results have started speaking for themselves. After only a few weeks of going live the traffic has been impressive and online purchases have been made.

Visit the website at – delcoursy.co.za