Internet Marketing [4]
Lead Generation is Primary Goal of Web Sites
Lead generation is edging out e-commerce as the raison d'etre of corporate Web sites, according to a survey by analytics provider WebTrends. In the survey of over 1,000 marketers, 30 percent said lead generation is their primary site objective, while 28 percent said e-commerce is the main goal of their site. Another 20 percent were content publishers, and 9 percent focused on customer service.
Mike's Marketing Tools Launches Marketing Forum Aggregator
Mike's Marketing Tools has just launched Marketing Forum Watch - a free, online service that offers constantly updated, searchable, customizable headlines from the most popular internet marketing and search engine optimization discussion forums and message boards. This unique service allows forum buffs to keep up to date with what's being posted in all their favorite forums in one place. The user can also select the forums to display, number of latest posts, and timezone of a post.
RealNetworks Announces RealOne OpenPass
RealNetworks today announced RealOne OpenPass, a marketplace that enables owners of digital media content to sell their content to consumers via subscription. Twenty-one brands have already signed up for RealOne OpenPass, including Playboy.com's Playboy TV Club, Motor Trend, Sporting News Radio and the Professional Bowlers Association. OpenPass was partly modeled after the eBay style of creating an online marketplace in which anyone can sell products. Media companies can go onto RealNetworks' Web site and learn how to set up a subscription service, and consumers could go there for access to those subscriptions. For now, the content provider sets a monthly price for its subscription. RealNetworks adds its fee on top of that and handles the subscriber billing. The OpenPass team is looking at other ways to make money from the service, such as selling music and video downloads without a subscription. [Press release: RealNetworks Announces RealOne OpenPass - RealNetworks]
Consumers Downloaded 242 Million Grocery Coupons in 2002, 111% More Than in the Previous Year
According to Forrester Research Inc., in 2002, consumers downloaded 242 million grocery coupons, 111% more than in the previous year. In polling more than 3,500 primary household buyers of groceries, Forrester found that online grocery coupon users spend more on non-alcoholic beverages, personal care products, snacks and household supplies. They’re more likely than nonusers to switch brands when the price is right, and also are more likely to take advantage of a variety of grocery store promotions including offline offers such as volume discounts and loyalty programs. 71% of online coupon users favor dedicated coupon sites, while about half look to CPG brand sites. [Full story: How much do grocery shoppers like online coupons? - Internet Retailer]