Bada-Bing? Is Bing’s “wow” factor enough to change people’s search habits?

Post by Tina Bean, Sales & Marketing Director, VisiStat Inc.

In July, I ran across an article from the SeattlePI blog that said, according to ComScore, Bing market share had increased .4%. At first I chuckled, thinking that number wasn’t so newsworthy, but then I began to wonder if Bing had an impact on our network of customers.

Being VisiStat, as you can imagine, we live and breathe stats and tracking data, so we pulled some reports and data, sampling almost 50 million performed search queries.  As a result, I ended up with a good, solid answer to my question…which I’m happy to share.

Here’s how the numbers stacked up, using data from May – July 2009 across our network. (Keep in mind, Bing was released on June 3rd.)

From this sampling of sites across our network, we’re seeing that Bing has doubled in marketshare since its transition from MSN. We’re also seeing a slight migration from Google, 1.7%, with a decrease for Yahoo at .9%.

This tells me that yes, there is definitely a shift taking place in the search space. I’m seeing that people are using Bing–twice as many as used MSN–and the trend is continuing to grow. Could it merely be a honeymoon phase, and will this growth start to dwindle, or does Microsoft really have something here?

As for me, I’ve visited Bing a few times, but I’m still wondering what the differences are. I admit, I like the site previews, which quite often save me from clicking irrelevant links. However, in terms of relevancy of the search, I still think the “Tina Bean” search on Google is far more relevant and accurate than the “Tina Bean” search on Bing. (And I’m pretty sure I’m the expert on relevancy for searching about myself…)

What are your thoughts?

Press: Bizy Bee Launched – Service Shortens URLs And Provides Free Link Tracking Analytics Package Provided By VisiStat

With the explosion of Twitter and on-the-fly social networking, short URL redirects are a necessity, but they can offer increased marketing value when they are tracked in real time

Campbell, CA – August 11, 2009 – Bizy.be, the newest URL shortening tool, is now available. Bizy Bee stands apart from the crowd with its clean interface, fun tone, and powerful real-time analytics reporting. Powered by VisiStat Web Analytics, Bizy.be offers a sexy powerhouse of link tracking analytics. Shortening a URL has now become a viable marketer’s tool.

VisiStat’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Tina Bean, is an avid and prolific Twitter user. She has been asked many times if VisiStat plans on tying their analytics and Website management tools into social networking. The answer comes from the launch of Bizy.be. “On-the-fly social networking is becoming a ‘must use’ tool in today’s marketing strategies. Twitter has made an indelible mark in this area. Since VisiStat is about clean, simple and quick, Bizy.be seemed a natural way for us to enter the social networking arena. We know better than anyone how effective and important good tracking is, so to offer a URL shorten and redirect service, and to up the game with a full, beautiful set of analytics tools, we can allow marketers to get full quantifiable use of their Twitter and short URL links.”

Bizy.be is free and available to anyone. Account registration is required to use the tracking analytics reports, but there is no cost. However, the URL shrinking tool requires no registration. To check it out and learn more, visit http://bizy.be.

PRESS: Where Clicks Convert: VisiStat 7 Release Focuses on Business ROI with Web Analytics-Powered Tools Like Real-Time Lead Generation, Marketing & Ad Management, SEO Analysis

With their newest release, VisiStat uses their robust analytics engine to power drive ROI tools that drill deep inside the untapped resources of business Websites. Tools such as live lead gen, real-time ad tracking, immediate marketing results, all fully-integrated for seamless performance.

Campbell, CA — July 7, 2009 — VisiStat, Inc. has announced the public release of VisiStat 7.0, their newest version of the VisiStat Web analytics and Website performance management service. Along with new features, such as the live lead generator, LeadCaster™, they are focusing more specifically on helping businesses turn their Websites into successful revenue-generating tools.
“Version 7.0 is our biggest release yet. We are very excited to be a leader in the development of a service that allows a business to successfully bridge the gap between sales and marketing–using their Website. And with LeadCaster, VisiStat offers an elegant lead generation tool powered by, and fully integrates with, a world-class analytics engine. No one in this market space can make this claim, or offer what we can,” said Tina Bean, Director of Sales and Marketing for VisiStat, Inc.

The stand out feature of VisiStat 7.0 is LeadCaster, a real-time lead generation application that provides immediate access to the contact information of companies visiting a Website, while they are onsite, and after. By integrating Jigsaw® and LinkedIn® with LeadCaster’s sales management tools, users can build current, active contact files, build watch lists, set up alerts and notifications, divide and allocate sales territories, receive executive level daily summaries, utilize filtering abilities, and a variety of other dedicated options. LeadCaster makes VisiStat the first Web analytics service to offer live leads within an analytics environment.

In addition to LeadCaster, VisiStat 7 includes a variety of upgrades, feature updates, and enhancements.

1. Their advertising campaign management module, AdCaM 3, has even more reporting and a higher level of conversion focus.
2. The SEO Analyzer provides varying levels of information, designed for SEO/SEM development and management, or to offer search engine keyword tracking and page rank numbers.
3. VisiStat’s new Local Search feature allows Websites with search functionality to track, in real-time, what visitors search for on their sites.
4. The Daily E-mail Reports, which deliver a thumbnail look at an accounts basic reporting, are now customizable, allowing each account user can select what reports they want summarized in their daily e-mails, and can designate where, and to whom, the e-mails are sent.

All of the tools mentioned, and the entire VisiStat 7 service, are available to try in a full-featured, free, seven-day trial. Learn more at VisiStat.com or call 408-725-9377 to get set up and tracking in minutes.

SEO Analyzer Reporting - Composite Screenshot

About VisiStat®

VisiStat, Inc. is a Website performance management firm specializing in online marketing optimization, lead generation and conversion management. VisiStat.com is the first service to offer a suite of real-time Website performance tools to manage and report on marketing, lead generation and conversion efforts. Built on top of a world-class analytics engine, VisiStat’s bundle of services work seamlessly together to provide a single source of presentation-ready information for businesses to maximize return on investment from their Web presence.

VisiStat.com simplifies Web 2.0 business management, and turns Website activity into actionable business intelligence. A privately held company founded in 2005, VisiStat, Inc., is based in Campbell, CA. To learn more, or sign up for a full, no-obligation free trial, visit VisiStat.com or call 408-725-9377.

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7 Steps To Get Hired

This guest post is courtesy of Nick Ezzo

Having spent exactly three weeks looking for my next opportunity, I’d like to share some tips & tricks on how to get your next job.   It’s not magic; you just have to understand how to take the Web 2.0 pieces and assemble them into a job hunting machine.

The secret is this: approach your job search like a marketing campaign.

Guess what you’re marketing: yourself.

By the way, since I am a marketing dweeb professional I can get away with antics like sending Nerf™ pistols to people’s homes.

Here’s what I did:

1. Purchased my domain name www.nickezzo.com from GoDaddy. (cost = $4.99 a month for hosting, plus $10 to register the name)
2. Created my résumé site using WordPress, with a basic theme that I customized. (cost = free)
3. Added VisiStat website tracking, so I get immediate feedback (email and SMS) when someone hits the site. (cost = $29.95 a month, cheaper if you pay quarterly or annually).
4. Sent emails to key people with a special AdCaM code to track who clicks. (cost = $14.95 a month for VisiStat AdCaM)
5. Mailed decision makers fun items like a Nerf™ pistol to show how I “target prospects”  (I know it’s lame, but it resulted in a callback and an interview).  I included a cover letter and a USB drive with my work, also using AdCaM links on the USB drive. (cost = $7.99 for the Nerf pistol, $5.00 for shipping)
6. I use Salesforce.com to track Contacts, Accounts, and Opportunities (cost = free for 30-day trial, all features turned on, including Salesforce.com mobile).
7. Using LinkedIn, I download bios of the people who will be interviewing me.  I also connect to them after the interview, in order to remain in contact.  (cost = free)

Total cost so far?  $72.92.  My point is — with an investment of less than $100, I have landed 3 phone interviews and 4 face-to-face interviews (including 3 with one company).  And get this: it’s all tax-deductible as job search costs.

The real test will be to see if anyone hires me.  Stay tuned…

[EDITOR NOTE: Much thanks to Nick for allowing us to reprint his blog post. Don't forget to visit his blog to get more great information and see how his job search is going. I know we'll be keeping our eyes on his story, too. Best of luck, Nick!]

Press: LeadCaster™, A Real-Time Lead Generation Tool, Marks VisiStat As The First Real-Time Web Analytics Solution to Include Live Lead Generation

Composite screenshot of LeadCaster reporting

VisiStat’s Website performance management suite crosses the chasm into the B2B lead generation marketplace by being the first real-time Web analytics solution to include live lead generation that is fully integrated into a robust analytics platform.

Campbell, CA – June 24, 2009 – VisiStat, Inc. has announced the release of LeadCaster™, their newest add-on module. LeadCaster, a real-time lead generation application, marks VisiStat as the first Web analytics service to offer live leads within an analytics environment.
“The development of our LeadCaster technology successfully bridges the gap between sales and marketing. LeadCaster identifies the companies on your Website ‘right now,’ providing warm leads to sales organizations,” said Tina Bean, Director of Sales and Marketing for VisiStat, Inc. “Through our seamlessly integrated platform, LeadCaster can utilize all of VisiStat’s functionality, such as our powerful AdCaM advertising suite, to provide full visibility into the origins of lead sources unlike any other service out there.”

“By crossing directly into the B2B space, VisiStat can successfully take businesses where no real-time Web analytics company has taken them before. Our real-time analytics coupled with real-time lead generation makes us the comprehensive tool for any small to medium-sized business.”

LeadCaster has the unique ability to identify the companies visiting your Website in real-time, whether they are registered or identify themselves or not, without violating anyone’s privacy. LeadCaster provides immediate access to direct, public contact information with its integration of Jigsaw® and LinkedIn® business databases. With LeadCaster’s sales management tools, users can build watch lists, set up alerts and notifications, divide and allocate sales territories, receive executive level daily summaries, utilize filtering abilities, and a variety of other dedicated options. You can read more about LeadCaster at http://leadcaster.com.

“With LeadCaster, VisiStat is redefining Web analytics solutions for business, and has fully become a live lead generation tool powered by a world-class, real-time Web analytics engine. No one in this market space can make this claim,” said Bean. Learn more about VisiStat at http://visistat.com.

• View a short instructional video that shows you more about LeadCaster
• Listen to a fun 60-second radio ad (“Chronic S.O.L.”) about LeadCaster

About VisiStat^®

VisiStat, Inc. is a Website performance management firm specializing in online marketing optimization, lead generation and conversion management. VisiStat.com is the first service to offer a suite of real-time Website performance tools to manage and report on marketing, lead generation and conversion efforts. Built on top of a world-class analytics engine, VisiStat’s bundle of services work seamlessly together to provide a single source of presentation-ready information for businesses to maximize return on investment from their Web presence.

VisiStat.com simplifies Web 2.0 business management, and turns Website activity into actionable business intelligence. A privately held company founded in 2005, VisiStat, Inc., is based in Campbell, CA. To learn more, or sign up for a full, no-obligation free trial, visit http://visistat.com or call 408-725-9377.

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Art Wittmann from InformationWeek Talks to VisiStat – How does VisiStat compare with Google Analytics?

VisiStat Real-Time Web Analytics vs. Google Analytics:  

“You Get What You Pay For!”

 

 

“Thousands have graduated from Google Analytics to VisiStat.”