Curtis Mason Johnson | Portfolio: Web Marketing Checkup

Portfolio - Web Marketing Checkup (Vinado.com)

Excerpts from presentations

Key findings of analysis

Homepage screenshot

Background

Vinado was a small Seattle based wine retail startup trying to become the next wine.com though a blended approach of rich online experiences and in-person events. While the popularity of their on-site tastings continued to grow, the online business struggled. Vinado’s chief operating officer had overseen the development of a rich website in partnership with a local development group and various marketing staff but it just didn’t seem to be taking off.

Analysis

Curtis partnered with Vinado in 2007 and worked with their hosting company to configure web server server logging and conducted exhaustive research into the online wine SEO environment (customer volumes, keyword competitiveness, secondary research on consumer purchase behavior, etc). Curtis presented back to Vinado key insights that ultimately helped the company to take a drastically different strategic direction like the following:

· Prior SEO programs had done very little to establish an online presence

· Existing online activity was almost entirely the result of their email direct marketing programs

· The visitor conversion rate varied drastically based on the way those customers found the site (quality vs. quantity traffic)

· Where Vinado.com needed to have an online presence in the traditional online environment to capture meaningful customer volumes.

· Investment recommendations between development and marketing programs if Vinado wanted to become successful in the online space.

Results

Thanks in part to Curtis’ partnership with Vinado, the company was able to make tough but educated & proactive decisions about where to take the company. By making these decisions pro-actively, the company was still in a position where they could re-invest assets to be able to double down on the mail based programs that were most effective.