Linda Yonemoto is a digital marketing strategist at Tinuiti, where she helps brands solve problems related to project management, online marketing performance, and conversions/sales. Prior to joining Tinuiti, Linda led marketing strategy and initiatives for clients including the Zappos Family of Companies and L.L.Bean.
What major changes have you seen across the eCommerce digital marketing landscape in the last few years?
The eCommerce landscape is ever-changing and has gotten more complex over the last few years. One of the biggest trends is the transformation of ad units that look really similar to one another across multiple programs and engines. Another is that search has evolved to be even more complex. Users are typing in very long-tail keywords or speaking to their personal assistants which can generate some interesting search terms in search query reports. In the last 4 years, we’ve also seen the greater shift towards mobile being more important than desktop/tablet. Finally, Amazon & Marketplaces are no longer just an incremental opportunity but a crucial part of any company’s integrated marketing strategy.
What advice do you have for brands advertising on Google Shopping or Amazon?
Lay the foundation for a successful program by covering the absolute essentials to set yourself up for success. Ensure your website and mobile experience are frictionless, clean up and optimize your product datafeed, be open to testing new features/opting into betas, and most importantly move away from a purely last-click model.
Where do you see the digital marketing landscape for eCommerce in the next few years?
This is a tough one. It will likely involve increased opportunities for scalable feed-based programs, image-heavy results, larger focus on Amazon & Marketplaces, and voice search. We’ve seen Google, Microsoft, Pinterest, and other channels move in this direction within the last year with some of the new ad units they’ve released like Showcase Ads, Image search, and Pinterest Shopping. To keep on top of current trends, I recommend staying up to date by checking out the Tinuiti company blog.
What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)?
I am a proud owner of an Instant Pot and jumped on the bandwagon about 2 years ago. It is a lifesaver for big batch meal preparation as well as last minute dinners. I love how versatile it is and it saves me thousands of dollars every year. This is a must purchase for those low on time that still want to eat healthy.
What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made?
My responsibilities include overseeing, monitoring, and optimizing budgets and teams that manage programs for $MM and $MMM retailers. Early on in my career, I was less focused on my own personal finances, budgeting, and long term goals. For the last 5 years, I’ve been obsessed with personal finance apps like Mint and Personal Capital. Downloading the app and spending the <30 minutes syncing my accounts to these apps have made tracking of my own personal budgets a breeze. Checking these apps is a daily part of the 5-minute personal finance routine.
Brian Roizen is the Cofounder and Chief Architect of Feedonomics, a full-service feed optimization platform that optimizes product data for hundreds of channels. He has been featured on numerous podcasts and eCommerce webinars, and regularly contributes to Search Engine Land and other industry-leading blogs. Brian graduated summa cum laude from UCLA with both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.
