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Wednesday, May. 23rd 2012
In celebration of their 10th anniversary, Google is launching Project 10^100 and inviting anyone and everyone to submit ideas to change the world. They’re going to pony up $10 million to fund the best idea or ideas. Ideas don’t have to be related to technology. And, best of all, you don’t have to know how to actually implement your idea – they can find the people to do it. How cool is that?
The Google team will narrow down the submissions to 100, and then ask the public to vote on the 20 finalists. After that, a panel of judges will select up to five ideas for funding.
Here’s what Google said in their press release:
We want to extend to the world the idea that great ideas come from all angles. Google Chrome emerged when engineers realized they needed an entirely new browser to sufficiently engage with rich web applications. Google News began when on 9/11 an engineer became frustrated that he couldn’t aggregate news sources from around the world in one place.
Whether you’re an Internet marketer, or simply someone who wants to make the world a better place, you can visit www.project10tothe100.com to find out the details. The submission deadline is October 20.
Wednesday, May. 23rd 2012
When you are researching press release services, there are warning signs that should raise red flags and make you select another company. Here are some of the signs:
1. Refuse to give out references
Every service should be willing to provide you with references so that you know that people have used them in the past and were satisfied with a job. If a press release service doesn’t want to give you references, it’s a bad sign and you should thank them for their time and contact someone else.
2. All they talk about is advertising
Reputable press release services know that press releases are meant to highlight your company’s news or achievements – not to advertise products. If the representative is focusing only on your products, you should choose another service.
3. They are sketchy about details
Good press release services will outline exactly how they are going to deliver. If you ask them questions and they don’t give you straight answers, it’s time to move on.
Once you hire a press release service, expect to be kept informed through every step of the writing and distribution process. The company should respond to your emails or calls in a timely manner, and address any concerns you may have.
There are many reputable press release services online; you simply have to watch for the warning signs and select a company that can meet your objectives.
Tuesday, May. 22nd 2012
A popunder is the opposite of a pop-up. Instead of “popping up” when you go to a website, a popunder is concealed under the window of the website until the user clicks out of that window. Then, the popunder, which is itself a window, stays right there for the user to see.
Popunder traffic brings about a high conversion to sales – much more so than banner ads or popups – in part because they are always up-to-date. Besides, they’re maintenance-free; once you set them up, you don’t have to do anything more.
Another good reason to use popunders is that you will get results faster. When you use the search-engine approach to drive traffic to your site, it takes a long time before the crawlers get around to your site and index all of your pages.
A good way to get traffic to your website sooner rather than later is to buy it. Generally speaking, avoid banner ads at the top of other website pages. Few people ever click on those. Besides, emailing webmasters and trying to get them to trade links with you is not only time-consuming but demeaning. You can get traffic quickly by buying popunder traffic. When you do, your web page will be displayed to as many people as you choose, and will piggyback on web pages that people visit regularly.
Once they click out of the website they were viewing, yours is there. You have visitors to your site, and if your website design is what it should be, you can convert those visitors into sales. And, it’s instantaneous! Use a real-time stat counter, and you will be able to see how many people are visiting your website. In addition, by choosing the websites your popunder will be attached to, you can select those visitors who are more likely to be attracted to what you’re offering.
Tuesday, May. 22nd 2012
In the midst of roiling markets and an economy that has even the most stalwart veterans reeling, Microsoft (along with Hewlett-Packard and Nike) announced that its board authorized a share repurchasing program for $40 billion. It also announced an uptick in its quarterly dividend, to 13 cents per share.
According to the company’s press release, “These announcements illustrate our confidence in the long-term growth of the company and our commitment to returning capital to our shareholders,” said Chris Liddell, chief financial officer of Microsoft.
Those interested in Internet marketing note that publicly held companies buy back stock for a number of reasons, including to affirm perceptions that the company is strong, to trigger an uptick in the value of stock (which benefits public shareholders and employee shareholders), and to use extra cash that would not earn substantial returns when invested elsewhere.
Monday, May. 21st 2012
While search engine marketing is a popular Internet marketing method, there are a number of myths surrounding the concept and its utilization, which can cause people to make poor decisions. The most common myths regarding search engine marketing include:
1. People are going to find any website you build
Think of the Internet like a big phone book. A lot of businesses advertise in the phone book, but those that get noticed are those that have large advertisements and a lot of information. Just as you need to put a lot of thought and work into an advertisement in the phone book, you need to put a lot of thought and work into a website in order to get noticed.
2. Submitting a website to a search engine is enough
Yes, submitting to search engines is important, but that would be like putting a special coin in a huge vat full of pennies. You know that it’s in there, but it’s going to be really hard to find among all of the other coins. You need to do something to make it easier to find. That’s where page ranking comes in. Page ranking is like putting that special coin on top of the pile instead of somewhere in the middle. The page rank is going to pull your page close to the top and therefore easier to find.
3. Cloaking and jump pages are going to increase my ranking
The truth is that when you use tactics such as this, you are going to get your website banned. Yes, it may seem like a good idea at the time, but eventually you will get caught and suffer the consequences.
4. I can do the work myself
It’s true that some people are able to get decent results from search engine marketing. However, if you really want to make it on the Internet you should employ the services of an SEO specialist. Yes, you are going to spend money up front, but it’s an investment that will bring in clients who may not have otherwise found your website.
Monday, May. 21st 2012
Anyone can engage in an email marketing campaign but not everyone will succeed. The number one reason people fail at email marketing? They don’t reach their intended target audience.
Top Reasons People Fail At Email Marketing
Many people think email marketing is just a matter of sending an email to people on a list. All too often, the email sent is considered spam because the subject matter it doesn’t interest the recipients.
These emails lack structure, fail to define any benefits, often have a poor heading and subject line, and fail to interest customers in the product or service. Most of them end up in bulk folders or junk files and are deleted before they are read. In the worst-case scenario, the sender is reported to an ISP for spamming. What can you do to improve your email marketing techniques? Plenty!
Email Marketing Tips For Success
If you want to succeed at email marketing, you have to understand the underlying strategy. Successful email marketing uses structure. Internet marketing is part art and part science.
Good emails contain a subject, header and personal introduction. They entice the reader by outlining the benefits of a product or service. They go out to people that are interested in the products and services offered. They often tell a story, such as the story behind the individual selling the products and services. For example, you may tell an anecdote about how you got into the business, how you benefited from your product, and how you are now passing those benefits on to your customers.
You then talk about how the customers benefit. You must then also include a call-to-action. No email marketing campaign is complete without that. Even the most successful email marketing campaigns will go out up to seven times before a customer actually decides to buy the product or service. There are instances when a single email works, but this is rare. So if you don’t succeed at first, then try again. Often it takes a few tries before a target realizes you are interested in serving them well. Once you build that trust they will buy, and often buy again.
Sunday, May. 20th 2012
Largely in response to the scuttlebutt surrounding Yahoo’s deal with Google, the online giant is giving advertisers a seat at the table in its newly formed Digital Advisory Council. According to Yahoo!, “the Council will work collaboratively to explore the continued evolution of digital media and online advertising.”
According to the company’s press release:
The Council will serve as a vehicle for soliciting feedback and will supplement Yahoo!’s daily conversations with advertisers. Active discussion with key customers is an important pillar in making Yahoo! a partner of choice, particularly during a time when competition for ad dollars is as robust as ever. Yahoo!’s Digital Advisory Council will first meet in the fourth quarter of this year.
“As Yahoo! partners with publishers to extend the reach of our network, we have formed the Digital Advisory Council to identify innovative ways to improve advertiser performance, particularly in anticipation of the rollout of Yahoo’s new advertising management platform in the coming months,” said Hilary Schneider, executive vice president, Yahoo! U.S.
Given the revenues generated by Internet marketing and advertising, it’s good that Yahoo! acknowledges advertisers’ contributions to the online landscape.
Sunday, May. 20th 2012
Article marketing is a form of advertising. When a company engages in article marketing, it writes an article on its area of expertise for a newspaper, magazine, radio station, or other medium. The newspaper or other medium agrees to run the business’s contact information along with the article.
Article marketing in traditional media
Article marketing has been around as long as there has been print media. It is generally considered to be a win-win practice for everyone concerned. Media outlets are always trying to produce quality content on a limited budget, and this provides them with free content. They have to do very little besides agree to print or say the name of the company that wrote the article. Businesses are always in need of advertising, and article marketing is one of the least expensive forms of marketing. It costs the company nothing but the time it takes to write the article.
The consumer also benefits from article marketing. Bartering arrangements like this help keep costs down-both the cost of your favorite magazine and the cost of the product related to the article. In addition, these articles often provide very timely information, such as tax in formation in the months before tax time, or seasonal information on how to keep your car in its best condition in the winter or summer. Obviously the company who wrote the article hopes you will consult them for your tax preparation or car repair, but nothing says you have to, and you still get the information.
Article marketing online
Of course, article marketing has taken on a whole new life in its online incarnation. Because online advertising is not local, there is less one-business-to-one-advertiser communication. Instead, clearinghouses for articles have developed. These are known as article directories. A writer or businessperson submits an article to one of these directories, and when an advertiser or other website wants the article, it copies it from the directory. The writer or business who posted the article doesn’t get paid, but the resource box that contains the business’ URL is reprinted along with the article.
Whether it is done in traditional media or online, article marketing is one of the easiest and least expensive means of marketing any product or service. It is a simple trade of time versus space, and everyone benefits when businesses can keep costs down.
Saturday, May. 19th 2012
The passage of anti-spam legislation made email advertising trickier than ever. CAN-SPAM is an Act that forbids unwanted solicitation by email. Can you still engage in email advertising? Of course you can. Email advertising is not illegal. However, CAN-SPAM does mean that you have to play by the rules.
Here is a brief summary of the way CAN-SPAM affects email advertising. If you follow these rules when conducting your email web marketing, you won’t be in violation of the law.
* Make sure you get permission to email people.
* Just to be safe, make sure people double opt-in.
* Make sure you have an unsubscribe option, and if people select it, that you unsubscribe them within 10 days. Make sure that unsubscribing is a one-click process.
* Make sure that the “From” address is the advertiser in the email.
* Don’t use a fake name to advertise.
* Use proper and legitimate subject headings. Don’t lie to get someone’s attention or to encourage him or her to open your email.
* Avoid garbage language – especially the word “free” – because spam filters tend to place these emails in junk folders or bulk folders and they won’t be read.
* Include a physical address in the email – it’s required under the law. It can be your business address or a post office box; it just has to be more than an email address.
If you follow these guidelines, you can usually carry on with your email advertising without a problem. If you use a list other than your own, make sure the person or company you acquire your list from follows these rules as well. You must also make sure the content of your emails is content the user agreed to receive when they signed up for the list.
Saturday, May. 19th 2012
While there are many different search engine marketing avenues you could take to build your online business, three in particular are considered the best. One of the best decisions you can make in creating a strong and successful website is to use all three. With these three search engine marketing elements, you immediately increase your chances of beating out your competition.
* Search Engine Optimization – Also known as SEO, search engine optimization is by far the best tool for search engine marketing. If you want to generate targeted traffic to your site, it is imperative that you use search engine optimization, which involves using relevant keywords and phrases that people use when they search for the kinds of products and services you offer. The goal with SEO is to get your website in a top ranking position on both large and small search engines.
* Pay-per-Click – The acronym for this type of search engine marketing is PPC, and the most popular PPC program is Google AdWords. Yes, pay-per-click can be costly but if managed carefully, it can increase the number of potential customers and, in turn, sales.
* Articles – The third important type of search engine marketing is writing articles. Keep in mind, if you are not comfortable doing your own writing, for a reasonable rate you can hire someone to do it for you. Articles need to be written in a way whereby people are provided useful information relating to the product/service you sell, while also being rich with keywords and phrases. Once the articles are completed, they need to be submitted to various article directories. By providing a link taking the reader back to your site, you increase the number of potential customers and increase your search engine ranking.
Many online businesses choose only one means of search engine marketing. While it might help to some degree, these businesses will never reach their full potential. Instead, by using these three methods you exponentially increase the potential for building and maintaining website traffic. Once your site begins to get more traffic, all you have to do is sit back and relax, enjoying the fruits of your labor while the marketing does the majority of the work for you.
The opportunities for search engine marketing and advertising are very exciting. However, with there being so much online competition, you need to take the extra steps to maintain your high search position. So, make sure to take advantage of other Internet marketing strategies as well.
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