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February 28, 2008

Did You Go Broke With Adwords?

Many people marketing a business on the Internet have heard of Google AdWords at one point or another. You can do certain things to make Adwords profitable. Consequently, you can nearly lose your shirt as well if you lack a solid understanding of AdWords & how it really works.

Google is all about relevancy. Google places a huge emphasis on this for their users and this is a key central concept in understanding. You can avoid getting charged $5 or $10 for a click if you take some precautionary but often necessary steps.

1. Create an ad campaign that closely matches similar keywords.

For example, you sell dog grooming hair brushes.

Your initial thought may be to bid on keywords like "pet" and "pet supplies." Google considers these as general keywords. People looking for dog grooming hair brushes will not most likely look for "pet supplies."

The person looking for a dog grooming hair brush already knows what he or she wants. You want your ad to target that person directly and your conversation rates will increase.

Group and bid on keywords like "dog grooming supplies," "dog grooming brushes," and "dog grooming hair brushes." Each of these keyword phrases has one thing in common: the phrase "dog grooming." These are relevant. Make sure each keyword in each ad group has one common word or phrase.

2. Make sure the body copy contains keywords.

When you write the actual copy for your ads, you need to have the keywords you bid on written into the ad.

This helps driver laser focused traffic to your site, Google rewards you by having a higher position for lower cost, your ad is shown more and you please the Google users because you provide exactly what they are looking for.

(Hint: The name of the game is relevancy).

3. Put your keyword in the Adwords ad headline, body and display URL address.

When someone searches for a specific keyword, all the listings that contain that keyword, whether it is in the metatags, in the name of the web address or in the headline, are bolded to make it stand out to the searcher.

In this way, everyone wins. The user gets exactly what they searched for. Google wins because that user will return again due to his satisfaction. And ultimately, you benefit from it because you potentially gained a new subscriber or customer and that means cash in your pocket in the end.

4. Create a landing page for each keyword you bid on.

One of the tricks to getting higher relevancy and higher quality scores in Google's mind is to drive traffic to very specific landing pages.

Each keyword you bid on should be slightly altered so when someone clicks on your ad, they still see the same keyword or something very similar to it in the headline and in the body of your copy on your website.

For example, you search for "dog trainers in Seattle." You see an ad that says "Dog Trainers in Seattle." You think to yourself this is exactly what you wanted. You click on the ad to go to the website.

The first thing you read on the web site is "3 Dog Trainers In Seattle Reveal Shocking Secrets that Show You How You Can Fix The Top 10 Most Common Dog Problems Without Having To Pay $1000s In Consultation Fees...All From The Comfort Of Your Own Home."

This website tells you exactly what you are looking for. Fido has some problem you want to fix but yet you are on a budget. And you want someone you can go to locally, not someone who is based out of Atlanta, Georgia.

Posted by billenross at 06:24 PM | Comments (0)

February 25, 2008

Why You Need A Blog

Blogging used to be just a method for stating your opinion, but now blogs are used to opine, to review, and to sell. In fact, many Internet marketers base their entire business around blogging.

Here's why.

Blogging is really just basic communication. All it takes is a computer and an internet connection and you can set up a free blog on one of the many blogging services.

Its flexibility is also one of its outstanding features. There are numerous platforms to blog from, from Wordpress to Joomla to Drupal, and dozens more in between. And even if you don't want to host your blog, you can set one up at one of the many free blog services like Blogger or Wordpress.com. And even if you use the free services, you can always take your blog to your own server at a later date.

Many people also feel that blogs create an intimate atmosphere for learning and research. A blog can create a simple credibility that can help sell your products because it helps create an "Everyman" aura, that is, a stripped down, hype-free way to talk about products.

If your opinions get read and respected, you might find that your credibility will begin to increase around a particular subject. People will begin to look to you to offer your opinions on forthcoming issues. And once you are established and considered an expert in a niche, your ability to sell from your blog will increase dramatically.

Once you are established, don't be afraid to ask people to sign up to your list. This will be a list where you can reach your readers at a moment's notice. A great way to utilize this list is to send a message to it when you have made a new post to your blog, and encourage your readers to not only read your new article but comment on it.

By using your list in this manner, your subscribers won't feel that you are using your list merely to sell to them. Of course, you can sell to them from your blog, and if your readers begin to comment on your posts, you are helping to enhance your blog's stickiness.

Blogging is a terrific tool for any Internet marketing business. Done in the correct manner (meaning that if you intend to build your credibility, you should blog in the most personal manner possible), you'll be blogging your way to success in no time.

Posted by billenross at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2008

eMail Marketing

We all like to look at our email stats, especially when we have good open rates and our list size is increasing. What should be done, then, if you notice that your list is growing smaller or your open rates have gone down? It's time to get some answers and do something about it.

When subscribers to your list don't open your emails anymore it's known as list fatigue. They're not exactly unsubscribing and yet they're not opening your emails. Why is this happening? Without taking into account the bounces, here are some probable causes:

1. Perhaps they are no longer interested in the subject of your emails. They may have new interests, and there's not a whole lot you can do about that.

2. Are the spam filters catching your emails? Make sure you're not using words that the filters think are spam. Do a search for the current list of spam words and find other ways to say the same thing.

3. Sometimes subscribers opt-in with an email address that they don't check very often, if at all. What you need to do from the beginning is encourage them to sign up with their primary email address.

4. You might be sending them too many emails and they're getting tired of you. If this is happening, slow yourself down and don't send so many, especially the promotional kind.

5. You've given them helpful information in the past and they stay on hoping you'll send them something else they need. So far, your email subject lines have been boring. Take a good look at the content of your emails. Are you sending valuable information or just promotions? Also look hard at your email subject lines. They need to be intriguing and catchy. Start a swipe file of your favorite lines.

The best bet is to try to prevent inactive subscribers before they happen. Here are some ways to engage your subscribers:

1. Give high quality content. People will rush to open your emails if you always over-deliver.

2. Survey your list and find out what information they want from you. This shows you care about them and their needs. It also gets your emails opened.

3. Hold a contest that's relevant to your niche and get your readers to respond.

4. Give people a call to action and be specific. Ask them to respond to an email you sent or leave a comment on your blog. Ask them about their successes or ask them what their opinion is on such-and-such product.

5. Drop tantalizing hints about what the next email is going to be about. Leave them wondering and wanting to read your next email.

List fatigue happens, but you can take active measures to minimize it. Always remember that you're writing your email to real people and when you have something good to say, they'll want to read it.

Posted by billenross at 04:20 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2008

Protecting Your Computer Online and Off

ncreasingly sophisticated software, faster networks and online communication have brought many technological advances and benefits. However, with it have come increased security risks including many previously unknown ones as the bad guys harness this very same technology to further their evil ends.

Some of the more common threats and ways of overcoming them are:

Viruses - These are malicious software codes that cause undesirable effects on your computer. A virus is designed to spread itself without the knowledge of the computer user. A computer may become infected through downloads from the internet using CD's or disks with infected programs or from other computers on the network. Another extremely common way viruses spread is through infected email attachments. Given the many modes of transmission viruses are clearly a threat online as well as offline. The old adage "Prevention is better than the cure" is particularly true in the case of computer viruses. You can save yourself a whole heap of trouble and countless hours of misery by avoiding infection in the first place rather than trying to repair the effects of viral infection. Some simple rules can help you achieve this:

1. Install a reliable and reputable anti virus software and run regular scans. Preferably have the scan run on boot up.

2. New computer viruses are created everyday. Ensure that your anti-virus software is kept up to date with the latest virus definitions.

3. Do not download software from questionable or unknown sources. Always scan software using your anti-virus software before executing or installing on your computer.

4. Do not open email attachments from unknown senders. It is best to use an anti-virus software that automatically scans your email and can warn you if any threats are detected.

Worms - These are a type of virus which replicates itself and takes control of computer resources. The main distinction between a worm and other viruses is that a worm does not necessarily have to live within a host program and can run itself.

Trojans - these are malicious programs that masquerade as something useful thereby enticing the computer user to execute them and unleash their nasty payload.

Spyware - these are programs usually installed secretly along with other software whose purpose is to capture information about the computer user, the computer installation and other sensitive information about computer usage. This information may then be transmitted to a third party either by email or through the software "calling home" to transmit information to a remote website. Depending on the nature of information collected and transmitted this could pose a serious security risk.

Adware - propagated in a manner similar to spyware, these programs serve to pop up advertisements on the user's internet browser or desktop. These programs too may capture information about the user's browsing or purchasing habits so that advertisements may be tailored to suit.

Keyloggers - These are programs that record keystrokes entered through the keyboard and then secretly transmit this information to a third party. Naturally this can expose passwords, credit card details and other important information.

Control of worms, trojans, keyloggers, spyware and adware is achieved using similar strategies to those adopted for viruses, namely using appropriate anti-virus software including spyware and adware scanners and avoiding executing programs obtained from unknown sources.

Hackers accessing and taking control of a computer is another serious risk especially today with the widespread use of "always on" broadband internet. Hackers may exploit vulnerabilities in legitimate software or use trojans or viruses they have implanted to gain control of a computer which they can then use for sending unsolicited commercial emails (spam) or for other illegal activities. The idea here is to shield the perpetrator from detection as the illegal activity appears to originate from the computer they have taken control of.

In order to minimize risk of hacking attacks it is important to ensure that software used including the operating system is kept up to date by installing all vendor supplied updates and upgrades especially critical and security related updates. An effective firewall is another vital defence against unauthorized access by third parties. A firewall could be installed on the modem used to connect to the internet or as a software program that runs on the computer. The firewall serves to control who and what programs are allowed to accept or make connections with the internet. A firewall can also be useful in detecting and controlling programs like keyloggers which attempt to call home.

Phishing is another security phenomenon that has seen an alarming increase in recent years. Criminals are employing increasingly convincing and sophisticated means of sending emails which appear to originate from legitimate websites. However, links in these emails actually lead to websites controlled by them where they can capture valuable personal information such as logins and passwords. This is commonly used to cheat unsuspecting users by tricking them into revealing online bank login details etc. The golden rule in dealing with phishing attempts is to treat all emails which request personal information with at least skepticism if not suspicion. Never click a link in an email and enter login information or other personal information as the ultimate destination of that link may be cleverly concealed. When logging into online banking sites for instance always type the address in the browsers address bar. It is also important to pay attention to security features on webpages where sensitive information is input. A webpage address that starts with https: and shows a padlock symbol is secure. This means that any information transmitted from that website is encrypted and is therefore not at risk if intercepted.

There are offline risks to your computer as well. For instance it is important to select strong passwords which cannot easily be guessed. Ideally they should be at least 8 characters long and not consist of a regular word or name and comprise a combination of numeric and non-numeric characters. The strongest password would serve no purpose however, if a hacker is able to get you to disclose it to him. It is important to always be on the look out for social engineering attempts which aim to get you to unknowingly or knowingly reveal sensitive information such as passwords.

Needless to say physical security of your computer is also vital. The best antivirus software and firewall will not protect a laptop left in full view in an unlocked car! Maintenance and adequate care of hardware should not be neglected either. Regular backups stored in a location away from your principal computer and uninterruptable power supplies are good ideas to protect the integrity of your hardware and data stored thereon.

Perhaps the only way that comes close to completely eliminating every possible risk to your computer is to never turn it on and store it in a locked vault! However, even that may not work one hundred percent of the time. Nevertheless, it is possible to minimize your risk to an acceptable level by following common sense and adopting some of the simple rules discussed above.

Posted by billenross at 10:06 PM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2008

Motivation

All of us, no matter where life leads us, need to be positively motivated to succeed. That is especially true when things are not going our way and when business projects that we have undertaken just do not seem to come off as expected. This is the point when fear can creep into our thinking and that nagging little voice says, this is not going to work.

So what do you do?

Well first, steer clear of negative people. Sometimes these people can be your nearest and dearest, but this is not the time to confide your doubts and fears to them. Seek out positive, enthusiastic people from your acquaintances, family or friends. Assume their positive and confident outlooks on life. Find and read good motivational books.

Think success and go back and re-tackle the issues that are holding back your project. Often it is just a matter of tweaking aspects of the operation to get it moving. If you have done the research properly there has to be a reason that things are not going right. Persistence will pay dividends in the end. If you have the desire to succeed this will inevitably provide the driving force and energy required to get you to where you need to go. This is personal motivation in action. This is the energy and desire working together to achieve a positive result.

It is very easy to get down and depressed when things do not go your way. It is very easy to give in to fear and despair, but these attitudes only lead to less success. Talking with negative people increases depression and loss of motivation. In a sense we are what we think and we do need to motivate ourselves to achieve.

In a way it is harder to claim the positive because it requires energy but being negative saps energy, while being positive generates energy. Being positive generates motivation and enthusiastic motivation produces results. Nothing is a lost cause, it just requires thoughtful restructuring at worst or minor tweaking at best. You just need the motivation and enthusiasm to carry it through.

Life can be hard but look for the positives in everything, even the difficult situations. Have a joy for life, mix with positive, energetic people. Allow their enthusiasm and motivational attitudes to penetrate the shell of depression that is clogging your life. Develop goals and regain the motivation and drive in your life.

Posted by billenross at 06:35 AM | Comments (0)

February 10, 2008

The Key To Business Success

The average person thinks of a business person as either some kind of poker-faced accountant or some cherubic extroverted sales person. You rarely read an article in the popular medium about an imaginative business person or often hear of one who is highly creative, artistic, and imaginative.

The popular concept of a business person espoused by the media is someone who is rather dull and linear in their thinking. They are referred to more often as "hard-nosed" and "practical." In fact, many business people themselves buy into this erroneous stereotype.

Yet imagination is the heart of business success. While corporations themselves may appear to be based on buttoned-down rules and regulations, the entrepreneurs who started them have all, without exception, been highly creative and imaginative. Those corporations that remain innovative and progressive still retain some themes of imaginative expression.

Napoleon Hill, in his perennially popular book, Think And Grow Rich, goes into great detail about the seminal role of imagination in business success.

He talks about two types of imaginative faculties: "synthetic" imagination and "creative" imagination.

Through synthetic imagination, a person arranges old concepts, ideas, plans, and business models into new combinations. Now while nothing new is created, the new pattern yields surprising results.

For example, the self-help grocery store where customers do all the work of shopping is now very familiar to us, and we can't even remember when things were different.

However, the original business model was to have people come up to the counter of a shop and present their list to the sales clerk who would then run around the store and fetch it for them.

Now, with the use of aisles, clear directional signing, and shopping carts, the job of a store is to keep it stocked and check people out.

In fact, even this idea of checking people out is becoming obsolete, with many stores now offering people the option to check themselves out. Thus, the customer does all the work. Pulling out and wheeling the shopping cart, selecting products, and checking themselves out, and carrying their own bags to their cars.

The result of this arrangement is that everyone is happier. The customer gets to be in control of their shopping experience and the retailer can handle many more customers.

The creative imagination borders on the mystical.

Here is how Napoleon Hill describes it:

"Through the faculty of creative imagination, the finite mind of man had direct communication with Infinite Intelligence. It is the faculty through which 'hunches' and 'inspirations' are received. It is by this faculty that all basic, or new ideas are handed over to man. It is through this faculty that individuals may "tune in," or communicate with the subconscious mind of other men."

An example of creative imagination is the invention of the original recipe of Coca Cola, which went on to spawn the entire soft drink industry.

Business, then, is far from being a game of conservative rule-playing. It is humming with imaginative ideas on how to serve the marketplace. This aspect of business is seldom mentioned in the media and we are often mislead to believe that creative and synthetic imagination is only the domain of the artist.

The business person, especially the entrepreneur, who starts to exercise more imagination, will notice many more ways to make money, creating new channels of supply and demand for the marketplace.

Posted by billenross at 10:12 PM | Comments (0)