Downright Fascinating Social Media and Web Commerce Trends
November 15, 2008
Downright Fascinating Social Media and Web Commerce Trends
The following is important fodder for eBay sellers, ecommerce sites, and general Web commerce audiences. It’s even fascinating to the lay person. That said,…
Marianne Kolbasuk McGee wrote a great article on Web trends in the November 26, 2007 issue of InformationWeek. There is so much going on in this market.. the mind reels. Here’s a taste from the lead:
“The old days of companies tightly controlling a marketing message are gone…The interactive forces of the Internet - including social networking sites, online discussion boards, and blogs - are arming consumers with tools that can quickly and exponentially spread the word to other would-be customers if a product stinks or a company blunders… Companies such as Charles Schwab and OnStar are creating Internet platforms to literally read the minds of consumers, seeking out insights that directly drive their new product strategies.” [my emphasis]
This reminded me of AdWords, of course. AdWords is great for driving business or clicks to your site via general advertising techniques. However, what a lot of people don’t realize is that AdWords is a great tool for testing promos, floating new ideas, and reading the minds of consumers. And it’s cheap!.. given the right niched-out keywords.
The article details various ways companies like FedEx, eBay, Schwab and others are using the social connectivity of Web 2.0 (I hate saying Web 2.0, but I did, shame) to their advantage. FedEx’s CIO Rob Carter says, (paraphrased from the article) “The explosive growth of this connectivity has been ‘completely underestimated’ in how it will affect society and markets.” I concur.
The article also talks about some fascinating new trends, like having your Second Life avatar or character purchase things for you or book reservations for you online. I know, that sounds crazy. But think about it. Why the heck not? If you build the right character, with all your tastes, desires, wish lists and so forth, why not set him free on a shopping spree? I’ve never played Second Life, but I assume there are vendors in there, like Amazon.com. (If you know how this works, please comment below and enlighten us.) FedEx’s Carter comments in the article, “Second Life has enough momentum to make us wonder: What if this identity I’ve built could spill over into my daily life and get things done for me?” Your avatar would be like an information robot – tuned to all your preferences and guided by “business rules” that determine decisions.
Carter extends the concepts further, saying, “The greatest opportunities lie in socially networking corporations together – horizontally, across business processes, which don’t necessarily live within your four walls anymore.” Great example = Gaming like Second Life supporting commerce like FedEx and Amazon.com.
The article describes how some companies like OnStar use Nielsen BuzzMetrics to analyze how they’re performing in “consumer-generated media.” This is another hot topic, worthy of another post, probably.
There’s a cool story about Dell’s celebrity advertising campaigns, too. I’ll blog more on that later, too.
In the mean time, read the article. It’s a mind bender.
Enter to Win 250 Free Postcards - Exclusive Offer from UPrinting and The Marketing Blog
November 13, 2008
Enter to Win 250 Free Postcards - Exclusive Offer from UPrinting and The Marketing Blog
Everyone knows how effective postcard marketing can be. Postcards offer a great way to cut through clutter and move your target audience to action. The Marketing Blog has teamed up with UPrinting.com to offer you a chance to win 250 free postcards (details at bottom of post).
Direct marketing has become quite costly these days. With increased printing costs, paper, and postage, making the most of your direct marketing budget is more important that ever before. That’s where postcard marketing comes into play. Postcards can cut through clutter and put your promotion in front of your prospects quickly and easily.
How can you make your postcard marketing deliver exceptional result? Follow these helpful tips for generating profitable postcard campaigns.
2. Develop a compelling offer. Make sure that your offer is valuable enough to generate action. Free samples, buy-one-get-one offers, and so on, are most effective.
3. Make sure you’re using a quality postcard. The vehicle you use to communicate your message says a lot about your company, products, and brand. Use heavy card stock and an over sized format.
4. Provide a teaser. The purpose of most postcard campaigns is to generate some type of action. This could be a visit to your store, website, or 1-800 number. One of the most effective ways is with a teaser that encourages individuals to learn more by visiting your website or visiting your store.
5. Test. Test multiple postcard sizes, offers, and designs. The key to successful postcard marketing is to continually test and improve your campaigns with the knowledge you gain from each mailing.
To get started on an effective postcard campaign, enter our free drawing. Simply follow these instructions.
How to Enter
1. Become a Fan of Postcards by logging into Facebook.com and going to the page:
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2. Leave a comment at the end of this blog post by clicking on the comments link, using your Facebook name/username and tell us what you would use the postcards for.
Prize
250 Postcards for 1 Lucky Reader
You can choose from any of our stocks, including the Extra Thick 14pt. Cover: Gloss (AQ), Matte or the 13 pt. Cover Uncoated (Recycled) stock at a size of 4×6.
Rules
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Postcards provide by UPrinting.com. UPrinting.com offers a full spectrum of printing services for postcards. We offer custom sizing and templates as well as design help through our U-Design service. We also offer mailing services to help you get your finished postcards out to your customers in an efficient, affordable and hassle free way.
Matched.co. uk and Pepperjamnetwork Payment Proofs
November 13, 2008
Matched.co. uk and Pepperjamnetwork Payment Proofs
Olympics Medal Tally Resuts Day 14
November 13, 2008
Olympics Medal Tally Resuts Day 14
Countries in the lead in Medal Tally Results count as of Day 14 5:30PM
1. USA
Gold-30
Silver-35
Bronze-35
Total-100
2. China
Gold- 46
Silver-15
Bronze-22
Total- 83
3. Russia
Gold- 16
Silver-16
Bronze-21
Total- 53
4. Great Britain
Gold- 18
Silver-12
Bronze-11
Total- 41
5. Australia
Gold- 11
Silver-14
Bronze-16
Total- 41
You can subscribe to this blog to be updated instantly for the Beijing Olympics Final Results.
Related Links
Day 13 Olympic Medal Tally
Day 12 Olympic Medal Tally
Day 11 Olympic Medal Tally
Day 10 Olympic Medal Tally
Day 9 Medal Tally
Day 8 Medal Tally
Day 7 Medal Tally
Final Results
Champion of the Beijing Olympics Games
How SEO and Blogs can help boost real estate sales
November 9, 2008
How SEO and Blogs can help boost real estate sales
Real estate is big business. You don’t need me to tell you that. Not just online but offline as well. Many real estate agencies fail to use the internet to their advantage. Yes, having a website is great. You can have people browse real estate listings whether buying a home or renting an apartment.
Real estate, being the billion dollar industry it is, can make for difficult optimization.
An real estate agency has a substantially better chance of increasing traffic to it’s website by focusing it’s optimization efforts toward a specific geographical area. Doing so will help in establishing a presence for the site while eliminating the need to compete based on standard industry termed content that will not differentiate an agency in Seattle from an agency in Sarasota. A Blog is a great way to begin achieving results by sticking to this formula. The idea behind a blog is that you can create optimized content that your potential clients would find useful and bring them to your site. Simply include your geographically related keywords and phrases in the content. For example, if you have listings for apartments in NY, a good posting for a blog might be “What to Look For When Apartment Shopping in NYC”. You could discuss what a renter should look for when shopping for an apartment in NYC, the necessity of renter’s insurance in NYC, overpriced areas of NYC, etc… Try to keep the content fresh and exciting to read. Remember, people may come across your article on a search engine and consequently decide to visit your site and use your services.
One thing that has made a blog a valuable tool is RSS. RSS lets us announce information as soon as it happens. How does this help a realtor? Let’s say I am hunting for an apartment. I may not have the time to check your site every few hours for updated listings. If I have a “my yahoo page”, my MSN or any RSS reader set up, I would know instantly that a listing became available.
With RSS, you won’t have to worry about spam filters blocking your emails. It’s beneficial for both clients and agents.
The point is to stand out from your competition. Setting up a blog and utilizing RSS are two ways that can be achieved. Also, try to set the goal of becoming the most valuable resource for information pertaining to your market and specialty.
Whether buying or renting, people need a place to turn to for information. If you can provide it, you will have plenty of traffic and clients to match.
Visit Joe’s site for Affordable SEO His podcast offers Information and tips on SEO For articles on SEOvisit his blog
Testing My SEO Skills “Captivating Capiz”
November 9, 2008
Testing My SEO Skills “Captivating Capiz”
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Mary Antoinette Rivero Lost In Women’s 57-67 kg Match
November 9, 2008
Mary Antoinette Rivero Lost In Women’s 57-67 kg Match
Mary “Toni” Rivero is a veteran in Taekwondo having made it to the finals in Athens Olympics at the age of 16 and almost brought home the bronze for the Philippines.
At the world qualifying tournament in Manchester last year, Rivero beat Brnic of Bosnia Herzogovina and Cherkun of Ukraine but lost to Saric in a sudden death kick-0ff. Rocky Samson, the national women’s coach protested Saric’s victory insisting that the sudden death was for a right kick in the arm. It shouldn’t have been counted. When Rivero countered on the open side, it should have been a point as well, but the judges failed to see it.
This time again in the Beijing Olympics 2008, Rivero lost to Saric. A total disappointment for Rivero. But there is no doubt that Rivero is a very good Taekwondo fighter. We “Filipinos” fully support her and are proud of her and the other Filipino athletes in the Olympics.
Market Your Products On EBay: Making Money In Tough Times
November 9, 2008
Market Your Products On EBay: Making Money In Tough Times
As times get tough more and more businesses are turning to ebay. Whether you’re trying to sell your own inventory, or trying to make big money selling products or services from other manufacturers, ebay is thriving in these uncertain times.
There are a variety of marketing programs to help you succeed on ebay. Here are the most popular:
1) SaleHoo Wholesale/eBay Directory. Stop spinning your wheels and join one of the largest, safest wholesale communities on the internet. Over 50,000 other online sellers, retailers and bargain hunters have discovered the best place to find legitimate, pre-screened wholesalers, drop shippers, liquidators and manufacturers for every type of product imaginable.
2) Build A Niche Store. Succeed as an eBay affiliate. Build A Niche Store (BANS) is a store / website development platform which enables you to create content based sites that generate income through the eBay affiliate programs. Over the past year and a half our “Niche Store” concept has really evolved and BANS has grown into a “proven” product with lots of positive feedback and success stories scattered across the web.
3) Auction Acrobat - eBay Delivery Automation Software. The most viable solution to eBay’s digital product ban. Auction Acrobat is not just a software but an automated sales machine that delivers CD/DVD’s, build a buyer list, and much much more… Now you can make long term residual income on eBay without selling!
4) Make Money On eBay And Your Own Website. Access 500 true drop shippers! This free turnkey ecommerce website is stocked with 200,000 drop ship products, allowing you to sell online without purchasing any inventory of your own. Free hosting and free domain names are available.
5) Content Website Builder. Create a website in 2 easy steps for eBay. Content Website Builder is an easy to use website creation software. You can make websites with hundreds of self-updating dynamic pages with keyword rich text, images, and videos. Integrated eBay, Adsense, Amazon, Yahoo!Answers and YouTube.
6) Auction Classified Cash. This product shows you how to create the perfect eBay classified ads that put more cash into your pocket and more subscribers on your lists. This program is most effective for those new to eBay or looking to improve the profitability of their sales.
7) The Silent Sales Machine Hiding On EBay. This top selling products is approaching 100,000 copies sold. Called one of the “most creative eBay ebooks ever written” by leading affiliate magazines, The Silent Sales Machine Hiding On Ebay is your key to eBay success. The product includes free upgrades (version 6 Releasing Soon).
Money Animal. Don’t let the name fool you. This product just launched and includes an exceptional member network and affiliate support. Learn to work from home by following step-by-step instruction for traffic using Adwords and EBay for online income. Full support is provided. See there sales page!
9) Auction Inspector. Niche software for eBay. If you are struggling to find profitable products to sell on eBay, then the Auction Inspector is for you. They guarantee to find you products that will make you money and that you can actually sell on eBay.
10) Become An eBay PowerSeller In 90 Days. This program has helped 1000s of people gain eBay PowerSeller status and achieve their online goals. Work from the comfort of your own home and earn the income you deserve.
Selling on ebay is a great marketing solution in today’s tough economic times. Learn to sell on eBay and your business will thrive even though the market continues to tumble. Marketing on ebay is easy to do and requires little or no startup costs.
PPC Bully Shows You How To Improve Your Pay Per Click Results
November 9, 2008
PPC Bully Shows You How To Improve Your Pay Per Click Results
In the last couple of years, most marketers have increased their spend on Pay Per Click advertising at a faster rate than any other type of marketing. Why? Because Pay-per-click advertising, a.k.a PPC, is one of the most effective ways to target your prospects with the right message at the right time. And the greatest aspect of PPC? It’s measurable.
As an online marketer, I have companies asking me to review their products on a daily basis. To be truthful, I only review those products that I think can provide benefit to whatever I happen to be working on at the moment. I know it might seem selfish, but I’m only interested in tools that are going to improve my marketing results.
Enter PPC Bully. For the last couple of months, I’ve been spending a lot of time improving my pay per click results. I think the major driver is that sales on some of my key products are slowing - due to the lagging economy and reluctance of consumers to spend. As a result, I’ve been looking toward PPC to help manage my marketing budget and improve results.
What I found unique about this product is that it helped me to create profitable, fully optimized PPC campaigns, the minute I launched them.
As you already know, pay-per-click campaigns take a lotof trial and error. You set up your keywords, write yourads and track conversions until you find just the rightcombination that works the best.
PPC Bully, a brand new research and analysis tool, allows you to know up front what works - and what doesn’t. You get to see exactly what your competitors are doing, cash inon their “test” and launch with the most lucrative combinations possible. To better understand how PPC Bully works, check out the demo video on their homepage. It walks you through the basic process.
I guarantee that you will be amazed at how helpful and beneficial this tool can be for your marketing efforts. I was using two other tools to help with my PPC and I’ve stopped using them in exchange for this one.
Enjoy,
Michael - Internet Marketing Expert
Testing My SEO Skills “Captivating Capiz”
November 9, 2008
Testing My SEO Skills “Captivating Capiz”
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