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Friday, December 31, 2010

2011 Is Sure To Be Great

Friday, December 31, 2010


New Year resolutions, reflecting back at 2010, and thinking about 2011 is what the next couple days are all about. When I think back about this year, I'm feeling so grateful for everything that I've experienced, the new friends I have made, and the goals I've achieved.

Things aren't always smooth but as long as you stay focused on your goals, you have nothing to be disappointed about. I recently spoke to a student who was upset about a recent web project that didn't succeed. I encouraged him to stay the course. With each failure there must be an equivalent success. By focusing on results, not the work itself, we can move ourselves in the direction we want to go.

Over the next few days, relax. Be grateful for all the experiences you've had during the year. Each of your experiences has brought you to this place, right where you are. Internet marketing, search engines, and other online promotions will still be there in 2011. One thing is certain though, they will change. Make it your goal to get more involved with online marketing in the coming year and stay on top of everything marketing.

As many of you know, I have published a couple of books and plan to continue publishing well into the future. I recently noticed that my royalties are growing for digital editions of my book. This was something that starting in 2010 but will only get bigger in 2011. What other changes are on the horizon? I don't know for sure but as marketers we need to lead the charge. New websites, new online promotions, continued growth in social media will be the norm.

Stay focused, enjoy what you do, and continue to improve your marketing knowledge. I'm looking forward to more blogging in 2011 and hearing from more of you through comments and guest posts. All the best to you and your family and Happy New Year!

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Friday, December 17, 2010

David Bain's 26 Week Internet Marketing Course

Friday, December 17, 2010



The best way to get really good in Internet marketing is by learning from an Internet Marketing Expert.  I can say that with confidence because personal experience has taught me that trying to successfully navigate the Internet marketing landscape is not easy task.  With more than a decade of experience it's clear to me that having a mentor and learning from others who have already taken the journey is the fastest, most effective way to learn about marketing and making money online.

 

Click Here to Learn About The Free 26-Week Internet Marketing Plan Framework

Being involved with SEO and Internet marketing, I've been blessed with meeting many qualified Internet marketing experts who are looking to help others succeed online.  David Bain is no exception.  David has been teaching Internet marketing for years and has reached thousands of students.  After personally reviewing his program I can tell you that it is one of the best, most comprehensive (although easy to understand) programs I've ever seen! 

 

The 26-Week Internet Marketing Program is the most comprehensive program for learning about online marketing tactics, showing you precisely what it takes to run a successful internet marketing campaign.  This online training program is ideal for website owners, bloggers, marketing managers, business owners and entrepreneurs.

David Bain, the founder and producer of the 26-Week Internet Marketing Plan is giving away this online marketing framework as a mindmap - very cool. Click here to check it out.

I've taken a very close look at David's materials and can share with you all of the different areas he covers in this one-of-a-kind program.  What I personally like is that content is given in reasonable chunks over an extended period of time.  In just a few minutes each day you can accumulate the knowledge that many so called "Internet marketers" still do not possess.

Here’s an overview of what’s included in the 26 Week Internet Marketing Course:

MODULE #1: WEBSITE STRUCTURE
  • Week 1: Market Research & Business Strategy
  • Week 2: Keyword Research
  • Week 3: Site Structure
  • Week 4: Data Capture & Marketing Funnel
  • Week 5: Conversion Rates
  • Week 6: Visitor Tracking

MODULE #2: GET SOCIAL; TURN ON THE TAP!
  • Week 7: Blogging
  • Week 8: RSS
  • Week 9: Twitter, LinkedIn,  Facebook
  • Week 10: Social Media Syndication
  • Week 11: Reputation Management
  • Week 12: Press Releases
  • Week 13: Pay Per Click

MODULE #3: LINK BUILDING
  • Week 14: Major Directories
  • Week 15: Niche Directories and Review Sites
  • Week 16: Location Specific Marketing
  • Week 17: Competitor Backlinks
  • Week 18: Beg, Barter or Buy
  • Week 19: Blog & Forum Comments
  • Week 20: Guest Posts

MODULE #4: CONTENT MARKETING
  • Week 21: E-Books and Viral PDFs
  • Week 22: Content Hubs and Feeder Sites
  • Week 23: Article Marketing
  • Week 24: Audio and Video
  • Week 25: Blog and Web 2.0 Site Distribution
  • Week 26: Bookmarking and Social Sharing
The actual mindmap goes into a lot more detail, breaking each week down into the individual tasks you'll be working on to learn the in's and out's of Internet marketing. Click here to view the full 26-Week Internet Marketing Plan Framework.

Start the new year off right with a commitment to learning. I know how good and effective David's material are - especially this program which was recently updated to include the latest and greatest online marketing tactics.  I encourage you to check it out if you want to succeed online in 2011.

P.S. If you purchase David's program using one of the links above, be sure to send me a note/comment on this blog.  I'd be happy to send you a FREE copy of my SEO training videos ($297 value) at no cost.  Happy Holidays!!!

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Saturday, December 11, 2010

National Email Unsubscribe Day January 3, 2011

Saturday, December 11, 2010




This morning I was sifting emails and realized that I've been receiving a large number of emails that I probably should have unsubscribed from by now. You know which emails I'm talking about - the ones that don't annoy you enough to unsubscribe from but at the same time provide absolutely no value.

I also noticed that a number of the emails are actually somewhat difficult to unsubscribe from. Not only is this boarding on violating CAN SPAM legislation from years ago, but is simply a nuisance. My first thought as a Marketer was to create a master list of companies that one can receive email from and then rate how frequently emails are sent (daily, weekly, etc.) and how valuable they truly are. Now that would be a long list!

For example, companies like Vista Print send TONS of emails once you buy something from them. Is this really necessary? I guess they're making money from it all but the good news is that it's relatively easy to unsubscribe. Have you had an annoying experience with email? I bet you have. We've all experienced messaging that was either excessive or just not useful.

National Email Unsubscribe Day January 3, 2011
 
Instead of building a list I thought it might be even better for Marketers and Consumers to do a little house cleaning, I mean email purging. Personally, if someone is receiving my emails and just deleting them, I'd rather they not be on my list form a marketing perspective. Having a clean email list is great for us because it allows us to better understand our true reach and effectiveness with marketing campaigns.

From the consumer side, why fill up server after server with useless junk. Think about how much more productive we'd be if we didn't have to wade through hundreds of unwanted emails each week.

Instead of just talking about it, I really want to do something about it... but I need your help.

I'm declaring January 3rd and National Email Cleanup Day. That's right.. in the beginning of the new year, I'm picking a day for all the world to unsubscribe from unwanted emails, delete emails that have been lying in your Inbox or saved folders for more and a few months, and make a statement about careless marketing tactics. Essentially I'm asking you to help me cleaning up our virtual world. Fewer emails means less computing power needed, less waste, less pollution, and more free time. Will you help me spread the word?

Can we spread this message throughout the world? I think we can. Send a link to this post to 3 of your friends or simply send them a message about January 3rd. Facebook it, Tweet it, share it on your favorite social media site. Let's see how we can change the world with just a few emails :), posts, and shares!


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Sunday, December 05, 2010

Improve Website Conversions!

Sunday, December 05, 2010





Improving your web site conversion rate is the most important thing you can focus on this holiday season if you want to increase revenue. Almost every website loses potential customers due to lackluster sales funnels and poorly designed websites. Now is the time to review your site to see why it might fail to convert interested prospects.

Have you ever listened to a group of online marketing professionals discuss their websites or landing pages? Their conversation more often than not focuses around traffic - misguided and partially irrelevant. Bragging about traffic alone is missing the most important point of a website or online asset which is simply to convert prospects into buying customers.

Savvy marketers talk about what happens to their traffic. We all know that generating traffic is relatively easy compared to conversions. I mean, you can buy traffic but you can't buy conversions (unless you consider a click a conversion but personally I do not)! The hard part is increasing the percentage or rate at which you convert traffic to qualified leads or sales.

Here are some basic tactics you can use to increase conversion rates on your website or promotional web pages:

1. Understand the intent of your traffic. Site visitors at different stages of the sales cycle will need different content and landing pages with different offers and information. For example, deep in the sales funnel, a qualified prospect may be looking for a quote or a demo. Creating engaging offers are appropriate at this point because the prospects are willing to invest the time to make their purchase decision.

2. Google analytics. Make sure you are tracking the on site behavior of your audiences. I can't tell you how many executive board rooms I've sat in where everyone had an opinion but no one had data. Don't assume you know how your web site traffic behaves. Use data to clearly understand the behavior of your web browsers and prospects.

3. You'll need a different process and different offers for less qualified prospects that are still in the research stages. Business to business buyers for example may require months of nurturing. Sub-offers such as mini conversion tactics and opt-in forms are appropriate for these leads.

4. Align traffic source with landing page messaging. Users need a consistent and seamless user experience. By making sure that the source of your traffic is tied to the landing page, you stand a much better chance of keeping browsers engaged and moving through the purchase decision funnel.

5. Spend time developing and testing your landing pages. A/B split tests, multi-variate testing and so on can be the difference between break even and generating large profits. Begin with a well designed landing page and start testing.

6. Vary your rate of follow up with prospects. Don't shove prospects down a rabbit hole and make each of them buy in the same time frame. Some prospects need to compare and evaluate similar offers. Perhaps you can help them with appropriate follow up campaigns and special offers that differentiate you from the competition. Not everyone is looking to buy on the spot. Give them an opportunity to buy at their own pace.

These are just a few of the tactics you should think about when focusing on landing page and webs site conversions. Over time, your testing will give you a significant edge over the competition and take the guess work out of converting your prospects into paying customers.

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