It seems like everyone these days has a blog. Once upon a time, every angst filled teenager had a LiveJournal, a GreatestJournal, a DeadJournal, et cetera. Then, little by little, they moved onto MySpace and Facebook. Now, however, whether it is through Wordpress or Blogspot, everyone has moved onto blogs. In some cases, these are still just places to rant and run off at the mouth — or fingers, as it were.
However, a lot of people are realizing that you can make money with your blog. They simply aren’t sure how to do it, let along how to get started. Given the troubled economy, though, this can rake in quite a bit of extra money — if you know how to do it correctly, of course.
That is thus going to be the focus of this next series: how to make money with your blog, easily.
When you are selling a blog, trying to bring attention to it, you have to treat it like any other product – and that means PR. You want people to know about your web site. You have to tell them about it. You can submit posts to social bookmarking sites for starters, not just the popular sites like Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon, but also lesser known bookmarking pages.
You also need to address the press. This can mean writing a Press Release – or hiring someone to do so – and having it submitted to sites like Squidoo. It can also mean actually talking to the press, and finding out if they’ve seen your site, directing them to it if they haven’t. It doesn’t necessarily have to be journalists at the New York Times or anything like that, of course – though the online publications for such news outlets is a possibility.
Now we are going to talk about RSS feeds, which are increasingly popular. Providing a good one can drive a whole lot of traffic to your blog.
RSS can mean two things: Rich Site Summary or Really Simple Syndication. Whatever you call it, it is basically a light XML format used to distribute news on the internet. For you, the blogger, it means that other sites will be able to distribute your news and the content on your blog easily as well. RSS feeds are also indexed by search engines, so you can ask them to link to your site.
You need to be careful about the sites with whom you share links, though. Google especially has high standards. For instance, if you link to web sites which are no longer listed, then Google could remove your site from their index as well. So, just make sure to keep up with maintenance and check on your links every once in a while.
Always make sure you are sharing links with quality places too. That can lead to a huge Page Rank for your site. Remember, if Google finds out that you’re just trading links with other sites simply because you want a better ranking, your site could get blacklisted.
Now, web directories can only do so much. Advertising your blog falls primarily on your shoulders, and you have to take responsibility for that. So, get your blog’s address out there wherever you possibly can. Any piece of communication you put out there, your blog needs to show up on it somewhere. Write up an About Us page, get a press release done, and most of all, advertise your blog yourself. Make sure the link shows up on your business cards, your letterhead, your fax cover sheets, and in all of your email signatures. In addition to getting a press release, think about having a brochure put together as well. You should also think about creating a monthly newsletter. That way, you can let people know what is new or simply noteworthy. Most of all, it will remind people that your blog is there, and you will be encouraging them to visit.
Unless you are just blogging for your own personal enjoyment, you want to get your blog out there – especially if you are doing it to get paid. That can be hard, especially if you aren’t really sure what to do. So it is definitely worth it to take a look at some strategies to get your blog out there – and to improve your page rank.
First and foremost, you need to concern yourself with the blog itself. You have to have as much useful, relevant, and high quality information as you can possibly create. Furthermore, it needs to be something that users not only want to read themselves, they should want to share it with other people as well. One of the ways you can draw people in is to start submitting your blog to as many web directories and reference sites as you can. This includes Google, naturally, because Google’s PR is as important in the scheme of things as Google itself. You can also submit your blog to places like Open Directory Project, or ODP, Yahoo!, and LookSmart, as well as sites like Wikipedia and other blogs.
There are a number of strategies you need to follow when learning and implementing blog link advertising. The most important of these involve relevancy. So many people are into black hat tactics these days. They prefer to stuff keywords and links into places where they do not fit. They will hide links, or cut corners by placing linked-in comments into forums and other blogs, which does not really advertise effectively at all.
Remember: relevance is key. Your links and your texts need to go together perfectly. Moreover, they need to have some impact on the subject, whatever it may be at the time.
Blogging for fun is one thing. Blogging for money is another. A lot of us are used to blogging as a means of personal expression. For those of us just getting into the whole idea of professional blogging and blog link advertising, the concepts can be seriously out of reach. It sounds like another language — SEO, white hat tactics, black hat tactics, keyword ratio, et cetera. This is not an industry for the faint of heart and if you don’t learn how to do things correctly, you’re not going to see a penny — or get any advertising done.
You need to promote yourself and promote your site. How? Well, stay tuned for that. There are a number of things you can do to get yourself and your site out there, and to pique the interest of your readers. Blog link advertising is without a doubt one of the best ways, but it is by no means the only way.
If you are purchasing sponsored blog posts from various services or directly from the blogger, here’s a tip to maximize those advertising dollars. Once your post has been made, navigate to the entry and Digg it, Stumble it, and post it to del.icio.us.
These simple steps will help get this particular page indexed with Google and thus increase the value of those inbound links to your website.
Some bloggers employ sketchy techniques that nullify the value of your sponsored blog entry once it rotates off their blog homepage. By using the social bookmarks mentioned above (Digg, Stumble Upon, del.icio.us), this will help you retain value from that entry for the life of the blog.
“The Customer Rules.” These three words speak volumes in business. Customer communication, service and loyalty are the goals of every marketing campaign.
And nothing delights a business owner more than a satisfied customer. In fact, they are so satisfied with the product or service they purchased that they want to tell the world about it.
Customer testimonials are extracted from letters, e-mails. They are impressive; displayed on websites as text, audio or video. But can your visitors be certain that the testimonials are true?
Now they can, when you use Authenticated Testimonials it adds more power to the message. How? Because they are evaluated by an established firm who is an unbiased third party.
The “Authenticated Testimonials” seal assures your visitors that what they are reading about your company, product or service has been verified and is truthful. Now, the Customer REALLY Rules.
Imagine this: you are looking for a product, service or a piece of information you need for your million dollar project.
You’re searching online and come across what might be the answer, but you don’t know the company. Hmmm, what to do? Aha-you think, let me ask Joe, he might know them.
You: Ring, ring: Hello? - Hey Joe, have you heard about the TQV company that sells blog widgets?
Joe: Nope, never heard of them, I use HLM Widgets Unlimited and they’re great! Fast service and reasonable price.
You: Wow–are they online? What’s the URL?
Joe: Oh yeah, very cool site too-www.HLMWidgets.com
You: Awesome! Thanks Joe, you’re the best!
That my friends, is the essence of what Bzz Agent is all about: it helps you harness the power of word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing in an organized way. It brings the right brands together with the right consumers to enhance traditional media buys.
Advertising can build awareness about your brand, but when one person recommends it to another person, your brand gains credibility. The results are powerful when traditional and new media work together: trial, purchase, adoption and commitment.
Plus 40% of WOM conversations include a reference to another form of media which means a lot more exposure for everyone. If you are ready to promote your brand, better get some WOM-BA going.
Millions of people had a big case of the Mondays on the first day back to work after the Thanksgiving holiday. That's why you spent your day shopping - on Cyber Monday - instead of working. Don't worry, we won't tell your boss. (S/he was shopping too, anyway.)
Coremetrics released data on what is thought to be the biggest online shopping day of the year (it's not). Here's what they found:
Cyber Monday 2009 sales were up 24.1 percent compared to Black Friday 2009.
Yesterday's sales were up 13.7% compared to Cyber Monday 2008.
Online shoppers spent more per order on Cyber Monday ($180.03) compared to Black Friday 2009 ($170.19), an increase of 5.8%.
The average dollar amount consumers spent per online order rose 38.2% this year ($180.03) compared to last year ($130.24).
Consumers bought nearly 10% more items per order this year compared to Black Friday last week.
Consumers bought almost 30% more compared to Cyber Monday 2008.
The peak of consumer shopping was 9-10 a.m. PST, but held stronger momentum throughout the day than on Cyber Monday 2008.
Breaking it down by industry....
Apparel and jewelry retailers is where the biggest increase in average dollar amount per ordre, up 26.4% and 14.3% respectively.
Sports apparel and gear retailers were up 55% in new consumers visiting their sites. However, the average dollar per order declined slightly by 3.1%.
Department stores saw a 3% increase in new visitors, but average order value was down almost 10%.
In-store Black Friday sales didn't please Wall Street yesterday, despite an increase in online spending last Friday. Perhaps the death at a Walmart last year and not wanting to get out of bed at butt-ugly early in the morning has driven a shift in behavior.
"We are seeing good online buying momentum because people are looking for the very best deals, and are going online for the most convenient way to shop," said John Squire, chief strategy officer, Coremetrics.
By the way, if you missed yesterday's sales - don't despair.
"We expect to see one more spike in online spending when the final "free-shipping-is-ending" promotions are announced," said Squire. "Until then, retailers will watch consumer behavior very carefully to gauge what's working well and what they need to adjust. The end result will be a boon to consumers, as retailers pull out all the stops to entice consumers to make that purchase."
Ask.com gets a lot of their search queries in the form of a question - more so than any other search engine. So, it makes sense that their end-of-the-year list features questions instead of keywords.
The questions are a refreshing departure from the usual fare seen on the end-of-year lists from other search engines. They're also humorous, curious - and yes, existential.
How much should I weigh?
How do I get out of debt fast?
How do I get pregnant?
What is Twitter?
What is Miley Cyrus' phone number?
What is the meaning of life?
When will the world end?
How long does marijuana stay in your system?
What are the symptoms of Swine Flu?
What time is it?
Ask also broke down top questions by category. And, here they are:
Top Fitness Questions:
How many calories should I eat a day?
How do I get a six-pack fast?
What is the best exercise to burn calories?
How much should I be able to bench press?
What is Pilates?
How many calories do you burn running a mile?
What are the benefits of jogging?
How long does it take to tone muscle?
Is yoga better for you than Pilates?
How do you boost your metabolism?
Top Personal Finance Questions:
What is a good credit score?
How do I file for bankruptcy?
How do I start my own business?
What is a short sale in real estate?
Who owns the Federal Reserve Bank?
How much is minimum wage?
How do savings bonds work?
What can I deduct on my taxes?
What is a trust fund?
What is a hedge fund?
Top Technology Questions:
How do I make a website?
What does URL stand for?
How do I find my IP address?
What is an RSS feed?
How many megabytes are in a gigabyte?
How do I delete my cookies?
What is JavaScript?
What does FTP stand for?
What is a 3G network?
What is a PDF file?
Top Celebrity Rumors of 2009:
Is Miley Cyrus pregnant?
Is Adam Lambert straight?
Is Lady Gaga a man?
Is Michelle Obama pregnant?
Is Robert Pattinson dating Kristen Stewart?
Did Chris Brown get Rihanna pregnant?
Are Jon and Kate getting a divorce?
Is Michael Phelps using marijuana?
Who is the father of Michael Jackson's children?
Did David Letterman keep a secret bedroom is his studio?
Um, some of you have too much time on your hands. BACK TO WORK!
Today is the first day that bloggers and others who write online reviews or endorse products using new media must disclose it when they receive free merchandise or payment for writing about an item. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expects the blogosphere to add a little sentence -- in undersize italics at the bottom of a post -- that reads:
A Girl Must Shop Disclosure: As a Twisted Insider, A Girl Must Shop receives a new, un-released item from Twisted Silver once per month for six months to review on our blog. The same design is also provided as a contest prize for our readers.
The revised FTC guidelines add some new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that "material connections" (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers - connections that consumers would not expect - must be disclosed. These examples address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other "word-of-mouth" marketers.
The new guidelines specify that while decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, the post of a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement. Thus, bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the material connections they share with the seller of the product or service.
So, let me the first to disclose that I got bupkis for this blog post. Nuthin', nada. Zip, zero, zilch. Heck, I didn't even get a link in the "Posted by Greg Jarboe" note at the bottom of this item.
So, I figure that this means I'm free to make the following endorsements:
The Boston Red Sox -- I grew up in Michigan as a Detroit Tigers fan -- hating the New York Yankees. So, when I moved to Massachusetts, I fit right in.
The University of Michigan -- Okay, so even I'm getting sick and tired of losing six football games in a row to The Ohio State University Buckeyes, but you gotta stick with your alma mater.
Google News -- When Google News was launched in September 2002, "the tactic known as SEO PR" was born. I owe a lot to Krishna Bharat, the creator of Google News, but no money has changed hands.
YouTube News -- This is one of the best kept secrets in the news industry. It is more "fair and balanced" than Fox News (which isn't hard) and more compelling than C-SPAN (which also isn't hard).
Experian Hitwise -- Okay, so they provide me with insights on how 10 million US Internet users interact with more than 1 million websites, across 160+ industries. But they've never paid me a nickel.
comScore -- They provide me with digital marketing intelligence that enables my readers to better understand, leverage and profit from the rapidly evolving worldwide web. But they've never paid me a dime.
Heck, I don't even get swag or tchotchke for my blog posts. Okay, I should disclose that I got a t-shirt from Acquisio at SES London 2009 that read: "I report to no one." But there was no quid pro quo involved and I've never reviewed their software.
So, according to the FTC guidelines, it's okay to make endorsements as long as there are no "material connections." Get it? Got it? Good.
Advertise.com and SEMPO are releasing the results of a survey about underutilized online marketing technologies. The survey was conducted in August and apparently some of you marketers out there are itching for a chance to remarket your products. Remarketing, also known as retargeting, topped the list of most under-utilized marketing technologies. Here's what else made the list:
Remarketing/Retargeting - 46.3%
Geo-targeting - 18.3%
Traffic source optimization-15.9%
Keyword targeting - 13.4%
Other - 3.7%
Category targeting - 2.4%
And it looks like most of your desires for remarketing are going unrequited. When asked if remarketing had been tried with online advertising, this is what happened:
No - 69.5 percent
Yes - 30.5 percent
The nays should take a page out of the playbook of the yays. 51% of those who have tried remarketing in online advertising said it was impactful.
"We're interested in taking a closer look at why Remarketing is underutilized," Daniel Yomtobian, founder and CEO of Advertise.com. "We know that retargeting can boost ad response up to 400 percent so it's definitely something online advertisers need to stay informed about and use more strategically."
Remarketing wasn't the only focus of the survey. Here are a few additional data tidbits:
Best ROI in Online Advertising:
Search - 70.7%
Cost-per-action (CPA) - 14.6%
Email - 6.1%
Social - 3.7%
Other - 2.4%
On utilizing CPA in online ad strategy:
To drive sales leads - 52.4%
To drive traffic to a site - 13.4%
To drive brand awareness - 6.1%
Other - 1.2%
Do not utilize CPA in online advertising strategy - 26.8 percent
Bing is launching a new photo contest today and the theme is "Hometown Pride." Those who wish to enter should submit their photos at Bing's Facebook page, which can be accessed at facebook.com/bing.
Entrants' photos will be voted on by the Facebook community. The winning photograph will appear on the Bing homepage on January 6, 2010.
Unlike Bing's list, which featured several other deceased celebrities, Yahoo! searchers were apparently jonesin' for Vampires, Wrasslers, and tabloid starlets.
Michael Jackson
Twilight
WWE
Megan Fox
Britney Spears
Naruto
American Idol
Kim Kardashian
NASCAR
Runescape
For top searches on mobile devices, a certain Transformers 2 star took the top spot:
SHOP.com has added a bunch of new features to enhance and encourage social sharing on the comparison shopping site.
The biggest announcement is a new social hub. It's called SHOP.com Community and it features their Facebook and Twitter updates.
Shoppers can already share searches with their social networks, but now SHOP.com is making it rewarding to do so with their new SHOPstar networking program. Members of the program get a little kickback when they refer sales.
Let's say you've come across the perfect snuggie for the LSU and you use a unique URL to Tweet it out to all of your friends - you'll get a little commission on the sales that come in.
SHOP.com is also adding a new lists feature. You can create a list of any type and share it with friends and family.
Launched right at the heart of the holiday shopping season, SHOP.com hopes to develop a few new shopping habits at a critical time.
"With SHOP.COM's new community enhancements and the SHOPstar program, we hope to harness the power of social media and help shoppers with their purchasing decisions in a relevant way," said Mondy Beller, senior vice president of marketing for SHOP.COM.
I'm back at my desk after an excellent SES conference in Berlin last week. This was the first time in Berlin and the feedback has been tremendous. But now it's time to focus on SES, Chicago December 7 - 11. Fondly known as the freeze-your-ass-off SES, Chicago always attracts a great crowd ready for the final annual gathering of the search community.
The great thing about the show, is that, it's not about reflecting on the past year, it's all about looking forward to the New Year. So it kind of becomes the industry showcase for examining new and emerging trends as well as technologies. And this year is absolutely no different.
We recently started a new channel over at ClickZ called "Conference Call" which is a series of columns written by presenters and moderators giving an overview of their own sessions. This is a great way to get to know more about the sessions and the speakers before you get to the show.
I did a brief overview myself of a few sessions that I really want to be sure to see. And I think it's worth a quick return, because as I think more and more about us beginning to move away from the general purpose search we've become used to and into a new era of what is largely being referred to as "suggested discovery" I think it's worth a closer look.
To be clear, general purpose search has been based around the simple principle of you give us three words and we'll give you a gazillion documents back (but you'll only be interested in the top ten, of course). And so, search engines have been satisfying a short term information need on a repeated basis.
Now, if I was a baseball fan and the Yankees were my team, I'd probably do a lot of searching at search engines about my team. What's the score? Did we buy a new player? When does the new stadium open? You get the idea. And each time my short term information need is satisfied. But here's the thing, if the service delivering these results knows I need this stuff, why do I have to keep asking? Why don't they just give it to me?
So satisfying your long term information need is very high on the search research agenda. And most certainly, one area this can happen already is in social search. In fact, in social search there are many times you'll get the answer to a question before you've even asked it.
One guy who really gets the whole "suggested discovery" idea is Bill Scott. Bill created and led the IBM Digital Media Consulting & Systems Integration practice until he recently left to form his own company, Easel TV. He'll be speaking on two panels at SES, Chicago. The first is Search on the Edge - From Search to discovery. During this session Bill will explain what his company is doing with suggested discovery on the television.
I asked Bill if he could give me broad brushstroke (pun intended) of what he'll be covering.
This is what he told me:
First, I'll be talking about the connected TV in general and how the TV will increasingly get content over broadband as well as over Cable, Satellite, Terrestrial and closed IPTV networks. I'll also talk about why the TV is a very different environment to the PC and why just putting regular websites on the TV won't work. This includes the fact that search on the television is the wrong model and that we need to move towards suggested discovery. No-one is going to type into a Google type search box on their TV when using just a remote control!
Then, I will explain what we're doing with Suggested Discovery and how you can use more and more sophisticated technology to create a more and more simple experience that is appropriate for the television. I'll cover how we aggregate data and results from multi-modal sources to offer consumers a range of appropriate and relevant content that retains the serendipity of television - "Beyond the recommendation engine." And finally I'll talk about how the same concepts can be used to enhance TV programme-making - so that the content itself can be dynamically tuned to the audience based on the audience's response to it.
Yes, when Bill expanded for me on the idea of being able to monitor the audience viewing habits and then begin to create content specifically for that audience segment, you begin to see how beneficial this is to both audience and marketers.
In particular he'll be talking about "Relevance" - How will brands deliver a fresh and relevant experience to consumers, in whatever context and on whatever device?
Really, he says, the future of search, discovery or whatever it becomes is all about data, permission & trust and business rules. He also says we need to collect and maintain more data - preferences, behaviour, context, community - from more sources than ever before. This will happen naturally as both devices and the companies that provide services become ever more sophisticated. Of course the generic provider will evolve and become much more intelligent and will aggregate from multiple data sources - not just a crawl - however it is the combination of the two roles (maybe but not necessarily by the same organisation) that will deliver real value to the consumer.
Bill goes on to say that, the consumer is now in control: How do we reach them? How do we raise our proposition above all the others that are fighting to be in the consumers' domain? How do we understand which rules our target market has defined? And how do we conform to those rules in order to reach our target? Can we identify the individuals at the hub of social groupings who have disproportionate influence? Can we offer them something extra in return for endorsement?
A whole bunch of extremely interesting questions to ponder.
I can tell you, after doing some checking around, this Chicago SES is about to be one of the best ever. And there's already a great buzz going on. And BTW, a little birdie (no, not Twitter) told me that there are still some rooms available at the Hilton at this time.
Okay, let me go and cherry pick another session to highlight tomorrow.
At SES Chicago 2009 on Wednesday, December 9, at 12:30 p.m., there will be a drawing to give away the "largest marketing library." Attendees of Search Engine Strategies Chicago can enter their business cards up until just before the drawing.
The drawing will take place in the Exhibition Hall, and the lucky winner must be present to claim the prize. (If you are a twin or triplet, use the canonical tag to show that you are the original winner, not a duplicate.)
Here is a partial list of the titles to be given away:
If you read even a couple of these books, then you will be the smarter than a 5th grader. But wait! There's more!
The day before the drawing, there will be Author Luncheon in the Expo Hall (rear right) on Tuesday, December 8, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
You can have lunch and network with your favorite author and/or SES speaker. This special event includes:
Andy Beal, CEO, Trackur, author of Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online.
Cindy Krum, Chief Executive Officer, Rank-Mobile, LLC, author (in February 2010) of "Mobile Marketing: Finding Your Customers No Matter Where They Are."
Yes, yes, I should disclose that I'm the author listed above, but at least I'm listed last.
If this list looks long, it is -- but these are only some of the authors who will be speaking at the event. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, there will be more than 22 authors speaking at SES Chicago 2009.
And this was just handed to me: It appears that The BuyerSphere Project is now available online!
What is The BuyerSphere Project? Well, if you didn't attend SES San Jose 2009, then you missed the session about a major B2B research initiative, conducted by Enquiro with input from Google, Business.com, Covario, Marketo and DemandBase, that showed most marketers aren't effectively leveraging online assets to their best potential.
Here's my interview with Gord Hotchkiss, President and CEO of Enquiro and author of The BuyerSphere Project.
It seems like everyone these days has a blog. Once upon a time, every angst filled teenager had a LiveJournal, a GreatestJournal, a DeadJournal, et cetera. Then, little by little, they moved onto MySpace and Facebook. Now, however, whether it is through Wordpress or Blogspot, everyone has moved onto blogs. In some cases, these are still just places to rant and run off at the mouth — or fingers, as it were.
When you are selling a blog, trying to bring attention to it, you have to treat it like any other product – and that means PR. You want people to know about your web site. You have to tell them about it. You can submit posts to social bookmarking sites for starters, not just the popular sites like Delicious, Digg, and StumbleUpon, but also lesser known bookmarking pages.
Now we are going to talk about RSS feeds, which are increasingly popular. Providing a good one can drive a whole lot of traffic to your blog.
Now, web directories can only do so much. Advertising your blog falls primarily on your shoulders, and you have to take responsibility for that. So, get your blog’s address out there wherever you possibly can. Any piece of communication you put out there, your blog needs to show up on it somewhere. Write up an About Us page, get a press release done, and most of all, advertise your blog yourself. Make sure the link shows up on your business cards, your letterhead, your fax cover sheets, and in all of your email signatures. In addition to getting a press release, think about having a brochure put together as well. You should also think about creating a monthly newsletter. That way, you can let people know what is new or simply noteworthy. Most of all, it will remind people that your blog is there, and you will be encouraging them to visit.
Unless you are just blogging for your own personal enjoyment, you want to get your blog out there – especially if you are doing it to get paid. That can be hard, especially if you aren’t really sure what to do. So it is definitely worth it to take a look at some strategies to get your blog out there – and to improve your page rank.
There are a number of strategies you need to follow when learning and implementing blog link advertising. The most important of these involve relevancy. So many people are into black hat tactics these days. They prefer to stuff keywords and links into places where they do not fit. They will hide links, or cut corners by placing linked-in comments into forums and other blogs, which does not really advertise effectively at all.
Blogging for fun is one thing. Blogging for money is another. A lot of us are used to blogging as a means of personal expression. For those of us just getting into the whole idea of professional blogging and blog link advertising, the concepts can be seriously out of reach. It sounds like another language — SEO, white hat tactics, black hat tactics, keyword ratio, et cetera. This is not an industry for the faint of heart and if you don’t learn how to do things correctly, you’re not going to see a penny — or get any advertising done.
