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Email Marketing Secrets

Marketing Strategies – It’s NOT Google Calling!

It’s my goal to teach entrepreneurs marketing strategies and how to navigate the Internet so they can benefit from all the opportunities it brings. However, many people are still reluctant and I can’t say that I blame them especially when there are so many scams going on. It truly outrages me that these things happen but as I constantly say, we must get educated. Education is key to being able to enjoy benefits of the Internet’s fruits and not have to worry about being a victim of a scam. 

Just a couple of days ago someone called one of my clients that by the way does use Google’s advertising and said this, “Your listings have been flagged for non-compliance and will be removed if aren’t fixed.”  This person claimed to be from Google. Well of course my client was alarmed and emailed me immediately.

Marketing Strategies – How to Know it’s Not Google Calling

1.  If you’re a Google adword advertiser then you are familiar with your Google dashboard. 99% of the time that is how Google will communicate with you – through your dashboard. So if you have an ad that hasn’t been approved or there is any sort of problem with your account you will find an alert or red flag in your dashboard.
2. If you get calls on your phone that says. “You need to update your Google listing”, that is also a scam. Newsflash, Google doesn’t care if you update your listing or not and doesn’t waste time on stuff like that. It’s simply a scare tactic to first get your attention, then come to the rescue so they sell you something. Google says in black and white on their website, “Google does not place robocalls asking you to update your listing“.
3. If you get calls on your mobile phone there should be an opt-out feature listen for that and click the number to opt-out, hopefully you won’t hear from that particular scammer again – but more will follow.

Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot we can do about this especially since FTC gets over 200,000 calls a month about these types of issues. If you click here Google has set up a great page warning you of various types of scam alerts and what to do about them.

Marketing Strategies- Google Isn’t The Only Prey

 

Just this week I was scammed – I didn’t really fall for it but I have to admit at first glance it got me and I’m a pretty tough cookie to pull a hoax on!

I got an email that said this:

Dear Valued GoDaddy Customer.

Your account contains more than 6043 directories and may pose a potential performance risk to the server. Please reduce the number of directories for your account to prevent possible account deactivation. In order to prevent your account from being locked out we recommend that you create special tmp directory.

Or use the link below:

mya.godaddy.com - (I broke this link for your safety because I didn’t want you to click on it, but notice the mya before go daddy – that’s a clue that it isn’t their website.)

Sincerely,

GoDaddy technical support.

Copyright (C) 1999-2014 GoDaddy.com, LLC. All rights reserved.

Admittedly I knew this was a scam but was too scared to not call GoDaddy and make sure – I don’t want to risk my website going down. See this is how they get you – with fear.

The Internet brings tremendous opportunity to all of us to market and grow our businesses in ways like never before! Please don’t let fear keep you from benefiting from it. Just get educated and use great common sense. Visit my website often as it’s my goal to be an education resource for you!

http://perfectmarketingequation.com/marketing-strategies-its-not-google-calling/ 

Solopreneur Life: Interview With Rebekah Radice

If you've ever dreamed of (or succeeded at) being your own boss, then you probably know it’s easier said than done.

The hard work, dedication and consistency it requires is unbelievable.

That’s why I admire Rebekah Radice. 

She’s been in the game for years and the work she does is absolutely amazing. 

I first began studying her (awesome) content a little more than a year ago and deemed her one of the 11 Business Bloggers You Should Be Following In 2014 back in January.

If you’re serious about turning your hobby or dream into a real business, reading this article is a must.

Rebekah has inspired me to push my business to the max & I know she’ll do the same for you.

“Find what the successful are doing, do it long enough, and you too can become successful.” -Anonymous  

Let’s do this.

1. Where are you from, what do you tell people you “do” and how long have you been doing it?

I’m a California native and currently live in the LA area.

I am a social media strategist, speaker and digital marketing specialist, the CEO of RebekahRadice.com, a digital marketing agency and the author of “How to Use Social Media to Virtually Crush the Competition.”

In a nutshell? I help organizations as well as entrepreneurs capitalize on the power of an integrated social media strategy.

2. If ‘what you do’ is full-time, how long did it take you to reach that point?

I consider myself one of the lucky ones.

I was able to translate my offline marketing business to online marketing almost overnight. Once I recognized the impact online marketing (what was blogging at the time) and then social media could have on a business, there was no looking back.

3. Who are 3 industry leaders you admire & why?

Ekaterina Walter – Ekaterina is a social media trailblazer, but more than that, she’s a woman committed to helping other women succeed. I had the opportunity to meet Ekaterina last year and she is every bit as genuine face to face as she appears to be online.

Peg Fitzpatrick – As Guy Kawasaki’s right hand and Canva’s social media strategist, Peg is a social media dynamo. I am constantly impressed with her work ethic, willingness to help others and commitment to bettering the industry as a whole.

Neal Schaffer – I’ve had the honor to write for Neal’s community website, Maximize Social Business for the last couple of years. Neal is an industry leader in every sense of the word. He has a heart for training and it shows in everything he does. He is deeply committed to sharing what he knows and helping those around him get ahead.

4. Do you design your own blog & graphics?

I do! I’m completely self-taught, but absolutely love being hands on in the creation and development of my brand.

It’s been a constant evolution and one that is always in a state of change. I imagine that’s my Type A personality.

There’s always something I’d love to do different, better or ultimately…make easier.

5. What are your three most popular posts?

• 10 Steps to Creating a Winning Social Media Strategy - How businesses large and small can implement strategies and processes that support scalability, efficiency, and successful social engagement.
• A Visual Guide to Social Media Best Practices - You already know social media works. The question is, how to make it work best for your business? This article offers top ways to incorporate visual media into nine of today’s hottest social networks, including real business examples and a handy Infographic.
• 3 Steps to Being Unforgettable on Social Media - How to win every conversation or sales opportunity by creating an unforgettable business or brand on social media.

6. I follow you on several social networks, but you seem to dominate on Google+. What are a few tips you have for anyone reading this to optimize Google+ for traffic, leads and sales?

Google Plus is an amazing community of business-minded individuals and a great place to connect with other industry experts.

While it might feel different than any other network, one thing remains the same.

If you’re not consistent, it’s going to be very hard to build a following.

Commit to posting at least 3 times per week.

Make sure when you do post that it’s content specific to your niche (this will help you build credibility) and of interest to your community (you want to keep them coming back for more).

Also, don’t forget to tag the author of the article. This creates reciprocity and good social karma.7.

Content Curation or Content Creation?

I’m a content creator at heart, but believe that in order to succeed online, you must be good at both.

If you’re a creator, you need to actively curate content on a daily basis. This, in turn, cultivates meaningful relationships, and that’s what social media is all about.

8. What tools do you use on a daily basis to manage & streamline your online business & why?

 

Sprout Social

This is my daily third-party management tool. While it allows me to manage and monitor multiple social networks all at once, it’s their Smart Inbox that initially won me over.

Easily see what’s being said in and around your brand across (almost) all of your social networks in one location.

Buffer

I use this in conjunction to Sprout Social as a content management tool. The Buffer Chrome extension makes it simple to grab images and posts as I go about my day.

BuzzSumo

I am fairly new to BuzzSumo, but it’s quickly become my go-to research tool. I use it to identify everything ‘top performing’ content, influential bloggers within a niche and relevant content that I can use in an upcoming blog post.

9. Where does a majority of your traffic come from? (Google, Social, Guest Posts, etc.)

Guest posting has been a significant part of my marketing strategy
since Day 1.

I’ve been very fortunate to write for some of the top Social Media sites out there including Social Media Examiner, Maximize Social Business, Steamfeed and 12 Most.

My biggest advice to anyone looking to guest post is to be specific when identifying where to write. I realized early on that I only had so many hours to focus on content creation. It’s also a commitment to managing the comments and social mentions.

Don’t spread yourself out too thin.

However, as far as traffic– Google Plus and Pinterest are my top two traffic referrers as of today.

10. How has running an online business affected your life?

Running an online business has changed my life in so many ways.

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world. I get to do what I love and work with people that challenge me daily. But don’t get me wrong. I’d be lying if I didn’t say it’s also the toughest work I’ve ever done.

Managing any business online, but especially one that revolves around social media, is a constant juggling act. 

It’s a battle between spending enough time online and spending too much time online. I am a naturally social person, so engaging across various platforms is very enjoyable to me. I have to make sure I monitor my time and keep a tight reign on where I’m spending my time. While social media is fun, it also has to be effective.

To me, it all goes back to basic productivity rules: Plan, prioritize, tackle. And always, always, always work to your highest and best. 

http://blog.flightmedia.co/rebekah-radice/ 

Learn How to Make an Animated Video in under 10 Minutes

8 Reasons Why Your Email Open Rate is Nosediving

This is a guest contribution from Luke Guy, blogger and graphic designer.

It’s amazing how blogs have exploded within the last 10 years – take ProBlogger for instance. Blogs like these can provide a good living for the owner if the traffic remains strong and healthy. But how do these blogs retain the traffic and keep a steady flow? There are many ways, but I want to discuss with you a vitally important one: your email list.

 

Usually more email subscribers would mean more traffic. Right? Well, not anymore.

Bloggers are facing diving open rates today like never before. Small bloggers and the celebrity bloggers alike suffer.

But why?

Let me give you 8 Reasons Why Your Email Open Rate Is Nosediving.

 

1. You have lots of images within the email.

 

When it comes to email open rates, fashion is not how you make waves. Simpler is better in this case. 

HTML is good, but text based emails are even better. I know we’re tempted to be flashy, but if no one is seeing it, what’s the point? Your email is going to be seen more when images aren’t within them. They flag filters many times, and can annoy the reader also. It’s best to simply state your message and get to the point quickly.

2. Way too long!

In the blog world an article of 200-1000 words is considered an informative post (View Darren's Post

On Word Count)(http://www.problogger.net/archives/2006/02/18/post-length-how-long-should-a-blog-post-be/). Reading one of these could take 5-7 minutes to read, and 15 minutes to fully understand.

In email this is simply not so. Why? You’re simply updating them with short exclusive information, and persuading them to spend a minute on this unexpected message from you. Think of your email newsletter as a bite-size sample of your blog. Let every bite be extremely pleasant and leave them wanting more. Where do they get more? Your blog.

In order to do this, your email must be short, sweet, and fulfilling in bite-size. 150-450 word count would be best when writing. You’re sharing exclusive content, updating, and telling them about your new blog post kind-of-thing.

3. Links Everywhere.

 

When all they see is outlined sentences everywhere, landing somewhere in the unknown, the word SPAMMY is the first thoughts of most readers. They get the idea that all you’re trying to do is send them to a place they don’t want to go, to spend money they don’t want to spend. Put only one link in your article, and give them many good reasons why they should click on that link. Not one reason to click on 10 links, that’s not as effective. So choose your link wisely, and this also will prevent your email from getting vacuumed by the email filters.

4. Your agenda appears to be making money.

 

When they see your email appear, what should they expect? If it’s another course, eBook, or program in which they must buy, there’s a good chance you’re going to get turned off eventually. A good rule of thumb is to give your reader 10x more. Instead, offer freebies just so they will warm up to you. If you need some freebie ideas, go here: 6-Freebies-That-Will-Spike-Engagement-In-Your-Blog/.

I know we’re all trying to come up with ways in which to make money, but it’s better to have our customers coming to us with their money, not the other way around with us chasing them and their wallet. When they understand that you’re for them and wanting to help more than to make a buck, they will come.

5. Your email is only a result from an RSS blast.

 

Your emails should be exclusive content, not an email blaster from your RSS feed. Many will disagree with me on this, because they don’t want another article to write. I understand their pain, but what’s the point of offering this option of RSS if they’re not going to read it? With Google’s Gmail Algorithm, RSS is a turn off and a good chance it will never make it to their inbox.

How will they find out about by my new blog post then? you might be asking.

Give them many reasons within that email why they should read that article and give them a link to it. The reason shouldn’t be because it’s new. It should be because it’s helpful and can be found almost no where else. You’re just pointing them back to it so they won’t miss this amazing content.

6. Not full of helpful information.

 

You thought that tips, helpful information, and how-tos were only for blogs? Not so, it will apply to your email rate as well. Except you have only a few seconds to persuade them to read it, a few more seconds to finish reading it, and finally to click on whatever link you may have for them (that was the point of the email right?).

The only thing is with email, shorter is better. Why? When trying to catch the eye, you have only a few seconds to persuade them to read it and consume your information. As for a blog post, most were searching for the solution you have to offer and were willing to spend the time to solve their problem. So make it short but powerful since your message was unexpected!

7. They don’t feel a personal connection with you.

 

If all you do is sell, command, and write like you’re talking to the wall, they’re not feeling what you write. To avoid this, write as if they’re your friend. Instead of writing to your readers, write to your reader specifically. Pretend that you’re writing to one of your readers, and let them feel that one-on-one connection. It’s about winning their trust, which is key to any business.

8. You’re boring.

 

If you’re doing all of the above, it’s time to face it. It’s time for a recharge. Sometimes to make our tips more helpful, and our writing voice more inspirational, we need to read more and be inspired. Like an athlete, we must eat more than we burn. If not, we don’t have much to offer.

Go out in your niche and explore again. It could be the simple fact that you are burned out and need to refill with more helpful information.

Ways to improve email letter quality:

1. Read a blog post like this one by Darren Rowse On Passion: Passion – Do You Have It?    

    (http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/02/14/passion-do-you-have-it/)

2. Interact more in the comment section.

3. Listen to podcasts.

4. Talk to pros in your niche.

5. Take a course.

6. Think more, and spend more time with that writing piece.

7. Study your competition and how they write their emails. Read this to be inspired: Learning Your 

    Foes Makes You a Better Hero (http://lukeguy.com/learning-foes-makes-better-hero/)

So basically you’re defeating two things here, the email filter and the reputation of scammers. It’s so easy to be flagged as a scammer these days and you must work extra hard to appear the very opposite. These tips will make that happen, and will also get your emails to bypass the filters.

Mission Accomplished.

You’re going to see great results from this if applied correctly. I’ve learned by not selling, you kind of are. When they know you’re in business, and all you do is help, curiosity takes over them. When they see your free tips work tremendously, what will your paid versions do?

Thanks for reading and I wish you higher email rates!

http://www.problogger.net/archives/2014/03/14/8-reasons-why-your-email-open-rate-is-nosediving/ 

5 Steps to Conquering Your Fear of Making YouTube Videos

It’s a scary thought, right? Putting yourself out there for the entire world to watch and judge can be downright frightening. In fact, fear is the number one reason people state for not doing YouTube videos.

Trust me, I can relate.

I was the shy kid in school that hated getting up in front of people. Even though I was pretty comfortable clowning around on camera with family and friends, I never thought I’d be putting myself on YouTube for a bunch of strangers to see.

Yikes!

It took me a year before I got up enough nerve to record my first video.  But I quickly learned that the more videos I created, the easier it became.

So here are some tips to ease your fear of making YouTube videos…

1) Avoid Using a Script

 

You might think placing a script in front of you is going to ease your fears, but here’s the deal…

If you read from a piece of paper word for word, it might come across very robotic and unnatural. If you need notes, just create an outline with the high level points and place it right below or alongside the camera.

You can glance at the topics and use those as talking points throughout the video. 

Trust yourself. If you know your material, you won’t have any problem expanding on your main points.

2) Your Editor is Your Best Friend

 

I remember when I first started doing videos, I didn’t know much about editing. So I would keep recording takes until the videos were almost perfect.

For some videos, that would mean starting over 7 or 8 times.  I was creating so much extra work for myself.

You don’t have to be perfect with your takes. Learn to use your editor so you can cut out the ummms, errrrs and awkward pauses.

No matter what software you use, there’s a YouTube tutorial out there with instructions for how to edit video.

3) Do a Test Run

 

Some people suggest rehearsing in the mirror. While that is certainly one way to practice, it’s better to rehearse in the actual setting you are going to use for your final take.

Record yourself a few times and watch it back. Jot down two or three things you want to improve upon and do another test run.

Keep doing them until you are more comfortable. I guarantee you’ll get better with every take.

4) You Don’t Have to Be Perfect

 

An editor is great for removing bigger mistakes that interrupt flow or reveal incorrect facts, but you don’t have to get rid of every flaw.

Small imperfections here and there make the video seem more natural. Remember, no one expects your video to be perfectly polished.

You can even have fun with your mistakes from time to time. Don’t take yourself too seriously. People will appreciate that, and it makes the presentation more enjoyable.

5) Be Conversational

 

People often say to me, “I feel like you are sitting in my living room talking to me.”

Not only does being conversational make your audience feel at ease, it will also help you relax as the presenter. Just pretend you are talking to a friend or family member.

Trying to be extra polished can actually make you more nervous and seem uptight. Relax and remember tip #4.  

We Are Our Worst Critics

 

I remember helping a friend with her videos, and she pointed out all these things she hated about her presentation.

What’s funny is I didn’t notice a single one of them until she brought them to my attention. Then, of course, I couldn’t help but notice after that.

We all have things we’d like to change about ourselves, so the playing field is pretty even there. Also, most people won’t even notice or care about the things that bother you. At the end of the day, if you are giving them what they want, they’ll be happy.

Read More Here:  http://www.brainymarketer.com/5-steps-conquering-fear-making-youtube-videos/

How To Build Up Great Brand Reputation

Brand reputation. It’s kind of important. Malaysia Airlines are doing a fairly shoddy job of it, not least because of their recent PR cock up. If your reputation remains intact and in good shape, you’ve got the possibility to earn lifelong custom and fans. With apparently 50% of decisions to buy being influenced by word of mouth, your reputation on social media is high priority. Your product or service needs to be consistently reliable and high quality, and although we can’t help you in that respect, we can offer a few starters for building up a decent image for your brand online.

 

1. Be yourself

It’s your business so it’s your voice. Identifying who you are, what you do, who your target audience is and how you want them to perceive you, will help give your business voice precedence and integrity. You need to aim to be setting yourself aside from the competition and an honest and authentic voice will help this – social networks lend themselves very well to this more natural and organic type of marketing, as they are all about conversation and engagement. A consistent message with a consistent voice will help strengthen your brand image and garner trust and loyalty in your customers.

keepcalm-o-matic.com

 

2. Engage with influencers and the community

Once you’ve defined your brand, you need to get people interested in it. Social media is designed to bring the celebs to the plebs and vice versa, it’s an open space within which you can carve out your niche and strengthen your brand reputation. Social media allows you to converse with industry leaders and other experts, which is not only a great way of picking up tips and learning more about your trade, but it encourages others to view your brand as reputable and knowledgeable – if your brand is engaging with the experts then that must make you an expert too, right?

Use social networks to ask questions, add your own input, share content (and don’t just share your own!) and sign up to RSS feeds. This type of networking helps improve expertise and credibility. Sometimes it’s not always about making a sales pitch – well, it is, but in more indirect and appealing ways. Join groups and communities online to participate in discussions and build relationships. The idea is to create a network of contacts that could lead to future possibilities, and getting your name and logo recognised amongst the circles that count.

themyndset.com

 

3. Create quality content

It’s long been said that content is king. You need to be creating content that is engaging your audience. Sharing content that your audience will find useful, entertaining and informative is a great way of getting fans on board and bolstering your good reputation.

Brands like Nike and Red Bull are particularly good at creating unique and compelling content that helps strengthen their brand reputation – you don’t have to go quite as far as the Red Bull supersonic free fall stunt, but it does show you that the sky’s the limit when it comes to marketing possibilities.

pixartprinting.com

 

4. Watch your back

Social media is a nice idea, but not everyone who uses it is so nice. Make sure that you monitor what people are saying about you online by using tools like TweetReach, Social Mention or Google Alerts. Obviously a genuine complaint must be dealt with the utmost of customer service (and don’t be scared of showing this on social networks, it shows you care); however you can limit the damage of potential hijackers out to tarnish your good name by staying ahead of the game. Outstanding customer care and service is vital, and will help spread the good word about your business.

articles.bplan.com

Your online reputation is a really important aspect of your business model (but don’t forget the fact that there’s an offline world too!). Building up your brand reputation doesn’t just mean a few witty Tweets – it’s an ongoing process that requires time, planning and creativity, but one from which you will reap the rewards.

http://www.socialmediafrontiers.com/2014/09/social-media-marketing-tips-brand.html#more

12 Mistakes You Shouldn’t Make on Twitter If You Want More Followers

You have successfully made an official Twitter account… what’s next? You need to grow your followers.

Twitter is one of the many social media platforms that allow businesses to market and advertise itself without the use of additional manpower or expensive resources. The concept around Twitter is that you tweet with a limited character count of 140 which forces you to think about your tweet.

You then put some #hashtags into your tweets, which simply work as tags grouping together tweets containing the same thought. As a registered user, you are allowed to retweet, share, and follow numerous sites which could gain you new followers as well.

But no one follows me

For your business to gain popularity on Twitter, you have followed different social media marketing strategies. You followed the other businesses and possible field influencers. You retweeted numerous tweets and even posted some of your own with numerous hashtags as well.

But when you look at your profile again, it seems that the number of your followers are way lower than those whom you are following. You start to question why actors with scandals have greater number of followers and you begin to plan a scandal of your own…. besides, good or bad, publicity is still publicity, right?

But are you sure you are doing the right thing? What might be the problem? Here are the 12 mistakes you shouldn’t make on Twitter if you want more followers.

1. Late night tweeter

The main goal of tweeting and having followers retweet your post relies greatly on the time it was posted. No wise businessman posts at night since the people responsible for liking and retweeting are already asleep.

2. What hashtags?

You do not include hashtags in your tweet or you put too much hashtags in your tweet, either way this won’t get you anywhere. Hashtags create a higher visibility rate on Twitter. Apparently, Offerpop reveals that among all the hashtag users, more than 70% of the people use hashtags posting through their mobile phones compared to only 30% of those using hashtags on their computers. Hashtags help increase your popularity in Twitter but make sure to limit it to two hashtags per tweet.

3. You are an egg

As an active Twitter user, you should be responsible in fixing your profile including your display picture or company logo. No one would follow a user who does not even bother to fix their own profile.

4. Lengthy tweets

Twitter has a limited number of characters per post since it is designed for people on-the-go. If your tweets are too long, users tend to skip through it. Go for short but meaty tweets. According to Social Media Examiner, shorter tweets get 17% higher engagement from other users. Short tweets allow room for conversations, and a greater audience for retweeting and commenting.

5. You don’t ask for retweets

Usually, people do not go for users asking for retweets. However, for business brands, there is no excuse to be shy or hesitant about it. Trying to ask for retweets is a huge opportunity that most brands fail to realize. Reports say that asking for retweets results in 12 or more times RTs. Moreover, spelling out the entire word, ‘retweet’ than the abbreviation RT is 23 times higher than the latter. Then again, make sure that your requests are once in a while; too much might be annoying.

6. Posting too much

The only thing left for your followers is too click on that unfollow button and your back to square zero. A Forbes article states that the more you tweet, the more likely you could have followers. However, this is not entirely correct. Though posting promotes visibility for your company, too much of it is appalling.

7. Following everyone

Yes, you heard me right. Following everyone does not guarantee you of a great number of followers. In social media, you should have a target audience which you could use to leverage your popularity. Take advantage of Twitter’s sidebar for recommendations on who to follow based on your industry. Also, make sure to follow with a strategy in mind. Follow those who would follow you back based on the balance between their followers and following numbers.

8. Your tweets are not worth retweeting

Quality and quantity is key towards an excellent tweet. Avinash Kaushik, an expert in social media campaigns, reveals that content is important to gain the applause of your audience. Your tweets must be short and catchy. It should even be relatable to your targeted audience. Producing quality content will definitely help you get the attention of users and may as well gain the retweets your page needs.

9. No interaction with followers

Engagement is one thing most of the followers or fans prioritize. Getting people follow you is not all about your posts but mainly on how you engage with them through replies and even direct messages.

Followerwonk, a free tool designed for Twitter users, allows you to search for key terms pertinent to your industry’s nature and view the topics which have the highest response rates, thus enabling you to expand your social graph. Through this, you could engage with them using the same key terms.

10. Including bad links to your posts

You click on a link and then it does not work; worse part is, it led to a virus. Double check the links that you include in your posts. Having errors on the links force followers to lose interest in your page. You wouldn’t want to lose your current followers right?

More than worrying about your number of followers, you should focus more on the content that you publish. Marketing in social media should aim for creating and sharing content that has both quality and credibility, and has a target audience.

11. Poor timing

Timing is everything. Just like the world, there is no way the Twittersphere goes to sleep. Users continue to tweet from different parts of the world. As such, if you are determined to increase your followers, you have to monitor your target audience’s time zone. You have to adjust your tweets as well as the gap in between tweets to avoid flooding your followers’ walls.

12. You do not post pictures: BORING!

In every marketing strategy, pictures greatly attract people. The same goes in social media marketing, Tweets containing images or videos have greater chances of retweets and engagement as well.

Social media marketing strategies differ. Other than these tips, consider looking at conversation, amplification, applause, and economic value, the four tips of Avinash Kaushik’s social media metrics to help you in your campaign. Now, have you decided what to do with your Twitter problem? Scandals are for the desperate! Maybe it’s time for you to retweet more, change that profile picture, and tweet more! Go ahead and if you’ve resolved these issues, your Twitter account might fly as high and as viral as Flappy Bird!

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/09/05/12-mistakes-you-shouldnt-make-on-twitter-if-you-want-more-followers/

How To Build A Website with WordPress 2014

Adsense What Are the Best Placements for High CTRs?

Over the years, webmasters have tested literally hundreds of different placements for their Google AdSense ads to find which ones get the highest click-through rates. Instead of starting your own testing from scratch, it can really help to start with a proven placement and make improvements from there.

 

Here are four placements that have been proven time and time again with high CTRs.


==> The “Above the Fold Double Sidebar” Placement

Above the fold, put two small placements in your sidebar. This will basically look like two ads right on top of one another.

This creates the impression that the ads themselves are part of your navigation. Because it’s above the fold in places where people are used to looking for navigation bars, your ads get a lot of visibility.

Split test left versus right to see which gets you the highest clicks.

==> The “Look At This Ad First” Placement

According to the Google Heatmap and many webmaster anecdotes, this placement often makes the most money. Unfortunately, it does detract aesthetically from the site.

The ad unit is placed above the content, dead center in the page with no text wrapped around it. In order to read the article, the person has to actually scroll down past the ad.

In other words, they’re forced to look at the ad. This generally results in pretty high CTRs.

==> The “Right Under Top Nav Banner” Placement

If you have a top navigation bar, placing a banner ad right under your navigation bar can get very high click-through rates.

People who glance at your top navigation bar are also very likely to see your ad. In fact, some people may even just accidentally click on your ads.

Experiment with text ads versus image ads in this placement. Also experiment with using text links.

==> The “Inside Content Large Rectangle” Placement

This placement usually doesn’t get as high a CTR as the “Look At This Ad First” placement, but it’s aesthetically more pleasing to the eye and still performs very well.

It’s ideal for sites that want to earn income now, but still want to build a long-term brand. Rather than optimizing just for getting the most clicks possible now, you’re getting as many clicks as you can while still building some customer loyalty to your site.

Basically you place a large rectangle either on the left or right hand side of your page and have the text just wrap around the ad. This gets very high click throughs and looks quite decent.

These are four of the top tried and true placements for getting good CTRs on AdSense. As always, results will vary based on your site and niche, so always split test for yourself.

http://mygoldenoldiesteam.com/adsense-what-are-the-best-placements-for-high-ctrs/ 

Adsense-3 Potentially Lucrative Tactics to Experiment With

 

Increasing your AdSense earnings is often about using tactics rather than increasing traffic.

Yes, traffic matters a lot; but building traffic is slow and implementing potentially lucrative tactics can happen overnight.

 

These three tactics can take a low or mediocre CTR ad and turn it into an absolute cash cow. Of course, they may not work all the time – you need to test them for yourself.

==> Using the “This Can’t Be Related” Image Technique

Images draw the eyes. When people look at a page, the first place their eyes go are the pictures. Then their eyes go to the things near the pictures.

It only makes sense then to put your AdSense ads near pictures. Unfortunately, AdSense is adamant that you can’t put ads next to anything that looks related to what advertisers might be selling.

That’s okay. Just put images that can’t possibly be related next to your ads.

For example, a giant photo of you smiling while looking at the camera. Make it stylish and classy, then put the ads somewhere near the picture.

It can’t possibly be related to the ads, as it’s not about a product or even about the content. But it’ll still draw the eyes and likely increase CTR.

==> The Below Quotes Technique

Quotes also draw the eyes. In fact, people will usually read enlarged quotes before reading most areas of the article.

Put quotes throughout your article in enlarged text. To see good examples of how this works, just look through a few magazines or newspapers to see how professional editors do this.

Then put a small AdSense block right under the quote. That quote will get read, people will see your ad and the CTR might shoot through the roof.

==> The High Contrast Technique

A lot of people say to blend your ads into your layout. But a very effective technique can be to go for high contrast instead.

For example, let’s say your site layout is primarily blue. Instead of making your links blue as well to blend in, why not make them bright red to really draw attention to them?

This will really get people to look at your ads. They still might not click, but at least you’re getting the views now.

Any one of these three techniques can take your CTR and give it a powerful boost. The exact results vary from site to site and niche to niche.

Remember to carefully read the Terms of Service for AdSense to make sure you’re not inadvertently violating any clauses. Whenever you experiment with controversial techniques, you really need to be well versed in what’s allowed and what’s not. Reread the Terms of Service (even if you’ve already read them a while back) before trying these techniques.

http://mygoldenoldiesteam.com/adsense-3-potentially-lucrative-tactics-experimen

5 Reasons Why You Should Start An Online Internet Business

There are many reasons to start an Online Internet Business. With so much job uncertainty and the increasing power of the internet there has never been a better time to take matters into your own hands and start your own online internet business. I have listed below the five main reasons I started my own Online Internet Business.

Reason #1 – Online Internet Business Provides Job Security

 

Ask a group of people the question about starting a business online and you will inevitably get a few responding that it’s too risky. I completely disagree with this! Once you have understood and grasped the concepts of selling products online you have basically given yourself a blueprint to replicate the process and give yourself a secure sustainable business model. Let’s face it however; even those people with long term secure jobs working in large organizations cannot claim to have job security. Every day I hear of more redundancies doing the rounds and if anything its people in these ‘secure’ jobs that are more anxious about job security than online internet business marketing entrepreneurs.

Reason #2 – Be Passionate About Your Online Internet Business

 

Let’s face it, working as an employee is making somebody else wealthy off your efforts. So in effect what many of us are doing is sacrificing our time and effort in return for a secure job (which is really not that secure). The conclusion is that we do just enough to get by and end up doing ‘work’ that we are neither passionate nor even care about. Productivity is increased tenfold when we are passionate about something. If you aren’t personally satisfied by your current job, you should at least consider the potential fulfilment that comes from running your own online internet business.

Reason #3 – Start-up Costs Are Low For An Online Internet Business

 

One of the biggest ‘show stoppers’ for setting up your own business is high start-up costs. To start a “brick and mortar” type business, owners must pay for commercial space, physical inventory, printed stationery and much more. As an Online Internet Business owner, all you really need to start your online internet business is an internet connection and a computer. Then there are smaller inventory costs such as domain names and hosting accounts. The bottom line is that your initial investment for starting up an online internet business will cost you much less that pretty much any other type of business.

Reason #4 – A Large Market Place Means Increased Number of Customers For Your Online Internet Business

 

There are now over 2 billion internet users worldwide. The market place for your online internet business is massive. These days you can easily market any product or service and there will be a customer base somewhere – you just need to find it. Whether you promote digital or physical products, if you understand what you are doing and apply yourself you will reach more people and as a result make more sales which means more income with an online internet business.

Reason #5 – Your Own Online Internet Business Allows For Increased Earnings Potential

 

If you’re employed in a full-time day job, your earning potential is limited by your field and your experience. If you work as a nurse, for example, you can acquire all the experience and qualifications you want – you’re still never going to hit the same large salaries that investment bankers or lawyers will. But with an online internet business, the world is your oyster. If you sell one product online, you can upscale to sell hundreds. If you decide to increase your service offerings, you can always take on additional employees to help manage the workload. Instead of negotiating a paltry 5% raise with your boss, you’re essentially creating this increase for yourself – a truly empowering experience that makes all the risk and uncertainty of an online Internet business worth it.

Read more here:   http://workwithgordon.com/online-internet-business/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=online-internet-business