Do Pay Per Click Advertising Campaigns Really Work?

18 06 2009

Pay per click advertising works through search engines that have an agreement with a business. This business will place a small ad on the results page for certain key terms. The listing on the search engine page usually has a title, a short heading, and a short promotional wording blurb. Depending on the search engine, the advertiser may or may not get to control the text. The advertiser pays nothing to appear on the results page itself. He or she only pays a previously agreed upon amount to the search engine when a visitor clicks on the ad itself.

Despite its popularity and its once record profit returns, pay per click advertising has lost something in returns. It is still, however, one of the best, fastest, and most effective methods of advertising on the web. According to Google’s record profit posting recently, lots of people see these ads and click on them. While it is true that pay per click advertising is only worth it if the sale gets from click to close, those businesses that do manage to close the sale have an excellent deal in their hands with pay per click. This means that customers are usually directed to their site for about five cents each, depending on the price of the key word. Pay per click advertising is even better than high search engine rankings because the ads can go up in just a few minutes while changing your web page content to improve your rankings, even with the help of a search engine oriented text company, can take weeks.

There are many different current companies that offer pay per click advertising. Google’s pay per click program is called AdWords. Google estimates that over eighty percent of internet users visit Google as a search engine. That results more customers seeing the ads than most businesses ever thought possible. Google allows you to create your own ads. They do, however, have a service that will design your ad for you if you choose. Yahoo is the other most popular pay per click program. Yahoo’s Overture works through partner sites like MSN and Alta Vista. Through these many sites, they claim to allow you to reach over ninety percent of internet users.

Choosing a company to sign up with can be difficult, but the most difficult part of pay per click advertising will be the planning and writing stages. To make the best pay per click ad campaign, you have to bid on key word phrases that work best for you, write the most effective ads, and have a strong, quality page when they click on your ad. The price of some key word phrases is extraordinarily high, so picking the right phrases immediately is your best bet. If you know how to catch the customer’s attention and offer them a perfect presentation, you will get the sale almost every time. If you don’t, you will lose some serious money with pay per click advertising.

Some people recommend using a search engine oriented professional to design your pay per click advertising campaign. However, the right campaign can be self-managed, with the right skills. You need some understanding of consumer psychology, excellent writing skills, and plenty of time to research what will work for you. Before you get ready to start your pay per click campaign, be sure to do some research into what is out there with regard to your product or services. When you get ready to write, you’ll want to notice that the best campaigns are legitimize by what their pages declare about them. Without that legitimacy, your ad will not only fail, it may be removed by your pay per click service. The search engine company you choose to work with may be able to help you find the right key words, but their suggestions can sometimes be ineffective. You can find the best key words by using several services and performing web research on a regular basis.

Pay per click advertising campaigns can be very effective if your ad is well written and if your target site helps to complete the sale with the customer. Without these elements, pay per click advertising is simply a waste of your valuable time and money. You would be better off with a traditional ad campaign.

To help you find campaigns that work, use Google Detective. This tool will not only identify successful campaigns, it will also show you how you can replicate that campaign in minutes. Try out the Google Detective free trial now.



Email Marketing And Clean Windows

6 04 2009

Terri exits her vehicle and makes her way to her favorite shopping mall. Once inside she meets her best friend Carley and they stopped for one of those hot pretzels with dipping sauce while they catch up on their week. It starts to rain so the two spent more time in the mall while they waited for the storm to pass. In that moment both were glad it had rained because it gave them time to visit while shopping, but as is typical sunshine often follows rain.

Terri draped her bags over her arms and ventured back to her SUV. She used her keyless remote to open the door and entered the driver’s side and buckled up. That’s when she noticed it.

The front window was multi-colored as sales flyer and handbills oozed color onto her windshield. She tried using her windshield wipers to clear off the debris, but it simply smeared the mess over the entire surface of the window making the mess more pronounced than when she started.

“Why would someone do this to me?” she said as she slapped her fist against the steering wheel.

To be fair, the individuals placing the flyers on the windshield probably didn’t know rain was coming and there certainly were more flyers than Terri was used to seeing, but the end result was a potential consumer who would never think of purchasing a product from whoever made a mess of her SUV.

This story is a bit like unwanted email marketing. People who are new to the Internet typically think of their email box as an extension of their mailbox. The hope is that the mail received would be beneficial and personal. The belief is that email is reserved for people you actually know who will send you electronic mail that you are thrilled to receive, yet time after time emails come from people and businesses they don’t know selling products they either don’t want or would never use and the email recipient becomes a very unhappy camper and are often disillusioned about the personal nature they thought was associated with email.

It’s as if the colorful email marketing is smeared across their computer screen and they wonder, “Why would someone do this to me?” In this type of case there is the underlying feeling that their privacy has been compromised. Some may even shake their heads wondering how anyone even found their email address.

This scenario emphasizes the need to provide an opt out methods for email marketing, but it still has the feel of junk mail, telemarketers or colorful flyers stuck on the windshield after a rainstorm ñ an undesirable nuisance.

Many businesses are using site registration as the means of capturing email addresses. When a customer receives email marketing from these businesses they should already know about the business and their products or services.

This type of email marketing is much better received and carries with it both goodwill and a measure of trust. You may start with a smaller list, but the recipients tend to like you better.



Email Marketing – Are You A Gambler?

6 04 2009

In 2006 businesses spent nearly $400 million on email marketing. This figure is staggering, yet it proves just how important online businesses believe email marketing to be.

Most marketing experts would likely rank Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategies as the number one marketing mechanism for online businesses. However, it is email marketing that comes in second. The reason this marketing technique is so highly touted is because it doesn’t wait for business to trickle in. Email marketing takes your message directly to the people providing a sense of immediacy and purpose.

SEO strategies are essential for the long term viability of your marketing strategy, but for the most significant return on investment (ROI) email marketing has consistently held an edge over other marketing strategies such as Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising or banner advertising.

Email lists that are organically grown typically hold the greatest ROI, but some online businesses have found a modicum of success using rented or purchased lists, but there is always a price.

The reason many businesses look for lists that have already been compiled by third parities is because they can begin to market immediately. The problem many encounter with this strategy is that many of those on the email list may not be very happy with their private information being made available to the highest bidder. Recipients may also be hostile to any overtures from unknown companies.

You will discover that the best response you receive will be a direct result of interacting with existing, satisfied customers. They are the ones who already have an affinity for your product and do not tend to view your emails as unwanted material or spam. 

The propagation of spam has made email marketing a bit more of a challenge for online businesses, which has placed a greater emphasis on trust, worthwhile correspondence and value for the existing customer. 

Another reason purchased or rented lists are suspect with recipients is that legitimate email delivery is either personal or opt-in. If recipients have not signed up for the email in question they will not likely be excited to receive it. These unhappy recipients can (and often will) report your email as spam and you could be blocked from being able to send future emails – not just to the recipient who reported you, but also to any others that may be using the email service provider (e.g. Yahoo, MSN, etc.).

The value of email marketing is well noted and it can be tempting to take shortcuts from which to glean potential customers. In the end you may be gambling with your potential to send email to customers in the future if hostile recipients view your company email as spam.



Email Marketing: Software Solutions

5 04 2009

If you wish to provide email marketing as part of your online business plan you might want to look at some of the email marketing software applications available.

Certainly there are sources where you can develop an online group at little or no cost. By following this approach you may be well served at the startup of your online business, but as it grows you may want to invest in software that aids in the effective delivery of your email marketing messages while providing a greater degree of flexibility in the final presentation.

Arial Software

The software application from Arial provides a laundry list of services that include templates for highly developed email messages with photos, logos and headers. The software can be toggled to account for the expertise of the user. Essentially this means that if you are not very skilled at using the software you can select a beginning setting and more assistance is provided to allow you to successfully access the functions you are seeking to use. The cost for the software can range from just under $1,000 to over $5,000 depending on your needs and subscriber base.

PoliteMail

This service was developed to work exclusively with Outlook Express, and works on a ëper email’ fee. The basic package is free to use and has a maximum distribution capability of 10,000. The caveat is that even the free edition requires a fee for the emails distributed through the system. According to PoliteMail, “”For less than a penny per message, you can send to thousands to customers and prospects.”

The professional version of PoliteMail is $495 and it is also subject to fees for each delivered email. It has a larger capacity for subscription and offered additional premium features.

EmailLabs

EmailLabs represents itself as a high-end email marketing solution and unlike other services takes a different approach to service availability, “EmailLabs does not offer a 30- or 60-day free trial account as do manyÖ providers in the industry.” They do provide a demo for clients to tour and their list of clients is impressive. No pricing structure was available for review.

While these three email marketing software solutions are varied in their approach they are also only a small number of potential providers. This article is not an endorsement of any particular product simply a means of alerting you to a variety of possibilities as you consider email marketing as a means of furthering the objectives of your online company.



Generating More Website Traffic

5 04 2009

Whether your website is a personal blog or a business based site, every person with a site knows the most important aspect is to have traffic. Without visitors and traffic, the website becomes just wasted cyberspace. Many people struggle with the concept of how to generate more website traffic. The good news is there are a variety of ways to drive traffic to your site with little or no money invested. It is a simple matter of checking out what works and thinking creatively.

Consider getting involved with an affiliate program, if you haven’t already. Hosting another company’s products will send more visitors your way when they search for a specific item. This is also a good way to generate some income for yourself as well as receive more website traffic. The products draw visitors in, but hopefully, your amazing website will have them coming back for more. There are services out there that will take care of the majority of business for you. Some even allow you the instant ability to accept credit cards and run the affiliate program for you. This may be the best method for creating more website traffic.

Another highly result driven method for more website traffic is reciprocal linking. This practice is especially useful when your site is linked to similar content websites. For example, if you use your website to sell yoga equipment, linking to another site that focuses on yoga content and tips would be a mutually beneficial link. You get the sales and the other site gets more hits and more visitors reading and commenting. You will want to link with websites that are related to your products, but that are not in direct competition. Networking in this manner and reciprocal linking are excellent ways to generate more website traffic.

If you were blessed with adequate writing skills, then writing articles in your area of expertise is another way to get more website traffic. Writing a few articles a week and submitting them to other relevant websites has the potential of creating new interest in your website. Website content is a precious commodity and your articles have the potential of ending up on an unlimited amount of websites. How this benefits you is that in your byline you include a link back to your site along with the standard information about yourself. Be sure to set the link up to go directly to your sales page. If your homepage isn’t your sales page be careful to not make a new guest search your entire site for the products they want. This method of generating more website traffic is optimal because there is no cost to you and is free advertising.

A unique technique for getting more website exposure is to advertise locally. One way would be to have magnetic signs made with your website’s information on them. Have some extras made and maybe friends and family will help out with your advertising venture. The numbers of people who will see this information is astounding when you factor in vehicle traffic and the number of places you go in one week. The magnets won’t damage the finish of your car and you are taking advantage of a relatively low cost way to generate more website traffic. Add to that any outside help you receive and the Internet traffic from local sources may be just what your website needs.

Getting the attention and additional traffic your website needs doesn’t have to be the near impossible feat that it may seem like. A little bit of research and patience on your part paired with creativity can make your site the envy of its cyberbuddies.



They Stole My Affiliate Commission!

20 03 2009

As a struggling internet marketer myself there are few things worse than having your affiliate commissions stolen and the second one, not having a solid list to promote to. Both can be completely devastating to you and your new business if you are not wise.

Ok, so how do you fix the first problem?? In a word…Cloaking. Yep, disguising your link or really protecting your link to keep it safe. We all have special numbers, or passwords, or key items that protect us, so why not find something that protects your affiliate links safe guarding your business of promoting? I have found that if you are able to cloak your links your affiliate commissions can go up tremendously because people can’t change your id or drop off part of the URL! Imagine a super easy way to protect your commissions. No super long URLS, no worrying whether or not someone took your link out or just dropped it all together. It is there, disguised and safe and sound! Some link cloakers can cost a pretty penny too, so check to be sure it’s worth it. Or Check out the free one below.

Ok, so your next battle, list building. Well this one is tricky, right? You can buy lists, which just don’t work well because more than half the time they aren’t your targeted consumer, or worse you send out emails and get busted for spamming!! Or, really one of the only real options is that you put up a website in hopes of getting hundreds and thousands of visitors which will hopefully opt in to your newsletter or offer. Unfortunately, the problem with this option becomes trafficÖwhere do you find quality traffic that won’t cost a fortune and bring quality visitors to your site. My thoughts here; you are looking at pay per click advertising, great SEO for your site, or other high cost marketing tactics, which can work great, but again cost a fortune.

Or maybe you don’t have a list and no idea how to get one, but just email your poor friends 100 times a day with all your affiliate programs hoping they will take pity on you and buy something? All of these methods are tough, time consuming, or are just not going to bring you the sales you need!

So where do you find lists that work? Go directly to the source… find other people just like you, looking for the same types of services and more and let them know what you’ve got. You can find these lists in the form of forums, specific communities, classified sections, or FREE programs and membership sites such as the one below that will not only help you build your list, but help you cloak your link, and yes for FREE.

Internet marketing doesn’t need to be so difficult, why make it hard on yourself. Follow a plan, protect yourself. Build your lists, and sell. Don’t get stuck in the trap. Dig yourself out now with just a few small changes and I am sure you will see great success!

All the Best!



Rules Of Affiliate Marketing

18 03 2009

So you have been wanting to move interested in affiliate selling, and would like to know the regulations. You have your website and or blog all prepared up and geared up to go. You have selected your niche and market that you desire to advertise and make money off of. You only require links to commence making money. Promoting other’s services and products is not something that is hard to do. On the other hand, you will discover that with all of the many companies that present affiliate programs, and referral options, they all have their own regulations that you have to follow.

Affiliate selling is pretty simple to stick to, that is unless you have many dissimilar programs that you are a part of. When you begin receiving so many that you cannot remember the regulations, or the guidelines that you have to keep to, you might have a predicament. This is since the regulations for affiliate programs are as diverse as the companies. Each business is allowed to make their own regulations. Then again, you might see many similarities. That does not signify that they are copying one another, or cloning their affiliate plan so to speak, but yet it means that they have the same rules.

Affiliate selling regulations can be so incredibly diverse. They can vary from not mentioning the brand names that they sell anyplace on your website, to not have that specific market in your website URL. As they are so distinctive for each plan and business that you put forward, you are going to have to be certain that you read each one properly and make positive that you comprehend it wholly. If you all set have your URL for your website, you may not be able to partake in some of the affiliate programs. This is for the reason that you will not meet the requirements for the rules.

Another regulation that you are going to see frequently when you are interested in affiliate promotion is the page rank ruling. Some of the companies that will permit you to advertise their services or products will not desire you to have a superior page rank than they do. Nor will they consent to you to have a website that is elevated in the search engine rankings. For instance, if you were promoting coffee, and you wanted to become an affiliate for Folgers coffee. Your website would not be able to come up on top of the official Folgers coffee website in the search engine results when coffee, or Folgers coffee is used as the search phrase. The companies that have this ruling in place for their affiliate promotion programs believe as if your website were top than theirs for the product that they are advertising, that it would harm their business enormously. And, it only might. They would rather have the direct sales any day, than the commissioned sales. Who wouldn’t?

Keeping a worksheet of the affiliate selling programs that you are a part of and their policy is a good idea. This way you are never perplexed and know only wherever you require to stand to be a part of that plan. This is the greatest thing that you can do for your affiliate promotion business. Not only that, you will also uncover that some of the sites that have busted regulations and have been caught have resulted in law suits. Cover your tracks and make for sure that you are following the regulations that are prepared by that business for the most excellent results.

You will also come across that there is a thing that is called affiliate selling software. If you can discover a plan that fits your requirements and will help you keep the whole thing direct, you may not have to fret about keeping track of them manually. Use your software to keep track and make certain that you are doing your affiliate selling the correct way. Your efforts will pay off eventually, and you will be happy that you went by the book and followed the necessary affiliate selling rules.