(PMI-TV) CDN’s Improve SEO, Increase Conversions

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2012-04-22

Content delivery networks help webmasters increase their site load times. According to David Henzel of CDN NetDNA, this has a number of advantages, for example, site acceleration has a direct impact on a site’s conversion rate. It does this by hosting your site’s heavy content, like images, on local servers. This means that a user in San Francisco does not have to wait for a video from India to travel halfway across the world before they can see it.

CDN’s like NetDNA also give sites another big advantage: SEO. Google and other search engines favor sites with fast load times, which means that videos and large images could slow down a site. However, they only count for search engine load time if they’re on the same domain as the main website. By using a content delivery network, you’re hosting the video on another domain so Google does not count it against how long it takes for your site to load.

Performance Marketing Insider uses one of NetDNA’s Services.

Display Advertising Doesn’t Work

By

Dale Carr

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2012-04-22

0

Most internet ad professionals quickly learn to get their heads around the key metrics that drive their industry and get them so much kudos at dinner parties and the like. I am of course talking about cost per mille (CPM), cost per click (CPC), click through rate (CTR), and percentage conversions rates.

As the industry has matured, we are able to benchmark performance against the increasing amount of statistics that are now available in the display advertising industry.

Google, in their online report portal, show that the best performing click through rate across all ad sizes 0.26% (that is one click for every 385 people who view the ad). For banner sizes that generally appear in mobile campaigns the click through rates are much lower. Google quotes that 300×250 banners have a 0.1% CTR and 468×60 banners have a 0.05% CTR (1 click for every 2,000 views). Admob also a Google company is on the record as clarifying their click through rate as 0.5 -1% average.

Now what gets me all fired up is that these appalling click through rates are accepted as industry standard. Can you manage organizing a party and only 1 of your 385 guest turned up. You wouldn’t be telling yourself that the invite process produced a great result. Yet, we accept these results for traditional display advertising. It is akin to inviting people to your party via smoke signals when newer and better methods are already available.

Surely we should be doing something smarter?

I’m pleased to note that things are moving and mindsets are moving as well.

It’s common sense. What’s the point of an advertising campaign that broadcasts to people who aren’t particularly interested? The advent of digital advertising was supposed to be able take us away from the mass media wastage of TV and the like, where you blast millions of people with your message and hope it appeals to a handful. It is the interactive nature of digital media that is supposed to help advertisers target, entertain and most importantly, engage the consumer with meaningful and welcome messages.

So where is traditional display advertising going wrong? Click through rates tell us a lot about user interest and engagement. The current rates tell us that this traditional form of advertising is ignoring a major aspect of digital advertising, the user experience.

“Smart advertising” is the next stage in display advertising. It is integrated in its placement, in that it appears in accordance with user need or action. It is directly addressing the user experience – and the results are dramatic.

Great examples include overlays or functionally integrated app searches(such as our App Wall) that are available when users need them and don’t crowd the app experience as traditional display advertising does. Rich media is coming of age and provides an immersive experience that will further enhance and re-captivate advertising audiences.

At LeadBolt we have been promoting high performance ad types for some time and I see that other innovative mobile advertising companies are getting traction doing the same.

The rewards are there, in this world, savvy advertisers are achieving click through rates that are a 15 – 30 times improvement on Google’s display statistics.

I’m sure the industry can be smarter and users will be the winners.

Clickjacker Extradited

By

Pesach Lattin

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2012-04-22

6

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the extradition of ANTON IVANOV from Estonia to face charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and computer intrusion, among other offenses. The charges relate to the alleged operation of a massive and sophisticated Internet fraud scheme that infected with malware more than four million computers located in over 100 countries. The malware secretly altered the settings on infected computers enabling IVANOV and the six other charged defendants – Vladimir Tsastsin, Timur Gerassimenko, Dmitri Jegorov, Valeri Aleksejev, Konstantin Poltev, and Andrey Taame – to digitally hijack Internet searches and re-route computers to certain websites and advertisements. The defendants subsequently received millions of dollars in fees as a result of unintended visits to these websites and ads by users of infected computers. The malware also prevented the installation of anti-virus software and operating system updates on infected computers, leaving those computers and their users unable to detect or stop the defendants’ malware, and exposing them to attacks by other viruses.

IVANOV, an Estonian citizen, was arrested in Estonia on November 8, 2011, when the Indictment against him was unsealed. He arrived in the Southern District of New York this afternoon, and was presented and arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Debra Freeman.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Lai, James Pastore, and Alexander Wilson are in charge of the prosecution.

Creating Persuasive Content that Works

By

Mustafa Khundmiri

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2012-04-22

2

No matter what type of content you create, it has to be persuasive to leave an impact. That’s the kind of content that gets shared and remembered.

So how do you really do that? What does it take to be a persuasive writer? How can you go about creating outstanding content whenever you want?

Here are a few effective tips to help you do that…

#1: Have Your Main Benefit in the Headline: If you want your readers to actually read your content then you need to first tell them why. People browsing the web have a pretty short attention span. Respect their time and be clear with your headline. Let your readers know what they will get out of your content.

#2: Have a Great Opening Paragraph: The purpose of your opening paragraph is to pull your readers in. It has to invoke interest and curiosity. Each sentence matters here, which basically means “no fluff”.

#3: Dive Into the Details: Your content will only stand out from the rest if it gives information that’s valuable. And to do that, you have to make sure it’s detailed. Creating in-depth content gives you an edge over the competition. It gives your readers a strong, positive impression about you.

#4: Use Metaphors: Most of the content on the Internet fails to leverage metaphors. But you can be different by using them, since they allow you to explain your ideas clearly by relating to something your readers already know. Don’t underestimate the power of metaphors – they work great when used effectively.

#5: Use Statistics: The more credibility you add to your content, the better results you will get. By using statistics, you will make your information more concrete and trustable. Your readers will value your content more when they see you using the right stats to explain a fact. Besides that, you get to use graphs and charts – making your content more vibrant and scan-friendly.

#6: Write in a Conversational Tone: The way you present your content plays a huge role. When you write in a conversational tone, it helps you connect with your readers. They feel more comfortable knowing that it’s a real person behind the words. Since nobody likes to talk to a company – using a dry, corporate tone of voice is a definite no-no.

#7: Avoid the Use of Jargon: Obscure words may look appealing, but ultimately they tend to confuse readers. You should try to use simple words that even novice readers can understand. The moment your readers feel like they’re reading a technical instructional manual, they’ll stop.

#8: Aim for a High Engagement Level: Your content needs to be highly focused on the readers. Make sure you’re using the word ‘You’ more than the word ‘I’. That’s what makes it engaging and fun to read. Remember, it’s all about them, not you.

#9: Deliver on Your Promise: The promise that you make in the headline should be delivered throughout your content. Your readers shouldn’t feel like they’ve been deceived. Give them the ultimate value so that they leave happy.

Do you have any unique ideas for creating persuasive content? Do share them below in the comments section!

Startup Cash for Your Affiliate Business

By

Mustafa Khundmiri

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2012-04-22

2

Affiliate marketing can be daunting, especially if you’re starting out from scratch. Most of the affiliates struggle in the initial phase of their business because of insufficient cash flow.

It’s okay to get all motivated reading ‘affiliate success stories’. But realize that you will have some expenses to run the business. In order to find the best converting offers and get a good return on investment, it’s important that you have startup cash.

Now, before you actually start calculating how much cash you need to have saved up for running your affiliate campaigns, ask yourself:

How much money do you need?

First of all, understand that it will take you a while before you hit a winning campaign. You will fail more than you succeed. That’s how you get to learn the ropes. The solution? You have to move beyond the ‘one campaign’ thinking and aim for testing multiple campaigns.

Start off with a couple of offers and test them out. For instance, you can test one campaign with PPC. Another one with PPV. The next one with Social media. And then the last one with search traffic.

Since you are in the beginning phase, spend about $100 for traffic on each of the campaigns to know how they’re performing. This would give you a fair idea of what’s working and what’s not. If a campaign’s giving you a decent return on investment, it’s good enough for ramping up.

Your focus should be on boosting the conversion rate of your landing pages, so that you’re able to get the most out of your traffic.

Now with that said, you need $500 – $1,000 in your pocket to start off with the initial campaign testing. One of the best ways to generate this cash would be to…

Sell Your Services

Find a skill that you are good at and look for people who would need your services. For example, if you’re good at writing, you can create articles for clients. Or if you’re know how to do web designing or SEO, you can find people that will give you paying projects.

There are many job boards online that you can use to find freelance opportunities. You can also get in touch with potential clients on relevant forums. Try and stay away from ‘freelance bidding’ sites because usually people are competing there for pennies. What you are looking for are stable freelance opportunities that can help you raise funds.

What if you’re unable to find clients?

If you’re having a hard time getting projects, then create something with your skills first and then look for buyers. For example, you can create articles and sell them at Constant-Content.com or create turnkey websites and sell them at Flippa.com. If you look around, you’ll find many more places where you can actually sell what you create, rather than providing a service.

The most important thing is to take a start on raising capital because quality affiliate marketing doesn’t come for free.

Do you have any ideas on how to get startup cash for getting into the affiliate business? If yes, then share them in the comments section below!

How to Choose the Right Domain Name

By

Mustafa Khundmiri

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2012-04-22

3

Choosing the right domain name for your website can prove to be a daunting task. It sucks when every domain name you come up with is taken. But if you’re able to put in a little bit of creativity, you can find a domain name that not only sounds good, but is also relevant.

There isn’t a “foolproof” formula to find the best domain names. However, here are a few tips to help you simplify the whole process.

1) Go for a .com Domain Name – If you want to build a site that people will remember and brand it well, then choosing a dot-com domain name is crucial. It’s a known fact that people are more accustomed to dot-com domains, so it makes sense to get one instead of a dot-net or dot-org. You could lose out on a good amount of type-in traffic if you avoid dot-com.

2) Get a Unique Domain – The last thing you want is people mistyping your domain name or worse, going to another popular site owned with a similar name. You should see to it that you’re being unique in your domain choice. Resist the urge of going for a domain name that is a plural or hyphenated version of some other domain. Remember, creating long term consistent traffic to your site depends on multiple factors and this is one of them.

3) Make Sure It’s Easy to Type – Let’s face it – simple domain names rock. If there’s a lot of effort going into typing the domain name to avoid spelling errors, then it’s not worth it. The marketing and branding value of the domain name automatically go down. You want a domain name that’s easy to type and as well as memorable. Also, stay away from any names that sound like tongue twisters.

4) Keep It Short and Sweet – Domain names that are short and to the point not only look good, but are also easy to remember. Besides that, you also get to have more characters in the URL, which is good from the SEO point of view. It may look challenging to come up with a short domain name, given that many are taken. What you can do is use a combination of two simple words together to form a name.

5) Say No to Hyphens and Numbers – While it may look cool to use hyphens and numbers in your domain name, it’s a good idea to avoid them. They not only make it hard to give out your name verbally, but it can also be confusing to type. Your domain name has to be crystal clear in every possible way.

6) Keep Copyright Infringement in Mind – There aren’t many cases of copyright infringement when it comes to domain names, but it’s something you need to be aware of. It’s a mistake that can cost you a great deal. To ensure that you’re not infringing on someone’s copyright, pay a visit to copyright.gov and do a search before making a decision.

How do you go about choosing your domain names? Do share your ideas in the comments section below!

Facebook Bans Affiliates from Free Ad APIs

By

Pesach Lattin

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2012-04-20

13

In Facebook’s continued fight against the evil which is Affiliate Networks, they have announced a new policy sent to all Advertising Partners, which prohibits Affiliate Networks and Affiliates from using free versions of any Facebook advertising API application.

This basically means that affiliates are no longer allowed to test drive many of the advertising buying and optimization systems that exist for Facebook. The reason given according to an insider who forward this new policy, is that Facebook doesn’t “want affiliates to use free trial accounts from api partners to get around their policies and create lots of ads that will be a burden for their people to approve/disapprove etc.”

Freemium policy
If you offer a free and/or trial version of an Ads API-enabled application, you must a) allow no more than 50 ad creations per day, per customer; b) require phone and/or email verification for all new accounts; c) prohibit affiliate networks from using your technology; and d) implement a mechanism to gate accounts that violate our policies.

Video Testimonials Boost Your Conversion Rate

By

Mustafa Khundmiri

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2012-04-20

6

Who doesn’t want traffic that buys? Who doesn’t want visitors that actually share and subscribe? Who doesn’t want more conversions?

We all do.

You get these conversions by giving your prospects a reason to trust you. By making them go wow. By convincing them your site is what they need.

But that won’t happen through self-praise.

Letting your visitors know about who you are is way different than bragging about the greatness of your own products. Talking about yourself and how amazing you are is a turnoff for your visitors. Blowing your own trumpet will get you nowhere. It won’t impress anyone.

So what’s the solution?

Leverage Your Clients and Customers

Social proof works great when it comes to establishing trust with your visitors. Even though there are a lot of ways to get and present testimonials from your existing customers and clients, you should try to get video testimonials.

However, you still find most of the online marketers staying away from the idea of video testimonials. They’re either unsure of how to go about it or don’t see their importance.

If you want to get valuable video testimonials to take your conversion rate to the next level, use the following tips:

#1: Ask for Them – This is the most obvious thing to do, but still many shy away from it. But asking for a video testimonial from your customers right after they buy your product/service can easily get you one. In addition to this, if you get an email testimonial from a customer, reply back and ask them for a video of it. It all boils down to asking.

#2: Offer an Incentive – If done right, offering incentives is a great way to motivate your customers to give a video testimonial. However, you want to make sure that it doesn’t appear like you’re trying to bribe them for it. You can offer an incentive to anyone that sends in a video. And a second incentive for the videos that are published on your site. The double incentive idea can push more of your customers to send in good testimonials.

#3: Don’t Tell them What to Say – You want to keep the testimonials as natural as possible. Telling your customers what they should say will totally spoil the natural flow. Your testimonials will not only sound alike, but will also look vague. Your aim here is to make your testimonials as authentic as possible by showcasing the different stories and personalities of your customers. Give your customers the freedom to give the feedback the way they want.

#4: Offer to Help – You may have customers that aren’t too tech savvy. They might not know how to go about recording the video or uploading it to YouTube. What you can do is create a small tutorial on how to go through the whole process. Help your customers out and guide them. This will boost the response from them and will get you more video testimonials.

Do you have tips to share when it comes to getting video testimonials? How do you use them on your site? Please share your ideas in the comments section below.

Adteractive Goes Under, No One Will Be Paid

By

Pesach Lattin

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2012-04-19

23

Once one of the top “email submit” and freebie companies in the world, boasting a reported tens of millions of dollars a month, has announced that they will be closing their doors. Adteractive, which was behind many of the freebie offers that were often called “email” or “zip submits” sent a letter to all networks announcing that they would not be paid on owed money, and not to expect to be paid anytime in the near future.

Adteractive was once billed as one of the top Performance Marketing agencies, since 2000, and its founders were known to live an opulent lifestyle, buying huge houses, driving expensive cars and throwing famous parties. However, in 2007 they lost a lawsuit with the FTC that alleged that the freebie, “email submit” offers were extremely fraudulent and used deceptive methods to promote them.

The failure of Adteractive is expected to significantly affect more than a few CPA Networks that have depended not only on the ongoing income from their offers, but are owed money from the company. According to a letter sent, the networks and affiliates are not going to be paid ever.

Letter is below

Apple Lawsuit Could Affect Industry

By

Pesach Lattin

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2012-04-19

1

A federal lawsuit against Apple, claiming that virtual games enticed children to buy virtual currency using their parents credit card, was given a go-ahead this week by a federal judge. The group of parents, seeking class-action status, claims that Apple allowed apps that “lured” children into buying virtual items by just pressing buttons, and it was too easy for children to buy those products instantly using the stored credit card for up to 15 minutes.

Of course, kids like new things, even if they are virtual. Some purchases, according to the lawsuit, exceeded $300 in one purchase just by pressing a button. The lawsuit could have significant affect on the entire virtual currency industry, including in game purchases.

Currently there are many games online that allow players to buy products without having to re-enter credit cards. Some argue that not requiring the re-entering of credit card information allows children and perhaps unauthorized users to easily charge virtual purchases on credit card, even if they were not authorized.

Any ruling on this lawsuit could set precedent that would require games and application stores to force users to re-enter their credit card information. Part of the success of app stores and online games has been that online purchases only require the press of a button and getting out a credit card, paying again for a purchase could not only slow down the purchase but cause consumers to be turned off from the game.

The industry has already suffered enormous loss on credit card rules that have slowly eroded the continuity rebill market, which is reported to have been behind the failure and close failure of several companies in the industry including COPEAC. Several CPA and Affiliate networks depend on the virtual currency model on Facebook and within games to promote products via incentives.

(PMI-TV) Run Better Adwords PPC Campaigns

By

Murray Newlands

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2012-04-18

4

PPC guide (Pay per click) professionals all have tips and tricks that they will tell people about online on marketing websites, but few have the experience of Richard Earl. Richard has been doing PPC marketing for years and has developed some great tips that beginning and intermediate-level marketers must hear. Murray Newlands interviews Richard Earl for Performance Marketing Insider about how to run better AdWords pay per click campaigns, and Earl provides a great guide for anybody who wants to start a career in AdWords or move their career forward.

(InfoGraphic) You Can’t Trust Google

By

Pesach Lattin

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2012-04-18

1

“Don’t be evil.” Google’s unofficial corporate motto was originally adopted as company-wide belief as well as a jab to its competitors. However, Google has come a long way since it was incorporated in 1998. Can we still trust Google to do no evil? There is increasing evidence to suggest that the answer is ‘no’, according to this InfoGraphic.

Verizon Urges FCC to Back-Off of Anti-Cramming Rules

By

Richard B. Newman

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2012-04-17

2

Verizon is urging the Federal Communications Commission (“FCC”) to desist from imposing “anti-cramming” rules on the wireless telecommunications industry.

“Cramming” is the practice of placing unauthorized, misleading or deceptive charges on one’s telephone bill. Crammers rely on confusing telephone bills in an attempt to trick consumers into paying for services they did not authorize or receive, or that cost more than the consumer was led to believe. The FCC’s “Truth-in-Billing” rules require telephone companies to provide clear, non-misleading, plain language in describing services for which you are being billed.

The FCC is scheduled to vote April 27, 2012 on a report, order, and further notice of proposed rulemaking targeting unauthorized or “mystery” fees on consumers’ monthly phone bills. Leading up to the vote, both Verizon and AT&T Inc. have separately announced that they will stop accepting the majority of third-party charges on landline telephone customers’ monthly bills. However, neither Verizon’s nor AT&T’s new policies would affect third-party charges on mobile telephone users’ monthly bills.

Counsel for Verizon wrote in an April 13, 2012 ex parte filing describing an April 12, 2012 meeting with advisors to the FCC Chairman and the FCC Commissioner, that “[w]ireless third-party billing is fundamentally different from wireline third-party billing and is the source of far fewer customer complaints.” Verizon further stated that “[t]he majority of third-party charges billed by wireless providers are ordered directly from the handset itself, and the end user must complete a double opt-in or equivalent verification process.” Verizon noted that the aforementioned process is currently required by the Mobile Marketing Association’s Consumer Best Practices Guidelines for Cross-Carrier Mobile Content Services. At the April 12 meeting, Verizon encouraged the FCC to avoid regulation and to permit the mobile industry to continue to rely upon and revise current industry best practices to protect consumers from the practice of cramming.

Telecommunications carriers have long been lobbying for industry self-regulation, and for the industry and regulators to work together. If passed, the FCC’s new rules would mandate landline telephone companies to notify consumers at the point of sale, in monthly billing statements, and on corporate web sites about any blocking services available to prevent third parties from imposing charges in addition to those incurred for monthly telecommunications services. Companies also would have to separate any third-party charges from charges for traditional phone services.

The FCC’s “Truth-in-Billing” rules referenced above currently require phone companies to separate local charges from long-distance charges on monthly billing statements. Under the rules, the same requirements would apply for non-“common carrier” services.

With numerous class action lawsuits over the past few years against third party mobile content providers, aggregators, and carriers, the issue of cramming has been highly publicized and scrutinized by the FCC, more than 25 State Attorneys General, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Senate.

Disclaimer: This article is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult with an Internet and Communications Law Attorney for assistance interpreting Mobile Marketing Association Guidelines and FCC Rules & Regulations.

(PMI-TV) Miranda Marquit & Quick Traffic

By

Murray Newlands

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2012-04-17

9

Content creation: Murray Newlands of Performance Marketing Insider TV interviews Miranda Marquit, a freelance writer who authors seven posts per day! Content creator Miranda Marquit explains how she decides what to write about. For example, Miranda necessary to watch the Internet to follow trends when you’re writing a news article, but that’s less important when you’re writing evergreen.

She also talks about the different types of writing she does, such as product reviews, blog posts, and even books! As an experienced writer, she has lots of tips for aspiring professional writers, and what she says might surprise you!

UrbanObserver

ADOTAT

(PMI-TV) CDN’s Improve SEO, Increase Conversions

Display Advertising Doesn’t Work

Clickjacker Extradited

Creating Persuasive Content that Works

Startup Cash for Your Affiliate Business

How to Choose the Right Domain Name

Facebook Bans Affiliates from Free Ad APIs

Video Testimonials Boost Your Conversion Rate

Adteractive Goes Under, No One Will Be Paid

Apple Lawsuit Could Affect Industry

(PMI-TV) Run Better Adwords PPC Campaigns

(InfoGraphic) You Can’t Trust Google

Verizon Urges FCC to Back-Off of Anti-Cramming Rules

(PMI-TV) Miranda Marquit & Quick Traffic

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Did Your Company Receive a Letter From the FTC? FTC Warning Letters and Notices of Penalty Offense

The Good, the Bad, and the SPO-ly

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