Murray Newlands of Performance Marketing Insider interviews George Avery, the CEO of GetAds. George talks about the constant battle of email marketing, what is working the best for GetAds for email marketers. “We want to have an intimate knowledge of their business and how they market offers. That allows us to bring in better offers and make better suggestions to them on how to increase their profits month after month. We are always talking to our publishers to find out what they want, what we are doing right, and what we need improvement on. It really boils down to the relationship. The stronger your relationship is with your network, the more money you will make in the long run.”
(PMI-TV) What Verticals Should You Try?
Murray Newlands of Performance Marketing Insider interviews Amy Sheridan of Blue Phoenix talks about what verticals affiliates need try, where to find about new offers and what is working. Learn more about education offers, the insurance vertical and credit offers. “Blue Phoenix Media is a performance-based online advertising network comprised of a variety of large to medium vertical sites, portals and email publishers. We are partnered with many of the largest publishers to deliver significant reach across many areas of interactive media. We also operate the Blue Phoenix Network, a CPA network hosting over 40 exclusive offers.”
(PMI-TV) Mike Guida at NDemand
Murray Newlands interviews Mike Guida of NDemand Affiliates on what to run with Ndemand Affiliates, and what is working now. “Ndemand Affiliates is a fast growing CPA network with a focus on making affiliates as much money as fast as possible. As a superior affiliate network we have a minimum of 500+ campaigns available daily, we provide the variety of offers you are looking for.”
(PMI-TV) Sexy Converting With Fling
Murray Newlands interviews Cal Chang of Fling.com, who gives tips about how to convert on Fling. Fling.com is one of the internet’s hottest dating sites, according to Chang, where people go to have a lot of fun. “You never know unless you try it,” says Chang. We aren’t sure if he means trying out Fling.com for risque dating or becoming an affiliate. Either way, we aren’t sure if the lady on the left is his girlfriend, or the most uncomfortable “booth-babe” we’ve every seen.
Trademark Bidding to Become Illegal Again?
Here’s some bad news out of the 4th US Circle Court of appeals: It seems that they have revived the Rosetta Stone case against Google which questioned the legality of trademark bidding. This is a dangerous case for the industry, as it revives the debate that was supposedly settled, if companies can bid on trademark terms in Google and other PPC engines.
In 2009 Rosetta Stone, the guys who claim you can learn a foreign language on DVD in only a few short months, sued Google claiming that their trademark was being infringed when Google allowed competitors to buy trademark searches. The case had been dismissed by the US District Court in 2010. However, the appeals court has sent it back basically claiming that the original court hadn’t properly considered the case.
“A reasonable trier of fact could find that Google intended to cause confusion in that it acted with the knowledge that confusion was very likely to result from its use of the marks,” Chief Judge William Traxler wrote for the three-judge panel.
While there has been no decision on what this means, it could mean that a court could decide that there is potential confusion issues on trademark bidding, making it illegal again. This flies in the face of the Network Automation case that was ruled in March 2011 that basically said that trademark bidding was allowed.
(PMI-TV) What’s Going on With Adscend Media?
Exclusive Interview with Fehzan Ali. Interview by Murray Newlands of Performance Marketing Insider, talking about all the secrets of Content Locking. Find about this fast growing way to monetize your content, including ebooks, videos, movies, music instruction and much more. Only on Performance Marketing Insider.
“Adscend Media is a CPA affiliate network that specializes in incentivized marketing, however we also cater to a wide range of paid traffic, social, and display publishers to offer a complete monetization solution for our publishers. Within the incentivized realm, our primary focus is our cutting edge content locking tool that allows publishers to generate additional revenue from their premium content. We offer content locking tools that can be deployed and integrated within a matter of minutes or custom solutions for a tighter integration with the publishers website or project. We also work with a limited number of quality virtual currency partners.”
(PMI-TV) Affiliate Tips from MaxBounty
Only on PMI-TV, the newest channel for Performance Marketing News and Interviews. Murray Newlands of Performance Marketing Insider interviews Valerie Husky of MaxBounty.com, a CPA Affiliate Network, on some tips for all affiliates. What offers are hot at MaxBounty and will make you hungry? Find out more information with this exclusive interview at PMI-TV with Murray Newlands.
(PMI-TV) Affiliate Fraud Detection Interview
David Sendroff of CPA Detective talks about Affiliate Fraud Detection, the process in which they catch fraudsters for CPA Networks and Advertisers. CPA Detective combined 7 years of extensive R&D and 2 years of field tested experience to create the first real-time fraud mitigation solution specifically designed for the performance marketing industry. Designed to intelligently unmask fraudulent behavior and empower companies to proactively eliminate fraud from their campaigns, CPA Detective saves businesses millions in advertising dollars to empower growth and new business development.
Want to learn more? You can read reviews on CPA Detective here
(Infographic) Top Google Ad Buyers
You think you can compete on Google? Perhaps there are ways without having to game the system, generate leads, but unfortunately many brands are topping Google advertising buys with dominating entire sectors. If you’d like to try Insurance, Education, Travel, Computers or Cars you are going against guys who are spending money even at a loss sometimes. Here’s a great graphic that shows who is buying the most ads on Google, thanks for the fine folks at Wordstream.
Twitter Sues Spammers
Twitter has sued five companies that it claims that are behind pretty much the vast majority of marketing spam that is on Twitter right now. The suit names both individuals engaged in spam and companies that have helped proliferate spam. Includes in the suit are TweetAttacks, TweetAdder, TweetBudddy and James Lucero and Garland Harris.
In a complaint filed before the U.S District Court for the Northern District of California, San Francisco division, Twitter alleged that some of the defendants distribute software tools designed to facilitate the abuse of its platform and market it to dupe consumers into violating Twitter’s user agreement, while others operate large numbers of automated Twitter accounts, through which they attempt to trick Twitter users into clicking on links to illegitimate websites. Twitter’s user agreement prohibits spamming in its terms of service, it said.
This morning, we filed suit in federal court in San Francisco against five of the most aggressive tool providers and spammers. With this suit, we’re going straight to the source. By shutting down tool providers, we will prevent other spammers from having these services at their disposal. Further, we hope the suit acts as a deterrent to other spammers, demonstrating the strength of our commitment to keep them off Twitter.
While this is an important step, our efforts to combat spam don’t stop here. Our engineering team continues to implement robust technical solutions that help us proactively reduce spam. For example, earlier this week, our engineers launched new anti-spam measures within Twitter to more aggressively suspend a new type of @ mention spam. Additionally, we now use our link shortener (t.co) to analyze whether a tweeted link leads to malware or malicious content. This helps us prevent users from visiting malicious links and helps us shut down hundreds of thousands of abusive accounts. You can help out, too, by reporting and blocking spammers you encounter on Twitter.
Obviously Twitter is taking serious complaints by users that a vast majority of Twitter is somewhat useless. According to MarketingCharts, users claim that only 36% of Tweets are worth reading:
Twitter users rated only 36% of the tweets they received as worth reading, while they expressed ambivalence about 39% and said 25% were not worth reading, according to [pdf] research released in January 2012 by Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), which looked at data gleaned from December 2010 to January 2011. “Question to followers” tweets were the least disliked of the various categories studied, with an 18% probability of being rated not worth reading. By contrast, “me now” tweets regarding current mood or activity were among the most disliked, with just a 22% chance of being rated worth reading.
Bottom Google Ads CTR Rise
Interesting news out of an investment company, Global Equities Research which show that click-throughs on Google are actually rising, but specifically more importantly the bottom ad placements. Because of this, Google has shown significant revenue growth, making investors really happy.
However, the best news is the research on what type of ads perform the best:
Queries related to Shopping
Queries related to Schools
Queries related to any form of Comparison
Queries related to any form of Supplies
Queries related to any Text Books
Google Click-thru-Rates and Cost per Click has started to show improvement. In November of 2011, Google rolled out a new Ad Placement at the bottom of the Search Results page. Initially, CTR on the new Ad Placement at the Bottom of the Search results were very week, but has steadily improved in the CY1Q’2012 in some geographies. Our research indicates that CTR on the Ads on the Bottom of the Search Results page is stronger Internationally vs. Domestic. Our research also indicates that young users, who are under 25 years of age are more likely to click on the Ads at the Bottom of the Search Results page that the users who are over 40 years of age.
How to Get More Links with Effective SEO Copywriting
If you want your site to achieve a higher position in the search engines, then getting more outbound links is essential. Without relevant, targeted links coming back to your site, it gets difficult to get ranked for your targeted keywords.
While there are many blackhat and greyhat ways of acquiring backlinks to a website, none of them work to give you long term results.
So if you are looking out to build links consistently without really getting into the bad books of the search engines – you need to work on the way you present your content with effective SEO copywriting.
Given below are 3 tips to help you get more link juice by organizing your content the right way.
#1. Make It Scannable – People no longer read pages on the web, they scan them. They’re becoming power skimmers that love going through content at their own pace, without really ‘reading’ anything. So how do you really make your content scannable?
By using:
- Images that are relevant to the topic
- Bullet points that help you put your point across
- Layout and color to make your page stand out
- Language that is not too complicated and is devoid of any jargon
You should by all means make your page look presentable and easy to consume.
#2. Use a Headline Formula – Some online marketers literally rack their brains to create the best headline for their post or article. But why make it complicated? There are proven headline formulas out there that you can use for your own headlines. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel – just use what is tried and tested. The following headline formulas always tend to work:
- Make a direct statement with your headline minus all the bells and whistles. Keep it simple and straightforward.
- Ask a question with your headline so that it makes your prospects curious about what you’re offering. Something that makes them want to read further.
- Create a how-to style headline, which almost always works. It’s a formula that is successfully used by magazines like Cosmopolitan, so why not you?
There are many more ways to create awesome headlines. Just find a formula that works for you and go for it.
#3. Include Visuals – Understand the power of using the right visuals in your content. Every visual that you include makes your content more memorable and easy to digest. If you look around, you’ll find that the most linked content usually contains visuals that make sense. Visuals don’t have to be complicated, you can use things like:
- Photographs
- Graphics
- Artwork
- Bars, graphs and charts
- Sketches
- Infographics
- Video
The whole idea of using visuals is to make your content more appealing, thus getting it more shares across social media sites and attracting natural, relevant backlinks. This ultimately helps you achieve your goal of building targeted backlinks that last.
Remember, the more you focus on giving value to your readers, the more your content spreads. And by including quality visuals, you actually give them real value.
How do you use SEO copywriting to make your content link worthy? Do share your ideas in the comments section below!
Is Lead Gen a Zero Sum Game?
Online lead generation is thriving. There are now publicly traded lead gen companies, like Quinstreet (valued at almost $500M) and BankRate (valued at $2.4B); a bi-coastal conference – LeadsCon – that now attracts almost 3000 people per conference and was recently acquired in a ‘huge buyout’; and even a silly LinkedIn group that I founded five years ago now has 39,000 members interested in online lead gen!
In sum, lead gen is no longer the ugly step-sister that no one wants to talk about – it’s an established, multi-billion dollar industry that is an integral part of marketing for many, many businesses. Ironically, however, the success of the industry may not be a good thing for most lead sellers. The maturity of the industry is making it harder and harder for “the little guy” to compete in lead gen.
As I see it, lead gen has become a “zero sum” game – as the big players get bigger, they take away opportunities for the small players, until eventually, only the biggest players in each vertical remain. Here are five reasons it’s hard for all but the largest lead sellers to survive today:
- Lead Quality: Simply selling leads is no longer the end game – the end game is selling “quality” leads, generally described as leads that convert into paying customers. I’ve noted this in the past, but lead gen is really a misnomer to describe this sort of transaction, it’s really just a revenue share. For lead sellers, this means that you have to work a lot harder to get paid, and you are constantly evaluated on your ability to consistently bring in quantity and quality.
- Economies of Scale: Big lead sellers can negotiate better deals with partners and thus get their leads cheaper. They can also “blend” high quality and low quality leads more seamlessly, which enables them to buy and sell low quality leads that a small player could not.
- Diminished Arbitrage Opportunities: Five years ago, you could buy “San Mateo bad credit refinance mortgage rates” on Google AdWords and potentially be the only bidder on this keyword. Today, a combination of AdWords changes that largely eliminate “long tail” keywords and much savvier competition makes it unlikely that you can buy a click for $.05 and make $50. Most online marketing arbitrage opportunities have gone by the wayside.
- Buyer Knowledge: Most large lead buyers now have sophisticated in-house teams and technology to evaluate their lead sources. In some cases, lead buyers are acquiring their leads directly, through in-house marketing teams. The bottom line is this: five years ago, you could still “fool” some buyers with bad leads, today you can’t.
- Regulation: Federal and state regulations have made it more expensive to operate a lead selling business. CAN-SPAM is the most widely stated example of regulation that has impacted lead sellers, but there’s also been increased attention by the FTC and proposed regulation in Europe that is taking its toll.
Taking all of these factors together, you need to have a pretty large operation to be a successful lead generator. From lead quality technology, business development teams, smart ad buyers, and talented lawyers, lead gen just isn’t the domain of ‘mom and pop’ shops out of a garage like it once was.
Email Prefered Sales Method for Consumers
From the fine folks at ExactTarget (a mailing company, go figure) comes a study that says that 77% of consumers prefer to get permission-based marketing messages via email. According to the survey, it’s not just the vast majority of people’s preferred way to get marketing, but nothing even comes close to it, with Direct Mail at 9% and Facebook at 4%.
The really good news is that Email Marketing is actually one of the most effective methods of selling product, according to their survey.
Does this mean that you should go out and spam the daylight of bought lists? Nope, besides possible legal issues, this refers to messages that people completely opted in to, not spam lists. In fact, according to Consumer Reports, Spam is one of the most annoying things in the world, just following Dog Poop and Tailgating.
Data, Dance, and Daring Campaigns: Erin Levzow’s Approach to Building Loyalty
How Mango Habanero, Metrics, and Masterful Moves Redefined Marketing Genius
Every so often, a guest comes along who doesn’t just raise the bar—they throw it into orbit. Erin Levzow is one of those guests. From the moment she joined The ADOTAT Show, it was clear we were in the presence of brilliance. Erin is a marketing powerhouse, blending emotional intelligence with razor-sharp strategy, all wrapped in a package of humor, humility, and dazzling storytelling. She’s the...
Streaming’s Big Lie: The Future of TV Is Already Broke
Streaming was supposed to be the savior of TV—the rebellious new kid with no commercials, endless content, and an open bar of binge-worthy dopamine hits. But, as Doug Shapiro’s sharp, no-BS research reveals, the revolution is out of cash and looking for a loan. Streaming doesn’t just monetize less—it barely monetizes at all. For every streaming dollar generated, old-school pay TV is making it rain with three dollars in subscriber fees and seven dollars...
How to Narrow the Scope of Information Sought by an FTC Civil Investigative Demand (CID)
A civil investigative demand (“CID”) is the instrument by which the Federal Trade Commission exercises its compulsory process authority in connection with investigations. CIDs may require the production of documents - including electronically stored information – or tangible things, the provision of testimony, and the providing of written responses to questions.
A CID must state the nature of the conduct constituting the alleged violation which is under investigation and the provision of law applicable to...
Did Your Company Receive a Letter From the FTC? FTC Warning Letters and Notices of Penalty Offense
Recipients of FTC warning letters and notices of penalty offense should be on high alert and act quickly. Their advertising and marketing practices could be in violation of applicable legal regulations.
What is an FTC Warning Letter?
Federal Trade Commission “warning letters” are intended to warn companies that their conduct is likely unlawful and that they can face serious legal consequences, such as a federal investigation or lawsuit, if they do not immediately stop.
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The Good, the Bad, and the SPO-ly
The Hidden Flaws Behind Ad Tech’s Favorite Buzzword.
Supply Path Optimization (SPO) is my love-hate relationship in ad tech personified. It’s the reason I fell for this industry’s maddening brilliance—and why it sometimes feels like a bad rom-com where no one learns their lesson. At its core, SPO promises efficiency, transparency, and accountability, and when it works, it’s like watching a Rube Goldberg machine perform flawlessly. But when it doesn’t—and let’s be honest, that’s most...
