How I Made My First Million

Internet Marketing Investment Alive with Branding

Posted by peterzmijewski | Filed under Internet Marketing, Peter Zmijewski

You have probably noticed that there are several companies competing for a single product. For instance, in athletic shoes alone, you will be able to count more than ten competitors. In the airline industry, there exists more than ten competitors in providing air travel services for travelers both inside and outside the United States.

How will you distinguish one competitor from another competitor? That is where branding comes into action. In fact, this is one of the important yet unappreciated aspects of Internet marketing.

Before you will be able to understand the goal of branding on Internet marketing, let us first discuss the branding on traditional conduct of business. It is an advertising method that is used to identify the products or services of a seller or a group of sellers and differentiate it from those of other sellers offering the same products or services. Establishing a brand for your own products or services will help you achieve the following:

• Deliver the message clearly to the public about your intention of marketing your products or services;
• Confirm your credibility as an independent and reputable seller;
• Motivates your buyer to patronize your products or services; and
• Build a concrete and loyal clientele base.

In other words, the goal of branding is to give your products or services its own identity apart from other sellers offering the same products or services. You will only succeed in the investment you are into if you have established yourself as an independent and reputable seller through branding.

What are the consequences of branding in your investment?

The brand of your products or services will rest with the hearts and minds of your clients and potential customers. This will influence the way they patronize your products or services that may even result in the expansion of your clientele base.

It is what the people will remember about you. For instance, you have branded your pet products as Pet Lovers. Once the brand is consistently patronized by the people, you will be able to achieve success and your products will certainly have an edge over unbranded products.

As previously mentioned, branding is one of the most important yet the most unappreciated aspects of Internet marketing, particularly in terms of web advertising. Since most advertising programs are focused on click-through rates (since it is the basis of earning through online-based affiliate programs), Internet marketers often neglect the important of branding in terms of Internet marketing. This is relatively unfortunate since the success of Internet marketing is also dependent on branding awareness. In other words, branding is essential in promoting the brand of the product or services of the affiliate. Without branding, there is no sense that the product or services you are endorsing will be popular to your clients.

Keep in mind that your goal here is to earn money and not to lose any penny. Thus, it would be better if you will invest on branding-based Internet marketing. It is easy to promote products and services that are already well-known to the public rather than unbranded ones.

However, you can also help building brand awareness of not well-known products or services that will help a lot in making your online advertising successful. Here are some of the strategies that you can use:

1.  You may think of a brand name that will suit to the products or services of your clients. Such brand name must not be too formal yet too lousy to the eyes and ears of your clients. You may include interesting words that will produce the needed twist to the name of the product or service.

2.  Since a brand is an intellectual property, you need to check with the Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) if the brand name is already taken by someone else. Once the selected brand name is still available, you will be able to apply for the registered patent of that brand name.

3.  Once the patent has been approved, you need to consistently advertise the name so that it will gain popularity among potential clients. You may also suggest to the merchants that the brand name needs to be advertised through various affiliate programs over the net for more visibility.

Branding must not be taken for granted. It is one of the factors that will help you achieve success in Internet marketing. Keep it as your goal and stick with it along the course of your investment.

Peter Zmijewski is the founder and CEO at KeywordSpy. Through Internet Marketing he places his name on great search engine like-GOOGLE who is also called as Innovator, Investor, Internet Marketing Guru and Entrepreneur. For more updates don’t go away, please stay with us.

Turn More Visitors Into Customers

Posted by peterzmijewski | Filed under Internet Marketing, Peter Zmijewski

Getting many website visitors is not enough. Your website visitors must become buyers if you want to succeed on the Internet. This week’s article shows you 5 easy tips that help you to improve the conversion rate of your web pages.

Tip 1: Make it as easy as possible

Check the usability of your web pages. Your website visitors shouldn’t have to search for something on your pages. Your web pages should load quickly and your website navigation must be easy to use.

Tip 2: Create a trustworthy website

Would you buy from your site? Ask someone who’s not affiliated to your company or family to visit your website.Do they trust your website? Is it clear what your website is about? Is there something that makes your website special?

Concrete example: The full contact address and links to further information should be listed on the bottom of every page of our site. The about page should contain further information why our company can be trusted:

• We have been in business since 1997.
• We’re a member of the local chamber of commerce.
• Several print magazines have mentioned our products.
• We have a clear code of ethics to make sure that you get lasting results.

Tip 3: Use a clear call-to-action

Make it clear what you want to website visitor to do. Should they make a purchase? Should they call you? A clear call-to-action will make your web pages more effective.Every page of our website should have a clear call-to-action button.

Tip 4: Avoid complicated forms

Make it as easy as possible to perform the desired action. Keep your checkout process hassle free and ensure that information such as your return policy and other frequently asked questions are quickly available.

Tip 5: Tell your customers why you’re better

Tell your customers why they should buy from you. Why are your products and services better than others?

Follow the tips above to make sure that as many visitors of your website as possible become customers.

Peter Zmijewski is the founder and CEO at KeywordSpy. Through Internet Marketing he places his name on great search engine like-GOOGLE who is also called as Innovator, Investor, Internet Marketing Guru and Entrepreneur. For more updates don’t go away, please stay with us.

The Fine Line Between Internet Marketing And Spam

Posted by peterzmijewski | Filed under Internet Marketing, Peter Zmijewski

Savvy business owners who take advantage of Internet marketing realize there is a fine line between marketing and spam and orchestrate their marketing campaigns to gain the maximum amount of exposure without running the risk of being viewed as spam. The definition of spam is open to interpretation but most people agree on the fact that spam is equivalent to junk mail you receive at your residence. In general spam is unsolicited emails which are part of an advertising campaign. The term spam can also apply to message board postings which are posted solely for advertising purposes. This article will examine the differences between effective Internet marketing and spam.

First we will consider the use of message boards for the purpose of Internet marketing. Message boards are essentially online meetings places for Internet users who share a particular interest to exchange idea, ask or answer questions or just socialize. These message boards allow users to register and post messages. Most message boards have asset of guidelines which the users must follow when making posts. These guidelines may vary widely with some being very strict about acceptable content and others not being nearly as strict. It is important to follow these guidelines because failure to do so may result in the moderators deleting your account and other members not paying much attention to your posts.

Message boards are ideal for Internet marketing because they can provide a business owner with access to a specialized target audience. If you are in the business for finding jobs for employees who wish to telecommute, you might join a message board dedicated to working from home to find members who may be interested in your products. Here you may learn a great deal about the concerns of your target audience. You can also take the opportunity to post links to your website when appropriate and in accordance with the message board guidelines. This is considered to be smart Internet marketing. However, if you opt to respond to each and every post with a link to your website even when it is not relevant and do not offer comments of value to other members, they are likely to view your posts as spam. This can be damaging because these members may opt to avoid your website even if they have a need for your services.

E-newsletters and email advertising are one area of Internet marketing which is most likely to be viewed as spam if not done properly. Most Internet users to not appreciate unsolicited emails especially when these emails do not pertain to a subject that interests them. This is often the case when business owners buy email lists and send their advertisements to everyone on the list. This is not effective because you are not likely to reach a large population of your target audience. Additionally, recipients of the email may block your email address so future communications are automatically sent to a spam folder. Some recipients may even report you to their Internet service provider who may investigate the claim that you are a spammer. A better way to approach the concept of email marketing is to only send e-newsletters and advertisements to past customers who have specifically asked to receive such emails and potential customers who have requested additional information.

Peter Zmijewski is the founder and CEO at KeywordSpy. Through Internet Marketing he places his name on great search engine like-GOOGLE who is also called as Innovator, Investor, Internet Marketing Guru and Entrepreneur. For more updates don’t go away, please stay with us.

Posted by peterzmijewski | Filed under Internet Marketing, Peter Zmijewski

Google Results Impacting About 9% of Traffic

Posted by peterzmijewski | Filed under Internet Marketing, Peter Zmijewski

The amount of data being hidden thanks to Google’s SSL search decision has been climbing steadily but now seems to be leveling out. The most recent research indicates that about 9 percent of referrer data is being blocked.

What Portion of Results Are SSL’d?

While each site and industry will experience the results differently, some recent data indicates that about 8.875 percent of searches are being blocked. This study was done by Conductor, which looked at five major sites.

While the small sample size increases the potential margin of error, a visible trend is surfacing: sites peaked in (not provided) search queries on or around November 15. Since then, the percentages have leveled out, with sites declining to the 8.875 percent average mentioned earlier.

After Google announced SSL search would be implemented, effectively blocking keyword and other granular-level search data, SEOs and webmasters quickly panicked. Google spokespeople responded that webmasters should only lose data from a “single digit percentage” of searches.

However, the industry has watched as the percent of results being blocked continued to climb, with a 6.5 percent in late October turning into 11 percent on November 11, according to HubSpot.

While it’s uncertain whether the trend of leveling out will continue, and more broad-scale investigation is warranted, the Conductor research gives a general idea of what to expect. While the exact figures will vary up and down somewhat, sites should expect roughly 9 percent of referrer data to be blocked.

The Data-Blocking Controversy

After the launch of the automatic SSL searching, the community (including commenters on our Google SSL story) burst into an uproar. While some were in favor of SSL, many were concerned about the impact on their SEO.

One of the greatest contributors to the controversy was that Google made an exception for AdWords customers. Users continue to receive keyword data for ad clicks, despite what was allegedly a hard-and-fast, consumer-protection decision from Google.Derek Edmond of KoMarketing Associates wrote a guide on the SSL changes for business-to-business marketers, reminding webmasters that there are still ways to get the keyword data – even if you can’t get the same granular results. Aviniash Kaushik also has five tips for  data analysis.

For Google, the balance is tricky. Favoring webmasters has the potential to hurt privacy, while favoring users could prevent sites from targeting effectively or meeting consumer needs.Do you think Google has handled this choice well? How would you prefer things change? Leave your thoughts, complaints, and concerns in the comments.

Peter Zmijewski is the founder and CEO at KeywordSpy. Through Internet Marketing he places his name on great search engine like-GOOGLE who is also called as Innovator, Investor, Internet Marketing Guru and Entrepreneur. For more updates don’t go away, please stay with us.

New Google Map Ads Stir Controversy

Posted by peterzmijewski | Filed under Internet Marketing, Peter Zmijewski

Google recently added bubble ads to select Google Maps locations. The choice to create new ad space has caused controversy, with some business owners concerned about the potential for reputation warfare and poorly targeted ads.

The New Ad Space

The ads on Google Maps were reported Laura Alisanne earlier this month. Alissan noted that ads were now appearing on local business listings, below the place location in the standard info bubble.

According to Mike Blumenthal, Google may have been planning for this a lot longer. Blumenthal states he’d heard in “early September of Adword Account Reps instructing large Adword clients to take out ads in Google Maps in anticipation of this rollout.”

While clearly denoted as ads, the ad exposure in the Maps info bubble raises two distinct concerns. First, that ads may cause undue trouble for locations on Google Maps. Second, that the ads themselves will be poorly and even inappropriately targeted.

Concerns with the Chaos Raised in Ad Space Expansion

It’s fairly normal for any company to seek new opportunities for monetization, and Google is far from excluded. However, the introduction of ads in the info bubble have the potential to cause some peculiar issues.

For one, it’s now possible to advertise directly against a competitor’s physical location, or even pitch a philosophical viewpoint that contradicts your own. Blumenthal tracked down this somewhat amusing example of a gay rights advocacy appearing on the NYC diocese of the Catholic church:

Further, some businesses may have to place ads defensively to prevent showing off a competitor.

Blumenthal took up the war march, saying that the likely increase to bid cost, the unwanted exposure for competitors, and the disrespect for locations that should be given some freedom from commercialism – churches and memorials, for instance – all constituted a shameless act on Google’s part.

The Issue of Poor Targeting

Alongside the potential chaos raised in the new ad space itself, Google faces an additional challenge: targeting ads correctly. While the search query for the Maps search will be useful, and the context of the location itself points to a general direction, Google lacks the contextual data that makes display ads effective.

Even if Google targets the ads correctly in many cases, the lack of details allows competitors to more easily showcase ads and decreases the ad’s effectiveness for advertisers. At least in this regard, this seems like a situation where nobody wins.

Peter Zmijewski is the founder and CEO at KeywordSpy. Through Internet Marketing he places his name on great search engine like-GOOGLE who is also called as Innovator, Investor, Internet Marketing Guru and Entrepreneur. For more updates don’t go away, please stay with us.