Internet marketing tips for Market America

Making money on the net? I bet you're not. I've created money generating systems for 12 'big dog' networking companies & trained thousands of bloggers & entrepreneurs in internet marketing, traffic, & lead generation strategies. My internet marketing tips blog is free. All marketing strategies come from hands-on experience in blog marketing, network marketing, tag-vertising, rss feeds, content creation, lead generation, affiliate programs, & website money making ideas... Join me. Dan Hollings.


Tuesday, August 30, 2005

Imagine If Potential Market America Customers Wore Bright Orange T-shirts?


As a consultant to this industry, I sometimes have the privilege of working directly or indirectly with Market America representatives. Despite my many published articles, tips and eBooks on the subject, I still sometimes get entrepreneurs that say, "internet search marketing might be great, but not for my autocare, homecare, internet services, nutritional supplements & personal care."

Even though this type thinking always surprises me, I'm certain that one of the reasons I hear this is because the "concept" of internet search marketing is still not understood. Below is my attempt to shed a little light on why this idea is so powerful.

How fun it would be if you could stand at the front door of a Home Depot or Circuit City and immediately spot customers who were looking for your product? Lets say they wore loudly colored Orange tee shirts revealing what they were shopping for. Think of the business you'd generate if these buyers somehow knew to go straight to you rather than shopping in a hit and miss fashion?

With Yahoo's Sponsored Search, Google AdWords, or any of the top 10 pay per click search engines, you connect with people ready to make a buying decision the very instant they want to hear from you.

It gets even more interesting if we take it a step further. What if you could have an unlimited number of little helpers at the door of every market center in the country. What's more, you'd have to pay them only if they found customers ready to buy and began marketing to them your autocare, homecare, internet services, nutritional supplements & personal care.

Now, even if other 'big dog' companies have displayed big ad banners, hovering over everyone, it doesn't matter. Few shoppers want to be sold in a generic sense rather, they want to 'find' what it is they came shopping for originally. All the while, your "agents" are continually reaching out to every single prospective customer.

Using search engine ads is like deploying a team of enthusiastic "agents", except that these search agents won't require breaks and they will work without pay until a customer is delivered to your doorstep. Your "agents" will be waiting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for customers looking for your products or services. As soon as prospects start search, you'll be the first to know.

Online ad growth of 33.7 percent is expected in 2005 to $12.7 billion, raising a previous estimate of $11.5 billion for the year. eMarketer had estimated 2004 ad revenue at $9.5 billion. (Source: eMarketer 04/2005)


Are you learning valuable ideas? We recommend you check out our previous blog posts for many other marketing ideas. In fact, why not add our RSS feed to your "Feed Reader" so you don't miss future trainings?


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Other recommended blogs:
EcoQuest | Electrolux Vacuums | Fifth Ave Collection

posted by Dan Hollings @ 5:13 PM 3 comments  

Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Market America. Is it for Mompreneurs or not?


DSA Statistics (Female vs Male)
Source: DSA.org

Perhaps I was bored when I stumbled upon this statistic, but the more I thought about it, the more excited I got... based on numbers available from the Direct Sales Association, 79.9% of people in "direct sales" are female. Guess what that means? Yes, the guys total a paltry 20.1%. Many of the women in our industry (and customers we seek) are current or future moms. It was only a matter of time before a new term has appeared on our horizon known as Mompreneurism.

Ellen Parlapiano and Pat Cobe
Yes, you're reading it right. According to authors Patricia Cobe and Ellen Parlapiano, who trademarked the term "mompreneurs" and were recently featured in Time magazine and various other programs like Lifetime Television; their mompreneurs online site and Message Board draws millions of visitors each month.

In reading through the Mompreneurs Online web site you'll learn that they've interviewed hundreds of at home mompreneurs. Their interviews revealed that these work at home women share certain secrets for cyber-success. Of the many things mentioned, below is a sampling of why and how mom-owned businesses are surviving and thriving on the web according to Ellen H. Parlapiano and Patricia Cobe:

  • A Natural Niche. Cyberspace opens up a wealth of business ideas, allowing moms to tap into their talents, skills and passions to create products and services for highly targeted audiences.
  • Web Wisdom. Work-at-home moms understand that a dot.com name alone is not enough to power success. But the Internet can be a very valuable tool when used in conjunction with more traditional business strategies.
  • The Control Factor. Moms start home businesses for family flexibility, so they grow their enterprises slowly and steadily to retain control over their work/family time. The 24/7 availability of the Internet lets them work when THEY want to.
Maybe you think Market America is a perfect spot for moms? Maybe you're hoping to attract at home mompreneurs to your site, blog, product or business? Or, maybe you already have lots of moms and a true mompreneurial mindset?

Whatever the case, at home mompreneurs are an important niche and your pay-per-click marketing strategies can target these moms. Moms are both a consumer and a business force to be admired and respected.

With any luck, your autocare, homecare, internet services, nutritional supplements & personal care will be just the thing these mompreneurs are looking for? Now, let's continue (below) with more tips in our series on how to best implement a successful pay-per-click campaign. Maybe you can get some moms clicking!

More tips for your PPC campaign:


  • When cooking-up your keyword phrase list, use an extended "keyword discovery" phase. Your competition, like you, will do basic keyword research. You can only beat them if you take it to the next level, and that won't happen in the first day. Having a large number of targeted keywords in your campaign is a side effect of an extended period of brainstorming, discovery, research, or whatever you want to call it.
  • Not very wood with gords? There is a hidden target market of quality visitors who type in incorrect spellings of what they are looking for. Site owners often overlook this. In a recent 30 day period on a major search engine at least 108 people where searching for a 'buisness'? Hundreds more were searching for: 'vitiamins', 'vitimans' and even 'vitamens'... You can bid on misspellings and have very little competition on the search results page.
  • Assume that at least half your keywords will be rotten eggs, that is, no one will ever look for them and end up at your site. Because there is no extra cost to add as many keyword phrases as you can think up, treat them like biscuits and bake-up as many as you can... 100 or more keyword phrases for each destination page you list in any PPC search engine.

Reaching Out to Mompreneurs

Here's one way you can be appealing and compelling in reaching out to at home mompreneurs:

SOCIAL SYSTEMS: Social system technology is a new and exciting technology comprised of blogs, tags, photos and the sharing of many other things. Find ways to connect like-minded women. Use technology if you can. Being a mompreneur can be isolating, so business owners are eager for information, resources and social connections.

Review my last several blog posts for many more 'tip-set' in this series of PPC search engine tips.



For additional marketing help visit:
Internet Marketing Tips for Market America

Until next week, happy pay per click campaigning...


Technorati:
| | | | | | | | | autocare | personal care | nutritional supplements | nutrition
Other recommended blogs:
CUTCO | Direct sales | Discovery Toys

posted by Dan Hollings @ 10:49 PM 0 comments  

Wednesday, August 17, 2005

Autocare, homecare, internet services, nutritional supplements & personal care. How can this promoted via AdWords or Sponsored Ads


At Market America, they understand the choices people make influence the quality of the life they lead. Looking good, feeling good and enjoying life are as important to Market America as they are to their customers, and that's why Market America is proud to offer innovative products.

The Market America "Mall Without Walls"™ offers
  • Anti-Aging
  • Communications
  • Cosmetics
  • Floral
  • Gourmet Coffee
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Home Tech
  • Home and Garden
  • Personal Care
  • Web Services and more...


As A Market America representative you know your product and you've set your goals. Your web page, site, or blog is up and you're pondering methods to get customers.

Can your autocare, homecare, internet services, nutritional supplements & personal care be sold via AdWords or Sponsored Ads or not? That's question #1, right? But equally important, can you orchestrate a plan that creates more profits and results than campaign costs?

Encouraging news, the answer is: "YES!"

Tricks of the trade for the successful PPC campaign...

  • Remember that with PPC campaigns, you are not sending search visitors to a site, you are sending them to a web page (called: a destination or landing page). You must discover keywords and set-up ONE page at a time.
  • Remember that people search by typing in more than one word:
  • The 7 most used word phrases in search engines according to OneStat.com:
    • 2 word phrases 32.58%
    • 3 word phrase 25.61%
    • 1 word phrases 19.02%
    • 4 word phrases 12.83%
    • 5 word phrases 5.64%
    • 6 word phrases 2.32%
    • 7 word phrases 0.98%
  • Start your "keyword discovery" process by visiting the destination page you intend to send your search engine visitors to. Put on the 'reading glasses' of a customer and look at your page through their eyes.
  • Ask yourself this: "What keywords might a person type in a search box where when they arrived at this destination page, they'd say 'BINGO' this is what I was looking for?" Find these keywords and you've discovered your best keywords.
For additional tips that might improve your pay per click ad campaign review the tips in my previous posts.


Are you learning valuable ideas? We recommend you check out our previous blog posts for many other marketing ideas. In fact, why not add our RSS feed to your "Feed Reader" so you don't miss future trainings?


Technorati:
| | | | | | | | autocare | personal care | nutritional supplements | nutrition

posted by Dan Hollings @ 11:41 PM 0 comments  

Tuesday, August 09, 2005

AdWords? Sponsored Ads? Help for Market America.


There are many PPC search engines, with some being better than others. The top two are Yahoo and Google. It's a good idea to start your PPC campaign with a small budget, spreading it out over a few different search engines to experiment and see where your target market may be lurking.

There's no better way to begin than by viewing the wonderful tutorials and flash overviews offered by Google and Yahoo. Below are samples, you'll find others at Google and Yahoo:


Bids, ranks, and costs with Google AdWords: Flash Tutorial
Bids, ranks, and costs with Google AdWords
http://services.google.com/tutorial/bpr/bpr.html

Tips to improve your AdWord ranking while managing your campaign funds.



Next, We'll Review How Google and Yahoo Deal With Your Bids...


Yahoo Ad Sponsoring Rules (bidding)
  • Yahoo sets your keyword bid only 1 penny over your next lowest competitor. Thus, if you bid $3.00 per click, and the next highest bid is $1.95 per click, you will only pay $1.96 per click.
  • Yahoo allows you to see who you are bidding against and what they are bidding, so you know exactly where you will rank, and how much you will pay.
  • Yahoo's maximum bid is $999.99
  • Yahoo's minimum bid is $0.10
Google Ad Bidding Policy
  • Google doesn't tell you how much you will pay per click. Thus, if you bid $3.00 per click, you will pay anywhere from $0.05 to $3.00 per click.
  • Google does not allow you to know how much your competitors are bidding per click.
  • An advantage with Google is that you will rank higher if your click-through rate (CT rate) is better (a CT rate is the ratio of clicks on your ad to the number of times your ad is shown). Thus, you may have a better rank than your competitor, even if he or she bids more than you (because of your CT rate).
  • Google's maximum bid is $100.00
  • Google's minimum bid is $0.05


New Google AdWords keyword status changes: Simplified keyword states and quality-based minimum bids.



NEW: Google announced in early August 2005 that they will simplify their keyword status system and introduce quality-based minimum bids, giving us more control to run all keywords we find important.

Google's New Rule

Each keyword will now be assigned a minimum bid that is based on the quality (also called Quality Score) of your keyword in your account. If your keyword or Ad Group's maximum cost-per-click (CPC) meets the minimum bid, your keyword will be active and trigger ads. If it doesn't, your keyword will be inactive and will not trigger ads.

Previosly, keyword statuses were called normal, in trial, on hold, and disabled. Under the new rules, this will be replaced with active (triggering ads) or inactive (not triggering ads). No more slowed or disabled keywords if no do not have a minimum clickthrough rate (CTR) threshold.

PPC Tips list continued from previous weeks:



Pay-per-click advertising tips for the Market America representative continue below:
  • Forget stupid characters. We are talking search engine listings (not eBay) so cool the clever punctuation it L@@KS stupid!!!!!!!! Don't make SOME words CAPITALIZED; it looks like you're shouting desperately for business. Respect the people who read your search engine listings.
  • People are by nature often interested in things like 'saving money', 'making money', 'curing something', 'striking a deal', and getting anything of value that is 'free'... but be careful. The addition of such self-interest phrases in your ad copy may skew your clicks upwards while leaving your sales flat. If you're tempted to try such phrases... test, test, test... while keeping an eye on your bottom-line.
  • Bluntness works: 'Refinance 4.5%', 'Viagra $39', 'No Interest VISA', etc
  • These are the type words that appeal to searchers: more information, complimentary, love, youthful, safe, new, benefit, gain, money, happy, glad, proven, guarantee, resource, fast, results, discover, how you, how to, your, yours, you'll, healthy, natural, magic, secret, comfortable, save, proud, secure, solution.
Last week I posted the another round of search engine marketing tips and yet more in the weeks before that. Check previous weeks for more ideas.


Until next week, happy PPC campaigning...


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posted by Dan Hollings @ 7:48 PM 0 comments  

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

Market America? What's the public's impression?


Have you ever thought about the public's perception of what you do?

Market America
At Market America, they understand the choices people make influence the quality of the life they lead. Looking good, feeling good and enjoying life are as important to Market America as they are to their customers, and that's why Market America is proud to offer innovative products.

The Market America "Mall Without Walls"™ offers
  • Anti-Aging
  • Communications
  • Cosmetics
  • Floral
  • Gourmet Coffee
  • Health & Nutrition
  • Home Tech
  • Home and Garden
  • Personal Care
  • Web Services and more...


Do you expect that visitors arriving at your site have already heard this about Market America?


What do customers think?That's an important factor in any search engine marketing campaign; you might best think through this issue at the outset (as you are preparing your keywords, your ads, and your landing page) what the majority of visitors already 'think' about you and the autocare, homecare, internet services, nutritional supplements & personal care you offer. You might consider playing it safe and assume they've never heard of you. That's always the safe bet.

If you're selling iPODs or something very well known, you can approach things much differently. Less time explain 'what' you've got and more time explain 'why' they should buy from you.

If your selling something that appears to be a common commodity (vitamins, shoes, cosmetics, telephone services, etc), then you must differentiate your product from the other seemingly similar things consumers might associate you with.

Much of these consumer 'mindset' concerns should be addressed the moment they hit your first web page after clicking your ad; so before you start any pay per click ads, stop and think for a moment about what your potential customer might perceive as they arrive at your landing page.

PPC Tips:

Without any further delay, I'll continue with my tips this week.
  • On the subject of ad copy (the words which will comprise your numerous different listing titles and descriptions) we can sum it up briefly: RELATE your listing to the keyword the searcher has typed, SPARK curiosity in their minds to encourage a visit, be TRUTHFUL, be BRIEF, be CLEAR, don't HYPE, and FILTER out bad clicks.
  • FILTER OUT BAD CLICKS? Yes, if your product is NOT for certain searchers, be clear upfront before they click. Example: If you bid on the keyword 'herbal shampoo' because your product is an herbal dog shampoo, make sure your ad copy reads: for dogs, pets, or animals. If you only fulfill orders in Canada, state this upfront in your listing ad copy. There is no need to pay for a visitor click if you cannot service a particular customer's needs. Use words to filter out bad clicks.
  • There are many good resources to help you with ad copy, writing, and knowing what to say about your product. We recommend the eBook by Kim Klaver, "If My Product's So Great, How Come I Can't Sell It". Click here for a complimentary 'Mini-edition' of this eBook.

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posted by Dan Hollings @ 3:34 PM 0 comments  

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Valentino Garavani, Donatella Versace, Ralph Lauren And Google? What do they have in common?


Fadsense: Google Adsense for Fashion Fashion, what else! Yes, Google steps into fashion in time and in style... sneakers and all. It's Google FadSense. Your next visit to the mall might be a neck wrenching experience. Be careful, don't click there!

You gotta love it! Google FadSense

As A Market America representative, you might be wondering why I'm talking about a futuristic contextual AdSense (AdWord) program like FadSense. It's partially because it's funny, but more importantly, it's because I feel the type of advertising we have been discussing here at my "Internet Marketing Tips for Market America" blog, is critical to your future. What I'm hoping to teach you are skills and tips that will not only work for Google today, but for any similar type advertising in the future. Google FadSense, real or not!

Much of it boils down to learning a few key things:
  • How to find keywords related to your products and services.
  • How to prepare your marketing campaign from the ground up.
  • How to track your traffic, results, and advertising ROI (return on investment).
  • How to create a destination or landing page that works.
  • How to manage your advertising budget.
  • How to create eye catching headlines for your ads.
  • How to use the internet effectively in any marketing campaign.

My Continuing Tips To Help You With Market America...

Over the past few weeks we have hammered away with dozens of valuable tips. This week we continue.
  • Sometimes people type in web addresses in those search boxes! So bid on those if the search engine allows it: 'www.website.com', 'website.com', 'http://website.com' and every combination full or partial you think a searcher might actually type.
  • Match up keywords with words in your ad copy. Even though a 'spa', a 'hot tub', and a 'whirlpool' might mean the same thing in your mind, if a searcher types in 'hot tub' and your listing says: "Relax and save in your new Spa", you will miss out on many interested customers.
  • Think negative... yes, people search for herbs that can kill, plastic surgery pitfalls, mlm scams and sundry other peculiar things. Invite them to explore your related listing. Do you offer cosmetics or skin car as an alternative to plastic surgery? Is you mlm a beacon of light in a sea of seemingly dubious scams?
  • Get creative with interest spikes in the news. 'Mad Cow' might be a great keyword for your all vegetarian product line. The 'SARS' outbreak might have generated millions of searches that your 'immunity booster' could have benefited from (just don't make any false claims). And where were all the bra ads when a gazillion people typed in 'Janet Jackson' after the 2004 Super Bowl surprise?
For additional tips that might improve your pay per click ad campaign review the tips in my previous posts.


To make certain you don't miss this series of PPC tips, you might consider subscribing to my RSS feed.


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posted by Dan Hollings @ 6:02 PM 0 comments  

Sunday, July 17, 2005

Today in History... After 118 Years, Google Inc. Closed Its Doors.


What started as a search engine using a unique approach to link analysis (initially called BackRub) and grew to become the "five-and-dime" of pay-per-click search engines, pulled the plug on the last server on this date in Mountain View, California. It's a story of a future time that could be soon, or beyond our horizon.

If anyone back in the late 1800's or early 1900's had been thinking ahead to the future of Woolworth Corp., it's unlikely they would have ever predicted that the famous five-and-dime would be a line item on a "Today in History" script published to millions of readers across this thing we call the internet.

Yet today, has I opened my RSS News Reader, there it was. I can recall shopping at the five-and-dime as a kid. It was the "best" store in town. Just like Google; the best. Now, its history. Perhaps the best is not good enough?

Larry Page has an interesting vision on being the best... "The perfect search engine, would understand exactly what you mean and give back exactly what you want, never settle for the best."

On this date...
Remember "five and dime" stores? The nickname referred, for a time (until the prices went up, of course), to the price of items in some of the United States' most popular retail outlets. On this day in 1997 - After 118 years, the Woolworth Corp. closed its last 400 five-and-dime stores.

Could this happen to Google? Well, yes. Bill Gates is on a mission to build a Google killer. What got him so riled? Google, the darling of search is moving into software and that's Microsoft's turf. Fortune story here. For now however, it's all fantasy thinking as the titans of search (Google, Yahoo, & Microsoft) battle it out in cyberspace.

People searching for information on the Internet are driving some of the fastest-growing profits on the Web, whetting advertisers' appetites by signaling what they want.

By typing in search terms, users are also sending advertisers a clear message about merchandise they might be interested in buying, and search providers like Google Inc. (Nasdaq:GOOG - news), Yahoo Inc. (Nasdaq:YHOO - news) and Microsoft Corp.'s (Nasdaq:MSFT - news) MSN are cashing in. (Source: Reuters 2005)

Good news for the Market America representative


The Cost Per Lead using Pay-per-click is Cheap Compared To Other Ads

Pay-per-click search listings appear to out perform other methods when it comes to delivering a cost-effective way to get customers. According to Piper Jaffray & Co., the cost to acquire a customer is approximately $8.50 for search, $20 for Yellow Pages, $50 for online display ads, $60 for e-mail and $70 for direct mail. Television data was not mentioned. The choice for advertisers is clear.

"It's a marketer's dream tool because we can monitor it in so many different ways and watch the effectiveness of it," said Jeff Saville, a consumer direct marketing manager at Deckers Outdoor Corp. (Nasdaq:DECK - news)

Are there dangers or flaws in search advertising?

  • According to WebTrends the data suggests that 60 percent of marketers do not measure sales, leads or key actions resulting from campaigns. [This is a dangerous number because that means you are competing with people who don't know what things are truly costing them. You need to be extra analytical when going head to head with this guy.]
  • Certain campaigns fail because they are ill-conceived or unsuited to the medium.
  • At times, advertisers and their online business affiliates find they are competing with each other in auction-style bidding for key words and pushing up their own costs.
Adding all this up, we come to two conclusions: 1) It pays to get good at pay-per-click advertising if you plan to do business online and 2) we may only have 118 years left with Google :-)

Search engine marketing strategies:

  • When thinking up keywords, use examples of specific things your product is used for: 'clean floors', clean countertops', 'wash floors', 'mop floors', 'polish stove top', 'remove grime', 'shine appliances', 'disinfect bacteria', 'hide furniture flaws' etc.
  • Explore variations: 'soy milk', 'soymilk', 'soy-milk'
  • Add plurals: 'protein bar' and 'protein bars'
  • Use abbreviations and acronyms
  • Use US and UK spellings
  • Keyword phrases may be questions: 'how to repair bad credit', 'when should I diet', 'how do I lose weight', 'where are discount cosmetics', etc.
For additional tips that might improve your pay per click ad campaign review the tips in my previous posts.


To make certain you don't miss this series of PPC tips, you might consider subscribing to my RSS feed.


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posted by Dan Hollings @ 3:28 PM 0 comments  







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