Advantages and Disadvantages to a Few Advertising Mediums

In our bustling consumer society, we are absolutely surrounded by advertising--some effective and helpful, others superfluous and obstructive.But what business owners want to know is what types of advertising can really tap into their market base without crossing into the realm of propaganda or worse, obnoxiousness?

As we all know, there are countless ways to reach an audience.Let's go over some advantages and disadvantages of a few of them.

First, we have the inevitable advertising method that arose with the advent of cars and highways: the billboard.Depending on the location, renting a billboard for advertisements may either be very cost effective or extremely expensive.In the heart of Los Angeles, it may cost you up to ten thousand dollars a month, while in a rural location or a small town, it may be as little as three-hundred dollars a month.

The main reason why advertisers choose to use billboards is because they are huge and eye-catching.It is very hard for passersby to miss a huge, brightly colored sign.They are particularly advantageous on long stretches of open highway, where there is little else to look at!

Furthermore, there are now electronic billboards which are able to shift between advertisements.This has been a great technological advancement for advertising on billboards, making them more brightly lit and striking.

However, a billboard can say little, as any important information must be written in large enough print to be read from afar.This means that meaning is often conveyed through pictures, which also help to keep the advertisement interesting.But the more "artwork," that is included, the more costly the billboard becomes.

Another very large ad comes in the form of pre-movie showing commercials which are featured before the upcoming movie trailers.Like billboards, they have the advantage of being difficult to miss, as they are directly in front of potential consumers.

But one major disadvantage is that as movie-goers shuffle into the theatre, get settled, or get up again because they realize they really do want popcorn, it is unlikely that many people will absorb and remember anything advertised.Before a movie begins, many people are also unlikely to fix their attention to the screen.

On a smaller scale, a common method used for local advertising is the distribution of printed fliers.They are cheap and require no maintenance after they leave your hands.But the issue with this is that they so often get discarded.
One way to rectify this problem is to place a flier in hallways or public restrooms, with tear-off contact information for any interested parties.This wastes significantly less paper, which saves you money in the long run.

Another popular route is that of the advertising refrigerator magnet.Even in mass production, they end up being fairly reasonably priced, but do be mindful that if they are discarded, it would cost you more than a simple sheet of paper.Also, they take longer to produce, so if you are in dire need of an immediate advertisement, this may not be the solution for you.

But the great advantage is that many people do end up saving magnets due to their sheer usefulness.Even if they do not act upon the advertisement right away, they will have plenty of time to see it on their refrigerator day after day, and constant exposure is a great tactic in advertising.

About the Author

If you are interested in ordering a customized advertising magnet for your business, be sure to check out American Printing & Promotions (http://postcardmagnet.

com/), the leaders in professional but cost-effective magnet making.Art Gib is a freelance writer.

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Are You Making This Marketing Mistake In Your Business

The first question I always ask a new client is, "what business are you in". And invariably, Ill get a reply like, "furniture retail", or "Im an estate agent - I sell houses", or "plumbing services". The answer is always the same, in the sense they tell me their business is the business of selling whatever "thing" theyre selling.

And... theyre wrong.

Because for everyone who thinks theyre in the "thing" business, no matter what that "thing" is... the truth is theyre really in the marketing of the "thing" business

And if you think about it, this makes sense, because marketing is what brings us clients I prefer to use the term "client" because it better defines the relationship you should be developing with your market, whereas a "customer" is just someone who gives you money. And if we dont have any clients, we dont make any money, and if we dont class any money, after that we dont pass through a interest at all.

Even though its counterintuitive and perhaps the best-kept secret in affair, the fact is sales promotion is the most quintessential mania you can always do in your business. It should steadily be your priority.

Now, regularly at this direct Im desire, "so, Jon, whatsoever is sales promotion, subsequently". Its a appropriate marvel and the solution may possibly astound you. Given that its not cleanly advertising and sales, albeit they definitely come into it.

No, commercial is what on earth and the whole thing almost your problem your shoppers or potential clients discover. Its your approach, the way you glance, the way you act, and, numerous principal, the way your shoppers think almost doing affair along furthermore you.

Sounds complicated, doesnt it And I fathom relishes most business owners event, commercial is a bit corresponding to a talk to to the dentist: you grasp youve got to do it, but its distasteful and exorbitant, and you actually request there was an option.

Unhappily, there is no option, not if you asked to stay in business. But, sales promotion can be fun, is an investment relatively than a expenditure whenever its pulled off properly, and, while you get the hang of it, youll fright why you were so resistant to the information and hesitant to get your teeth into it.

It actually boils bringing up the rear to three foremost areas: your moral, your promote, and the media you use to reach them. Its that simple; even if adore all fundamentals, youve got to get one another correctly, because they brand the origin of your marketing.

Not directly complications arise since business owners get these three fundamentals the wrong way concerning. Theyll steadily select the media based on expediency, and then try to portion out a lesson to bid to the promote the media reaches.

And this is the wrong way round. The initially step should be to catch a publicize eager to buy. The behind schedule marketing adviser, Gary Halbert, remarked you should "gander for a starving bundle". At that time as youve distinguished the promote -- the recruits you solicited to buy savours you -- you can build a message to get themselves desiring to do interest in addition to you.

And after that, and basically then should you reflect close to how to reach one another and take the appropriately media to fit.

Regrettably, the essential is more or less interest owners are sold on the advertisement strategies and media they use by default -- meaning they drift into a tactic or a reasonable on the subject of by suffered a calamity fairly than as a logically briefing out and thinking step in a clatter sales promotion strategy.

As always as not theyll pick a intermediate effortlessly for the Complimentary Pages rep came to thump on the gate that week, or a magazine or local paper proposed a anyways-timed freezing encourage.

Theres naught wrong and these avenues - thats not what on earth Im saying. No, the lead Im evoking is, simply corresponding to a bring along furthermore a port in briefing, your marketing has to tolerate a it sounds as if specific purpose so you can calendar a way to get there.

If you dont know-how a way and you try to be all substance to all men and women, youll end up being nothing to a big wig, and circuitously, that will dramatically relieve your sales.
Just about the Architect

Jon McCulloch is the latest marketing sensation in the UK and Ireland and is now getting the US by storm. Receive his unengaged publication newsletter via your letterbox by allowing for your sophisticated here:

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Trade Show Contests: A Great Tool in Trade Show Marketing

Trade show contests should play a huge role in trade show marketing; after all, it will drive visitors directly to your trade show exhibit. An effective trade show contest produces brand recognition and adds to the visibility of your company at a trade show. It is vital to plan your trade show contest well to ensure it brings about success from your trade show marketing efforts.

Consider a Theme for Your Trade Show Contest

The first step in your trade show marketing is to decide on a theme for your trade show contest. Select a theme that fits in with your company's products and services. For instance, if your company makes power tools, a water park theme is not as enticing to targeted do-it-yourselfers as a home renovation and construction theme. You should include your theme in all of your trade show marketing and in your booth decor, so select your trade show contest theme wisely.

Select Your Prizes

As with your trade show contest theme, the prizes you give away should be a good representation of your products and services. For example, a great prize for the power tool manufacturer may be a selection of power tools or a home improvement store gift certificate.

money is often the trade show contest prize that will bring attendees running to your booth. Cash cube money machines that swirl money around for people to catch is always a fun draw for any business. Massages, spa gift certificates, and vacations can usually be made to fit nicely into trade show marketing themes.

Make Sure Your Contest Does Not Break Any Rules

You may have an incredible contest idea, but if it violates the rules of the trade show, your incredible idea will not fly. It is essential that you understand the rules of the trade show and double check with the staff before advertising your trade show contest in your trade show marketing. If you fail to do this, you could end up with a worthless contest and a show full of angry attendees who came especially for you.

Hire Enough Staff Members

You should have one person in your staff that does nothing but manage the running of the trade show contest. You do not want people visiting your booth with the purpose of participating in your contest, just to turn away because everyone is busy and no one is responsible for the contest. By having one person dedicated to managing the contest, you have the chance for that person to talk about your products and services with a person who may have only come for the contest. Do not just put out slips of paper and a drop box. You do not want to lose the valuable conversations with potential customers because you were understaffed.

Market Your Trade Show Contest

Make the effort to market your trade show contest before the show so that people know about it and can arrange to come by your booth. Add information about your trade show contest on your company website and send trade show marketing materials to customers containing the same information. Sending out personal invitations to participate in your trade show contest also usually produces nice results.

Continue marketing your trade show contest at the trade show and even at locations near the trade show. Place flyers about your trade show contest at the airport, hotels, outside the venue, and anywhere else you think possible attendees may be lurking. Make sure you clearly provide directions and list your booth number in your trade show marketing materials so attendees can easily find you.

Trade show contests are a fun and efficient tool in trade show marketing. A well-planned trade show contest will always draw new contacts and potential customers.


About the Author

Christine OKelly is an author for trade show marketing consultant Jonathan Edelman. Jonathan is the founder of Ideas 4 Now, a trade show marketing company offering promotional products such as video game attractions that drive traffic to trade show booths. Edelman is also the founder of the trade show vendors directory Trade Show Vendors.com.

Relaited Links:

• What Makes You Different? Hone Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) or Perish
• Trade Show Contests: A Great Tool in Trade Show Marketing
• The Importance of Marketing Mix and the 4 Key Mix Elements

Hold The Coffee! Caffeinated Donuts and Bagels Could Provide That Morning Buzz!

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DURHAM, N.C., Jan. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- If that cup o' joe you drink each morning to get moving is getting old, just wait. You soon may be able to get the same jolt from a donut or bagel. A North Carolina scientist has developed a way to add caffeine to baked goods and is now pitching the concept to some of your favorite bakeries and coffee shops.

Buzz Donuts(TM) and Buzzed Bagels(TM) are the brainchild of Dr. Robert Bohannon, a molecular scientist living in Durham, NC. Dr. Bohannon has developed a way to mask the normal bitterness of caffeine so that it can be used in food and pastry products such as bagels and donuts.

"I had the idea for caffeinated pastries several years ago, but the bitter taste of the caffeine would always overwhelm the flavor," says Dr. Bohannon, who is president of Onasco, Inc. "I eventually worked with some flavoring experts and designed a method to mask the bitterness, which led to successfully adding the caffeine equivalent of one to two cups of coffee to the food item."

Dr. Bohannon has already approached well-known chains including Krispy Kreme, Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts about his invention. He thinks it's just a matter of time before caffeinated pastries become a morning mainstay. He has already patented the idea along with a method of controlling the amount of caffeine contained in the food.

A typical cup of coffee contains 50 mg of caffeine. Caffeinated pills contain between 100 to 200 mg per capsule.

"Some people get their caffeine buzz from soda, chocolate and other sources besides coffee," continues Dr. Bohannon. "The Buzz Donut and the Buzzed Bagel lets them get the caffeine buzz by simply eating a delicious pastry item."

For more information, visit www.buzzdonuts.com.

About Dr. Robert Bohannon

Robert C. Bohannon is a scientist and entrepreneur with a wide variety of developments to his credit, including developing rapid tests for infectious diseases such as bird flu and HIV. He holds a BA from the University of Colorado at Boulder, in Molecular Biology and a PhD in Molecular Virology from the Baylor College of Medicine. He resides in Chapel Hill, NC with his wife and three children.

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4 Great Reasons to use Google Analytics

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Having used a large number of web site visitor trackers over the years, I first approached Google Analytics some time ago, with the somewhat jaded attitude of someone who's 'seen it all' or at least 'seen most of it'. What could possibly make this particular utility stand out in such a large crowd of competitors?

But first... What is Google Analytics?

Analytics is Google's very own visitor tracking utility, allowing webmasters to keep tabs on traffic to their site, including visitor numbers, traffic sources, visitor behaviour & trends, times spent on the site and a host of other information gathered via two pieces of JavaScript embedded in the source-code.

Unlike other free visitor trackers, which insist on displaying annoying and often amateurish badges or buttons when they are being used, Google Analytics simply runs quietly in the background, gathering the necessary information without any visible signs of its presence.

Which brings me quite neatly to Analytics' first major plus-point; the price. What webmasters are effectively getting, is a fully fledged visitor tracking utility without all the irritations and limitations normally associated with free products of this type.

Ok, so its free; but is it any good?

In a word; yes.

The sheer depth of information gathered, really leaves very little to be desired. From search engine analysis to page views, bounce-rates and more, the available data is presented so as to give users an easy overview of the most essential elements, with the ability to 'drill down' to less commonly accessed or more in-depth statistics and figures.

Additionally, on the 18th of July 2007, the Google Analytics old user interface was discontinued, making way for a newer, more ergonomic look which makes reports more accessible and the interface itself more intuitive for the user.

The new Dashboard provides 'at a glance' visitor statistics for the previous month, as well as a graphical breakdown of your visitor's geographical locations in the form of a world map. A pie chart clearly shows what proportion of visitors reached the site through search engines, by referral or through direct access, whereas the 'Content Overview' provides a list of the most commonly accessed pages.

What makes Google Analytics special though?

Although Analytics boasts all the features and statistical data to be expected from a top-class keyword analysis and statistics tracker, it also features a number of additional tools which put it ahead of the most of the pack where ease-of-use and depth-of-information is concerned.

1. The Map Overlay

Essentially, this feature brings up a map of the world, highlighting the countries a site's visitors stem from. Clicking on a country produces a close-up view, along with a geographical breakdown according to the region and/or city from which visitors accessed the site. This tool in itself is invaluable for all those webmasters with geo-specific sites, concentrating on a particular catchment area.

2. The Site Overlay

This is conceivably Google Analytics' single most important feature from a webmaster's or online business owner's perspective, as it provides a hands-on view of visitor behaviour. When clicked, 'Site Overlay' opens the tracked web site in a new window and, after a moment's loading time, overlays each link on the screen with a bar, containing information about clicks to the target page and goal values reached [more about goal values in a moment]. Since it allows the webmaster or site owner to navigate his or her site and see exactly how visitors flow through it, it is difficult to imagine a more effective tool than this as far as raising a site's conversion rates is concerned.

3. Goals and Funnels

Unless the site being tracked is an information site which does not rely on generating sales or enquiries, conversion rates are as important as sheer visitor numbers. The 'Goals & Funnels' feature allows users to set up specific goals for their site, such as tracking a visitor to the 'Thank you for your enquiry' page for instance. It also allows the user to set up specific monetary values for each goal, and thus track the site's financial performance and profitability during any given period of time.

The term 'Funnels' refers to the specific path a visitor takes to reach the goal's target page. Since most web sites sell a number of different product ranges or feature a number of ways to enquire, all of which lead to a single 'Thank You' page, the funnel allows for the tracking of each individual path with a minimum of fuss.

4. Graphical Representations

A great many visitor trackers out there will present the collected information in a certain way, be it a list, graph, pie chart, flow-chart or whatever. Whilst all these methods of presentation are of course valid, it is nevertheless a fact that most users are different, and a pie-chart is not necessarily ideal for those users preferring to work with graphs or vice versa. Google Analytics however, allows users to choose between views on many of its reports. Although this may seem like a relatively minor point, it nevertheless makes things easier, as it allows the user to work with the view he or she is most comfortable with.

In Conclusion:

Google Analytics provides webmasters and site owners with a highly effective means of tracking visitors and analysing statistical data, easily the equal of most subscription based services in the industry.

Although some concerns have been voiced amongst more paranoid internet users, that Google puts everyone's collective data to its own evil demographic uses, there really are precious few reasons not to recommend this fantastic tool as one of the best means to boost any web promotion and marketing campaign.

About the Author: As a technical writer with over a decade's experience, Sasch Mayer has been living and working in the Republic of Cyprus since 2005. Currently under contract to IceGiant Web Design and Promotion Services, he mainly covers topics such as SEM and Site Promotion.

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Having used a large number of web site visitor trackers over the years, I first approached Google Analytics some time ago, with the somewhat jaded attitude of someone who's 'seen it all' or at least 'seen most of it'. What could possibly make this particular utility stand out in such a large crowd of competitors?

But first... What is Google Analytics?

Analytics is Google's very own visitor tracking utility, allowing webmasters to keep tabs on traffic to their site, including visitor numbers, traffic sources, visitor behaviour & trends, times spent on the site and a host of other information gathered via two pieces of JavaScript embedded in the source-code.

Unlike other free visitor trackers, which insist on displaying annoying and often amateurish badges or buttons when they are being used, Google Analytics simply runs quietly in the background, gathering the necessary information without any visible signs of its presence.

Which brings me quite neatly to Analytics' first major plus-point; the price. What webmasters are effectively getting, is a fully fledged visitor tracking utility without all the irritations and limitations normally associated with free products of this type.

Ok, so its free; but is it any good?

In a word; yes.

The sheer depth of information gathered, really leaves very little to be desired. From search engine analysis to page views, bounce-rates and more, the available data is presented so as to give users an easy overview of the most essential elements, with the ability to 'drill down' to less commonly accessed or more in-depth statistics and figures.

Additionally, on the 18th of July 2007, the Google Analytics old user interface was discontinued, making way for a newer, more ergonomic look which makes reports more accessible and the interface itself more intuitive for the user.

The new Dashboard provides 'at a glance' visitor statistics for the previous month, as well as a graphical breakdown of your visitor's geographical locations in the form of a world map. A pie chart clearly shows what proportion of visitors reached the site through search engines, by referral or through direct access, whereas the 'Content Overview' provides a list of the most commonly accessed pages.

What makes Google Analytics special though?

Although Analytics boasts all the features and statistical data to be expected from a top-class keyword analysis and statistics tracker, it also features a number of additional tools which put it ahead of the most of the pack where ease-of-use and depth-of-information is concerned.

1. The Map Overlay

Essentially, this feature brings up a map of the world, highlighting the countries a site's visitors stem from. Clicking on a country produces a close-up view, along with a geographical breakdown according to the region and/or city from which visitors accessed the site. This tool in itself is invaluable for all those webmasters with geo-specific sites, concentrating on a particular catchment area.

2. The Site Overlay

This is conceivably Google Analytics' single most important feature from a webmaster's or online business owner's perspective, as it provides a hands-on view of visitor behaviour. When clicked, 'Site Overlay' opens the tracked web site in a new window and, after a moment's loading time, overlays each link on the screen with a bar, containing information about clicks to the target page and goal values reached [more about goal values in a moment]. Since it allows the webmaster or site owner to navigate his or her site and see exactly how visitors flow through it, it is difficult to imagine a more effective tool than this as far as raising a site's conversion rates is concerned.

3. Goals and Funnels

Unless the site being tracked is an information site which does not rely on generating sales or enquiries, conversion rates are as important as sheer visitor numbers. The 'Goals & Funnels' feature allows users to set up specific goals for their site, such as tracking a visitor to the 'Thank you for your enquiry' page for instance. It also allows the user to set up specific monetary values for each goal, and thus track the site's financial performance and profitability during any given period of time.

The term 'Funnels' refers to the specific path a visitor takes to reach the goal's target page. Since most web sites sell a number of different product ranges or feature a number of ways to enquire, all of which lead to a single 'Thank You' page, the funnel allows for the tracking of each individual path with a minimum of fuss.

4. Graphical Representations

A great many visitor trackers out there will present the collected information in a certain way, be it a list, graph, pie chart, flow-chart or whatever. Whilst all these methods of presentation are of course valid, it is nevertheless a fact that most users are different, and a pie-chart is not necessarily ideal for those users preferring to work with graphs or vice versa. Google Analytics however, allows users to choose between views on many of its reports. Although this may seem like a relatively minor point, it nevertheless makes things easier, as it allows the user to work with the view he or she is most comfortable with.

In Conclusion:

Google Analytics provides webmasters and site owners with a highly effective means of tracking visitors and analysing statistical data, easily the equal of most subscription based services in the industry.

Although some concerns have been voiced amongst more paranoid internet users, that Google puts everyone's collective data to its own evil demographic uses, there really are precious few reasons not to recommend this fantastic tool as one of the best means to boost any web promotion and marketing campaign.

About the Author: As a technical writer with over a decade's experience, Sasch Mayer has been living and working in the Republic of Cyprus since 2005. Currently under contract to IceGiant Web Design and Promotion Services, he mainly covers topics such as SEM and Site Promotion.

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Having used a large number of web site visitor trackers over the years, I first approached Google Analytics some time ago, with the somewhat jaded attitude of someone who's 'seen it all' or at least 'seen most of it'. What could possibly make this particular utility stand out in such a large crowd of competitors?

But first... What is Google Analytics?

Analytics is Google's very own visitor tracking utility, allowing webmasters to keep tabs on traffic to their site, including visitor numbers, traffic sources, visitor behaviour & trends, times spent on the site and a host of other information gathered via two pieces of JavaScript embedded in the source-code.

Unlike other free visitor trackers, which insist on displaying annoying and often amateurish badges or buttons when they are being used, Google Analytics simply runs quietly in the background, gathering the necessary information without any visible signs of its presence.

Which brings me quite neatly to Analytics' first major plus-point; the price. What webmasters are effectively getting, is a fully fledged visitor tracking utility without all the irritations and limitations normally associated with free products of this type.

Ok, so its free; but is it any good?

In a word; yes.

The sheer depth of information gathered, really leaves very little to be desired. From search engine analysis to page views, bounce-rates and more, the available data is presented so as to give users an easy overview of the most essential elements, with the ability to 'drill down' to less commonly accessed or more in-depth statistics and figures.

Additionally, on the 18th of July 2007, the Google Analytics old user interface was discontinued, making way for a newer, more ergonomic look which makes reports more accessible and the interface itself more intuitive for the user.

The new Dashboard provides 'at a glance' visitor statistics for the previous month, as well as a graphical breakdown of your visitor's geographical locations in the form of a world map. A pie chart clearly shows what proportion of visitors reached the site through search engines, by referral or through direct access, whereas the 'Content Overview' provides a list of the most commonly accessed pages.

What makes Google Analytics special though?

Although Analytics boasts all the features and statistical data to be expected from a top-class keyword analysis and statistics tracker, it also features a number of additional tools which put it ahead of the most of the pack where ease-of-use and depth-of-information is concerned.

1. The Map Overlay

Essentially, this feature brings up a map of the world, highlighting the countries a site's visitors stem from. Clicking on a country produces a close-up view, along with a geographical breakdown according to the region and/or city from which visitors accessed the site. This tool in itself is invaluable for all those webmasters with geo-specific sites, concentrating on a particular catchment area.

2. The Site Overlay

This is conceivably Google Analytics' single most important feature from a webmaster's or online business owner's perspective, as it provides a hands-on view of visitor behaviour. When clicked, 'Site Overlay' opens the tracked web site in a new window and, after a moment's loading time, overlays each link on the screen with a bar, containing information about clicks to the target page and goal values reached [more about goal values in a moment]. Since it allows the webmaster or site owner to navigate his or her site and see exactly how visitors flow through it, it is difficult to imagine a more effective tool than this as far as raising a site's conversion rates is concerned.

3. Goals and Funnels

Unless the site being tracked is an information site which does not rely on generating sales or enquiries, conversion rates are as important as sheer visitor numbers. The 'Goals & Funnels' feature allows users to set up specific goals for their site, such as tracking a visitor to the 'Thank you for your enquiry' page for instance. It also allows the user to set up specific monetary values for each goal, and thus track the site's financial performance and profitability during any given period of time.

The term 'Funnels' refers to the specific path a visitor takes to reach the goal's target page. Since most web sites sell a number of different product ranges or feature a number of ways to enquire, all of which lead to a single 'Thank You' page, the funnel allows for the tracking of each individual path with a minimum of fuss.

4. Graphical Representations

A great many visitor trackers out there will present the collected information in a certain way, be it a list, graph, pie chart, flow-chart or whatever. Whilst all these methods of presentation are of course valid, it is nevertheless a fact that most users are different, and a pie-chart is not necessarily ideal for those users preferring to work with graphs or vice versa. Google Analytics however, allows users to choose between views on many of its reports. Although this may seem like a relatively minor point, it nevertheless makes things easier, as it allows the user to work with the view he or she is most comfortable with.

In Conclusion:

Google Analytics provides webmasters and site owners with a highly effective means of tracking visitors and analysing statistical data, easily the equal of most subscription based services in the industry.

Although some concerns have been voiced amongst more paranoid internet users, that Google puts everyone's collective data to its own evil demographic uses, there really are precious few reasons not to recommend this fantastic tool as one of the best means to boost any web promotion and marketing campaign.

About the Author: As a technical writer with over a decade's experience, Sasch Mayer has been living and working in the Republic of Cyprus since 2005. Currently under contract to IceGiant Web Design and Promotion Services, he mainly covers topics such as SEM and Site Promotion.

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11 Tips for Pay-Per-Click Success

CanadianMedsWorld.com

This list details some very important points to keep in mind when creating or managing any pay-per-click campaign. Is this all there is to know about pay-per-click advertising? Absolutely not, but for those new to PPC it should serve as good place to start. Additionally, pay-per-click veterans or at least the moderately-seasoned will want to touch upon these points now and then to brush up on their fundamentals.

1) Do your keyword homework.

Use Google's free Keyword Tool or sign up for a WordTracker account to find out which keywords are the most competitive. The more competitive the keyword, the more expensive your clicks will be. While you're finding out which keywords are too expensive you'll come across some that aren't being targeted heavily by advertisers. Take a good look at these - they may be your keys to a successful niche campaign.

2) Don't bunch your ad groups.

You should be striving to separate your ad groups by keyword. Whatever your target, separate your keyword lists into closely related groups containing the same target words and write ads geared specifically to those words. Your ads will show up higher in results based on their quality, and search terms show up bold in results - a click-through rate booster.

3) Drive home your selling point.

What's your offer? Why are you better than the others? Remember that your ads are going to display with your competitors. The difference between a user clicking your ad and clicking a competitor ad is about 100 pixels on the screen - or a millisecond of time. You need to convince them that you are the one they want. You are better. Grab them.

4) Don't send users to your home page.

This is perhaps one of the worst things you can do to your Pay-Per-Click campaign. Internet users are notoriously impatient. Send them to your home page when they were searching for a specific product or service and see how fast they leave. Don't waste your advertising budget - send them to optimized landing pages.

5) Optimize your landing pages.

Your landing pages need to drive something home immediately for your users: "you have landed in the right place." They need to know that, yes, this is what they were looking for, here it is, here is why it is better than the rest and here's the easy thing they need to do to get it. In most cases you'll need to create multiple landing pages based on your different ad groups and keywords, but look at it this way - if your users aren't landing at pages geared exactly to their search phrases they'll leave and take your advertising budget with them.

6) Don't lie in your ads.

People aren't dumb. If you promise something in your ads you had better well deliver. Otherwise you'll not only waste advertising dollars but damage your brand. Be honest, and focus on points that make you stand out from the competition. Grandiose ad text might bring in clicks, but if it isn't the truth it won't bring in conversions.

7) Your domain name counts.

In most cases you can display a domain name that you own as the "display domain" but point the ads to a page on a different domain. Why does this matter? If you own a domain name that contains the keyword text it will show up bold and increase conversions. Enter the optimized domain as the displayed domain, point the ads to your landing pages and you can expect higher CTRs in most cases.

8) Utilize negative keywords.

Google has a new Negative Keyword Tool that will allow you to find negative keywords that you should specify for your ads. Negative keywords are those that you don't want your ads to display for. For example, if you're selling "blue widgets" you don't want to display your ads to those users searching for "free blue widgets." If you don't use negative keywords you are missing out on a chance to get more targeted traffic to your landing pages, and this can really hurt your conversion rates.

9) Test, test, and test some more.

The greatest thing about internet advertising is the ability it grants you to measure your success. It's easy to create A/B split tests with Pay-Per-Click advertising. Change one word, add a comma, include a value proposition. . .just make sure you only change one thing for each split or you won't know which variable it was that made the difference! You'll find out right away that this is a great way to optimize your click-through rates - just don't forget that clicks aren't everything!

10) Don't focus too heavily on CTRs.

Getting tons of clicks isn't always the name of the game. In fact, if you aren't using proper techniques to ensure that you're getting targeted traffic and sending it to well-optimized landing pages you can blow through your advertising budget in no time flat. Remember that the success of any advertisement is getting back more than you put in. It's an investment, not a cost - so do all that you can to better your rate of return!

11) Don't pigeonhole yourself.

We all know that Google AdWords is the most popular Pay-Per-Click service out there. Your competitors know it, your users know it - even your grandma might know it. It would be foolish to ignore Google as a venue for advertising, but don't forget that there are other search engines out there who offer similar services. Yahoo!'s new Panama search system is catching on, and Microsoft's adCenter is nothing to sneeze at either. Both companies are currently offering sweet promotional deals to new Pay-Per-Click advertisers to stay competitive so take advantage and diversify!

About the Author: Mike Tekula handles SEO, SEM, usability and standards-compliance for NewSunGraphics, a Long Island, New York firm offering Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, W3C-Compliant web design using full CSS layouts and all things web design/development.

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11 Tips for Pay-Per-Click Success

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This list details some very important points to keep in mind when creating or managing any pay-per-click campaign. Is this all there is to know about pay-per-click advertising? Absolutely not, but for those new to PPC it should serve as good place to start. Additionally, pay-per-click veterans or at least the moderately-seasoned will want to touch upon these points now and then to brush up on their fundamentals.

1) Do your keyword homework.

Use Google's free Keyword Tool or sign up for a WordTracker account to find out which keywords are the most competitive. The more competitive the keyword, the more expensive your clicks will be. While you're finding out which keywords are too expensive you'll come across some that aren't being targeted heavily by advertisers. Take a good look at these - they may be your keys to a successful niche campaign.

2) Don't bunch your ad groups.

You should be striving to separate your ad groups by keyword. Whatever your target, separate your keyword lists into closely related groups containing the same target words and write ads geared specifically to those words. Your ads will show up higher in results based on their quality, and search terms show up bold in results - a click-through rate booster.

3) Drive home your selling point.

What's your offer? Why are you better than the others? Remember that your ads are going to display with your competitors. The difference between a user clicking your ad and clicking a competitor ad is about 100 pixels on the screen - or a millisecond of time. You need to convince them that you are the one they want. You are better. Grab them.

4) Don't send users to your home page.

This is perhaps one of the worst things you can do to your Pay-Per-Click campaign. Internet users are notoriously impatient. Send them to your home page when they were searching for a specific product or service and see how fast they leave. Don't waste your advertising budget - send them to optimized landing pages.

5) Optimize your landing pages.

Your landing pages need to drive something home immediately for your users: "you have landed in the right place." They need to know that, yes, this is what they were looking for, here it is, here is why it is better than the rest and here's the easy thing they need to do to get it. In most cases you'll need to create multiple landing pages based on your different ad groups and keywords, but look at it this way - if your users aren't landing at pages geared exactly to their search phrases they'll leave and take your advertising budget with them.

6) Don't lie in your ads.

People aren't dumb. If you promise something in your ads you had better well deliver. Otherwise you'll not only waste advertising dollars but damage your brand. Be honest, and focus on points that make you stand out from the competition. Grandiose ad text might bring in clicks, but if it isn't the truth it won't bring in conversions.

7) Your domain name counts.

In most cases you can display a domain name that you own as the "display domain" but point the ads to a page on a different domain. Why does this matter? If you own a domain name that contains the keyword text it will show up bold and increase conversions. Enter the optimized domain as the displayed domain, point the ads to your landing pages and you can expect higher CTRs in most cases.

8) Utilize negative keywords.

Google has a new Negative Keyword Tool that will allow you to find negative keywords that you should specify for your ads. Negative keywords are those that you don't want your ads to display for. For example, if you're selling "blue widgets" you don't want to display your ads to those users searching for "free blue widgets." If you don't use negative keywords you are missing out on a chance to get more targeted traffic to your landing pages, and this can really hurt your conversion rates.

9) Test, test, and test some more.

The greatest thing about internet advertising is the ability it grants you to measure your success. It's easy to create A/B split tests with Pay-Per-Click advertising. Change one word, add a comma, include a value proposition. . .just make sure you only change one thing for each split or you won't know which variable it was that made the difference! You'll find out right away that this is a great way to optimize your click-through rates - just don't forget that clicks aren't everything!

10) Don't focus too heavily on CTRs.

Getting tons of clicks isn't always the name of the game. In fact, if you aren't using proper techniques to ensure that you're getting targeted traffic and sending it to well-optimized landing pages you can blow through your advertising budget in no time flat. Remember that the success of any advertisement is getting back more than you put in. It's an investment, not a cost - so do all that you can to better your rate of return!

11) Don't pigeonhole yourself.

We all know that Google AdWords is the most popular Pay-Per-Click service out there. Your competitors know it, your users know it - even your grandma might know it. It would be foolish to ignore Google as a venue for advertising, but don't forget that there are other search engines out there who offer similar services. Yahoo!'s new Panama search system is catching on, and Microsoft's adCenter is nothing to sneeze at either. Both companies are currently offering sweet promotional deals to new Pay-Per-Click advertisers to stay competitive so take advantage and diversify!

About the Author: Mike Tekula handles SEO, SEM, usability and standards-compliance for NewSunGraphics, a Long Island, New York firm offering Search Engine Optimization, Search Engine Marketing, W3C-Compliant web design using full CSS layouts and all things web design/development.

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This is your life, according to Google

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Google's latest project is called Web History, and it offers registered Google Account users a chance to peruse not just their account history with Google, but one's surfing history. "Imagine being able to search over the full text of pages you've visited online and finding that one particular quote you remember reading somewhere months ago," explains Google's Payam Shodjai, product manager for Personalization. "Imagine always knowing exactly where you saw something online, like that priceless YouTube video of your friend attempting to perform dance moves from a bygone age. Better yet, imagine having this wealth of information work for you to make searching for new information easier and faster."

The data is available only when the user logs on with a Google account and password, the same account used for other Google services such as Gmail. In order to track web surfing information, the user must have the Google Toolbar installed in their web browser, and have PageRank enabled. The Web History feature can be turned off and on as you like.

Google Web History replaces the earlier "Search History," which only allowed users to look at previous web search queries and results. The new tool allows users to browse pretty much anything they've surfed on the Internet—from sites visited to downloads to search results, and also displays usage trends, showing which sites were most visited at certain times of the day. There's even a history of which Google AdSense ads the user has clicked on.

Google says that Web History data will only be available to the user signed in with his or her Google Account. The data collected is only used to "improve your search experience" and Google promises that this data will not be made available to third parties except in aggregate form or to comply with legal processes, as per their existing privacy policy. As such, the existence of Google Web History does not change anything in terms of what information Google is collecting from its Toolbar users. Indeed, any web site on the Internet can collect usage information from its visitors by the use of cookies and IP tracking.

Still, the fact that all this information is being collected in one easy-to-access place does have some people worried—what happens if a Google account is compromised? Some are concerned that Google's recent purchase of DoubleClick may cause the company to be less interested in user privacy and more interested in sharing their surfing habits with advertising partners, too. A straw poll in the virtual office shows that we're not really worried about the privacy angle, but strangely no one was eager to leave this on for a week, either.

[via arstechnica]

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GoogleCash - The Pros And Cons Of GoogleCash Like Business Model

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The first time I heard about Chris Carpenter's "GoogleCash" I thought it was the silliest thing I'd ever heard of.

What's GoogleCash?

It's the world's fastest instant business, really. It works like this:

1) You go to a website that pays commission when visitors you send there buy, and you sign up for their affiliate program

2) You go to Google and write AdWords ads and send people to that site

3) You get checks in the mail and your profit is the difference between your AdWords spend and your affiliate checks.

You can do this literally in as little as 30 minutes. It's amazingly clever, really. If you have a dozen different GoogleCash businesses running all at the same time, it can add up to a full time income - with no website, no customer service problems, and no boss. Pretty nice.

So why did I think it was so crazy at first - and why did I change my mind?

I thought it was crazy because in business, *getting* customers is expensive. It's *having* and *keeping* customers that's profitable. If you're just brokering traffic, you're only dealing with the first step.

What changed my mind, however, was the fact that I saw a lot of people making it work. Today I've got some GoogleCash businesses set up, too, and they're profitable. Here's the thing I didn't realize at the beginning:

There are a lot of different ways to get traffic to a website, and rarely is one person good at all of them. Somebody who owns a website and runs an affiliate program might be really great at email marketing or banner ads or something else, but may be totally baffled by Google AdWords. Maybe they just don't want to bother with it.

That's OK.

Because if they have a couple of affiliates who are good at AdWords, they still get AdWords traffic and their affiliates still get paid for setting it all up. Everybody wins.

And here's a couple of other thoughts as well:

GoogleCash is a brilliant, low-risk way to test the waters in any market you want to go into. You might have your own product and you might not even be interested in doing other peoples' affiliate programs per se.

But that's OK, because the GoogleCash method allows you to test ads, keywords, and other people's programs, and figure out how much traffic is available, what the market is like, and how many people buy.

Finally, don't play the game unprepared. You can waste a *lot* of money if you don't do it right, and there are a lof of things that can go wrong. So discover the methods that really work for AdWords and set it up the way I teach you to. You'll be head and shoulders above 95% to 99% of other marketers when you do that.

[Via Perry Marshall]

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