Today's webinar with Chris Muccio: 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn

Chris Muccio is launching a new book on LinkedIn secrets for Internet marketers, and he'll be stopping by the Internet Marketing Club for a unique presentation experience. If you're searching for the ultimate LinkedIn success for business in just 24 hours, Chris' webinar is perfect for you.

Check out Chris' book, 42 Rules for 24-Hour Success on LinkedIn: Practical ideas to help you quickly achieve your desired business success.

Click here to register for FREE (9-18-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/1eSrkrk

About Chris Muccio:

Chris Muccio is an award-winning entrepreneur who draws upon insightful experiences from his successful career in Corporate America to guide emerging businesses on the most effective strategies to uncover profit and growth opportunities, create rapid and sustainable results and minimize the overwhelm factors that challenge many entrepreneurs. Named a Matherly Scholar - the highest honor awarded by the University of Florida's M.B.A. program, Chris began his career with Coopers & Lybrand, where he passed the CPA exam. He has held senior management positions at billion-dollar global companies with projects across five continents. He speaks on social media and corporate performance, has hosted numerous global seminars and training sessions, and blogs on leading edge strategies for business leaders.

Click here to register for FREE (9-18-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/1eSrkrk

IMC Gold Membership trial offer now!

Over the last few years, the Internet Marketing Club has been dedicated to bringing its guests the latest trends in online marketing through carefully selected news discussions, intuitive blog posts and of course, the advent of the Wednesday Webinar series. We've featured a multitude of industry leading speakers to help you better prioritize every aspect of your brand or agency's marketing, because we realize that sometimes work is better with a little help from a friend. Featuring top industry experts Joanna Lord, Scott Schwertly, Dennis Yu, Warren Whitlock,

With that being said, we're now offering our Gold Membership package for just $1, a trial offer for the first month to help you get more acquainted with our leading feature of the IMC. This gets you exclusive access to all of our past webinars in the archive section of the IMC, which features MP4 video replays, MP3 audio downloads, text transcriptions and PDFs of presentation slides. You'll also get priority connection to our experts, giving you exclusive assistance to help with your online marketing campaigns.

So go forth; experience the Gold Membership of the IMC to its fullest for only $1 in your first month!

Wednesday Webinar with @JayBerkowitz: 10 Real Social Media Conversion Strategies

Social Media has consumed business for years now, but how effective is the message that we're relaying to the world? Without any positive feedback, improving sales and new business, social media's inclusion in your marketing message just falls flat. Jay Berkowitz brings the IMC a new webinar built on previous webinar ideas, but this specific presentation will use real success stories in the social media world to help your own endeavors.

In this webinar, you'll learn about the following ideas:

· Learn from 10 real-world success stories· “More Free Videos”
· The Value of Reciprocity
· Stairstepping
· If You Like…
· Free Audio Gift

Click here to register for FREE! (9-11-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/15QwOuE

About Jay Berkowitz:

Jay Berkowitz is an author, an educator, an International keynote speaker and an award-winning thought leader. A senior online marketing professional with over twenty years of marketing experience, Mr. Berkowitz has managed marketing departments for Fortune 500 brands: Coca-Cola, Sprint and McDonald's Restaurants, and he has developed online and offline strategies for AT&T and leading health and fitness website eDiets.com.

Mr. Berkowitz is the author of The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing Workbook, the Founder and CEO of www.TenGoldenRules.com, a strategic online marketing consulting business based in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the host of the Ten Golden Rules of Internet Marketing Podcast, an Adjunct Professor with the University of San Francisco Internet Marketing Course and he has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, The Business Journals and he was interviewed on FOX Business TV.

Click here to register for FREE! (9-11-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/15QwOuE

This Wednesday's Webinar with @MWooddy: Improving Websites With Visual Content

Online marketing analyst and freelance photographer Matt Wooddy understands how images impact

our daily lives. From motion pictures to visually stunning photographs, images cannot escape us. They help us translate our emotions and love for products better than any wall of text ever can or should, and for that, we must learn how well they represent the online marketing world. Website development and fan interaction go well together, and probably much more than we'd like to admit as Internet marketers. With this webinar, Matt discusses how simple design and thoughtful images help relate more to the intended audience than clever wording and resourceful search engine optimization.

In this webinar, you'll learn how to:

- Retain visitors for a more effective web marketing strategy
- Boost sharing with sharp visual content
- Integrate social channels for efficient time management for web marketing

Click here to register for FREE (9-4-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/16QMOk6

About Matt Wooddy:

For the last six years, Matt Wooddy has used his social wizardry to completely turn around the online presence of over 200 brands. Understanding that social media is more than just a place to promote your business, he uses personal interaction and entertaining messages to improve the branding and interest of any given company. His industry knowledge has ranged from tattoo magazines and motorsport news channels to skin care products and dental practices. Matt realizes that it's not so much the product that drives a good social campaign, but it's the ability to communicate with your fans and followers in a personal way that makes a difference. As a freelance photographer, visual artist and musician in his free time, Matt has developed these personal skills that connect humans with each other. Though not a marketing expert in the traditional sense, the advent of online marketing has made Matt Wooddy a proven veteran in his respective fields.

Click here to register for FREE (9-4-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/16QMOk6

This Wednesday's Webinar with Scott Schwertly: Firebreathing Presentation Skills: How to Present Yourself, Your Business, and Your Cause in 15 Minutes or Less

"Be transparent. Be a bit vulnerable. Know your own strengths. A great presentation is all about content (how you build it), design (how you design it), and delivery (how you deliver it)."

Scott Schwertly's words of advice for presenters have helped change the lives of presenters the world over, and this week's Wednesday Webinar will help your presentations, as well. The author and Ethos3 CEO presented a topic with us last year about building, designing and delivering an epic presentation. This time around, he's focusing on the presentation itself and how you can really supercharge your message in 15 minutes or less. gsi

Click here to register for FREE (8-28-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/16Av7oU

About Scott Schwertly:

Scott Schwertly is the author of How to Be a Presentation God and CEO of Ethos3, a Nashville, TN-based presentation boutique providing professional presentation design and training for national and international clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies to branded individuals like Guy Kawasaki.

If Scott is not working with his team building presentations, you will find him in the pool, on the bike, or on a long run. Scott lives in Nashville, TN with his wife and three dogs. He has a B.A. and M.B.A. from Harding University.

Click here to register for FREE (8-28-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/16Av7oU

This week's Wednesday Webinar with @JayBerkowitz - LinkedIn: Your Secret Weapon For Business

LinkedIn is the business professional social networking platform, but how often do we truly use it to our advantage? Ten Golden Rules Founder and CEO Jay Berkowitz brings his knowledge and experience with LinkedIn to this week's Wednesday Webinar showcase. With some patience and know-how, you can turn your LinkedIn profile to a secret weapon for business success.

In this webinar, you'll learn:

• 10 strategies to use LinkedIn to build an effective business network & personal brand
• How to create a profitable profile
• How to build and nurture your relationships through LinkedIn
• How to optimize your profile for findability
• How to create and participate in Groups
• LinkedIn for Jobs and Hiring
• How to use LinkedIn for business lead development

Click here to register for FREE (8-21-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/14h0xxc

About Jay Berkowitz:

Jay Berkowitz is an author, an educator, an International keynote speaker and an award-winning thought leader. A senior online marketing professional with over twenty years of marketing experience, Mr. Berkowitz has managed marketing departments for Fortune 500 brands: Coca-Cola, Sprint and McDonald's Restaurants, and he has developed online and offline strategies for AT&T and leading health and fitness website eDiets.com.

Mr. Berkowitz is the author of The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing Workbook, the Founder and CEO of www.TenGoldenRules.com, a strategic online marketing consulting business based in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the host of the Ten Golden Rules of Internet Marketing Podcast, an Adjunct Professor with the University of San Francisco Internet Marketing Course and he has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, The Business Journals and he was interviewed on FOX Business TV.

Click here to register for FREE (8-21-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/14h0xxc

This week's webinar: Improving Websites with Visual Content by @MWooddy

Online marketing is a vast world that combines proven knowledge with unknown potential. What works today might not work tomorrow, but there are a few constants to ensure your online message stays active and relevant for much longer. Last week we discussed the positive impact that exceptional visual content -- from brilliant imagery to the very layout -- on social media has on your marketing. For this week, Matt Wooddy dives into bringing that same visual appeal to your brand's website.

In this webinar, you'll learn how to:

- Retain browsers for a more effective web marketing strategy
- Boost sharing with sharp visual content
- Integrate social channels for efficient time management for web marketing

Click here to register for FREE (8-14-13 at 12:30pm EST)
bit.ly/1eEkF17

About Matt Wooddy:

For the last six years, Matt Wooddy has used his social wizardry to completely turn around the online presence of over 200 brands. Understanding that social media is more than just a place to promote your business, he uses personal interaction and entertaining messages to improve the branding and interest of any given company. His industry knowledge has ranged from tattoo magazines and motorsport news channels to skin care products and dental practices. Matt realizes that it's not so much the product that drives a good social campaign, but it's the ability to communicate with your fans and followers in a personal way that makes a difference. As a freelance photographer, visual artist and musician in his free time, Matt has developed these personal skills that connect humans with each other. Though not a marketing expert in the traditional sense, the advent of online marketing has made Matt Wooddy a proven veteran in his respective fields.

Click here to register for FREE (8-14-13 at 12:30pm EST)
bit.ly/1eEkF17

10 Super Smart Link Building Strategies

Tired of trying to build links the same old way? Here are some great tips to get you started on thinking out of the box in order to grab some precious links to your website:

1. Conduct a link audit. In order to figure out what's working with your link profile and what's not, it's often helpful to find out what your current link profile looks like. Plus, if you find lots of spammy links with their claws in your website, you can take this opportunity to remove them. Learn how to conduct a link audit here.
2. Create a page of resources. You can attract attention from websites you're interested in by adding them to a list of useful resources for your clients. Not only will your clients love that you're helping them out, but the sites you're linking to will see visits from your websites in their Analytics account and take notice. For example, you might create a list of the "Top Ten Dog Training Resources" or the "Top 15 Cooking Blogs."
3. Interview an industry expert. This is a great way to create linkbait - if you ask the right questions, people in your industry will definitely be curious to hear what this leader has to say. Post the interview on your website and share on social media.
4. Write a testimonial for a product your company uses. Submit the testimonial to the company - if it's published, you can make sure that your company website is linked where your name is mentioned.
5. Sign up for HARO. Help a Reporter Out is a website that helps connect reporters and sources. Patrol their emails daily and respond to any call for a source that fits in with your industry.
6. Donate to charities and nonprofits. You don't have to shell out the big bucks - donate $50 or $100 and ask for a link on their donators page.
7. Capitalize on local SEO. Make sure that your company is listed in Google Places and on Yelp. This way, it's easy for customers to find you and post reviews.
8. Submit articles and blog posts to syndication sites.  Make sure to include links wherever relevant. A good place to start is HubPages.
9. Take advantage of Google+ authorship. Yes, you can get your picture and G+ profile in the search results, and boost your SEO while you're at it. Find out how.
10. Use your Twitter profile for LinkBuilding. That's right - you can use your Twitter profile to build some juicy links. Learn more about that here.

Happy link hunting! 

10 Facts About Ads Quality Straight From Google

In the SEM world, there are constant discussions taking place on how to improve Quality Scores. Although we’ll never receive the Quality Score algorithm, we’ll take what we can get when Google gives us tidbits of information.

Here are 10 things you should know about Ads Quality – straight from Google’s mouth:

1. There might not be ads on all search results, even for queries that advertisers are bidding on.
2. Just because there is low competition for a keyword doesn’t mean that it will be inexpensive.
3. Your ad position is not a factor in your Quality Score.
4. Your bid primarily impacts your rank, not your Quality Score.
5. Quality is given extra consideration when determining which ads appear in the top slots.
6. Your ad conversion rate doesn’t affect your Quality Score.
7. A few bad days of performance will not ruin your Quality Scores.
8. Quality Score doesn’t suffer when your ads are showing infrequently or not showing due to pausing or budgeting.
9. Restructuring your account doesn’t cause you to lose your historical Quality Score information.
10. Google doesn’t keep track of your landing page experience history.

You can find Google’s details about the above list here. Additionally, I recommend you watch this introductory video explaining the ad auction by Chief Economist at Google, Hal Varian.

It’s important that you digest Quality Score information with caution. There are many more details that are factored into Quality Score that are not reflected here. Need a couple of tips to get you heading in the right direction? First, be sure to construct your account structure so that campaigns, ad groups, keywords and ads are tightly themed and created in an organized and logical manner. Also, it’s important that your ads, keywords and landing pages are of quality and highly relevant.

We are barely scratching the surface with this topic. What are some high-level tips you have for improving Quality Scores?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: North Charleston

Today's webinar with @MWooddy

Even if you're no photographer or videographer, you can make good use out of brilliantly placed images on your social channels. With the right forethought, a bit of time and the right focus, your fans will appreciate and respond with a bit more personality. 

Although the landscape of social marketing and online advertising tends to constantly change, there's one aspect that remains consistently the same throughout the years: images. Brilliant photos and captivating videos will always be at the forefront of branding, and it's time that your social channels received an update. From Twitter avatars to Facebook banners, your images tell a lot more about your brand than you might think. With a little time and audience analyzing, you can select the perfect images to help improve the reach of your online marketing.

In this webinar, you will learn how to: 

- Appeal to your fanbase through relative images
- Improve conversation through picture-based sharing
- Create a more favored brand experience among users 

Click here to register for FREE (8-7-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/150CeCQ


About Matt Wooddy:

For the last six years, Matt Wooddy has used his social wizardry to completely turn around the online presence of over 200 brands. Understanding that social media is more than just a place to promote your business, he uses personal interaction and entertaining messages to improve the branding and interest of any given company. His industry knowledge has ranged from tattoo magazines and motorsport news channels to skin care products and dental practices. Matt realizes that it's not so much the product that drives a good social campaign, but it's the ability to communicate with your fans and followers in a personal way that makes a difference. As a freelance photographer, visual artist and musician in his free time, Matt has developed these personal skills that connect humans with each other. Though not a marketing expert in the traditional sense, the advent of online marketing has made Matt Wooddy a proven veteran in his respective fields.Click here to register for FREE (8-7-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/150CeCQ

This week's Wednesday Webinar with @PortentInt: Weird, Useful, Significant: Internet marketing in 2013

Due to technical difficulties, Ian Lurie's presentation from June had to be rescheduled. Get

ready, because we're going to explore all the ways Internet marketing has changed in the year 2013! 

We've all turned internet marketing into a monster truck show, chasing rankings until our tongues drag on the ground. Now, learn how marketing really works, and how you can apply it to refresh your campaigns, boost revenue and strengthen your brand.

Click here to register for FREE (6-12-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/153mmW6

About Ian Lurie:

Ian Lurie is CEO at Portent, a digital agency he started in 1995. His firm provides search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC), social media and general strategic services to a wide range of small, medium and large businesses.
Ian believes strongly that great marketing, online and off, relies on clarity and helps customers make good decisions about products, services and people. Several years ago he wrote the book Conversation Marketing to be a common-sense guide to internet marketing. He's also co-author of the Web Marketing All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies. 


You can follow Ian on Twitter at @portentint, or find him on the Portent blog, at www.portent.com/blog.
Click here to register for FREE (6-12-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/153mmW6

Tomorrow's webinar with @MWooddy - Instagram Video and Why You Need It!

Instagram is not going anywhere. In an age where social platforms leave our thoughts more quickly than they first appeared, Instagram has gained quite a reputable following over the last three years. Now with more than 130 million users and 40 million photos a day, brands are really starting to recognize the Instagram app for what its worth -- which is apparently much more than 1,000 words. Facebook took quite a notice, as well, as the startup app is now owned and (more or less) operated by the social media giant. The latest update to Instagram includes a new video feature, allowing users to turn their pictures into animated stories. With Twitter's Vine service as a direct competitor, how does this measure up to your brand's social strategies? In this webinar, you'll learn the five reasons why you should be using IG Video in your marketing campaign. 

Click here to register for FREE (7-24-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/162lLCE

About Matt Wooddy: 

For the last six years, Matt Wooddy has used his social wizardry to completely turn around the online presence of over 200 brands. Understanding that social media is more than just a place to promote your business, he uses personal interaction and entertaining messages to improve the branding and interest of any given company. His industry knowledge has ranged from tattoo magazines and motorsport news channels to skin care products and dental practices. Matt realizes that it's not so much the product that drives a good social campaign, but it's the ability to communicate with your fans and followers in a personal way that makes a difference. As a freelance photographer, visual artist and musician in his free time, Matt has developed these personal skills that connect humans with each other. Though not a marketing expert in the traditional sense, the advent of online marketing has made Matt Wooddy a proven veteran in his respective fields.
Click here to register for FREE (7-24-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/162lLCE

Google Remarketing Optimization Tips (Part 3)

In this final post covering Google Remarketing optimization tips, let’s quickly recap the best practices we previously reviewed.

Part 1 Tips:

• Ad testing
• Landing page testing
• Offer testing

Part 2 Tips:

• Frequency testing
• Segmentation testing

We’ll conclude this series with the following best practices and last thoughts. Remember, to find out what is most effective for your campaigns, you’ll want to test these tips and continue testing some more.

1. Site Exclusion Testing: Remarketing is different from display advertising in that the people seeing your ads have been to your site before. Regardless, certain sites and/or ad placements may outperform others. Evaluate site exclusion testing for underperforming sites that are eating up the budget by reducing the bid or excluding them if necessary. You may want to consider raising your bids for websites that perform better to gain impression share. Utilize this tactic sparingly since this is a Remarketing campaign – you can’t control what websites they visit.

2. Bid Testing: Monitor your bids for impression share in addition to ROI. Test different bid amounts to see where they are most effective. Since you are following visitors and not websites, you will need to bid appropriately and not to the point of annoyance. Your bidding strategy should also reflect your list segmentation. For instance, you may find it makes more sense to bid higher on lists that include recent visitors since they are more likely to convert.

Lastly, please don’t limit your Remarketing strategy. Although it is a great start to remarket to anyone who visits your website with a single offer – this is so limiting. You have the power to feature targeted offers based on varied and relevant sections of your website. Get creative with your Remarketing and laser target your offers to afford the most value to your visitors.

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: Omar Bárcena

Tomorrow's webinar with @ERontheWeb - Beyond Social Media Marketing: Improving Customer Service and Product Excellence

We are truly excited for tomorrow's webinar, because it dives into the very subject matter that often needs the most focus in the online marketing world: customer service. Since the advent of the Internet and the online brand presence, companies have scrambled to improve their customer service skills in order to better appeal to the consumer and improve product excellence. 

The location and method that a customer wants to communicate is becoming an extremely critical important piece of Social Media. From Facebook to Twitter, social networking IS transforming the world of customer service - enabling businesses to interact with customers like never before. We all need to get ready for the next phase in Customer (Social) Support!

The session will explore Social Media customer support strategies from top companies including Comcast, Zappos and Southwest Airlines, as well as AOL's very own strategy. Discussion will include what works and what doesn't work.

Click here to register for FREE (7-17-13 at 12:30pm EST)
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9086609634796060416

About Erin Robinson:

Erin Robinson is Senior Communications Manager at AOL, driving the newly formed customer support on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and various community forums for AOL. Previously as AOL’s Social Media Manager she developed social listening channels and response mechanisms as well as worked with other teams to create social customer care solutions for their products, programs and services. Erin is AOL champion and evangelist for social support and education for product teams to participate in the social setting. In addition to her roles with AOL, she is also the Social Media Chair for American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and Cure by Design. She has created training and education on the power and need for social presence and support for these activities. 
Prior to that, she worked for USA WEEKEND Magazine (Gannett) as a Market Development Specialist. She has obtained certification in Advanced Social Medial Skills from the University of San Francisco; and is obtaining her PMP certification. If all of that does not spell out her commitment to social media; she has led social media panels and classes, and is developing a blog and training program on the importance of social media to and for customer care. Basically, she is a social media nerd and is happy to be here spreading her nerdiness to all of you. Don’t forget to follow her! @ERontheWeb

Click here to register for FREE (7-17-13 at 12:30pm EST)
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9086609634796060416

TrafficWave - OceanSwell TEAM Update (#74)

In this business, the ONE thing that you must never do is let things get you down.  When I titled this blog 'My Internet Marketing journey', I picked a good name!  This journey has had a lot of bumps in the road and more than one broken wagon wheel or a sick horse that I had to shoot.  That's just how it is in life.

Looking back over the 100+ posts in this blog, I see promotions for companies and products that no longer exist, scams that I fell for, links that don't work any longer (because the companies are defunct) and so on.  I could spend a lot of time going back and re-writing or deleting some of that old stuff, but why bother?  This past year, besides my two(2) hospital jobs, I've become devoted to my coffee business - which, of course, isn't 'really' Internet Marketing.  Everyone who reads this blog and receives my emails knows that I have been involved in this business for a solid year.  Yet, several of them have recently become a part of the same business and chose not to do it through me - even though I've helped them in the past and they knew I was involved in it. 

Unbelievable.

At first, that made me very, VERY angry.  But, I just went back to the Bible, took a deep breath and decided to just keep doing what I'm doing.  That's all you can do, that's how it is... and that's how it's going to be.
 

LESSON:  There is no loyalty in this business.  None.


People don't give a damn about you, no matter what you do for them.  I could say more about that, but I won't.  There's no point in it.  People are going to do what they're going to do and they're not going to do what they're NOT going to do - and everybody wants something for nothing.  Other than that, they don't care about you.  It's taken me this long in 'My Internet Marketing Journey' to realize it... but I have finally figured it out.

Now that I've said all this, here is the reason for this Team Update:  I've decided to do a 're-boot' of Team Oceanswell, and I really don't care what anybody thinks about it.  Here's why.  At present, there are only eleven remaining members (besides me) in the basic TrafficWave rotator.  As for NPN, I've cleaned the rotator out completely, since not one - not ONE - original Team Oceanswell member remained. 

So what I'm going to do is basically what I did back in the fall of 2009.  I'm just going to start over!  To hell with it.  I started it alone and did fine with it and I can start it again and do fine with it.  If you're in the TrafficWave rotator right now, you've got nothing to worry about.  Your position is safe.  But the people that did well originally with TrafficWave and NPN were (naturally) the ones who joined early and/or first.  Well, you've now got the chance to do that again - especially with NPN.  WHY?  Because it's a brand-new rotator and I'm the only one in it!  It's a clean slate.

It's a re-boot of both rotator systems, then - both TrafficWave and NPN.  If interested in getting in early, join and then contact me.  If not, then have a nice day.


~Rusty  (from Houston)

p.s.  It's time for some coffee...

Today's #webinar is a go! @MichaelPort presents Book Yourself Solid

This Wednesday, we're proud to present award-winning author and speaker Michael Port and his Book Yourself Solid campaign. Based on the book by the same name, Book Yourself Solid takes an in-depth look into marketing and obtaining clients the natural way. It really happens, and it could be you. In Book Yourself Solid, (Second Edition; Updated and Expanded) small business marketing expert Michael Port takes you by the hand and walks you down the path to:


- Discover and set your businessfoundation
- Build trust with your target audience
- Build credibility within yourmarketplace
- Within a few pages of this leadgeneration

Click here to register for FREE (7-10-13 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/15rJ9sU

About Michael Port:


Called a “marketing guru” by theWall Street Journal, Michael Port, has lectured, trained, inspired,and provided coaching and consulting services to over 20,000 businessowners in the last two years alone. As a speaker, he has headlinedevents with leaders like Brian Tracy, Tony Robbins, Steadman Graham,Tim Sanders, and others. Michael is the author of the nationalbestselling Book Yourself Solid, The Fastest, Easiest and MostReliable System For Getting More Clients Than You Can Handle Even IfYou Hate Marketing And Selling and the soonto be released Beyond Booked Solid. He’s also a contributing authorto Success Secrets of the Online Marketing Superstars and GuerrillaMarketing for Job Hunters. Before starting his consulting &training company, Michael spent years honing his management skills byworking in senior management for some of the premiere health andfitness companies in the country including The Sports Club Company,and Clay, the most luxurious health club in New York, where he servedas the Senior Vice President of Operations. Oh, you should alsoknow…if you’re wondering why Michael looks kind of familiar…it’s because he was once a slightly famous actor starring in TV andfilm projects like Sex and the City, Third Watch, All My Children,Guiding Light, Central Park West, 100 Centre Street, The PelicanBrief, Down to Earth, Last Call, The Believer, and many more. He alsoprovided hundreds of television and radio commercials for companiessuch as AT&T, Pizza Hut, Braun Shavers, MTV, Home and GardenNetwork, Coors Beer and many more.

Click here to register for FREE (7-10-13 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/15rJ9sU

Google Remarketing Optimization Tips (Part 2)

As a continuation to Google Remarketing optimization tips (part 1), this week we will review two more best practices. Last week we discussed the importance of testing ads, landing pages and offers. This week we are covering frequency and segmentation testing.

1. Frequency Testing: It’s happened to all of us. As we visit different websites, the same ad continues to follow us. Not only could the excessiveness get annoying, but it could also have a negative effect on your brand’s image. I recommend testing different frequency caps to strike a balance between not being annoying but yet harnessing the power of interested visitors. Tread carefully with frequency cap testing. Continue to monitor your audience size in relation to impressions. To review frequency reporting within your AdWords campaign, go to the Dimensions Tab > View > Reach and Frequency > and select by Day, Week or Month.

2. Segmentation Testing: Speak to your audience based on where they are in the buying cycle. Utilize different custom combinations including the length of the cookie and layering interest or topic categories. Test this tactic to see what is most effective. Thinking about your audience, wouldn’t you speak to someone who visited your website in the last 7 days differently than a visitor from 90 days ago?


In my next post, I’ll cover tips such as bid testing and what you need to monitor as a best practice.

What optimization methods have you seen success with?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: You As A Machine

Tomorrow's webinar with @JayBerkowitz: Creating Your Home Base: A Website Anyone Can Manage

In the modern digital era, websites are becoming more and more necessary in order to carry out daily business. Whether you're an established medical professional or own a plumbing service, websites are more imperative to your brand than ever before. But you don't have to be a marketing and website building expert in order to create one. This week's webinar features Ten Golden Rules founder and CEO Jay Berkowitz as he explores the possibilities of easily creating your own website. 

- How to set up and manage your own personal brand website
- How to set up a WordPress blog as your website
- Famous blogs and what we can learn from them
- Web Hosting made easy
- How to update your website and create blog posts with links and images
- What to write about

Click here to register for FREE (7-3-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/19h0qYS

About Jay Berkowitz:

Jay Berkowitz is an author, an educator, an International keynote speaker and an award-winning thought leader. A senior online marketing professional with over twenty years of marketing experience, Mr. Berkowitz has managed marketing departments for Fortune 500 brands: Coca-Cola, Sprint and McDonald's Restaurants, and he has developed online and offline strategies for AT&T and leading health and fitness website eDiets.com.


Mr. Berkowitz is the author of The Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing Workbook, the Founder and CEO of www.TenGoldenRules.com, a strategic online marketing consulting business based in Boca Raton, Florida. He is the host of the Ten Golden Rules of Internet Marketing Podcast, an Adjunct Professor with the University of San Francisco Internet Marketing Course and he has been profiled in the Wall Street Journal, The Business Journals and he was interviewed on FOX Business TV.

Click here to register for FREE (7-3-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/19h0qYS

Google Remarketing Optimization Tips (Part 1)

So you’re excited that you’ve launched your Google Remarketing campaign and it’s generating conversions out of the gate, but now what? How do you go about optimizing the campaign to maximize results? Remarketing is not a “set it and forget it” type of campaign. Similar to Search campaigns, you’ll want to continue to optimize and test.

Looking for some tips to get started? Here are three best practices in no particular order; they are all equally important.

1. Ad Testing: You need to approach Google Remarketing ad testing with a slightly different mindset than traditional display advertising. Remember, these visitors are presumably more familiar with your brand as they’ve had some sort of interaction. Speak to your audience with this understanding. Test different messaging to try to win them back. Utilize all banner ad sizes in addition to text ads. When crafting your messaging, think about what pages the audience has already viewed. What can you say to them that will entice them enough to give you a second chance?

2. Landing Page Testing: Similar to Search campaigns, the experience from the ad to the landing page should function in a complementary fashion. If the messaging is disjointed, you’ll lose the visitor again. For instance, if your ad promises 10% off, be sure that messaging carries through front and center on the landing page. Experiment with landing your audience on different relevant pages to understand what messaging resonates best.

3. Offer Testing: Remember that you need to speak to this audience differently, so you’ll want to test a variety of offers. The generic type of offer will probably not appeal to these folks. Approach Remarketing offers with the mindset of “upping the ante”. What do you need to offer this audience to lead them further down the funnel?

Have you noticed the common theme in these tips? Test, test and then test some more. These tips will get you heading in the right direction, but there are many other tips to cover. In my upcoming posts, we’ll review additional optimization best practices so you’ll want to stay tuned.

What questions do you have about optimizing Remarketing campaigns?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: Horia Varlan

Create a Video Marketing Plan in 5 Easy Steps

Video marketing is one of the most effective kinds of web marketing available today. Most companies have a YouTube Channel at the very least, and many feature video right on their home page. Getting video marketing right can mean increased conversions and higher profits in the long run - so why not start with creating a video marketing plan? Here are 5 steps to making your plan a great one:

1. Set your goals and budget – Set a budget and determine what services you will need to pay for in order to make your video marketing the best. Will you create the content yourself, or hire someone to do it? Will you need to license music, use what's available for free, or create your own? Will you pay to have your videos promoted on platforms like YouTube?
2. Define the target audience – Who will be watching your videos? Do you need to categorize your videos into different types for different audiences? For example, you wouldn't show the same videos to doctors as you would to patients.
3. Create content – Create scripts and storyboards for your videos, then create them! Don't be afraid to get funny and creative - for example, check out these "Retail Fail" videos by WhizBang! Training.
4. Choose a video platform – Vimeo, Youtube, Brightcove, Metacafe -  there are endless free and paid options to display your videos to the customer. Develop a strategy for which video platforms you will use.
5. Develop a distribution plan – It's easy to embed video from many platforms, so be sure to spread your content on social media and the web. Make sure that your video content gets onto your Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, blog, and website.

Need more ideas? Check out our article 10 Steps to Video Marketing Success.

This week's webinar with Georges-Alexandre Hanin: Optimization of Content Management for Cross-Device Web Marketing

The very idea that online marketing is crafted using one technique for one type of device has long since been forgotten. Marketers realize that desktop computers are no longer the dominate force in web browsing and web purchases, but mobile shouldn't be viewed as a single entity either. From iPhones and iPads to Android tablets and Internet TV, users are relying on many more wireless web devices to deliver their news and information than ever before. Belgium-based researcher and Mobilosoft founder Georges-Alexandre Hanin understands that content needs to be optimized for many different types of devices, therefore he has crafted this presentation to focus on the cross-device web marketing campaigns. Join Georges-Alexandre Hanin for this week's webinar, and you'll become a bit more savvy in the world of optimized content management for multiple purposes.

Click here to register for FREE (6-26-13 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/1aDm7Sc

About Georges-Alexandre Hanin:

Georges-Alexandre Hanin is the founder of Mobilosoft, which creates mobile marketing solutions for retailers and brands. Launched in 2010, Mobilosoft has built a content management system that lets retailers build and manage their mobile sites. From that system, they can also manage dedicated couponing and text messaging campaigns. Mobilosoft has a presence in Belgium and France, and has websites in Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Germany, LuxembourgClick here to register for FREE (6-26-13 at 12:30pm EST):
http://bit.ly/1aDm7Sc

Top 5 Tips for Creating an Engaging Facebook Page

So you've created a Facebook page for your business, but you're not sure where to go next. Maybe you have some followers, maybe you don't - all you know is that you want to get fans talking about your brand, and fast. Never fear! Here are some strategies that you can use to instantly boost your brand appeal on Facebook.

1. Ask your friends, family, and current customers to follow you! There is an "invite" button at the bottom right of your admin panel, and you shouldn't be afraid to use it. After that, send out an email blast announcing your Facebook page and create a button on your site, along with an announcement on your home page. Don't forget to post about it on your blog and create flyers or banners for your brick-and-mortar location if you have one - it's important to get the word out as many ways as possible.
2. Keep most of your content non-promotional. Instead of using Facebook only to advertise, become a leader in your field by posting useful articles, funny pictures, and other great tidbits to your page. Try to keep it 2/3 educational, entertainement, or engaging content, and 1/3 promotional content.
3. Post 1-3 times daily. Make sure that you post at least once a day and no more than 3 times a day to start out with. As you grow your community and get to know them better, check your Facebook insights in your admin panel to see how many posts get you the maximum amount of engagement on your page.
4. Engage with your fans as often as possible. When someone comments, "like" their post and comment back. When someone sends your page a private message, message them back. Do this as soon as possible, and always check your page's notifications so you can stay up-to-date with your fan interactions. It's crucial that the fans know you are interested in them.
5. Create a unique personality that exemplifies your brand. Is your brand casual? Professional? Who is your audience? It's important that you talk to your audience in a way that makes sense to them and that you use language they identify with. You wouldn't tell an audience of doctors looking for medical information, "Hey y'all, here's some stuff for you on heart attacks."  

Looking for more info on making a great Facebook page? Just read our article on creating an engaging facebook business page.

Instagram Launches Video

The white arrow at the top right indicates playable content.

As you might have heard, Instagram launched a new video feature on their social photo-sharing platform. It's in direct competition with Vine, though it does have a few differences. Already, the internet at large is debating on whether or not adding video to the platform is a good idea - it will definitely change the user experience, but it's still too early to tell if people will leave Instagram over the addition of video.

Here at the office, we've definitely noticed a slowdown in the application's speed, but this may be something that Instagram addresses in the near future to create a more seamless video experience.

Does this mean Vine will feature photos in the future and the two apps will completely go toe-to-toe in a death match to win the millions of users at stake? Maybe. In the meantime, let's explore the differences.


Vine:

• 7 seconds of video max
• plays on infinite loop automatically
• can use previously recorded video
• allows social sharing and auto-creates an embedding code
• touch the screen to record, release to stop

Instagram Video:

• 15 seconds of video max
• does not loop
• cannot use previously recorded video
• allows social sharing and allows you to copy share link, but does not currently provide an embed code
• touch the red button to record, release to stop

We've already started taking a couple of Instavideos here at TGR to experiment with this new option. What videos are you planning to release on your Instagram?
  

This week's webinar with Jon Wuebben: Content is Currency: Creating a Turbo Charged Content Marketing Program for Your Company in 60 Days

Author of the book Content is Currency and longtime speaker of the presentation with the same name, Jon Wuebben is back to present another spectacular webinar highlighting the content marketing aspect of business. This time, he aims to really turbo charge your brand's personality with a unique and easy way to create a content marketing program for your company -- in just 60 days! 

From his previous webinar back in February 2012:

The reality is that most web content could be crafted better and focused more on your customers needs. In fact, most companies spend all their energy and money thinking about the appearance and the architecture of their sites and spend very little time thinking about the actual content itself. Failing to look at content from a strategic point of view, they see their web pages as something they need to fill quickly. Instead of providing customers and prospects with free tips, advice, how to and other compelling content to start building a relationship, most companies try and sell immediately… and almost always fail.

Click here to register for FREE (6-19-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/14b0kMO

About Jon Wuebben:

Jon Wuebben is the CEO of Content Launch, a web content development, content strategy and marketing firm that provides content for hundreds of companies, digital agencies and web designers around the world. His new book, “Content is Currency: Developing Powerful Content for Web & Mobile”,helps businesses everywhere learn how to plan, create, distribute and manage content. Jon has spoken at the Online Marketing Summit, New Media Expo, Shop.org Annual Conference, Media Relations Summit and for many organizations and industry groups. Speaking topics include content marketing, social media strategy, mobile marketing, SEO copywriting and entrepreneurship. Jon has an MBA in International Marketing from Thunderbird, The American Graduate School of International Management. He is also the author of "Content Rich: Writing Your Way to Wealth on the Web". 

Click here to register for FREE (6-19-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/14b0kMO

You Need This Tracking for an E-commerce Business

If you have an e-commerce business, it’s critical to measure each transaction and how they correlate to your online marketing efforts. Yes, it’s important to measure conversions on your website, but measuring the revenue associated with those conversions is much more valuable.

One way you can measure e-commerce transactions is via Google Analytics. Google’s E-commerce Tracking will measure:

• Revenue associated with AdWords campaigns
• Revenue associated with specific referrals
• The number of transactions associated with organic search
• Average per visit value across all traffic sources

You can gain further insights such as understanding how long the decision making process takes for your customers along with how many website visits it takes to entice them to make a purchase.

It doesn't take much effort to enable e-commerce tracking, especially considering the tangible revenue reporting you will have access to. You can then obtain even more powerful reporting by tying this data to your multi-channel funnel reporting.

How are you currently gauging the effectiveness of your online marketing efforts in relation to your e-commerce transactions?

Like this post? Connect with Erika Barbosa on Google+.

Image credit: D. Laird

Tomorrow's webinar with Ian Lurie - Weird, Useful, Significant: Internet marketing in 2013

It's no surprise that Internet marketing is constantly changing, and we're the first to admit that staying on top of website updates and upgrades can be downright frustrating at times. We've all turned internet marketing into a monster truck show, chasing rankings until our tongues drag on the ground. Now, learn how marketing really works, and how you can apply it to refresh your campaigns, boost revenue and strengthen your brand.

Click here to register for FREE (6-12-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/19Cd97a


About Ian Lurie:

Ian Lurie is CEO at Portent, a digital agency he started in 1995. His firm provides search engine optimization (SEO), pay per click (PPC), social media and general strategic services to a wide range of small, medium and large businesses.
Ian believes strongly that great marketing, online and off, relies on clarity and helps customers make good decisions about products, services and people. Several years ago he wrote the book Conversation Marketing to be a common-sense guide to internet marketing. He's also co-author of the Web Marketing All-in-One Desk Reference for Dummies. 


You can follow Ian on Twitter at @portentint, or find him on the Portent blog, at www.portent.com/blog.
Click here to register for FREE (6-12-13 at 12:30pm EST)
http://bit.ly/19Cd97a