SEM, SEO, RSS, Web Marketing, Google Adwords, Overture, PPC, Podcasts,Website Traffic Tips

VideoSticky = The Next Evolution of Blogs and Video Communities

2007-01-13T00:57:00.000-08:00

Having been involved in several startups and serving on the advisory boards of technology companies has kept me immersed in new media technologies, user generated content, blogs, podcasts, etc... For the past several years. This keeps me on the bleeding edge of trends.

So we have decided a few months ago to move forward with an idea that hit me about 7 months ago. There are several huge problem in the blogosphere and in video sharing sites such as youtube and google video. The first problem is data overload and the non ability to effectively and efficiently find and share videos. There are no true video communities. youtube is a distribution platform that has a swarm effect but no true community and way to connect with other like minded viewers.

The problem in the blogosphere is that there is a huge gap between the blogger (publisher) and the readers. Sure the readers can comment and that is great. But you are effectively publishing into a void and you don't know who is reading your blogs. You have a big gap in forming connections with your readers. If you are a blog reader you have no efficient way of finding other blog readers of the same blog and connecting with them.

Because there is a huge gap we have designed and are building (we have been in stealth development for a while) a solution that will connect the dots and fill the gaps for these 2 pain points.

The solution is simple, elegant, efficient, addictive and fun as heck. VideoSticky.com will launch in early 2007. We will allow people to create their own video channel by aggregating video from most major video sites such as youtube, myspace, google, yahoo, etc. Viewers of these videos can form organically and connect in really cool ways. Don't mistake this for a video sharing site... it is much much more than that.

The other thing we are doing at VideoSticky.com is letting bloggers see immediately who is reading their blog via a widget they put on their blog. blog readers can also see who else his reading the same blog. Users can then connect and form a community with like minded individuals. This is huge! Oh and there a ton of other cool things that you will be able to do such as make cool widgets for your blogs... but we need to keep that a secret until we launch.

So check out Videosticky.com today and sign up for the beta invites.

Or you can read our Blog at VideoSticky.com and let us know what you think. We would love to hear your comments, thoughts insights and suggestions.

MojoPages.com : 30 Days to Launch. A Video Documentary Series

2006-10-29T09:41:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what it is like to launch a business online? Watch this video documentary series. 30 Days to Launch: A real behind the scenes look at a Start Up.
This is for the business www.mojopages.com You can follow the entire weekly video series and all of the development at the blog here. http://www.mojopages.com/blog

New Media Gulp: Web 2.0 Trends, Technology & Software Blog

2006-09-06T18:11:00.000-07:00

We thought that it was important to inform & announce to the loyal readers of this blog about a new media venture that we have recently launched. We have been involved in Web2.0 technology before it was called web 2.0. We have been on the cutting edge of this field for several years.

So we have decided to create a new media outlet with some pretty lofty goals. The Blog & Podcast Property: NewMediaGulp.com is a Web 2.0 trendspotting and reporting resource blog.

This blog will inform business owners, technology players, managers, developers and startup entrepreneurs on the latest developments online and how they are impacting businesses.

We have unique and original content about technology start-ups, Web 2.0 Software and Service developments as well as offering our insights into how these technologies are changing the face of the internet.

This is a very exciting time to be reporting on new developments with new technologies being launched at a high rate of speed. These technologies are penetrating and upsetting traditional business models with technology that streamlines processes and offers anew way to engage social media and consumer generated media such as blogs, podcasts, video, RSS, Mashups, etc...

Software development environments such as AJAX, Ruby on Rails, XML and other exciting new technologies are facilitating the rapid velocity of change that we are experiencing on the internet in the last year or so.

So stay on top of the new media trends at www.newmediagulp.com

Leveraged Promotion :: The Power of Business Blogging Part One

2006-01-02T22:16:00.000-08:00

Leveraged Promotion :: The Power of Business Blogging Part One.

This is a short excerpt from a 3 part series that my partner Tinu authored.
Business Marketing with Blogs is no longer the wave of the future, it's an essential part of online marketing.

In the past few weeks, the online world has been a-buzz with news of several pivotal events that amount to a full embrace of RSS and Blogging for better marketing results.

And it's about time.

Some of the news of the past six weeks includes:

* The debut of Google Blog Search
* The unveiling of Google Reader
* The new Yahoo Podcasts site
* The includsion of blogs in Yahoo News section as news sources
* Verisign's purchase of Weblogs.com
* Verisign's subsequent aquisition of Moreover

...and much more Read the entire 3 part series on Business Blogging on my other blog over here. http://blog.leveragedpromotion

I Co-Author 6 other business marketing blogs on several topics. So go on over and get some great quality content.

Rodney Rumford

Business Blog Marketing Training Session and Video

2005-10-19T15:42:00.000-07:00

I was recently asked to speak to a group of marketing professionals at the San Diego Software Industry Council about business blogging. The training session was fantastic and very well received by the marketing professionals that attended.

What happened was that after the training session was over people were asking me for slides and saying that they wish they had a video so that they could review the information that was covered. This all got me to thinking that we should produce a Business Blog Marketing training video, power point slides and a companion workbook that covered additional information about the marketing benefits of Business Blogs. We actually created a 77 Minute Video about business blogging.

Some of the attendees had additional questions and concerns: so we put together a 22 page workbook that outlines action items, 8 fatal errors to avoid, key issues to business blogging success, how to get online visibility with your blog, Google & Yahoo new services that are important to marketing professionals, blog platform reviews, resources, glossary, etc...

Click here to Watch the Video of the first 5 minutes of the Business Blogging Session

Click here If you want to see the entire Business Blog Marketing Training Session Package

Having a properly executed Business Blog is a very important aspect of marketing online and is a critical part of Web 2.0, so make sure you check this out. We also talk about very recent news about how Yahoo and Google are embracing business blogs, podcasts and RSS feeds with new services that can take your business marketing to a whole new level..

Enjoy,
Rodney Rumford

Podcast Directory: Get your Business Podcast Listed

2005-10-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

If you have a podcast for your business you will want to make sure that your podcast is listed in the major directories. This is a first step in marketing your podcast and getting some listeners and subscribers. This will allow your business podcast to have more online visibility and attain more listeners. The more ways that your podcast can be found the better. Now there are over 50 podcast directories, but only the top ten or so really matter.

You will want to ensure that your podcast is listed in the following 5 podcast directories.

Podcast Directory for your Business Podcast:
www.podblaze.com podcast directory
Podcastpickle
Podcastalley
Yahoo Podcast Directory
Apple iTunes (you have to submit through iTunes software)

Good luck in your business podcast marketing endeavors. Having your podcast listed in a podcast directory online is only a very small part of promoting and marketing your podcast online. There is much more to designing a business podcast marketing strategy. If you are looking for a consultant to assist you with your marketing strategy and how you can maximize the use of podcasts as a marketing tool then you should get in touch with the podcast consultants at www.Leveragedpromotion.com

Rodney Rumford

Podcasting as a Business Marketing Tool: Business Marketing Professionals Need To Wake Up!

2005-10-14T23:31:00.000-07:00

We have been podcasting since the summer of 2004. That's way way early from an online marketing perspective. We actually developed the very first web based podcasting solution for business in the the 4th quarter of 2004. That site is very successful, but what became clear to us was that podcasting was going to take off in a big way. We were right!

So immediately after we launched that first web based service we started development on a web based podcasting solution that was only focused on business podcasting. We looked at all the tools that a business marketing professional would need for podcasting and built a professional podcasting website for businesses.

We were amazed by the number of clients that immediately started using the service, we listened to users feedback and continually enhanced the solution (we are always improving the service). When we designed this solution, I kept telling my team that we needed this to be so easy to use that a novice with no technology experience could create, publish and promote a podcast in under 5 minutes. Mission accomplished!

The really interesting thing about podcasting is that it has exploded since the beginning of 2005. We were actually featured in an article by the Associated Press and showed up in Yahoo finance,Google news, Forbes, Wired, etc. We got a lot of press attention and continued to grow. In fact our growth and visibility in the business podcasting world has allowed us to grow and set up a seperate podcast consulting practice for business clients.

We handle complete outsourcing of podcasting: Everything from strategy, planning, execution, best practices, marketing and all supporting technology. We have a number of high profile podcast clients such as book publishing giant Simon & Schuster (owned by Viacom).

The REALLY BIG News: Yahoo and Google recently embraced podcasting in a major way. If your business does not have a podcast you will be left behind. Google recenly launched Blog Search (which actually finds podcasts). And just 5 days ago Yahoo launched a new podcast search engine. This is getting serious and businesses have an opportunity to extend their brand and leverage podcasting technology to gain more online visibility, leads and clients through this marketing medium. No podcasts? I guess your target market will not find you. Not good.

Check out our complete business podcasting solution at www.podblaze.com

You can also learn about our podcast consulting practice at www.leveragedpromotion.com

Best wishes,
Rodney Rumford

Google Adwords and Business Blogs = Targeted Traffic

2005-10-12T11:47:00.000-07:00

Google Adwords is a very valid way for your business get to get targeted traffic. But there is also a way that you can even more visibility with out the cost per click advertising model. You can get targeted traffic with a business blog.

Business blogging has become a way for smart marketing professionals to get targeted traffic and increase their online visibility. Marketing professionals can also se increased sales from a business blog.

You can learn more about this blogging technology and how it can help your marketing efforts by visiting our Business Blog Consulting site ( LeveragedPromotion.com ). You can also get an informative no cost white paper that will further explaine the business and marketing benefits of Business Blogging at www.leveragedpromotion.com

Rodney Rumford

Adwords Conversion Tracking Problems: Check Your Code

2005-02-21T20:36:00.000-08:00

Google recently had some problems with the code they generated for conversion tracking. Hey, we all make mistakes, but the thing that is really frustrating from my perspective is that they did not alert adwords users until the 17th of February. That's 20 DAYS! You would things that they would have known this and had a solution quicker.

My suspicion is that they made some changes and it was then that they realized they had a bug in the system. What they fail to tell you is if it added conversions, deleted conversions, did not work at all, or if it was just buggy and intermittent and they don't know. Luckily for my clients, we had not added tracking code during this window. I do feel bad for all the people that did add conversion tracking during this time.

Now they have to go back and change pages in their websites, major hassle for some people, relatively minor hassle for others.

You would think they could track what code was created during this time and then alert customers as to which campaigns had conversion tracking created. If you are like most people; they can't remember what they did a week ago; let alone a month ago. Google drops the ball on this one.

Here is an excerpt from the email:

"You may need to update your AdWords conversion tracking code in order for you to receive accurate conversion data. Google's engineers have identified an error in the conversion tracking code snippet provided in AdWords accounts from January 18, 2005 (PST, US) through January 27, 2005 (PST, US).

The conversion tracking code has been fixed; however, our records show the code recently implemented on your website might have been affected. To ensure conversion tracking is working properly for your site, you'll need to log in to your account and generate new code snippets to replace any code you may have generated during the timeframe listed above.

To generate new conversion tracking code, please visit https://adwords.google.com/select/convtrackingsignup. (You may need to sign in to your AdWords account to access this page.) Follow the setup steps, making sure to click 'Continue' to complete the process"

All this being said, I still love adwords... Hey, what choice do you have when you want to reach your target market in a cost effective manner?! Google is the choice & still delivers great results.

Rodney

RSS Feed Generator Web Service Requires No Software

2004-12-23T01:46:00.000-08:00

Well, it is fast approaching christmas and everyone is buzzing with excitement for the holidays. I am buzzing with excitement for a different reason. RSS is changing the world of online communication and marketing.

RSS feeds are rapidly changing the way companies communicate with clients, prospects, groups and more. RSS is the next wave to hit the marketing community online. RSS has some major advantages over email marketing. First, your messages get through. they don't get blocked by spam filters or overly aggressive ISP's that don't deliver valid email.

Second, it is easy for consumers to use, they never get spammed, they get the rss feed channel that they subscribed to: and the consumer (reader) of the rss feed has all the control to subscribe or unsubscribe at any time. The users become hooked once they use it because of how it dramatically changes the online experience. RSS usage is more than doubling every month.

Third, the user is in control, and they are loving it. It is becoming the preferred method of gathering information online for the more than 10 million users. My prediction is that more than 100 million users will using RSS on a daily basis by the end of 2005.

Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and other large corporations are embracing RSS technology, so you can bet that this is the wave of the future.

If you own a website and are doing any marketing; RSS feeds and the marketing you can do with them should be a critical part of your strategy for 2005. The technology aspect of creating and maintaining a RSS feed can be quite overwhelming for small businesses (or even large ones). There are many software choices and issues surrounding RSS. This can sometimes make your head spin with all the choices.

The easy way to avoid all the technical issues and platform languages and software challenges is to use a web based service.

I am very proud to announce that we have developed a web based RSS Feed Generator solution and have been running it in beta testing for over 6 weeks. We just released this solution to the general public a week ago. I would invite you to learn more and take the service for a spin for 2 weeks for free. You can go here now to see more. http://www.myrsscreator.com

You can create an RSS feed in under 5 minutes from any computer, so go test drive it today.

All my best,

Rodney Rumford
www.myrsscreator.com

Google "Suggest Tool" is Now in BETA, Very Nice Tool from Google

2004-12-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

I have been using this tool for a while. It is now in beta, and you must check it out. It is Called google suggest. As you start typing in search terms it displays possible other terms, and how many results arein the google universe right below. Very slick!

It is designed to help you select search terms, but it can be used by adwords professionals if they look at the tool from a different perspective

You can use this tool to help you in your keyword list building process. I really like this google tool for several reasons. It can help you think of other search terms for your adwords campaigns (these other terms do not always show up in the suggestion tool with adwords).

You will want to use this tool. Give it a run here: http://www.google.com/webhp?complete=1&hl=en

Seethe FAQ section here for google select: http://labs.google.com/suggest/faq.html

Rodney Rumford
SEM Marketing
www.semmarketing.com

Google Adwords Report Center- Improved(slightly)

2004-10-30T01:17:00.000-07:00

Ok so google is making it a littler easier to create and manage reports. Even though the reports are severly lacking many areas, it is step in the right direction.

Supposedly you reports are nicer and generated more quickly. All I know is when I was creating reports today, I was turning grey running a very very basic report. 34 minutes and still waiting....zzzzzzz give me a break. Either it is improved or it is not. (the page said it would be done in 1-5 minutes) I may have to give them a break and try again in a few days and see if they get the server load figured out. But when I want a report I want it NOW....not in 47 (still waiting) minutes. Life is too short man.

On the positive side they have done some nice things....here are the Basics & Highlights...

The Improved AdWords Reports Center lets you create and manage reports with more flexibility. You can save report templates, store up to 5 recently created reports, and enjoy easier graphing and more file formats. (You can now use XML which is cool)

SCHEDULED AND ON-DEMAND REPORT TEMPLATES: Save any report as a template by selecting "I want to run this report in the future' when creating the report. Then save it to run on demand, or schedule it to run automatically on a regular basis. The report and its parameters will be saved in your Download Center. This is nice since once you get your reports to be configured how you want they are saved as a template.

STORED REPORTS: The new Recently Created Reports area lets you download and view your 5 latest reports. Older reports are automatically deleted as new ones arrive. (This is very inadequate in my opinion, I run 50 reports a day so this is worthless to me)Google has a gazillion servers... please let me; the paying customer store at least 100-200 reports. Heck, Google gives tons of storage to gmail users for free, why not the people that are making them rich? (us advertisers) (this is for the google people that read this Blog)

MORE FILE FORMATS: View your report online in HTML, or download reports in multiple formats, including XML, CSV and TSV. Finally XML!! Now all they need to do is send it to me on my own private Feed. :)

ENHANCED GRAPHS: Viewing and downloading graphs is easier than ever. And our new 'Printer-friendly graphs' page gives you all graph views in one page for easy printing. HMMMMM... I am not all that impressed. But again; a step in the right direction.

One nice thing that they did that I really like is that the reports can be scheduled and emailed to multiple addresses which is great. I can just let the reports roll directly to multiple contacts & clients. Nice.

If there are any improvements you would like to see, post them here and I will get them to Google. Sorry this was a bit long, I will ad more in the future about this new area.

Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com

New Google Adwords Diagnostic Tool

2004-10-30T01:09:00.000-07:00

Google has just released a new diagnostic tool to help advertisers determine why their ads may not be showing(when they think they should be). It is really a fairly simplistic tool & EZ to use. It will also tell you if the ad is showing but not being shown on page one for example.(no secret here, just look at your stats)

It then will tell you the possible scenarios for why your ad might not be shown. And it will tell you how to possibly remedy the problem. You can search by keywords, etc... This tool is good for the beginner and will help advertisers get a handle on some of the basic issues. Advanced users may find this tool of nominal use.

I think it is a step in the right direction of providing better tools so that advertisers can help themselves. God only know how long it takes to get a canned response from google if you have real questions of importance. This tool will help the newbies and is a step in the right direction.

You will need to be logged into your account to access the new diagnostic tool.
https://adwords.google.com/select/DiagnosticTool

Let me know what you think of this new tool and how Google could improve it.

Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com

Boston Wins!... Blogs & RSS Feeds Are Telling The Story

2004-10-27T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well it has only been since 1918...that's 86 years since these guys won a World Series! What is the lesson here? Persistence, dilligency, determination, belief, and a good game plan. The greatest sports comeback of all time.

I really love this story, even if you are not a sports fan you can take a business lesson from this great story. I have started several businesses, some very successful, some not so successful... The lesson here is to pick yourself up, learn more, get the right tools, and move forward.

If you are working online with your business it can be very tough. You have to have a good game plan, have the right tools, execute, and follow through. Blogs and RSS feeds are the hottest marketing tools online and they are telling the story online about this great victory. The power of RSS and Blogs is amazing.

They are the hottest Marketing and Media tools online now. And they cost nothing to use. The power of these tools is truly revolutionary. Make sure you are using them for your business.
"From cursed to first!" This could be your business!
Go here now and learn more. Boost Your Business with Blogs and RSS Feeds

Rodney Rumford
freersstraffic.com
howtomarketwithblogs.com
semmarketing.com
p.s. By the way, I still love Google Adwords!

Adwords Race: 5 Lessons to Learn

2004-10-09T01:49:00.000-07:00

I was at my daughters cross country race this afternoon and a thought occurred to me about adwords. Adwords is like running a cross country race. (Running 2.44 miles in the hills is no easy task)

They were worried before the race, struggled through the course, some fell, but got right back up determined to succeed. Some were felling pretty sick, but 10 minutes later were just fine. Some were jumping up and down and cheering after they ran and had success. When they were finished with the race they were happy and very proud and pleased with what they had accomplished. Many talked about how they had improved their performance from what they had learned from past races.

It reminded me of what some of my clients and people that have read my book sometimes feel like. So I drew a few parallels regarding the trial and tribulations that we go through in the business world with adwords.

Lessons Learned:
1.Be determined to run the Adwords race and not quit
2.If you fall (or are wanting better results) get back up and keep running
3.Talk to the coach so that you know best how to run the race.
4.Track your results, always try to improve.
5.Have fun and work through the pain.

Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com

RSS Feed & Blog Marketing Launch

2004-10-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to give my readers a heads up on new book that is about to be released. The book is "How To Profit & Market With Blogs & RSS". I have been using blogs & RSS for over a year and have had great success for my clients using these two combined technologies for a 1...2...Punch! RSS & Blogs Can improve your business online in many ways.

Go to the site to learn more www.freersstraffic.com
Make sure you sign up for the free 5 day course on RSS & Blogs.

We have also set up a new blog for this specific topic of RSS & Business Blogging.

Rodney Rumford

Google Adwords Succes Story: Golf Balls

2004-09-29T14:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a great success story! This company is using both Google Adwords & Overture to drive online sales. Growing company with great product. They Sell 30 Million Used Golf Balls a year! You can purchase the golf balls online and save a ton versus new balls. I know that I put quite a few balls in the water every year. Great gift for dads for xmas!

Check out this story from the Houston Newspaper today about this company. It will blow your mind.

The website for the company is: www.lostgolfballs.com

Enjoy
Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com

Google Adwords As a List Building Tool

2004-09-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick tip for you. I have been using Google Adwords to generate subscribers to lists. If you are targeting a specific market you can build a special landing page and campaign that will take the users to a page to subscribe to your mail list, newsletter,request info page, free bonus, etc.(anything where you want to build a contact list)

I have seen anywhere from 20-85% sign up rate for this tactic. It is very targeted, and I usually use this if I have an idea of what the lifetime value of the average subscriber is.

This can be used to build a subscriber list before you launch a specific product or service. It can also be used simply as a lead generation sales tool.

Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com

Google Adwords Rules Automation: You can't use the word tips in your ad copy!?

2004-09-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

I have recently come across interesting changes in the automated editorial rules/ guidelines that Google uses for adwords. It is interesting to note that the word "tips" is considered a gambling type of word by their software when really this term can be used for a thousand other things: cleaning tips, running tips, racing tips, marketing tips, health tips, weight loss tips, cooking tips, relationship tips, etc...

The list could go on forever.

You can request an exception but this normally takes 2 days. My advice is to use another word. This can be a challenge since they give you such limited space, and tips is a great ad copy word that drive people to action. I have seen this flagging on several other words in ads, but it is really a sign of how google is trying their best to apply some level of checking of ads thru software automation. This might help to catch a gambling site that they don't want to advertise on adwords. But my question is this: Why punish the rest of us that are not even remotely connected to this sphere?

They should be able to find the content of the site and monitor that way since they index web landing pages. This is just a loose marble of a thought that I have had rolling around in my head for a few weeks. Enjoy

Extreme Home Makeover TV Show: I worked on it!

2004-09-20T02:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
I just wanted to drop everyone a quick note and let them know that this coming sunday at 8pm central time, 9pm west coast time the ABC TV show extreme home makeover is going to broadcast the season premier of a home that was remodeled in Encinitas, California (about 4 miles from my house).

I worked on this house for 2 days almost non-stop (till 2 am) and met and worked with all the celebs on the show.

Here is my quick review of the celebs:
Tye: The host, does not do any real "heaving lifting" as he is the "star" of the show. He tends to oversee projects, not the actual construction of the projects. Hey, we even ran a table saw together.
Paul: The carpenter, the nicest guy in the world, very down to earth and skilled! I worked with him on these 2 projects. He told me to come back any time and work on any house on the show. I guess he thought I did OK.
Michael: The interior designer, funny as can be, very talented, full of energy and nice. His mom was at this episode taping. You could tell she was so proud of her son.
Tracey: She seemed nice enough, but I really did not work with her at all
Constance: The project designer. This woman is way better looking in person. Very smart and quite talented in her designs. I watched her do some quick design sketches and she is very talented, organized, and positive.
Preston: The high architect design snob. Nice guy, but a bit flakey. Has good design eye but is so disheveled it is kind of amusing. I worked on 1 project with him and we ended up scraping the project because it did not work out the way he thought it would. But first, I had to get about 3 giant splinters in my hand from the canned project. Ouch!

It was a really cool experience. I actually built(with 1 other person) the living room table(which is a table that looks like a minature basketball court, the kids in the family are all into sports) and this really cool wood and glass craftman style Trophy Case(to hold all the kids trophy's). Hopefully, at least the furniture will make it into the show(even tho in all likelyhood you might not see my smiling face). They give the dad a "Best Dad" trophy, so it should make the show. You never really know, it may end up on the cutting room floor.

It was very moving & rewarding to see the family and the reaction when they got home to see the house. The family's name is Wofford, a dad who has 8 kids and his wife died a few years back from complications from the flu. They were living in the typical 1970's single level california ranch that was about 1200 sq. feet. I think 3 of the boys were living in the garage (which you can do in southern california as the weather is almost always 70 degrees.) I believe the rebuilt house turned out to be close to 4000 sq feet. It was unbelievable when it was finished, heck I wanted to live there. I am sure this newly rebuilt house is worth somewhere in the range of $900k-1 million now.

Anyway, I just wanted to give everyone a heads up about this show, you just might see me on it. Pass this on to anyone that knows me, they might get a kick out of this. I believe in giving back to the community and helping people that could really use a hand. I know I felt great having worked my tail off for a few days. Like everyone on this show, I shed a tear or 2. That's one of the nice things that the internet has given me; total freedom to live my life as I choose.

Here is a link to the show:
http://abc.go.com/primetime/xtremehome/
Rodney Rumford

RSS Marketing Blog: SEO Tips

2004-09-19T23:11:00.000-07:00

Recently we have been doing extensive testing on RSS & Blog Marketing and how these technologies can positively impact your search engine rankings. Very few SEO companies are looking at this as a tool to improve your rankings. Using RSS and Blogs together has show us some amazing results. We have been able to achieve rankings of as high as #1 on Google and Yahoo on very cometitive keyword phrases. We will release these results in the coming weeks after are testing is complete.

I would welcome any success stories from my readers if you have been doing this.

Rodney Rumford
www.freersstraffic.com

The 100 Greatest Headlines Ever Written

2004-09-16T14:56:00.000-07:00

Writing a killer headline in your ad copy, or in your sales letter, can be the difference between success and failure. Having a great headline is an art form. Check out this free article from Jay Abraham, a seasoned veteran that has been doing this for years. There is nothing to buy and I promise you will learn a lot about how to market your business and knock people upside the head.

See the 100 Geatest Headlines Ever Written

Rodney Rumford
www.adwordprofitsoft.com
www.FreeRSSTraffic.com

Google: Contextual advertising with Adwords and Adsense

2004-09-14T10:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you that would like to learn more about contextual advertising with adwords, check out this video slide presentation. Keep in mind that contextual advertising rarely-if ever- has a good ROI when compared to pure search results. You could learn from this informative video, but take it with a grain of salt. It does not mention any of the negatives! enjoy....

http://www.google.com/adwords/context/webinar/1971/index.html

Rodney Rumford
www.adwordprofitsoft.com
www.FreeRSSTraffic.com

Google Offical Response: Ads By Goooooooogle

2004-09-14T02:40:00.000-07:00

OK. So I told google what myself on some of the blog posters and email respondents thought about this ad by Gooooooooooooogle nonsense. I gave them an earfull and hopefully they heard from lots of other advertisers....."more relevant"??? How about if people actually thought the ads were by Google and not some unknown company....boy these guys need a lesson in Branding 101.

Here is the response I got.......

Hello Rodney,
Unfortunately, at this time, we do not have a estimate as to how long we are going to test the new ad format. However, we sincerely appreciate the time you have taken to offer us this feedback and have passed this on to our engineers.

Additionally, please note that per the AdWords Terms and Conditions,AdWords policies, which includes the physical presentation of Google Ads, may change at any time. Be assured that these changes are intended to make Google advertising as relevant and useful as possible to both users and advertisers, and we will certainly consider your feedback. Please feel free to reply to this email if you have additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Leslie
The Google Team

Ads by Gooooooooogle: Adsense = Nonsense

2004-09-07T13:43:00.000-07:00

Ads by Gooooooooogle: Adsense = Nonsense

You may have noticed that Google AdSense ads now say "Ads by Gooooooooooooogle". 12 o's what the heck is going on? When I saw this I thought, this is nuts. Why would google do something so stupid and potentially dilute the value of their brand.

This is nonsense and everyAdsense participant & adwords advertiser should tell them so! If you are advertising with adwords and are using contextual advertising you should not be happy with this change either.

I received an email from Google asking what I thought about this. So I told them this is lunacy, people will not trust the ads, it dilutes the power of the google brand, it is eye-catching but confusing to web users. It could adversely effect click thru rates and as an adsense publisher & adwords advertiser, I don't want to be their guinea pig.

It is just that little nuances like this can negatively impact click thru rates. I test and measure everything and since the started this nonsense I have seen the click thru rate decrease by 18% .

If you are obsessive about these things,(and I am) you will also notice that they are not doing this to ALL adsense participants. You can still see some ads that have the old reliable "ads by Google" ad header. I guess google is doing some split testing like I do with all my ads. I can't fault them for that, but I sure hate being part of their experiment unwillingly. It is not what I signed up for when I agreed to run their ads. I have many options for ways to monetize site visitors with different forms of advertising and when they change the rules and it negatively impacts my business I am not happy.

Additionally, since myself and many of my clients use contextual (content) advertising as an advertiser with google adwords; this effects that side of the business as well. Adwords Contextual advertising has almost always been a low value ROI proposition. Now they are making it even worse.

As a paying advertiser on Adwords I agreed to have my ads shown by Google, not Gooooooooooooogle. !

I just wanted to get this out there and make everyone aware of this! So what do you think?

Rodney Rumford
http://www.adwordsexpert.com
http://www.adwordprofitsoft.com
http://www.semmarketing.com

RSS Marketing Flow

2004-09-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

RSS Information Flows. This a very simplified flow diagram of RSS & XML and how information gets from websites or blogs to people's desktops seamlessly. People have been asking me about RSS marketing and how blogs can actually increase marketing effectivesness and increase traffic. So here is a quick slide from my new book...
Enjoy,
Rodney Rumford

RSS Photo Rodney Rumford: Media

2004-09-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

Ok ...So people wanted a better picture of me. So here you go. Just promise not to throw darts at it. This is actually a publicity headshot I did recently for a new book I had published. I take the worst pictures. I hope everyone in the U.S. is enjoying thier holiday. I still work on holidays. The internet never takes a day off.
Rodney Rumford

Winners: Google Book & Software Contest

2004-09-05T02:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,
OK, so I said I would give away 2 packages of Ad Word ProfitSoft(our Software) and the Google Adwords Success kit ebook in our contest. I wanted to know what your most pressing issues/questions were regarding RSS(& Blogs) and How you could profit and make money with this. But, I had way too many questions to only pick 2, so I picked 3 Winners!

First, I want to personally thank every participant in this contest. I read every single email, and there were a ton(200+). The questions & submissions were amazing! Good questions, thought provoking questions, money making questions, technology questions, basic questions,....I am amazed by my readers loyalty, inquisitiveness and level of intelligence.

RSS & Blogs are truly the next field where the smart marketers will make substantial income. This virtually untapped field is going to be swarmed by people trying to make money with thier websites in the next 18-24 months. If you understand ("Get") RSS and Blogs and thier online marketing potential, you will leave most online martketing people in the dust. It would be like knowing what Google was all about 4 years ago....

Sorry for the rambling message... it is 3AM and I really want to get the Winners Posted Here.

The winners are:
Jacques Venter
Rick Stooker
Jennie Pipkin

Again, my sincerest thanks to all participants.

Rodney Rumford

RSS Questions: Adwords Give Away Nearing Closing

2004-08-30T02:16:00.000-07:00

WOW, I knew I had loyal readers of my newsletter but I am overwhelmed. You have stepped up to the plate and really done one heck of a job in swamping me in questions in response to the RSS Question contest...

So here is the deal. I am going to stop accepting questions Thursday at midnight west coast U.S. time. Then I will Announce The Winners here by friday night.

Just a refresher: I am looking for your most burning questions about RSS and how it can help you market better and help your business.. check your email and respond to the email, please don't post your questions here on the Blog(too cumbersome to handle all the data here) .

Thanks again for all that have entered and sent me questions.
Rodney

RSS Marketing FAQ

2004-08-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

RSS is a great tool for marketing whether you have your own products/website or are trying to promote other products as an affiliate. We are in the process of getting to mass market acceptance of this technology by the general intertnet user population. There are various way you can market online with RSS with tremendous success.

RSS is going to be one of the killer apps of the internet. It has actually been around for quite some time but the buzz is picking up. Most ad agencies, internet marketers, affiliate marketers, and websites owners know little or nothing of this technology. The ones that do know about it are not using it at all or are using it to about 10%-20% of it's true potential.

There are many ways to increase your profits and generate several income streams with this technology.

RSS can drive website traffic in an expotential way, in a very targeted way, and in a viral way. Remember how no one knew what google was a few years back and now even grandmothers know "How to Google". My simple point here is this new form of media/communication is going to gain mass acceptance in the coming years. So now is the time to become informed.

One of the side benefits of a properly done RSS Feed is much higher search engine rankings if it is done properly. This is another way to increase your website traffic.

OK, Sorry I am rambling on and on here... I am just such a junkie about this stuff. I have a few clients that have doing been this for some time with great success. I challenge all my readers to either email me or to put up a post about your most burning questions regarding RSS and how you can become successful with this new communication tool. Simple questions, difficult questions, goofy questions are all encouraged.

Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com
www.adwordsexpert.com
www.adwordprofitsoft.com

RSS Marketing

2004-08-27T03:33:00.000-07:00

I am taking a quick informal survey relating to RSS and how many of my readers are familiar with RSS. Don't have a clue what the heck RSS is. That's OK, You will find out soon enough.

Hint: RSS is a new way to reach new and existing customers, get repeat visitors, execute marketing, drive free targeted qualified traffic, improve search rankings, has a viral component, etc.

Let me know what you do or don't know about this RSS technology by posting a comment. Thanks.

Rodney Rumford
www.semmarketing.com
www.adwordprofitsoft.com
www.adwordsexpert.com

Google Adwords FAQ

2004-08-23T10:48:00.000-07:00

Many people ask the questions such as is adwords right for my business, how can we drive qualified visitors to our website, will this be with in our advertising budget, how difficult is it to use google adwords, should we also be using Overture, etc? We have put together a quick FAQ to help people out.
Post any questions you have here in the forum and we will answer them. In the meantime here is a list of the 7 most common questions regarding adwords and pay per click advertising.
http://www.adwordprofitsoft.com/faq_adwords.htm

You might also want to check out www.semmarketing.com for services for managing and setting up pay per click advertising campaigns (Google & Overture) if you do not have people within your company that can do this.
Rodney Rumford

Google IPO price set at 85 dollars

2004-08-18T23:18:00.000-07:00

Google's Initial Share Price Set at $85, at Low End of Company Expectations; IPO to Raise $1.67B.... Still enough to make Billionaires out of the 2 founders!

While this is lower than a lot of peoples expectations, I am not surprised. 85 dollars is actually a fair price for this stock in my only slightly informed opinion.

Since google used the Dutch auction approach, a lot of wall street was not real pleased with this approach and the wall street PR machine was talking up every possible problem with google that they could dig up, while in the dot com boom the were sweeping details under the carpet.

Let me know what you think about the whole issue.

Rodney Rumford

Overture Meeting

2004-08-18T09:11:00.000-07:00

OK. So I am going to go to an Overture meeting for 2 days and see what these guys really know and see what they reveal. I have been using Overture for quite some time and was familiar with them when they were goto.com I actually worked for a sister company owned By Idealab(who started overture). So I have a few contacts still over there.

I want you to post your most difficult(or really simple) questions about Overture, problems, concerns, anything you wanted to know about Overture but were afraid to ask! I am looking forward to these sessions and getting the latest tips for getting the most out of overture campaigns.

I will see what I can find out.

Rodney

Adwords Conversion Tracking

2004-08-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

Conversion tracking is critical if you want to be financially successfully with adwords. Many people never set up conversion tracking on their campaigns. This is a huge mistake. It's like driving with blinders on. You could crash and burn if you cant see where you are making/losing money with your adwords or overture campaigns quickly.

Google has a simple conversion tool that only requires that you cut and past a simple piece of html code on your "Thank You" or Sales Complete" page. Google will then give you simple metrics to measure conversions. At the minimum you should always do this.

I will write more about this topic as time allows. I have also written a 40 page in depth special report called "Eye on the Gold" which fully discusses how to maximize your Return On Investment (ROI) of your adwords campaigns. You can get a free copy of this PDF Report by clicking on the link above. I have been selling this special report for 30 bucks but just decided as I was writing in my blog to set up a page and give it away to my blog readers. Enjoy!

Rodney

Contextual Advertising: Is this right for my business??

2004-08-15T00:03:00.000-07:00

Contextual advertising on adwords can be a great source for increased traffic. However, you should really measure your return on investment and how well these clicks convert. As a general rule for most campaigns that I have run, contextual advertising never converts as well as pure search.

In the past you paid essentially the same amount per click as pure search. This made the financial aspect less attractive. However after much feedback from many advertisers(myself included), Google has come up with some program changes that I applaud. They have essentially lowered the cost per click on the contextual advertising. This was long overdue, and due to the changes; I have had many clients revisit and start using this feature in adwords with good success.

Your ads are shown thru the google adsense program and show up on websites other than google's search results.

Let's get the ball rolling on this subject and tell me your experiences with this...
Rodney

Affiliate Marketing With Google Adwords

2004-08-14T23:51:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get this subject up on the blog as i frequently get emails from people asking about affiliate marketing with adwords and does it work. The short answer is yes it does work.

The more difficult question is how hard do you want to work to become a success? There is no free ride in this world, but adwords is a terrific direct marketing tool to really make some great additional income if you know what you are doing, have the right products to promote, and your website converts well.

I would like to hear more questions, comments, FAQ, and success stories about how people have had winning campaigns.

I am not an expert in the area and would welcome contributions from our readers. I have read Chris Carpenters book Google Cash and found it quite informative.

Rodney

Adwords Blog Launch Announcement

2004-08-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

Greetings,
I wanted to put a welcome post for the first entry. It is my hope that this blog will give you some insight to the challenges that I face on a daily basis while launching and managing hundreds of pay per click Google Adwords and Overture campaigns for my clients.

I have operated online business' since 1996. So I guess I am a bit seasoned in internet terms. I am a junkie when it comes to using the latest technology. I Read voraciously to try and stay on top of new developments and trends that could change the landscape of online advertising, customer acquisition, driving traffic, SEM, SEO, etc..

I will share my frustration and insights to all of the problems(rules and changes) that are typically encountered with this pay per click advertising medium. This will be a fairly informal forum as i don't have time to be perfect in all most posts.

I have been using Adwords for about 2 years and have seen the services popularity explode. My clients are in many industries, software, nutrition, consumer goods, golf, mortgage, credit, auto, etc....and the list goes on...

I have authored an eBook on the subject( www.adwordsexpert.com) that has been fairly well recieved; as well as developed software products that help users increase their profits with Google Adwords. (it's real easy to overspend with google if you are not on top of how to maximize your ROI)

If there are related issues you would like to discuss please make a comment and I will try to respond. This will make this forum more of a personal discussion that will be of great benefit for the readers and posters.

All my best,
Rodney Rumford