16 May 2008
Earlier this week, Google unveiled its Google Friend Connect functionality, inviting folks to sign up for a “pre-release” review.
In a nutshell, Google Friend Connect enables website owners to paste snippets of code into their website to leverage a wide and powerful variety of social networking applications supported by the OpenSocial development network.
The benefits are numerous when you consider the power of enabling people to include your website as part of their social networking activity. A key to effective community-based websites is actually giving people something to do… as opposed to just something to read. Google strikes at the heart of this issue by enabling people to participate, invite, share and upload all in the context of your web property. But before you think I’m singing Google’s praises, just keep reading.
I thought I’d let the dust settle for a few days before dipping in myself to take a look. This morning, I spent…
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15 May 2008
Cruise control was a great idea for cars, auto pilot is perfect for planes, but in terms of pay per click advertising there is no such thing as “set and forget”. A lot of companies waste their money (and Google makes a lot of money) from pay per click campaigns that are not regularly optimized. Checking up on your PPC campaigns several times a week is essential and tackling some ongoing weekly action items will really stretch that budget dollar and improve ROI. Where do you start? Below is a list of 7 digestible weekly to-dos:
Simple ad copy split testing by having a control ad and coming up with a new ad to beat the control in terms of conversions. Don’t forget to use ad text with limited time special offers, this will really set you apart from the set and forgetters.
Pause or delete keywords that drive a lot of…
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14 May 2008
You’ve just spent the last week learning everything you can about building yourFacebook page. Your last blog post generated 27 comments. You’ve spent hours reading competitor blogs and commenting on the personal blogs you follow. You have been Twittering like a pro. You have tried to immerse yourself in every pertinent online conversation you can find.
In the meantime, you’ve forgotten to send out your overdue email newsletter and implement the list building tactics you just read about. You haven’t updated the survey on your site and your inbox has 42 new messages you haven’t answered.
It’s easy to lose yourself in Facebook applications or spend the day searching blogs to see who you can add on Twitter, but amidst all the new social media opportunities, don’t forget about the tried and true tactics that worked to promote your business initially. More importantly, don’t forget to leverage your new social media skills to…
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11 May 2008
If you are an ecommerce business, word of mouth marketing can help you grow it beyond the boundaries of your niche. Gary Vayerchuk, a guy in wine business, said something very interesting on Tues, May 6th show CNBC’s Big Idea:
Be who you are, be as transparent as possible.
Don’t play in your own playground, be active in communities that might find what you offer attractive.
It is imperative to be involved in the social networks on the Internet and the real world
We live in a world where every person’s word of mouth reaches a lot more people.
Lets look at some examples of these at work.
Being Transparent, Diverse, and Active in Social Networks.
Companies that are talking back to their customers are becoming more transparent at it. They are the ones who openly acknowledge mistakes and quickly respond to complaints A lot of startups today are more and more engaged in the conversations of…
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