Conversation MarketingRuminations on the world of internet marketing, by a grown up. We won't use the word 'synergy' once, we promise...LinkAdage Selling .EDU Blog Space: It's Evil- April 15, 2008 LinkAdage Auctions and the Pickering Institute have teamed up to offer blog space on a .edu domain, for rent. That's right folks! You can now publish your very own .edu blog, without all the bother of actually being a school!!! That's not OK. In the words of my favorite Pulp Fiction character, it's pretty $)(! far from OK. It's like putting soda pop machines in grade schools, only more subtle. Anyone with a shred of common sense understands that this practice: Takes advantage.http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/linkadage-selling-edu-blog-space.htm I'll Squish Your Head...- April 15, 2008 ...if you ask me what the ROI on blogging is. I. Am. Sick. Of. That. Question. Seth Godin said it very well today. Few blogs earn a measurable sum of money. So, if you're in blogging for the wealth, give it up. My blog directly earns me $1.50day. Seriously. That's it: One (cheap) Kit Kat. Possibly the Greatest Food Ever Invented So Why Blog Yet I advise most of my clients to add blogs to their sites. And I can't seem to shut up on my blog, either. Why Because blogs have some...http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/ill_squish_your_head.htm Internet Advancement Busted: SEO Standards Still Don't Make Sense- April 11, 2008 Yes, a bad SEO got busted. No, that is not an intelligent argument for SEO standards. Kevin at Search Engine Watch immediately pounced on the ruling against Internet Advancement as an argument for SEO standards. They're wrong. The fact that there are fraudsters and con artists out there doesn't argue for SEO standards. It argues for enforcement of the law. And that's what happened here. If you want to argue for SEO standards, you need to tell me: Who will create them, and why I.http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/seo-standards-still-dont-work.htm BAD SEO! Bad! Internet Advancement Gets Busted and What It Means- April 11, 2008 Internet Advancement is going to have to pay about $450,000 in penalties and refunds after the Washington State Attorney busted them for: Deceptive advertising: They guaranteed top 25 rankings for their clients. Charging customer credit cards without authorization. Failing to respond to customer complaints etc. etc.. Internet Advancement charged folks between $1000 and $4000 'set up' and then $149month for SEO. I'm not one to dance on anyone's grave, but Internet Advancement...http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/internet-advancement-gets-busted.htm 38 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started In Marketing- April 10, 2008 Ah, youth. 13 years ago I started my company with a spare room in my house, a credit card (limit: $1500) and a computer (Pentium 75 mhz, Windows 95). I was out of my !)($! mind. If I'd known then what I know now, would I have gone into this business I don't know. But here's some wisdom I wish I had back then: No one has a clue how to market anything. We are all winging it. It's just that some are better at winging it than others. Corollary: Seth Godin, et al are brilliant about..http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/38_things_i_wish_i_knew_when_i.htm SEO Video Tutorial: The SEO Matrix Has You- April 9, 2008 Why make my own content when I can steal from my employees instead This is a great high-level view of search engine optimization. Plus I dance every time I hear that opening beat: Original Entryhttp://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/seo_video_tutorial_the_seo_mat.htm How To: Get A Derailed Internet Marketing Project Back On Track- April 8, 2008 Successful internet marketing brings together a lot of disciplines. Unfortunately, that often results in project chaos: Unhappy teams, communication failures, etc.. Read on and I'll give you a few methods for putting things back on track. You've Been There: The Project's on the Rocks Tell me if this sounds familiar: The developer says they can't go any further without the designer's input. The designer just can't seem to call the developer. The project manager cries a lot and can't.http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/get-a-derailed-internet-marketing.htm 5 Lessons Religion Can Teach Internet Marketers- April 8, 2008 5 lessons religion can teach internet marketers: Have a tall steeple (or something similar). Make sure folks can find you when they're ready. Discoverability is the name of the game. Tell a good story. Have a compelling narrative about your brand. That way, when folks arrive they'll want to stay. Practice what you preach. Cough. OK, religions don't always do that well on this score. To succeed, though, you'd better know whereof you speak. That means believing in what you're selling. Let.http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/5_lessons_religion_can_teach_i.htm Avoid Featuritis: Selecting the Right E-Commerce Package- April 7, 2008 This is another excerpt from the training course I'm putting together. As such, I wrote it while trying to figure out what I'm going to call the course and apologize for any frustration that seeps through. E-commerce software should be an asset to your internet marketing strategy, not an anchor. It often becomes the latter, though, when developers or business owners go feature-crazy. The Old Ball and Chain No, I'm not making some sexist 1950s reference. I'm talking about your...http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/avoid_featuritis_selecting_the.htm Google's Dancing: Surviving the Dewey Update- April 4, 2008 It's somewhat official: Google's making another major algorithm update. You can read the geeky details on Search Engine Land. I have a few tips for surviving the experience: Turn off your computer and walk away for a week. Find those left over percocets and pop a few. Failing that, go to the Google server at 72.14.207.104. Search your target phrases there. If the result there is still different from the rest of the world, there's a chance Google's still updating, and whatever you're...http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/04/google-dancing-surviving-the.htm |