April 2008 ~ Advertising For Success

My Favorite Moms

12:36 AM

The Dance of Motherhood is holding a contest. Write a post on your blog listing 1 to 3 of your favorite Mommy Bloggers, including links to their sites. Tell the world why you think these blogs are the penultimate mommy blogs.

Link to Dance of Motherhood blog and to the post, Favorite Mommy Bloggers Contest.

1st Place: 2,000 EC
2nd Place: 1,000 EC
3rd Place: 500 EC
Bonus Draws: 1,500/10 = 150 EC (each)

It is not easy for me to pick a few mommy bloggers to highlight. I love the women who say, "I am staying home with my kids and I will do anything, within reason, to pay my bills." I also love women who say, "I must work, but my child will not miss anything."

Elizabeth from Table for Five and Mom Reviews is a mom who proudly states:

I have three children-Ryan age 11, Nathan age 9, and Kaitlyn age 2. I have been a stay-at-home-Mom for 9 years. It’s the hardest job I’ve ever had!

She is totally transparent in her blogging and will go head to head with anyone who leaves a comment that makes her angry.

I started this blog because I wanted to share my experiences with other Moms. And I still do! Do I have a responsibility to protect Table for Five and what it stands for? Absolutely. Should I let every other blogger on the planet dictate what I can and can’t publish here? No freaking way. If I am going to declare myself to be a Mommyblogger, do I have a responsibility to that group to contribute to it in a positive way? Yes, I believe I do, but not at the expense of changing who I am.

Elizabeth will be at BlogHer this year if you wish to meet her.

Another mom I love is Sue from Life in the Urban Zoo. She proudly introduces her blog:

This blog will relate far too much information on life in the city in general, raising kids, frightful teenagers, and even more frightful adult children, ageing parents, our numerous pets, dogs, cats, birds, and other assorted critters. Welcome, and be forewarned we do not suffer fools gladly!

Sue is a professional graphic designer and public speaker who lives in Ontario, Canada. She is a founder and webmaster of ParaResearchers and maintains a blog on the paranormal. All of Sue's posts about her children make you want to smile. She is a mommy blogger; however, she is much more. She is a citizen of this world (and the next)!

Michele from scribbit: A Blog About Motherhood in Alaska is another favorite of mine. She set up a custom search engine, powered by Google, that searches 1500 mommy blogs. Read her posting on Problogger: Five Reasons Why Mom Blogs Are the Blogs to Watch

Then, there is Brandy from The Building Brows who lives in an 832 square foot trailer with her six children and a husband while they are building a new home--without loans. Somehow she has time to write (2007 NANOWRIMO winner), visit blogs and comment.

Last but not least, Sandy from Writing in Faith, is an English instructor, professional writer and editor, a wonderful photographer, and a prolific blogger (10 blogs). Her love for her daughter shines in her posts and the stories of her childhood make me wish I had grown up with her.

I have to stop now . . . But, there are so many more . . . I have to stop now . . .

The Hochstadt.com Party Contest

11:53 PM

Marcus from Hochstadt.com was going to have a huge blog party when his Alexa ranking went below 50,000. However, Alexa changed their ranking algorithm. Bummer.

Well, Marcus is still having a party, and is a party the likes I have not seen since Andy Beard had a contest.

L@@K at the prizes!

Consultations, Products & Services

Max from SiteHoppin gives 10 Beer Stock Pages worth $20-$100 each = $200-$1,000 PLUS 50 One Buck Wiki pages worth $20 each = $1,000, altogether making it to a whopping $2,000!
Martin Russell from Word of Mouth Marketing gives 50 (!) accounts of 10 cards each at SendOutCards.com worth $25 each = $1,250!
Gary Evans from Law of Attraction Secrets gives 10 (!) of his Manifest A Miracle systems worth $97 each = $970!
Marcus Hochstadt from Internet Business Guide For First Class Progress gives respectively 1 of each of his 4 DVD products worth $100 each = $400 PLUS one 2-hour Multimedia Coaching Session worth $300, altogether making it to a $700!
Debbie Lane from Wisdom Hypnosis gives 7 of her Living The Lucky Life! audio CDs worth $23.77 each = $166.39 PLUS a personal 1.5 hour Hypnosis Session by phone worth $250, making it a total of $416.39!
Pat King from FitnessLifeClub gives 1 month of his Premier Health Coaching Package worth $357.98!
Keith Goodrum from On Becoming a 2%er gives 2 of his DVDs 10 Minute Blog Post worth $100 each = $200!
Andreas from XavierMedia.com gives 5 one-year VIP memberships to CreateBanner.com worth $35 each = $175!
Larry Brauner from Online Social Networking gives a personal 1 hour consultation worth $150!
Jason from The University Kid gives two 60 minute Blogging Consultations worth $60 each = $120!
Leisa Watkins from Dream Act Plan Believe gives 3 Robert G. Allan books that are personally signed by Robert (!), as well as 3 Richard Paul Evans books, also personally signed by Richard himself!
Karl Gechlik from Ask The Admin gives a professional technical e-mail support session worth $50!
Wayne from Ez DIY Electricity gives $50 in hard earned PayPal cash!
Borzack from Making Myself Extra Money gives 5 of his Page Peel Ads scripts worth $8 each = $40!
Stephan Miller from Stephan Miller gives one copy of Confessions of a Lazy Super-Affiliate worth $29.95 PLUS a Special Report he wrote specifically for the person who wins this e-book!
Crystal from Ubiquitous gives a Site Review worth $20 PLUS a link on her Blogroll for one month worth $10, making it a total of $30!
Sam Freedom from Internet Marketing Controversy Blog gives a 2-month membership to a large Private Label Rights (”PLR”) membership site worth $30!
Kelly Naylor from Aerten Art gives one of her unique art work Acid Rain, an original water color painting worth $25!
Dwayne from Pro Blog Reviews gives a Blog Review worth $25!
Frank from Technology Blog and more gives a StumbleUpon advertisement campaign worth $20 (400 targeted visitors)!
Kacie from Sense to Save gives a StumbleUpon advertisement campaign worth $10 (200 targeted visitors)!
The Fool from Foolsville 2.0 gives $10 in hard earned PayPal cash!
Lightening from Lightening’s Blogworld gives 2 Blog Reviews worth $5 each = $10!
Constantin Codreanu from INconstantIN gives a one year .com domain registration worth $10!
Iris from thebuzz gives a link on her Blogroll for one month worth $10!
Layne from Reward Rebel gives 1 copy of Reward Rebel LOOT worth $7!
Fitz Villafuerte from Ready To Be Rich gives 2 stumbles & diggs per week for one month!
Theda K. Rogers from Crayon Writer gives a full-blown site review on her blog which will certainly increase the buzz for her winner’s blog!
Mert Erkal from Search For Blogging gives an Invitation to the May issue of which has more than 3,000+ subscribers!
Alexys Fairfield from Soul Meets World offers to interview her winner (about his/her product, service, Web site, life, etc) PLUS providing a link from her site to his’/hers! (She used to interview celebrities, so this one is PRICELESS!)

Ad Space

KiwiPulse from KiwiPulse gives 3 x 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $15 each = $45
Deimos Tel´Arin from ahkong.net gives a 468×60 top ad banner box for one month worth $36
Anna from My Cornerstone Trio gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $35
Turnip from Turnip of Power gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $35
Wayne from Ez DIY Electricity gives a top ad space (125×125 or 468×60) for one month worth up to $30
Caleb Hartley from environmentastic! gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $25
Kathleen from Entrepreneurs Only gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $25
Marty from Money Maker Times gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $25
Constantin Codreanu from INconstantIN gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $15
Mirjam from Me Myself and I gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $10
Lee Doyle from Lee Doyle - Contains Nuts gives a 125×125 top ad space for one month worth $10

Entrecard Credits

Marcus Hochstadt from Internet Business Guide For First Class Progress gives 12,966ec
Layne from Reward Rebel gives 5,000ec
Caleb Hartley from environmentastic! gives 3,000ec
Constantine Balbozar from Ideas and Money gives 3,000ec
Kacie from Sense to Save gives 3,000ec
Larry Brauner from Online Social Networking gives 2,500ec
Joan Joyce from Joan Joyce Dot Com gives 2,000ec
Tim from Yimto Affiliate Marketing Blog gives 2,000ec
Crystal from Ubiquitous gives 2,000ec
Lee Doyle from Lee Doyle - Contains Nuts gives 2,000ec
Art from Article Specialist gives 2,000ec
Jonathan from Archon Digital gives 2,000ec
Jonathon from Tech News Source gives 1,500ec
Gary Evans from Law of Attraction Secrets gives 1,000ec
Suzanne from Dot Com Mogul gives 1,000ec
Dwayne from Pro Blog Reviews gives 1,000ec
Michael Aulia from Michael Aulia’s Tech Blog gives 1,000ec
Stephan Miller from Stephan Miller gives 1,000ec
Dave from Is A Man’s World gives 1,000ec
Scott Main from Scott’s Space gives 1,000ec
Kumo from Toast & Egg & Me… gives 1,000ec
Mirjam from Me Myself and I gives 1,000ec
Jasmine from Pixelated Thoughts gives 1,000ec
Lincoln from Canucklehead gives 1,000ec
KiwiPulse from KiwiPulse gives 1,000ec
Lightening from Lightening gives 1,000ec
Wangbu from Hulag gives 1,000ec
Juliana from Juliana’s World gives 1,000ec
Juliana from Juliana’s Lair gives 1,000ec
Juliana from My Library gives 1,000ec
Iris from thebuzz gives 1,000ec
Anna from My Cornerstone Trio gives 1,000ec
Wayne from Ez DIY Electricity gives 1,000ec
Collin LaHay from Mixed Market Arts gives 600ec
Shelia from Black Tennis Pros gives 500ec
David Thorne from Media Morgue gives 500ec
Stan from Fantasy Baseball gives 500ec
Borzack from Making Myself Extra Money gives 500ec
The Fool from Foolsville 2.0 gives 500ec
Marty from Money Maker Times gives 300ec
Fitz Villafuerte from Ready To Be Rich gives 300ec''

What Do I Need to Do?'

Subscribe to the Hochstadt.com Blog Announcement List (top right hand corner of his blog, below his image). – 2 Points
Post a comment to this blog post - 1 Point (one point per person)
Stumble and digg about this contest and fav me on Technorati - 1 Point respectively
Use the below party contest image(s) on your site (linking to this party contest) - 2 Points
Write about this blog and this Hochstadt.com Party Contest on your blog, linking to both this blog and the Hochstadt.com Party Contest. Use your own wording, one that fits to your audience. (It shall be easy because the above prizes fit to ALL audiences!) - 10 Points
Write about this blog and this contest on your blog, AND link to ALL contributors (just like you see my list above including all the prizes) - 30 Points
*PSSST* When you write about this contest on your blog it may be a good idea you indicate which of the above prizes you would like to win most. Perhaps Santa is listening and your wish comes true, who knows… ;-)

I am late posting this, so get on over there and get signed up. The contest ends May 1. Personally, the items I would want would be (1) cash, (2) advertising and (3) ECs

Blog Your Blessing : Bells

11:22 PM

Listen for my Bell

Just up the road from my home is a field in which two horses live. One is larger than the other; but, from a distance, they look like any other horses. However, if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice that one horse is blind.

The owner of the horses must be a special person to make a good home for a blind horse. Most people would have put the horse to sleep.

Stand quietly near the fence and listen. Soon you will hear the sound of a bell. The bell is attached to the smaller horse and allows the blind horse to follow the smaller horse around.

Watch how the horse with the bell always checks on his buddy, the blind horse. In turn, the blind horse listens for the bell and then slowly walks toward the sound, trusting that he will not be led astray.

In the evening, when the horse with the bell returns to the barn, he stops occasionally and looks back, ensuring that his blind friend is following him back to shelter.

Like the owner of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems. He watches over us and brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need.

Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by bell of those who God places in our path. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others to find their way.

Please listen for my bell and I will listen for yours . . .

Note : I do not know who wrote this piece. It was sent to me by a friend. A bell was included.

The Blue Panther Experience is host for Blog Your Blessings Sunday. Visit the blog, grab the blogroll code, add it to your blog, and leave a comment on Blue Panther Experience. Next Sunday, post your blessing. We are of all faiths, creeds and races, so everyone is welcome. Join us on Sunday as we blog our blessings.

Tags: Blog Your Blessings, Sunday post

Podcasting for Niche Marketers

1:20 PM

Most podcasts have small audiences that are highly-focused on niche interests. This makes podcasting a very attractive tool for niche marketers.

What podcasts accomplish:

Bring people with common interests together;
Provide specific, current and reliable information;
Condense and clarify important information.

eMarketer predicts that US podcast ad spending will grow from $165 million in 2007 to $435 million by 2012. Power to the People: Social Media Tracker study in April 2008 (Universal McCann) estimated over 14 percent of US Internet users downloaded podcasts in 2007.

Podtrac studied podcast advertising from February 2006 to March 2008 across multiple product categories and ad types. Unaided awareness for podcast ads was 68 percent, compared with 21 percent for streaming video and 10 percent for television.

According to Velvet Beard, vice president at Podtrac.

The studies showed a 73% increase in likelihood to use or buy an advertised product. The studies showed that 69% of audience members have a more favorable view of in-show advertisers.

Podtrac will match up your content with advertising targeted to your audience. They also provide free tools to measure the reach and effectiveness of your podcast.

Paul Verna, senior analyst at eMarketer has this to say about podcasting:

Podcasting is, by its nature, a niche medium, and this is not likely to change. But podcasting delivers a level of end-user engagement that is rare in today’s multi-format world.

While this is an older article (2006), the five tips for successful podcast advertising are still valid. Read: iMedia Connection: The Keys to Podcast Advertising.

So, if you are niche marketer, you may want to add podcasting to your repertoire.

Low Bounce Rates and High Page Views

8:55 PM

I am experimenting with a new blog traffic exchange similar to Spottt. It is called 125 Exchange. One unique feature of 125 Exchange is that you are able to upload three different 125x125 pixel ads. This means you can split test ads. Of course with six blogs, two websites and a top list, I do not think I have time for split testing, but I do like choice! LOL

Here is the concept behind 125 Exchange, from their website:

The goal here is to pinpoint blog readers that are likely to subscribe to your blog. 125 Exchange has somewhat perfected the art of delivering visitors that have low Bounce Rates and High Page View counts. If you are looking for conversion and to increase your repeat traffic, spend a little time here to understand this unique program.

So, you should receive visitors that are interested in your blog, not just card droppers.

With Spottt, Entrecard and 125 Exchange, Advertising for Success should be receiving traffic, visitors and subscribers. I will let you know how it works out.

Note: You may notice that I have not added Project Wonderful ads.

They are not free.
You must have a PayPal account.
The bidding process is complicated.
No control over content of the ads.

I really did not want my blog overrun with small ads of busty women. . . Now, I know that sex sells and this may be a successful tactic for some blogs; if this is the case with your site, Project Wonderful may be the answer to all your advertising needs.

Blog Your Blessing : A Quiet Place

8:30 PM

Make in my heart a quiet place

by John Oxenham

'Mid all the traffic of the ways-
Turmoils without, within-
Make in my heart a quiet place,
And come and dwell therein:

A little shrine of quietness,
All sacred to Thyself,
Where Thou shalt all my soul possess,
And I may find myself;

A little shelter from life's stress,
Where I may lay me prone,
And bare my soul in loneliness,
And know as I am known;

A little place of mystic grace,
Of self and sin swept bare,
Where I may look upon Thy face,
And talk with Thee in prayer.

Amen

FTC and Behavioral Targeting

10:38 PM

Comments on the Federal Trade Commission's proposed behavioral targeting and privacy guidelines were due Friday.

The Center for Digital Democracy filed a document with the FTC asking for a ban on behavioral targeting to children under 13 and an opt-in system for targeting people with certain medical conditions or who are in financial distress.

Just An Online Minute » Blog Archive » Just An Online Minute… Proposed BT Guidelines: From ‘Don’t Touch Us’ To ‘More Regs, Please!’

A consortium of marketing organizations--including the American Advertising Federation, American Association of Advertising Agencies, Association of National Advertisers, Interactive Advertising Bureau, Magazine Publishers of America and U.S. Chamber of Commerce--filed a brief with the Federal Trade Commission, asking FTC to stop proposing guidelines without proof that consumers are harmed by behavioral targeting.

Blog Our Blessings : Success

12:22 PM

Success Prayer

God, we witness ALL things are Yours and come to us
through You. Many of us are in financial difficulty
and we try to help ourselves...

Help us, Lord! Guide us to enterprises that help
ourselves and others. Bless our business activities
today and every day.

Thank You for all we have.
We request grace and judgment so we
are NOT deceived by scams and empty promises.

We want to bring You honor and glory in
our business dealings all the days of our lives.
We ask this in the sweet name of Jesus, our Lord.

Amen

Someone is Using Metatags?!?

10:59 PM

Interesting read on Technology & Marketing Law Blog about trademarks being used in metatags. The 11th Circuit Court upheld a district court ruling that the use of competitive trademarks in metatags constituted trademark infringement.

Technology & Marketing Law Blog: 11th Circuit Freaks Out About Metatags--North American Medical v. Axiom

From the article:

Axiom included competitive trademarks in the metatags
Axiom appeared as the second organic search result in Google for the trademarked terms (following the plaintiff, which was #1 in the search results)
The trademarked terms appeared in the search results descriptions

Dreaming About Taxes?

7:46 PM

What a nightmare!

I am working on my tax returns--business, personal, and for my son, the trust king.

So, if I do not stop, drop and comment at your blog, you know why! It is because I am reading legalese and trying not to pull my hair out!

If you have not started preparing your tax return, it is time . . .

Blog Your Blessings : Dogs

11:02 PM

My dog died several weeks ago. I posted about it on my travel blog and was amazed at the many heartfelt messages I received. Some visitors posted sources of comfort, some left prayers, some shared similar losses and some just left hugs. It was amazing. God bless dog lovers for they will lift your spirits when you need it.

I want to share the story that made my heart smile for awhile. May it bring you or someone you know peace when faced with the loss of a beloved four-footed companion.

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.
When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals that had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together…

Top Droppers on Advertising for Success

7:26 PM

I appreciate the bloggers that reciprocate my drops, all of them. Entrecard tracks your top ten droppers. I am going to start Top 10 for Success blog roll and include my top droppers. The links will be direct and will not be hampered by a "no follow" tag.

Do you recognize your top droppers? Share how you show your appreciation.

Optimizing Podcasts for SEO

9:26 PM

This is an excellent blog post on the process of recording, optimizing, marketing and distributing podcasts. Charlene Jaszewski from aimClear attended the Podcast & Audio Search Optimization session during Search Engine Strategies in New York and she is sharing . . .

Narrowcasting, Kitchen-Sink ID3, End to End Podcast & Audio Search Optimization! » aimClear Search Marketing Blog

From the post:

Always have information on show’s schedule to attract subscribers and tell how to subscribe. In fact, provide subscription information on every landing page . . .

Don’t change the name of your show unless you are prepared to lose listeners. Jeremy Shoemaker changed his show from “Net income”to “Shoemoney Show.”250,000 RSS subscribers were abandoned when he changed the name!

If you are interested, but have no idea what an ID3 tag is, then this blog post is for you.

Need a banner? Get a banner.

10:43 PM

I am now ADMIN for a top list, a banner-based advertising system. I was amazed at how many bloggers do not have a banner. I know that banners are old-school, but they do have their place in the advertising world.

Did you know that you can get a dynamic banner from Feedburner that displays your most current blog headlines?

You may selected black or white background in several sizes

A seasonal background that automatically changes

Or, add the banner to your email.

If you want to try your hand at designing your own, please feel free to download these blank banners. Right-click Banner Template Download and save as to your desktop. Then click the banner_template.exe file to extract the banners to a new folder.

Advertising-supported mobile media content

9:39 PM

According to a report from The Nielsen Company, 23 percent (58 million) of mobile subscribers in the USA say that they viewed advertising on their phones in the past 30 days. More importantly, 51 percent of all users (28 million) who recall seeing mobile advertising in the previous 30 days say they responded to a mobile ad. Of those subscribers that saw an ad and responded, 26 percent said they sent a text message, 9 percent used click-to-call to respond.

Read the press release here: Nielsen - Press Release: 58 Million U.S. Mobile Subscribers Have Seen Advertising Over Their Phones

For a related article, please read this oldie but goodie about Ultracommercials I wrote in May 2006.

Advertising For Success

My Favorite Moms