Trends in Search Marketing : Ricky Ahuja
Over the past few years, Search Engine Marketing has gone from experimental business technique to must-have marketing program for businesses worldwide. It’s also one of the fastest evolving marketing channels with new discovery of methods, ideologies, and techniques that are implemented on nearly a daily basis. Ricky Ahuja, CEO and partner in Affiliate Venture Group out of Richmond, Virgina, stops by and explains what has happened in the search marketing industry and where he sees it going in the future.
During the course of the last few years, online business ventures have been doing all they can to generate sales. With the recession looming, they have attempted different forms of marketing to help increase sales, and Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has become one of the most popular choices for many of these companies. In a sixteen billion dollar industry, search engine providers have created an easy way to help individuals looking to buy new products and services.
Keeping this in mind, Search Engine Marketing has given a great way to improved online sales, but in recent times there have been some significant changes. Some of these changes have resulted in a change in how time and funds are being spent. What is becoming very apparent is that SEO and Pay-per-Click, while still very effective, aren’t the only search marketing trends that will increase your sales. There are some others you should take a moment to consider.
If you aren’t open to your customers for offline sales, your online advertising might not be as effective. In general, many customers are using online results to influence the way they spend their money offline. It is estimated by Forrester Research that close to $915 billion dollars spent in retail last year has been influenced by online advertising. In that same year, only around $155 billion was spent online with the same impression. Because of this, more companies are focusing on ways to offer their products offline as well.
While many online companies believe Google is the best solution for advertising dollars, it isn’t the only engine to focus on. Last year, other search engines quickly shot to popularity for regular usage. In addition, an individual may only use one search engine and each search engine is popular with different demographics. Yahoo and Bing are big contenders in the search engine world, and they can offer a different set of advantages by placing your online information with them. Last year alone, Bing saw an increase of 109% in their click thru rates, while Yahoo saw 123% and Google did a modest 32%.
What can be learned from this is that with anything diversifying how you do your marketing online is essential when it comes to promotion of your content to drive traffic to your website. Google remains an important search engine, but focusing on other areas as well can enhance the amount of activity you receive.
Another trend is mobile search along with simple local searches. With this in mind, smart phones are taking the search marketing world by storm. Since the personal computer only offers so much use, those in search marketing need to recognize the importance of the mobile search features.
This means devices like the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and other devices are being heavily used in an untapped market. Marketers must realize the potential for marketing in these areas, and begin looking at avenues to tap into the search features these products have.
So for companies that are looking to provide a product or service in a single area, they will need to make sure they appear at the top of these localized search results and have information that can be used in the mobile maps and queries that are done for a small span of area. This segmentation of customers with the geo location aspect along with paid search advertisements will get the best customers to locate and use your business.
While many companies first thought Social Media was a quick dying fad, other businesses are realizing the potential to make business boom. In recent times, social media networks have blown past the daily hits that Google receives. Take into consideration that there are more than 400 million Facebook users and this market shouldn’t be ignored. Along with a unique way to fine tune the type of individuals that are given your advertisements your product can reach exactly the individuals it needs to with this powerful website.
In a recent set of studies, it has been mentioned that conversion rates along with click thru rates have generated a higher amount of revenue when they are combined with paid listings inside of a search engine. While many companies focus on lowering their investment in advertising after SEO has helped them to top the search engine charts, many others are recognizing that by keeping their premium advertisements, they continue to generate stronger revenue sales. Some of the biggest players in Search Marketing Include:
•Google AdWords
•Yahoo Search Marketing
•MSN Ad Center
•MIVA
•SearchFeed
•7Search
In the mix you will notice that Google and MSN are listed, and they are generally known as the big players in this industry. But 7Search and MIVA are quickly becoming strong contenders, and sites that deserve notice as they continue to grow in power and popularity.
Of course while many of those reading this article are experts in the area of search engine marketing, there are some that are novices. For those individuals, here is a set of important things to remember as you begin your search marketing experience:
•Testing ads is essential for success. Until you try out several you won’t know which will be a successful campaign.
•Focusing all your funds and time on search engine marketing alone won’t increase your ranking. Plan on SEO marketing and other effective ways to improve sales.
•Allow for others input. This means that while you may see one spectrum of your product, others might be able to provide you with more detailed results.
Essentially what we learn is that search marketing trends will continue to change as times passes by. To remain an effective force on search engines, we must focus on what influences other websites and current fads are having on these searches.
By taking a few moments and understand our customer’s shopping habits, we can find success with not only search marketing, but overall online marketing in general.
Interview: Ricky Ahuja (AVG) , A Serial Entrepreneur
Ricky Ahuja, a serial entrepreneur, is a ten year veteran of the online marketing industry and currently serving as the CEO and partner in Affiliate Venture Group, a privately funded performance based network located in Richmond, VA.
1. Tell us a little about yourself. How old are you? How long have you been in affiliate marketing and how did you get involved?
First of all, I would like to take this time to thank you for conducting this interview. You have a great site and I frequent it quite often. I am probably the oldest person in Affiliate Marketing – bordering 43, which seems to be ancient in this industry. I have been involved in AM for over 10 years, dating back to 1998. I got into affiliate marketing by accident actually. One of my customers in a coffee shop I had wanted to get a site built and optimized I had some partners that enabled me to do that and truly find out the benefits and rewards and haven’t looked back since.
2. Give us a little glimpse into what a typical day in your life looks like.
My day starts at approximately 7:00 a.m as I prepare my daughter for her school/camp or summer activities and see off my wife. I then head to my remote office (Starbucks) and work for a few hours, check stats, reach out to my affiliates and business partners. Working in this industry gives you the flexibility to tend to important family matters and then pick up in the wee hours in the night when the time does not conflict with any personal obligations.
3. Tell us a little about Affiliate Venture Group and what you do over there?
This part truly excites me, this is my baby and I and my team has spent countless nights to get it to where it is now. We are a private network which initially focused on internal subprime offers but with the recent acquisition of AVG by Pab67Media, LLC – it has opened doors for us which were otherwise not reachable. As evident by the posts on AffiliatePaying.com – we have built a niche for being very affiliate/customer centric network and going above and beyond the call of duty. At the end of the day – it is all about the brand and the trust and I feel we at AVG have done a great job of establishing both.
4. There are already so many affiliate networks out there. What makes Affiliate Venture Group different?
There are many networks out there but only one Ricky Ahuja. I am not so concerned with what others are doing or not doing as I am with what I am able to provide. We do not hide behind a privately registered website from some off shore country but at the forefront of affiliate marketing industry, compliance and transparency. I am probably one of the most easily accessible person there is and call it like it is. You can get more insight into who I am at my blog (cheap plug) at www.rickyahuja.com.
5. Which campaigns are performing well on your network? Which traffic sources prove to be the most effective for your top earning affiliates?
We have numerous offers on our network but some of our top performers have been debt, edu and the penny stock campaigns. We have numerous exclusive brands which we have had for over a year now and continue to deliver steady results for our partners. The effectiveness of these offers is predicated by the traffic being driven to it and I am proud to say we have some of the best affiliate partners in the industry.
6. What is the biggest mistake you made when you first started doing Affiliate Marketing?
I think my biggest mistake was to always build a successful business for others and then worry about myself. I think this industry more so than others is all about the relationship, trust and the face and I think I was somewhat late in trying to establish my and the AVG brand. Live and learn.
7. What was your biggest success to date?
Without a doubt it has to be my wife and daughter. I would trade any of what I do in a heartbeat if it didn’t enable me to spend as much time as I do with them. That’s the beauty of having your own business, after all why do we all work as hard as we do if not to enjoy each other and what life has to offer.
8. What advice would you give for a newbie affiliate?
Great question – I am reminded of a quote by Theodore Roosevelt: In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
New affiliates take in a lot from the over load of information out there (not all of it good mind you) – but many do nothing at all. There is this fear of failure that’s inherent to all of us – but I assure you, once you get started – it’s gets easier. Remember, a long journey starts with a single step.
9. What’s the difference between a Super affiliate and an Average affiliate?
Ready, Aim, Fire. The average affiliate can often get ready and know what exactly what they want to do or market – but they never pull the trigger. If they do – lose money, they call it a wash and don’t bother trying to make it work. They also do not know how to truly figure out if a campaign is backing out for them, what their costs are, what their returns are, etc. A Super Affiliate is not afraid. He is not afraid to try new offers, new media types, new ad copy, new targets. The difference is that the Super Affiliate learns from his testing and spends countless time optimizing his campaigns. My definition of a Super Affiliate goes one further – they truly WANT to help people without expecting anything in return. We see all these “gurus” who have systems and can make us a gazillion bucks – all for a little cost of $249. They are in it for their own well being (not that there is anything wrong with that) but let’s call a kettle what it is shall we.
10. What are the keys to building successful relationships between Affiliates and Affiliate Networks? What are some of the challenges of being an Affiliate Manager/Owner?
We all tend to over complicate things – in my mind the keys to building a successful relationship is all about Transparency and Trust and Relationships. Do you feel comfortable working with the network? Are they credible? Are they at the forefront of Industry trends? As a network manager/owner – do you truly know who your affiliate is? Do you know their tactics as to how they promote? Are they forthcoming in discussing potential issues?
I am a people person – a minute or two of face to face meeting goes a long way for me. This way you can’t hide behind a proxy server.
11. If you could change one thing about the affiliate industry, what would it be?
Obviously we would all like to do away with the fraud aspect of it but as in life you take the good with the bad. It is this dynamic nature of our business that constantly enables us to move forward, develop new technologies, new ideas, new businesses and new success stories. Isn’t that what affiliate marketing all about – trying to outdo the next person and develop a better widget?
12. What do you think about where the industry is going? Where Affiliate Venture Group may be going? What advice would you give to affiliates to keep up the pace.
The industry is always evolving, what may be big today – may not be so hot tomorrow. It is the ones who are able to keep up with this trend that stand to profit. There are a lot of blogs out there, industry newsletters, forums that can help you stay abreast of these trends. As far as AVG – we try to take things one day at a time and focus on what is working for our affiliates today and what we can do to help them increase their earnings.
13. What are the criteria for a marketer to be accepted at Affiliate Venture Group?
There are several things that help to increase your chance of being accepted into this network – but the single most important factors for us are transparency and trust. Knowledge about the industry and referrals from other industry veterans always helps.
14. For those who are interested in working with you and your affiliate network – What’s the best way/time to reach you?
The best way to reach me would be on Facebook (RickyAhuja), AIM – TheGoogleGuy or email gsahuja@gmail.com. I have heard smoke signals worked well in the past also.
15. What’s your favorite movie and why?
This may sound a bit cheesy, but any move that puts a smile on my daughters face and makes her laugh. We all work real hard day and night and to reap the rewards by enlightening the lives of my family is first and foremost.
11 Ways to Influence People Online and Make Them Take Action
Influence can be defined as the power exerted over the minds and behavior of others. A power that can affect, persuade and cause changes to someone or something. In order to influence people, you first need to discover what is already influencing them. What makes them tick? What do they care about? We need some leverage to work with when we’re trying to change how people think and behave.
But there’s a problem. You won’t be able to meet and get to know everyone. You won’t have the luxury of learning their life history and what they hate or love. In the online world, people are ghosts. They drift into your website, showing up only as a number in your traffic statistics. Who are these people that come in to your website? Who is viewing your content and checking out your products?
If you don’t know the answer to all these questions, how are you going to influence them? The solution is to find and analyze general patterns of human behavior or thought. These patterns are indicators of how most people operate: by learning them you would have acquired the tools to exert influence over them. You don’t need to know everyone personally to understand what drives them and what they love or hate.
I recently read Neuro Web Design: What Makes Them Click by Susan Weinschenk, a book about how our online behavior is influenced by both conscious and unconscious thought patterns. I found it fairly interesting because it provided some scientific explanations to tactics that many marketers have been using for the longest time.
At only 130 pages long, the book is a very easy read because its tailored for the average person and not specialists. The downside of this is that it only offers a very general overview of brain science and how it relates to websites.
Contrary to its name, it also talks more about psychology than general web design/usability. If you’ve read Robert Cialdini’s work or other books on persuasion tactics you would easily recognize many of the concepts mentioned in the book.
While I would preferred a lot more depth on some topics covered, it did offer a handful of helpful tips you can implement immediately to improve your website. I thought I’ll do a quick summary of these tips while adding in my own unique analysis and comments.
But before we begin looking at what you should do on your website, you must first understand how your brain works.
Trium Brain Model – We Have Three Brains, Not One
The trium brain model is a theory developed by Paul MacLean in the 1960s to explain how the human brain has evolved. This simplified understanding of the brain became an influential paradigm amongst psychologists and some neuroscientists. As the name suggests, we don’t have one brain but three. These are all layered on top of each other and were developed during different stages of evolution. They are as follows:
1. The old brain. Also known as ‘R-complex’ or reptilian brain. The old brain is primarily concerned with your survival. It scans the environments for threats and benefits. It controls instinctual survival behavior and is also in charge of autonomic functions such as heart beats, digestion, movement and breathing.
2. The mid brain. Also known as the Limbic System or mammalian brain. The primary seat of emotions, memories and attention. This is where your emotions are produced and where positive or negative feelings arise. The mid brain includes the amygdala, which is involved in connecting events with emotion and the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory recall and converting information into memories.
3. The new brain. Also known as the neocortex. This is the logical part of the brain that involves rational thoughts, thinking skills as well as language and speech processing.
According to this theory, we are only fully conscious of our new brain, the neocortex. But our mid brain (limbic system) and old brain (reptilian brain) are largely unconscious. Our unconscious is incredibly efficient, smart and useful. Neuro-scientists have estimated that our five senses receive 11 million pieces of information every second with our conscious brain only processing around 40 pieces. The rest is being assessed by the unconscious automatically.
The unconscious brain helps you to determine what you should pay attention to with your conscious brain. Your decision-making behavior is greatly influenced by the unconscious brain. According to Weinschenk, the best website is designed to talk to all three brains, both the conscious and unconscious.
Such a website would be the best at encouraging any visitor to take action. Here’s what you can implement on your website to talk to all three brains:
1. Show ratings and reviews by other users
Allow visitors to rate and review products on your website. Make sure that ratings and reviews are clearly displayed on your site or product pages. Allow users to include more information about themselves such as their gender, name, location and occupation. This makes the reviews even more compelling since it creates an instant persona (e.g. 36 year old stay-home mom from Boston).
Why do ratings and reviews work? Social validation. People look to others when deciding what to do, especially when they are not sure of what action to take. This is part of the mid brain’s unconscious urge to fit in and belong.
When ratings and reviews are clearly displayed, they help to unconsciously trigger people’s need for social validation while allowing their new brain to rationalize that they are making a smart choice. They work on both the conscious and unconscious: to the rational thinking mind, user ratings and reviews are also more credible than profit-seeking ad copy.
2. Provide instant gratification and a quick fix
When deciding to make a purchase, we often influenced by how fast we can have the product (gratification). In an experiment participants were asked to choose between getting $5 now or $40 at a later date. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) reports show that when they thought about waiting, the new brain or pre-frontal cortex was activated.
When they thought about getting the money right away, the mid brain lit up. This shows that the emotional mid brain is aroused when people think of getting something rewarding right away. You can take advantage of this even if you’re not selling a digital product or something that ships the next day. You can activate the same emotional triggers by using words like ‘instantly’, ‘immediately’ or ‘fast’ to engage the mid-brain. Integrate them and other similar words or phrases into your site copy.
3. Put the most important action to be done first
When you want your visitors to buy a specific product the most, make sure that it is highlighted and displayed as the first item on the page (either at the top or beginning of a row/column). A study of an e-commerce site selling tents showed that visitors picked the first tent to appear on the page 2.5 times more than any others. This is an unconscious preference. Do some similar testing on your website to see if you notice any sales differences.
The idea behind this is simple: what comes first is unconsciously regarded as the best. So even if you’re not a vendor but an affiliate, put the product you want to get sales for first. For example if you’re doing a review site promoting a couple of products, make sure that what you want to sell the most is the first to be seen when someone lands on your website.
Having had some experience with affiliate review sites, I’ve noticed that you’ll eventually find a ‘winner’, a product that converts the best. If you notice that a product not in the first spot converts better than the one that is, make them switch places. Sales may go up.
4. Use the illusion of scarcity
When something has a limited amount to it, its assumed value increases. We will want it even more. Make your product/offering limited by showing a limited stock quantity or limited time frame. This is a common tactic that most internet marketers and offline/online retailers use. And it works. Because we feel good when we gain objects of value.
The way you frame scarcity is important. I’ve seen some marketers combine scarcity with exclusivity by restricting access to a limited number of people. The term ‘Inner Circle’ is a widely used in many niches offering paid membership programs to demonstrate exclusive premium value. Scarcity is enhanced when exclusivity is stacked onto it.
5. Build reciprocity by giving away something for free
When someone gives you something, it triggers a sensation of indebtedness, which you will unconsciously want to get rid of by giving something back. Create this feeling of indebtedness in your visitor’s mind. You can give away things like free product add-ons, free guidebooks, free content, free downloads, free shipping etc.
A study mentioned in the book suggested that visitors are twice as likely to complete a survey form after they were given access to free useful information, as opposed to being allowed access to the information only after completing the form.
Does this mean that you’ll get better email opt-in conversions after giving away free content first? Research would say so. But I suggest that you perform your own tests to get a more accurate reading of what works best for your website.
From my general experience, I do get higher quality subscribers (judging by email open rates and no. of unsubscribes) when I first provide value-added freebies while making opt-ins optional. When I lock content and only allow people access after they perform an action, I inevitably get some tire-kickers who’ll unsubscribe or not open emails later on. When I think about it now, reciprocity DOES seem to play a big role in actual audience responsiveness.
6. Learn to use food, sex and danger
These three things are related to survival and appeal to the old reptilian brain. Use headlines and pictures that look or sound frightening to emphasize danger. The old brain is primarily focused on ensuring your survival. It puts your entire body and mind on high alert when it comes across any threat.
When you are in this heightened state of awareness, whatever you encounter is more deeply engrained in your memory. That’s why you see TV commercials using exciting and dangerous scenes like a car chase, sky diving or a sexy woman to promote products like credit cards and beer.
Use pictures of food on your webpages, it instantly attracts the attention of the old brain. Imply the presence of sex through the use of faces, bodies and things associated with sexual behavior or experience.
Are food, sex and danger really so attractive to the unconscious? Think about it. What are you drawn to when you’re bored online? Many people gravitate to celebrity gossip or porn (sex), food sites or thrilling content (extreme stunts/sports/music videos/movie clips on Youtube etc). Maybe you would rather work on math puzzles or read a knitting blog instead. But not many would.
Learning how to integrate each of these three topics into your website will be an interesting challenge. A while ago, I wrote about Cracked.com and how their style could help you create super popular content for social media sites like Digg. Cracked.com is a great example of a site that often has all topics (food, sex, danger) in constant rotation, both in their content and their use of images/references.
7. Limit the choices available and promote bundles
While people think they prefer many choices, the numerous options available often lead to decision paralysis. Too much choice may cause your visitor to not take any action at all. The Paradox of Choice is a fantastic book which examines this issue in much greater detail.
So how do you solve this problem? You don’t have to reduce your inventory range, you just need to highlight specific actions you want taken.
My solution is to simply choose for your visitor. For example, certain products could be moved into a ‘Editor’s choice’ or ‘Most recommended’ or ‘Top 3 choices’ list which is then displayed prominently on your site. Alternatively, you can create a wizard user interface which asks the visitors certain questions, one after another in order to ascertain what product suits them the best. The final result will show the recommended products for his/her specific needs.
Our brain has a unconscious fear of losing and we’ll make decisions to avoid loss, especially when we feel the loss will be painful or disadvantageous. This fear of losing can be activated by bundled products/services. This means that instead of allowing visitors to select the core product first and then choose addons, you promote a product bundle and then allow them to subtract items from their final order. Subtracting is akin to ‘losing’ something.
Many e-commerce websites practicing different levels of bundling. Take Amazon.com as an example. Instead of promoting bundles over single products, every single product page showcases a bundled package with a reduced price. On top of that, they promote bundles indirectly by including the buying statistics/patterns of other customers.
8. Speak to your visitor by using the word ‘You’
A quick and easy way to grab the attention of the old brain is to use the word ‘you’ often in your copy. The old brain is self-centered and focused on what is good for you, hence it’ll often unconsciously prefer what better emphasizes how You can benefit.
Here is a comparison of sales copy. The second one should appeal to you more:
No. 1: “This software has many built-in features that allow for photos to be uploaded, organized, and stored. Photos can be searched for with only a few steps.”
No. 2: “You can upload your photos quickly, organize them any way you want to, and then store them so that they are easy to share with your friends. You can find any photo with only a few steps.”
In my opinion, ‘you-centred’ copy is part of the bigger ad strategy called personalization. You’re writing copy that speaks their language. And that entails knowing what your prospect or target market likes/dislikes and desires. Write as if you’re talking to a person sitting right next to you. She is your prospective customer. She is your blog reader. And she is your friend. Don’t be afraid to use slang or community lingo to connect to their thought processes.
9. Get your visitors to make a commitment
People are more likely to take action after they’ve made a small commitment first. This is because a small commitment activates a persona which the person will seek to maintain with future decisions. For example, asking someone to wear a small badge to promote breast cancer awareness is an example of a small commitment.
This activates a persona which makes them think ‘I’m a person who cares about cancer patients.’ Later on, they will be far more willing to make a donation to a breast cancer charity because the action of donating is completely consistent with the persona they have taken on. In fact, donating maintains that persona and makes them feel good about it.
Your goal is to activate a persona within all your site visitors. This persona will eventually push them to take a specific action, be it buy, donate or subscribe. Methods you can use include using quizzes and surveys around a topic that is related to your product or website focus. The simple act of writing, typing or signing something strengthens their commitment to to your website/company/brand. The more public the commitment, the stronger it will be.
Getting your visitors to commit to your website is incredibly easy. You don’t always need to get something from them, like their email or vote. By simply allowing comments, you’re allowing visitors to be publicly committed to your website. Polls and surveys work equally well too because they make your visitors interact with you. They aren’t just lurking viewers anymore, but participants within a community. Step it up a notch or two after that.
I think its important not to overthink it. Ask for what you want. As long as its not an outrageous demand, you’ll get people to respond and invest their time, especially if you’re already worked on developing reciprocity.
10. Use images that demonstrate similarity and attractiveness
Use images of attractive people who are similar to your target market’s demographic profile. People are most influenced by people they deem to be both attractive and similar to them. The old brain is unconsciously sizing up people you see and their attractiveness can rub off on your website itself, much like how an attractive person in a cellphone ad makes the cellphone look more enticing.
This doesn’t just apply to images. Most internet marketers know that in order to appeal to a certain group of people, you need a human face that will be the focal point of their empathy and connection. Hence, the widespread use of pen names, stock photo pictures and even a made-up history or life story. While it may be entirely artificial, these methods do work to engage website visitors.
11. Be a master at telling stories
Use stories as part of your sales copy or weave them into your content/blog post. When we read or listen to a story, our brains physically react as though we were having the same experience ourselves. When combined with pictures, it is a very powerful way to immediately grab attention, convey information and ensure that your reader retains your message.
Story-telling is a fantastic method of persuasion. It’s almost like a hypnotic process. I’ve noticed that I tend to suspend rational thought when I’m thoroughly engaged with reading or hearing a fascinating story.
I’m fully conscious but my mind is taken over because I’m actively visualizing the situation by generating images to accompany the words I’m reading/hearing. And the images I’m creating are generating emotions at the same time. A skilled story teller can easily embed suggestions or increase one’s perceived value subtly by using stories.
This is a really powerful persuasion tactic and something I would encourage you to learn. All of us can tell stories but not all of our stories are as persuasive as they can be.
So there you have it. These methods of extending influence are easily applicable in most circumstances so put them into action as soon as you finish reading. Feel free to spread the word and share this article with anyone you know.
If you found these tips useful, you should probably subscribe to my blog via rss or email. Just so you’ll get easy updates on new articles about persuasion, influence and marketing. ^_^
Written by Maki
PAB67Media Announces Acquisition of Affiliate Venture Group
Many of you who follow me on Facebook, Twitter or on AVG already know but I am pleased to announce that PAB67MEDIA, LLC has announced the acquisition of Affiliate Venture Group. With the addition of Affiliate Venture Group, Pab67Media’s comprehensive product portfolio will seamlessly merge and provide enhanced advertising solutions across online and offline environments.
Online advertising represents the largest percentage of our advertisers’ media budget today. Together, Affiliate Venture Group and Pab67Media will deliver addressable advertising solutions to help our partners better manage their media spending by increasing advertiser reach and ROI.
Advertisers and publishers across the globe are engaging and interacting with their audiences in ways never before possible. Joining forces with Pab67Media will enable AVG’s common vision of quantifiable advertising solutions to continue to flourish and better meet the needs of their industry partners.
With this acquisition, Affiliate Venture Group becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pab67Media, LLC and will continue to function under this brand. The new offices will be based out of Richmond, VA.
For more information, please hit me up and we can talk!
Celebrating Father’s Day
Most of us think of our fathers as…well fathers. We don’t often stop to think of them as people in their own right or of the influence they had on the men and women we have become.
For most people, their father is just someone who is or was always there. Sometimes in the background of your life and sometimes taking front and center stage. He was just part and parcel of your growing up years.
Perhaps your father is the ultimate sportsman who taught you the love of fishing and camping and a love and respect for nature. A man who attended all your football, basketball, and baseball games teaching you that while winning was great it was how you played the game that really mattered. Perhaps, your father is quiet man who prefers the company of a book to most other people and who taught you a love for reading and gave you a thirst for knowledge. Perhaps, he is a simple and kind man who worked hard to support his family. Though he may not have finished school he was able to teach you lessons in honesty and fair play. Maybe, he taught you the meaning of a dollar and how to be thrifty, or how to enjoy each special moment in your life.
Just as each person is different so is each person’s relationship with their father. For some it may have been your father who you went to for advice, or perhaps, he was simply the person you could laugh with and share secrets with. Maybe there were times when you thought that your father did not notice your presence only to find that when you were hospitalized that he was the one who sat by your bedside all night refusing to go home because he did not want you to be alone. For many he was the courageous person who sat in the passenger seat that first day when you got your drivers permit.
There were plenty of times your father angered you by saying no to something you really wanted to do and it took you years to understand that saying no was as painful for him as it was for you but, he felt it was his duty to keep you safe or right the right path. Looking back you can see there were times when he was frightened for you, worried about you, and concerned for the choices you were making with your life yet, stood by you and was there to help you pick up the pieces to begin again.
There have probably been times when you have seen your father’s eye shine with pride for your accomplishments, gleam with unshed tears for your pain, and soften with love when he looked at you. Now you are an adult and looking back it easy to see how much your father gave to you, how much of himself he shared, and just how much he influenced the adult you have become. It is now time for you to take this opportunity on father’s day and every day to thank the man who has given you so much for so long without asking anything in return.
What are you most reminded of on this auspicious day?
Getting the Most Out of Search and Social Media – Milind Mody
Milind is the founder-CEO of eBrandz and has grown the company to more than 250 employees and profitability. Milind is currently on the Advisory Panel of Search Camp (This event is conducted by The Knowledge Foundation) and speaks frequently at SEMPO (Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization) events.
Milind, I thank you for taking valuable time out of your busy schedule to interview with me at RickyAhuja.com – I know you have a lot going on so let’s get started shall we.
Milind, we’re seeing a lot of changes with Search and Social Media. Does that make things easier or more complicated for your firm?
In this industry change is the only constant. While other IT companies might have to train their employees every other year, we have to train our employees every other month! We have to be quick on our feet. It is definitely challenging, but the good part is, if we manage these changes successfully, we get a clear advantage over other traditional print and media agencies which have also started offering online marketing solutions to their clients.
What do you say to clients who are intimidated by taking their business online?
We do not have any clients who are not online. In fact all our clients find us once they have their website and realize that they need to market their website in order to get customers.
Is social media marketing something business owners should be trained to do, or should they hire someone to a new position?
I think no one understands a business better than the business owner. But they don’t understand the nuances of Social Media or do not have time to promote themselves on Social Media. Similarly social media marketers understand the medium very well, but they are not the best people to talk about client’s business. So I guess the solution lies in either business owners hiring someone who understands social media and asking them to work in close association with the business owner or getting an external Social Media Consultant and working with him to make sure that the message is accurate and is promoted in a way that is acceptable to social media audience.
When did you become active in the social media world, and how did your firm become an expert?
Before the term Social Media was coined, people used to interact on online forums. I was quite active on Internet Marketing forums like Webmaster World, Search Engine Forums etc. The whole social media phenomenon erupted in front of my eyes beginning in 2002. So I was present from the beginning. We realized that some social media sites were influential in search engine optimization and online reputation management so we started studying them . We came up with ways in which a business could leverage few of the social media sites and that is how we became quite active in Social Media World.
What are some common misperceptions about Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook? How can each be used effectively to promote a business?
Twitter:-
There is a perception that Twitter is all about what people are eating for lunch, which airport they’re stuck in, and so on. While this may be true, there are plenty of useful tweets if you know how to find them. Several organizations are already using Twitter to achieve business goals, and send tweets such as:
• Sorry you can’t find the product. Please provide us product no and I’ll check if it’s in stock.
• Does anyone know how to work X?
• DM me your resume and I’ll review
• Mention this tweet for 10% off
Used correctly, Twitter can become an extremely valuable communication channel for businesses. Twitter should be used to impact your bottom line in at least one of three ways:
• Increase revenue
• Build brand or equity
• Decrease costs
If you approach Twitter with a custom strategy based on your business, you’re more likely to achieve positive results.
Facebook :-
There is this (mis)perception that Facebook is only useful for communicating with friends and family. Facebook started as a closed community for college students, and has been effective at highlighting the business page and advertising features. Facebook has very powerful and targeted demographic tools that help companies to hone in on their target market.
Another (mis)perception about Facebook is that it is only for college students. According to the Facebook Press Room page, there are more than 400 million active users on Facebook and a million new members are joining each week in the U.S. alone. More than two-thirds of Facebook users are not in college. More than 50% of Facebook’s users in the U.S. are over the single biggest age demographic in the U.S. on Facebook is now between 35 and 44, and Facebook’s fastest growing age group is 55 and older. They also reported that Facebook ranks as the top social networking site in the majority of European countries.
Some of the reasons why social networking sites like Facebook are increasingly being used by companies are because they provide businesses the opportunity to easily and efficiently communicate regularly with the people in their network. Networks can include people with whom they are currently doing business, people whom they would like to do business, vendors, and potential business partners.
LinkedIn:-
LinkedIn is primarily for business professionals who like to network online. Inviting someone to connect is the proper way to strike up a conversation with someone you’d like to meet.
Social networking sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, etc. are serving as an adjunct to, and in some cases, replacement for, traditional means of communication such as newsletters and direct mail. Facebook can be used to regularly announce or get feedback on new products, spotlight new employees or existing employees accomplishments or talents, reward customer loyalty, promote special events and special offers, as well as to create partnerships. Some companies have even reported that by using these online means of communication they have reduced their marketing budget while at the same time increasing sales.
But clearly one strategy does not fit all. A company should really evaluate its goals before creating any social media strategy and should then create strategies which would help them achieve this goal. Also do not use Social Media sites as a one way megaphone as nothing can be more irritating to users than to get bombarded by sales pitch on their social media accounts. Listen to the community and start genuine conversations.
What is the most common consulting question you receive?
How can I use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to increase our sales ?
What business mistake have you made that you will not repeat?
Being an optimist, I would not consider them as “mistakes” but treat them as “learning opportunities”. There have been too many learning opportunities to list here.
Could you tell us a little about eBrandz and how it’s different from others in the space?
As eBrandz itself is a small business, we understand the difficulties faced by most small businesses. One of the biggest problems small business owners face is that they do not get good customer service. And we constantly innovate to ensure that our clients get results. Hence our customer service, innovation and overall value for money sets us apart from others.
What marketing techniques have you found most effective? Are there any that you believe businesses are relying too heavily upon?
or are there some they are not looking at deeply enough?
I would say each marketing technique has its pros and cons. An effective marketing strategy is one which combines SEO, SEM, Social Media, Permission based email marketing, Webinars, Public Relations etc. Doing all this together would help a company create Brand Awareness. And once that happens, the lead or sales conversion increases. I think many companies are not looking deeply at Website conversion optimization.
Why spend more money on getting more traffic when you can spend little and improve your conversion rates ?
It seems to me that within that large number of SEM firms there are few that have strong brands. You seem to be one of the few in the space who get branding. Where did you learn about branding? What has helped you develop a strong brand?
Thanks. Many people have asked me this question. But to be honest, I have not learned about branding anywhere. It’s based purely on our experience. As mentioned in one of the above questions, one of the reasons we have a strong brand is because we use a combination of SEO, SEM, Social Media etc to leverage our brand.
What can SEO firms do to build strong brands & strong credibility?
I think strong credibility helps creating a strong brand. But it cannot be done overnight and there is no silver bullet. Look at your strength and communicate it effectively within first 5 to 10 seconds to your website visitors. Spend money on online marketing. Don’t use ROI as the only benchmark to measure effectiveness of your campaign.
What are some trends you are seeing in the PPC space? Social Media?
I see a lot of potential in Google Ad Extensions. Specially the phone and video extensions. Also many small businesses are experimenting with Facebook and LinkedIn Ads.
Before we wrap up, how about a tip for my readers? What are a couple of things you would do if you were a local accounting business who just got their first web site and are looking to get new customers from the web?
If I were a local Accounting business, I would make sure that I include my address on all pages (preferably bottom of all pages). I would include a google map of my office location in the contact us page. I would then go on and claim my business listing on all major data providers and internet yellow pages. While claiming my business listing, I would use my main keyword (accounting related) in the title of these business listing. I would then create incentives for my clients, to put up a review on these customer review websites :-
Insiderpages.com
Yelp.com
Citysearch.com
Google map itself
Yellowpages.com
I would also try and get links from local business associations and chambers or other local businesses in my area. All this will ensure that my website comes up pretty high in local search listings on Google, Yahoo, Bing and other local search engines.
Thank you so much Milind for your time and insight and I look forward to talking again very soon. All the best!
Ricky Ahuja
Get Targeted Traffic – Dominate Online Advertising
Hey guys, here is an interview with Scott Rewick, he is a very prolific media buyers that most people have never heard of. Spending a mind blowing $100M in display based media over the last decade; Scott is one of the true pioneers of modern day affiliate marketing and high volume media buying. Starting in 1999, Scott Co-Founded one of the earliest Affiliate Networks, Metareward, which ultimately was sold to Experian for $30M. He then went on to co-found NetBlue, which became a $100M/year Lead Generation monster. Heading up the media buying group, Scott routinely spent between $200k-$300k per day buying online display media (less than 1% of that was with Google). Netblue ultimately raised over $20M in Venture Capital, and more recently merged with affiliate giant Epic Advertising (formerly Azoogle). Most recently, Scott was President and CEO of AdEx, a public lead generation company, doing over $23M in revenue in its first year.
RA: Scott, you got your start early in Affiliate Marketing. Can you take us back to MetaReward?
SR: Sure thing. I was really fortunate because I got my start back in 1999 with a company called Nefflip. The thing you have to remember is that back in 1999, things were starting to collapse from the first wave of internet companies. It was somewhat chaotic, but the company was started with a small venture capital round and some angel money. What we found early on, was there was a need to help other companies by providing them access to the offers we had begun promoting. Fulfilling that need is what got us from NetFlip to MetaReward. Some of my earliest customers are guys that are still around today many years later.
RA: After MetaReward, you helped get the incentive craze going with Netblue. What was that experience like?
SR: NetBlue was really a gift. I got connected with a great entrepreneur, Ken Chan, and we started off with next to nothing. That is a good place to be, with your back against the wall. We knew that if we failed, we’d be stuck having to go back to a normal job. I had a 3 month old little girl at the time, so I had all the motivation in the world. Netblue is where I learned so much, both about high volume media buying, and scaling a company…from a few people to over a hundred in a short amount of time.
RA: Talk about Media Buying back at Netblue. You guys were buying a lot of media.
SR: I think at our height, we were buying several hundred thousand dollars per day. We had made a huge investment in both CPM buying, something most of our early competitors weren’t doing, and portal buying (MSN, Yahoo, AOL). We knew that was where the volume was, and incidentally, the source of most of the cheap traffic, given the brand advertisers had abandoned the online space (temporarily) years ago.
It was really a chaotic and fun time. The company was moving so fast, and our media spends got so high. It really became a 24/7 operation, as we were scaling the company quickly, and our media buys scaled right along with it.
RA: How have things changed in Affiliate Marketing over the years?
SR: I love that question, because in some ways, it hasn’t changed at all. I look at the hundreds (thousands?) of networks out there and it really is the same business as it was nearly 10 years ago. Provide 3rd parties access to great advertising offers under one roof, provide great customer service, and support. Then in other ways, I feel like everything has changed. Technology has advanced quickly, niche networks focus on serving both certain verticals and certain types of affiliates. I mean, fundamentally, it’s the same thing, but I love how many twists and turns the industry has taken.
RA: Can you talk about what separates the true Super Affiliates from the rest of the crowd?
SR: You know..when you’ve done something as long s I have, you begin to see patterns. Consistent behaviors. Things people do differently than most that makes the difference between guys that never really get out of the gate, from those that are able to make thousands of dollars per day. It’s really not rocket science. Its just based on my observations of the space over the years. Let me just say this. There are important differences between these guys and the average frustrated affiliate. Probably the biggest difference is their ability to focus on solving one problem at a time, as opposed to feeling compelled to solve multiple problems simultaneously.
Super Affiliates just have this ability to focus.
RA: You’ve got experience as both a Super Affiliates and an Advertiser. Can you talk about that?
SR: Well, over the years we’ve certainly bought a lot of online media (and also been the advertiser), so I feel well versed to talk about both sides of the equation. I’ve just been really lucky to been a part of high volume media buying teams. Groups of guys (and girls) that find out ways to exploit (in the nicest possible ways) sources of online traffic at a high level. When you really get this dialed in, its super fun and you can feel the closeness these teams have. Similarly, driving lots of volume as an advertiser gives you the similar rush. The key in both of these scenarios is creating sustainability. Making $1k per day is cool for a day…if you are doing it a year later, you’ve really earned my respect. Those are the kinds of guys I like to study.
RA: What are some of the biggest changes on the horizon in Affiliate Marketing?
SR: Well, probably the biggest one is that many of our traditional channels we’ve been used to marketing on are either hostile or facing increasing scrutiny. Google used to be the affiliates best friend. Google 1.0 said “Do No Evil”. Google 2.0 says “You Are Evil”. Certainly there are many more sources of traffic opening up, but the affiliates faces additional scrutiny (which is a good thing long term). It remains a competitive landscape, and bigger companies will go face to face with the 19 year old kid that doesn’t have the cost structure you do.
RA: Talk to us a little bit about going public in this industry. What was that like?
SR: Going public was certainly interesting, and looking back, I learned a lot. I’m grateful I did it, but with where I’m at with my life, highly doubtful I’d ever do it again. Our industry is known for generating profits. When a lot of that profit goes to Accountants, Lawyers and feeding the infrastructure needed to be public, it can get awfully frustrating.
RA: What are you working on now?
SR: I realized over the last 10 years one of the things I enjoy the most is teaching people. I created media-mentors.com as a way for me to apply my experience to people either just getting into Affiliate Marketing, or seasoned Media buyers. I plan to create more and more content around how to be successful, if this is where you’d like to spend your time. Also, finding unique ways to connect people is also a passion of mine. These two things I like to do, and it makes me happy!
RA: Anything else you’d like to add?
SR: This is a really exciting and interesting time in direct response and online media buying. There is so much going on; so much growth in the industry, that I feel privileged to be a part of it. If you are just starting off, or have been here for a while, I think things will get very interesting for the foreseeable future!
RA: What are your thoughts on the new Facebook group – Affiliate Marketing Mastermind Group? Do you feel it is a viable platform for affiliate marketers to meet and discuss current issues?
SR: I think it’s awesome. There is more transparency in this space than ever before, which lets the good guys win, and chases out of town the bad guys. Groups like this just add to the collective knowledge, and allow the free exchange of information; something that is a great thing.
RA: Can you offer any tip/advice to the readers of RickyAhuja.com which could help them get started on the path to making money in affiliate marketing?
SR: Well, before I go tell people to invest in the latest fad (“How I Make $5k Per Day on Facebook”), I say spend the time to build your foundation. Most people want to jump right in, only to realize that you can waste a lot of time and money spinning your wheels. Take the time to educate yourself first on this space, and that’s going to make your journey a lot more enjoyable.
RA: Thank you Scott, this has been enlightening and a pleasure. All the best!
How to Find an Outsourced Affiliate Marketing Company
Finding an affiliate marketing management company isn’t nearly as difficult as it sounds. It can be as simple as typing a query into your search engine. Links of any number of affiliate managers will rain down your screen—easy enough. It’s sifting through this multitude of options that becomes difficult.
When choosing an affiliate manager it is important that a prospective management company can fit your needs and provide a good value. Your affiliate manager should be proactive and on the cutting edge, knowledgeable in every way of serving your marketing needs. Developing good relationships and portraying a professional attitude with clientele should be key.
Affiliate managers that can offer innovative techniques to marketing and problem solving can often do the lion’s share of work for you. Putting it in the hands of talent across the country who adds an expert touch is definitely a feature that can add unique and often free content that keeps your affiliate programs fresh, competitive, and lucrative.
Website/ blog building and custom designed banners and newsletters are other features a manager should have available to producers. Spend your time producing content not building the means to contain it and creating an optimal click through rate is crucial to the success of affiliate programs. Finding a manager that specializes in these elements will only propel your production.
Customer service and quick response should be part of any relationship between manager and affiliate. Nights, weekends, any time a problem arises, or content is needed an affiliate should be able to contact a manager with concerns and needs. Affiliate management should be a 24-7 endeavor.
Research your affiliate manager carefully. Expecting value and quality isn’t too much to ask as a client. A company that offers the tools and experience to help your operation be as lucrative as possible is a must. Innovation, attention to client and detail and service are key components as well.
Finding an affiliate management company that takes pride in making your affiliate programs top-notch is no easy matter, but it is crucial. Increasing affiliate participation through strong management translates into value and quality. Ultimately, proper management leads to a lucrative relationship and success for producers. Make it your business to know your prospective manager’s business, and then make your choice accordingly.
We recommend Experience Advertising, Inc. to handle your affiliate program management. They work with the majority of the super-affiliates in the industry and have a great reputation. Make sure to speak to Evan the CEO, he’s great on the phone to discuss your company and online marketing objectives.
SECRETS FROM AN UNDERGROUND SEO MASTER
RA: With us today for some SEO tips is Gary Marshall, of www.glmarshall.com, who has been in SEO so long he saw sites busted by Yahoo before Google was even born.
Social Media Predictions for India
It’s the season for predictions and here are my top 7 social media predictions for India
1. Citizen journalism will come into its own in India.
We saw a preview of the power of citizen journalism in the 11/26 Mumbai terror attack. We also saw that mainstream media is increasingly willing to integrate citizen journalism in its news coverage. News organizations are not only promoting citizen journalism platforms like IBN Live’s Citizen Journalist, but also engaging with platforms like Twitter (see @DNAIndia, @LiveMint, @BangaloreMirror, @IndiatimesNews). We will see a continuation of these trends in 2010. More news organizations will experiment with citizen journalism, both by creating citizen journalism platforms on their own websites and by actively tracking social media for stories and sources.
2. Social media will play an important role in the Indian general elections.
Young people in India are very engaged with politics in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attack and this engagement will make an impact in the elections. This will include more debate on the many problems facing India and even specific political parties and candidates. This will also involve a serious “get out the vote” campaign to get more young people to go out to vote. Specifically, we will see Twitter and other mobile based applications like SMSGupShup and MyToday playing an important role in the general elections, both in the campaigning and in the coverage of the elections. Some politicians will also experiment with social media. BJP’s V K Malhotra, for instance has a Twitter account @VKMalhotra.
3. More Indian corporates will use social media tools to engage with their customers.
With the inevitable cuts in marketing budgets, more Indian corporates will turn to social media to reach their consumers in a meaningful way. These initiatives will include better listening via social media monitoring, more transparency via corporate blogs and Twitter profiles and higher engagement with customer communities on social networking sites. As a result, we will see several new social media monitoring companies (like Informm), social media agencies and consumer communities (likeBrandAdda) enter the Indian market.
4. At least one SMS-based mobile social network will become mainstream in India.
Even as we see several innovations in location based mobile social networking internationally, the adoption of such services in India will be minimal, even with the launch of 3G and flat data rates. Text and voice will continue to drive mobile usage in most of India and we will see the emergence of at least one major SMS based mobile social network in India. It may be a ver 2.0 of SMSGupShup with many-to-many messaging capability, it may be Twitter, or it may be a new player (and, no, it won’t be MobiChange, not yet).
5. At least one web 2.0 service started in Indian will break onto the international scene.
The recent $7.5 million acquisition of SocialMedian by Xing has shown that a web 2.0 service developed in India can break through onto the international scene. SocialMedian was developed almost entirely in Pune by True Sparrow. In 2010, we will see at least one India based web 2.0 startup scaling up to international prominence, and perhaps selling out, in a similar fashion.
6. Social media outsourcing will we widely seen as the next big outsourcing opportunity for India.
I have earlier written that social media outsourcing is the next big business opportunity for India and may already be leading the third wave of Indian outsourcing. In 2010, the volume of consumer generated media will increase, social media engagement processes and metrics will evolve and budgets will continue to decrease. All these three trends will drive large international brands to seriously evaluate outsourcing parts of the social media value chain to countries like India. We will also see more Indian firms pursue the opportunity in a structured manner and social media outsourcing will be widely seen as the next big outsourcing opportunity for India.
7. Several Indian social networking websites will either shut down or reposition themselves as niche player.
In 2008, we saw that the social networking space in India became a two horse race with Orkut and Facebook and several Indian social networking websites, that were essentially Facebook or Orkut clones, lost significant traffic. We will see this trend continuing in 2010, and, even as we see the emergence of niche social networking sites focused on Cricket, Bollywood, Education, Career, Consumer Reviews, Social Activism, or even Social Shopping, we will see several undifferentiated Indian social networking websites become even more marginalized, with some of them shutting shop.
This is a post by Gaurav Mishra. He builds and nurtures online communities as CEO of Social Business Strategy firm 2020 Social. In his previous avatars, he has studied at IIM Bangalore, held senior marketing roles at the Tata Group, taught social media at Georgetown University as the 2008-09 Yahoo! Fellow, and co-founded crowd-sourced election monitoring platform Vote Report India.
Ricky Ahuja is currently serving as the Managing Director of Affiliate Venture Group, a private funded performance based network based out of Wilmington, DE. In less than a year, he has helped it become a multi-million dollar business experiencing month over month growth. Read More
