One of the greatest strengths of the Web is that it gives everyone with a connection the ability to publish content, period. Anyone can register domain names and build attendant webpages, often for what amounts to a pittance. Some domains cost as little as ten dollars to register, or less if the buyer wishes to bundle the purchase of several names at once. Naturally, this flexibility has attracted the attention of people with less than honest motives for their efforts.

Like it or not, there are individuals online who aren’t content to promote their brand through their own efforts and hard work, but would prefer to profit by the work of others. They accomplish this through a number of unfortunate methods. They domain-squat on names they expect to become famous, use similar names and domains to get attention, and in general rely on the good name of brands they have nothing to do with to draw in business.

As part of the effort to build up a brand into something to be proud of, it’s important to focus on brand protection. It may sound silly on the surface; after all, who could be confused by Makdonolds as opposed to McDonalds? However the issue isn’t always quite so ridiculously clear, and can lead to a number of hassles a brand just doesn’t need. Here we share three common hazards and their solutions for safeguarding your brand.

Hazard 1 – Cybersquatting

In short, cybersquatting is a series of methods for registering and maintaining a domain name solely with the intent to profit from another agency that desires it.

The first method revolves around predicting the need for the domain name itself. As in the above example, suppose in the early days of the Internet someone outside McDonald’s had registered all the relevant domain names. When McDonald’s finally goes to establish a Web presence, they find the names they need are all taken, and thus have to bargain with this individual for terms under which he’ll sell them back, obviously at a profit to himself.

Other methods involve registering similar domain names to existent ones. Suppose again that McDonald’s had possession of McDonald’s.com, but not McDonald’s.net. The squatter picks up the .net domain, knowing that at least some people will come to the page out of curiosity or by accident. Once again, they can bargain with McDonald’s over ownership, or they can provide a link to McDonald’s own webpage, and thus get click-through traffic that can be monetized with ad revenue.

Solutions to Cybersquatting

Due to the fight over free speech and free market rights pertaining to the Web, cybersquatting is not easy to define as illegal. It is certainly unethical, but given the myriad of international laws governing the use of these domain names there is not always a clear recourse in overcoming these activities.

There are always methods that can be used, however. First, there is the legal recourse of going through ICANN for arbitration. However courts can and often have overturned ICANN’s rulings upon further review. The legal fees associated with this process may exceed the cost of simply buying the domain outright from the squatters.

Another option is to be creative with your domain names. Google, Yahoo, icanhascheezburger, and similar domain names share a certain nonsense quality. They aren’t commonly used words, and are less likely to get snapped up by squatters. If your business isn’t tied strongly to a real world word already, consider coming up with something outside the box to prevent yourself from getting squatted. Purchase several of the more common variations on your domain name as well, to prevent the parallel name style of squatting.

Hazard 2 – Typo Squatting

Typo squatting relies on common typing errors or shortcuts to redirect users to a site other than the one they intended to visit. For example, information.com could be typed as iformation.com or info.com, and lead to the squatting site instead of the intended location. While this may seem like a variant on cybersquatting, it ends up being rather different in practice.

As with parallel naming, the intent here is to use a similar name to draw in users looking for one site. However the intent is very rarely to sell the url to the parent company. More frequently, these sites direct to ‘gripe’ pages, spambots, malware propagators and other malicious activities.

Solutions to Typo Squatting

Once again, legal action can be taken to protect a brand (particularly if the squatters are profiting from the venture), but can quickly become expensive. A more cost-effective route for a smaller brand just getting started would be to post information to your Social Media News Room and webpage about any such sites you come across, with warnings and information on how to circumvent them. Taking responsibility for your brand is the best way to protect it and cement its value in your audience’s mind.

Hazard 3 – Complacency

It’s tempting to register a domain name and trademark, and think that’s all you need to do. However, neither of these confers automatic protection. Yes, they allow for recourse to the law in the event a case goes to court, but the Internet is a place where information moves quickly. By the time you fight things out in a court case that you may or may not actually win, people already have associated your brand with the spambot they accidentally got directed to.

Solutions to Complacency

Be proactive. Education is your best defense on the Web. Learn about common cybersquatting and typosquatting tactics. Check your domain and see if others are using these tricks to hurt your brand (consciously or inadvertently). Be aware, be informed, and take every step you can. The Internet is a dynamic place, and it falls to you to make sure that benefits you, rather than blemishes your brand.

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Online Brand Management: Brand Protection Basics

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According to Outsell, spending on online advertising and marketing will overtake print in 2010 for the first time. The research and advisory firm’s annual forecast predicts companies will spend $119.6 billion on online and digital strategies, from search engine keywords to webinars, while committing $111.5 billion to print media such as newspaper and magazine ads this year.

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There are several benefits to introducing social media into your business marketing platform. However, this new addition to your traditional marketing method is not at all similar to buying the latest fashion accessory. If that is the approach or mindset you adopt, then it is like marching with a noisy band with your brand new trumpet, only you have no clue how to play it let alone harmonize and make music! You may need to take trumpet lessons to begin with. Taking time to put together your social media marketing (SMM) strategy is the only place to begin this new journey. Putting together a winning social media marketing strategy is one of the least expensive but most effective ways to attract business and increase profits.

The importance of having an SMM strategy

Do not jump into Tweeting just because everyone is at it. A Facebook or LinkedIn profile right next to your competitor’s will gain you nothing without a strategy. At this point you deal with the ‘how’ and not with the ‘what’.

A plan of action (how) to reach your goal is your strategy. It is a military terminology and implies life and death. You strategize to win. Without a strategy you get into the arena awaiting life or death, without a clue on what you may expect. With a strategy you work your way to your desired goal.

Getting started: 6 dimensions to consider when you strategize

There are some parameters you need to identify in order to form a good strategy. You can get an idea of these by answering the following questions that deal with each dimension that you need to consider.

• Why do you want to enter this arena (social media)? Three possible reasons can be: a) build awareness b) increase sales c) brand advocacy. Focus on one such aspect. At this point you need to keep in mind that without awareness you will not attain sales, and brand advocates are loyal existing repeat buyers.
• Where do you stand with your potential audience today? a) Nowhere b) aware c) one-time customer d) repeat customer e) advocates or fans. Focus on two adjacent criteria to begin with. Build your strategy around these two – how will you move from A to B or B to C?
• Determine how your target audience will use social media on the Internet, what are their media interests? This will depend on their age group, interests, and other social behavior patterns. Young people love contests, freebies, and giveaways. Plan how you can work these interests into your reward programs.
• What is your USP (unique selling proposition)? This does not mean product features. This means ‘the one thing that makes your company unique’. Define it and coin a word that speaks volumes, and draws attention. This may be your first step towards creating your brand. Once you settle this, get a trademark or copyright your brand identity.
• How will you nurture your social media participation real-time? Social media networking is all about developing people relationships with the goal of garnering brand advocates ultimately to increase revenue. Your persona plays a vital role here. Give them a human face to interact with.
• What will be your tracking tool(s)? Keeping track of all online conversations about you or your brand is vital. Invest into one of the several tracking tools available online. Tracking web traffic, conversions, and repeat buyers are all part of this. Set up your key metrics to measure your success also. In my firm, we use at least 3 tracking tools.

The business world has only begun to scratch the surface of the power of the Internet and social media in marketing. The stage has been set and now is the time to plan and enter the arena of SMM. With your unique strategy you will be way ahead of your competitors and others who blindly enter because it is on the news and everywhere on the Internet where the talk is on. Be ready and you will attract prospects and increase your market base long before halftime. To get started, I highly recommend the business networking site LinkedIn.

Post from: SiteProNews: Webmaster News & Resources

Social Media Marketing Strategy: 6 dimensions to consider when you strategize

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The spending spree continues.

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Yesterday, I mentioned that I’m speaking on the morning roundtable at SES San Diego 2010. Later in the afternoon, I’m also speaking at the “YouTube & Video Optimization” session.

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How to get more blog traffic is the question of the hour. The number of websites in cyberspace has increased exponentially since the advent of the blog. Blogging itself is so easy, even many children host their own mini-sites! We’re talking more than a billions sites pushing and shoving for space. So how do you stand out in the crowd and actually attract a crowd?

First, determine the purpose for your blog and stick with it 100%. If you’re writing about homeschooling, then don’t deviate from the program and throw in your opinion about the economy or the latest Hollywood or political scandal. Keep your posts targeted to your niche, and you’ll attract folks who want to search your site for tips, tricks, ideas, and to see what you’re up to.

Secondly, write with all the personality you can muster. Don’t be boring. If you absolutely go brain dead one day and can’t think of one thing to post, find an inspirational YouTube video to share. Give folks a reason to come to your blog. Think of your visitors as real folks who might come to your home. Shine for them. Don’t allow them to snooze on your site!

Thirdly, post regularly. Put it on your calendar. Every Monday and Thursday, or once a week – whatever is best for you. But post consistently. It’s that discipline and consistency that will draw folks in over the long haul and keep them coming back.

Fourthly, consider how to get more blog traffic with sites like Twitter. Sign up for an account that’s only for your niche. Start off following others and you will gradually amass a following of people. The following isn’t good for anything though, unless you’re actually posting some good info. If you’re serious about getting traffic from Twitter, then log in to your account daily and make at least one helpful post. Never post wasteful information like “going beddy-bye”. Think in terms of giving, serving, being of assistance. That’s what will attract a crowd from the get-go.

Finally, link up your posts with your social networking sites like Facebook. You can set up your blog so that when you post, a notice goes out to your Facebook friends. I will often visit blogs of my friends, just to see what they’re up to. Many people, in an effort to gain more traffic, think of amassing thousands of visitors right off the bat and overlook the eager folks right in their own backyards!

Everyone wants to know how to get more blog traffic, but few actually take the time to put forth the effort to make it happen. You don’t need to invest a penny for quality traffic, but you do need to keep your blog hospitable and targeted. Reach out to the folks you already know and encourage them to share your posts on Facebook. You’ll find your traffic stats increasing within a few weeks!

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How to Get More Blog Traffic

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One of the saddest things that I witness day after day is affiliate marketers who really struggle to make sales. They send out email after email, promotion after promotion, yet often make very few sales.

This is not only sad, it’s also needless “practice bleeding.” Making affiliate sales is easy when you know the secret. It’s even very scientific and does have fairly predictable results.

Let’s look at what most affiliates are doing wrong, what I’ve termed “dumb affiliate marketing” and how that can be easily corrected.

Before I offend anyone, I should explain that when I use the word “dumb” I mean untargeted. I come from a military background, and I think of “dumb bombs.” Those are bombs that are dropped off of an airplane and they tumble unguided towards a target. They may or may not hit the target but once they are released they get no guidance.

A “smart” bomb often has a built in navigation system, and after it is dropped from an airplane it often flies a precise, pre-programmed route of flight to a target – often getting satellite GPS updates enroute. A smart bomb can be dropped from miles away, and be steered right though a window on a building that the pilot flying the aircraft never even sees.

Your affiliate marketing can be just as on-target when you acknowledge and harness just a little know-how.

Promoting an affiliate product no longer needs to be a gamble.

First of all, you need to tap into data that is readily available on which products are already selling. One source of this data is the blogs maintained during many affiliate sales contests. Monitor these to see how well a given product is selling, and to see if you want to invest your time and effort into setting up a protracted marketing campaign. You can market many of these products after the big initial launch is over – often with lessened competition.

I personally also rely upon my network of friends who readily share with each other which affiliate products are proven sellers. Many of us are members of a Facebook Group called “Affiliate Products Proven To Sell.” If you are on Facebook, you can join this group for free by registering at http://timic.org/APPTS

Many affiliates also struggle because they use marketing methods that are outdated, and simply no longer work. One newer method that works like CRAZY is using quality videos. You can now have CUSTOM videos created for you for under $50 each, and that includes professional voice talent. For that,

I personally use Jason Anderson’s team at: http://timic.org/ProVideos

These are not PLR videos. They are produced from scratch and are mini-commercials. Mine are 1-minute because, just like your audience, viewers of my videos have short attention spans. So, take a clue from the television industry. They’ve mastered getting the message across in 30 seconds to 1 minute. You need to do the same.

Another fact that you need to “get” – a fact most struggling affiliate marketers still refuse to acknowledge is that your promotion needs to be for just ONE product. If the purpose of a solo mailing or ezine issue is to promote a specific product, then just mention that ONE product in the email.

Without fail, when I’ve tried to promote multiple products in an email, even if they were all free, overall response rate significantly decreased. I think that it’s because when you promote several products in an email, it comes across as too desperate. Be laser focused rather than using the shotgun approach.

Many affiliate marketers fail to make sales because they promote something that they like rather than something customers are ALREADY buying. With so many great products out there, I do not believe in being the guinea pig. You should only promote affiliate products where the product owner has thoroughly tested market demand AND his conversion process.

It’s foolish to put time and effort into promoting unproven products when you can just pick the low-hanging fruit by offering your customers the products that they’ve proven to you that they want.

Given that often there are numerous affiliates for a product that’s a proven seller, you may need to differentiate yourself from all of the other affiliates. One easy way to do that is to offer a valuable, related bonus. I like using unique audio interviews or related courses as bonuses.

If you’ve taken the time to actually communicate with your subscribers and customers, your offer isn’t identical to that made by others marketing the same affiliate product anyway. Just the fact that it’s YOU, whom your clients have grown to know, like and trust, that’s marketing the product… makes it different. The difference is that purchasing through your affiliate link is less risky.

That is one of the key factors in smart affiliate marketing. Earn their trust and the sales come a lot easier. I actually have subscribers email me doing a big product launch ASKING for my affiliate link. Over the past 13 years, I have built that kind of customer loyalty. If you work at doing that, everything else will fall in place.

Now that you know the secret, it’s time to stop doing dumb marketing. If your sales aren’t what they should be start by looking at WHAT you are marketing. Is it something that your customers really want? If it is, then next look at HOW you are marketing it. Read back thought this article for tips on the profitable way to do that.

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The End Of Dumb Affiliate Marketing

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Five years ago in February 2005, according to legend, the idea of YouTube was born after Chad Hurley and Steve Chen experienced difficulty sharing videos that had been shot at a dinner party at Chen’s apartment in San Francisco.

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“Rebecca’s book is chapter-by-chapter gold for anyone who needs to understand how we find information on the Web.” Kevin M. Ryan, Motivity Marketing, Inc., and Chairman of Search Engine Strategies Advisory Board   In this book, leading search optimization expert Rebecca Lieb brings together more than 50 absolutely crucial facts and insights decision-makers must know to drive more web traffic through better search engine placement. The Truth About Search Engine Optimization doesn’t deliver abstract theory: it delivers quick, bite-size, just-the-facts information and plain-English explanations that executives, decision-makers, and even small business owners can actually use, no matter what kind of sites you’re running, or what your goals are.   You will learn how to set realistic goals for search optimization… attract qualified traffic, not just “any” site visitors… incorporate search engine optimization into both new sites and redesigns… write for us (more…)
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In honor of yesterday’s International Data Privacy Day, Google published its five privacy principles. They are:

1. Use information to provide our users with valuable products and services. Search history informs personalized search, but users can opt-out.
2. Develop products that reflect strong privacy standards and practices. For example, you can chat on Google Talk “off the record” so the conversation isn’t saved.
3. Make the collection of personal information transparent. Last year, the Google Dashboard was launched to show you what info Google is collecting on you.
4. Give users meaningful choices to protect their privacy. You can report privacy issues related to Street View. Google often blurs faces, for example.
5. Be a responsible steward of the information we hold. Google doesn’t sell data to other companies.

You can view the published web document on Google’s privacy principles here.

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