Continuing Saga of Search Engine Marketing

Social Media Marketing - This Year's Hottest Holiday Accessory

2009-11-10T09:55:00.006-05:00

The holiday season is approaching, fast. If you haven't stepped up your online efforts for the holidays yet, you're missing out. Being found on the first page of search engines is as important as ever, but there is so much more to the puzzle.

According to Forrester Research Inc., U.S. online sales are expected to rise 8 percent this holiday season. Forrester Research has stated that it anticipates online retail sales to reach $44.7 billion this month and next. That amount is an increase from $41.4 billion last year.

According to the Shop.org's eHoliday Study done by BIGresearch, there are many reasons why shopping online is so popular with customers. Here are just a few of the reasons customers find shopping online more convenient than in store...

Web sites are open 24 hours a day.
Search engines and online retail sites make it easier to compare prices.
Many companies are offering free shipping.
Online, there are no crowds or long lines to deal with.
It is easier to find specific items online.
Web sites and search engines offer better variety.
Companies offer email and online promotions that save customers money.

Though some expectations for this holiday season are high, the current economy and heightened competition between retailers has been a point of stress for most companies. Online sales continue to be an area where companies are seeing growth and promise. With so many retailers turning to online marketing, what have you done to set yourself apart from the crowd?

The Shop.org study asserts that 34.3% of retailers say they will offer their holiday deals earlier than usual. Companies offering these early discounts are looking to give customers an extra incentive to start their holiday shopping.

Free shipping is still an important holiday promotion retailers are using to be more appealing to the masses. The Shop.org study continues, 79.4% of online retailers will offer free shipping with conditions. 57.4% plan to offer free shipping without conditions. 35.7% said their budgets for free shipping are higher than last year. 30.0% said free shipping offers will start earlier than a year ago.

If you only use the same promotions and marketing strategies that you've used in the past, you will miss out. More companies than ever are turning to marketing initiatives in hopes of rising above their competition. The amount of companies using Free Shipping illustrates how important it is for your company to find new ways to draw in customers.

If you believe that your current Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing campaigns are enough, you may want to think about. According to the eHoliday Study, 47.1% of retailers surveyed will increase their use of Social Media Marketing for this holiday season.

Simply having that Facebook page, Twitter account or Blog just isn't enough anymore. The Shop.org study states:

60.3% of retailers said they have added to or improved their Facebook page.
58.7% of the retailers surveyed have enhanced their Twitter pages.
65.6% have created or made improvements to their Blogs and RSS Feeds.

With so many people recognizing the opportunities presented by Social Media Marketing, you have to step up your game to rise above the crowd. Have you brainstormed new ways to enhance your Social Media Marketing channels? Have you updated your accounts with all of your holiday season recommendations or products? What are you doing to establish yourself as an industry leader this holiday season?

Using the same old approaches to your holiday marketing just won't cut it anymore. Too many companies understand the value and potential of Search Engine Marketing and Social Media Marketing. You could miss out on crucial sales this year if you haven't started increasing and improving your online presence. Don't wait any longer. Look for new ways to set your company apart this holiday season.

Google AdWords Sitelinks - Now Available for Some Advertisers

2009-11-03T17:53:00.005-05:00

Google has long made it a point that they want pay per click campaigns to be as relevant and targeted as possible, especially since rolling out the Google AdWords Quality Score algorithm back in 2006. Google followed up on making the AdWords network even more relevant by adding geo-targeting, placement targeting and demographic targeting to help advertisers qualify potential customers even further. Google has extended their reach for relevancy and choice even further by Offering Ad Sitelinks to select advertisers (Ad Sitelinks will only appear for advertisers whose ads meet a certain high quality threshold). Some of you may already be familiar with Sitelinks as they have been showing in organic search queries for some time as you can see from 5-Hour Energy, one of E-Power Marketing's SEM client's search listings below.

As noted, Sitelinks will only be available to some advertisers whose ads meet a certain high quality threshold. E-Power does not currently have insight as how the "high quality threshold" is determined, but we believe it is tied to the Google AdWords Quality Score. E-Power has already noticed the new Ad Sitelinks feature within several of our accounts (See screen shot below). You can check to see if this option is available in your account by navigating to the campaign settings tab and looking for the "show additional links to my site" option. If you do not see this option, you may want to address your campaign's Quality Score.

How will AdWords Sitelinks Benefit My Campaign?

Presenting advertisers with multiple Sitelinks options will allow the user to go to the most relevant information in your site, display special offers (making it easier to update seasonal or promotion offers), or by allowing for deeper entry into the Conversion Funnel process.

What is Mobile Analytics

2009-11-03T11:50:00.004-05:00

The population of smart phones, PDAs, and similar technology is booming. The popularity of these technologies is causing an increase in the number of users accessing the Web using their mobile devices. This is creating both new challenges and new opportunities for Web site owners. When it comes to measurement of these users, basic analytics will not cut it. Mobile users don't behave the same way that stationary Web users do. And mobile phones do not necessarily work technologically the same way that stationary computers do. Traditional analytics platforms base measurement on Javascript and Cookies. Most mobile devices do not support Java, nor do they store cookies. Therefore, a different type of measurement is necessary. With the demand for additional measurement came the introduction of mobile analytics tools.

Mobile analytics tools are analytics for measuring mobile user behavior. They are designed to track mobile devices instead of stationary Web users. They track visitors to help you improve performance of your mobile presence, to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses, and to monitor goals. You can locate the country of origin in which the users are located, find out who their carriers are, as well as what model and make of phone they are using. This gives you a better understanding of your mobile visitors.

There are many benefits to understanding mobile users. For one, the mobile Web is becoming ever more popular. You don't want your competition to understand the mobile user better than you do. Understanding the differences in behavior between the mobile user and the stationary user can prove very beneficial. The two different users may spend their time on the same site looking for very different things and may behave very differently when on the site. Understanding this behavior is important for mobile marketing

There are also many challenges to mobile analytics. The most obvious one is that there are a myriad of different carriers, mobile devices, platforms, and support. All of this is mixed with multiple users, making for confusion and variances in data. The fact that users can go from their stationary computer to their phone for Internet access also causes variances in the data. For example, a user may be checking a local Blog, sees a link for a restaurant he wants to go to, then picks up his phone. He types the URL of the restaurant he visited right into the browser on his phone so he can use the map on the site to get to the restaurant. The problem here is that the visit to the site on his phone will not be counted as a referral. It will be counted as a direct visit, which leaves the data inaccurate for analysis.

There are a variety of mobile analytics solutions available to measure mobile Web use. A few of the more popular ones include Bango, Amethon, and Mobilytics. Google Analytics also offers a free option for measurement of the mobile Web. Each mobile analytics package works a little differently. Mobilytics, Google Analytics and Bango all require code to be placed on the pages of your website which is similar to Google Analytics. Amethon, measures using a different technology that allows measurement without log-file analysis or page tagging. Of course all of these solutions come at a cost, with the exception of Google Analytics. However, the benefits of these solutions may outweigh the benefits depending on your needs.

Though there are many challenges and benefits to mobile analytics, it is still a great option for getting a better understanding of mobile users. Like most analytics, it's not the individual data points that matter. It is the trends. Mobile analytics is still very new and always changing, and E-Power Marketing's certified professionals work to stay up-to-date on new developments in analytics tools.

Quick Tips for Your International Pay-Per-Click Campaigns

2009-10-28T09:15:00.003-05:00

Advertising to the international market can create huge growth for a business. But how do you ensure that budgets are being used effectively? The following tips will help you create a more effective international PPC campaign and help generate more conversions.

Translation - check, recheck, test, and tweak - When budgeting for an international PPC campaign, additional resources must be allotted to accurately write and translate your ads. A human translation is always the best, but can be expensive. Online translation machines work to a point. Using multiple translating machines to recheck text is better than using just one. Test your translated ads and edit as needed. Some examples of free online translation tools include Yahoo Babel Fish, Freetranslation.com, and http://translate.reference.com/.

Geo-Targeting - As mentioned in "Targeting Geo-Specific Keywords", researching the proper keywords and phrases is extremely important when crossing language and culture borders. The same geo-targeting importance applies to how your ads appear. As a worst-case scenario, imagine your Spanish ads are appearing on a Greek search engine results page. Not effective, right? Setting up ads to appear on proper results pages eliminates wasted impressions, thus improving your campaign's AdWords Quality Score. Having accurate and engaging keywords will place your ads in competitive positions.

Characters - Standard character length for Google AdWords text ads (including spaces) is a maximum of 25 characters for the headline, 35 characters for each line of ad text, and 35 characters for the display URL. For ads using non-Latin characters the limits may vary (e.g. Russian, Greek, and Hebrew). Ads in languages that use double-byte characters like Chinese, Japanese and Korean, are limited to 12 character headlines, 17 for each line of the ad text and 35 for the display URL.

Landing Pages - When you advertise in a different language, your Landing Pages should cater to those languages too. Allocate a budget to have foreign language Landing Pages created that fulfill the ad message and are easy to navigate.

Traditions and Customs - Knowledge of your target market's culture can be leveraged for minimum spend and maximum conversions during the campaign. For example, a Web site that sells widgets that are part of one culture's annual celebration each May should plan an advertising campaign that budgets more leading up to the event rather than letting general ads run throughout the year when no one is searching for the widgets. Google AdWords makes it easy to change bids, budgets, ad texts, etc. on the fly for reasons such as these.

Both domestic and international PPC campaigns need to be monitored and adapted regularly to stay competitive. Additional time invested at startup using these steps can pay large dividends when intriguing, effective ads drive potential customers to your site.

E-Power Marketing has worked with clients to create, test, implement, monitor, edit and evaluate successful international ad campaigns for clients which you can read more about under PPC Case Studies. E-Power also offers a free PPC analysis of current campaigns.

Tweet Easier!

2009-10-23T11:18:00.003-04:00

Twitter has exploded! If your business has not yet begun utilizing Twitter, you should. Instant feedback, brand building, thought leadership, networking and more, the list of benefits goes on and on. On the other side of things, a successful Twitter account takes resources. There is a lot of time and organization involved with an active Twitter account.

Who's following you? Did someone mention you? Who are you following that isn't following you back? What is being tweeted about your product or service? What grade does your Twitter account have? Keeping on top of your Twitter account takes organization and commitment. There are literally hundreds of various Twitter tools available to help you more effectively manage your Twitter profile. Below are just a handful of my favorites.

Twitter Clients
TweetDeck
HootSuite
Seesmic

Finding Tweeps to Follow
Twellow
Twibs
Twubble
MrTweet
WeFollow
Followformation
TweetCloud

Maintaining Followers
Friend or Follow
SocialToo
TwitterKarma
Twitoria

Twitter Searches
Twitter Search
Hashtags
Twazzup
Tweetmeme

Personal Twitter Statistics
TweetStats
TwitterCounter
Twitter Grader
twInfluence
Twitterholic
TweetPsych

Understanding Twitter Jargon
Twitterspeak
Twittonary

Happy Tweeting!

New Changes for Google Analytics Goals!

2009-10-22T17:04:00.002-04:00

Google has recently made some improvements to Analytics that are making many users very happy. The days of four goals per profile are over! This is just one of the new improvements that Google has made in Analytics.

You can now place up to 20 goals in a single profile on Analytics. These goals are then organized into 4 sets with 5 goals in each. You can add even move goals across sets (assuming there is room). This is an exciting new addition for all of those users who needed to create multiple profiles just to cover the goals they wanted to track. Moving all goals into a single profile can make reading reports significantly easier. However, remember if you move goals into a single profile that historical data does not transfer between profiles, so it is wise not to delete old profiles with historical data in them until you are finished with the data.

The sets are great because they can be organized any way you want. Organizing by business functions or different types of goals can make analysis that much easier. Since so many goals are now allowed, Google has also added goal tabs for each set of goals on the Analytics reports. This makes it easier to navigate through the reports into different sets of goals.

In addition to allowing more goals per profile, Google has also added new types of goals. You can now set goals based on how many pages are viewed in a single visit or for time on site. Both of these goals are set up so a user can set the number of visits or time on site to be greater than or less than some number. Time on site can be set to hours, minutes, seconds or a combination of the three. Number of pages per visit is set by any number of pages you choose.

It seems a little strange that you can set your goals to be less than a certain number, however, this is a great way to measure failure and can give you a great amount of insight on your site and its visitors. For example, you can set a goal for time on site to be less than 5 seconds and have a visual of how many visitors leave your site within 5 seconds. Then you can analyze other Google Analytics metrics and determine what action steps are necessary to help improve your site.

These new changes to Google Analytics have made it an even more efficient and user friendly way to monitor your website's performance!

E-Power Marketing's New Site Educates Web Site Owners about Search Engine Marketing

2009-10-16T10:14:00.002-04:00

E-Power Marketing's new Web site is live!

The site is loaded with content for Web site owners to educate themselves about current best practices of Search Engine Marketing. The information will empower Web site owners to choose more effective search marketers to partner with or to do the search marketing themselves with better results.

The Web site thoroughly covers Search Engine Marketing.

Want to understand the jargon? There is a Search Engine Marketing Glossary.

Want to know whether you are receiving effective Search Engine Marketing? Review How to Demand Truly Effective Search Marketing.

Want to know why Social Media Marketing is so Hot? Visit The Online Marketing Power of Social Media ? Web 2.0.

Are you unhappy with the results you are receiving from your Pay Per Click advertising budget? Then you need to read How can You Benefit from PPC Management and Optimization.

Do you want proper measurement of your search marketing efforts? Then learn about Google Analytics.

If you really want to capture the power of the Web to build your business, then you need to read Using a Blog to Build Search Visibility and Customer Relationships.

Are you looking for Search Engine Optimization tips? We have SEO tips based on current search engine algorithms.

Did you know that Google objects to many common Web development techniques? Many Web developers are not aware that some of these techniques cause problems with Google. If you want current information about how to build Web sites that will work well on Google and the other search engines, contact E-Power Marketing for a Free Guide to Developing Search Engine Friendly Web Sites.

E-Power Marketing's Web site has all this and more so you can use the Web and search engines to build a new competitive edge and fulfill your Web Site investment.

Blog Action Day 2009 - Climate Change

2009-10-15T09:34:00.012-04:00

Blog Action Day began in 2007 as a way for Bloggers from around the world to unite and inspire social change. In 2007, 20,000 Bloggers took to their Blogs and wrote about the Environment. Last year, E-Power Marketing joined this movement. Thanks to Blog Action day, our team addressed hunger in Winnebago County. Inspired by what we learned through our research, we held a food drive. The E-Power Marketing team collected 880 pounds of food and E-Power donated $880 to a local food pantry here in Oshkosh.

This year, the focus of Blog Action Day is on Climate Change. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Climate Change may result from natural factors. Climate Change can also be brought about by people, burning fossil fuels or reshaping landscapes. Though this is a hot topic today, it's one we really hadn't thought much about as a company. Thanks to Blog Action Day, we've taken the time to figure out where E-Power Marketing stands in terms of Climate Change. From what we do as a company to what we do as individuals, the E-Power team is striving to reduce our carbon footprint and our energy consumption to protect the environment for future generations.

At its core, Search Engine Marketing is a relatively green industry. The Internet is at the heart of SEM, and the technology that creates the need for Search Marketing also allows it to be environmentally friendly. Search Engine Marketing promotes products and services online, making more traditional (and wasteful) forms of advertising, such as printed collateral materials or print ads, less necessary. People are turning in their phone books for online directories, and they're searching online for the products they used to have to travel all over for. Search Engine Marketing allows people to live greener, and waste less time and energy.

At E-Power Marketing, we've embraced a green routine without ever thinking about it. At the office, we reduce our carbon footprint in the following ways:

Communication

We primarily connect with our clients via email or the telephone.

We have an open air office, so there is less need for memos and post it note messages.

Education

We attend Web seminars instead of traveling to conferences on a regular basis.

We take online classes, learning over the Web instead of traveling to campuses and printing lectures and notes.

We subscribe to email newsletters, and utilize industry RSS feeds to stay up to date on what's going on, rather than subscribing to newsletters through the mail or industry magazines.

Energy

Two walls of windows allow for natural light.

Lots of plants thanks to Andrea's green thumb.

Our computers are turned off every night to conserve energy.

We use the blinds and sun light for natural shade or warmth rather than adjusting the thermostat all the time.

Transportation

We have almost no business travel. Most of our work is done online or over the phone.

Two team members live within a few blocks of the office, and regularly walk or bike to work.

Carpool or walk to lunch outings and the rare off-site business meeting.

Recycling

Reusable water bottles and travel mugs.

Spam faxes used as scrap paper.

Our concern for the environment doesn't end when we leave the office. Through writing this blog post, I was able to talk with each E-Power team member to find out what they do at home that's good for the environment.

Larry - President, E-Power Marketing

We have researched and purchased cars with good gas mileage.

We installed an energy efficient boiler.

We have replaced our old windows with more energy efficient windows with better insulation.

We have incorporated fluorescent bulbs into our home instead of incandescent.

We recycle.

We have started to become more conscious of turning off lights and electronics when we leave the room.

We also mulch grass instead of sending clippings to a landfill and we have a compost bin. We don't use fertilizer or herbicides on the grass.

Michelle - CFO, E-Power Marketing

We utilize the reusable shopping bags on a regular basis for our shopping trips.

We buy and use "green" household cleaning products (we use Nature's Source brand) that are made from plant based, biodegradable cleaners.

We don't throw used batteries in the garbage, we hold on to them to take them to be properly disposed of. Our local fire department holds a "clean sweep" day annually where they collect batteries, paint cans, etc. We've also been using rechargeable batteries instead of buying new ones each time.

Recently we planted 2 trees in our yard.

We change light bulbs in our house to energy efficient bulbs.

We utilize reusable/washable water bottles when we're on the go instead of continuing to buy new plastic bottled water which creates more garbage.

My kids and I are also involved in a Playgroup and we are currently making crafts over the next few weeks using recyclables. We will be using empty paper towel rolls, Kleenex boxes, oatmeal canisters, yogurt containers and lids from tin cans. The items will all be used to make an instrument of some kind. For example, we will use the empty paper towel roll to make a trumpet and the Kleenex box to make a guitar. It's fun for the kids and good for the environment.

Andrea - Director of Search Engine Marketing

Every morning my 4 year old goes through the house and makes sure all the lights are off. She will also chew you out if she catches that you left a light on any other time too!

We recycle paper, plastic, and cans.

I have a huge vegetable garden where we grow our own food, and we purchase other vegetables and fruits from local farmers markets.

We use rechargeable batteries.

We have many flower beds and have planted various tree varieties throughout the yard. Apple, pine, balsam, plus others.

Nick Jr. has this project set up for kids. They show "Green Tips" all the time on Rianna's Noggin channel she is being exposed to great ideas so that she has a solid foundation in being environmentally friendly.

Justin - Manager of Search Engine Marketing

I am in the process of building a house, and I'm shooting for "an Energy Star qualified house." More expensive to build, but better for the environment and my pocket in the long run.

I'm using energy efficient windows.

I'll be installing an energy efficient furnace to save on electricity and on gas. Actually, it is going to be a "hybrid heat dual fuel split system".

I'm using propane as a gas.

I didn't alter the land for construction, and when the house is up, I will be planting more trees.

I will be buying all Energy Star appliances in November to take advantage of the governments "cash for appliance's program".

Adrian - Search Engine Marketing Specialist

Our apartment circulates hot water through the floors for heat.

Our shower head is low-flow, so it wastes less water, and we keep baths to a minimum, as it takes less water to shower than to take a bath.

I use a stainless steel water bottle instead of plastic, and I make coffee at home and bring it with me in a reusable travel mug rather than getting paper cups from coffee shops.

I shop at the farmer's market and other local shops as often as possible.

Weather permitting, I walk to work.

We donate our gently used clothes to others in need.

We unplug things when we aren't using them, from our phone chargers to the toaster; I've definitely seen a difference in the energy bill.

Craig - Search Engine Marketing Specialist

I recycle my coffee cup sleeves.

I walk to work.

I use reusable water bottles instead of a new glass that needs to be washed every time.

I use candles instead of leaving lights on throughout the apartment.

We recycle cans, glass, and paper.

At the apartment, we open windows when it's warm out, and we use blankets when cold, trying not to use the air/heat until absolutely needed.

Sara - Social Marketing Consultant / Web Analytics Specialist

We have Energy Star appliances to save on energy use:
- A washing machine that senses loads so that it only uses water it needs.
- An energy efficient dehumidifier that doesn't constantly run if it doesn't need to.
- Energy efficient ceiling fans.
- An energy efficient chest freezer.
- The toilets and shower heads that save on water are our next purchases.
We use a mixture of disposable and reusable diapers to reduce the amount of diapers that go into landfills. We also buy some diapers that are biodegradable so they don't stay in the landfills forever.

We recycle all cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum etc.

We drink out of reusable water bottles, and we drink filtered water from the refrigerator instead of using plastic water bottles.

We use solar path lights up to the house so we don't need to turn the lights on to get into the house.

We use our phones to write lists sometimes so that we don't need to use any paper.

We use Eco-friendly light bulbs.

Natalie -Social Marketing Intern

We wash in cold water as often as possible and hang dry all most all of our laundry.

We recycle.

We try to use reusable bags at the store as often as possible.

We don't get any paper bills. We use companies' online services and email reminders instead.

We car pool to campus when we can.

The dishwasher is set to energy saver, and we hand dry the dishes instead of letting the dishwasher go through the heated dry cycle.

I run or walk outside, instead of on a treadmill.

Blog Action Day has inspired us to focus on what we do at the office and at home to take care of the environment. We have learned tips and tricks from one another so that we can each be more environmentally friendly at home. We'd love to hear from you too, leave a comment and let us know what you do to take care of the environment, or leave us a green tip that we could use at the E-Power office or at home!

User Reviews: An Integral Part of Your Social Marketing Program

2009-10-08T14:30:00.003-04:00

Social Marketing is becoming more and more prominent everyday in the online marketplace. Potential customers are using the Web to research products, talk to one another about them, and to communicate with the companies or organizations offering the products. With all of the review sites available, reviews are becoming not only valuable, but in some cases necessary for success. Regardless of whether the reviews are good or bad, they still have the ability to drive traffic to your site and to increase sales.

Consumers like to interact with companies as well as other consumers about their possible purchases. User Reviews provide an outlet for these consumers to communicate. Consumers crave information, and these days the more information they can get, the better. Information from other consumers is more valuable than information from sellers or companies. Ratings sites open these lines of communication. Consumer-to-consumer communications are proving valuable to companies.

Social platforms such as Facebook now include a review application that can be added to Fan pages. Take advantage of this as a great option to learn what your consumers are saying about your products. Review sites like RateItAll and Epinions are also a great place to start when it comes to reviews. Products and services are organized by category and can be accessed by anyone who registers. They allow open discussion among consumers who have used or purchased products or services. They allow consumers to rate the product or service. Along with the rating, consumers can give a candid explanation of the product or service without feeling biased. In today's market, reviews are like publicity; "all publicity is good publicity". Even bad reviews are helping to increase sales and traffic to your site.

Basically, reviews provide a social platform for discussion among consumers. In the age of Web 2.0, this is an important part of online marketing success. Making it easy for your consumers to review your products increases the value or your site. Encourage your consumers to review your products, whether good or bad. Not only will you learn things that you can change to make your products better, you will also increase your sales and profitability.

What Can You Do for Working Moms?

2009-10-01T13:39:00.005-04:00

A recent study published by Scarborough Research illustrates the importance of Working Moms and your online marketing campaign. The study utilized more than 220,000 adults nationwide and defined the term "Working Mom" as ?Women who are employed full-time and have one or more children in the household?. The study was done to establish an understanding of the Working Mom's lifestyles, including demographics, shopping habits and media behaviors.

According to the Scarborough study, there are approximately 21.6 million Working Moms in the United States. They account for roughly 9% of the adult U.S. population, and 18% of all the women in the country. 43% of women in the United States fall into the "Working Mom" category. This is a huge group of consumers, have you been focusing on earning their business online?

Who are we looking at when we discuss Working Moms? This group is largely made up of women in their 30's and early 40's, with a 4-year college degree or higher, and making, on average $81,900 per year. From the necessities of food and clothes to life's little luxuries and beyond, Working Moms are responsible for providing for their families. The Scarborough research delves into how Working Moms shop for food, clothing and technology and gives key insights into how this group takes care of their homes.( "QUICK FACT: Moms spent $3,334 on home improvements during the past year.") From how much they're spending, to which stores they're spending their money at, this research gives a great look into the mind of the Working Mom.

Working Moms carry a lot of the responsibility of shopping and providing for their families, but they also take some time to focus on themselves as well. With an exhausting lifestyle that includes a full time job, raising children, taking care of the home and more, one may assume that a day off would mean a day of rest, but that's not the case according to the Scarborough research. Many Working Moms prefer to be active when it comes to their free time. From Day Spas to Health Clubs, this is most definitely a very active group of Women.

You may have long suspected that the Working Mom is an important audience to target with your marketing. Now that you know a little more about then, let's look at how they spend their time online:

Top Categories Working Moms use online:

Coupon Sites

Local Event Listings

Online Yellow Pages

Employment Search Web sites

Bill Payment Sites

Music Sites

Real Estate Sites

Top Categories Working Moms purchase online:

Toys and Games

Movie Tickets

Health and Beauty Items

Clothing

Accessories

Pet Supplies

Groceries and Food

Flowers

Office Supplies

So, what does this mean for you and your business? Thanks to the Scarborough research, you now know that there is an audience of almost 22 million customers out there, with higher than average incomes, control over family and personal spending with the ability to influence the preferences of their children and spouses. That sounds like a pretty important target audience to me. You know how they are spending their time and money online, so how do you market your brand on those sites?

What can you offer the Working Mom that could improve the quality of life for her and her family? How can you market yourself as a solution to her busy lifestyle? Can you save her money or time? Do you offer a product or service that can improve the health of her family? What are you doing to promote your company through the mobile channels the Working Mom most often uses?

There are a lot of options for targeting the Working Mom online. From Social Media Marketing on active blogs and social networks, to offering discounts on popular Coupon Web sites, you have options. Have you checked your listings on the online yellow pages recently? You may need to update your information. Advertise your job openings on the important area Employment Web sites, you may find your next great employee, or at least get your brand name out there where the Working Mom is spending her time online.

Come up with new ways to reach this large demographic, and you'll be reaching an important and sometimes undervalued group of spenders. Utilize the Working Moms in your company to come up with creative ways to market your brand. Turn your attention to the online habits of these women, and you'll know how to better spend your marketing budget. Don't wait, as the school year gets underway, and the holidays are rapidly approaching, now is a great time to focus on turning Working Moms into customers.

5 Free Online Research Tools - SEM Back to Basics Tip #8

2009-09-25T11:43:00.004-04:00

The power of research is endless when it comes to search engine marketing. Not only can you see what your competitors are doing, but what gaps your business may be missing as well. There are countless free tools available that provide you with data within seconds. From search positions to traffic to conversations on Social Media Web sites, the info is all there. The question is, how your business will use this information?

Here are 5 of my favorite free online research tools:

http://www.spyfu.com/
Spyfu allows you to lookup a domain and view both organic and pay per click details. Organic keywords and rankings, keywords being targeted on Google AdWords, estimated spending on Google AdWords as well as organic and PPC competitors. Spyfu is free, however if you subscribe (paid) you can view a larger set of key phrases and stats than the free version.

http://www.twazzup.com/
Are you on Twitter? Are your competitors on Twitter? Whether you are or not, you should research and see if your company and products are being discussed on Twitter. If they are, then you should start building a presence on Twitter and take advantage of the direct line of communication you can create with your customers. If your audience isn't there yet, chances are they will be sooner than later. Twazzup is a free tool monitoring conversations on Twitter. Type a phrase or domain in and see the latest activity surrounding that topic or URL.

http://www.whostalkin.com/
Social Media is exploding, so stay tuned in to what others are discussing in regards to your industry, business and competitors. Whostalkin allows you to enter a key phrase or URL and search various News sources, Photo Web sites, Videos, Forums and more from one interface. The biggest mistake a company can make is not monitoring what is being said and taking advantage of creating relationships with customers and potential customers.

http://www.compete.com
Compete will provide you with general traffic estimates for Web sites. They are not 100% accurate however the overall trends typically are. So the next time you get a weird link request for some new directory, go check it out on Compete and really see if it's as great as they say it is. Compete is free. Create a free account and you are able to use a few more features than without the account.

http://www.google.com/alerts
Google Alerts allows you to get alerts when Google discovers news, links, or content around your chosen key phrases or domains. You have the ability to have alerts delivered through email (daily, weekly or as it happens) or a RSS Feed. Set up Google Alerts for your domain to track new links as well as your competitors. You also should create alerts on your most important key phrases as well as other industry terms to monitor the buzz of the industry.

A Season of Change...

2009-09-22T14:15:00.003-04:00

Autumn is here and as the days are growing shorter, and temperatures are dropping, it's time to say good bye to summer for another year. As much as I'll miss the heat and sun, fall is my favorite season. The colors of the leaves, the crisp fall air, it's hard to ignore all the changes going on outside. As the seasons change, why not take a minute and look over your Web site to see what changes you can make this season?

How long has it been since you read through the content on your Web site? Too often, content is outdated, making your Web site look unprofessional. Check the dates in your content. Make sure you reference current information. Review your company information for changes in personnel and contact information. Make sure everything on your Web site is up to date and relevant. While you're checking for outdated information, keep an eye out for misspellings as well.

Nothing dates a Web site like old images. Stock photo services are easy to use and relatively inexpensive, but can give your Web site a fresh new look in no time. Don't forget about the Alt IMG tags. The Alt IMG tag allows you to input alternative text if the image is not available to users, and to describe the image to search engines. Use an optimized Alt Image tag with relevant keywords for the most benefit.

Why not develop some new content for your Web site this month? Create an informative, resourceful page that will educate your audience, and help to establish you as an industry leader. Contact your Search Engine Marketing firm for great recommendations on what kind of content will work best for your Web site. No Search Marketing firm? Check out the E-Power Marketing's Linkbait article for some more general suggestions.

The search engines reward Web sites that consistently revise or add to the content on their Web site. Blogs are an important tool for increasing search visibility when well written, optimized posts are added regularly. Have you looked at your Blog recently? How often do you post to it? Publishing at least one new post every week is a great goal to shoot for. Already posting once a week? Why not try to do more. The more optimized content you publish, the better your chances are of getting top positions for the keywords that matter to you.

There is never a bad time to update your online presence. Turn a critical eye to your Web site, and figure out what you changes you can make before the snow starts to fly. Whether you have a few minutes or a few hours, you can easily make updates to your Web site that may make a big difference to your potential customers.

Alt IMG Tags - How Blind Spiders See Your Images

2009-09-16T16:34:00.006-04:00

Would you consider your Web site to be visually appealing to your visitor? Is it heavy in graphics, photos and colorful displays that catch the eyes of your customer and make them want to proceed on and click through to other pages? For SEO having a dazzling Web site that features all the bells and whistles can be a great tool to keep visitors there and possibly returning, but this could cause a problem with how they get to your site from search engines.

Search engine spiders are blind when it comes to images and graphics - they can only see text. When a spider crawls your site, it's indexing it based upon the pages' text and not the hi-def photos that give it the visual appeal. This is why SEO gurus say "content is king." A page that has little to no text, but stunning images that may be relevant to a search, is not going to seen by the robots, which means it wont be seen in the search results.

It's not to say that images are bad. They can actually be made to work to your advantage. The simplest way to enhance your site's search visibility with images is to add an Alt IMG Tag. The Alt IMG Tag is placed within the HTML code as a description for an image or graphic. This is the text that appears when you run your mouse over a photo.

Much the same for search engine robots, Alt IMG attributes identify and describe images for the visually impaired through text-to-voice software. By not using Alt IMG attributes you could be missing out on making conversions with qualified customers because the pages are not completely described and seem to be irrelevant to their search.

Search engines index Alt IMG Tags. So they can contribute to the relevancy of a page by providing search engine spiders with additional information. But don't spam Alt Tags by stuffing them with keywords. Accurately and naturally describe the image using relevant keywords. Keep this in mind the next time you're reviewing or designing your Web site.

Google AdWords - How About Total Control Over Geo-Targeting?

2009-08-27T10:59:00.007-04:00

Recently E-Power discovered that one of our client's Google AdWords programs which we specifically Geo-Target to California was receiving impressions and clicks from outside the designated target area. This was taking place when a geo-specific qualifier was added to the search query.

For example, E-Power only wanted to serve ads for a law firm practicing in California to potential clients in California. Since the client is only licensed in California, out of state leads are not beneficial to them. Thus, any out of state traffic was of no benefit.

Based on solid key phrase research, testing and the fact that the client in question only does business in California, this geo-targeting-based query parsing is having a less than positive effect on the overall campaign in terms of wasted money and lowering of the overall Quality Score. Let me elaborate.

As a Business - The client in question only does business in California and as I stated above, outside leads are not beneficial.

Quality Score - is affected as impressions are accumulated outside of the practice area. Since Google adds the qualifier under the ad copy (in this case California), the Click Through Rate for the ads will be extremely low, thus lowering the overall Quality Score for the particular search phrase. In the end, this caused the client to pay more for what they thought was a well targeted campaign focused on California.

Wasted Money - Combine the two points above.

Now this geo-targeting example may not be a problem for all advertisers, but in this case it was. Don't get us wrong, E-Power realizes that some advertisers may see a benefit from these extra searches as a lack of research or uncertainty of influence outside the targeted region may play a factor.

The solution - leave the feature on as a default setting so that inexperienced advertisers have the potential to capture these extra leads. But for advanced search marketers who have done the due diligence in testing and research, give us an option to turn it off.

E-Power Marketing and the Oshkosh Community Pull Together to Save the Grand Opera House

2009-08-26T15:09:00.005-04:00

On Tuesday Aug. 25 the Oshkosh Common Council welcomed an oversized crowd of community members for a meeting to discuss the future for one of the city's gems, the Grand Opera House. The council listened to dozens of supporters, including E-Power Marketing President Larry Stopa, as they shared memories of times at the Grand and asked for the city's financial backing to help fund the needed repairs and to save a landmark.

Larry shared his stories which included relocating to Oshkosh because of the quality of life those locations and activities like the Grand Opera House have created in Oshkosh.

"The community has and will continue to support the Grand financially," Larry said. "But tonight, we need you to take responsibility and repair the property the city owns."

Recently E-Power Marketing donated $1,000 to the "Grand for the Grand" fundraising effort that answered a challenge by Oshkosh Mayor Paul Esslinger for private donors to help defray costs to taxpayers. Even Larry's 10 year-old son Casimir and 12 year-old daughter Pearl gave their support at the meeting and donated birthday money.

With a show of community backings both financially and emotionally, the council voted unanimously to approve almost $2 million to fund the needed repairs and renovations to the 1880s-era opera house.

In the Oshkosh Northwestern's top story, Council unanimously passes resolution to fund Grand renovations, former Oshkosh Mayor Steve Hintz said it's a vote for the next 100 years. E-Power is happy to say that it had a part in saving this unique city location and looks forward to the renovations to be completed, because we all know that the show must go on.

E-Power Donates a Grand for the Grand

2009-08-21T11:57:00.006-04:00

E-Power Marketing donated one-thousand dollars to the Grand Opera House in our home town of Oshkosh, Wis. The donation was made to the fundraising effort "Grand for a Grand" to get local businesses to raise money and help save a city landmark and community gem that might be lost due to needed funding for repairs.

The 1880s-era opera house has been closed since March of this year due to structural problems with the roof and auditorium. The cost of the repairs has been estimated to be $1.7 million. The state of Wisconsin has set aside $500,000 to help offset the costs and recently the Grand Opera House Foundation offered $250,000 in community donations and increased tickets fees. This leaves around $1 million left to be funded by the city of Oshkosh, which could be too much for the Oshkosh Common Council members and Mayor Paul Esslinger. They would like to see the community come up with $600,000 to match the city's contribution. This is where the effort "Grand for a Grand" was sparked.

Although the response has been great for the community's combined effort to raise the final funds, time is running out. The Oshkosh Common Council is scheduled to hold a vote on August 25th and is looking to see private organizations like "Grand for a Grand" come forward with contributions to offset the impact on taxpayers. Donations are still being accepted by a number of places in Oshkosh, including Glass Nickel Pizza Co. located on Murdock Ave. and AtomicKatz on Waugoo Ave. downtown. Money collected will not only secure a city historical marker from being lost, but donations will be put towards upkeep costs and help reduce ticket fees placed on performances in the future.

Social Media Marketing is on the Rise

2009-08-14T14:33:00.005-04:00

The Association of National Advertisers partnered up with BtoB Magazine and 'mktg' to conduct an online survey entitled "Harnessing the Power of Newer Media Platforms for More Effective Marketing" in June of 2009. 172 client-side marketers responded to the survey, and the results are really interesting. The survey illustrates that Social Media Marketing is truly becoming a mainstream marketing method. This information is important for brands that are hesitant about allocating budgets toward Social Media Marketing. With so many businesses making the shift, are you going to be found online, or will Social Media users connect with your competition instead?

The results of the ANA survey indicate that marketers are quickly adopting social media marketing tactics. In fact, the study released states that social media marketing, including video sharing services has enjoyed the highest increase in popularity among those surveyed this year.

Social Media is fast becoming a conventional form of marketing. According to the survey, 66% of the marketers surveyed used social media marketing this year. In 2007 only 20% of marketers used social media. That's a big jump in just two years. Where is the money for Social Media Marketing budgets coming from? Over 50% of the marketers surveyed reported that Social Media Marketing funding has come from their previous media budgets. Just under 50% of the respondents reallocated funds from their marketing communications budgets.

Though some marketers are anxious about the "new" social media trend, the majority recognize it as an important and successful marketing opportunity. The top Web sites used by those surveyed for the ANA study can be found in the chart below.

B-to-B? B-to-C? Do the results differ?

You bet they do. Just as E-Power Marketing has said all along, not every Social Media outlet is good for every company. To effectively utilize social media marketing, one must know their company?s target and the SMM opportunities available. For example, from the survey: "LinkedIn rates first among b-to-b marketers while Facebook is top among b-to-c. Interestingly, Twitter is used more by b-to-b marketers (70%) than b-to-c marketers (46%)." Knowing where your audience is online is major part of making Social Media Marketing work for your brand.

Into the Future...

So far, 2009 has proven to be a good year for Social Media Marketing. Social networks and video sharing Web sites have been the most popular, but what will happen next? According to the ANA survey, blogs will be the next social media format to rise on the list for all marketers, followed by mobile marketing. Many b-to-b marketers are also interested in beginning to use podcasts.

The ANA survey illustrates how important Social Media Marketing is becoming to brands today. More and more companies are embracing this form of marketing, making it more important than ever for you to take a step back, look at your own marketing campaign, and find a way to work Social Media Marketing in. The gap will continue to increase between those brands that utilize Social Media Marketing, and those that don't. Where will your company fall?

Take Advantage of Google Webmaster Tools - SEM Back to Basics Tip #7

2009-08-13T10:08:00.003-04:00

Google Webmaster Tools provides a great deal of insight into your Web site's online visibility on Google. Not to mention the vast amount of data it provides regarding what Google's search bots find crawling and indexing your Website. You will know about any errors (broken links, XML errors, etc.) that Google is finding. Take advantage of the direct information Google provides you about your Web site such as backlink reports. Although not a complete list of all the backlinks to your Web site, it does give a good baseline to measure from.

Within Google Webmaster Tools you can also view crawl dates, any content issues, internal link counts, set your preferred domain, top search queries, HTML suggestions, XML errors, set a geographic region by country and the list goes on.

More times than not, someone will go through the simple process of verifying Google Webmaster Tools and submitting a XML feed, never to login in again. If you have a Google Webmaster Tools account, be sure to at the very least login monthly and review any errors. If you don't have an account, we strongly recommend you create an account and verify your Web site.

Don't let this valuable information go to waste! Remember, your online presence is at risk.

Why is My SEO Not Working?

2009-07-30T10:48:00.005-04:00

Because successful search engine optimization needs a search engine-friendly Web site filled with quality content.

What if you have a search-friendly Web site and strong content, yet search visibility is still elusive?

Then you need to remember that SEO is not a commodity. SEO is not something that works right out of the box. It's a process, not a product. That means multiple steps need to be taken while progress is made over time.

From my perspective, the vast majority of companies and individuals who claim they can do SEO cannot do it effectively. That is because they either use some form of automated out of the box system or are not expert at the process.

Let me tell you a story.

Recently E-Power Marketing lost a client whom we have supported for the last two years.

E-Power Marketing established first-page Google search positions for the client's most frequently searched and relevant phrases. This took some doing as the market is quite competitive. Traffic and sales were excellent.

In February the client informed us that it was going to launch a new Web site in four days. The client did not tell us it had a site in development. Had we been involved in the development process, E-Power probably could have prevented the disaster.

The new site had critical search-friendliness problems. It did not include the quality content that we used to establish the top search positions on the old site. The Web developer claimed the search-friendliness issues could not be fixed and the content could not be added.

The new site launched, despite our warnings. Search positions and traffic soon dropped. Three months later, the client terminated us and the Web developer.

The client hired a new Web developer who claimed SEO expertise. The developer promptly fixed the search-friendliness issues and attempted to follow our content recommendations. However the developer poorly implemented the content for SEO. Consequently search positions and traffic dropped even further.

By choosing the second Web developer to do the SEO, the client lost more money in sales than had they paid E-Power Marketing to regain the lost search visibility.

Don't forget that SEO is not a commodity. Thoroughly educate yourself about SEO when you are seeking to hire a partner so you can judge whether whom you are considering can get the job done. Those who do not implement SEO every day are easy to eliminate from consideration.

Foremost, successful search engine optimization requires a partnership between you and your agency.

Also see:

What's good for Humans is good for Google

Why Different Types of Search Engine Optimization Do Not Work"

"Gaming" Search Engines to Win Ranking assures You Lose

Free SEO Information is Inadequate and Often Wrong

Why Your Web Developer Should Not Implement Your SEO

Segmenting Google AdWords by Hour in Google Analytics - Tip #7

2009-07-29T10:57:00.007-04:00

Within the past couple months Google has offered up a slew of new reporting features via Custom Reports. One new feature segments Google AdWords activities by time of day. I have been griping about not being able to track hourly traffic for some time. The feature is finally available, albeit it not within Google AdWords as I would have liked, but within Google Analytics.

This Custom Reporting feature within Google Analytics allows you to segment marketing campaigns by time of day, allowing you to assess your AdWords budget (or any other campaign for that matter) by conversions, spend and hour of day. This makes the day parting (ad scheduling) feature from AdWords that much better. Not only can you pick what time of day and set costs by time of day, but you can now analyze your conversion by time of day! This custom report can also be setup to analyze your PPC campaigns for Yahoo Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter and any other online advertising tool that lets you use day parting.

Below is a screenshot of one way to set up this custom report, allowing you to see conversion by time of day.

How will this help my search marketing program?

Since Google AdWords hourly reports are not available for conversion tracking, this new Analytics custom report allows you to refine your budget based on actual measurable ROI.

For example, if you are converting more during a certain time period then you could utilize advanced ad scheduling to raise bids during only this time period. The opposite is also true, performing poorly during a certain time period, then lower your bids with advanced ad scheduling. You can use advanced ad scheduling to set up to six separate bids throughout the day.

Targeting Geo-Specific Keywords

2009-07-21T14:15:00.010-04:00

As suggested in the previous blog post "Target Keywords Your Market Searches - Not What You Think They Search", putting yourself in your audiences' shoes is necessary to accurately identify which phrases are best to target. In most cases the proper key phrases include targeting both industry-specific jargon and simplistic, everyday lingo that can differ from region to region. To fully optimize a site and gain the greatest search results, knowledge of different spellings and uses of words will only help companies that do business outside of their local area.

As a quick demonstration of why it's crucial to make the effort to identify word variants, take a company that sells its products exclusively in the U.S. The company has a team of proactive online marketers who have created, maintained and updated a list of targeted keywords which have generated great search results.

The business now wants to expand across the pond into the U.K. They know the demand for their products is there, but after some time search results have not gained a foothold. Why the difference? Both are English-speaking countries so the language barrier shouldn't be an issue. The problem: chosen keywords may not be search-friendly because of a difference in spelling or use.

Here are some simple examples. In America cars have four tires, but in Britain they run on tyres. When you want to see a movie in the states you go the theater. In London, you would visit a theatre. Does this product come in many different colors or colours?

Although miniscule in the grand scheme of things, these varying spellings can have a debilitating effect on search results generated from one location to another. This is where thorough research and professional copywriting come together for SEO. When researching keywords there will be different search frequencies for variations of one word, and these alternatives should not be overlooked because keywords are not always appropriate for all markets.

Maintaining awareness of how your customers use targeted phrases in all locations is important when drafting new copy for your pages. By putting yourself in your customers' shoes and finding the correct spellings and uses for target phrases, you're practicing top SEO behavior/behaviour.

Mobile Web Taking Over?

2009-07-13T09:55:00.005-04:00

Recently, I came across an article that really got me thinking. The headline read: "iPhone Users Pick Mobile Web Over Newspapers" While this didn't really surprise me, it sparked my interest. What really got my attention though, was the chart within the article.

With over 30% using their mobile web more than television, over 40% using it more than their radio, and almost 60% using it more than newspapers, it's easy to see how important it is to be marketing online.

The original study from MediaPost states that a total of 7,302 iPhone users were surveyed for this report, with all results tested for statistically significant differences at the 95% confidence level. There are definitely more that 7,302 people out there logging onto the internet from their iPhones, and the iPhone is definitely not the only tool capable of accessing the mobile web. There is a large audience out there utilizing the Internet from their phones, and they are choosing it over other forms of information sources.

While this is certainly important for television and radio stations, newspapers and magazines, it's also pretty important stuff for any business. You can't rely solely on the more traditional forms of advertising anymore. They're just not keeping up with the Internet. What are you doing to remain competitive? What forms of marketing are you depending on? Are you going to be found online, or are you just going to sit back and fade away?

LocalAdLink traffic dropped 1/3rd in June

2009-07-09T11:14:00.003-04:00

LocalAdLink is generated less traffic in June 2009 compared with May. Compete estimates LocalAdLink had only 276,147 visits in June. This is the lowest total of visits since January. See
http://siteanalytics.compete.com/localadlink.com/

The drop in traffic is likely due to LocalAdLink not having money to pay third party sites to display its ads. LocalAdLink ads that once appeared can no longer be found. This is due to either the advertisers not using LocalAdLink any longer or LocalAdLink not supporting its advertisers with ads on sites besides those controlled by Beyond Commerce.

See From The Lips of the Master.

Also see

LocalAdLink - Is this unknown search directory worth advertising on?

LocalAdLink is for the Greedy to Take from the Gullible

LocalAdLink reps optimize for "LocalAdLink scam"

LocalAdLink Scam is Collapsing

E-Power Marketing turns 11 years old!

2009-07-02T14:57:00.002-04:00

Yes! E-Power Marketing is officially a Tween!

Back in July 1998 Google did not exist. Today it is head and shoulders above the others, and is by far the most important search engine.

Staying current with search marketing to maintain client satisfaction has never been easy. Today it continues to become more challenging.

Search marketing has grown incredibly complex. Though on-site search optimization has stabilized due to the no-nonsense algorithms of Google, off-page factors that influence search visibility are changing rapidly. Web directories had long been the cornerstone of in-bound linking. Today most free directories are ignored, viewed as not important by Google.

Instead links established by Web users have become important. This has made Social Media Marketing highly effective for improving natural search visibility, especially on Google.

Social Media Marketing is growing ever more complex with new social sites and applications. Twitter has become a powerful marketing tool. Facebook is great for interacting with friends - and to interact with your customers. LinkedIn provides terrific networking opportunities. MySpace, Digg, Delicious, Stumbleupon, Mixx and thousands of other Social sites provide platforms for effective promotion and marketing. Each has its own application in online marketing. Each requires its own strategy for successful implementation. Each creates pitfalls for businesses that do not use them properly.

The Web is more important than ever for both consumer and business-to-business marketing. Companies that have ignored search marketing, implemented ineffective or inconsistent search marketing are now in the position of serious catch-up if they are to remain competitive.

With search marketing growing ever more important to business competitiveness, demand is growing rapidly. This is attracting more companies claiming to offer search marketing. As search marketing is so complex and requires well-honed skills built through experience, few of these new "search marketers" are effective.

Search marketing scams have been common throughout the history of search marketing. As demand grows and few really understand the intricacies of search marketing, more scams backed with sophisticated marketing schemes but without substance are emerging. Watch out for Search Marketing scams to avoid.

I look forward to the growth of E-Power Marketing and online marketing for many years to come. The challenges offer limitless satisfaction.

And you can't beat a job where you sit all day surfing the Web.

LocalAdLink Scam is Collapsing

2009-06-29T14:10:00.002-04:00

If any of you wonder why I have put so much energy into exposing the LocalAdLink scam and warning those considering LocalAdLink, refer to this comment from Blogger Kira_la on LocalAdLink - Is this unknown search directory worth advertising on

> "The $700 I invested may not seem like much to some people, but as a single mom, it makes me sick thinking about how many groceries I could have purchased with that and new school shoes. When I signed up for LAL I made sacrifices to do so because I wanted to improve my kids' lives and better our family financial future. Instead, I made things worse.

> "There have been times over the last few months that I have not wanted to go on. The stress from having my hopes dashed and the disappointment I feel from letting my children down is more than I can take. I see the big corporate people at LAL talking about how successful it is without actually backing it up. It makes me sick."

The LocalAdLink scam makes me sick.

Kira_la, I wish you the best of luck finding new ways to support your family. Your energy and enthusiasm will pay off with a company that provides a legitimate product or service. Unfortunately, LocalAdLink does neither.

Fortunately, LocalAdLink's false advertising is catching up with it. The LocalAdLink scam is in the process of collapsing.

See:
Another One Bites The Dust
http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_B/threadview?m=tm&bn=93151&tid=645&mid=645&tof=1&frt=2

> "This will be the last email from this member site and the site will be shut down effective immediately.

> The reason for this decision is based on the following observations that are ProAdLink's opinion.

> 1. Checks are nearly a month behind AGAIN with some top producers reporting being owed as much as $10,000 or more in commissions.

> 2. No real live customer or rep support via telephone. Reports from the field are not good with regards to the new CRM. They still produce canned replies and nothing gets handled in a timely manner as promised.

> 3. Most important, the ads themselves are not giving a real, tangible return on investment to the endline user. The "geo targeting" is not accurate (ads pulled via an IP address 90 miles away is not local).

> The above three bullets are ProAdLink's opinion and you are free to decide whether or not you agree. But ProAdLink will no longer endorse LocalAdLink until these matters are resolved.

> Checks must go out on time and not bounce.

> Customers and Brand Builders must be able to pick up the phone and resolve issues with a support rep.

> You must be able to sell an ad to any small business in any town in the country and be able to show the business owner how he has benefited from that ad. The benefit would be real local people coming into his establishment from finding the ad online.

Apparently ProAdLink was one of the largest sellers of LocalAdLink. That they no longer endorse or will work with LocalAdLink is quite revealing about how LocalAdLink takes the money and returns nothing.

ProAdLink's Web sites have been taken offline:
www.proadlinkteam.com
www.training.proadlink.info

Also see:
LocalAdLink reps optimize for "LocalAdLink scam"

LocalAdLink is for the Greedy to Take from the Gullible

Search Marketing Scams to Avoid

LocalAdLink traffic dropped 1/3rd in June

Bye-bye, LocalAdLink. Do your executives have enough money left for attorneys?