I really enjoyed Andy Beal’s Competitive Intelligence presentation, which included a set of slides that are embedded below. The focus was on researching competition online and seizing opportunities for gaining an edge. Here are my notes from the presentation:

• Make sure you’re monitoring your competition in the news for new product releases, features, media spotlights, and opportunities for blog exposure. What new features can you implement that will beat your competition? Where are they getting quoted, and which bloggers are willing to praise their products or services? Try to take advantage of what they’re doing well, and do the same, or better.
• If you find your competitors’ customers ranting about them online, use it to your advantage. You can poach unhappy clients, promote better alternatives, or make improvements to your products or services that will serve this community better. And if they are satisfied, they might do positive word of mouth promoting for you, doubling the damage to your competitors.
• Follow what your competitors’ employees are saying online. One great tip is to create a private Twitter list for each of your competitors — this will ensure your competition won’t know you’re secretly spying on them. “Loose lips sink brands,” as Andy says. Keep an eye out for damaging evidence, or employees who brag unknowingly. You can also use it as a method for sniping your competition’s best and brightest!
• Is your competitor listing new jobs? If so, you can learn if they’re planning to relocate or expand, if they’re planning to launch new products, or if they have let any employees go. It also wouldn’t hurt to call in and inquire about the position for added specifics.
• So what tools and sites are recommended?
  • Google
    Sidewiki for finding information about individual web pages
    Google Alerts for being notified of competitors in the news
    Google Local Listings (for user reviews)
  • Twitter
    Profiling companies and employees
    Search.Twitter.com for locating rants and reviews
    Private Twitter Lists for following discreetly (you create)
  • Facebook
    Read competitor Fan pages for feedback and techniques
    Find out who their fans are and create relationships
    Search Posts by Everyone for rants and reviews

You’ll find additional tools recommended at the end of the slides, please make sure to check them out, and feel free to leave comments here or at Andy Beal’s blog for further information. Happy researching!

Find Resources You Otherwise Would Never Meet

One great thing about networking events is, even if you check out the Meetup202 page thoroughly before the party begins, you never really know who will show up. You might expect to meet only affiliate marketers, but you may find yourself meeting web designers, programmers, product developers, and club promoters, all of which I’ve met at these events. The point is, some of these people may become a great resource to you for future projects, promotions and advertising campaigns, and vice versa.

Create Trust with Your Affiliate Managers and Advertisers

I’ve met with affiliate managers and account reps from some of the larger companies that work closely with affiliate marketers and networks. Making the effort to attend networking events like the Meetup202 shows that you’re willing to put in a minimal amount of effort (a few hours every month or two) to show face and meet these companies in person. It means a lot to foster relationships in person, so make sure to put yourself out there and make your presence known.

Take Advantage of Free Networking Opportunities

An event like this does not require you to register for a $500-$1000 marketing conference, book a flight to Las Vegas, and reserve a hotel room in proximity to your conference center. Take advantage of the fact that these events can be very similar to attending some of the larger conferences, only in your home town, and a lot less expensive. Sometimes, they may only cost you the price of a couple gallons of gas.

Get Ideas

Most of the people who I’ve met have very similar personalities — they want to work independently, and they’re motivated. Being around a group of 40 like-minded internet hustlers definitely can create a lot of motivation. If you’re feeling the funk of not making the money you think you should be, attending a Meetup202 event might help give you some ideas. Even if it’s just someone mentioning a vertical you’ve never thought of before. It can spark a whole chain of thoughts you hadn’t expected.

Learn from the Pros

This weekend’s meetup was different than the past few that I’ve been to. Jasper did a great job of organizing two speakers. Ryan Pamplin of Ryactive and Alex Tsatkin of Tracking202 gave short presentations, much like you would see at the sessions at ASW. Ryan went over how his company operates successfully using a group sharing approach to affiliate marketing. Alex’s presentation attacked how to succeed using Facebook ads. Each had a follow-up Q&A, and I would recommend other Meetup202 organizers to have speakers if / when possible since many of the LA attendees got a lot out of it.

Make New Friends

Let’s face it, it’s not like you can walk into a bar and start up a conversation with, “Hey, so how about that Google slap?” You’d probably get a “F*** you” or a drink thrown at you at the seemingly-intimate inquiry. But it is something you could ask comfortably to a total stranger at the Meetup202 events…and they would get you. Making friends who have similar interests in internet marketing, who live in your area, is extremely valuable. The internet can be a lonely place. Why not make real-life friends, who you can hang out with in real life, and talk about internet stuff with in person? You’d be surprised how alike many of the people are, if you’ve never been to a Meetup202 before.

Become a Local Celebrity

You just never know what might come out of attending these events. Being knowledgeable in a highly targeted niche could gain you some popularity. So why should you care if you become popular in a local meetup group? Well, remember that the Meetup202 event in particular was founded by the guys at Tracking202. They have their finger on the pulse of pretty much everything hot in the affiliate marketing space. That means that you have their attention if you speak at an event or somehow provide value to the members. Creating a name for yourself through this local channel can help your business grow on a larger scale!

In our monthly podcast / PDF report, Andrew Wee and I go over the basics of link building, as well as how to properly submit articles to Ezine Articles. The goal is to assist newer marketers on the best practice techniques of submitting content to article sites, in order to build traffic and profits through syndication and link building.

You can check out the Internet Marketing Cookbook here.

What’s the Big Deal?

Hey Californians, did you hear? Our <sarcasm>beloved</sarcasm> Governor Schwarzenegger has cut 100% of domestic violence funding from the 2009/2010 budget. Money that helps protect the lives of battered and abused women (and their children) all across the state. This isn’t a reduction or an IOU, this is a permanent annihilation of the money. I was completely taken aback by the news, and disgusted at the fact.

It’s been weighing heavily on my mind that during this economic meltdown, as my friends are being laid off one by one, I’m sitting comfortably in my living room as I write this, without much worry about my immediately financial future. I want to do more, I wish I could do more.

What Can I Do? I’m Just One Person

A few days ago I came across an interesting blog post by Michael Martinez that talked about SEOs and the opportunity for and responsibility of giving back. It struck a chord in me that we are all platforms for voicing our opinions, viewpoints, and even outrage. So, beyond just internet marketers and bloggers, I’m calling on all of my readers, friends, colleagues, and family to choose a struggling non-profit and make a donation. It’s very simple actually.

Can you spare $10? The cost of lunch and an espresso. Can you spare $100? The cost of a new pair of Nikes. Can you spare $1000? The cost of a heavy night of partying in Hollywood. Can you spare $5000? The cost of a quick trip to Europe. I mean, come on, if you’re a successful marketer or business person, a professional, or even retired, there is a chance you can spare this amount. And putting it toward your favorite cause that will pay it forward is much more rewarding than accumulating one more pair of shoes, right?

Where Do I Sign Up?

If you don’t know where to start looking, maybe I can help. I’ve donated $50 to the Domestic Violence Center of Santa Clarita Valley, and plan on finding more worthy organizations to donate to. If you would like to donate to them, here is the DVC donation page. If your heart strings tug for other causes, here are a few alternate suggestions:

• Domestic Violence Organizations (Yahoo! Directory)
• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
• Habitat for Humanity, New Orleans
• Natural Resources Defense Council (Help save the Earth!)

I Want to Help, But I Don’t Have Money to Spare

What is so wonderful about the human spirit is many people want to help others, even in their own time of need. My hat goes off to every person who donates even one item of clothing, one piece of furniture, a can of food, or a toy for a child. These are all things that could either end up in a landfill or be donated for future use.

If you want to donate, here are some ways you can help:

• Donate used clothing to your local Good Will (winter is coming!)
• Give away toys and games to your local school
• Encourage friends to donate and haul the items for them
• Give books, blankets, or canned food to your local homeless shelter
• Volunteer at your local soup kitchen
• Write a blog post on how you’re helping others in need, and how your readers can help

And if you really want to gain financially from your own situation, have a garage sale! Whatever’s unsold, you can donate to your local non-profit organizations. What you’ll have left are empty closets and a lot less clutter!

Feel Good About Doing Something Good

The whole point of donating your goods, time, or money is to help others, and I think helping others feels good (must be the sociologist in me). If you’ve been thinking about donating some money or helping out at a local shelter, it’s much easier than you think. Non-profits are in extreme need, and every little bit helps.

If you do decide to take action, a hearty “Great job!” goes out to you. Feel free to leave a comment on your favorite charity, a link to donate if you want, and the amount or items you’ve donated. Come on people, let’s help out our fellow citizens and do something good!

[photo: Xenia Institute]

After discussing the possibility of creating a site for newer internet marketers, Andrew Wee and I came up with the concept of the Internet Marketing Cookbook. We both find interest in guiding newer marketers as to how to build their new business, so naturally we formed a partnership that incorporated our strengths in traffic generation, affiliate marketing education, and best business practices, among others.

The goal of the Internet Marketing Cookbook is to help internet marketers grow their online businesses. Each month we’ll be featuring a new report which is accessed through our site. So individuals will have insight on how to properly build their sites, how to drive traffic to their sites through paid search, social media marketing, and search engine optimization, as well as how to scale their business once it’s up and running.

If you’re new to internet marketing, and you’re interested in learning more, please feel free to check out the Internet Marketing Cookbook.

“How to scale to a million dollars a month”

Breaking Down the Metrics

Make sure that you understand the fundamentals of how to make a profit with PPC. It’s all about using your data and crunching numbers to ensure your campaign will be profitable. Here are some of my tips on PPC formulas and how to calculate your maximum CPA spend (part 2).

The Importance of Landing Page Optimization

Because CPC, CTR, CR, and CPA all affect each other, make sure to make tweaks to areas that will create the largest return. If your conversion rate is 5% with an average CPC of $.25, and you receive 500 clicks, then that means:

$.25 x 500 = $125 (cost)
500 x .05 = 25 (actions)
CPA = CPC/CR or cost/actions = $5

If you increase your conversion rate (CR) to 6%, then you receive 30 actions at $4.17 CPA; raise your conversion rate to 8% and your CPA drops to $3.13. Beyond just landing page optimization, if you’re able to drop your CPC from the original scenario down to .20, without changing anything else, then your new CPA becomes $4. Optimizing all of your metrics will have dramatic effects if done consistently.

Learn From Using Other People’s Money

This isn’t as bad as it sounds, but it’s a good way to learn. Work for someone else managing their campaigns, and you’ll learn a lot, without having to spend the money out of your pocket. My only warning is of course, make sure you know what you’re doing first before you play with someone else’s money!

Each Step is 10x More Important Than the Previous

This was an interesting train of thought. Your targeting is important, but your keywords are 10x more important. Your keywords are important, but your ad copy is 10x more important. Your ad copy is important, but your landing page is 10x more important. See?

I assume his statement refers to the conversion funnel, where at each step of the way you encounter “drop-offs” (people who drop out of the path to a completed conversion). It can take a lot more effort to get the clicks to convert, than it does to get the click, or figure out the target demographic.

Outsource Anything Non-Essential, Finish What You Start, and Run Your Business Like a Business

BlitzLocal sends its laundry out so programmers aren’t wasting valuable time doing laundry. Basically, if you have tasks that can be done by someone else that would be more detrimental for you to spend your time doing, then outsource it.

Furthermore, with any business venture, whether it’s brick and mortar or online, it should be run like a business. Ideally, if you have money to rent an office, it might help you be more productive to do so. When you’re running like a smooth, organized business, it can be easier to scale to that million dollars a month!

Panelists at last night’s SMCLA meeting defined their ideas of citizen journalism. And without quoting them (since I don’t have an audio transcript), a couple summed it up as “anybody journalism.” Anyone who has a means of press distribution can be considered a citizen journalist. In fact, it’s our right as a free society to a free press. That is, should one have the means of distribution.

While there is definite speculation as to whether or not the nomenclature is correct, that’s open for much further delving. I think a more accurate term is “democratized news,” a phrase that popped into my head after hearing their various definitions. David Sarno noted that journalism refers to reporting that has gone through fact-checking and source verification. I agree. Christina Gagnier used quotational gestures when saying the phrase out loud. There was obvious questionability to the term “citizen journalist” being valid.

But regardless of what you call it, Twitter is putting news reporting in the hands of regular people. In places like Iran where Western journalists are highly restricted, and individuals use whatever means they have to get the information out, they’re the best chance the world has to gain any insight on what’s happening on the inside. But whose voice do you trust?

That’s where traditional journalism breaks away from social media reporting. With thousands of people tweeting snippets of information, it can be hard to know who is reporting what’s really going on, and who’s spinning it the way they see it. The whole topic makes me wonder to what extent Twitter users are holding themselves to any journalistic rules or ethics. The panel addressed the question, “Should there be rules to citizen journalism?” That’s a whole other topic that I’ve tried tackling in the world of blogging – the existence of ethical standards. However, who would regulate these rules, and what would motivate someone who’s already voicing their opinion to start following them now?

What I want to know is, How can democratized news help the existing media outlets be accountable for what they’re reporting? Just because someone sits behind the desk on FOX news channel, doesn’t make them a journalist in my opinion – even if they went to school for it. Bias will seep out into the media regardless of whether or not someone has a degree saying they’re a journalist. And FOX isn’t the only severely biased news organization. In either case, many people on TV are out to get ratings, just like how many Twitter users are out to get followers. Bias can create a tight loyalty, a dangerous lure that journalists should proactively avoid.

I think democratized news is the cure for the disease known as sensationalist media. Not all network reporting is bad, but much of it is very biased and much of it that I’ve seen is little more than car chases and murders. Plus TV news is highly controlled by a small group of people.

And not all democratized news is journalism.

What democratized news can do is help keep other reporters honest, because everyone now has a voice, right or wrong. If you’re a journalist and you know someone else’s reporting is inaccurate or untruthful, then prove it. If you want to show the world that your degree means you have a “higher” ethical standard than someone who doesn’t, then prove it. If you want to show FOX news is full of crap, prove it. But make sure you’re right, and you’ve done your homework.

Ultimately, reporting should be factual, either way, so that the recipients of the information can digest it as-is and form their own perceptions of events as they happen. What’s great about this day and age is that any person can publish news from the palm of their hands.

So, can Twitter make you a journalist if you really really use it a lot? Not in my opinion. It’s just one element to the equation, and becoming an important media vehicle. But it can help you become one damn popular reporter, and help get your message out to the masses.

Resources:

• Social Media Club
• Clay Shirkey: How Social Media Can Make History (TED Talks)

And if you haven’t heard, the 202 family has launched their new partner network, Revolution202. Check it out, these guys are the best in the business!

Now I’m very familiar with AWeber, and there are many things I’ve tested to lower unsubscribe rates (the number of newsletter recipients who unsubscribe using the link at the bottom of the email message). AWeber appends the unsubscribe link automatically to each email along with the publisher’s physical address (as you can sort of see in the image), and it’s the marketer’s job to make sure as few as possible people click on that link. That means creating awesome content, giving the user something useful for free, making sure they click on links inside the email rather than unsubscribing, etc. Or bumping the unsubscribe link so far down the page that the user doesn’t find it.

In the past I’ve tried things like inserting a series of spaces after the signature to bump down the link so it’s not visible within the frame of the content. Well, I guess it’s technically a no-no since email spam filters deem those techniques as spammy. The way to check this previously would be to include the spaces in AWeber and then check the SpamAssassin rating within AWeber. To do this, you would go into your Messages tab and view the rating under the “Spam?” link. The higher the number, the more likely the email is to be caught in a spam filter and not delivered to the inbox. It says to keep it under 5 but my recommendation is to try to keep it under 2.0.

AWeber has updated their system so it’s no longer possible to just leave spaces after the end of the message. It automatically deletes the lines that are spaces only. Therefore I’m guessing this publisher figured the way around it was to include miniscule text (i.e. dashes) after the content so it would still bump the link down. I went into AWeber and tested this. After adding the dashes below the end of the content, and checking the SpamAssassin filter, it still shows a rating of 0.

Not bad, huh? Sneaky! Now, I’m not condoning the use of tactics like this, only pointing out my observations. There are ways to lower your unsubscribe rate by improving your formatting, creating unique and useful content, and including relevant and highly clickable links. I would think that a technique like the above would still successfully get the email to the inbox, but it might have an effect of confusing the user, which isn’t such a great idea. If you do test out new tactics like this that don’t have detrimental affects to your users and also reduce your unsubscribe rates, then good for you. It’s all about finding what works.

If you’d like to find out more about AWeber email marketing software, click here to read about all of their benefits.

Basically you’ll have until August 7th to prove you know how to make money online by signing up and earning your commissions. Check out Andrew’s site www.WhoIsAndrewWee.com for the full details.

If you’re not based in Singapore, but are interested in becoming an affiliate of MarketLeverage, you can sign up here.

Good luck everyone. Let’s make some money in 2009!