This is a cause that is near and dear to my heart.  In this world of high-tech gadgetry and pageantry of marketing online, one of the key principles we are taught is to give away valuable content. I believe there is so much more we can do. It is well worth your time to take a look at this project I’ve been working on.

Tinyurl started the movement years ago, and now URL shortening services are all over the place, from social bookmarking sites to mainstream media sites which have their own shortening engines.

In a culture that is moving more toward 140 characters at a time, those shortening services are rather useful (especially the ones that let you track the statistics). Like almost everything else, shortened links have some drawbacks. Besides sometimes being slow, you also can’t see where the link is pointing. With a lot of malicious users in internet land, you can imagine the security risks. There are websites that will try to inject malware in your system as soon as you visit it. Others that will try to set special filters in your Gmail account and so on.

If you want to be safe, click on shortened links only if you trust the person that created them. If for some reason you don’t know if a link is legitimate, use a URL un-shortening tool. There is a tool that I have used a lot called Sucuri.net and it will reveal the real URL behind the link. It also checks with Google and SiteAdvisor to make sure the website is safe to be visited. Oh, and did I mention that is is FREE. Enjoy!!

As blogger’s and more importantly marketers, we want visitors to our sites to get the full effect of our blogs and sites.

If you’re like me and a lot of other blogger’s, your browser of choice is FireFox. When we designed our blogs or websites it probably didn’t occur to us to test our sites on other browsers. Should we load our site on a different browser, it is probable that some unpleasant surprises will appear.

Most websites are based on Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a method that allows blogger’s to have more manageability over the appearance of the pages, making sure everything is consistent throughout the site.

Unfortunately not all browsers infer CSS commands the same way, creating discrepancies such as misaligned sidebars, overlapping text and the like. The only way to solve the problem is to test your website on the many different browsers that people might use to access it.

Installing a version of every single browser out there would be time consuming, to say the least. What if you could find a service that takes screen-shots of your site in different browsers and report them back to you?

That is exactly what Browsershots.org does. And best of all, it’s FREE!! All you have to do is  type the URL of your site, select the browsers you want to test and wait a few minutes to see the screenshots. The service includes all the versions of IE, Firefox, Safari and Opera and you can even select different screen resolutions. Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Favicons (an abbreviated version of favorites icon), also known as a website icon, shortcut icon, url icon, or bookmark icon are the little icons that show next to bookmarks and in the address bar of most browsers. In our world on online marketing, impressions matter, especially first impressions. In order to make our self hosted blog stand out in the crowd, the use of a picture or logo in the browser is, well, impressive!! It is a good way to brand your site and increase it’s prominence in your visitor’s bookmark menu.

In this video I will show you in just a few steps how you can add a favicon to your blog. The address to create your favicon is: http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/favicon/ . I’ve also included some written instructions to help guide you.

1. Go to  http://tools.dynamicdrive.com/favicon/
2. Click on Browse – select photo or logo from your hard drive.
3. Look it over to see if you like it, if not, choose another one, but if you like it, click on down load.
4. Then click on “save file” (remember where you save it on your hard drive)
5. Log into the dashboard of your Word Press blog, click on media, add new.
6. Upload the favicon to your library from where you saved it on your hard drive.
7. Now go back to the favicon generator site and copy the code at the bottom.
8. Go back to your blog dashboard and click on editor under the Appearance tab.
9. On the right, click on “Header” and scroll down until you find </head>

10.  Open a blank line right above </head> and paste the code from favicon generator and click “update file”.

11.  Now go back to your blog dashboard library and click “edit” on the favicon you uploaded. Copy the file URL name.

12.  Go back to Appearance, Editor, Header and find the code you pasted earlier. Paste the favicon URL inside the quotation marks ( “ “ )  in the line of code.

13.  Click update file and see what happens.

I hope you enjoy this and leave me some comment love!!

Here is a look at what marketing questions Google Analytics answer and what I should do with this information?  I’ve compiled a list of eight key marketing questions about the stats and how to to get a handle on them, and some follow-up questions to ponder.

Here are some helpful links before we start, these include basic definitions,  how to install Google Analytics tracking code, and an intro to Google Analytics. 

1. How do I know if traffic to my website growing, declining or idle? What are the trends?

Focus on visits per period vs. last period and absolute unique visitors per period vs. last period. In other words… are numbers of visits and unique visitors growing, steady or declining?  Do I see spikes when I run various campaigns and promotions? Trends are more meaningful than absolute numbers.

2. Are visitors finding my site useful? What are the trends?

Focus on average page views and time spent on site. Are users engaged while on my site?

3. Who are my visitors? Where do they live?  Are they new visitors or returning?

Focus on Map overlay and new vs. returning Where do my visitors resonate from geographically?  Should my content be custom-made to modify the appeal?   Which group is growing faster, new or returning visitors?

4.  What pages of my site are most useful to visitors?

Focus on top content and content by title. What are the most repeatedly visited pages?  What can I change to make those pages more useful, easily reached or attention-grabbing?

5.  From what pages do visitors exit the site?

Focus on Top exit pages. What are my top exit pages?  Are they clicking outbound links, and do I want them to?

6.  What traffic sources are driving visits to my site?

Focus on Traffic Sources Overview Percentages. What traffic sources are growing     over last period, and why?  Are other blogs linking to my site? Are my paid ads campaigns working better than last period? What about links from Social Media Sources?  Is off-web promotion increasing direct traffic?

7.  What other websites are referring visitors to my site?

Focus on Referring sites. Which referrers are bringing visitors who stay on the site the longest?  View the most pages?  These may be the best sources of high-quality prospects.

8.  Which keywords are driving traffic?

Focus on Keywords and phrases. What popular keywords bringing visitors to my site?    Are those keywords in my site’s metatags?   What keywords are NOT driving traffic?

In our global economy, marketers are searching for a plethora of customer’s, who many time do not share our own native tongue.    I understand how difficult it is to communicate when you are not able to speak the language fluently. The ability to speak with your customers and prospects in their native language can be highly beneficial for your business.

As independent entrepreneurs our time is spent doing administrative, Internet marketing, social media, and website optimization. We focus on the core aspects of business, generating income, taking up new challenges and increasing the bottom line. That does not leave us the time to learn new languages.  It is nice when we come across a tool that saves us time and the expense of hiring a bi-lingual liaison.

I recently found a tool in iGoogle that has a plethora of applications for the business minded entrepreneur. It’s called Google Translate.  You can Translate text, web-pages and documents. As of this writing, you have the ability to translate 57 different languages.

With this tool, the possibility for your business to dominate the world-wide market is imminent. This versatile tool allows us to:

• prepare mailings on a daily basis in response to inquiries from prospective clients

• create and send welcome kits to your new clients

• type manuals and other documents, design customized invoices and other forms, send invoices to clients

• develop business prospecting

• compile material in newsletter format

• make use of your social media accounts

The possibilities are endless. Google Translate provides the support and assistance that you need free of cost.  You can now rely on this dedicated partner to handle efficiently the various tasks you want to outsource while you focus on more income-generating activities. Please leave me a comment to let me know what you think.

When one first sets sail in this voyage we call internet marketing, our hopes, dreams and aspirations are on overdrive. The adrenaline rushes at the expectation that we just might have a chance to make a go of it. We read, study, and put to use all of the things we are taught. We sit back and wait for all the money to start pouring in. Then reality sets in. We realize we are dishing out more and more money and we are taking in less or no money.  We start to doubt our company, our direct representative, and worse…ourselves!  We wonder what we are doing wrong.

Then we stumble across an article that this really cool person has written that explains to us what it takes to make it in online marketing. It takes (drum roll, please) A VILLAGE!  It takes a village of information to learn from to stay on top of our game. It takes a village of leads or prospects to trust us enough to buy our products. And most importantly, it takes a village of other marketers who are willing to help us brand ourselves through the use of a “Tribe.” This tribe syndicates our content, be it video, articles, or links. They often times offer words of encouragement.

The best village or “tribe” bar none is TSA (Tribe Syndication Association). This group of people offers a load of expertise and willingness to share your content to the masses. If it is traffic you need to your web-site….you need TSA.

Article marketing is an internet business practice that is used mostly by marketers, but is also used by online businesses to promote all kinds of products.

Article marketing as a concept is quite simple:

1. You write articles. Your articles include a link to your website or to an affiliate page

2. You submit articles to free online article directories

3. People read your articles online and click the link to visit your website

4. Once at your website (or affiliate page) your readers purchase the item you are promoting and you earn commission.

I never would have believed how writing some simple little articles would put my website marketing into overdrive until I tried it. These techniques worked for me and I can’t imagine what they will do for someone who can actually write!

If you haven’t tried it, give it a go and see exactly what article writing can do for your marketing efforts; you may be pleasantly surprised.

Here are 5 powerful article marketing tips you should apply to all the articles you write. These ideas will help you discover the real power behind article marketing.

1. Information, Information, Information Don’t ever forget, the major reason anyone is reading your article is for the information. Make sure your articles have at least some! The more timely, the better.

2. Keep It Short And Simple Writing for the web and ezines is different than writing for off-line publications. Keep your writing brief and write in short paragraphs. Be concise. Be precise. Talk directly to your reader and trim any unnecessary fat. Be lean and meaningful.

3. Put Your Reader’s Major Benefit In The Title Always put your readers first, give them the main reason they should read your article in big bold letters at the top of the page, i.e. in the title.

4. Cross Reference Your Articles Get more bang for your links. Place links to your other articles in the article you’re writing. If you’re offering helpful advice, most ezine editors and webmasters will let you do this. Self-promote. Self-pollinate..

5. Take Full Advantage Of Article Directories Kick-start your articles by submitting them to popular online article directories. These already have a large clientele looking for your articles.

Here’s my top four sites for article submission:

http://www.ezinearticles.com
http://www.goarticles.com
http://www.articlealley.com
http://www.buzzle.com

Today, working at home seems to be the great pursuit for marketers and other professions alike. But is it really all that? Are the challenges worth the effort? Let’s take a look.

As Americans watch transportation costs soar, and marketers watch the internet expand, the lure of the home office follows along.

But, working at home isn’t for everyone. Marketers in particular will find challenges such as isolation and client-hunting to be exhausting and a detriment to hours spent on their art. Those who rush into this without solid preparation may find themselves back in a cube sooner than they anticipated.

Pros

• Eases Work-Life Balance. Online Marketers have more flexibility than most other vocation’s, however every consideration should be made in regards to dedication to accomplishing the task at hand.
• Reduces Costs. When I worked in the medical field, I had to pay for the gas to get to the hospital, and once I arrived, I had to purchase a parking space for my car to sit in all day. Meanwhile, my house was cranking out heat or air that no one used, and a dog walker came to let my dog out…at a price, of course. And, let’s not forget uniforms and comfortable shoes!
• Ability to Determine Hours. Marketers are a fickle bunch. I tend to hit my peak stride around 9 p.m.  As an at-home worker, I can use the hours that I function best to get my work done.
• Privilege of Setting Pay Rates. The amount of money you can earn is in direct proportion to the amount of effort you put into your online marketing business.
• Great Variety of Jobs and Clients. Every day is different in the Marketing world! If you’re someone whose attention easily wavers, you’ll enjoy this aspect of working from home.

Cons

• Intense Administrative Management. As an professional in the world outside your home office, chances are that you had assistants, secretaries or interns to help manage the flow of things. Even as an employee in another profession, you probably had payroll departments, legal departments and/or administrative support to help you get things moving. This is simply not so with a home-based marketer. It’s all you. Let me say that again: It’s All You. The one thing I miss most? An IT department!
• Constant Search Prospects and Clients. Most marketers work fulltime generating leads, however, a proper system in place eases that burden and allows you to focus on growing your business. One system in particular, My Lead System PRO, allows you that freedom.
• Blurred Line Between Work and Home. You’ll get to miss the distance of an office when your phone rings past 5 p.m. and the emails just keep pouring in!
• Variations in Monthly Income. It takes the planning of an accountant and the discipline of a scrooge to manage finances when you’re unsure of the amount that you’ll receive month-to-month.

Resolution

The true take away here is that working at home is more difficult than one would imagine. The lack of support from some companies and up lines is utterly ridiculous. In order to work from home, you must be willing to “work” from home.  Working at home is by no means a decision that should be entered into lightly, and those who thrive in the situation are those who have a system and support in place to achieve their dreams.

There are a lot of companies on the Internet that are prepared to pay you a commission if you can compel potential customers to visit there company websites. By promoting their products and services, you become their “affiliate.”  To do this, you join the “affiliate programs” run by these companies.

By aligning consumers with the products they are looking for, you get a commission for every sale from the merchant through an Affiliate Program.

Affiliate Marketing is a great opportunity to make money online. It present’s you the freedom of working at home with next to nothing in start up costs.

You find people who are interested in a certain type of product or service in a certain type of market online. Then you recommend different products to them. If they should buy those products based on your recommendation, the merchant who is selling those products will give you a cut of the sale. Depending on the company, commissions can range from 10%-60%. The marketers that do well, make very comfortable incomes and have are very successful with their work at home career.

A couple of things to remember when looking for a company to represent are:

1. You must feel “aligned” with the company or developer of the product you represent. Remember, you are endorsing this company to YOUR list, and your reputation is on the line.
2. The company or developer should be good at what they do. They should be able to convert the prospects you send them into paying customers.

That’s the basic concept of how affiliate marketing works.