Privacy Pirates

Published on April 25, 2013 in Email Marketing, Internet Marketing, Internet Tips and Tools, Mistakes To Avoid, Online Security, Security and Social Networking. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Privacy Pirates: How The War For Your Personal Identity Will Escalate In 2013 And What You Need To Do Now To Protect Yourself

At my Internet workshops, I give  participants a sneak peek into what the war between Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon mean to you and your business.

It’s one of the key principles I’ve been advocating to my elite VIP and Platinum Program Members for the past 3 to 5 years.

The Internet is undergoing an incredible transformation that has alarmed privacy and personal liberty advocates around the world.

Without delving into conspiracy theories and cynical skepticism, I discuss what you should do to protect yourself, your company and your family.

I share what the experts are saying because this is no longer ‘science fiction’. It’s real and it’s here now. Contact us if you’d like a copy of our Privacy Pirates Report.

Internet Wars, Facebook Fallacy, Google Apple War, Google Facebook War

Social Media Marketing

Published on April 11, 2013 in Internet Jokes, Internet Marketing, Mistakes To Avoid and Social Networking. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Social Networks, Social Media Marketing

Technical Support Flowchart

Published on February 27, 2013 in Fun, Internet Jokes, Mistakes To Avoid and Testing. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Technical Support, Technical Support Cheat Sheet

Link building, it’s not what you think it is

Published on January 16, 2013 in Analytics, Blogging, Internet Marketing, Internet Tips and Tools, Lead Generation, Mistakes To Avoid, SEO and Traffic. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

I have a word that defines what today’s blog post is all about. Antimimeticisomorphism. Simply stated, it means doing out-of-the-ordinary things that create extra-ordinary results with the least amount of effort and lowest cost. It necessarily includes doing things that create indirect benefits.

Links, SEO, Link RegistryLet me give you an example. There is a website registry for Australian Blogs. For a nominal sum, you can get a link with a keyword optimised listing. If you don’t understand Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), you’re going to look at how many clicks it produces and if the number isn’t very high you might think the link isn’t worth the investment…

But here’s the think MOST people don’t understand about the value of links: It’s not the number of clicks that it generates that’s important – it’s what it contributes to your SEO indexing. For example, if you have an Australian Blog, then you want the search engines to INDEX it. Which they will… But it will remain at the BOTTOM of the index unless there is a link that raises its SEO status. What better link than anAustralian Blog  registry link?

Even if NO ONE clicks through the link – the BENEFIT can still be huge.

But if you look at the wrong Google Analytics statistics (Click Throughs instead of overall traffic increase), you will make a poor decision.

This is just one example of some of the common mistakes people make when they don’t understand the basics.

If you would like to learn more about legitimate Internet Marketing Strategies, have a look at our online courses and webinars listed below.

They are moderately priced and exceptionally valuable if only to assist you avoid the most common and costly mistakes.

Online Internet Course #1: Internet Sales Lead Generation Toolkit

Online Internet Course #2: Business Blogging Webinar

Online Internet Course #3: How to Turn Website Visitors From Browsers To Buyers

 

Facebook pages for small business removed after unspecified complaint

Published on November 5, 2012 in Internet Marketing, Internet Tips and Tools, Lead Generation and Social Networking. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Facebook Business Pages, Facebook Ransom, Facebook TacticsAs a reader and/or subscriber to this Internet Marketing Blog, you know I am not a fan of social media. Even though this is not a “I told you so” blog post, it is a forewarning.

I cover issues like this with my clients – at events and workshops like the Exponential Internet Marketing Bootcamp where I have the time and tools to explain, in detail, why I have such distinct views and approaches that produce such extra-ordinary results.

Recently, Facebook has been getting quite a bit of press because as small businesses have embraced the use of social media marketing to increase their sales, it turns out what worked before doesn’t always agree with Facebook.

This can lead to complaints to Facebook. By whom or about what is not always clear.

The result can be that your Facebook business page is removed by Facebook with no explanation or discussion.

Sometimes you may have simply overstepped the boundaries of what is acceptable promotion on Facebook. But many are starting to wonder if the reasons aren’t more commercial (financial) in nature. If you’ve seen the latest episode of the TV Drama The Good Wife, you’ll get as sense of what’s at stake and how they are doing this behind-the-scenes.

However what is clear is that Facebook sees an opportunity to charge business for something that was once free.

If you were a client of ours, you would have avoided this issue altogether. Sometimes AVOIDING a costly mistake is as valuable as doing something “right”.

Contact us if you want to improve your online lead generation without the hype, smoke and mirrors that social media and web designers want you to believe.

After all, they NEED you to believe in what they sell – they need to make money FROM you – not FOR you. Give that some thought!

Grooming The Internet

Published on October 22, 2012 in Blogging, Fun, Internet Jokes and Long Tail Niche Marketing. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I’m not sure where this came from, but I thought it was cute enough to share with you. It’s what business blogging is all about…

Internet Cartoon, Business Blogging

… When you find something worth sharing, please forward it on to me so I can then leverage it for our readers!

How long does it take for you to get it up?

Published on October 12, 2012 in Analytics, Conversion, Internet Marketing, Mistakes To Avoid, Testing and Web Design. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

3 second rule, three seconds. 3 secondsA recent article on the first 3 seconds of a website “load” caught my attention…

There are so many little things that can (and do) make a big difference. The challenge you have (we all have) is to determine which things to focus on.

That’s what I do with my clients – help them figure out what to focus on and what to ignore.

I do that with an established methodology and proven frameworks.

Wondering if your website loading speed is important?

It is and it isn’t.

It depends.

Sorry, I don’t mean to be vague, it’s just some things are best left unsaid to make a point.

Unless you are SURE of the answer for YOUR company, YOUR situation, you should consider becoming a client so we can help you remove the uncertainty.

Otherwise “you’re good to go on your own” and already getting the results you want!

Some New Computers Have Malware Already Installed

Published on September 24, 2012 in Mistakes To Avoid and Online Security. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

I am not one to focus on the negative, but every once in a while, it’s necessary to be aware of potential problems without stepping over the line into paranoia.

Ray Keefe of Successful Endeavours in Melbourne, remains on top of computer security issues because he develops electronic systems and upgrades legacy systems for his clients and security is of paramount importance.

Ray brought this issue to my attention and I thought it was worthy of sharing it with you just in case you thought you’d be safe with a new computer.

Click on the hyperlink to access the IEEE’s security alert on malware on new computers.

Internet / Computer Acronym Definitions

Published on August 27, 2012 in Fun and Internet Jokes. 0 Comments Tags: .

Here is a list of popular acronyms and their definitions…

ISDN = It Still Does Nothing

APPLE = Arrogance Produces Profit Leading Entity

IBM = I Blame Microsoft

DEC = Do Expect Cuts

CA = Constant Acquisitions

CD-ROM = Consumer Device, Rendered Obsolete in Months

OS/2 = Obsolete Soon, Too.

SCSI = System Can’t See It

DOS = Defunct Operating System

BASIC = Bill’s Attempt to Seize Industry Control

WWW = World Wide Wait

MACINTOSH = Most Applications Cool; If Not, The OS is Hot!

NEWS FLASH: Twitter cuts off service to LinkedIn

Published on August 20, 2012 in Blogging, Internet Tips and Tools, Lead Generation, Mistakes To Avoid and Social Networking. 3 Comments Tags: , , , .
Twitter, Linked In, Social Media, Social Platforms, Tweets, TweetingTwitter, the micro-blogging site, has cut off tweets on the professional social network LinkedIn, ending a two-year partnership.

Twitter is a website that lets users broadcast 140-character status updates, or tweets, in real time. The micro-blogging service has had a partnership with LinkedIn since 2009.

“If you had previously synced your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts, and selected the option to share Tweets on LinkedIn, those Tweets generated from Twitter will no longer appear on LinkedIn. There will be no other changes to your LinkedIn experience,” Ryan Roslansky, LinkedIn head of content, said in a recent blog post.

Want to know what to do about it? We cover all of this and more in our Business Blogging For Sales Lead Generation Webinar and Internet Marketing Bootcamp.

How to pick a good password

Published on August 7, 2012 in Internet Tips and Tools, Mistakes To Avoid and Online Security. 3 Comments Tags: , , .

Decades ago only spies and systems administrators were the only ones who really had to worry about passwords. But today, you have to enter a password to do the most basic things like turning on your computer or smartphone, downloading a song or buying a book online.

It’s no wonder many people use a single, simple password for everything. But that can be a catastrophic mistake.

You need a good password – one that no one can easily guess:

Password security, Safe Password, Secure Password

HOW TO CREATE A GOOD / SAFE PASSWORD

Continue reading ‘How to pick a good password’

6 Quick Tips To Write Emails More Effectively

Published on July 26, 2012 in Internet Tips and Tools, Killer Kopywriting and Mistakes To Avoid. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Do you have a tendency to put things off for later? Things like starting an exercise program, staying in touch with friends and family or even updating your blog?

Maybe you’re not a chronic procrastinator, but you might engage in a little email dilly-dallying… You know what I’m talking about… You hear the ‘you got email’ sound, you check to see what it says and instead of immediately replying you take no action, open the next email and repeat the procedure.

Or you might hit the “reply” button but as soon as your fingers click the mouse, you realise that you don’t know what to write! So, you finally decide to surrender to your writer’s block and do it properly… later.

Soon you have a long list of emails sitting in your inbox that you need to take action on!

So how do you stop the vicious circle?!?!

Social Media Losing Shoppers

Published on July 23, 2012 in Affiliate Marketing, Analytics, Blogging, Conversion, Cost Cutting, Events, Internet Marketing, Internet Sales, Internet Tips and Tools, Lead Generation, Long Tail Niche Marketing, Mistakes To Avoid, SEO, Social Networking, Traffic and YouTube. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

As you must know by now, I am not a fan of Social Media Marketing. I think it’s a monumental waste of time, money and effort. I haven’t held back on this view and it’s simply because it doesn’t make any financial sense for small business to waste countless hours and in some case thousands of dollars on strategies that don’t work.

The research is just starting to come in that fewer shoppers are flocking to social media websites in search of deals and coupons, according to a study released Thursday by the National Retail Federation in the United States.

The number of consumers who reported following retailers on the likes of Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest fell to 51 percent from 58 percent  last year, according to the 2012 Social and Mobile Commerce Study.

I am not saying social media is dead, all I’m saying is that more and more businesses are realising that the inevitable point of diminishing returns is here.

As a small business, you have limited resources and cash. You want to make the most of it. Social media marketing is not where you should be spending it – that’s all I’m saying.

Want to know where you should invest your hard earned money to get your biggest bang for your buck?

Come invest 3 days with me at the Exponential Internet Marketing Bootcamp and you’ll learn how small businesses – just like yours are dominating their market places, growing when others are contracting and laying off staff.

Google removes sites from Index

Published on July 16, 2012 in Blogging, Conversion, Google Adwords, Internet Marketing, Lead Generation, Long Tail Niche Marketing and Mistakes To Avoid. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Google disapproved 134 million ads and disabled more than 800,000 AdWords Accounts in 2011. A shocking statistic, a 136% rise from the year before.

Like fighting spam and click fraud, finding and nixing bad ads on AdWords is a continually escalating battle. Back in 2008, the company only disapproved 25 million ads.

What does this mean for you as as small business? The goalposts are always changing!

Even if you don’t advertise using Google Adwords, the rules of the online marketing game are constantly changing. Trying to stay ahead of them is hard, and getting harder by the day.

Is it fruitless to try to keep up?

On your own? Yes.

So what can you do instead of capitulating and giving up?

You can join an Exponential Mastermind Group of like-minded business entrepreneurs and executives who get the latest, up-to-date information channeled to them – FOR FREE.

Yep, that’s right. One of our most valuable Platinum Program Membership privileges is knowing that with hundreds of user-generated submissions coming in on a never-ending, on-going basis, we’re always in the know, on top of all the changes and make sure our members know about them AND more importantly how to adapt and leverage them!

In many cases, we have access to information before John Q Public does, which is what I call 20/20 Foresight.

Imagine being 1, 2 or even 3 months ahead of your competitors?

Internet Blackout? What you need to know

Published on July 9, 2012 in General, Internet Tips and Tools and Online Security. 0 Comments Tags: , .

According to reputable sources, thousands of computer users may lose Internet access on Monday, when the deadline for a temporary fix to a malicious software scam shut down by the FBI last year expires.

What is it?

Millions of computers were infected with the so-called “Internet Doomsday” virus used in the hacking scam, which redirected Internet searches through DNS servers used by the scammers. (Who, in turn, allegedly netted $14 million in bogus advertising revenue.) After U.S. and Estonian authorities busted the malware ring last November, a federal judge ordered that the FBI use temporary servers while the malware victims’ PCs were repaired. The temporary servers will shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Monday, meaning anyone using a computer still infected with the virus will likely lose Internet access.

“Connectivity will be lost to the Internet PERIOD,” Symantec, the online security firm, said in a blog post. “If your computer is still using DNS entries that are pointing to the FBI servers on July 9, you will lose TOTAL access to the Internet. No connecting to the office from home, no updating Facebook, nothing until the DNS settings are fixed.”

Click here to read the original article and access links to safely test your Internet access.

Social Media – it’s all getting too hard

Published on July 2, 2012 in Internet Marketing, Internet Sales, Internet Tips and Tools, Lead Generation, Long Tail Niche Marketing, Mistakes To Avoid, Social Networking, Traffic and Viral Marketing. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Are you struggling with the time, effort and cost associated with Social Media Marketing? You’re not alone – have a look at this article – Burberry has deep pockets for their social media marketing and you have to ask yourself – can it really be worth it?

If you’re a small business, I can tell you without a doubt – you can’t justify the time or cost.

That doesn’t mean you ignore social media, it just means you LEVERAGE it – exponentially.

How? Great question! Click here ->  to learn how to generate more leads via social media.

Should you check your email?

Published on June 29, 2012 in Fun and Mistakes To Avoid. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Today, email communication is a key driver for business success. First, I understand email overload, but I also know there are email management tips that work.

As I’ve mentioned before, poor email communication is one of my telltale signs of a problem with an entrepreneur and/or small business. I am not advocating that INSTANT responses are necessary – just that they be TIMELY.

Anecdotally, it’s crystal clear – if you struggle to manage your emails, you’re ineffective and inefficient in your time and/or priority management. Simple as that. If you’d like to get more done in less time, contact us.

As an alternative, use the flowchart below to determine if you should check your email.

Email Management Tip, Email Overload, Email Overflow, Too Many Emails, Checking Emails

A big thank you to Bree Robbins, Top Dog at Queensland’s #1 Doggy Day Care, Paddington Pups for sending this to me, she knows I love cool stuff like this!

Webinar Secret #1

Published on May 22, 2012 in Conversion, Internet Marketing and Video Marketing. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Today’s post is a 27 second YouTube video that reveals a webinar secret.

ALERT: Video Surveillance Goes Mainstream

Published on May 14, 2012 in Internet Marketing, Internet Tips and Tools, Mistakes To Avoid, Online Security and Social Networking. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Privacy, Video Surveillance, Online Privacy, Privacy PiratesA recent Economist Magazine article on video surveillance struck a chord with me – face recognition is becoming mainstream and as such there are virtually no limits to the violations to privacy that will soon be possible by unscrupulous companies and criminals.

As you know, the Privacy Pirates are out there stealing your personal data, but this is one step beyond that – this is potentially LIVE and ADAPTIVE in both the physical and virtual world.

You don’t need to be a conspiracy theorist to get worried. I’m far from being paranoid, but there are tell tale signs that the abuses are increasing at an alarming rate.

Since I am NOT into propagating conspiracy theories, I have put together a report that summarises several issues that you should be aware of.

If you’d like a copy, you’ll need to contact us to get it. It’s not a free giveaway download. The 24 page report took 37 hours of research assembling 67 articles with 126 reference links for you to get quick access to what you need to protect yourself. Contact us – prevention is the only cure for this disease!

Book Box Company – great explanation video

Published on May 9, 2012 in Exponential Mindset, Innovation, Internet Sales, Internet Tips and Tools, Long Tail Niche Marketing, Product Announcements, Video Marketing and YouTube. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , .

The true power of the Internet is its ability to reduce the cost of communicating with your suspects and prospects.

The video below, by the Book Box Company is the perfect explanation of what they do, how they do it and why it’s important to the final (finished) product.

There is no doubt that once you’ve seen the short video (less than 4 minutes), you know everything you need to know.

There is also no doubt that sales will increase as a result of the video – because we can appreciate the time, care, effort and thought that has gone into the process – especially all the recycling!