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.

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!

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!

So what’s different about Tracking202 Pro versus Tracking202? Well, for instance, there is the unique “spy view” feature where referral visit data are displayed in real-time, bidded and actual keyword search query terms are revealed side by side, and it has a pixel tracker that can account for sub-IDs. Plus a host of other really kickass features that create a more dynamic tracking program.

I’m planning on launching some new campaigns in the next few weeks so I can’t wait to test their system. I asked Steven Truong to give me a sixty-second breakdown of what Tracking202 Pro can do for PPC advertisers.

Visit their site for more info, or contact Steven at the email address in the video to request inclusion in their beta testing.

What camera would you buy if you lost yours? I’m thinking of getting a replacement, like an SD1100 or something. Sigh…Thanks!

For those of you who may occasionally still be stopping by…Thanks! It’s been a long while since I’ve posted anything here on my little part of the blogosphere, and just thought I’d write a little “hello.” No, I’m not dead, or in jail, nor have I been kidnapped and taken to the Motherland. I’ve just been out of the loop. I’ve been planning on attending Affiliate Summit West and hopped on over to a few blogs to see what everyone’s been up to. I’m glad to see my friends still publishing away.

If you’re going to be attending ASW, leave a comment here for myself and others. If not, also feel free to just leave a hello

I’m going to try to get back in the loop after the holiday craziness is over, and to be honest, it felt really good to type up this little note to all my cyber friends!

Happy holidays, everyone!

[Image source]

Members Project is your chance to join a community that’s passionate about making a positive change in the world. Show your support and vote on which projects get $2.5 million in American Express funding. The possibilities are endless. The decision is yours.

The way it works is that card members submit ideas on how they can have an impact on changing the world for the better. Other card members vote for the winning ideas in a series of rounds. Going though the list I’m thinking, “How do I choose between helping malnourished children and rebuilding New Orleans?” But like the election of 2008, each person must find within their heart what they feel is worth their vote.

So today Amex announced their Top 25 projects, and they’re as diverse as you could ever imagine. I’ve voted for “Rebuilding New Orleans Green” because I feel our fellow neighbors need the support to rebuild that wasn’t given to most of them. I’m sure each of you will find a cause that tugs at your heart strings and ensure your vote. This first voting round is open until September 29. On September 30, the top five projects will be announced and will begin the second round of voting. Voters will choose the number one project that will receive the top funding of $1.5 million.

I have to commend American Express for launching such a project. They don’t have to do it. Of course they will get great press coverage and probably a huge surge of credit card applications, but nonetheless, a few very worthy causes will have $2.5 million in support, making their dream a reality. It falls in the league of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and Oprah’s The Big Give. Someone gives a lot and probably makes money off the promotion, but in the end, the world is a slightly better place.

If you’re a card member, go to the Members Project and cast your vote. It only takes a minute, but can have an impact that affects people for the rest of their lives.

Resources: 

• Members Project
• American Express Press Release

CPC Banners work just like CPC text ads on AdBrite. We’ll enter your max bid (typically 50 cents to $1.50 per click) and then our system automatically optimizes on a site-by-site basis to deliver clicks at or below your target cost-per-click. You’ll only pay when your banner ad gets clicked.

It seems pretty promising, as long as their quality publishers fall within your demographic, the ad placement is decent, and your ad is approved. A few of their publishers include White Pages, Fox News, Photobucket, and Woman’s Day.

Each publisher offers different options: flat-rate ads, CPM text ads, CPM banners, and now CPC banners. If you’re going to test the CPC banners, use the estimates of your average click-through-rate to determine your daily clicks according to the publisher’s estimated daily page views.

For instance, if your average banner CTR is .5%, then your estimated maximum daily clicks might be .005 x 260,000 = 1,300 clicks. Remember that you can cap your daily spend, as well as test different maximum CPC’s. Actual impressions will depend on your max CPC and competitor presence, as well as daily site activity by users.

If you want to see how I test an ad buy for a flat-rate text ad buy on AdBrite, check out the articles below. You’ll get an idea of the buying process from my point of view.
Buying Flat Rate Text Ads
Buying Flat Rate Text Ads Part 2

I’m glad AdBrite is still testing the possibilities of CPC ads. Since they removed the CPC text ads, I haven’t used their system as much as I used to. CPC banners should allow certain advertisers more of the control that is lacking from traditional CPM banner ad placements, which emphasize branding over optimization for ROI.

If you haven’t signed up for AdBrite yet, use the button to the left to register. The network is open to new publishers and advertisers. If you have any questions about AdBrite feel free to leave comments and I’ll answer them to the best of my ability. Thanks!

Good luck!