msdanielle – just another ego blog site

Tomorrow begins the second annual BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas and if it’s anything like last year, I’m in for a pretty big and packed weekend. I’m excited to catch up with some of the friends I made last year and meet some others in person who I’ve only chatted with online or over Skype. What I love about these conferences is just being able to congregate with a whole bunch of like-minded people…and party together.

I’m posting some links to others who are attending BWE and who will most likely be posting updates later on. If you’re attending BWE, please say “Hi!” to me if you see me. Check out these blogs below to see who will be partying like rock stars this weekend.

Nate Whitehill – Co-founder of Unique Blog Designs and really awesome guy. His business partners, Josh Mullineaux and Matt Blancarte will also be pimpin it at the UBD booth.

Derek Semmler – Author of DerekSemmler dot com and Sparkplugging: The Man Page. Also, my blog birthday buddy!

Greg Morgan – Founder of BCMblog and my conference homey. Always good times when BCM is in the house!

Make Money Online Panel – Super Affiliate Zac Johnson (and all-around nice person) will be speaking on this super blogger panel, along with John Chow, Brian Clark, Jim Kukral, Darren Rowse, and Jeremy “Shoemoney” Schoemaker. Yowzers!!

Wendy Piersall – Everyone knows her as the original eMom and she’ll be back to deliver on a panel discussing how to sell direct advertising on your blog. Sweet.

and more! If you’re going to BWE, leave a comment here to let everyone know. Or leave links to your friends who will be attending. Hope to see you all there!

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American Express has recently launched it’s second annual Members Project. What is this, you ask? The Members Project is a way for card members to make a difference in the world:

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

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This is just a simple reminder to register to vote if you haven’t done so already. OK, still not convinced?

A good friend of mine told me he wasn’t going to vote, and that he hadn’t voted in the previous two elections. When I asked why not, he said, “I don’t really know what’s going on.”

I think that’s a common sentiment shared by people who haven’t looked at the issues yet. When it comes to voting for new registrants, I look at it as being pretty black and white. Look at the issues and see who either has more positives or negatives to swing your vote. I understand that people look at Democrats vs. Republicans as choosing “the lesser of two evils” and may shy away from voting, but in the same token, one party may have more pluses than minuses. Looking at the issues from the start may help pull you in one direction or another, and from there you can do further research.

To help you decide, I’m posting links to the candidate’s issues, as well as some factchecking on the recent convention speeches. I’m not going to air my political views here, I’m just asking you to do your part.

*REGISTER TO VOTE HERE*

• Official sites of Barack Obama and John McCain
• Factchecking Obama and Factchecking McCain

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I think the first time I heard about affiliate marketing was when I was recruited for my first job as PPC Manager. “They’re making how much money?!” was my initial response to finding out how affiliate marketing worked, and how much money was going into the company of my soon-to-be boss and mentor. At that time, there were a handful of affiliate managers we worked with, along with the major search engine platforms and a few ad networks. Nowadays it seems like there are as many affiliate companies and ad networks as there are merchants.

Now I’m not claiming to know how many affiliate companies existed in 2006 versus now, since I don’t know that number. All I know is I’m continually learning about more and more. Last week I ran across an article at adotas titled “Can 314 Ad Networks Really Thrive?” which touched on a recent concern of mine. Author Michael Sprouse addresses the growth of the internet advertising management space and wonders if the number of networks will scale down in the near future. His conclusion is No, which for the most part I do agree. However, the one thing that wasn’t addressed in his article, which is a growing concern of mine is, How do we manage the growing number of networks that were born out of our need to scale down management?

My conclusion is that we will need middle men to accomodate the middle men. In other words, let’s say I am a publisher trying to push sales to Merchant F. That makes me an affiliate, or a middle man. The affiliate company, Network C, tracks my data and dispenses the proper commissions to me on behalf of their client, Merchant F. That makes Network C a middle man.

Now, there are an endless number of publishers and an endless number of merchants (or advertisers, in the case of ad networks), both sides of which are growing exponentially every day. How can a small business attempt to manage a large scope of merchants and/or advertisers with the growing and ever-changing landscape of the networks. In the grand scheme of things, they are still in their infancy.

When thinking of the magnitude of online advertising and affiliate marketing, there are so many networks out there that are succeeding that, as Michael Sprouse says, “As long as there is still opportunity for networks to exhibit a fuller value proposition, then fast consolidation … is not necessarily a certainty.” In short, we’re going to continue to see more networks because there’s no reason why we won’t. I believe that beyond that, we will see an additional layer of middle men emerge from this same need that created networks, which is basically a need for additional management. Sprouse notes that “networks were born out of demand in the marketplace,” to which I add, network management companies will also be born out of great demand. It looks like this in my head:

The Norm Now

The Future

In an age where segmenting and growth is as infinite as it is possible, I think this growing class of middle-middle men will be born out of need. Affiliates and publishers will need management companies for their networks, since one company alone might need multiple affiliate networks, ad networks and exchanges to maximize ROI. How many middle men will this industry see? Only time will tell.

[Tell us what you think about the growing nature of online advertising and affiliate marketing. I find it absolutely fascinating!]

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OM Records artist and Minneapolis native Chuck Love has been touring all corners of the globe to “spread the love,” as the closing track to his debut album “Bring Enough to Spill Some” suggests. And he is spreading the love in a big way, as I was able to witness first hand twice recently in Hollywood. How lucky am I?!

I mean, have you ever tried to describe the feeling of love, or what sunshine feels like? For house music lovers who’ve seen Chuck Love perform live, I’m sure you’ll agree it’s just as difficult to verbalize what the experience is truly like. He pulls out all the stops. From guitar to vocals to horn, and then synthesizer to hookaphone (!), he puts on one amazing performance. He killed his set so beautifully and kept my friends and I dancing all over the floor until we were about to collapse from exhaustion. It was awesome.

However, if you don’t have the opportunity to see the producer-slash-DJ in person, I do recommend checking out his new album. The two-disc set includes one compilation of all original tracks, including two of my favorite house tunes, “Back in My Life” and “Soul Symphony.” For you house heads out there, you know what I’m talking about. Disc two features a blend of both Chuck’s remixes and original tracks that will pretty much make you either bob your head like crazy or just get up and dance. In my opinion, it’s an extremely solid album set, and everyone I know who’s heard it also sings his praises.

But you don’t have to be a house head to appreciate him. His production includes influences ranging from soul, funk, disco, and downtempo. One thing I love about albums of this quality is their versatility. Throw it on during a barbeque, house party, or beach bonfire and you’ve got instantly fun mood music. I’m excited to experience such a talented artist, I’m happy to spread the love to you all, and I hope at least a few of you will explore the “Love” too.

Resources:

• Listen to / Purchase Album
• Upcoming Shows [MySpace]
• Live video [Sorry the sound is distorted! I was near the speaker]

Notes: This article is a non-paid review, sponsored by MsDanielle. The Resource links are non-affiliated links. Shout-outs go to my friend Andrew from Ubiquity Records for passing the album along to me, as well as to Lindsay Fagan from OM Records for providing support.

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I received an email from AdBrite that they’re going to offer cost-per-click banner ad placements to select advertisers.

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!

[If you enjoy reading MsDanielle.com, please feel free to subscribe via RSS or get free email updates.]

It’s hard to believe it’s been nine months since the first Blog World Expo and it’s almost here again. After the swell of new blogs and social activity in the “make money blogging” realm following John Chow’s earnings announcements in spring 2007, it was exciting and fun to actually meet some of the familiar faces (er…icons…?) in person and get to know some of them at the event. With the conference on the horizon again, it’s time to finalize planning and start getting ready for some fun!

The Details

September 20 – 21 in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Convention Center. If you visit the site, you can check the list of exhibitors as well as the conference schedule. You can check out which speakers will be attending and floating around the event.

The Benefits

One of the biggest benefits of attending industry conferences is the networking. Where else will so many top bloggers and blog related service providers convene in one location? If you’re really into blogging and social networking, it really is a great place to hang out with and socialize with some like-minded people.

Are any of you planning on going, or thinking about it? If you’re wondering what it was like for me, check out my BWE review.

[If you enjoy reading MsDanielle.com, please feel free to subscribe via RSS or get free email updates.]

My buddy Derek tipped me off about Michael Kwan’s Photoshop-John-Chow-and-Make-Me-Laugh Contest (not the officially deemed title) yesterday, so I figured I’d throw something together. If you don’t know, the image is a reference to my Canon vs. Nikon post from a few months back. Just click on it to see the image at full size.

I love these kinds of contests, even if they’re not all contests, because people come up with some hilarious pictures. I can win a box of stuff from Michael, which I probably won’t win, but it’s fun just the same to participate.

If you want to try to win his box of stuff, just create an image and follow the contest guidelines. If you created an image already, leave your link here in the comments for everyone else to check out!

[If you enjoy reading MsDanielle.com, please feel free to subscribe via RSS or get free email updates.]

I mean this in the most literal sense. After reading the book Web Design for ROI, I wanted to impress upon my readers the importance of creating a web site that converts positively before spending exorbitant amounts of money driving gobs of paid traffic which may or may not return the advertising investment. First and foremost, creating a site that converts “browsers into buyers and prospects into leads” should be the top priority, then scaling the site for volume traffic should follow.

The Foundation

Driving a herd of sheep to a cliff and expecting them to pass the crevasse without a bridge won’t work. Knowing this, it’s obvious that driving more sheep to the cliff would just be more sheep without a means to cross. The sheepherder must build the bridge first, and build it properly. Making sure there is an clear and present means to the goal is what conversion optimization is all about.

Think of optimizing for conversions as the foundation for all of your goals. As marketers, we don’t build web sites and drive traffic to them purely because it’s fun and we enjoy entertaining the thousands of faces we’ll never meet. For the most part, it’s about building a site that somehow earns money. Whether it’s through advertising, sales, leads, clicks, whatever. Sure, the site can be fun and entertaining, but getting a user to ultimately click where we want them to is the golden ticket.

Once your site begins to convert for whatever goals you’ve defined, keep a solid eye on your key metrics. As Lance Loveday and Sandra Niehaus of WD4ROI point out, make sure you’re measuring the right metrics. For example, for those of you affiliate marketers who are interested in lead generation, you may be keeping an eye on your lead volume, conversion rate, revenue from leads, cost per lead, and revenue per visit. Depending on the type of site you’re running, you may need to keep an eye on differing key metrics.

The Conclusion

Optimizing for conversions is an essential step that every site owner must take before driving volume traffic to the site if the goal of purchased traffic is to increase revenue. In other words, you can purchase smaller volumes of traffic (or go by natural search traffic conversion stats), test, and make sure your site is converting before turning up the knob on the PPC dial. It just makes cents.

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Here are a few funny pictures I snapped while on the road and out shopping. I love how entertaining driving or walking around can be in Japan!

Who loves drugs…?!

Get your Starbucks Frappucciono with coffee jelly. (Not a far cry from some of the interesting boba drink combinations!)

Bee-ru! Gotta love Kirin beer just because they’ve created this awesome billboard…

Park it anywhere as long as there’s an empty gas pump above. Smart!

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