The SEO News Blog from Pat Marcello

Anyone who’s anyone in social marketing knows about Ping.fm . It’s a site that will post to multiple social sites for you, and you design the setup. You can hook into Facebook, MySpace, or LinkedIn. For micro-blogging there’s Twitter, Plurk, and Jaiku.  And there’s regular blogging if you have Blogger, WordPress.com or TypePad. And a whole bunch of sites that you may or may not belong to.

Imagine how much time you’re going to save because you don’t have to go from site to site, posting the same danged information. It’s really sweet!

If you don’t yet have a Ping.fm account, you need to get one today. Just post to Ping.fm and you’re done!

I have to admit that I’ve been lazy (= no time) to set it up. I don’t belong to all of the around 40 social sites that it supports, but that’s my bad.  Like everyone, I’m often thinking, why bother, if you don’t have time to be an active participant.

So… I’m kicking myself.

There are lots of important sites that I never mess with just because of the lazy (= not time) situation. It’s kind of like buying in bulk. You know it’s a good idea but you hate to spend that much at one time, eh?

Well… I managed to get my sites set up today, so look out. I’ll be posting to Ping.fm from now on! Lots more updates. And maybe…

Even a little more time.

I was reading through my feeds today, and came upon a post from Marko Saric’s How to Make My Blog blog and he was talking about all the traffic he’d got from one post. Of course, it was about Twitter, and it outlined some of the great Twitter plugins available: Top 5 Twitter Plugins to Incorporate into Your Blog.

In it, Marko outlines WP Twitip ID, which allows you to add a field to your comment form for your commentors’ Twitter IDs.  This is cool for your commentor because it links their Twitter username to the comment and to their Twitter profile. Nice! So, I installed that one.

Another is Twittar, which allows the commentor’s Twitter Avatar to be shown next to his/her comment.  Kind of nice. And there’s TweetBacks, Tweet This, and Twitter Tools.

You can check them all out on Marko’s blog. But here’s the thing. They all do very cool things, but they’re not for blog beginners. Well… except for Twitter Tools. Anyone can use that one. It’s a pretty standard plugin.

But if you don’t know how to edit your theme files, the others are advanced. They’re not hard. You just need to put snippets of code where you want the items to appear, but one of them, TweetBacks, for example, takes a little more finesse.

Yet, I do have some advice.

If you’re not really into editing the PHP files, don’t be scared to get in and try it. That’s how I learn to do things. I just forge ahead, and do things because I know I can go back and fix them, if I screw up (and I have done that more times than I care to mention).

Save your theme. If you mess up one of the files, you can just go to your saved theme files and upload the clean file to your theme folder. For instance, if you screw up comments.php, just go to your saved theme and upload the original comments.php to the theme folder on your hosting account. Just like new!

Never be afraid to try things. That’s how you learn.

So… yesterday, I had to do some scrambling. I got everything fixed at my site, and offered my customer a different bonus. And today, she was happy. She complimented me on my speed of action and professionalism, which was very nice of her.

So, what’s the point?

I’m not tooting my own horn here. I just want to show you how important it is to show your customers that you really do care about them and about their satisfaction.

Customers are the lifeblood of your business. No matter how great your product is, if you don’t satisfy your customer, what’s the point? If there are no customers buying, you’re not in business, right?

I have another kind of great story about this…

I got some customers from a recent IM giveaway, and you know how that is… they forget who you are. Or, they wanted your gift, but not the email that goes along with it. I get that. I was new at this once, too.

So, I got an email from a guy who was pretty incensed that I was mailing him offers (and yes, I mail to my list almost daily as Tellman & Shawn have taught me). I mean, he was downright rude. (And you know you were, if you’re reading this. )

I could have just ignored him.

I could have blasted him back.

Instead, I took the time to write a response that I hoped would be helpful.

Guess what? He appreciated the fact that I even wrote back. Now, he writes to me often and asks my opinion or just chats or whatever. He’s really a pretty nice guy and I think we’re forming a good working relationship, which pleases me no end.

But…

You can’t do that with every customer you have, obviously. I try to answer all of my emails, like Ken McArthur (who I respect enormously, and who never ceases to amaze me), and have gotten some pretty good customers, relationships, and business partners from it.

Never think that your customers are cranks.

Never think that they’re stupid newbies.

Make them your friends, and your business will grow a lot faster. They’ll tell other people who will make your dreams come true.

Did you ever have a day where everything seemed to go wrong? I mean, Mars must have entered my sign around lunchtime and since then… pfffttt!!!

So, I’d better not write anything serious here, or I’ll probably be wrong.

One thing I’d like to caution everyone on is in checking their sites periodically. I have egg on my face today because a customer bought one of my older products, and my bonuses are no longer working. Great, huh? I just lost the faith of one consumer, which means I will now have lost the faith of 27 other people. (That’s what one bad word of mouth issue can do for you.)

I, of course, offered another killer bonus in place of the one that was defunct, and a full refund, but the woman who bought my ebook will certainly not forget the incident. I’m hoping she’ll remember that I was responsive and offered a remedial solution and not the bad stuff.

But you just don’t know. I don’t blame her one hoot for being pissed off. Heck, I’m pissed off — at me!

So, let me remind those of you who have been online a while and have products out there with bonuses not to forget that sometimes bonuses change and you need to stay current. Update your sales letter and your bonus package as need be.

Because if you don’t…

It could cost you money and credibility. That’s NOT at all what you want. Arghhhhhhhhh!!!

Wow! Amazing the things you find when you go looking for them.

Andy Bland did a pretty sweet review of my new SEO product “Spider Language” at http://r.ecommended.com/product/10193/spider-language

Thanks, Andy!

Only problem… your price is right, but only for 1 month. It’s introduced to you at $4.95, but to continue monthly lessons it’s $47 a month.

Otherwise, thanks for the 4 stars. What could have made it a 5-Star product for you? Just wondering. Always looking to make things better.

We’re working behind the scenes to improve some things at Spider Language, so sign up now while the first month is so inexpensive. You’ll be glad you did!

SEO is a huge consideration in everything you do for your business. Using a blog? Obviously, SEO is important. Creating a squeeze page? SEO… Writing a sales letter… SEO… Twitter… SEO. Everything you do online is about you and your keywords.

And yes, even Twitter.

I’m all about blogging and SEO and people are beginning to know that because of all the stuff I have out there in regard to blogging and SEO. As a joke, I bought the domain BlogQueenoftheUniverse.com, which redirects to this blog. It was a joke, and my friends thought it was pretty funny. But…

I actually saw someone refer to me that way on Twitter the other day. How cool is that? I obviously know that I’m NOT the be all and end all of blogging. Nobody is, but becoming a presence and “branding” yourself as one thing or another is a huge part of making yourself successful.

So, who do you want to be? What’s your niche? Are you the “Hunting King?” or how about “The JV Queen,” like Gina Gaudio-Graves? Or the “Niche Prof,” like Ron Capps? Try to position yourself as the expert in whatever field you want to conquer and then, back it up.

If I knew nothing about blogging or SEO, it would be stupid for me to try and be the queen of those fields. People would guffaw, and I’m certain that the people who DO know more than me in those areas most certainly are already.

But I don’t care.

Those aren’t the people I’m trying to impress and help along the way. My target audience are new bloggers and people who are new to SEO and this whole Internet marketing world. To them, I am the Blogging Queen of the Universe because I totally know a LOT! Certainly not everything, but enough that I do seem like an expert to people learning this whole confusing world of IM.

So, who are you? Who’s your target audience and who do you want to be to them? That’s what you should be striving to establish. Learn all you can about your niche topic and then, use the appropriate keywords surrounding that area in everything you do.

You’ll be amazed at how people respond to your expertise. It won’t happen overnight. I’ve been at this 5+ years and only now are people starting to know who I am and what I do, and it’s pretty sweet. I love working with folks, and so coming to them with some credibility is very, very important. I never want to disappoint them — evah.

I was at a conference for Stomper Net where Leslie Rohde was saying that there were Black Hats, White Hats, and Grey Hats when it comes to SEO.  And that’s true. There are definite lines between white and black, but sometimes, the black and even grey areas can pay off in a big way.

But for how long? How long will spammy tactics work?

Only until Google figures out what’s going on and then, slams the hammer down on you.

They’re doing it again. (Check out Jason Lee Miller’s article in Web Pro News today here.) And you know, for once, I’m saying, “You go, Google!”

Really.

I mean, I look at things people do around the Web to try and yank Google’s chain and I can’t really blame the search giant for being pissed off. This time, it’s “gangs” who are using Web 2.0 sites to send tons of bogus links back to their sites, where malware and scareware is showing up. And, the sites are showing at the top of web pages, not with one link, but several of them.

This reminds me of Howie Schwartz. I don’t mean that he has malicious sites. He’s just a marketer trying to make a buck. But his tactics are to use all these Web 2.0 sites to send tons and tons of links to Google so that he’s showing up in the first several spots on a page for his keywords. At first glance, it’s all pretty slick and he’s making a lot of money. So, you’re thinking, Wow! I could do that, right?

But think about this: Google catches on to what you’re doing and guess what? All that work is down the tubes. Not only that, but if Google catches on to who you are, you could find yourself on the Google hit list. Who needs that? I’d hate to be banned from the search results for.ever.

Well, forever is a long time and it’s not really that tough to change spots, but I just can’t see doing a ton of work that eventually doesn’t pay off. I’m in this for the long haul, so to me, getting things done naturally within Google’s guidelines is the way to go. It’s just more efficient, right? I’d rather do the work once, and have it last. If you’re smart, you’ll avoid all the schemes and go for the steady on, too.

Wow! We just gave a Ferrari computer monitor away to one of our ListBuilding Club members. He joined the Easter JVGiveaway and got like more than 1,000 people added to his list. That’s hot! Plus, he sold $1,500 in products.

Are giveaways worth messing with?

Absolutely! I had a product in the Easter JV Giveaway myself, and they have worked pretty well for  me. You get a share of people who download your gift and then unsubscribe right away. Kind of cheesy, but people do it. And you get your share of people who give bad email addresses.  So, be sure not to give away your product until after the people have confirmed to be on your list.

But overall, I have to say that I’ve had a lot of success with building my list through giveaways.  Try them, and if it makes sense, upgrade your membership so that your gift gets higher up in the list of gifts. Some of these have thousands of gifts in them.

Here are a couple that are just opening:

Jason James’ Greedy Giveaway : He’s looking for established marketers with lists. So, if you’re just starting and have no list, this one won’t be for you.

Reed Floren’s Free IM Giveaway

I did one with Reed last year that really paid off. Made money and got subscribers, so that was pretty cool.

But what if you’re not in the IM niche?

You can find giveaways in health & fitness and in relationships. Or, start your own! Jason James’ JV Giveaway Riches Software is killer.  Set up a giveaway for your niche if you can’t find one. They’re even better for the Giveaway owner. They build an enormous list, and with all the OTOs and upsells, you also make a pile of cash.

Giveaways are often bashed. People say that you get unresponsive lists from them, but I don’t find this to be the case. If you write to your list often, and make them aware of free stuff or give them lots of cool instruction, they’ll love you forever, regardless of where they came from.

Try a giveaway… They’re easy to do and they work like gangbusters.

I haven’t written about this in a while because it’s been going on since January, but…

ListBuilding Club Ferrari

There’s still a Ferrari up for grabs over at the ListBuilding Club. There are three things you need to do to win:

1. Join the ListBuilding Club

You can start off with a $1 trial for your first month. That’s a $97 value, so you’ll be saving $96. You should definitely go do that. You’ll be amazed at how awesome the club is. If you’re struggling to make this work, Brian Edmondson does a wonderful job of teaching ALL the stuff about Internet marketing you need to know to make your business work. And it’s on video! It’s not a .pdf or audio training. You can watch Brian and then, go do exactly what he did, and bingo! You’re list building and creating your own, profitable online business.

2. Show the most improvement in building your list and make the most money with it by May 31, 2009.

So, let’s say you have no list… noooo problem! You will when you’re finished with this contest. Guaranteed. But (and this is a huge but) YOU must take action! You can’t win, and you’ll NEVER succeed unless you do that. It’s really just that simple.

3. Write an essay about why you should be the spokesperson for the ListBuilding Club.

Why are you awesome? What did you do that makes you awesome? How much money have you made? How can you prove these claims? If you aren’t a writer, talk into a tape or digital voice recorder and then, transcribe your essay or have someone transcribe it for you. You can make a video essay, too, so you really don’t have to write at all. K?

This is great! It’s a WIN-WIN situation, really. No matter whether you’re eligible (and only residents of the U.S. are, which is a shame, really) or not, you’ll still come away with more incredible knowledge than ever before. You’ll have a list building. You’ll be making money.

I didn’t figure it out for the first couple of years I was online. I had no list. I made NO money. But I have a list now and that makes all the difference. I have a relationship with the people on my list and they trust me to send them the good stuff. They know that if I recommend something, it’s worth having.

And they buy.

And I make money.

More money than I ever made before in my life, and all it took was learning that IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LIST.

So, go get into the contest! (Even if you can’t enter, you can still get the $1 trial and see just how awesome we really are over there.) Just have a contest with yourself with what you’ll be learning. Honestly, I’ve been around for 5+ years now, and I assure you… it’s some of the best training you’ll ever get. Yeah, yeah… I’m the ListBuilding Club Project Manager, and I’m probably a little prejudiced, but go and see what our members are saying and win some cool Ferrari prizes:

http://ListBuildingClub.com/blog

We’re giving away cool stuff every day! You’d be a fool not to at least check it out. The ListBuilding Club is helping thousands of people every month, and it’s just totally fulfilling.

God, I love my job!