Monthly Archives: February 2010

Cheat Sheet Collection (PPC and Beyond)

Glenn, I don’t have time, could you make more cheat sheets?”

OK, OK … so here’s 21 of my absolute best quick and dirty money making cheat sheets (right click and download the ZIP file) including:

– How to corner your market
– How to master the conversion optimizer
– 7 uncommon reasons internet businesses fail
– My 10 most important business insights of the decade
– How to Taguchi test in adwords
– How to profit from  word of mouth URLs today
– The content network curse
– Getting more content network impressions
– Working with display advertising on the content network
– Domain name testing in Adwords after 2009
–  Automatic Broad Match
– The Livingston Broad Match Magic approach to competitive market entry…
– Hyperresponsive Surveys…
– Mining for negative keywords…
– PPC XRay..
– Multivariate email testing…
– Self esteem and purchase behavior…
– Adwords mysteries…

And more!

Don’t say I never gave you anything 🙂

Like this stuff?  Then get your ass into my hyper-responsive marketing club so you can REALLY put it to use before I raise the price forever (on Friday).

G 🙂

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Perhaps I Frighten You?

It’s not Halloween, but I still scare people.

You all know I’m really just a big hairy teddy bear, but my work is pretty intense. I suggest looking at your marketing landscape very carefully, putting numbers on it, and burying yourself in all the valuable free information you can get before you start throwing money at your marketing problem.

Know why I do it?

Because it’s a jungle out there, and it’s only getting worse.

1 Billion+ people online and growing, but only 21 slots on the search engine results page (11 paid, 10 organic) for any given market. And we all know you gotta be on page #1 or you’re building billboard in the woods.

Brutal!

Someday, as competition heats up and more and more advertisers get online, you won’t be able to make a dime without doing what I suggest, I’m sure. And all the bright shiny objects will vanish in the wind.

But for now, I’ll reserve my work for the few and the proud.

Care to join us? (price goes up on Friday)

I Am Ugly, Oh So Very, Very Ugly

It’s confession time, and I’m finally ready to admit it… I’m ugly.  Oh so very very ugly.

I’ve tried for 4 years now to make what I do seem sexy, but it’s not.

That’s why you don’t see any beauty contests for marketing researchers.  No bikini babes lined up with surveys and statistics.  No hunky t-shirts of 45 year old men showing their market segmentation tables and graphs.   No endless, seemingly irrelevant display ads stalking you across the internet which say “click here for some hot market research action”.

And nobody really wants to talk about market research at parties.

Because market research isn’t a “bottom line function”, it’s just not that attractive.

Most marketers would rather jump into the market and try to make money right away, slogging it out on the battle field, licking their wounds as they go along.  But I’d rather sweat in training than bleed in battle.

So I’m constantly imploring people to avail themselves of the literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of FREE information available today online.  To slow down, digest and organize it all, choose their targets carefully, and plan their attack methodically.

Which somehow makes me the bad guy in their minds.  Because I’m not as sexy as the newest traffic technique, or the quickest way to make money this week.

Oh well, I guess I’m destined for an ugly life, having a (comparatively) small but rabid group of followers who make more money doing rather than teaching.

A group of Ugly Tortoises with X-Ray Vision and steadily growing businesses, not flash in the pan booms and busts.

I guess people don’t really want to see that at the beach.

But  I honestly can’t see any other way.

And you know who DOES think market research is sexy?

Fortune 100 companies who can afford it. I’m NOT talking about the DUMB brand managers who go without research and just consult their wife for an opinion on which poodle to show in the ad. I’m talking about the smart companies who research the hell out of their markets before they spend $20,000,000 on an advertising campaign.

To them, $100,000 for a research project is a drop in the bucket, they do those day in and day out. I ought to know, I’ve done plenty of them.

But what if I told you that you could get MORE information about your market for $77 than than these companies are getting for $100,000? What if I reminded you that I used to conduct those projects, and have translated these research principles into practical, easy to implement, step by step procedures and illustrated them all in over my shoulder videos and cheat sheets?

Would you still hesitate to join before my final price increase?

Because I’m going to jump the price from $77 to $97 on Friday morning. And because I NEVER increase the price on existing members, this is your last chance to LOCK IN YOUR RATE to learn this ugly, ugly form of marketing, tested and proven in over a dozen markets, and honed over a lifetime of an ugly researcher’s career.

So? How about a little kiss? Yes?


PS – My stuff USED TO be difficult. It USED TO make people’s brain’s hurt. Not any more… now it’s EASY, just not sexy. (Kind of like this lady above). But I know you’ll be happier with the results! Price jumps to $97 on Friday

Content Network Negatives and Risk Management

According to Jered “The Content Network Exorcist” Klima (who has managed hundreds of thousands of dollars per month), there are nuances of negative site usage and risk management on the Content Network which elude virtually all AdWords users…

Things which Google themselves point out in the depth of their documentation…

Which have dramatic implications for how you manage the content network… it’s a real paradigm shift.  Without question, it’s the most valuable thing I’ve learned about Adwords this year, and it’ll only take you 15 minutes to go through.

Highly Recommended,

Glenn 🙂

Rocket Clicks PPC Management |    Beat the $20/mo Price Increase (2/26/10)

PS – The thematic shift Jered presents is entirely consistent with the focus of my hyper-responsive club.  Essentially, you need to start thinking THEMATICALLY, which requires you to more tightly define what your entire site is about than ever before.  In fact, one way of understanding Quality Score is a recognition that if you don’t take the time to clearly outline your exact place in the world of keyword conversations, Google will define it for you!

I’ve thought long and hard about the best way to define your space, then conquer it with focus and determination in Google (both Search and Content) and beyond.   This is NOT  a technique or a fad, but a set of principles you implement with a step by step over-my-shoulder system.

I’m implementing one last price raise jumping to $97.   So if you’ve been on the fence following me, consider this your limited opportunity to LOCK IN YOUR RATES FOREVER.  (Note: I never raise rates on active members ) Beat the Price Increase

MP3: Insights for Search – Practical Uses

You’ll be Genuinely surprised at all the practical, immediately useful applications Rob Sieracki’s got for you using this underutilized and undervalued Google tool!

Enjoy 🙂

Rocket Clicks |    Beat the $20/mo Glenn Club Price Increase (2/26/10) |  Coaching Priority List

Enough with the SEO Voodoo Already

Are you totally sick of not understanding all the SEO mumbo jumbo out there?

Me too.

And I’m convinced it’s just another instance of  “confuse and conquer”.

That’s why I asked Ty Price, Director of Ecommerce at RocketClicks.com (and now also a partner in the business)… to spell out in Plain English exactly what’s involved in getting free traffic, especially for PPC based websites.

Ty’s kind of like a “Buddha” around the office.  He has an uncanny knack for remaining calm in the face of any “urgent” business situation,  and a particularly friendly and easy way of simplifying supposedly complex issues.

So enough with all the SEO Voodoo already.  It’s not so complicated… listen to this FREE MP3 and you’ll be able to explain it to your 7 year old.

Enjoy,

Dr. G 🙂

PS – If you’d like a consultation about SEO for your business, please contact Rocket Clicks below.

Rocket Clicks |    Beat the $20/mo Glenn Club Price Increase (2/26/10) |   Coaching Priority List

“So Little Time, So Many Liars” (Recorded Consult with Glenn)

Know the biggest problem we face as internet marketers?

LIARS.

A Darwinian economy creates ruthless temptation to lie, exaggerate,  distort, and mislead.  And the PPC auction puts that on steroids.

Every time you look at the results of a split test you’re faced with a moral dilemma.   Because the majority of the time, strengthening your claim beyond what you can actually deliver raises your click through and conversion.   And sadly, outright lying raises it stratospherically.

Of course, the smart marketer knows that lying creates only trial, not repeat. (It can also lead to being married to a big smelly guy named Bubba, and spending a lot of time lifting weights in the yard)

So what’s an ethical marketer to do?

I’ve known Chuck Batson for years, have had dinner with him, and in my judgment he’s one of the most ethical marketers around.  Chuck  operates in a market you’d think is more traditionally known for honesty and compassion… the vegetarian/vegan/raw-food world. (Which means, you know… he refuses to eat fried kittens and stuff, no matter how good they taste)

But he’s up against LIARS too.

Thankfully, he used my old How To Double Your Business course (predecessor to the hyper-responsive club) and found an honest way into the market, but he’s only making a few bucks and because he works full time as a programmer, he can’t seem to find the time to expand.

I really like Chuck, respect his values, and appreciate what a dedicated customer he’s been for almost 4 years.

Listen carefully and you’ll learn a few things about dealing with the Liars in your market too!

Dr. G 🙂

PS – Chuck asked a few very valuable questions towards the end about the difference between free and paid content.  It’s definitely worth listening to the answer if you’re following my model.

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Are You Willing to be Hated?

In order to be loved, you need to be hated.

If you want to build a base of adoring customers who throw money at you, you’ve got to tolerate a (sometimes even larger) group of people who despise you.  Not mildly dislike, but literally “hate” and “despise”.

Sometimes it’s because you’ve gotta tell them things they don’t want to hear.  Just ask any parent… children are not at all shy about letting you know when they don’t like what you say.  Yet a loving parent still tells their kids what they need to know, because otherwise they’ll grow up ill prepared for life in the real world.

The best parents do this calmly, with a genuine, gentle smile, taking the whole matter in stride, knowing that their kids won’t hate them forever, that an adorable loving face is just around the corner.

But beyond this, in marketing there are people who will NEVER come around.  They’ll always hate you for who you are, what you stand for, how you look, what you sound like,… the very essence of your being.

Most of them will probably never let you know, but trust me they’re there.

And a few very bitter, mean people, will make sure you know in the biggest way they can.  They’ll write in to customer service, fedex your nasty notes, threaten to tell everyone on the internet what a schnook you are, and expose your every weakness publicly if they can. (By the way, I’m curious how many people know the word “schnook”?)

Not many, but you’ll definitely remember it when they do.

Beyond this, in relationship marketing the simple facts of life are that not everyone wants to have a relationship with you.  In fact, overall an extremely small percentage of hyper-responsive customers bond with you to provide more than HALF the fuel for your business… usually less than 5% of everyone who buys, and only 1 in 2000 website visitors (really… read the math at the top of this letter if you don’t believe me)

The majority of the market simply ignores you.

And another minority HATES your guts.

So what!

It’s the price of success.

“What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger”

And if you do it right, the things people hate you for are the very same things which exhilarate your best customers.

For example, in Glenn’s view of the world you really shouldn’t be putting up an opt in form or trying to sell anything until you’ve studied the market for at least three months.   After running dozens of successful projects myself and watching hundreds of students and clients, I’m 100% convinced it’s both faster and more reliable to engage in exhaustive market research before you try to stake your ground.  (I’ve seen people try to shortcut it and fail for years now)

My best customers know and embrace this fact, and relish the idea that the vast majority of their competitors won’t be doing it.

Along those lines, here’s another truth you may not like hearing… unless you’ve got a serious head start (e.g. capital, previous success to build on, etc) you’re not going to stumble upon an oil well and build a $10 million dollar business in 12 months.

I know when you see it in writing it seems silly to even say it.  It’s obviously not even in the realm of possibilities for 99.9% of the population, but you’d be surprised just how many people harbor this fantasy, and suffer from constant depression as they’re confronted by the facts.

Even building a million dollar business in 12 months is unreasonable for most entrepreneurs (though I do see it done on very rare occasion).   There are just too many variables in all markets to be able to jump in and pull out 7 figures right away, despite what the gurus tell you.

What you CAN do this year is build a solid foundation for reliable and secure growth.   You can work hard and watch things get better.

Especially if you’re willing to be hated… like me 🙂

Food for thought,

Dr. G 🙂

PS – If you’re not feeling hated, at least some of the time, you’re not marketing hard enough and you’re not telling your market what it really needs to know.  (Give it some thought)

PPS – Are you willing to be hated?  I’d be very interested to know your struggles along these lines if you’d leave them below.  I have the belief this factor is a major unexplored obstacle for most entrepreneurs.  Let me know below please OK?

He Who Lives on Hope Dies of Starvation

Know why it’s so easy for gurus to sell one bright shiny object after another?

Because hardly anyone has the courage to face reality.

The reality is you CAN build a passive income stream, but not by magic, by hard work.

It’s not “work once and get paid forever”, it’s “work once very, very hard, get the crap beaten out of you while you figure it out, then get paid forever on a certain percentage of your projects which you can build into a very big, ongoing, passive income business by sweat, teamwork, relentless focus and determination”

We’d much rather buy hope…

And who could blame us.

That’s why snake oil salesmen always have, and always will have a place on this planet.

Just remember: “He who lives on hope dies of starvation.”

My advice?

Instead of dreaming, put your head down and get to work on your dreams .

Yes, it’s painful… but it’s more painful to spend a lifetime without movement.

Yes, it’s a lot of fun to dream… but it’s even more fun to accomplish them.

Yes, it can be exhausting, but it’s 80 times better than the alternative.

WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID:  “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others”…

GLENN SAYS: “Entrepreneurship is the worst way to make a living, except for all the others”

Food for thought.

Dr. G 🙂

It’s Better to Sweat in Training Than to Bleed in Battle

“Its Better to Sweat in Training Than to Bleed in Battle”

I forget who said that, but there  couldn’t be more a appropriate quote to capture the mindset you need to succeed online.

Everyone’s in such a rush…

Everyone can’t wait to “get to the next level”…

No one can tolerate their current situation long enough to do their research, methodically develop their site, talk to customers and prospects, test and track, analyze the results, and rinse and repeat their way to success.

So instead, because they feel SO desperate to change their current state of affairs, they rush through all the steps.  Or they live on HOPE that someone will show them the easier, softer way, which makes them horrifically vulnerable to the next bright shiny object someone puts in front of them.

They refuse to sweat in training…

So they bleed in battle.

And they rush their lives away desperately hopping from level to level, never really being fully present to enjoy the scenery.

Although there ARE always dozens of opportunities to cooperate with your competitors, make no mistake, the Search Marketing landscape is a bloody battlefield which goes to the strongest, not the quickest, or the most hopeful.

It’s better to sweat in training than to bleed in battle…

Something worth thinking about.

Dr. Glenn :-)

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