A cool video about ad2action

Prospecting Using Your Mobile Phone

Are you a Mobile Prospector? David explains how to turn your phone into a Prospecting Machine! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhySxJIB50Y&feature=player_embedded

A great day at ad2action

Its a great day at ad2action. Check out the new features in the auto responder area. You can schedule emails by date now!

Introducing ad2action (Version 1.5 Phoenix)

Introducing ad2action (Version 1.5 Phoenix)

These Release Notes cover what’s new, usage instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions. Please read these notes and the bug filing instructions before reporting any bugs to ad2action. To Report bugs or provide feedback & suggestions Click Here.

 

Introducing ad2action (Version 1.5 Phoenix)

Introducing ad2action (Version 1.5 Phoenix)

These Release Notes cover what’s new, usage instructions, known issues and frequently asked questions. Please read these notes and the bug filing instructions before reporting any bugs to ad2action. To Report bugs or provide feedback & suggestions Click Here.

 

Untitled

We are having a blast at ad2action.  Look forward to some new amazing features! You don’t want to miss these!

Podcasts

An increasing number of online marketers are shifting their focus to podcasting, or adding podcasts to their line-up, for a number of reasons.  Podcasts are much less expensive than producing videos and are less time-consuming than creating articles or e-books.  Additionally, subscribers can simply download the podcast onto their PC and listen to them as many times as they want.  In fact, depending on the audio format, they can even be saved on media devices such as the iPod.

When done right, a podcast can increase traffic and subscribers to your opt-in list, and provide a higher conversion rate for your landing page.  Here are some tips to consider:

Prepare the Podcast

As is the case with other online marketing methods, you need to be prepared, ahead of time, for every podcast.  You should have an objective in mind which will permit you to stay within the ideal time frame of no more than 30 minutes per podcast.  In fact, I highly encourage you to divide long discussions into a multiple-cast series to encourage listeners to continue coming back for more, just as your favorite TV shows do.

Also, check your equipment with plenty of time to spare.  Elaborate audio equipment is not typically required to start recording but you want to run a few tests to make sure that the quality of the audio is acceptable.  There are a number of headsets which provide excellent audio quality to eliminate background noise and echo.  

Finally, select an ideal location whenever possible for recording to reduce errors or distractions, and cut down on the number of edits you will need to conduct once you've finished recording.  Record in the quietest area of your home or office, choose a time when you have the least number of other people around you, and disconnect or turn off any noise making devices such as telephones, pagers, cellphones, TV's and chat programs or functions on your computer.

Consider Inviting Others

You may be the main presenter in your podcast, but I do recommend inviting other people to join you and share their views or information on your chosen topic.  These include experts, consultants, satisfied customers or clients who wish to provide a testimonial, and other online marketers who are already well-known in the industry.  This can be a great attraction quality for new listeners and subscribers.  

Additionally, associating yourself with other professionals will boost your credibility and show your subscribers that you definitely want to provide them with the best information out there.

Convert the File

There are a variety of audio formats to which you can convert your podcast once you've finished recording.  Mp3 format is considered the standard, uniform-for-all, format and works well with almost all types of media devices and operating systems.  This conversion will ensure that your listeners won’t have to spend a time converting the file themselves, if they aren't using exactly the same player or operating system that you have, as this hassle will cause many of them to simply give up on listening altogether.

Add it to Your Landing Page

Podcasts can be sent through e-mail, shares on social networking sites and added to your landing page.  Adding the cast to your landing page can drive new traffic and increase conversion rates, as well as increase interest or return from your past or existing customers and clients.  To easily create a dynamic landing page for your podcast, visit http://www.ad2action.com

RSS Feeds!

Are you familiar with RSS feeds?  Surprisingly, very few online marketers are, or those that do use them to promote their businesses are not doing so properly.  RSS feeds permit you to send updates or notes to your subscribers’ websites or blogs.  They are an open link between you and dozens, if not hundreds of other locations on the internet, which can increase traffic for your company!

To help you start or manage your RSS feeds properly, as well as to assist you in making the most of them, here are some tips:

Optimize the RSS Feeds

Your feeds can be crawled and cataloged by search engine spiders so, if you want to increase your search engine rankings, take the time to optimize your RSS feeds.  To do this, add your targeted keywords in the channel title and description, as well as in the content of your messages.  This will also ensure a more harmonious match between your fees and the websites and blogs of those subscribers which are featuring your RSS.

Add Information

You can make your feeds more intriguing and interesting for your subscribers by adding videos, images, and links in them.  In fact, you can advertise your landing page every so often to attract new traffic!

If you still don’t have a landing page, stop holding yourself back and visit  http://www.ad2action.com  This landing page creation system allows you to send your landing page to the best social networking and bookmarking websites, and track the performance of your marketing efforts, all from within your easy-to-use and tool-rich control panel.

Use Original Content

Keep your content original.  It is never helpful to use content from other sources if you're having a hard time thinking of something to publish in your RSS feed.  Using second-hand or recycled content will bring on a variety of negative repercussions.  
1.    You could find yourself in legal trouble if the content has a copyright.
2.    You can give the wrong impression to others about what type of online marketer you are and how you handle your business.
3.    You may receive negative publicity, not only from other online marketers, but also from subscribers!

If you want to quote or repeat previously published information, make sure you obtain permission from the originator of the content.  Also, even once you have the permission, give the original author credit for their work by including their name or feed information in your feed.

Consider Hosting Feeds

You can actually have a third-party website publish your RSS feeds for you but this could lead to limitations on your ability to control the feed on your own schedule.  Publishing your own feeds will allow you to regulate your publications and eliminate the “middle man”.

Avoid Sending Splogs

Splogs (or spam blogs) are a type of feed which usually contains nothing more than links to affiliate websites.  You may be tempted to do this as an easy method to increase the rankings and traffic for your landing page, but try to resist that temptation.  Splogs are a disappointment for many people who subscribe to RSS feeds, because they become subscribers due to their search for information.  Simply sending them a link is like sending someone a post card without writing a message on the back.  Another negative side effect of Splogs is the fact that they can bury actual feeds with good information in them, reducing your chances of attracting new subscribers.  It's ok to send out your link once in a while, but make sure it's included in a healthy and informative message.
 

Webinar Marketing

Compared to other online marketing methods, webinars are typically one of the more expensive options and can be complex because of the tools involved.  However, studies reveal that webinars can boost your lead generation abilities by as much as 20 percent, so you may want to give them some serious consideration!

If you decide to host a webinar, consider these tips for success:

Pick an Ideal Hosting

There are various different criteria to consider when choosing a vendor, but among the most important is someone with 99.99% of up-time for their servers.  This is to ensure that your sessions don’t get dropped in the middle and to reduce the potential lag time experienced by your participants.  Also ensure that your hosting vendor permits you to run your webinar in various types of operating systems, and that you will be able to convert the meeting into a multimedia file for archiving purposes after the webinar has ended.

Prepare for the Meeting

Have a good time frame established for how long the webinar should last and ensure that you have all of your notes and materials ready.  Although PowerPoint presentations are the most common tool used in webinars, it's good to utilize other multimedia files, such as photos and videos to add interest to your meeting.  These items can also help you better convey the message you have in mind.

You may also want to schedule two or three webinars with the same content on different days or at different times to accommodate all of your participants as many of them may have busy schedules or could be living in varied time zones.

Have an Expert with You

To increase interest and avoid monotony, it can be helpful to have other speakers or experts conducting the webinar with you, such as a consultant, partner, business associate or someone from a field closely related to your own.  This can increase attendance, as well as boost credibility and, if the other person will be simultaneously marketing their own business during the webinar, can reduce your costs if you arrange to split the production or hosting fees.  It will also make your participants feel that your webinar is substanial and will provide them with a variety of useful information.

Convert the Meeting

There may be some people who will be unable to participate in your webinar, so it’s a good idea to record the meeting and convert it to an mp3 or mp4 file, or to a text document that these people can view later.  To create a sense of urgency, as you still want them to read or listen to the content as soon as they are able, you may opt to only make such files available for a limited time, and announce that time frame to them.

Include Your Landing Page  

Because the purpose of all marketing methods is to increase awareness and purchase of your product or services, make sure you have an attractive, dynamic landing page that you can send your webinar attendees to after the meeting.  If you don't already have a landing page visit http://www.ad2action.com before planning your webinar and get this very important step out of the way.  Here you will find a variety of appealing, powerful templates available for any business type and easily customizable for your specific products and services.

Send A Feedback Form

Always remember to send out a feedback form immediately after the webinar.  You want to know whether or not your attendees were able to obtain the information they were expecting and if you have met your objectives.  You can also ask for suggestions and comments to improve your future webinar presentations.
 

Blogging

Let me tell you a secret: a lot of people like to blog.  We like the idea of being able to talk about ourselves and document portions of our lives, complete with images, videos, or even music.  We also like the feeling that a number of people are following us because they're interested in what we have to say and love that they will send us a nudge if we’ve forgotten to post for a few days.

You can actually get the same kind of response when you develop a business blog.  It’s definitely fulfilling when people are reading what you have to say, getting plenty of tips from you, are inspired by you, interact with you and, most of all, are convinced enough by your level of expertise that they trust what you’re saying.

Here are the best ways to make your blog successful:

Choose the Right Blogging Platform

There are actually quite a few blogging platforms for you to choose from, but I will give you the top two for now:
1.    http://www.blogger.com
2.    http://www.wordpress.com

There are three main reasons that I like these two blogging sites:

1.    They are free.  In fact, most platforms are these days
2.    They are easy to customize because they have a lot of plug-ins and tools which allow you to add buttons and widgets, as well as integrate other applications with them such as Twitter.  They are very friendly with social networking sites and often make it easy to cross-post.
3.    They communicate well with search engines like Google.  Posts will easily be indexed and be part of the search results page when a relevant search is conducted.

Keep Your Blog Updated

I have a tendency to ignore blogs whose owners don’t update them at least once a week and I know I’m not alone in this.  You need to keep your visitors, as well as search engine spiders, interested enough that they'll continue coming back.  To be on the safe side, you should be able to create at least three blog posts every week.

Your blog posts don’t have to be all about your business, press releases, accomplishments, reports, etc.  You can post suggestions, tips, published news (with your own commentary on the story) or other facts and information related to your chosen niche.  A big help for you would be to subscribe to a website for a national association or well-established online journal, news site, or magazine which is dedicated to your niche market.

Increase Interaction

One good thing about blogs is the ability to increase the level of participation from your readers.  To accomplish this, be certain that your comment form is working and turn the spam filter on to avoid spammers in your feedback area as they can be off-putting to your legitimate audience.  

You can also include polls or surveys: ask questions of your audience and wait for them to respond, engage them in conversation.  Post videos, images, and texts that interest you, and see what their opinions are.  Most of all, send replies or comments back to your readers as often as possible to let them know that you're listening.

Don't Forget Marketing

Be sure to display your landing page on your blog once in a while, since the primary purpose of blogging is to increase sales and production through interest and interaction.  Add the link for your landing page in your blog profile and or signature, and make casual reference to it on multiple posts.  A very successful marketer recently told me that someone will need to be invited to your landing page no less than seven times, on average, before they will view it.  If you don't see dozens of leads after your first mention of your landing page on your blog, don't lose heart, just continue providing people with the opportunity at random intervals but be careful to spread these opportunities out, so as not to bombard your readers.

If you don't have a dynamic landing page and you aren't sure where to get one, check out the great designs available at http://www.ad2action.com.  These pages are easily customizable according to your preference or marketing ideas and designs are available for any industry.