Archive for: marketing

Skimlinks: Affiliate Marketing Plugin That Aggregates Over 6000 Affiliate Programs

Skimlinks is a new tool that allows web publishers to easily control thousands of affiliate networks in one place with one simple plugin. Affiliate market is all based on the CPA advertising model which is cost per acquisition. In other words when someone purchases a product and comes from your site then you get a percentage of the revenues.

Skimlinks simplifies signing up to hundreds of different networks and then having to check all the stats from these networks. Skimlinks seems like a simple fix to an annoying problem.

skimlinks.com :: How it works? from Ciaran Rooney on Vimeo.

AIMcrm: Sales Leads Management At Its Best

AIMcrm is an on-demand web-based software application to manage the handling of sales leads (essentially lead management). There is also the ability to sell leads (lead aggregation business). AIMcrm provides a highly customisable interface and is one of the most promising sales management software tools on the market today. Other key features within AIMcrm include campaign management , sales force automation, sales team management and CRM reselling.

I know AIMcrm is probably not as good as SalesForce or SugarCRM, but their allround software and interface can really aim to compete with the big boys in years to come. Im not too sure however if they should have gone with a paid model or actually provided the software free as does SugarCRM and ZohoCRM. This way they could just add an advertising script into the software in which could bring them a lot more revenues than just a subscription. Additionally, they might need to do a bit of work on their website and make it a lot more professional and a little less 90’s.

Apart from all that make sure you check out AIMcrm because they do currently provide a great piece of crm software. It might be free but then again it is a lot more affordable than SalesForce.

Twitter with Ads, Worthwhile?

With as long as Twitter has been with us, it’s amazing that we’ve not seen a monetizing model sooner. Well…it was bound to happen, and it’s here. Twitter can now display ads, and users can get paid for it with Twittad .

As you look at your account, think to yourself, “I’ve got followers, why shouldn’t I make money for being so popular.” If that’s your train of thought, this little addition to Twitter is right up your alley. Having full control of the ad space, you set the price on the space you are looking to sell andTwittad will match with the advertisers in their database.

Where does the ad go?

Good question, simple answer. The advertisement will sit in the upper left hand column of your Twitter homepage. That big empty space can be used more effectively now by placing an ad that will interest your followers. That’s it, it’s that simple. While some may have feared that the advertisement would have been plastered across your background, or cover the page with flashing, twirling, and otherwise annoying attention grabbers, the simple fact is that the ad will remain unobtrusive.

For the Twitter User

So the first question is obvious, how do I become a part of Twittad? Allowing Twittad to pair you with the appropriate advertiser and marketing promotions can be lucrative and here’s how.

You start off with submitting your page to Twittad for advertisers to purchase (remember you set the price). Once the price is agreed upon select the duration for which you’d like the ad to appear on your page. Now you wait, it can be long or short, but the advertiser must contact you once they are interested. You ultimately have the choice to accept or deny the advertisers offer. If you deny, wait for another offer. If you accept, then simply upload the ad to the design of your template and then notify the advertiser that you are ready to go.

You basically get paid for every hour you serve the advertisement to your followers, and a virtual account will keep track of your earnings. Once the duration of the advertisement has come to an end the virtual account releases the “real” funds to your account. So no worries, you don’t get paid in Monopoly money.

For the Advertiser

Being a part of Twittad is just as easy for the advertiser. All advertisers are able to browse what the users are willing to share and for how much. This gives the advertisers a chance to find the right candidate for their brand and hopefully gain some exposure on the popular micro-blogging site.

Advertisers start off by creating their advertisement using guidelines set by Twittad and following their examples. Once the ad is designed you browse the user database to find the right candidate for your product. You select the “Buy Now” and await their denial or acceptance. Denied? Keep looking. If you are accepted you simply connect and pay via Pay Pal, and if the user removes the ad prior to the agreed upon time, you are credited for the loss. Ultimately the tracking that is provided for the advertisers will alert them if agreements are broken and the advertiser is free to leave negative feedback in such cases.

Twittad receives 5% of the total paid out price as their fee for using their services.

Is This Viable?

I ask myself this question ever since I hear about Twittad. Is this a viable solution to make money on Twitter? Well, sure it can’t hurt to make a little money. The site itself shows how much individuals are making based on duration and follower count. But ultimately, how many people actually travel to your homepage on Twitter? The only time I can think of is when they choose to follow you, but otherwise with all theAPI’s out there, Twitter users are hardly ever on the actual site itself. Perhaps it won’t be long until these web apps we use are filled with advertising. If there’s a way to market, leave to the advertisers to find it.

Marketing Collateral In A Flash!

Marketing material costs for freelancers and new businesses can be an expensive investment for start-ups with little money. Sure it’s said “to make money you have to spend money,” but what if you didn’t have to spend a dime?

Do I have your attention yet? If you’re looking for a “quick and dirty” way to get yourself off the ground and utilize the full capability of print work to market your talents, look no further then BrandDoozie. This web-based design application puts the creative tools in your hands. You can design postcards, business cards, letterhead, and other important documents with clicks and drag-n-drops.

The only downside is the limited flexibility of the application, but the service is free, so the concern is moot. The ease of use and quick return make it possible for you to have marketing material in a matter of hours as opposed to weeks. Sure you’re going to sacrifice some of the self creative ideas you might have, but for a freelancer such as myself, I was able to create collateral the same day as a major networking event.

The interface is easy to use, and users are walked through step by step in the creative process. You can save your work mid-project, and even store your completed files in folders. Options to establish your brand, designing a logo, and accessing stock photos are all apart of the experience working within BrandDoozie.

It’s definitely worth jump starting your company’s image with this amazing brand establishing tool. If you need something in a flash, direct yourself to BrandDoozie and get yourself noticed!

THE UK’S Top UK Marketing Weblogs

Over at the Spinning Around blog, James has a great list he is keeping up-to-date of the top UK Marketing weblogs. The list is based upon the AdAge Power 150 and I have attached his most up-to-date list from the 1st May.

If you feel that you should be included, you can get in touch with Ad Age here, who will sort you out. As soon as you’re in, I’ll pick you up in this filleting of the AA chart.

I really looking forward to seeing if James make a nice badge for the sites on the list. I would be sure to place it on Crenk.com. Also, im a little surprised that James doesnt promote the list a little more on his site, because it is a big draw point to the site.

I also just wanted to point out that I came across another great blog that is not UK based, but i thought was worth a mention, DailyWritingTips. There currently is a post that is rising on digg, 44 resume writing tips.