Anyway he’s battering up a new website all about internet marketing/SEO/links etc over at his new SEO Blog (check him out).

Initially I moved from doing search engine optimisation and doing more search engine marketing and from here into everything from onsite conversion analysis, reporting, analytics and god knows what but I think its time to really start testing how far I can push my skills.

Duly over the next couple of months I’ll be blogging on a new website I’ll be launching in the travel industry with examples of what I’m doing with it and the benefits that testing etc bring to the income potential of the website. Initially the website will be run on an affiliate marketing program (Gavs been suggesting the Late Rooms program but may go with Hotels.com – anyone know of any real difference between them) and then moving it over to look at other exciting ways of generating cash from online marketing – a long term how to guide if you will but with my cash on the line. Could end in flames – but hopefully get it into a position where the website pays the couple of grand I need to pay for my honeymoon in the Maldives.

The first posts will be starting at the beginning of September – as I need to finish designing the website (in Drupal) and getting all the typos out of the content but should be ready. Even my fiancee is agreeing that it should be a useful enterprise

If there is anything in particular that anyone wants me to look at let me know and I shall do my best.

God I hate the Internet sometimes. Generally when I’ve just done something I spend all my time advising people against – buying based upon what someone you dont know says. I’ve just ordered some stuff from Graze.com on the basis of what Kieron from here.org.uk wrote in his blog.

Why I bought based on Kierons opinion?

I’ve never met this fellow, never spoke to him on the phone, never communicated by email or chatted by messenger and here I am taking his word that buying some fruit and nuts online – rather than getting off my ass , walking to the shops and buying some – is a great idea! I’ve read his blog every so often – it was recommended to me when I started doing some bits and pieces with affiliate marketing – and for some reason its stuck in my consciousness. I’ve started to trust what he says. I dont even know if his real name is Kieron: he could be Sideshow Bob, Darth Vader or George.W.Bush based upon my real world contact has been with him.

If Aldous Huxley were here he’d be telling me that 62,400 repetitions make a truth. In social media its more like twenty shared opinions make a truth.

I’m so glad it’s not only me!

I’ve been blind sided by social media when I least expected it and  I’m probably not alone. Every day people make decisions on what to buy and what not to buy based upon what their online peer group are saying. You’ve probably done it yourself – looking for a TV you get some opinions on the model online before purchasing, thinking of going on holiday you’ll have read a few reviews of it before deciding to stay there or somewhere else etc. And all in all social media websites are helping thousands to make their decisions on where, what and when to purchase goods and services.

Anyway I’m off to wait on my nuts and fruit – eat some craisins and refine my work out routine for this week (ok the last bit isn’t true) but if I repeat it enough and get everyone else to repeat we’re not far making it a social media truth).

Anyway one of the things they do which I really like, and I’m thinking of doing in the next couple of months, are their PDF handouts. For their Internet marketing services they provide small PDF documents for clients, prospective clients and anyone who wants them. Today I got sent a link to their new affiliate marketing guide.

I’ve stuck links below to the docs I know of that they’ve made so far – there are more I’m sure but I dont have all the URLs to hand. I list them not because I think it’ll change how you think about your marketing online but because they may help you develop your own ‘soft sell‘ documents. If you’ve got a new service what better way to announce it than by sending all your clients a nice little doc that’s a bit fun. Or if you’re in pre-sales mode with a new lead arises send them the bundle by email – it’ll be cool, branded and keep you in their thoughts.

Bignmouthmedia PDF Links

• http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/downloads/files/bmm_top-secret.pdf
• http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/…/search-engine-optimisation-check-list.pdf
• http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/downloads/files/search-engine-satellites.pdf
• http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/downloads/files/booklets/Affiliates.pdf
• http://www.bigmouthmedia.com/downloads/files/booklets/PPC.pdf

Have fun.

Anyway today it would appear that Virgin Trains made an equivalent mess of a test email. Instead of sending a massively discounted offer to a select staff they sent it to almost their entire database of customers. Yep they made a great offer and now they’ve retracted it. I understand the rationale – they’ll lose money if they honour it. But to my mind it is really a case of website marketer beware – if you offer a product or a service at a price you should morally be  bound to uphold it.

Here endeth the rant

In the past couple of months I’ve not really had a chance to do much with Mercury Thread due to the work we’ve been doing. As a result we spent the downtime over Easter developing our own Internet Marketing Strategy. Through discussion with some of the UK’s leading lights in Link Development, Re-Branding, Social Marketing and some other nice new technologies we’ve been developing new strategies to help web based businesses increase not only traffic and sales but also long term stable businesses.

At the same time we’ve also developed a strong enough set of Affiliate websites to allow us to actually do work for ourselves! Yeah I know an Internet Marketer making money for themselves! Maybe a revoloution is afoot.