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Excess Voice Newsletter
September 2006, Issue # 114
In this issue:
>> Intro: Most of us are aged 36 and over
>> Review: Keyword Discovery
>> Article: The future belongs to the trusted few
>> Experiments: Small PPC Engines Revisited
>> Survey: Do you trust me?
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Greetings,
Here are the results from the last issue’s survey:
18 - 25 - 6.5%
26 - 35 - 17.5%
36 - 45 - 25%
46 - 55 - 33%
56 - 65 - 10%
65+ - 8%
It is coincidence that the largest group of readers falls within the same age group as I do? If I were 30, would the largest group be 26 to 35 years old?
Interesting question, and I have no idea what the answer is.
BTW – special greetings to all you who are the same age as me. : )
In this issue, the article is on the topic of trust. And in the survey I bite the bullet and ask the scary question: Do you trust me?
Until next time,
Nick
Nick Usborne
P.S. If you are over 65, retired and looking for a way to generate some extra income online, you can avoid a lot of mistakes and heartache simply by following the system and using the site-building and marketing tools included in SiteBuildIt. Read my review of SiteBuildIt here: http://www.excessvoice.com/sitebuildit.htm
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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REVIEW: Keyword Discovery – a keyword research and analytics tool for SEO and PPC.
I am a long-time user of Wordtracker when it comes time to finding the best keywords for optimizing web pages.
Some deeply engrained loyalty prevents me from actually saying it. But I have been using Keyword Discovery for a few weeks now...and I think it might be, could be...well, I can’t say it...
But if you are looking for the best tool to find top keywords, read my review of Keyword Discovery.
Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/keyword-discovery.htm
>> Previous Reviews
::: At ExcessVoice.com :::
#1. Landing Page Handbook - How to Raise Conversions
This report from MarketingSherpa is the first I have seen that provides solid data on what does and doesn't make a difference to landing page conversion rates. Tons of data on copy and design strategies. Dozens of before and after examples and the improvements achieved.
Read my review:
http://www.excessvoice.com/landing-page.htm
::: At Freelance Writing Success :::
#1. Secrets of Writing for the Business to Business Market
There are 8 million business-to-business companies out there. And they all need good sales copy. The opportunity in B2B copywriting is huge, and this 350+ page course tells you everything you need to know about getting your own slice of the market.
Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/B2B-copywriting.php
#2. Start your own Resume Writing Business
This is the perfect money-maker for any writer who can put aside a little time occasionally. There is a huge demand for quality resumes. This course gives you the tools (including software) to start and build a real business writing resumes.
Read my review:
http://www.freelancewritingsuccess.com/resume.php
===============================================
ARTICLE: The future belongs to the trusted few.
This last week I have been reading a few articles about how readers are feeling less and less trust in the information they find in blogs, forums and social networks.
That’s a shame. Blogs and forums in particular used to be the places where people could trust the writing as being non-commercial and honest.
And I think things will get worse. Companies love the idea of getting their messages into these channels. More and more ads and videos are finding their ways into blogs. More and more marketers are creating blogs, forums and social network pages specifically to promote their products or services.
The future? Levels of trust will continue to decline as more and more marketing messages flood every aspect of the web.
>> All bad news brings an opportunity…
Yes, I think it’s bad news. I think it’s unfortunate that there is so much “advertorial” out there. I think it’s a shame that hundreds of thousands of MySpace pages don’t belong to individuals at all...but are created by companies which pretend to be individuals.
But there is an opportunity. And it’s an opportunity I like.
As levels of credibility and trust sink lower, readers will seek out the gallant few. That is to say, if you deliver honest, useful content on your site, with no sneakiness, then people will get to hear about you.
They will be hungry for information they can trust.
>> Does this mean no advertising?
Not at all. There are some excellent, trustworthy sites out there which support themselves through all manner of advertising and sponsorship deals.
The trick is not to remove the advertising, but to separate editorial from advertising. Just like they used to do, and sometimes still do in the world of print.
People understand that information media need to support their existence through advertising. And that’s OK.
What isn’t OK is when you try to trick your readers.
It’s not OK when you write content that is thinly-veiled advertising.
It’s not OK to try to make people think a certain page is editorial they can trust, when in fact it is there to deliver a marketing message.
It’s not OK to write a blog entry that appears to be editorial when you are being paid a fee by a company to write it.
It’s not OK to write rubbish content simply to attract readers in the hope they will click on an ad or an AdSense link.
These are the practices that dilute trust and make web users skeptical about the next blog, forum or web site they visit.
>> It takes time to build trust...just like when you are making a new friend.
Online every marketer is in a hurry to make money. But if you just slow down a little, and defer you income expectations, you’ll do better in the long run.
Create valuable, useful and honest content, whether it be in the form of articles, reviews, guides, white papers, blog entries or posts in forums. Keep marketing messages out of your content. Add them separately, and keep them separate.
Over time, people will come to trust your site and the information you provide.
>> Trustworthy content will win in the end...
As the web and all of its channels become flooded with untrustworthy content, those who build and maintain trust with their readers will be the long-term winners.
People are not stupid. They quickly learn which sites are trying to “play” them.
So while we are in the midst of an explosion of sneaky marketing right now, the smartest marketers will be investing in sites, blogs and forums that are genuinely trustworthy.
They will be the winners in the end.
** If you found value in the article, please forward this newsletter to colleagues and friends who might be interested.
>> Feedback: mailto:nick@excessvoice.com
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MARKETING EXPERIMENTS: Smaller PPC Engines Revisited
Teleconference call, no charge:
Wednesday, September 6th, 4:00PM EDT
Back in 2004 we tested the smaller PPC engines and found they could be used to generate significant revenues. Is the same true today? We tested seven small PCC engines with four separate partners and came up with some surprising results. Find out more during our no-fee webinar.
Sign up here:
https://www.gotomeeting.com/register/937205591
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SURVEY: Do you trust me?
Scary question for me to ask. For me, anyway. Here's the question: As you read this newsletter, do you trust what you read? Or do you feel I am being sneaky of trying to manipulate you in some way?
[ ] I trust you
[ ] I don't trust you
[ ] Sometimes I trust you, but not always
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