Is this Listia ad on TechCrunch a 'scam' offer?
The other day, I was checking the latest posts on TechCrunch and came across a promotion promising a free pack of MySpace branded playing cards. I love free things and I clicked, hoping that my next game of poker would have a MySpace theme.
Instead I was greeted by a charity auction on a service called Listia. To bid, I needed 'credits'. The parallels to the scam offers controversy I wrote about on Monday started to became apparent.
Is the controversy over virtual goods and 'scam' CPA offers overblown?
The market for virtual goods, and the CPA offers that many consumers
complete to purchase them, is under attack. The first salvo was fired
by TechCrunch's Michael Arrington and the battle has now spread to the
mainstream media.
The fallout was quick. And it continues: after being the target of no less than six TechCrunch posts in the past week relating to these 'scam' offers, Zynga, one of the most prominent companies in the space, has removed all of its CPA (lead gen) offers while it seeks to work with the third party networks that provide them to root out the types of offers that have come under fire.
Google pulls the trigger, gets into lead gen
In late August, we reported on a lawsuit filed against Google by LendingTree alleging that Google was planning to offer an online lead gen service related to mortgages using technology offered by a LendingTree vendor that was contractually forbidden from working with LendingTree's competitors.
While the status of that lawsuit is unknown, it is now official: Google has entered the lead gen business.
Marketing attribution in practice: how it works and how to do it
After much discussion about ‘marketing attribution’, the process of awarding different marketing events different levels of commission depending on their role in the conversion, it seemed appropriate to explain how exactly this works in practice and to demonstrate that the technology is available to make it happen.
The ‘Vince’ update unravelled: does Google recognise brand equity? (pt 1)
Four months after Google’s so called Vince update, and there’s still talk amongst SEOs of brand building being the new link building. The following three-part blog series aims only to present evidence for you to draw your own conclusions on what really happened, what Google is now looking for and how to effectively deploy your natural search campaign post Vince.
Volkswagen goes all in on the iPhone for the new GTI launch
The iPhone's App Store has made a lot of people a good deal of money during its short existence. But can a new car launch on the iPhone alone? Volkswagen is betting it can. The automaker is launching an app to announce its newest vehicle.
The car maker is betting that the highly targeted app will reach the caliber of customers interested in purchasing the vehicle.
AdAge calculates that the new app will reach more of that demographic than a much costlier television purchase. But does the math add up?
Four steps to profiting from a decent domain name
If you're an entrepreneur, or budding entrepreneur, making money online can sometimes seem like a real challenge. In my opinion, that's often because entrepreneurs focus on the wrong thing. They want to create a 'startup' and become the next Facebook or Twitter.
That's a tall order and, for most of us, a recipe for disappointment. But if you're willing to start out small and work hard, profit on the internet isn't so elusive.
Which auto websites are getting it right?
A study of automotive website usability has named the Audi website as the best by a manufacturer, with Volvo and Mini the runners up.
The eDigitalResearch study was commissioned by Auto Trader, and looks at various features of car websites, including selector tools and customer service options.
I've been looking at some of the winners' websites...
Eight tips for boosting lead gen conversions
The internet is arguably the most powerful tool for generating leads the business world has ever known. Using little more than HTML forms, it's possible to set up a simple mechanism for generating leads on a website and thanks to cost-effective internet advertising options, reaching an audience of potential customers has never been easier.
But even given these things, generating quality leads online isn't always as easy as it looks and a lot of leads are lost because the forms and web pages designed to generate them are poorly implemented. Here are eight tips for making sure you're maximizing your lead gen conversions.
SlideShare gets into the lead gen, PPC business
SlideShare is a hub for wickedly-awesome slideshows and presentations. And that has made it a popular place for savvy marketers to publish some of their wares.
That's something SlideShare is not unaware of and like any smart startup looking to find new revenue streams, The company is looking to turn popularity with businesses into profits with a new offering called SlideShare Business.
Social media: the best and worst of 2009
Email marketing: six steps to improving customer engagement in 2010
Web 2.0
Graham Charlton
Strategy & Planning
