Over at College Startup I wrote a blog post entitled "How Would You Market 'Crazy Donkey FlipFlops' " - weird title, I know, but the point was to show how the real key to marketing is to get others to sell the product for you.

I'm a big believer in this principle. At the end of the day, you need to make people feel like they want a product. And the best way to get them to feel this way is to have someone they trust tell them they need it.

So, if I were to tell you to go buy some Crazy Donkey FlipFlops, would you?

Being in the business of blogging for a few years now, one might already tend to think having all the skills and knowledge required to run an online business successfully. However, truth is, of course, that there's always something better and there's always information that is useful out there. And you can learn a lot from other professionals or experts in the industry who are also slugging it out in the real world of Internet marketing, making a good living or making a killing off of the Net.

In a way that's what we do here on Performancing. In our aim to help fellow bloggers achieve their goals in blogging, we share our stories and insights. So we help bloggers succeed by sharing our collective intelligence.

But we're always on the lookout for other good resources out there, both free and otherwise. One such resource is Internet Marketing Ninjas, which is a collection of videos from various experts in the field of online marketing. These include search engine optimization, social media marketing, link building, authority building, networking, website monetization, affiliate programs, and the like.

The site also includes various topics that will help publishers develop good content, and the various means to distribute these, as well as other issues like legal and copyright matters.

The video contributions are either direct presentations or interviews from the various internet marketing pros, some of which are familiar to us here in the Performancing community and the blogging community in general, such as Aaron Wall, ShoeMoney and Neil Patel.

These are all viewable directly on the Internet Marketing Ninjas site (assuming your browser has a working Flash plugin, which is to say perhaps 90+% of users). And because it's Flash, viewers need not worry about downloading the video file and finding the right codec or application to view, aside from the Flash plugin.

A drawback, though, is that Internet Marketing Ninjas is not a free resource. One has to pay a $2,995 annual subscription/membership fee to gain access to the full video content, and also the website content. So it's not a one-time purchase, but a subscription. This means throughout the year you will have access to videos, and that Internet Marketing Ninjas can still add new videos and resources. To me it's like joining into a club or a professional guild, where members can discuss the industry, exchange ideas about their respective trades, and help each other out.

Still, people interested in joining up can watch sample videos of each contributor, which shows a short introduction of how their respective presentations and interviews are. Also, the $2,995 annual fee is perhaps a small price to pay if you are able to enhance your earnings from the lessons learned from the videos and site content. That equates to just about $250 per month. Or, the $2,995 is perhaps just a fraction of what one usually earns from his/her Internet marketing activities, which is not a far cry from what good blogs and networks of blogs earn these days.

Also, one big bonus is the inclusion of the Private Ninja SEO Toolbox for free! I think even this toolbox alone is worth the subscription fee, considering the high a price of SEO consultations and software these days. The toolbox includes applications like analytics tools, page optimization tools, backlink checkers, outgoing/inbound links checkers, keyword density reports, and the like. One great tool I find interesting is the Page Interlinker, which will automatically inter-link all your site pages by keyword, just like how info pages are hyperlinked on WikiPedia.

Would I recommend joining Internet Marketing Ninjas? If you're starting out and you need a one-stop resource for running your online business, and if you have the funds, then go for it. If you're already an established Internet marketeer, then this could be a good refresher resource (and the price is probably just a drop in the ocean for you). Again, as previously mentioned, even the SEO toolbox alone is worth the annual subscription fee.

It's probably not for everyone, but if you're serious with improving your online earnings, then such good resources of information and tips would be a big boost to your business. Check out the samples and the topics first, and see if the wide array of topics discussed is of interest to you.

This is a sponsored review, written upon the request of Internet Marketing Ninjas.

My thoughts on controversy are that I would much rather have low traffic with a good brand than massive traffic and a poor brand. But that is just me, others believe the traffic is worth whatever backlash and all publicity is good publicity. Who is right? Well, we can see what happens as it happens as a story is just ending over at 1938media ...

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In the introduction thread of my forum ever-vigilant moderator Jen pulled out a quote from new member Humor Blogging which instantly inspired me:

That’s why I started this site. Something I wanted to exist simply didn’t seem to exist. I couldn’t find it, so I created it.

Could this short quote hold the key to success?

Too many people seem to create solutions waiting for a problem, particularly techies. How many times do people invent something then try to find a market for it. How much easier is it to find an unserved need and fill it?

Earlier this week, Ryan Caldwell’s College Startup blog hit Digg with a story about successful entrepreneurs who didn’t get college degrees.

I clicked through and discovered some of Ryan’s other posts over here at Performancing, including one in which he suggests that readers who want to build their blog traffic “Target Powerful Eyeballs” such as journalists on FOX News Channel.

I commented on his posting.

It’s a great suggestion. But he didn’t tell us HOW to do it.

I’ve been in the businesses of “broadcast and electronic publicity” for about 11 years now, meaning I get companies, celebrities, authors, products, causes, etc. covered editorially by TV news.

I offered to write a few guest posts, Ryan accepted, and here we are…

So, let me start with the basics.

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Let me start off with, I was very surprised to learn that not everyone knows how to market their ebook or digital products.

Time and time again, I find a nicely decorated website going on and on about how great their ebook is. The website is nicely laid out, has nice pictures, a sample of the book, there are reviews, etc. I am ready to look at the actual book and even considering buying it, when all of a sudden...the book is not there.

Now why build a site around an ebook that you aren't including on your website? I'm thinking it's a lack of knowledge or something; otherwise you would have that nice link to the sale of your ebook. Most of the sites have a link to Amazon or something and tell you to find their book on the site. Not very handy...probably lose a lot of sales that way.

This got me to thinking, that perhaps not a lot of people know how to sell their own digital products. Well I do and I find it is way more effective than having your potential customers search for your product.

But I am not going to reveal to you how to sell your product online. Why should I? I did my homework and discovered after days of searching how it can be done, and you might as well do a little digging for yourself.

Enjoy! And good luck. But if you want to effectively sell digital products online, they need to be on your site, it needs to be easily accessible.

Or if you want someone to hold your hand and tell you step by step how to do it, buy my ebook at branding yourself online.

I found these interesting pictures on Neil Patel's blog. Neil Patel is a personal branding expert and personal branding is definitely something bloggers should be focusing on. Check out the pictures and see why branding and public relations (PR) is more effective than marketing and advertising.

As you can see, the message in marketing and advertising originates from you. However, the PR message comes from a third party. And PR leads to branding. In branding, the prospective customer/visitor is interested in you because of what someone else said.

Neil ties everything together by saying:

If you want to brand yourself you need to understand that it is much more effective when other people talk about you in a positive fashion compared to self-promotion.

So, how can you get other people to talk positively about you?

Network. Webmasters are much more likely to promote you if they know you. Get out there, knock on some doors, make some contacts, and build friendships especially with people in your niche.

Blog for the long haul. The longer you blog, the more people will notice you. As time goes by, you'll be considered a fixture in your niche. This leads to links and traffic.

Do something unique. Webmasters are much more likely to talk about you and link to you if you do something different from the rest. This means you need to know your niche well. Find out which topics in your niche are not getting enough coverage. Then, write quality content about those topics. For example, in my market research, I found that many of us bloggers were juggling too many blogs to our detriment. But not many people were writing about this phenomenon. So, I wrote this post, which attracted a couple links and went viral on StumbleUpon.

What other things can you do to get others to promote your blog?

If you've never heard of Facebook, it's time to get your head out of the sand. Facebook is a networking site that has over 24 million active viewers. That's 24 million people who go on that site a day. That's 24 million people you could be offering your product or service too.

If you have joined, great. I hope you're not one of those people who have the fun wall, and other unprofessional things. If you are, you might want to think about having a personal account and having a business account. I know that Facebook frowns on this, but really you need to make sure you stay professional. Do you really want your potential employer to see you drunk with a cigarette at the latest club? Or even worse a picture of you doing drugs? You may cringe, but people are doing this on Facebook everyday, and using their real names.

Potential employers and clients, ones who are savvy, do punch in your name on Google or Facebook to see what they find. Wouldn't you rather have your business profile show up?

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For all the cash that Google makes off Adwords, they certainly aren’t putting a lot of it back into educating people on how to create a successful PPC campaign. While some industries are very advanced, whenever I wander into something a little off the beaten path, as I have this last month with small niche attorneys, I’m shocked how much money people are wasting with a terrible landing page and PPC campaign. By no means am I a landing page expert, but seeing how bad some of the sites out there are, you needn’t be to provide 9 solid landing page and PPC campaign tips.

1. Mismatched URL and Site Topic to User Inquiry

   Many individuals try to create a one-stop shop landing page for a group of leads so they can build links and try to rank one spot naturally. That is fine as long as the topics are narrow enough in focus to where a visitor from either site feels at home. But when you have visitors coming in from related but not identical fields, it is important to consider that you may be losing more PPC conversions than you’re gaining in natural search by having a mismatched URL and landing page focus as compared to the terms you’re targeting.

2. Below the Fold Call To Action

   The call to action is the whole point of a landing page, so why hide it well below the fold where you’re automatically going to lose 30% of visitors.

3. Collecting Unnecessary Data

   Every piece of data you collect in your landing page means fewer submissions. While there is certain information you absolutely must have, collecting unnecessary or redundant data is just throwing money away. In some cases the landing page is asking for the submitters specific address. When it comes to high-dollar time-sensitive lead that you are going to pursue over the phone, there is absolutely no need to collect the specific address. Sending out a piece of snail mail is useless, and so if you’re just trying to figure out which of your subscribers to send the lead to, zip code is plenty. (For that matter you can get rid of the ‘State’ entry as well).

4. No Testimonial

   Testimonials dramatically increase landing page conversions because they indicate to the user that the form is legitimate and completes the promise it makes. It’s obvious that a testimonial can be faked, but a casual internet user doesn’t think quite so cynically and will regard testimonials as a quality assurance indicator.

5. Too Many Calls to Action

   There should be one or a maximum of two calls to action on your landing page. While you might be inclined to think that offering users the opportunity to sign up for your newspaper, give you a call, send you a fax, sign up for your RSS feed are all good things, they create confusion and a paradox of choice for the visitor.

6. PPC Not Directed to Landing Page

   This is about the dumbest mistake possible, yet I see it all the time. You’re bleeding money through a PPC campaign, you’ve created a landing page, but your campaign doesn’t drop the user directly on the page. Instead people often have their highly converting page one or even two clicks away. If you're investing money to convert via a landing page, don't make the visitor work to find it.

7. Call to Action Not Distinguished or Obvious

   Think of your entire landing page and PPC campaign as an elaborate plan to get people to complete one single action. Now that you’re in the right mentality, how dumb is it to leave the call to action button a muted color or otherwise not distinguished. Instead, use an arrow or incorporate a different design element that immediately draws the readers eye to the call to action.

8. Using Flash, Video, or Other 'plug-in required' design elements

   People clicking on a PPC campaign link typically aren’t the most sophisticated internet users. So running a landing page which requires a plug-in is a surefire way to dramatically cut your conversions. Rule of thumb: If your grandma connecting through a dial-up on her Pentium I 586 can't quickly see and complete your call to action, its too complex.

9. Being too cheap with your PPC campaign to target top terms

   Nobody is saying that you need to spend $12.00 a click like some of those mesothelioma attorneys are doing, or even $0.25 cents a click to capture long tail industry terms like texas trucking accident. But often people want to limp into a PPC campaign with only a few hundred dollars and end up bidding ridiculously cheap keywords that do them no good. Spending a few extra cents per visitor is often the best way to ensure a decent return from your campaign.

   No matter whether your goal is to buy a mansion or just to drive some additional leads to your business, a decent landing page and PPC campaign is an essential component of that success. While I want to emphasize that the 9 tips in this article are by no means advanced, they will help someone inexperienced with the art and science of landing pages to get started.

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Business intelligence (BI) is a broad category of application programs and technologies for gathering, storing, analyzing, and providing access to data to help enterprise users make better business decisions. BI applications include the activities of decision support, query and reporting, online analytical processing (OLAP), statistical analysis, forecasting, and data mining.

Blog focused on Competitive Intelligence and Market Research, with info about marketing IT tools, professional experiences and best practices

Everywhere I register online I am always me. My username is always a variation on "Chris", "chrisg" or "Chris Garrett". Right back to my BBS and Usenet days up to now. The only time I can think of where that has not been true has been Digg.

I have nothing against nicknames, people use them for a variety of reasons, not least because their real name is already taken. That said many people have pseudonyms on Digg because they want to stealth-promote their websites for the traffic boost. The idea is you can seem an impartial third party who just really finds the viagra-pr0n-ipod blog particularly fascinating. This is bad for any number of reasons but I realised it could be killing Digg by removing trust from the community. If you take trust out of any activity surely you are in danger of destroying the social fabric of that activity?

I think Bloggers especially are in danger of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs. So many of us are hooked on the sweet sweet Digg traffic high that we are using Digg for what we can get out of it and the whole system is being subverted. We need to stop this Diggaddiction before we all become junkies.

An addiction in itself is not necessarily that damaging. It's the side-effects of that addiction that trouble me, the ever-increasing desperate attempts to recreate the initial Digg-effect hit. The manic dependency on the high and the temptation to create an army of sock-puppet Digg accounts. The eventual Digg meltdown where half the "people" you meet on the site are fake.

From now on I am going to treat Digg no different to any other online community. I have registered as chrisgarrett (feel free to friend me). I will Digg up your stories if I find them interesting.

This is not me being all fluffy-bunny-blogger-transparent for the sake of it! Of course I am saying all this for completely selfish reasons. I enjoy Digg immensely and find it incredibly useful as a resource. Several times a day I check in with Digg to see what interesting new sites have been posted up and to take part in the discussions. The entertainment and research value of Digg would be incredibly damaged if the promotional aspect gets too much influence.

I just don't want to see Digg full of spam.