December 2006
MyBlogLog widget comes up short
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 29, 2006 | 15 comments
I have to say that the MyBlogLog widget is probably one of the most widely used widgets there is, and for that they deserve a lot of credit. It's not easy coming up with a widget that nearly every blogger will want to use.
2007 Predictions
Written by Neil Patel on December 29, 2006 | 4 comments
I have just been tagged by Allen Stern and Cameron Olthuis to share my predictions for 2007. So here goes:
Marketing bad habits
Written by Neil Patel on December 29, 2006 | 3 comments
Whether you have your own kids or you know some little kids you'll notice that everyone is afraid of them learning bad things. Kids are our future and if they all learn bad things then there is a good chance the future will be screwed. So why not use this fear that we all have to create an effective advertisement?
Pimp my links: Kineda
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 29, 2006 | 11 comments
The second site we are going to feature in the Pimp My Links series is Kineda. Kineda is a blog that focuses on entertainment, lifestyle, and pop culture and has been around for over 8 years now.
The rise of 125 x 125 ads
Written by Neil Patel on December 29, 2006 | 26 comments
Have you noticed that the hottest ad format for blogs is now those little square 125 x 125 ads? Sites like TechCrunch, Mashable, Read/WriteWeb, GigaOm, and Marketing Pilgrim, just to name a few have them plastered on the top right side of their blogs. So, what's wrong with these ads?
How to become a top 100 Digg user
Written by Neil Patel on December 27, 2006 | 14 comments
Lately it seems like more and more Digg users are trying to be in the top 100. As time goes on it will get harder due to Digg's phenomenal growth. If you are looking to become a top 100 user here is how one user (aaaz) did it in 30 days.
Hijacking Communities
Written by Neil Patel on December 26, 2006 | 13 comments
Last week I noticed that MyBlogLog had a bug which allowed people to comment on behalf of other MyBlogLog users and create communities that do not belong to them. This week it seems like the hijacking has begun...
Happy Holidays
Written by Neil Patel on December 23, 2006 | 10 comments
Happy holidays to everyone, from all of us here at Pronet Advertising. For the next few days kick back, relax, and have some fun. Spend some time with your friends, family, and colleagues, but don't get too carried away with those Christmas corals.
Digg unto others as you would have them Digg unto you
Written by Neil Patel on December 21, 2006 | 9 comments
Over the past few months more and more marketers have been catching on to the whole social media scene because it can do wonders for a business when it comes to anything from marketing a product or service to increasing search engine rankings. Getting on sites like Digg can drastically improve a website's traffic and link popularity. If you are a marketer trying to get on Digg here are some of the things you should know.
Vote for Pronet and your wildest dreams will come true
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 20, 2006 | 8 comments
We need your support. We've been nominated for the best social media optimization blog in the 2006 Search Blog Awards that are put on by Loren Baker from Search Engine Journal. We are up against some very tough competitors and could use every vote we can get. Our blog has been around for less than a year now so this is our first nomination for any kind of award and we are very flattered. It is great to be recognized for all the hard work and hopefully this is the first nomination of many to come.
Rolling Rock beer wastes money with YouTube
Written by Neil Patel on December 20, 2006 | 2 comments
Anheuser Busch recently did an advertising campaign on YouTube in the hopes of turning around their Rolling Rock beer brand.
Go elf yourself
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 19, 2006 | 4 comments
Last week in a post I wrote about some YouTube viral campaigns I highlighted the "Holiday Wishcast" from Coke. In the article I mentioned how I didn't like that Coke was using actual Coke commercials and I didn't think it would have success because of the blatant promotion of Coke. Today I came across another holiday campaign from OfficeMax called "Elfyourself". The purpose is to paste your picture on the body of the elf; the elf will then dance around and sing. You can then send it off to your family or friends.
Pimp my links: JeepReviews.com
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 19, 2006 | 8 comments
We've had an overwhelming response to the Pimp My Links series that we announced last week. We have had over 75 submissions and more are trickling in everyday. We were originally only planning to do this series once a week. However, depending on the success we may do it a couple times per week.
Digg's New Features, Plus a Submitter's Perspective
Written by Neil Patel on December 18, 2006 |
Today I wrote my first article for Search Engine Land, "The new Digg features plus, a Submitter's Perspective".
It's not what you think
Written by Neil Patel on December 16, 2006 | 1 comment
Have you ever seen a commercial thinking that it was sexual orientated, but it actually was not? People naturally jump to conclusions especially when there there is a suggestion of a sexual context which is why it creates such a memorable moment. So the next time you think about using sex in one of your marketing campaigns, have fun and tease people with it.
5 Things You Don't Know About Neil Patel
Written by Neil Patel on December 15, 2006 | 10 comments
Andy Beal recently tagged me to share 5 things that most people don't know about me. So here goes...
StumbleUpon Launches StumbleVideo
Written by Neil Patel on December 14, 2006 | 1 comment
StumbleUpon's social browsing application has been such a big success in the past couple years they decided expand. They just launched StumbleVideo which recommends videos based on what others voted as thumbs up and thumbs down.
Yet Another Top Digger Gets Banned
Written by Neil Patel on December 13, 2006 | 11 comments
A few days ago the number 7th Digg user, Karim (supernova17), got banned from Digg for submitting a story for money. With Digg becoming a popular social news site that is becoming increasingly attractive to companies, it seems that more and more top users are being offered money for submissions and with all the talk from Jason Calacanis about top Digg users getting paid by PR firms it appears that yet another Digg user's account just got banned.
Getting viral with YouTube
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 12, 2006 | 2 comments
So far this week we've received news that two major companies have partnered with YouTube to create viral video campaigns. The first was Coke who has partnered with YouTube in a promotion called "Holiday Wishcast" that lets users send holiday video greetings to their friends.
Pimp My Links
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 12, 2006 | 9 comments
We are going to be starting a weekly series here on Pronet Advertising where we pick one site every week and provide a few linkbait / viral ideas for it. Anyone is welcome to submit a site to us; we will randomly pick one that we feature every week. These posts will be public so if your site is selected it will be shown along with a few ideas for linkbaiting. We will not post your name or any personal information.
Spying on Digg
Written by Neil Patel on December 11, 2006 | 6 comments
One of the most commonly used feature on Digg is Digg Spy, most people are using it as a way to see what stories people are submitting, digging, burying and commenting on. Digg Spy is great for all of those things, but it can do a lot more for you.
Aquafina's MySpace Marketing
Written by Neil Patel on December 10, 2006 | 3 comments
As more people become aware of MySpace, it's becoming less of a place for teens and has been developing more of a grown-up atmosphere. In an attempt to capitalize on the mass number of users, a lot of companies are dipping their toes into the MySpace waters, but the results aren't always good. It's a tough place to sell a product or a service and although companies in niche industries have had some success, it's not always easy for a company to find the right tone when it comes to creating and promoting their profile.
Is linkbaiting a new word for an old technique?
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 9, 2006 | 6 comments
Linkbaiting is a relatively new term in the SEO world that's been on fire over the last year or so. One of the arguments that I have heard a lot lately is that linkbaiting is nothing new; it just has a buzzword attached to it now. Well that's partially true, the idea of creating remarkable content (credit: Andy Hagans) for the purpose of attracting links is by no means anything new. It's been around since before most people even knew what SEO was or realized why they needed it. So, the question remains, why is linkbaiting all of a sudden so popular and effective? Two words: social media.
Has Frys Electronics Missed the Boat?
Written by Ryan Fujiu on December 9, 2006 | 7 comments
As the general public turns to the Internet for their shopping needs, it is important for brick and mortar businesses to marry their online and offline marketing campaigns. There are examples of traditional businesses doing a great job at this, but some seem to have missed the boat.
SES Chicago Recap
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 8, 2006 | 24 comments
SES Chicago was a blast. We had the chance to network with a ton of new people and also had a great time hanging out with old friends we've made over the last year while attending other conferences. Some of the things that stood out from the week are...
Don't be boring
Written by Neil Patel on December 8, 2006 | 4 comments
Have you ever watched a boring TV commercial, one so boring and dull that you don't even remember it? We all have, so the next time you are creating an advertising campaign don't bore people, but instead show what bored people do.
Marketing your deals with Deals.com
Written by Neil Patel on December 8, 2006 | 6 comments
Although the social media space seems to be ruled by sites like Digg, del.icio.us and Netscape, there is still room for more. Recently a site called Deals.com launched which is just like Digg, but for finding deals.
CNet's story about Digg needs a reality check
Written by Neil Patel on December 5, 2006 | 8 comments
I recently did an interview with Elinor Mills from C|Net on Digg spam and noticed that the article contained a lot of inaccurate information. She quoted me as saying
SES Chicago
Written by Cameron Olthuis on December 2, 2006 | 1 comment
Neil and I are both leaving very early in the morning for SES Chicago. We'll be meeting up at the Chicago airport around noon and then heading over to the Hilton where we'll be staying for the rest of the week. Neil is speaking on the Social Media Optimization panel and I will be speaking on Linkbait & Viral Search Success. Both of our sessions are on Wednesday. Beside that we plan on hanging around during the day and catching a few sessions here and there. In the evenings we can probably be found at the parties or the hotel bar. Hope to see you all there.
MuseStorm makes widgets easy
Written by Neil Patel on December 1, 2006 | 8 comments
Widgets have been a hot topic lately and it seems more and more companies are getting into it due to their effect on website traffic and brand recognition. Although widgets sound like a great thing for everyone to have, the problem with them is that not everyone has the technical know how to create them. Because of this a company called MuseStorm recently launched into private beta looking to solve this pain for publishers.
Scary Marketing
Written by Neil Patel on December 1, 2006 | 5 comments
Fear appeal is something that marketers have been using for centuries. When you want people to buy a product you don't always have to tell them all the benefits of using it, but instead you can show them what will happen if they don't use the product. If you scare people enough they will remember your product and buy it.
