.com Not Listed in Regional Yahoo? Don’t Despair!     
 
Advertising,Website Promotion,Writing
  
 
.com Not Listed in Regional Yahoo? Don’t Despair! By Glenn Murray *
If you’re a non-American business with a .com web address, and your regional Yahoo ranking is important to you, then my story might interest you.

Recently my copywriting website dropped out of Yahoo’s Australian rankings. For quite a while, it had been at number 1 for my primary keywords “advertising copywriter”, “copywriter”, and “website copywriter”. But then it suddenly disappeared. I clicked through about 10 pages of results, and it was nowhere to be seen. I then searched for my domain, and Yahoo couldn’t find it.

Something smelt fishy.

I’d done nothing ‘naughty’ to my site to warrant a ban, and I still had heaps of links to my site (actually, I had more than ever before).

I’m an Australian advertising copywriter. I’m based just north of Sydney and I host my website with a major Australian host. But my web address is a .com, not a .au. I started thinking this might be the problem.

So I emailed Yahoo support, explaining the problem, and sharing my thoughts on the cause.

And all of a sudden, nothing happened.

So I waited. And I waited. And I waited. And finally, after about a couple of weeks, I received an email from a Yahoo support representative informing me – incorrectly – that my keyword wasn’t featured in my page title or description. I should remedy this shortcoming and re-submit my site to Yahoo.

Frustrated, I replied. I repeated the important facts from the first email just to ensure they’d listened. They hadn’t. They hadn’t even searched for my domain to confirm that Yahoo no longer recognised it.

When they got back to me this time, they had started paying a bit more attention. The support rep confirmed my suspicion that Yahoo had excluded my site because of its .com URL. Her very helpful solution was that I should change my domain to .au! She included some ridiculously complex instructions for how to do so, and sent me on my merry way.

As you might expect, I wasn’t satisfied. Nor was I merry. I explained to her that this was not an acceptable solution because all the links to my site on the internet are pointing to the .com and my email address uses the .com.

She was unmoved. She asserted that this was the best and only way to solve the problem. Oh… and it might help if I added my primary keyword to my title and description.

My laughter was not good humoured! I wrote back expressing my displeasure at this “solution”. I painstakingly explained how Yahoo had made a mistake, and that if Google was capable of recognising my Australian business despite its .com addresses, I would think it’s technically possible. I also cited several other .coms in the first couple of pages of Australian results.

No response.

The situation didn’t look promising…

If this sounds like a familiar story to you, don’t despair. A week or two later, I searched Yahoo Australia for my primary keyword, and surprise, surprise… My site was ranked number 1 again!

The moral to the story? Don’t be intimidated by Yahoo. Trust your instincts and don’t give up. If you’re an Australian business with a .com, and you’re not listed in Australian searches, this might be why. In fact, I would think this story is relevant to all regional Yahoos. (Of course, before making any accusations, it’s a good idea to make sure your site is properly optimised and that you have plenty of inbound links.)

Anyway, that’s my story. I hope it helps someone.

And they all lived happily ever after. So far at least…

Yahoooooooo!

The End.

Creating a Good First Impression     
 
Marketing,Business,Advertising
  
 
No doubt about it, first impressions are important – whether you’re meeting a prospective mate’s family or introducing a product. What you say, how you say it, and when you say it are all critical. After all, your product’s only new once! Of course, you’ll create a product introduction communications plan, and stick to it. You know continuity works. And you’ll set aside adequate funding for the product intro. If the product is strategically important, this is NOT a good place for pinching pennies.
Convinced about planning and budgeting? Here are three key concepts to remember when introducing a product:

1) MESSAGE You need a central promise or message for your product introduction – one that’s meaningful and memorable. What problem(s) does your product solve? How important is each problem/solution to prospective buyers? How is your product different from and better than what your competitors offer? If you stumble on answering these questions, it’s time to do some research. 2) MIX The most successful product introduction campaigns utilize a variety of communications tactics to deliver this central message – public relations, direct mail, web presence, trade shows, advertising and more. Why? The explanation relates to basic communication principles. Prospects need to be exposed to your message several times in order for it to sink in. By using a mix of communications tactics you’re more likely to reach prospects multiple times. 3) IMPACT You want to grab attention, so this is the time to “think outside the box.” What can you do that’s a step beyond the normal? Is there a trade show coming up where you can do a live presentation? Would a trade magazine be interested in doing an exclusive article? How about running a larger ad?

It’s Better to Ask than Assume.(The Power of Market Research.)     
 
Marketing,Business,Advertising
  
 
No doubt about it. Smart marketing takes finesse. Nowhere is that truism more apt than in message definition. If you want to craft a compelling message, you need to understand your prospective buyer’s motivation.
I had a boss once whose favorite saying was “Don’t assume. It makes an ass out of you and me.” Drove me nuts, but you know what? It stuck. It was meaningful, memorable (although corny,) and it was repeated. (A meaningful and memorable message is more likely to stick with the audience. Repetition imbeds a message in the brain.)

The communications lesson inherent in this saying is “know your audience.” If you want your promise (message) to be meaningful, you need to understand what’s important to prospective buyers of your product or service.

If you’ve been working in a particular industry or market segment for a while, you may think you know what’s important. And you may be right. But why not ask and confirm your thinking? You’ll get your information “straight from the horse’s mouth,” and you’ll avoid relying on potentially dangerous assumptions.

I’ve snuck the term “market research” into my sub-title. Some of you may gasp and yell, “Too expensive!” I say, “Not necessarily.” and “Guesswork can lead to expensive mistakes.”

If you’re marketing computers or fast food, your potential target audience may be huge. You’ll need Research with a capital “R.” Find a good research company – preferably one with experience in your industry. Tell them your needs and budget and let them put together a plan for you.

Those of us who work in small niches can do small “r” research. Here’s what I mean. Think of 3-5 questions that will help pinpoint prospective buyers’ hot buttons. Call your top customers and prospects and ask away. You’ll have great conversations, and you’ll learn something each time you talk to someone. Develop a matrix of everyone’s answers, and I’ll bet you learn even more.

If you get bogged down on deciding what questions to ask or making the phone calls, call in a consultant. Whatever it takes to get information. Remember: ‘Tis better to ask than assume!

Help Wanted…     
 
Advertising,Ezine Sites,Publishing
  
 
Hello again fellow publishers…
I’m looking for some help, because my Editor, and CO-Editor are MIA. (missing in action), i.e. they don’t have the time to work with me anymore.

As I’ve always believed, and still do to this day: people make time for what they really want to do, so when someone says they don’t have the time, what they are really saying is, “I don’t have time for you, or what you want me to do”, i.e. not interested.

On that note, back to why I need some assistance, and to get it I’m looking to offer space to any publisher here that helps me put together informative content, i.e. any and all of you receiving this ezine, not just limited to one.

I want us be like a dynamic organism able to change, and adapt “on the fly” according to the environment, and circumstances involved in order to stay ahead of the bell curve. Something to the effect the books “FUTURE SHOCK”, and “THIRD WAVE” did at their time in history.

JOINT VENTURE OR BUST

From my over eight years online (and publishing almost as long), and by communicating with literally hundreds of publishers over that period of time, I know for the most part many do not work joint ventures with other publishers.

I believe this is a big mistake, because from my experience 98% of publishers producing an ezine are not making a full time living from writing, or from their ezine.

JOINT VENTURE OR GO OUT OF BUSINESS (HINT: DO IT HERE)

Yes, a strong caption… maybe I’m wrong, but from all indicators, I’m probably not.

I sound like BOB O… (I left out the last name, because I didn’t get his permission to use his full name here), however I believe that’s a complement, because he’s a much more eloquent writer than I am. I just do my best to get my pin point point across. Anyway…

This may or may not be out of line, however I believe most ezine publishers are either too self absorbed to see outside the box, or don’t really see how they can work joint ventures effectively to make them worth their while.

THE FINAL POISON PILL

Many publishers think that their publication is king. That may be so to a certain extent, however why be limited by your own publication?

I think not… I think your ezine (growing at a rapid, and consistent rate hopefully), along with joint venturing with other publishers on regular, and consistent basis is a “MAJOR KEY” to success, especially for the “little guy” publisher online at this time.

Prove me wrong with your argument, however I see that the GURUS have been leading hundreds of publishers around by the nose for years, because they have “THEE” products or services that will skyrocket your profits right???

I’m still hearing crickets, because I know from experience that “show me the money” probably never happened for most of you.

GURUS KNOW THE SUM IS GREATER THAN THE PARTS THAT MAKE UP THE WHOLE (did I say that right?)

Close enough for government work as they say.

Enough said, because you’ve known this for years, but the burnt out GURUS that were saying how easy it is to make “BANK” online (most I barley ever hear from anymore), have gone and will be replaced by others who will go through the same cycle, i.e. “burn rate.”

One last thought… the law of diminishing returns (because of the beyond speed of light noise factor on the net) just keeps getting greater, and greater.

To you this means that your work is more than “cut out” for you as a publisher, and the quick bucks (if there ever was any such animal to begin with) have all blown away like “dust in the wind.” Just ask “MJ.”

Two words, “JOINT VENTURE”, and be extremely creative (i.e. give a ton to get it done) plus constantly test. Then you may have a chance to not only survive, but thrive.

Harry Fassett - Co-owner of http://www.amazines.com offers ezines, and newsletters in just about every category imaginable! Find targeted advertising for your business, great articles of interest. Plus the option to get up to the minute updates on new information added to our database!