Landing pages are constructed for higher website conversions from targeted visitors. Your landing page audience is searching for a specific product or service via keywords in organic or PPC campaigns and need to be convinced they have arrived at the most relevant destination. There are numerous landing page techniques and conversion killers but I am only going to name the big three.
1. Attention grabbing Headline
You’ve spent precious time and money optimizing your PPC campaign and crafted a perfect landing page that relates to the keyword searched. Now you have less than 5 seconds to prove credibility to the visitor your site is exactly what they’re looking for. You need to start with a attention grabbing headline. Don’t try to reinvent the wheel here, just head on over to Copyblogger and get setup with the basics. Also check on this headline link .
Unlike journalism where “burying the lead” is a veteran laden technique, attention grabbing headlines requires spilling your guts in as few words as possible with compelling benefits about your product or service.
2. Simple Stupid layout
Along with the right headline, ensure the rest of the landing page layout has appropriate formatting. Avoid crazy banners and weird color schemes. Make sure graphics are used to set off the graphic design not kill it. A clear path to the conversion goal should be your focus of the landing page. A call to action is essential.
3. Large graphics and page bloat
This is common sense, but an overlooked conversion killer because people assume with broadband everyone has big pipes. This may be the case but certainly not best practices and you are sure to lose at least 5% of your conversions to this killer. Make sure all graphics are properly optimized and have a small footprint. Ensure javascript, widgets, outside or external code is kept to a minimum because you cannot control someone else’s server performance. Calling outside scripts can kill your page load. Write simple clean code with optimized graphics and life for your landing page will be good.
If you would like more info on landing pages check out these resources:
For those of you subscribed to the Startup Addict Musings RSS Feed — I thank you. For those of you who stayed with the RSS feed after a nasty bout of spam injection — I commend you. I know what your thinking, spam injection sounds like a bad case of the clap but I assure you, it is nothing to clap about.
I lost about 35% of my RSS feedburner subscribers because the nasty little spammers felt compelled to hack my feed with a string of unsavory link ads. The spammers tainted a wordpress file by embedding a rogue javascript that makes “calls” and implants the nasty links.
I’ve upgraded to a newer version of wordpress (not bragging about my version for security) and cleaned / reinstalled numerous files. I have five older posts (feed only) that are still affected by the spam but have the problem relatively under control. I may repost those entries if I cannot fully diagnose the feed problem. Posts and Feeds going forward are clean so no worries on building the feed subscriber base back up.
I thoroughly recommend hardening your Wordpress install and batting down the hatches for security sake. Also check out the following resources which have been instrumental in my own diagnosis of RSS spam link injection.
So if you fall victim to spam injection or feed hacks then go through the following resources above…otherwise take a pill and call your doctor in the morning.
Vermont my neighbor state is known for being a little different and you can add requirements for Limited Liability Company formation to the list. Apparently on June 6th a bill was signed that will no longer require LLCs to have a physical address (in Vermont anyway). This trumps Delaware in startup friendly law and will enable Internet startups to flourish by existing only virtually if so chosen.
Unfortunately, this will probably allow fraudulent companies to flourish as well. However, the bill does have merit in the Internet age with companies being created as holding companies for blogs or other web-based use.
Algae based fuel startups are now running the gamut of most biofuels. Ranging from biodiesel, gasoline, jetfuel to ethanol (a lot cheaper than the corn derivative to boot). Fortune Magazine did a nice piece on “The next big thing in energy: Pond scum? stating the trials and tribulations of Cambridge, MA based GreenFuel Technologies. The business model behind GreenFuel is capturing CO2 emissions from contaminating companies and promoting algae growth that can be used for fuel as an end product.
The curious setup is an experimental bioreactor that takes the stuff of pond scum - algae - grows it like mad, and turns it into “biomass” that can be processed into fuel for cars and trucks. Even better, the GreenFuel system could help to clean up coal too.
Another company according to VentureBeat a Flordia-based self-funded startup called Algenol Biofuels, will produce nearly a billion gallons a year of ethanol by 2013. The startup just signed a deal with a new Mexican company called BioFields to build a refinery.
Also Sapphire Energy a San Diego startup claims it has created an actual crude oil like substance that can be processed and transported by existing refineries and burned in your actual gas tank…..WOW! Talk about shaking up the oil industry.
So what is driving all the algae based startups?
Exorbitant energy prices for one, but the real impetus is probably DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) a federal program launched last November to enable the cost-competitive production of military jet fuel from both cellulosic and algal sources.
Two quotes from Fortune sum up the program nicely:
In a move that galvanized biofuels entrepreneurs, The director of the program, Douglas Kirkpatrick, says he thinks major questions about algal fuels’ technical feasibility will be answered in “the next three to five years.”
That sounds about right: Algae-energy research is bubbling with new ideas and talent and is beginning to get backing from venture capital. “In the past the money in this area went only to academics,” says Matt Caspari, CEO of Aurora BioFuels in Alameda, Calif. “Now it’s reaching entrepreneurs who are applying technologies that didn’t exist ten or 15 years ago.”
The algae fuel push is not just for the venture capitalist and startups, Shell is throwing some weight behind algae to produce diesel fuel as well. This space is getting hotter than an algae plume in the Sahara desert.
You will probably be as surprised as I was when you see some of the names in the The top 50 ad Network according to comscore
The top 10 Ad Focus properties also maintained their February rankings with Platform-A, the ad network combining Advertising.com, Tacoda, AOL, and Quigo, leading the ranking in March, reaching 91 percent of Americans online. interCLICK gained 9 spots in the ranking to position 14, reaching 58 percent of the 188 million Americans online. Real Cities Network and YuMe Video Network both entered this month’s rankings in positions 38 and 43, respectively.
The real question would be to rank the 50 advertising networks in terms of revenue rather than rankings.
Every Entrepreneur needs to master the ever evolving and elusive viral marketing secrets that turn startups into legends. First, lets make sure we are all on the same page in our terminology. Wikipedia has one of the best technical definitions of Viral Marketing:
Viral marketing and viral advertising refer to marketing techniques that use pre-existing social networks to produce increases in brand awareness or to achieve other marketing objectives (such as product sales) through self-replicating viral processes, analogous to the spread of pathological and computer viruses. It can be word-of-mouth delivered or enhanced by the network effects of the Internet.
[1] Viral marketing is a marketing phenomenon that facilitates and encourages people to pass along a marketing message voluntarily.
[2] Viral promotions may take the form of video clips, interactive Flash games, advergames, ebooks, brandable software, images, or even text messages. The basic form of viral marketing is not infinitely sustainable.
Now that we all know what the real definition of viral marketing is lets explore some of the techniques. Web Marketing today-Wilsonweb is a great resource for garnering attention for your startup. Be sure to to read the in depth article for the six viral marketing techniques.
1. Gives away valuable products or services
2. Provides for effortless transfer to others
3. Scales easily from small to very large
4. Exploits common motivations and behaviors
5. Utilizes existing communication networks
6. Takes advantage of others’ resources
Although, be warned, viral marketing isn’t always a rosy picture. Inc. has some interesting examples of Viral Marketing campaigns that take more effort than is probably worth. In other words, hidden costs to put on a viral marketing campaign can make it more expensive than originally intended for marketers.
Vibe Media’s “Vibe Verses” campaign, which invited users to post, share, and rate rap lyrics online. A winner was picked by user vote, and won a prize. The campaign went viral in 36 days and drew tons of traffic to the site, making it profitable. But along the way, Vibe reported there were many efforts to game the vote, which made the campaign harder to organize and administer than they had expected.
Any technology problem that swallows endless hours of my time, compels me to post solutions so someone else can avoid the same pitfalls. Wamp server is an apache, php, mysql bundle for dynamic website development (a localhost environment). The problem I ran into was I could not browse my local host or load phpmyadmin. It was driving me insane because the server was clearly communicating with the index.php file but would not load. So after numerous uninstalls and reinstalls of Wamp I finally decided to track port 80 (duh!). The port 80 was having a conflict with Skype that also uses port 80. So long story short if Wamp installs and you can’t render anything to the browser, skype is probably running.
As always sorry to the non-geek readers….but I know my previous 1and1 cpanel migration to mysql saved people in the past based on the hits.
We all know that “green” is the new “black” and social responsibility for climate change is becoming everyone’s duty. The reality is carbon emission reductions and other climate change agenda will be a result of the next financial revolution and windfall profits rather than a social duty to reducing our carbon footprint on the planet. It’s not a surprise big business and investors are flocking to this sector. According to Fortune magazine “Carbon Finance comes of age”
Last year traders bought and sold about $60 billion worth of emissions allowances, mostly in Europe and Japan, where governments regulate greenhouse gases. If, as expected, regulation comes to the U.S., this country’s carbon-trading market is expected to be worth $1 trillion annually by 2020. That’s why investment banks, utilities, industrials, and hedge funds - among them GE (GE, Fortune 500), Goldman Sachs (GS, Fortune 500), J.P. Morgan Chase (JPNV.L), and AES (AES) - are rushing into the business of carbon finance.
The new wave of carbon reduction is regulated by the Kyoto Protocol regulated by the United Nations under a program called Clean Development Mechanism or CDM. Thirty-six industrial countries (not including the U.S.) have agreed to reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over time. The key ingredient is that polluting nations do not have to reduce the pollution at the actual source but rather, in part, by financing “clean development” projects in other parts of the world.
Both Fortune Magazine and a recent radio piece on NPR explore interesting examples of how a Carbon Emission reduction CER functions as a commodity.
Take a Company X that gives off the harsh HFC23 gas, a product that is almost 12,000 times more potent than 1 ton of carbon dioxide (as far as global warming goes). Company X has a few choices:
1. Apply for credits under the CDM (which is a red tape nightmare) to obtain reduction money
2. Contact a company like EcoSecurities and have reduction method not only funded but a monthly income based on how many CERs are produced.
Although the creation of a CER credit is interesting both the CDM and CERs are plagued byadditionality . This is when the reduction would have happened anyway, without the financial incentives offered through the CDM. Wikipedia states the following:
A crucial feature of an approved CDM carbon project is that it has established that the planned reductions would not occur without the additional incentive provided by emission reductions credits, a concept known as “additionality”.
CERs through the CDM can cost up to a couple hundred thousand dollars for compliance. Certianly not making the effort for everyone. The little guy can still fit into the equation with Verified Emission reductions (VERS).
In voluntary carbon markets, activities that reduce GHGs produce Verified Emission Reductions (VERs), that can be sold to companies or individuals wishing to voluntarily reduce their impact on the environment. Purchasing VERs can be an effective means of offsetting the part of a company’s carbon footprint where it is not in a position to reduce its emissions directly.
The existence of a voluntary market for emission reductions can support smaller-scale, sometimes village-level activities - which cannot withstand the costs of compliance with Kyoto (certifiers, validators, consultants etc.) but deliver real emission reductions and significant sustainable development benefits.
Examples of technologies that would produce VERS:
• Windpower
• Geothermal power
• Solar power
• Run-of-river hydroelectricity
• Biomass electricity generation
• Energy efficiency
• Animal and agricultural methane capture and utilization
• Landfill gas to energy
• Forestry
The reason is trend is so interesting is the wave of startups that will flourish from the value-chain of reducing carbon emissions. Startups will be at every stage of the game and revenue streams will go beyond just the gas reducing business model through subsidies, credits and a commodity exchange. We had the dot-com run, we had the real estate run and now we have the carbon reduction run. The best part is we are at the ground floor.
I receive a fair amount of solicitations for free plugs but when Maureen Mecke from 5W Public Relations sent one for RaiseCapital. I felt it was right for this audience. RaiseCapital is like the funding section on StartupAddict.com, it gives entrepreneurs the ability to find the ever “elusive” startup funding.
According to the 5W Public Relations press release:
Small and medium-sized businesses play a vital role in the American economy accounting for nearly 50% of the nation’s GDP. However, only 13% of these small companies have access to multiple sources of funding leaving the small business segment prone to high failure rates.
Richard Singer, co-founder and CEO of RaiseCapital.com, has the solution for entrepreneurs who are discouraged by an inability to locate funding. As a free online community, RaiseCapital.com provides a forum for entrepreneurs with start-up or existing businesses to display their ideas and capital needs to an array of investors.
Mr. Singer has the following tips to help entrepreneurs connect with funding:
1. Utilize the Internet to post your ideas for venture capitalists to see. Venture capital funding is difficult to secure if you only speak to a small group of people about your idea. By posting on the Web, you are casting your net far and reaching the largest audience possible, thereby increasing your odds of finding capital. Most importantly, it’s free.
2. Study your competition and seek out alternative approaches that will make your business unique. Venture capitalists will likely take notice of your creative idea and support a business where they can expect a substantial return on their investment.
3. Demonstrate the market demand for your product or service. Whether an existing business or a startup, create a beta version of what you plan to produce on a larger scale with financial backing. If investors can see a beta Web site or the product you plan to later mass produce, they will be more comfortable supporting a promising enterprise rather than an abstract idea.
4. Create a detailed business plan outlining what you plan to do once you receive the funding. Account for every expenditure and discuss alternative approaches you will take if the business begins to fail.
5. When posting your idea on the Internet and developing a business plan, explain your previous work experience and how that will translate into your ability to effectively manage a successful business. The most common reason that businesses fail is poor management.
