Leadpile’s Blog

Bankrate.com just released the top 10 selling cars for 2008.  The hottest and most popular automobiles: 

• #10 – The Chevrolet Cobalt.  Listing price $14,217. Sold to date 114,250 vehicles.  Runs at about 25-30 mpg.  
• #9  -  Ford Focus. Listing price $15,363. Sold to date 123,449 cars. Average 28mpg
• #8  -  Chevrolet Impala. Listing price $21,348. Sold to date 138,952.  MPG depends on the cylinder of the vehicle.  Your looking at anywhere between 17-23mpg depending on the version
• #7 – Chevrolet Silverado (light duty). First truck on the top ten.. Listing price$25,921. Sold to date 148,046. They average 11-16mpg. 
• #6  - Nissan Altima.   Listing price $22,798. Sold to date 158,006.  Average 22-26mpg.  
• #5  - We are half way down the list . Introducing the Ford F Series (light duty). Nice to see another truck on the board.  Listing price $22,798.  Sold to date 164,828.  10-16mpg.  Wow, get ready to spend your money on gas with this type of mpg!
• #4  - Toyota Corolla.  Listing price $17,122.  Sold to date 169,868.  25-30mpg.  Nice!
• #3  - And now the top three!  Honda Civic! I’m not surprised to see this bad boy on the list.  Listing price $19,114.  Sold to date 204,961.  The MPG is great with whopping 28-42mpg. 
• #2  - Honda Accord.  Listing price $25,859. Sold to date 227,874.  Save some cash with this beauty 25-34mpg.
• Finally, what we have all been waiting for .  #1 best selling auto for 2008!  You ready?  Announcing the most popular car around, the TOYOTA CAMRY.  Listing price $22,859.  Sold an amazing 228,874 cars this year.  Take a vacation with the money you will save on gas with 23-34mpg.

Surprised to only see 2 trucks in the top ten?  I think not.  Overall car sales are down 10% this year compared to last year.  Leadpile Lead Exchange deals a lot with the Auto Finance vertical and the volume of leads coming through our system is slightly down also, however we are expecting it to turn around any day now!
There you have it, the top 10 autos for 2008!

The airline industry is officially getting a piece of the pie…. the “internet” pie that is. According to the Associated Press today, American Airlines is officially adding internet access to in-flight services it provides. The company that is going to get a piece of this “internet” pie is a company called Aircell LLC.
In a time when you pay for water, soda and everything in between, now you have the ability to purchase internet access for a nominal fee of $12.95. For those that are addicted to the internet, and can not stand the idea of being in flight with no internet, now have their wishes coming true. Having the ability to work while you fly is now becoming a reality for those that are willing to pay for the service. Does this mean new in-flight etiquette will be compromised by those that will be trying to access the internet? Will there be some inappropriate internet website viewing for the passenger in the next seat?
There is a side of this that is kind of crazy in a sense that people can not live without the internet. We have internet access at home, cars, on the go (on our cell phones), and now when we fly. Other Airlines will soon follow in this new service being provided to it’s passengers, however what or where else are we missing that the internet has not become a part of?
Leadpile Lead Exchange would love to have a piece of the pie with being able to have leads generated, even while consumers are in the clouds flying from destination to destination.

Matt Burns of Business First of Columbus had a very nice article today on the situation with the Ohio Payday Ballot.

According to Burns,, Ohio officials have finally finalized the ballot language for the Payday Issue.

The Ballot will read:  “Shall Section 3 of H.B. 545 be approved?” A “yes” vote keeps intact the provision of the law, which caps annual interest rates on payday loans at 28 percent, down from 391 percent, while limiting the maximum loan amount to $500, from $800.

A “no” vote, according to the language, sets the maximum loan amount back to $800 and allows payday lenders to levy a total charge on a loan that “substantially exceeds” 28 percent.  According to Burns, the 391 percent annual percentage rate calculation doesn’t appear on the ballot.

It looks like a Payday Group called Ohioans for Financial Freedom have worked to collect signatures to make sure the repeal makes it on the ballot. They called the language “fair and balanced.” According to Burns, Ohioans for Financial Freedom has until the end of the month to collect and submit more than 241,000 valid signatures to ensure a spot on the ballot.

Stay Tuned my friends. Ohio is in the middle of it.

More and more people are doing research on the internet, shopping, and supplying their credit card information online. With shopping and other reasons to supply your credit card information, consumers need to be sure to fully know if they are on a “safe” website. There are a few tips the Associated Press says to utilize in order to have a “safer” online experience.

1. Check and make sure any place you enter your credit card information there is a “lock” on the website, and “httpS” in the browser.

2. Be careful about clicking on links that come to your email, instead manually go to websites that you plan on using a credit card.

3. Look for your browser’s address bar to turn green. This is an indication that the site you’re visiting has paid for and also has passed additional background checks to verify it’s a legitimate business. Also, having the validation Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate is a new feature that also indicates the site is sending your data securely using proper encryption methods.

4. Use a separate email address just for your online shopping and other online activities.

5. If possible, have a separate credit card for your online activities. This will allow you to keep track of everything a little more easily, because everything is on one credit card.

6. Use a credit card, versus a debit card. Recovering lost money from a credit card purchase is much easier than when you use a debit card.

These are all things that I would be conscious of when doing any sort of online activities, which potentially involve money. Leadpile Lead Exchange deals daily with advertisers that are required to put money on account to purchase leads. However, maintaining a safe user experience is what we strive to have every ADVERTISER experience. Precautionary measures such as using Verisign, and having every advertisers go through a verification process, allows Leadpile to provide a “safe” maketplace for our advertisers.

There has been some recent blog posts by myself and my peers, regarding the Affiliate Summit Boston we recently attended. After attending this particular show, I could not believe all the new companies that are becoming a part of the Affiliate Marketing world. Companies that you would not expect are getting into affiliate marketing. The fact is these publishers and advertisers are realizing they are going to reach more people through the internet, versus other advertising methods.

According to Jupiter Research, “In 2008, online marketers will spend $2.1 billion on affiliate marketing fees, with US online affiliate marketing spending reaching $3.3 billion in 2012.” Companies from Sandels Vacations to Overstock.com are getting in on affiliate marketing. Companies like the idea of getting involved in affiliate marketing because there is not much cost to them to do this, and the cost that is involved is performance based. This means that if you have an affiliate program and there is no success, than there is no loss of revenue for the company. This low risk advertising is one of the reasons affiliate marketing is becoming such a large part of the marketing world.
Unfortunately, with the greatness of affiliate marketing there comes some bad. There are some unethical affiliates who are not always doing the “right” thing. This sort of behavior is something companies will just have to continue to monitor, to maintain the greatness of their affiliate programs.
Searching forums, blogs and other online information about affiliate marketing is key to perfecting it. Leadpile Lead Exchange will continue to be involved in events such as the Afffiliate Summit, and other online affiliate marketing forums.

KNOWLEDGE = power
AFFILIATE MARKETING = building your business

In today’s internet savvy world, consumers are going to online search engines to find businesses in their area. Years ago local businesses would advertise in the local newspaper or even post flyers around the town. However, to be successful, businesses are having to maximize their online presence too.
According to DMNews, “80% of an indi­vidual’s income is spent within about 50 miles of their home. With 95% of the potential local search advertising market today remaining untouched, this is a huge opportunity for businesses.” Local search traffic is very targeted, however the bottom-line is the advertiser is getting a very targeted customer AND at a cheaper cost.
Since print publications are becoming less and less prevalent, companies must come up with ways to get customers in other ways. Using methods such as local search will allow these companies to find the customers they are looking for. Companies should also be looking at purchasing leads from lead companies such as Leadpile.
Leapile Lead Exchange understands that advertisers are looking for geo-targeted leads. In combination with our publishers, Leadpile is generating nationwide leads that can potentially meet the needs of all sorts of advertisers, in all areas of the country. For this reason, advertisers utilizing companies such as Leadpile, is ideal to increase the company’s ROI.

In recent years, more and more people are going to college and taking out student loans. These loans were once looked at as “good debt”, however there are students that are graduating with $100,000+ in debt. This is equating to $500-$1,000/month in payments for students. Good debt? ALOT of debt!
The excitement of graduating from college is overshadowed by the idea that within 6 months of graduating, you will begin paying back these debts. How can you really get excited about the fact that you have spent the last 4-6 years going to school, and to be finally done?
According to Yahoo, there are students graduating and becoming affected by the high level of stress, because they know that they are going to have to pay this money back. The first stress should be finding that job that they have been going to school for, however with the outstanding debt, it is hard to really focus on getting that “right” job.
This is a very common type of situation that is happening around the country. This makes me wonder if maybe student loan debt should be somehow waived by the government, or some other options being available? Taking on student loan debt is not the same as going out to the department store and charging up credit card debt. Something to think about… any other way to potentially handle student loan debt? We want young adults to WANT to go to college.
On a final note, student loans/student loan consolidation lead type is minimal in our Leadpile Lead exchange. However, I do know there are a lot of students that are out there wanting to consolidate their student loan debt, because of the exact reason of the payments being out of control.

Mike Shields of Media Week had a nice article regarding eMarketer’s online advertising forcast. For those who missed it, I have included it in its entirety…(The last paragraph bodes very well for the continued increase in Leverage for the Lead Exchange)

Mike Shields: Media Week…For the third time in the last 12 months, Web researcher eMarketer has scaled back its estimates for online advertising in 2008 due to an uncertain economy.

The firm, which produces its spending estimates in part by culling together various predictions from top researchers in the space, now predicts that online ad spending in the U.S. will reach $24.9 billion, down slightly from the $25.9 billion forecast issued last March. That March figure represent a slight downgrade in expectations itself, as eMarketer had original put spending expectations for 2008 at $27.5 billion last October.

Also, this past May, eMarketer reduced it’s spending estimates for social network advertising to $1.4 billion, down from an earlier projection of $1.6 billion.

The reason for the slightly reduced enthusiasm is likely attributable to the shaky U.S. economy, which has left evidence of it’s impact on previously red hot digital media segment in recent lackluster earnings announcements for companies such as AOL and ValueClick. Yet eMarketer maintains that 2008 will net out as a solid year for the medium, which should see ad revenue surge by 17.4 percent, an enviable growth rate by most media’s standards.

Still, the consecutive forecast downgrades mark a noteworthy change from recent years, when spending forecast upgrades were the norm and the industry enjoyed yearly growth ranging from 20 to 30 percent. It seems that even the most trackable and efficient medium is not immune to economic conditions. Earlier this year, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau and PricewaterhouseCoopers, online ad spending reached $5.8 billion, it’s second highest level ever—though that figure represented the end of a 13-quarter growth streak.

However, while online advertising may feel the impact of a potential recession, it continues to benefit from a more macro shift in consumer media usage and marketers’ spending habits. “Even as the potent mix of a misfiring economy and consumers’ changing media habits shave advertising dollars from traditional venues, such as newspapers and television, Internet ad spending will continue to grow rapidly,” said eMarketer. senior analyst David Hallerman.

General Motor Corp. is introducing the new Chevrolet Volt in 2010 and has a waiting list of over 33,000 prospective buyers for this new battery powered car.   Many buyers for this vehicle are from California, Texas, Illinois and Michigan.  Yes, many Americans are facing high gas pricing in these states.  

Its estimated to cost about $31,261 which is less than the $40,000 GM said would cost to generate the car equipped with a massive lithium-ion battery pack.  

The new Chevrolet Volt will be able to run 40 miles on lithium-ion  battery and can easily be recharged at a standard outlet. 

GM showed off a concept version of the Volt in January 2007 but has retooled the look of the vehicle significantly since then.  

What do you think of this new vehicle?   Are you on the waiting list as a potential buyer?  What other neat features do you anticipate this car having?  I wonder what the lifespan is for the battery? 

I love the style, what do you think! Hot Car? Or Two thumbs down?

I am an election board worker at my local polling place, and every year when it gets closer to election time I get excited and a little concerned as to what changes there may be for the  election that I am working. Changes in the law happen every election, even if it is only from September to November, and there are so many laws to remember. Which party can vote this ballot, what time do we open/close the polls, what happens if someone gets sick while working and many other things that may or may not happen.  I always enjoy the day and really have fun mostly when handing out stickers that say “I voted today” to those who voted. Some people even ask for the stickers when they don’t get them right way. Those sticker shows everyone how proud they are to have voted every year when a Senator, Congressman, or Representative gets elected.

To me when I hear people complain about things I often wonder if they are doing something about it. The best way to make your voice heard is to get out and vote. Don’t sit and complain and then if things don’t get better or change think that you can’t make a difference. Every voice heard is one more for change. In Maricopa county we had a large number of independent voters attempt to vote in the Presidential primary and I don’t think that has happened in the past. they were not allowed to vote because it was a party preference election but they still came out to make their voices heard. They wanted to make a difference whether it mattered or not in the final count. It mattered to them.

To make sure that you are registered to vote check with your local recorders office. Also make sure that your records are up to date so that you don’t end up going to the wrong place to vote and have to travel to another polling area wait in another line and then vote.  Next step is to make sure you know where your local polling place is. That information is vital to voting as well as knowing if you are registered.  You also need to check to see what kind of ID is required. In Arizona you need 2 forms of ID.  Remember what dates your elections are on. All elections should be listed on your local recorders web site.  It is very important to learn what you can about the candidates. You want to be an informed voter and not just vote for someone just because you “think” they will do a good job.  You can always volunteer to be a poll worker. Since you are going to the polls anyways. You get to meet your neighbors and I know I always have fun. I get to work at my daughter school so we always eat lunch together. Most important is to get out and VOTE! It can make a difference.

http://www.canivote.org/

Who is still picking up the Sunday Paper?  It has some fascinating stuff like clip off coupons, find an automobile, or look for a job.  Sunday mornings, while I go for breakfast, I see the older generation reading the newspaper. Not so much the younger ones, they choose to have their laptops next to them or their iPhones. 

I was reading an article today on www.investopedia.com regarding the yard-sales.  They were explaining how to set up a yard-sale and make some cash. I’m familiar with the advertisements inside a lead exchange, but this was somewhat out of the box thinking.  The article is called “In A Cash Crush? Hold A Yard Sale” by Lisa Smith.  Lisa is explaining how to advertise and how to have a successful Yard Sale by making it unique using Craigslist, or putting colorful bulletins or advertising in the newspaper.  

It all comes down to: targeting the audience.  The older generation are not computer savvy, and they are not sitting on their computers as long as the younger generation, so they are better of reading the paper. Than you have some other people that are traveling a lot, they are more targeted by the bulletins. The ones hanging out in the Starbucks, with their computers, or with their web enabled phones, are going to see your ads on the web. The internet is the highest growing method of advertising, and it’s also the most targeted one. Not only that you are able to target exactly the demographics you are looking for, but you are able to track the efficiency of your campaign as never been possible before. You care see where the consumer came from, what ad they clicked on, how long they’ve been reading your page and even how long it took them to finish an online application. 

After reading this article, I came to think about advertising to the leads that did not sell in our marketplace. These are mostly aged leads that were left behind because the advertisers met their caps.  They might not be of any interest to the current buyers buying real time leads, but they are a treasure to the companies interested in cherry picking their leads.  LeadPile Lead exchange has an increasing network of publishers and active verticals that is doing business in.  As the Largest Online Lead Marketplace, LeadPile Lead exchange has a good number of valuable leads that can work out for the advertisers that have small budgets, or they want to complement their current inventory of leads. 

Testing out different venues of advertising or using aged leads and filtering them by the consumer initial interest, can bring some value to your current business. 

Leadpile is working closely with the buyers to increase their ROI, and we are committed to your, the Advertiser, success.

According to DMNews last week, recent correspondence sent out by some lawmakers, internet and broadband companies will be taking a look at the advertising they are doing. For example, internet companies track what websites and other details of what their customers are doing online. This information is then used by the internet companies to provide some targeted advertising. Depending on what websites the customer goes to, the internet companies will send out target ads that they think the consumers will be interested in.
Should internet service providers be able to capture all the websites you visit on a daily basis, and use that information to then target specific advertising? Is this considered going too far in order for them to do their advertising?
Yahoo is now allowing you to make that decision and choose to opt-out of them doing this sort of “information gathering”. Maybe other internet service providers will follow in their foot steps. There has to at some point some guidelines that should be followed in order to have some level or privacy, in this BIG BIG internet world.