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Google Possibly Pulling Out of China??

Natasha Aronov — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:52:27 +0000

As a follow up to our recent post discussing China’s Internet censorship and regulations, Google has now pulled the plug on launching it’s cell phone in China. Google’s mobile phones equipped with Internet applications were decided by the company to be “not a good experience” for the consumer. Currently, China has over 700 million mobile phone accounts and consumers driven by the latest technology.
According to the Associated Press, it has been rumored that Google has threatened to shut its Chinese-based search engine if the restrictions are not eased. The Chinese government is standing strong on it’s decision that “Foreign enterprises in China need to adhere to China’s laws and regulations, respect and the interests of the general public and cultural traditions and shoulder corresponding responsibilities. Google is no exception,” as stated by a Foreign ministry spokesman at a new briefin
It will be interesting to watch this controversy unfold as many Chinese and foreign businesses rely on Google’s email and maps…If Google is blocked and access is restricted it could certainly disrupt things!

Can-Spam Act Turning 6

Mari Holt — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 03:39:47 +0000

Most of us receive a large amount of emails each day that make it into our spam folders, however how many spam emails are you receiving each day that are actually making it to your inboxes? The answer is too many! 6 years ago, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) implemented the Can-Spam Act which was supposed to help crack down on those that are illegally sending out spam emails. However, even with a potential $16,000 fine, spammers are not going away. Why?
Leadpile works with publishers that are doing email marketing, however violating any Can Spam laws is not something we would ever allow. So the question is, how are the spammers continuing to get away with sending out all these unnecessary emails and not getting caught? It seems that many use famous people that are in the news, being bait for some that will unknowingly click on their emails. Some use credible names as the sender thinking the consumer will trust the name where it came from. Then there are some that try and use inappropriate words/phrases thinking they will ignite the curiosity factor of the reader. You name, spammers are trying it.
The key is if you are getting emails from someone you don’t know and there is just a link on the site to click on, don’t click on it. The remaining of the month there will be an increase in the number of “holiday” scams attempting to reach your inboxes, so always be aware of who you are paying attention to in your inboxes.

Communication Without Speaking

Natasha Aronov — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:49:36 +0000

Texting, emailing, posting on social networks has all been made so much easier and more accessible with the use of Smartphones. Smartphones have made it possible to keep in constant contact without actually having to pick up the phone and speaking to anyone.
According to webpronews.com, there have been increases in people using Smartphone technology to search for local products and services. A recent study showed a large volume of consumers searching in their local areas for movies, restaurants, bars and a smaller volume of people searching for physical items that need to be shipped. Also shown by studies on Smartphone use is it was shown that using mobile devices for viewing or sending video has increased as well as watching or purchasing TV programs and music videos.
Being without your Smartphone can immediately make you feel like you’re lost. Loosing the gateway to instant Internet, email and social media can not only effect your social life, but in today’s world is something than many of us rely on for business as well! Leadpile appreciates the Smartphones, and what it helps us as a company accomplish when everyone is not in front of a computer. What will they come up with next????

Convenience On A New “2D” Level!

Natasha Aronov — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:15:38 +0000

Have you ever received a coupon or incentive via email and then forget about it or lost track of it because you didn’t print it right away? Good news! JCPenny has selected a handful of it’s stores to test mobile coupons.
According to ONLINE MEDIA DAILY, 16 JCPenny locations installed “2D” capable scanners at registers that have the capability to read the barcode off the coupon directly from consumer’s cell phones with email capabilities. Customers can download a free application at cellfire.com/jcpenney or by texting “JCP” to 28888 from their cell phone.
JCpenny will be promoting several different incentives to test this during the holiday season. Pending the results of this trial, JCPenny will possibly expand this feature to additional stores.
“Ten million digital coupons were redeemed in the first six months of 2009, up 25% from a year ago.” For the high percentage of Blackberry and iPhone users that have their phones within reach every moment of the day, this could be potentially a great new thing! The incentive to use the coupon could be much greater given that printing, saving, and finding the coupon could be a thing of the past!

Our Nation’s Post Offices In Trouble?

Mari Holt — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 05:03:06 +0000

I don’t know about you, but can you remember the last time you went to a post office or mailed something? In the wake of email, online banking and other electronic methods of paying bills and communication, our post offices are suffering. MSNBC is stating that our nation’s post offices are looking at a potential loss of $7 billion this year. This means that the ability to operate all these post office locations is in jeopardy. There are nearly 33,000 post office locations and my guess would be the ones that could be in trouble would be the less populated areas. That only makes sense, but I think that we need our post offices to deliver to those that do not have computer access, those that need to still deliver registered letters/packages, and for those that still choose to receive “paper” copies of their bills.
So what is the resolution to this money issue with the post office besides just closing down offices? Could we see mail getting delivered less than 6 days a week? Leadpile and other lead generation companies are not necessarily focused on direct mail, however this is something that we are considering utilizing as a source of lead generation. I don’t really see the post office issue as affecting that decision.

Airlines Using Email Marketing To Reach Consumers

Mari Holt — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:14:58 +0000

Advertisers are always looking for effective ways to reach consumers, however sometimes it is not always the easiest task to accomplish. If done correctly, email marketing is a cost effective way to reach a large audience in a short amount of time. The biggest trick businesses have to face is getting “that email” delivered in the consumers inbox. Last week JetBlue Airlines utilized email marketing, press releases and partner’s emails to get across a HOT deal they were offering. JetBlue was offering tickets from NY to San Francisco for $14! That is unheard of, however it was no joke. The unfortunate thing was this email and press release blast made the airline sell out quickly (within an hour to be exact). This also created a great buzz about the airline and traveling, and that is what they were looking to accomplish. What other way can you effectively market something that HOT in such a short amount of time???? According to DMNews, this wasn’t such a bad scenario for the airline to be in…..

Email marketing is also a great way to monetize data. Leadpile Lead Exchange is very happy to offer TEXT links to it’s lead publishers to use in an email marketing campaign.
Bottom line is… email works!

What is the Twitter Impact?

Mari Holt — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 17:00:55 +0000

Much has been written and spoken about Twitter recently. Some people love it, and others view it as a waste of time. Also, the lack of a business model that produces revenue has been discussed. Does Twitter act like email, search, and/or social networking? The answers currently appear to be no, no, and yes.

This week, the people at Hitwise came out with some research on where people are going after visiting Twitter. Indications are that Twitter is acting more like social networking than search or email. Two out of five visitors are visiting social networks or entertainment sites after visiting Twitter.

At this point, very little Twitter traffic is visiting retail sites (search activity) nor is the traffic visiting finance, business or dating sites (email activity). It appears to be more about social networking and distributing content, especially photo-sharing, than on selling products or services.

Things are sure to change rapidly, but it appears that the monetization of Twitter and its growing traffic is a work in progress. This potentially huge opportunity is still there for the taking.

Receive Payments Faster: LeadPile’s MasterCard!

Mari Holt — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 16:09:11 +0000

LeadPile is excited to announce that we have partnered with RevUpCard for Easy, Instant Commission Payments anywhere in the world!

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Partnering up with Revupcard is going to make getting paid commissions that much easier for our Leadpile sellers!

Generation V “virtual”

Mari Holt — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 15:15:25 +0000

There is generation “X” and baby boomers that we all hear about, however have you ever heard of Generation “V”? Generation V is the generation of the future… the generation that is dealing with online EVERYTHING. Unlike the other generations, Generation V is not defined by an age, gender, social class or where they live. However, this generation is based on what they can and have achieved, accomplishments, and an increasing desire for the use of digital media channels to discover information and build knowledge. If you are a company that is not online… you better be soon!
According to marketingcharts.com, 80% of generation V will be “lurkers”. These are people that will reap the rewards of the online world. Others are trying to be apart of the online world by participating in the activites such as blog posts, forums, and YouTube. Those is previous years did not do such things to keep an online presence, however this is something that companies need to take a look at when dealing with how they market their company online. Defined demographics of consumers are a way of the past, because it is getting harder and harder to determine those that are online and buying the product.
Companies must change around how their online presence is represented, because so many people are using the internet as their only source for information and other key aspects to their daily lives. Why is it though that many create accounts in places such as dating sites, email providers and blogs, that is not themselves (anonymous)? Are they trying to protect themselves from people knowing who they really are? Not sure on why Generation V does this, but we will see how much more the online world really affects various things such as retail, dating, lead generation and other up and coming industries.
I have to say the publishers I work with in the Leadpile Lead Exchange are mostly going to be considered Genration V. These are people that live, breath and do everything around the internet.
We welcome all generations to our marketplace, but I have a feeling there will be much more Generation V making up the Leadpile Lead Exchange!

Be Careful what you buy! Many Companies opting to buy quality Leads From A Lead Exchange.

Mari Holt — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:57:25 +0000

Publishers are spending a lot of money on PPC campaigns through Google AdWords. Have you ever researched the cost of producing a real time quality lead? Depending on the vertical, it can get really expensive, especially if you are looking for quality and genuine interest.

Capturing a name, number, email, address, best time to call, can get really expensive. If you want to target geographically, by zip or state, it will increase your price and lower the amount of traffic you are getting. A lead can be really inexpensive, if you are just capturing email address, and you incentivize it, but if you are looking to attract customers that are genuinely interested in your service, its not going to be .20 cents or .50 cents, it will be way more expensive. You can expect prices as these if you are looking for lists, but why would you do that when you have the Yellow Pages and costs you nothing. You can definitely get leads for such a price, but those will be leads that are generated from the yellow pages, or aged data (lists) of consumers that showed an interest in your service years ago. So what is the price for a good, real time, exclusive leads? It depends, it can be very expensive, depending how competitive is your vertical. You will get what you are paying for. In other words, you are going to be happy with the return on your investment (ROI).

Advertisers have to consider that publishers or lead exchanges are eating the cost of any leads that are invalid. Paying anywhere between .25 to $1.50 per click, or even $15, does not guarantee a conversion. Even if we get a conversion, it will not necessarily mean that you, as a buyer, will accept the lead. If you are a Debt Settlement buyer, you might want only want $15,000 and above in Unsecured Debt, which will significantly increase the price to produce that lead.

Lead exchanges welcome advertisers to join the marketplace to HOST their offers. Paying the right price for the lead, working with the lead exchange to optimize your campaign and filter the lead sources, will ensure a successful campaign for you, as a buyer, and for the Lead Exchange and its publishers.

Think of it this way, lets say you need to travel to a different state. Would you rather rent a bike or a car? By renting a bike, you will save money on gas and get in a better shape If you are concerned about the time you need to get to your destination, this will not work too well for you, and renting a car might be more suited for you. Time is money, and we all know it very well.

Make great choices and you will see more money coming into your business! Buy quality, real time exclusive leads, and you can be assured that Leadpile will be on your side from start to end! Pay the price that they are worth and you will get the satisfaction that you are searching for!

Leadpile’s Motto: “Good is the Enemy of Great!” – Jim Collins, Good to Great