Leadpile’s Blog

The days of newspaper and magazine advertising seems to be becoming more and more extinct as businesses turn to online direct response advertising. Online direct advertising incorporates lead generation, search and online directories into one category and then there is national and local digital media. Businesses seem to be turning more and more to generating clients through search and other more “targeted” media because of the better end result = more business. The costs to print newspapers and magazines has not become as profitable as in previous years because many are not turning to print to get their news, they are turning to a more instant “fix” like the internet. Knowing this, publishers and advertisers are also turning to the internet for customer’s attention. Lead generation companies, like Leadpile, have become more and more in demand as the cost to convert even things such as a television ad to a interested customer rise.
Biz report points out that, “Besides online search, the forecast predicts that online direct response marketing, a new category in 2009, will increase by 2.9%.” Other reports show that by 2014 this sort of advertising is set to increase by 10%. This is great news for lead generation companies and our search engines. However, the picture does not seem as good for national digital media (rich media, online video, email, display and mobile) which is set to decrease by 11%, and local digital media (ie: television, radio and newspapers) to decrease by 5%. The good news is the report also points out that both are set to rebound in future years.
My question is how are other advertising sources, besides online media, going to adapt to increase their revenue? This has to be something that is very challenging for many companies who have built empires by using these non-online media companies (ie- newspapers and magazines). I can’t imagine how people survived in earlier years without the internet, and the capabilities it has to reach so many people in such a little place (computer). This reminds me of growing up and parents stating they did not have televisions or things like calculators in their daily life. I could never understand how they survived, which I know now sounds silly. What will be the next innovative creation that will change our world???????? Who will discover it?

Can it really be? Facebook to make billions within the next 5 years? Reuters is reporting that one of Facebook’s board members is predicting this. It seems that promoting more advertising, to really capitalize on the massive amounts of traffic frequenting the social networking site, is key. 225+ million users are on the site, so there has got to be some way to monetize this site to maybe earn these billions that are being predicted. However, will it follow the trends of Twitter where there are massive amounts of traffic not being capitalized on yet? I think the future of social networking really depends on these sites figuring out an effective way to capitalize on the users on their sites. What way(s) of monetizing the social networking site(s) will work best? What are the demographics of the Facebook? Who is coming and going on the site?
The users on Facebook seem to be a lot more diverse than the other large social networking site (myspace.com). However, where did myspace go wrong………. or did they NOT go wrong? They dominated the net just a few years ago, yet times seemed to have changed when the site became more of an advertising site than a place for people to network. Let’s keep an eye on Facebook and see if they stay on the right path to really do the right thing for their network… AND earn this BILLIONS of revenue! Maybe Facebook should contact Leadpile to do some lead generation!

In years past, online media was not an option. Years ago you did radio, television, mail or things like billboard advertising. However, in recent years performance advertising has been something most companies are venturing into to promote their product(s). Lead generation is a performance type of advertising, however not all are embracing it because of various objections they have to it.

1. No money to do lead generation
2. Lead generation does not work
3. They do not know how to set up CPL campaigns
4. They do not have any creatives to do a lead generation campaign
5. They don’t have any incentives to offer the consumer on a CPL campaign
6. They don’t really care about leads
7. They don’t have the time to work on a lead generation campaign

These are all commons excuses companies will make instead of moving forward with a lead generation campaign. Mediapost.com points out all these excuses companies have on why they are not getting into lead generation.
These are all legitimate objections to lead generation, however companies like Leadpile are open arms to speak with anyone that has any questions or concerns about doing lead generation. Where else can you get a targeted consumer that is opting in for a specific product or service? Lead generation allows companies to focus less on generating clients and more on handling the targeted ones that they are working with in their lead generation campaigns. As a company trying to generate business, would I want to send out a 1000 mailings or purchase leads of 50 people who opted in for my service? Hands down lead generation produces a higher ROI if you are utilizing your lead generation campaign effectively. Ask a lot of questions of the lead generation company you are potentially working with, so you know the process from A to Z. Know how the leads are being generated, where they are being generated and what the cost to you is. You will see, lead generation will be an effective way for you to spend your advertising dollars.

I have to share a great website that I was recently introduced to.  Mint.com is a great site for anyone looking to manage their bills & finances all in ONE place.

According to the website, “We download, categorize and graph all of your finances automatically every day, so you know where you’re spending, without spending any effort.”  With consumers going through trying to manage their credit cards and really seeing where they are spending their money, this site will allow people to do that without the high cost of hiring someone.  I went through the process myself just to see how long it took, and I have to say it took only minutes and it is a secure site.  Making sure you are entering your account information on a secure website (HTTPS) is very important when working with personal information on the internet.  I have to say I am a little nervous of entering my personal information online, however I did proceed forward with it. Working at Leadpile Lead Exchange has helped to educate me on knowing what to pay attention to when surfing the net, and this website appears to be a great trusted site for EVERYONE to look into.  The other question I was wondering was, “how does this website make money, because this service is FREE?” After searching more and more, I found lead generation is what this company is doing.  They are offering “pertinent” financial services to consumers throughout the process.  Check it out… you might learn something about your own financial portfolio.

Everything too good to be true.. probably is.  Now all those that were looking to jump in on the online lead generation business, might have someone up above to face.  According to internetnews.com, “A top U.S. lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday said he is working to develop a bill to impose mandatory guidelines on Internet companies to protect user privacy, because the current voluntary approach is falling short. ” Privacy advocates are worried that online activity is potentially jeopardizing consumers private information, and there are no regulations to govern it.
Leadpile Lead Exchange believes in only doing the right thing and not jeopardizing consumers information in ANY way. There are a lot of people out there trying to make a quick buck on hot topics in the news, and unfortunately consumers are not always as guarded with their personal information as they should be. Lawmakers stepping in on this industry could lead to some of those not being able to take advantage of consumers, however them stepping in could also create a lot more “red tape” for those doing the right thing. Thoughts?

Leadpile Lead Exchange would like to wish Facebook a Happy 5th birthday. According to the Valley Wag website, Facebook originated on the campus of Harvard University. Eventually, the social networking site went from one university to universities all across the nation. Presently, Facebook is not just used by university students as a social networking site, it is used by more than 1.5 million people (including Leadpile Lead Exchange). HAPPY BIRTHDAY Facebook!

That special day for “lovebirds” is approaching, and the many dating sites out there are competing to get some love matches for the big day.  According to DMNews, single consumers are shopping for love on the web. DMNews also states, “The US online dating market will reach $932 million in 2011, and European online dating will double by the same time, according to JupiterResearch. The beginning of the year is one of the busiest times for this market.” So is this true, singles have new resolutions and now are looking for that “cupid” online?
The statistics seem to show that those surfing the net for love, and those that actually click on advertisements/offers increased at the end of January/beginning of February. Based on this information, generating dating leads might be something we work a little faster to get into here at Leadpile Lead Exchange. It seems most of those lead buyers that are looking for dating leads, are looking for personal information about the consumer. This is something we are already capturing to a degree, so maybe this is something we start drumming up some business for.

Cupid + Leadpile Lead Exchange = Match?

As many of you already know, LinkedIn is a great source for networking.  I was looking over the site and came across and very good article about the benefits of LinkedIn.  I thought I would share this information with the Leadpile readers.  According to LinkedIn blog, there are 10 potential benefits to using LinkedIn:

1. Increase your visibility
2. Improve your connectability
3. Improve your Google PageRank
4. Enhance your search engine results
5. Perform blind, “reverse,”

and company reference checks
6. Increase the relevancy of your job search
7. Make your interview go smoother
8. Gauge the health of a company
9. Gauge the health of an industry
10. Track startups

Leadpile Lead Exchange and myself included, utilize LinkedIn as a great source to network with other companies. If this is not something you are already doing, I strongly suggest taking a look and seeing all the benefits of using this great site. We would love to hear from you on LinkedIn.

If you want to access your LinkedIn on the go.

I have to share some information that I obtained from the Affiliate Summit Vegas.  In a informative pamphlet given out by Davis & Gilbert LLP, they point out some helpful tips that affiliates should pay attention to.

1.  Know your stats- make sure you receive sufficient feedback and reporting on your accounts.

2.  Know what is being done with your data- use data in a ethical legal way according to all privacy laws.

3.  Any new partnerships, always get the agreement in writing- anyone doing business for you or with you, make sure agreements are in writing for you to always refer back to.

4.  Have a game plan for 1 year, 5 years down the road- where do you want your company to be in the near future or even years down the road?  Have a plan.

5.  Know what you are agreeing to – if you are signing up with a new affiliate or starting a new offer, make sure you know all the ins and outs of what you just agreed to.

6.  Have insurance- corporations need to make sure they are adequately insured (ie- errors and omissions, liability and possibly some other applicable types of insurance).

7.  Know what your employees are doing with your systems and data- monitor what is happening in your business with your own employees and partners. The more involved you are in all aspects of your business, the more you will know what is going on. Proactive NOT reactive!

8.  Corporate housekeeping-keep all that you are doing as a company organized.

9.  Monitor internal and external business practices regularly

10. Have good ethics- those affiliates that do things “right” will have a long successful affiliate marketing partnerships.  Those that choose to try and “beat” the system will be short lived.

Becoming the best affiliate you can become is very important in building your business.  Leadpile Lead Exchange is very concerned about how it conducts business and making sure it maintains the highest standards.  Like any other affiliates, if there is room for improvement we are always open to getting feedback from our partners and clients.  Have some additional tips…. We would love to hear them.

According to Hitwise.com, in the last month of 2008 Google accounted for 72.07% of US searches. I know, this is no surprise, but the part that caught my eye was what categories people were searching.

This article breaks down the subject matters that consumers searched for on Google, and I was a little surprised financial related searches were so far down on the list.

Of the people who searched on GOOGLE, here is what categories they searched:

Health and Medical   44.45%

Travel  36.24%

Shopping and Classifieds  25.81%

News and Media  20.54%

Entertainment  24.83%

Business and Finance  19.19%

Sports  13.33%

Online Video  33.69%

Social Networking 17.87%

Leadpile Lead Exchange deals a lot with financial lead types so this is a little surprising to me.  People searching for a payday loan, new car, debt help and other finanicial assistance I would have thought would have more people looking versus the “travel”?  Are people traveling these days and trying to find deals still?  Maybe it is time to promote our vacation offer.

Thank you to all the affiliates that stopped by our Meet Market booth on Sunday!  We look forward to working with some of you in the near future.  Overall the Affiliate Summit was great turnout.   The only challenge I saw was the need for some more meeting rooms.  Meeting with current or potential new clients is one main reason for attending the summit, and I have to say finding a room to meet in was sometimes a little more difficult.  The other thing I noticed was that Vegas was just not Vegas.  The streets were more vacant and the casinos were certainly filled with less people.  Has the economy hit Vegas????? Overall a great show!  Thanks Affiliate Summit staff.

According to emarketer.com, 2009 is going to be the year of spending advertising dollars on online video.

US marketers responded on how they plan to spend their 2009 online marketing budgets.

Of the people surveyed, here is who plans on spending their budgets on what:

1.  Online video  (66.8%)

2.  Social media   (41.6%)

3.  Search    (34.1%)

4.  Podcasts/webcasts (32%)

5.  Rich media  (30.5%)

6.  Banner ads   (22.8%)

7.  Mobile  (17.4%)

8.  Other   (6.8%)

This shows that more than two-thirds of respondents said they would focus their budgets on online video in 2009. According to the article, “eMarketer estimates that spending on online video advertising will grow to $4.6 billion in 2013, representing a more than sevenfold increase from the $587 million spent on the format in 2008.”  Therefore, if you are not planning on doing any online video with your marketing campaigns, you might want to at least entertain the idea.  Leadpile Lead exchange is utilizing online video to educate the public on Leadpile. Take a look in YouTube and see for yourself. How will you try and utilize online video to help promote your company?  Time to start thinking about that.