Is Behavioral Targeting an Invasion of Privacy?

Suppose, a new product on the market caught your eye and you decided to check it out but didn’t purchase. Now, everywhere you go, be it on YouTube, a blog or a forum with ads-enabled, you see advertisement of the same product. Isn’t this intriguing and let’s say, a bit irritating?

But, marketers would disagree with you. This strategy is known as behavioral targeting and it’s actually nothing new. Marketing analysts have been collecting data on consumer preferences long before the Internet was born.

However, the information we can glean from consumers is now virtually unlimited. People share their personal details online every day and our web journeys are tracked and watched as we carry out our daily Internet interactions.

Consumers are slowly waking up to the idea that their movements will provide someone with information and that information is used to target them as potential customers.

But is this an invasion of privacy?

Quick Conversions

Behavioral marketing is a marketer’s dream come true. Through analyzing a consumer’s past behaviour and current interests, it becomes much easier to generate marketing material that is tailored to that person.

Data companies such as Google can track your online behaviour to supply you with advertisements that are more relevant to you, rather than simply bombarding you with random adverts in the hope that one will somehow offer the product or service that you need.

Behavioral targeting is all about quick conversions.

The key tool in the behavioral marketing arsenal is the cookie. Cookies are essentially markers placed into the consumer’s web browser that tell data companies what the consumer was looking for and which pages they browsed.

It also categorizes that content, so that online marketing companies can quickly see what it is that the consumer is most likely to respond to. However, again there is the question of privacy to consider.

Pros, Cons and Privacy

The benefits of this form of behavioral targeting are obvious – they get to target consumers with advertisements and links that are pertinent to their lifestyle choices. Conversely, this is also a benefit for the consumer in that they are being exposed to advertisements that might bring them into contact with better deals or products than the one they are currently investigating.

Consumers also have a degree of control in the online environment, in that they also have the option to reject cookies and keep their online habits untraced. In addition, cookies, while they are able to identify a consumer’s online activity, are not able to collate data that reveals a consumer’s identity. They cannot collate names, locations, work places or any other information that might lead to an advertiser being able to identify that consumer. Once consumers are aware of this, they tend to respond more favorably to behavioral targeting online.

Behavioral targeting might be an inconvenience for some but, technically, it is not an invasion of privacy. As long as cookies are not gathering user-identifiable data, then the only concerns for the online user is whether or not they are interested in receiving these adverts.

If they’re not, they can either reject cookies or delete any existing ones in their browsers. More and more online users are becoming aware of the purpose of cookies and, as such, are able to decide whether or not they want to incorporate them into their browsing experience.

However, it may well be that there are large numbers of online users who need a greater level of education and awareness about how these things work.

The Insanely Simple Technique to Build Relationship with Your Audience

So you want to make more money from your blog.

You think that the only thing you need to be doing is to get traffic. Period.

Maybe getting traffic will increase your income, but it’s not the only way and most of the traffic is useless, if they’re not targeted for the right audience.

Getting traffic  is a lot of hard work, I’m with you on this point, that’s why you should get the most of every visitor you get.

Yes, you understood me right. You should build your email list.

But building an email list is one thing and getting people to buy from you is another thing.

The difference between those who buy and those who don’t is that they know, like and trust you.

And the key to make your subscribers know, like and trust you is to…

… build relationship with them. Yes, seriously, you should build relationship with your audience.

Building Relationship with your audience had been a topic that I discussed in many posts here.

But in today’s post, I share with you the insanely simple technique you need to build relationship with your audience. It’s actually used offline also to get people to buy, so keep reading.

But first, make sure to check the previous posts in this series to know more about building relationship with your audience.

• The Secret Weapon To Build A Blog That Builds Business (Hint: It’s not Traffic)
• How to Engage With Your Audience? Part 1
• The Best Way to Increase The Engagement of Your Audience
• How to Build Relationship With Your Subscribers Using AutoResponder

The Insanely Simple Technique to Build Relationship with Your Audience is…

to share your story and connect with them emotionally.

According to Jeff Goins:

Story is where we came from. Story is where we’re going. Story is what connects us and binds us to each other.

It is in the story of God and mankind — amongst love and fear and failure — that we make meaning of our lives.

Story is what defines us and sets us apart. It’s what allows us to connect with each another — to truly know andbe known.

Story is powerful.

Yes, it’s that powerful. It’s the best marketing in the latest years.

Big brands are willing to pay thousands of dollars for story tellers just to craft the story right, because they know it works. It’s what makes big brands memorable in our minds.

Jon Morrow did it and created the most popular post on Problogger and Copyblogger

By emotionally connecting with his audience and sharing his story, he was able to reach his audience’s heart and create the most popular post on the 2 biggest blogs about blogging, problogger and copyblogger.

He did it again on his blogs and got his blog a big boost when it was just starting.

You could check the 3 posts:

• On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas
• How to Quit Your Job, Move to Paradise and Get Paid to Change the World
• Suicide, Shame, and the Painful Truth about Accomplishing Your Goals

You need to share your story

Everyone has a story to tell. You need to share it. It’s what connects you with your audience.

It’s what helps you get more visitors to your blog and more buyers to your products or services.

Tell me below in the comments the short version of your story.

How to Ensure Your Site Is SEO Friendly

SEO (search engine optimization) is something that each entrepreneur need to mull over when planning another site for their organization. SEO is the thing that figures out how your website contrasts with your rivals when potential clients go online and quest for a specific item or administration.

Proficient SEO services can lift your site over your rivals. As per SEO masters, they help entrepreneurs convey their locales to top rank internet searchers. They guarantee that the SEO webpage has a one of a kind setting that draws in Internet clients. Site improvement masters apply the most up to date dissection administration, which has a positive effect on a site. SEO organizations are confronting incredible rivalry in the SEO field. On the other hand, they acquaint ensured SEO administrations with adapt to the opposition.

Be mindful before you look your SEO amicable site advancement that its benefit not a right and you need to strive to attain achievement. It is not an overnight example of overcoming adversity, it requires significant investment, commitment, tolerance and steady work. This is the reason such a large number of organizations pick an expert administration supplier with far reaching background in the business to handle their SEO amicable site improvement for them.

A standout amongst the most vital components is the route of the site. It needs to be easy to understand. A high rate of your potential clients will move to a contender site in the event that they can’t find what they are searching for rapidly and effortlessly. That implies pages ought to be not difficult to spot, named accurately and quick to load.

Your content ought to incorporate HTML content. In the event that you are not certain what HTML is, then it’s prudent to get the help from an expert organization. HTML content guarantees web search tools get your pages, utilizing that to push you to the front of the web index result pages.

Watchword exploration is a standout amongst the most paramount points of interest you can look into SEO, yet the issue is that numerous entrepreneurs commit the error of stuffing their decisive words, which implies they utilize them an excessive amount of for every page, which pushes them out of the running for that in front of the rest of the competition spot. Web crawler organizations have changed their decisions in regards to site improvement to guarantee your client has a decent internet surfing background, this implies that you have to do intensive catchphrase exploration, picking long and short tailed watchwords and spot them deliberately all through the page to accomplish achievement.

SEO inviting site improvement additionally focuses on connections. Connecting your pages to different pages on your webpage and interfacing online journals, articles and press discharges once more to your website all has an effect on your site design improvement achievement.

Labels and Meta depictions are an unquestionable requirement while doing SEO benevolent site advancement. Your labels make it simple for clients to discover what they are searching for while your Meta portrayals might be particularly valuable in alluring clients to visit your SEO page. Cooperating, these two things can enhance your positioning extensively.

An alternate vital thought while doing SEO cordial site advancement is to guarantee that your website pages are not doubled, this implies all through your webpage and duplicates of different pages on the web. Your pages must be extraordinary, fascinating and enlightening. They have to get the consideration of your clients and the web search tool organization, guaranteeing that you pick up great movement to the website, which thus can bring about enhanced income.

Bear in mind your pictures. Such a large number of organizations focus such a great amount on their magic words and substance, they overlook that they can enhance their positioning with pictures. Guarantee you name each one picture, upgrade them to suit your specific necessities and appreciate progressing achievement. Pictures ought to be fresh and clear, named and upgraded.

The last venture to SEO well-disposed site advancement achievement is to consolidate your online networking connections. Social networking has turned into one of the best advertising devices, its shoddy, and its simple and pretty much everybody around the globe has no less than one online networking record. Take advantage of this open door and connection your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google + record to your page, empowering clients to impart what they discover to straightforwardness, expanding your group of onlookers base respectably.

The Importance of High-Quality Link Building Techniques

Link Building is the heart of any site design improvement battle. Without it, no measure of on location enhancement will bring about achievement. You totally require fantastic links, and huge numbers of them, to accomplish coveted rankings. Nonetheless, there is regularly excessively an incredible a qualification between on location and off-site advancement. The previous is considered enhancing title, header, and Meta labels, and deliberately incorporating focused on key phrases in prime regions of the body. Off-website is envisioned as being completely, as the name proposes, off your webpage – link building on independent outer websites, article pages, and discussions. The incongruity is that on location and off-webpage improvement are closer than most individuals envision, as it is the substance of your site which ought to be conveying the majority of your links.

As quickly as five years prior, it was conceivable to rank extremely well for very aggressive expressions with essentially no superb links. Sufficiently submitting articles and website remarks with your connection was sufficient to secure the rankings you needed, as long as you were utilizing the correct grapple content for your link building. Presently, Google’s calculation has gotten to be uniquely more complex, and it will take a considerable measure more than straightforward links to get comes about these days. Truth be told, having a connection profile embodied excessively exceedingly of low-quality link building can really harm you. Google needs to see other individuals willfully connecting to you, not a profile made just of independent backlinks.

It bodes well that better links, gained from non-independent sources, would be more profitable. All things considered, rankings are at last focused around votes, and another person voting in favor of you is worth a considerable measure more than you voting in favor of yourself. That is the reason pulling in the consideration of bloggers, columnists, and even the regular open is so imperative. They will provide for you the links you require regularly, and will this be simpler for you, as well as the links will have such a great deal more esteem.

So how improve you draw in these link building? Content! That is the thing that the web is, and the individuals who produce the best substance get the most links and best rankings. Contemplate the last time you read something truly cool or applicable. You presumably imparted it through Facebook or Twitter. While the accurate rankings commitment of social networking posts are easily proven wrong, it is for the most part concurred that having critical buzz around your brand can enhance rankings, particularly if that buzz is originating from remarkable individuals in your industry.

Link Building is a standout amongst the most essential parts of SEO and its practically dependably the most difficult piece of creating a SEO procedure for your site.

What destinations connection to your site and how they connection to you are the way Google and the other web indexes choose where your website will rank for aggressive pursuit questions. Web indexes perspective links from different sites as fair-minded (or in any event less inclined), outsider votes. Yippee! Furthermore Bing have a tendency to put more weight on page duplicate than Google does, links are among the top positioning criteria for the majority of the significant web indexes.

No two third party link building are ever the same – they rely on upon the site, the business and people in general identity of the organization. The following are three essential systems for third party link building for SEO.

Quality Content 

Make certain that you are making substance or plans in a blog that vital individuals can relate to and would likely connection to. Take advantage of your own pages and blog entries by making substance on a predictable premise to fabricate interfaces inside (by joining from blog entries to your own particular site substance), and commonly pull in links to your substance.

Link Exchange and Inter-linking

Appeal connection trades with sites that are comparative or complimentary to your own. It is better to make honest to goodness business organizations as opposed to simply to exchange joins with whoever is eager. Likewise, on the off chance that you have numerous destinations, make sure to between connections between them (unless they are totally random).

Articles and press releases

Compose articles and press release about your theme and syndicate them for different sites to re-distribute. On the off chance that you submit articles to different destinations and additionally your own particular site, make certain to make novel substance only for the article accommodation locales, or create a more drawn out or diverse adaptation of the article on your site to abstain from battling against double substance issues when others distribute your syndicated articles.

How to Make Money through Blogging in 2014?

f you have great skills for writing and have depth knowledge or interest in any particular niche, Blogging is the great way through which you can make money online. There are so many possibilities through which you can easily make money online. You need to first go through these various methods and understand the extent to which they can be helpful when you are blogging for money. Blogging is not the area you have less competition, there are numerous people available there who tries making income through blogging. You should understand the various things that can help you in achieving your income.

AdSense

Advertisements form a great way through which you can make income online. When it comes to earning through advertisements, the best and popular choice is always Google AdSense. It is something that can be used very easily and without having any technical knowledge. The only thing that you need to do for putting AdSense in to your blog is copying and pasting the code. It is the great network of advertisement where you can get so many advertisers for working with. It means that you can make money through AdSense even when the niche of your blog is something very obscure.

Amazon Associates

Amazon associates program is another program that can help you in earning income when people purchases things through your link from Amazon. The part of the price of the thing that the customer purchased through your blog is going to be the income that you are going to make. The income from Amazon can vary based on the thing that people purchases and the number of individuals make the purchase through the link of yours. This associate program can work well for those blogs that focus on shopping and products in some way. There is chance for you to make huge amount of money when people are visiting your website with shopping mood.

Affiliate Programs from Others

There are affiliate programs available from many others like that of Amazon. There is possibility for you to take part in any number of marketing programs as per the niche of your blog and also the amount of traffic to your blog. There is possibility for you to approach small companies whose products you have tried and trust and can enquire about their interest in affiliate marketing. There is possibility for posting a link related with the product on blog and when somebody uses the link that is there in your blog to make an order, you get a portion of the selling price of the product.

Private Sponsors 

Once your blog get established with very good amount of traffic, you can easily make money through the private sponsorships and ad sales. These private ads won’t come to you like AdSense but you need to approach them for getting an advertisement as that of a magazine. It is necessary for you to convince the company about the popularity and the traffic of your website for getting private ads. This is the great option you have if you are blogging for money.

Ideal Scenarios Where Email Marketing Scores Over Others

Different types of marketing are available in the marketplace offering you the best results in an ideal manner that you expect. Email marketing pioneers all such marketing types because of the provision of guaranteed features in exactly the same way as you expect. Emerging business professionals who would like to grab significant amount of market share to increase their scope and offer better services to the customers need to rely upon marketing through email. Free availability of email messaging services from top clients all across the world is an advantage that can never be denied for sure. Checking your requirements in detail will let you explore the best results in an exact manner that you anticipate.

Excellent Email Marketing Services Customized to The Core

Providing your customers with a premium quality service through emails will let you generate maximum enthusiasm always. Perhaps, you get to realize more benefits without going through any complex scenarios as well. More number of emails generated in a less span of time is the most significant advantage for you. Expanding your business to newer communities faster too is easily possible for you. Instead of taking chances with your requirements in any manner, it is necessary that you focus upon your preferences in an ideal fashion that you expect. Ultimate features could be considered in this regard without any major issues experienced as well.

Easy Sharing Options with Email Marketing Service Perfectly

Allowing the targeted customers in bulk receiving the same email in a custom format is possible with the active steps you take in this regard. By going through your latest requirements as per your increased sophistication is something what you need to focus upon on an additional basis. Sharing and forwarding options available along with email will help you in sending the information contained in them to multiple customers or buyers at the same time. Choosing an exact email service offering you the best results is what you need to prefer additionally.

Positive Response for Email Marketing from Customers Guaranteed

Emails meant to advertise products and services are capable of delivering maximum information to the customers along with credentials and references as per the requirement. Checking out your compatibility levels as well in detail will let you explore the best prospects in an exact manner that you desire. Diverse range of email marketing services are now made available to you because of which you get to organize your preferences in an exact manner as you desire. Faster response too is obtained because of the email marketing features that you prefer accordingly.

Valuable Email Marketing Services to You as per Latest Requirements

Taking care of your actual needs in detail is something what you need to focus upon with the exceptional email services you prefer for marketing. Perhaps, it is possible to reach your target on time with the inclusion of best email features in a customized fashion. Attracting customers towards you with the chosen marketing services as per the situation is perfectly possible with ease. Dealing with numerous options without foregoing upon your actual requirements too is possible in an ideal manner that you expect.

Intellectual Property Rights of Google Drive

In fact, you should know about the intellectual property rights offered by Google before using any of their products. The claims of Google using user data and violating privacy of its members are rife in the online world. Obviously, since Google Drive also deals with user-generated content, know these intellectual property rights and clauses clearly.

The inauguration of Google Drive has led privacy advocates to severely criticize Google. The Executive Director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Marc Rotenberg says:

“The terms of service are bad, but even worse is that Google has made it clear it will change its terms of service whenever it wishes.”

CIO expressed similar concerns:

“Privacy advocates voiced strong concerns today over how data stored on Google Drive may be used during and after customers are actively engaged in using the cloud service.”

Google Intellectual Rights Policies

On March 01, 2012, Google consolidated all its user privacy policies and terms of service into a one-page notification.

I quote here from Google TOS about Content Copyright.

“Some of our Services allow you to submit content. You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.

When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content. The rights you grant in this license are for the limited purpose of operating, promoting, and improving our Services, and to develop new ones. This license continues even if you stop using our Services (for example, for a business listing you have added to Google Maps). Some Services may offer you ways to access and remove content that has been provided to that Service. Also, in some of our Services, there are terms or settings that narrow the scope of our use of the content submitted in those Services. Make sure you have the necessary rights to grant us this license for any content that you submit to our Services.

You can find more information about how Google uses and stores content in the privacy policy or additional terms for particular Services. If you submit feedback or suggestions about our Services, we may use your feedback or suggestions without obligation to you.”

What Does the Above Content Mean in Relation to Google Drive?

• Whenever we upload or create any files or folders on Google Drive, Google will automatically get the license to reproduce, modify and create derivative works from OUR content.
• Not only Google, brands or service providers associated with Google gets the license to use OUR content.
• The self-licensed content can be used by Google for public display.
• Even if we stop using Google Drive, the information will still be used.

What Does Google Demand?

To get this license, Google demands that the users should have the permission and / or license to upload / create content on Google Drive. Well…well…don’t you think Google is going too far with this?

Positive Point

The only positive point I see in their user content policy is this line – “You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.”

Okay, so what belongs to me stays mine but who is accountable for user content modification and derivatives? Is it only me or is there someone else who thinks Google should look into its Content TOS?

What Google Does with All the Information?

With all the incoming user data, Google can use this to deliver targeted ads. After all, it is the advertisements that help make Google billions every year.

Google says its updated policies will help to deliver a more “intuitive experience” to its users.

Things you SHOULD NOT use Google Drive for:

After studying and writing on this issue, I am still going to use Google Drive but I think we will fare better if you don’t use Google Drive for these things:

• Income Reports & Budgeting – If you are in the habit of recording earnings and expenditures on Excel, avoid uploading the same on Google Drive for privacy issues.
• Exclusive Content – If you are writing any novel, stories or maybe just an eBook, avoid Google Drive again. You never know who is accessing those files.
• Designs and Images – If you are a designer, Google Drive may not be the right place to store original works. Share freely available images but not your own works.

Did I miss anything? Please suggest if you feel there are things you shouldn’t be storing on Google Drive.

Google Drive Vs Other Cloud Service Providers

Other cloud service providers are no better off either. All suggest the same thing that we do have intellectual property rights on our own work but if they are on public servers, they can enjoy similar liberties as Google Drive, in which case the three pointers above indicating when Google Drive shouldn’t be used, applies to other cloud service providers as well.

Now, I would love to know your opinion. Please comment to share.

How Alienation Increases Your Audience Engagement?

So you want to get 100,000 visitors to your site. Right?

You want to get anyone under the sun to visit your site. You want anyone with money to visit your blog and purchase your product.

It’s everyone’s dream when he is just starting. We want more visitors.

But that’s not the way business work, especially online. Trying to target everyone will make your marketing message diluted and won’t be effective.

This post is a very special one in the Increasing the engagement of your audience series. You’ll learn what makes people mad to buy apple products and how you could do the same. So continue reading.

Make sure to check previous posts in this series to increase the engagement of your audience:

• The Secret Weapon To Build A Blog That Builds Business (Hint: It’s not Traffic)
• How to Engage With Your Audience? Part 1
• The Best Way to Increase The Engagement of Your Audience
• How to Build Relationship With Your Subscribers Using AutoResponder
• The Insanely Simple Technique to Build Relationship with Your Audience

What do you need to have the most engaged audience?

Getting an audience is somehow easy, you could buy traffic and have them for less than 3 cents per visitor. But having an engaged audience is a very hard process.

Did you notice how apple have the most engaged audience? People want to buy anything they release without even knowing how it is different from all the others.

Would you like to know how apple does it?

Here’s the simple key that apple used to build the most engaged audience who want to get anything they release.

You need to be crystal clear on who you want to target and alienate others, it’s how you could have loyal audience.

It’s that simple. Know your audience very well and see how you could help them and alienate others who don’t fit and won’t like what you offer.

How did Apple apply this simple key?

Back in the day, Workers at apple noticed that people don’t use their CDROM, they say they want it, but they don’t actually use it anymore. Even if they want to transfer something very important, they could use a Flash memory.

That’s why they decided to release their laptop without CDROM.

When apple released their macbook with no CDROM, people started to complain that they want CDROM.

Apple didn’t actually listen to them, if they want CDROM, then buy any of the other products out there. They thought that CDROM isn’t important and that’s their vision.

Uptill now, It’s still one of the most sold Laptops out there.

They alienated those who want CDROM and was able to build an engaged audience.

They think they’re part of a small group and that’s the key.

How to apply it?

For you, as a blogger, here’s how to apply it:

• Have a clear image of who you want to target and try to dive into details.
• Think about how you could make them special.
• Ask people to subscribe to your email newsletter and treat them carefully. Make them feel they’re different from those who didn’t subscribe.
• You could even name them like Fire Nation as John of Entrepreneur on Fire did.

It’s that simple.

Do you’ve any other tips to apply this strategy?

Is Your Blog on a Profitable Path… or Just on a Path?

One of the biggest problems with people that want to get started with their own blog or online business, is that they start a blog but really have no clear direction on where they want to go with it. Unfortunately this usually ends up in the blog owner losing interest in their site, writing content and just wasting their time and efforts.

Before even registering your domain name or writing the first post for your site, you need to set clear intentions on why you are blogging in the first place. It’s very likely that the reason will fall within one of the variables below.

1. You simply want to start a blog and see what it’s all about
2. You have a passion and want to create a blog because it seems like a fun hobby
3. You want to make money online and blogging seems like a good way to start
4. You already have a business in place and are starting a blog to grow awareness

Those are four of the most common reasons for starting a blog.

Each of them needs to be addressed accordingly and in the right matter to find longterm success. However, in this article we are focusing on just a money factor.

So what are some of the methods you need to look at before even starting a “for profit” blog.

Find Something People Want or Need

The first thing you are going to need to do is find something to blog about. Since we are focusing strictly on making money, this doesn’t necessarily have to be something you are passionate about… but if you can find something that fits, even better!

Is There Already Money Being Made in this Niche

Once you’ve found something worthwhile to blog about and it seems like it’s a service that people either research online, buy or need, then you are on your way. The next step is for you to see what the market currently looks like for your niche market. A good way to see if advertisers are spending money in this area is to simply search for your blog topic on Google. If you see a lot of ads within the search results, there is a good chance that your blog idea can make good money.

How Can You Target Your Audience

Now that you are on the right path and have chosen a niche topic that is something people want and advertisers are willing to spend money to get their sites and products in the face of your audience, you need to figure out how you are going to cater to that audience. One of the best ways to do this is through the use of a resource site. Just think about the last time you wanted to purchase something online… you probably did some research on this product first. If you can create enough quality content around a product or service and become a value to your audience, this is the perfect example of how to get on the right path for creating a profitable blog.

Best Ways to Monetize Your Blog to Make Money

The last step in the process is to create a solid monetization strategy for your blog — in short, how are you going to make money? Most blogs will monetize their sites through the use of on site advertising, affiliate marketing and by creating their own products. Depending on the direction you go with your site, any or all of these methods may apply. Going back to when I was talking about looking for advertisers in the search results for your specific blog topic, you can either contact these same advertisers to see if they would like to advertise on your blog or see if they have an existing affiliate program in place. The key thing here is to make sure you site has a lot of traffic and content before trying to sell ad spots on your site. You can implement affiliate marketing and your own products at any given time.

To learn more about how to create a profitable blog and building out the right path before you get started, be sure to join the blogging.org community to interact with other bloggers, see how top bloggers got to where they are today and also to work with me directly!