Are you sleeping at the wheel?

OK, three things I gotta share with you right now.

First off, remember my post of July 24th? The one asking 'how about a site evaluation from Cool Site of the Day?' Well it turns out A LOT of you read the last paragraph and posted your URL in the 'comments' section. Good thing you did, as of right now there are NINETY FOUR comments (including feedback from myself, Markus Allen of StumpMarkus, and other members of the Cool Site community). So, if you posted your URL and were hoping for some feedback, head back to that July 24th post....you just may be pleasantly surprised).

BTW, the door is still open if you're looking for a comprehensive site evaluation. This is a limited time service (honestly, they're a lot of work and I don't know how long we can keep at it).

Click here

Again, if you decide to take advantage of a site evaluation you won't regret it; we'll scour your website and make recommendations related to the following:

1. Generating Traffic & Creating Leads (including a thorough Search Engine Optimization analysis)
2. Converting Leads into Customers
3. Content (making your site STICKY)

When you submit your site for an evaluation I promise you will get my personal attention (others have already said that the phone consultation alone is more valuable than anything else they've received).

Here's the second thing I wanted to tell you: Jackie 'the Joke Man' Martling will be joining us this Thursday (8/7) at 1:30PM EST on Cool Talk. We will be giving Jackie some tips to improve his already entertaining site plus we will devote some time to how we can all benefit from the growing list of social media sites. This is a show you won't want to miss ;)

To register for the call, click here.

Finally, one of our guests on Cool Talk sent this e-mail last week:

"Thanks Mike and just a few notes for all who read this, your Cool Talk show is full of "priceless" information that is geared towards any type of business. You would have to be sleeping at the wheel if you miss the opportunity to be a part of these calls.

Thanks Mike and I look forward to your future shows."

--David G Aschenbrener, Tranquil Sense

That's it for now--please leave a comment below...or post your URL and invite us to check out YOUR site. Those who post at least 10 separate comments on this blog before August 15th will get a free Cool Site of the Day t-shirt.

Talk to you Thursday!

Mike

Do you love AWeber, too?

Did you get my SEO map yesterday?

Were you on the Cool Talk live webcast yesterday? If you were, then you not only got a first time glimpse of my own personal SEO process map, you also heard us dissect each element and discuss the most critical 'must do' tasks related to search engine marketing.

Click on the image above to launch my map and then return to this window and click on the play button below to hear the 'play by play' by my panel of experts.

To your success!

Mike

The Cool Talk Panel of Experts

My weekly LIVE call-in webcast, Cool Talk, begins every Thursday at 1:30PM EST.

Each week I am joined by Markus Allen of Stump Markus and Ian Lurie of Conversation Marketing, two giant online marketing minds freely sharing their most prized tips, strategies and methods for running web sites and mastering online marketing.

Markus Allen

For a boatload of crafty marketing tips, I highly recommend that you tune in to Markus' live podcast, Stump Markus.

They say there's 'no free lunch'? Listening to Markus Allen deliver a free brain dump for 90 minutes is about as good a deal as you're gonna find anywhere.

Even better, be sure to get the 30-day free trial to his Marketing Junkies Inner Circle membership -- it's a steal at just $19 monthly.



Ian Lurie

Ian Lurie started Portent Interactive in 1995. His diverse background includes degrees in History and Law, experience as an information designer, graphic designer, marketing copywriter and programmer, two years working in a bicycle shop, and a brief stint as a political hack. As a child he used a TRS-80 Model One to print out fliers advertising his lawn mowing business. The rest is history.

Ian is the firm's chief internet marketing strategist and tactician. Read Ian's internet marketing blog, or see where Ian's presented recently here.

Don't miss this chance to get free expert advice (or just a kick in the pants) to move your online business in a very forward, very positive direction. Listen to previous episodes or register for the next show from the widget below.

To join us live, Click Here!

Mike

Cool Talk is LIVE every Thursday at 1:30PM EST

Join me and some very special guests during my weekly LIVE call-in webcast, Cool Talk.

Cool Talk begins every Thursday at 1:30PM EST.

Each week I am joined by a panel of experts who freely share their most prized tips, strategies and methods for running web sites and mastering online marketing.

Don't miss this chance to get expert advice (or just a kick in the pants) to move your online business in a very forward, very positive direction. Listen to previous episodes or register for the next show from the widget below.

To join us live, Click Here!

Mike

Web marketing and your personalized snack bar

Last Thursday's episode of Cool Talk is ready for your ears.

You'll be amazed at how a last minute call to the folks at YouBar ignited a firestorm of great ideas for their site AND yours.

Listen in for your essential online marketing tips and strategies...

And here are the links (by category) referred to during the show:

Getting Leads

http://www.coolsite.com/2008/06/57-mind-blowing-links-just-for-you.html


Converting Leads

http://www.humansonline.com

Content Tools

http://www.disqus.com
http://www.Primopdf.com
http://www.cover-action-pro.com
http://www.touchgraph.com/TGGoogleBrowser.html
http://resizepic.com/
http://gui.picresize.com/picresize2/

Misc/Fun

Hilarious animated flick about myspace, facebook, et. al.
http://current.com/items/88913552_social_networking_wars

What are they saying about you?
http://www.strategicprofits.com/tools/reputation-monitor/

Yanik and Mike jump out of a plane for charity
http://www.BusinessAdventures.com/halo

Make a bobblehead of YOU
http://www.1miniyou.com/index.php

Got a question? Poll the world.
http://the-hive-mind.com

Browsing the social way
http://www.flock.com

Finally, mark your calendar and bring your questions to this Thursday's edition of Cool Talk (1:30 PM EST).

Mike

P.S. This blog is near 17,000 readers! Thank you and welcome to all new comers. Please tell your friends and colleagues to visit (use the links below to send e-mail invitations or post to the social networking sites listed).

Who's walking on my screen?!

Every week I sit in amazement over how much is available to all of us who live and breathe online marketing. Just as impressive are all the web addicts out there who are willing to freely share their expertise and knowledge with anyone who asks.

I'm proud to be a part of a select group of true webmasters who come together every Thursday during my live call-in webcast, Cool Talk, to answer questions and share their best online tips and strategies.

The most recent episode of Cool Talk was not short on good ideas and great advice. Here are some useful links from our conversation (if you find these useful, please click the 'sharethis' button below. Also, you can add your favorite links by adding a 'Comment' at the end of this post. I look forward to seeing whatever you contribute).

Again, Cool Talk is live every Thursday at 1:30PM EST. Mark your calendars and join us to have your questions answered.


Generating leads and customers

There's no doubt that video has become a big plus in creating stickiness for a site. Well, how about virtual spokespersons or online video spokespersons? You know, you visit a site and a person starts walking and talking across your screen to drive your attention towards something (like an email sign-up form or a product features page).

If done right, this tool can be VERY effective. HumansOnline seems to have produced a features-packed variation of this animal that leaves competitors in the dust. I've invited the President of HumansOnline, Greg Sheppard, to join us this Thursday on CoolTalk--there are way too many cool features for me to cover in this short post.

Speaking of video, check out Seesmic. It's not a bulletin board, it's a video board...with a very entertaining intro. Bottom line, just another cool way to reach out to prospects.

How about press releases? You sending them? You should. You've probably heard about PRWeb but one of my readers, Cliff from OPC Marketing, swears by PRWizard.


Converting your traffic

Thanks to Markus Allen for this link to Michel Fortin's CopywritersBoard re: Top 12 Reasons Web Sites Fail To....


Great marketing advice and tools

A recent add to this blog's 'Great Resources' section (right panel) is GoldbarOne. If you can find a better suite of tools for the price, please e-mail me. No matter where you are in your web experience, GoldbarOne has at least a handful of tools that you must be using (and they're all under one roof).

In case you're wondering, GoldbarOne has been around for nearly 10 years and they just keep over delivering on what they offer (I'm currently using a handful of their tools and plan on reviewing the whole package in a future post. In the meantime, I recommend visiting GoldbarOne and click on the linked text that reads:

See how businesses just like yours are using GoldbarOne to Get More Traffic, More Leads & More Sales everyday.

Another awesome resource is CGIconnection where, for a ridiculously low price, you can have access to thousands of useful scripts for your site (and it includes automatic installation so anyone can benefit from them).

Thinking about starting an online store? In addition to GoldbarOne , check out Volusion.


Miscellaneous

Shop5 (the Cool Site of the Day on June 19th)

You twitter? Try Plurk.

Have SEO envy? Check out the many free tools (like this one) at SEOmoz...and read some of the many useful articles to quickly advance your knowledge of the search engine universe.

Got an RSS Feed? Every now and then you may need to give it a quick maintenance check with FeedValidator.

Thanks to Keith H. for recommending Defensive Design for the Web, an excellent book on web design with plenty of examples (good and bad).

Finally, here's a cute digital post-it notes generator.

Until next time,

Mike

Cool Talk audio file

Today's episode of Cool Talk is ready for your ears.

Another week of essential online marketing tips and strategies...

Hit the 'Play' button below and get out a pad and pen!

57 mind blowing links just for you...

My head is spinning.

I just reviewed the transcripts of the last 3 episodes of Cool Talk and was blown away by the huge volume of super useful killer information that has been shared (not only by me but by all of those who participate in my weekly LIVE call-in webcast).

For last week's replay, hit the 'Play' button below and get ready to take notes!

If you've been on the call (it's free and it takes place Thursdays at 1:30PM EST here) you've probably noticed a nice pattern starting to develop:

1. We cover three themes:
• generating leads or customers
• converting those leads
• creating content
  
  
2. We share a lot of great links with each other
   
   
3. We dissect web pages and marketing strategies in a collaborative effort (think 'sandbox')
   

Our 'playtime' usually begins with me presenting a page or site on which I'm working. From there we discuss various elements of page building and online marketing that attracts many great contributions (via chat and call-ins) from you.

The goal is for us to truly collaborate and build sites together, track the results, and end up with a template (and process) that can be used over and over for all kinds of sites and businesses.

The first two sites in our sandbox are:

Stop The Pitch Count

and...

How to Search The Web

I'll introduce a third project this Thursday (inspired by the link tonnage gathered from the first 3 shows and shared below)

Every week, I'm joined by Markus Allen of Stump Markus, a veritable reservoir of cool marketing tips.

This week, I anticipate the return of Ian Lurie of Conversation Marketing to our panel.

Again, Cool Talk goes live at 1:30PM EST on Thursday. Mark your calendars and join us to have your questions answered.

OK, following is a list of the resources and links discussed during the last three episodes of Cool Talk. You can share your favs by adding a 'Comment' at the end of this post (and I look forward to seeing whatever you contribute)


Generating leads and customers

Social bookmarking sites are getting quite a bit of attention on Cool Talk, of the 40 or so sites, these are the ones to hit first: DIGG, StumbleUpon, Del.icio.us, Ma.gnolia. Want to explore more of the web 2.0 universe? Start clicking on these sites. And I hear Orkut is great. Also, building a profile on a site like 9rules can lead to lots of secondary links. Friendfeed is a good resource to keep up with all your friends on different social networks, lets you add 3 video sites and anything you post to any of them in your FriendFeed stream. Finally, when you post to your blog (or find anything that you'd like to share far and wide), spread the love using Socialmarker and Shareaholic (it's an add-on for the Firefox browser--the only browser I recommend)

BTW, just when I was feeling really good about del.icio.us, Ian Lurie had to turn me onto Diigo....WOW!


Converting your traffic

Try this pop up creator...or this one.

The most important tool you possess in your online marketing arsenal is an e-mail list builder/autoresponder. I currently use Aweber although I recommend that you also take a look at GoldbarOne (this is a crazy great suite of tools at an unbeatable price)

Here's a great screen capture and browser recorder. Ideal for creating simple tutorials and demonstrations (from the maker of Camtasia). If you're a Mac person, for full length, try Snapz Pro.

Video captures attention and converts traffic. If you're creating videos, submit them to the many video directories out there using TubeMogul (free) and Traffic Geyser (not free but loaded--use it, don't abuse it)

Here is a neat attention grabber that you can slap onto the upper right corner of your web page. And here's another more elaborate one.


Content

If you're looking for stock photos to add to your website or marketing materials, check out Dreamstime and Stock.xchng. Also, for as little as a $1.00 you can find very rare medical images here.


Great marketing advice and tools

Create a user-friendly '404 Error' page

For tips to promote your blog, check out these points on Webreference. And, of course, spread the word with Google's BlogSearch. Also, put an RSS feed on your blog using Feedburner and then sell ads via your RSS feed using Feedvertising from Text Link Ads

TitleZ makes it easy to see how a book or group of books has performed over time, relative to other books on the market. Useful when trying to come up with a title for your publication

Here's a great tool from UPS to capture someone's attention (click on the 'control pad' in the lower left corner, visit the 'Break Room' and then 'Create Your Own Whiteboard')

Tracewatch, the best FREE analytics program (just type 'tracewatch' in the search bar, upper right)

Andrew Lock is one of those online marketing experts with great character and a very polished presentation.

David Bullock, a master marketer, appeared on Stump Markus a few weeks ago and inspired the How to Search project.

Here's (another :) ) great blog for online marketers.


Productivity and time management tips

You've seen it before and it's worth repeating--this post I recently created highlighting my absolute favorite productivity aids (read it monthly)

Create process maps for everything you do. I use bubbl.us (allows for collaboration). Here's a map I created to help me plow through my daily checks before hitting the 'big pickles' (remember this post?). Here's another map I created for the How to Search project. Thinkature is another neat collaborative tool.


Miscellaneous

Rich Schefren's Internet Business Manifesto (a must read for all online entrepreneurs...and a free download. Incredible.)

Here's a great tool for converting one file format into another

Here's a good website for design ideas and (getting) design jobs. Also, if you need a logo at a great price, visit GotLogos

To have your site reviewed by Cool Site of the Day, go here.

You can find me on Twitter although I'm now also Plurking.

For project management and collaboration, play with Basecamp. Same company created Highrise, an excellent CRM tool

Until the next Cool Talk,

Mike

'Cool Talk' is the place to be on Thursdays

Yesterday's 'Cool Talk' found me chatting with some special guests sharing some VERY valuable information. Thanks to Ian Lurie of Conversation Marketing and Markus Allen of Stump Markus for all their wisdom and for making it a great show!

Click on the 'Play' button below and get ready to take notes!

Get all your questions answered next Thursday

Folks,

Thanks to all who called in yesterday to the debut of Cool Talk, my weekly LIVE podcast hosted by TalkShoe.

Every week, I, along with some very special guests, share my most prized tips, strategies and methods for running my web sites and mastering online marketing.

And here's the best part: I've scheduled Cool Talk to start every Thursday at 1:30PM EST following my appearance on Stump Markus, Markus Allen's insanely informative podcast (also hosted on TalkShoe).

Here's your chance to get expert advice (or just a kick in the pants) to move your online business in a very forward, very positive direction.

So, if you need a lifeline in this ever changing and wonderfully exciting world of online marketing, do what hundreds of other smart web folks are doing; join us every Thursday from 12-2:30PM EST for a dizzying amount of quality information designed for one purpose: to make you HUGE on the 'net!

Here's what to do now: mark your calendars and stamp your brain with the following:

1. Stump Markus begins at 12 noon EST. Here are your coordinates.
2. Cool Talk follows immediately at 1:30PM right here.

Talk to you then!

Mike

P.S. If you want to get full access to all of the Stump Markus audios (and companion notes) and pickup tips, strategies, and methods on how to build your business, visit this page and take advantage of the 30-day free trial to his Marketing Junkies Inner Circle Membership while it lasts (if you don't find thousands of dollars worth of great advice, I'd like to know about it)

"Cool Talk' Call-in Show Debut

How to create intuitive web forms in a click...

Last week's broadcast of StumpMarkus was yet another insanely great hour of very cool online marketing tips presented by myself, Markus Allen (our 'whiz bang' host) and special guest Willie Crawford.

Willie Crawford is one of those guys with whom I'm honored to associate. A true stand-up guy willing to share great ideas at the drop of a hat.

According to Willie:

"There were some EXCELLENT tips and resources shared during the show. In fact, I learned more from that free show than I did from many products that I paid $197 for. I'll definitely be tuning in to future shows when able."

Here are just a few of the things we discussed during my segment (Resource links appear at the end):

• The fast & easy way to get complaints answered...
• Software to work smarter, think creatively, and save time...
• How to create intuitive web forms in a click...
• Generate low-cost leads with Google Radio Ads...
• Promote content, build & measure audience (via RSS)...
• Build your video community easily (and for free).

Click on the play button below to listen to the recording.

Listen here:

Mark your calendars

We'll be doing it again this Thursday (5/29) at noon EST so mark your calendars and don't forget to dig through Markus Allen's 'Marketing Junkies' archive (you have free access for 30-days -- I guarantee you will come away with SCORES of mind blowing, business building marketing tips, strategies and methods).

Links to the resources we mentioned during the broadcast:

• aWeber
• aMember
• Warrior Forum
• TalkStream
• MindJet
• FormSpring
• Google radio ads
• LuLu
• CafePress
• Magnify.net
• Web Marketing Concepts
• StomperNet
• FeedBurner

Cheers,

Mike

P.S. Thanks for the great response to the Cool Site of the Day VIP program. There are still a few slots open though I suspect I'll have to close membership by next week. If you are in need of one-on-one coaching and personalized online marketing advice, let me hear from you asap.

Instant viral traffic generation in just a click...

Did you catch last week's 'Stump Markus' broadcast? If you did, then you surely walked away with at least 3 actionable items to jolt your online business.

Here's a rundown of the topics we covered last week followed by a link to the recording and a list of sources mentioned during our talk:

• Instant viral traffic generation in just a click...
• How to spot broken links on your site instantly...
• How to easily maintain tabs on Firefox...
• 59 things you should be doing but probably aren't...
• List of algorithmic pieces influencing search engine rankings at Google...
• Adding the power of a message board to FaceBook.

Listen here:





Sources:

ShareThis:
http://sharethis.com

AddThis:
http://www.addthis.com

HotScripts:
http://www.hotscripts.com/search?q=tell+a+friend&cat=All&imageField.x=0&imageField.y=0

Michel Fortin:
http://www.michelfortin.com

Chris Jordan's Running The Numbers (just a cool site!):
http://www.chrisjordan.com/current_set2.php?id=7

WordPress redirect plugins:
http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/redirection

TabScope:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/4882

59 things you should be doing but probably aren't:
http://www.conversationmarketing.com/2008/03/the_internet_marketing_list_59.htm

Find and fix broken links:
http://www.xml-sitemaps.com/broken-links.html

Search engine ranking factors:
http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors

SuccessChef.com:
http://www.successchef.com

Get your memorable Facebook profile, page or group URL:
http://apps.facebook.com/webaddress/companies

Michel Fortin's Licoricce:
http://companies.to/licorice

Enjoy!

Mike

P.S. The Cool Site of the Day VIP program is so close to being launched. Check your inbox later today or tomorrow ;)

How to get listed in Google super fast -- in just a click...

As mentioned previously, I've been invited to appear for 10 minutes every week on 'Stump Markus', Markus Allen's engaging talk show filled with scores of advanced marketing tips, tricks, and methods.

Well, during last week's broadcast, 10 minutes somehow turned into 30 and I could have spent the whole afternoon sharing ideas with this one-of-a-kind marketing whiz.

Here's a rundown of the topics we covered last week followed by a link to the recording and a list of sources mentioned during our talk:

• Egg timers, Pickle jars, and the 4-hour workweek...
• The easy way to prioritize your day to get more done...
• How to get 3,500+ new visitors to your site within 24 hours...
• Share, bookmark and e-mail web pages quickly without leaving your browser...
• The dangers of "Digg"ing your own web pages...
• How to get listed in Google super fast -- in just a click...
• Pricing your products and services the right way...
• Why Amish retailers end their prices with the number 7...
• The poor man's way to split test new prices.

Listen here:





Sources:

• The Four-Day Week Challenge
• Time Management: The Pickle Jar Theory
• No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs (No B.S. Series)
• The Internet Business Manifesto
• Survey Results + 2 Great Tips
• Getting Things Done
• Firefox
• Shareaholic
• Digg Labs
• Digg Stack
• del.icio.us
• Cool Site of the Day submission
• StumpMarkus (this Thursday at high noon)

Enjoy!

Mike

P.S. See the 'DIGG' button below? Please click it and 'digg' this article. You will be contributing to a web 2.0/social media marketing test. Results will be shared in a couple of weeks and guaranteed to save you a boatload of time while building traffic to your site.

Phone chat with Markus Allen

Spent 15-minutes on 'StumpMarkus' this afternoon and shared a few tips. Listen here (click the 'play' triangle):

Interview with Marcus Allen

Just a quick post to let you know about an interview I did with Markus Allen yesterday (4/10/08). To listen, click the the triangle below: