Je'Marie Fumi PurseHook

Affiliate Marketing (Referral Rewards) is an online based marketing strategy where a business rewards one or more affiliates for each visitor or customer brought about by the affiliate’s marketing efforts. Affiliates often use Internet marketing strategies such as SEO, PPC and email marketing to promote the affiliate program.  Affiliates are beginning to play a significant role in e-commerce revenues.

If you read my blog often you know I’m not just going to leave you hanging after an explanation of Affiliate Marketing (because most of you reading are Internet Marketing experts and ALREADY know this info). I like to add an element of fun into my posts  so going back to my opening paragraph: Referral Rewards Hooks You Up with PurseHooks!

Je’ Marie PurseHook and Accessories is a company founded in San Diego by Rich Shamlian and his two daughters Nichole and Natascha Shamlian.  They design and manufacturer the highest quality, strongest and most beautiful Purse Hooks, Handbag Hangers and Purse Accessories to keep your purse safe and clean up off of the dirty floor. All of their products have their own positive message. From working with this family team for the past few years I’m always inspired by the passion they bring to work each day and their desire to always be ahead of the curve in both their products and marketing strategies. They recently created a Referral Rewards program through Web Wizards offering affiliates 10%-20% of sales. I know everyone always asks me where I got my PurseHook. I send them to my personal link to buy a PurseHook from Melodie.

Signing up for the program is simple. Click here for details. And now to the fun part! Featured in this post is Je’Marie’s innovative Fumi. It’s a PurseHook, Purse Charm and Bracelet all in one! The functionality of the product is what makes it unique. I’m giving 2 lucky Marketing Melodie readers their very own Fumi!

Fumi PurseHook Glamorous

Each Winner Receives: 1 Je’Marie Fumi PurseHook

Contest Rules:
1. You must be following me @MyMelodie Twitter (This also means you must have a Twitter account)
2. You must RETWEET this post by clicking on the “Tweet This Post” button on this blog. *Please note this is how I’ll be tracking your Retweets.
3. You must leave a comment answering at least 1 of the two questions. If you answer both you will be entered twice.

• Please briefly describe your experience with Affiliate Programs. Have they been a success? a hassle? etc.
• Please tell me why you would be a great person to win a Fumi. (Men qualify too!)

You must do all three things on the list to be eligible. 2 winners will be randomly chosen on Monday June 22nd, 2009 because I love giving out prizes on Monday’s!

Bonus: Good luck and even if you aren’t the winner, you can still purchase a PurseHook through Melodie’s PurseHook Link .

Did you know that Craigslist is:

• Is responsible for billions of dollars of interpersonal commerce—more than any other stop on America’s internet?
• Provides the majority of housing and jobs for the nation’s urban population?
• Has grown in web traffic 100% a year since it’s creation over a decade ago?
• Is 99.99% FREE to use (Small fees are charged for Hiring and some Housing Ads)?

Craigslist

A little Wikipedia knowledge: Craig Newmark began Craigslist in 1993 as a series of emails, sent to friends, about local events in the San Francisco Bay Area. It became an online service in 1995. After incorporation as a private for-profit company in 1999, Craigslist continued is exponential growth. As of September 2007^[update], Craigslist has established itself in approximately 450 cities in 50 countries.

Craigslist is definitely a pioneer in the online space yet I’ve heard so little buzz about it. I’ve used Craigslist sporadically for the past few years. While many still think Craigslist is a scam or just full of spammers I wanted to share some things that can be accomplished. In no particular order of importance, here are the Top 10 Things To Do on Craigslist:

1. Sell Furniture: I’ve had 100% success rate with selling my furniture on Craigslist. Every time I move I get rid of furniture . Instead of having to lug it around or throw it away I snap a quick photo and post an ad with the description, price and availability for pick up. It’s extremely easy and I usually sell my furniture within 3-5 days of posting the ad. I am happy that my furniture is going to a good home and I’m providing furniture at an affordable price.

2. Donate: As you can see I’m big on recycling, donating and overall making good use of my old stuff. I’ve often donated things to the Good Will or Salvation Army but Craigslist is another option. I’ve posted ads under the “Free” stuff section listing that I have old appliances, clothing, furniture, etc to donate to anyone in need. I’ve also had a 100% success rate with these ads. The recipients came to get my stuff in less than an hour. This is the quickest way to donate stuff and know that it will go to a good home right away. Good Will and Salvation Army are great organizations of course but they sort and sell your stuff so who knows how long it will take to make it to an actual home?

3. Housing Search: 75% of the time I ask people where they met their roommate, they say craigslist! That alone is enough validation to show that Craigslist is a credible place to meet your roommate. Their housing section has different options including subleasing, renting and roommate searches.

4. Find something Specific: Did you know you can subscribe to an RSS feed for just about anything you’re looking for? If you want Chargers Tickets, a Blue Couch, a Marketing Job, etc use the “Search For” tool under your specific category and you can subscribe to all the posts that come up with specifically what you’re looking for. This allows you to get quick updates on new postings, price compare, location for pick up, etc.

5. Affordable Tickets: To avoid outrageous ticketmaster fees and get great deals on tickets I recommend checking the ticket section before purchasing them through the actual ticket office. I’ve found great deals on Chargers and Padres tickets season ticket holders who can’t make the game and are willing to sell the tickets for less than face value! Many sell theme park tickets, concert tickets and tickets to special events. To take precautions, I always ask before I meet the person if I can take down their driver’s license information in case of fraudulent tickets. I’ve never had any objections as the seller understands this is a reasonable request and I’ve always received authentic tickets.

6. Recycle Moving Boxes: Getting moving boxes is always  a hassle. Instead of wasting more cardboard and spending money buying new boxes check the “Free” section of Craigslist. There are always people offering moving boxes. After you move return the favor by putting any boxes that are still in usable condition back on Craigslist!

7. Carpool: Here in Southern California driving is our primary form of transportation. Since most people own a vehicles many of us wouldn’t think to carpool. I knew many people in college who used the “Carpool” section to go home for breaks. It only makes sense that if two people are driving the same direction, at the same time to carpool. Think of all the energy and gas we’d save if  we carpooled to work!

8. Hiring: Depending on what you’re hiring for Craiglist is one of the fastest ways to get many applications. We know that it comes to hiring it’s about quality rather than quantity so you’ll really have to screen the applicants you get as you’ll be bombarded with many, but it’s a quick and easy way to generate some interest. I had an event where I needed a magician and I was able to easily find one on Craigslist. I also found a housekeeper who only used environmentally friendly products!

9. Barter: Bartering is such a great concept. What a great way to get rid of something you don’t want or will never use and get something that you find useful! I always find the barter section interesting and like to periodically check it.

10. Watch the movie 24 Hours on Craigslist!: Did you know there’s a Craigslist movie?  It’s a fun film that showcases the variety of things you can do on Craigslist in just 24 hours!

Have any stories on cool things you’ve done on Craigslist? Please feel free to comment and share!

We’ve all been hearing over and over again that your company MUST have a blog. Many times we’re caught up in what we need but don’t take the time to understand why it’s important. Here are some simple and important tips about the benefits of a company blog. If your boss is against blogging feel free to direct them to this post.

1.Compelling Content: Blogs provide your website with fresh, unique and engaging content. it’s important your website has standard corporate content: company description, team bios, case studies, etc. but face it: while we all love to think our website is amazing the corporate stuff gets boring! People aren’t going to revisit your site to read it, but they will come back if you’re constantly creating conversation through the blog with information that serves as a resource or entertainment.

2. Authenticity: Blogs add a human voice to your company. We often get excited over meeting someone in a high power position because we feel it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. But really, executives are human just like everyone else. They should be making a strong effort to reach out and relate to their customer. Most people base their buying decisions of off emotions and personal connections. It’s a lot easier to evoke emotions through real human voice. If your customers see that your CEO cares enough to engage in conversation through blogging it will bridge the disconnect between the high power executive and the everyday consumer.

3. SEO: Blogs can serve as an incredibly powerful SEO tool but it’s often given the least amount of attention for the simple fact that most don’t understand how to create a blog that helps with SEO. If done right, blogs are a great way to optimize your top keywords and improve internal linking. It’s important that your SEO efforts don’t take away from the true intention of providing unique and useful content or turn your blog into an advertisement. Adding keywords and linking arbitrarily doesn’t work. You must understand SEO technologies or hire a specialist who can help.

If your company has a blog please feel free to leave me the URL in the comments and I’ll be happy to check out what you’ve got to say . Let me know if you’d like me to provide insight through a Social Media Optimization and Search Engine Optimization viewpoint. If your company doesn’t have a blog but needs inspiration to start one I’m also happy to help.

Happy Blogging!

Twitter users tagged their posts with the hashtag #OMS09 as an easy way for everyone to follow along.

Steve Woods @SteveWoods , CTO of Eloqua and Technology Strategist took the lead with the first interactive twitter presentation in OMS history. He encouraged everyone to tweet their questions and even hosted a contest where best question would receive his book. When I asked Steve about his experience using twitter he shared that “It was interesting to combine [my] presentation and Twitter – gave some interesting insights into background conversations”.

Twitter was a useful tool in may aspects. Here’s a glimpse of the conversations that were happening:

1. Announcements




Twitter Annoucements from OMS

2. Networking




OMS Networking Tweet

3. Broadcasting Live so those who couldn’t make it were still able to follow along




OMS Liveblog Tweet





OMS Follower

4. Communication




Twitter Communication at OMS

Tim Mclain @tmclain, an enthused OMS Twitterer couldn’t have said it better. In 140 characters he let the world know he was at OMS, recognized a speaker, gave props to another attendee and give his insight on the future of OMS.

Tweet from Steve Woods Presentation

My overall impression of this year’s Online Marketing Summit is very positive. I connected with industry leaders, learned new information to enhance my own marketing strategies and experienced firsthand an on-site event enhanced with online technology.

I’ve been known to express my views on avatar choices so I decided to share a few tips on how to maximize the power of your avatar:

Personality: Your avatar is your first impression to many in the online world. Add a little personality to it! If you’re fun and outgoing lets have fun looking at your avatar. If you’re athletic or active, inspire us to work out. If you’re intellectual, how about an insightful image? If you’re a hard worker and proud of your career, let us know!

Consistent: Being consistent helps people recognize you across various social networks, blogs and forums. This builds brand recognition for your online persona. Your avatar will immediately evoke an impression and provide a better understanding of your online purpose and goals. If you use a completely different avatar for every single profile then it becomes difficult for people to piece together your thoughts from different areas of the web. This makes it difficult to build a strong reputation and following.

Memorable: A memorable avatar can be created in many different ways. Use bright and bold colors, a distinct smile or even a strategically incorporated item or logo. Memorable avatars stand out. They’re usually not composed of dull colors and if they are then the image is bold. A great way people remember my avatar is the flower I wear in my avatar that shows up on many of my social networking profiles. If you have a memorable avatar people will see your image and immediately know it’s you without thinking twice.

Recognizable: My test of a recognizable avatar is meeting someone in person. If I meet you for the first time offline and I immediately feel like I already know you from our online interactions then you’ve done a great job at creating a recognizable avatar. I’ve been to many networking events where someone will come up to me and start talking to me as though they know me but I have to ask to make sure if we’re met before because I don’t recognize the person from their avatar. Of course after a few words are exchanged my memory is triggered but the initial recognition was not there. Examples of avatars that aren’t recognizable include a blurry image, a photo where something is covering your face, a photo that’s too light or too dark or even a corporate logo.

I personally always recommend avatars that are a photo of your true self. Unless I already know you, an avatar that’s a logo or image other than your face does not feel as personal. I don’t feel as connected or engaged when interacting with you.

We all remember the night before senior picture day in school. Trying on countless outfits, making sure the colors were right, making sure our outfit doesn’t clash with the background and doing our hair up to perfection. This photo goes into our senior yearbook, something our classmates will hold on to for years. This photo gets sent to our friends and family with graduations invitations. This photo is the reputation we’ve built throughout our primary years of school and this photo is a glimpse into the next chapter of our lives. If you apply these same principals of importance to your avatar choice you’ll enhance your opportunities for building a strong internet presence.

Here are some San Diego Avatars that incorporate many elements of my recommendations. They all definitely have personality and are recognizable. I wanted to include some female avatars but for some reason only guys responded when I asked permission to use avatars!

“Luck is when preparation Meets Opportunity” -Seneca (Roman Philosopher)

The quote by Seneca is a line I truly believe in for all areas of my life. I take action and am assertive toward things I want to achieve.  I won’t just sit back and let things happen because I know they won’t. I’m prepared to embrace opportunities in order to maximize the success of my potential outcome. People often set goals and lose track of how to achieve them due to lack of clear milestones to track progress and lack of goal success indicators. I started off 2009 with an ambiguously big picture. I soon realized  I had no road map to achieve an undefined goal so  I decided to create this post  as  a personal reference for staying on task but also to help my readers gain a better understanding of the premise behind my blogs, social networks, client pitches, partnerships etc.

I must preface this list by saying that I’m not a numbers person but I know that numbers are a tangible way to measure a goal.  I’m using them for the sake of this list but am also using active words and  keeping in mind that my priorities may change so I might completely overachieve one goal but not completely reach another.

1. Write 120 Blog Posts
I have so much information that runs through my mind all time. If only I could be more consistent about documenting and sharing it. In 2009, I will be. I want feedback on ideas, provide resourceful information, share exciting events and news and leverage the power of the blogosphere to get my content out there. 120 seems like a lot but if you break it down, it’s 10 blog posts a month, 2-3 per week which I feel is very reasonable as long as I schedule time every day to blog.

2. Host 3 San Diego Speed Networking Events.
My previous post explains the event. After the last event I hosted I received great feed back and lots of emails from people asking “When’s the next event?” Before I can host any more events I have a long list of goals I need to accomplish. I need to redesign my website to make it more user friendly, seo friendly and interactive, the list goes on. I want it to be a resource for San Diego Networking. My ultimate goal to host 3 events will motivate me stay on top of all the prep work that I’ll need to do before I can even start planning the events.

3. Earn the business of 10 New Internet Marketing Clients
The more businesses I’m able to work with the more opportunity I have to execute and demonstrate the power of online marketing.  I’ll be able to share my passion through educating and helping others grow their business.

4. Leverage my own Social Media Campaign
I want to update and be active in all  my Social networks but I know it’s not an effective strategy if I just sign up for every social network on this list. It also won’t make sense to put minimal effort in each community.  I’m choosing  primary networks and secondary networks to invest my time and will remain remotely active in all the rest. I made a brief list of some things I’d like to achieve within each social network. This list is subject to change.

Primary Social networks

• Twitter- Build a strong following of people who know me as a resourceful digital marketer, connect people, provide useful information, entertain people as a socialite
• Facebook- Bridge the gap between social and work life, post photos
• LinkedIn- Become an authority by answering questions, connect people for career and consulting opportunities
• Tumblr- Anything goes! There seems to be a lot of opportunity for fun on here. Share recipes, green tips

Secondary Social networks

• Digg- Share interesting articles, videos,
• Yelp- Demonstrate and share my civic pride my letting people know about my experiences with local businesses, restaurants, events, etc.
• Myspace- I may eliminate this as a main social network  but I’ve had this the longest and want to see if I can reestablish a strong brand on here as a marketer
• You Tube- Create my own video resume, share cool videos

5. Present 5 Presentations In order to give presentations they require prep work, research, collaboration with other experts etc. The work that goes into putting together presentations is a great learning experience in itself. I like the idea of vocally and visually sharing my knowledge.  I get instantaneous feedback from the audience, have the opportunity to address questions, overcome objections and speak face to face with leaders who are eager to learn. In 2008 I gave the following presentations. I look forward to expanding upon this list in 2009. I know that I’ll need to update my speaker page with past presentations, photos, video, etc.

1. Women’s Global Network: Communicating with the Media
2. Art Institute of San Diego: Meet the Industry
3. San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce: Clear Channel Marketing
4. BarCampSD: Origami with Melodie

I have a plethora of other goals,  but I feel that listing five will allow me to stay more focused. Many of my other goals are actually milestones that will help acheive the ultimate goals on this list. And of course I have non-career related goals that aren’t listed but are just as/if not more important, one of them trumps the importanace of every other goal on this list so I’ve definitely got my work cut out of me in 2009.

The hardships we faced in 2008 including the credit crunch, out of this world gas prices, mortgage downfall, high unemployment rate and extreme national debt made 2008 by far one of the most stressful years in history.  I’ve seen more companies go out of business in 2008 than in my entire lifetime. However, despite such a down economy people are still spending, investing and buying. There are still opportunities out there, it’s just a matter of being smart on how you market and position yourself. I know it’s easier said than done as Marketers  in 2008  faced  tremendous roadblocks:

• Inability in generating qualified leads
• Struggle to get your website found
• Ineffective strategies for tracking ROI
• Traditional Media not working

Thank goodness 2009 is here and we all know it’s a year for change! Take action and don’t let the same roadblocks get in the way. When every single sale does matter and budgets are being cut left and right, developing a strategic and cost effective marketing campaign for your business  is essential. I recommend you constantly educate yourself on new marketing strategies and not repeating old school methods that don’t work.

This February 4th-7th, marketers business owners and anyone interested in learning will have a chance to accelerate their marketing knowledge at the Online Marketing Summit in San Diego. They’re providing unique educational opportunities to attendees with certification programs, a career fair, hands-on workshops, on-site usability and SEO labs, thought-leader presentations on a myriad of online marketing topics and networking opportunities. This event is the perfect way to pump up your business for the new year!

Register here and receive a $400 online discount by January 10th. To ring in the new year I’m also giving away a free conference pass to 1 lucky winner. The prize is valued at $1,695.  To enter please leave a comment with your biggest marketing challenge in 2008 and what you plan to do about it in 2009! Short comments are ok, doesn’t need to have a lot of details but if you’re willing to share I would love to hear more! Let’s get a dialog going! Make sure to leave your email address. A winner will be randomly chosen on Tuesday January 20th, 2009 (Inaguration Day!) Good luck and Happy New Year!

In many cases, there is little or no attempt from traditional media to engage their audience through social media. Setting up a Twitter account for your radio station and having it sit there doesn’t count. Creating a Facebook group for your TV station and never updating doesn’t count. Attempting to put your newspaper online word for word without a Social Media Optimization campaign, also results in FAIL (aka: the famous internet term for something gone wrong!).

For as long as we remember people relied on Traditional Media as their main source for news and entertainment. That is until recently. In the last year, Social Media has trumped traditional media in usage. People spend more time on Social Media than they do reading the newspaper, watching TV or listening to the radio combined. This not the end for traditional media. This the beginning of a new opportunity to engage, interact and compel your audience to continue viewing your media as a credible resource!

Radio on-air personality excited to announce their new Social Media Networks.

Traditional Media companies pride themselves in being at the forefront of what’s current so if you don’t have an effective Social Media campaign you’re contradicting yourself. Need some ideas?

Radio: On-air personalities should create a Twitter account to connect with listeners through microblogging. Promote your on-air contests, on-site events and online photos and videos in real time to keep your listeners engaged even when they aren’t tuned in.

Newspaper: Most newspapers have digitized their articles. But few have worked on community building. Allow forums so readers feel connected as they post on different news stories. Allow readers to easily share articles through social bookmarking.

TV: Have your personalities blog about their broadcasts to create a more authentic voice than reading off a teleprompter! Blog about the TV shows on your station to boost your traffic from an entertainment standpoint.

You know what they say, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em!” What does this mean? Don’t get stigmatized as an old-school dying industry.TV stations, Newspapers, Radio Stations, Magazines, it’s time to hire an Online Marketing company to help you with an overall Social Media strategy that really shows your audience you get it!

Whenever something new enters the market, there’s always speculation along with anticipation. Will the new restaurant succeed? Will this new product take off? How is the rookie going to do when faced with all seasoned Veterens? or you can look at it in a more positive way. I can’t wait to check out that new hot spot! The new product is going to blow away all the others! This blog post is dedicated to my own unique selling points as fresh, new Internet Marketer and why my new status will benefit your marketing campaign.

I’m a Millennial Internet Marketer! The Millennial generation born between 1980-2008 (may be variations), growing up in the 90s and 2000s and educated with bleeding edge technology. I entered the workforce merely less than 3 years ago with more drive, ambition and hunger for learning than you could ever imagine! I’ve created a buzz, challenged old school thinkers and started a revolution of new ideas from the perspective of the actual end user. I too was there from the very beginning in an even more engaged and active way than most.

• YES I was on Facebook when only college students had the privilege to use it
• YES I had a Friendster in high school when all of you who now use Facebook and LinkedIn thought Social Media was for “kids”
• YES I blogged on Xanga almost every single day!
• YES I knew every single numeric code for pagers
• YES I had a brick cell phone when they were embarrassing to be seen with one!

So what does this mean? I may not have 10 years of marketing experience but I have more than enough experience with the technology that these “kids are growing up with” because I AM that Millennial Kid! Couple that with my strong background in traditional marketing where I bring the successful aspects of old school marketing and accelerate those elements with the internet and my passion for the the industry and you have me! Melodie Tao aka: Marketing Melodie aka: @MyMelodie on Twitter aka your Millennial Internet Marketer!

If that doesn’t overcome your objections to hire me for your next Online Marketing campaign then I encourage you to reach out to me with more questions and challenges. I love what I do and I love educating people on why it’s essential to have an effective internet marketing campaign!

DMA08 Attendees Scrolling the Exhibition Hall and in search of Internet Marketing help!

I spoke to over 100 companies. Only about 5 were online/interactive companies. I know it was the “Direct Marketing” conference but I’m still perplexed by the number of traditional marketing companies present: specialty envelops, address list brokers, postcards, telemarketing companies etc. (especially since the event itself was marketed as a global event for “Integrated” marketing)

To all of the traditional marketing companies, I’d like to educate you on why you too should have an SEO campaign with 3K Interactive. If you are 1 of 50 companies who sells specialty envelops for direct mail advertisers, how are you going to stand out from all the others?

I actually asked this question to many people. Most responded with something along the lines “We’re the only company who uses soy based ink”, “We are the only eco-friendly company”, “We sell clear envelops that don’t look like junk mail.” It’s great to have a unique selling point but this does not mean potential customers will find you.

If I told you I have a way to get people who are ready to buy your service go to your website and place an order with you right away, wouldn’t you listen? Better yet I can even track it for you so you know where your customer are coming from! Sound too good to be true? Not even! This is reality with the career that I have become so passionate about, Internet Marketing!

The 3K Interactive team (missing Myles) Enjoying Las Vegas after a working hard all day at DMA08!

I will optimize your website by making it more user friendly, set it up to it easily tracks conversions, increase conversions, decrease bounce rates and so much more! Just ask and I’m happy to provide you with a free website analysis. If anything this will give you insight on what you can do to enhance your current online strategy.