Schipul

Schipul's disaster preparedness featured in Associated Press article

Tue, 27 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Ed Schipul was featured in an Associated Press article entitled Disaster Planning for Small Businesses by AP reporter Joyce Rosenberg. The piece took a look at how organizations are planning for natural disasters and other major business-altering events. An excerpt from the story: Obviously, theres a lot more that goes into a comprehensive disaster plan, such as planning for an evacuation, or stocking up with food, water and other necessities in case you need to remain on your premises. Ed Schipuls Internet marketing company held a daylong drill last month to practice dealing with a disaster that would render the companys Houston headquarters unusable. Schipul acknowledged that he wasnt happy with the results. First, some staffers froze and werent able to perform the tasks expected of them. One staffer forgot her cellphone and no one could reach her. There was an emergency plan detailed in binders, but no one had any of the binders off-site. The things that failed arent...

27-May-08 11:00 AM

Social Media to-do list for Flickr and Facebook

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT

There are 2 new help files written for public use on Schipul.com. They are target social media marketing on Flickr and Facebook for Children’s Museums in Metropolitan areas. However, these new help files can be adapted for general use. Here are links to the to-do list help files. Flickr Social Marketing list for Metropolitan Area Children’s Museums Facebook Social Marketing list for Metropolitan Area Children’s Museums The benefits of using social media marketing to market your business online are described below. More intimate audience: The friends or fans you make on Flickr or Facebook are genuinely interested in your business and tend to be quality contacts who support your brand or else they would not be your fan or friend. Cost effective: Most social sites are free like Facebook or charge a minimal fee like Flickr. You don’t need a fat budget to peruse these networks as part of your marketing. You just need...

30-Apr-08 11:00 AM

Reaching those on the go: Mobile Web users present next major challenge for public relations

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:30:00 GMT

The following article, written by Schipuls Creative Director Tim Newton, appears in the May issue of PR Tactics. Last year’s introduction of the iPhone was much more than the launch of the latest high-tech gadget. With its touch screen and zoom-in, zoom-out capabilities, the iPhone was the first handheld device that advanced the Web browsing experience. It signaled the beginning of a new era for Web marketing: the mobile Web. In the months and years to come, expect others to follow Apple’s lead, offering easy-to-use handheld Web browsing devices at more accessible prices. In fact, experts, such as Brian Fling of blueflavor.com, predict that 60 percent of mobile phone users will be browsing the Web on their devices at least once per month within the next two years. Just as Google changed how Web users search for information, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) changed how Web users managed information overload. The emergence of social media also changed how information is generated...

25-Apr-08 2:30 PM

The 3 Motivations of People, Material, Social and Ideological

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:00:00 GMT

*** DRAFT *** It is frequently said that everything in life is a negotiation. Certainly convincing a child to do their homework is both a sale and a negotiation and neither is easily accomplished. We all have an agenda that changes constantly over the years and even over the course of the day as our need for food and sleep varies. In the process of this need for persuasion, I propose it is helpful to develop a balanced three pronged approach to persuading people aligned with their motivations. Specifically the goal of this article is to put forth an easy-to-use motivational framework –an actionable framework to design a persuasive system for people. I am setting out by humbly standing on the shoulders of giants such as Mancur Olson, Hardin and Clark & Wilson. I have not done them justice in that my simplifications omit subtleties of their work. Still I like simple, so we will layer on complexity only after first laying three simple foundation bricks in this article. People are...

2-Jan-08 3:00 PM

Happy Thanksgiving From Schipul & Tendenci!

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 17:39:39 GMT

Hello [firstname], Happy Thanksgiving from your friends at Schipul - The Web Marketing Company, the makers of Tendenci. We hope that you and your family have a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday, and know that were very thankful for YOU! We couldnt have come this far without all of our talented and creative clients! We want to make sure that your 2007 comes to an exciting finish, so as the new year approaches consider a few ways to improve your web sites performance: 1. A New Look For the New Year: Let Schipul refresh the design of your web site, giving you a fresh face to present to the world in 2008. Just look at this stunning and effective design for ClicknPrint Tickets. 2. Search Engine Marketing: Feel...

19-Nov-07 11:39 AM

Social Media Programs Require Consulting, Training and Recruiting

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 17:00:00 GMT

An Agency can not run a Social Media Program for clients. Not without extensive client involvement. In fact I don’t even like the phrase social media program as it implies it is an ad campaign like buying a slot on Comedy Central and two supporting advertisements in Entertainment Weekly. As if social media can be planned and measured like advertising? It aint that simple. Specifically you can not run a Social Media Program for PR from the outside of a client’s organization. You can only help a client engage in social media through consulting, training and helping them recruit the right people. Once these are accomplished you then, and only then, consider promotion. Let me repeat that – helping someone with social media is not a program. It is a consulting, training and recruiting assignment. Social media is fundamentally human resources. Consulting Objectives - Define objectives within the bounds of reality. What is the client trying to accomplish? Help them develop their...

19-Sep-07 12:00 PM

Schipul Search Engine Marketing Newsletter - September 2007

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the Schipul SEM newsletter. Weve had some interesting things happen here in Schipul Land lately so lets get right into it! New SEM Blog! Schipuls Search Engine Marketing team has just recently launched the brand new The SEM Blog at www.thesemblog.com. Its a great spot for current SEM clients and also for Web site administrators interested in learning handy tips and tricks for succeeding in the search engines. Expect up-to-date search engine news, useful links and engaging posts on ways to convert online visitors to repeat customers. You can subscribe to The SEM Blogs RSS feed...

11-Sep-07 10:00 AM

Google AdWords - Why Searching for Your Ad May Be Hurting Your Campaign

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 21:00:00 GMT

When you run a Pay Per Click campaign often times you may get the urge to search for your ads. Although this may seem enticing you are actually hurting your campaign.

Google determines the effectiveness of your campaign by Click Through Rate or CTR. This is measured on how many times your ad is seen and clicked on. If you search for your ad multiple times you will lower your CTR. Google determines an ads worth by the CTR and can lower or raise an ad because of this. If your ad performs well Google will move it up in position on the search results. If Google deems your ad ineffective it could force you to raise your minimum bid in order for your ad to appear. This means increased click costs and a lower Return On Investment(ROI). One bad thing that can happen is your ad is pushed down to another page or taken off altogether.

Starting a new campaign is exciting and we all want to know if we are being seen but the technology behind Google and it's multi billion dollar AdWord system ensures that your ad is up and running in no time and being seen.

Google wants your ad to be effective and it wants it to be clicked on. Google makes money off of your ads and will use it's discretion if it doesn't then Google won't run your ad. So put a little trust in Google and I'm sure you'll be happy

Jason McElweenie

For more information please contact the Search Engine Marketing Team at Schipul - sem@schipul.com

22-Aug-07 4:00 PM

How to generate revenue with your association's Web site

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 20:00:00 GMT

Your associations Web site is a great place for members of your organization to gather knowledge, stay up-to-date on your networking events and download the latest presentations. But have you considered really putting your associations site to work for you? Here are a few great ways that associations just like yours are able to generate revenue through their Web site: Membership fees – Organizations can increase membership and generate profit from their event online registrations and having a healthy organization. Job listings – Job boards are a proven money maker, with association Web sites like www.ppag.org and www.haf.org benefiting financially. This is a valuable service to provide your members as it helps connect companies to good people and brings in extra dollars to grow your organization. Business Directories – Tendencis business directory module is another proven money maker, for example Only in Houstons Creative Directory Listing. Some...

18-Jul-07 3:00 PM

Blogging Without Boundaries - as published in the Houston Business Journal June 2007

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 20:00:00 GMT

Ed Schipul, CEO of Schipul - The Web Marketing Company, recently submitted a letter to the editor of the Houston Business Journal in response to an article promoting corporate blogging policies. Read the editorial piece here on the HBJ Web site. In his article, “Adopting a blogging policy could limit your exposure to legal risk,” (May 25, 2007) attorney John Browning offers what may seem like perfectly rational advice: “…set some boundaries on blogging.” I am not a legal expert, but I do make it a point to stay up to date on the latest social media trends, including blogging. We have built a business out of helping companies utilize social media tools to participate in online conversations and information exchange. So I would like to offer an alternative suggestion: Don’t set boundaries on blogging. Your current boundaries limiting disclosure of sensitive information will cover blogging, just as they cover telephone conversations, shouting from...

4-Jun-07 3:00 PM

GoodSearch - A search engine with a conscience for your non profit

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:00:00 GMT

If you run a non profit organization, charity or school (or are interested in helping one out) you should check out GoodSearch search engine.

GoodSearch is a Yahoo! powered search engine that donates 50% of its revenue to charities and schools that you specify. This way, you get good search results and feel great about helping an organization you care about.

Your Web site can also be a powerful tool in helping your organization raise money and awareness. Learn some of the ways you can Do-It-Yourself to market your events and send out e-newsletters to spread the word.

23-May-07 8:00 AM

Looking at the Big Picture for Search Engine Optimization

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:00:00 GMT

When doing search engine optimization, often people will be worried about doing the wrong thing and focus too deeply into the small details and miss the big picture of SEO. Before you start doing SEO you should first decide in which direction you want your site to go before worrying about how many keywords and where they should be in the content of your site. Search engine algorithms are always changing and there is not a way for us to follow or predict when and what the algorithm will change so it is better to make sure your site has the fundamentals needed to keep its ranking. Here are some good start places for the foundation of your SEO: Age: How old is your URL? If it is new it will approximately take 6-12 months before it’ll show up naturally in Google so that you can earn your trust by doing link building. If this is your case, you will want to look into doing paid placement advertising to get your website’s presence and brand building. Also keep in mind...

22-May-07 3:00 PM

Optimize your video content for the search engines - How to do it and why it’s important

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 22 May 2007 18:00:00 GMT

Video is the latest and greatest item you can add to your website. Good video can be one of the most effective tools to spread your message, promote your brand or market your product in an instant. People like to associate with real people so use this new tool for product demos, testimonials or anything that adds dimension to your product. A few things to consider when adding video to your site: Don’t fake it! Interviews with customers make the product more real but don’t fake it or you will suffer the consequences of negative commentary. Add a watermark to your video so your brand and your website are being passed around the internet along with your videos. Give yourself a plug. The goal is to get people back to your website so don’t forget to include your URL. Name your files properly and tag your video scenes with relevant Alt Tags. Treat your videos like you would an image. Grab the attention of your viewer by...

22-May-07 1:00 PM

SMO is the new SEO (Part 1): Optimize your Social Media for Branding and Sales Success

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Social Media Optimization (SMO) is Search Engine Optimization’s (SEO) crazy cousin. You know the one who kind of looks like SEO but has a nose piercing and a wild, adventurous streak that you still might be trying to figure out. If your organization has started experimenting with Social Media tactics (which is a great idea, by the way) it’s never too early to start optimizing your Social Media Marketing plan for maximum brand building and exposure. Establishing a presence on social networks like MySpace (www.myspace.com), YouTube (www.youtube.com), Digg (www.digg.com) and Blogs can drive enormous amounts of traffic to your Web site. You have worked extensively to make your Web site search engine friendly, but how do your site and organization fare in the Social Media world? The interesting thing about SMO is that your optimization techniques go beyond typical SEO keyword, Meta data and link tweaking (although they remain very important) and dive into the world of...

22-May-07 11:00 AM

Writing optimized titles tags for your web pages

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 21 May 2007 21:00:00 GMT

Lets begin with the title - What is a web page title tag? This is the description that appears at the top of your browser and changes (or should change) as you click to different web pages within a site. It essential the page title for each page of your web site. Notice that Schipul SEM page has a title tag of: Search Engine Marketing Houston .. Book titles are to librarians what titles tags are to search engines. Meaning that if a thousand people were to write a thousand books in variety of subjects but gave them all the title The Book - you would be hard pressed to locate the one on Bird migratory patterns for example. So maybe instead of looking through all these books you would just grab a book with a more accurate/descriptive title. Well the search engines look at the title tag of a web page to determine what that page is about. So you want to be sure that the page titles says what the page is about. Often times the search engines use text from the page title as the...

21-May-07 4:00 PM

Google Analytics - New Improved Version

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:00:00 GMT

Google Analytics recently improved their FREE analytics tool and at first glance it looks to be a big improvement. Building on an already impressive list of free website statistics the new Analytics has streamlined their interface to give even the newest of web administrators a better understanding of how their site is performing. Setting up Google Analytics If you do not have a free Google account you can set one up here. Once you have set up an account log into Google Analytics. Once you log in you will need to set up your free Analytics account. Click on the button Sign Up. Here is where you will tell Analytics about the site you want to watch. Have more than one site? Dont worry you can add as much as you like. Enter your site prefix of either http:// or https://. If you are not sure which prefix you have visit your to see, most likely it is http://. In the next field enter your web address. Example www.yoursite.com. Give it a name, enter the country and time zone and click...

18-May-07 9:00 AM

Schipul Web Marketing Fundamentals featured in San Antonio Express News 'Web sites: Keep users in mind'

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 14 May 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Ed Schipul, CEO of Schipul - The Web Marketing Company, is featured in an article about engaging Web site visitors with 'user-focused' text and design.

Frost Bank President Dave Beck wrote the 'Web sites: Keep Users in Mind' article highlighting his experiences searching companies' Web sites and being impressed by not a fancy Web design or Flash intro, but the useful, up-to-date and user-focused information some companies give away online.

Ed Schipul discusses some simple Web marketing fundamentals that can help organizations increase their Web site response rates and improve their business. Here is a portion of the article that cited Ed Schipul:

According to Web marketing expert Ed Schipul, owner of Houston-based Schipul — The Web Marketing Co., there's an important lesson to be learned here. Web searchers and users functionally respond like introverts, concentrating on themselves and what they need to buy.

"It's not that information seekers are self-focused all the time, but rather that while on the Web, users are on a mission," said Schipul, whose company has designed sites for hundreds of businesses in energy, medical, industrial, arts and entertainment, and education fields.

"So focusing on using the word 'you' frequently and responding on the user's terms produces better results," he says.

Read the entire 'Web Sites: Keep Users in Mind' article here. For even more information, be sure to read all of Schipul's Web Marketing Fundamentals here

14-May-07 10:00 AM

Schipul Web Marketing April 2007 Newsletter

noemail@schipul.com — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the April 2007 Schipul - The Web Marketing Company newsletter where we keep you in touch with the latest and greatest in Schipul and Tendenci excitement. Tendenci User Connections: Connect and build relationships Your Tendenci Web site is helping you connect with your site users as never before with new User Connections features. Here are a few of the latest updates: Keep track of your Web site contacts content Your Tendenci Web site’s User Connections let you keep track of your members’ activity on your Web site. Want to know when your Chairman posts a new article? Interested in knowing what events a...

26-Apr-07 11:00 AM

Podcasting Radio Interview with Aaron Long and Jason McElweenie on MyTechnologyLawyer.com

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:45:00 GMT

Recently, Aaron Long and Jason McElweenie were on a radio interview with Scott Draughon of MyTechnologyLawyer.com. The subject was podcasting and included the following guest stars on on the interview :

Jason McElweenie
Low End Theory
http://www.lowendtheory.net/
Aaron Long
www.longstation.com
Gary Watson
Roadster Productions
http://www.roadsterproductions.com/
Does podcast for film: http://www.aftertwilightfilm.com/
http://www.aftertwilightfilm.com/podcasts.html
Bruce Abbott
RADIO LOUNGE
http://www.radioloungeusa.com

Be sure to listen to the podcast here. The interview discussed:

Podcasting basics
Ways to capitalize / monetize on podcasts
How to build traffic to your podcast
Ways to promote and expand your listener base

13-Apr-07 11:45 AM

The power of Google search discussed with Irish NewsTalk radio's Sean Moncrieff

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Schipul's Katie Laird was interviewed by Dublin NewsTalk Radio's Sean Moncrieff on the power of Google search and online content optimization.

Listen to the radio interview as they discuss ways to search for information about people online, how individuals can build their personal brands through search engine optimization and ways to 'maximize the positive' by writing frequently and consistently online.

For more information on how your company can increase your search engine visibility online, check out Schipul's Search Engine Marketing articles and free Search engine Basics training classes!

13-Apr-07 11:00 AM

Schipul Staffer Katie Laird Makes Headlines for Using SEM Strategies After the Workday is Over

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 03:00:00 GMT

Many of the nations top media outlets, including ABC, CNN, FOX News, The Houston Chronicle, Chicago Sun Times and many others are featuring a story from the Associated Press profiling Katie Laird, a Web marketing expert with Schipul - The Web Marketing Company, who offers advice on using Search Engine Marketing strategies outside of work. The headlines for the stories are an interesting illustration of how important search engines have become: Online Searches Change Dating Dynamic Love in the Age of Google Going on a date? Check Google first You meet, you google, you date -- or decline Many singles are making a date with Google For better or worse, googling your date has become standard Have you Googled a date? Unsure about compatability? Google your date Electronic detective Heres the story, which was written by Martha Irvine of the Associated Press: Dating used to be largely a matter of spending time with a love interest,...

10-Apr-07 10:00 PM

Lessons Your Association Can Learn from YouTube - as published in Association Trends magazine March 2007

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 06 Apr 2007 17:00:00 GMT

Associations and other membership organizations can greatly benefit by using affordable and accessible online video technology. This Association Trends article gives some real-world examples of how groups are benefiting from utilizing videos on their web site: The mass appeal and growing availability of online videos is changing the way people consume information on the web and savvy associations are trying to keep up. The best online videos have a few common elements. They tend to be brief, entertaining, easy-to-share and are delivered in an easy-to-use format. Perhaps most important, they are personally relevant to the associations members. This is why links to online videos so often find their way into enthusiastic e-mails to friends, family and workmates. It is also why online video can be a powerful element of an associations Web marketing strategy. Broadband a driving force Driven in part by the rapid adoption of broadband, which is expected to more than double by 2010,...

6-Apr-07 12:00 PM

Schipul Event Marketing featured in B2B Magazine

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Aaron Long was featured in the current B2B Magazine discussing the importance of utilizing online event listings and multi-media components to draw out the ROI on organizations' events. The article, "Building Web site a vital event marketing tool", was written by Erin Biba and reference Schipul client Rafte & Company when discussing successful online event registrations.

Here is Aaron's quote:

Beyond the basics, there are features that can be tacked on to an event Web site. The added value of audio, video and even a planner that allows attendees to download their event schedule to a PDA, will increase traffic to the site.

According to Aaron Long, director of business development at Schipul, a Web marketing company, event Web sites should be left online indefinitely. "It's content online that's searchable," he said. "You need to promote your event ahead of time, do the event and videotape [sessions]. If someone searches, they will be able to find it."

Searching, he said, is how potential attendees will find out about your event. And the cost of adding additional content is small, Long said, as sites such as YouTube—which host video—are completely free.

The best way to increase your chances of being seen during a search, Long said, is to update content regularly. Also, the event's Web site should be linked from your company's main page and listed at least a month in advance.

"You would like your events to be listed in Google and Yahoo," Long said. "Busy sites with continually updated content will get [listed] more quickly. The more frequent [content updates] the better—content is worth eyeballs."

Read the entire online event marketing article here.

4-Apr-07 10:00 AM

Multimedia approach gives Web site depth - as published in B2B Magazine April 2007

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 14:00:00 GMT

Schipuls Business Development Director Aaron Long was featured in this B2B Magazine interview about using a strong Multi-media approach to successfully marketing your organizations events: Aaron Long, business development director at Schipul, an interactive marketing agency, says going beyond the basic event Web site can not only give your event a huge boost, but your company as well. BtoB: How do you use the event Web site to draw more attendees? Long: One of the things to focus on would be search marketing. The concept most people miss is that events can be searched by the name of the event, the person speaking and the category the event would be in. Without proper treatment, you would miss a particular interest. … Things like the name of the event: the title needs to be in HTML thats semantically well-written. Another thing to do is make sure the name of the event is linked from your home page. … Companies will get wrapped up in the brand but without the person thats...

4-Apr-07 9:00 AM

Online video packs huge punch as part of Web marketing strategy - as published in HBJ March 2007

noemail@schipul.com — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 04:00:00 GMT

Its probably already happened a colleague, relative or friend sends a This is so cool! e-mail with a link to an online video on YouTube or another web site. It might be a news clip, an intriguing car commercial, a silly home video lampooning a music video or a heartwarming snippet from a recent family gathering. The mass appeal and growing availability of online videos is changing the way people consume information on the web and savvy businesses are trying to keep up. The best online videos have a few common elements. They tend to be brief, entertaining, easy-to-share and are delivered in an easy-to-use format. Perhaps most important, they are personally relevant to the business members. This is why links to online videos so often find their way into enthusiastic e-mails to friends, family and workmates. It is also why online video can be a powerful element of an organizations Web marketing strategy. Broadband a driving force Driven in part by the rapid adoption of...

30-Mar-07 11:00 PM

Tendenci console homepage design changes

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 19:45:00 GMT

An exciting Tendenci update! Your Tendenci software console page is about to get a facelift with a more streamlined look. The simplified layout has minimized some duplicate links and makes it easier than ever to add new content to your site with an Add Content button. Read the Tendenci blog post here about the updated look and learn how you can customize your console homepage by reading this Tendenci Help file. To keep in touch with all of the Tendenci software updates, be sure to visit our Tendenci Blog (http://blog.tendenci.com) regularly. Have a question? Give the Schipul Support team a call at (281) 497. 6567! Many...

26-Mar-07 2:45 PM

Schipul Search Engine Marketing Newsletter - March 2007

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 21 Mar 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Hello ! Welcome to Spring and the Schipul Search Engine Marketing newsletter. I hope you are all looking forward to some pleasant weather. Here in Houston we are just trying not to melt. Our SEM Team have done our research and decided to share some interesting info we found. Please enjoy the read and feel free to contact us at sem@schipul.com on how we could help you get found online! Define your AdWord performance with Google Pay-Per-Action campaign By: Katie Laird Google has released a new advertising service to complement its AdWords campaigns called Pay-Per-Action. This service is still in Beta test mode (meaning there are still some bugs to be worked out), but has the potential to be a...

21-Mar-07 10:00 AM

Schipul and Tendenci Featured in CIO Today

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 23:00:00 GMT

Schipul - The Web Marketing Company CEO Ed Schipul is featured in the current edition of CIO Today in the article, "What's Best for Web Analytics: Client-Side, Server-Side or Hosted?"

Written by Jennifer LeClaire, the article explores beyond the fancy charts and deep insights that set some analytics programs apart from others and found that there are three distinct differences among them -- based on where the software resides -- that every enterprise should consider.

Here is the portion that cited Schipul and Tendenci:

The Web analytics industry is moving from visits and pageviews to analytics that reflect more about what people are paying attention to, according to Ed Schipul, CEO of the Houston-based Schipul Web marketing company that created Tendenci -- a hosted application designed for management associations.

Schipul says companies need to record "events" that reflect actions. It may be, for example, that a visitor to your site first clicks to watch a video, then reads more about the product, and then finally makes contact. All of those activities may occur on the same page. Enterprise-grade server-side solutions can offer critical insights.

"The best analytics come from server-side smart systems built into your application itself so you can look at events that you view as desirable [and those] that reflect what the visitor is paying attention to," Schipul says. Enterprises, he adds, must have a server-side solution because the cost of even an expensive statistics package for an enterprise is nothing compared to the value of the business intelligence it gathers.

See the entire article here.

20-Mar-07 6:00 PM

Define your AdWord performance with Google Pay-Per-Action campaign

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 18:00:00 GMT

Google has released a new advertising service to complement its AdWords campaigns called Pay-Per-Action. This service is still in Beta test mode (meaning there are still some bugs to be worked out), but has the potential to be a valuable part of your online ad campaign.

From the AdWords Blog:

Pay-per-action advertising is a new pricing model that allows you to pay only for completed actions that you define, such as a lead, a sale, or a pageview, after a user has clicked on your ad on a publisher's site. You'll define an action, set up conversion tracking, and create ads that publishers in the Google content network can then choose to place in new ad units on their site.

To participate in the Pay-Per-Action test (note: you must be an AdWords advertiser in the United States to participate) follow these easy steps:

Create Pay-Per-Action ads
Define the amount you'll pay when your desired action is completed
Track your completed actions through Google conversion tracking

Read more about Google's Pay-Per-Action here!

20-Mar-07 1:00 PM

Adding Behaviorally Targeted Ads Online

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:00:00 GMT

You are probably well aware of the importance of marketing your company online. With online, to an even greater extent than traditional media, your find your audiences are extremely segmented. More and more niche web sites and blogs are being created every day. This effect is known as the long tail, and refers to a large portion of your traffic coming from a diverse, divided group of users (often indicated by a wide range of search terms.) With all these unique users with specific online goals, there must be ways to figure out whos who and get them the advertising messages they want. Microsoft is attempting to lead the online advertising market in behavior targeting by tracking the Microsoft owned sites visitors and looking at their online activity. Once they see where they are going online they are better able to serve them ads that actually pertain to them. For more on traditional methods of search engine tracking used for the purpose of creating better search results...

20-Mar-07 12:00 PM

Feed Me - RSS Feed basics that will make your brain smarter

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:00:00 GMT

This is an RSS Icon. What does it do? An RSS Feed lets you read all of your favorite websites from one location. Instead of having to parade around the net finding out which one of your favorite sites has been updated, a feed reader can do this for you and gather it all in one location. Now you can read all of your favorite websites from one spot. Another beauty of RSS feeds is that it only presents the latest, so that youre not stuck reading the same thing you read about last week. Scenarios If you love cooking, get all of your favorite cooking recipes from hundreds of websites in one location. If you love sports and dont trust the view of one major news provider, why not get information on the same subject from lots of different sports sites. If you love gossip but dont know whos telling the truth, subscribe to all of your fave gossip sites from corporate media to your local bloggers and more easily decide for yourself what is truth. For the techies: RSS has...

20-Mar-07 10:00 AM

Google 'Plus Box' makes your business pop! in online searches

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 19 Mar 2007 22:00:00 GMT

Have you noticed the new Google 'Plus Box' feature? It's a free way to make it easier for customers to find you when searching on Google.com and Google Maps.

When patrons search for you on Google, they will find your search result with a handy plus sign button which expands into a larger box with an embedded map and a plethora of other useful information about your business.

Submit a free listing including your address, business hours, payment types and other contact information - even coupons!

It's a fast, free and easy way to increase your business by reaching out to your customers and giving them the information they need at a click of a button.

Want to be sure that Google knows about you and uses your correct location information? Visit the Google Local Business Center page to submit your business listing information!

19-Mar-07 5:00 PM

Embracing the outlaws of your Web site: How to grow and love your One Percenters

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Who are the bad boys/girls of your organizations online community? The enduring myth of the One Percenters - the minority of motorcyclists who embrace a rough and tumble, anti-Bureaucratical lifestyle - lives on strong in the online world. While the Harley Davidson-riding, tattooed One Percenters are still alive and well, its important to give due credit to the 1% of users on your Web site who contribute the most to your online community. These 1% are the members brimming with knowledge and ideas to share and who religiously post them on your Web site. Statistically, this group consists of approximately 1% of your total site users. Maybe a bit more or a bit less - but usually around 1%. Does that small figure depress you? Do not despair - what your One Percenters lack in numbers they excel in passion and enthusiasm. These vital few can carry the rest of your organization online and find enormous satisfaction sharing information and interacting online. So how do you encourage this...

16-Feb-07 9:00 AM

February 2007 Schipul newsletter

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 17:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the February 2007 edition of the Tendenci® newsletter, sent to you on behalf of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company. Please read on for software updates and other news from our team! Got training? Here are some ways to get help with your Web site Need help with your Web site? Here are some other ways to learn how to use your Web site to the fullest! Sign up for one of our Tendenci training classes Read our Tendenci help files Check out our NEW video help files! Read the Tendenci Blog for updates...

14-Feb-07 11:00 AM

Is it Possible to See Fewer Ads in Google?

noemail@schipul.com — Thu, 19 Oct 2006 20:00:00 GMT

Rumors have been going around that Google is taking some Adwords ads off the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). These are the paid placement ads that appear at the top of the page in a blue box usually. What is going on here? Google has been testing their ads based on user’s behaviors. Here’s how it works: if you’re someone who hardly clicks on ads, then slowly the ads in the blue box will disappear from your search results page, allowing you to see a page full of natural listings. But if you have a habit or you are someone who is looking for specific ads and like clicking on them, then you will most likely continue to see these ads on your SERPs. So there is a way to control the amount of ads you see on your results page, simply by your search behaviors. How is this Good or bad for You as the Advertiser? This will help to ensure that your ads are seen by searchers who actually click on ads, and your impressions will be worth more since your ads wont just...

19-Oct-06 3:00 PM

Choosing your Top 3 Terms for Search Engine Optimization

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 17 Oct 2006 17:00:00 GMT

When you’re looking to optimize your site, we always recommend that you choose 3 keyword phrases (2-4 words each) to focus your optimization efforts on the home page and site map. So how do you choose these three terms? Start with thorough keyword research. Brainstorm on keywords that describe your niche services and how your target market views/would search for such services. Jot some phrases down on a sheet of paper, including synonymous phrases and word variations. Then use a keyword tool such as Overture (free!), Digital Point (free!), Wordtracker, or Keyword Discovery to look up your phrases. Keep a spreadsheet of these terms (the results will give you other similar keywords and therefore more ideas) – and their respective counts for the month or year (whatever benchmark that particular tool uses). Once you have a good list of keywords and their counts, you can use the Overture bids tool to determine how competitive a term is in paid placement. When using Overture...

17-Oct-06 12:00 PM

From Persons to Personas (1 of 2)

noemail@schipul.com — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 14:00:00 GMT

There are two possible outcomes: If the result confirms the hypothesis, then youve made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then youve made a discovery. -Enrico Fermi Any board member knows that organizations are nothing without their members. It is common for many large and helpful organizations to fall in and out of favor with their members, unless you’re as perennial as PETA. The organizations that endure do so because they know their audience. They are honored, appreciated, and evangelized across all mediums. To discover your organization’s audiences, the people upon whom you base all of your marketing efforts, you should immerse yourself in those audience members that share consistent adoration and encouragement to grow. Let’s start by defining persona. A persona is not a person. A persona is a perception of a person framed from the shared values among a representative sample of the people in your product or service category....

3-Oct-06 9:00 AM

Pop-Up Emergency Response Tool versus Enabling Every Day Systems

noemail@schipul.com — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 21:00:00 GMT

NOTE: For disclosure purposes, its important to point out that our company has a software product called Tendenci that includes a first responder module and emergency response capabilities. Whether an organization uses Tendenci or not, I believe the key to effective emergency response is to use familiar tools that are widely deployed and accessible. It will be through extensive training, experimentation, practice and repetition, with lessons learned properly applied, that assumptions will be validated or found faulty, concepts proven or rejected, and the theoretical molded into the practical – that process alone will yield the best practices, policies, and procedures required for the effective employment of new technology (for emergency response). Lt.Col. Mark Stanovich, USMCR, Emergency Readiness and Response Research Center Network-Centric Emergency Response As a resident and a corporate citizen of Houston, I have kept a close eye on the progression of hurricane season....

18-Aug-06 4:00 PM

Schipul Web Marketing and Association Management Software Newsletter - August 2006

noemail@schipul.com — Thu, 17 Aug 2006 19:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the August newsletter, sent to you on behalf of Schipul. Please read on for Tendenci software and Web marketing training updates and Search Engine Marketing news from our team. Tendenci Software Features You Should Be Using! Empower your site users with extended permissions Tendencis new extended permissions module allows you to grant specific users and user groups with administrative access to particular parts of your site. Right now, these new permissions are only available for the CMS module, but we want to add other modules as time permits. Contact us if you are interested in funding any other modules. These extended permissions mean that a site user who previously...

17-Aug-06 2:00 PM

Schipul Search Engine Marketing Newsletter - July 2006

noemail@schipul.com — Mon, 24 Jul 2006 18:00:00 GMT

Hi! We hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th and is enjoying these hot summer months. Were as busy as ever here at Schipul, but have found a few Search Engine Marketing tidbits & related news wed like to share in our 3rd official SEM newsletter: Link Building with Press Releases One of the most effective forms of building links is through your press releases. If you actively distribute newsworthy press releases, make sure your site is linked from each and every one! Your site URL is fine, but a text link is optimal. Once submitted through PR Web or Business Wire, if it happens to be...

24-Jul-06 1:00 PM

Microsoft Unleashes adLabs - new Search Marketing Tools for Online Advertisers

noemail@schipul.com — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 17:00:00 GMT

Microsoft is really beefing up their sponsored search with hopes in grabbing a bigger piece of that sweet online-ad-revenue pie. Yahoo and Google are already scrambling to catch up to the cool, unique features MSN offers advertisers in adCenter.......and now theyve just released adLabs, which features a set of knockout tools for search marketers. Similar to what Overture (Yahoo Sponsored Search) does now (sharing monthly count and bid information), MSN will begin to offer much MUCH more! Here is just a sampling of some their cool new tools: Search funnels – visualize search sequences and how people narrow their searches Seasonal search volumes (only a few terms right now) Keyword Mutation Detection – see common misspellings of your keywords! Demographics Prediction (type in a keyword to predict customer demo info) – awesome. Apparently there are more to come - these are all demos for now. After playing around with some of the features, you can...

29-Jun-06 12:00 PM

June 2006 Tendenci Newsletter from Schipul

noemail@schipul.com — Wed, 21 Jun 2006 16:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the June Tendenci newsletter, sent to you on behalf of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company. Please read on for Tendenci software and Web marketing training updates and Search Engine Marketing news from our team. Tendenci Software Features You Should Be Using! So your new Web site is ready to launch... are you?! Working on a new Web site for your organization can be a long (but hopefully fun) process. Even after all the details are finalized, your beautiful new design and content are ready, you may get cold feet to push it live. Dont worry! Check out our Going Live FAQ section to help you hit the ground running. Be sure to enroll for a...

21-Jun-06 11:00 AM