How to Target Gmail with Google AdWords

There’s a lot of buzz right now about a new info product that reveals a secret “backdoor” into Google advertising. The secret allows you to specifically target your ads to appear in Gmail. The idea is that while the search volume is lower for Gmail, it is highly targeted traffic and will convert at a higher rate.

The $97 info product is by Ryan Deiss and is available at GmailMindTricks.com (not an affiliate link) if you’re interested.

If you’d like to know how to make your ads appear in Gmail without spending $97, check out this YouTube video posted by Austin Lau, an Agency Media Planner at Google.

I watched the GmailMindTricks intro video but have not purchased the product. Ryan is a reputable internet marketer. Presumably the $97 product includes more than what is on the above YouTube video.

In either case, I thought the info contained in the YouTube video was worth sharing.

Have you had your ads appear in Gmail before? What has been your experience compare to “regular” AdWords?

CoachK.com Added to the WordPress Showcase

I received word this week that the CoachK.com website I designed has been added to the WordPress Showcase. I am a huge fan of WordPress. For one of my designs to be featured in their official Showcase is very exciting.

CoachK.com is the Official Website of Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski. If you haven’t seen the site, check it out at CoachK.com and vote it up over at the WordPress Showcase.

I’ve been working with Duke Basketball since 2004 and I’m very proud of  my association with Coach K and the program. The current design of the site, powered by WordPress, was launched in August 2009. Read my post about the site launch to learn more about my use of WordPress.

Brizzly Review: A Better Social Media Reader

People’s desire to stay connected is one reason why sites such as Twitter and Facebook are so popular.  One common characteristic people share is they want that connectivity to be as simple as possible.  This is where Brizzly comes in.  Brizzly is a Twitter and Facebook client that provides “a simple way to experience the social web”.

A web-based social reader, Brizzly is laid out in a way that just makes sense; it has a very simple interface and the site itself runs smoothly and seamlessly.  Once you create an account, it’s easy to find your way around the site.  There’s even a “Getting Started” video and help section to answer most of your questions. Brizzly’s usability is not an accident. Brizzly was created by some of the same people who built Google Reader.

Here are some of Brizzly’s great features:

• Twitter: Send and receive direct messages. Your direct messages are presented in a threaded conversation like format right on your main page. You can even have multiple message threads going at once. When you receive a message, you can view it or choose the “shh” option to ignore it and pull it up later.
• Twitter: View images in tweets as opposed to links.
• Twitter: Monitor up to five Twitter accounts.
• Twitter: Create groups from your Twitter followers.  Right now, you can only have 5, but Brizzly promises more in the future.
• Twitter: Support for newly introduced Twitter “Lists”.
• Twitter: The Mute feature allows you to hide a user’s updates until you decide you want to see them again.
• Twitter: The “Trends and News” feature provides an explanation as to why terms are trending on Twitter.
• Twitter: Follow and unfollow Tweeters, reply to a Tweet, repost a Tweet and save drafts.
• Twitter: Search Twitter or find people to follow. You can also save your searches.
• Facebook: Update your status, wall posts and comments.
• Short URLs are shown in their full form on Brizzly.

Currently in closed beta, Brizzly is open to users by invitation only.  You can request an invite on the Brizzly homepage or ask a friend who already has an account. Another way to “get in” is to do a Twitter search for “Brizzly invitation”.

The addition of Facebook support is a huge step forward in Brizzly’s development. No longer simply just a Twitter Reader, Brizzly is now a Social Media Reader providing a simple, more streamlined way to monitor these two leading sites. I highly suggest you check it out. Brizzly’s fantastic features will greatly enhance your social media experience.

What are some of your favorite social media applications?

CoachK.com Redesign Launched

I’m proud to announce the launch of the redesigned CoachK.com website. CoachK.com is the Official Website of Duke Basketball Coach Mike Krzyzewski. The site has been redesigned and updated to provide easier site navigation and incorporate database technology to automate content management, site navigation and more.

The new design, shown below, replaces the original look launched in April, 2004. Advances in web technology over the past five years along with the site’s growth (over 300 pages) made the redesign necessary. In addition, I wanted to give the site a cleaner,  more modern look. Having worked closely with Duke’s athletic department on the site’s development, I am thrilled with the result.

Some of the new website features include:

• rotating flash banner ad for featured stories
• redesigned “Share Your Story” feature allowing fans to share their Coach K stories
• site search
• added social bookmarking icons to promote sharing of information
• dynamic menus and site navigation
• a number of other back-end enhancements

The new site is powered by WordPress . I’ve done a lot of work with WordPress lately and love the ease of use and flexibility it offers.

Check out the new CoachK.com website and let me know what you think.

Microsoft Bing – Is Good, Good Enough?

Microsoft recently launched a new search engine called Bing in an attempt to directly challenge search engine giant Google. According to Microsoft, Bing is more than a simple search engine. They claim their tool can help users move beyond the searching experience to make better and more informed decisions.

Early feedback about Microsoft’s new “decision engine” has been positive. Users report accurate search results and helpful features but is it enough to make them change their search habits?

Some of Bing’s useful features include the following:

Website Summaries

Mouse over the right edge of the search results and a brief summary of the page is displayed. This allows you to learn more about the page without leaving your search results.

Live Video Previews

Do a video search and the results will be displayed as thumbnails. Mouseover the thumbnails, and the videos play directly on the search results page. There’s no need to click through to view the video. This is an innovative yet controversial feature that may see legal challenge.

Company Contact Info

Bing returns company contact information when searching for a company name. Search for Amazon.com and Bing returns the company’s customer service phone number (800-201-7575) along with links to the website. This can be a huge convenience if the company you’re trying to contact doesn’t make this information readily accessible.

Clean Design

Borrowing from Google’s minimalistic design, Bing’s search engine results pages (SERPs) have plain and simple backgrounds. This helps keep load times to a minimum. Similar to Google, sponsored ads are displayed both at the top, and along the right side of the page.

Multiple Search Options

You can choose to search websites, images, videos, news, maps and more, right from the homepage. “Related searches” is a helpful feature for delving deeper into a topic by displaying related search queries. Bing also keeps track of your past searches, displaying them as handy links on the left side of the page. Similar to “Google Suggest,” Bing’s autosuggestion feature gives you suggestions for searching in real time. As you type in the search box, related search terms are displayed to help you narrow or refine your query.

Is It Enough?

Most people seem surprised Bing works as well as it does. This may be due to the challenges internet search presents as well as Microsoft’s past search engine efforts. Some studies even show Bing provides “better” search results than Google.

“Good” or “Better” may not be enough for Bing however. People are creatures of habit, especially online. To change consumer behavior, in this case their search habits, a new product must be significantly better than an existing offering. Google has become so integral to many people’s online lives that it will take a lot for them to change to a new search provider. It’s not enough for Bing to be as good or marginally better than Google.

Because of this, it’s highly unlikely Bing will replace Google as #1 in search anytime soon. A more realistic goal might be to surpass Yahoo and take over the #2 spot in search market share. Some research shows Bing has already passed Yahoo but it remains to be seen if Bing can maintain that position over time and build on its momentum.

Have you used Bing? What do you think of it? Will you make Bing your new default search provider?

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