There's a look that I've seen way too many times. It doesn't happen often, but even once is enough.
I'll be standing in front of an audience at a conference or teaching a class, and I'll see my audience's eyes glaze over. Instead of looking at me, they start looking at the conference program or at their watch or at anything but me.
It's a look that says I've lost them.
Whenever that happens, I know it's because I messed up. I've said that something that's left those audience members behind.
Nine times out of ten, it's a piece of Internet marketing jargon that they're just not familiar with.
For those of us who have been on the Web for a while, it's just too easy to forget that there are new people coming in all the time. And those people have yet to learn all the terms and expressions used on the Web.
I'll try to remember not to use jargon in my posts in future, and for those of you who are just getting started in online marketing, here's a quick glossary of the most common terms you'll come across:
CTR or Click Through Rate refers to the percentage of users on your site who click an ad link.
CPC or Cost Per Click refers to the amount a publisher receives or an advertiser pays for each click.
CPM or Cost Per Mil refers to the amount paid for showing an ad 1,000 times.
eCPM or Effective Cost Per Mil refers to the amount earned for every thousand impressions. Some ads pay per click; others pay per thousand impressions. If you're earning per click you can calculate how much you're earning per thousand impressions by dividing your total earnings by the number of impressions you've received and multiplying by a thousand. It can be a useful statistic.
My apologies to people who knew all that, but here's the point for you. Don't make the mistake of believing that all your readers know as much -- or almost as much -- as you. Make your content as inclusive as possible, from beginners to advanced users, and you'll increase your readership, and your revenue base.
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
February 1, 2007 10:01 AM
You are perfectly right Joel, some of us DO get left behind by the trade jargon. Take eCPM for instance, what is an "Impression" ?
How does that work please.
Ken.
February 2, 2007 08:48 AM
Some time ago I heard a story of a man who liked to fish...so much in fact, he had caught the world's record of every species but one. That species was in the far south Pacific, so he traveled there, hired an interpreter and went to the tribal chief. He told the chief, thru the interpreter, of his desire to catch the world record of this fish and the chief just looked at him with a blank stare. So, he had the interpreter tell him again...he wanted to catch the world's record of this particular fish, with the same response. Finally the interpreter said to him, "I think your problem is, these people don't understand world's record. When they go fishing, they're trying to catch lunch...they don't give a hoot about world's records."
Joel, that is how I feel about what I'm trying to do with my internet marketing program...I am just trying to pay the bills, at this point in time. Screenshots of the income of the guys who make enormous amounts of money, and squeeze pages of how anyone can make a million dollars a year starting in 30 days have no meaning for me. All I want is for SOMEONE to forget telling me what I have to do to make $100,000 a month and give me the step-by-step details, in plain english, of HOW to make enough to pay the bills. Then, when we can forget the pile of bills, we can think of growing the business, because then, we'll know HOW to make money, not just a bunch of generalities about what we have to do to become a dotcom millionaire!!
Sort of ties in with your blog today...doesn't it?
February 2, 2007 10:13 AM
"HTML Tags for style??" The exact thing your recent post talks about. I'm on year two of just trying to get a decent site up. It seems so elementary to the gurus out there but I'm constantly battling basic programming issues and everyone is always trying to sell you some more software products that simplifies all of this. I battle template issues, html vs php issues, ftp issues, ad placement issues, blah, blah, blah! But it's so simple right? I get hung up for months just trying to figure out a basic upload to this file or that file, delete this file or that file, save to this file or that file, this format vs that format. The biggest problem in this whole internet racquet for beginners is you can't talk to anyone. "Submit a ticket?". It's crazy!!! "We're with you every step of the way" Yeah right! That one just cost me $9500.00. And those folks were not interested in the least in helping with this process. I'm just paying everyone else and it's starting to wear me down!!!
February 2, 2007 07:00 PM
Hi,
CPM is Cost Per Milennium (Roman Numeral M, which is called a Milennium but stands for a Thousand).
When you write Cost Per Mil, it really sounds like Cost Per Million, and that can be confusing to the reader who is new to the term.
Thanks,
Arnab.
February 4, 2007 09:28 AM
I have purchased joel comm monthly templates $206.95,on 16 jan 2007 ord num 16903308.Ihave been in touch with help desk.I cant log in want execpt my password,changed it three times says im already a member,got no where trying rto re register so no help from them.Cannot get in touch with Joel to let him no i cannot down load tamplates and starter kit to use on my com.Connot open links or use these programes in any way so are useless to me.How do i get my money back.yours faithfully p.harrold .pharrold@lycos.co.uk
February 4, 2007 08:36 PM
Joel,
You sure send me lots of email. I wish you would answer mine. You sir, are like all other so-called gurus. I regularly get 3-4 emails a day from you, but you do not have the courtesy to answer my email.
Read the post before mine. It does not surprise me.
I am glad I have not purchased any big ticket stuff from Joel Comm.
Whatever happened to customer service.
It would not be so annoying if it was a two way proposition. I guess it's time for me to make some posts about you and your relentless marketing.
Michael
February 12, 2007 06:25 PM
The Tale of the Fishes
(post by Bob Farley 2.2.07)
I agree entirely with Bob's commments regarding the so called Guru's and think Bob's tale of the Fishes should be blasted ALL OVER THE INTERNET !!!
Well done Bob
Joel - Where are your comments?
I wonder if you realise that Bob's post is exactly what I think the majority of people on the net are thinking who haven't yet got an income from their internet business or set up their websites yet.
Graham - in the U.K.