Archive for category Viral Marketing/Social Media
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Nine - Getting Your Ads Approved Fast
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Viral Marketing/Social Media on September 3rd, 2010
By this point in our 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series you should:
- Know how to design good landing pages

- Be able to create compelling ad copy
- Target the right demographics
- Choose the right images
- Know to rotate your ads
and more!
Now for getting your ads approved…and fast!
Well the first key is to follow Facebook’s advertising guidelines and rules. Some of the key points that would pertain to our products are:
- Don’t use pop-ups or similar things on your landing page.
- Don’t harass or insult users.
- If you mention “free” something must actually be free.
- Don’t violate our trademark.
- Make sure to check your spelling and grammar, including punctuation, spacing, and sentence structure.
- Don’t use excessive repetition (buy, buy, buy).
- Don’t use repeated punctuation (!!!).
- No exclamation points in the title.
The next key, especially early on with a new account, is a bit of a trick: Bid really high and set a high budget.
Facebook tends to approve ads that bid high much quicker, so bid really high, on the high end of their suggested bids. Then once it is approved, ramp it down to your chosen level.
This is really only applicable for new accounts, for about 3-4 weeks. Then they start to catch on. But, by that point your account is seasoned and you should be approved for higher limits and your ads will be approved quicker anyway.
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Seven - Landing Pages
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Viral Marketing/Social Media, Web Design on August 18th, 2010
Five Tips for Better Facebook Landing Pages
Alright so far you have learned how to write compelling ad copy on Facebook, how to choose the right images, how to rotate your ads, and much more in our 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series.
So what about once they click? How do you design an effective Facebook landing page?
Here are a few tips. Some may not be relevant to our affiliates, but most can be if you ask me to help you.
1. Design a specific landing page for them. Don’t send them a generic landing page. Send them to a page that mentions their likes, interests, groups, etc. I mentioned in the ad copy post an ad targeted to Jimmy Buffett Facebook Fans. For that ad, I want to send them to a page about Jimmy Buffett Facebook Fans. Use imagery that Jimmy Buffett fans would like…tropical sunsets, beaches, etc. are good starts.
2. Give them a special offer. Give them a discount code or some sort of sale that is targeted to them. “Special Offer for Homeschool Channel Facebook Fans” or something similar works great.
3. Try to mirror the ad content. As simple as it sounds, I have found a significant increase in conversions by simply repeating the question I asked in the ad or repeating word for word the content of the ad at the beginning of the page. If I asked a question, I ask it again, then I answer it and give them the solution (buy our course). If I made a statement, I repeat the same statement. If I included sale dates, I repeat those exact sale dates.
4. Mention our payment plan as an option. Learn & Master Guitar normally sells for $149.00. Our payment plan is $49/month (there are two $4 service charges). In all of our ads, about 40% of the Facebook population takes the payment plan. Odds are that almost all of that 40% would not buy at the full price (no payment plan). So make sure to pump that up more than normal. $49/month is a much more likely impulse buy than $149.
5. Get to the point. Typically, what as worked best for us is getting right to the point. Here’s the course, here’s a button where you can learn more, here’s the price (with payment plan of course), and here is an Add to Cart button. Long sales copy has not worked, at least on the landing page. Give them a link to Learn More and they will if they want, but so many people just decide to buy quickly.
So there you have it…five tips for better Facebook landing pages. I hope they help!
More on Facebook Ads and new Pay Per Click Rules - Podcast Episode 22
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Pay Per Click (PPC), Podcasts, Viral Marketing/Social Media on August 13th, 2010
Episode Twenty-Two of the Legacy Learning Systems Affiliate Podcast is ready for your listening pleasure. 
You can listen or download below and you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can also listen to past episodes in our Podcast Archive.
This week on the Legacy Learning Systems Affiliate Podcast, I talk more about Facebook Ads, rotating your ads and writing compelling copy. I also talk briefly about our new Pay Per Click rules.
There was not much news to cover, but I did talk about the latest two topics in our 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series and the email I sent about the new Pay Per Click rules. If you did not get that email, please let me know.
This week’s short show notes are:
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Five - Rotate Your Ads
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Six - Compelling Ad Copy
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Six - Compelling Ad Copy
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Viral Marketing/Social Media on August 12th, 2010
Earlier this week in our 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series I encouraged you to make sure to rotate your ads.
Part of that is rotating the images you use. The other part is writing the actual text of the ad itself. So, how do you go about that?
Well first, again consider your target market. Read up on Facebook demographic targeting first and then we will apply a lot of the same rules as when choosing the right image for our ads.
Some basic tips for writing compelling ad copy on Facebook are:
- Ask Questions - in the title if possible. Or in the body of the ad if not. You don’t always have to do this, but it does work well. Even without the question mark, ask the question! In fact, sometimes a question with the “?” works well, because it just looks kind of funny.
- Use Special Characters - such as the trademark symbol ™ or something similar.
- Use words that reference their demographic, like “Hey guys” or “Wives, do you want to…”
- Tell them what to do - Click here. Use promo code “XYZ.”
- Use testimonials - from a similar person. “John in Arizona says…”
- Speak to their dreams - this is tough, but if you can target the right group and speak to their dreams (i.e. learning guitar at the age of 55) you have them.
So, for this example, let’s say that we are targeting 35-60 year old males who are fans of Jimmy Buffett. How might we target them? What ad copy can we use?
Well, here is one ad that did amazingly well.

Of the six tips above, I think it hits squarely on 1 and 2 and to some extent 3, 4, and 6.
It asks a question…twice actually. Once with a “?” and once without.
It uses the trademark symbol, something that makes it stand out a bit and gives authority.
The ad DOES speak to their demographic and dreams, because it talks about their favorite artist and asks if they want to play like him. And lastly, it sort of gives them a call to action in that it mentions a sale and says when it will end. Note: It also makes a pun, using the song title “Come Monday” in the last sentence. Bonus points for creativity!
So there you have it…six good tips for writing ad copy. When combined with the right images and demographics, you should have a killer ad!
Our iPhone App, a New Guitar, Contest and Bonus Winners, and Facebook Advertising - Podcast Episode 21
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Podcasts, Viral Marketing/Social Media on August 6th, 2010
Episode Twenty-One of the Legacy Learning Systems Affiliate Podcast is ready for your listening pleasure.
You can listen or download below and you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can also listen to past episodes in our Podcast Archive.
In this podcast Matt talks about the first four tips in his 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series, the new Affiliate iPhone App, the new guitar on the site and contest and bonus winners in July.
Here are these week’s show notes:
Legacy Learning Systems Affiliate iPhone App
July 2010 Affiliate Insider Newsletter
Silvertone SD50 Guitar Information
Creating a Custom Link in ShareASale
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Four - Just Do It!
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Viral Marketing/Social Media on August 5th, 2010
Yesterday in our 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series we covered using demographic information to create the right images.
The day before we covered how to find demographic information and how to target effectively (gender, age, Likes & Interests, location, etc.).
And on the first day I encouraged you to use CPM bidding in your Facebook ads.
It dawned on me this morning that I never really actually addressed the concerns that a lot of people have about Facebook advertising. And I never really ever actually said to “Do it!”
That is the critical first step…doing. Set up an account, follow a few of these guidelines, read up on other blogs about it, and then start creating ads.
Here are the three most common holdups that people have about doing Facebook advertising in my experience:
- There’s not enough volume. Really? Facebook just passed 500 million users. There are 1.8 billion internet users, so that makes up almost 30% of the internet population.
- Yeah, but what about if I target small? Then the volume is almost non-existent.
- Conversions are too low. How can I ever make it work from a ROI perspective?
To put this into perspective, Facebook is approximately twice the size of the adult population in the United States.
It would be the third largest country in the world, behind only China and India.
It has 357 times more users than New York Times subscribers.
The volume is there.
See yesterday’s post about the number of people who list “learning something new” or similar phrases in their likes and interests. Certainly targeting certain demographics is wise. In fact, my average ad group has about 15,000 people in it. But I have 500 ad groups. Even with 50% overlap (a very high estimate) I am still reaching almost 4 million very targeted people. Start small and expand your targeting…I think you will be very surprised at who you can reach and what will be effective.
Keep reading…we will address conversions and ROI soon. But, if you want a quick glimpse, here it is: create specific landing pages for each large group. Apply the same rules of targeting to the landing page and mention Facebook on the page. Notice the plural…landing pageS. Test, test, and test some more. OK, you get the idea and there is so much more to cover on that.
But for now, just get started. Even if it’s $0.20 a click (or $0.20 CPM) or whatever. Even if it’s $20.00/day. In the words of Nike, just do it!
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips - Part Three - Images & Demographics
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Viral Marketing/Social Media on August 4th, 2010
Yesterday in our 15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series we covered using demographic information, how to find it and use it effectively to target the right people.
Now that you know how to target them, how do you write an ad that will attract them?
Well, let me first say this: I suck at ad copy. There.
Seriously, I am not very good at it. Occasionally I will stumble on something that works though. So, trial and error is pretty much how I end up with any good ads.
Writing a good Facebook ad is similar (in my opinion) to writing a good PPC ad with a few caveats. We will cover that part tomorrow.
Today though, I want to cover specifically how to choose the right image.
Here are 8 tips to choosing the right image.
- Study the demographics and find the appropriate picture. People like to see people who look like themselves. If you are targeting middle aged men, show a middle aged man. Here is an ad for Learn & Master Guitar that has performed very well. It is for men ages 40-45.

- Sometimes this is not true as in the case of the best performing ad for men ages 20-28. Oddly enough, the best ad so far was very cartoonish and amateurish. Lesson: sometimes the audience is just weird. But, I did think the image would stand out enough to a younger audience that it was worth trying.

- Another lesson learned from #2 is to test various images with the same ad copy. This will be a recurring theme in this series…test, test, and then when you are tired of testing, test some more.
- People are used to images by now. They have to stand out and not be TOO professional. Sometimes something goofy actually works.
- Consider using an image that is not 110X80 (or has a white background or other color). Sometimes smaller works better because it is different.
- Consider using a border around the image. Something that contrasts Facebook blue, like red or orange.
- One thing that I have not had the chance to test yet is seasonality. Does it help to rotate the ads based on the time of year? Like a guy playing guitar on the beach in summer and in front of a fireplace in winter? Do the clothes they are wearing matter? Just a thought.

- Lastly, think hard about the audience. A 50-year old man has dreamt of playing for 20+ years most likely. A 25-year old guy just wants to learn how to impress his friends at parties. The picture and ad copy change significantly based on this.
And one last thing I forgot mention yesterday. Approximately 880,000 people in the U.S. alone have “learning,” “learning something new,” “learning anything new,” and similar Likes & Interests. Not a bad subset of the population to hit! Consider adding those to your targets as well.
15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series - Part One - CPM Bidding
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Viral Marketing/Social Media on July 30th, 2010
About a month ago, I announced a new series entitled “15+ Tips for Advertising our Courses on Facebook.”
Welcome to Part One!
The first tip is a basic Facebook advertising tip (as many of these will):
Use CPM Bidding - If you write a well-written ad that engages the customer and gets clicks, you will likely find it MUCH cheaper to use CPM bidding. For those who don’t know, CPM stands for “Cost Per Thousand Impressions.” So a CPM rate of $10.00 would mean you are paying 1 cent per impression.
If your ad is truly engaging, you will have a high CTR (Click Through Rate) which lowers your CPC (Cost Per Click). So using the CPM bidding will lower your CPC.
Let’s do the math.
Let’s say you would normally bid $0.50 per click and have a CTR of 0.5%. 10,000 impressions would cost you $25.00 (10,000 x 0.005 x 0.50).
So your CPM would be $2.50.
If you have a CTR of 0.75% though and can keep that CPM bid of $2.50, you will be much better doing that.
I think that explains it. Maybe not. These cold medicines are killing me
More tips to come in our “15+ Facebook Advertising Tips Series.”
Selling Out, Tracking Code, Birthday Winner, and More with Stephanie Lichtenstein on Social Media
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Podcasts, Viral Marketing/Social Media on July 16th, 2010
Episode Nineteen of the Legacy Learning Systems Affiliate Podcast is ready for your listening pleasure.
You can listen or download below and you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can also listen to past episodes in our Podcast Archive.
On this episode Matt talks about the Original Guitar course selling out, a question for your affiliate manager, has part two of his interview with Stephanie Lichtenstein on Social Media and announces the winner of the 18th birthday present!
Here are this week’s show notes:
Stephanie Lichtenstein
Stephanie Lichtenstein - Biography | Micro Media Marketing | Twitter
Questions to Ask Your Affiliate Manager Series
For the winner of the birthday present, you have to listen. If the winner does not claim his $250 by the next episode I will draw another name or put all of the money into a hat and set it on fire
Probably the first option.
Stephanie Lichtenstein Interview on Social Media Part One, Birthday Presents and More - Special Podcast #18
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Bonuses, Podcasts, Viral Marketing/Social Media on July 9th, 2010
Episode Eighteen of the Legacy Learning Systems Affiliate Podcast is ready for your listening pleasure.
You can listen or download below and you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes. You can also listen to past episodes in our Podcast Archive.
In this episode we have part one of my interview about Social Media with Stephanie Lichtenstein, A great song from Eric Nagel and Todd Farmer, and more questions to ask your affiliate manager.
Here are this week’s show notes:
June 2010 Affiliate Insider Newsletter
Stephanie Lichtenstein
The contest I mentioned here is only available to podcast listeners, so you will have to listen to get the details on the $250 in cash birthday present.
Stephanie Lichtenstein - Biography | Micro Media Marketing | Twitter
Coming Soon: 15+ Tips for Advertising our Courses on Facebook
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Pay Per Click (PPC), Viral Marketing/Social Media on June 25th, 2010
Are you already advertising our courses on Facebook? 
Perhaps you have tried it and failed?
More likely, like most affiliates, you don’t know the first thing about advertising on Facebook.
Whatever group you fall into, you will definitely not want to miss my upcoming series that I am currently calling “15+ Tips for Advertising our Courses on Facebook.” Why 15+ tips? Because I have about 12 already and have absolutely no idea how many I will end up with.
Facebook advertising is kind of a combination of AdWords, in terms of writing copy and landing pages, radio advertising, in terms of demographic targeting, and a little bit of tricky, stealth maneuvering to enhance the performance of your ads, with a dash of Mr. Belvedere and Tony Danza. Or something like that. Let’s just say that the bad news is that very few people know the ins and outs of Facebook advertising. And the good news is that very few people know the ins and outs of Facebook advertising.
Anyway, as of now, the series will launch probably in early July and continue until…well whenever I run of tips.
Can More Twitter Followers Help Your Google Ranking?
Posted by Matt McWilliams in Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Viral Marketing/Social Media on May 18th, 2010
Can Twitter followers actually help your site rank better?
Well, the answer is “sort of.”
I was doing a Google search today and literally stumbled upon something I have never seen before, even though it has been around since October of last year.
I did a search for “blues guitar” and look what I found:

How is it that I never noticed that before? Long ago, I followed our LandMGuitar Twitter account…the one that hasn’t been posted to in ages. And now, it means our Blues Guitar Spotlight Series course shows up in its own special place. So does our Learn and Master Guitar course on a search for “learn guitar.”

It’s called Google Social Search and apparently I have been under a rock for the past seven months since it was announced on Google’s Blog back in October. So, you may already know about it.
It’s basically a way to personalize the results on a Google search. I will leave it to the following videos from Google to teach you more about it if you want to learn more.
Anyway, back to the original question: do more Twitter followers help your Google ranking? I think it’s possible in a way. The more followers you have, the more likely your site is to show up in the results in that section, so it can’t hurt.
But, keep in mind that it also applies to social media sites like FriendFeed, Google Buzz, connections from your GMail contacts and chat buddies, and sites that you subscribe to in Google Reader.
Here are those videos so you can learn more:















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