Lead Market News
The Cluetrain Manifesto is Modern Marketing
I came across this pointer from Doc Searls blog this morning. It references a professor at Kent State using The Cluetrain Manifesto as core curriculum in his PR course(s).
(By the way, Kent State is a great place to get smart people from. One of our senior software engineers who has been with us since the [...]
Lead Generation Economics 101
The last couple of weeks, amid the dynamics of the mortgage market, there has been interesting commentary on recession and online ad spending. The contagion effect of the mortgage meltdown is alive and well and creating havoc in the lead generation market.
I thought, since I have had multiple inquiries into my opinion on potential investments [...]
Inflection Points for Search Spending Similar to Lead Buying
Niki Scevak, former Jupiter Analyst and current marketing luminary, was strolling down search marketing memory lane when he came across the Stanford Entrepreneurs’ podcast, which contained a reference to one of his slides from his analyst days.
The interesting point that Niki makes, which struck me, is this:
…basically an S-curve that showed spending on search by [...]
Lead Exchange (marketplace) Gains Solid Foundation
LeadPoint, as one of the first lead exchanges or marketplaces, has gained an undeniable foundation in the lead generation market has certainly secured its place in the lead market. Announcing more than 4 million lead trades since its inception in 2004 it continues to demonstrate dramatic growth on both the lead buyer and lead seller [...]
28Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Buy Leads, Why Buy Lead Management Too?
This is a great question! And since we sell the best lead management at Kaleidico I will refrain from answering the question.
Fortunately, one of the top lead providers out there is pitching it for us. Listen to the latest ZipSearch Radio! show or visit the ZipSearch blog.
BTW, cover your ears when you hear our competitor, [...]
Domains and Domain Registrations Increasingly Valuable Assets
As I research and prepare for a deep dive series on affiliate marketing I am increasingly intrigued by the complex web of topics that are involved in this marketing discipline. One of the foundational concepts, of course, is the domain name.
There are whole companies and industries built around the management and monetization of these increasingly [...]
Look for Lead Providers Who Change the Message for the Environment
There is a lot of talk about how the mortgage market has changed. It is certainly obvious that home owners and new home buyers are in a different state of mind. Is your marketing spend and advertising budget reflecting this change?
The best mortgage lead providers are changing their messages to reflect a different market. Seth [...]
Understanding Key to FHA Modernization and Economic Stimulus Bill Opportunities
Like any good marketing or sales puzzle understanding the problem is half of the battle in acquiring new customers. Mortgage lead providers are gearing up there marketing acumen to find these special FHA qualified home buyers and home owners, but are you knowledgeable enough to answer all of these consumers questions?
Thanks to several resources compiled [...]
Investors and Advertisers Increasingly Interested in Opportunities Beyond Search
Unquestionably a consumer that searches for “can I refinance my California home under new FHA loan program” makes a great advertising buy and probably a pretty hot mortgage lead. And major buys on primary destination portals like Yahoo! and MSN bring significant lead volume.
But are there opportunities outside of this very competitive market?
Recent investments in [...]
Lead Providers Help Identify Borrowers Eligible for Jumbo Rate Relief
As the economy continues to show signs of impending recession the Federal government is working hard to stimulate it. The steps most relevant to the mortgage industry are:
Recent Federal Reserve rate cuts, and
The White House’s economic stimulus including increases to conventional loan limits
These actions naturally create an exciting opportunity for a mortgage industry looking for [...]
21Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Is NexTag Benefiting from Competitor Mortgage Woes?
News is breaking that Mortgage Companies Reduce Online Ad Spending and Mortgage Ad Budgets are Being Cut on the heels of Nielsen Online’s latest online advertising spending survey.
However, I think there may be a more interesting and subtle mortgage lead market story evolving here. As major mortgage online advertising spenders, like Countrywide Financial, Experian Group [...]
LeadCritic talks Mortgage Leads with Owen Raun
If you are thinking about buying mortgage leads or are just looking to tune up your lead management strategy you need to listen to Owen Raun’s latest podcast with LeadCritic. Here are some highlights to listen for:
Did you know the Lead Critic went from the buy side (mortgage lender) to the sell side (lead provider)? [...]
19Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Why Mortgage Advertising Continues Through Market Downturn
Conventional thinking is that in a market downturn marketing and advertising are some of the first expenses to be cut. However, the current mortgage market may be defying this general wisdom.
Arguably, many of the big mortgage lead buying operations like American Home Mortgage, Ameriquest, and New Century may be gone and thereby reducing short-term aggregate [...]
FTC on Better Mortgage Disclosures
The FTC, as the top federal consumer advocate, is always focused on making certain the consumer is aware of the conditions of any consumer transaction. Unquestionably, a mortgage loan is one of the largest and most complex transaction the average American will ever encounter. However, to what lengths should a mortgage company, or marketing lead [...]
18Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Experian’s PriceGrabber.com For Sale?
PriceGrabber.com and LowerMyBills.com were hot properties in 2005 when Experian picked up this pair of then strong businesses. However, markets have changed significantly and price comparison websites and mortgage lead generation are beginning to become a consistent financial statement eye sore for Experian investors.
Experian has been reporting sizable losses in there Interactive Division, particularly with [...]
ValueClick is FTC’s Latest Truth in Advertising Target
The use of “free” and general efficacy in consumer offers is obviously FTC’s latest enforcement focus. ValueClick is just the latest in settlements around using tantalizing incentive offers in lead generation. Some recent examples include:
Member Source Media
Adteractive
ValueClick’s FTC settlement of $2.9 million is the largest to date, but is sure not to be the last. [...]
14Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Bankrate gobbling up bargain Internet properties?
Bankrate recently completes two acquisitions of InsureMe, Inc. (insureme.com) and Lower Fees, Inc. (feedisclosure.com). It continues a trend of paired acquisitions that included the 4th quarter 2007 purchase of National Card Services, Inc. and Savingforcollege.com, LLC and a pair of late 2005 deals to take in FastFind and MMIS/Interest.com.
The 2007/2008 acquisitions certainly demonstrate a strategy [...]
OLGA wants more from IAB’s lead generation best practices
Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) recent release of online lead generation best practices for B2C and B2B is an unprecedented step in bringing a benchmark of acceptable practices to lead generation. Those of us involved in lead generation and lead management see on a daily basis the very loose and wide view of acceptable means to [...]
11Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Get the Pulse of the Lead Market at LeadsCon
LeadsCon is the first of its kind show for those interested in lead generation and customer acquisition. Come to The Palms, Last Vegas April 2 - 4, 2008 to meet some of the smartest, most innovative, and successful companies in all of online advertising. Come to LeadsCon to network and learn, and you’ll leave with [...]
10Feb2008 | Bill Rice | 0 comments | Continued
Bankrate misses estimates, but remains bullish
Bankrate, like most of the Internet advertising market with mortgage market exposure, has missed quarterly earnings estimates. I think the key trend line that needs to be watched is reflected in this statement from Bankrate’s CEO, Thomas Evans:
“It was an unusual quarter in that we had two record months followed by a soft December, when [...]
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I am in complete agreement with everything Bill says. In the UK market we have experienced a similar phenomenon but ...
I am going to err on the side that some lead providers in happier times were sitting on bloated poor ...
Young Bill... Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not that coy. All positions we've picked up from suffering competitors ...
Thanks for the kind words, Bill. So far, we're seeing predictive modeling able to very effectively segment online ...
Bill
Good insight
I am surprised that some of these lenders have cut their affiliate pay outs, but continue to advertise online, ...
