SitePoint is having a Christmas Countdown sale, with a new featured special every day. Today they have an excellent marketing bundle up for sale, which includes my book, Online Marketing Inside Out, The SEO Business Guide, and SitePoint’s new Facebook Ads 101 course – all for only $99!

First, Online Marketing Inside Out is an introduction to online marketing, covering topics from planning your marketing strategy, email marketing, website optimization, pay per click marketing, and much more. The SEO Business Guide has everything you need to optimize your website for search engines, and was just updated in October 2010 with the newest information.

Facebook Ads 101 is a brand new course which starts on December 16. You’ll participate in a structured online video course with lessons
and tutorials, as well as have access to a private Q&A system. Once you purchase this deal, we’ll email you a link to enroll. Click on
the link, enroll, and you can start your lessons anytime.

Normally all these products would cost almost $275, so this is a huge discount. If you’ve got a website but need help getting to the next step, or are thinking of starting one, this bundle is for you. Head on over to SitePoint’s Christmas Countdown for more information.

Upcoming Speaking Schedule

After a couple months off, I’m getting back into a regular speaking schedule. I’m excited to be speaking several times this fall all over the country:

• Tips Bloggers Can Learn from Online Marketers
  September 18-19 – WordCamp Birmingham (Birmingham, AL)
• Free and Open Source Tools for Business
  October 1-2 – ConvergeSouth (Greensboro, NC)
• 5 Strategies Bloggers Can Learn from Online Marketers
  Panel with Scott Stratten, Scott Fox, Shayne Tilley and myself
  October 14-16 – BlogWorld & New Media Expo (Las Vegas, NV)
• Ethics and Social Media Marketing
  Panel with Patrick O’Keefe, Jeremy Wright, Jay Baer and myself
  October 14-16 – BlogWorld & New Media Expo (Las Vegas, NV)
• Effective Networking for Freelancers & Independent Contractors
  November 13 – IndieConf (Raleigh, NC)

I am interested in new speaking opportunities as well. If you need a speaker for your conference or event, get in touch. You can see my entire speaking schedule on the Online Marketing Speaker page.

Email Marketing Live

I’m working with SitePoint on an online learning course teaching the fundamentals of successful email marketing. It will start with the absolute basics, and cover everything from determining what emails should be about to building a subscriber list to designing effective newsletters and testing them to increase conversions.

The course will start this fall and will include lots of one-on-one time with me in a private chat area where I’ll be available to answer questions, review campaigns, etc. I’ll post more information as it becomes available.

Upcoming Books

I was asked to coauthor a book, but with my current schedule and the proposed deadline by the publisher, I had to decline. I did agree to be the technical editor and as an advisor of sorts on the content. I’m very excited about working on the project, though, even if in a lesser capacity. The book is about the business of web design and should be out early next year.

I’m also working on a third book, which I can’t be too specific about just yet. I’m working with a colleague on a book proposal that we’ll soon pitch to a few publishers. I’m pretty excited about the subject matter and that there aren’t any marketing books published in the last 5 years that really cover it.

Blogging

I’ve been blogging much more lately on the Online Marketing Inside Out blog, and here. I’m trying to get into a regular schedule of posting (typically Monday, Wednesday and Friday but this week was a long holiday weekend). It’s going to be a little difficult to keep up the pace with everything else I have going on, so I may have some guest posts, contests, and other fun topics.

Tribune Newsletter

I’m still writing alternating issues of the SitePoint Tribune email newsletter, that reaches over 200,000 web professionals every week. My next issue comes out this Thursday. Subscribe now to be sure to get it.

ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett

Blog Blazers: 40 Top Bloggers Share Their Secrets
by Stephane Grenier

Head over to the OMIO blog to find out how to enter.

• The Changing Face of Marketing
• Using your Website to Generate Income
• Using Social Media to Promote Your Website
• Getting Others to Sell Your Products for You
• Spreading your Message through Online Advertising

The seminar is hosted by Kapital Medya and MediaCat Communications Institute. Last year, David Meerman Scott, author of “The New Rules of Marketing & PR” and “World Wide Rave” was one of the seminar presenters.

I’m excited about the seminar and look forward to seeing some of Istanbul while I’m there!

3 Ways to Dramatically Increase Your Conversion Rate

I have wanted to speak at SxSW for several years, having been to the conference both in 2008 and 2009, so I’m very excited about the opportunity to both speak at one of the largest conferences in our industry and to get such an amazing chance to promote our book.

I just hope my coauthor Shayne Tilley can make it to Austin all the way from Australia. Not only would it be an excellent opportunity for us to promote the book together, but it would also be the first time I met him in person!

I’m especially excited about this year because I have a book signing Friday at 11 AM, a time slot I’m sharing with Patrick O’Keefe, good friend and author of “Managing Online Forums.”

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones. If you’re headed to BWE as well drop me a line in the comments below or hit me up on Twitter.

I’m also looking forward to Sunday, where we all get a free pass to SeaWorld for the day. I can’t wait, because I’m surprising my son… Sunday happens to also be his 4th birthday and I’m taking him (and the rest of the family) to SeaWorld.

The title of this episode is “Attracting Your Target Audience” and will be streamed live on the VoiceAmerica Business Channel at 1 PM EST, 10 AM PST. It will also be replayed again at 10 PM PST, 1 AM EST and will be recorded and available for download as an MP3. You can also subscribe to the recordings via iTunes.

I’m excited to be on the show. If you’re not busy Thursday at 10 AM EST, stop by and listen.

Online voting amounts for 30% of the decision making process, with the advisory board having 40% and staff picks having 30%. Since online voting counts for so much of the decision, I’m asking everyone to take a look at these panel and session submissions and please vote “thumbs-up!”

Note: Even though my name isn’t on the Panel Picker website for each of these, I am a speaker on each of the panels below.

Marketing By Design: Practical Advice For Better Conversions

Great design is about getting visitors to take a desired action, whether that’s placing an order or clicking on an ad. Learn how to use proven marketing principles to increase conversions and ROI. I’ll discuss how to improve usability, navigation, calls to action, home page layout, error pages, & headlines.

How to Pitch Social Media to Your Clients

Odds are your clients have already asked about Social Media. They’ve heard about Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook and want to know how they can effectively use social media in their marketing strategies. We’ll discuss what questions to ask, how to charge, and how to pitch social media to your clients.

Other Panelists: Jason Falls, Principal at Social Media Explorer; Chris Brogan, President of New Marketing Labs and Co-Author of “Trust Agents.”

Marketing and Online Communities: Oil and Water?

Online communities represent captive audiences, having conversations that you want your company to be a part of. But, communities are built upon trust and respect that is earned and are rightfully protective of their space. So, how do you connect with them? That’s what we’ll discuss.

Other Panelists: Patrick O’Keefe, Owner of iFroggy Network and Author of “Managing Online Forums”; Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”Shayne Tilley, Marketing Manager at SitePoint and Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out.”

Shameless Self Promotion Without Looking Like an @#$%^&!

Too often, individuals and businesses take advantage of someone else’s turf and excuse it as “shameless self promotion.” It’s not acceptable and it can lead to you being labeled a spammer or worse. In this panel, we’ll tell you how to promote yourself without turning others off.

Other Panelists: Patrick O’Keefe, Owner of iFroggy Network and Author of “Managing Online Forums“; Twanna A. Hines, Founder of Funky Brown Chick Corporation, freelance writer and blogger and Owner, FunkyBrownChick.comDarren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”.

When Does the Conversation End and the Selling Begin?

Social media is now critical in the modern marketing mix. However the emergence of a social media corporate etiquette is creating real barriers between a conversation and direct sale. So how do you effectively transfer your conversations to a sale without risking your online reputation? That’s what will be answered.

Other Panelists: Patrick O’Keefe, Owner of iFroggy Network and Author of “Managing Online Forums”; Darren Rowse, Founder and Editor of ProBlogger, Digital Photography School and TwiTip and Co-Author of “ProBlogger: the Book”Shayne Tilley, Marketing Manager at SitePoint and Co-Author of “Online Marketing Inside Out.”

Below is a video presentation with audio:

Capitalizing on the Mobile Web from Brandon Eley on Vimeo.

• Remove Distractions
• Optimize Your Navigation
• Effectively Place Calls to Action
• Omit Needless Words
• Focus Your Audience

I’ll also cover 5 more points that will help you get most out of your Website.

Not selling something, eh? Sure you are. Even if your site is just a personal portfolio or ‘business card’ site, you’re selling yourself or your ideas. I’ll give you some simple advice about how to do a better job of it.

If you make stuff for the Web, the info you get from this event will help you do it better.

Get more info and RSVP here

Update: Below is the SlideShare presentation for download