Thu - June 14, 2007
Finding Good Affordable Programmers - IMS #125
Question: You're a top notch internet
marketer, and know several other successful marketers, I was wondering if you
could please give me some advice on how to find a good
programmer?
I need a programmer experienced in PHP, MySQL, Linux and creating spiders. I have tried most of the freelance sites, for over two years, with little success. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
I need a programmer experienced in PHP, MySQL, Linux and creating spiders. I have tried most of the freelance sites, for over two years, with little success. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Answer: Sure... if you've exhausted the usual
freelance sources, maybe try a couple of forums or private sites. Go where the
programmers hang out, and ask in their forums. Check the search engines for
things like, "MySQL forum" and "Linux forum" and ask for
help.
Another hangout is the Keyword Avalanche. Of all the private sites, they seem to have the greatest number of programmers. If you join up for a month and start asking the membership, I'm sure their... sphere of influence, will find you someone.
Keyword Avalanche Success Forums ==> http://www.cdzn.com/ka
Another option might be something like CraigsList.com. They are one of the top 50 sites on the internet, according to Alexa's traffic data. If you place your classified ads there, they have a good chance of being spotted by someone who's qualified, and meets your needs.
CraigsList is also good place for marketing your services, if you go about it the right way, and advertise only in the services section. Read the terms of service before posting. If you qualify, your classified ads could be running on one of the hottest, and most popular, sites on the web.
Another hangout is the Keyword Avalanche. Of all the private sites, they seem to have the greatest number of programmers. If you join up for a month and start asking the membership, I'm sure their... sphere of influence, will find you someone.
Keyword Avalanche Success Forums ==> http://www.cdzn.com/ka
Another option might be something like CraigsList.com. They are one of the top 50 sites on the internet, according to Alexa's traffic data. If you place your classified ads there, they have a good chance of being spotted by someone who's qualified, and meets your needs.
CraigsList is also good place for marketing your services, if you go about it the right way, and advertise only in the services section. Read the terms of service before posting. If you qualify, your classified ads could be running on one of the hottest, and most popular, sites on the web.
Posted at 05:24 PM
Wed - May 9, 2007
Heros Wanted - IMS #123
Sure it's great to make affiliate
commissions on product sales. Even more gravy when they subscribe to your
newsletter and you collect the back end sales. But are you sending your
customers more than just offers?
Here's something that will let you look like a
hero. Telling your readers about recalls and product safety
concerns.
The site is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. And you don't need to worry about using the content, as its all in the public domain.
The CPSCs most wanted list (the most dangerous items) include, window blinds, old cribs and cedar chests. Recent recalls include magnets, toy cell phones, gas grills, spas, activity centers and lots of children's jewelry, due to high levels of toxic lead.
So if you want to look like a hero, and keep your subscribers reading, give them something of true value. And what could be more important than their personal safety and concern for their families.
Consumer Product Safety ==> http://www.cpsc.gov
The site is the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. And you don't need to worry about using the content, as its all in the public domain.
The CPSCs most wanted list (the most dangerous items) include, window blinds, old cribs and cedar chests. Recent recalls include magnets, toy cell phones, gas grills, spas, activity centers and lots of children's jewelry, due to high levels of toxic lead.
So if you want to look like a hero, and keep your subscribers reading, give them something of true value. And what could be more important than their personal safety and concern for their families.
Consumer Product Safety ==> http://www.cpsc.gov
Posted at 01:34 PM
Wed - April 11, 2007
A Super Highway to Success
Question: I really liked the 200 Page
Challenge and I hope to get ripping into it soon! Question though, what is the
best plan of action when you come across a killer product or service, but vendor
/ service provider doesn't have an affiliate program? Surely, there must be a
better answer than, "Go to the next one that
does."
I've hunted around on some affiliate newsgroups, but haven't really got a satisfactory answer, from anyone whom I KNOW makes a full-time living via affiliate programs. Any ideas or pointers?
I've hunted around on some affiliate newsgroups, but haven't really got a satisfactory answer, from anyone whom I KNOW makes a full-time living via affiliate programs. Any ideas or pointers?
Answer: For a quick affiliate program there's
always Clickbank but they are for digital products only. There are plenty of
others like Ultimate Affiliate Program, 1ShoppingCart and Paul Galloway's
Synergyx Series. Any of those are quick and relatively easy to set up these
days.
But if they refuse to set up an affiliate program, there's still hope!
What I did in '98 with Cell-West was to offer my services in exchange for a percentage of the gross. They didn't have an affiliate program, and it was too expensive to set one up in those days, just to run a test.
So what I did was offer to be the ONLY affiliate. I would receive 15% of the gross - as a sales commission - on all internet orders for a period of one year. Since I was the only one creating websites for the company, it was easy to implement and track.
The end result? I generated around 780K for them, and a healthy 100K for me, after returns and refunds. So if a company doesn't have an affiliate program, sometimes its worth a phone call just to explore the options.
Then the rest - as they say - is history. I thought hey... if I can do the SEO and online marketing for a client, why not do it for myself. Cell-West was the last SEO client that I ever had.
From then on I started promoting affiliate programs for various products and launched my own series of ebooks. In them I reveal everything I learned along the way, from SEO to PPC. Blazing the trails so you don't have to.
Now there's a super highway, paved to success... which you've already discovered. You can download the free marketing ebooks right away. The 200 Page Challenge is the car. The Keyword Marketing Report is the key. All you need to do is go for the ride. Good luck with your venture!
But if they refuse to set up an affiliate program, there's still hope!
What I did in '98 with Cell-West was to offer my services in exchange for a percentage of the gross. They didn't have an affiliate program, and it was too expensive to set one up in those days, just to run a test.
So what I did was offer to be the ONLY affiliate. I would receive 15% of the gross - as a sales commission - on all internet orders for a period of one year. Since I was the only one creating websites for the company, it was easy to implement and track.
The end result? I generated around 780K for them, and a healthy 100K for me, after returns and refunds. So if a company doesn't have an affiliate program, sometimes its worth a phone call just to explore the options.
Then the rest - as they say - is history. I thought hey... if I can do the SEO and online marketing for a client, why not do it for myself. Cell-West was the last SEO client that I ever had.
From then on I started promoting affiliate programs for various products and launched my own series of ebooks. In them I reveal everything I learned along the way, from SEO to PPC. Blazing the trails so you don't have to.
Now there's a super highway, paved to success... which you've already discovered. You can download the free marketing ebooks right away. The 200 Page Challenge is the car. The Keyword Marketing Report is the key. All you need to do is go for the ride. Good luck with your venture!
Posted at 01:24 PM
Wed - February 7, 2007
When Work Seems Like Fun - IMS #118
Question: ""I really enjoyed your
newsletter about building a 200 page website in just 30 minutes per day. In your
example you went to Yahoo and found the topic Health and Fitness, with subtopics
yoga, pilates, treadmills, heart rate monitors and other
gear.
My question is... does the website incorporate all of these subtopics, with a few articles in each? Or, alternatively, do you create a separate website for each subtopic? I would be very grateful if you could provide a bit more information on the structure of the site.
Also, which affiliate companies have you become associated with, particularly within the fitness equipment niche?""
My question is... does the website incorporate all of these subtopics, with a few articles in each? Or, alternatively, do you create a separate website for each subtopic? I would be very grateful if you could provide a bit more information on the structure of the site.
Also, which affiliate companies have you become associated with, particularly within the fitness equipment niche?""
Answer: I would structure the site similar to the
one I wrote about, in the Keyword Marketing Report. The white paper
contains just about everything you'll need to know about Keyword Marketing, the
fundamentals of SEO, and getting organic search traffic to your
site.
In the report that you refer to - The 200 Page Challenge - the style of the site is often called an Authority Site. So yes, it would have all the subtopics on a single site. We're attempting to build a "favored source" that has the most dependable and trustworthy content on the topic.
So any quality content relating to health and fitness is fair game. Each subtopic could have its own subdirectory or subdomain on the server. How you organize the content, is up to you.
But it depends on which type of model or path that you choose. An authority site is pretty easy. It's just one domain name, on a topic that you enjoy, that you add content to, on a regular basis.
You could - with a little more work - expand each subtopic on its own site, and link them together in a mininet, just like the linking strategies in Revenge of the Mininet. The sites are small and quick to set up. The downside is multiple hosting accounts to keep track of.
Either way will work. Either way is work. But if you enjoy the topic and the process, it will seem like fun instead.
Who's affiliate programs do I promote? Well... as you can well imagine, I don't like to invite direct competition into my niche. The companies I partner with are secret. It takes time to develop the relationship.
We start as anonymous affiliates but over time develop loyalties and relationships, which means larger than average commissions and unique opportunities not offered to the public.
The best advice on finding good companies to partner with, is detailed in Clickin it Rich. In this latest version, you'll find out how to choose products and services to sell. The top 10 secrets to making the sale. How to become a super affiliate. And eight habits every super affiliate must learn.
Get Clickin' it Rich, The 200 Page Challenge, The Keyword Marketing Report and other goodies here:
Free Downloadable eBooks:
http://www.InternetMarketingSecrets.com/downloads/
Clickin' it Rich 4.0 is a free downloadable ebook. It's only 60 pages, and you can read it in an afternoon. But the knowledge you'll gain from it, and the other bonuses like the Action Plan, will last you a lifetime. And all of a sudden, your work will seem a lot more fun.
In the report that you refer to - The 200 Page Challenge - the style of the site is often called an Authority Site. So yes, it would have all the subtopics on a single site. We're attempting to build a "favored source" that has the most dependable and trustworthy content on the topic.
So any quality content relating to health and fitness is fair game. Each subtopic could have its own subdirectory or subdomain on the server. How you organize the content, is up to you.
But it depends on which type of model or path that you choose. An authority site is pretty easy. It's just one domain name, on a topic that you enjoy, that you add content to, on a regular basis.
You could - with a little more work - expand each subtopic on its own site, and link them together in a mininet, just like the linking strategies in Revenge of the Mininet. The sites are small and quick to set up. The downside is multiple hosting accounts to keep track of.
Either way will work. Either way is work. But if you enjoy the topic and the process, it will seem like fun instead.
Who's affiliate programs do I promote? Well... as you can well imagine, I don't like to invite direct competition into my niche. The companies I partner with are secret. It takes time to develop the relationship.
We start as anonymous affiliates but over time develop loyalties and relationships, which means larger than average commissions and unique opportunities not offered to the public.
The best advice on finding good companies to partner with, is detailed in Clickin it Rich. In this latest version, you'll find out how to choose products and services to sell. The top 10 secrets to making the sale. How to become a super affiliate. And eight habits every super affiliate must learn.
Get Clickin' it Rich, The 200 Page Challenge, The Keyword Marketing Report and other goodies here:
Free Downloadable eBooks:
http://www.InternetMarketingSecrets.com/downloads/
Clickin' it Rich 4.0 is a free downloadable ebook. It's only 60 pages, and you can read it in an afternoon. But the knowledge you'll gain from it, and the other bonuses like the Action Plan, will last you a lifetime. And all of a sudden, your work will seem a lot more fun.
Posted at 10:21 AM
Sat - January 27, 2007
Use Trademarks with Caution or Not At All
Whoops! In a previous issue - IMS #113
- on creating landing pages, I mentioned that I tell people about the Consumer
Reports ratings for product comparisons. That was a mistake. It was supposed to
have been edited out.
Thank you to everyone who bought it to my
attention. It's nice to have so many of you looking out for me. :-) Somehow, a
few of my notes and out-takes, managed to sneak their way back into the final
version of the newsletter.
The bottom line is... you cannot use the CR ratings to promote any product. You cannot even mention their name in association with any product without their permission. Here is a portion of the "No Commercial Use Policy" from their site:
"Published information from Consumers Union, including our Ratings and Reports, is intended solely for the benefit of our subscribers and other consumers, in order to help them make informed choices and decisions about consumer products, services, and other consumer matters. Such information may not be used by others in advertising or to promote a company's product or service."
To help keep yourself out of any sort of trouble, use what the corporate attorneys refer to as "weasel terms." In other words... be intentionally ambiguous.
Instead of mentioning any names, say something like, "This product was the highest rated overall in User Satisfaction, by a leading independent testing facility." Or you could also say, "This product was rated four out of five stars by the leading computer magazine."
What I meat to say was... use any Trademarked name with caution, or not at all. You can certainly use sources like magazines, epinions and Amazon for research, but when it comes to quoting what THEY said to earn YOU profit, don't do it.
At least not directly by mentioning their names. What I wanted to suggest, is take the safer route, and imply the existence of a product rating on your landing pages. It helps persuade and increase conversions.
Afterall, you did the research. So if you read five different sources that rated a product, perhaps you could create a rating system of your own, based on the overall average performance of the product.
And that's the point really. You're not trying to do any harm, or offend against any Trademark owner, you're simply trying to help your visitor make an honest and well-informed purchasing decision.
The bottom line is... you cannot use the CR ratings to promote any product. You cannot even mention their name in association with any product without their permission. Here is a portion of the "No Commercial Use Policy" from their site:
"Published information from Consumers Union, including our Ratings and Reports, is intended solely for the benefit of our subscribers and other consumers, in order to help them make informed choices and decisions about consumer products, services, and other consumer matters. Such information may not be used by others in advertising or to promote a company's product or service."
To help keep yourself out of any sort of trouble, use what the corporate attorneys refer to as "weasel terms." In other words... be intentionally ambiguous.
Instead of mentioning any names, say something like, "This product was the highest rated overall in User Satisfaction, by a leading independent testing facility." Or you could also say, "This product was rated four out of five stars by the leading computer magazine."
What I meat to say was... use any Trademarked name with caution, or not at all. You can certainly use sources like magazines, epinions and Amazon for research, but when it comes to quoting what THEY said to earn YOU profit, don't do it.
At least not directly by mentioning their names. What I wanted to suggest, is take the safer route, and imply the existence of a product rating on your landing pages. It helps persuade and increase conversions.
Afterall, you did the research. So if you read five different sources that rated a product, perhaps you could create a rating system of your own, based on the overall average performance of the product.
And that's the point really. You're not trying to do any harm, or offend against any Trademark owner, you're simply trying to help your visitor make an honest and well-informed purchasing decision.
Posted at 06:17 PM
Sat - January 13, 2007
Just What IS a Landing Page
A landing page is an important part of
a series of events. A controlled experiment.
In the purest sense, a landing is bringing
something to land, from either the air or water. It's also a place where people
and goods can be landed from a boat.
So if you think of the search engine results, an advertisement, or some other form of clickable link, as "floating around" out there, the landing page, is the page on your web site, where that click ends up.
Some would argue, that a landing page, is any page which a visitor lands on. It doesn't matter how they got there. EVERY page on your site is a landing page.
I think we need a better word for pages that get found in the search engines. Perhaps a "finding" page would be a better word for it, as you cannot control which pages get found.
When it comes to marketing, a landing page usually refers to a very controlled set of parameters.
There's an advertisement, like an AdWords PPC (pay per click) ad, or it could be an ad in a newsletter, either way the ad leads to a specific page... a landing page.
Every element on the landing page is tested, to get the desired course of action, which could be a in the form of a click, a sign up, a sale, or to lead the prospect to additional information.
So to me, and most other marketers, a landing page is an important part of a series of events. A controlled experiment. A paid ad, leads to a landing page, which tries to persuade the visitor to take our desired course of action.
So if you think of the search engine results, an advertisement, or some other form of clickable link, as "floating around" out there, the landing page, is the page on your web site, where that click ends up.
Some would argue, that a landing page, is any page which a visitor lands on. It doesn't matter how they got there. EVERY page on your site is a landing page.
I think we need a better word for pages that get found in the search engines. Perhaps a "finding" page would be a better word for it, as you cannot control which pages get found.
When it comes to marketing, a landing page usually refers to a very controlled set of parameters.
There's an advertisement, like an AdWords PPC (pay per click) ad, or it could be an ad in a newsletter, either way the ad leads to a specific page... a landing page.
Every element on the landing page is tested, to get the desired course of action, which could be a in the form of a click, a sign up, a sale, or to lead the prospect to additional information.
So to me, and most other marketers, a landing page is an important part of a series of events. A controlled experiment. A paid ad, leads to a landing page, which tries to persuade the visitor to take our desired course of action.
Posted at 11:46 AM
Sun - December 24, 2006
Landing Page Strategies
This is the path we'll be exploring
today. PPC ads that lead to landing pages for consistent and predictable
revenue.
Landing Page
Strategies
I'll have to write more about landing pages in future issues, as so many of you have questions about them. I've hidden a few gems inside blog posts, but it seems as though many of them were missed.
In case you haven't done so already, I invite you to download Clickin' it Rich and do a quick review of the Fast Track in the Action Plan. This is the path we'll be exploring today. PPC ads that lead to landing pages for consistent and predictable revenue.
Clickin' it Rich Fast Track ==> http://www.clickinitrich.com/cir/
For this article, I'm going to assume you've got your keyword research done, your ads written, and are ready to move on to creating the landing pages. So if you're ready... here are some of my biggest landing page strategies.
The three styles of pages that I find most effective, are the product review, the product comparison and the conclusive article. We'll take a look at all three.
But before we get started on the landing pages, here are a couple of tricks that will help you with your content. You'll want to do these steps before you start writing your landing pages.
Visit Amazon, ePinions and the manufacturer's site. Get ready to take a lot of notes and snag some photos.
All three sources will help you understand the product better. You'll get honest reviews and opinions. You'll also be able to glean a lot of ad copy from the sites for use on your pages.
On Amazon, you can sort by best-sellers to view the most popular. You can see how many stars the product was awarded, so you don't accidentally try to sell a bad product.
Amazon also has a lot of other tools for the landing pages. The "Customers who bought this item also bought" lets you know what other products the visitors are likely to buy. The "Customers who viewed this item also viewed" tells you which products to feature in a head to head comparisons.
Ok, now that you've got some inside information, it's time to move onto creating the landing pages. And regardless of the type of landing page, the headline at the very top, should continue the conversation the person was having when they clicked on your PPC ad.
When they did a search using their keyword phrase, your ad got triggered. Your ad convinced them to click on it. Make the headline at the top of the landing page, match the content of the ad as closely as possible.
Now lets look at three of the most successful styles of landing pages. The review, comparison and article.
The stand alone product review works well when in comes to software and ebooks. I'll usually host it on a site with other product reviews, so it gives the review more credibility. I try to give a fair and honest assessment, pointing out both the good and bad aspects.
Usually the person reading the review is looking for product that will save them time, be more productive and earn more. Angle your ad copy in that direction.
Same deal with ebooks. People are looking for the same things, but they're also wanting to learn something they didn't know before. Reinforce that desire in the ad copy, by telling them that they've made the right decision, and how much better they'll feel by the end of the course.
If you'd like to get better at doing product reviews, pick up any computer magazine at the newsstand. Be sure to included product photos, or the software box. Rate the item on the star scale. Do a summary pros and cons.
In short, emulate what the magazines do - the standard review format - and your review style landing pages will do very well.
When it comes to comparing two to four different products. I have affiliate links leading to all of them. So it really doesn't matter which one they choose, I still get a commission.
The comparison page is where the intelligence gathered from Amazon really helps. You'll want to feature the three or four most popular items on the page.
The opening paragraph is where you do the actual selling. This is where you tell the reader that this is the right place to be, and they've made the right choice by coming to your page. You've listened to all their concerns and you're here to share a solution.
After the opening paragraph, you don't want to oversell on the product comparisons. Just provide the facts. Then gently nudge the reader ever so gently with a four out of five stars type rating system.
Finally conclude the product comparison page with an emotional twist. For in the end, it doesn't matter which one of the four widgets they choose. Imagine showing this new product to their friends. Inviting them over to experience what it does. To bring people together and celebrate a friendship.
My tests have shown that you don't want to compare more than four items on a single landing page. Too much choice leads to overwhelm and much less satisfaction with the product.
Fewer choices like three or four, mean the person is far more likely to make a choice, follow your affiliate link and make the purchase. They are also far more likely to be satisfied with that purchase.
The article page is something new that I've been experimenting with. It doesn't convert as often as the review or comparison style landing page. But when it does, the orders are usually pretty huge.
In the beginning, I start talking about 10 different things, related to the opening headline. But which path to choose, which product is the best?
I'l lead the reader down a slippery slope, eliminating one contender after the other. Then at the end, I conclude the article with a single affiliate link as the best solution to the problem.
For example, I did some research into promotional gifts. Turns out that one product is a clear winner.
At the start of the article I talk about the usual promotional cups, pens and personal items, and how they'll only be seen by one person, usually the recipient. With other products they're not very useful and end up in a drawer. Some the ink wears off due to use. Some like calendars are given once per year.
But one promotional gift not only gets used, it gets seen by tens of thousands of people over its lifetime... Can you guess what it is?
Then after I've told the story based on my research, I tell them the best promotional gift and link out to the merchant. So far the orders have been huge.
So there you have it. Some of my top landing page secrets. Now go put these tips to use right away, and start earning a lot more, from every single one of your landing pages.
I'll have to write more about landing pages in future issues, as so many of you have questions about them. I've hidden a few gems inside blog posts, but it seems as though many of them were missed.
In case you haven't done so already, I invite you to download Clickin' it Rich and do a quick review of the Fast Track in the Action Plan. This is the path we'll be exploring today. PPC ads that lead to landing pages for consistent and predictable revenue.
Clickin' it Rich Fast Track ==> http://www.clickinitrich.com/cir/
For this article, I'm going to assume you've got your keyword research done, your ads written, and are ready to move on to creating the landing pages. So if you're ready... here are some of my biggest landing page strategies.
The three styles of pages that I find most effective, are the product review, the product comparison and the conclusive article. We'll take a look at all three.
But before we get started on the landing pages, here are a couple of tricks that will help you with your content. You'll want to do these steps before you start writing your landing pages.
Visit Amazon, ePinions and the manufacturer's site. Get ready to take a lot of notes and snag some photos.
All three sources will help you understand the product better. You'll get honest reviews and opinions. You'll also be able to glean a lot of ad copy from the sites for use on your pages.
On Amazon, you can sort by best-sellers to view the most popular. You can see how many stars the product was awarded, so you don't accidentally try to sell a bad product.
Amazon also has a lot of other tools for the landing pages. The "Customers who bought this item also bought" lets you know what other products the visitors are likely to buy. The "Customers who viewed this item also viewed" tells you which products to feature in a head to head comparisons.
Ok, now that you've got some inside information, it's time to move onto creating the landing pages. And regardless of the type of landing page, the headline at the very top, should continue the conversation the person was having when they clicked on your PPC ad.
When they did a search using their keyword phrase, your ad got triggered. Your ad convinced them to click on it. Make the headline at the top of the landing page, match the content of the ad as closely as possible.
Now lets look at three of the most successful styles of landing pages. The review, comparison and article.
The stand alone product review works well when in comes to software and ebooks. I'll usually host it on a site with other product reviews, so it gives the review more credibility. I try to give a fair and honest assessment, pointing out both the good and bad aspects.
Usually the person reading the review is looking for product that will save them time, be more productive and earn more. Angle your ad copy in that direction.
Same deal with ebooks. People are looking for the same things, but they're also wanting to learn something they didn't know before. Reinforce that desire in the ad copy, by telling them that they've made the right decision, and how much better they'll feel by the end of the course.
If you'd like to get better at doing product reviews, pick up any computer magazine at the newsstand. Be sure to included product photos, or the software box. Rate the item on the star scale. Do a summary pros and cons.
In short, emulate what the magazines do - the standard review format - and your review style landing pages will do very well.
When it comes to comparing two to four different products. I have affiliate links leading to all of them. So it really doesn't matter which one they choose, I still get a commission.
The comparison page is where the intelligence gathered from Amazon really helps. You'll want to feature the three or four most popular items on the page.
The opening paragraph is where you do the actual selling. This is where you tell the reader that this is the right place to be, and they've made the right choice by coming to your page. You've listened to all their concerns and you're here to share a solution.
After the opening paragraph, you don't want to oversell on the product comparisons. Just provide the facts. Then gently nudge the reader ever so gently with a four out of five stars type rating system.
Finally conclude the product comparison page with an emotional twist. For in the end, it doesn't matter which one of the four widgets they choose. Imagine showing this new product to their friends. Inviting them over to experience what it does. To bring people together and celebrate a friendship.
My tests have shown that you don't want to compare more than four items on a single landing page. Too much choice leads to overwhelm and much less satisfaction with the product.
Fewer choices like three or four, mean the person is far more likely to make a choice, follow your affiliate link and make the purchase. They are also far more likely to be satisfied with that purchase.
The article page is something new that I've been experimenting with. It doesn't convert as often as the review or comparison style landing page. But when it does, the orders are usually pretty huge.
In the beginning, I start talking about 10 different things, related to the opening headline. But which path to choose, which product is the best?
I'l lead the reader down a slippery slope, eliminating one contender after the other. Then at the end, I conclude the article with a single affiliate link as the best solution to the problem.
For example, I did some research into promotional gifts. Turns out that one product is a clear winner.
At the start of the article I talk about the usual promotional cups, pens and personal items, and how they'll only be seen by one person, usually the recipient. With other products they're not very useful and end up in a drawer. Some the ink wears off due to use. Some like calendars are given once per year.
But one promotional gift not only gets used, it gets seen by tens of thousands of people over its lifetime... Can you guess what it is?
Then after I've told the story based on my research, I tell them the best promotional gift and link out to the merchant. So far the orders have been huge.
So there you have it. Some of my top landing page secrets. Now go put these tips to use right away, and start earning a lot more, from every single one of your landing pages.
Posted at 07:31 PM
Fri - December 8, 2006
Keyword Marketing Part #2 - Linking Strategies
How to generate affiliate revenue with
organic search.
On the topic of "focusing on what the majority of
you want" according to the survey, most of you want insight into building
content sites. SEO tips. Ideas for generating AdSense and affiliate revenue.
Marketing tips. PPC and landing page tips. And Mininet strategies like my new
Keyword Marketing report.
This is part two of the minicourse we started in issue #110. In the first half of the course, we discovered how to find a niche, research it, and dominate it, with little effort and just a handful of websites.
In the second half, we'll go into the fundamentals of SEO and getting organic search traffic. We'll also take a hard look at the internal linking structure, to maximize our PageRank, and aim our link popularity to the pages that matter most.
But instead of sending it by email, it's now a 10 page downloadable report. No squeeze page, no hoops, or a single hitch. This mini course is free for all to download, learn and benefit from. All you need to do is read it and apply what you've learned to your websites.
Keyword Marketing - How to Generate Affiliate Revenue with Organic Search
A new report by Michael Campbell
Download ==> http://www.cdzn.com/KeywordMarketing.pdf
* Please note that you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher to read this PDF file.
This is part two of the minicourse we started in issue #110. In the first half of the course, we discovered how to find a niche, research it, and dominate it, with little effort and just a handful of websites.
In the second half, we'll go into the fundamentals of SEO and getting organic search traffic. We'll also take a hard look at the internal linking structure, to maximize our PageRank, and aim our link popularity to the pages that matter most.
But instead of sending it by email, it's now a 10 page downloadable report. No squeeze page, no hoops, or a single hitch. This mini course is free for all to download, learn and benefit from. All you need to do is read it and apply what you've learned to your websites.
Keyword Marketing - How to Generate Affiliate Revenue with Organic Search
A new report by Michael Campbell
Download ==> http://www.cdzn.com/KeywordMarketing.pdf
* Please note that you'll need Adobe Acrobat Reader 6.0 or higher to read this PDF file.
Posted at 06:16 PM
Sat - December 2, 2006
Research 1, Website 2, Affiliate 3
You suggest researching potential
affiliate programs after your website is set up, other marketers suggest doing
the opposite. I find merit in both approaches.
I was looking at CJ.com, since you suggest it as a good resource. When trying to sign up, they require a website and email. If I don't have a website, is there any way to still sign up with them, for research purposes? ~ Don
I was looking at CJ.com, since you suggest it as a good resource. When trying to sign up, they require a website and email. If I don't have a website, is there any way to still sign up with them, for research purposes? ~ Don
I don't know if there's a way to gain access to the
affiliate networks without having a site. I haven't tried. But maybe you could
find a support email somewhere on their site and
ask.
Yes, I suggest doing your market research first using Nichebot. Then once you find a niche, set up a skeleton site.
Niche Market Research ==> http://www.cdzn.com/nb2
You can confirm the presence of affiliate programs in the niche, by going to any search engine and searching for: keyword "affiliate program" Make sure you leave the words "affiliate program" in quotes after your keyword.
Once you spot a couple, populate your pages with some articles or some copy on the topic. It doesn't have to be final copy, just placeholder text. Something good enough for the affiliate manager, when they do a 10 second glance at your site.
The reason I suggest doing it this way round, is because most affiliate networks want to see something before they'll approve you.
Grab the $1 a month hosting at hostica.com, and an $8 a year domain name at Godaddy.com. So you're out 20 bucks...
Then throw together five linked pages, using articles from the Article Underground. That will probably be enough to get you approved. Once you are accepted, then you can modify the site to your liking.
Articles for Instant Content ==> http://www.cdzn.com/au
Yes, I suggest doing your market research first using Nichebot. Then once you find a niche, set up a skeleton site.
Niche Market Research ==> http://www.cdzn.com/nb2
You can confirm the presence of affiliate programs in the niche, by going to any search engine and searching for: keyword "affiliate program" Make sure you leave the words "affiliate program" in quotes after your keyword.
Once you spot a couple, populate your pages with some articles or some copy on the topic. It doesn't have to be final copy, just placeholder text. Something good enough for the affiliate manager, when they do a 10 second glance at your site.
The reason I suggest doing it this way round, is because most affiliate networks want to see something before they'll approve you.
Grab the $1 a month hosting at hostica.com, and an $8 a year domain name at Godaddy.com. So you're out 20 bucks...
Then throw together five linked pages, using articles from the Article Underground. That will probably be enough to get you approved. Once you are accepted, then you can modify the site to your liking.
Articles for Instant Content ==> http://www.cdzn.com/au
Posted at 01:21 PM
Mon - October 23, 2006
Getting Started... How to Make Money With Affiliate Programs
Comment: Dear Michael, all this stuff
would be great if I understood it! I have been trying to get into affiliate
marketing for some time, but my lack of understanding of the terminology just
leaves me more and more
confused.
I am drowning in paper, CDs, etc. I have joined various things, but I still don't get anywhere. It's all very frustrating and sometimes I feel like sitting down and having a good cry. But I'm not really a crybaby, so I suppose I will soldier on and hope that one day, it all will become clear. Regards Barbara.
I am drowning in paper, CDs, etc. I have joined various things, but I still don't get anywhere. It's all very frustrating and sometimes I feel like sitting down and having a good cry. But I'm not really a crybaby, so I suppose I will soldier on and hope that one day, it all will become clear. Regards Barbara.
Response: Hi Barbara. That's exactly why I decided
to share my ebooks as a gift. There's way too much info out there, and most of
it is marginal quality at best.
People need quality info. Not only that, they need info that's proven to work. Not just a couple of times... but hundreds of times, with hundreds of different people, in hundreds of different circumstances.
Here's your fast track to affiliate marketing. Put everything else away and start with the Clickin' it Rich Action Plan. It has step by step instructions. Each process starts with an outline and is followed by detailed steps.
Let me know if you get stuck on one of the processes, and I'll try to help. If there is a training course or video that exists, I might recommend that you get one of those, instead of relying on my verbal instructions.
As for affiliate abbreviations, lingo and terminology, there are several good resources available. Webopedia.com comes to mind as does Wikipedia.org.
The Webopedia is dedicated to all things online and computers. It usually has the correct definitions for marketers and affiliate programs.
The Wikipedia is a publicly edited encyclopedia, and although the definitions are usually more detailed, it often has many meanings for the same term.
For example CTR - meaning click through rate - has many meanings on Wikipedia, but only one... the internet related one on Webopedia. So I find that a combo of both works best.
And don't forget night school or some instructor led course. Very often people learn better in a live situation, with immediate feedback. Check the local colleges near you, they'll have you making web sites in no time.
But first... it's time to get your homework done. Start with Clickin' it Rich and take it one step at a time from there.
People need quality info. Not only that, they need info that's proven to work. Not just a couple of times... but hundreds of times, with hundreds of different people, in hundreds of different circumstances.
Here's your fast track to affiliate marketing. Put everything else away and start with the Clickin' it Rich Action Plan. It has step by step instructions. Each process starts with an outline and is followed by detailed steps.
Let me know if you get stuck on one of the processes, and I'll try to help. If there is a training course or video that exists, I might recommend that you get one of those, instead of relying on my verbal instructions.
As for affiliate abbreviations, lingo and terminology, there are several good resources available. Webopedia.com comes to mind as does Wikipedia.org.
The Webopedia is dedicated to all things online and computers. It usually has the correct definitions for marketers and affiliate programs.
The Wikipedia is a publicly edited encyclopedia, and although the definitions are usually more detailed, it often has many meanings for the same term.
For example CTR - meaning click through rate - has many meanings on Wikipedia, but only one... the internet related one on Webopedia. So I find that a combo of both works best.
And don't forget night school or some instructor led course. Very often people learn better in a live situation, with immediate feedback. Check the local colleges near you, they'll have you making web sites in no time.
But first... it's time to get your homework done. Start with Clickin' it Rich and take it one step at a time from there.
Posted at 09:07 PM
Sun - September 3, 2006
Employees + Clients = A Lot of Responsibility
Question: I'm an established marketer
with several products to my credit. Right now I'm toying with the idea of
starting a hosting company for internet marketers, and partner with another
marketer to offer related value-added services such as SEO advice, blogs, etc.
What do you think?
Answer: Hosting for marketers is a good business to
be in. There's already a company in that space - and use them - called
Maxnethosting.com by Adrian Cooper. It allows you to set up as many sites as you
want with an admin control panel. The downside is that as owner of the service,
you'll have lots of work to do maintaining accounts, doing backups, assisting
customers, etc.
The SEO service is a little trickier. There's so much snake oil and voodoo out there, that most people would rather do it themselves or bring it in-house. To set up an SEO firm to do the work for clients, you need to build a real reputation in that space so that people trust you.
That said, either one involves trading your time for money, which is never that good of a business model, unless you delegate everything out, and profit from the work of others. Still that leaves you with the headaches of running a company, unless you hire a general manager to act on your behalf.
But the bottom line remains, employees + clients = a lot of responsibility and commitment, where people depend on you, and you on them.
My advice is to stay a small one-person company where you call all the shots. Then you can enjoy total freedom from employees and depending on clients for your income.
So how do you do that? Well, if you can do the SEO, it's better to create affiliate revenue sites, that run on autopilot, with relatively little maintenance and no customer service.
You've created something once that will continue to generate revenue. Then as you complete the project, move on to the next one, putting the first project in maintenance mode. As each project gets completed, your revenues increase proportionately.
Sure beats the heck out of needing customers, clients or employees. As the mouse said, "Keep the cheese... I just want out of the trap!"
So avoid the traps that keep you from your family, friends and the lifestyle that you truly want. The way to avoid the trap is to make so much of your own cheese, that you don't need theirs.
The SEO service is a little trickier. There's so much snake oil and voodoo out there, that most people would rather do it themselves or bring it in-house. To set up an SEO firm to do the work for clients, you need to build a real reputation in that space so that people trust you.
That said, either one involves trading your time for money, which is never that good of a business model, unless you delegate everything out, and profit from the work of others. Still that leaves you with the headaches of running a company, unless you hire a general manager to act on your behalf.
But the bottom line remains, employees + clients = a lot of responsibility and commitment, where people depend on you, and you on them.
My advice is to stay a small one-person company where you call all the shots. Then you can enjoy total freedom from employees and depending on clients for your income.
So how do you do that? Well, if you can do the SEO, it's better to create affiliate revenue sites, that run on autopilot, with relatively little maintenance and no customer service.
You've created something once that will continue to generate revenue. Then as you complete the project, move on to the next one, putting the first project in maintenance mode. As each project gets completed, your revenues increase proportionately.
Sure beats the heck out of needing customers, clients or employees. As the mouse said, "Keep the cheese... I just want out of the trap!"
So avoid the traps that keep you from your family, friends and the lifestyle that you truly want. The way to avoid the trap is to make so much of your own cheese, that you don't need theirs.
Posted at 03:34 PM
Wed - June 28, 2006
One of My Favorite Affiliate Program$
Question: I have read your words and
bought your books since Nothing but 'Net days, which shows I have always trusted
you. So I have taken your advice and joined the Article Underground. (Mike
Liebner is a really helpful guy and his videos are so
useful.)
I am putting articles on my "Play the Drums" website and linking from the blogs. I've also written a "How to drum manual." But being a working guy with a family, I haven't had time to finish the site, any suggestions to help out a busy dad?
I am putting articles on my "Play the Drums" website and linking from the blogs. I've also written a "How to drum manual." But being a working guy with a family, I haven't had time to finish the site, any suggestions to help out a busy dad?
Answer: You have the foundation for a nice looking
site. Adding articles to it and announcing it using the Article
Underground will surely bring visitors, but you need to monetize that
traffic.
In addition to creating your own product - which you mention - you'll also want a way for people to give you their contact information, so you can follow-up with them. I'd also put some ads across the top and in the middle of the articles, along with some affiliate program links.
It would be nice if people could buy entire drum sets or individual pieces from your site. (The people at music123.com have an excellent affiliate program. They allow you to link directly to their individual product pages, so it's easy to talk about something and link directly to it.)
In addition, since yours is a site for beginners, it would be really cool to have a picture of each drum, what it's name is, and what sound it makes. (You could even have it make the sound when they click on the picture.)
While you're at it, you could feature other kinds of percussion tools. Hand drums and latin percussion instruments are very popular. They are also very affordable, making them an easy source of affiliate revenue.
And finally... I'll let you in on a little secret... of all the affiliate categories that I've ever promoted, music gear has always been a favorite of mine, and always finishes in my top three revenue generators.
In addition to creating your own product - which you mention - you'll also want a way for people to give you their contact information, so you can follow-up with them. I'd also put some ads across the top and in the middle of the articles, along with some affiliate program links.
It would be nice if people could buy entire drum sets or individual pieces from your site. (The people at music123.com have an excellent affiliate program. They allow you to link directly to their individual product pages, so it's easy to talk about something and link directly to it.)
In addition, since yours is a site for beginners, it would be really cool to have a picture of each drum, what it's name is, and what sound it makes. (You could even have it make the sound when they click on the picture.)
While you're at it, you could feature other kinds of percussion tools. Hand drums and latin percussion instruments are very popular. They are also very affordable, making them an easy source of affiliate revenue.
And finally... I'll let you in on a little secret... of all the affiliate categories that I've ever promoted, music gear has always been a favorite of mine, and always finishes in my top three revenue generators.
Posted at 07:11 PM
Sat - April 29, 2006
Get Four Royalty Free eBooks Every Month
Here's a book of the month club of a
different sort. You get to sell the PLR ebooks and keep all the
profits.
Your monthly membership fee ensures that you get
four original ebooks per month, along with a sales letter for each and other
advertising collateral... which is just a fancy way of saying support material
like articles, graphics and ads.
A lot of people ask me if ebooks are still profitable. Yes, they are. Even though ebooks on marketing and ebooks on how to write ebooks sort of came and went. The majority of publishers are just starting to "get it" as more people turn to digital delivery systems, instead of conventional book publishing, which is prohibitively expensive.
And one of the nicest things, is that these ebooks cover a variety of niches, far away from the overcrowded marketing niche. You'll find everything from hearth and beauty topics to pet care.
Membership is capped at 300 people. This will prevent a glut of the books on the market and keep the competition relatively light across the internet. At the time of this writing, there are exactly 148 spots let, and I'm sure there must be a lot less by now.
So if you're looking for fresh content, that's royalty free, then this could be a very lucrative revenue stream for your online business. Pretty much everything you could wish for is included.
Best of all you can start selling these ebooks right away, through an affiliate sales force, PPC ads, or however you like. It's almost like having an instant online business.
Get Four eBooks per Month ==> http://www.cdzn.com/en
A lot of people ask me if ebooks are still profitable. Yes, they are. Even though ebooks on marketing and ebooks on how to write ebooks sort of came and went. The majority of publishers are just starting to "get it" as more people turn to digital delivery systems, instead of conventional book publishing, which is prohibitively expensive.
And one of the nicest things, is that these ebooks cover a variety of niches, far away from the overcrowded marketing niche. You'll find everything from hearth and beauty topics to pet care.
Membership is capped at 300 people. This will prevent a glut of the books on the market and keep the competition relatively light across the internet. At the time of this writing, there are exactly 148 spots let, and I'm sure there must be a lot less by now.
So if you're looking for fresh content, that's royalty free, then this could be a very lucrative revenue stream for your online business. Pretty much everything you could wish for is included.
Best of all you can start selling these ebooks right away, through an affiliate sales force, PPC ads, or however you like. It's almost like having an instant online business.
Get Four eBooks per Month ==> http://www.cdzn.com/en
Posted at 08:41 PM
Tue - April 18, 2006
StormPay Bites the Dust?
StormPay no longer accepts payments
from web sites.
If you are using StormPay to accept payments from
your website, you'll probably want to remove them right away. As of March 23
2006 StormPay stopped accepting payments for sales made through web sites. At
the moment, they only accept payment for items sold through their Auctions
feature.
In addition, subscriptions and recurring billing are no longer supported. All current subscriptions have been cancelled. Customers may no longer log into a StormPay account for the purpose of sending money to another online user, or offsite website sale.
They've upset a lot of people by making this sudden change, prompting one customer to send his readership, ""It's crazy to think that they didn't even contact their users to let them know. In fact, the policy text itself is hidden away at the bottom of the page under the very happy-clappy title "What's New...Oh, by the way kind of thing.""
So if you have been using StormPay, you'll probably want to investigate what's going on, or a least check on the status of your funds.
In addition, subscriptions and recurring billing are no longer supported. All current subscriptions have been cancelled. Customers may no longer log into a StormPay account for the purpose of sending money to another online user, or offsite website sale.
They've upset a lot of people by making this sudden change, prompting one customer to send his readership, ""It's crazy to think that they didn't even contact their users to let them know. In fact, the policy text itself is hidden away at the bottom of the page under the very happy-clappy title "What's New...Oh, by the way kind of thing.""
So if you have been using StormPay, you'll probably want to investigate what's going on, or a least check on the status of your funds.
Posted at 08:31 PM
Tue - November 15, 2005
Heads or tails? When it comes to search, only one makes money.
I've learned from experience, that you
get the highest Google positioning with multiple incoming links. I understand
from your ebook - Revenge of the Mininet - that PageRank in a Mininet is
concentrated, but don't we need some outside links for competitive
keywords?
In other words, is concentration enough? Or do we actually need many - meaning a large number of - different incoming links?
In other words, is concentration enough? Or do we actually need many - meaning a large number of - different incoming links?
You can get incoming links from web properties that
you own and control, and from directories that pass PageRank. Here is a partial
list:
PR Directories ==> http://strongestlinks.com/directories.php
As I wrote in Revenge, I submit only one site in the mininet ring to a handful of directories. Plus I add in a link or two from blogs that I run. That's usually enough linking to get the spiders crawling.
But the Mininet concept was never designed for "competitive" keywords. Your focus should be on the "tail end" keywords for a mininet. Because that's where the money is!
(You can use the free keyword research tool at NicheBOT.com to find the sweet spots, meaning little competition but heavily searched phrases, with the lowest competition ratios.)
The reason being, that its long been known - and now scientifically proven - that generic competitive keywords are used my information gatherers... not shoppers. In other words, they're just kicking tires.
Targeted keywords - at the tail end - are a lot less popular in the search engines but they are used by shoppers looking to purchase. Much has been written about the "tail of the search" keywords, starting with my own work, Nothing but 'Net (NBN) back in '99, which you can download and read for free.
But to put it as clearly as possible...
Competitive "head" of the search keywords used by info seekers are phrases like... cell phones.
Less competitive "tail" of the search keywords used by buyers are phrases like... nokia 5190 replacement battery.
See the difference? Now go back and re-read Revenge of the Mininet very carefully.
If you focus your efforts on the tail of the search, instead of the head, you'll catch a lot more shoppers at the peak of the buying cycle. And once you tap that my friend, you'll discover the true revenue generating power of mininets and affiliate programs.
PR Directories ==> http://strongestlinks.com/directories.php
As I wrote in Revenge, I submit only one site in the mininet ring to a handful of directories. Plus I add in a link or two from blogs that I run. That's usually enough linking to get the spiders crawling.
But the Mininet concept was never designed for "competitive" keywords. Your focus should be on the "tail end" keywords for a mininet. Because that's where the money is!
(You can use the free keyword research tool at NicheBOT.com to find the sweet spots, meaning little competition but heavily searched phrases, with the lowest competition ratios.)
The reason being, that its long been known - and now scientifically proven - that generic competitive keywords are used my information gatherers... not shoppers. In other words, they're just kicking tires.
Targeted keywords - at the tail end - are a lot less popular in the search engines but they are used by shoppers looking to purchase. Much has been written about the "tail of the search" keywords, starting with my own work, Nothing but 'Net (NBN) back in '99, which you can download and read for free.
But to put it as clearly as possible...
Competitive "head" of the search keywords used by info seekers are phrases like... cell phones.
Less competitive "tail" of the search keywords used by buyers are phrases like... nokia 5190 replacement battery.
See the difference? Now go back and re-read Revenge of the Mininet very carefully.
If you focus your efforts on the tail of the search, instead of the head, you'll catch a lot more shoppers at the peak of the buying cycle. And once you tap that my friend, you'll discover the true revenue generating power of mininets and affiliate programs.
Posted at 11:17 AM
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