Affiliate Marketing

I know many of you are still sitting on the fence about FINALLY making the decision to start your affiliate marketing business.  So, lets review:

Whether you want to quit your day job or you just want to make a little extra money to help with the bills, Affiliate Marketing is a great place to start  because unlike PPC Marketing, affiliate and Internet Marketing Tools will help you get set up and running with little or even no cost at all. If you use PPC advertising for your campaigns and you don’t know what you’re doing, you can easily clean out your bank account in a matter of months without any return on your investment.

Affiliate Marketing affords you an easier start too because you don’t have to own product to get started making money. You make money promoting other peoples products and receiving a commission once a sale has been made. The commission you receive can be as high as 75% with some products; these are usually from the sale of digital products which can be downloaded over and over again with no cost to the seller, hence the high commission you receive for selling the product.

The Process

When you want to start your Affiliate Marketing campaign, the first thing you need to do is the Keyword research, this is a very important part of Affiliate Marketing and should be researched by using  Internet Marketing Tools thoroughly before jumping straight into a campaign because choosing the wrong keywords could be the difference in either making a ton of money or making absolutely nothing at all. There are a lot of good keyword research sites out there but I would recommend Google’s’ Keyword tool because it is free of charge, easy to use, and you don’t need to register for an account to use it.

Once you’ve chosen your keywords you then need to set up a site or blog and optimize your chosen keywords. This can be achieved by writing a short article or blog post, roughly about 300-500 words long which includes your keywords at least 3 times. By doing this it will help Google find your site more easily when someone is searching for content based on your keywords. The Article you use must be relevant to the product you are promoting and once you have it uploaded to your site, you can then link your keywords in your article to the Affiliate product you are promoting.

Once you have your site up and running you must then drive traffic to your offer. Traffic is the most important part of your business. You might have the best website in the world but if no one sees it,  what’s the point? A great way to start driving traffic is through Article Marketing. If done correctly, you can drive tons of laser targeted traffic to your site all ready with their wallets open hungry to buy whatever you are offering. The good thing about Article Marketing is that it’s free of charge and once your article has been published, you can start receiving targeted traffic very quickly. There are a lot of great Article directories on the web which get thousands of visitors every single day and these are the people you need to be targeting.

Back-linking from Forums is also another great source of traffic. These Forums must be related to the product you are promoting, for example; there’s no point leaving posts in a Weight loss Forum if you are promoting a product for Teeth Whitening because the traffic you do receive will just be clicking on your link through curiosity, and once they give your site a quick once over they will move straight on without taking the time to read your offer thoroughly, thus reducing the chance they will actually make a purchase.

So let’s re-cap: start off with your keyword research, this is a very important part of your campaign and should be researched thoroughly. Create your own website or Blog and optimize your keywords - this will help with your SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and hopefully help you get on the first page of Google for your chosen keywords.

Do this and reap the benefits.  But you have to start.  Go start NOW!!!

Affiliate Marketing – The Truth About Big Earnings

Looking at starting your super affiliate marketing empire? Keep these things in mind :

Affiliate marketing is one of the more popular ways of earning money on the Internet. Affiliate marketing offers a variety of advantages over other selling methods, including you don’t have to stock any inventory. As an affiliate, you just  market a product and direct the customer to the sales page for the product itself, which is typically run by the retailer or creator of that product. If the customer makes a purchase, you earn part of the retail price, even though you didn’t participate in a financial transaction or hand over product. What could possibly be easier than that?

While the concept may be simple, most marketers are lured into affiliate marketing because of claims of making a lot of cash, rather than making money easily. The web is full of sites claiming  you can earn thousands of dollars per day as an affiliate. While the system is straightforward, it is the promise of a large incomes that tends to attract people to this type of business. A lot of people are blinded by the big numbers, however, and neglect to realize how rare it is to make large money as an affiliate right away.

You can certainly earn money as an affiliate, but individuals who earn the substantial incomes generally have something going for them that most people don’t – a huge mailing list. Having a big group of customers on hand when a new product comes along is a big part of making lots of money in affiliate marketing. Individuals who have spent years creating a big mailing list with 10 thousand, twenty thousand or one hundred thousand names can generally make thousands of dollars simply by sending out just one e-mail advertisement. Such success is possible, but it comes as the result of years of hard work. Advertisements along the lines of “I made $30,000 in a week advertising product X” may technically be true, but they often hide the unspoken “by sending e-mail to the 250,000 buyers on my list!”

Building a mailing list takes time. It isn’t especially tough, but it is an essential component of making cash by way of affiliate marketing. With a large mailing list, you have a loyal, verified group of customers who are willing to buy from you. This is far more favorable than arbitrarily trying to get strangers to buy whatever it is you are marketing. Anyone who is thinking about trying affiliate marketing needs to take the promises of huge, six figure incomes with a grain of salt and understand that such results aren’t normal. That does not mean you can’t make money, it only means that you should have realistic expectations of how much you can earn right now. As long as you understand that you can’t get rich overnight, you will be OK.

And start now!!!

How to Achieve High Search Engine Ranking to Your Website

Were you trying to find a simple method to learn high search engine ranking optimization techniques that works? Look no further as I reveal the little secrets of increasing my page ranking on Google within 30 days for virtually all my websites. After you are through with reading this article, it is possible to optimize your web pages with the right keywords with little hassle.

Before your pages can show on Google and other search-able database, you must understand 3 optimization terms. Here they are:

 

Keywords

Internet users are out for specific information and that’s why they come to the search engines to conduct a search. They use keywords to discover your site. If you already own a website and you are therefore struggling to drive manual traffic to it using some of the assumed effective ways, I would suggest you learn high search engine ranking optimization techniques in order to end your traffic worries for life. And this are only able to be achieved when you are getting free organic traffic.

Keyword Density

High Search engine ranking Optimization also banks on the effectiveness of keyword density. This is basically the number of times your chosen keywords appear on the human body of your web pages. If you write articles online, this will play a major role in determining how high your content and site will rank on Google. Since I promised it can be done yourself, when writing your sales copy, start out with the exact keyword, wear them your first paragraph and also twice by the body processes of your contents.

External Backlinks

Please pay attention to this one. Good keywords and well formatted density isn’t enough. What really matters in your ranking is your external back links effect. Back-links refers to other sites who have your website link on them. For example, for those who have an article published on an article directory, then you already have an external back link from it. But Google recommends that you improve your back links to around 20,000 to be able to gain high ranking on the top 10.

The best way to increase your back links to do this result and begin sucking avalanche of traffic is through social media which you’ll achieve manually or better still, using software to submit automatically. This is because search engine loves them and when you have your link there, it gets picked up for indexing fast.

Got to run.  More to come soon…

Brad Callen’s SEOLinkVine: A Review for Search Engine Marketers

As an internet marketer, you know how important SEO and back links are. You’ve probably downloaded quite a few different types of software that are supposed to help you automate your SEO processes.

Brad Callen’s SEOLinkVine software is similar in some ways to other automated SEO programs. Yet, Brad’s software is vastly more different than the same as the others. This software can do ‘almost’ everything for you, but it has to be done properly. What can this software do for you? How will this program work for your business? What will be your benefits from using it? We’d like to discuss our review of this program and its capabilities.

To see what this awesome blog network can do for you check out this SEO Linkvine site.

It looks like an ordinary submission tool when we first saw it. Here’s the typical deal: you write your article or post, hand it over to the software which sends it along its way to be submitted to a million places. But the difference, here, is that SEOLinkVine will not submit your content to the usual places you know about.

Rather, your content goes to sites/blogs who have signed-up to be in the network and receive your content for posting. This is a lot like having a personal network of blogs and sites to post content on. We all know the power of a good blog, so being a featured post on a good blog can really be great for you. According to their webcopy, you’ll just upload your content into SEOLinkVine after you write it. Then, SEOLinkVine will go from there. However, some work is still required on your end, you’ll have to write your own articles, of course.

Apparently, you will need to use the proper tags so the built-in content spinner can do its job correctly. Then, be sure to make your submissions to the correct categories in the system. The authors make it very clear that while the software will take care of a lot of the work; it won’t do all of the work for you. Decide right now that you are going to make it online and see this Affilojetpack Review site.

If you’re always looking for near-instant results with anything, then you won’t want to use this because it will not happen. SEO is not a quick game, so be prepared to not see instant results from your work because it does take time to see results.

It’s best to avoid building links too quickly, otherwise your site could be penalized by the engines. The program does its submission a little longer, so that will remove any undue stress for creating content. You can take your time to write quality articles instead of focusing primarily on quantity. If you’re an SEO veteran, you’ve probably heard it all and maybe seen it all. Also, to be upfront, article syndication using programs is not new. Obviously, no promises of instant riches… you know – you standing next to your Ferrari in the pic.

They’re totally up-front about things, and they’ll tell you that you have to put the work in before you realize the potential of this software. But if you are willing to put in the work and use this software correctly, there is no reason your own business shouldn’t grow by leaps and bounds!

How To Use Testimonials Effectively

If you have never heard of a product before, would you at least consider buying it if it came recommended  from someone you know? Given a selection of similar products, wouldn’t you rather try one that has had some glowing reviews even if you’ve never heard of them before?  A persons endorsement of a product can have a profound effect on the buying decisions of others. That  is the power of testimonials.

These days, testimonials are widely used for building credibility and generating buzz about a brand/product or service.  The world’s largest corporations spend billions of dollars in harnessing the power of a good endorsement.  In affiliate marketing, carefully chosen testimonials can be very effective in convincing prospects to try your product or service. Because of competition however, many  affiliate marketing programs try to increase their credibility factor by inviting celebrities to provide an endorsement. While this can be very effective, particularly if the celebrity has a large fan base, it can also be quite expensive.  Not every affiliate marketer can afford to pay a celebrity just to place their name on his site.  To compete, affiliate marketers turn to their own customers and members, specifically people who have had sufficient experience with the product and want to share their success.

A fully satisfied customer’s testimonial, if honest and well-written, may be as effective as that of a celebrity.  To do it effectively however, consider the following factors:

A) Be Specific – If a testimonial from a customer or another affiliate states that the program is ‘excellent’, it should be followed by a specific description of the program’s most useful features – what makes it excellent, how it has helped the customer or affiliate, why it’s reliable, etc.

B) Skepticism is good – Believe it or not, skepticism is good.  Phrases such as, ‘I wasn’t convinced at first, BUT…’ or ‘I have always used XYZ product and didn’t think of switching to another brand.  However, your product has ____ and ____ features that convinced me it was so much better.’

Even with the stated objection, a testimonial can be quite powerful if it is followed by a positive statement.

C) Avoid using fake testimonials –  You lie, you die. Someone will get wind of the falsehood, expose you and you lose your credibility.

D) Be selective –  Be picky:  find the best, especially the well-written and detailed ones.  Or, you could take the best sentences and phrases and post those in place of a paragraph.

Bottom line is this- use but don’t abuse..

The Art Of Preselling

I took a little hiatus from blogging, but I have returned.  I’ve got some GREAT content to share.  We’ll start of with the art of what’s called Preselling.

What it is

Preselling  is the art of  conditioning your website visitors to be ready to click to the merchant site and buy their product (and earn you your commission.)

Easy enough right? You would think.  But you’d be surprised how many times I’ve landed at a site and all Isaw was a hard-sell. “SPAM!”, I said and left. I was looking for information, but I was bombarded and forced to buy something – no thanks.

However, when you presell your visitor, you are cultivating a relationship. When you present him with agreeable content, you will increase the likelihood that he might click your link to make a purchase.  The question then is this: How does one presell?

Like talking to a friend

The first tip is this: Write like you are talking to a friend.  Keep things sweet and simple. Too many obtions confuse people, and confused people don’t buy!  Stick with one topic and stay on target. Share a problem, and discuss how you solved it, what you did that helped.

Stay clear of the exaggerated claims.  Never begin with unbelievable statements. Big statements and promises may be OK for a merchant’s page, but not for a relationship-building, preselling page. You might tell some short funny anecdotes about your family of snorers, and ease up to the day you chanced on this anti-snoring herbal concoction.  End up relating how it ended your (or your spouse’s) lifelong, nightly noise.

And finally, write your content as if you are the person reading it. See if you:

• Answer a question people are asking
• Are writing on their level
• Provide a solution

Know this: Preselling is the secret sauce of  your  Super Affiliate recipe.  Master it, and your affiliate commissions will have you eating deliciously well…

Persuasive Copy How-To

So you found an awesome offer. It seems to be converting well for others and you want it to promote it. You created a nice, unique landing page design and are ready to create your compelling content. But, will it be persuasive enough to lead to conversions? How do you get your copy to be persuasive? Here’s how:

1) Remember the reader: Who’s your targeted demo? What’s in it for them? Promise them something early on so they keep reading. Give them a reason why they are there. Be specific and leave the BS to the farmers.

2) Give them proof: Quote third party references or statistics or use testimonials to solidify your position as an authority in the space
and restate the hook that got readers engaged in the first place.

3) Make them an offer. Buyers don’t “buy”, they choose to own what is being offered to them. Be bold and firm when you present your offer, and relieve the reader’s risk of acceptance by standing behind what you say.

Try these tips when creating your offer letter and you’ll be writing pretty persuasive copy.

5 Affiliate Marketing Product Mistakes

Many affiliate marketers today are facing the problem of not knowing which particular affiliate products to promote because of the deluge of products available. Here are 5 mistakes to avoid:

1. Focusing on the affiliate program not on the product

It really important for you to remember you will be marketing a product and not an affiliate program. Don’t overlook a program because many affiliates are working it. Thats actually a good thing – it means it converts well.

2. Failing to invest in getting the word out

Use PPC wisely, feel free to experiment with Adwords and Adsense, leverage your email list. Pay attention to your response rate to see which specific marketing channels are more appropriate for the offer.

3. Ignoring the Search Engine Optimization Process

Sure you got your thin sites for the quick programs, and PPC works well for these. But for your special offers, focus on creating an authoritative destination and work on getting these to rank well. Ranking high organically provides free traffic (sort of).

4. Focusing on the product not on the site

Build a good landing page. Provide a relevant title and a clear call to action. More on landing pages in a future post.

5. Failing to keep up with latest news in the industry of your chosen products

Stay informed – in tune with the market, and stay ahead of the competition.

Go Viral Marketing

So we all understand the concept of ‘going viral’, right’? Remember the “getting the flu” analogy? It all starts with one member of the family getting infected by a friend or a relative. He brings the virus home and pretty soon the entire family gets hit… but not before the ‘carrier’ passes it to others too!

Just like that, viral marketing is leveraging tools to drive traffic to your website and profits. A good way to go viral is with an eProduct. The ebook could be yours or someone elses. If allowed, you can place advertisements strategically in the back of an ebook (under Recommended Resources). These can be ebooks with resell rights (any form that allows the product to be easily passed to another – master resell rights, unrestricted PLR rights, rebranding rights or giveaway rights – more on these in a moment).

But how do your find the ‘carrier’? Obviously a suitable carrier could be a niche-targeted eProduct. Those like-minded individuals, who have a passion for the topic of the ebook, will ingest, and spread it, generating targeted traffic to your sales letter page. Some specific eProduct examples could be:

• Unrestricted PLR ebooks or special reports. The easier it is for people to get their hands on your book, the better the traffic! Do not worry about people altering your ads – people are usually too lazy to alter the book. They will promote your links for you! The most appealing thing about unrestricted PLR is that people can SELL the PLR rights to others making it highly valuable!

• E-books or special reports with Master resell rights. The same applies as unrestricted PLR. Resellers can resell your books, bundle your books together as a package or into a fire sale or offer them as a bonus. You can watch as your books (and your links) fall into the hands of readers all over the world!

• Products with giveaway rights. If you have excellent content, people are more than willing to give away your book to others and the virus spreads. Although it carries less perceived value compared to a ‘paid’ product, nevertheless, it still has it usefulness if your content is good.

You can create as many viral campaigns as you can for your website. Once they are all setup, all you need to do is tweak your sales pages or landing pages to maximize your profits. And who said viruses are bad for you????

Audience Engagement part 1

The key to maximizing your earnings is engaging your readers. Unlike traditional ads where you are paid for impressions or clicks, affiliates are only paid when/if a specific action is performed. The action might be a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, but regardless, you are not paid until you’ve compelled your readers to act.

With that in mind, here are the Top 5 attributes of an engaging affiliate marketing initiative:

1. Know Your Audience
The most successful way to use affiliate programs is to anticipate and meet the needs of your readers. Consider why they are coming to your site. What are you providing that they are looking for? Make sure the affiliate products you are promoting provide a solution to your audience’s problems.

If you are writing about sports, don’t put up affiliate ads for printer toner just because everyone has a printer and those programs have a high payout. The people who are coming to read commentary or get stats for their favorite teams aren’t thinking about those things when they’re on your site.

The more relevant the ads are to your readers, the more likely they will use them.

2. Be Trustworthy
Readers are savvy. They know an affiliate link when they see one. If you break their trust by promoting a product you don’t believe in or take advantage of their visit with too many ads, they will leave and never come back.

It is your repeat visitors that will drive traffic. They are the ones who will give you linkbacks, spread the word, and recommend your site as the go-to place for valuable content. You need to build a relationship based on genuine content.

If your visitors don’t think you’re being honest, they won’t read anything else you have to say.

3. Be Helpful
Think of affiliate ads as additional resources that complement your content. Give value to your content by making it helpful, useful, and informative.

Don’t put up a list of your favorite books, hoping people will click on the affiliate link, purchase the books (just because you listed them), so you can cash in on a sale. Take some time to write a detailed review, and use affiliate ads to point them in the right direction if they decide to act on your information. That’s what affiliate ads are for. If you write a great review recommending a book and readers buy the book because of it, you should get something for that.

But just throwing out links to products with no rhyme or reason will result in a quick exit by visitors.

4. Be Transparent
Always disclose your affiliations. Your readers will appreciate your honesty, and will feel better about contributing to your earnings. If they sense that you are being less than honest about your affiliations, they are savvy enough to bypass your link and go directly to the vendor just to avoid giving you referral credit.

Honesty and full disclosure is a necessary part to building a loyal reader base. They know they are supporting you by using your referral links. Make them happy and eager to do so.

5. Select Carefully
Take the time to go through all the different options for products or services available through the programs. Put some thought into which products or services your readers may need or like. Also, change the ads around often, try different ones, and use different graphics and text to see which are the most effective.

Hmm, there’s actually more to share here, but I’ll share more in a future post, soon – I promise………

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