Daily posts on cutting edge internet marketing training techniques and complete information for starting and managing a successful online business.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Evaluating Potential Affiliate Marketing Programs is essential for a successful affiliate marketing business
It is important to build your affiliate business on a solid foundation of quality merchant-partners with quality products. This is very important and is essential to your online affiliate programs success so find good programs and eliminate poor ones.
Watch for the following criteria as you evaluate potential affiliate marketing programs...
Positive attributes for Affiliate Marketing Programs are as follows....
* High quality product or service -- remember, it's your reputation that is on the line.
Don't recommend poor or low quality products or services
* Look at the Merchant's website and be sure that they have a good site that sells effectively.
* Make sure that there is the ability for your affiliate link to be directed straight to individual products, rather than just to the home page. Don't make your visitor have to find the product that you recommend, or your Conversion Rate will be lesser
* Check out the type of payment model -- Pay-per-sale and pay-per-lead are good. This is true "performance marketing." If your referred visitor delivers the desired response, you get paid. What about "pay-per-click?" See red flags below.
The Best Affiliate Marketing Programs offer Strong Affiliate Support...
These should include...
*Accurate, reliable real-time online accounting, preferably with some kind of ability to "audit" by spot-checking
*Detailed traffic and linking stats
* Notification by e-mail when a sale is made
* Useful marketing assistance, which provides traffic-building and
sales tools such as Professional marketing materials like banners, videos etc
*A high-quality newsletter that educates and provides training.
Great online affiliate programs who offer support indicate a high degree of commitment to the program and its affiliates.
* The Best Affiliate Marketing Programs give Affiliates discount on products
*Look for products that pay good commission -- hard goods have lower margins than digital ones. So their commissions will be lower
You should make at least 10% (hard good) or 20% (digital good) on any product that you recommend.
*Don't be scared off by low-priced products if they offer a good % commission -- the lower dollar value per sale is usually offset by the higher sales volume.
*The affiliate marketing program must be free to join with no requirement to buy the product. I like to buy the product first in order to truly know the product however this is not essential
* Lifetime commission -- if the program pays a commission on future sales of other products to customers that you refer, this is a huge plus and a strong indicator of an excellent affiliate marketing program
* Lifetime cookie -- do you receive a commission if the person you referred returns and buys within one month? Three months? The cookie that tracks this should not expire. This policy should also be backed by database-matching -- that way, a merchant can still identify a customer should the cookie be deleted
* Two-tier commission -- if the program pays a commission on affiliates who join because of you, this is also great.
*Affiliate marketing programs that Restrict the number of affiliates -- you won't find many of these. But if you do find one, grab it.
*Look for a monthly payment, with reasonable minimum.
All those positive attributes don't need to be present but the more the better
Evaluating negative factors in Affiliate Marketing Programs......
Watch out for these negative factors...
* Slow and or poor support
*Unethical conduct of any kind
* Reports of late or lack of payments
* Allow spam, or seem to spam themselves
* Support, or are slow to condemn scumware programs that deprive
Hard working affiliates of their commissions.
* Defective affiliate-joining process and or clauses in the agreement that you find unacceptable.
For example... If lifetime customers are important to you, then a clause that allows unilateral termination or modification of the agreement at any time by the company, without just cause, effectively makes the lifetime commitment of no value.
Example #2 ... No exclusivity means that you should be allowed to represent more than one similar product vendor
.
Your job in an affiliate marketing program is an important one.
You deliver high-value content that gains the confidence and trust of your visitors. You include recommendations and referrals to your new friends as part of your service and content. Recommending anything less than quality products is simply fraudulent.
Don't allow yourself to be bribed into recommending such product, in the long run, your reputation will be ruined. And so will your business.
If you find products that fit your theme but that don't deliver quality, contact them and offer to sell them advertising. This way, you don't compromise your ethics... your reputation. Because the customer recognizes advertising for what it is... a promotion.
On the other hand, when your visitors are rewarded repeatedly by your rich recommendations, their increasing like and respect of your judgment will keep them coming back for more!
Watch for these warning signs which where written by the experts at Sitesell, The world’s leader in affiliate marketing programs and top authority on business websites and education....
*"Pay-per-click" method of payment. In this method, you get paid whenever a visitor clicks on your link. No purchase or lead-generation necessary.
Unfortunately, it's wide open for abuse -- very sophisticated folks create incentives to get thousands of people to click on their links. But the visitors could care less about the products being promoted. It's virtually unstoppable. And merchants end up paying for nothing, so merchants cancel or change the program.
In theory, pay-per-click affiliate programs are a good idea. Unfortunately, they attract "scam artist affiliates." Sooner or later, merchants seem to throw in the towel against the onslaught. So be wary -- these kind of affiliate programs tend to dissolve or mutate into a different model.
* Multi-tier commission -- this is online MLM, which is perfectly legal. Do your due diligence to make sure, of course, that a multi-tier program is not an illegal pyramid scheme. If the "game" is to earn income by signing up others, you most likely are dealing with a pyramid. Many people confuse honest, legal MLM with dishonest, scammy pyramid schemes.
With MLM (also known as Network Marketing), it becomes as important to build a strong down line as it does to sell product. Also, MLM companies are subject to numerous regulations (to prevent them from becoming pyramids, basically). Not all online companies are complying (or even know about this!).
Watch out for a big shakeout with many of these companies going belly-up. If multi-tier interests you, they recommend that you check out established offline MLMs that are now online.
Or... investigate all others extremely carefully before you decide to invest a lot of time in these.
*Watch out for poor or limited information about the affiliate marketing program available.
*Always check to determine that there are no dead links on merchant site and also determine that there is a clear anti-spamming policy visible on site.
* Avoid all Sites that promotes "get-rich-quick" gimmicks.
*Ensure that the affiliate marketing program is not financially unstable. You stand to lose a lot if a company goes under, especially if you were banking on lifetime customer/2-tier promises.
* Poor traffic stats, and low Google Page Rank score.
Tools like the Google Toolbar and Alexa can tell you a lot about a
Affiliate marketing programs that have little or no traffic, makes one wonder how successful can it really be?
Spend your time on smart, stable, ethical companies with great products
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Love To Travel? Build a Travel Website and Make it Your Business
Build a travel website or make your own website like an online travel guide and build a business
As a kid my family was constantly relocating all over Canada
Later in life I traveled to my favorite places in California and Mexico and became very familiar with the local people and businesses
If only I knew then that I could build a travel website and make money online while having fun!
I still may create a travel website for my beloved charming Montreal or perhaps my favorite getaway in Mazatlan
The stories I could tell about both, the places and people that most visitors never know about
Old Montreal the most charming area of the whole city. Most tourists never have the pleasure of this unique experience
Actually I might even mix my business with pleasure and create a travel website for both in the future!
But the thing is when you make your own website like an online travel guide the best part is you don't even have to travel if you don't want to.
Don't forget that tourism is right where you live.
Your online travel guide, be it your own favorite vacation spots or your home town can provide "insider information" for your visitors
When you create a travel website doesn't have to be built
soley around an exotic travel location
You are, after all, an expert on your own city or region.
Why not create a travel website for people visiting your home town
Do you live near a tourist resort town? Does your city boast an active night life or other special features that attracts visitors worldwide?
Perhaps your region is well known for a particular thing of interest that you could make your own website and write about.
Yes your online travel guide can provide excellent opportunities for less exotic locales too just like your own home town
Business people and other visitor’s research and visit every day
They want your information!
Monetize your knowledge!
Whatever the appeal is, there's potential to build a travel website around it. Make your own website and differentiate yourself by providing an online travel guide filled with valuable information that visitors won't find elsewhere.
Share your knowledge with others in your unique online travel guide
Mix your business with Pleasure...
...Travel and Build a Travel Website for Business
If you are retired and travelling why not build a travel website for your favorite place
Snowbirds in Canada would love to read your information
Write your travel expenses off (tax deductions!) as you write about your passion in your online travel guide
Best of all, build a travel website and develop a thriving online travel guide business doing it!
You don't have to be a travel agent to make an online travel guide to help people with their vacation or business stay plans.
Travel agents are required to know a little about a lot of places... sort of "Jacks (and Jills) of all places, masters of none."
Unlike a travel agent, you specialize in your destination and write about it and your experiences in your online travel guide.
When you build a travel website it becomes your "niche" -- your area of expertise. Visitors are anxious to find your information
Make your own website full of familiar topics that you know better than the back of your hand.
Then keyboard your way to online travel guide profits.
How do you create a travel website?
Use your passion and inside knowledge, combined with all the tools you need to overcome the tech barriers. That's it. Here's the bottom line...
Your site is not an encyclopedia, nor will it be yet another general travel guide service.
It won't be as fancy as the "official government tourist site."
People will love your online travel guide
Instead of being "encyclopedic," covering only the basics in an impersonal voice, you reveal little-known, real insider secrets about the area.
Your personal first hand experiences are information that people want
Friday, December 17, 2010
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Why Most People Don’t Make Money Online And How You Can Avoid It.
The majority of new entrepreneurs fail online because they have unrealistic expectations about what internet marketing is all about. I see this all the time with new people trying to build an online business. Many truly believe that within weeks or even a few months of starting an online business that they will make money online. Many proceed without any internet marketing training or skills of any kind and quickly become discouraged and quit.
If you are determined to make money online with internet marketing then you need to expect a learning curve and recognize and accept the fact that it does take proper skills and time to succeed. But honestly, if you are following a good internet marketing training program which provides you with a proven set of skills and then apply yourself every day, you will make money with internet marketing.
It is imperative that you find a good training source for internet marketing training and then focus on developing your skills to the highest level. That is a fact. By shifting your focus on developing your skills and becoming a knowledgeable skilled internet marketer first and then invest the needed time and effort into your business you will make money online.
Learn More about the benefits of Internet Marketing Training Drop by Patricia Hedge's site and Discover how you can maximize your ability to Make Money Online
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
An Online Marketing Campaign for Free Traffic Exchanges
A free traffic exchange is a type of website which provides a service for webmasters in exchange for traffic and for many is an effective online marketing strategy.
Traffic exchanges are similar to the autosurf concept with the exception that traffic exchanges usually use a manual rotation.
Traffic exchanges receive website submissions from webmasters that join traffic exchange networks. The individual who submitted the site then has to view other member sites on the exchange program to earn credits, which enable their sites to be viewed by other members through the surf system.
This increases website traffic to all of the websites involved
Free Traffic exchanges implement a certain credit ratio , which illustrates the quantity of websites the surfer must view in order to receive one hit through the program for their promoted website.
Many sites offer the option to upgrade one's membership level for a more equal credit ratio and more effective online marketing results.
Normally the audience of this type of online marketing campaign are primarily website owners or affiliates, it is probable that many find certain member sites interesting and subscribe to offers using them on their own websites
Most free online marketing programs also impose a time limit when members are browsing, ranging from 10 seconds to 60 seconds. Some integrate the use of captcha to ensure user interaction.
Almost all traffic exchange programs are free , although many of them offer special features to paid members and offer credits for purchase.
As well most traffic exchange programs encourage users to build their own referral networks, which in turn increases the referrers' amount of credits.
The traffic generated in this type of online marketing campaign can be leveraged by using a downline builder to assist the user in building a referral network in the many different traffic exchanges.
In practice, traffic exchange programs are generally used by small business owners or marketers who either want free advertising or use the exchange programs for a low-budget online marketing campaign.
Free traffic exchanges date back to the beginning of the web and were primarily used by organizations or companies to share sites between employees.
In those times when interesting websites were difficult to find, free traffic exchanges for those new to the web proved to be an invaluable online marketing campaign tool.
Traffic Exchange vs. Bounce Rate
Most people use Traffic Exchange programs to increase website traffic.
Free Traffic Exchanges offer both the Auto and Manual Surf options with a timing of 10 to 60 seconds. An 'autosurf' program requires no human intervention to rotate the sites in the database, and is used primarily to increase the overall number of website hits.
This practice is rather contentious as it may distort the results of actual website popularity.
The main reason behind joining a Traffic Exchange program is to use this type of online marketing campaign to promote products and services to like minded marketers.
A factor which may negatively manipulate the ranking is the Bounce Rate. If a website or blog has a high bounce rate then it may be interpreted by the search engines that visitors are not interested in the content.
The Bounce Rate is calculated by the average time a guest stayed on the site.
So whereas the Traffic Exchange sites do increase website traffic, alternatively they can also increase the bounce rate.
Using Free Traffic Exchanges Effectively
The simple explanation to using traffic exchanges is recognizing that the individual will usually only be viewing your site for 10-20 seconds. Therefore rather than directing the individual to your website, you should be sending them to a specific ad designed for traffic exchanges.
The most effective for this type of online marketing campaign are squeeze pages or splash pages, which have a simple headline, description, and opt-in form for an autoresponder. Then the surfer can easily type their email address in and receive more information about your product or services at a later time. This method is excellent for newbies who are building their lists.
A great free resource for list building is “Build Your List With Ease ” and through “Listwire” you can receive a free autoresponder.
Adsense on Traffic Exchanges
Note: Google disallows using Adsense on Traffic Exchanges. Users who desire to advertise their websites on a traffic exchange but also have Adsense ads should definitely create separate pages for advertising in traffic exchanges that do not contain Adsense ads.
Personally I have great ratios and conversions with the the
Free Traffic Bar and I find it is easy and convenient to use.
The TEToolbox is a very good Free resource for building and hosting splash pages
To learn more about internet marketing and how to build an effective online marketing campaign I always recommend Carbon Copy Pro to my clients.
Carbon Copy Pro is an incubator for entrepreneurs and teaches the student highly effective marketing skills using free and paid services
Building
Monday, December 13, 2010
Free Online Marketing for Starting an Online Marketing campaign on a Budget
Website promotion is the most important step to maximize potential traffic from the Internet to succeed online and involves more than just Search Engine Optimization.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Business Email Lists Build Your List With Ease! Increase Conversions
Business email lists are a network marketing tool that helps you keep in contact with your customers. You initially send them an email, or direct them to a web page, where they can choose to receive further communications from you. This type of list building allows the customer to have an active role in choosing to join your mailing list, ensuring that they don't feel they are being spammed.
To start building your business email lists you will have to initially get the contact information of potential customers. There are several ways to do this. One popular way is to offer free or bonus items such as publications or other giveaways of value. This means a customer will provide you with their contact information in exchange for the free e item you are offering
Network marketing using existing business email lists is another way to building your opt-in list. When you send emails to your current clients and customers, ask them to spread the word by forwarding your emails or directing people to your website. Also, make sure a link to your website is in all the emails you send. For example, make sure your signature line mentions your business name and a link to your website or squeeze page for a free offer.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Canadian home based business opportunity
If you are Canadian you may be looking for business that is based and operating in Canada. But the problem always presents itself in trying to find affordable home based business opportunities. Of course you can always find a list of Canadian home based business opportunity sites on the net but are they actually going to be profitable?
I recently reviewed a list of Canadian home based business opportunity sites that a client presented to me and it consisted of envelope stuffing, survey taking, purchasing and reselling products etc. which where all Canadian based companies. These Canadian home based business opportunity sites where attractive as there was no international business issues but...
My experience suggests that few actually make a living from these ventures and unfortunately many are left with a garage full of products and a large amount of debt!
Let’s not over look the other popular list of home based business opportunity “Get Rich Quick Schemes”. Definitely avoid those offers as well! Internet marketing requires knowledge and skill, but certainly is doable. If your interest is in becoming an internet marketer I highly recommend Carbon Copy Pro for your training needs. Carbon Copy Pro is a community of six figure income earners who offer a training program which is like an incubator for entrepreneurs. To get an application kit Click Here.
However even if that is your choice you still will require a website to showcase your affiliate products or perhaps your own products and services
Anyone can build a profitable home based business with the right system and tools. To build an ecommerce website does not require a degree in web programming or any formal training in web design or business. All I've done over the past several years is create information websites on topics that interest me. I earn commissions by displaying ads and recommending variety of related products.
Site Build It is based out of Montreal Canada and is proven to provide an affordable home based opportunity to new entrepreneurs worldwide
This Canadian home based business opportunity is Real Business with Real People.
For under a dollar a day you can build a profitable home based business based on your interests, hobbies or previous work experiences.
For a complete list of home based business ideas Click Here
With Site Build It!, you will receive all the tools and training you need to create your website and market it online.
What Does Site Build It! Web Hosting Offer? Website Tools, Tools and More Tools
The biggest gift of Site Build It! is the suite of website tools. Included in your annual or monthly fee, you receive...
·A domain name
·Hosting
·Web page templates
·Site builder
·A mailing list manager
·Autoresponder
·Marketing help
·Brainstorming tool (to help choose a "profitable" topic)
·A link tracker
·Value Exchange
·Spam checker tool
·An SEO "Analyze It!" tool (to help with search engine rankings) and so much more.
The actual cost to buy these tools separately exceeds $5000.00
Now of course you can also buy a domain and a web hosting plan at any reputable hosting company but be sure to avoid the free web hosting sites. If you choose this option, you will save money, but you will have to either buy web software or learn HTML and CSS to setup your site. The biggest problem with this is that sadly the large majority of these sites fail to generate traffic. No traffic means no business
Site Build It! includes all the website tools you need to begin your site and they are in one place.
The Video Action Guide is at your disposal to guide you along their 10-day process from start to finish.
There is no software to download with Site Build It!. Everything is provided from the customer login area.
All of the above are included with your subscription fee. There are no hidden costs.
Friendly Forums
As a Site Build It! website builder, you will have access to post on the member forums to ask questions and chat with other successful SBI owners. It's a great place to bounce ideas off other owners and get suggestions for your site along the way.
Money Back Guarantee
If for any reason you don't like SBI! you can get a full refund which has just been extended from 30 to 90 days with no questions asked.
In my opinion Site Build It provides the best Canadian Home Based Business Opportunity.
Why Buy Sitesell? Regular Web Hosts vs SBI! Ecommerce Web Hosting
Why Buy Sitesell? A Review
Sitesell vs Regular Web Hosting is something you should compare if you are starting an online business
There are two options I recommend for building a website...
1) Buy a domain and a web hosting plan at any reputable hosting company but be sure to avoid the free web hosting sites. If you choose this option , you will save money, but you will have to either buy web software or learn HTML and CSS to setup your site.
2) Buy
Site Build It!If you choose Sitesell, you will receive all the tools and training you need to create your website and market it online.
What Does Sitesell Web Hosting Offer? Website Tools, Tools and More Tools
The biggest gift of Sitesell is the suite of website tools. Included in your annual or monthly fee, you receive...
·A domain name
·Hosting
·Web page templates
·Site builder
·A mailing list manager
·Autoresponder
·Marketing help
·Brainstorming tool (to help choose a "profitable" topic)
·A link tracker
·Value Exchange
·Spam checker tool
·An SEO "Analyze It!" tool (to help with search engine rankings) and so much more.
The actual cost to buy these tools separately exceeds $5000.00
Sitesell includes all the website tools you need to begin your site and they are in one place.
The Video Action Guide is at your disposal to guide you along their 10-day process from start to finish.
There is no software to download with SBI!. Everything is provided from the customer login area.
All of the above are included with your subscription fee. There are no hidden costs.
Friendly Forums
As a Sitesell website builder, you will have access to post on the member forums to ask questions and chat with other successful SBI owners. It's a great place to bounce ideas off other owners and get suggestions for your site along the way.
Money Back Guarantee
The owner Ken Evoy is a man of his word and he stands by his product.
If for any reason you don't like SBI! you can get a full refund which has just been extended from 30 to 90 days with no questions asked.
The refund is prorated beyond this period.
Do I Have to Use the Sitesell Templates?
Most new site owners choose to use the SBI! templates because it's easier and faster. Currently they have just released hundreds of attractive ones to choose from.
You don't have to know any HTML or programming to build your site with SBI! so many people choose that route and make plans to redesign at a later time.
However, if you want to use your own software and learn how to design your site, you may certainly do that and simply upload your pages through the SBI system
Why Buy Sitesell When I can pay less elsewhere?
I get this question a lot and it's a very legitimate one. After all, why pay $29/month when there are web hosting options for $10/mo. or less?
Well hopefully now you know the answer to that question after reading about all the tools and help you will receive. Here are a few other SBI! owners that had the same question and their responses...
Why did you buy SBI! when there are cheaper web hosting options?
Greg of DecorMadeSimple.com said...
To sum it all up, reputable information.
I've been an SBI customer since August 2007. Prior to SBI I built several websites
using a variety of different hosts, Yahoo Small Business, Microsoft Small Business,
GoDaddy and Wordpress.
None of these hosts provided anywhere near the amount of quality "how to" information SBI provides. The information alone is worth the price of admission; the tools and hosting are secondary.
Sonya of Best-Baby-Shower-Planning-Guide.com said...
Even though there are other cheaper web hosts available, SBI! seemed perfect for someone with no website building knowledge (but it’s a good program for experience website builders too). The program doesn't just show you how to do something; it explains to you why it's important to do it in order to get noticed and be successful online.
Sonya has two SBI! sites. She also owns Celebrate-Your-Engagement.com
Annie of cat-talk-101.com said...
Though I know there were free blog sites and cheap hosting options, without a doubt, purchasing SBI was the best decision I could have made. I’m no longer wondering about how to build an online business…I’m doing it! You really do get what you pay for!
Melva of Your-Home-Based-Business-Ideas.com said...
When I learned that I did not have to know HTML, and pay for a separate auto-responder and file management I decided to purchase SBI in January 2009. I have learned just a little html and love block-by-block. I love my online business and I have even started a second SBI site.
Mr. Potential of Self-Improvement-Life-Coach.com said...
Prior to Site Build It, I purchased hosting with other web hosts for a few dollars a month. I did not have a lot of experience then with creating, marketing or making money with a website. I quickly found out that the hosting companies didn’t provide me with the education, tools and support I needed. So in August 2009, I purchased the Site Build It subscription because it had all the things I needed in one package to be successful online. It made sense to spend more to make more money. Now I can help others do the same.
From the comments above you can see, all of these people knew there were cheaper options for building a website, but most of them decided because of the tools and the fact you need no technical knowledge to build a website.
SBI! is real. These are REAL testimonials from REAL people with REAL websites that you can actually visit. There's nothing worse than seeing a testimonial but nothing to investigate it further.
Sitesell or Regular Web Hosting?
This of course is your decision. You can be successful with either.
I sure have but the thing is driving traffic is so difficult these days that it only makes sense to start with a traffic building system already in place.
Decide based on what is right for you!
If you want to save a bit of money and learn to do a lot on your own, then go with regular web hosting.
However, if you need more step-by-step guidance, don't want to worry about buying software, website tools or learning how to use web software, then go with Sitesell.