Sunday 27 May 2012

Affiliate Marketing Tips That Can Make You More Successful


With our mixed market economy, businesses are free to compete and battle on a daily basis. It is important for you as a business owner to have the upper hand or at the very least, be on the same level as your competitors. This article will provide you with the information about affiliate marketing, so you can keep up or even surpass your competition.

Base your review and promotion of the product on your personal experience. If you have not tried the product yourself, ask someone who has to help you write a review. Look for comments and discussions about the product online. If you see a lot of negative impressions about the products, perhaps you should not promote it at all.

After you’ve made a transaction on your site, offer your new customer a chance to be an affiliate. By offering a customer a chance to make a commission when he sells your items, you turn one transaction into 1,000 potential transactions. This can be a great way to do marketing on the internet.


Pay attention to the affiliate tools that you are offered and use them, if they fit into your marketing methods. These tools are usually offered because they are proven market drivers that will interest your customers. Why not let the affiliate do the work and you just pass it on and reap the benefits?

Once you have been in business long enough to build up a positive reputation with affiliate vendors, you can request sample products from them. You can use these samples to form your own opinion of an affiliate’s product and advertise and endorse it. Be reasonable in these affiliate marketing jobs requests; make sure the vendors you contact know that you can be a valuable partner.

You should never have to pay to join an affiliate marketing program. Any affiliate program that asks you to pay a “membership fee” or “training costs” is more than likely just a scam that is out to take your money. Good affiliate marketing programs are free, because the parent company earns their money from the traffic and sales you send their way.

Don’t get lazy about taking advantage of new programs and trends. Check and see the latest updates of your affiliate programs. There are new ads and tools constantly being added, to increase usability and visual appeals. Even small changes like keeping your site trendy, can have a large effect on your readers.

If you’re an affiliate marketer, you need to know what you’re promoting. Just because you may have used the product, that doesn’t make you an expert on it. Do all the research you can into everything that makes the product what it is so you can explain it clearly and succinctly and answer any questions people might have.

If you’re already running Adsense or something similar, analyze the results. This will help you to see which affiliate marketing to target. For example, if visitors to your health blog click on Adsense ads for vitamins, you could maximize revenue by adding affiliate links for an online retailer that sells those same products, which you already know your visitors are interested in buying.

A great tip for affiliate marketing is to start promoting an affiliate product on Facebook. Facebook is great because it allows you to get in touch with millions of other people. It can be a very powerful marketing tool and you’ll definitely generate interest by promoting your product or service on there.

Create a website that appeals to people who can afford the items you’re selling through affiliate marketing. For example, a coupon or freebie website will bring in a crowd that doesn’t like to pay for anything, making it much more difficult to get them to buy any products. A website about fun new techie gadgets will bring you people who have an expendable income and want to spend it on what you’re selling!

Affiliate marketing services are there to help you get all the links you want in one place. The benefit is that you have access to many links at once with little leg work. The down side is that you lose a bit of profit, as the middle man has to get his share too.

Affiliate marketing tools that promise to take the place of knowledge, skills and abilities are a waste of time and money for beginners. While a seasoned affiliate marketer who understands how affiliate marketing works might benefit from some of this software, it is worthless for newbies. There is no substitute for simply wading in and getting your feet wet in the affiliate marketing world.

As stated in the beginning of this article, businesses are free to compete so you, being a business owner, need to actively compete with your competitors. Take the information about affiliate marketing that has been provided in this article and use these techniques to get the sales you want and push down your competition.

Friday 25 May 2012

Tips for Conversational Marketing


Conversational marketing is a widely discussed topic. A lot has been written about the difference between paid and earned media, but does it mean you now flood social media sites with your content and advertising instead of writing for a newspaper /magazine?You do the same old things on new channels – like creating a mobile app for your website?

Being where your customers are is a great idea, but it is only the first step.
A conversation is all about meaningful exchange of information to satisfy needs and not just about publishing, advertising or watching videos and reading blogs (and posting comments on them).
 A conversation is also what you want to talk to your customer about.
It does not mean you press the play button on a video and turn up the volume. It is also important to help them, discuss a problem or answer a question.

Two way communications is good conversation:
Good blogs are great to read and follow. While we love the comments people post on blogs, we can see that people are trying to involve themselves in a conversation. They are also trying to establish their brand, views and beliefs. If you are successfully able to sell a product to them, you can consider it as a good conversation.
 A meaningful social media conversation has four elements to it:
  •  Need
  • Information
  • Collaboration to match the information and the need
  • Collaboration to improve the information

 Defining the right metrics
Counting on links, bounce rate and time spent on a page means you are advertising, not conversing with your audience. While these metrics can help you to improve conversation, they cannot be considered as your final metrics. Some good final metrics are retention, acquisition and spending share of customers. This means that you know your customers from their clicks. You know, and are learning about how to meet their needs better with your products and services. That’s what a conversation gives you. If you cannot explicitly link conversations with actual customer identities (if permitted by law of course), and if you are just publishing, you need to rethink your strategy.

Making a good conversation?
While content is an important component, how you apply it becomes the crucial aspect. Making good money from advertising is not really a corporate model for a business with products other than content (think bank, retailer, services, etc.). What conversations can they start without getting all mushy about it? Think of the needs and information framework above. That’s the place to start. For example, consider visiting a bank’s website. You have to really search for how their product helps to meet your objectives. Most banks don’t even list your objectives. That’s an easy one. We call it a low hanging fruit. There are probably a lot of low hanging fruits out there to satisfy world hunger.

Next steps
It is important to remember the needs and information framework and focus on it. Once the foundation is ready, social media and e-commerce pundits can help you build upon it. But without that solid foundation, you’ll be advertising, not conversing.

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Affiliate Marketing Tips To Boost Your Commissions



There are lots of people who have made it or who are making it with affiliate marketing. The following tips will help you grab a foothold in the world of affiliate marketing and will boost your income, too. Anytime you use a business approach that is designed to generate Street Smart Profits, make your site more popular or any similar benefits, you need to be certain about a few important factors. Maybe you know the importance of solid market research which is good because that is how you can communicate successfully with them. The success of all your marketing and advertising rests on the degree of knowledge you have about your target. Naturally you want your campaigns to work the best they can, and that is perhaps the primary benefit. Any niche market will only relate to the words you write when they are in terms used by the audience of that particular market. All of those old-fashioned ideas about trust, understanding and even a tenuous relationship are all crucial in your copy.



Affiliates should always be prepared to try promoting various products and aim at finding products that sell well and pay high commissions. When you're deciding which product to promote, choose a good product that also pays a good commission. Work on locating those really big products that have very high price tags so you can earn more commission with the same level of effort. It's easy to find plenty of products on the Clickbank marketplace to market that will pay you a commission on every sale you refer. So if you found a product selling at $80 and paying 50% commission, you'll earn around $40 for each sale, minus a couple dollars in Clickbank fees. This can be nice for a little extra cash flow, but think about what your income would be like if you promoted products that cost $1000 and earn you $400 on each sale you make. Big ticket products like this is exactly what we're talking about. It's not wrong to promote an affiliate product that offers a small commission, in fact many Amazon.com affiliates are making a good living by selling smaller products. But why work to bring in lots of sales for a little profit each time when you can sell bigger products that require less sales to make more profit? Of course the bigger items require hard work and ethical marketing tactics, but in the long run they will return higher commissions than regular Clickbank affiliates will earn. Do the math and you'll understand the real value of promoting high ticket products as an affiliate.



When you're an affiliate, you aren't selling but you're pre-selling. You need to ensure you're making the prospects feel comfortable about buying from you and you need to give them everything possible to make that happen. All the selling will be done on the actual site where the product is offered. Not only that, but it's been proved that you will get more sales if you presell the prospect and make them comfortable about buying from you. There are many reasons why a person won't buy from you, but most likely it's because they're afraid of getting scammed, which does happen. But when you work on pre-selling the product, you're actually helping the prospect relax and get focused; you're giving away an honest opinion with both the goods and the bads about the product. You are causing them to feel better about buying from you before they're even sold by the affiliate page, so there's a greater chance that most will spend their money on you. That's why you won't want to leave anything about the product so that there's no question in the prospect's mind. We realize that when you are new and working to get something going with your net business, it is tough to gain a totally complete education about something like commission shops due to so much available information. That really is not such an obvious point with all those who are new or perhaps have been involved for a while. So what needs to be done is strike a good balance between getting the foundation right as you take action in your business. All we have time and space for are cursory overviews of the various methods and points we discuss. Our articles normally present a small number of related points to a main topic, but we will never begin to give you all that is available on any one particular topic or subject.






Remember that any competition in your niche isn't necessarily a bad thing. Competition should be a sign that the niche is profitable. Try to learn from your competitors and adapt as you go along. Any business on the web will have more marketing options with commission shops, and that is precisely what should interest you about this. Our attitudes always have a tremendous impact on what we achieve, and that is no less true when you are in business. Here is an example, if a person feels they are not worthy of success, then that belief will be seen in their business results. Most people who will read this are probably not seeing the results they want, and there is a good chance that includes you. Nothing really matters in terms of if you have failed so far or just have not quite figured things out; you can do more if you learn how. It is our belief that we create our conditions after a certain point in life, and we can learn to make more informed decisions.



All in all, if you use the tips you just learned about, the sky's the limit when it comes to affiliate marketing.


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Monday 21 May 2012

5 Obstacles That Stops You From Making Money Blogging



Are there obstacles to building successful money making venture online?
Truth be told, money is a motivating factor in online business and offline businesses. A lot of people would agree that making money online isn’t the primary objective, which I agree but a blog that makes no money will soon disappear or make the owner regret ever setting it up.
I started a blog out of passion and never really imagined earning money from it. But it turned out I needed to renew web hosting subscription for 2 years and I also must pay for email marketing service (autoresponder).
I’m yet to find a blogger or internet marketer who pays for web hosting and other marketing tools and resources with ‘passion.’ Passion has its place but you need money to make it blissful and exceptional.
Without much ado, here are 5 obstacles stopping you from making a living as a blogger. Enjoy it:
1 – No Clear Thinking
I once suffered from this blogging obstacle and it caused me a whopping $1,028 in get-rich-quick schemes. If I had a clear thought about internet marketing, knowing it’s not a hit-and-run affair, I would have seen a clearer picture and write down clearer, more realistic and smart goals.
Lack of clear thinking would channel you to the wrong business model. For everyone who wants to increase earnings online, no matter what niche you’ve chosen, it’s vital to think clearly from the onset. Know what you truly want and have the urge and enthusiasm to achieve it.
It may take some time to materialize, but with clear objectives, which come as a result of ‘immaculate thoughts,’ making money online can be fun and worthwhile.
2 – You’re Not Convinced
How much conviction do you’ve before starting a blog? For me, I wasn’t really convinced that I can make money from blogging. But I had passion for writing and knew it was enough to begin.
Personal conviction is good, but you need external forces to pat your head. I mean, you should have read success stories of people who started from nothing, but turned into something, later – conviction from within and without is paramount to overcoming every business obstacle.
If you don’t believe in a goal, how can you achieve it? I had a personal mentor who convinced me beyond all reasonable doubts that blogging is potent enough to send me to the bank every week (generate income). I didn’t know what writing for money was, back in 2007. Lack of conviction is a terrific blogging obstacle – don’t leave home without a strong conviction that success is your right and sure.
3 – You Can’t Write Well
Sounds ridiculous, right?
Well, I’ve a strong feeling that if every blogger out there can write well, he or she can make good money online. Oftentimes, bloggers forget the inherent ability to make money off their blogs. You’re not limited to affiliate marketing, or the so-called banner advertising on your blog. As a matter of facts, selling your personal services can make you a lot of money.
Before I built a cognitive blog, I was writing simple SEO contents for clients and getting paid. It’s a great feeling to know that you can write your way to big paycheck. A lot of freelance writers are making a killing (I’m a success story).
No, not what you think. You don’t have to write a masterpiece to win a Pulitzer Prize Award, or write to impress readers. The goal is to ‘express’ your views about a topic or subject using simple terms, sentences and light paragraphs.
Here’s a shocker: Everyone can write articles, but not everybody can write good articles. Can you change the world with words then you would definitely make more money blogging, more than a blogger who couldn’t type well?
4 – You Don’t Have A Product
This blogging obstacle is closely-tied to “you can’t write well.” Let’s look at it critically: every blogger is required to sell a product or multiple products. Look at the industry experts and probloggers, they all sell a product or service.
And I’m not asking you to sell an affiliate product, that could pay your Electricity Bills, but I mean a real product. It could be tangible or intangible. If you’re good at keyword research, you could sell that skill to potential niche marketers and bloggers and make money (help them research long-tail keywords and make a swipe file).
Relying on affiliate offers as your ultimate money-maker can be detrimental. Yes, affiliate marketing is superb and I love it, but for long-term success, creating a product of your own is necessary.
I can’t imagine a blogger who cannot solve problems – what exactly is he or she doing to make the world a better place.
Stop reading other people’s products and using their software, plugins and themes (except to learn), it’s time to get yours. I’m not joking man; you need to map out strategies to create a product. Create an e-book, a hard copy book, develop wordpress plugins or themes. Or, simply sell your consulting skills.
5 – You Have No Buyers
A month ago, a friend of mine sold his blog, realized $1,250 and went back in search of a good paying 9-5 job (he got a job, was a good one). I think he made the right decision, because he wasn’t making any money from his blog.
He was literally wasting time. Although, perseverance can be the key to blog success and I’ve seen its results in my business, but when you’ve immediate needs, blogging might not be right for you. Making money from a blog can be slower than building a skyscraper (don’t be scared, just joking).
Every internet marketer knows what I’m saying. Without targeted traffic, you cannot make money online. Whether you’re hosting a webinar or launching a product, it’s the chain of buyers (active readers) that will buy from you. Afterwards, you can promote the product to fresh buyers
Do you know that a blog can make plenty of money by accident, if the right prospects are reading it? Sounds weird, but it’s the reality. A lot of bloggers are unable to generate substantial income from their blogs because the traffic is zero or little. And even the tickles of traffic are generic and kids. How can you survive in this type of business without buyers?
Challenge yourself to build the right foundation which can easily attract organic and referral traffic. I can’t show you how to drive targeted traffic in this post, but I can refer you to a great resource. Click here to drive targeted traffic to your blog.
Over To You…
What’s stopping you from turning your blog into a money making business system? I’m giving you a wake-up call today. It’s your sole responsibility to organize and produce results as a blogger.
If you don’t make enough money to support your loved ones, pay bills and live the internet lifestyle, you’ll give up on your blog. Stay focused, drive buyers to your products and have a unique and compelling blog contents. See you at the top!
author:Michael Chibuzor reveals passive income ideas to help you make extra money online. You can also learn his email marketing strategies to boost blog income. Are you looking for a freelance writer, hire Michael to write quality blog posts, guest post and articles for you.

Sunday 20 May 2012

How to chose which online business model will work for you


This is the year that you plan to really succeed in your online business. This year you are determined to make it a full time income.  In order to build a successful online business, you need to first identify the primary online business model you want to follow.

How to Pick Your Online Business Model

With so many online business models to choose from, it’s a challenge to pick just one to start with.
Try looking first at what appeals to you straight away.
  • What stands out?
  • Then think about whether you already have the skills or whether you will need to learn them.
  •  Is there anyone you can easily outsource to if you don’t have the skills yourself?
  •  How much will it cost to implement this business model?
  • Do you have the funds?
Once you’ve answered these questions, just pick a business model and run with it.
There are millions of business models to chose from, and you may already have one in mind or have one  that you have committed to. If not (or if you have decided you need to change your focus) here are 7 of the most popular online business models.
1. AdSense Site
AdSense sites are very popular with people that want a business model that is relatively simple and easy to implement. These sites usually consist of a blog or other type of website with many pages of content that is added to consistently. In order to be successful with an AdSense site, it’s important to rank well in the search engines for many long-tail keywords and to drive a lot of traffic to the site. These sites were extremely popular in the early days of the internet.  With the advent of Google Panda and Google Penguin, then these sites are much harder to make profitable.. Think carefully if you are looking to chose this business model, and whilst it’s impossible to future proof your site, you will need to have an exit strategy in place and know what both success and failure look like.
2. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketers sell other people’s products and then take a commission on the sale. Business models for affiliate marketers might consist of an ecommerce site, mini-sites on a small niche, one-page sites for a specific product. You can even sell affiliate products on Facebook pages and by using YouTube to drive traffic to an affiliate offer. The most common method affiliate marketers use is building a list so they can sell other products to the list recipients over and over.
If you are based in the EU this has just become really tough. The EU Cookie Law means that you have to obtain consent prior to downloading your cookies. Affiliate marketing just got that bit harder.
3. Infoproducts
Many bloggers have made their fortunes creating and selling their own digital infoproducts. These might include writing ebooks and guides, creating software, designing graphics, shooting informational videos and delivering ecourses. Most infoproduct sellers expand their income by recruiting affiliates to help.
4. Ecommerce Sites
An ecommerce site is an online store where you sell either your own products, drop-ship products from other vendors, or sell products as an affiliate. They can be a little more difficult to rank in search engines due to the lack of consistent, fresh content. However, good keyword research, SEO, and an active blog can in some instances make up for that. Your ability to drive traffic to the site will be a key part in building a successful ecommerce site.
5. Provide Services
One of the quickest ways to make money online is to offer your services through freelance sites and your blog. You can write articles and ebooks, design graphics, sell your programming skills, or charge for virtual assistant services. You are limited by the amount of hours that you can physically work. If you have a great deal of experience in one area, you can also sell coaching services which leads nicely into…
6. Membership Sites
A membership site requires customers to sign up for a recurring payment in exchange for regularly provided content. Membership sites can be ongoing or a specified length of time. They might involve regular newsletters, your own coaching services etc. It’s certainly attractive to know you’ll earn a regular income each month. The downside is these sites take a lot of energy to maintain. For my clients I always insist they share the workload with someone. A membership site being run by just one person will have it’s growth limited – there is only so much one person can do.
7. Flipping Sites
Some marketers love the process of building sites, so they just focus on buying or building sites, then selling them. There are auction sites that specialise in this type of model.

While you may need to do some more research to get a good grasp of the details and understand what’s involved in each model, you need to make a decision sooner rather than later. You’ll never make any money online if you don’t just dive in and get moving. So pick an online business model that appeals to you, put the blinders on and move ahead.