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Affiliate Classroom Blog Archives

Spring Into Affiliate Marketing

Monday, December 31st, 2007 at 8:36 am by Gracie Browning

I know! I know! The Christmas tree might still be up and there is still snow piled up outside your window, but now really is the time to start thinking about your Spring affiliate marketing products and services, your Spring advertising campaigns and your Spring marketing plans for your affiliate business.

Think about the promotion and selling opportunities that are just about to come up.

The New Year is here and New Year’s resolutions to lose weight and get into shape have been made and haven’t been broken yet! Think diets, exercise equipment and motivational CD’s and DVD’s.

It’s tax season. Nobody likes it but everybody has to file tax returns. Now might be a good time to build a website and start promoting bookkeeping software, tax filing programs, and software.

Valentine’s Day will be here in just a few weeks. The day of love produces a lot of sales for flowers, jewelry and candy. If you can promote any such items on your website or even build a new website for the purpose, maybe you can cash in on Valentine’s Day spending.

Spring break vacation time will be here before you know it. College kids are going to travel. When people travel they need tickets and accommodations, but they also need travel ‘stuff’ (clothing, luggage, cosmetics, personal care products, etc.). Families take spring vacations, too!

Gardeners are itching to dig in the dirt! You think it is too early? You are wrong. There are vegetables that are planted in the ‘old twelve days’. Gardeners are pouring over seed catalogs as we speak. Gardeners need things. Gardeners BUY things.

When you are an affiliate marketer, you must stay ahead of the calendar. Now IS the time to start thinking about your Spring affiliate marketing products and services, your Spring advertising campaigns, and your Spring marketing plans for your affiliate business.

Quality Content = Affiliate Marketer Income

Friday, December 28th, 2007 at 2:23 pm by Gracie Browning

It’s a strange phenomenon but people think of information as good and advertising as evil. They want information but they don’t want to see or hear advertising. That is why mute buttons on remotes for TVs wear out faster than any other button.

Now, advertising IS information. The very nature of all advertisement is to convey a set of facts about a product or service to a potential buyer. And therein lays the difference. The INTENTION of an advertisement is to sell something but the INTENTION of information is simply to inform. So even though they are basically the conveying the same set of facts, one is considered good and the other is sometimes considered downright evil.

When the average internet user is interested in and searching for information about a topic, they are not necessarily looking for a product to buy. Of course, they may eventually BUY products - but their initial desire is for information about a TOPIC and not about a PRODUCT. This is where quality content can have a direct and very positive result on an affiliate marketer’s bottom line.

If you can load your website with valuable and current information about topics POTENTIAL buyers are interested in - and if within that information you recommend products and services for which you are an affiliate marketer - you will have the best of both worlds. You’ll be giving the customer what she wants, and getting what you want at the same time.

You can spend lots of money on advertisements and you’ll most likely sell some product. Or you can give people information, recommend products within the context of the information and sell lots of products without spending any money. It’s a choice all affiliates need to make - whether to be a paid advertising marketer, or a content marketer.

You can combine the methods - for example, putting valuable content on a PPC landing page - but ultimately you’ll need to decide what your focus and emphasis will be.

The Value of Product and Merchant Reputation

Wednesday, December 26th, 2007 at 10:33 am by Gracie Browning

I live in a small town so maybe I am more aware of just how important a reputation is than those who live in large cities where you can be more anonymous. There isn’t any such thing as anonymity in a small town. Everybody knows everybody and the entire family history of every individual is common knowledge. Little babies are instructed in the cradle about maintaining a reputation for honesty and reliability.

The internet is just a small town on a larger scale and each niche is an even smaller community so your reputation is going to go before you. Everybody is going to know whether you are an honest merchant who delivers what is promised or if you are a crook that should be avoided and your reputation is going to depend to a great degree upon the reputation of the products and services that you represent if you are an affiliate marketer.

Before you choose a product (and therefore a merchant) to represent with your affiliate marketing business, you need to know what that product and that merchant’s reputation is on the internet. You can do searches using the search engines to find reviews about products as well as about merchants. You can visit blogs and forums to search for any disparaging information about both. One unhappy customer doesn’t mean much but if there are a lot of unhappy customers, you should probably find other products and merchants to represent.

I think that it is an excellent idea to visit the merchant’s website, buy a product and then complain to find out first-hand how customers are treated. It really is a good idea to buy any product that you are considering and try it yourself before you recommend it to your list. This isn’t always possible but it is the best option and remember that the reputation of the product and the merchant that you represent will have a direct bearing on your own reputation on the internet.

Moonlighting on the Internet – Coming Soon

Thursday, December 20th, 2007 at 1:50 pm by Evelyn Grazini, AC Student and Staff Writer

This is breaking news! We’ve just been told about a new book written by well-known Internet Marketer Yanik Silver. It’s called Moonlighting on the Internet and will be released to bookstores in approximately six days (around December 26th).”Yanik is a “results-only” direct response copywriter and marketing consultant who specializes in creating powerful tools and resources for entrepreneurs to enhance their businesses.”

This book reveals the 5 most important, - Proven - ways to Realistically make an extra $500 - $5000+ Per Month Online… While You Sleep.

This isn’t just another “get rich quick” eBook, It’s a physical product (and more like a self-help book) that shows you the sure way get started with an Internet business, and continue to grow it.

You’ll be able to hold it in your hands, tag pages, highlight important information, and return to study it over and over again.

Oh, and, when you get the book, be sure to read pages 206 and 207 where Yanik showcases Anik’s “internet moonlighting” story!

Sign up today and get on the early notification list (and receive over $350 worth of additional resources)!

 

AC December 2007 Issue - The Year’s Best Marketing Tools

Monday, December 17th, 2007 at 7:14 pm by Evelyn Grazini, AC Student and Staff Writer

Announcing the 2007 Product of the year! The Affiliate Classroom has just announced the best Software product of 2007. Can you guess what it is? Let Evelyn Grazini tell you, as well as give you examples of how it can add thousands of pages of keyword targeted content to your site with a few clicks of a button.

Then, in “Marketing Development Using Web 2.0,” Mark Tompson tells you why you should pay attention to merchant emails. He used one email announcing a press release to update his Web 2.0 site and started making between $500 - $1,000 a day. He’ll show you exactly what he did to make that happen.

Kathy Jackson has been searching the web for “Affiliate Marketing Tools of 2007.” Her article has tons of links to free tools that do everything from cloak your affiliate links, to adding your affiliate links quickly to blog posts.

You won’t want to miss these – especially since most of them are Free!

 

And so is the Affiliate Classroom Magazine! Whether you’re an aspiring super affiliate, a top earner, or a part-time affiliate looking to make a little extra each month, this issue of Affiliate Classroom Magazine has plenty of tools and ideas that will improve your affiliate business. It’s our gift to you, and you can download it directly HERE.
 

Wiki! Wiki! - What’s a Wiki?

Friday, December 14th, 2007 at 5:03 pm by Kathy Jackson

 Wiki software is “a specialized content management engine that let’s anyone add content or a new page to a website, and edit any existing content.” The software saves previous versions of the page to prevent accidental deletions or vandalism from ruining the existing site content.

You are probably aware of the ‘Wikipedia’ website. We’ve all used it from time to time and some of us have probably added or edited content on the Wikipedia website. This is likely the best known wiki-built site on the internet. Anybody can edit the content of Wikipedia (http://www.wikipedia.com) and it is rivaling even the best known and largest encyclopedias on the internet now.

Wow! Think about it! Your visitors can add all of the content you need….and the beautiful part is that they WILL!

 

Your site won’t likely become the next Wikipedia.  However, if you concentrate your efforts on a niche topic that is interesting to you, when your visitors begin to contribute to the site on a regular basis it can quickly grow and become a site that has a wealth of information on the topic.

The best idea to make your wiki-built site grow and prosper is to choose a topic that has mass appeal and then concentrate on a narrow focus. If you make your wiki site too broad, it won’t work and if you make your topic too technical or too difficult that won’t work either.

 

The fact is that there is an endless variety of topics that people would love to share their knowledge about. Self-help and health topics are of interest to many people as are sports, gaming, needle crafts and everything in between. If there is one thing that Web 2.0 has taught us, it’s that it is much more profitable to make websites that are interactive.  

 

HO! HO! HO! Affiliate Marketing!

Tuesday, December 11th, 2007 at 2:49 pm by Kathy Jackson

Anyone who has been doing marketing of any kind for more than 15 minutes knows that the Holiday buying season is where the money is. Of course, people buy ‘stuff’ all year but the very season inspires buying…that and the expectations of friends and family.

Every affiliate marketer worth his salt will be gearing up right now for the upcoming buying frenzy. There is big money to be made!

Most affiliate marketers sell online, and most people who buy online shop early to allow for delivery time.  So, you have to be ready even before the brick and mortar merchants are.

 

If the niche that you are in doesn’t inspire buying during the holiday season (I can’t think of many but insurance comes to mind) you might want to consider creating a few mini sites and promoting the most desirable holiday merchandize:

  • Toys (for kids AND grown-ups) are always big this time of the year;
  • Jewelry (both fine and costume);
  • Winter clothing for all ages and both sexes.;
  • Accessories are always good sellers.
  • Electronics of all kinds have been great money makers for several years now.

People are out there right now, sitting in front of their computers with their credit cards in hand, searching for gifts to buy!  They are always looking for that unique gift that will not be the ‘same old same old’.  Look for items to represent that are different….unusual…unique. They are out there but you have to look for them.

The idea is to find a unique item and then promote it every which way from Sunday.

 

The holiday buying season is the time of the year that brick and mortar merchants depend on to make their year profitable, and the holiday buying season can do the same thing for affiliate marketers!

 

PPC Classroom Live Event Review

Tuesday, December 4th, 2007 at 3:24 pm by Evelyn Grazini, AC Student and Staff Writer

I just got back from the PPC Classroom Live event and I’m still blown away!

I was part of the staff for the event, and lucky for me, my job was to track the speakers’ time and let them know when it was time to wind up. This was difficult for me, because they were giving out so much information, I didn’t want them to stop!
I was very happy that I got to hear all of them, and I’ve never taken so many notes in my life!

I have been to a few Internet Marketing and Affiliate Marketing seminars in the past, but I have to say this was the best one I’ve attended so far (and I’m not just saying that because I work here).

 

Every speaker offered a coaching package that included direct access to them. I’ve only seen this a few times before. Usually they offer a web-course or a manual, but this time the people who bought a coaching program actually get to speak one-on-one with these professional marketers, and to me, that is priceless.

If you purchased a coaching program, take FULL advantage of this access while you have the opportunity. This type of training is one of the key things that will determine your success. Listen to what they say, and then take action!

Even though the speakers had coaching programs, they offered so much information in their presentation it was just unbelievable. I chuckled when one of the speakers showed the attendees a PPC tool they use, and the high-level marketer sitting beside me said “why is he showing everyone that! I use that all the time; I don’t want everyone using my secret weapon!”

There really was a LOT of that going on. Information was given out freely, and all the attendees had time to Network and talk to the speakers and others in the business.

Thanks to PPC Classroom, the little guys are going to catch up with the big guys soon, so watch out – here we come!

 

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