Affiliate Classroom Blog Archives

What Exactly Is Affiliate Classroom’s Role In The PMA?

Monday, June 30th, 2008 at 4:31 pm by Anik Singal

Ever since the PMA blog started, I’ve purposely stayed quiet and not discussed our research and discovery efforts on Affiliate Classroom properties so as to not create a misunderstanding about the link between the two (AC and PMA). But it seems that there have been some concerns as of recent regarding Affiliate Classroom’s role in the formation of the Performance Marketing Alliance.

I believe most of it is just due to misunderstandings, so I wanted to take a minute to clarify…

As you know a few weeks ago Affiliate Classroom started the “discovery and research” process for a professional organization for the affiliate marketing industry, it’s being called the “PMA - Performance Marketing Alliance.”

AC did this because…

• We believe the industry needs an association sooner rather than later.

• No one else was stepping up to take on the task so we thought we would help.

Therefore we committed our own resources - Rebecca Madigan, plus large chunks of time from other people on our team to start the research.

You can read the blog for more information - the entire process is being spelled out publicly: http://www.performancemarketingalliance.com

To date, we’ve contacted well over 100 industry leaders and put together a nomination list for a formation board of advisors, to simply help move this from a concept to a reality.. The industry leaders nominated the people on the list, none were chosen by us - no one from Affiliate Classroom can even be nominated.

Additionally, Affiliate Classroom cannot even nominate anyone outside of AC, this way we can’t influence the makeup of the organization in any way. Working groups have been created to help develop recommendations on forming the PMA. The FAB - not Affiliate Classroom - will collectively determine the structure and launch of the organization.

The nomination lists are going to eventually lead to elections of the board for this new organization. The board - not Affiliate Classroom - will collectively determine the policies, standards and structure of the organization.

Basically AC has no special rights reserved for us in this organization. No one from Affiliate Classroom, including Rebecca, is on the FAB.

…Herein began the controversy…

The minute the PMA initiative was announced, everyone began to discuss and take sides. Most are very excited about it and are encouraging the movement.

And, obviously there are those that immediately decided to attack the initiative, even going as far as saying that this was a “conspiracy” to take over the industry.

Don’t get me wrong - having those who object and question the initiative is not a problem, it’s actually needed (it provides balance). However, saying that it’ a conspiracy may be taking it a bit over the top.

All comments and suggestions are being heard and we’re trying our best to continue moving forward in a fashion that appeases everyone. Again, I want to remind you that we’re making NO substantial industry-related decisions; this is simply the “project management” stage.

It’s the board that will make any and all substantial decisions; AC’s goal is simply to facilitate the industry in creating that board by providing a venue where the voting can take place. AC’s goal is simply to facilitate the creation of an organization that will benefit the industry. We have no say in its governance.


To Be Clear - Here Is The Role of Affiliate Classroom In The PMA…

There have been a couple of concerns that have surfaced:

1. Collection of anonymous answers through a survey on the PMA site.
2. Hosting of PMA blog on same server as Affiliate Classroom.

It’s because of these concerns that I feel I should make it very clear what it is that Affiliate Classroom is doing.

Affiliate Classroom has absolutely NO GOVERNANCE rights in this organization. We are acting as a “project management” company to help the PMA take shape. Someone has to do it, it’s more than a full-time job, and no one else had stepped up recently.

1. Collection of anonymous answers through a survey on the PMA site.

The anonymous answers we’re collecting will be given to the working groups to help them make decisions. The surveys never ask for an e-mail address or any contact information. Furthermore, all of the questions are very specifically linked to determining interest in the PMA.

It seems the suspicion is that AC may use this data for commercial use; however, there would be very little (if any) “commercial” use here especially since the information collected only has to do with interest in the PMA.

2. Hosting PMA Blog on Affiliate Classroom Server…

Creating a professional organization means a lot of financial, legal and accounting expenses. Affiliate Classroom has already spent thousands of dollars in just the research and discovery process – we do not currently have any outside financial support to date.

We want to see the PMA get on its own feet, elect a board and get its first set of donors. At that point, the organization can legally purchase its own hosting and go wherever it wants.

So, yes, until then, it only made sense to host the PMA blog on a server we already own.

The Organization Is NEEDED So We Decided To Help...

Affiliate Classroom is only doing this because we felt that for the future, especially as things like the New York State law begin to spread, affiliate marketing NEEDS a professional organization with lobbying power and some consensus or we risk losing a lot.

I want to officially clarify that Affiliate Classroom has absolutely NO COMMERCIAL goals from this other than the side-benefit that comes from having the industry grow (a benefit which we all share). The domain and ALL assets of the PMA will be transferred to the PMA the minute it becomes a real organization with a board of directors.

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We’re proud to lead this effort and we’re very thankful of the amazing support we’re receiving. Many of the top industry experts have volunteered their time and energy to make this vision a reality for the industry.

To all of you who are supporting this with your time, energy and good thoughts, we thank you. To all of you who are questioning the decisions, cheers to you as well for caring enough about the industry to worry. In the end, we all have the same goal – to see performance marketing grow and prosper and I am committing Affiliate Classroom to doing our fair share.

3 Easy and Risk-Free Ways to Offer Your Own Product

Sunday, June 29th, 2008 at 2:42 pm by AC Editorial Staff

Successful affiliates often want to expand their business model beyond selling people’s products. Multiple streams of income are never a bad thing, and multiple revenue channels - affiliate sales, lead payments, ad revenue, and selling your own products - can act as powerful “insurance” should one of your income streams dry up.

Does the whole idea of creating your own product sound intimidating? It needn’t be. Here are three easy and relatively risk-free ways to experiment with offering your own product:

1 - Buy a resale rights to a top quality product in your best niche. A low-to-medium cost reprint rights license can be a way to acquire your first “real” product. The key is to acquire rights to a product that’s a good fit for your most profitable or highest traffic niche - you’ll have a ready audience.

Just don’t buy resale rights just because it’s hyped as the best opportunity ever. Buy the retail product first, examine it carefully to make sure it’s quality, and check to see how many competitors may already be offering the product.

2 - Create a video or audio tutorial product. With just a little practice and the right software, you can teach your customers how to use software, accomplish do-it-yourself projects, or perform other “how tos.”

For example, resale rights to software are available everywhere. But many marketers shy away from selling software because they don’t want to get stuck with tech support questions. A solution is to create video tutorials with a program like Camtasia, in which you walk users through everything from installation to explaining all the menus to doing a sample project. Doing this with photo editing or graphics software, for example, can turn a $29 product into a package with a price tag of $100 or more.

Or let’s say you’ve got resale rights to an ebook of dessert recipes. Tape a series of home videos in which you demonstrate basic cooking techniques the recipes require, such as beating egg whites and folding them into a batter. The videos don’t have to be studio quality - just good enough for the picture and sound to be clear. By selling a downloadable video of just five tricky cooking skills, you could turn a $10 ebook into a $35+ product.

3 - Create a physical version of a digital product. Burn resale rights software to CD, or turn an ebook into a printed book or an audio book on CD. Add unique packaging, and you’ve got a product with a high perceived value. This method is relatively easy and can be highly profitable, since physical products can be sold for 5 to 10 times their digital price.

Just make sure you check your resale license CAREFULLY before you go to the expense of creating physical products. Some licenses prevent you from changing the way the product is reproduced.

The Week’s Top Affiliate Marketing News Stories (June 23, 2008)

Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 10:10 am by Sarah Holland, AC Staff Writer

Happy Birthday to 16 Year Old Super Affiliate Harrison Gevirtz - He can’t drive, but he can teach you a thing or two about affiliate marketing! Read on to find out more about the 16 year old CEO and super affiliate.

Affiliate Marketing is Hard - Shawn Collins has some helpful words for those who fear failing in the affiliate marketing industry

Does SEO have a future? - We like to think so - here’s just one of the reasons why.

Digital Asset Optimization — The Inevitable Evolution of SEO - Find out the latest stance on the longevity of SEO, and what DAO (digital asset optimization) means for the future of search marketing.

The Art of Google PageRank Sculpting & Five Sculpting Tips - Find out if Google PageRank Sculpting is worth the time it takes, and the best ways to get it done right.

Where to Get Great Affiliate Marketing Article Ideas

Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 12:55 pm by Evelyn Grazini, AC Student and Staff Writer

As an affiliate marketer, you’re probably tired of hearing by now that you need to write articles if you want free traffic to your web site. But not everyone is a writer, and then there’s this thing that’s called writers block that can make even the best writer come to a standstill.So what’s an affiliate marketer to do?

Here are a few simple tricks I use when I can’t think of anything to write about, and they work every time!

The first thing you should do is spend a minimum of 15 minutes a day reading something related to your specialty. Make notes of topics that interest you while you are reading, and after a short time, you will have more topics that you want to write about than you have time for.

A good way to find topic ideas quickly is to subscribe to RSS Feeds. If you have an account at Yahoo!, you can add RSS Feeds to your Yahoo! home page and easily have access to new articles on a daily basis. (Any other feeder will do just as well, though.) Subscribe to a variety of feeds so you’ll have resources for news items related to your topic, as well as new blog posts.

Then, determine if there is a new twist that you can put on an existing topic, or a story that didn’t give enough information. This is a great opportunity for an article because you can reference the original article, state your concerns, and recommend a solution. Viola! You have an easy-to-make article.

Industry changes and technology news also make for quick articles; and you can always write articles that quiz people on your topic specialty.

Look at what others are writing about. If you receive a lot of newsletters in your email inbox on a daily basis, start scanning those that have been ignored for a while. They could be loaded with information that is full of article ideas. If there are links in the email, click on them! This will bring you to new sites with new information, and will also give you ideas on what you can promote in your next newsletter.

While you are at the site you clicked on, see if there are any FAQ pages that will help you identify a problem that you can solve with your writing. A list of short tips that helps solve a problem would also make a great article. Remember to write everything in your own words, don’t just copy and paste the website owner’s FAQ.

Blog sites are an excellent way to get new ideas. Search www.Technorati.com or www.blogsearch.google.com for some interesting blogs. You are bound to find an endless stream of ideas for things that you can elaborate on.

Take another look at your own hobbies and see if there is something you like to do that might be interesting to others. Do you have a different hobby in summer than in the winter? Have you been writing a variety of articles on skiing and forgetting that you also fish? While you are searching the blogs, you may find other hobbies that would be interesting to your target market and fit in with your main focus.

Article sites are another great place to find ideas and get free articles that can serve as templates for your own efforts. Go to www.articlecity.com or www.ezinearticles.com and see what subjects are being written about. If you’re in a bind for information or pressed for time, you can use these articles, as long as you include the resource box. They’ll help you to get you by until you’ve developed a feel for what articles you want to write about.

Now you can start writing – and never stop. . .

 

8 Expert PPC Ad Writing Tips

Monday, June 23rd, 2008 at 9:11 pm by AC Editorial Staff

Pay per click ad writing takes ad copy to a whole new level. PPC experts agree that these tips will help you produce ads that produce optimum results.

1 - Set a Goal for Your Ad. Choose a specific goal for the ad campaign. Is there a specific sale, deal, or offer that you can focus on to convert visitors into buyers? Are you collecting leads? Building your subscriber base? Having a goal will help you keep your keyword lists focused and manageable.

2 - Use Keywords that Will Pre-qualify Prospects. A search engine user who searches a broad keyword like “headphones” is most likely researching - not buying. But a searcher who types in a model or brand is looking to make a purchase. Going for specific key phrases like “noise canceling headphones,” combined with brand names or model numbers, will grab the eyeballs of serious shoppers.

3 - Use the SE’s Keyword Tools. Balance broad match and specific keyphrases, as well as all important negative keywords. In the headphone example, you would want to negative match non-shopping related keywords like “manual,” “user guide,” or “repair.”

4 - Choose an Appropriate Style. Some of your competitors will use the same text for all their search ads, with the only differences being the highlighted search phrases in each ad. You can gain instant competitive advantage by writing with a unique style. Match the style and wording of your ads to the audience. For example, if you are looking for bargain hunters, use to-the-point messages and an upbeat tone to grab attention.

5 - Use a To-the-Point Headline. The headline should work the hardest to grab attention, since it’s the most visible part of the ad. But never compromise on targeting and specifics. A headline shouldn’t be counter-intuitive to the searcher, and often funny or puzzling headlines backfire. If possible, include specifics on what you are advertising. Try not to just echo the search terms, but “speak” to the user. And unless you are advertising a very specific offer to a very closely targeted audience, don’t include pricing or coupon codes in the headline.

6 - Add Urgency to the Body. If your headline invites searchers to check out an end-of-season sale, include details like a deadline for a coupon offer or a free shipping deal. If you are targeting a very specific product search and your headline contains the product name, include an irresistible offer in the ad body.

7 - Include the Keyword in the Ad if Possible. Search engines will highlight the search phrase if it is included in your ad copy, further increasing the chance that your ad is seen as relevant to the query. Try not to run the same generic ads, even with dynamic keyword insertion.

8 - Use Descriptive URLs and Test Them. In the URL, use keywords or descriptive phrases that work together with the copy. Keywords will get highlighted just like they do in the ad text. Be sure to test a variety of URLs to see which ones get the best click throughs and, more importantly, the highest conversions. Often searchers will go for a descriptive URL that triggers an emotional response, rather than a keyword-based URL.

June AC Magazine Discusses Blog Monetization Techniques

Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 5:16 pm by Evelyn Grazini, AC Student and Staff Writer

June AC Magazine

That’s right.  This month the AC Magazine focuses on the “Seven Golden Rules of Blog Monetization.”  In the cover story, Mark Thompson shows you how to plan your blog so  you can make money in the shortest possible time frame. 

The Marketing Potential For Blogs is the next article.  Here, Kathy Jackson reviews the various reasons that people blog, and why blogs have become the most effective way to market products and services. 

 

You’ll also find information on the wide variety of ways that blogs can enhance your marketing opportunities.

 

Top 10 Blogging Blogs – Here’s Kathy again, with a list of the top ten blogs.  If you REALLY want to make money with your blog, you’re going to need all the information you can get.  Don’t waste your time with the others, here’s a list of the best of the best information you will ever find.

Download your copy today!  It’s still free, and is filled with ideas that can help you finally become profitable with your blog.

 

The Week’s Top Affiliate Marketing News Stories (June 16, 2008)

Wednesday, June 18th, 2008 at 11:01 am by Sarah Holland, AC Staff Writer

Commission Junction Dominates Internet Retailer 500 - 53% of the 500 top internet retailers in 2008 selected Commission Junction - find out who!

Warning - New Affiliate Cookie Stuffing Forum Trick - Stealing Sales - A new cookie stuffing scheme is uncovered. Read on to find out more about it, who it affects, and who to contact for tips if you’ve encountered these black hat tactics.

Google XML Sitemaps : Essential FAQ - A simple breakdown of the how-to’s, helps, and hindrances of creating a Google XML Sitemap.

Researching Keywords Doesn’t Have to Suck! - Five steps to making the inevitable task of keyword research suck just a little bit less.

The Formation Advisory Board - The FAB Eleven - Inside info on PMA (The Performance Marketing Alliance) and the scope, responsibilities, and nominations for creating its Formation Advisory Board.

Our Next LIVE Affiliate Manager Workshop

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 4:39 pm by Rachel Honoway

We’re registering attendees for our LIVE Affiliate Manager Workshop in Boston this August.

Like our event in February, this one will take place the Saturday before Affiliate Summit kicks off - and in the same hotel. Come in a day early and spend some time with the expert group that we’ve pulled together to host presentations and roundtables.

Here’s a look at the agenda:

8:00 - 8:30: Check-in

8:30 – 9:15 : Presentation

Affiliate Classroom and Performance Marketing Alliance’s Rebecca Madigan will kick off the morning with her presentation.

9:20 – 10:30: Roundtable discussions

We’ll move you through the following roundtable discussions:

  • The Internal Pitch
    Lisa Riolo, Hammock Ventures
    At this table we’ll discuss selling the value and benefits of your affiliate program INTERNALLY… why to do it, how to do it, how to leverage your agency and networks’ resources to help. We’ll also talk about what to do when you succeed in convincing management of affiliate marketing’s merits, resulting in management’s raised interest and expectations.
  • NY Tax Law Implications
    Brad Waller, ePage and AdJungle
    Affiliate Marketing pioneer Brad Waller will lead this table as you discuss the recent New York state tax law and its implications on affiliate marketing. He’ll guide you through developments that have followed since the law passed and offer insight into why companies have or have not acted on the law.
  • Working the Room
    Lee Gientke, LeadPoint.com
    Over the years, Lee Gientke has developed an unofficial, yet very effective system for networking and making the most out of face to face meetings at events. In this discussion, Lee will share some tips and advice that you can take with you to successfully navigate through three full days of networking with affiliate marketing professionals at Affiliate Summit.

10:30 – 11:15: Presentation

Heather Paulson of Paulson Management Group will offer Advanced Affiliate Management Strategies in this hour-long presentation.

11:20 – 12:30: Roundtable discussions

We’ll end the workshop with another round of in-depth discussion about these affiliate management topics:

  • The Changing Search Landscape and It’s Effects on Affiliate Marketing
    Peter Figueredo, NetExponent
    Peter will talk with you about the changes in search marketing and how these affect you and your affiliates.
  • Virtual Social Butterflies: Online Networking & Its Importance for Affiliate Managers
    Trisha Fawver, Marketing Manager at PsPrint, LLC
    Successfully managing an affiliate program relies heavily on being an approachable manager, developing good relationships with your affiliates.  It’s equally important to develop good working relationships with your peers in the industry.  We’ll talk about the blog community, social networks, social bookmarks, Twitter, and how they can benefit the affiliate manager. 

  • Web 2.0 Practical, Successful Applications for Affiliate Managers
    Sam Harrelson
    Web 2.0 extraordinaire, Sam Harrelson, will talk to you about the various community networking platforms, applications and systems. He’ll discuss how affiliate managers can apply Web 2.0 techniques to their jobs for more effective affiliate recruitment, communication and motivation.

For more information and to register, please visit: www.AffiliateClassroomLIVE.com

 

Are You Missing These Opportunities to Use PPC?

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 11:41 am by AC Editorial Staff

PPC is most commonly used for making direct sales of a specific product - but that’s not all it’s good for. In fact, you may be missing out on some great opportunities to use PPC to build your business. For example…

Using PPC to Build an Opt-In List. You get much more for your “click money” by turning one-time traffic into a mailing list. Persuade a certain percentage of your traffic to give you their email address, and you get more mileage for your PPC dollar.

Some marketers run PPC ad campaigns for the sole purpose of building their opt-in lists. Offer a free ebook, email course, audio or video, or a special report in your ad. Yes, you’ll mostly get freebie seekers on your list, but it’s not difficult to turn freebie seekers into buyers with the right follow-up emails. And now you have the opportunity to convert them into buyers over and over again.

When using PPC to build a list, from the very beginning you’ll need to keep a close eye on your budget and conversions. Constantly calculate what it’s costing you to get a subscriber, and compare that to what it would cost you in time, effort, and money to get those subscribers in other ways.

Using PPC as a Lead Generator. Many people confuse lead generation with building an opt-in list. You’ll end up with some percentage of freebie seekers on an opt-in list - and those are not necessarily leads. To generate true leads, you need to compose your PPC ad copy to attract clicks from people who are not merely interested, but “almost ready to buy.”

To generate leads, you might very well use some “mystery” in the ad, but you must still be clear enough to get the right people to click the ad. Telling the visitor that they can get specific information about a specific product or service - such as a loan quote - often gets the best results.

Using PPC as a Viral Generator. Viral marketing still works handsomely on the Internet, and is a perfect way to reach the largest portion of your market without having to do all the work yourself.

First, you need a viral marketing vehicle, such as an ebook, a report, or an article, and it needs to be brandable, so that others can give it away for you (a PDF brander like ViralPDF is a great way to make reports brandable).

Second, create an ad that’s directed not towards potential buyers but to potential sellers. You need other marketers who play in your niche to give your freebie away. Within the freebie, be sure to encourage everyone to give it away, so that it becomes truly viral.

Using PPC with Unique Landing Pages for Your Own Product. Let’s say you have developed a product that covers many different aspects of weight loss. Obviously it’s going to be difficult to compete in the huge weight loss market with other PPC marketers.

But you could select keywords that target specific sub-groups within the weight loss market. Write ads around those keywords that target each individual group. Then create landing pages, with different targeted sales copy, for each of those individual groups. Custom ads + custom landing pages for your OWN products can really increase conversions and put more money in your pocket.

7 Golden Rules of Successful PPC

Tuesday, June 17th, 2008 at 10:26 am by AC Editorial Staff

#1 - Get Focused, Think Narrow. When you’re paying for every click, a one size fits all effort just to get your website some “exposure” is guaranteed to do one thing: break the bank. PPC campaigns that zero in on specific, targeted objectives - like getting opt-ins or generating click-throughs to a specific product - are always more successful.

#2 - Do EXTENSIVE Keyword Research. Sure, broad-based keywords such as “golf clubs,” “dresses,” or “cars” are searched more often. But the bids for such terms will also be through the roof and rarely generate sales. Focus on more specific, niche-oriented keywords in two, three, and four-word combinations, and keep trying to think of related keywords. They’ll always tie in better with specific searches made by a buying audience.

#3 - Work Hard on Your Ad Copy. Ad writing is part science and part imagination. It’s not easy to write ad copy that adheres to Google’s standards AND grabs the attention of a searcher with a problem or a passion. So put yourself in the searcher’s shoes. What are your audience’s hot buttons? What’s driving them to search those keywords?

#4 - Test! Ad copy, display URL, placement of keywords in your ad, landing page layout and colors… test all these things and focus on conversions and ROI (Return On Investment). Be prepared to let the marketplace tell you what combination generates the highest conversions.

#5 - Forget About Number One. Decisions, decisions… how much to bid? There’s no “right” amount or magic formula, but obsessing about being number one is a waste of effort and money. Being number two through five will get your ad “above the fold” on most user’s screens, and that’s what really matters to start. If your click-through rate is sufficient, Google will bump up the placement of your ad.

#6 - Think Conversions, Not Clicks. PPC marketing is a business model. So from a business perspective, it’s not about the clicks, it’s about the sales. Does your visitor sign up for your newsletter? Does the visitor make a purchase? Of course you have to focus on click-through rate to keep your ad performance acceptable in Google’s eyes, but what matters to YOU is whether your ads turn into sales, or sign-ups, or leads. If clicks are high but conversions are poor, look for the cause.

#7 - Watch Your Budget. Beginners aren’t the only ones who need to monitor their ad spends. In today’s PPC environment, you usually have to lose some money on a campaign in the early stages - That’s the price you pay to discover what really works. But once it’s working, it’s just smart business to check your campaign reports daily and keep a close eye on conversions and ROI.

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