Schlepping his burgundy leather briefcase and navy canvas travel bag through the Portland airport, George Bragg doesn't care as much about how he gets his ticket as how soon he'll get home to Dallas. He'd happily buy tickets from affiliates, discounters, travel agents or airlines. With travel representing the single largest source of Internet commerce, travelers like Bragg have … [Read more...]
The Color of Success
Color is often a forgotten factor in online design. Online merchants spend millions to hone their Web site designs, but they sometimes forget to research their color choices as well. That interferes with their attempt to build a brand relationship with their customers and also affects purchasing behavior. Color invokes a physical reaction in the human brain. These reactions can … [Read more...]
Traveling and Treasure Hunting
Every time you go on the road, you should position yourself to market like a guerrilla and earn money like a king named Midas.Keep in mind that the road leads in both directions. You can promote your site when you're away from your town and you can promote it to travelers who come to your town. It's a double-edged golden opportunity. When you're a traveler, don't forget that … [Read more...]
The Best Paid Places
If you currently have a Web site, then I'm sure you are inundated with spam offering "guaranteed placement on more than 5,000 search engines."Before we go any further, let me just make something very clear. Yes, there may be 5,000 search engines out there - heck, at this point there may be as many as 50,000 - but there are only four that really matter. If you have your Web site … [Read more...]
Using Data With Integrity
A crucial element of building and maintaining a database is data integrity - making sure your information is accurate and in the correct format, unchanged by technical glitches. You can personally verify information if you are entering it manually, but when users are filling out forms on your Web site, and that information goes directly into your database, you need another … [Read more...]
Beyond Search Engines
Paid search may be driving the rebound in online advertisers, but it's also driving away the promoters with shallow pockets.Demand for paid spots on Yahoo, Google and their ilk is pushing prices sky high. Within the most popular categories, it's hard to stand out from the crowd of merchants without spending a fortune. In fact, some aggressive marketers play "keyword smackdown," … [Read more...]
The Secret to Being Super
They're called superaffiliates, but there are no secret powers behind their amazing sales. They follow the same path every other affiliate does: They publish a Web site, sign up for affiliate programs, download the affiliate codes and troll on the search engines. But they work a little smarter, make a few more calls, send a few more emails and do a lot more testing. And what … [Read more...]
Indie Labels
As the affiliate manager for Calendars.com, Hilary Poseski hawks more than 6,000 different calendars. They feature dogs, fashion models, families, folk art, God, teens, transportation, lesbians, history, cooking, ethnic groups, patriots, sports, cars, photos, travel, nature, music and wild animal tamers. Among many other things."Whatever your hobby is, we have a calendar for … [Read more...]
The Way To Ebay
To state the obvious, eBay has become a household name, at least in the US where everyone recognizes the brand as the largest online auction site. What may be less obvious is that eBay also has one of the largest affiliate programs. That may seem odd given that most merchants use affiliates to sell goods or services, and eBay doesn't sell goods or services. Instead, it's a … [Read more...]
Collecting Your Share
Paul DeMoney is an affiliate marketer's dream: a shopper who is always ready to buy. Anytime, anywhere. He wants, no, he needs Star Wars action figures, and he doesn't care where he gets them. Your site. Another e-commerce site. The nearest toy store. Whatever. He just wants the new toys wherever he can get them. And whenever. No need to wait for the holidays. He's always … [Read more...]
Holy Profits!
Webmaster Jermaine Griggs truly believes in selling the Gospel online. His sites gross almost seven figures per year. His conversion rates are miraculous; six out of 10 people coming to his site end up buying. His list of potential customers grows by 6,000 each month. He has 650 affiliates evangelizing his products. And he's barely old enough to drink communion wine. "I … [Read more...]
The Write Stuff
Imagine you're in a store. You're browsing and minding your own business. Then, all of a sudden, a pushy salesperson ruins your shopping trip. What could be worse? On the other hand, a helpful, honest, knowledgeable clerk can turn an otherwise annoying shopping errand into a pleasure.The same applies online. Blaring banners are like obnoxious sales clerks; shoppers want to … [Read more...]
Share and Share A Link
Talking about Steve Messer's role in online affiliate marketing is like talking about Davy Crockett's role on the wild frontier. Since founding LinkShare in 1996, Messer has been a leader in the rapidly expanding pay-for-performance channel. Deloitte & Touche has named LinkShare the fastest growing technology company in the New York area for the past two years, and … [Read more...]