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Affiliate Marketing

How to Master the One Trait That Makes You Unstoppable

by Sonia Simone on September 28, 2011

image of black swan

Nassim Nicholas Taleb wrote about the black swan — the impossible-to-predict event that changes everything. The terrorist attack, the earthquake, the worldwide economic meltdown.

But in the world we live in now, it’s the white swan — the ordinary, predictable event — that’s becoming rare.

Black swans show up every day. Storms and disasters … and positive black swans, too, like world-changing technology.

Unpredictability is the new predictability, and the only thing we can be sure of is that the world will look almost unrecognizably different — even just a few years from today.

You can let that scare you into inaction. That’s a recipe for getting crushed by chaos and change.

But there’s another option. You can let yourself get excited about the possibilities.

Think about some of the things we’ve seen evolve — radically — in just the past few years.

Have you changed how you share photos with your mom?
How you watch TV or movies?
How you decide where to go for dinner, how you find your way there, how you ask friends to join you?

Here’s the thing — you don’t thrive in times of intense evolution by being the strongest, the meanest, or even the smartest.

You survive (and thrive) by being the most adaptable.

The evolution of affiliate marketing

Ten years ago, you could stumble into affiliate marketing and make some real money. Find an affiliate program with a good payout, create some not-great content that would rank for the keywords you wanted, and put lots and lots of ads up.

Serious affiliate marketing today looks very different.

Savvy marketers like Rae Hoffman-Dolan are creating brands that stand alone, not just junk sites with domains like BuyBlueWidgets.com. Hoffman focuses on creating points of differentiation — and her favorite way to do that is to create a superb buyer-focused site that’s the best of breed on the topic she chooses.

As she wrote in her groundbreaking article on affiliate evolution:

Instead of developing a site around one affiliate program or revenue stream, a site is developed around a topic where we can create a large and rich site covering everything you ever wanted to know about widgets, and promote bluewidgets.com along with redwidgets.com, yellowwidgets.com, widgetgadgets.com, widgetaccessories.com, widgetcovers.com and where we know there is a strong presence of advertisers bidding on widget keywords and doing widget ad buys.

Hoffman encourages affiliate marketers to create businesses, not “micro-sites” or other so-called quick systems that end up being more trouble than they’re worth. She focuses on the long game, and she keeps her eyes open.

Affiliate marketing is evolving, and it continues to evolve. Adapt, or die.

The evolution of ebooks

Even a few years ago, ebooks worked best for niche topics with narrowly defined audiences. You wrote and sold an ebook because there wasn’t a big enough market to write and sell a “real” book in a “real” bookstore. (You might also have enjoyed keeping all of the money rather than sharing it with a traditional publisher or printer.)

Today, ebooks have exploded. This May, Amazon reported that for the first time, their sales of digitally-delivered books had passed their sales of paperbacks and hardcovers, selling 105 ebooks for every 100 printed ones.

It’s now “normal” for books to live in your phone, on a lightweight device like a Kindle, or on your tablet. I know one successful novelist who’s looking for a digital publicist, because for the first time her extensive backlist is widely available to any fan who wants to buy it.

Publishing is evolving, and it continues to evolve. Adapt, or die.

The evolution of SEO

It used to be helpful to be a bit of a bad boy to be a good SEO.

It was all very Bonnie and Clyde. SEOs had tricks to stay one step ahead of the search engines, sneaky secrets and complicated technical strategies.

But every day, Google works to make the game less fun for the outlaw.

SEO today requires real content — something people actually want to read.

And that content needs to live on a real site — something that keeps the reader onsite exploring from page to page, not flitting away to read LOLCats. A business that takes itself seriously, that’s ranking on the search engines for a purpose.

(Gosh, does that sound a little like Rae Hoffman’s advice to affiliate marketers? Hm, interesting.)

Search marketing is evolving, and continues to evolve. Adapt, or die.

The evolution of your business model

How do you make money today? How did you make money 10 years ago?

Do you think it’s possible that the way you make money next year, or the year after that, could be entirely different?

Do you think the shifts everyone else is facing could touch you? Personally? Professionally?

Could those shifts touch your customers?

If you’ve got one revenue model — one way that money comes in the door — make this the year to build a second one. And then a third. And a fourth.

Our favorite business model for the 21st century

Our favorite business model today isn’t technology or green business or any of the other top-ten topics in business magazines.

It’s online education — teaching others how to surf these powerful waves of change.

If you want to hear more about it, we’d like to send you our thoughts on:

Staying agile in an economy that’s changing fast
The three factors that will help you narrow down the right topic for your business
How to find your own corner of a juicy market
The business lesson you can learn from Best Buy and the Apple Store
The five elements of a 21st-century business that works

We’ll also have an educational seminar for you on three opportunities for wild business growth that show no signs of stopping. And we’ll give you a free road map so you can start striking out on your own, if that’s what you want to do.

Later this fall, we’ll let you know more about the re-opening of our flagship course Teaching Sells, designed for those who want in-depth help creating an education-based business.

But whether or not you join us for Teaching Sells, we’d love to get you all the free content.

You’re the only one who can make the decision to adapt — to learn and grow, so you can thrive in an atmosphere of chaotic change. We’d love to give you some tools that can help.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Coypblogger and CMO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Sonia on twitter.

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Walk Dogs for $105,000 a Year (Or Make a Living Doing What You Love)

by Chris Guillebeau on May 18, 2010

image of molecular links

I recently put out the word that I wanted to interview small business owners for an upcoming project, the Empire Building Kit.

These were the criteria: you had to net at least $50,000 a year with two or fewer employees, you had to be willing to talk about money in specific terms, you had to share your biggest mistakes as well as your greatest successes, and you couldn’t be a professional blogger.

(Obviously there’s nothing wrong with professional blogging — I just figure that bloggers get enough attention already. Besides, if you want to create a business, there are much easier models.)

I heard back from 300 people with all kinds of different backgrounds, but Lisa’s email stood out from the rest.

I have a dog-walking business in Minnesota. Can I contribute my story?

I’ll be honest: I didn’t think much of it at first. A dog-walker? Shouldn’t we be talking about affiliate marketing, information products, and Facebook ads?

Walking dogs around the park for cash isn’t really my thing, so I assumed I’d say no.

But then Lisa told me how much money she makes: $88,342 in 2009, and now on track for $105,000 in 2010.

That got my attention. She makes six figures as a dog-walker? Wow. Now that’s a story.

And in marketing, of course, story is everything. If you can build a real business around something you’re passionate about — in this case, Lisa loves dogs — I think that’s worth some attention.

Follow your passion? Yes . . . sort of

The thing about following your passion to the bank isn’t so much overrated as it is incomplete.

Finding a way to get paid for doing what you love is both feasible and sustainable. The trick is to construct a lifestyle business around something you’re passionate about that other people are willing to spend money on.

The difference is crucial: I can be passionate about eating pizza and playing video games, but so far I haven’t found anyone willing to pay me for it. Therefore, I have to orient my business not only around my own interests, but also around what other people are willing to pay for.

I built the rest of the Empire Building Kit around conversations and insights from people like Lisa. The photographer, the triathlon coach, the translator, the guy who makes baseball art, the murder mystery host, and so on.

You’ve probably never heard of most of them, but they’re doing very well doing something they love.

Last month I released the product on board a 44-hour Empire Builder train from Chicago to Portland. It was a huge success, with rave reviews from our inaugural group of emperors — and a freaked out merchant account that wanted to know why so many sales were rolling in.

Long story short, today I’m doing it again. It’s for 24-hours only, before I get on a plane and head overseas as part of my quest to visit every country in the world. If you’re interested in joining the inaugural group of new emperors, I’d love to have you on board.

All the details

The goal of the Empire Building Kit is to help people build a business in one year by doing one thing every day.

To that end, I’ve compiled a truckload of resources and hand-holding to make sure that happens. The Kit includes:

15+ Case Studies. From 300 initial respondents, I narrowed it down to more than 15 thriving emperors from at least as many different backgrounds. I asked for their stories, their secrets, what they wish they had known before they started.

The case studies come in a variety of formats: video interviews, MP3 files, PDFs, with complete transcripts. So you can get the most out of them no matter what your learning style.

365-step Email Series. You get one mini-lesson today, one tomorrow, and 363 more over the rest of the next year.

According to the folks at Aweber, it’s officially the longest follow-up series in their history. The key is: if you do one thing a day, it will be much easier than trying to do everything at once. But you also have to make sure you’re doing the right things, so we help with that too.

A 52-step Product Launch checklist. Even if you’re not launching from the “bloggers’ lounge” onboard an Amtrak train, something always goes wrong with a product launch.

Use this checklist to avoid big mistakes, and dramatically increase revenue. One step produces an average revenue increase of 30% every launch, no matter the price of the product. Another step ensures you can sleep at night by not screwing up the confirmation emails. And so on.

“Show Me the Money” module. All the details from behind the scenes of my own Unconventional Guides business. You’ll learn how much money each product brings in, where I’ve screwed up, where I hit it big, and so on.

Ok, so I could go on about all of that for a while. But what you really get is insight and context from people who have successfully cracked the code of following your passion. They all talk about money, they are all extremely candid, and they’re all real people doing fun things while getting paid.

Care to join Lisa and the rest of us? You can find out all about it right here, but it’s only available for 24 hours, ending Wednesday morning at 9am Pacific Time.

And if it’s not a good fit for you, of course, that’s fine too. Most importantly, I hope your business is as enjoyable as Lisa’s — and as enjoyable as mine.

About the Author: Chris Guillebeau travels the world and writes for a small army of remarkable people at chrisguillebeau.com. Follow his live updates from every country in the world at twitter.com/chrisguillebeau.

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The Best of Copyblogger 2009

by Brian Clark on December 29, 2009

You didn’t think we’d close out the year without a “Best of 2009” post, did you? Well, you’re not getting off that easy.

Here’s the best Copyblogger content of the year, based on your enthusiasm via comments, links, retweets, and gratuitous offerings of produce-based holiday deserts. We thank you all for your continued support (even though we threw out the fruitcake. Sorry).

Let’s get started.

The First Rule of Copyblogger – It’s a wonderful thing to wake up one morning, check the blog, and see that your Senior Editor has made a Fight Club reference that also establishes the underlying theme of the entire publication. Her name is Sonia Simone, her name is Sonia Simone . . . .
The Winnie the Pooh Guide to Blogging – Adding to a Copyblogger portfolio that includes drag queens, cross-dressing and what women really want, James Chartrand kicked off the year with blogging lessons from everyone’s favorite Pooh bear. And you were shocked that he is really a she? Really?
5 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter – Want traffic from Twitter? Read this post. Want the most possible traffic from Twitter? Post about Twitter.
How Twitter Makes You A Better Writer – In the most counterintuitive post of the year, Jennifer Blanchard makes the case that being confined to 140 characters improves your writing skills. Coming in 2010 – How Beer Makes You a Better Driver.
The Art of Writing Great Twitter Headlines – Twitter reinforces the single most important component to attracting online attention — the headline. Well, that and fake celebrity deaths. Better to stick with the headline skills.
10 Secrets to More Magnetic Copy – First-time guest writer Jason Cohen knocks it out of the park with these quick and witty copy tips. He also forces us to retire the magnetism metaphors indefinitely.
How to Turn Affiliate Marketing Disclosure Into a Selling Point – Everyone seemed surprised that the FTC said compensation disclosure laws apply to bloggers and social media just like other forms of media. I could say I told you so back in 2006, but I won’t. Even though I did. Not that I’d mention that.
The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine – All you other Slim Shadys are just imitating, but you could do worse. Sean Platt lays down what Marshall Mathers III can teach you about taking your online game to the next level (without getting picketed).
The 7 Harsh Realities of Social Media Marketing – Did you notice all the “make money quick and easy with social media” hucksters that slithered out from under a rock (and then disappeared just as quickly) in 2009? This one’s for those guys, and anyone who considered following their lame advice.
How to Write With a Knife – Check out this post if you want to improve one of the most important aspects of any type of writing — tight editing. Or if you want to see a cool picture of a blonde with a samurai sword. Whichever.
Since When Are Blogs Not Social Media? – Social networking went mainstream in 2009, prompting some who hopped on board in late 2008 to say they were giving up social media for blogging. What?
Blogging is Dead (Again) – The “blogging is dead” meme comes up at least once a year, but I only feel the need to respond every other year. I feel the same way about voice mail.
The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging – Sonia reveals the seven sins that will cause you to fail faster online than hiring Robert Scoble.
Is Commenting on Blogs a Smart Traffic Strategy? – This was a rant in disguise after I’d had enough watching the less-than-smart strategies of some bloggers who left comments. Ironically, the post got 270 comments (and counting), but lame comments on Copyblogger subsequently decreased by 270% (or something).
Why You’re Too Qualified and Respectful to Produce Great Content – This post is an absolute must read for everyone~~, unless of course you already know you should write assertively, or if you’re busy doing something else, or just don’t feel like it. Maybe later.~~
Seven Bad Writing Habits You Learned in School – Sonia and I would have liked to qualify this post a bit, but I’d like to see you try that with Jon Morrow when he’s got a head of steam. So, a few English teachers got a bit upset, but we placated them with bouquets of gerunds.
Why Content is No Longer King (And Who’s Taking His Place) – The content marketing revolution demonstrates that mere content is no longer king, and this post tells you who’s taking over. No, it’s not Elvis, nor is it a prime minister appointed by the Queen as Lord of Parliament and majority leader of the House of Commons.
The #1 Conversion Killer in Your Copy (And How to Beat It) – What do trolls, sea monkeys, shady carnival barkers and chronic halitosis have to do with online conversion? And what was Tiger Woods thinking? (Tiger’s not in the post, I just really want to know).
9 Proven Headline Formulas That Sell Like Crazy – Dean Rieck resurrects an old Copyblogger standard with these insanely effective headline templates. But please go sell crazy someplace else . . . we’re all stocked up here.
Why You Can’t Make Money Blogging – Poor Fake Steve Jobs discovers he’s better suited for day jobs. Read this post to learn why “I want to make money on the Internet” is not a business model.
Is Your Tribe Holding You Down? – The post that defined the Third Tribe was inspired by a challenging email from Seth Godin and our refusal to switch to decaf. What does it all mean? You’ll see in early 2010.
On Dying, Mothers, and Fighting for Your Ideas – No joke here, simply the post of the year. Thanks Jon, for sharing with and inspiring us all.

There you have it . . . the best of Copyblogger for 2009. Can we top it in 2010?

We’ll try pretty hard. Hope you’re along for the ride.

Happy New Year!

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of DIY Themes, creator of the innovative Thesis Theme for WordPress. Get more from Brian on Twitter.

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Jay Berkowitz, CEO of Ten Golden Rules and Internet Marketing Expert, Featured On The Internet Marketing Radio Show

by admin on October 6, 2009 · Comments

On Thursday, October 8th at 12:30PM the Internet Marketing Radio Show will interview Jay Berkowitz, CEO of Ten Golden Rules and Adjunct Professor of the Internet Marketing program at the University of San Francisco’s prestigious School of Business and Management. The audience will be able to submit live questions to Mr. Berkowitz at IMRShow.com.

Jay Berkowitz is a seasoned marketing professional with over twenty years of experience. He has managed marketing departments for Fortune 500 brands: McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, and has developed traditional and direct marketing programs for AT&T and Sprint and eDiets.com.

Mr. Berkowitz is the Founder and CEO of TenGoldenRules.com, a strategic marketing consulting business based in Boca Raton, Florida. Ten Golden Rules helps companies get more traffic to their websites, and convert that traffic to sales. Ten Golden Rules services include: Website Marketing Strategy, Search Engine Optimization, Landing Pages and Conversion Strategies, Affiliate Marketing and Web 2.0 strategies.

He is a popular presenter at conferences and events such as eBay Live, The Association of Women in Communications, The American Marketing Association, Ad-Tech, Search Engine Strategies, The Direct Marketing Association, The Association of Internet Marketing and Sales, The Global Benchmarking Council and The Executive Forum.

The Internet Marketing Radio Show is a radio program for internet marketers, by internet marketers, about the internet marketing industry. They interview experts in all areas of internet marketing including SEO, social media marketing, pay-per-click advertising, email marketing, list building, business development, affiliate marketing, and more. Every show offers a live Q & A with the guest and all episodes are available via iTunes as on-demand podcasts. The show can be seen live at http://www.IMRShow.com.

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Affiliate Marketing