 |  |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Affiliate Masters... an intensive 5-day e-mail
course on becoming a high-earning affiliate champion.
How?By building income through content.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you have a friend who would benefit from taking this
course, please pass this on.Or tell that person to
receive the 5-day course by sending a blank e-mail to...
tamsalliesunme@sitesell.net
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I guarantee that you'll refer to this course over and over
again as you build (or rebuild) your affiliate business.
Print each e-mail out, pour yourself a beverage of choice,
bring along a pen to jot down some ideas, and take it all to
your favorite sofa.Learning a serious subject is so much
more successful when you're comfortable.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you print out this e-mail, keep it in a 3-ring binder.
Here's a super little printing utility that will allow you
to print 2 or 4 pages to a single 8.5" x 11" piece of paper.
It saves you paper, space, and money...
http://www.fineprint.com/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
<<TODAY>>
Affiliate Masters 303
To Paraphrase a Favorite Kid's Joke...
You Can Pick Your Partners
And You Can Pick Your Name
But You Can't Pick Your Partners'... oh never mind!;-)
by Ken Evoy, M.D.
President, SiteSell.com
-----
Hello again.Nice to see such enthusiastic perseverance. :-)
So far we have completed the first two sections of our
syllabus.Check off each of these topics, or if you can't
recall what they mean, review them before proceeding to DAY
3.Remember, each DAY builds upon the next.So the
preceeding material must be firmly in mind, and each
Goal-of-the-DAY must be completed, if you are to succeed.
Now, check off each of the following...
Affiliate Masters 101
oBusiness Basics
oIncome and Expenses
oTraffic, Click Throughs, and Conversion Rates
oPRE-selling... why
oPRE-selling and your visitor's MINDSET
oPRE-selling... how
Affiliate Masters 202
oBrainstorming concepts for your site
oPicking the concept with the most profit potential
oDeveloping HIGH-PROFITABILITY topics for your site
oDEMAND, SUPPLY and BREAKOUT tools, and the
MASTER KEYWORD LIST
oThe CUSTOMER END vs. the KEYWORD END
oHow to pick the HIGHEST-PROFITABILITY topics
oAnalyzing (and using!) the competition
OK?No omissions?Good news!
Let's keep going and finish the last of the prep DAYS...
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
DAY 4 -- Grow, Prune and Group Best Affiliate Programs
What do you ask from prospective merchant partners?...
"SHOW ME THE MONEY!"
Jerry Maguire (1996)
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Goal-of-the-DAY... Choose 3 affiliate
programs that fit with EACH of your 3 Site
Concepts/5 HIGH-PROFITABILITY KEYWORDS (per
concept) that you developed in DAYS 2 and 3.
You must rate these merchants as EXCELLENT,
and you must FEEL GOOD about representing
them. Remember, your recommendations reflect
upon who you are.
Ongoing Goal... Find, research, and select
more POSSIBLE PARTNERS. Rotate the technique
used (ie., Search Engines, Affiliate
Directories, etc.). Continue to choose on the
basis of fit and excellence.
With these goals in mind...
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Only one thing to do before you finalize on the Site
Concept/Concept Keyword of your Theme-Based Content Site...
Grow a list of good merchants with affiliate programs who
have product lines that fit.Then we'll choose the best
ones and group them according to HIGH-PROFITABILITY keywords.
Yes, you have ALREADY started this process on DAY 3 by
using AltaVista, Google, GoTo.com, and/or Ixquick to build
groups of POSSIBLE PARTNERS for each keyword in your MASTER
KEYWORD LIST, right?
However, DAY 3 was more focused upon getting good ideas for
content and a feel for your market space (DEMAND, SUPPLY,
SUPPLY SITE INFO).
It's time to grow your list further...
---------------------------------------------------
#1 -- GROW POSSIBLE PARTNERS THROUGH SEARCH ENGINES
Do a search for one of your keywords, plus the word
"affiliate." Like this...
+fashion +affiliate
(The "+" sign means that both words must appear on the Web
page returned by the search.)
Or if that turns up a blank, like this...
affiliate fashion
Do this at AltaVista, Google, GoTo.com, and/or Ixquick. This
will yield either fashion merchants *WITH* affiliate
programs or content sites that *ARE* affiliates.Visit the
Top 10 sites (do 20 if you're feeling ambitious!).
If it's a "merchant site," and if it has an affiliate
program that fits your concept, first enter what kind of
merchandise they sell andthen enter the URL of the "join
page" into POSSIBLE PARTNERS for that keyword (as explained
above). If it's a "content site," review its content and
follow the "links out" in the same way as outlined above --
add to your columns of POSSIBLE PARTNERS and IDEAS FOR
CONTENT.
Repeat the process for each keyword in your MASTER KEYWORD
LIST (i.e., replace "fashion" above with another keyword
like "fashion models" so that you search for this...
+"fashion models" +affiliate
-------------------------------------------------------
#2 -- GROW POSSIBLE PARTNERS THROUGH ALTAVISTA LINK TOOL
Let's backtrack for a second... While searching for a
keyword at one of the above engines earlier today, let's say
that you discovered a CONTENT site, Fashionbrokers.com. By
following links out of Fashionbrokers.com (as outlined
earlier), you found a shoe shop with an affiliate program,
called Shoebuy.com.
Shoebuy.com fits with an idea that you had added to the IDEAS
FOR CONTENT column. So you entered Shoebuy.com into your
list of POSSIBLE PARTNERS for the keyword "high heel
shoes."Ê (See how you can use the MASTER KEYWORD LIST to
group programs according to keywords?)Ê
We'll use Shoebuy.com as our example of how to grow your
list of POSSIBLE PARTNERS for "high heel shoes"....
Start by checking what OTHER affiliates link to Shoebuy.com!
How? Simple.Go to...
http://www.altavista.com/
... and enter "link:shoebuy.com"
At the time of this writing, 134 pages linked to good old
Shoebuy.com. Many of these sites will be CONTENT sites
that *ALSO* link to OTHER fashion-related merchants as
affiliates (you can often tell by the linking URLs).So
most likely...
These "linked-to" merchants already have affiliate programs
-- all you have to do is check them out and see if they fit!
Add the ones that fit to your list of POSSIBLE PARTNERS for
each keyword.
And you can use this AltaVista link-finder technique for all
of your POSSIBLE PARTNERS for all of your keywords! :-)
----------------------------------------------
#3 -- GROW AND PRUNE POSSIBLE PARTNERS THROUGH
SPECIALIZED AFFILIATE DIRECTORIES
Now let's investigate your POSSIBLE PARTNERS *AND* add some
new merchants, too. How?Easy...
There are some terrific folks out there who have already
compiled exhaustive lists of merchants with affiliate
programs.They've even organized them all for you into
categories...
I have listed the ten most important directories in
approximate order of popularity on the Net.
-----SIDEBAR TO AFFILIATE DIRECTORIES-----
To determine popularity, I use traffic stats, as reported by
Alexa.com.If you run an affiliate directory and if I've
missed you, please e-mail me at this address...
directories@sitesell.com
If your directory belongs in the Top 10, please let me know
-- please note that the FOCUS of your site must be on
affiliate programs.Include your traffic as reported by
Alexa.com.
-----SIDEBAR TO AFFILIATE DIRECTORIES-----
And now, without further delay...
>The Top 10 Most Popular Affiliate Directories on the Net
("visit count" appears in brackets after directory name)
AssociatePrograms.com (10,802) -- Allan Gardyne has one of
the best directories going -- it screens out the riff-raff.
Active forum, too.Not to be missed.
http://www.associateprograms.com/
Refer-It (10,010) -- one of the grand-daddies, has a
comprehensive directory and an excellent "Webmasters Lounge."
http://www.refer-it.com/
CashPile.com (9,131) -- extensive directory, good tools.
http://www.google.com
Associate-It.com (7,267) -- excellent overall resource.
http://www.Associate-it.com
ClickQuick (4,885) -- useful, in-depth program reviews.
http://www.clickquick.com/
Revenews (3,542) -- useful forum, top-notch articles.
http://www.revenews.com/
AffiliateWorld.com (2,106)
http://www.affiliateworld.com/
AffiliateMatch.com (1,986)
http://www.AffiliateMatch.com/
2-Tier Affiliate Program Directory (1,558)
http://www.2-tier.com/
AffiliatesDirectory.com (1,543)
http://www.affiliatesdirectory.com/
-----
Here's how to use the directories...
1) Drill-down through the relevant major categories of the
directory until you find "good fit" sub-categories. You'll
find one or more merchants in each sub-category that should
fit into your Site Concept well.Enter what kind of
merchandise they sell. Also enter the URL of the
"join page" to the POSSIBLE PARTNERS column in your MASTER
KEYWORD LIST, for each keyword that is relevant.
2) Use their search tool.Do keyword searches at three levels
of specificity.Let's start with the most specific and then
get progressively more general.
a) Find matches for Specific HIGH-PROFITABILITY
Keywords from your MASTER KEYWORD LIST.Enter the
keywords, one by one, into the directory's search tool.
(Put each keyword that is a phrase inside quotes.)
b) Find matches for your General Concept Keywords
(ex., "pricing" and other "concept-level" keywords
that you develop, such as "fulfillment," etc.).
c) Find matches for "cross-concept companies."These
are companies selling products that fit with most or
all concepts.For example, whether your concept is
about Renaissance art or pricing or fashion, you'll
find BOOKS about it.So always include a book store
in your group of affiliate programs.
You can either drill-down to these categories or
use the appropriate word to search for them
(ex., "book").Look for the following cross-concept
categories (not all of them will fit your bill)...
Art-photo
Auction
Books
Catalogs
Clip art
Coupons
Courses/education
Games
Gifts
Magazines
Malls/storebuilders
News
Search
Software
Video/DVD
When you find programs that fit, read the reviews and look
at the ratings.
3) Also use their search tool to find the POSSIBLE PARTNERS
that you have already identified as candidates (just enter
the domain name into the search tool).Does the report
seem positive?
--
Other things to do at the directories...
1) Use the forums.Review them for comments about programs
that interest you.And ask questions if you don't find the
answers you seek.
Most of the above directories have a forum where you can ask
questions.So don't be shy -- ask whether Company ABC
really is about to close its program!
I don't recommend that you e-mail the owners of the above
directories.They are swamped with work.However, if you
post to the forums of some of the smaller ones, there's a
good chance that the owner himself will answer you.
--
2) Check out their "Top 10" reports.A directory may have
different kinds of "Top 10" lists...
oMost profitable
oMost popular
oPersonal opinion
Give special weighting to the most profitable -- the most
popular ones often just reflect the results of major
promotional pushes, and not necessarily profits.These are
the ones that are "getting the job done" and making money
for affiliates.Read the "personal opinion" Top 10, too.
One drawback of any of the Top 10's.They likely will not
cover programs that fit your concept.Don't pick a Top 10
unless you can figure out how it fits into your concept.
--
3) Subscribe to their e-zines to stay up-to-date.There's
some excellent material in them.
--
4) Read the articles.But don't get sidetracked -- you can
get that famous golfing disease...
.... "paralysis by analysis."Keep moving forward.
----------------------------------------------------
#4 -- GROW POSSIBLE PARTNERS THROUGH
AFFILIATE BACKEND PROVIDERS/AFFILIATE NETWORKS
There are several companies that provide the tools,
technology and services that online businesses need to
register, track, report and pay affiliates.In other words,
merchants don't have to "do it themselves" because these
companies provide all the backend functionality necessary to
run an affiliate program.
The "backend providers" prefer to call themselves "affiliate
networks."Why?
Because they do more than just provide merchants with
affiliate software.They also provide merchants with
affiliates, and vice-versa. Since they have a pool of
hundreds of thousands of affiliates, the merchant's program
gets instant exposure to potentially interested affiliates.
And affiliates get exposure to a wide variety of merchants.
So...
Join each of these backend providers.You will likely come
across many of the same merchants that you found in the
affiliate directories.But you will also find new ones.So
it is worth checking to see whether they feature any
programs that fit with you....
Commission Junction
http://www.cj.com/
BeFree
http://www.befree.com/
LinkShare
http://www.linkshare.com/
ClickTrade
http://www.clickbank.com/marketplace/?r=alliesunme&c=money&s=1&i=10&t=ClickBank_Marketplace
If you don find merchants with products that fit, enter what
kind of merchandise they sell, and also enter the URL of the
"join page" to the POSSIBLE PARTNERS column in your MASTER
KEYWORD LIST, for each keyword that is relevant.
--------------------------------------------
#5 -- GROW POSSIBLE PARTNERS THROUGH
MISCELLANEOUS AFFILIATE INTERMEDIARIES
If you can figure out how to make Vstore, Nexchange, or ePod
fit into your site, make notes in the POSSIBLE PARTNERS
column in your MASTER KEYWORD LIST, for each keyword that is
relevant.
Let's review each now...
Vstore
http://www.Vstore.com/
Create your own online storefront to sell products that you
love... sports, music, whatever.It truly *IS* easy to set
up. Only one problem... you have to drive traffic to your
store if you want to make any sales -- unlike the "Field of
Dreams" movie, "they will *NOT* come" just because you have
built it. Most Vstore-owners simply can't overcome this
challenge.
Why include Vstore in this course?Because you don't
actually make a sale or ship a product.You make a
commission.But you only make a commission if you drive
traffic to your store and if those visitors buy. So the
difference between this model and the "pure affiliate"
concept is moot.
And one more important reason to include it...
When you complete this course, you'll have a Theme-Based
Content Site that builds targeted traffic and that PRE-sells
its visitors. Why not build a store that "fits" your theme
and refer visitors (at your Theme-Based site) to your own
store (which literally takes less than 30 minutes to build)?
--
Nexchange
http://www.Nexchange.com/
Nexchange takes a different approach.With Nexchange, you
put buying opportunities directly within relevant content on
your site.You earn a commission on every sale. All
transactions are completed on your site, never compromising
your look and feel, brand or navigation. As they say on
their site...
--------------------------------------------
The more your content is designed to attract
an audience with a specific interest, the
more successful you'll be.
--------------------------------------------
So it may be worth a visit to Nexchange to see what products
you could offer on your site that fit with your Site Concept.
Again, since you must build targeted traffic to earn your
commissions, Nexchange could be part of your business.
To be a Nexchange host, your site must receive at least
10,000 page views per month.Since you are just starting,
Nexchange is not relevant now.Consider it when your site
starts generating this kind of traffic.
--
ePod.com
http://www.epod.com/
ePod is slick.It puts mini-web-sites (that you choose) in
your site.You accomplish this with a single HTML tag. It's
a snap to implement.This gives merchants (RELATED to your
Site Concept) a way to display and sell their products on
your Web site. Visitors stay on your site, clicking within
the showcase to see products, news, video clips and more.
You make a commission for every sale.
Launched in February, 2000, a substantial investment by
Macromedia (who seem to be doing everything right on the
Net) bodes well for the future of this company.Watch for
interesting developments here.
--
Do you notice a common denominator between the above three
companies?Vstore, Nexchange and ePod could all be
considered as interfaces between you (i.e., the affiliates)
and the merchants.One way or the other, they collect a
small piece of each pie that is sold, not from you but from
the merchant.Kind of like a SUPER-affiliate.
Nothing wrong with that, of course.They provide true value
for that fee. But be careful... a high-profile company
called Affinia.com had a similar model. They had an
excellent product that empowered you to turn your site into
a store (similar to Nexchange).
In September, 2000, it went bankrupt.Those affiliates who
had spent a lot of time developing business and income
through Affinia lost out. Can the other affiliate
intermediaries make enough money to thrive?
For that matter, what about the affiliate backend providers?
And for that matter, what about ANY individual merchant?
----
That brings us to the topic of reducing your RISK...
---------------------------------
#6 -- REDUCE RISK BY DIVERSIFYING
One of the major attractions of becoming an affiliate is the
small amount of risk involved.Affiliates have little or no...
oproduct development expenses
oadvertising costs
oinventory to maintain
ooverhead expenses (salaries, physical location, etc.)
In other words, affiliates do not have millions at stake.
But you do have one BIG risk...
If a merchant, backend provider, or affiliate intermediary
go out of business, they take you with it.Let's talk
briefly about how to minimize this risk...
After you review the affiliate directories, backend
providers, and affiliate intermediaries, you should have a
good selection of programs.How many programs should you
choose?How do you know which ones are solid?
I love it when the second question answers the first!...
"How do you know which ones are solid?"
You don't, really.Yes, you can weed out the dogs by doing
the basic research outlined below.But most of us just
don't have the ability or time to thoroughly analyze a
company, its financials, and its business model.And then
predict success or failure.
So your best bet is to diversify among as many programs as
possible *THAT FIT WITH YOUR SITE CONCEPT.*But there are
the some important qualifiers to this policy...
1) If you represent 15 programs, don't put them all on the
same Keyword-Focused Content Page.Only work in the *FEW*
that are tightly relevant to the content of each page.
2) Pick the best-of-breed from each category of merchant.
For example, if you plan on representing a Net marketing
company, SiteSell.com would be the obvious choice (ahem!).
If you plan unusually heavy support for a given category of
product, you might want to represent the best TWO merchants.
For example, suppose you foresee hundreds of book links on
your site.It might be a good idea to choose the best 2
online bookstores -- if Bookstore A and Bookstore B fit with
your concept and both seem to be stable companies, then
use these two.Not more, though...
3) Don't OVERdiversify.Tracking each program takes time,
so 10-15 programs is probably a good balance.If any one of
them dies, you don't lose too much.
4) Your best results will come from focusing on a smaller
group of quality programs (from within your longer list).
Their products must...
o be excellent
o be complementary with, even enhance, each other
o fit your concept
and...
o be from a rock-solid company.Since you will give these
companies more attention than the others, you must feel very
comfortable with their business prospects.
Also, don't pick merchants that "belong" ONLY to BeFree or
ONLY to CJ or Linkshare.What happens to your business if
one of these backend providers folds?Same policy goes, too,
for the affiliate intermediaries.
Here's the bottom line...
Don't give too much emphasis to any single program, unless
you have some special reason to feel unusually comfortable
with it.
Things happen.So protect yourself by DIVERSIFYING.
----
Of course,you can also reduce your risk by weeding
out the dogs through some basic research...
------------------------------------
#7 -- PRUNE POSSIBLE PARTNERS BY
ELIMINATING HIGH-RISK PROGRAMS
Find the good programs and eliminate the dogs by considering
the following PLUS SIGNS, MINUS SIGNS, and RED FLAGS.Let's
start with the PLUS SIGNS to look for, in the approximate
order of importance...
+High quality product or service -- remember, it's your
REPUTATION that is on the line (and online!).Don't
recommend products that UNDERdeliver.
+Merchant has a good site that sells effectively.
+Ability for affiliate to link straight to individual
products, rather than just to the home page. (If the
visitor has to FIND the product that you recommend,
your Conversion Rate plummets.)
+Type of payment model... Pay-per-sale and pay-per-lead
are good.This is true "performance marketing."If
your referred visitor delivers the desired response,
you get paid.What about "pay-per-click?"See
RED FLAGS below.
+Affiliate Support
o Accurate, reliable real-time online accounting,
preferably with some kind of ability to "audit"
by spot-checking
o Detailed traffic and linking stats
o Notification by e-mail when a sale is made
o Useful marketing assistance, provides traffic-
building and sales-getting tools
o High-quality newsletter that educates, trains,
and accounts for amounts earned
o Professional marketing materials available
o Affiliates receive discount on products
-----SIDEBAR-----
Great affiliate support is important for a "between the
lines" reason, too.It indicates a high degree of
commitment to the program and its affiliates.
-----SIDEBAR-----
+Pays good commission -- hard goods have lower margins than
digital ones.So their commissions will be lower.Still,
you should make at least 10% (hard good) or 20% (digital
good) on any product that you recommend.Don't be scared
off by low-priced products if they offer a good % commission
-- the lower dollar value per sale is offset by the higher
sales volume.
+Must be free (no charge) to join, no need to buy the product.
+Lifetime commission -- if the program pays a commission on
future sales of other products to customers that you refer,
this is a huge plus.
+Two-tier commission -- if the program pays a commission on
affiliates who join because of you, this is also great.
+Lifetime cookie -- Do you receive a commission if the person
you referred returns and buys within one month? Three months?
The cookie that tracks this should not expire.
+Restriction on number of affiliates -- you won't find many of
these.But if you do, grab it.
+Monthly payment, with reasonable minimum.
Do all those PLUS SIGNS have to be present?No.But the
more, the merrier.:-)
--
MINUS SIGNS are definite detractors.RED FLAGS are warning
signs. Watch out for these MINUS SIGNS (-) and RED FLAGS
(F)...
-"The dark side" of affiliate programs.Is the program
really just a way to legally bribe folks to recommend
overpriced, "un"-delivering products in order to collect
excessive commissions?
-----SIDEBAR-----
There is a commission that is "just right" for each product.
If the commission is too low, it is not interesting enough
for affiliates.If it is too high, it's a consumer rip-off.
(Excessive commissions also push the price of the
product up to levels that cannot survive for long in the
competitive NET marketplace.)
Your job as an affiliate is an important one.You deliver
high-value content that gains the confidence and trust of
your reader.You include recommendations and referrals to
your new friends as part of your service and content.
Recommending anything less than sterling products is simply
sophisticated, subtle fraud.
If you find products that fit your theme but that don't
deliver quality, sell them advertising (more on selling
advertising to come).This way, you don't compromise your
ethics... your reputation. Because the customer recognizes
advertising for what it is... a promotion.Nothing wrong
with that at all, because their "guard is up."
Bottom line...
Don't allow yourself to be bribed into recommending such
products -- in the long run, your reputation will be ruined.
And so will your business.On the other hand, when your
visitors are rewarded repeatedly by your rich
recommendations, their increasing like and respect of your
judgment will keep them coming back!:-)
-----SIDEBAR-----
-The absence of any PLUS SIGN above = a MINUS SIGN.
F"Pay-per-click" method of payment.In this method,
you get paid whenever a visitor clicks on your link.
No purchase or lead-generation necessary.Unfortunately,
it's wide open for abuse -- very sophisticated folks
create incentives to get thousands of people to click
on their links.But the visitors could care less
about the products being promoted.It's virtually
unstoppable.And merchants end up paying for nothing.
So merchants cancel or change the program. Microsoft's
Clicktrade (see above) used to offer pay-per-click
backend programming for merchants.They dropped it due
to the level of fraudulent activity that hurt merchants.
-----SIDEBAR-----
I'm a fan of pay-per-click Search Engines and pay-per-click
advertising.And, in theory, pay-per-click affiliate
programs are a good idea, too.Unfortunately, they attract
"scam artist affiliates."Sooner or later, merchants seem
to throw in the towel against the onslaught.So be wary --
these tend to dissolve or mutate into a different model.
-----SIDEBAR-----
FMulti-tier commission -- this is MLM, which is perfectly
legal, of course.Unlike 2-tier, the incentive switches
from selling products to signing up people in your
downline.Also, as MLMs, the companies are subject to
numerous regulations.Not all online companies are com-
plying (or even know about this!).Watch out for a big
shakeout with many of these companies going belly-up. If
multi-tier interests you, I would recommend that you check
out established offline MLMs that are now online.Or...
investigate all others extremely carefully before you
decide to invest a lot of time in these.
-Slow and/or poor support.
-Unethical conduct of any kind.
-Reports of late (or lack of) payments.
FPoor or little info about affiliate program available.
What kind of priority could it have?
FDead links on merchant site.
FNo clear anti-spamming policy visible on site.
-Allow spam, or seem to spam themselves.
FSite that promotes "get-rich-quick" gimmicks.
-Defective joining process.Hey, if they can't get this
right...
-Clauses in the agreement that you find unacceptable
(ex., if lifetime customers are important to you, then
a clause that allows unilateral termination or
modification of the agreement at any time by the
company, without just cause, effectively makes the
lifetime commitment of no value.)
(ex., no exclusivity -- i.e., you should be allowed
to represent more than one book vendor).
FFinancially unstable.You can lose a lot of momentum
if a company goes under, especially if you were banking
on lifetime customer/2-tier promises.
-----SIDEBAR-----
Don't worry about identifying all of the above criteria
before you join.Some can only be found after joining.
Others only become clear over the weeks that follow.But
keep them all in mind.Don't get hurt.Spend your time
on smart, stable, ethical companies with great products.
-----SIDEBAR-----
Now for one final pruning action...
---------------------------------------
Using Alexa.com to Widen Choice in Any
Category and to Choose "Best of Breed"
------------------------------------------
#8 -- ADD "CATEGORY CHOICES" AND PRUNE
POSSIBLE PARTNERS THROUGH ALEXA.COM
Alexa serves as a wonderful final check in two ways...
oit gives some indication of the success of the program
oit yields good competitors in the same category as the
program you are considering.
-----SIDEBAR-----
If you don't use Alexa during your surfing, go to Alexa.com
right now -- you need it.For more info...
http://www.alexa.com/
-----SIDEBAR-----
Using Alexa, we see that...
oShoebuy.com only has 155 links coming in (confirming the
AltaVista stat of 134 earlier).So its affiliate program is
certainly not a mind boggling success.But here's the
question... does that mean danger or does that mean
opportunity?
oIt gets decent traffic (9344 visits).Good.
o The site only seems to have 47 pages, although this stat
is sometimes wrong. And it ranks the site as "fast" and
"fresh" -- both good signs.
Now let's use Alexa again to visit Shoebuy.com's "Related
sites" -- you just might find a better shoe merchant! Doing
this, you find...
oShoes.com only gets 1700 visits, and does not seem to
have an affiliate program.
oZappos.com has an affiliate program.It also has a
bright, fun site with over 1,000 pages, and has about the
same traffic (9158).It has 136 links in, and Alexa ranks
the site as "fast" and "fresh."A better choice?
oShoesonthenet.com is a cleverly structured CONTENT site.
It looks, at first glance, like a huge shoe store.But it's
a content site.Sometimes, content sites hide the
relationship by using frames.To detect this, right-click
on a frame to pop-up a new window that contains only that
frame -- it will show the URL of the company that the
content site represents.These kinds of sites can, of
course, lead you to even more merchants!
Bottom line?Alexa is a great starting point for finding
even more merchants in any given category, and giving you
some additional basis for choosing those with LEAST RISK.
-----
Tricky Alexa Tip
Many sites use ad networks to run their banners.In this
case, Alexa shows you the traffic stats for the network,
instead of the site.You'll know because you'll see the
name of the network (ex., DoubleClick or 24/7) rather than
the name of the site.
To get around this enter a totally weird URL, like...
http://www.THECOMPANY.COM/abdefeddee.html (where
THECOMPANY.com is the site you are investigating)
You'll get a 404 error.Since most companies don't put a
banner on their 404 page, wait for a few seconds until Alexa
updates with the REAL stats for that site!
-----
To LOOP, or Not To LOOP?That is the Question...
Almost done!You've checked the programs out at the
directories. You've eliminated the HIGH-RISK dogs who don't
deserve your time by considering the PLUS SIGNS, the MINUS
SIGNS, and the RED FLAGS.And you've run Alexa on each
POSSIBLE PARTNER for each of your keywords.
Finalize your selection of affiliate programs.If you don't
find enough good programs, you may have to broaden your
concept, or even replace it...
Remember when we talked about the "critical LOOP POINT" at
the end of DAY 2?Be sure that you've got a Site Concept
that can make some money.If not, return to DAY 3 and keep
BREAKING OUT and adding more HIGH-PROFITABILITY keywords.
Then continue to DAY 4 to find more good programs that fit.
If your concept is just too narrow and esoteric that DAY 3
and 4 don't work, return to DAY 2 and investigate the next
concept on your "short list" of Site Concepts.
----
Do *NOT*, I repeat DO NOT, feel that you must have your
ENTIRE business worked out "to the nth degree" by working on
DAYS 3 and 4 forever.I don't need to remind you that Rome
was not built in a day, do I?;-)
With that perspective in mind, please allow me to remind you
of a small business truism...
The two biggest mistakes any entrepreneur makes are actually
OPPOSITES of each other...
1) FIRE-READY-AIM -- the person who leaps before he looks.
If this fits you, I can only repeat Ben Franklin's quote...
>"By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail."
In other words... ignore the preparation work at your peril.
2) READY-AIM-READY-AIM-READY-AIM -- the person who
researches, then researches some more, then some more...
For this person, I can only offer this profound wisdom...
>"S_ _ _ or get off the pot."
Or, as Nike would say...
>JUST DO IT.:-)
In other words... Don't get stuck "perfecting" DAYS 3 and 4.
So...
If you have brainstormed a good Site Concept, picked your
HIGHEST-PROFITABILITY topics, and selected excellent
merchant-partners who you are proud to represent, then you
are ready to roar ahead.
-----
Time for me to hop off the old podium and remind you that...
Before proceeding to DAY 5, please complete your DAY 4
Goal-of-the-DAY, and take note of your Ongoing Goal...
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Goal-of-the-DAY... Choose 3 affiliate
programs that fit with EACH of your 3 Site
Concepts/5 HIGH-PROFITABILITY KEYWORDS (per
concept) that you developed in DAYS 2 and 3.
You must rate these merchants as EXCELLENT,
and you must FEEL GOOD about representing
them. Remember, your recommendations reflect
upon who you are.
Ongoing Goal... Find, research, and select
more POSSIBLE PARTNERS. Rotate the technique
used (i.e., Search Engines, Affiliate
Directories, etc.). Continue to choose on the
basis of fit and excellence.
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Let's keep going! Are you ready?Geez, what a question!
After all that preparation, you're super-ready!
-------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------------
DAY 5 -- Refine Final Concept and Register Domain Name
A rose by any other name
Would smell the same...
But NOT a domain!
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Goal-of-the-DAY... Narrow or broaden your
Site Concept until it is, to quote
Goldilocks, "just right."Not too narrow...
not too broad.Before you register your
domain, consider Site Build It!...
http://buildit.sitesell.com
It turns this course into child's play.:-)
Ongoing Goal... Now that you have found your
perfect, "just right" Site Concept, consider
the bigger picture.When you "finish" this,
your first site, will you broaden the concept
until you have your own mini-portal?Or will
you start a second, unrelated site?
With these goals in mind...
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Earlier in the course, we chose "fashion" as a Site Concept
for our primary example. We also looked at other concept
examples like "Botticelli" and "pricing."
These Site Concepts were mere "starting points."As you
worked your way through DAYS 2, 3, and 4, you built your
MASTER KEYWORD LIST for the "fashion" Site Concept.This
list is LITERALLY your site blueprint -- for EACH of your
keywords, it...
oshows you SUPPLY and DEMAND data -- best idea is to
start writing pages about words with the best numbers
for PROFITABILITY
ocontains SUPPLY SITE INFO... information about sites
that rank well
osuggests POSSIBLE PARTNERS, merchants with affiliate
programs that you would be proud to represent
ogives you IDEAS FOR CONTENT -- possible topics for you
to write about.
Now, is that a blueprint, or what?...:-)
Time to start BUILDING!I once asked you...
------------------------------------------
How big should you grow your Site Concept?
How much should you change it?...
Only you can decide.And you'll do that as
you do the next two DAYS...
------------------------------------------
Now that you *HAVE* completed those two DAYS, let's use the
info in your MASTER KEYWORD LIST to refine your concept.
Here are the factors to consider before finalizing your Site
Concept..
1) Broad or narrow-niche?Perhaps "fashion" is just too
broad, too open-ended.After all, can a single person
ever "fill" a site about "fashion"?
2) If you choose to go narrow, which niche do you select?
Don't paint yourself into a corner -- choose a niche
that you can broaden.Remember the future -- you can
always broaden your concept if you "fill" your niche.
3) Your passion and knowledge -- You'll be much more
effective if you stick to what you know and love.
4) The amount of time you are prepared to spend -- If
time is a limiting factor, stay narrow.
5) Profitability -- Review your SUPPLY and DEMAND data.
Choose a niche Site Concept that would appear to have
thegreatest profit potential (i.e., that has loads
of HIGH-PROFITABILITY keywords associated with it).
6) SUPPLY SITE INFO and IDEAS FOR CONTENT -- Read what
others are writing about, and any ideas that you have
had. Do you want to cover similar topics (nothing wrong
with that, especially if you do it better!), or do you
see a niche or approach that has not yet been done?
7) POSSIBLE PARTNERS -- How many solid affiliate programs
are a good fit?
9) Search Engine "Winnability."Two points here...
o It's hard to win a "Top 10" ranking in search results
for broad-concept keywords like "fashion"
o As we'll see later, the Search Engines will be
concentrating more and more on the THEME of the
overall site.So if you choose to develop a broad
concept like fashion, with several major sub-themes
(models, literature, design, etc.), it will be harder
to win the war for the sub-themes than if you
dedicated a single site to a sub-theme.In other
words... the "nichier," the better.
10) The amount of content and keywords -- If you used all
three WINDOWS (SUPPLY, DEMAND, and BREAKOUT) to their full
potential, you should have no shortage of HIGH-PROFITABILITY
keywords.But if your topic is just too narrow (ex.,
"Norwegian fashion models from the mid-1700's"!), you may
need to broaden the concept somewhat (ex., "Scandinavian
fashion models").
-----
So... "How broad should my concept be?" The single best
recommendation...
"As narrow as possible, yet...
... still with lots of profit potential!"
Yes, I do want to have my cake and eat it, too.;-)
Seriously, every success story starts small, then builds.
And if you're like most people, you don't have the time to
flesh out a huge concept all at once.And it will actually
hurt you at the engines if your concept is too broad.
Better to start narrow, but with enough profit potential (as
determined by considering the above 10 factors) and THEN
grow the concept.
Let's use our earlier examples to illustrate how to finalize
a narrow Site Concept.We'll also develop your domain name
at the same time, since the two go hand-in-hand.
--
EXAMPLE 1Pricing
"Pricing" is a nice, tight concept.You can use your SUPPLY
and DEMAND windows to brainstorm many HIGH-PROFITABILITY
keywords that are directly related to pricing.And, as we
saw, you can also BREAKOUT into other areas too... areas
that would be of interest to serious business people (ex.,
"fulfillment" or "copywriting" or "product development").
Here's the problem, though... if you developed many
Keyword-Focused Content Pages about fulfillment within your
pricing site, you'd dilute that site's Search Engine
effectiveness for pricing issues.So "concept-level"
keywords like "fulfillment" really deserve their own sites.
The more you keep your theme "pure," the better you will do.
*AND*...A site dedicated to pricing is also much more
credible to your readers, too!
We saw before that business people who are interested in
fulfillment will also be interested in pricing.Well, the
reverse is true, also.So your pricing pages can also refer
people to a good fulfillment company... not to mention a
company with a good solution for customer support!
Since "pricing" is wide enough to be profitable and narrow
enough to be winnable, make "pricing" your Concept Keyword
for your new Theme-Based Content Site.
Now let's develop your Concept Keyword into a "Valuable
PRE-selling Proposition" ("VPP").What's a VPP?It's the
affiliate equivalent of a merchant's "Unique Selling
Proposition."A merchant sells goods or services.An
affiliate PRE-sells by offering high-value information.
Your VPP answers, in VERY few words and hopefully with just
a touch of character, THE two critical questions about your
Site Concept...
1) *WHAT* SPECIFIC and HIGH-VALUE information does your site
deliver?
2) *WHAT* is your unique positioning for this delivery
(i.e., what is your angle of approach)?
A good VPP transmits these answers loud and clear to your
visitor. Why does this need to be stated in "VERY few
words"?One BIG reason...
K-I-S-S -- When a reader hits your site, she must be
easily/immediately able to understand what your site is all
about. And the single best way to do that?...
Include your VPP in your domain name!Yes, your VPP should
BE your domain name!
There's no room for "cleverness" or subtlety here.Leave
that to the money-losing dotcoms.Including your Concept
Keyword in your VPP and add a "marketing angle/theme" to it.
That way, your concept is clear to your visitor, and your
Concept Keyword is clear to the Search Engines (the engines
will rank your site a touch higher for your Concept Keyword
if it is included in your domain name).
Now let's look at a few possibilities for our first Concept
Keyword example, "pricing"...
> i) pricingadvisor.com, or THEpricingadvisor.com
VPP = "pricing advisor."It says that you are delivering
pricing information (your Concept Keyword must, of course,
be included in your domain).And the "advisor" part
establishes you as THE expert -- it tells your visitor that
you'll be delivering some great pricing advice!
> ii) pricing-on-the-net.com
VPP = "pricing on the Net."Again, it's clear that you are
delivering pricing info.The "on the Net" part says that
you are specializing in pricing info specifically on the
Internet.Since there is not much info about pricing on the
Net and since your potential visitor is certainly there
looking for Net-specific info, this is a good approach.
Same idea for "netpricing.com" and "cyberpricing.com."
-----SIDEBAR-----
When do you use dashes in your domain name?If both
versions of a 3-or-more-word domain are available, I like
using the dashes because they make the word breaks more
obvious to the eye.Also, the engines usually treat dashes
as a space. So it may be more likely to "see" the entire
string as separate words.
Others feel, however, that the engines don't seem to care
one way or the other.So use dashes if it helps
readability.For example, which is easier to read?...
pricing-on-the-net.com or... pricingonthenet.com
Generally, do not use dashes if your domain name has only
two words in it.See how "netpricing.com" and
"cyberpricing.com" don't really need the help of a dash?
Do use dashes (even if the domain only has two words) if the
non-dash version is already being used by someone else.But
be sure that you are not violating anyone's trademark
(details re trademark searching are coming).
NOTE: Since your affiliate business is 99%+ online, the
offline issues of dealing with dashes are not so important
(i.e., telling people how to spell it, people forgetting to
put the dash after reading your print ad, etc.).
Here's the bottom line... domain names are so cheap that
it's a good idea to take both versions (with and without the
dash), just to make sure that a competitor does not take
names that could be confused with yours.You can always
make one domain point to the main one.
-----SIDEBAR-----
> iii) perfectpricing.com
VPP = "perfect pricing."Again, it's clear that you are
delivering pricing info.This time, though, the VPP implies
that you show people how to price OPTIMALLY -- also
something that people would definitely want!
Bottom line?Same Concept Keyword.But three different
VPPs that outline three different Site Concepts.
Which of the above approaches is best?Ahhh... my work is
done.You know your prospective visitor best.Which
approach do *YOU* think works best?
-----
Before we go through the next two examples, here's how to
brainstorm and register your domain...
-----SIDEBAR-----
A good domain name is...
o short and sharp
o meaningful -- conveys a clear message
o easy to spell
o easy to remember
o unique, descriptive, and "you"
o solid, classic, NOT hokey
In general, if you follow the above guideline for creating
your VPP, you won't need much help coming up with a great
domain name.But if you really want to make sure that
you've left no cyber-stone unturned, try these sites...
Good brainstormers...
http://www.NameBoy.com/
http://creator.homepagenames.com/
http://www.domainsurfer.com/
http://www.bestnames.net/cgi-bin/search.cgi
https://secure.kudosnet.com/domain/k2/r.dmc/
http://www.networksolutions.com/purchasing/nameGen.jhtml
http://www.clickbank.com/marketplace/?r=alliesunme&c=marketing&s=1&i=10&t=ClickBank_Marketplace
http://www.startstorm.com/
NOTE: Don't register your domain at any of these services
until you've seen your "VERY BEST BET" below.
--
And here's a site that searches domains that have recently
expired...
http://www.whois.net/searchD.cgi2
--
If you already have an idea for a great name and just want
to check to see if it's been taken...
http://www.betterwhois.com/
--
Got a great, and available, name?Super!Now use one of
these sites to check trademarks...
http://www.marksonline.com/
http://www.nameprotect.com/cgi-bin/FREESearch/search.cgi
http://www.clickbank.com/marketplace/?r=alliesunme&s=1&i=10&t=ClickBank_Marketplace
http://trademarks.uspto.gov/access/search-mark.html
Other countries...
UK
http://www.patent.gov.uk/dbservices/tm.html
Canada
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/cgi-bin/sc_consu/trade-marks/search_e.pl
Australia
http://www.clickbank.com/marketplace/?r=alliesunme&c=marketing&s=1&i=10&t=ClickBank_Marketplace
-----------------
NOTE:It's *NOT* necessary to trademark your domain.But
*DO* make sure that you don't violate someone else's mark
before you register your domain.It would be a shame to
build up a great business, and then have someone who owned a
trademark (before you registered your domain) force you to
take it down.
--
Just before you register, think about "expandability" and
"brand."Generally, you should start narrow-niche and then
expand when all goes well.And, as said earlier, when the
time does come to grow beyond "pricing," you should *NOT*
add "fulfillment" or "customer support" to your "pricing"
site. You'll dilute its Search Engine effectiveness, not to
mention cloud the message to your visitors.
So give some thought to expansion NOW.Suppose that you
decide upon "THEpricingadvisor.com."Why not register
"THEfulfillmentadvisor.com" and "THEsupportadvisor.com,"
etc., now. Eventually, you'll link them together through a
master site called "THEmarketingadvisor.com."
Registering domains is cheap.Why not lock them all in
right now?That way, your expansion path won't have
potholes when the time comes for you to grow.
--
Next... registration.
To register your domain name, you need the services of a
registrar.There are zillions of them.If you are using
one that makes you happy, stick with it.Otherwise, check
out...
Site that evaluates registrars...
http://www.domainnamebuyersguide.com/
A comprehensive list of registrars...
http://www.icann.org/registrars/accredited-list.html
By the way...
Site Build It! automatically takes care of registration for
you.The cost is included in the annual fee.So your VERY
BEST BET is simply to let us take care of it at the time you
start "building income through content" with Site Build
It!.For more information about Site Build It!...
http://buildit.sitesell.com
----------
----------
Now let's look at a few possibilities for our second Concept
Keyword example, "Botticelli".Remember, you were a huge
Botticelli fan.Only one problem...
Now, you find yourself in a bit of a bind.Now that
you've done DAYS 3 and 4, you can't find enough PROFIT
POTENTIAL (HIGH-PROFIT KEYWORDS and related POTENTIAL
PARTNERS) to make a pure "Botticelli site" sufficiently
profitable.
What to do?You have three options...
OPTION 1) Expand the concept -- make it more general.But
remember... you don't have to START HUGE.Build
it over time.
OPTION 2) LOOP back to this point and try the next concept
on your DAY 2 "short list" of Site Concepts.
OPTION 3) Recognize that you're "in it" more for the passion
than the money.Botticelli rules!
OPTIONS 2 and 3 are pretty clear.Let's examine OPTION 1
a bit...
Use the BREAKOUT window to expand your Site Concept, or even
to find a new, better direction. Or the "expansion route"
may seem perfectly obvious to you, even without doing the
BREAKOUT brainstorming.
For example, remember this progressively wider concept?...
Do you stop at Botticelli?...
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli.html
Or do you grow your idea to include all Renaissance artists?...
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/R/renaissance.html
Or do you grow your idea to include all artists?...
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftp.html
Or do you grow it into a comprehensive art portal?...
http://artchive.com/
Which level should be your starting Site Concept?
Keep doing DAYS 2 and 3 on progressively broader concepts
until you find enough profit potential to proceed.How
broad should you go?Remember the single best
recommendation...
"As narrow as possible, yet...
... still with lots of profit potential!"
In other words, work your way up from Botticelli, to
Renaissance art, to all artists, to "everything art." Stop
as soon as you find a level that has solid profit potential.
Keep your niche as narrow as possible, so that you can build
a site "to fill that glass," yet still make good profits.
Nowadays, I would not start artchive.com as a global art
mini-portal.First of all, I'd go nuts trying to fill this
wonderful site with so much info.And it would look rather
amateurish with just a little content.
More importantly, though, is that each section would dilute
the other.For example, since Search Engines will
increasingly evaluate the overall theme of an entire site,
my renaissance art section will dilute my ancient art
section (etc., etc.). And anyone who puts up a site which
focuses purely on the theme of ancient art will have an edge
over that section of my "mega-site."
So here's what I would do.As I broaden the concept, I find
that I have solid profit potential for the Site Concept of
"Renaissance Art" and other Concept Keywords at this level
(ex., ancient art, cubism, impressionism, etc.).
So I register renaissance-artchive, ancient-artchive.com,
cubism-artchive.com, impressionism-artchive.com, etc., etc.
And I also register artchive.com and artchives.com. (I add
the dash in the longer names for easy reading, and I take
artchives.com to protect myself from low-lifes who want to
take advantage of my success -- yes, I'll succeed!).
Once I establish renaissance-artchive, and then
ancient-artchive.com, and then cubism-artchive.com, I'll
launch my MASTER home page, artchive.com to tie it all
together as "the place to come for all things art."This
home page will contain a global "what's in it for you"
message and then provide links to all my other domains that
are already up and running and successful.
One more domain -- I'll register store-artchive.com.Once I
establish artchive.com the way that Mark Harden (the REAL
owner of artchive.com) has done, I'd be nuts not to think
about adding an entire "museum store."This could either be
an affiliate-based store where I'd "sell" the products of my
merchant-partners (including a bust of Boticelli!).Or it
could be a true online store.Or both.
-----SIDEBAR-----
If you already have an online store, building a Theme-Based
Content Site is THE single best way to drive traffic to it.
In other words... BECOME YOUR OWN AFFILIATE!
If you don't have a store NOW, keep this in mind...
It can be an excellent way to increase the PROFITABILITY of
your Theme-Based Content Site.In other words, start by
marrying the content of your Keyword-Focused Content Pages
to well-chosen affiliate programs.Build your initial
income through well-chosen affiliate programs.Then...
As you grow, add an online store for extra PROFITABILITY!
What should you sell in an online store?Three ideas...
1) Products from other merchants, via affiliate programs.
Some affiliate sites are very creative in making it look
like a real online store.For example...
http://www.Shoesonthenet.com/
http://www.fashionmall.com/
http://www.riversville.com/
Others are more straightforward...
http://www.fashionwindows.com/giftshop/default.asp
2) Products that you source from suppliers -- build a
conventional online store that receives traffic from your
content site!People who start their stores first simply
DIE from a lack of traffic.Not you.More on this in a
future course!
3) Your own products, especially digital ones like e-books
or software -- You don't have to worry about physical
inventory and fulfillment is so easy.Writing an e-book
about your area of expertise establishes you as THE expert
*AND* adds ANOTHER income stream.For more information
about creating and selling infoproducts, please see...
http://myks.sitesell.com
Speaking of additional income streams...
--
Once your Theme-Based Content Site has built enough traffic,
ADD EVEN MORE income through banner advertising. While I'm
not a great believer in the value of banners *FOR THE
ADVERTISER*, there are certainly thousands of companies
willing and able to pay for banner advertising. So don't be
shy about taking their money.:-)
It's really only appropriate, though, AFTER you start to
build substantial income.So continue to keep notes about
potential advertisers in the POSSIBLE PARTNERS section of
your MASTER KEYWORD LIST -- store this income-generating
stream for later...
For excellent info about ad selling strategies, read these
three articles...
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmta/adrev-8steps.htm
http://gt.clickz.com/cgi-bin/gt/cz/cz.html?article=850
http://gt.clickz.com/cgi-bin/gt/cz/cz.html?article=1101
You can either "sell and serve" ads yourself, or you can do
it through a network (less hassle but share the income)...
Serving your own ads...
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmta/adrev-serving.htm
Serving through networks...
http://www.wilsonweb.com/wmta/adrev-networks.htm
List of ad networks
http://www.adbility.com/WPAG/ba_network.htm
List of pay-per-click ad networks...
http://www.adbility.com/WPAG/show.asp?cat_id=170
As you do DAYS 3 and 4, you'll find many merchants who do
NOT have affiliate programs.They are potential buyers of
your advertising!:-)
It ALL starts, first, by establishing yourself through your
Theme-Based Content Site.:-)
>***SPECIAL NOTE***...
Use Site Build It! to build your site.It will be a snap to
set up your own pay-per-click advertising business.
Pay-per-click will be easier for you to sell, and in my
opinion is a much fairer model for advertising.
Site Build It! gives you full click-through data on all
links.So you'll be able to bill your clients appropriately
-- professional-level tools at no extra cost!
No html knowledge is necessary, nor are ftp, META tags, or
any other tech knowledge.Site Build It! lets you focus on
what's important... building income through content.
For more information about Site Build It!...
http://buildit.sitesell.com
-----SIDEBAR-----
OK, back to artchive.com....
Just before we move on to our last example ("fashion"),
let's review our artchive.com domains to make sure that they
meet our VPP (Valuable PRE-selling Proposition) needs...
------------------------------------------
Your VPP answers, in VERY few words and
hopefully with a touch of character, THE two
critical questions about your Site Concept...
1) *WHAT* SPECIFIC and HIGH-VALUE information
does your site deliver?
2) *WHAT* is your unique positioning for this
delivery (i.e., what is your angle of
approach)?
A good VPP transmits these answers loud and
clear to your visitor. Why does this need to
be stated in "VERY few words"?One BIG
reason...
K-I-S-S -- When a reader hits your site, she
must be easily/immediately able to understand
what your site is all about. And the single
best way to do that?...
Include your VPP in your domain name!Yes,
your VPP should BE your domain name!
------------------------------------------
"Artchive.com" is a smart, but not TOO CLEVER (i.e., so
subtle that many visitors would miss the point), play on
words that tells the visitor immediately, and with
character, that it is a place to come for all things art. It
contains your Site Concept word, "art."And each of your
"lower level" domains does, too (ex., renaissance-artchive
contains the "renaissance art" keyword.)
Bottom line?What started with Botticelli now has a clear
do-able step-at-a-time plan to become an art mini-portal.
And you start at a level that you know will be profitable.
Best of all worlds.
----
On to our final example, "fashion"...
With "pricing," we found ourselves at just about the right
profit potential level.So it was NOT necessary to grow the
concept.
With "Botticelli," we did need to WIDEN the concept to
capture more profit potential.With "fashion," we'll need
to do the opposite -- NARROW it down to a "do-able" yet
profitable level.
Heck, "fashion" is just too broad...
oYou won't be able to develop the unique positioning
required by a good "Valuable PRE-selling Proposition"
("VPP").
oIt will take forever to fill a general fashion site with
enough content so it does not look bare.
oWinning the Search Engine wars for a General Keyword like
"fashion" will be extremely difficult.And even if you do
win it for your home page, people searching for "fashion"
are so non-specific, looking with so many possible different
topics, that your site is unlikely to meet their needs.
And that's why...
THE ONLY STRATEGY on this over-congested Net is to target a
specific niche with a specific Site Concept and a strong VPP
that tells people quickly what SPECIFIC and HIGH-VALUE
information you are delivering.
So...
When you start with a wide-open concept like "fashion," you
have two basic choices...
1) Narrow down to a "fashion"-containing Site Concept that
excites you... something about "fashion design" or "fashion
model" or "fashion designer."
2) Change course somewhat, based on your BREAKOUT research
in Window 3.
(In fact, while you'll start with one or the other, you will
quickly end up using BOTH choices, as we'll see now...)
Let's cover each quickly, from a VPP point of view...
---------------------
OPTION 1) Narrow down -- Remember some of our
HIGH-PROFITABILITY "fashion"-containing keywords?...
ofashion magazine
ofashion model
ofashion designer
ofashion design
Let's focus on the what excites you... designing and
publishing.You decide to publish an online magazine about
fashion design and designers...
fashion-designers-magazine.com
The domain contains your VPP.It says exactly what your
site delivers, and that you'll be delivering it through the
format of an online magazine/Web site.
No, the name is *NOT* particularly clever.Using words like
Herald or Express *WOULD* sound and lookmuch slicker
(ex.,"FashionDesignExpress.com).But using "magazine" gives
you a better edge with the Search Engines, for two reasons...
1) There's a slight advantage to having your keyword within
the domain name.But more importantly...
2) You'll be using your name over and over in your copy. No
one searches for "FashionDesignExpress." But lots of people
search for "fashion magazine."And, since few people use
quotes when they search, the "fashion" and the "magazine" do
not have to be together.So this gives you "findability"
for "fashion magazine" and "fashion designers" and even
"designers magazine."
Add a byline like...
"The Fashion Design Magazine...
... By, About, and For Fashion Designers"
Include this on every page, under your logo.
Your magazine format gives you the flexibility to cover a
wide range of topics related to fashion design and
designers. Use the BREAKOUT techniques described in
DAY 3 to generate more and more topics
related to fashion design and designers (jewelry topics,
famous designer bios, etc., etc.).
You're off and running with a great concept like this.Just
one more thought...
Let's say that fashion-designers-magazine.com SUCCEEDS
really well... Hey, it should!You're doing everything
right. But...
It will be too late to register related domains later.Do
it now, with an eye to expanding your concept in a few
months or so (as discussed above for artchive.com)...
ofashion-models-magazine.com
ofashion-products-magazine.com (your future store?)
ofactory-outlet-stores-magazine.com (see below)
oAnd, of course, tie it up all together with a MASTER
domain, fashion-magazine.com or THEfashion-magazine.com.
This MASTER site will be launched once your other sites are
all up and running, much the same way that you did for
artchive.com above.
----SIDEBAR-----
Do you see the difference from these vague, more general,
wide-concept, standalone "fashion" approaches?...
o"world-wide-fashion-web.com"
o "fashion-express.com"
o "best-fashion-products-on-the-Net.com"
They are all too generic and fail to capture a useful
niche-keyword in the VPP (i.e., in the domain name).
----SIDEBAR-----
Let's discuss your second option when dealing with a
wide-open General Keyword like "fashion"...
------------------------
OPTION 2) Change course -- Earlier, we used the JimTools'
Keyword Research Tool to find other "fashion-related" words
like "factory outlet stores," which was searched for 3,851
times. Well, check it out at AltaVista -- you'll find that
it has only 1,820 competitors!Hey, that's a far better
DEMAND-SUPPLY ratio (searches compared to competitors) than
"fashion design."
-----SIDEBAR-----
The "Site Build It! Manager" tool uses a complex calculation
that is beyond simple SUPPLY-DEMAND ratios and which does a
much better job of showing each word's exact PROFITABILITY.
It shows "factory outlet stores" to have far greater
PROFITABILITY than any other keyword that we have looked at!
The Site Build It! Manager is free with your purchase of
Site Build It!.:-)
For more information about Site Build It!...
http://buildit.sitesell.com
-----SIDEBAR-----
Research like this may even point you towards changing your
concept AWAY from the "concept-level" keyword of "fashion,"
perhaps aiming more TOWARD "discount" and "outlets" -- run
these two keywords through the GoTo Suggestion Tool, and
then see how many competitors those words have.Your best
Concept Keyword may actually be, surprise!...
discount outlets
or
factory outlet stores (that's where we got that domain,
"factory-outlet-stores-magazine.com," above).
Of course, you also have to consider...
owhether this different direction excites you as much
and
othe nature of the kind of customer who will search for
your keywords.Make sure that you aren't marketing to a
personality type that is hard to convert, no matter what you
do... ex., the "freebie-seeking tire-kicker" or the
"marketing-phobic tech-type."
You want to attract a personality that is open-to-buy.In
other words, you want people who will buy something after
reading your content and clicking to your merchants.
--
With this in mind, think about this possible new direction...
People searching for outlet malls are certainly doing so for
a reason... to save by BUYING!And you find lots of good
online malls and other merchants that fit with your Site
Concept. And you can still marry your concept of fashion to
"factory outlet stores" like this...
WORLDSBEST-FashionFactory-outlet-stores.com
Geez, if this goes as big as you think it could, you could
expand this concept, too!So you also register...
oWORLDSBEST-SportsFactory-outlet-stores.com
oWORLDSBEST-ElectronicFactory-outlet-stores.com
oWORLDSBEST-FurnitureFactory-outlet-stores.com
oWORLDSBEST-MusicFactory-outlet-stores.com
oWORLDSBEST-WhateverElseExistsFactory-outlet-stores.com ;-)
And you'll register a strong MASTER domain to tie all your
successful niche sites up into one big mini-portal. So what
if that's a year or two down the road?...
oWORLDSBEST-Factory-outlet-stores.com
VPP = "world's best factory outlet stores"It "says" that
you have done all the research for your cost-conscious
reader and will be delivering ONLY the cream.
And think of all the creamy topics!...Articles on shoes,
fur, dresses, etc., etc... leading to great outlet links
(and other affiliate links, of course).
Then you do the same for basketball, football, golf, etc.,
etc. My goodness!You've found a motherlode.
Bye-bye fashion magazine.Hello world of discount malls!
----
Here's the whole point of DAY 5...
Take your time on the domain name and the concept -- the
choice you make here will literally make or break your
results (remember what Danny De Vito said in "The
Renaissance Man"...
"The choices we make dictate the lives we lead."
Pick something you know and love...
... *AND* that has excellent PROFITABILITY!
If I had to summarize the ENTIRE Affiliate Masters Course
into just two lines, it would be the two you just
read...
-------------------------------------------
Pick something you know and love...
... *AND* that has excellent PROFITABILITY!
-------------------------------------------
One without the other is much less likely to succeed.
Yes, you can win by doing something you don't enjoy doing.
But it's a heck of a lot harder.
And sure... you COULD just say "to hang with what people
will pay for," I want to do what turns me... and that would
be OK.You might even "luck into" a winner of a concept.
But it WOULD be luck.On the other hand, if your payoff is
the sheer enjoyment of doing a hobby, that's great, too.
-----SIDEBAR-----
One of the most clear-headed thinkers, and biggest winners,
and one of my favorite writers on the Net, is John Audette.
John calls this... "Niche with Passion."It's one of his
"Sweet 16 Principles for Building a Successful Internet
Business"...
http://www.google.com
When in doubt... err on the side of passion.:-)
-----SIDEBAR-----
It takes a cold-hearted business person to make money at
something that she does not particularly like.Few of us
qualify.Of course, if you DO, don't hesitate to go where
the PROFITABILITY seems to be, first and foremost!:-)
But, for most folks...
Pick something you know and love...
... *AND* that has excellent PROFITABILITY!
A simple but powerful ending to DAY 5.:-)
-----
Before proceeding to DAY 6, please complete your DAY 5
Goal-of-the-DAY, and take note of your Ongoing Goal...
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
Goal-of-the-DAY... Narrow or broaden your
Site Concept until it is, to quote
Goldilocks, "just right."Not too narrow...
not too broad.Before you register your
domain, consider Site Build It!...
http://buildit.sitesell.com
It turns this course into child's play.:-)
Ongoing Goal... Now that you have found your
perfect, "just right" Site Concept, consider
the bigger picture.When you "finish" this,
your first site, will you broaden the concept
until you have your own mini-portal?Or will
you start a second, unrelated site?
---------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
All the necessary prep work for your affiliate business is
finished.You finalized and registered your domain. The
foundation is now secure.
Tomorrow we build on it.Get a good night's sleep.
See you soon.
-Ken
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Affiliate Masters series is sent only to those people
who have specifically requested it.It is composed of five
daily e-mail courses. Want to join the exclusive club of
high-earning affiliate champions?Follow the strategies
outlined in The Masters series.Really... JUST DO IT!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Allan Gardyne (yes, of associateprograms.com fame) has said
that "if you join only one program, make it the 5 Pillar
Program" and he has called it "the perfect revenue sharing
program." Ralph Wilson (wilsonweb.com) says that "Ken Evoy
has taken affiliate programs to the next level." And the
Five Pillar Program was chosen by AffiliatesDirectory.com as
"The Best Program of 1999."
For more information...
http://www.sitesell.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW TO UNSUBSCRIBE
You are receiving the Affiliate Masters Course only because
you requested it, or someone used your computer to request
it.If you do NOT wish to receive the rest of this course...
To unsubscribe, send a blank e-mail to...
unsubscribetams@sitesell.net
NOTE: You must send it from the same e-mail address that
receives this 5-day course.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact info: E-mail us at support@sitesell.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by Ken Evoy, M.D.
President, SiteSell.com
(c) copyright 2000, 2001 SiteSell.com Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Site Build It!" TM SiteSell.com Inc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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