Affiliate Link Safety Issues

Overview

There are several link hiding solutions generally used on the Internet: simple redirects, link cloaking (also called link framing), link branding, covert linking and embedded cookies (also called covert cookies or cookie stuffing).

Some affiliate link hiding solutions, such as link cloaking, are potentially unsafe with some affiliate links. Using an unsafe solution can result in substantial lost commissions (generally over half of commissions are lost when this problem is present).

Below is a full technical explanation of the problem.

The Two Types Of Cookies

Almost all affiliate programs use things called “cookies” to track which affiliate gets paid for a sale. These “cookies” are small amounts of data stored on each visitor’s PC. They record the affiliate ID of the affiliate who referred the visitor to the site, so that the affiliate can be paid when the visitor buys the product.

This much is common knowledge, but the next part is not.

There are two types of cookies - Standard Cookies and Validated Cookies.

A Validated Cookie is a cookie where something called a Compact Privacy Policy is sent at the same time as the cookie which confirms that the cookie will not be used to “invade the privacy” of the visitor.

Internet Explorer is the only web browser which differentiates between Validated Cookies and Standard Cookies, but since Internet Explorer is by far the most commonly used Internet browser, this affects a lot of potential customers.

With Internet Explorer, all Standard (i.e. non-validated) cookies are discarded by the browser unless they come from the same website as the one shown in the Internet Explorer Address Bar.

Hence if the Address Bar shows www.mysite.com/mypage.html, any cookie from mysite.com will be accepted, but cookies from any other website will be discarded unless they are Validated Cookies.

The visitor may override this feature by setting their privacy level to “Accept All Cookies” in Internet Explorer but very few people actually do this (there is no real reason for them to do it – and most users do not even know how to do it).

If you want to know more about this, visit the Internet Explorer website.

The Consequences

So what does all this mean for you as an affiliate marketer?

It means that if you are using any solution which hides your affiliate link other than simple redirects, the cookie will not get created unless it is a Validated Cookie.

As a result, you will LOSE your affiliate commission.

You will not lose all your commissions, since some customers will use browsers other than Internet Explorer – or will have chosen to “Accept All Cookies”. However it is likely that you will lose more than half your commissions.

Note that this problem will arise with ANY tool or script which hides affiliate links, irrespective of what assurances you may get from the person selling the tool. There is absolutely no way of avoiding the problem if the affiliate link uses Standard Cookies.

What can you do about it?

You can stick to simple redirects, but you will lose some of the advantages of using the more sophisticated link hiding solutions.

Alternatively you can use a software tool that analyses your affiliate links to determine what solutions you can safely use with each affiliate link.

The Different Linking Solutions That Can Be Used With An Affiliate Link

Solution 1 – Simple Redirect

The most basic solution for hiding/securing an affiliate link is called a “Simple Redirect”. It makes the link look like a web address on your own site, but as soon as the visitor clicks on the link, they are “redirected” to the sales page, which is shown as normal.

Example: Someone clicking on our “hidden” link:

http://www.mysite.com/info/ebooks.html

would see the sales page in their browser as normal. In the web address bar on their browser, they may see something like this:

http://www.salessite.com/ebooks/?ref=1234

The drawback is that it’s obvious to the visitor that we used an affiliate link to access the page. It is not obvious to people before they clicked on the link, but it is obvious afterwards. This may in some cases put visitors off buying the product.

The alternative solutions below provide more sophisticated solutions for hiding the fact that an affiliate link was used to access the site.

Solution 2 – Link Cloaking Or Framing

Link Cloaking or Framing also makes the link look like a web address on your own site, but when the visitor clicks on the link, the address of your website is still shown in the web address of the browser, even when the sales page is being shown.

Example: Someone clicking on our “hidden” link:

http://www.mysite.com/info/ebooks.html

would see the sales page in their browser as normal, but in the web address of their browser, they would still see:

http://www.mysite.com/info/ebooks.html

The drawback with this is that more advanced visitors will realise that this is a framed page (it’s easy to tell if you are experienced in these matters). However most visitors will be satisfied by this solution.

Solution 3 – Link Branding

Link Branding is a variant on Link Cloaking. It works in exactly the same way, except that in addition to showing the sale page being promoted, a small message is shown at the top or bottom of the visitor’s web browser. This is usually in the form of a single line strip containing some form of an advertising message from the affiliate with a clickable link.

The solution has all the advantages of Link Cloaking, but with the extra feature that this special message from the affiliate is shown at the same time as the sales page.

The drawback with this is that visitors will generally realise that this is a framed page – and also that the message can prove annoying to some visitors.

Solution 4 – Covert Linking

A Covert Linking is an advanced solution which almost completely hides the fact that an affiliate link is being used and offers a lot of flexibility on how links are promoted.

With this solution, the visitor’s browser is covertly sent to the affiliate link without any visible signs of this happening, then the browser is sent to the sales page as normal. The link to the sales page is NOT an affiliate link, just an ordinary link.

Example: Our affiliate link is:

http://www.salessite.com/cg-bin/affiliates.cgi?r=1234&p=7

The visitor is covertly sent to this link (with no visible effects of this). The result is that the visitor’s PC gets the affiliate cookie ensuring that we get paid.

Now we send the visitor to http://www.salessite.com/ebooks/

Notice that this is not an affiliate link – it has NO traces of any affiliate information in it. The visitor arriving at this link will see nothing to suggest that we used an affiliate link. However when they buy, we still get paid.

Covert Linking is more flexible than this though. We can use it to plant our affiliate cookie and then send the visitor to any page.

Hence if the site has a demonstration page that we want to send people to, we can use the covert solution to plant the cookie and then direct the visitor’s browser directly to the demonstration page. If they order as a result, we still get paid.

We can even send visitors direct to the order page using Covert Linking - or if we find an independent review of the product, we can send visitors to that review page (as long as the review page does not include an affiliate link for the product).

Solution 5 – Covert or Embedded Cookies

Covert Cookies (also known as “Embedded Cookies” or “Cookie Stuffing”) is a another solution which almost completely hides the fact that an affiliate link is being used.

All the other solutions we’ve looked at create a new link to be used in place of the affiliate link. Covert Cookies works differently though. With this solution, we plant affiliate cookies on visitors’ PCs before they’ve even clicked on our link to visit the site.

For example, let’s assume we have a web page which reviews a hamster cage sold fromwww.hamsters.com. With a Covert Cookies solution, as soon as a visitor arrives on our review page, their PC receives our affiliate cookie, without them even knowing about it. This is before they have clicked on our link to www.hamsters.com - in fact the cookie will be planted even if they do not click on our link for www.hamsters.com.

This means that even if the visitor leaves our website without clicking on our link towww.hamsters.com and later finds the site using Google (or some other methods), we will still get paid.

It also means that we can use a simple plain link to www.hamsters.com on our review page, because we’ve already planted the cookie. We don’t need to use an affiliate link, so this makes our review page look more like an independent review instead of someone promoting an affiliate program to earn money.

Now some affiliate program owners do not like this solution because it can be abused by planting lots of cookies. Consider that we could embed cookies for every site on the Internet which sells hamster cages, without even bothering to put links to any of them on our page. Every visitor to our page would then have all these cookies on their PC (without them even knowing about it). If they subsequently bought a hamster cage (or anything else) from any of these sites in future, we would get paid – even though we never actually promoted any of the sites. This may be good for us – but is not very ethical.

So if you want to use this solution, you should use your own judgment and use it responsibly, only planting cookies in conjunction with actually promoting the site.

It is also worth checking the affiliate program terms before deploying this solution to make sure that the affiliate program does not have any rules against it.

I use a very good re-direct Script, that is very simple to use and keeps track of your stats.

Click Here to check it out.

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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To Your Success! Glenn Pearson

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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Web Copywriting: Essential or Not?

One of the things that makes the Internet so appealing is the fact there is plenty of useful and entertaining information to be found. Of course, some website owners prefer to simply copy data from other sources as a way to flesh out the content of their sites.

When this happens, they miss out on some great opportunities. Here are just a couple of reasons why original web copywriting is not only important, but essential to the success of a web site.

Firstly, original copy helps to make the website stand out from the millions of other sites that are already up and running. Even if the subject matter is the same that is found around the Internet, orginal copy is the chance to put the data into word combinations that are a little different. When the content of the site is not a copycat of thousands of similar sites, the chances for ranking higher on searches is much better.

Along with making the site stand out a litle more, creating original copy also makes it possible to use keywords to the best advantage. This can also help to push the ranking up a few more notches in search engines.

Strategically placing keywords that are part of common searches online help to improve the chances of showing up in the top ten results. Higher rankings mean more visitors. If the purpose of the site is to market an idea or product, this is a very good thing.

Lastly, copywriting provides a creative outlet. Drafting original content makes it possible to show the world what you have to offer in the way of ideas, style, concepts and opinions. You simply can’t do that if the content is borrowed from another source.

While it is true that coming up with original content takes longer than simply cutting and pasting canned content onto the site, the benefits far outweigh the time spend in the endeavor. When given a choice between going with tired old copy that can be found all over the Internet and coming up with something new and different, always go for the fresh web copy.

How to Mind Map Your Offer and Craft Your Sales Copy Flow

Mind mapping is a valuable tool when it comes to creativing effective sales copy. While not everyone is familiar with the concept of a mind map, chances are you have seen the approach used to great effect.

Essentially, mind mapping is the presentation of a collection of ideas, concepts, or words that all relate to some type of central understanding. When it comes to applying this approach to the flow of your sales copy, mind mapping can provide some interesting and unique ways to identify benefits of your product that will attract the right consumer market. Here are some ideas of how to use the mind mapping approach.

1. Identify your central understanding. In this case, that would be your product offering. This will serve as the point of destination that all other attributes will map back to. Keeping your product as the central focus will make it harder to drift during the course of identifying elements for your sales copy.

2. Use single word designations to identify the main functions of your products. This broadens on the central theme, but is still vague enough to allow for more investigation.

3. Take it one level deeper. Within the context of those broad themes or ideas, provide examples of how your product benefits work. For instance, if you are selling a carpet cleaner, one broad theme may be the deep foam action. Drilling a little deeper, you can also note the foam lifts dirt easily from both carpet and furniture upholstery.

By mind mapping, you are not only helping yourself to visualize the flow of the text, but also using words to create images for the reader that he or she can easily relate to. Try this method and see what new and different angles you come up with to demonstrate the effectiveness of your product.

The Five Ps of Web Copywriting

When settling in to draft original copy for a web project, it is important to keep the five Ps of Web Copyrighting in mind. In fact, using this simple formula will make all the difference in how well you stay on track with your objectives.

Here are each of the five Ps along with a simple definition.

1. Problem – Whenever your task is to convince someone of a need, you must first convince the buyer there is a dilemma that must be addressed. This dilemma or problem helps to set up a sense of urgency, indicating action must be taken in order to take care of the issue at hand. Once your copy presents this problem, then you can begin the process of convincing the buyer you have the solution.

2. Promise – Essentially, your promise is that the subject matter of your sales pitch is going to make everything okay again. For example, if you presented the problem of dirty windows, you now promise that your product provides the best solution available.

3. Proof – Having made a promise or claim, it is now time to put your money where your mouth is. In order words, you are going to present all the reasons why your solution works better than anything else. Here is where you make your solution irresistible to the consumer by pointing out how quickly and easily the problem can be made to go away.

4. Price – After making all the benefits clear, you add the icing to the cake. That is, you make note of what a small cost is necessary to obtain all these wonderful advantages. The idea is to convey that your solution is worth every penny of the cost, even if it may be a little more than some of the similar but obviously inferior products offered by the competition.

5. P.S. – This is where you add in one more added benefit. This can be something that is outside the scope of the original problem, but somehow still related. For example, you may note that your product not only makes windowpanes crystal clear, but will also do a great job on that resin furniture in the back yard. The p.s. is your chance to provide one more benefit and thus nudge a consumer who is on the fence to go ahead and take the plunge.

This simple formula can be utilized with just about any type of situation where you want to present an issue and then offer a viable solution. Give it a try. Think of a single problem and then see where this process takes you. The results will be a pleasant surprise.

How to Write a Compelling Headline that Qualifies Your Prospects

No matter how well crafted the body of your content, a headline that grabs attention will always make a difference. Of course, you want to grab the right kind of attention. That is, you want the reader to be attracted by the headline and thus want to read the body of the text.

You do not want the reader to read the text simply because he or she wants to find out what type maniac would come up with a title like that. Here are three simple tips to keep your headlines interesting, compelling, and attractive to your audience.

Tip # 1 – Keep it simple, stupid. Yes, the old KISS principle that Toastmasters have used in public speaking for decades also works with the printed word. When it comes to your headline, don’t get too prolific with the word count. Choose your words carefully and use no more than you need to grab attention. A headline is not meant to tell the whole story, but it should help your prospect know what is coming next. is to come.

Tip # 2 – Make it relevant. Headlines that are misleading may grab attention quickly, but you will lose the reader in just a few seconds if the content has nothing to do with the promises made in bold. It is okay to use double entrendes or other plays on words with your headline. Just make sure that by the time your readership has made it through the first paragraph, they get the relationship.

Tip # 3 – Make the headline memorable. You want people to recommend the content to other people. If the headline is so bland that it really doesn’t stick with the reader, then you will lose a lot of attention. While you want simplicity and relevance, you do not want boring. Make the headline zippy and something people will want to repeat.

Headlines are often overlooked as being unimportant or just a formulaic construct of writing copy. Neither concept is true. Headlines are essentials and can play a huge role in grabbing attention. When coupled with compelling copy, a great headline can make all the difference between success and failure.

The Compelling Story Technique

Any successful copy is going to tell a story. Just how well that story is told makes all the difference in whether or not a prospect turns into a customer. Here are a few tips to help you tell your story in a way that will hold the attention of the prospect and keep it all the way through to the close of the sale.

First, set the stage for your story. The idea is to grab the interest of the reader by presenting a situation that he or she can relate to. Ideally, the situation will form the basis for your story by creating a conflict that must be resolved. The more your prospect can identify with the conflict, the better your chances of enticing him or her to keep reading.

Next, offer the ideal solution for taking care of the conflict. In a sense, this is your shining knight that comes over the horizon to save the day. This is your chance to work in all the good qualities that make your solution the perfect way to deal with the conflict and thus restore order to the kingdom, which is the life of your prospect. Use this element to start building confidence that the solution really will work.

Third, demonstrate how the solution does in fact resolve the conflict. You can use case studies, testimonials, or a number of other devices to back up the claims you previously made. Again, make sure this proof is reasonable and will appeal to your audience in a way that helps them to envision using the product or service themselves.

Last, go for the sale. Inspire in the prospect a burning desire to possess this product by recapping all the great things it will do, and also note how reasonable the cost will be. Imagine, heaven can be had for such a low price! Once you have established this sense of urgency to own in your prospects, they will quickly become loyal customers who will gladly share your good name far and wide.

Introducing Your Offer and Instilling the Power Benefits

In general, your sales copy has only a few seconds to grab the interest of a prospect and move them along to closing the sale. That means you have to provide a quality introduction to what you have to offer and follow it up with all the reasons why your product should be chosen above all others. Here are some simple ideas on how to introduce your offer and quickly instill a sense of urgency about those power benefits.

First, don’t spend a lot of time on fancy words. Write the copy just as if you were speaking to the consumer in person. This will help you to avoid using too many words, and especially to stay away from using too many technical terms that could turn off your prospect before you ever grab their initial interest. Essentially, you are letting the consumer know they have a problem and you have a solution.

Next, get into the meat of that solution. Point out the main benefits of the product in question. Relate those benefits to common situations that come along with the problem. Illustrate how those benefits quickly and easily remove obstacles and restore order to a chaotic set of circumstances. Driving home how problems get solved quickly and easily will help to sustain interest.

Third, toss in some added power benefits. These can be anything from pointing out the time saved can be used for more enjoyable tasks to noting how the product helps to cut down on related expenses. These value add talking points will help to demonstrate that the product is truly indispensible, and make it even more attractive.

Last, recap the benefits. You can use a summary format for this, perhaps even a bulleted list. This helps to reinforce the benefits in the mind of the reader and prepare him or her for the close of the sale.

Using this technique will make a huge difference in the way your prospect responds to your product, and how quickly you can move on to closing the sale.

Killing All Prospect Doubts – Leave No Chance to Excuse

Up to this point, you have done a great job. Your presentation of the problem was ideal. Your followup with the benefits and proof of how efficient and valuable your product was great. You even thought the close statement was right on the mark.

So why is the prospect still hesitating?

Consumers always have objections. It is a fact of life. It is also a fact that you overcame some of them in your copy already. What remains is to address the remainder of them and thus remove all obstacles to the final sale. Here’s what you need to do.

- Give bonuses – In other words, provide added value to the benefits already listed. These may be more specific, whereas the earlier content was broad.

- Give long period of money back guarantee – This will often hook in many consumers who are sitting on the fence. If you are willing to provide a six month money back guarantee where the competition offers thirty days only, you build a lot of confidence and credibility with the prospect.

- Give FAQ to answer common questions – This is your chance to get specific. You may even use questions that have come up in the past through discussions with established customers or general queries that came in to your website. Reading through the Frequently Asked Questions page can make a huge difference for your prospect.

- Offer trial for monthly memberships – this may be a short trial membership that is free for the first month, or one that is deeply discounted. This will depend a lot on your target niche markets, but keep in mind that people usually are suspicious of something that is given away for nothing. A discounted introductory rate might be just the ticket.

- Show testimonials from experts – People like to know that some type of expert thinks the product is a good choice. Your experts may be professionals who use the product, or even researchers who can point out some of the more attractive characteristics of the product.

- If it’s software, give a demo – A quick and partial test run can alleviate fears that the product may be too complicated for the prospect to figure out. Calm those fear with a test drive that shows just how user friendly the product really is.

Act Now – Not Later!

One of the goals you have for your sales copy is to compel the reader to make a decision now. All too often, copy builds an excellent case for considering the product, but does not follow through with that little added extra that pushes the prospect off the fence and into making a decision to buy. Here are a three basic ways to make sure your prospect does not get away, and becomes a devoted customer.

First, don’t assume that your prospect remembers all those great advantages you so painstakingly mentioned earlier in your copy. Instead, do a quick recap. The recap does not have to be an exhaustive replay of all those benefits. In fact, something as simple as a quick bulleted list will often do the trick. This simple device makes it possible for the reader to see the benefits one more time without having to scroll backward to review them.

Next, don’t forget those ancillary values that your product provides. It can be anything from easily installation and storage to working well in another common but less likely setting. The idea is to convey the fact that the product is versatile and there is a good chance it will take the place of more than one product the prospect is currently using. That usually sets very well with consumers who want to get the most for their money.

Last, offer something that must be taken advantage of right now, such as a limited time offer of a discount on first purchase, or free support for a month. Everybody likes to get something a little extra when buying a product.

How many times have you noticed toothpaste manufacturers enticing people to try a new brand with by including a free travel size tube along with the main product? You can do the same thing as part of your copy presentation.

Getting consumers to buy now rather than later is to your advantage. The sooner someone buys and actually uses the product, the sooner you can look forward to having one more satisfied customer who will provide good word of mouth. Try out these approaches and see how much good they do for you.

Final Tips and Tricks to Improve Your Copy

One thing to keep in mind is there is no such thing as a perfect sales copy. There is excellent sales copy that works perfectly today, but there are no guarantees that it will be just as effective a month from now, or even next week. The fact is that sales copy has a relatively short shelf life.

Of course, there are a few ways you can enhance the effectiveness of your copy and thus extend that life for a bit. Here are some ideas:

- Add video – Make your text come alive with video presentations that include slides, animation, and live action sequences. These can be positioned toward the end of the piece, or strategic points along the way.

- Add photos – If video seems like a bit much, then come up with photographs that will help to drive home key points in the flow of the text. These add a bit of visual spice. Best of all, you can change them out with relative ease, and give the appearance of your content a fresh look from time to time.

- Use new fonts. This is so simple that many people overlook it. You can give your text and the entire web page a fresh look simply by making some changes in the font styles and sizes from time to time. Just make sure your choices leave the text easy to read.

- Make use Google AdWords to best advantage. This means inserting logical keywords in order to drive traffic to the site. Also make use of the feature the website optimizer to do split testing for different headlines, different fonts, etc. and see how they play with a live audience.

- Rework a paragraph here or there. You do not have to completely rewrite the text in order to make it fresh. Changing some wording here and there gives you the chance to add fresh keywords, and also reorders the flow of the text to give it a new feel.

Basically, always be on the lookout for some way to make a good thing better. Consumer tastes and demands change from time to time. With the right touch, you can anticipate those trends and use your copy to stay one step ahead of your competition.

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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Here are some hazard signs and dangerous waters you shouldn’t be treading on in the affiliate marketing scene!

So listen up…

Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective and powerful ways of earning some money online. This program gives everybody a chance to make a profit through the Internet. Since these affiliate marketing programs are easy to join, implement and pays a commission on a regular basis, more an more people are now willing in this business.

However, like all businesses, there are lots of pitfalls in the affiliate marketing business. Committing some of the most common mistakes will cost the marketers a large portion taken from the profit they are making everyday. That is why it is better to avoid them than be regretful in the end.

Mistake number 1: Choosing the wrong affiliate.

Many people want to earn from affiliate marketing as fast as possible. In their rush to be part of one, they tend to choose a bandwagon product. This is the kind of products that the program thinks is “hot”. They choose the product that is in demand without actually considering if the product appeals to them. This is not a very wise move obviously.

Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, try top choose a product in which you are truly interested in. For any endeavor to succeed, you should take some time to plan and figure out your actions.

Pick a product that appeals to you. Then do some research about that product to see if they are in demand. Promoting a product you are more passionate about is easier than promoting one for the sake of the earnings only.

Mistake number 2: Joining too many affiliate programs.

Since affiliate programs are very easy to join, you might be tempted to join multiples of affiliate programs to try and maximize the earnings you will be getting. Besides you may think that there is nothing wrong and nothing to lose by being part of many affiliate programs.

True, that is a great way to have multiple sources of income. However, joining multiple programs and attempting to promote them all at the same time will prevent you from concentrating on each one of them.

The result? The maximum potential of your affiliate program is not realized and the income generated will not exactly be as huge as you were thinking initially it would. The best way to get excellent result is by joining just one program that pays a 40% commission at least. Then give it your best effort by promoting your products enthusiastically. As soon as you see that it is already making a reasonable profit, then maybe you can now join another affiliate program.

The technique is to do it slowly but surely. There is really no need to rush into things, especially with affiliate marketing. With the way things are going, the future is looking real bright and it seems affiliate marketing will be staying for a long time too.

Mistake number 3: Not buying the product or using the service.

As an affiliate, you main purpose is to effectively and convincingly promote a product or service and to find customers. For you to achieve this purpose, you must be able to relay to the customers that certain product and service. It is therefore difficult for you to do this when you yourself have not tried these things out. Thus, you will fail to promote and recommend them convincingly. You will also fail to create a desire in your customers to avail any of what you are offering.

Try the product or service personally first before you sign up as an affiliate to see if it is really delivering what it promises. If you have done so, then you are one of the credible and living testaments aware of its advantages and disadvantages. Your customers will then feel the sincerity and truthfulness in you and this will trigger them to try them out for themselves.

Many affiliate marketers make these mistakes and are paying dearly for their actions. To not fall into the same situation they have been in, try to do everything to avoid making the same mistakes.

Time is the key. Take the time to analyze your marketing strategy and check if you are in the right track. If done properly, you will be able to maximize your affiliate marketing program and earn higher profits.

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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The ideal world of affiliate marketing does not require having your won website, dealing with customers, refunds, product development and maintenance. This is one of the easiest ways of launching into an online business and earning more profits.

Assuming you are already into an affiliate program, what would be the next thing you would want to do? Double, or even triple, your commissions, right? How do you do that?

Here are some powerful tips on how to boost your affiliate program commissions overnight.

1. Know the best program and products to promote.

Obviously, you would want to promote a program that will enable you to achieve the greatest profits in the shortest possible time.

There are several factors to consider in selecting such a program. Choose the ones that have a generous commission structure. Have products that fit in with your target audience. And that has a solid track record of paying their affiliate easily and on time. If you cannot seem to increase your investments, dump that program and keep looking for better ones.

There are thousands of affiliate programs online which gives you the reason to be picky. You may want to select the best to avoid losing your advertising dollars.

Write free reports or short E-Books to distribute from your site. There is a great possibility that you are competing with other affiliates that are promoting the same program. If you start writing short report related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to distinguish yourself from the other affiliates.

In the reports, provide some valuable information for free. If possible, add some recommendations about the products. With E-Books, you get credibility. Customers will see that in you and they will be enticed to try out what you are offering.

2. Collect and save the email addresses of those who download your free E-Books.

It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first solicitation. You may want to send out your message more than six times to make a sale.

This is the simple reason why you should collect the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and E-Books. You can make follow-ups on these contacts to remind them to make a purchase from you.

Get the contact information of a prospect before sending them to the vendor’s website. Keep in mind that you are providing free advertisement for the product owners. You get paid only when you make a sale. If you send prospects directly to the vendors, chances are they would be lost to you forever.

But when you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to be able to earn an ongoing commission instead of a one-time sale only.

Publish an online newsletter or E-zine. It is always best to recommend a product to someone you know than to sell to a stranger. This is the purpose behind publishing your own newsletter. This also allows you to develop a relationship based on trust with your subscribers.

This strategy is a delicate balance between providing useful information with a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to build a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.

3. Ask for higher than normal commission from merchants.

If you are already successful with a particular promotion, you should try and approach the merchant and negotiate a percentage commission for your sales.

If the merchant is smart, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a valuable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a zero-risk investment to your merchant; so do not be shy about requesting for addition in your commissions. Just try to be reasonable about it.

Write strong pay Per Click ads. PPC search engine is the most effective means of advertising online. As an affiliate, you can make a small income just by managing PPC campaigns such as Google AdWords and Overture. Then you should try and monitor them to see which ads are more effective and which ones to dispose of.

Try out these strategies and see the difference it can make to your commission checks in the shortest of time.
To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

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There are many horror stories about affiliate programs and networks. People have heard them over and over again, that some are even wary of joining one. The stories they may have heard are those related to illegal programs or pyramid schemes. Basically, this kind of market does not have real, worthy product.

You do not want to be associated with these schemes. It is obvious you want to be with a program that offers high quality product that you will readily endorse. The growing number of those who have joined already and are succeeding immensely is proof enough that there are reliable and quality affiliate programs out there.

Why participate in an affiliate program?

It allows you to work part-time. It gives you the opportunity to build a generous residual income. And it makes you an owner of a small business. Affiliate programs have already created lots of millionaires. They are the living testimony of how hard work; continuous prospecting, motivating and training others pay off.

If ever you are deciding to join one, you must take note that you are getting into something that is patterned to what you are capable of. This will be an assurance that you are capable of doing anything to come out successful.

How do you choose a good affiliate program to promote? Here are some tips you may want to look over before choosing one:

1. A program that you like and have interest in.

One of the best ways of knowing if that is the kind of program you wish to promote is if you are interested in purchasing the product yourself. If that is the case, chances are, there are many others who are also interested in the same program and products.

2. Look for a program that is of high quality.

For instance, look for one that is associated with many experts in that particular industry. This way, you are assured that of the standard of the program you will be joining into.

3. Join in the ones that offer real and viable products.

How do you know this? Do some initial research. If possible, track down some of the members and customers to give you testimonial on the credibility of the program.

4. The program that is catering to a growing target market.

This will ensure you that there will be more and continuous demands for your referrals. Make inquiries. There are forums and discussions you can participate in to get good and reliable feedbacks.

5. A program with a compensation plan that pays out a residual income and a payout of 40% or more would be a great choice.

There are some programs offering this kind of compensation. Look closely for one. Do not waste your time with programs that do not reward substantially for your efforts.

6. Be aware of the minimum quotas that you must fulfill or sales target that is too hard to achieve.

Some affiliate programs imposes pre-requisites before you get your commissions. Just be sure that you are capable of attaining their requirements.

7. Select one that has plenty of tools and resources that can help you grow the business in the shortest possible time.

Not all affiliate programs have these capacities. Make use you decide on one with lots of helpful tools you can use.

8. Check out if the program has a proven system that can allow you to check your networks and compensation.

Also check if they have it available online for you to check anytime and anywhere.

9. The program that is offering strong incentives for members to renew their membership each time.

The affiliate program that provides continuous help and upgrades for its products have the tendency to retain its members. These things can assure the growth of your networks.

10. Be aware of the things that members are not happy about in a program.

Like with the ones mentioned above, you can do your checking at discussion forums. If you know someone in that same program, there is ho harm asking if there are many downsides involved.

Have a thorough and intensive knowledge about the affiliate program and network you will be promoting on.

Knowing the kind of program you are getting yourself into will make you anticipate and prevent any future problems you may encounter.

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

PS: I use this script.

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Ask questions first before you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of program that you intend to join into. Get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on.

1. Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining.
2. When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.
3. What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.
4. How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked and for how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.
5. What are the kinds of affiliate stats available? Your choice of affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. Constantly checking your individual stats is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links.
6. Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.
7. Who is the online retailer? Find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.
8. Is the affiliate a one tier or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program pays you for the business, plus it also pays you a commission on the on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your program. Some two-tier programs are even paying small fees on each new affiliate you sponsor. More like a recruitment fee.
9. Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? 20% – 80% (and some cases, 100%!) is the commission paid by most programs. .01% – .05% is the amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, the amount paid is not much at all. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is important.

These are just some of the questions that needed answering first before you enter into an affiliate program. You should be familiar with the many important aspects that your chosen program should have before incorporating them into your website. Try to ask your affiliate program choices these questions. These can help you select the right program for you site from among the many available.

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

PS: I use this script.

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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Now every affiliate marketer is always looking for the successful market that gives the biggest paycheck. Sometimes they think it is a magic formula that is readily available for them. Actually, it is more complicated than that. It is just good marketing practices that have been proven over years of hard work and dedication.

There are tactics that have worked before with online marketing and is continuing to work in the online affiliate marketing world of today. With these top three marketing tips, you will be able to able to increase your sales and survive in the affiliate marketing online.

What are these three tactics?

1. Using unique web pages to promote each separate product you are marketing.

Do not lump all of it together just to save some money on web hosting. It is best to have a site focusing on each and every product and nothing more.

Always include product reviews on the website so visitors will have an initial understanding on what the product can do to those who buys them. Also include testimonials from users who have already tried the product. Be sure that these customers are more than willing to allow you to use their names and photos on the site of the specific product you are marketing.

You can also write articles highlighting the uses of the product and include them on the website as an additional page. Make the pages attractive compelling and include calls to act on the information. Each headline should attract the readers to try and read more, even contact you. Highlight your special points. This will help your readers to learn what the page is about and will want to find out more.

2. Offer free reports to your readers.

If possible position them at the very top side of your page so it they simply cannot be missed. Try to create autoresponder messages that will be mailed to those who input their personal information into your sign up box. According to research, a sale is closed usually on the seventh contact with a prospect.

Only two things can possibly happen with the web page alone: closed sale or the prospect leaving the page and never return again. By placing useful information into their inboxes at certain specified period, you will remind them of the product they thought they want later and will find out that the sale is closed. Be sure that the content is directed toward specific reasons to buy the product. Do not make it sound like a sales pitch.

Focus on important points like how your product can make life and things easier and more enjoyable. Include compelling subject lines in the email. As much as possible, avoid using the word “free” because there are still older spam filters that dumps those kind of contents into the junk before even anyone reading them first. Convince those who signed up for your free reports that they will be missing something big if they do not avail of your products and services.

3. Get the kind of traffic that is targeted to your product.

Just think, if the person who visited your website has no interest whatsoever in what you are offering, they will be among those who move on and never come back. Write articles for publication in e-zines and e-reports. This way you can locate publications that is focusing on your target customers and what you have put up might just grab their interest.

Try to write a minimum of 2 articles per week, with at least 300-600 words in length. By continuously writing and maintaining these articles you can generate as many as 100 targeted readers to your site in a day.

Always remember that only 1 out of 100 people are likely to buy your product or get your services. If you can generate as much as 1,000 targeted hits for your website in a day, that means you can made 10 sales based on the average statistic.

The tactics given above does not really sound very difficult to do, if you think about it. It just requires a little time and an action plan on your part.

Try to use these tips for several affiliate marketing programs. You can end maintaining a good source of income and surviving in this business that not all marketers can do.

Besides, think of the huge paychecks you will be receiving!

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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“Discover The Step-By-Step, Super-Easy , Highly Profitable Secret System For Generating a Full-Time Income From Blogging…..In Just 6 Months!”

“Watch Over My Shoulder As I Reveal To You This Secret System, and In Just Minutes From Now You Can Be Well On Your Way To Creating Your Own Money-Making Blogs That Produce Cash On Autopilot!”

And even if you are an absolute beginner, you can succeed with this incredibly profitable blogging formula.

Take it from me, someone with no prior experience, list, product, or website of my own.

I remember how long and how hard I struggled, trying my best to just make my first dollar online, and each time I found myself right back at square one with nothing to show for my efforts.

But I soon realized that every single piece of the puzzle was there in front of me the whole time. I just needed to apply what worked and forget about trying all of the latest and greatest secrets that came into my inbox on a daily basis.

I needed to just follow the system that so many others have followed before…I needed to stick to what has worked for others to make them successful.

I began applying the strategies and techniques and the results were almost immediate.

My blog finally started to take shape, traffic started showing up to my blog, and then finally there it was - that first sale!

As weeks went by I started tweaking and adjusting my strategies based on what was working and what was not.
I had quickly compiled a formula that could be used time and time again, over and over, for blogs in any niche, and I was making a killing!

I usually charge $97 for this course, but for a limited time only – I am giving away free access.

Read all about the offer by clicking on the link below:

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There are 4 reasons you should never use a Free Link Cloaking service like bit.ly or budurl.

1. Most Don’t Allow You To Edit Your Links:

Say you invested heavily into promoting a certain affiliate URL all over the Internet. You’ve put it on several sites and you’re ready to make money. Problem – the program you’re promoting shuts downs, changes to a new affiliate structure or somehow causes you to manually have to go and adjust every single link you have on the web.

Well most free URL shorteners do not allow you to go back and edit your links! However, with Easy Redirect Script you could simply log into your admin panel and change one single field, and it would automatically make the changes for you… Saving you hours of time and making you money, easier!

2. Mosy Of Those URL’s Are Impossible To Remember

If I give you this URL- http://bit.ly/f4YLfv – would it be easy for you to remember it? However if I give you this url – http://jasonloves.com/easy – I’ll bet you’d remember that, wouldn’t you? You could recommend it word of mouth and you could find it and access it easily.

3. Scream Promotions All Day Long!

If a marketer sends you to a bit.ly or budurl link, you know it’s an affiliate link don’t you? Plus a lot of Internet service providers either block or send warnings when people try to access URLs from some of these URL shortening services… Thus it will cost you traffic.

4. You Can’t Control The Type Of Redirect!

With free you get pretty much one option – a simple redirect.

You don’t get the Stealth Redirects, the Promo Redirects, or all the other Robust Features that Easy Redirect Script has.

This is why need to use an affiliate cloaking/redirect script that protects you from all these things and more.

And here is perhaps the best one on the market. Go to the site now and see all the cool features it can do… including “hot linking”, ”promo redirects” and more…

Check it out:

http://www.glennlikes.com/affiliateredirect

I know the site is corporate looking and there is no long form sales letter or anything, but everything is laid out real nice.

To Your Success!
Glenn Pearson

PS: I use this script.

What’s On Your Mind?

I would LOVE To Hear from You In The Comments area below. Do you have a question? Comment? Where Are You In Your Online Strategies? Do You Have A Juicy traffic strategy you would like to share? Drop Me some Love Below.

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