RosalindGardner.com

Learn Blogging & Affiliate Marketing with Rosalind Gardner

Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is a revenue-sharing arrangement between online merchants and distributors (affiliates) in which the affiliate earns a commission.

 

 

How and Why PPC Search Affiliates are Changing Direction

By

I cheered inwardly during our “Super Affiliate PPC Marketing Strategies” session at Affiliate Summit, when Amit Mehta stated that he would eventually focus primarily on creating content or ‘authority sites', adding that is what all PPC search affiliates should consider doing.

The other day I cheered aloud after reading Jeremy Palmer's latest newsletter in which he states, “Over the past few years my focus has shifted from building dozens of mini-sites to developing a handful of authority sites.”

So, why was I cheering?

I cheered because although Amit and Jeremy (both students of the Super Affiliate Handbook) are best known for earning millions as search affiliates, they've both publicly recognized the value in the affiliate marketing model I've used and taught for years – the content model.

Jeremy explains the difference perfectly when he says “I still have several mini-sites in my portfolio. I think they're good for testing new niches and generating short-term profits.”

The primary point he made is that PPC is a short-term affiliate marketing strategy.

As a PPC search affiliate you build landing page after landing page and continually have to throw PPC traffic at them because they never attain significant search engine rankings. Because of competition, each landing page (product promotion) is subject to the law of diminishing returns. Not only does the work never end, but creating landing page campaigns for products you really don't care about is pretty boring work.

On the other hand, as an affiliate publisher you invest most of your time and energy upfront building out content on a topic you know and love. Pay-per-click advertising (PPC) can be used to market the site initially, but you can lower your PPC spend over time as the site grows in search engine favor (traffic) and likewise, earnings.

By offering a number of related products on a single site, the site doesn't die because one product is no longer offered or the market is saturated with competitors. Best of all, once your content site has attracted a significant following and your mailing list is a good size, you might only have to post to your blog once or twice a week – or, in other words, your workload decreases.

Fundamental points there – similar earnings with less work and sustainability over time. 🙂

To learn more about the benefits of being a content publisher or the authority site model of affiliate marketing, read Choose Your Affiliate Business Model Wisely.

Did you find this post informative and useful? If so, please share it with others! If you have a comment, question, or suggestion, please leave a comment below!

Cheers,
sig-ros

9 Alternatives to Credit Card Affiliate Programs

By

CalculatorBanks and credit card companies started shutting down (or temporarily suspending) their credit card affiliate programs in mid-November 2008 in response to the severe shortage of capital available and to reduce the risk posed by online customer acquisition channels that have historically produced less-than-liquid leads.

Credit card affiliate programs that have been suspended to date include:

  • American Express Consumer Cards
  • Capital One Travel & Gas
  • Chase
  • Citibank
  • Household Bank
  • HSBC
  • Orchard Bank

With reductions in consumer lending forecast to escalate to the tune of 2 trillion dollars, affiliate marketers who promoted those credit cards will have to work harder to make up for those lost big buck commissions, as more program suspensions are anticipated.

If you've been affected by credit card program closures, it's time to broaden your scope within the finance niche and entice visitors back to your site with helpful tips and tools that will help them improve their financial standing and weather the economic storm.

Here is a list of alternative products and services that should prove particularly lucrative to credit and finance affiliates.

  1. Credit Score Reports

    A person's credit score determines whether or not they can borrow money or buy products and services. It also affects the interest rates for which they qualify. Most people however do not know their credit score and in many cases the report contains inaccurate data that unfairly drops their credit score. Help your visitors learn their credit score by sending them to companies such as Equifax, which provides line-by-line comparisons of credit histories with all 3 credit reporting agencies – Equifax, TransUnion and Experian.

    Equifax Score Watch takes credit score reporting to the next level with continuous score monitoring and notification when a change in FICO® score impacts the interest rate consumers are likely to receive.

  2. Credit Monitoring

    Considering how ‘twitchy' the banks are now with lending and raising credit card interest rates at the drop of a hat, it behooves consumers to stay on top of their credit scores, especially if their credit rating is good. Point them to a comprehensive credit file monitoring system that provides automated alerts of key changes to Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion credit reports. Wireless alerts are available and alerts are customizable.

  3. Credit Repair

    Improving a credit score helps consumers save money by allowing them refinance their debt and qualify for credit cards at lower rates. You can help your visitors dispute and change the information (misinformation) listed on their credit reports by pointing them to reputable companies that offer credit repair services. One such company is Lexington Law. Payouts start at $45 per completed application and trackable 800 numbers ensure that affiliates are properly credited with all refered sales.

  4. Debt Consolidation and Personal Loans

    Debt consolidation is a strategy used by consumers to reduce both the number and amount of their monthly bill payments, by making payments to one lender. LowerMyBills.com is one provider that assists consumers with debt consolidation.

  5. Mortage Rate Comparisons and Refinancing

    The federal housing bill that went into effect on October 1st, 2008 injected $300 billion to give some relief to homeowners to insure refinance mortgages, specifically for those who are struggling with their current mortgage terms.

    A mortgage is typically a person's biggest lifetime expense, so lopping off even a fraction of a percentage point on a mortgage loan represents savings of tens of thousands of dollars over the lifetime of the term.

    Mortgage rate comparisons are fast and free at LowerMyBills.com and their commissions start at:

    • $6 per Home Refinance Application
    • $6 per Debt Consolidation Application
    • $3 per Home Equity Application
    • $2 per Home Purchase Application
    • $10 per Debt Management Application

    Note: As mortgage loans and home equity loan affiliate programs too are being terminated in increasing numbers, you might consider posting a link to a Mortgage Calculator to direct mortgage loans consumers to the merchant where they might find other offerings of interest.

  6. Personal Finance Education

    Considering that the current economic crisis is due in large part to personal finance ignorance and mismanagement on the part of consumers (who apparently thought that living beyond their means was an acceptable and never-ending option), it's time to educate the consuming masses to become responsible financial planners and managers.

    An Amazon search for ‘personal finance‘ returns 34,778 Results, but under Related Searches you'll see a name you will instantly recognize if you pay attention to money talk in the media – Suze Orman.

    Her advice is sound, practical and cheap. Her book, “Suze Orman's Action Plan” sells for only $9.99 on Amazon. Granted, you won't make a killing on commissions at that price, but with her solid branding on CNN and Oprah, chances are that you'll sell a LOT of them with a strong recommendation.

  7. Tax Services

    Help your visitors pay less taxes and get back every penny they deserve from the tax man with QuickTax which offers their “Maximum Refund Guarantee”.

    • 15% of Sale on paid desktop products (download/CD) and paid online editions.
    • Average order value report at $40 on Desktop Products and $15 for Online Editions

    FileLater.com, an authorized IRS e-file provider offers easy, online IRS income tax extensions for those who need more time to finish their income taxes. Users can get up to 6 more months to finish their taxes. FileLater pays 20% commission on a sale and reports a 14%+ conversion rate with an average sale price of about $25.00.

  8. Identity Theft Protection

    As money gets tighter, identity theft will likely increase. Identity (or ID) theft occurs when a thief obtains Social Security, driver's license or credit card numbers and uses them for personal gain. Numbers are obtained by dumpster diving, stolen mail, computer viruses, phishing and other scams and are used to perpetrate check, credit card and other types of fraud.

    LifeLock provides a proactive identity theft service, specializing in the prevention of identity theft rather than the reporting of it. Founded in 2005, Lifelock is the industry leader in identity theft protection. Program pays $37 on monthly service sales and the same on annual plans.

  9. Bankruptcy Filing Kits

    The American Bankruptcy Institute recently reported that consumer bankruptcies in the U.S. rose by nearly 33 percent in 2008 with 1.1 million new filings in 2008 compared with 801,840 in 2007. Credit Axis (note: merchant has been deactivated on CJ) offers a do-it-yourself bankruptcy filing kit as part of its $35.95 U.S. one-time membership fee that also includes a:

    • Bad Credit Lender List;
    • Credit Repair Kit;
    • Government Grant Resource and Application Guidance;
    • When and Where Government and Police Autions Resource.

    The Credit Axis program pays $15.00 on a sale.

In summary, don't give up and shut down your credit card blog when NCSReporting or CardOffers.com keep nagging you to stop advertising those now defunct programs on your site. Update your offers and present your audience with financial products that are relevant to their needs in today's economy.

Did you find this post informative and useful? If so, please share it with others! If you have a comment, question or suggestion, please leave a comment below!

Cheers,
sig-ros

Comments on Issue 4 of FeedFront Magazine

By

I downloaded issue 4 of FeedFront Magazine (the official magazine of Affiliate Summit) today and was delighted to see that the cover feature is “The Women of Affiliate Marketing” – a collection of 56 brief bios listing years of experience, a tip to new affiliates and some comment on where they see the industry one year from today.

Shawn Collins introduced the piece as follows…

“Back in the late nineties, it was not unusual to attend an affiliate marketing event (or any
online marketing event for that matter) and see very few women in the room“.

No kidding. Then again, a few of us old-timers really enjoyed being the only female in the room. 🙂

Shawn went on to say…

“Fast-forward ten years later and you'll find that the opposite is true. Affiliate marketing is overflowing with women who are leaders in their fields or bright, up-and-coming innovators“.

Melissa Salas' of Buy.com shared a great tip for new affiliates. She said, “Affiliates need to evaluate programs holistically, in terms of brand recognition, conversion, reliability, convenience, security, and guaranteed customer satisfaction.“

Lisa Riolo's honest and sage advice – “Don't give up too soon. The learning curve is deceptively steep. Consistent, predictable success takes time. If you understand this, you'll have realistic expectations and sufficient patience to get to the fun part.“

I really liked Deborah Carney's take on the future … “I see affiliate marketing evolving away from mega mall sites into more review sites and interactive sites. More retail and less lead generation as the economy changes the way people shop plus the regulatory agencies jumping in and restricting tactics that people are finding intrusive or misleading.“

I agree wholeheartedly.

How could I not? It's a model that worked exceptionally well when I started in this business, works even better now and is what I've been preaching since I started teaching.

By the way, of the 56 women profiled, only 2 of us claimed 11 years experience – Linda Woods and I – and as of January 1st, I'm in my 12th year as an affiliate marketer.

Moreover, I'm still going strong… with review sites. 🙂

FeedFront

How to Make Money from New Year’s Resolutions

By

The New Year is looming large and it's time to think about how best to profit from all the New Years resolutions that will be made — and eventually mostly broken so you can profit from them again next year. 🙂

Here are the top 10 resolutions along with corresponding affiliate programs and Clickbank best-sellers that you can promote.

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends

Polls indicate that more than 50% of those surveyed make a promise to spend more time with family and friends in the coming year. Help people do that with programs like:

2. Get Fit

Nothing does as much good for a body as a regular fitness program. Exercise extends life expectancy, lowers blood pressure, improves your mood and even reduces the risk of some cancers. Too, one of the fastest-growing trends in the fitness industry is involving children in exercise. Great online fitness programs and ebooks include:

3. Lose Weight

More than two thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese, so it's not surprising that one of the most popular New Year's resolutions is to lose weight. Programs to help folks shed those extra pounds include:

  • Fat Loss 4 Idiots ($30.37/sale – Clickbank)
  • eDiets (up to $50/sale – CJ)
  • Drugstore.com (10.00% commission – Linkshare)

4. Quit Smoking

The average smoker trys and fails 4 times before they quite for good. Help them kick the smoking habit for good this year with:

5. Enjoy Life More

Considering the pressures of a bad economy, job uncertainty and all the other stressors facing the average person today, it's no wonder that “enjoying life more” has become a popular resolution in recent years. Help them do just that by introducing them to a new hobby or leisure time pursuit, i.e. scrapbooking or photography; or engaging in current pursuits like travelling more and listening to music. Even better is when you can help them find a great deal!

  • Hotwire.com (2% commissions – Linkshare)
  • 500 Scrapbooking Sketches ($/sale: $12.79)
  • iTunes (5% commission – Linkshare)

6. Quit Drinking or Drink Less

Alchoholism is rampant in our stressed-out societies. If you want to help prevent some of the incredible damage that alchoholism wreaks on individuals and their families, share your knowledge and support with others to help them overcome this devastating condition… or just convince them to drink less while opting for BETTER quality.

  • HypnoBusters (50% commissions – Ejunkie)
  • My Way Out (15% commissions – Independent)
  • Wine.com (5 – 20% commissions – Linkshare)

7. Get Out of Debt

With the economy falling apart at the seams, people losing their jobs everyday by the tens of thousands, more and more folks are realizing the need to free themselves from the burden of debt. You can help them with programs such as:

  • Leo Quinn's “How to Own Your Paycheck Again” (up to 50% commissions – Independent)
  • Ultimate Debt Relief Guide ($22.60 per sale – Clickbank)

8. Education – Self-Improvement

Once again, a weakened economy is forcing many to look farther afield to improve their educational standings, and as in any typical year there are others who just seek self-improvement.

9. Volunteerism & Charities

In good economic times, many people commit to helping others. In tough times when many are out of work, volunteering is a good route to finding gainful employment.

10. Get Organized

This is one of those resolutions that I have every year… check out this blog post and you'll see why. 🙂 Help people like me reduce the clutter and get organized with

As always, you can search for programs and information related to these and other topics on the major affiliate networks, such as Clickbank, Commission Junction, Linkshare and Google.

Chase Pauses Affiliate Program Due to Market Conditions

By

Here's a message that I received from CommissionSoup yesterday regarding the Chase affiliate program:

Due to current market conditions, Chase will be pausing the affiliate program indefinitely.

Unfortunately at this time, we have to request that you remove all Chase links and creative no later than Monday, November 24th. Please note that no additional commissions will be paid beyond December 1st, 2008.

Chase is hoping that future credit strategies will enable them to re-enter the channel more fully in 2009.

Thank you for your partnership, support and understanding.

Now there's a reminder that affiliates who are solidly entrenched in the credit card sector of the financial niche need to stay abreast of market conditions and perhaps broaden their scope to include other financial products, i.e. insurance or credit reports & repair.


.

Categories