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An Affiliate Marketing Glossary

Written By Guru Cool on Friday, June 3, 2011 | 4:12 PM

Affiliate Marketing is a concept with it's own terms. To get started, you'll have to know what the middlemen and affiliate program pitches mean when they use them, otherwise it will strike you as a bunch of gibberish. For those of you with some experience already in this matter, these terms are for the beginners.

Ad Copy: A written sales pitch, also known simply as 'copy'. Most follow the AIDA form (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action) and examples can be seen on any site that's selling something.

Affiliate Link: This is how the company knows who to pay. These are the hypertext links given to you by the affiliate program that differentiates you from generic traffic at large. Unless you send someone through an affiliate link, you don't get paid.

Affiliate Program: An agreement with a given company that has this sort of program to advertise and promote their products in exchange for payment, usually as a commission per sale. You do this at your own expense, although the programs themselves are free to join. I have heard of those that require payment to join, but I strongly recommend against them, as there are plenty of good programs you can join for free.

Commission: This is how you get paid by all affiliate marketing programs. It's not a salary or a fee, and taxes are not deducted and thus your problem to track. Commissions are usually expressed in percent, although some are given in dollars per sale.

Conversion: The percentage of people you send to an affiliate site that buy. 1% is the industry average. Getting conversions is the name of the game in affiliate marketing.

Creative: The collective reference given by some programs to the sum total of all their advertising stuff, like ad gif's, testimonials, product photos, and copy text.

Pay Per Click: You get paid anytime someone clicks on a link from your site. The biggest example of a program that does this is Google AdSense, which gives you Pay Per Click ads to put your site and pays you every time someone clicks on it. Miva ARX and Yahoo! also have ad programs that work this way.

Pay Per Lead: This one is not common but very handy. When you send someone to a site and they sign up for a free trial, e-mail list or sales call, it's called a lead. Some companies pay you to give them leads, which is good for you, because you are getting paid to give a potential customer something for free.

Pay Per Sale: The most common ways to get paid in affiliate programs. When you send someone to a site and they buy a product, eBook, download, or membership, you get paid a percentage of the gross on it.

Super Affiliate: An affiliate marketer in the top 5% of all affilate marketers. These are the ones that make 80% of all the commissions in affiliate marketing and the aspiration of all affiliate marketers looking to get rich doing this.

Two-Tier Program: An affiliate program that pays you for your sales and those of anyone you recruit. For all intents and purposes, if you recruit and train your second tier, they will make you money.

Some programs are also multi-tier, which means you get paid on downline several tiers beneath you or more.

These will get you started with your affiliate marketing understanding.
4:12 PM | 0 comments

Merchandising Organisation Manufacturer - The Thing Of Your Merchandising Machine

Written By Guru Cool on Thursday, June 2, 2011 | 4:05 PM

A selling tool concern is the circle that makes a specialised identify of peddling organization. You give not proceed crossways manufacturers of several incompatible types of peddling machines, much as gumball machines and deglutition machines. This is why when you poverty to get started in the vendition tool mercantilism, it is first to play through a vendition tool supplier. The distributor purchases the machines you impoverishment from each vendition organisation maker to render you a action of machines for your route.

Most grouping move out in the selling machine acting signal out with one or two gumball machines. This gives them an intent of whether or not they can overcome in this identify of business and the kindhearted of money that they can hit if they adjudicate to change. You faculty requirement to regain a esteemed vending machine maker that makes coin-operated gumball machines. A gumball tool producer ordinarily has individual incompatible designs of machines for you to choose from.

Doing an online see is the easiest way to exploit a hawking organization maker with the write of machines that you deprivation for your sector. Usually a gumball tool manufacturer also has hawking machines for marketing all kinds of candy, runty toys in bubbles and desiccated fruits and nuts. You can determine a gumball machine that dispenses one bubblegum, one candy or a containerful of candies. You can also get these machines from which you can sell packages of candy


The gumball machine shaper you prefer can planned the merchandising organisation to some cost you deprivation to trust for your quantity. When you get the organisation from a selling organisation concern, you also get a warranty for a specified point of example so that if anything goes wrong, the repairs won't toll you any money. Along with the get of a vendition tool, the manufacturer give render you with an code recitation so that you bed exactly how to refill the gumball organisation and how to straighten any minor repairs on your own. The warranty is something that you do bed to rattling care at when you are investment in peddling machines.

Tho' it is physiologist for you to manage with a supplier, you poorness to do your schoolwork virtually the hawking organization manufacturer to work certain that this society does gain great machines. The supplier instrument also improve you set the marketing machines so you are not manus completely out in the icy when you are trying to get your peddling organisation commercialism off the fasten. A serious locomote in having a fortunate sector.
4:05 PM | 0 comments

Affiliate Marketing: A Cost-Effective Way to Advertise your Business

Written By Guru Cool on Sunday, May 1, 2011 | 4:03 PM

An affiliate program is a form of internet advertising that rewards marketers for driving traffic to a company's website and producing sales. The company gives its affiliates a personalised tracking link that the marketer can use in their promotions. This link enables the company to track where traffic and sales are coming from and pay their affiliates accordingly. Simply put, affiliate programs are about paying commissions to people who help you to make sales. This is not quite as easy as it sounds.
Running an affiliate program has its ups and downs. It is very important to be armed with up to date information and technical know how if you are going to run such a program successfully and with the minimum stress. In this article we will look at the benefits of affiliate marketing as a tool for increasing your businesses profitability..
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Here are some of the reasons why you should consider affiliate marketing as an effective way of advertising your business and products.

1. Low cost

Running an affiliate program is very cost effective as you only pay your affiliates for the results that they produce. The affiliate bears most of the cost of promoting your product, you provide them with the necessary tools, such as banners and other promotional material. Of course, this arrangement is mutually beneficial, you get low cost advertising; your affiliates get the opportunity to make money from a product that they haven't had to spend time and money developing

2. Affiliate programs produce unlimited income through leverage

When you have a paid job, your monthly income mainly relies on whether you go to work or not. With affiliate marketing, your affiliates do all of the work in getting traffic to your site. Once you have provided them with your ad copy and links you don't to lift a finger, especially if your product is a digital one. Although not everyone earns limitless amounts of money, running an affiliate marketing program greatly increases your chances.

4. Go worldwide

With affiliate marketing, you are dealing with a global market place. All you have to do is choose a niche product and prepare all the necessary tools for your affiliates to lead traffic from just about anywhere to your website.

5. Low risk

The main reason that so many internet companies rely on affiliate marketing is that the risks are relatively low. This is especially true for those with little money available to set aside for advertising. Affiliate marketing is just the way to do it.

6. No closing time

With affiliate marketing, your business works every single second of the day while targeting a worldwide market! What could be better than that?
4:03 PM | 0 comments

How To Gain Link Popularity (Quick Report)

Written By Guru Cool on Friday, March 18, 2011 | 3:02 AM


in Marketing


In this quick report I will tell you how you can gain link popularity for your website and at the same time your website will be receiving targeted visitors. Increasing your link popularity will increase visitors and you will sale more. For better result promote only one URL and not the entire website. Make sure you have search engine friendly meta tag and URL.
Follow the steps below.

Step 1. Search Engine and Directory Submission
Submit your website to search engines and directories. For best result, it is recommended that you manually submit your website to search engines and directory to the right category. Most search engines and directories offer free submission.

Step 2. Articles Distribution
Create or buy articles with the keyword that you want to advertise. Example, if you have a payday loans website then you should write some articles about it or find someone who can write them for you. I do recommend that you submit about 50 articles related to the keyword that you are advertising. If you do not want to write the articles than go to http://www.getafreelancer.com or http://www.getacoder.com and post a project asking for articles about the keyword that you are advertising. You must mention that the articles that you are buying are for redistribution. After you get the articles, that you will distribute, at the bottom of every articles you should ad the link of the website that your are promoting. See example below on the bottom of this article.

After all your articles are ready to distribute then go to iSnare.com. They will submit your articles to a network of 1500 niche content sites. There you must buy credit to distribute your articles. 1 = $2 You only need one credit per article. Also many websites are looking for articles to add to their own website, so you will getting a link back every time your article is posted to another website.

Step 3. One Way Link Exchange
In this step you will buy a membership at the IndexGuy.com link exchange. Link exchange is not a good practice, but you can buy this account because is like paying to directory to get your website added in certain category. Click http://www.isnare.com/distribution.php link to go to IndexGuy.com and shop for a membership. I personally recommend the Bronze Membership for $6.95 a month and you will get 3110 inbound links (This number is daily increasing).

That's it. Now you can wait to get listed at search engines and directories. Some search engine might take up to two months in order to list your website. But your popularity will build up with time. Just be patient.
3:02 AM | 0 comments

Poker Affiliates: Choose The Right Online Poker Room Programs To Promote

Written By Guru Cool on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 | 2:55 AM

Potential affiliates in the market of online poker can even afford the luxury of being picky about who they choose to represent. Almost every site offers people the chance to become an affiliate of theirs, simply because the ultimate rewards of this cheap but effective form of advertising can be so great. As a result of this not only have the online bonuses for new customers increased, so have the fringe benefits for sites who bring them to the poker room. As with all Internet businesses the market of online poker is highly competitive, as such it is the duty of websites and their owners to make sure they are being represented by the best deal and in turn not misrepresenting their visitors.

Depending on the overall goal of your website, you may choose to incorporate a lot of advertisements or just a select few. For websites looking to maximise their profits whilst not really offering much in the way of useful information, adverts probably provide the primary content. Therefore they may wish to include dozens of adverts from a number of sites, in order to boost the chances of successfully drawing in customers. But in order to truly maximise profits these sites may tend to favour more profitable offers and popular sites. Big sites, with more kudos may be more recognisable to even the most inexperienced of online gamers. Whilst sites who offer huge incentives to affiliates can also get extra brownie points, by offering a higher percentage of players profits.




Smaller sites may wish to limit adverts and affiliated sites because they are not solely dedicated to the opportunities and gains of affiliate programs. If you have a serious site, by which I mean one that was created without making money through affiliates in mind, the idea of clogging up precious space with advertisements may not be quite so tempting. Flashing adverts often detract from the site as a whole, so if you are trying to portray a message or give information advertising is not always the best thing. As an accompaniment or background item it can be a non-intrusive potential money-maker.

There are good deals to be had, which will guarantee more money or a higher lifetime percentage. Shop around the various sites and evaluate the offers, there are hundreds to pick from so why jump in hastily and choose the first one you see? Of course the differences are pretty negligible if you cannot attract anyone to your site. But if you get the marketing and affiliates right, then it is best to do the footwork before hand and not regret it afterwards. Remember that as an affiliate is your job to make money for yourself and the site, so why sell yourself short?
2:55 AM | 0 comments

Contemporary Fine Art: The Eye of the Beholder

Written By Guru Cool on Monday, March 7, 2011 | 2:48 AM

When it comes to contemporary fine art, everyone's taste is individual. For me, the bottom line is that art enhances the quality of my life, and I want to incorporate art into my surroundings in a way that makes me feel good. While one's artistic leanings can range from hand painted silks or hand painted children's furniture to original watercolors or Giclee reproductions, the desire to incorporate art into our lives dates back to our ancient ancestors.

Over the years, I've learned that incorporating art into my home is less a matter of what's considered "in" by the art world, and more a matter of what evokes the moods and feelings I want to experience. When I contemplated redecorating my living room, for example, I decided that I needed to open up the space in order to feel lightness - as though the weight of the world was off of my shoulders when I walked into my home. For that reason, I chose to paint the room a bright buttery yellow and use window treatments that reminded me of the sails on a sailboat. Naturally, I sought out original watercolors to contribute to the feeling of openness and freedom in the room. The result? A room that still makes me smile every time I walk in it, and contemporary fine art that allows me to lose myself in the images.

I wanted my bedroom, on the other hand, to be an intimate place of respite. I wanted it to be feminine yet functional, and so chose to incorporate hand painted silks into the decor. The delicate silk scarves that adorn the dressing tables are a gorgeous contrast to the finely crafted baskets that I display and use as small storage spaces.




My home office is all about function, and so I chose to display a collection of black and white photographs in that space. The photographs add depth and feeling to the room, while being subdued enough so as not to be distracting.

When I walk into my daughter's bedroom, my eye is immediately drawn to the children's hand-painted furniture that occupies the room. Yes, it was an investment, but I know that the quality craftsmanship and exquisite painting will be in our family for generations to come. My daughter already appreciates the one-of-a-kind furniture that she has, and has told me that she feels good when she's in her room.

And, after all, isn't art meant to evoke an emotional response in us? Whether it's the awe of witnessing the depth and complexity of a work from an Old Master or a feeling of relaxation when experiencing original watercolors that depict fresh flowers, art serves to enrich our lives and bring us joy. It's not a matter of following the trends of the art world; rather, it all comes down to how you feel when you bring contemporary fine art - or any other type of art - into the space you call home.
2:48 AM | 0 comments

Find a Job Now!

Written By Guru Cool on Sunday, February 20, 2011 | 5:09 AM

Are you in desperate search of a new job? Don't worry; I've certainly been there myself. It can be difficult finding the right job to suit your interests and pay the bills.

I mean, we all want a career that allows us to kick back with our 1000 dollar shoes up on the desk and gaze happily out at a million dollar view each day. Oh, and from the hundredth floor of some billion dollar business. Did I leave anything out? Okay, well unfortunately most of us don't find that exact job, but we do have the ability to find a career that makes us happy. Have you researched any jobs online lately? You can definitely stumble across a job opportunity if you do some browsing. Cyberspace is practically overflowing with them.

What kind of job opportunity are you looking for? I asked my 17 year old daughter this the other days since she's about to graduate. She gave me a serious look and informed me that she would like to be the head of some large, billion dollar corporation. I was speechless. Then she said, "How can I do that right now?" I couldn't help but laugh. I honestly don't know what kids are thinking these days. I looked her square in the eye and said, you can't. First you have to go to college, get a bachelor's degree, then hopefully a master's. Following your diploma will come an entry position at some company, and you will continue to work your way up. She frowned and thought I was nuts. Well, in the real world no one enters a company after high school and becomes a CEO or president. As much as that would be ideal, it just doesn't work that way.

If a job opportunity is what you're searching for, then the perfect place to start is online. So you've got your bachelor's degree and you're seriously looking for that perfect job opportunity that suits your skills. It's time to pop open Monster.com or Careerbuilder.com. These are easy to navigate websites that will help you discover that perfect job opportunity. You can browse positions in your immediate area or nationwide. Punch in the field you prefer and do a quick search. If this doesn't give you the desired results, you can also punch in your degree for more feedback. That job opportunity you're looking for is out there if you browse in the right place. You can even send your resume to a potential employer via the World-Wide-Web.
5:09 AM | 0 comments

"Powering Off" or "Power On?"

Written By Guru Cool on Saturday, February 19, 2011 | 4:53 AM

Do you take your laptop on vacation? Do you sometimes "hate" your cell phone or your Blackberry? Harris Interactive recently reported that one-third of vacationers take their laptops on vacation. During a Sunday meal at a restaurant recently, I observed a man sitting with his family talking on his cell phone -- obviously about business. He was not happy – neither was his family!

To paraphrase Charles Dickens, "It is the best of times. It is the worst of times." Certainly that applies when it comes to "connectivity." Stories of 9-11 victims being able to communicate with family members in the last minutes of their lives warmed my heart, while the story my friend told of her mother answering her cell phone in the delivery room during the birth of her grandchild chilled my soul.

How grateful I was for my cell phone when I came across a young woman stalled on an interstate without one, and I could immediately get help. How convenient it is on vacation to use the Internet to explore the options for entertainment in the area on a rainy afternoon, and get directions to find it easily. How comforting to know that my family can reach me in case of an emergency – or something to celebrate! -- regardless of where I am in the world. The same can be said for my colleagues.

So here's the question: Should you take your laptop on vacation? Should your cell phone be on 24/7? Clients often ask, "What should I do?" My answer: "That's the wrong question. The question is "What will you do?" Maybe an even better question would be "What would you like to do?" Perhaps the best question of all is "What action will bring you the best results?" In order to answer that question, you have to take the time to answer "What ARE your best results?"

Repeatedly I have emphasized that one definition of "organization" is "controlling the things you can control, so you can cope with the things you can't." In the complex world in which we live, especially with the level of connectivity available, it's easy to fall into the trap of feeling that we are victims of other people. I cringe when someone complains about having to answer their cell phone. Says who? If you don't want to be reached, you can "power off." If you have to be reachable because your job requires it, then the question may be "Am I in the right job?" Or, have you simply trained people that you are "always available." Customer service is great, but it doesn't require 24/7 response. It requires good communication. It's highly frustrating to leave a message and get no response for days, but few situations would suffer if the response came one hour later so you could have lunch with a colleague without interruption.

Connectivity can be addictive. My daughter, who has her PhD in counseling, reminded me that an addiction is something that reduces the quality of your life and the people around you.

So what does all this have to do with productivity? My passion is helping individuals and organizations create and sustain a productive environment so everyone can accomplish their work and enjoy their lives. When used appropriately, connectivity does help you accomplish your work and enable you to play. It can also undermine your priorities at work, destroy your health, and poison your relationships when used inappropriately.

The issue is not whether you take your laptop on vacation or leave your cell phone on 24/7. For some people, the ability to check e-mail once a day on vacation brings peace of mind and can be done when others are sleeping or swimming. For others, the whole idea of a vacation is not taking your laptop. There is no "right" or "wrong." The question is whether your choice is enhancing or diminishing your life and the lives of the people around you.

So "Power Off" or "Power On?" – it's truly up to you!

P.S. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Your ability to make any connection more valuable is being able to find the information you need when you need it. Are you wasting valuable time looking for what you need? Could you find what other people in your office have if you needed it? If not, fill out our Productive Environment Scorecard, (www.ProductiveEnvironment.com) and we'll give you a free 30-minute phone consultation to identify specific steps you can take to make sure that everyone in your organization is taking the right action at the right time with the right information.
4:53 AM | 0 comments

Going Broke Committing To Your Job? A Home-Based Business Is The Answer

Written By Guru Cool on Saturday, February 12, 2011 | 5:00 AM

As the price of gas hovers around $3 per gallon in many states, people everywhere are starting to wonder about their future. It doesn't help that oil industry analysts are predicting gas prices will remain high for months and maybe for years.

Suddenly, commuting to your job is looking like a major investment that's already a big hit on your budget.

Maybe it's time for you to finally start a serious home-based business. Don't panic. Starting a business at home doesn't need to take a big investment. It can be done cheaply, basically coming out of the grocery money. And you don't need more training or education, because some firms offer very simple, well thought out, automated systems for you to use.

Expect to hear anywhere from a helpful part-time income of a few hundred dollars per month to an impressive full-time income that would rival the earnings of many corporate CEO's.

Here's what to look for when choosing a home-based business:

* Find something that really sounds exciting to you. Success in business is often based strictly on your enthusiasm for what you're selling. If you truly enjoy the product, you'll sell a whole lot more.

* Don't let anyone tell you Network Marketing (or MLM) is a bad thing. Big corporate media reports often portray MLM in a bad light, but that's only because most reporters have very little experience working outside the corporation. The truth is MLM has hit it's own pace since the advent of the Internet. Many top companies are earning hundreds of millions of dollars each year, with thousands of happy members. These companies enjoy unprecedented low overhead and little to no debt.

* Look for a home-based opportunity that comes with all the training and support you'll need to get started. Nothing can be more detrimental to your business than getting all set up, then finding out there is no one to help you figure out what to do next. Look for opportunities that have online assistance, telephone help, or get you connected with other more experienced members.

Finally, don't put off the business you can start today. As the months go by and prices get even higher, more and more people will be looking for their own home based business to supplement or replace their income. Get started now to be at the top of this exciting movement.
5:00 AM | 0 comments

Will Your Small Business Have A Happy Ending?

Written By Guru Cool on Friday, February 11, 2011 | 4:56 AM

There is no question that as a small business owner you have persevered and worked hard, dedicating your life to the success of your company. That being said, don't you think a company you put all of your energies into, deserves the chance at having a happy ending? Have you considered the impact your death, disability, retirement, or even divorce could have on your small business ?

If you are the owner of a small business it is time for you to stop thinking of only what is happening now, and start focusing on what could happen in the future. Therefore, you need to put your priorities into perspective by protecting yourself and your business with a succession plan. A business succession plan is what you need to ensure that your business has a happy ending by remaining secure, regardless of what may happen in the future.

In particular, a succession plan allows your business the chance to be able to stand up to any challenges that may occur along the way. For instance, certain setbacks that you might experience may be entirely beyond your control such as divorce, disability, departure and death. But with a business succession plan you have the chance, as a small business owner, to ensure that regardless of what may happen to you, your business will be protected.

The following are a few aspects you should to take into consideration when creating a business succession plan for you small business:

How to Begin the Succession Planning - Since you need to make choices before you can really begin achieving your succession planning goal, you must first think about your long term business objectives and ask yourself important questions such as –

• Will I sell my small business?
• Should I set up a plan that allows me to transfer my business to one of my business associates or a family member?
• Does my business have public potential?

Of course, business succession planning begins with much more than simply deciding who you will be giving your business to in the event that you can no longer run your company, or wish to sell it. Additionally, succession planning is about keeping your small business afloat and successful to ensure that your absence will not devastate your company. Therefore, in order to maintain future control of your business, you will need to begin your succession planning by making choices that will concern things such as:

• ownership objectives
• asset protection planning
• taxation and transaction planning
• estate planning

You will want to keep in mind, however, that due to the fact that every action you take with succession planning will result in a reaction, you will require the assistance of experienced experts when developing your plan.

Understand the Dollars and "Sense" of Business Succession Planning – Like any type of business preparation, your business succession plan needs to be orderly and handled carefully if you don't want to suffer the consequences of financial losses – or worse – the loss of your small business. That being the case, you need to know exactly what you are dealing with, and how you can achieve the most of your planning.

The one mistake you will not want to make is to overlook your business finances. You can help keep your business secure by properly using the following, and more, in your succession planning before problems occur:

• Life insurance
• Disability insurance
• Annuities

Furthermore, you will find that with an orderly succession plan, you will be avoiding the possibility of your business having to be sold to pay off the estate tax, in the event of yours or (if you have one) your partner's death. It is no secret that estate taxes can claim up to 55% of an estate that is taxable, which is no mystery why so many businesses fall into debt, become bankrupt, or are sold due to the death of the owner or partner.

In addition, another aspect that needs to be considered is that clients are most likely to do business with other businesses after the owner or partner is deceased. However with the proper succession plan, your business should be able to maintain any regular clients - or if not - it will be better equipped to survive the possible drop in assets if a slow period should follow.

Know How to Write Your Happy Ending – Remember, when all is said and done, the outcome of your succession plan depends entirely on the choices you make regarding the future of your small business. It is imperative that you take the time to make the best choices that will allow you to implement a succession plan, which keeps you in control of the outcome that involves the transfer of your company. By knowing how to ensure the prosperity of your business future with a succession plan, is how you will write your happy ending.
4:56 AM | 0 comments

Pricing For Profit

Written By Guru Cool on Thursday, February 10, 2011 | 4:55 AM

To improve your profitability you must either make a larger gross margin on each dollar of sales or sell more without increasing your fixed costs. It goes without saying that the greatest improvement will be realised when you achieve both simultaneously.

Remember your gross margin is the difference between the price of your product and what it costs you to buy or make it. Therefore, the only way to increase your gross margin is to sell at a higher price or buy at a lower price.

In most instances (but not all!) you will have limited scope to buy at a lower price. For this reason your selling price is the critical variable.

Without doubt, the biggest single barrier preventing small business managers from making an acceptable profit is their refusal to charge a price which will enable them to achieve this. You are not in business to match the price your competitors set, but you are there to service your customers.

In fact, studies of the factors people regard as important influences on their decision to deal with a particular business indicate that product and price are relevant in only 15% of cases.

It is the lazy manager's competitive strategy to try to hold or win market share on the basis of price discounting. It is relevant and applicable only in the one situation where you have both a definite cost advantage (either variable or fixed) over your competitors and your product or service is one where customers are very price sensitive.

For example, if your gross margin is 30% and you reduce price by 10% you need sales volumes to increase by 50% to maintain your profit. Rarely has such a strategy worked in the past and it's unlikely that it will work in the future.

The service you offer or the unique way that you add value to the clients you support are all sustainable ways to differentiate your business and support an ongoing pricing for profit strategy.
4:55 AM | 0 comments