Associate Programs Newsletter #167
When I launched AssociatePrograms.com back in early 1998, I was flat broke. So instead of buying advertising, I generated lots of free publicity in online forums.
Before making a post, figure out your goal. If you want people to click on a link, tell them WHY they should.
If you’re participating in forums, one thing you must have is an effective sig file.
Does your sig file entice people to click? Today, I show you how…
CONTENTS:
1. How to write sig files that sizzle
2. Amazon company begs for money – and you can, too
3. Smart Tags will lure traffic from affiliate sites
… sign the petition
4. Petition has strong viral marketing element
5. Amazon associates deprived again
6. It’s not .net, it’s .NET
7. LinkShare CEO bravely answers critics
8. 17 Australian affiliate programs tested
9. eBay planning Money for Bids, and other news
10. One ad earns thousands of dollars
11. Useful free resource: How to post to forums
12. Thought for today: Giving life meaning
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to https://www.keen.com/documents/corpinfo/affiliates.asp for
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[UPDATE: This site has changed.]___________________________________________________________
=====================================
1. How to write sig files that sizzle
=====================================
Is your sig file dull and boring? Does it fail to get the click?
Perhaps it’s time to brush off the cobwebs, and start SELLING.
For example, here’s a teaser sig file likely to grab the
attention of anyone involved in Internet marketing:
Michael MacKian
===============================
Sshhh!! – I’ve found the secret of making
money on the internet…….
https://reduce.to/puregold
===============================
(Michael’s sig file promotes a multi-level marketing company. I don’t normally mention them – that’s not my field – but the sig file is the hardest to ignore I’ve seen for a while. Does YOUR sig file excite as much interest as this one?)
“I keep them short and simple, and they seem to produce results, but unpredictably!” says Michael.
Here’s another short and simple one he uses:
Michael
===============================
Computer answers without the jargon
https://newbieclub.com/home/write_now/
===============================
If you don’t have an effective signature, you could be missing out on hundreds or even thousands of highly targeted leads every month.
In other words, you’re losing sales.
As you probably know, a “signature file” is a little bit of text you should be adding to the end of EVERY e-mail you send.
(Yes, dear readers, please include a sig file when you write to me. If I want to visit your web site, I don’t want to have to type the URL into a browser.)
You can use a sig file in personal or business e-mail, in e-mail discussion lists, on message boards and in newsgroup posts.
Some people see a sig file as a business card. Remember that a business card can be dull or lively.
However, it can also be like a mini-advertisement, or even a P.S.
Good e-mail programs such as Eudora Pro, which I use, allow you to set up many different sig files for different occasions.
An effective sig file will motivate people to e-mail you, phone you, visit your web site, or subscribe to your newsletter.
So, what’s your most wanted response? What’s the most important thing you want people to do?
Click on a link? E-mail you? Phone you? Send an e-mail to your autoresponder?
Figure that out first, and then write your sig file.
Here’s an oldie, but goodie, which tempted me to respond way back in 1998:
Nancy Roebke
https://www.profnet.org
—
Learn to Network!
Increase income, cut costs, and put an end to cold calling.
Subscribe to our FREE newsletter that teaches you the secrets
of successful networking. subscribe AT just-business.com !
Nancy was asked in a forum if sig files are effective.
“OH MY GOODNESS!! she replied. “I should say so!! I get about a thousand leads a month from responses to my sig file.. no matter what one I use.. and I have many of them.”
Here are more ways to write sig files:
FORMAL, WITH SLOGAN:
Adam Boettiger, President & CEO
I-Advertising, Inc. – i-advertising.com/
“Where the Internet advertising industry does business”
HUMOROUS:
Rob Frankel, https://www.RobFrankel.com
“The center of the branding universe, at least as far as my
mother is concerned.”
MEMORABLE:
Frank Fleischer
The Straight Poop, your free weekly guide to the best of the web
about dogs.
https://www.straight-poop.com
PROMOTES E-MAIL COURSE:
Allan Gardyne
https://www.associateprograms.com
“Search Engine Masters” FREE 5-day e-mail course. Learn the
secrets that Sumantra Roy teaches his clients.
Subscribe now: https://www.associateprograms.com/free-downloads/se-masters.html
CAPTURES E-MAIL ADDRESSES:
Keith Thirgood
Creative Director, Capstone Communications Group
Helping businesses get more business through innovative marketing
https://capstonecomm.com Thrive-on-Line:
subscribe AT capstonecomm.com
(Isn’t that clever? Can you change your newsletter sign-up address so that it starts “subscribe@…?)
FREE NEWSLETTER:
David Weltman,
Future Now, Inc.
Company Website https://www.futurenowinc.com
Award-Winning Free Newsletter: https://www.grokdotcom.com
FREE EBOOK:
Kevin Donlin
Author, Guaranteed Marketing
Download your FREE marketing e-book at
https://www.guaranteedmarketing.com
FREE TIPS:
Shari Thurow
~ For FREE design and marketing tips, visit us at:
https://www.grantasticdesigns.com/tips.html
NEW NEWSLETTER:
Audri Lanford
NEW: Find answers to your most pressing business problems in
just 45 seconds — from the business experts you trust most.
The “45-Second Mentor” — https://business.wz.com/
WEB PAGE UPDATE:
Allan Gardyne
——————————————————-
AssociatePrograms.com
Affiliate Marketing Resources:
https://www.associateprograms.com/search/resources.shtml
——————————————————-
REDIRECTS TO AFFILIATE PRODUCT:
Michael Barrett
—————————————————–
TARGETED traffic is the key to greater Net income.
Way cool tool for SEO – finesse, function, simplicity.
https://www.webpowersite.com/sbi
—————————————————–
INNOVATIVE:
Rob Frankel, “Yes, I really do turn users into evangelists for
your brand.”
Big Time Branding (TM) https://www.RobFrankel.com
FrankelTips Weekly at: https://www.FrankelTips.com
The Book/Tapes: https://www.RevengeOfBrandX.com
TEASER, REDIRECTS TO AFFILIATE PRODUCT
Allan Gardyne
Know what’s amazing?
https://www.associateprograms.com/amazing
PROMOTES WEB SITE BUILT FOR ONE AFFILIATE PRODUCT:
Rick Bier rick AT synergy-marketing.com
There’s gold in the search engines. Mine it
with WebPosition Gold. https://www.wpgold.com
DETAILS AT…
Harvey Segal posted an article on how to choose a domain name to a forum. For readers who wanted more, he ended the post with these words…
Details at https://www.supertips.com/domain.htm
Harvey Segal
hsegal AT supertips.com
(The link takes you to a very simple page where you have a choice of clicking on three affiliate links.)
TESTIMONIAL AND TRACKING:
Kevin Donlin – Profit Grower for Small Business Clients
Guaranteed Marketing LLC
https://www.guaranteedmarketing.com
Author: “Eight Secrets of $100,000+ Home Businesses”
roibot.com/w.cgi?R6682_eightsig
“It should be mandatory reading for anyone planning to run
a successful business from home. And it’s a joy to read.”
– Jay Conrad Levinson, Author, Guerrilla Marketing books
(Kevin Donlin says he uses that long sig file in e-mails only. A sig that long wouldn’t be acceptable in many forums. Lurk and learn before you post.)
“Recently, I’ve used the sig file above with good results; by tracking it using ROIbot, I know this for a fact,” he says.
Some online forums – such as bCentral Digest – are very strict about sig files. Some want only your name and URL. Others actually REQUEST a sig file.
If you’re new to all this, a good forum to practice on is I-HelpDesk, published by https://www.Adventive.com .
Moderator Eva Rosenberg will treat you gently.
Warning: Before you send an e-mail signature to any forum, please test it on an e-mail to YOURSELF. Make sure it looks OK. Make sure the links work. Proof-read it.
A sig file with a typo won’t do your image any good.
Now take another look at what you’ve written.
Will it grab people’s attention?
Have you included BENEFITS instead of features?
Have you included a call to action?
More useful info…
Directories of e-mail discussion lists:
https://email.about.com/cs/mailinglists/index.htm
“Making Your Sig File Market for You”
https://clickz.com/article/cz.3280.html
__________________________________________SPONSOR__________
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___________________________________________________________
===================================================
2. Amazon company begs for money – and you can, too
===================================================
Feeling poor? You can always beg for money.
Here’s how one web site is doing it.
The Internet Movie Database – https://www.imdb.com (an Amazon company) is using the “Amazon Honor System” asking its 8 million visitors a month for $10 donations.
By contributing, they’re supporting “the world’s best and largest movie web site”, the company says.
(Thanks to Trevor Rieger of https://www.TVTalkShows.com for the tip.)
When I checked yesterday, 677 people had made donations. If they all donated the suggested $10, that’s:
677 x $10 = $6,770.
Dozens of web sites are now using the Amazon Honor System to ask for donations.
You can find out more here:
https://www.amazon.com/paypage/PIEV7U38725PT
(No. That’s not an affiliate link.)
====================================================
3. Smart Tags will lure traffic from affiliate sites
… sign the petition
====================================================
Shawn Collins believes that Microsoft’s Smart Tags technology poses a substantial threat to affiliate marketing.
So he has launched an online petition to protest against Smart Tags.
“Microsoft is taking over real estate in Web pages without permission, and luring away traffic from these sites with no benefit to the affiliate,” he says.
Shawn, who is ClubMom’s Affiliate Manager, says it’s encouraging that Microsoft dropped the Smart Tags feature from Windows XP, but he’s worried that Smart Tags could be included in future versions.
Smart Tags, says Microsoft, are “a feature of Internet Explorer that add smart links to pages you view. Smart Tags enable real- time, dynamic recognition of content on Web pages and offer you relevant options as you work. By hovering and clicking on these smart links, you can get access to additional information or perform convenient Web tasks.”
Shawn says Smart Tags will usurp traffic from affiliate sites.
“Microsoft is effectively editing the page of an affiliate site by adding links without permission.
“The links added by Microsoft will take visitors from the affiliate page to whatever site Microsoft has linked to,” he says.
You can sign the “No More Smart Tags” petition here:
PetitionOnline.com/nmst2001/
I’ve signed it.
==============================================
4. Petition has strong viral marketing element
==============================================
When you sign the “No More Smart Tags” petition, which is hosted free by https://www.PetitionOnline.com , you’re asked for your name and e-mail address.
PetitionOnline then sends you an e-mail and suggests you tell your friends, who can tell their friends…
Feel passionate about an issue? You can launch your own viral marketing petition here:
https://www.petitiononline.com/create_petition.html
===================================
5. Amazon associates deprived again
===================================
Dan Gray reckons Amazon.com deprived associates of full commissions during its short-lived “free shipping” trial.
Dan writes:
Check this thread out … I’ve come up with yet another Amazon
conspiracy theory. Did their recent move to provide free
shipping come out of the pockets of their associates? (They
slashed their discounts with many books now selling at list
price, rather than at a discount. List price=a 5% commission on
an individually linked book, rather than 15% … and this after
the nosim fiasco …)
geekvillage.com/ubb/Forum4/HTML/006743.html
Cheers,
Dan
https://geekbooks.com
===========================
6. It’s not .net, it’s .NET
===========================
Do you have a .NET address?
That’s a huge handicap. The “net” part of your domain name gives your visitors one more piece of information to remember. You’ll lose traffic to your .COM counterpart.
Here’s one way to fight the battle. Emphasize the net, like this:
https://www.WomensMinistry.NET
========================================
7. LinkShare CEO bravely answers critics
========================================
LinkShare CEO Stephen Messer faced his critics on the Associate Programs Message Board this week.
Affiliates presented LinkShare with a long list of suggested improvements. (If you run an affiliate network, feel free to use these ideas!)
In the face of some scathing criticism for allowing merchants who weren’t paying to continue to accept new affiliates, he calmly explained the improvements LinkShare is making.
“In the cases where a merchant is not fulfilling their obligations I feel strongly that we need to step in more aggressively and help,” Stephen says.
“In reality, after the last nine months, the vast majority of the merchants that we have chosen to continue working with represent the best and largest corporations. These corporations should not be punished for the sins of others in the past.”
You can read the discussions here:
https://www.associateprograms.com/discus/index.php
If you join in any of the discussions, don’t waste a good opportunity. Remember to add your sig file.
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___________________________________________________________
==========================================
8. 17 Australian affiliate programs tested
==========================================
An Australian web site – https://www.fastlook.com.au/ – has been experimenting with Australian affiliate programs with success.
The site tested 17 revenue-sharing programs. Nigel Martin has written a report showing click-throughs, sales, commissions earned and his recommendations, which vary from “Go for it!” to “Not on your life!”
https://fastlook.com.au/ibs/Marketing/affiliateprograms_results.html
You can find Australian affiliate programs by typing “au” into the search box at https://www.associateprograms.com .
===============================================
9. eBay planning Money for Bids, and other news
===============================================
eBay is planning a useful improvement to its affiliate program. (The program pays affiliates $4 for every user who registers on eBay.) eBay is poised to announce a new initiative called “Money for Bids” that pays money (amount not disclosed yet) for each bid the affiliate’s registered users place on eBay, says Jenny Eselius of eBay. You can join the program at Commission Junction: https://www.associateprograms.com/cj
Sponsorships.net network, which was facing problems because of non-payments and slow payments by advertising clients, and a dramatic restructuring that left it understaffed in key positions, has shut down. The network is owned by iBoost. Affiliates have been promised payment information soon.
“Due to a change in business objectives”, CNET discontinued its affiliate program on July 6.
eToys Faces Class Action Lawsuit
newsfactor.com/perl/story/11778.html
Amazon stops shipping goods for free
news.cnet.com/news/0-1007-200-6473458.html
Search engines struggle to find profitability
upside.com/texis/mvm/print-it?id=3b3baa8e6&t=1
Shaming DealTime: Quote from the Associate Programs Message Board: “Thank God I visited this forum! I thought I was the only one suffering late payment from DealTime! Congratulations on managing to obtain your money (through a lawsuit). I hope Allan names and shames DealTime in his newsletter.” To read the sordid details, visit https://www.associateprograms.com/discus/index.php
=====================================
10. One ad earns thousands of dollars
=====================================
I love receiving testimonials from delighted customers.
Here’s an unsolicited testimonial I received from Steve Manning:
“You’ve got a great ezine! I advertised in it once and was bowled over by the response. I made my money back in just 24 hours and continue to make thousands every month just based on that single ad!
“If someone has an affiliate program, they’d be nuts not to advertise it in your publication.”
Steve Manning
https://www.writeabooknow.com/affiliate.htm
Want to advertise? Send a blank e-mail to
classads AT AssociatePrograms.com
===============================================
11. Useful free resource: How to post to forums
===============================================
“How to Write an Effective Post to an Online B2B Forum” by Adam Audette, moderator of the hugely popular bCentral Digest, is a four-part article on how to post effectively to business-to- business discussion lists.
“The basic idea behind contributing to these forums is that, through continuous, quality postings you will begin to be thought of as an expert in your field. It takes time, but in the long run this kind of networking can have a sizable impact on your visibility in your specific target market,” Adam says.
His article tells you how.
https://www.adventive.com/how-to-1.html
==========================================
12. Thought for today: Giving life meaning
==========================================
“The capacity to care is the thing that gives life its deepest meaning and significance.” – Pablo Casals
All the best
Allan Gardyne
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