Tag: Affiliate Marketing

  • The Benefits of a Multi-Pronged Marketing Plan

    Fact: Every business needs customers. That goes undisputed. Generating qualified leads should be in the fore mind of every person working in the digital marketing sphere. This circle continues to expand as traditional marketing disciplines finally shuck their aversion to going all-in with digital services.

    “By 2019, 35% of ad spending will be online. Digital marketing is getting to be a bigger piece of the pie — and that means that traditional marketing and advertising agencies are moving into the digital space in a big way.”

    – Moz webinar (4/7/15)

    Photo via Unsplash.com by Todd Quackenbush
    Photo via Unsplash.com by Todd Quackenbush

    Changing of the Guard

    This is so true. Many old-school PR and advertising agencies have struggled to embrace the online marketplace. I remember in the mid-1990’s when most companies thought “this whole having-a-website thing” was a passing fad. Furthermore, popular sentiment back then was businesses that included a URL in their marketing materials or ads were thought to be pandering to a silly trend.

    My, how things have changed! Marketing and advertising are the latest industries to fall prey to the “how-the-heck-do-we-go-digital” trap, but these industries are certainly not alone in their battle to stay relevant.

    Print media (book, magazines, and other periodicals) and entertainment (traditional television, the entire distribution system of both music and film) have struggled with this evolution for the last 20 years, with no end in sight.

    These industries, and many others, have to continually reinvent themselves. The threat of becoming obsolete has proved to be a real one. Trying to compete with the constant barrage of new ideas and platforms is tough. Staunchly holding on to outdated, conventional methods and hoping the “trend” will pass isn’t a recommended strategy.

    So, what are the recommended strategies then? With all the online chatter, what’s the best way to stand out from the crowd? What does a thorough marketing plan really need?

    The Multi-Pronged Approach

    Luckily, the best marketing strategy is a comprehensive one: a plan that includes both modern marketing methods and long-established promotional techniques. There are plenty of ways to spread the word online: SEO, pay-per-call/click,  mobile promotions, link building, social media advertising, PR campaigns, pre-video snippets, native or sponsored content, banner ads… The list goes on.

    The goal is to get your brand or message in front of the right set of eyes. The goal is to target consumers who are already actively interested in your product or service. But this must be done in a natural way.

    We live in a consumer culture. Some people get squeamish when human beings are referred to as “consumers”. But hey – I buy things. I’m a customer, a purchaser, a user of services. I consume, therefore, I’m a consumer. I’m fine with that. It’s far preferable to legislators referring their constituents as “taxpayers”. But I digress.

    Furthermore, I don’t mind being “targeted” when I’m actually on the hunt for something – whether that be granite countertops, red cowboy boots, or a refinance on my mortgage. The objective of any marketing company is bringing together those who provide, and those in need – regardless of specific industry.

    Make your marketing/advertising campaigns count. If you put the needs and desires of people in the forefront of your mind, qualified leads and conversions will follow.

  • Mobilegeddon’s Importance for Marketing Campaigns

    On April 21st Google launched an algorithm change that affects all sites that are not mobile friendly, which has been deemed by many as “Mobilegeddon”. Please remember being mobile doesn’t just mean phones, but all types of tablets are included in this change as well. Since affiliate marketing and online marketing in general is essential for generating leads, if you aren’t up to date on which algorithm changes are pertinent to your site you could suffer a huge loss on your Google search positioning.

    Why This Algorithm is Important

    Google created a “mobile friendly test” that allows users to enter a site URL and check how mobile friendly that site is. On the whole, if your site doesn’t pass the Google test then the Googlebots will see your site as a less reliable source. However, Google did state that if your site is the most relevant option for users that it will still show even if it is not mobile friendly. Sites that are more suitable for all web-linked devices will definitely get a boost in their rankings.

    This tool actually gives a breakdown of all issues that occurred from trying to load that site via mobile. Below we have included a screenshot showing exactly what you will see. The tool shows exactly how Google sees your page and if your site is not mobile friendly it will include a link explaining how to convert your site. It also shows each issue with your site specifically such as small text, page is too wide for mobile, and links are too close together – thus not very clickable, as shown below.

    HTMMobileFriendly

     

    NotMobileFriendly

    Benefits of Mobile

    Obviously, anyone could explain that social media traffic has greatly increased in the last 5 years alone, which means mobile marketing is importance. It isn’t only effective for the younger populous. Approximately half of the 65+ generation is using social media. This means that having a mobile website isn’t just about gaining the attention of young folks, but also older generations. Your web presence doesn’t have to be “hip” and flashy to be effective, it just needs to be simple and concise for everyone. In fact, an article from Pew Internet & American Life Project says that while young generations are moving away from blogging, more and more senior generations are moving towards blogging. This study also showed that most young adults are moving to “micro-blogging” which mainly consists of much shorter status updates instead of content rich blogging.

    For Your Marketing

    Google’s updates are oftentimes reflective of society. Mobile is important. Users have shown it is important and Google has solidified it. Google algorithm updates are updated to benefit search engine users and can be used as potential sign posts for what users want and how businesses can adapt to these needs. For example, mobile has been emphasized in the most recent update. If you have little to no mobile marketing, now might be the time to adopt a pay per call campaign, MMS (multi-media message service), mobile games and banner ads, or QR bar codes. The Google algorithm is constantly changing to adapt to user needs. Besides rankings and SEO, Google algorithm updates (like “Mobilegeddon”) can have impacts on your business, both positive and negative.

  • Is Affiliate Marketing Worth It?

    In a single word, yes. This type of campaign may not be for every marketer. This type of strategy can take some time to build up a proper clientele, but has proven to provide a significant increase in traffic and sales. So, go into any new partnership well educated about your particular niche market. We will go over some basics if you are just getting started with affiliates.

    Cost Effectiveness:

    Let’s start with the biggest “elephant in the room” – cost. Affiliates are usually only paid  a commission percentage when they actually drive a sale to your site. The merchant you are working with will pay out a commission based on the work provided. So, if you are considering marketing with an affiliate company you won’t have to worry about extra hidden expenses. However, you of course would always want to make sure you are doing extensive research on the company to make sure they are reputable and their prices & vision align with your marketing strategy.

    Start Small:

    This type of marketing can actually be quite lucrative especially with smaller businesses. It is easy to become discouraged when comparing to larger niche businesses. Keep in mind that if you have a smaller market niche, then the hard part is already out of the way. You have created a product or service that others do not have leverage over. Use this fact to your advantage and target affiliates that align with your strategy. Your marketing merchant should be able to help you outreach to those in and around your community and express rare value in advertising a smaller company.

    Look at the Big Picture:

    Creating relationships with affiliates (as long as they are dependable ones) is always a good idea for expanding your circle of consumers. Be cognizant of the fact that affiliate marketing could potentially have a negative effect on a company’s search engine optimization if done incorrectly. The end game shouldn’t be how many sites you can affiliate yourself with, but what quality sites you can partner with. With consistent algorithm updates from Google, one can be sure that those geniuses will find a way to weed out the bad content from the good. If you are putting your company name on quality sites you can be sure that quality consumers will be finding and passing along the information.

    Be Prepared:

    Affiliate fraud of course is always a concern when marketing this way. However, if you are patient and make business choices with direction this shouldn’t be a problem. Be direct with your partners, test out any business venture before starting it, and follow through with regular check ups to make sure your needs are being met. There are also several technical ways to prepare yourself for fraudulent behaviors depending on your business.

    Feel free to check out the articles referenced in this article for more useful information about affiliate marketing and how to avoid affiliate fraud.

  • Optimize for Maximum Gold Online This March

    We are all guilty of spreading our efforts too thin at times. It’s St. Patty’s Day and everyone will be busy gearing up for parties, making corned beef and cabbage, while still carrying out their daily routines. Unfortunately, there are no leprechauns to make life any easier. In the marketing world, it’s easy to try everything at once to get your business off to a running start (or perhaps you need a fresh face to your ads). However, this can prove to be very exhausting, discouraging, and ultimately ineffective. You may be lacking some very key ideas in order to save yourself some heartache and effectively advertise at the same time.

    Where to Market Online?

    It would be easy to say your marketing campaign should stretch from one corner of the web to the next. However, this wouldn’t necessarily be effective marketing. It is true that social media is the next big key to marketing success, but putting a business’s ads on irrelevant sites does not mean more business. A company is much more likely to receive new and continued business if you are sharing your web presence on related sites.

    How to Market Online?

    No one said it was going to be easy. A business that does their research will be a profitable one. If you can research and find all types of sites that fit within your area of expertise you will have an entire network to build upon. Once you have found relevant sites, communities, blogs, and all types of social media, market to them all. Build a campaign that encompasses and includes as many mediums as possible.

    Marketing Campaigns

    Plan out exactly what you want to accomplish by reaching out to your audience. Effective marketing campaigns are simple and concise. Include an easy to understand call-to-action that intrigues customers and makes them want to share, comment, and like. Make sure that it is easily accessible for them to do so. No one wants to fill out a giant form in order to participate. Catch people’s attention by thinking outside of the box and doing something you maybe wouldn’t normally do.

    Social Media Planning Apps

    Once you have created a “network” the best possible thing to do is stay organized. Daily interaction is what keeps marketing tools fresh in the consumer’s minds. Use every possible tool at your disposal to your advantage. Schedule time each day to reach out to the community on each one of your social media apps and/or make sure to write a comment on a relevant blog. Any kind of daily community involvement is always beneficial to your business. There are many different project managing apps available to keep it all straight.

  • LeadsCon Panel Discusses Affiliate Call Fraud

    HyperTarget Marketing Participates in LeadsCon Panel:

    “The New Elephant in the Room: Affiliate Call Fraud”

    Director Eric Evans Joins Other Industry Leaders to Discuss Pay Per Call Fraud

    Tuesday, March 3, 2015 Las Vegas, NV
    The Mirage Hotel and Casino
    3:40pm-4:20pm in the Grand Ballroom BC

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
    HyperTarget Marketing
    213.973.9905
    info@hypertargetmarketing.com

    Las Vegas, Nevada – Eric Evans, of HyperTarget Marketing, will be leading and moderating a session on affiliate call fraud with three other industry professionals at LeadsCon Las Vegas 2015. Empire Today’s Marketing Manager Dan Altman, Invoca’s Senior Channel Partnerships and Business Development Director Anna Jefferis, and RingPartner’s VP of Marketing and Operations Mike Williams will all be joining Evans to discuss current affiliate fraud schemes and potential methods that can be used to counter fraudsters. Furthermore, conference attendees will be able to hear these panelists discuss their expertise with pay-per-call campaigns and their thoughts on what has made their PPC advertising experiences successful.

    Pay-per-call marketing emerged as an advertising solution to click-fraud, in which advertisers pay for qualified impressions on a per-call basis. With enhanced technology, clicks are easy to counterfeit and produce, while calls, in theory, are not as easily fabricated. The goal with pay-per-call marketing is to generate qualified calls (calls with a legitimate interest in a product or service), which can in turn reward publishers and ad networks appropriately.  With the rapid and extreme growth of the pay-per-call industry, there has been an increase in the amount of fraudsters joining the market. While call fraud is more difficult to achieve than click fraud, it is not impossible. Due to the complex nature of call fraud, those using affiliate call fraud are some of the most savvy and refined fraudsters. This has made tracking fraud and holding individuals accountable complicated for both marketers and publishers within the industry.

    About HyperTarget Marketing: HyperTarget Marketing is a lead generation and call marketing solutions company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded in 2009, HyperTarget was an early adopter of pay-per-call marketing and has a passion for helping businesses get highly qualified inbound call leads.

  • Recruiting The Right Affiliate – Not All Are Created Equal

    Recruiting The Right Affiliate – Not All Are Created Equal

    The world of affiliate marketing can seem a bit like the Wild West, complete with its own laws, customs, and characters. One of the ways that many affiliate marketers make sense of this hard-to- tame world is to never really try to understand it at all. They simply create a program, try to entice as many affiliates as possible to join, and then hope for the best. It goes without saying that this is not the best approach. Instead, the manager of an affiliate marketing program should carefully select the right people to get the job done; they should recruit the right affiliates. Here we will look at some tips for recruiting the right affiliates for your program.

    • Make Your Program Exclusive – In the world of affiliate marketing many managers take the “more is more” approach. They try to get as many affiliates as possible to join and promote the product or service, more or less throwing them all against the wall to see who will stick. This kind of approach can be successful, but carries great risks. Any affiliate marketer looking to build a brand would never let unscreened strangers represent their companies. As a business person who cares deeply about the image of your brand, it is essential that you take time to reject those potential affiliates which do not seem like they would represent your brand in the way you desire.
    • Ask to see previous earnings statements – The primary reason to become an affiliate marketer is to make net profits. This should be kept in mind when selecting affiliates for your program. Their needs to make a profit should match yours. They should be profit motivated as well as ethical, which is another important aspect of a good affiliate which we will see in the next bullet point. One of the best ways to judge the future production of a new affiliate is to take a look at their background. Do not be afraid to ask for a copy of previous earnings statements in order to validate their potential production.
    • Ask for Industry References and Check them – Another way you can judge the suitability of a potential affiliate is to ask him or her for references in the affiliate marketing or sales industries, and really follow up with a call. When doing this it is important to do some research in order to investigate if there is any connection between the reference and the potential marketer. In other words, check for the validity of the reference as well as for what they have to say about your potential affiliate.

    Seek Affiliates in Out-of-the-Usual Places – When looking for affiliates it is always best to target people who understand your product and care about how they represent your brand. But many times different affiliate marketers look for affiliates in the same places. This is like fishing in the same fishing hole as everyone else. Sure, you may want to concentrate efforts in the places you are most likely to encounter prospective affiliates, but you may strike gold by going outside the box. Check webpages and groups which cater to women, minorities, and seniors. Do some offline recruiting. The more you concentrate out of the box, the more likely you are to find a great recruiting avenue which you may have all to yourself.

  • Facebook For Affiliate Marketers: 101

    facebook affiliateLike it or not, Facebook appears to be here to stay, and with it the social media revolution will roll along. It is now a foregone conclusion that the world will continue to become more socially connected, with concepts like privacy and oversharing taking a back seat. But for affiliate marketers, this is good news regardless of their individual opinions about Facebook. Marketers should be able to see Facebook as a potential gold mine for all kinds of prospects, from people looking to join their organizations to people looking to learn about or purchase their products or services. As an affiliate marketer you should also be getting on the Facebook bandwagon. Here are some tips for using Facebook as an affiliate marketer:

    • Learn how to purchase Facebook Ads – Facebook has a number of ways to purchase ads including purchasing likes to a page, purchasing likes to an individual post, and paying for your ad to be displayed. Among the options of how to pay for your display ad are pay per click, and pay per impressions. All of these aspects should be carefully considered and tested before any major advertising outlay is spent.
    • Build a Fan Base – This tip seems like a no brainer, still should be mentioned. One of the reasons for using Facebook to market is in order to build a captive audience which pays attention to what you have to say. It is important that you give people a reason to pay attention to you, your company, and your offer – so be sure to put useful information into their newsfeeds.
    • Giveaways are still popular – Everyone loves to feel like they are getting something free or something for nothing. It is a great idea to offer your prospective customers a freebie, especially if your product is an information product. These kinds of giveaways helps your customers get to know you and trust the quality of your product before making the big purchase. Those offering a service could offer the first part of the service free, or give a free trial.
    • Be real – Affiliates promoting certain kinds of businesses or products are going to have a more difficult time with Facebook than others. For example, those in the dating niche may have it especially hard. One of the keys to not getting bounced from Facebook advertising, which does happen frequently, is to not go black hat. Be real and position your product in a likeable manner. Think about things from the Facebook advertising moderator’s point of view, and obey the terms of use.
    • Be positive but not obnoxious – Everyone appreciates a positive quote now and then. But simply posting a positive quote every day without context can seem like a cry for attention. Remember, the goal of Facebook for affiliate marketing is for your captive audience to pay attention to you, and eventually purchase your product. Instead of just posting a positive motivational quote every day, offer a brief 2 or 3 sentence true motivational story and then give a quote as the moral or takeaway.

    Go international – If your offering can be purchased by people in other countries, target them in your Facebook campaigns. Not only may the clicks (or other actions) be cheaper, but you may find far less competition for the attention of customers in different countries.

  • A Quick Guide To The Sales Funnel – For Affiliate Marketers

    sales-funnelA sales funnel is a process which can represent your entire sales process in one image. As a funnel is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, so your sales funnel is meant to call the attention of a wide swath of potential clients in the beginning, and continue to whittle that group down until you reach those who will become paying clients. There are a lot of individual theories related to the sales funnel concept, and there are even tools to help you track your funnel. Here we will take a look at some basics of the sales funnel for an affiliate marketer.

    1. The first step in the sales funnel is broadcasting your marketing message to as many prospects as possible. This does not mean broadcasting to as many people as possible, as all people are not potential customers. For example, if you are advertising to seniors who may want a new walk-in bathtub, you would broadcast your message on seniors’ webpages, in AARP magazine, etc. For affiliate marketers, people usually enter the sales funnel when they enter their information on a landing page, or call in for more information about a product or service.
    2. The second step in the sales funnel will generally differ from business to business, and product to product, but usually includes some kind of customer contact. Here is it important to note that all the steps in the sales funnel are call and response. Now that the customer has given you their information or called your company (step 1), you may respond by replying with an auto responder series, sending them a newsletter, or giving them a free trial. In other words, step 2 is all about responding to the customer’s request for more information.
    3. The third step involves handling the customer’s response to step 2. Depending on the length of the sales funnel this may be the point where the actual sale is made. Other sales funnels will be longer, and may include the customer watching a video, then taking a webinar, then talking to a coach to ask any questions they have, and then finally making the purchase. So, step three and those after really just represent a series of steps the customer will take up to the point of making a purchase. Sometimes the sales funnel will even have a small purchase in earlier steps, leading to a larger purchase in later steps.

    As can be seen, the sales funnel can be as short as 2 steps, or as many steps as the affiliate feels is necessary to convince the prospect that the offer is worth purchasing. In 2013 there were some marketers who disputed the practicality of the sales funnel altogether, saying that prospects are not so readily predictable as to follow the well laid out steps. Considering that a sales funnel is meant to do 2 things: generate sales, and accurately track conversion rates of each step in the process, it is true that any disruption in either of these two metrics could cause the sales funnel concept to falter, but not necessarily fall apart. These would simply be signs that additional tracking metrics are needed, or that some steps of the process need to be improved or eliminated.

  • A Brief Introduction To Affiliate Marketing

    A Brief Introduction To Affiliate Marketing

    In this ever-expanding internet age, one of the most effective ways for companies to increase brand awareness is through affiliate marketing. To put it in the simplest terms, affiliate marketing involves a company “recruiting” other companies or individuals to market their products and services for a commission. Under this definition there are two different forms of affiliate marketing:

    • The first is when a person or business offers an affiliate program to others. The ultimate goal in this kind of marketing is to utilize the power of exponential networking to drive sales leads to the company’s website.
    • The second is when a company or individual signs up as the affiliate for another business. The goal of becoming an affiliate is to capitalize on one’s own ability to drive traffic to the company offering the affiliate program, with the goal of making a sale. Affiliates are then paid a commission for each lead and/or sale they bring to the website.

    Affiliate marketing works differently and more effectively than other kinds of marketing because companies are able to reach untapped markets that the company may not have otherwise been able to draw to their website. Most affiliate programs have come to utilize revenue sharing or pay per sale as a method of compensation. Other methods like pay-per-click were popular in years past but have become obsolete mostly because of various forms of fraud that were involved in their implementation. Most people who participate in affiliate marketing enjoy the work because there is no time or effort investment involved in selling a product. The product already exists so for affiliates it is just a matter of finding creative ways to market that product to a particular market or social or business network.

    For more from CJ.com, click here.

  • 3 Essential Steps To Reviewing A Company’s Affiliate Program

    3 Essential Steps To Reviewing A Company’s Affiliate Program

    With the expansion of the internet has come an expansion of so-called “money making” opportunities. Chief among them are affiliate programs, where a producer and an affiliate team up to sell a product or service, and then split the proceeds. But, all affiliate programs are not created equal. Here we take a look at 3 steps you can to take when reviewing an affiliate program provider.

    Test the Product

    If you are going to sell a product, it is a good idea to test the product for yourself. As goes an old anecdote: You wouldn’t want to purchase a Ford from a guy who drives a Toyota. This is because psychologically a person promoting a product, that they would not use themselves, seems disingenuous. This idea doubtlessly gave rise to the famous line “I’m not just the president of the hair club for men, I’m also a member.”

    Test the Company’s Payments

    The primary reason to affiliate with a company is to make a profit. But that profit will do you little good if the company has frequent payroll problems, or likes to find reasons not to pay its affiliates. One of the best ways to test the product and test the company’s payment system is to have a friend or relative purchase the product through your affiliate link or other method. This will not only give you a chance to try the product and become an expert, but it will help you ensure that you get paid for your efforts.

    Test the Communications Platform

    When you call the company, does someone always answer? Do your emails receive a quick response? Do the company’s representatives follow up with you, and do what they say they are going to do? Every affiliate program requires efficient communication in order to function. Test the communications system of your prospective affiliate company before sinking in a large investment while promoting their product or service.

    For more from Entrepreneur.com, click here.