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Solo Ads – Outmoded or Back in Style?

Now we're going to go over solo ads:

For years, Internet marketers have asserted that solo ads are simply outmoded – they're a dinosaur that no longer has the potential to reap any profits; however, another group of Internet marketers knows that the exact opposite is the truth: solo ads can reap massive profits, but in order to do so, they must be engineered perfectly, as must the selection of the solo ad distributor.

A solo ad can be a number of things. Usually, it is a large ad between 200 and 300 words that is placed at the very center of a page. The rate on solo ads is higher than on all other potential options, but it also captures readers' attention the most by far. If you have the money to spend on a solo ad, it can be an excellent investment.

However, as with all investments (and advertisements for that matter), you must conduct your due diligence. This involves a considerable amount of research.

Now, when conducting research for a solo ad, there are two things you will want to look at:

1) The first is a list of your potential advertising outlets (in this case, probably e-zines); and

2) A list of potential approaches you can take on your solo ad.

Let's start with the first part – finding a list of e-zines in which you can put a solo ad. I personally suggest starting with Directory of E-zines, which you can find at the following URL:

http://www.directoryofE-zines.com/

This is the ultimate resource for advertisers who want access to all e-zines and also want tips for advertising in them. If you don't have any money to spend, I would suggest starting here instead:

http://www.E-zine-dir.com/

Once you have selected reputable e-zines to advertise in, you will then want to begin creating your solo ad. There are a number of writing “formulas” you can use to do this; however, you will always want to keep in mind what it is that your potential customer wants most.

In advertising, it is often easy to project our own wants in a given product onto potential buyers; however, it is important – when communicating with them – that you talk about their wants, not yours.

Now, when it comes to creating solo ads, I personally suggest that you spend some time at the following URL, learning about what it takes to convert readers into buyers: http://www.copywritersboard.com/.

Furthermore, I suggest that you go beyond simply writing copy and write as you would in the specific medium. For instance, if your solo ad will be featured in an e-zine, then you will want to write as if you are contacting members of a mailing list about a special offer or something similar. You may even want to refer to the owner of the list by his/her first name if (s)he allows that.

Keep all of these skills in mind when conducting solo ad campaigns. All you have to do is select the right advertising mediums and create an excellent ad – and your effort will pay off three fold.

Using Classified Ads

The process of using classified ads to generate sales for any product – whether it be an original product or an affiliate product – is often over-simplified and discouraged. This is, in part, because it actually is one of the harder ways in which you can advertise.

It requires you to use a small amount of words to communicate an important point, which will either make or break your ability to garner interest in the product in question. In most cases, supposed experts will discourage you from using classified ads because they themselves have never had much luck using them – NOT because classified ads aren't a viable method of advertising.

So how can you use classified ads correctly to generate a considerable amount of traffic to your affiliate product sales page?

The first step entails finding viable places to advertise. Again, many of the so-called experts will jump in and either tell you to use free sites or that free sites never work. The truth here, too, is somewhat in between: free sites can work, but you must use them carefully. For instance, if you want to generate traffic from sites that allow you to post free classifieds, you will have to find ones that actually receive traffic themselves.

One example of a site that receives a massive amount of traffic, but also allows you to post classified ads for free is craigslist, which you can find at the following URL:

http://www.craigslist.com

As long as you post classified ads in the proper section, you can do it completely free of charge. Additionally, you can do this on each of the craigslist sites for the metropolitan areas in the United States.

Another place you can post free classified ads is Yahoo. You can find this feature at the following URL: http://classifieds.yahoo.com/.

Again, as long as its on topic, you can post a classified at for whatever you want.

Now, with this in mind, you will want to consider the best way in which you can construct your classified ad. I personally suggest creating a headline or first line that uses psychological triggers.

Remember! With classifieds, you're not paying by the click. It's either free or you're paying for a certain period of time or impressions, so your goal should be to generate as many clicks as possible, so use words like “cheap,” “free,” “proven,” and “shocking” to draw attention to your ad.

Once you have successfully drawn attention to your ad through the headline, you will then want to seal the deal by providing viewers with a reason to click through, provided that your affiliate product is something they will want to buy. You can do this by explicitly stating a quantifiable benefit in the second line of the classified ad – and then stating a crucial feature in the third line.

Once you have gained some experience posting ads on free classified ad mediums, you will want to move on to major electronic publications, including large e-zines and authority sites; however, before you do this, you could be confident in the classified ad and your conversion rate.

Leveraging with E-zine Advertising

Warning! If you're ever bored and want to stir up some trouble, go to an Internet marketing forum and post a question asking how well E-zine advertising fares in comparison to other marketing methods.

The answers you get are likely to be diametrically opposed. This is not only because each marketer has his own product to sell – and it is in his best interest to justify the purpose of that product – but it is also because there has been a genuine debate raging for the past few years about the effectiveness and direction of E-zines and E-zine advertising.

There are those who posit that E-zine advertising is dead or is near the bottom of a very steep decline. They see the average person as being overwhelmed by superfluous emails on a daily basis – some coming from friends and others coming from businesses and E-zines.

In their eyes, this amounts to a continuing decrease in attention paid to any emails that look business related, even if they specifically subscribed to them.

Additionally, they argue that many people forget that they joined lists and eventually begin to ignore emails coming from that address. And all of this is true – which is precisely why it is important to take it into consideration when you are conducting E-zine advertising campaigns.

So how can you affectively advertise in E-zines and reap a profit from affiliate products?

There are a number of different ways, of which, I will cover three below:

1. Target E-zines that are related to your specific affiliate product.

Create a viral report that is related to your affiliate product (as we discussed in the previous lesson). Purchase sponsor ads in reputable E-zines – and send all of those interested to a page where they can download your viral report for free. This report will have an embedded affiliate link, which will generate sales on your behalf.

2. Create a persuasive solo ad.

Again, start off by purchasing solo ad space in cheaper E-zines – ones that are responsive, but have a low subscription count. Test your solo ads to determine your approximate conversion rate with the given affiliate product. Once you have a rough handle on your profit margin, attempt to market your solo ads in larger publications, including e-zines with subscriber bases of over 100,000. Keep in mind that this will be expensive, but it will also pay off if you did your homework in the previous steps.

3. Last, consider targeting high-end online publications with your ads.

These will include ones that don't normally include their sites in E-zine directories, such as authority sites that publish a monthly E-zine in PDF format. These often have high response rates and will similarly draw the best response if you use them correctly.

For regular E-zines with reasonable fees, you will want to check out the following site, which lists most E-zines that offer advertising:

http://www.E-zineadvertising.com/

If you're looking for something less expensive, you may want to check out the following URL:

http://www.ezines-r-us.com/

So Many Affiliate Programs! Which One Do I Choose?

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

Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining.

When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.

What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.

How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked and for how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.

What are the kinds of affiliate stats available? Your choice of affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. Constantly checking your individual stats is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links.

Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.

Who is the online retailer? Find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.

Is the affiliate a one tier or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program pays you for the business, plus it also pays you a commission on the on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your program. Some two-tier programs are even paying small fees on each new affiliate you sponsor. More like a recruitment fee.

Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? 20% - 80% (and some cases, 100%!) is the commission paid by most programs. .01% - .05% is the amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, the amount paid is not much at all. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is important.

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

How To Become A Super Affiliate In Niche Markets

Over the past years, web hosting has grown bigger than it used to be. With more companies getting into this business and finding the many benefits it can give them, the demand for web hosting has never been higher. These seem to be the trend of today.

38 million people have put up their very first websites online this year 2005 alone. It is estimated that by 2008, the Internet sales industry will top the dollar bank. And to think, majority of those sites will be offering different affiliate programs for people to choose and participate into.

This only means one thing. It is easier now to find the right web host for your application. The possibility of quality web hosting companies separating themselves from the rest of the industry is anticipated. If this is done, the unprofessional and incompetent ones will suffer.

Support will be the number one consideration for people when choosing a web host. It will be obvious that traditional advertising will become less and less effective. Most people would rather opt for the web host based on things that they see and hear. Also based on the recommendations by those who have tried them and have proved to be a successful.

This is a great opportunity for web hosting affiliates and resellers alike. There would hundreds of web hosting and programs to choose from that the difficulty in finding the right one for them is not a problem anymore.

How does one become a successful affiliate in the niche markets using web hosting?

If you think about it, everyone who needs a website needs a web hosting company to host it for them. As of now, there is really no leading hosting industry so most people choose hosts based from recommendations. Usually, they get it from the ones that have already availed of a web hosting services.

With the many hosts offering affiliate programs, there is the tendency to find the one which you think will work best for you. Think of the product you will be promoting. Pattern them to the site and see if they are catering to the same things as you are.

When you have been with one host for quite some time and seem not to be making much despite all your effort, leave that one and look for another. There is no use in trying to stick to one when you would be before off in another one. Things will only have to get better from there because you already have been in worst situations.

Try this out. If you are quite happy and satisfied with your web host, try to see if they are offering an affiliate program you can participate on. Instead of you paying them, why not make it the other way around; them paying you. The process can be as easy as putting a small “powered by” or “hosted by” link at the bottom of your page and you are already in an affiliate business.

Why choose paying for your for your web hosting when you do not have to? Try to get paid by letting people know you like your web host.

Always remember that when choosing a web host, choose the one that is known for its fantastic customer support. There are also many hosting affiliate programs. Residual affiliate program is also being hosted. This is the program wherein you get paid a percentage every month for a client that you refer. This can allow you to have a steady source of income. With perseverance, you can even be quite successful in this field.

There are a lot of niche markets out there just waiting for the right affiliate to penetrate to them and make that dollars dream come true. Knowing which one to get into is being confident enough of your potentials and the good results you will be getting.

Web hosting is just one affiliate market you could try out and make some good and continuous income. Just remember that to be successful on your endeavor also means that time, effort and patience is needed.

Nobody has invented the perfect affiliate market yet. But some people do know how to make it big in this kind of market. It is just knowing your kind of market and making the earnings there.

Building Your Business with an Opt-in Mailing List

Before revealing the secrets of the trades, here are myths and fallacies that need to be cleared before one indulges into building an opt-in list. These marketing misconceptions could pose so much of an obstacle towards your profiting well from your business.

Not a lot of people use email

Email marketing is one of the most effective marketing methods nowadays simply because virtually almost all people use email. Check on those email fields or blanks required to be filled up on various forms needed in processing different transactions. A person without an email address is tantamount to a person without an online home, which is one big shameful truth for this generation.

Email marketing campaigns can offend a lot of people

The not-so secret way to surmount this dilemma is through permission-based advertising. There's no harm in trying after asking for permission.

It's stupid to send email to all the people

The key to this predicament is to have a very discerning eye on who to email and who to not email. Better look for some metrics on how to know which group of people would give you high ROI or return on investment.

The Real Deal with Building Opt-in List

After clearing the fog regarding email marketing myths, here's how one can benefit from employing the power of email marketing campaigns - building an opt-in list.

However, building an opt-in list is not a piece of cake particularly for the uninitiated. Here is a roundown of tips on how to succeed in this kind of marketing endeavor.

1. Strategic Collection of Data

Know which information from your audiences will help you in lowering expenses and/or make sales flourish. Devise a tactic to make people voluntarily provide you with the information necessary to create higher conversion.

Overload of data is not good. Ask only for opt-in, with their full name and email addresses. Make sure that the profiles that you gather are updated to aid in improving the relevance, timeliness and satisfaction from each deal you make.

2. Good Implementation

Old adage says it all, “action speaks louder than words”. This easily translates to the difficulty one has to undergo during the execution of his or her email marketing efforts. It's a good thing that various methods, often low-cost, abound to hasten and facilitate the building up of one's opt-in database.

Tracking your email marketing results can pose great hardship, too. Technology and relevant sources should be employed in making this aspect of your marketing a lot manageable. Your high traffic groups of opt-ins with the greatest result should be taken noted of.

The following are the most widely used methods to leverage channels without overspending:

1. Make use of websites.

It is an excellent tool for data collation and providing you with relevant info regarding your email offers. Use forms that solicit your visitor's email address and consent.

2. Make use of print ads, brochures, TV, radio and direct mail.

These are the more popular ways of marketing aiming to lead traffic to one's site. You may want to ask for signups for email services. Make your website more visible through these media. Offering free electronic newsletters and or rewards program can do well in making it easy to win the nod of your audiences, too.

3. Maximize your sales force.

Customer service associates can help a lot in making you benefit more from your email correspondence. Sales people with proper education on how to aid you in this endeavor can very well contribute to higher ROI. Techniques like offering account updates and special programs through email can easily land you those lists of valuable visitors.

4. Don't make your point of sale pointless.

Forms for signup located at cash registers and other high-traffic and highly visible spots can be very excellent venues for your business to collect email addresses. Notification of upcoming sales through their email addresses and names can coax them to supply you with the information you need.

5. Conferences or trade shows can work, too.

Give Away event offers (prime example being http://www.awesomefungifts.com/) or entries on sweepstakes are great for opt-in to volunteer their contact details.

These tactics should be applied with adequate caution and should focus on earning the trust of your opt-in list instead of simply collating data for your sole own benefit. Always make sure that the forms that you will use and other methods that you will employ will not necessitate too much fuss to subscribe. This is for people to not be annoyed during the process of data supplication.

With that bunch of information, who can ever go wrong with the feat of building an opt-in list? J