Tag Archives: online forum

4 Cheap Website Traffic Ideas

September 13, 2009 – 9:47 pm

Targeted traffic to your website is the number one goal you have to concentrate on when first starting an internet business. I have found that to be more important even than the quality of your website. Luckily you can get cheap targeted website traffic if you do it right.

There are a lot of ways to generate traffic on the internet. Your goal is to be consistent and never spend more money than you can afford to lose. Internet advertising is like gambling in that way. But I have good news. It can be done without spending alot of money.That’s one of the great advantages to running an internet business. The home based business owner has many low or no options when it comes to advertising and drawing interested individuals to their sites.

Here are four ways to get targeted traffic cheaply.

Traffic Exchanges

These are exceptional tools when used right. Although every niche may not benefit from this particular traffic method, it can be used with great success when dealing with MLM, affiliate marketing and home based business opportunities.

One of the best ways to use traffic exchanges is to create your own separate landing page for the product or opportunity you’re promoting. Always try to stand out from the crowd by using something other than what all the other affiliates are using.

Then by simply enticing other surfers with some free information and using an autoresponder to capture their name and email address you can quickly build your own opt-in list of interested prospects.

Publish An Ezine

While this may seem time consuming, it really doesn’t have to be. There are hundreds of article directories floating around with articles written by experts in almost every field. Simply use them within the guidelines prescribed by the directory and author, add a few lines from yourself as an introduction and throw in an ad and you’ve got yourself a newsletter.

Write And Submit Articles

As the previous point shows, there are many hundreds of article directories out there and literally thousands of web sites, ezines and newsletter publishers looking for new and unique content every day.

By writing your own articles and including a link back to your site you’re not only branding yourself as an expert but also creating valuable backlinks to your site. This is a huge factor when it comes to search engine rankings which bring the best free traffic.

Join Some Internet Forums

By joining online forums you can also gain backlinks to your site by posting comments and using a sig file with your links in it. Beware though that most forums frown on blatant advertising. You have to attempt to add something of worth with your posts or you may get banned.

Use all four of these cheap traffic ideas on a regular basis and you’ll surely see a climb in traffic.

Jeff Schuman invites you to visit his make money website that is #2 on Google for the keyword phrase make money online
http://www.team-schuman.com
By admin | Posted in Traffic Ideas | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

A 10-Point Checklist for Choosing an Affiliate Program Customers Want

July 23, 2009 – 12:22 am



As an affiliate marketer, you want to offer the best affiliate products and services possible to your target market. The only way to do that is to align yourself with a quality affiliate program to achieve these goals. However, you must know what to look for when shopping for an affiliate program that meets your customers’ needs.

When you are part of a great affiliate program, you will perform article writing and article marketing with confidence. That’s because you know those who click through from your articles have great affiliate products waiting for them there. The following is a 10-point checklist for choosing the best affiliate program for your customers.

1. Is the affiliate company a reputable one who stands behind their products? You must know this up front. While the company you associate yourself with doesn’t have to be a household name, they must be one that operates with integrity towards their customers. That means offering guarantees, warranties, trial offers, after-sales service and the like. When you know a company deals with any product concerns a customer has, then you know you are dealing with a company who puts customers’ first.

2. Does the company offer their products at fair prices for your potential customers? Do they price gouge knowing they have a captive market? They may get away with it once, but consumers these days are savvy. They’ll drop you and your affiliate parent like a hot rock if they feel a company is taking advantage of them.

3. Does the affiliate program encourage dialog with potential customers. When a customer clicks on your affiliatebanner, does the affiliate make them feel welcome and special. Do they have online forums for product or service discussions? Do they offer additional resources to help a potential customer make an informed buying decision? You want customers to enjoy the affiliate parent’s site and find it valuable for meeting their needs. This way they purchase out of trust and you reap the benefits with increased commissions.

4. Is the affiliate product one that customers want? A company may be producing a high-quality product of the best design and construction. They may use the best materials around. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a useless product. A well-built product that interests no one is a well-built dud.

5. Does the affiliate program give deals to customers who are regular purchasers? You may be promoting an affiliate product that is a consumable, that your customers buy each week or month. Does the affiliate program you are a part of reward these types of customers for their loyalty? If they do, they will be long-term customers providing you long-term commissions.

6. Does the affiliate program offer upgrades and accessories for the affiliate product you are promoting? Customers buy affiliate products if they are current and have the little add-ons they need. A poor affiliate program still sells older versions of products with none of the newer accessories that tie into them.

7. Does the affiliate program try to get the word out about their product in creative ways? Sure, you will have text links and banner links on your website. Yes, you will do the proper article writing and article distributions that are part of a well-planned article-marketing program. However, that’s not enough.

You want an affiliate company to do their part promoting their products. You want them to be on the cutting edge of marketing; getting the word out about their products to vast audiences. This helps you. It’s all about brand identity. When someone sees a banner on your site, they may already know about and identify with this brand name. They may be ready to buy now.

8. Does the affiliate program constantly seek new niche markets? Ask your affiliate program manager about this. Ask if they are seeking out new niches in untapped markets. If they are, join the cause and reap the benefits. You don’t want an affiliate program that rests on their laurels, never looking for new opportunities.

9. Does the affiliate program encourage customers to become possible downline affiliate members of yours? If a customer you refer to an affiliate parent expresses interest in becoming an affiliate, does the program manager set them in your downline as a reward to you? After all, you got them to that company’s site in the first place. A good affiliate program helps their affiliates prosper right along with them.

10. Is the affiliate program adaptable? Again, ask the affiliate manager about this. Do they conduct surveys with customers to ask them about their changing needs? Does the affiliate program manager respond rapidly to changes in the marketplace due to customers changing wants and needs? Does the affiliate parent make product and service modifications to respond to customer’s needs? An affiliate program that does is an affiliate program that will remain viable for a long time.

Consider the above ten points for choosing an affiliate program that customers want. There are many affiliate programs out there that remain entrenched in the same-old, same-old, who don’t offer what consumers desire. Add your own points to the list as you think of them. Then put an affiliate program you’re interested in through this screening process before you decide to associate your self with them.



By admin | Posted in Affiliate Programs | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Viral Marketing Crash Course – lesson five

April 19, 2009 – 5:02 am

Today, I want to share with you how you can use online forums as
a part of your viral marketing campaign.

Forum marketing has been touted as a kind of free, organic, viral
marketing. But because so many marketers go into forums purely
with the intention of marketing products or services, their actions
and attitude unwittingly causes the exact opposite of the desired
effect.

Forums aren’t marketplaces, but when used as such, the
marketers’ actions become offensive and will only inspire the
wrath of fellow members and marketers, not to mention
moderators who can ban them from the site with the click of their
mouse.

In order to be effective, this kind of marketing carries a certain
degree of commitment, responsibility and respect.

The first requirement is to take a personal interest in the main
topic of the forum. Not only does that mean visiting it regularly, but
it also means developing a good relationship with both other
members and the moderators, as well as taking an active interest
in helping others. Of course, it also means abiding by and all rules
that exist.

By doing this, you can develop a reputation and, since it is human
nature to work with a trusted colleague, business will naturally
develop from this.

This type of marketing has already suffered some abuse and
because of this, many forums have recently developed stringent
rules designed to protect their members from abusive or overly-
aggressive marketing tactics. One forum grants .sig files only after
a member has created one hundred valid posts and another has
disallowed ads in sig files altogether.

Marketers must respect that the purpose of a forum is to be a
platform to exchange ideas on a given topic. It is not there to
advertise products and services. By focusing on the topic and
posting questions and answers, your reputation will grow and this
creates the potential for sales naturally.

That’s it for today’s lesson. In tomorrows lesson we will talk about
taking your viral marketing campaign mobile.

By admin | Posted in Internet Marketing, Viral Marketing | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)