I am using the Affiliate Theme by UBDesigns. The same people who
designed shoemoney.com, johnchow.com, zacjohnson.com (all super
online marketers – like em or not), put this amazing platform
together. There isn’t a simpler way to build landing pages than by
using this tool. Good tools help save you time and money. The
affiliate theme will help you accomplish both. Whether you are
building review sites or simple landing pages – THIS IS YOUR ANSWER

Affiliate Theme:
http://www.affiliatetheme.net/491.html

Well, I don’t want to take up too much more of your time, so I will
bring this email to a close, but make sure you are watching the
blog: www.affiliateschoolhouse.com and your inbox for more goodies

All my best,
Preston

Are you just starting out in affiliate marketing and PPC advertising? Are you a veteran PPC player that is looking for other ways to maximize profits with little marketing spend? Have your PPC campaigns recently drained your pocket book with little ROI? It happens to the best of us. Sometimes a PPC space is hyper-competitive and your advertising costs can skyrocket due to a number of factors including: keyword competition, veteran marketers, poor ad copy, non converting landing pages, weak urls, the dreaded quality score (Google), and a host of many other factors depending upon the search engine you are using for your marketing efforts.

Have you ever seen a drop card or a promo post card flyer? Of course you have! In the world of guerrila marketing, street teams are hired to go out and use drop cards to market businesses, music artists, club events, sporting events, etc. This type of marketing costs pennies in comparison to some PPC campaigns.

Still not sure what a drop card is? No problem, I’ll explain. A drop card is nothing more than a simple business card or post card that has effective ad copy, eye catching graphics/color schemes, and a URL. These drop cards are strategically “dropped”  in public places with high traffic, such as: gas stations, shopping malls, strip centers, restaurants, cafes, clubs, bars, college campuses, car washes, bookstores, movie theaters, etc. in order to maximize visibility and exposure to potential customers. Beginning to see the idea? You basically blanket your local area with your advertisements for very little spend. I will show you where you can pick up your own drop cards to test this offline marketing method.

500 Template Cards
very few design options
$9.00 range

500 Premier Business Cards
upload your own design
design online with more templates
custom text
$16.00 range
NOW ON SALE – Best Value $9.00 range

1000 Dollar Drop Cards
drop cards that look like REAL MONEY!
extreme eye catching!
custom text and logo
$145.00 no doubt about it these are expensive but just look at them!

EXAMPLE:
Running some CPA offers for ringtones? Are you finding that some PPC keywords are way too expensive? Perhaps you should try drop card marketing. Here is a real example of how an affiliate marketer might employ this offline marketing tactic. Let’s say that you own the url, RingToneKing.com and you use this url for your online marketing efforts (not sure who owns this, but hey, you just got some free exposure – you’re welcome) and you are finding that your PPC efforts are not doing as well as you would like. So, you begin a drop card marketing campaign in your local area to generate some traffic and hopefully, some conversions.  I have written a fast action guide for you to model in your marketing niche. Let’s get started!

1. Purchase A Separte, Unique Domain
In this example, let’s say you decide to buy RingToneOffers.com, which is different from your primary domain, RingToneKing.com, that you market online (SEO, social media, PPC, etc.)  You want this separate domain name so that you can effectively track your offline efforts. When we say “offline”, we simply mean that our marketing is done offline but our conversions happen online, since we are driving people to our domain via our drop cards.  This new domain should have some form of analytics running: google analytics, awstats, or something similar, so that you can see that people are coming to your site from your offline marketing efforts. You will only want to use this new domain for your offline marketing efforts. Head on over to GoDaddy.com to pick up your “drop card domain”

2. Carefully Select Your Placements
Since you are marketing ringtones, you know that your target audience is somewhere within the demographic of male and females between the ages of  15 to 30.  You have decided that your best areas to advertise with your drop cards would be near local highschools and colleges/community colleges. Scout out local movie theatres, movie rental businesses, theme parks (if applicable), sporting events, shopping malls, fast food restaurants, starbucks, cafe’s, ice cream parlors, etc. that are in close proximity to these areas. You might also consider areas where young adults hang out such as: clubs, bars, etc. and use your drop cards accordingly. Young people buy ringtones, so you need to advertise to those areas. This isn’t rocket science! Think of this type of offline marketing as online marketing within the Google content network or on sites like adbrite. How is that the same? Well, you get to select your placements within these content networks, right? So, do the same in regards to your offline efforts. Select your placements wisely and they will convert, but just like online marketing, you MUST have great ad copy, the best design that fits both your budget and your product, and a unique URL.

3. Budget, Ad Copy & Design
As you already know, the success of your online PPC marketing is contingent upon your budget, focused keywords, great ad copy, good urls, and awesome landing pages. This also applies to your offline marketing efforts. You must decide what your budget is for offline marketing, as this will determine what options you can include on your drop cards. The larger your budget, the more design options are available to you. You must also focus on creating good ad copy, so that your potential customer completes the first call to action, which is picking up the card and taking it with them. The design factor of your card: color, fonts, and background must also be taken into consideration, as this plays a key role in the potential customers completing both the first call to action and the second call to action. This second call to action includes retrieving the card to get the url to visit the website. (On a side note: this is why selecting a great domain name for offline marketing is so important. Someone may pick up your card and read it, but not take it with them. However, if you have a solid domain name and your ad copy was good – it is possible that they will remember the domain name!!)

4. Start Dropping!
Now that you have an idea of what drop cards are, and how you use them, you must order your first run and start dropping these cards in high traffic public areas!! Good luck!

1. DO NOT SPAM YOUR PRODUCT LINKS OR AFFILIATE LINKS

How many times have you seen someone on Twitter or Facebook spam links all day long about some $4.95 trial for Adwords Crusher or something like that. I know I have. Unfortunately it seems that many people in this space will do anything to make a quick buck, even if that means resorting to spamming. This annoying practice occurs daily, via email (as almost all of us know), Twitter, Myspace, Facebook, Forums, as well as many other places. I would fill up this entire post if I listed every way that marketers spam. These so-called internet marketers and affiliate marketers are not connecting with their audience and will ultimately never build a sustainable business. Don’t follow the advice of others if it includes this type of behavior. Be wary. Nobody, and I mean nobody, likes a spammer.

2. DO NOT ANNOY THE “BIG DOGS” – AUTHORITY VOICES

It’s smart to build relationships with the authority voices within your space, but do it the right way. Constantly emailing, or pinging these individuals for business advice, support, or begging them to promote your site, blog, links or products is a great way to burn a bridge. This will not help your business.

3. DO NOT LOOK FOR FAST MONEY

There is no get rich quick system out there that will earn you respect and build you a lasting business. Sure, you might make a few quick bucks but you will alienate alot of people, annoy others, and be left with nothing worthwhile. Think about it.

Internet and Affiliate Marketing Etiquette – Part 1 from Preston Taylor on Vimeo.

1. DO JOIN THE CONVERSATION ONLINE AND OFFLINE

Similar to spamming, nobody likes to be around people who only talk at them and not with them. What do I mean by this? It simply means that it’s important to engage in conversations, instead of always talking about what you do or what you are promoting.

2. DO BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR AUDIENCE, AUTHORITY VOICES, & AFFILIATE MANAGERS

This one is a no-brainer. If you build relationships you will be able to move your business to the next level.

3. JOIN THE BEST AFFILIATE NETWORKS

Always seek out the best affiliate networks, affiliate programs, and products to promote. Don’t try to join every program out there. You will just end up overwhelmed and confused. Speak to a representative at these networks and have them sell you on why you should promote their products.

4. PROTECT YOUR GOOD NAME

Word travels fast within the internet and affiliate marketing space. This means that you should strive to build the very best reputation that you can by forging quality relationships, by sharing quality content, and by helping others achieve their goals. Helping someone can open many different doors. It’s how I met one of my best friends on the internet and it has helped me tremendously.

**Authority Voice: I can’t stand the word guru or expert so I choose to use authority voice as a substitute.

Internet and Affiliate Marketing Etiquette – Part 2 from Preston Taylor on Vimeo.

Get out your spiral notebooks and a good pen. You are definitely going to want to jot down some stuff this morning. I wanted to get some links up on the blackboard real quick so that you could take a look at what a Big Product Launch is all about. The internet marketing space is filled with opportunities! One of the biggest launches that just occurred was Frank Kern’s Mass Control 2.0, which I picked up and highly recommend to everyone. Well, Mike Filsaime is about to do the same with his second installment of his virally popular, Butterfly Marketing system.

Mike, like Frank Kern, is an authority voice in the internet marketing space. He has been involved in the IM space for quite some time now and he definitely knows what he is doing. Every big online marketer will tell you that part of their success comes from pairing with good affiliates, who promote their products. Here at the affiliate school house, we will teach you just how you can get involved in lucrative launches like Butterfly Marketing 2.0 and all the other good stuff that will be coming out this year and in the years to come.

Before we get into all of that, I want each of you to really monitor the pre-launch, launch, and post launch of this product. You can do this by signing up for Butterfly Marketing updates – Just enter your name and email and Mike will send you awesome video case studies, testimonials, and more! This will be an exciting case study for sure. Already, some of Mike’s affiliates have won MacBook Pros, MacBooks, iPods, and more. This should definitely grab your interest. People like Mike reward affiliates for their hard work, and there are many more good marketers like Mike Filsaime within the space.

Let’s head on over and pay Mike Filsaime a visit to  see what all the excitement is all about —-> Click Here

Get Mike Filsaime’s FREE REPORT on Butterfly Marketing – This is a great thing to read!

Talk with you soon,
Preston
Affiliate School House – Dean

Have you checked out our current study courses?

ADDITIONAL STUDY RESOURCES

MORE ON MARKET RESEARCH AND MARKET UNDERSTANDING:

Ed Dale is a wonderful source for explaining market understanding and research,
which is critical in determining your success as an affiliate marketer. I highly suggest
checking out this resource. It is top notch in both production and content value.

CURRENTLY BEING STUDIED AT THE AFFILIATE SCHOOLHOUSE:

Join the program by clicking the banner and join the Affiliate School House study group.

So, what is the best method for getting on the right track from the very start?
There are several key factors that when combined will yield the best returns.I think the best way to illustrate this is by giving you a list of questions and statements that will help you make the right decisions in regards to what will work best for YOU and YOUR business.

Selecting Affiliate Programs:
It’s important at first that you select some items that you will have fun promoting. If you are interested in what you are promoting, you will work harder and put in the extra efforts because you have a genuine interest in the products. It will make the journey more tolerable when you come across bumps in the road and will make it that much sweeter when you taste success.

The Best Method/Approach For Selecting Great Affiliate Programs: A Quickstart Guide

1. Assuming you don’t have a blog or website – What things are you passionate about? (cooking, sports, fashion, toys, electronics, etc.)
2. Assuming you don’t have a blog or website – What items from your passions do you think you would have the most fun promoting? Select some niche products.
3. After selecting some niche items, use Google and other research tools to determine if there is a buyer’s market with good volume for those items.
4. If you currently have a blog or website, what is it about? Is there room to promote products within it? If so, select items that complement your site/blog.
5. Use sites like commissionjunction, sharasale, and linkshare to search for affiliate programs.
6. Use Google to search for your selected niche products. Review the results and try to locate products. Look for affiliate programs on those sites.
7. Get involved in the affiliate marketing communities and ask other people which affiliate clearinghouses/programs they like the best.
8. Sign Up for several affiliate programs/products. DON’T GO OVERBOARD!
9. This goes without saying, BUT, select the associated programs that have the most traffic and the best commission rate/structure.
10. Deploy your affiliate links via your website, blog, articles, forums, etc. <— more on this later.
11. Optimize your pages/articles for your related affiliate items with current SEO tactics
12. Review your traffic and conversions. Maky any necessary adjustments.
13. Rinse and Repeat…

How To Get Started in Affiliate Marketing – Part 1 from Preston Taylor on Vimeo.

Talk with ya soon,
Preston

Currently Being Studied at The Affiliate Schoolhouse:
Join the program by clicking the banner and join the Affiliate School House study group.

What is it? How Does it work?
The basic idea behind affiliate marketing is really quite simple. As a matter of fact, you have probably already witnessed a version of affiliate marketing in your daily life, but didn’t notice. In affiliate marketing you basically act as a salesman/saleswoman for Brand “X” by promoting their products using your own website, blog, newsletter or other marketing tool. In this example, let’s refer to Brand “X” as Amazon. Amazon.com, the company, wants affiliate marketers – YOU,  to drive quality traffic to their website in order to increase their POTENTIAL sales volume. As an affiliate marketer for Amazon.com,  if you drive visitors to Amazon’s website and they become an Amazon customer, by purchasing an item via your affiliate link, they credit your affiliate account with a commission – MONEY!

Affiliate Marketing Scenario:
Let’s say that you send visitors to Amazon.com from your affiliate link (aka: web link, hyperlink, affiliatelink) that is located on your website that focuses on iphone accessories. In this example, let’s say that you have a nice banner ad for iphone cases at the top of your website that has an affiliate link that goes to Amazon.com. If a visitor clicks that banner ad they will be sent to the product page for that item with your unique affiliate id recorded by Amazon. FYI(affiliate links can also be placed on blogs, newletters, forum signatures, classified ads, etc) At this point, it does not matter if the customer buys an iphone case or a DVD player, as long as they purchase something while they are at Amazon, having been sent there from your affiliate link, your affiliate account will be credited with a sale! Here are the three basic scenarios of affiliate marketing as they relate to our example:

• If the individual that landed on Amazon.com through your affiliate link DOES make a purchase while at Amazon, your affiliate account WILL receive a commission for that sale.
• If the individual that landed on Amazon.com through your affiliate link DOES NOT make a purchase, then, hopefully, a cookie with your unique affiliate id will reside on their internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, etc.) so that if they decide to make a purchase LATER, your affiliate account WILL receive a commission for that sale.
• If the individual that landed on Amazon.com through your affiliate link NEVER makes a purchase, then you WILL NOT receive a commission.

This is a basic video example of how affiliate marketing works:

Talk with ya soon,
Preston

Currently Being Studied at The Affiliate Schoolhouse:
Join the program by clicking the banner and join the Affiliate School House study group.