It’s no secret that affiliate marketing can be a very lucrative way of making money online. In fact, many online marketers derive most of their income from affiliate marketing while others promote affiliate products as a means of complementing their online income.

However, I was a bit sceptical when I bought Secret Affiliate Code by Craig Beckta. First of all, I don’t really know him, and secondly, I have read many books on affiliate marketing and was not sure what could be so “secret” about this one…

Background to Secret Affiliate Code

Craig Beckta caught the attention of many “super affiliates” during some recent big item product launches where he managed to just about dominate the search engine results for some top product related keywords.   

This has enabled him to earn thousands of dollars in a matter of days!

In Secret Affiliate Code Craig Beckta shows exactly (step-by-step) how he did it!

What makes Secret Affiliate Code different? 

There are many ways that you can earn affiliate commissions… These include writing and submitting articles to article directories, placing banner ads on your blog or website, etc. 

However, most “super affiliates” use and recommend the following ways:

1. PPC Advertising.
2. Email Marketing (Building a huge list and emailing them about products). 

What makes Secret Affiliate Code different is that Craig Beckta managed to become a super affiliate without spending money on PPC ads and without a list!

What is the secret?

Well, Craig actually discusses four different methods in Secret Affiliate Code.

However, the bulk of his 155 page e-book is devoted to jumping on Internet marketing product launches prior to their launch date and by dominating the search engine results for that product.

He explains in great detail how this can be achieved.

Okay, what’s my honest opinion? 

I really enjoyed reading ‘Secret Affiliate Code’…

I have no doubt that anyone can replicate Craig’s success by following his step by step blueprint.

It is very detailed, well-explained and I do believe his claim that he didn’t leave anything out.

There are a couple of things in the book that I do not agree with… It has nothing to do with his overall strategy (which is very good!) but I believe it’s worth pointing out.

Firstly, Craig believes in using a keyword density of between 3% and 5% when writing articles. In other words if a keyword such as “affiliate” appears three times in a 100 word article it will have a keyword density of 3%. Many experts endorsed this view in the past but it is not as relevant today as it once was.

Secondly, Craig believes that an article should be altered by at least 40% in order for it to appear unique as far as Google is concerned. There is no evidence to support this view.

Sidebar: I am very critical by nature. I read hundreds of books, case studies and articles every year and rate every single one of them on a scale of one to five… This remains the best book on affiliate marketing I have read this year and I rate it four out of five. By the way, I can count the number of books I have rated four out of five this year on one hand. (Said I was very critical, didn’t I?) 

Is Secret Affiliate Code right for you?

Okay, this is a difficult one to answer. Let me tell you why…

Craig went out of his way to explain his strategies in as much detail as possible. In fact, I am convinced a newbie to affiliate marketing can follow his step by step instructions without a problem.

But… Does this mean you can or should target new product launches?

Let me play devil’s advocate…

Craig’s strategy is certainly doable. But, it does involve a fair amount of work. It is certainly not for the lazy! However, there are two important things to consider:

1. Bonuses – Most big item product launches are characterized by the “gurus” offering huge bonuses if you buy through their affiliate link. These bonuses are often worth thousands of dollars!

I can foresee that a new affiliate marketer may find it very difficult to compete with other marketers if he or she does not have an attractive bonus to offer!

2. Limited Time – Several big product launches this year only lasted for a couple of days (some only a couple of hours) before these products were taken off the market.

Your “window of opportunity” is often very small!   

The best part of Secret Affiliate Code! 

Dominating Google’s search results during a major product launch can make you a lot of money in a very short period of time and give you bragging rights… You can tell people that you were one of the top affiliates for XYZ. You can tell people that you made $10,000 in one day!

But, you know what? It does not appeal to me… I believe in building long-term businesses. Businesses that will continue to generate cash on a monthly basis for years to come.

The excellent linking strategy detailed by Craig Beckta in Secret Affiliate Code is perfect to boost your search engine results, rank higher for competitive keywords and get lots of free traffic!

It is the best linking strategy I have seen to date. Period!

In the end it does not matter whether you want to dominate Google during major product launches and make money as an affiliate or whether you simply want to give your own sites a boost in the search engines for some competitive keywords…

I think you will find a lot of value in Secret Affiliate Code!

The normal price of ‘Secret Affiliate Code’ is $94. However, it is currently selling for only $67.

Tip: If you try to leave the website without buying you get a “virtual smart agent” that will offer you an additional $20 discount! This means you can get your copy for only $47! And, you will also receive several bonus downloads. There is a special OTO for $27 but I cannot comment on this as I didn’t buy it.

Based on the above, I highly recommend Secret Affiliate Code.

Trust you found this review helpful. Please feel free to ask questions or share any comments you may have.

For more information, click on the link below:

==> Secret Affiliate Code

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit 

Chances are that even if you have only been involved in online marketing for a short period of time that you already have a hard drive full of Resell Rights, Master Resell Rights (MRR) and Private Label Right (PLR) products. Right? Join the club!

Selling products to which you have acquired certain rights has been a popular way of making money online for many years and will continue to be popular in the future.

Why?

Well, it is a lot easier and quicker than creating your own products and you can sell these products for a 100% profit. Many resell right packages even include sales letters and website graphics. And, resell right packages are often only a dime a dozen.

In fact, I have hundreds of Master Resell Rights that I did not even pay for… I received them as bonuses to other products I bought or ezines I joined. In many cases these products came with a Master Resell Rights License that allows me to sell them, offer rights to my buyers or even give them away for free!

Some of these products are absolute crap. But, I also have many gems!

This brings me to the main reason for writing this post…

How much money have you made selling resell rights products? Not a lot? Nothing?

Okay, I can hear you say “But Francois… How am I expected to make money when other marketers are just about giving the exact same products away for free that I want to sell!” Good point! How do you compete with 100s or even 1000s of other marketers?

Many marketers only know how to sell on price. The end result is that a great ebook or software product that should be sold for at least $47 is being sold for $0.99 on eBay or packaged with 100 other products and sold for $17.

How do you stand out from the crowd? YOU HAVE TO ADD VALUE!

Let me say it again… YOU HAVE TO ADD VALUE! That is the secret!

Now many marketers think that adding value means the same as adding a bonus or bonuses to a product. Wrong! Adding a bonus can be a good “bribe” but you need to think outside the box!

Okay, you are probably thinking something like: “Francois, that sounds nice but all I am hearing is blah, blah, blah… Show me what you mean! Give me a practical example!”

I have never before used one of my own websites as a case study… But, what the hell!

Case study of Impact Web Audio & Streaming Website Audio
 
“Impact Web Audio” is a great software program for adding audio to your website. It belongs to well-known internet marketer Gary Ambrose. Anyway, I am a firm believer in the power of website audio and bought the Master Resell Rights from Gary for $37 on the 26th of April. I registered StreamingWebsiteAudio.com on the 27th of April.

Want to guess how many results Google displays for “Impact Web Audio”… 34,400! Yes, some serious competition! But, that did not stop me and I was also not going to be selling the product for next to nothing like many of my competitors!

Here is what I did… (most of it anyway)

1. Change the header of the sales page.

This is not always necessary but I felt that the header did not look professional enough and I wanted to stand out. (I used Paint.net, a free program, to change the header and it only took me a couple of minutes)

Old Header

New Header

2. Change the sales copy.  

Apart from making some obvious changes such as inserting my own details, I also included a list of benefits under a new heading called “Benefits Of Adding Streaming Audio To Your Website” and rewrote some parts of the sales letter I didn’t like.

I also added the following graphic that I found on Stockxpert.com. It cost me $1.

3. Audio message.

I don’t see how you can sell a software program for adding audio to your website when your own sales page has no audio! Well, I added my own personal audio message (obviously using “Impact Web Audio”) and uploaded it within a couple of minutes.

4. Video message.
 
Instructional videos are very powerful! I wanted to show people, step by step, how to record a new audio message and how to add it to a website.   
 
By the way, none of the other resellers have included a video on their sales page. Based on feedback received from buyers I know that by adding a video I have helped many buyers and avoided several refunds. (I have not had a single refund!)

5. Bonuses.
 
It is not clear from the original sales copy but all buyers automatically receive Master Resell Rights when they buy “Impact Web Audio”. Most resellers don’t even mention this when selling the software… Well, I used this to my advantage and offered Master Resell Rights as bonus!

I also included a very relevant ebook as a bonus and explained how it can help buyers to achieve even better results.

6. Additional web pages.       

In order to appear more professional (good for establishing credibility) and to improve the quality score of my website I also added several new web pages, such as “Disclaimer”, “About Us”, “Contact Us”, “Privacy Statement” and “Site Map”.

7. Clickbank.com

Last but not least, I listed Streaming Website Audio with Clickbank.com.

Note: I was not sure whether affiliates would promote a website that offers buyers Master Resell Rights or whether they would rather just set up their own website and promote themselves… Well, within the first couple of weeks I have several affiliates that are actively promoting Streaming Website Audio and two of these affiliates have already given me multiple sales!

By the way, I am offering my affiliates a 75% commission, the maximum allowed by Clickbank. This means that I am only getting $5.99 from every $27 sale. Does not sound like a lot… But, I have nearly done nothing to promote this site. I have not spent one dime or even written one article! However, I am getting sales all the time!

I need to wrap this up as this post is getting far too long! If you are still reading… Thank you!

As I said earlier in this post, IT IS ALL ABOUT ADDING VALUE.

Remember that value is PERCEIVED.

Very few marketers understand this concept and even fewer know how to apply it… But, it can make a huge difference to your online earnings!

One marketer that understands this concept very well is Patrick Pretty, “Internet Marketing’s ‘Sensational Master Of Eye Candy’” (long story).

He has written an excellent report called “How To Add Value To Products And Make More Money” that I highly recommend. You can visit ValueAddedOnlineMarketing.com for more details.  

Thanks for reading and please take a minute to post a comment letting me know what you thought of this post. I always read all comments and reply to all questions.

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

Sure you do! Who doesn’t?

Guess what makes that happen…

Words that sell! And the right words sell more.

Well, I have some great news for you today!

As you may already know, Ken Evoy (CEO of Sitesell) decided some time ago to release “Make Your Content PREsell!” to the market at no cost…

If you do not already have this valuable resource you can still download it from this link: Make Your Content PREsell  

Well, he has finally decided to give the “other half of writing” away… writing to SELL.

“Make Your Words Sell! – The Simple Art of e-Persuasion” teaches you the exact steps for turning your words into “money-in-your-pocket.”

It received great reviews when it launched… For example, online guru Neil Shearing had this to say about “Make Your Words Sell!”…

“I read it cover-to-cover, and boy-oh-boy I just don’t have enough superlatives. I’ve always wanted to know how great copy was written and now I know. Scratch that, now I know how to write my own.”

“Make Your Words Sell!” has been selling for $29.95 for 8 years now.

And now… You can get your own copy without even having to opt-in to a list!

Wait until you see what’s all covered in this book!

Here’s what it will do…

* Explain why writing for the Web is different than writing for print… and how to do it.
   
* Help you understand your four visitor types and how to talk to each kind.

* Tell you how to find the key words to use so you can tell your visitors “what’s in it for them.”
 
* Explain exactly what you need to put in your headlines and subheads. (Hint… it begins with a “B”).
   
* Explain exactly what NOT to put in any of your content. (Hint… it begins with a “J”).

* Show you how to identify your USP and how to use it to stand apart from your competitors.

* Teach you the difference between your customer’s needs and their wants - and how to give them what they want.

* Tell you what kinds of images actually work on your site and what kinds do not.

* Teach you how to ask for the order.

It OVERDELIVERS with real value. I guarantee you will learn something that will change your online business for the better. You WILL learn to SELL.

If you don’t have an “Aaa-haa” moment or two, I will be very surprised. It really IS that original AND powerful.

By implementing the “Make Your Words Sell!” strategies, you will get…

* higher conversions which means more $$$ per visitor.  

* more ezine signups.

* etc.

Here is the download link: Make Your Words Sell

In case you are wondering why I am promoting this book…

Well, I don’t believe in only promoting products that will earn me fat commissions… Furthermore, I don’t want you to just download the book, thinking “it’s nice I don’t need to pay for it” and then ‘forget’ to read it…

Nothing will happen unless you take action and I trust I have given you enough reason to take action. Enjoy!

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

I recently returned home from a short 9 day holiday with my family. We had a great time. For once I decided (reluctantly) not to take my pc with me on holiday… I simply wanted to spend as much quality time with my family as possible.

However, I did spend a lot of time thinking about online marketing in general and my list in particular during some long walks on the beach… Sometimes it is good idea to put some distance between you and your pc just to clear the cobwebs and to get a fresh perspective on things.

Well, upon my return I had more than 700 new emails (all internet marketing related) in my inbox! As I started pruning my inbox I noticed that several emails were about list building. By the way, I actually deleted most of the emails before reading them but that is another story…

What I found interesting were the conflicting views of some very reputable marketers on the subject of list building. Let’s call it Scenario 1 and Scenario 2:

Scenario 1

Use a squeeze page to capture as many new subscribers as possible. Feed the new subscribers into an autoresponder sequence that will automatically email them on a daily basis. In addition, do a broadcast message to your entire list every day. Every email should be about one product you are promoting.

Scenario 2

Work on building a relationship with your list. Do something that will make you stand out from the crowd and grab the attention of your list members. Try to offer as much helpful free content as possible. Don’t try to pitch a new product with every email.

I don’t know if it’s a coincidence but I noticed an increase in the number of forum posts this week about list building. Some list owners were complaining that their list members were not very responsive while other people complained about receiving too many emails and how they have unsubscribed from multiple lists.

It is a tricky issue… We are always told that it is very important to build a list. The emphasis is normally on building a huge list and not on how to treat your list.

Personally, I believe it is important to build a list. But, I also believe what is even more important is how you treat your list!

I sometimes get the impression that many marketers have no problem building a list but are often clueless on what to do with the list…

There are several issues that should be considered…

In defense of ‘Scenario 1’ – New list members are often more responsive than ‘old’ list members. They are normally more curious as well. Chances are that if they do not buy anything from you within the first couple of weeks after joining your list they will never buy anything from you and will either unsubscribe at some point in time or will pretty much ignore your future emails.  

There are several marketers whose emails I used to read from A to Z in the beginning when I just joined their lists and whose emails I hardly ever read anymore…

Furthermore, many new marketers get disillusioned with internet marketing for a variety of reasons. In fact, I have read somewhere that the average new marketer quits within the first six months after starting! Changes are that many ‘old’ members have long ago lost interest in what you may have to say!

Anyway, in my opinion ‘Scenario 1’ can only really work over a short-term period. Most people do not want to receive daily emails. Most people do not want to read emails that are nothing more than advertisements (I was tempted to write ‘junk mail’). Your list members will very quickly unsubscribe or become unresponsive.  
        
The big problem with ‘Scenario 1’ is list fatigue. It can only work if you are continuously adding new members to your list in the hope that they will buy something while they are still fresh.     

I have no doubt that ‘Scenario 1’ can make you lots of money over the short term. But, unless you can add loads of new subscribers all the time you will quickly end up with a dead list.

Please allow me a minute to quickly digress… Some marketers have told me that they have to email their list every day because they are promoting very cheap products and need to sell quite a number of those in order to make a living. I don’t want to comment on the merits of this approach. The only thing I want to say that you have to plan ahead and select a business model that will work for you.

Okay, let’s consider ‘Scenario 2’ for a moment…

In short, it’s all about building a relationship with your list and offering loads of valuable and free content. This does not mean that you’ll never pre-sell, sell or promote any products to your list.

Most of your members will have no problem if you pre-sell, sell or promote products, as long as that’s not all you do.

Let’s compare it for a moment to a free magazine that gets delivered to your post box once a week… If this magazine contains nothing but ads, chances are you will quickly lose interest in it and think of it as nothing else but ‘junk mail’.

However, if this free magazine contains loads of interesting and often useful articles you will probably think of it in a completely different light. You will have no problem with the fact that it contains ads. Why? Because you understand that no magazine can survive financially without a single source of income.

In my opinion, the same principles apply to email marketing. It’s very logical when you think about it… Most people are reasonable and don’t expect to get everything in life for free. If they do, and unsubscribe from your list, it’s no loss!

Let’s quickly touch on the subject of relationships…

By building a ‘relationship’ with your list I am obviously not talking about building close and personal friendships… Yes, I have made many new friends through the years thanks to my ezine. But, this is not what building a relationship with your list is all about.

For me the two most important elements in building a relationship with your list are TRUST and RESPECT!

Trust + Respect = Credibility!

People are not going to take anything you say seriously if they do not trust and respect you. Furthermore, ‘trust’ and especially ‘respect’ is something you have to earn. It does not happen overnight… But, it is very easy to destroy your credibility overnight!

In my opinion, there is no better way of establishing credibility than by providing your list with quality content.

Too many marketers make the mistake of seeing their list as a ‘cash cow’ that can be milked whenever they want to! They promote absolute rubbish as the next best thing since sliced bread as long as they can earn big commissions. In other words, they don’t really care a rat’s ass about their list.

I have said it many times before, but I would like to say it again… Your main motivation should never be to milk your list members. It should be to HELP THEM!

Well, I guess by now it should be pretty clear that I believe in ‘Scenario 2’. It may not be as profitable as ‘Scenario 1’ over the short term but if you are serious about building a long term business it is the best way to go.

One last thing…

Why is building a database so important to most companies? Yes, it’s a lot easier and cheaper to market to targeted prospects and existing customers than to find new customers all the time!          

I am often surprised how some marketers work very hard to find new prospects but treat their current list members very poorly… It makes no sense to me!

Your list is one of the most important assets you can build in online marketing. Look after your list. Treat your members well and you will be handsomely rewarded. Treat your members poorly or abuse their trust and you will end up with a non-responsive list in no time at all.

Trust you have enjoyed reading or listening to this post. As always, I look forward to reading your comments!

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

Unfortunately, the latest version of Adobe’s Flash Player (Version 9) is causing serious sound quality problems for audio clips created with ‘Flash Audio Wizard’…

I have posted a notice on my website (Flash Audio Software) to this effect and have removed all payment links…    

If you have bought ‘Flash Audio Wizard’ from my website and are experiencing problems with audio quality, please let me know.

As soon as I became aware of the sound quality problems I started searching for an alternative streaming audio player. I found a great one called ‘Impact Web Audio’. In fact, I was so impressed with ‘Impact Web Audio’ that I even bought the Master Resell Rights!

I have just finished setting it up on my new website. Please feel free to visit my site and let me know what you think.

The url is http://www.StreamingWebsiteAudio.com

I think it is the ideal solution to add streaming audio to any website.

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

Every week I get several emails, requesting a so-called ‘Joint Venture’ or ‘JV’.

I am deliberately using the phrase ‘so-called Joint Venture’ because ‘Joint Venture’ is a term that is often thrown around in marketing circles although the vast majority of JV requests cannot really be called JV’s. More about this later…

There is no doubt that setting up a JV with another marketer can be very profitable. In fact, many successful marketers will testify that they only started achieving real success online once they discovered the power of Joint Ventures!

Unfortunately many if not most marketers get it wrong!

Here is an actual email I received this week:

Subject: JV Opportunity

Hello Francois,

I was inquiring about a possible JV?

We believe our product can help your
subscribers make more money online.

The videos were made by an expert in
the field and are extremely detailed.

We can setup a special page and pricing
for your subscribers. View a sample here:

Link Deleted

The commission rate is negotiable, but
our standard rate is normally 50%

Also, you can view some recent sales
figures here:

Link Deleted

Please take a look at our sales page
and if you feel you and your readers
could benefit…

contact us and we can
forward you to the members area to
view the course online.

The sales page is here:

Link Deleted

Contact me at: Email Deleted
if you are interested and would like
to see the product?

Thank you,

Name Deleted
 
Now first of all I have to admit that this is one of the better requests I have received in recent days! But, I have not even bothered to reply… Before you say that I am a bit harsh, let me say one thing… I am not the exception. If you have tried the above approach you will know what I am talking about! Zero response!

By the way, this marketer is actually not unknown to me. I don’t know him personally but I have seen his name mentioned a couple of times in marketing circles. Why I am saying this? Well, if I didn’t recognize his name I would have deleted his email straight away as his subject line ‘JV Opportunity’ sounds very spammy.

Let’s quickly have a look at this email in more detail and see what this marketer could have done…

1. Name & Subject

Okay, let’s start at the beginning… As I have already indicated, I only opened the email because I recognized the name.

If you are a new marketer you must realize that most established marketers receive hundreds of emails every day. A very large percentage of these emails can be classified as spam!

 If a marketer does not recognize your name (and he probably won’t if you’re a new marketer) he will have a quick look at your subject line. He will only open your message if your subject line is really good (not spammy!) or if he feels it is a personal email. In other words, an unique email that has been typed specifically for him.

The subject line should relate to him. Let me give you a couple of examples…

I will open all of the following emails:

“Re: Online Marketing From Home News”

I often use this headline when emailing my list and I always invite my list to reply to my emails. And, I read all emails from my list members!

“Question about Niche Marketing Uncovered”

‘Niche Marketing Uncovered’ is one of my books so this looks like a ‘personal’ email.

“About your blog Online Marketing From Home…”

Since my blog is indeed called ‘Online Marketing From Home’ I shall open the email.

See what I am getting at?

2. Salutation or Greeting

ALWAYS mention the name of the marketer you are contacting. And, make sure you spell his or her name correctly!

In the email I received the marketer greeted me as “Hello Francois” – That is okay.

3. Opening Sentence – Who are you?

You have to clarify your relationship (for lack of a better word) with the marketer you are contacting in your opening sentence. And, introduce yourself!

Tip: Compliment the marketer!

Think of it as receiving a phone call… Before you are even remotely interested in talking to someone you at least want to know who is calling you and why they are calling you.     

For example, “My name is Francois du Toit. You probably don’t know me but I am one your list members…” or “I have just finished reading your book ‘Niche Marketing Uncovered’ and I have a question regarding something you mentioned on page 87…”

You will notice that an opening sentence is completely missing from the email I received. At this point I already started losing interest…. Yes, within the first couple of seconds!

4. State why you are sending the email.      

Okay, assume you have my attention. Why are you contacting me?

The email I received was not too bad…

He did say:

I was inquiring about a possible JV?

We believe our product can help your
subscribers make more money online.

The videos were made by an expert in
the field and are extremely detailed.

The first sentence is certainly not great. But, what really bothered me was the fact that he did not mention what the product was all about! Big mistake!

I am not really interested in features such as “The videos were made by an expert in the field…” What field? What is the name of the expert? What makes him an expert?

5. Don’t expect anyone to jump through hoops!

One of the things that really irritate me, and I know I am not alone, is having to email someone before I can catch a glimpse of his or her product. Frankly speaking, I won’t do it!

If you want someone to review or promote your product you should always include a direct download link to the product.

If it is a membership site or something similar that requires you to log in, you should create an account and give the marketer you are contacting at least a temporary user name and password. Don’t expect him to contact you in order to set up his account. It is not going to happen! 

The marketer that contacted me wanted me to email him if I am interested. Why would I email him, especially if I don’t even have an idea what his product is all about.

6. Make an irresistible offer or proposal! 

Okay, maybe “irresistible” is a strong work… At least make an offer or a proposal that you will find irresistible if someone else sent it to you.

Let’s have a look at what this marketer said:

The commission rate is negotiable, but
our standard rate is normally 50%
 
Unless it is an exceptional product from a very reputable marketer you are not going to get people interested in promoting your product for only 50% commission! 

Most successful marketers have their own products or at least rights to products that they can sell for 100% profit.

Furthermore, an online marketplace such as Clickbank offers thousands of products that I can promote as an affiliate. Many of these programs will pay me up to 75% commission! I can literally pick and choose which product(s) I want to promote as an affiliate.

In all honesty, the marketer that contacted me did say that his commission rate is negotiable. However, most established marketers will not waste their time trying to negotiate a better commission rate. As soon as they see the “50%” rate most will simply delete the message, if they have not already deleted it.

Simply asking someone to promote your product for a commission as an affiliate is not a JV request. It is plain affiliate marketing. Nothing more.

What I found interesting is that the marketer that contacted me said: 
 
We can setup a special page and pricing
for your subscribers.
 
In my opinion, that is a very clever approach…

7. Social and financial proof.

It may not always be possible to provide social and financial proof with a new product but it is highly recommended!

A good example of social proof is positive testimonials. For example, if I am asked to promote a product I would like to see some testimonials on the sales page from reputable marketers that have reviewed the product or from people that have benefited from using the product.

Financial proof refers to the conversation rate of a product. What you are basically saying is that your product is selling well… For example, a conversion rate of 2% means that out of every 100 people that view your sales page 2 people will buy.

By the way, a 2% conversion rate may be the average for many products but it is certainly not very good! Another marketer is not going to get excited if your product is only converting at 2%.
 
Many top marketers will rate the conversion rate of a product as the number one criteria on their list when deciding whether or not to promote a product.

Tip: It is in your best interest to work hard on improving the conversion rate of your product by for example testing various versions of your sales copy using PPC advertising.        

Remember that online marketing is not a ‘hit and run’ business. You want to have affiliates that will be loyal to your products and that will promote your products for many years.

One of the easiest ways of destroying your credibility is to launch a product that does not convert or converts very poorly! Chances are most of your affiliates will never touch one of your products again!

The marketer that contacted me clearly stated:

Also, you can view some recent sales
figures here:

Link Deleted

Please take a look at our sales page
and if you feel you and your readers
could benefit…

If my sales page was converting well I would have made a much stronger statement!

Tip: Always have a look at the sales page of a product before you decide to promote it and walk away if there are elements you do not approve of, such as external links to other sites or products, Google Adsense ads that may distract people, etc.

This blog post is busy turning into a mini report! Time to wrap it up!

Here are a couple of additional ideas you may want to consider…

First establish a relationship!

* Contact the marketer just to tell him you love his product(s).

* Post positive comments on his blog.

* Invite him to post on your blog about one of his products.     

* Don’t ask him to promote your product. Ask him to review your product. And, do not send him reminders when you do not get a review within 24 hours!

* Offer him a 100% sales commission.

Remember that a relationship is ‘give and take’. Be the first one to give and give as much as you can. The more you give the more you will receive.

Furthermore, before I forget… Most top marketers will not promote a product that pays less than $20 in commission.

Personally, I don’t agree. I will on occasion even promote products for free or promote free products if I feel they are really good and will benefit my list members and blog readers. However, don’t expect many other marketers to promote your product for free or for only a small commission. We all have to make a living!

Do not get disappointed when it feels as if people are ignoring you. It is nothing personal. You are going to be ignored most of the time if you are a new or unknown marketer. Sorry but that is reality.

It is good to build relationships with marketers that are more successful than you are. However, it can be difficult and frustrating…

Lastly, always try to build relationships with marketers that are at the same level you are at. It is much easier and can become very profitable in the future! Remember that many of the close relationships that some of the top marketers enjoy today have been established many years ago when they were still unknown and not very successful.

Trust you have enjoyed this very long post and that you benefit and profit from it!

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

What do all of the top gurus such as John Reese, Frank Kern, Jeff Walker, Mike Filsaime and Rich Schefren have in common, apart from the fact that they have all made millions of dollars with massive product launches?

Yes, they all help, support and promote each other. In fact, many of them share close friendships going back several years…

How did it all start? In most cases it all started by meeting at an internet marketing conference and by sharing ideas over a couple of drinks at the hotel bar.   

I spent many years in the corporate world during which time I held various senior sales and marketing positions. I have always believed that face-to-face contact is the best way to establish not only business relationships but also friendships.

Furthermore, I also believe that if you want to take your online business to the next level you have to network with other marketers. There is only so much you can do on your own. Working together with like minded marketers is a great way to leverage your efforts!

One of my goals is to attend at least one internet marketing conference every year. This year it will be Bali. I may attend another conference later in the year but I have not made any plans yet.

Why Bali?

Well, unlike many internet marketing conferences this one has not been scheduled to coincide with a new product launch that the one or other marketer is planning. In other words, it is not just another self promotional conference with a couple of guest speakers. 

There won’t be any over-hyped wallet lightening sales pitches. It is really a conference that has been put together by internet marketers for internet marketers that will include some great presentations by…

* Lee McIntyre
* James B. Allen
* Dr. Mani
* James Brown
* Kevin Riley
* Rama Raju
* Willie Crawford
* John Delavera

Guest speakers will include…

* Ian Del Carmen
* Edmund Loh
* Paul Kleinmeulman

Important: This event is only for marketers that are really committed to succeed online and is not suitable for beginners.

If you would to take your business to the next level this may be the conference you have been waiting for! There will be many opportunities to meet the coaches and you can even discuss your JV proposition or enquiries with them over dinner or cocktails!

For full details visit: Bali Rendezvous

The conference will be three full days commencing on the 06th of June and will end on the 08th of June. Personally, I have always loved combining business with pleasure! I shall be arriving on the 05th of June and leaving on the 10th of June.

Please let me know if you are going to attend. I would love to invite you for a drink!

Here is the link again: Bali Rendezvous

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

What I have observed from many new marketers is that they often get so caught up in specific details concerning a very small element of online marketing that they completely miss the bigger picture.

Based on the above I have created a new video that covers what I believe to be the four basic pillars of internet marketing:

I know many people have a slow internet connection so I have included some notes below in case you have any problems viewing the video…

The four basic pillars are:

* Product
* Medium
* Traffic
* Monetize

I believe that in order to build a strong foundation for your online business you need all four of these pillars…

1. Product

It can be your own product, a product you are promoting as an affiliate or even a product that you have acquired rights to.

2. Medium

You need a way to showcase your product. Your medium can be a website, blog, Squidoo lens or even just writing and submitting articles to article directories. 

3. Traffic

Let’s face it… Without traffic you do not have customers and without customers you do not have a business.  

4. Monetize

Having traffic is great but unless to can convert that traffic into cash it is pretty meaningless.

Only once you have your four basic pillars or foundation in place should you start getting into specific details. For example, what is the point of improving your sales copy or adding adsense to your website when you have no traffic? Why focus on getting more traffic when you know your website is a mess?

There are two other factors that I have not included in the four pillars but which are very important. I have not included them because you can make money online without them but I consider them critical long-term success factors. They are:

* Goals
* Niche

Goals

Your goals will have a direct impact on how successful you are!

For example, do you want to make $100 a day or $100 a week? How much money do you want to make and should this be a recurring monthly income?

Let’s assume your goal is to make $10,000 every month and you are selling an ebook for $10 a copy. This means you need to sell 1,000 copies a month, every month!

Assuming you are selling the ebook from your website and your sales copy converts at 2% this means you need 50,000 targeted visitors a month to gross $10,000 a month.

You may need to adjust your plan, for example establish an affiliate program, add a One Time Offer, add some affiliate products, or revise your goal…

What I find strange is how some people complain they are not making enough money online but when you ask them what their current income streams are you find out they don’t really have anything in place, are doing nothing to promote their product, or are trying to make a fortune selling a cheap $5 report that they have resell rights for that everyone else is giving away for free and that is completely outdated.

Niche

Niche discovery and research is one of the most important but often misunderstood or neglected concepts in online marketing.

You need to find a niche that is right for YOU and take the time to research the niche to ensure that it is viable. I have covered this important topic in great detail in my book Niche Marketing Uncovered and there is no need to elaborate on this point.

Just one comment… There are several membership sites that will provide you with 5, 10 or 20 niche markets on a monthly basis. I honestly don’t think this is a good approach. Trying to make money from a niche that you have no interest in is not ideal.

One example… Article marketing can be a good method to drive free traffic to your site. However, how many articles can you write on a topic that is as interesting to you as counting the warts on your average warthog?

Yes, you can pay other people to write the articles for you. But, it is going to cost you money and may not necessarily be well written.

In order to succeed to need to plan and take massive action!

Here are some steps that will help:

Step 1 – What are my goals?
Step 2 – Find the right niche for YOU.
Step 3 – Decide on your product offering.
Step 4 – Develop your medium.
Step 5 – Drive targeted traffic.
Step 6 – Monetize your traffic.    
Step 7 – Continuous improvement.

So, before you start wondering if it is a good idea to spend $47 a month on Mr. Marketer’s private label rights membership site remember there are no short cuts to building a profitable online business. 

Tip 1 – Use leverage!
 
Leverage basically means getting more done with the same effort. A good example is setting up your own affiliate program once you have developed your own product. Why try to go it alone when you can have hundreds of affiliates promoting your product?

Tip 2 – Over deliver!    

The internet can be a very crowded market place. You need to stand out from the crowd and one of the best ways is to over deliver. Work on exceeding your customer’s expectations and this will set you apart from the vast majority of online marketers.

Tip 3 – Focus on helping people!

Many marketers only focus on how they can stuff more money into their pockets instead of how they can really help people. You will make a lot more money in the long-term if your key focus is helping other people. And, it is a great feeling knowing you are making a difference!

Trust you have enjoyed this post. I am sorry it is a bit long… I tried to keep it as short as possible but did not want to cut out too many important points.

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit 

Last week Tuesday was my birthday (I turned 38 ) and I decided to take a couple of days off to spend some quality time with my family and to take a step back from my business to gain a fresh perspective on things.

I was planning to start working again yesterday morning but an electric sub-station close to my house exploded and that left us without electricity for the whole of yesterday and a big part of today…

Anyway, sometimes it is good to take a bit of a break from the pc!

I really need your opinion on something…

Let me explain…

It is not always easy to produce a high quality newsletter that will satisfy all the members on my list. Some members are, for example, mainly interested in getting information on PPC while other members may only be interested in getting information on affiliate marketing.

It is nearly impossible to write a newsletter that caters for everyone all the time, unless I start bombarding my list members with daily emails trying to cover everything under the sun, and that is not an approach I feel comfortable with.

My approach up to know has been very simple, namely to use my newsletter and blog to:

1. Provide quality free content.  
2. Recommend good products that I have personally reviewed.
3. Stay in touch and help my highly valued list members.

Personally I think this approach has been working very well. But, I am always looking for new ways to improve what I am doing.

One of the things I would like to focus on more in the future is to post regular “how to” videos and audio messages on my blog. In some of these posts I may decide to promote a specific product, if I feel it can benefit my list members.

However, the majority of these posts will be pure content posts. In other words, posts where my only aim is to help my list members and where I do not stand to gain anything financially.

In case you are wondering… I love helping other people. Yes, even for free. Obviously I have a family to feed so I cannot only focus on helping people for free. But, even when I promote a product as an affiliate, my main criteria is not how much commission I can make but if I feel the product can really help my list members.

Fact of the matter is that there are many good products that can be obtained for free but there are also many good products that cannot be obtained for free. My aim is to recommend both paid and free products, on condition that they are really good and helpful.

I know there are many marketers that will never promote a product unless they can benefit from it financially. In fact, many marketers even publicly state that unless they can get at least an affiliate commission of $20 per sale that they will not even bother looking at the product. I don’t agree with this approach…

You see, I always believe in putting the interests of my list members first. I believe that in having an attitude of first of all helping people my business will outlast most other online business that only focus on milking people.  

Okay, back to the above point about using audio and video…

I have added two posts recently (directly below this post) and would appreciate your feedback.

How To Find Your Own Voice Doing Online Marketing From Home

What I have done is to record and post an audio message of the post. My reasoning is that some people may prefer listening to an audio message instead of reading a post.

What’s your opinion?

How To Embed Audio In A Wordpress Blog
   
The most recent blog post I made (apart from this one) is a “how to” video. I know that some people are not crazy about listening to videos, especially long ones. However, I also know that many people prefer learning new stuff by seeing how it is done.

What do you think? Would you like to see regular “how to” videos? (By the way, I will keep the videos short, say between 2 minutes and 10 minutes)

Lastly, please let me know how I can help YOU. What type of information are you interested in (please be as specific as possible). Is there anything you don’t like from my email messages or blog that I can rectify?

I cannot promise to give you exactly what you want but I can promise that I will do my best to help you. I know that a large percentage of people do not even open up the email messages to which they have subscribed, and my newsletter is no exception. However, I am prepared to bend backwards to help the people that actually take the time to read my messages and blog posts. So, if you are reading this I would love to hear from you.

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit

P.S. Please simply post your comments to this message or feel free to email me. I do reply to all comments and emails.

Please let me know if you have any questions and what you thought of the video.

I am planning on adding several more “how to” videos in the future dealing with various aspects of online marketing. If you have any special requests please do not hesitate to let me know.

To YOUR Online Marketing Success!

Francois du Toit