Facebook vs. MySpace

Using Google Trends you can see that Facebook (blue) continues to grow, leaving MySpace (red) in it's dust.

From an Internet Marketers perspective there are two things I want to share from this.

1. Did you know you can advertise on Facebook? I've heard some marketers that have had some nice success with it too. Since all the ads are behind a login and Facebook users basically share all kinds of information about themselves, you can create campaigns targeting by gender, age and location.
2. The constant growth of Facebook shows just how social the web has become. Is your website adjusting to this change? I discovered a great tool last week that allows your visitors to leave reviews (comments and ratings) for any page/product on you website. It's called JS-Kit and the best part is that it's completely free! I've tested it and love it. It adds a whole new social element to your site, giving your visitors a reason to come back.

No Comment | Posted in » Affiliate Marketing Tips, Cool Tools, Facebook, Social Marketing    

The Art of a Targeted Click

A visitor to your site should be handled with care. Your visitors are busy people and they’ve trusted your site with their precious time. Ultimately, in our affiliate minds, we hope that visitor translates into either some sort of commission for you or becomes a repeat visitor. There is a wrong way and right way to handle your visitors.

When your visitors click on your affiliate link you want it to be as targeted and of the highest quality (best position to convert). Don’t make the mistake of quickly sending your visitors off to another site in hopes they convert. That’s the equivalent of crossing your fingers, hoping your business succeeds. I understand that many affiliates have the mentality of "if I can just get them to click on my affiliate links as much as possible, the sales will come." That is the wrong approach.

It is best to keep your visitors on your site if they are not going to convert. Why give away free clicks to a merchant so they can brand their sites name into the head of YOUR visitor? Foolishness! Your great content (which you do have, right?) is better used by branding that visitor with your site. You want visitors to return to your site in the future and if you just send them quickly off to an affiliate offer, your site is just a blur in their experience.

Are we clear? Now, here is want you want to do. On your product or money pages you want to qualify that click before sending them off. How is this done?

One of our affiliates, favorideas.com, is a pro at this. Take a look at this product page for one of our wedding favors.

http://www.favorideas.com/shopping/prod/BRLeaves.htm

See the button she uses? It says Buy Now. Not click here for more information, not shop now. She is telling the customer what to do. Want to buy this now? If so, this is what you need to click. They know the price and have seen the product. The obvious next step is to buy it. If the user is just browsing then they won’t click and will stay on her site. Again, you don’t want YOUR visitor browsing someone else’s site. Browsers don’t buy. Browsers build up ideas in their heads. If they find a good one, you want them to remember YOUR site so that they return later to buy it through you.

One last thing FavorIdeas.com does. When you click the Buy Now button is opens the site in a new window. This is also a great strategy because if the visitor doesn’t like what they see after the click, her site is still viewable. Yet, the affiliate cookie is still set so even if they do go back to the merchant's site, she will still get the commission.

Now go...and make your business better.

No Comment | Posted in » Affiliate Marketing Tips, Real Affiliate Examples