Shawn Collins' Blog

Affiliate marketing and other stuff from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

Archives for April 2008

Amazon.com Affiliate Link Checker

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The Amazon.com affiliate program has a neat tool I just found called the “Link Checker.”

links

This is exciting to me, because I’ve had concerns in the past that affiliate links that go through .htaccess redirects might not retain my affiliate ID.

The Link Checker tool enables you to paste your affiliate link and then load that link into a preview window.

Then you can click to check the link and there is a message indicating whether or not the link is tracking with your affiliate ID properly.

I think this is a great tool to provide affiliates with some peace of mind before launching a campaign, and I would love to see other affiliate programs and networks add this feature.

Affiliate Storefronts

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Q: Is a storefront a successful way to promote products as an affiliate?

Shawn CollinsA: It can be successful, but I would consider it to be an introductory way into affiliate marketing.

With affiliate storefronts, you are using a widget or script to generate it, so I don’t think it should be a long-term plan for you.

I’d look at it as a way to break into the business and learn some things.

If you plan to work in affiliate marketing for years and want something scalable, I don’t think you should rely on storefronts powered by somebody else.

Also, it depends on your technical prowess. I still use storefronts myself for various projects to test things or as fillers.

Landing Page Optimization

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I got an email the other day from a guy who is writing a new book on affiliate marketing.

He sent a form letter to me requesting that I contribute content to the book, and how he’s written a bunch of previous books on various subjects.

He is the sort of author I don’t care to read – a gun for hire that doesn’t have a firm grasp of the subject, yet he’s writing a definitive guide on it.

So, while he’s the author, he is trying to get other people to provide the content.

On the other end of the spectrum, there are books like Landing Page Optimization: The Definitive Guide to Testing and Tuning for Conversions by Tim Ash.

I had to make space on the bookshelf behind my desk for this book, because I found it so useful that I want to have easy access.

The effectiveness of your landing pages is tied directly to your success, so it’s important whether you’re an affiliate, affiliate manager, or anybody else with a site to have a firm grasp on testing and fine tuning landing pages.

Admittedly, some of the content was over my head, like when Tim gets into “The Math of Tuning,” but it was compelling content throughout and I look forward to applying what I learned.

The book by itself is a great reference, but I am all the more enthusiastic about it, because I know Tim Ash is a long time practitioner of the landing page optimization methods in the book.

MarketLeverage is Dressed for Success

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Performance based ad network MarketLeverage has outfitted themselves nicely in GeekCast.fm gear.

marketleverage goes geekcast

GeekCast is the latest site to be featured by the MarketLeverage fashion brigade. Previous recipients of their t-shirt Valentines have been ProBlogger, ShoeMoney, and ZacJohnson.com.

Also, Jim Kukral just blogged about their keen marketing efforts – the MarketLeverage folks are making an effort to stand out and it’s working.

I especially like what they are doing with MarketLeverage TV.

In appreciation for their support of GeekCast, I’ll give them a little plug…

Market Leverage, a leading performance based advertising network, is one of the most trusted names in affiliate marketing. Our philosophy is simple: to provide publishers and advertisers with effective online media solutions built on accuracy, accountability and above all, integrity.

One thing is certain from their team picture, Market Leverage is the best dressed network.

Affiliate Content

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Q: What kind of information do I put on a Web site once I decide on a niche?

A: That’s sort of an unusual question. I would think you’d typically pick a niche where you have some background knowledge.

My topline advice would be that you should develop some original content.

Rather than pick a niche, because it is hot and sexy and trendy, pick something you know about, so you can write from your experience and knowledge-base, instead of just trying to manufacture content.

Pick something you know and add your unique take to the coverage of that area.

One method for generating content is to create a site similar to what I do with AskShawnCollins.com.

Anybody can ask a question about affiliate marketing, and I answer it via video and text.

Try that and you will eventually have a regular flow of new questions to help generate your original content.

I Killed My Hard Drives

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I was doing a little spring cleaning and decided to get rid of a couple of old computers that were retired years ago and stuck on a shelf in my basement.

I was thinking of just reformatting the hard drives and putting them on my curb for passers-by to snag, and then I read “How should I erase my hard drive before I give it away?” by Leo Notenboom on his Ask Leo! site.

According to Leo, “But to really, positively, and permanently destroy your data you need to physically destroy the disk.”

So that’s what I set out to do.

I rounded up a couple of my kids and my dog and we stomped, chucked, smashed, covered with wood chips, and submerged the hard drives in water.

I figured if I couldn’t wipe the hard drives clean for sure, I’d better torture them before putting them out to pasture.

In case somebody stumbles on the two I just worked over, they were packaged with a dirty diaper before going in the trash, so I think I am safe.

Anyhow, just something to consider if you are tossing out or donating a computer. Be sure to reformat the hard drive at a minimum.

The Retweet

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The final chapter in the whole Twitter Me This saga has been told on video.

This geek soap opera is the culmination of a tense couple of weeks where I criticized Jim Kukral’s account on Twitter that encouraged people to follow him for a chance to win money.

I always thought Jim was a smart marketer with lots of neat ideas. I just wasn’t crazy about this one.

Anyhow, I got together with Jim last week in San Antonio and all is well. He is most definitely still the Emcee for Affiliate Summit East 2008 (a handful of people wrote privately to ask).

All’s well that ends well.

Marketing Niches or Passions

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Q: Is it still possible to make money today as an affiliate marketer, or is it harder to make money with Google axing the thin AdSense sites? Also, what are the top niche sites to look at if I was starting in affiliate marketing today? I see posts about making sites based on my interests, but I don’t know if my interests will make me any money. So I’d like to create specialty sites to serve as funnels for lead gen offers. How do I get started?

Shawn CollinsA: I guess there are a couple different schools of thought here. There are mercenaries who will use products like Google Trends and WordTracker to identify the most valuable keywords and niches to focus on.

Personally, I don’t advocate that approach. Rather, I think you should promote areas that you like… topics that you love.

The reason being that there is a greater chance you’ll stay with it longer and have passion for it.

If you are going to go with trends, they change day to day, so it will require constant research and tweaking.

You might also want to check out AffSpy to find the best offers.

Affiliate Marketing with Oprah

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Q: I have this idea, but I don’t know if I can pull it off – legally especially. I love Oprah and I bet a lot of other women love Oprah, too. I buy pretty much anything she endorses. I subscribe to Oprah magazine and there are a lot of products featured in each issue. I’m thinking I’d like to feature some of these products on my site and label them “as seen in Oprah magazine”. Is that legal for me to use Oprah’s name – can I actually do that?

Shawn CollinsA: My first answer is to check with a lawyer. I have no legal background at all, and do not want to give any impression that I do know a legal answer.

Personally, I would be very apprehensive about doing it, because I think there are copyright issues here.

I would guess that the only circumstance where you could list something “as seen in Oprah magazine” would be if it is marketed that way via an affiliate program.

Otherwise, you should ask the affiliate program if that is OK. If they say no or they are not sure, don’t do it.

If you are really insistent on it, definitely check with a lawyer first. But be aware that you’ll probably spend $500+ with the lawyer to find out their legal opinion.

Twitter Me This Alamo

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I just returned from doing some business in San Antonio. While I was there, I dropped by the Alamo and the Battle of the Alamo resonated with me.

It reminded me of some battles going on lately in the affiliate marketing space regarding Twitter Me This.

Some folks wonder why I would criticize a popular game on Twitter. Well, sometimes the side with the most support is not the right side to be on.

Anyhow, I met up with Jim Kukral of Twitter Me This in San Antonio and while I don’t agree with the whole scheme, nor the unauthorized use of the Twitter logo and name in the domain, I’ll surrender here and move on.

Remember the Alamo.