“The mistake 95% of affiliate marketers are making..."
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Firstly, I think that I must define
affiliate marketing. It is a term with which I had no familiarity before reading the article. This is not good because I’m a senior marketing major at the
University of Delaware, a school that has a great reputation in the business program. Nevertheless, online affiliate marketing involves linking one’s website to the website of another, usually for the purpose of
ecommerce. Commissions are given to affiliates based on the quantity, price, and type of items purchased. Such an affiliate may choose to have his site feature the links of many products, firms, and industries, just a few, or one. How much time an affiliate wants to invest in this online business has a high correlation with how much profit he or she may make.
The article states that before entering this specific sect of online marketing, one should do a good amount of research. The main two researched topics are (or should be) as follows:
1. What type of product will be featured? Should there be more than one?
2. What commission percentage will one obtain from a certain affiliate program?
And while these researched topics are very important, there is usually one very important detail missing for most affiliate marketers - as the title of the article states for 95% of them. The answer is found in bold letters, where the author simply writes, "the capture page." The idea is this: one can set up a pre-sale list of information about the product and then ask the potential customer to enter his or her name and email address. From there, the affiliate builds a customer base and is therefore able to contact them in the future about similar or different products. Setting this up is not too difficult; all that is really needed for success is a good
autoresponder program.The article ends by emphasizing a common practice which includes friendliness and willingness to help in almost every situation. If the morale of one’s affiliate marketing based company is high, then customers will trust that company’s suggestion about certain products.
Thank you and peace to you,
Tyler Somers
Bring them back
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Bring them back...
This article is a great resource for any real estate broker, but the principles discussed in it are applicable to many more industries.
Michael Antoniak, the author, begins by talking about the current predicament facing online real estate brokerage firms, which is battling for loyal online customers, or (as the title of the article clearly says) “[bringing] them back.” Antoniak then cites specific examples of what some companies are doing to be successful with such customer retention.
The author first discusses some online tools utilized by broken-owner Hector Rivera. I visited
Rivera’s site. It looks pretty slick, yet simple. There are good visuals, including a slide show, a toolbar concisely labeled, and the company’s logo in the top left hand corner. The company’s contact information can be found opposite the logo. Under the “Resources” tab are certain interesting links; one of which is labeled “Daily News and Advice,” encouraging daily visitation for prospective sellers. Additionally, Antoniak makes a point to state the significance of knowing one’s local community and Rivera’s site pays tribute to this principle quite well. Under the “Community” tab, there are links for “Community Profiles,” “Area Schools,” “Community Links,” and “Request An Area Guide” – useful and meaningful links for any potential buyer who wishes to better understand his or her community.
In my opinion, the most interesting tool is an amortization calculator featured on the website of broker-owner Mike Bradley, of Metro Brokers Eagleview Properties LLC; the calculator can be found
here . This tool attracts online users by allowing them to test out different numbers in the calculator and see what might best suit them.
The article ends by essentially stating that websites are only as good as the company behind the website. One can have the best tools of online marketing at his or her disposal, yet if principles like integrity are not there, customers may only come back to a website as long as they have not conducted business with that company. Thus, the website should reflect a business’s best qualities. Lots of different tools are then listed.
Peace to you and God bless,
Tyler Somers
Law Firms and Online Marketing Mistakes
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Even though you might not consider a law firm to a business entity that concerns itself with selling products and services, they almost certainly are, needing to “sell” their business to prospective clients. This article discusses the marketing for these law firms. Essentially the article reads like a list of “thou shalt not” commandments. I will discuss the majority of such commandments; all pertain to
law firm websites (online marketing).
The first “commandment” deals with listing a firm’s won cases or success stories on their website. If I was the head of a firm, I would have a detailed list of these cases, with links to website articles relating to the cases and a pdf of the court document signed by the judge – or something similar. “Potential clients look for examples of [the law firm’s] work.” Additionally, I believe that if “won cases” are displayed, all cases should be displayed. I believe in marketing the whole firm, its successes and its failures, being as truthful as possible. When one does this, he brings integrity to his business. The phrase “you’re only as great as your biggest mistake” comes to mind.
The second point deals with listing clients on their websites. Again, I agree one hundred percent with the author of the article. Why firms do not do this is beyond me. Potential clients should know whether or not they would fit in with the law firm. A company like
Microsoft might want to re-consider law firms whose clients consist solely of mom and pop stores.
All of these commandments are similar in that they focus on establishing the firm’s reputation, positioning the firm. As the article continues, things like
website aesthetics and old information are discussed in greater detail. All of these points should be considered before publishing a website; some even apply to businesses other than law firms. The article helped make tangible some pretty common-sense ideas, which is quite beneficial for any online marketer.
Thank you,
Tyler Somers
Effectiveness of Current Online Marketing - "A Click in Time"
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Hello, my name is
Tyler Somers. I like playing, recording, and producing music, surfing, taking photographs with my
girlfriend's camera, and hanging out. My personal mission statement may seem a bit cheesy, but it is as follows: I want to love people and God. Enjoy my blog.
According to numbers released in August 2006 by
IMRG, UK consumers have spent £13.5 billion online during the first half of the year, a 40% increase since last year. In light of this figure, one may think that most or more retailers are taking advantage of the Internet for marketing purposes. That thought - though logical- is not quite accurate.
A relatively small amount of businesses are utilizing the Internet for marketing and sales, in particular, firms whose business model has focused on “distance-shopping.” Such firms are quite familiar with personally marketing to the masses, probably through the medium of direct mail and/or telemarketing. Realizing the potential benefits of the Internet, these firms jumped on board a while ago; their relatively high profits reflect that wise jump.
This is not the case, however, with the majority of firms out there. These firms, according to the article, simply do not recognize the Internet’s potential to make them profit in the long run. They look at sales and profits today, but not ten years from today. That will most likely be a problem.
Marketing online is extremely flexible. The article highlights this point well. A search engine’s keyword can be bought and sold according to that word’s popularity that day. Similarly, Advertisements can be quickly revised and updated. For example, if a particular movie (let’s say
Pirates of the Caribbean) sat on top of the charts after its premier weekend(which it did), the after-the-weekend advertisement might say something like “come and see why more people came and saw
Jack Sparrow last weekend than anyone else on the screen.”
The article ends by highlighting a few online marketing mistakes, dealing with failed objectives, brand inconsistency, poor use of data and more.
Peace to you,
Tyler Somers
