Two = Better Than One

No, I'm not pumping out an article a day like I used to but when something inspirational strikes, I like to get it out to you guys as fast as possible.

Having been an affiliate marketer for quite some time now, I can tell you one important thing: what can be done by one can be done exponentially greater by two.

Sure, we are greedy by nature. We don't like to share. But, what's better -- being greedy with your measley revenue or sharing your insane revenue? The answer is a no-brainer and what's more, team work allows us to focus on our strengths and let other people take care of things we're not excellent at.

In fact, the underlying message in this post if you hadn't picked it out is just that -- playing to your strengths and minimizing use of those things that you aren't good at. Of course we'd like to take care of everything ourselves but most times, that's just not realistic. You can accomplish so much more if you focus on what you're good at and have other people use their talents to complete the rest. If that means outsourcing those tasks, great. But what's amazing about forming a partnership with other people is that they're essentially doing the work before they get paid which means you don't have to pay someone out of pocket on something that might not work. If you're good at marketing and your buddy is good at web design, don't be afraid to delegate those tasks to each other -- it'll save time and money in the long run.

Also, something that you combine forces on is more likely to be a success. If you think about it, when you're accountable to someone, you're much likelier to complete a task and get the work done -- and sooner! The faster you can pump out successful products/campaigns, the less failures you'll endure and the more profit you'll enjoy in the long run.

Be aware, trust is a big factor when choosing partners and for either partner to breech that trust is a point of no return. So when choosing people to collaborate with, make sure that A. you trust that person, and B. you never breech the trust of that person. That means you don't go behind your partner's back and use what you're building together for your own personal gain. As long as you're up front and clear about what your intentions are, none of this should be a problem.

To conclude, I just wanted to point these things out to those people that are struggling to get ahead in the affiliate marketing game. This is for all you people who are wasting time and money on projects that keep failing. Focus and think big.

Popularity: 3% [?]

100% Organic Search

Despite hundreds of dollars spent on organic search rankings and things of that nature, one thing is becoming quite clear about methodized organic affiliate marketing (or MOAM): it ain't easy.

That is, at least not for me.

From what I can tell, if you want to rank for short-tail keywords organically, you're going to have to spend about the same as you would for the search terms (surprise, surprise). There are exceptions to the rule, of course. For instance- popular service-based websites (like plentyoffish.com) that already have a huge and growing user-base are going to have little trouble making thousands per day in affiliate conversions.

But you already knew that and so did I.

What the experiment has done a great job of is confirming that you need to spend a good deal of money to make money with affiliate marketing, unless you're clever. That's because clever people can do any of several things with less traffic:

1. Create a highly-relevant website that naturally makes people convert
2. Use incentivized offers to generate leads
3. Disguise affiliate links as real links/images within the site (Greyhat)
4. Generate tons of back-links to interesting things (link-baiting) to put their site in the spotlight
5. Do traditional marketing with affiliate offers (putting up signs on the street, overpasses, etc. & sending out mailings)

Sadly, I have yet to be successful at any of the above but I'm a pretty stubborn determined person. However, the clarity that has come with this small realization has helped me narrow my focus and my funds on two of the above methods in order to continue with this experiment: #1 and #4.

If you can create a highly-relevant website (like a dating site, a niche news site or a health information site) where good, unique content gets created daily, and then you can use link-baiting techniques to get people to promote that site, suddenly you've got a cash-generating machine. Of course, this is speculative based on conversations I've had with people who own niche sites that just get organic traffic. The only problem is that conversion rates are typically much lower than with PPC, depending on how well offers are foiled.

To make a long story short, that's where I am now -- having things created that match the above description in hopes that I can cash in on the work of others. I'll keep you posted.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Bye Bye Forums

I am officially removing the forums from the site as they are receiving way more spam than helpful conversation. This is due to the fact that I hadn't appointed any moderators but then again, I don't think the forums received enough traffic to warrant anyone moderating the posts that weren't happening.

What I noticed was that some people started posting an average of 200+ threads/day for pr0n and the like. No bueno, so adios forums. Until we have a good reason to resurrect them, that is.

Of course, if you have any questions that need answering, feel free to leave a comment here and either I or someone intelligent will answer you in a reasonable amount of time.

Yes, I'm still here people so stay tuned. I have good things planned for you and your bank accounts.

Popularity: 100% [?]

Yes, I said it. Selling credit cards and other financial goods and services online is a good money maker. I recently checked out CashFlowFromCreditCards which is a multi-level marketing platform where users can earn money in two very different but equally as lucrative ways.

First, you can earn commissions by promoting credit card applications, free credit reports, auto loans, and a slew of other financial goods and services. An affiliate to the system made a video titled "Double Your Profits in 20 Minutes" where he not only doubles his initial investment but he more than quadruples it. After watching this video it dawned on me that it really is possible for ANYONE who signs up to make their initial investment back at the very least by following his step-by-step instructions here.

Second, you can make money by promoting the actual CashFlowFromCreditCards business opportunity. You can earn up to $65 per referral to the CFFCC system which is a really nice payout especially considering the new embeddable flash video they have made available to affiliates for promotion. Take a look at the FLV promo video below, as you can see this video carries my tracking code so if any of you sign up for the CashFlowFromCreditCards system by clicking through the video I will be credited for the referral. This tool harnesses the promotional power of videos online and is sure to change the way video promotion is practiced online.

Overall, I recommend giving credit card marketing a chance, especially during such rough economic times. The financial services industry is a 5-billion dollar industry annually and is growing each and every year. Check out CashFlowFromCreditCards and own your own piece of the multi-billion dollar financial services industry today!

Popularity: 5% [?]