2009 October | Andrew Wee | Blogging | Affiliate Marketing | Social Traffic Generation

HasOffers New Affiliate Network Platforms October 31, 2009

Posted by Andrew Wee in : affiliate marketing , add a comment

Note: This is a sponsored post.

The HasOffers affiliate network software which was launched in July this year, has been released with new versions which include self-hosted versions, allow users to host the software on their own servers, as well as managed and dedicated versions.

HasOffers is developed by Adapp (which is a sister company of the Tatto Media affiliate network)

In a press release, Adapp chief operation officer Lucas Brown said:

“We are always taking customer feedback, constantly improving functionally and introducing new features to the HasOffers platform. The development of HasOffers Dedicated Solutions is a product of that mission, designed to meet any and every need of large volume advertisers and affiliate networks, providing new possibilities for custom features.”

In recent months, HasOffers has incorporated features such as fraud detection (Fraud Score), including affiliate profile fraud, affiliate activity fraud and fraud reports.

From looking at the HasOffer user stats (located in the top right corner of their website), it looks like about 10-20 new HasOffers users are signing up each day.

There are currently about 1,600 users who are using the HasOffers software. According to Adapp’s Peter Hamilton, 20% of that figure are multi-advertiser affiliate networks, 30% are super affiliates tracking tiered campaigns, and the remaining 50% are merchants/advertisers promoting their own products and services.

When asked about pricing for the new solutions, Peter responded:

The pricing for the Dedicated Solutions varies greatly on the package and services a customer requires. Start-up costs include the purchase of the server, so it greatly depends on the size of the network and their requirements for redundancy. This solutions is targeted toward those who have a click volume of more than 5 million per month or require a unique subset of features. Our hosted editions are more than sufficient for networks that fall outside of this.

For more information about the HasOffers platform, you can check out my earlier HasOffers product review.

Popularity: 8%

2 Strategies To Scale Your Online Business October 29, 2009

Posted by Andrew Wee in : Internet Marketing , 4 comments

If you’ve been following my earlier posts like “Looking for a few lazy affiliates“, you might come to the realization that there’s no “secret sauce to internet marketing success“, at least in the early stages of your business. Here are some tips to help you get your business to the point of being able to operate when you’re not there (my definition of being a business owner, rather than have your business “own” you).

First you need systems in place. If you’re new to this game, you’ll probably be doing a lot of things on-the-fly.

Offer selected? Check
Landing page/creatives in place? Check
Keywords researched, screened, sorted, bid prices loaded, campaign uploaded? Check
Campaign live and running? Check

Conversion tracking in place? Oops. Now go back and fix it.

I was speaking to a new affiliate yesterday, and explaining that there’s a lot of fire fighting in the early days, and even more screw ups.

Have you ever sent $200 worth of PPV traffic to a blank testing page? I have.

Kept a YSM campaign going, sending traffic to a domain that has since expired and been registered by another affiliate going to the same offer? Yeppers.

Making mistakes and “wasting money” are part of the game. In my opinion, you’re not “wasting money” if (more…)

Popularity: 8%

What’s The Best PayPerClick Formula 2 Bonus? October 27, 2009

Posted by Andrew Wee in : affiliate marketing , 1 comment so far

About a week ago, internet marketer Gauher Chaudhry relaunched his PayPerClick Formula 2 (PPCF 2) course, with affiliate marketers bundling special bonuses to entice buyers to purchase through their affiliate links.

If you’ve been standing by the sidelines and wondering which bonus package to take up, you might like to take action soon, as Gauher has mentioned that the doors to PPCF 2 might close in the next 7 to 10 days.

So which package should you choose…?

[Click here to take a look at how you should choose a bonus and the offer I'm giving PPCF2 buyers]

Before you make a buying decision, let’s take a look at what PPCF 2 covers. Gauher’s given a comprehensive description of the 18 core modules of the course, including topics like:

Intro to CPA marketing and traffic brokering
Market research and offer selection
Keyword research and tactics
Silo site building and landing pages
Creating great ad copy
and so on…

Newbies will get a solid foundation in the basics of PPC and CPA marketing. Experienced affiliates will benefit from the advanced topics which include:

Alternative PPC networks outside of the big 3 (AdWords, YSM, Microsoft), some of which have higher conversions than the big 3
Organic planting strategies where you supplement the ROI from winning PPC keywords with SEO and social media strategies
Strategies to incorporate expired domains into your campaigns and resurrect dead domains
Traffic regeneration techniques to get multiple opportunities to convert PPC traffic (compared to just one chance with typical PPC campaigns)
How to get free PPC ads
and so on…

As mentioned earlier, once the doors to PPCF2 close, it might be 6 months to a year before new members are accepted.

If you’re wondering about the cost, it’s $1,426 to $1,446, and some will wonder if it’s worth the cost.

Considering that other affiliate marketing training sites charge $97 to $150+ per month, it’ll cost about $1,200 to $1,500 PER YEAR to join those sites.

In contrast, there’s just a ONE time fee to joining PPCF2. In the 2 years I’ve been a member, Gauher’s continued to publish new content and conduct regular webinars and training calls. As a PPCF2 members, you’ll continue to receive free lifetime updates. Paying once to join a site, compared to paying monthly fees? I’ll take the one-time fee 90% of the time.

PayPerClick Formula 2 also a 3-payment plan available.

“So, what’s the best PPCF2 bonus?”

Affiliates are offer a hug variety of bonuses and buyers have a large selection of goodies including automation tools, affiliate software and internet marketing/affiliate marketing courses. Which is the best? Here’s my take:

Bonus tools, software: anything to automate your affiliate marketing efforts is always a bonus. But I’m going to contradict myself here. New affiliates should NOT invest in tools immediately. Why? Because if you’re forced go the manual route and work through the process, you get a better idea of how affiliate marketing works – from researching a niche and an offer, expanding your keyword list, etc. If you suck at the basic skills, using software and tools doesn’t make you good, it just makes you suck with a 100,000 keyword list. As an entrepreneur, you need to understand your own business to run it effectively, instead of using black-box tools which cripples your ability to understand it well. Use tools when you’re an intermediate level affiliates because you’re grounded in the fundamentals. Anyway, Gauher has structured the modules in a way that newbies can follow the steps and get profitable campaigns up without investing in premium tools.
Bonus affiliate marketing courses: I’ve taken a look at some of the bonus e-books, home study courses being offered (some of which feature as many as 20 CDs and 500-page manuals) and it looks like you’ll be getting a lot of “stuff” as a bonus. Unfortunately, some of the material and bonus courses looks dated (some going as far back as 2 years) and others seeming to have little connection to PPC marketing. You probably don’t need any “Make Money with AdSense” or more affiliate marketing courses (isn’t that what you’re already buying PPCF2?). Gauher covers enough SEO material so you don’t need to invest in a SEO course.

Among the offers on hand, the PPCF2 offers didn’t particularly catch my eye, although Jonathan Van Clute’s KW Bot (or keyword bot) looked like an interesting offer for affiliates with some experience under their belt.

Ultimately, I decided to join in the fray and offer my own bonus, one that would be useful and relevant to new PPCF2 buyers.

Here’s the “Andrew Wee 6-Month PayPerClick Formula 2 mastermind/coaching bonus“. Here’s what you’ll get:

PPCF2 “Cliff Notes”: There’s probably about 10 hours of video, 40-50 hours of audio material and about 300 pages of written material in the course. I’m planning to create a series of summaries, checklists and action guides based on the PPCF2 material for my own use (I also use notes I make to brief and manage my staff and outsourcers when I delegate projects out). Note: these notes are not intended to replace the course material, but to be used as a reference and so you’ll have a 10- or 12 -step checklist when you’re starting up new campaigns.
PPCF2 “Mastermind Forum”: If you’re a PPCF2 member, you’ll know that Gauher oversees the PPCF forum which has 2,000+ active PPC marketers, some of which are earning in the 7-figure a month range like Greg Davies. Rather than duplicate his forum, I’ll be setting up a private mastermind forum focused on helping new PPCF2 members get started, getting their plans in place, setting up offers.
Live offer campaigns (2 simultaneous campaigns): Although the best way to benefit from PPCF2 is to set up your own campaigns, the next best thing is to see how the PPCF2 course material translates into someone elses’ live campaigns. I’m planning to set up a live CPA campaign, outlining the process of research, setting up, launching and optimizing an offer. You’ve heard that almost any offer that achieves the break even point during testing can be a profitable one – you can see it in progress. In addition, I’m planning to invite a CPA network owner on a call to give insight and strategies on successfully promoting the offer. There will also be a second live offer campaign will be focused on a revenue share business model that isn’t found on the CPA networks and offers significant potential for scalability via PPC and can offer monthly recurring commissions if executed. There’ll be sufficient background and promotion info for you to launch this offer too if you choose.
Monthly Live Conference Call (6 months): Again, this is not intended to replicate the training calls which Gauher organizes on a regular basis, but instead supplement his calls and the PPCF2 core material. It’ll be a 1 to 1.5 hour call each month during the 6 months and will focus on the “application” element of the techniques being covered.

What’s the value of the bonus? I am personally against patronizing you by saying it’s worth $xx,xxx. Just saying it’s worth $x doesn’t make it so. Rather, you should look at the various options available and make your choice based on what will ultimately help you achieve your goals. You’re the most important person in this equation.

How to get your bonus:

Click here to purchase your copy of PayPerClick Formula 2 (you can choose the single payment or 3-payment option) [direct to order page]
If you want to be sure your transaction tracks correctly, you may wish to close your browser cookies before clicking on the link above [Note: Google Chrome and Safari are notorious for not always accepting affiliates cookies, so Internet Explorer or FireFox might be better]
Forward a copy of the PPCF2 purchase confirmation email via the contact form
We’ll verify your purchase with Gauher’s team
If the purchase is not attributed to our affiliate account, we won’t be able to release the bonus to you
Our plan is to have about 20 PPCF2 members in the program (including retroactively offering this bonus to previous PPCF2 buyers (see below) so there’re fewer slots available)

Note: If you bought a copy of PPCF2 (digital edition) in the last month, you qualify to receive this bonus. Drop us an email via the contact form, so we can confirm your purchase.

Regardless of whether you choose my bonus or another, I wish you the best in your PPC affiliate marketing journey and will see you in the PPCF2 forums.

Popularity: 7%

The Secret Sauce to Internet Marketing Success October 23, 2009

Posted by Andrew Wee in : Internet Marketing , 4 comments

Looking for the secret sauce to success in internet marketing? Look, no further.

It came out in 1967’s “The Graduate”. Aside from probably one of the first instances of the MILF being featured in a Hollywood film, it also featured the seminal line: “I just want to say one word to you – just one word…. ‘plastics.”

Likewise, though being plastic will not get you very far in internet marketing, another word will probably get you where you want to be. That word? Prioritization.

As you’re probably aware, there’s tons of things you can do yourself:

install a script
come up with a custom designs
write the content
set up the traffic campaign
work on the conversion element
optimize your traffic/conversion/monetization
set up an opt-in/popup box to collect leads
write an email sequence to follow up and make a 2nd attempt to close the sale if you weren’t successful
set up an A/B split test
access/download your analytics data
retain the better performing element, set up a new test element

Repeat the cycle again.

As you might realize, trying to (more…)

Popularity: 7%

Figuring Sex Into Internet Marketing October 22, 2009

Posted by Andrew Wee in : Internet Marketing , 1 comment so far

Following my last post which attempted to guess the upcoming lineup on the conference track at January’s Affiliate Summit West in Las Vegas, Sugarrae helped pointed out that I had assumed she was in the wrong session.

For the record, she’ll be speaking at a SEO site review panel with Michael Gray, Michael Streko and Greg Boser. Check the summit schedule to make sure you don’t go to the wrong session and send me angry “I didn’t see Sugarrae” emails after the event.

Sugarrae (AKA Rae Hoffman) is an experienced affiliate/internet marketer who doesn’t pull her punches when it comes to expressing her opinion. Depending on your comfort level (and likely self-esteem), you’ll find her frankness either abrasive, or refreshing. Pointing to a 2007 post “A Note to My Fellow Women of SEO“, she highlights the fact that credit ought to be assigned on the basis of merit/competence, rather than gender (I’m assuming her reference to “kickass-ness” doesn’t apply to men wearing bras).

When it comes to your business, and more specifically your income, I doubt any rational business owner will pick a service provider on the basis of gender, rather than skill. There might still be a couple of throwbacks, though they’d probably be left in the dust over time.

Although compartmentalization works in order to create shortcuts and ease of reference, it seems a little silly, for example, to call me the “Asian internet marketer”, or the “affiliate guy from Singapore”. But I can see the value of calling something a “Women of SEO” panel for easy reference, compared to the blander, more generic “SEO Strategies” session. For marketing purposes, putting a smart, tidy label helps.

Is it being fair to the panelists? More specifically, would Scott Polk be concerned about being lumped with the “Women of SEO” with Kate Morris, Carolyn Shelby and Lyndsay Wagner? Does that imply he’s one of the “women”?

Frankly, my brain is a little focused on other elements of my business to take offense out of the numerous examples of sexism, ageism, and other forms of discrimination I see happening in the online and offline world. (Calling someone “lame” or “retarded” is a slight against the physically handicapped and mentally challenged in my opinion).

And if we’re all being politically correct all the time, it’s going to put the brakes on taking risks and breaking new ground.

Regarding my post “The Amazing Women of Affiliate Summit“? Am I contradicting everything I’ve just written? Maybe. But it could also show that I can’t be consistent 100% of the time.

Live long and prosper.

Popularity: 6%

Affiliate Summit Vegas 2010 Coupon Code and Early Bird Pricing Last Day! October 20, 2009

Posted by Andrew Wee in : affiliate marketing , 18 comments

Hey gang,

In case you’re not aware, I’ll be moderating a panel on Effective Social Media Marketing at Affiliate Summit West 2010 in Las Vegas, which will be from Jan 17-19, 2010 at the Rio Hotel.

My fellow panelists are:

Rebecca Kelley, Director of Social Media, 10e20
Keith Plocek, Social Media Manager, Mail.com Media Corporation

The long version of our session was originally “Social Media: How to break it, how to make it work” where we’ll break social media into its base components then show you how to effectively brand yourself and/or your business/product/service.

Speaker contracts are still coming in, so the final conference track agenda isn’t out yet, but here’s some of the highlights from what I see:

Using product datafeeds for your affiliate sites (moderated by Scott Jangro)
Coupon sites + troubleshooting (with Flamingo World’s Connie Berg among the panelists)
Blog monetization (with Kristin “MadHatter” Kinsey and Sunshine Rewards‘ Tricia Meyer)
A super affiliate video promotion panel (with Jeremy Palmer and Ros Gardner)
Wil Reynold’s perpetually popular SEO session
SEO site clinic by the women of SEO (with Marketing Demons‘ Kate Morris, and although her name hasn’t appeared yet, I hear that Sugarrae will be on the panel too)

Note: I’ve truncated/renamed the session names, so I didn’t have to write a synopsis of each session. The conference agenda contains the actual names for the sessions.

The summit will also feature 2 keynote speakers: Dr Robert Cialdini (author of the influential work “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion”) and Brian “Copyblogger” Clark.

Besides the opportunity to listen to some of the experts in the affiliate, traffic generation and internet marketing industry share their thoughts, and visit probably the biggest tradeshow floor featuring all the major affiliate networks, the biggest takeaway from the summit has been networking with fellow affiliates and getting insights you wouldn’t find in any book, course or teleseminar/webinar.

In fact, about 3 of my major projects in the last year have originated from discussions at the summit (I had met 2 of my partners in online forums/blogs before meeting them face-to-face).

Here’s some sweeteners to help you make the decision to go:

Coupon code “ASW10WEE” (good for 10% off any type of conference registration)
Important: Early bird pricing ends TODAY – prices double from 20th Oct, then nearly double again on-site

If you are planning to come for the event, you have about 6 hours to register for the early bird pricing.

Head to Affiliate Summit (and remember the “ASW10Wee” discount code)

Popularity: 6%