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How to Brainstorm Your Best Niche for Affiliate Success

Mr Success — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:12:48 +0000

Do what you love and the money will follow.

If you don’t already have specific ideas about what you might like to sell, consider the following questions and suggestions carefully. It will soon become clear that you are more inclined towards some avenues than others.

Do you feel especially passionate about any subject in particular?
Are you an expert in anything?
Do you have hobbies or interests that you pursue regularly?
Are you active in a sport?
Ask your friends and family what they think you might be especially good at doing.
What have you learned from your jobs, hobbies and general life experience? Do a skills and knowledge assessment.
What problems have you solved in the past?

Brainstorm as many ideas as you can. Look at the following list. Are you knowledgeable in one or more of the following subjects?

Did that list spark any ideas?

Here’s another list. It’s Commission Junction’s merchant category list. There are products and services in each of the categories that can be sold by affiliates.

Accessories – Cosmetics/Fragrance, Handbags, Jewelry – Shoes
Art/Photo/Music – Art, Music, Photo
Automotive – Cars & Trucks, Motorcycles, Parts & Accessories, Rentals, Tools and Supplies
Books/Media – Audio Books, Books, Magazines, News, Television, Videos/Movies
Business – Business-To-Business, Marketing, Office, Productivity Tools, Travel
Careers – Employment, Military
Clothing/Apparel – Children’s, Malls, Men’s, Women’s
Commerce – Auction, Classifieds, E-commerce solutions/providers, New/Used Goods, Telephone services, Utilities
Computer & Electronics – Computer HW, Computer Support, Computer SW, Consumer Electronics, Peripherals
Education – Children, College, Languages, Professional
Entertainment – Memorabilia
Family – Babies, Children, Entertainment, Teens, Weddings
Financial services – Banking/Trading, Credit Cards, Investment, Loans, Real Estate Services
Food & Drinks – Gourmet, Groceries, Restaurants, Tobacco, Wine & Spirits
Games & Toys – Electronic Toys, Games, Toys
Gifts & Flowers – Care Packages, Collectibles, Flowers, Gifts, Greeting Cards
Health & Beauty – Bath & Body, Cosmetics, Health Food, Nutritional Supplements, Pharmaceuticals, Self Help, Vision Care, Wellness
Home & Garden – Bed & Bath, Construction, Furniture, Garden, Home Appliances, Kitchen, Pets, Real Estate, Utilities
Insurance – Commercial, Personal Insurance
Legal – Services
Marketing – Business-to-Business, Network Marketing
Medical – Equipment
Phonecard Services – Online/Wireless
Recreation & Leisure – Astrology, Betting/Gaming, Communities, Events, Matchmaking, New Age, Outdoors, Party Goods
Shops/Malls – Virtual Malls
Sports & Fitness – Exercise & Health, Professional Sports Organizations, Sports, WaterSports
Travel – Accessories, Air, Car, Hotel, Luggage, Vacation
Web Services – Advice, Banner ads, Domain Registrations, Email Marketing, Internet Service Providers, Intranets, Search Engine, Web Design, Web Hosting/Servers, Web Tools

You will spend many hours developing, nurturing and maintaining your business. It’s therefore important to choose a subject that you are keen to pursue if you want to succeed.

Make a list of all the topics that make you smile or cause your heart to beat quicker when you think about them. Don’t concern yourself whether or not there’s a market for your topic yet, just make your list. I’ll cover how to research demand for your topic in the following chapters.

So, for example, your list of interests may look like this:

wine and wine making
running
Asian cooking
golf
Internet marketing
motivational methods
teddy bears
singles and dating
shawls & wraps
cats
yoga

How to Create Your Perfect Ad in Ebay

Mr Success — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 05:51:48 +0000

THE TITLE GETS YOU NOTICED

Ok, you’ve been to the auction web site, and you’ve taken a look around. It’s a lot like looking through the classified section of a newspaper, except for the fact that you have to click on the title to see the rest of the ad. It can be a very confusing task to find exactly what you are looking for. It is a virtual maze as you try to weed out just the items that you are looking for.

There’s so many items that the information overload makes you want to scream! It’s your job as a seller to help your prospective bidder cut through the red tape and get your ad viewed by as many people as you can! There are a few ways to do this, so let’s get to it!

Like I just said in the last paragraph, in order for someone to see your ad, they have to go through the trouble to take their mouse, put it over your title and click on it! If they do not do this one thing, I do not care how good your item is, and I do not care how good your ad is, the simply reality is you are not going to sell a darn thing to them! Therefore, one of the most important things that you will do is create a title for your ad.

USE RELEVANT WORDS IN YOUR TITLE

The thing that I feel is the MOST IMPORTANT when coming up with your title is to include relevant words. Ok, this sounds really stupid, but you would be surprised at the amount of titles that tell you ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. You must be extremely specific in your titles about exactly what you are selling. If you have an autographed Frank Sinatra photo, don’t use the title “Frank Sinatra.”

I don’t care if it is in the autograph section of the web site, this is not descriptive enough, and a lot of people may miss your ad. Use something more like “RARE Frank Sinatra AUTOGRAPHED LP” and you will be amazed at the difference in the amount of bids you will get.

Remember that a lot of people will use the search feature to find the items that they are looking for, and make sure you include the words that they are most likely to search for in your title! I’m a big NASCAR racing fan and absolutely love to purchase die-cast model cars over the Internet. If I am searching for the different paint schemes used by a particular driver, they had better have the driver’s name in the title, or I am going to miss it! So remember, think about what your buyer is searching for, and give it to them in the title!

USE WORDS THAT WILL GRAB THE BUYERS ATTENTION

The other thing you want to do in the title is use words that will GRAB the attention of the buyer. After all, they have literally thousands and thousands of titles to look at, and you want them to take a closer look at yours. How do you get their attention?

First, you can pay the small extra fee, which is $2.00 at the time this is being written, to get your title listed in a bold face font. This is an easy way to set your ad apart from the rest of the ads that are out there. And while the bold face is a quick and easy way to get more attention, I don’t believe that it is always the best way. The best thing, along with being descriptive, is using POWER WORDS.

What are power words? They’re things that you can use to add a sense of urgency to your items. Words such as RARE, LIMITED EDITION, UNIQUE, ONE-OF-A-KIND, BEAUTIFUL, will help you get attention. Other words like GREAT, UNBELIEVABLE, STUNNING, AWESOME will also help get your buyer to notice what you are selling.

Look at these two titles:

Bruce Springsteen Autograph

“RARE SPRINGSTEEN AUTOGRAPHED GUITAR-AWESOME!”

Ok which one grabs your attention? I’d say that 98% of you said that the second title did, the other 2% of you need to take another look! There are a few things going on in the second title, the most noticeable is that the whole thing is using capital letters. Now, this is a great way to make your items stand out, but sometimes it can be overdone. Occasionally it can take away from the emphasis on what you want the buyer to see. Take a look at this title:

“RARE SPRINGSTEEN Autographed GUITAR Awesome!”

This can also be a very effective title. The buyer will see what is the most important in the title first, which is “Springsteen Guitar.” Remember no matter how you use capitals and lower case letters, you want your title to stand out from the rest.

Many sellers like to use characters in their title, things like @, #, $, %, etc. to draw extra attention. Sometimes they look cheesy, and sometimes they work. That all depends on the product, and the type of buyer that you are trying to attract. Try a few different things and see what is most effective. Keep records on how well each individual ad title is received, and use the style that is most successful!

Remember, when it comes to the title: be descriptive, use exciting attention grabbing words, and set your ad apart from the rest!

WRITING DESCRIPTIONS THAT SELL

Once you’ve gotten someone to take a look at your ad; you want him or her to bid on the item you are offering! You need to make your product look as appealing as possible and you want to motivate the person to place a bid immediately. After all, if the person leaves without placing a bid, there’s a good chance that they will not be back.

BE SPECIFIC

There are a few things that are important in the ad itself. The first is the overall description of what you are selling. BE SPECIFIC. This is the most important thing in your description. Do not leave any room for error on what is for sale. Get as graphic and specific as you can to describe your item. If there is anything special about the item, list it. List any special features of the item. People do not feel comfortable bidding on something of which they are not 100% sure.

LIST ANY IMPERFECTIONS THAT THE ITEM HAS

If there are any flaws in the item, like a dent or scratch, you have to list that when you are selling the item to protect yourself. As long as you are 100% specific on what you are selling, you will save yourself a lot of time and hassle if someone decides to return the product to you because they were not aware of a defect.

Even if you are using a picture in your ad, and we do highly recommend using one. Write your description for an ad without a picture. That way the picture can be there to totally reinforce what you are selling, but will not rely on the photo.

Once you have written an accurate and honest description of the item, add your own creative touch. Again, use wording that will motivate the buyer to bid on your item. If the item is difficult to find, use words like rare, one of a kind, and unique. If it’s brand new in a box, let the buyer know that. Include things that may seem obvious to you, because the potential buyer may not be aware. This helps the buyer feel more comfortable in dealing with you.

BE CREATIVE

When writing your ad you want to paint pictures with your words. Use adjectives like great, awesome, beautiful, etc. to describe your item. Paint a visual picture that makes your item irresistible! Tell a story with the item if you can. Explain what the item is, and what it can do for the buyer. If you are selling a cute little teddy bear, play it up. Put something in the ad about the bear looking for a good new home, and some new friends to play with.

Not only will the buyer get a kick out of the ad, they will be more likely to bid on the item if it is something that they are looking for. Going along with the theory that people do not want to bid on something that they are not 100% sure of, people are much more likely to bid on an item if they like the person that is selling the item. While it certainly is not easy to convey your personality through an eBay ™ ad, it does not hurt to try!

How To Take A Basic Product And Create An Irresistible Offer

Learn How to Write Effective Ads “The A.I.D.A. Formula”

Mr Success — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:53:21 +0000

A formula is a general guideline – not a ‘paint-by-numbers’ process to an instant sales letter. It’s a roadmap designed to help you get to your desired destination in the most direct way possible. Formulas are established methods or formats that have worked for others to produce results.

Essentially, a formula is a way of organizing and presenting your material in a way that generates sales. Successful formulas are founded upon an understanding of human behavior. It’s not merely a matter of extolling all the virtues of your product – it’s about adapting a strategy that attracts an audience, addressing already existing ‘wants’, and then serving up an appealing offer that’s crafted in a way to push the emotional hot buttons of targeted prospects.

Sound sales letter formulas work well both in the online and offline markets. It’s a planned presentation, the same kind of sales pitch an effective salesperson would use to persuade interested prospects.

The A.I.D.A. Method For Writing Effective Ads

Attention
Interest
Desire
Action

Grab your prospect’s ATTENTION. Expand his INTEREST. Build the DESIRE to a feverish pitch, and move your prospect along towards taking ACTION. Essentially, the AIDA Formula is about converting a passing interest into an intense desire for ownership to the point where action is taken immediately.

Attention

The attention-getting task is primarily left to your headline. You’ve got to hit their sweet spot – quickly and definitively — with a headline that catches their attention and grabs their interest. The best headlines draw the eye and generate excitement. They mesmerize and captivate prospects, compelling them to read on.

2. Interest – You can’t begin to build serious interest if you don’t first have your prospect’s undivided attention. With the prospect’s attention, it’s crucial that you fuel his interest. Intensify his interest and curiosity. Clearly the best way to do this is to pile on the benefits. Give him benefits of value and significance. Make it clear how your product will enhance his life in some way. Tailor your benefits to the audience.

3. Desire – Continually build prospect interest to the point where that interest gets converted into desire. Desires drive people – it’s a force that comes from within. Once your prospect’s interest becomes a desire to won, the sale is almost a sure thing. Make them an offer they can’t refuse. Add irresistibility by providing far more value in terms of products, than you ask in price. Pile on helpful and in-demand bonus items, a strong guarantee and limit your offer.

Converting interest into desire is all about salesmanship. You want to make your offer sound so advantageous… so easy… so affordable… and the perfect solution to your prospect’s problem.

4. Action – This is where you either close the sale or lose the prospect. You want positive action NOW. That’s the target and that’s the mindset you must adopt if you want to make your sales letter a direct-response tool. Close your letter by asking for action. It’s an important final step in the process… but one that many seem to miss.

It’s not enough to grab the attention of target prospects, stack multiple benefits sky-high, and generate a burning desire with a superb offer and guarantee – you also need to lead to buy. Make it easy to buy with multiple payment and ordering options. Make the action phase a logical and reasonable conclusion to your benefit-laden presentation. That’s it… short and sweet. Easy to learn and recall at will. The AIDA formula can be tremendously effective on it’s own. You can also take its basic framework and adapt it into your own formula, method, or system.

The AIDA formula is the best known and probably the oldest advertising formula ever developed. This one is clearly time-tested and proven effective beyond any shadow of a doubt. With just 4 basic elements, it’s also very easy to remember.

AIDA provides a solid foundation for any type of advertising – including sales letters. If you used nothing but the AIDA method, you could, with a little practice develop powerful, persuasive sales letters.

How to Generate Content For Your Blog

Mr Success — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 10:18:01 +0000

All the traffic in the world will not do you any good, unless you can hold a visitors attention once at your blog. The way to grab and hold your visitors, and keep them coming back, is by providing compelling content.

Visitors come to your blog in search of information – information they are hoping you can provide. You already know that they are interested in your subject matter. The question is how to best provide them with the information that they are looking for. I will show you several different types of posts or ways that you can present your information.

Regardless of how you present it, you MUST present yourself as the authority on the matter. Even if you do not consider yourself as an authority on the subject, by presenting yourself as such, you will quickly become so. People will come to your site assuming that you know what you are talking about.

Give them what they are looking for. It is also important that you come across as an unbiased authority. Even though your ultimate goal is to get your reader to buy something, you do not want this to be obvious.

Below I have listed several different ways to present information in your post. Some bloggers like to choose one and stick to it (e.g. a ‘review blog’). I prefer to switch it up and use all different types of posts.

Informational. Simply provide information on a product or subject.
Reviews – Review a product or service. Provide your opinion and ask your reader for theirs (if I am reviewing a product that I am selling, I like to moderate reader’s comments so I can control which ones get posted). The word ‘review’ is a highly searched for keyword. These posts usually generate a lot of traffic.
Compare and Contrast. Although this is similar to ‘Reviews,’ write it using two or more products or subjects. List the pros and cons of each, and your recommendation.
Examples or Case Studies. Again, similar to reviews, but you or your reader shows a real world example of how a product or service works.
Instructional. Explain how to do something. List the steps that someone would need to accomplish a project or task.
Lists. Post a list of all the ways or reasons for something (this can be a positive or negative list). For example; 10 Ways to Make Money from your Blog.
Rants. If you feel strongly about something, get fired up. Be passionate about a subject. This will personalize your blog for your readers.
Motivational. Inspire your reader.
Link to Another Article or Post. If you find a good post or an article that you want to share with your readers, or if you simply do not have time to write that day, this is a good option. Always write an introductory paragraph explaining why you are linking to the article or post, and why it is relevant to your readers.