Affiliate Sales Programs

Social Power Linking is a new resource developed by Jack Humphrey. Jack has long been an authority on link building (I bought his original Power Linking book some time ago) but in recent times has been focusing his attention on social marketing and “Web 2.0? sites to build links and traffic. And whether he likes the term or not, he has no doubt become a “guru” on social marketing.

I discovered Social Power Linking through Jack’s free “Authority Black Book“. Well actually, that’s not exactly right. The book referred me to a product which had been removed from sale. That was disappointing because after reading the Black Book I REALLY wanted to buy Jack’s new product. Right now I’m having a lot of success with social marketing and I want to learn as much as I can about it, and Jack is probably the most qualified person on the planet to teach me. 

As it turns out, the product was withdrawn because Jack was developing it into a membership site. Now, I’ve seen membership sites in Internet Marketing and SEO which charge anything up to $800 per month. So when I found out that Jack was only charging around $30 a month I jumped at the chance.

Note: I can’t guarantee the price will stay at that level, but the fee is locked in once you join.

Heck, you can easily pay $30 a month for a single link from a medium PageRank site. SPL shows you how to get hundreds of links from high-PR, high-authority sites for free. But it’s not just about links for SEO. It’s about generating TRAFFIC.

OK, so what do you get for your thirty bucks? Being a membership site there will be new stuff added as the site grows, but here’s a summary of what’s in there right now:

• Introduction Video 
• Quick-start Guide (pdf)
• Objectives (pdf)
• Authority Black Book and Bending the Web (these can be downloaded separately without joining SPL but are included for convenience. They are excellent guides)
• Social Power Linking Intensive Training (these are recorded webinars that you view with free software. They are split into two files and run for several hours each)
• Supporting files for the webinars (guides, slides from the webinar etc)
• A FREE copy of Web2Submitter ($47 value – not sure if I’m supposed to mention that, but there you are)
• Buzz Group (probably THE most valuable resource in SPL)
• 60 Day Marketing Plan (more on this below)
• Training Videos (covers a number of Web 2.0 tools, sites and resources)
• Exclusive Reports (using Digg, StumbleUpon, Squidoo, HubPages, Propeller and more - pdf files)
• Quickburst Topic Reports (pdf files)
• Training Audios (mp3)
• Jack’s original Power Linking e-book

The 60 Day Marketing Plan is heavy duty stuff. Trust me, your head will be spinning after reading this. But, this isn’t just a guide. It’s an actual blueprint for building massive traffic. In fact, it’s the same plan which Jack’s staff use for clients who pay up to $50,000 a year for his services. You’ll see that as you read the plan – it’s an internal set of instructions for his staff. This is powerful stuff. Mind you, there is a LOT of work involved with implementing this plan (which is why Jack has staff to do it), but even if you just use a fraction of this stuff it will be effective. This is no GRQ (get rich quick) plan or a “lazyman’s” guide. It requires real commitment. After all, you’re running a “real” business, aren’t you?

The Buzz Group helps you overcome one of the main difficulties with social marketing – submitting your own content. Many Web 2.0 sites frown upon submitting your own content. Doing so can quickly get you banned. I know, I’ve been banned from Digg and on another site my rating is so low I can’t do anything. Jack’s been through all that. He had the same experience with Propeller (Netscape). The training course covers how to avoid getting banned while still promoting your own content, but the Buzz Group provides a way to get your content submitted and voted on without having to submit it yourself.

Summary Review

Right now I’m hungry for any information and resources I can get on Web 2.0 and social marketing. Social Power Linking more than satisfies that hunger. If fact, the only criticism I can make is there is so much information to digest you have to set aside large blocks of time to get through it all. And then more time to apply these strategies. But apply them you must, because by golly they work!

Social Power Linking Affiliate Program

Concerned about the $30 per month membership fee? As I said at the top of this review, it’s peanuts compared to other membership sites. However, here’s how you can make your membership effectively free. Just make two referrals and your fee is covered. The affiliate program is only available to members but pays 50% commission. There are plenty of tools provided for affiliates such as banners, email messages etc. My advice? Become a member and use the techniques in Social Power Linking. Then write a review in your blog, just like this one, and give your first-hand experiences with SPL.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: SPL has been replaced by a new service called Blog Success. All of the tools and resources from SPL are included along with a whole bunch of new resources. Check out this case study for more details. Blog Success have also released this free tool - well worth downloading.

Technorati Tags: Blog Success, Social Power Linking, Jack Humphrey, Social Marketing, Web 2.0

Web 2.0 Traffic Stampede is a new book by Chris Freville. Chris has had a fairly low profile in the Internet Marketing world, but has had considerable success using social networking and Web 2.0.

Web 2.0 marketing is an area I have been paying a lot of attention to lately, particularly on the site you are reading right now. It’s been VERY effective. For example, a review I posted on this site achieved a #1 listing on Google within 24 hours of me posting it. Try doing that on your regular, static website! Yes, I can manage to achieve good, long term rankings on my traditional sites. But you can’t deny the speed and effectiveness of blogging & social networking.

So with that in mind I was keen to delve into Web 2.0 Traffic Stampede. The main strategies examined are:

• forming friendships with influential people and gaining their trust
• tapping into those people’s contacts and their contacts
• which Web 2.0 sites to join for best results
• how to get your message across for maximim effect and minimal cost

Other topics covered are:

• creating a Web 2.0 blog
• syndication
• plugging into other Web 2.0 sites
• niche marketing and creating buzz
• advertising and promotion
• the ideal Web 2.0 site

Chris’s book is an excellent introduction to Web 2.0 marketing. If you’re never attempted this style of marketing then you’ll find plently to learn. It’s well witten and follows a logical progression from understanding social networking to putting strategies in place.

However, if you consider yourself beyond the beginners stage, and are already experimenting with social marketing, you might find yourself wanting some more detail. There are a number of Web 2.0 sites presented with info on how to use them, but I wouldn’t call it an exaustive list. I should say however that I wasn’t aware of most of the sites presented and I am now using them to great effect. So on that count, the book scores a win. I just wish there were some more sites examined. I’m really hungry for this type of info at the moment.

Actually, I’ve been on my own voyage of discovery and have found some real gems. I’ll report on those in another post, although one of them is so good I’m not sure if I should “tell”. I probably will though. I’m not very good at keeping secrets

Inclusions: 

Web 2.0 Marketer’s Bible

This is an “unadvertised bonus” included with Stampede. Chris describes it as “an insider’s guide to how my mind works when researching all aspects of Web 2.0?. It covers topics such as social networking and goes into more detail on advertising, such as how to use banner ads in the Web 2.0 world. Some good info here.

Clickbank Marketplace Report

Here’s where it gets interesting for affiliate marketers. This is a three part report which discusses 37 products, mostly from the Clickbank marketplace. Chris admits that many of the reports were written by a freelancer and he’s yet to review what they’ve written. His rationale was that he wanted to get the reports out as quickly as possible but that he will be sending an updated version. I think perhaps he should have waited because some of them are not well written.

The second part of the report examines which parts in common did well and which didn’t. The third part looks at creating your own product. A surprise inclusion was a “swipe file” which actually includes all the sales pages of the products reviewed.

Despite the slightly dodgy reviews on some of the products, what this whole Clickbank Marketplace Report represents is an excellent guide to which Clickbank affiliate products to promote. At a glance you can see if the product was successful and what percentage of the sale you will earn as an affiliate. Why waste your time promoting losers? Although, I have to say, you should ALWAYS purchase the products you are going to promote. And if YOU feel it is a dud, say so.

Summary Review

All up, I was pretty happy with Web 2.0 Traffic Stampede. I would like to see more detail on some of the Web 2.0 sites discussed and perhaps some more case studies, as well as more actual sites. I’m discovering new ones every day. But it’s a great beginners guide to the new frontier of social marketing.

Technorati Tags: Web 2.0 Traffic Stampede, Social Marketing

After the last info-product I purchased (Google Snatch), which turned out to be a dud, I was bit skeptical about this. Anything that appeals to lazy people just has to be a bit sus, right? But I received the recommendation on Confessions of a Lazy Super Affiliate from Allan Gardyne, a guy with an impeccable reputation in affiliate marketing. Allan doesn’t recommend garbage.

First impression on the sales page was positive. For once, it wasn’t a whole lot of hype. Instead, there are actual techniques discussed. I like this guy. Instead of a whole lot of waffly “this will make you rich” garbage it gets straight to the facts. You know that even before you buy it there’ll be no fluff and hyperbole, and this turned out to be true. You can actually get useful information from the sales page, and that’s very rare.

So, what’s it about?

The author, Chris Rempel, gives you detailed instructions on how to build mini-sites which attract BUYERS, not just visitors. His techniques focus on finding people who are on the “verge” of buying and then simply putting your offer in front of them. It’s really quite simple but deadly effective.

Chris’s advice is quite different to what you usually find in these types of books. For example, he advises against “following your passion”. That’s often-given advice, and I’ve given it myself. Chris tells you why it’s a bad idea. He also says that AdSense sites are for “dummies”. That might upset some people but I think he’s basically correct. And yes, I’ve been a dummy in the past.

Chris discusses various traffic generation methods such as using freeware programs to generate tons of downloads daily, and using that traffic to generate affiliate commissions. Unlike that last info-book I mentioned, there’s some unique and under-used but effective techniques discussed, not re-hashed stuff that’s been around for years, which you can find in any SEO forum. He also discusses ways to increase your affiliate earnings by actually creating your own products.

All up, I give Confessions of a Lazy Super Affiliate top marks. I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners (there’s a link to a good free guide in the book) but if you’re looking for some new ideas and concepts, and an actual blueprint for putting them into action, then this book delivers.

Oh, did I mention the price? It’s currently $29.95, unless Chris has decided to put the price up. That’s a lot less than is usual for this type of product. It’s about one third the price of that last e-book. It’s not as long, but that’s because it’s not filled with pages and pages of article directories or other useless crap. A genuine bargain.

Technorati Tags: Confessions of a Lazy Super Affiliate, Affiliate Marketing

It’s been a while since I published an XsitePro review, but with Version 2 just around the corner I thought it was time for a re-evaluation to see if it still stacks up against Dreamweaver. Version 2 promises to add a lot of new features and perhaps correct a few shortcomings.

What is XSitePro?

XSitePro is web design software with a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) interface. This simply means you create a website visually rather than work with HTML. You do have the option to switch to a source (code) view when designing your pages but generally this is not necessary. Typically, you would switch to code view for some minor tweaking. Given that the program is aimed at beginning web designers, small business owners and affiliate marketers, I would suggest that very few users would bother messing around with code.

XsitePro’s strengths lie in its ease of use for non-technical users and speed at which you can create an effective, well designed and search engine friendly website. It is literally quite possible to buy this program in the morning and have your site online that day. A number of templates are supplied to match certain types of websites such as a sales page, shopping cart, sports club, affiliate site etc. Here’s an example of a site I put together for my daughter’s soccer club.

Of course Affiliate-Sales-Programs.com is all about affiliate marketing so how does XsitePro stack up in this regard? Quite well, in fact. Most affiliate marketers do not want to bother with the ins and outs of site building. They want to be able to create a website, have it online quickly, and then move on to the next site. Dreamweaver has a very steep learning curve and I would defy anyone whose never used it to build a site in one day.

Dreamweaver is a far more powerful design tool. It integrates with CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) which allows a lot of flexibility in design, and uses various other web technologies. It is the choice of professionals. But, are you a web design professional? For its targeted users I believe XSitePro is a better choice. It doesn’t have all the capabilities of Dreamweaver, but it is less demanding, easier to learn, cheaper, and most importantly, has SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools built in. Dreamwever pays no dues to SEO whatsoever.

Some other features of XSitePro are:

• analysis of your pages for optimum search engine results
• automatic sitemap creator
• privacy policy creator
• pop-up pages
• links pages
• article pages
• breadcrumb trail creator
• automatic Google Site Map creator
• page redirection
• import pages
• export pages from XSitePro into Dreamweaver or other website design applications
• insert Google AdSense
• insert affiliate program links
• script wizard to insert Date, Print Page, Add to Favourites, Scrolling Status bar etc

Which program do I use? Both. As a web consultant I’ve done some website design work for clients. In some cases Dreamweaver was appropriate but in others XSitePro was a real time saver. And time is money. 

I recently had a client who was using both Site Build It and XSitePro to manage two separate sites. One was a sales site (XSitePro) and the other a content site (Site Build It). Being extremely busy running his business, as most small business owners are, he asked me to make few changes to the XSitePro site.

To accomplish this all he had to do was export his complete site to a special file, email to me, and then I import the file, make the changes and email it back to him. Simple. This import/export ability is one of the best features of XSitePro.

So, is XSitePro a poor substitute for Dreamweaver? I don’t believe so. They are aimed at two totally different users. Unless you’re a professional web designer, or are prepared to invest a lot of time learning, XSitePro will be a good choice. It certainly beats just about every other WYSIWYG website builder I’ve come across. I’m looking forward to Version 2.

UPDATE: XSitePro V2 has been released. Review details here.

Technorati Tags: XSitePro Review, Website Builders, Web design software

Since I posted my previous comments on Google Snatch I’ve been reading some of the reviews going around the Web. Most (not all) are positive, but then they are usually written by an affiliate. So, am I being too harsh on Google Snatch when I say it is overpriced, poorly-written waffle?

As I mentioned before I contacted the affiliate who had promoted it to me, and as the author of Affiliate Rockstar Status, which I DO recommend, he is a very successful affiliate marketer himself. His view was that “people like you” forget that you were a newbie once, and that Google Snatch was “solid” advice for beginners. Furthermore, GN was a lead-in to a higher priced item (probably a membership site, he didn’t say). Hmmm, don’t think I’ll be buying into that one.

Is it good advice for beginners? Partly. The advice on keyword research and site structure is solid, albeit poorly presented, but newbies can get this information for free from just about any SEO forum. Heck, you can even get it from my own free SEO guide. When I fork out $97 for something that is NOT promoted as a newbie’s guide to SEO, I expect something a bit different. Some new ideas and concepts. Just have a look at the sales page. Does that sound like a beginner’s guide to SEO to you? BTW, the book is as long-winded and waffly as the sales page – lots of words, little content.

Note this from the sales page:

“And not to forget the world’s most ‘hocus pocus’ technique … SEO! Do you know what SEO means?

Search engine optimization (SEO) just means your website being accessible to the search engines to improve the chances that they will serve your website when your potential customers type in a specific search term.”

Does that sound to you like this book is NOT about SEO? So, writing an article with a link to your site and submitting it to hundreds of directories, after having re-written it each time, is not about SEO? Or doing keyword research? Or optimising your titles? Or writing to webmasters for link exchanges? These are the “cutting edge” techniques referred to in the sales letter. Give me a break.

Yes, these techniques do “work”. Good advice for beginners? I think not. If you want to spend hours every day rewriting someone else’s article and then rewiting it again, over and over, as you submit it to hundreds of article directories, then go ahead. Those inbound links, which apparently have nothing to do with SEO, will push your sites higher in the SERPs (search engine result pages).

Personally, I’d fall asleep after the third re-write. There are far more interesting and involving ways to promote your sites and achieve the same results. Check out Jack Humphries’ Authority Black Book for some great Web 2.0 techniques, totally free. I guarantee you won’t fall asleep reading the guide OR putting the techniques into practice. Instead of spending hours re-writing some fluff article, spend hours interacting, learning and sharing, while building links and direct traffic at the same time.

My opinion on Google Snatch hasn’t changed. Save your money.

Technorati Tags: Google Snatch Review