I’ve got something very cool that’s being released in a few days…
It’s a software program developed by Dave Kelly (from Linkvana) that performs a “white hat exploit” to legitimately place your backlink on major authority sites that use a popular, widely-used widget.
In fact, this widget normally appears on the home page, which means that it’s very easy to get PR5+ backlinks with virtually no “effort” whatsoever.
You simply load up the software program - which is called Authority Loophole - and then run a simple search for your base keywords, and it pulls up every site that uses the “exploitable” widget. And there are thousands upon thousands of very established authority sites that use it.
The process of placing your link can take anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes on each site, but usually on the lower end of that.
Conservatively speaking, your links will last anywhere from 1 week to 1 year. It all depends on the nature of the site, and how they’re using the widget. Regardless, the amount of spidering activity and initial rankings can catapult any site very quickly.
But the bottom line is that this is the easiest, fastest and most certainly the “cheapest” (as in: free) way to get authoritative backlinks that currently exists.
Authority Loophole will be available in a few days time.
This will be very effective for getting indexed - and ranked (quickly) - in all 3 major search engines, but most particularly, Google.
That’s because these kinds of links are NOT seen by spiders as easy to get. Google does NOT consider this to be a “freebie” link, such as with article submission, directory subs, etc.
These links will carry the weight of an authority site linking to YOUR site directly from a strong page, sitewide or (usually) the home page.
Today’s message is a very, very important one. It’s something that most full-time marketers who make a great living intrinsically understand, while the scores of misguided beginners just don’t seem to “get”.
And I would like for the playing field to be at least somewhat leveled for those who read this blog post.
So let’s start off by identifying the dangers of mistaking hype for reality so as to prevent a chain reaction of both destruction and limitation that will plague your business right from the start - and all due to perceived, imaginary threats…
Dangerous Assumption #1: “Popular Beliefs Are Usually Right”
Millions of people have died senselessly - in this century alone - because enough people were led to believe a complete MYTH. Examples include the atrocities committed by the Nazi’s in WWII (believing that certain races were inferior), the widespread plague of AIDS victims in Africa (due to certain beliefs about how to rid one’s self of the disease), and so on.
The same ridiculous patterns of senseless, mass hysteria are clearly evident every day - all you have to do is turn on the news for a few minutes to have your fill of grossly-exaggerated (or outright “invented”) potential security threats, the “recession”, pending disasters, etc.
It’s endless, by necessity - because the underlying TRUTH is that “doom and gloom” is the media-at-large’s central offer.
It’s what they sell.
A Close Encounter With Mass Hysteria…
The latest media phenomenon was the “Swine Flu” epidemic. Or should I say Whine Flu. This is one example of how unbelievably irrational people can be - on a global scale - and it struck pretty close to home for Sarah and I as well…
We’d planned a trip to Mexico with some very good friends of ours, and we’d been looking forward to it for months. A friend of theirs has a really nice beach house near Guayabitos (north of Puerto Vallarta) that we’d be staying at, close to the surf, yet tucked away in a nice, friendly little Mexican village.
Sure enough, about a week before our departure from Canada, the “swine flu” outbreak occurred - becoming the next media darling in one fell swoop. And in a way, it was kind of nice, since the media finally shut up about the “recession” (maybe it died of swine flu as well?)
Nevertheless, since it seemed every government was literally tripping over themselves to “react” to the coming pandemic, we kept a close eye on airline companies, quarantine procedures and travel restrictions that might affect our trip.
So we watched the news every day, scoured internet headlines and checked the WHO (World Health Organization) site daily, just to keep tabs on what was going on.
And it was a sickening experience (pun) - and a sobering lesson in just how damaging hype can truly become. Here are some highlights…
* The flu bug was (mistakenly) called “swine flu”, which instantly led numerous countries to literally BAN pork importation from all of North America, crippling an entire industry on a whim. And the geniuses over in Egypt’s government decided that they should slaughter 300,000 of their pigs because they might be bad. Even though EVERY credible source on the flu said that there was zero scientific connection between the influenza strain and pork.
* Several countries and HUNDREDS of airlines (Air Canada included) just outright stopped flying into Mexico. Anywhere in Mexico - not just Mex City. This was directly against the advice of the World Health Organization, which clearly stated and is still stating that travel restrictions are pointless and ineffective against the spread of the flu virus, which had already spread to other countries anyway.
* In Canada, the news hype was literally over-the-top to the point of comedy. In one case, the Vancouver news station was declaring that the swine flu cases had “doubled” in the last week, urging the TV audience to stay tuned for the full story. So we did, only to find out that it had “doubled” from 3 people, to 6. Even the “expert” doctor they’d interviewed was coyly addressing the situation with obvious contempt, saying that 6 people out of the 8,000,000 or so that live in BC - “doubled” or not - is about as worrisome as UFO abduction.
* Schools all across North America closed. People stopped going to their jobs. Stopped going OUTSIDE. Mask sales must’ve been off the charts…
* Amazingly, there were glaring discrepancies between the “victim” figures reported by the media, and the actual figures as recorded and confirmed by the World Health Organization. While talking heads were spouting lies about “hundreds being dead from swine flu…”, the WHO was reporting less than 20 deaths, worldwide - all but one occuring in Mexico City (and in one of the most impoverished districts, no less).
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
But what’s truly sad is that - just like the “recession” - once again….
The Compunding Effects of Media Hype Far Outweigh The Actual Damage From the “Disaster” Itself
As the picture shows above, what we’ve seen since we’ve arrived in Puerto Vallarta has been astonishing. With the thousands of cancelled/restricted flights, literally zero Cruise Ship landings and other travel hassles, since we’ve arrived and spent time in Puerto Vallarta, several popular surfing beach spots and other attractions, we’ve seen less than 50 other tourists (and we’ve been here for 2 weeks now).
Every restaurant is barren. Every tour operator is lucky to see one tour a week.
Almost every store we visit where Sarah or Kim (my friend’s wife) buy something, the vendor usually admits that it was the first sale that day. Or week. It’s crazy.
There’s businesses closing down, jobs being cut in droves and livelihoods drying up.
And of course, inevitably, now the media is saying that the swine flu is no different than the regular flu, etc.
But it’s too late. The damage is already done.
This is the power - the destructive power - of widespread hype. Of going with the crowd, and assuming that what’s popular is true.
It’s the Same in Internet Marketing…
This industry is particularly susceptible to hype, and mass “belief”, simply because much of the market is inexperienced, or at the beginning of the learning phase. It’s easy to get sucked into thinking that only ONE method works. Or that old methods are somehow less effective than “new” ones.
One month there will be a bunch of hype about CPA, and that it’s the future of IM.
Next month, there will be a bunch of hype about how important it is to build a list, and that everything else is just gravy.
And of course, the month after that, the emphasis will be on affiliate marketing. Or whatever.
And on and on it goes.
What you have to realize is that - just like media - everyone has an agenda. Their own.
Even me.
Even you.
Everyone.
But that’s not necessarily bad. That’s the way life is, anyway, whether we admit it or not. Everybody has an agenda - a plan. A way that they think works “best”. And reality is always a different picture, especially from the viewpoint of someone else.
So that brings me to the second point of this blog post…
This is something that a lot of people don’t want to hear, or consider - or want me to convey. But it’s true.
And it applies to both positive AND negative results.
In other words, just because someone succeeded with something - it doesn’t mean that you’ll succeed with that method. Often times, the success of a given strategy is actually reliant on a specific industry - or an authoritative writing style - that a total newbie won’t be able to emulate just by “doing the same thing”.
AND:
Just because someone FAILED with something - it doesn’t mean that you’ll fail with that, either.
That’s very important. Keep that in mind as you paruse the various marketing forums and become witness to one gripe story after the next about how some method doesn’t work, etc.
Something I’ve learned over the years is that when it comes to simple marketing strategies (SEO, PPC, Product Creation, Affiliate Marketing, Email Marketing, Sales Copy writing, etc.), there are usually three types of characters you’ll encounter who have something to say about them:
1. Someone who raves about them - because they have an agenda
2. Someone who complains that “it’s all a scam” - because they’re beginners and they didn’t have traffic, conversion or both
3. Someone who does these things, recognizes that they obviously work - and keeps on doing them. They’ll occasionally make comments on blogs, forums or directly to people in the industry.
The first 2 are very vocal - especially the beginners who (mistakenly) think that they’ve “tried” something, failed, and that their “results” should be taken as gospel truth. In reality, their results should be taken with a 900 lb grain of salt.
The 3rd type of marketer, above, is usually not very vocal simply because they don’t care, and because they’re too busy actually doing stuff to participate in forums, discussions, etc. It’s sort of like how fat people love talking about diets and obscure weight-loss methods, etc.
When in reality it’s the person who simply eats less and has an active lifestyle that stays in shape. No mystery there.
Guess what?
It’s the same with internet marketing.
The truth is that marketers who get results are the ones driving traffic to offers, building lists and building up their online assets. It’s pretty straight-forward, and it’s all in front of you. Just look at your competitors. The top-dogs in your markets of interest. Not too difficult to see what works.
And, obviously, the marketers who DON’T get results simply aren’t doing those things. They’re the type that are continually looking for “fast money”, shortcuts and the easiest way possible to make money.
It will come with time, but to accurately determine TRUTH in this industry, you’ve got to do two things:
1. Ignore information from marketers that are in line with an agenda (ie. pre-launch “content”)
2. Ignore the “Can’t-Do-Its”, naysayers and whiners in general, because 99% of the time their results are anything but accurate or conclusive.
As you spend time in this industry, you’ll begin to see this.
And you’ll also, eventually, begin to meet people who genuinely make a fortune on the net - people who do simple things, over and over again.
People who actually produce - rather than consume and complain.
So don’t be a sucker for hype, and don’t assume that popular notions, “beliefs” or the alleged results of vested or inexperienced marketers are a basis for truth.
Instead - LEAVE the forums. Close your emails. Ignore other marketers for a few minutes - and just go to Google and actually start researching your markets yourself.
Check out product networks like Clickbank, CJ, LinkShare and others - see what’s hot. See how other affiliates are promoting them.
It’s not hard.
And THAT is conclusive.
THAT is what is working.
Don’t fall victim to invented threats, or perceived “warnings” about a certain strategy or method. Chances are - it’s hype.
Similarly, don’t get suckered into believing that ONLY _______ actually works. Once again, it’s hype.
A lot of people silently and unknowingly sabotage their business, their own livelihood, because they take everything they see in the marketing industry as gospel truth.
Instead, go with what you can actually see yourself. Do your research, watch your competitors and see what the ACTIVE marketers are actually doing.
Let me assure you - the view from “Mexico” (proverbial and literal) is a lot different than how the media paints it…
Buenos Tardes
-Chris
P.S. Here’s some pics from Mexico, as well as some pictures from Las Vegas that you might enjoy. See the previous blog post if the Ferrari pictures seem out of context…
P.P.S Yes, the masks are a joke…
My wife Sarah sun-tanning on the beach, safely
————————————————————————-
Me and my friend Cam (left) on our beach house patio
————————————————————————-
Me and our rented Ferrari F430. In red rock canyon, just outside of Vegas
————————————————————————-
Cruising around… is a lot more fun OUT of town than in it…
I’m currently posting this whilst waiting in the departure gate to board my flight home from Las Vegas - so if it seems a bit brief, it’s because I’m trying to press “Publish” before my plane leaves
Alright - here we go - possibly the easiest way to make MORE money as an affiliate…
Sell High-Ticket or Recurring Items
(”Thanks captain obvious!”)
Yeah, I know. It is obvious. But for some reason, a lot of affiliates don’t “get” how high-priced items would actually sell, simply because THEY are not their market. Which is a classic fundamental mistake that applies to thousands of different contexts in business…
Let me give you an example of something I just saw first-hand this week that was a shocking reminder of just how true this really is…
I spent the last 4 days or so in Vegas hanging out with my brother and his wife, and before we left I’d reserved a Ferrari F430 from one of the numerous Exotic rental companies in the city. And it was a fair bit of change for a 24 hour rental (and it was also extremely fun!)
That was cool and everything, but what really blew me away was that I was very, very lucky to have been able to rent it at all, simply because you need to book almost a month in advance just to get any of their cars - as I later discovered from talking with the owner, as well as seeing excited, old rich dudes flocking into the office one after the next.
And this was several MILES off of the main strip. It was on the edge of the city limits in a warehouse district.
And they had something like 15 exotics in their fleet, each renting for about $500 - $1100 or so per day. I’m sure you can do the math on what 15 vehicles might bring in on a daily basis if even 30% of them were rented out.
So how do they advertise?
Google adwords. And from what I gathered, it’s a very, very amateur campaign at best, and the clicks are cheap.
Maybe at most a couple hundred visitors a day - and from that they are busy like crazy.
Doing thousands a day in sales, and probably profit as well.
So what’s the lesson?
Well, it’s twofold:
1. High-ticket items are an easy sell to THEIR respective market, regardless of your assumptions
2. It’s the same amount of effort to sell a $20 ebook as it is to sell a high-ticket product.
Just connect a different set of buyers to high-ticket products, and you’re looking at making way, way more money just based on the math alone.
I’m not saying that this is a golden rule or anything, but you should definitely include high-ticket stuff in your lineup of affiliate promotions. And the same goes for recurring products and so on.
Most importantly - DO NOT make assumptions about your market, or what people will spend.
You can easily multiply your profit with no extra “effort” just by selling something that’s a lot more money.
Remember - all you’re doing is connecting buyers with product.
I’m going to share a formula for ”success” with you today that will single-handedly remove almost every reason for failure you have as an affiliate marketer.
But first I’m going to explain WHY this formula is so effective…
They say the failure rate for small business startups is 5 out of 6.
For affiliates and people who want to “make money” online - I’d say it’s closer to 98 out of 100.
And not because it’s too difficult, or too technical, or because some strategy or tactic doesn’t “work”.
The truth is that most people fail because of one or all of the following:
1. Fundamental issues (marketing something that doesn’t sell)
2. Commitment issues (not following through, not giving it an honest shot, expecting overnight success)
3. Structural issues (fractured attempts, unfinished projects, no proper systems in place, etc)
4. Cash-flow issues (not re-investing some profits into the business to perpetuate growth)
In fact, of all the emails I’ve received from people who are struggling, who just can’t seem to make it work - wanna know what’s almost always the common factor?
They have virtually ZERO web-presence!
And many of them - a shocking number, actually - don’t even have a website!
In fact, I received an email a few months ago from a guy that had spent over $60,000 in courses, seminars, “systems” and God-knows what else, and these were literally his exact words:
“…Because nothing i have done or spent so far has helped me get up [my] first complete site….”
As you can imagine, my reaction was bordering on shock and utter disbelief. Aside from the fact that you can outright BUY established sites already pulling down thousands of dollars a month for $60K on places like SitePoint.com - what really got me was the fact that this guy was literally expecting success to just “manifest” itself, somehow, by maxing out his credit limit on one training course after the next.
This was a part of my response to him:
“…If you’re at a point where you’ve invested $60,000 in “learning” and you don’t even have a SITE up and running - then I really think you should completely stop spending money and actually USE the training you’ve been given.
You can learn and “discover” all the secrets in the world.
But ultimately - it’s still up to YOU to actually put that into action.
Please do NOT buy anything from me, or anyone else, until you’ve come to terms with the reality of your situation (ie. spending vs. action) and establish a clear plan that you actually carry through on.
I mean this sincerely, and with entirely good intentions.
I’m sorry if I come across a bit harsh, but this is a serious issue. Blowing $60K on an “education” without a single thing to show for it points to some underlying issues. For one thing - nobody “made” you do that. That was your choice, entirely.
Second - unless you miraculously managed to buy the worst possible information every time, for $60K worth of marketing materials, there’s gotta be SOMETHING of actionable value there. Have you ever once followed through on anything that you learned from doing so?
Remember that our roles as teachers is to provide actionable content. I don’t know about other people - but I make damn sure everything I sell is actionable on its own.
And likewise, YOUR role as the customer is to take that content and put it into action so that you benefit from it.
Here’s a page that you might benefit from reading:
Now - would you like to know the real reason why (in my opinion) the $60K guy and so many other “marketers” just jump from one course to the next, without actually DOING a damn thing?
It’s simple:
1. They have no desire to build a business or serve customers - they only want MONEY.
2. They had no real intention of trying, because they prefer the “excitement” of new discovery to the results of a certain four-letter word called…
WORK
Ah yes. It’s an ironic reality for the majority of opportunity-seekers.
Their very motivation is what kills their chance of success.
While actual marketers are out there quickly building sites, making offers, driving traffic and providing VALUE, people who just want “the money” will almost indefinitely move from one thing to the next, ever-searching for a “system” that does everything for them.
So they can get money.
They buy into all the hype because it’s entertaining and it’s easier than WORK.
Whereas real marketers take all the “hype” at face value and invest in what they plan on using in accordance with what they’re already doing, or planning to actually do.
(Are you starting to see a “secret pattern” emerging here?)
And guess what - it practically doesn’t matter what you do. Every viable “strategy” and “tactic” works.
Continuity works.
Selling infoproducts works.
Selling stuff on Ebay works.
The conduit method works.
List-building works.
CPA offers work.
Hell - even making adsense sites works great (in fact I just got off the phone with a guy who makes a huge six-figure income with Adsense literally 5 minutes before writing this).
Virtually ANYTHING works…
…if YOU put in the work!
And with that said, as promised - here’s a simple formula that won’t cost you $60,000 to “learn”, that works every time and always will:
A Simple Formula For Nearly-Instant Results
Here it is, plain and simple…
You’re going to choose an ultra simple business model (I’ve listed a detailed example below) and you’re going to LAUNCH it in 7 days.
Not have a “plan” drafted in 7 days.
Not buy some jackasses course about the strategy.
Not get all excited about it and blab your virtual mouth off about it on marketing forums….
You’re going to actually DO it.
And this method ONLY works if you start, build, complete and actually LAUNCH it within 7 days or less, because that deadline ensures simplicity, feasibility and a realistic plan of action that won’t continually “grow” 100 times larger than the initial idea (which has the exact same net result as procrastination - regardless of the intention)…
So we’re clear?
Good.
Now let’s look at a perfect example of a super-simple business model that works, has always worked, and always will work - that you can start and finish in 7 days or less…
1. Find a good product in a niche that’s opt-in list friendly. Examples include anything related to music, investing, health/fitness, hobbies, sports, and so on. In general, if the vendors in the market are list-building, there’s a good reason why. Now go scour Clickbank, CJ.com, AzoogleAds, ShareASale.com and others and make a list of all the niches where the vendors have an opt-in form.
You will become an affiliate for this product, and the following steps will explain how you promote it.
Hint: There’s hundreds, if not thousands.
2. Go buy a PLR ebook or report related to that topic. Just google “niche + plr” or whatever and in many cases you’ll be able to find great reports that you can totally re-brand, re-name and all that stuff for as little as $5 or even less. Some examples of sites that sell PLR like this are Master-Resale-Rights and PLR Store.
Modify that PLR report so that it’s easy to read, and have it recommend your chosen product (use an authoritative, conversational pre-sell at the beginning, end and perhaps in one or two spots within the report).
3. Buy a Domain Name and Set Up an Offer For a 7-Day Mini-Course And the PLR Report. “Sell” the report with a brief pitch, and then set up your Aweber form (or whatever autoresponder you use) to add the lead to your opt-in list.
Hint: If you’d like thousands of ideas of what you can do and model after, just Google “7 day mini course” and you’ll have about a year’s worth of things to essentially copy ahead of you…
4. Create 7 Follow-Up Messages, Staggering Their Delivery a Day Apart. These will be 7 useful articles that focus on the selling points that your target affiliate offer focuses on as well. Ideally, the product you’re promoting should be a shortcut, or some kind of automation, so that your quality tutorial content acts as an amazing pre-sell for your subscribers to genuinely save time, automate, etc. with the actual offer.
As an example, a 7-day mini-course on learning guitar could include the basics of how to read tabs, tuning tips and so on, all the while naturally recommending your primary offer - whatever that may be (perhaps a guitar membership site or continuity program, etc.)
If you’re stuck, just join a bunch of related 7-day courses and write about the same topics. Easy.
Hell, some of the good affiliate programs literally give away awesome content that you can use for your mini-course!
5. Go to EzineArticles.com, YouTube.com, ExpertVillage.com and Other Reprintable Content Sources and Find 50 Quality Articles/Videos. Boom. You now have quality followup autoresponder content for an entire YEAR of easily & effortlessly recycling traffic by staggering the messages 7 days apart.
Host the reprinted article or embedded video on a dedicated page of YOUR site, and place a brief recommendation for the offer (or other methods of monetization) at the top and bottom of the content.
Keep the actual emails that point to those pages brief, and link to the main offer as well as a secondary link.
Here’s an example:
——————————–
Subject: GuitarMaster Issue #34 - Learn This Hot Blues Riff in 3 Minutes Flat…
Hi {!name},
This is Joe from GuitarMaster.
Today’s guest contributor is Fred Flinstone, a world-renowned blues guitarist who [blah blah blah…]
Check out this tutorial that will have you playing one of his hottest riffs in less than 3 minutes - even for beginners:
–> Yoursite.com/issue37.html
Enjoy!
-Joe
P.S. If you’re serious about learning guitar - and actually sounding hot - then you need to learn from the best. I still haven’t found a better resource than [Whatever Course] at YourAffLink.com
Check ‘em out…
——————————–
See how easy this is?
You don’t even need to outsource articles - just use pre-existing content!
The whole idea is to recycle your traffic and send more and more prospects to the offer over time.
In addition to these consistent followups, you can also throw in straight pre-sells that only mention the offer. Or perhaps other offers with different angles.
Now you’ve got a system in place for automatically multiplying the value of your traffic through the roof.
Which brings us to the next and final step…
6. Get Traffic. Add articles to your site, submit articles to other sites for traffic, optimize and get organic traffic, build a dedicated landing page and carefully run PPC tests for relevant keywords, use forum signature links and participate in forums, cite your URL as a relevant source on Yahoo Answers, exchange content/promos with other webmasters, and once you’ve got a bit of a list going - then start doing cross-promos to build your list that much faster.
You know the drill - it’s just traffic building 101.
Even if you just do the free strategies (articles, forums, eventual organic long-tail, etc.), you’ll still get traffic and you’ll still get subscribers if your offer matches what they want.
You can EASILY do all this in 7 days or less. If you can’t, then this is seriously not the business for you. Hell, you can even outsource this entire process for a couple hundred bucks (and if you do, then why not just send your freelancers to this blog post for pre-written instructions?)
Even if your site gets just a few visitors a day and your list builds by a few subscribers a day, if you’re promoting a hot offer and genuinely giving your subscribers something interesting - you WILL see sales.
And over time, your list (and compounding recycled traffic) will grow, along with your sales. Not to mention - you’ll be able to broadcast to your subscribers any time you want. So if it went well and you decide to scale up - great! You’ve already got an email list to work with - and that’s a key factor in building an authority blog, forums, communities, natural links, etc.
It’s also very helpful if you decide to launch your own product in the market at some point.
So this is just a 7-day strategy, from start to finish - including the traffic building elements. You could set up your PLR report, your opt-in offer and ALL your autoresponder content/followups in a day or two, max. (And no, you don’t have to go and find exactly 50 content pieces for followups. You could even just find 10 for starters and then add to it if the campaign was performing).
And the remaining 5 or 6 days you spend on the traffic & external content elements. Articles for the site. Articles for submission to other sites. Directory submissions, forum traffic, yahoo answers, relevant blog comments, PPC tests, developing useful software (see conduit.com) and distributing it, and so on.
It isn’t hard and it’s completely systematic.
If you’re just starting out (or if you have nothing to show for your efforts thus far), then even if you did this just 3 times a month, you’d be on your way to seeing consistent results very quickly.
Once you learn how to “pre-sell” effectively (and it simply comes with practice), then each of these sites can easily earn you hundreds of dollars a month, or perhaps even more. In fact, I have sites like this that I haven’t promoted or even thought about it YEARS - and they still generate consistent sales every month. And I’m talking about sites that are like TWO pages total, almost zero search engine visibility…
Obviously, in time you’ll have some winners that you can scale up.
But even if all you do is just duplicate this process in as many viable niches as you can find, you’d be earning a 6-figure income pretty damn quick - and you’d have an email list in each of those markets as well.
So really, folks - there’s no excuse.
That’s as simple as it gets and it will ALWAYS work.
Question is…
Will you?
-Chris
P.S. And if you’re interested in gaining access to my advanced list-building methods, check out the Rapid List Profit Formula
Here’s an overview of what I’m launching/developing in ‘09.
Please let me know if I’m missing anything that you’d like to see!
Okay, here goes…
First thing first - and this is already completed - the product review search engine.
This is very, very cool. Very simple - but very cool. It saves you hours of searching through forums (and trying to filter out affiliate content) when you’re sourcing actual consumer comments about virtually ANY product.
Make sure you bookmark that one. It’s incredibly useful.
Okay, now - after the last of the VIP products is released - here is what’s on the menu for 2009…
1. Pre-built affiliate content sites in virtually every profitable market.
I’m not just talking the clickbank markets. I’m talking everything that sells. CJ, CPA, ClickBank, ShareaSale, MarketHealth - you name it. We’re in the process of making it ultra easy for affiliates to get into markets quickly, start driving traffic and making profits.
This will NOT be a membership site. It will be like a store, where you can add sites/content packs to a “cart” and then checkout. That way you can just get what you want for the markets you want to pursue, and then come back later for more as need be. I’ve always thought the PLR membership model was kind of limited. I don’t want to wait 4 months to get the right kind of content for a niche that interests me…
For applicable markets, there will also be opt-in offers, autoresponder sequences, etc. The whole sha-bang.
Affiliates can just go get a 15-20 page content/review site, rewrite the content and BOOM - you’re ready to go with a totally unique “tester” site in any given market.
The sites will be totally pro and optimized for great conversions.
Status: In development, first 10 sites are already being developed. In time there will be hundreds.
2. “Six Months to Six Figures”
A 6-month course that delivers a weekly action plan. Obviously, the result is that those who actually FOLLOW each week’s set of actions will have built the framework for a 6-figure online business.
Status: In development. Content is in progress.
3. “Foolproof Comissions”
This will be a resource for serious affiliates, where merchants will provide specific (actual) conversion figures, PPC data and so on for their products. This will have a limited membership to try and cap competition. Priced accordingly.
Status: Still in idea stage - your suggestions are most welcome!
4. “Affiliate Scope”
An affiliate program directory with a twist. You’ll be able to sort by payout, continuity, reputation/rating, datafeeds, etc. Will likely be free.
Status: Still in idea stage - your suggestions are most welcome!
5. Confessions of a Lazy Super-Affiliate: Vol. II
Bigger, badder and bolder - and still way underpriced, just like the current one.
I’ve got some very cool things and examples in this one…
Status: In development, content is in progress.
So there ya go
That’s a quick snapshot into what’s going on in ‘09 in terms of TheLazyMarketer…
Now - am I missing anything?
Is there something you’d like to make sure that I include with some of the mentioned resources?
Please post a comment below and let me know.
I read every comment.
Thanks
-Chris
P.S. For those of you who purchased my latest VIP product, the Hot Product Formula, I’ll be releasing an additional (free) update to the course so as to clarify a few things based on some of the feedback I’ve received. The “patch” will be released right away.
And it’s been several months since the site went live…
If you haven’t already guessed - I’m talking about a site that sells a digital product, where basically ALL of the traffic volume is generated by the affiliate force.
And it’s just one site of several. Another of my product sites (just a one-pager salesletter, actually) has seen exactly 15,874 visitors so far this month, and it was released in 2007. Over 2 years ago, and still getting about 1,000 visitors a day. Passively.
I do nothing beyond my initial one-time effort, aside from the occasional split-test.
Still another of my products (in a really weird niche) has received 6,912 visitors so far this month, from a mixture of affiliate traffic, word-of-mouth and organic traffic.
And that’s just some of my more substantial examples.
If you can’t see the power of affiliate leverage for generating traffic, building huge opt-in lists and - obviously - driving sales, then you’re really missing the whole POINT of internet marketing.
The reason why there’s so much opportunity online is because you can harness other people’s talent. Other people’s resources. Other people’s time - and even their advertising investment.
In fact, when it comes to traffic - running an affiliate program is the best deal going. Especially for digital product vendors, because your distribution and “inventory” costs are non-existent. It’s the ultimate traffic strategy, hands-down.
It’s also one of the highest-leverage, easiest and fastest ways to build the foundation of a REAL business. One that can create a dependable (and potentially very exciting) livelihood for you. And one that can be sold off for anywhere from 10 to 24 months earnings (or much more, depending on what you sell, and your client base).
So with all that said - why aren’t more people doing this?
That’s a good question…
I know people who’ve spent literally half a day making a product that they later turned around and made over SIX FIGURES with in a few months time.
Hell, even my own ”conduit method” report is something like 14 pages long and as of tonight I’ve sold exactly 3,914 copies of it at $14.95 a pop (and that doesn’t include the backend) since it was launched.
(Took me about an hour or two to put together.)
I could go on and on.
In contrast, I’ve built affiliate sites with over 300+ pages of unique content that haven’t even come close to generating the kind of traffic, sales and revenues that I have by taking the simpler road - with far less effort - and creating a single offer that affiliates can sell.
And not only that - I’ve also built my “buyer lists” by doing so, across a few well-chosen niches, into the tens of thousands.
Believe me - that does NOT happen unless you’re either leveraging affiliates, or spending major cheese on advertising. It ain’t gonna happen by building squidoo lenses or submitting articles to EzineArticles.com…
So here’s the deal:
Very shortly I’m launching my next VIP report, called “How to Create a HOT-Selling, 100% Unique Product in as Little as 24 Hours”.
Here’s some of the things it will cover…
* How to CHOOSE YOUR MARKET (the most important step)
* What exactly to SELL to that market (also highly important)
* High-value products that you can EASILY create in 24 hours or less
* How to “use” someone else’s product to sell on your own - exclusively
* How to make it sell like crazy (advanced selling/copy tactics that are simple, yet profound)
* A simple, easy-to-follow and highly effective “product launch sequence” that you can use in ANY niche, any market
* How to recruit tons of motivated affiliates
* Think beyond “ebooks” - I cover 5 different ways to create digital products that deliver major value, that are a lot easier and faster to create than a book - and that you can sell for a mint…
* How one company simply sells organized facts (to save other people time) for upwards of $3000 per DOWNLOAD.
And more.
Stay tuned - and since I’m just in the final stages of wrapping up the report, if you have any last minute questions or requests about how to successfully build and launch a digital product - please post it below as a comment.
Specifically - at the end of the day, which online task has the absolute highest ROI?
Is it building links? Advertising? List-building? Testing & optimization?
Getting traffic?
No.
It’s not any of those things.
The most profitable online activity is, without question - selling products & services.
Everything in this business is driven by sales. Affiliate commissions, CPA leads, Adsense clicks, ad revenue - everything, ultimately, is sustained and driven by sales.
This isn’t exactly a revolutionary concept or anything - and hopefully it’s not new to you. The reason why I’m writing about this is because it’s often easy to lose sight of this simple reality.
There’s plenty of ways to generate traffic and structure your business - and basically everyting “works”. But nothing happens unless something gets sold. Plain and simple.
You can write 100’s of articles, build tons of sites and drive thousands upon thousands of visitors - but it’s all for nothing unless you’re matching high-converting offers with responsive visitors.
So we’ve established that selling stuff is - obviously - the source of your revenues in any business, and therefore sales is your most profitable activity. But let’s dig a bit deeper…
Think about the affiliate business model for a second. The whole focus of the industry centers around discovering high-converting offers with effective average visitor values, and then driving as much traffic to them as you possibly can.
PPC, building a network of mini-sites, building massive authority sites, creating viral content, list promotion, content submission, advertising - these are things that any full-time affiliate does on a consistent, daily basis to some degree in order to do what, exactly?
Drive sales.
For the person at the top of the ladder who’s making the offer to begin with.
Take a moment to think about that.
I know for myself, that I’ve often (gladly) spent several weeks of my time, and thousands of dollars, to build and promote authority sites with the sole purpose promoting ONE well-converting offer.
Now - I make some great money by doing so, and the site is an asset.
But who really benefits?
Who sees an incredible gain in results and client acquisition as a result of all my hard work?
The person who’s selling the product I promote. The merchant.
And I’m usually just one of dozens of affiliates who generate similar results - not to mention the hundreds of others who consistently send occasional sales or lower volume. It all adds up to a truly incredible volume of traffic, sales AND client-acquisition for the product seller.
Understand this - the origin of the offer always gets the lion’s share - regardless of the commission payout. As an affiliate, or an adsense publisher, or a CPA lead-generator - or whatever - all you’re essentially doing is getting paid (on performance) to build THEIR business.
I want to show you how incredibly powerful this can be…
Click on the link below, and scroll down the page until you see his affiliate stats screenshot - which showcases a typical 7 day period.
(I’m neither affiliated with this site, nor do I have any connection or vested interest in linking to it - this is for the sake of example only).
In just an average 7 day period…
* The top affiliate drove over 176,000 visitors, generating 709 sales
* The #2 affiliate drove over 139,000 visitors, generating 385 sales
* Literally dozens of other individual affiliates sent thousands or tens of thousands of visitors, generating anywhere from 12 to 200 sales during the week
* What you’re seeing is just the top of a very long list of affiliates and affiliate actions. You can safely assume that hundreds of affiliates generated at least one sale in the 7 day period.
* A small percentage of all that traffic inevitably joined the merchant’s prospect email list/newsletter, which would realistically have built his prospect base by 10,000 subscribers or more that week (probably way more) - and that’s an asset that can be profited from even if they don’t buy as a result of that affiliate’s promotion. They can be monetized with other promotions and typical “list marketing”, etc.
* This is just the BEGINNING of the product funnel. There’s still continuity programs, upsells, downsells, high-ticket home study courses, coaching, affiliate promotions and viral “talent harnessing” of the list to multiply the overall market reach and thus multiply sales - again.
And so on.
All the merchant does is simply SIT THERE with a high-converting offer (one website, one offer) and a host that can handle some decent traffic - and a highly motivated affiliate force does all the heavy lifting. Writing countless articles, building countless sites, testing countless keyword variations in the PPC’s, adding countless backend autoresponder promos - and so on.
Meanwhile it’s the product seller that is building a huge list of prospects and clients.
It’s the product seller who’s building a million-dollar business just by doing one, simple thing…
Selling a product with virtually NO distribution or overhead limitations in a market that can support massive, massive traffic.
So what’s the most profitable online activity?
Owning the offer that others promote and build traffic FOR. Obviously.
But - let’s rephrase the question a bit…
What’s the most profitable online activity that can be started with the lowest possible amount of effort, time and investment?
If you haven’t guessed it already - it’s creating and selling high-value, high-profit digital products.
* They can be created in as little as a single day. (Less time than it will take most of your affiliates to build their organic properties, sites, etc)
* They cost NOTHING to distribute, and the logistics of product delivery couldn’t be simpler.
* They have a high perceived value and cater to impulse purchases - since they are delivered immediately on purchase.
* Done right, you can deliver massive value with digital products that will impress the hell out of your customers - at no cost to you.
* And - they’re merely the initial gateway to several other offers and profit centers.
The whole point of doing this is to create a structure through which others can build YOUR business. You could never, ever drive the kind of traffic that an army of affiliates can when it comes to promoting your offer. You could also never build a targeted prospect and buyer list as quickly - to in as much magnitude - as you could by leveraging affiliates.
It’s the ultimate list-building strategy.
It’s the ultimate traffic strategy.
It’s the single one activity that can produce such incredible results from such comparitively “small” efforts.
And it’s been a silent “millionaire maker” for an elite few that truly understand the power of the internet - and the power of leverage.
The bottom line is that creating offers (selling something) is the most profitable online activity - without exception. It’s the top-tier of the web-based revenue platform, and it also enables leverage (affiliates).
And the fastest way to create an offer is to produce a digital product.
Stay tuned for tomorrow’s blog post, where I debunk some common “myths” and challenge many of the perceptions about digital products - and why there’s still a ton of room in all of the big markets for digital publishers.
It’s still the wild wild west, folks.
There is no reason why you should limit yourself to bottom-tier activities.
Especially when you consider that it’s often LESS work to be the “top dog”.
Just something to think about…
-Chris
P.S. Yes, this is a “pre launch” warmup for my upcoming VIP report on product development, where I’ll discuss things like how to determine what actually sells like crazy (so you don’t waste your time), how to build products in a day or less, how to recruit hundreds of affiliates - and more.
There’s two ways to profit from the web. They can both work hand in hand, and usually, one leads to the other. But most people fail to see this - while those who do “get it”, see the lion’s share of profit that’s really out there in virtually any market.
Additionally, in a fragile economy, it’s the folks who use the more powerful way who will barrel through tough times with much less hardship than someone who relies on the other method.
So what are the two methods?
1. Exploiting the Web - and,
2. Leveraging the Web
Both can be wildly profitable, but one method is far more effective, produces long-term results and - takes a lot less effort. You’ve probably guessed that I’m talking about leverage. You’re right.
But the way I see it, it’s hard to have one without the other. “Exploitation” is the catalyst for leverage, because it shows you what to leverage for the most return on your investment, time, effort, etc.
So what’s the difference between exploitation and leverage?
Very simply, exploitation is when you “game the system”. This includes things like building mini-sites, conduit sites, loophole sites, submitting simple (keyword rich) applications to software directories, submitting content to authority sites like squidoo, youtube and others, and so on.
In other words, you’re tapping into other people’s networks of value to get your own piece - either by intercepting existing demand with simple sites, or by leeching traffic from high-value sites. And that’s fine. Nothing wrong with that when it’s done right. It can also be very profitable.
It’s just that this is all about “taking” from the web. Visitors will simply pass through these things and then you’ll profit from referrals, or other actions - and that’s it. And that’s totally OK. It’s a great way to test markets, test offers and get started.
But you’ll always be required to “keep on slugging it out there” if you want to see perpetually growing results. Which is also fine. Mud on the wall.
However, the people who really experience the power of the internet are the ones who set themselves up differently. Instead of (just) “taking” from the web or intercepting existing movement, they’re also giving the web something to interact with, talk about and “join”.
Leveraging the web is all about letting others grow your presence and visibility for you, for a variety of motivations - which then multiplies your results exponentially.
This occurs when you provide something that’s newsworthy to your market. Something that actually grabs their attention, and is worth talking about. It could be a high-quality content site with inspirational, controversial or simply very helpful content. It could be a free tool or resource that everyone else charges good money for. It could even be something funny or abrasive.
Whatever it is - leveraging the web involves making an impact of some kind with your target “carriers” - either being your readership, affiliates or both. If you’ve got a hot product that sells easily, then recruiting affilites will be easy since the conversions and visitor value will definitely grab their attention.
The same goes for content that genuinely leaves an impression - or solves a real problem - with your visitors. Forums, message boards, blogs and even established sites will gradually start referencing your material.
And on that note - creating avenues of direct involvement or interaction with your sites (like adding forums, actively-commented blogs, social networking capabilities) and so on will effectively allow your visitors to exponentially grow your unique content FOR you.
Which translates into more traffic - more money.
In every case, the common denominator with any leveraged method is that instead of working “against” the system and trying to beat it - you become the system. You become a part of the internet.
And that, folks, is where the real potential of the web awaits. It’s not difficult once you know what to focus on, and who to target - all of which can eventually be established with exploitative ventures. Letting your simple “exploit” activities show you where the real money is, and then really going after it by harnessing the power of the web.
It sounds like more work.
Surprisingly, it’s actually a lot LESS work.
Yes, it requires more focus and precision initially, but when you compare the amount of time spent “working” against the results achieved from leveraging the web - the answer is more than obvious: The people who actually have something online - a readership, valuable content, products, an active affiliate base, etc. - are the ones who get to see the raw power of the internet. (Not to mention, the fabled - but real - “internet lifestyle”).
Instead of working for traffic - they’ve created a magnet for others to do that work for them, exponentially.
Alright - in plain English, what does this mean for you?
How can you realistically make 2009 your best year yet? Or at least your major turning point?
Here’s 5 simple steps you can take this year to transform your online activity from “hard work” to smart work…
1. Closely Monitor Your ‘Exploitation’ Results.
Which promotions are actually paying off for you? Have you tested enough markets or offers to be sure? The key here is to essentially build up some traffic with “exploitative” measures in at least 5 different markets before drawing any initial conclusions. But once you do find a market that is hot - based on your results - then it’s time to start creating leverage in that market.
So keep a close eye on your visitor values (avg. earned per visitor), as well as “ease of traffic”. Some markets are really tough to break into, while others are practically effortless. Monitor your results so that you know what to leverage for maximum effect.
2. Closely Monitor Your Future Competitors.
A great thing about “web 2.0″ is that it’s made a lot of things fairly transparent. For example, user-driven news sites like Digg.com, transparent publishing sites like EzineArticles.com, YouTube.com and others all clearly show you what the market likes, and what it doesn’t.
You can find out exactly how much traffic a piece of content has received, and you can simply evaluate user comments, responses and so on to see how well that content has been received (and therefore, carried).
Power tip: Just take what’s worked best for your competitors, put it in your own voice, and then do it again. Many times, you’ll get the same results because it will strike the same “nerve” with your market. Whether it’s an article that got lots of traffic, or a video - or a product on a transparent network - just dig a little deeper, find out why, and then replicate it yourself.
3. Switch From “Getting” to Influencing.
This sounds vague, but it’s not. What it means is that when you’ve decided on a market to actually dominate (or at least become a visible force within), it’s time to start producing content, assets and resources with the intention of getting a reaction from your visitor.
Not just a singular action. (Like a click or a referred sale).
It’s time to make your stuff memorable. So whether it’s your sites, your articles, your videos, your newsletter mailouts - or whatever - focus on building your persona. Your virtual “brand”. Leave your visitor with a lasting impression so that they’ll recognize you in the future.
This way everything you do has triple the mileage - and likely much more than that.
Ask yourself when you build or add to your web-leveraging properties - “Is this just a ‘getting’ attempt, or am I actually striking a chord with my audience?”
4. Start Building Systems of Leverage.
This includes things like building a subscriber base, interactive sites, creating offers and recruiting affiliates, creating “viral” materials, and so on. Monitor your market to see what your successful competitors are doing to this end, and follow suit.
Some things work better than others depending on the market - but it’s all right in front of you. Particularly, pay attention to PPC advertisers and watch what they spend money on when it comes to sending traffic.
Regardless, start harnessing the power of the web - and not just scraping up the leftovers from the sidelines.
And finally…
5. Focus on Daily Progress.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will any substantial business asset, either. BUT, Rome was built as the result of daily progress.
Do at least one or two things each day that tangibly add to, complement or build your leveraged business.
This does NOT include things like customer support, checking your stats, “researching”, going on forums, buying products, etc. That isn’t progress. It can lead to progress, or - like customer support - it’s necessary maintenance and upkeep - but in and of itself it is not moving forward.
Success in 2009 - or any year - will be maximized when you start leveraging the web. Working smart.
By the way - this blog post is kind of “kick off” for what’s to come in 2009 in regards to this site, my projects and so on - and it’s the first response of many to the survey I’d taken a few weeks ago before I left for Malaysia.
The results of the survey were pretty interesting. I may post them later, but one of the most obvious issues I see with a lot of people is that they’re not actually building anything of substance or value - which is why they’re not seeing results.
Even with “exploitation”, you still need to be willing to put in the work, time and effort that it takes to make that work for you. And many people simply are not.
Just like my video in the previous post - everyone’s after that elusive “easy button”. When in reality, the easiest way to make real money on the net is by becoming part of the internet. By building and delivering something that your market values.
And perfection is NOT the goal. Action is. Continual, progressive action.
Yes, some of the things you undertake will fall flat. But similarly, a few things will see spectacular success. The reality is that even experienced marketers & publishers are constantly improvising, testing and “seeing if something works”.
They’re not successful because they’re good. Or talented.
They’re successful because they try stuff until something works - and then they leverage the web to multiply their results from a proven winner.
THAT is the process.
Good old fashioned, trial, error, work and business building.
Take care,
-Chris
P.S. Malaysia was a blast. Beautiful country. I’ll post pictures on the blog soon. Also, it was interesting meeting up with another internet marketer while we were there (by chance, actually). Her name is Ladan Lashkari. She’s originally from Iran but now lives in Malaysia, and is planning to move to Canada shortly.
And on a side note, her story is pretty impressive. She’s done very well on the web, and she’s had to face far more challenges than basically anyone I know in the business. Definitely way more than I ever have.
If you think your circumstances are hard right now - you should see what she had to go through to get going:
I just finished this video, explaining - in very simple terms, and from a “bird’s-eye view” - what I do to earn a pretty decent living from the net.
The purpose of this video is to help you SIMPLIFY the process and effectively deal with “info overload”. Many people reading this feel hopelessly stuck trying to figure what to do.
There’s so many options (conduit sites, msn loophole sites, software submissions, article marketing, video marketing, PPC, etc.). But your time each day is limited.
Hopefully this video will help you to clearly see things for what they are, and start making progress in the right direction.
Also - real quick, before we begin - tomorrow I’ll be telling you about a service you can optionally join to help you automate many of the aspects of “market testing” that I discuss in the video below. It is pricey, but if you’re at a point where you’re technically stuck and you just need something that works - what I’ll be sharing with you tomorrow is something that you may want to consider if it’s in your budget.
When you really get down to it, as an affiliate publisher - content equals money.
Whether you’re using it to get links, to tap into long-tail searches, to review products. to build one-page mini sites, or to “pre-sell” your visitors with memorable, useful content - it’s literally the “currency” of the web.
But the truth is that writing SUCKS. Well, at least I think it does. Especially doing things like writing tutorials, product reviews and articles for distribution. It’s mundane, repetitive and boring.
Anyone who’s built a “conduit” site (product reviews) or even a content site about something they’re genuinely interested in knows that even to build the smallest of sites - you still gotta sit on your ASS for hours on end…
…writing.
This is where OUTSOURCING comes in.
And that’s a whole other skill altogether. Anyone who’s ever outsourced articles “on the cheap” will likely shudder from the bad memories of having to essentially totally re-write the “articles” they’ve gotten back from their overseas “writer”.
Been there, done that.
What it comes down to is that it’s very, very hard to find a good writer who can produce genuinely good content that would actually engage your visitors, get distributed (if you’re submitting it) or simply be worth your time. And when you do - it will cost you.
And this is simply because FLUENT english writers are primarily going to be from the US, Canada, the UK, Australia and a few other locations. All of which have a high cost of living, which means that getting a full-length article for anything less than $15 to $20 (minimum) is out of the question.
Now the other thing about this is that any good writer is going to have a full line-up of clients. And in my experience, their plates are almost always too full. Which means that their turnover times and volume are limited.
In some cases, it’s almost faster just to write the damn articles yourself…
This is the reality of outsourcing, and anyone who’s worked with writers will relate to this.
Good help is hard to find, it’s hard to scale up - and you’ll never get it for rock-bottom prices…
That’s why I am very excited to introduce a service that I think will cause a lot of people to think twice about their monthly PLR membership fees - since getting 100% UNIQUE, QUALITY content (created solely by US writers), is, for the first time…
Articlez, which just went live TODAY, is another project that’s being spearheaded by Dave Kelly (from LinkVana, and more recently, Ranking Loophole).
Dave and his team from LinkVana faced many challenges when they began dealing with the amount of volume that had to be processed from users who were building natural, one-way links through the LV network. In time, they managed to nail down an effective writer procurement strategy (in general, by recruiting semi-retired individuals in the US) that could not only produce quality content - but also in volume.
(That’s a hell of an accomplishment…)
And Articlez is simply a scaled-up extension of this style of writer recruitment and fulfillment.
The result?
You can purchase quality, UNIQUE content in mass (or singularly) for the following prices:
* 100-word snippets (useful for blog posts) for $2 a piece
* 200-word mini-posts (great for authority blogs, minimally-researched) for $4 a piece
* 350-word articles (product reviews, tutorials, promotional - well-researched) for $6 a piece
This is all done through a centralized web-based system, and your content is delivered in all of the following formats: TXT, CSV and XML format. Ready to be published directly into your HTML editor, blog or your site’s CMS.
And that’s all it costs.
There’s no membership fee or recurring monthly cost.
Think of it this way - it would cost you a measly $60 to create content for a 10-page product review site.
Or just $30 to create the content for FIVE of your one-page ”loophole” money-sites.
And on top of that - it’s all centralized.
There’s no chasing down individual writers, going through the hassle of using “escrow” or freelancer sites, or trying to keep track of all your writers.
You simply load up your credits, load up your project descriptions, send it off - and then focus on things that you actually want to do.
This is a total no-brainer, and I think it’s going to have a lot of people seriously re-considering their “PLR” memberships.
Because this is almost as cheap as PLR, except that you don’t have to “re-write” it for effective use on your site.
