OK, so my head has stopped spinning enough to be able to sit down and write about the Earn1KaDay conference in Las Vegas. Yes, I realize it was in MAY and it is now JULY. Hush. I’ve had a lot going on.
The trip out was uneventful. I spent some time on the plane writing down some things I wanted to accomplish while I was there, since I knew once I touched down there, the weekend was going to be a fast waterslide. I first set out to correct some mistakes I made in the 2009 E1K conference in Orlando…
The Market Samurai affiliate program is now open to the general population. Market Samurai is one of my favorite tools for SEO and keyword hunting. If you do any work of this sort, you should grab a free trial and take a look.
There is a hitch to the affiliate program. At this time, you have to have a registered copy of Market Samurai. Meaning, you have to buy it before you can promote it. They’ve got a price hike coming, so this is a good time to get in if you are interested.
Are you on Facebook? I am. Everyone I know is. I also know businesses that on Facebook.
Facebook gets TONS of traffic. Seriously. If you aren’t doing some sort of advertising on Facebook for your business (or providing a Facebook service for local businesses in your area), you are missing out. Take a look…
45.5 Million Uniques in May 2010
245 Million Video views in May 2010 (5.4 video views per viewer)
…and growing. It’s something you just can’t ignore.
To top it off, businesses have seen the value of Facebook in their marketing – and it is something that smaller, local businesses can’t ignore either.
So, here’s a tip: Start offering Facebook Fan Page services to small businesses in your area. They don’t know how to do this stuff, they just want more business to come through their doors. Fortunately, my friend Jason Fladlien put out a video series on how to make cash with these fan pages. And it’s cheap…and you can take the knowledge and make money with it.
Less than a month away from the E1K conference in Las Vegas, and I’m all booked and ready to go. Are you going? Why not? If you are serious about making your online business work, you need it. The only way to be successful is to surround yourself with those that have already achieved success.
There is one thing that sets this conference apart from the others. E1K isn’t a pitch-fest. The speakers aren’t going to leave stones unturned by telling you that you have to buy their products to truly succeed. This really is a no holds barred event.
And the seminar itself is only half the value. There will be tons of after hours networking, idea sharing, JV making, and more. You owe it to yourself to get involved.
On the schedule to speak:
Tim Castleman, Steven Resell, Michael Gunn, Jason Fladlien, Wil Mattos, Kevin Rockwell, The Rhodes Brothers, Leanne King, James Jones, and Rachel Rofe. I’m sure the head honcho (Dennis Becker) will say a few words too.
Personally, I’m looking forward to spending more time with Matt and John Rhodes, and meeting Tim Castleman and Rachel Rofe. Not to mention Leanne King, a WordPress goddess, and she’s coming in from Australia.
E1k 2009 was the first online marketing conference I have ever attended. I was skeptical. I was doubtful. I didn’t think I would come away with anything.
I was so wrong.
So, get in now. Rooms are cheap. Flights are still relatively cheap (Try Orbitz or Travelocity – I found a good price on Orbitz). Food in Vegas is cheap. Sign up now and I’ll see you there.
Do you ever think about going to I.M gatherings but never do? Do you realize that your success hinges upon your connections and relationships with other marketers? Think about what it’s like to start talking online to a well known figure in I.M. Feels pretty good to think that you may be able to do a JV or something with them, right? Yeah – you and all the other thousands of people that email them! Now…take that feeling, and think about what it’s like to meet them in person, to sit and have dinner or a drink with them…you have their undivided attention. They have a face and a voice with the email now. They know you. What do you think you could accomplish if you had an hour or so one-on-one time with, say, the Rhodes Brothers? or Tim Castleman?
Try a whole weekend my friend!
Go to this site to read more about the speakers. You won’t be disappointed.
So, here’s what I want you to do. I want you kick your doubts to the curb, sign up, and get your seat. It’s happening May 21-23 in Las Vegas. Don’t plan on leaving the hotel; you’ll spend every waking moment networking. Trust me – I was there last year and I didn’t sleep. Here’s the good thing – Vegas is cheap. You’ll get your seat, a hotel, and airfare for about a grand. I’m serious. It’s time for you to do the same. Sign Up NOW. No more excuses.
I’ll be there, Come up and say Hi. Let’s talk shop over a drink!
GetResponse, a popular autoresponder, has increased their affiliate commissions from 30 percent to 33 percent and removed the 2 tier structure. The email follows.
We are excited to announce that, effective immediately, we are increasing the commission from 30% to 33% on all direct sales. That’s up to a 10% increase in your check! Thanks to the productivity and profits you have generated over the years, we now have the opportunity to offer this powerful direct sales incentive to you in the New Year!
As a result of this new incentive, your compensation program will have one tier, instead of two, and more effectively support and encourage your direct sales activities. We hope the increase in commissions will make it possible for even more million-dollar affiliate program earners!
Here are some frequently asked questions (and answers) you may have about this change:
1. Does the commission increase apply only to GetResponse, or to other Implix products I can promote as a GetResponse affiliate (WebsiteWizard, EbookGold, Hypertracker)?
The increase will apply to all Implix products ? your commissions will now be 33% instead of 30%.
2. Does the commission increase apply only to new sales (generated after the increase was announced) or to all commissions that I currently earn as an affiliate?
The increase applies to all 1st tire commissions ? we are increasing your check by up to 10%.
3. I used to have 2nd tier commissions – what will happen to them?
As we have removed the 2nd tier from our affiliate program, you will no longer receive those commissions and they will be removed from your account. However, your direct sales commissions will be increased from 30% to 33%.
4. Why did you remove the 2nd tier?
After careful analysis of affiliate feedback, we realized that the 2nd tier was no longer popular, and changed the program structure to better meet their needs.
As always, we are here to answer questions about the commission increase or any other concerns you may have. Just let us know if you need any help!
Inspired by a simple 5 dollar bill, Dennis Becker wrote this strategy that propelled him from making $30 a day to making $700 a day in less than a year. This is not the “latest and greatest whiz-bang” money making method; it is a sound strategy that won’t become outdated.
5 Bucks a Day (a.k.a. “5 Bucks a Day, Jr.”) is the story of how Dennis finally realized not only his initial lofty income goals, but more. It isn’t about a new scheme or skill, so much as it is about a mental approach. 5 Bucks a Day is best described as a strategy. Once you understand the strategy (the same day you read 5 Bucks a Day for the first time), your life might change the same way mine changed when I envisioned this strategy for the first time.
Now you can own this strategy for less than a decent dinner…and it can reward you for a lifetime.
Have you ever signed up for a “Free” offer, only to find out that you were automatically enrolled in some sort of recurring membership that you never signed up for?
This somewhat deceptive practice is called “Negative Option” marketing and is usually attached to free trial offers or free merchandise, such as DVD’s, etc. Although this practice exists in many niches (and has been around for a long time – ever bought a cassette from Columbia House?) , it is prominent in “Make Money” type products.
The FTC and Visa/Mastercard are cracking down on it. Visa and Mastercard are now actively declining merchant account applications from companies that do this sort of business, and going back through existing merchants and cancelling the agreements of those companies that are already established and practice this type of marketing.
Yes, some of these companies disclose very clearly up front that if you get the free whatever, in 7 days you will begin getting billed 399.99 a month on your credit card automatically for the idiot of the month club…but when you try to call and cancel, the line is busy, disconnected, or worse…and you have to send 5 different emails and a postcard to cancel…and by the time you do, the time has elapsed to cancel, you get billed, and there is no recourse other than a dispute or chargeback.
For more information on negative option, check out the FTC’s site on it here.
If you’ll recall (if you’ve been reading my blog for a year or more) I attended the first Earn1KaDay summit in Orlando, Florida in January of 2009. There I got to meet and mingle with Willie Crawford, the Rhodes Brothers, Jaime Mintun, Dennis Becker, and many more. Well, it’s happening again, and I want to meet you there.
The details aren’t firmly packed down yet, but we’re looking at a May date in Las Vegas. Earn1KaDay is where my business and life changed. The contacts I made there and the time I spent with all of these fine people were invaluable. And I plan to go again.
If you haven’t joined Earn1KaDay yet, I urge you to get in now…some more new things have just been added, and there are even more to come. Take action, get out of your “comfort zone” and make 2010 happen for you.
When you own domain names associated with the trademarks of a large company, more often than not, they’re going to file a complaint with the ICANN UDRP(Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy). And more often than not, they’re going to win control of the name. Such was the case yesterday with 16 names related to Apple that one man happened to own.
Today, we’ve got a nice goodie for you, especially if you are creating eBooks.
Here is a great little pack of 11 preformatted eBook templates for use in Word or Open Office, complete with headers. These make a great addition to the toolbox of any info product creator, or even for someone who just wants to make a Word or Open Office document look goooood.
A lot of bloggers and affiliate marketers are still confused by the pending rule changes imposed by the FTC in relation to disclosure on their websites. And rightfully so. With all the “he said she said” going on regarding the rules, compliance is going to be difficult.
Jim Edwards did an interview with an FTC assistant deputy, and the interview is quite informative.
I recommend you watch… The sky is not falling and the FTC will likely NOT be on your doorstep on December 2 with a warrant.
In the light of the continued discussion of the Dave’s Cool Little Website post, I wanted to take a few minutes to talk about potentially bad business models. Dave’s Cool sites is one of the lessons, and another one is Louis Allport’s “99 Minutes To Internet Success” videos, later Reprint Rights Every Month.
1. Dave’s Cool Little Website
Dave’s Cool Little Websites were a hosted website service, that provided a templated combination eBay-Clickbank website. All you needed to do was pay the $97 bucks for a site, and register a domain name to point to their server. Once all this occurred, you had your own website and received 100 percent of the sales revenue. You could also make affiliate income promoting the Cool Little Websites. You should already see the pattern here – your only investment was the one time site purchase. There was no more revenue going to the Dave’s Cool team. If they had a month with no sales, they were eating the cost of hosting and maintaining the sites. After the “hot” factor dies down, sales die down, and so does the money. Bad news for the developer, and it became bad news for the site owners as all the Cool Little Websites were shut down, with no prior notification to the buyers.
2. Reprint Rights Every Month
Louis Allport is one of the internet pioneers in video based infoproducts. His “99 Minutes To Internet Success” video series was (and still is) an incredible series of products, and I think Louis was quite ahead of his time. His Reprint Rights Every Month site was a monthly membership site where you could purchase these with resell rights. I sold many copies of videos from Louis in my day. But there was a problem…
When you purchased the videos, you didn’t actually receive videos. They were EXE’s (and later PDF’s) that linked to the videos hosted by Louis. These packages came with resell rights; once you bought you could resell and keep 100 percent of the money. Louis’ licensing stated that you could NOT resell the videos unless you were a member of Reprint Rights Every Month, but unfortunately that was hard to enforce and his videos spread all over the ‘net like wildfire. The videos became devalued, eventually ending up as the infamous 99 cent eBay auctions. More and more people were getting these videos, and the only income Louis had was the first layer, the Reprint Rights Every Month subscribers. I would hate to see the hosting bills Louis had once the bandwidth vs. income chart went the other way.
So, take these business models into consideration should you plan to pursue any kind of ongoing service or info product. Such a business can prove to be quite lucrative, even the businesses above; but you will want to make sure that your business will continue to provide for you down the road, not just for the short term.
In all the WordPress work I do, I usually drop in a text object widget and include an optin form for AWeber, my autoresponder provider. This usually works well. But, today, I got word of a new plugin by MaxBlogPress called Optin Form Adder. This plugin does so much more than just let you add an optin form to your blog – no, it lets you totally customize it to make it look like it is an integral part of your website. Field, text, background picture, box width and height, it can all be customized. And best of all, the plugin is FREE. Go take a look now!
What happens when you combine Twitter, Digg and Wikipedia?
You get TipDrop.
Jon Leger (of the famous 7 dollar script fame) has created a new “social knowledge” website called TipDrop.com, where you share tidbits of information on “Tip Sheets”. It’s more focused than Twitter, as it is all based on useful information (not what someone had for breakfast or what their dog just did).
This has the potential of becoming a very focused information site, as you are allowed only 255 characters per tip.
Credibility is voted on – you can vote tips up or down, so hopefully Spammy posts won’t inundate the site.
I went to my Cool Little Website today to check it out, and I discovered it was gone…as are all the other Dave’s Cool Little Websites out there. When you reach one, you are presented with a page that simply states…
Due to changes in technology and eBay
policy this program is no longer available.
Interesting. Changes in technology? Meaning Dave didn’t want to update his code? Or sales were finally flat enough it was time to scrap the project? And, I know eBay has been changing policies (making it more difficult to get an ePN account) but what policy is prohibiting these sites?
I just learned of a new plugin that allows you to make screencasts directly in Wordpress and place them in your posts. I tried it out and it is quite cool!
I’ve had people ask me what the deal is with Squidoo. Why create a Squidoo page? Well, take a look at this screenshot. It should be self explanatory.
I created a Lens not too long ago with a review of Traffic Drill, a site by John and Matt Rhodes. I had full intention of actually using Traffic Drill to boost this lens at least on to the first page in Google. It turns out that Squidoo did this all by itself, for the most part. I posted the lens, waited a couple of weeks, and I was number 7. Several days later, number 5. After that I briefly jumped to number 1, and now I’m sitting steady at number 3. I’m not a Squidoo expert by any means, but this clearly shows that a Squidoo lens combined with good articles with your target keywords in them can rank well in Google.
So, that is why you should Squidoo. More on this very soon…
Here’s proof that this whole internet marketing thing works, and can work with practically no effort. This is also proof that article marketing works, and it is probably an example of how NOT to do it.
A while back, I was doing some keyword research and found a niche that I knew something about. I say keyword research loosely, because in all reality, I wasn’t doing research. I was playing with SEOBook’s Keyword Research tools to see what it could do. I found a keyword set that had some pretty good results in a niche that I know something about (bad credit auto loans and “buy here pay here” lots, if you must know), and figured I’d write a short article on it.
I had been invited to join the affiliate program of a bad credit lender on Commission Junction (which is really what sparked this whole thing). This particular program pays 10 bucks a lead. Not too bad.
I was able to register a dot com name with the keywords in it. I grabbed a free web template and put my article in it along with the affiliate link in several strategic places throughout the article.
I then forgot about it. Did nothing with it – no promotion at all.
6 months later, I’ve made 50 bucks off of the site.Sure, 5 leads in the time the site has been up is not a lot. But you know what? It’s 50 bucks I didn’t have before.
Proof to me that organic search works, and that you CAN make something from article marketing if you even take just a little action.
What do you get as a VIP?
We are constantly on the search for new products, services, and other things that will help you and your business. With a VIP membership, you are the first to know about such items, right in your inbox. You will also get 15 percent off anything we have in our Products section. And, we won't barrage your inbox either or share your information - you can unsubscribe easily whenever you want. Your privacy is our promise and our guarantee.
You need a Flip! 60 minutes of recording in a compact, easy to use digital video camera that fits in your pocket. Perfect for internet marketers, or even shooting an on-the-spot video of the kids. Get it today!
So, the 
Inspired by a simple 5 dollar bill, Dennis Becker wrote this strategy that propelled him from making $30 a day to making $700 a day in less than a year. This is not the “latest and greatest whiz-bang” money making method; it is a sound strategy that won’t become outdated.
