Hollywood Boulevard

This is a birds eye view of Hollywood Blvd from the 5th floor of my building. Looking east from hollywood and la brea.

What is a super-affiliate?

To get to the heart of the question, you have to ask a few…

What is a super affiliate? It's an affiliate for any product that drives a lot of sales. How do they drive a lot of sales? They send a lot of quality traffic through their affiliate links. How do they get a lot of traffic? Aha! That's the right question.

Affiliates only get a portion of the sale – so they have to obtain their traffic very cheaply. Usually the site actually selling the product can afford to pay more for their traffic because they have more margin to work with. The affiliate has to get the traffic, pass it over to the sponsor, and wait for a conversion.

This need for cheap traffic is why most affiliates play the SEO game. It's a tricky game, some people get burned every day, and some people make it big. But it's not necessarily how super-affiliates think.

Super-affiliates are usually more creative in obtaining traffic than just SEO. They sprinkle in some strategic pay-per-click campaigns. They send out email – either list rentals or spam. They forge partnerships. They make creative functionality that attracts links and visitors. The more lucrative affiliates will actually advertise on the radio or in newspapers.

Any solid business knows to have more than one source of income. Any good investor knows to diversify the portfolio. Any good strategy for bringing traffic to your web site should include more than just SEO or pay-per-click. Most of these strategies listed below can be tested very cheaply.

Get some traffic!

SEO
Pay-per-click
Email (opt-in or spam)
Feeds/RSS (froogle, etc…)
Other paid advertising (myspace, etc…)
Partnerships
Newspaper ads
Radio

E-commerce Marketing Study PDF download

Here's a link to an informative study on ecommerce from Marketing Sherpa.  Good stuff!  This proves that the big time sites are not just relying on paid ads or affiliate marketing for their traffic.  You need to be knowledgable about all the different ways that you can drive traffic to your site - not just the most obvious ones...

http://www.sherpastore.com/samples/Ecom_Benchmark_Exec_Sum.pdf

Some of the topics covered in the pdf:

#1. Ecommerce site traffic -- where do high-growth online
merchants get their traffic from? What's the breakdown between
sources such as search vs. email?

#2. Affiliate marketing -- are merchants continuing to add new
rules about affiliates use of search and trademarks?

#3. Eyetracking lab data -- when consumers visit ecommerce sites,
what do their eyes look at? How many images? How much copy? Do
they scroll below the fold? What's the most clicked part of the
page? (PDF includes four-color "heatmap" of lab test results
from Wal-Mart's home page.)

#4. ROI -- How are marketers actually measuring ROI from e-retail
marketing tactics? Which numbers really matter? (Data from
1,101 marketers on this.)

#5. Online shoppers -- why do consumers abandon some sites
without purchasing? We asked 1,120 real-life shoppers what
sometimes stops them from completing transactions.

My high tech version of getting things done (GTD) - Part 2 of 2

Part 2 of 2 - My high tech implementation of Getting Things Done

I've been Getting Things done for about three months. I feel more motivated and organized than ever. I'm getting more done in less time, and feeling less stressed about it. This is part 2 of my GTD rant. The first part covered my motivation and fallout of Getting Things Done. You can find part 1 here.

This post is about my personal implementation of GTD. It's a high tech version of the system, with all components (except physical item inbox and filing) being done online and through gadgets. It's not perfect - I have a few small items that I'd like to change at some point. But it's useful and maintainable enough for my every day life.

The beauty of GTD is that it's more of an organization philosophy than a set of tools, or products. I tried other organization methods in the past, with differing levels of success - all failing sooner than later due to the effort required to maintain them. My most notorious and expensive effort was Franklin Covey's set of materials. In my personal opinion, it's too rigid for daily use. It's Covey's way, or the highway. Use his binders - or his software - his way, consistently, and you'll be successful. If you can't accept those parameters, then you'll fail to some degree. GTD, on the other hand, can be customized to each individual. As long as you make it easy to keep updated - you'll be successful.

I'm a loyal RememberTheMilk (RTM) subscriber. The program has allowed me to implement GTD very creatively. They've built a system flexible enough that it can be customized to almost any need. I've created many separate folders, each holding different tasks and calendar items. I've created multiple notification avenues so I always know what's going on.

My RememberTheMilk folders are set up to reflect not "what" categories my items fit into, but rather "where" I'll be when they need done. This way, I can quickly review any items that need to be done while I'm at a place to accomplish such tasks. My folders include items like "Calendar", "Calls to Make", "At Home - Computer", "At Computer - Programming", "Wife - Agenda", "Errands - Household", the requisite "Waiting for", and on and on. I have a lot of folders, but they're all very specific, so when I'm about to go somewhere, or sit down at a particular time/place, I know exactly where to look for the tasks that need to be accomplished at that time. I've gotten into the habit of looking at the appropriate folder before I go anywhere...

When inputting data to RTM, I use several methods. Their program is very flexible, and I'm a big fan. They provide a favorites link that is a permanent button on both my IE and firefox browser toolbars.

Clicking the button pops up a small window where an items can be quickly entered into the proper folder. I also often send an email to my RTM account. They provide a personalized email address which will automatically put the item in your inbox, setting due dates, and including the email text as a note attached to the task. From the inbox you can later categorize it to the proper folder.

When I'm away from a computer (which really isn't that often, so this isn't a huge issue for me), I either send an email to my RTM inbox from my phone, or jot the item down on a scrap of paper. When I get home, everything in my pockets goes into my physical inbox, so items are never overlooked.

I subscribe to the RTM iCal feed through Outlook (with a third party extension called Remote Calendars) to put the calendar items in Outlook. I use Outlook to sync the calendar items onto my Audiovox SMT 5600 Smartphone. I have a fantastic calendar program installed called Papryus that syncs well with Outlook. Papyrus is written by SBSH Software.

I use RTM's atom feeds to download my tasks into individual buckets on my smart phone. I have an outstanding RSS program called Newsbreak by Iliumsoft. These guys really have gone beyond the call of duty on customer support. I've had some issues... all addressed and solved in a timely manner. Before I discovered Bloglines, I used to read ALL of my feeds on my phone with Newsbreak.

Having each bucket in a separate RSS feed makes it simple for me to look at what I'm supposed to be doing. Wherever I'm at, I glance at the appropriate folder - say "Errands - Grocery Store" or "Calls to Make" - and I can immediately see my items.

My offline physical item organization has been as important as my online task/calendar arrangement. Important papers and bills and such would sit on my desk for weeks until they got paid attention to. I would just reach right over something that needed my attention to my keyboard. Only by reading the Getting Things Done book did I realize the importantance of having an inbox, and the freedom you gain by emptying it often. My purpose isn't to re-hash the book - so if you don't understand what an inbox is, then go read it yourself!

My filing system is right next to my desk, and gets used - and used - and used. I have a bunch of manilla folders in the top drawer, and a labeler sitting underneath my inbox. I use them both often.

I'm sure my setup will evolve over time. I'm still tweaking it here and there - but that's the beauty of the system! It can be tweaked. You can modify and alter it to fit your needs. I'm planning on re-reading the book soon to implement the finer points of the system. I think the devil is in the details here. I want to make sure that this feeling of complete organization and productivity is here to stay. That's what I'm getting out of GTD, and I think if I can, then anybody can...

Online or off - I recommend you start Getting Things Done.

Walk of Fame with Hollywood Royalty

My high tech version of getting things done (GTD) - Part 1 of 2

Part 1 of 2 – Why I started Getting Things Done

Three months ago I read David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD). It’s a cliche, but I can honestly say that it has changed my life. I’m more productive than ever. I’m more motivated than ever. I’m making more money. I’m spending more quality time with loved ones.

For a long time, my version of organization was lists. Lists worked well enough, but when they got to be 100 items long, and needed to be re-written every day to keep current, it took too much to maintain it. They got neglected, and were useless. The key to a successful organization method is to reliably put everything you need to do in a place that you review consistently. In order to reliably enter your tasks into one place, it needs to be easy and maintainable. In order to review it consistently, it needs to be organized.

I used to have a little bit to do, and I’d keep my to-do list in my head. Then I took on a little more responsibility, and forgot a few things. I started writing to-do lists on a sheet of paper, and it was a nice way to keep my tasks in front of me. I added a little more responsibility and I relied greatly on my to-do lists. Lapses in maintaining the list were met by painful reprocussions, so I learned to keep them pretty reliably.

Another chunk of responsibility, and my lists grew large. I needed to re-write them every day to check off old items and add new items and keep them current. If I didn’t, some tasks would fall by the wayside. Also, the most ‘in my face’ task would always get accomplished first, but not necessarily the most important.

A list is not a good way to keep a calendar. Ask my wife. I kept my calendar via proxy through my wife – ok, she kept my calendar.

A bit more responsiblity, and lists are not practical. The items cannot be grouped together, you can’t get an idea of priority, it’s impossible to keep up.

I also decided about this time that I hated carrying around a big 3 ring binder notebook to keep my lists with me. So I started experimenting with digital versions of my lists. I bought a Microsoft SmartPhone – the Audiovox SMT5600 to be exact. I purchased Papyrus calendar software by SBSH to go on it in hopes of keeping my tasks and calendar synced with Outlook. I really liked the software, but I couldn’t use it reliably. Data entry on the phone is slow. Data entry into Outlook sucks. Plus I use more than one computer (and no exchange server). So, I never really had a reliable method of entering everything into the program.

Being stuck in this netherworld between paper and software, I got very disorganized. I forgot tasks, appointments, deadlines, phone calls, etc… The more I fell behind, the more the stress built.

Then I read a couple of posts about GTD, and decided I needed to give it a shot. After all, how many people are trained in organization? I know my parents didn’t show me how to file, organize bills, keep appointments, stay efficient. I know my college didn’t offer it as an elective – not that I would have taken it anyway.

I’ve been getting things done for about 3 months now, and I can say that it’s changed my life. I customized it to my own needs, and I’m more productive than ever. It's easy for me to maintain, and I can rely on it no matter where I am. I don’t miss appointments or deadlines. My wife doesn’t have to nag me about responsibilities because I’m all over it. I have a sneaking suspicion that my credit score is rising. Plus, to top it off, I’m making more money, my stress levels are lower, and somehow my motivation has stayed at a consistently high level.

I’ve always been a motivated person, but it tended to go through peaks and valleys – diving into a valley after a high period. Like I used up all my emotional energy, and needed to recharge before doing it again. Being completely organized and efficient has kept it at a higher level for a longer period of time than I’ve ever experienced before. An example would be that I wake up at approximately 5am every day without an alarm clock with only 6 hours of sleep. Every morning I roll over, look at the clock, stretch and roll out of bed – ready to attack the day.

I’ve added David Allen as a man that I’d to thank one day. And yes, that is in my “someday” folder. If you’re feeling like there are not enough hours in the day, feeling stress because you’ve got too much to do, or feeling like your professional responsibilities are interfering with your social needs, then I can empathize with you. I know what you’re going through. The answer is not to sleep less, work more, or try harder. The answer is to get completely organized – start Getting Things Done.

Why you need a nascar page

A nascar page instills trust and authority to a potential customer. Every fledgling to medium sized e-commerce site needs a good nascar page - a page that's plastered with banners from every news outlet, ssl authority, and online business certification it can find. Large online companies like Amazon, EBay and Travelocity don't use a nascar page because their brand is already well known, and they don't need to convince the customer to buy.

The problem with Internet stores is that you can't hold the customer's hand and make them feel comfortable. You don't have anyone in front of the customer to answer questions and concerns, to gauge the mood of the customer and lead the buying process in the proper direction. A nascar page is a great way to convince the customer that you won't take their credit card number and go on a spending spree down the Mexican Baja (which actually has happened to me... but that's another story), or send them a counterfeit, or not send their items at all...

Here are some top-notch nascar examples:

Godaddy


Right Now

Legalzoom

Doubleclick

Basecamp
Elance


How to build a nascar page
When you're first getting started, just sign up for as many trust authority sites as you can find. Sometimes I'll put a government program seal (with appropriate link) on my pages. Here's a list of places that will allow you to get started:




http://www.ftc.gov/infosecurity


http://www.getnetwise.org


http://www.staysafeonline.info/


http://www.paypal.com


If you want to pay for your customer's trust, try these guys:
http://www.truste.org
http://www.verisign.com
http://www.bbbonline.org
http://www.scanalert.com

Once you've got a good start, you just need to work on getting press. Get into a couple of news stories - or high profile blogs.

It works! Put the time in to make your surfers trust you, and you'll be rewarded with their purchase. Remember - that's the greatest downfall of e-commerce, and the greatest strength - authority and trust is conveyed through your customer's 800x600 pixel screen.

Cool Internet Business Model – Match.com

Anyone who has been in the dating game in this century knows about online dating. Aside from pathetic long-termers like myself, that means pretty much everybody…

Not everybody knows what a great business model it is. Not everyone knows how much money it makes. About 11% of all online users have a profile on an online dating site, according to research by Jupiter Media. Not very many people at all cruise match.com without any interest in the content – but I do. I am envious of match.com. I am truly in awe of the business that has been created out of little 1's and 0's. Match.com is the ultimate Internet business model. Here's why I like it:

1. It's sticky – you could cruise all over the place for free until you find something that catches your eye. I have a mentor that was interested in the business model and was cruising through the site to see how it worked. He signed up to show his staff the interactivity, someone caught his eye, and ended up finding his wife. They're still married 5 years later.

2. It's tempting. Everyone has heard an Internet dating success story from a friend or a family member. Everyone has heard a horror story, too – but they're not as powerful. Friends say that only 1 in 10 dates are worth their time. But that doesn't stop 'em! If you're looking for love, you know about Internet dating sites.

3. They're simple. 3 step process: a. browse b. create free profile c. signup and get some dates

4. Powerful upsell opportunity. Not long after you sign up and post your profile, you'll start getting little notes saying – somebody really good looking wants to talk to you! Or – Aren't you lonely? Well you don't have to be – this hot dude or gal wants to talk to you!

5. 100% web based. No product fulfillment, no warehouses, no widgets. Just a few machines on a rack, a few programmers, a few designers and a few marketers.

6. CHA-CHING! Oh yeah, and a whole bunch of people to carry all your cash to the bank. Last year (2005) Match.com made $249 million in revenue, with 26% growth over the previous year. In that previous year, they were already a mature company… Personals.Yahoo.com made around $170 million. Lavalife made $72 million. Major private companies include eHarmony.com, AmericanSingles.com, Date.com and uDate.com, which all must have made close to or more than Lavalife (according to similar amounts of traffic). Jupiter Research estimated that the segment would make around $516 million last year.

7. Major niches to fill This product has niches galore. Major niche fillers include jdate.com (alexa = 1,193), ChristianCafe.com (7,431), BigChurch.com (10,513), CatholicMatch.com (5,002), and many many more.

8. Easy to find customer This customer looks for you. It's a need that's being fulfilled through technology. On the web, it's easy to present your site to someone who's looking for you.

Where's the beef?
Online dating is flush with major players, and minor niche fillers (see section 6 above to find out why).

Match.com $$ breakdown
Alexa rating: 85
Approximate monthly visitors: 15,000,000
Monthly revenue: ~$20,800,000
Revenue per visitor: $1.38
Number of ferraris you could buy per month: 104

The revenue per visitor number is key to understanding what kind of marketing you can do. Match.com probably doesn't do that much marketing, because they're the market leader, and brand recognition and word of mouth drives most of their traffic. But, for the smaller niche players, they need to understand what they can pay for each visitor and still be profitable.

How to steal this idea
Online dating is very much a mature market, with not much space left for traditional players. Even the niches have been exploited and fulfilled. But, the point of this assignment is to understand the basic business model so it can be adapted to other areas. So – what other areas can the ideas of online dating be applied?

Basic principles:
1. Browse the content
2. Create a free profile
3. Pay to play

Similar services:
1. Social networking – MySpace is all the rage… they don't make money off of monthly memberships like Match.com, but they make plenty off of selling advertising to their sizable traffic supply.
2. Gambling – Big gambling sites these days offer a free zone where you can play with fake money before you sign up to lose your real money.
3. Forums – Same premise as the social networking – get the traffic from the content, sell them advertising.
4. Vacation rentals – Provide a place to upload your vacation rental for free – then send the owner emails saying that people are interested in contacting her to rent out the place. Force the membership fee in order to see the requests. This model could be applied to any recurring service.

Summary
Online dating is a killer Internet business model. Take a program and make millions. No fulfillment. No warehouses. You can take the basic premise of providing a service people want and automating it with a program, and apply it to other markets.