A New Learning Curve
While I’m still doing some ad testing on the recipe site, an idea for a new site hit me and I just had to jump on it. Sorry, it’s a niche site, so I can’t share too many details. But I will say this - it’s a pretty hot market and it’s income will be from affiliate programs.
Since I did the recipe site with Wordpress, I realized that content management scripts are the way to go to make professional looking websites, and great for those you plan to update on a regular basis. Although I had a hell of a time with the WP scripts and getting them “just right”. Call me a control freak, but it drives me nuts if I can’t make things EXACTLY how I want them.
I started with WP again, this time in search of a magazine-style template since there was only certain sections that would be updated maybe a few times a month. The majority of the site is static and probably won’t change that much. After fighting for a few hours with a few templates, I scraped the whole idea of using WP and went in search of something else. Well, I found it, and it’s name is Joomla.
Now there is one major drawback here, and that’s the huge learning curve in front of me. I know NOTHING about this program or how to edit. Although after doing some playing I’ve come to realize that it has a LOT of editing options you can play with. Still, there’s a few things I want to change (remember I am VERY picky!) and have no idea how, so it’s a bit frustrating. It’s almost as there’s just too many options and I find myself completely lost.
Still, I’m enjoying learning about something new and creating a really cool looking site in the process. I’m glad I went with something completely different from WP, because there’s more I can do and a whole lot more layout options (which is GREAT for various sections and pages on the site!). I do love WP, but it just wasn’t going to work this time around.
Topics: Resources for Your Business | 3 Comments »
Ad Testing Update
If you’ve been following along with this case study, you know I’m slowly pulling away from Adsense due to the worthless ads that Google’s been letting slip through. My CTR (click through rate) has dropped because of them, and of course, my income too. Well, no more.
My testing is finished on Idea Queen for the most part, since I’ve found some pretty good preforming ads to compliment the site. I did some testing within the same programs and found just the right ads to use. That I’m leaving alone for now.
The recipe site on the other hand is a picky little thing. The same ads that have been doing well on Idea Queen aren’t doing nearly as well on the recipe site. One would think the target markets on both sites are pretty much the same, but the content is what makes all the difference. (As in what someone is looking for when they land on each site or page).
I’ve decided to think outside the box a bit. I’ve already proved that cookbooks don’t sell so well on a recipe site (and why would they? If someone is on a recipe site, changes are they know how to search for recipes, thus eliminating the need for buying a cookbook). Apparently coupons and the like don’t “sell” too well there either, which one would think they it would compliment it (if you are looking for recipes, you buy food, thus needing coupons…or so I thought). Although I guess it’s time to try something different.
Since the focus on the site is recipes for MOMS, I’m running some mom related ads on the site. One of them has a focus on health, which I think most of us mothers are interested in (especially if we are already searching for recipe to cook, thus boosting our family’s health by skipping junk foods). Another ad I just put up was on that wasn’t recipe or food related at all, but about scrapbooking. A tad crazy I know, but remember the focus on MOM.
With these ads I kept Adsense in the rotation (mostly just on the category page), and I’m still not impressed with the outcome of it. Thanks to the junk ads if it does produce a click, it’s something pathetic like 5 cents or less. NOT worth it, especially when affiliate programs will pay a whole lot more. It’s just a matter of playing the waiting game to see if commission on occasional sales outweigh the tiny clicks.
I’m still waiting on approval from the Adify networks, and have my fingers crossed they’ll up the approve at least something here soon. In a way I’m kinda glad they’ve taken this long, since it’s given me a chance to test a whole lot of ads to see what preforms and what doesn’t should I be without advertisers.
Topics: Ad Case Study | 2 Comments »
Great Affiliate Marketing Chat!
On Sunday I told you about an Affiliate Marketing Chat that I was asked sit in on the expert panel. It was tonight. If you missed it - you missed an awesome time. I believe we were actually down one expert because the poor girl came down with a bad case of the Flu. However - it went off without a hitch.
If you did miss it - no worries - the recap will be posted at UnderstandingMarketing.com.
(I’ll let you know as soon as I know the recap has been posted.)
John was right - TweetGrid.com seems like the best way to follow along with these chats. I myself had a bad time with it but I totally blame my connection on it this time. I’ve been having a difficult with several sites this evening. However, for most … it seems like an awesome way to follow along with a Twitter chat - the marketing geek in me *loves* the whole idea!
Just a little reminder - John & his wife Chrisanne hold these small biz chats weekly at Twitter. I’m looking forward to following along with future chats - it’s really a great idea! Oh and how cool is it that John & his wife Chrisanne are not only husband and wife but business partners! Bravo!
Alrighty, enough rambling (once again, lol). Be sure to follow @SternalPR for future chats and check out UnderstandingMarketing.com - I highly recommend!
Thanks again John & Chrisanne for having me! Despite the troubles I had … I still really enjoyed myself!
Topics: Affiliate Marketing | No Comments »
Affiliate Marketing Chat
Good news for those of you following along on the whole Affiliate Marketing market research I’ve been doing! Nothing has been finalized as of yet but it appears as though I very well may be sitting on a panel of experts for the next #smbiz chat on Affiliate Marketing.
I’m still learning more about these chats as I type because I wasn’t even aware of these chats until just today but I’ll share as much as I can with you now and add as any more developments are made.
(So be sure to leave a comment here on this post & here and put a checkmark in the “Notify me of followup comments” box so you can get all the juicy details.)
Even if you’re not interested in Affiliate Marketing specifically but marketing in general (online and offline) you may want to pay attention to the following:
John Sternal (@SternalPR at Twitter) has requested that I sit on his panel of experts for his next #smbiz chat for his website UnderstandingMarketing.com. From my first look, I *really* love this website.
(Remember, I’m the marketing geek!)
A few of the previous chat topics have been:
- Why Small Business should Insource
- Using Twitter For Local Marketing
- Twitter for Small Business
There’s really a wealth of information on this site for small businesses and marketing in general (should fit most of our readers very well!)
The upcoming chat that I may be sitting on the panel for is Affiliate Marketing: Discussing how a small business can set up an affiliate program and sell products/services online.
This particular chat is being held this Tuesday evening (March 24th) from 8 - 9 EST.
This chat is held via Twitter and can be easily followed by following the #smbiz Twitter hash tag.
HashTag.org is currently the way I follow hash tags. However, I openly admit, from my own experience, this has not always been the most reliable way to do this. If it’s any kind of indication to you, I’ve been trying to get you a direct link to the search page for the #smbiz tag and it took me 5 times to get it - the other 4 times the site was down.
I’m in the process of doing some research to find ways that others are following specific tags. (If you have another way to do this that you use - please leave a comment and share! I’d greatly appreciate this!)
If you are unable to follow along on Tuesday evening, it appears as though John posts recaps of each chat at UnderstandingMarketing.com and I will see what I can do to share a recap myself.
This is about the best information I can give right at this moment. I was just too excited and wanted to share with our readers right away! First of all, yeah sure … feels great for others to consider you as an expert in your field and well, the marketing geek in me just loves the brilliant idea John has come up w/ as yet another way to utilize Twitter!
I’m going to request that John stop by here and share a little more about this upcoming Affiliate Marketing Chat and his other chats as well as UnderstandingMarketing.com because I feel as though this will serve as an excellent resource for a lot of our readers.
Hopefully John can share with us better ways to both follow along and participate during the chat as well as get the scoop for those who cannot attend Tuesday night.
How ’bout a little recap here …
In the meantime … here’s a few things you’ll want to do:
- Subscribe to the comments on this post you’re reading right now and this post. (This will keep you up to date on the affiliate marketing research I’m doing, keep you up to date with any information passed on about the Affiliate Marketing Chat @ Twitter and let you see any other questions posted by others.)
- Enter your name and email address in the upper right-hand corner of our blog here. (This will send you updates for every 5 posts we make here on the blog.)
- Follow me at Twitter - @anitadefrank (Leave a comment here with your Twitter ID - and I’ll be sure to follow you back! If you’re already a follower - do the same and I’ll make sure I’m following you as well!)
- Follow John Sternal at Twitter - @SternalPR (This will help you follow along w/ the Affiliate Marketing chat, get updates on upcoming chats as well as UnderstandingMarketing.com.)
- Follow hashtag: #smbiz (And remember, if you have another way to share to follow hashtags - please share!)
- And last but by no means the least - more like the most important - ask those Affiliate Marketing Questions! Take a look at my Affiliate Marketing Market Research post and see what I keep saying about giving credit where credit is due!
(Affiliate Marketing - what a better way to make money on things you’re probably already doing - but are doing it for free! It’s time you learn more about affiliate marketing and start getting paid!)
Okie dokie, that’s about it for now. If you follow the instructions above, I’ll be sure to share any updated information as I can!
Talk to you soon!
Topics: Affiliate Marketing, Blog & Website Reviews | 6 Comments »
RB: Huge Teleclass for Direct Sales - Free!
What does RB mean?
Why it mean it means Re Blog of course! LOL! I figured if you RT to Re Tweet then we should RB to Re Blog, right? Lame? Maybe? OR maybe … just maybe I’m going to start a whole new internet marketing trend! 
Do me a favor … if you value my blog posts … the next time you Re Blog something or send out a REminder … use the RB tag! LOL!
(Just kidding … think it would work?)
Anyway … enough playing around … getting down to business here. This is some important news to those of you in direct sales so I need your un-divided attention for a moment.
Remember the other day I told you about the HUGE Fr.ee Teleclass with my good friend Lisa Young Robbins? You know the one that has only the best of the best in direct sales … and the one that is FR.EE!?!
We’ll here’s the deal …
Right now it is Sunday, March 22 @ 1:14 PM EST and according to @lisarobbinyoung (Lisa Robbin Young @ Twitter) as of 19 minutes ago, there was only a little over 8 hours left until this awesome class starts (yeah, the fre.e one). AND … more importantly … she’s almost hit the 1000 mark!
So this means what?
Simpe: If you’re going to join in (for fre.e) you’re going to want to grab your ticket ASAP - and I really mean - As Soon As Possible. Cause it’s only fr.ee to the first 1000! After that, you’re going to have to pay. (And noone wants to do that if they don’t have to!)
And more specific … that means RIGHT NOW go to:
http://www.homepartysolution.com/supersummit and grab your ticket!
RIGHT NOW!
If you have NO clue what the heck I’m talking about, you’re sure to find everything you need to know on that page plus, you’ll find even more in my previous blog post: http://2wahms.com/549/free-direct-sales-teleclass
(Remember - it’s the same topic name - just now I’ve added the RB silly!)
So move it! Go grab your spot now! I know Lisa and I KNOW you will NOT be disappointed!
(Take advantage of this nutjob move she’s making and grab it for fr.ee! That’ll teach her! Next time she really should put a price tag on something like this! Gotta love Lisa!)
Your FR.EE ticket is sitting there waiting for you right here:
http://www.homepartysolution.com/supersummit
Topics: Direct Sales | 1 Comment »
Interested in Affiliate Marketing? Any Questions?
I’m getting ready to put together some pretty intensive affiliate marketing information. I’m going to be looking at it from two main different angles.
First being an affiliate in general and secondly creating and managing your own affiliate program.
But I want some questions to start building from. I’m probably going to be starting with the very basics as in what is affiliate marketing and how do I make money selling other people’s stuff as well as the benefits of being an affiliate marketer and the benefits of owning/managing your own affiliate program. I really want to hit it all - all the way around.
So tell me, what is your affiliate marketing question(s)?
There is NO SUCH THING AS A STUPID QUESTION! The only stupid question is the question that goes un-answered because it was un-asked. Got it? Keep that in mind when replying with your questions. I want to know what’s on your mind and what your affiliate marketing questions are - all of them.
The whole idea behind this is for market research. And if you don’t know me by now, it won’t take long to figure out that I’m a firm believer in giving credit where credit is due. So, if you leave a comment, be sure to check the box that says:
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. You participating in this little experiment will certainly come back to you! But, you’ll need to follow along with me to find out more 
Topics: Affiliate Marketing | 4 Comments »
Are you an internet marketer?
Just curious as to see the responses I get from this. I’m not going to say any more right now other than …
Do you consider yourself an internet marketer?
… and …
Why do you or why do you not consider yourself an internet marketer?
… and …
Give a very brief description of what you do online.
The second and third parts are completely optional but, I would greatly appreciate it if anyone would venture to answer those.
Looking forward to the responses!
P.S. When you leave your comment - be sure to check the box that says:
Notify me of followup comments via e-mail.
If you humor me and join in on this conversation, you’ll certainly want to follow along!
Topics: Internet Marketing | 5 Comments »
Huge Teleclass for Direct Sales - Free!
A good friend of mine, Lisa Robbin Young is offering a *must check out* opportunity for direct sales representatives. If you’re in direct sales - keep reading because you’re going to be amazed at what she’s offering! (And it’s F*REE!!)
First of all, let me tell you … Lisa absolutely positively rocks! This woman really knows what she’s talking about. I’m a direct sales marketing coach myelf, and if I ever have a question … she is one of the first I go too! (She and of course my other good friend Jennifer Stoll - who you’ll also get to hear should you decide to go for it!)
Alrighty, enough rambling … let me get to the good stuff now! Here’s what Lisa shared with me about the Direct Sales Summit:
March 22 - April 4 the cream of the crop in sales, marketing, mindset, and direct sales coaching are coming together for a groundbreaking event like no other. The Direct Sales SUPER Summit brings 15 experts to your phone to listen in the comfort of your own home. Tips, tricks and strategies you can use right now to bring your direct sales business to new heights.
Learn about the right ways to use facebook, twitter, and other social media - and why they are more important now than ever in your business. Get expert advice on the right words to say (and not to say) to make the most of every home party. Be inspired with stories of heroism, overcoming obstacle, and the power of leadership. Get tools and techniques designed to grow your business, create more time and financial stability for yourself and the ones that matter most.
The telesummit is FREE to listen live, but each call is limited to the first 1000 callers. If you miss a call, you can purcahse the entire set of 15 audios for $47 if you order when you register. After that, the price jumps to $97 - and we can’t promise that option will be available after the classes begin. This fee covers the costs of creating and hosting the audios for download. Pre-ordering insures we have enough disk space and transfer bandwidth available for everyone. Those that order in advance not only get a great value, they also confirm they’ll have every second of every class available to them.
With additional bonus materials being announced throughout the event, you’re really getting your money’s worth on this WOW experience.
I hope to “see” you and your group at the SUPER Summit!
But there’s more that I want to share with you … this is just too awesome to NOT include! Look at this list of speakers:
Jenny Bywater
Christie Northrup
Ruth Fuersten
Kim Duke
Lisa Robbin Young (of course!)
Deb Bixler
Kim DeYoung
Matt Langdon
Jennifer Stoll (one of my other favorites!)
Barbara Lopez
Zoe Ruth
Ricci Neer
Sandy Grason
Richard Fenton & Andrea Waltz
Jennifer Fong
Folks we’re talking the best of the best! Lisa has really, really outdone herself. Sooo … as you can see … this summit is only free to the first 1000 callers.
Get your free ticket now!
Direct Sales Super Summit
Topics: Direct Sales | 2 Comments »
What Kind of Communicator Are You?
|
You Communicate Passionately |
 You speak from the heart. You can’t separate your feelings from what you’re saying, even in a professional context. You tend to speak dramatically, with lots of passion and emotion. It’s easy for you to get swept up in what you’re saying. You like to connect with people early on so that you can personalize what you are saying to them. When you converse, you try to find common ground and harmony. Even if you disagree with someone, you try to emphasize where you agree. |
Topics: Monday Nite Blog Thing | 2 Comments »
No Ads Are Created Equal
As mentioned the other day, I’m slowly testing various new ads to eventually replace Adsense, which has been dropping to an extremely pathetic amount. Even though I haven’t been approved with any networks on Adify just yet, I’m using their ad rotation system to do my testing (as I mentioned, there is the ability to put in your own ads, and if you put in more than one, it just rotates through them).
First off there’s the recipe site. I’ve actually got two sets of ads running on the category pages and the actual recipe pages. There’s another two ads rotating on the home page, and two separate ads in the navigation (top and middle). I’m mostly using CoolSavings, which pays me $1 per lead, but the navigation ad in the middle is CafeMom. I really don’t expect those navigation ads to pay much, so the real focus is on testing the ads rotating on the category and recipe pages.
So far I’ve done little tweeking, as I’m trying to get some decent numbers built up to compare with. All the ads are with Commission Junction, so I’ve been running reports daily to look at the number of clicks and number of leads. But I have noticed that different ads DO preform better than others. I’ve already kicked one out for not pulling in at least one click within 200 views, and more will probably follow. It’s all about tweeking and getting just the right ad where it needs to be.
Next is Idea Queen’s blog. I pulled a rather bold move with it, even though I didn’t have much to lose. It doesn’t pull in all that much traffic (maybe 100 views a day, more when the blog broadcast goes out). I completely pulled all the Adsense off it and replaced it with ONE banner ad. Yup, one. This one I’m really going to have to sit on my hands for though, since it’s not a pay-per-lead program (well, it is, but it’s not free for the visitor, so it’s different from the others). I thought it was a unique program that fit my visitors, so I’m giving it a shot. Since the blog only produces about $10 a month, this program has exactly that much time to produce one sale at $12. If it does better, GREAT!
Now even though I only have one banner up there now, I may just change it to rotate several because Commission Junction does allow you to set something like that up. Unfortunately it takes a lot longer for the stats to build up on this one since there’s not as many visitors, so it worries me a little to tamper with the testing when it’s got to pull in JUST ONE to be worth it. We’ll see what I decide to do there.
Last, but not least by any means, is Idea Queen. Oh have we been shaking things up there! For one, I’ve got the new ad on the side that I’ve been doing the rotating ad testing on, currently with 4 different 160×600 sized ads rotating. Since there’s several hundred views a day to the site per day, I can change the ads not even producing clicks within a few days. I’ve already replaced one. Now there’s 2 CoolSavings, 1 CafeMom, and one that’s the same $12 lead company as on the blog. Since this is a navigation ad, I’m not expecting fantastic results, but I do expect the ads I run to earn a few bucks a month at the very least.
The other recent change was to some of the recipe pages. I didn’t dare remove the Google Ads, but rather I moved them a tad. All the ads that were stuck right at the top have been replaced with CoolSavings, and they have already produced some leads. I’m not overly thrilled with it, but not disappointed either. I really don’t have enough stats to come up with a solid conclusion, but as of right now I see that I’ve more or less bumped the income up slightly. Could it replace Adsense? No, not at this point. Unless, of course, I find another program that produces some good enough results to run along side of the affiliate I’ve already got that would add up to more than I’m making with Adsense (or was, I guess, since I’ve already replaced some of that income with CJ affiliate programs).
Overall the stats are quite complicated to report in detail and wouldn’t mean anything to anyone but me anyway. The bottom line here is that if you are testing ads, test different ads from the same affiliate, because you never know what specific ad is going to run the best on your site. (And as a side note - don’t be afraid to use CJ’s EPC notes, those can be useful!)
Topics: Ad Case Study | No Comments »