Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

34
ShoeMoney Tools Guide To Local Affiliate Marketing Why Did I Write This Guide? Everyday people ask me how they can make money online, especially since many people have recently lost their job in light of the economy. These people are looking to online marketing as a way to make money. In the past, I have written many guides on different ways to make money online. When I find something lucrative, I show people step‐by‐step what I have done to generate cash so they too can achieve success. It's a catch 22. Sure, I love spreading this information and helping others, but the downside to having a massive reach is that as soon as I write about something, the field becomes massively saturated. With local affiliate marketing, however, I believe the possibilities are endless. It's truly the new frontier of the industry. As with my previous guides, the following information provides you with a step‐by‐step approach showing you that ANYONE can setup a local affiliate program and start generating revenue. Not only will I show you exactly how to setup a local affiliate program, but I will also show you real examples unveiling the real tactics I use to help me and my customers profit. Fortunately for you, I can be very transparent and honest in this guide because my little, local market is full of affiliate fruit that's ripe for the picking ‐ just like your community!

description

how to get started in aff marketing

Transcript of Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Page 1: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

ShoeMoneyTools

GuideToLocalAffiliateMarketing

WhyDidIWriteThisGuide?

Everydaypeopleaskmehowtheycanmakemoneyonline,especiallysincemanypeoplehave

recentlylosttheirjobinlightoftheeconomy.Thesepeoplearelookingtoonlinemarketingasa

waytomakemoney.Inthepast,Ihavewrittenmanyguidesondifferentwaystomakemoney

online.WhenIfindsomethinglucrative,Ishowpeoplestep‐by‐stepwhatIhavedoneto

generatecashsotheytoocanachievesuccess.It'sacatch22.Sure,Ilovespreadingthis

informationandhelpingothers,butthedownsidetohavingamassivereachisthatassoonasI

writeaboutsomething,thefieldbecomesmassivelysaturated.Withlocalaffiliatemarketing,

however,Ibelievethepossibilitiesareendless.It'strulythenewfrontieroftheindustry.

Aswithmypreviousguides,thefollowinginformationprovidesyouwithastep‐by‐step

approachshowingyouthatANYONEcansetupalocalaffiliateprogramandstartgenerating

revenue.NotonlywillIshowyouexactlyhowtosetupalocalaffiliateprogram,butIwillalso

showyourealexamplesunveilingtherealtacticsIusetohelpmeandmycustomersprofit.

Fortunatelyforyou,Icanbeverytransparentandhonestinthisguidebecausemylittle,local

marketisfullofaffiliatefruitthat'sripeforthepicking‐justlikeyourcommunity!

Page 2: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Section1:WhatisLocalAffiliateMarketing?

Beforeyougoanyfurther,it'simportanttounderstandthebasicdefinitionandconceptof

affiliatemarketing.Let'stakemyoldjobsellingwashersanddryersatSears,forexample.HereI

workedon100%commissionandwasonlypaidwhenthecustomer(or"user")purchaseda

washerordryer(or"completedanaction").EssentiallyIwasanaffiliatemarketer.Formoreofa

textbookdefinition,Wikipediadefinesaffiliatemarketingas"anInternetbasedmarketing

practiceinwhichabusinessrewardsanaffiliateforeachvisitororcustomerbroughtaboutby

theaffiliate'smarketingefforts."Affiliatemarketingisalsooftenreferredtoasperformance

marketing,performancebasedmarketingorCPA(CostPerAction)marketing.

Normallywhenyouheartheterm"affiliatemarketing"‐itisreferencetoanaffiliateprogram

foranationalstore,brandoradvertiser(likeBestBuy,Dell,Amazon,Apple).Intoday'sonline

world,nearlyeverymajoronlineretailerhasanaffiliateprograminwhichyougetpaidfor

drivinguserstocompleteanaction,whetheritispurchasinganitemorsubmittinganemail

address.Moreoftenthannot,mostcompaniesrewardyoumosthighlyforsales.Perhapsthey

payyouaflatfeeforeachcustomerpurchaseormaybeyougetapercentageoftheamountthe

userspentonthesite.Eitherway‐affiliatemarketingcanbeveryprofitable,thatisuntilthe

nicheissaturated.

InthisguideIwillshowyouthatinlocalaffiliatemarketing,thepotentialforextreme

profitabilityisthereandthelikelihoodofsaturationismuchless.Let'sbeginbylookingatlocal

cardealershipasanexample.

1.CarDealershipA‐Theactiontheywantcompletedisforthesalesman'sphonetoring.They

arewillingtopay$10percall.

2.CarDealershipB‐Theactiontheywantcompletedisalistofleadsofpeopleinterestedin

carsemaileddaily.Theyarewillingtopay$5peremail.

3.CarDealershipC‐Theactiontheywantcompletedistheywantacarsold.Theyarewilling

topay$200percarsold.

Nomatterthefinalgoaloractiondeterminedbythebusiness,thebottomlineisthatyoureally

don'tcare.Youaresimplythemiddlemanthatwillhelpthemachievetheirgoal(foraprice).

Page 3: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

WhyDoesLocalAffiliateMarketingWorkSoWell?

Rightnowourcountryisgoingthroughamassiverecession/depression,butperformancebased

companies(likeaffiliatemarketingnetworks)arereportingall‐timerecordprofits.Whyisthat?

Simplyput,companieshaveanunlimitedbudgetforthingsthatgivethemapositivereturn.

Let'ssayforevery$10theypayyoutheyactuallyprofit$50.Itdoesn'ttakearocketscientistto

seethatcompanieswouldbestupidtonotdothis!Let'slookatthisconceptonalocallevel

examiningalarge,near‐bycardealership.

Scenario1)Youhaveasalesforceof100peoplethatmakeonaverage$50,000peryear.This

meansyouhaveapayrollof$5milliondollarsayearjusttopayforthesesalespeople.

Scenario2)Youhaveasalesforceof100peoplethatmake

10%commissionand$30,000peryear.Thismeansyouhave

apayrollof$3milliondollarsayearalongwiththeir

commission.

Scenario3)Youhaveeveryoneinthecitywillingtoworkfor

youandyouonlyhavetopaythemiftheymakeyoumoney.

Tellmewhatcompanyintheworldwouldnotgowithoption

#3iftheycould.Technologyiscatchingupwiththisconceptandit'sonlyamatteroftime

beforemostcompanieschooseoption3.Whilethisgapstillexists,youneedtoactonthisguide

nowandbecomeestablishedinyourcitydoinglocalaffiliatemarketing,helpingbothcompanies

thatunderstandthisneedandthosethatdon'tevenrealizethisoptionexists.Lateroninthis

guideIwillalsowalkyouthroughtheprocessofintroducingyourlocalaffiliatemarketing

programtothemwhiledemonstratingitsvalue.

Page 4: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Section2:StartingYourLocalAffiliateMarketingBusiness

HowToApproachYourFirstClients

Atfirst,settingupyourlocalaffiliatemarketingprogrammaynotbeeasy.Buttrustme,once

youareupandrunning,it'slikeshootingfishinabarrel.Therearemanydifferentbusinesses

thatworkwellwithlocalaffiliatemarketing.Sofarwehavehadgreatsuccesswiththesetypes

ofbusinesses:

• Dentists

• LasikEyeSurgeons

• PlasticSurgeons

• CarDealerships

• Photographers

• RealEstateAgents

Buttherearetonsofotherindustriesthatthiscanworkfor,asthepossibilitiesarelimitless.As

youapproachmanyoftheselocalcompaniesyouneedtorememberthatnotonlywillthey

probablynothaveanaffiliateprogrambutalsotheywon'tinitiallyunderstandthevalueofyour

effortseither.

Sohowshouldyouapproachalocalbusinessandpitchyouridea?Beginbyspeakingwith

friendsandneighborswhoarealreadybusinessownerswhocanbenefitfromyourservices.

Forinstance,hereistheexactconversationIhadwithalocaldentist.

Dentist:Hello,Jeremy.How'sitgoing?

Me:Great!Thingsareprettybusyattheoffice.

Dentist:Ohreally.Whatisitthatyoudoforaliving?

Me:IdoInternetmarketing.

Dentist:Wow.Whatexactlyisthat?

Page 5: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Me:Well,inyourcase,let'ssayyoutellmeyouwantmorecustomers.Iamguessingyouhave

alreadydonethemathonwhatanewcustomerisworthtoyou.InreturnformyInternet

marketingefforts,youwouldpaymeaparticularamountofmoneyforeachnewpatientIsent

yourway.

Dentist:YoumeanIwouldonlypayyouifIgotnewcustomers?Noothercostsinvolved?

Me:Nope.

Dentist:Wow.Enoughsaid.Whencanwestartdoingthis?

Me:(smiles)

YoumaythinkI'mjoking,butitreallywasthateasy.LikeIsaidearlier,companieshavean

unlimitedbudgetforitemsthatgivethemapositivereturn.Afteroneweekofmarketinghis

practiceonlineandsendinghimqualityleads,wehadthissecondconversation.

Me:SowhatdoyouthinkoftheleadsIamsendingyou?

Dentist:It'sawesome!Wehaveneverbeensobusy!

Me:That'sgreattohear.

Dentist:YesandIloveit.Youknow,Jeremy,overthelastcoupleyearsIhavespentafortunein

newspaper,phonebookandradioadsamongotherthings.AndIhaveneverhadanyreal

indicationofwhatkindofreturnIwasgettingonmyinvestment.Withyourprogram,Ionly

havetopayyouwhenIgetwhatIwant.Ilovebeingabletotrackitsoeasily.

Me:Awesome!

Stilllookingforwaystogettheattentionofbusinessowners?Your

bestbetistobehonest,boldandstraightforward.Let'sgobackto

mydaysofsellingwashersanddryersforaminute.WhileatSears,I

attendedmanytrainingseminarsandclasses.Oneconceptthey

stressedwasthe"Ruleof3".The"Ruleof3"iswhereyouask3

questionsinarowforwhichyouknowtheotherpersonwillrespondwitha,"Yes."Onceyou've

nailedthreequestions,boom,boom,boom,youthengoinforthesale.There'salotof

psychologicalbackingtothistheory,butallIhavetosayisthatitworksverywell!

Page 6: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Hereisanexampleofthe"Ruleof3."

You:Areyoulookingtogetmorebusiness?

Them:Yes!(duh)

You:WouldyoubeinterestedifItoldyouthatIcouldgetyoumorebusiness?

Them:Yes!(duh)

You:IsitokayifIdon'tevenchargeyouforthefirstmonth,thatwaywecanseewhathappens?

(Thisstrategyhasnotfailedusyet.)

Them:Yes!(duh)

You:Well,weknowwhatwebringtothetableandweknowthatafter1monthofnew

business,youwillseeahugevalueinthis.(Eitherthat,orthey'llbescaredtodeathwewillstart

workingwiththeircompetitors.)

Doesn'titseemprettysillyforthebusinessownernottotakeadvantageofthisopportunity?

DetermineYourClientsGoals

Mostofthecompaniesyouapproachwillhavealreadydoneresearchabouttheirdemographics

andwhatanewclient/buyer/phonecallisworthtothem.Obviouslytheprimarygoalforany

companyistomakemoremoneybutyou'llneedtoaskalotofquestionssoyoucanreally

pinpointthebestwaytomarketthem.Iamgoingtousealocaldentistfortheseexamplesonce

again.(DISCLAIMER:ALLIMAGESANDBUSINESSNAMESUSEDINTHEFOLLOWINGEXAMPLES

AREFORDEMONSTRATIONPURPOSESONLY.)

Asyoucanimagine,Dr.Johnedoeinitiallyexplainedtomethathisgoalwastogetmore

patients.SoIaskedhimsomemorequestionsabouthisdemographicsandherevealedtome

thatheknewwomenages25to45wereoftenresponsibleforschedulingdentalappointments

forthewholefamily.Greatinformation!SoIpressedDr.Johndoetofindoutmoreaboutthis

demographics’interests.Healreadyknewtheanswer...teethwhitening!(Iwilltalkabouthow

weusethisdemographicandgoalinformationlateron.)Sonowwe'vereallynaileddownour

targetmarket.SoexactlyhowmuchwasanewclientworthtoDr.Johndoe?Iaskedifhehad

Page 7: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

everdonethemathtofigureoutthevalueofanewcustomer.Sureenough,hehad.Hevalueda

newclientatover$250.Boom!

DetermineTheValuePerLead

Onceyouarereadytoenterintoanagreementwiththelocalbusinessyouneedtoagreeupon

thecompensationyouwillreceiveforeachleadyouprovidethemwith.Youwillprobablybe

surprisedtolearnthatsomeofthelargerestablishedlocalbusinesseshavealreadydonein‐

depthresearchanalysis.Aswestartedworkingwithoneofthebiggercardealershipsoutof

Omaha,Nebraska,theytoldustheyknewthateverytimetheirphonesrangitwasworthabout

$14tothem.

ThereareseveralwaysforyoutogetpaidbysendingInternetleadstolocalbusinesses

dependingonyourtrustlevelwiththem.OnethingIhavealwayslearnedisthatgreedypeople

willneversettleforjustalittlebitofgreed.Iftheyarecheatingyoueventuallyitwillbeso

blatantthatit'stimetomoveontotheircompetitoratwhichtimeyouaremuchbetter

positionedbecauseyouarekickingassinthespacealready.

HowToTrackYourLeads

1)Directpeopletocallaspecialnumber.

Mostcompanieshaveadedicatedpersonorteamofpeoplewhoanswerthephone.Theirjobis

conversion;it'salltheydo.Infact,theyhavebeendoingthisforyearsandaremuchmore

knowledgeablethanyouabouttheproductsandservicesthelocalbusinessoffers.Theylove

whenthephoneringsalldaylongwithinterestedpeopleontheotherend.Cardealershipsare

theperfectbusinessforthissituation.AsImentionedearlier,thecardealershipdetermined

thateverytimethephonerangitwasworth$14.Iproposedthattheycompensateme$10per

callandtheyagreed.In2007,wewereabletodriveanaverageof4712callspermonth...which

meant$47,120.00amonthforus.Ourcostswereabout$6,000.00permonthinpayperclick

expensesandlabor.Thatmeansweprofitedabout$1320aday,orroughly$41,000permonth.

Andthisisonlyoneclientwithwhichwespentonly2to3hoursperweekintotaltokeeptheir

payperclickcampaignrunning.Theyweresohappywiththeresultsin2007thatin2008they

cuttheirprintmedia,radio,andTVbudgetsby80%andgaveusamuchhigherpayout.Infact,

theyevenofferedtoreimburseustotrysomeotheronlinemarketingtactics.

Page 8: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Soyoumaybeaskingyourself,"HowdoIknowthatthecompanywillbehonestandtellmethe

accurateamountofcallersandleadsIgenerated?"That'swherethirdpartyphonetracking

comesintoplay.Thereareavarietyofthirdpartyphonecalltrackingcompaniesthatcannot

onlyprovideyourclientswithevenmoreinformationaboutthecall(likethelength,dateand

time,basiccallerIDdata,andtheareaorzipcodefromwhichthecalloriginated),butitcanalso

provideyouwithaccurate,unbiasedinformationastotheleadsyouhavedrivenandthe

amountyoushouldbepaid.Don'tforget,havingathirdpartytrackingcompanytrackthecallsis

valuableforyouinoptimizingyourcampaigns.Thesenumberscantrackinboundcallsdownto

thekeywordthatdrovethatinboundcall.Wow!

SomethirdpartycalltrackingplatformsthatyoucouldlookintoincludeeStara,Who'sCalling

andVoiceStar,butthisisjustasample.Researchthecompanyyoufeelthemostcomfortable

withandprovideyouwiththeserviceyouneedatthepriceyouarewillingtopay.

2)Setupaspecialcodethatreceptionistswillaskforinordertotakeadvantageofthedeals.

OneinstanceinwhichweusedthisspecialcodetacticwaswiththedentistImentionedearlier,

Dr.Johndoe.Dr.Johndoedoesnothaveateamofsalespeople.Instead,hehasareceptionist

whotakescareofbookingalloftheappointments.Shedoesnotworkoncommissionandhas

noincentivetogetpeoplesignedup.WhileDr.Johndoetrulyunderstandsthevaluein

marketing,hisprimaryjobisobviouslytofocusonthe

dentistryportionofhisbusiness.Inordertocompensatefor

thefactthattherewasnoreal"salesteam",wehadto

provideanincentiveforallnewcustomerstomakethecall

andselltheoffertothemselves.Asaresult,wecreateda

specialpromocodeforonlineuserstoprovidetothe

receptionistuponcalling.Theyhadtoprovidethiscodein

ordertotakeadvantageofthespecialoffers.Thispromocode

alsohelpedustrackwhichcampaignsweredoingthebest

andalsowhichleadsweshouldbecreditedfor.Wenegotiatedarateof$75pernewcustomer

thatwaswithinthetargetdemographic.Andin2008,wedroveanaverageof195new

customerspermonth.Afterourexpensesweareprofitingjustshyof$14,000permonthfrom

Page 9: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

thisdeal.(DISCLAIMER:Notallcitiesandstatesallowforcertaintypesofbusinesstopayper

lead.Instead,youmayhavetochargeaflatfeebasedupontheaveragenumberofleadsyou

send.Consultyourattorneybeforeengaginginbusiness.)

3)Collectallthedatayourself(name,phonenumber,email,age,demographics,other

determinedinformation).Thenforwardthisinformationontothebusinessandchargethemfor

eachlead.

Thismethodisidealforbusinessesthathavenoonlinepresenceatall.Inthebeginning,youare

goingtohavetocreateasiteforthemalongwithlandingpage(s).Theonethingtokeepinmind

whiledevelopingthesitesandlandingpagesisthatyoumustincludeaformtocollecttheuser

informationforwhichthebusinessisseeking.Outofallthemethodstotrackleads,Ihaveused

thistacticmostoften.Itisusuallyagatewaytotheothertwomethodsmentionedabove.This

modelworkswellforavarietyofmyclientsincludingtanningsalons,realestateagents,lawn

servicesandanin‐groundpoolcompany.Younameit‐Ihaveprobablytriedit.

LikeIsaidbeforemostcompaniescanbeleeryaboutpayingforanewserviceoffthebatand

weunderstandthat.Sowhatwe'llgivethemtheleadsforfreeforuptoamonth.Ifyourackup

20leadsinaday,however,youprobablydon'tneedtocontinuewithafreeoffer.You've

alreadyprovedyourself.Allowthecompanytofollowupontheirleadsandiftheycomeback

becausetheylovedtheresults,thenworkoutaprice.

BonusTip:Whenyouareworkingwithsomeoneandtheyhavenotdonetheresearchonwhata

newleadisworthtothemyoumighthavetositthemdownandwalkthemthroughit.Keepin

mindthesecompaniesmightnotseethebigpictureofthecompoundingvalueofareturning

customerovertime.Ifyoufeelsouraboutthedealwalkatanytimeandgorighttotheir

competitor.Whennegotiatingapriceneverbethefirstpersontonameapriceperlead.Let

themgiveyouaplacetostart.Iftheykeepsayingtheydon'tknowthentellthemtocallyou

whentheydoknowasyouhaveotherclientstodealwith.

4)Chargeaflatrateaboveexpensestomanagetheircampaigns.

Inthiscase,youchargeaflatfeetomanagethepayperclickandotherInternetmarketing

campaigns.Foraperformance‐basedmarketerlikeme,Ihateit.;)Paymefortheresults!

Page 10: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Section3:DevelopSitesandLandingPagesThatConvert

WhereDoIBegin?

Settingupalandingpageisbyfarthebestwaytoacquireleadsforyourclient.Italsogivesyou

atonofflexibilityfortestingandtracking.

Ifthelandingpageispartofalargercompanysite,thenbesurethelandingpagehasthesame

lookandfeelastherestofthesite.Whendevelopingalandingpage,keepinmindthatyou

wanttheusertofeelasifthesiteistailoredespeciallyforthem(likeiftheywereaGoogleOr

Facebookuser).Forexample,hereisthelandingpageweusedforCoddingtonDental'sGoogle

AdWordscampaign.ThispagenotonlyhasthelookandfeelofthemainCoddingtonDentalsite,

butitalsowelcomesthe"Google"user.

Page 11: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

AboveyoucanseethatwehavealsocreatedasimilarpageforourFacebookusersandour

Facebookadvertisingcampaign.*Youshouldnotehowever,thatsinceIhavecreatedthis

Facebooklandingpage,Facebookhasincreasinglydeniedandbannedadsthatleadtolanding

pagesfeaturingtheirlogo.MySpacedoesnotallowyoutousetheirimageeither.Sobeforeyou

customizeyourlandingpage,makesureyouareallowedtouseparticularlogosinyourcopy.

Page 12: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

TheExactCodeYouNeedForSuccess

Ifyoudecidetoincludetheoptionforyourusertoeithercallaphonenumberorentertheir

informationintoaform,besuretodisablethephonenumbercopyfromthesitewhenduring

non‐businesshours.ThefollowingisasampleofPHPcodeyouwouldusetomakethis

functional.

Let'ssayyourdentistisopenMonday,Tuesday,Thursday,andFridayfrom7amto5pm.

Wednesdayhoursarefrom11amuntil7pmandSaturdayis8amuntilnoon.Ifso,thenyour

codewouldlooksomethinglikethis:

<?

if((date("l")=="Monday"||date("l")=="Tuesday"||date("l")=="Thursday"||date("l")==

"Friday")&&(date("H")>=7&&date("H")<17)){

show_phone();

}elseif((date("l")=="Wednesday")&&(date("H")>=11&&date("H")<19)){

show_phone();

}elseif((date("l")=="Saturday")&&(date("H")>=8&&date("H")<12)){

show_phone();

}else{

we_are_closed();

?>

Doesthiscodeseemcomplicated?Unsureofhowitworksorhowtocreateyourownspecialize

PHPcodeforafeaturelikethis?JustaskmeoroneofmystaffmembersintheShoeMoney

ToolsForumsandwewillhelpyou!(YoucanfindtheShoeMoneyToolsforumsat

https://tools.ShoeMoney.com/forum/)

Page 13: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

GiveYourUsersAnIncentiveToTakeAction

Peoplearenotgoingtogiveuptheirpersonalcontactinformationeasily.Byprovidingan

incentivefortheusertoprovidethisinformationandcompletetheform,youwilllikelyreceive

10timestheresponserate!Onceyou'vedeterminedyourtargetmarketandyourfinalgoalfor

thecampaign,developanincentiveaimedtowardsthatdemographicinorderforthemto

completeyouraction.

Letmegiveyousomereallifeexamples:

WhileworkingwithCoddingtonDental,wedeterminedourtargetmarketwaswomenages25

to45.Thefinalgoalwehadwasforthemtomakeanappointmentandcomeintotheoffice.We

lookedatthedemographicandtheirinterestsanddecidedthatprovidingthesewomenwitha

freeteethwhiteningservicegavethemtheincentivetomakethecallorsubmittheir

information.AfterspeakingwithDr.Johndoe,herevealedthattherewasafairlyhighprofit

marginforteethwhiteningservices(especiallysincetheactualphysicalgoodsusedhave

minimalcosts).Thisisagreatscenario‐theuserisextremelymotivated.However,theincentive

doesnotbreakthebankfortheadvertiser.Furthermore,byreallytargetingtheincentive

towardsthewantsandneedsoftheprimarytargetaudience,youarelikelytoincreaseand

maintainthequalityofleadsyouaregathering.(Yourgoalshouldnotbetosimplyacquireas

manyleadsaspossible.Ifthisisyourgoal,yourclientwillbeveryfrustratedandbelieveyour

serviceisawasteoftheirresources!)

Let'slookatsomeothernichesandhowyoumightmotivateuserstosubmittheircontact

information.

• Photographers‐Thephotographerweworkedwithtoldushisgoalwastogetleads

fromnewmoms.Hesaidthatthevalueofanewclientwhojusthadababyis

enormous.Soafterashortdiscussionwedeterminedthatgiving50%offa

photo/sittingpackagefornewmomswouldbetheperfectincentivetoschedulean

appointment.

• RealEstateAgents‐Thesepeoplebuildrelationshipsbasedontrustandtheirtarget

marketisprettybroad.Whatwehavefoundworksbestwiththemistoofferupafree

reportbasedonthecurrentclimateintheregion.Youcanactuallywritethisguide

simplybyassemblingdatafromvariouswebsitesaboutthelocalhousingorcommercial

Page 14: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

realestatemarket.Youcouldalsotrywritingaguidecalled"ThingsToThinkAbout

BeforeBuyingaHouseinLincoln,Nebraska."Provideasnippetorsmallteaserofthe

guideonthesite.Hereisagreatexample.

Thegreatthingaboutsettingupalandingpagelikethismeansthatyoucanbothmaintainthe

siteandretaintheleads.Thepageandinformationisgeneralanddoesnottieyoutooneclient.

Nowyouhavesomeamazingpower!

Page 15: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Section4:PromoteYourClientsandTheirOffers

ThereareseveraldifferentpromotionalandInternetmarketingapproachesyoucantake

advertisingyourlocalclientsandgeneratingqualitybusinessleadsforthem.Obviously,you

wanttospendyouradvertisingdollarstargetingexactlythosepeopleinyourarea(aka

"geotargeting")whoalsofityourtargetmarketdemographics.Thefollowingtacticsallowyouto

achieveyourmarketinggoalswhilereachingouttolocalpeople.

PromoteYourSiteThroughSearchEngineOptimization(SEO)

AlwaysbeginyourmarketingeffortswithSearchEngineOptimization(SEO).Byrankingwellin

thesearchengines'organicresults(theresultsthat"naturally"appearandareunpaid),youcan

receiveplentyoffreetraffic.AlthoughitmaytaketimetoseetheresultsofyourSEOefforts,

neverdiscountthevalueofSearchEngineOptimization.Beforeyoubegintheseefforts,

however,makesureyouownthesiteyouareoptimizingandcantakethedomainwithyouat

anytime.

Afteryou'vecreatedyourlandingpages,youshouldsubmitthesetoeverywebdirectoryonthe

planet.(Thereareatonoffreeones!)Thissitelistsover12,000directorieswhichyoucansort

bynicheandPR.(WebDirectory:http://www.web‐directories.ws/).Don'tforgetthatyoushould

alsosubmityoursitetoGoogleLocal.

ByusingtheShoeMoneyToolsSEOCheckupTool,youcanensurethebasicSEOaspectsofyour

sitearecomplete.Afterthat,usetheShoeMoneyToolsBacklinkAnalyzertoanalyzeoneofyour

competitorswhoranksforakeywordyouwanttorankfor.Youwillbeabletoviewthe

domain'sbacklinks,whoislinkingtothem,andwhatanchortextbeingused.Onceyouhavethis

information,youcanreachouttothesesitesaswellandtrytogainlinks.(Checkoutthetool

below.)

Page 16: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

AnothergreatSEOtoolwithinShoeMoneyToolsistheFindBacklinkstool.Enterakeywordyou

aretryingtorankforanditwillreturnthetopsearchengineresultsforthatkeywordaswellas

wherethosepeoplearegettingalltheirlinksfrom.YouwillalsoseetheGooglePageRank,Root

Domain,andAlexadataforeachofthebacklinks.Forthosewhodon'tknow,GooglePageRank

isagoodindicatorofGoogle'sRankingofthepage;1beingthelowestand10beingthebest.

Alexadataisagoodindicationoftraffic(startsat1andgotothemillions).Althoughneitherthe

GooglePageRanknortheAlexadatais100%accurate(bothofthesesystemscanbegamed),it

can,however,provideaprettyfairindicationofthejuicebeinggiventothesesites.

Page 17: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

IamgoingtousetheFindBacklinkstooltoseewhoisrankingforthekeywordphrase"Omaha

Dentist".Herearemyresults:

Page 18: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Youcanseethatthefirstresult‐OmahaDentist.com‐hasseveralbacklinksfromYahoo.com.

Uponfurtherinvestigation,theselinksarefromYahooLocalandtheYahooBusinessDirectory.

Guesswhat?Thesearefreeplaceswhereyoucangetlinksfrom,too.SCORE!TheYahoo

BusinessDirectory(dir.yahoo.com)doeschargeafee,however,ifyouwanttoexpediteyour

listing.Ifyouareplanningonhangingontothesite,Irecommendcoughingupthecashand

payingforthatservice.Asyoucontinuelookingattheresults,youseethatthelastonelisted

haslinksfromtheBetterBusinessBureau.ByheadingtotheBBBsite,itlooksatthoughthey

arejustamember.Again,awesomelowhangingfruit!Findtonsoffreelinkswiththistool.

ByusingtheKeywordDensityToolwecandeterminenotonlythedensityofthespecified

keywordwithinoursite,butwecanalsoseehowitisusedinmetadataliketheTitleTag,Meta

KeywordTag,MetaDescription,andh1,h2,h3tags.Here'sananalysisofthe

CoddingtonDental.com.Asyoucansee,thistoolcomparesoursitetoourcompetitors.(Looks

likewemayhavesomeSEOworktodowithCoddingtonDental.com.);)

Page 19: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

TheShoeMoneyToolsKeywordTrackertoolwillhelpyoumanageandtrackyourSEOefforts.

Forinstance,whenanalyzingCoddingtonDentalIcandiscovergreatdataaboutthesite's

keywordrankingsaswellasthelinks.Ifyouhaven'ttriedtooptimizeasitebefore,you

understandthatSEOisn'taone‐timething.Thesearchenginesarealwayschangingtheir

rankingalgorithmsandtogainandmaintainanumberonerankingrequiresconsistentefforton

yourpart.That'swhytheKeywordTrackerissouseful‐showingyoutheprogressyouhave

madeinyourSEOeffortsandareasyoucanimproveupon.

Asyoucansee,it'simportanttooptimizeyoursiteforthesearchengines.Makeiteasyforyour

potentialclientstofindyou,andgettrafficforfree!Theresultsmaynotbeimmediate,butin

theend,theywilltrulybenefityoursiteandyourbottomline.

PromoteYourSiteThroughPayPerClick(PPC)Advertising

Inthemostbasicterms,Wikipediadefinespayperclickadvertisingasan"Internetadvertising

modelusedonsearchengines,advertisingnetworks,andcontentsites,suchasblogs,inwhich

advertiserspaytheirhostonwhentheiradisclicked.Withsearchengines,advertiserstypically

bidonkeywordphrasesrelevanttotheirtargetmarket.WebsitesthatutilizePPCadswilldisplay

anadvertisementwhenakeywordquerymatchesanadvertiser'skeywordlist,orwhena

contentsitedisplaysrelevantcontent.Suchadvertisementsarecalledsponsoredlinksor

sponsoredads,andappearadjacenttooraboveorganicresultsonsearchengineresultspages,

Page 20: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

oranywhereawebdeveloperchoosesonacontentsite.AlthoughmanyPPCprovidersexist,the

threelargestnetworks(Google,YahooandMicrosoft)operateunderabid‐basedmodel.The

costperclick(CPC)variesdependingonthesearchengineandthelevelofcompetitionfora

particularkeyword."

Payperclickadvertisingprovidesfastandinstanttraffic.Althoughtherearemanypayperclick

searchengines,Isuggeststartingwiththe"bigdog"‐GoogleAdWords.GoogleAdWordsiseons

aheadoftheothersearchenginesintermsofvolume,accuracy,andspeed.Plus,byadvertising

withGoogleAdWordsyouarealsoadvertisingonallthepropertiestheyhavedealswithsuchas

AOLandAsk.com.Ifyouarenewtopayperclickadvertising,Ihighlysuggestgoingthroughallof

GoogleAdWordstutorialsandeventakingthetesttogetGoogleAdWordsCertified.(You

receiveyourcertificationafteryouhavemanagedatleast$1,000inspendingandhavepassed

therequiredtest.Beingcertifiedwillalsohelpyougainclients.)Ifyoudon'ttakethetimeto

learnpayperclickandareunprepared,costscanquicklymountandprovidenoROI.Solet'sget

startedandIwillwalkyouthroughhowtodevelopyourownlocalizedPPCcampaign.

ThesecretsaucetosuccessinPPCmarketingisqualitykeywordsandcompellingadcopy.

Keywordsonalocallevel,however,areacompletelydifferentballgamethanonanational

level.Forinstance,whenwetookovertheCoddingtonDentalwebsitewedidsomebasicSEO

andwithinnotimeitwasranking#1forthekeywordphrase"LincolnDentist".Wow,seemslike

thetargetkeyword,eh?Notsofast.Afterlookingathisorganiclogs(nonpayinghits)and

comparingittothePPCstats,werealizedthatover65%ofthePPCtrafficcominginwasfrom

thekeywords"CoddingtonDental"orhispersonalname"Dr.Johndoe".Therealmagicwasin

biddingondentists'namesandbusinesses'names.WiththeShoeMoneyToolsLocalTrademark

Tool,developingthisstronglocalizedkeywordlistwiththeselocalcompanies,brandsand

professionalsisasnap.

Simplyenterakeyword,thebusinesszipcode,andtheradiusinmilesforwhichwewanttoget

namesoflocalbusinessesmatchingourkeyword.Thisgrabsthenameofeverylocaldentistand

practice.Ofcourseyou'llwanttoeditthelistabit,butwithoutthistool,itcouldtakedaysto

buildalistlikethis.Hereistheresultfor"dentist"inLincoln,Nebraska.

Page 21: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

MuchofDr.Johndoe'strafficwasalsocomingfromkeywordphrasessurroundedby

city/state/zipcodenames.Forinstance,peoplewouldtypein"Dentist,Lincoln,Nebraska"or

"Lincoln,NebraskaDentist"or"Dentist68516".ForthisreasonwecreatedtheShoeMoney

ToolsLocalKeywordGenerator.Itcreateseverypossiblematchforyourkeywordswithcity,

state,zipcodeandthenmixingandmatchingoptions.Youcanalsoexcludeitemsifyouwant

andreverseordertodoubleyourkeywordlist,too.

BonusShoeMoneyTip:Ifthelocalbusinessyouarepromotingkeepslogs...getthose!Theywill

containvaluablekeyworddataofwhatpeoplearelookingforandgiveyouagreatheadstart.

Page 22: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Afteryou'vedevelopedandsavedyourkeywordlisttotheShoeMoneyToolsKeywordManager,

nowisthetimetocreategreatadcopyforyourPPCads.Oneofthehardestthingstodofor

yourPPCcampaignistogenerateadcopythatworkswell.WiththeShoeMoneyToolsAd

Generator,youcansearchGoogle,Microsoft,andYahooforadsthatcurrentlyrunningforthe

keywordyouhavespecified.Thiscangiveyougreatideasforyourownadcopy.Forinstance,ifI

usetheAdGeneratortoolforthekeywordof"Dentist",Igettheseresults.

Page 23: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Althoughthispictureisabitsmaller,thistoolgeneratedover75ads!!Youcanthencheckthead

resultsthatyoulikeandcustomizethemwithyourowndestinationanddisplayURLs.

Afterwards,savethemtoyourShoeMoneyToolsAdManagerwhereyoucaneditorexport

themlater.

Herearesomeothertipsforlocalizingyouradcopy.Firstofall,besuretoincludetheincentive

wementionedearlierinthisguide.Evenmoreimportantly,makesuretheadconveysthatitis

foralocalbusiness.Manypeopleareunawareofthefactthatyoucanenterphonenumbersin

adcopywithinGoogleAdWords.Byusingatacticlikethis,youarelocalizingtheadandmaybe

savingyourselfthecostofaclicktogetthelead.You'veprovidedtheuserwithalegitimatelocal

offer‐somethingboththesearchenginesanduserswillappreciate.ShoeMoneyToolshasbuilt

atooltohelpwiththisprocess.

Page 24: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Nowlet'sputourkeywordandadcopystrategiestogether.Theall‐in‐oneShoeMoneyToolsPPC

CampaignBuilderwilltakeyoursavedkeywordlistsandsavedadfilesandthenprovideyou

withthefilesneededtouploadintoyourGoogleAdWords,MicrosoftAdcenter,andYahoo

SearchMarketingaccounts.(ThistoolhasbeensomewhatdeprecatedbytheShoeMoneyTools

AdWordsCampaignBuilderwhichallowsyoutobuildextremelytightnicheadgroupsalong

withplentyofbiddingandkeywordmatchingoptions.Youcanevenexportthefilesintoyour

AdWordseditorforuploadingoruploaddirectlytoyourAdWordsaccount!!!)

PromoteYourSiteThroughSocialMarketingWebsites

WebsiteslikeFacebookandMySpacearegreatplacestoadvertise.Theyreallyprovidean

opportunityforyoutotargetpeoplesincetheyhavetheexactdataforeachuserincluding

location,age,andsex.Reachingyourdemographiccouldn'tbeanyeasier.Formoreinformation

aboutadvertisingontheseplatformsyoucancheckouttheselinks.

• Facebook'sadvertisingplatformisfoundathttp://www.facebook.com/advertising/.

• MySpace'sadvertisingplatformisfoundathttps://advertise.myspace.com.

Let'slookattheFacebookadweranforCoddingtonDental.

Asyoucanseeinthescreenshot,wearetargetingwomenoverage18inLincoln,Nebraska.You

caneventargetwomenbasedontheirmaritalstatusandinterests.Asyoucansee,wedidn't

evenspendover$20.00foradvertising.Andforlessthan$40total,wewereabletodriveover

50newleads/customerstoDr.Johndoeinthreedays.(Ifyouremembercorrectly,thatmeans

Page 25: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

weearnedover$3700fromCoddingtonDental‐withonlya$40lossinadvertisingcosts.)Wow!

AlthoughtheCTRofFacebookislowercomparedtootheradvertisingsearchengines,the

qualityleadsyoucangeneratearegreat.

PromoteYourSiteThroughCraigslist

PromotingyoursitethroughCraigslistcanbeverylucrativeifdoneproperly.Firstofall,you

havetobeverycarefulnottobespammy.Forinstance,ifyoucanfindanywaytopromoteyour

offeralongwithalocalcurrenteventoralocalconcert,youradwillappearmuchlessspammy,

andwillthereforereceivemoreclicksaswell.InLincoln,Nebraska,itisbestforustotailorsome

oftheoffersaroundtheNebraskaCornhuskersfootballteam.Intheadwesaysomethinglike,

"Hey,Huskerfans!Limitedtimeoffer!TheHuskerSpecial!Comeinnextweekandgetafree

XXXXX".Youwanttobecarefulnottogetyourarticleflaggedconsistentlyforspam.Instead,

comeupwithacreativewaytopromotethelocalbusinessmixedwithsomevaluetothe

Craigslistuser.

Page 26: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Section5:UseTheToolsOfTheTrade

Usingotheranalyticaltools,testingmetricsanddataarethesecretsaucetowinningataffiliate

marketing‐onalocalornationallevel.Ifyouarenotusingvariousanalyticaltoolsthenyouare

simplyflyingblind.Forthisreason,Iwillgothroughmanyofthetoolsweuse,howweusethem

andwhytheyareimportant.

ShoeMoneyTools

ThefirstgroupoftoolsweusemostistheShoeMoneyTools,duh!Andobviouslyyoudo,too!

Youarereadingthisbecauseyou'reamember.:)

CrazyEgg

CrazyEgg(crazyegg.com)isaheat‐maptrackingutilitythatwillshowyouwhereyourusersare

clickingonyourpage.It'sveryusefulfortestingyourpagesandsites,especiallyinashorttime

framesuchas1to2days.Infact,Irarelyletittestlongerthanafewhours.BecauseIwantto

showyouitsextremeflexibilityandvalue,hereissomeofthedatafromarecenttestI

conductedwiththeShoemoney.comblog.Wecanstartbygettingabigoverviewofwhere

peopleareclickingbyusingtheheatmapfunction.(It'simportanttonotethatCrazyEggdoes

nottrackclicksonJavaScriptitems,soclicksonadslikeGoogleAdsenseorotherJavaScript

browserrenderedcontentwillnotbeshown.)Hereisthebasicdataheatmapdata.The

brighterthecolor,themoreclicksinthatarea.

Page 27: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Nowlet'slookattheoverlay.Hereareafewthingstonote,theblueiswherepeopleclicked.

Thegray,however,iswherepeopletriedtoclickbutthereisnolink.

Page 28: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Forevenmoredata,simplyclickonanyofthe+symbols.Youwillthenseehowmanyclicks

weremadeinthatlocation.Let'slookatthegrayareaandfindoutallthemissedclicks.

Thisissomeveryinterestingdata.Itshowsthat6(.7%ofallvisitorsduringthetest)people

clickedonmy"FavoriteBlogPosts"title.MaybeIneedtoconsidermakingthatclickable!Also,

lookatalltheclicksaroundtheRSSbutton.Therewere6clicksaroundtheRSSbuttonthatwent

nowhere.That'sallgreatinformation,butlet'sdiveintotheanalytics.

Page 29: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

ClickingontheconfettidisplayIcanseeexactlywhereusersclickedandbywhatsourceof

traffictheyarrived.Forinstance,wheredidtheusersthatcamedirectlytoShoemoney.com

click?WheredidusersthatcamefromGoogle.comclick?Wheredidusersthatcamefrom

Twitterclick?Well,let'sfindout!

Page 30: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Let'sreallynarrowdowntheresultsandseewherepeopleclickedwhojusttypedin

www.Shoemoney.comintheiraddressbarorbookmarkedShoemoney.com?

Page 31: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Wow.It'sclearthatthesepeopleknowwheretheyaregoing.ButwheredoGoogleusersand

peoplefromTwittergo?

BylookingatjusttheGoogleandTwitterdata,wecanseethat75%ofTwitterusersclickedon

myBIOlink.Googleusersweremorefocusedoncontent.NowthisisaverysmallsampleandI

wouldwanttoletthisrunlongerthananhourtogetsomegreatdata,butIthinkyougetthe

point.

Sowhyisthisdatasoimportant?WellinthefirstpartIthinkyoucanseethevalueofknowing

whereusersareclickingandwhereyourclicksaregoingtowaste.Thereferraltrafficdatais

amazinglyimportantbecausewecanbuildcustompagesorsectionsbasedonwhattheuseris

mostinterestedin.Aswejustsawwithmyblog,peoplecomingfromTwitterwanttoknow

Page 32: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

moreaboutme.PerhapsIcanenhancetheuserexperiencebymakingthebioeasierforthemto

find.Betteryet,Icouldhaveapop‐upthatsays,"Hey,areyouanewuser?Clickheretolearn

moreaboutme."

Nowhowcanyouuseallthisdatainyourlocalaffiliatemarketingprogram?Let'ssaythegoal

foryourdentist'spageistogetpeopletocompletetheform.MaybeuserscomingfromGoogle

areclickingonotherlinksonthesiteandyouneedtomakeamorefocusedpageforthem.

MaybepeoplefromFacebookareclickingontheFacebookimageandyouneedtomakethat

clickableandrefocusonthenamefieldinyourform.Thepossibilitiesareendless.AgainasIsaid

before,ifyouneedhelpwithcodeorimplementationpleasedonothesitatetoaskthese

questionsintheShoemoneyToolsForums(https://tools.shoemoney.com/forum/).

GoogleWebsiteOptimizer

GoogleWebsiteOptimizer(http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/)isanamazing,freetool

providedbyGooglethatallowsyoutoconductendlessamountsofsplittestingbyrotating

differentwebsitevariables.IcannotsayenoughgoodthingsabouttheGoogleWebsite

Optimizer,aswehaveseen5to45%improvementsusingit.NowIwillshowyouhowitcan

improveyourlocalaffiliatebottomline,too.Let'ssayyouwanttotestthreedifferentversions

ofyourdentist’slandingpage,toseewhichonepeoplerespondtobest.

Version#1‐Standardpagewiththeoriginalheader

Version#2‐Landingpagewithjusttext(noimages)

Version#3‐Landingpagewithaplainheader

Page 33: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

SimplyplugeachofthesevariablesintotheGoogleWebsiteOptimizerandletitrun.Adayor

twolater,justloginandviewtheresults.Thedecisionshouldbeclearwhichvariablepeople

bestrespondto.

Fromthistest,wecanseethatmyoriginallandingpageoutperformsthealternativeversions.

Onthatnote,wewillkeepit.;)Thepossibilitiesfortestingareendless.Fromheadersand

backgroundcolorstooveralldesignsandbuttoncolors,youcantestjustaboutEVERYaspectof

yoursite.Youwillbeamazedatthelittlethingsthatmakeafewpercentdifferenceshereand

there.Thenextthingyouknow,youhavea30‐45%improvement.Ihighlyrecommendusingthis

toolrightaway.

GoogleAnalytics

ThereisagoodchanceyouprobablyalreadyknowaboutGoogleAnalytics(anotherawesome

andfreeservice!).GoogleAnalyticsprovidesyouwithallofthebasicstatisticalinformationyou

wanttoknowaboutyourwebsiteanditstraffic.Withthistool,youcanalsosetupgoaltracking

andthenitwillshowyouconversions.HereisanexamplescreenshotfromCoddingtonDental's

GoogleAnalytics.

Page 34: Shoe Money Tools Local Affiliate Marketing Guide

Section6:ThingsToConsiderAsAnAffiliateMarketer

*Integrity‐Oneofthekeythingstothinkaboutistheintegrityofthebusinessthatyou're

promoting.Theyhavespentalifetimebuildinguptheirreputationandyousingle‐handedly

coulddestroythat.Alwayskeepthatinmind.

*Legalities‐Alwayshaveyourcontractsthoroughlylookedatbyyourlawyer.Youdonotwant

togetcaughtupinsomenon‐competeornondisclosureagreement.Bythesametoken,in

certaincasesyouwillwantthelocalbusinesstosignanon‐disclosureagreementinregardsto

yourmethods.

*GoWithYourGut‐Ifyoutalktoalocalbusinessandyoujustdonotthinkit'stherightfit,

walkoutthedoorandfindanotherone.Ican'ttellyouhowmanytimesIhaveworkedwith

localbusinesseswhenIknewinmygutthedealwasgoingtobeatrainwreck.Whenthathas

happened,ithasalwaysendedupcostingmemoremoney,timeandstressthanitwasworth.

Rightnowlocalpaperclickmarketingishonestly,wellIwouldcallitthenewgoldrush,butI

thinkit'sevenbetterthanthat.Infact,it'sreallylikeshootingfishinabarrel.Developand

monitorcampaignsthatdeliverleads.Spendashortamountoftimemonitoringthemandthen

getpaid!It'sreallythateasy.