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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!

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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).

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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.

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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?

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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!

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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

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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.

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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

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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!

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Section3:DevelopSitesandLandingPagesThatConvert

WhereDoIBegin?

Settingupalandingpageisbyfarthebestwaytoacquireleadsforyourclient.Italsogivesyou

atonofflexibilityfortestingandtracking.

Ifthelandingpageispartofalargercompanysite,thenbesurethelandingpagehasthesame

lookandfeelastherestofthesite.Whendevelopingalandingpage,keepinmindthatyou

wanttheusertofeelasifthesiteistailoredespeciallyforthem(likeiftheywereaGoogleOr

Facebookuser).Forexample,hereisthelandingpageweusedforCoddingtonDental'sGoogle

AdWordscampaign.ThispagenotonlyhasthelookandfeelofthemainCoddingtonDentalsite,

butitalsowelcomesthe"Google"user.

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AboveyoucanseethatwehavealsocreatedasimilarpageforourFacebookusersandour

Facebookadvertisingcampaign.*Youshouldnotehowever,thatsinceIhavecreatedthis

Facebooklandingpage,Facebookhasincreasinglydeniedandbannedadsthatleadtolanding

pagesfeaturingtheirlogo.MySpacedoesnotallowyoutousetheirimageeither.Sobeforeyou

customizeyourlandingpage,makesureyouareallowedtouseparticularlogosinyourcopy.

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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/)

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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

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realestatemarket.Youcouldalsotrywritingaguidecalled"ThingsToThinkAbout

BeforeBuyingaHouseinLincoln,Nebraska."Provideasnippetorsmallteaserofthe

guideonthesite.Hereisagreatexample.

Thegreatthingaboutsettingupalandingpagelikethismeansthatyoucanbothmaintainthe

siteandretaintheleads.Thepageandinformationisgeneralanddoesnottieyoutooneclient.

Nowyouhavesomeamazingpower!

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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.)

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AnothergreatSEOtoolwithinShoeMoneyToolsistheFindBacklinkstool.Enterakeywordyou

aretryingtorankforanditwillreturnthetopsearchengineresultsforthatkeywordaswellas

wherethosepeoplearegettingalltheirlinksfrom.YouwillalsoseetheGooglePageRank,Root

Domain,andAlexadataforeachofthebacklinks.Forthosewhodon'tknow,GooglePageRank

isagoodindicatorofGoogle'sRankingofthepage;1beingthelowestand10beingthebest.

Alexadataisagoodindicationoftraffic(startsat1andgotothemillions).Althoughneitherthe

GooglePageRanknortheAlexadatais100%accurate(bothofthesesystemscanbegamed),it

can,however,provideaprettyfairindicationofthejuicebeinggiventothesesites.

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IamgoingtousetheFindBacklinkstooltoseewhoisrankingforthekeywordphrase"Omaha

Dentist".Herearemyresults:

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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.);)

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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,

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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.

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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.

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Afteryou'vedevelopedandsavedyourkeywordlisttotheShoeMoneyToolsKeywordManager,

nowisthetimetocreategreatadcopyforyourPPCads.Oneofthehardestthingstodofor

yourPPCcampaignistogenerateadcopythatworkswell.WiththeShoeMoneyToolsAd

Generator,youcansearchGoogle,Microsoft,andYahooforadsthatcurrentlyrunningforthe

keywordyouhavespecified.Thiscangiveyougreatideasforyourownadcopy.Forinstance,ifI

usetheAdGeneratortoolforthekeywordof"Dentist",Igettheseresults.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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Nowlet'slookattheoverlay.Hereareafewthingstonote,theblueiswherepeopleclicked.

Thegray,however,iswherepeopletriedtoclickbutthereisnolink.

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Forevenmoredata,simplyclickonanyofthe+symbols.Youwillthenseehowmanyclicks

weremadeinthatlocation.Let'slookatthegrayareaandfindoutallthemissedclicks.

Thisissomeveryinterestingdata.Itshowsthat6(.7%ofallvisitorsduringthetest)people

clickedonmy"FavoriteBlogPosts"title.MaybeIneedtoconsidermakingthatclickable!Also,

lookatalltheclicksaroundtheRSSbutton.Therewere6clicksaroundtheRSSbuttonthatwent

nowhere.That'sallgreatinformation,butlet'sdiveintotheanalytics.

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ClickingontheconfettidisplayIcanseeexactlywhereusersclickedandbywhatsourceof

traffictheyarrived.Forinstance,wheredidtheusersthatcamedirectlytoShoemoney.com

click?WheredidusersthatcamefromGoogle.comclick?Wheredidusersthatcamefrom

Twitterclick?Well,let'sfindout!

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Let'sreallynarrowdowntheresultsandseewherepeopleclickedwhojusttypedin

www.Shoemoney.comintheiraddressbarorbookmarkedShoemoney.com?

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Wow.It'sclearthatthesepeopleknowwheretheyaregoing.ButwheredoGoogleusersand

peoplefromTwittergo?

BylookingatjusttheGoogleandTwitterdata,wecanseethat75%ofTwitterusersclickedon

myBIOlink.Googleusersweremorefocusedoncontent.NowthisisaverysmallsampleandI

wouldwanttoletthisrunlongerthananhourtogetsomegreatdata,butIthinkyougetthe

point.

Sowhyisthisdatasoimportant?WellinthefirstpartIthinkyoucanseethevalueofknowing

whereusersareclickingandwhereyourclicksaregoingtowaste.Thereferraltrafficdatais

amazinglyimportantbecausewecanbuildcustompagesorsectionsbasedonwhattheuseris

mostinterestedin.Aswejustsawwithmyblog,peoplecomingfromTwitterwanttoknow

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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

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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.

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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.