shoemoney tools local affiliate marketing guide
TRANSCRIPT
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!
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).
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.
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?
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!
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
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.
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
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!
Section3:DevelopSitesandLandingPagesThatConvert
WhereDoIBegin?
Settingupalandingpageisbyfarthebestwaytoacquireleadsforyourclient.Italsogivesyou
atonofflexibilityfortestingandtracking.
Ifthelandingpageispartofalargercompanysite,thenbesurethelandingpagehasthesame
lookandfeelastherestofthesite.Whendevelopingalandingpage,keepinmindthatyou
wanttheusertofeelasifthesiteistailoredespeciallyforthem(likeiftheywereaGoogleOr
Facebookuser).Forexample,hereisthelandingpageweusedforCoddingtonDental'sGoogle
AdWordscampaign.ThispagenotonlyhasthelookandfeelofthemainCoddingtonDentalsite,
butitalsowelcomesthe"Google"user.
AboveyoucanseethatwehavealsocreatedasimilarpageforourFacebookusersandour
Facebookadvertisingcampaign.*Youshouldnotehowever,thatsinceIhavecreatedthis
Facebooklandingpage,Facebookhasincreasinglydeniedandbannedadsthatleadtolanding
pagesfeaturingtheirlogo.MySpacedoesnotallowyoutousetheirimageeither.Sobeforeyou
customizeyourlandingpage,makesureyouareallowedtouseparticularlogosinyourcopy.
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/)
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
realestatemarket.Youcouldalsotrywritingaguidecalled"ThingsToThinkAbout
BeforeBuyingaHouseinLincoln,Nebraska."Provideasnippetorsmallteaserofthe
guideonthesite.Hereisagreatexample.
Thegreatthingaboutsettingupalandingpagelikethismeansthatyoucanbothmaintainthe
siteandretaintheleads.Thepageandinformationisgeneralanddoesnottieyoutooneclient.
Nowyouhavesomeamazingpower!
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.)
AnothergreatSEOtoolwithinShoeMoneyToolsistheFindBacklinkstool.Enterakeywordyou
aretryingtorankforanditwillreturnthetopsearchengineresultsforthatkeywordaswellas
wherethosepeoplearegettingalltheirlinksfrom.YouwillalsoseetheGooglePageRank,Root
Domain,andAlexadataforeachofthebacklinks.Forthosewhodon'tknow,GooglePageRank
isagoodindicatorofGoogle'sRankingofthepage;1beingthelowestand10beingthebest.
Alexadataisagoodindicationoftraffic(startsat1andgotothemillions).Althoughneitherthe
GooglePageRanknortheAlexadatais100%accurate(bothofthesesystemscanbegamed),it
can,however,provideaprettyfairindicationofthejuicebeinggiventothesesites.
IamgoingtousetheFindBacklinkstooltoseewhoisrankingforthekeywordphrase"Omaha
Dentist".Herearemyresults:
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.);)
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,
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.
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.
Afteryou'vedevelopedandsavedyourkeywordlisttotheShoeMoneyToolsKeywordManager,
nowisthetimetocreategreatadcopyforyourPPCads.Oneofthehardestthingstodofor
yourPPCcampaignistogenerateadcopythatworkswell.WiththeShoeMoneyToolsAd
Generator,youcansearchGoogle,Microsoft,andYahooforadsthatcurrentlyrunningforthe
keywordyouhavespecified.Thiscangiveyougreatideasforyourownadcopy.Forinstance,ifI
usetheAdGeneratortoolforthekeywordof"Dentist",Igettheseresults.
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.
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
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.
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.
Nowlet'slookattheoverlay.Hereareafewthingstonote,theblueiswherepeopleclicked.
Thegray,however,iswherepeopletriedtoclickbutthereisnolink.
Forevenmoredata,simplyclickonanyofthe+symbols.Youwillthenseehowmanyclicks
weremadeinthatlocation.Let'slookatthegrayareaandfindoutallthemissedclicks.
Thisissomeveryinterestingdata.Itshowsthat6(.7%ofallvisitorsduringthetest)people
clickedonmy"FavoriteBlogPosts"title.MaybeIneedtoconsidermakingthatclickable!Also,
lookatalltheclicksaroundtheRSSbutton.Therewere6clicksaroundtheRSSbuttonthatwent
nowhere.That'sallgreatinformation,butlet'sdiveintotheanalytics.
ClickingontheconfettidisplayIcanseeexactlywhereusersclickedandbywhatsourceof
traffictheyarrived.Forinstance,wheredidtheusersthatcamedirectlytoShoemoney.com
click?WheredidusersthatcamefromGoogle.comclick?Wheredidusersthatcamefrom
Twitterclick?Well,let'sfindout!
Let'sreallynarrowdowntheresultsandseewherepeopleclickedwhojusttypedin
www.Shoemoney.comintheiraddressbarorbookmarkedShoemoney.com?
Wow.It'sclearthatthesepeopleknowwheretheyaregoing.ButwheredoGoogleusersand
peoplefromTwittergo?
BylookingatjusttheGoogleandTwitterdata,wecanseethat75%ofTwitterusersclickedon
myBIOlink.Googleusersweremorefocusedoncontent.NowthisisaverysmallsampleandI
wouldwanttoletthisrunlongerthananhourtogetsomegreatdata,butIthinkyougetthe
point.
Sowhyisthisdatasoimportant?WellinthefirstpartIthinkyoucanseethevalueofknowing
whereusersareclickingandwhereyourclicksaregoingtowaste.Thereferraltrafficdatais
amazinglyimportantbecausewecanbuildcustompagesorsectionsbasedonwhattheuseris
mostinterestedin.Aswejustsawwithmyblog,peoplecomingfromTwitterwanttoknow
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
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.
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.