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Sarah Bundy
-mother of 2
Founder of CEO – allinclusivemarketing.com, affiliatemanagementtrainers.com
Kush Abdulloev
-affiliate manager of VMInnovations.com
-been involved in all facets of affiliate marketing
Penguin effect
-some were affected in a very negative way
-others it did not
-why?
VMInnovations.com was not hit by Penguin because they focus on the user experience and engagement with videos, content
Low quality links from irrelevant sites over-optimized anchor texts
how do I know what is irrelevant? – a sports related site should not have links coming in from r&b sites, etc – it should be related
don’t try to artificially get links from
Warning: Sh*t that does not work
Unnatural + Paid Links
Forum that is a science related sites – the user is using a keyword name and it links to a site that is not linked to science at all, plus it is not a company name
paid links –
should not have the same anchor text for all links and they should not all link to your homepage
try to vary it so that it looks more natural
Keyword rich (exact match) domains
they are no longer relevant – don’t worry about getting a keyword in the domain name ie cheap-coach-purses.info
get something that is brand-able and memorable
quality of content on the actual pages can make a big difference for keyword domains though
this is related to the EMD Google update
Aggregate Data = No Original Content
example – affiliate creating a storefront using Popshops and not changing any of the decriptions, etc or a datafeed
-good strategy to survive – changing things around, editing and adding extra value with videos, etc
What Works: Helping and Solving Problems
pcpartpicker.com
-helps people to build their own pcs
Reddit/BuildaPC Community (92,000+ strong) loves this guy – he has a link on their homepage to his site
Has comparison charts for parts, a forum, detailed videos on how to build a pc
this is a full-time income for this affiliate – he built a name for himself doing what he loves
Kush was looking for a new camera and came across snapsort.com – it compares two cameras head to head – ranks and scores them based on your needs – it has 33,000 fans on facebook, they have expanded to tablets, cars, etc.
Build a tool that helps people compare stuff – you can do the same for anything
You can write a comparison post or build a comparison tool for virtually everything
James Martell has some students that built a comparison site in blog format, they compare three products that has over a certain price point and 4 or 5 star reviews, they make 40K a month – they show the products, their own experience with it, they use amazon and wordpress they let people comment on it – they are passionate about the products
What works: Engaging Content
You want to be appearing on Facebook as an item that a user has shared not as an ad on the sidebar. – Martin Osborn
blendhappy.com has interesting content with many blog comments , she ranks well for blendtec vs. vitamix review – which google is assesing as well as how long people are on your site
What works: Being Passionate
People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing. Dale Carnegie
SarahBundy.com is her outlet, she has a lot of expertise. She wanted to put out information to help people out. She has 10,000 regular viewers and was ranked on a top 25 list. It is high value and authentic.
Whatever you are interested in whether it be bugs or camping – it will show that you have a passion and Google will see that
Readers all enjoy that.
Affiliate managers if you have an affiliate that is super passionate but they are not yet ranking, keep with them, work with them. These are the ones that will be your super affiliates.
What works: Caring About Your Audience
If you have an affiliate website and customers are suggestion that you add something, review something then engage with them and do it. Let them know it was a good idea and then do it. Whether it is on your Facebook page ( and you should have one) or on your blog, do it. Especially within 24 hours (48 hours at the most). Your audience is your customers.
If affiliates come to affiliate managers with some suggestions or something that they want, then listen to them. Respond to their needs.
If your affiliate asks what the top products are, let them know. Give them a list. Affiliates don’t be afraid to reach out and ask. If they do good then you do good.
Provide customer testimonials can help with ROI
What Works: Offering Additional Value
100+ quality videos that inspire a purchasing decision. YouTube is actually a search engine, it is number 2, and it is highly underutilized.
People may not want to make videos but it is really easy with a flip camera or your phone.
It is exponentially easier to rank in YouTube than in Google. And then it will show in Google.
Video also helps keep your customer on the page, which Google is using in their rankings.
Dan Maynard school of Internet Marketing has a really great training on YouTube optimization – free course
What Works: Having a Community
Difference between a wildly successful affiliate and a mildly successful affiliate is the ability to grow their own audience – Brian Littleton
deals.woot.com – the community instantly gives their feedback on a product when it has been posted.
If you are an affiliate capture your audience – you want them to come back – either with an email list
have a conversation with your affliates – this month lets focus on this product
Diversifying Marketing Methods
SEO, Social Media, Email, PPC, Blogging, Display Ads, Email, Video, PR, Offline, Other
Legitimate Businesses utilitze more than one promotional tactic. Are you?
Real brands use more than method, so should you.
Don’t just rely on one method/
Sugarrae.com is a great resource
Kush was engaged on a review of Raven Tools – she made 40K with her review
She is promoting her email list, social buttons, recommendations for products in her sidebar
Don’t make money, make a business
Biggest mistake that I see affiliate marketers make is that they’re just trying to get traffic and turn it diretly into money… Throwing away an incredible valuable asset: a customer.
Scott Jangro co-founder of shareist.com
When you write a blog post finish it with a question so that people will comment.
Affiliate Partners that work like real businesses make real money. They: Provide Real Value. Solve Problems. Love the Subject. Care for Customers. Earn Real Fans. Diversify. Build a Brand.
These things may seem touchy-feely but it is what Google is looking for.
Question: Can you share any of the tools you can use for community?
Create a forum. Allow people to leave reviews.
Offsite opportunities include Facebook page, twitter, etc.
Creating a forum on a WordPress site – do a search on Google, audience suggestion for Buddypress.
Please share
Thanks for the great write up Shannon – you covered tons in your live blog post. Thanks for listening and sharing!
All those years of college note taking paid off 🙂 Thank you for a very informative session!