John Cow dot Com » affiliate marketing

Heard of the New FTC Regulations? You Absolutely Must Read This Before You Write Another Blog Post or Promote Another Product!

Jason Katzenback — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 18:05:16 +0000

Yes, that title was a little long, but I wanted to make sure that I had your attention. As most of you may be aware (or should be, at least) yesterday new FTC regulations came into effect concerning the use of testimonials and endorsements in advertising. A lot of the new regulations directly affect online marketers, so I decided to go straight to the source to see exactly what this would mean for me (and for you, my readers).

I went to http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2009/10/endortest.shtm and actually read through the whole 12 page guide – specifically the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR Part 255 – Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Here are the highlights as they pertain to us online marketers:

First off, there’s the matter of endorsements. The FTC specifically states that endorsements must reflect the honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experience of the endorser. This part may sound pretty straightforward, but how they define that ‘honesty’ has some big ramifications about how you can write your sales copy or other advertising or promotion pieces.

The big term that the FTC is using is “substantiation of representations conveyed”. What this means is that you’ve got to be able to prove (and back up) any claims you make. Which I’ve always told you to do, but what’s changed is what they consider proof. While I’ve always used real examples for my proof, I (and everybody else) would naturally pick the best results out of the bunch to highlight. It’s a natural thing to do.

But now, no longer can you say, about a weight loss product, for example, “Lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks!” just because one of your customers did. Now, any claims you make have to be representative of the average experience of the user, not the exceptional ones. And you can’t just cover your butt with a “results not typical” disclaimer, either – the FTC has deemed that “disclaimers did not adequately reduce the communication that the experiences depicted are generally representative.” In English, that means that even if you say that results are not typical in small print, it doesn’t change the fact that you’re giving the impression in the big giant headline that everyone could lose 20 pounds in 2 weeks.

And even if you have a ringing endorsement of a successful customer (which of course is indicative of the average experience), you also have to disclose any other factors that affected the result. For instance, that person that lost 20 pounds in 2 weeks didn’t just take your supplement, but they also went on a low-calorie diet and worked out for 90 minutes a day. If you wanted to use that person as a testimonial, you would have to disclose all the factors that influenced the result.

Same goes for the use of before/after pictures. You can’t just show the dramatic pictures and let them speak for themselves. Again, if it was more than just your great product that influenced the result, you have to disclose it.

Also, when you are using testimonials, a lot of people (including me) have always recommended using pictures to go along with the testimonials to help to personalize them. Now, you can’t do that, unless you have the actual picture of the actual person. You can’t just take a random picture that you have the rights to and match it up with a testimonial. The FTC feels that is misleading.

In all, each change, taken by itself, is a small thing, but when taken together, will greatly affect how we operate as online marketers. I recommend that you go to the FTC site mentioned above and check things out for yourself – everyone’s business is unique and, although I tried to point out all the important things, you might want to check how this affects you specifically.

In fact, there was so much to cover, that this discussion of the new FTC regulations is going to need another post. Next post will be about the new guidelines regarding “Disclosure of Material Connections.” They certainly have a way with words over at the FTC, don’t they?

PS – Remember i am NOT a lawyer and not giving you legal advice… you need to contact your own legal counsel on this matter… don’t be telling anyone you thought you were ok cause a cow told you… trust me it don’t work.

Next Post in Series: I Was Not Paid By The FTC For This Review

Learn how to have a Six Day Weekend (for free)

Jason Katzenback — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 17:43:50 +0000

A lot of the questions I get sent are about affiliate marketing and how to get started. If you don’t know much about it, it can seem a little daunting and hard to find a place to start. So, if you want to know how to get started in affiliate marketing, at no cost to you, then you should check out 6 Day Weekend at http://www.sixdayweekend.com.

6 Day Weekend is completely free affiliate marketing training by Sean Morrissy, and it really is free. Once you sign up, you’ll have access to over 90 training videos that will show you how you can start making thousands of dollars a month. Have I mentioned that it’s free? I really like that part.

Apart from being free, the other thing that I really like is that this system aims at generating you a steady, repeating income while only working one day a week – hence the six day weekend. Now, you’ll have to put in some work to get to that point, but I think that is a great goal to have. Plus, the 6 Day Weekend teaches and emphasizes the importance of learning how to outsource – a skill you absolutely need to have and master if you want that six day weekend.

So what’s the catch?

Nothing.

But why is it free if it’s so good?

Because Sean Morrissy understands the value of giving something useful away for free. By letting you use this training system, you’ll then know that it’s a good product, and you’ll then be more likely to be receptive and trust what he’s selling, when he has something to sell.

For those of you following the Trusted Expert series that I’m doing, this is a great example of branding yourself as a Trusted Expert – by providing something useful, not just by telling people to trust you while selling them something. Sean is putting his money where his mouth is, and wants to prove to you the value of what he has to offer before trying to sell you something.

So what do you have to lose?

Sign up for the 6 Day Weekend at http://www.sixdayweekend.com and not only learn how to make a ton of money in affiliate marketing, but you’ll also have a great practical example of how to be a Trusted Expert.

This is a paid review by Johncow.com

Are You Building Online Assets or Just Money-Makers?

Jason Katzenback — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:43:26 +0000

With your online business…

“Are you building online assets or just money-makers?”

A few years back, John Reese was the first person to ask that question.

You see, most people become enticed with affiliate marketing because it’s a way to generate some quick cash online.

Then, they focus on two dozen different markets just to find a few quick money-makers.

Meanwhile, the *real* secret is building an asset that generates income for years to come.

Watch this video

John clearly maps out his process for creating long-term affiliate cash machines. I know you’ll get a few good takeaways once you watch the video.

I strongly urge you to CLICK HERE to check it out now!

What is your comments on the video?

The Importance of Being Earnest – Why Being Authentic Will Help You Sell

Jason Katzenback — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 15:11:48 +0000

You know how, when you’re aware of something, it loses it’s affect on you? Like subliminal advertising, the sales pitch loses its affect when you’re aware of it happening. We’ve become so jaded and hyper-aware, that we can smell a sales pitch coming a mile away, and it automatically makes us unreceptive to the information.

Let’s give a bricks-and-mortar example of this: If you get a salesperson who comes on too hard, saying anything and everything to get you to buy, you get put-off and are unlikely to buy from him, because you know he just wants to make a sale. In fact, you probably can’t get away from him fast enough, and you don’t believe a single thing he says.

But what if we’re having a genuine conversation with someone that may or may not have anything to do with the products available? He seems genuinely interested in having the conversation, but not that he’s pushing a sale. He’s informative, and will gladly give you as much information as possible about the products.

Who are you more likely to buy from? Even if you don’t buy that day, but think a bout it for while and then go back, wouldn’t you make a point of going back to the one you’ve developed a relationship with?

This is the crux of being authentic in your sales.

I mean, c’mon, everyone knows you want to sell products. No one is doing this for their health. You’re out to make a sale. But coming on with a hard sale and telling people about how it’s the best thing ever and that their puppy will die if they don’t buy it is not going to cut it.

People’s natural skepticism is at an all-time high. So instead of an insincere sales pitch, provide information. Tell them that you think this is a great product, and why. Give them as much information as you possibly can, testimonials, detailed product info, everything you can think of, but don’t try to convince them to buy. Just give them all the information they need to make the decision for themselves.

Make sure that it comes across that you genuinely believe in the product or service you’re promoting. It also ties in to establishing yourself as an authority. Does an authority on something try to shill products? No, but they could certainly have them available if someone was interested….

I found a couple other great pieces of content on this as well…

So, now you need to tell me… do you believe this to be true or am i blowing smoke up your you-know-what?

Don’t Be A Shy Affiliate Marketer

Jason Katzenback — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:20:01 +0000

If you are selling affiliate products do you give the visitor what they want? In other words, how easy do you make it for them to find the product you’re promoting.

The point here is, visitors will come to your site looking for the solution you’re offering. One of the big mistakes many affiliates make is they can make it difficult for people to find the all important link which will take the visitor to the product they are obviously there to look at.

For some reason, many people get timid about pushing a product. They are timid about what we call driving the click. Let’s face it, many people who go to a website looking for their solution are a little like sheep. They need to be grabbed by the hand and told where to click. They’ve never seen your site before and the last thing you want is to have them spend too much time getting familiar with it.

One of the first things that should grab their attention is the product you’ve based the site around. Too often we see people having to scroll and scroll, reading content when the act you want them to commit is look at the product you’re promoting.

Don’t be afraid to make it as obvious and easy for them to complete the action you want. Affiliate marketing is becoming more and more cut throat and if they don’t buy from you they’ll most certainly buy from someone else. You see, if you have optimized correctly for the keyword you’re targeting which should be a long tail buying phrase, then the visitor that lands on your site is there already in a buying mood.

The last thing they want to do is spend time reading through content and marvel at your literary skills. Give them what they want. Give them the bullet points they want to see; a short review and the opportunity to click through very early in the piece.

Remember, they are very interested in the product because they have more than likely gone to the trouble of typing it’s name or a phrase relating to what it will do for them so from a pre-sell angle, there’s little to do.

Are you a shy affiliate marketer?

The Traps To Avoid In Finding A Hot Product

Jason Katzenback — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:17:13 +0000

How do you find a hot product? Clickbank is the natural choice for affiliates looking to promote a product and make money and it’s a great starting point.

Just like searching for keywords, finding products can present a real problem for people especially inexperienced marketers and the truth is, it gets back to keeping things simple. Clickbank aside, there are plenty of other opportunities to promote affiliate products.

Seasonal promotions has been covered before in these newsletters and is often overlooked. If you have no experience promoting seasonal offers don’t worry, there’s really not much to it. Resources such as http://www.cj.com/ are good places to go and look for products and product vendors. Halloween for example, signing up as an affiliate for buycostumes.com will never have you running short of products to promote. Buy.com is another great avenue at any time of the year.

Here’s something you should keep in mind. Just as you would compare keywords or products you should also compare product vendors. There are a couple of important aspects of choosing a product vendor you want to become an affiliate for.

One of them is to check there buying process. This is very important. Always give preference to a vendor who makes the buyer jump through the least number of hoops. For example, a buyer comes to a product page, finds what they are looking for, likes the price, clicks through to what they think is a payment page and is suddenly confronted with a huge form to complete and in many cases, some type of question and answer session.

Now if this looks hard work to you it’s going to be hard work for the buyer and the fact is, many will simply switch off and go elsewhere. a vendor who gives the buyer the least number of actions before they click the buy button is very much preferred in our books. A buyer is hot and ready to spend money. They want to get the formalities over and done with as quickly as possible. They don’t want to be spending the next twenty minutes filling out unnecessary forms just for the privilege of buying.

This is an important point to keep in mind when looking at CPA offers. CPA offers are a terrific way to earn money for what seems to be trivial involvement from the buyer. The same process applies here. Check out the vendor’s process and if a visitor has to take more than two actions then you should consider looking at something else which pays the same but doesn’t have the visitor jumping through too many hoops.

This is all part of the initial intel work on selecting a product to promote. It should also be one of the main sticking points when promoting products on Clickbank. A potential buyer spends 20-30 minutes divulging the contents of a sales page and is excited and ready to buy at the end of it.

Then they click through and are confronted with another mass of content. For me, that doesn’t make sense and I’ll look for an offer that gives the visitor the shortest way possible to the payment page. Another aspect to keep in mind when analyzing a sales page is to give preference to those which call for an action in the first 100-200 words of the sales page.

What else do you look for in affiliate products?

Review of Advent 2.0

Jason Katzenback — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 19:51:48 +0000

Motive Interactive has really stepped up its game with the release of Advent 2.0. Advent 2.0, which runs on Motive Interactive’s performance-based advertising network known as “The Motive Network,” is one of the most user-friendly and fully-functional ad programs a web publisher can use.

Forget for a minute the high payout rate. Forget their high performing offers and reliable payment schedule. Advent 2.0 has it where it counts: in the interface.

Now, If you’ve used any amount of performance-based ad networks, you know how clunky and difficult they can be. Even the big boys like Commission Junction need some serious help when it comes to the usability of the interface. It’s strikingly easy to get lost in interface hell, trying to figure out where to find link code or download a simple banner.

Advent 2.0 has the best publisher interface in performance-based network advertising, bar none.

There are two things I really like about the Advent 2.0 interface. First off, it’s simple. All of the functionality is there, but it’s arranged in such a way that everything has its own place. There’s no trying to remember which link takes you to new ad campaigns, no series of clicks to view a landing page. It’s all right there.

The best example of this is the “my offers” tab. Here’s where you’ll find the various advertiser offers. The tab uses Ajax to give you everything you need right there. Click on a thumbnail and the full-size banner pops right out. The code is right there, too. There’s no annoying pop-up window to generate your code; its already done.

Advent 2.0 doesn’t stop there, however. If you want text ads, it gives you text ads with a single click. If you want an email ad package, it’s right there too. Nothing you want is more than one click and a copy and paste away. Customizing your ads is quick and easy.

The “My Campaigns” tab is extremely versatile, too. If you want filtering features, it’s got it. You can filter by up to 4 categories, search by ID, or search by campaign. If you have just a small number of offers that you’re working with, you can disable the filtering.

If you’re a web publisher who’s tired of wasting precious time just to participate in an ad network, CLICK HERE give Advent 2.0 a look. You won’t be disappointed.

Review of WP Review Site – Quickly Create Niche Review Sites With WordPress

Jason Katzenback — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:40:42 +0000

One of the most intriguing ideas to come along the past years has to be WP Review Site. More than just your average WordPress plug-in, WP Review Site gives you the power to turn your website into a self-maintaining, revenue-generating machine.

This plug-in relies on user-generated content to power your blog, and is an excellent way for affiliate marketers to increase their business.

The Power of User-Generated Reviews:

There are several benefits to user-generated content. First off, it saves you the time and expense of providing content to a website. Second, a community will inevitably form around your site as users discover others who have similar tastes and interests. Finally, user-generated reviews often have a greater degree of influence on consumers than editorial ones.

WP Review Site has tremendous potential and I really am impressed with it…. but because it relies on user-generated content you would want to already have a solid user base for it to be able tp produce the best results possible. A site with few visitors is a site with few, or no, reviews… unless of course you intend to create the reviews yourself at first or hire someone to do that.

Now that is in no way a bad thing, as any type of affiliate marketing requires traffic however, I would not want to mislead anyone to think that slapping this up on a new domain will get you fast money.

A 4 Phased Approach

I suggest that you approach WP Review Site as a project with four phases:

Step 1: Installation and setup – Click Here to Buy the product and then install it on your blog.
Step 2: Content generation – While you don’t have to do this, I certainly recommend it. Spend some time writing reviews yourself, or hire someone to write them. Once you start getting traffic, you want users to feel as though they are joining something, rather than pioneering it.
Step 3: Traffic generation – You can certainly start generating traffic during phase 2, but you want to have a solid base of content before you go full-throttle. For Phase 3, choose your favorite traffic generation method – commenting, forums, ppc, articles, social networking or whatever – and go wild with it.
Step 4: Introduce revenue-generating programs, such as affiliate marketing

Check out this live example…

Put your review site on autopilot!
Check out WP Review Site today!