Affiliate Buzz | Affiliate Marketing / Affiliate Programs / Internet / Online / Social Media Marketing - James Martell

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell talks to Rick Hosmer, Chief Marketing Officer and Cody Hanson, Digital Marketing Strategist with Klundt-Hosmer.com and today they are going to talk about branding for affiliate marketers and why the look of your affiliate brand affects its believability and trust.

What is Branding for Affiliate Marketers?

Are you getting visitors to your website, who are hitting the "back" button far too frequently? In this episode you will learn why your brand impression is so important. We spend SO much time on our sites trying to attract the right visitor, but when they actually click through to your website, you only have about 3 seconds to make a positive impression.

Branding is all encompassing and ties into your personality as well. Once an impression is made, it plays a significant role in your customer determining if they like you. This is where authenticity comes in - getting your customer to relate to you. Then all the offers you follow up with, all tie into their trust with you and decision to buy from you.

Rick explains that branding is what a business looks like online, in print, through digital marketing or wherever the business is promoting itself. He explains how we see things visually compared to reading something on the website or listening to something. Your website has a personality and people like to buy from people, not companies, because they developed trust.

Benefits of Getting Your Branding Right

Rick shares the 3 critical components to develop a positive relationship with your visitor to build authentic trust, and stop them from hitting the back button. They talk more in-depth about the components of your website, and ways visitors can interact with you. Once you have your visitor, there are ways to keep them, and he offers some tips on design, imagery, and how content is being perceived.

Why Your Affiliate Application Was Rejected

James and Cody talk about getting accepted today by Affiliate Programs. They are also looking at your website before determining if you are a good candidate to market their products. Cody offers advice to affiliates on how to get their application approved and what he looks for with regards to your online presence.

Importance of Good Website Design

Our brain is amazing and can process information so quickly. This is the Neuroscience of good design, and your brand will create a subconscious decision about your business, website and level of trust visitors will put in you. It is instant, and in their subconscious, as we are driven by emotions, feelings and visual experience. Learn how you can get this right and hit the right points quickly.

"Good design reduces the mental effort and makes it easier for buyers to take

the desired action." Nathalie Nahai, Psychologist

We want the visitor to take the desired action we want them to take. The mind is 60,000 times faster visually. How something looks is more important than what you write. Rick and Cody both share their amazing nuggets for building a site with personality, and what you need to do to be unique and do it better than your competitor!

Listen to learn:

* Why you have a critical 3 seconds when a visitor comes to your site

* Amazing nuggets for building a site with personality

* How the brain makes immediate decisions to buy or hit the back button

* Why visual stimulation outranks written text

* How to get your affiliate application approved

* What good web design consists of

If you are considering building a lifestyle business, where you can spend more time traveling, more time enjoying your family and more time doing all of the things that matter to you most, stay tuned to a little road map we are putting together which will be ready in a few weeks. James also invited you to Subscribe to the Affiliate Buzz on our

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James and Arlene Martell discuss using keyword research and searcher intent in order to attract qualified buyers to your website. They also discuss their ongoing migration of all of their podcast content to YouTube, so listeners can find all shows in one location.

If you are developing content, we want to share how you can get a different mindset around the way you are thinking about and using keywords. Researcherland says "content that is in the top spots is typically around 2400-2500 words in length". James talks about why articles need to be well written, in-depth and well optimized and how this relates to keywords.

The Intent of the Google Searcher

If you know what your searcher is looking for, you are ahead of the game when it comes to optimizing your page of content. James shares the 3 types of keywords, and why you need to understand how they work when creating content, if you want to get to the top of the SERP's. He explains how to run a report for your topic using a keyword research tool, and using this information, find one of the 3 types of keywords mentioned below to best optimize the content on your page. This information also helps you identify more content you can create based on those keywords.

3 types of keywords:

1) Navigational - the intent is to reach a particular website

2) Informational - the intent is to look at research and reviews

3) Transactional - the intent is to ready to make a purchase

Using the Yoast SEO Plugin to Dominate Content Creation

If you are looking to rank the pages on your website, one of the best plugins that can help you is the Yoast SEO plugin for WordPress sites. Yoast is a powerful tool that can help you make your site as search engine-friendly as possible. It uses your keyword to optimize your content making sure your keyword density is correct, page title, meta description, outbound links etc are all being used correctly, and shows you an analysis report.

James also recommends looking at their paid version, and also look at their free SEO training videos which are very impressive. Combining proper use of keyword phrases and proper optimization using Yoast, James gives his take on how to really dominate in the area of content creation.

Migration of ALL Podcasts to YouTube

For anyone still struggling with making money in the Affiliate space, there is some really great content you can now find all in one place to help you. Even though YouTube is mostly video, it is a very handy player that can also feature audio. Having several different podcasts (The Affiliate Buzz, Podcasting Mastery, SmarterLocal Marketing, Coffee Talk interviews & The School of Internet Marketing plus speaking engagements), it made sense to have them all found in one place. Once you have the Youtube app on your phone, simply visit the channel, and make a playlist of the episodes you really want to listen to.

Future Shows - Have Laptop Will Travel...

Do you dream of traveling the world, and earn a living along the way? Coming up we are interviewing many different guest who are earning an income and working remotely from all over the world, through affiliate programs and digital programs they create. Stay tuned as these featured guests will share their journey and their tips.

Listen to learn:

* Why you really need to know the intent of the Google searcher

* What keyword research tools can tell you

* The 3 types of keywords and why they are important

* How to make the most of the Yoast SEO Plugin

* Why to add a YouTube channel - the second largest search engine

If you are considering building a lifestyle business, where you can spend more time traveling, more time enjoying your family and more time doing all of the things that matter to you most, stay tuned to a little road map we are putting together which will be ready...

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell is joined by Erik Harbison, CMO at AWeber to for a conversation on driving affiliate sales with email marketing. Erik debunked a few email marketing myths, shared the 4 things that influence deliverability, importance of subject lines and more.

If there is anything you need to pay attention to, it is the fact that "a whopping 70% of people who visit your website, will never return again unless you get them on your email list". If you are looking at opportunity lost, let that settle in, and listen in as Erik shares a whole lot more.

Erik also continues to leverage his experience in marketing and is the creator and lead instructor for the No. 1-nationally ranked online certification course in digital marketing for the University of Vermont. Understanding fundamental digital marketing channels are so important to be aware of for business, marketing and startups.

4 Things That Influence Email Delivery

Deliverability has 4 main parts, or 4 main influences as it relates to getting to the inbox.   If your emails are consistently getting into the Google spam filter or promotions tab, these 4 main influences deal with this.  If you are going to send out emails, you want to ensure you are taking the steps to ensure delivery, so you can enjoy the full value of email marketing.

Erik discusses the blame game marketers play if their email does not get delivered, or ends up in the spam filter. He says you need to look at each one of the 4 influences, what the marketer can control. He talks about what marketers are saying to get people to sign up and what they are promising their subscriber, but can you do a better job of wording to get the subscriber to engage?

He explains why it is very important to choose the right email service provider that understands the importance of deliverability and care about who is signing up to their platform,  plus how they treat spam and follow best practices.  Erik also explains how the Internet service provide plays a role as well, where they watch the email trends of the marketer, which also impacts delivery. Lastly he talks about the role of the subscriber and are they being conditioned properly to accept and respond to the emails and what you can do to improve their receiving your emails.

Driving Affiliate Sales with Email Marketing

Erik has worked with both big brand retailers as well as online digital marketers and email marketing falls within the top 5 things that they consider important. But too many people do not put a priority on building their email list and Erik shares how easy it is to do this, and how beneficial and profitable it is to have an email list. He explains that people think it is a complex thing with many moving parts, that requires coding, but in reality, within 10 minutes you can have a form or landing page created and send out a basic "get to know you" email so people learn more about you, and you can build on that to start diving affiliate sales with email marketing.

Erik shares the #1 marketing strategy that affiliates and business owners must have in place to increase their chances of success.   They also share of the myths about email marketing, and the newsworthy rules from GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Subscriber Appreciation

Look at emails as a long term play, where you organically grow your list by providing value to your subscribers. Erik emphasized the importance for affiliates to build relationships with both the subscriber as well as the merchant, as it is the strength of these relationships that grow a successful list and partnership.  He shares some really great tips on what your subject line needs to say to build interest and curiosity, and get subscribers to open them.

Erik also shares the AWeber affiliate program, and how they

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James and Arlene Martell are joined by top marketers, influencers and  industry leaders who shout out to James congratulate him on his 500th episode. They also share with listeners their #1 tip for winning BIG with affiliate programs.

If you are looking for ways to create income online, by doing something that you love, while spending more time with family, having a nice recurring income with a business that is not too heavy and gives you time freedom, then these tips are for you.

Millions of Downloads and 180 Countries

James takes a look back at 2003, and talks about the beginnings of the Affiliate Buzz, and other notable beginnings that same year including Affiliate Summit and Google Adsense. James talks about why he started the Buzz. He needed to solve a problem of helping students with their questions and giving them feedback, since there was no Social networks. We called it an "audio newsletter" because podcasting had not even started yet, and we have had the privilege of recording the show from all over the world wherever we happened to be traveling.

Affiliate Marketing Tips From Industry Leaders

This is a special gift. Each audio snippet gives you the best tips top performers have learned from many years of experience in the Affiliate arena. We are honored to hear from many industry leaders we have had a relationship with for up to 20 years. These people have many years of experience and have gone through all the Internet growing pains, to now run successful businesses that cater to affiliates with a variety of products and services. James talks about how we met these people, what they have to offer, and then we hear from them - their favorite affiliate marketing tips to increase commissions!

Winning Big in Affiliate Marketing

Attending events, learning from leaders and applying what you learn is the foundation to success. The desire to share and help others in the industry has been very rewarding to us, and has been a foundational way these leaders have found success growing their business.

In This Episode You Learn:

* How the Affiliate Buzz podcast got it start

* #1 tips from industry leaders for winning BIG en affiliate marketing

* Foundational lessons learned to keep you on track

A BIG Thanks!

James offered up a BIG thanks to Charles Johnston, his original co-host, and who came up with the idea and format for the show (Circa 2003). James gave a shout out to Denis Bernicky, his original Virtual Assistant produced every episode exactly on-time for over 5 years.

James thanked Phil Watkins who negotiated bringing the Affiliate Buzz to WebmasterRadio.FM, and Jorge Hermida (aka "Brasco"), the Executive Producer at WebmasterRadio.FM for talking great care of him for every episode.

James concluded with BIG thank you to listeners like you for joining him each week. As he says, "without my listeners, I wouldn't have seen nearly the success I have without the need to stay up to date on what's working, and what'is not in the industry".

Resources: Shout Outs and Tips From:

* Brook Schaaf - FMTC.com

* Shawn Collins - Founder of Affiliate Summit

* Jonathan Miller - OfferForge.com

* Roy Weissman - Octopus Online

* Tequila Dodard - Stand Out Be You

* Jamie Birch - Jeb Commerce

* Jeannine Crooks - Awin Network

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell talks with Tequila Dodard from Stand Out Be YOU! about "How to Rekindle Your Passion to Achieve Your Dreams".

Do you want more in your life? Do you want to spend more time with family and feel happier? Or, are you doing the same thing year after year?

If you answered YES to any of those questions, you will love what Tequila has to say about rekindling your passion to build your dreams. Tequila has the gift to teach people how to break out of their fear, and go after their dreams. She wants to encourage you to be who you are because there is no one like you! In this episode she dives into waking up your dreams, starting with taking the time to learn and share your own story.

Talking about your own story is a skill and does not always come naturally, but having a story connects you with other people, and is the platform for having your dreams come true. Do you want to travel more, spend more time with family and friends? What is your plan? After identifying why what YOU truly want, she gives practical tips to fullfill those dreams you have, and impact the world.

Subscribe: Unleash your affiliate marketing potential with expert interviews and insight from the industry's leading marketers and thought leaders ...delivered weekly to your inbox!

What Is Your Story?

You need to have a story. Tequila shares why It is so hard for us to put ourselves out there, but you don't have to be perfect! With the world of Social media, people want to know who they are dealing with. Too often, people present themselves as having a pretty amazing life, but Tequila says to show your hiccups, as they build our character and make us who we are today. People want to see how you are real, with all your faults and growing pains.

Tiny life lessons - "When you love who you are, you can give so much more love to other people".

How to Craft Your Own Story

People remember stories! We all have a part to play in our lives and in the lives of other people. People relate to people and want that connection. We relate the most through our stories. Get down to the root and heart of who you are, not what other people think we should be. Tequila shares some concrete tips and gives examples of how to craft your own story, then where to take it from there.

"The best things in life happen on the other side of fear".

How to Rekindle Your Passion - Where To Start

Tequila talks about how we get SO comfortable doing the same things day after day. It is scary when we have a dream, but do not know where to start. Tequila talks about how to get through this fear. She discusses her own fears getting started online, but what impact she has had with others. She explains how she creates her personal goals and keeps herself in check.

About Tequila And Making Money

Tequila wants to help you be your best you in business and life! Her podcast, currently has 35 episodes and she shares a brilliant way to turn her podcast guests into customers while building her community. She talks about how she monetizes her website and how her offline skills transitioned into online profit. She shares what areas of your business need to be connected and why you need to understand the cycle of your customer.

Listen to learn:

* How to rekindle your passion and wake up a dream

* Why fear stops people in their tracks and how to overcome it

* Why you need to know YOUR own story to connect with others

* How to get to the root and heart of who you are to craft your own story

* Ways to monetize that dream

Resources:

* Socially Stand Out™

* Stand Out Be You™ podcast

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell talks to Ken McCarthy, a true Internet Pioneer and founder of The System Seminar and Club about "How to Maximize Money in Minimum Time Online".

Since 1993 Ken has developed state of the art training that has helped many hundreds of students make online income. Ken takes us back to having one of the very first Internet Conferences, and his early interest and phenomenon of marketing, what he learned from others and how to apply it to historic shift of the online world. He shares the big innovations that exploded the world of the global Internet, and how the pioneers started to make money with direct response advertising.

Ken shares how the System Seminar started, teaching people they needed to sell things, the start of Pay-per-click and tracking ads, and why to approach things in a systematic way. He breaks down the sales process, and how the sales page needs to look to generate traffic.

He discusses opt-in offers, funnels and following up. He says there are too many seminars just pushing sales with great performers and offers, but not actually teaching quality content. Ken did not allow any pitching, keeping attendees and speakers both very happy.

Tips to Maximize Money in Minimum Time Online

Ken lives by, and shares his brilliant equation that exclaims "there are only two things that really determine the amount of profit you make online". He says the rules that work in normal business, work on the Internet too. He talks about the challenge of a continuous "new bell and whistle" where people thought they would be catapulted to instant wealth.

He talks about what you must do online, and forget everything else! Ken also shares the 7 key decision points to starting a business, and how your marketing efforts need to strategic plus what questions need to be answered if you want to make money.

The Most Common Mistakes People Make

Ken shares why people do not make money and why people underestimate building a business. Overnight successes are not done overnight. He shares why his offline experience was able to launch his online success. If he were to say what most successful people do, he would say they read and deepen, and broaden their knowledge at all times. Then they need to go out and carve their own path.

Ken also shares the story of one of his most successful students, and how he was able to quickly apply what he learned into an action. He shares the initial steps to getting started and building a following and why building a great foundation is so very important.

Kens quote: "There are marketing fundamentals, and you better know them".

Listen to learn:

* Kens proven business strategies he learned over 25 years

* The first law of Internet Marketing

* The core principles from "System Secrets" to make money

* How to maximize money in minimum time online

* Why you need to give people a strong reason to join your mailing list

* How to keep focused on the only things you need to make money

* The 7 key decision points to starting a business

* The one investment you must make as an entrepreneur

Resources:

* Ken's Book: System Secrets: Maximum Money in Minimum Time Online

* The System Club Newsletter

* Introductory foundation books

* The System Club Letters

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell talks to Michael Schein, CEO of MicroFame Media, and we are going to be talking to Michael about how to become a thought leader in your marketplace and building a profitable online following without giving yourself a nervous breakdown.

What is Microfame?

This term comes out of in the past, in the broadcasting era, when you really needed to be famous to be seen as a celebrity and get all the perks. Now with the internet, it is endless and you can become "micro-famous" within an online niche. For example, Gary Vaynerchuk is well know and has a huge following for his social media marketing knowledge. It is a great way to market yourself and get others to follow you.

Michael talks about some of the challenges consultants, podcasters and publishers have getting their message out. After you become competent, there is no limit to the amount you can charge and the opportunities you can choose. He talks about the packaging of the ideas and what not to focus on.

Becoming Famous in Your Niche

Michael shares how he learned what tactics big names used to make their mark. He extracted the underlying principles to learn "the buttons you can push" to connect with people. He shares a few amazing ideas, which talk about ingratiating yourself with people who have followings, who will promote you. Another idea is becoming a Magist (wizard), an elite group of people who position themselves as having a monopoly on really important wisdom. He talks about the things that make people think of you as a magist and how their images are so carefully cultivated.

Building a Profitable Online Following

Savvy promoters use the Tom Sawyer method - He needed to paint his fence white, and how he reframed this as something desirable, getting others to do the work. If you can present working on your behalf as a benefit, this will go a long way. He shares a story that spiked his traffic and became one of his biggest lead sources, and making both parties win.

Listen to learn:

* What it takes to become "micro-famous" in your niche

* Tips on building a profitable online following

* How you can foster the attraction of other people

* How aligning yourself with other leaders can be a win for both

* What unusual promoters can teach us about marketing

Resources:

* MicroFame Media.com - We Turn Consultants Into Celebrities

* Access to Anyone podcast

* List of books about unusual promoters

In this edition of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell chats with Joel Comm, host of the Bad Crypto Podcast, who talks about all things Cryptocurrency, and answers the top 10 most frequently asked questions about this emerging form of currency.

What is Cryptocurrency and Blockchain?

Joel talks about cryptocurrency in its simplest form - it is digital money. They are digital assets, crypographic in nature, which means the transactions are secure and verifiable through Blockchain. He talks about Bitcoin, the oldest and original digital currency, and how the news frensy exploded the bitcoin sales. He discusses where the Blockchain technology is going that underpins how crypocurrencies work. Joel says we are on the cusp of a boom ready to take place.

The Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions About Cryptocurrency

Joel shares throughout the podcast, all the questions most people will need to know about Bitcoin. He shares how a transaction actually works, the complexity of it and how the transaction is verified. He talks about the visibility and transparency of the transactions to create a ledger that works and is indisputable.

Where and How To Buy Cryptocurrency

Joel talks about how the Government is reacting to decentralized money and what their concerns are. He talks about how companies are raising money in a legitimate way and other scams that have surfaced. He discusses the process of how we actually buy bitcoin and how we accept the 4 most popular forms of crypocurrency. He discusses the tools and apps that are available now and how within 10 years, we will be doing transactions in a way where we will not even think about it. He talks about places to buy it and how to get started, and insight into the "investing' side and where you can go to begin to figure it out.

Listen to learn:

* What is crypocurrency and Blockchain

* How we buy and accept cryptocurrency

* Why the Bad Crypto Podcast gets upwards of 400,000 downloads per month

* The top 10 most frequently asked questions about cryptocurrency

* Why the technology is so revolutionary that it is going to disrupt the way we do most things (financial transactions and contracts)

* Why it is not just about buying Bitcoin for profit

* What Blockchain can be programmed to do

* How the complexity and verification process during a transaction actual works

* How it works when our current system of transactions doesn't

* How the value is determined

* How the Government is reacting to decentralized money

* Why it is a fertile soil for scams in some cases

* How the laws of supply and demand kick in

* Where to buy it and get started

Resources:

BadCryptoPodcast.com - host Joel Comm and Travis Wright - Information and Entertainment, great guests

Book: The Blockchain Revolution by Don Tapscott - about how Blockchain is going to change the world

Coinbase.com - a place to do transactions

Badco.in/coinbase - A place to buy and get $10 free

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell talks to Josh Stanton, founder of ScrewTheNineToFive.com about how to design your dream lifestyle and how they use cornerstone content to build passive affiliate revenue to enjoy the "work from anywhere, live from anywhere" lifestyle.

How to Design Your Dream Lifestyle: Work and Live Anywhere

Josh talks about organizing his life with a new baby and still running a successful business. They wanted a lifestyle business where they could work from anywhere, travel, and looked at several models and affiliate marketing met that goal. They loved not having customers and just referring sales to the advertiser. He talks about how they made a six figure income within the first year and how they have actually lived the "work from anywhere, live from anywhere" lifestyle.

How to Use Cornerstone Content

Josh shares what cornerstone content is, and how he uses it to build passive affiliate revenue. He shares his step by step plan, preparation and process to prepare the content, and what he does with the finished in-depth pieces. He talks about ranking 150+ keywords, the layout of the article, the affiliate links, getting backlinks and how he uses sidebar banners. He then talks about the initial entry points that lead off to generate revenue off the back end, and how to design your dream lifestyle using cornerstone content.

Podcasting to Build Your Brand

Josh talks about the podcast, why they started it and loved that it is an incredible way to connect with people. He talks about how the podcast allowed people to get to know them on a deep level, which in turn builds trust. He talks about what mistakes they made and how it dramatically contributed to getting their brand out there. He shares tips for starting a podcast and what you need to ask yourself to make sure you are a good candidate.

Listen to learn:

* How his affiliate marketing business grew to six-figures in a year

* How to design a dream lifestyle for your family

* A step by step plan, preparation and process to prepare content

* How he ranks for 150+ keywords

* Gathering a ton of traffic from Google

* How average time on page adds extra high value to your website

* Why it is important to build relationships and strategic partnerships

* How podcasts grow your business

* Tips for starting your podcast

Resources:

* PM#061 - How to Hit the Eject Button On Your Career with Josh Stanton

* ScrewTheMineToFive.com - How to Build a "Work from Anywhere, Live from Anywhere" Lifestyle

* The Screw The Nine to Five Podcast

In the episode of the Affiliate Buzz, James Martell talks to Mike Carney of PerformanceMarketingJobs.com, the Pinnacle Awards winner for Service-of-the-Year at Affiliate Summit 2018, about the typical roles employers are looking to fill and how to nail your dream job in the pay-for-performance industry.

Mike Carney is a 21 year Online Veteran who for the past 5 years has lead PerformanceMarketingJobs, the leading recruitment agency in the Performance Marketing space. Mike works with both Candidates: who are looking for a confidential way to find and land a career advancement opportunity that matches their future goals, as well as Employers, who are looking to hire.

On the Buzz, we have never discussed recruitment opportunities and how to get a job in the affiliate marketing industry, but there are so many opportunities in the space and so many great employers looking to hire. Mike talks about his background and how he crossed paths with an Affiliate Network, which led to an education in the different ways to make money online.

What Are Recruitment Services?

Mike saw an opportunity in the recruitment services space, as it is getting harder and harder for companies to find great talent. An Agency, or Outsourced Program Manager, cannot rely on referrals from friends and family anymore. The services being provided are immense and they are looking for a specific employee with a range of experience.

Who are Employers Looking to Hire?

Mike discusses the type of talent and positions that companies are looking for, and the types of people that fulfill those roles. People who are currently employed, do not want it announced publicly that they are looking for a new position, which makes this a valuable service. He also discusses the advantages of working remotely, how it works and the cost savings to employers.

How to Nail Your Dream Job

Mike discusses how this works from both the employer and the employee side. He explains the rate structure for employers compared to other head-hunters. There is no fee for the candidates seeking employment, but people are invited to reach out to book a private call. Mike shares his vetting process and only sends through extremely qualified candidates to employers. He also shares really great tips for candidates who are looking for work.

Listen Now as Mike shares:

* How to nail your dream job with recruitment services

* What types of companies are looking for employees

* The criteria the candidates must possess

* How candidates can job search but maintain confidentiality

* How candidates and employers can apply

* The vetting process giving employers qualified candidates

* Tips for candidates looking to land a great job

Resources:

* PerformanceMarketingJobs.com

* Stephanie Harris - PartnerCentric ab#491

* Todd Crawford - Impact Radius ab#482

* Matt Frary - SmarterChaos ab#475