Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

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Industry Trained – Part 2 Ground Rules Posted: 22 Oct 2014 07:00 AM PDT A Girlfriends Guide to Affiliate Management – Part 2 Let's Get Trained – The Ground Rules Well, let's dive right in. Two weeks ago I gave you an overview of the "Industry Trained" concept. This week I'm getting down and dirty – and I mean Down and Dirty. This may sound like a talk I'm about to dish out to my teenage daughter, but right now it is what it is. And quite frankly, sometimes you need to hear it. Again – Yes, I am generalizing here. I hope these are points that you are reading and say to yourself – "What!!!! That never happens." I hope some of this is advice doesn't apply to you at all. If it does, take it for what it is. . . someone just trying to help women be crazy successful in this industry without selling out. Keep in mind that I can share this information because I've been there and have made some questionable choices. So I can chalk it up to being a bit naive at first, yet I'm at a point where I feel being vulnerable may be able to shed some light on this topic. So judge away but I'm offering this advice because I think more women are needed in the online marketing world. And preparing them with a slightly un-talked-about topic is essential. Ground Rule #1: Draw a line in the sand and NEVER cross it photo credits: http://disjointedthinking.jeffhughes.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/line-in-the-sand.jpg3 So it's story time. When I started talking with affiliates, some of them shared with me their wonderfully creative minds. And when I'm saying "creative" I really mean super dirty. I should have written most of it down and made a killing writing 99cent kindle books. Anyway, back to my story. I had an affiliate, who almost every day hit me up on AIM and asked what color my panties were. And for the longest time, I'd just LOL it off. But the persistence kept up so I relented and for a while it was like a check-in-of-what-color-I-wore-day. I won't go into details where the conversation eventually went. But dang, he could talk and it had to be stopped. Here's my point: Don't LOL things off. If something crosses your line, simply say: "I am here to make you money, and I will. But I will not discuss anything off topic." You are way more than the color of your panties! Simply put. Money always trumps a sleazy innuendo talk. Money is what makes the world go round and if you can put money in affiliates' pockets – that is all that matters. Take control of conversations that start to cross a line. But know where that line is. I recommend staying to topics related to business and marketing. Ground Rule #2: Don't Make Promises you don't intend to keep Never, never never think that what you are saying isn't being thought of as a promise. If you don't want to do something (yep I'm talking sexual favors here) – don't promise it in a giggling LOL sort of way. That person on the other end of the phone is putting this in their personal "promises to redeem" bank. And when you don't deliver on that promise, all hell can break loose. Here's what I really want you to get out of this rule. Don't make promises that you will do certain things in exchange of any form of traffic. Even if you are joking around. That joke to you may be a promise for someone else. This is where the line in the sand in rule #1 should really come into play and protect you. In actuality – If you keep rule #1 you should be good. So – don't cross that line and don't make promises you really don't intend to keep. Simple. Likewise, if you make a promise – keep it. Simple again. There is no love where traffic is involved This ain’t love baby! That's harsh isn't it. It's better hearing it from me instead of the gauntlet coming down. I feel like playing the classic song Roxanne by The Police in the background right now, and it's really the only thing that comes to mind. To be a little more updated, I'll leave you with the El Tango version from Moulin Rouge. The point I'm trying to make here is that when money, traffic, insider traffic information is on the line do not mix anything else with it. Things get muddy, confusing and a little sloppy and not in a good way. You will never get traffic with your body. It doesn't matter what any one tells you or says, promises, pleads or deals with. For the love of all things green and good, do not mix the thought of getting more traffic with sex. That's it. Be ok with Someone (Everyone) Knowing If you want to have some fun and deliver on some of those innuendoes you've made – go for it. I'm not telling you to be Ms. Prude McPrune here. But I am going to tell you – if you do that, be ok with everyone knowing. Everybody talks. And those talks just grow and grow. Pretty soon, your escapade could be in the covers of Hustler. So even though there is a promise that no one will know – just toss that sucker out the window along with escaping that reputation. Don't go there – period I'm just going to save you some time and really encourage you to keep your mind in the money game and no where else. So how do you handle yourself? Women get the raw deal sometimes in that if she is not flirtatious, then she is seen as a cold bitch. If she is socially flirtatious she is seen as easy with no brain. So where is that happy middle? And is there one at all? Yes, and this is how you go about it. Be secure in yourself, what you know and what you do offer professionally. When you know the ins and outs of the industry you can offer that knowledge. You can speak intelligently without having to giggle to fill in the blank spots. See where I'm going here – use that sexy mind of yours to hold intelligent conversations. Rules for Out and About at Shows Stay away from the booze – So this should go without saying. But it needs said. I can not tell you how many times I've seen a female affiliate manager have a bit too much and have some wild dance moves. Ok, that was probably me BUT I'm here to tell you  . . . don't do that. Yes, have fun but don't put yourself in a situation where you are out of control. Stay off the dance floor - This is the area I like to call – Grope City. Go – Dance – Have fun – but this is also a place to draw a line in the sand type deal. You aren't out there to throw down your come-get-me-moves. Be a professional – always. Don't by shy – speak up and join the conversation – YOU have something to say. Use that brain and let it be known you have a voice. Speak up and introduce yourself quickly, don't shy back. Get your hand into the group to shake hands and say "Hi, I'm ___________ "! Don't wait for someone else to introduce you. And find something to say within the first minute. Be a part of the conversation. You are there to make an impact! So next week we are getting our minds out of the gutter a bit and I'm going to give you the insider tips on being an incredible affiliate manager. Industry Trained – How to Shine like a Star – Part 3

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“Stat-Driven Tips on How to Pitch to Big-Name Publishers in Your Niche” plus 1 more

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Stat-Driven Tips on How to Pitch to Big-Name Publishers in Your Niche Posted: 21 Oct 2014 09:42 AM PDT This is a guest contribution from Wil of Startup Bros. What’s the best way to pitch a content idea to the big players in your niche? What do today’s top publishers look for in a contribution? Many of today’s biggest influencers get hundreds of pitches every week. How do you stand out from the crowd? It’s a tough question to answer unless you’re the one who’s doing the sifting. So, the folks over at Fractl went straight to the horse’s mouth to find out what separates the good enquiries from the bad. After surveying 500+ industry-leading publishers, writers and editors over the course of three months, they found several interesting trends. As you continue reading, you’ll find out specific, stat-driven dos and don’ts to keep in mind during your next pitch. Publishers Love Market Research What should you write about? Fractl's study showed that 39% of publishers put a premium on market research, especially if it's exclusive. That means you should either put your own spin on somebody else's study (like what we're doing right now) or write about research that you've personally done. Doing your own market research is actually easier than you might think. Once you come up with some questions you want to answer, here are a couple ideas to get reliable data: Ask your email list or social following to complete a survey about an interesting industry trend. Do the same thing, but using a crowdsourcing tool like mTurk or Google Surveys. There are two big R's to remember when writing about market research – Relevant and Recent. For example, you wouldn't expect to publish your research findings about people's favorite new restaurant chain on TechCrunch. Similarly, you wouldn't expect SEOmoz to publish yet another "10 Reasons You Should Be Doing SEO" post. Make Your Contribution Easy to Digest Fractals study shows that publishers like content that's easy to absorb. For articles, that means that you should write with plenty of white space. Use bold and descriptive subtitles so that readers can get your message without consuming every single word of your content. Better yet, incorporate graphics or imagery into your contribution. Fractl's study shows that non-text contributions are becoming more and more important. Over 36% of published pitches feature some form of mixed media, whether that's an infographic, data visualization or something else. Publishers Want You to Collaborate This one is actually a bit surprising. It turns out that almost all top-tier publishers want to work with you to develop your contribution. 70% of publishers want you to pitch an idea, not a finished piece. Only 30% will consider publishing a finished article, and even then they're picky. For each publication you target, come up with three or four different ideas you can pitch them. This gives your publishers a sense of ownership because they're participating in the creation of your content. Warning!You shouldNEVER mass-pitch a contribution to lots of places at once. That's a good way to get your email address relegated to the junk folders of the top publishers in your niche. When & How to Pitch Top Publishers When and how do publishers like to be pitched? Fractl's study turned up some interesting trends: 81% of publishers want you to pitch by email. 69% prefer to respond to enquiries in the morning. Shockingly, only 9% of publishers respond to pitches made through social media. Less than 1% of publishers want you to call them with your pitch… The rest adamantly hate phone calls. In addition to never pitching over the phone, you should also avoid pitching during holidays. Unsurprisingly, most publishers don't read pitches they get during their time off work. How to Write Your Enquiry By now you know what to write about, what type of content today's publishers want, when and how to pitch your idea… Now all you need to know is how to write your actual enquiry email. Fractl's study turned up a few surprising trends you can incorporate into your next pitch: Subject Line Matters Most – 85% of publishers open or delete an email pitch based on its subject line, so this is the most important part of your pitch. Ideally you want your email's subject line to be descriptive and engaging using only 6 – 10 words. Keep it Short & Sweet – Once they've opened your email, 85% of publishers want to read a brief pitch of less than 200 words. Don't waste time buttering them up or assuring them that their readers will love your post… Introduce yourself, make your pitch and get out. Your idea should be so intriguing that 200 words is all it takes. Good Grammar or Go Home – This shouldn't need to be said, but Fractl's study revealed just how important it is. Apparently, 9 out of 10 publishers will instantly delete a pitch if they find spelling or grammar errors. So, triple-check your enquiry email before you hit the send button. What Can You Do With These Stats? Fractl's study makes it clear that behind the big names are normal people with likes and dislikes just like you and me. If you give them what they want, they'll return the favor. With these stats, you don’t have to be nervous or afraid to pitch the biggest publications in your industry. You now have the knowledge you need to stand out from the crowd and cultivate mutually beneficial connections with the leaders in your niche. Now go out and start pitching! My name is Will, and I’m a young entrepreneur and marketer living in Tampa, FL. You can learn more about me from the StartupBros About Page. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger Stat-Driven Tips on How to Pitch to Big-Name Publishers in Your Niche

The Language of Selling – Are You Using It? Posted: 20 Oct 2014 09:31 AM PDT   This is a guest contribution from Richard Akhmerov. Benefits, benefits, benefits. We’ve all heard that benefits sell, not features. Create needs, not wants. But this is all rehashed information. And no amount of reading will make you better at the following if you don’t practice it by trying. But there is one thing missing from all of this marketing talk. And it has to do with the epicenter of marketing and copywriting. What creates the language of selling, and how does it work? The language of selling is not a single language. In fact, every product, idea or service has a different language for selling. In order to find out the language your product is using, you need to live the product. But there are a few ways to make this easier to understand… You can activate the language of selling by finding out the core buying emotions used with prospects of the product or service. This can be accomplished in multiple ways. The most important thing to do is listen. Any category most likely has a forum associated with it. Whether it’s car parts, video games, weight loss, relationships, etc… To find out the core buying emotions, you need to learn the language of these prospects. By surrounding yourself with prospects, you have the ability to listen to the way they talk, the way they discuss their problems, and the way they feel about certain subjects. This is gold. Few marketers go to these steps to find out what their prospects ACTUALLY want. Most marketers will sit there and guess as to how their prospects will react. This isn’t a powerful tactic, and will not generate huge results for your marketing efforts. Remember, forums aren’t the only place to find networks. You can join Facebook groups, watch Youtube videos and read the comments, or go to established sites with a following. Your prospects are located in the comments. And by reading them, you will quickly gain an understanding of what they’re looking for. If you go on a tech site like Engadget or Gizmodo, you can quickly discover what is lacking from a certain product. These customers know what they want and what they’re looking for, unfortunately, few big companies spend the extra time to hear out their customer’s needs. But it is all right there in front of our eyes. And this applies to any subject and any product. For example, let’s say that you have a product in the weight loss category. You can visit more established websites and go through the articles. Most articles will have a comment section below… Read the comments, and see how the customers react. You WILL find problems that are addressed but never solved. Here is your chance to change that by incorporating it into your product. Find out the needs of your customers and solve them. Use their language to connect with them. Now you have a winner. Richard Akhmerov is from Devore Agency, you can learn more great information by visiting the website. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger The Language of Selling – Are You Using It?

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