Affiliate Commissions, Are You Ready?
Not sure if you remember but a few months ago I created a series of short videos…
I created these so you could see how easy it was to build an online store using a simple script, 20 minutes, and a WordPress blog.
The site was built right in front of your eyes in 20 minutes of video (I’ll give you the link again in the reference box if you didn’t get a chance to watch them…)
Here’s the short version – every sale made from your website earns you a referral income (affiliate commission). The script leaves no footprint for the search engines to discover. You can sell anything from smoked ham to snowballs.
Right after I made those videos for you I set up another online store on a brand new, just registered, domain.
Two weeks later Google did an update and graced me with a PR4 on the home page plus some PR3s and 2s. Apparently google likes my online store because I also hit a few #1 spots for high volume keywords.
Now I don’t know about you, but I think that’s pretty hot! And I was thrilled. Especially since I’d barely done any work to get those spots – the script did most of the creation. And, no, (for you naysayers), I did not scrape, splog or ‘trick’ the search engines.
But then last week Google performed it’s recent update and my PR dropped, all the way down to 3.
It’s no wonder – I haven’t done any work on the site or added any original content for the last month.
BUT, do I care about the page rank? No, and here’s why…
Every month my traffic grows on that site, my subscriber list grows, and my sales. I get a check from ShareASale (which is the primary supplier of the datafeeds I’m using).
First it was $55, then $95, $167, $227, and this month my account reads $395 (and there’s still 2 weeks left as I write this!)
Time invested: 4 hours since April ‘06
An Alternate Tool for Working with Merchant Datafeeds
Now I know you may have been a little turned off when I first told you about that script because you didn’t want to work with datafeeds or blogs.
Perhaps the mere mention of a ’script’ sent you running for the hills…
So, I’ve found you technophobes something else. (I’m not saying better or easier, just perhaps more suited to your style of working.)
There are no server scripts to install, no blogs to configure (unless you want to), and you’ll have a few more features at your fingertips!
It’s just a little piece of software, with a tiny and concise user’s manual, and one of the top online marketer’s customer support service to back you up if you get stuck…
Michelle Timothy of RSStoBlog, she’s done it again!
The software creates html pages, blog posts and rss feeds – all chock full of product descriptions and photos, all embedded with your link! (And there’s something very special about the links it creates – but I’ll save that for Michelle to tell you about…let me just say you’re going to love it!)
Now wait, and take this in, this can be confusing, only because the software is so incredibly versatiile…you can:
- make html pages using a site template, then upload and integrate seamlessly into your website…instant store!
- make blog posts to use with WordPress and if you own RSStoBLOG, have the posts trickle in at whatever setting you want…
- make an RSS Feed – heck make 20 – send them to your site and submit the RSS url to the directories and watch the sales come in…
- make an RSS Feed and integrate random products into your standard html pages. (This is probably the geekiest of them all and can be a pain to learn if you’ve never done it before.)
That’s all the good news, now for the bad news…
I had meant to email you last week when I first found out about this software and started testing it. Back then it was at launch for $77. Michelle has since upped the price – likely because we’ve all been writing to her thanking her for the easy income machine…
So if I’ve cost you a few extra bucks due to my tardiness, let me make it up to you…
Email me and let me know you are a proud new owner of this easy and versatile software. I’ll reply with a few ways I can make it up to you (plus give you a few hints on how to really make money with these sites), that will help your work, your site, or your marketing education, and I’ll let you choose which ‘let me make it up to you gift’ you prefer!
Here’s the link to learn more:
Merchant-Affiliate Datafeed Software.
I’ll see you in the green!
Your friend in marketing,
Laura Childs
p.s. In case you did want to watch those videos I created in March 2006 here’s the link:
How to Create an Online Store (remember though – those videos are for the script, not the software).
Hi Laura,
I tried the trial version of this back in the spring when you recommended it. My only problem was that it wasn’t a live feed. You downloaded a certain number of products that the feed contained and then formatted that info to fit your needs. Is that your understanding?
It sounds like you’ve had some success though. Any tips you’d like to pass along? Thanks.
Allen
Hi Allen, good to hear from you.
You’d be able to pick and choose from hundreds of merchant datafeeds available at ShareASale.com, Commission Junction, NetShops, etc., and not just the sample datafeeds that came with the trial version.
Commission Junction charges $200 for access to their feeds so I wouldn’t bother with that until you’re in the money.
My tips? Drop me an email when you’ve purchased either one of these products and I’ll be happy to share my secret strategies with you.
If you own rsstoblog already, then grab Michelle’s new software and use it with RSS2Blog.
If you don’t own RSS2Blog then use Teli Adlan’s script from http://www.smartzville.com/datafeed-script.htm
I’ve decided to stop ‘testing’ and dabbling and building a few more of these, the money is easy. If you build some, stay in touch, maybe we can three way link and get some good traffic!
Laura Childs
Hi Laura:
I already use Michele’s RSS2Blog, an extraordinary tool.
I’ve also appreciated your endeavors in the past.
So, I’ll take you up on your offer of value $20 in ‘?’
I was snoozin’ too. I saw the earlier offer from Michele also, but Summer is so short ya know…
Awesome CR!
Now let’s brainstorm how I can help you…and believe me I hear you about summer being so short. I took most of it off from working to reconnect with my girl (now 12).
I was thinking, for this offer that I could supply a copy of RSS Announcer (submits RSS Feeds to a pile of directories in less than 20 minutes), or I could build you a template to use with AFG if you wanted to make html store pages (the template would be based on your current website pages for uniformity).
Or I might be able to give your new site some good google worthy links if any of your markets match mine.
Or…tell me a little about your business, what you might like some help with, etc. I’ve got a pile of private label rights products (I can pass onto you that you could sell from your sites), or…?
As for what I did with my test site that helped it along…hmmm, I think I’ll send you that information under separate cover – I like to save my extra special techniques for my customers!
Your friend in marketing,
Laura
p.s. Once you get my strategy email don’t forget to let me know what ‘gift’ I can grace you with.
Laura,
I just read your email…you talk about videos you made a few months ago.
Where can i see them? what is the url?
Thank you,
William
Sorry William:
I thought that I put the url at the bottom of that message…
Yes, there it is:
http://www.smartzville.com/datafeeds
(everything is indexed from there, except for the new software which is here: New Affiliate Datafeed Software)
You might want to reread the message – or email me for clarification – there are two distinct products here to work with merchant datafeeds.
The videos show one product, the email was introducing a second product on the market.
Both are different – and, personally, I would suggest one over the other depending on your current knowledge and skillset. So if you want a little personal guidance or to discuss this further, don’t hesitate to email me or post a message on my site.
Laura Childs
OK…I’m a bit confused.
Would I need to purchase both the WordPress Data Feed Import program and the Affiliate Data Feed Generator to make this work?
THANKS!
Gina
Hi Gina:
No, you don’t need both.
If you want to use merchant datafeeds and a wordpress blog you’d use the Wordpress Datafeed Import Script.
If you want to create blogs, html pages or flat RSS feed files you’d use AFG. AFG is the more versatile tool BUT IF you are planning on using it to create blog based stores you’d want to already own RSStoBlog UNLESS you already parse RSS Feeds into html pages already – now we’re getting really geeky!
So, to sum up, if you don’t own RSS to Blog and you do want to create successful blog stores then use WordPress Datafeed Affiliate Script.
Laura
Hey Laura
Thanks for all this info, i have bought the wordpress feedscript and i will defiantly buy that other tool to control your data feeds with to.
My question is can you recommend a good place to have some nice, easy to adapt templates for the stores.
I am not a CSS expert (give me PHP and i build the your world
) so i would like to have some templates that are easy to manage
Greets
Dave
Hi Dave:
Generally I head over to the wordpress themes site and choose a few designs I like (templates) and download them. Once uploaded to my site, I test each one (not all theme designers are created equal and some of these layouts are actually buggy!)
Some people would hate this (they’d rather choose a stable template and they’re even willing to pay for it) but it’s one small creative work that I enjoy when setting up any new site.
You can alter the php for layout purposes (you’ll probably love playing in all that code) and the CSS is minimal (that one file just controls fonts and colors primarily).
Thanks for the tip, I have been looking for some templates and it is indeed not so hard to change them at all, (I am old school HTML
)
Dave, me too!
And I used to love it. I’d actually take on and fix any of my group’s html formatting issues and enjoy it back then.
From that I managed to teach myself low-level cgi, php, etc. at least for debugging purposes. There’s no way I could actually script anything new, but I enjoy tweaking and testing.
Not much chance in my work now to do much of that (my days are consumed with text), but I do look back with fondness and pull out the old propeller hat from time to time…
Have fun with the wide selection of WordPress templates. Some of them are quite beautiful!
Cheers,
Laura Childs
I’m still chuckling over one of the emails that landed in my box yesterday. It’s so rewarding to see others having the same great results I have been this past month with datafeeds.
When I find it, I’ll paste it here, but it said something like “Whenever I hear more about datafeeds I get all tingly.”
The guy who wrote it wasn’t a geek but he was seeing the income rolling in and it is exciting!
Plus, with not too many people publishing websites this way the competition is pretty slim.
I’ve told everyone on my lists about it, I’ve written about it in my blog and I’m pretty much done helping others to see the possibilities here (I will continue to assist those requiring a little extra help however). Next week I’m testing one more super cool affiliate datafeed page creation script – I’ve been in contact with the developer and he knows his stuff. If you want a sneak preview check out making money with ebay without selling products.
You’re gonna love it!
I have a huge datafeed I want to import into a wordpress blog. I’m talking like 10,000 entries or so. Should I do it all at once or trickle them in or what? Any suggestions? Thanks!
Paul:
That depends on what script or software you’re using, how old the domain is, how closely the products are related, if the merchant converts well, if the products are categorized, and if you never make mistakes.
(’Cuz if you do make a mistake or change your mind, you’ll have 10,000 posts to manually delete – or an entire database to clear and start over.)
I personally would never work with more than 500 at a time. You can chop up the feed in Excel.
Laura Childs
Laura,
Thanks for the great information about datafeeds. I did not know about them until I read this here.
I think RSS2BLOG cannot post to specified categories (or perhaps I don’t know how). So all the posts will be in posted in one category and it look so unnatural and ugly.
I think Merchant-Affiliate Datafeed Software is not so good for WP type site
as compared to the WordPress Datafeed Affiliate Script.
KC:
You may need to update your RSS2BLOG. If you don’t have the most recent version, email Michelle (she’s awesome with support and keeping her customers updated).
Cheers, Laura
p.s. categories are one of the major keys to traffic with a WordPress blog. The aesthetics are only part of a great site…
Hi Laura,
This was a cool article and I loved the videos.
Using datafeeds seems like an easy way to build a site, but I’m wondering if in 2008 if this is still a viable strategy?
John
I’m still doing it in 2009 and it still works like gang busters! In fact, I’ve seen no signs of recession on this side of the border, even though most of my affiliate commissions are from USA spenders. People are trying to save gas money and buying everything online now – datafeeds are a great way to keep new products flowing into your sales sites.