philcoleman
06-01-2009, 09:47 AM
Hi
This post is a little longer than usual but it covers a whole topic in one go, so you can put this info to use quickly. :nod:
If you've never used Yahoo Groups before, it's basically a free service that allows you to setup a group (or join an existing group) where everyone can send emails to everyone else. A group can consist of virtually anyone.
There are groups for mothers and for pilots. There are also private groups for family members, close friends, and alumni of a particular university. In our application today, I'm going to suggest that you join a group, rather than create one. I'm also going to suggest that you be careful in how you select your groups...
For starters, it's important to understand why you're using Yahoo Groups, and what it could potentially offer you as an affiliate marketer. If you plan to join spam groups, where every member sends out a slew of advertisements to all other members, you may be better off ignoring Yahoo Groups and trying something different altogether.
You aren't likely to make a lot of money sending out repeated advertisements to people who want to advertise – not buy.
Now, if you are patient and willing to put in a little work, then you can use Yahoo Groups to your advantage. However, rather than seeing it as a pulpit for spam, see it as a means of seeking out and communicating with potential customers. Think about it as you might think about participating in forum discussions – the more you do it and the more you contribute, the more people will respect you and consider purchasing what you offer.
Before we go any further, head to Yahoo Groups now: http://groups.yahoo.com/.
One important part of being successful with Yahoo Groups involves finding the right place to talk about things that relate to your particular affiliate products, so start picking through the groups. If you're planning to sell make money or survey products as an affiliate, then drill down through the appropriate categories until you find niche groups that might work well for you.
Additionally, find some general interest groups (mothers, college students, etc.) that you can join. These also have people who could be interested in your products.
What next? Actually join the groups.
This is similar to using forums to market. Before you even start posting, you should spend some time observing the group. Find out how they interact with each other and find out whether people normally sell things. Try not to break any of the rules of etiquette before you are recognized as a regular contributor. Even then, try to avoid it where possible.
Once you have monitored the groups sufficiently – and have figured out when it is appropriate to suggest sites and products – you can start promoting products in subtle ways. I personally suggest simply using a link to your blog in signatures. In general, posting an affiliate link in a group is a pretty obvious move; and few people will take it lightly. If you simply include a link to your blog in a signature, people will check it out without your even asking.
If you do ever blatantly refer people to your site, make sure that you do it in some relevant context; Furthermore, make sure that the content on your site is high-quality and original.
In fact, you may even want to take the opposite approach: rather than waiting for things to come up that relate to your blog, you could generate content based on what's going on in the groups. In general, try to use graphs, pictures, and video on your site whenever you can. This will tend to hold the attention of visitors better than text.
But if you still don't have a blog, I suggest you start one at the following URL: http://www.blogger.com. It's quick and easy. Additionally, in many situations (such as this one), you wont be able to actually market affiliate products unless you have a website of your own. This is a fast and free way to set one up.
Now, in addition to joining discussion groups, you will also want to join article/content distribution groups.
Publishers often setup these groups to solicit material for their sites. Additionally, article distributors use them to send stuff off to publishers. If you're already writing articles and submitting them to directories, you should consider submitting them to these groups as well. They could get you massive exposure, since they are often sent to hundreds of different places.
Remember to use them wisely and to follow the guidelines of each group you join. Most will require specific formatting. If you ignore that; your articles will get rejected, and you may end up getting removed or banned from the group.
One of the best ways to use these groups effectively is to write reviews for them. Let's say you join a group of people who have an interest in some kind of make money niche. Post your review (with an affiliate link) of a High Profit product to the group.
For a greater effect, try to write PDF reviews and put the download link on your site or blog.
If you don't know a whole lot about the products you're marketing, or if you're not a particularly good writer, you can always hire someone who does/is. Consider finding a college student on a forum or a writer at http://www.guru.com or http://www.elance.com and offering to pay him/her for a review.
You will not only save your own time, but you may increase the effectiveness of your Yahoo Groups campaign.
Once again, this stuff only works when you put it into practice. :cool:
Phil
This post is a little longer than usual but it covers a whole topic in one go, so you can put this info to use quickly. :nod:
If you've never used Yahoo Groups before, it's basically a free service that allows you to setup a group (or join an existing group) where everyone can send emails to everyone else. A group can consist of virtually anyone.
There are groups for mothers and for pilots. There are also private groups for family members, close friends, and alumni of a particular university. In our application today, I'm going to suggest that you join a group, rather than create one. I'm also going to suggest that you be careful in how you select your groups...
For starters, it's important to understand why you're using Yahoo Groups, and what it could potentially offer you as an affiliate marketer. If you plan to join spam groups, where every member sends out a slew of advertisements to all other members, you may be better off ignoring Yahoo Groups and trying something different altogether.
You aren't likely to make a lot of money sending out repeated advertisements to people who want to advertise – not buy.
Now, if you are patient and willing to put in a little work, then you can use Yahoo Groups to your advantage. However, rather than seeing it as a pulpit for spam, see it as a means of seeking out and communicating with potential customers. Think about it as you might think about participating in forum discussions – the more you do it and the more you contribute, the more people will respect you and consider purchasing what you offer.
Before we go any further, head to Yahoo Groups now: http://groups.yahoo.com/.
One important part of being successful with Yahoo Groups involves finding the right place to talk about things that relate to your particular affiliate products, so start picking through the groups. If you're planning to sell make money or survey products as an affiliate, then drill down through the appropriate categories until you find niche groups that might work well for you.
Additionally, find some general interest groups (mothers, college students, etc.) that you can join. These also have people who could be interested in your products.
What next? Actually join the groups.
This is similar to using forums to market. Before you even start posting, you should spend some time observing the group. Find out how they interact with each other and find out whether people normally sell things. Try not to break any of the rules of etiquette before you are recognized as a regular contributor. Even then, try to avoid it where possible.
Once you have monitored the groups sufficiently – and have figured out when it is appropriate to suggest sites and products – you can start promoting products in subtle ways. I personally suggest simply using a link to your blog in signatures. In general, posting an affiliate link in a group is a pretty obvious move; and few people will take it lightly. If you simply include a link to your blog in a signature, people will check it out without your even asking.
If you do ever blatantly refer people to your site, make sure that you do it in some relevant context; Furthermore, make sure that the content on your site is high-quality and original.
In fact, you may even want to take the opposite approach: rather than waiting for things to come up that relate to your blog, you could generate content based on what's going on in the groups. In general, try to use graphs, pictures, and video on your site whenever you can. This will tend to hold the attention of visitors better than text.
But if you still don't have a blog, I suggest you start one at the following URL: http://www.blogger.com. It's quick and easy. Additionally, in many situations (such as this one), you wont be able to actually market affiliate products unless you have a website of your own. This is a fast and free way to set one up.
Now, in addition to joining discussion groups, you will also want to join article/content distribution groups.
Publishers often setup these groups to solicit material for their sites. Additionally, article distributors use them to send stuff off to publishers. If you're already writing articles and submitting them to directories, you should consider submitting them to these groups as well. They could get you massive exposure, since they are often sent to hundreds of different places.
Remember to use them wisely and to follow the guidelines of each group you join. Most will require specific formatting. If you ignore that; your articles will get rejected, and you may end up getting removed or banned from the group.
One of the best ways to use these groups effectively is to write reviews for them. Let's say you join a group of people who have an interest in some kind of make money niche. Post your review (with an affiliate link) of a High Profit product to the group.
For a greater effect, try to write PDF reviews and put the download link on your site or blog.
If you don't know a whole lot about the products you're marketing, or if you're not a particularly good writer, you can always hire someone who does/is. Consider finding a college student on a forum or a writer at http://www.guru.com or http://www.elance.com and offering to pay him/her for a review.
You will not only save your own time, but you may increase the effectiveness of your Yahoo Groups campaign.
Once again, this stuff only works when you put it into practice. :cool:
Phil