Bob's Work Site

Tag: affiliate marketing

  • I Did It!!!

    I Finished All the Lessons in ClickTrackProfit

    I did it. Finished all the lessons in the ClickTrackProfit Training. I actually did almost all of them twice because I decided I should have taken notes while I went through the lessons the first time. So I have not only finished all the lessons but I have a 38 page outline of the lessons.

    The amount of information and knowledge in the 125+ lessons is unbelievable. Any CTP member who has not taken advantage of this training, is only hurting themselves. I think it is in the 2nd lesson and @jongolson says the majority of people who join CTP don’t even start lesson 2. Why did they join?

    I made a video to announce my accomplishment but it seems to take a very long time to upload videos. So the video below is hosted on my server so it may be a little slow loading.

    Please leave comments to help me improve my videos. One thing I need to work on is looking up. I am not reading a script at all, I guess I am looking at the screen I guess. Definitely have to work on that.

    All Comments welcome and encouraged,
    Bob Caine
    @rcaine

  • A or B? Who Better than the World to Decide.

    A or B? Who Better than the World to Decide.

    I am sure you have guesses already what this post is all about already.

    If you guessed split testing, your right!

    A few posts ago I wrote about the realization that if I used rotators in traffic exchanges, I could change the link on all the te’s by just changing the link in the rotator. I also can use those rotators for split testing.

    I have read many posts and articles about split testing. They talk about testing variations of

    • Headings
    • Content
    • Color combinations
    • Calls to Action
    • Button color
    • Backgrounds
    • Images
    • Anything and everything else on the page

    I totally understand that it would be great to test all these things. I also understand that it takes a budget to test. It doesn’t matter whether the budget is monetary or the amount of time you have to earn credits, you have to have a budget. If you are like me that but has limits. I have to choose what is most for me to split test. For example, I am not going to test different button colors. Why? Because Russell Brunson did extensive button color testing and determined green works best. I believe him. He does more testing than will ever be able to do. I using green.

    For months, I have occasionally wondered, “What have I done to make everyone on the internet dislike me?” I have this thought when I have received very poor or no results from my advertising. Well, a couple of mornings ago I woke wondering if I would have better results if I used an an actual photo instead of a caricature. Is the use of the caricature hurting my credibility? I needed to find out. What better way to find out than split testing?

    Image I have been using for branding

    Above is the caricature I have been using for several years as branding. I started using it because I thought it would make me stand out. I guess it might have been the ClickTrackProfit training and the number of times I was reminded ‘people buy from those that they know, like and trust’. Also, I don’t see anyone else using a caricature so I probably should have taken a hint from that. Below is the image I am switching to. I am running 2 identical ads except for the brand and I will see what the internet has to say.

    Real photo for branding

    What are your thoughts about caricature vs photo? Please leave a comment with your views. Thank you.

    Please help me improve with your comments,
    Bob Caine

  • Results Are In

    I would like to thank everyone who used their time to provide their thoughts on yesterday’s post. I ask whether people thought a HitsConnect tracking link, software for tracking advertising results, should work in CTP’s Gauntlet, a feature designed to provide feedback on web page design, should work or not. Well, the results are in and I want to share them with everyone.

    I didn’t have to spend much time analyzing the results. The were unanimous. 100% of the responses thought that a HitsConnect tracking link did not have to work in the Gauntlet since the Gauntlet is not suppose to be an advertising platform. I yield to the unanimous opinion. I will never bring it up again.

    The other question that occurred several times in the responses was, “Why would anyone use a HitsConnect tracking link in a non-advertising environment?”

    My answer to that question is, “I consider the Gauntlet as part of my testing of a new page and I want test my page exactly as it will run live.” I am sure I can attribute that philosophy to my 40+ years of delivering software to clients who expect perfect results. And, believe me, no matter how much we thought every scenario had been tested, the client would find one we never imagined.

    My favorite example of this is a system where the user entered the quantity of a product to be shipped to a store. There was a limited number of stores on a page and the user expected to complete 1 page at a time. We delivered the software after extensive testing. In less than 4 hours I get a call that says it doesn’t work. I talked with the user and the problem was that they could enter data past the end of the page. We test more and could not produce the result the user was describing. I went back to the user and ask them to show me. I watched and they were right and I saw the problem. They knew how to type and were not looking at the screen while entering data. None of the programmers knew how to type so they watched the screen as they entered data. The programmers saw they were ate the end of the screen and the users didn’t. We made a very small change that stopped the user after the last store and made a noise to let them know. Problem solved.

    Enough said, I am moving on in search of my next windmill. Thank you all again for your input.

    I look forward to your feedback to help me improve,
    Bob Caine

    PS – I switched pictures because It dawned on me that a real photo is probably more credible than a caricature.

  • Need Your Opinion Please

    This should be a fairly short post. I am writing it to get as many opinions as I can on a point of view as I can. But before I ask your opinion, I have a discovery to share. I write my posts in WordPress and let WordSteem send it Steemit for me. I learned yesterday that the ‘Featured Image’ option in WordPress does not transfer to Steemit. Those of you that use WordPress and WordSteem probably already knew this but I learned yesterday when the image I used with the post did not show up in Steem. Live and learn, keeps life interesting.

    OK, now for the point of view that Needs your opinion. (I wish there was a poll option for posts in Steem but if there is I can’t find a reference to it.)

    ClickTrackProfit has a feature called the Gauntlet. The purpose of the Gauntlet is to get other CTP members criticism of personally developed pages for use on the internet in one’s business. The Gauntlet provides a great way to perfect internet pages in a somewhat controlled environment. The Gauntlet is not intend to be an advertising platform.

    HitsConnect is an ad tracking and rotator system which provides detailed statistics. HitsConnects is used to track your traffic and results by generating a tracking url to use for advertising. In general, it used to help improve your online advertising efforts. HitsConnect is the recommended tracking system for ClickTrackProfit members to use.

    Your Opinion Please

    HitsConnect urls do not work in the CTP Gauntlet. With which of the following to you agree.

    1. HitsConnect should work in the Gauntlet since it is the recommended tracking software
    2. HitsConnect doesn’t have to work in the Gauntlet since the Gauntlet isn’t intended for advertising
    3. Another option I haven’t thought of

    Please leave a comment expressing your opinion. Thank You.

    I look forward, as always, to your comments,
    Bob Caine

  • Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock…

    Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock…

    It is late at night. You really need to go to bed. But you have to finish your marketing emails. You have text and html versions of the email written. Now it is just have to send them. Tick, tock,tick, tock … Open the mailer, go to send, paste the your email into the mailer, oops needed the html email, copy the html email, paste it in the mailer, get the link, paste it, assign credits, send email, exit – next mailer only 20 to go. Sound familiar.

    Referral Frenzy

    For the mailers you are a member, Referral Frenzy

    • Keeps your login information for dozens of emailers
    • Create and save text and html versions of your email
    • Assigns max credits possible to each mailer
    • Allows you to select email to send
    • Send emails to all text mailers you are a member with a single click
    • Send emails to all html mailers you are a member with a single click
    • Can schedule emails for multiple future dates (great for vacation)
    • Keeps stats for all emails

    I can email the 50+ mailers in well under 5 minutes once the emails are done. This is at least a a 60 minute savings for me. Referral Frenzy has many more features as well. I just listed what I use the most. Oh, I almost forgot, every month you automatically receive bonus credits, up to as many as 5000. Referral Frenzy is an absolute must for affiliate marketing in my option and I would highly recommend it.

    The bad news is Referral Frenzy is not free. The subscription is $15/month or $97/year. I was fortunate to get a lifetime subscription years ago. I don’t remember what I paid for my subscription but it has been worth every penny. Also, Referral Frenzy has a limited number of mailers (approximately 70 of the top mailers).

    An alternative to Referral Frenzy is Viral Mail Profits. VMP takes time to set up because you have to enter each mailer and its information. Of course this is only a one time set up and it allows you to enter any emailer you want. Like RF, you can save a text and html version of the email and send the appropriate one. The biggest difference is that you send 1 email at a time in Viral Mail Profits. You still save time because VMP does most of the switch between programs for you and can automatically walk through a selected list of mailers. I actually use VMP as a supplement to Referral Frenzy for the mailers that aren’t in RF.

    You can use Viral Mail Profit as a free member with limitations but the full capability requires an upgrade. Right now, 3/15/20, there is a lifetime upgrade available for $77. A great value . Marty Petrizza recently purchase VMP so I am sure there are great changes coming. VMP is another time saver that I a very glad I have.

    Until Next Time,
    Bob Caine

  • One of Those Totally Befuddling Days

    I woke up this morning with my mind racing. Running through my mind was all the different things I have learned from the ClickTrackProfit training about building my business and how do I put them together. How do I use content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, blogging and build my list. How do I combine them all into a cohesive marketing plan?

    I have spent the day trying to figure out a marketing plan. For example, I want to put together a plan to recruit referrals for ClickTrackProfit and build my list. I have sent 1000’s of emails and what happens. I get a referral every now and then. Luck of who opens the email when. I have similar results with trying to build my list.

    I need a plan. An organized approach of what to do when. I realize a plan like can be different for every person but there must be some guidelines. I can throw out a bunch of buzz words but I don’t know how to arrange them to work best.

    • Split Testing
    • Content Marketing
    • Blogging
    • Autoresponder
    • Email Marketing
    • Etc, etc …

    Of course, then there is my impatience. I send emails for a week or so about a program. No results. This impatience I can fix. I can force myself to stick with a program and figure out a way to stay motivated. I will do this. I want to get to the magic $2.74/day. (If you don’t know why $2.74/day is important you need to join ClickTrackProfit.)

    I joined ClickTrackProfits many years ago. For reasons long forgotten, I started looking for another training hub. I tried this one and that one. Some that I tried cost $!000’s and had high monthly fees. Every one I joined had the same advice – advertise on Facebook. Finally, I had anther one of my morning epiphanies. I already belong to the best training available. Why did I abandon it? I don’t know but I am back and not leaving again.

    Does anyone know any books, blogs or post that could help me put a marketing plan together? I would really appreciate your knowledge on this topic. Thanks

    Until Next Time,
    Bob Caine

    PS – No Angry Crab Surfing badges today.

    The best training available at any price!

  • Which Form To Use

    Most form builder software offers more than one type of form. Picking the best type for your specific purpose can increase your sign up rate. The 6 most popular form types are

    1. Embedded – probably the most common form
    • Part of page content
    • Doesn’t follow user as they scroll
    • Great for home or landing pages
    • Doesn’t disrupt or infer with content
    • Doesn’t follow user
    • Can be missed if not eye catching or scrolled off screen
    1. Pop-up
    • Pops up after user defined criteria; e.g., time or percent of page
    • User can’t miss a pop-up usually appears in center of screen
    • Disruptive because it blocks content until subscribes or closes form
    • Can annoy visitors
    1. Exit intent
    • Appear when user tries to close screen or leave tab to continue user must subscribe or close form
    • Not disruptive because doesn’t appear until exiting
    • Good for landing page with an offer as a reminder
    • Could promote a different offer which may be more interesting to user
    • Great for pages where content is more important than subscribers
    1. Slide-in
    • Slides in from left or right side of page as opposed to just appearing like a pop-up
    • Can dictate when form appears like pop-ups
    • Usually follow user as they scroll
    • Great when you want content read and the form seen
    • Less annoying than pop-up
    1. Horizontal bar
    • Extends the entire width of display
    • Can be at the top or bottom of screen
    • Can be ‘sticky’ so always visible to user.
    • Not disruptive
    • Can’t put much information
    • Lower conversion than pop-up or slide-in forms because it is easily ignored
    1. Full page
    • Covers entire page
    • Like pop-ups except covers entire page
    • Have to be notice
    • Totally disruptive
    • Use relative content on form

    You may want to split test different form types on a lead capture. I want to try an embedded form vs. a pop-up. One thing to note: don’t use pop-up or slide-in forms for mobile viewing. Some form builders allow you choose which type of form to use when.

    Until Next Post,
    Bob Caine

    The Angry Crab surf badges were available today so I can make progress on my CTP SeaLifeHits Mastery challenge. YEAH!

  • Question Answered

    Question Answered

    Angry Crab

    If you read yesterday’s post, you will remember that I found the Angry Crab badge. Every time I found that badge before, the next day the Angry Crab surf badges replace the more common Turtle surf badges. So I speculated that if you found the Angry Crab badge one day, the next day would have the Angry Crab surf badges.

    Now I can tell you for sure that this is not true. I did not have the Angry Crab surf badges today. Darn it. So I guess I will agree what one surfer told me. The Angry Crab surf badges appear randomly. I will just have to surf SeaLifeHits each day and see which surf badges are used that day.

    The CTP SealifeHits Mastery challenge requires surfing 1000 sites 10 times with the Angry Crab surf badges. I have 3 out of 10. Who knows how long completing this task is going to take me but I will bet not as long as one of the CupofTraffic tasks.

    It dawned on me that not everyone reading my posts is a member of ClickTrackProfit and therefore doesn’t know about the mastery challenges. CTP is one of the best, if not the best, training hubs on the internet. The mastery challenges are exercises which encourage you to use your training to accomplish specific tasks and “MASTER” a particular internet site. There are seven mastery challenges. They are

    All but one of the challenges requires getting referrals to join the program and all but two require earning a certain amount of commission. Other common tasks require surfing sites for the traffic exchanges, read and writing a number of emails for the mailers. Again, these tasks are designed to create good affiliate marketing habits; e.g., creating posts like this one or regularly sending emails, and not meant to be easy.

    But there is one task in particular that I just don’t understand its purpose or at least the ‘why’ for length of time it will take. CupofTraffic has one task, Login Points, that will require almost 3 years to complete. When you login to CupofTraffic the first time each day, you receive one half of a point (.5). 500 points are needed to complete this task. That’s 1000 days of logging into CupofTraffic or 2 years and 270 days. What am I learning after say 180 days of logging in? This seems a little excessive to me maybe too excessive for me to bother with this challenge. What do you think? Let me know in your comments. (If there is a way to get more than .5 points in a day, I haven’t figured it out.)

    I will talk more about the Mastery challenges in future posts and keep you up to date on my progress.