I haven’t posted anything new since the end of March due to putting so much time into writing an e-book. The e-book, titled “Developing Your Entrepreneurial Mindset”, is my attempt to get new online marketers to develop a “business owner” mentality versus an “employee” mentality. In order to be successful in business, a person must train his or her mind to think like a business owner. Important elements to becoming a successful business owner are: (1) learn to recognize the opportunities that are already around you; (2) think about business as a machine - made up of distinct moving parts that you control with a profit motive; and (3) develop a mindset that will help you achieve success. The e-book should be ready for release in about a week. I wanted to copy one section from the “Success Strategies” chapter in order to offer some new content for my readers. I hope you find it of value.
Reprogram Your Inner Voice
Each and every one of us has an inner voice. This voice lives deep within our minds and often resists the actions we need to take in order to achieve success. The conscious mind occupies about ten percent of the brain. We are aware of and control thoughts derived from this part of the brain. Our remaining thoughts are hidden inside the subconscious mind.
Thoughts lead to action. The brain is constantly assessing its environment and deciding which actions to take and which to avoid. It draws upon the knowledge and experience it has acquired through life. It analyzes the pros and cons of taking a particular action - considering the risks of experiencing pain (both emotional and physical) and the benefits that lead to pleasure. The brain always works this way... It tries to avoid pain and obtain pleasure, in exactly that order. Avoiding pain always win-out over the obtainment of pleasure. Ninety percent of our thought processes occur within the subconscious mind. The inner voice of the subconscious mind tells us what to do and when to do it. We are compelled to follow its direction.
It seems reasonable to assume that our inner voices would tell us to take any an all actions required to achieve success, right? However, the brain is a little more complex in its methods. It considers every possible consequence of an action, based on its beliefs about how the world works. Knowledge is nothing more than information that the brain has acquired and believes to be true. Unfortunately, this information is not always factual. So... what are the positive consequences of achieving online success? Some examples include: earning a lot of money; being able to work from home; having command of your time; making money doing what you love. Could there be any negative aspects to success? Sure! Success could, for example, lead to all kinds of damaging legal claims or tax problems. The brain may not have full confidence in your ability to navigate all of the administrative details associated with managing a successful, high income, business. This is just one example; but it illustrates how pain could arise through success. If your brain believes that success raises the risk of experiencing pain; your inner voice will not allow you to take the actions needed to achieve success. The brain's decision to not allow action is intended to protect you from pain. If you want the inner voice to approve the action, you would have to change your beliefs about success.
Consciously, you understand the advantages of success; but, the conscious voice only has ten percent of the say. The subconscious voice speaks much more loudly! Fortunately, there are proven ways to reprogram your inner voice. You may have heard of Tony Robbins (www.tonyrobbins.com). He has been providing success coaching for a number of years. One of Tony’s audio tape courses had a profound influence on my life. You might also want to read some of the books written by Noah St. John (www.richlifeformula.com). You can find new and used books by Noah at Alibris (www.alibris.com).
The inner voice often sabotage our success in business. There are people who have confident minds. Their brains do not perceive the risk of pain when reaching for success. Their inner voices are telling them to follow through with the actions needed to achieve wealth and abundance. If you believe your inner voice could stand for a little reprogramming; then, I suggest making an investment into one of the great programs offered by Tony or Noah. Give yourself permission to succeed!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
015 – The Fear of Success
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
014 - USFreeAds Categories (Part 4)
This post will cover the last six main categories in USFreeAds. Within the Hobbies & Leisure category, nearly all of the subcategories will provide great premium ad visibility. The Guides subcategory, by the way, would be an excellent place to advertise an e-book. None of the Electronics subcategories have a significant number of featured ads. Surprisingly, some of the Computing subcategories contain no featured ads. Within the Miscellaneous category, the Everything Else subcategory contains ads that don't really fit anywhere else. As such, this subcategory is heavily used and includes a large number of featured ads. The Everything Else subcategory would probably not provide the best premium ad visibility. The Downloads and Agricultural subcategories, on the other hand, are quite acceptable. If you're advertising any type of service; then, the Services category is where you would place the ad. Currently, the Financial subcategory contains quite a few featured ads - filling about half the first page of listings; but overall, the Services category is a good place to list your premium ad.
Here is a complete list of subcategories:
Hobbies & Leisure
General
Others
Photography
Hunting & Fishing
Self Defense
Skating
Musical Instruments
Books
Artistry
Camping
CB & Radio
Jetskiing
Guides
Music
Craft Equipment
Board Games
Clubs
Games
Outdoors
Bikes
Astronomy
Martial Arts
Electronics
Computing
Software General
Internet Software
Components
Apple
Services
PDA's
Domain Names
Servers
Games
General
Childrens Software
Web Hosting
Web Design
Development Software
Books
Motherboards
Laptops
Printers
Monitors
Complete Systems
Data Recovery
Multimedia
Announcements
Computer Accessories
Notebooks
Business Software
Backup Systems & Software
Web Traffic
Publishing Software
Certification
Cameras
Kitchen Appliances
Camcorders
Air Conditioning
TV & Home Theater
Gadgets
Console Games
DVD & VCR
Copiers
Telephones
Miscellaneous
Games Consoles
Electric Tools
Personal Care
Audio Systems
Security Systems
Satellite & Cable
CB & Radio Equipment
Collectible & Vintage
Miscellaneous
Everything Else
Downloads
Agricultural & Farming Equipment
Jewelry & Watches
Watches
Watches by Brand
Sport Watches
Digital Watches
Others
Pocket Watches
Antique Watches
Modern Watches
Vintage Watches
Watch Accessories
Multi Function Watches
Novelty Watches
Bracelets
Wholesale Jewelry
Jewelry Boxes
Loose Gemstones
Beads
Anklets
Rings
Pendants
Designer Jewelry
Costume Jewelry
Charms & Bracelets
Lockets
Body Piercing
Earrings
Fashion Jewelry
Pins & Brooches
Antique Jewelry
Childrens Jewelry
Necklaces
Miscellaneous
Handmade Jewelry
Ethnic Jewelry
Jewelry Sets
Jewelry Care
Services
Business Services
General
Legal Services
Health & Diet
Building Contractors
Elderly Care
Carpentry
Financial
Education
Advertising
Tutoring
Housekeeping
Gardening
Decorating
Travel
Home Services
Home Improvement
Music Lessons
Career Counseling
Auto Repair
Baby Sitting
Miscellaneous
Weddings
Spiritual
Child Care
Pet Grooming
Massage
Welding & Fabrication
Wanted Ads
Miscellaneous
Pets & Animals
Writers
Entertainment
Loans wanted
Hobbies
Donations
Investors
Apartments & Homes
Collectible Items
Affiliates Wanted
Tickets
General Merchandise
Automotive Items
Volunteers
Actors & Actresses
Clothing
Help Wanted
Looking for Work
Roommates Wanted
Swaps & Trades
Distributors
You can always access a recent list of USFreeAds classified ad categories at: http://www.virtual-sysop.com/bootstrapping/usf-categories.txt
Saturday, March 27, 2010
013 - USFreeAds Categories (Part 3)
Many of the Sports subcategories provide good premium ad visibility. I would especially focus on areas of sports that are popular in the current or upcoming season. A majority of the Pets and Animals subcategories would not be appropriate for affiliate marketing. However, the Dogs – Product & Services subcategory would be a great place to advertise pet related products, such as Pet Insurance, Pet medications, etc. If you are an affiliate for a Internet related company, take a look at the multitude of subcategories in the Business Opportunities category. A good many of the subcategories, unfortunately, would not offer ideal ad visibility; but, if you stay with those having 1500 or less listings, premium ads will get noticed. Here are the next four USFreeAds categories:
Sports
Golf
Cycling
Fishing
Equestrain
Camping
Running
Surfing
Volleyball
Cricket
Softball
Rugby
Football
Basketball
Hockey
Billards
Hockey
Billards
Tennis
Swimming
Skating
Wrestling
Track & Field
Windsurfing
Baseball
Hunting
Martial Arts
Archery
Soccer
Sking
Boxing
Rock Climbing
Gym
Lacrosse
General
Snowboarding
Boating
Bowling
Horse Racing
Car Racing
Diving
Darts
Olympic
Snooker
Pets & Animals
Dogs
All Others
Designer Pups
Hound Group
Spitz Group
Toy Group
Herding Group
Stud Services
Livestock Guardian
Terrier Group
Sporting Group
Molosser Group
Primitive Group
Working Group
Non Sporting Group
Products & Services
Snakes
Pet Accessories
Ferrets
Fish
Ponies
Horses
Horses for Sale
Horses for Lease
Horses for Stud
Horse Equipment
Horse Trailers
Horse Services
Equine Property
Horse Boarding
Horses Wanted
Pets Wanted
Farm Animals
Guinea Pigs
Lost & Found
Frogs
Cats
All Others
Himalayan
American Shorthair
Savannah
Siberian
Tonkinese
Abyssinian
Devon Rex
Cornish Rex
Ocicat
Chausie
Persian
Sphynx
Munchkin
American Bobtail
Manx
Turkish Van
American Wirehair
Hapanese Bobtail
Birdman
Oriental
Domestic
Siamese
Maine Coon Cat
Russian Blue
Egyptian Mau
Selkirk Rex
British Shorthair
Havana Brown
Bombay
LaPerm
Bengal
Ragdoll
Exotic Shorthair
Scottish Fold
Balinese
Pixebob
Burmese
Colorpoint Shorthair
Asian Group
Turkish Angora
Exotics
Rodents
Pet Services
Pet Stores
Insects
Birds
Macaw
Others
Parakeet
Parrotlet
Budgie
Cockatoo
Amazon
Love Bird
Birds Wanted
Dove
Cockatiel
African Grey
Finch
Canary
Supplies
Conure
Bird Cages
Eclectus
Pionus
Hybrids
Rabbits
Lizards
Turtles & Tortoises
Monkeys
Spiders
Real Estate
Vacation Rentals
Foreclosures
Apartments
Timeshares
Developed Land
Real Estate Services
Miscellaneous
Mortgage Services
Land 4 Development
Offices
Sale by Owner
Sale by Agent
Commercial
Speciality
Shared Housing
Houses
For Rent
Home Loans
Homesites
Industrial
Business Opportunities
Work at Home
Work Online
MLM
Moms
Home Typists
Paid to Promote
Referrals
Brokers
Telesales
Home Business
Start your own biz
Get Paid To
E Books
Email Processors
Mystery Shoppers
Envelope Stuffing
Home Contractors
Affiliate Marketing
Data Entry
General Info
Ad Typists
No Upfront Fee's
Home Assembly
Directories
Newsletters
Be Your Own Boss
Surveys
eBay Opportunities
Sales
Web Surfing
Home Mail Order
Secretarial
Advertising
Web Traffic
Computer Software
Wholesalers
Travel
Websites for Sale
Publishing
Banking
Order Processors
Internet
E Books
General
Leads
Distributors
Drop Shipping
Food
Retailing
Telecom
Newsletters
Utilities
Marketing
Investments
Web Promotion
Education
Business for Sale
Casinos
Communications
Technology
Dealers
Cosmetics
Pharmaceuticals
Business Info
Financial
Websites
Health
Real Estate
Automobile
Representatives
Energy
Human Resorces
Environmental
Toys
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
012 - USFreeAds Categories (Part 2)
The Home & Gardens category covers a broad range of home-related topics, from home décor to consumer electronics. There should be many advertising opportunities in this category. The Health & Fitness category covers such topics as weight loss, fitness and nutrition. This is another popular and potentially profitable area to advertise. Here are the next six main USFreeAds categories:
Home & Garden
Decor
Kitchen Accessories
Misc
Tools
Holidays
Ornaments
Luggage & Holdalls
Plants
Carpet & Rugs
Plates
Tableware
Television
Telephone & Fax
Jewelry
Dreamcatchers
Pottery
Greeting Cards
Clothing
Womens Clothing
Wedding Items
Unisex Clothing
Womens Accessories
Wholesale
Mens Accessories
Mens Clothing
Girls
Infants & Toddlers
Costumes
Boys
Womens Shoes
Furniture
Cooking
Bedrooms & Bedding
Food & Drink
Bathrooms
Home Office
Picture Frames
Cups & Mugs
Household Security
Stereos
Fridges & Freezers
Disability Aids
Antiques
Events
VCR's
Pewter
China
Home Improvement
Gifts
Clocks
Lighting
Birdhouses & Feeders
Vacuum Cleaners
Decorative Plates & Bowls
Vases
Goblins & Dragons
Closets & Storage
Porcelain
Windows & Doors
Mats
Placemats
Garden & Pond
DVD & Video
Maternity & Children
Figurines
Candles
Heating & Cooling
Painting & Pictures
Wall Plaques
Mirrors
Calendars
Posters
Curtains & Blinds
Music
Flags
Keyholders
Stationary
Toys, Games & Models
Games
Radio Control
Outdoor Toys
Characters
Battery & Wind-up
Toy Soldiers
Beanies
Classic Toys
Electronic
Ride on Toys
Board Games
Robots & Monsters
Slot Cars
Diecast
Dolls & Bears
Stuffed Animals
Action Figures
Wholesale Toys
Trading Cards
Miscellaneous
Building Toys & Blocks
Model Trains
Model Kits
Airsoft
Trading Card Games
Health & Fitness
Weight Loss
Sexual Health
Exercise Eqpt
Dental Care
Misc
Skin Care
Age Related
Cosmetics
Fitness
Nutrition
Services
Hair Loss
Relaxation & Therapy
Beauty Products
Vitamins & Minerals
Tanning
Employment
Other
Training
Creative
Operations
Employment Resources
Education
Administrative
Consulting
Marketing
Health Care
Secretaries & Typists
Human Resources
Sales
Service
General Management
Information Systems
Clothing & Footwear
Womens Clothing
Costumes & Fancy Dress
Hats & Headwear
Wedding Items
Shoes & Footwear
Womens Footwear
Girls Footwear
Mens Footwear
Toddler Footwear
Unisex Footwear
Baby Footwear
Boys Footwear
Unisex Clothing
Infants & Toddlers
Boys
Womens Accessories
Kids
Mens Accessories
Mens Clothing
Girls
Wholesale
Announcements
Events
General Messages
Community Events
Fund Raisers
Coupons
Marriages
Shows
Seminars
New Sites
New Businesses
Missing People
Garage & Yard Sales
Business Info
Family Announcements
Clubs
Lost & Found
Sunday, March 21, 2010
011 - USFreeAds Categories (Part 1)
USFreeAds has a very comprehensive list of categories; actually too many to list in this single post. I’ll break the categories into parts and list them in separate posts. As mentioned in the previous post; featured ads list first, followed by premium member ads, gold member ads and finally free ads. The newest ads, within each ad group, are listed first. If, for example, there are 20 featured ads listed in a particular category and you had just listed a premium member ad; your ad would take position 21. When new premium member ads are listed, they bump your ad position down further in the listings. Usually, there are 52 ads listed per page. New premium member ads could, eventually, bump you off the first page. In some categories, featured ads fill the first 2 to 3 pages of listings. The best possible position for your premium member ad could have, in this case, is page 3 or page 4. This is one important reason why gold member listings and free listings get poor visibility.
Your premium member ad will get great visibility in some categories and really poor visibility in others. Optimally, your ad would be visible on the first page for most of its 40-day listing time. Three factors determine how long you can retain your first page position: (1) The number of featured ads, (2) The rate at which new featured ads are listed, and (3) the rate at which new premium member ads are listed. You can track this yourself for categories of interest; however, I will be offering this information across all categories in a weekly email newsletter which will be announced soon.
There are two approaches to creating listings. The first approach is to run ads in categories which are favorable to first page visibility. These ads would not auto-renew. They would eventually expire and new ads posted in their place. The other approach would be to post ads for the long term. A careful selection of keywords, in both the title and ad text, would get them decent visibility in the major search engines. Even through I’ve adopted the first approach; I still do keyword research and hope to get some attention through the search engines.
Categories will be listed to three levels. Ad listing beyond three levels of categories, such as Cars By Make, will generally be favorable for premium member ad visibility. The list below covers the first two major categories – Automotive and Collectibles.
Automotive
Auto Accessories
Automotive Service
Boating
Botaing Accessories
Inflatable
Sail Boat
Cuddy Cabin
High Performance
Outboard Motor
Houseboat
Yacht
Bass
Ski Boat
Cruiser
Others
Boat Services
Jet Boat
Wooden
Powerboat
Personal Watercraft
Fishing
JetSki
Aircraft
RV's & Campers
Travel Trailer
Folding Camper
Truck Camper
Class A RV's
Toy Hauler
Fifth Wheel
Class B RV's
Class C RV's
Park Model
Commercial Vehicles
Farm Vehicles
Off Road Vehicles
Motorcycles
Motorcycle Clothing
Motorcycle Accessories
Yamaha
Choppers & Customs
Indian
Big Dog
Motocross
Scooters & Mopeds
Harley Davidson
Suzuki
Pocket Bikes
Fun Bikes
Boss Hoss
All Others
Honda
Motorchcle Services
Triumph
Husqvarna
Race Bikes
Motorcycle Parts
Kawaski
Trail Bites
Ducati
KTM
Ironhorse
Vans & Trucks
SUV's
Snowmobiles
Cars
Cars by Make
Car Acessories
Antique
Street Machines
Car Services
Classic Cars
Hot Rods
Lowriders
Car Parts
Car Customizing
Racing Cars
Tuned Imports
Car Audio
Car Security
Vintage
Minivans
Quads, Buggies & ATVs
Trailers & Towing
Military Vehicles
Collectibles
Coins & Stamps
Memorabilia
Animals
Lamps
Autographs
Models & Trains
Military
Limited Editions
Weird Stuff
Circus & Carnivals
All Others
Religous
Dolls
Vintage
Cultural
Clocks & Watches
Music Boxes
Coin Operated
Educational
Radio
Decorative
Crystal & Glass
Trading Cards
Antique Pottery & Glass
Magic & Myth
Bears
Writing
Comic Books
Firefighting
Knives
Art
Characters
Disney
Collector Plates
Banks
Ornaments
Souvenirs
Casino
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
010 – An Introduction to USFreeAds
USFreeAds is a popular classified ad site. I like this site because it gives your ad about the same exposure as running an eBay classified ad. Advertising through USFreeAds can be considerably less expensive than eBay when placing multiple ads. A premium membership will, officially, cost you $9.99 USD per month; but I’m actually paying $6.99 USD per month following an upgrade from the gold membership ($10 USD per year). I honestly don’t know if the upgrade deal is still relevant, but you may want to purchase the gold membership first and then follow the upgrade path to premium membership. You’ll definitely need a premium membership in order to acquire decent ad views. Here’s the link to USFreeAds:
Free Memberships –
You can register for a free USFreeAds account, but your account will be extremely limited! Your free account will only allow you to have two text ads running at any given time. The ads list at the bottom of the classified listings. You cannot include HTML code in your ad; nor can you include links to your affiliate products, incorporate an email opt-in form or embed links to affiliate products. You cannot use a free membership to run commercialized ads.
Gold Memberships –
Gold memberships cost $10 USD per year and are similar to the free membership. Your text ads will list above free member ads and you can include a photo, but no thumbnail image. You can include a website link, and apparently incorporate a PayPAL buy button. Unlike the free membership, you can list commercialized ads. With this membership level, you are limited to 25 ad listings. Your ad will list below premium member and featured ads.
Premium Memberships –
Premium memberships cost $9.99 USD per month. As I mentioned above, you may get a slightly reduced monthly rate by first purchasing a gold membership and then upgrading to a premium membership. I cannot guarantee this, however. There are no limits as to the number of classified ads you can place with a premium membership... and this is, in my opinion, the biggest advantage of USFreeAds. You can include HTML code and provide links to your affiliate products. Most importantly, your ad can include a thumbnail image and will list above free and gold membership ads.
Featured Ads –
In addition to your premium membership, you can pay to have your ad featured. The rate available to premium members is around $12.00 USD per month, per ad. Featured ads list above premium member ads and they also rotate through all the local USFreeAds sites, in all states. In some categories, you would need to feature your ad in order to get decent visibility. In other categories, your premium ad listing would suffice. I’ll be discussing USFreeAd categories and ad visibility in future posts.
Check out a membership feature comparison: http://www.usfreeads.com/. Click the “register” link on the right side of the page and view a complete feature list.
Unlike a lot of classified sites, USFreeAds does allow HTML in your ads. I believe HTML ads yield better results for the affiliate marketer.
Until next time...
Saturday, March 13, 2010
009 – EBay Classified Ad Rules
In previous posts in this series, I eluded to the action of eBay users clicking through to the merchant website and purchasing a product. However, eBay doesn’t allow affiliate links in classified ads. In fairness to eBay; I can understand why classified ads have such restrictions. EBay has earned a great reputation for being an auction site. That is its primary function, after all, and they don’t want to risk changing a successful business model. They must guard against classified advertisers bypassing the listing charges associated with “standard” auction and “buy now” formats. Classified ads represent a very small portion of the listings on eBay. There are maybe 20,000 listings a month. Consider that the average cost of a classified ad is maybe somewhere around $11 USD. This would yield a monthly revenue stream of $220000.00 USD a month. This amount is really trivial compared to the overall revenue generated by eBay every month!
The Rules –
Unfortunately, eBay rules are not clearly stated on the website. In fact, there have been stories about eBay support staff not completely understanding the rules. The following rules have been passed-on to me from other Internet marketers and also from information provided in the eBay forums. This is not a list of “official” rules. I suggest that you contact eBay if you have specific questions about what is, and is not, allowed in your classified ad.
EBay states that a classified ad can only be used to gather a list of referrals. You cannot conduct any type of business transaction directly from your classified ad.
Things you cannot do...
- You cannot place text or image links into your classified ad when those links send the eBay user to an external website. This includes any affiliate hop link (a link to the affiliate product page that incorporates your affiliate ID). You can, however, link to products in your eBay store and to your eBay “about” page.
- You cannot incorporate an email opt-in form in your classified ad.
- You cannot include payment buttons within your classified ads. This includes PayPAL “buy-now” buttons.
- You cannot sell or trade, or otherwise fail to keep private, the email addresses that you receive through the classified ad referral form. You must, in fact, abide by the eBay Privacy Policy.
Things that you can do...
- You can embed video into your classified ad. You can, for example, include embed code for a YouTube video. You cannot, however, use the video as a link to an external website.
- You can incorporate a button to allow the user to directly download a free media product, such as a PDF e-book, MP3 audio file, video file, etc. Be sure to provide a direct download link... You are not permitted to send the user to a download page, as that constitutes an external website. I cannot guarantee that eBay won’t complain about the download button; but if they do, you could provide a link to your eBay “about” page and offer the free download from there.
- You can display an email address (to an opt-in email list, for example) or the address of your website. These addresses can be displayed in large bold fonts; however, they cannot be part of a link!
To Comply, or Not To Comply... That is the Question –
EBay classified ads are, in my opinion, a very modest vehicle for affiliate marketers. I believe this would be true even if you could place a hop link directly inside the classified ad. When you take away the hop link; your chances of getting the eBay user to the merchant website, with your affiliate ID intact, drops significantly. In fact, there are probably better places on the Internet where you can more effectively place your classified ad.
I am not advocating breaking any of the eBay rules! So far, eBay has not closely monitored classified advertisers; but that could change! You risk having your ad taken down without a refund of the ad charges. EBay could also ban your account. You have to decide if the advantages of breaking the rules are worth the risk! A large majority of the classified ads currently running on eBay break one or more of the rules. I can’t image that eBay is unaware of this. It’s probably a balancing act… overlooking the external links so to not discourage a large community of classified advertisers. Non-compliant classified ads, realistically, don’t endanger the profitable revenue streams that drive their business. (This is strictly my opinion, and others may disagree!)
Methods to Advertise and Stay Compliant –
Some classified advertisers are offering free downloads of a PDF e-book or report that contains links to their website, affiliate hop links and links to email opt-in forms. The free PDF report could, for example, compare your affiliate product to similar products being offered in “standard” auction and “buy now” formats. The download button can be placed directly inside the classified ad.
When the advertiser is adhering to the rules; it seems that eBay classified ads are better suited to building email lists; but, a large email list is a powerful marketing tool! Keep in mind that classified ads can be used to build email lists, help grow your branding, and drive traffic to your website.
Final Comments –
I’ve been told that new rules are in effect for affiliate marketers. For example, anytime your classified ad or website provides an affiliate hop link; you must state that a commission will be earned when the user clicks through to the merchant website and purchases the product. I include small print at the bottom of my ad stating that I earn affiliate commissions on all sales referred by the ad.
This series of BLOG posts has, by no means, provided a step-by-step guide to writing and placing classified ads. I’ve focused mostly on ad visibility and also challenged some the hype surrounding eBay classified ads. There are a lot of resources on the Internet regarding methods for writing good ad copy. I’ll cover a lot of this information in future posts; but definitely Google for any information that you need to get started now. Also check out some of the related YouTube videos. Just don’t fall pray to all the hype!
I'll follow-up, soon, with some eBay classified ad Q&A posts. Let me know if there are specific questions you would like me to answer.
As always, I would appreciate your feedback!
-Ron
Thursday, March 11, 2010
008 – Steps to Listing eBay Classified Ads
EBay is a machine. It behaves in a particular way and must be understood by anyone trying to use it for profit. To utilize classified ads to advertise your affiliate products; I suggest following these basic steps:
- Select a category
- Find a product to promote
- Create a list of keywords
- Test each keyword
- Create the ad title and subtitle
- Write your classified ad
- Place your ad on eBay
- Add an eye-grabbing picture
- Track the results
- Multiply your efforts
Selecting a category –
Optimally, your classified ad should be visible within the first few pages of the selected category, and also within the first few pages of the keyword search results. In a previous post, 005 – Ebay Classified Ad Visibility, I listed several categories that would provide decent visibility for your classified ad. This data was collected on 03/04/2010 and will only be relevant for a limited time. (I am planning to publish a free newsletter that will contain up-to-date information on eBay classifieds, USFreeAds classifieds and other important classified sites that will be of special interest to affiliate marketers. Stay tuned!)
The best position estimate places your ad on the page calculated by: (N – C + 1)/50, where N=total number of listings in the category (standard and classified), and C=number of classified ads listed in the category. The worst position estimate places your ad on page N/50. I suggest starting out in a category that would have the best ad position calculating to page 1 or 2, and the worst ad position calculating to page 2, 3 or 4. Of course, this may not always be possible; but, do your best...
Find a product to promote –
Try to promote a product that would be a good fit for the category selected in the previous step. Ask yourself the following questions... Are there identical products being offered in standard auction and buy-now formats? If so, it may not be a good product to promote. Are there similar items being offered in standard auction and buy-now formats? If so, you will be contending with strong competition for your product or service. Your ad copy will need to be strong! Are the commission payouts high enough to generate a profit with a 0.50% or 1.0% conversion rate? Keep in mind that your ad visibility could be 50 views per month (perhaps the worst case) to less than 200 views per month.
Create a list of keywords –
List several keywords that users might key-in to search for a similar product or service. Although users frequently search with one-word keywords; it would be difficult to achieve good ad position in the search results. Focus on two- and three-word keywords for good results. List as many keywords as possible. Some of your keywords will be discarded in the next step.
Test each keyword –
When you look at the search results created by each of your keywords, consider the best and worst ad position. Obviously if there are 500 listings returned, your classified ad could fall on page 10. Keep the keywords that give you good ad position and discard the others.
Create the ad title and subtitle –
Put your best keywords into the title space and arrange them so they make the most sense. Look at the titles in other ads to see examples of this. It is not the job of your title to describe your specific product. It represents a list of keywords that users are likely to enter when searching for similar products! You only have 55 characters to work with. If you have any remaining title space; include the word “new” -assuming your product is new- and enclose the title within double-quotes. The subtitle actually serves to describe the specifics of your product or service. It will cost you an additional $1.50 USD.
Write your classified ad copy –
Remember to answer the important question... “Why should an eBay user click your affiliate link and purchase directly from the merchant?” You must have a compelling answer to this question and it needs to be stated fairly early in the ad text. Consider writing something like: “unlike fixed-price auctions and buy-now ad formats, we can offer you the best deal available on any given day...” or “there’s no eBay middle-man, which allows us to pass along additional savings to you...” or “buy directly from the manufacturer and be completely secure with your purchase...” You get the idea!
Place your classified ad on eBay –
There are many options when placing a classified ad on eBay. The basic 30-day listing will cost $10 USD, but include an additional $1.50 USD for the subtitle which I feel is absolutely necessary! You could also have the ad title listed with bold characters, but that would cost you an additional $4.00 USD. I suggest keeping it simple and low cost until you begin making some profits. Consider taking 40-50% of your profit and reinvesting into additional listings and experimenting with various listing options. It’s important to not give up... Rarely do affiliate marketers succeed in the beginning!
Add an eye-grabbing picture –
A standard 30-day classified ad allows you one free image. I suggest uploading an eye-grabbing photo that will get the attention of eBay users when they browse-through the listings! Frankly, the merchant supplied images usually don’t cut it! I would check out iStockPhoto.com and purchase a standard licensed image for just over $1 USD. Be careful to not misrepresent the product, however! The photo should possess warm bright colors. (The image in the heading of this BLOG was licensed through iStockPhoto and would display well in eBay listings.)
Track the results –
Anytime you list an ad on a classified site; keep track of the number of page views, click-through rates to the merchant site and the number of conversions. You’ll be able to test the effectiveness of an advertising site, for a given product, and focus your advertising expenses on the places that convert best! In time, you’ll also be able to test ad variants and hone your ad copy skills.
Multiply your efforts –
It is very unlikely that any single classified ad will allow you to quit your day job. However, once you raise your confidence and can consistently make money in your affiliate marketing efforts; I suggest that you reinvest some of the profits to purchase additional ad space. In time, you’ll have several classified ads running each month –not just on eBay- and bringing-in a nice income. Folks do make money with affiliate marketing; otherwise, why are so many people doing it? Always work to hone your skills in writing ad copy and selecting the best categories and best products to advertise.
You’ll want to read the next, final, post in this series. I’ll talk about eBay classified ad rules and also discuss some legal matters regarding your ad content.
Until later... :)
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
007 – The Propensities of a Typical EBay’er
I won my first eBay auction back in September 1999. I’ve been an active eBay buyer ever since that time. I love eBay! It’s the place I go for the usual and the unusual! I believe my shopping patterns aren’t too different than any other eBay user, and this behavior is probably not favorable to classified advertisers.
Anyone experienced in affiliate marketing would probably agree that a 1% conversion rate is not unusual, and it could be half that. Therefore, you might expect one sale for every 100 to 200 visitors who click-through to the merchant web site from your classified ad. Classified ads generally run for 30 days with an option to auto-renew.
I browsed several classified ads, in multiple categories. I paid special attention to those ads that were due to expire within 24 hours. Many included page counters at the bottom of the ad, and a good number of these page counters displayed 50 to less than 100 views. It seems reasonable to assume that these page views occurred over a period of 30 days. A few of the classified ads had been viewed more than 200 times, but that was much less common. A few classified ads had page views of 800, 2000 and even 4000. With further inspection, however, it appeared that these ads had been auto-renewing for quite some time! If you look just under the page DESCRIPTION tab, you’ll see dates for ad revisions. Some of these ads had revisions that dated back to December 2009. Classified ads having 4000+ pages views are often included in the marketing hype. I personally don’t believe any of these ads received anywhere near that number of page views in only 30 days! I invite you to investigate this yourself.
I am not surprised that page views are typically under 100 for a 30 day period given the placement of classified ads in eBay’s “best match” sorting. With these numbers, you would probably have to place your ad for a 2 – 4 month period before you see a single sale. Minimally, a classified ad will cost you $10 USD per month, so the advertising cost could be anywhere from $20 USD to $40 USD for each sale. Now, ask yourself – what is my affiliate commission for that product? Will one sale cover the cost of advertising? Can I make a profit? If you’re getting better conversions than this, I would love to hear from you! I believe you can improve your ad visibility, and therefore the number of page views, by carefully selecting affiliate products and then placing the ad intelligently into the optimal category. I’ll cover this process in more detail in the next post.
If you’re an active eBay buyer, I'll also ask you this question... When you perform a search that returns several hundred results; how many pages of listings do you browse through, typically? Usually, I don't browse past the 2nd page of listings, but occasionally I'll venture into the 3rd page. If I’m bored and just browsing a category of interest, I might browse through 6 or 8 pages of listings. Generally though, I’m looking for something very specific and perform a keyword search for the item. I locate a few listings that meet my criteria and they're almost always found within the first two or three pages. I then add those items to my watch list and then eventually make a final decision. Often, classified ads won’t even make it into the first few pages of the search results and, therefore, are overlooked.
It is true that eBay’ers have the propensity to buying. In fact, they want to do it quickly, with as few clicks as possible and often with the convenience of instant pay with PayPAL. When someone encounters your classified ad, they would need to leave the eBay web site and then make a purchase directly from the merchant (with your affiliate code, of course). Here’s another questions for you... Why would an eBay user do that? Why would they ignore similar (or even identical) items listed in standard auction and “buy-now” formats? Your ad will have to answer that question for the buyer. If you don’t offer a compelling reason; he or she will likely browse right past your listing! This was probably my biggest mistake!
I realize that I’m painting a fairly dismal picture of eBay classified ads; but I want you to be in the right frame of mind and understand the elements that determine your success. I also don’t want you to go into any type of affiliate marketing campaign with unrealistic expectations. With all the marketing hype out there; it’s easy to have unrealistic expectations – believe me! :) Keep in mind that this is all my opinion. Your mileage may vary!
I’ll try to summarize all this information in the next post, and then wrap up the topic with my comments on eBay’s rules in a final post. I would love to get your feedback!
Until then...
Monday, March 8, 2010
006 – Ebay Classified Ads In Search Results
In the previous post, I discussed the visibility your classified ad might have when a user browses the listings in a particular category. Your classified ad needs to be listed in the category where eBay users would expect to find such items and services. Also, if there are a large number of “standard” listings displayed ahead of your classified ad, eBay users may never browse far enough into the listings to find it!
The same problem exists when a large number of “standard” listings are returned in search results. It’s quite possible that an eBay user will not browse past the 2nd or 3rd page of the listings; so ideally, your classified ad will display on the 1st or 2nd page of the search results. Beyond that, your listing will not enjoy the visibility it deserves.
The title of your classified ad holds the keys to the kingdom! Search results, by default, are based on the keywords contained in the ad title. Titles can contain a maximum of 55 characters; so, don’t waste a single character! When I create a title; I list as many keywords as possible and then try to order them so they make the most sense. I also pay the small additional fee for a subtitle. The subtitle can be used to describe important features of your product and not take up space in the valuable real estate of your title.
If for example, I listed a classified ad advertising a digital postal scale. I would first write down a list of keywords that users might include in their search queries. Then, I would stuff these keywords into the 55 character title, and finally use the subtitle to highlight important features of the product:
Keywords:
Digital Scale
USB Postage Scale
Postage Scale
Shipping Scale
Postal Scale
Mailing Scale
Load these keywords into the title, and arrange
them in a sensible fashion:
USB Digital Postage Shipping Mailing Postal Scale
[49 characters]
If there is space to include the word “new”; then,
add it:
New USB Digital Postage Shipping Mailing Postal Scale
[53 characters]
Finally, if there is space; place the title between
double quotes:
“New USB Digital Postage Shipping Mailing Postal Scale”
[55 characters]
Use the subtitle for item specific information:
Gray DigiWeigh Precise .2oz 52 LB Scale with AC Adaptor
[55 Characters]
Before listing your new classified ad; perform a search with each of your keywords. Try to estimate the best- and worst-case positioning of your ad. The best position would be the first ad position within the classified ad group, and the worst position would be the last ad position within the classified ad group. Ideally, the best ad position would occupy the first or second page of the search results, and the worst ad position would occupy page two or page three of the search results.
One of the best sources of keywords is in the titles of competing ads. Pay attention to how other marketers construct their titles. There are also some research tools that might be of use in eBay Labs, such as the BayEstimator and eBaySaurus. I may cover these in future posts. You can also subscribe to TeraPeak to access about 2 years of historic eBay data.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
005 – EBay Classified Ad Visibility
When an eBay user browses an item category containing a combination of standard listings and classified ads; there is a strong likelihood that all of the standard listings will display before any of the classified ads. (I demonstrated this for a few subcategories in the previous post.) From the standpoint of browsing... If a category contains 100’s or even 1000’s of listings; then, the user may need to read through a great number of pages before he or she encounters the first classified ad. In the “best match” sorting of items, which is the default for eBay; standard ads are grouped together and then arranged so those nearing expiration list first. Likewise, classified ads are also grouped together and arranged so those nearing expiration are listed first. The entire standard ad group would generally display at the top of the listings, and then the classified ad group would follow. If your ad position is beyond the 3rd or 4th page of the listings; then, your classified ad may not get the visibility it deserves.
Before an eBay user chooses a category (or subcategory) to browse; he or she considers which category is most likely to contain the product of interest. If the product was perfume, for example; she would likely browse the Health & Beauty – Fragrances subcategory. If you were an affiliate for a fragrance company; you would not be permitted to place your classified ad inside the Health & Beauty category. You might be tempted to place your classified ad in a different category, such as the Advice & Instruction category where classified ads are allowed; but, you have to ask yourself – would anyone browse that category looking for perfume? Probably not! A lot of affiliate advertisers know this and still post to less desirable categories with the hope that their classified ads will at least gain visibility in the search results.
I’ll be discussing the topic of selecting keywords in the next post; but consider this... I personally believe that a large set of search results will, on average, contain the same ratio of standard listings to classified ad listings as is contained in the primary product category. Remember... Your classified ad will likely take a back seat to standard listings, and classified ads expiring before yours will usually display first. Always perform searches with each of your keywords to determine how they will fair in the search results before placing your classified ad. This is especially important if there are a lot of competing “standard” listings in the main product category.
I clicked through each and every category and subcategory that contains classified ad listings. I determined the total number listings in each of these categories and also the proportion of classified ads listed within that same category. Assuming that an eBay user is browsing the category where your classified ad is listed, and also assuming that he or she will probably not browse much beyond the 3rd for 4th page; I attempted to rate the visibility of your classified ad. Due to poor ad position, I discarded all categories and subcategories that had a large number of “standard” listing. Here are the rating criteria:
Great – The category contains 20 or more items, but less than 50 items. Your classified ad will always appear on the first page of the listings. The fact that the category contains more than 20 listings indicates that the category may be of more interest to eBay’ers. (I know... I’m making a lot of assumptions here. But you have to establish some baseline conditions, and then make adjustments, as necessary...)
Good – The category contains less than 20 items and may not generate a lot of interest; or it contains more than 50 items but less than or equal to 100 items. Your classified ad will always display on the first or second page of the listings.
Fair – The user is browsing the catch-all category “Other”; or the listings span 3 or 4 pages.
Poor – The listings span more than 4 pages. Your classified ad may not get a lot of visibility when the eBay user browses that category.
DATA COLLECTED 03/04/2010
CATEGORIES A B C D
===================================================
Everything Else
Information Products
How-To Guides 475 234 49% Poor
Wholesale Lists 73 50 68% Good
Funeral & Cemetery
Caskets 65 21 32% Good
Mortuary Supplies 79 0 0% Good
Specialty Services
Restoration & Repair
Cars & Other Vehicles 278 104 37% Fair
Musical Instruments 7 6 86% Good
Advice & Instruction
Diet & Fitness 34 19 56% Great
Business & Computer 76 10 13% Good
Web & Computer Services
Other 48 12 25% Fair
Web Hosting 98 2 2% Poor
Artistic Services
Custom Crafts 90 10 11% Good
Other 57 5 9% Fair
Photography 80 2 3% Good
Interior Design 11 1 9% Good
Home Improvement Services
Other 31 13 42% Fair
Kitchen 3 1 33% Good
Landscaping 6 3 50% Good
Flooring 3 1 33% Good
Roofing & Siding 2 1 50% Good
eBay Auction Services
Shopping Assistance 24 12 50% Great
Packing & Shipping 18 3 17% Good
Appraisal & Authen 4 2 50% Good
Other 14 1 7% Fair
Custom Clothing & Jewelry
Jewelry 97 5 5% Good
Costumes 21 3 14% Great
Printing & Personalization
Holiday Cards 51 0 0% Good
Business & Industrial
Business & Websies for Sale
Patents & Trademarks 80 13 16% Good
Vending & Coin-op 45 7 16% Great
Manufacturing 50 13 26% Great
Wholesale Trade & Distr 59 10 17% Good
---------------------------------------------------
A = Total number of listings
B = Number of classified ad listings
C = Percentage of classified ad listings
D = Classified Ad visibility
Saturday, March 6, 2010
004 - EBay Classified Ad Positions
Users find listings in eBay by browsing item categories and performing searches. Just this evening, I browsed and performed searches in some of the categories where eBay allows classified ad listings. Although the results may not be repeatable in 100% of the cases; they do seem to demonstrate a trend that should be of interest to anyone paying for classified ad spots on eBay.
My first example is from the Everything Else – eBay User Tools category:
Everything Else
eBay User Tools
4539 Listings including 9 Classified Ads
91 pages sorted “Best Match”
All 9 classified ads were listed on page 91! Ok... Perhaps classified ads would fare better when returned by keyword searches. For the same category, I searched with the keyword “software”:
Everything Else
eBay User Tools
Search: software
74 Listings including 2 Classified Ads
2 pages sorted “Best Match”
The two classified ads listed on the last page, and in the last two ad slots!
Here's another example:
Specialty Services
Restoration & Repair
Cars & Other Vehicles
275 Listings including 103 Classified Ads
All classified ads listed on the last 4 pages of that category. I then searched the category with the keyword “ford”:
Restoration & Repair
Cars & Other Vehicles
Search: ford
10 Listings including 4 Classified Ads
The classified ads occupied that last 4 ad slots of the search results!
Here is one last example:
Business & Industrial
Business & Websites for Sale
1788 Listings including 93 Classified Ads
All classified ads listed on the last two pages of that category! I then searched the category with the keyword: “Make Money”:
Business & Industrial
Business & Websites for Sale
Search: Make Money
262 Listings including 11 Classified Ads
The 11 classified ads listed on the last page of the search results (page 36)!
As you can see, advertisers placing classified ads are at a disadvantage by how their listings are displayed in the eBay "best match" search results. This trend seems to be more prevalent when the search results return multiple pages. For whatever reason, classified ads fare a little better (but not by much) in the Everything Else – Information Products category.
Although there are several categories where you can place classified ads, you may not fare well in every one of them given the number of standard ads that you're competing against. In the next post, I’ll show you a method for identifying categories and subcategories where your classified ads might fare better.
Until then... :)
Friday, March 5, 2010
003 - EBay Classified Ad Categories
As I mentioned in the previous post; eBay only allows classified ads to be placed in select categories. These categories can be listed through the eBay "Advanced Search" feature. Here is a recent list of eBay classified ad categories and their associated subcategories:
Everything Else
Information Products
Other
How-To-Guides
Wholesale Lists
Advertising Opportunities
Funeral & Cemetery
Cemetery Plots
Caskets
Cremation Urns
Mortuary Supplies
Other
Memberships
eBay User Tools
Rewards Pts, Incentive Progs
Other
Specialty Services
Other Services
Restoration & Repair
Cars & Other Vehicles
Electronics
Computer
Other
Musical Instruments
Cameras & Photo
Advice & Instruction
Other
Diet & Fitness
Lessons & Tutoring
Business & Computer
Web & Computer Services
Internet Promotion
Other
Technical Support
Web Design
Web Hosting
Artistic Services
Painting & Drawing
Custom Crafts
Other
Photography
Interior Design
Home Improvement Services
Other
Kitchen
Landscaping
Flooring
Roofing & Siding
eBay Auction Services
Shopping Assistance
Packing & Shipping
eBay Store Design
Appraisal & Authentication
Other
Media Editing & Duplication
Photo & Video
Music
Custom Clothing & Jewelry
Jewelry
Costumes
Other
Shirts
Printing & Personalization
Other
Invitations & Announcements
Business Cards
Signs
Holiday Cards
Graphic & Logo Design
Travel
Lodging
Cruises
Vacation Packages
Other
Campground & RV Parks
Luggage
Airline
Travel Accessories
Other
Business & Industrial
Business & Websites for Sale
Home-Based Businesses
Internet Businesses & Websites
Service Businesses
Retail & General Stores
Other
Patents & Trademarks
Vending & Coin-op
Advertising Inventory
Manufacturing
Wholesale Trade & Distribution
Marketing
Construction
Buildings, Modular & Pre-fab
Office
Trade Show Displays
These categories and subcategories contain at least one classified ad. It is important to note that these categories also contain auction items and "buy now" items. The total number of listings contained within a particular category, together with the proportion of classified ads, determines -to a large degree- how visible your classified ad will be in the search results. I'll discuss this more in the next post.
You can always access a recent list of eBay classified ad categories at: http://www.virtual-sysop.com/bootstrapping/ebay-categories.txt.
Until next time! :)
Thursday, March 4, 2010
002 - Can I Affiliate Market On EBay?
Just about everything that I’ve read on the subject of generating easy cash online indicated that affiliate marketing is the way to go. First of all... In my humble opinion, pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is not a good way to get your affiliate products in front of potential customers. Once upon a time, you could find very high quality keywords for 5 to 10 cents per click. Now, you’ll pay 1 to 5 dollars (USD) per click for those same keywords. True... there may still be a few uncovered micro niche markets with low cost keywords; but, believe me when I say... you’ll probably just throw your money away! Secondly, making money with affiliate marketing is anything but easy! Well... unless you already have a web site or BLOG with 1000’s of targeted visitors each day!
Regardless of what has been written about putting classified ads on Craigslist; it’s just not worth it! Craigslist was designed for classified ads of “local” interest. The site has been abused by SPAMMERS to the point that Craigslist has made it difficult for people to place legitimate posts. There’s also an ethical issue here. Craigslist is a great public service and we should respect the intent of its creator! In general, I am not in favor of SPAMMING and BLACK HAT techniques for making money!
I’m currently posting classified ads on USFreeAds.com and eBay Classifieds. I’ll talk more about USFreeAds in later posts; but first, I want to focus on eBay Classified Ads. There’s a lot of hype out there regarding eBay. Some of the hype is justified, but at the same time, if you just jump into placing classified ads without understanding how eBay displays them in the search result; you can easily throw your money away - and I've done that!
eBay limits the item categories where you can place classified ads. This places affiliate advertisers at a disadvantage. Also, eBay seems to sort classified ads to the bottom of the search results. This is another big disadvantage to affiliate advertisers. Selecting high quality keywords and placing ads into the correct categories is really critical here. I have some ideas about how to do this, which I’ll share over the next few posts; but I welcome the comments of others who are having success affiliate marketing through eBay! Experience is, after all, the best teacher!
In the next post, I’ll list all of the categories where affiliate advertisers can place their classified ads. I’ll also provide a link to download a text file containing this list.
Until next time!
-Ron
001 -The Internet Marketing Hype: My Story
I became interested in making money on the Internet back in mid 2007, when Google Adwords seemed to be the Holy Grail for getting rich on the Internet. My first related purchase was, in fact, an e-book on that topic. I followed the steps as carefully as possible and ended up donating a large sum of money to the Google cause. Later, I tried to purchase PLR e-books, fix them up, and then sell them online. I even created my own Web site, with my own domain name. Hmm... I thought “If I build it... they will come”! So... I built it, and........ they NEVER CAME! Oh... I guess you’re supposed to do this thing called SEO to get traffic to your web site. Just a few years ago, it was thought that good content is all it takes to get traffic to your web site... NOPE!!! I’ve joined subscription websites, purchased courses, etc, etc, etc... NOTHING!!! Not a dime!!!
I’ve learned a lot over the years and am probably better poised to actually do something profitable; but, I’ve spent so much money and now I’m feeling guilty about spending the additional money needed to go down those roads (and maybe not find anything profitable in the end). This became more an issue when I lost my job back in July! So... I have a new philosophy... Put all of my efforts into making just a little cash online, but do it in a fairly short period of time... and spend as little money as possible to that end! I’m not looking at getting rich or creating a big wealth-building business this way. Hopefully though, this “bootstrapping” effort will just bring me a little closer to that larger goal!
I’ll share some of my ideas in this BLOG and inject some of the lessons that I’ve already learned along the way! I hope it will be of benefit to those who are also dreaming of building wealth online. I would love to hear from people who were in my position and figured out how to bootstrap some quick cash online. I welcome your comments, emails, etc... I’ll be happy to share your thoughts with the rest of the readers!
One final note: Everything I write is of my opinion only! I am not providing professional advice of any kind. I always suggest that you independently verify any facts presented here before taking action! In order to follow this BLOG, you must agree to not hold me responsible for any loss or damages that may be caused to you through the use of information posted here. I'll try to provide valuable and accurate information, and I hope it will be of real value to the readers!
That’s all for now... :)
-Ron
