In an effort to give an honest review, I'm going to list a few highlights and a few low-lights for the "" taught by Pam Mosbrucker and Tobin Alder. It's new and just came online a few weeks ago, but I've been watching them for a while and have seen the progress and enhancements put into the new website. for visit to:-www.impacts-audio.com I've also been watching the second edition book (also called "Cyber Gold") that will be used as a textbook for the course. It's been doing very well on Amazon and just the other day I saw it at my own local bookstore--which basically means to me that these guys are legit and are, at the very least, real people.
So, let me give you a few highlights.
1. The syllabus. The syllabus is broken down into seven modules. Well, actually there are six modules and an Advanced Training module that encompasses the stuff you need once your site is published, like search engine optimization, search engine marketing (known as article marketing), and online reputation management. Each module is as step by step as things get, complete with a checklist and reading assignments.
2. The videos. While everything seems to be covered well enough with diagrams and pictures, they also have some of the major tasks on video. I like this approach because either Pam or Tobin walks through the process, step by step, on the video and I can see exactly where they click their mouse or which button needs to be pressed to continue. Sometimes gurus rush through steps because they think that everyone knows the basics online. While I'm not a newbie, I still appreciate a little hand holding to get through the big stuff.
3. The instructors. I can't say that I've ever met instructors like Pam Mosbrucker and Tobin Alder. They came to my sister's hometown, Raleigh, North Carolina, in 2007 and did a talk at the local library. more visit to:-www.handy-color-schemer.com They sold copies of their books and spoke about building a website. But, what impressed me the most was that they stayed an extra three hours letting us ask questions. They were honestly interested in what we had to say and answered everything we needed. Since then, I've seen their course come online and I've emailed them a few times with questions. At every step, they've been there for me, and I hadn't even signed up for their course! I've known them for more than a year now and decided to finally sign up for their course (they offer a three-pay option so it was affordable for me). Still, now that I'm an official student, they are there at every step for me. Sometimes at midnight! I sent an email last week at about 11pm and received a reply by midnight! We corresponded for about an hour and they helped me with my issues.
Okay, now a few of the low-lights.
1. The site is still new. Obviously, growth is planned because they are adding new extras and cool stuff almost daily. Being a new social community though, doesn't mean that Pam and Tobin haven't been around for a while. Their first book was published more than a year ago (and taught in the live course at Idaho State University) and the second edition was published early this year (and is the textbook for this course). So, while the online course is new, their teachings have been around for more than a year.
2. They never mention how much they've made online. There are comments that while they haven't made a million yet, they are doing well. We're used to the gurus scanning in their financial documents as proof, so this can seem a bit evasive. But, in thinking on this point, I find the Cyber Gold approach refreshing. Those "typical" guru financials can be easily faked and I've always felt a bit weird about them.
I like that Pam and Tobin are real people, who I can really email (or even call) and they are there to talk with me. I like that their book is real, that it was published legitimately and can be found in bookstores (unlike most gurus who only have ebooks), and I like that I can ask them questions, whenever about whatever and they are there for me. Now, these may not be qualities that you require when you take a class online, but they are very important to me. I like to feel that my instructor didn't just take a payment from me and leave me to my business--what I like is interaction. It makes getting through the course a real thing, and not just something I'm going to become overwhelmed by and forget about before the charge even appears in my checkbook.
As an online business owner, you, too, should be offering your own affiliate program. Affiliate marketing is so much less expensive than to take out a banner ad or text ad on other websites or in email newsletters, and the results tend to be better. Imagine that you have a staff of people working for you, and they have agreed to work free of charge until they successfully make a sale. At that point, they are paid when their sales reach a predetermined volume (as outlined in your affiliate agreement) at a certain interval. You've instantly created a fast and almost free sales force with very little money.
Even though you may not have the monetary resources available to Amazon, you can create this sales phenomenon as well for your professional service business.
Here are the steps you need to consider to create your own affiliate program:
1. Find affiliate tracking software. Trying to manually track all of the sales of your affiliates is simply too labor-intensive. Instead, you need to find a software program that will help you manage your affiliate program. I recommend the one bundled with my shopping cart, GetMoreClientsCart, which assigns each affiliate a unique affiliate ID that they can use in their websites to make referrals back to your website, where the actual sale occurs. Each affiliate is also assigned a unique log-in and password so that they can log into their affiliate account at any time and check on their sales volume. Best of all, once you've set up your affiliate program, the setup for each affiliate is completely automated.
2. Determine your level of tiers. Typically an affiliate program is limited to no more than 2 tiers. After two, it begins to take on the persona of a pyramid scheme. The first tier is comprised of the affiliates who are directly signed up for your affiliate program, and the second tier are affiliates of your affiliates. For simplicity, I tend to use the 1-tier affiliate structure.
3. Determine your commission structure and rules. Many online business owners spend countless hours wringing their hands over how much to pay in commissions. If you offer too little, no one is interested in promoting your products and services because the payoff isn't large enough to motivate them. If you offer too much, you feel like you're giving money away. I've discovered that first-tier commission amounts typically range from 25%-75%, with most in the 35-50% range. Second-tier commissions seem to range between 10%-30%, with most landing in the 20% range. You'll also need to determine if you'll pay commissions on products that people buy for themselves through their affiliate link. Many people join an affiliate program solely for that reason. However, if that's the only reason they've joined your affiliate program, they probably won't be making additional sales for you.
4. Create your payout schedule. Next you'll need to determine at what intervals you'll pay your affiliates. I've seen some programs pay commissions weekly, but monthly payouts is the most common. Let your affiliates know on what day you determine the month's commission, what their minimum earnings must be to get paid (i.e. at least $50 in earnings, for example), and on what day you send payments.
5. Determine your payment form. For many affiliate programs to which I belong, I receive a check in the mail for my payments. However, more companies are transitioning to PayPal's Mass Pay feature to pay affiliate commissions. PayPal's Mass Pay feature eliminates most of the paperwork involved in check writing, and with the upload of a few files, you can pay your affiliate quickly via their PayPal email addresses. In order to use this service, you have to have a PayPal Premier or Business Account and you need to ask for your affiliate's PayPal email address.
6. Provide marketing assistance. For the greatest success in your affiliate program, you need to provide your affiliates with marketing materials to help them promote yours products and services. Have a graphic designer create a variety of website banners and buttons they can use, and you can compose classified ads that they can place in ezines and sales letters they can use on their site or as an email marketing tool. You'll need to create some reminders about ethical email marketing strategies so that you don't become associated with anyone who is labeled as a spammer. Lastly, give your affiliates access to a group of articles that they can use on their site to promote your programs and services, with directions on how to insert their affiliate link in the resource box.
Creating your own affiliate program is a great way for you to grow your business in a short period of time. You never know--you may be on your way to creating your own Amazon!
Both Richa Sood & Jaiprakash Sharma are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.