Keywords And Stuff
Here are the results of a hypothetical question I put on my blog her at WAU. It ran for a couple of days when I removed it even though it was at Number One in the ratings. It had served its purpose:
An Open Question: Your Thoughts Please!
Let's say that you are an affiliate marketer sending people from your website, from social marketing, from email, article marketing, etc., (and perhaps from PPC) to a site of great design and effectiveness BUT you are not getting sales while other affiliates are. What do you think could be the reason for zero or very few sales when many hundreds of people are clicking in to the sales site?
Note: Some of my readers thought I was trying to get readers to my website rather than the vendor’s site. They all knew I was talking about me. I couldn’t fool anybody even though I’m an expert at being a fool. But what they said was interesting and informative.
Here are some of my possible reasons:
1. The clickers were not properly warmed up enough (perhaps by an article or webpage content) to be receptive to the sales page.
Note: Here I was talking about affiliate links being clicked.
2. The clickers were not warmed up at all. They just clicked on a link.
Note: Here I was saying they may have skipped the article on the web page and just gone directly to the link just to see what was there.
3. The affiliate marketer is on the ends of the probability curve, disproving statistics.
Note: I was referring to the standard bell curve used in statistics. It, in this case, does not apply. I was just thinking about how many out of 100 would buy at a certain probability. The bell curve works for blood pressure and the height of people at maturity.
4. The affiliate marketer is just unlucky.
Note: This is a possibility but since a bad marketing program can be corrected, it doesn’t fly. The marketer was not motivated to correct problems, may apply.
5. The affiliate marketer is a turkey.
Note: That would be me. An old turkey.
This is not an imaginary problem. I've heard it from others and experienced it myself. Have you fought through such a problem? What did you do? What is your advice.
Note: I was actually referring to my success with WA. I have increased the number of folks I’m sending there. I make some sales but I would like to increase them. But the site has changed with the new Open Education Program which I love so I can’t relate the past to the future. I would like to predict what will happen in the future with the new program. I’ll be comparing apples with oranges.
John
Following are the responses I got. They are amazingly good so read on:
Veronica.l
Hello John,
1. Keyword usage
2. Relevancy
3. Action phrases
Relevant content and telling the visitor what you want them to do, if you get these two right you are on the right track.
Veronica
Reply
Note: Veronica is talking about if a person comes to my site, it will be because I have used the right keywords to attract him. She is not talking about the vendors’s site in that regard, but she is talking about me getting a visitor to want to visit the WA site and to click on the link.
TJ Books
Great, Veronica! Nice addition to our discussion. Got any examples of good and bad? John
Telmari
I had this problem back quite a bit when I ran campaigns with PPC - and while I'm no expert, I found it came down to what keywords I was using.
For instance, I was running promotions for World of Warcraft leveling guides. I ended up making a lot of cash at the time, but I also spent a lot on ads so that in the end I only really pocketed a few thousand dollars. As they say, 80% of my sales came from 20% of my keywords - the other 80% were just not sales-oriented enough.
As an example, (from memory), the difference between "Best WoW leveling guide" and "WoW 1-60 Warrior Guide" was huge. People looking for the former keyword weren't even thinking about buying anything (even though they clicked my ad which indicated a price) - but people looking for the warrior guide were familiar enough with the fact that there was limited options available in this area, and were willing to pay for something custom-tailored to them.
Additionally, the difference between singular and plural can be massive. Someone typing in "Fishing Pole" may not be looking to buy, but a search for "Fishing Poles" is very likely doing a little online shopping.
The best keywords (translation: types of visitors, types of traffic, etc) to go for, obviously, are those that have already been 'warmed up', and may in fact actually be DYING to go ahead and buy your product. So, obviously, an article or keyword on the topic of "best price on iPhone 16gb" is going to be a far better choice to match with iPhone sales content or ads than one with a topic of "All about the Apple iPhone 4".
The differences can be SUPER subtle but I've found that targeting the right visitor/customer is EVERYTHING when it comes to this business. Rather than the 80/20 rule, it's even more lopsided as we've seen - 95% of your sales are going to come from 5% of your traffic - if not as low as 99% of your sales coming from 1% of your traffic. Get to know what keywords and content are 'buying/commercial intent' keywords and content, and work those!
On a broader scale, it can help to think about the question: 'How far along in the sales funnel is my visitor'?
Note that this is different than being 'warmed up' - which I think is really just the goal of a good sales page, assuming you're selling something people aren't already aware of and wanting to purchase.
So, generally speaking, I'd consider a 1-4% conversion rate a pretty decent one - and that if you haven't had at least 500-700 clicks on the actual offer (meaning you should probably have had at least 5-15 sales), it's too early to tell for sure.
Otherwise, if you're still trying to figure it out, let's walk backwards up the sales funnel to see where the visitor might be - and why he's not buying your product:
1. Bottom of the Sales Funnel : The visitor has been persuaded - either through your marketing/copywriting, or their own desire - and has purchased the product you're selling. This is that 1-4% of people.
2. Almost There, but hung up on something : They were just about ready to buy, but something is holding them back. Maybe they lost their debit card, maybe they got interrupted, maybe they need one more specific question answered - it's the "I'm ready to buy, but.. ?" phase. They're so close! They might turn into a sale. If you've captured their email, these are the people who will likely click 'buy' if you drop them an email on it in the next few days, especially if there's a compelling offer attached.
3. Close, but not quite ready: They understand and really like what you have going but they still have a few questions about it, or one or two more serious questions or reservations, or maybe aren't quite ready to make a purchase in general but they may come back later. A clear FAQ might be the right trick, as well as some great content dispelling the concerns they might have
4. Kinda in the middle: They're intrigued and sort of understand what's going on, but they're probably checking out other options too - they may not fully understand what you're selling or may not know what their need is or how to meet it. Lots of information and clear copywriting be of help here.
5. Just found out about you but don't know much. These people totally aren't even thinking about buying; they're just curious to see what's out there. It's hard to go wrong with some clear graphics and simple text explaining your product and what it does, what life looks like using it, and some sort of offer connecting them with it on a trial basis or sample form.
6. Absolute newbies: They've never even heard of you and maybe not even heard of the market you're in! "Internet Marketing? What's that???" Blank stare. These are tire kickers and will not be buying no matter what. They're just bored and curious but don't have money to spend. Other than some clever signage or simple text to engage them, it's not worth spending much time on them - those up the chain are much more time-worthy.
So overall, I hope this helps - but if I was in this situation, my first question would be - am I trying to appeal to the wrong crowd? What does the crowd who buys this product, who NEEDS this product, who's in LOVE with this product look like? Where do they hang out? What sites are they on? What content do they consume?
Answer those questions with market research, tailor your content and its delivery appropriately, and I really believe you will start to see some sales.
Reply
Actions
anindochk about 16 hours ago
Relevance in market research does put one in command over sales. And, you have highlighted over the right questions. I have a new website. We are yet to figure out the exact market for it. This information was very useful.. Thanks
TJ Books
Telmari, that is one great tutorial you have written. I hope everybody interested in making a buck in this business reads it. How can I thank you enough? John
Note: This entry by Telmari is going to have me reading it over and over for the next week. Fantastic! The stuff I’m looking for.
TJ Books
Before I came over here this morning and read Telmari's Lesson, I drew a funnel in my notebook. Feeding the funnel to a vendor site were emails which sent a luke warm visitor into the funnel and a website fed by articles, social sites, blogs, and PPC, etc.
I had the emails and the website represented as garden watering cans. If the "water" from the can missed the funnel and splashed on the sidewalk, all was lost. If it hit the rim of the tunnel rather than dead in, then part of the "water" was lost.
The funnel, of course led to the vendor's site. If the vendor's site can not grab the email address and name of the visitor, all is lost in most cases because most folks don't buy on first look, they have to be persuaded so further communication is needed.
If the vendor's site is not professional written by a copywriter who knows the human psych and knows the difference between a benefit and a characteristic, then the site misses the boat. The "gizmo is red," is not much of a selling point. The gismo will reduce your "whatever" cost ten percent, is a selling point because it is a benefit.
Everything has to click in this business. Like Kyle said, we have to test for what works and does hot work and Telmari has given us a great example of that in tutorial here. John
Telmari
Thanks TJ! I have to admit that much of my knowledge in this area does not come naturally - rather it is following Travis & his teachings and classic forum posts on here that have brought me the most success - I remember him guiding me through one of my campaigns where I wasn't successful at all for reasons just like this, and it kind of turned around my thinking to hear him explain these concepts.
You're definitely on the right path here with the thinking of making sure all the details - copywriting, presentation, flow, email capture are lined up in order to really succeed. It's super easy to overlook any or many of these details and be losing that 1-4% who otherwise would be buying from you.
TJ Books
I've learned a lot from Travis. Sorry I don't see him around anymore. John
Note: Travis lost his father a while back. Sad. They were great fishing buddies.
Shawn Martin
Well, I learned a bit from this blog and responses. thanks again guys for so much good stuff.
TJ Books
Stick around, Shawn. Ii is just getting hot.
TJ Books
Here is a note that Kyle sent me:
“I think that was a great post, it is easy people to get discouraged I even get discouraged at times and I think there is a level of "healthy" negativity in any business venture. It leads to growth and problem solving.”
Kyle
The audience is not engaged and they are not coming to the page through relevance.
The page is not of great design or effectiveness or it would be converting. I would say that things are looking good and this is a very good problem to have. If you are getting traffic, you can refine a campaign much easier.
You can improve your visitor engagement.
You can improve your landing page relevance.
You can improve your landing page offer.
Once you have data, you need to start testing and refining. Every change should be done alone and you should measure your results and then make changes and refinements accordingly. I am not sure if you have a specific campaign or page that you are referring to here John, but if you would like we could definitely give you a hand with this or you could open up the feedback to the community here at WA and get a much more diverse set of responses (which can be great as well!).
Reply
TJ Books
Great, Kyle! That is what I'm looking for and some have indicated some of these things. Fantastic advice! I like the part about having traffic and tweaking to get things moving. John
Note: You see here that those I sent to WA or any site must be properly prepared, as Veronica said, before they get there.
TJ Books to Kyle
I went to Chat first but there was not much going on so I deleted my entry and sent the blog. I'll remove the blog and summarize in in a tutorial. I think I will leave it until tomorrow at least. I hope to get some of the marketers out of the woodwork. I'm surprised how wise some beginners are. You know they will succeed. J
TJ Books
Usually, it is a good idea to purchase the product you are pitching. J
TJ Books about 20 hours ago
For those of us using article marketing, an article relevant and useful information is very important. A pic should always be added. Your web page should have more relevant content and useful information, from then on, it's up to the vendors sales page to do the job. So, from the start, study your vendor and make sure that the sales page appeals to you. Also make sure that most of the sales are coming from other affiliates. Just another comment as I'm reading the comment that are coming in. John
Reply
Actions
TJ Books about 20 hours ago
One thing for those pushing WA, the tutorials telling where the markets are are very important.
Reply
Actions
TJ Books
One thing about WA is that they have changed from a sales page to an invite into our world. That means the response to the second is being evaluated. So, I do hope that Kyle and Carson will come in when they've had enough of this and put all in perspective. The warm up content on our web pages is now different from what it was. So if a sales site changes, you need to know about it. Ours is a dynamic world that only you young guys can keep up with. We old guys have to keep narrow interest. John
ThomasPaul
I would question your definition of "effective" if the visitors on your site aren't taking the action that you want them to then how effective is your site?
I agree with Sielke on this one. You might have your target market slightly off. Maybe you are targeting keywords thinking that the visitors are looking for one thing, but in reality they're looking for another thing.
TJ Books
Great, Paul! And you can't just depend on the final sales site if you have not send the right candidate. Thank you!
There were others too. But you have the idea now that you really do have to know who you are talking to, what his needs and desires are, and what it takes to motivated him to take one more step forward.
I thank all of you who participated. If you feel left out, just add your two bits here. This is a continuing process.
John
Here are the results of a hypothetical question I put on my blog her at WAU. It ran for a couple of days when I removed it even though it was at Number One in the ratings. It had served its purpose:
An Open Question: Your Thoughts Please!
Let's say that you are an affiliate marketer sending people from your website, from social marketing, from email, article marketing, etc., (and perhaps from PPC) to a site of great design and effectiveness BUT you are not getting sales while other affiliates are. What do you think could be the reason for zero or very few sales when many hundreds of people are clicking in to the sales site?
Note: Some of my readers thought I was trying to get readers to my website rather than the vendor’s site. They all knew I was talking about me. I couldn’t fool anybody even though I’m an expert at being a fool. But what they said was interesting and informative.
Here are some of my possible reasons:
1. The clickers were not properly warmed up enough (perhaps by an article or webpage content) to be receptive to the sales page.
Note: Here I was talking about affiliate links being clicked.
2. The clickers were not warmed up at all. They just clicked on a link.
Note: Here I was saying they may have skipped the article on the web page and just gone directly to the link just to see what was there.
3. The affiliate marketer is on the ends of the probability curve, disproving statistics.
Note: I was referring to the standard bell curve used in statistics. It, in this case, does not apply. I was just thinking about how many out of 100 would buy at a certain probability. The bell curve works for blood pressure and the height of people at maturity.
4. The affiliate marketer is just unlucky.
Note: This is a possibility but since a bad marketing program can be corrected, it doesn’t fly. The marketer was not motivated to correct problems, may apply.
5. The affiliate marketer is a turkey.
Note: That would be me. An old turkey.
This is not an imaginary problem. I've heard it from others and experienced it myself. Have you fought through such a problem? What did you do? What is your advice.
Note: I was actually referring to my success with WA. I have increased the number of folks I’m sending there. I make some sales but I would like to increase them. But the site has changed with the new Open Education Program which I love so I can’t relate the past to the future. I would like to predict what will happen in the future with the new program. I’ll be comparing apples with oranges.
John
Following are the responses I got. They are amazingly good so read on:
Veronica.l
Hello John,
1. Keyword usage
2. Relevancy
3. Action phrases
Relevant content and telling the visitor what you want them to do, if you get these two right you are on the right track.
Veronica
Reply
Note: Veronica is talking about if a person comes to my site, it will be because I have used the right keywords to attract him. She is not talking about the vendors’s site in that regard, but she is talking about me getting a visitor to want to visit the WA site and to click on the link.
TJ Books
Great, Veronica! Nice addition to our discussion. Got any examples of good and bad? John
Telmari
I had this problem back quite a bit when I ran campaigns with PPC - and while I'm no expert, I found it came down to what keywords I was using.
For instance, I was running promotions for World of Warcraft leveling guides. I ended up making a lot of cash at the time, but I also spent a lot on ads so that in the end I only really pocketed a few thousand dollars. As they say, 80% of my sales came from 20% of my keywords - the other 80% were just not sales-oriented enough.
As an example, (from memory), the difference between "Best WoW leveling guide" and "WoW 1-60 Warrior Guide" was huge. People looking for the former keyword weren't even thinking about buying anything (even though they clicked my ad which indicated a price) - but people looking for the warrior guide were familiar enough with the fact that there was limited options available in this area, and were willing to pay for something custom-tailored to them.
Additionally, the difference between singular and plural can be massive. Someone typing in "Fishing Pole" may not be looking to buy, but a search for "Fishing Poles" is very likely doing a little online shopping.
The best keywords (translation: types of visitors, types of traffic, etc) to go for, obviously, are those that have already been 'warmed up', and may in fact actually be DYING to go ahead and buy your product. So, obviously, an article or keyword on the topic of "best price on iPhone 16gb" is going to be a far better choice to match with iPhone sales content or ads than one with a topic of "All about the Apple iPhone 4".
The differences can be SUPER subtle but I've found that targeting the right visitor/customer is EVERYTHING when it comes to this business. Rather than the 80/20 rule, it's even more lopsided as we've seen - 95% of your sales are going to come from 5% of your traffic - if not as low as 99% of your sales coming from 1% of your traffic. Get to know what keywords and content are 'buying/commercial intent' keywords and content, and work those!
On a broader scale, it can help to think about the question: 'How far along in the sales funnel is my visitor'?
Note that this is different than being 'warmed up' - which I think is really just the goal of a good sales page, assuming you're selling something people aren't already aware of and wanting to purchase.
So, generally speaking, I'd consider a 1-4% conversion rate a pretty decent one - and that if you haven't had at least 500-700 clicks on the actual offer (meaning you should probably have had at least 5-15 sales), it's too early to tell for sure.
Otherwise, if you're still trying to figure it out, let's walk backwards up the sales funnel to see where the visitor might be - and why he's not buying your product:
1. Bottom of the Sales Funnel : The visitor has been persuaded - either through your marketing/copywriting, or their own desire - and has purchased the product you're selling. This is that 1-4% of people.
2. Almost There, but hung up on something : They were just about ready to buy, but something is holding them back. Maybe they lost their debit card, maybe they got interrupted, maybe they need one more specific question answered - it's the "I'm ready to buy, but.. ?" phase. They're so close! They might turn into a sale. If you've captured their email, these are the people who will likely click 'buy' if you drop them an email on it in the next few days, especially if there's a compelling offer attached.
3. Close, but not quite ready: They understand and really like what you have going but they still have a few questions about it, or one or two more serious questions or reservations, or maybe aren't quite ready to make a purchase in general but they may come back later. A clear FAQ might be the right trick, as well as some great content dispelling the concerns they might have
4. Kinda in the middle: They're intrigued and sort of understand what's going on, but they're probably checking out other options too - they may not fully understand what you're selling or may not know what their need is or how to meet it. Lots of information and clear copywriting be of help here.
5. Just found out about you but don't know much. These people totally aren't even thinking about buying; they're just curious to see what's out there. It's hard to go wrong with some clear graphics and simple text explaining your product and what it does, what life looks like using it, and some sort of offer connecting them with it on a trial basis or sample form.
6. Absolute newbies: They've never even heard of you and maybe not even heard of the market you're in! "Internet Marketing? What's that???" Blank stare. These are tire kickers and will not be buying no matter what. They're just bored and curious but don't have money to spend. Other than some clever signage or simple text to engage them, it's not worth spending much time on them - those up the chain are much more time-worthy.
So overall, I hope this helps - but if I was in this situation, my first question would be - am I trying to appeal to the wrong crowd? What does the crowd who buys this product, who NEEDS this product, who's in LOVE with this product look like? Where do they hang out? What sites are they on? What content do they consume?
Answer those questions with market research, tailor your content and its delivery appropriately, and I really believe you will start to see some sales.
Reply
Actions
anindochk about 16 hours ago
Relevance in market research does put one in command over sales. And, you have highlighted over the right questions. I have a new website. We are yet to figure out the exact market for it. This information was very useful.. Thanks
TJ Books
Telmari, that is one great tutorial you have written. I hope everybody interested in making a buck in this business reads it. How can I thank you enough? John
Note: This entry by Telmari is going to have me reading it over and over for the next week. Fantastic! The stuff I’m looking for.
TJ Books
Before I came over here this morning and read Telmari's Lesson, I drew a funnel in my notebook. Feeding the funnel to a vendor site were emails which sent a luke warm visitor into the funnel and a website fed by articles, social sites, blogs, and PPC, etc.
I had the emails and the website represented as garden watering cans. If the "water" from the can missed the funnel and splashed on the sidewalk, all was lost. If it hit the rim of the tunnel rather than dead in, then part of the "water" was lost.
The funnel, of course led to the vendor's site. If the vendor's site can not grab the email address and name of the visitor, all is lost in most cases because most folks don't buy on first look, they have to be persuaded so further communication is needed.
If the vendor's site is not professional written by a copywriter who knows the human psych and knows the difference between a benefit and a characteristic, then the site misses the boat. The "gizmo is red," is not much of a selling point. The gismo will reduce your "whatever" cost ten percent, is a selling point because it is a benefit.
Everything has to click in this business. Like Kyle said, we have to test for what works and does hot work and Telmari has given us a great example of that in tutorial here. John
Telmari
Thanks TJ! I have to admit that much of my knowledge in this area does not come naturally - rather it is following Travis & his teachings and classic forum posts on here that have brought me the most success - I remember him guiding me through one of my campaigns where I wasn't successful at all for reasons just like this, and it kind of turned around my thinking to hear him explain these concepts.
You're definitely on the right path here with the thinking of making sure all the details - copywriting, presentation, flow, email capture are lined up in order to really succeed. It's super easy to overlook any or many of these details and be losing that 1-4% who otherwise would be buying from you.
TJ Books
I've learned a lot from Travis. Sorry I don't see him around anymore. John
Note: Travis lost his father a while back. Sad. They were great fishing buddies.
Shawn Martin
Well, I learned a bit from this blog and responses. thanks again guys for so much good stuff.
TJ Books
Stick around, Shawn. Ii is just getting hot.
TJ Books
Here is a note that Kyle sent me:
“I think that was a great post, it is easy people to get discouraged I even get discouraged at times and I think there is a level of "healthy" negativity in any business venture. It leads to growth and problem solving.”
Kyle
The audience is not engaged and they are not coming to the page through relevance.
The page is not of great design or effectiveness or it would be converting. I would say that things are looking good and this is a very good problem to have. If you are getting traffic, you can refine a campaign much easier.
You can improve your visitor engagement.
You can improve your landing page relevance.
You can improve your landing page offer.
Once you have data, you need to start testing and refining. Every change should be done alone and you should measure your results and then make changes and refinements accordingly. I am not sure if you have a specific campaign or page that you are referring to here John, but if you would like we could definitely give you a hand with this or you could open up the feedback to the community here at WA and get a much more diverse set of responses (which can be great as well!).
Reply
TJ Books
Great, Kyle! That is what I'm looking for and some have indicated some of these things. Fantastic advice! I like the part about having traffic and tweaking to get things moving. John
Note: You see here that those I sent to WA or any site must be properly prepared, as Veronica said, before they get there.
TJ Books to Kyle
I went to Chat first but there was not much going on so I deleted my entry and sent the blog. I'll remove the blog and summarize in in a tutorial. I think I will leave it until tomorrow at least. I hope to get some of the marketers out of the woodwork. I'm surprised how wise some beginners are. You know they will succeed. J
TJ Books
Usually, it is a good idea to purchase the product you are pitching. J
TJ Books about 20 hours ago
For those of us using article marketing, an article relevant and useful information is very important. A pic should always be added. Your web page should have more relevant content and useful information, from then on, it's up to the vendors sales page to do the job. So, from the start, study your vendor and make sure that the sales page appeals to you. Also make sure that most of the sales are coming from other affiliates. Just another comment as I'm reading the comment that are coming in. John
Reply
Actions
TJ Books about 20 hours ago
One thing for those pushing WA, the tutorials telling where the markets are are very important.
Reply
Actions
TJ Books
One thing about WA is that they have changed from a sales page to an invite into our world. That means the response to the second is being evaluated. So, I do hope that Kyle and Carson will come in when they've had enough of this and put all in perspective. The warm up content on our web pages is now different from what it was. So if a sales site changes, you need to know about it. Ours is a dynamic world that only you young guys can keep up with. We old guys have to keep narrow interest. John
ThomasPaul
I would question your definition of "effective" if the visitors on your site aren't taking the action that you want them to then how effective is your site?
I agree with Sielke on this one. You might have your target market slightly off. Maybe you are targeting keywords thinking that the visitors are looking for one thing, but in reality they're looking for another thing.
TJ Books
Great, Paul! And you can't just depend on the final sales site if you have not send the right candidate. Thank you!
There were others too. But you have the idea now that you really do have to know who you are talking to, what his needs and desires are, and what it takes to motivated him to take one more step forward.
I thank all of you who participated. If you feel left out, just add your two bits here. This is a continuing process.
John
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