Showing posts with label Sandro Botticelli. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sandro Botticelli. Show all posts

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Master Course – Day 4

DAY 4: Develop High-Profitability Topics - Part I

Goal-of-the-DAY: Use the SUPPLY and DEMAND WINDOWS to build a MASTER KEYWORD LIST, fully researched, of 5 HIGH-PROFITABILITY KEYWORDS for each of the 3 Site Concepts (brainstormed in DAY 3).

With this goal in mind...

Let’s say that you love fashion. You eat, live and sleep it. You read all the fashion magazines. You head straight to that part of any bookstore. Your friends beg you to talk about something else “for a change!”

It’s time to brainstorm and prune. Initially, you’ll brainstorm as many related “Keyword-Focused” topics as possible that are related to fashion. Then you’ll prune out the low-profit-potential ones.

First thing you do? Power up what I will call your “keyword tool center.” There are three WINDOWS of information that you will be researching...

1) DEMAND
2) SUPPLY
3) BREAKOUT


Open your browser and start with...
WINDOW #1 -- THE DEMAND WINDOW

Time to brainstorm some Keyword-Focused topics with Search It!...
http://www.blogger.com/”http://searchit.sitesell.com/resources2success.html

If you're not tapping into the unlimited information on the Web, you're missing out. Search It! converts you into a business power-surfer.

Search It! has so many useful purposes, for example...
- brainstorming
- competitive research
- domain naming and legalities
- PREselling content idea development
- identification of new monetization avenues

This powerful unique tool is simple to use. Keep it handy on your desktop -- perhaps in the upper left corner of your browser.

OK, let’s fire up Search It!. (If you are running a pop-up blocker, please be sure to click on the pop-up blocker help link for important information.)

A search could involve three or four steps.

STEP 1 and STEP 2 both utilize a drop-down menu. For example, here is STEP 1’s menu…

I highly recommend that you click on the link, “Click Here for information About Search Type AFTER completing Step 1 & Step 2,” every time you do a search.

These short tutorials will help you get the most out of your research until you get more comfortable with Search It!.

Now that the mini-orientation is over, let’s get started.

STEP 1… Select “Brainstorming” from the Search Category menu.

STEP 2… Select “Overture Suggestions” from the Search Type menu.

(Overture, now owned by Yahoo!, is soon to be renamed “Yahoo! Marketing Solutions.” We’ll use “Overture” until that time.)

Here’s what you have done so far…

Don’t forget to click on the help link before you proceed!

STEP 3… Enter the keyword “fashion” (without the quotes).

Since there is no STEP 4 for this particular search, you can now hit the Search It! button. (Do not use the Enter or Return key.)

Let’s quickly recap your search formula…

Search It! > Brainstorming (STEP 1) > Overture Suggestions (STEP 2) > fashion (STEP 3)

Please note… we will use the above shortcut style when outlining the steps of future searches.

OK, onwards and upwards. Got your DEMAND WINDOW ready? Here are the most common keywords that Web surfers search upon that contain the word “fashion” at Overture…
The number in the left column is the number of times that each keyword was searched in the preceding month at Overture. In a sense, it’s an indication of the DEMAND (by your potential visitors) for each keyword that contains the word “fashion.”

** Tips **
You may have noticed that all words are singular. Overture does not differentiate between the plural and singular forms of words. If you do a query for “fashion model” or “fashion models,” you get the same results...

100064 fashion model

That “100064” is a combination of all the searches that were done for “fashion models” and “fashion model” at Overture during the previous month.

Only one problem... what if 100062 of those 100064 searches were for “fashion models?” There would not be much point in making a wonderful Web page about “fashion model” (singular), would there? After all, no one would be searching for “fashion model,” if that were the case.

Usually, your instincts will tell you which version is the most popular. However, to be on the safe side, do a quick reality check by using the 7Search “Related
Keywords” Tool...

http://www.7search.com/scripts/advertiser/sample_get.asp

And the results?

Fashion models 0 vs. fashion model 7,179

(The numbers here are different from those we got through Search It!, but the outcome remains the same. Use “fashion model,” rather than “fashion models.”)

Why is this second search worthwhile doing? Because, as you’ll see later on, you'll create content pages with topics that focus upon your HIGHEST PROFITABILITY keywords. And PROFITABILITY is partly determined by the
DEMAND for your keywords (i.e., how many times people search for them).
If you are following along with this example by actually doing it, the numbers may have changed but the basic ideas and conclusions remain valid.

** ** ** ** ** **

OK, what do we have so far? We’ve got a good idea of what your potential visitors want. In other words, we know what’s in DEMAND, and by how much, for a variety of keywords (some of which will become your HIGHPROFITABILITY, Keyword-Focused topics) that contain the word “fashion.”

Now it’s time for...

WINDOW #2 -- THE SUPPLY WINDOW
Ready to prune out the LOW-PROFITABILITY topics?

Before we can start pruning, we need to check out the SUPPLY of your “fashion-containing” keywords. In other words, how many sites already provide content for the keywords that we found in your DEMAND WINDOW (i.e., WINDOW #1 above)?

Let’s start the ball rolling with “fashion design.” Open Search It! once again. (You did keep it handy on your desktop, right?)

Search It! > Competition (STEP 1) > Google Single Keyword SUPPLY
(STEP 2) > fashion design (STEP 3)

This specific search yields almost a million pages…

Repeat the same process for each of the “fashion”-containing keywords that you found in your DEMAND WINDOW. Yes, seriously, do a search for each keyword. It is a bit tedious, but the research will pay off in spades.

Before you do those searches, create a MASTER KEYWORD LIST. I recommend that you do this either in a simple text file or via a database or spreadsheet program. A database or a spreadsheet will speed things up and provide you with extra functionality.

The best choice is a database like Filemaker Pro...
http://www.blogger.com/”http://www.filemaker.com/”

If you don’t know anything about databases or spreadsheets, your fastest way to get up and running is with Filemaker Pro. It’s a friendly, easy-to-learn database program. Your particular needs are simple, so it won’t take long for you to create a MASTER KEYWORD LIST that can be sorted and searched, and that can warn you of duplicate keywords.

If the idea of a database or spreadsheet scares you, simply stick with a text list.
It’s a bit inefficient so it will take you a little longer, but it will do the job just fine.

Whatever you decide, please, please, please...

DO use a MASTER KEYWORD LIST. It will evolve into the master blueprint for your entire site. If you follow these instructions, the site will almost build itself!

OK, here’s what to do with your MASTER KEYWORD LIST. Create four columns and label them KEYWORD, DEMAND, SUPPLY, and SUPPLY SITE INFO. For each “fashion”-containing keyword in your DEMAND WINDOW...

1) Enter the keyword itself into the column labeled KEYWORD -- copy-and-paste to avoid typos.

2) Enter how many times it is searched (info that you found in the DEMAND WINDOW) into the DEMAND column.

3) Enter how many sites Search It! finds (in your SUPPLY WINDOW) in your column labeled SUPPLY.

4) Read the listings for the Top 20 sites that Search It! returns for each keyword. Make brief notes in the fourth column, SUPPLY SITE INFO -- no need to visit the sites yet (perhaps just a quick click to the home page if you need a bit more info). Just get a flavor for the kinds of sites that each KEYWORD search delivers.

I’ve started your MASTER KEYWORD LIST for you...
Add as many notes as you like for SUPPLY SITE INFO. I’ve kept it very brief here, since it is only an example.

Finally, make two more columns, one labeled POSSIBLE PARTNERS and the other called IDEAS FOR CONTENT. Time for some in-depth, professional, SUPPLY WINDOW research...

Review as many sites from these results as you like. I’d suggest at least the first 10-20 sites. But you may find merchants in need of traffic help (i.e., you!) deeper down.

As you get into this in-depth research, you’ll notice three types of sites...

irrelevant -- for whatever reason (off-topic, geographic, lousy site, etc.), they just don't fit. Skip these.

merchant -- in POSSIBLE PARTNERS, enter what kind of merchandise they sell. If they have an affiliate program that fits your concept, enter the URL of the “join page” for the affiliate program of that merchant. These are indeed potential merchant-partners for you.

Even better, you’re automatically organizing the POSSIBLE PARTNERS according to each keyword. This means that you are already pre-planning each
Keyword-Focused Content Page’s “in-context” text links and setting the groundwork for the “M” (Monetization) stage.

content -- these sites are your direct competitors. They make money through affiliate programs, too. And good news! They’ll speed up your learning curve by giving you a lot of information. Why? Because they've already done a ton of work for you! Here’s what to do...

i) As you review these content sites, you may get some great ideas for content on your own site. Enter these ideas into the IDEAS FOR CONTENT column.

ii) Browse the site, drilling down into the content. Click on the banner ads and text links, following these links out to their destinations to see what kind of merchants they have chosen as affiliate-partners. Or perhaps it’s a straight advertising deal -- make a note of these merchants as potential advertisers, too.

If a given merchant fits your concept and has an affiliate program, enter the kind of merchandise it sells, and the “join page” URL, as you did just above. Once again, you are preparing for the “M” stage.

Plow through your MASTER KEYWORD LIST until you have completed all six
columns for all of your HIGH-PROFITABILITY “fashion”-containing keywords.

Expected results?...

• Lots of good content ideas for the site

• Some good monetizing leads to merchants who could need pay-per-click advertising from you a bit later

• A few merchants who have affiliate programs (but the real mother lode for affiliate programs -- more “M” -- will come in the next few days!).

IMPORTANT...

I can’t over-emphasize the importance of your MASTER KEYWORD LIST. Your entire site, including its most profitable directions, lies in this blueprint. Please do this.

If you find creating your own list (with a database or spreadsheet program) to be too daunting, and if a text list is too awkward, let Site Build It!’s server-side Brainstorm It! do your work for you!

Brainstorm It! (BI!) is composed of two sections, equivalent to the right (creative) side and the left (analytical) side of your own brain...

1) Brainstormer -- This is the creative, brainstorming right brain division of BI!.
Enter a “seed word” and use one of the Brainstormer Tools to generate hundreds of related words! Save yourself time and energy.

2) Master Keyword List (MKL) -- This is the analytical, left brain part of BI!. It is where you search, manipulate, analyze and delete your keywords.

Together, Brainstormer (the right brain) and MKL (the left) will help you find the most profitable Site Concept, the best spin for it, and the best topics for content.

Click-click... brainstorming is a snap. Follow the first 2 STEPS...

STEP 1 Select a Brainstormer Function

STEP 2 Select a Brainstormer Resource

Then click on the ”Click Here for information” link for more information and for what to do next. The rest of this help page covers each of the Brainstormer Resources, listed according to the four major Brainstormer Functions...

I) Vertical Brainstorming
- Overture Keyword Selector
- Wordtracker All Words

II) Lateral Brainstorming
- Google Top 100
- Google 2nd 100
- More To Come

III) Get Demand For All Keywords
- Wordtracker Demand

IV) Get Supply For All Keywords
- Google Supply

And here’s the best news… the innovative Brainstorm It! is but one of 50+ modules in SBI!’s comprehensive integrated system.

http://buildit.sitesell.com/main/home.html#FEATURES

Your DEMAND WINDOW’s search generated many “fashion-containing” keywords, along with the DEMAND for each keyword.

Your SUPPLY WINDOW’s search revealed the number of sites (i.e., the SUPPLY of sites) that provide information about each keyword, as well as a lot of leads to possible merchant-partners and even some ideas for content.

Now it’s time to pick the keywords with the best PROFITABILITY.

These will be the keywords with high DEMAND (i.e., tons of searches) and low SUPPLY (i.e., not too many sites found).


Eliminate any words that appear too competitive (i.e., SUPPLY is too high in WINDOW #2 or bidding competition is too intense), especially if they are not searched upon very often (i.e., DEMAND is low in WINDOW #1).


And especially if there do not seem to be many POSSIBLE PARTNERS for them!

For example, notice that “fashion knockoffs” was searched for only 3,350 times in the previous month. Let’s say that a Search It! search returned 39,500 sites.
Not the best combination.

Bottom line?...

Your best words should have HIGH DEMAND and LOW SUPPLY.

This is a rough protocol, so don’t become a slave to it. Follow these two general guidelines...

1) Eliminate only the worst combinations of HIGH SUPPLY and LOW DEMAND and low number of POSSIBLE PARTNERS.

2) When you’re ready to write your site, start with the keywords that have the best combination of HIGH DEMAND and LOW SUPPLY (especially the ones that you really enjoy and know!) and a good number of POSSIBLE PARTNERS.

As you start to see patterns for the kind of sites that appear in your SUPPLY
SITES and POSSIBLE PARTNERS and IDEAS FOR CONTENT notes, you’ll refine your Site Concept. Ultimately, you’ll create Keyword-Focused Content Pages that...

• fit with your final Site Concept AND...
• have a good SUPPLY/DEMAND ratio AND...
• have a good number of POTENTIAL PARTNERS AND that...
• you enjoy writing about.

Now you are ready to work on…

WINDOW #3 -- BREAKOUT WINDOW

By now, you very likely have enough keywords to keep you busy for a while. If so, give this a quick read and move on to the next section.

But...

If you need more HIGH-PROFITABILITY keyword topics, or if you just want to be thorough, work through this third and final WINDOW. It just might affect the final concept that you refine and the domain name that you select.

It’s easy to get “concept-keyword-bound.” Resist the urge. Keep in mind that
SUPPLY and DEMAND numbers are still merely gross guidelines that point out some interesting big pictures. Make your brain the ultimate judge.

No single keyword, no matter how profitable it may calculate out to be, makes or breaks a business. The overall quantity and quality of all your pages are, ultimately, what makes your business snowball and gain momentum.

The money (i.e., your income) is in C -> T -> P -> M...

Develop a wide variety of different keywords, and then build Keyword-Focused Content Pages (KFCPs) that deliver high-value information. Those pages attract and PREsell targeted visitors, who then click through to your merchants and other sources of income.

Stay tune for Develop High-Profitability Topics part 2 tomorrow…









Relevant Posts:
Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course - Day 1

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course - Day 2

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course – Day 3

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course – Day 4

Monday, February 25, 2008

Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Master Course – Day 3

Day 3: Brainstorm Your Site Concept

Goal-of-the-DAY: Identify the top 3 Site Concepts that you know and love.

Day 3 is important because it is a preparation and planning session to decide how you want to spend your time, if not, just like Benjamin Franklin said:
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

2.1. PREpare, Not Repair

You have just arrived at the most important part of your entire affiliate business. Yes, I know some of you haven’t started yet. And I know you really want to get going! And yes...

Wrapping up the necessary preparation work before you begin “doing business” on the Net will, of course, delay your grand opening. But it’s important that you take your time to prepare well now. Then there’ll be nothing to repair or repeat once you launch. You’ll just roar ahead!

Most people fail in any business because they don’t plan adequately. That’s
three times as true for an Internet business and five times as true for what you are about to do. Here’s why...

If you pick the wrong concept, if you develop the wrong topics, if you pick the
wrong affiliate programs... you’ll get the wrong results.

So many small businesses fail to start at the beginning with Content. Instead, they start at the end with Monetization.

They spend time and energy setting up a shopping cart and a merchant account or some other way of “collecting the money.” That’s putting the (shopping) cart before the e-horse of traffic. As we saw earlier, Monetization comes last. It’s the final result of doing everything else (C -> T -> P) correctly.

The hardest part, where 98% of small businesses fail, is in attracting Traffic, the visitors who convert into income. Yet many start with the cash register!

The solution? The only solution?...

Content -> Traffic -> PREsell -> Monetize

SBI! sites follow the process and succeed…

http://buildit.sitesell.com/sbi-businesses/traffic-alexa.html


This part of The Affiliate Masters Course focuses on what you need to do
first. It guides you past the barriers and hazards and sets you on the road that is right for you…

Your road to success.

You are embarking upon a truly rewarding journey. Have no doubts -- this is
“winnable” e-commerce. It’s totally under your control.

What you are about to read is likely a radical departure from what you have been doing. Take your time and read carefully. Receive the key to becoming an Affiliate Master.

OK, enough “kung-fu grasshopper” stuff.

Back to real-time preparation. You have already started your journey in the right direction by completing the first preparatory step, the foundation for all future actions...

Understand PREselling and its Effect on Conversion Rates (DAY 1 & 2). There are three more preparatory steps...

Brainstorm Your Site Concept (DAY 3)
Brainstorm a high-potential idea. Discover the best Site Concepts for you.
Then narrow them down to the one with the most potential. Remember... it takes just as much time to build a low-potential business as a high-potential one. So invest the time now to maximize your returns later.

Coming topics:
- Develop HIGH-PROFITABILITY topics.
- Plan Your Monetization Models.

So, don’t rush through the preparation DAYS. They are easy -- so it’s tempting to zoom. Don’t. Even though they are not difficult, they do require thoughtful consideration.

I hate to be a nag, but please remember what I said before... Building a
profitable business is a process.

Take as much time as necessary to do each DAY properly. There is no stopwatch ticking. Some careful planning and fine-tuning will pay you big
dividends down the road.

2.2. Find Your Passion
Everyone, absolutely everyone, has a special interest... a passion. Everyone
knows something that is of value to others… something that others on the Net seek.

Passion makes work fun and easy…
• What is it that you love to talk about? Read about?
• What is your hobby?
• What do you do for fun and games?
• What are your natural talents?
• What special body of knowledge have you learned from your job?
• What do you do day after day, without even thinking about it (ex., child-rearing, taking care of sick parents, renovation contractor, customs inspector).

Think about what you do in a typical day, and what you’ve learned from it…

• What sections of a bookstore or a magazine shop do you automatically
gravitate toward?
• What kind of TV shows do you tend to like most? Movies?
What activities do you enjoy most about your current occupation?...
• Is it research?
• Helping customers achieve their goals?
• Managing other people?
• Teaching or explaining things to others?
• Talking/selling on the phone?
• Organizing things?
• Making a process easier?
• Discovering or creating new products or services?
• Marketing products?

Problems are also a good source for ideas because problems need solutions!…
• What bugs you?
• What’s tedious?
• What does not work?...

We all encounter obstacles, problems, and nasty people in the course of whatever it is that we do every day. What are the three biggest problems in your work place? What are your biggest pains as a parent, or as a stepparent, or as a gardener, etc.?

Now repeat all the questions above, except pretend that you are in a “five years ago” time warp. Yes, ask yourself the same questions, except place yourself here you were five years ago. Next, repeat for ten years ago. To paraphrase an old saying...

“You’ve forgotten more about some things than other folks will ever know.”

Call friends. Ask your kids. Phone your parents or your siblings… or anyone else who can jog your memory. It’s so easy to miss what others see.

Your mission, should you decide to accept it(!), and it is not as easy as it sounds, is to find a subject that you really know and like.

Here are a few examples of starting points to get your neurons firing...

Advertising
Aerospace
Agriculture/farming
Antiques and collectibles
Apparel/clothing/fashion
Architecture/buildings
Arts & Crafts
Auctions
Automotive
Aviation
Beverages
Books
Chemicals
Children/parenting
Cleaning
Communications
Computers
Construction
Consulting
Conventions/Trade Shows
Design
Disabilities
Education
Electronics
Employment
Energy
Engineering
Entertainment
Environment
Ergonomics
Financial services
Food
Gambling
Games
Government
Health
Hobbies
Home/garden/flowers/plants
Hospitality
Information
Jewelry
Law
Manufacturing
Minerals
Music
New age
Office supplies
Publishing
Real Estate
Religion/Spirituality
Research and Development
Retail management
Science
Security
Sex
Software
Sports
Telecommunications
Toys
Trade
Transportation
Travel
Video
Weather

Take your time on this -- the final concept will, after all, form the foundation for your affiliate business. So, now that you have read this far, review all the above brain-stimulators with pen and paper (or keyboard) in hand.

Write down concepts as they hit you -- make the list as long as you can. Don’t censor yourself. Just write down ideas for Site Concepts as they occur.

Next, pick the three concepts that you love the most and that you think would have some appeal for others -- this is your “short list” of Site Concepts. Remember... if a concept really turns you on, you won’t be working. You’ll be playing. So focus on topics that you love.

For example, let’s say that your passion is the Renaissance artist, Sandro
Botticelli (1445-1510), a highly individual and graceful artist who fell out of
fashion and died in obscurity. (Hey, in art, ya gotta be good to die broke!) It’s
your passion to give this man his due on the Net.

At first glance, the focus is rather narrow. It might be difficult to develop enough HIGH-PROFITABILITY topics to attract sufficient targeted traffic. And there may not be many affiliate programs to develop a substantial primary monetization model.

On the other hand...

• that may not matter to you -- the passion may be primary, while the money is secondary to you.

Or...

• since you really are an expert, you just may succeed in developing tons of
Keyword-Focused topics to be able to create lots of high value Keyword-Focused Content Pages about Botticelli. You may end up “owning” this niche.
And, while completing the prep work, you may discover...

• a superb art gallery that specializes in Botticelli, but that gets zero Net traffic

• a stock photo service that features a comprehensive selection of Botticelli art

• a Botticelli museum in Florence.

The stock photo service has an affiliate program. You set up a private referral
arrangement with the other two. You’re in e-business heaven!

Or...

• you conclude that while you love Botticelli, there is not enough income potential for this narrow niche. So you expand it. How far?

Do you stop at Botticelli?...
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/botticelli.html

Or do you grow your idea to include all Renaissance artists?...
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/renaissance.html

Or do you grow your idea to include all artists?...
http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftp.html

Or do you grow it into a comprehensive art portal?...
http://artchive.com/

Of course, you don’t have to go “the whole hog” all at once. You can start with Botticelli and widen the scope of your site over time.

How big should you grow your Site Concept? How much should you change it?
Only you can decide. And you’ll be able to do that when you finish the coming courses on...

-Develop HIGH-PROFITABILITY topics
-Plan Your Monetization Models

If the financial potential seems limited after you have finished the above, you
have three options...

OPTION 1) Expand the concept -- make it more general. But remember... you
don’t have to start huge. Build it over time.

OPTION 2) LOOP back to this point and try the next concept on your “short
list” of Site Concepts.

OPTION 3) Recognize that you’re “in it” more for the passion than the
money. Botticelli rules!

It’s all up to you. Let those creative juices flow.

Before proceeding to DAY 4, please complete your DAY 3 Goal-of-the-DAY: Identify the top 3 Site Concepts that you know and love, and take note of your Ongoing Goal...

Ongoing Goal: Revisit this only if you want to build an entirely new and different Theme-Based Content Site.

Now that you have 3 Site Concepts that excite you, let’s find out where the
PROFITABILITY lies on the following day...








Relevant Posts:
Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course - Day 1

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course - Day 2

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course – Day 3

Financial Freedom?! All In Our Minds!: Achieve Financial Freedom Thru Affiliate Masters Course – Day 4