The Part Time Affiliate Marketer Series

Just finished reading an interesting series of blog post over at the Affiliate Classroom blog by Kathy Jackson.

The Part Time Affiliate Marketer’s Steps to Success, Part 1

The Part Time Affiliate Marketer’s Steps to Success, Part 2

The Part Time Affiliate Marketer’s Steps to Success, Part 3

The Part Time Affiliate Marketer’s Steps to Success, Part 4

The series is in five parts, and I look forward to reading the next part. For the most part this is basic knowledge that is presented in a very understandable format. It is broken down in a way that the beginning Affiliate Marketer can learn some key concepts.

Tip's For Music Bloggers and Tweeters

I've recently been using twitter. You can follow me FitzgeraldKC @Twitter.com. I enjoy it because there are so many new and nice people there. People on Twitter call each other Tweeple, or just tweeps for short. There are musicians, bloggers, fans, and many people who work in the music industry on twitter. They are interacting and communicating in a way that is amazing when you get down to it.

I have been studying how some people use Twitter, so that I can better understand how to use it to help promote music in general. And thought I would do a post and pass on my observations.

Here are a few tips I'd like to give to musicians, and music bloggers who have joined Twitter, but who may not know how to use it. This information can be useful to anyone who uses affiliate marketing also.


1. Read books. Read some books on Twitter and Affiliate Marketing to learn how to promote yourself and your music on Twitter.

Twitter seems simple, but it is quite complicated and new research is being done on it all the time. To stay up on what is going on I recommend reading the latest books on the topic.

Please consider this list of books from Amazon.com;

Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time by Joel Comm, Anthony Robbins, and Ken Burge (Hardcover - Feb 17, 2009)

Twitter Tips, Tricks, and Tweets by Paul McFedries and Pete Cashmore (Paperback - May 11, 2009)

Twitter Revolution: How Social Media and Mobile Marketing is Changing the Way We Do Business & Market Online by Warren Whitlock and Deborah Micek (Paperback - Nov 11, 2008)

The Twitter Book by Tim O'Reilly and Sarah Milstein (Paperback - May 26, 2009)

Twitter For Dummies by Laura Fitton, Michael Gruen, and Leslie Poston (Paperback - Jul 14, 2009)

2. Follow people to get followers. You have to follow people for them to follow you back. Unless you are very famous and have a large following in the real world, the only way that you can get and keep followers is to follow people. So find your fans and follow them. Find those who have common interest as you and follow them. Use the search feature, search for the type of music you play and follow those who tweet about that type of music. You may gain a new fan.

I can't tell you the number of regionally known musicians who only follow a handful of people, when they could make more connections and fans by following more people.

I'm not saying to just go out and blindly follow people either, make sure you have a common interest, like the same kind of music, and other common interest. As you get more followers you will gain a sense of what works for you. But initially, to get followers you have to follow others.

3. Interact with your fans on twitter. If you have an email list of your fans (if you don't then start one) use that list to find your fans and follow and interact with them. Search them out by name, or by region, or by any other way that you can think of, but do it. Don't expect them to find you, go out and find them.

I also see some musicians and bloggers who do not interact at all with their fans and readers. As a music fan I can tell you that when a musician interacts with me, it makes my bond with them stronger. Several nationally known musicians have interacted with me on Twitter, MC Hammer being an example of a musician who interacts with his fans. The jazz musician Melody Gardot also is good at interacting with her fans.

4. Promote Your Work via Twitter. Promote your music, your blog, your mp3s, your total body of work via Twitter. Link to anything that you want your fans to know about. Link to your web site, link to your music on sites that sell your cds, mp3s and albums. It is a win, win type of of situation. You get more sales of your music and/or more exposure for your affiliate links and the fans get more access to your work.

Don't go overboard with this, but do promote your own work. And share information with your fans.

5. Use Hashtags and search. Use hashtags (a word proceeded by the hash mark or #) to locate topics, and use them to identify what you are twitting about. For example I use the following tags all the time #blues, #harmonica, #rock, #folk #reggae, #soul, #jazz, and many others. You get the idea.

Also use Hashtags to identify what you are tweeting. If you are linking to some video of your band, then use the Hashtag #video, like wise if your blog post is about #hiphop then use that tag. I am often surprised by the number of musicians who are not identifying their tweets to make it easier for their fans to find them when they search.

6. Don't only Tweet about yourself. To get a little, you have to give a little. Tweet about the kind of music you like, tweet about other's bands and musicians that you like. This will cause those other bands to possible tweet about you. That is how twitter works best, the power of it is in others blowing your horn, as opposed to you blowing your own horn. You have to pay it forward, create value for your followers and the other members of your network.

Build your network by supporting and tweeting about the other memebers of your group.

Twitter is great for networking, for getting the word out about your body of work and what you are doing now, gigs, tours shows, etc. It is a great way to generate buzz. It is cheap and it is effective. I have measured the results of my twitter links vs my other affiliate links and blog post. There really is no comparison, Twitter out performs other blogging platforms, by all measures.

If you have read this blog in the past you probably know that I blog about music. I have three music blogs, blues music is covered in SqueezeMyLemon (SML), Reggae is covered in My Inna Fever and pop and other music is covered in KK&R Music Blog. In these blogs I promote music, musicians and provide music resources as well as use the blogs as a platform for my affiliate sponsors.

Discussing the Content Vs Buzz Question

There was a very interesting discussion going on over at the BlogCatalog.com titled Is Good Content Overrated.

I was surprised that some people really believe that you should focus more on buzz then you do content. I offered the following;

In my humble opinion, content is more important than buzz.

But there are many factors that go into deciding which is more important to you as a blogger. One major consideration is what are your goals?

Because different bloggers have different goals, they focus on different parts of blogging.

As stated some (1) blog for the joy of creating good content, (2) some blog for money, (3) some blog for recognition (comments), (4) some blog for the sense of community, and this list could go on and on.

So I think it is difficult to definitively say which is more important without taking the goals of the blogger into context.

What I enjoy the most is creating good content (and sometimes I think I actually pull it off), but I also know that I have to create a certain level of buzz if anyone is to read or enjoy the content that I create. I have to be part of a larger community that passes my blogs around and considers what I write.

All in all it is just good to get the opinions of so many different bloggers and to see what is important to them.

Flip this Blog: Can an Affiliate Website or Blog be Flipped?

This article titled Find an Undervalued Asset. Fix It Up. Flip It. (Now It’s Web Sites, Not Houses) from NY Times.com got me to thinking.

Is there an opportunity here for affiliate marketers? We build websites and blogs all the time. Could an enterprising affiliate marketer build a website or blog specifically for the purpose of flipping it?

Could this be a new business model for affiliates and other publishers?

Have you ever considered what it would take to make your website or blog attractive enough to flip it?

Read the article, and talk about it with me in the comments. I'll keep my eyes open on this trend and blog more on it later.

eBay Partner Network To Go Widgets

I've been experimenting with eBay's new Partner Network To Go Widget. I like it, and can imagine quite a few cool uses for it. I did not realize what the size of the widgets would be and thought I would have a problem with them. But they seem to work fine.

The above example is the search widget.

Click these other examples for ideas on how to use them;

Multiple item widget Although I only have one item in it.

Single item widget

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 6

OK in today's post I just want to give you a look at the example music blogs that I built for my "How to build a music blog" series. I will explain the affiliate links that I used in a later post. And also give you some insight into why I did certain things in certain ways. Please check it out and let me know what you think.

SqueezeMyLemon Blog

BackBeat Blog

Note the affiliate links that I am using. Also notice the mp3s that I link to as well as some of the images.

And if you still are not convinced that using blogs is a very popular thing, read this; One blog created 'every second' this from the BBC who based it on the number of blogs being tracked by Technorati.

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 5

OK, today I want to continue talking about mp3 music blogs as a vehicle for affiliate marketing. I know that some of you may be thinking what is this guy talking about. Well one of the things that I have advocated since I started this blog is that you should try to link various communities.

Well that is one of the things that I am trying to do in this series of post. I want to link the affiliate marketers and the audiobloggers. In my mind they are a natural match and it seems logical to me that every audioblogger should also be an affiliate marketer. And visa versa many affiliate marketers could benefit from having an audioblog or two.

A lot of information that you will read on affiliate marketing is not very concrete. No one is telling you exactly how to do it. No one is giving you good accurate information. Also technology is moving so fast that it is difficult to understand the best practices. This is true of both audioblogging and of affiliate marketing. That is why I thought it would be a great idea to provide some examples of how to do this.

Mp3 blogers, audiobloggers, what ever you want to call them, have an excellent format for affiliate marketing. So that is why I am continuing with the series. You could of course scroll down to see the post in this series, but if you are reading this for the first time here are the post in the order that I wrote them.

Please click links below to read parts 1 & 2.

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 1

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 2

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 3

Some Lite Reading RE MP3 Blogs

So here in part 5, I want to give another interesting article that I think speaks to the point that I have been trying to make that audioblogging is blowing up. Listen. And learn. form the BostonGlobe.com.

And a small blurb from the article;

Bay Area music journalist and scholar Oliver Wang, 32, whose site Soul Sides many bloggers look to as a model for its clear presentation and Wang's thoughtful essays, spent 10 years as a college radio DJ. He began posting sound files in February 2004, making him a granddaddy of the genre.

This quote led me to Soul Sides So You Want To Start an Audioblog page. Which is the take of one of the people who started the whole audioblogging phenomena. Mr. Wang's take on it, I think complements what I have tried to say in this series and it is good to read the ideas of a sucessfull audioblogger and learn form his experience.

And Tofu Hut (another popular audioblog) also has a guide to audioblogging from back in 2004. Check out his, HOW TO MUSICBLOG: pt. 1.

Finally I would like to say, that I know there is a different mind set of some audibloggers, they are not interested in commerce. And some of them may even feel that they are selling out by doing affiliate marketing. But when you consider that many audioblogs get hundreds and even thousands of hits a day.

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 3

Please click links below to read parts 1 & 2.

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 1

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 2

In this third part of my continuing series "How to Build an Affiliate Music Blog" I want to cover and concentrate on the tools that can be used by a begining affiliate to create a low (to no cost affiliate blog). I say low cost because I will be concentrating on tools that are for the most part free to use.

I am assuming that if you are reading this you probably have not created an affiliate blog before. That is why I won't to keep the cost of putting it together low. That is why I will also be recommending the use of free tools.

There are those who will tell you that you get what you pay for. Most of these people are trying to sell you something. I on the other hand am trying to show you how to make money. So for every tool that I list here there is a corrosponding version that can and will cost you large sums of money. Feel free to spend what your budget will allow or you can use the tools I mention here and when you understand how to use them better you can upgrade to the pay versions.

One of the truly revolutionary things that has happened in the online world is the proliferation of free online space. It is mind boggling to think of all the free space that a small business can find and use online. Basically the only limitations are your imagination. Google, Yahoo, MSN and several other online companies are battling for the hearts and minds of consumers and one of the ways that they are trying to intice us is by providing free online space.

2. Selection of tools

a. Blogging platforms - One of the coolest things about the environment that bloggers find themselves in today is the many free blogging platforms are out there. It really is mind boggling. I've noticed that some bloggers have the attitude that you really need to use a pay blogging platform to be effective. But I can tell you that some of the most successfull music blogs out there use the free blogging platforms.

And if like me you are parsimonious then you may want to wait until your blog starts making money before you spend money on a blogging platform. Also there is steep learning curve and unless you already know many of the ends and outs of useing a blog then you may be wasting your money. But hey it's your money, and as a business man I always urge people to spend money, who knows some of it may trickle my way.

OK enough of the soap box, here are a few of the blogging platforms that are out there for you to use.

-Blogger
-Live Journal
-Journal Space
-Wordpress

I have chosen Blogger for my example blog because it is the simplist and most elegent solution to the problem. You can build a blog in a matter of mineutes and within an hour you can have one up and running and be publishing stuff on the internet. I know this to be a fact, because I just did it a couple of days ago and we are going to do it again.

It is beyound the scope of my little "How to series" here to go into all the ins and outs of blogging platforms. But you can read a very interesting article by Susannah Gardner that I think covers most of the considerations that a begining blogger should think about. Her "Time to check: Are you using the right blogging tool?" is a great read and will help you decide what blogging platform you may ultimately decide on using.

One last point about my choice of blogging platform. The various blogging platforms are actually communities of people. We will use this fact to attract members of the various communities to our new blog.

b. Affiliate Networks to use. Because this is a music blog and becasue I already have many relationships with merchants who sell music online, I will be using those merchants and the affiliates networks associated with them. I am using these merchants as an example.

You can and should use affiliate networks that you have examined and decided that they fit your goals and the way you want to run your program.

You can read this post to better understand Affiliate Networks and merchants. And get some of the things that you may want to consider when you decide which affiliates you want to use.

How well do you know your Affiliate merchants

Just to clarify the affiliate merchants that we will be using while making this example blog are;

Examples of affiliate merchants include;

iTunes Essentials

Visit the Sony Music Store today!

Music123

Musicmatch Jukebox Plus

Amazon Associate Program

Musicmatch Jukebox Plus

Rhapsody - which has a free down load promotion going now

Also there are affiliate Networks that will administer many of these merchants for you, for example; LinkShare is an e-commerce business solution for over 3.5 million online relationships. Become an affiliate of the LinkShare Network for FREE and earn revenue by linking to over 500 premier online merchants.

And then there is also All Posters.com. Because they have many posters of musicians they make a perfect affiliate for this kind of blog.

I will close this post by letting you know what is left to cover.

• Using Referes
• Linking Strategy
• RSS Feeds
• Photos and Blogs

I will cover these topics in future post. And I hope this information is helpful and would love to hear from anyone who is trying this.

How to build a music blog: An Example For Beginning Affiliates. Pt. 2

In my last post I introduced the idea of starting a music blog for affiliate purposes. In today's post I want to cover the planing phase.

I can hear you saying, "If I wanted to do planing I would have kept my day job in Corporate America." Well if, like me, you have several different blogs that you maintain you have to plan. As a matter of a fact, I can't do anything with out having a plan.

Now when I say plan, I do not mean a 100 page power point presentation, with color glossy photographs that have a paragraph on the back explaining what each picture is about.

No, what I have in mind is something that will guide you through a complex process. For some people that can be something as easy as just making a list of steps that you are going to follow. A check list of sorts. You may not even write it down. Me I have to make notes. I have reached that age where I have to write things down to remember them. You know what they say, "Memory is the second thing to go".

And besides what would I have to write about if I did not write about planing. One of the things that happens to many bloggers is that after a while they run out of steam. It is difficult to day in and day out come up with post that others will want to read. This is one of the problems that having a plan will help you avoid. I have to refer back to the plans that I initially wrote for some of my blogs to regain my focus and to make sure that I am creating new ideas that fit in with the stated purpose of the blog.

So let's get started. The first thing you need to plan is the Name of your blog.

Name Your Blog - It is important to give your blog a unique name that allows readers to get a glimpse into what the blog is all about.

One reason to give your blog name some thought is to ensure that you have a unique name. If you choose a name that is being used by some other site, or one that can be confused with something else you run the risk that your blog will not be found. And you may put in a lot of hard work building your blog only to find that you have to change the name at some later time. So put in a little work up front and choose a unique name.

Choose a name that is meaningful. I have seen many blogs that have names that do not give any idea of what they are about. And you can name your blog this way too. But you will have to build name recognition, and this task is easier when the name is relevant to the subject matter of the blog. The point is to think about it, and give your blog a name that helps your reader understand what your blog is all about. A meaningful blog name may even help you to stay focused as you post to your blog.

I suggest that after you have decided on a name that you enter it into a search engine and see what comes up. This step will help you see what other sites are using the words that you pick for your blog's name.

In my case I named my music blog "Squeeze My Lemon" because the blog that I am going to create is a blues music blog. Squeeze my lemon is a reference to an old Blues music lyric. If you have heard the Led Zeppelin tune "The Lemon Song" then you are no doubt familiar with this lyric. If not, don't worry it is just an example, but I am hoping that blues music fans will relate to that name.

Ideas for naming your blog;

• Name it after a band that plays the type of music you will blog about.


• Name it from a music lyric.


• Name it for a musical instrument.


• Name it for a performer, songwriter, or individual related to music.

This list could go on and on, but I just wanted to give you some ideas of things you could use to create a unique name that is relevant to the kind of music blog that you will create.

Purpose of Blog - Next I like to write a purpose of the blog. You may feel that you know what the purpose of your blog is. But I can tell you from experience that after you have been writing a blog for a while, it can become difficult to stay focused. And having a written purpose will help you to focus.

Having a written out purpose will also help you later when we start promoting the blog. You will have an answer when you are asked to describe your blog.

You could write something like the following;

The purpose of the Squeeze My Lemon blog is to be a blues music resource. It will be a collection of links to other blues music resources, including books, blogs, articles and other media. The main focus of the blog will be a place for blues music fans to download legal mp3 files.

Squeeze My Lemon is a blog that will review other blues mp3 blogs as well as provides links to free and legal online mp3s. Discussions of digital music and the hardware needed to play digital music will also be covered. Tips, and "how to" information will be provided to help the modern music enthusiast make informed choices.

It will also be a platform for affiliate links. Links to digital music providers as well as hardware and other music equipment will linked to.

List of possible purposes for your music blog (besides being a platform for affiliate links).

• 1. To keep others informed about the music industry. News, concert dates, venues, trends.


• 2. Hardware, mp3 players, car audio, home stereo equipment, portable digital players.


• 3. To interface with other fans of a certain band, group or performer. ie a bolg about Led Zeppelin.


• 4. Provide links, references to music.


• 5. To give the history of a band, musical form or style of music.


• 6. Again there could be many purposes for your blog, this list is just provided to get you thinking.

Sources of content - Now that you have chosen a name for your blog and you have a good idea of the purpose of the blog it is time to think about the source of content. This is the biggie. The other steps in planning were the lead up to this step.

The sources of content depend on the purpose of the blog. And the purpose is reflected in the name you chose. For example if your purpose is to inform, then your sources may be news web sites, books, magazines and other resources that give you news.

If your purpose is to entertain then you may have to create content or find legal sources of entertainment out on the web.

If your purpose is just to collect a group of resources for your own edification (which is an excellent reason to keep a blog / journal) then again, you will have to do some searching to find sources.

In my case because I have chosen to blog about blues music. I will use the following sources (they are being presented here as examples).

• 1. Amazon.com down loadable music.


• 2. Other music blogs.


• 3. The local edition of my news paper.


• 4. Local Bands.


• 5. Various RSS Feeds.


• 6. flickr.com.


• 7. Google images.


• 8. Yahoo images.

So in today's post I have tried to give a brief plan for the creation of a music blog that I will use for affiliate links. I am doing this to help new affiliates get an idea of how they can create an affiliate program step by step. In future post I will go over the tools we will need to implement the blog plan that I have developed in this post.

Feel free to add your comments or ideas to make this plan better.




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I'm Taking the Challenge.

Over at Affiliate Confession.com the blogger Alan LeStourgeon has issued a 30 day challenge to all bloggers.

Go to his blog and read about it, and maybe let me know if you plan to take him up on it.