Promote Affiliate Programs Through Your Own Google Adwords Campaign

Did you know that Forbes magazine has reported that pay per click ad sales are expected to increase to at least an astounding $8 billion by the year 2008 Pay per click though still unfamiliar to many, will be around for a very long time. One of the search engine giants to capture a lions share of this market is Google through its Google Adwords service. A few ebooks like Google Cash and The Definitive Guide To Google AdWords provide basic and advance knowledge on releasing the incredible power of pay per click campaigns especially as this applies to businesses and affiliates around the world. Big businesses are still the largest group to benefit from incorporating pay per click in their advertising budgets but, home-based businesses and affiliate program promoters can benefit too if they understand how to use this tool.

Pay per click search engines provide a way for you to basically buy your way to the top of search results for any keyword you wish. Pay per click advertising works thru a bidding process, and your ads appear in the results pages of search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Ask Jeeves. With Google Adwords you bid on the keywords you want to focus your ad on. For example if someone were searching on gourmet coffee, if youre the highest bidder for gourmet coffee you receive top placement for that phrase and depending on the search engine, the top 3-5 bidders for that phrase also receive placement on the first page of unpaid search results.

With Google Adwords the ad campaign is everything. When you sign up with Google Adwords you have unlimited campaigns at your disposal. I enjoy promoting affiliate programs and in the past I spent a lot of time deciding which keywords I would bid on to attract buyers to my affiliate programs. The only tool I use right now is Ad Word Analyzer which saves tremendously on time and gives me an overview of my keyword and/or keyword phrase as it was searched on the top two pay per click search engines Google and Overture (now called Yahoo Search Marketing).

Now that youve done your research and youve collected your keywords and/or keyword phrases, youll need to open an Adwords account.

1. To do this go to https://adwords.google.com/. There is a one time sign up fee of $5 and your username and password are emailed to you.

2. Now you can log into the system and select create a new campaign. Give your campaign a name that will also allow you to create multiple campaigns.

3. Before creating your first ad, I recommend that you print out Googles set of guidelines, ebooks such as Google Cash cover this area as well. Since most of you are probably promoting affiliate programs, its important that you notify Google of this by simply adding aff at the end of your ad text.

A few tips to keep in mind:

a. To keep your ad targeted, make sure your keyword or keyword phrase is in the headline.

b. Put your keyword or keyword phrase in the text of your ad.

c. In promoting your affiliate program, make sure youre linked directly to the owners website thru your affiliate link so that youll get the credit and the cash!

Now you can submit your ad and start tracking your campaign over the next few days. If youre not happy with your ads performance you can make changes such as targeting other keywords or increasing your bid a little at a time. Adwords is flexible in allowing you to make changes within Google guidelines of course, to make your ad campaigns successful.

Pay per click is here to stay and it offers a high level of assurance that your ad is reaching your targeted audience. With the proper management and a clear vision, pay per click specifically Google Adwords, can provide you with well targeted and economical advertising on the internet.

As mentioned earlier pay per click ad sales are expected to increase to at least $8 billion by 2008, with Google Adwords, the right resources and a little effort on your part, you can also benefit from this increase and find yourself with a significant supplemental income each month or a fulltime leave my 9-5 job income. The sky is truly the limit with pay per click.

Maxine Hough is the owner of a resources site of internet marketing software and tools for the internet marketer and webmaster to jumpstart or enhance their internet marketing efforts. Ebooks and tools mentioned in this article can also be found on this website.

This article can freely be distributed and re-printed as long as the information about the author remains and the links in the authors section remain active and clickable.

Online Networking: 8 Advanced Tips to Becoming an Expert Using Social Networking Software (SNS)

Networking online using social networking software (SNS) has risen in popularity. However, as the hype dies down, so too does peoples enthusiasm for using these websites.

How can you continue to leverage the power of SNS and still find clients, get leads on job openings and develop joint ventures, all while keeping yourself interested in using these websites You need to develop your expert status using advanced tips so that business and jobs fall into your virtual lap.

The advanced tips provided below are perfect for those using SNS - such as ecademy.com, openbc.com, ryze.com or linkedin.com - for business reasons. Also, if youve been using SNS actively as part of your promotional campaign over the past 6-months, youll find these advanced tips will re-energize you to login to each system and build your expert status.

Moderate a forum that doesnt duplicate another one. Nothing can say that youre an expert better than leading a forum on a niche topic. In order to build a successful forum, focus on addressing a particular problem that your target audience faces and create a forum based on solving that problem. For example, I manage a forum on ryze.com which addresses a womans fear of speaking about her accomplishments. This is a common problem I found that my coaching clients complained about, so I started a forum to address this issue. You will have a more active forum if you start one that isnt similar in scope to one that already exists.
Stay out of flame wars. Nothing can kill your expert status than to get stuck in the middle of a flame war on a forum or between two members over notes or private messages. Stay out of these misunderstandings between other members. Even if you think you can wave the white flag with a neutral response, resist the temptation. Because emotions are high, your good deed will be misinterpreted and youll be accused of taking sides.
Join many forums and post well researched replies on topics that solidify your expert status. Become a member of as many forums as your membership level allows you to join. Then, post replies only to the threads that pertain to the topics you know the best.
I used to believe the opposite (join only a few and post regularly on everything), but a conversation with Scott Allen, co-author of The Virtual Handshake, changed my mind. I now post replies on the following topics - networking effectively, follow-up marketing, personal branding, workplace issues and office politics. You should determine what topics you know very well and post well researched and well thought out replies on those areas.
Turn posts into articles. This is a great follow-up to the tip above. If youre posting meaty replies that contain a wealth of information, you can leverage your time spent on SNS by turning your posts into articles. Then submit them to free article marketing websites, such as ezinearticles.com or pitch the idea to your local newspaper. This is yet another way to solidify your expert status and use article marketing to gain credibility.
Know your market intimately and ensure that this is communicated on your profile page. I dont mean that in a romantic sense, instead you really need to crisply define who wants to buy your product or service. I target women who are working full-time and are running a business on the side. I provide tools to help them become their own boss in 12-months or less and this is communicated on my profile page. Ensure that your profile page isnt buzzing with dozens of flashy banners ads, and instead, focus your message so your target audience wants to do business with you.
Greet new members, but only those who are in your target market. Most SNS have a new members list on their homepage. Each week, I recommend contacting at least 5 new members who are in your target market and offer a tip on how to use the system effectively. But go one step further - look at that new members profile and suggest a topic that they can start on your forum based on one of their interests. This really works and you wont be accused of spamming because each message is unique to that individual.
Post interesting, thought-provoking, silly, funny or controversial topics. This should be handled with care, however, if done well, this is a great way to get noticed. People will come to anticipate your posts as they know youll stir their emotions. Just stay away from name calling, personal attacks and comments that demean people.
Visit http://thevirtualhandshake-network.ryze.com and find the topics that have more than 20 replies. Click on it, read through the replies and youll soon see why that particular thread received so much attention.
Ask for help. Another awesome way to raise your profile. Too often, people join SNS and become frustrated with all the features. However, dont be afraid to ask for help if youre confused. And, asking those who seem to be the experts at using SNS is a great way to put yourself on their radar.

Just updating your profile page on a SNS isnt enough. Like any marketing and promotional effort, youve got to make the effort to form relationships, build rapport and raise your credibility using the tips above. Only then will people feel comfortable enough to spend their money on your products and services or refer you for a contract or job opportunity.

Disclosure: The author moderates a network on ryze.com.

Leesa Barnes, The Schmooze Coach, helps consultants, virtual assistants, professional organizers, coaches and solopreneurs avoid cold calling by developing a fearless networking plan. Leesa is author of Schmooze Your Way to Success: 9 Fearless Networking Tips for the Shy, Timid, Introverted & Just Plain Clueless. Go to and sign up for her free 8-lesson ecourse called From Clueless to Fearless: Secrets from the Schmooze Coach.