McIntosh Marketing Blog

Now this is a question that I hear over and over from client’s and co-workers alike.  Everyone wants to know if Affiliate Marketing is not only worth it but if it is really beneficial?  Or what the risks are of marketing for a company and then finding out their unethical?  Just like everything else, it really depends on what products your sign up for and how you market them.

One of the most important things you must do before deciding to market for a company is to inspect the website.  Take your time to check and make sure they have accurate contact information by calling them or looking them up in an online phone directory.  You can also take this time to verify their address.  If you notice the address varies with other listings online then this may be a flag that the business is not legitimate.  This is not always the case as others may be marketing this product as an affiliate as well but the corporate information, address and phone number should all match up regardless.

PAY ATTENTION!!!   You should always make sure their site offers details, images and a full description of the product or service that they are offering.  You are responsible for what you are promoting so it is very important that you educate yourself on the product or service prior to any affiliate marketing promotions.

Always check the sites disclosure on what the charges will be to the users/client’s.  This will show you that there is nothing the company is trying to hide and that it is not a scam.  If there is no disclosure on the site it may be a real good sign to take your business somewhere else.

Next you should search for their company name on Google.  This will show you how well they are ranking currently which can give you some insight on how easy or difficult it may be to market the product.  Like I said, this is just for insight and it may not be accurate for a product that is brand new.  Also at this time you can see what kind of feedback people are giving on the product prior to committing to selling it.  You can see if there are lot’s of customer complaints or satisfaction which can help you make your decision before investing any time or money into it.  You have to be realistic when using this tip to make a decision because many companies will have complaints, regardless of their legitimacy, so you may need to feel them out to see if the complaints are valid.

Allot goes into finding an legitimate affiliate with a good offer besides just how much they pay out.  Always make sure you feel 100% informed about your product so you are totally comfortable prior to selling it.  Confidence and believing in your product truly is the key to increasing your online sales and making your affiliate marketing really worth it!

Have I become a big fan of Foursquare or what?  I want more badges and I want them now!

Having never been a boy scout, I now get to live the dream of earning badges at the age of 47. I looked in earnest on how to earn them and what it took to build up my badge collection. Not only is there quite a long list of potential badges to earn (http://www.4squarebadges.com/foursquare-badge-list/), but when you visit Foursquare’s site you will find that they even take suggestions on developing even more badges.

Now other than an intense dose of self-indulgence and egocentric gathering, how can this Foursquare be used to benefit your cause, business or efforts to market yourself? Now realize that I am a newbie. I even have the Foursquare badge to prove it too! So please add to the list of ideas. In fact, share them with me as you see fit.

1.  Plan an “Swarm Event” with your top customers. This is when you get 50 or more people to check in at one time. This not only brings back the old customers, but events like this ignites word or mouth advertising, key to the survival of any business. Plus events like this just plain fun! The more the merrier.

2. Ask your regulars to tell their friends that they are there, when they are there. Offer incentives, discounts or freebies for doing so. People love making a difference, being a force of change and helping others to make money. Use incentives to do so, like Contest Burner offered by McIntosh Marketing.

3. Ask Foursquare to develop a special badge for your own place. Come up with a unique idea on why this should be. The fact that your place earns Foursquare followers a special badge is just great viral marketing. Check in with Foursquare on how this could be done.

4. Let your imagination run wild. I am sure that there are many people out there much more proficient in social media and Foursquare possibilities. Let me know some of your ideas so that I may share them with others who would love to expand their Foursquare knowledge, skill sets and above all – earn more badges.

It is always nice to have a video explain things. As you may have heard, Google now offers Google Buzz. This simple video gives you a introduction to what it is and how it works to help you:

McIntosh Marketing is an expert in using Google Buzz, as well as other social media, to help you drive traffic to your web site and thus generate word of mouth, referrals and more sales.

I just found an amazing resource for Chiropractors to be more educated on how to market their practices. As any Chiropractor will tell you, it is important to have great word of mouth to build more and more referrals. But the question is how?

While most Chiropractors are excellent doctors, so few have the time to learn how to market their practice correctly so as to gain more new patients. While McIntosh Marketing has worked with many doctors for years, here is a link to some educational materials that could help Chiropractors market their practice even better.

From: http://ergonecessities.com/chiropractic-website-marketing-massive-free-traffic/0628