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Date: July 18th, 2008
Author: Brandon Gregory
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An article I recently encountered on fad diets was an interesting read for quite a few reasons. One, I don’t really have a lot of faith in fad diets. But, as strange as this sounds, I think a lot of what’s said applies to affiliate marketing as well.
Here’s a list (taken from the article) of ways to spot a fad diet:
- Recommendations that promise a quick fix.
- Dire warnings of dangers from a single product or regimen.
- Claims that sound too good to be true.
- Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study.
- Recommendations based on a single study or testimonials.
- Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations.
- Lists of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods.
- Recommendations made to help sell a product.
- Recommendations based on studies published without review by other researchers.
- Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups.
- Eliminating 1 or more of the 5 food groups
Some of these are more applicable than others, so let me briefly discuss the more relevant ones.
Recommendations that promise a quick fix
Claims that sound too good to be true
My experience in affiliate marketing has taught me that the whole industry is often touted as a get-rich-quick scheme. (If you were lured here under that impression, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but it’s really not.) We’ve worked put some time and thought into making sure it’s easy to work with us, but our most successful affiliates are still the ones that work the hardest. Just like there are no shortcuts to good health, there are no shortcuts to quick, sustainable riches.
Simplistic conclusions drawn from a complex study
Dramatic statements that are refuted by reputable scientific organizations
Watch out for news of startling new studies that you can’t actually find elsewhere on the Web. Granted, a lot of the secrets in affiliate marketing are closely-guarded; but helpful studies (usually done by objective third parties) usually find their way onto the Web.
Also, consider the source of the information. A website devoted entirely to Internet marketing news has more clout than starwarsfan318 on a message board somewhere. Sometimes bad conclusions can be drawn from legitimate studies too, so beware misleading information on the Internet.
Recommendations made to help sell a product
This is a huge red flag that almost always throws the recommendations into suspicion—especially in this industry. As mentioned above, affiliate marketing is sometimes regarded as a get-rich-quick scheme. Well, marketing to affiliate marketers is another get-rich-quick scheme. Don’t be taken in by a biased source of information. A sales pitch anywhere in a report is cause for suspicion.
A good example is link cloaking. We’ve had a few people ask about a link cloaker, so I looked into it. Most of the information I found came from a software company that was selling link-cloaking software. And, as you can imagine, they made it sound like a massive conspiracy on the part of con men on the Internet. The plain truth is that commission stealing is not as big a problem as this company would have you believe (in the education sector, at least)—and on top of that, link cloaking isn’t even that hard to do. Google “affiliate link cloaking tool” and you’ll find several free scripts that will generate the code for you. But despite this, I’m sure that software vendor made a pretty penny selling two-bit software.
Do some research before you invest in any miracle tool or service. It could end up saving you a lot of money and headache in the long-run.
Recommendations from studies that ignore differences among individuals or groups
Know your market. Just because you’re really good at affiliate marketing in the one sector doesn’t mean you’ll be really good in another; and just because you’re really good at marketing to Americans doesn’t mean you’ll be really good at marketing to Canadians. Make sure you do research in both your sector and your demographic.
Eliminating 1 or more of the 5 food groups
Fad diets offer fast results but can have long-term consequences. Taken from the article:
These diets lack major nutrients such as dietary fiber and carbohydrates, as well as selected vitamins, minerals, and protective phytochemicals, such as antioxidants (substances found in vegetables, which are protective against disease). Over the long term, by not receiving the proper amounts of these nutrients, you may develop serious health problems later in life.
Dubious marketing practices may offer quick results, but don’t pay off over time as much as a genuinely useful website that’s been indexed in search engines. And when a vendor finds out about dubious practices (and we will find out), you get cut off pretty quickly.
Affiliate marketing can be a fantastic way to make money, and we have a lot of affiliates who do it very well and make a good living of it. Just be prepared to do it right.
Brandon has been in web design for nearly ten years and currently works as a designer for PlattForm, with additional experience as a programmer and writer. He is making an organized push for web accessibility and is rapidly becoming an expert in the e-mail marketing field.
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Date: June 23rd, 2008
Author: Career College News
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It can be difficult when deciding whether or not to advertise using an affiliate network. There are so many fly-by-night sites out there looking to make a quick buck. Sites that promise to be the cure for your quality lead search. They aren’t in it for the long haul so the all mighty dollar, not quality, is the cornerstone of their operation. There are no restrictions on who can create a website, so how do you know if a site you are considering working with is a legitimate company that isn’t going to send you lead names they pulled from the phone book? Along with checking traffic, rankings and back links using things like Alexa and Xinu, here are a few clues that can make this easier.
The website’s design is the first major clue to how invested a person or company is in what they do. The design should be visually appealing, easy to navigate and not overly flashy (meaning too many flash files or a really bad color scheme). If the site looks like it was put together over night by someone trying their hand at html for the first time, it might be a good indicator that they aren’t going to be able to get you quality leads.
Is the site well maintained? Are there page load errors, broken links or missing images? These could also be signs that something is amiss.
Each page of the site should have the same overall design and feel. Copy should be well written and devoid of grammatical errors. Also, images should add something to the page. If you find yourself captivated by an image and wondering what on earth a dog on a skateboard has to do with a criminal justice degree, you may want to think twice about pursuing that business relationship.
The internet can be a scary place to wager your advertising dollars. With some knowledge and research you can protect yourself against those “too good to be true” sites and focus your efforts where they will pay off in the long run.
Submit your news item or press release to Career College Central for inclusion on the site.
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Date: April 14th, 2008
Author: Jeremy Schoen
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I just set up my new V-mail account today and sent out my first video to my team, and let me tell you, V-mail is incredible! In short, V-mail allows you to create videos right at your office desk and send out a link to your video through your email. Since it’s a link there is no attachment that may be too big to be received. Best of all I can track how many people have viewed my video so it’s trackable. Another feature is that my video plays in what is called a Smart Screen. This Smart Screen is a layout, or a skin if you will, around my video that matches our web site and has links to our web site.
It’s so simple to use. I received a web cam and placed it on top of my computer and plugged it into my USB port. I then logged into my V-mail account through PlattFormad.com and customized my Smart Screen to have my name and contact info. I hit the record button and said a little message into the camera about the launch of our newly revamped web site, Leads2Starts.com. After I recorded my message I then included a snap shot of the web site and recorded just my voice talking about the web site so I could walk my team through the site as they looked at the web site in my video. Finally at the end of my video included a little spots clip video of the Kansas University winning the NCAA basketball tournament last night for fun.
We are now rolling this out to our clients as this is an amazing admissions tool. Admission reps can use V-mail similar to how just did. Picture this; An admissions rep just got off the phone with a lead that they scheduled an interview. The admission rep then sends a V-mail them. First the video has a little hello message from the rep that goes like this, “Hi, I’m John, I just got off the phone with you. I’m looking forward to your interview this Wednesday at 10am. Anyway I wanted to say congratulations on taking your first step towards your career goals and included a map and directions on how to get to our campus. Also after the directions I included a video clip on our Medical Assisting and Massage Therapy programs that you were interested in. I will see you Wednesday, thanks.” After that hello message from the rep the video continues and up comes the still photo of the map with the admissions rep’s voice giving directions while the view follows along on the map. Finally the viewer watches the information clips on the Medical Assisting and Massage Therapy programs. I can only see this would help our clients show rates.
Jeremy Schoen is an Account Executive at PlattForm. He has been with PlattForm since 2003 where his passion is servicing clients in the school sector. He takes pride in finding opportunities that result in putting students in the classroom. Jeremy is also serves as the President of Culture Club which is an organization whose mission is to preserve and further PlattForm\'s culture by embracing diversity, motivating fellow employees and treating one another like family.
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Date: April 7th, 2008
Author: Kody Enlow
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I have to admit, I am a celebrity gossip junkie. I can’t get enough of it. Anytime there is an awards show, I’m glued to my television gazing in awe at the Dior and Valentino gowns. What a celebrity wears on the red carpet says a lot about them. Are they super-trendy? Are they concerned about what other people think about their style? Are they perhaps color-blind (given their wardrobe selections)? One poor wardrobe choice could land them on the dreaded ‘Worst Dressed’ list. Fortunately for all of the celebrities out there, they have several opportunities to redeem themselves.
In the world of corporate image, the web site is like the Dior gown. It overshadows any make-up, hair do, Jimmy Choo’s or Neil Lane diamonds used as accessories. But unfortunately, once a user puts you on the “worst web site” list, you probably won’t get another chance to redeem yourself.
In a recent Pew Report, over the last three years internet usage has grown 42% in the number who said the internet played a major role in their choice of a school or a college for themselves or their children. If a prospective student is researching their education options, there’s a pretty significant chance they have gone to your web site for more information. The all important question – what impression did they get?
The Un-usable Web Site
“If it’s this hard navigating their website, how hard is it going to be getting what I need from their school?” If a student is researching your school and is turned off by the difficult nature of your web site, chances are you’ve lost them completely. Your well-trained admissions staff will never get the chance to woo them if they can’t find initial information (or contact information) they’re looking for.
The Ugly Web Site
First impressions are everything. We all should know this. A web site that has broken images or a design circa 1995 says volumes about your school. You don’t put the time or effort into the upkeep of your web site, what might your facilities look like? You’re using web technology that’s a decade old, how old are their computer and medical training labs?
An up-to-date web site with a clean, modern look will say the same about your school.
The Over-Done Web Site
Think functionality first. Sure flash designs, gadgets and gizmos all look great, but when it comes to the overall function of your web site you need to ask your self two things. Does this take away from the functionality of my web site? What will this do to help attract students to my school?
What good is a flash introduction or a cool widget if a prospect can’t find the information they’re looking for? Sure it will keep their attention for a few moments, but eventually they will want to cut to the chase and find the good stuff.
We’ve all heard the cheesy advice before, but I’ll say it again Keep It Simple Stupid (KISS).
The Outdated Web Site
According to the same Pew Internet study, 57% of people surveyed said online information was the most important source of information during their research. If you’re not going to have the most updated information available on your website, why have a web site. Web site audits should be conducted at minimum every quarter.
Kody Enlow is the Online Editor for Career College Central. She holds a B.S. in Journalism and Mass Communications with emphasis in Public Relations, Advertising and Marketing from Kansas State University.
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Date: March 31st, 2008
Author: Michael Mackie
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I’ve visited schools from coast to coast to shoot television campaigns. From Los Angeles to Laredo. Newport News to Nashville. And it never ceases to amaze me how different every school (or school group) is. Some are straight-laced, corporate-owned entities where everything is suspiciously formulaic. Some schools will send representatives to greet us warmly at the door and then quickly disappear – leaving us to fend for ourselves. And others will hover over us 24/7 giving oft-needed suggestions.
I get an immediate sense of how the shoot is going to go in the first – oh – twelve seconds. But it only takes around six seconds for me to gauge a career college’s overall atmosphere. I wonder how long it takes a potential student/incoming lead to glean the good, the bad and the ugly?
While I am by no means an expert — I do love to sit back and play Dumb Consumer. Here now are my non-scientific findings. (Kudos to the schools I’m about to name. And, for the schools I don’t name by name … well, you know who you are.)
At Institute of Technology in California (pick a campus, any campus), I was literally floored at how friendly the people behind the front desk are/were. You want to make a good first impression … put some perky behind the front desk. Perky and knowledgeable. Perky and knowledgeable and no-nonsense. By the end of the shoot, I practically wanted to sign up for classes.
At MedTech in Indy, they were dazzling models of efficiency. There was a place for everything and everything was in its place. They had our shoot schedule formulized weeks in advance and had back-up plans in place lest anything should fall through. They were always affable, on-time and conscientious about what needed to happen. If I were a scatterbrained, disorganized student, MedTech would have me straightened out in no time flat. You can’t help but want to learn when everything goes smoothly.
One school I visited west of the Rockies had the most gorgeous facility (uh, and view), I’d ever seen. Too bad there was so much in-fighting going on at that school that my team could not get its job done. Students are wildly perceptive and can easily pick up on your staffs’ culture. You want to argue? Fine. Just take it behind closed doors. Students desperately need a positive and cultivating environment to succeed. Oh … and as one student once told me, “Save the drama … for your mama!”
And finally, who could forget the school who “forgot” we were coming! Imagine my surprise (and theirs) when a five-person camera crew showed up … supposedly unannounced. Needless to say, that shoot did not go off without the proverbial hitch. Kind of made me wonder what would happen if I had an appointment with an admissions rep?
Granted, I’m only at a school for a few days … but it’s those impressions that last a lifetime. Smile at me and I’ll instantly smile back. If you are pleasant and polite, you’ll get the same in return. Treat me like I’m an incoming student … and you’ll have a friend for life! And so it goes.
Michael Mackie is an Emmy®-Award Winning Writer/Producer and former Entertainment Reporter who has worked in television advertising and promotion for over 15 years. Mackie has worked and freelanced for a variety of local television affiliates in Des Moines, Orlando and Kansas City. He is currently the Senior Writer/Director at PlattForm – a Kansas City -based marketing, advertising and public relations firm specializing in creative solutions for higher education and all branches of the U.S. military. Mackie has been at PlattForm since January 2004.
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