The Early Days

I’m sure that as far back as history goes, people were dreaming of Passive income. Imagine, sitting in your cave, having foot delivered to you – even having cooked food delivered. Without ever having to venture out in the summer heat or the freezing cold.

So even though no money was exchanged, there was that dream of having everything you needed provided for you – with no effort.

Additional Disclaimer: My passive income experience does not date back to the early days, just in case you were wondering.

Royalty

While historical scholars may disagree, it’s possible that Royalty may have been the next best thing to passive income. After all, you sat there, others served you, you didn’t really have to work – other than to pronounce a few laws here and there. Definitely a passive lifestyle, once you got past the conquering and fighting for your kingdom phase.

Additional Disclaimer: I am not royalty.

America’s Frontier

Fast forward a few hundred years and picture yourself in the early twentieth century. By then everyone recognized what Passive Income meant – it meant having your own oil well, cranking out profits for you, day after day. To current times, it’s still mighty handy to have your oil well royalties pouring into your banking account.

Full Disclosure: I own OnlineOilWells.com

Recent Online Passive Revenue

There have been several periods of Passive Income explosions online. Here are some of the highlights:

Automated Sales Process – With the growing Internet of the mid-1990’s, marketers could now set up a sales page and a download page – and know that their customers could get their product, even if the marketer took a vacation! The revenue just kept coming in – with no outward effort on their part.

This was probably the first use of the phrase “I couldn’t turn it off if I tried.”

Associates and Affiliates programs – In 1996 Amazon was the first to announce a way for “regular people” to get paid to refer customers to them online. That method of revenue has exploded to a multi-billion dollar industry.

Whether you earn passive revenue as an affiliate – or you are the business owner with affiliates sending you business, it’s often a no-effort method for earning revenue.

Autoresponders – With the invention of email-based autoresponders in the late 1990’s marketers now had a way to send automated sales messages. That meant that they could pre-schedule messages to go out, even when they were not in the office. This led to the ongoing stream of “I can’t turn it off, even if I try.”

Adsense – Google shook the world of Passive income with the announcement of the Adsense program in 2003. Suddenly you could put ads on your website and earn revenue when someone clicked on them – with no effort on your part. It was totally passive revenue.

The checks from Google continue to escalate to this day with the advent of site-building software that rapidly churns out one site after another, each dedicated to earning Adsense revenue, quickly and passively. While the rules for the types of sites required to pull off this seemingly effortless feat continue to change, many people continue to use Adsense revenue to both augment and replace their income.

Automated Income Streams – Currently the Holy Grail for Passive Income, many programs purport to have the perfect system. All involve a little bit of work on your part up front, then “set it and forget it” and the checks start pouring in.

Is it a myth? CAN you create passive income online? I’ll let you be the judge of that.

As for me – while I have enjoyed all of the methods released in the modern era, I believe there is always room for improvement. So I’ll be taking a new course on automated income starting Tuesday, July 14th.

Join me and others, as we learn the latest passive income program.

1) They are prettier and easier to read. Not only are they shorter (so they fit into an email message without wrapping), but they also are more pleasing to the eye.

2) They don’t get hijacked. This may not a problem in a niche market, but if you sell a marketing product, always cloak your link. Otherwise some people change it to their link – and earn the affiliate commission themselves. This is  especially a problem with Clickbank products, since thousands of people are Clickbank affiliates.

3) You can change the end result of a cloaked link and no one knows. For example, if you find out the hosting company you’ve been recommending is no longer the one you want to recommend, you just change the cloaked link. People who were going to yourdomain.com/recommends/hosting – still go there.But they end up at a different destination.

No need to change article links, blog links, links in your ebooks. If you had “hard-coded” those affiliate links, they would still be going to an old program – who might even have changed THEIR affiliate program and your links don’t even work any more!

4) A cloaked link is easier to remember. For example, I can’t remember

http://members.marketingmakeovergenerator.com/specialinfo.asp?x=355162

but I can remember this:

http://www.techtamers.com/recommends/MMO or http://mylandingpagegenerator.com

Likewise, if you are on a teleseminar or webinar and you say the link, it’s easier for someone to type. That’s one of the biggest advantages of domain redirects of your affiliate links – easy to recall.

5) Basically you maintain control of the links on your site. So you also get the “link love” of sending more traffic to your site (before they are redirected to another site).

You can cloak links with a cloaker – my preferred one is Jim Edward’s affiliate link cloaker (I think it’s a CB product) – my cloaked link? http://techtamers.com/cloaker.htm (see how easy that is to remember?)

While you can use tinyurl.com or some of the other “link shortening sites” for short-term cloaked links, don’t use it for long-term items such as an ebook. Tinyurl links often “disappear” after a time – so people can’t get to them.

When it’s a really important link, I use a redirected domain name. For example, I have TheShoppingSystem.com, MySecretCopywriter.com, MyWritingService.com, AffiliateToolboxGenerator.com – and a whole host of others.

These are products or services that I recommend frequently and rather than try to remember a link, it not only “speaks” better but it sounds more credible to use a domain name. It’s as if it’s my own. In fact, I have TechTamersHosting.com and TechTamersDomains.com – putting my company name into them.

When you take your affiliate marketing seriously, you want to cloak your links. Is there ever a time NOT to cloak? Not to my way of thinking. Cloak those links!

I recently saw a great example of massive action at Robert Plank’s blog. It’s well worth reading in its entirety, but here are the highlights. In one month, he

• changed his sales process to double his sales conversion rate.
• wrote 7 articles per day for 2 weeks – total of 99 articles
• created 99 Powerpoint presentations of the content in the articles
• recorded 99 videos with call to action
• loaded all of the articles in an article site
• loaded all of the videos into a video distribution service
• put all of the distribution on autopilot.

Now THAT’S Massive Action!

Two things struck me as I read his narrative – he was willing to work hard and he repeated the same process. So with those two elements, let’s look at how you can take Massive Action in your business.

First, recognize that action requires work. And work requires time. This is the time to record your TV shows and explain to the family that you’ll be working nights and weekends for the next two weeks.

If you spend just 3 hours per night and 12 hours over the weekend for the next two weeks, you’ll buy yourself 27 hours per week – or a total of 54 hours!

Next, decide on the action you want to take. If you need to finish a product, list everything you need to do to finish it. Then get started! Don’t spend over an hour on the list – you’re here to take action, not make a list.

If you need to market an existing product or build a list of subscribers, decide on just 2 or 3 tactics you’re going to use. Robert chose articles and video articles because they are easy, inexpensive, and create backlinks to your sites.

You may choose Pay-per-click ads and teleseminar or articles and blog posts. Or any other combination of tactics.

Regardless of your choices, spend no more than six hours learning to use them. No single tactic should take more than 3 hours to learn. You’re not trying to be an expert – you’re just trying to use it. Then Get to Work!

So the next time someone tells you to “Take Massive Action” not only will you know what they’re talking about but you’ll also be able to give your own example. Get started now.

Several years ago Russell Brunson introduced a site called Affiliate Land Mines. He had a good premise – that you planted emails, blog posts, 404 pages, articles, etc – then they exploded into income when someone “stepped” on them.

But I just didn’t like the name or the visual imagery. It was the typical blood and guts approach many people take in Internet marketing and I just can’t agree with the “killer” sales letters, “deadly” tactics, etc. So I worked to come up with something that meant the same thing, but was more pleasant and palatable to mind pictures.

That’s when it hit me! I started referring to my affiliate checks and PayPal payments as Popcorn Profits! You never know when or where they’ll pop. They start slow, then turn into a cotinuous stream. And because different programs pay on different days of the month, you never know when they’ll pop up!

I love affiliate marketing and want to be sure you know some of the cutting-edge tips for using it in your business. That’s why I’m sharing this with you.

Affiliate Marketing is the Topic of the Month at the Online Success Incubator. And in keeping with that theme you’ll find

- daily articles on affiliate marketing, free to the public
- an Introduction to Affiliate Marketing course, complete with webinar, worksheet-based handout, and step-by-step video tutorials – this one’s for members only
- multiple bonus ebooks and multi-day video courses on affiliate marketing (again only for members)

Plus the latest techniques in Affiliate Marketing will be revealed on the live webinar on Thursday, October 30th. Members attend as part of their member benefits.

And for the first time ever…

I’m opening up the live webinar to non-members. You’ll be able to attend the New Directions in Affiliate Marketing webinar, plus get the replay.

Take advantage of this special first-time-ever offer and sign up for the webinar today.
 

So what do you think? Do you like Popcorn Profits? Can you think of a better name? Let me know in the Comments section below -

I’ve observed that there are three reasons that people put off doing what they want to do – or what they know they should do.

Reason #1: Fear

We are all afraid of making a mistake – appearing foolish – being criticized. So if you’ve been thinking you’re the only one – get over it!

When we’re not sure what will happen when we take a particular action, we feel fear. For example, if you’ve never published an article – you may get butterflies in your stomach and think “I’ll just polish it a bit more before I publish it.” That’s fear.

If you’ve never sold a product online, you may be afraid you will make a mistake. Or not do it perfectly. Or have someone email and ask a question you can’t answer.

That old adage “Feel The Fear and Do It Anyway!” is never more true than when working in your own business. You just have to suck it up and Take Action!
 

Reason #2: Lack of Knowledge

When we don’t know how to do something we put off doing it. Case in point: I have long admired and used brandable reports created by others. And I would love to provide them for my affiliates. But I didn’t know how to create them – until today!

Now that I see how easy it is to create a brandable report, my mind is going wild with the possibilities. If this is something you’ve always wanted to learn – and you’re willing to invest $10 in doing it, go here now.
 

Reason #3: Habit

Over time we fall into bad habits. We put one thing off, then another, until it gets to be a habit. For years my husband and I had a habit of never making a decision on an offer the day it was presented. We didn’t want to rush into anything – and we wanted to be sure we had all the facts. That cost us a LOT of great opportunities.

When we changed the habit, turning it into making quick decisions, we have been able to move forward much faster.

Recently we decided to look at hybrids, knowing it was a 5-6 month waiting period to order one. We went in to look at the models and drove a new car home within an hour! Had we put off buying it, there were 2 other people in the showroom waiting to take advantage of that deal. But because we had trained ourselves to make quick decisions, we were the ones who got the ONLY hybrid within 500 miles – with no wait!

Here’s an easy exercise to give you practice in making quick decisions. The next time you go into a restaurant, look over the menu and make a decision. Give yourself one minute total. You’ll be amazed at the results – and you’ll start to form a new habit.

What about the habit of setting aside an email for “later.” Break that right now. Either take action on this email or delete it. Saving it to open again later won’t change what’s inside. You either want that Brandable report product or you don’t.

Here’s to Taking Action!

P.S. I’ve just created a new site – with a growing collection of articles about procrastination and related topics. Take a look at Procrastination Articles. 

P.P.S. You’ll get a kick out of this – I wrote this article a week ago – then put off posting it. LOL (laughing out loud!)

Share the ways you procrastinate in the comments below.

“With the price of gas and the cost of travel, it makes sense to let participants benefit from staying home, while maintaining the intense environment of a workshop,” said Dr. Jeanette Cates, organizer of the event. “In addition, you can use your software on your computer – and take a break whenever you like. It’s the perfect atmosphere.”

Topics in the Get It Done Weekend series vary. This month’s topic is Autoresponders and Affiliate Programs. Participants will write both a pre- and post-sales autoresponder sequence of messages, plus a series to educate their affiliates. In addition, they will set up their affiliate program, complete with marketing tools for the affiliates.

Created by Dr. Jeanette Cates, Get It Done Weekends are for busy entrepreneurs who recognize the importance of focused effort. In the 48 hours of the weekend, they are able to start and finish a project. Expert coaching sessions, plus educational materials are available on the topic for the weekend, plus they can reach the instructor by phone or instant message throughout the weekend. A webmaster is standing by to help, as are other experts on the topic.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with emerging online business owners to create Online Success. She is a Master Teacher who has taught thousands of particpants in hands-on workshops. She is the author of Online Success Tactics: 101 Ways to Build Your Small Business and the Founder and CEO of TechTamers.

TechTamers is a consulting and training firm based in Austin, Texas. With a focus on entrepreneurs, TechTamers has been serving the Internet business community since 1997.

If you wanted to pick an apple from an apple tree, would you

 

a) get a ladder, get a basket, climb the ladder, put the apple in the basket, then climb back down

- or would you -

b) pick an apple off a low hanging branch you can reach from the ground.

You probably said “pick the low hanging fruit.”

I think we have the same choices in our businesses. Too often people choose to follow a complex process to create their first online profits. And somewhere in the complexity they get lost and discouraged.

Why not pick the low hanging fruit instead? Follow a simple, step by step process to create your first revenue streams.

After you’ve proven to yourself that you can be profitable online – that you can create income on demand – then you can start using some of the more complex systems.

Low hanging fruit is what this report is all about. Pick up your copy of the complimentary report at Low Hanging Profits

Enjoy the fruit of your labors!

 

One of the easiest ways to do that is to rampu up your promotion of affiliate products.

Promoting affiliate products is fast and easy. After all, you don’t have to research the market, create the product or write the sales letter.

Here’s the quick six step method to get that Christmas Cash.

1. Look at your list of subscribers. What would be helpful to them?

2. Look at your own business or lifestyle. What programs and products do you absolutely love? What do you use on a daily basis? What has been most influential to you?

3. Look up one of the items that you’ve chosen in the first two steps. If you want cash quickly, look for products that pay 100% commissions into your paypal account – or those that pay your commissions by December 15.

4. Write an email talking about the problem this product solves and why you like it. You don’t have to sell it; you just need to create a reason for them to click on your affiliate link. If possible, cloak your link or use a redirect link so it will be easy for them to click.

5. Do a variation of your email and post it on your blog.

6. Create a variation of your blog entry as an article or product review and submit it to article directories.

Repeat this process at least once a week. Not only will you be earning affiliate commissions as you go, but you’ll be forming a profitable habit for the future.
Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet Strategist who specializes in helping people get started online. She offers a complimentary affiliate education series at http://techtamersaffiliates.com/

 

But do you need Silomatic? Is it appropriate for your business? Here are a few observations and questions to help you find out…

First, Silomatic is from Jeff Alderson, a respected name in Internet marketing – especially in creating software tools for your marketing. His software is good, efficient, and reliable. So as far as the technical aspect of the software, I highly recommend it.

Second, Jeff spends a lot of time watching the search engines and figuring out what works – and what doesn’t. That’s why he’s come up with this new software – based on his observations, multiple test sites, and a lot of research and development. So as for the effectiveness of the sites produced by the software, I am confident they are good.

But is it for you and your business?

If you are an information marketer who sells your own products and builds sales sites to do that, this tool won’t fit that model. For you, skip it.

If you are new to Internet marketing and don’t have a clue about site building or html, this is not where I would recommend you start.

If you are wanting to build a site in a niche market and you haven’t started yet, this looks to be an excellent way to start. It has all the right ingredients and will definitely save you time.

If you are an experienced marketer and want to expand your sites or go into a new niche, this will be a perfect match for you. Not only will you be able to get your sites up faster, but you’ll also be able to see the types of sites constructed and apply those same Google-friendly constructs to your existing sites. So I say go for it!

If you already have some sites and want to drive traffic to them (whether they’re information product sales sites or content sites), this tool will definitely help. By building a new site with exactly the recipe Google is currently looking for, you’ll find yourself in a better position in the search results. And those high ranking pages will lead to your existing sites – bringing even more visitors.

Next Steps

I definitely recommend you take a look at Silomatic and watch the video in this new window. You’ll be able to tell almost immediately whether or not this resonates with your style and your business model.

Dr. Cates’ guest will be Mark Widawer, noted Traffic Conversion Specialist and a Google Adwords Qualified professional. He specializes in creating effective landing pages to convert more traffic to customers and prospects, thus saving time and advertising dollars.

“Two of the biggest problems online businesses have are getting more traffic – then converting that traffic into business,” said Dr. Cates in a recent interview. “I wanted to bring THE expert in this area to this webinar, so that attendees can get six quick steps to creating more effective landing pages.”

A webinar is an online presentation. Participants call into a telephone line while looking at a specific URL in their browsers. So they both see and hear the presentation.

Dr. Jeanette Cates is an Internet strategist who works with consultants and other experts to leverage their expertise into Online Success. She is an expert webinar host and a professional speaker in the entrepreneurial market. She is the author of Online Success Tactics: 101 Ways to Build Your Small Business and the Founder and CEO of TechTamers.

TechTamers is a consulting and training firm based in Austin, Texas. With a focus on entrepreneurs TechTamers has been serving the Internet business community since 1997.