In part 1, I gave a quick background on my latest affiliate marketing efforts, suggested you sign up with Market Leverage and Commission Junction, and also talked about deciding on the type of offers you want to promote. Now that you’ve got the offer you want to promote, perhaps something in the dating arena, it’s time to move forward with setting up campaigns within the different advertising arenas, analyzing your stats, and testing keywords.

I’m just going to use the topic of dating offers as an example, but the tips I’ll give obviously apply to any niche or offer you pick.

Getting traffic to your offer

You can’t make money without traffic. So, getting people to see your ad, click on your links, submit their info, or even purchase something is the most important part of all of this. Deciding on where you want to get that traffic from is the tough part. There are so many options – Google AdWords, Microsoft AdCenter, Facebook, Twitter, and many more. For this example, we’ll stick with AdWords and AdCenter since they are pretty similar.  Sign up for both of them as you’ll want to diversify and test which platform works better for you. Most affiliate marketers seem to believe that AdCenter converts better, but it takes longer for a campaign to ramp up and receive traffic, where with AdWords you may see impressions and clicks more quickly, but not necessarily any conversions. Test them both and keep working with them.

Within each of the sites, you’ll be able to set up different campaigns. I like to to test different keywords, so if we are dealing with a Dating offer, then I may set up the overall campaign with the offer name. Then within the campaign you can set up your different ad groups. These are the ads that will be displayed and the keywords that they would show for. I set up different ad groups based on different groups of keywords. To get off the dating example for a second, a better one to understand this might be if you were promoting an affiliate link for a discount printer ink website. You could have Ad Groups for each different printer type or manufacturer (Epson, HP, etc) and then have all your keywords relating to that manufacturer or group. This way you can see which keywords are performing the best within different ad groups. I think that explanation makes sense, if not leave a comment and I’ll try to help explain some more!

Once you’ve got your Ads and ad groups set up, set your budget for spending and let it go.

Finding Keywords

Doing keyword research is probably the most time consuming part of this process. There are so many tools out there and different websites you can use. Ian Fernando just posted a video about the Google Wonder Wheel which is an excellent tool to use and gain ideas from. Within Google AdWords and Microsoft AdCenter there are also keyword research tools which are pretty helpful in giving you ideas. You can just put in your main keyword and it will spit out tons of related terms and even show you the search volume for them. I’ll post more in the future about keyword research as I get more into it. Right now, I don’t really have any set method or system that I use besides the research tools within AdWords and AdCenter.

Testing, Testing, Testing

The biggest part to making this venture successful besides effective keyword research is continually testing every aspect of your ad and campaign. You always want to be changing your keywords (removing some and adding others) to see what works, changing the text or copy of your ad, and also your ad headlines. Another tip is to make as many ads as you can! There’s nothing stopping you from creating hundreds of different ads and seeing what performs the best – this is what some of the big guys do…all day. Just changing a word or two can make a big difference.

Along with testing, you want to keep checking your stats to see what keywords bringing impressions, and more importantly, are getting clicked. Also, be ready to drop some money to see some rewards. I’ve probably spent about $200 to make the $60 that I did. So there is definitely a big learning curve involved, but you could stumble on a great niche or ad that converts great and makes all that money back for you right away!

Do you consider yourself to be a social media rockstar? Are you making money for yourself, your clients, or your employer through social media? Then we want to interview you! We’re going to be launching a series of interviews with self-proclaimed social media rockstars here on Dorm Room Biz very soon. So, get your name on the list today!

If you are on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Flikr, Youtube, etc and are making money and growing your business, by being social, then you’re the people we are looking for. You don’t have to be Gary Vaynerchuk, John Chow, Joel Comm, or Shoemoney to get interviewed. If you’ve had success with growing your business and company on social media sites and with social networking, then here is your chance to share some tips, tell your story, and get some more exposure and followers!

Come One! Come All! Social Media Consultants, Coaches, Marketers, Affiliates, Personal Branders, Authors, Designers, Developers, Programmers, whoever you are – drop a comment here and we’ll be in touch to set up an interview to be posted here on Dorm Room Biz!

What’s up guys? There are literally thousands of websites and services out there that help entrepreneurs and small business owners to run their business, promote and market themselves, and control the chaos. However, deciding which ones to use is the problem. Here is a list of some of the best services out there that you need to be using or at least looking at for your small business.

Twitter
Twitter allows you to update your followers with what is going on, what you are doing, and what you want to talk about. Limited to 140 characters, you have the opportunity to reach a wide audience with your messages. Following people and having followers is the key to success on Twitter -  you need to build your audience. The micro-blogging platform is free and super easy to use via the web or text messaging. Join, start following, advertise your business, services, or products and watch your business grow.
Website: http://www.twitter.com
Cost: Free

Facebook
What – you’re not on Facebook? What the hell are you thinking? Start a profile for yourself, start a page for your business, and start adding your friends. Use Facebook as an avenue to connect with customers on a whole different level. You can also find your friends from college, high school, and former workplaces. Interact with your friends and start talking up your business. Refer people to your business’s Facebook page or group and get them to join it. As people start joining, others will see the notice on their feeds that their friends are joining your group – which may entice them to join themselves. This is a great way to grow your audience and potential customer base. The social aspects of Facebook are also great – upload and share pictures, links, stores, and more.
Website: http://www.facebook.com
Cost: Free

FreshBooks
Looking for a good and easy way to invoice your clients, track your time, or track your expenses? Then check out FreshBooks! The free service will allow you to add a few clients and the paid version will allow for more, but basically you can send invoices to your clients through email and share documents with them as well. The service is great for someone like a web designer or developer that needs to share documents and information constantly with their clients.
Website: http://www.freshbooks.com
Cost: Free or $14/month and up

Basecamp
Project management and collaboration can be a tricky thing when you are small and just starting out. When you are working with a lot of other people on a project, it is key to keep everyone on the same page. Basecamp from 37Signals will help you do that! Basecamp will allow you to customize your management area look and feel, share it with your customers or team members, and share all kinds of documents and information. Anything from 37Signals is a helpful tool for your business, so check out their other services as well.
Website: http://www.basecamphq.com/
Cost: 30 day free trial or $25/month and up

SmartyPig
If you are looking to save up some of your businesses income and hold on to it for a big purchase of new equipment or other needs for your business, then you need to look in to SmartyPig. SmartyPig allows you to set up savings goals and have money deposited into a savings account direct from your bank account each month. I use them for mostly personal savings goals, but business savings goals are definitely a great idea. The people at SmartyPig are awesome and offer great support, so I strongly recommend them – the best part? It’s free!
Website: http://www.smartypig.com
Cost: Free

LinkedIn
If you don’t like Facebook because you feel there is too much info free for searching and not enough privacy, check out the more professional social network, LinkedIn. LinkedIn has been around for a good while, maybe even longer than Facebook? LinkedIn allows you to connect with collegaues, classmates, and other professionals in similar industries…or just random people like Facebook. However, LinkedIn is focused more on the professional side of social networking and growing your connections. You can have people endorse you to help you grow your presence and you don’t have to really worry about any crazy party pictures of you doing a keg stand showing up on your managers Facebook feed (wouldn’t that suck?).
Website: http://www.linkedin.com
Cost: Free

Google Analytics
I could not create a list of useful websites without having at least one Google product on it. Analytics is an awesome visitor tracking program that Google has developed. All you need to do is slap a few lines of code on your site and let it be. Analytics will automatically start tracking your sites visitors – telling you where they are coming from, how long they are staying, what pages they are visiting, and much much more. The best part? Like most things from Google, it is free! There is no reason that you should not be using the program to track your site traffic and evaluate what is working for you.
Website: http://www.google.com/analytics
Cost: Free

YouTube
Social media is a huge part of the web 2.0 revolution and is attracting many more people and businesses to the internet. One way to take advantage of social media and viral marketing is through uploading videos that you create to free video sharing websites such as YouTube. YouTube allows you to upload any video you make (as long as it is under its file size requirements) and share it with your friends, embed it in your website, or post it on other websites such as Facebook. YouTube offers an amazing way to find new customers and visitors for your website. By displaying your website name, logo, or web address in your videos, you will see some traffic come from YouTube…as long as the video is good and people are watching it! If you’re looking to brand yourself and your business, start making some videos and posting them on YouTube!
Website: http://www.youtube.com
Cost: Free

Mint
Looking for a good free way to manage your finances and keep track of your spending? Then you should check out Mint. Mint allows you to link pretty much any bank account, credit card account, and online payment account (like PayPal) to your Mint account and see a summary of your spending and your total income/debt. You can then see trends as to what you are spending the most on and what you need to cut back on. Mint also provides you with different opportunities to save money by switching banks or credit card offers.
Website: http://www.mint.com
Cost: Free

StartupNation
StartupNation is a community website for entrepreneurs featuring step-by-step advice, videos, podcasts, and many resources. The website also features a pretty active forum. StartupNation is definitely a site to keep an eye on as you work on developing your business and have questions you want to try to get answered.
Website: http://www.startupnation.com
Cost: Free

Young Go Getter
Young Go Getter is an active forum for entrepreneurs. You can definitely get the help you need from this group of dedicated people with their knowledge spanning a wide array of industries and technologies. If you have questions about an industry, looking for some help, or just want a place to hang out, then check out YGG.
Website: http://www.younggogetter.com
Cost: Free

Young Entrepreneur
A community of entrepreneurs and want to be entrepreneurs exceeding more than 5000 members strong, YE is a site to visit and visit often. Although some of the content may not always be the most relevant or it may be ’spam’ posts, if you have the time to sort through and find the good stuff, then it is worth it. I talked with the creator a couple weeks back and he says things are in the works to make YE much better in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out! This group of helpful people can definitely be a benefit to you and will help you in any way they can!
Website: http://www.youngentrepreneur.com
Cost: Free

And finally, of course, Dorm Room Biz is always one of the best places to get help as a student entrepreneur!

What are your favorite websites to check and resources to refer to when you need some help?

Now that the summer time is here, a lot of people are planning their different vacations. I was on Facebook this morning, yes you can find me on Facebook, and saw a few of my friends had posted pictures from being at the beach or on different vacations. It got me thinking that it was time to get out and do something instead of just working.

But, it also made me curious as to when and where my readers were going on their next vacation! So, lets here it!

I am an outdoor lover and enjoy going hiking as well as checking out different parks and historic sites such as battlefields and landmarks. So, for my next small trip, I am planning on heading over to Harper’s Ferry National Park in the corners of Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia. Besides checking out the historic town and different landmarks, I’ll be able to get in some great hiking along the Appalachian Trail and reach some amazing overlooks. I have been through the area before but never been able to stop and really explore.

I know its nothing exotic, but being only an hour or so away, it will be a nice day or two day trip depending on if we decide to camp out.

Where will the road take you this summer? Remember: all work is no fun without some play in there! Work Hard and Play Hard!

Are you on Facebook? If you aren’t then you may be missing out…on what, I am not exactly sure, but you are missing out. Facebook offers the obvious networking opportunities and chances to stay connected with your friends from High School or College even after you graduate.

However, on top of staying in touch with your friends, Facebook is nice enough to let everyone know when it is your Birthday. Thanks Facebook, you truly have replaced the need for people to write birthday reminders on the calendars that hang on their walls… creepy.

Anyway, Tuesdayw, April 15th, besides being Tax day (did you get your taxes in on time?) was also my Birthday. So, here is what I call “The Facebook Effect“. Facebook let’s everyone know that it is your Birthday and then it somehow become a law that all of your friends have to write on your wall and wish you a Happy Birthday – even those that you have not seen or talked to in years. They seem to always pop in on your special day to say Hi.

Here is what my email inbox looked like at about 12 noon on my Birthday.

And of course, in accordance with my inbox, here is what my Facebook wall looked like throughout the day.

The one nice new thing about Facebook is that when someone writes on your wall, the email notification that you get also tells you what that person wrote. So, this removes the need to constantly be checking your wall every time you get an email to see what someone said. Talk about some lost productivity that was!