First Things First 

Picking a Topic

Before you can go any further, you need a topic.

Remember why I selected Bedwetting? I have a 5 year-old who wets almost every night. It's a topic I can write about with feeling. With some additional investigation I can also write on the subject with authority.

So Rule #1 is: PICK A TOPIC OR PRODUCT YOU KNOW. (Of course, you can pick an unfamiliar topic as long as you'are willing to spend time doing a fair amount of research first.)

I also chose bedwetting because it is a fairly common childhood problem. In fact, my research indicates that 20% of children over the age of 5 still wet the bed at night. This means that at least 20% of the parents in the world are dealing with this problem at any given time.

In other words, it's a topic that will appeal to a large number of people. That's because Rule #2 is: PICK A TOPIC THAT WILL DRAW A LARGE AUDIENCE.

To contact me, just click here!

So what topics do YOU have some insight into? Make a lens today and start making money!

This is NOT the Sales Pitch We Want to Use 

Here's a Great Example of a Horrible Affiliate Sales Site!

Buy My Stupid Book!

This spoof points out every obnoxious sales slant that that can possibly annoy us!

Selecting a Title 

Making Sure it's Catchy!

A run-of-the-mill title for your lens or website is NOT going to help you get traffic to your site. You want a title that will cause folks to say, "Huh? What's THAT all about?" You want to stand out from the crowd!

Take time to look at some other websites that deal with your topic (hopefully, you already did this when you were researching...) What are their titles like?

When I look up bed wetting, I see entries like "Bed Wetting Information", " Stop Bedwetting", "What Parents Need to Know About Bedwetting" and plain ole "Bed Wetting".

Once I've looked at other people's approaches, I do some brainstorming of my own.

For my own money-making lens on bedwetting I could try:

Wet and Wild and Weary!

or

Bedwetting - Strategies and Solutions

or

No More Wet Beds!

or

Good Bets for Bedwetters (and their families)

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The first title is fun, but it won't draw anyone in because it's non-specific.

The second is specific and hopeful, but sounds rather academic. I prefer a more homey approach.

The third sounds like an infomercial; I HATE infomercials!

I like my last title best...It's not too long, it offers hope, and it hints that I'll be offering products and or advice on an important topic.

******************************
To contact me, just click here!

Take some time right now to brainstorm a title that will grab those internet browsers!

Why Wait? 

Get Tiffany Dow's Book Now!!

This is the book everyone is talking about! Tiffany explains all the ins and out of social marketing in a clear, concise and interesting way...

Let me know what you're thinking... 

Questions? Comments? Offers of Fine Chocolate?

There's more to come, but I'm using this "Guestbook" Module to break up my page and give my readers a chance to react to what they've read so far. Soooooo, tell me what you're thinking!

AntonioB I enjoyed my visit thanks for the tips! Posted August 14, 2008

serramark71 Now, I think I'm ready to create my own website for my online business! Last month, I've finished learning how to create a website and SEO! 3 weeks ago, I've learn about unique website templates & now, THIS! This is totally great lens for people like me- a newbie! Thanks for the advices, info and everything in here! I owe you one! Thanks for sharing! Meanwhile, you can check out this site that offers I love Lucy checks and other personalized bank checks at cheaper prices! I'm sure you'll love what you'll see! Nice 5-star lens! Posted July 09, 2008

Successful_Living I enjoyed the lens. Thanks for the information. 5 stars Posted February 12, 2008

poddys Great advice, got to give you 5 stars. I've been trying for years to make a living out of affiliate marketing, and still getting nowhere. It seems like no matter what I do I can't get a lot of people to sign up, even if it involves no cost and a lot of potential. Finding that niche and getting the word out there effectively if just so hard sometimes. I'm hoping that this time with Squidoo I might start to get somewhere. I created a lens on Calling From The USA To The UK. Since I do this a lot and have done a lot of research to help save me money, I hope this lens will provide useful information, but again is it interesting enough? Time will tell, and I will be checking all the links on this great lens for any more clues on how to improve my marketing. Keep up the good work. Posted February 05, 2008

Shellonline This is such an excellent lens. Easy to understand and very informative, thanks for sharing all the good stuff! :) You receive 5 stars! Posted January 07, 2008

 

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Great Deals for My Readers on Amazon 

This is the "affiliate" part!

You'll find these "sales" modules sprinkled throughout my lens. In this one I handpicked the products myself.

If a reader links to Amazon through my lens and purchases a product, I will receive a commission. How cool is that?

(*Subliminal Message* - "Now go buy something!")

By the way, because I hand picked these books, I got to write a little blurb next to each one. You can use these blurbs to pique interest in the product, or if it is a rival product, point out it's flaws.

My comments are rather tongue-in-cheek because most of the book titles are lame!

Search Engine Marketing, Inc.: Driving Search Traffic to Your Company's Web Site (Ibm Press)

by Mike Moran, Bill Hunt

Is there a rule that says business books and textbooks have to have stuffy titles? Oh well, it's the content that counts, right?

Amazon Price: $29.99 (as of 08/21/2008)

eBay Income: How Anyone of Any Age, Location, and/or Background Can Build a Highly Profitable Online Business with eBay

by Cheryl L. Russell

I'm gonna buy this one and read it. I've GOT to do something with all that "stuff" in my basement!

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 08/21/2008)

Internet Riches: The Simple Money-making Secrets of Online Millionaires

by Scott Fox

The title on this one makes me giggle. Millions, anyone?

Amazon Price: $14.96 (as of 08/21/2008)

How to Use the Internet to Advertise, Promote and Market Your Business or Website with Little or No Money

by Bruce C. Brown

A Loooooong Title, eh? But that "Little or no Money" phrase will catch cheapskates like me every time!

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 08/21/2008)

Internet Marketing and e-Commerce

by Ward Hanson, Kirthi Kalyanam

Sounds as dull as cornflakes, but I'm sure there's some good info there.

Amazon Price: $127.16 (as of 08/21/2008)

Research Time! 

It Pays to Know What You're Talking About.

If you're already an expert in your topic, then bully for you! Please share that expertise with your adoring public. But even an expert would be remiss if he/she didn't double check those statistics and assertions.

Naturally, if you are a master of your subject, you'll want to includes links to your own website or blog.

The rest of us REALLY need to research for info. That sounds daunting, but it doesn't take that much time and it is, of course, time well spent.

Where can you research? That depends entirely on your topic!

You can Google your topic again (remember how you did that before selecting a title?). Not all resources on the web are trustworthy so check several sites and compare the information they give. Check out who runs the site; Is it a credible organization? For instance, when I am researching bedwetting online, I see one and a half MILLION websites. Whew!

I'm primarily going to look at those put out by medical organizations and childhood health groups. Because of the nature of my subject, I could also check out a few blogs and testimonials. Last of all, I'll check out products that can be purchased to help deal with the problem.

You can also do research at your neighborhood library. Naturally, you'll look for books on your topic. But you can also go through the newspaper and magazine archives to search for related articles.

If you've got the time and incentive, you could locate an expert - in my case, our family doctor - and get their input.

*********************

If you want to succeed, then take the time to know your topic well. If the average Joe finds that your information is reliable, he will most likely come again. He will also tell his friends about your fabulous website. That's called free advertising via word-of-mouth (or keyboard) and...

...WE WANT FREE ADVERTISING!!!!!

Yet Another Amazon Module 

With a different twist...

Now get busy and Make That Lens! 

It's time to settle down to some creative exertion

Alrighty now. You've selected an interesting topic, you've picked a great title, and you've done some credible research. Now it's time to build your lens. You can click that MAKE A BUSINESS LENS button over on my right sidebar. This will take you to a very simple 4-Step set-up.

Step 1: You will have to type in your fascinating topic.

Step 2 will give you four options. The first three give you a lens that already has some potential modules in them. If you select one of those, you can use the suggested modules as a guide. Later you can add or delete modules as you like. I prefer to use the fourth option and build my own lenses from scratch. After this start up process is completed, I just go to the "add Modules" feature at the top of my lens page and pick what I want.

Step 3 will ask you to select a URL (address) for your lens. I usually use my title or topic or some unique version thereof.

You'll have to pick a category too from a scroll down list. For bedwetting Ill choose "Health and Medicine".

The last part of step 3 will ask if your lens is safe for family viewing or if it has "Adult" material. Click accordingly...

Step 4 will ask you to select 3 key words for your lens. These are the keys that search engines will use to help direct people to your site. You can only put 3 here, but you can add more later. For bedwetting I'll use "Bedwetting", "Bed wetting", and "Childhood Problems".

Great Places for More Info on Affiliate Marketing 

Because I can't fit it all here!

Affiliate Marketing 101 (and then some!)

Tiffany Dow is probably the queen of the affiliate marketing world. I could list all her lenses individually, but I need to get out there and finish my bedwetting lens (and my thumbsucking lens, and my childhood obesity lens, and my...), so I'm sending you to her lensmaster page. Please DO take the time to sit at her virtual feet and learn.

She's NOT boring; take my word for it!

Jason's Affiliate How-To's

Jason has done a great job of explaining how to select products and affiliate plans that will work for you. Lots of well-written, solid information for a profitable plan!

Examples of Great Affiliate Lenses 

Examine these winners for ideas of what works well...

Plexo is FUN! (People like fun!)

I'll start you off with a few examples of what I consider great affiliate sales sites. With this Plexo module, you can check out the lenses and then vote them up or down according to how you react to them.

You can also add to my list if you find an incredible lens, or you can "Grab This List" and put it on your own lens!

By the way this is for SQUIDOO LENSES, not hard sell affiliate sites. We're looking for examples of great titles, text, and talent combined with affiliate sales sites available on Squidoo. That's the focus of this lens. Bald-faced marketing lenses or sites will be removed.

Add to this list

Grab this list

Get the RSS feed: Keep an eye on this Plexo list. See who wins. And who's left in the dirt.

Get the widget: Add this Plexo list as a widget on your blog, site, forum, whatever. Be an influential. Show off your great find.

Get this on my lens: Attack of the clones! Grab this Plexo module for your own lens. Get YOUR readers to vote for their favorites.

• Add to Bloglines
• Add to My Yahoo
• Add to Google
• Add to Technorati
• Add to NewsGator
• Add to My MSN
• Grab the XML

Please pick your widget size and display. Then click "Make the Widget" to get the code that's just right for you.

Pick your widget size:

Small size: Best for blog sidebars, and areas 250 pixels or less
Standard size: Best for blog posts, and areas greater than 250 pixels wide

How many list items to show? 5 10 15 All

Make the Widget!

Voila: Just copy and paste this code into your own site. Have fun!

Oopsey! Please login to Squidoo in order to add this module to your lens.

Add more links    Submit

Type or paste links below (one per line):
(Ex: http://www.cuteoverload.com) Help me find links

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