Greg Hoffman


10/07/2009

 

Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog has Moved!

I finally made the decision to abandon the old blogger template and create a new Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog on Wordpress. The domain has moved but the Internet Marketing Gorilla Blog Archives will remain here.

Visit the new work in progress at Internet Marketing Gorilla.

I plan on updating the new blog much more frequently (yeah right!) and adding as much affiliate marketing information as possible. It will serve as the foundation for promoting my managed affiliate programs at Greg Hoffman Consulting and will be one of my main affiliate sites. Thanks FTC, now I have to label my affiliate links and reviews...

Anyway, it's been fun since I first started this blog in January 2005. If you are subscribed via RSS, visit the new site and grab that feed.

Thank you for the support.


9/28/2009

 

Our Online Dating Success Story - eHarmony.com


You may or may not know this but over the summer, I got engaged! Her name is Jen Williams and we met on eHarmony last year. Our official match date was 11/27/08.

I was on eHarmony after my divorce several years ago but I wasn't ready for a serious commitment. When my children relocated from Florida to the metro-Atlanta area in the fall of 2008, I started looking at relocating and wanted to get serious about finding the right match once I moved. During the Thanksgiving Weekend, I signed up for eHarmony again and filled out my detailed profile. This time I knew in my head the kind of person I was looking for in Atlanta. I had a checklist. I won't embarass her with the details here but I will tell you that my search was over on day one. Jen was the only person I went to open communication with and as soon as we started talking on the phone, I cancelled my eHarmony subscription. When you know, you know.

Jen had been on eHarmony for a while and was about to give it a break. I think my persistence and overall confidence that we should be together helped her decide that she was done looking as well.

We were an incredible match from the beginning. We talked for hours every night for the next two weeks. We met one night in mid December at a Taco Mac in Alpharetta. There was an instant attraction. Sometime during the date she excused herself and went to the ladies room. On her way back, she leaned into the booth and kissed me. I was floored. I was in love.

I Got Lucky. In January, I was fixated on XM Elvis Radio. One night I heard the song, I Got Lucky, a 1962 recording from the movie Kid Galahad. For some reason, every lyric of that song hit me with truth. I really did get lucky when I found Jen. And I have cherished her everyday since then. Needless to say we have a theme song.

I moved to Roswell in March and the courtship was on... We are getting married on June 12, 2010 in Roswell, Georgia. Her two boys and my son and daughter will be a family that day. For now, we are spending lots of time together and loving every minute of it.

It's time for you to join eHarmony. You know who you are.

9/13/2009

 

Rocket Lawyer Affiliate Program - Up to 30% Commission

Commission: 30 Percent

Cookie: 30 Days

Join Rocket Lawyer’s affiliate program and offer your customers access to the most innovative do-it-yourself legal documents service in the industry. Earn big money by offering Rocket Lawyer products and a brand trusted by millions of customers.

Rocket Lawyer is simple to use and as easy as 1-2-3.

Recognized by the Wall Street Journal, Business Wire, PC Magazine, and Kiplinger’s, Rocket Lawyer is the easiest and fastest way for consumers to create legal documents for their home or business. Customers go through a short interview process and can get help through live chat or our other online resources.

Rocket Lawyer products include:

  • Hundreds of Personal and Business Legal Forms, such as Power of Attorney, Wills, Leases, Living Trusts, Prenuptial Agreements and many more.
  • Total Legal Care Plan: Our monthly and annual membership plans include unlimited Legal Document Access, unlimited E-Signature Services, unlimited File Safekeeper™ Document Storage, discounted Live Counsel™ instant legal advice service, and more.
  • Our documents range from $29.95 (for an easy Power of Attorney) to $119.95 (for Total Legal Care™ Plan membership)
  • Why you should become a Rocket Lawyer Affiliate:

  • Highest Sales Commission Rates in our category: Starting at 20% and going up to 30% based on performance.
  • Open search policy: trademark bidding, direct URL, and text in ads, currently all okay!<

  • Why Do Consumers Love Rocket Lawyer?
    Everyone knows they should have a will, living will and power of attorney. In addition to those essential documents, over a lifetime consumers and business people need hundreds of other legal documents, like contracts, family law, real estate and business forms. Rocket Lawyer makes it easy to complete these essential legal projects in only minutes.

    Our simple interview process completes documents automatically by asking consumers a series of basic questions. Guidance is provided for each question, and additional help is available via a help window or by visiting the Law Library.

    9/04/2009

     

    Wendi Rocks! Join her Affiliate Program Now and Earn 35% Commission


    Wendi Friesen is my favorite new client. I love her products and I can see an increasing need in society for them everyday. Wendi is a rock star if you didn't know!

    I would like to invite you to join the World’s best Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy Affiliate Program – Wendi.com on ShareASale. We pay 35% with a 60-Day Cookie, new banners every month for niche products and a dedicated management team. If you want a custom vanity coupon, let me know.

    Wendi.com is working on a Fall promotion schedule for customers and contests for affiliates. This will be a very active campaign as new products are added to the catalog all the time. We currently have more than 300 downloads, DVD’s and self-help products for your customers. Wendi Friesen is internationally known for her hypnosis expertise. Join the affiliate program now.

    She has more than 300 products ready to sell on Wendi.com and she's extremely interactive with her customers. You can find her anywhere! Join now:

    Wendi.com Affiliate Program

    9/02/2009

     

    Easy Card Designer Affiliate Program

    Easy Card Designer allows any webmaster to easily build a custom business card design store linked directly to their site. Affiliates can become customers or just promote the service to other sites. Please check out our program benefits:

    Up to $20 Commission for every sale
    365 return days
    10% 2nd Tier Commissions

    As an affiliate, I signed up for the program in ShareASale here: http://www.shareasale.com/shareasale.cfm?merchantID=23527

    I went to EasyCardDesigner.com and clicked the blue Get Started banner at the bottom. Then I signed up and chose the Turnkey business software link. Its a quick and easy process. When its set up the way you like it, you get your unique url for your store and you are ready to promote it.

    Final step, I went back to ShareASale, cliked on the Create A Custom Link Tool for affiliates and added my Easy Card Designer unique store url as the destination url. ShareASale provided my custom link.

    So check out my store and buy some business cards.


    You can create your own store and your own link or you can contact us and we will build custom links for you.

    IF you don't want to build your own store and you want to take advantage of the 2nd tier commission, use a banner like this to promote the program.
    www.easycarddesigner.com

    7/01/2009

     

    You have to laugh at unsolicited email sometimes

    Good Day,
    We offer a part time job on your computer.

    Job Description:
    We will provide you with the texts for our employees with the important information and you will correct the texts as an english speaking person and send them back to us.

    Salary:
    We don't have a fixed salary for this vacancy. We will pay you USD7.00 for every 1Kb of the corrected text. You will get paid at the END of each month. Every month your salary will be different as it depends on your activity.

    Example:
    If you correct about 5Kb (5kb it about 2 pages A4) of texts per day you will get over USD1000.00 at the end of the month.

    Requirements:
    -Location: Has no value (the main good knowledge of English language)

    -Age: 21+

    -Home computer, e-mail address and Microsoft Word

    -Responsibility

    To apply for job please send us the following information to:
    xxxxxxx

    __________

    FULL NAME:

    HOME ADDRESS:

    CITY, STATE, ZIP CODE:

    Phone number (home or cell, but SHOULD BE available any day time):

    E-MAIL:

    AGE:

    OCCUPATION:

    EDUCATION:

    AVAILABLE HOUR TO WORK WITH US:

    ___________



    As soon as we revise your aplication we will contact you within 24 hours.

    If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask.

    Awaiting for your application.


    Thank you,

    6/23/2009

     

    Book Excerpt - Start With the Answer by Bob Seelert

    Leading in Tough Times
    By Bob Seelert,
    Author of Start with the Answer: And Other Wisdom for Aspiring Leaders

    The financial crisis that began in 2008 continues to unfold in unprecedented ways, thereby presenting business leaders with incredible challenges. How does one manage in such a crisis-laden environment? Here are "Ten Things To Do" based on my 40+ years in business.

    #1 -- Get the truth out on the table. You need to begin with an open, honest, candid assessment of the facts. Sometimes the truth can be ugly, but you're not in a position to deal with it until you get it out on the table. Making unrealistic assumptions only will prompt inaction, with things getting worse before they get better. Get out in front of the problem.

    #2 -- Establish standards for the new reality. When markets collapse, you can't be sure how far they will fall, but you can establish an expectation for how your company will perform relative to whatever happens. At Saatchi & Saatchi, even though our revenue may be down year to year, we expect to outperform the market by 50%. This sets a high standard for our people. We also recognize that there will be margin pressures, but we expect to "draw the line" at X%", in order to preserve our financial profile for the future. This implies tight management of costs at the same time we aim to outperform the market.

    #3 -- Think long term; Act short term. Downturns in the economy present the opportunity for far-sighted companies to go for share of market. Inevitably, some of your competitors will pull back when times get tough. Take advantage of this to position your enterprise to gain when the inevitable market rebound takes place.

    #4 -- Communicate, communicate, communicate. This is the time to increase the frequency of your internal communications and heighten your personal presence in front of the organization. People are understandably nervous and sometimes scared during uncertain times. Now is the opportunity to rally the troops and give them reassurance that your company will be out in front in dealing with what needs to be done.

    #5 -- Get "All hands on deck." Tough times call for extraordinary efforts on the part of every employee. You can't get the job done alone. Now is the time to enlist every person in doing whatever must be done to ensure survival and prosperity. Outhustling your competition is the surest path to gaining share of market.

    #6 -- Get out with customers. Heightening your interaction with customers will keep you tuned in to their needs and give you constant feedback regarding where the environment is headed. Meeting customer needs and exceeding expectations are the two sure pathways to success.

    #7 -- Stay true to what made you great in the first place. Most high performing companies got that way for a reason. Now is not the time to lose sight of this. Toyota has achieved success in the U.S. car market through innovation and continuous improvement. Despite the current downtrend in auto sales, they are innovating by introducing the Venza, and putting into the marketplace the third generation improvement for the Prius. These are the kind of actions that will keep them out in front.

    #8 -- Reframe value for the new environment. Marketers should reassess their messages for relevance in the current economic conditions. Tide always has been the best laundry detergent, but in this environment, it doesn't hurt to remind consumers that its color integrity feature keeps new clothes looking new longer. For Olay it's relevant to mention that the cost of Olay pales in comparison to more invasive or surgical procedures.

    #9 -- Add/Reduce; Create/Eliminate. Despite the economy, it's likely that your company needs to add some new positions and create some new capabilities in order to meet the demands of the marketplace. You should press ahead in these areas, but you need to have the organization simultaneously thinking about how it reduces and eliminates things as well. Tough times force trade-offs.

    #10 -- Set tight priorities. Now, more than ever, is the time to set tight priorities. Decide what is core, and what is non-core, and focus your time and attention on the critical few things that will make a difference.

    Tough times can bring out the best in organizations and prompt actions that will position your company for future success. Follow these ten things and you will do well.


    ©2009 Bob Seelert, author of Start with the Answer: And Other Wisdom for Aspiring Leaders
    Author Bio
    Bob Seelert, author of Start with the Answer: And Other Wisdom for Aspiring Leaders, is Chairman of Saatchi & Saatchi, a leading global ideas and advertising company. A graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School, he has been CEO of five companies, has built brands and businesses, been a party to two mega-mergers, and enacted numerous turnarounds. He has served on boards of directors of companies in the United States, the United Kingdom, and France. He lives in New Canaan, Connecticut.

    For more information please visit www.StartwiththeAnswer.com

    6/12/2009

     

    PLR Health Wizard Hires Greg Hoffman Consulting as its Affiliate Program Management Firm


    Greg Hoffman Consulting, an internet marketing firm specializing in affiliate, paid search and online public relations management, has been hired by PLR Health Wizard to recruit and activate new affiliates into its existing affiliate program for private label rights health, wellness and fitness niche content.

    PLR Health Wizard chose Greg Hoffman Consulting to manage its affiliate base because of his prior experience with large e-Commerce merchants and his newly acquired affiliate manager certification from Lurn, Inc. Gail Trahd, President of PLR Health Wizard, was looking for an experienced and knowledgeable affiliate program manager to tackle her program expansion for 2009. She chose to search in Lurn's AC Certified "Who is Certified" database and found Hoffman, who earned his certificate in May 2009.

    Trahd said, "I need someone who can motivate and energize my affiliates that have been part of my program for the last two years. I also need someone that has the connections and experience to recruit new affiliates into the program as we continuously add new health, wellness and fitness content. Our customers love our PLR content and our partners can benefit greatly by finding new and unique ways to market our products."

    Hoffman said, "I'm very happy my certification paid off so quickly and I'm looking forward to working with super affiliates and PLR affiliates. I'm positive we can find more super affiliates to pick up the program and target relevant customers in need of health and wellness content for newsletters, blogs and multi-media marketing communications."

    The PLR Health Wizard affiliate program uses Amember for its membership platform and starts affiliates at 40% recurring commission. Products range from $39.97 to $59.97. Trahd has generously set a lifetime cookie duration so affiliates can continually reap the benefits. Conversion has averaged near 4% since the program began nearly two years ago, she added.

    Hoffman will be engaging affiliates by blog, phone, email, instant message and in-person at industry conventions throughout the next year. Hoffman will be working with affiliates on program-side training, helping them learn the PLR Health Wizard products and motivating them to perform at higher levels.

    PLR Health Wizard is written and owned by Gail Trahd, a retired/former Nurse Practitioner. The health, wellness and fitness content provided can be used for ezines, newsletters, special reports, podcasts, and videos or inserted in private ebooks. Customers are also provided with illustrations to enhance the content as well as access to internet marketing tools to help them monetize the content. Visit PLR Health Wizard for more information: http://www.plr-health-wizard.com.

    Greg Hoffman Consulting is an internet marketing firm with extensive experience in affiliate program management, as well as paid search management and online public relations. Hoffman recently obtained his Certified Affiliate Manager professional certificate from Lurn.com. He has previously managed affiliate and paid search programs for programs such as Thompson Cigar, Linensource, Casual Living USA, Café Belmondo, eBeanstalk and others. Visit Greg Hoffman for more information.

    6/09/2009

     

    eBeanstalk.com Hires Greg Hoffman Consulting as Their Affiliate Program Management Firm


    Greg Hoffman Consulting, a newly formed internet marketing firm specializing in affiliate, paid search and online public relations management, has been hired by eBeanstalk.com to recruit and activate new affiliates into its ShareASale Affiliate Network program.

    eBeanstalk.com chose Greg Hoffman Consulting to communicate with affiliates on a daily basis because of his extensive relationships with existing and future eBeanstalk affiliates in the ShareASale network. Hoffman has managed multiple e-Commerce merchants in all the top affiliate networks over the last five years.
    Brian Gordon, President of eBeanstalk.com said "My decision was a simple one as I know Greg has a firm grasp on our vision of affiliate management. We need to nurture our relationships and look for new ways to market our learning and educational toys online, especially our niche line of baby gifts."

    Greg Hoffman says "I'm honored Brian has chosen me to represent his brand as eBeanstalk's affiliate program manager. I look forward to picking up the phone and talking with super affiliates that can immediately provide unique content and promotions for the eBeanstalk affiliate program."

    The high-converting toy affiliate program with ShareASale started in April 2007 and currently has a 30-day EPC of more than $8. Its holiday conversion rate is typically close to a healthy 5%. Starting commission for affiliates is 5% but eBeanstalk is looking for strategic partners to take advantage of higher private commissions, Gordon said. The program also has a 45-day affiliate cookie, monthly newsletter and a full product datafeed (Popshops available).

    Hoffman will be engaging affiliates by blog, phone, email, instant message and in-person at industry conventions throughout the next year. Hoffman will be working with affiliates on program side training, helping them learn the eBeanstalk brand, the products and motivating them to perform at higher levels, he said.

    eBeanstalk provides products that promote a child's development and offers visitors expert information on newborn toys, baby toys, toddler toys and preschooler toys. The group of experts include: a child psychologist, speech pathologist, child physical therapist, pediatric occupational therapist, special educator and more than 700 moms - called the Mother Board. The team has carefully selected, tested and approved more than 600 toys.

    Greg Hoffman Consulting is an internet marketing firm with extensive experience in affiliate program management, as well as paid search management and online public relations. Hoffman recently obtained his Certified Affiliate Manager professional certificate from Lurn.com. He has previously managed affiliate and paid search programs for programs such as Thompson Cigar, Linensource, Casual Living USA, Café Belmondo, Shock Coffee and others. Visit http://www.GregHoffmanConsulting.com for more information.

    5/28/2009

     

    ShipABall.com Helps Greg Hoffman Consulting


    I needed a gimmick to get the attention of a popular affiliate program owner and I decided against shipping Donuts this time. At some point last year, Shawn Collins suggested I use ShipABall.com to send a unique reminder of my services. 

    The customer service at ShipABall was very quick and responsive with my custom message for the 10-inch inflatable ball. I was pleased with the images and the price was right. 

    Now let's see what happens...

    Try out ShipABall.com.

    5/26/2009

     

    Men's Coupons Sites Soar in Second Quarter '09

    As the economy slowed and families had to dig deeper this Spring to make ends meet, coupon focused web sites have seen tremendous growth, especially one specific site that caters to unlikely users - men.

    A quick review of Google News under the keyword "coupons" will show thousands of recent media mentions, all talking about how shoppers are taking advantage of online discounts, said Traci Dean, owner of MensCouponClub.com. "We focus on helping men who find it difficult to shop online or are too busy and want to find good deals in one place," she said.

    Dean reports Second Quarter '09 sales for MensCouponClub.com will be an estimated 75% more than the Second Quarter '08 results. The site has also added approximately 500 additional e-commerce merchants this year and is working directly with affiliate managers to provide custom coupons for its customers.

    "We have recommendations to what women want, suggestions made by women, and by the same token, for women using our site, we have recommendations for what men like, suggestions made by men," Dean said.

    Stereotypes don't apply these days when it comes to using coupons and saving money at the grocery store or online, according to retiree Martin De La Montainge, of Tampa. "I'm happy to save money anyway I can. The only coupons I used in the past were found in Sunday newspapers, however, I found MensCouponClub.com that sends a weekly email containing many coupons for different products that fit my needs. Occasionally I will see a coupon for a product that I have never used before and the discount provided by the coupon is an incentive for me to purchase the product and try it at least once."

    MensCouponClub.com works with reputable merchants and adds exclusive coupons every month in many different categories such as: Sports & Fitness, Electronics; Health; Apparel and many others. The owners of MensCouponClub.com also run CouponsandSportsBlog.com to compliment their services and give its visitors updates on major sports related stories mixed with deals they might like. For more information, visit http://www.menscouponclub.com or contact by email: contact(at)menscouponclub.com

    5/24/2009

     

    Don't Panic! Take a Towel Wherever You Go Monday!

    Towel Day - Don't Panic

    A towel, it says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitch hiker can have. Partly it has great practical value - you can wrap it around you for warmth as you bound across the cold moons of Jaglan Beta; you can lie on it on the brilliant marble-sanded beaches of Santraginus V, inhaling the heady sea vapours; you can sleep under it beneath the stars which shine so redly on the desert world of Kakrafoon; use it to sail a mini raft down the slow heavy river Moth; wet it for use in hand-to-hand-combat; wrap it round your head to ward off noxious fumes or to avoid the gaze of the Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal (a mindboggingly stupid animal, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a bush, but very, very ravenous); you can wave your towel in emergencies as a distress signal, and of course dry yourself off with it if it still seems to be clean enough.

    More importantly, a towel has immense psychological value. For some reason, if a strag (strag: non-hitch hiker) discovers that a hitch hiker has his towel with him, he will automatically assume that he is also in possession of a toothbrush, face flannel, soap, tin of biscuits, flask, compass, map, ball of string, gnat spray, wet weather gear, space suit etc., etc. Furthermore, the strag will then happily lend the hitch hiker any of these or a dozen other items that the hitch hiker might accidentally have "lost". What the strag will think is that any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with.

    - Douglas Adams: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy