1. Get Specific

Set realistic but specific goals. What do you want to achieve this year? For some it may be doubling your 2011 sales, and for others it may be breaking into a new niche. Whatever your goals are, make sure they’re specific and achievable. For example, if you’re just starting out, you may want to commit to making $200 a month as an affiliate promoting products in the Health and Fitness niche (and what better time to get started than new years resolution season?). This is a specific and achievable goal, and you’re less likely to get discouraged if you’re able to reach your goals along the way. It’s a good idea to write your ideas down and share them with others to help hold yourself accountable.

2. Be a Quitter

Unless you’re superhuman, there’s a limit to what you can do on your own. If you want to get serious about growing your business in 2012, you’ve got to identify the work you can quit doing. You might be the very best in the industry at website building, backlinking, graphic design and copywriting, but that doesn’t mean your time is best spent doing ALL of these things. What can be outsourced? Truth is, it’s probably a lot more than you think. Sometimes a good third party can get the job done, and free up your time for more important things like business strategy that will ultimately make your business more successful in the long run.

The new year is also a good time to take a long hard look at your business and identify something that isn’t working for you or producing desirable returns. Not all products are going to be super sellers and not all promotions are going to crush it. It may be helpful to use the 80/20 Rule as a guide. Chances are there’s something like 20% of your efforts that are producing 80% of your results. Take a look at that portion of your efforts that are not producing results, and vow to quit what isn’t working and refocus that energy toward something that is.

3. Make a Name for Yourself

Over the past couple of years I’ve been amazed at the number of Internet marketers content to work in the shadows making a living promoting in one trendy niche to another, without really taking the time to develop a long term lasting business. This kind of existence can be exhausting, and in a way that constant struggle defeats the purpose of what’s so attractive about Internet marketing in the first place – the lifestyle. Now I’m not saying forget the short term trendy businesses, ClickBank is in the business of long tail digital goods after all, but consider building something more sustainable. Develop your personal brand. For every person in the industry who has made a name for themselves there are thousands working in the shadows. Stand for something, become something, set yourself apart. Be the expert and the money will follow.

4. Forget Your Passion

I’ve met countless Internet marketers this year whose search for a passion to which they can dedicate their life’s work has literally paralyzed their productivity. In 2012 I say produce first, passion second. Pick something, do something, and learn from that. In this continually changing, constantly evolving industry, no one stays in the same niche forever, and it’s common for passions to evolve and businesses to evolve over time. Master something, then move on to the next thing. Just start, do, create, produce and learn. Don’t let your search for doing what you love and loving what you do result in doing nothing at all. You might just find your passion along the way.

5. Connect

Make a list of people you want to meet next year. Think of people you can learn from and who can directly or indirectly help your business and cultivate these relationships. Come up with a plan to connect with each and every person on your list. Industry events are a great way to meet people. Email, phone, social media, or even old fashioned letters work too. Before you ask for help, offer to help them first. Then offer again. And again. Studies of reciprocity in social psychology and human behavior tell us that people feel compelled to respond to positive action or favors, with favors in return. These days, joint venture relationships are closely correlated with the success of businesses. So do a lot of favors for a lot of people, form relationships and JVs, and know that it will come back to benefit you in the end.

6. Risk It

One of my favorite things about this industry is that the opportunities are endless. There so many different ways to promote and sell products and it seems like there are new tactics popping up every day. So next year, try something new, push your limits, don’t be afraid to fail. Even investing time in a new area of your existing business, say, split testing, can be a little scary. Because time is money, and we all want to be spending time on the things that generate the highest returns. Spending money can also be risky, but what better thing to invest in than yourself? In 2012, don’t be afraid to take more risks to reap more rewards.

7. Rekindle the Fire

Just like relationships benefit from newness and creativity to stay exciting, so can your business. You work hard all year and it’s easy to get caught in a rut, making it feel like Groundhog Day and putting you on the fast track to burn-out. Take a vacation, work from somewhere else, pick up a new hobby or read a fiction book. Do something out of the ordinary that can give you a fresh perspective on your business and on life. All of these are ways to enhance creativity and get you looking at your business in a new light. You’ll be glad you did.

Whether you aspire to world domination, niche domination, six figures a year or a hundred bucks a month, implementing just a few small changes in your business or approach to business could make make all of the difference for you next year. What do you want to achieve in 2012?

Take a look at these related posts:

1. The Ultimate Internet Marketing Shortcut
2. Making it Happen in 2012
3. ClickBank Exchange 2011 Recap: A Look Into the Future of Internet Marketing

We’re back from our inaugural ClickBank Exchange event in New York City, and my new co-host Molly Lane and I fill our listeners in on what we learned and share some insights into the direction our industry is headed. We discuss some cool takeaways from our favorite speakers and sessions, and talk about what I experienced at Joe Polish’s fantastic 25k group mastermind event that took place a few days before our show. Finally, Molly shares her background, how she got involved with ClickBank, and what she does to help make ClickBank and our clients so successful.

Click here to listen now!

Take a look at these related posts:

1. New Episode of ClickBank’s Affiliate Marketing Today Show: Secrets from a ClickBank Super Affiliate
2. New Affiliate Marketing Today Episode: Going International with Your Affiliate Marketing
3. New Podcast: Tips for Info Product Marketing Success

ClickBank Exchange Keynote Panel

Written by: Beau Blackwell, Client Knowledge Guru

A little over a week ago, ClickBank hosted our first ever industry conference, the ClickBank Exchange, in the heart of New York City. Despite it being our first time hosting an event, it was a huge success! Our lineup of speakers delivered incredibly valuable information to attendees, and we’re already seeing sales coming from new networking connections made at the show. That’s one of the coolest things about networking in our industry—partnerships and connections made at events only take a matter of days to start generating profits.

One of the most interesting aspects of the show was how it gave a glimpse into what’s coming for the Internet marketing industry. Even though each speaker created their presentations independently, a couple of themes kept coming up repeatedly: namely, the importance of authenticity and relationship building.

If you’ve followed Gary Vaynerchuk at all, it should be no surprise that he talked about (or, more accurately, ranted about ) the importance of authenticity and relationships in his funny and thought-provoking keynote, but what surprised me is how many other speakers also talked about how our industry is naturally evolving to require and reward both of these traits. Joe Polish discussed it in his keynote, as did Yanik Silver, Ryan Lee, Jeff Siegel, and many of our other speakers who’ve built long-term, sustainable businesses online.

What was most interesting about these topics coming up from our speakers is that they happened to be areas of focus for ClickBank at the event, as well. Our corporate counsel, Michael Carrigan, covered ClickBank’s new vendor guidelines and why an essential component of being compliant with government regulations is being honest and authentic in your marketing. Our team also shared details about some of our upcoming features that enable strong relationship building, such as Joint Venture partnerships, affiliate whitelists, and more.

ClickBank Exchange Networking

One of the best parts of the Exchange was that the themes of authenticity and relationships really came through in how attendees approached the event. Speakers shared some of their best content for free, and with no pitching to the audience, which led to attendees being excited and engaged more than I typically see at other events. People also spent their time actively networking (including at our crazy speed networking event, which was seriously fun and exhausting) instead of just hanging out with people they already knew. That’s one of the main benefits of attending events like the Exchange—you never know who you could meet that can totally transform your business.

All in all, the event was a great success, and we can’t wait to see all of you at the next Exchange! If you missed out this year, be sure to get your ticket early for next year’s show, as it’s definitely one you don’t want to miss! Stay tuned for details in the coming months around ClickBank Exchange 2012.

Thanks to Miles at ClickScoop for providing these images. To see the full album with great photos from the event, check out ClickScoop’s gallery on Facebook!

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Announcing the ClickBank Exchange!
2. New Affiliate Marketing Today Episode: Updates from the ClickBank Exchange
3. The Ultimate Internet Marketing Shortcut

What if I told you that, as a ClickBank insider, I knew of a huge shortcut to Internet marketing success? Something that allows you to quickly overcome a lot of the roadblocks to success that many Internet marketers (especially new people, but even some veterans) face in building their businesses? Is that something you’d consider investing in?

What I’m talking about isn’t a new piece of affiliate software, a training course, or even a new traffic technique used only by Internet marketing “ninjas.” Nope, it’s much simpler (and a lot more fun) than any of those.

OK, I won’t leave you hanging any longer. The biggest “shortcut” to IM success that I’ve found in years of working at ClickBank is: attending industry conferences.

There are quite a few reasons why conferences are such a great place to jump-start your marketing business or reach the next level of success, but I’ll share a few of my favorites here:

Connections

One of the toughest parts of being in the Internet marketing industry is trying to meet the “right” people who can help you grow and succeed. With the anonymity of the Internet, and how bombarded everyone is by email, IMs, and more, it can be incredibly tough to get through to people and get them to help you. At face to face events like conferences, though, I’ve found that it’s much, much easier to meet even big names in the IM industry and become friends with them. I’ve met and become friends with some huge names in our industry over the years, and almost every one of these relationships has started at a conference.

Besides having access to people you can’t normally reach, there’s a level of trust that only comes from meeting people face to face and showing them that you’re a person they want to work with. Trust is really hard to achieve with an anonymous communication method like email, but a 5 minute conversation at a conference can overcome that barrier and get people to trust and like you, and be willing to share valuable tips or otherwise help you out. This alone can make a huge difference to your marketing success!

Knowledge

Another great thing about industry conferences is that they typically attract some great speakers- people who are already successful in Internet marketing and are willing to share some of their secrets. One of the things I love about attending conferences is that you end up hearing the same kinds of great tips and techniques you would normally have to get by buying IM products, but one conference ticket can get you the same amount of information as 10 high-priced programs!

The information shared in these sessions is usually the most cutting-edge stuff, since speakers like to share the latest techniques they’ve just learned and are secretly competing with the other speakers to be the most interesting and impressive. At a show I attended last year, Ryan Deiss’ Traffic and Conversion Summit, I learned about all kinds of cool tips and tricks I’d never heard of before despite being an Internet marketing veteran and ClickBank insider. Investing in an industry conference can be one of the best ways to make sure you’re up on the latest techniques and staying ahead of the competition. You can use this advantage to really boost your Internet marketing earnings.

Accountability

As I’ve said in an earlier blog post, two of the biggest keys to Internet marketing success are dedication and perseverance. Since Internet marketing is usually a business where you’re working alone, it’s easy to get distracted or discouraged and give up before you’ve hit the big time.

One proven way to counteract that is to be accountable to other people. If you tell other people what you’re working on, you’re a lot more likely to stick with it even when the going is tough.

With that in mind, one powerful byproduct of conferences is that friendships and Mastermind-style groups tend to form during and after the show. Being in one of these groups can help provide that accountability, as well as introducing you to kindred spirits you can get help from or ask questions of when you can’t figure something out for yourself. A show I attended recently has a lively “alumni” group that formed after the event, where people have supported each other’s projects and offered a ton of helpful free advice that would have otherwise been much more difficult or expensive to get. That’s just another example of how the initial investment in the show can keep paying dividends long after it’s over.

So Now What?

Hopefully by now you recognize what a HUGE shortcut to success conferences can be! If you’re ready to make an investment in your Internet marketing success, you’re in luck. Coming up on August 19-20 (just a few short weeks away), ClickBank is hosting our first-ever industry conference called the ClickBank Exchange.

We’ve lined up one of the most impressive lists of speakers ever seen at an industry conference, including social media guru Gary Vaynerchuk, direct response marketing geniuses like Joe Polish and Joe Sugarman, Internet marketing superstars like Yanik Silver, Russell Brunson, Marc Ostrofsky, and Ryan Lee, and top-selling ClickBank clients like Jeff Siegel, Chris Farrell, Jon Benson, and over a dozen more!

No matter what aspect of your business you want to grow like never before, the Exchange is the place to do it. Remember the connections I mentioned earlier? The people you’ll meet at the Exchange will be some of the highest-caliber Internet marketers on the planet, and will give you insider access to marketing secrets and shortcuts that you really cannot get anywhere else.

To get on the fast track to success through industry conferences, you NEED to sign up for the ClickBank Exchange today! It’s less than 3 weeks away, and won’t come around again for another year, so do not miss out! I’ll be there, of course, and I hope to see you there too.

BONUS: Want to save $100 on your ticket? Just enter the coupon code shortcut at the first step of the registration!

Take a look at these related posts:

1. ClickBank Exchange 2011 Recap: A Look Into the Future of Internet Marketing
2. Announcing the ClickBank Exchange!
3. 7 Step Guide to Internet Marketing World Domination in 2012

We’re back with a new episode of Affiliate Marketing Today! Dush and I speak with Itay Paz, a ClickBank superaffiliate and Internet entrepreneur who attends, and in some cases organizes, some of the biggest conferences in the Internet marketing industry.

Itay gives some great advice about how to make the most of networking opportunities in our industry, both in person and online. He gives some great tips about meeting with potential partners, connecting with other people in the business, and much more.

Click here to listen!

Take a look at these related posts:

1. ClickBank Podcast: Effective List Building with Itay Paz
2. Affiliate Marketing Today Podcast: How to Attract Joint Venture Partners
3. New Podcast: Tips for Info Product Marketing Success

It’s the final day of Affiliate Summit West 2010, and it’s been a whirlwind event! With over 4000 people in attendance, every day has been very busy and productive. Our Meet Market table and exhibition booth have been swarmed by a mix of current and future vendors and affiliates, and we look forward to adding many new people to our network within the coming weeks.

ClickBank's Meet Market Table on Sunday

In addition to our event sponsorship and exhibiting on the show floor, our VP of Business Development and Marketing, Dush Ramachandran, led a popular session yesterday on affiliate marketing opportunities in Europe.

ClickBank employees chat with visitors at our booth

One of the highlights of this Affiliate Summit were the excellent keynote speeches by Dr. Robert Cialdini and Brian Clark of Copyblogger and DIYThemes, which sells the amazing Thesis theme for WordPress. Both speeches were hugely popular, and generated a lot of great discussion and ideas for boosting online profits in powerful and sustainable ways.

Brian Clark of Copyblogger

Even though it’s the last official day of the show, we’ve still got a packed schedule coming up, with client meetings, parties, and more! We’ll be posting video interviews with some of our clients very soon, but in the meantime check out our pictures from Day 1, 2, and 3 of the show.

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Affiliate Summit East 2010 Recap
2. Affiliate Summit Day 1 Wrap-Up
3. ClickBank Connects with its Network at Affiliate Summit West

Today is my first day back in the office after attending the Affiliate Summit in Las Vegas on January 11-13, and I’m excited! The conference was extremely productive and was a lot of fun, too!

We spent most of Sunday at our table at the Affiliate Meet Market. We had the opportunity to meet and speak with a myriad of people, whose knowledge of ClickBank ranged from “I’ve never heard of ClickBank. What do you do?” to “ClickBank!  I’ve been waiting for years to see you at one of these conferences!” We also thoroughly enjoyed meeting many of our current clients, several of whom we had corresponded with via email and phone calls but had never met face-to-face. How wonderful it is to finally be able to put a face with those names!

Monday was spent walking the show floor, talking with potential partners, and learning about other networks. We were blown away by how much the Affiliate Summit had grown since our first trip there last winter.

On Monday night, we hosted a VIP party at The House of Blues Foundation Room, an exclusive club at the top of the Mandalay Bay hotel with a fabulous view of the Las Vegas Strip. About 25 people attended and we had a wonderful time getting to know our clients on a social level, while listening to their ideas on what they like best about ClickBank and how we can improve our business. Thank you to all who attended-we had a great time with you!

We wrapped up the trip on Tuesday with a couple of meetings and another walk of the show floor, and then headed off to the airport for the return trip.

We would like to thank everyone who took the opportunity to introduce themselves to us at the Meet Market or while we were walking the show floor. We left with great memories and a boost of enthusiasm for the year ahead!

Take a look at these related posts:

1. ClickBank Connects with its Network at Affiliate Summit West
2. Meet ClickBank at Affiliate Summit East
3. Update from Affiliate Summit West 2010

Come meet with ClickBank executives at Table 47 at the Meet Market on Sunday, Jan. 11 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

The Affiliate Summit West, the premier affiliate marketing conference of the year, provides an opportunity for affiliates, merchants and networks to attend educational sessions on the latest industry issues. The Affiliate Summit West presents an opportunity for ClickBank to meet its affiliates in person, receive feedback about its services and keep its affiliates up to date on enhancements coming in 2009.

“The Affiliate Summit West is an excellent opportunity for ClickBank to meet its affiliates in person and discuss the latest trends in affiliate marketing,” said Brad Wiskirchen, ClickBank’s chief executive officer. “We have a number of dynamic additions planned for our services in 2009.”

Take a look at these related posts:

1. Affiliate Summit West Wrap-Up
2. Update from Affiliate Summit West 2010
3. Save 20% on Affiliate Summit East Passes!