Welcome back to the Rainmaker Dispatch!
The featured link in this month’s issue deals with the ever-useful craft of affiliate marketing.
Forget about the bad old days of spammy, horribly designed cash-grab websites, today’s best affiliate sites are smart, valuable, and in many cases … beautiful.
This issue is packed with a ton of other great entrepreneurial resources and stories as well. So, on with the show …
A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide to Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing can be one of the simplest and easiest ways a startup can build initial revenue. In fact, there are a few companies out there whose entire model is based on affiliate revenue! Mr. Patel masterfully breaks down the basics for us in this article, a quick read that — in our opinion — is worth its weight in gold.
Inside The New York Times’s Post-Acquisition Strategy for The Wirecutter
Speaking of companies whose revenue is based on affiliate marketing, take a moment to check out The Wirecutter. Started a few years ago as a simple but extremely well written product review site, it eventually sold to the New York Times for tens of millions. Let me reiterate: this is an insanely profitable website based on the simplest of Amazon Associate affiliate revenue. Bonus: Another beautifully executed affiliate site is Canopy. Giving you any ideas?
Show Up Every Day for Two Years
When it’s all said and done, taking consistent action might be the single most important factor in business success. Mr. McCabe illustrates this lesson with great impact, in a short but powerful essay. Show up. Every day. For two years. Can you do that? If you can, you will likely be well on your way to profitability.
The Complete Guide to Using Instagram Stories
It sometimes feels like Instagram has taken over the world. In particular, Instagram Stories. What are they? How can you use them to benefit your business? As usual, the fine folks at Buffer have written an accessible guide to getting started with Instagram Stories which we consider to be a must read.
9 Reasons Your Website Isn’t Showing Up On Google (and How to Fix It)
The content competition in your industry has reached a fever pitch in recent years. Though getting your own digital platform fired up has never been easier, it’s no longer an easy job to reach your desired audience in the search engines. This guide from Ahrefs (an outstanding resource!) will help you understand the basics of how to show up in the searches your people are making.
The Definitive Guide to Writing a Great Press Release
When is the last time you wrote a press release? Does anybody still write them? The answer to that last question is, of course, yes! The art of writing a great press release is still a very valuable skill, and one that many have forgotten. This incredible article (more like a free course, really) from Backlinko is the only resource you’ll need.
Watch this Before You Make Your Next Business Decision
If you’ve ever been stuck in a rut regarding a decision you must make, this video should get you through that process. Mr. Vaynerchuk has a very special talent for cutting through confusion and delivering solid, actionable advice. Which way should you go? Which idea should you pursue? Watch this video, then make your move.
Rainmaker Platform Andromeda is Live!
It’s official, after nearly five years of real-world development, iteration, feedback, and improvement, Rainmaker Platform Andromeda is live!
For those of you who may not yet be familiar with it, Rainmaker Platform is the complete digital marketing and sales solution for entrepreneurs who want to focus on their business more, and their technology less.
It combines powerful website features with email, marketing automation, a third-party plugin library, and a ton of other powerful tools that you just have to see for yourself.
And now, you can. Click this link to take a look and schedule your demo today.
Best Regards,
Ed Bardwell
President
Rainmaker Digital Services