Over the next several weeks, we are going to post some tutorials surrounding blogging and social media platforms. We know that these platforms can be especially helpful to our expert's marketing efforts, but we also realize there is so much information out there that it's hard to know where to begin. So it is our intention to aggregate some useful information and links to help you navigate and put these platforms to use. Below are some helpful links to get you started as well as some tips on how to set up your media player widgets. I've also included links to more advanced tips so you can optimize your blog once you are fully set up. Getting Started Blogger has quick tutorials that will help you get started creating your blog. The steps are easy and the interface walks you through the process. 1) How do I create a blogger account? Basic Instructions on how to sign up: http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py?answer=41348 2) Getting Started Basics: http://www.blogger.com/features#gettingStarted 3) Getting started video tutorial- this tutorial walks you through the basic steps visually: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnploFsS_tY I wanted to give special attention to the Layout Guide that Blogger links to in their getting started steps, because this will be one of the places where you can add a permanent widget placement to your blog. You can do this by adding a Page Element which I will detail below. How to add a Page Element (how to add a permanent placement for your media player widget): Go to the Layout/Page Elements tab in your blogger account. You can add several page elements to your blog page or sidebar by clicking Add a Page Element. This will open a pop-up window. Click Add to Blog in the proper element section to add it: · Link List: Add a link list to your blog with the ability to add a link list title, select the number of items to display and sort your link list alphabetically. · Labels: Add a list of all the labels you've used on your posts. Click each link to see a page showing all the posts with that label. You can change the title of the list, and sort it alphabetically or by frequency of use. · Picture: Add a picture from your computer or the web. You can also add a title and caption to your picture and shrink the picture to fit into your blog perfectly. · Text: Add text to your blog (such as a welcome message or footnote) with our rich text editor. · HTML/JavaScript: Add third-party functionality or other HTML/JavaScript code to your blog. · Feed: Add content from a site feed. Enter the feed URL, then click Continue. You'll then be able to add a title, select the number of items to show (up to five) and display the item dates and/or authors by selecting the appropriate check boxes. · Logo: Add one of our stylish Blogger logos to your blog. The HTML/Java Script page element is the page element you want to add to your blog layout to add a permanent placement for your media player widget. For an example of how this looks please view our blog at: http://iamplife.blogspot.com/. You’ll see that I’ve added a permanent placement on the right that is called iAmplify’s Featured Download. This is a permanent element on the blog, but I change out the featured widget and description weekly. You can also add a media player widget to any blog post. To do this, you just need to switch to the Edit Html tab in your blog post and past the embed code into the Html. *Please note that you must use the embed code format. Blogger does not allow Javascript. More Features Blogger details some additional features like developing your community, getting feedback from your community, new post notifications, open id and converting your blog into different languages. http://www.blogger.com/features#moreFeatures Advanced Features In the Advanced Features sections, Blogger details how to post on the go, group blogging, and adding third party applications. http://www.blogger.com/features#advancedFeatures Featured Blogger Tips & Tricks There are millions of blogs that are dedicated to blogging tips and tricks. I’ve looked through several of these blogs and Bloggerbuster.com is by far the best I’ve found. Look at these two posts: 200 quick tips for using blogger The complete list of blogger tutorials I’ve pulled out some of the tutorials I found useful: Remove “nofollow” tags from your blogger template to spread some link love How to use a background image for your blog Create “wordpress” style pages for your blogger blog How to hide the blogger nav bar How to add background music to your blog Create navigation buttons to enhance your blog How to add icons beside your navigation links What makes a great blog header? How to create a custom header in blogger How to create post summaries in blogger How to generate links to related posts What is a blog feed and why do I need it Five Ways FeedBurner can improve your readership
The first platform we are going to talk about is Blogger. Blogger is one of our favorite blogging platforms not only because we use it, but because it supports our media player widgets. It is also one of the most popular blogging platforms out there.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Blogger Tutorial
Thursday, January 29, 2009
New Partners
We continue to add new partnerships and their products to our store. Don't forget to check out the affiliate account center to find new products that you may want to feature on your site. To access the new products feature, login to the affiliate account center and then click on the Text Links, Banners and Widgets text link on the left hand side. Then click on the New tab on the top of the page. This will give you all of the recently launched products. Below are a few exciting new partner stores we've recently launched.
In partnership with Meredith Corporation, we've launched download stores for All People Quilt and Scrapbooks etc., both divisions of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Their products are also available at iAmplify for purchase. So if you have a craft related site or would like to feature how to quilt or scrapbooking products, sign into your affiliate account and search for all people quilt or scrabooks etc in the search box in the upper left hand corner. Then choose the products you would like to feature and grab the appropriate tracking codes for that product. You can choose from text links, product images or media player widgets.
We have also recently launched a partner store for one of America's leading health and nutrition experts, Gary Null. My Generation magazine dubbed him one of the top health gurus in the United States. For over three decades, Gary Null has been one of the foremost advocates of alternative medicine and natural healing. His products are also available at iAmplify and if you want to feature his products on your website, follow the steps above by searching for Gary Null. If your site has any health component, especially alternative health, his products are a perfect complement!
Last but not least, we've recently partnered with Seminars on DVD to launch a partner store called Seminars on Demand. This store features all of the amazing business seminars that you can find on DVD in a convenient downloadable format. Find seminars from business leaders like Jack Canfield, Brian Tracy and Bob Proctor. As with the above stores, these products are also available via iAmplify. We are actively searching for more business related affiliates. If your site features business content, we would love to hear from you!
If you need help navigating your affiliate account or if you are having trouble with any of your links, please contact us at affiliates@iamplify.com. We are always happy to help!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
New Year's Promotional Ideas
If you are not a physical fitness trainer, there are many more New Year’s resolutions to promote. I’ve listed a few below. Get creative! No matter what kind of product you sell, you can tie it to a New Year’s resolution. So don’t procrastinate! Send out your newsletter before the end of January. You can use the same email template and coupon code as above. Begin with a few tips, insights or even a story and then promote your product at the end. It’s that simple.
Other New Year’s Resolution ideas:
- Quit a Bad Habit
- Learn a New Skill
- Be more positive
- Improve a relationship
- Connect with your spirituality
- Become more motivated
- Earn more money
- Learn to be a better leader
- Advance in your career
- Relax more
- Have fun
- Get rid of anger or negative emotions
- Become more grateful
- Connect with your family and friends
- Become a better parent
These are just a few ideas. I’m sure you could come up with a million more if you think about it. Please let us know if you need any assistance with promoting your product. We are always happy to help. Best of luck this year!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Happy Holidays
We at iAmplify wish you a very Happy Holiday and a successful New Year!
Thank you for partnering with us. We look forward to continuing our growth with you in 2009.
The iAmplify Team
