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Helpful Answers to Common Questions

NOTE: Do not be alarmed if you find links on this page that are either broken or result in a 404 Error Page. This page is a work-in-progress and will continue to be updated.



FAQ Topic List
Click a topic to go immediately to the list of related questions
How Was My IBSoftShop Number Chosen? Help Me Help My Customers I have a IBSoftShop.
Woohoo! Now what?
My IBSoftShop's Appearance Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop Marketing Help & Training
Affiliate Products
and Programs
Tracking Lead Generation
Search Engine Submissions Shorter URLs IBSoftShop
Mechanics
Other Miscelleneous IBSoftShop Questions    

This page is updated on a regular basis.

If you do not find an answer to your question here or elsewhere in the IBSoftShop Academy, please contact Support at support2@ibsoftshops.com

NOTE: Details and specifics are extremely helpful, especially if you're experiencing problems with something. Be sure to include your IBSoftShop IP and PayPal address in your message.

Welcome IBSoftShop Managers!

This FAQ page is provided as a resource for you. The questions that you find here have been asked by other IBSoftShop managers and since most of us share common goals and objectives, we hope that you'll find this information to be helpful.

This FAQ page is updated on a regular basis. If you do not find an answer to your question, please contact Support at support2@ibsoftshops.com


Index by Topic
Click on a question to jump to the detailed discussion.

Topic: How Was My IBSoftShop Number Chosen?...

Q: (click me) How did I end up with the IBSoftShop that I have now?

Topic: Help Me Help My Customers...

Q: (click me) Help me understand the purchase and download process for the products I'm selling.

Q: (click me) How come the ebook that I bought from you doesn't work?

Topic: I have a IBSoftShop. Woohoo! Now what?...

Q: (click me) Now that I have my IBSoftShop, what should I be doing next?

Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...

Q: (click me) Why doesn't my site look and operate like your site?

Q: (click me) How do I get my "crazy name" to show up in the browser address bar when someone clicks through my "crazy name" link?

Q: (click me) When will my monthly IBSoftShop payment be due?

Q: (click me) Where are my customers landing after they buy something? I don't recognize the domain name. Is it mine?

Q: (click me) Isn't there an easier way to get our visitors to the Free Software Sign Up?

Q: (click me) What do I need to do so that when someone bookmarks a page on my site the bookmark will have my site name?

Q: (click me) Would it cause any issues to direct (forward) multiple domain names to my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) Why don't the IBSoftShops have a shopping cart system?

Topic: My IBSoftShop's Appearance...

Q: (click me) Why isn't my website name shown on my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) Can I make changes to the appearance of my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) Why don't some of my IBSoftShop graphics show up when I'm using my Mozilla Firefox browser?

Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...

Q: (click me) What things can or cannot be changed on my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) How do I customize my contact page?

Q: (click me) What rules do I need to follow when it comes to customizing my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) How do I go about adding products to my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) Can products be removed from my site?

Q: (click me) Can I add a site name to my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) How can I get a copy of the graphics used on my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) How do I set up custom pages that offer a free downloadable product or ecourse?

Q: (click me) If I join a traffic or ad exchange program like Instant Buzz or TrafficZap, may I add their code to the pages on my IBSoftShop?

Topic: Lead Generation...

Q: (click me) What happens to the leads generated at my site when a visitor signs up to receive free software?

Q: (click me) Is there an autoresponder system on our IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) Can I use pop-ups or fly-ins on my site for lead generation?

Q: (click me) I have a "glitch" with the "Free Software Sign-up" form located at the bottom of my page. I signed up to test it out. The email sent to me with the free software belongs to someone else's IBSoftShop URL and not my own!

Topic: Marketing Help & Training...

Q: (click me) Will there be any help material or info regarding marketing and advertising, driving traffic to the sites, etc?

Q: (click me) What should I be thinking about as I consider customizing my IBSoftShop?

Q: (click me) Can I copy the HTML from the sales pages of my IBSoftShop, then mail it as an HTML ad? I've read that HTML ads pull better than text only.

Q: (click me) If I'm setting up inbound links pointing to my IBSoftShop, is it better to point to the "index page" or to another page? I might have 10 PR5 pages with links pointing to my site.

Q: (click me) How do I go about setting up a Google AdWords campaign?.

Topic: Affiliate Products and Programs...

Q: (click me) Can I sell products on my IBSoftShop for which I'm an affiliate?

Q: (click me) Will I be able to sell any of Joe's products as an affiliate?

Q: (click me) Can I run my own affiliate program using the products on my IBSoftShop?

Topic: Tracking...

Q: (click me) How can I track the traffic that may be coming to my IBSoftShop?

Topic: Search Engine Submissions...

Q: (click me) Is Joe doing any search engine submissions for my site or is this something that I should be doing?

Q: (click me) When I submit my IBSoftShop to search engines, what domain should I be using?

Topic: Shorter URLs...

Q: (click me) Some of my web page URLs are quite long. What options do I have to shorten them?

Q: (click me) When should I use shortened URLs?

Topic: Other Miscelleneous IBSoftShop Questions...

Q: (click me) Am I able to use any of the products on here as a manager of the site, like I can with FSF or do I have to purchase them?

Q: (click me) Do the products included on my IBSoftShop work on a MacIntosh computer?




Topic: How Was My IBSoftShop Number Chosen?...
Q: How did I end up with the IBSoftShop that I have now?

A: Your IBSoftShop number was chosen randomly from a group of a number of static IP adresses (this is known as a class C license).

You IBSoftShop number corresponds directly with your assigned static IP address.

The number of your site does not have anything to do with the date on which you purchased your IBSoftShop license.

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Topic: Help Me Help My Customers...
Q: Help me understand the purchase and download process for the products I'm selling.

A: Your IBSoftShop now has a "Answers?" page, which is accessible from your contact page.

This help page explains the entire purchase / download / product installation process in detail and provides answers some frequently asked questions.

The URL for the "MORE Help" page looks like this: http://208.76.212.220/software-ebooks-answers.htm.

Return to FAQ Index  |  Return to Top of Page  |  Return to Customer Service FAQ List

Topic: Help Me Help My Customers...
Q: How come the ebook that I bought from you doesn't work?

A: Have your customers run SystemSnap and return the results to freesoftwarewizard@yahoo.com

If they don't have systemSnap have them download Magnibar at http://magnibar.com/magnibar-software.htm

Then have them go to QuickTools on the menu and then click on SystemSnap near the bottom of the window that opens. Once SystemSnap has analyzed your customer's computer a window opens. They must click on the button "Email Retrived Info". That wil open their email server. Just add in the email what they were doing at the time of their problem, the product they were trying to use, etc. Note: they must email the results from SystemSnap to get an answer.

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Topic: I have a IBSoftShop. Woohoo! Now what?...
Q: Now that I have my IBSoftShop, what should I be doing next?

A: First, have you taken all of the steps outlined in the IBSoftShop Manager's Quick-Start Guide? If not, GO HERE NOW.

Next, let's talk conceptually. This is really important. If you can wrap your arms around the following brief discussion and adopt the proper mindset right now, you'll be way ahead of the game.

What is a IBSoftShop? It's a collection of a number of different product sales sites neatly tied together with systems that are automated for you.

Think of your IBSoftShop as if you had built it yourself. Or, better yet, think about what you would do if all of the products on your IBSoftShop were completely separate. Separate domains. Not connected at all. Distinct individual sales pages. Separate order processes.

Now let's think strategically for a minute.

What would you do with a number of "mini-sites"? Would you attempt to promote them all at once? Uh uh. You'd promote your products one at a time, site-by-site, by sending targeted traffic to sales pages that you believe will solve a problem or fill a need for your visitor.

You're hoping to sell something. Make some money. Me too.

Pick a product that you think is really cool. Or maybe two or three, but stop there. Now, focus on finding the right traffic to visit those sales pages.

Are you going to send people to your home page?...

No. Not if you're really interested in maximizing the income potential of your IBSoftShop. Focus on specific products. That's what make sales.

Return to FAQ Index  |  Return to Top of Page  |  Return to I have a IBSoftShop. Now what? FAQ List

Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: Why doesn't my site look and operate like your site?

A: Every IBSoftShop has a different set of graphics for the top, sides and bottom. So, while the templates are all the same, the appearance of each site is unique.

As to the question of operation, every site has been built identically and any difference that you may notice from my site to yours is likely related variations in the speed of your internet connection or server load.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: How do I get my "crazy name" to show up in the browser address bar when someone clicks through my "crazy name" link?

A: There are two ways you can send people to your site using your crazy name URL. You can use the redirect feature that your domain name registrar provides. When you use a redirect your customer can click on your crazy name URL but when they get to your site the browser address will look like 208.76.211.7. That would be the true IP address of your site.

The other way would be to have your registrar change the name server address for your domain. Then instead of crazy name URL starting at your domain registrar's site, it will go directly to your IBSoftShop. So now when someone clicks on your crazy name URL they will see that crazy name URL in the browser address bar for your shop's site.

You can have us add your crazy name URL or the URL you plan on using by filling out the form at

While some of you may have experienced a quick turn around with adding your domain name URL to a website, our servers require a four step manual process so the turn around will be a bit longer. Usually it can occur within 72 hours.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: When will my monthly IBSoftShop payment be due?

A: We use PayPal for our monthly billing. You will see a tranaction once a month from PayPal. Remember, we do not control your PayPal account. So you need to make sure that PayPal has sufficiant funds or a valid credit card to maintain your IBSoftShop.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: Where are my customers landing after they buy something? I don't recognize the domain name. Is it mine?

A:
When a visitor to your IBSoftShop buys a product and follows the purchase process all the way through, they're ultimately redirected back to the home page of your IBSoftShop's "Actual Domain". Therefore, they are landing back on your IBSoftShop after making a purchase. Heck, maybe they'll buy another product while they're there.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: Isn't there an easier way to get our visitors to the Free Software Sign Up?

A: Are you sure that you'd want them to quickly and easily find the Free Software Sign Up form?

When it comes to giving stuff away, it’s OK to make your visitors look around a little. It’s the same reason that you won’t find store directories at Walmart. You don’t want your customers to get away too easily.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: What do I need to do so that when someone bookmarks a page on my site the bookmark will have my site name?

A: When you set up your domain name forwarding with your domain registrar, you should find a field in your control panel area where you can fill in the name you want to use. This will most likely be a field called "Title".

This is what determines the name of your site when a visitor bookmarks it.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: Would it cause any issues to direct (forward) multiple domain names to my IBSoftShop?

A: You can point as many domain names at your IBSoftShop as you want. It's not a problem, and it will not interfere with how your crazy name works. They're completely independent of each other.

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Topic: IBSoftShop Mechanics...
Q: Why don't the IBSoftShops have a shopping cart system?

A: The IBSoftShops are laid out like a collection of a number of different product "mini-sites" integrated together. You don't use a shopping cart on a 'single product' mini-site. This adds complexity and slows down the purchase process for your buyers. You do NOT want that.

If you are following the marketing advice given to you for the IBSoftShops, you are sending traffic to a chosen, specific product page. People coming to a "mini-site" to see one product are very, very seldom there with the intent to buy several products at once.

After a purchase, the buyer is returned to the IBSoftShop - where other products may catch their eye. BUT, what is more likely, is they will bookmark the site to return to it later, as they will "see" that there is a lot more there that they may be interested in.

Integrating, maintaining and running a shopping cart would add to the monthly cost of your site and slow down the purchase process for a single-product buyer - which is 99% of your potential buyers - while only proving useful for less than 1% of your potential buyers.

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Topic: My IBSoftShop's Appearance...
Q: Why isn't my website name shown on my IBSoftShop?

A: The only effective way to have a "name" at the top of your web site, is to ADD it to your header graphic, using a program like Photoshop. You ARE allowed to do that, subject to review, but that is the only change allowed to the headers. Inappropriate wording, hate logos, porno, etc., etc. is not allowed.

For additional information on customizing your header graphic, click here.

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Topic: My IBSoftShop's Appearance...
Q: Can I make changes to the appearance of my IBSoftShop?

A: While you cannot mess with the base set of graphics used on your IBSoftShop, there are some minor changes that you can make (or we can help you make).

For a more detailed discussion of this topic, CLICK HERE.

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Topic: My IBSoftShop's Appearance...
Q: Why don't some of my IBSoftShop graphics show up when I'm using my Mozilla Firefox browser?

A: It is not Mozilla, which is a "standard" protocol, but the firefox implementation of that. Earlier versions of the firefox implementation of Mozilla was flawed - it only supported HTML 3.0 reliably. You may need to upgrade your version of Firefox. We are using DHTML effects, which requires a browser that supports at least 3.2.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: What things can or cannot be changed on my IBSoftShop?

A: We'll stick with the "CAN" and the "CANNOT" will be self-evident.

  • You can change your personal contact information on your contact page. For more info, click here.
  • You can add a "site name" to your header graphic. For more info, click here.
  • You can customize your "MORE Software" and "MORE Products" pages to include your own stuff.
    • Links on the "MORE Software" page might include software or ebooks that you've created yourself or for which you have resale rights. For more information on adding products to your IBSoftShop, click here.
    • Links on the "MORE Products" page could include affiliate programs or other sites that you own.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: How do I Customize My Contact Page?

A: We give you the software so that you can create your own custom contact page in about 4 minutes and 19 seconds.

Custom Contact Page Software is Ready! Yipee. ~ CLICK HERE Go now!

Go, go, go. Complete instructions are provided. So, what are you waiting for?

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: What rules do I need to follow when it comes to customizing my IBSoftShop?

A: The rules include...

  • No porn. No hate. No violence. You may not add anything to your IBSoftShop that in any way degrades or compromises the integrity of the IBSoftShop.
  • All pages on your site, including any pages that you add or modify, must continue to use the graphics set currently in use. This is required to maintain the uniform appearance of your site.
  • You may not delete or rename anything (files) on your site other than the work that you personally perform.
  • You are responsible for all of your actions. The basic rule is: "If you break it, you'll be responsible for the cost of fixing it."
For more information CLICK HERE.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: How do I go about adding products to my IBSoftShop?

A: We'll split this answer into 2 parts.

Answer - Part 1 applies to you if you're confident that you have all the skills required to edit your own web pages and upload them without trashing your IBSoftShop.

  • If this is NOT you, skip ahead to "Answer - Part 2".
  • If this IS you, read on.
You will be able to add your own products to your IBSoftShop as long as you work within the framework of the site. This means that any pages you add (sales page, testimonial page, terms of service page, order page, thank you page, name-squeeze page, etc.) must use the same graphics set that you see on all your other IBSoftShop pages. This is required to maintain your site's integrity and continuity-of-image.

You will be required to follow the customization "Do's and Don'ts" as outlined above. Click here for details.

You should have received your FTP information at the time of receiving your IP address. If you din't then all FTP access requests should be directed to support2@ibsoftshops.com

Ready to give it a go? CLICK HERE to grab a set of the IBSoftShop template pages for your own use.

Answer - Part 2 applies to you if you want someone else to add products to your site for you.

If you have rights to a product and you're not comfortable with all this techie stuff, we'll do it for you at a very reasonable price. A typical product (digital downloads only) and resale site can be added for around $35.

To inquire further:

contact support2@ibsoftshops.com

When contacting us about adding products to your IBSoftShop, please provide your complete contact information (including your IBSoftShop URL and PayPal address) and tell us what you have in mind. We'll follow up with you as quickly as possible. Product additions that benefit all IBSoftShop owners will take priority over individual product additions, but it should not take any more than 2 - 3 days for an individual product addition.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: Can products be removed from my site?

A: No. Way too much work, and NOT NECESSARY. The site is structured so you benefit from integration, but promote by product, not by site. The purpose of the site index pages is to promote Search Engine listing, not for selling. Promote those products that you want to by sending visitors DIRECTLY to the product's sales page. Do not ever send people to the Index/category pages.

However, you can 'add products' (Click here for details), which means you can add pages that are your own sort of index or list of recommended products.

Think of the IBSoftShop as a sort of collection of highly integrated INDIVIDUAL product business sites. Those products you don't want to promote, don't promote.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: Can I add a site name to my IBSoftShop?

A: Yes, you can. This can be accomplished by modifying the header graphic.

If you have access to a good photo editing program like Adobe Photoshop or Paint Shop Pro, you can do this yourself. The main rule to keep in mind here is that you are only allowed to add a "Site Name" - no other substantial modification of the graphic is allowed. If your site name were "Site Pro Software" (which I know it isn't because I own that domain), you could add that as your site name.

If you want to modify your header graphic yourself and send it to support via email, we'll be happy to upload it for you at no cost.

If you'd like us to add a site name to your header graphic for you, we'll do it for $25. Contact support at support2@ibsoftshops.com

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: How can I get a copy of the graphics used on my IBSoftShop?

A: You can save the entire graphics set from your IBSoftShop by opening your web browser and going to the index page on your IBSoftShop.

Next, click "File / Save As..." to save a local copy of the page and its graphics on your hard drive.

Here's a list of the graphics file names used on your IBSoftShop:

  • resell-free-software-background.gif
  • resell-free-software-bottomleft.gif
  • resell-free-software-cert.jpg
  • resell-free-software-footer.gif
  • resell-free-software-header.jpg (This is the file that we're working with to create custom headers)
    • For more information on adding a site name to your header click here.
  • resell-free-software-owner.jpg (Joe's pic from the original site design)
  • resell-free-software-topleft.jpg
NOTE: When you do this, your computer will pull down all of your IBSoftShop graphics, BUT it may also change the source code of your web page a bit. What usually changes (and this may vary from one browser to another) is the path to the graphics in the source code.

If you want to work with your own design, CLICK HERE to download a set of IBSoftShop template pages and graphics, then replace the graphics that are included in the zip file (ibsoftshopwebpages.zip) with your own IBSoftShop's graphics.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: How do I set up custom pages that offer a free downloadable product or ecourse?

A: You can keep this really simple or you can get fancy. That will depend on your objective and how much time (and/or money) you want spend on setting it up.

Here's one model for how your traffic could flow:

  1. Incoming traffic arrives at your landing page that presents your Wonderful Freebie offer.

  2. The visitor fills in their name and email address requesting your Wonderful Freebie and clicks the "Yes. Give Me My Freebie" button.

  3. The visitor is automatically redirected to a page that says "Thank you for requesting the Wonderful Freebie. Please check your email inbox for our confirmation request." (NOTE: You may want to include links to other products or sites on this page. It's valuable virtual real estate.)

  4. Your autoresponder sends a confirmation request email.

  5. The visitor (now prospect) confirms their request.

  6. Again, the visitor is automatically redirected to a page that says "Thank you for confirming your request for our Wonderful Freebie. Please check your email inbox for the information that you requested." (Again, you may want to include links to other products or sites on this page. It's more valuable virtual real estate.)

  7. The autoresponder sends them an email with a summary of how they'll benefit from receiving your Wonderful Freebie and the link to the download page.

  8. Prospect goes to the download page where they can download the Wonderful Freebie. (One more time, you may want to include links to other products or sites on this page. It's yet more valuable virtual real estate.)
There are many different ways that you can use the web real estate that you build to maximize the income potential from your traffic. Do some brainstorming. Get creative. A "thank you" page can say more than just "thank you". And remember...

You have three objectives:

  1. Sell product.

  2. Build your list.

  3. See above.

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Topic: Customizing or Adding Products to My IBSoftShop...
Q: If I join a traffic or ad exchange program like Instant Buzz or TrafficZap, may I add their code to the pages on my IBSoftShop?

A: No and Yes.

Wholesale changes to all of the pages on your IBSoftShop are not allowed.

However, you are free to incorporate this type of code into custom pages that you create or have someone else create for you. For more information CLICK HERE.

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Topic: Lead Generation...
Q: What happens to the leads generated at my site when a visitor signs up to receive free software?

A: These leads are yours, and you can follow up with them as you see fit. The leads are considered "shared leads", since Joe owns the site that you are managing, but Joe WILL NOT be actively marketing to the leads.

The leads will be captured and stored on your site in a basic database. We will provide further instruction regarding where to find your leads database and other options in the near future.

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Topic: Lead Generation...
Q: Is there an autoresponder system on our IBSoftShop?

A: There is an autoresponder system associated with your IBSoftShop. It's tied with the offer at the bottom of each sales page for your visitors to receive free software.

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Topic: Lead Generation...
Q: Can I use pop-ups or fly-ins on my site for lead generation?

A: Yes, you can - BUT only on your custom pages. You may not modify the sales pages that are provided for you.

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Topic: Lead Generation...
Q: I have a "glitch" with the "Free Software Sign-up" form located at the bottom of my page. I signed up to test it out. The email sent to me with the free software belongs to someone else's IBSoftShop URL and not my own!

A: Don't panic.

This is what the email for the free software looks like:

------ Start "Free Software" Email ----------------

Your requested Software download is here:

http://www.ibsoftshops.com/freeware-download.htm

We will notify you when more Software is available.

Enjoy!



Regards,

Joe e. Clayton Jr.
IBSoftShop Creator

------- End "Free Software" Email -----------------

http://www.ibsoftshops.com is the "master" IBSoftShop that Joe owns. All downloads are done from his site because he and Creative Software own all rights to the products. This is actually a good thing. It's the foundation on which the entire IBSoftShop system is built. There's one common download area (Joe's site) and yet you're keep all of the money from the sales of the products.

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Topic: Marketing Help & Training...
Q: Will there be any help material or info regarding marketing and advertising, driving traffic to the sites, etc?

A: A video tutorial on Google AdWords is available right now for your use.
CLICK HERE to download this introduction to Google AdWords.

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Topic: Marketing Help & Training...
Q: What should I be thinking about as I consider customizing my IBSoftShop?

A: Following is an exerpt from correspondence that I've had with IBSoftShop managers who've asked me to work with them on customizing their "Other Software" and "Other Products" pages...

Regarding your "Other Software" and "Other Products" pages, think this through.

Each page that you create or customize needs to be well planned with a specific goal in mind - whatever it may be.

Let's say that you have 4 affiliate programs that you'd like to promote. Strongly resist the temptation to put them all on one page. Identify your goal and design pages that you think will help you achieve it.

Here's an example...

  1. You're promoting a Marlon Sanders affiliate product.
  2. You want you visitors to buy Marlon's stuff through your affiliate link; and in order for this to happen, you're going to eventually need to send them to Marlon's site.
  3. What's the goal of the page that you're building?
    • HINT: Build your list or sell something. These are the only two things that anyone ever needs to focus on. If you can do both, that is the ultimate goal.
  4. So, think through how you're going to get your visitor to hand over a first name and email address and still want to go to Marlon's site.
    • HINT: Distracting the visitor with a plug for a Marlon Sanders product AND a Arman Morin product AND a Yanik Silver product AND a Nitro Marketing product will be counter productive.
Does that make sense?

Support be more than happy to work with you to customize your IBSoftShop, but, seriously, plan it, plan it, tear the plan apart, re-do the plan, give yourself some time (but not too long), and then let's go for it.

The decision on how to set up your IBSoftShop's custom pages is totally your decision, but we encourage you to think through each and every page rather than just throwing up a bunch of affiliate program links all on one page. If you did that, the only people who would really benefit would be the affiliate program providers because they're getting the incoming links.

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Topic: Marketing Help & Training...
Q: Can I copy the HTML from the sales pages of my IBSoftShop, then mail it as an HTML ad? I've read that HTML ads pull better than text only.

A: I personally like html email. I use it as the preferred format for my ezine. The problem with copying/pasting the web pages is that all of the links are relative links (not full urls). So, here's what you could do:

  1. Write your ad.

  2. Save a local copy of the "product box" from the sales page and upload it to your own server. If you don't have a website other than your IBSoftShop, the URL to the graphic will be in the following format:
    http:// http://www.ibsoftshops.com/graphic-file-name.jpg (or .gif). Replace the "1" in the URL with your own IBSoftShop number, and you'll have the correct URL (IP address).

  3. NOTE: When you send out html email, you'll want all graphics to be pulled from the same server. In my experience, if the graphics are being pulled from different servers, the graphics end up not being displayed in the email. So, if you have a newsletter logo on your own site, upload the product box graphic to your own site as well.
That's it.

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Topic: Marketing Help & Training...
Q: If I'm setting up inbound links pointing to my IBSoftShop, is it better to point to the "index page" or to another page? I might have 10 PR5 pages with links pointing to my site.

A: This is a very good question. It will depend on the topic and focus of the sites where you're setting up the links pointing to your IBSoftShop. Try to match theme and content.

For example, if you have a site with a theme based around webmaster tools, set up links to your IBSoftShop pages that are directly related to tools for webmasters.

If you have a site that discusses marketing online in general, set up links that point to pages with products that offer general marketing advice.

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Topic: Marketing Help & Training...
Q: How do I go about setting up a Google AdWords campaign?

A: Start with the Google AdWords How-To Video created by Joe and Bob Chambers. CLICK HERE to download this introduction to Google AdWords.

This video tutorial is provided by Joe and Bob as a training tool for you.

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Topic: Affiliate Products and Programs...
Q: Can I sell products on my IBSoftShop for which I'm an affiliate?

A: Yes. You're welcome to promote affiliate products on your IBSoftShop. You would do this by customizing either your "Other Software" page or your "Other Products" page.

For more information on customizing your IBSoftShop, CLICK HERE.

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Topic: Affiliate Products and Programs...
Q: Will I be able to sell any of Joe's products as an affiliate?

A: Yes. If you attended Joe's DPCon, many of the products that you see there will be available for sale on your IBSoftShop, and you will be selling them as Joe's affiliate.

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Topic: Affiliate Products and Programs...
Q: Can I run my own affiliate program using the products on my IBSoftShop?

A: No. Joe Clayton and Creative Software control the distribution rights to the products that are included on your IBSoftShop. If there any changes in this policy you will be notified.

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Topic: Tracking...
Q: How can I track the traffic that may be coming to my IBSoftShop?

A: Tracking is incorporated into your IBSoftShop. Each page is tracked for visitor count. You can see this number in the lower left-hand corner of each page.

The tracking script used is focused on unique visits and tracks your visitors by IP address. By doing this, your traffic numbers will not be artificially inflated by multiple visits by an individual.

If you do not see the traffic number in the lower left-hand corner of a page, it's because you've already viewed this page within a 24 hour period. Clear the cookies on your computer and refresh the web page and you should once again see the traffic stats.

For more information CLICK HERE.

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Topic: Search Engine Submissions...
Q: Is Joe doing any search engine submissions for my site or is this something that I should be doing?

A: Joe is not submitting your IBSoftShop to any search engines, and it's highly unlikely that he ever will. If you are planning to do this, READ THIS FIRST.

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Topic: Search Engine Submissions...
Q: When I submit my IBSoftShop to search engines, what domain should I be using?

A:If you are planning to do this, READ THIS FIRST.

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Other Miscelleneous IBSoftShop Questions...
Q: Do the products included on my IBSoftShop work on a MacIntosh computer?

A: There will be a lot of products in PDF format (compatible with MAC and Windows OS), but the software will be for PCs only (not MACs). I'm afraid you would have problems if you couldn't try out the products you are selling.

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