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This is a big issue that you may not be aware of, and it could cost you thousands of Dollars in fines if you get it wrong.

You probably already know that you can’t just take an image from someone else’s web page and use it without their permission. It doesn’t matter whether they have a copyright notice or not, it’s still protected by copyright. 

Where it’s easy to slip up is when you have purchased a product that contains images, like a website template.  Although you’ve purchased the template, the seller may not have had permission to include the image in a web template.

Most of the images you see in templates are bought from microstock image libraries like iStockPhoto, which is probably the most well known. IStockPhoto are very strict on their terms of use, and state that you cannot use their images in templates you want to sell.

They are a bit vague, because they say things like you can’t just make a ’superficial change’ and include the image in a template. My advice is to always check with them first, before you include any of their images in a template you want to sell.

You might think that only the template seller is at fault, but if you use the image(s) on your site, you are just as liable as they are. 

I can’t remember the exact figure, but a fellow Business Brainwaves reader was fined around $3000 last year, for a few images he had unwittingly used on his site. He outsourced the design work and wasn’t aware that he didn’t have a license to use the images. So always be careful when you outsource work that contains images.

Products with Resell Rights - Be Warned

Here’s a big problem I’m seeing in the Internet marketing niche.

People are creating web page and blog template packs and selling them with resell rights, master resell rights or private label rights.

In virtually every case I’ve come across, nothing is mentioned in the product license terms about where the images where obtained, or what rights you have to use/distribute them.

Even if the template seller has purchased the correct license to include the image in a web page template, that right is not automatically transferred to you.

If you want to sell the templates, legally you have to purchase a license yourself, for every copyright protected image in the templates.

This is a bit of vague area, because each stock photo library has varying terms on what you can and cannot do. Plus, the same images are sometimes available from more than one library. In those cases, your rights will be what was given by the site that provided the image. That’s how I read it.

Important: If you buy a web page template or any graphics pack, I would make certain what your rights to use the images are, by requesting the license terms, and keep a copy on file.

If you are selling a template pack that you have been given the resell rights to, I would find out if the seller has obtained a sufficient license to allow you to be a reseller of the images contained, and get written conformation of your license terms.

I should point out that I am not a lawyer or qualified in any copyright law, so please don’t take what I say as professional legal advice, or a complete list of what you need to know. All the Image stock libraries have extensive info on their licence terms, so you should always check with them before using one of their images.

Where To Get Images To Use In Web Templates?

According to the terms on the BigStockPhoto site, they allow you to include their images in web page templates, as long as the image is not the main or only part of the template. They also allow you to purchase extended licenses for wider distribution.

If you want to sell the resell rights to the templates you create, I would advise you to make sure you purchase the correct license to allow you to do this. Otherwise, you could be getting yourself and your resllers in a lot of financial hot water.  

I think it’s important to state that I’m not saying every template seller is dishonest, or knowingly distributing illegal images, or that their templaes even contain illegal images. There are many reputable template sellers online.

After conducting some research into this, I know more people need to be aware of the potential dangers, in particular where people are reselling products containing images.

Jason Lewis

P.S. Another problem area I see is Google Images. I’ve heard so called Internet marketing guru’s telling people to grab images from Google Images. That’s really bad advice.

What they don’t tell you is that most of the images you find through Google Images are copyright protected, and you are not allowed to just take them and use them.

Google does tell you that you must get permission to use the images, but they seem deliberately vague about this, because they obviously want people to use their service. You have to go hunting in the depths of Google’s FAQ section to be told that the images ‘may’ be protected by copyright. So be careful what you use.

Here’s a classic example of an affiliate going that extra mile to make a sale.

James Jones often shoots some cool videos so I always look out for them. In his latest video he’s reviewing a new product that he’s an affiliate for. The actual product he’s reviewing doesn’t matter, because that’s not why I’m showing you this.

What’s worth seeing is the way James has reviewed the product, but more importantly what he’s doing to overcome the shortcomings of the product.

The video starts off with James going through and rating the various aspects of the product.  Things like how true the sales letter is, it’s uniquness, usability etc. He then goes on to give it a C- for buying experience, and shows you exactly why on the video.

He explains that the product is great, but organised extremely badly and a real mess to work with. He shows you all the files you have to download and how dissorgansied it all is.

Then he steps in with the perfect solution - a hard copy version of the course including 8 CD’s, with everything laid out to make the product much easier to use and benefit from.

The catch? Nothing extra to pay, you just have to buy the product through James’ affiliate link. He even ships the hard copy to you for free!

What’s worth noting is how James leads in to his free bonus, he doesn’t just hit you on the head with it straight out of the gate. He highlights a big problem, with what he would otherwise consider a good product …then provides the answer, and a compelling reason to buy through his affiliate link.

This is not an endorsement for the product in the video, because I haven’t seen it. But I think the video is a great affiliate marketing lesson worth watching.

Here’s a link to the video: http://www.micronichetool.com/plugnplay/

Jason Lewis

P.S. In case you’re wondering, I’ve spoken with James and he did get permission to make a hard copy of the product as a bonus. I would advise that you always contact the product owner, before considering doing anything like this yourself.

Every time I sit down and use my PC, I misspell stuff and hit typos on my keyboard (In fact, I just had to re-write two words in this very sentence) …and I’m not the only one who does it.

Millions of typos and misspellings are typed into search engines and website address bars every single day.  This is a natural phenomena, that is never ever going to stop. As more people come online, more and more misspelling and typos are going to be typed in every day …it’s a given fact!

While it’s true that virtually all the best one or two word domains are taken, and that all the high traffic keywords are super competitive in the search engines, the same cannot be said about misspellings and keyword typos.  

"There is Gold in Them There Hills!"

Misspelt words, missed or skipped letters, reversed or transposed letters, wrong keys nearby, skipped spaces, inserted keys, double letters, phonetic spellings.

Let me give you an example:

According to Wordtracker, there are 3033 searches a day for the phrase "dog training", and there are 2,110,000 pages in Google with that exact phrase.

The  term "dog traning" (notice the missing ‘i’) gets 42 searches a day, but there’s only 629 pages with that exact phrase on.

Are you starting to the potential here? The people who accidentally missed out the ‘i’ are just as interested in dog training as those that didn’t, so this type of traffic is super targeted.

The number of searches is a lot less than the main phrase, but the competition is minimal in camparison, and don’t forget this is just one of the possible typos for this phrase.

Expert Guidance…

Knowing about misspellings and typos is one thing, but it’s very easy to go chasing fools gold if you don’t know what you’re doing.  All typos are not created equal, with certain types of typos getting way more traffic than others.

Just before the weekend I finished reading Typo Gold and it is without doubt, the definitive resouce on how to profit and get cheap targeted traffic, using misspellings and typos.

It’s been compiled by two best selling authors; one of them an Emmy award winning business columnist, for the Los Angeles Times - Did I mention credibility?

At 110 pages, it’s packed full of statistics, real world examples, insider strategies plus two very useful free software tools for finding typos.

Quite simply, if you want to profit from misspellings and typos and get targeted traffic for next to nothing, you need this guide! It will save you a ton of time and money, and open your eyes to ideas you would have never thought of without it.

Download your copy here:Typo Gold

Jason Lewis

So, you’ve created a product and you’ve set up your affiliate program …how do you get the word out and start promoting it?

The overwhelming majority of the sales made by your affiliates, are going to come from a very small number of affiliates. So it’s a very good idea to spend time, effort and maybe a little money to try and attract these super affiliates.

If you could have anyone promote your product, who would it be?

That’s the question you need to ask yourself first. If you don’t know the top dogs in your industry that may promote your product, use Google or scan trade mags to go look for them.

• Who are your direct competitors for your product?
• Who is promoting their product?
• Who has a large email list, or offline list of people in your target market?
• Whose email or offline newsletters do you read in your industry?
• What websites do you regularly visit in your niche?
• Who owns the biggest and most popular forums in your niche?
• Which bloggers have a huge captive audience and a big influence in your niche?
• Which people are consistently paying top bucks for advertising in your niche?

Get the answer to these questions and get in touch with these guys, to introduce yourself and your product to them.

Go for slightly smaller fish to begin with to give yourself confidence and refine your approach. Either call them up on the phone, send them a very personalised email or mail them a personalised package. Maybe all three.

Explain the key benefits of your product, and ALWAYS offer it to them for FREE to evaluate/use, no strings. DON’T ask them to pay for postage if it’s a physical product, and NEVER EVER ask or expect them to buy it from you!

Tell them how well your product is converting to sales, preferably with some sales stats to back it up. Plus the details of your affiliate program, and how much they will make per sale, and when they will they get paid and how.

Don’t send them a load of hype, and try not to come across as desperate. Be confident, come to the point quickly and be yourself.

Bend Over Backwards

It’s worth spending time and a bit more effort, trying to hook and help the big players in your niche. These are the people that are going to make you the most sales.

Put yourself in the shoes of your most sought after super affiliates. How would you react if someone contacted you out of the blue, about a product like yours? What would make the proposal stand out and make you want to promote it?

What can you do, and how can you help them personally, to make their promotion of your product successful, quick to set up, and easy to do?

Announcements, Affiliate Directories, Paid Advertising

• Submit details of your affiliate program to affiliate program directories. (search Google for "affiliate program directory")
• Scan affiliate forums and post your affiliate program info in the ‘announcements’ or ‘free ads’ section.
• Buy classified or display ads on sites where your potential affiliates congregrate in high numbers.
• Buy a classified ad in newsletters that target affiliate marketers specifically.
• See if you can utilize Google’s site targeting option in Adwords, to have your ad displayed on high traffic affiliate directories and forums.

This is by no means a complete list of steps to take, but it should get you off to a good start :-)

Jason Lewis