In recent discussions with friends and associates,
I mentioned that I actually focus MORE on selling
holiday related items than I do internet marketing
type stuff at this time of the year.
They asked for examples.
Most major manufacturers and department stores
now seem to have affiliate programs, so you can
market everything from toys, electronics, and
clothing, to higher end luxury items and vacations.
I keep it very simple…
I wrote a cookbook back in 2001 that was a hit
from the very start, and has sold steadily every
year since then. I noticed long ago that I sell
more copies of that cookbook between Halloween
and New Years Day than the rest of the year combined,
so that’s what I focus on this time of the year
instead of how-to-make-money products.
My cookbook’s success is actually what first
brought me to the attention of the Internet
Marketing world. I was first invited to speak at
a seminar back in December 2002 because I was an
example of someone doing well with a product
OUTSIDE the how-to-make-money niche.
You can check out that book at:
http://Chitterlings.com/cookbook.html
This year, in addition to my own cookbook, I’m
marketing my friend, Ron Douglas’ cookbook, which
features favorite “secret” restaurant recipes.
Ron’s book started out as an ebook, went to #1
on Clickbank and more or less has stay there for
the past SIX years. This year, a conventional
publisher picked up Ron’s book, so the print
version is doing very well, and Ron’s is on
Home Shopping Network very frequently… as well
as doing countless media appearances.
You can check out Ron’s cookbook, which DOES have
some amazing recipes at:
http://budurl.com/RonsAmazingRecipes
So, cookbooks are HUGE business,and make great
holiday gifts.
I’ll also do VERY well this year marketing
greeting cards. These aren’t boxed greeting cards,
but cards that customer designs online, enters
a mailing address, etc., and then the company
prints out a full color greeting card and mails
it anywhere in the world, using first-class
postage.
They offer the option of allowing you to upload
an entire database to their system, and then
send everyone the same card… but personalized.
When you design the card, you put in placeholders,
such as names, birthdays, anniversaries,
spouses names, etc., and as the cards are printed,
each one is personalized.
I can “mail” 400 or so cards to my list in about
15 minutes… and for less than $1 each.
You can check out the company that I use for that
here: http://budurl.com/HowWillieSendsCards
They have an affiliate program that pays on several
levels too, so I not only use the system (and have
for about 4 years) but I get paid for telling
others about it.
If you’re in the internet marketing niche, and have
noticed that your customers do buy fewer IM
products this time of the year (or around any
holiday), you may want to consider adding
seasonal products to your mix 
Willie