Welcome back to more tips and tricks designed to help you become a super-successful affiliate!
It’s not too strong a statement to say that the Internet and affiliate marketing have changed the world.
It’s not too strong a statement to say that the Internet and affiliate marketing have changed the world.
In the olden days (when I was young) if you wanted to go into business you needed money, and plenty of it, to get started.
More than that, you needed connections, sometimes you needed to buy a franchise, and there were endless regulations and red tape.
And then you needed an office and employees.
No wonder most brick and mortar small businesses fail!
Enter the Information Age and a new dawn for those who want to work for themselves.
Today’s Internet makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection, an idea and a computer to make a full time living working from home.
More than that, you needed connections, sometimes you needed to buy a franchise, and there were endless regulations and red tape.
And then you needed an office and employees.
No wonder most brick and mortar small businesses fail!
Enter the Information Age and a new dawn for those who want to work for themselves.
Today’s Internet makes it possible for anyone with an Internet connection, an idea and a computer to make a full time living working from home.
I know
it’s true because that’s what happened for me. I want so much for that
to happen for you as well.
And the fastest way to make that dream come true is to become an affiliate for someone’s popular (and profitable) product.
Let’s look at three more key elements to becoming successful as an affiliate.
These are the same techniques I use every day. They work well for me and I hope they will work well for you too. Do these consistently and you will be pleasantly surprised at check time!
Affiliate Tip #4 – Focus on fewer products
One of the biggest reasons that many affiliates struggle to make money online is a lack of focus on a core set of products that can really produce results.
We live in a multitasking age. We cook dinner and talk on the phone with the television on while scanning our email.
In that scenario can any of them get done as well as if our total focus was on one thing? I think not.
Focus matters. And there are few places where it matters more than in your business.
Make no mistake – your affiliate marketing efforts are a business and should be treated as such.
Let me ask you this question … how many products are you trying to promote right now?
Try to come up with a specific number and hold that number in your mind for a moment.
In a recent poll on my blog almost 50% of respondents said they promote 10 or more products. Some were trying to promote over 30 products at the same time!
Almost all of them said they are not making any money doing it. Is it any wonder they are not succeeding with affiliate marketing?
Here’s the problem – if you are an affiliate marketer with a budget of $300 for advertising and are promoting 10 products you will feel the need to split your budget between these products.
If you don’t do that then how will you know which product performed? But here’s the hard truth … nothing gets successfully promoted for $30 online. It’s just not the real world.
You see, it takes reaching as large an audience as possible of real prospects to make sales. And $30 just won’t get that job done.
But if you focused the entire $300 on promoted one product, a great product, you would most likely do well. See the difference?
NOTE: I am not saying to spend all your ad budget on one ad and just “roll the dice.” That’s not wise. What I am saying is this …
Focus all of your marketing — including ad buys — on one product that you really believe in and want to promote aggressively.
And the fastest way to make that dream come true is to become an affiliate for someone’s popular (and profitable) product.
Let’s look at three more key elements to becoming successful as an affiliate.
These are the same techniques I use every day. They work well for me and I hope they will work well for you too. Do these consistently and you will be pleasantly surprised at check time!
Affiliate Tip #4 – Focus on fewer products
One of the biggest reasons that many affiliates struggle to make money online is a lack of focus on a core set of products that can really produce results.
We live in a multitasking age. We cook dinner and talk on the phone with the television on while scanning our email.
In that scenario can any of them get done as well as if our total focus was on one thing? I think not.
Focus matters. And there are few places where it matters more than in your business.
Make no mistake – your affiliate marketing efforts are a business and should be treated as such.
Let me ask you this question … how many products are you trying to promote right now?
Try to come up with a specific number and hold that number in your mind for a moment.
In a recent poll on my blog almost 50% of respondents said they promote 10 or more products. Some were trying to promote over 30 products at the same time!
Almost all of them said they are not making any money doing it. Is it any wonder they are not succeeding with affiliate marketing?
Here’s the problem – if you are an affiliate marketer with a budget of $300 for advertising and are promoting 10 products you will feel the need to split your budget between these products.
If you don’t do that then how will you know which product performed? But here’s the hard truth … nothing gets successfully promoted for $30 online. It’s just not the real world.
You see, it takes reaching as large an audience as possible of real prospects to make sales. And $30 just won’t get that job done.
But if you focused the entire $300 on promoted one product, a great product, you would most likely do well. See the difference?
NOTE: I am not saying to spend all your ad budget on one ad and just “roll the dice.” That’s not wise. What I am saying is this …
Focus all of your marketing — including ad buys — on one product that you really believe in and want to promote aggressively.
Know how many products I promote on a regular basis? Four
So does that make me better or smarter than you? If you know me at all, you know that is not what I am saying.
What I am saying is this – when you promote fewer products, and commit to only promoting great products, you will likely earn much more.
And if you have a mailing list of your own your subscribers will be happier too. Why?
Because you are not always pitching something but rather sharing with them tools and resources you know will help them.
Because helping people, really empowering them to achieve, is a beautiful thing.
This is exactly how I market online. I never promote a product I have not used and had success with — never. And I don’t have to pitch to my list every day either.
When I send a solo ad it gets results because my readers (you included) know that I don’t promote junk just to make money.
Recommending high quality products to an audience of people who know you, like you and trust you is the essence of successful email marketing.
Affiliate Tip #5 – Get Them in Your Permission Based System
Okay, this is the BIG one.
For the record, having your own list is the most profitable thing you can do online. Now, let’s talk about how to do it.
You can start your own follow-up system in three easy steps. First, find something of value to give to visitors.
You don’t have to write it, you can use a high quality PLR product if you like. Great marketers have already done the work for you and will gladly give you their material to use.
Focus on well-known marketers like Jimmy Brown or Marlon Sanders.
These two, and more, offer eCourses and books you can give away with your affiliate links right in the report.
Another option is to use something from the affiliate program of the product on which you choose to focus.
Second, create a list for each product you promote. I use Aweber for this but there are many of good autoresponders on the market.
What you want to do here is have a separate list for each product you promote. This way you can send product-specific messages to the people who have expressed an interest in learning more.
These are real prospects. They have raised their hand and asked for more information. These are your future customers, not some tire-kicker who visits your site to get credits or earn a few pennies.
Does this work? Yes, it works incredibly well. In fact, I have never found a situation in which I did not sell much more using follow up email than just a sales letter.
Why is that true? Because people are busy. They are distracted. They have less time to spend online than before and are distracted by WAAAY more shiny objects than ever before.
Please answer this question.
Which would you prefer…
To read a 5000 word long sales letter
To watch a 45 minute video
To get more information via email so you can read it an your convenience.
So does that make me better or smarter than you? If you know me at all, you know that is not what I am saying.
What I am saying is this – when you promote fewer products, and commit to only promoting great products, you will likely earn much more.
And if you have a mailing list of your own your subscribers will be happier too. Why?
Because you are not always pitching something but rather sharing with them tools and resources you know will help them.
Because helping people, really empowering them to achieve, is a beautiful thing.
This is exactly how I market online. I never promote a product I have not used and had success with — never. And I don’t have to pitch to my list every day either.
When I send a solo ad it gets results because my readers (you included) know that I don’t promote junk just to make money.
Recommending high quality products to an audience of people who know you, like you and trust you is the essence of successful email marketing.
Affiliate Tip #5 – Get Them in Your Permission Based System
Okay, this is the BIG one.
For the record, having your own list is the most profitable thing you can do online. Now, let’s talk about how to do it.
You can start your own follow-up system in three easy steps. First, find something of value to give to visitors.
You don’t have to write it, you can use a high quality PLR product if you like. Great marketers have already done the work for you and will gladly give you their material to use.
Focus on well-known marketers like Jimmy Brown or Marlon Sanders.
These two, and more, offer eCourses and books you can give away with your affiliate links right in the report.
Another option is to use something from the affiliate program of the product on which you choose to focus.
Second, create a list for each product you promote. I use Aweber for this but there are many of good autoresponders on the market.
What you want to do here is have a separate list for each product you promote. This way you can send product-specific messages to the people who have expressed an interest in learning more.
These are real prospects. They have raised their hand and asked for more information. These are your future customers, not some tire-kicker who visits your site to get credits or earn a few pennies.
Does this work? Yes, it works incredibly well. In fact, I have never found a situation in which I did not sell much more using follow up email than just a sales letter.
Why is that true? Because people are busy. They are distracted. They have less time to spend online than before and are distracted by WAAAY more shiny objects than ever before.
Please answer this question.
Which would you prefer…
To read a 5000 word long sales letter
To watch a 45 minute video
To get more information via email so you can read it an your convenience.
I’m guessing you answered to get more information via email. I know I did. And I know this…
Your prospects want to know more but they want to get the information on their schedule, not yours.
So why not give them what they really want instead of making them sit through some video or read a long sales letter?
If you know how to check your web stats you will likely find that the average visitor stays on your site less than 1 minute. If they are like me they skim the page, get somewhat interested and then scroll to the bottom for the price.
How much better would it be to let them use that one minute to join your mailing list?
Answer … a lot better. Easier for you, more profitable for you and now you are letting them buy, not selling to them. That’s a powerful difference.
Third, invite everyone who comes to your site to get your no-cost material. Now they are in YOUR system and you can email them offers from time to time.
MUCH better than sending traffic to someone else’s site and never even knowing who they are! If this way of marketing interests you I have an entire membership site devoted to email marketing. You can learn more here.
Affiliate Tip #6 – Use Product-Specific Autoresponders
This one is very important. When a person responds to an ad you run or visits your site they should be offered a chance to join a list about the specific product you are promoting.
Whether you use a squeeze page or a form on your blog is up to you. But it’s vital that you begin building YOUR mailing list now.
So far so good. But what do you say to them once they are on the list?
It’s easy – just make a list of the top 10 things you like about the product you are promoting and write a short message around each of those ideas.
Take the Directory of Ezines for example. Many people like the DOE not for the list of ezines but for the free consulting with me.
So you could write a short message about that, and how it’s helped you, and then include your affiliate link. Presto — instant selling email!
HINT: The more you can talk from your own experience with a product the better. Even when you run ads (like solo ads) the more personal you can get the better.
Now you have let time become your ally. I sell products every day using this technique. You can too.
In the next installment I’m going to wrap up and talk about where, and how, to advertise your affiliate offer. So stay tuned.
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