4 Pillars of a Successful Affiliate Website
Dear Business-Builder,
Today, I’d like to "bust" an affiliate marketing myth that’s been making the rounds since … well, since affiliate marketing started.
It goes something like this …
To be successful as an affiliate, just join any affiliate program, slap their banner ads onto a basic Web page - and presto, you’ve got an instant Web business that will make you money hand over fist!
For the record, yes, you can make a lot of money by marketing other peoples’ products on the Internet … but no, affiliate marketing is not a shortcut to instant wealth.
As with any other online business, building a successful affiliate site still requires research, planning, and - here’s that four-letter word I keep insisting on using - work.
It’s like building a house. The more solid the foundation is, the more stable the entire structure will be. So if you’re thinking of starting your own Internet business promoting affiliate products, here are four strategies you must follow to guarantee you’ll earn the maximum amount of commissions …
Strategy #1: Start by finding a niche market.
I’ve probably said this a million times, and I’ll keep saying it until I’m blue in the face … Do not get started by choosing the affiliate program you want to join.
Most people who start affiliate sites make the mistake of first picking the products they want to promote, because:
- They look like they’ll be fun to sell.
- They think people will want them.
- They offer the highest commissions.
- They assume the products must be profitable, because so many other people are promoting them.
Trust me, you won’t be doing yourself any favors. You’ll end up working around the clock trying to drive qualified traffic to the site … and failing miserably. (And you’ll likely drop a hefty chunk of change on pay-per-click ads in the process.)
So do your niche market research first …
- What are your interests?
- Within your areas of interest, what kinds of problems are people going online to try to solve?
- Which of these problems seem to be neglected by most of the sites out there?
Identify a group of people who are desperately trying to find something online without success - and then offer them that something. They’ll snap it up.
Strategy #2: Make sure your products
are relevant and related.
Nothing frustrates me more than seeing all of those affiliate sites out there with banner ads promoting everything from cheap holiday travel to pet health insurance to steak knives to Internet marketing tips … all from the same page!
I call them "flea market" sites, and they’re a complete waste of time.
Make sure that any products you promote are closely related to your niche, and closely related to each other. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to find qualified traffic for your site, and you’ll have a heck of a time writing copy that directly relates to your visitors’ needs.
Even worse, you’ll risk hurting your credibility. Because rather than looking like someone who has the interests of your visitors in mind, and really wants to help, you’ll look like someone who is out to sell anything to make a buck.
Strategy #3: Build a strong opt-in list,
then establish lasting relationships with your subscribers.
When you’re an affiliate marketer, e-mail plays a big role in your ongoing promotion efforts. So make sure you start with a strong opt-in offer containing truly useful free information that’s relevant to your visitors. Then, over time, continue to send your opt-in list even more free information.
The more you can prove to your subscribers that you’re a reliable source of useful information… the more you can train them to look forward to hearing from you … the more successful you’ll be.
Not only will you build a rapport with your subscribers, you’ll establish yourself as an expert in your field, making it easy for you to recommend your products. Which brings us to my final affiliate strategy …
Strategy #4: Personally recommend your products
for maximum conversions.
If you were in the market for a new television, would you be more inclined to purchase a particular model because you saw an ad for it on TV … or because a friend that you trust recommended it?
You’d likely go with the recommendation, right?
That’s what most people would do … which is why plunking down a bunch of affiliate banners or links in a website, and then hoping that someone - anyone - will decide to click on them, is not going to make sales.
Remember, you’ve been building relationships with your customers through e-mail marketing. They trust you. They view you as an expert. So now they’re open to your opinion.
Take advantage of that to tell them about the products they should consider purchasing … and why they should own them. They’ll actually appreciate the recommendations - and, as a result, your conversion rates will soar!
While affiliate marketing isn’t the "magic bullet" that will let you enjoy instant success online, it is possible to earn substantial profits promoting other peoples’ products … if you do this:
Start by clearly defining your market. Then build an information-rich website that your audience will want to visit. Be sure to include only products that are relevant, and take advantage of your site to build your credibility and establish yourself as an expert.
At the same time, build a large list of qualified subscribers, and take advantage of e-mail marketing to both build lasting relationships and promote your products.
With the right planning and research - and a reasonable amount of effort - you’ll be well on your way to a successful website recommending affiliate products.
Contributed by Derek Gehl
Guest Contributor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
If you’re looking for freedom and income, you can’t do much better than starting your own business. Internet marketing expert Derek Gehl has helped thousands of people grow online businesses that generate $100,000 a year - and often much more! Learn how you can start a "hands-free" Internet business right here.
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10 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Chris Lake — September 23, 2008 @ 11:00 am
Great info Derek, thanks! I know I’m guilty of the first mistake: choosing an affiliate product based on all kinds of reasons other than my own interests… and that sure does make it hard to want to work on it. Next time I decide to start building an affiliate site, I’ll take inventory of what excites me and go from there.
Chris Lake
Comment by Susan Connors — September 23, 2008 @ 12:33 pm
Hi Derek
Thank you for your informative and very useful article!
Much food for thought
Sue in Aus
http://www.marketingforlife.com.au
Comment by Annette — September 23, 2008 @ 12:51 pm
Wonderful point..
The key is preselling. And maybe to ask yourself " Would you buy from you if you were in your customer’s shoes?" There is nothing that improves your profits by writing a genuine preview of the product and showing that you truly care… Your customers will love you for it.
Tush
http://www.AnnetteTush.com
Comment by Alex Jeffreys — September 23, 2008 @ 6:21 pm
hey guys,
Great post and i couldn’t have read it at a better time than whilst in the middle of writting my latest book named: Guru’s Dream …
… The Dream They Sold Me … by Alex Jeffreys,
OMG - is this causing a stur online right now (i only leaked it 18 hours ago)
Anywayz …
I’ve met derek a few times over the past few years at diffrent seminars and enjoy what he has to share …
and Im really looking forward to meeting you Clayton - (when the time is right
- i found you through Mr Schefren 
What im going through right now is hard to take my business from 6 figures to 7 figures … and the ONLY way i see possible is to speak the truth - and the new era of the intneret is finally letting me break the chain’s of the gurus dream.
I could really get into this but my blog is buzzing right now with what i plan to do for everyone over the coming days and weeks …
INFACT: - if there is anything i can do for your readers Clayton to help eradicate the hype that is holding them back -
- THEN ID LOVE TO HELP YOU OKAY
nuff said - back to writting this report for my peeps.
Good luck to everyone -
Alex Jeffreys
Comment by Mac — September 24, 2008 @ 3:41 am
One essential ingredient of the mix which appears to have been neglected in this battle plan is the need to identify a market with disposable income. There are plenty of hungry markets with little money to spend or markets of people just looking for information.
To ensure you’ll make money you need to ensure your market has money to spend. Seems obvious but this fact is often overlooked.
Cheers
Mac
http://www.dataentry-athome.com
Comment by Gerard LeBlond — September 24, 2008 @ 9:07 am
The key to successful affiliate selling is to create an overall marketing strategy designed specifically for making online affiliate sales.Too many people sign up for affiliate programs with absolutely no plan of attack.They slap on a few banner ads (as Derek mentions in his spot-on article) & think people will click on it like night flying moths are attracted to a radiating patio light bulb.They should create a strategy, a plan, and then use the tools (tactics), provided by the affiliator, to execute that strategy.The whole time, they should test, measure their effectiveness of execution, fine tune and continue in a focused way to implement their strategy.Too many people join affiliate programs and just "wing-it", they ad lib, they do it with no rationale forethought of how to execute successful marketing campaign.The secret for sales success (be it in affiliate selling or selling your own products or services) is in the planning, strategy, focus, execution and testing. Respectfully,Gerard LeBlond
Comment by Jeremy Reeves — September 25, 2008 @ 8:10 am
I completely agree with these points, most newbie affiliates have absolutely no game plan when they start doing affiliate marketing.
I didn’t either when I first started, so I can’t blame them
Jeremy Reeves
http://www.GetClientsIn20.com
Comment by TJ Short — September 27, 2008 @ 9:45 pm
It has taken me since 1998 to get affiliate sales to work and boy this year they just took off. Maybe it is due to the 30 plus sites I now run going through each one at a time and tweaking them until they improve.
Not bad for a blind guy who is self taught, I am also venturing deeper into programming this year. I will be looking for affiliates for them soon if anyone is interested just give a shout to "ausisit at gmail dot com.
Comment by Dean Holland — October 27, 2008 @ 8:39 am
Hey folks,
Stumbled acroos this post on google and great !
Very useful and helpful information for someone in my position.
You see right now I’m on a journey, From a bad place I’m in right now to the successful online business place that I want to be.
I am documanting my every move ( good or bad ) in a new blog I have started.
I have the backing of the Man that is Alex Jeffrey’s and with his priceless help I’m gunna succeed.
You see I now know and you should too that you must take action !
So posts like this packed with helpful information are Great, so learn from everyone but put in action plans from what you learn.
If you want to follow my journey please see my blog
Till next time
Dean
http://www.DeanHolland.com
Comment by Victor Smith — December 2, 2008 @ 1:36 am
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