How to Be an Affiliate Marketing Powerhouse - Part 1
By Phil Lancaster
You can make a lot of money as an affiliate marketing other people’s products. Or… you can be left wondering why, despite all your efforts, no one has purchased through your links. Here are 10 things you need to have right.
First, Identify Your Target Audience
Start by identifying potential customers before actually promoting your affiliate product. FIguring out beforehand who you need and who are likeliest to buy the product you are promoting will save you a lot of wasted time and effort.
Construct Your Website for the Target Audience
You must have a website. Don’t just try to direct traffic to the merchant’s product website. But don’t invest in constructing a website and then try to figure out how to get your audience to visit it. Know your audience well and then construct the site to be attractive to them. Much of your competition will be lazy and will use the exact same sales pages as all the other affiliates. Be different.
Buzz Your Website
Become interested in what is “in.” Then rather than setting up a website about your favorite hobby, which might not have broad appeal, cultivate your interest in those things that are hot and happening and find related products to promote. Become a specialist in what’s hot then create websites with automatic buzz!
Think Positive, Be Realistic and Stay Focused
Think positive but don’t get caught up in the online hype, expecting to become super-rich very quickly. Remain focused on one thing at a time. Being positive is good, but setting realistic goals is vital.
Get Your Knowledge Base Right
You can cripple your business by not expanding your knowledge. Become an expert in both the product you are promoting and the problem it’s designed to solve.
Use AdWords Cautiously
Set your budget cautiously and don’t overspend. But this powerful marketing tool can be used wisely both to earn more in commissions than its PPC costs and to work out what keywords will get you traffic and what is just too competitive.
Be Your Own Author
If possible, write your own ads, articles and reviews rather than using the ones supplied by the publishers’ affiliate programs. This way, you will set yourself apart from the other affiliates and will come across as genuine.
Match Affiliate Programs
Do not under any circumstances cross-promote unrelated material. If you want to promote a new affiliate program on dog training, don’t do it on your photography website. Some of your photographer subscribers might want to train their dogs, but for most it will simply destroy your credibility.
Build Your List
Capture your visitor’s details before passing them on to the affiliate merchant’s sales page. Give away content, such as a subscription to a newsletter. Follow up. Keep them involved. Their long term value to you will be huge.
Targeted Traffic
Imagine yourself as the person who has the problem this product is designed to solve. This will give you insight into how your prospects will look for the solution. Then do the things to you need to do to ensure that you are the one they find.
Phil Lancaster is recognized as one of the leading experts on getting new websites indexed and ranked quickly and then driving free, targeted traffic to them. He is the author of Traffic Floodgate which helps you learn everything there is to know about getting an unstoppable flood of traffic to your website.
Tags: affiliate
