Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate Marketing Strategy: 5 Tips for Long Term Success

Seems like everyone these days is talking about affiliate marketing. There are some marketers out there making big promises of nearly instant wealth while working twenty minutes a day from your beach house, and while that’s what we all want to believe, the truth is somewhat different.

1. Be prepared to work. Thomas Jefferson said “I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.” This is as true in modern affiliate marketing as it was of politics in the 18th century. Affiliate marketers who today spend a few hours on their business each week and earn money while on vacation are the same marketers who put in many long hours for months or years before achieving the successes they enjoy today.

2. Don’t expect instant riches. Along with needing to actually work at your business, you need to be realistic in your goals as well. Affiliate marketing is not a get rich quick scheme. Building a sustainable affiliate income takes time. Among other things, you need to publish content on your affiliate sites, grow your mailing lists, and build a network of links to and from your site to increase traffic. None of these things can be done overnight, but once you start the process you’ll begin to see it snowball.

3. Treat it like a business. A lot of people play at affiliate marketing. They dabble. They flit from one shiny object to the next, never really devoting the time and energy required to make their business work. Affiliate marketing is a business. Just because you do it from your laptop while you watch the Biggest Loser doesn’t mean you should treat it as a hobby. Consider writing a business plan, setting goals, and developing a step by step plan to help you achieve your goals.

4. Don’t be afraid to invest in your business. One of the biggest mistakes new affiliate marketers make is in wanting to do everything for free. While Internet marketing does indeed have one of the lowest start up costs of any business model, you will need to make some small investments. Don’t try to get by with free web hosting, for example, thinking you’ll move your site when it’s making some money. Set your business up with a solid foundation and you’ll have far fewer headaches in the future.

5. Learn from people you trust. There are thousands of products out there that proclaim to teach affiliate marketing, so how do you choose the one to follow? Simple. Find someone you trust, and follow them. Find someone who is demonstrably successful, is approachable, and who is not surrounded by hype, and listen to what they say.

Affiliate marketing can be a lucrative career. If you take the time to learn the strategies that work, put in the effort to build your business, and have the right attitude, you might just find yourself with the title of “super affiliate” one day.

How to Select a Profitable Affiliate Program

super affiliates handbook

Affiliate marketing has been and still is a profitable business model. Whether you’re pursuing affiliate marketing as a business or are looking to add a few affiliate products to your current business model, there are some secrets to selecting a profitable affiliate program.

1. Check out their reputation in the industry. There are literally thousands of companies around the world with affiliate programs and chances are you’ll have plenty to choose from in your business niche. However, not all of them are created equal and it pays to be selective.

One key way to make sure you’re signing on with a profitable affiliate program is to research their reputation in the industry. Do they have a reputation for quality products? Do they have a reputation for good customer service? Are they respected? Is the company growing or is it on a downward turn?

2. Are payment terms acceptable? Does the company pay you whenever you make a sale or only when you reach a certain level of sales? This is important because if you have to wait until you make ten sales or reach $500, this affects your cash flow. Cash flow is important not only in staying afloat as a business owner but also in staying profitable. Make sure the payment terms of your chosen affiliate program meet your cash flow needs.

3. How are their sales pages? If you’re being paid per sale, rather than pay per view, there’s no profit in sending 1000 customers to an affiliate sales page if the sales page doesn’t convert visitors into customers. Make sure the sales pages of your affiliate product or service convert traffic into sales. Also make sure there are no leaks, such as AdSense, or other types of advertising.

4. What materials do they provide you to promote? Some affiliate programs give you an affiliate link and send you on your way. Other affiliate programs offer you a wealth of content, advertisements, promotional materials, buttons, and more to promote their products. The more materials a company provides, assuming its quality marketing material, the easier it will be for you to make money.

5. How do they treat their affiliates?
This is important. When issues arise or when you need to speak to an affiliate manager about anything, is there someone available to help you? Look for companies that have a good reputation for treating their affiliates like the valuable assets they are. If you have questions about whether an affiliate program is the right choice for you, contact them.

6. Do you feel good about their products or services? Instincts and intuition are important, and so is your ability to sell or promote products and services. If you’re unable to promote them with enthusiasm then you’re probably not going to make much money from them.

7. Does the program compliment your other affiliate offers?
This may seem obvious; however, the best way to make an affiliate program profitable is to make sure it fits into the needs of your audience and that it compliments your other affiliate programs. If you’re seeking your first affiliate program, then make sure it fits your business vision.

Finally, ask around if you have questions about an affiliate program’s potential profitability. If you cannot find anyone who represents the products, which you should be able to do with a quick search online, then contact the program manager and ask for a few references or the contact information of a few affiliates. Talking to these affiliates will likely answer any questions you may have.

If you want to learn more about making money with affiliate programs, check out Rosalind Gardner’s Super Affiliate Handbook. If you’d like to see how it benefited others, read this excellent Super Affiliate Handbook Review by none other than Lynn Terry.

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