They say it's easy to make money using affiliate marketing but it is a fact that 95% of people trying this business model never earn any money? The first time you hear about affiliate marketing it sounds as a very easy concept. You just have to find product that people want, and find a way to present this product to the right people.
The rest of the process should be easy - but it's not. What are the problems you're facing as an affiliate marketer?
You are just one of many marketers who are trying to sell the very same product to the very same consumers. If you are determined to win this war, you must have a plan to get your share of the market.
Make people trust you
The majority of website visitors don't buy the first time they see your product, so it's very important to keep the conversation going. This mean you have to build an email list of people interested in your type of product.
You've probably heard this a thousand times - build a list if you want to have success in online marketing. A resent study showed that 50% of affiliate marketers don't have a list. Having a list is crucial to making a profit in affiliate marketing. People will buy from you if they get a chance to know you through your email list.
Give and you shall be given
Building an email list of interested subscribers is not that difficult but it takes time and some effort. When you have a list, don't try to make them buy in every email you send to them.
Give something for free - a useful tip, a small report, a link to a great website. When people find out that you really care and that you are a person they can trust, then you have a much higher chance of selling your product or products to them.
Copy what works
Study how other successful affiliate marketers promote a product - and copy their promotion process. Rewrite it, make it your own - but based on principles you know that works. If you see an article you like - rewrite it in your own words.
If you see a great ad for your product - rewrite it and use it. Did you find a great small report? Do some more research, rewrite it and give it to your email list.
It is hard work
Most people are lazy but you're not going to succeed in this type of marketing without some hard work.
Any successful affiliate marketer can tell that it takes daily promotion of the product to get any kind of results. What kind of promotion should you be doing? If you're on a low budget here's some of the tools you should try to master:
- Email marketing - Forum marketing - Making a lens on Squidoo.com - Blogs - your own blog or making comments on other blogs - Article writing - Writing small free reports - Posting ads on USfreeads.com - Posting ads on Craigslist.org - Posting a video on YouTube.com or FreeIQ.com
Your goal should be to do at least three of these activities every day.
Don't give up
It's important to keep promoting on a daily basis using all the free tools mentioned earlier in this article. Affiliate marketing is hard work but it is possible to win the war or at least get a fair share of the market you're targeting.
A customer who trusted you and bought a product on your recommendation will probably be much easier to sell to in the future. So take good care of your paid customers - this is the most valuable asset you have in your affiliate business. Keep them on a separate email list and treat them generously.
Tuesday, 13 November 2007
Monday, 12 November 2007
Affiliate Marketing and Working With Merchants
As an affiliate, one way to increase your sales is to contact the merchant of the product or service you are promoting. Working with merchants can save you some time as well as heartache.
Realistically, who knows the product better than the merchant? You can contact them and begin working with merchants by first asking them for advice on marketing strategies.
They should be able to provide you with some of the best strategies that are working for other affiliates in order to make sales. By working with the merchant you will also be showing them that you are determined to succeed in your affiliate business.
Contacting the merchant will show that you are enthusiastic about promoting their product or service. Your merchant will recognize your efforts and will provide you with the necessary resources and information. They may even boost your commission rates!
How to Deal With Merchants
You can try emailing your merchant and if they do not respond, you may want to try again. If there is still no response, you better think about whether or not you want to continue this partnership. This lack of communication could be an indication that there will be other problems with them, such as payment.
Beware of merchants who make big promises, for example, they may set a high payout rate. This just means that you do not get paid until you have reached a certain set amount of money. They fully know that very few people will meet this payout rate each month.
Most merchants are aware that 90% of the sales are generated by less that 5% of the affiliates. This is not to say that you will not make any money, you just may not meet the high payout rate each month. This isn't exactly the best way to do business and you should avoid working with merchants of this type.
Communicating With Merchants
You should use a professional tone when you are communicating with merchants. Let them know, if you have any suggestions on how they can improve their offers. Most merchants appreciate any positive feedback that will improve their program.
If your merchant is wise they will realize that good affiliates are not easy to find and so they will treat you with respect, be prompt with payments and assist you with any recourses needed to get you sales. Wise affiliates will also understand that merchants expect quality sales performance and promotion.
Always be understanding and professional towards your merchant in order to get the most out of your partnership. Good merchants may not always be readily available, but that just means that they are busy, not that they are bad merchants. It may take some time, but they will answer your emails and any other questions you may have.
If you are just getting started in affiliate marketing, one of the best ways to understand how things work is by working with merchants. After you have worked with them for a while, it will not be long before you begin to understand how they do things. Listen to what they have to say, show some initiative and you will soon be on your way to success.
Realistically, who knows the product better than the merchant? You can contact them and begin working with merchants by first asking them for advice on marketing strategies.
They should be able to provide you with some of the best strategies that are working for other affiliates in order to make sales. By working with the merchant you will also be showing them that you are determined to succeed in your affiliate business.
Contacting the merchant will show that you are enthusiastic about promoting their product or service. Your merchant will recognize your efforts and will provide you with the necessary resources and information. They may even boost your commission rates!
How to Deal With Merchants
You can try emailing your merchant and if they do not respond, you may want to try again. If there is still no response, you better think about whether or not you want to continue this partnership. This lack of communication could be an indication that there will be other problems with them, such as payment.
Beware of merchants who make big promises, for example, they may set a high payout rate. This just means that you do not get paid until you have reached a certain set amount of money. They fully know that very few people will meet this payout rate each month.
Most merchants are aware that 90% of the sales are generated by less that 5% of the affiliates. This is not to say that you will not make any money, you just may not meet the high payout rate each month. This isn't exactly the best way to do business and you should avoid working with merchants of this type.
Communicating With Merchants
You should use a professional tone when you are communicating with merchants. Let them know, if you have any suggestions on how they can improve their offers. Most merchants appreciate any positive feedback that will improve their program.
If your merchant is wise they will realize that good affiliates are not easy to find and so they will treat you with respect, be prompt with payments and assist you with any recourses needed to get you sales. Wise affiliates will also understand that merchants expect quality sales performance and promotion.
Always be understanding and professional towards your merchant in order to get the most out of your partnership. Good merchants may not always be readily available, but that just means that they are busy, not that they are bad merchants. It may take some time, but they will answer your emails and any other questions you may have.
If you are just getting started in affiliate marketing, one of the best ways to understand how things work is by working with merchants. After you have worked with them for a while, it will not be long before you begin to understand how they do things. Listen to what they have to say, show some initiative and you will soon be on your way to success.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfalls
Affiliate marketing is a great way to make money, but it is not as easy as what you may have heard or would like to think.
In order to earn a good stable income you will be required to do some hard work and be dedicated. Before you take the leap to join any affiliate program you need to be aware that there are affiliate marketing pitfalls just as there are with just about any business.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfall #1 - Myths About Easy Money
Do not allow yourself to be ignorant of the facts. Some people will let themselves truly believe that there is easy money to be made in affiliate marketing.
Sure it is easier than making your own product and having to deal with nasty customers and so on, but you still need to put in some hard work to promote your site or product.
The first thing you will want to do is to learn and understand how affiliate marketing REALLY works. Identify any factors that could potentially lead to either success or failure.
Make a well thought-out plan for each business move you make. You can accomplish all of this by doing some research online, asking questions from the experts on affiliate forums or reading affiliate blogs.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfall #2 - Avoid Scams
Once you locate a program that you would like to join, simply add the word scam to the end of it and see what pops up.
Join some work at home forums and ask if it has worked for anyone else, someone is sure to know something about the company you are interested in.
Another way to tell if the program is a scam is if it doesn't tell you anything about the compensation plan unless you sign up. Or if the program will not tell you anything about what you will be doing unless you buy their kit.
You want to be offered 100% free disclosure. After doing some research on the Internet, you should be able to contact someone at the company and ask them more detailed questions about what is involved.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfall #3 - Saggy Cookies
Most merchants use cookies to track your referrals. As the majority of your customers will not purchase on their first visit, cookies will allow your visitors to be tagged with your ID, so that if they do decide to buy later, you will get credit for the sale.
The duration of the cookies will be different from merchant to merchant. Some cookies may last for a single session, whereas others could last for months or even years.
If the visitor has cookie blocking software, disables their cookies on a regular basis or the merchants program isn't operating properly, there really isn't much you can do about it.
Monitoring Your Payment Arrangements:
Even the most honest merchants will encounter problems with their affiliate software at times. Therefore, it is wise to regularly check cookies and your merchants website for changes that could affect your pay.
In order to earn a good stable income you will be required to do some hard work and be dedicated. Before you take the leap to join any affiliate program you need to be aware that there are affiliate marketing pitfalls just as there are with just about any business.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfall #1 - Myths About Easy Money
Do not allow yourself to be ignorant of the facts. Some people will let themselves truly believe that there is easy money to be made in affiliate marketing.
Sure it is easier than making your own product and having to deal with nasty customers and so on, but you still need to put in some hard work to promote your site or product.
The first thing you will want to do is to learn and understand how affiliate marketing REALLY works. Identify any factors that could potentially lead to either success or failure.
Make a well thought-out plan for each business move you make. You can accomplish all of this by doing some research online, asking questions from the experts on affiliate forums or reading affiliate blogs.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfall #2 - Avoid Scams
Once you locate a program that you would like to join, simply add the word scam to the end of it and see what pops up.
Join some work at home forums and ask if it has worked for anyone else, someone is sure to know something about the company you are interested in.
Another way to tell if the program is a scam is if it doesn't tell you anything about the compensation plan unless you sign up. Or if the program will not tell you anything about what you will be doing unless you buy their kit.
You want to be offered 100% free disclosure. After doing some research on the Internet, you should be able to contact someone at the company and ask them more detailed questions about what is involved.
Affiliate Marketing Pitfall #3 - Saggy Cookies
Most merchants use cookies to track your referrals. As the majority of your customers will not purchase on their first visit, cookies will allow your visitors to be tagged with your ID, so that if they do decide to buy later, you will get credit for the sale.
The duration of the cookies will be different from merchant to merchant. Some cookies may last for a single session, whereas others could last for months or even years.
If the visitor has cookie blocking software, disables their cookies on a regular basis or the merchants program isn't operating properly, there really isn't much you can do about it.
Monitoring Your Payment Arrangements:
Even the most honest merchants will encounter problems with their affiliate software at times. Therefore, it is wise to regularly check cookies and your merchants website for changes that could affect your pay.
Different Types Of Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing programs has never been as popular before as it is today. Why? There can be a number of reasons.
The most probable reason, however, could be the fact that the benefits of this marketing have become clearer to a lot of people now than they were before.
Today, both the merchants and the affiliates can see clearly that it can work for both of them. The merchant sees it today as the chance to advertise their products at a lower cost.
The affiliates, on the other hand, sees this as an easy way of earning profits online by doing what they like most, and that is by creating websites.
Just as the popularity of this has shifted into greater heights, so has the people's outlook about it changed. No longer it is considered today as an alternative method for the merchant to advertise his products, or as a source of additional income for the affiliates.
For merchants and affiliates alike, this is now considered as a main source of profits and revenues. So the question now is what type of this marketing will work best for you? Are all such marketing programs the same? Are the benefits the same? Or are there affiliate marketing programs that work better than the others? There are actually different types or classes of marketing, and the number of types will depend on how one will classify them.
The most basic of this programs, however, falls under two categories: pay-per-click (PPC), and pay-per-performance (PPP).
Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC is the most popular type of this for those afiliates with small websites, and probably the easiest way for them to earn money. In this type, the merchant pays his afiliate whenever a visitor is referred to his site, that is whenever someone clicks through the merchant's banner or text ads.
They gets paid a certain amount even if the visitor he referred does not purchase anything from the merchant's site. However, typical fees for PPC affiliate programs are small, usually not exceeding a dollar for every click.
Pay Per Performance (PPP)
PPP is the most popular among merchant and is also the most lucrative type for the affiliates. In this type of program, the merchant only pays them whenever his referral translates into an action that is whenever the visitor he has referred actually buys something from the merchant's site or when the visitor becomes a lead.
This means a lot of savings for the merchant. On the other hand, it becomes the most lucrative type for the dedicated affiliate, for commissions in PPP marketing usually comes in the range of 15% to 20% of the actual product sales.
Pay-per-performance marketing can be further classified into two popular types: pay-per-sales
(PPS) and pay-per-lead (PPL).
Pay Per Sale (PPS)
In a pay-per-sale type of marketing, the merchants pay the affiliate a certain fee whenever the visitor he has referred to the merchant's site actually buys something from the merchant's site.
Affiliates are often paid on commission basis, although other merchants would opt to pay a fixed fee. But no matter what the basis of the fee is, it is generally higher than the fee paid to affiliates in a pay-per-click affiliate program.
Pay Per Lead (PPL)
The pay-per-lead type of affiliate marketing is a slight variation of the PPS type and is often used by insurance and finance companies and other companies who rely on leads for their company to grow.
In this type, the affiliate is paid whenever the visitor he referred to the merchant's site fills up an application form or any similar form related to the business of the company. Compensation for this type is based on a fixed fee whose rates approximate that of the fixed fee in the PPS type.
Aside from these three specific types of marketing, a lot of other affiliate marketing types exist. If the classification is based on the depth of the affiliate network, it can be classified as single-tier, two-tier, and multi-tier affiliate marketing. There is also another type that pays the affiliate each time the customer he has referred purchases something from the merchant's site.
Single-Tier, Two-Tier, and Multi-Tier Affiliate Marketing. These types of marketing are based on the different levels or tiers in the affiliate network by which payments are made.
In a single-tier affiliate marketing program, the affiliates are only paid based on the direct sales or traffic he has referred to the merchant. All the previously mentioned types (i.e. PPS ,PPL, and PPC) fall under the single-tier classification.
In two-tier affiliate marketing programs, the affiliate is not only paid for the direct traffic or sales that he refers to the merchant's site, but also on every traffic or sales referred by various other affiliates who joined the affiliate program through his recommendation.
Multi-tier works the same way, although the affiliate gets additional commission for a wider
number of affiliates in different tiers in the affiliate network.
Residual Income Affiliate Marketing
In residual income affiliate marketing, the affiliate gets paid not only once for every customer he has referred to the merchant's site. Rather, the affiliate is also paid whenever the customer he has referred returns to the site and purchase another product. Compensation for such type is
based on either sales percentage commission or fixed fee basis.
The different affiliate marketing types would virtually work differently for merchants and affiliates alike, and each would generally have their own list of benefits. Which type of affiliate marketing will work best for you?
It is not really for me to tell. Rather, it is for you to choose which type of affiliate marketing program will suit your needs and characteristics best.
The most probable reason, however, could be the fact that the benefits of this marketing have become clearer to a lot of people now than they were before.
Today, both the merchants and the affiliates can see clearly that it can work for both of them. The merchant sees it today as the chance to advertise their products at a lower cost.
The affiliates, on the other hand, sees this as an easy way of earning profits online by doing what they like most, and that is by creating websites.
Just as the popularity of this has shifted into greater heights, so has the people's outlook about it changed. No longer it is considered today as an alternative method for the merchant to advertise his products, or as a source of additional income for the affiliates.
For merchants and affiliates alike, this is now considered as a main source of profits and revenues. So the question now is what type of this marketing will work best for you? Are all such marketing programs the same? Are the benefits the same? Or are there affiliate marketing programs that work better than the others? There are actually different types or classes of marketing, and the number of types will depend on how one will classify them.
The most basic of this programs, however, falls under two categories: pay-per-click (PPC), and pay-per-performance (PPP).
Pay Per Click (PPC)
PPC is the most popular type of this for those afiliates with small websites, and probably the easiest way for them to earn money. In this type, the merchant pays his afiliate whenever a visitor is referred to his site, that is whenever someone clicks through the merchant's banner or text ads.
They gets paid a certain amount even if the visitor he referred does not purchase anything from the merchant's site. However, typical fees for PPC affiliate programs are small, usually not exceeding a dollar for every click.
Pay Per Performance (PPP)
PPP is the most popular among merchant and is also the most lucrative type for the affiliates. In this type of program, the merchant only pays them whenever his referral translates into an action that is whenever the visitor he has referred actually buys something from the merchant's site or when the visitor becomes a lead.
This means a lot of savings for the merchant. On the other hand, it becomes the most lucrative type for the dedicated affiliate, for commissions in PPP marketing usually comes in the range of 15% to 20% of the actual product sales.
Pay-per-performance marketing can be further classified into two popular types: pay-per-sales
(PPS) and pay-per-lead (PPL).
Pay Per Sale (PPS)
In a pay-per-sale type of marketing, the merchants pay the affiliate a certain fee whenever the visitor he has referred to the merchant's site actually buys something from the merchant's site.
Affiliates are often paid on commission basis, although other merchants would opt to pay a fixed fee. But no matter what the basis of the fee is, it is generally higher than the fee paid to affiliates in a pay-per-click affiliate program.
Pay Per Lead (PPL)
The pay-per-lead type of affiliate marketing is a slight variation of the PPS type and is often used by insurance and finance companies and other companies who rely on leads for their company to grow.
In this type, the affiliate is paid whenever the visitor he referred to the merchant's site fills up an application form or any similar form related to the business of the company. Compensation for this type is based on a fixed fee whose rates approximate that of the fixed fee in the PPS type.
Aside from these three specific types of marketing, a lot of other affiliate marketing types exist. If the classification is based on the depth of the affiliate network, it can be classified as single-tier, two-tier, and multi-tier affiliate marketing. There is also another type that pays the affiliate each time the customer he has referred purchases something from the merchant's site.
Single-Tier, Two-Tier, and Multi-Tier Affiliate Marketing. These types of marketing are based on the different levels or tiers in the affiliate network by which payments are made.
In a single-tier affiliate marketing program, the affiliates are only paid based on the direct sales or traffic he has referred to the merchant. All the previously mentioned types (i.e. PPS ,PPL, and PPC) fall under the single-tier classification.
In two-tier affiliate marketing programs, the affiliate is not only paid for the direct traffic or sales that he refers to the merchant's site, but also on every traffic or sales referred by various other affiliates who joined the affiliate program through his recommendation.
Multi-tier works the same way, although the affiliate gets additional commission for a wider
number of affiliates in different tiers in the affiliate network.
Residual Income Affiliate Marketing
In residual income affiliate marketing, the affiliate gets paid not only once for every customer he has referred to the merchant's site. Rather, the affiliate is also paid whenever the customer he has referred returns to the site and purchase another product. Compensation for such type is
based on either sales percentage commission or fixed fee basis.
The different affiliate marketing types would virtually work differently for merchants and affiliates alike, and each would generally have their own list of benefits. Which type of affiliate marketing will work best for you?
It is not really for me to tell. Rather, it is for you to choose which type of affiliate marketing program will suit your needs and characteristics best.
How To Get Started In Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing has been around for several years now, and it is still growing at a very rapid pace. Yet, the opportunity for you to get your piece of the pie has never been greater.
If you are planning on getting into the affiliate marketing business, you could end up being very successful at it. But first you have to know what affiliate marketing is, how it works, and where the best places are for you to get the proper guidance.
In order to get started in affiliate marketing you will have to decide what product you want to promote and then sign up for their affiliate program. (most companies have one and they are free to join) You should do the proper research to make sure there is a demand for your product, you will also need to find low competition keywords to use in your marketing campaign.
After you sign up for an affiliate program you will have your own unique affiliate link, this is how your sales will be tracked. You can write articles and put your affiliate link in the resource box at the end. If anyone clicks the link and buys, you will get a commission. That is a very simplified explanation of one way to be an affiliate marketer.....and that's only one way.
There are many strategies when it comes to affiliate marketing. (some article directories do not allow direct affiliate links within the resource box......which means you will need a webpage or website for your affiliate products/links to reside. There are many free options available. ie. google pages)
Your articles should/Must be helpful and informative......your sales "pitch" goes in the resource box. NOT in the article itself. The article body is where you GIVE helpful information...it is also considered to be your "pre-sell", which is very important. The resource box is the "payment" you receive for the article. This is where you are allowed to persuade the person to click through to your product or website.
Again, this is a very simplified explanation. There is a lot to consider when picking a product to promote and how you plan to promote it. If you get proper guidance about affiliate marketing and the strategies that are effective, your chances for success become much greater.
If you are planning on getting into the affiliate marketing business, you could end up being very successful at it. But first you have to know what affiliate marketing is, how it works, and where the best places are for you to get the proper guidance.
In order to get started in affiliate marketing you will have to decide what product you want to promote and then sign up for their affiliate program. (most companies have one and they are free to join) You should do the proper research to make sure there is a demand for your product, you will also need to find low competition keywords to use in your marketing campaign.
After you sign up for an affiliate program you will have your own unique affiliate link, this is how your sales will be tracked. You can write articles and put your affiliate link in the resource box at the end. If anyone clicks the link and buys, you will get a commission. That is a very simplified explanation of one way to be an affiliate marketer.....and that's only one way.
There are many strategies when it comes to affiliate marketing. (some article directories do not allow direct affiliate links within the resource box......which means you will need a webpage or website for your affiliate products/links to reside. There are many free options available. ie. google pages)
Your articles should/Must be helpful and informative......your sales "pitch" goes in the resource box. NOT in the article itself. The article body is where you GIVE helpful information...it is also considered to be your "pre-sell", which is very important. The resource box is the "payment" you receive for the article. This is where you are allowed to persuade the person to click through to your product or website.
Again, this is a very simplified explanation. There is a lot to consider when picking a product to promote and how you plan to promote it. If you get proper guidance about affiliate marketing and the strategies that are effective, your chances for success become much greater.
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