5 Rock-Solid Methods For Increasing Your Online Income From Affiliate Programs
By Mosiekk Conley
Posted Tuesday, August 10, 2004
What you are about to read... are some my most personal and tested strategies for increasing my income from affiliate programs.
It seems that the question I get most from my subscribers to my newsletter is:
"How can I make more money from affiliate programs?"
The answer to this question is so simple that I almost feel guilty about what I am going to share with you.
The most common problems I see with most people that are promoting affiliate programs are:
1. No preselling!
2. 20 different affiliate program links all on one page.
3. No personal endorsements. (this is a big one!)
4. Lacking additional incentives.
5. Targeting the wrong people.
And the list could go on and on...
Tip #1 - Separate yourself from other affiliate marketers.
Meaning what would make me want to buy from you instead of the other sites that I see promoting that same product.
In sales there is something that is called a USP.
Simply put, what sets you apart from everyone else selling the same or similar products?
If you are selling air conditioning units, you would want to tell me exactly how your units will be even better than the next guys air conditioning units.
You want to make your customer feel as though your A/C units are the best thing since "sliced bread" without distorting the truth.
If you don't, then your potential customer may go somewhere else to get an even better deal.
An easy way to accomplish this is through the use of added incentives.
One ingenious, idea that comes to mind when selling A/C units, is to offer a free jacket with every A/C unit.
Basically signifying that the air will be so cold that your customers will require a jacket.
Another idea would be to offer a free trip to Las Vegas.
These may seem like over-the-top suggestions but whatever it takes to separate yourself from others in your market is necessary to realize your true income potential.
Tip #2 - Putting Your Ad In Front of the RIGHT Audience.
Again using the A/C units as an example, it would be a grave mistake to advertise to people who live in Alaska.
Why?
Well because most of the people that live in Alaska most likely wouldn't have any use for A/C.
It really doesn't hot enough to warrant using A/C.
Therefore, your efforts would most like be wasted on them. You would probably serve yourself better by advertising in New Mexico, Nevada, or some other place that would be better suited for A/C.
What I see on the internet, is people promoting their affiliate links on those "Start Page Exchange Programs."
While these programs seem to bring in tons of traffic, it is not targeted traffic.
For starters, most of the people using those programs don't really even see the offers that show up. Then to top it all off, if they do see them they are probably in a totally different market, so they really have no use for your
particular program.
Tip #3 - K.I.S.S. - Keep It Stupid Simple!
I couldn't think of any other way to put this.
Make it as easy as possible for your customer to get what he/she wants.
When you have other things that can either detract or take attention away from your offer, you lessen your chances of making that sale.
As mentioned earlier, when most people see just a page full of affiliate links, they are more likely to go somewhere else.
Personally, I feel like the affiliate is just trying to get my money and not trying to help me.
So if your affiliate program is for a particular product, create a page just for that product and nothing else.
If you want to promote mulitple products, create an ebook or ezine and promote them in there.
Tip #4 - Add your own personal touch.
Quick story...
I used to work for a popular shoe company. This company had shoes that targeted several different types of customers.
The department that I specialized in was basketball. (Primariliy because I played in college) After about 1 month on the sales floor, I vaulted to the top in sales.
When asked by my fellow associates, how I managed to accomplish this feat, I answered "I tell my customers about my personal experiences with the shoes."
You have to realize that most people want to know exactly how they will benefit from something.
What better way to highlight the benefits of a particular product or service than by telling your own pesonal experiences with that product.
If you are not a customer of the products you are selling then you are losing tons of sales.
So before you go and join that next affiliate program, try buying it first and then joining the affiliate program.
You never know, not only could you increase your sales, but you could also be saving your reputation too.
What if you promoted a product or service that happened to be a scam. You would tarnish your reputation forever and making money on the internet would be a pretty tough endeavor.
Tip #5 - Presell, Presell, Presell!
pre·sell
Pronunciation: (")prE-'sel
Inflected Form(s): pre·sold /-'sOld/; -sell·ing
1 : to precondition (as a customer) for subsequent purchase or create advance demand for (as a product) especially through marketing strategies
2 : to sell in advance raised money to publish the book by preselling film rights
This is the definition taken from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary.
In essence, you are getting your customer ready to eventually buy something, without mentioning price.
You want to basically pump your propect up so much that when they reach your affiliate product, they don't even need to read the sales letter. They simply look for the "Buy Now" link and purchase it right away.
This, and the Personal Endorsement technique, used together can make a powerful force that short of "threatening your customer at gun point" can make the world of difference between no sales and massive sales.
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These 5 tips are guaranteed to help you increase your revenue from affiliate programs.
Used correctly they can be the catapult that launches you into "Super Affiliate" status.
I went from making literally nothing from affiliate programs to making a minimum of $500 per month just from affilite programs.
While $500 doesn't seem like much, over 12 months that equates out to an EXTRA $6000 per year!
Just following these 5 little ole' tips can make the world of difference for you too.
Give it a try and find out for yourself.
About the Author
Mosiekk Conley is editor and publisher of the Ebook Profits Ezine where he shares strategies and tips to you become successful on the internet. If you would like to receive more articles like this one please send an email to
mailto:subscribe@ebook-profits.com?subject=TRAFVT
