Encouraging people to purchase products from you as an affiliate you is a valuable skill that is not only financially rewarding but also personally fulfilling. Even if you sell your own products or services, affiliate marketing is a great income stream you can add to your business to add value to your customers and make extra money while doing it. In almost any profit-driven company today, the best-compensated people are those who deliver sales, whether they work the front lines (e.g. real estate agents, car salespeople) or the boardrooms and negotiating tables of Fortune 500 companies.
Fortunately, the answer is no. Most folks – upwards of 95% of Americans – are sales-averse, i.e. they don’t like pitching goods to others AND they don’t like being bombarded with high-pressure sales tactics. However, they are willing to consider offers from people they know, like and trust. This is where you and your subscriber list come in. You might have heard the old saying, “people hate to be sold but they love to buy”.
- Highlight the products’ benefits for your subscriber without being verbose. You’re not writing a novel or even a full-blown sales letter. Not necessary to list features.
- Be concise with your pitch and avoid excessive repetition.
- Personalize your recommendation (Why do YOU recommend this product?). Mention your results and other buyers’ positive results with the product.
- Don’t overdo the links! One affiliate link halfway through the text and a second link near the end of the text is a good way to go.
- Combine e-mails with other promotion methods like product reviews and bonuses.
Successful Affiliate Marketers Share Several Traits
- They are consistent with their relationship marketing efforts, meaning they are emailing their list, writing a new blog post, and/or touching their audience in some way at least once per week at a minimum. Never feel like you are “annoying” your list as long as you are delivering good value and relevant offers that can help them.
- They are persistent when putting together a campaign, but wise enough to know when to let it go and move on to other things. The best marketers use tools to measure and evaluate their performances and are open to criticism and suggestions from subscribers and colleagues. Never get discouraged if your great idea for a marketing idea fails, simply move on to the next one.
- Successful affiliate marketers measure beyond just money. How will you know that you’ve become a successful affiliate marketer? The number cruncher in you may raise your hand and say, “When I make X dollars per month every month for a number of years.” Hard to argue with that, since making money online is a strong motivator. However, why not measure success by the number of lives you touch in a positive fashion by introducing them to your affiliate products? Chances are that the money will follow.