Archive for Affiliate Marketing
Your USP Can Be a Really Powerful Motivational Tool
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Your Unique Selling Proposition or USP can be your most powerful motivational tool. Your USP is what makes you different than all your competitors. It’s the one thing that gets people excited about your business rather than anyone else’s.
In order for a USP to be effective, it has to genuinely be different than anything else that’s out there. If you put out a USP that doesn’t sound shockingly powerful, chances are it won’t work.
Here are a few examples of USPs and how they motivated their markets.
Radiohead’s Donation-Based Album
The discussion of the internet’s desire to be free versus the record label’s desire to stay profitable has been an active topic since the very beginning of the web.
Radiohead’s album, released on a “pay what you want” basis on the internet, was designed to test this out. Their USP was very simple: Download the album; pay whatever you want.
This USP generated massive press and buzz. They had a massively successful album launch and proceeded to have a home run concert tour.
Zappos: Free Shipping Both Ways, 365-Day Return Policy
Another clear and simple USP is Zappos’ 365-day return policy. If you buy a pair of shoes from Zappos and decide you don’t like them, you can return them months later for free.
Furthermore, Zappos will pay for you to return your shoes. Unlike other companies, Zappos aims to make it easy rather than hard to make a return.
This “no risk” USP allowed their customers to make snap decisions on purchases. They knew that even if they didn’t like it, they could just send it back.
Prosper Marketplace
Prosper Marketplace offers a very unique proposition for both lenders and borrowers. Instead of lenders buying stocks or bonds, they can lend directly to real people instead. Real people can submit their applications to real lenders, rather than a bank, who will then decide whether or not they deserve the money.
This USP appealed to both lenders and borrowers. Lenders felt they had more control over their money and had a chance at a higher return. Borrowers relished the chance to make their case to real people.
The Secret to a Great USP
A USP that motivates customers is a USP that finds an existing desire and solves it. Usually a USP entails taking some risk by the company.
Zappos takes a big risk by offering a 365-day return policy. Customers want safety when they buy, and that USP offers it.
Radiohead took a big risk when they offered their album on a “pay what you want” basis. What if everyone just downloaded it for free, or only paid a dollar?
Figure out what your customers want, then find a method to fulfill it. If it seems like there’s a big risk involved, then you’re probably on the right track. Do everything you can to manage the risk, but don’t back out because it’s risky. That’s where the money is made.
Finding Hot Affiliate Products That Sell Well
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In affiliate marketing, you really don’t want to try to sell untested products or products that aren’t already performing well for other marketers. Instead, you want to find products that already have a proven track record.
Why?
Because those products have already been shown to convert. You know that if you send traffic to those products, chances are you’ll make money. Also, those products often already have solid brands behind them, making it even easier to promote them.
Here’s how to find affiliate products that sell well for physical products, digital products and for CPA offers.
==> Physical Products
The best way to find physical affiliate products that sell well is to head over to Amazon.com and take a look at their bestseller lists.
You can look at the overall bestseller lists, or you can go into a specific subcategory.
For example, let’s say you run a cooking website. To find appliances like blenders or waffle makers to promote, just head on over to Amazon’s cooking section.
Look for the top selling products in the category. Chances are those products will perform very well.
==> Digital Products
The best place to find high converting digital products is ClickBank. In addition to being the largest online repository of digital products, ClickBank’s statistics make it very easy to figure out which products are selling well.
The primary gauge of whether or not a product is doing well is its “gravity” option. Look for high gravity products. Any product with over 100 gravity is guaranteed to have a strong conversion rate.
Make sure that in addition to looking at the gravity numbers, you also take a first-hand look at the sales page and the product. Make sure it’ll mesh well with your audience and that the core message of the product matches yours.
==> CPA Offers
Finding high converting CPA offers is much more difficult than finding high converting physical or digital product. Unlike other products, CPA offers don’t have a centralized way of finding statistics.
Sure, you have search engines like OfferVault and affiliate networks that offer EPC (earnings per click) data. Some affiliates try to find high converting offers by sorting for the highest EPC.
Unfortunately, this is horribly inaccurate. Since so many affiliates are promoting the product through both low EPC methods like PPV and high EPC methods like PPC, the EPC numbers are more or less completely unreliable.
So what’s the best way of finding profitable CPA offers?
The answer is through internet forums. Specifically, internet forums such as WickedFire that are frequented by CPA marketers. These marketers will rarely reveal the specific offer on the specific network they’re promoting, but if you browse the forums you’ll find that top offers are often mentioned.
Once you have a sense of which offers are doing well, you need to split test several versions of that offer between different affiliate networks to find the highest payout and conversion rate.
That’s how to find profitable physical, digital and CPA offers to promote.
Amazon Affiliate Marketing
Posted by: | CommentsWhy would you consider Amazon Affiliate Marketing?
Well it seems like affiliate programs are all the rage these days, and why not?
It is a good way to create an income stream with very little work. One such program is Amazon.com.
Before we get Into Amazon Affiliate Marketing, What Are Affiliate Programs?
In case you are a newbie in the world of affiliate marketing, here is a quick tutorial about the concept.
Affiliate marketing basically involves selling products for others and earning a commission on those sales or sales leads.
There are many advantages to this model. First, you don’t have to house any inventory.
The products are managed by the affiliate program owner, in this case Amazon.com. There is nothing for you to keep up with.
Second, you don’t even have to come up with tools to promote the products. The affiliate does that for you as well.
They provide an affiliate’s toolbox filled with all sorts of goodies that help you to get started.
You can use different codes on your site to embed pictures, text or both with your affiliate code so that it traces back to you when someone clicks on the links.
Third, you don’t have to monitor the clicks. All of that is done for you, by the affiliate owner. They compute your payment and send it to you.
So, what’s your responsibility?
Successfully promote the product and drive traffic to your site so others will take advantage of the offers displayed there. But, that is a subject for another time.
What about Amazon Affiliate Marketing?
Amazon is a pioneer in the affiliate marketing model.
When you are growing a company it is often hard to also grow the advertising. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.
Amazon have developed a strategy whereby others help to promote the products and services that they offer for a percentage of the commission on the sales.
It’s ingenious, actually. Now, someone else is working for you so you can concentrate on other business aspects.
With using Amazon Affiliate Marketing, you are backed by a brand that people trust.
When you promote any of their products, potential customers already know that it is good quality so you don’t have to sell them on that. The products practically sell themselves.
But, before joining any affiliate program, even Amazon.com, read the fine print.
Know about fee structures, payment schedules and what you are getting to help you be a successful affiliate. This will help you evaluate whether the program itself is worth the effort.
If you are looking for a constant income stream that gets better over time, then this one may work for you.
Some are skeptical about the low starting commission rate. However, while it is low compared to other programs, you can grow that as quickly or as slowly as you want with increased sales each month.
Also, Amazon.com pays quarterly. You won’t see a check until the end of the first three months depending on when you sign up. So, it is not a quick bucks kind of program.
Is Amazon Affiliate Marketing worth it? That depends on your needs and affiliate marketing goals.
Did you found this article useful? If so, please share it with someone that you feel could benefit from it. Or feel free to leave a comment below.
P.S. To find out how I make money by blogging about the term ” Amazon Affiliate Marketing“, just click here.
How to Increase Your Affiliate Lead Conversion
Posted by: | CommentsYour lead conversion rate is perhaps the most important factor to improve if you want to create a successful affiliate marketing campaign.
If you have a 2% conversion while your competitor only has a 1% conversion, it becomes very hard for them to compete.
How do you raise your lead conversion rates as an affiliate marketer?
You Start by Getting More Targeted Traffic
Start by improving the quality of your traffic.
One easy way to do this is to narrow down your keywords.
For example, if you’re selling sports shoes, instead of bidding for keywords like “Nike shoes” try going for specific models like “Nike Sprint Runner 2011.”
Also try cutting down on broad match or phrase match terms, and go for exact match terms instead.
The principles of getting more targeted traffic apply no matter what kind of traffic source you’re using.
Use Keyword Pass Through & Geo-targeting
Let’s say someone who lives in Boulder, Colorado typed in “Nike Shoes” and landed on your site. Which of these headlines would be more appealing?
“Buy Sports Shoes Online Today” or “Buy Nike Shoes Online, Delivered to Boulder in 48 Hours”?
Naturally, the latter is going to be more appealing.
Two quick ways to increase your lead conversion rate on anything you’re promoting is to add keyword pass-through and geo-targeting.
Keyword pass-through simply means passing the keyword someone typed in to get to your website to your landing page, and using it in the headline or body copy.
Geo-targeting involves using the IP address of the browser to detect where they’re located and then using that to increase conversions.
There’s a free script you can use from MaxMind.
Split Testing
Ultimately, the only way to really increase your lead conversions consistently is to split test on a regular basis.
If you have a small amount of traffic, start with basic A/B split tests that tackle large differences in your website.
If you have a profitable campaign that’s getting significant amounts of traffic, try using multivariable testing to figure out the best possible combination of factors.
Starting Your Lead Conversion With an Email List
If you have a campaign that’s profitable or breaks even on the front end, you might want to consider setting up an email list.
Setting up an email list will allow you to promote multiple affiliate offers to the same traffic source.
Since you’ve already proven that you’re able to get buyers to your landing page, you’re likely leaving money on the table if you don’t try to get them on a list.
These are a few proven tactics for increasing your lead conversions as an affiliate marketer.
The most important habit you could get into is regularly trying out different ideas.
Affiliate marketing is often just about trying out as many different things as possible until one sticks.
If you found this article useful, please share it with someone that you feel could benefit from it. Or feel free to leave a comment below.
P.S. To find out how I make money by blogging about the term “How to Increase Your Affiliate Lead Conversion”, just click here.
Becoming a Super Affiliate
Posted by: | CommentsThere are lots affiliate programs out there in the big wide web with an even larger number of affiliates. So, how do you make yourself stand out from the other marketers and become a super affiliate? The answer is, learn how to build your affiliate marketing business and fast.
Affiliate marketing involves promoting products for other businesses. Using marketing tools that you know and the ones provided in the affiliate’s toolbox by the business owner, you can draw in customers and make the sale. Best of all, with each sale, you earn a commission from the host business.
You might be making a good commission but you can still increase your business even more. Below are some tips for you to become that super affiliate who wants to ramp up their profits.
Tips For Becoming a Super Affiliate
* Get educated – There is always more to learn. Take a course on affiliate marketing. Find a marketing coach who offers seminars, webinars or coursework for sale to help you increase your knowledge of the online marketing world.
* Tap into the heart of your customers – What do they ultimately want from your site and the products that you promote? If you can get in touch with your customers’ basic needs then you can use every tool in your arsenal to make that happen for them. Set up a comment section on your site. Use customer feedback to enhance your content and marketing strategies.
* Update your sites – Keep the content fresh so that you can continually attract new visitors. If you don’t have time to write new content all the time, try investing in good PLR or hire a ghostwriting service. This can take the pressure off of you so that you can concentrate on simply getting your name and the product out there.
* Promote several products at once – If you want to increase your commissions, promote more products and become a real super affiliate. The key here is to choose products in the same niche or niches that you are interested in. You can get up and running with fresh content and a workable marketing strategy when you have prior knowledge of the type of product you are promoting.
* Guest blog for others – In exchange for your blogging skills, ask that you be able to link back to your affiliate products. Now, you have the audience of another blogger at your disposal as well as traffic that you have brought in.
Social Networking For the Super Affiliate
Use social networking sites – Facebook and Twitter aren’t just for socializing anymore. Post links and even create pages for your customers to ask questions and stay up on the latest news with your products. Keep friends aware of what you are doing in the business world. Friend other business associates so they can also have an opportunity to check out what you are doing.
Becoming a super affiliate fast will require dedication, knowledge and the motivation to get it done – and also the tips above.
If you found this article useful, please share it with someone that you feel could benefit from it. Or feel free to leave a comment below.
P.S. To find out how I make money by blogging about the term super affiliate, just click here.
Affiliate Marketing Blog
Posted by: | CommentsAn Affiliate marketing Blog is one of the easiest ways to break into internet marketing. You can potentially make a living by promoting the products of another company. But you need an online presence. That is where WordPress comes in.
What Is a WordPress Affiliate Marketing Blog?
WordPress is a platform used to set up blogs and websites. If you know nothing about websites and their set-up, it can be daunting to have to do so. WordPress takes the guesswork out of the process for you so you can get up and running in very little time.
Now, be aware that there are two WordPress sites: WordPress.com and WordPress.org. WordPress.com is popular with many bloggers.
It is a ready-made site that can be set up right away. The only issue here is that it is not as customizable as you might like for an affiliate site. And, monetizing it may be difficult.
Setting Up an Affiliate Marketing Blog
For an affiliate marketing program, you will want to go with WordPress.org. Some are scared of this because it is open source.
That means you will need to have a domain name and a web hosting company secured before using it. Ask your web host if they are familiar with WordPress.org and could help you integrate it into your site.
So, as we just alluded to, the next step is downloading the open source software through your web host. If you are technically savvy, you can do it yourself although it takes time. But, for a fee, your web host can do it for you without much trouble.
Now you are ready to explore. WordPress offers a lot both for the new and the experienced affiliate marketer. One benefit is its customization.
You have a variety of themes to choose from for the look of your site. Changing them is no problem and can be done across all pages easily.
Add new pages in an instant. If you are promoting several types of products, keep them separated for effortless browsing by visitors.
Did I mention that WordPress is free? Yes all of the benefits of the software are free to use. And, it features plug-ins that can help you not only secure your site but also make it easier for you to manage.
This is a plus if you are running several affiliate marketing sites.
Also, Google seems to like WordPress platforms a lot. This is good for you since you want their bots to crawl your affiliate sites for better page rankings and increased traffic. More traffic means more potential sales.
But, WordPress doesn’t leave you to fend for yourself. Their customer support is available if you are having problems with their product. They will assist you as needed to keep your site running optimally, which is what you want when operating your business. Once you get the hang of setting up a WordPress site, creating subsequent sites won’t be a problem.
WordPress seems tailor-made for the affiliate marketer. Use one to help you grow your business today.
If you found this article useful, please share it with someone that you feel could benefit from it. Or feel free to leave a comment below.
P.S. To find out how I make money by blogging about the term Affiliate Marketing Blog, just click here.
