Discover How
Affiliates Earning $40,000+ Per Year Guarantee
Their Success By Asking These "To-The-Point" Questions
BEFORE Joining Any Affiliate Program!
Like a gorilla
on steroids, there is a powerful way to add profits to your bottom
line -- and that's through actively participating in the "right"
affiliate program. By "right" affiliate program, I mean the
one that's right for you.
For our
readers who are unfamiliar with what an affiliate program is, it's
simply a "no-risk" partnership that allows you to promote
another company's product or service on your web site to earn a
percentage of the sales. As one of the company's "affiliates"
(promotion partners) you earn a commission each time someone you've
referred to their web site makes a purchase. You might post a banner
on your web site that links to the affiliate program's site, or you
might publish an article about the company and their products in
your newsletter.
No matter how
you promote them, though, it's a win-win arrangement for both of
you because:
- The
affiliate program gets "no-risk" advertising (in most cases, they
don't pay you unless one of your referred visitors makes a
purchase),
- And you,
the affiliate, get the opportunity to earn easy extra income
without the hassles of production, packaging, shipping, or
customer service. Generally, there is no fee for you to join
and you can leave the program whenever you choose.
Forrester
Research recently reported that by 2003, 21% of all online sales
will be driven by affiliate sites promoting affiliate products like
this; however, before you become an affiliate and grab your share
of this multi-billion dollar commission income pie, it's
extremely important that you educate yourself on how to know which
is the best affiliate program to join and which are the most
profitable affiliate products to promote.
While it's not
uncommon to find site owners earning $40,000+ per year promoting
just one or two affiliate products (and that's not including the
"regular" income many of them earn promoting their own products),
the fact is that not all affiliate programs are created equal. For
example, while our own Internet Marketing Center affiliates enjoy
commissions upwards of $4,000+ per month (lower traffic sites
typically see $400 - $900 a month), there are plenty of other
affiliate programs out there that are NOT as generous... or as
reputable!
With literally
thousands of new affiliate programs having come online since my last
article on this topic, I wanted to make sure that you don't make a
mistake and waste your time and efforts promoting a program that
will not generate the extra income you deserve.
So to help you
choose the "right" affiliate program, I've put together a list of
the seven critical questions you MUST ask to ensure you make the
best choice and give yourself the greatest opportunity for success.
|
Question #1: |
Is the product or service offered for resale by the affiliate
program something you would use and personally recommend? |
First and
foremost, the affiliate product you promote should be something that
you truly believe in. It should be something that you would
personally use yourself and be comfortable recommending to your best
friend. Think of your role as a consultant who personally:
- Researches
products available in your specialty,
- Objectively
compares the product to its competitors,
- Ensures
that the one you choose to promote outperforms the competition by
offering a major benefit,
- And then
"reports" your findings to your web site visitors and opt-in
subscribers.
Your customers
benefit by saving the time they would have taken to conduct their
own research, by saving money, and by being offered the best
solution for their purchasing dollars.
Look for
products that offer exceptional value and unique benefits that
potential buyers want but will not be able to find anywhere else.
During your research, also watch for new product announcements. New
products can bring in first-time buyers, previous purchasers who
wish to upgrade, and owners of competitive products.
With literally
thousands of programs to choose from, there's no reason for you to
promote an affiliate product that you don't truly believe in. Money
is a great motivator, but you should never let the lure of "quick
cash" cloud your thinking. When you build your online business
around the best interests of your customers, the money will follow.
|
Question #2: |
Does the affiliate product you are considering promoting
"fit" with your web site's theme? |
As you
research various affiliate products, watch for those that fit
closely with your existing web site's theme; any affiliate product
you consider promoting should match the interests, needs,
requirements, and budgets of your current customers and web site
visitors.
For example,
if you sell wild bird feeders, you could join an affiliate program
that allows you to earn commissions promoting bird feed, books on
identifying wild birds, audio recordings of birds, binoculars, and
maybe even night vision goggles for late-night bird watching.
Any product
that enhances customer enjoyment, increases personal productivity,
or provides a desirable benefit should be considered. Also, look for
products that can be used alongside your offer, or that may be
needed prior to using your product or afterwards. You will then be
offering your customers a "complete" solution... not just one
component of it.
Pay close
attention to the comments you receive from your customers and
subscribers. Both positive and negative feedback can give you
critical clues about products or services your market is looking for
to fill a need that your product cannot. You can then use this
information to look for an affiliate program that offers more of
what they tell you they want, or that provides a solution to one of
their pressing problems.
SPECIAL
NOTE: If you find an exceptional product that does not match
your web site's theme or the interests of your visitors, and if
it is so exciting that you believe it has excellent potential
for a different niche market, then I suggest you develop a
separate web site, opt-in mailing list, and promotional campaign
just for that specific product.
You'll earn much bigger commissions developing targeted niche
sites like this than by turning your homepage into a flea market
that makes you look unprofessional and decreases your
sales. |
Question #3: |
Is the company reputable? |
Your buyers
are relying on you to make sure that every product and service you
recommend will perform as promised. If you're considering joining a
particular affiliate program, check to see how long the company has
been in business and investigate them as thoroughly as you would any
prospective business partner. See if they offer a "testimonials"
page. Ask questions about their products in various industry
newsgroups and bulletin boards.
When you
recommend another company to your visitors, it's your reputation
that's on the line. Ask yourself if associating with this affiliate
program will enhance your reputation with your online community. If
it won't, then you have a good reason to pass on the "opportunity."
Your reputation is priceless. Only associate with the best in your
industry.
|
Question #4: |
Do they stand behind their product with a solid guarantee and
excellent after-sales service? |
A key
component in selling over the Internet is removing as much of the
"risk" as possible for the potential customers -- people will look
very carefully at the guarantee that comes with any affiliate
product or service that you promote. If the affiliate program you
are considering joining does not stand behind what they sell with a
risk-free guarantee, then you can expect to lose sales and affiliate
commissions to their competitors who do!
As you look at
the guarantee, read the fine print. Are the rules for a customer
getting their money back so tough that it becomes discouraging to
even try? Is it guaranteed for 72 hours, 30 days, or a lifetime? If
no refunds are allowed at all, then the company is making a
statement about not only their product, but also their attitude
towards customers.
Phone their
help desk and see how you are treated. If they do not provide a
phone number that clients can call, then try sending an e-mail to
their customer support. Your inquiry should be answered promptly.
Choosing to
associate with an affiliate program that offers "live" support by
phone is important since 57% of online buyers prefer to speak
directly with a "real" person in customer service. Many of your
potential buyers will want to make sure that the company has someone
they can turn to for help before they make their online purchase.
|
Question #5: |
How good a job does the company web site do of selling their
product? |
As an
affiliate, you will be referring your visitors and subscribers to
the affiliate program's sales site. It is the other company's "job"
to provide all the information a potential buyer needs to make an
informed decision and then close the sale.
Your web site
should not have to be a "sales site" for the affiliate product
you're promoting. It should be enough for you just to get visitors
interested with a personal recommendation that links visitors to the
sales site. You may only need a simple paragraph stating something
like.
"I just
recently discovered a new toothpaste that I am sure will interest
all my
fellow Nut-Lover.org members. It is made from a variety of Amazon
rain forest
nuts and rum and it has the best taste I have ever enjoyed while
brushing my
teeth. You can visit their site now at..."
You should be
able to explain the product and its unique benefit to your visitors
in just a few compelling sentences. Once visitors click through from
your site to the affiliate program's site, the potential purchaser
should easily be able to get all the information they need to make a
buying decision.
If the
potential affiliate program's sales site is confusing, hard to
navigate, unfocused, too technical, or overrun with distracting
graphics, then prospective buyers will quickly move on before they
arrive at the order page. If it's a really bad site, your referred
visitors won't be able to find the order page at all!
Before joining
an affiliate program, look at their product pages from the
perspective, knowledge level, and personal interest of a typical
visitor who comes to your site. If you have a lot more technical
expertise or specialized knowledge than most of your visitors, then
terms and explanations that are easy for you to understand could be
mind boggling for them.
|
Question #6: |
How are commissions paid? |
There are a
variety of tracking and payment systems that affiliate programs use
to calculate your overall sales and commissions. So before you sign
up, you'll want to make sure you have a thorough understanding of
how -- and when -- you'll be paid. Factors to consider
include...
|
a)
|
How much
commission will you earn on each sale?
Consider
both the dollar amount and percentage of the sale price that you
will receive. If it's a product that you'll sell high volumes
of, a lower commission may be more acceptable than a high-priced
product that you'll make few sales with. Look for products that
you'll be able to sell in high volumes while earning a hefty
percentage of the sale -- this is the ideal combination.
For example, here at IMC we pay our affiliates $65 for every
sale of our #1 best-selling "Insider Secrets To Marketing
Your Business On The Internet" course. That's over 30% of
the total price.
and a huge chunk of our profits.
However, we're willing to pay our affiliates such high
commissions because we recognize the "lifetime value" of our
customers. Any affiliate program you join should recognize this,
too. |
|
b)
|
Is the
program one-tier or two-tier?
All affiliate programs are either one-tier or two-tier. With
one-tier programs, you recommend the product to your customers,
visitors, and subscribers, and earn a commission for each sale
you refer.
With a two-tier program, you earn a commission on each sale you
refer. However, you can ALSO recommend the affiliate program
to your customers, visitors, and subscribers. Each person who
signs up for the program through your referral becomes your
"sub-affiliate" -- and you earn a commission on each sale
they make!
For example, the IMC Affiliate Program is two-tier. If you
joined our affiliate program and sold a copy of our "Insider
Secrets" course, you would earn a $65 commission. If, as a
result of your recommendation, a visitor to your site clicked
through the affiliate link we give you and joined our affiliate
program, they would become your "sub-affiliate." Each time one
of your sub-affiliates sells a course, they earn a first-tier
commission of $65, and you earn a second-tier commission of $20.
Obviously,
the benefit of joining a two-tier affiliate program is that you
have an opportunity to recommend the program to your customers
and subscribers to earn some easy extra income on the sales they
make. |
|
c)
|
Will you
earn a one-time commission or residual income?
Affiliate
programs that allow you to promote products that customers run
out of, use up, or need to renew are frequently "residual
income," which means you receive a commission every time the
same customers come back to purchase more of the same product --
rather than just earning a commission on the initial sale.
Good examples of products or services that might be offered as
residual income through affiliate programs are cleaning
supplies, flowers, web site hosting, newsletter subscriptions,
and dating site memberships.
Commissions from residual income products can really add up
because on top of the "first-time sales" commissions you can
earn each month, you can also earn more and more "residual"
commissions as satisfied customers you referred come back to
purchase more of the same product!
For example, "Secrets To Their Success" (the IMC private
members' site that features interviews with successful online
business owners) is offered through the IMC Affiliate Program as
a "residual income" product. We pay our affiliates a residual
commission of $6 per month for each new subscriber they refer
for as long as that person remains a subscriber.
And while $6 might not seem like very much, when you do the math
you will see that your commissions from a residual income
program like this can snowball very quickly:
- 10
subscribers @ $6/month = $60/month OR $720/year
- 100
subscribers @ $6/month = $600/month OR $7,200/year
- 500
subscribers @ $6/month = $3,000/month OR $36,000/year
As you can
see, the biggest benefit of residual income programs is the
cumulative commissions you can earn. Once you've "sold" a
first-time customer, you don't do any more work, but you
continue to rake in the commissions for as long as that person
remains a customer. |
|
d)
|
How much
commission do you have to earn before the affiliate program
issues you a check?
Many
affiliate programs require you to have earned a set dollar
figure in commissions before they will issue you a check.
Obviously, printing and mailing checks is an expense for the
company, so it makes sense that they may not want to issue you a
check for only a few dollars. However, there are some programs
that set this "minimum commission" figure extremely high ($100
and up), which means it can be months before you see your first
check.
Before joining any program, find out the minimum amount that
they'll issue a commission check for and how frequently your
checks will be mailed. Make sure you're comfortable with these
regulations. Ideally, you should look for programs that pay you
monthly, no matter how much you've earned. |
|
e)
|
What
currency is the check issued in?
This is an
important question if you're considering joining an affiliate
program based in a foreign country or if you want to be paid in
a strong currency. |
|
f)
|
Can you
check your sales statistics online?
Whether
your sales are shown online in "real time" or you are notified
by e-mail whenever you make a sale, be sure to maintain your own
records to make sure your figures match the company's.
Naturally, the easier they make it for you to track your sales,
the more ways you can test your own promotional efforts
(newsletters, advertisements, offline promotions) to see which
ones are giving you the best response and have the highest
conversion (leads to sales) ratio. |
|
g) |
Within
what time period do your visitors have to make a purchase for
you to be credited with the sale?
Ideally,
your referrals will buy "on the spot" once they click through to
your affiliate partner's site. Realistically though, many people
hesitate to make a purchase until they have more information,
more money, or feel more confident that the product or service
is exactly what they are looking for.
To track the sales of those people who click through your
affiliate link but don't purchase the first time they visit the
affiliate program's site, you want to make sure the program you
join uses "cookie" tracking.
"Cookies" are small files that, in this case, contain the unique
affiliate identification number you should be given when you
join a particular program. This cookie with your affiliate ID#
is saved on the visitor's computer so that if they leave the
affiliate program's site, but come back again later to buy, you
will be credited with that sale.
SPECIAL NOTE: This is very important! You'll also want
to find out how long the cookies are "set" for. For example,
if a company sets their cookies to 30 days, then you will be
paid a commission for every buyer you refer who makes a
purchase within that 30-day period.
If the affiliate program sets their cookies for 30 days and
your referred customer buys 31 days later, then you won't
earn a cent. Here at IMC, our cookies are set for three
years. Be sure you have the answer to this important
question before you make your final selection of which
affiliate programs to team up with. |
|
|
Question #7: |
What advertising and promotional tools do they provide you
with? |
The affiliate
program you join should not expect you to reinvent the wheel. They
should have at least a handful of tools that you can use to promote
their products like:
- Banners
- Text links
- Classified
ads
- Product
photos
-
Testimonials
- Articles
Everything
they provide you with should already be tested and proven to
generate the highest click-throughs and sales, so you can
immediately implement them and start earning top commissions. They
should also provide some kind of training... or at least be willing
to speak with you personally about how you might best promote their
products in your newsletter or on your web site.
For example,
if you'd like to see what a highly developed affiliate training
program might look like, check out our IMC Affiliate Support Center
at
http://www.marketingtips.com/assoc. Just sign up as an affiliate
(don't worry, it's free to join and you're under no obligation to do
anything) and you'll receive the username and password you need to
snoop around and check out the resources we provide our affiliates
with.
Final Thoughts:
With so many
great affiliate programs to choose from, with a little research you
should have no trouble finding profitable affiliate products to
promote and earn top commissions. Look for products and services
that complement your existing product line, match the interests of
your visitors, and offer exceptional value.
Only deal with
reputable companies who are proud of their products, stand behind
them, and will bend over backwards to please their customers. With
the wide variety of commission pay plans available, choose one that
offers an attractive incentive.
To find top
affiliate programs, you can visit:
No matter
which affiliate program gets you the most excited, use the seven
questions I've provided you with in this article to thoroughly
investigate before you invest your time and effort. Once you join,
if you actively participate, continue to learn, and keep testing,
you'll separate yourself from the pack and soon be well on your way
to earning a serious part-time or even full-time income promoting
affiliate products.
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR: Corey Rudl is the owner of four highly successful
online businesses that attract more than 1.8 million visitors per month
and generate over $6.6 million each year. He is also the author of the
#1 best-selling Internet Marketing course online.
To
check out his site that's JAM-PACKED WITH THE EXACT INFORMATION YOU NEED
to start, build, and grow your very own profitable Internet business, I
highly recommend visiting
Affiliate Programs
Computer Tips and Tricks
Copyright Law
Digital Millennium Copyright Act
eBooks
eMail Marketing
Fast Loading Pages
Free Bus. Letters, Legal Forms
Gart Halbert Newsletters
HTML Goodies
HTML Guru
Improve Website Usability
Internet Utilities
Internet Marketing
Microsoft vs Linux
Opt-Ins and List Management
Page Rank on Google
Search Engine Directory
Search Engine Submission
Secrets of Getting Web Traffic
Selling online in 2004
Spam and E-mail Marketing
Spiritual Marketing
Time Zones of the World
Webreference
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