10 RULES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL AFFILIATE MARKETER

Introduction

If you are new to the affiliate marketing business, there are certain rules that need to be kept in mind while you are starting up. Initially when you start up, a clear direction is important.  What is it you want from your business?  Don’t tell me you want money!  Money is a by product.  What is your real answer?  Quit your job?  Better control of your life?  New career?  Financial freedom?

Define your business first.  Never run after the commission.  This is a wrong approach.  Brand YOU!  Make your name and credibility in the market first and the money will follow afterward.

Now that you have defined your business, let’s examine the “10 RULES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL AFFILIATE MARKETER.”

RULE 1: Be honest…never make false claims:

While promoting a product to your targeted audience never make false claim of using or benefitting from that product or service until you actually have experienced the product yourself.

In my articles, I like using Nike as an example.  If your promoting Nike, purchase a pair of Nike shoes.  Describe how you feel…what you like…and why you purchased.

By using your experience, you have a better opportunity to convince the buyer why you think they need to buy that product and how will it be beneficial for them. This honest way of marketing will never let your name down or your brand and will make you credible among the targeted audience.  Creditability is golden do not overlook this important Rule.

RULE 2: Share your personal experience

As mentioned in Rule 1, always relate your personal experience with the product.  Share your experience.   How has that product made a difference in your life?  What benefits did you get by using the product?  Example: If your in health and nutrition, describe what using the products did for you!

People always get inspired by the real life experience of others rather than you asking them to buy the product.  If your new and don’t have any personal experience, use someone who has.  Tell a story about their experience.  People love reading stories.

RULE 3: Always recommend never sell

Never insist the buyer to purchase by putting flashy banners like BUY IT NOW or anything like it without first applying Rule 2.   I find it best to never sell but instead be involved and make the buyer believe that you are there to help.  Let the decision to purchase be the buyer.  Always recommend the product by sharing your own experience or someone else.

RULE 4: Details of the product

Always promote the product which you are confident about.  Get full details of the product, its use, how it works, your experience and share it with the audience. Never encourage people to buy the product you yourself know nothing about.

RULE 5: Be manageable

When you are new to affiliate marketing many people run after any affiliate program they see.  And this is how they make things unmanageable.  So, always choose wisely as to which affiliate company and program you want to work with and later when you are settled and have made your name in the market, you can manage to open up new income generating avenues online.

It’s important to do your home work. With so many available companies the smart marketer is careful in which product to offer.  Again, do your home work.

RULE 6: Keep the trust of the customer by always following up

Whenever you recommend a product to your customer and if they choose to buy it, always follow up.  Always get the comments and reviews as how they found that product and always be there to assist them in case they find any inconvenience or problem using that product.

If your promoting an affiliate company, research the company.  Then when you make a recommendation and someone signs a membership under your affiliate ID, follow-up.  Make them feel like they just made a great decision.

This is how you will never lose the trust of your audience and your name will become more credible in the market. With affiliate marketing, your trust is your brand.  Never lose trust.

RULE 7: Never be contradictory in your blog articles or posts

I have seen sites that put contradictory notes on other products while advertising their own product. Be careful on what you write otherwise you will lose your trust among the audience.  Never rundown a competing product, company or affiliate company unless you ABSOLUTELY, with no perceived qualification, restriction, or limitation or have credible facts about the product or company.

By doing so, you could damage your reputation.

RULE 8: Never get distracted

When working online a lot of distractions can come in the form of flashy banners.  Banners like “easy way to earn money online” or something which attracts you and get you distracted from your program that you are already working on.  It’s call the “shinny object” syndrome.

This is how you lose your concentration in search of something better.  Focus on your task.  You choose an affiliate product and company for a reason.  Stay with the “program.”  The worst thing you can do is to loose focus and go in different directions.  Stay the course and your affiliate program will make you money.

When you are starting up as an affiliate marketer, all you need to do is to focus on building up your reputation, Brand and your name. Once you are established, other avenues will open up automatically.

RULE 9: Focus on your blog content

When you are running a blog always focus on the content you are writing.  Write what is interesting to people.  Write something they haven’t read or heard about.  Something they haven’t experience before. More importantly you should produce the content relevant to your niche.

Good, informative and engaging piece of writings will compel them to come to your blog regularly and the money comes automatically.  I strongly recommend being good at copy writing.  Learn all you can about copy and how to product good copy.

Write the blog posts or content which automatically drives the consumer to your affiliated link.

If you are writing posts for the sake of supporting your link like a salesman, you are less likely to succeed.  Make the customer believe through your writings that they really need this product and this is high time that they should try it.  Good copy will make the customer want to purchase as if it was their idea and not yours.

Solve problems is a good idea when writing.  What are the problems your audience is having?  How can your product or affiliate company solve their problems?

RULE 10: Include visual ads or banners in your sidebars

On every website or blog there is always a side bar.  Smart marketers will utilize that side bar putting visual ads or banners on it.  That will make it attractive and a great idea to promote products according to your niche.

A smart marketer will use both sides of a Business Card.  After all leaving the back of a Business Card is wasting space.  The same goes for a smart marketer using a blog.  Use the space available with visual ads to sell your product.

These are the 10 RULES TO BE A SUCCESSFUL AFFILIATE MARKETER.  Are there more?  Of course.  Affiliate Marketing is a constant learning business.  Never stop learning.  The Internet changes, blogs change, customers change.  The smart affiliate marketer changes and adapts to changing trends and marketing strategies.

As a bonus…Let me add Rule 11.

RULE 11 : Be Analytical

Always be analytical about your performance, what you offer, how and to whom.   Know your market, your perfect customer, their wants and desires.  And to which marketing strategy works best for you and which doesn’t.

You need to see which blog posts are being hit most and try to link more affiliated ads on that post.

Focus on what ads didn’t work for you and try to get rid of them soon. Use more of those ads which are receiving the most attention.

Again, know your market.  Create an Avatar of your customer.  Picture that person and talk to that person in your articles.

A great source of information on your articles or blog is Googles Search Console.

CONCLUSION

As you just read, there are 10 Rules to be a Successful Affiliate Marketer.

Affiliate marketing, with its unique set of advantages has brought revolution in the e-commerce industry. This boom in e-commerce industry has resulted in record sales by people such as you and me.  Blogging is the flexible method of marketing and promoting your affiliate product with ease and comfort of your home at any time and your convenience.

Affiliate marketing and blogging go hand and hand.  Your readers benefit from your product, the affiliate company benefits from the sale and you benefit with making money.   Thus, it’s a win win situation for all, the advertiser, the publisher (you) and the consumer.

Your advantage with affiliate marketing are many.  Here are just a few:

• No product development
• No Inventory to stock
• No shipping cost
• Low cost to start
• No risk
• Work from home
• Easy
• Good commission structure (do your home work here)
• No long term commitment
• More

Before starting an affiliate marketing business its disadvantages should also be taken under consideration:

• With affiliate advertising there are some people involved in false advertising and unfair and unlawful ways to malign brands.
• Merchants may be dishonest and promise higher commissions and then reduce afterwards.
• Affiliates may engage in false advertisements to mislead the merchants and get commission.

Affiliate marketing with all its advantages and disadvantages is still one of the “best home based online businesses.” Its disadvantages can be overcome easily by taking simple security checks and measures.

My Affiliate Program just happens to be Wealthy Affiliate.  I found this program works for me since I like offering help and advice while building a successful business.  The commission program is excellent, the support and coaching is what I wanted and needed and the management team are the top people in the industry.

Wealthy Affiliate Brief

In a nutshell, the Wealthy Affiliate  program allows you to earn a good commissions while receiving the best in affiliate marketing training.

The Wealthy Affiliate training programs are a great affiliate learning tool.  How To Video’s, Webinars, Coaching, Support and much more makes this program one of the best affiliate training programs available.  And with Wealthy Affiliate’s “try before buy” 7-Day FREE trial, there is no up-front money.  Like what you see, then and only then become a member and receive all the benefits Wealthy Affiliate offers.

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Here’s to your success in Smart Affiliate Marketing Strategies,