Affiliate Internet-based business
If you’ve decided to launch an Internet-based business focused on marketing the products and services of others, then you’ve chosen well. Why? It’s simple. There’s lots of money to be made, when you do step outside the commonplace, and apply our super affiliate tips and strategies. You’ll be able to pull in lots of cash. Every single day of the week; even when you’re out playing on the beach. This could be the best decision you have made so far because it will help and enhance you to good fortune. The power of affiliate will make you to earn and make money by selling other people’s goods and services.
What are Affiliate Programs?
An affiliate program is an arrangement in which one website (merchant) pays another website (you, the affiliate) some money for sending or directing customers to visit or purchase goods and services from their website.
As an affiliate, your website will have a link which a customer clicks and goes on to the merchant’s website to purchase the goods or services or products. You are then paid certain specified commission depending on the initial arrangement and agreement.
When you’re an affiliate, you’re promoting and selling other people’s products or services. In the typical affiliate program, there is a single product-owner and as many promoters as they can garner. The affiliate program is designed to leverage the customer and opt-in lists, and recommendations of the promoters, to sell more of the product.
The Benefits
In a strong affiliate/owner relationship both sides reap the benefits. The product-owner benefits through sales to online prospect that he would otherwise have no way to contact - through the direct marketing efforts made by each affiliate to their ‘circle’ of contacts.
The affiliate benefits by letting the merchant complete the order fulfillment, and provide customer support. Also, commonly affiliates are also given pre-written promotional copy along with their ‘affiliate link’ – which makes things even easier for them. (But not necessarily better…we’ll get to that in a minute.)
Another built-in benefit of the affiliate process is list-building. Since the merchant collects contact information from each buyer, as a part of the ordering process, they can market to these new list members directly in the future.
By applying some of the tips in this report you, as the affiliate, can further segment your own list, gather new list members through viral marketing techniques, and build stronger relationships with your current list members.
And, of course, there’s the cash. Affiliate commissions can be as much as 50% of the product purchase price; and we’ve known of some Internet entrepreneurs who’ve
offered their affiliates 100% of sales during special product launch events – where the harvested contact information is more valuable to them than the income. In other words, the sky’s the limit – and the possibilities are endless. If you find the right “fit” between you, the product, and the product-owner/developer, you can create an ‘Internet cash machine’ to fund your more expansive dreams. Did I say “dreams?”
Only Big Dreams Will Do!
Yes, I did. Lots of times when someone gets into affiliate marketing, they think too small, and in doing so they literally put limits on the possibilities. They set up an internal resistance to outrageous success – you don’t want to do that to yourself do you? Why settle for just a little, when you can have a lot? Here’s a little story to whet your appetite for more than the ordinary.
Recently, Strategic Profits was an active member of the promotion for Jay Abraham’s Masters of Recessionary Income coaching program – and we were outrageously successful. That’s right; we brought in $2.5 million in sales.
Believe it; a week-long affiliate promotion brought in over $357,000 per day. Phenomenal! We’re here to provide you with a few tips and strategies to make your next affiliate promotion a winner. But you’ve got to dream big. Settling for $100 dollars a day or even $500, just isn’t good enough. Why not start with a dream of $1000 a day in affiliate income.
Sounds impossible? Well, it’s not; what we want you to do right now is to set a goal that you feel to be completely ‘out-of-reach’ – whatever the number you commit to – because what you’ll learn through setting big goals, in having big dreams, is simple – shooting for the moon will lead you to the stars.
How to get Rich with Affiliate Marketing
Abraham Lincoln really hit the nail on the head with that…the resolution to success is everything. Amit Mehta, of Super Affiliate Mindset, shared his thinking on the subject in a short video he shared with us recently. And, let’s say this: Amit is really a SUPER affiliate. He knows what he’s talking about – and we agree with him 100%.
Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other one thing.”
~ Abraham Lincoln
Super Affiliate means shifting the way you think. Not accepting those self-imposed limits.
You literally must ‘sell yourself on winning’ – and winning BIG. You’ve also got to keep your momentum. Be persistent, and take action every single day; every month, month after month. Consistency is a central premise of winning affiliates.
But, even more than that, it has to do with strategy. And that’s where we step in with this special report. Because, even if you shift your mindset and believe in the outrageous possibilities; even if you take consistent action every day of the year – if you’re doing things the same way every other affiliate marketer is doing them, you’ll achieve less than stellar results.
And remember…we want you to reach the stars.
Reduce Negativity
One thing we want you to do – and it may sound crazy, but let me tell you that right now in these ‘challenging economic times’ it’s essential – turn off your television, and unsubscribe to your local newspaper.
Television newscasters, newspapers, and the talking heads of radio can do more damage than you can imagine to your emerging mindset. This is especially true in the first 30 days of your super affiliate life; you’ve simply got to go on a ‘negativity diet.’ Don’t listen to anyone – and that includes family members, friends; even acquaintances – who wants to ‘bring you back down to earth.’
You’re going to give yourself the gift of silence, which gives you the ability to focus your attention on your affiliate marketing career. You’ll not be distracted by negative thinkers –so for the first 30 days stop listening to others. And, who knows? It may prove to be the best decision you’ve ever made, and you’ll find that you never want to go back to a ‘plugged-in’ lifestyle.
With that said, let’s move on. If you’re just setting out on this path, or even if you consider yourself an affiliate marketer already, a review of the steps just might prove fruitful. You may find yourself opening up to new niche markets, and expanding your affiliate base in new ways.
Find the Niche Market with Exciting, Lucrative Possibilities
That really sounds like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? You certainly don’t want to become an affiliate who works in
a less-than-valued field. Where there’s not much activity, not much “buzz,” there’s not much money – it’s that simple.
Google search is a great place to start, as are the affiliate networks – see what other affiliates are promoting. Here are four that stand out in the crowd:
Commission Junction
http://www.cj.com/
Affiliate Scout
http://www.affiliatescout.com/
Affiliate Bot
http://www.affiliatebot.com/
Logical Media
http://www.logicalmedia.com/
If there are entrepreneurs you admire, and who have products you have found to be valuable, by all means, see if they’ve got an affiliate program. And, guess what? You can start right here, right now – by becoming a Strategic Profits affiliate! We’ve got a resoundingly successful affiliate program – you’ll be partnering with the best.
Whoever you choose to promote, make sure you can stand by them for the long haul. A super affiliate doesn’t skip around; they don’t promote one product for a while, and then find something else to promote when that first product doesn’t sell. They start strong, and stay long. In other words…
Don’t switch out products because you’re not making money; find those products (and entrepreneurs) that you can heartily endorse, and don’t waiver from your commitment.
A 50%-50% Split?
And always look for opportunities with high returns. Good affiliates are worth their weight in gold, so always partner with entrepreneurs who really value their affiliates, and express that in big percentages. You’ll be putting in a lot of work, even when the promotional system is up and running – so you deserve the big bucks.
Automation is the Key
It’s been said that the biggest mistake in affiliate marketing is in using the wrong business model, where the venture is simply a short-term money-making scheme instead of seeing your affiliate business as an asset, built to last. And an affiliate business that’s going to last requires automation. So, once you’ve found the products you can endorse or the entrepreneurs you want to build strong relationships with, you’ve got to have a means to automate your marketing efforts – and that’s where autoresponder services come in. With an autoresponder, a landing or “squeeze” page, and a valuable free offer, you can systematically build your marketing e-list.
There are lots of autoresponder services out there; perhaps the most flexible, and certainly a popular choice among Internet gurus is Aweber (http://www.aweber.com). Whether you choose to work with them, or some other service, what you want to look for is: one that lets you create an unlimited number of lists, and send out an unlimited number of marketing messages each month.
MyEmma
http://www.myemma.com
Get Response
http://www.getresponse.com/
iContact
http://www.icontact.com
Constant Contact
http://www.constantcontact.com
Most companies charge fees based on the number of contacts in your account so as your list grows, your monthly fee increases. Based on your commitment to be a super affiliate, with outstandingly large, and highly-segmented lists of prospects and customers – you may wish to purchase email marketing software you can install on you site server, or find a Web hosting company that incorporates a flexible, reliable email marketing feature.
Your Valuable Free Offer
We here at Strategic Profits pride ourselves on giving away information. Not just garbage either; but high-quality, easily understood, and easily applicable information targeted at entrepreneurs who want to be outrageously-successful – in other words, people just like you! Maybe you’ve already downloaded one of our free reports? The Internet Business Manifesto was (and continues to be) a resounding success – over one million people have downloaded that report. And what does that mean? We’ve harvested one million email addresses for our list. (Remember the life of a contact can be less than 90 days; people unsubscribe, or change service providers or email addresses – so making a sale within the first 30 days can be critical to increasing the value of each lead. But…let’s save that for another section, shall we?)
The point we’re making is a simple one: your offer needs to be valuable. And, if possible, ‘evergreen;’ but with the speed of change inherent in Internet marketing, an ‘evergreen report may be impossible. You can see how we adapted to this very fact in our subsequent release of additional complimentary reports: The Missing Chapter, and The Final Chapter are two examples.
Consistency…Remember?
Okay. You’ve got your autoresponder, and your free information or “email capture device.” Now what? It’s time to create (or update) your follow-up series of marketing messages, and get them loaded in to the system. There should be a method to your madness (marketing madness, that is!), and here’s what it will look like:
1. Message #1: the verification message where you ask for confirmation of your prospects’ desire to receive the report. This is usually sent automatically by the system – but you should always modify the standard outgoing message to remind them of the content they requested, and thank them for the opportunity to serve them.
2. Message #2: Delivers the free report immediately after confirmation. The key word there is immediately– you don’t want to delay because people have short term memories, and they can get frustrated by a lack of attention on your part.
TIP: Where some marketers sent the report as an attachment to email message #2,
“The secret of success is constancy to purpose.”
~Benjamin Disraeli
we like to do things differently – and you may wish to try this for yourself. Send your recipients to a landing page with the download link. This allows you to expand on your message, by listing other products they may be interested in; or provide them with audio or video content you’ve created.
3. After that initial contact, you’ll be sending them 1 marketing/informational email each day for the next four days. Here at Strategic Profits we like to inform and educate – so these messages hook the recipient with quality content. It gets them in the habit of opening our messages, because they’re worth opening!
4. Then, plan for 1 message every third day after that; although time-based offers can be interspersed in the cycle – those limited-participant events, or one-time-only offers. But remember value is the key: all subsequent messages should be balanced between good content and product promotion.
Tracking…Tracking…Tracking
Earlier we mentioned that there’s a natural life span to your e-list members. Since people are prone to unsubscribing, or forced to change their email addresses, list attrition rates can be rather high (that’s where providing value is so important; high value means fewer unsubscribes!)
If you learn to keep track of affiliate commissions for each offer made in the cycle, you’ll quickly discover which are the more popular (and more lucrative) offers; then you want to move those offers “up” in the message cycle, so they fall in the first 30 days. Remember, the highest performing offers need to be in the early phase of the cycle.
Hiring a Copywriter – Does it Make Sense?
Many of your affiliate partners will provide you with marketing copy for your outgoing emails; but I’ve got to be candid here – sometimes it’s just junk. In other words, it’s boring and predictable. And you’ve got to remember, to be a super affiliate means you’ve got to do things differently, and better, than others.
Powerful email marketing requires that you’ve got a strong copywriter, or have strong writing skills yourself. So you need to ask yourself…”Should I hire a copywriter?”
Some people don’t like to write. And, learning copywriting techniques takes time, and desire. Not only that, there’s the experimentation of “split-testing.” If you’ve
not got the time, energy or desire to write your own copy, your lack of enthusiasm will show itself in poor affiliate results, and a lot of frustration.
If you don’t like to write, or simply don’t have the time, then hire someone who loves to write, and will make the time. Pay them well, and be accessible to them for revision and refinement of the copy.
What if you don’t know anyone to hire? Then, turn to your network of existing contacts for recommendations, or if you find online copy you really like, contact the site owner, and ask who they use. And, if they can’t recommend anyone, go to the outsourcing sites: Elance, Guru.com, or WritingAssist.com. I can also recommend the writers at the American Writers and Artists Institute, or the Copywriters Council of America.
Split-test Landing Pages, Web Sites and Creatives
It’s always smart to build “testing” into your collaterals, and that’s where a good copywriter can really be important. If you’re not aware of this technique, basically split-run testing is a marketing strategy for comparing the effectiveness of multiple variations of an ad, offer, or list.
In a split test, the audience of a marketing message is apportioned between two or more variations. Real time tabulation of the results provides immediate feedback. This powerful technique gives marketers the truest performance comparison between different messages.
Online split testing is commonly done with email. In this case a portion of the email list is sent one creative, with a separate part of the list receiving a different message. A newer technique involves splitting web traffic between multiple variations of a landing page or website.
To really improve your results, you have to know what to test.
It is essential that all variables in your offer are held constant, except for the one you wish to test. Test only things that are significant. Do not make the mistake of expecting minor variations in your creative offer to have a major impact on your results. Testing single words can make a difference, but it is rare. It is better to spend your time, effort, and money on things that could have a major impact.
Things to test that could have a major impact on your results:
1. Testing Headlines: To test one headline against another, you would want to make
certain that you use the same click source, and keep the creative offers identical in all ways except for the headline.
2. Testing Price: Determining what price will maximize sales of a given product should be a primary concern of management. Simply use two or more copies of your sales letter or sales web site with different price points. Next, create a testing group which rotates traffic between the two, and compare which generates higher profits!
3. Testing click sources: To test one click source against another, you would want to make certain that you kept the creative offer identical for all click sources you test. This can be an interesting test to determine if Google Adwords or Overture delivers better quality traffic!
You can also use split-testing in your creative collaterals: include: emails, banners, text links, blog posts, articles, landing pages, keyword lists, and the thank you page special offer.
The best way to start using affiliate or to be more successful in affiliate program is for you to have your own website and you may not need to have anything for sale on your website but you must ensure that your website is rich in content and also a high quality website with a lot of information that will bring people to it. The power of affiliate can be managed and used well to make money in reasonable amount but ensure that you bring the right traffic to the merchant’s website.
JOIN THESE AFFILIATES
Earnings: Up to $200 CPA or 25% revenue share
Tiers: 2Method of pay: Paypal, Bank Wire
Pay date: Monthly
Datafeed:
Min payout: $100
Tracking Software: In House
Description: eToro Partners is the official affiliate program for eToro.com, an innovative and engaging online forex platform that makes the world’s largest and most liquid market accessible to everyone from the novice to the professional. Signing up is simple and quick so what are you waiting for? Come join
Earnings: $10 per lead, $75 per enrollment
Tiers: 1
Method of pay: Check or Direct Deposit
Pay date: Monthly
Datafeed:
Min payout: $50
Description: Free credit counseling company, American Debt Enders, members of Net check with an excellent reputation seeking active affiliates to work with us. We offer the premiere Debt Settlement, Debt Validation Program and also offer Debt Consolidation, so affiliates have two chances to earn from the same lead.
Tracking Software: AffiliateTraction
Earnings: $8 - $15 per lead
Tiers: 2
Method of pay: Direct Deposit, Check, Wire
Pay date: Weekly
Datafeed: No
Min payout: No Minimum
Description: We are a full service insurance shopping experience for customers. By offering the shopper a full service source of insurance, you are making their life easier, which means higher conversions and bigger payouts. You get paid on all leads completed, auto, homeowners, life, and health insurance.
Tracking Software: Our Own, ShareASale
Earnings: $15.00 per lead
Tiers: 1
Method of pay: Check
Pay date: Monthly
Datafeed: No
Min payout: $10.00
Description: A fast, easy, and efficient way to authorize and process online transactions. The Electronic Transfer, Inc. Merchant Account Affiliate Program has had many online sites make thousands of dollars referring merchants to our credit card processing service by placing a link to our site. With out affiliate program you will earn $15
Tracking Software: AffiliateTraction
Earnings: $2 per lead, 5c CPC, 2nd tier: 10%
Tiers: 2
Method of pay:
Pay date:
Datafeed: No
Min payout: $50.00
Description: Earn $52.05 - $77.05 per conversions. Payday Loan Today is a direct lender to applicants looking for $500 cash advances. Offering extremely high payouts between $52.05 - $77.05 per conversions. Affiliate manager 801-804-5265. Can adsense offer you $50 on cash advancements between $150-$300 AND $75 on cash advancements between $301-$500
Tracking Software: Fusionquest
Earnings: $6,5 - $150 per lead
Tiers: 1
Method of pay: Wire, Webmoney, Paypal, E-gold
Pay date: Weekly
Datafeed: Yes
Min payout: $100
Description: T3Leads is a pay-per-lead affiliate program which pays you for your visitors who fill applications on our destination sites where we offer financial products. You can choose your method of payment: WebMoney; Fethard; e-Passporte; Wire transfer; Check; PayPal; E-gold. At T3Leads we have a payment 'hold' of 6 days.
Tracking Software: AffiliateTraction
Earnings: 1$ per valid lead
Tiers: 1
Method of pay: Paypal, Wire, Check
Pay date: Instant
Datafeed: No
Min payout: $10
Description: Looking for top affiliates! 1$ per lead! We specialize in stock alerts and newsletters that are FREE to subscribers, as well as an exclusive e-book that reveals secret strategies for investors to maximize gains in the market. We are looking for anyone interested in stocks and investing, as well as anyone
Tracking Software: AffiliateHarvest.com
Earnings: $15 CPL, 5% CPS, 2nd tier: 25%
Tiers: 2
Method of pay: Check
Pay date: Monthly
Datafeed: Min payout: $50
Description: Oasis Legal Finance helps level the playing field between the Plaintiff and the Defendant. We provide cash advances, helping our clients to meet their immediate financial obligations and outlast the Defendant to win the largest settlement possible. Earn $15 CPL and 5% CPS with the OasisLegal Affiliate Program!
Tracking Software: AffiliateTraction
Earnings: Up to $28 a lead!
Tiers: 2
Method of pay: Check
Pay date: Monthly
Datafeed: Min payout: $50
Description: FastFind™ is a site that offers consumers a large network of providers to find home loans, online colleges and credit cards. Being a FastFind™ affiliate is rewarding and exciting! We pay $28 for refinance & home equity leads and $10 for purchase leads. We also offer a two tier referral
Tracking Software: Directtrack
Earnings: $15 per lead, 2nd tier: 5%
Tiers: 2Method of pay: Check
Pay date: Monthly
Datafeed: No
Min payout: $50
Description: A.R. Trust Services offers debt settlement services to US consumers that carry an unsecured debt of at least $7,500. They have built strong relationships with numerous banking institutions, collection agencies, and attorneys across the world. $15 per lead, 5% second tier Monthly Payouts by Check $50 Payment Threshold 365 Day
Tracking Software: AffiliateTraction
Earnings: $30 per lead
Tiers: 1
Method of pay:
Pay date: Weekly
Datafeed:
Min payout: $30
Description: Mortgage Match offers complete mortgage services for all credit types, and features the most current, state-of-the-art mortgage products in all 50 states. Affiliates can earn $30 per valid lead generated from their websites. Borrowers do Not have to be approved for a loan or accept the loan they're offered for
Tracking Software: AffSoft.com
It’s All about Relationships
As an affiliate marketer – a highly-successful one, anyway – you’ve simply got to realize that this business is all about relationships. The one you have with the entrepreneur whose products you’re promoting, and the relationship you have with your list members.
Both need to be grounded in trust. Both need to be groomed and cared for on a constant, consistent (there’s that word again) basis.
To be successful, you have to be able to relate to people; everyone you deal with has to be satisfied with your personality and business practices, so that they feel comfortable doing business with you.
If you’re an entrepreneur with an affiliate program of your own, you’ve got to remember that good friends simply promote more of your products and services because they like you.
If you’re an affiliate of someone else, nurturing that relationship is really important, because you’re going to need their assistance in your in-house promotion process. If you wish to stage teleseminars with them, or even just need to ask their cooperation in reviewing the marketing copy you’ve written or modified for your promotional activities. And, don’t forget, if you’ve got a good, strong relationship they’ll provide you with older products for unique bonuses for the tell-a-friend offer, or even as bonus content for the basic product being promoted.
And, let’s not forget about the relationship you have with yourself. That you value your work, your expertise, and that you know you’re serving the best interest of your prospects and customers.
Here are the things I remind myself of everyday – and I remind my staff members. They are the foundation of everything we do here at Strategic Profits, and should be a part of the foundation of your affiliate business, too. Remember…
• You have the chance to impact people’s lives every day
• You have the chance to improve upon your life and situation every day
• You have the chance to build a business and profit wildly
• Why wouldn’t you take advantage of all of these as much as you possibly can?
• You have the chance to do all of these things right now
• You have the chance to positively affect the lives and businesses of your partners
• You have the chance to build your business at the same time and profit wildly from doing something you enjoy doing that helps others
And finally, I share the wise words of Richard M. DeVos, the American billionaire and founder of Amway…
“It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle.”
So…what are you waiting for? Start running!
Hey! Before I leave you, take note of this by looking out before choosing an affiliate program. Make sure you sell few products but sell them well, get good profit margin, use content, update and be consistent, use search engine to your own advantage and you will be a super affiliate.
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