How to Profit With...

Affiliate Marketing

©Cheryl Wright - All Rights Reserved

My name is Cheryl Wright, and I make an annual five figure online income.

I do that with a combination of various methods: affiliate sales, resale rights sales, and sales of my own products.

Today I’d like to discuss affiliate sales, as this can be a hard nut to crack, especially for those new to internet marketing.

The first thing you must do, whether it relates to affiliate or other types of marketing, is to ensure your market is targeted, and the product is of the highest quality.

If you want to get repeat sales from your list, you must protect your reputation.

Don’t promote just any product that comes along and pays a reasonable commission; make sure the product is worth the money, and your subscribers/site visitors are not going to be ripped off.

I own several websites, but the first site I began (www.writer2writer.com) is still my biggest income earner. I’ve built a reputation in the writing niche, and will not promote anything I have not personally vetted. (*This is fairly easy to do in the writing niche because the available products are very limited.)

It’s widely known in that niche that this is how I work. As a result, I get product offers all the time, and people literally begging me to check out their latest product.

My subscribers are totally aware I won’t offer junk to them, nor will I promote anything that reeks of rip-off or scam. 

Over the years I’ve been approached with some outrageous offers, but my reputation and subscribers are more important to me than money.

I’ve sold products that pay low to medium commissions ($6-$50 for example), and I’ve sold high ticket products that pay commissions of $100 to $350 per sale.

I’ve personally found that selling the lower ticket products are the easiest of all to convert into sales. This will often depend on your target market, and even your list.

Knowing your list, their budget, their likes, dislikes, and interests, is paramount to your success.

But before you can begin to actually sell to your list, you need to build up a relationship with them. I’m not suggesting you pour out your heart to your list, but let them into a little of your life.

With each newsletter I send out to my Writer2Writer subscribers, I tell them a bit about the time spent since the last newsletter. I let them into some of my family happenings, and I talk about new products available. I also discuss any work I’ve undertaken that may be of interest to my subscribers.

As a working, money-earning writer, my advice is relevant and my subscribers are closely targeted – writers who want to earn an income from their craft.

No matter what niche you are working in, relating to your subscribers must be a top priority. If you have first-hand knowledge, this will come across in your correspondence.

Choose products that will help your subscribers. Tell them why it will help them.

Will it save them time? Save them money? Make their job more efficient? Or maybe it will make their life easier?

Spell out the benefits; if your subscribers cannot see a reason to spend their hard-earned money on this new fandangled product, then they simply won’t.

Most buyers don't care about the features.  Features don't necessarily help them, but the benefits? That's a different story altogether.

Never make your “pitch” sound like sales copy – that’s the quickest way to lose a sale.

If it’s relevant to your list, use a casual tone. Talk to your subscribers like you’d talk to a friend.

Above all, don’t use a passive voice; always use an active voice.

These may be new terms to you, so I’ll explain:

An active voice is assertive, it talks with authority –

“XYZ product will grow your subscriber list ten times quicker than anything else on the market.”

A passive voice is unsure, it’s not at all assertive –

“The creator of XYZ product says it will grow your subscriber list quicker than anything else on the market.”

Notice how the second example is less confident, and gives an air of uncertainty?

This is a sure way to kill sales.

There are many ways to promote affiliate products, including hard sell (not recommended), using sales copy provided by the product owner (not recommended), writing a personal review (recommended), and talking about the product in your newsletter editorial (recommended).

The latter two methods are those I’ve found to work the best and convert the most sales.

So, here are a few tips to help you make sales as an affiliate:

Review the Product

By providing an *honest* review of the product, you are more likely to convert readers into buyers. Make sure you include at least one thing you didn’t like about the product, (if there is one) while providing as much information as possible about the good traits the product has.

Here’s an example of a book review I wrote a few years ago, that shows you want I mean:

http://www.writer2writer.com/quickcash.htm

I’ve earned many hundreds of dollars as a direct result of that review, so I must have done something right. <g>

And here's the review of the book I mention further into this article:

http://freelance.writer2writer.com/review-of-the-wealthy-writer.htm

Notice how I've given sub-headings for the things I liked and didn't like? And the way I explained why I didn't like them?

Not everyone writes long reviews like I do, but I've found this works for my target audience. You'll need to work out what your audience likes.

Use Unique Ad Copy

I never use promotional materials provided by product owners, because so many affiliates use the same copy over and over, and frankly, I get sick of reading the same thing, and in the end just hit delete. If I'm sick of it, I'm sure my subscribers would be too.

To be a successful affiliate, no matter the product, you need to write your own copy – even if it’s a case of simply reworking (rewriting) the copy provided.

Using unique copy does two things:

1) Makes your copy stand out

2) Gives a different perspective of the product

Endeavor to Obtain a Review Copy

Whenever possible ask for a review copy. Once you’ve built up a reputation - and a sales record - in your niche, more often than not you will receive offers of review copies, but until that time, contact the product owner and ask for one. The worst that can happen is they say no.

I am constantly on the look-out for products that would be suitable for my writing niche subscribers. The sad fact is there are very few new products being produced – of a standard I’m happy to promote.

As a result, I usually find a gap in the market and produce my own products. But that’s another story entirely.

I make a huge chunk of my online income from promoting other people’s products. But... as mentioned above, I am very particular about what I promote. That means my subscribers will generally jump on board with any product I promote – if it suits their needs.

The Pro's and Con's of Being an Affiliate

To become an affiliate:

·        You don’t need a website

·        You don’t have to ship or handle products

·        You don’t have to process sales

·        You don’t have to outlay money

What you do need is a list of targeted subscribers who need information or products related to the niche in question. And you do need to win their trust.

One of the biggest mistakes I see affiliate marketers make is to send one email and then abandon the product. It has been proven time and again that buyers need to see a product name or image at least three times before they will buy.

That said, depending on the quality of the image, I’ve made sales with just one email. I am promoting one particular product at the moment and made sales from the very first mailing. I’ve already earned several hundred dollars from this $47 product, and expect that to continue for quite some time. The product was only released a few weeks before writing this article, so it’s not been on the market very long.

What Should You Do Now?

Go out and do some research. Find a product that suits your target audience. Ensure it is within their budget and will help them in some way.

Do some keyword research. You must get people to your website so they learn about the product. Finding a few closely targeted keywords will do as much for your traffic as paying for Adwords traffic. (I've never yet paid for traffic and have a good flow of traffic on a regular basis.)

Write relevant articles.  This is very basic, but will get traffic to your site. Using free submission sites will ensure your articles are distributed. You can see our recommended article submissions site here.

Write a review. This is one of the best ways to sell a product. If you don't have the product yourself, and the price is out of your reach, do a search on the internet. Find out what others are saying about it. Ensure these are people you trust, and therefore believe the review will be honest. Do not, under any circumstances, plaguarize their review. Write your own review from their information. *This is not the best option, but a method you can use if necessary.

Now that you're armed with relevant information, go out and make a killing as an affiliate. You'll be so glad you did. 

About the author: Cheryl Wright has been an internet marketer for over five years. She delights in helping others achieve their dreams of turning a profit. Grab your free copy of “Making Money Online: From Zero to Profit” at http://www.resources4marketers.com  and start your internet marketing career today!

Free use: You are welcome to use this article in your ezines and on your website, but the article and bio information (about the author) must stay intact.

Want to learn more? Check out Simon Hodgkinson's highly imformative Affiliate Empire

This ebook includes a section on article marketing that I've never seen before.