Affiliate Programs are huge today and rightly so. They provide
people with the opportunity to make a residual income with very
little cash output, and of course everything is already done for
you. All you have to do is promote.
Now, this article isn’t focusing on Affiliate Marketing, but it
does suggest a few effective ways for maximizing YOUR LIST
building potential.
You already know that in order to be successful online, you
need a list…and when I say list, I am referring to YOUR LIST.
(You will see why I highlight YOUR in a sec).
Makes sense…right? I mean which would you rather have, a nice
warm, accepting list of individuals with whom you have built a
good relationship with and who are receptive to your
recommendations?
or….
Having to continually go out and drive new traffic to your site
in order to make that sale?
Think about the process you go through for a second. You
join an affiliate program, use their ads and place classifieds
in newsletters. The link you use is sending prospects to your
affiliate “page.”
From there, your affiliate program gathers into the “system”
only those who; buy or sign up. You are only able to build a
list based on those two criteria and because of that, you are
missing out. You are missing out on those “others” who have
been to your page and maybe aren’t ready to buy, but would
be if ONLY they had some additional follow up contact with
you.
Even if you wanted to contact these “others,” you aren’t able
to because your affiliate program doesn’t allow you to make
any changes to your (or rather their) web page. Which means
that you are not able to maximize on your list building potential.
So, how do you fix this problem?
There are actually a few things you can do. First of all, let’s
start with your mindset. This is the key. What I want you to
do from here on out is always ask yourself this one key question…
“How/what must I do to add on to “MY List.”
If you are using classifieds to market your affiliate program,
then ask yourself that question and instead of sending prospects
to your affiliate page, send them to a Report/eCourse instead.
See what just happened? You have now added a name to YOUR
list, instead of sending them to your page and risk the chance of
losing them altogether.
There is another way to help you build your list and market your
programs at the same time. Create a theme-based web site of your
own.
I hear the groans. I know one of the reasons affiliate programs
are so big is because they have a page for you. But let me explain
why you really need a site of your own.
How many of you have been playing a little leap frog…jumping
from program to program because nothing is making you money?
It’s ok to admit it because you aren’t alone, there are 1000s of
people in the same boat.
Stop and think for a second the effect all this jumping is having
on you and your chances of making a residual income:
1. You are not focused, and
2. You are ALWAYS starting over from scratch.
Aren’t you tired of that?
That is the whole intent of having a site of your own. One that
is based on a theme and loaded with good, quality content. One
that allows you to build a list that is YOURS.
You don’t have that full capability with an Affiliate Program.
If you quit the program or “knock on wood” they bite the dust,
and trust me it does happen. Then all that hard work you put into
marketing that program has been lost. You don’t own the page, you
don’t own the list, so as a result you are always starting over…each
and every time.
But…
If you had your own way to build your list and added your own
web site, then you have COMPLETE OWNERSHIP. Your list is
YOURS so if you quit a program not a problem, the bottom line
is that list (your baby) is going with you.
Now, don’t go into panic mode and think that I am saying Affiliate
Programs are useless…That is NOT what I am saying. What I am
trying to get across to you is…YES participate in them, but work
smarter…not harder.
Doesn’t that make sense to you?
Excellent, now about YOUR site…
Visitor’s are looking for CONTENT…NOT a hard sales effort
being thrown at them. What are YOU more receptive to, someone
who provides you with good information so that you are better
able to make an informed decision. Or, someone who is trying to
hard sell you. If you go for the good information choice, then
what makes you think the rest of us are any different?
So, you have a site of your own. A site that is not an exact
replica of your affiliate page but one that is theme-based
with content that relates to your program(s). One that has
the opt in tools like a Report/eCourse or Subscription that
is building a good list for you.
Let me give you an example of what I mean.
Let’s look at an Affiliate Program that sells leads. You make
a commission off of the lead packages you sell.
On YOUR SITE (not your affiliate page) you could have a
theme built around “leads.” Your focus could cover:
1. How to generate your own leads,
2. What to look for when purchasing leads,
3. How to follow up with leads,
4. What to follow up with,
5. Teach someone the proper way to follow up…
Through your content you have taught your prospect everything
they need to know about leads. You have developed a trust with
them and by sharing this information you have become the “lead
expert” in their minds.
Wrapped within the content of your various information, of
course, your Reports/eCourses and maybe even a Subscription
to your newsletter… these are your tools for building your list.
Also built within your content you mention your affiliate program
in a non-threatening or hard sell way. In doing so, you now have
a prospect that is open to clicking to your affiliate page and
buying what you have to offer.
You even have the potential to add income streams. Looking at
the list above you could sign up for an autoresponder program,
because a prospect is going to need thatÂ…and who better to get
it than through you, right?
The main thing is, what started as one income stream (your
original Leads Program) has now developed into 2-3 income
streams.
And of course, let’s not forget about YOUR LIST that follows
you wherever you go.
Does that make sense now???
By all means participate in Affiliate Programs, they are an
excellent source of commissions for you. But, market them
the right way, through your own site, where you can plug-in
opt in tools to build a list and build a relationship with ALL
your visitors and prospects.
About the author:
Denise Ryder is a Marketing Coach writing from her home
office in Northern Ontario (Canada). Imagine What You
Could Accomplish With a Marketing Coach in Your Back
Pocket! Take the test drive
http://www.profitspace.com/coach