Now that we’ve straightened that out, here are 5 affiliate marketing strategies to help anyone create a profitable affiliate business, and keep it successful for a long time to come.

Affiliate Marketing Strategy # 1: Drive Hordes of Traffic to Your Website.

As an affiliate marketer, your most important job is to drive as much traffic as possible to your affiliate website. Don’t leave traffic to chance. If you really want to succeed in affiliate marketing, then you need to do all that you can to get people to visit your site.

There are many ways to do this – article marketing, video marketing, pay per click, joint ventures, ezine advertising, web 2.0… the sky’s the limit. It’s  a good idea to diversify and use a variety of traffic methods. Don’t put all your eggs on one basket, but focus more on those which are bringing you better results.

And then there are unconventional traffic techniques that some marketers overlook – like the power of word of mouth. Maintain a trustworthy website and reputation, and make it easy for your visitors to bookmark or to recommend your site to their friends.

Of course, part of driving traffic to your site is keeping it updated as well, so you can get visitors to return and make your site look good in the eyes of the search engines. After all, who wants to visit a website that’s old news?

Affiliate Marketing Strategy # 2: Choose Your Ad Forms Wisely.

The form in which your ads take can make or break your career as an affiliate marketer. Avoid graphic-heavy banners on your website. These showy banners are a huge turn off and reportedly get very low hits anyway.

If you have a choice, opt for the simpler banners since they’re direct to the point and don’t take too long to load. When choosing banners, make sure that what you decide on won’t clash with the theme of your actual website.

Aesthetics also plays a huge part in visitor interest. Text links have proven themselves very effective since they’re quite subtle and are actually very bandwidth-friendly (a plus on your side!). And instead of using obtrusive pop-ups (which are the bane of Internet users), go for the ones that only appear when the visitor exits the site.

Affiliate Marketing Strategy # 3: Build a List.

While some people don’t think that having a list is all that important, it’s actually one of the reasons why some of the websites that have been around for a long time are still functioning quite well today.

Having a list keeps a steady stream of people flowing into your website. And while there are other ways of driving traffic to your place (see the tips above), having a list keeps you head to head with all the other big names in affiliate marketing.

That’s because you have an available audience who you can promote to, and follow up with, every time you want. And as long as you have built a solid relationship with them, they are more likely to buy from you than cold prospects would.

Sure, you can go ahead and try working your website without a proper list, but I assure you that you’ll only be wasting time. Sooner than later, you’ll be clamoring to create your own list.

Affiliate Marketing Strategy # 4: Review Your Product.

When people visit your site, they want to know why they should even consider parting with their head earned money for what you’ve got on the table.

Creating a sensible review (with pros and cons) can help them make up their mind. Besides, your site should act like the authority on whatever it is you’re selling. It would be better if you have actually used the product and honestly relate your own experiences.

Affiliate Marketing Strategy # 5: Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They’re Hatched.

Small-time success in affiliate marketing can blind a person and cause them to start acting like crazy. However, this industry can be fickle when you least expect it. You might be basking in hits this month, but you might also end up suffering through a dry spell the next.

The lesson here is to not let one success steer you away from your end goal. My advice is to hold on to that bit of money for a while and continue working at your website. Dream big if you want, but don’t let those dreams get in the way of actually doing the work it takes for them to become reality.

Affiliate marketing strategies can advance your way to success. However, well-chosen ads and good reviews aren’t the only factors for longevity. If you really want to make a career out of affiliate marketing, then you’ve got to pull all the stops.

Learn everything you can about the industry and don’t let an opportunity to gain more knowledge pass. Keep an eye on your website and create insights from every new experience. After all, it is only with considerable time and effort that you will really succeed.

Warm Regards,
Jeremy Gislason
MemberSpeed Inc
Follow us on Twitter:
http://www.Twitter.com/webprofitplans

Focus and determination are the only things that separate the beginners from the advanced. The ones who decided they are not going to give up and they are going to make it are the ones who have succeeded and relished in the benefits.

No matter what your level of experience in affiliate marketing is, there are still simple mistakes that any affiliate marketer is bound to make (even some gurus commit them). Mistakes that can really deter your efforts and make you want to give up. Many marketers end up in some of these sink holes.

But you can avoid these pitfalls and continue on to a very successful affiliate marketing career. Here are some of the common (but oftentimes overlooked) mistakes to avoid:

Affiliate Marketing Mistake # 1: Overloaded Website

One of the most common mistakes every affiliate marketer makes, or has made, is overloading their site. When you try pumping your website full of affiliate links, banners and fancy advertisements, your potential customer can get confused and just close out the page.

On top of that, the load time of a page that has endless graphics and fancy ads on it is ridiculous. I don’t know about you, but when I try to open a page and it takes longer than a few seconds for me to see what’s going on, I simply exit the page.

Instead of countless ads and banners, mix in some text links. Research has shown that people are responsive to text links because they get to see what they want laid out in front of them.

Affiliate Marketing Mistake # 2: Sending Your Customers Away

Too many affiliates get the potential customers to the main product page, without ever capturing information. Now what happens if they aren’t interested in the product at that moment for whatever reason, maybe it’s price or they just aren’t into it like they thought they were? If that’s the case, then you’ve lost this consumer forever.

Instead of directing them straight to your affiliate product, you need to direct them to a squeeze page. Offer a free quality report or e-course, so that the potential customer has to give out their name and e-mail address to get it.

This way, even if they are not interested in the product you are promoting right now, you still have their contact info and you can follow-up with them.

Who knows, they might be in the mood to buy some other time (after they got more information about it) or when you come up with a special offer. And aside from the affiliate product you’re promoting, you can continue to market other products to them in the future.

Affiliate Marketing Mistake # 3: Not Cloaking Your Affiliate Links

Affiliate marketers seem to forget that there are unethical people in this world, or maybe they just think it can’t happen to them. Whatever the case may be, affiliates need to cloak their links.

When you leave your oftentimes long affiliate link “naked,” it is incredibly easy to change the affiliate id or number, and you would have wasted your efforts and lost your commissions.

There will always be people out there who will try to steal from you and others, but there is a simple way to deter them. Simply cloak your affiliate link using a url shortener or a link cloaking software to help keep the thieves at bay. Don’t become a victim and make sure to hide your affiliate link in any way possible.

Affiliate Marketing Mistake # 4: Thinking That It’s A Get Rich Quick Scheme

So many marketers get in this business and believe that they can become a millionaire overnight. This is just not true. If you are in this mindset, then you will fail miserably in  your affiliate marketing career.

As in any business you need to work at it, even if you have a huge bank account to start with. Stay focused and determined to make it, don’t think it will happen overnight because it won’t.

Too many people get discouraged when they throw up a blog with a few affiliate links in it, and they don’t see their account jump into the hundreds of dollars. It is very possible to do this with affiliate marketing; but again, it will probably not happen overnight. If you work hard, keep testing at what works and what does not, then you will ultimately succeed.

Affiliate marketing has become one of the biggest markets out there. A lot of people are making a lot of money consistently, and oftentimes passively. They got there from good old fashioned smart work, and avoiding certain common mistakes that affiliate marketers are bound to make if they’re not careful or aware.

Here you have learned some of the most common pitfalls that every marketer has fallen victim to. Take what you know now and avoid these traps. Stay focused and determined; and inevitably you will succeed.

Warm Regards,
Jeremy Gislason
MemberSpeed Inc
Follow us on Twitter:
http://www.Twitter.com/webprofitplans

Here are 8 proven rules that significantly increase your chances of success as an affiliate marketer. (This article assumes that you are already set up as an affiliate marketer, but just struggling to differentiate yourself.)

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 1: Know Your Target Market.

The oldest marketing adage “put yourself in your clients’ shoes” comes into play here.

It’s all about the client. What do they want? Why do they want it? What other complimentary services can you offer them? A good affiliate is in the mind of his clients all the time.

The first thing you need to do is find out as much as possible about your niche. The next best thing is to talk to potential clients about what they would like to see in relation to the product. Talk to those who have used the product to know what can be improved, what is not necessary, or what is not clear – get any kind of feedback that you can get about the product you’re promoting.

Remember, as you do this, you are building trust. The more trust you build, the more referrals you are likely to get, and the more repeat sales you will generate as well.

Communicate any information you think is useful back to the merchant – it’s in their (and your) interest to have the best product that you can offer out there.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 2: Be Supportive To Your Clients.

You may have come across products where once you purchased, getting through to the seller is a huge problem. Once a sale has been made, as a part of the package, give out your contact details so that they can email or call if they need to.

The worst thing that can happen is to spend money on a product online and then discover that it does not come with any support at all. The first thing you’ll get asked for is a refund – no one wants that.

Although the merchant may have their own helpdesk, consider creating your own customer support. Queries should be answered in the least turn-around time possible. And they may not even be queries directly related to the product you’re promoting, but maybe about something relevant. Go ahead and answer them. Remember, you are building relationships.

If your support doesn’t have the capacity to answer, or you feel that the merchant can assist the customer better, then forward the customer’s concern to the vendor immediately.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 3: Write Helpful Product Reviews.

There are too many ads out there that compel you to buy, buy, buy! How about some useful information about the product? Or information on related topics? Give the reader a reason to click. Buy, buy, buy is not a reason.

A reason is what the product will do for the reader – and that comes in a good product review. Write product reviews that give helpful information, that are interesting and compelling.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 4: Provide Disclosure.

Transparency is important, especially with the new FTC rules in place. It’s becoming more and more apparent now – you’ll see many affiliate marketers that either mention directly who their merchant is or that they will earn a certain commission if you buy from them.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 5: Change Your Sales Strategy If Needed.

There is nothing as bad as sales content that is not updated despite the changing times. For example, if it’s discussing trends representative of the 80’s or 90’s, then you could lose some potential customers because people want the latest and most updated information to keep up with the changes.

Change the copy if needed and keep adding value as you go. Added value is achieved through better copywriting, usage of videos or other modern technology, added bonuses, and any other benefits you may offer the client on purchase.

Another reason why someone will want to buy from you is because of the way you talk about your product; so you must have a deep enough conviction about it to convince others.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 6: Create Timeless And Relevant Content.

Content is king for affiliate marketing. Make sure that your content is superbly crafted. Pay for it if you have to. Create a checklist of what your content must have and make sure that your content meets each point on the checklist.

Like the sales copy, make sure that your content doesn’t appear out of date. Keep updating with new content that has new information and tips. It doesn’t mean that you throw out old content. Craft it into your new content by adding links in the new content that leads back to the old ones if readers are interested.

Remember never to date your content. If a reader comes across an article that says it was written in 2005, they will quickly start to look for more up-to-date information.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 7: Stay Up to Date.

Know all there is to know about your affiliate product and any developments it undergoes. Oftentimes, this can be done easily by joining the merchant’s affiliate newsletter. But in case they don’t have one, just keep in touch with the vendor and ask them to inform you of any changes or updates to their products.

Pass on any relevant information to your clients; they need to see that you have their best interests at heart.

Affiliate Marketing Rule # 8: Keep Tabs on Progress.

The only way to know if you’re growing is to monitor your progress. You can do this in the form of how much you’re making, but a close eye on the number of new clients you’re getting on a monthly basis is also a good indicator. They need to always grow.

If the numbers are not going up, it could mean that your business is founded purely on repeat sales – a good but dangerous model.

There could be other rules on affiliate marketing that could accelerate your success. The important thing is to keep on learning and take action on what you’ve learned to get an edge in your field.

Warm Regards,
Jeremy Gislason
MemberSpeed Inc
Follow us on Twitter:
http://www.Twitter.com/webprofitplans

With minimum set-up expense, and very little use of your day-to-day time, you can fast-track your moneymaking through the internet by becoming an affiliate marketer.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Think of it this way. A business or product owner (also called a merchant) will reward you for helping them sell their product. You, on the other hand, are the affiliate (or online sales agent) who promotes their products in exchange for a certain commission.

A business sets up a product that is delivered online and then sets out to get affiliates to increase their rate of sales. As an affiliate, you will be on the look-out for such opportunities; and thus, will be aware of lucrative businesses out there that are looking for affiliates.

What Kinds of Affiliate Marketing Exist?

Different kinds of affiliate marketing are defined by the way the affiliate makes income. There are 3 basic kinds; and an affiliate can use any one of, or a combination, of them:

1) Pay Per Click

In this set up, the affiliate puts the merchant’s promo details on his website. The merchant then pays the affiliate every time a visitor clicks on the merchant’s promo link on the affiliate’s website.

This kind of affiliate marketing is good for people who have the ability to drive large amounts of traffic, like if you have a huge database of people who are interested in a given product. This would be a good option because they would be most likely to click to see what’s new in the market; and of course, you will get paid for each click.

Think of it as a volume business – low profit margins but high volumes. The biggest pay per click affiliate marketing scheme is Google Ads.

2) Pay Per Lead

In this set up, you (as the affiliate) will have a link on your website that leads to the merchant site and gives more details on a certain offer. For every person who leaves their email address in exchange for a product or in response to an offer, you get paid a pre-agreed commission.

It will then be up to the merchant to convert the potential lead into an actual sale. This works best when the existing contact database or email list has a good buying history and the products are targeted.

3) Pay Per Sale

This is the most common and highly preferred option for most merchants and affiliates. The affiliate earns a commission for every actual sale they make out, regardless of how many clicks the offer gets.

It works for both parties – the affiliate finds a lead and converts it to a sale, and the merchant gives the affiliate a share of the earnings. Because of this, the commissions on this tend to be the highest, and an affiliate who is selling a product using this method is highly likely to make a good chunk of money for every sale.

If they are good at their game, they will find several products that they will push in the same manner.

So How Do I Become A Successful Affiliate?

It’s easy. One of the biggest advantages about it is that the initial cash outlays are very low.

Here a very simple system of affiliate marketing using the pay per sale model: Do some research on the demand and profit potential of a niche, get a product that you can sell to the people in this niche, build a squeeze page to build a list, and promote the affiliate products to that list (while building relationships with them).

Very briefly, let’s look at each step:

1) Find a Hungry Niche.

It is important to find a responsive market. What are people looking for right now? Remember to think outside yourself – it’s not about what you want but what the market wants. A profitable niche is one where there is competition, but not too much that it gets saturated.

Run keywords related to your topic of choice using the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Using this tool, you could discover keywords you might have previously missed out on. Not only will you know how many people are searching for certain keywords, you’ll also know the extent of the advertiser competition. The more people are advertising, the more likely they’re making money from it.

2) Find a Suitable Product for Your Niche.

Visit an affiliate directory or products marketplace – they are already set up on the internet; merchants go there and register their products for potential affiliates to promote.

Scout for a product that you think is interesting to your niche, and has value-adding features that you can promote.

Before signing up for any affiliate program, it is good advice to evaluate the quality of the product you’re promoting (use them yourself or at least get feedback from people who have used them). Find out the conversion rates to see if it’s worth your time to promote them and know how much they will reward you in terms of commissions.

A good affiliate will have a number of different products that they promote, so that they can have multiple streams of income and “backup earnings” in case one or more of the affiliate offers stops producing results.

A good place to start searching for affiliate products would be Clickbank.com.

3) Create a Squeeze Page.

This is a short sales-letter type site that usually offers one or more products for free in exchange for a visitor’s name and email address. Obviously, the higher the quality or perceived value of the product, the more people will be enticed to opt-in.

If you have no experience in this area, there are cheap services on offer all over the internet. Find someone who will do it for you quickly and well. They need to understand the full concept of what you are trying to do so that they can incorporate whatever helpful features they can into the site.

4) Build A List And Treat Them Well.

When people visit your squeeze page and leave their email addresses, you can email them as many times as you want to build relationships, gain their trust, and ultimately promote the affiliate products to them.

The follow-up process is done using an autoresponder. There are no hard and fast rules regarding the frequency of your emails. My suggestion is not to exceed 3 emails a week.

Keep giving them valuable content and gifts for them to stay as your subscribers. You may ask the merchant or product owner for any sample excerpts that may serve as pre-sellers in selling the affiliate product. Aside from the original affiliate product, you may also offer other related niche products to your list.

Affiliate marketing is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make money online, especially if you’re just starting out. Remember to give your prospects the VIP treatment and they will reciprocate by buying your recommendations.

Warm Regards,
Jeremy Gislason
MemberSpeed Inc
Follow us on Twitter:
http://www.Twitter.com/webprofitplans