Hello friend,
I’m glad you made it to 2013! I know 2012 may not have been a great year for you but don’t lose hope because, that change you’ve always hoped for will come to pass this year.
In this article, I’ll be sharing some proven tactics I used to generate 250% in affiliate sales (through guest blogging) for a client of mine and how you too can apply it to grow your sales. These tactics explain how to go about generating quality leads, make more money from your list and how to leverage the power of guest blogging to boost your list of targeted prospects.
Have you ever wondered why some marketers profit substantially and while some, struggle to make a cent?
See, you’re my friend—if I keep the truth from you, I’m not doing you any good.
Here’s what I mean:
If you keep doing the same thing for years, you can’t succeed online. The internet is changing. In fact, there are so many things changing in the affiliate world. If you want the system to dance to your tune, you need to operate under its principles.
Now you’re thinking: ‘’What does this guy mean’’? Don’t worry. Let me explain better.
The reason why it seems like you’re not making sales or attracting targeted prospects is because, you’re doing the right things the wrong way. I don’t want to talk much but I believe that before I end this post, you would have grasped what I mean?
The opt-in comes first
Rather than sending traffic directly to your affiliate offer, send them to your site. If they click through your affiliate link to the merchant site and they don’t buy, chances are that they are gone forever. But if you send them directly to your site (you must have an opt in box on your front page or squeeze page) and they subscribe with you, you can sell them your product over and over again!
Pro tip: You can even redirect them to your affiliate page after they join your list.
Hint: Here is where relationship marketing comes in. The fact that you have them on your list does not guarantee you’ll make sales. You have to get close and build a strong relationship with them. I know this process sounds difficult but trust me; it is the best way to go about list building. In fact, it’s profitable and useful to the growth of your business on the long run.
Don’t be a photocopy machine– differentiate your offers
How would you feel if someone keeps sending you messages repeatedly? You will feel bad. Right?
That is the way it is, if you send the same advertisement that other affiliates send out. Don’t be a photocopy machine. Be unique. Let your subscribers see you as a trustworthy person they can rely on, to provide answers to their questions and solution to their challenges.
Hint: Stand out. If you don’t know how to write a good email newsletter, hire an expert or learn it yourself.
Resource: Read Copyblogger, Michael Fortin
Let your experience tell the story…
Nothing speaks louder than experience. Nothing speaks louder than results. If you want to market your blog and generate quality back-links to your blog pages through guest blogging, will you hire an inexperienced freelance writer or a guest blogging expert who knows the craft of guest blogging?
You have to include your life experiences when recommending products.
Make your experience answer questions like:
How the product affected your life?’
How your story began?
When you used it?
How much it cost when you first purchased the product?
Share these things–they matter.
Hint: Shame on you if you’ve not used the product. I don’t mean to be rude here but I think it’s not good recommending a product you’ve not tested yourself. That is dishonesty. If you want to build a thriving and profitable affiliate business, you have to be honest. Buy the product and use it. If it is good, recommend to your subscribers. ‘Shikina’ (Simple!)
Offer a heart-sucking or compelling incentive.
I have a question for you: If you buy a T-shirt from a shopping mall and then you’re given an additional gift, won’t you buy from the mall again?
That is the way it is online. Free things move people. You can capitalize on this tip and grow your affiliate sales. If someone buys through your affiliate link, offer a quality incentive. Whether it is an eBook, special report, video, white paper or anything–just make sure you offer something. I’m not saying you should offer a ‘fluffy’ product as a gift. It may bring down your reputation and might affect your business on the long run.
Pro tip: Offer something unique. Offer something of great value—something that will ‘Wow’ them.
If you don’t have anything to offer, hire a ghostwriter to create a special report or short eBook ( this will save you time and money) or buy a quality PLR product. You can even assemble a bunch of quality articles and compile them into an eBook.
Hint: Don’t say there is nothing to offer. Look around you—there is something to offer.
Affiliate marketing is not about building a list of prospects and making money off them; it is about serving and meeting the needs of people. It is about giving peoples’ lives a meaning. Therefore, the best way to show you care for your list is by giving them a gift. They’ll love you for it.
Look for good residual opportunities
Rather than exhaust your efforts or energy in promoting one-time affiliate commissions, why not promote products that offers residual opportunities.
Many residual coaching programs and membership sites provide residual opportunities; all you just need is to find them.
Hint: You can search for forums or ask your friends– they could have an idea on a coaching program or membership site that offers residual opportunities.
Diversify
As your list grows and you start making a large chunk of affiliate sales, diversify your offerings!
I mean: start creating your own products, other affiliate products, establish joint ventures, increase your connections, conduct surveys, cross–promote, co-author products, sell so-ads.. Et Al.
You can establish many businesses but start with these ones.
Pro tip: Don’t rush yourself–business is precept upon precept…
Guest blogging
Guest blogging is a core part of my marketing strategy. In fact, guest blogging alone, has helped me attract high paying freelance clients without banging their door, generate quality back-links to my blog pages and get free traffic from Google!
I believe most of you here, already know what guest blogging is; but if you’re just hearing about guest blogging, let me explain…
What is guest blogging?
I’m no English professor and I don’t believe in using BIG WORDS to explain things.
I believe in simplicity—I believe everything online should be simplified. If you’re thinking that I’m going to explain guest blogging with my academic proficiencies; I’m sorry, I will disappoint you.
Guest blogging is simply writing a free content for another blog with the aim of driving fresh traffic, back-links, and sales.
However, guest blogging is an effective marketing tool but you cannot achieve much with it if you do it the wrong way or hire inexperienced guest bloggers. If you want to generate more affiliate sales and grow your list through guest blogging, you have to hire an experienced guest blogger.
Here’s a simple step by step process you can apply to get results in your guest blogging campaign:
Have a simple blog or well designed squeeze page
If you don’t have a blog or you don’t want to start one then at least, you should have something like a content hub. The aim is to publish good contents that will serve as a marketing tool for your products or services. Guest blogging without proper content marketing is bound to fail. Therefore, before going on a guest blogging campaign, ensure you have good contents on your blog. If you need help with content marketing and guest blogging, seek the services of an expert guest blogger.
Submit only quality and relevant contents
There are many crappy, 500 words guest posts on the internet today. The people putting out these guest posts think they’re doing the right thing when they are indirectly destroying their business.
Guest post articles are the same as the normal contents on your blog but the value differs.
Take time to write and research your guest posts. Ensure they are about 700 to a thousand words. In case you don’t know, the value of one 3,000 word guest post is worth more than 10 crappy, 500 words guest posts; so, give it your best shot. If you want someone to run your guest blogging project, hire an experienced guest blogger.
Numbers does not matter.
A guest post on a blog like Copyblogger is more relevant than 10-guest posts on smaller blogs. In other words, blog authority matters a lot. So, stop the crappy guest posts and put more focus on producing good contents.
Don’t do what others are doing– be unique.
Don’t ever make the mistake of submitting the same guest posts to more than one blog.
It’s not good– in fact, Google does not support it. Don’t also use the same anchor text in your author bios’. Learn to ‘variate’. Try new things and be unique in your own way.
How do I pitch a guest post idea?
Do you feel bad or frustrated whenever your guest post idea gets rejected?
Don’t you think you’ve been going about it the wrong way?
Over the years, as an experienced guest blogger, I’ve used different guest post pitch templates but I’ll like to share one that I use more frequently.
Hello (blog owner name)
How was your day and how’s the weather over there?
It is cold here though.
My name is (name) and I am a (profession) from (your blog).
I discovered your blog few months ago and I’m really impressed with the great value you share with your readers.
I was thinking of writing a guest post but here is my guest post idea for your approval.
(Topic idea)
Would you like me to write up the draft?
BTW: How is the weather over there? It’s pretty cold here (optional)
Let me know what you think
Thanks
Daniel
(Your blog URL)
There you have my pitch template. You can copy or tweak it to your taste!
I can help you…
Yes. You read that right. I can help you generate quality back-links to your blog page, attract quality prospects, build your brand and grow your affiliate sales with my guest blogging skills. Since September last year, I’ve written more than 120 guest posts for myself and reputable clients.
Let me handle your content marketing and guest blogging project—I know how the craft works.
Your turn to dazzle me
You’re not going to improvements in your blog traffic and affiliate sales unless you take action. Don’t procrastinate, start guest posting TODAY!