Becoming an affiliate seems so enticing, “just sign up and share your link today”. Actually it is not that easy! Signing up is easy, managing requires a commitment to sharing your links regularly, marketing it regularly, make sure you actually receive payment, and following up with people interested. It has to be considered a part of your business.
On the flip side, there is nothing more rewarding than waking up and seeing you made an affiliate sale! I average about $300 a month in affiliate sales, nothing to brag about, but takes us out for Sushi and Sake twice a month! NOW this blog post is not for people who want to be “Affiliate Marketers”. Not my style. Watch this video to learn more.
So, you want to be an affiliate and feel great about what you are suggesting to others keep my 4 points in mind! When I work with my lifetime members of the Social Networking Coaching Club advanced learners learn about affiliate products that help their customer base buy from them increasing their bottom line!
Is it right for you to become an affiliate? What products/services are you willing to align yourself with that feel good for you and your customers?
Ann M. Evanston is a “Chief Breakthrough Officer” teaching other Business Warriors how to slow down, and find the most unique part of their business that makes them stand out among the crowd. She has been named one of the top marketing consultants by About.com, is a guest blogger for Showcasing Women and takes pride in moving you from “blah, blah, blah” to “BOOM, BOOM. BOOM!”
I find the whole affiliate marketing thing very interesting and can see how it has to align with brand. I am, as always, taking your lead on this and I just need to work on selling the affiliate links. Of course, I’m an affiliate for you :). I have signed up as an affiliate for a couple of other things but am only working on marketing one of those (which you recommended). I like that I might build up a small extra income and must look at your disclosure.
Thanks as always.
Great tips for all affiliate marketers. I am one of those people that is always looking to undercover what is the business model and how are people making money. If someone recommends a product and does not disclose they are an affiliate and I find out…my trust in them is shattered. It is so important.
Thanks for elevating the conversation and making it about integrity and not about making money.
This was quite interesting for me to read, as I have NEVER understood anything about affiliates and affiliate marketing. Thanks for the clarification and the information. I’m not ready for this right now, but as I can say about everything else I learn, I appreciate knowing “something more” and understanding what has thus far been murky.
Judy Stone-Goldman
The Reflective Writer
http://www.thereflectivewriter.com/blog/
I had never even thought about something like this before, but it is very interesting and there are some products we recommend to our customers that could fit into this scenario. I plan to talk to my husband about this and see what he thinks! Thank you for another educational experience that I am looking forward to learning even more about in SNCC!
I am just learning about about all this affiliate stuff and appreciate, as always, your expertise and insight.
Thanks Ann!
Heidi & Atticus
http://www.atticusuncensored.com
I decided that I would add a few relevant affiliate links to my site just this week. My intention is not to necessary make loads of money from the affiliate links but to offer additional options to my visitors. Listening to your video confirmed that the actions that I would intuitively take were the right ones. I learned in a workshop that another reason to only offer products related to your business is to keep search engines ‘happy’.
It appears that many folks think that this is an easy way to make a lot of money; however, I think that it will take hard work dedication to be successful at it. If one wants to be an affiliate marketer and does not have the time or the gumption to work hard, they should not consider this their online business.
I’m going to use your tips.
Great tips Ann. To be an affiliate needs to make sense for selling. It is much easier to sign up than to sell. I like the idea of aligning the products to ones regular business
Thank you for the information – I have recommended one program I really liked – I doubt I’ll see any sales for it as it was a one time recommendation.
I thought it was interesting though that while your video blog was playing, many google ads were running across the screen about a variety of products and links, many of which didn’t seem related to your warrior-preneur brand. Were you aware of that or is that something that just happened when I was watching it? Just wondering…
Brandy
Brandy I am a part of the YouTube partner program which makes me almost $3000 a month because I allow then to run ads. Very different strategy from affiliate marketing because it is 100% passive, I do nothing for that revenue. those ads thought are 100% aligned with my brand and my tags. I do extensive technology training if you really get to know me and what I do!
Thanks Ann!As usually, your offer great guidance and insight. I have been considering this since I TOTALLY love SNCC and have become an affiliate even though is different from my health and wellness business, I have wondered if it is a good fit? Since I use your service to support my business I cannot help talking about you and how GREAT YOU ARE I decided to promote you and your services to other business owners that are concerned about the health of their business and the image they present in social networking.Thank you for your insight.Blessings of Health,Chris Arcuccihttp://www.MindfulLivingArts.com
Don’t know where my comment disappeared to 🙁 It’s my week for the blogger Monday jinx. Anyway, I think I said that I will, as always take your lead on affiliate marketing. It is an area that I want to expand on though – I just need to get better at promoting the affiliates I have signed up with (you and Amazon). I do have a question – there are affiliate wordpress plug ins – would you recommend them or just using widgets. Thanks
Use the affiliate banners and links they give you over the WP widget.
Thanks – good to know I picked the right option.
Great tips Ann! I am a affiliate of one product and found the product so difficult to get started that I found it hard to recommend to anyone else!
Didn’t realize about the disclosure statment for MLMs, I’ll have to get one on the website I’m having done.
Thanks!
You are absolutely right Ann that any affiliate program should be aligned with your brand. I’ve signed up to programs before, and because I did it more because of a desire to make money, and not as a strategic business decision. And, you do need to have the time to follow up and actually sell. This is great for me to remember.
Great Vlog. I don’t know much about the affiliate options and this was very helpful. I still need to build a loyal following before I can think about this, but an extra $300 a month sounds nice. As an artist, it will be easy to embrace certain products that I use constantly. By the way, nice rally monkey in the background. My husband is a huge Angels fan.
Hi Ann – I so agree with you that you start with a product (or service) you love and you want to affiliate with. I would not promote any company as an affiliate if I had not personally experienced the company as a customer OR I carefully vetted the product (service), the company, the pricing, the customer service etc.
And, you are right on the money with your advice to be sure a product fits within your niche and brand. I want to be able to offer products to my clients that will support them in their business and in their lives (and not to confuse them).
Great tips on managing the affiliate process. Thank you.
~Theresa
this site is pretty professional i hope i can get my site at http://roger21productereview.com/ like this. Good article and video, I will use these tips to my advantage
thanks Roger, and you can! WordPress themes are powerful!
Thanks Ann,
always appreciate your tips and i will try to implement them into my next project, you can have a look at it at
http://affiliateshopguide.com