In the world of affiliate marketing, any information advantage is worth taking, yet a lot of basic assumptions go unquestioned.
There’s a wealth of information on affiliate marketing, some relevant and some not, and it’s worth cutting through it to make sure that you’re only getting the information that you really need.
While many affiliate marketers are loaded to capacity with expert tips and tricks, it’s ultimately the basics that are responsible for 90% of your success.
With that in mind, lets get started on the four most important tips and tricks for affiliate marketers.
#1 Appeal to your audience, not someone else’s.
There’s nothing worse than spending masses of time and money trying to convince someone to buy your produce when they have no interest in it, or any real need for it.
While catch-all affiliate programs will often try to capture everyone, the smartest affiliate marketers identify their audience and do everything they can to convert them to their product.
Don’t waste your time marketing your sporting gear to retirees, target it to the 20-somethings who are deeply involved in the field you’re covering. You’ll see your conversions shoot up, along with your profits.
#2 Only market products with a healthy commission.
That 1% commission on a $2000 product might bring in a decent amount of money for you, but how often are people really going to commit that much money to an online purchase?
Spend your advertising time and money on marketing a product that will convert and provide you with a healthy commission at the same time.
There’s no point chasing down big sales when it’s exponentially easier to make 20 smaller ones.
#3 Make sure your sales copy is clean, easy to read, and free of any errors.
You’d be amazed how many sales pages are devoid of any real substantial information, populated by misspelled words, and unnecessarily long and boring.
Make sure you’re not one of those people that throw up a pre-assembled sales page rife with spelling errors and expect to make a massive amount of money from it.
You might convert 1 in 10,000 people to buy from you, but the lack of professionalism will have a massive negative effect on your conversion rate. Invest some time and money into a good sales page, and watch your buyers roll in.
#4 Don’t get upset if things don’t initially go your way
There are always bad days in affiliate marketing. Whether people are more focused on other things, or there just isn’t an incentive to buy that week, don’t let it get to you. If you’re got everything set up properly, and your website looking professional and convincing, you’ll ultimately get some sales. Pessimism is the death-blow of any affiliate business — if you let it consume you you’ll ultimately fail.
Smart affiliate marketers let their pessimism inspire them rather than destroy their chances at success. Take the inspirational route instead of letting your negative emotions control your success.
To learn more about affiliate marketing, check out the free Super Affiliate report at http://cbpirate.com/s/autopilot/Morgan
9 Simple Tips For Writing Visitor-friendly Website Copy
Whenever we land on a site our initial focus is taken by design, quickly followed by content. If youve got a brand new site, complete with all the flash bells and whistles, but dont have the copy to match it, youll leave visitors disinterested and ambivalent.
Were all predisposed to communicate. Whether amongst friends, colleagues or even total strangers we write, talk and discuss everything. Websites are a medium where the written word is crucial in communicating your message. Without a strong message, there is no website. So the importance of good quality copy, whether thats snappy headlines or emotive body text, is of paramount importance.
Here are a few good tips for really reaching out to your audience and boosting your SEO in the process.
1. Dont oversell yourself
It might seem a bit self-defeating but if you overkill your self-promotion it can work against you. Stating what differentiates your site from the rest is one thing, but gratuitously reaffirming that point without additional facts (i.e. awards, certificates and client comments) isnt going to do you any favours.
2. Be natural
Writers tend to be their own harshest critics. Copy should sound and flow naturally. Dont try to overstretch yourself, get the message across in a way that is easy to understand and typifies your sites ethos.
3. Dont force keywords
SEO copywriting has had a bad name in the past due to its overreliance on keywords. Today this is generally regarded as bad practice and should be avoided at all costs. Adding a few here and there isnt an issue, but you should certainly be looking at a keyword density of no more than 5%.
4. Write for your audience
It seems simple, but youd be surprised how many websites and copywriters forget this fundamental rule. If youre writing for a trendy clothing company, it goes without saying that it should be written in a tone that is significantly different to that of a heavy engineering firm. Be informative and light-hearted where necessary, but dont forget who it is youre supposed to be appealing to.
5. Always proof your work
Theres always a temptation to finish a piece of work and send it straight out there and getting a start on the next one. However, if your writing copy without editorial control or at least some kind of overseer then you need to ensure that what youre producing is accurate. Glaring errors are a good way of ruining a sites credibility, particularly if theyre dotted around liberally.
6. Offer some motivation
With business and, more particularly, ecommerce websites, you need to try to be emotive with your copy. Visitors need to be given a reason for using your services and its the job of the copy to do this. A call to action buy this today and receive a free… is an extremely successful way of rounding of product copy particularly. You dont need to go overboard, but a little gentle nudge is always useful.
7. Quantity and quality
Websites that are packed to the rafters with copy can be as much of a deterrent as those with none at all. Between 200 and 300 words on each page, excepting those that require additional information, is usually enough to offer a succinct overview and provide all of the information necessary. Quality spread out in the right quantity offers the ideal balance.
8. Keep copy relevant
How many times to you read a site that hasnt been updated for months or even years? Its off-putting and unprofessional when you see something that refers to the upcoming Easter holiday in July. Unless used in a blog, or you are prepared to go through and update the relevant pages, avoid using date or event-related phrases. It takes a lot of work to keep a website fresh, dont make it harder on yourself.
9. Dont forget your headings
Your page headings (H1) and sub-headings (H2) not only inform the search engine spiders about your sites content, but they also provide visitors with an immediate point of reference. Keep them to-the-point and relevant to your body text and its hard to go wrong.
Stephen Logan works as a Writer for leading Hampshire-based SEO Company Impact Media, offering professional Copywriting Services for a range of clients