Affiliate Marketing – How To Beat The Competition
At first glance, affiliate marketing looks like a tough business to prosper in. You may ask how you can succeed and profit from affiliate programs when there are so many other people selling the same products or services. Actually, there are many ways to beat the competition, but the first thing to realize is that the affiliate marketing competition isn’t as fierce as you may think.
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First, you should know that of the people who sign up for an affiliate program, only about 10% of them will actually work to market the product or service. The other 90% either won’t do anything at all, or won’t do anything the correct way. So, your affiliate marketing competition isn’t as fierce as you thought it was.
The question, however, is how you can get ahead of those who are indeed marketing the product or service. Let’s start with your website. Even all of those who are actively trying to market the product or service won’t bother to have their own website or blog and domain name. Simply having these puts you ahead of many of the affiliate marketing wannabes.
Next, look at the sales copy that is used to sell the product or service when someone clicks on your affiliate link. First, is it effective? Will this sales page actually make sales? Second, note that all other affiliates will be directing traffic to a page that is identical to this one, no matter how they do that directing. For affiliate marketing success, write your own sales copy, and put it on your own site, and from there link to the affiliate sales page.
How can you better serve your affiliate marketing prospects and customers? Go the extra mile. Write articles, free reports, and short ebooks and give them away to prospects, and make sure you include your affiliate link. Submit articles weekly to the various article directories as well, and contact e-zine publishers about publishing your articles.
Another effective affiliate marketing strategy is to offer a bonus that nobody else is offering. You will have to create the bonus yourself, but you also have the option of purchasing a resell rights package or product that relates to your niche, and giving it away to customers who order through your affiliate link.
Look at what your affiliate marketing competitors are doing – and make sure that you are doing that and more. Keep a constant watch, and always make sure that you are doing more or offering more than they are, and you should always beat your affiliate marketing competition.
Remember that even though affiliate marketing is an online business, it’s still a business. And like any other business, affiliate marketing success requires time and effort – the more you put into your affiliate marketing business the greater your affiliate marketing success and profits!
Technorati Tags: affiliate marketing success, affiliate marketing competition, affiliate marketing business, beating the competition, competition strategies, competitors, success, online business, business
Related posts:
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- Affiliatenaire – Why I Love Affiliate Marketing – Part Five
- Affiliate Marketing – Skills Are Required
- Choose Affiliate Programs With Care
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13 comments
Mike Paetzold - Follow this person as @mikepaetzold on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 2:37 PM
Great ideas again. Having unique copy and bonuses does eliminate your competition to a great extent. Somehow the people that work at things always end up being the “lucky” affiliates no matter the program.
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Fred Lotgering - Follow this person as @lotcon on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 2:43 PM
Doug,
I’m not there yet but I can see now how important the setup of an affiliate program is to improve the 10% active rate.
Getting food information here in preparation!
Thanks
Fred
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Earl Netwal - Follow this person as @EarlNetwal on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 2:45 PM
Wow, some good ideas. I need to apply some of these now. I’ve just added an idea to my to do list for yet today.
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Joel Osborne - Follow this person as @JoelOsborne on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 4:16 PM
Great tips again Doug! I like your tip about looking to see what your competitors are doing, so that you can do the same, plus more to stand out.
With affiliate marketing you can’t forget about your competitors, which I think many affiliates do. They don’t go see what they are doing and try to stand out above them.
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Ron Barrett - Follow this person as @ronbarrett on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 5:07 PM
Doug…
As always, great information.
As you said, only a fraction of the people who sign up to be an affiliate with whatever program, take action.
If you are a ‘doer’ and can put some elbow grease in to your efforts, your chances of being rewarded as a successful affiliate are much greater.
Thanks for the great info!
Ron
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Andre Arnett - Follow this person as @learningaffil on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 6:42 PM
As always some good thoughts and ideas. I would have to say that affiliate marketing is an easy start to an online busunes. Sort of like getting your feet wet.
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Brett McEllhiney - Follow this person as @bmcellhiney on Twitter
on April 8, 2009 at 7:40 PM
Great ideas!
There are definitely a couple there that I can put to use right away. Definitely need to start writing my own copy more often as I am often guilty of just grabbing what is available and running with that.
Looking forward to the next post Captain!
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Ric Raftis - Follow this person as @RicRaftis on Twitter
on April 9, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Some very sage advice Doug. Any online business is a business as you say and it has to be approached from a professional standpoint. Writing your own copy and articles are the things that make you stand out from the others and helps you build a list.
Cheers…
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Chaunna Brooke on April 9, 2009 at 5:14 AM
Beating the competition may sound like too much, but there is no denying the fact that when you want to earn online then you need to counter the competition.
Affiliate Marketing - How To Beat The Competition | Affiliate … | theaffiliatemarketingsecrets on April 9, 2009 at 5:57 AM
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Lonnie Minton - Follow this person as @AffiliateBus on Twitter
on April 9, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Doug, thanks for some great affiliate marketing strategies. Like every other business you have to watch the competition and try to figure out what they and doing and how you can do it better.
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DTs Flash Drive Blog - Follow this person as @FlashDriveDT on Twitter
on April 21, 2009 at 11:58 AM
I would say that its not so much about doing “more” than your competition but to do “better”. That’s not one and the same thing. Its important to ascertain what is really valuable on a competitors site and take that as an inspiration while you still put your own personal touch to it. With something that youre good at of course! Btw, my father is an insurance agent and recently told me: “They’re not your competitors but contenders”.
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SEM Consultant - Follow this person as @scottmillion on Twitter
on April 21, 2009 at 9:10 PM
Great resource of info, Doug. That is true, even if you are not doing your own product, you really must take constant effort and ongoing promotions in order to succeed in affiliate marketing.