In my last post, I discussed why you need to utilize affiliate
marketing to promote your business. Now that you know you want an
affiliate program, you need to find affiliates.
Finding affiliates is a combination of simply asking people and
letting interested parties know about your program. In addition, you can
encourage people to be an affiliate by offering excellent products,
top-notch customer service, and a generous commission.
Direct Contact – Find competitors and others who market to your
audience but don’t offer the exact products or services as you and
approach them directly. Work first to build relationships with these
people in online groups, via joint ventures, events, and more and you’ll
be certain to get a percentage of them to sign up for your affiliate
program and promote your products and services.
Customers – Your best affiliates can come from people who have
purchased from you. Definitely, run an email series for your customers
to encourage them to earn money by recommending your products to their
friends and family. This is a great way to end up with a true fan as an
affiliate.
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Colleagues – Even if you work from home, you are likely part of a
group of like-minded individuals online or offline. Ensure that you let
these people know that you have an affiliate program so that they can
choose to join if they want to. You can also give special commission
percentages to people you know.
Movers & Shakers – You’ve seen them on Twitter, Facebook groups,
and probably on numerous webinars, etc. These big earners shake things
up. Work toward building a relationship with them, then make it super
simple for them to promote your products. Offer to set it all up for
them so that all they have to do is collect the money when they make
sales.
Conferences – You can also meet potential affiliates at live events
and conferences. Whether you’re a speaker or an attendee, you can meet
people who want to offer your products to their audience. Make it worth
their while to promote you, by also promoting them.
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Print Publications – You can place ads in relevant print publicans
such as work at home magazines and other magazines devoted to people who
are interested in this type of income opportunity.
Social Media – If you join groups and friend people online, ensure
that you also connect with potential affiliates. Take the time to get to
know them. When it’s appropriate, let them know about your affiliate
program. You can use social media also to talk about how excited you are
about your affiliate program. The more enthusiastic you are about the
program, the more they will want to join to earn money.
Blogging – Use your blog part of the time, to speak to potential
affiliates. Your blog provides your audience with solutions to their
problems. But, once you have an affiliate program, you can also mention
how you want to help as many people as possible and your readers can
help by becoming an affiliate.
Forums/Groups – Any groups you’re part of, online or off, can be
great places to find affiliates. The best thing to do is to build
relationships with people you think would like and promote your
products. Offer to do things for them, make your program so inviting
that they can’t resist.
Online Ads – Another way to attract affiliates is to advertise the
program and its benefits. You can use Facebook, Twitter, or even Ad
Words to market the program. This works very well, if you have a good
product funnel, offer excellent commissions, and a wide range of
products for your niche.
Your Website – Don’t forget that your website is the hub of your
business. Keep reminder info and an affiliate program link in a
prominent place on your site. This should be short and link to further
information about the program details.
Word-of-Mouth
– People like to talk, so if you do a good job taking care of your
affiliates and offer really great products, then super affiliates will
notice you and talk about you. Plus, when they start promoting your
products, other people in their circle will notice and join too.
Cold Calls – If you already know people that promote other people’s
products and you’re sure that your product fits in with their niche, go
ahead and drop them an email, or even get them on the phone. Be ready to
explain what is so great about your product and how it benefits their
audience. Plus, explain how you’re going to make it super easy for them
to be part of your program.
Hire an Affiliate Manager – Even if you’re just starting your
program, hiring an affiliate manager can help you grow your affiliate
program faster. Hire someone who is familiar with your niche, who has
connections to promote to super affiliates and who understands the
software you use.
Directories – There are directories where you can list your affiliate
program. They do require a link back, but it’s free. More than likely,
you won’t find as many affiliates this way since building relationships
is very important. However, it does help direct potential candidates to
your opportunity.
Affiliate Networks – Another great way to find affiliates is to list
your products in affiliate networks such as Clickbank.com or JVZOO.com.
Marketers who are looking for a product to promote often go there to
search for them. Make sure you offer a great program and a lucrative
commission. Include tools to make promoting easy. These could include
articles, graphics, emails, etc.
Finding and recruiting affiliates is only part of starting an
affiliate program. Now you need to make your affiliate offer worthy,
appealing and timely. Plus, the more unique your offer is, the more
affiliates you’ll recruit.
Author: Karen Repoli
Karen Repoli, is a successful entrepreneur with over 20 years of
experience in office management, internet marketing, and business
systems. She holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of
NC, Greensboro and is VACertified. Karen launched her company, HIT
Virtual Assistants in 2007. As a professional team including…
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