When it comes to running an affiliate program, most operators assume they just need to tell their affiliates how to navigate the website, find text links and banners, and place them on their websites. Yes, this is how it should be. Unfortunately, that is not the case. If you run an affiliate program and do not provide your members with information on how to market their websites, you may be making a costly mistake.
Right now, there is an influx of people wanting to work from home. These individuals want extra cash, want to stay home with their kids, or want to use the money replace a lost job. Perform a standard internet search with the phrases “make money from home,” or “make money online,” and you will see why these individuals are applying to your affiliate program. Many websites state you can start a blog, create a website, toss on a few affiliate links, and make money. You, on the other hand, know it really isn’t that easy. Yes, you can have a website with affiliate links, but if no one visits that website, they never have the opportunity to click on links.
How does having an affiliate who is unfamiliar with internet marketing influence you? It causes you to waste time and money. That same individual who does not know about or understand the importance of internet marketing is likely a novice. They are sure to have millions of other questions. You waste your time answering their questions or managing their account if they can’t produce for you. So, should you avoid new websites and blogs or those with poor page ranks? No. Just because these individuals do not understand internet marketing now, does not mean they can’t learn. Since you are an expert in the field, you can educate and train them in no time at all. That training will pay off, for everyone involved.
When it comes to teaching affiliates about internet marketing, you might want to jump right in and start sharing tips. Wait! First, educate them on the importance of internet marketing. A website that is optimized with keywords for the search engines is likely to appear higher in the rankings. The more links to a website there is floating around the internet, the more traffic that website is likely to get. State the direct connection between internet marketing and making money as an affiliate. Most novice internet users, especially those focused on making money, make the mistake of assuming internet marketing will take away from them making money. It will do the exact opposite; it will generate traffic. Emphasize the point that your affiliates must have websites that get visitors before they can make money
Next, it is important to diminish the work associated with internet marketing. This is important for beginners. Make it like a fun game or challenge. Those with a true interest in working from home will find internet marketing more fun than work. A great place to start is with online message boards. Encourage your affiliates, especially the beginners to join online forums. They can add a link to their website in their profile and signature, if signatures are allowed. Each time they post or respond to a message, other internet users see their link and can click on it. This is a simple and effective, yet fun way to drive traffic to a website. If that website has affiliate links prominently displayed, both you and your affiliate make money!
After starting out small and introducing fun and easy ways to market a website, start the transition into more challenging tactics. These include search engine optimization. Provide your affiliates with a link to a free keyword tracker. Encourage them to use that tracker to see the exact phrases internet users are searching for. They want to take those phrases and incorporate them into their website text. This should be done a lot on a website or a blog, but each page only needs to be optimized once. Once it is, your affiliate will notice organic traffic from search engines. Each visitor the website gets, the more likely you are to get a sale.
As you can see, internet marketing is directly related to making money as an affiliate. Unfortunately, not all affiliates understand this. If you want to make money and stop wasting time working with website owners who don’t understand the process, take a few hours and create a step-by-step or how-to internet marketing guide for your members.