If you have a website or say a “Blog” then one of the ways that you can make money through it is by selling affiliate products, which I feel is better than any PPC ads. But selling an affiliate product is not so easy and especially if you are selling something that really doesn’t mean anything to your readers or visitors who visited your website for a purpose.
It’s a very simple aspect, just think about it – If you are writing a blog about entrepreneurship or investment, would advertising clothing & accessories be a good idea? Definitely not! Not only the number of sales that you get would be less but at sometimes you might even irritate your visitors with some unwanted advertisement. In the same way selling products related to your niche can get you good number of sales.
So it is very important to choose the right affiliate product which suits your niche even if you think that the price is a bit high to buy (for your readers), or if the commission is a bit low, you need to consider if the product will benefit your readers.
Once you have decided what sort of product goes along with your website then the next step would be to choose the company/brand that you would promote on your website. This definitely is not an easy choice to make as there are endless companies who have affiliate programs.
So how do you choose between two brands with the same type of service/ product?
Brand Reputation
Consider the existing reputation of the brand and it not only includes just the product itself but also the customer service –
1) Do they provide service through out the week?
2) Do they have live phone call and chat support?
3) What is their response time for an issue?
4) Also, how do they pay your commission and how often?
How easily can your reader complete the sale?
If the company that you are affiliated with does not have multiple payment options and just have once single payment option like Paypal (Believe me not all your readers would have a Paypal account), then your readers might get to the payment page and exit without completing the sale. So what’s the use of you promoting that brand?
What is your personal opinion of the brand?
Along with sending emails to your readers, one of the best ways to promote your affiliate products on your blog is by providing a review of it based on your experience in using the product. Being honest about your review is the right way to do it, especially considering your readers visit your website because they like what you write.
Tip: While sending email to your subscribers include a small review about your affiliate products along with a link. Also do not use some flashy banners as they give a “Scam” appearance to the ads.
Finally, what is the percentage of your commission?
Yes, you also need to consider the percentage of commission that you would get, but it should not make your opinion biased towards a product paying higher commission. The only time that you should choose between two brands based on commission is when you feel both the brands provide the same features and value to their product. I know higher commission is always luring, but you always need to consider your readers because after all they are the one’s who actually are buying the product and you want them to come back and buy in the future, don’t you?
Tip: If your website is about “Blogging” then have a separate page where you list all the products that you personally use for the blog as a “Resource Box”, by this you can attract your readers to buy something that they have actually seen in your blog and which they would like to use.
These are few of the simplest and efficient ways to sell your affiliate products to make money and still retain the trust of your readers.
Balaji G S is founder of cazmoen.com, a website dedicated to provide tips and ideas related to business, investment, and entrepreneurship.
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