It’s possible, but you have to have an offer that is an easy sell.
I’m talking about web affiliate programs and what they can offer to the average business. There are many types of affiliate programs but the ones I’m writing about today are those that use blogs, social networking sites, and good old regular content to advertise your product or service.
Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those cheezy bulls**t sales pitches. Instead this is the kind of advertising where the people doing the advertising pick who they’re willing to advertise. Different, eh?
Yep, that’s right – the people with the money don’t actually have the power in this equation! It’s the people with the web traffic, not the $$, that are in control and the pick the advertisers they think will appeal to their website users the most.
Bottom line:
If your product or offer isn’t good enough or is hard to convert to sales, they won’t promote it!
Sounds interesting, but could you explain in regular ol’ English how it actually works?
No problem.
The Business (i.e. You): Come up with an offer that is really good.
e.g. Fill out this questionnaire and be entered in a draw to win a $10,000 home makeover!
Advertisers (i.e. the Affiliate): Promote your contest on their relevant web sites.
e.g. Web sites, blogs, and web applications that are focused on home renovation and makeovers.
The Business (i.e. You): Create a form / entry that captures information for the draw and solicits leads via a questionnaire with questions like:
- Are you interested in having a home makeover specialist contact you for a free renovation checklist? (Or appointment or WHATEVER.)
- Would you like to be added to our fantastic Home Makeover Newsletter?
- Would you like to be notified of up coming contests or promotions?
- Would you like to have a free 10 minute conversation with a interior designer about your home?
(Need help thinking up an offer to promote? Contact us, it’s one of the many services we provide!)
An added benefit of these type of advertisers is that bill you on a Pay-Per-Lead basis. So, each prospective customer who successfully enters the home makeover contest above and fills out the form equals a lead for you and commission for the advertiser.
The better the promotion, the more likely your offer will get blogged about and promoted and thus the more leads you’ll get. Lead prices can vary from $0.25 to $75.00 per lead depending on the offer and product but are only payable when a lead is delivered (Note that this is a lead, not a sale!)
You win because you get high quality leads. The Affiliate wins because they get paid commission for each lead. And the customer wins by being put in touch with a great service provider who can meet their need. At the end of the day, it’s a win-win-win situation!
Want to learn more? Want to start an affiliate program offer?
Get in touch and we’ll get people working on promoting your business!
Tags: Affiliate Marketing, Online Marketing, Viral Marketing
