Affiliate Marketing - when the message is getting lost
In many ways ( at least to my way of thinking) being an affiliate marketer is like being in a symbiotic relationship with the company they are promoting.
Did you just read what I said?
symbiotic relationship? Well yes for the simple reason that without sending the right message to people, the company will lose money because they are not selling the product and guess what if the company is not making the cash flow they wont be able to pay you..how many of you have ever thought of that?
I sure have and why I am writing today.
There are many good companies that are facing this problem and part of that problem is social media and everyone being told that they cant sell..because people hate being sold to! So we tip toe around the issue and we get lost not knowing what to do and no one wins!
At one time to be an affiliate marketer meant putting banners up all over the place ( am I exaggerating?) and then people would find you and presto you made a sale..but not anymore.
Affiliate marketing has changed to going to people and building awareness of the product you are affiliating with with the end goal of making that sale. Pure and simple!
But how is a person to do that if
a) they don't have a good understanding of the product
b) they don't have any real knowledge on how to promote the product?
Because I am writing this on an Adlandpro forum ( it could easily be about a different company) I am going to use Adlandpro as the example.
What is the product of Adlandpro?
While many of you might say its the social aspect, the community (which is very flattering) you would be very wrong! The product of Adlandpro is selling advertising! The social aspect is both a benefit to the product as well as a way to build a huge group of people who might be interested in what you are sharing. When you really think about this, it makes perfect sense and what Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and G+ are doing.
Back to the message or should I say not sending the message to people....
When you are promoting Adlandpro and hopefully you now have an understanding of the product..how the heck do you promote in an arena that says ..NO SELLING ( which means the whole internet these days lol)
This is where you help people understand the benefits and help people with their problems. Sometimes it helps to ask questions and write down answers to form a real plan of action.
So what questions could be asked about the product of Adlandpro?
1. what is the benefit to having people buying advertising on Adlandpro?
2. what will people get when they upgrade their membership or buy advertising from Adlandpro?
( I thought of one very quickly.. the advertising is cheaper than Google Adwords)
3. How can the social aspect help people with their advertising? Fact: the more people who join the social community and STAY because of the value then there are more people who will want to use the advertising.
4. What is the demographics of Adlandpro? Would you try to buy advertising to sell to the people here who have NO interest in what you are doing? Adlandpro has older people ( um less teenagers lol) What are the real interests on this community? How would the advertising help the people who would come here?
5. People keep falling into the trap of using the free/paid classifieds for only one purpose and yet it has been proven time and time again that free classifieds are an excellent medium to sell cars, real estate and other such "tangible" products...are any of you talking about this benefit to others?
6. When you understand the product is selling advertising using Adlandpro, how can you help people get the best use of that advertising? Could you show them tools that will help improve their writing? How could you show that with images they can further their reach when advertising? Let the creativity flow and come up with ideas and thought to show the true benefit of being on Adlandpro and using the product!
What other questions can you think of and and how would you answer them?
When we talk about Adlandpro on other networks, the purpose is not just to share the good times of this site, but to get people interested in WANTING to buy the product. There are many news companies starting out who are doing safelists, traffic exchanges just to name a few who are needing advertising..have you reached out and said ..hey I hear that you are needing to get the word out..Adlandpro sells advertising and might be useful for your needs and the costs are very reasonable? When you are talking to people in chat or other networks ( that includes traffic exchanges, groups of people who are interested in other topics..whats wrong with saying if you are looking for another way to advertise what you are doing, then Adlandpro has a very cost effective way to get the word out about what you are doing. Yes you need to disclose you are an affiliate, but whats wrong with that especially if you have a good base in understanding about the product of Adlandpro).
The other side of that coin ( don't groan!) is saying, this might not be the best product for you, but I do know of another one that would be helpful...do you know what will happen? People will see that you are not selling and you are truly helping them..in the end you are still the winner and the next time, they might indeed be interested in the product of Adlandpro.
Regarding the social aspect to Adlandpro...yes there is the credit builder, but there are the forums where people can create really great topics and there are groups to get people who want a private or even public place to talk about just about anything they want that is targeted to an interest. this community is a selling point to itself in terms of a place for people to gather and talk about so many things...when was the last time people pointed these things out?
The fact is folks..if you are an affiliate marketer..you are selling..so why aren't you?
There are many ways to sell without being obvious..helping people understand the value of buying the advertising on this particular site is really a no brainer..when you are willing to help others and you take the time to know the product and form a good plan of action..then nothing is impossible!
P.S This is one of the few affiliate products that goes with anything else you are doing..why not utilize it?
P.S.S If people are not ready to buy advertising from Adlandpro, then keep following up and let these people know that you are around. share good quality information with them that will keep you front and center in their thoughts..that is true selling without out being a salesperson!
P.S.S.S (lol) This type of thinking can be applied to ANY product or service you are affiliated with!
Any questions?