Create a Frenzy – Keep Your Home Business Affiliate Program Private
by Internet Infopreneur on December 1, 2009
in Home Business
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Affiliate programs, which incentivize partners by sharing revenue from any sales they refer to your home business, are a proven way to grow your client base. But one tweak to the program can turn it into an even more effective marketing tool.
Keep your affiliate program private. By not allowing everyone to join and limiting it to only a certain group, you are creating the perception of value in being your affiliate. And naturally, human nature being what it is, this will make it attractive to more people.
Customers As Affiliates
There is a good reason to limit your affiliate program to only your customers. Because these people already invested money into buying your material, they know the value of what you offer – and will be able to communicate it better in their marketing.
Also, when you offer a financial incentive for any sales they refer, this appears as an opportunity to quickly recoup the expense they incurred in buying your product – which is why you should invite them to join your program soon after they buy.
Tackling Affiliate Apathy
While many affiliates may eagerly sign up for your program, the sad reality is that barely 2% will refer any sales. You’ll have to make an effort to overcome ‘affiliate apathy’.
Offer training to your affiliates on how to promote your products and services. Prepare ready-to-go marketing material that they can use right away. Offer to create customized marketing tools for the high performers. Run contests to challenge them to compete against each other, and give them prizes for performance.
Even with all the drawbacks and hassles of running an affiliate program, the attractiveness of making sales from someone else’s efforts, paying only for performance and not effort, and all the extra visibility your home business will get from your affiliate’s marketing are reason enough to create one for your products.
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