Affiliate Marketing Success Stories – Raising an Affiliate Program Cash Cow

The following interview with Shawn Collins, a prominent professional in the
affiliate promoting field, ought to prove instructive to the reader. Shawn
has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the field and now runs his own affiliate
program management and consulting firm. As this interview is inherently
limited in scope, 1 is encouraged to read far more about Shawn’s experiences
in the field and the advice he dispenses via his books, conferences,
blog, articles, reports, and weekly radio show. The reader can also meet
Shawn at the Affiliate Summit, a “can’t miss” conference for those
interested in excelling in the competitive world of affiliate marketing.

Q. Shawn, how would you describe your initial experiences with affiliate
marketing?

A. It was back in 1997. I had a dial-up account on AOL, a 14.four modem and
a desire to make much more money. At the time, I didn’t know a factor about
making websites, promoting, etc. But I went by way of a tutorial at AOL on
writing HTML and picked up the basics. Then, I developed a hideous, single
page internet site about New York City and put up some Amazon links. I never earned
a cent on that web site.

Q. What growing pains did you endure at 1st? What had been the greatest
obstacles and challenges from that period of time?

A. Back then, there was a monopoly on registering domains, and it price
a year. At the time, that was a bit prohibitive for me (I didn’t
recognize what a very good investment a short name would be). That was a trend –
an unwillingness to invest in my affiliate efforts. I was going the totally free
route with tools, hosting, etc. That absolutely delayed my progress.

Q. What was your first “Ah-ha” moment? How did you incorporate the
lesson learned into your affiliate marketing and advertising company?

A. The 1st time I got my reporting via email from Amazon with
details on commission earned. Back then, there was no option to login
to an interface – just a periodic email with affiliate stats. When I
realized it was real that I could earn funds this way, I was excited and
motivated. This persuaded me that I was wasting my time working in
magazine publishing – it was time for me to get into a line of work that
was stimulating and rewarding.

With my limited affiliate marketing and advertising experience, I managed to get a job
with a start off-up in 1997 referred to as Medsite.com, and I bluffed my way into
running the affiliate program there. I’ve enjoyed my work ever since.

Q. Without mentioning names, have you joined affiliate programs that did
not keep their promises and/or supply appropriate compensation? What
measures did you take when confronted with this scenario and what guidance
can you give other people to avoid this circumstance?

A. Lots of affiliate programs lie in their recruiting efforts – they
talk about how easy it is to earn commission from them. That’s simply not
accurate – it’s not easy. I just do not pay attention to most recruiting
efforts from affiliate programs. I would encourage affiliates to ignore
proclamations of easy earnings and high EPCs – the most critical factor is
to test everything yourself and promote what works for you.

Q. How has affiliate marketing and advertising changed in the last seven years? What
techniques would you implement now that you would not or could not do
years ago?

A. The business has matured greatly. Seven years ago, numerous affiliate
marketers were content web sites which relied on 468×60 banners. The analytics
had been primitive and fewer companies offered affiliate programs.

Now, the industry is so diversified. Basically, any way to marketplace on the internet
is becoming leveraged by affiliates… such as comparison shopping,
domaining, video, Seo, e-mail, social networks, PPC, rewards programs,
etc.

If I could turn back time, I would have started up several niche
community internet sites back then for popular topics. By now, if nurtured they
would have grown nicely and turn out to be lucrative affiliate sites.

Q. If 1 is gifted marketing an affiliate item or service, is it
likely that this individual can successfully marketplace his/her own items or
services? Really should folks look into creating their own items although
marketing or instead of advertising others’ goods/services?

A. I’d say anything that is already selling on-line can be successfully
marketed through an affiliate program. Selling your own items or
services can definitely offer a lot more rewards in the finest case scenario, but
then you’ve got a lot a lot more risk, too.

If somebody has the infrastructure and know-how to sell a particular item
or service, I’d say to go for it. But do not take uncalculated risks.

Q. What are essential mistakes that newbies tend to commit?

A. Lack of investment and understanding. It is truly challenging to
succeed in affiliate advertising if you are unwilling to spend the time and
money necessary to develop a lengthy-term technique. And affiliate marketing and advertising is
most undoubtedly not a fast endeavor – it takes patience to endure and
succeed.

Q. What are some of the creative (maybe seldom used) techniques to
employ in the affiliate promoting field?

A. Merely going beyond the banner. There are a lot of exciting
opportunities out there with Internet 2.. It’s just a matter of figuring out a
distinctive angle.

Q. How long does it realistically take to build a full-time income with
affiliate advertising, assuming “full-time commitment”?

A. I don’t believe you can qualify and quantify passion. And to me,
passion is an crucial ingredient in affiliate promoting success. Also,
there are so several variables, like the size of a given vertical, the
margins involved, competition, etc.

Q. Is it simpler to build income from this kind of promoting now or was
it less difficult years ago? (Please think about competition, Web usage, advent
of Adwords and Pay Per Click, etc.)

A. It was by no means easy. There was definitely much less competition in the past,
but also less in the way of choices of advertisers to choose and techniques
to promote them. Plus, there is the continuing growth of ecommerce. I
think the opportunities for success are just as healthy now as they were
years ago.

Q. Even though I know that you do not suggest any specific affiliate
marketing and advertising programs, in your estimation, what are the “hottest fields?”

A. The “hottest fields” are a slippery slope. They change over time. I
think the hottest field for any given individual need to be the area that
interests them most. You can undoubtedly go out there as a mercenary and
promote the most lucrative factor at the moment, like ringtones or debt
consolidation, but I suggest going with a lengthy-term program in an region that
interests you.

Q. Is there any affiliate promoting software program that is a “must” when 1
pursues an affiliate advertising venture?

A. This really depends on the type of affiliate. There are software
programs that assist optimize affiliate efforts for distinct affiliates.
For instance, if you’re working with information feeds, you ought to check out
WebMerge.

Q. What are your views concerning affiliate promoting networks such as
LinkShare and Commission Junction?

A. I believe they’re the backbone of the industry. The affiliate networks
account for the majority of significant affiliate programs, and they also
provide a level of convenience in that you can consolidate a lot of your
activity under a few logins.

I would like to see them work together to establish standards. For
instance, there is a lack of standards in information feeds, which is a challenge
for the folks using them.

Q. Can any absolute statements be created regarding the most lucrative type
of affiliate marketing and advertising payment program (e.g pay per sale, pay per click,
etc.)?

A. In general, CPA appears to be a lot more profitable, especially delivers for
merchandise and services that are not physical items.

Q. What influence, if any, will blogs make on the affiliate promoting
landscape?

A. I believe some are influencial in the way networks, merchants and
affiliates operate. For instance, Jangro.com is regarded as to have had an
impact in the choice by Commission Junction to alter their plans on the
Link Management Initiative (LMI).

Q. What are, statistically, the finest avenues to marketplace an affiliate
program?

A. It depends on the vertical. Email and PPC work well for some CPA
offers, although an established web presence can be more important for
selling goods on a revenue share.

Q. Do you see any future trends in the affiliate promoting field?

A. Smaller affiliate programs. Affiliate managers are focusing on
working a lot more closely with fewer affiliates. Also, I believe we’ll see an
increasing number of affiliates embrace the opportunities out there with
Internet 2. and innovate with the new tools that roll out.

Q. What existing projects are you undertaking in affiliate advertising, such as
your work with the Affiliate Summit?

A. My principal focus is Affiliate Summit, the largest affiliate marketing and advertising
conference. Our last show had over 2,000 this past January in Las Vegas.
We also have events scheduled in Miami (July 8-10) and London (September
28) this year.

Additionally, I give affiliate management and consulting services as
Shawn Collins Consulting, and I publish an annual report on affiliate
advertising benchmarks called AffStat.

I also have a weblog at http://weblog.affiliatetip.com where I post daily
about issues in affiliate marketing. And I’m the co-host with Lisa
Picarille, Editor-in-Chief at Revenue Magazine, for the weekly show,
Affiliate Thing, on WebmasterRadio.FM.

Q. What do you attribute your affiliate marketing success to (e.g.,
creating content, writing articles, following footsteps of a mentor, forum
participation, etc.)? Please incorporate any last words of guidance for one who
aspires to succeed/excel in the affiliate marketing and advertising field.

A. It is all about dedication, tenacity, and relationships. I don’t look
at my affiliate promoting activity as a job, but rather a fun, profitable
hobby. Over the decade I’ve been involved in the business, there are way
too numerous aspects to list that have contributed to my success. But I’d say
the most essential of all is to consistently endeavor to understand from other people.

_____________________

Conclusion – Do’s and Don’ts of productive affiliates

Analyzing the success stories, we may well conclude the following do’s and
don’ts of being a successful affiliate:

Do’s

Construct a helpful site. Visitors need to gain some benefit by visiting
your site. Retain visitors by means of exclusive content or adding your “individual
touch.” Provide some thing special / personal on a consistent basis so that
visitors will be motivated to revisit your website. Sign up with a known and established affiliate program. They have
their tracking systems updated and so you can be rest assured that you
will get your payments. Marketplace your affiliate program so that you can enhance the number of
visitors who see your affiliate offering. Optimize your web site so that you get a high ranking in natural search
engines. Know your competition. You have to give some thing far better than
them. Decide on the advertisement model that is in line with your overall
business model. Launch your site for some time, prior to joining any program. Great
affiliate programs may possibly like to see your website and study the visitors just before
enrolling you. Look for outside help. You might employ skilled folks. Use blogs and RSS feeds for promotion. Remain active in your business. You must know the latest trends and
wants of visitors.

Don’ts

Join just any affiliate program. A lot of affiliate programs are outright
frauds. Ignore your competition. They are the finest evaluators of your
products/services. Get obsolete. Update your content regularly. Rely only on banner ads. Experiment with all types of
advertisements. Waste time. Be the 1st to capture any new chance. Encourage spamming. You will get blacklisted.

With productive identification of customer wants, supplying a way to
fulfill those wants, and collaborating with established affiliate
programs, it is feasible to produce your own affiliate success story. You
just will need to manifest a methodical, patient approach and perform lots of
difficult work. But raising an affiliate program cash cow is definitely worth
the effort!

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