The following interview with Shawn Collins, a
prominent expert in the
affiliate marketing field, should 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, one is encouraged to read more about Shawn's
experiences
in the field and the advice he dispenses through 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 14.4 modem and
a desire to make more money. At the time, I didn't know a thing about
creating websites, marketing, etc. But I went through a tutorial at AOL
on
writing HTML and picked up the basics. Then, I created a hideous,
single
page site about New York City and put up some Amazon links. I never
earned
a cent on that site.
Q. What growing pains did you endure at first?
What were the biggest
obstacles and challenges from that period of time?
A. Back then, there was a monopoly on registering
domains, and it cost
$35 a year. At the time, that was a bit prohibitive for me (I didn't
realize what a good investment a short name would be). That was a trend
–
an unwillingness to invest in my affiliate efforts. I was going the
free
route with tools, hosting, etc. That definitely delayed my progress.
Q. What was your first "Ah-ha" moment? How did you
incorporate the
lesson learned into your affiliate marketing business?
A. The first time I got my reporting via email
from Amazon with
information 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 money 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 experience, I
managed to get a job
with a start-up in 1997 called 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 provide appropriate compensation? What
measures did you take when confronted with this situation and what
advice
can you give others 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
true – it's not easy. I just don't pay attention to most recruiting
efforts from affiliate programs. I would encourage affiliates to ignore
proclamations of easy earnings and high EPCs – the most important thing
is
to test everything yourself and promote what works for you.
Q. How has affiliate marketing changed in the last
seven years? What
strategies would you implement now that you would not or could not do
years ago?
A. The industry has matured greatly. Seven years
ago, many affiliate
marketers were content sites which relied on 468x60 banners. The
analytics
were primitive and fewer companies offered affiliate programs.
Now, the industry is so diversified. Essentially,
any way to market online
is being leveraged by affiliates… including comparison shopping,
domaining, video, SEO, e-mail, social networks, PPC, rewards programs,
etc.
If I could turn back time, I would have started up
multiple niche
community sites back then for popular topics. By now, if nurtured they
would have grown nicely and become lucrative affiliate sites.
Q. If one is gifted marketing an affiliate product
or service, is it
likely that this individual can effectively market his/her own products
or
services? Should people look into developing their own items while
marketing or instead of marketing others' products/services?
A. I'd say anything that is already selling online
can be effectively
marketed through an affiliate program. Selling your own products or
services can certainly provide more rewards in the best case scenario,
but
then you've got a lot more risk, too.
If somebody has the infrastructure and know-how to
sell a certain product
or service, I'd say to go for it. But don't take uncalculated risks.
Q. What are crucial mistakes that newbies tend to
commit?
A. Lack of investment and understanding. It's
really difficult to
succeed in affiliate marketing if you are unwilling to spend the time
and
money required to develop a long-term strategy. And affiliate marketing
is
most certainly not a quick endeavor – it takes patience to endure and
succeed.
Q. What are some of the creative (perhaps seldom
used) strategies to
employ in the affiliate marketing field?
A. Simply going beyond the banner. There are a lot
of exciting
opportunities out there with Web 2.0. It's just a matter of figuring
out a
unique angle.
Q. How long does it realistically take to build a
full-time income with
affiliate marketing, assuming "full-time commitment"?
A. I don't think you can qualify and quantify
passion. And to me,
passion is an essential ingredient in affiliate marketing success.
Also,
there are so many variables, like the size of a given vertical, the
margins involved, competition, etc.
Q. Is it easier to build income from this type of
marketing now or was
it easier years ago? (Please consider competition, Internet usage,
advent
of Adwords and Pay Per Click, etc.)
A. It was never easy. There was certainly less
competition in the past,
but also less in the way of options of advertisers to choose and
methods
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. While I know that you do not recommend any
particular affiliate
marketing 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 person should be the area that
interests them most. You can certainly go out there as a mercenary and
promote the most lucrative thing at the moment, like ringtones or debt
consolidation, but I suggest going with a long-term plan in an area
that
interests you.
Q. Is there any affiliate marketing software that
is a "must" when one
pursues an affiliate marketing venture?
A. This really depends on the type of affiliate.
There are software
programs that help optimize affiliate efforts for different affiliates.
For instance, if you're working with data feeds, you should check out
WebMerge.
Q. What are your views concerning affiliate
marketing networks such as
LinkShare and Commission Junction?
A. I think they're the backbone of the industry.
The affiliate networks
account for the majority of large 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 data feeds, which is a
challenge
for the folks using them.
Q. Can any absolute statements be made regarding
the most lucrative type
of affiliate marketing payment system (e.g pay per sale, pay per click,
etc.)?
A. In general, CPA seems to be more profitable,
especially offers for
products and services that are not physical items.
Q. What influence, if any, will blogs make on the
affiliate marketing
landscape?
A. I think some are influencial in the way
networks, merchants and
affiliates operate. For instance, Jangro.com is considered to have had
an
impact in the decision by Commission Junction to change their plans on
the
Link Management Initiative (LMI).
Q. What are, statistically, the best avenues to
market an affiliate
program?
A. It depends on the vertical. Email and PPC work
well for some CPA
offers, while 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
marketing field?
A. Smaller affiliate programs. Affiliate managers
are focusing on
working more closely with fewer affiliates. Also, I think we'll see an
increasing number of affiliates embrace the opportunities out there
with
Web 2.0 and innovate with the new tools that roll out.
Q. What current projects are you undertaking in
affiliate marketing, including
your work with the Affiliate Summit?
A. My main focus is Affiliate Summit, the largest
affiliate marketing
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 provide affiliate management and
consulting services as
Shawn Collins Consulting, and I publish an annual report on affiliate
marketing benchmarks called AffStat.
I also have a blog at http://blog.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.,
building content, writing articles, following footsteps of a mentor,
forum
participation, etc.)? Please include any last words of advice for one
who
aspires to succeed/excel in the affiliate marketing field.
A. It's all about dedication, tenacity, and
relationships. I don't look
at my affiliate marketing activity as a job, but rather a fun,
profitable
hobby. Over the decade I've been involved in the industry, there are
way
too many factors to list that have contributed to my success. But I'd
say
the most important of all is to constantly endeavor to learn from
others.
_____________________
Conclusion - Do's and Don'ts of successful
affiliates
Analyzing the success stories, we may conclude the
following do's and
don'ts of being a successful affiliate:
Do's
Build a useful website. Visitors must gain some
benefit by visiting
your site.
Retain visitors through unique content or adding
your "personal
touch." Provide something unique / personal on a consistent basis so
that
visitors will be motivated to revisit your site.
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.
Market your affiliate program so that you can
increase the number of
visitors who see your affiliate offering.
Optimize your website so that you get a high
ranking in natural search
engines.
Know your competition. You have to provide
something better than
them.
Choose the advertisement model that is in line
with your overall
business model.
Launch your site for some time, before joining
any program. Good
affiliate programs may like to see your site and study the traffic
before
enrolling you.
Look for outside help. You may employ skilled
people.
Use blogs and RSS feeds for promotion.
Remain active in your industry. You must know the
latest trends and
needs of visitors.
Don'ts
Join just any affiliate program. Many affiliate
programs are outright
frauds.
Ignore your competition. They are the best
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 first to capture any new
opportunity.
Encourage spamming. You will get blacklisted.
With successful identification of customer needs,
providing a way to
fulfill those needs, and collaborating with established affiliate
programs, it is possible to create your own affiliate success story.
You
just need to manifest a methodical, patient approach and perform lots
of
hard work. But raising an affiliate program cash cow is certainly worth
the effort!
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/
home-business-articles/affiliate-marketing-success-stories-raising-
an-affiliate-program-cash-cow-part-2-1199891.html About the Author
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