In the vast digital landscape, it may seem that banner ads are the only way to promote an affiliate program. However, for many affiliate programs, banner ads may not be the most effective advertising method. They often elicit limited responses and do little to benefit the affiliate or your network. This article explores four alternative strategies that can be more effective than banner ads in promoting your affiliate program.
It's a well-known fact in the marketing world that customers often don't make a purchase until their third or fourth visit to a website. Direct response marketing has capitalized on this fact for years, following up initial contacts with repeated messages inviting people to visit. Email is an excellent tool for this purpose, especially when it comes to managing the high volumes of email that come with a new affiliate program.
The real power of email, however, lies in endorsed mailings. When an ezine or list has been developed with a trust between the writer and the audience, the endorsement is invaluable. It introduces you to the audience in a personal way, replacing unfamiliarity with a recommendation from a trusted source. According to a recent article, email offerings have much higher response rates, with a reported 300% increase in sales via email compared to other methods.
PC World has mastered the art of increasing responses to their affiliate programs. They use small banner ads that don't dominate the page, accompanied by text that describes the benefits of clicking on the banner ad. Both the text and the banner are links, and by combining the visual with a short text description, they can group affiliate programs on a single web page. This method is extremely effective in offering more than one product on a page without overwhelming the visitor.
Another effective method to increase affiliate leads is to offer a web page that acts as a featured product at the affiliate's website. This can be a standalone web page or one that merges with the content at the affiliate's site. The key is to focus on the product being sold, a one-product offer that stands out from the rest of the page. This approach encourages people to click on this important product because it appears to be featured, and it allows you to gain exposure at the affiliate's site in a way that is perceived favorably by visitors.
The best affiliate responses can come from a storefront integrated into another website. This can be as simple as putting a logo graphic on top of the page with a return link to the affiliate's website, making the storefront appear to be an important part of the website as a whole. Storefronts increase credibility by offering a selection of products in a single setting. While this requires more work on the part of the affiliate network, the returns can be much greater.
In conclusion, the most important aspect of any affiliate network is ad copy. Words are what motivate people to read, act, and buy. Without a good headline, testimonial, and ad copy, all your efforts will be hindered. As the saying goes, there are two types of businesses online; those who test, and those who lose money. If you are not testing, counting, and quantifying your affiliate network efforts, you are missing most of the value.
