How to maximize your affiliate relationships

Before we dive in today, I want to define what an affiliate is.

An affiliate is a person or company that agrees to promote you, your program, or product in exchange for a commission on each sale.

Do you have an affiliate program or are you thinking of starting an affiliate program?

If you are running a virtual group program (like a cleanse, detox, or Jumpstart program), having affiliates is a great way to reach a wider audience.

Whether you are planning to start an affiliate program with just one affiliate, or you want to have a group of affiliates, I want to make sure that you maximize the opportunity.

I recommend that you look at relationships with affiliates as a way to build your list.

You can maximize your relationship with affiliates by focusing on having them promote a free offer first.  A free offer can be a free call/teleseminar or a free gift of some sort.

How does this work?

You will have your affiliates send an email out to their list promoting your free offer. In that email, they will link directly to a squeeze page (also called a landing or opt-in page) where people can enter their name and email to register for your free call or opt-in to receive your free gift.

Why do I recommend this?

When an affiliate recommends your free stuff, you will find that their audience will be very responsive to the offer because you were recommended by someone they trust. (Of course this assumes that your free stuff speaks to a problem them want solved.)

People who don’t know you are much more likely to opt in to something that is free than to immediately pay for your services.

Ultimately, focusing on list building will generate more revenue for you and your affiliate.

As you have new people joining your list, you have an opportunity to build trust with them and showcase yourself as an expert in your field.

Most people will only buy from you once you have developed trust with them. One of the best ways to develop trust is by providing high-quality free content. You will want to make sure that you are sending out a regular newsletter or ezine to your list.

And, now that these new folks are on your list, you can send them promotional emails.

You will find that some people will want to buy from you right away, and others will hang out on your list for several months or more before they are ready to buy.

The bottom line is that there is a much higher likelihood that they will buy from you, at some point, if they are on your list.

If your affiliates were to simply send out an email promoting one of your programs, they would send their audience to your sales page. If they aren’t immediately interested in what you have to offer, you don’t have any way to follow-up, send reminders about your offerings, or build a relationship with them.
Now it’s time to put this into action!
Are you thinking about creating an affiliate program? Think of three people you can approach about becoming an affiliate. Below, share what free offer you’d like to have the affiliate promote.  And of course, post your questions below so I can support you.