You know you’re doing something right when people ask you to provide them with your affiliate link before they buy a product.
That’s what happened today in my forum, WebsiteBabble.com. And to be honest, it’s not the first time I’ve been asked.
In my opinion, this says so much about the importance of PREselling a product. When you give useful information, build credibility by actually proving you use the product… you’ll find many people will WANT to make sure you earn the commission for the sale.
Honesty is an element that is missing from so many affiliate sites. So when people find it… they value it and are often happy to reward you for it.
When I first got started with affiliate marketing, I used to do everything I could to hide the fact I was getting a commission. But that was because most products I promoted, I didn’t really use.
Well, I’ve come full circle in affiliate marketing and now could care less if people realize I am an affiliate. After all, I now only promote products I believe in so what’s there to hide?
Yes, I do earn a commission when people buy Site Build It! through my link and I’m OK with people knowing that. But I also make sure they know I actually use and love the product. And that’s the difference.
So the next time you try to disguise the fact you are an affiliate. Ask yourself why? Do you have something to hide?
Yes, some people may be turned off by the fact you are getting a commission, but if you do a good job in PREselling and show you really own and use the product, those who buy because of your honesty will outweigh those who don’t by far.
And from time to time, you’ll get the nice surprise of being asked to confirm your affiliate link before they buy. Wow! 😉
dan (a blogger) says
Amazon’s affiliate program is the best one that I know of for otherwise shameful affiliates. This is because you’ve got so many options to promote, you can link any text on your site you want to any page on amazon, or for any search results that you specify. Amazon also doesn’t provide you with those blatantly obvious affiliate links (such as ClickBank’s). You have to glance at an Amazon link to know if its an affiliate’s link or not.