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Ethical Strategy to Build Your List?

by Tom Brite
10 replies
Hey Warriors,

Ive been pondering over my new site ideas for the past 12 hours and need your help!

I need to know what ethical methods i can use to get affiliates to promote the site and earn from the OTO but yet for me to then be able to promote related products to that list of people afterwards too???

Now its a free offer (optin required) to a OTO for which the affiliates earn a %!

So now im in two minds on this one.....

a). I never promote to them and may as well just delete them from my list once they have signed up and received the first email and that would reduce my costs!

OR

b). I setup the site and did all the hard work so why can't i promote other products related to this one which will again have upsells/OTO's and be on new sites or just be an extention on this site to re-launch it and then give my affiliates and JV partners prior notice... if they decide to pass the information on to their list then its their choices!

Just need some clarification really as want to keep all my affiliates happy as well as provide the best for everyone who sign's up too and actually build a nice strong relationship with my list which in turn would then help current and future affiliates and JV partners to sell my products next time!

Thanks

Tom Brite
#build #ethical #list #strategy
  • Profile picture of the author Ben Roy
    I might be a little confused on your question here, but I think it's pretty standard practice for people that are building lists to market to them even if members opted in through an affiliate. As far as 'ethics', I think as long as you try hard to sell whatever your affiliates were promoting and make sure they get credit if you do sell it, you're fine to promote whatever else you want in whatever way you see fit. It's YOUR list.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Brite
      Originally Posted by Ben Roy View Post

      I might be a little confused on your question here, but I think it's pretty standard practice for people that are building lists to market to them even if members opted in through an affiliate. As far as 'ethics', I think as long as you try hard to sell whatever your affiliates were promoting and make sure they get credit if you do sell it, you're fine to promote whatever else you want in whatever way you see fit. It's YOUR list.
      You this this is what i thought origionally!

      I thought f*** it it's my list so i can do whatever i want with them!

      But then i started to think of it more from an affiliates point of view and wondered if i really should do that!

      I like my second idea but am not sure if its the best approach to take or if there is something better.... im sure someone else has done similar things to this before who can chime in! (please)

      Tom Brite
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      • Profile picture of the author Intrepreneur
        Originally Posted by Tom Brite View Post

        You this this is what i thought origionally!

        I thought f*** it it's my list so i can do whatever i want with them!

        But then i started to think of it more from an affiliates point of view and wondered if i really should do that!

        I like my second idea but am not sure if its the best approach to take or if there is something better.... im sure someone else has done similar things to this before who can chime in! (please)

        Tom Brite
        Once they are your customers, i.e they enter your sales process that the affiliates drove them to, they are then your customers. Although I do see where from the affiliate point of view you coul piss them off (and probably will)

        It makes me interested in what replies you get to this because I haven;t really thought much about the customers coming through the OTO not buying and then you wanting to promote something new to the new entries.

        It sounds like you might be using BM2.0 but I certainly want to hear waht do you do with this ethical barrier?
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      • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
        Originally Posted by Tom Brite View Post

        But then i started to think of it more from an affiliates point of view and wondered if i really should do that!
        You should...

        1. Store the referring affiliate as a custom field in your autoresponder.

        2. Use that affiliate's ID in any links you send to that prospect for some period of time. 30 days seems like a good duration.

        You don't have to do this. You can give your affiliates the two-finger salute and tell them to piss off, and I think you're entirely within your rights. But you should also TRY to make your affiliates happy. Happy affiliates are motivated affiliates.
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        "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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    • Profile picture of the author mikeyman120
      Originally Posted by Ben Roy View Post

      but I think it's pretty standard practice for people that are building lists to market to them even if members opted in through an affiliate.
      Yes, I agree with this.

      Tom,
      How about this. For example if your site is a Clickbank site and you set up other products in that same account you can market them to your list and If the people order within the 60 days that the cookie will last then the affiliate will still get the commission. So you can market to your list and help your affiliates at the same time.

      Mike
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      • Profile picture of the author Jeremy Kelsall
        Tom, once the initial sale has been made, in my opinion, you have satisfied your responsibility to your affiliates.
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        • Profile picture of the author Tom Brite
          Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

          You should...

          1. Store the referring affiliate as a custom field in your autoresponder.

          2. Use that affiliate's ID in any links you send to that prospect for some period of time. 30 days seems like a good duration.

          You don't have to do this. You can give your affiliates the two-finger salute and tell them to piss off, and I think you're entirely within your rights. But you should also TRY to make your affiliates happy. Happy affiliates are motivated affiliates.
          Originally Posted by mikeyman120 View Post

          Yes, I agree with this.

          Tom,
          How about this. For example if your site is a Clickbank site and you set up other products in that same account you can market them to your list and If the people order within the 60 days that the cookie will last then the affiliate will still get the commission. So you can market to your list and help your affiliates at the same time.

          Mike
          This is mento for both of you!

          First of all thanks for your input!

          You see i could setup an auto response series for people who haven't purchased the oto and so give it to them for a second time but at a slightly higher price but still lower than retail and then inform them of the affiliate program too if they arn't already promoting it!

          But then it's getting very complicated and requires me to kinda make two lists of people.... one is the people who did purchase the oto and the other who didn't and then delete the ones who did from the ones who didn't list!

          So im really not sure :S it sounds very complicated to me!

          Oh and yes i am using the BFM 2.0 script! So in theory i could add another page to give them a chance to get the oto again but at retail price and give the same % or fixed value to the reffering affiliate for this (but not 100% sure if the system stores who reffered who and can be used easily!)

          Originally Posted by Jeremy Kelsall View Post

          Tom, once the initial sale has been made, in my opinion, you have satisfied your responsibility to your affiliates.
          Yes Jeremy i do agree with you too!

          However i know if i was an affiliate or potential affiliate of a product and wanted to promote it or continue to promote it i would want my hard work to be noted! I want affiliates to make sales and then continue to promote it so that i can continue to get leads for myself and money of course but also the site should be able to make affiliates alone alot of money just from their promotions!

          i.e. im trying to look for a happy medium where i don't sacrafice everything and end up giving it all away to my affiliates and likewise my affiliates don't feel cheated!

          Maybe im just being too over concious!

          Tom Brite
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          • Profile picture of the author CDarklock
            Originally Posted by Tom Brite View Post

            But then it's getting very complicated and requires me to kinda make two lists of people.... one is the people who did purchase the oto and the other who didn't and then delete the ones who did from the ones who didn't list!
            Check your autoresponder's help system for the process of moving subscribers from a prospect list to a customer list - it's reasonably common.
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            "The Golden Town is the Golden Town no longer. They have sold their pillars for brass and their temples for money, they have made coins out of their golden doors. It is become a dark town full of trouble, there is no ease in its streets, beauty has left it and the old songs are gone." - Lord Dunsany, The Messengers
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            • Profile picture of the author Tom Brite
              Originally Posted by johnlagoudakis View Post

              The more you can reward your affiliates, the more referrals you will get and the more sales you will make.

              With sooo many affiliate opportunities available you will want to stand out from the crowd. Offer more and you will get more traffic, more signups and a bigger list.

              And with that bigger list (if you treat them right) you'll earn much more in the weeks, months and years to come.
              Thanks for that... and its the point im trying to make!

              Maybe jeremy is right... its my list so i do what i like with them but i think im going to try and make it the best product to promote for affiliates so that they actually get paid and rewarded for their work

              Originally Posted by CDarklock View Post

              Check your autoresponder's help system for the process of moving subscribers from a prospect list to a customer list - it's reasonably common.
              Ah ok Thanks

              I have never done that before so wasn't sure!

              Tom Brite
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  • Profile picture of the author johnlagoudakis
    The more you can reward your affiliates, the more referrals you will get and the more sales you will make.

    With sooo many affiliate opportunities available you will want to stand out from the crowd. Offer more and you will get more traffic, more signups and a bigger list.

    And with that bigger list (if you treat them right) you'll earn much more in the weeks, months and years to come.
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