Building An Affiliate List

Hi Melody,

I'm not sure what you mean by "affiliate-oriented" launches, here. Shouldn't ALL launches be assisted by your network of affiliates? Are you missing sales by not including them on every launch you do?

Note - I may do a "pre-launch" (at a special price) to my own buyers' list before putting a product into my affiliate center, but then I bump the price up for the actual launch and actively engage my affiliates to participate in that launch.

Yes... it is easier said than done, but it sounds like you may have a new-found appreciation for the importance of maintaining a good relationship with your affiliates.

It is what it is.
You've let your affiliates "stray" by not maintaining the relationship you once enjoyed, and there will certainly be a price to pay for that. You can't really blame them... they have to make a living. They aren't "exclusive" to you, but you can't afford to let them just forget that you exist.

Do you have your own affiliate center... a place where you can (pre)announce new products, provide affiliate tools, give them click/sales stats?

If not, think about this...
When you recruit affiliates in any of the affiliate networks, you're recruiting affiliates for the network... not for yourself.

When was the last time you saw Frank Kern, Andy Jenkins, Mike Filsaime, etc. recruiting affiliates to any of the affiliate networks (i.e. JVZoo, Warrior +, ClickBank, etc.)? It's been a while, right?

The typical affiliate network doesn't give you a way to contact the affiliate directly. How can you maintain a meaningful relationship with affiliates without being able to contact them either directly (via email/messenger, etc.), or - at the very least - through your own affiliate center.


Assuming you DO have the ability to contact your affiliates directly (at least those who are still active and haven't changed their email address), do so. Set a date for your new product launch, let them know how they can access their affiliate links, sales tools, etc. Mail these details to your affiliates at least a couple of times prior to the new launch, and (given your current situation) keep your fingers crossed.

At the same time - do a little paid advertising. NOT for the new product... but for new affiliates!!!

You can do that here on the WF, as well as at a number of JV notification sites. Even one mediocre affiliate can easily result in 20-30 sales, but - more importantly - you'll be re-building your own base of affiliates for the future.

Lastly (maybe I'll think of more later)...
Give new buyers the opportunity to sign up to your affiliate program. Given your market, I would guess that some number of new customers might be interested in helping you promote your product(s). You can give them the opportunity via a simple link to your affiliate sign up page. That link can be presented to them from 1) your download page, 2) inside a customer/member's area, 3) your download email, or 4) a follow-up email after they have had a chance to actually experience your product.

I hope you find my 2 cents of some value.

Sid -

The products that we launched were under contract for a content provider in a specific industry, so although they were technically PLR, they could not be launched to affiliates. We did not simply let the relationships die, we were contracted for a major project that was in an non-IM vertical.

I have contacted the ones that are still in the business, and we are working together, but although every course on the market tells you how important it is to reach out to the 'big' affiliates - the truth is that they are insulated, and very, very difficult to reach. You can't just call or email them like you can in any other business!

The industry is making it difficult for new people to get into it and every business needs new blood to keep it going.

Thank you for the detailed response - you are an icon in this industry and your advice is GREATLY appreciated!!

And worth a lot more than 2¢

Mel

You should reach out to people on social media that have the same interests as your product. There are a lot of great groups on Facebook that are for affiliate marketers. I would start there.

Why List Building Should Be Your #1 Priorityiconlistbuilding
In my opinion affiliate marketing is the greatest job in the world. It's one of the fastest ways to make a high income online, in a relatively short amount of time, and with little risk or expense. You get to work when you want to and from where you want to. Since you're selling somebody else's products and services there is no order fulfillment or customer service involved which in my experience (with my other business) are the two biggest headaches.

Building my friend network by helping folks without asking anything in return worked for me as far as attracting affiliates. Rather than reach out, I patiently befriend people who seek me out to be affiliates. Takes some time but 100% conversion rate Plus these are folks who are ALL IN on promoting your offer because they love you and believe in you.

The most effective way depends if you have high social media followers to promote your product, buy some shout outs, have your ads up on adwords or some pages like that, it totally depends on your niche.

You may find this helpful. Here some tips for finding affiliates that i listed in another thread:

How To Get Affiliates

Hey OP. Here is an idea to grow a list of affiliates.


Let's step back and think about this for a second.


What do most top affiliate marketers have in common?


They have a list!


So...Why not create a newsletter/ezine about list building and focus on building a list of people who are building their lists.


Essentially...You could be growing your own army affiliates...in -house.


Send them info about how to grow their lists and how to make money with their lists.


And...Each time you have a new product to launch...You can simply email your list and tell them that you have a product that they can promote to their lists.


It's a win-win . You are help people learn how to build and monetize their lists, and in return, many of them will promote your products when you mention your launch in your newsletter.