LESSON #86: Recruiting Affiliates

By | November 30, 2012

In the previous lesson, we talked about affiliate-driven traffic. Today we’re going to cover one of the most important aspects of affiliate driven traffic, which is recruiting your affiliates.

(Watch this video – it may take a couple minutes to load after clicking it…)

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Outline:

  • Super affiliate:

    – An affiliate that makes a significantly higher proportion of sales, compared to “regular” affiliates.
    – Super affiliates(the top 1%) often make 80%+ of the sales.
    – Focus your efforts on recruiting super affiliates.

  • What NOT to do…

    – Don’t use the subject line “JV request”
    – Don’t send a generic email. (See video for example)

  • Tips for contacting potential affiliates by email (or other means):

    – Start with a personal comment.
    – Make a relational connection.
    – Keep it short and simple.
    – Get right to the point.
    – WIIFM = What’s in it for me?
    – Be specific.
    – Give an extra incentive.
    – If you’re new, offer whatever it takes.
    – How and when they’ll be paid.
    – Social proof if you have any.
    – Call to action.

    (See video for example/template of email with all of these elements)

  • Killer strategy: Find super affiliates who are also vendors, and become THEIR affiliate.

    (See video for step-by-step)

  • Methods to find and recruit affiliates:

    (See video for in-depth explanations)

    1) Recruit your own customers.
    2) Recruit your competitors.
    3) Recruit your competitors’ affiliates. (Super ninja strategies in video)
    4) Use software tools to help. (such as Affiliate Elite)
    5) Contact article marketers.
    6) Contact video marketers.
    7) Contact bloggers in your niche.
    8] Contact PPC advertisers in your niche.
    9) Find them on social media, especially LinkedIn.
    10) Go to conferences, tradeshows, and seminars.
    11) Submit to affiliate program directories.
    12) Use a JV/affiliate announcement service.
    13) Use forums.

  • How to find the contact information for the owner of a website?

    – Contact page
    – Terms of Service and Privacy Policy
    – Social media profiles
    – WHOIS data for the domain
    – Advanced research tools, such as domaintools.com

  • Methods to attract more affiliates:

    1) Have a great product that converts well.
    2) Have good affiliate tools.
    3) Offer personalized/custom landing pages.
    4) Offer recurring commissions, or lifetime commissions.
    5) Offer bonuses for performance.
    6) Have contests.
    7) Create a second tier.
    8] Sell various products.
    9) Offer free training to new affiliates.
    10) Use creative methods to get their attention. (Ninja methods revealed in video)

  • Regardless of how or where you get your affiliates, get them onto a list! (AWeber recommended)

  • Consider hiring an an affiliate manager to do all of the above, or a JV broker to do the recruiting.

    Action steps:

    1) Make sure your affiliate tools are ready, and that you have an attractive affiliate program before you start recruiting super affiliates.

    2) Choose one method of affiliate recruitment to start with, and go for it!

    In the next lesson we’ll be looking at “Piggyback” Marketing.

    As always, you are welcome to post your questions and comments below 🙂

    Have a great day!

  • 27 thoughts on “LESSON #86: Recruiting Affiliates

    1. Benson

      Hi Eric.

      Thanks for your continuous and unselfish education on online business.Did you that I’ve never made a dime from my web,which is celebrating its fourth ‘birthday’? Is it possible for you to affiliate me with like-minded sites?

      Reply
    2. Dez Futak

      SUPERB video Eric – many thanks. This is very timely info, and I was nodding my head in agreement so many times my neck began to ache 🙂

      I’ve been approaching affiliates for a mobile-related product my JV partner and I created in the last month, and so far we’ve successfully used tips 1 through 3 very well – lots more to do!!

      Thanks for going the extra mile with your tips BTW – I’ve been on your list since 2008 for this reason.

      Best regards,

      Dez.

      Reply
    3. jason

      Thanks for the video it was what i was waiting for you rock man good luck to you and your family merry Christmas guys

      Reply
    4. Ron

      Eric, you always cut right to the chase. This was right on the money for teaching those of us rather new to this how to go about it.

      Thanks, and we all appreciate your efforts on our behalf.

      Ron

      Reply
    5. G.S.Commander

      Hi Eric, I’m Amazed you can find the time for recording these relly helpful tips, helping all who choose to read them
      The time invovled in affiliated marketing and your charity work plus family life – how do you do it all?
      P.S Have you any video’s on where & how to get affilites without having a mailing list?

      Reply
    6. Micah

      Hello Benson,

      Your site appears to focus on tourism in Kenya.

      Are there any affiliate programs you’ve applied to, where you can make commissions for your tourism recommendations? Right now, the site appears to only benefit from advertising space.

      Here is the link to Eric’s lesson called, How to Choose a Niche (Part 1):

      LESSON #19: How to Choose a Niche (Part 1)

      Reply
    7. Michael

      The information you give away for free is better than much of what I’ve paid for. Thats why I stay on your list.

      Reply
    8. Micah

      Did you check out the text below the video yet? There are dozens of methods listed, that do not require you to have a list.

      Reply
    9. Marija

      Hi Eric,
      I am glad to receive your videos again. They are very helpful and an additional value in marketing. Thank you! Marija

      Reply
    10. Andrew

      Another great lesson Eric, we have been looking to revitalize our affiliate program like it was back in the day. This lesson will be shown in a meeting for sure, even if in that meeting it’s just me re-watching it over again lol Thanks again.

      .Andrew.

      Reply
    11. Juliana

      Hi Eric

      What has happened to your tips? They seem to have stopped at 86.

      Reply
    12. Andrea Olivas

      Hi Eric. I am following your tips. I purchased your info products in July. I am stuck on finding a niche and the research process..I would like to get coaching or to walk me through the finding a niche process and I think I could go on auto pilot after that. I am teachable and willing to work hard. Thank you for your time…

      Reply
    13. Eric Post author

      Hi Andrea, that’s definitely something we could help you with in my coaching club. You can get the first month for $17 here: http://www.ericstips.com/coaching We do 2 webinars a month in which we answer all your questions. I think we could help you find a niche.

      Reply
    14. Jaques

      I accidentally deleted a message where Super Easy Books were advertised for Kindle at $7 going up to $97 on 002/01/2013. Please send me the link I want to purchase it before it goes up.

      Reply
    15. Gary

      What would you do if you started over? Please don’t say create your own product. : ) so much info out there. Don’t know what works and what doesn’t.
      Thanks
      Gary

      Reply
    16. Eric Post author

      These lessons are very literally what I would do if I started over. I’d choose a niche, start building a list, and launch a product. I know there’s so much info out there. That’s why I’ve gone into so much depth in this lesson series. If I were starting over at this moment, I would also consider starting an Amazon business using the methods taught by Jim Cockrum here. Amazon is clearly here to stay, and there is still a good opportunity to carve out niches as a vendor.

      Reply
    17. king james

      I suppose Eric one of the noble and selfless mentors online. Even though I have not bought any of his products, I have a read a lot of his free tips which have made me quite successful.

      I don’t know but will like to encourage those who are finding it difficult to make their first sales from affiliate marketing promoting clickbank products to look at businesses that can give them instant success with little action at the one at http://tinyurl.com/lwqpvpx while you continually build your affiliate marketing business since it works but its a long term program.

      Reply
    18. Tony

      Hello Eric,

      My name is Tony Daniels a representative for SayItBySong.com. The reason that I am reaching out to you is that I am looking for business owners who see the potential in mobile marketing through SayItBySong.com and would like to try the service for free – either 30 days or 50 texts.

      We offer a larger than average band width that allows for advertiser to send video commercials directly to mobile via text. This is not as an attachment but as an actual message within the text. This service is revolutionary and innovative because virtually everyone is on their cell phones 70% on average of a work day.

      Business owners such as yourself could easily send commercials to cell phones for pennies. TV commercials are not only expensive but costly for prime time advertisements.

      First things first. The reason that I do not want to take any money from you to try my service is because I don’t like selling anything that is not of value to people. Think of the trial as a sample that you would get in a food court. If you don’t think that it would benefit your company we simply part ways.

      If you think hat it would be beneficial for your company we can upgrade to $8.99 for 50 text or $19 for 250. Trust me – this service is revolutionary.

      I am virtually free on Tuesday and Thursday mornings and would love to talk business if you are available.

      Let me know.

      Sincerely,

      Tony Daniels, SWREP
      SayItBySongSWREP@gmail.com
      Dallas Campus
      http://www.sayibysong.com
      972-863-2263

      Reply
    19. Bryan

      Dear Eric/Micah,
      Thank you so much for this free training. I think you do have an idea of how much value you provide for so many of us starting an online business. This training is priceless! I have a few questions about affiliate marketing. Since I’m new at starting an online business I thought starting as an affiliate is a good way to get to know this industry. In this lesson you talked about (super) affiliates but what I actually missed in your lessons is affiliate marketing from the affiliate’s point of view. I noticed that there is a lot of focus on being a product owner and looking for other affiliates to promote a product. Since I do not yet have my own product, I want to promote other vendor’s products. I have followed nearly all the lessons but I’m still struggling on how to promote products and how to effectively implement all the strageties. I signed up with Clickbank but I get stuck on how to do effective product promotion. I really need your help! I just want to get started and I’m willing to put in the effort, energy and work. Can you please advice me from your experience from a (super) afiiliate’s perspective. To make a long story short here are some specific questions I need to have answered:
      1. I don’t have an email list. What would you advice me to do to get customers?
      2. The forms of traffic you talked about I still have to master. What would your advice be to a newbie affiliate?
      3. When promoting products where and how do you place the affiliate link? There are so many (to me confusing) theories on how and where to use affiliate links.
      4. How can I use social media (lesson 82-mainly Facebook) to advertise without breaking the rules (also a lot of so called guru advice on the internet).
      I really look forward to your reply because I NEED YOUR HELP! By the way my website is in dutch.

      Kind regards and you and your team are very very blessed!
      Bryan van Maalsen

      Reply
    20. Dave

      Hey Eric,

      I like you tip about setting up an affiliate tools page. Do you have an example that we can look at? The reason I’m curious is in your video around the 35:30 mark you show a screen shot. Curious to learn what is in those fields (top of tools page) since it’s tough to see in the video. Or, did you mention how to set one up in a previous lesson.

      Thanks,
      Dave

      Reply

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