by: Jim Boere

Copyright 2005 Jim Boere
Create your own promotion material.
I realize that may sound like a strange thing to say. After all, you
probably found a whole range of ready-to-use ads and websites in all
shapes and sizes when you logged in to your affiliate account! And
I'm not saying you shouldn't use those. But I do advise you to
create your own variations on them as well.
Think that's too difficult? You'll be surprised...
Let me explain the why and the how.
Most affiliates use the exact same ads in the exact same ways, in
the exact same places. Now, I believe over time that inevitably
makes those ads less effective. Especially if the program is
well-known and has who knows how many thousands of members!
People will get used to seeing those same ads over and over again,
and so they loose their impact. People will grow immune to them, so
to speak...
But that can actually good news! You can use this fact to your
advantage...
By being original.
You see, the vast majority of affiliates does not realize the
importance of what I've just told you. And even those that do; some
of them aren't very creative and simply don't come up with their own
ideas. Others are just plain lazy... The result is the same: they
use the same ads for a long time, often even for as long as they
remain an affiliate.
And that gives you a brilliant opportunity to stand out from the
crowd.
Create your own promotion material!
Present prospects with something fresh, something new. Replace the
'same old stuff' they've already seen ten times before and have
grown immune to.
You'll find that people will pay much more attention to your ads.
Result: a higher response rate...and more affiliates in your
downline.
Let's look at ways to easily create your own promotion material.
1) Write your own articles.
For the 'why' of writing articles, I refer to my article "Why You
Should Write An Article, Today!" which you can read online at:
http://www.onlinebizpromotion.com/homebiz1.htm
I also suggest you subscribe to my free eCourse on affiliate
marketing. It covers the 'how' of writing articles, and it comes
with six fully rebrandable and rewritable articles you can instantly
use to promote any affiliate program you want.
Go here to subscribe:
http://www.onlinebizpromotion.com/makeaflyingstart.htm
2) Add an original incentive to your opt-in form.
The opt-in form is the most direct approach. You put an opt-in form
on your website, and people can sign-up. For this to work well
though, there will have to be 'something in it' for your visitors.
They aren't likely to sign-up for anything just to do you a favor...

You'll want to give them something of value, for free. A powerful
encouragement. Ideally, it's something that other affiliates can't
offer. For example:
* Write a special report on how to be successful with the program in
question, and offer it as a PDF file.
* Write a "How to Get Started with ..." eCourse.
* Offer a report, eBook or software program that is relevant for,
and complimentary to, the affiliate program you're promoting. This
should not be a product that can easily be found elsewhere. Or at
least not for free.
* Offer one-on-one coaching, either by email or by phone.
* Offer a combination of the above.
* Maybe you have another idea? Then go ahead and try it!
A more indirect approach is the...
3) Warm-up page, with a personal touch.
This can be a single page, where you tell the visitor about your own
experience with the program. You'll want to focus on a few of the
biggest benefits of the program - and/or the program's retail
product(s), and elaborate on those. What did it do for you?
Don't bother listing a ton of technical details or fancy features,
but stick to the benefits. Those are your most powerful selling
points.
Here's an example. I have this page on my own website, and it's
promoting the program that I personally started my online venture
with:
http://www.onlinebizpromotion.com/NoteOnPIPS.htm
You can see how I've made it personal by explaining how the program
helped ME. And how that adds credibility to my 'story'.
I hope I've given you some new ideas that you can use to improve
your results with affiliate programs. Look out for future articles
in this series. Or, if you want to receive them automatically, add
yourself to my mailing list. Simply send a blank email to this
address and I'll keep you updated:
onlinebizpromotion@getresponse.com
(It's double opt-in, you will be asked to confirm.)


Jim Boere is a published author and fulltime online marketer. Visit
http://www.onlinebizpromotion.com/SFI.htm and join the affiliate
program he recommends for building a residual income. You will be
(automatically) contacted and offered his personal assistance within
48 hrs after joining. Free of charge.