An excellent way to increase your click-through rate and sales is to write a personal endorsement praising the product or service - so make sure you sign up with companies which have excellent products.
If you haven't tried the product, perhaps you can get an endorsement from a friend who has.
However, successful affiliates buy the product so that they can write a genuine, honest review of it. That works beautifully.
Slightly critical reviews work, too
Even if your review is partly critical, such as my review of Corey Rudl's marketing course in Associate Programs Newsletter #5, it can still increase sales dramatically.
Start collecting domain names
One good way to promote an affiliate program is to buy a special domain name just for it, set up a small site, and list the site in the main search engines. Choose a memorable name. You can reserve one now for future use.
It's an excellent investment.
Buying special, interesting domains for an affiliate program also proves useful if you use offline promotions. You can choose a domain name that looks much more professional than most affiliate links.
An excellent free tool to use when searching for a domain name is NameBoy.
Promote in your signature
One way to promote an affiliate program is by giving it a brief, eye-catching, tempting mention in a signature at the end of an email. I joined The Amazing Formula program when I was tempted by an intriguing signature similar to this:
Have you seen the Amazing Formula?
http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/amazing
You can create several different email signatures, each one promoting a different commission-earning product, and use which ever one is most appropriate for the email you're sending.
I use Eudora email software, which makes it easy to set up a range of different signatures suitable for different occasions.
Try a friendly P.S.
Some marketers use a signature written in the style of a friendly P.S.
For example:
All the best.
Allan.
P.S. Have you seen Marlon's new product?
"How To Create Your Own Hot Products in a Flash"
It's given me a lot of awesome ideas. Marlon has created another winner!
You can check it out here...
http://www.AssociatePrograms.com/create
WARNING: This technique may backfire on you if you use it unwisely. For example, I've been emailed by amateurs who dream up some thinly disguised excuse to approach me, and then zap me with a P.S. signature which promotes an affiliate product. Do I buy from them? No.
Like all marketing, it needs to be aimed at the right target and needs to be offering something which the recipient wants. Think very carefully about who is seeing your message and what effect it will have.
The worst way to do it
The dumbest way to promote an affiliate product is to use spam - bulk unsolicited email. You can wreck your reputation, lose your Internet connection, forfeit any commissions you've earned, and the company may even bill you for the time it has wasted dealing with complaints about you. Don't say you weren't warned!
Selfish, inconsiderate oafs use spam.
The laziest way isn't the best
Website owners doing very well with affiliate programs usually don't just paste in a banner and wait hopefully for the money to roll in. They write endorsements, provide useful content, offer helpful advice . . . in all sorts of creative ways they weave the links and graphics into the content on their sites.
Watch for exclusivity clauses
Some companies have an exclusivity clause (they want to be the only retailer of that type on your site), some allow only graphical links, and some want to approve every word you write before you promote them - more good reasons for reading the affiliate agreement before you sign up.
Appropriate linking increases sales
Some companies provide you with just a link to their main page. Others let you link to various pages, categories or individual products on their site.
Linking to categories may be OK. Linking directly to an individual product is usually much more effective.
