Affiliate Marketing Forum

dotdash · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 233

A while ago Allan recommended that reading "Influence - the Psychology of Persuasion" by Robert Cialdini would be a very good investment for struggling affiliates.

I know for a fact that (contrarary to many a hot sales pitch and 'swarms of traffic' product) traffic does not equal sales because I have seen what it is like to get hundreds and even thousands of visitors a day and not make any sales or generate any leads.

It's better to have 200 visitors a day that convert in double figures than 2000 visitors who convert at 0.002%

I bought this book because I want to learn how write content that converts as well as is unique and interesting.

The book is written very well and goes into lengthy case studies of how certain 'weapons of influence' can bring about compliance.

At the end of each chapter there is a section on "how to say no" which is written from the perspective of the innocent consumer protecting themself from the callous, manipulative sales/marketing professionals who are using these mind tricks to profit from them.

My question is - Allan what book did you read after "Influence" to learn how to put Cialdini's findings into practical usage?

Also - because affiliate marketing is more about PREselling than actual selling how should these tachniques apply?

Any recommended further reading?
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iMarketingGuru · Joined: 04 Sep 2006 Posts: 11 Location: Buffalo, NY

Build traffic and convert a steady stream using PPC and Taguchi testing/multi-variate testing. As for books, I highly recommend the Secret as well as other books -- feel free to browse my librarything book section underneath, I have MANY highly acclaimed books in my librarything search engine. [URL deleted - Moderator]
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dotdash · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 233

Thankyou for your reply but you haven't answered my questions... Confused

Have you read the Cialdini book that Allan recommended a month or so ago? If so can you apply the findings in the book to internet marketing - particularly to PREselling?

These are specific questions that need specific answers not - 'check the links in my sig'

Thanks.
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AllanGardyne · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 1:35 am Post subject:

Hi dotdash, Sorry. I can't remember which book I read after the Cialdini book.

Anyway, your best investment in time might be to simply re-read the book, take notes and spend quite a while thinking about how you can apply the info to your affiliate marketing, and then make your own decisions and write stuff in your own personal style rather than following someone else's formula.

With a book like this, I think it's a good idea to read it several times and mark the sections which make an impact. I use a bright yellow highlighter pen. Then months later I can flick through the book and quickly re-read the parts I think are important.
I must admit I don't do that nearly often as I should.

Also, I often find that a second or third reading will reveal things I didn't notice the first time round.

I've just found the book and opened it more or less at random, and came across Chapter 6, Authority, in which the author describes horrifying tests done by a Professor Milgram to illustrate how people will follow orders from someone in authority. Milgram says there's a "deep-seated sense of duty to authority within us all".

My interpretation: Many people act like sheep, at least some of the time - especially if they're tired and in a hurry. They want someone to tell them what to do.

Perhaps this seems a long way from affiliate marketing. However, lots of your potential customers don't want to spend heaps of time doing careful research. They just want to find someone they can believe in who will tell them which product is the best one to buy.

So you need to make your website look authoritative
(for example, I put my photo on this site and say "Earning a good living from affiliate programs since 1998."). Also, make it very clear to your visitors what they should do. Tell them where to go and what to do.

Say something like, "I've tried these three products and this is the best one because (specific reasons) ... and so I strongly recommend it. Get it here. (OR Learn more about it here.)"

I've just flicked over a few more pages and come to the Social Proof chapter. Two of the sentences I've highlighted say: "Without question, when people are uncertain, they are more likely to use others' actions to decide how they themselves should act" and "...we are more inclined to follow the lead of a similar individual than a dissimilar one."

So if you're promoting a book that's a best-seller, make sure you tell your visitors that it's a best-seller, that lots of other people just like you love it. If other people successfully use the product, emphasise that.

Here's an example...

In one of my ads on this page I tell people to "See the Results", "See the Proof" and "Talk to a successful ... owner".

The "Liking" chapter is intriguing. It suggests that the "halo effect" is so strong that we automatically believe that someone who is attractive is also intelligent. "We automatically assign to good-looking individuals such favorable traits as talent, kindness, honesty and intelligence."

For example, voters favor handsome politicians, without realising their bias.

If you're not using a photo on your site, it would be interesting to test adding one and see if it increases or decreases your sales.
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keithkuper · Joined: 25 Jun 2007 Posts: 5 Location: USA

I agree that large amount of traffic would not result in sales..but in order to get sales you would be needing combination of both (Quality Traffic + Good Hot Affilate)..
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AllanGardyne · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 11:45 pm Post subject:

How do you make an affiliate hot? Sunbathing?
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dotdash · Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 233

Thanks for the detailed reply Allan. I’ve put a photo on my homepage and on my opt in page and re-written it to position myself as an authority in my niche. I’ve gone from 1 subscriber every few days to at least 2 a day now out of about 100 visitors. Think I’ll ramp up my traffic efforts again now.

It’s great seeing progress, makes me feel that real success is just a matter of time away now.
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mattie · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 222

this is phenomenal book. hands up i haven't applied it as much as i should. but it's definitely worth a read, then a re-read!

Charlie · Joined: 22 Aug 2003 Posts: 3305 Location: UK

The book in question was all the rage a while ago. It must have been mentioned at a conference or something as all the gurus were on about it.

I have read RC's book. I found the content good, but the style of the book hard to read. Too much text. Not obvious in the way it's structured until you've read half of it.

I also very much like Kevin Hogan's persuasion books. These are more direct and usuable. Less acaademic. (A bit like comparing Perry Marshall with Andrew Goodman, for you PPC buffs.)

One thing with these sort of books, though...

Be subtle - and think who you are writing to. Have they read the book, do you think? I have great fun sometimes joking with people who I know have...

Thirdly, "The True Believer" by Eric Hoffer is extremely interesting. It was written by an American decades ago - and his interpretation of history is not mine - but it is a fascinating insight as to the development of political movements and cults. How and why people follow who they do.

You'd be amazed how close the parallels are between certain popular marketers and the great dictators and cults of the past. The motives might be different, but the strategies employed and the way their followers act is nothing short of amazing.

Cheers,
Charlie.

Nietzsche · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 107

Despite his sometimes dubious reputation, I liked Dan Kennedy's Ultimate Sales Letter.
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