“Be a Better Affiliate” is the theme of the November issue of Affiliate Classroom Magazine, with articles that focus on ethical principles, time management skills, white hat SEO, and golden rules for building a successful business.
Here are some excerpts from this month’s articles:
From An Affiliate Code of Honor
“How can you write a review of a product if you haven’t bought it?” I usually answer along these lines:
If you go to a Ferrari garage, does all the sales staff in the garage own Ferraris? Or, if you go to a clothing shop, does the sales assistant own every article in the shop? No, they don’t, but they can advise you about the pros and cons of any particular car or garment; and that is what you should do as an affiliate.
When you write a review of a product that you don’t own, stick to the facts. Tell the reader about the author or manufacturer, and tell them what they receive when they purchase. Mention the different sizes or colors. Glean as many facts from the sales page or other reviews and include them in your review. Never pretend you own a product if you don’t.
From Ten Time Management Tips for Affiliates
Tip #2: Set Goals and Tight Deadlines
You are the boss now, but along with the perks come the responsibility. Nobody (meaning you) is going to get anything done unless the boss (yes, you again) is setting goals and deadlines.
Think of your projects as something that you’re outlining for an employee. What should they accomplish? How much time should it take them? When should they show results? Use this as your guideline to get things done.
In fact, challenge yourself to beat the goals and exceed expectations. You probably did that for your last boss – give yourself the same respect.
From White Hat, Black Hat: The Affiliate Dilemma, Solved
Black hat techniques can be practical, but almost always just in the short run. You might be clever enough to use a particular shady technique and make some money. But you run a very high risk of being banned, or at least detected by the program that processes what the spiders find. (Google ain’t dumb, I’m sure we can all agree.) Think about what that means for a minute.
You paid for a domain name and spent a long time and tons of effort (or at least a lot of money getting someone else to) build a website. You did it to make money as an affiliate, a noble goal. But abusing the search engine guidelines in a blatant way can put you out of business in a heartbeat. At the very least, your approach might be counter-productive. You can wind up with a lower rank than you might have otherwise.
From Ten Rules of Successful Affiliate Marketing
Rule #2: Be Honest
Today’s web surfers aren’t naïve. As a matter of fact, they look with a jaded eye very often. They expect dishonesty, so you must provide them with absolute honesty.
- Don’t promote products that you don’t believe in yourself.
- Don’t load your website down with advertisements.
- Do provide honest and accurate content.
Remember that website visitors rarely make a purchase on their first website visit. You have to first convince them to come back again, and you do that by being honest and inspiring their trust.
Want to read more? Download “Be a Better Affiliate,” the November issue of Affiliate Classroom Magazine today!
Leave a Reply
