An introduction to IMC affiliate strategies

An introduction to IMC affiliate strategies

Have you ever visited a web site that was covered in advertising banners for unrelated products, or endless lists of links to other sites, and none of it had anything to do with the reason you went to that web site in the first place? Ofcourse you have -- the Internet is full of sites like that!

Sad to say, that's a pretty common approach to affiliate marketing. People think that if they bombard their visitors with as many affiliate product ads or site links as possible, those visitors are bound to click on something. And they do: Visitors take one look at that overwhelming "flea market" of random affiliate links and banners, and click the "Close" button!

Believe us, there is a better way to become successful at affiliate marketing. Just ask our top affiliates, who are currently earning as much as $7,500 per month in commissions, just for recommending our products!

Being successful as an affiliate involves careful thought and planning, and the willingness to work at your business. Of course, you can't expect to see huge commission checks rolling in from the very start, but with a little time and effort, you can be extremely successful.

How to become a successful IMC affiliate

Think about this: In order to make a single sale as an affiliate, you typically need to have about 100 of your web site's visitors to click through to the IMC site.

But don't let that scare you, because we've got plenty of affiliates -- people just like you -- who are easily referring literally thousands of customers each and every month, and cashing their $7,500 commission checks to prove it!

The point is, affiliate programs are the most rewarding when you really focus on making them work, rather then expecting them to do the work for you.

The key to becoming a highly successful IMC affiliate is to put together a successful affiliate marketing strategy by following these three steps:

• Step One: Choose the most profitable method of promoting your affiliate products
• Step Two: Choose the product that will earn you the highest commissions
• Step Three: Steal our proven marketing tools

Step One: Choose the most profitable method of promoting your IMC affiliate products

Selling your affiliate products on your web site is the logical choice, but there are actually a number of different ways to promote affiliate products:

1. Through your existing web site:
   Using your existing web site to promote your affiliate products is probably the fastest and easiest way to get started earning affiliate commissions. We've set up our affiliate resources so that you can incorporate our pre-made promotional material -- complete with your unique tracking ID -- into your web site in just minutes.
   
   The downside of this quick approach is that you won't necessarily get the traffic you need simply by placing a link to IMC on your site. Remember, it takes a number of visitors to your site to translate into one affiliate sale.
   
   Of course, you'll also need to consider whether or not the people coming to your site will be interested in the IMC product you're promoting. If your site is completely unrelated to Internet marketing, you might even want to create a new site that will start attracting more targeted visitors.
   
   
2. E-mail marketing to your opt-in list:
   Putting together an e-mail marketing promotion to your opt-in list is an excellent way to send people to your affiliate products. It's a bit more time-consuming, but you get much better results. We've tried to make it as easy as possible -- and we've even written the e-mail for you!
   
   What's great about e-mail marketing is that you have the chance to give the affiliate product you're promoting your personal "seal of approval." You can tell the subscribers on your mailing list how the product has personally benefited you. Or, if you don't want to write your own e-mail message, you can send the expertly written ones we've created for you. Just the fact that you are sending this offer to your list is a strong endorsement for the product.
   
   And the real beauty of promoting your affiliate product via e-mail is that you are presenting the offer to people who want to hear what you have to say. Your opt-in list is filled with people who have signed up to receive information from you, and who trust your opinion.
   
   
3. Newsletters and e-zines:
   Another alternative to using your web site to promote the affiliate product is to advertise in other online sources of information.

   A classified ad in someone else's e-zine or newsletter is an excellent approach that allows you to reach a new audience beyond your web site visitors and mailing list subscribers. There are plenty of newsletters and e-zines out there, and chances are you'll find some that have content related to your offer. The audiences for these would have an excellent chance of being interested in your affiliate product!

   Advertising in someone else's e-zine/newsletter also allows you to take advantage of the credibility that the publisher has established with their customers. If you're advertising in a newsletter that people trust, chances are your ad will be well received.

   Remember, though, that even if you advertise in your own newsletter, it has more credibility because your readers already trust your content.

   
   

   Step Two: Choose the IMC product that will earn you the highest commissions
   
   The second step in developing your strategy for marketing your affiliate products involves deciding what products you're going to offer to your customers. Here's what you should consider before you make that decision:

   1. It's not always best to focus on the highest commissions:
      It's natural to want to start offering the products that will earn you the highest commissions right away. The truth is, though, that the products with the higher price points are the ones that require the most experience to sell.
      
      If you start by offering the smaller items to your list, you'll create a market that will grow as you do. Eventually they'll be ready for the bigger, more sophisticated products.
      
      Remember, too, that you can usually sell many more of the smaller products -- in fact, it's very possible that you'll actually earn more selling the smaller products than the big-ticket items.
      
      
   2. Information products versus software products:
      It's a fact that one of the biggest sellers on the Internet is information. And so it should come as no surprise that the IMC "info products" -- the "Insider Secrets" course, the Ultimate Seminar Videos, and the Secrets To Their Success -- are far and away the best sellers for our affiliates.
      
      Another reason to start with the info products is the simple fact that the software products are intended for people who already have a web business underway, while the info products also appeal to people who haven't started their business yet, and therefore attract a much larger audience.
      
      New customers tend to start with the course and other info products, then add software as their businesses grow.
      
      
   3. Evaluate your audience when deciding on products:
      Before you make your decision on which product you're going to sell, make sure it makes sense to your audience.
      
      For instance, if your audience is writers, you should probably offer eBook Pro (a product intended for people who want to publish their own eBooks) rather than Mailloop (intended for people who plan to do a lot of e-mail marketing).
      
      
   4. Start slowly and build your business:
      We usually recommend that you promote the IMC affiliate products in a particular order.
      
      Generally speaking, you'll have greater overall success promoting the information products that teach people how to start and grow an Internet business before promoting the software products that help people automate existing businesses.
      
      Here's the order we suggest for people who plan to sell several IMC products:
      
      
      1. The "Insider Secrets" Course
      2. The "Insider Secrets" eBay Course
      3. Internet Millionaire’s Protégé Bootcamp Videos
      4. Secrets To Their Success
      5. Internet Entrepreneur Club
      6. Search Marketing Lab & Report
      7. Email Marketing eBook
      8. Blogging for Dollars
      9. eBook Pro
      10. Mailloop
      11. AssocTrac
      12. Desktop Marketer
      
      
   5. Start recruiting sub-affiliates:
      Another great way to increase your affiliate income is to start recruiting sub-affiliates.

      A sub-affiliate is someone who joins the IMC affiliate program based on your recommendation. Every time a sub-affiliate makes a sale, you receive a percentage of the sale price -- PLUS you continue to earn your regular affiliate commissions.

      
      

      Step Three: Steal our proven marketing tools
      
      Just as there are a number of products you can promote, there are a number of tools you can use to promote them -- ranging from pre-written e-mail promotions, to pop-up and banner ads, to classified ads and product reviews.

      There are a few different approaches to consider when you're deciding how to market your products...

      1. The personal approach:
         Generally speaking, the most successful promotions are those that are more personal. A recommendation coming directly from you in an e-mail is much more likely to be successful than a random banner ad placed on any old page of your web site.
         
         Why? Because your opt-in list consists of people who want to hear from you. They've given you their e-mail addresses in order to receive information from you. Since you've developed a relationship of trust with your opt-in subscribers, they'll be much more receptive to your affiliate products if they know those products have your personal "seal of approval."
         
         
      2. The informative approach:
         Another successful approach to affiliate marketing is to use the information-based tools: product reviews and informative articles. Your visitors will feel much more confident about making a purchase if you've told them -- in detail -- why it will benefit them, and if you've given them the information they need to help them make the "buy" decision.
         
         
      3. The best tools to use, in order of effectiveness:
         While all of the promotional tools we provide have been tested and proven to deliver excellent results, some are naturally more effective than others. Here is a list of the best tools to use, in order of effectiveness:
         
         1. E-mail promotions
         2. Articles and reviews -- especially when used as ads
         3. Pop-up ads
         4. Text ads
         5. Classified ads

         Final Thoughts: The best way to make money as an IMC affiliate

         Once you've got a strategy in place that makes sense for your particular business, promoting IMC affiliate products will be a rewarding experience -- both financially and personally.

         If you really want to start off on the right foot, and start earning affiliate commissions as quickly as possible, we highly recommend you begin by using an e-mail promotion, plus a book review on your web site, to promote the "Insider Secrets" course.

         Having a comprehensive plan in place from the get-go will help ensure that your affiliate business is built on a solid foundation of loyal customers. With the right approach, you can use the IMC affiliate program to build lasting relationships with those customers -- AND help them grow their own businesses!

         And once they've come to see you as a trusted resource, they'll be looking forward to seeing what products you'll recommend next...

         
         

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