Affiliate marketing has grown leaps and bounds since the internet first came around. The industry has grown massively, especially within iGaming. As such, it’s become more difficult to stand out.
While everybody is trying to sell a product, you’ll be surprised at how many people take the wrong approach and only put off their prospective business partners. Or maybe you won’t, but that depends on your own life experience.
Anyway, here are three affiliate marketing sales tactics that you should steer clear of.
“Selling ice to an eskimo”. There is no point in selling ice to an eskimo because they literally live on a sheet of ice. Similarly, you’re wasting your time by trying to sell your services to people who don’t need them.
Think about the problem you can solve. What’s the persona of somebody who would benefit from working with you? How will your product make their business more efficient? Ask yourself these questions, begin by offering free value in the form of content and advice, and start building long-term relationships with people who want what you have to offer them.
Making everything about you. Have you ever been in a social setting where there’s that one person in the room who feels the need to go on about how they’re the greatest, and how everybody should bow down to them? If the answer to that question is yes, then you’ll be very aware of just how annoying they are. Well guess what? Blabbering on about how great your product is will equally irritate any prospective business partner.
Rather than listening just to respond with some pre-empted script in your head, actually take the time to understand what the key problems are for your prospective partner. And once you’ve let them talk, discuss what your product does to help them fix these. By doing this, you’ll stand out because you’ve actually taken the time to understand the other party.
Only looking for prospective partners in one place. For better or worse, the internet is huge. Therefore, your target audience is not going to be hanging around in just one spot. It’s all good sifting through Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, but you’re limiting yourself if you don’t also look further afield.
Think outside the box and the kinds of places the people you’re trying to attract will hang out. Consider alternative social forums like Reddit, as well as standalone online community platforms such as Ugenie. You might surprise yourself at just how many options you have.
Final thoughts…
Affiliate marketing is ever-evolving and so is the way that we sell, as well as how people interact with one another full-stop. Marketing these days is less about ‘look at me, I’m so great’ and more about the long-term game.
Whenever you step into a business conversation, the primary focus should be on getting to know the other party and slowly developing something that is sustainable. Think of it like dating – do you really think asking someone if they will marry you when you first meet them is going to leave such a good impression? Because aggressively hard-selling your product is pretty much the same thing.
Focus on your prospective partner and understand their needs and pain points, then determine how you can help them and show you’re capable of doing this. Adopting this approach will land you fruitful and long-term partnerships where both are satisfied.
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