How To Get People To Click Your Affiliate Links

I was just having lunch with a friend of mine who is working on a new affiliate program. She seemed very excited about it, and as we ate our delicious cold lobster salad she gave me all the details. I began asking her a few questions, and as the creme brulee arrived she admitted that she's been a little disappointed with her sales. "It doesn't make sense," she groaned to me over her latte, "It's not like I'm trying to sell long underwear in the Bahamas. I'm offering the hottest widget of the moment for 10% less than anyone else on the web, and I've already linked my site to several affiliates, but no one's buying. What am I doing wrong?"

We went over the basics: good product, good price, good web site, good affiliates. "It's got to be something," I said, "what's your linking strategy?" She told me that she was using three different banners, and assured me that they looked really nice. "They're probably great," I assured her, "but the fact is, no matter how nice they are, they're still banners."

So what's wrong with banners? Nothing really, except that they've become a little too common and people have started to ignore them. If you do use banners, you've got to make sure they're eye-catching and professional. Try using rotating banners as a nice improvement on the basic. These banners download alternate images from a group each time the page is accessed, making the ad look a little different each time. Use rotating pictures of the different products you offer. This is a nice effect which might grab the attention of a repeat visitor who ignored you the first time.

Another effective link is the customer testimonial. Take a quote from a satisfied customer and use it as a sales tool. Ask someone who's been pleased with your business if you can quote something nice they said, or just ask them to make a statement.

Set it in an attractive font with your URL link at the bottom and have your affiliates place it on their page. People will be more inclined to read about someone else's experience than they would be to read an ad, and you'll get more business.

If your affiliates need website content or if they distribute an ezine, you may want to supply them with an informative article about your business. This should not be a blatant ad, but an informative article that the customer will benefit from reading whether they buy from you or not. Something effective might be a short piece about emerging trends in your line of business, and how you are responding to those trends. Close the article with a small business blurb and your URL link. People like reading new information, and you'll find you get a lot of clicks. And don't worry if you're not a good writer. Talk to someone at your local college English department. You may find excellent student writers who are willing to work for pizza. If you're not near a college, browse the web. There are all sorts of inexpensive writing services available online.

You can also supply your affiliates with a catchy signature file that links to your business. Write two or three lines about why your business is great. Try to be a little witty. Include your URL link at the end. Dedicated affiliates could use this sig file to close e-mail with, and you'll find yourself with even more business.

What it boils down to is this: you've got to be proactive with your selling program. You can't expect a very basic set-up to make you rich. People are getting more and more web savvy all the time, so you've got to surprise them with something original to get them to go to your site. If one thing isn't working keep trying something else until you get it right. If you spend even a little time tweaking your link system, you may just find your sales skyrocketing.

About the author:

Keller Flynn knows about Super Affiliates and what it takes to find or help create them. Keller also knows the full spectrum of tools, ideas and action steps needed to create and run a successful affiliate program. Reach him at keller@affiliatedirector.com or 801-328-9006. Get his Extra Money Newsletter FREE at http://www.AffiliateDirector.com to learn more about how YOU can profit from the affiliate boom

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