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Six Simple Steps to Increase Your Income Using Affiliate Programs -- WITHOUT Taking the Focus Away From YOUR Products & Services

You can keep this approach, and still integrate affiliate promotions into your business model. However - you want to do this strategically. You don't want to clutter your website with banners or distractions, or confuse your visitors before they've purchased your own products.

It's also important to choose affiliate programs that are complimentary (but not competitive) to your own products or services, or that compliment your website content. Your customers will appreciate your sincere recommendations, and this will help to create loyalty and trust with them.

Here are six simple steps that you can take to increase your income, and make backend affiliate sales from your website visitors and customers:
 

1) Offer a bonus or an incentive for each sale or subscription:

You can give away free ebooks that relate to your topic and contain your affiliate links (these are called "rebrandible ebooks"). You can also find many affiliate programs that offer freebies, and pay you for each lead.

You might also create your own Tip Sheet or Resource Guide to give away that contains your affiliate links. It's important that you don't 'bribe' your visitors, but rather offer a great value for your price.

2) Follow-up with a Special Offer:

You should already be sending an automated confirmation email to everyone who purchases or subscribes through your website. This is a perfect place to include their bonuses... and also to mention a Special Offer (or perhaps an upgrade package of your own).

This Special Offer might be something that compliments the product they just purchased, or is another item that your targeted market would be highly interested in.

3) Place Special Offers on Confirmation or Download pages:

When your visitor subscribes, orders or downloads a free report from your website, they should be taken to a confirmation or 'thank you' page (Never redirect them back to the main page and leave them wondering!).

At this point, the visitor has done exactly what you hoped they would do, and you can now safely direct them off the site to view other products or offers via your affiliate link. Don't confuse them by adding five banners - choose a program that you feel would entice them and recommend it professionally.

4) Offer resources or great deals to your Newsletter Subscribers:

Research various merchants, and offer your Subscribers the 'best deal' or let them know of a current contest or promotion (via your affiliate link). You might also offer product reviews, personal recommendations following a how-to article, or free resources (that pay you for each 'lead').

These tactics work *much* better than a blatant advertisement. Don't be afraid to promote products to your Subscribers! Just be sure that you do it in a way that captures their attention, and serves their interests and needs.

5) Use an Exit Pop-up or Hover Ad to offer an alternate choice:

You can set your exit pop-up to open only if the visitor does not order or subscribe from your website. If they close the page, or otherwise leave your website without taking action, you can use this opportunity to offer them a free resource or lead them to an alternate website (via your affiliate link).

This would be another great place to offer a free Guide or Tip Sheet that you have compiled on your topic, using your affiliate links.

6) Following up with Bidders of your eBay Auctions:

If you sell on eBay, you can easily include relevant affiliate links in several locations: on your About Me profile page (which you may link to from your auction descriptions), in your email signature (in ALL correspondence with bidders and potential bidders), and even inside of the package that you ship - include a business card with your confirmation letter, or a flyer!

You can also follow up either by email or postal mail to confirm receipt, that they are satisfied with their purchase... and this is the perfect opportunity to present a special offer or 'great deal' as a way of showing your appreciation for their business ;)

Keep in mind that someone who has already ordered from you once is much more likely to make a repeat purchase than anyone is to buy from you for the first time. With this in mind, your customer database or mailing list is your most targeted and responsive list of prospects for future sales.

Implement one or more of these methods right away, and enjoy an increase in your profits... and happy customers that appreciate your offering everything that they need in one location!
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Lynn Terry, editor & owner of Self-Starters Weekly Tips: Free Internet Business & Web Marketing Tips Learn the difference between websites that COST you money and websites that MAKE you money!

©2004 This article was written exclusively for Internet Based Moms™ and may not be re-published or copied without permission from Internet Based Moms™, except to print one copy for personal use. Any questions regarding use of this article should be directed to Linda Stacy. Comments and general questions about the article's content can be directed to the author.