Below is a video I shot that I think will really help you decide what the best affiliate program is for your visitors.  I've also included a time stamped by-the-minute practically verbatim transcript of the video.

 

Hi, Michael Brown here, and I have a special presentation today, and I want to talk to you about what the best affiliate programs are for your website.  And one of the things we often do—we look at it the wrong way.  Instead of saying, “What is the best affiliate program?”  We should be saying, “What is the best affiliate program for my subscribers or for my website visitors?” 

Because when we’re giving them what they want, we’re giving them exactly what they want, they’re going to be more likely to buy from us, and too often we look at it and say, “What’s going to make me the most money?” or “What is going to promote and convert the best.”

If you’re giving them what they want, it’s going to convert better than anything else, so you have to give them what they want.

So rather than think about what’s going to make you the most money, think about what they want and what you can do to ultimately help them.

So what I always do, I look at it this way.

[00:01:00] Every time I look at getting an affiliate program for any website, it could be a website I’m promoting multiple affiliate programs on, it could be—I could have different, various styles of advertisements on there.  But what I ultimately look at that helps me the most is I say, “What will help my readers the most?  What are they interested in?” 

 

Because if you’re not providing what they’re even interested in…..

 

You’re not going to make that much money with your website.  You’re just thinking about yourself and you’re really thinking about the wrong aspect.  You need to really think about what they are, what they have a desire for, what they’re interested in, and ultimately, what can solve a problem, a need, or provide an entertainment value for them?

So those are usually the three things I look at, and in that last one there, those are the three areas I always look at.  Is there a problem in that niche market?  Can I solve a need for them?

 [00:02:00] And if it’s more of an entertainment style like a gaming niche or something like that, does it provide the entertainment value they’re looking for?

 

Always think about yourself last.  Now, ultimately, yes, you have to make money with whatever you’re promoting, and that’s going to happen, though, if you focus on those things I just talked about.  You’ll make more money in the long run when you put yourself last and you put your visitor first because if you’re giving them what they want, again, it’s going to convert anyway, and you’re going to make the most money you can with your website.

Also, when you’re putting content up on your website, always think about good content.  The best content you can put out, because the better the content is that you put up for them, like if you’re answering questions they have, if you’re taking care of needs that they have, your promotions will convert better because they’re going to say, “Hey, I’m getting this good free stuff here.

[00:03:00] This product this person’s promoting must be pretty darn good.”

Now let’s look at some quick misconceptions about different affiliate programs.  The #1 misconception I see quite often is reoccurring programs make you the most money.  While reoccurring programs can make you a lot of money and they can grow over time to keep making you money, it’s not always best for your website.  It’s not always best.  Sometimes other things convert better.  So it’s not true that reoccurring programs will always make you the most money.

Sometimes it can be trial offers.  But then again, maybe a trial offer doesn’t convert at your website.  And if you don’t know what I mean by a trial offer, it could be anything that has a $1 trial period or a $4.95 trial period, and then the customer automatically gets rebilled….

[00:04:00] …or something along those lines, even if it’s just they get rebilled once, I do that with some of the programs that I have; I put a trial period of $1, and then the customer can get rebilled, or I put a trial period of $4.95 and the customer can be rebilled.

 

These work on some sites.  Other sites, they don’t.

 

Expensive products do not convert well.  Again, that’s not necessarily true because if you remember back to what I was just talking about moments ago, sometimes if you have to test the value of what your visitor is looking for.  If an expensive product is on your website that you’re promoting, but it’s exactly what your visitor’s looking for, that could probably convert well for you.  So it’s not always true that the expensive products don’t convert very well, or that you get a lower percentage.  Give your customer what they’re looking for or website visitor what they’re looking for, and you have a good chance to convert that.

 

And you’ll never make enough money…

 

[00:05:00] …promoting inexpensive affiliate products.  That’s not really true.  I’ve had several small affiliate products I’ve promoted in the past that could be between 5 & 10 dollars that I was making on each of them, and that would add up to over $1000 for that particular product each month.  So it’s not always true that the inexpensive products don’t convert well if your list is looking for inexpensive products, or if your website visitors are looking for inexpensive products, then give them what they want.  So if you’re in a market where maybe your visitors don’t have a lot of money, sometimes you’ll never convert those expensive products, and you have to promote the inexpensive affiliate products to make money with that style of website.

But ultimately, out of those four factors, test.  Test different products to see what converts the best.  And once you find the one

[00:06:00] that converts the best use it.  It’s a very, very simple concept. 

 

But most people refuse to test different products on their website…..

 

……and so they ultimately never know what will convert the best.  They just accept the conversion rates they’re getting.  So test the affiliate programs.  Test different ones, test different things as long as it makes sense for your customer, and as long as you’re asking how it will help them, first, and if your product that you’re putting on there can help them, you have a good chance to convert it.  But just test the different styles, and you’ll have a better chance for success.

I want to thank you for watching this.  Again, I’m Michael Brown.  I really look forward to seeing you soon, and have a fantastic day.

What do you think?  What are your experiences?  Let me know!