When people visit your
website, they are usually in a state of mind referred to as contemplative. For
example,
consider someone who is looking for a new credit card. They know
that they want a new credit card, but they have not decided upon which
one and they are seeking more information to help them decide.
Your aim is to take them from the contemplative stage to the action
stage or certainly as close to it as possible. In the action stage they
have decided what they want and they are likely to click your affiliate
link in what is known as a buying
frame of mind. This maximises your
chances of a completed sale.
How then do you move visitors to your site from contemplative to
action? The key is to research your product and identify its strengths.
If you are struggling to identify the product's strengths, in
particular it seems to lack a unique selling point (USP), you will
struggle to successfully promote it on your site and would be wise to
exclude it from further consideration.
Do not give people too much choice. This reduces the chance of a
completed sale as you are presenting them with an information gap - too
many options and inadequate information to decide. Stick to a few
choices, provide adequate information about them (that meets your
selling agenda and will typically contain the product USPs) and do not
try to force them down one specific route. For example, putting
'recommended' next to one of your products without explaining why you
are recommending this product is telling your site visitor something
obvious that will turn them off immediately - You want them to buy that
item because it will make you more money.
Products that clearly deliver cost savings are often easier to sell
than higher cost competing items even where the latter provide a better
quality product. The latter tenet is particularly true of financial
services, especially insurance.
To find out more about affiliate
marketing, you can consult our ebook, Successful Affiliates Guide, the
complete guide to affiliate marketing.
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