Seth Godin and Jeff Molander have written great pieces related to the very topic I wanted to write about.
Remember – I am all about quality in affiliate marketing – adding real value. Keep that in mind as you read the links above.
Jeff goes into a lot of detail of how to add value to a campaign while Seth states this in a clear way that I love. Why are you following the links you are following? I think any smart consumer will take the time to find out what is the motivation behind a link.
I have pointed out that many of the super affiliates we all know and admire are linking to networks, books, products etc. The question is why? Are they really suggesting that one network is better than the next? They may be – they could be right or they may be wrong. Their goal could be to help promote a really great book – or make a ton of commission from book sales on any seemingly relevant topic on a book they have never even read. I don’t know their motivation – in some cases it they seem very convincing and in those cases – I do follow the links and hope they get a commission – I appreciate the effort they put into digging into the product or service and then letting me know about it. In other situations it seems the exact opposite – the testimonials seem fake and the links are ignored (and I ignore the instinct to lash out at them for trying to catch me in their game)
As an affiliate I try to add real value – a real testimonial. I hope you will too – I don’t know if I am as harsh as Jeff who says – Add Value now or Die! But I do believe it’s time to “put the marketing back in affiliate marketing” .
See you in Boston. (See my pic above so you can make sure to find me)
Me and the other guys, Tim Taylor and Jason Wilkin will be handing out cool FREE T-shirts in Boston – watch for us and don’t be shy.
Mark
Tags: add value, affiliate marketing, jeff molander, quality lead generation, Seth Godin
