As a long-standing member and former Director Consultant for BNI, I have learned that people are more likely to do business with people who they know, like, and trust.  Think about life 20-30 years ago.  Our parents and grandparents would buy, sell, and barter with neighbors and friends.  They knew each other, their families, and their reputations–good or bad.  In today’s tech world, it’s similar.  If the business has a good reputation, such as Amazon, we feel like we can trust them with our credit card and personal information.  There are plenty of sites on the internet that do not deserve our trust!

TIP:  Focus on building relationships first. Strong relationships often lead to affiliate marketing success due to the “know, like, trust principle.”

When I pass a referral for a colleague in BNI, I am placing my reputation on the line with the recipient of that referral, so I’d better be sure that I am confident of my referral partner’s abilities and professionalism!  This is how you should determine which affiliate programs to promote.  If you don’t believe in the product or the person selling it, walk away; the money that you earn won’t be worth the damage to your reputation.

At this time, I would like to invite you to get to know me a little!  Please sign up for my newsletter.  The welcome email tells you all about me and my business ventures, how I got started and where I’m headed.  I’d love to hear your story, too!  Please feel free to comment or send me an email!

Marketing on a daily basis is a very important aspect of building, growing, and maintaining a successful business. While you may have favorite strategies and techniques, it’s a good idea to use a variety of marketing methods. The 365 marketing tips I will share with you in 2018 can help you broaden your scope and reach more of your target market.

Let’s start with Affiliate Marketing…Affiliate marketing is an online sales strategy that allows a product owner to increase sales by letting others targeting the same audience – “affiliates” – to earn a commission by recommending the product to others. At the same time, it makes it possible for affiliates to earn money on product sales without creating products of their own.

TIP:  Building relationships is important for affiliate marketers because you’ll build trust with your audience. People buy from those they trust.

Many successful affiliate marketers will build a community of like-minded individuals who are already interested in products that they are promoting.  Kelly McCausey is an affiliate marketer who I have followed and admired over the years.  She started an online community called “Mom Masterminds” that is now called “Love People + Make Money,” but she really has a whole network of sites that promote digital products and services, as well as community memberships.  Take a look at her Affiliate Program to see how she lays out the terms and commissions available to her affiliates.  Yes, this is an affiliate link and yes, that means that if you purchase something from Kelly, I will earn a commission.  That’s what Affiliate Marketing is all about!