Affiliate Marketing Tips: Traffic & Sales

Next in the Affiliate Marketing Tips series, is how to get traffic and make sales with your niche affiliate sites…

@TaylorMarek: How to get eyeballs and people to buy?

I could start out by giving you specific internet marketing strategies, and I’ll share a few of those with you too.

But the key is actually in how you approach the market. It’s not complicated, but it is unique to each market and to each type of niche affiliate site. I’ll share some methods that I use to create a winning marketing plan for any site…

Step One: Market Research

Market Research is not the same as Keyword Research. That is where it starts, but not where it ends. Keywords tell you two things – they tell you what people are searching for, and they tell you the depth of the market.

Let’s take a look at an example of that so you can see what I mean. We’ll go back to that french braid hairstyle example, and look at that next to quilting:

Comparing these two sets of results side by side, just from the first 20 keyword phrases you can see a major difference in the market depth. Obviously “quilt” is more broad than “french braid”, but even if you narrow that search down to “quilt patterns” you still get more than 10x the overall search volume.

You also want to look at variations of your primary keywords. In the case of “quilt” and “quilt patterns”, next I would look at the keyword phrases for “quilting”.

I realize these screenshots are small. Open WordTracker’s Free Keyword Tool and type in the words/phrases to see the same results in true size.

There are 2 types of keyword phrases:
informational and commercial

Informational keyword phrases are searches for information – and usually for free information. Examples: “how to quilt” and “free quilt patterns”

Commercial keyword phrases are searches for products and represent potential buyers. Examples: “quilting magazines” and “quilting supplies”

Both types of keyword phrases are important to your overall marketing plan. Searches with commercial intent are used to create money pages with a specific recommendation and strong call-to-action.

Informational search terms are used to create free content that appeals to your target market, strategically leading them into your funnel and ultimately into a buying decision.

Commercial = immediate sale.
Informational = build rapport and work up to the sale.

The search volume, or the market depth, is important as this is how you are going to reach your market. It’s also how you are going to figure out the best ways to serve that market.

If you choose a micro-niche with very few keyword phrases to work with, even if those phrases have great search volume, you’re going to run out of creative ways to reach your market.

A niche with market depth and a wide variety of keyword phrases gives you many more opportunities to reach (and ultimately serve) that market.

Every single keyword phrase is an opportunity to meet and engage with your ideal customer. You use that keyword phrase to determine exactly what they want, and to deliver that one thing to them. Each keyword phrase should be considered a mini-marketing plan in your overall business strategy.

Going back to our quilting niche example, which has great market depth, you would analyze the keyword phrases and separate the informational searches from the commercial searches. The information phrases will be used to reach your market, and the commercial phrases will be used to make sales.

You want to ask yourself 4 questions:

- What are they looking for?
- Where are they looking for it?
- How can I enter that conversation?
- How can I best serve this market?

The obvious first step is to optimize each page of your affiliate site to rank well in the major search engines, so your ideal visitors can easily find you when they search those keyword phrases. See: Web Page Optimization (free tutorial & checklist).

You’ll use the keyword phrases to create content, and to frame your offer so that it appeals to your target market. If they are searching for “free quilt patterns” you give them that, and offer a new free pattern every month by email (build a list).

If they are searching for “quilting supplies” you recommend specific products they will need and the best places to order them online (via your affiliate links, of course).

A keyword phrase like “how to quilt” can be used to create a content page that leads into your pages on free patterns and supplies. This might be used on your site, or may be used as an article you submit to EzineArticles.com or publish on Squidoo.

You want to group all of the related “how to” keyword phrases and use those to create lead-in content to your how-to page on your own site. Not every piece of content has to be a monster essay either.

Those keyword phrases might be used in the subject line of a new thread on a niche forum, a short 500 word article you submit to article directories, used in an email subject line for a ‘quick tip’ message (that gets archived online), or used to open a discussion on Facebook or Twitter even.

The goal is to create various types of web content that strategically lead your visitor into your list, or to your money page. The email list will use a softer approach, building trust and rapport with your readers so that you become their go-to source for all things ‘quilting’ (replace with your niche, of course).

So the short answer to “how to get eyeballs and make sales” is this: know what they want, meet them where they are searching for it, deliver a specific targeted solution. Period.

That is marketing. Things like social bookmarking, article marketing, SEO, paid advertising – those are just methods to achieve your marketing plan. Most people mistake the methods for the marketing, and use the methods without a strategic marketing plan at all. Don’t make that mistake.

Marketing is about knowing and serving your market.

The methods are a means to do that.

So let’s talk methods real quick before we close. I’ll share some resources & tutorials with you as I’ve discussed most methods in great detail already:

I have tons more resources, so if you have any questions at all simply leave a comment below. I’d be happy to answer your questions, or point you to a free tutorial here at ClickNewz.

Best,