Teach Your Downline Affiliate Marketing Fundamentals
By James Slader
As an affiliate mentor, you have a responsibility to help those new to your team. This help is in the form of giving knowledge. From there, it is helping your downline use this knowledge within processes and systems.
With the Internet, and affiliate programs, ever evolving you have to be flexible when it comes to mentoring. There is always something new in the wind that you will have to teach. Of course, you can”t neglect the fundamentals, those things that will always be a part of any affiliate-training program.
You also have to take a systematic approach to your training. New affiliates cannot learn everything at once. As they begin their marketing efforts, they need to first concentrate on those fundamentals. Take the time to set up a training program that teaches your downline basic Internet business building concepts.
The following are some of the modules to include in the early phases of your training program. You will teach these things to new members in the first few weeks. They concern those affiliate-marketing concepts:
Teach the Content Concept
It’’s important that new members know from the get-go that quality content is crucial to their business. They must understand that they cannot just toss a few banners and graphics on a web page. Show them content rules and show them how to build content.
Teach your new downline members the importance of article writing and article marketing. Explain to them how to use a good article distribution service as part of an article promotion campaign. Show them where the good article distribution services are and how they can help.
In addition, show your downline examples of excellent web page, e-zine, and blog content. Explain to them how meaty content, not fluff, supports product photos and banners. Instill in them the concept that web searchers look for content not banners.
Teach the Targeted Traffic Concept
New downline members may expend much time trying to drive any kind of traffic to their website. You job, as an affiliate mentor, is to teach them the concept of targeted traffic. It’’s essential you teach downline members about SEO optimized articles. They also need to understand how to SEO optimize web pages. Help them connect with those already looking for them.
Introduce your new downline members to directory submission as well. This is where they submit their URLs to niche directories related to their affiliate product. The same goes with commenting on social forums within their niche market. Mentor your downline to connect with those already interested in their affiliate product and related topics.
Teach the Relationship Building Concept
We”re really talking about doing pre-selling here. Your new downline members need to know they won”t sell everyone the first time out. Explain to them that it takes an average of seven exposures to a product to get a sale.
Ask your downline, the next time you fire an e-mail off, to ponder businesses in their neighborhood. Ask them who they frequent and why. Now, explain to them that their customers want to know and trust them before they deal with them regularly. Then show them how to build that trust factor. Again, they can do so through establishing themselves as authorities via article marketing.
They can also talk to their target market on blogs and forums. On their website, they can offer free resources and helpful information. They can offer all of this without trying to “get a sale.” Show your downline that when it comes time to buy, these customers will know where to go. They will go to those they have an affinity for because of pre-selling dialog.
Teach the Initiative Concept
Help your new downline members understand they must be proactive in marketing their business. This is a basic tenet of affiliate marketing. Putting up banners and links are not the engine that will drive their affiliate “empire.” Only their sustained efforts across multiple marketing platforms will. Sustained effort means having a marketing schedule. This is one that they stick to day-by-day, week-by-week, month-by-month.
Teach the “Always Studying Affiliate Marketing” Concept
Finally, teach your downline that it always pays to be a student of affiliate marketing. Many people make a lot of money in quality programs and they need to know that. Point them in the direction of quality resources put out by these people. Encourage them to study and learn from the pros, always.
You can”t go wrong instilling affiliate marketing fundamentals in your downline. In fact, it doesn”t hurt to remind even seasoned members of your team about them occasionally. When you teach fundamentals, you build a downline fundamentally strong. They can then move forward into new marketing avenues that always seem to evolve on the Net.
About The Author
Jim Slader manages the affiliate program at Article Marketer, the largest article distribution service on the Internet. Earn commissions on a product that virtually sells it; become an Article Marketer Affiliate today. Join the winning team: it’’s quick and easy .
