Characteristics Of A Super Affiliate

David Cooper

It's one of the simplest ways to earn money online. All you need to do is become an affiliate for someone else's product, service, or program. Fill out their signup form and you're ready to start promoting your unique referral URL.

Now I ask you, what could possible be simpler than that?

Of course, you're most likely expecting to earn a substantial amount of income from whatever product, service, or program you're promoting. That, my friend, requires rising to what is commonly referred to as "super" affiliate status, something that is anything BUT simple.

Mind you, it doesn't carry any degree of difficulty. Merely a strong commitment to become the best - and most productive - affiliate you possible can.

So what tasks will you need to be proficient in? Following is a quick list of the primary characteristics that are associated with super affiliate status.

Opt-In List Builder

You've probably heard it a dozen times...the gold is in the list. Quite simply, it means that having your own mailing list is one of the most effective means of bringing in affiliate income. Not just initially, but for months and even years to come.

The concept is straight-forward...you capture names and email addresses of potential "prospects" (people who would be inclined to purchase from you), and then follow up with those individuals.

The only problem is, many affiliate programs merely assign you a standard referral page, one that can only be promoted "as is". So how do you capture names and email addresses? Simple...

You need to create a "pre-sell" page of your own. That way, you can include a signup form that captures names and email addresses for YOU and not just the owner of the affiliate product, service, or program.

Autoresponder Messages

You've got a comprehensive mailing list and that means you've got numerous prospects you can send follow-up messages to. GREAT! That's exactly what you want. But super affiliates take that process one step further by simply incorporating autoresponder messages.

The power of an autoresponder is twofold...
There's no pressure to create follow-up messages on the fly. They're already stacked up and ready to go.
The entire process offers an automatic follow-up system. Again, because the messages are already stacked up and ready to go.

Just by clicking on a link or filling out a form, a viewer receives an instant email message, one that is - you guessed it - stacked up and ready to go.

But that's just the beginning. Behind that initial instant message is an entire series of messages that the person will automatically receive. Naturally, what you place in those follow-up messages is entirely up to you. The only criteria is that they ultimately bring you more sales.

Ad Tracking Capability

You've created one or more specific and unique autoresponder series which you're using to advertise your affiliate links. You're also promoting through forums, ezine ads, pay-per-click campaigns, online classifieds, and even your own newsletter. That equates to a whole lot of different advertising sources.

A super affiliate makes absolutely certain they know exactly where a viewer comes from. More importantly, where their SALES are coming from. In other words, you need to keep track of any and all individual promotions and advertising campaigns you're involved in.

Without that capability, you would have no means of determining which promotion efforts are a success and which ones should be either revised or abandoned altogether.

Professional Writing

Ok. So you're not the world's greatest writer. But whether you are or not isn't the point. Every super affiliate makes certain that the sales copy and content - on their own website or within the ads they distribute - is top notch.

If they can't do the writing themselves, they hire a ghostwriter, someone who IS capable of producing content that is not only compelling but capable of producing results. In most instances, the only result that matters is how much money was generated due to that particular sales copy.

Don't think you can afford to hire a ghostwriter? The way super affiliates view this issue is pretty basic...the better the writing, the better the financial gain. So the bottom line is, if they can't write their own "killer" content, they immediately recognize the fact that they can't afford NOT to hire a professional to do it for them.

Keyword Marketers

You might not understand all the fine details of keyword optimization, but one thing is certain. If you want to run with the "big dogs" - those super affiliates - you had better learn and understand, at the very least, the BASICS of utilizing proper keywords.

Unfortunately, even the basics are a bit too involved a topic to cover adequately in the confines of this particular article. Below is a list of some of the areas where this type of expertise would be valuable.
choosing the right keywords for pay-per-click campaigns
optimizing web pages to generate quality viewer traffic
having the ability to determine which keywords to avoid
using keywords to help select the best affiliate programs
isolating product specific keywords

The more proficient you become with regard to keywords, the more productive you'll be as an affiliate marketer.

Market Researcher

When it comes to affiliate marketing ability, keywords aren't the only area you should concentrate on. Being able to properly conduct research is absolutely essential to any serious-minded super affiliate.

One of the primary benefits would be learning which products, services, or programs to avoid and which ones to become involved in. Also, it would allow you to determine exactly what audience you should be promoting a particular product to.

Traffic Generation

Having all the knowledge and expertise in the world won't do you any good if you can't drive sufficient traffic straight to your offers.

Not only do super affiliates handle this type of task with ease and efficiency, they are constantly on the lookout for new and innovative means of generating even MORE targeted traffic. If you hope to compete, it's something you absolutely positively must be proficient in.

There's one other aspect of driving traffic that every super affiliate adheres to. That is, driving traffic to their own website or pre-sell page and NOT the merchant's website. Granted, the viewer will ultimately get to that destination (to actually make a purchase), but they should always be strategically guided through YOUR system first.

Customer Satisfaction

When dealing with affiliate programs, it's easy to forget the most important ingredient...the customer. After all, it's the owner of the affiliate product, service, or program who ultimately handles customer support.

If that's how you view this type of process - you drive the customer to the buy button and you're done - you're missing the whole point of conducting business online.

Just like the owner of the affiliate program, your main objective should be customer satisfaction. Why? Because a satisfied customer is a "lifetime" customer. Not just for the affiliate product, service, or program, but for YOU as well.

Super Affiliate = Super Salesperson

I know, I know. There are few people who actually LIKE to sell something. But it's not the product, service, or program I'm referring to this time. It's you.

That's right. Just like any other online business owner, you should seriously concentrate on building your own solid reputation. In other words, you need to "brand" yourself. In doing so, you'll be developing relationships that will endure for as long as you conduct business.

So even before you think about selling something online, think about how best to sell yourself. Trust me. It's the highest amount of leverage any super affiliate can possess.

Personal Product Recommendation

This might be last on the list but I can assure you, it's THE most important aspect of being a super affiliate. Basically, the rule is...

Don't even think about promoting ANY product, service or program until you've personally used or tried it yourself.

Oh sure, you can easily fake it...write a glowing testimonial or recommendation based purely on the existing sales copy, but what happens when a potential customer asks you specific questions about the benefit you personally received by using that product? At that point, you have two choices...
lie about the results you've achieved
admit that you've never used the product

Either way, you're putting your entire business reputation - your all-important credibility - at risk. No matter how much you might be tempted, don't do it. If the product is good enough for you to seriously promote, then it's definitely good enough for you to purchase outright yourself.

And there you have it...the primary characteristics that all super affiliates possess. Follow their lead and I guarantee that in no time at all you'll be experiencing a substantial increase in affiliate sales.

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David Cooper is the editor of the Affiliate Marketing Articles Newsletter. David specializes in helping people with their affiliate marketing efforts by offering real world tips and strategies. Subscribe to his FREE newsletter at: http://www.affiliatemarketingarticles.com