We’re nearing the end of another wedding season here in the Pacific Northwest, and I couldn’t help but notice that kitchen appliances are still popular as wedding presents, but the appliances have changed since Arlene and I were married.
I remember lots of glassware and several nice toasters on our gift table. Nowadays I see more sophisticated gifts like Cuisinart slow cookers which are accompanied by their own cookbooks.
At one of these happy events, I wondered out loud why Cuisinart felt the need to include their own cookbook with a slow cooker. After all, isn’t it just a miniature oven, and won’t most casserole recipes work just fine in them?
A small mob of highly experienced and long-suffering cooks immediately surrounded me and began the re-education process. No, I won’t go into detail here, but trust me; there is a difference, each brand of slow cooker has its own cook book, and those recipes should be followed faithfully. Every time.
Of course, I immediately began considering how this might apply to affiliate marketing, and it didn’t take long to figure it out.
Very few of us actually develop recipes, but we still have to eat, right? Sometimes we use family recipes passed down from a generation or two ago, relying secret ingredients which are jealously guarded. Other times we rely on basic recipes from cookbooks, or from a friend who is a very good cook.
The thing is, though, once you find a recipe that works, you don’t want to mess with it too much. You may substitute a spice or two, but you shouldn’t swap turkey for beef in a meatloaf recipe. In the same way, online marketers should stick to a tried-and-true recipe for online success.
1. Start With a Live and Growing List
If the money’s in the list – and it is – then you can only grow your money if your list is growing, right? So how many people have subscribed to your list today, or this week?
If your list hasn’t been growing like it should, it may be time to re-evaluate your marketing strategy. If you aren’t sure what your marketing strategy is, then perhaps you should bring in some reinforcements.
Not all of us are full-time marketers. If you aren’t, then perhaps you could hire a marketer to help you develop a persuasive optin for your customers. Additionally, AWeber offers some very useful software to help you manage your email traffic.
2. Add a Well-Crafted Page or Two
I expect that cooking instructors see certain mistakes being made over and over again by their new students, because new marketers are the same way. One mistake I see over and over again is the tendency to crank out page after page of ad copy without an actual purpose.
Before you go about creating the perfect page, you should first figure out what you want your visitors to do while looking at that page. Would you like them to;
- click an affiliate link and make a purchase?
- leave a comment?
- subscribe to your list?
- listen to a podcast?
After settling on a purpose for your page, you should set about constructing a page for that purpose.
There are certain things you should include on all of your pages, of course. You’ll need some good copy with a few sub-headlines to keep your readers interested, and bullet lists to bring some attention to the important bits. You should also conclude the page with an obvious call to action.
It will be just as important, though, to keep your page clutter-free and focused on your purpose.
3. Measure, Track, Test and Stir
Most cooks will taste test sauces during the cooking process, for the same reason that you should test your site as often as possible. You’ve already heard about measuring, tracking and testing, but it can’t be discussed too often.
No matter how much time you put into polishing your web pages, it won’t matter unless they actually work. Although website analytics can be time consuming and fairly boring, it’s important that you put the time into this task anyway.
Fortunately, I can suggest some tools to help speed up the process. Google Analytics and Google Website Optimizer are my favorites, and they also happen to be free.
Your Basic Recipe for Online Success
Cuisinart food processors come with their very own cookbook, too. One of the recipes in that food processor cookbook is a salsa recipe that calls for a certain amount of cilantro. I’ll probably check that recipe every time I make the salsa, because a little cilantro goes a long way.
It’s a good idea to review your recipe for online success, also. By attending to your list, focusing your pages, and testing your outcomes, you’ll be increasing your chances for a very successful online business.
Your feedback, as always, will be appreciated.
About the Author
Affiliate marketing podcaster, trainer and speaker James Martell is the creator of “Coffee Talk”, an ongoing series of interviews with experts in internet marketing. An expert himself, James has been mentoring people in the art of affiliate marketing since 2001.