An offer too good to be true?
Here’s a question we received recently from a client:
“Keith, I’ve got an offer from a guy who makes millions as a “super affiliate.” He’s shown me copies of some of his checks from Google – he seems legit. He wants to insert my info products into his “massive affiliate network,” and he’ll give me 40% (he keeps 60% to “pay the affiliates). He claims he’s made millions for most of his partners. What do you think?”
I ask you: What do you think? Does this sound like a good offer, does it sound legit?
Here’s the scoop: Some of the biggest names in the biz of internet made their gazillions in the “affiliate” game. It used to be a good racket, for those with the stomach for that kind of thing. Here’s some common sense information.
There are four basic types of “affiliate,” ranging from legitimate to kinda’ shady.
First, there’s the typical legitimate affiliate relationship
You have a site with a great product. You approach Max over at his site and offer him a percentage of each sale if you can send an email to his list offering your great product.
Max loves your product, and promotes it actively to his list. You set up an affiliate share with Max in your shopping cart (1 Shopping Cart makes this simple to set up and administer).
Then, there are different degrees of affiliate “sites”
Laziest: While searching for something, maybe you’ve landed on one of those sites that is a page full of clickable links loosely related to your search topic (does anybody actually click on those?). These pages are fortunately falling out of favor, as Google is trying to eradicate the web of this kind of thing.
A little less lazy: Or, maybe you land on a “review site,” trying to pass itself off as an impartial reviewer of whatever it is you’re looking for. All of the links, of course, are affiliate links. (Hey, a few of these can actually contain good info, not all affiliates are bad guys . . .) Unfortunately, most “review” sites are just some guy copying and pasting someone else’s reviews and attaching their own link. Google has really slammed these sites, which is good news.
The most pervasive affiliate approach has been “thin affiliates.” Here’s how this works.
Let’s say you sell e-books and audios with the world’s most delicious collection of “Squid Recipes.”
Your site is full of pages of deep content, and pictures of steamed, plated Squid, and Squid Burgers with Squid Fries. You’ve earned top ranking in Google for “Squid Recipes.” You own the squid search terms.
Now Mr. or Ms. Super Affiliate comes along and offers you the deal of a lifetime. He’s gonna’ sell a million of your Squid books far and wide. He takes your product and starts cranking out endless single page “websites” that are basically a landing page or squeeze page. Most are a sales page (most affiliates have little patience for developing a sales relationship, they’re in it for the quick sale).
Anyway, scores of people you’ve never met have just attended an expensive Affiliate Boot Camp over the weekend, and start marketing your recipes in Google – competing with your legitimate site, and causing all of your Google “squid” related click prices to get more expensive.
And, if you’re lucky, you end up with a few of those affiliates who know what they’re doing, you start selling a lot more recipe books!
So, what’s the downside? Win-win, right?
These are the “secret, insider” methods the big boys have been selling for years now, dishing out big-ticket info products teaching others how to do what they do.
Well, it took a few years, but thank heavens, those days are over.
An article from Google-Expert Perry Marshall slammed the door on “old-school” affiliates for good. The days of the easy ride on Google are over. Done.
Here’s what Perry wrote, which is great news for “the rest of us:”
“Google is slashing and burning affiliate accounts . . . in some categories, the number of advertisers has gone from 50 to 5. The land has been cleared for people who create original products — a lucrative opportunity for content creators. “
He then added, “If you don’t have a Unique Selling Proposition on the Internet, you’re road kill sooner or later. It’s just a question of when.”
Hear that refrain? USP – original content — original product.
Music to our ears. Google (and the Internet in general) rewards those of us willing to create original content, and those who give people the information they crave.
A Gentle Warning
Finally, here’s one thing that’s really ticking me off: I subscribe to a lot of the “gooroo” email lists to keep tabs on what they’re up to. (I suffer so you don’t have to . . .)
And here’s what scary: Way too many of them are STILL trying to sell their expensive affiliate site-building products — even as Google shuts them down. If you have any friends in the Internet biz, warn them: Affiliate marketing (as taught by these guys) is going the way of the dinosaur.
Your Take Away Tips:
Genuine affiliate relationships are one of the best ways to market your product and build your email list. Here are the keys:
1. You control the message and how your product is presented on other people’s sites, and in their emails to their lists.
2. All of those messages and emails link directly to your site, and the purchase is made through your shopping cart, with a simple affiliate code set up to automatically pay your affiliate.
3. Your affiliates don’t build their own sites or place their own Google ads for your product. This could weaken your brand and your credibility in Google (and may even get you banned by Google.)
4. Know that everything online is constantly being refined to reward you: those with original ideas, content and product. Congratulations!
