Radium

Act like an affiliate marketer

Monday, 26th October , 2009

Recently I have been working with clients on their affiliate marketing programs and it dawned on me that many of the skills that make affiliate marketers successful could be appropriately applied to search marketing (both paid and organic) professionals.

What makes a good affiliate marketer?
Here are 3 strategies that you can employ to become better at search marketing.

1. They are opportunity based – Affiliate marketers are quick to spot opportunities and exploit them even if the benefit is short lived. Much of what we do in search marketing is based on long term strategies but that doesn’t mean you should ignore changes in the search landscape. Paid search marketing is perfectly suited to take advantage of internet memes, recent events and relevant pop culture happenings. Organic search, while less likely to be influenced by these items can also provide some really good opportunities if you keep your eyes open.
2. They are results based – Affiliate marketers are focused on conversions because conversions = commissions. Now, don’t take this the wrong way. I’m not saying you should be charging for results, I’m saying you should be focused on results. SEO is especially labor intensive and if you put your effort into areas that don’t generate results you are wasting time and money. Focus your efforts on the tactics that deliver the best results.
3. They are constantly optimizing – The best affiliate marketers and are always looking for ways to increase their returns and you should too! Whether it’s paid or organic search you should always be optimizing your campaigns in order to maximize your returns. Analyze your results and improve upon them.

Now get out there and start acting like an affiliate marketer!
Image courtesy of left-hand.