your place to their place. If this is what you have been doing, take the "L" (for loser) off your forehead, and read this to "get SMART quick."
Stop LOSING a valuable marketing opportunity -- and stop it now!
Instead, set up a bridge page (also called a portal page or doorway page). Use the terms bridge and portal instead since the word doorway has a separate search engine meaning that can be confusing.
A bridge page works simply like this. You set up a bridge page on your web site. You send them to this page instead of to the affiliate site, collect their information, and THEN send them to the affiliate site.
The objective is to offer them something for f/r/e/e that they must register for on that bridge page so you collect their information. In fact, you can offer several things.
You set up two pages actually. One that is the bridge page and the other a thank you page. After you collect their information THEN you send them to the thank you page. On the thank you page, you thank them for whatever it is they did and then give them an option to NOW access the affiliate site.
Here are a few ideas on items you can offer on the bridge page to collect their information:
* To subscribe to your ezine. If you have more than one, list them all.
* To register for an ecourse.
* To receive an ebook.
* Offer your opinion or testimonials on using the affiliate’s product/program.
Now, one of the main things most people do not think about is offering them something else to purchase. This is generally something companies look out for when you sign up to be an affiliate (at least the good ones do). They don’t want their competition becoming an affiliate and then snatching the customer on the way to their site. I am chuckling on this one -- I think it is great actually. Most affiliates don’t even know this is happening to them.
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Offering something for a price isn’t as effective as something for f/r/e/e. Then again, you have to decide what is your call to action for the bridge page. Is it to collect name and increase your mailing list or to make residual income. Don’t get greedy and offer both. It will bite you in the "assets". Too many choices and it confuses the visitor and so they don’t make any decision at all and leave without choosing anything -- no freebie, no affiliate link.
When you set up your doorway page, set up the metatags and searchable keywords that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to place on your site. Make sure that these same words are in the content.
About the Author:
Catherine Franz is a 30-year marketing industry veteran, a Certified Business Coach, Certified Teleclass Leader and Trainer, speaker, author, and Master Attraction Practitioner. Business client’s include professional firms, restaurants, retail stores, coaches, employees using writing for advancement, and independent professionals across the globe, i.e., the USA, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. For daily marketing tips and electronic newsletters on marketing, Universal Laws of Attraction, and marketing writing/copywriting, visit: http://www.AbundanceCenter.com, catherine@abundancecenter.com or directly at 703-671-5677.
Read this Newsletter at: http://www.smallbusinessupdate.com/2004/0119.html |
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| From the Forum: |
| Affiliate Goals for 2004??? |
 Anyone have any affiliate marketing goals or new years resolutions they want to share? You know what they say... If you write down your goals, you are more likely to achieve them. If you tell another, your goals become more solid. If you share your goals with the entire WebProWorld they are BOUND to happen!!! ...
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