Supplier-Focused Affiliate Marketing eBooks

As a supplier, it is your job to try to understand your Affiliates – what makes them tick, which ones should you invest in to build strong relationships with, and how can you best leverage their talents on behalf of your business interests.

There is a never ending stream of eBooks that purport to reveal the ‘holy grail of affiliate marketing’ to aspiring novice affiliates.  However, equivalent ‘how to’ guidebooks for suppliers do not exist…which, in many ways is a good thing!

Affiliate Marketing eBook authors live off of newbie affiliates…and we, just like almost everyone else that plies the trade today, have spent thousands of dollars and bought dozens of books with eloquent titles like “What to Sell”, “Drive Free Web Traffic”, “How to Test Anything”, “Email Tips”, SEO, SEM, PPC, CPC, etc., in our quest for the grail.  We were ‘newbies’ once, too!

However, as almost all affiliates that are ‘wet behind the ears’ will tell you, affiliates get their information from colleagues, friends and forums, not eBooks. While this truism may not hold completely true for suppliers, as a new supplier getting started in performance marketing, you might find it a bit of a slog to fill your knowledge gaps.  If you can’t (or prefer not to) tap into affiliate forums and podcasts, there are other options you may want to consider.

Here are two resources that we suggest you skim to glean answers to some of your questions:

www.SuperAffiliateHandbook.com – Rosalind Gardiner has done a good job outlining how an affiliate should think about affiliate marketing and the various successful ways affiliates should approach selling.

Based on our experience, one of the key success factors in affiliate marketing is understanding your partner – and in particular – at what stage of professional development they are in, and helping him or her succeed (for if they succeed, you succeed as well).  In some business circles, this approach to partner relationships is known as key account management.

Part of your responsibility for affiliate programs in your company, you should be adept at identifying where your travel affiliates are in their professional life cycle (e.g., Newbie, Adolescence, All Knowing, Mature). Rosalind deftly describes the affiliate ‘maturation process’ in her book; we think some of her insights may help you to better manage your affiliate business relationships.

www.QuitYourDayJob.com – Jeremy Palmer has authored an eBook that we picked-up some time ago, which we think still provides a good overview of how to make money in affiliate marketing. Again, Jeremy offers some practical advice that, depending on what stage you are in your professional career, you may find useful in applying to your affiliate program management activities.  It’s a good read, and you can’t beat the price…its free!