10 Ways To Differentiate Your Affiliate Business And Crush Your Competition
One of the most common mistakes made by affiliate marketers is the lack of differentiation in their business. Their website reads and looks just like hundreds of other affiliate websites in their niche. They all use the same web or blog templates, articles, affiliate promotional tools and photos for their websites.
Conformity is fine… if you’re in high school. Back then, if you deviate from the norm, you’ll will be ostracized and ridiculed by your peers and teachers.
But in the business world, conformity is the kiss of death. If your business, websites and products are just copycat versions of your competition, it’s game over. You won’t be able to stand out in a crowded market and you’ll struggle to generate long-term profits.
So, here are 10 strategies you can use to differentiate your affiliate business and crush your competition:
1. The All-in-one Strategy
This is the Amazon.com strategy. You offer the largest or most comprehensive selection of products/services in your niche. For instance, if you’re an affiliate marketer in the golf market, you could create a portal site that covers every aspect of golf, from product reviews to training articles. Your site can also offer daily news and a forum for golfers.
The goal of this strategy is to become the toll gate in your chosen market. Any merchant or advertiser that wants to reach your market will have to pay a toll to you, so to speak.
The downside to this strategy is you may end up being a jack of all trades and master of none. So, use this strategy only if you believe that you can develop an all-round website that’s superior to your competition.
2. The Independent Verification Strategy
Submit your affiliate website for awards or certifications. This is an opportunity to prove to your visitors that you’re the best in your market. It also builds your credibility if your website is selected as the best by independent publications.
So, look for magazines in your niche that give out the “Best Online Resource” award. If you win an award for your website, you’ll have an edge over your competition and you’ll be getting free publicity as well.
3. The Specialist Strategy
You can specialize your affiliate business in two ways:
- A specific niche market.
- A specific type of product/service.
Interestingly, you can combine the All-in-one strategy with the Specialist strategy. For example, you can build a portal in the dog market that offers product reviews, health and training tips, and a forum for just one specific dog breed.
4. The Celebrity Endorsement Strategy
Get celebrity and/or expert endorsement for your website. It doesn’t have to be expensive if you ask local or retired celebrities. You can offer free publicity to the celebrity in exchange for her endorsement.
For example, if you own a golf website, find a celebrity who plays golf and interview him. Then, ask him to check out your site and if he likes it, request a testimonial from him.
5. The New Category Strategy
One effective way to claim the No. 1 position in a market segment is to create a totally new category for your affiliate business.
For example, if your affiliate website reviews and promotes comics and action figures and you’re having difficulty in becoming the No. 1 comic book site or the No.1 action figure site, why not create a new category, i.e. comics AND action figure site?
Then, you can claim that you’re the No.1 comics and action figure authority on the internet. You’re No.1 because you’re the only one in the category.
6. The Value Added Strategy
This strategy involves offering free unique, valuable services or products to entice your visitors to buy through your affiliate link.
For instance, you could add information products as free premiums to entice your referrals. Information products like ebooks, audios and videos are cheap and easy to produce. You could just interview an expert via Skype and record the interview.
Another great value added product is software. Just hire a freelance programmer to develop a simple software that will save time or money for your referrals.
7. The Controversy Strategy
Controversy sells. Just ask Madonna. A controversial affiliate website will generate publicity and word-of mouth traffic easily and quickly.
To create controversy, look for accepted norms in your market or industry. And then, brainstorm ways on how you can break the norms and yet still give your market what they want.
8. The Design Strategy
All things being equal, the affiliate website with the more attractive design will win repeat visitors. Humans are naturally attracted to beauty. So, having a visually attractive website will generate more repeat visitors and hence, more revenue for you.
Unfortunately, most affiliate sites look amateurish and boring. So, hire a professional designer to create an attractive and unique web template for your site. It’s a one-time expense that will have a lasting and positive impact on your business.
9. The Squeezer Strategy
A company that uses this strategy all the time is Wal-Mart as they use their size to squeeze their vendors for maximum profits. You can use this strategy if you’re one of the top affiliates for a merchant.
Just negotiate a higher commission with the merchant. In most cases, they will agree to your request if they don’t want to lose you as an affiliate.
When you earn a commission higher than the average affiliate, you’ll have more ammunition for your marketing expenses.
10. The Membership Strategy
One of the best strategies to generate repeat traffic and recurring revenue is to develop an exclusive membership site. Even if you want to promote affiliate products only and have no desire to sell your own products, you can build a free membership site that contains frequently updated content.
A free membership site with great content will generate more repeat traffic and loyalty than the usual content site. You should also set the bar really high in your market by offering more than just articles. You should offer unique content in ebook, audio and video format that your competition doesn’t offer.
And there you have it, 10 strategies to differentiate your business and crush the competition. There are many more strategies available but if you implement just a few of the aforementioned strategies, you will see a positive effect on your affiliate business.
Just think big and do more than your competition. Be the 900 pound gorilla in your market and your business will still be standing once the dust has finally settled.
If you want to learn more strategies on differentiating your affiliate business and crushing your competition, check out the Startup Rebel Competitive Magic course now.