How to Attract People to Your Affiliate Programme

Having an affiliate programme for your online business is a great way to get other people to sell your products, at very little cost to you. The only drawback is that you have pay commission on every sale they make.

There are a number of ways that you, the online business owner, can promote your affiliate programme (as can an affiliate to promote your products):

Send an email to everyone on your list

Write an email or include an item in your newsletter (or 'ezine') about your products or services and include the link in your email. A personal recommendation always works really well. So, if people have benefited from your expertise, encourage them to write about the experience.

Tweet about it

If you use Twitter, you can 'tweet' your link. NB: It is all right if Twitter reduces the length of your link; the code will still work.

Include it on Facebook

In much the same way as with Twitter, you can post your link on your Facebook page, either in your status or as a recommended link.

Add a banner to your website

Include a banner that directs visitors to specific products on your website.

Add a link or 'widget' to your blog

There are a couple of ways you can add your link to your blog. You can simply write a post about your products or services and include your link, or your can add a 'widget' (a graphic button) that takes visitors to your affiliate programme page.

Remember to treat your best-performing affiliates well; they are contributing to your success, as well as their own. Reward them and thank them for their loyalty, and congratulate them publicly for their success. This will serve to motivate them further, while acting as an incentive to those affiliates who are performing less well.

It is also worth considering signing up as an affiliate yourself with some companies that you trust and whose products and services you feel comfortable about recommending. Affiliate marketing is a great way to add another income stream while building your online business.

Emma Walker is a co-founder of Academy for Online Business, a company devoted to helping self-employed professionals; 'solopreneurs' and 'mumpreneurs' build their own online business empires. If you would like to receive practical and informative online business training products to help you create your perfect business, from solid foundations, to which systems you need in place, so that you can start running a business you love, visit http://academyforonlinebusiness.com/blog/ Emma is a serial entrepreneur, author and busy mother.