By Monique Harris
Putting up a content filled Web site, and
submitting it
to dozens of search engines may seem like
the key to
success. But truly it's a hit-and-miss
game, that you
might or might not win. Remember, you're
always in
competition with thousands of other site
owners, who
all want the same thing... a top 10 position.
However, savvy Netpreneurs know that explosive
growth
almost always occurs when you strategically
team up with
others. Teaming up means you can effectively
reach a larger
segment of your marketplace, through more
than one outlet.
Plus, you're not at the mercy of a fluctuating
search
engine.
Here are a few tips to help you master
this profitable
art:
1) Form BIG Strategic Alliances.
Starting an affiliate program is a great
way to increase
your profits, without having to spend
countless hours
doing all the marketing yourself. In fact,
an affiliate
program can draw as many as 100-1,000
new resellers every
month.
But the key to success isn't 'quantity,'
it's 'quality.'
Why? Because typically 5%-20% of your
affiliates will
be responsible for 90% of your sales -
(and sometimes
even more than that.)
It's important to locate and sign-up affiliates
who
run high-traffic Web sites or online newsletters.
Choose people who are popular within your
niche, or
attract a lot of attention. The larger
your strategic
alliance, the better chance you have of
making more
sales.
2) Use the Power of Association.
No matter what product or service you sell,
there's
probably an association that has members
who are more
than willing to buy it.
For example, I've written an e-book titled,
"The Web
Site Hosting and Designers Promotional
Guide." So my
best prospects would probably be members
of Webmaster,
Web site hosting, and Web designer associations.
I could do any of the following to reach
those members:
+ Advertise in these associations online
newsletters;
+ Purchase banner ad space on their sites;
+ Ask the associations to become affiliates,
so that
they'll earn a percentage from
each e-book sale;
+ Contribute content to their site or
newsletter.
You can find all types of associations
to team up with
at the American Society of Association
Executives Web
site, <http://www.asaenet.org>.
3) Exercise Your Swapping Skills.
However big and bad you think your competitors
are, they
can dramatically contribute to your bottom
line, if you
approach the relationship in the right
way.
Teaming up with your competitors will allow
you to do
such things as:
* Exchange sales leads.
Sometimes when I'm swamped with work,
I'll ask my top
competitors to take on a bit of my overload.
And now that
we've formalized the relationship, they'll
often do the
same thing with me.
* Trade links.
It doesn't matter if the two of you sell
the same thing.
You competitor may have a particular style
or color
that your prospect wants, and vice versa.
If you don't
have what the customer wants, they're
going to look
elsewhere anyway. So trading links makes
the prospects
shopping experience more positive, and
both of you gain
from one another. It's a win-win-win situation.
-----------------------------------------------
Monique Harris is the co-author of "Make
Your Knowledge Sell."
This over 1,000 page manual is packed with
info on creating, promoting
and selling your booklets, e-books, audio
tapes, newsletters, and
other information products. For more info
Click Here.
