Optimize Your Affiliate Relationships by Finding a Niche

In order to make the most of your affiliate relationships and grow your business online, understanding your product niche is key and should be at the foundation of your online marketing strategy. Here are some top tips for online retailers:

• Don’t overlook building your prospect list, and don’t be afraid to reach out to top vendors offering complementary products in your target niches. Kristof Lindner, a top ClickBank affiliate and vendor, suggests, “If you want to generate interest when you’re just starting out, find people in your niche that have a list of customers that might be interested in your product. Then reach out to those individuals.”
• Leverage your lists to better understand who constitutes your target audience. Try implementing a post-purchase survey to gather key demographic information.
• Understand what need your product addresses and what problems it solves. Focus your resources on targeting that unique audience.
• Search relevant online forums and blogs to find out what your market’s concerns are and where they're turning for their information and product recommendations.
• Translate your brand message and product benefits into compelling resources and materials that will be useful for affiliates, including a completed and persuasive sales page, banners, graphics, email copy, AdWords text and keywords. By offering these materials, you'll already have an advantage in attracting affiliates because you're making their jobs much easier.

At the end of the day, it's important to pitch your product to affiliates in order to build an army of marketers. This is all working towards building your brand and reputation, which will ultimately attract more affiliates to your products.