Have you ever wondered why some companies seem to be just everywhere on the web? I mean the likes of Hostgator, Bluehost, Aweber, Amazon, Clickbank and so on?
No, it's not really because they spend big money on advertising; ads alone wouldn't have taken them that far. In fact, you'll rarely stumble on ads by Amazon. And even if you do, chances are you'll just ignore them—just as other Internet users now do to most ads.
If you scour the web thoroughly and on a frequent basis, you'd have observed that several blogs and websites mention these companies and strongly recommend their products and services.
Almost every search for the best web hosting service returns Hostgator or Bluehost. Almost every how-to-blog type website links to them. Almost every blog post on email marketing recommends Aweber or GetResponse. And almost every detailed review of physical products links to Amazon's website. Yet, these companies didn't directly pay for those mentions and recommendations.
So, how come they’re widely recommended and trusted?
If your guess is that one badass strategy is at work, then you're right. They all run affiliate programs that pay generously. In fact, some of them are more popular for their affiliate programs than for their offers. That’s the secret!
Bluehost, for example, pays their affiliates a whopping $65 per sale. Amazon pays 4% to 10% per sale, depending on the product. Aweber pays 30% commission not just for the first sale, but for each recurring payment by the same customer.
Truth is, only few things are stronger motivations than money. That's why several thousands—or even millions—of Internet users have become marketers and ambassadors for these companies. And that's why you'll find only one or few negative customer reviews about these companies for every 10,000 positive reviews.
So, those companies seem to be everywhere on the web because they run lucrative affiliate programs that give them these unfair advantages:
- Top rankings in search results (due to links from blogs and websites owned by affiliates).
- Several thousands to millions of brand and product/service ambassadors (affiliates).
- A huge customer base (millions of loyal customers).
- A positive online reputation (most affiliates emphasize only the good parts and ignore the dark sides of each company's offer).
- Much reduced (or zero) advertising costs.
It goes without saying that these companies will continue to enjoy these benefits for as long as they run their affiliate programs
Now, it's important to add that these companies have achieved success with their affiliate programs because they offer products and services that are really of top-notch quality. A high-paying affiliate program won't bring long-term benefits to mediocre offers.
With the above in mind, you too can turn your business into a market leader within a short period by setting up an affiliate program—one that pays generous commissions.
To get started, you have the option of setting up your own in-house affiliate program or joining a reputable affiliate network such as Commission Junction or ShareASale. These established affiliate networks have the added advantage of integrating seamlessly with your payment processor, shopping cart, quickbooks inventory management software and product datafeed.
After setting up the program, promote it aggressively to attract your first set of affiliates, and watch everything else fall into place.
Within a short period, you'll start getting the same results as those big brands—improved search engine rankings, increased brand awareness (especially online), and more customers.