or rebrand other people's products, adding value with bonuses is a
well-used tactic in affiliate marketing. Why? Because a good bonus is
valid, honest, and truly does add value to any offer. Perhaps most
importantly, it makes the customer think that NOT to purchase would
be a very unwise decision.
The challenge is that almost every marketer is using bonuses, so
customers are wearying of the hype. What you need to do is offer them
bonuses that do add genuine value to your product, and off them at
the right place and time, and in the right way.
A bonus with genuine value:
*can be put to use immediately and is directly related to your
product.
*provides motivation that is a match for the motivation to sign up
for the newsletter or buy your product, and serves to add to that
motivation, not detract from it.
*can allow you to put a price on a product that others give away for
free.
The right placement of a bonus is:
*immediately before your prospect takes the last action to complete a
sale. This will eliminate any last minute hesitation.
A bonus works well if you will only be selling your product for a
limited time:
*Tell people if they order by Jan 28, 2000 they will get a discount
or free bonuses. A sense of urgency compels the customer to buy now
rather than risk missing the bonus.
Here are examples of appropriate free bonuses:
1. Physical Product If you are selling a physical product, it's easy
to slip in a free sample or free gift. Anything with your logo, url
and/or contact info reminds your customer to return to your website.
Pens, mousepads, coffee cups, and refrigerator magnets all get used
frequently.
2. Special Report Information in a condensed form that relates to
what you're offering and would be very helpful for the customer
makes a great bonus. If your product is information explaining how
to do something, your bonus can be a detailed description of some
aspect of that. A great bonus to add to Opt In Master Course would be
a report outlining how to get the most out of your favorite traffic
exchanges or safelists; or, how to write a good email advertisement.
Titles that are exciting and include numbers, such as "10 Killer
Steps to Writing Email Ads that Sell", are proven to be highly
successful. An easy way to write your report is to write it in
Microsoft Word, format it so it looks nice (using white space,
highlights, and bulleted lists), and then use Adobe Acrobat to save
it as a PDF file for easy downloading. (Be sure to promote your
business and website in there too - remember it may get passed
around.)
3. Resource List Compile a list of your personally recommended
resources, websites, books, and vendors that will help your list grow
their lists and run a successful business. You can set this up as a
PDF file as well, or create a password-protected area of your
website that your list can access.
4. Checklist Are there any checklists that would be a good tie-in to
what you offer? That help people do what you're teaching them to do,
better or easier? A checklist of a daily traffic exchange surfing
schedule, or weekly website promotion activities, would help your
list run their businesses more efficiently. A common question I
receive is, do you really use ALL the resources in OMC? Your answer
to that could be your checklist of what you use.
5. Collection of Articles My favorite way to advertise my site and
add valuable content is to write articles and post them to article
directories and on my website. Your list of article directories, or a
collection of your best 10 articles, would make a valuable bonus.
6. Workbook Since OMC includes marketing principles, strategies and
tactics, put together a separate guide to help your list do
assignments, stay on track, and document their progress. A workbook
is something people recognize and appreciate because it infers step
by step guidance, with measurable results. This would be a step up
from a checklist.
7. A Coaching Session With You
A consultation is a great bonus to offer, for several reasons. First,
it helps you get to know your list members and their questions will
help you decide on the direction your website should take. Second,
it's a great opportunity to add backend sales to your free products.
For example, if they appreciated the coaching you provided, they may
be interested in an ebook that expands on this info.
Digital or Physical?
If you're offering printed material as a bonus, don't go crazy
spending a ton of money making it look great. "Good" is okay! A
simple printed-on-demand report from
Press fits any budget and is fine. First you sign up for a Basic
Shop for free. On the " My CafePress" page, click on the "products"
link under Shop Management. Next, click on the "add products" button
at the top of the page. This will direct you to the product list
where you can select the products available for you to choose from.
The book is the last product in the list. The system will then walk
you through each step of creating your book
What's most important is the cover -- even if you only produce a
digital report or audio product, having a graphic of it will help
increase your response and make you look more professional.
Give Your Wallet a Bonus This Month
So get some bonuses together, make note of your sales so far, and then add some bonuses and watch how your sales rise.
Kathryn Beach has been building websites and businesses online since 1998. She shares knowledge from personal experience about getting started in affiliate marketing on her website, "Affiliate Marketing Tips". To receive the newsletter visit her website and subscribe using the online form.