RE: Affiliate programs, UGs and Revenue
RE: Affiliate programs, UGs and Revenue
- Subject: RE: Affiliate programs, UGs and Revenue
- From: MUG NEWS <email@hidden>
- Date: Sat, 19 Jul 2003 08:09:45 -0400
The "Affiliates" thread caught my attention...
RE: Art Payne wrote:
> ...start doing PRODUCT REVIEWS for Amazon on various
> companies products which also helps the respective
> companies and may also help promote your user group.
Art made a very valid point. Publishers and authors DO
see the Amazon reviews -- in fact, they actively search
and look for them, comparing them to others for their own
books as well as for other competing books.
In fact, there's a strong likelihood that the publisher and
author will see your review posted in Amazon when they don't
see it in your newsletter!
I was one of the early adopters of the Amazon (and several other)
Associates program and it has worked very well for me and
my various sites. Once you overcome several market positioning
barriers with your members, the associate commissions can be
considerable.
RE: Richard Huggins wrote:
> The harder thing is getting your members to remember to
> use the special banner-links and to appreciate the
> potential for your group.
Another very valid point. Many, many user group members
(and officers for that matter) forget about the UG site most of
the time, and have their own "pet" bookmarks to sites that they
visit regularly -- bypassing the group page.
It's really a matter of marketing. Getting the member to 'remember'
the UG site when the decision to purchase has been reached is a
major challenge. You've got to keep the UG name on their minds,
and reinforce both the group identity and group's site URL
over and over to obtain that brain space.
A weekly email newsletter or "memo" is probably the best way to
secure that brain space. Short, interesting emails to all the
members once a week keeps the group in the member's conscience
memory. If you make it good, they'll come to look forward to it,
and trust it's message.
If you have a problem with doing such a weekly newsletter, see
the "InfoManager" by Lynn Wegley link below -- that content is
available for your UG use -- published every Monday morning
and archived at
http://www.user-groups.net/InfoManager/ .
( <grin> shameless plug)
Also, try to encourage the members to put the group's URL in the
"home" page slot of their browser. Yes, it will be a difficult
challenge -- yet once you do, their browser will automatically
zip out to the group site when they open it.
Keep the associate link up front, near the top of the page, and/or
featured books/products for impulse clicks -- and don't forget
the all-important "SEARCH" box that lets the user key in the
keyword, ISBN number, or manufacturer directly into the search
box on YOUR site.
1) Push, push, push the UG URL and Associate links beginning
in September -- for the holidays
2) Build "Packages" that would interest members as "gift"
ideas combining perhaps books and accessories
3) Broaden your product mix: don't limit your offerings to
just computer stuff... mention popular non-computer books,
CDs or products. (Around gift-giving season they'll be
ordering many products other than computer books!)
4) Establish a "Group" page in Amazon and then build "most
recommended products" lists on that page... Amazon promotes
those lists, and suddenly you're marketing through Amazon to
non members all over the world!
5) Create meeting/NL product tie-ins and make them either "task"
specific, or learning-specific. Give them a 'reason' to
utilize your site link to Amazon. :-)
Just a few the "101 Fail-Safe Fund Raising Techniques"
from my "Nonprofit Fund Raising" session at NAUG, NAUGSAW
and previous Macworlds.
:-)
Fred
Fred Showker
Editor-In-Chief
MUG (AACUG Mac User Guide)
http://www.aacug.org/MUG/
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