Affiliate Marketing - Can Your Email Subscribers Trust Your Recommendations?

  As you build your list of email subscribers an increasing amount of your money-making activity will be based on your product recommendations. After all, this is what affiliate marketing is all about. But you will only do this effectively if people trust you. That's why building trust in your subscriber base is arguably the most important thing you can do. The people on your email list have to know you do actually have their best interests at heart. This means they have to know you would not recommend a product that is not good value or does not do what you say it will do.

  The problem is, while building trust can take quite a long time it can be weakened or even destroyed in a very short time. Once trust is broken, people will leave and they will not come back. In fact, they will feel used, disappointed and angry. They can feel they have been taken for granted and conned, because you took advantage of their trust.

  Here are some ways to make sure you do not betray the trust of your subscribers:

• Research the product thoroughly. This probably applies more to new product providers than to the ones you already know and trust. You will build a group of product designers who design and market quality products and many of your recommendations will come from that source. Even so, your reputation is on the line so you have to make sure the product does do what it is supposed to do.


• Be honest in your evaluation of the product. Nothing is perfect, so point out its shortfalls or the areas that could be a problem or may need additional time or attention. Your email subscribers would expect this and should be able to rely on you enough to tell them. This may mean some people won't buy, but that's all right because you have kept their trust and loyalty, and their future business.


• Do not over sell. Under promise and over deliver is still a solid business maxim. There is nothing wrong with hype if it is in the form of genuine excitement about the product. But too much hype means you could be setting yourself up for problems. This usually comes in the form of disappointed customers, complaints and, worse, lost trust, which could mean lost future business and a damaged reputation.


• Do not abuse the relationship. I unsubscribed from one leading affiliate's emails simply for this reason. I had bought several good products in the past but was caught with poor quality products that he recommended. In addition to that, he almost bombarded me with products he was trying to sell. This was disappointing because I valued the relationship but I found out it was all one-sided. I will not buy from him again as I do not trust him.

  Your customers should be able to rely on your judgement and recommendations. In effect, they are looking to you to research the products and to assess their value and effectiveness. That's the main reason your customers stay on your email list. They know you have a business to run and sales to make, but they expect you to do that with integrity and not to promote poor quality products.

  If you put trust at the top of your business relationships you will have no trouble selling products you have recommended and you will have no trouble building and maintaining your email list.

  Find the right affiliate program and the right Internet business platform and you will accelerate your online earnings. Find out how to do this by visiting http://www.makemoremoneynow.net William Burnell has several years experience as an Internet marketer and knows how challenging it can be.

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