Anyone working on the net as an affiliate will have experienced that advertising your products is'nt the easiest of tasks. It takes real commitment, and sometimes hours of tiring research in order to succeed in advertising and keeping your customers coming back for more. I have to wonder sometimes if people are really taking interest in what I am offering them. I've gone over it several times. Is it a product that I would buy myself? What does it offer and does it deliver what it promises to. There are many different pro's and con's that will enter your mind when trying to deliver a good service. Sometimes I have got so frustrated wondering what on earth the problem is and without even realising it the answer is quite simple. Many affiliates will recognise that when advertising a product online, the URL they are given to advertise will sometimes look very messy,arkward and darn right unconvincing. It often suggests to someone that the person advertising the website is going to get a percentage themselves. In my experience, I have found that I have sold far more products by using a certain cloaking technique which enables you to disguise your identity and write the URL for your products yourself. It deletes any off putting jargon e.g =?hop.skippy the Kangaroo.net, potentially sending your customers in the opposite direction. It also protects your id from other affiliates that might be in the neighbourhood to steal your hard work and fortune for themselves. If you want to succeed in your affiliate pursuits I highly recommend in investing in this URL cloaker. It saves time,money and effort and ads greater security to your online business.
Hi, And welcome to the forum.... As an affiliate it is very important to buy and use products that you promote. Not only then do you speak with an authoratative voice on the product, but you can answer potential customers' questions as well. Anyway, how would you know that the product delivers what it promises without using it? The Federal Trade Commission has said that companies engaging in word-of-mouth marketing, in which people are compensated to promote products to their peers, must disclose those relationships. Here's a Washington Post article on it: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/AR2006121101389.html Mary K. Engle, FTC associate director for advertising practices, said: "We wanted to make clear . . . if you're being paid, you should disclose that." Should we, as affiliate marketers, panic over this ruling? No, but you must disclose on your website that you are being compensated by the companies you promote or you could risk an investigation if someone reports you. Jim