Hi everyone! I am new to the affiliate world and I had a question that I am hoping someone will be willing to answer. I have a website that I am trying to promote. The website pertains the city that I live in. We are the third largest wine region in California. I started the website with wine tasting tours and Hotels in mind. The problem is.....the companies that offer the wine tasting tours, do not offer affiliate programs. The same is true for the B&B's. I feel my site would very much benefit them, however; I have no idea how to go about convincing them of this! I should add that this city has grown about triple its size in the last few years, and many of the locals are still treating it as a small town. HELP!!! Does anyone have any suggestions, experience, etc. on this problem? I will really appreciate any help you have to offer!! Thanks again! Jenny
Select one company for pilot/case study. Make it zero commission in the early stage and if everything goes well renegotiate your terms later and further expand your services to other companies.
From what I can tell, your not going to make any money from your site. So to save you the hassle of spending time on this site that will not convert visitors into ROI, ditch it. And build around a niche (ie dog trainers, cat lovers, birdwatchers) that does have affiliate programs and that you know is an active online niche where those people do spend money on those niche related products. Take for instance, my niche is list building and building opt-in subscribers to build your business and profits online. If you search the words "build a list" you will see that there is a vast market for this and informational affiliate products. Hope that helps, sometimes it's better to cut your losses, learn from it, and move forward.
I disagree with John..if you think and ACT like everyone else, you will get similar results. Think outside the box..go after untapped markets where YOU can be the FIRST to offer an AFF program, and set the table with it and make the money 1st. But, be sure you have a website that is going to exceed your clients expectations at the same time, IMHO... good luck
That all depend on your initial purpose of building/maintaining a website. Some people might think that providing information, knowledge sharing and dedication to their topic as their primary motivation making the income as secondary or optional element. Others are building a website for the sake of earning from it. I good initiative such as creating website for local communities like this shouldn't be ditched simply because you cannot earn from it.
Hi Jenny... Do some research into other regional destination websites. Not everyone is making money through affiliate programs. My guess is that if you build the site and grow it into a credible resource, you can have those same tour companies/B&B's purchase advertising. But you have to fully develop it and generate enough traffic so they'll see it as a worthwhile investment. Once you have the traffic, you can send postcards to local businesses giving them new advertiser discounts. Offer to do personal reviews of their tours/accommodations. On the flip side, you can always become an affiliate for one of the major booking agencies (Expedia), since they provide air, hotels, car rental, etc. Good luck!
Thanks again everyone! I will definitely not be ditching this idea. Thanks to these forums, I have found some priceless help! Also, I did end up doing a lot of research last night on the other regional destination websites and....BINGO, I found almost everything I had been hoping to find. (Thanks writegurl) You guys are the greatest, I am so happy to have found this site. Thanks again.
before you ditch a money maker let me offer an oppinion. Why not visit a few of the winereys and offer advertising for them through your site. give them their first month free, then charge them after that. established business have good sized adverdising budgets. set up a printable coupon on your site that the new customer can print and take to the winery. maybe a discount or vip coupon, something that makes the customer print the coupon and take it to the winery. have the winery keep all the coupons they collect, then go back to the winery after a month or so. if you can prove to the winery that your service is making them money they will probably pay you for the advertising on your site. you could probably make from $200-$500 per month per winery depending on your traffic. remember areas like napa are huge tourists traps, so you could be bringing in tourists from all over the world so the value of your site to these winereys could be quite large. something else to think about, i know napa has some great golf courses as well...hint hint. Aaron
Aaron, That is such a great plan! I do have golf on my website, and I went and spoke to one winery this weekend. We are going to meet again and devise a plan. I absolutely love the coupon idea! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
im very happy that you found my advise useful, I think you will make some good income off this idea. Good luck, Aaron