I’m going to try and write this post today WITHOUT appearing to brag, gloat or come off looking like a cocky IM goo-roo…but the fact is that Affiliate Marketing is exactly where I saw it heading more than 10-years ago!
Where is it you ask?
After numerous changes in organic search (re: Google) and PPC (the two main sources of traffic toward affiliate marketing sites) AND to a lesser extent, a maturing of internet marketing in general (which has the effect of raising the bar in general), we are at a very strange, but not unpredictable time in history where the easy money is drying up.
Affiliate marketing is now increasingly dominated by two very specific groups:
1. Big name publishers and media companies that can pay to fill the pockets or influence the major search and ad agencies so that their content ranks higher than the smaller (yet longer tail) guys
2. Grey/Black hat SEO guys that build systems, expertise and elaborate teams to “game” the SERP’s knowing that as long as they can stay 1-step ahead of Google, they will continue to rake in cash…obviously this is a high-risk game that depends somewhat on your business goals and ethics…obviously we all aren’t cut out to fall into this category.
Pretty bleak picture isn’t it?
If you don’t fit into either category, your future is in serious jeopardy.
By the way , this is not just me saying this, there is a whirlwind of discontent supported by many of the largest, independent, white hat content producers who have found their empires crumbling down around them in the face of the latest Google changes.
BATTLE AFTER BATTLE…IT’S OVER!
First it was the cost of PPC ads that went through the roof when many of their landing pages were not deemed high enough “Quality”, followed by some very nasty penalties being doled out one year ago for techniques that were previously encouraged by Google (article writing, relevant back-linking, etc…) and this year with the Penguin update, it has gotten worse…MUCH WORSE!
So bad, in fact, that many of the top content producers on the net today and guys that were previously elevated by Google itself as the pinnacle of what they was looking for online (such as Askthebuilder.com which has admitted took a 60% hit to his traffic this last update) have thrown in the towel and will change business models rather dramatically in the coming months.
GOOD NEWS – THERE IS ANOTHER WAY, AND IT LOOKS BETTER THAN EVER!
Just as I saw it back more than 10-years ago when we started producing our own information products, there is incredible benefits to having control of your own products – especially now when Google has presented an all-out, full-frontal assault on affiliate marketers (even the creme-de-la-creme).
This is not just theory, we have built dozens of our own information product businesses and continue to update that exact method regularly in Ultimate Information Product Success Guide…real stuff based on real experiences.
Why is it such a benefit to having your own infoproducts instead of building your entire business marketing other people’s products?
Read this VERY carefully…this has never been more important information for you to know.
Here’s why…
1. When you have and control your own infoproducts (ebooks, reports, membership sites, etc…) you can get traffic through other means than Google – Amazon Kindle, Apple ibooks, Clickbank Marketplace, etc… where you are not as dependent on Google. That is a very good tihng. Diversification of traffic is CRITICAL as is putting your products in front of the people that want it the most – those searching book and ebook directories for example.
2. Ramp up your affiliate program and attract whoever is top of the SERPS at that time…you have the freedom to move from affiliate to affiliate and let them work out how to position at the top. This is the best one of all. Google can make all the changes in the world, all you have to do is see who remains standing at the end of the day, work with them to promote your products and you’re good to go.
3. Having your own infoproduct makes list building much more effective (people see you as an expert and are more likely to jump on board) which means you can continue to market to them even when Google gets bitchy.
4. You have multiple ways to monetize your content...you can take the content in an ebook you sell and re-purpose it offering a higher-priced course, a weekly coaching call, a 1-day seminar, or even license your content selectively to others (we pulled in 10K recently just for licensing one of our ebooks for use in one exclusive private membership site where it would not interfere with our own market.
The golden days of affiliate marketing are GONE folks.
For us, affiliate marketing still represents nearly 40% of our income, but that is largely driven by the presence we have in key markets through having our own information product.
Someone buys our product, likes what they read and asks questions or looks for additional recommendations and that comes from recommending a small number of quality products/tools that brings us affiliate income.
Not dependency on SERPS or paid advertising…the way it should be.
Get over it quickly, the sooner you admit it and start packaging content into your own information products, the more money you will make, the more control you will have and the better your future will look.
COMMENTS?
That wasn’t too much gloating was it? Seriously, I personally know a dozen guys that had their entire future (retirement, health, estates, etc…) riding on massive affiliate marketing businesses. They worked like dogs, played by the rules and did not deserve what is happening to them now. At the same time, when you do not control the traffic, product, money flow, etc… bad things are likely to happen. What are your thoughts on this very sensitive topic? Leave us a comment.
