Subject: Using Bonuses to Increase Affiliate Conversions

Competition in affiliate marketing, especially in the most competitive markets like internet marketing and weight loss, can be fierce. So how can you set yourself apart from the crowd and make sure more people buy through your affiliate link than that of your competitors, or make sure they buy at all?

The answer is using bonuses as incentives!

You may have seen this tactic in use in your own inbox. Affiliates are clamoring for their chance to sell you the hottest new product, and some of them give away Ňthousands of dollars worth of bonusesÓ in order to get you to buy a product that only costs $197. Why do they do this?

Well, for one thing, it works. Offering bonuses is a proven way to get people to buy through your affiliate link, because everyone likes to get the best possible value for their dollar. Why buy through a link that offers no bonuses when you can get a bunch of extra stuff for free?

The other main reason is that offering bonuses, especially digital content, costs next to nothing. They can offer Ňthousands of dollars worth of bonusesÓ, because in reality they may have paid very little to the right to give those products away. TheyŐre often just basic resale rights or PLR products that offer very little value overall. Sure, they could cost you a lot of money if you bought each one separately from people charging too much for them, but the truth is many times those bonuses really arenŐt worth much.

ThatŐs where you can set yourself apart. Instead of offering some basic resale rights products, or throwing in a bunch of stuff that isnŐt related to the product youŐre pitching, make sure you offer a bonus that is truly valuable. For example, if youŐre promoting a product that tells people how to create websites with WordPress, you might offer some WordPress themes and plugins free. Or maybe you could offer some video training to supplement the guide youŐre marketing.

Bonuses should always be tightly niched to the product youŐre promoting. DonŐt offer a bunch of weight loss guides if youŐre promoting a product on how to get more website traffic! 

Rebates are also useful to add value to your offers. You can offer a portion of your affiliate commission as a rebate to buyers who purchase through your affiliate link and can prove they did so, but be sure you have the cash to cover rebates while you wait for your commissions to come in. You donŐt want to risk upsetting your buyers because it takes too long for them to receive their rebate.

Also, be sure you contact the product owner before using any of these tactics. You donŐt want to risk getting banned from your chosen affiliate program or losing the money you made just because you did something the product owner didnŐt agree with.

In our next lesson, weŐre going to take a look at how reviews can help you get more sales, so watch for it soon!
