Trust is the key in affiliate marketing. Affiliates and merchants should have that bond and trust each other. More importantly, consumers should be rest assured that the purchasing process is safe, legitimate, fair and they should feel good about it. But as with any relationships, building trust takes a lot of work. And in affiliate marketing this is shown in the structure of the affiliate program and with the content and marketing strategies that affiliates come up with to generate traffic.
So to improve your relationships and gain trust in the affiliate marketing field, here are some points to consider for your affiliate landing page.
1. Match the message
When a visitor clicks on a link about a certain product, lets say an iPod, the landing page they get to should be about an iPod. If the visitor, on the other hand, arrives at a landing page containing a list of various electronic devices, they would feel lost. Right in that moment, your visitor's trust would be gone and a possible conversion is also gone.
If you are targeting a specific market for a specific order, it's worth giving that audience its own landing page.
2. Give your landing page a professional look
The overall look of your landing page - layout, general look and feel, quality of graphics - shows a serious and professional atmosphere for the website, the affiliate, and the merchant. Landing pages with excellent visual design makes visitors get that feeling of your website's legitimacy. It makes them comfortable and safe in continuing along the path to a complete conversion.
3. Test for a specific target market
Like they say, you can't please everybody. There is no specific look for a landing page that will universally work for all fields. A landing page that works for a certain scenario would not necessarily yield the same conversion rates when used for a totally different scenario. Test your landing page for what your target audience feel comfortable with. Page layout, text and graphics, color combinations, and content should cater to each particular market niche you are going for.
4. Provide exits for non-converters
Not all who go down through the conversion funnel will be ready to convert. Although some do convert at the end, there are those who are window shopping and are canvassing for the best buy out there. Offer additional value for the visitors who have gone further into the conversion process. Make an impact and try to leave an imprint in their minds so that after they have gone through other options they'll be reminded to return through your channel when they are ready to convert.
5. Transparency
Providing a few details about your policy in your copy builds trust and security between the merchant and the consumer. You don't have to post your entire affiliate agreement. Having a link to a privacy policy at the bottom of the webpage is a good practice to follow. This is for visitors who want to make a thorough review of what they are getting into.
Bruce Tucker has been in the field of internet marketing,SEO and landing pages for a long time with a web site about
landing pages and with a blog that is all about
landing pages that you would find interesting.
