“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou
Branding is the process of giving specific meaning to an individual, company, or product. A brand is basically the gut feeling about that individual, company or product. For Affiliate Marketers this usually means I must think of myself as the Brand.
What is the “specific meaning” or “gut feeling” I give to those I am engaging?
Many years ago I was at a development conference. It was while I was a student in University and it was a lot of teaching, workshops, and some free time.
Mike G. was there too. It was the first time he ever went.
A few days after the conference I asked him, “What did you like best? What did you learn?
Mike proceeded to tell me about lunch the last day. He was sitting at a table with 7 athletic guys. The plate of Fried Chicken was in front of him. He saw the biggest piece and he wanted it. One of the guys next to him picked up the plate, took a piece of Chicken and passed it away from Mike.
He watched it go from guy to guy until it arrived in his hands, that big piece still there. He has never forgotten how those guys made the newest guy at the table feel.
Crazy, isn’t it? All the money, planning, and time invested in the conference and what Mike remembers is the Chicken. Today many years later all I remember is Mike’s Chicken story, I have no idea who the speakers were, or what the topic was that they spoken on. Just Mike and what I felt as he told me that story.
For me and Mike that conference was significant because of how it made us feel, and we now associate that positive response to the organization who ran the conference.
When we win our Affiliates over, when they know, like and trust us. When they feel good about doing business with us and have a positive response toward us, they become our fans who help grow our business. The best advertising, bringing others into the fold, is provided by them. According to Nielsen, more than 90% of Americans believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising,
So do your affiliates Know Like and Trust you. Have you branded yourself to them in a positive way?
We can complain about inactive affiliates and what we are really saying is, “These inactive affiliates are doing nothing for me.” Let’s think of something this week that will make even just one of our affiliates feel good about being in our business, feel good about having “me” as a sponsor.
Build or start a Facebook Group with your Affiliates and see your “brand” grow. For some Great Hacks on building and running a Facebook group see Pat Flynn’s Video