How Do I Use Affiliate Links Offline?

Q: Hello Alice, My question is the following one: I would like to do some flyers in my neighborhood for some affiliate programs. How do I publish the long affiliate URL so it doesn’t show? Is there a way to do this? Or should I make a special website and direct them there?

Greatly appreciate all the wonderful work that you do for WAHMS. Marie

A: First of all, thanks for the kudos. I really do appreciate it. For those who don’t know WAHM stands for work at home moms and that’s where I started teaching Internet marketing. As a mom in business myself, I always want to see other moms successful. Of course, my help expands beyond moms to Dads and people from all walks of life. There’s room for everyone to have a piece of the Internet pie and I love spreading the word about it.

Now, onto the question. It’s easy buy a domain and redirect it to the company site. Alternatively, you might want to develop the domain that offers a special offer, asks for an email address or offers a product review BEFORE you send them to the affiliate site.

You can buy a domain inexpensively here.

Redirected domains are invaluable. You can use them for printed media, PDF documents (that are often printed), emails, speaking events and articles for redistribution.

Imagine, the next time you’re on a teleseminar and you want to recommend a product, but you don’t want to spell out a complicated URL. Give them a domain name instead. That saves people the time (and confusion) of trying to type it out AND it looks like an honest recommendation (which it should be), instead of a blatant product promotion.

Or what about when you distribute articles and want to recommend a highly recommended product within the article. Many directories and website owners won’t accept an affiliate link, but if you place a domain in the article, it is more likely to be accepted.

If you have domains for your most commonly recommended products, it’s easier to reply quickly to people who ask for your recommendations. You don’t have to search for an affiliate link or feel guilty giving them the obvious affiliate link. Give them your domain name with confidence.

Another good thing about the redirect is you have control over the link. If the company goes out of business, changes their affiliate system or you just decide you don’t want to promote the product anymore you can change where the domain redirects very easily.

But what about the cost? Domains are cheap these days. Usually it takes only one sales (or maybe two) to recoup your costs. It’s a valuable investment into your online business.

Further Resources:

Affiliate Marketing Sweetie: This easy to follow course teaches you how to make the most of your affiliate marketing efforts.