spent $10k last Christmas to gain affiliates. $280k return so far (10)
spent $10k last Christmas to gain affiliates. $280k return so far
So in December of 2016 I set a goal to gain some really great affiliates for my company.
I started by compiling a spreadsheet list of people I would like to work with. The list had approximately 100 names. My assistant then obtained as many email addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers and snail mail addresses as possible. This was not easy for her as many sites go out of their way to avoid having valid contact info.
1) I sent a personal email to my list to consider working with me. After 12 months I'm still receiving initial responses from interested parties.
2) I phoned the numbers on my list and received a small percentage of call backs.
3) I faxed the numbers on my list which led to nothing. But at least I tried. I wonder if anyone checks their fax machines anymore, I'm just glad I'm not the only person who still has one.
4) I sent snail mail letters to people on my list, we just couldn't find an address for everyone. 21 of those letters were returned “return to sender” or “address not valid”. This lead to a lot of good conversations but I'm bothered by how many letters were returned in the mail.
5) I purchased 30 jumbo (2 foot tall) edible candy canes, and struggled to find bubble envelopes big enough to comfortably fit them. I included a note in each package and shipped them out. I had to fill out customs forms for each package which was a time waster and the average candy cane required $47 CAD in shipping.
6) I did the same as above but with nice cowboy hats. Although I received 1 response from the candy canes, the cowboy hats brought in about 50% response rate, all positive. People love cowboy hats and this was the best conversation starter ever, some people even requested I send more for their team members!
7) To the people who seemed extremely interested or had the potential to be super affiliates, I sent gourmet gift baskets. My assistant did most of this leg work. People raved more about the cowboy hats than the gift baskets.
Timeline: Dec 2016 to December 2017 one year
Hours: Depending on how you look at it, 40 to 100 hours
Costs: assistant, supplies, shipping, gifts, misc, $10k CAD
Results: I gained 5 affiliate sign ups, but only 2 active affiliates.
Of the 2 active affiliates, they have (so far) sent me more than $280,000 CAD in new revenue and I hope we are just getting started. This was an excellent return on my investment and I enjoy building relationships with people.
To compare, I've also spent similar money buying up banner ads to gain affiliates and it hasn't lead to much.
Thanks for reading, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!
Next time skip all that extra work and just send them a harry and david gift basket. :-)
I have to applaud you for the unique approach you chose to get new affiliates though, I'm sure this approach will get you way more new affiliates in the near future. Thumbs up for you!
well done.
Only 1 good affiliate is worth the hustle! Nice job!
I think direct contacts give always the best results, you can get fewer call-backs but the relations can turn out to be really solid and long term 
It does seem like a lot of work, though. I didn't you just book a ticket to www.affiliateworldconferences.com and just try to meet superaffiliates in person? The Bangkok and Barcelona conference probably holds the greatest concentration of superaffiliates in the world.
Originally Posted by cmdeal
Originally Posted by overflowcafe
Don't miss it !
That's an impressive return!
And reciprocity is a powerful thing. No matter how well off you are, getting free stuff always feel good, particularly being treated to food or drinks. Those small expenses can go a really long way.
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