Don’t Cut Advertising in a Down Economy
The last thing you want to do is cut your advertising lifeline. Online marketers depend on high-quality marketing to attract targeted traffic to their websites. Trim a little here and little there from your marketing campaign, and you may lose more than you had bargained for.

The truth is that during a weakened economy, your marketing efforts should go into overdrive. Why? Because many of your competitors will do what others do–belly-up and disappear–and this maneuver on their part will allow you to become more visible and fiercely competitive. As other affiliate marketers cut costs to save money, you should take this opportunity to stand head and shoulders above the competition.

Here’s the reality: While the economy is bad and a lot of people have lost jobs, most people are not broke and have not completely closed their wallets. There are people out there who want to buy what you have to sell. That’s why is more important than ever to invest in high-quality, high-impact copywriting and marketing services.

Find the best copywriter you can afford to create killer sales copy. That’s right. Don’t back down because you think people won’t buy your products. The fact is that they still want to buy, but they are being more selective about the quality of their purchases.

The Secret to Affiliate Marketing in a Recession
I realize that I am dangerously close to sounding like I’m lecturing to you, but there are three things you must focus on if you want your affiliate marketing business to thrive during tough economic times:

Salesmanship. Salesmanship. Salesmanship.

This must be your marketing mantra. You’ve got to sell your product in such a way that builds trust with your customers. That’s why you should operate your business with utmost integrity. The more trustworthy you are in the eyes of your customers, the more likely they’ll put out their credit cards and click on the “Buy Now” button.

Continue to promote yourself as an authority and take advantage of all the marketing opportunities that Web 2.0 has to offer. Find weak spots in your competitors’ marketing and be sure to stand out from the crowd.

Keep Your Prices the Same and Show that You Have Value

Here’s another point to consider: Continue to sell your products at the highest price the market will allow. People are still willing to pay for quality. Once you become a bargain basement business, you’re likely to cut your profit margin.  Charging less will not attract the customers you’re looking for.

Aggressively promoting your affiliate marketing business may not seem like a good move right now. However, while other marketers are holding back and stepping away from the market, this is your time to push your marketing machine forward, dominate your niche market, and thrive.

1.    Add deep links. When you exchange links with other websites, don’t use your home page because it is considered a “shallow” link by search engines. Links to blogs rank favorably with the search engines, and website visitors prefer content pages over sales pages. Blogs are a means of positioning yourself as an expert and developing a rapport with your audience. Remember, customers like to buy but they don’t want to be sold to. First-time visitors are less likely to click away from a blog than a sales page.

2.    Optimize your site for the search engines. Do a little research to see what keywords potential customers are using to find your product or service. You can do this easily by looking at your top three competitors’ websites and see what keywords appear most frequently on their landing pages. Be sure to incorporate keywords seamlessly into your sentences. Search engines don’t favor websites that use keywords excessively, and your website visitors will click away if your copy is so full of keywords that it is difficult to read.

3.    Use social bookmarking. If you write timely and newsworthy articles and submit them to social networking sites like Digg, readers can link your article to their websites, giving you more far more exposure and visibility  than you could have on your own. Other bloggers reference and link Digg articles on their websites.

4.    Take advantage of Google Video. If you want immense exposure on the Internet, record your own videos and upload them to Google Video. You can answer common questions, add how-to videos, or provide cool tips for your target market. The best part is that it is absolutely free to take advantage of this Web 2.0 tool. Don’t forget to add a link to your website in the video.

5.    Join Technorati. Technorati is a virtual database of blogs. It categorizes blogs for people who want to read them in markets like technology, business, entertainment, lifestyle, politics, sports, gaming, celebrity, IT, film, music, and advertising. In essence, it brings readers to you. Once you join Technorati, members who are interested in your blog (or blogs in your category) will be automatically updated when you add a new post. More than 112 million blogs and more than 250 pieces of social media are tracked by Technorati. The best part is that readers can add their personal comments to the blogs and link them.

Don’t allow a tight budget to keep you from getting traffic to your website. You don’t have to spend money to increase your visibility on the Internet. Think beyond your website to take full advantage of all the free marketing opportunities available via Web 2.0.

First, take a deep breath and relax. As you take your first step into affiliate marketing it may seem intimidating, but the process is really not all that complicated. Don’t get caught up in all the Internet marketing jargon and confusing language. You’ll pick up on the terminology as you go along. If you’re ready to set up shop and start making money, there are 5 basic rules you’ll need to follow to thrive:

1.    Create a website that is easy to navigate. Forget all the bells and whistles. Create a website that is easy for customers to navigate. Smart marketers know how to avoid the 7-second death. The 7-second death refers to the amount of time it takes a website visitor to click away because they’re not interested in your offering. The more you complicate the visual layout of your website, the more likely you’ll lose valuable customers. Keep it simple and make the buying process easy for your customers.

2.    Start small and then increase your Internet presence. Don’t let lack of funds prevent you from starting your affiliate marketing business. At first, you might want to advertise through Clickbank. Then, invest in Adwords. Once you begin making money, you may be tempted to celebrate by spending your first affiliate marketing paycheck, but don’t. Instead, reinvest that money into PPC ads and other ways to increase your presence. Don’t forget to take advantage of YouTube to create videos for your business. Most affiliate marketers begin their journey with baby steps, taking one step at a time.

3.    Pay attention to current trends. You may have dreams of creating the next big trend, but the smart marketer knows that following trends is more important than attempting to invent something new. Let the market be your guide. If a new widget is flying off the virtual shelves, strike while the iron is hot and cash in on current trends.

4.    Be the go-to authority in your field. It’s important to establish yourself as an authority in your field. Start blogging. Give tips and tricks that are helpful for your target market. Create how-to YouTube videos and link them to your website. Your job is to be first in the minds of your target audience when they have a problem they want to solve. Once you establish yourself as the go-to authority in your field, you should see a direct relationship to the number of sales that you make.

5.    Write product reviews. One of the most common mistakes that affiliate marketers make is that they fail to write product reviews for the products they’re selling. Buy the product. Test it. Write a review that is helpful for your prospective clients.

Creating a successful affiliate marketing business is not as difficult as you may think. As long as you have a plan and work steadily toward your goals, you can create a thriving Internet business that will create a sizeable income for years to come.