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There are very few affiliate programs out there that are applicable to a variety of niches. Amazon is one for certain, but merchants can really start getting niche-specific when you branch out from there. Elite Blog Academy may be a perfect fit for my blog as it teaches you how to make money blogging and from home, but it may not stick with the audience of a paddle boarding blogger.
Your success as an affiliate marketing is very much dependent on the products you promote. If they aren’t solving your readers’ problems or helping them achieve their goals and dreams, you’re likely just wasting a lot of time. And losing face with your followers, the very people you depend on for your success.
There is one affiliate program I want you to consider regardless of your industry or affiliate marketing experience – Ultimate Bundles.
You may have heard of Ultimate Bundles, especially if you are a subscriber of mine. I have promoted several of their bundles in the past and had my own products featured in several as well. There are so many ways this program can benefit you as a blogger. I’m not just talking about monetary compensation, but also their knowledge and training. Let’s take a closer look.
1, You’re Promoting Products You Can Believe In
Ultimate Bundles hand-picks every product included in their sales. These eBooks, eCourses and printables are the “cream of the crop” in their industry. It’s not a bunch of poorly-written junk thrown together by a bunch of no-name bloggers. These are bloggers you already know and trust. You’ve may have even purchased a lot of the products in your favorite bundles yourself or they may be on your wishlist.
2. You’re Promoting Tremendous Value to Your Readers
A lot of these bundles include 40 to 100+ products. The total retail value can be well over $5,000 when bonuses are thrown in. You can feel good about bringing these bundles to your readers’ attention as they are often saving around 90% to 95% off the retail price. Most bundles are priced between $27 and $97. That’s quite the steal for products your readers have likely been drooling over already.
3. They Believe in Ethical Promotion
The Ultimate Bundles organizers will tell you from the get-go, “Don’t promote every bundle.” There may be over a dozen bundle sales each year, but they are not all a good fit for your audience. Rather than burning them out to get a few sales on an irrelevant bundle, save your energy and your readers’ budget for those bundles that will count.
Ultimate Bundles also allows you to get an advanced copy of the bundle at a discount. This will give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the featured products and be able to better present the value to your readers. Don’t want to purchase upfront? Sell five bundles and get a free copy for yourself.
4. They’re Pretty Generous with the Commission, Too
I have been able to earn quite a bit with Ultimate Bundles over the past two years due to their great compensation plan:
- Earn 40% commission as an affiliate
- Earn 70% on personal sales as a contributor
- Earn by promoting other affiliates (normally 5%, but 10% through the end of 2017)
There are also usually tons of affiliate giveaways and contests going on during each sale.
5. Awesome Affiliate Marketing Training
Perhaps one of the biggest benefits you will get out of being an Ultimate Bundles affiliate is the training they offer. This is good stuff! They offer:
- Webinars to give you tips and promotion ideas
- Sales planners and worksheets
- Bundle Marketing 101 which is a 34-page guide that walks you through what you need to know to promote effectively
- A second guide will help you increase clicks, sales and conversions
- This is information you can not only use to promote the bundles of your choosing but also other affiliate products.
6. Short-Term Sales!
Short-term offers can be stressful and require some planning, but they are also where the big money lies. If you leave an open door for purchasing, many people just never will. They will always have an excuse to put it off until next week. Ultimate Bundle sales are usually a short 2-day or 5-day window in which your follower will need to make a purchase or lose out forever. Next time that bundle rolls around, the products will change. Buy now or forever hold your peace.
7. Stellar Customer Service & a Money-Back Guarantee
One of the awesome things about being an affiliate is that you don’t have to deal with customer service issues. Someone can’t find their download link? The UB staff is happy to take care of it. And, they offer a money-back guarantee on purchases. This is a big selling point for purchasers. If they aren’t happy, they can get their money back. However, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a refund in my ledger.
8. Affiliate Support
In addition to the training materials mentioned above, there is also an awesome Facebook Group for Ultimate Bundle Affiliates. This sure comes in handy when you have last minute questions or issues. It’s also a great place to bounce promotion ideas off your fellow affiliates.
And let’s not forget those all important things you need to promote something. From banners to email swipe files, UB offers it for each bundle. They also provide you with advanced tracking links which we will talk about more below.
9. There’s a Bundle for Everyone
If you don’t think there’s really a bundle for your niche, let’s take a look at some of the past and future bundles:
- Conquer Your Clutter Bundle
- Ultimate Start-Up Bundle
- Ultimate Photography Bundle
- Gut Health Super Bundle
- Genius Blogger’s Toolkit
- Ultimate Homemaking Bundle
- Herbs & Essential Oils Super Bundle
- Ultimate Work-at-Home Bundle
- Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle
- Indie Travel Super Bundle
- Parenting Super Bundle
- Ultimate Fitness Bundle
Now that you know there will likely be an Ultimate Bundle to fit your blog, let’s talk tips to making more money blogging.
My Personal Affiliate Marketing Tips
I’m not saying this to brag, but when a bundle rolls around I want to promote I can usually be found on the leaderboard during the sale. And when tallying up my income for the month of that sale, Ultimate Bundles is usually my top earner. I’ve also had products featured in three bundles now, so I have even more incentive to make the most of these sales. And, I do.
Build Your Email List Early
Every day you aren’t getting the email addresses of people stopping by your blog is a day you are going to regret later.
Focus More Time on Emails Than Posts
You need that email list because you are going to generate way, WAY more sales from a few emails than writing blog posts. Hands. Down. And, bundle sales aren’t evergreen content. In five days, that post is going to need to be deleted or will constantly serve as a reminder to first-time visitors that they can’t buy that. Spend your time writing emails.
And send one more email than you’re comfortable with. Will some people unsubscribe? Maybe. But if that person can’t stick it out for just a few days to get back to your usual high-value content, it’s probably best to say goodbye. They weren’t looking for a relationship for better or worse anyway.
Front-Load Your Promotional Periods
If you know a sale is coming up, and Ultimate Bundles gives you plenty of time, make sure you are providing a ton of value to your email subscribers and readers both leading up to and after the sales. Give them so much free advice and great information they can’t wait to see what’s next. This will ensure more of your people are willing to stick with you through a promotional period even if it’s not something they are interested in purchasing. It also gets that whole rule of reciprocity thing primed so they feel the need to repay you in some way.
Don’t Beat Around the Bush
Anytime you promote something, you should provide a clear call-to-action. Don’t hem haw around, “I saw this and thought maybe you’d like it. But if you don’t, that’s okay too…” No. Say, “Here are the problems this product is going to help you solve. Here’s why you need to buy it today.”
Create a Bonus
If you are just getting started with affiliate marketing, this may seem overwhelming. You can put it off for now, but I seriously want you to do it once you get your pillar affiliate products down – these are the products you love, make you great money and you will promote over and over again. It doesn’t need to be anything huge, but a little something extra may sway someone to purchase through your link as opposed to someone else’s.
This could be a little tip sheet or worksheet on the topic. Maybe you can share a personal spreadsheet or worksheet you created and use. Remember, you can’t give away other people’s stuff. And, you shouldn’t invest more time in this product than what it is inevitably worth. If your commission is $13 per sale and you think you’ll get 5 sales, plan your bonus accordingly.
Those are a few of my favorite reasons and ways to promote Ultimate Bundles as an affiliate. Are you excited to get ready for the next sale? Sign up here.
