Your e-business strategy
Most of the affiliates were in a hurry to set up their own e-business; however, after one or two weeks, they are disappointed of their financial result.
Professional affiliates business MUST have an e-business strategy. Do things correctly and you will succeed.
This article will help you to set up a long term profitable business; moreover, if you master essential concepts, you will understand how does “business area” really work and it will be easier for you to make good decision.
I - Why do you need e strategy?
At first, I want to precise Marketing is not enough to ensure long term profitability of a business.
Marketing only uses potential created by strategy. Without any potential, you will not be better than your rivals.
Be leader in a field; it is the one way to survive and to ensure long term profitability of your e business.
II - What does business strategy really consist of?
Business strategy consists of creating a competitive advantage from your competitive strength; we will see it in details later.
It is time to settle your e-business strategy.
III - One strategy for your main business and for each product you have to promote.
You need to set one strategy for your main business and for each product you have to promote. Your main business, of course, consists of promoting or advertising merchants sites’ products as an affiliate.
It means, you can have different strategies or the same strategy for your main business and for each product you promote.
IV - Master SWOT analysis
SWOT stands for Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. This tool will allow you to know more about your e-business area.
A. At first, settle business opportunities:
These following questions will certainly help you:
Why did I decide to set up an affiliate business? (it is in connection with your main business strategy)
Why promoting or advertising this or that product is interesting?
All your answers are good and in the end, you should have a very long list.
B. What requirements do you have to satisfy?
Before taking benefit from business opportunities, your market or State will certainly have some requirements you have absolutely to satisfy.
For example, if you want to attract many visitors, your web site have to be famous on the web and recommended by professionals or well ranked by Google. And Google have also some requirements if you want to be ranked on first page results.
So, take time finding out all requirements you have to satisfy.
C. What about your strength?
Your strength consists of ressources you have to take benefit from business opportunities and to satisfy all requirements.
As usual, these following questions will help you to estimate your strength:
What ressources do I really need to take benefit from opportunities and to satisfy requirements?
What ressources do I really have at my disposal?
In general, there are three kinds of ressources:
Financial ressources (how much do you have?)
Material ressources (computers, desks etc)
Human ressources (your skills etc.)
D. Watch over Threats:
Threats are things which can restrain you from taking benefit from business opportunities or satisfying requirements.
Threats are things which are in connection with your outside business environnement.
What things can restrain me from taking benefit from business opportunities or satisfying requirements?
For instance, bad reputation of casinos on the web (people think online casinos are a trick)can make things difficult if you advertise online gambling.
E. You certainly have some weaknesses
Weaknesses are also things which can restrain you from taking benefit from business opportunities or satisfying requirements.
However, weaknesses are things in connection with your inside business environnement.
Maybe, you do not have enough skills about your product.
V - Choose the suitable strategy:
All this above information will allow you to select the suitable strategy, for your product for instance, between the three basics strategies:
To provide products or services at the lowest costs
To bring more Values to your clients than your rivals (diffferenciation)
To focus on a category of market
A. Providing products or services at the lowest costs:
In e business, it simply means that you are going to advertise or sell the cheapest products on the web.
So, the choice of your partners (merchants sites) depends on your e-business strategy.
B. Bring more "Values" to your clients than your rivals
"Values" are things which are really important for your clients; it means, you have to consider you clients’ point of view and not yours.
If some nice pictures are really important for your visitors, so bring more Values than your rivals by allowing visitors to download for free some nice pictures.
C. To focus on a category of market:
For instance, you decide to create a blog only dedicated to women who are between 20 and 25.
It will allow you to satisfy better than your rivals your market needs.
Focussing on a market is really interesting because it allows you to use and to focus all your ressources to satisfy better your target market.
We have just finished with first step of e-strategy. Maybe it seems something easy and evident; but you have to learn it to know it.
All these above steps were necessary to create your competitive advantage. Your competitive advantage answers to the question: Why will they buy our products or visit our web sites rather than our rivals’ products or web sites?
VI - Do you know your competitive strength or force in a field?
You are certainly the best or have some specific aptitude in a field; for instance in your business area, you are the best designer or the one who can speak Spanish.
Your competitive strength consists of things you have more than your rivals.
VII - From your competitive strength to your competitive advantage
If you are the best designer in your business area and people do like nice web sites with nice pictures, they will certainly visit your web site rather than your rivals’ones.
You need to convert your competitive strength to your competitive advantage it means to something which is really important for your customers.
If you are the one who can speak spanish in your business area, people will certainly buy your “Software to learn Spanish” rather than your rival’s one because you are credible; as you can speak spanish, you certainly recommend a good product.
From now one, keep in your mind that business strategy consists of creating your competitive advantage (the reason why clients will buy your products or people will visit your web site rather than your rival’s ones) from your competitive strength
You can get some professionals tools as "Site Build It" to help you to make your e-business a success; Site Build It is a package provided by "professionals" in the order to help people to become an high level affiliate.
You can reach the web site at http://sitesell.com/affiliates-tools.html
