If you’re considering entering the affiliate product sales area as an affiliate marketer, you may be thinking about whether you want to promote only digital products or tangible products – and what the different issues might be for both types.
Let’s look at this in more detail.
The truth is, as an affiliate marketer, there are no added expenses for you to consider when you market digital versus tangible products. The reason is that the creator absorbs all of those costs, including returns and customer service issues. Your job is to promote the product and there is very little difference in how you promote either online.
Instead of focusing on the type of product, place importance on the following:
- Product Knowledge
Do you know enough about the product to accurately represent it in all your marketing messages? You need to learn the product inside and out, regardless of the form it takes.
- Commission Rate
Is the commission rate enough for you to make enough money off the product to get your worth? Most physical products have a smaller commission rate than digital products because they cost more to produce. Is the amount you’ll earn worth your time and effort?
- Refund Rates
Look at the stats your product creator has within the system they use, to find out how many people return the product. This is often a good indicator of whether the product is good or not, and can help you avoid problems with chargebacks and losing income to returns.
- The Quality
Any product (or service) you promote should be of the highest standards and quality. If you promote mediocre products, your audience will lose trust in you. The products you promote need to be narrowly niched and wow your audience by living up to expectations.
- Whether It Fits Your Niche
Don’t promote products outside of your niche. If you must turn your mind into a pretzel to make it fit in with your niche, then it’s the wrong product. Go back to your audience’s pain points. Does it fit? If it does and everything else looks good, it’s a go. If not, let it go.
- Whether It’s Right for Your Audience
In addition to it answering a pain point, can your audience afford it? Will your audience use it? This can only be answered with deep research into your audience’s preferences.
- Whether You Trust the Creator
As always, it’s imperative that you trust the creator as much as you want your audience to trust you. What do you know about who developed or manufactured the product in question? Leave no stone unturned to ensure it’s a safe product for your market that will work for them.
It really doesn’t make any difference to you how the product is presented. Whether it’s digital, tangible or even a service doesn’t matter. What matters is that it’s something your audience wants and needs, and something that you’re proud to report.