Why Endorsements Work …. And How To Get Them
I think endorsements are one of the most exciting things about joint venture marketing …. ever. The truth is endorsements, if used correctly, can and will make you more money. Much more. Figures for individual campaigns vary of course but, typically, if your normal sales efforts produce a 2% sales conversion you could expect to turbocharge it to 8% or 10% by using an endorsement.
In other words, a lot of money!
However, a few conditions apply to using endorsement marketing ….
Firstly, endorsement marketing works best with JV partners who publish original content to their list on a regular basis. An endorsement from, for example, an e-zine publisher who only publishes content supplied by other people won’t work as well -because the publisher has no personal relationship with their list.
In other words, an endorsement gives you much more leverage if your JV partner has established a good, unique relationship with their list first. If your partner has already gained the trust of their customers then those people will believe in the quality and benefits of your products based on your partner’s endorsement. This existing trust and relationship is what gives the endorsement big profit potential.
Secondly, when endorsing your product your JV partner will be putting their reputation on the line. They will be much more likely to do this if your product or service has a proven track record. So tell them that. And be ready to demonstrate how well the product is already doing – in terms of both sales and customer satisfaction.
So far so good. But how do you get an endorsement? The simplest way is to ask! After your prospective JV partner has reviewed your product just ask them if they will put their personal endorsement on it. If your product is good maybe they will suggest it anyway. But don’t leave anything to chance – ask!
You’ll often find that your JV partner will be glad to write the endorsement. And this is the best kind of endorsement to have. But if they don’t – perhaps they don’t have the time or know-how – it’s perfectly acceptable to write it for them.
How do you go about writing an endorsement? Well, there are lots of ways. But here is a very, very, very important principle:
KEEP IT REALISTIC. Don’t go over the top. Don’t push your product in a way that is totally unbelievable and obviously a sales pitch.
DON’T say ‘This plan is incredible! It is literally changing my life. I am literally rolling in money. I am making a fortune. So whatever you do buy it now! Don’t miss out, buy it now!’
DO say something like: ‘I have reviewed an awful lot of business opportunity products and quite simply most of them are just that – simply awful. But, honestly, this is one of the best. In just three months I have got my business up and running and now my income is increasing week on week. I would certainly recommend that you take a look.’
(Maybe this example is a little exaggerated …. although I have seen endorsements like this …. but you get the idea!)
Read what you have written back to yourself. If you don’t believe what you have said the reader probably won’t either. Remember, the whole idea of an endorsement is to use leverage to increase the chances of a sale. Leave it to the actual sales letter to push the product hard.
You could even mention a “small” or an odd insignificant dislike about the product, such as the packaging could have been more colourful. But you are to understand that, you may have only reviewed a “demo copy” or something similar.
Do that, and your endorsement marketing could bring you two, three, four or even ten times the sales of a non-endorsed campaign!
