Real Estate Blogs and Affiliate Marketing-Monetizing in a Down Market
There has been lots of talk here and there lately with affiliate marketing and real estate blogs.
Short answer:don't.
Long answer....
What is affiliate marketing? Many believe that the term was invented by Amazon who actually coined the phrase "associate marketing". They liked their new word so much they wouldn't let anyone else use it so they had to use "affiliate". Each Associate gets a small fee for listing Amazon's ad or widget on your webpage or site. For a site like Amazon the payment is near 5-10% (depending on their terms).
If that answer didn't get you to think twice about doing affiliate marketing on your site then run the numbers.
How many leads do you get now? Compare that to your visitors and you have the Tootsie Roll Pop Ratio. That is how many visitors to get to a lead? 
Now add another message called an advertisement for Amazon and now you just split your message in two. But more than likely you will even get less of a return than before because your message is no longer focused.
The types of sites you might use are foreclosure.com, forsalebyowner.com, moving.com, etc. Probably the largest affiliate network can be found at CommissionJunction.com.
FOCUS
The challenge I find with most real estate websites especially blogs is that they lack a slippery chute. In other words, no call to action. No, "I wanna get to you better" offer. And I must admit I have been guilty of this myself.
It amazes me however that often times the RE NET, are more than happy to discuss passing off traffic to an affiliate. Which in turn hoses their branding, while refusing to ask the visitor to sign up for any kind of email sequencing/drip. All for a few bucks, maybe. Its absurd.
If you are going to do affiliate marketing this way then I would suggest that you send the ads as recommendations through email. The conversions will be better for you this way. But still I wouldn't do it.
The Real Way to Do Affiliate Marketing and Real Estate
Do not step over Dollars thinking you will make Dimes with the traditional online affiliate networks and companies. Instead...
You know that Title guy that bugs you for business weekly? The Escrow and Pest Control. You know all those affiliate people that have jobs on the backs of your transactions?
They owe you. Make them add some value to your business. Here is how:
Have them help you create back end and front end educational services. Please, I do not want to here about various legalities.( Or any other legal excuse not to market. That is for you to figure out with your Legal people.)
- Set up email sequencing
- Free Reports
- Blog interviews
- Video Interviews
- Podcasts
Now the buyer or seller will insist on these guys and actually have a reason to pay for them down the road.
You can also go to your local Moving Company, Furniture Company, etc and create offers that either pay you through affiliate commissions or in barter, trade, etc. Get creative. I like where you can get the affiliates to help with the upfront content as that is where most agents suffer. If they have materials in print all you have to do is digitize and repurpose them into useful online content.
So be creative and do not step over Dollars for Dimes. Not when you can create a team of affiliates that you can leverage for multiple payoffs instead of just one small fee.
We will discuss these concepts in much more depth at http://www.RealEstateGuerilla.com
