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What Does It Take to Succeed in Affiliate Marketing?

With an increasing number of people looking for online income streams, affiliate marketing benefits from being one of the most convenient avenues. Limited initial investments and plenty of resources available on the web are facilitating new individuals from joining this industry.

However, as with any other activity, several things must be done to achieve the results desired. If you don’t already know what it takes to succeed in the affiliate marketing industry, this material will highlight four of the most important factors.

#1 A trusted affiliate marketing niche

It does not matter if you have the best strategy of the most advanced knowledge if the affiliate niche is not trusted and with an established track record. There are plenty of companies operating using an affiliate model, but not all are providing high-quality products or services.

Your ultimate goal is to offer customers something that can serve their needs and in the absence of this, results will fail to show up. Regardless of the industry (commerce, online course, finance, etc.), it is imperative to make sure that the niche benefits from good customer ratings.

#2 Efficient marketing tools

Some affiliate marketing projects are providing helpful resources for people that want to join. Using banners or other marketing tools from your affiliate program will reduce the work you’ll need to design them from scratch. At the same time, you will be able to use resources designed by experts in the marketing sector and leverage their expertise to your benefit. This will also show that the infrastructure was built to help affiliates and make sure they get some of the tools necessary. It does not mean hard work will no longer be necessary but is a great additional feature to take into account.

#3 Proven methodologies

Regardless of the industry, there are proven methodologies designed to help you reach the right audience and show that useful products/services are being provided. The key here is to advertise the benefits without exaggerating, while also showing transparency regarding all the pros and cons (if that’s the case). Building trust is the only way to convince people from buying online and constantly coming back to you each time they need something.

#4 The right mindset

Ultimately, succeeding in affiliate markets will come down to your mindset. Most of the people get involved in this industry with a get-rich-quick approach, which ends up sabotaging the whole process. This isn’t an online income opportunity that can produce returns overnight and because of that, it will require a lot of studies, learning from mistakes, and constantly improving as you get feedback from your actions.

Affiliate marketing is a long journey and all individuals that have managed to succeed have been in the industry for enough time to acquire all the information and develop the skills that are required when getting involved in a marketing activity. By focusing on the quality of products/services provided, marketing tools, proven methodologies, and improving your mindset, the long term prospects are projected to be favorable.

This local company in the printing business now churns out more than 30,000 masks in a day’s shift

With the ongoing pandemic, many firms are adapting to survive. Just two months back, we wrote about how Zouk decided to evolve with the times and turn their empty dance floor into a pop-up restaurant named Capital Kitchen. Without revenue, one is bound to doom.

AVS Technologies is another company in Singapore that’s adjusting to the changes amid the pandemic. They used to distribute printing equipment and provide printing services. But now, they are producing masks from their office in Ubi.

Employees assigned different job roles

Ms Cheang Meng Ching, a desktop publisher with AVS Technologies, has also seen a huge shift in her key responsibilities. She used to arrange and check layouts for artworks, corporate banners, and signages before sending them for printing during the pre-COVID-19 days.

Since May, keeping an eye on three production lines that can each produce 4,000 surgical masks an hour is now part of her job scope in quality-control documentation.

“It’s (a) challenge because I didn’t know anything about ISO (standards) before this,” she said.

Other employees were also assigned very different job roles including running the machines, checking the masks produced, and packing.

Retraining and upskilling for employees

avs-technologies-mask-production-employee

Image Credits: CNA

“We trained everyone – all 30 of them in accounting, graphic design, marketing, sales and administration – to go into mask production,” said AVS Technologies’ general manager Kelvin Mun.

“When we started, it was quite tough and there were days when we had to activate almost everyone,” he recalled. “But now, we are able to keep the team lean so at any one time, it’s a variation of four to 10 people from the different teams.”

Mr Mun who has been handling customer service adds, “This is brand new to us so the best way to learn, I think, is to get feedback from our customers.”

A rise in demand for masks led to the mask production lines

Mr Mun thought back about the difficulty of getting hold of surgical masks earlier this year. They were out of stock at retail stores and export controls on medical supplies began overseas.

“All of us were having problems getting masks. There was a real need here,” he said.

Tapping on Mr Mun’s father’s company, Aztech Group, they were able to obtain all the equipment for mask manufacturing.

S$1 million invested to kickstart its mask production

avs-technologies-mask-production-facility

Image Credits: CNA

The company paid quite a high price to secure the materials needed for mask production.

This is especially so for the costs of the melt-blown polypropylene – the non-woven polymer fabric that forms the filter in face masks. Due to the rise in global demand, prices had increased. Mr Mun said the company had likely bought it at up to 10 times higher than before the pandemic.

“It’s like a stock market and the prices just kept going up in March, April and hit the peak in May. We had to go in to purchase the materials quickly, which means we purchased them at the peak (prices),” he mentioned.

A learning process for all

It wasn’t smooth-sailing for the company at the start. Mr Mun recalled some batches that were not welded properly with ear loops falling off easily.

“There were many mechanical parts in play (and) new technologies like ultrasonic welding, that we never used before. (The masks) seemed ok when we tested them but that was because we were pulling about 10 at a time, instead of one at a time. We realised it too late and (they) were already delivered to the customers,” he stated.

About 4,000 pieces were exchanged later on and the company started refining its checking process.

“Apart from those conducting the checks before packing, the person running the machine must also be very sharp to identify the problems,” he said. “The pressure can be quite high.”

Quality assured

Image Credits: WellM

WellM is the brand to note. It has the European Union approval (CE mark) and the public can view the masks’ test reports on its website.

If you’re wondering, AVS Technologies has a licence from the Health Sciences Authority. “We spent time and effort on all these tests to make sure that people buying know that our masks are safe,” said Mr Mun. “We are not making cheap products and trying to make money out of this pandemic.”

According to Mr Mun, they have received positive feedback regarding their masks. Some customers have written back to inform them that their kids loved the masks and they were comfortable to wear.

“Reviews like these make us happy and accomplished,” he said.

Diversifying is key

“The Government has made it very clear that… businesses need to really think about diversifying.”

With the company’s knowledge of the production of medical equipment, they are hoping it could complement its more advanced capabilities in printing.

“Now that we know the requirements of making medical equipment, we are trying to link what we have learnt back to our expertise in printing, which consists of 3D printing and milling engineering… and see if we can explore any opportunities in medical manufacturing,” said Mr Mun.

Interested? You can check out the WellM products by AVS Technologies here.

Here are some useful advice on how to build your brand on Instagram

Have you been thinking about managing your social media accounts for personal brand marketing? If you’re new and not sure what to do, it can be tough to start. Here are some tips from Lina Marican, Managing Director of Mutant Communications, on how to build your brand on Instagram.

#1: Define your brand purpose

To get started, one must know their brand purpose on Instagram. If you’re a consumer brand, then it’s obvious that your key purpose would be to use Instagram to engage your consumers and target audience.

Marican states that businesses can also use Instagram to work on their employer branding. This is especially relevant if the company is looking to attract younger talents in its future plans for hiring. This is probably a given since people in their 20s to early 30s are on Instagram most of the time.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Mutant Communications (@we.are.mutant) on Mar 24, 2020 at 3:03am PDT

Identifying your brand purpose is the first step to guide your content strategy going forward.

#2: Find your aesthetics and stick to it

As Instagram is mainly a visual platform, it’s important to find your brand’s artistic visual identity. Get it right from the start with a set of guidelines. The overall look and feel should help you tell a compelling story.

You know you’re on the right track when your target audience is able to associate your aesthetics to your brand as soon as they catch sight of your posts while scrolling through their Instagram feed.

It’s also essential that you research your target audience – their lifestyle and the other brands they are following – while aiming to meet in the middle.

#3: Share the right mix of content

Image Credits: Pinterest

“A lot of brands tend to get this wrong, actually,” said Marican.

Many brands get on Instagram eyeing it as an advertisement platform. They think that it’s a place to talk about products, services, deals, and promotions. While that may work, there are many Instagram users who seek to be entertained, educate themselves, be inspired, or to connect with the community.

With that said, brands should learn how to strike the right balance. It’s not just about blasting promotions all the time.

“Take a look at maybe three different types of contents that you can put out,” advised Marican. Firstly, since you’re a brand, you do need promotional posts or product news. Secondly, think about conversational posts like contests, giveaways, and polls where you can have a two-way conversation with your audience. Thirdly, consider sharing posts. Look out for what’s out there in the industry and collaborate with other influencers and partners.

#4: Use the available tools to your advantage

Marican mentioned that her favourite tool is Instagram Live, where brands can use to live stream behind-the-scenes during events. There are also Instagram stories where companies can take advantage of to produce bite-sized content.

If you have shoppable content or an e-commerce store, use the shoppable tags on your posts so your audience can click through and buy your product instantly.

#5: Measure your success

For those who need to report to higher-ups, it’s important to know how to measure your success via analytics. Set up an Instagram business profile if you don’t already have one. The page analytics tool will help you to evaluate your performance, strategy, and give you an idea on how to grow your following.

With these data, you will also figure out the best time to share posts, how frequently you should post to get maximum engagement and know what works best with your target audience.

#6: Be smart when including hashtags

Image Credits: Digital Marketing Institute

Marican shares that maxing out on hashtags can make a person or brand look untargeted and unprofessional.

There are better ways to use hashtags. For example, branded hashtags. While looking at your own brand, come up with a hashtag that is concise and memorable. This also makes it easier for your followers to go back to search for previous content you’ve posted with a hashtag unique to your company.

The other type of hashtag is the trending or industry-specific ones. As there are tons of popular hashtags out there, brands should do their analysis and review the ones that get the most engagement.

Together with your branded hashtags, including a few trending or industry-specific ones will do the trick.

About Mutant Communications

Image Credits: Mutant Communications

Mutant Communications offers a range of services including public relations, content, and branding. If you think it’s better to engage professionals to handle the digital marketing side of your brand, Mutant Communications’ digital marketing experts can help.

Whether your objectives are to raise awareness of specific initiatives, drive consideration for products, generate leads or sales online, or nurture a loyal community of brand advocates, the team promises to be with you every step of the way.

They will work closely with you from start to finish to ensure the digital strategy is cohesive, maximizes returns, and complements your wider business goal.

These are some areas in digital marketing they can aid you in:

Lead Generation Campaigns
Content Creation and Design
Social Media Strategy
Social Media Copywriting
Digital & Social Ad Spend Strategy

Check out their case studies here.

If you’re keen to engage their services, email them via [email protected] or fill up this online form and the team will get back to you regarding your queries as soon as they can.

Organizers will soon be able to hold large-scale meetings of up to 250 people in Singapore

Organizers of Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) events will be able to hold large-scale meetings of up to 250 people in Singapore from Oct 1.

The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) will start accepting applications as part of plans to kickstart the economy. STB and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) will review all proposals and approve them accordingly.

“Our sense is that we will have to take this opportunity to re-shape our industries, take on new skills, build up new capabilities for us to emerge stronger through the COVID situation,” Minister for Trade and Industry Chan Chun Sing said on Monday (Sep 7).

Why 250?

The minister explained that the limit of 250 people will be the basis which authorities will use to scale up to larger events.

“We are working with overseas partners… to see how we can learn from the experience of other countries, scaling this up from the hundreds to the thousands in a safe and sustainable manner,” he said.

Pilot events to take place in October

Singapore International Energy Week 2019

Image Credits: SIEW

Pilot events such as the Singapore International Energy Week Conference will take place in October. Through these pilot events, the STB and MICE industry will adapt and adjust the safety protocols for business events to take place.

“This move to start accepting applications to pilot events of up to 250 attendees also takes into account the importance of the MICE industry as well as the strong industry interest in and demand for business events,” STB said.

Importance of the MICE industry

According to a study by STB last year, the MICE industry supported more than 34,000 jobs with an economic value-add of S$3.8 billion. With that said, business travellers also spend almost twice the amount compared to leisure tourists, making them essential visitors for the economy.

STB’s chief executive, Mr Keith Tan said: “The MICE sector is a strategic one for the Singapore economy, and its safe and gradual resumption will safeguard jobs and core capabilities. It will also help those in related sectors such as hospitality and aviation.”

“Public health and safety remain our utmost priority, and we have worked closely with the industry to create strict protocols and develop new ways of organising events. These pilot events and solutions will help Singapore lead the way as a safe, trusted and innovative destination for MICE events.”

“Our determination is that we want Singapore to remain as the top business hub in Asia. We want to continue to strengthen our position as the MICE location of choice,” said Mr Chan.

“It is significant not just for the tangible monetary benefits to the economy, not only about the jobs, but it is also about the exchange of ideas – where people come to Singapore to interact with people from all over the world.”

Award-winning business coach reveals 3 money management tips to fuel business growth

Are you an entrepreneur, business owner, or individual planning to launch your own brand in the near future? Are these questions on your radar:

How healthy is our cash flow?
Are we taking on too much debt?
How long can we cover our expenses if business slows down?
Do we have enough capital to invest in growth?

If you find it tough to understand how money flows in and out or are currently stuck trying to stay afloat instead of increasing revenue, you will probably need to start making a few changes. For example, change your mindset and start taking control of managing your money the right way.

According to Peter Boolkah, an award-winning business coach, here are three steps to create a growth-focused approach to money management.

#1: Change your mindset

Image Credits: Kaplan Genesis

What thoughts do you have when it comes to money? Which of these ideas or feelings are holding you back? Can you reconsider and change them?

Those who identify money with fear may find themselves paying attention to getting out of debt or in a more extreme case – avoid looking at the company’s finances altogether. If that is you, see if you can change that mindset. Instead of fear, embrace your finances with an open attitude and you may probably find more opportunities for learning, wealth building, and growth.

Mr Boolkah believes that our business will grow to meet our level of desire and need. If you’re constantly in a rat race trying to get by, your business is going to reflect that mindset. While thinking about your business and personal goals, you should be able to answer these questions clearly:

Why do you want to succeed?
What kind of life do you want to create?
What greater purpose motivates you?

It’s also essential to dream big and surround yourself with people who share the same mindset. If you can’t find them in your immediate network, search for other entrepreneurs you admire and learn from them. If it helps, invite them to connect on LinkedIn.

#2: Make a plan

Image Credits: Call Centre Helper

Many business owners do not detail budgets and monitor the financial health of their businesses. To know how much money you have now and make accurate predictions about the future, you will need a plan and be disciplined with your money.

Some questions to ponder over:

Does your business have a budget? If so, how closely do you stick to it?
What are your short-term and long-term priorities and goals?
Where should you be spending? Where should you be saving?
When you get off track or circumstances change, where should you take corrective action?

If you’re not so savvy when it comes to financial planning, consider hiring the right person to aid you in this segment. Bringing in an accountant can help your company in creating a budget, managing expenses, and making well-informed financial decisions.

#3: Add more value

Image Credits: JBarrows

If there’s one thing you need to take away from this section, it’s to make your business indispensable to your customers. Instead of demanding more money from your customers for the same amount of work, give some thought about how you can add more value to them.

Questions to think about include:

How can you increase your skills or services to deliver better results?
How can you solve a problem and make their lives easier?

When your service becomes absolutely necessary, that’s when you can charge what you deserve.