What is the one thing that most affiliates do wrong? And are you making this mistake?

Let me ask you this… do you sign up for an affiliate program and then start to advertise the product?

If you are doing this STOP now.

Not only will you not make any sales this way but you are not building your own list.

Did you notice that may be a sign up form on the affiliate’s web sight? Well, the traffic that you send to the affiliate page may not buy when they first goes to the website. However, they may sign up to get more information. Well if they buy later on you may not get credit for the sale.

Also the product owner now has a subscriber that she can follow up with over and over, even with different products.

Not only did you NOT make the sale but you also did the get the emailaddress of the visitor. All of that affiliate work was in vain… that is why 96% of affiliates do not make any money.

So, you need a way to capture the email address of your prospect so that you can follow up over and over for your business. You need a Landing Page… sometimes call a "Squeeze Page", or a "Lead Capture Page".

Landing pages, Squeeze Page or Lead Capture Pages are simply web pages that are specifically designed to collect names and email addresses of your customers. Your goal is not to sell anything here, as your profits will come from follow up emails.

For affiliate marketing, landing pages would refer to the web page where you, as an affiliate would want your potential customer to be directed after clicking your ad. Then your autoresponder will capture the email address Once your potential customer signs up. You are then able to follow up with your customer until he buys that product, buys another product or unsubscribes.

The most import aspect of the lead capture page is that it enables you to build your opt-in list. So here is what you need to concentrate on doing:

First, create a professional lead capture page.

Then advertise your lead capture page instead of the affiliate site. That way you can collect names & email addresses and make money through follow up emails.

Finally, you need to build a relationship with your subscribers by sending them free quality information on a regular basis.

This enables you to earn their trust and loyalty. Then your subscribers will reward you by buying your affiliate products that you recommend.

Russell Carter is editor of the Affiliate Cash Secrets Blog