were paid to blog and website owners in 2008.
This finding in a recent study by Jupiter Research
confirms what many savvy Internet marketers
have known for a while: Affiliate marketing has
become one of the top business opportunities
online because the startup costs are so low and
the income you generate can be mind-blowing.
Affiliate marketing involves having your own site
and sending your traffic to someone else's site to
buy their products or services. For every sale
initiated by a link from your site, you earn a
percentage--an affiliate sales commission.
Affiliate marketing can be done on a part-time
basis, and many are so successful that they've
made it their full-time job. Equally exciting, you
can get in the game in just a few hours. But how
successful you are is based on the amount of time
and effort you devote. Here is how you can make
money online with these six tips:
#1. Create a website or blog:
To start as an affiliate marketer, you must have a
site on which to place links to the products or
services you recommend. There are many
inexpensive website services such as Hostgator
and GoDaddy. It's also easy to set up a free blog
through services such as Google's Blogger blog
network.
#2. Decide your product/service niche:
Affiliate marketers help companies and
entrepreneurs sell everything from jewelry and
cell phones to website services and how-to e-
books. Choose an area you're familiar with or one
you're enthusiastic about learning. You'll be more
likely to do the work and less likely to get bored
before the money starts rolling in.
#3. Find products and services to promote:
Many affiliate networks exist to connect
merchants with affiliate site publishers who can
help sell their goods. Companies such as:
_Google AdSense, which doesn't require your
involvement to result in a sale. Your income is
realized on a pay-per-click basis, just for leading
your traffic to click to a merchant's site. PPC
affiliate programs pay a lot less than programs
where your referral must result in a sale. Keep in
mind that a site peppered with ads and no
authority or trust can look and feel like spam,
and you won't get good results.
_ REVENUEHITS: this is the biggest google adsense alternative
For bloggers
_Clickbank, E-junkie and PayDotCom lead the
pack in connecting the creators of e-books and
software with affiliates to help sell their digital
download products.
_Commission Junction is popular for those who
want to sell more traditional wares ranging from
travel services to janitorial franchises.
#4. Affiliate site content:
There are two main approaches or business
models to choose from when setting up an
affiliate marketing site:
Resource Sites These sites are focused on
offering lots of how-to articles and posts, and
then provide affiliate links or banner ads to click
for more details. Frequently adding fresh related
content is vital because it gives people a reason
to return to your site--and click some of your
money-making links.
Review Sites You've tried the products in your
niche, now you write them up and rate them to
help your site visitors decide what to buy. For
each product you review, you provide a link or
banner ad that clicks through for sales on your
merchant partner's site. Less frequent content
updates are necessary--just tweak your site
about once a week to let the search engines
know your site's still alive, and always try to
build links.:
#5. Affiliate sites must attract lots of targeted
traffic to succeed
Most people visiting your website or blog won't
click your affiliate links. That's why it's crucial to
employ a mix of marketing tactics to increase
traffic--highly targeted traffic--to your site.
There are four main ways to get more site
exposure and attract more potential customers:
Paid Advertising This is most effective when
your ad copy headline, call-to-action message
and graphics come together just right to compel
people to click through and buy.
Free Advertising Sites like Craigslist and US Free
Ads are but two of many popular places that
accept links and banner ads for free. These tend
to be affiliate marketing sites themselves,
earning the owner money whenever you click
their ads.
Article Marketing This popular marketing
method offers several benefits. You're building
credibility as a reliable source in your niche,
gaining a higher search engine ranking by
increasing the number of links leading to your
site, and pulling traffic to your site. Work in an
organic manner and don't spam using software
engines. Ezinearticles is a great place to begin.
E-mail Marketing Every visitor to your site is
valuable, so capturing their names and e-mail
addresses to stay in touch is important. Many
people might not buy your affiliate products
until the third or fourth time they hear from
you. So it's crucial to place an opt-in subscription
box on your site for people to start receiving a
weekly or monthly newsletter from you. My
personal favorite is aweber, but many quality
ones exist.
#6. Learn the ropes in forums:
These are online communities of likeminded
people who exchange insights and ideas. Join at
least one of these free affiliate marketing forums
to benefit from advice shared by other newbies,
intermediates and gurus alike:
.Digital Point Hug:, with about 25,000 active
members. An excellent place to learn affiliate
marketing tips, plus other techniques that
impact your success such as link building and
SEO.
. aBestWeb: One of the largest affiliate marketing
forums, with nearly 100 sub-forums. Covers the
broadest range of affiliate marketing-specific
subjects, with heavy participation by numerous
go-getter merchants and serious affiliates.
.Warrior Forum: A killer networking forum for
beginners and advanced alike. Set up a profile,
start participating, ask questions and promote
as well.
To do well, read all you can about the opinions,
tool and strategies of both experts and peers. But
before you even start, choose a niche about
which you're passionate. The more you truly
enjoy what you're immersed in, the more likely
you are to transform your affiliate marketing and
money-making venture into a huge success.
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