Wednesday, 30 September 2015
A Great Place to Start Your Online Career - Affiliate Marketing
By Scott H. Taylor
1 1 A long time ago (in my Father's time) companies hired employees and kept
them. They treated them like valuable assets to the company, and regardless of
hard times the company went through, the employees always came first. In
today's throw-away society, employees have become the first to go. If the CEO's
paycheck is in jeopardy, or the stockholders value was going down, they let
people go. It's unusual to work for more than 5 years without going through
some kind of layoff or '.
Because of this, and the all-around economic uncertainty of today's
world, a lot of people are getting involved in online career to help supplement
their compensation or to find a way to get out of a dead-end job that they do
not like doing. But where do you start? One of the best places to start is by
becoming an affiliate marketer. Affiliate marketing is relatively quick and
easy to start and requires very little, or no investment, in order to start
making ready money online.
With an online career you can contact just about anybody with an
Internet connection which means you have an extremely wide marketing area at
your convenience. By being an affiliate marketer you do not have to create your
own products or services in order to get started making hard cash online. The
owners, or merchants as they are sometimes called, give you the rights to
market their products for free in most cases.
Affiliate marketing has become one of the most popular methods for
making ready money online today because the products or services have already
been created for you. All that is needed is to promote, or advertise them in
order to make sells and earn sales commissions which are pre-determined by the
owner of the product or service that you will be marketing.
In a typical affiliate marketing set up the merchant provides his or her
affiliates with the tools and resources required to sell his product or
service. The affiliates use these resources, such as banners, graphics, or text
advertising to post on their websites, or to put in blogs. They can also be
sent out in emails to create sales of the product or service that they are promoting.
The affiliate then gets a percentage of the total price of the product when a
sale is made, which is usually 25% to 75% of the total price of the product.
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| Image courtesy of KROMKRATHOG at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
You can also use an alternative method and join what is called an
affiliate network. An affiliate network is a career that hosts a variety of
affiliate programs for online merchants at one web site location. Most
affiliate networks are free and easy to join and provide a full range of
products for you to promote. Some of the most popular affiliate networks are:
Commission Junction, Clickbank, Linkshare, Cash Engines, and VIP Profits. To
find a whole list of popular affiliate networks just go and do a search on
affiliate networks or go to the site listed here:
http://www.webaffiliatesdirectory.com.
Affiliate marketing is one of the most rewarding careers that anyone could
have. Someone can literally start on a shoestring budget and work into a
consistent and very decent salary within a relatively short period of time.
Many people make thousands of dollars each month just selling products from the
Clickbank network. Clickbank is actually a great place to start as an affiliate
marketer because they have thousands of products to choose from to market and a
very good support system in place. It is also very easy to sign up and join
Clickbank. Here is their link: http://www.clickbank.com
Becoming a successful affiliate will not be all that easy though because
there is quite a lot of competition online. One of the best ways to become
successful in affiliate marketing does require additional knowledge and effort
and that you create a good content based website. You can have this created for
you or you can do your own research and learn how to do it yourself. But, it is
important to have a good content based web site that you can imbed links to the
products you are marketing within the content on your site. The products you
promote should be relevant to the content on your site which will take some
initial planning and consideration.
Using this approach you would be able to seed, or insert, several
products that you are promoting into the content of your site and then just
advertise that one web site. You can start off with just one site and then
build another site and do this over and over again over time. Before long you
will have created a multitude of sites that promote many different products or
services and that are linked to one another, which creates your own network of
inter-related sales sites. This could turn out to be extremely profitable for
you over a period of time.
If you plan you career properly you would probably want to promote
products or services that offer two-tier affiliate marketing programs. With
two-tier affiliate marketing programs you will not only get paid for your
direct sales, but you will also be paid a percentage commission for the sales
that your direct sales members make. This can be a very powerful and profitable
plan for your company and it creates what is called "residual
revenue."
Residual compensation is where each and every one of us should be
aiming. Residual revenue is where you earn hard cash from ongoing sales
regardless of how much you work. Granted, you'll have to continue to bring in
new customers as old ones will inevitably drop off, but most will stay.
One of the most important parts of your company plan should include
residual net profit. These residual profits programs will allow you to earn
multiple commissions each month from just one sale instead of having to sell
the same products over and over again to new people. Some of the most
successful Internet marketers recommend concentrating at least 75% of your time
and efforts on residual income programs such as monthly subscription membership
sites. These types of businesses bring you monthly income automatically with
just one sale as long as the customer continues their active membership each
month. When looking into affiliate programs, think about residual profits
products or services. This is one of the most beneficial methods of earning
affiliate commissions on an ongoing basis. It gets tedious selling individual
products over and over again. However, a combination of both approaches should
be implemented as many good products are a one-time sale. And the email lists
you'll get from those one-time sale can easily turn into residual total
compensation if you market your subscription service to those people.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Scott H. Taylor
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
7 Days To Affiliate Marketing Mastery!
By Franck Silvestre
Many affiliates are not making any money with the programs they promote
because they are simply making a lot of mistakes, which prevent them from
bringing their affiliate marketing business to the next level.
The right affiliate strategy can help you make your first sale in one
week, or more. It will depend on how much effort you put into the battle.
Follow these seven days to affiliate marketing profit and you should do
well, and see your first affiliate sale very soon. When I saw that blueprint
for the first time, I was skeptical; but when I saw commissions in my affiliate
account, I knew that the process was working perfectly.
The problem is not in the process but with the affiliate marketer who
didn't set a clear goal with a plan and didn't take action to achieve the
success that many other super affiliates are enjoying.
So here is the plan that you must follow if you want to make your first
commission in affiliate marketing...next week:
Day 1: Find a profitable market
Finding a profitable market is where most affiliates fail and then give
up. It's not their fault, but nobody takes the time to explain that.
When you are starting, it is better to start with a huge market that is
already profitable, like golf, weight loss, finance, self-help, beauty, sports,
fitness...
Start by researching what those people want, what they are searching for
on the Internet. For that, you will need a keyword research tool like
Goodkeywords.com or Yahoo search marketing tool.
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| Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Before finding the product, try to identify the needs of your targeted
market. Your chosen product must be excellent; and you want to have a good
commission that will reward you, motivate you and cover your affiliate campaign
costs. You can start with clickbank.com or cj.com.
You must verify the sales page to see if it will convert your visitors
into sales.
Day 3: Know and understand your product
Know that the goal of the affiliate is to pre-sell and not to sell. The
merchant must sell his product, not you.
You should pre-sell (capture and warm up) your product to your
subscriber. For that, you need to know the benefits of the product for your
subscribers, and the best way to do that is to own the product.
Day 4: Prepare your advertising plan
Prepare your material: ads, articles, where you will advertise this
affiliate program: Start with articles and pay-per-click traffic via Google
Adwords.
Day 5: Prepare yourself to capture your prospects
You must not send your visitor to the merchant page, but you must
capture his name and email address first, to secure your future affiliate
commissions.
Day 6: Write your killer follow-up material
After capturing his email address, the pre-written message in your
autoresponder will do the work for you and close the sale.Day 7: Drive tons of traffic to your lead capture page
When everything is ready, start to advertise your affiliate program.
Actually, you will show your lead capture (also called opt-in or squeeze page)
page to the world, and take your future buyer's email address. One of the most
effective ways to advertise it is to write articles.
Remember: the affiliate marketing process works, and it is perfect. But
it will not work without you. So take action, and when you start to see your
affiliate commissions, you will know that it is working; and you will be able
to master the affiliate marketing game and become a super affiliate.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Franck Silvestre
Monday, 28 September 2015
Affiliate Marketing Services
By Seth Miller
There are certain companies in the market which provide
affiliate-marketing services. They provide support to merchants as well as
affiliates for fixed fees. Some of these companies also charge an additional
amount in the form of commission.
A company providing affiliate marketing services offers commissions to
affiliates on behalf of the merchant. It would track all the sales promotion
and marketing activities carried out by affiliates. It would also recruit new
affiliates, make customized ads for their sites and regulate and monitor their
payments. Companies providing such services often prepare the promotional
materials and ensure that they reach all the affiliates. Sometimes they also
provide content for sites run by affiliates. With the rapid expansion of
affiliate marketing programs, these services often come in handy as they help a
company run their affiliate program efficiently. They provide software support
as well as innovative ideas to advertisers as well as affiliates.
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| Image courtesy of mapichai at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
These marketing services are available online. They can be contacted on
the Internet, but before you start utilizing these services, you should check
the past record of the company. Also, the terms and conditions should be
clearly mentioned in the agreement, as in some cases the companies providing
affiliate marketing services are not able to fulfill their promises.
Affiliate marketing services are fast developing as a lucrative market.
With a further expansion in the affiliate marketing programs, such services
have a bright future, as they are able to increase the revenue of corporate
entities by managing their affiliate programs well.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Seth Miller
Sunday, 27 September 2015
Affiliate Marketing Programs
By Seth Miller
1 The best affiliate marketing programs are those which are beneficial for
both the merchant and the affiliate. Whether you are an advertiser or an
affiliate, always look for an affiliate-marketing program that suits your
requirements. A good affiliate marketing program generates enough business to
keep both the merchant and the affiliate happy in the long run. Before becoming
a member of an affiliate program, it is better to have a basic understanding
about how the web works, what clicks on the web and what does not. Most of the
affiliate marketing programs do not differentiate between people with marketing
backgrounds and people who do not know even the basics of marketing. |
| Image courtesy of ddpavumba at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
If an affiliate marketing program offers very high commission rates,
that perhaps is an indication that the merchant is not doing so well and
desperately wants to increase sales. So after all your hard work, you might not
be able to get satisfactory compensation from this merchant. Most of the
affiliate marketing programs issue you a check at the end of the month. As the
number of affiliates keeps on increasing, after some point the program becomes
unmanageable. You may hire trained professionals to handle this program
in-house, or you could outsource this task.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert; Seth Miller
Saturday, 26 September 2015
4 Common Mistakes New Affiliate Marketers Make
By Alden Smith
I am sure everyone has heard the pros and cons of affiliate marketing.
On the one hand, you need no product to sale, the affiliate manager provides
you with promotional tools, and sometimes even a website to promote. Likewise,
when you market a product through an affiliate marketer, then the customer,
along with his contact information, belongs to the affiliate manager, and you
have no way to make contact and add the person to your mailing list. We have
all heard of the great success of people like Rosalind Gardner and others who
have made small fortunes affiliate marketing, and want to repeat that success
in our own businesses. Affiliate marketing should only be one of the tools in
an internet marketer's arsenal, and if handled properly, can be extremely
lucrative.
It is very true that affiliate marketing can be financially rewarding.
Affiliate marketers who have stuck to their promotions, optimized for the best
success, and market their wares in a forward thinking manner are making great
rewards for their efforts. Lifestyles have changed, and people are able to get
some of the things that they want and need through affiliate marketing.
Although affiliate marketing can be very lucrative, there is no easy way to do
it and be successful.
What makes on affiliate marketer stand out head and shoulders from the
rest, while so many struggle day to day for pennies? The answer probably lies
in the fact that so many make mistakes from lack of knowledge than anything
else. Affiliate marketing is not just about promoting a marketer's product
through his website, and sitting back and watching the money flow in. First and
foremost, the new affiliate marketer must know the market, and be aware of his
potential customers.
Discovering the most common mistakes new affiliate marketers make is the
first step in the process of being successful in affiliate marketing.
Certainly, there are do's and don't involved in a successful business approach.
The most common mistake in this business of affiliate marketing concerns the
principles involved in your business. And one must also be well aware of search
engine optimization in particular. Here are 4 ways to learn what is needed to
be successful in affiliate marketing.
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| Image courtesy of watcharakun at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
2. Don't overdo it on your affiliate site with banners, flashy graphics
and content that is not relevant to the product. If you must use banners, then
provide plenty of relevant content along with it. Your job here is to inform.
do not confuse your customer that is looking for a solution with irrelevant
content and distracting graphics. Instead, give him the information he has come
to look for.
3. Give the customer options. Having only one solution on a well
constructed page leaves money on the table. Offer more than one solution to the
problem. Just be sure that you keep the content relevant. In other words, do not
put affiliate information about spyware and how you can cure the customer's
problems on a page with a product for acne!
4. There is also the problem of beginning affiliates trying to promote
too many products at once. Your object is to give the customer what he has come
for, in possibly several tightly associated products, but not give him so much
choice that he leaves the page confused or overwhelmed with your presentation.
Ultimately,. the customer must make the choice of what he will buy.
Ultimately, the new affiliate marketers who fail will be the ones who do
not exert enough effort into the marketing strategy. Be sure to have a step by
step plan in place before ever beginning the process of affiliate marketing.
There is really no other way to be successful in this competitive market.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Alden Smith
Friday, 25 September 2015
. How to Get Started in Affiliate Marketing Online
By Rob A Johnson
1 Millions of people have jumped on the latest way to make money online
and it is called affiliate marketing. Many times, you can set up an affiliate
marketing campaign for free online. However, to be truly successful, you will
have to create your own website and that means using a reputable internet
webhosting business instead of one of those cheap or free online webhosting
companies.
Before getting any further about how to start an affiliate marketing
campaign, do you have any idea what it is? It is a method where established
successful businesses online allows you to earn money on a commission basis
through the sale of their products on your own website. You have to set up your
website and advertise their merchandise through a variety of marketing efforts.
In return, you can earn a percentage of each sale that spawned through your
website link.
It sounds like you are doing a lot of work for free and creating more
revenue for an online business. While that is true, you are also reaping the
rewards from that increased revenue. Remember, you are earning a commission on
every sale instigated from your website. What is so great about affiliate
marketing is that practically anyone who can turn on a computer and take an
online internet cruise through the World Wide Web can do it.
If you become an affiliate, you will not have to supply customer or
technical support nor will you have to worry about shipping because no
inventory is ever handled by you. This scenario sounds pretty good, doesn't it?
The only thing you have to focus on is promoting your affiliate marketing website
online.
Perhaps one of the great things about your online affiliate marketing
campaign is that is becomes automatic. Except for some routine network
maintenance, you can expect to earn money free and clear. Twenty-four hours in
a day, seven days a week and three hundred sixty five days of the year ....
That is how often you could potentially earn money. And if you go on a little
vacation? No problem! Once you set up your affiliate marketing website online,
there is little to do, so you will be relatively footloose and fancy-free.
Many affiliate marketing programs online are free to join and some will
even train you in advertising and promotions. In addition, there are no rules
that say you have to stick with one online affiliate marketing program. You can
run several of these marketing campaigns simultaneously because they are low
maintenance and you can earn multiple streams of income. You are not limited to
only one kind of product either. You can choose from a variety of free online
affiliate programs.
Now that you have an idea of what affiliate marketing is and would like
to try this free way of making money online, you have several items to consider
and think through. First, what type of affiliate marketing programs will you
participate in? There are thousands of options available to you. Think of some
things you are interested in, whether it be cooking, reading or other stuff.
Then find some free affiliate programs that cater to that particular interest.
It doesn't hurt to enjoy the subject matter!
Next in your quest to make money online is your website. If you are
comfortable with the html language and can build your own web pages quite
easily, then do so. Otherwise, there are a few terrific online affiliate
marketing companies that will handle all that technological mumbo jumbo for
you. Remember that saying that went something like, "The best things in
life are not free?" Well, the saying goes for your website. Do not utilize
one of those cheap or free webhosting services. It smacks of the "mom and
pop" or unprofessional mentality.
For your affiliate marketing website online, don't just post the
referral links to the affiliate websites. You will not get any search engine
hits that way. You want web traffic to your website. To achieve this goal,
incorporate content articles that are appropriate to the theme of the affiliate
marketing links. In addition, there are quite a few free website content sites
which might have articles that are handy to your online affiliate website.
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| Image courtesy of worradmu at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Other ways to increase your website traffic and thus increase the
possibility of revenue through affiliate marketing is writing reviews of the
very products you are touting as an affiliate. Providing free unbiased opinions
of the products not only helps consumers make their purchasing decisions, but
it also boosts the likelihood that consumers will click on your affiliate links
to make a purchase.
Free is a favorite word for many people. Offering something for nothing
is another common practice that works great with affiliate marketing programs.
Think about it: you have a visitor who is already halfway vested in your website.
After all, they found you! To keep them coming back for more and clicking your
affiliate links, offer a free ezine or eBook download. Another idea is creating
a free email course. Through this method, you and your affiliate marketing
website are brought to their attention each and every time you show up in their
inbox.
Because affiliate programs are a dime a dozen these days, you have to
really be selective in what you choose. Chances are that thousands of others
have also signed up as an affiliate with the same business. That is why it is
important to incorporate some of the helpful hints listed in the above
paragraphs as well as sign on with more than one affiliate. This will increase
your chances of earning revenue.
There are more issues to deal with in regards to affiliate marketing.
However, these are just a few of the basics to get you started on your road to
revenue. Before jumping in with both feet, be sure and do your research. Due
diligence is the key to a successful affiliate marketing campaign.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Rob A Johnson
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Organize Your Way to Affiliate Marketing Profits
By Dave Cooper
Six months in affiliate marketing is a really a very short time. If this
is true, how in the world in six months time did you find yourself dealing with
so many different tasks on a daily basis? Maybe you are involved with many
different affiliate programs? You may be managing several websites or
sub-domains. Perhaps, you have multiple affiliate marketing email lists you are
keeping in touch with. I'm betting you are contacting lots of potential
merchants and advertising partners. Wow! This affiliate marketing stuff is
hectic.
With so many tasks to accomplish, many affiliate marketers find that
their whole affiliate marketing system is starting to look a bit chaotic. Okay,
a lot chaotic. It is in this chaos where many affiliate marketers find they are
failing and decide to call it quits. It isn't time to quit, it's time to
re-take your Organizational territory!
It is without a doubt one of the least glamorous aspects of affiliate
marketing. Getting and staying organized is extremely important to any aspiring
affiliate marketer. You must have the foresight to create a system, an
organized system! This system that you create may not work for anyone else on
this planet. It doesn't have to. It only needs to work well for you. I promise
you that you will thank yourself many times over for creating an organized
environment that you can thrive in when your affiliate marketing business
starts expanding.
Here are some of the things that you will avoid by establishing an
organized system for your affiliate marketing business.
Losing passwords and email addresses - Has this
ever happened to you? Of course it has, it happens to almost every affiliate
marketer. At one time or another we all lose or misplace passwords and email
addresses that we really, really need! You can avoid losing passwords and
addresses if you create a system that has a retrieval method which is easy to
remember and follow. Try keeping a simple text document of all of your most
important passwords and email addresses. I promise you the few seconds it takes
to document this information now will save you a huge headache in the future.
Losing track of day to day activity - It is
easy for an affiliate marketer to keep track of his daily business activities
if he has a system that will allow him to record such activities in a
convenient, rapid, but accurate manner. Create a daily activity plan. Write it
down. Do certain activities on certain days of the week. Get a daily planner
and write down the things you want to accomplish that day. Don't try to do it
all every day.
Mixing records of several affiliate programs - You
really need to keep each and every one of the programs you are promoting
separate. You don't want to mix your records. Again, you need a system of
organizing the information you have accumulated for each affiliate program you
are an affiliate for. Keep the information you have accumulated for each
program in a separate folder on your computer. Or create a paper and pencil
filing system the old fashioned way. Manila folders anyone?
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| Image courtesy of renjith krishnan at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
All the above suggestions may seem a lot of work, but any seasoned
affiliate marketer will tell you that the above suggestions are part and parcel
of every successful affiliate marketing business.
What are you waiting for? Get your affiliate marketing system set-up and
organized as soon as possible.
David Cooper is the editor of the Affiliate Marketing Articles
Newsletter. David specializes in helping affiliate marketers organize their way
to affiliate marketing profits.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Dave Cooper
Wednesday, 23 September 2015
Affiliate Marketing: Own It Before You Promote It!
By Dave Cooper
Affiliate Marketing provides a perfect opportunity for people to begin
their own online business. One of the many draws to affiliate marketing is the
fact that you do not have to possess the ability to produce your own products.
As an affiliate marketer you have the ability to promote and advertise products
on behalf of different merchants. This is a very appealing aspect to many new
online entrepreneurs. As an affiliate marketer you do not have to worry about
maintaining, updating, or delivering products to your customers. In other
words, an affiliate does not need to maintain physical ownership or inventory
of the products in order to promote them.
Yet, almost all affiliate marketing experts advise that as an affiliate
you should own the products in order to successfully promote the product. Do
not take this to mean that you need to become involved in the manufacturing
process. What it does mean is that, as the affiliate for a product or service,
you must believe in the benefits that can be obtained from using the product or
service. How do you get this belief? This belief is most often manifested in
the owning of the product. In other words, a good affiliate marketer will use
the products and services that he is promoting and advertising.
In today's affiliate marketing environment, I see more affiliates with
the "Baskin-Robbins" mentality. They promote the flavor of the month
if you will. They are only interested in promoting products that are hyped to
be the best-selling ones for the month. These types of affiliate marketers are
very trendy and will switch products and promotions at the drop of a hat. I ask
you, why promote a product just because it is wildly popular if the product or
service does not appeal to you? If it doesn't appeal to you, chances are it
isn't going to appeal to your customers either. Never entertain the idea of
signing-up for affiliate programs or promoting affiliate products that do not
fit with your overall affiliate marketing strategy. If you choose to promote
every single so called "hot product" you will only end up spending
time, money, and effort on many products and affiliate programs that will not
provide you with good financial returns in the long run.
However, if the popular "product of the month" is a one which
appeals to you, it fits with your affiliate marketing niche, and your research
tells you that it has a reasonable chance to succeed within your market then,
by all means, sign-up for that affiliate program. Affiliate marketers need to
make sure (if it is entirely possible) that you can and will utilize such a
product. There are two really major reasons for owning the product being
promoted. Both reasons seem intangible on the surface, but they are key factors
towards the success of any affiliate marketing promotion you undertake.
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| Image courtesy of patpitchaya at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
The second major reason why the affiliate should own the product they
are promoting is credibility. The affiliate knows the product in the way that
the target client will know the product. This places the affiliate in the
position of "expert." As an expert you can authoritatively better
answer questions that the clients may ask about the product or service. If the
affiliate does not own the product, he cannot honestly and immediately answer
the questions of the clients. Being unable to answer truthfully and credibly
leads to losing the client.
If you want to see your affiliate commissions increase and your stature as
an expert in your field increase. I encourage all affiliate marketers to
develop an "own it, before you promote it mentality."
David Cooper is the editor of the Affiliate Marketing Articles
Newsletter. David specializes in helping affiliate marketers understand the
importance of owning and using the products and services they are promoting.
Article Source: EzineArticles expert: Dave Cooper
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