$10.00 by paypal for the adsense ebook:jmcsworld@yahoo.com once you order please email to verify payment and your ebook will be sent asap!How to Find the Best Products on the Internet
By jmc
http://www.1stpromotion.com/pro/?webmaster=marketerjm
If you�ve ever embarked on a shopping expedition on the Internet, you know it�s easy to get lost in a sea of look-alike products and copycat offers. The Internet offers everything you could ever want. In fact, it offers about 50 different versions of everything you want.
The problem is, not you or anyone else on the planet has time to sort through all the offers for the best one. That is the beauty of ClickBank storefront websites. ClickBank offers over 11,400 of the Internets best, most in-demand electronically deliverable products. But don�t be overwhelmed by the sheer number of products and opportunities ClickBank offers. Everything is appropriately categorized, making it easy to find the products and opportunities you want.
But not all ClickBank storefronts are created equal. These
storefronts are run by affiliates, and most of their parent
companies only allow them to sell about 20% of the
products and services Clickbank offers.
If you want to find the most extensive selection of products, visit a site like http://www.1stpromotion.com/pro?webmaster=marketerjm . 1st Promotion is the only ClickBank Storefront to offer the full line of ClickBank Affiliate Marketplace products, so if you want access to the best selection, that is the place to visit.
With the vastness of the Internet expanding every minute of every day, 1st Promotion strives to continuously make shopping at their ClickBank Storefronts as enjoyable as possible. Their marketplace includes an extensive selection of shopping categories, such as Business-to-Business, Computer and Internet, Fun and Entertainment, Health and Fitness, Home and Family, Marketing and Advertising, Money and Employment, Society and Culture, and Sports and Recreation.
Also, if you are interested in owning your own Internet business, becoming a 1st Promotion affiliate offers top commissions on over 11,400 ClickBank products, and more benefits than all the other ClickBank Storefronts combined.
1stPromotion has also just announced the industry’s first search box plug-in which duplicates the abilities of the search box located on the Pro Storefront, and allows webmasters to very simply integrate this capability right into their other existing web sites. This unleashes virtually undiscovered streams of revenue for many of 1stPromotion’s members.
Either way, next time you decide to do a little Internet
shopping, use a 1st Promotion ClickBank site and you�ll find
exactly what you�re looking for in no time.
Want to own your own ClickBank Storefront and earn commissions of over 11,400 of the Internet�s most in-demand products? Find out how! Contact jim email to jmcsworld@yahoo.com Or visit http://www.1stpromotion.com/pro?webmaster=marketerjm
| JMCs Affiliate News Vol. 1 Issue 3 feb 2006 http://www.freewebs.com/jmcinfocenter
Syndicated with Permission through IdeaMarketers.com
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Blogging Explained in Simple Terms |
by: Elizabeth Kirwin |
| By now, if you haven’t heard of Blogging, you must be in a coma, seldom watch or listen to the news, or never use the internet. Bloggers are the newest and most popular ‘authentic’ voice on the internet. Blogging Defined First, let’s begin with an accurate definition of Blogging. Blog is short for Web Log. To blog is to upload text onto the same place on the internet daily, weekly, monthly, or at least with some predictable frequency. The best bloggers are trained professional writers, people who write because it’s their passion, and politically inclined individuals who need a bully pulpit for their ideas. Some bloggers are traveling long distance over an extended period of time, and they want to communicate with family and friends. The traveling bloggers do not have enough time to e-mail everyone – so they blog. Family and friends can check their blog for updates on their whereabouts, their adventures, mishaps, and golden opportunities while they’re on the road. Is Blog a Noun, Verb, or Adjective? I have seen Blog used as a noun, verb and adjective. This means blogging is a thing, an active principle, and a way to describe something. If you want to blog (verb) and do it well, the best advice is to blog on a subject you know quite a good deal about. Chances are, most people who blog with a good solid background in their subject area, do not readily run out of good material. Also, people who read blogs (noun) constructed in this way will walk away enriched, educated on a particular subject, and are more likely to return. Blogging as Gossip or for Profits As a professional writer and a creative writer, I am enjoying the popularity of the blogger (noun). Why? Because bloggers are bringing back respect for the individual voice in writing. Their popularity is sometimes based upon the depth of their knowledge on a particular subject. Or, as in the case of bloggers who helped reveal the true identity of White House Press Corps gay hustler Jeff Gannon, bloggers can turn a little vicious gossip into an international news story, which I personally find amusing and enlightening. Since bloggers uncovered this scandalous man’s double life, blogging has gained a great deal of attention. In fact, marketing and public relations firms are now using blogging as a tool in their whole package of increasing a client’s media visibility. Public Relations and Marketing Blogging If the Public Relations and Marketing firms gain a stronghold on blogging activities, perhaps the ‘authentic’ individual voice that began the blogging craze will be lost in the rubble. This is the worry of many devoted bloggers. Or, maybe this trend could strengthen the position of political or gossip oriented bloggers. Perhaps the ‘devoted bloggers’ who were working in the restaurant and retail industry, will now find they’re being offered the opportunity to blog for money instead of slave away over a hot grill, or at a cash register. This is where the whole blogging debate takes over. Ethical versus Unethical Blogging Who actually has the ‘right’ to blog? What does an authentic blogger look and feel and sound like? How do you identify a slick, Public Relations blogger? Should blogging remain in the realm of the individual voice? Or will it be usurped by multinational corporations and governments for their own devious purposes? These are all valid questions, and I’m afraid I do not possess an answer to any of these ethical questions about blogging. I feel that the individual person, company, or entity must answer these questions on their own. But there is one thing I am absolutely certain about. Everyone has a right to blog, just as every one has a right to write and publish their work in the public sphere, which includes the internet. For some ideas on how to increase web site traffic by blogging, visit http://www.sidhecommunications.com and read the companion piece to this article: Start Blogging to Increase Internet Traffic: We Blog. About the Author Elizabeth Kirwin has published work in national magazines and newspapers. She is co-owner of Sidhe Communications http://www.sidhecommunications.com in Asheville NC. She develops web sites, newsletters, brochures, and internet marketing plans for businesses, non-profits, and health care ogranizations nationally. For more information, e-mail ekirwin@bellsouth.net. |
Earning from PPC Search Engine Affiliate Programs |
by: Jonathon White |
What are PPC Search Engines? PPC Search Engines are search engines that allow advertisers to list their site within their search results on a pay per click basis. Advertisers bid against other advertisers for the same keywords or phrases. The highest bidder will then have their site ranked #1 in the PPC Search Engine results for a certain keyword followed by the second highest bidder for the same keyword followed by the third highest bidder for the same keyword, etc. When a visitor then does a search in the PPC Search Engine and clicks on an advertisers bided link, the advertisers account will then get deducted for that click. This only happens once per unique visitor. So if that same visitor clicked on the same advertisers bided link twice, then the advertisers account will only get deducted for the first click. Why is it easier to earn from PPC Search Engines than other affiliate programs? PPC Search Engine affiliate programs are a good and easy way to earn some quick cash online. It is a lot easier to earn from PPC Search Engines than most other affiliate programs because you earn from your visitors click-thru’s to an advertisers site and not per action or sale. Where can I find PPC Search Engines that offer affiliate programs? There are only a few good resources on the Internet that lists a large amount of PPC Search Engines. Most of these are either outdated where they have a lot of PPC Search Engines that don’t exist anymore or only mainly gives information about a PPC Search Engines advertising offers. If you were looking to join some PPC Search Engines that offer affiliate programs so that you can earn some quick and easy cash, then a useful resource to use would be http://www.affiliateseeking.com/ppcaff.php. This is because it lists over 375 PPC Search Engines where you can easily compare what each PPC Search Engines affiliate program has to offer and you can even organize the PPC Search Engines results by Date Added, Minimum Payout, Earnings, etc. I have joined a PPC Search Engine. How do I go about advertising it so that I can earn from it? Once you have joined a PPC Search Engine, you can then easily get promotional links/ material from the affiliate section of the PPC Search Engine account where you can then use them to advertise the PPC Search Engine that you have joined. Most PPC Search Engines allow you to advertise them by using search boxes, an xml feed, text links, referral links, banners, a portal page, and more.
Jonathon White has been doing advertising/ marketing on the Web for over three years. He is the Webmaster of three sites, which are: http://www.affiliateseeking.com - a categorized affiliate programs directory. http://www.simplysearch4it.com - a general web portal where people can play FREE online games, add free articles, search the Web, and much more. http://www.1hostseeking.com - a web hosting directory. The above article can be re-printed as longs as the bio lines stay in place. |
Article Writing & Promotion...Your Fast Track To Sales & Profits. | |
by: Thom Reece | |
| Writing articles, and promoting them for publication, is one of the most productive long-term promotional tactics available. Well researched and written articles... which provide valuable, useable information, are highly sought after by newsletter publishers, magazines, ezines, etc. It is a marketing truth that "Content Is King". Good, keyword rich, content is what drives online traffic through search engines and gives the visitor a reason to keep coming back to a website. This is often referred to as "sticky content". As a traffic-generation tool it is unsurpassed. Webmasters and publication editors have an insatiable appetite for tightly written "niched" articles that are relevant to their web sites or publications themes. This need is your opportunity... An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has a never-ending need for good content. Each issue they publish must be filled with useful, relevant content that will appeal to their readers or subscribers self-interest. A publication that cannot provide great content will not long survive. "An editor of an ezine, newsletter or magazine has a never-ending need for good content. By regularly supplying the media with well written articles, you build a never-ending supply of links and traffic to your own websites. How?... Well, the secret is in the bio. Each article you submit for publication has your own "authors bio" that gives full attribution and links to your site. This is the payment you receive for having supplied the articles... it is a payment which gives you long-term dividends! Not only will your article be presented to many thousands of subscribers initially... but those same articles (with your bio and links) will be archived on the publications websites. Those archived articles become fodder for search engines which not only provide on-going traffic to the publishing site... but to YOU as well. It is truly a Win/Win proposition. NOT A WRITER?... NO PROBLEM... There are countless freelance writers who will "ghost write" articles for you and... giving you the copyrights. I know of many well-known names in the industry who have articles plastered all over the internet...and they have never written a word themselves. I know this because I have written some of their articles. :-) If you need such services try elance or do a Google search for "ghost writing" or "freelance writers". There are many highly educated, english speaking, foreign-based professionals who will write articles for very nominal fees. OK... YOU HAVE AN ARTICLE... NOW WHAT? Having a good article is only the first part of the equatiion... now you need to get the articles distributed to those editors and publications who will welcome your contribution... and publish your work. There are three primary means of promoting your articles:
Here is a breakdown of each... and a list of resources to get you started... ARTICLE DIRECTORIES... Article directories are websites which categorize and archive your articles... and promote them to editors and publishers. Most are free... but some are fee based. They all provide a submission system for you to provide your articles to them. In addition, most have their own internal list of editors and publishers that they announce your new article to. TIP: The simple act of listing your articles in the directory archives will provide you instant incoming links to your website which could increase your site traffic and page ranks. Here is a partial list of article directories. (Please note that companies go out of business occasionally and you may run into a link which no longer works.)
ARTICLE ANNOUNCEMENT LISTS... Announcement Lists are email newsletters, lists, or ezines, which allow you to "announce" your new articles to thousands of editors and publishers instantly. Most of these announcement lists are sent out daily to their subscribers. This means that you can have your article circulating to key editors and publishers within hours of completion. Here are a number of important Article Announcement Lists that will give you a simple and fast mechanism for distribution of your articles...
YOUR INTERNAL, IN-HOUSE, DISTRIBUTION LIST... Over time you will begin to build a list of editors and publishers, who have used your articles in the past, and find them to be relevant. This list is "your private goldmine". Each time you finish an article the first step you want to take is to send it, in a private mailing, to your in-house user list. You might want to consider doing a "mail merge" to this list and personalize your submission to the specific editor by name. Remember, this list could be worth thousand of dollars to you over the coming months and years. Do not treat it lightly. This list is truly a center-of-influence list that you will want to spend time and effort nuturing. Remembering them at holidays and on special occasions, goes a long way to building a profitable relationship. Pick up a phone and call them. Let them know that you appreciate your relationship... and let them know you are available for special writing assignments. (Here is an example of how strong and beneficial this simple act can be... About two years ago I sent a small holiday gift [a screen-saver of tropical Hawaiian images] to a magazine editor who had used a number of my articles in the past. I waited until the package had time to arrive and then I picked up a phone and called her. She was delighted with the thoughtfulness of the gift and then stunned me with the news that one of her regular columnists had been forced to resign... and "would I be interested in replacing him?". So... that simple telephone call resulted in a regular column in a print magazine that serves one of my niche marketplaces. A marvelous result that may not have happened if I had not "nurtured the relationship". Ask them "What Articles Do You Need?"... and listen closely to their answers. By doing so... you will develop a sense of what materials are needed and wanted in your marketplace. Write specifically to those needs and you will develop a strong editorial following that will pay off in huge traffic flow, increased sales and profits, and an enhanced image and reputation. These are pretty hefty benefits for some time spent researching and writing articles! PAID DISTRIBUTION SERVICES... Two recent innovations that have burst on the article marketing scene are: (1)custom distribution software (Article Announcer) and (2) web-based article distribution services (Article Marketer). My experience with these systems are that the web-based service is much more cost efficient, easier to use, and has the built-in advantage of having the most current and up-to-date database of publishers seeking your content. (c) Copyright 2005 Thom Reece All Rights Reserved
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Ten Essential Tips For Submitting Articles | |
by: Dwain Berlin | |
| Submitting well planned articles on-line will increase traffic and can even launch your career when handled right. They'll drive traffic from all over the net and show an excellent return on your time invested. Write Your Article Like You're Writing to a Friend Even though it may be seen by thousands, each copy gets read by one person at a time. Your readers are more open if you're speaking directly to them instead of down at them. Replace big words with simple words. I've heard that writing at an eighth grade level will increase comprehension. Write a Killer Headline An amazing article can end up going nowhere because the headline sucked a lemon and nobody read it. Any marketer who knows their stuff will tell you the headline is 80% - 90% of the reason you're even considered. Write a great article of course, but spend lots of time on your headline. Pick a Topic You Know Well Assuming you've done your research and found a niche you like that's profitable, you can become an expert in that field because you'll stay with it. If the research is a chore it's easy to lose interest. Educate But Don't Sell Articles are thought of as nuggets of information that educate. If your article breaks that unwritten rule and is actually an advertisement in disguise, it'll never see the light of another monitor. A well written article is a subtle but powerful way to motivate someone. Advertising builds barriers, where news is accepted with an open mind. Write Quality not Quantity There's no room for fluff in a good article. When reading the posting guidelines, check the restrictions for article length. Stay within the word count or you'll get trashed. It's usually 500 - 600 words. Save your full length version for sites that'll accept it. Include a Resource Box With Your "Call to Action" Link Either at the bottom or the top of your article you'll want to include your name, describe what you do, a sign-up email if you're building a newsletter, your website link, a short call to action, whatever's appropriate. Submit Articles Consistently Writing and submitting articles consistently will assure growing returns. Some sites will accept your work others won't, so don't get discouraged. Make a schedule, stick to your deadlines and "Just do it" Read The Posting Guidelines at Each Site When posting your article follow the guidelines. Don't forget, behind every website and ezine a real person decides the fate of your article. You're asking for exposure to their data base, so take your time and be nice. Don't Forget The Spell Check There's nothing worse for a busy web master than wading through spelling errors. Do a spell check, print it off and read it out loud to catch grammatical errors. Use a Tracking System With proper tracking you'll see what worked and what didn't. It'll show where to spend more time and drop what's not working. Monitored tracking will increase your return on investment, both for time and money. Organize your submissions with the Brain-Floss article directory and Article Optimizer© software. C/O Dwain Berlin Free promotional tools for on-line entrepreneurs *** Attn. Ezine editors / Site owners *** Feel free to reprint this article in it's entirety in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave all links in place, do not modify the content and include my resource box as listed above. Dwain Berlin - All Rights Reserved
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How To Increase Your Sales With Audio |
by: Terry Telford |
| Audio increases your sales. Point blank. Period. Recent studies claim that audio can increase your sales up to 300%. Independent studies by Terry Telford, from The Business Professional, have shown sales increases of 163% on one website and 79% on another. Both tests were run over a 3 week period. Regardless of your expectations for adding audio to your website, it won’t hurt your response rate for whatever you are selling or giving away. In most cases it will increase it. One possible reason for the increase in visitor response is the human factor. We’re social animals and like to interact with each other on a personal basis. Audio on your website is similar to picking up the telephone and talking to the person “live.” There’s something about hearing another human’s voice that instils a certain level of trust, even if it is a very small amount. It brings us that one little step closer to each other. The next question in your mind should be, “How do I get audio on my website?” You’ve got several choices; the majority are covered in The Definitive Audio Report. You can download the report for free from http://www.thebusinessprofessional.com/theaudioreport.htm Very briefly, audio comes in two flavours. You’ve got the vanilla download or streaming strawberry. The download version is very simple to configure. You upload your MP3 file onto your website and point a URL at it, like http://www.thebusinessprofessional.com/mp3files/webintro.mp3 When you click on the link, it automatically opens the audio player on your computer and you hear the recording. The alternative to downloadable audio, is streaming. Streaming is useful if you want your visitors to listen to your audio without the ability or need to download it. Setting up streaming audio is a bit more complex than the download version, but offers your audio a more secure environment since visitors can’t download it. To set up streaming audio, you need an MP3 file and software that can hide the actual location of your file. The software also needs to create Flash buttons for you so your visitors can push a button to listen to the audio. The simplest software I’ve used to stream audio is Sonic Memo, from Jay Jennings. It takes all of 5 minutes to set up the software and then you can create unlimited streams on your website in 30 seconds flat. You can get more information about Sonic Memo from the info sheet at http://www.thebusinessprofessional.com/sonic.htm Whether you choose the download or streaming option to add audio to your website, the bottom line is the same. You add a touch of humanity to an otherwise cold computer screen and you increase your response rates. It’s worth a listen.
About The Author To download The Definitive Audio Report – free, visit http://www.thebusinessprofessional.com/theaudioreport.htm. The report and this article were created by Terry Telford, from The Business Professional. |
Five Things to Look For to Join Any Affiliate Program! |
by: John Navata |
| Here's a really simple way... to find out which affiliate program provides all the 7 packages to join an affiliate program. When I wanted to start to join an affiliate program it took me awhile to pick the best one. My inbox was filled up with all these advertisements and I just didn't know how to pick the right program. Now how would you know which program is going to bring the best profit? I personally believe that a lot of the income is created from the effort an affiliate marketer puts into a program. I have 7 tips for you before you pick the best one. 1. Look for the best commission. You need a program that will pay you a good commission rate. It should pay you at least 20% of each sale. A good rate is 50% and anything above that is ideal. You should also look for how often they pay. Some programs pay you twice a month and sometimes every week. Most programs also only pay you when you have earned a base amount. 2. Look for a good Back Office Support. What is the support for your program like? Do they have a good list of Frequently Asked Questions "AKA", a contact email address with a quick response? Any more than 3 days for a response is too long. Programs that offer live chat is even better. 3. Statistics for you to see. The program should offer an automated and immediate reaction to your statistics. They should automatically contact you when you receive a client, prospect, lead, customer or when you make a sale. It should also be ready to view in your downline as soon as you have the knowledge of the sale etc. 4. The program must have Incentives. It is important to have marketing tools to keep track of business and weekly training from successful people that is making it. If it has marketing letters or articles that is a plus. 5. Find out if you will get monthly reports or updates. Every good program will have news and training updates sent to your inbox so you can learn what works best for the program and what the top affiliates of the program are doing. You should also be able to read this on their website. ------------------------------------------------------------ Before you dive into anything, it is important to do your business. Learn as much as you can and make sure you feel comfortable with your decision before going ahead. If you look for these 5 Tips when you start looking for the best affiliate program, I guarantee you that you won't be disappointed when you join that company. This will save you time and money. When I joined a program, I was pretty glad I joined a company with all the 5 packages. After reading this article, I believe you will be an expert once you see an affiliate program. It will take time to know a legitimate program. ------------------------------------------------------------ Do you want to find out if an affiliate program is legitimate? Visit http://tinyurl.com/d2pa6 and subscribe to our free newsletter and we will send you advantages and benefits of what's a good affiliate program. ------------------------------------------------------------ About the Author John Navata is a 24 year old entrepreneur that has started internet marketing for 5 years. Now showing people what to look for before joining any affiliate programs. |
What To Look For When Choosing Affiliate Programs |
by: Jonathan Kraft |
So you've decided you want to become an Internet Marketer, huh? Will you sell someone else's products or sell your own? If you choose to sell someone else's products, how will you know what to look for? After all, this is a new venture for you. Or maybe it's not. Maybe you have been trying out some affiliate programs which have not brought you any money, or, worse, have not paid you for the affiliate traffic you have sent them. If you are the new person, or the person who is floundering in Internet Marketing, this article will offer you some simple tips for choosing an affiliate program. This article doesn't cover getting traffic to your site, which is another huge piece of the puzzle, and will be covered in a later article, but let's just start with choosing affiliate programs. #1. You should find affiliate programs that: a) are relatively easy to set up (code is either created for you or easy to create) b) will pay you well. This depends on your definition of what being paid well means, but generally, for most beginners, and some novices, if you can see yourself being able to make more than $250/month, the program is at least worth looking at c) give you products which people actually use. There are lots of products in the market which will sell, but do you really want to be selling pet rocks? If you do, please don't take offense. Most legitimate affiliate advice sites won't feature affiliate programs that are exclusively selling something like 8-Track players and tapes. While there are probably collectors out there who would love an 8-track player and cassettes, the fact is that the market is done with 8-tracks. The point is, there should be a genuine need for, or interest in, what you are selling/reselling. So you find a program which meets the above criteria. Now what? Do a Google search on the company. Find out what people are saying about them. You may have to dig a bit, but the combined experience of the professionals (and not-so-professionals) who develop and contribute to the Internet on a regular basis is, collectively, the best source of advice you will find on making money, or affiliate programs, anywhere. If you want advice on some great affiliate programs, you can visit sites which have already reviewed the information about companies and present it to you in a straightforward way. If you are ready to find some great affiliate programs, then you will be able to find categories of affiliate programs on these sites, which will generally represent the type of products you would like to sell. Search engines love content, and so do your site visitors. Content is one of the most important aspects of getting people to your web site, and helping them to see the value in what you're selling. You should strive to choose programs with products which are related to your web site. In other words, if you have a site which features information about the Toyota Camry, you're going to be pretty hard pressed to be able to get your page content matched up so that you could sell, say... baby rattles. Find affiliate programs which relate to what you already do, and then promote those products. Finally, see if you can find someone to actually talk to (ok, email would be okay) who has received regular checks or payments from marketing products. We think that this is, perhaps, the most important part of any affiliate program, because the main reason you promote their products is to receive a check for your efforts. So there you have it, some simple tips for choosing great affiliate programs! Hope this helps you to reach your income goals, and also helps you to develop a long-term plan for on and off-line financial and personal success.
Jonathan Kraft has been an online marketer for many years. He is a massage therapist, web designer, legal services broker, has been a high school teacher, and is an all around nice guy. He works with a team of people on www.affiliateadvice.us, where you can check out some great affiliate programs that meet all the above criteria. |
Internet Affiliate Programs: The Fundamentals of Creating In |
by: Wei-Ni Chong |
| Affiliate programs uses a simple concept for you to create an income online: Earn commissions when you make a sale. You don't need to worry about the costs for setting up the business nor advertising. It costs zero! When we think of successful online businesses, websites such as: Amazon.com (biggest online bookstore), eBay.com (largest auction website), Yahoo.com (most well-known search engine) usually spring into mind. On the contrary, you probably have heard of dot-com companies turned dot-bombs. So you think, “How do I make money on the internet when I don’t have money to advertise like those big guys such as Amazon.com or Yahoo.com?” … Well, you don’t need money to make money! There are several ways to make money through the internet, and one of them is through affiliate programs. Best of all, it costs nothing to sign up! “What are affiliate programs? Isn’t it just another get-rich quick plot or some hocus-pocus that’s all a scam?” Affiliate programs (also known as referral/associate programs) are legitimate and not get-rich-quick scams. It’s a simple concept: Earn commission for each sale you make. As a matter of fact, even big guys like Amazon.com launched affiliate programs to fuel their sales and to increase their brand, hence that further proves my point that affiliate programs aren’t scams. How Affiliate Programs Work… Using Amazon.com as an example, here’s an illustration on how affiliate programs work… An affiliate (let’s call her ‘Lily’) owns a website about movie-making, so she chose a few books related to her website including the best-seller “How to Write a Hollywood Movie Script in 5 minutes!” Lily then puts unique links to each of these books on her website that enables Amazon to identify the visitor she sends. One of Lily’s visitors was so impressed by Lily’s review on the book “How to Write a Hollywood Movie Script in 5 minutes!” that she wanted to buy it immediately, the visitor then saw “Buy it now on Amazon.com!”…. CLICK! The visitor enters the Amazon site, Amazon identifies this visitor is from Lily. The visitor then checks out with the book and pays using credit card. Lily is paid a commission on that sale! Affiliate Programs vs. Selling Your Own Products on the Web Sure enough as a web merchant, you get 100% of the profits made. But you will have to fuss with start-up costs, advertising, marketing, shipping, credit-card processing, products/ services to maintain, customer services, customer complaints, web hosting, accounting, staff training… Phew! That’s a lot work! But… As an affiliate, you don’t need your own products to sell; you don’t need to incur the costs: Your start-up cost is zero; and you don’t have to deal with the customers’ orders or accounting or all the above because the merchant will handle all these for you. In some affiliate programs, you can also recruit and train sub-affiliates under you. Your training pays off when your sub-affiliate gets a sale, because you earn ‘training commission’ too. I’ll get more in-depth about this later in the article. “But I’m not a computer or internet-savvy person! I don’t have a website too!” Don’t worry! An effective affiliate finds thousands of ideas to sell online, or offline! You can advertise locally in newspapers, in articles you write, recommend it to friends, notice boards, etc… There are no limits. “Great! How do I start?” As easy as it sounds, I’m sad to say that it’s not a piece of cake if you plan to sit there and wait for the cash to come to you. In the affiliate business, it follows the 80-20 rule – 80% of the benefit is only achieved by 20% of the affiliates. So if you want to get rich quick, affiliate program isn’t for you… but if you want to be one of the 20% affiliates who get 80% of the benefit… read on. First of all, ask yourself why you want to start an affiliate business on the internet… “Um… to earn some cash and buy things I want” No, I want you to be as specific as possible… For example, “I want to increase my income so that I can afford a sports car and have the ultimate sense of pride when I drive into the yard of my friends who said that I will never succeed in making money on the internet! I want my friends to be envious; I want to prove them wrong!” When you know what you want and the more specific you get, the stronger your commitment, determination and persistence to succeed will be. I know it sounds really corny, but it is a simple rule that the 80% affiliates don’t follow! Secondly, you must… Choose a Good Affiliate Program There are many affiliate programs out there but you need to focus on the ones that work for you. I suggest a few good criteria to look for in affiliate programs: 1) High-value products/services When I said ‘value’, I don’t mean the price tag. Let’s say, you are an affiliate for 2 companies which are in similar industries, both offering 30% commission. One sells its product for $50 and the other for $150. So you think, “Hmmm… When I make a sale, I get more commission from company no.2 ($45) than company no.1 ($15). Wow!” Although it is simple logic, ask yourself this question first, “will I buy this $150 product when I know there are cheaper ones out there?” Think like your customer, question yourself “Am I paying my money’s worth on this product?”, “Does the company offer great value for a dollar?” If you answer ‘no’ for both these questions, you’ll know that the company will eventually die. 2) High Affiliate and Customer Support One of the key areas to look for when choosing a good affiliate program is their support system. A company that values its customers and affiliates is a company that grows. The company must be able to provide as many resources for their affiliates to promote their products, e.g. training, newsletters, banners, free stuff, etc. Furthermore, it should also listen to its customers’ suggestions, complaints and be able to keep their customers happy. Remember, happy customers mean long-lasting company as happy customers will spread the good word of the company and its products, which means there will be more business opportunities for you! 3) Team Sales There are some affiliate programs that allow you to recruit sub-affiliates under you. When your sub-affiliates perform well, you are also rewarded with a ‘coaching’ commission for their sales because it is your duty as a team leader to coach your sub-affiliates. Although most affiliate programs on the internet doesn’t support team-building, it is preferable that you choose one that does. The reason is simply: T.E.A.M = Together Everyone Achieves More Sure enough, you can do the whole affiliate business by being a lone ranger, but you are limiting your own capacity to earn more. Moreover, the results are two-fold: you will enjoy a second stream of income (unless you plan to do it full-time) AND the satisfactions of helping others to earn another source of income too! 4) Repeat Sales Potential Other than achieving one-time sales, it is recommended if the affiliate program entitles you to lifetime customers, which means ‘once your customer, always your customer!’ A company with a good sales structure will retain their customers and encourage repeat sales. Thus, you get commissions for repeat sales too. 5) Reputable and Reliable Company Check the company’s history on the newsgroup or http://groups.google.com, and find out whether it’s well-established. Are their customers satisfied? Are the affiliates happy? Does the company keep changing the affiliate policy? I’m sure no one wants their affiliate business suddenly gone because the merchant company failed! An Ideal Affiliate Program A great example of a company that meets all the criteria listed above is: Sitesell Company http://www.sitesell.com/ff.html Their affiliate program, 5 Pillar Club, was named ‘The best affiliate program on the net’ by affiliatesdirectory.com, a web directory that tracks thousands of affiliate programs on the net. Furthermore the top affiliate guru, Allan Gardyne, ranked it as one of the top affiliate program in his website, associateprograms.com Lastly, Open Your Mind to Creative Ideas Read as many articles/books as possible on the subject of selling or marketing to expand your mind to accept more ideas and concepts on how to sell! There are a lot of information on the internet to help you in your affiliate business, it costs zero to invest in your greatest asset… you. (Note: It’s not ‘your brain’ because you need your arms and legs to put your thoughts into action! ;D ) To help you get started on the technical aspect, here’s a great starter pack: a free e-mail course on affiliate business-building. Just send a blank e-mail to: The Affiliate Masters Course by Ken Evoy: tamsff@sitesell.net I hope you enjoy building your own affiliate business as much as I do. I wish you success in your journey! About the Author Wei-Ni Chong is a young entrepreneur and a webmaster of http://www.SetAFocus.com, a highly informative web community for young entrepreneurs. |
