10 Affiliate Marketing Cash Cows
You've joined up to an affiliate program and now it's up to you to get out there and start making money. Where to begin? The great thing about affiliate marketing is that you don't need to have much knowledge or experience to get started. However, this doesn't mean that you should jump head-first into the more advanced techniques. Take your time and be prepared to spend the first few months learning.
Don't forget to start performing keyword research immediately and continue to do it as time goes on. This is your market research and will affect the success of every other marketing technique you carry out.
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Contents at a Glance
EASY - Writing Articles
This is one of the easiest ways to promote your product and it's 100% free. Articles don't have to be great literary works - they just have to be educational. A length of 300-500 is optimum for the web. Free article sites to submit your articles to include: Ezinearticles.com and iSnare.com (TIP: Don't forget to check out their fantastic Article Distribution service!). Find a full list of article directories here. Just don't forget to add your byline to the bottom of each article, including your affiliate link.
Free classifieds
Place a free online classified ad with sites such as USFreeAds and Yahoo Classifieds. A longer ad will have more response than a short one - so start watching the shopping channel and learn how to write the equivalent of an infomercial!
Blogging
Press Release
A press release gets people excited about what you sell. Press releases have a specific form and style - just Google 'how to write a press release' to find loads of helpful information. This does cost around $20-$120, but it's well worth while because it continues to bring you traffic for months - maybe even years! Sites to submit to include: PRWeb.com and PRLeap.com.
MODERATE - Google Adwords
Google Adwords is one of the most profitable money-making techniques, but it does require skill. Market research is also essential. Be prepared to spend $500 or so before you get the hang of it and start to see a return. Mark Ling's step-by-step Google Adwords video lessons will tell you exactly how to get money rolling in from this strategy.
Landing page
A good landing page will give you much better conversions than if you simply send people who click on your ad straight to the main product site. Simple but effective ideas for your landing page include a review page or a simple software tool that's free to use. Alternatively, free lessons, a video tutorial, a free ebook, or a free newsletter are all good landing page options.
Email marketing
Email marketing is an extremely effective technique as it lets you remain in contact with visitors to who haven't yet purchased as well as customers who have. Did you realize that people who have already purchased are twice as likely to buy again? Email marketing takes a regular commitment, but it is one of the most effective affiliate techniques around. Use www.aweber.com to automate your emails.
ADVANCED - Full website
You don't need to create this yourself (although you will need some web skills and a knowledge of SEO to update and maintain it), but you should aim to set one up as soon as you can. A website with traffic is one of the best marketing tools you have. It opens up so many opportunities for advertising such as banner ads, being listed in natural search engine listings and giving stuff away for free. Basically, once you have a website with high traffic the world is your oyster!
Adsense
Google Adsense works best when it is matched with highly targeted content. Craft articles carefully to attract the type of ads that you think your visitors will be interested in. Be sure to research and test the most effective position for your ads on the page. If you can, add graphics above your ads to make them look like a natural part of the site.
Forums
Web gurus are predicting that a 'living', active site where visitors can interact will be the next big thing on the Internet. Creating a forum requires fairly advanced web skills, but it's a major reason for people to return regularly to your site.
To get a free 6-part video course on how to make money with affiliate marketing, visit Affilorama: Your Essential Guide to Becoming a Super Affiliate.
To get a free 6-part video course on how to make money with affiliate marketing, visit Affilorama: Your Essential Guide to Becoming a Super Affiliate.
Other popular Affiliate Marketing products and resources
The Complete Guide to Affiliate Marketing on the Web: How to Use and Profit from Affiliate Marketing Programs
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Anyone Can Make Money with Affiliate Marketing
Ever heard about self-made affiliate marketing millionaires and wondered how they did it? The simplicity of affiliate marketing will surprise you. All it involves is promoting someone else's product for a commission.
Unlike most other jobs, affiliate marketing doesn't require any previous experience - it doesn't even require specialist equipment. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. That's literally all it takes! What convinced me was a conversation with my neighbor Sandra Pomeroy, a self-described 'ordinary person' who has successfully created an online income stream from affiliate marketing. One day I couldn't help but ask how could afford her nice lifestyle on a part-time florist's salary.
Sandra was working 3 mornings a week as a florist while her husband worked full-time, yet the family of 5 always seemed to be struggling to make ends meet. The problem was, Sandra couldn't find another job that would fit around her hectic and varied schedule as a stay-at-home mother of three.
As a last resort, Sandra decided to give affiliate marketing a go after reading a short article in a local newspaper. She didn't hold much hope as she was aware that her Internet skills were very basic. However, what she found appealed to her greatly:
Unlike most other jobs, affiliate marketing doesn't require any previous experience - it doesn't even require specialist equipment. All you need is a computer and an Internet connection. That's literally all it takes! What convinced me was a conversation with my neighbor Sandra Pomeroy, a self-described 'ordinary person' who has successfully created an online income stream from affiliate marketing. One day I couldn't help but ask how could afford her nice lifestyle on a part-time florist's salary.
Sandra was working 3 mornings a week as a florist while her husband worked full-time, yet the family of 5 always seemed to be struggling to make ends meet. The problem was, Sandra couldn't find another job that would fit around her hectic and varied schedule as a stay-at-home mother of three.
As a last resort, Sandra decided to give affiliate marketing a go after reading a short article in a local newspaper. She didn't hold much hope as she was aware that her Internet skills were very basic. However, what she found appealed to her greatly:
* Start off Simple
Sandra was very relieved to find she could start off using very simple marketing techniques and build up to more advanced ones over time. "Okay, my appalling lack of Internet knowledge meant I couldn't rake in thousands of dollars immediately, but I was prepared to try learning the necessary skills, even if I only made an extra $30 a week for the first while," she says.
* Flexible hours
"The amount of work I put in is entirely up to me," Sandra says. "Some weeks I'm able to do 3-5 hours a day, while other weeks I could barely manage half an hour. In the long run it didn't matter as long as I did something regularly."
* Work with something you enjoy
Sandra says she's always dreaded the thought of slogging away at something she detested. "Affiliate marketing enabled me to choose the area I wanted to work in. I've got Spanish heritage, so promoting a Learn Spanish product was a perfect choice. I actually look forward to work now!"
* The Sky is the Limit
"I love the thought of endless opportunity," She says. "I feel like I've done pretty well to make $700 a week after two years of only part-time effort, but I've met some affiliates who are pulling in $10,000 plus a week! That's a huge inspiration."
* Work from Home
Sandra says working from home saves her $50 a week on transport, plus she can keep an eye on the kids too. Being in control of her environment is important to her and she loves having her office set out according to her preferences.
* Interact with all sorts of interesting people
"Funnily enough I feel like I socialize more working at home than when I worked in an office," Sandra laughs, "I communicate with my customers via my weekly newsletters and I usually get at least 30 emails throughout the week saying how much they appreciate my advice and telling me their stories."
Some tips for others wanting to give affiliate marketing a go:
1. Make an appointment with yourself - Schedule time in your diary to work on your marketing campaigns and stick to it.
2. Get help - subscribe to an online affiliate training program and read as much as you can find. It's important to keep up to date with what's new on the Internet.
3. Use forums - Other people have struggled with the same things you have - forums are a great way of getting support and advice.
4. Try to find an affiliate program with a good resources area - This shows the product owners are committed to helping their affiliates succeed.
5. Favor programs with a 40% commission or higher - Unless the product has a high sale price, it's hard to make money with less than 40%. Seventy-five percent is ideal.
6. Mark Ling's Affilorama course - This brilliant course takes you step-by-step through every aspect of making money online. It's inspiring and motivational. Mark has time for everyone, he's on the forum every day answering questions and giving advice - it's very difficult to fail with all the support and knowledge you gain! Get the free 6-part mini course here.
"To be totally honest, it took me about 3 months of working at least 2 hours a day before the money became significant," says Sandra. "You've really got to put the effort in to get results. But I found that during the early stages every sale feels like a triumph - and that gives you the motivation to work harder and make more money. One thing affiliate marketing has taught me is that you don't have to be extraordinary to be successful."
Mark Ling's Affilorama course
Your Essential Guide to Becoming a Super Affiliate.
2. Get help - subscribe to an online affiliate training program and read as much as you can find. It's important to keep up to date with what's new on the Internet.
3. Use forums - Other people have struggled with the same things you have - forums are a great way of getting support and advice.
4. Try to find an affiliate program with a good resources area - This shows the product owners are committed to helping their affiliates succeed.
5. Favor programs with a 40% commission or higher - Unless the product has a high sale price, it's hard to make money with less than 40%. Seventy-five percent is ideal.
6. Mark Ling's Affilorama course - This brilliant course takes you step-by-step through every aspect of making money online. It's inspiring and motivational. Mark has time for everyone, he's on the forum every day answering questions and giving advice - it's very difficult to fail with all the support and knowledge you gain! Get the free 6-part mini course here.
"To be totally honest, it took me about 3 months of working at least 2 hours a day before the money became significant," says Sandra. "You've really got to put the effort in to get results. But I found that during the early stages every sale feels like a triumph - and that gives you the motivation to work harder and make more money. One thing affiliate marketing has taught me is that you don't have to be extraordinary to be successful."
Mark Ling's Affilorama course
Your Essential Guide to Becoming a Super Affiliate.
Please Post Your Comments Here!
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- tenretni tenretni Oct 17, 2008 @ 8:09 am
- loads of information really good lens, thanks, and keep up the good work
another site thats worth a visit is googlesucks
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- aidenw aidenw Aug 8, 2008 @ 1:04 am
- Definitely thumbs up! Affiliate marketing and Adsense are my favorite ways to make money online. I also use article marketing to bring traffic to my sites.
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- anilg anilg Jun 22, 2008 @ 9:52 am
- Nice ideas here, great lens too - thumbs up
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- incomehelper incomehelper Jun 14, 2008 @ 8:17 am
- Brilliant lens my friend. Being a new comer to the affiliate marketing scene, you have covered a lot of bases where people such as myself should be starting from.
Great lens, I will be coming back again!!
Voted 5 stars
Ry
Income Helper - Money Making Ideas
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- Junyuan Junyuan May 30, 2008 @ 11:38 pm
- Great information you have in your lens on affiliate marketing cash cows. Thanks for the invaluable information! I've given your lens a 5 star rating. By the way, I've just created a lens on affiliate marketing - where I've answered questions that most people have when they are looking to start off with affiliate marketing. You may want to consider adding your lens to my Internet Marketing directory which I've created and give you more traffic to your lens. Hope to see you there! :)
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- Invroz Invroz Sep 27, 2007 @ 6:06 am
- Great lens you've got here. Full of useful stuff. 5 star
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- Tom_Antion Tom_Antion Aug 17, 2007 @ 10:19 am
- Hi! This is a great lens. Lots of useful information.
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- mommyrevenue mommyrevenue Aug 14, 2007 @ 8:05 pm
- You've done a super job building this lens. Love Affiliate Marketing!!!
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- Timbo Timbo May 30, 2007 @ 9:31 am
- Great Lense! I'm building a lense that showcases The Ultimate Wealth Package. Please could you check it out for me and rate it! Tim.
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