Exponentially Compound Your Squidoo Earnings With Affiliate Marketing
Ranked #98 in SEO, #8,427 overall
If You Want to See Your Squidoo Earnings Compound, You Need to Become an Affiliate Marketer
A lensmaster can earn money directly from the rankings of their lenses each month. However, that source of significant income is limited to the lenses in the first and second tier. This is explained very well in Lensmaster Payment FAQ. And because there is a limit to how many total lenses can be in both tiers, there is also a limit on your potential income from that source.
You can also make money by adding Squidoo sales modules such as Amazon, eBay, and Cafe Press. With those, your money is earned if a sale is made from a customer who clicked on an item in your module. These modules are great but you are limited to the products available through those particular vendors. Although, they are definately a start to ongoing income as your lens gains in traffic.
However, the third way to make money on Squidoo is by becoming an affiliate marketer and using your Squidoo lenses as your platform and public relations for your affiliate products. This method has the highest potential for continued and exponential sales from your lenses.
This Lens Has Been Reviewed
at Squidoo Lens Reviews by Mimi (Growwear)
"Some of the talented Squidoo lensmasters I've come across, who didn't really sign on to Squidoo for monetary gain, -- well, for monetary gain as the primary reason -- have begun to want to know more about how to optimize their earning power. I've been wondering that as well and have come across a few lenses that help make marketing on Squidoo more understandable. But, for me, the lens has to be written by a lensmaster that I respect. With respect already established, I can read it without the fear of being misled or "sold to." I can read it expecting to gain credible information. One such lens is, Exponentially Compound Your Squidoo Earnings With Affiliate Marketing, by Lakeerieartists."
To follow Squidoo Lens Reviews, Click Here!
What is an Affiliate Marketer?
What is the cost of becoming an affiliate marketer?
The advertisers/merchants are typically referred to as affiliate merchants and the publishers/salespeople are referred to as affiliates.
Benefits of affiliate marketing include the potential for automating much of the advertising process (accepting & approving applications, generating unique sales links, tracking & reporting of results) and payment only for desired results (sales, registrations, clicks).
Paying only for performance shifts much of the advertising risk from the merchants to the affiliates, although merchants still assume some risk of fraud from partner sites.
Affiliate marketing has contributed to the rise of many leading online companies. Amazon.com, one of the first significant adopters, now has hundreds of thousands of affiliate relationships. It is not uncommon to see industries where the major players have affiliate programs--often structured in a similar manner and making similar competitive changes over time.
A lot of fancy words, but what does it really mean?
Let's say I am a medium sized company like Jelly Belly. I have a great product. I may sell it in stores and also directly to customers online. However, I would like to reach a larger group of customers without spending a lot of advertising dollars.
So what do I do? I look for people to sell my product for me, and when they do, I give them a small percentage of the sale as a thank you. When you sign on to become an affiliate marketer, you become a salesperson for the company you have agreed to represent. Every time you make a sale for them, they give you a thank you in the form of a royalty.
Some companies will allow you to sign up with them directly, but most companies work through an affiliate service. The affiliate service will recruit salespeople and help screen them. Then the product or service company has the final approval over each salesperson (affiliate marketer).
Technically, affiliate marketing is a term that could be used for any company's sales force, but in today's world it specifically points to a relationship that is conducted online and involving online sales.
In most cases, there is no monetary cost involved in affiliate marketing to the affiliate marketer. It is almost always free to sign up, and some programs even give you a reward just for signing. The real price is in the time it takes to build your marketing program, which for the purpose of this lens, we will assume is on Squidoo writing lenses. Of course, you can also market on your blog, your website, or any other article writing site that allows you to place html links.
Which is Your Favorite Affiliate Company to Work With?
Vote for Your Favorite Affiliate Marketing Company
Affiliate Window
Affiliate Window is a great affiliate company for more...2 points
Pepperjam Network
Pepperjam Network is a newer affiliate marketing network
Pepperjam Network is one of the newest affiliate networks. PJN is attracting a lot of new more hip companies that appeal to a younger market. In order to attract new affiliate marketers, PJN is offering an incentive to sign up with them. You get $10 just for trying them out. $10 Sign On Bonus for All New Pepperjam Network Affiliates.
Here is what they say about themselves:
PJN is designed to make the experience of affiliate marketing profitable and educational for both merchants and affiliates. Unlike most other traditional networks PJN uses Web 2.0 technology to provide affiliates and merchants with an easy-to-use, clean interface. In addition, PJN offers industry leading SID-level tracking and reporting - this robust technology is especially beneficial to search marketing and sophisticated super affiliates that want to take advantage of the most up-to-date technology available to track at the keyword level.
ATTN BLOGGERS: The Pepperjam Network Referral Program is a great opportunity for you to make money by referring your readers to join Pepperjam Network. Write a review of the entire Network or simply talk about pepperjamADS, Pepperjam Chat, or one of the other cool features of Pepperjam. Our top affiliates are blogging about Pepperjam Network and making money on every referral they send!
Shareasale
A more traditional affiliate marketing network
Shareasale is another affiliate network with a longer history. They do not give sign on bonuses, but they do offer referral bonuses. You can also get referral bonuses for referring new merchant clients to them.
Shareasale has a long list of merchants to choose from in just about every category. You do have to check to make sure that merchants allow you to link directly to products or only to banners and general text links. Not all merchants allow that.
Also, some merchants interact much more with the affiliates offering higher commission percentages or extra bonuses if you will agree to do extra specific tasks for them. Some examples are writing a lens to promote a specific merchant or adding a specific banner to your lens or blog. One example of this is my lens Asian Weddings. Exotic. Mysterious. Beautiful. That lens was written to promote MyWeddingFavors.com. MyWeddingFavors offered their affiliates a small bonus of $2 to write a lens featuring them. Then, they had to approve the lens.
I like Shareasale, but I find this network a little more cumbersome to work with. However, on the positive side, Shareasale has companies that I would like to market that I cannot find on any other network. To learn more about Shareasale, click the box below.
If You Like to Have a Book Reference, This is a Good One
Learn how to drive traffic to your website and earn money at the same time
Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online: How Affiliate Marketing Can Make You Rich
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/09/2009)
List Price: $21.95
Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online is your hands-on guide to starting your own profitable affiliate marketing business quickly, easily, and inexpensively. Leading affiliate marketing authority Rosalind Gardner gives you a proven five-step plan for identifying a niche with a huge market, choosing products to promote, and selling the benefits effectively. You'll see how to:
Navigate the different affiliate programs, from commissioned-based "click-through" programs to CPM impressions to flat-fee referral
Identify the products and programs that are profitable-and the ones to avoid
Ask the right questions before you join an affiliate program
Research, understand, and sell to your niche market
Negotiate for a higher percentage on your commission
Stay on top of developments in the industry
Packed with time- and money-saving techniques-including twelve ways to drive traffic to your website at no cost-this comprehensive guide is all you need to make big profits as an affiliate marketer!
For UK readers--Make a Fortune Promoting Other People's Stuff Online: How Affiliate Marketing Can Make You Rich
Usually ships in 24 hours
All Posters
Add Free Pictures to Your Site and Earn Money at the Same Time
Allposters is a great affiliate to have to add wonderful free images to your lens. If anyone clicks on the pictures, and buys an item, you will earn a royalty. It solves much of the problem about using pictures without copyright permission for many subjects, and you can earn a commission at the same time. Allposters' database of images is quite extensive. I have used the pictures in several of my lenses. One example is this lens The Nile River - Interesting History. In this lens, the pictures are interspersed throughout the lens and are clickable, but they are not displayed as for sale. With Allposters, you have several html choices as to how much verbiage you want to accompany your pictures. I make my choices depending on what I want the pictures to do in the lens. All the pictures in this lens are from Allposters.
Allposters is a great asset to have in your back pocket. Here is the Allposters says:
Lensmasters! - Add hundreds of thousands of images to your site - Free!
Join the AllPosters.com Affiliates Program and get access to hundred of thousands of images for your site. AllPosters.com has images from popular movies, music groups, sports teams, fine art, and much more. Adding these images to your site will enhance your content.
Furthermore, you get paid for improving your site with poster/print images! All of the images you use will link to AllPosters.com where your site visitors can make purchases. When they buy something, AllPosters.com pays you 25% - 30% of the sale. If the visitor decides to purchase within 10 days of their last visit from your website, you'll still earn commission on the sale! It's easy to sign-up, build links, and track your sales.
Sign up today!
Commission Junction
This is my personal favorite of the affiliate marketing networks
Make Money While You Sleep!
Build Your Business Online With Affiliates and Joint Ventures
Commission Junction happens to be my personal favorite of all of the affiliate networks I am part of. Now it is interesting that CJ does not give affiliates any kind of incentive to help sign up other affiliates. I am sure that is because they don't need any help.
Commission Junction has what I believe are the most user friendly systems in place for the affiliate to use. Just about all of the merchants have product links for you to use in your marketing. They also seem to have many more choices in banners and text links. They have many more companies that you probably have heard of before, and they just have many more companies.
Now that is not to say that other networks are worthless. I think it is beneficial to have at least two available to you. After all, it does not cost you anything but time to try them out.
Some of the features I like:
Search system works easily
Good list of companies
Searchable product feature
Ability to choose encrypting and how the page will open
Easy to understand instructions
Easy to add and delete merchants
I am learning that putting in links to products seems to catch readers attention better than just banner ads. Here is an example of a lens where I used product links--The Top 10 Reasons that I Love to Work With PMC.
Here is the link to check into Commission Junction.
Captain Squid has created some terrific videos about how to use Commission Junction in conjunction with Squidoo. To view the videos, Click here!.
Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping. ~Bo Derek
LinkShare
Affiiliate Marketing for the US and UK
Another large affiliate network is LinkShare. I have used LinkShare the least of all the networks, however they have some really cool companies on their list that I love.
One of the think about affiliate marketing is that you can track your success fairly easily by the reports on each affiliate site. They will tell you how many times someone loaded the page, clicked on your link, how many sales you have, what they purchased, and some sites will tell you even more details.
By adding some additional data, you can find out which page the link was on (SID-site id), and which advertiser's link was clicked (MID-merchant id). Your affiliate id is called the AID. Below are the links to both LinkShare US and UK.
For LinkShare US:
For LinkShare UK:
What to Wear While You Are Affiliate Marketing
You can be comfortable in your cozy home
Woolrich Men's Flannel Plaid Pajama Set, ONYX PLAID (Black), Size XL
Amazon Price: $35.00 (as of 07/09/2009)
Woolrich - There's nothing quite so comfortable as pure cotton flannel when the weather turns cold and you need a good night's rest. You'll sleep like a child again in our soft, comfortable pajamas. The cotton jersey shirt and flannel pants will wrap you in a layer of warmth. Customers tell us they love the fit. Pants have an elastic waist with adjustable tie. These PJ sets also make a great gift for a dad, husband, or any other guy in your life. Imported. Machine wash. Pants have 31" inseam.
For UK readers--Rockfish Riders Adults Pyjama Set
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Amazon
A leader in affiliate marketing
Be aware that not all of Amazon's products will earn you a commission, however. That is because they either don't have much of a margin in the sale or they are sharing the margin with the end seller of the product.
If you go to Amazon's site, it will tell you when a product is not available for commission. You also don't get the same royalty on all products.
With Squidoo, you don't have to sign up to be an Amazon affiliate to sell products from Amazon. You can just go to one of the Amazon modules and sell products that way. If you do, you will earn a commission, but you will share the commission with Squidoo.
For more information on Squidoo's Amazon modules, read Amazon Module Basics.
Dremel 761-03 7,000/14,000 RPM Cordless Pet Nail Grooming Rotary Tool
You can also sign up to be an Amazon affiliate directly. If you do, you will not have to share the commission with Squidoo. You will, however, have to build the link yourself and configure it the way you want in a module. Amazon does have several tools available to help you do so. To the right is a sample link directly to an Amazon product that is using the tools from SquidUtils.
For UK readers--Dremel Cordless Pet Nail Grooming Rotary Tool (761-030; 7,000/14,000 RPM)
Clickbank
Clickbank sells ebooks directly and through affiliate marketing
There is somewhat of a back and forth controversy about Clickbank as an affiliate network because of the way they generally sell products. Clickbank uses what they call a hoplink to draw people in, and some of the hoplinks are hard sell.
A hoplink is a promotional page created to sell the customer the product and convince them to buy them. It is up to you whether you like the style of selling that Clickbank uses.
And of course, you can pick and choose which products that you choose to sell.
Here is the link to Clickbank:
Find out more about Clickbank.
I have not listed all of the affiliate networks out there. And there are always new ones coming along, but now I am going to go on to what you do after signing up for an affiliate or two.
Do You Like Clickbank as an Affiliate Marketer?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, because. . .
resources4change says:
they have developed a good reputation for trustworthyness which means to me that they are running an ethical and legitimate business.
Posted June 18, 2009
jpetals says:
clickbank does not require you to have a website to sell from. I had a slow start with Clickbank and enjoyed earlier success with other affiliate sites, but LOVE clickbank now. I even have the clickbank FF widget that is a ticker to show me my daily earnings. lol
Posted January 20, 2009
Joan4 says:
I like Clickbank when I find a great product that I am comfortable recommending. The biggest issue for me is sorting through all the junk to find the really good e-books!
Posted January 09, 2009
Kyanisunrise says:
It is good for a particular group. Does not always work on every site.
Posted January 03, 2009
work-from-home-income says:
quick and easy to use and they do have some great products if you do your research.
Posted December 27, 2008
No, because. . .
CCGAL says:
You have to buy the product in order to really know whether or not you can stand behind the product - too many products on Clickbank have great sales pages for really crappy products.
Posted June 18, 2009
The_Party_Animal says:
I have not found anything I like to promote there - my number one money maker for me is CJ
Posted June 01, 2009
seegreen says:
I have yet to find a clickbank product that I would be comfortable promoting.
Posted April 01, 2009
Chadrew says:
No. A lot of products on their marketplace are suspicious or even downright scams, but ClickBank allows them.
Posted January 23, 2009
The_Book_Garden says:
Clickbank just sell too many 'dodgy' ebooks and products that if I even see that a link takes me to clickbank I won;t even try it.
I've also heard some nightmare stories about people not getting paid or havingto wait months for payments from them. There are far better networks out there than having to stoop to use this one
Posted January 22, 2009
Ebay Partner Network
The Ebay Partner Network
If you are an direct affiliate of Ebay, you can also add Ebay links and ads on your blogs, websites and emails. Personally, I like to use both for variety of the look on my lenses, and to give some income back to Squidoo.
After Signing Up to Be an Affiliate Marketer, What Do I Do Next?
What is the next step?
In most cases, you will need to pick a few companies that you would like to market.
You can go about this two ways:
1. You can find companies that resonate with the topics on your lenses. Remember that experienced lensmasters all agree that we write our best lenses about topics that we are passionate about. Therefore, pick companies that work well with topics you have already picked.
2. You can find companies that you are passionate about and write passionate lenses about their products or services.
Unless you are an experienced writer, any other choice will net you a less than stellar result.
Essential Tools for Affiliate Marketing
Zojirushi EC-BD15 Fresh Brew Thermal Carafe Coffee Maker
Amazon Price: $89.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
For UK readers--A slightly different version--Prestige Deco Digital Coffee Maker, Almond, 1.5 Litre
Usually ships in 24 hours
Products Do Not Sell Themselves
Your lens needs the right traffic to sell affliate products and services
Don't forget some cardinal rules about traffic and sales.
Your best bet is to determine who your target market is--in other words, what kind of people would be interested in your topic.
I have a series of lenses on maternity clothes. The main lens in that cluster is Announce Your Pregnancy in Style. I bet you can guess who the target market is for this lens. You guessed it--mothers to be.
Since I have determined my target market, I will market this lens to places where I think mothers to be might look. This is very important to find the right traffic for your lens.
Don't think too much about marketing your lens to Squidoo members. It doesn't hurt to get ratings and blessings along the way. However, your long lasting traffic will be coming from searchers on the rest of the internet who are looking for information on your topic. Those are the ones to spend your time marketing to.
Then when those qualified readers get to your lens, they will be primed to buy your products. For my lens, pregnant women will be the ones who will want to buy products that I am offering.
Create a Lens Niche or Cluster
Be an expert on your topic
If you are writing about living green as a main topic, choose several subtopics to write your lenses around. Then your lenses can be interwoven through various links--featured lenses, link plexos, link lists, and so on.
When you add in your affiliate products, they will be products that are also on the same topic. On your lens, for instance on green baby gifts, you will sell green baby gifts. On your lens about green household improvements, you will sell green household improvement items. These items will appeal to mostly the same target market of people who want to live a green life.
Captain Squid explains this concept well in his blog post What is a Lens Cloud?
You may have your own image to help you with this concept. I see it as a cluster, Captain Squid as a cloud. But the idea is to get people to one of your lenses, and then from that one to at least one more. That gives you a higher potential of selling them a product.
My Fairytale Lens Cluster
Can you tell which is the lead lens?
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Fairy Tales - Rapunzel
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There once lived a man and his wife, who had long wished for a child, but in vain. Now there was at the back of their house a little window which overlooked a beautiful garden full of the finest vegetables and flowers; but there was a high wall all r...
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Cinderella
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The original Cinderella tale is a popular fairytale from the time of the Brothers Grimm, and most likely even earlier. Versions of the Cinderella fairytale are told in many cultures throughout the world, and commemorated in art. Walt Disney, rewrote...
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Magical Sesame Street Abby Cadabby Christmas Gifts
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What child doesn't dream about becoming a fairy and flitting and flying around the house? Bring some magic into your home this Christmas with Sesame Street's newest resident Abby Cadabby and save 10% on all orders over $50 at the Sesame Street store....
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The Brothers Grimm
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Jakob Karl Grimm was born on January 4, 1785, in Hanau, Germany. His brother, Wilhelm Karl Grimm, was born on February 24 of the following year. They were the oldest surviving sons of Philipp Grimm, a lawyer who served as Hanau's town clerk. As small...
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Fairy Tales - Mother Hulda
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From the book: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm Author: Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Illustrator: Walter Crane
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Fairy Tales - The Robber Bridegroom
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From the book: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm Author: Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Illustrator: Walter Crane
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Little Red Riding Hood Gifts
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Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little riding hood of red velvet, whi...
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Fairy Tales - Clever Else
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There was once a man who had a daughter who was called "Clever Else," and when she was grown up, her father said she must be married, and her mother said, "Yes, if we could only find some one that she would consent to have." At last one came from a...
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Fairy Tales - The Elves
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From the book: Household Stories by the Brothers Grimm Author: Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm Illustrator: Walter Crane
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Fairy Tales - Little Red Cap
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There was once a sweet little maid, much beloved by everybody, but most of all by her grandmother, who never knew how to make enough of her. Once she sent her a little cap of red velvet, and as it was very becoming to her, and she never wore anything...
Understanding Paypal is Helpful When Dealing with Online Business
Paypal is the currency of the internet
PayPal For Dummies (For Dummies (Business & Personal Finance))
Amazon Price: $14.95 (as of 07/09/2009)
List Price: $21.99
Here's how PayPal can help your business succeed
E-mail money, save money, make money, and enhance your Web site
PayPal's a practical partner, and this handy handbook introduces you to its many identities. It can act as your banker, charge card, cashier, shipping clerk, and a whole lot more. Here's how to set up and use your account, plus tips on adding PayPal to your business Web site and even exploring its PayPal Web Services.
Discover how to
* Establish the account you need
* Use PayPal like an ATM
* Set up multi-user access
* Accept payments in multiple currencies
* Ship merchandise using PayPal
* Create a shopping cart and buttons
For UK readers--PayPal for Dummies
What to Wear on Your Feet When You Check Your Paypal Account
Comfy Slippers
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
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Exponentially Increase Your Squidoo Traffic and Reputation Through Other Article Writing Sites
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All of us as lensmasters are looking for ways to increase our Squidoo traffic. One way that we can increase our traffic to our Squidoo lenses, home websites, and blogs is to write articles about our Squidoo topics on other article writing sites. Whil...
Questions or Comments about Affiliate Marketing?
Leave your questions here
CCGAL wrote...
Great lens. I'm lensrolling it to my Honest Internet Income lens. 5* and a fav from me, too.
Posted June 18, 2009
grizbear wrote...
Your lens is very informative, thank you very much! I just published my second lens and not really sure if i'm doing it right but it really helps to have the support of articles such as yours! Thank you for all the great information and sharing your knowledge. You are really awesome!
Posted June 17, 2009
annetteghallowell wrote...
I will be adding this lens to my personal resource list as I try to wade into the affiliate marketing waters. Thanks for the detailed explanations!
Posted June 15, 2009
HenryE wrote...
Not to sound like a brown-noser, but I think you are pretty much a genius. This lens is a masterpiece! So helpful and clear and perfect. Thanks for the information. I have a lot of stuff to look into now!
Posted June 11, 2009
More News about Affliate Marketing and Affliate Marketers
- Why Is Affiliate Marketing So Popular
- When people want to make some extra money, they usually pick up a second job. Something they can do in the evenings or on the weekends. Maybe they aren't.
- Learn About Affiliate Marketing
- I aim to give informative information for new people trying to get into affiliate marketing as well as those who are struggling with how it all works. On.
- Affiliate Marketing - Webmaster Forum
- Hi there I want to know about Affiliate Marketing ?How it works can anybody explain? Thanks.
- Affiliate marketing guidelines
- AffiloblueprintAre you thinking of ways to earn extra income or options to recover your lost expenses?Using the latest technology and the internet you can.
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