Some history on Affiliate Marketing

So, you’ve been reading and reading and reading. And you are still not sure what affiliate marketing is all about. Well, you are definitely not alone based upon the number of visitors that I have to this blog.

Affiliate marketing is definitely one of the most popular and effective ways to:
1) advertise on the internet and
2) make money on the internet

Believe it or not, the idea of affiliate marketing goes back to about 1994. The music web site www.CDNow.com was, as far as most people know, the very first site to use affiliate marketing. They were the first site to pay other sites to direct traffic to them. One of the biggest sites now associated with affiliate marketing is Amazon.com. (And they do very well with it considering they only pay a commission of 4%.) Nowadays, affiliate marketing is a part of just about every major web site.

Affiliate marketing works very well for the advertiser because it is based solely upon performance. The advertiser monitors the IP addresses of the incoming traffic. The site with the ad (hosting site) will earn money based upon the traffic that it sends to the advertiser. For a hosting site, this is the most popular form of affiliate marketing and the simplest way to earn some money.

The method described above is just one type of affiliate marketing. Some advertisers will pay the hosting site based upon the number of times the ad is displayed. This is not very popular with adverisers since it is really hard to make sure the number is not forged or to even confirm that the site visitor actually saw the ad.

And another type of affiliate marketing requires not only a click on the link but also some kind of action to take place. Usually the advertiser wants, at minimum, an email address signup and, at best, an actual sale. Only when this action occurs does the site hosting the ad earn any money. This is not a popular advertising method with hosting sites because it requires their site visitor to not only click through on an ad, but also to sign up for something. On the other hand, it is also the best method for the hosting site to earn the most money.

It took only a few years for affiliate marketing to really take off. For the advertiser it is very cost effective since it is based upon actual performance. With both the advertiser and the hosting site profiting from affiliate marketing, it can be expected that affiliate marketing will still be a major advertising technique moving into the future.

Review: Mini Site Profits Exposed

What’s a mini site? Frankly, I didn’t have any idea until I listened to Michael Rasmussen’s “Mini Site Profits Exposed” FREE video series.

What I learned are that mini sites are web sites made up of only 3 or 4 pages. They usually promote only one product. Which is why they could work for the affiliate marketing product that you are selling. They are easy to set up and don’t require a lot of time, energy or money to get started. And once they are up and running, they require very little maintenance.

Unfortunately, most people never turn a profit from their mini sites. Why? Because they never had the opportunity to learn how to set it up properly so that it makes money for them.

Want the opportunity to learn all about setting up mini sites from the guru of mini sites Michael Rasmussen? And want it FREE? You've got it! He has just released a new FREE video course that can walk you through the entire process. And did I say that these videos are FREE?

In a hurry to check out the FREE videos right now? You can click on the banner in the upper right sidebar or use this URL:

http://makemoney-affiliatemarketing.com/freevideos

I just finished watching the videos and was so excited by the potential that I immediately wrote this post. There is an absolute wealth of information in these FREE videos.

Want to learn more before looking at the FREE videos?

Well, you watch them on line with your browser. They are of great production quality and are easy to see and hear. The graphics are great, the sound superb.

Here’s a very brief summary of each of the videos:

Video 1: Introduction

Video 2: The Basics

Video 3: Squeeze Pages
(I had heard the term before but didn’t really understand it until I saw this video.)

Video 4: Mini Site Copywriting – Part One

Video 5: Mini Site Copywriting – Part Two

Video 6: How to Automate the Delivery of Your Infoproduct

Video 7: How to “Grow” Your Sale

Video 8: Creating an Affiliate Sales Force

Video 9: Mini Site Mistakes to Avoid

Video 10: Secrets of Creating a Product Funnel

Video 11: Outsource Secrets for Working Less, and Making More – Part 1

Video 12: Outsource Secrets for Working Less, and Making More – Part 2

All of these 12 videos are FREE. Totally they run about 60 minutes. I have watched them all and they are great training tools. And they are yours to use and watch over and over again.

Anxious to get started. Click this URL right here:

http://makemoney-affiliatemarketing.com/freevideos

Want more?

There is a deluxe program that you can upgrade to for a small fee. Here’s the breakdown:

Video 13: Designing a Killer Back End That Runs Completely on Autopilot

Video 14: List Building Secrets

Video 15: Marketing Activities That Make You Money

Video 16: Make Maximum Profits From Your Mini Site

WOW!! That’s a lot of information. Just remember that the 12 video course is FREE. And it's yours! Watch them over and over. Take full advantage of them because Michael Rasmussen believes it is important for him to prove himself to you before he asks you to buy anything else from him.

So go ahead and check out Mini Site Profits Exposed right now. Click on the banner in the upper right sidebar or on this URL:

http://makemoney-affiliatemarketing.com/freevideos

Remember, the one hour video course is FREE! The information is FREE!

Thanks for reading!

How to Avoid Affiliate Marketing Scams

Done with the right affiliate marketing company, you can earn and get paid for the money you’ve been working for.

Done with the wrong program and you get nothing.

So how do you avoid the scam sites? The answer is one word: Research. That's what I did with MoreNiche before I decided to join.

Start by typing in the company name, along with the word ‘scam’, into a search engine. I did that in Yahoo with MoreNiche. The first page brought up sites that had blog posts with MoreNiche and ‘scam’ in the title.

To me, the most important word displayed was ‘NOT’.

This post by Affiliate Scam Guide is interesting and helped me make my decision to join, particularly since the program manager from MoreNiche took the time to respond.

So how do you pick the right program?

1. Does the company have good support? Do they answer emails and have valid contact information?

2. Do they have a valid offline address? You’ll find the one for MoreNiche right at the bottom of their page.

3. What % of commission do they pay? Look for sites paying over 30%.

4. Is their tracking system real time and accurate?

5. Do they have a forum with REAL people participating, available to help you and answer your questions?

6. Are the products well targeted for your market and of good quality? Like the product but won’t work on your current site? Then do what I’ve done…I've taken advantage of the tools MoreNiche has to offer and started a new site.

Where should you do your research?

1. Forums are a great place to start. There are many people who use the forums for reference and are also happy to share their experiences. Don’t hesitate to ask for advice and be specific about the affiliate marketing program you are considering joining. Put the name of the program into the search engine of the forum to see what has already been written about it.

2. Look into the program carefully and see what it has to offer you.

3. Put the company name into the search engines and see what comes up. Read all reviews carefully. If most of the reviews are positive, I ignore the couple that migh say 'scam'. On the other hand, if most scream SCAM, stay away!

Don’t skimp on the research. You want to join an affiliate marketing program that will provide you with the help and tools you need to earn money and will pay you your earned money on a regular basis. Ready to move forward? Then it's the right time to sign up with MoreNiche.

Don’t make these Affiliate Marketing mistakes

For people just starting out with affiliate marketing, or even for those just thinking about it, affiliate marketing seems way too good to be true. You are looking at the potential of a real business, to earn real money, potentially enough money to live on, and you don’t have to worry about products or shipping. Unfortunately, many people new to affiliate marketing make many of the same mistakes, such as:

Lack of patience: This is probably the biggest mistake made by those new to affiliate marketing. They tend to jump right into it. They put in a lot of work and wind up frustrated and angry that they didn’t earn any money within the first few days. The fact is that it takes time. People that really do make $1000s in a month earn that now after spending years promoting their product. It didn’t happen in a day and probably not even in months. I’ve read many forums where the opinion is that it will take 6-12 months for a site to really earn decent money.

Not keeping your site updated: If you create an affiliate marketing site and then do nothing, you might as well bury it. Your content should be changed on a regular basis. Try to update it weekly. Add some images that go along with whatever holiday is approaching. That’s the main reason I like the blog format. It is very easy to continually add new content. Be sure to stay on top of the product information that is provided to you by the parent company. And, most importantly, don’t give up after a month. Plan on giving your affiliate marketing site six months of your time.

Getting into too many programs: In other words, don’t spread yourself too thin. You will need to devote time and effort to earn money at affiliate marketing. At most, sign up for two or three programs. You want to be able to focus on these programs, giving them the time and attention they need. Whether you focus one site on 2 or 3 products, or create a different site for each product, you will need to spend time marketing. If your site is loaded with widgets or promotions for a dozen affiliate marketing site, there is very little chance that you’ll earn any money. You need to focus.

Inexperience is the biggest problem with most people who are coming new to affiliate marketing. They read about the huge amounts of money people make, with these ads giving the impression it all happened overnight. It didn’t and it won’t for you either. Take it slow and easy. Being focused, dedicated and investing in quality affiliate marketing materials will help you earn that money you are working so hard for.

‘SEO’, ‘Keywords’, ‘Search Engines’, ‘Niche’, and more

Do you have a thorough understanding of these terms? Or might they just as well be in Greek (for those of us who don’t speak Greek) for how well you understand them.

You are trying to make money with affiliate marketing. You read everything you can about SEO, keywords, page rank, etc. so that you can create a successful affiliate marketing site. And no matter how much you read, it still makes no sense.

Well, how about if there was available a detailed guide? This guide would walk you through the process step by step. In it you’d find:

*easy to follow instructions for setting up your first web site without knowing any code or HTML
*how to write good content that will be found by the search engines

*how to find products paying high commissions

*how to find affiliate sites that will provide you with guides, tools and lots of resources

and how about a 6 MONTH MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!

You'll find all that and MORE with Making You Richer!

You’ve seen it before: Content is King

Yes, you need a selling page for your affiliate marketing product but a selling page alone won’t earn you any money. To be successful in affiliate marketing you need good web content. Good content keeps your visitor at your site. Good content will encourage your visitor to click through your site. And the longer your visitor stays on your site, the better the chances that your visitor will click one of your ads. And clicks on your ads is must if you are going to earn any money with affiliate marketing.

There are several different types of web site content.

• Informative Content – That’s the technique I use on this site. As you read through my site on making money with affiliate marketing, I need to demonstrate to you that I know what I’m writing about and that I have also used these techniques to be successful.

• Product Review – This is another popular type of web content for affiliate marketing sites. Give a reaction towards products or services that you have used. Just make sure that your review is honest because this will affect your credibility. For instance, I highly recommend the affiliate marketing program MoreNiche. Why? Because whether you decide to earn money through their product line or not, MoreNiche has an absolute wealth of free tools and guides to help you market your site.

• News stories – Link to news stories about your industry. Write a summation and then add a ‘read more’ link. Just be sure that you open your link in a new window so you don’t lose your reader.

• Humorous Anecdote – Write something funny. A chuckle helps everyone.

• Resource Article and How-To-Piece – This is another technique I am using here. By trying to make my content educational, I try to encourage my readers to stay on my site and read more of my posts.

What to look for in an Affiliate Marketing program

With so many affiliate marketing programs on the internet, how do you choose which one to join? What criteria should you use to differentiate the good from the bad? Here are some pointers to help you out.

• Firstly check the product out. Research the market for these products, determining who will need the product and how to create a need for them.

• Check out the company carefully. Forums are a great place to check out affiliate marketing programs. Are there good posts about the product? Are customers happy with the service they receive? And of course, do the members receive their money on time?

• Not everyone has the money to afford high end products. The average market sale is $10-$500. Unless you are familiar with the special markets than can afford high-end goods, stay with an affiliate marketing program whose products sell within the average. It will be much easier for you to promote products within this range and, therefore, earn more money.

• Commissions: If you’ll be paid a percentage of the sale, versus a flat rate, look for affiliate marketing programs that pay 20% or more. Anything less isn’t worth your time.

• Since the success of the affiliate marketing program depends upon your success, good training and tools should be available to you.

• Be sure the company offers good, quick customer support.

• You should be under no obligation to buy the product.

• There should be a good tracking system, showing your earnings in real time

• The company should have a system in place to prevent theft of your and your customers’ ID

• You should be paid at least once a month and the minimum payout should not be more than $100.

• Last, but still very important, check out the people involved. Does the site have a forum where other members can help you and answer your questions? Do the owners participate in the forum? What about the person who is referring you to the program (that’s me)? Do you feel I am providing you with helpful, interesting and useful information?

With this list of criteria, check out the affiliate marketing program that you are considering joining. Joining the right program, and the right group of people, will give you the opportunity to earn more money, and isn’t that what affiliate marketing is all about? Check out: MoreNiche. Take a look at their guides and tools. Read through the forum. Isn't this the place YOU want to be?

Types of Affiliate Programs

There are several different types of affiliate marketing programs. Of course you want the one that will earn you the most money. There are programs that will give you a commission and, if it’s a high end product, the money will be good. There are other affiliate marketing programs that earn you a residual income.

Here are some other examples of affiliate marketing programs.

Pay-Per-Click: You’ve probably seen Google Adsense ads on just about every site you have visited. There are Google Ads on this site. The money you earn is based upon your site visitor clicking through on an ad and how much is bid for a keyword.

Two tier affiliate marketing programs are good because you will not only earn money for your own sales but also from the sales of your referrals, affiliates who signed up under you. These referrals will earn you a passive income and the best way to do this is to get a large number of them per program.

Residual income: Affiliate marketing programs that can give you a residual income are good. Look for programs that are not just a one time sale but are a monthly subscription or products that customers will buy again and again.

As you can see, there are several different ways to make money through affiliate marketing. Pick one niche market and work that for at least a month. Then move on to another niche. Just remember that a little bit of time and commitment will bring you a little bit of money. To earn a sizeable income will take time, determination and a commitment to learning all you can about affiliate marketing.

Why do you want to be an Affiliate?

Affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to earn money on the internet. It is also one of the easiest ways to start a business. It can be the beginning of earning money so you can start your own business. It can be supplemental money. It can even be expanded in such a way that it will provide you a full time income. Now wouldn’t that be nice?

Another advantage of affiliate marketing is the learning tools available. It’s to the advantage of a good affiliate marketing program to help their affiliates by providing good tools and advice. One of the best sites I found for this is MoreNiche. It has a wealth of guides and tools that make signing up for this free program worth the signup time. With these guides and tools you’ll be able to learn the basics of affiliate marketing.

A very important rule of affiliate marketing is to pick one program and stick with it. Test and market that program for at least a month. By then, you might even be making money from it. Then, add another program and test and market that for a month. The goal is to gain experience which will help you increase the amount of money that you’ll be earning.

Remember to keep in mind that affiliate programs are only as good as the amount of work that you put into them. You can earn a little bit of money with a little time and investment. Or you can take it a step further, invest in affiliate marketing tools, and earn a comfortable living by doing what it takes.

What is Affiliate Marketing?

Before you get started, you need to understand affiliate marketing. Basically, there are many companies that have products for sale and they are willing to pay their affiliate (you) a commission on any sales that you make.

Setting up a site as an affiliate is easy. You’ll need a web site, like this one, which is free and easy though blogger.com.

Next you find the product(s) that you want to promote. You sign up and put the affiliate product links on your site. When your reader clicks through on the link and buys the product, you make money.

Why do many people get started with affiliate marketing? There are many reasons. The primary reason for most people is the money potential. Next is the temptation to quit your day job and work from home, setting up your own hours and schedule.

Setting up a web based business can be very involved. You need to have a web design, a product, a way to get payment, ship the product, etc. A much easier way to work from home is affiliate marketing.

But a list of links of products won’t make you a lot of money. Web surfers find lists of ads a big turn off. So how do you keep the surfer on your site? Content! You need to provide interesting content that relates to the basic topic of your site….as I’m doing with posts on affiliate marketing.

If you can’t write interesting content, there are many services that will do it for you at a very reasonable price. Once you’ve got the content, put your hyperlinks throughout it. While there is no guarantee that affiliate marketing will make you money, you can put the odds in your favor with an interesting site and quality content.