Whether you are a stay at home mom who wants to make some extra money or you've been made redundant and need to find enough cash to meet the car and the house payments affiliate marketing is one of the best ways to make money from home. In this article we'll look at exactly what affiliate marketing is and the steps you need to take to get started.
Before we get started though let me quickly explain what affiliate marketing actually is, because it's less scary than it sounds. On the Internet today there are thousands of online stores trying to sell their products and services to customers.
But in order to sell products they need to get customers to visit their websites. And that's where you come in. As an affiliate you recommend a product to people who visit your website, and you direct them to the store to buy that product. If a sale is made then the store owner pays you a commission.
The more people you send to the store ready and willing to buy the product the more commission you will make.
Now let's run through the basics of how to get started:
1. Find a store to work with
The very first thing you need to do is find a store that has an affiliate programme for you to sign up with. Some online stores like Amazon.com have their own affiliate programme while others can be found on marketplaces like Commission Junction or Clickbank. Stores with digital products often offer a higher commission rate, but it can often be easier to promote tangible products.
2. Sign up for the affiliate programme
When you sign up you will be given a unique ID which you need to use when linking potential customers through to the store's website. This is so that they can match any sales back to your account and pay your commission.
3. Pick a product to promote
Now you're getting to the fun stage. You need to choose a product to promote to your website visitors. Make sure you choose something that people who visit your website can relate to and will be interested in buying. If your site visitors are all young moms then baby care items will be more popular than DIY equipment or high end televisions!
4. Write a review
Once your product is chosen you need to write a review telling your readers all about the product. Make sure you include the negatives as well as the positives, people are more likely to believe your review if it is honest and well balanced.
5. Link the reader to the website
At the end of your review you need to present your reader with a link to the store so that they can buy the product. You will need to make sure that your affiliate ID is included in the link so that you will get the benefit of the sale. Most affiliate programmes will provide tools to generate the links that you need.
6. Receive your commission payment
The store will send your payment by cheque or directly into your bank account. Different companies have different payment thresholds and timescales so you need to check how often you will get paid.
7. Track your progress
You might get lucky with the first product you pick and make sales straight away, or you might discover that you're not making sales at all. Affiliate marketing is all about understanding your audience and it will take trial and error in the early stages to get it right. Over time you can write reviews for a number of different products, repeating what works and stopping what doesn't.
Author Resource:
If you would like detailed step by step instructions on how to make money with the Amazon Associates programme then you should sign up for the Deadbeat Super Affiliate programme. Dan Brock taught me everything I know about how to make money with Amazon, and his strategy works! I'm offering a Deadbeat Super Affiliate bonus over on my website at: http://sevensomewhere.com/963/deadbeat-superaffiliate-coming-excited/
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