Affiliate Marketing – My Best Decision

When I decided to quit my job and start an internet business, I
was clueless. I researched and found several viable
opportunities however the more I read, the more I realized how
difficult this was going to be. I did not have a product and
was in no position to create one. I had it in my head I wanted
to sell something so I started out in the drop shipping
business.

I researched wholesalers that were willing to drop ship and
found a few. I built a simple yahoo! site, created a merchant
account, got my resellers license and voila, I was in business.
Did I get a sale? Nope, because I did not know how the
internet worked with regards to website marketing. No one
could find my site and I was a marketing failure.

Because my site didn’t sell anything, I gave up and continued
on the research path. I slowly learned about how to market my
site but wasn’t sure I wanted to stick with drop shipping. My
site costs combined with credit card merchant costs and plain
old competition didn’t really leave me with much profit. I
realized I still had much to learn.

I went back to the research drawing board and joined a few
forums to learn what else I might be able to do. At that time
I learned about affiliate programs. I met people I trusted and
admired who promoted affiliate programs. I asked a lot of
questions and began my research. Affiliate marketing appealed
to me. I didn’t need a merchant account, I didn’t need
inventory, I didn’t need my own product and I could even get
away without a website. Wow, how good is that? So off I went.

As I began to research I found the best selling products were
informational products and the best commissions were internet
marketing products. Because I was familiar with setting up a
website previously I decided to set up another site to list of
all my affiliate sales products. I fell into the trap that
most new web business owners fall into. Setting up a ‘How to
Market on the internet site’. I liked it because I was
familiar with it and I had purchased some of the products
through my research. So why not? Well, simply put there is too
much competition in that category. I still have my site today
but my sales are minimal. I offer only products that I trust
and many of them I use but it’s not a business path I’d
recommend to someone starting out, particularly because many
beginners tend to gravitate there. There are lots of other
things that have good marketing potential. Affiliate marketing
can be successfully applied to almost any product on the net.

If researched carefully and applied correctly, affiliate sales
can be a very profitable internet business. The object is to
find something you can sell and promote for merchants that
will offer you a commission to sell it. You don’t have to
carry inventory, collect money, worry about delivery or even
have a website (although a website is a good idea), but you’re
going to have to think about what products best suit you with
regard to sales. I feel it’s best to sell things that you like.
Things you’re interested in or have a fetish about. For
instance, let’s say you love crystal. If you love it then you
probably know something about it, but more importantly you
will enjoy researching it and offering it to someone else.

Next, research web businesses that sell crystal and offer
affiliate programs. I recommend using Commission Junction or
Linkshare. Keep in mind that the sites you select can sell
other things, however you’re focusing on just crystal. Find
several sites and apply to them all. Most affiliate programs
are free. A note to the wise, be sure to read the affiliate
agreements and understand their rules. They are not all the
same.

Once you’ve signed up for the programs of your choice, pay per
click (PPC) search engines are the best and easiest way to
sell your affiliate products. You can promote each product
individually or you can promote them all by building a website
and promoting your website. Again, be sure to read the
agreements as some affiliate programs restrict affiliates
offering their competition on the same website. This isn’t
true for all of them but you want to stay aware.

To get started you’ll need to set up accounts with PPC search
engines such as Google, Overture and Findwhat. Research how
they work and set up some simple ad campaigns to start. You
will also need to research keywords and what words cost the
least and are the most effective. This is a topic for another
article, however time spent and proper research tools such as
Overture’s view bids and search term suggestion tools will
help keep your costs low and your profits high. By the way,
use each of the keyword tools provided by each PPC search
engine; this will help guide you as to what keywords to use.
Keywords entered by users can differ from search engine to
search engine.

If you choose to build a website, keep your sight on topic.
Getting back to our crystal example, keep your site focused on
crystal or glassware, don’t throw in pictures or garden chairs.
The worst mistake you can make is being everything to
everyone. I know; I’ve made that mistake.

Offer information such as types of types of crystal, how it’s
made, textures, weight, where it’s made, history of crystal,
etc. Concentrate on offering information. If you give people
valuable information on something they’re more likely to buy it.

Of course crystal is just an example; you can apply the same
principles to sofas, bicycles, computers, toys or whatever you
might take pleasure in. Give it some quality thought, research
carefully and take your time. If it’s something you enjoy,
you’ll enjoy your business.

Paul White is a 42 year old former teacher. He now helps people
all around the world to become wealthy online. Whatever you
are selling, visit the popular site: http://www.profitmountain.
com (http://www.profitmountain.com) and if you subscribe to
Profit Mountain`s FREE wealth building newsletter, you will
also receive FREE advertising for the next 12 months! (Worth
$200!) as well as loads of other things!