Tips for successful affiliate marketing - Cody Moya
These days it seems like more and more people have discovered the potential of affiliate marketing, and it often seems like every guy or gal with a web site is jumping into the fray. That means that there is greater competition than ever before for those affiliate dollars, and newbies and experienced affiliate marketers alike need to be careful that they are doing everything they can to maximize their earnings.
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it allows you to earn money, even if you have no product to sell. An affiliate relationship works similar to a “finder’s fee” in the offline world. In exchange for sending the customer to the merchant, the merchant provides a percentage of the sale to the originator, in this case the owner of the web site that provided the affiliate link to the merchant.
It is easy to see how this relationship can work wonders for both the web site owner and the merchant. The merchant gets to sell more of his or her product, and the web site owner gets to turn unused or underutilized real estate on his or her web site into a money making machine.
Of course, this concept works best if you already have a high volume, high traffic web site. After all, if no one out there knows your web site exists, how will they buy the products you recommend?
There are several strategies for boosting traffic to your web site, and it is a good idea to boost your web site traffic before embarking on a search for the perfect affiliate partners. For one thing, the best affiliate programs are often inundated with requests from web site owners, and their success gives them the ability to pick and choose from all these offers. If you can show steady high traffic, you have a better chance of being chosen for the best affiliate programs.
In addition, a high volume web site will natural generate more click throughs and more sales, and thus make higher commissions for you. Many beginning affiliates are disappointed when they fail to make a sale the first time out, or if their commission checks are always small. The number one way to boost your affiliate income is to boost the traffic to your site.
That can mean brushing up on your SEO techniques to try to boost your search engine ranking, sending articles to ezines and online newsletters which link back to your site, or subtly promoting your site in newsgroups as you discuss the issue of the day.
One of the most interesting, and least obtrusive, ways to market a web site is to use a signature on all your correspondence, including articles, ezines, ebooks, newsletters and even emails. This signature should include information like your email address, the URL of your web site, and a line or two about who you are and what you do.
This type of signature can be a free, easy and painless way to boost your name recognition and your web site traffic. The signature costs nothing to you, and you can have it automatically attach to any document you publish. Naturally, the signature should not contain any sensitive or personal information like your address or phone number. If you need to include a mailing address for business purposes, be sure to use a post office box.
After the level of traffic to your web site is sufficient to attract the interest of potential affiliate programs, it is time to start looking for the best one.
When evaluating potential affiliate programs, you are looking for one that provides:
Reasonable prices. A high commission rate will do you no good if no one can afford to buy the products.
Quality merchandise. Never lose sight of the fact that you are putting your reputation on the line when you recommend the products produced by your affiliate merchants.
A good commission structure. A 20% commission is generally considered the minimum acceptable level. Some affiliate programs offer commissions of up to 50%.
A good payment structure. Many affiliate programs pay their commissions monthly, but others pay only every three to six months.
A way to see what you are earning. Some affiliate programs give their web site partners a weekly or monthly report, while others allow their partners to track their sales and commissions in real time. Real time statistics are a great way to test tweaks and changes to your marketing campaign or web site design.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cody Moya writes about How to Earn As Affiliate in his Free Courses on Internet Marketing. You can sign up for his free Courses and get additional information at his website: http://FreeInternetMarketingCourses.com
The beauty of affiliate marketing is that it allows you to earn money, even if you have no product to sell. An affiliate relationship works similar to a “finder’s fee” in the offline world. In exchange for sending the customer to the merchant, the merchant provides a percentage of the sale to the originator, in this case the owner of the web site that provided the affiliate link to the merchant.
It is easy to see how this relationship can work wonders for both the web site owner and the merchant. The merchant gets to sell more of his or her product, and the web site owner gets to turn unused or underutilized real estate on his or her web site into a money making machine.
Of course, this concept works best if you already have a high volume, high traffic web site. After all, if no one out there knows your web site exists, how will they buy the products you recommend?
There are several strategies for boosting traffic to your web site, and it is a good idea to boost your web site traffic before embarking on a search for the perfect affiliate partners. For one thing, the best affiliate programs are often inundated with requests from web site owners, and their success gives them the ability to pick and choose from all these offers. If you can show steady high traffic, you have a better chance of being chosen for the best affiliate programs.
In addition, a high volume web site will natural generate more click throughs and more sales, and thus make higher commissions for you. Many beginning affiliates are disappointed when they fail to make a sale the first time out, or if their commission checks are always small. The number one way to boost your affiliate income is to boost the traffic to your site.
That can mean brushing up on your SEO techniques to try to boost your search engine ranking, sending articles to ezines and online newsletters which link back to your site, or subtly promoting your site in newsgroups as you discuss the issue of the day.
One of the most interesting, and least obtrusive, ways to market a web site is to use a signature on all your correspondence, including articles, ezines, ebooks, newsletters and even emails. This signature should include information like your email address, the URL of your web site, and a line or two about who you are and what you do.
This type of signature can be a free, easy and painless way to boost your name recognition and your web site traffic. The signature costs nothing to you, and you can have it automatically attach to any document you publish. Naturally, the signature should not contain any sensitive or personal information like your address or phone number. If you need to include a mailing address for business purposes, be sure to use a post office box.
After the level of traffic to your web site is sufficient to attract the interest of potential affiliate programs, it is time to start looking for the best one.
When evaluating potential affiliate programs, you are looking for one that provides:
Reasonable prices. A high commission rate will do you no good if no one can afford to buy the products.
Quality merchandise. Never lose sight of the fact that you are putting your reputation on the line when you recommend the products produced by your affiliate merchants.
A good commission structure. A 20% commission is generally considered the minimum acceptable level. Some affiliate programs offer commissions of up to 50%.
A good payment structure. Many affiliate programs pay their commissions monthly, but others pay only every three to six months.
A way to see what you are earning. Some affiliate programs give their web site partners a weekly or monthly report, while others allow their partners to track their sales and commissions in real time. Real time statistics are a great way to test tweaks and changes to your marketing campaign or web site design.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Cody Moya writes about How to Earn As Affiliate in his Free Courses on Internet Marketing. You can sign up for his free Courses and get additional information at his website: http://FreeInternetMarketingCourses.com
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