Best Way To Be In Control Of Your Online Income?

by Stu48
15 replies
Okay,

So I'm going to start playing around with the Amazon Affiliate program, Shareasale, and either Chitiika or Adsense. I hope that when my site gets huge, I can get sponsors and sell ad spac.

Relying on other companies.
Now, everywhere I go online, I hear about people who get banned from Amazon associates and adsense. I'm not sure if people are getting banned from the other affiliate companies like Rakuten, CJ, Infolinks, etc.. Are these people being stupid with their actions or are Amazon/Adsense and others extremely particular?

Being in control of your income.
I've also read quite a bit about people who make a good portion if not all of their online income selling ad space and finding sponsors. Now I know you're not fully in control of your income because you are dependent on sponsors etc...but you can choose who to use and there are endless companies/people to find.

So, what are your experiences with these methods?
Do you use both methods?
Does one work better for you?
#control #income #online
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  • Profile picture of the author Brent Stangel
    Are these people being stupid with their actions or are Amazon/Adsense and others extremely particular?
    While they are particular they tell you exactly what they expect up-front.

    A lot of people get banned because they think they can get away with "small" infractions.

    I strongly recommend people stay away from both. There are much better ways of earning online.

    Brent
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  • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
    As Brent said, the people getting banned are doing so because they break rules.

    I wouldn't state quite as strongly as he said about avoiding Amazon/Adsense. I think many of us started out doing that before we realized that we were never going to be making "quit my job" money. There are some people that make money with those methods but very few who are raking it in. More than anything, they make money as an Amazon affiliate (I imagine the percentage of people earning a living with AdSense is far below 1% of the people who have tried). I do agree that there are much better methods of making money online than either one of them.
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  • Profile picture of the author Stu48
    I'm just doing the math here with regards to Amazon and I'm starting to think it's not a good business model.

    First, you're not in control. You don't own the customers and you can get banned anytime.

    More importantly, I think the money sucks.

    So top commission is 8%. Okay, let's say you sell $1,000,000 of items. You get $80,000 in commission. After taxes, depending on where you live, that's approximately $45,000.

    Now don't get me wrong, $45,000 is a lot of money, but...how long does it take to sell $1,000,000? I'm guessing quite a while. Several years?

    I believe it is more likely for a person to have more success and more control by selling one's own product or service.

    What do you think?
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    • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
      Originally Posted by Stu48 View Post

      I'm just doing the math here with regards to Amazon and I'm starting to think it's not a good business model.

      First, you're not in control. You don't own the customers and you can get banned anytime.

      More importantly, I think the money sucks.

      So top commission is 8%. Okay, let's say you sell $1,000,000 of items. You get $80,000 in commission. After taxes, depending on where you live, that's approximately $45,000.

      Now don't get me wrong, $45,000 is a lot of money, but...how long does it take to sell $1,000,000? I'm guessing quite a while. Several years?

      I believe it is more likely for a person to have more success and more control by selling one's own product or service.

      What do you think?
      For sure, you make more money selling your own product. You can also make a lot selling other people's physical products (20-40% for large ticket items on average; considerably more for smaller ticket items, usually).
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    • Profile picture of the author Gambino
      Originally Posted by Stu48 View Post

      I believe it is more likely for a person to have more success and more control by selling one's own product or service.
      Bingo. The best way to be in control of your income is to be the person who is in control. To be the person who owns the brand/products.

      I don't want to bash affiliate marketing as it can be a good way to make an income online. And, full disclosure, I'm bias to creating a brand because that's what I've done the last few years. It 'clicked' for me when I realized I'd rather be the person who owns the products that a thousand+ people are promoting than one of a thousand+ people promoting the products.

      I started by private labeling physical products. Now, I miss private labeled products with contract manufacturing. That's when I realized that the value is in the brand and my success is dependent on myself. I don't have to compete on price like many print on demand or dropshippers do. I sell in the median to high price range. But, since nobody can really replicate my brand, even though they sell similar products, I can position it however I want.
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisBa
    Originally Posted by Stu48 View Post

    Okay,

    So I'm going to start playing around with the Amazon Affiliate program, Shareasale, and either Chitiika or Adsense. I hope that when my site gets huge, I can get sponsors and sell ad spac.

    Relying on other companies.
    Now, everywhere I go online, I hear about people who get banned from Amazon associates and adsense. I'm not sure if people are getting banned from the other affiliate companies like Rakuten, CJ, Infolinks, etc.. Are these people being stupid with their actions or are Amazon/Adsense and others extremely particular?

    Being in control of your income.
    I've also read quite a bit about people who make a good portion if not all of their online income selling ad space and finding sponsors. Now I know you're not fully in control of your income because you are dependent on sponsors etc...but you can choose who to use and there are endless companies/people to find.

    So, what are your experiences with these methods?
    Do you use both methods?
    Does one work better for you?
    Most of the times someone gets banned is because they were doing some shady or against the rules. The best thing you can do is know and understand the TOS of every company you work with and stay compliant. I pretty much use all of the companies you listed and no complaints.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hwm Social
    At the point when a great many people begin on the Internet endeavoring to profit on the web, one thing that I generally hear individuals let them know, is to begin off in member promoting in light of the fact that it's simpler than item creation and they can "get on the cash trail" straight off the bat.

    In any case, given ongoing Google occasions, and the way that I am aware of one individual who had a $40,000 every year salary stream shutdown since somebody concluded that they would not like to run their associate program any longer, has solidified my confidence in a certain something...
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  • Profile picture of the author msulcs
    Just comply with the rules and you'll never get banned.

    It's easy to bend the rules and try to rig the system, but the companies don't want to see their links spammed, that's why they're so strict about the rules. Spam gives companies a bad image.
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  • Profile picture of the author ryanbiddulph
    Hi Stu,

    Per your title, we are never in full control of our income online because we cannot control people and force them to send us money. But the more patiently and generously you help folks, money will flow to you.

    I've had zero issues with Associates because I follow the rules
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  • Profile picture of the author Stu48
    So, I like all the input here.

    I will stick with Amazon and some ad networks, for now. I will treat them as a supplemental source of income, not a primary one.

    Now, my site has curated videos and graphics accompanied by an article written by me that provides advice on the issue presented in the video. For example, I posted a video of the evolution of boxing and wrote an article showing readers how they can evolve their 'self' via changing their habits. So, I link the video with a life lesson.

    So here's my question.

    What is the best form of monetization for me whereby I have the most control (i.e. a service or product I can produce)?

    What type of product do you think would be best for this niche (men's interests)? I've thought about an ebook perhaps, branding my own products like t-shirts, and of course, some affiliate products.

    Anything I missed?
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    • Profile picture of the author dave_hermansen
      Originally Posted by Stu48 View Post

      So, I like all the input here.

      I will stick with Amazon and some ad networks, for now. I will treat them as a supplemental source of income, not a primary one.

      Now, my site has curated videos and graphics accompanied by an article written by me that provides advice on the issue presented in the video. For example, I posted a video of the evolution of boxing and wrote an article showing readers how they can evolve their 'self' via changing their habits. So, I link the video with a life lesson.

      So here's my question.

      What is the best form of monetization for me whereby I have the most control (i.e. a service or product I can produce)?

      What type of product do you think would be best for this niche (men's interests)? I've thought about an ebook perhaps, branding my own products like t-shirts, and of course, some affiliate products.

      Anything I missed?
      You have to think about what you are posting and who is most likely to be interested in that kind of video. You also have to think about what type of products are going to make you any serious money as an affiliate, dropshipper or product owner/creator.

      Is someone who wants to watch the history of boxing the kind of person who is interested in an eBook or t-shirt? Maybe. They definitely are the type of person who is interested in products that are related to boxing. They might also be insecure and interested in things like dating websites for all I know. You really need to try to climb inside the heads of the types of people who are going to want to watch this video and present products that appeal to those types of personas.
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  • Profile picture of the author Art of Asset Profit
    Banned
    Very simple....flip the script.

    YOU be the Product Creator.
    In terms of Boxing you can Create a comprehensive Resource on Training, Health, and also have a Dropshiping store.

    Just research what is out there and add value to it.

    YOU have your own affiliates.

    YOU can get paid instantly.

    Art
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    • Profile picture of the author Stu48
      Thanks Art, but it's not that simple.

      You see, I started my site at the end of October and I now have about posts. My posts vary from the boxing one mentioned, to DIY lightsabers, thinking like an alpha male, succeeding like an NFL player, approaching life like a Macedonian phalanx, the Avengers and expressing yourself, dating tips, and so on. It's a site for men with tons of unrelated posts, but still aiming at men's interests.

      So, I would have to be very creative with regards to creating a product.
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      • Profile picture of the author salzingale
        Originally Posted by Stu48 View Post

        Thanks Art, but it's not that simple.

        You see, I started my site at the end of October and I now have about posts. My posts vary from the boxing one mentioned, to DIY lightsabers, thinking like an alpha male, succeeding like an NFL player, approaching life like a Macedonian phalanx, the Avengers and expressing yourself, dating tips, and so on. It's a site for men with tons of unrelated posts, but still aiming at men's interests.

        So, I would have to be very creative with regards to creating a product.

        "Owning" what you sell as a "product creator" is the best way to be in control of your online income.



        Talking about your interests or providing valuable information from your web site is great for an audience that relates to your interests and finds your information valuable.



        This is what leads to interest in products and services and eventually direct sales of your product, if you have one, and very relevant commissions on indirect sales of product or services through Amazon, Clickbank, or adsense advertising.



        Will your web site audience appreciate what you are doing? Are you building a web site to make money? Most people build a website for a product, service or brand they are directly associated with......and the online income comes from the product or service, branded or not.


        What distinguishes you from everyone else that would cause people to visit your site consistently, purchase your products (if you have any), and or rely on the info at your site to make purchases from Amazon or Clickbank?
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  • Profile picture of the author George Flm
    Promote programs with longevity in mind - something that stays for the long haul.

    Mainstream affiliate programs often cause migraines and hiccups to the clueless affiliates (changing rules like moving sand).
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    George Troy Marketing on Youtube

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