Affiliate Marketing: Where to Start

The Idea of Affiliate Marketing is a simple one, help others sell their product, and get a portion of that sale. Unfortunately Affiliate Marketing has many different important steps (sometimes complicated) along the way to insure your success. I've seen a lot of newbies stuggling with starting out, so I wanted to share a quick little article:


Here is Where to Start:


Learn Basic HTML: If you don't already know the basics of HTML, it's a good idea that you study it. Because even a basic knowledge is needed for WordPress, or Editing Squeeze Page templates. Fortunately there are dozens of websites dedicated to teaching you how to properly use it. Get some information about this will help you a lot with your business. Remember to be patient, take notes, and seek help when needed on online forums.


Choose A Marketing Network: The affiliate marketer I strongly recommend using is ClickBank. I recommend ClickBank because it's very easy to use and you can earn commissions up to 75% per product. All you do is copy and paste it as a link to the product's website and you'll receive commission for every sale. Other marketers are Amazon, Commission Junction, and Linkshare. All these networks are reliable and easy to use once you get a hang of it and can earn you some a very nice income from affiliate marketing alone. Play around on each of these sites, see which process you like best.


Choose the Right Product to Sell: Depending on your niche or topic, you should choose ones that relates to what you write about on your website or blog. If your website or blog focuses mainly on cooking then you should find a product relating to it. Don't go over the line and advertise something like gardening when your website or blog has nothing to do with it. You want to focus only on your topic. This will help you earn credentials as an expert in your field over a period of time. If you don't have a blog or website yet, and are still trying to decide which niche to get into it, the best advice I can give, is to pick a product you would ACTUALLY buy. You don't want to try and sell a product that you don't understand, the more comfortable you are with it, the EASIER it will be for you to sell.


Cheapest/Best Quality Hosting and Domain: The only real expense of Affiliate Marketing is paying for your hosting and domain. If you plan on having multiple squeeze pages, or websites, it's important to find the BEST hosting service you can. With so many different companies offering different plans and packages, different pricing for domains- it can be a difficult question on which to choose. The best hosting that I have found is HostGator.com. You can put UNLIMITED Domains on your hosting, meaning you really only need one account to put all your websites on. As for buying your domain, I suggest NameCheap.com.


Where To Market Products: I currently market and advertise my ClickBank products on ArticleClick, ArticleBase, and EzineArticles. These three directories can help you gain a lot of traffic to your website if you frequently use these. These will not only help you gain traffic, hone your writing skills, but it also help you advertise for potential clients.
When I first started out with affiliate marketing, I suffered one set back after another. I really didn't realize how difficult it could be. I was trying to sell products that just weren't working for me, I chose niches I weren't interested in, and wasted a lot of time. If there is one thing that I've learned, it's that if you don't truly believe in the products that you are selling, then you won't succeed in convincing other people that they are worth buying! Another lesson that I've learned, is that if you don't develop a plan, it is very hard to make progress, as there isn't anything to measure against. You can spend a lifetime sitting in front of your computer, aimlessly attempting to make an income. Without a plan, you won't know when you're succeeding or failing.


What To Do Next: After learning about basic internet marketing methods, including social media marketing, article marketing and search engine optimization. You will be ready to start making money online, and be a successful Affiliate Marketer.

• Sign up to 5 working at home forums, visit the forums every day and post useful comments that people will find helpful. Make 5 posts per day once you have created a signature that details your products and your website.

• Use article marketing to drive traffic to your website. Article marketing is free and has really brought me the majority of my traffic. It doesn't take long to whip up articles once you have had a practice.

• Implement an auto-responder on your site. Offer people a free report or even to receive your weekly blog updates. The juicier you make the offer, the more people will sign up. Create pre-written email content so that you stay in touch with your prospects.

• Search on Google for 'list of directory ezines' and add your ezine to every directory that you can. This will enable you to reach even more of your target market. You can gain new subscribers.

• Build a relationship with your prospects. Let them into your world and show them that you can help them. They will learn to trust you and will want to buy your products.

• Do not waste your money with trying out 'guaranteed visitor' packages. They may well send you the traffic, but it won't be targeted for what you are selling on your site. They will enter and just leave again - each one having cost you some of your marketing budget that could be better used elsewhere.

So there you have it, employ this plan of action and commit to it. Doing so will put you on the road to affiliate marketing success. This is exactly what I did to get ahead, and you can too.

Please share any more comments or tips on how to start affiliate marketing!


xoxo <3 Abby Elaina