Hope to Help Newbies Like Me With My Own Private Idaho

...or, more specifically, your own private stuff that you can't do without no matter how tough the going gets. Stuff you think people in similar situations might appreciate and plunk down some cash for despite the tough financial situation many are experiencing nowadays.

This post is mainly for newbies who are trying to find a niche market in affiliate marketing. I'm an affiliate marketing newbie myself, so please bear with me.

Let's say, for example, that a company called HairThatLooksandFeelsAwesomeEveryday (FICTIONAL!!!) makes a shampoo that I can't imagine living without because it makes my hair, well, look and feel awesome every day. If that company has an affiliate program, I would have no qualms joining it and promoting them because from personal experience, their product works for me.

Now, I know that many affiliate marketers promote products they have never tried before and are nevertheless earning lots of money. But if you're a newbie who can't quite make up your mind about which product to promote, why not look at things that you use in your own life, the ones that make a personal difference to you? Chances are there are other people out there who might be needing the same things.

It's been said here time and again, supply a great solution to a hungry audience. Your target audience will believe you more if you know what you are talking about. You build credibility, which can lead to traffic that converts, i.e., sales.

What's even better, you yourself can create content that's all the more powerful because it holds personal meaning for you. If writing or making videos isn't your forte, it's no problem to have someone else go over your content.

What matters is the spirit, the passion, of your content remains intact. I think this is very important. I've come across so many outsourced articles that were excellent in terms of spelling, grammar, and the information offered. But most of them lacked the necessary oomph that leads to clicks and sales, because the writers didn't have an affinity for what they were writing. To them, it was just another job.

Going back to the awesome hair and shampoo example, if your sales page/articles offer enough passion and information, it can lead to benefits you probably wouldn't expect.

Say, for example, a bald guy comes across your site or your article directory submissions. Even if he isn't part of your target demographic, since he doesn't need the shampoo for himself (I could be wrong, though!) he might still be impressed enough by the strength and sincerity of your personal copy to pass word of your site along to his friends and family who aren't as follicularly challenged.

This strategy is working for me so far (though my niche isn't hair care, and I'm nowhere near balding). I'm promoting something that I like, and which I believe will benefit others. I'm not making a killing right now (just $450 in my first two months, not a lot compared to what many of the experienced Warriors here are making, I realize), but I know I'll get there in time.

I'm doing my promotions mainly through article marketing via Ezinearticles. I've also posted a handful of unique articles on my own site, which is on page 1 of Google for a keyword (and a couple of its variations) that got 2,400 searches in February in the "Phrase" match type, but just 320 in the "Exact" match type according to the Google Adwords tool.

Numbers confuse me sometimes, but I do know this: some of my initial customers have come back to purchase more of the products I'm promoting. It's so great to know they liked them enough to come back and buy more. That, I believe, is a win-win situation.

I hope newbies find this helpful. Thanks for reading!

P.S. I had a big crush on River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves back in the day, even though it didn't seem they used shampoo all that much. So I hope you pardon the title of this post.