Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Easy Profits Using PPC In Your Affiliate Marketing Business

PPC is one of the most important types of search results. It's also one of the most cost-effective ways of driving targeted traffic to your site. PPC is expected to rise to almost 8 billion dollars this year.

It's important to understand how PPC Search Engines work. They create advertiser listings and rate them based on the amount each advertiser is willing to bid for each click through received from the search engine. Website owners bid against other advertisers to receive a higher ranking. Advertisers bid on certain keywords or phrases that they would like their sites to appear for.

In theory, the advertiser that bids highest for a specific keyword will have their site ranked higher than all other advertisers. Advertisers are listed below that in order of the amount they have bid on each keyword. In reality the search engines, Google in particular, use a complicated algorithm combining advertiser bid and ad performance (this is averaged over all of an advertisers campaigns, not just the current one, so your overall success in previous campaigns can help even a brand new campaign with no history) to determine your specific ad's placement.

How do you make money by using PPC into your affiliate marketing business?

Most affiliate programs only pay when a sale is made or a lead delivered after a visitor has clickthrough your site. Your earnings will not always be the same as they will be dependent on the web site content and the traffic market.

The reason why you should incorporate PPC into your affiliate marketing program is that earnings are easier to make than in any other kind of affiliate program not using PPC. This way, you will be making profit based from the clickthroughs that your visitor will make on the advertiser’s site. Unlike some programs, you are not paid per sale or action.

PPC can be very resourceful of your website. With PPC Search Engines incorporated into your affiliate program, you will be able to profit from the visitor’s who are not interested in your products or services. The same ones who leave your site and never comes back.

You will not only get commissions not only from those who are just searching the web and finding the products and services that they wanted but you will be able to build your site’s recognition as a valuable resource. The visitors who have found what they needed from you site are likely to come back and review what you are offering more closely. Then they will eventually come back to search the web for other products.

This kind of affiliate program is also an easy way for you to generate some more additional revenues. For example, when a visitor on your site does a search in the PPC Search Engine and clicks on the advertiser bided listings, the advertisers’ account will then be deducted because of that click. With this, you will be compensated 30% to 80% of the advertisers’ bid amount.

PPC is not only a source of generating easy profits; it can also help you promote your own site. Most of the programs allow the commissions received to be spent for advertising with them instantly and with no minimum earning requirement. This is one of the more effective ways to exchange your raw visitors for targeted surfers who has more tendencies to purchase your products and services.

What will happen if you when you integrate PPC into your affiliate program?

PPC usually have ready-to-use affiliate tools that can be easily integrated into your website. The most common tools are search boxes, banners, text links and some 404-error pages. Most search engines utilize custom solutions and can provide you with a white-label affiliate program. This enables you, using only a few lines of code, to integrate remotely-hosted co-branded search engine into your website.

The key benefits? Not only more money generated but also some extra money on the side. Plus a lifetime commissions once you have referred some webmaster friends to the engine.

This is an easy way to get great benefits while generating more income for your business. Take the time to learn some of the more useful tools you can use to boost your affiliate business. Not only isn't it a waste of time, it will increase your overall earnings.

Monday, April 14, 2008

Income Opportunity – Web Hosting Affiliate

Web hosting is a big business. Every company that opens it's doors needs a website; some have more than one site. The demand for web hosting has never been higher and it continues to grow daily.

There are currently over 108 million web sites online – and every single one of those sites is stored on a server owned by some web hosting company. No one can put a site online without first opening an account with a web host.

Today there are literally hundreds of thousands of companies offering web hosting solutions. Many are reliable, many are not. Many are simply reselling another company's services as their own. It's very hard to sift through the hype each company is marketing on its website and figure out who will really be a reliable host.

As an affiliate marketer you've probably tried several if not dozens of web hosts until you found one you were happy with. This is a great opportunity for you to help other people skip the hassle of trial and error and jump straight to the right solution.

Most web hosts offer an affiliate program that you can join. Each time you refer a new customer to their service you'll make some money. Some offer small payouts but have very attractive hosting packages so you'll be able to refer many new customers. Some offer larger payouts for a larger income stream. You can even find residual programs where you continue to receive a payout for as long as the customer remains with the web host.

To market a particular hosting company you can write a review of their services and explain to potential customers why they are better than the competition. Support is the number one concern of small business owners. They cannot afford to have in-house technical support but suffer badly if their site is down for any significant amount of time.

Rate several hosting companies, based on support and other factors like actual uptime, FAQs, and package prices. There are additional features people might be interested in, such as whether they offer a reseller's package or discounts on long-term packages. If you've tried several hosting companies already, share your experiences with your customers and turn your knowledge into money!

Thursday, April 10, 2008

It was a dark and stormy…Tuesday morning…

A Day In The Life Of An Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is much more pleasurable for hermits than ever before. With Internet access, you can sell products, track revenue flow, and make changes to your marketing materials all without having to pick up the phone and speak to a live human being.

And hey, even if you're not a hermit and enjoy spending time with people, affiliate marketing allows you the freedom to choose when to be online working and when to spend time with the people you love to be with.

So, once we've booted up and logged on, a typical day would go something like this:

Upon waking up and after having breakfast, the computer is turned on to check out new developments in the network. As far as the marketer is concerned there might be new things to update and statistics to keep track on.

The site design has to be revised. The marketer knows that a well-designed site can increase sign ups from visitors. It can also help in the affiliate’s conversion rates.

That done, it is time to submit the affiliate program to directories that lists affiliate programs. These directories are means to attract people in joining your affiliate program. A sure way of promoting the affiliate program.

Time to track down the sales you are getting from your affiliates fairly and accurately. There are phone orders and mails to track down. See if they are new clients checking the products out. Noting down the contact information that might be a viable source in the future.

There are lots of resources to sort out. Ads, banners, button ads and sample recommendations to give out because the marketer knows that this is one way of ensuring more sales. Best to stay visible and accessible too.

The affiliate marketer remembered that there are questions to answer from the visitors. This has to be done quickly. Nothing can turn off a customer than an unanswered email.

To prove that the affiliate is working effectively and efficiently, inquiries would have to be paid more attention on. Nobody wants to be ignored and customers are not always the most patient of all people. Quick answer that should appear professional yet friendly too.

In the process of doing all the necessities, the marketer is logged on to a chat room where he or she interacts with other affiliates and those under that same program. This is where they can discuss things on how to best promote their products.

There are things to be learned and it is a continuous process. Sharing tips and advices is a good way of showing support. There may be others out there wanting to join and may be enticed by the discussion that is going on. There is no harm in assuming what opportunities ahead.

The newsletters and ezines were updated days ago, so it is time for the affiliate marketer to see if there are some new things happening in the market. This will be written about in the marketer’s publication to be distributed to the old and new customers.

These same publications are also an important tool in keeping up to date with the newly introduced products. The marketer has put up a sale and promotion that customers may want to know about. Besides, they have to keep up with the deadline of these sales written in the publications.

It is that time to show some appreciation to those who have helped the marketer in the promotions and sale increase. Nothing like mentioning the persons, their sites and the process they have done that made everything worked.

Of course, this will be published in the newsletters. Among the more important information that have been written already.

The marketer still has time to write out recommendations to those who want credible sources for the products being promoted. There is also time to post some comments on how to be a successful affiliate marketer on a site where there are lots of wannabees.

Two objectives done at the same time. The marketer gets to promote the product as well as the program they are in. Who knows, someone may be inclined to join.

Time flies. Missed lunch but is quite contented with the tasks done. Bed time….

Ok, so this may not be all done in a day. But then, this gives you an idea of how an affiliate marketer, a dedicated one that is, spends the marketing day.

Is that success looming in the distance or what?

Monday, April 7, 2008

Product Recommendations can increase your bottom line

There are many ways to generate sales and increase profits when selling as an affiliate. Most of the techniques to help you market your chosen product are easy to practice and learn. They can be used online, whether on your website or as part of an advertising campaign.

Product recommendations are one of the most useful ways to increase your bottom line as an affiliate. Although widely used by affiliate marketers, its power is not diluted at all no matter how frequently it is utilized.

Once you've established trust among your site visitors or list readers (and it is important to have both!) they will be happy to read your recommendations. Don't abuse this approach, however. If you recommend every product you come across just for the sake of the affiliate sale your credibility will wear thin with your readers and you will quickly lose the trust you've worked to build.

Make sure your recommendations are accurate and sound realistic. Don't be afraid to mention what you don't like about a particular product – this will only make you sounds more credible and increase overall sales, not decreases. Even if you do lose a few potential customers, remember that in the long run you maintain your reputation with readers and your overall sales will only go up.

Additionally, if you are up front about potential problems with a product but the reader decides the positives outweigh the negative and buy anyway they will be happier than if they had been told they wouldn't run into any problems at all. This will also help increase your reputation with readers.

When you are recommending a certain product, there are some things to remember on how to make it work effectively and for your advantage.

Sound like the true and leading expert in your field.

Remember this simple equation: Price resistance diminishes in direct proportion to trust. If your visitors feel and believe that you are an expert in your niche, they are more inclined to making that purchase. On the other hand, if you are not exuding any confidence and self-assurance in endorsing your products, they will probably feel that same way and will go in search of another product or service which is more believable.

How do you establish this aura of expertise? By offering unique and new solutions they would not get anywhere else. Show proof that what you are promoting works as promised. Display prominent testimonials and endorsements from respected and known personalities, in related fields of course.

Avoid hype at all costs. It is better to sound low key and confident, than to scream and seek attention. Besides, you would not want to sound unprofessional and have that thinking stick to your potential customers and clients, now would you? Best to appear cool and self-assured at the same time.

And remember; prospects are not stupid. They are actually turning to experts and may already know the things that you know. If you back up your claims with hard facts and data, they would gladly put down hundreds, or even thousands worth of money to your promotions. But if you don’t, they are smart enough to try and look at your competitors and what they are offering.

While recommending a product, it is also important that you give out promotional freebies. People are already familiar with the concept of offering freebies to promoting your won products. But very few people do this to promote affiliate products. Try to offer freebies that can promote or even have some information about your products or services.

Before you add recommendations to you product, it is given that you should try and

test the product and support. Do not run the risk of promoting junk products and services. Just think how long it took you to build credibility and trust among your visitors. All that will take to destroy it is one big mistake on your part.

Try to only recommend products you have 100% confidence in. It is important to test the product personally before writing a recommendation to make sure the people you are referring it to won't be disappointed when a problem suddenly arises or feel like you've led them to waste their money – that is the quickest way to destroy any trust between you and your customers.

Track your strategies. Analyze the market. Make sure you are focusing on the promotions that best fit your product and your target audience. Make product recommendations a regular part of your marketing efforts.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

3 Steps to Boosting Affiliate Commissions – Overnight!

Affiliate marketing is one of the easiest ways to start earning profits with an online business. It does not require creating an expensive website, dealing with customer complaints, filling orders, or creating new products.

It does help to have a website in order to market the product you have affiliated with; however it can be a simple one-page site with enough information to make prospects want to click through to the products main site to place an order. You can also market offline by placing flyers with your affiliate link, this works well on telephone poles around the neighborhood or college campuses.

If you have already joined an affiliate program and are actively marketing it, online or off, what is the next step for you? Wouldn't you like to double, or even triple your commission checks?

Here are some powerful tips on how to boost your affiliate program commissions overnight.

1. Know the best program and products to promote. Obviously, you would want to promote a program that will enable you to achieve the greatest profits in the shortest possible time.

There are several factors to consider in selecting such a program. Choose the ones that have a generous commission structure. Have products that fit in with your target audience. And that has a solid track record of paying their affiliate easily and on time. If you cannot seem to increase your investments, dump that program and keep looking for better ones.

There are thousands of affiliate programs online which gives you the reason to be picky. You may want to select the best to avoid losing your advertising dollars.

Write free reports or short ebooks to distribute from your site. There is a great possibility that you are competing with other affiliates that are promoting the same program. If you start writing short report related to the product you are promoting, you will be able to distinguish yourself from the other affiliates.

In the reports, provide some valuable information for free. If possible, add some recommendations about the products. With ebooks, you get credibility. Customers will see that in you and they will be enticed to try out what you are offering.

2. Collect and save the email addresses of those who download your free ebooks. It is a known fact that people do not make a purchase on the first solicitation. You may want to send out your message more than six times to make a sale.

This is the simple reason why you should collect the contact information of those who downloaded your reports and ebooks. You can make follow-ups on these contacts to remind them to make a purchase from you.

Get the contact information of a prospect before sending them to the vendor’s website. Keep in mind that you are providing free advertisement for the product owners. You get paid only when you make a sale. If you send prospects directly to the vendors, chances are they would be lost to you forever.

But when you get their names, you can always send other marketing messages to them to be able to earn an ongoing commission instead of a one-time sale only.

Publish an online newsletter or Ezine. It is always best to recommend a product to someone you know than to sell to a stranger. This is the purpose behind publishing your own newsletter. This also allows you to develop a relationship based on trust with your subscribers.

This strategy is a delicate balance between providing useful information with a sales pitch. If you continue to write informative editorials you will be able to build a sense of reciprocity in your readers that may lead them to support you by buying your products.

3. Ask for higher than normal commission from merchants. If you are already successful with a particular promotion, you should try and approach the merchant and negotiate a percentage commission for your sales.

If the merchant is smart, he or she will likely grant your request rather than lose a valuable asset in you. Keep in mind that you are a zero-risk investment to your merchant; so do not be shy about requesting for addition in your commissions. Just try to be reasonable about it.

PPC advertising is currently the most effective advertising method online. Write strong ads for your affiliate products, so viewers will be compelled to click through to see more about the product and place an order. As an affiliate, you should definitely set up both a Google AdWords and Overture accounts for placing advertisements. Make sure to track progress of each ad to see what works and what doesn't. Try to copy elements of ads that are successful and weed out the ones that aren't leading to sales.

Test out these various strategies and watch the difference it can make to your bottom line in a short amount of time.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

Home Based Affiliate Business - what to watch out for

What do I look for in an Affiliate Program?

There are lots of horror stories floating around about various affiliate programs. They are a good reason to stay away from joining an affiliate program. Keep in mind that most of these stories have to do with illegal programs or pyramid schemes, otherwise known as Multi-Level Marketing, or MLM.

Most pyramid schemes do not offer valid products but as long as you stay away from these scams you'll be able to build a solid, dependable business. An affiliate business is built around real, quality products that you can honestly interest your customers in.

Why participate in an affiliate program?

It allows you to work part-time. It gives you the opportunity to build a generous residual income. And it makes you an owner of a small business. Affiliate programs have already created lots of millionaires. They are the living testimony of how hard work; continuous prospecting, motivating and training others pay off.

If ever you are deciding to join one, you must take note that you are getting into something that is patterned to what you are capable of. This will be an assurance that you are capable of doing anything to come out successful.

How do you choose a good affiliate program to promote? Here are some tips you may want to look over before choosing one:

1. A program that you like and have interest in. One of the best ways of knowing if that is the kind of program you wish to promote is if you are interested in purchasing the product yourself. If that is the case, chances are, there are many others who are also interested in the same program and products.

2. Look for a program that is of high quality. For instance, look for one that is associated with many experts in that particular industry. This way, you are assured that of the standard of the program you will be joining into.

3. Join in the ones that offer real and viable products. How do you know this? Do some initial research. If possible, track down some of the members and customers to give you testimonial on the credibility of the program.

4. The program that is catering to a growing target market. This will ensure you that there will be more and continuous demands for your referrals. Make inquiries. There are forums and discussions you can participate in to get good and reliable feedbacks.

5. A program with a compensation plan that pays out a residual income and a payout of 30% or more would be a great choice. There are some programs offering this kind of compensation. Look closely for one. Do not waste your time with programs that do not reward substantially for your efforts.

6. Be aware of the minimum quotas that you must fulfill or sales target that is too hard to achieve. Some affiliate programs imposes pre-requisites before you get your commissions. Just be sure that you are capable of attaining their requirements.

7. Select one that has plenty of tools and resources that can help you grow the business in the shortest possible time. Not all affiliate programs have these capacities. Make use you decide on one with lots of helpful tools you can use.

8. Check out if the program has a proven system that can allow you to check your networks and compensation. Also check if they have it available online for you to check anytime and anywhere.

9. The program that is offering strong incentives for members to renew their membership each time. The affiliate program that provides continuous help and upgrades for its products have the tendency to retain its members. These things can assure the growth of your networks.

10. Be aware of the things that members are not happy about in a program. Like with the ones mentioned above, you can do your checking at discussion forums. If you know someone in that same program, there is ho harm asking if there are many downsides involved.

Make sure to fully research any affiliate program you are interested in joining, and try out as many of the products you are promoting as you can. The more you know your own business the more successful you will be as a marketer.

Understanding the programs you are promoting will help you plan more effectively and anticipate problems before they occur.

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Income Opportunity: Home Based Business - Avoiding the most common affiliate mistakes

Income Opportunity: Home Based Business - Avoiding the most common affiliate mistakes

As more companies offer affiliate programs and affiliate networks continue to grow, more and more people are becoming affiliate marketers. The programs are easy to join and pay regular commission checks and are therefore very attractive to those looking to start a home based business.

Like all business, there is a learning curve to affiliate marketing. Learning the most common mistakes will save you a lot of time and and avoid lost income while trying to figure it out on your own.

What are the 3 most common mistakes new affiliates make?

1) Choosing the wrong product to promote

In their haste to turn a profit many marketers will jump on the bandwagon and select the latest, hottest product. This may indeed be a product with high demand, however if the marketer has no personal interest in the product it will be hard to get motivated to promote the product with enough energy and follow through.

Keep in mind that a popular product will be promoted by a lot of other marketers. In order to succeed in a popular niche it helps to be very interested in the product you are promoting. You must take the time to develop a marketing plan and have the energy to follow through until you start making sales.

Choose a product you are truly passionate about and you won't find your motivation dropping off just as your marketing campaign starts taking off. Once you have more experience you will be better able to market products using only profit as your motivation.

2) Joining too many affiliate programs

Since affiliate programs are very easy to join, you might be tempted to join multiples of affiliate programs to try and maximize the earnings you will be getting. Besides you may think that there is nothing wrong and nothing to lose by being part of many affiliate programs.

True, that is a great way to have multiple sources of income. However, joining multiple programs and attempting to promote them all at the same time will prevent you from concentrating on each one of them.

The result? The maximum potential of your affiliate program is not realized and the income generated will not exactly be as huge as you were thinking initially it would. The best way to get excellent result is by joining just one program that pays a 40% commission at least. Then give it your best effort by promoting your products enthusiastically. As soon as you see that it is already making a reasonable profit, then maybe you can now join another affiliate program.

The technique is to do it slowly but surely. There is really no need to rush into things, especially with affiliate marketing. With the way things are going, the future is looking real bright and it seems affiliate marketing will be staying for a long time too.

3) Not buying the product or using the service.

As an affiliate, you main purpose is to effectively and convincingly promote a product or service and to find customers. For you to achieve this purpose, you must be able to relay to the customers that certain product and service. It is therefore difficult for you to do this when you yourself have not tried these things out. Thus, you will fail to promote and recommend them convincingly. You will also fail to create a desire in your customers to avail any of what you are offering.

Try out the product or service before deciding to promote it. If you do you will be more credible to your customers. Your ads and articles will feel more truthful and you'll make more sales.

The key to being a successful affiliate is time - take the time to research your product, the time to analyze your marketing strategy, and the time to review your progress periodically to see if your strategy needs to be revised.