Affiliate Programs - Home Based Business Income Opportunities
Affiliate Programs are a popular way for internet marketers to make money. One of the best ways to find affiliate programs is by signing up for the free merchant list at Merchant Panda. With more than 900,000 merchant listings, you're sure to find some amazing opportunities for your site or blog.
The overall goal of this article is to introduce you to what affiliate programs are, where you can find them and how they work. Once your eyes have been opened in regards to these campaigns, look at the different types of affiliate programs available online and which one will be best suited for you and your business.
What is an affiliate program?
Joining an affiliate program allows you to make money by referring customers to a company. In return, the company will pay you a commission if one of your referrals makes a purchase. There are way more companies offering affiliate programs than you might think. Some of the more popular ones online right now include Amazon, ClickBank, PayPal, eBay and Commission Junction. Once you start looking for them, you'll find hundreds of them (some are even free).
What are the benefits? As with any other business venture, there are several benefits with affiliate marketing campaigns: 1). You don't have upfront costs . This means that it doesn't cost you anything to get started. You can literally make money from the comfort of your own home (and save on gas). 2). You don't need to have any special skills . If you have a computer and internet access, then you're all set. Affiliate marketing is a great way for beginners to make their first online income. 3). You get to work at your own pace . Unlike starting a product-based business, the affiliate marketing model allows you to take your time. 4). You can choose where and when you want to advertise . Companies offer different pricing structures and commission rates depending on whether they want you to advertise on just one site or multiple sites. 5). You can start with a very small amount of capital . The amount of money you have available to get started is not the same as what's recommended for starting an offline business. For example, if you're able to put $100 into your business, then it's probably a good idea to put 10% of that in order to allow for some contingency.
What are the drawbacks? While affiliate programs offer plenty of benefits, there are also drawbacks: 1). You won't make much . . . at first. It doesn't pay out much money at all if you're just starting out. You need to build up a portfolio before you can earn anything substantial. 2). You have to be able to sell . You have to be willing to market your own products and services in order for this business model to work. 3). There are no guarantees. This is not an easy, plug-and-play solution like some of the other ones that are available out there. You need time and energy if you're going to make money. 4). The competition is fierce . The affiliate programs are heavily saturated with distributors, so it's important that you stand out from the crowd in order for your site or blog traffic to convert into sales. 5). It takes time and effort. Creating a website is not usually enough to make money in affiliate programs. You have to also market your website, blog and social networking profiles in order for the commissions to hit your bank account.
What are the different types of affiliate programs? There are a lot more than you might think! An affiliate program can be broken down into three different subcategories: 1). Network Marketing . This is where you sign up with a company, then promote its products and services without receiving any compensation. The product you're promoting has to come from the same company as you sign up with. After awhile, you'll get rebates or bonuses for selling their goods. 2). Product-Based Affiliate Programs . This is where you promote a product-based business (usually online), such as affiliate marketing, blogging, health and wellness, coaching and videos. 3). Website / Blog Affiliate Programs . This is the most common way to set up an affiliate program on your website or blog.
This blog uses Amazon's Associates Program to create links in my articles that allow me to earn commissions if they get clicked. I use this program because I've found that it's easy to use and payouts are made monthly. *** CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT AMAZON'S ASSOCIATES PROGRAM ***
After you've found a program that you're interested in, then it's time to get started. The most important thing is to find a good company to promote so that your affiliate site or blog can make money. Ask yourself the following questions: 1). Do they pay well? 2). Are their products of interest to my audience? 3). Are the products I promote something that I would want to use myself? 4). Who am I promoting the program for? 5). Am I able to reach out and enroll my potential customers into the program for free? 6). Is the affiliate program easy to work with? 7). How do I know that I'll have access to my money if I enroll others into the program? 8). Do they give me access to my site or blog once I sign up? 9). What are the terms and conditions of their program and how do they define what it's going to take for me to make money? 10). What is their affiliate participation policy in regards to refunding commissions or providing refunds to non-converting traffic? 11). Am I allowed transfer commissions into another program or can I only use them in this one? 12). How much time does it take to make money once I sign up another person into the program? 13). How long does it take the company to pay out? 14). Can I make money on other programs, or will I be limited to just using this one? 15). What do they do if I don't meet their minimum sales requirement? 16). How much privacy will I have once an affiliate is enrolled into their program? 17). What specific information will they have access to once they enroll an affiliate into their program? Now that you know all these things, then it's time to put together a hosting plan (if you don't already have one), create a website and launch your site. After that, you'll be ready to begin promoting your new affiliate program.
What are the different types of websites? There are several different types of websites that you can use for your affiliate program: 1). Blogging . This is how my blog is set up and what I earn with it. It allows me to write, publish and link to affiliate offers. 2). Website . This is where I have my online store as well as a blog. I also include sections on my website where I review things like books, courses and products in order to motivate people to take action. 3). E-Commerce Site . This allows me to sell products through an e-commerce platform such as Shopify or Bigcommerce. 4).
Conclusion
No matter which type of website or blog you decide to use, make sure that you include a lot of original content, have an opt-in box on your site and create an offer in order to convert people into subscribers. You can also use email marketing software such as Aweber to build your list as well as provide you with stats and information about your customers' interests. By doing all this, then you should be able to start making money with your affiliate program in a very short amount of time! **** CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW TO START A WEBSITE WITH BLOGGER ****
References: MoneySavingExpert.com: How to start an affiliate marketing business Amazon.