Getting started in affiliate marketing is really quite
easy, but too often, many people mistakenly think it’s a
lot easier than it actually is. In most cases, the only
thing you need to do to join an affiliate program is to
fill out a form. That’s the easiest part that there is.
But there is still work to be done if you are to be
successful.
Do your research
The first objective is to find a profitable market or
niche. This can easily be done in Google or by reading
magazines. Let’s start with Google. Do a search for any
topic that interests you. Interest in what you hope to
sell is important, and later, you will learn why. Make a
list of things that interest you, and do a simple search
in Google for each things.
Pay close attention to the sponsored ads. This tells you
that money is being spent in this market. Now, do a
little logical thinking. As a business person, would you
spend money on advertising that is not making you money?
Absolutely not. So, if there are sponsored – paid - ads
for a topic in Google, money is being spent in this
market, which means that there is profit.
The same is true with magazines. Visit your library and
look at the past three issues of a magazine that relates
to your interest. Pay attention to the ads. Do the same
ads keep appearing? If the answer is yes, this is a
profitable market, and you are ready to move forward.
What about the competition? What about them? 90% of all
people who sign up for an affiliate program will not do
anything to market it at all. Of the 10% that will
market the product, 90% of them will do it wrong, and
won’t make much money, if they make anything at all. The
competition just decreased in size by leaps and bounds.
Don’t worry about the competition. Concentrate on
promoting your affiliate products and services to the
best of your ability – let the competition worry about
you.
Once you’ve chosen your market, or your niche, you are
almost ready to get started, but there are several other
things that you need to do before you can call yourself
an affiliate marketer. First, you need to make sure you
have the right tools. Then, you must find the programs,
understand the terms of the programs, and finally
understand how to choose the right programs.
Have The Tools You Need
You can’t do any job successfully without having the
tools you need to do the job. This is also true for
affiliate marketing. Here is a list of the tools that
you will most likely need to get the job done and become
a successful affiliate marketer.
• An email account – You want to appear as professional
as possible. Do not use a free email account such as
Yahoo or Hotmail as your business email account. If you
have a website with a domain name, you should be able to
set up an email account associated with that domain in
Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express.
• An Autoresponder – An autoresponder is web based
software that sends out one email or a series of emails
to people who sign up to the autoresponder. This can be
used to manage your ezine, which will be discussed
later. A good autoresponder will also give you the
ability to send out broadcasts to your list. You can
always find good autoresponders, such as that offered at
www.adlandpro.com.
• Keyword Research Tools – If you will be doing
PPC
campaigns, which are discussed later, you will want
Keyword Research Tools. Google has free tools that you
can use, but stand alone web based software, such as
that found at www.wordtracker.com is also recommended.
• A List of Resources – You will definitely need to
start gathering a list of resources that includes a list
of article directories, PPC search engines, affiliate
program directories, and directories of ezines.
• Word Processor – Word processing software is
essential. You will use it to write articles, sales
letters, ads, and newsletters. Microsoft Word is
recommended, Microsoft Word Pad will do if you don’t
have Microsoft Word.
• A Website and Domain for Each Niche or Market – Some
affiliate programs will give you a replicated website.
You will eventually send prospects to that website, but
not sending them to your own website first is a mistake.
You need a website for each niche with it’s own domain
name. The website should be full of content, with
affiliate links worked into the content. Ideally, each
website will also have a squeeze page, where you will
collect the names and email addresses of your visitors
as well, in order to build your lists.
•
Commission and Campaign Tracking Software – Keeping up
with affiliate products, affiliate links, commissions
earned, commissions paid, advertising campaigns, and
affiliate tracking report sites, logins, and passwords
can easily become a full time job without software to
organize it all. Affiliate Organizer at www.affiliateorganizer.com is highly recommended.
There may be other tools that you find you need in the
future, but all of these things will get you started.
Some of them do cost money, but if you aren’t prepared
to pay for them, you can find suitable replacements that
don’t cost anything. Just be sure to upgrade at your
first opportunity.
You may also find that you need web page building
software, and an ftp client to upload webpages to your
website. You will definitely need an up-to-date web
browser, and you obviously need a good computer with an
Internet connection.
You also need a filing system to keep records. While you
can – and should – back up all of the information on
your computer on a regular basis, you should also print
information out in hard copy and file it away for future
reference. This includes emails that contain your user
and password information, notices of sales that have
been made, and any other information that is pertinent
to your affiliate marketing business. Quite a bit of
this information, in hard copy, will be needed to file
taxes.
Ideally, you should have a home office. This will not
only give you the space and proper atmosphere for
success, it will also give you a home office tax
deduction. If you don’t have the space for a home
office, try to set your desk and computer up in a
low-traffic area of your home, where you can work with
fewer interruptions.
