After weeks of lazy attempts to get into affiliate marketing the time has finally come to bring it to the top of my agenda.
I have written a few reviews, made a few recommendations and still no sales. I know this isn’t enough as I have been absorbing a hell of a lot of information over the last few months and think I am ready to tackle it correctly. I also think that I can help and teach everyone else as I will be working with this hands on and would like to pass on my knowledge. You will also be able to help me out a lot. You know the old saying “Two heads are better than one”, well hopefully we can apply this to our learning.
Also today is the first day of the CowPetition between Garry Conn and John Cow. This will undoubtedly be a great source of affiliate marketing tips over the next 30 days (and beyond), I’ll give you more details about all this at the end of this post.
If you are interested in following me and earning from affiliate marketing then please sign up to my mailing list.
This is the general Random Forest mailing list but for the next few weeks, at least, it will contain links to any important affiliate marketing posts that I write plus exclusive hints, tips and updates just for you guys. You will be able to opt out or email me any questions at any time. I pride myself on being very personable so hope that this list will become interactive between you, me and other members.
So where are we going to start?
I assume that most people reading this already have a blog or website of their own. This is probably the best place to start your marketing. I will be using a combination of my websites and mailing lists to try and achieve long term affiliate earnings.
If you don’t have a blog, website or mailing list then this can be easily fixed and I will writing a post about this in the coming days.
I also suggest that you get signed up with some of the top affiliate marketing networks so that you are ready to start right away. Below is a quick summery of the ones that I recommend. Just click on the specific logo / banner to sign up to each program that you like the look of.
Pepperjam:
Pepperjam is definitely the prettiest and easiest of the bunch. They have a good solid product base and people in most niches should be able to find decent affiliate partners with great payouts. I recommend these above anyone else. Many affiliate marketers report their highest profits with Pepperjam programs.
Clickbank:
Pepperjam is the prettiest and it is safe to say that ClickBank is the easiest (and maybe the ugliest!). Packed full of digital products such as software and ebooks, Clickbank is the choice of many affiliate marketers. It has a lot of crap but if you take your time you can weed out some very high paying and worthwhile products to promote. Also all products come with full 60 day money back guarantees.
Commission Junction:
CJ is solid, simple and has a very wide range of top well known companies to partner with inclusing many everyday stores.
ebay Partner Network:
We all know ebay and all trust it. But you may not have known that they give you money to recommend them to others. You can get $25 for new ebay users! An incredible payout.
Linkshare:
I don’t know much about them but they have some great companies to partner with such as iTunes, Disney, Netflix and Petsmart.
MoreNiche:
These guys are enticing you with $15 just for signing up! You can’t go wrong there. hey have a large range of programs especially suited to things like health.
The links to Pepperjam, Clickbank, Linkshare and MoreNiche are my affiliate links. If you sign up with any of them I may make a little bit of money. This is a great example of how you can earn from affiliate marketing without even getting people to buy.
This however does not mean that I don’t recommend them. One important thing I am learning about affiliate marketing is that you should gain trust and keep yourself trust worthy in order to create a long term income. In fact people will willingly come back and use your affiliate links if they like what you recommended them the first time.
So if you have any questions or need more info on any of the programs before sign up do not hesitate to contact me by email: forest.parks@gmail.com.
What next?
Well hopefully I can gather at least 10 (or more) people to join in the mailing list and then we can get seriously going. Anyone joining late can expect a catch up email so don’t worry about that.
My websites are all raring to go, so soon I will be discussing my affiliate plans for each one. Also why not email me (forest.parks@gmail.com) the websites / mailing lists that you are going to monetize and I will give my opinion for a strategy for you.
To keep fully up to date, remember, make sure you sign up to the mailing list using the form in this post or on the top right of the page.
If you have any comments, questions or suggestions don’t hesitate to leave a comment below.
20. May 2008 at 5:00 am
Forest,
Like I told Garry I just can’t concentrate enough right now for various reasons. So I’m going to sit in the back of the classroom and listen(read). You don’t mind if I shadow you do you. Because if I ever grow up I want to be just like you and Garry.
20. May 2008 at 6:52 am
Hey Mark, no worries please do absorb away. I suggest you join the mailing list too as it will be providing some exclusie content.
20. May 2008 at 8:09 am
Affiliate marketing does well for the websites I use them on. I’ve learned the most from those who don’t consider themselves pro bloggers although salary wise they do very well. Actually better than a lot of the pro bloggers out their. They just don’t talk about it. Most people that visit their virtual homes don’t know it though since they really don’t write about it.
I’ve used the tips I’ve learned from my mentors and worked on hunches. I’m at the point where I have found what works best for my websites and of course I’ll continue to improve them. What works for one person might not always work for another person so you have to be willing to explore until you find what works.
My approach has been largely “common sense” and I’m willing to improve if it is needed. In the beginning, I did not make money right away from affiliate marketing and that was fine.
The majority of my websites are set up as a one stop resource center. That is my number one priority; monetization comes second. That is how I run my regular business; however, I’ve noticed that if people trust you and view you as an expert on a particular subject they are more than willing to purchase through your links. I don’t promote things I’m not knowledgeable about since I feel if I endorse something I better like it.
I’m wishing you the best with your endeavors.
Blessings,
-Opal
20. May 2008 at 9:21 am
Hey Opal,
Thanks for coming by. I admire your approach to the business and hope that I can follow on my websites by providing quality information and therefore becoming a good source. I touched on this subject in the post and it is something that I believe in strongly.
20. May 2008 at 11:29 am
I believe in t also.
Oh by the way, don’t forget Amazon! I average a few sales from them every day.
20. May 2008 at 11:31 am
Hey thanks Opal,
I never did look fully into Amazon, mainly because I am from the UK and registered in the Uk and last time I checked I could only receive vouchers. I will have to check this again.
Do you ever display banner ads for products or do you prefer to keep it to referrals and widgets?
20. May 2008 at 4:57 pm
Forest,
Text links worked well for me at Amazon. I linked a variety of ways. For example, if they had more than one model for a particular product I’ll link to the generic product page the reader can choose which item best suits their needs. Occasionally I’ll add the banner ads to my posts. A few of the products I link to have a high turnaround at least 75% that click through will purchase the product I recommend. I know the products well, and I believe a lot of the purchases is based on the fact that my visitors trust me enough to purchase through my links.
Also, with Amazon, if the reader buys other products while clicking on the link you will get a per cent of those sales. One of my biggest sales from Amazon came from someone who clicked on my link, did not buy what I recommended but bought thousands in other items. Although Amazon does not pay as much as some of the affiliate marketers that I use out they have been a steady source of income for my websites.
I’m able to effectively market the product since I’m extremely familiar with the product and not just selling to make a buck. Sometimes I’ll post pictures, and I make sure I include the item in a few of the pictures. I also give out a lot of freebies. I’ve noticed that people really like that.
20. May 2008 at 11:57 pm
Affiliate marketing is a topic I cautiously delve into every few weeks/months. I’ve run a few semi-sucessful experiments, but I really need to commit more time to developing those further.
Thanks for the list of affiliate networks. You introduced a few I wasn’t familiar with, so there is more exploration to be done.
21. May 2008 at 6:30 am
@Opal, thanks very much. I am going to look at Amazon later today.
@Samire… Of all the programs, I think Pepperjam is the best to use but CJ and LinkShare have more programs. I am convinced that Pepperjam will get these eventually and they are getting some great partners on a daily basis. Pepperjam works in a way that everyone is connected and it really is a better environment. The others are very much just hop on and grab a link.
If you are interested in Affiliate Marketing then you should sign up for my list. I won’t be sending a ton of spam emails.
21. May 2008 at 11:42 pm
Clickbank is hard for affiliate noobies, and all the products from clickbanks are mostly garbage, and hard to convert.
22. May 2008 at 12:36 pm
I have a challenge for you…
The BlogBlast For Peace Meme ~ Join The Revolution.
Have a great day.
26. May 2008 at 6:38 am
Hey Biz Killer…. sorry to take so long to reply, your comment was hiding in my spam.
Clickbank has some great products hiding in the crap. It’s like trying to find a decent open source script or a good piece of free clip art!!!