|
"My $3 Check"
How to Earn Bigger Commissions with Affiliate Programs
By Jim Daniels
This morning I cashed a monthly commission check for $3.00. It was from an
affiliate program I joined over three years ago.
At the same time I made that deposit, I cashed two more monthly affiliate
checks. The others were in the amount of $2620.00 and $4610.00.
Now before I continue, I want to make one thing clear. This article will
NOT try to drag you into my programs. I won't even mention their names
during the article. And I do not mention the checks to brag. Heck, I
consider those just the beginning of things to come. I mention them only
to prove that real money can be made with affiliate
programs.
You just need to understand what makes the difference between those $3
checks and the fatter ones.
This article will reveal that answer. It will also teach anyone interested
in affiliate programs how to secure an ever-growing flow of income, using
the very same techniques that have been bringing me affiliate success.
Let's jump right in...
The first reason most folks make tiny (if any) commission checks from the
affiliate programs they join is because it's one of the first things they
do online. And it can put them in blinders.
Take it from me. When I was a newbie, the first thing I did was sign up
with a few affiliate programs. (Yes, one of them still sends me tiny
checks like the one mentioned above.)
So there I was, a newbie with dollar signs in my eyes...
I found my way to my first affiliate
site and signed up. Their commissions calculator had me excited when it
revealed my first million would be made before the Y2K bug hit. (Little
did I know, it would be closer to the Y3K bug using $3.00 commission
checks to get there!)
But I was green. And there's
nothing wrong with that in itself. Everybody is green online when they're
first starting out. But the problem was, I had no idea what it would
really take to make money as an affiliate. So I
floundered. Until I learned the things you MUST do in order to grow fat
monthly commission checks.
Here they are...
1. Forget about marketing that free site they give you when you
sign up.
What's that? Don't promote the affiliate site they build exclusively for
that purpose?
Right. See number two.
2. Build your own website and promote it first.
The top affiliates in every program are promoting their own website first.
And it's not just because those mile-long affiliate URL's are ugly. The
fact is, people respond more positively to affiliate programs when they
find them through a real web site. If you build a website that looks
attractive and trustworthy, you'll clear the first hurdle to making money
online. (Whether it's through affiliate programs or not.)
Now I'm not saying you have to build a giant affiliate directory site like
top affiliate Allan Gardyne of
www.associateprograms.com. On the contrary, a simple site that focuses
on YOUR area of expertise is the best starting point. Once you've put
together an attractive and informative site, you can link strategically to
a few select affiliate programs.
Which leads us to the next key...
3. Join the right program(s).
Remember that $3.00 commission check? That was earned from a program where
I managed to sign on a network of 1000 other marketers. Yet I never earned
a commission check over fifty bucks.
The reason is simple. The commissions were 5% or less on each level. Too
low to earn serious bucks.
When you're considering joining an affiliate program, use this short list
of requirements:
 well-known
and established company
related to
what your site is about
25% or more
commissions on sales
If you can get the following two features as well, you'll have a
better chance at success:
recurring
commissions (like hosting or autoresponder services where
customers pay monthly.)
two tier
programs (where you earn from sales of sub- affiliates)
Once you've found the right
affiliate program and you've built a site of your own where you can link
to it, put together a basic plan like this...
A. At YOUR site, don't just pop up the free banners the affiliate
programs offer.
Every other affiliate is using them
too! Instead, actually "recommend" the products, services and program(s)
you're in.
B. Tell your visitors why the product or service is so great and
how it has helped you grow your business.
C. Once you've earned some decent checks, tell your web site visitors how
much you're making with each program.
That's what they want to know! If
you've yet to earn money with the program, at least tell them why you
joined and the great people behind the program.
Tip: If the program is two-tier, remember that selling the product or
service will earn you more in the long run than signing up other
resellers. Consider signing up other affiliates only AFTER you've marketed
the services.
D. Write a personal welcome message for all your new customers and
email it to them the day they sign up.
E. If the program is two-tier, write a personal welcome message
for all your new sub-resellers and offer the facts on affiliate marketing
to them.
If you want, you can email them this
very article. Just include the short footer in the gray box below.
The above plan of action works. I use it with
my top affiliate programs
and the commission checks grow every month.
And remember, affiliate marketing can present a tremendous income
generating opportunity, if you do it right. Take this knowledge
and grow your own fat affiliate checks!
*
Article by Jim Daniels of JDD Publishing. Jim's site has helped 1000's of
regular folks profit online. Visit
http://bizweb2000.com for FREE "how-to" cybermarketing assistance,
software, manuals, web services and more. No time to visit the site?
Subscribe to their Free, weekly BizWeb E-Gazette:
mailto:freegazette@bizweb2000.com |
