Affiliate Marketing
Picking this as the one to start with was a total no-brainer.
It’s the simplest of all to get started with, and it’s probably got the best risk-reward ratios of the lot…
You can literally start with nothing and build it up to 4-5 figure income… or more… in very quick time.
If you do the work…
You will notice in time, that’s a recurring theme with any online business… real work is required…
Despite what others might try to tell (sell) you!
OK, so what is Affiliate Marketing?
Affiliate marketing is simply the business of promoting someone else’s stuff, for a commission.
The owner/vendor creates the product or service, sets up the sales platform, and they’re responsible for the delivery and after sales support.
You just send traffic to the offer and get paid when people buy.
Simple!
There are a lot of variables, so it can seem quite complex, but it really doesn’t have to be.
You can start with minimal knowledge or tools or experience…
And then expand into more advanced strategies, as you learn the ropes…
And reinvest to tramp it up, as you start to make some money.
Again, there’s a lot of really bad information out there, usually provided by people trying to sell you expensive overly-complicated ‘solutions’.
But the reality is, it’s really simple…
Here’s how I’d do it if I was starting over…
1. Pick A Niche.
Find an area that actually interests you. You’re far more likely to do the work and stick at it if you’re having a bit of fun and you’re actually interested in the stuff you’re trying to sell.
2. Set Up Your Traffic Source.
If you made a start setting up my Lifetime Traffic System the other day, you’re on your way! That takes time though, so most people will look at fast-tracking this with a mailing list…
Either way, make sure you’re capturing emails from the traffic your system does generate, so you can keep sending them additional offers later on.
3. Select Great Products.
For me, authenticity is essential.
Far too many marketers will try and flog anything and everything, no questions asked, and with barely a look at the product.
They just keep sending email after email, pretending to be just as excited about each and every offer…
And people know it’s total B.S.
They stop reading, they unsubscribe, they never buy.
From long experience I can promise you, you will command a lot more respect… and sell a whole lot more stuff… if you’re genuine in your recommendations.
Add value for your readers by at least examining the product carefully before you tell people to buy it.
Ideally you’d buy it and use it, but starting out you probably won’t have the funds, so at least go looking for reviews from people who have actually used it.
And if you find bad reviews, then drop it immediately.
There are unlimited products you can promote so never risk your reputation on anything that’s not up to your standards.
4. Create Added Value With Bonuses
Some affiliate networks make this really easy, just find a couple of relevant freebies to offer people who buy through your link. Some vendors will even help you out with this.
If there’s no built-in option, just do it manually! Just tell your readers…
“If you purchase through my link, email me back with a copy of your receipt and I’ll send you these great bonuses...”
A lot of marketers go overboard with this, so it’s hard to compete, especially on the big launches. However, if you focus on providing very specific value to people who can use the product on offer, this will seriously increase your sales.
Just never forget: the best value-add you can offer is always going to be an honest review!
5. Send Traffic To The Offer
If you’re starting out, you’ll do this with various Free Traffic Systems… just be aware, free traffic isn’t the best quality so you’re going to need a lot of it to make sales.
So look at it as part of the business development process!
Set up your sales process so you capture the emails of people who check out each new offer. Add them to your premium mailing list for next time.
Step 1. Create an squeeze page to tease the offer. Visitors need to optin to get to the offer, so you build a list of action-takers.
Step 2. Send traffic from your personal traffic system, an existing mailing list, or using purchased leads. Capture those who respond…
Step 3. Rinse and repeat… each new offer is a chance to make sales and a chance to grow your premium mailing list.
Step 4. Reinvest your commissions… when you do make sales, put a part of that aside to buy some better quality leads for your next campaign, so you grow this thing even faster!
Step 5. When you find an evergreen offer that converts… something you can imagine people will always need… plug it in permanently to your traffic system.
Add banners, links, emails etc, so it is working for you hands-free…
While you go looking for your next offer to promote…
And that is as complicated as it needs to get!
OK, I hope you found this useful? Hit reply and send me any questions or feedback… all answered, all appreciated!
If you think you might put some of this into action sometime, make sure you grab our special Cheatsheet below…
Affiliate Marketing Cheatsheet
There’s no opt-in or anything… just click the link and then save the page that opens for future reference.
Next I want to look at one of the most lucrative online business models there is. You will encounter it EVERYWHERE, so take a moment now to understand how it works, and you’ll be in a better position when other people start trying to sell you this stuff!
This is one business where a lot of people will instinctively say ‘I could never do that!‘ … so this is a good chance to practice a bit of calm observation to see if there is anything here that you can use…
