An Affiliate Marketer from the Ground Up

I've mentioned the phpBay WordPress plugin on this blog many times. Just in the previous post also as a matter of fact. If you have a WP blog, regardless of the topic, you should have this plugin. Even if you're not necessarily trying to monetize the blog, it doesn't hurt to make enough from it to pay for your hosting and a few other things.

I'm sure you probably know phpbay allows you list items from eBay on your blog. Well, the developer of that fantastic pluging has a new one in the works. I've actually purchased it, but it's still in the 'pre-release' version right now. It's not listed publicly on his site yet for sale. Only registered users of the phpBay script(s) were able to obtain the first release.

The new plugin is called phpZon, and it allows you to list products on your WordPress blog from Amazon.com. Obviously that's many, many products.

I still haven't had much time to play around with the script, as I just got it yesterday, but it looks like it's already implemented very well, and I would expect nothing less from Wade, the developer. This guy is very talented, but just as importantly, is as dedicated to his products and support as anyone I've ever seen.

I mentioned in the previous post that you can see the phpBay plugin 'in action' at The Guitar Store, and I also use it on TheGuitarPLayersClub.com. The latter looks just like a WP blog, but the former is configured to look more like a store. Obviously, the phpZon pluging will be able to be used the in the same manner. They both can also be used on the same blog, allowing you to list both eBay and Amazon feeds simultaneously.

I should mention, the store I have set up (The Guitar Store), was a first attempt. It's ok, but if you're talented in web design, the possibilities with just these two plugins are endless. There are more visually appealing sites linked to from the phpBay.com Website.

This post, at first glance may seem a little out of place on a site devoted to Affiliate Marketing. However, the reason for the post is because I believe in the near future (very near) any kind of renewable energy, solar, wind, anything and everything considered 'gree energy' will one of the hottest niches going.

Obviously for years now you've seen (too) many ads and sites related to ringtones, weight loss and a host of other popular niches. Lots of people have made a lot of money in these areas, and still do. That's why I would recommend staying away from anything that competitive. They are very saturated at this point. Especially if you're just getting started.

Solar and wind energy are obviously nothing new, but there's still relatively smaller numbers of merchants that have affiliate programs set up, and subsequently a fairly small number of individuals in these niches.

With the recent mind-numbing hike on gasoline prices, and the still steady rise of many other fuel costs, more and more people are going to start taking a closer look at other (green) forms of energy.

Click Here for Information on How You Can Build Your Own Wind Power Generator for Less than $200!! - Designed for Novices - Build in a Weekend

Also, many states are offering very good incentives for adding solar panels, and other energy efficient devices to your home. I have no doubt this trend will continue and even get better financially for the homeowner, as the prices of solar panels and other related equipment declines due to better, more efficient manufacturing techniques, and also an increase in demand, allowing for a smaller profit margin over an exponential growth of sales.

As an affiliate I would be keeping an eye out for this niche. The ones that have a content populated site up and already generating significant traffic will stand to gain much when the interest really explodes.

Personally, I believe a fantastic segment of the market will be in the extremely affordable DIY (Do It Yourself) type of equipment installations. Take a look at this site to get an idea of what I'm talking about. This informational product is geared toward the complete novice with no experience whatsoever in building or installing solar or wind power generating equipment.

For an unbelievable less than $200, the average homeowner can build a wind turbine that will generate the bulk of the power needs of a single family home. There are also plans for building a solar system. For just a few hundred dollars, you can build and install a compact, backyard power generating station that will generate not only enough electricity to power everything in your home, but you will actually have a surplus that you can sell back to your utility company.

There's also information on obtaining free deep-cycle batteries to store the electricity, information on how to be less dependant oil, as well as much other valuable information.

It's worth checking out to be sure. I'll be starting my first wind turbine very, very soon. I plan to be totally, 100% 'free' of the utility company within a few months. I'm also going to start heating my home totally with wind generated electricity.

I'm estimating I'll be saving close to $4,000 per year when my system is totally finished. I'll probably have a surplus that I'll be selling back to the local power company also. I can't wait to see my electric meter running backward!!

As the benefits of becoming an Affiliate Marketer are becoming better well known in the mainstream, countless individuals are jumping on the bandwagon to reap their rewards that Affiliate Marketing promises. Working at home, making your own hours, no boss to answer to, and lots of easy money being made.

However, the vast majority of those individuals will spend some time, often 'waste' time as it turns out, and spend anywhere from a little money to a large sum of money, before they become frustrated and give up on their dream of making a very good living by working from home.

That's disheartening, because it doesn't have to be that way. I'm a firm believer in the human mind being able to be given a problem, and then finding a solution to that problem. All that's needed is time, perseverance, and the right tools.

The reason, at least one of the reasons that most would-be Affiliate Marketers don't fullfill their self-imposed destiny is because they never find the information (tools) that's needed to guide them in their endeavor.

If these people do manage to hang in there long enough, they will eventually, usually, obtain enough of an online education to finally make some money, but it often times comes at great expense...both financial, and by spending many months, or even years searching out, and usually purchasing everything that they possibly can.

Had I known about just two sources of virtually everything that I needed to know about getting a good solid education in Affiliate Marketing, I could have saved myself literally thousands of dollars, not to mention the late nights, and often times feelings of hopelessness.

These two sources are Rosalind Gardner's 'Super Affiliate Handbook', and Anik Singal's 'Affiliate Classroom'. I truly believe, armed with just these two tools, anyone seeking to become a successful Affiliate Marketer, can, and will succeed. Although there is a small cost incurred with these fabulous resources, it's relatively insignificant in relation to the time, money and frustrations they will save.

If you're just starting out in Affiliate Marketing, and you're determined to have it work for you, please use your time and money wisely. You can buy all the (self-appointed) Guru's methods, handbooks, courses, case studies, newsletters and anything else out there, but if the answers aren't there, it will all be for nothing.

Lastly, I can testify to what the Affiliate Classroom and Super Affiliate Handbook can offer, but please don't think that they're the often sought after 'get rich overnight' answer...they are not! Nothing is, it doesn't exist. The only way to get rich instantly is to inherit the money, or hit the lottery.

What the Affiliate Classroom and Super Affiliate Handbook can, and do offer, is a good solid fundamental education that's needed to succeed in Affiliate Marketing. There's no false promises or get rich quick schemes. Had this writer found these quality products early on, there would have been countless thousands of dollars saved, and many headaches and frustrations avoided.

Read the amazing true story of how one woman, with no previous business experience, earned $436,797+ in 2002 and now earns MUCH MORE than that ... just by selling other people's stuff online!

In her down-to-earth, sincere and often humorous style, Rosalind Gardner guides you through the entire process of building an affiliate marketing business on the 'Net.

Frequently revised and updated to reflect industry changes, the Super Affiliate Handbook now consists of 236 pages and 124 screenshots that will show you step-by-step how to become a Super Affiliate. You'll learn how to pick the best affiliate programs, negotiate a commission raise and save time, money and effort on everything from affiliate software to web hosting.

To learn exactly how she does it, Click Here.

5 Article Writing Tips for Affiliates
By Jinger Jarrett

One of the best reasons to write is articles is that you can write articles on any topic. Whether you sell your own products and services, or someone elses, you can use articles to promote.

Although there are many ways to write an article, the easiest type of article to write is a tip sheet. Give a list of tips for a particular topic. Tips are popular because they're easy to skim, and it makes it easier to read online.

If you're an affiliate writing articles, you will need to make a few minor changes when writing your articles.

1. Create a basic website.

If you're selling affiliate programs, you probably don't have a website. If you're not technically proficient, or you don't know how to build a website, the easiest thing to do is build some type of blog or Squidoo lens.

Read the rest of this entry »

Top 7 Internet Marketing Techniques for Affiliates
By Jinger Jarrett

Marketing affiliate products is similar to marketing your own products. Many of the internet marketing techniques are the same.

The difference is that with affiliate products, you aren't just competing against similar products within the marketplace. You are also competing with other affiliates selling the same program.

Although you don't need a website to market affiliate programs, it helps because some sites won't accept promotional materials that link directly to affiliate products.

You may solve this problem by building a simple one page subscription site. This allows you to build your list and recycle your traffic.

Below are seven of the best ways to market affiliate programs online:

1. Writing articles

Article writing is my favorite technique for marketing. Although I've marketed my business using many different techniques over the years, this is the one that continues to drive traffic to my sites long after I've written the article.

To get the most from article writing, give your readers a taste of the product. This doesn't mean writing about the product; that's a review. Create several bullet points from the product to demonstrate what it does.

For example, if you are selling a product on affiliate marketing, your bullet points might be on how to set up an affiliate business in 7 days.

2. Free Classifieds

There are still a few really effective free classified ad sites online. The key ingredient here is to follow the rules of the site and write a good ad.

3. Blogging

Blogging allows you to overcome the problems involved in not having a website. Most article directories will accept a link to a blog, even if it's on a site like Blogger or Wordpress.

Other advantages to blogging are: high search engine rankings and the ability to promote multiple products through product reviews, building new streams of income for you.

4. Search engine optimization

If you do decide to build a website, search engine optimization is essential. You want to use the best possible keywords related to your site so the traffic to your site is targeted. Submit your site to the major search engines and get indexed faster by using sitemaps.

5. Web 2.0 (Social Marketing, Video Marketing, Bookmarking)

Social marketing actually includes multiple techniques, like bookmarking, marketing on sites like Facebook and MySpace, and videos.

With these types of sites it is really easy to market because you don't need a website. You may link to your affiliate site.

Video sites make it easy for you to promote affiliate programs because you can create video tutorials for the products you sell, increasing the value of the product.

6. Forums

Forums have been around for a long time, and they're still a good choice for marketing affiliate products.

What's important is to read the guidelines for the affiliate program. You don't want to make posts about the products you are promoting. Where articles allow you to promote in the resource box, forums allow you to promote in the signature file. Just make sure the forum you are posting on allows affiliate products in the signature.

7. Pay Per Click

Pay per click techniques are the fastest way to get traffic. It only takes about 15 minutes once you've posted your ad.

Because this is a paid technique, it's important to track your conversion. This means testing your ads to make sure they are working.

Regardless of which of these techniques you choose, the real secret to marketing is to choose one technique, master it, and use it consistently to promote.

Article Source: http://www.affsphere.com/Internet-Marketing/Affiliate-Marketing-Income/Top-7-Internet-Marketing-Techniques-for-Affiliates.html