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Michelle's Affiliate
Marketing Etiquette
Only recommend products
or services that:
a.) You would or do use
yourself
b.) You have confirmed
with neutral ethics agencies such as the Better
Business Bureau are free of fraudulent reports
c.) Have an
authenticated money-back guarantee or return policy
d.) Have professional
websites and a legitimate method for customers to
contact them |
Can you make money online? Really?
Is there a legit way to do it?
Welcome to my Affiliate Marketing
Review!
We all know how powerful word-of-mouth is. If I get
bad service from my cell phone provider, I don't hesitate to tell my
friends, family, neighbors ... even total strangers standing in
front of that provider's store at the local mall!
On the other hand, if I get really good, memorable
service or results that have surpassed my expectations ... I'm happy
to share my satisfaction with anyone who will listen. I don't expect
to be compensated for spreading a good word. I'm pleased to support
this business by sending referrals without them even knowing about
it.
Indeed, I would recommend them whether I get
compensated or not!
But, I wish I'd known years
ago that I could have been getting compensated - via an
affiliate commission.
This is what Affiliate Marketing is ...
referring or recommending a product or service ... and getting
compensated for it. |
Affiliate Marketing Mistakes
The two biggest mistakes most new affiliate marketers
make are 1) signing up for too many
programs and
2) trying to promote too broad a
base of items.
For example, when I first launched this website, I
thought it made perfect sense to promote all of the home business
equipment and supplies I use and recommend to others. I had
everything from paper clips to printer ink to computers!
I was excited! These same brands I had already been
suggesting to the small businesses and stay-at-home moms I've
consulted for years - would now earn me a
commission! There were literally hundreds of products I felt
comfortable promoting. So why not make a little money for
something I already did anyway for free!
But did I make any commissions? No! Not a penny! Why?
First of all, this site isn't specifically about setting up a home
office. So my visitors weren't thinking about paper clips and
printers. Secondly, I overwhelmed my visitors with too many choices
and distracted them from the free information and encouragement I
was trying to provide.
How to become an affiliate
In almost every case, it is free to become an
affiliate. You simply fill out an application. So be very picky
about which affiliate programs you sign up for.
You can promote other people's
products or services without a website. To learn more
about this, read my January 2008 edition of
Keystrokes.
It will open in a new window so you won't lose your spot here.
You can also create your own
website ... and it's not nearly as technical or difficult as you
might think. Your first step is to determine your website theme
... a very specific, niche website. And then consider the products
or services you already use or are familiar with that directly
relate to your site specialty.
For example, if I created a website exclusively about
setting up a home office, then my paper clips and computer
promotions would be very appropriate.
I used the service
SiteSell for this website. They nearly eliminate the
technical element of creating and marketing a website. In fact,
you can access their step by step Instruction
Guide for free
... even if you don't sign up for their service ... and it's a
remarkable publication! Pages and pages of expert information
covering every topic you can imagine about creating and making money
with a website.
Action Guide Text - Read it online
Action Guide Videos - If you prefer video to reading
text ...
Bookmark this site to come back to the Action
Guide later!
Affiliate
Programs to join
Here are some popular and reliable affiliate programs
in which you have access to thousands of products and services. I
happily use all of the providers I list below,
for instance, on my husband's website
www.How-To-Hardwood-Floors.com
ClickBank (my personal favorite for downloadable items
such as eBooks)
Commission Junction (you would be a Publisher)
Amazon.com
eBay
Click here to become a LinkShare Affiliate!
RocketProfit
PayDotCom.com
Successful Affiliate Marketing
First,
please refer to my Etiquette
suggestions above. Your reputation is on
the line. As well, you don't in good conscience want to steer people
towards rip-offs, junk, or other low-quality items. You shouldn't
profit by tricking or misleading other people. Unfortunately, there
are a lot of affiliate marketers out there who don't really care -
so beware.
Second, there is a technique to affiliate
marketing and the possibilities of earning incredible profits are
very real. The thing I love so much is that this is an ethical,
inexpensive, and fairly easy way to make money online ... and it
runs on auto-pilot once it is set up.
Affiliate marketing is my #1
recommendation to people who are willing to create a website and
want to make money online!
Of the hundreds
of products available to help affiliate marketers be
successful, these are the three I believe are must-haves.
And one of them is free!
The products below were created by my
favorite mentors ... Rosalind Gardner (who wrote THE
Super Affiliate Handbook), Jim Edwards (who
basically taught me how to
write and sell eBooks), and Ken Evoy, founder of
SiteSell. These people have gained my trust. See
my reviews below.
