Affiliate Marketing 2021 Guide

 

  

Affiliate Marketing is a fascinating field. It is a profession in which the marketer is not creating or supporting said product, nor is one dealing with customer service. The whole profession and way to make money is to have the would-be consumer click on your special link and buy the product. As a reward for driving the customer to the product, the affiliate marketer receives a certain percentage of the purchase price. The percentages vary greatly, even as much as 100%. Not bad for a day’s work! The marketer should understand the terms of payment before getting involved.


The beauty of Affiliate Marketing is that it is done remotely. One can use their home, library, coffee shop, etc wherever the internet is available. One can be in pajamas, shorts, or tie and jacket, if that is the way one is comfortable. Start up costs are minimal and the business is run according to one’s schedule. The more one wants to work and study from the “masters” the better one can operate the business, as one would not have to make the “rookie” mistakes.

Studying from the masters does not take money, just time. Go to YouTube and search for affiliate marketing. The plethora of masters is unbelievable. They all present step-by-step procedures to make money, promising that if you follow their directions, you will make money. They will always offer 2 disclaimers:


1) Not all results will be the same. The examples used are from people who worked very hard. 2) Most people will not even try what they are saying and therefore will never achieve anything.


Many times the methods that are proposed do not seem ethical to me, but I leave that decision up to you. For example, one person explained how to copy somebody else’s work, who was very successful, and then change a few words here and there, so as not to be a plagiarist. While technically, this may be accurate, I wouldn’t feel comfortable doing it.


I would suggest reading the articles and see how the top sellers are enticing the customer to click their links. Are they offering value? (Most marketers will tell you that this is the most important part of the campaign. Giving value to your customer.) Do you trust their recommendations or do you feel like you're being sold? (Most marketers will argue that people don’t want to be sold, yet will continue to try to sell you.) Do you like their presentation and do they get to the point? Do you want to click their link immediately? (If you do feel that way, then they have a chance at making a sale. Once one leaves the website, blog, article, or ad, the odds of them returning and finding the article again are not good.)


(As a side point, there have been times that I was watching a video on YouTube and liked what the person was saying. But I didn’t subscribe to the channel, figuring, “If I want to listen again, I’ll just search again. The problem is that unless it is a small niche, the odds of finding that person again are small. That’s why, these days, if I like the speaker or think that I may want to reference him/her, I just subscribe. I can always cancel later and it doesn’t cost any money. If I like a website, I put it in my favorites.)


After reading the articles, take notes on what you found positive and felt working on you. Synthesize the articles and come up with your own style. While imitation is the highest form of flattery, seeing the same types of sales pitches becomes monotonous and lost in the “crowd.” (This is solely my opinion and one that goes against most of the gurus.)


Once you’ve done the groundwork, it becomes time to find an affiliate site such as clickbank or digistore 24, etc and see which products you would like to sell. There are top categories of items and niches which convert well. Some of the top categories to date are health & Fitness, Money, and Food. Of course, courses on affiliate marketing are in high demand, or so they claim, because everyone wants to make passive income.


While there are multiple ways to get traffic to your offer, you will have to decide how much you are willing to spend, both in terms of time and money. Most will advise you to make a funnel and have a way to collect emails for future offers. The reason for collecting email addresses is to build an asset for later. If you do not capture the address, and the client goes directly to the sales page, even if one buys the item and you get paid the commission, the business will have the new customer and not you.


I hope you found this somewhat helpful. If this sounds like something you’d like to pursue, I wish you much success.

Affiliate Marketing Works

Affiliate marketing is a way to advertise other people’s products and get paid for sending customers to the vendors. An affiliate marketer is basically the matchmaker between customer and vendor. Some of the best known affiliate marketers are Expedia.com, AirBnB, etc. These websites merely give you leads, but they neither own nor guarantee the product. Ultimately, it is a matter of caveat emptor. The job of the affiliate marketer is to solve a problem for a person. It’s a service industry. That is the beauty of sites like Health Marketplace, Expedia, AirBnB, etc. Everything is in front of the person and all the customer has to do is decide whether the product works for him and if the price is right. If the customer clicks on the provided links to the vendor, the affiliate makes money! It’s just that easy. It’s not multi-level marketing, it’s a referral service.

Like any business, the true key to success is repeat customers. Once somebody uses your website and is satisfied with the result, they are more likely to keep coming back. Just think of how many times that you have returned to a YouTube channel or store like Walmart. The reason we go back is that we received something that we wanted. One should apply the same logic to their affiliate website. Make it so that it is easy to find things, keep everything up to date, and, when possible, have them subscribe and/or get their email address. This allows you to send them notifications of new products that they may be interested in, but don’t deluge their inboxes. Have compassion, otherwise it may go into their spam file or worse case scenario, they will unsubscribe, which means that you have lost them forever.

The real trick is to get people to use your websites and links. That is where the money is made. And let’s face it, there are a lot of websites competing for your business. You can either pay to get customers or try to get free traffic. Again, let’s think about a store. The store can rely upon pedestrian traffic and hope a prospective customer comes in. Let’s call this type the “window shopper.” The person had no real intent to buy, but is curious about the new store. The odds are that the customer will not buy anything.

Then there is the paid approach. One can buy advertising that will use ad campaigns to bring in perspective customers. There may be an incentive, for example, entering a free contest that brings the customer in, or some type of sale like BOGO (buy one get one free.) Ads can be expensive, so the smart campaign will be one that is targeted to a specific audience rather than everyone one the planet.

By the way, I would be negligent if I did not mention, “word of mouth” advertising. That is and always will be the best way of getting new customers. Reputation is something that must be earned. Present the product to the best of your ability and respect the customer, and the person will usually always return, even if your price is a little higher.

Personally, I think that all three methods should be used when possible. If you are seen as the expert in the field, reputation will bring traffic to your doorstep. People want help in making the right decision for them, and you will have the ability to send them to the product or service that they want. When using either paid or free advertising, make sure that you are presenting a problem with a suggested solution. That is what will potentially bring customers to your site.

Remember, people are wary of new products or programs that make promises, so just try to help them make a decision that is best for them. The money will follow.

The Truth About Passive Income

When I heard about this concept known as “passive income,” I was enthralled. After all, what could be better than money rolling into my bank accounts without me doing any work! It was the dream job that I was looking for. Forget being a millionaire, I was determined to become an “infinityiar!”

So I did what every future entrepreneur does, I ran to the internet to see how to bring this dream to reality. Because we all know that whatever is on the internet is true. I discovered people like Robert Kiyosaki and his book “Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Anik Singal of “The Lurn Nation,” and so many others.
They all share similar stories in that originally they were all workers like us and trying to make a buck. But they realized that they were just spinning their wheels and wanted to make it into the big times. All of their schooling only prepared them to be drones in the workplace, but not to own businesses.

As you listen to most of the gurus, you’ll find that they don’t have business degrees, rather that they were just “simple Joes” that finally figured out the system. The point being, “If they could do it, so can you!” And the clincher is that they are willing to share their secrets with you for a small price. Sadly, once they give the price, most people say, “Too expensive for me.” “How much more will I have to put in? Bottom line, dreams dashed.

The major takeaway from all the videos and books was that passive income takes years to create and even then, take maintenance. It’s not a get rich scheme. As they all say, “If you want to get rich quick, buy a lottery ticket!”

Truth is that I was undeterred. I tried other businesses when younger, may it be with Special Merchandising Company (SMC), BASCO, etc. I learned early on, that anything takes hustle, but I was also not interested in getting sucked into an endless funnel of my money. So I continued my research. I watched many videos of how to make money online. Some use YouTube as their method of selling, others use websites, and still others use blogs, like this one. The bottom line is that once someone finds your “sales page” and they like what your doing, you potentially make a sale. The best thing about all the mediums that I mentioned is, once it is done, it will remain on the internet and potentially bring money into your pocket, thus passive income is created.

By the way, there are other ways to create passive income. One that many used to do was to open an interest bearing account. In the days that it paid 5% and up to 14% in CDs, it wasn’t so bad. Today we have mutual funds that conservatively will net you around 7% over the long hall. Others invested in real estate, hired a management company and had the renter paying for the property and bringing in a side income. The real question is do you need income now or is it just for the future?

If it’s for now, that’s where affiliate marketing, dropshipping, e books, etc come in. One could also video classes and put them on websites that charge for the course. That money starts as soon as you make a sale and can potentially pay off in the future.

Affiliate marketing seems to be the most lucrative because you are not warehousing, owning, or creating any product. You are just recommending and sending people to websites that have the product. Depending on the referral fee, you can make a nice income.

So to all of you future entrepreneurs, my main advice would be to do your research and have fun. The worst thing that could happen is that you make a few bucks. :)

Enjoy the journey!

Paid Traffic vs Free Traffic

In the world of e commerce, there are two ways to get customers. The first is “Free Traffic.” Free traffic doesn’t cost money, but it does require your blood sweat and tears, along with your most precious commodity, time. It takes work! Free traffic means that you are going to be an active participant in forums and other social groups and interact in the question and answer parts of the forum. As part of your answer, you are going to always drop a link to your website or affiliate offer.

If the reader likes your answer or article enough, they may actually click your link and traffic is created. The great thing about this method is that you get to interact with others and help them solve a problem in real time. You become part of a larger community. The more you get to know your prospective customers, the better you can serve them. And to be totally honest, since we are all part of the service industry, it behooves us to really understand what each other wants. The reason for this is that if you need/want something and I can provide you with your needs/wants, then the odds are that you will buy from me and not continue the search. It becomes a win-win deal.

I remember when I was shopping for a car. I walked into the dealership, announced, “Who wants to make money?” Of the shocked salespeople (normally car sales people surround the potential customer like shark bait), only one spoke up. I told him what I was looking for and gave him my budget. Of course, he didn’t listen, at first, and tried to put me in a vehicle that far exceeded my budget. I protested, but he insisted that we try it, so he could see what I really wanted. He wasted 20 minutes of my life, which I can never get back. But, realizing that he was about to lose the easiest sale of his life, he suddenly “remembered” a vehicle, “that they just got in” that would fit my budget and requirements. I saw it, drove it, loved it and bought it. Why did he make the sale? Because he listened to a motivated customer and fulfilled the needs.

Paid traffic is different. You don’t need to interact with people on forums. You just need to pay the price and your sites get top billing in Google searches. If you know what you are doing, then you will narrow down the parameters of your advertisement to your niche audience. You are trying to zero in on people who are motivated buyers and not just “window shoppers.” If done properly, you will see sales very quickly. If done incorrectly, you will potentially lose a lot of money. Just think of how many postcards and advertisements from local businesses and car dealers that end up in the recycling bin without you even looking at it. But the truth is that while it seems like a waste of money, the truth is that if they get 3-4 sales, they probably have recouped any loss. The odds are that, depending on the area served, they will make many more sales, or at least have their business in your mind, should you need them.

Within paid traffic, there is something called “hot traffic.” These are people who have recently bought a particular item in the last 6 months. This is a big factor for mail order companies. People on the mail order lists are apt to continue buying. The same would be said for e commerce. Once I became a customer and/or give my email, you better believe that my inbox will be deluged with information of upcoming sales. Imagine getting hold of that list! The odds of making sales just increased dramatically.

So which is better? It all depends on what you want. Do you want to build an organic list of people that trust you and are likely to listen to your recommendations because you made an effort to listen and try to help them? Or would you rather pay for advertisement that will be targeted to a specific audience. Clearly the way to make money faster will be through paid traffic. But, if you develop relationships, your best long term bet may be organic traffic.

Do you agree? Let me hear from you.

Best Way To Start Affiliate Marketing

Did you ever want to begin a business? If you have, then you know that there are a lot of logistics and doubts involved before starting. The first thing that comes to mind is the initial investment. Do I have enough capital to begin my venture? How much am I able to lose before I endanger my and/or my family’s security? What is the best business to enter that will make the most sense financially? Why not just invest in more secure ways to generate long-term income? How can I avoid making novice mistakes? When do I hang it up and just get a regular job which will bring in steady income regardless of the profit/loss column?

The main thing that I’ve learned is that failure paves the road to success. Mistakes are part of life. When you are learning to ride a bike, you will fall. The question is what you do next? After all, when you fall, it hurts! You might have scraped your knees? You definitely don’t want that again, but you also want the freedom to ride with your friends. So, do you walk the bike home and leave it in the shed or do you get back on the bike and try again? We all know that the only way we will be successful is to get back on the bike and try to balance again. Once we get it, we never forget it, and we can ride wherever we want.

When a child starts to walk, it is not perfect. The child will teeter and totter, fall on his behind, etc. But, regardless of how many times he falls, he always gets up again. He learns from his mistakes and ultimately will be walking all over the house and finding new ways to scare his parents.
The examples of failures and mistakes abound. The only question is whether you have the stamina to learn from your past mistakes, tweak the behavior and try again. If you maintain that attitude, then you too can be a successful entrepreneur.

Another question that you need to answer is what type of learner are you? Can you read something in a book and bring the idea to life? Do you need to be shown the process? Or do you need to do the action by yourself under the watchful eye of a trainer/mentor. If someone tells you how to do the action, are you able to follow the directions the first time or do you need the person to break down the tasks. While we can all learn in various modes, there are some in which we excel. Once you decide the mode, you can move onto the next step.

What does your new venture look like. Is it e-commerce? Bricks & mortar business? Affiliate marketing? Author? The choices abound. Originally, we had the concept of doing said profession for the rest of our working lives, but that philosophy is rapidly changing. Due to our longer life spans and ever-changing economy, the odds are that we will have many different types of professions throughout our life, so my advice is to pick something that you enjoy. You may stay with it or eventually leave it. Either way, living in the here and now, you should enjoy what your doing.

Now that you have chosen what to do, find people who are successful in this field and try to become their apprentice. The odds are that your idea was not created in a vacuum. Others have successfully navigated the waters, so why should you reinvent the wheel?” Learn from what others have done and learn from their errors. I can either try by myself or I can spend time with a mentor and get the job done in record time. The biggest deterrent for hiring the mentor is the money. I have to decide that the investment is worth it. After all, there are no guarantees that what you learn will work for you. That’s the gamble that we take. The only thing that is certain is that the mentor can help you steer clear of rookie mistakes.

In truth, I like the concept of affiliate marketing. The business model is simple. Send people to a product and when they make a purchase, I receive a referral fee. Wanting to know how to do this, I dabble in the world of YouTube and see what others, who have made it, show me. Many of the people are entertaining and show you a lot very quickly. But I always feel that they are leaving certain key points out. I would conjecture that the real secrets of the trade are saved for those who are willing to invest in their program.

One person who I get a kick out of is John Crestani. He has a YouTube channel and his gimmick is shooting $100 bills through a money shooter gun. He’s funny and has a lot of information for free. He, like many on this medium, will start you off and show you how to make money online. He will also tell you that most won’t make it because they will be discouraged at the outset and not do anything except watch other people make money. Bottom line is only those who take a chance will have the possibility of making their monetary dreams come true. And he, like everyone else, will tell you that if you want to really succeed he can help you if you buy his program.

Truth be told, he’s right. Why reinvent the process? Learn from the pros who have made it. And then, if you can tweak it even more, do so and develop your own program. They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery. So flatter John Crestani all the way to the bank.