| Affiliate Marketing is a way of selling an Arsenal of | | | | with a high priced product - make it easier for |
| products you never have to own - with little or no | | | | yourself and go for a product preferably priced under |
| cost. How do we enter this potentially lucrative | | | | $50 to start with - it should also have at LEAST a |
| market... and what exactly is it? | | | | 50% commission payment, preferably 60%+ if you |
| Affiliate marketing is a way of selling products we | | | | can get it. |
| don't actually own on a commission basis, so when a | | | | It's better to sell products with lower prices to begin |
| sale has been registered from our "affiliate link" to us, | | | | with and generate more sales, than to have larger |
| we receive the appropriate commission. | | | | priced products, with less sales... |
| Mainly, it is digital products that are sold this way, i.e | | | | As you grow your affiliate business, you can add |
| eBooks & online memberships, however it is possible | | | | higher priced products to your product list later. |
| to also sell physical products this way but this is | | | | Once we have our ClickBank account open, and we |
| known as dropshipping, whereby the product maker | | | | have chosen an appropriate product, we now need |
| or wholesaler ships the physical products out to your | | | | to market our ClickBank product. |
| customer. | | | | The hoplink you create when you have chosen a |
| For the purposes of this Affiliate marketing article, | | | | product to promote can be a long and uninspiring URL |
| we are referring to Digital products. | | | | (web address link), so I would suggest that you to |
| First you will need to register with an Affiliate | | | | go to one of the many free URL shorteners, online |
| product platform such as ClickBank | | | | and get your affiliate link shortened for free. This |
| As you register you will be asked to choose a | | | | makes it much easier to fit into a classified ad or a |
| "nickname", this is very important as this is how | | | | TWEET on TWITTER as it is much shorter. It also |
| ClickBank will recognise that is is you who made the | | | | looks better as it is less cumbersome. |
| sale, therefore make your "nickname" an appropriate | | | | Also by changing the appearance of the link, |
| one - if you are going to be selling money making | | | | unscrupulous people cannot change the link id from |
| products, don't make your "nickname" Sheilas Shoes | | | | yours, to their own affiliate id - and receive the credit |
| (lol)- if you see what I mean | | | | for the sale themselves. |
| This nickname is embedded in your referral link, | | | | The ultimate way to do this is to BUY a domain |
| otherwise known as a hoplink, I will explain more | | | | name similar to the Product title and point it to your |
| about this in a moment. | | | | affiliate link - this has a more professional look and if |
| ClickBank is where product vendors list their products | | | | done properly, can be "cloaked" so no one would |
| in the "Marketplace" - this allows affiliates to choose | | | | know that the website wasn't yours. |
| appropriate products to sell and to create their own | | | | Check with your domain registration company, there |
| personal links (called hoplinks) to the vendors | | | | should be a facility to "point" it to whatever web |
| websites, so when a customer who was referred | | | | address you choose. Just point it to your affiliate link. |
| through your link, clicks to buy the product, you will | | | | you should also have a facility to "cloak" the link - this |
| receive the appropriate commission in your ClickBank | | | | will disguise the link so the customer only ever sees |
| account. | | | | your nice URL. |
| ClickBank will pay you by cheque when your | | | | So where can you sell affiliate products? |
| commission balance has reached at least $100. | | | | 1) Make a free 30 second video at Animoto put your |
| Before you qualify t receive commission checks from | | | | cloaked affiliate link in the video itself and in the |
| ClickBank, you would have needed to have made | | | | accompanying description, use the http: format so |
| sales from at least five different customers with 5 | | | | that it will appear as a clickable link under the video |
| different credit cards. This is to try to stop affiliates | | | | when you upload it to You Tube |
| circumventing the system by buying products after | | | | 2) Make a FAN page on Facebook - include your |
| registering as an affiliate for the very same product, | | | | affiliate link in your personal profile and also on your |
| in effect to get the product cheaper for themselves. | | | | Fan Page wall amongst useful content. |
| Once you have found a product, check out the | | | | 3) Add your affiliate links with the product description |
| vendor's website - this is very important as you will | | | | on your Blog or Website |
| be sending YOUR customers there. | | | | 4) Include an affiliate link in your email & forum |
| Does the vendors website contain a video | | | | signatures |
| explaination of the product? - is the site well designed | | | | 5) Tweet your product' benefit & URL to your many |
| and easy to navigate? is it inviting and easy to | | | | Twitter followers |
| understand?, and last but most importantly, does the | | | | 6) Include your affiliate links in your profile on all the |
| site make it EASY for the person to BUY?... if YOU | | | | other social networking sites, too numerous to |
| would buy from this vendor, then your customer | | | | mention here |
| that you are referring probably would too. | | | | 7) Write related articles and include your affiliate link |
| If any or most of the above points are missing, it | | | | in the bottom half of the article (below the fold) and |
| may be best to move on to another product and | | | | also in your "bio" |
| another vendor whose website DOES have most of | | | | 8) Use FREE classified ad sites such as "Craiglist" to |
| the above points. | | | | promote your affiliate products |
| Their are thousands of products on ClickBank to | | | | 9) Create a free eBook giving great content, with |
| choose from, in many different catagories | | | | your affiliate links discreetly placed within. |
| How about price? - as a new affiliate, I wouldn't start | | | | 10) Mail out to your email list (if you have one). |