What IS Affiliate Marketing??

I am going to try to start a simple easy to understand thread here on Affiliate Marketing as I get a lot of questions on that so I know there are quite a few new folks that are trying to wrap their brains around the whole concept - just as we all had to at one point....

I am going to use Amazon as my spring board as they are considered the King of Affilaite Marketing. Don't ask me how they got started or when - I just know that they are the biggest affiliate network on the net right now!


Basically what they are is a gateway to all the millions of products and services you can get thru Amazon.com...

Amazon does the marketing, but they don't have to SHIP the stuff, STOCK it or HANDLE it... all they do is set up sites for people to come to, market products in oodles of ways, and make commissions when customers click and buy.

They are the perfect example of what affiliate marketing is all about...

The concept is so simple anybody can do it - from teenagers to grandmammas (and grandpappas )

1) Set up a few sites such as blogs, websites, etc...

2)Find products or services to promote thru places like Clickbank, Commission Junction, linkshare and even Amazon itself....

3) Link from your sites to theirs thru tracking links provided when you register with each company... and it is free to register , by the way...

4) This last step is by far the most important - and the most difficult to master... and that is learning how to get traffic to your websites.

No traffic - no clicks - no commissions! Simple.

So - anyways, I know there is a lot more we could cover but it will get covered with time as hopefully others will come on and share their experiences and tips for affiliate marketing....

This will hopefully help some light bulbs go on for those that are trying to get some light on the subject.

You have explained in details and it is easily understandably.

mountainmom5: No traffic - no clicks - no commissions! Simple.

A lot of people are missing out this part when they start their business.

Wow, I wish I could have found this site a couple years ago... Excellent description!!!

Very helpful post =]. Nice bold lettering techniques . Have you been learning copywriting?



I will edit this post and add some helpful things shortly when I get a chance =]. Great idea for a post though! =].

Thank you for this MM. I just found it today, don't know how I missed it but it was a great read!

denise in Sams Valley OR
PS I hope this will "bump" it to the top

My pleasure Denise - I love your cheery voice on here. So glad you joined us.

Amazon was the very first affiliate program I ever signed up for. I was STOKED! It was way back in 1997 when they were strickly books, no marketplace like now. A whopping 3% commission. So on a $20 book, I would make .60. I was an innocent noob.

Unfortunately, like most affiliate marketers just starting out, I soon realized that putting banners on your site won't generate sales.

What actually does work is building web sites (or blogs) for specific niches. Publish great content. Then put up some affiliate links for products related to your site. It also helps if you buy the products yourself and do reviews on them. If you have a winner, that kind of marketing really sells products.

That's the first hump to master. Then next is traffic to that site. Like you said, no traffic = no sales.

-AJ

AJFarro: It was way back in 1997 when they were strickly books, no marketplace like now. A whopping 3% commission. So on a $20 book, I would make .60. I was an innocent noob.
LOL - I think they pay like 4 - 6% now. I was using them as examples but actually, I did build a blog here awhile back on a whim and the only things I could find to link to for affiliate commissions was to amazon.... so I did and let it go. Last I looked, I had like $28 in my amazon account....

Ok mountain mom, that was in January, where is the rest of the story? .

If your affiliating yourself with any Amazon products. remember that it takes the same effort to sell a Mercedes as it does a Ford...

yahia: Ok mountain mom, that was in January, where is the rest of the story?
?? I guess you lost me there....

dlozen: remember that it takes the same effort to sell a Mercedes as it does a Ford...
good point!

mountainmom5: yahia:
Ok mountain mom, that was in January, where is the rest of the story?

?? I guess you lost me there....

Do you mind me contributing to this thread?

yahia: Do you mind me contributing to this thread?
Absolutely not! That is what forums are for, correct?

The whole purpose of this thread was to help newbies understand how affiliate marketing works because when I was a newbie, it intimidated me something fierce!

Plus the fact that I get a lot of questions from folks that want help and I tend to direct them BACK to the forum a lot and needed something to direct them to on the whole AM thing...

But heck no, contribute all you want.... I just wasn't sure what you were asking about the rest of the story...

I am a newbie to affiliate marketing. Just wanted to let you know that your posts have been very helpful!

Thank you mountain mom.

The reason I was asking your permission is that I believe it should be somehow moderated so that it stays focused. I'll do my best to stay focused.

My first contribution is:

Market Research: Chose the Market Before the Product

This is the most important step because if you are in the wrong market at the wrong time you'll get poor results. This could be so frustrating that you might drop the whole thing.

It is also a complicated task to do, but for beginners it could be simplified as follows, and I'll use clickbank as an example:

1. Browse a group of clickbank products, say in the health and fitness category. Pick a product with a high gravity (which means that many people are promoting, which also means it has a market of buyers out there). But Don't promote this product. Keep reading please.

2. Go to google and search for the most relevant keyword related to this product. Theoretically you'll find hundreds of sponsored ads. Which also affirms the fact that there is a huge market of buyers for this product. Still don't promote it yet.

3. Search for forums related to this keyword, browse the threads to find what people are discussing. Try to find a subniche (a very specific tiny one). Example: if your main product of research was about building muscles, your subniche could be "how to build biceps for men over 40". Just an example.

4. Go back to google and search for that "long tail" keyword. Check for any sponsored links. If you find 10 sponsored ads it means that thiere is a market for this kind of product and you can profit from it. Find a product that solves this problem in clickbank market place and go to step # 7.

If you don't find any, or just a couple, it means one of two things:
a. It is a new market and you'll be one of the pioneers who could dominate this niche.
b. There is no money to make in this niche.

5. Go back to clickbank and search for a product that solves this specfic concern "how to build biceps for men over 40". If you don't find one go to google and search for a product that solves this problem and has an affiliate program.

6. The next step depends. What I tend to do is to run a test PPC campaign for a week or so. I only bid for this long tail keyword with variations. This way I eleminate any non specfic clicking on my ad and within a week I know whether I have a product to promote or not. But this is not an option for everyone. It certainly wasn't when I started. In this case skip to step #7.

7. Start dragging organic traffic to your affiliate link with squidoo lenses and articles. But this is another story.

OK. that was it for market research in a very simplified form. My advice for beginners is that if you find a few or no sponsored ads for the long tail keyword of your choice, skip this one and repeat the process from the beginning with a new product.

hi ountainmom5

thanks for your information.very nice topic.

Keep those tips coming.....

I have been trying affiliate marketing for 3 months now. I bought MOIS and OWM and use them, but still something must be missing because I have 0 sales. I think maybe I am not trying hard enough. I only have 6 articles at Ezine and some at a few other places, but I have 19 active lenses at Squidoo, 16 ads at US free ads, 4 blogs and 2 websites.

I would like to build a list but really have no idea how to do that. Any suggestions are very much appreciated.

Thanks for this thread,
Anita

Here are a few questions that may help troubleshoot for you ..

1) How many hits are you getting to your lenses a day or week?

2) How many clickouts

3) How many hits are you getting to your ezinearticles? you can check this in your Ezine back office

4) How many url clicks on those articles as well

We'll start with that and go from there. It could be that you are not getting enough traffic as we can build hundreds of lenses, and write articles till we are blue in the face, but if they are not getting traffic then we need to change something.... and you may be getting a lot of traffic, but just wanted to check that first.

This is going to be a great thread. I just logged on because I wanted to check the box to send me updates to my email with the postings. I would suggest all newbies do the same, or anyone for that matter.