Do you remember when you could pick an affiliate program, hustle up a few hundred keywords toss it all into your Adwords account & wait for the commissions. No me neither! I was busy doing something else during those glory days.
If it ever was that easy it certainly isn't any more, there's a lot of competition & intense bidding for keywords. There are big corporations bidding on anything that moves & paying tens of thousands of dollars every month for number one listings.
Just in case you weren't getting the message. Google changed the rules. Now Google will only list one ad for each domain name in any given set of results. If you've ever searched for something obscure and found three or four ads telling you it can be found on eBay you will understand why they did this. The result of this change is that you almost certainly now need your own website to succeed.
But never fear, there are still opportunities for the little guy to earn big.
You just need a plan to maximise revenue from everything that you do and from every visitor that passes through your online real estate.
Here are my top five tips steps for maximising income from affiliate programs.
#1 Sell to a niche. I know you've heard that message a thousand times before. There are hundreds of guides to niche marketing online and you might be forgiven for thinking it's just the latest big hype. But the fact is if you choose a small market you can focus your product more precisely on your target market. If you get this right more of your visitors will think that your recommendation was written just for them and for their situation. The result? More of your visitors will buy.
#2 Always collect contact details from your visitors, if they don't buy today many will buy tomorrow or the day after. If you have a responsive mailing list, you have an asset that can earn you money on demand. All lists start small and small lists can earn big money.
#3 Once you have their mailing details keep in touch, don't let these people forget who you are. Certainly don't only send them mail when you have something to sell. Send them freebies and news as well. Build a relationship, tell them about your life, be their trusted friend.
-- Side Bar-
I read a post on a forum a while back about a guy who had been promoting an affiliate program for about a year. Then the program decided they didn't want affiliates any more. This guy calculated that he had sent over 10,000 paying customers to the merchant over the course of the year. Now he had lost a whole revenue stream and had no way to earn from his past efforts.
If only he had kept in touch with these people by collecting names and mail addresses and keeping in contact, he would probably have made more sales along the way but better still he could now contact them and tell them about another great product.
-- End Sidebar--
#4 Upsell your list. If they didn't buy initially then keep reminding them of the benefits of the product. If they still don't buy after later mails sell them something else. If they were buyers of the initial offering then upsell them on something bigger and more expensive.
#5 Don't stop. Never stop sending mail to your list and don't leave it so long between mails that they forget who you are. Keep sending useful information every week, build a rapport with them. Do this right and they will come to trust you like a friend and when their friend recommends something they will buy it.If they don't want to hear from you any more they will use the unsubscribe link. Don't assume they are all sold out. A good list is good for as long as you maintain it. Which can be until the day you retire.
Build your business right and you will be building an asset that will keep you for the rest of your life.
One great benefit to taking the long term view instead of immediate profits is that you will be in a better position to compete in the PPC marketplace. If the goal of your campaign is to build a list as opposed to making a profit then you can bid higher and run a break even campaign.
Would you like a free subscription to a monthly magazine dedicated to affiliate marketing? Visit .
Darren Power is your host at where you will find news of the latest Internet Marketing products along with reviews, articles and free resources.





Affiliates make money in pretty much two ways, firstly by... Read More
1. Start a private web site. Use it as a... Read More
People sign up with affiliate programs everyday, looking to expand... Read More
If you are like most work from home internet business... Read More
ACTIVE AFFILIATES are those who sign up under you for... Read More
One of the most unanswered questions online today is, how... Read More
One thing that seems to be cropping up in many... Read More
Ok, so after reading many articles on internet marketing I... Read More
I should have listened to an internet veteran back in... Read More
"What's the Buzz About?""I made $5,000 in one week""I quit... Read More
After having chosen several programs to join, you probably realize... Read More
There are a few reasons why your affiliate program isn't... Read More
I received two emails this weekend. Both were as a... Read More
Here's a few affiliate Internet marketing tips that can help... Read More
VISUALIZE, STRATEGIZE, ENERGIZE, REALIZE reprogramming is the subject today.Every single... Read More
While it can be quite easy to start an online... Read More
It's simply a kind of marketing in the internet where... Read More
When I decided to quit my job and start an... Read More
Some people are making big money with affiliate programs-some are... Read More
If you have been a home based business entrepreneur for... Read More
So we're looking at E-zine advertising. Just a quick overview... Read More
Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business... Read More
Do you participate in chat rooms and message boards related... Read More
This is very important, because your reputation is on stake... Read More
I think it truly goes without saying that there are... Read More
If you run an Internet marketing web site and sell... Read More
It surprises me that many people fail to grasp this... Read More
One of the most unanswered questions online today is, how... Read More
It has been said that only 2% of affiliate marketers... Read More
People sign up with affiliate programs everyday, looking to expand... Read More
Every day, thousands of would-be marketers scour the internet looking... Read More
If the idea of pursuing a living on the net... Read More
Paid to surf sites are washing across the Internet like... Read More
You have probably heard "the money is in the list"... Read More
It's simply a kind of marketing in the internet where... Read More
Incentive Marketing, Incentive Marketing, Incentive Marketing?It doesn't matter that there... Read More
If you have a website and you are not involved... Read More
I have been working on the Internet now since December... Read More
If you've been involved in making money on the internet,... Read More
Affiliate marketing is an extremely tricky subject and so is... Read More
When starting a Web business, most people choose a topic... Read More
So you want to start your own business, and you... Read More
Internet business is a bit confusing especially if you're not... Read More
The great strides made in the development of the Internet... Read More
I should have listened to an internet veteran back in... Read More
Ok, so after reading many articles on internet marketing I... Read More
When you join an affiliate program or start an affiliate... Read More
The web has developed in such a mass marketing arena,... Read More
When I came upon that little word -- Niche --... Read More
A while back I wrote a little article called "My... Read More
Affiliate Revenue |