Guest Post by Melodieann Whiteley {learn more about Melodieann at the end of this post).
Okay! You’ve decided that it really is time to start a home business. But what type of business? Unless you already have a product to market and some experience in internet marketing, I suggest you start out with some affiliate programs. These can help you earn some steady income AND help you learn the ins-and-outs of online marketing without risking a huge investment.
I know. You’d rather create a product of your own. That way you can keep all of the income instead of just getting a commission on someone else’s great idea. But I can promise you one thing. For every million dollar product there are dozens more that never made a dime for their developers. Million dollar ideas can be few and far between. Why take the risk? With affiliate marketing, you can sell somebody else’s products, often with no investment or start up costs of your own. And affiliate marketing, when done correctly, can be very profitable.
How do you make money with affiliate programs? There are a few simple steps:
Step one: Set some goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic goals. With a Timeframe for achieving them. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timed (SMART) goals – I’m sure many of you have heard that terminology before, so I’m not going to discuss it in great detail right now. Having set goals will help you stay focused on what you are trying to achieve.
Step two: Build your site. This used to be difficult and costly. But today, almost anyone can have a professional looking website fairly inexpensively. If you want to start with a blog as your base, you can often set that up for free. Either way, you don’t want to skip this step. While most affiliate programs provide you with a web page, you do want to create a unique site of your own. If every affiliate for a particular program is using the same company-provided site, how are you going to set yours apart from the rest? It will be much easier to drive traffic to your own unique site that links to all of your affiliate programs.
Whichever way you choose, free blog or website, make sure it is full of content designed to draw internet browsers to your page. Notice I said content – not advertising! By content, I mean articles, product and book reviews, interviews, and forums, just to name a few. You will need to make a commitment to keeping this content fresh and up-to-date. Plan to spend some time on the computer every day.
Step three: Choose your affiliate programs. There are so many different programs to choose from. Luckily, there is an easy way to find them. There are several sites you can go to with lists of hundreds of affiliate programs. I use Clickbank quite a bit. Or you can check out the reviews on sites like Affiliate Scout and AffiliatePrograms.com. Once you become an active affiliate marketer, you will receive all kinds of offers to be an affiliate for the next big thing! Just pick and choose carefully the offers that are right for you.
Step four: Design your site around your products. Then market, market, market. There are so many different ways to market your affiliate products online, it would take an entire new post to cover them all. And I know there are ladies here who are experts at that so perhaps they would post some tips? And if any of you offer an affiliate program of your own, would you share that with us? Some of us may be looking for new products to market!
About the Author
Melodieann Whiteley is a retired Navy Cryptologic Technician. Upon retiring from the Navy, she moved to Northwest Arkansas with her husband and family and spent many years in the corporate and non-profit sectors. A bout with cancer made her realize that life was to short to be living someone else’s dream and she started looking for ways to start her own business. Today she runs several flourishing enterprises and is living the life she only dreamed of just a few years ago. She says: “It took a while and I made a lot of mistakes, but here I am. I had a lot of help along the way. If my experiences can help others, please feel free to contact me.” You can find Melodieann writing at:
- http://wealthtogether.blogspot.com
- http://donttripoveryourbrain.blogspot.com
- http://travelswithbob.blogspot.com
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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