Making Money with Affiliate Marketing

Okay! You've decided I'm for real and you really do want to learn how to make some extra money from home. Unless you already have a product to market and some experience in internet marketing, I suggest you start out with some affiliate program. 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, I know. You know someone who knows someone who tried several different programs and didn't make a dime. In fact, they lost money. Well, I can introduce you to others who have made millions just through affiliate marketing. And you can do it too. You just need to know how.

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: Set up a base. Yes, most affiliate programs provide you with a web page. But which is easier - driving traffic to dozens of sites that look just like everyone else's or driving traffic to one unique site with links to all your affiliate programs. Building your own website is ideal and there are several ways to do that even if you know nothing about web design. An even easier and less expensive way is with a blog such as this one. Either way works as long as it is full of content designed to draw internet surfers in to your page. Notice I said content - not advertising! There are several blog sites such as this one and each one offers instructions and templates to help you get started. If you really want to spend the money on a website then I suggest you purchase SiteBuildIt! (http://buildit.sitesell.com/wealthtogether.html).

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 prgrams. I recommend Affiliate Showcase, run by my good friend Ken McArthur (http://www.AffiliateShowcase.com/?46035). It provides you with access to literally hundreds of programs. You can even become an affiliate for Affiliate Showcase! Once you become a member of Affiliate Showcase, Ken will give you access to all the information you need on how to market your affiliate programs. And I will devote future posts to that same topic.

For now - set your goals, build your base, choose your programs. And post your achievements here in the comments. List your link so we can all visit your blog or website and check out which programs you've chosen. Let's get started!