Saturday, October 31, 2009

So Many Affiliate Programs! Which One Do I Choose?



Ask questions first before you join an affiliate program. Do a little research about the choices of program that you intend to join into. Get some answers because they will be the deciding point of what you will be achieving later on.

Will it cost you anything to join? Most affiliate programs being offered today are absolutely free of charge. So why settle for those that charge you some dollars before joining.

When do they issue the commission checks? Every program is different. Some issue their checks once a month, every quarter, etc. Select the one that is suited to your payment time choice. Many affiliate programs are setting a minimum earned commission amount that an affiliate must meet or exceed in order for their checks to be issued.

What is the hit per sale ratio? This is the average number of hits to a banner or text link it takes to generate a sale based on all affiliate statistics. This factor is extremely important because this will tell you how much traffic you must generate before you can earn a commission from the sale.

How are referrals from an affiliate’s site tracked and for how long do they remain in the system? You need to be confident on the program enough to track those people you refer from your site. This is the only way that you can credit for a sale. The period of time that those people stay in the system is also important. This is because some visitors do not buy initially but may want to return later to make the purchase. Know if you will still get credit for the sale if it is done some months from a certain day.

What are the kinds of affiliate stats available? Your choice of affiliate program should be capable of offering detailed stats. They should be available online anytime you decide to check them out. Constantly checking your individual stats is important to know how many impressions, hits and sales are already generated from your site. Impressions are the number of times the banner or text link was viewed by a visitor of your site. A hit is the one clicking on the banner or text links.

Does the affiliate program also pay for the hits and impressions besides the commissions on sales? It is important that impressions and hits are also paid, as this will add to the earnings you get from the sales commission. This is especially important if the program you are in offers low sales to be able to hit ratio.

Who is the online retailer? Find out whom you are doing business with to know if it is really a solid company. Know the products they are selling and the average amount they are achieving. The more you know about the retailer offering you the affiliate program, the easier it will be for you to know if that program is really for you and your site.

Is the affiliate a one tier or two tier program? A single tier program pays you only for the business you yourself have generated. A two tier program pays you for the business, plus it also pays you a commission on the on the sales generated by any affiliate you sponsor in your program. Some two-tier programs are even paying small fees on each new affiliate you sponsor. More like a recruitment fee.

Lastly, what is the amount of commission paid? 5% - 20% is the commission paid by most programs. .01% - .05% is the amount paid for each hit. If you find a program that also pays for impressions, the amount paid is not much at all. As you can see from the figures, you will now understand why the average sales amount and hit to sale ratio is important.

These are just some of the questions that needed answering first before you enter into an affiliate program. You should be familiar with the many important aspects that your chosen program should have before incorporating them into your website. Try to ask your affiliate program choices these questions. These can help you select the right program for you site from among the many available.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Becoming an affiliate marketer

Affiliate Marketing is the fastest growing industry on the Internet today. Extra Income made through this channel runs into billions of dollars yearly. Many people get involved in it without a solid plan for success. Indeed, many want to earn extra income using affiliate marketing, albeit without a real base plan, which is the most important reason for most being unsuccessful at it. Do you really look at any earning without understanding or planning the future of any business, be it at work or at earning extra income?

Do not be under any misconceptions, though affiliate marketing is an easy and entertaining way to earn extra income, it is serious work, and just like any other job that requires effort, perseverance, and above all, a clear line of sight and plan of action from start to finish line.

Small things like setting up your home office properly, getting up to date on know-how, setting achievable goals, making people connections, and investment in your business will ensure that you are one-up on your competition, and also make sure that you firmly stand over them.

Home Office Setup

The most important step to take before becoming an affiliate marketer is to set up your base – little home office you’ve always wanted.

You can find many resources on the internet about ergonomic design. Ergonomic because anyone intending to spend a major amount of time working on their computers need space which promotes good posture at the same time takes care of safety issues involving their office workspace.

Learning the Trade

Nobody gets into work untrained. Even when you applied for your first job, you had made sure that you are qualified and can do justice to it. Putting in a nutshell, no one hires you for giving you a free extra income without basic training.

What you need then, is to get some training on how to become a professional affiliate marketer. You can start by finding another one and check what they can do to help you. There are many professional affiliate marketers already earning a substantial extra income, who would be willing to teach you by passing o their knowledge so that you can augment the extra income they are already earning. The internet also offers a lot of resources and conference time tables which you can attend to learn.

The secret is to become a student of your own business; you will get to learn something new day after day. Now you are ready to begin by setting some realistic goals for yourself.

Goals

The major problem that plagues most affiliate marketers is that they tend to set themselves unrealistic goals by being over confident about their skills and plans. This results in becoming disenchanted very quickly due to non attainment of goals. Being realistic removes a lot of pain in this context. For example a goal of $5,000 a month realistically attainable, but a first time affiliate marketer is not likely to attain it when starting up.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Extra income through affilliate marketing

Affiliate Marketing is the fastest growing industry on the Internet today. Extra Income made through this channel runs into billions of dollars yearly. Many people get involved in it without a solid plan for success. Indeed, many want to earn extra pay using affiliate marketing, albeit without a real base plan, which is the most important reason for most being unsuccessful at it. Do you really look at any earning without understanding or planning the future of any business, be it at work or at earning extra income?

Don not be under any misconceptions, though affiliate marketing is an easy and entertaining way to earn extra income, it is serious work, and just like any other job that requires effort, perseverance, and above all, a clear line of sight and plan of action from start to finish line.

Small things like setting up your home office properly, getting up to date on know-how, setting achievable goals, making people connections, and investment in your business will ensure that you are one-up on your competition, and also make sure that you firmly stand over them.

Home Office Setup

The most important step to take before becoming an affiliate marketer is to set up your base – little home office you’ve always wanted.

You can find many resources on the internet about ergonomic design. Ergonomic because anyone intending to spend a major amount of time working on their computers need space which promotes good posture at the same time takes care of safety issues involving their office workspace.

Learning the Trade

Nobody gets into work untrained. Even when you applied for your first job, you had made sure that you are qualified and can do justice to it. Putting in a nutshell, no one hires you for giving you a free extra income without basic training.

What you need then, is to get some training on how to become a professional affiliate marketer. You can start by finding another one and check what they can do to help you. There are many professional affiliate marketers already earning a substantial extra income, who would be willing to teach you by passing o their knowledge so that you can augment the extra income they are already earning. The internet also offers a lot of resources and conference time tables which you can attend to learn.

The secret is to become a student of your own business; you will get to learn something new day after day. Now you are ready to begin by setting some realistic goals for yourself.

Goals

The major problem that plagues most affiliate marketers is that they tend to set themselves unrealistic goals by being over confident about their skills and plans. This results in becoming disenchanted very quickly due to non attainment of goals. Being realistic removes a lot of pain in this context. For example a goal of $5,000 a month realistically attainable, but a first time affiliate marketer is not likely to attain it when starting up.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

10 Reasons why you need to start earning an extra income



Home-based businesses to earn more income have turn out to be widely established all over the world are spreading like forest fire. They have become generally desired opportunities to start for visible reasons:



Imagine how it would feel to be your own bossnot hurry to office in the regular chaos of snarling traffic all the while getting choked on pollution. And then, to kick off the day as though you are fresh from your house and nothing has happened. Listen in to the Boss ordering you around and giving you the grind for deadlines.



Extra earnings has not hurt anybody up till this moment, and it must not be hurting you either. If you are willing top do that further bit of work or travel that extra length for your boss, I am sure you will be more than willing to do so for yourself, especially if you feel that it would make better the quality of life of you and your household.



Extra Income does not happen for free of charge. It involves hard work but of the kind you would intend to do. It is not hard work when you are doing what you have always preferred. A little bit of inspiration could get you off the mark, wouldn’t it? Let’s get going point wise;



1. You will be your own boss with no one looking over your shoulder. Freedom of time, moment, goals, finances everything left to you.



2. Work at your comfort. Be your own time master. Flexibility benefits are more for mothers and people having other responsibilities apart from their occupation.



3. Flexibility to do whatever you want to do, whenever you want to do it.



4. The above factors help you to pursue your regular income job until you are sure of the extra income business. You can always switch.



5. Job security and fear of unemployment vanish.



6. Sense of pride. Make you more of a complete person who can proudly say that he/ she is an entrepreneur who has achieved something.



7. Self confidence going through the sky. This factor will help you face most hurdles in life with a lot smaller heartaches and stress.



8. Limitations of earning do not exist. You can earn as much as you want by just stepping up the speed.



9. Many countries give tax benefits for home based opportunities, since it is considered extra income. So greater credit ratings with lesser tax obligations.



10. You can retire at your own time, at 30 or at 60, it’s entirely up to you.



Accomplishment becomes a commodity which you can evaluate with your own yardstick rather than others, which contributes a lot to your personality and the finances through the extra income you earn. The above reasons are certainly worth a glance if you are considering being successful and independent in life.



Thursday, October 8, 2009

Do you Qualify for that extra income online?

Be confident you meet the following criteria prior to thinking of the extra income route. Be sincere to yourself while analysing the following since this can build or break you:

1. Are you an achiever? To be doing well in any endeavor, you have to set your goals. Goals characterize the method and ways of achieving something. They can be set in two ways
A. The amount of extra income you want to earn.
B. The period you intend to use on a certain job to earn the returns.
What, When, Where are three crucial details that you have to outline before embarking on the task.
2. Ask yourself
A. Can you afford the investment? There are some free startup programs also.
B.Evaluate your strengths. What you are good at and enjoy doing?
C. The marketability of the program you want to pick out.
D. The required time it would take you to achieve your desired result from the program you chose
3. Courage: Instead of getting caught in analysis paralysis, get yourself enough courage to begin.
4. Getting the right program is very vital. Match your strengths to what the program requires.
5. Have a competent strategy in place to promote your program. Ask questions if you do not know, but a good plan is a must.
6. Do you have self motivation and perseverance to go on and on. Keep side by side and educated.

Once you truely answer the above without a doubt in your heart, it would not be really tough to succeed, otherwise look for other alternatives than to plunge on these opportunities.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Create yourself a Pay Raise with extra income online



Further pay opportunities are basically work-from-home opportunities that help increase your usual take-home pay. More people are turning to these work-from-home due to the following reasons:

1.A large amount of people think they are losing the fight to balance work and family, time and income wise.If they are going to work half of the day outside the home and just manage the little earning they getat the end of the day coming back home to family exhaustedto expend any time with them or even afford to go on vacations.

2.A burning request to be financially autonomous and doing well by adding that more income to their regular earnings with popular work-from-home jobs.

The very fact that these extra income generating work-from-home opportunities have become widespread is due to the above mentioned factors. These opportunities present a lot of flexibility in spending time with family and children, social commitments and of course financial freedom. These extra income generating opportunities also give you a chance to be your own boss and work your comfort.

How to find a suitable extra income generating opportunity? Here are some dos and don’ts:

1.Evaluate yourself and find out what your primary expertise is. Marketing, Writing, Programming or anything else that you excel in.

2.Analyze what your friends and family see in you, your strength and weakness. This will help in narrowing down your options.

3.Try and observehow different or applicable it is to your regular occupation or work that you do today.

4.Ask yourself about the job satisfaction that you have today and you might have if you get a fitting extra income generating opportunity.

5.Analyze the skills that you possess but have gone unused since you have been working. Ask yourself, if you would be comfortable bringing them out to generate that extra income?

After doing the above, make inquiries and analyze the opportunities available by talking to people who already have extra income coming their way or use the internet to find opportunities that match your skills. Make a list of opportunities in descending order of your preference with at least 5 entries.

Get going in a petite way, spending about an hour a day. Try it out before you commit to something.

Analyze if you like doing the work after a period of about 1-2 months and see the extra income you earn. If you think that the work is suited to you and the work has adequate promise to earn you the extra income that you were targeting for, try to spend more time and energy on it to augment that extra revenue. If you see that you really don’t enjoy it, shift attentionto the second opportunity on the list.

Remember these opportunities are basically work being done for other experts and they have to be treated with professionalism and attention to detail. You cannot take them and treat it with levity. The benefit you get is that you are doing what you love and getting rewarded for your effort.