For too long affiliate marketing has been seen as the "poor brother"
of other popular online businesses. Here, then, are just eight of the
reasons why I believe affiliate marketing is the BEST way to start off
online; indeed why in my eyes it's the Holy Grail of e-commerce.
For too long affiliate marketing has been seen as the "poor brother"
of other popular online businesses such as online auctions,
e-books,
software or membership sites.
But to someone who earns a large percentage of my online income as an
affiliate, I'm constantly amazed at what a great business this is.
Here, then, are just eight of the reasons why I believe affiliate
marketing is the BEST way to start off online; indeed why in my eyes
it's the Holy Grail of e-commerce.
Most people start off in e-commerce by creating their own product.
However, this route can involve investing a lot of time and money. On
the other hand, I have set up affiliate sites in a matter of weeks for
under $100 that now greatly exceed that initial set-up cost every single
month - on autopilot. So it's a quick, easy, and cost effective market
to get into.
As it's possible to set up an affiliate site with a tiny sum ($50-100)
and let this multiply numerous times, you can then go on and invest in
bigger projects in the future.
Depending on how you set up your affiliate business it IS possible to
completely dispense with customer service enquiries. Indeed, I am now
setting up simple mini-sites with *no* email address and no contact
details at all. This saves me a huge amount of time each day answering
questions and so allows me to concentrate on building more sites for
greater profits.
Using the right model, you can simply set up an affiliate site and move
onto your next project. I sincerely believe that it is possible as you
gain experience to launch a site per month and, since you're not selling
anything yourself or answering customer's enquiries, your site can run
virtually on autopilot.
An occasional check is all that is necessary and my mini-sites take me
less than 30 minutes a month to run. It's like automatic money each
month!
More impressively, the sites you built months, even years ago, continue
to bring in sales meaning you're having to work less and less to achieve
the results you desire. You control your day - and you do what you like
with it.
So many e-commerce businesses depend hugely on their own affiliate
network to drive traffic and sales. It's a reasonably easy and
hassle-free way to make profits.
Unfortunately as an affiliate marketer you don't have that luxury. But
it's actually to your advantage. You see without that fallback you are
forced to think outside the box to generate traffic. Instead you need to
find, test and develop other techniques which stand you in good stead
for the future.
Not only does it make you more creative and resourceful in general, but
if and when you eventually launch a non- affiliate marketing site you'll
already know how to generate an avalanche of traffic ON TOP of what your
affiliates bring you.
Once you develop your traffic streams and your subscriber list you
become a very sought after commodity. Other businesses seek you out,
eager to sign you up as an affiliate of theirs.
And as your success grows, you develop the ability to cherry pick only
the most profitable deals for yourself - and often command higher
commission rates than others get.
Do NOT underestimate what it can be like to be in this situation. An
example is that one of my merchant partners sent me an extra $250 last
Christmas just to say thanks for sending them so many sales that year!
If and when you decide to create your own product and set up your own
affiliate program as part of your marketing strategy you have a distinct
advantage over your competitors - you'll already know the best affiliate
marketing techniques.
And this knowledge will prove priceless in terms of helping your own
affiliates promote you effectively.
By becoming an affiliate marketer you will be joining a great community
of like-minded individuals from around the world.
A combination of quality newsletters and discussion forums run by real
pros means it's a great community to be a part of. So there you have it
- my eight reasons to become an affiliate marketer today - so what are
you waiting for?!
Richard Adams is the founder of Merchant Account Forum, one of the
net's most popular merchant account advice sites:
MerchantAccountForum.com
Also, don't forget to visit our Know to Grow! section where you can
learn many useful facts about affiliate marketing and where we try to
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