$27,817 MONTHLY WITH AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
BY: JOHN MCLAREN
i still remember thinking that promoting
affiliate programs was a waste of time. until i
STARTED MAKING A SMALL FORTUNE.
at the end of 2004, i started some time
EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF PROMOTING AFFILIATE
programs through pay-per-click search engines. i
knew of some internet marketing gurus who were
CLAIMING YOU COULD MAKE THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
every month. but i was skeptical. i remember
thinking, "i know what these guys are about.
THEY JUST WANT TO SELL MORE BOOKS."
but i decided that at least it was worth a look.
THE CONCEPT IS QUITE SIMPLE. CHOOSE A PRODUCT -
and one that has an affiliate program, of
course. set up an advertising campaign at a ppc
SEARCH ENGINE LIKE GOOGLE AND CHOOSE HOW MUCH
you want to pay per click. write a three line
advertisement and add your affiliate link.
WHENEVER ANYONE CLICKS THROUGH YOUR AD AND BUYS
the product, you earn a commission.
SO I LOOKED. AND THOUGHT ABOUT IT. AND LOOKED
some more. i was still very uncertain about the
whole concept, but i finally decided to test for
MYSELF WHETHER IT COULD REALLY WORK. AND SINCE I
knew i'd be spending quite a bit of money on
advertising clicks, i felt it was well worth
INVESTING IN A BOOK SO I COULD LEARN FROM MORE
experienced marketers how to maximize the
profitability of my campaigns.
as my business grew over several weeks i
purchased and read several ebooks. by far the
BEST I READ WAS CHRIS CARPENTER'S GOOGLE CASH (
http://tinyurl.com/6gdaq ). his approach is
genuine, down-to-earth, and he explains very
CLEARLY HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN AFFILIATE
marketing business. and importantly, he makes a
fortune doing what he explains in the book.
i started by testing 20-30 campaigns on various
products. most of them were unsuccessful, but i
EXPECTED THAT FROM WHAT I HAD BEEN READING. I
would test a product, and if it didn't work, i
would drop it quickly. the key with this
BUSINESS IS IDENTIFYING THE AFFILIATE PRODUCTS
and campaigns that are successful. once you find
one that works, the money starts rolling in.
by february of 2005 i had identified several
campaigns that were turning a profit. with one
OF THESE I WAS SPENDING $0.08 PER CLICK TO
promote an affiliate product that pays me $18
commission on each sale. approximately 1 visitor
IN 100 BUYS THE PRODUCT, SO I MAKE AROUND $10
profit for every 100 visitors that i send.
WHAT A FORMULA! FOR EVERY 1,000 VISITORS, THAT'S
$180 in commissions. that might not seem like
all that much, but remember once you have a
SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN IT KEEPS GOING ALL DAY,
every day. if you send just 1,000 visitors to a
program like this every day, then by the end of
THE MONTH YOU WILL HAVE EARNED $5,400 IN
commissions, of which $3,000 is profit.
DOES IT SEEM TOO SIMPLE? WELL, IF IT WAS SO EASY
everyone from your aunt mabel to the mailman
would be doing it. in fact, while the concept is
SIMPLE, GETTING YOUR CAMPAIGNS TO RUN PROFITABLY
does take some work. since i can't possibly
teach you all you need to know in one article,
I'LL GIVE YOU A FEW TIPS HERE AND RECOMMEND
google cash for a detailed explanation:
1) choose your product wisely. the program
SHOULD PAY A COMMISSION OF $15 OR MORE,
otherwise it won't be worth paying for your
clicks. and if the commission is very high, be
CAREFUL. SOME PRODUCTS LIKE WEB HOSTING AND
satellite dish installations may pay
commissions of $100, but you face intense
COMPETITION FROM OTHER AFFILIATES, SO THE
price you need to pay to get ad exposure and
clicks will probably also be very high.
SOMETIMES IT IS BETTER TO IDENTIFY A NICHE
product with less competition from other
affiliates.
2) track your campaigns carefully. if you're
PAYING AROUND 7 OR 8 CENTS PER CLICK FOR A
program that pays close to $20 commission, you
need to make at least one sale for every 250
VISITORS. IF YOU SEND 300 TO 400 VISITORS WITH
no sale, consider dropping it.
3) days of the week do matter. when testing
campaigns keep in mind the day of the week and
EVEN THE TIME OF DAY. SOME PRODUCTS SELL
better on mondays through fridays, during
business hours. others, like entertainment
PRODUCTS, SELL BETTER IN THE EVENINGS AND ON
weekends.
getting back to my own experience, after
identifying several campaigns that `worked', i
SPENT SOME TIME FINE-TUNING THEM USING
techniques i read about in google cash. by the
end of february i had earned $27,817 in
COMMISSIONS FOR THE MONTH, ALL ON PRODUCTS I HAD
never even heard of at the end of 2004. my
profit was a neat $10,795.
it's incredible really. i made this money
without a web site. from home. working an
AVERAGE OF JUST AN HOUR OR TWO A DAY.
i'm finally making the amount of money online
THAT I DREAMED ABOUT.
how about you? would you also like to build an
AFFILIATE MARKETING BUSINESS? COULD YOU USE SOME
additional income? i encourage you to proceed,
but be smart about it. there are risks involved
AND YOU SHOULD BE AWARE OF THEM. YOU SHOULD READ
chris carpenter's book. that way you'll be on a
fast track to more profitable campaigns. and his
BOOK WILL SAVE YOU HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS, EASILY,
as you avoid some common mistakes and pitfalls.
GOOD MARKETING!
*about the author*
john mclaren has worked for many years selling
it consulting services. now he works from home,
JUST A FEW HOURS EACH DAY, BUILDING HIS HIGHLY
successful affiliate marketing business. for
more professional advice, he recommends the
BOOK, GOOGLE CASH, AVAILABLE AT:
http://tinyurl.com/6gdaq.
