How To Profit From Affiliate Programs

The beauty of the Internet is you can own your own business andearn good money without spending much time at it. You don't haveto mind the store or keep office hours. You don't even have tobe there to answer the phone.I've known any number of successful Internet entrepreneurs whogot started earning profits online while still working demandingfull-time jobs. Kevin Needham of Memail.com became a major nameon the Web while still holding down his government job. Themedia often tells the story of Jim Daniels who started his onlinepublishing empire while working as a middle-manager for a techfirm.Kevin Nunley was a DJ at an oldies station when his articlesstarted appearing on AOL. Superstar Internet biz person and techconsultant Kate Schultz was a corporate manager when shebegan posting her own ads online.The moral of these stories is don't let your busy life stand inthe way of your desire to earn extra money or even a good livingonline. The Internet will bend, twist, and adapt for you morethan any other kind of business.But you have to go at it the right way or you will wind upspending way more time and money than you intended. Here is asimple plan to get you earning online while working at it just 10to 20 minutes each day.1. Choose your affiliate program wisely. You will want one mainprogram you can promote intensively. It is much easier to makean impact with one good program you market heavily than spreadingyourself too thin over a dozen or more programs.Right now affiliates report their biggest earners are informationproducts that tell affiliate program members and others how toearn better profits. Ken Envoy's "Make Your Site Sell" course,Corey Rudl's "Insider Secrets," and Jim Daniels' big "Make ALiving Online" are real winners in this category.You can also do well working with a company that represents manyproducts and other affiliate programs. Check the many affiliateproducts and services housed under the ClickBank.com umbrella.QuinStreet.com features direct marketing services and ecommercetechnology.2. Market to friends and associates using a simple signaturefile in your email. This is dirt simple yet incredibly powerful.Email messages have a very personal quality that sells. Youremail program will let you set this up.Your sig file should start with a headline that tweaks thereader's interest. Then follow with your web site address andyour autoresponder address (more on this later.) Here's whatyour "sig" might look like.------------I made $500 with this program last month. Wantto know more? See http://DrNunley.com/affilates.htmor write to mailto:bizguru@aweber.com------------3. Remember how I promised you would only have to work 10 to 20minutes per day? The key to this is using the Internet's abilityto automate tasks.No question about it, you will want a series of canned emailmessages you can send to people who are interested. Use amultiple autoresponder to do this (freeautobot.com is a goodone.) When someone emails your autoresponder address, they getyour messages, one each day.Chances are the affiliate program offers sales letters you canuse. If not, get a professional writer to help you put togetherthree sales letters. A set of three often works as well as themore common seven messages.4. Finally, get your own web site. It is super easy to build anice page or two using the free systems at Tripod.com andHomestead.com.While most marketing on the Net is done with email, customersexpect you have a web site with additional information.Rather than using the free site the affiliate program gives you,create your own site. Your site can tell your story, help peopleget to know you, tell why you support the affiliate product, thenlink to your affiliate member site.There are two reasons for this. Starting prospects with your ownsite gives you a lot more power to sell. You can tell the storyof how you used the product and succeeded (very powerful!) anddisplay additional products or services that compliment your mainaffiliate offer.Most search engines won't list a canned affiliate site, but theyWILL list the original site you create. Search engines can be animmense automated source of free visitors.That's all it takes! Do these four things 10 to 20 minutes perday and you will be well on your way to earning with affiliateprograms.Recent stats show the average person spends 20 hours per weekonline. If you get organized, there is no reason you can't useat least a little of your weekly Internet time to work your ownsmall business.