Should You Join an 'Affiliate' Program? And What To Look For

There sure are a lot of Affiliate Programs out there for you to choose from, aren't there?! If you have a busy site or a large newsletter, you can start earning money right away! Sounds good! But....you're going to need lots of traffic to do the 'earning right away' thing.

So, if you have a new site, a low traffic site, or are starting from scratch, you've got a long way to go! Be aware of that and don't get discouraged right off.

If you are brand new to Internet marketing you might be better off if you develop your own product. That takes time and energy but when you sell your own product you get to keep ALL the profit!....sell someone else's product and you only keep a portion of those profits.

Don't get me wrong! I'm not saying that someone just starting off should not join an Affiliate Program. When you don't have a good product or service to sell online, being an affiliate can be a great option!

Just keep in mind that it may take awhile to see a profit since you have to promote the program and build traffic to it just as you would if you had your own website. Just be sure you find an Affiliate Program that offers something you love and would feel good about marketing.

The great thing about Affiliate Programs is that they are "no-brainers"! What do I mean by that?

Well, if you already have the aforementioned 'lot's of traffic to your site', all you have to do is post a text link to another site, the affiliate program site, and earn a percentage for every sale which you generate.

And...best of all, the company takes care of all the administrative problems, the credit card charges, the shipping, the inventory....you get the idea. You just refer people to them, they take care of all the rest and cut you a nice hearty check every month. Sounds pretty great, doesn't it?!

Yes, it can be! But be careful! Getting involved with the "right" affiliate program is your key to making money. (More about that later.)

Making money with an affiliate program is playing the old-fashioned numbers game! Meaning, that out of the people who visit your site you may get a 1% to 20% click-through ratio (this range is so wide because it depends on the product interest, your link to them and the power of their slogans or banners). ...that's the number of people who click through the text link you have provided and actually visit the site you are recommending.

And of those people, only 1% to 2% will really buy. So... "numbers game"! Generating a good income from affiliates programs, requires a large number of visitors to your site or subscribers to your newsletter.

Example. Say you're getting 1,000 visitors to your site a month and you post your affiliate text link. Just for fun, lets say you get a click through of 5%, which is WAY high.

That means out of your 1,000 visitors, 50 of them go to the affiliate site by clicking through and out of these 50 people probably only ONE will buy...IF THAT! Just because you get 1,000 visitors to your site (that's YOUR site not the affiliate site you are promoting) that doesn't mean you will get $500 a month from your affiliate program.

Here's some more numbers for you. A company with a good affiliate program will have about a 0.5% to 1% visitor to sale ratio. It can sometimes be better than that (and often many time worse, especially if you hook up with the wrong company!), but that is the average. So for every 100 to 200 visitors you send them, only one will purchase.

Whoa! Doesn't look quite so great now!

That's okay, this is the reality and you have to be realistic about your online endeavors. If you think everything is just going to fall into your lap, you'll be easily disappointed and end up quitting before you even get close to succeeding.

You'll want to look for these things in any Affiliate Program you join:

• An Affiliate Program that is successful at what they do.
• An Affiliate Program which offers great value, a great product or service, and more importantly, GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE!
• Make sure the Affiliate Program has a great tracking mechanism so that you get credit for every sale.
• Look for a Program, which tracks every sale in real time so you can see your results instantly.
• Make sure the Affiliate Program has a good-looking website, which pleases customers, is easy to navigate, and offers great information to the visitor.
• The Affiliate Site must be able to turn visitors into sales. You can send them all the visitors in the world, but if they don't convert visitors into sales, you don't make any money!

Before you decide to join any affiliate program, get the answers to the following questions:

• How long has this Affiliate Program been in place?
• What form of compensation is offered? In other words, are you getting actual cash , are you getting credits for your product, are you getting free AirMiles -- what are you actually getting?
• Is there a set up fee? If so, how much?
• What kind of associate tracking software is being used?
• How are referrals tracked? Do you get credit for EVERY single sale you refer to them?
• Do associates get credit for the sale after a visitor comes to the site and doesn't buy, then leaves and comes back to buy at a later date. How long is this in effect for?
• Do you have to take special steps to get out of the agreement?
• Does the legal agreement bind you to any other responsibilities?
• Under what circumstances can the Program remove you as an associate?

If you take the time to gather all this information BEFORE you jump into an affiliate program, you'll find that GOOD Affiliate Programs are actually hard to find. Lucky for you! You don't have to go freaky every time a "new" affiliate comes online!

Chances are, once you look more deeply into the company, you'll find they can't pass your "test" and are not a company you would want to be "affiliated" with anyway.

By : Anne Ahira

Founder of Asian Brain Internet Marketing Center

www.BelajarBisnisInternetAhira.com

Top Ten Rules of Doing Business Online

1. Respond quickly.
The internet is full of websites that can grab your customer's attention away from you. Make sure you give them the information NOW, while you're still on their mind.

2. Give the prospect enough information as possible to make an informed decision.
You want to make the buying process as simple as possible. Give them the answers to all their questions so they will feel comfortable buying your product.

3. Offer several ways of communicating with you.
Let your customers know that you care enough to be available for them. Don't ever hide behind your website.

4. Be honest in everything.
Your reputation is what will make you a success. Treat others fairly and the rest will fall into place.

5. Create desire for all types.
People buy for different reasons. Write logically and emotionally. You want to create (emotional) desire for your product but also eliminate the (logical) arguments some prospects may have against buying.

6. Write with all readers in mind.
Include subtitles and lists for people who will only skim the website and make detailed descriptions for people who want a more thorough explanation.

7. Let other people sell for you.
Testimonials and joint ventures are the most powerful form of advertising you can use. They are also a lot cheaper than other forms of advertising so make sure you start using these immediately.

8. Create a sense of urgency.
You've spent your hard-earned money to get prospects to your site. Give them an incentive to order when they get there! If someone feels that they can come back at any time and order, they'll procrastinate. More than likely they'll leave your site and never remember to come back.

9. Ask for the sale!
Don't be shy about this. Show them that they are getting far more than what they are paying for and then tell them how to order. Place several order links throughout your ad copy.

10. Overdeliver.
Your list of previous customers is the most valuable thing you own. If you treat your customers special, you will be rewarded by referrals and repeat business. Remember to keep in touch with these people and help them out whenever you can.

By : Anne Ahira
Founder of Asian Brain Internet Marketing Center
www.BelajarBisnisInternetAhira.com

Writing Captivating Articles

Before you think about writing an article, stop and think for a minute about why people read Ezines. Think about what I said in the last section.

Readers are looking for content and you must make sure you deliver quality information.

They are not looking to be sold something so make sure your article is not a sales letter in disguise.

So, where do you start?

• Brainstorm Topics for Your Article

Browse through a few newsletters, go to a few discussion boards in your field. What seems to be the hot topic right now? What are people excited about? What type of questions are they asking? Any of these can give you a great idea for a compelling article.

Remember, the best types of articles are those that solve a problem for the reader or inform them of new developments in the field.

Take a few minutes to brainstorm some ideas for your target market.

What problems are they facing that you might be able to help them with?

What is going on in the news that might impact them personally?

What tips would you give to someone just getting started in your field?

What are some of the obstacles you’ve overcome in getting your business going and how did you do it?

If you notice, a lot of these questions can be turned into simple bullet points for an article. You do not have to be a writer to create good material! You just have to have useful information that people need.

Ok, so now you’ve got an idea for your article. You should have one focal point around which you want to build your copy.

• Write 3-5 major points based on your subject

You need to break your subject into a few sub points. By dividing your article into sections like this, it will make the article flow much better. This will also help keep you focused. This is important because the length of your article should really stay around 500 words.

Keep in mind as you’re writing your sections, you are still trying to create an emotional response in the reader. Make your copy as interesting as possible. Be creative! It’s certainly not a requirement, but if you have the ability to come at an old topic with a new angle, by all means, do it!

Now, write out a few sentences in each section supporting your point. Stories or quotes on the topic are also effective.

• Think of a title for your article

I suggest you reread the section on Creating Attention Grabbing Headlines. In whatever medium you use, a headline can make or break your success. Remember that!

• Draw your conclusion or leave the reader with a final thought on the topic.

• Create Your Resource box

This is where you place your name, contact info, and website address. You should also include a few benefit phrases along with your links. These are most effective if they coincide with what your article is about. Also, make sure a person can simply click on your link and be taken to your website or email address.

Once you‘ve finished your article, read it aloud and make sure it’s ready to be submitted. Let it sit for a whole day and then go back and read it again. You should specifically check for:

1. A logical sequence to the piece. You want to take the reader from beginning to end in an easy to understand sequence. You want your article to flow smoothly.
2. Make sure the writing is informal and easy to follow. Write like you would speak to someone.
3. Do a spell check. Sounds simple, but it’s amazing how easily you can forget this step.
4. Make sure your lines are 65-characters in length and no longer.
5. Make sure your resource box is separated from the article by a border. This really makes it stand out. Your resource box needs to be very eye catching. Remember, this is the only link to your website.
6. Email your article to teammates or friends and ask them to give you some feedback. It always helps to get a few other opinions.

Don’t worry about your style of writing as much as getting your point across. If you have good information with average writing skills, readers will read your article. If you have excellent writing skills but poor information, you won’t get very far. Focus on the content!

By : Anne Ahira

Founder of Asian Brain Internet Marketing Center

www.BelajarBisnisInternetAhira.com

Why A Website is Very Important to Your Business

A website offers many benefits for your business

Benefit #1:
Allows you to showcase your unique personality and add your special touch to a program.

Let’s say you’re promoting a SUPER DUPER Program, for instance. If you were to send a prospect directly to your SUPER DUPER website, they would see the same site that all the other reps are promoting. There would be nothing special to distinguish yourself from them. The site is good. But remember, lots of people already know the "look" of the SUPER DUPER site. Once they visit your site, they might say "Aaah.. I know that program already!" and then just close the window! Uhh...that's so bad! :( How many prospects will you lose by doing this?

You need a place where you can show prospects the BENEFITS of joining with YOU!

You know, when I was a little, I really hated "History". I went through several different history teachers but none ever lasted very long. They all taught me history – history straight from the same books. History with no fun or excitement. It was so boring!

But one day, I finally got a very interesting teacher. She always told me, "Anne, if you score at least 90 on your history test, I’ll give you a bunch of stickers". I was so excited! Because of the "stickers", I studied very hard! I studied the same history with the same books. But the teacher got my attention with those stickers! It was ONLY because of those "stickers" that I was willing to work with her so diligently!

Now do you see my point? No one usually joins fast or easily with any program, especially when they have seen the program several times with the same look! So you must have "stickers".

Having your own website will help you put your "stickers" ( I mean "concept", LOL :-), in front of your prospects. It can, at least, make your prospects see "another point" and hopefully they will love your concept and join with you! :-)

Benefit #2 :
Allows you to have your own Domain Name

When you have your own domain name, the address of your web site will look something like this:

http://www.yoursite.com

On the other hand, if you put up your site on one of the free servers, the address of your web site will be something like this:

http://www.somefreewebsite.com/yoursite

Which of these two looks more professional? Which of these two is smaller and easier to remember? I’ll leave you to decide that.

Benefit #3 :
Builds credibility among your customers

The only way to make money online is to build up credibility among your customers. Having an established site makes your customers feel that they are dealing with an established business, rather than with some fly by night operator.

Benefit #4 :
Allows you to have several email addresses that you can use for different purposes

You can have multiple email names affiliated with your site. This allows you to assign different email aliases to different functions, all of them pointing to your actual email address.

For example, for questions related to the products and services that you sell, you can have an email address like sales@yoursite.com. For questions related to the newsletter that you publish, you can have editor@yoursite.com. For comments/suggestions about your web site, you can direct your customers to feedback@yoursite.com or webmaster@yoursite.com.

Having different email addresses for different functions not only makes it easier for you to filter your email using your email client program (Eudora Pro, Pegasus Mail, Outlook Express etc.), but also gives your customers the impression that yours is a large, established company with whom it is safe to do business.

Benefit #5 :
Helps with Ranking in Search Engines

Many search engines give a lot of emphasis to the home page of a particular domain, i.e. other things remaining the same, a home page of a domain will often rank higher for a particular keyword than any other page.

When you use some of the free hosting services, your index.html page is the home page of your site, but not of that domain. In these search engines, your site will find it very difficult to make it to the top 20 or top 30. Just think of the amount of traffic that you will lose if this happens.

Also, some search engines are now refusing to spider the web sites which are hosted by the free web hosts. Can you really afford that?

Benefit #6 :
Easier To Get Listed With Major Directories

When your site is hosted by some of the free web hosts, you will find it very difficult to get it listed in a major directory like Yahoo!. Although Yahoo will never admit that it won't add a commercial site which is being hosted in one of the free web hosts, in practice, it will be a miracle if you can get your site listed. Listing your site with Yahoo is difficult enough when you have your own domain. Don't make your task even more difficult than what it needs to be!

If you don’t currently have a domain name, are you convinced now that you need one right away?? The small fee that you pay per year for your own domain name is peanuts compared to the benefits that you get.

By : Anne Ahira
Founder of Asian Brain Internet Marketing Center
www.BelajarBisnisInternetAhira.com