What are Affiliate Programs, and How Do They Work?
March 13th, 2007Affiliate programs are a great way to get started when you want to work online. You can participate in affiliate programs, even if you do not have a web site. You can use affiliate programs in blogs (which are free), and you can also use them at other free article sites, and in free classifieds sites.
But what are they? Simply put, there are many companies out there trying to sell their stuff. There is plenty of stuff out there that needs to be sold… we don’t need more stuff - we just need more people helping to promote the stuff. That’s why they need YOU. An affiliate is simply a salesperson, who never has to talk to customers, make calls, etc. An affiliate writes articles or ads (free) about good products he/she finds, and makes a commission from each sale that is made.
Without oversimplifying, let’s use an example. Let’s say that I wrote an e-book about working at home. That’s great - I’ve just created more “stuff.” But, I am limited by my advertising budget, my time, other demands, and, if I work at home, I don’t have a staff… I need YOU to help me sell my e-book. I am glad to pay you a LOT to sell my e-book, sometimes up to 75% of the sale. Why? Because I’ve already created it, now I can create something else, and if I get thousands of affiliates to sell my e-book, 25% for me is a nice income.
Now YOU want to work at home, work in your motorhome on the road, be your own boss, or, you just want to do this sometimes, and have a little extra money for your hobbies, or whatever. You are willing to spend some time each day online, typing up the info and posting it in blogs (weblogs) or free classified sites. You are exactly the kind of person I need to help me… so how do we find each other?
A lot of companies figured all this out, and some pretty sophisticated programming made it possible for Affiliates to help Publishers. A few of them got really big, and brought together hundreds of thousands of affiliates with thousands of publishers - and voila! It was now possible for publishers to make really good money selling e-books and electronic products (like software) on the web, with thousands of “salespeople” helping, and it was finally realistic for people like you and me, with little or no experience on the web, to make an income online - without investing a dime.
I told you about one of the biggest Affiliate sites yesterday, PayDotCom. I hope you have already had a chance to sign up for your PayDotCom account. If not, sign up through my link by clicking here. PayDotCom is my favorite affiliate “warehouse” for a few reasons:
1. They pay you by using PayPal. I like PayPal because when I am on the road, I can have the money I make deposited directly to my bank account, without having to deposit a check. Also, MANY merchants accept PayPal, so I can also shop online using the funds I’ve earned. To sign up for a free PayPal account, go to http://www.paypal.com/
**Note: If you have a web site, and would like to use PayPal to accept credit cards (with NO merchant account - a great way to get started). If you HAVE a web site, or need a merchant account, please click my link so that I get credit for referring you: https://www.paypal.com/us/mrb/pal=EF276MWSAPTAA
2. I also like PayDotCom because there are many thousands of products sold there - not just electronic stuff, but hard products, too. This is great, because my two camping web sites are a great place to promote many of the health and exercise related items - a perfect match for my members.
3. PayDotCom has a very helpful user forum, which is great for newbies. I’ve read nearly every post there, and gotten a free education in getting started with affiliate marketing.
My second favorite site is Clickbank. Clickbank is the leading affiliate web site, and has been around for a long time. They do specialize in electronic products, so, you will find thousands of e-books, software programs, etc. here. Electronic products are fantastic, and they sell well. People who read about them in your articles or ads can click on the link and get their product delivered to their computer immediately, so Clickbank is an invaluable resource for affiliates like us.
My suggestion is that you sign up for both programs right now. Be sure to also get a PayPal account, so that PayDotCom can deposit your money. Once you’ve signed up for both of these affiliate programs (both 100% free, no catches, no strings attached), you are ready to get started!
You’re just a few minutes away from being “in business” and ready to get started. To whet your appetite, browse the great collection of products you can offer while you’re at these two sites. I did this, and by the time I finished looking around, my head was spinning with all the possibilities. Yours will be, too.
Come back to the next article when you have gotten your affiliate accounts set up and you are ready for the next step - this is gonna be fun!
Anne Pierson
President, Happy Camper Club www.camphalfprice.com /Creator of RVScrapbook.com www.rvscrapbook.com / work-at-home mom and internet entrepreneur.