Back to the Basics with Affiliate Marketing

Earning money online has become one of the hottest trends around. With so many different avenues online to make money I shouldn't really call it a trend anymore, it is more like a lucrative career choice that is here to stay. With any new industry it can get pretty competitive, which is why you need to put in the hard work to stand out. One way to create an income online is to get into affiliate marketing.

You don't have to have your own business or even your own website to get started. Here's how:

Step 1: Join an Affiliate Network: These networks have a large amount of advertisers that all have active affiliate programs. These networks just aggregate these advertisers into one place to make it easier for you. The two terms to understand in affiliate marketing is that you are considered the publisher(affiliate) and the product/service you are promoting is the advertiser. There are quite a few affiliate networks out there, but the biggest and most established are Commission Junction and Linkshare. Some other networks worth noting are ShareASale, Amazon Associates, andClickbank.

Step 2: Find a Suitable Advertiser: You do not want to promote products or services for companies that do not match your niche. If you were running a website dedicated to clothing, you wouldn’t promote auto parts products. They just don’t work. Most affiliates fail when they don’t have the right offers for their audience. Just finding the advertiser is just the beginning. They will then either approve you automatically, decline you, or manually review your application. It can take days to weeks to hear back from some advertisers.

Step 3: Promote the Advertiser: You will never get paid unless you promote an advertiser. This is how you earn money as an affiliate. If you are running a blog like this one, then you could deal with products or companies that are connected in the finance industry. You would talk about specific products or services that match who is visiting your site.

Step 4: Get PAID! If you earn enough money in your affiliate network account, then you will get paid. Many of these accounts have minimum thresholds. Some are $50 or $100, while others have none. You have to earn enough commissions in order to get a payment if there is a threshold. Most networks will pay you via check or direct deposit your earnings into your checking account. Some will pay you when a customer makes a purchase, while others will pay you just for leads.

What is keeping you from creating an income online through affiliate marketing?

Article Source: Sprout Wealth

Image Source: Tax Credits on Flickr