Affiliating Correctly - Only Work With the Winners

You need to do a bit of research on which affiliate programs you choose to work with. Why work hard to make $10 when the same amount of work could have netted you $100? Choose your affiliate relationships wisely.

First of all make sure that you are targeting the right market. Don't try to sell nursing shoes on a site that is all about hunting and fishing. Even if you were able to get someone to look at your product, the odds are pretty low that you are going to make a sale (stranger things have happened I suppose). Target your market correctly. If you are going to pursue pay per click advertising (which I highly recommend), then choose your affiliation according to the criteria outlined below.

How can I determine which affiliate programs are the most profitable?

Here are some points to consider when establishing an affiliate relationship:

Look for at least $30-$50 per sale or signup. If you consider that you may want to use pay per click advertising, you must have this type of return.

Look for products or services that pay you for the lifetime of the sale. Talk about residual income! Several products that require a monthly subscription will continue to pay you for the life of the sale.

Promote established, trusted brands. I promote companies like ING (through Commission Junction), and Buy.com (through Linkshare)

Selling reports and products that can be downloaded online can be very profitable as well. It's not unusual to find commissions approaching nearly 50% for these types of products.

I understand the concepts, but what should I sell - Specifically?

Step ONE - You must join (OK, should join) the following programs:

Commission Junction - As far as I know, they offer the biggest affiliate network at this time. They also have very nice information about each company that tells you how much they pay out per 100 visitors to their affiliate sites. Target these companies products.

Linkshare - They've been paying me for years for the customers I send them. Highly recommended.

AdReporting - Big commissions, lots of clients. Join all three of these programs.

Step TWO - After joining Commission Junction, take a look at the best paying products and services. Use these products and services to target your companies on Linkshare and AdReporting.

You will quickly find that the best paying products/services are:

Mortgages
Credit Cards
Office Supplies
Web Hosting
Software Products

These are all competitive markets, but there are ways to reach these potential customers. Check out Google Cash to learn about how to bring visitors to your site for pennies.

Copyright 2005 Mark Cabaniss

This article has been authored by Mark Cabaniss. To learn more about online business and affiliate programs, please visit www.eProfitCentral.com