Affiliate Programs: An Easy Start to Online Income

Affiliate programs may be the easiest online business tostart running. Why?

With any online business you must have a product or serviceto sell. First you must create this product or service andthen you must be able to fill orders.

Selling your own product or service also means creating awebsite, learning how to write ad copy, setting up amarketing plan, being able to accept payments online andobviously doing the work. If you're selling a physicalproduct then you will need to make or buy the item, packageit and pay for shipping costs. If you provide a servicethan you will likely have to start by doing free jobs tobuild your credibility and then when you are charging foryour service you are still limited by how much work you canactually handle.

THE MAGIC OF AFFILIATE PROGRAMS

Affiliate programs are a great way to get started in anonline business. In fact there are even some 'SuperAffiliates' who are making fabulous incomes from affiliateprograms. So, what ARE affiliate programs?

Affiliate programs allow you to sell another company'sservice or product and make a commission on every sale orlead. You do not even need to build a website or handle thetransaction. Your job is to drive traffic (customers) toyour affiliate link.

An affiliate link is a special URL code that will identifycustomers coming to the company's site from youradvertising. It will likely be the website address with acode attached to the end.

Some affiliate programs also have tiers. That means ifsomeone who is interested in SELLING the product comesthrough your link and signs up you will also get a smallpercentage of THEIR earnings.

HOW DO I CHOOSE A PROGRAM?

You should research the popularity of some of yourinterests. Try to determine if people are buying thatproduct or service online. There are many sources forfinding that information including free ones such as theOverture keyword tool.

When you have found an area that is popular then type thesubject along with 'affiliate program' into your searchengine and see which programs have services or products forthat area. You can also use an affiliate program directory.

When you have found a program that looks interesting youshould read the terms of the program. Make sure that payoutsare not based on a high commission earning or you may neversee your money. Also try to choose programs with highcommission rates. Often you will find ebooks anddownloadable software has the highest rates as there is nophysical product to make or ship. If you are satisfied withthe terms then you need to sign up - usually a simpleprocess.

START MARKETING

The reason affiliate programs are so great for beginners isthat you only need to focus on marketing - not making - yourproduct.

Many affiliate programs have information on how to marketand give you tools such as banners, product feeds and more.You can also look for other information on marketingincluding writing articles, creating pay-per-clickcampaigns, commenting in online forums etc. As you gainexperience marketing you will make adjustments to yourselling and start creating a wonderful income!

Brennan Howe is the owner of http://www.opportunity4all.net - Intenet Opportunities for the Average Person. Sign up toreceive a 10 part internet marketing course and free downloads.